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1 Peter 2:4-10
“Those Who Don’t Stumble”
(Written for Sermon Central to fill a gap in this series on 1 & 2 Peter)
Who am I?
That is a question everyone asks at some point in their life.
We all have questions about our identity ... and purpose ... and meaning.
And we especially tend to ask that question when life isn’t going so well.
There is the stay at home mum surrounded by kids.
Feeling – underrated ... I just want to go back to work!!
Who am I?
There is the person sitting in the middle of a job.
Basically doing the same stuff every day … unnoticed.
Does anybody really need me?
Who am I?
Or the young adult
Trying to find a place and a career but they keep getting told they don’t have enough experience.
No-one will give me a start.
Who am I?
We all go through it at some point. And this was the case even more so for the audience of 1 Peter. Remember they live in a society that was constantly saying – everything you need is right here. Why do you want anything else?
These believers were constantly under the temptation to just fit in.
Who am I?
Should I just act like everyone else?
Why not enjoy life like others do?
These believers were constantly facing suffering and ridicule.
Why can’t you just accept that your religion is one among many, not the only way?
When you don’t get involved in our feasts and city wide events you make us feel unwanted.
Who do you think you are?
Yes … who am I really?
The believers, we are as believers, constantly facing a choice
Is being a Christian in a culture that is so against me worth it?
Is the suffering and the need to stand out worth it?
In this big plan of God, who am I?
That is what is happening. Peter, who is being divinely inspired to write his letter, knows this is going on. So, he addresses the issue in 1 Peter 2:4-10
4 As you come to Him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him – 5 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. 6 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.’
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,’
8 and,
‘A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.’
They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. 10 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.
This whole section is about understanding one’s identity and the power of that identity.
Peter wants us to know that we are a significant and important part in God’s plan.
That we are not underrated or unnoticed, or unneeded.
That we have significance and worth and value.
That we don’t have to have questions of identity because we are certain of who we are.
The way Peter helps us to see this is there are two building projects.
One building project is being built by mankind. Built by the world.
The purpose of this building is to provide the world with some sort of identity. Before them there is all sorts of methods and means to build their identity. And they need to choose from the pile … a large pile.
Materialism is in that pile
Money makes me happy; I am what I own. Money will solve all my problems. Materialism helps me fulfil my calling.
Individualism is in that pile
I make my own decisions; I forge my own destiny. I can have pride in being able to say, “I did it my way”. My individualism helps me fulfil my calling.
Education is in that pile.
If I know enough I can get what I want. There is value in being able to come before others and say, “Look at my great understanding.” Education helps me fulfil my calling.
There are some of the options in the pile of resources. And there are many others as well, lying around like stones on the ground. Stones which can be brought together to make up the foundation of my life.
And one of those stones is Jesus, and the hope that can come through Jesus. But so many people, as they go about their building project, look at Jesus and says, “No”.
He doesn’t give me materialistic gain.
He won’t let me be an individual.
He wants me to change my world-view.
Because of these, and many other reasons, there are those who firmly decide, “I’m not going to use Jesus as part of my project.” And so Jesus is rejected.
It is a powerful picture isn’t it. And the sad reality is that this is a situation which has been going on for centuries.
11 This is what the Lord says to me with His strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people:
12 “Do not call conspiracy
everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
13 The Lord Almighty is the One you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread.
14 He will be a holy place;
for both Israel and Judah He will be
a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.
15 Many of them will stumble;
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured.”
Isaiah 8:11-14.
Even back in the days of Isaiah,
… 800 years before Jesus
… in the land which God had given to His people
… even there and then everyone kept focussing on their own building project.
Thinking that this will give them identity and help fulfil a calling.
But it doesn’t.
All they are doing is stumbling around in the darkness and chasing after futility.
Which brings us to the other building project. As mankind builds, God also builds. But God takes up the very thing that has been rejected by mankind – the stone. Peter drives the point home.
The Living Stone ... God chose.
The Stone is precious and becomes the founding component ... the cornerstone.
That stone which rejected is the stone on which everything else stands.
We see it so clearly. That the stone is Jesus and what He has done.
Death – resurrection – ascension.
Giving the Spirit and building the church.
At the right hand of God interceding.
It is all in place – the foundation and the framework.
What God is building holds everything together. But the foundation isn’t the complete building. It is not complete until we understand that our calling is completed in Jesus.
YOU are living stones.
YOU are part of the spiritual house.
There is this massively close relationship which we are allowed to have with Jesus.
The same resurrection power lives in us. What an identity. We become part of the building.
That is a good image too, isn’t it. But see the image clearly.
Because it is not an image of individualism.
I am this stone in the building … and you are that stone in the building. And we just look into our little part of the world and we do our own solid Christian duty.
That is not the picture we are being given.
It is not individual stones. The cornerstone is in place.
Then there is the building … one building.
This is a picture of how the kingdom of God works.
How we work.
As a church. As a family.
Being together in fellowship fulfilling the call that we have to build the kingdom of God.
That is a powerful identity isn’t it.
To be those who are on the foundation of Jesus who is the chief cornerstone.
To be those who no longer stumble over Jesus … but instead call Him Saviour.
That is who we can be. All of us. Even if we have come here today as those who have up to this point rejected Jesus.
We just need to trust.
We just need to believe.
Believe that Jesus is calling us to be a part of his chosen community.
Believe that Jesus wants to give us an identity.
A powerful lasting-into-eternity identity.
The identity described in 1 Peter 2:9-10.
It is an identity you … plural … you … we … all have when we confess Jesus as Saviour and Lord.
You are a … chosen people.
We have been set apart and judged to be special.
We look like so many other ordinary people.
We act like so many other ordinary people.
Yet for some reason God has extended His hand in our direction and said, “You are Mine”.
