God's Chosen Community 1 Peter 2v4-8

As you come to him, the living stone, rejected by men, 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 through Jesus Christ.

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.

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.

But to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.

And the stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.

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

Let's talk to God.

We're going to pray and ask for God's help as we look at this text together.

Let's pray.

Father, we trust you that your word that we have just read and listened to is true and trustworthy.

It is living and powerful.

And so we pray that your word would do an effective and changing work in each of our lives.

Father, we pray that as we come face to face with Jesus through this word,

we would be a people who build our lives on the solid foundation of who Jesus is,

and that we would live our lives in response to what he has done.

Father, please change us.

Please open up our eyes to see Jesus more clearly and understand who he is and what he has done.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

A couple were walking around a car boot sale.

And as they walked around and surveyed the items,

they picked up what was a very small, plain bowl,

about the size of a breakfast bowl, for three dollars.

Clearly, the seller had rejected it as a piece of worthless junk.

To the buyers, however, it was something precious to them.

And to them it had some kind of value.

And they decided that they would have it valued.

And they discovered that this three dollar bowl was worth about one to two hundred thousand dollars.

They then decided they were going to take it to auction.

And when it went to auction, it sold for a massive 2.2 million dollars.

To one, it was rejected as useless.

To another, it was chosen as precious.

Now, for many people, Jesus Christ is seen as someone to reject.

Have a look at verse 4, what we read together.

Verse 4.

As you come to him, that's as you come to Jesus,

the living stone, rejected by men,

but chosen by God and precious to him.

Jesus was rejected.

He was pushed aside, ignored, betrayed by everyone,

and left to die on a cross.

But in the eyes of God, he is chosen,

and he is precious,

with eternal value.

Now, the point is,

if we are followers of Jesus too,

that's going to be our experience.

That's going to be our story too.

Let's read verse 4 again.

As you come to him,

as you come to Jesus,

the living stone,

rejected by men,

but chosen by God and precious to him,

you also like living stones.

You see, to live as a Christian in this world,

if you speak for Christian truth,

if you stand up for Christian values,

it means we will face rejection.

To the world, if you are a Christian,

you may feel like a stranger,

an outsider,

a nobody,

irrelevant,

outdated,

and of no value.

Nothing more than a rejected piece of junk.

But in the eyes of God,

you are chosen,

and you are precious.

Have a look back at chapter 1,

verse 1.

Look at what it says there,

how it reminds us.

Look how it starts,

to God's elect,

strangers in the world,

scattered,

verse 2,

but who have been chosen

according to the foreknowledge of God.

We might be forsaken by friends,

opposed by family,

but always remember this,

we are God's chosen people,

loved and treasured like Jesus.

In fact,

what we are is God's chosen community,

God's special people,

God's representatives,

here in this world.

So let's see how this is true.

How we are,

on the one sense,

rejected,

but on the other side,

chosen and precious.

We're going to see this in three ways.

First,

as we look at the way in which

Jesus builds his church.

Let's read verse 4.

As you come to him,

that's Jesus,

the living stone.

Now that's a very strange way

to talk about anybody,

talk about them as a stone.

Why is Jesus a living stone?

Well,

we're given a clue.

If you look at verse 6,

just a little bit further down.

This is a quote

from the prophet Isaiah.

For in scripture it says,

See,

I lay a stone in Zion,

or in Jerusalem,

a chosen and precious cornerstone,

and the one who trusts in him

will never be put to shame.

This is God's word

through the prophet Isaiah.

And it comes to Isaiah

at a time

when God's people were in exile,

literally strangers in a foreign land.

But there was a problem for them.

There was no temple

when they were in exile.

The temple,

you remember,

was central to the people

because it was through the temple

and in the temple

that they got to meet God.

Here in the temple

was where their sin was dealt with

so that they could have access to God.

So no temple,

no God,

and no relationship with God.

And so the people

cry out to God,

How are we going to meet you?

How are we going to know you?

And God makes this promise.

And the promise is,

in verse 6,

let's read it again,

He 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.

God is saying,

I am going to build a new temple,

but this new temple

is not going to be

a physical building

made out of blocks and mortar,

but this temple

is going to be a person.

I lay a chosen,

a precious cornerstone.

The one who trusts in him,

in this stone,

this cornerstone,

will have life.

And that's exactly

what Peter is saying.

Jesus is the cornerstone.

The cornerstone,

or verse 4,

the living stone.

It was the first stone

that was put down

in the foundation of a building,

on which every other stone

was laid.

So the level had to be right,

and the angle had to be right.

It was the foundation

and most important stone.

And Peter is saying,

Jesus is that stone.

Jesus is the true foundation,

the true temple.

