“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 humans 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.” (1 Peter 2:2-5, NIV).
Picture in your mind a nice or wonderful place that you visited. Not only you cherish your happy experiences and the beautiful sites you reached, but you desire to keep coming back in that place.
In the late 70’s, when I was still single, it was my first time to reach Baguio City. It was popularly known, then, as “City of Pines.” Indeed, pine trees abounded in the place. I could even notice a mature pine tree standing almost at the center of a road. Houses were just distributed sparsely in the mountain, unlike today that you could hardly notice the mountain, because it is almost covered with houses!
Because cars then were few, you could even walk on the road, not on the sidewalk.
While it is normally hot in the country (Philippines), Baguio was extra cold that when you used the blanket at night, as if, it was wet.
It was my first time to fall in love – I “fell in love” with a place: the City of Pines. And during those times, I longed for to come always in that place.
This time, however, I would not encourage you to come to Baguio or to any other place, but to a particular Person. I would like you to “Keep Coming To Jesus,” which is my topic this time, as we deal with our text (1 Peter 2:2-5), particularly verse 4.
So, why should we come to Jesus? Should we come to Him, so we could just ask something that we need? Should we come to Him simply because we have nowhere else to go?
But, before we proceed, let’s remember again that the one who wrote the letter was Peter, who denied Jesus three times, but later confessed his love for Him also three times. And he remained faithful to His Savior until he suffered his own death.
He addressed the letter both to the Jewish and the non-Jewish Christians, who were scattered throughout Asia Minor and were suffering local persecutions. Later the persecutions even became intense and widespread.
And now, in our text, He pointed out to his readers some things to do, as believers who were suffering difficulties or persecution.
Last time, we focused on verse 2, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”
Now, we will direct our attention on verse 4, “As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him…”
The verse declares that Jesus is “precious.” So, what should motivate us to keep on coming to Him?
Perceive that Jesus is Precious.
In the early part of the verse, the New Living Translation renders it this way: “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple…”
Peter was not actually inviting the believers to come to Jesus. He was saying that they are “coming to Christ.” Or, in the NIV: “As you come to Him…” – they are actually moving toward Christ.
“Come” in the Greek is “proserchomai” – meaning, “to approach” or “to draw near.” Initially, believers come to Jesus in repentance and faith, but the Greek verb implies “a continual drawing near as well.”
Peter was declaring that the suffering believers were seeking continual communion with Christ, who is “the living Stone” – the very important part of God’s Temple. But while they – referring to those who “have tasted that the Lord is good” -- come to Jesus, the tendency of other human beings was to reject Him. This “living Stone,” according to Peter was “rejected by humans.”
Peter was also implying that those persons who tried to persecute or harm them were actually rejecting Christ!
What they rejected, however, according to Peter, was “chosen by God and precious to Him.” Normally, people would not find Christ appealing or pleasing. But, in the sight of the Heavenly Father, He is “precious.” In Greek, it is “entimos” – meaning, “precious, dear, more honourable, in reputation.”
The Christians, during the time of Peter, kept on coming to Christ – seeking to commune with Him, they perceived that Jesus is precious, as God Himself perceived or regarded Him to be.
In our time, people have also the tendency to reject Christ – to refuse to come to Him. They would not believe or put their trust in Him. In fact, they could not love Him, no matter how “powerful” or “free” is their human will. Why? Jesus is not attractive to them. He is not precious.
Are you familiar of the fruit called “durian” (a fruit in the Philippines)? The smell is so repulsive. Who would like to smell, even taste and eat the fruit? Normally, one would never draw near to it. If the mere smell is repugnant, abhorrent, disgusting to you, you would never bother to force your human will to desire in eating it. And if one will offer you with it, you will readily reject it.
Jesus or His Word is like “durian” in the perception of normal persons.
But, for those who received God’s mercy, Jesus becomes like their favorite fruit, perhaps, mango or anything that is so delicious in their taste. He is precious. His Words are sweet to their taste, sweeter than honey to their mouth. They rejoice at His Words like one who finds great riches.