When you think about it in those terms you know something special is happening don’t you – because who are we that God should take notice of us?
The reality is that, in all of history, God’s called ones haven’t really been that much.
7 The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your ancestors that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 7:7-8
We are not chosen because God desperately needed us.
We’re not that numerous.
We don’t have a lot of political influence.
We are not really that important.
We’re not even really that bright.
But God chooses us anyway. Ordinary people given an extraordinary task. In fellowship together to build the kingdom.
But it doesn’t stop there.
You are a … royal priesthood.
The phrase comes from the Old Testament and is found in Exodus 19:6. In the context the people of Israel have just arrived at Mount Sinai – it has been only 12 weeks since they were taken out of Egypt in a mighty way by God. Almost as soon as they arrive Moses goes up the mountain to talk with God. This is part of the conversation:-
5 Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Exodus 19:5-6
Do you know what the main task of priest is? It is to help sinners come back into a right relationship with God while, at the same time, helping the people draw nearer to God. Priests where the ones who had the personal access to God.
IN the Old Testament the priesthood was a special task for a select tribe – the Levites. Yet, back then, God still called them a kingdom of priests.
That kingdom mindset is the mindset Peter is thinking of when he says of those in the early church
… You – plural
… You – all of you
… You are a royal priesthood.
Not only do you have personal access to God. You are considered to be royalty when you use that access.
There are not many places in England where the Queen … now the King … is not allowed to go. And royalty does not need to sit at traffic lights or worry about traffic jams. When they want to talk to the prime minister all they need to do is give the prime minister a summons and the prime minister comes to royalty. And on top of that all, they don’t have to pay tax if they don’t want to.
These are some of the privileges which royalty like the King and Queen of England enjoy. Can we even begin to imagine the privileges we have when God treats us like royalty? We are a royal priesthood. Ordinary people given an extraordinary task. In fellowship together to build the kingdom.
But that is not where it stops.
You are a … holy nation.
We have seen these words haven’t we ... they also come from Exodus 19:6. And that tells us a lot about the way God views us.
Think again about the context of that Exodus passage.
The people of Israel have only been out of Egypt for 12 weeks.
They were at the foot of Mount Sinai worshipping God. But it had not always been that way.
Until their release 12 weeks ago the Israelites for the last 300 years had been forced to work constantly as slaves.
They had little time to worship God.
They had forgotten and neglected the rituals and ceremonies.
They did not have a regular time to worship.
And they were oppressed by a powerful nation.
Their previous life was far from holy … in fact it was pretty well unholy.
Yet God doesn’t judge these people on the basis of what they were – He judges them on the basis of what He had made them into.
A called people.
The focus on holiness is a focus on transformation.
There is a wonderful passage in Isaiah 43:16-19 which talks about this attitude of God in action.
16 This is what the Lord says—
He who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
17 who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Isaiah 43:16-19
God does new things. God is always doing new things.
Only a few weeks after God brought them through the Red Sea – and dealt with the army of Egypt. God came and reminded them that they were a holy nation.
In Isaiah 43 the prophet goes back to that time – and reminds the people of God who will be in captivity in Babylon – that God will do new things.
Isn’t that incredible! God keeps coming to His people who have let Him down constantly and He says “Let’s just forget the past … let’s focus on something new instead”. Ordinary people given an extraordinary task. In fellowship together to build the kingdom. A holy nation.
Do you know who you are?
A Chosen … identified, brought in, made a part of.
A Royal Priesthood … having full-time access to God and a full-time calling to share the message.
A Holy Nation … being able to move forward knowing that sin has been covered.
That is who we are … in fellowship.
That is the criteria … the only criteria … that matters.
And it is an identity that brings complete transformation into our lives.
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.
Do you know what it means not to be a people?
The Australian Aborigines of the past know. It wasn’t until a successful referendum in 1967 that Australian Aboriginals were counted in the national census.
They were not a people.
They weren’t counted.
And often were treated as if they didn’t count.
Before we came to Jesus – we were not a people.
But this is not a status the God wanted us to have. Which is why God showed mercy.
The most visible picture of that mercy is Jesus dying on the cross taking our sins.
If we are going to have any hope and eternal security we need to get to a point where we are considered by God to be His people who are shown mercy. The only way to do that is by trusting in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.
Not a people … now a people … because of God’s mercy.
Peter is painting a picture of possibilities.
On one side Peter is painting a picture of what life looks like with Jesus.
You are set apart and identified as a special treasure.
You are treated by God like royalty.
You are allowed to live a guilt-free life.
That is the result of the life changing experience.
On the other side there is the picture which comes with thinking that you can stand before God on your own strength.
Do that and God considers you not to be a people.
Do that and God withholds His mercy.
You might live life your way for a while – but it will be meaningless in the end.
That is the contrast – it doesn’t get any plainer. And the end result all revolves around Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
We know this light as Jesus.
Jesus who voluntarily gave His life as God poured out His full anger without mercy.
Jesus who was disowned and forsaken by God as God considered him to be a man without rights.
Jesus became what we were – not a people, not being shown mercy – so that we could be chosen, royal, holy.
This is us … our identity. An identity that brings transformation.
If we think we are too small – think again.
If we are allowing the expectations of society to define us – think again.
If we think we are not significant – think again.
If we are allowing our agenda to be set by wrong agendas – think again.
If we think we can’t make a difference – think again.
If we are allowing our past to define us – think again.
If we think we can be pigeon-holed by people – think again.
If we are allowing our thinking to be defined by the ungodly thinking of others – think again.
None of that defines us. It is who Jesus makes us that defines us.
When we have this identity we will be disciples who don’t stumble – but who instead stand firm on the foundation – with Jesus as the cornerstone.
Prayer