So if you want to know God,

if you want to meet God,

if you want to enjoy God,

you don't go into a building

that's made of blocks and mortar.

You go to a person,

and his name is Jesus.

He is the living stone.

The one who came into this world

to die for you,

to take the blame

for the wrong things you've done.

The one who rose again

from the grave

to defeat sin and death.

He is the living stone,

the foundation stone,

the one who gives you

an inheritance

and a life

that can never perish,

spoil,

or fade.

How do we experience this life?

Well, look what it says

in verse 4.

As you come to him,

as you come to Jesus,

as you trust in him,

as you build your life

on the foundation

of his death

and his resurrection,

so you have life

and life eternal.

That's why

those who turn to him

are precious.

But this building

is for a purpose.

The coming to Jesus

is for a purpose.

There's the first one,

living stone,

and the second,

a spiritual house.

So as we come to Jesus,

look what happens

in verse 5.

You also,

like living stones,

are being built

into a spiritual house

to be a holy priesthood

offering spiritual sacrifices

acceptable to God

through Jesus Christ.

So you see,

everyone

who comes to Jesus

and trusts in Jesus

is built

on the foundation

of Jesus Christ.

But not only that,

we're built together

by Jesus Christ.

So if you can think

of us gathered here today

that each one of us,

if we're trusting in Jesus,

is like a block

or a brick.

And Jesus takes

those blocks

and those bricks,

he builds us

on the foundation

of his life.

And he builds us together

so that we become,

verse 5,

a spiritual house.

And a spiritual house

is another way

of talking about

the temple.

God's house.

So as Jesus

builds us together,

we become

the temple of God.

we actually become

the dwelling place

where God lives

by his spirit.

So in a sense,

as we gather here together

as people who believe

in Jesus,

we are the dwelling place

where God is.

God is actually here

right now,

present with us

by his spirit.

Now that's going to be

huge encouragement

if we are facing rejection

from friends or family.

Here's what it means.

First,

no matter what opposition

we might face

as God's people,

God is always

with us.

We're a spiritual house.

We're built together

where God lives

by his Holy Spirit.

That means that

when I experience

rejection

as a Christian,

God will not

abandon me

and he will not

leave me

to fend for myself.

God sticks with us.

He never leaves us.

Wherever we go

as his people,

God goes with us

because he is dwelling

in us

and with us.

But the second thing,

no matter what persecution

we may face

as God's people,

God is still building

up his church.

His building project

is not finished.

God is still saving people

who have rejected him

and he's building them

together to be

his people.

You know,

when Peter wrote

this letter

in the first century,

a few decades

after he wrote it,

being a Christian

and meeting together

as we are right now

was an illegal act

to do in the Roman Empire.

You couldn't be a Christian

and you couldn't

meet together.

And as a result,

thousands of Christians

were put to death.

Some of them

were set alight

and used as human

torches by Nero,

covered in sheepskin

and set amongst the lions

for the entertainment

of the crowd.

And today,

in many, many parts

of the world,

there are Christians

who lose their life

because they side

with Jesus.

People are facing rejection.

But here's the good news

and the encouragement.

Jesus is still building

his church.

He was building it

when Peter wrote it

and he's building it today.

People all over the world

in Ireland

and in Carigaline

are still coming to Jesus

and are being built together

to become a spiritual house

where God lives

and dwells.

Yes,

life will be tough.

Life will be difficult

as a Christian.

But God,

through his son,

Jesus Christ,

is building his church.

We are part

of God's never-ending,

ever-growing

building project.

So yes,

we will face rejection.

But remember,

you are chosen.

You are precious.

You are part

of God's

eternal

building.

So that's the first thing

that we look at.

The second thing,

Jesus is empowering

his church.

Have a look at verse 5.

So you also,

like living stones,

are being built

into a spiritual house

to be a holy priesthood

offering spiritual sacrifices

acceptable to God

through Jesus Christ.

So God's people

are a spiritual house

and they are to offer

spiritual sacrifices.

Now,

spiritual is,

it's got a meaning here.

It means to be

influenced

or to be

controlled by

the Holy Spirit.

In other words,

God's people

are a spirit-filled,

a spirit-empowered people.

The very same

spirit

that rose

Jesus

from the dead

is the same spirit

and the same power

that is alive

and at work

within God's people.

So Jesus

empowers

his church

to serve God

in the world

where they are.

And we serve

the Lord

in two ways.

First,

he describes us

as a holy priesthood.

Again,

look at verse 5.

like you are being

built into a spiritual house

to be

a holy priesthood.

Have you ever

thought of yourself

as being a holy priesthood?

Well,

again,

the language

takes us back

to the temple,

to the Old Testament.

And in the temple,

the priests

were given

that special work.

They were set apart

from everybody else

and they were dedicated

to serve God

in the temple.

