The Church and Its Organisation as God's Temple

1 Peter 2 at verse 4.

And 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.

And so on down through the following verses.

We have in recent weeks been looking at something of what the Bible has to say to us about the health of the church.

And we have looked at the way in which Paul speaks to Timothy in 2 Timothy to show to us something of the way in which the church is formed and the purpose of the church.

And the last time we looked at it, we saw from John chapter 15 the way in which the church is united to the person of Christ in that message of Jesus himself as showing the church as divine.

John 15 · chapter mention

And to continue to think of these things and to just to remind ourselves as we do go into this passage to the way in which we were looking at the importance of understanding our identity as the children of God.

And understanding our identity within the church of Christ and understanding the role that we have within his church.

And the more that we understand all of these things, the more we are prepared and equipped to be the healthy church that the New Testament speaks of.

When we read this letter of 1 Peter, we see that there is a significant change going on at this stage in the letter.

Where he has begun by looking at the individual salvation of those who are born again, those who are elect, those who are chosen, those who have the hope of salvation in their hearts.

There is an individualistic focus in the first part of the letter.

As we move into this section, we see that there is more of a focus not on the individual, but on the church as a gathering of Christian people.

And that's a significant shift as he seeks to encourage those people who are struggling in their faith.

And we want to bear that in mind as we go and look at this passage.

There is that shift.

And it's an important one, not only for Peter's readers, but it's an important one for ourselves.

Because we can become caught up in our individual salvation and be obsessed with only our individual salvation.

And by being so obsessed, forgetting that we belong to the church, which is the gathering of the people of God.

We understand a healthy church by understanding that we are a gathering of Christians who believe in the Lord Jesus, but who are a body of people that do so.

And bearing that in mind, I want to look at these verses and to think of the church and its organisation as God's temple.

And first of all, we want to notice the design.

And we see the design in two particular ways.

We see the design, first of all, in the way in which there is development in the ministry of the gospel and in the mission of Christ's church.

And we see that development probably for us in verse number four, as you come to him.

It's a simple way of summarising what happens when we, as unbelievers, come to faith in the Lord Jesus and come to follow him.

And at the beginning of the letter, Peter has made it clear that those who do come to him are those who are called out of darkness.

They are those who are called out of darkness.

Peter has made it clear that those who are called out of darkness.

And when we do come to the Lord Jesus, we are coming to a living stone.

And why would Peter use the image of a stone to speak of the Lord Jesus Christ?

It is because he is connecting the message to the church and the message concerning the church to those people, connecting it with the Old Testament.

A great lesson for them and for us all that the Bible is a whole and we understand better what it says when we take it as a whole and when we see these connections.

And so the stone is a stone in Psalm 118.

The stone is a stone in Isaiah chapter 8.

Isaiah 8 · chapter mention

The stone is a stone in Isaiah chapter 28.

Isaiah 28 · chapter mention

It is a stone that is chosen by God.

As I read in this passage itself, it's precious in the eyes of God.

It's a stone prepared by God.

And we look at the history of the building of the Old Testament temple in the days of Solomon.

And we see that there were quarried stones.

They were prepared and dressed by the stone cutters and then brought and placed in their place in the temple.

And so it is true about the Lord Jesus himself.

He is the stone that the builders rejected.

But he is a stone prepared by God.

And the way in which God himself prepares and dresses the Lord Jesus in the sense of making him the perfect saviour that he is.

He is the stone that the builders rejected and that God has chosen.

And that stone is a living stone.

And the expectation of the church in the Old Testament was that the Messiah would come.

He would be the stone that fulfilled these prophecies.

And he would be the living stone on the basis of his resurrection.

So that Jesus, as the stone is rejected by the enemies of the church when he is crucified,

is the Jesus who is the stone who is vindicated by God in the resurrection

when he raises him up on the third day and when he ascends up into glory.

He's a living stone.

He is the life-giving stone.

He breathed on the disciples in John 20 and he said,

Receive the Holy Spirit.

In Acts chapter 2, he is at God's right hand and he pours out the Holy Spirit upon the church.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

He is the life-giving spirit.

And when we think of God's design,

we think of the unity of the design of God

in the building of his church

where our lives are derived from the one resurrection life

of the one Messiah who is the living stone.

And as scattered people of God,

Christians here this evening,

our life is derived from the Lord Jesus

in the glory of his resurrection

and the glory of his sitting at God's right hand.

And because of that,

there is necessarily a unity

and a harmony

that belongs to the very life

of the church of Christ in the world.

Our life is derived from him by God's design

and so there is that sense of unity.

