Called To A living Stone
Standing Firm • Sermon • Submitted
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· 17 viewsThe more we depend on the Christ as the living Stone the greater the Glory and praise.
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Good morning — welcome.. today we are continuing our sermon series in the book of 1 Peter.. entitled,“Standing Firm.”
“Standing Firm.”
WHAT comes to mind WHEN YOU THINK OF SOMETHING THAT LASTS?
In Africa we have these trees called baobab trees… In fact in the town that I grew up in had these two baobab trees just outside our town limits..they were landmarks… Whenever we saw them we knew there was about 20 miles until we got home.. . Baobabs are interesting looking trees..
they have been called the upside down tree…the bottle tree… another name for them is the tree of life.. there is a good reason...
the Baobab can provide shelter , clothing, food and water -. —it’s trunk can hold 40 000 gallons of water…
Baobabs are resilient they have fire resistant bark and can survive through just about anything that the harsh African climate can throw at them … Baobabs have a life span of around 5000 years…it is incredible to think that some these trees existed.. before and during the time of Christ!
Baobabs have stood the test of time!… they stand Firm!
Baobabs are amazing trees and they stand firm.. the has a life span of baobab can reach around 5000 years…
If there is anyone in the Bible that knew the importance of standing firm ...its Peter.. before Jesus ascension … Jesus told his disciples that He would go to Jerusalem and suffer many things and at that time they would be scattered … He then turns to Peter one of his closest disciples... and tells him that he would deny him three times...
Jesus said to Peter that Satan has desired to sift you as wheat… ..But I have prayed for you that your faith would not falter ... and.… after you have turned back, strengthen your brothers…
Peter never dreamed for one moment that he would fail the Lord.. Peter answered Jesus immediately… I’ll go to prison with you Lord and I’ll even lay my life down …
We can only imagine the agony of failure that Peter felt… when he later denied knowing the Lord that same day… the rooster crowed and Just like Jesus predicted…
but … Just like Jesus had predicted…Peter denied knowing the Lord… the rooster crowed ..We can only imagine the agony of failure that Peter felt in that moment! we are told that Peter wept bitterly…
We are told that after Peter realized what he had done… He wept bitterly…
But that was not the end of the story… after Jesus resurrection appearances … Jesus restored his relationship with Peter… then Jesus commissioned Peter… to feed and Shepherd the flock… And upon his confession that Jesus is Lord.. He would build the church...
But that was not the end of the story…
after Jesus resurrection appearances He restored his relationship with Peter… Jesus then commissioned Peter… to feed and Shepherd the flock… Not only would Jesus use Peter... but he would a key part of build the church up… He would be Petra… the rock…
When you think of John — He was the beloved… you could find John talking about love… that was his passion… Peter on the other hand was known as the "Apostle of Hope"..
His message was one of encouragement to believers who were scattered throughout Asia minor.. He Gave the HOPE...
What excited Peter was talking about the power of the Gospel to transform our lives into Christ…likeness… In his Epistle
he loved to talk about Good news … .. remember his first sermon more than 3000 came know Christ..that set the direction of his ministry.. For Peter…the Gospel was the solid ground of faith… what a privilege to be called to Salvation!,…
Peter reminds the church of even though find themselves living as refuges and exiles in the world.. The have come to a living hope.. calling…they are God’s Elect Exiles
chosen and called into salvation — called to be set apart…
he is writing to the church who are scattered but they are God Elect exiles.. Gods plan is just as amazing whe we are on the mountain tops as it is in the valleys.. in the darkness of soul.
Peter says this is the good news that has been delivered and been received..
It is good news because God has called them to a living Hope in salvation... called them to be holy.. called them to Christ himself..they have born again not of coruptable but incorruptible seed of the word of God.
in other words..,
They didn't come to something that is here today and gone tomorrow.. not like grass and flowers that are there one day and the next they disappear… but rather the Word of God endures forever.
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Peter says the Word of the Lord remains.. kingdoms have and gone.. whole empires have been raised and are no longer..but the Word of God has stood the test of time!…
Peter says this is the good news that has been delivered to them..
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
T/S Peter is giving these these CHRISTIANS hope and he is teaching them How to deal with their present struggles and how to honor God...… the first thing is too.
