Man's rejection of the Corner stone
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-7
Title: 1 Peter 2:4-8 – Man’s rejection of the Corner Stone.
Introduction: In a book I was reading recently I was taken back to a childhood story that I really had only skimmed through for years. It was the story of Noah and the message that he preached. As I studied this passage the story came back to mind, but not in the way that I had considered it before.
I began to realize that the world was set against Noah and his family completely. No one would listen to the message preached for 120 years. No doubt the crowds laughed and mocked this man and his instruction from God. Yet, never is there a recorded word that Noah ever complained to God, and he never stopped work. He stood firm, even when no one listened. He stood firm while he built an Ark in a world that had never seen a rain drop believing completely the Word of God.
He stood firm when the animals came and were loaded, he stood firm when he preached for the last time to a crowd that only wanted their ears tickled. Finally, it was too late, no doubt the last message was more passionate and stirring than the first yet no one joined them in the ark. The door closes and the first rain drop falls. Noah was faithful, he pursued holiness in everything that he had done, but outside the ark the realization began to set in that Noah’s message was true. And the message they had heard for 120 years finally sunk in and became a stumbling block for they had not rejected Noah they had rejected God and now it was too late.
Central Idea: Christ is the chief corner stone upon which the magnificent church is being built.
Main Transition: As we continue in our study of 1 Peter we are once again confronted with the truth that we are to live holy lives before the Lord. Today however, Peter is going to orchestrate our attention to focus on two groups of people, one, those who believe and the other, those that do not believe. He also introduces us to a new word picture of Christ. So we begin by considering the rejected stone, then we will open the door to understand that, that same stone is what we as believers should be following as it is the chosen stone. Finally, we will turn back to unbelievers as their reject the chief corner stone.
I. The rejected stone (4-5)
A. Christ was and is rejected by men (4)
1. Peter begins anew the reminder that we are to continually be seeking after Christ.
a. The opening few words to this verse 4 “and coming to Him.” Reveal that this is not the first time one is coming to Christ as for the first time coming to know Christ as Savior
b. But rather this is a perpetual coming to Christ, this is a habit of our systematically coming to Christ. This is the intimate communion between you and your Lord and Savior.
Application: After having realized that we belong to the dear family of God and therefore we should act like it, now Peter makes us realize that another step toward holiness is nearness to the one who is Holy, that is God, we need to faithfully practice fellowship with our Savior.
2. We are coming to a living stone
a. Notice the unique theme that is starting to be developed, look back 1:3, here Christ is the living hope, following that in 1:23, here Christ is the living… Word, and now Christ is the living Stone in 2:4.
b. This living stone of course has life in itself, but also has the ability to give life to others, but instead was rejected by men.
c. You and I who are believers fellowship and have deep personal communion with the one who was cast out by the world.
Application: This was greatly encouraging to those that had been scattered by persecution, now they could realize that their Savior too was rejected, but while the world may reject them remember that we who are believers are chosen, verse 1:1, and we are redeemed. While men may reject God chose.
B. Christ is chosen by God (4)
1. Peter is about to orchestrate a wonderful illustration on the building practices of the day and how it relates to the life of Christ and the rejection of Him by men.
2. All throughout the pages of Scripture we read that the ways of God are foolish to men but that the ways of men are foolish before God.
3. We must realize that God sent His only Son to die a terrible death on the cross, and then rise again just to redeem some slaves to sin, which is you and I.
a. And in so doing Christ was to be and indeed was rejected by the majority of men. But Christ was not rejected by God instead He is choice and precious.
b. Those men that don’t reject the stone realize what a precious and choice living stone Christ really is.
C. Constructions can begin (5)
1. Peter now turns to those of us who believe and reveals that we too because of our identity with Christ are living stones, begin conformed and molded into the building of a spiritual house.
2. Notice that it is not an end to the means to merely make up the church but we must also to serve in it.
a. We are part of a holy priesthood – Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit we no longer need any other mediator between God and man other than Jesus Christ.
1. Each one of us who believes makes up this priesthood
2. We must be careful however to realize that such priestly service means that we be holy, You as a believer must be striving toward holiness.
b. Then we offer up spiritual Sacrifice to God, Spiritual Sacrifice are praise to God, longing for the Word of God, Love of the brethren, Romans says that we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God.
Transition: It should be apparent to us that we each one have a major responsibility to strive to holiness, that means that we are to love each other with philo and agape love. It also means that we long for the Word of God, that we seek communion with God and that we recognize our responsibility to the spiritual house. It is vitally important to the Christian to be a part both in attendance and in service to the church. Peter continues to orchestrate our understanding by focusing on those that believe in Christ.