But the design takes us further than that

because in God's design,

there is a formation.

And the formation is that we ourselves

as living stones

are being built up as a spiritual house.

By coming to faith in the Lord Jesus,

we are united to him

and we become living stones with him.

And all of these living stones

are not to be seen like stones scattered across the ground

wherever we physically might live.

The stones are not scattered like that,

although they are physically

in God's eyes and in God's church.

we are gathered together

in a spiritual house.

The spiritual house that is spiritual

because it is where God resides,

it's where the presence of God is found,

and it is where the people of God

are to be found

as one structure

built together of all those who are Christians

so that

they are one

in all of their activities.

They are one in the presence of God,

around the presence of God.

And in this other surprising image or metaphor,

like a temple,

that we are stones in that temple.

And it's, of course,

a temple that's

full of the vibrancy

of the life of Jesus himself

through each individual stone,

but a vibrancy that finds its fulfillment

as all of these stones are bound together

in the church of Christ

to give her that sense of fullness

based on the life of Jesus

to which they are united

and around which they are bound

as those who have the Spirit of God

in their hearts.

And so tonight,

in God's design,

we are God's temple.

We are individuals,

as far as we are individuals,

stones,

but we belong together

because God's Spirit is in our hearts

and God is building one church

as one temple

in the fulfillment of his purpose.

And as sure as there is a unity of design

because we have the same life in Jesus,

there is also the unity of God's design

by the way in which structurally we are one.

So wherever we go,

we are one temple.

Wherever we go,

we are one unit of people

who have the presence of God.

And we go to our homes this evening

once this meeting is over in God's providence

and we will scatter.

But the reality and the fact of our oneness

as the structural temple of God

through which he is working

does not change.

And that's cause for our rejoicing

that you and I belong together

and that we are built up together

in God's temple

and that we are developed in our faith

because of that wonderful union

and relationship

that God has established

according to his design.

So there is the design.

We are God's temple.

Secondly,

there is a designation.

We're not simply in the building

and have no calling

or no designation.

It's not a case of just placing us there

and leaving us there.

We have a designation

and we have a calling.

And the calling is,

not surprisingly,

because we are talking about

a spiritual house,

a temple,

we are talking about

being a holy priesthood.

And at the very beginning,

it's worth highlighting the fact

that this is plural

and not singular.

He's not saying that

we are holy priests,

but that we are a holy priesthood.

One unit,

the tribe of Levi,

they were the priesthood.

And so we,

as the children of God,

we are the priesthood.

combined together

in that sense of unity.

And we know that the priesthood

in the Old Testament

had basically two functions.

They were to be

in the presence of God

and they were to come

from the presence of God

to the people.

And so Peter is saying to them

that they are to be

that holy priesthood

that have initially

the first step

of going into the presence of God,

and receiving from God

and coming from there

to go out to the people.

The priesthood

based upon God's structure

of the church

in the Old Testament

that here and now

it is applied to them

and tonight applied

to you and to me.

that there is a unity

because of our designation

and it means that

we have a shared function

in serving God.

So whatever we're doing

in the cells of God,

we're doing it collectively

as one.

We don't leave each other behind.

It's the one body,

the one structure,

the one temple

as one

serving God,

going into God

and coming out

from God

and so

fulfilling our function.

We serve

not as individuals,

we serve

as a temple,

as a group,

as a priesthood.

And because of that

designation,

there is something

that must be true

of the character

of those who are

so designated.

And what must be true

is that they must be

a holy priesthood.

In chapter 1

of this letter,

Peter speaks

about their conduct.

He speaks about

their need to be holy

and he reminds him

that they are to be holy

because God is holy.

The words of God

to his covenant people

in the Old Testament

and places like

Leviticus chapter 11,

Leviticus 11 · chapter mention

you shall be holy

because I am holy.

There is a necessity

attached to their designation

and the role

as those who are

serving God

that they are

to be holy.

And holy

not just in the sense

of being set apart

to the service of God

and in their status

as those who are

in the priesthood,

but holiness

also

in the sense

of lifestyle.

And Peter

speaks repeatedly

about their conduct

and how their conduct

should be aligned

with who they are

as the children of God

and aligned

with the holiness

of God

which is the display

of the character

of God

which we have summarized

in his word.

A holy priesthood.

And

tonight you and I

as we serve God

designated by him

to be his priests,

we do so

as those

who together

in the unity

of the designation

that we

live collectively

a life together

and serving God

aligned with

the word

of God.

And that means

there is no

scattering,

there is no

dispersion,

there is no

departure from

this is the way

you are to walk

in it.