1. Let go of the Extra Baggage.
1. Let go of the Extra Baggage.
You may remember this story a number of years ago… of Jet blue flight 292 that after take off couldn’t raise its landing gear… The story went on national TV and everyone was watching…live.. including passagers in the plane..
Another problem was that the plane was still carrying a full pay load of aviation fuel.. 46000 pounds of fuel..
So..In order to lower the risk of fire upon landing they flew for another two hour in this holding pattern — they flew in a figure 8 and burned as much fuel as they could… before landing at LAX… The pilot did amazing job and saved 146 passengers aboard.
That landing gear wasn’t designed to land sideways…and so the only way to land safely was to get rid of the extra weight…
Peter is a realist — He understands the human condition… that we are by nature are have this bend towards sin……
But at the same time in Christ we have been born again into a living Hope.. there exists this tension of sin and righteousness.. Peter tells us that in order to live a life of freedom provided for us in Christ…we have to let go of the baggage…the things that would hold us back
In order to live a life of freedom provided for us in Christ…we have to let go of the things that would hold us back in our spiritual growth … in fact these the extra weight would be deadly to the spirtual life.....
Peter says… we are too put away… 5 specific Vices and practice that hinder personal spiritual growth
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
Notice Peter says - Put away... put off — This is a greek verb that speaks of a deliberate single action… literally taking off a garment…
it is making a break with the past.. Peter says put off..
ALL…Malice…
1. Malice.. means- perversions/ depravity..it is really a blanket word.. that .. has to do with immorality and things that are offensive to God..
We have huge issue in the area of morality today …we live in a culture that believes truth is relative…that means that there is no such thing as absolute truth…right and wrong…… we live in a world of preferences — In other word if it feels good then it must be right...
Peter says put away All malice… Put away all..
2.. Deceit -… Deceit Can apply to our thoughts, our words and our actions.. It means to gain an advantage over another by unfair means… It can be deliberately tricking or misleading others.. a closely related word.. is...
3. Hypocrisy - means “to use a second face.”…
It is putting on a mask pretending to be something you are not— I think we don’t intend to be Hypocrites… nobody sets out to do that..
Put off ..
4. Envy/Jealousy - is desiring something possessed by someone else. The problem with Jealousy is that it causes discontent and resentment as believers make unhealthy comparisons to one another. When we envy what other have —we are unable to be thankful for the good that comes to others.
5. Slander - tearing down others… We tare people down when they have hurt us…
It is speech that deliberately assaults the character of other persons. It is any speech that harms another person’s status or reputation
When we allow these behaviors and patterns to take root … it interferes with our spiritual growth and with our relationships with others.
The way we deal with these vices.. is by letting go... putting it of…cast it to the side.
The writer of Hebrews encourages us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1).
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Spiritual renewal involves getting rid of the bad:
pits.. pulling out the weeds, chucking away the mouldy tub of leftovers from the back of the fridge.
It is the same thing as pulling out the weeds, chucking away the mouldy tub of leftovers from the back of the fridge.
The new life is really a cooperative work between divine grace and believers determination… It the working out of Salvation..
T/s Peter is giving these these CHRISTIANS hope and he is teaching them How to deal with their present struggles and how to honor God...… the first thing is too.
1. Let go of the Extra Baggage.
2. Let the Word of God Be your Fuel.
2. Let the Word of God Be your Fuel.
A few years ago, I was gassing up our car… It is one of those things we tend to do on autopilot.. I put in my debit card into the ATM typed in my pin and chose type gas… then went to fuel the car… But when I tried to put the pump into the gas tank… the Nozzle wouldn’t fit… I was confused… What’s going on? I took it out and tried again…it took me a few attempts until I figured out what was wrong…
I had mistakenly picked up the Diesel hoze and thankfully ....they have designed it not to fit into a petrol car…
When it comes to
Spiritual growth is Not just about letting go of the things that hinder us... But It is also about fueling our lives with the right Fuel..
When we are born again.. we have a new DNA .... we need the right nutrients to keep us growing more like him
The way we fuel our the Spiritual life is ...through…the word of God… Peter uses the metaphor of a new born.. to illustrate how we grow.
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
The first thing that Peter tells us that Babes desire pure milk…to grow up into salvation.
Peter is writing to a wide range of Christians — some were new Christians but there were others who had been in the faith for over 30 years.. the message is the same.. every believer needs to crave nourishment from God’s word...
