Pilgrim Living in a Fallen World: "Jesus is the Cornerstone" 1 Peter 2:4,5

Pilgrim Living in a Fallen World, Part 9

“Jesus is the Cornerstone”

I Peter 2:4,5

Introduction: We tend to use certain terms to describe our church building: “The Church,” or “The House of God,” or maybe for the main meeting room, “The Sanctuary.” There is nothing particularly wrong with those designations, except that they are not precisely biblical!  In fact there is almost nothing in the New Testament to describe the building in which we worship. All the attention is on the people of God as “the Church” and as God’s “temple” in this age. Paul said it twice to the Corinthians, “Don’t you know that you are God’s Temple, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”  (I Cor 3:16; cf. 6:19; Eph 2:21; etc.).  The theme of the “House of God” is an important one in the Bible. God was present with humans in face-to-face fellowship in the Garden, but sin brought separation between His Holiness and fallen humanity.  Jacob deceived Esau, and when he was sent away by his father to get a wife he laid his head on a rock to rest and had a dream. God promised his presence and reaffirmed the promise he had made with Abraham and Isaac. We read in Genesis 28:15-19,   

¹⁵ Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."  ¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."  ¹⁷ And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."  ¹⁸ So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.  ¹⁹ He called the name of that place Bethel...

Beth-El, the house of God. The place where God revealed his presence. During the wilderness wandering God instructed Moses to have a movable tent built, the Tabernacle.  It was to be the place where God would reveal his presence in the midst of the camp, until finally, once in the land, Solomon would build the Temple in Jerusalem.  It served as the place where God’s presence would be revealed to the people. Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies, once a year, on the day of atonement. All of that changed when Jesus came into the world. "The Word was made flesh and 'tabernacled' [dwelt] for a while among us...” (John 1:14).  And we are His sheep, ransomed at a great cost: His precious blood. So, because He so loved us, we love Him, and we choose to love one another, we “put off” the things that would divide, we guard our tongue and our hearts, and we choose the way of love.  We are the body!

The Maine* Idea: Jesus is the precious cornerstone of our faith and our greatest privilege is to know Him and to serve Him.

We’ll look at that truth from the perspective of three emphases in these verses:

     1. Our Precious Cornerstone (4).

     2. Our Privileged Position (5a).

     3. Our Priestly Calling (5b).

I. The Precious Cornerstone: JESUS (4). 1 Peter 2:4  “⁴ As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious...”

       First of all, we “come to Him,” and no other – He is the way, the only way to the Father, there is salvation in none other. This idea is something that we could easily pass over, but it is really foundational to the whole passage. Notice also, “We come to Him.”  We have access; Not only access, but an invitation! We are invited into the presence of the elect and precious One who is the Way.  As the new generation was preparing to enter the land, Moses recalled to them how their Fathers, because they could not approach God, requested of Him that he “go near” to God on their behalf and to hear His word,

“Go yourself and listen to what the LORD our God says. Then come and tell us everything he tells you, and we will listen and obey...” (Deut 5:27).

The writer to the Hebrews reflected on the radical contrast between what was, under the Old Covenant, and what is, in this present age, in Christ...  In Hebrews 12:20-24  he says,

 ²⁰ For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned."  ²¹ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with fear."  ²² But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,  ²³ and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,  ²⁴ and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel...

The transcendent, holy God of the Old Testament, the awesome Creator who shook the Mountain with his presence when he revealed himself there in cloud and fire, made a way for us to approach Him in Christ. As Jesus was crucified the veil of the Temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom, humans once again were permitted into the Holy of Holies.  Adam fled from God after the Fall. Because of Jesus, the second Adam, we come to Him.  We read at the end of the Book of Revelation:

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."  ¹⁷ The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price...” (Rev 22:16,17).

       And so we come to Him, “a living stone...” He was crucified, His blood was shed, but he is alive!  We want to take every opportunity to celebrate that adjective, He is a living stone. Christ died for our sins, and he was buried. Those are facts of history. And He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Back in I Peter 1:3, Peter pointed to the importance of the resurrection when he said, “...he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...”  We don’t go to a cemetery outside Jerusalem to pay our respects at the grave of our beloved leader. For decades the tomb of Lenin was a popular pilgrimage in the Soviet Union. He was enshrined in a glass coffin for all who would come to see. I am not sure if that has changed in recent decades. But one thing hasn’t changed: he is still dead. Jesus’ tomb is empty, He conquered death, He is a living SAVIOR, the Cornerstone of our faith.

