1 PETER 2: 4-6 [Renewing Hope Series]
JESUS CHRIST--THE CORNERSTONE
[Matthew 7: 24-27 / Ephesians 2:20--22]
God has called us to the life of building, not destroying. After Peter has instructed us to rid ourselves of evil and to grow up in our salvation, he proceeds to tell us how to do that. After using the analogy of a baby who craves for milk, he now uses an analogy which is used frequently in the New Testament to illustrate growth in one's spiritual life, or the building up of the body of Christ--the church. It is the comparison of building a house.
Peter's analogy is more specific than merely building a house, it is the building of God's house, a spiritual temple. [The original temple was built by King Solomon under the first covenant of God with His chosen people. Under the New Covenant, the spiritual house or temple is being built by the Lord Himself.] A spiritual temple requires a very specific kind of building material. It is to be built of living stones--the very lives of those who have become spiritually alive through faith in Jesus Christ. And such building must begin with Jesus Christ for He alone is the foundation and cornerstone and each born-again believer who is a living stone in Christ's church. [Cedar, Paul. The Preacher's Commentary Series, Vol. 34 : James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. 1984, S. 136]
I. THE LIVING FOUNDATION STONE, 4.
II. THE LIVING TEMPLE STONES, 5.
III. THE CHOICE CORNER-STONE, 6.
Verse 4 begins teaching on the important subject of God's living temple by referring to Jesus Christ as a "living stone." "And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,"
Peter says not only are we children in the same family, but we are stones in the same building. A physical building isn't the church--the body of believers is the church! We are the living stones.
People like to be on the church grounds at FBC. They enjoy the parking lot, fellowship hall, and the sanctuary. Why? It's not because the grounds are anything special. It's because the fragrance of the church is left behind. These buildings are nothing more than buildings. But because the church worships, prays, studies and fellowships with the Lord here, this place is filled with the fragrance of Jesus.
The church of Jesus is made up of believers who have come to Christ and founded their life upon Him. The participle's tense and voice indicate that this coming is to be a personal and continual approach. It is an intimate association of communion and fellowship between believers and their Lord. The church is made up of those who have come to Christ and who are continually coming to Christ.
This continual coming indicates they continually fellowship [abide in] with Jesus Christ, the living Stone. In 1:3 Peter referred to a "living hope" and in 1:23 to the "living . . . Word,"now he referred to Christ as "the living Stone." Peter developed and explained the metaphor of the stone in the following verses. Here he said this Stone is living. It has life in itself and gives life to others. People may enter into personal, vital relationships with this "living Stone." He is the living stone because He conquered that which kills, steals and destroys --sin, death, and the grave.
Although Christ was rejected by men [a theme of these verses]... God had chosen Him (1:20) and sees Him as precious (1:19; 2:4, 7; Isa. 28:16). God regards Jesus as the most precious of all yet the world still rejects him, because the world has rejected God. Christians rejected by the world may take heart in the knowledge that they are the chosen (1:1) and valued (1:18) by God.
II. THE LIVING TEMPLE STONES, 5
Because of our connection to the Living Stone we have become living stones who are being built together into a spiritual house which is for the service and glory of God as we read in verse 5. "you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Because of the life giving power that has flown into our life we have become alive in Christ. All spiritual life comes from Christ. Since Christ is the living Stone those who have established a relationship with become living stones also. Each time someone trust Christ as Lord and Savior another stone is quarried out of the pit of sin by the Holy Spirit. These living stones are not scattered uselessly about but are gathered together so that they can be built into God's church, God's spiritual house (1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:21) or residence. The church is a dwelling place (Eph. 2:22) which is inhabited by the Living God.
This life is like a rock quarry, which explains why we feel like we're being chipped and chiseled. God also places us next to other believers who constantly rub against one another, which is aggravating because we are living stones. Yet it is the process God uses to knock off our rough edges and grind smooth our imperfections. It takes the church and its ministry to remake us into greater and greater Christ-likeness. Sometime God puts us right next to the very people He knows will rub on us so that He can shape us and fit us into a body, a temple polished for His glory.
God knows what people and what situations will shape us most effectively. So if I try to fix the fix God put me in, He will be faithful to put me in another fix to fix the fix He wanted to fix in the first place! If we don't learn this, we'll go from fix to fix until finally we say, "Okay, Lord. I'm not going to try to fix this, or wiggle out of that, but I'm going to embrace and accept where You have me because I know You're doing a work on me, shaping me for eternity." [Courson, Jon: Jon Courson's Application Commentary, Vol. 3. Nashville, TN : Thomas Nelson, 2003, S. 1553]
Believers not only make up the church but serve in it, ministering as a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices. All believers are priests (1 Peter 2:9; Heb. 4:16; Rev. 1:6) and need no mediator or go-between to approach God other than Jesus Christ. Such priestly service requires holiness (1 Peter 1:16, 22) therefore we are to become more like Jesus Christ.