John Calvin comments on this verse he says.
“Milk, here, is not elementary doctrine, which one perpetually learns, and never comes to the knowledge of the truth, but a mode of living which has the savour of the new birth, when we surrender ourselves to be brought up by God. John Calvin
We need to desire Pure..
a. Spiritual milk
A healthy new baby has an instinctive yearning for its mother’s milk. When things are right, you don’t have to tell it to want the milk
Something is wrong in our spiritual lives when have no desire for the word of God.... here is the thing a baby doesn’t just eat once in a day… it is multiple times… the word of God is not something that we do once in the day and get it off our check list.. Word of God is living and active… we meditate and think upon the word.
When we are in the word it shapes and forms our thinking..
When the apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians to a church who were drifting from faith into legalism... Paul describes his prayers as one who in anguish of travail of soul... until Christ was formed in them.. (Gal 4:19) “until Christ formed in you.”
It is an interesting and unique phrase and is the only place in the scriptures where it comes up.…The word “formed” means to become or to be developed into a distinctive entity…
Kenneth Boa describes Spiritual Formation..
“the grace-driven developmental process in which the soul grows in conformity to the image of Jesus Christ.”
Kenneth Boa
We have examples in scripture — Like Samuel… who we are told in 1 sam 2:26 grew in stature, favor with the Lord and with man.. Luke 2:52 Jesus increased in stature, favor with God and man. Acts 9:22 Paul grew in strength and confronted the Jews - by proving Jesus was the Christ (knowledge)
Peter says it doesn’t stop at Birth … but it continues.. Peter says like that new born STRONGLY AND PERSISTENTLY DESIRE THE PURE (unadulterated) Spiritual Milk…
The word milk was actually a word used by stoic philosophers of the day… they used it to mean “Rational”.. Philosophical rational thinking… but Peter says that the word of God is the Pure Word… In the ancient world it was a common practice to put additives into wine and to milk ...to make them go further…
They do the same thing to day… our food is full of additives.. most of our foods have fats, sugars… startches in order to try and make it taste better..and go further…When it comes to the word of God… we don’t need to add additives… It is not Christ plus… Rather what is needed is that we have to develop an appetitte. for the word..
b. how do we develop an appetite for Gods word?
Have you ever watched a cooking show... you watch other people cooking and eating... looks wonderful but you have no idea how that tastes... they can describe how good the food is... The invitation of the Bible is dig into the word for yourself... taste and see that the Lord is good.
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
"IF" is a conditional word... something must be met before another action or event can occur. IF you taste from the word — your will discover that the Lord is good…
T/s Peter is giving these these CHRISTIANS hope and he is teaching them How to deal with their present struggles and how to honor God...… the first thing is too.
1. Let go of the Extra Baggage.
2. Let the Word of God Be your Fuel.
3. Let God’s Word Define the blue Print
3. Let God’s Word Define the blue Print
How we define our lives is important? We can use different measurements.. WE can measure ourselves by others ---
We can define our lives through own insecurities fears and misconceptions..
Peter want us define ourselves by those who God’s Elect Exiles…Sojourners in this world… but those who have hope in Christ… we are precious… valuable in his sight…
A contractor in Michigan was building a house and the construction of the first floor went smoothly. But when they started on the second floor, they had nothing but trouble.
None of the materials from the lumberyard would fit properly. Then they discovered the reason: they were working with two different sets of blueprints! Once they got rid of the old set, everything went well and they built a lovely house..
Peter tells us that God has given us his blue print in his Word… we follow his blueprints we will see how God works in our lives and in our relationships…
Peter says we come to Him..
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The Bible often speaks of the people of God as a household a building… this is a common metaphor in both the old and the New Testament.. It is speaking of the people of God those who have come to have the blessings of God…
The emphasis in this passage is on what God has done and is doing.
The lesson is the purpose of God's people as a community...that we come to him… He is what we share in Common… WE come together to Worship...… in the OT you would draw near to the Tabernacle with your sacrifice…
Peter says we come to him- We come to Christ.. we don't come to a church... we don't come to a religion... we come to Christ first... Christ - whom everything is built upon… and we come to worship… to draw near…
The sense is that as we continually come together in worship and prayer… we are being built up and growing… ... as we lean on and trust --- Christ is the Rock ... He is the living stone a testimony to his resurrection.. it is upon The crucified and resurrected Christ that are are being built up as spiritual house --- strengthened and maturing..