II. Following the chosen stone (6-7)
A. God has laid the corner stone (6)
1. Peter turns to the first of three OT passages 2 of which are from Isaiah, to reveal that Christ’s position as the chief cornerstone was foreordained by God the Father.
2. Remember verse 20 of the chapter 1 – Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world to be the complete payment for our sins, know Peter adds to that argument already started
a. The finished work of Salvation was not the only work of Christ.
b. Christ now forms the corner stone upon which all believers will be added to.
B. The stones value for the believer (6)
1. We have spent most of the first chapter coming to realize the benefits of coming to know Christ as Savior as well as the security of the believers because all that was accomplished for us.
2. So Peter is reinforcing our understanding by orchestrating this incredible picture of a spiritual house being constructed one stone at a time, one believer pursuing holiness after the other.
3. All of this while we are securely anchored to the Chief Corner Stone in Jesus Christ.
Application: What an incredible picture, you and I are able to stand the test of time not because we will never fall into sin, but because the anchor that holds us is Christ Himself, foreordained to be so long before the issue of sin or rejection ever existed.
C. The stumbling block for unbelievers (7)
1. This same corner stone that is valuable to the believer becomes a tragic stumbling block for those that rejected and are in the process of rejecting Him.
2. Again from the book of Isaiah Peter quotes the prophecy of the rejection of Christ. The world’s religions rejected Christ then and they continue to do so today.
Illustration: We live in a world that has substituted the absolute truth of God for the lie of Satan in relativism. Christ and Christians continue to be stumbling blocks in the world. We see it in religious acceptance and tolerance, where we are identified as intolerant. This is why the readers of this letter were persecuted and it will be why we will likely face persecution in the near future.
Transition: Peter has begun to demonstrate that what is so valuable to the Christian is seen and indeed is a problem for a world that has rejected Christ. We must stand firm even when the world’s persecutions come because we belong to a house that will stand the tests of time, anchored in nothing less than the Savior of the World.
III. Rejection of the corner stone (7b-8)
A. A prominent and powerful location (7b)
1. While the world may have rejected Christ as the corner stone it does not relieve them of the consequences of rejection.
a. The stone that was rejected is the very corner stone that is living, powerful and giving life to those that believe
b. To the recipients of this letter they understood magnificent structures, Rome was the epicenter of the greatest construction projects in the world. Each building would find its strength on a carefully selected stone that would because it’s strength support
the entire building.
2. In this case Christ is the corner stone to salvation the only way to be saved is to rest in the strength and power of the corner stone, without that stone the entire structure when tried and tested will not last.
B. The sin of rejection
1. The problem that those who do not believe in Christ have is that they are outside the building, like those that remained outside the ark and perished in the flood of Noah’s time are those that refuse to recognize Christ as the only way of Salvation.
2. The corner stone now serves as a stumbling block and a rock of offense as Peter again quotes from the book of Isaiah.
a. Christ is a stumbling block and a rock of offense because the unbelievers refuse to acknowledge Him as Lord
b. of course one day all will bow the knee but the spiritual building will have been completed and as the door to the ark was shut so to will the gift of salvation be to those that wait.
C. Trapped with no choice (8b)
1. Those that reject the chief corner stone will suffer the consequences of their unbelief for an eternity.
2. They have no other choice, they are doomed by their rejection, indecision, or flat out rejection doesn’t matter. If you have never trusted in Christ as Savior the consequences are the same.
Conclusion: In many ways this morning Peter has directed our attention to another reason why we should remain strong in standing firm. He has built in our understanding a spiritual building that is growing and nearing completion. He reminds of the OT and what the prophet Isaiah received from the Lord. That Christ was to be rejected by most, but for those who follow Him, salvation, acceptance, freedom, and love would theirs. This is truly a source of great joy and encouragement. However, I urge you as believers to not let loose the understanding that we are to pursue holiness, Peter is going to return to it next week.
For many weeks we have focused on the free gift of salvation, maybe you have never accepted Christ as Savior. You are still on the outside, the truth of the Gospel may be causing you to take offense or maybe even stumble. Take some time and understand that the there is only one way to heaven, there is only one family of God. And all you have to do is trust in Christ as Savior. Don’t be like those that heard the preaching of Noah for 120 years and rejected it only to find out that the message was true and that it was too late when the door closed.