August 22, 2021: "I Belong: A Royal Priesthood" 1 Peter 2: 1-10 (NIV)

How many of us remember what it was like growing up to be chosen for a game with school yard rules? Usually, the biggest or most athletic people would do the picking and they would start with the best athletes first. In Cairo, I was the one who always was picked last, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes I was picked last because I was not that good at sports. Other times I was picked last because I was “Mr. Giddens’ son” a reference to the fact that my dad was the disciplinary principal in Middle School and those students who were most athletic were also most often in his office.

It bothered me for a time to be picked last and also to be picked on because of my relationship to the principal until I realized an important truth… I was always picked! In Middle School I was picked to play the tuba by the band director. I found my niche playing in the band and had the opportunity to be win many awards within the band as a whole and individually. Even more than that, it became a great community of friends.

Why is it that we get so upset about things we are not chosen for when there are so many other things for which we are chosen? Often, it would be a better use of time and resources if we focused more on the things for which we are chosen and let the rest of it fall to the wayside. But that’s the human struggle isn’t it?!

God chooses us at all times. The choice today is whether or not we choose Him back!

I invite you to stand at this time for the reading and hearing of God’s word this morning:

1 Peter 2:1–10 (NIV)

2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”[b]

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”[c]

8 and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”[d]

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

And may glory be to God for the reading and the hearing of His word this morning, Thanks Be To God; you may be seated.

You are a royal priesthood

As Israel was called God’s chosen people in the Old Testament, the NT believers are designated as chosen, or elect… those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are now God’s chosen people. People have argued through the years about what it means for people in the present day to be chosen. Some say that it means that those who will be God’s elect are already chosen, a position common to predestination. Others might say that God’s chosen people are all of those who are all of those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. For our purposes today, Jesus chooses us; it is our choice whether or not to choose Him back.

1 Peter 2 gives great illustrations to further prove the point today that not only are we chosen by God, but we want to choose Him back.

In v. 2 it says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

A baby is totally dependent upon the parent for what is or is not going into their mouths. Erin and I remember well the days of making baby bottles and putting them in the fridge. We always seemed to run out so quickly because our boys drank so much. Making a baby bottle requires the right kind of formula with bottled or distilled water. Erin calls me “bulk boy”, so I bought enough bottles that I could have 10-20 ready to go in the fridge so that I didn’t need to make more for a couple of days. Even then they still ran out quickly.

Notice that it does not say for a baby Christian to receive just any kind of milk. They need PURE spiritual milk so that they can grow up to be strong and healthy in their salvation. And, the Lord tastes good… reminding us of the Psalm that says “Taste and See that the Lord is good!” The connection of the baby Christian with the right spiritual nutrients and the right food is the key. Without it, a baby Christian will remain stuck in the infancy stage.

1 Peter 2: 4 says, “As you come to him, the living Stone, rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God in Jesus Christ.

Who is it talking about when it says “come to Him, the living Stone, rejected by humans?” JESUS, right?! We just studied this past week in Bible Study that Genesis 15:6 is a hinge for the entirety of Scripture because it says that God counted Abrams belief to him as righteousness. Righteousness is so much more than doing the right thing— acting righteous. In fact, just acting righteous can come with pride and arrogance. But, if we act truly righteous the way that God intends, righteousness means that we have a relationship with God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yes, God does care about how we act, but faith not about anything that we do to earn the favor of God. Faith is simply an act of accepting Jesus and having a relationship with him.

That’s why when it says that He is the living Stone, it implies that Jesus is the life-giving stone. And simply put, he was rejected historically by humans and continues to be rejected by humans by the actions we continue to take of not nurturing the relationship with him. But the irony of it all is that if we are not in relationship with Jesus, we cut off the source that gives us life because v. 5 says that we are “like living stones”… “being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood”. The relationship we have with Jesus is a lot like the connections that things in our lives need in order to function properly. If an airplane or a car does not have clean oil and gas in the tank, it will not function. If the air conditioner that we all love so much does not have electricity or gas, the house will be hot. It may be the best plane, car, or air conditioner that money can buy, but until they receive the kind of life-giving fuel that they need to function, they are all useless and only good to go to the scrapyard.

That’s why there is a heaven and a hell. Hell is simply eternal separation from God. But instead of focusing on it and all of the many potential issues that could bog us down, let’s focus on what a relationship with God will do for us.

God is building a spiritual house and he wants you to be a part of it!

v. 6 continues, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.

The picture Peter paints here is of a structure that is made up of believers or living stones. The design and orientation of the structure puts Christ as the cornerstone.

So what is a cornerstone? In every stone building, one stone is crucial. It is laid first, and it is to ensure that the building is square and stable. It is the rock upon which the weight of the entire structure rests. It is the cornerstone.

v. 7 references Psalm 118:22, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

In a couple of homes that we’ve lived in, we have had a small shed out back that allowed us to put yard stuff, my tools, and my Christmas lights in it. It’s interesting how the sheds were similar and yet very different even though they were about the same size. One shed was built on a concrete slab that had a stick frame on top of it. It was solid and stood upright even though nothing had been done to it for many years. The other shed had stepping stones laid down and the shed was placed on top of the stepping stones. As the stones began to settle in different directions, the plastic shed gradually began to break a part.

Just as it is important for the cornerstone to be correct in construction jobs for the rest of the structure to come out right, it’s important for us to build our lives upon the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. Then, God brings all of the living stones together who are plugged into the cornerstone and He builds His Church. The Church is the Royal Preisthood, those who are chosen by God to believe in Him and those who choose him back.

I do not want to gloss over the hard news Peter gives the people in v. 8. Jesus is “A [Cornerstone] that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”

Now, is Jesus literally going to cause people to stumble and fall? Certainly not! But Peter wants those who receive His letter to know that there are consequences to unbelief and that Jesus is also the one who holds us accountable as the chief judge. We should not judge, but one day all persons will have to give an account for their lives While we focus on the positive outcomes that come with belief, unbelief brings with it momentary and possibly eternal separation from God for those who choose not to believe. I am reminded of the passage that says beginning in Matthew 7:24, “24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

You are a royal priesthood!

You are always picked by God to be a part of the team… the priesthood or community of all believers. You are like a living stone that when plugged into the chief living stone becomes bright and beautiful for all the world to see.

Remember today,

The stone on which we build our lives determines whether our lives will prosper and continue to grow or become like a house of cards that eventually comes crashing down.

Your place in the body of Christ is uniquely yours. Some of us look at the cinder block out of which some buildings are built and we see the interchangeable nature of a huge pile of blocks or brick that go on the outside of the building. In the Kingdom of God, no two stones are the same. You have been blessed and given talents and gifts that must plug into the space that God has allotted for you in the structure of His Church. Without it, there is a hole the size of you that remains open until you finally choose Jesus.

He’s already chosen us. He loves us. He’s inviting us to choose him back. That how we drink the pure spiritual milk that can only come from Him. That how we grow to be mature in the faith.

Jesus says, “Come to me all of you who carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.” You belong in the priesthood of all believers.

If you would like to receive Jesus or recommit your life to Him today, I invite you to join with me in speaking the words of the Salvation Poem in your heart as I say them aloud:

“Jesus, you died upon the cross and rose again to save the lost. Forgive me now of all my sins. Come be my Savoir, Lord, and Friend. Change my life and make it new. And help me Lord to Live for you.”

IN the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, AMEN.