Life on the Rock
1 Peter: Walking by Faith... Living with Hope! • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsChristians have a wonderful new identity and have been given a glorious new purpose as part of the present privileges of being God’s people.
Notes
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Big idea (theme)
Christians have a wonderful new identity and have been given a glorious new purpose as part of the present privileges of being God’s people.
Introduction
I. The Cornerstone of the Church
A. He Is a Supernatural Stone
B. He Is a Select Stone
C. He Is a Slighted Stone
D. He Is a Stumbling Stone
E. He Is a Strategic Stone
F. He Is a Solid Stone
II. The Construction of the Church
A. We Are Built Together
B. We Are Bound Together
C. We Are Blessed Together
III. The Character of the Church
A. Our Privilege as Priests
B. Our Practice as Priests
C. Our Profession as Priests
Conclusion
Read Text:
Pray:
Introduction:
Introduction:
Not too long ago, people became famous because of greatness. They either accomplished something great or were great at what they did. Fame was a by-product of greatness. Not so today. Some of the most famous people in the world have no achievements to their name; they simply live their lives in public view on a reality television show. They make millions of dollars by allowing a television camera crew to follow them around while the world looks on and makes much of them. Who wouldn’t want that—fame and fortune, and the accompanying wealth and happiness, without the hard work?
Fame promises great things. It looks like a shortcut to all we want out of life—except that even as the reality TV shows sell us this line, the celebrity magazines and talk shows reveal the emptiness of the promise.
For every celebrity declaring their newfound happiness through their new relationship or record deal or radical detox regime, there’s another revealing their heartache, their divorce, their loneliness. However high the platform someone builds, it doesn’t seem that the platform reaches the level of happiness.
You may be well aware that the fleeting fame of reality television doesn’t bring true or lasting fulfilment. You may not be interested in becoming world famous for your work or achievements. Yet at the same time, most of us are inclined to pursue fame in other, smaller ways.
o Think about parents who work hard to raise obedient children, deep down hoping that other parents will notice and make much of them.
o Or the team member at work who goes above and beyond the call of duty because that way lies praise and promotion.
o Or the homeowner whose lawn looks perfectly manicured—it so impresses his neighbors.
The human heart loves to construct a platform upon which we will be made much of. Even if it’s only in my own family or workplace or church, I want to be famous.
this is one reason why living a life of faithful Christian discipleship is hard—not just counter-cultural, but counter-intuitive.
Peter’s readers were rejected by their world; they were exiles scattered throughout Asia Minor. They were a people without status, without honor, and without a home in this world. No one would have made much of them, and many were making fun of them.
Our subject today is “Life on the Rock.” Not life on the rocks, but “Life on the Rock.” And that rock is Jesus.
The Reader’s Digest said some time ago that in order for a person to be happy and in order for a person to have fulfillment, three things were necessary:
Number one: They needed something to believe.
Number two: They needed someone to love.
And number three: They needed something worthwhile to do.
Now, that’s true, but not because the Reader’s Digest says it. That is true, and I think the Bible would confirm that in order for us to find fulfillment and happiness and meaning in life, we must have something that we can believe in—I mean, really believe in it. And then, we must have someone to love and to love us. And then, we must have something worthwhile to do rather than just merely drawing our breath and drawing our salary and fighting to live while we live to fight. There must be more to life.
Now I believe in the Scripture that I’ve just read to you. You’re going to find out in the Scripture that Jesus Christ is indeed the fulfillment of all three of those needs. And we’re going to point it out to you as we’re thinking today about the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I want to tell you, the grandest organization this world knows anything about is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, Peter is talking about rocks, stones. If there’s anything that Israel has a lot of, it’s rocks, stones. If they could find a way to export rocks—and I’ll tell you what: if somehow automobiles ran on rocks rather than oil—it would be something. One day Jesus called him a rock. One day Jesus said, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) And the word Peter there means “rock.” You know, Jesus gave him a nickname: Rocky. That’s right: he was Rocky. Jesus called Peter “Rocky.” “You are a rock, and upon this rock I will build my Church.”
Now, Peter, I believe, still has that in his mind as he’s writing this epistle to us. And Peter here is talking about the Church, and how it’s built, and how it functions, and so Peter here talks,
1. first of all, about the cornerstone of the Church.
2. And then, he talks about the construction of the Church.
3. And then. he talks about the character of the Church.
a. When he talks about the cornerstone of the Church, he tells us something to believe in.
b. When he talks about the construction of the Church, he’s really talking about someone to love and to be loved by.
c. And then, when he talks about the character of the Church, he’s talking about something to do. Let’s see if that’s not true.
