Living Stones

My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,

and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today.

A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us.

We're glad you're here.

And we're...

Is this going in and out?

Oh, okay.

Sorry.

We're glad we have backup sound equipment.

We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,

but because we're following Jesus together as one community.

And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good that they don't need God's grace,

and no one so bad that they can't have it,

which means that God has something to say to everyone in His Word.

He has something to say to people who have been Christians their entire lives,

people who have been Christians for maybe a very short amount of time,

and perhaps people who wouldn't consider themselves Christians,

people who have doubts or questions or objections about Christianity.

God speaks all of those things in His Word, and so that's why we come back to it week after week.

If you've been with us, you know that we're in the book of 1 Peter,

and the book of 1 Peter is a letter.

It's a letter written by a man named Peter,

and he writes it to churches that are in modern-day Turkey.

These churches are in the first century A.D.

And he writes to them because they are facing some challenges.

They are feeling out of place in the world,

and they're facing opposition from the world because they're Christians,

because they follow after Jesus.

And so Peter writes to them to encourage them and also to instruct them.

He writes to them to encourage them that Jesus is worth it.

Jesus is worth living for and loving for.

He's worth suffering for and dying for.

And he also writes to them to instruct them how they should live in this world

as people who follow God.

We have been sort of going back and forth between instruction and encouragement.

Near the beginning of the letter, it was almost exclusively encouragement,

and then we had a couple places of instruction.

And now we're back to encouragement,

as Peter has been talking about the community of God

and how people are to act towards each other in the church.

Last week, we looked at how we get along in the church

and the putting away of malice and slander and hypocrisy.

And now we continue to look at the church community,

asking questions like, how is it different than other communities?

And what does the church as a community have to do with suffering?

If this is a book about people who are facing opposition for being Christians,

they're feeling out of place,

if they're suffering for the name of Jesus Christ,

what does God's community, the church, have to do with that?

It's with those questions that we come to chapter 2,

and you're going to find this.

It's in your worship guide.

You'll also find it in your Bible or on your phone.

And we're going to be starting at verse 4.

And as we come to this, remember that this is God's word.

And God tells us that while the grass may wither and the flowers fade,

his word stands forever.

That's why we read now, starting at verse 4,

as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men,

but in the sight of God, chosen and precious,

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.

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.

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.

And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

They stumble because they disobey the word,

as they were destined to do.

Please pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.

Father in heaven, we thank you for your word that you give to us,

that you haven't left us alone like orphans in a merciless universe.

You haven't left us in the dark to stumble alone.

But instead, you have given us your words as your instruction,

that we would know the way to walk in this world.

We ask that you'd send your Holy Spirit now to help us,

that we would listen carefully,

that we would understand that you would open our eyes

and unstop our ears and soften our hearts,

that we'd be able to believe and see and understand

everything that is written about you in your word.

We ask these things not because we have earned them or deserve them,

but because Jesus has earned them for us.

And so we ask them in his name.

Amen.

As many of you know,

there's all sorts of things that go on at our church throughout the week.

And sometimes I get to see more of those than others because I'm here.

And I think it was last, now, two summers ago

that I told you about the shelter of the wing out there

that people hide under during the hailstorms.

Another thing that I observe is we have several Bible studies

that meet at our church throughout the week

that aren't associated with our church.

They just use our building.

We open it up to them.

And there's one that meets on Thursdays.

And we have asked this Bible study group

and really a lot of the groups that meet

to park over on the east side, our east parking lot.

That's the door that we unlock, the entrance that's open.

Makes it easier for them to come in that way.

And of course I see these cars as I come in throughout the week,

especially when I come in on Wednesdays and Thursdays

and these groups meet.

And this group on Thursday, though,

there's one thing that's happened several times

that I've noticed as I've come in.

And so you have all these cars over on the east side,

and yet there's one car over on the west side

right here behind me.

And the car that always parks on the west side

is a black Porsche.

Now, I'm not criticizing this person.

If I had a black Porsche, I would also park on the west side.

Okay, this is not a judgment on anyone's character.

This person is wise in the ways of the world.

In fact, often I try to find a parking spot away from other cars

so that people aren't going to scratch my car

or knock their doors into it.

And my car is much less valuable than a Porsche, right?

But as I would see this car week after week for several times,

the last time as I saw it and I walked into the church,

I thought,

you can stay safe

and never be hurt,

but you'll always be alone.