It's the consistency

of life,

a life that is

lived according

to the word

of God.

And so

in God's designation

we have this

beautiful picture

of a healthy

church

that is one

in its service,

that is one

in its holiness

and that moves

around serving God

with that holy

unity and harmony

that makes it

effective

in the service

of God.

And that's

the challenge

for all of us

this evening.

We may

understand our

designation

and we need

to,

but we must

not ignore

the character

required of

those who are

so designated

to serve the

Lord

that you and

I are faced

with a challenge

every day

of aligning

our lives

with the word

of God,

of realigning

our lives

with the word

of God,

of going

through that

process of

repentance

and of

restoration

through God's

forgiveness

that keeps us

living in

commune with

him.

That's the

challenge.

Serving

together,

wholly

together,

together,

and therefore

prepared and

ready to be

the people

that God

wants us to

be,

to be the

healthy church

that is

healthy in

all that

the church

does.

That brings

me 30 to

the direction.

There is

a service,

but it is

particular.

And the

direction for

the service

has a

double

focus.

And the

first focus

is that

in the

same way

as the

priests

have a

bi-directional

ministry,

so they

go into

God and

they come

out from

God and

go to

the people.

And so

the direction

that Peter

gives to

this

temple of

people who

are living

and who

are serving

God is

first of

all that

they have

a ministry

a service

of worship.

It takes

priority

above

everything

else.

And that's

again what we

read in

version number

five.

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.

Of course

we're not

required anymore

to offer

physical

sacrifices.

that belong

to the

Old

Testament

but

nevertheless

we as

the

children

of

God

are

here

to

offer

spiritual

sacrifices

that are

acceptable

to

God.

And they

are

spiritual

not in

the sense

of being

mystical

in any

way.

They are

spiritual

because

we are

indwelt

by the

Spirit

of God

individually.

The

church is

indwelt

by the

Spirit

of God

collectively

and from

the life

that the

Spirit

of God

gives

to us

we offer

spiritual

holy

spiritual

sacrifices

that arise

from our

relationship

with

God.

And I'm

suggesting to

you that

the primary

focus of

that is

the public

worship of

God.

That this

mobilized

temple of

God which

is the

church of

Christ

with

people who

are called

to serve

God and

that they

are mobilized

first of

all together

in the

unity of

direction

moving into

the public

worship

of God.

And we

know from

the teaching

of the

Bible and

we learn

that from

our own

life's

experience

that that's

where our

strength is

found.

That as we

go in,

yes,

to the

presence of

God

privately

and

individually

there is

blessing and

encouragement.

But there

is greater

blessing and

greater

encouragement

when all of

the people

of God

join together

in the

worship of

God and

in the

harmony of

the unity

of that

worship

discover what

it is to

be the

people of

God,

to be the

church that

God is

building,

to be the

church that

God has

his hand

upon and

the church

in whom

dwells the

very spirit

of God.

And again,

we are

challenged by

that sense

of the

importance

of having

that unity

and the

direction that

we take

in the

worship of

God,

that we

do so

together,

that we

are encouraged

to not

to forget

those who

are around

us,

that we

are encouraged

to remember

that this is

what we

should be

doing together

and that

we are

encouraged to

support each

other so

that we

don't fail

in this

marvelous

movement of

coming into

the presence

of God

as a

congregation

of God's

people to

worship him

in public.

It's

essential for

our personal

health.

More

importantly,

it's

essential for

the health

of the

congregation,

for the

health of

the church

of Christ.

Christ.

And I

think it

is fair

to say

that this

is the

priority.

If we

don't hear

from God

in the

worship of

God,

we have

nothing to

say to

the world.

If we

don't hear

from God,

we can

make it

up as

we go

along,

when we

go out

and speak

to the

world.

we

must,

first of

all,

hear

from

God.

What

is God

saying

about

where we

are,

where we

are as

individuals,

where we

are as

the

mobile

temple

of God?

What

is God

saying

about

us as

to

where

we

are

and

where

our

community

is and

where

our

town

is,

where

those

who

are

around

us

are?

We

need

to

hear

what

God

is

saying

to

us.

And

because

of that,

our

church

should

be

filled

with

the

people

of

God

who

long

to

hear

from

God.

Our

prayer

meaning

itself

should

be

filled

in

the

same

way.

Those

who

are

longing

to

hear

from

God

because

of

the

sense

of

being

called

by

God

to

serve

God

and

to

have

something

to

say

to

the

people

who

are

not

the

people

of

God

as

yet.

It's

a

challenge.