Transition Statement: Now, first of all, he’s talking about the cornerstone of the Church.
I. The Cornerstone of the Church
I. The Cornerstone of the Church
I want you to look with me for just a moment in chapter 2, verse 4: “… to whom coming, as unto a living stone…” (1 Peter 2:4) He’s talking about Jesus—chapter 2, verse 4.
And then, verse 6: “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone.” (1 Peter 2:6) Now, that cornerstone, the cornerstone of the Church, is Jesus Christ. Our church is built—this church, any church, any Christian church is built—upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now I want you to think of the figure of speech that Peter is using as he calls Jesus a stone.
A. He Is a Supernatural Stone
A. He Is a Supernatural Stone
In the first place, He is a supernatural stone. Look in verse 4. In verse 4, He’s called “a living stone.” So, right away, you know he’s talking in supernatural terms, because stones don’t have life. Stones are dead. As a matter of fact, if you want to say something’s really dead, what do you say? “Stone dead,” right? Or “dead as a rock.” “that went over like a rock” Even your pet rock: dead. I mean, they’re dead. And yet, here Jesus is called “a living stone.”
What Peter is doing by a play on words is saying that Jesus Christ gives supernatural life.
· John 6:35 “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
o HE IS OUR SUBSTANCE
· John 7:37-39 “37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
o HE SUPPLIES
· John: 10:10 He was the One who said, “I’ve come that you might have life, and that you might have it abundantly.”
o HE SATISFIES
You know, He spoke of living bread, living water. Now, here He’s called the living stone.
o HE STABILIZES
Question: Hey, are you looking for life—I mean, real life? Not existence.
· You know, there are a lot of people who have existence, but they don’t have life.
· There are a lot of people who want to go to heaven who don’t have life. They have existence.
· It was once said by a very wise man that most people go through life in really living… blinded to the reality of the real world and our place in it… But for those who are alive and truly see they live in a state of constant amazement!
· But only in Jesus do you have life. He is a supernatural stone.
B. He Is a Select Stone
B. He Is a Select Stone
But not only is Jesus Christ a supernatural stone; He’s also a select stone. Look again in verse 4: “… disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.” (1 Peter 2:4)
Jesus Christ is that very special, that very select stone: none like Him among the sons of men. He is precious to the Father. Jesus would hear the Father say to Him, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5; 2 Peter 1:17)
Friend, Jesus Christ is the object of the Father’s love. Jesus Christ is a precious stone, chosen of God.
There is no way that you can know God the Father without knowing God the Son. There is no way that you can ignore God the Son without ignoring God the Father. There is no way that you worship the Father except through the Son, for Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) He is, my dear friend, that select stone—none other like the Lord Jesus Christ.
C. He Is a Slighted Stone
C. He Is a Slighted Stone
But I want you to notice something else about the Lord Jesus. In spite of the fact that He’s precious to God, He’s not precious to all men. So the One who is this supernatural stone, and the One who is the select stone, is also the slighted stone. Look in verse 4: “… to whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men…” (1 Peter 2:4)
And then, verse 7: “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.” (1 Peter 2:7)
· Now, what does that mean? It means that not everybody is going to love the Lord Jesus Christ.
· Some people have the idea that Jesus Christ is not the Messiah of the world because not everyone follows Him.
· If everybody in the world believed on Jesus Christ, that would prove He’s not the Son of God, because He Himself said that not everyone would believe on Him. He said,
o Matthew 7:14 “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which enters unto life, and few there be that find it.”
· And the Bible plainly and clearly prophesies that there are some who are going to slight this stone. There are some who are going to refuse this stone. And this phrase “disallowed indeed of men,” it means “to examine, and after having examined it, to say ‘I don’t want it.’ ”
o John 3:19-20 “ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”
Question: What is God going to do with people who sit in an air-conditioned, upholstered church, and hear a preacher tear his heart out and preach Jesus Christ, and they examine Him and then say, “I don’t want Him”?
What’s going to happen to those people? I want to tell you that the hottest part of hell is reserved for those who, having examined God’s precious stone, disallow it; those who, having seen God’s precious Son, slight Him and reject the Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 12:47–48 “That servant that knew not his master’s will and did things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. But he who knew his master’s will, and then did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with many stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of the same shall much be required.”
Matthew 11:23-24 to the city where He did His most wonderful works, “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.”
