Jeff Lasater was 14 when he took his own life last month (October 20, 2008). A student in Las Angeles’ Acton High School, Lasater had been the target of boys throwing chili on him in the school lunch line. While others pulled his pants down. It was reported that the young man was the target of other students’ bullying and teasing since he was in middle school. All of this reached a tipping point on Monday, October 20, 2008. As other students scurried to class, Lasater went to the school’s restroom and pulled out a handgun in order to take his life. At 6’6” and 275 pounds, he had begun to perform well on the football team. Nevertheless, his passive nature and large size was a continual target for others kids. In the end, it was just too much. Bullying in classrooms today has even taken on new angles as students have invented cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying includes sending insulting text messages to a student’s phone or posting hurtful rumors about a student on the Internet. Whether the bullying is the old-fashion way or it uses new technology, the results are the same. Students feel shame. Shame is a powerful motivator.
For example, Long Island police uses a website called the “Wall of Shame.” The “Wall of Shame” introduces readers to locals who have been arrested and convicted for Drunk Driving. The local law enforcement uses the wall because it is a deterrent to others.
In our text today, the Apostle Peter is aware that shame can be a powerful motivator. Peter is also aware that many believers feel shame and ridicule for following Christ.
So Peter is fearful that the believers will make Christianity a throwaway religion. When the fear of persecution comes, they will throw away their belief in Christ because of the difficulty of the times. Peter’s words remind believers in Christ that the ridicule for following Christ is short-lived and honor will one day arrive.
“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do” (1 Peter 2:4-8).
Today’s message is designed to “Decrease Your Love for Sin.” While no official persecution of Christianity currently exits, there are signs that Christianity is becoming increasingly unpopular. On September 14, 2007, Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers filed a lawsuit against God Himself. State Sen. Ernie Chambers says his lawsuit against God is serious and not simply a joke. The lawsuit sought a permanent injunction ordering God to “cease certain harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats...of grave harm to innumerable persons, including constituents of Plaintiff who Plaintiff has the duty to represent.” A senator for 38 years, Chambers skips morning prayers during the Nebraska legislative session and often criticizes Christians. The court told Chambers last week that his lawsuit may be dismissed because he had failed to serve notice on God. Chambers acknowledged this failure in court while sitting just a few feet away from an empty table reserved for God and God’s attorney.
According to Detroit Free Press, on Nov. 8, a group calling itself Bash Back stormed a Sunday service at Mt. Hope, a 4,000-member mega-church near Lansing, Michigan. They had targeted the church because the church believes homosexuality to be a sin. Demonstrators marched outside the church then invaded the sanctuary, shouting pro-gay slogans, throwing leaflets, and pulling a fire alarm. And so Peter’s message is my message to you: Worship Jesus Christ despite opposition for your eternal destiny hinges upon your actions with Jesus Christ.
1 . The Stone Is to Be Treasured
On a day when many people are beginning to think about turkeys and talk about turkeys, we talk about a “stone” just before Thanksgiving. Peter wants you to TREASURE the living stone. You are to value this “living stone” to such a degree that you are to sacrifice to the “living stone”.
“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious….” (1 Peter 2:4). Christ is the living stone in verse four. Why does Peter call Jesus a “living stone” here? Why not just refer to Jesus by His name? Peter refers to Jesus as the “living stone” because of Old Testament prophecies. The writers of the New Testament felt that the message of Old Testament was being fulfilled in their day. When Peter viewed the life of Jesus, he saw the message of the Old Testament taking shape in Jesus’ life and ministry.
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone….” (Isaiah 28:16). “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22). So the Old Testament prophets could foresee a Stone that was to be placed in Israel (another word for Zion). Notice the contrast built into verse four. Both God and humanity are building with stone.
Men rejected the “living stone” but God chose the “living stone”. Peter likewise, builds in this contrast in verse four: The “living stone” was rejected as worthless by men. They examined Christ and found Him to be worthless. Peter would say this very same message when he was questioned about a miracle he performed in Jerusalem years before: “if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:8-12). This “living stone” was rejected, Christ’s life and crucifixion, but the “living stone” has also “become the cornerstone,” the resurrection of Christ.
