Stones

I Peter 2: 2 – 10 Stones

Intro: “Sticks and stones may break my bones; but, names will never hurt me.” Do you remember this little poem or something like it from your childhood. On the news today, we see people throwing stones at each other. What do we human do when our differences can’t be resolved? We usually end up throwing invisible “stones” at each other. Then, the old children’s poem does not hold up because those “names” those “invisible stones” often hurt worse and the pain lingers much longer.

I. The Bible has many stories about stones: Jacob used a stone as a pillow, Joshua set up memorial stones, David chose 5 smooth stones to fight Goliath, Elijah took 12 stones to build an altar and many, many more.

A. VS. 4 speaks of “the living stone” Have you ever seen a “living stone?” Years ago there were pet rocks; but, even they were not alive.

B. If you go to Home Depot or Lowe’s and buy a hundred bricks, they are all going to be basically the same: same weight, shape, and same height.

C. But stones are different. Each one has a different shape and texture. They are unique. Yet, in the hands of a master stonemason, those stones can be put together into a thing of real beauty. Our master stonemason is Christ Jesus.

II. VS. 5 & 6 (Isaiah 28: 16) mentions “the cornerstone.” In fact, most churches have a cornerstone into which individuals place things of importance to the church when it was built.

A. VS. 5 – Let yourselves be built into a spiritual house. We do not do the building. We are the living stones used by God to build a spiritual house with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.

B. Ancient cornerstones were the 1st stones of a building laid. It had to be cut at an absolute 90 degree angle and placed to absolute perfection because all the walls of the building would get their angles from that one stone.

C. So we are to allow ourselves to be built by God into the structure that God’s want us to be. Following God’s plan, allowing God to chisel off the rough edges of the stone of our lives so it will fit together in just the right way to fulfill God’s purpose.

III. Peter quotes in V. 7 - Psalm 118:22 – “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.”

A. The capstone is also called the keystone. It is critical for this stone to be correct. If a capstone is too large, the two sides of the arch will fall outwards. If it is too small, the arch would cause the stone to be crushed by the pressure and the arch would fall in on itself.

B. Jesus is the capstone, the keystone that hold us all together building relationships, beginning ministries, growing a church.

C. It is the arch of the building that allows access to the inside. Without the capstone or keystone, there is no arch and there is no way in. There is just a solid wall that keeps people out.

Conclu: In the coming weeks and months you will hear more and more about our plan to add to our facilities. We have hired an architect and await his plans. During this time of waiting, I urge each of you to think and pray about how God can use you in this place to build a spiritual building constructed from the living stones of your our lives.