It's

where

we

need

to

encourage

one

another

as the

writer

to

the

Hebrews

speaks

of

encouraging

one

another

so that

we do

not

fail

to

gather

together

as

the

people

of

God.

There is

that

direction

where we

move

together

in

worship

and

let's

ensure

that

we

move

in

that

way

and

that

when

we

do

worship

we

are

yes

individual

voices

and

individual

prayers

and

desires

that

collectively

we

are

waiting

to

hear

from

God

to

speak

to

us

personally

to

prepare

us

to

speak

to

others

so

that

we

are

strengthened

and

equipped.

The

direction

the

priest

goes

first

of

all

to

God

and

then

the

direction

of course

that

the

priest

also

comes

from

God

and

goes

to

the

world

and

that's

what

Peter

refers

to

in

verse

number

nine

where

it

reminds

them

referring

to

the

church

in

Exodus

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

chapter

19

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

we have

a message

we have

a proclamation

God has

told us

what the

message is

he has

informed us

anew

through the

worship of

his name

what that

message is

he has

reminded us

who we

are

and who

we are

who we

are

and who

have

to go

and tell

that

to those

who are

outside

God's

church

and outside

the

Christian

community

those who

have not

yet come

to believe

in the

Lord Jesus

Christ

as their

saviour

proclaim

the

excellencies

the

things that

are not

only

superior

but that

are unique

to God

as the

God who

designed

our salvation

as the

God who

designed

it around

his son

whom he

sent into

the world

as the

God who

designed

our salvation

calling us

from where

we were

in our

darkness

and bring

us into

his

marvellous

light

connecting

us

with the

man who

is the

light of

the world

so that

we become

the light

of the

world

and so

that

because of

all of

these

things

concerning

which we

learn more

and more

about as

we worship

God

concerning

these

things

we are

engaged

in telling

others

the

marvellous

salvation

that is

ours

we see

more of

it's

marvellous

worship

we are

excited

more about

it as

we learn

more about

it

and because

of that

process

of our

own

development

and enjoyment

of our

salvation

so

to those

who are

around us

the

healthy

church

there is

God's

design

in order

to ensure

that the

church

works

as it

should

there is

the

designation

to remind

us

that we

are here

to serve

God

and there

are these

directions

for public

worship

and for

telling

others

for being

the witnesses

that God

has called

us to be

and so we

move from

the public

worship of

God

where we

are united

as one

moving

mobile body

of

Christians

worshipping

God

we are

mobilised

in the

same way

to be

the witnesses

that God

has called

us to be

and it's not

as if I move

from the

worship of

God

where many

are gathered

and we're

mobilised from

there and

the number

diminishes

as we go

to witness

to the

world

the

healthy

church

is united

together

in the

worship

of God

and in

that

oneness

and unity

and harmony

moves

together

in the

witness

of the

gospel

to speak

the gospel

to the

world

around us

that's what

Peter wanted

them to

understand

about the

church

it's not

just about

their individual

salvation

it's about

Christ's

church

and that's

a message

for ourselves

from God's

word this

evening

yes it's

important

that we

are individually

saved

and we

understand

that

but that's

in God's

eyes a

means to

an end

there is a

serving

to be done

there is a

way in which

we are to

engage with

God

and to

engage with

the world

and we

trust and

pray that

God will

bless to

us these

thoughts

and enable

us to be

mobilised

as one

in worship

and in

witness

and to

be that

effective

people of

God

that makes

an impact

on the

community

around us

may God

bless these

thoughts to

us

so we're

going to

conclude by

saying to

God's praise

in Psalms

66

and sing

Psalms

it's a

psalm that

speaks of

the way in

which we

are to

tell other

people

what God

has done

for us

and we're

going to

sing at

verse number

16

it's on

page 84

if you're

using the

psalm book

psalm 66

at verse

16

come all

who fear

our God

I'll tell

what he

has done

I cried

out to

him

with my

mouth

his

praise

was

on

my

tongue

from

verse 16

to the

end

of the

psalm

to

God's

praise

praise

for

come

all

who

fear

our

God

I'll

tell

what

he

has

done

I

cried

unto

him

with

my

mouth

his

praise

was

on

my

tongue

if

I

had

chelic

sin

the

Lord

would

not

have

heard

but

surely

when

I

pray

to

him

God

listen

to

my

word

forever

God

he

prays

who

hears

me

from

above

he

has

not

turned

thou

in

my

prayer

or

kept

from

me

his

love

the

grace

of

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

the

love

of

God

the

Father

and

the

fellowship

of

the

Holy

Spirit

be

with

you

all

now

and

forever

more

Amen

Thank you.