Do you know what that means? That means, ladies and gentlemen, that those of us who’ve heard the gospel and those of us who’ve known Jesus Christ and yet rejected Him will have a more severe judgment than the vile people of the city of Sodom who lived in open sodomy and rebellion against God. I tell you the greatest judgment is for that man, that woman, who pours contempt on the Son of God.
o Jesus Christ is a supernatural stone.
o Jesus Christ is a select stone.
o Jesus Christ is a slighted stone.
D. He Is a Stumbling Stone
D. He Is a Stumbling Stone
o Jesus Christ is a stumbling stone.
Look in verse 8, if you will. And the Bible there calls Him “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence.” (1 Peter 2:8)
o Some people stumble on the cornerstone. Now, you see, listen: Every man, every woman, every boy, every girl somehow, some way, comes in contact with Jesus Christ—some way, somehow.
o Jesus Christ will be for you either a steppingstone into heaven or a stumbling stone into hell.
o Now you can’t be neutral about Jesus Christ.
o Either you rise on Him, or you fall on Him. Either you’re saved by Him, or you’re judged by Him. And if Jesus Christ is not for you a cornerstone, Jesus Christ is for you a stumbling stone.
o So I say you will either stand on Him or fall by Him, but you will not walk around Him. You will deal with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is inescapable. Jesus Christ is inevitable. Jesus Christ is unavoidable. You cannot be neutral of Jesus Christ. And what you do with Jesus Christ determines what Jesus Christ will do with you. To many, He is a stumbling stone.
E. He Is a Strategic Stone
E. He Is a Strategic Stone
Now I want to say also that Jesus Christ is a strategic stone. Look again in verse 6—and the Bible says, “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone” (1 Peter 2:6)—not an ordinary stone; a strategic stone. You see, in the architecture of this day, when a building was built, in the foundation there would be a chief cornerstone. This was the stone that set the angles of the walls. This was the stone that gave symmetry and strength and significance to the building. This was the stone upon which the building rested. It locked the corners together. It was generally a massive stone, not like a little cornerstone we set in a building today to commemorate the building. This stone was such an integral part of the building that if you were to take it out, the building had no more strength and significance. Everything was locked on it and built around it.
Now, Jesus Christ is indeed that strategic stone. He’s the One, dear friend, who gives significance and direction and strength and substance to your life. The Bible says, concerning Jesus, “By Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:17) He is strategic in your life. And so many have been trying to build without Him, and you can’t understand why you can’t get the job done.
And Jesus Christ uses that as an illustration of Himself, because this world is trying to build without Jesus Christ. We say, “We’re tired of Him. We stumble over Him. He’s in our way. Get rid of Him, and we’ll go on and build our lives.”
You can’t build without Jesus Christ. “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:11
If you’re not building upon Jesus Christ, you’re just not building. And one of these days, if your spiritual temple is ever completed, you’re going to have to come and make Jesus Christ the cornerstone of your life, because He is a strategic stone.
F. He Is a Solid Stone
F. He Is a Solid Stone
But also, He’s a solid stone. You see, Jesus Christ is a rock. When you believe in Jesus Christ, you’re not walking around on eggshells and Jell-O. Jesus Christ is solid.
o “Therefore, the Bible says that whenever a person believes in Him, he will not be disappointed.” He’ll not be ashamed. He’ll not be confounded. Look again in verse 6: “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect and precious:”—now, watch this—“and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” (1 Peter 2:6)
o Do you know what that means? He’s solid. “On Christ the solid rock I stand…”
o Actually, it means “he’ll not be ashamed.” It literally means “he’ll not be in a hurry to get away.”
I heard of an old lady who was dying. And she was right at death’s door. Her loved ones were around her bed. And one of them said, “Oh, she’s sinking.” The old lady heard them. She looked up, opened her eyes, and revived for a moment, and said, “Sinking? How can one sink through a rock?” Amen? How can one sink through a rock?
If you’re on a rock, how can you sink? You’ll never sink.
you may tremble on the rock; But THE ROCK will never tremble under you!
You’d better learn to build upon Jesus Christ, the solid rock.
II. The Construction of the Church
II. The Construction of the Church
Now, let’s change the figure: Not only do we see Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of the church, but we see ourselves as individual building blocks in that church. And so, let’s think about the construction of the church. Look in verse 5: “You also, as [living] stones,”—it says “lively stones.”
That means “living stones”—“are built up a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5) So now, notice what he’s saying: “You also…” That is, the things that are true of Jesus Christ, in a sense, are true about us. Because He’s a living stone, He is in us, and we’re in Him.
