Like A Rock

NIV 1 Peter 2:1-10

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 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, "A 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. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

In 1984 Bruce Springsteen wrote a song titled “Like a Rock”.

The song went like this:

Stood there boldly

Sweatin’ in the sun

Felt like a million

Felt like number one

The height of summer

I’d never felt that strong

Like a rock

I was eighteen

Didn’t have a care

Working for peanuts

Not a dime to spare

But I was lean and

Solid everywhere

Like a rock

My hands were steady

My eyes were clear and bright

My walk had purpose

My steps were quick and light

And I held firmly

To what I felt was right

Like a rock

Like a rock, I was strong as I could be

Like a rock, nothin’ ever got to me

Like a rock, I was something to see

Like a rock

And I stood arrow straight

Unencumbered by the weight

Of all these hustlers and their schemes

I stood proud, I stood tall

High above it all

I still believed in my dreams

(Comment a little about the song,)

Since then you have heard the music and seen the words “Like a rock” on a television commercial. Remember which one? (pause) Chevrolet. The inference of this commercial is that Chevrolet trucks are tough and lasting “Like a Rock”. We need to be like a rock; question is: What kind of rock are you?

In our scripture text Peter tells us to become “living stones” or rocks. How do we get to be a rock? Crave spiritual milk. Like a baby desires mother’s milk. Why? So we can grow to maturity and declare the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Crave is not wanting here and there, it’s to desire deeply, yearn, want it really bad.

What if we ate like physical food like we take in spiritual food? What would we look like 6 months from now? Would we have starved to death or would we be full and plump?

Some of us seek milk of other things: possessions, jobs, health, or comfort.

These things are not pure milk – won’t last, they get in our way of becoming a rock for the Lord

The Word of God lasts forever.

Result of the pure milk of God’s word is that we taste that the Lord is Good.

God feeds us, nourishes us, nurtures us, and grows us more in his own image.

NIV Colossians 3:16-17

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Christ is the cornerstone of the building – foundation rock - built by God himself, the first rock laid. For us to be like a rock this passage says we have to get rid of the things that hold us back;

malice (hatred that lasts, wishing someone ill will),

deceit (mislead, two faced),

hypocrisy (sin God hates above all others), (mask to hide real self, puts on a show),

envy (wants what someone else has, no peace/happiness because of wanting, if you have it and I don’t I will burn yours and we will be even),

slander (criticize, judge, grumble, makes us feel better than them, justify ourselves, he made me do it).