And as they became believers, by God’s grace, they would keep on coming to Him – seeking to commune with Him, savoring His Presence -- in prayer, reading and studying and hearing His Words. They would love to worship Him.
Not only that. If one would perceive the preciousness of Jesus or His Word, it would be natural for the person to promote that Jesus is Precious.
For instance, there was an incident that changed my perception toward the durian fruit. I learned not only to enjoy its smell, but also to savor its “exotic” taste. And when I was able to have the opportunity to eat “halo-halo” (grinded ice mixed with various ingredients and fruits) with durian fruit mixed with it, I don’t need to receive an instruction or even a command: Eat halo-halo mixed with durian fruit. The taste is “heavenly”!
When one would perceive the goodness, preciousness, excellence of Jesus, he is expected to trumpet it to the world! If we jump to verse 9 of 1 Peter 2, we read it in English Standard Version:
“But 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.”
Those who tasted or experienced the Goodness of Jesus or His Word “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” and we could not just restrain ourselves to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called… (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
How about us, saints in our church, do we really perceive that Jesus is Precious? Do we grasp and consider His Excellence? Do we find Him so appealing? Do we love Him more than all the things we have and all the things that we could still have? Could we also say, “Oh how I love your word, it is my meditation all the day”?
Yes?! Yes, if we are really believers! For we would not come to Him and receive Him to entrust our life to Him and if God had not mercifully open our spiritual eyes to perceive how precious He is! Because of God’s grace, we were able to perceive the glorious things about Jesus as His Father perceives Him to be: “Chosen and Precious.”
And like the Christians during the time of Peter, who have tasted that the Lord is Good, who have perceived a glimpse of His glory, should we not also keep on coming to Him?
Should we not draw closer and closer to Him, as we commune to Him often? Should we not have the inclination to pray in every place and at all times, aside from our scheduled time of personal and corporate prayer?
Or, do we content ourselves that His words are just in our bookshelves, bag, table or cellphone? By no means, we ought to strive that His Words are close in our hearts or minds!
If we really perceive that Jesus is precious, we will seek to be closer to Him. The more we are close to Him, the more we could perceive how Precious He is. And the more we will be motivated to keep on coming to Him. Keep reading and studying the Bible. Become more acquainted with the Worth of Jesus. Keep digging for the “gold” in His Word.
If we just content ourselves with our present distance from Christ, other things could easily blur our view of His Attractiveness. We could become hesitant or even find it hard to keep coming to Him.
And I could remember one of the sermons before of our Senior Pastor. He pointed out the incident when Peter was at a distance, while Jesus was in the hands of His captors. The account started in Matthew 26:57-58A, “Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest…”
We know what happened next to Peter. He denied His Precious Lord and Savior. Because he was at a distance from Jesus, it was easy for him to regard the approval of others and his own safety more precious than the King of kings.
Do we also find ourselves in the sandal of Peter that we refrain from coming near to Jesus and regard other things (our reputation, our comfort or convenience, our security, our health, our job or position, our family, even our ministry), more precious than Him, who has many crowns?
So, young ones and once young in the church, let’s keep on coming and drawing closer to Jesus. Perceive that He is so Precious. Consider His Excellence.
In closing, there was an incident in the New Testament that a certain person had a close encounter with Jesus. And the person was so fortunate, just like us who are in this church, because Jesus revealed His Greatness to her.
Notice very well what Jesus told the Samaritan woman, who came to draw water from the well, in John 4:10, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
He added in verse 14, “…whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
In verse 25, the woman said: “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Finally, in verse 26, “Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the one speaking to you — I am he.”
When the woman realized that Jesus was not just an ordinary Jew, notice what she did: “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did…’” (verses 28-29A.)
So, important to perceive the Greatness of Jesus and of His Word. If we truly perceive how Precious He is not only we will be motivated to keep on coming to Him, but like the Samaritan woman, we would leave even the most pressing thing that we are doing, without even someone telling us to do it, and we will go to tell others, “Come to Jesus, come to His Word… He is so Precious. His Word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path. I will never forget His precepts for by them He has given me life. The word in His mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces! His words are really heavenly."