Therefore, we bear His nature. Therefore, we also have supernatural life. We also are living stones. We’re to be like Him.
That’s the reason Jesus gave Peter the name Rocky. Have you ever heard somebody say of a boy, “He’s a lot like his dad. He’s a chip off the old block”? A chip off the old block: what does that mean? He shares the nature of his papa. I want to tell you there’s a sense in which every child of God is a chip off that block. We are living stones. We are like our dear Lord, a part of Jesus Christ.
Now, because this is true—because this is true—I want you to notice three things with me.
A. We Are Built Together
A. We Are Built Together
First of all, we are built together. Notice this in verse 5: “Ye also, as [living] stones, are built up a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5)
Now, notice He’s talking about a spiritual house, not a material house.
Now, the very first thing is that we are built together. Now, you see, what is the significance of a stone out on the ground? Not much. Not much to see. You step over it. You pay no attention to it. But you take that stone and put it with a lot of other stones, and it becomes a beautiful temple, as the master architect assembles these stones together.
Now, friend, that’s what Jesus Christ is doing with us. By ourselves, we’re not all so much. You know, some people have the idea, “Well, I believe in Jesus, but I just don’t believe in the church.”
Question: How many one-brick buildings have you seen? I mean, just take one stone: anybody can just roll it around and move it around. But take a lot of them together, and there’s strength. And that’s what our Lord is doing to us. He is building us together. And I am to gain strength from you, and you are to gain strength from me. And it’s amazing what we can do as we are built together.
B. We Are Bound Together
B. We Are Bound Together
But not only are we built together; because we’re built together, we are bound together—bound together.
Some people go to church three times in their lives:
1. to be hatched
2. matched,
3. and dispatched
Sprinkle water on them, sprinkle rice on them, and sprinkle dirt on them, and that’s about it. Or maybe you might be a “chreaster”… i.e. Christmas and Easter.
The Bible says we are not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25) I am not saying that you have to be a church member to be saved; but I’m saying that a saved man will love what Jesus loves, and Jesus loves the Church. And if we share His nature, then we’re going to be built up.
C. We Are Blessed Together
C. We Are Blessed Together
Now, listen to me. We, dear friends, are built together. And because we’re built together, we are bound together. And because we are bound together, we are blessed together. He speaks here in verse 5 of “a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5) Now, what does he mean by that? He means a house inhabited by the Holy Spirit.
The King of kings, Jesus, meets with His people. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) We are blessed together. We are a spiritual house inhabited by our Lord—a house of the Spirit. That’s what it means: a house of the Spirit. And so, dear friend, we are built together. Because we’re built together, we’re bound together. And when we’re bound together, we’re blessed together.
III. The Character of the Church
III. The Character of the Church
Now, there’s one other thing and I’ll be finished. I want us to think not only of
o the cornerstone of the church, the Lord Jesus;
o and I want us to think not only of the construction of the church, living stones;
o but I want you to think with me about the character of the church.
o 1 Peter 2:5 “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,”—now, notice this next phrase; look at it—“an holy priesthood.” Not only are we the temple, the stones, but we’re also the priests who minister in the temple. You see, we ourselves are a priesthood.
Now you say, “Well, the Roman Catholics have priests; but Baptists don’t have priests. The Episcopalians may have priests, or the Greek Orthodox; but Baptists don’t have priests.” Friend, you’re wrong. You want to see a Baptist priest? Look right here. But not just right here; look all around you…
We’re all priests of God. All of us are priests. You see, that is the great truth of the fact that we have been born again, and by Him we have direct access to the Father. I don’t have to go to someone else to have access to God; I go directly to God for myself.
A. Our Privilege as Priests
A. Our Privilege as Priests
Let me talk to you about our privilege as priests.
Hebrews 10:19–20 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new a living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.”
You say, “What does that mean?” Well, let me tell you. In the Old Testament, the temple had three parts: the outer court, the inner court, and the innermost court.
o That innermost court was called the Inner Sanctum or the Holy of Holies, and only the high priest could go in there once a year to make atonement for the people. And he had to just lift up the corner of the veil and he would slip under. And he would go in there and sprinkle blood upon the Mercy Seat. And if anyone else went in, or anybody went in without blood: immediately, sudden death. And the people had to stay outside. And the priest went in on their behalf.
o But you remember when Jesus Christ died? The Bible tells us that the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom—not from the bottom to the top, but from the top to the bottom; not as though man had done it, but as though God had done it—which, indeed, He had. Now, that was highly symbolic, because Jesus Christ was saying by His death, no more animal sacrifices are needed; by His death, that Old Testament economy is done, and now every one of us now have become priests and every one of us can enter into the Holy of Holies.