When we come to Christ we are Partakers of the Divine Nature... and we too became a Living (resurrection) Stone… As our lives touch his life so we are being conformed into his image… We are being shaped by him and together we make up the .. THE CHURCH...
a. stop looking at Rejection and hurt
Peter .. quotes a verse from Isaiah and the psalms..
6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
In God’s house… Christ himself is the Cornerstone.. He is the Keystone… but for some that is a problem..
Peter tells us that
the builders... the religious crowd.. they found the things Jesus said and did to be offensive..
Jesus was a rock of offence...
the word stumble means
to Strike against
it is when we- “judge someone or something unworthy and conclude that it is something to be rejected”)
they stumbled...
Peter quoted Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22 in his description and pointed out that Jesus Christ, though chosen by God, was rejected by men. He was not the kind of Messiah they were expecting, so they stumbled over Him. Jesus referred to this same Scripture when He debated with the Jewish leaders (Matt. 21:42ff.; see Ps. 118:22). Though rejected by men, Jesus Christ was exalted by God
..
The cornerstone is most important brick in a building.
The cornerstone is the thing that sets the course for the building -- our cornerstone is what sets the course of our whole life...
we could put success, possessions.. Your real cornerstone is the thing that your base your life.. it will project lines out into the rest of your life.
. becoming a Christian dosnt mean you just change your mind. It doesn t mean you have a new set of doctrines. (keller). "It's tearing up. its takng all the stones of your life and instead of having them all shooting off of the old cornerstone. you shoot them off of the new corner stone - Jesus you come to him..
When we do this we st
b. start looking at God's purposes.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Eugene Petersen paraphrases "You are the ones chosen by God . . . from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted" (1 Peter 2:9-10, The Message).
Most of us spend our entire lives trying to earn acceptance. We seek it from our parents, peers, partners. We seek acceptance from the people we respect and the people we envy. Our desire to be accepted influences the kind of clothes we wear, the kind of car we drive, the kind of house we buy, and even the career we choose.
Why are we so driven by acceptance? Because we love the feeling of acceptance. We love to know that someone has chosen and accepted us.
Remember playing sports as a kid and dividing up the teams? Usually the two best players would be captains and as they were choosing up sides you were thinking, "I hope I get chosen by this team, because they are the winning team." If you were chosen by that team, remember how great you felt to be chosen by the best player? On the other hand, remember how bad you felt when they got down to the last two or three and you still were not chosen?
a People belonging to God..
Several years ago, an auction was held that focused on sports memorabilia. Dan Quayle’s little league uniform was up for grabs, as were Michael Jordan’s running shoes.
Although in themselves these items were of little value, they were sold for incredible amounts of money simply because of who had owned them. Peter’s repeated emphasis with the term people is that as a believer I may be a very ordinary person, but I acquire an immense new value because I belong to God and am possessed by him
Peter say not only has God chosen you individually…chosen you collectively. … Chosen Race.. royal priest hood a holy nation...
this is the church as a community..
and collectively our purpose is to declare his praises.
Declare means “to advertise, to proclaim.” A very literal rendering of the verb would be “to tell out or tell forth.” This suggests we should give a high priority to verbal declarations
God’s purpose in redeeming us is not simply our own enjoyment but that we might glorify him..
what is our declaration?
1 what they were before Christ and what they are now in Christ.
as Peter say that you may declare the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light…
2. That we were once not a people now we are a people...
3. They have Received Mercy..
English Standard Version Chapter 2
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy
We declare that God has dealt kindly with us… instead of judgment and punishment.. we have received his Favor.. we have not got what we have deserved...
How to we get past our present struggles and live lives that Glorify and honor God?
1. Let go of the Extra Baggage.
2. Let the Word of God Be your Fuel.
3. Let God Define the parameters.
Conclusion
Conclusion
A few years ago Pam and I went on a marriage retreat with Neal and Judy Brower and one of the exercises we did was designed to trust your spouse.. You basically face each other take a step backwards and then hold hands and then lean into each other.. you have to find the perfect balance of both your weight or you fall down... it is more difficult than it sounds.. .
Peter tells us that we have come to Christ the corner stone…we lean upon him.. It is to shift our center of gravity on to him.