Antiques Roadshow is currently the most popular television program on PBS. The premise of the show is simple: the country’s leading auction houses join independent dealers to offer free appraisals of the antiques and collectibles people have sitting around in their livings rooms, bedrooms, attics, or garages. One particular episode, an elderly man from Tucson, Arizona, brought in an old blanket he had inherited several years ago. Though the man knew the old blanket probably possessed a little value when it came into his possession, he had simply thrown it over the back of a rocking chair in his bedroom. It had remained on the rocking chair until the opportunity arose for him to take it to the experts of the PBS program. With the blanket hanging on a rack behind them, the expert appraiser told the old man that his heart stopped when he first saw it. The blanket was a Navajo chief’s blanket that had been woven in the 1840’s. In wonderful condition, it was one of the oldest, intact Navajo weaves to survive to the twentieth-first (21) century, and certainly one of only a tiny handful to exist outside of museum collections. Because of its rarity and significance, the appraiser had no trouble assigning a value of somewhere between $350,000 and $500,000. As the man walked out of the convention center, the blanket he had cavalierly carried in with him was now cradled carefully in his arms. Everything had changed because of the value of the blanket. He walked out of the building with security guards on either side of him, drove straight to a bank, and placed the blanket in a safe deposit box. What had been “junk,” a mere accent to an old rocking chair, had been instantly transformed into a precious treasure.
When God saves his people, bringing us from death to life, he opens our eyes to love and appreciate the supreme treasure that is Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, the text indicates that many will come to the same “living stone” and will not value Him… …not TREASURE Him
As Stan Caffy prepared for married life, he and his bride-to-be cleaned out their respective garages and sold everything to Goodwill. Between the two of them, they sold an assortment of clothes, bicycles, tools, computer parts, and a tattered copy of the Declaration of Independence that had been hanging in Stan’s garage for the last decade. That particular version of the Declaration of Independence was a rare copy made in 1823. A man named Michael Sparks spotted it, and he purchased the document for $2.48. Sparks later auctioned it for $477,650. Not a bad profit. Caffy, the previous owner, was later quoted as saying, “I’m happy for the Sparks guy. If I still had it, it would still be hanging here in the garage, and I still wouldn’t know it was worth all that.” Stan’s trash turned out to be another man's treasure.
Our value of Christ increase because of 1 Peter 2:3: “…you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:3). And because you treasure Christ, the Living Stone…
1.1 You Belong in the Family
“you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). A Spartan king boasted to a visiting monarch about the walls of Sparta. The visiting king looked around and saw no walled city. He asked, “Where are these renowned walls?” The Spartan king pointed to his army and said, “These are the walls of Sparta, every man a brick.” The significance and purpose of the individual Christian cannot be realized apart from their relationships with other believers in Christ.
1.2 You Find Meaning in This Treasure
“you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
2. The Stone is Your Measure
Here are some actual announcements made on airline flights: “Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 245. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. If you don’t know how to operate one, you probably shouldn’t be out in public unsupervised.” “Delta Airlines is pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!” “In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite.” “Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light ‘em, you can smoke ‘em.” After hearing those statements it’s interesting that an American Airlines pilot is facing heat over a simple statement he made in February 2004. As they were waiting on the ground for takeoff he asked the Christians on the plane to identify themselves so anyone interested in talking to them could do so. Some passengers were offended and he may lose his job. Why do people get upset over the mention of the name Jesus Christ?
For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do” (1 Peter 2:6-8).
The “living stone” was rejected as worthless by men. The people who originally read Peter’s letter would understand this perfectly. They too had been rejected by society as unfit. People who follow Christ experience verbal abuse. They are demeaned, discredited, and shamed. People will accuse us as narrow and social deviants who endanger the common good.
Earlier, I mentioned protests by those sympathetic to homosexual cause in Lansing. Protests are also happening in California where people are gathering to protest their right to marry someone from the same sex. Proposition 8 was piece of legislation that banned same-sex marriage. The LA Times found Carl Hunter, 64 years old, holding a sign at rally over the weekend. His sign read, “Christians for gay marriage.” Hunter’s sign was just one among many. Here are other signs: “If heaven discriminates, I don’t want to go.” “The same Bible was used to justify slavery.” “I was born gay. You were taught religion.”