That was their life's work.

In fact,

through their serving,

they were representing

God to the people.

They were like a mediator

between God and people.

What they did

was make God

known to the people.

What God wanted to say,

he said through the priests.

What God wanted them to do,

he said through the priests.

God communicated,

if you like,

through them

to the people.

Now,

we are God's

holy priesthood.

God's holy priesthood.

We are set apart

by God

and dedicated

to serve God.

More specifically,

we are to make

God known

to the people

around us.

That's the purpose

of the church.

We are to display

God

to the world.

So,

if somebody should

come up and ask

and they say,

what's God like?

I've never met God.

Could you tell me

what he's like?

Well,

part of that answer

is to say,

I tell you what,

go and have a look

at the church.

Go and have a look

at Carigoline Church.

Look how the church

lives.

Listen to what

the church says.

Observe them

in the way

in which they behave.

The way in which

they interact.

As people hear

and see,

they will begin

to understand

understand

something

of what God

is like.

So,

as a holy priesthood,

we are to display

God to the world.

As he empowers us

and fills us

with his Holy Spirit,

he enables us

and equips us

to live

as God's people

to serve him

where we are

right now.

So,

he empowers

his church.

And,

not only that,

we are to be

spiritual sacrifices.

You see,

the primary role

of the priest

was to offer

sacrifices.

That's what they did

all day,

every day.

So,

verse 5,

we are to be

a holy priesthood

offering

spiritual sacrifices

to God.

Now,

we've got to be

very clear here

that we don't

get confused.

We're not called

to make sacrifices

to God

so that God

will accept us.

No,

Jesus is that

perfect sacrifice

for our sins.

Have a look

at chapter 3.

So,

you need to maybe

flick over the page,

I'm not sure,

but chapter 3,

the big 3,

and then verse 18,

which is the little 18.

So,

chapter 3,

big 3,

little 18.

Here's what it says.

It's talking about

Jesus being the sacrifice.

For Christ

died for sins

once for all,

the righteous

for the unrighteous

to bring you to God.

You see,

when Jesus died,

his sacrifice

was for us

on our behalf.

It was perfect,

it was complete,

it was sufficient.

when Jesus died,

that was enough.

He died for all

of our sin,

past,

present,

and future,

to bring people

like us

into a relationship

with God.

Go back to chapter 2.

So,

we're not to make

a kind of sacrifice

to try and get God

to accept us

and to earn

his approval.

No,

in the light

of what Jesus

has done for us,

because Jesus

was that true sacrifice,

in response,

we offer ourselves

as,

as if you like,

a living sacrifice

to God.

Through

Jesus Christ.

It's because

of what Jesus

has done

that we can now

offer ourselves

to God

as a sacrifice.

And how do we

offer ourselves

to God?

How are we going

to be a living

sacrifice?

Well,

as the role

of the priest

was to do,

it's to make

God known

in the world.

That's our sacrifice.

Our sacrifice

is to display

the goodness

and greatness

of God

through what we say

and how we live.

We'll get more

into this next week.

But as we go,

as we disperse

from this gathering here,

as we go

to our workplace,

as we go back

to our families,

as we go to college,

as we hang out

with our mates,

we are going

as a holy priesthood,

representing God

where we are,

being spiritual sacrifices,

showing people

the goodness

and the greatness

of God.

God's people,

as we step out

in faith

as God's people,

as his representatives,

the spirit

will equip us

and enable us

to represent him

and to live for him

in the world

in which we live.

yes,

we will face rejection.

Yes,

it will be hard.

But he fills us

with his spirit

and with his power

to enable us

to keep on going.

So,

he builds his church,

he empowers his church,

and Jesus honours

his church.

Let's read verse 6,

that quote from Isaiah.

For in scripture it says,

See,

I lay a stone in Zion,

a chosen

and precious

cornerstone.

Jesus,

as we've seen,

is that chosen

cornerstone.

His death for us,

his resurrection for us,

is the foundation

for our lives.

And if we build

our life on Jesus,

if we align ourselves

to his level

and to that angle,

if we commit ourselves

to him,

we are going to face

opposition

and rejection.

That's the big message

of Peter.

If you side with Jesus,

if you follow him,

if you identify with him,

you will get hit.

But,

look at the rest

of verse 6.

Jesus died

and the one

who trusts

in him

will never

be put to shame.

Jesus died

a shameful death.

Mocked,

ridiculed,

laughed at.

He hung

on the cross

alone.

The whole world

shamed him.

But he was raised

in glory

and honour.

And what Peter

is saying to us

is,

so that will be

for you.

We may suffer

shame now.

We may suffer

all kinds of struggles,

but we will be

raised in glory

and honour.