You can stay far away from all the other cars.

You can guarantee

that no other door will ever hit your door.

You can guarantee that no one will ever scratch your bumper.

And you'll always be by yourself.

You'll always be alone

on the other side of the parking lot.

Peter writes this letter to these people here

and he makes not a point but an assumption.

There is no such thing

as a Christian

parked alone.

There is no such thing

as a Christian

out by themselves

on the west side of the parking lot.

Instead, he gives us this image

of what it's supposed to look like

for the community

and the church.

We see in verse 5,

he tells them,

you yourselves are like living stones

and you're being built up

into a spiritual house.

And you're coming,

verse 4 to him,

he's talking about Jesus

who's a living stone

rejected by men

but in the sight of God

chosen

and precious.

In other words,

this is God's design

for his people.

Not that they would be isolated

and alone

like stones

who are scattered around

but instead

they are stones

connected intimately

and directly

to one another

as part of one house.

God's intention

is not for his people

to be isolated

following him

as individuals

but instead

that they would be like

these stones

who are part of one structure

which means

that they are close together.

means that they are rubbing up

against each other.

Means that people

are trying to find

exactly how they can fit

into the structure

and work around

all the other people

who are building together

to create

this one mission,

this one group of people,

this one temple,

this spiritual house.

Now that's not really

the point that Peter

is making in this passage.

It's his assumption.

Why is it his assumption?

Because of course

that's the category

that the Bible has

for Christians

that they would always be

together as God's people.

They would not be isolated

and alone

scattered around

like individuals.

He doesn't say

you are like stones

who are in random places

in the field.

Now we have some stones

that are in random places

in the field.

But we also have a building.

And Peter's telling them

that being in the church

is much more

like the building

than being scattered.

These are people

who are joined together

as one body.

Another way of putting it

would be this.

If you

said,

you know,

I am

I'm a Christian.

I love Jesus.

I follow after him.

I love what he taught.

I believe he forgave me

of my sins.

I just can't really

stand other Christians.

So,

I say,

you know,

the church is great

for people who

need that

kind of thing.

It's pretty messy

and it's not necessary.

We don't really see that

in the New Testament.

It's really more

just these believers

who are following after.

You know,

if I do come,

maybe I'll come to a church

and I'll just kind of

be there on the back row

but I'll make sure

that no one ever knows my name

and I don't have to,

you know,

no one will ever scratch

the side of my car door,

right?

I'll never be in this community

where someone could actually

hurt me

or do something

that would offend me

or challenge something

that I believe.

if you said that

to someone living

in East Berlin

in the 1960s

or you said it

to someone living

in communist Russia

in the 1970s

or the 1980s

or you said it

to a Christian

living in Pakistan

in 2019

or in China

in 2019,

they would not

understand

what kind of crazy talk

you were saying

because that is

the only way

they know how to survive.

The recipients

of Peter's letter

are living in a culture

where they are feeling

out of place.

Of course,

they are together

like living stones.

This is not even

Peter's word of instruction.

He's just encouraging them.

As you walk together

in this world,

this is how you're making it.

You're not just

a group of people.

You are a group

of living stones

that are founded

on the living stone.

If you were to talk

to some of those

other people

from different places

and different times

in the history

of the church,

they would say,

of course,

of course we're living stones.

Of course we're together

working towards one mission.

How else would we survive?

How else would we make it?

Of course we're not

an isolated Christian

somewhere out there

disconnected from other Christians.

That would be nonsensical.

There's no other way

I would be able

to make it

in communist Russia.

There's no other way

that I would be able

to survive East Berlin.

There's no other way

that I would be able

to make it.

The recipients

of this letter

understand what it's like

to live in a culture

and a world

where they don't feel

like they belong.

Peter encourages them

that not only

do they belong,

but they are part

of this living

spiritual house

put together

with other Christians

and founded on Jesus.

I say that Peter

is writing to

encourage and instruct

these people

and he's encouraging

them with this

and instructing them.

How else would you survive

in that culture,

in that world,

without some kind

of alternate community?

Christianity is lived

out in the church,

in the context

of the church

with other Christians.

Peter doesn't say

there's these living stones

and there's also

kind of these random stones

that aren't part

of the building,

but they're connected

to Jesus somehow.

No, every stone,

every stone is part

of the house.

And so every one

of God's people

has a place

connected not just

to him,

but to each other.