       He is a living stone – The imagery of Jesus as a “Rock” is present in the Bible, it seems often alluding to Rock in the wilderness that Moses struck to provide water for the people. That is a beautiful picture, but that is not what is in view here. The allusion here is to a stone used in constructing a building.  In those days it was the practice to carefully select and set the cornerstone of the building.  It needed to be square and true and set perfectly level, since the entire building would be oriented to it. If the cornerstone was not true the building would not be true.  What kind of “building” is in view here?  The church as God’s Temple.

       First of all, this “Stone” was Rejected of men (Ps 118:25). There is a legend told in connection with the building of Solomon’s temple that perfectly illustrates this prophecy...

...The stones for the temple were prepared in advance in a nearby quarry. As they were needed, they were raised up to the building site. One day the workers in the quarry sent up a stone of unique shape and proportions. The masons saw no place for it in the building so they carelessly pushed it over the hill where, in time, it became overgrown with moss and surrounded with weeds. As the temple neared completion, the masons called for a stone of certain dimensions. The men in the quarry replied, “We sent that stone up to you long ago.”  After careful search, the discarded stone was found and was set in its proper place in the temple. 
     ...The Lord Jesus presented Himself to the nation of Israel at His First Advent. The people, and especially the rulers, had no room for Him in their scheme of things. They rejected Him and delivered Him to be crucified. 
       Because Jesus Christ is the perfect, exact, precise One on whom God has built His church, all the lines coming from Him in every direction complete the perfect temple of God. No one is ever out of alignment. No one ever falls from the structure. It all fits exactly and permanently together (cf. Eph. 4:16).

That is the imagery that Peter alludes to in this context. He was hated and rejected – in fulfillment of the Scriptures, but He is the perfect, unshakable cornerstone.  And He is alive!

       Men might have rejected the Stone, but His is “Chosen and precious in the sight of God...”  The builders rejected the cornerstone. But God is the Architect. So before the foundation of the world the faultless perfect Stone was chosen.  He is precious in the sight of God. Daniel and Terri have a sticker on the back of their car that says, “Jesus is more precious than life!”  That should be our attitude! Our vision statement says that “We envision a community of Christ followers, rooted in the Word, treasuring God as supremely valuable, proclaiming the riches of His grace to the world.”  If you know Him, He is the “pearl of great price” that is more precious than anything else that has ever been or will ever be in your life. If that attitude is really in our heart, people will see how important He is to us.    Jesus is the precious cornerstone of our faith and our greatest privilege is to know Him and to serve Him.

II. Our Privileged Position [in His presence] (5a). 1 Peter 2:5a  “...you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house...”

       We are described as “Living stones” in His Temple. It is one thing to think about Jesus as the ultimate foundation and cornerstone of our faith, ok. That is fine.  But we, and that includes you and me, are “living stones” in His temple. What? That’s what Paul meant when he said to the Corinthians, “You are the temple of God...”  We have been chosen by the wise master builder, and included in his design as he builds His church.  We have been “made alive,” saved by God on purpose, and for a purpose.  One of the apartments we lived in during our time in Brazil had a beautiful stone wall in the living room. It was made by an expert stone mason. The stones were fit together so precisely, there were no gaps, and no mortar that was visible. I wish I could have seen it being built, each stone fit together, each one unique, each one filling a gap that it seemed none other could precisely fill.  That is us. We are all living stones, alive with Christ, created by God and chosen to fill a gap in his church. None of us is independent or complete by ourselves. But together we fit together to make something beautiful.

       “You are being built...”  The “spiritual house” that God is building is dynamic, it keeps on growing, and by grace we are a part of it. I was the second child of my parents. My dad bought a piece of property, and had a fifty by twenty foot army barracks moved to the property which he converted into a house for our family of four.  As our family grew over the years, the house kept growing!  An addition on the back gave three bedrooms. Then another addition on one side, then a second story. Then a pool house connected by a breeze way. By the time he was done a 1000 square foot army barracks was 5000 square foot monstrosity!  God’s design is perfect. And we are included!

       It is interesting that the building that we are a part of is described by Peter as “a spiritual house.” I think the church is a “spiritual house” because it houses “the Spirit of God.” How should that impact our choices when we are tempted to sin? How should it empower and encourage us when we have an opportunity to witness?  It expresses our faith in Him, and it is our thank you to him. Jesus is the precious cornerstone of our faith and our greatest privilege is to know Him and to serve Him.