What is the responsibility of a priest? Maybe the meaning of the word priest in Latin will help us. The word means "bridge-builder." Christians are to be bridge-builders. We are to reach out to God with one hand and man with the other and seek to bring man to God. This is the focus of the church which is made up of ministers or priests who are helping man content with God.
We, God's holy priesthood, are to offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. These spiritual sacrifices we offer God include an obedient life (Rom. 12:1-2), praise and thanksgiving (Heb. 13:15), and the practical ministry of doing good and sharing, especially the gospel, with others (Heb. 13:16). These sacrifices are acceptable to God as we offer them through Jesus Christ for the glory of God.
III. THE CHOICE CORNER-STONE, 6.
Verse 6 contends that Jesus is the chief cornerstone prophesied in Isaiah 28:16. "For this is contained in Scripture: "Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."
Many of us may ask, "What does that mean? What is a cornerstone?" Webster's dictionary defines a cornerstone as: "A stone which lies at the corner of two walls and serves to unite them; specifically, a stone built into a corner of the foundation of an important edifice as the actual or nominal [fixed] starting point in the building."
A cornerstone gives direction to the rest of the foundation. It also is the support on which the rest of the building relies for strength and stability. Believers trust in Christ much as a building rests on its cornerstone.
Paul writes, "[You] having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. In whom (Christ) the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:20--22). Jesus is [a living stone and] the chief cornerstone who seeks to be the master builder of our lives and who desires to build us, His church, together into a holy temple in the Lord. [Cedar, p 137.]
Jesus Christ has not become the chief cornerstone by accident nor by His own initiative. He has been chosen by God (Isaiah 28:16). This "chosen stone" is also precious to God (vv. 4--6). To be "precious" (éntimos) is to be held in honor, to be prized. [The word is used in the Gospel of Luke to describe the fact that a godly centurion's servant was "dear" or "precious" to him (Luke 7:2).] Jesus is precious to God. He is His only begotten son (John 3:16) and Savior of His church who shed His precious life blood that He might redeem us for God..
Those living stones who build their life upon the chosen corner stone are given a promise, they will never be put to shame. The Greek double negative ou mç used here in the subjunctive mood indicates an emphatic negative assertion referring to the future. [It is the strongest negation possible in the Greek language.] Never! will they be shamed. So Peter encouraged his readers with a sure scriptural promise of ultimate victory for those who trust Christ. [Walvoord, John & Zuck, Roy. The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983, S. 845.]
Christians may sometimes be put to shame or face disappoint in life, but their trust in God is never misplace. God will never let them down. We can safely put our confidence in Jesus because the eternal life that He promise is certain. [Application Bible, Zondervan. ]
IN CLOSING
Throughout London, there are statues and other items made from a UNIQUE BUILDING MATERIAL called Coade stone. Developed by Eleanor Coade for her family business in the late 1700s, this artificial stone is virtually indestructible and has the capacity to with stand time, weather, and man-made pollution. Though it was a marvel during the Industrial Revolution, Coade stone was phased out in the l840s following Eleanor's death, and it was replaced by the less costly Portland cement as a building material. In spite of that, however, there remain today dozens of examples of this sturdy, ceramic-like stone that have withstood the harsh London environment for over 200 years.
Yet there is another far more enduring stone. The apostle Peter described Jesus as a living stone and indicated that precious in the eyes of the Father is the sacrifice of the Rock of our Salvation. Christ is the enduring stone upon which the Father has built our salvation and He is the only foundation upon which we can build a life of eternal significance (1 Cor. 3:11). It is only as our lives are built upon His strength that we will be able to endure the harshness of life in a fallen world. Build your life upon the rock of ages if you want to build for eternity. Read Matthew 7: 24-27.
There is only one eternal Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is only one eternal spiritual building, the Church of the Living God. Jesus Christ is the foundation and chief cornerstone of the Church fitting and binding God's dwelling place together. The church is totally dependent upon Christ for its eternalness and its direction and by our Lord's ministry in and through us we are being built up as we build each other up in the most holy faith.
INVITATION: If you would like to build your life upon the Rock of eternal salvation, God invites you to come forward today. Will you will come today & let me introduce you to the One who will build your life upon the only eternal foundation that has been laid in the shifting sands of time? Come and cast your life upon the Chief cornerstone and let Him remake you into a living stone in His eternal dwelling. As the Spirit leads, you come.
Pastorfbc@bellsouth.net