Have you been there yet today? I have. I have come boldly into the Holy of Holies to meet with my Lord. What a privilege! I tell you, the most sacred privilege that we have, absolutely, totally, beyond the shadow of any doubt or peradventure, is to go into that holy place. And how often we neglect it! We come by the blood of Jesus, come boldly before the throne of grace to find help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) Oh, dear friend, how we ought to be going and exercising our privilege as priest!
B. Our Practice as Priests
B. Our Practice as Priests
But what is our practice as priests? Look at it again. The Bible says in verse 5 we’re to “offer up spiritual sacrifices.” (1 Peter 2:5)
Now, in the Old Testament, that priest would offer an animal sacrifice, and that animal would be put to death. What do I offer? Romans 12:1 says I’m to present my body a living sacrifice, amen? (Romans 12:1) “Here I am, Lord. I give myself away.
In the Old Testament, the priest would burn incense. What do I do? Well, the Bible says here in Hebrews 13:15, I am to offer to Him “the sacrifice of praise … continually.”
That is, just as the incense would be going up out of that temple, out of my heart, out of my life, day by day, moment by moment, there’s to be praise to my wonderful Lord. That’s what I do as a believer priest. I’m offering the sacrifice not of incense, but of praise; not of the blood of some bull or goat or lamb—those things are done—but I present my body a living sacrifice. My practice as a priest is to sacrifice. Are you doing it?
C. Our Profession as Priests
C. Our Profession as Priests
Now, let me talk to you not only about our privilege and our practice, but let me talk to you about our profession as priests.
1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
(Do you know what I’m to be doing as a priest? I’m to be making God known to man, and I’m to be bringing man to God—telling people. I’m to represent God to man, and man God—and so are you. I’m to show forth His praises. I am to be professing Him.
And by the way, I want you to jot this verse down in your margin so you can read it when you get home—Exodus 28:33–35. (Exodus 28:33–35) And do you know what that tells us? It tells us about the garments that the priest would wear when he would go in to minister. Remember I was talking about going into the Holy of Holies? Well, this priest had an ephod or a robe. And around the hem of that robe were sewn in the hem golden bells and then beautiful pomegranates. Do you know what a pomegranate is?
It’s a fruit, a beautiful fruit, indigenous to the Middle East. And so, there would be a golden bell and a pomegranate, then a golden bell and a pomegranate, then a golden bell and a pomegranate, and a golden bell and a pomegranate all around the hem of the priest’s garment. And when the priest would go in to minister, the people would be listening for the bells. And if they didn’t hear the bells, they would say, “Uh-oh, God killed him.” You know, they were listening to see if he went in with blood, if he did everything just right, because the Bible said if those bells didn’t ring, he’d die—he’d die!
Do you know what that tells me? That tells me, ladies and gentlemen, that if I do not confess Christ as my personal Savior and Lord, I have no spiritual light; I die spiritually if I don’t confess Him. The bells speak of profession; the pomegranates speak of possession—and both are to be there.
We’re priests of God and of Christ.
Though we may not fully understand it, the sovereignty of God is a sweet doctrine for those who believe. Not only are we able to have confidence in God’s ability to save and sustain us in salvation; we also are able to have confidence when it seems that the world is against us, and all we experience is suffering and shame. Regardless of our present circumstances, we do not live in chaos; God is in control. There is no random suffering; God is orchestrating everything for his purposes and ultimate glory. Therefore, none of our suffering is in vain. God is using it as a means for our own perseverance (1:6–7).
God has written the end of the story, and it will reach that conclusion. So regardless of the shame we face now, and regardless of his rejection now, Jesus will return at the appointed time to judge the righteous and the unrighteous. Those who embraced God’s chosen cornerstone are appointed to receive honor; those who rejected God’s chosen cornerstone are appointed to receive shame. This is the final and great reversal that motivates us now to endure shame and remain faithful.
Conclusion
Conclusion
This is a real tension: we are to be in the world, though not of the world. And when we meet together, we are an embassy of the kingdom of which we are a part. God has provided your locality with a display of his rule—your church.
There is nothing more exciting or more significant that will happen in your area this Saturday and Sunday than the meeting of God’s people. There is no people with a greater identity, by grace, than the collection of fallen people that God has called to live together as elect exiles in your community. Is your view of your church big enough?