If you truly believe

that you are

what we talked about

in chapter 1,

verse 1,

if you believe

that you are an exile

and a stranger

in this world,

then you're going

to find your people

really fast.

If you have not

found your people

really fast,

God's people,

the church,

then you do not

truly believe

you are an exile

and a stranger.

And so Peter

encourages these people,

letting them know

that they're not just

an assortment

of individuals,

but they are actually

the place

where God's power resides.

They are living stones

based on the living stone.

Now we might see

some language here

that's familiar

because he's telling us

not just that these

are people who belong

into community together,

but he tells us

the nature of this community.

Verse 4,

they are coming to him

that is Jesus,

a living stone

rejected by men,

but in the sight of God,

chosen and precious.

Where have we heard

chosen before

in 1 Peter?

in chapter 1,

verse 1,

we were told

they were not just

exiles,

but they were also

elect.

Remember I explained

to you that elect

is related to our

English word election

where we choose someone

and so that people

are chosen by God.

The same language here

is applied to Jesus.

He was also chosen

by God,

but rejected by men.

What kind of spiritual

house is this?

What kind of stone

are you?

You're a stone,

lowercase s,

that looks like

the stone,

uppercase,

capital S.

What is happening

to you,

he's encouraging

these people with this,

what's happening

to you is simply

following the pattern

of what happened

to Jesus.

Jesus was chosen.

The stone.

You are stones,

you're also chosen.

Jesus was rejected

as a stone.

You were also rejected.

Jesus is living.

He's a living stone,

verse 4.

Guess what?

You are also alive.

You have the spiritual life

that we've talked about

that comes from

the new birth

that Jesus taught about

in John chapter 3.

John 3 · chapter mention

and Peter has referenced

multiple times now.

So he's encouraging

these people,

you belong to this

powerful house

and what you are experiencing,

what you're going through,

the type of stone

that you are,

is connected to Jesus,

the great stone.

And so everything

that's true about Jesus,

I shouldn't say everything,

many things that are true

about Jesus,

the pattern of Jesus' life

is also true about you.

Jesus experienced honor

and glory.

If you follow the stone

and his path of suffering,

rejected by men,

you will also experience

honor and glory.

What is true of the stone

is also true of the stones.

Peter's giving us an image here

that has many different facets

and elements to it.

We could talk all day

about all the different ways

that these stones

interact with each other

and what this image

teaches us about

what it means to be a Christian.

But fundamentally,

he's telling us

that we're in a community.

We're being built

into a spiritual house

and everything that we're doing

is based on Jesus

as our foundation.

He's the cornerstone.

We still see cornerstones today,

right?

You go by a building,

you'll see a large stone,

sometimes on a corner,

and often you know

it's the cornerstone

because it has the date,

the year that the building

was built chiseled into it.

That's how you know

that's the cornerstone.

That's the stone

that lays the foundation

for the rest of the building.

Jesus is the stone

that lays the foundation

for the church.

And so how does the church

help us walk

as a community

through suffering?

Well, it helps us walk

because it is a community

and it's not just any community,

it's the living community.

And also,

as we've talked about before,

it's suffering makes sense.

As the cornerstone,

so the stones.

Of course,

we will be rejected by men.

Why?

Because Jesus was too.

Of course,

we're living.

Why?

Because Jesus is living.

He's given us new life.

Of course,

we will experience these things

because as the stone,

so the stones.

And so application here is simple.

Don't be surprised

when you face

what the stone faced.

Don't be surprised

when you are rejected as well.

and take comfort.

You're with Jesus.

You are part of the building

that lasts.

You are part of the living building.

Peter here is comforting

and encouraging his readers.

as you feel out of place

in the world,

realize that you are part

of the building,

the true building

that lasts.

You're part of the building

you have lost

and you are losing

things that don't matter

eternally.

and you have gained

and you are gaining

things that do matter

eternally.

And so you are part

of something

so much greater

and so much more glorious

than you realize.

and you are doing it together.

You are not doing it

alone and isolated

but you are doing it

rubbing shoulders

with other people,

having conflict

with other people,

rejoicing

with other people,

working side by side

with other people,

having hospitality

with other people.

You are a living stone.

You cannot separate yourself

from the other stones

any more

than you can separate

yourself from the stone.

This community, however,

is not just a

gathering of people

connected to Jesus,

although it is.

And it's not just

that what's true of Jesus

is true of them,

but they also have

a mission and a purpose

as a community.