III. Our priestly calling: To worship Him (5b). 1 Peter 2:5b  “...to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This goes beyond the idea of “presence” and extends it to include our service. Priests mediate, and we are stewards of the mysteries of God (the Gospel). And we minister, our ministry, given as an act of worship.

       [For this reason, or to this end...]  “...To be a holy priesthood...” I was not raised in the Baptist tradition, but in another tradition that had “priests” who were the intercessors between the people and God.  We weren’t even encouraged to read the Bible, only the priests could interpret it for us.   Offering worship in Spirit and in Truth is the goal in this context. But what can we offer to God?  A few things the Bible points to specifically...

     Our praise and worship. Hebrews 13:15 says “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” God is worthy of our praise and somehow he “Inhabits the praise of His people.” We want to lift up His name at every opportunity. We sing, first of all, to Him. We want to share our joy in knowing Him. We want to spread His fame, here (this peninsula, our Jerusalem), there (Portland, Lewiston, Boston), and everywhere (to the ends of the earth)!

       Our material possessions - Hebrews 13:16 says, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Our homes, all that we have He has given, in love we surrender all to Him!  Making your home available for meetings, for discipleship, for hospitality. Using our car to give rides to those in need, or our truck to haul something for a friend or neighbor. Always being sensitive to what He is asking us to do.

       Our finances – Paul said in Philippians 4:18, “I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.” He describes their gift as an “offering” and an “acceptable sacrifice.” Not an atonement for sin, but a demonstration and expression of thankfulness.  Some people may wonder when the “offering plate” is coming around in our service. We’ve decided to try something different in putting boxes at the front and rear. It is still an opportunity for worship. You might think, “Well, I can’t give very much, my little gift won’t made a difference.” Jesus saw a widow putting two small copper coins into the offering, and he said it was more than the large gifts that were given with poor motives. Little is much when God is in it!  I read this week the story of the pastor who founded Temple University...

“A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it ’was too crowded.’ "I can’t go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class. The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.
    Two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements. As her body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School."
     For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.
     But the story does not end there! A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands of dollars. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents.   Church members made large subscriptions. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000.00 - a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century).[Equal to $7.25 million today]. Her unselfish love had paid large dividends. 
     That caring Pastor was named Russell H. Conwell. He became the founder of what is now known as Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The little girl was named Hattie May Wiatt who died in 1886.
     In a sermon on December 1, 1912, which honored Hattie Dr Conwell reminded his congregation of the impact of that 57 cents – “think of this large church,” he wrote, “think of the membership added to it – over 5600 – since that time. Think of the institutions this church founded. Think of the Samaritan Hospital and the thousands of sick people that have been cured there, and the thousands of poor that are ministered to every year. Think of how in that Wiatt house (by which 54 cents of that 57 cents was used in the first payment) were begun the very first classes of the Temple College.”
     If God can do that with 57 cents think what He can do with $5.70, $57.00, $570.00, and even $5700.00. When we use the tool of treasure, of money, that God has provided us, and give, we don’t give it to programs or buildings we give it to a cause – the cause of God...

Yes, and so we give of our possessions and our finances, knowing all that we have we owe to God.  The Lord loves a cheerful giver. So we hope to be generous with what God has given us.

       Finally, or perhaps most of all, we give our whole self – In Romans 12:1 Paul said, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  The language here is of a gift being placed on an altar as an act of worship. The priests presented offerings on behalf of the people in times past. In this age, we are “a royal priesthood.” And so we have access to the throne room. And we present our bodies as a living sacrifice.  Someone said, “The problem with living sacrifices is that they keep crawling off the altar!”  So we keep on presenting ourselves to him.

What is God saying to me in this passage? Jesus is the precious cornerstone of our faith and our greatest privilege is to know Him and to serve Him.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Is Jesus the precious cornerstone of your faith?  If He is, and He should be, how should we respond? It should mean that we are generous with what he has entrusted to us, including, first of all, supporting the church of which we are a part. 

       It means that we strive to live with an attitude of worship, recognizing his presence as we live as pilgrims in a fallen world. It means giving ourselves completely to Him – after all, He gave Himself for us.   This is a first Sunday, which means we take time to remember and celebrate that act of love, done for us.

       We don’t want to merely “go through the motions” in our Christian life. We want to live with an attitude of worship. The word “worship” has the idea of bowing down or prostrating oneself in submission to another. It means He is Lord, and we owe Him our obedience, our very life. His love for us is so undeserved, and so lavish, that we can’t help but love him back when get glimpses of understanding.  And that love should overflow in our love for one another.                                                              Amen.