Yes,

you may experience

isolation at work.

Yes,

you may feel

like a stranger

among friends.

But those

who trust

in Jesus

will never

be put to shame.

in fact,

we will be

honoured.

Look at verse 7.

Now to you

who believe,

this stone

is precious.

Now,

I just want us

to take a step

back from this

and just

be clear

as to what

this is saying.

It can also

be read,

verse 7,

so the honour

is yours

for those

who believe.

So the honour

is yours

for those

who believe.

So let me read

the end of verse 6

again

and the beginning

of verse 7

so you get the flow.

Okay,

here we go,

the end of verse 6.

And the one

who trusts in him

will never

be put to shame,

so the honour

is yours

for those

who believe.

His point

is this,

that one day

the risen Lord

Jesus

is going to

return

and all those

who have honoured

Jesus in this

life,

well,

Jesus will in turn

honour you.

You can think

of the great big

medal processions

that you see

in the Olympics

where the music

sounds,

the trumpet

blasts

and the winner

comes out

into the middle

of the stadium

and stands

on top

of the podium

and receives

the gold medal

and the music

is played

and the whole

stadium cheers

and sees

that this one

above everybody

else is honoured.

And in a sense

it will be

something like that,

that God

will gather

all his people

before a watching

world,

all those

that stood

against us,

all those

that were

opposed to Christ

will watch

and see

God's people

being honoured

by the King

of Kings.

Instead of shame,

glory.

Instead of rejection,

honour.

there.

But that's

not all.

Those

who have

taken

the other

side,

those who

have

rejected

God's

people

and rejected

Jesus Christ,

those who've

been honoured

by the world

because they

stood opposed

to Jesus,

will they

in turn

will be

shamed

before Jesus.

Look at the

rest of

verse 7.

But to

those who

do not

believe,

the stone

the builders

rejected

has become

the capstone.

The world

which rejected

Jesus,

mocked him,

laughed him,

ridiculed him.

The world

which rejected

God's people,

shamed them

and persecuted

them,

will in turn

be rejected

by Jesus.

Instead of

receiving glory,

it will be

shame.

Instead of

honour,

it will be

judgment.

You see,

Jesus,

the living

stone,

confronts

each one

of us

today.

Look at

verse 8.

He is a

stone that

causes men

to stumble

and a rock

that makes

them fall.

He stands

before us,

if you like,

this morning

as a great

big stone

that we must

deal with,

that's right

in our path

as we walk

through life.

That stone

is before us.

And Jesus

is either going

to be the

foundation stone

of your life,

you will

either trust

in his death

and resurrection

for you,

or you will

decide to

discard that

stone and

say,

no,

I'm going

to build

my own

life my

own way.

So that

stone will

either be

your foundation

or that

stone will

either crush

you or

break you.

Look at

the end of

verse 8.

They stumble

because they

disobey the

message,

which is also

what they were

destined for.

So as we

are confronted

with Jesus,

it is a

case of

saying,

well I'm

going my

own way

or I'm

building my

life on

him.

You see,

to some,

Jesus is

just a

worthless

piece of

junk,

an old

item that

you see

in a car

boot sale

of no

value,

of no

worth.

But to

God,

he is

chosen

and

precious,

the one

who died

for you,

the one

who rose

again from

the grave

for you.

And the

story of

Jesus and

the experience

of Jesus is

going to be

your story

and your

experience.

Because to

be a

Christian in

this world

will mean

that you

will be

disowned,

you will

be rejected,

you will

be pushed

aside.

But,

you are

God's

chosen

and precious

people.

Jesus died

for you.

He rose

for you.

He will

not let

you go.

You will

not be

shamed by

him.

You will

be honoured

by him.

You will

be raised

in glory

just as

Jesus was

raised in

glory.

So,

what will

we do

with this

stone,

this living

stone?

Will we

build our

life on

the

foundation?

Or are

we going

to ignore

it and

be crushed

by him?

Rejected

by men,

but chosen

by God

and precious

to him.

You decide.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Father,

thank you

for

Jesus.

Thank you

for his

death

for us.

Thank you

for his

resurrection

from the

grave,

defeating

death,

destroying

the grave

and giving

life to

all who

will

trust in

him.

Father,

help us

that we

would build

our life

on the

Lord Jesus,

that we

would level

our lives

to him,

that we

would angle

ourselves

to him,

that he

would be

our rock,

that we

would not

turn from

him.

And

Father,

would you

please help

us to

remember that

just as

Jesus was

rejected,

we too

will be

rejected.

But help

us to

remember that

just as he

is chosen

and precious,

so we

are your

chosen and

precious people,

loved by

you and

cared for by

you.

Father,

help us to

walk with

you today.

We ask

this in

Jesus'

name.

Amen.