They don't exist

just so these stones

can be side by side.

It doesn't exist

just so these stones

can avoid

loneliness in the world

or they can have

companions like any

other group would

have companions,

but they have a purpose.

And we're going to get

even more into this

next week,

so this is really

just whetting your appetite.

This is an appetizer

for chapter 2,

verse 9,

which when Peter gives us

the mission statement

of the church.

But he tells us

the reason here.

You yourselves

are like living stones

with a purpose.

You're being built up

as a spiritual house

to be a holy priesthood,

to offer spiritual sacrifices

acceptable to God

through Jesus Christ.

In other words,

you exist

to be the place

of God's presence.

That was the purpose

of the temple

in the Old Testament.

You exist to be a place

of God's holiness,

which is the section

that we just finished,

a place where God's ways

are lived out,

where everyone can look

and see what it looks like

when people follow

what God has commanded.

And then finally,

to offer spiritual sacrifices,

which here means

that their lives

of obedience,

as they honor God

and live together

as a community

of integrity,

as difficult as it is

in the world,

is a beautiful sacrifice

before God.

Peter's encouraging

these people

who are perhaps wondering

why is it worth it

to live a life

of holiness

if it's not getting me

anything in this world.

And he reminds them

that they are part

of the living building

and that their obedience

is something that's

offered up to God

and that he delights in.

We're going to talk more

about this priesthood

next week.

So I'll just give you

a little bit of an appetizer.

The priesthood

had the responsibility

to represent God

to the people

and represent

the people to God.

They were a part

of God's people

and now Peter tells them

that all of them

are a priesthood.

In other words,

part of their mission

is to represent

as a whole people,

as a spiritual temple,

to represent God

to the world.

It's part of everyone

seeing what it looks like,

what this countercultural

community is.

These people who are

doing what we talked

about last week,

they're putting off

slander and hypocrisy

and malice and instead

they're loving one another

earnestly from a pure heart.

They're a priesthood

to show the world

what it looks like

when people truly

love each other.

They're a priesthood

to show what it looks like

when people put off

the passions

that Peter mentioned

a couple sections ago

where they're walking

with integrity,

putting off

the addictions

that cause them

to hurt themselves

and each other.

Peter writes

to these people

to give them

tremendous encouragement

that they would know

that as they live

their lives before God

they are not in vain.

But instead

they're taking part

of something

that is living

and will live,

something that's lasting

and will last

and something that is

honoring and pleasing

to God

and that will continue

beyond anything else

in the world

where they exist

that will one day perish.

and so they can take

tremendous hope

and encouragement

and faith

from knowing

that they are stones

connected to the stone.

He continues to encourage

them in this way

in verse 7

he says,

so the honor is for you

who believe.

In other words,

while you may have shame

in this world

because of following

after Jesus,

you have honor

in the world to come

and honor that matters.

And there's an implicit

warning there,

if you have honor

in this world,

be careful

because honor

in this world

does not last

and you may have shame

in the world to come

and the things that matter.

You're a living stone.

And you're part

of a spiritual house.

You're connected

to other people.

You're connected

to Jesus,

the living stone,

the great stone.

And you follow

after him

knowing that what's

true of him

is also true of you.

Encourage living

in a world

where sometimes

it doesn't seem

valuable or worth it,

holding on to the hope

and the promise

that there's honor

for you who believe

and that this is

a spiritual house,

a holy priesthood

whose obedience

is accepted

and honoring to God

who will give

consequences for it

of glory and reward

that will last

into eternity.

You are taking part

in something

that is so much greater

and so much more glorious,

Peter is telling

his audience here,

the recipients

of this letter.

And then finally,

he gives them

what's often called

the scandal

of the gospel.

people.

Many people

are offended

by Christianity

and in a sense,

it is offensive.

They should be

for the reasons

that's given here

which is that

there are only

two ways to live.

I've said before,

many people

in this world

would think of there

being three ways

to live, right?

You're either

a super good person

like Mother Teresa,

you're a super terrible

person like Adolf Hitler,

or you're just

a normal good person.

Just doing what

you need to do,

you're being a good

neighbor,

you're going to be

fine, right?

But the Bible

just says there's not

three kinds of people,

there's actually

two kinds of people.

Here, they're presented

as those who build

on the stone

or those who stumble

on the stone.

They're either

those who accept

Jesus and his offer

of salvation

or those who do not.

There's not

super good people

and super bad people

and normal people.