Make no mistake about it, the popularity of Christianity is waning in this country. What are Christ-followers to think? What are we to do? Peter wants us to understand that there is a connection between Jesus and His followers. Believers in Christ will suffer simply because they are believers in Christ. The future of believers is tied to the future of Christ Himself.
Notice two contrasting things about our text this morning: men and women measure Christ, the living stone… They give their opinions about Him and make their decision concerning Him. But Christ, the living stone, will also ultimately measure them. This stone is not dead where people can discard it in the nearby river if they wish or… place this in their pocket if they wish to keep it. Instead, this stone is alive and the Stone also measures each person who passes it by.
2.1 Believe on the Stone: You Can’t Lose
Some people would receive this stone. Look down at verses six and the first part of verse seven: “For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ So the honor is for you who believe….” (1 Peter 2:6-7a).
For those who believe in this stone, they will be honored. Their faith will not be their humiliation but for their acclamation. Jesus is the Stone who is no longer dead but has been raised from the tomb. So is the living stone. “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” (1 Peter 2:8a). In verse eight, Peter ties the rejection of Jesus back to the Old Testament. This time, Peter quotes Isaiah 8:14, as he tells us that Jesus’ rejection was foreseen by the Old Testament prophets. The living stone will suffer just as THE Living Stone has suffered. This is not in spite of being chosen by God as believers in Christ. But BECAUSE they were believers in Christ. The difficulties that believers go through are not signs that are rejecting them. Instead, the difficulties are confirmation that Christ will reward them.
Jesus explained the relationship this way: “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets” (Luke 6:22-23). The experience and destiny of those who come to Christ is connected to the destiny of Christ Himself. While the short-term picture may look bleak because of unjust suffering, the long-term has been made secure by Christ’s resurrection. Believers share in His sufferings and in His rewards.
“So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe…” (1 Peter 2:7). Believers shouldn’t be surprised by other’s rejection of Jesus. The rejection of Jesus should not cause Christians surprise or doubt in their own faith. God is in charge here. And He is in charge even of people’s rejection of Him. “We all serve God inevitably, but it makes a great difference whether you serve like Judas or serve like John”(C. S. Lewis)
2.2 Disbelieve the Stone: You Can’t Win
For some men, the stone was to be rejected: “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense” (1 Peter 2:8a). Peter called this the “cornerstone” at the end of verse seven and “A stone of stumbling” in the beginning of verse eight. What is most noteworthy is that Peter, quoting Isaiah 8:14, calls Jesus a “rock of offense”. The word used by Peter is the same word we get our word scandal from. It is the same word Jesus used when he told Peter: “But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man’” (Matthew 16:23). Peter attempted to stop Jesus from going down the path of suffering and the cross. Even for the writer of this short letter, he originally couldn’t believe that Jesus would die on a cross. Such a thing was a scandal even to Peter. The cross of Christ and the Gospel is an embarrassment to them. They are ashamed of such a message and it is a scandal to those who don’t believe. Christ is laid across the path of all people. On their way to their future, each individual encounters Jesus Christ. And He leaves each person changed: one for salvation and another for destruction. One cannot simply step over Jesus to go on about his or her daily routine. Faith in Christ leads to ultimate honor. Unbelief in Christ leads to disaster. There is no neutral ground. You can love Jesus Christ and receive Him. You can reject Jesus Christ but you cannot ignore Him. Jesus is either a precious stone to you or He will be a stumbling stone to you. Either way there is no way to be neutral concerning Jesus.
We do a lot to avoid embarrassment. A man named only Richard was a 39-year-old Austrian man and a public relations consultant. Earlier this year, he lost over $500,000 in risky speculations. He was so embarrassed and ashamed that he killed his 42 year old wife and 7 year old daughter in May of this year. In order to avoid the shame of such a financial loss, he then drove the several hours to his parents house, west of Vienna. He ate lunch with his 72-year-old father and 69 year old mother before killing them. He wasn’t finished until he visited his wife’s father and killed the 80 year old man as well.
We do a lot to avoid shame. We do a great deal to avoid a scandal. Yet, there is a scandal in front of each of us: “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).