In fact, the Bible

tells us that all people

are sinners

and deserve God's

judgment and his wrath.

But God offers

his salvation

to anyone and everyone

who puts their faith

in him.

Because this living stone

is living

and it reminds us

that he is risen

from the dead,

that Jesus died.

He lived a perfect life

that we couldn't.

He died,

and suffered the penalty

for our sins

and then,

as 1 Corinthians 15

tells us,

he conquered death

and rose again

from the dead.

And he did that

to pay the price

for our sins

so that anyone

and everyone

who has faith in him

can have what

verse 7 talks about,

the honor is for you

who have believed.

And so there's only

two kinds of people.

Peter gives these

quotations from the

Old Testament.

This idea of the stone

shows up in the

Old Testament over

and over again

as a sign for the Messiah

that's going to come

and save God's people

from their sins.

And even in the Old Testament,

what Peter says here

is clear,

that this stone

is going to be

a cornerstone.

Verse 6,

And whoever believes in him

will not be put to shame.

Whoever builds their life

on the stone

will experience

the life of the stone.

Whoever builds their life

on the stone

will experience

the life of the stone.

And there's only

one other option.

Verse 7,

The honor is for you

who believe,

but for those

who do not believe,

the stone that the

builders rejected

has become the cornerstone

and a stone of stumbling

and a rock of offense.

The image here

is of people

walking around looking,

trying to figure out

how they're going to

build their building.

And they come across

this stone,

Jesus,

verse 7,

and these builders

reject it.

This is not the stone

that they want to build on.

And so instead of being

a stone that it builds on,

it becomes a stone

they stumble on.

Peter's helping

these people understand

that that stone

that was spoken of

throughout the Old Testament

is Jesus.

And so those people

are building their lives

on the stone

that will last.

And even as they live

life in this world,

and they see the people

around them having

all kinds of success

and accomplishments

and experiences,

those foundations

will not last.

But the sacrifices

and the life

that they build

on the living stone

will last.

When it talks here

in verse 8

about those stumbling

because they disobey

the word,

it's talking about

people who reject

the cornerstone.

They reject the offer

of the gospel

that Jesus gives.

They're not willing

to confess

and repent

of their sins

and recognize

that without Jesus

they're without hope.

But instead

these are people

who believe

that they can build

their lives

on another stone.

But instead

the hope of Peter's

readers that he

extends out to them

is that they have

built their lives

on the stone,

the only stone

that matters.

And as they build

it on the stone,

that stone is Jesus.

He's the one

who gives them

hope and life.

So what does

Christian community

look like?

What does

Christian community

have to do

with suffering?

Well, it looks like

a community of stones

who are all next

to each other,

part of the same building.

They're not isolated,

hiding away

from each other,

avoiding getting hurt,

but instead

they're right up

against each other.

There's friction,

right?

These stones

aren't just together

on some mission,

but they're on

a specific mission.

They're on a mission

to live out

God's ways

in the world.

And they're not

doing that

powerless.

It's not a

pie-in-the-sky hope,

but they're doing that

because there's a

living stone

that's giving them

that power.

They're basing

their mission

on Jesus

who rose from the dead

and offers that

very same power

to them.

Paul tells us

in Ephesians 1

that the power

that rose Jesus

from the dead

is the same power

that's at work in us.

And these people

can be encouraged

as they go on

this mission

because when they

meet discouragement

and setback

and failure,

they know that

that is the pattern

of Jesus,

and so that will

be their pattern

as well.

And they can also

take encouragement

knowing that

Jesus' pattern

was one of honor

and glory,

and so that will

be their pattern

too.

Verse 7.

That what's true

of Jesus

is true of them,

and that this purpose

is one that they

would be a place

of God's holiness

and his presence

in the world,

living out God's ways

before the entire world.

Not because they're

better than them

or superior to them,

but because they are

connected to the

living stone.

And finally,

Peter tells them

that this is the stone

and it's the only

stone they can build

on.

And so as they're

suffering and looking

perhaps for other

options,

he reminds them

that this is the

only one.

And so it's for

this reason

that no matter

what we face

in this world

and no matter

what temptations

we have

to walk away

from the building

that God is creating

through his church,

that we take

faith and hope

and confidence,

knowing that what

verse 6 says

is true,

whoever believes

in him

will not be put

to shame.

Will you believe

in him?

Will you build

your life

on the stone?

Let's pray.