WELCOME
PRAYER
SING THE WORD
SILENCE
When we come back we’ll pick it up at verse 3 of 1st Peter chapter 2.
Alright last week we covered verses 1-3 where after challenging the reader to put away various elements that thrive in the flesh said:
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 “Since” ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
His though continues at verse four and speaking of the Lord says . .
1st Peter 2.8
Meat
August 16th 2015
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
Okay these passages are a bit cumbersome so for continuities sake lets read from verse two right through verse four.
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 “Since” ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
The “to whom coming” is saying “to whom we have come,” speaking of us coming to Jesus.
We could reverse it as reading “to Jesus whom WE have come.”
And he continues, speaking of our coming to Jesus and describing Him says:
“as unto a living stone, disallowed of men but chosen of God and precious.”
In this passage it seems that Peter refers or makes and allusion to a passage in Isaiah 28:16 which says:
“Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”
It may also be speaking of Psalm 118:22 which also says:
“The stone which the builders disallowed, is become the head-stone of the corner.”
All through the Old Testaments we are presented with allusions to Jesus Christ as being a rock. They start all the way back in Exodus when Moses and the Children of Israel were in search for water in the wilderness. And we read God coming to Moses and saying:
“Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”
This is a clear picture of Christ, who when smitten, would bring forth living waters.
Of course you know the story. Later the Children of Israel were lacking water again and Moses got frustrated with their cries. God told Moses this time not to smite the Rock but to merely speak to it and it would produce water but in frustration Moses smote the rock again, and even though it produced water, Moses, from this Act was not permitted to enter into the Promised Land.
Of course the parallel being Christ, the Rock of Our salvation would produce living water through His death ONCE and FOR ALL (and need not be smitten over and over again) but only needed to be spoken to to produce living water thereafter.
In Deuteronomy 32 we read these beautiful words:
1 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
4 He is the Rock (capital R), his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
In 2nd Samuel 23:2 we read:
“The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel (capital R) spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”
Again, with a capital R we read in the Psalms
At 18:2
“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
At 18:31
“For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?”
At 18:46
The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
Here in 1st Peter 2 the reference is obviously to Christ as the foundation – the chief cornerstone upon which the church is raised and stands upon.
As I’m sure you are aware in Masonry the cornerstone is the first stone set in a foundation and all other stones are all set in reference to this one.
Additionally, cornerstones are also the key brick set at an angle and which serves as the connecting foundation for the walls of two adjoining buildings or rooms.
In these descriptions we have Christ and His place in the Church displayed. He is the foundation that unites the Jew and the Greek and the first stone laid upon which all other stones follow.
His position is perfect and level in every direction – every stone laid beyond is set on the standard He provides.
Because of the imagery and items appealed to in both the Old Testament and the New (as in Ephesians) it is really easy to allow ourselves to think of brick and mortar in terms of religion, faith and church.
But we are given some words here that go a long way in keeping us on track – Peter says:
“To whom coming, as unto a living stone,”
I don’t believe it is found anywhere else in scripture.
At first glance we have what appears to be a magnificent incongruity as a stone or rock (in our world) is one of the most dense, reliable, heavy products around – and ANYTHING but alive. But the meaning isn’t hard to fathom paradoxical as it may seem.
In Christ we are not speaking, no matter how glamorous and beautiful of material temples of gold and silver and bronze. We are not speaking of elaborate brick and mortar edifices. We are talking about spiritual things, spiritual houses and spiritual powers. Our sacrifices are spiritual. Our worship is spiritual and our objectives are spiritually based.
In other words the temple and the church we belong to as believers is living. The water this rock now gives is “living water” and while God can does and will does provide for our needs, since the utter destruction of the temple His kingdom, not of this world, rules and reigns over the things of the heart and heaven rather than of heart and earth.
As the living stone, the chief cornerstone He is capable of both undergirding and setting the course of His spiritual church.
We recall his parabolic teaching in Matthew 7:24-27 where He teaches:
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
Coming back to our text in 1st Peter chapter 2 we see Peter saying:
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
Peter is simply saying that whole we have come to Him, as unto a living stone, He was, in fact “disallowed of men.”
Paul says in Romans 9:33 “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
In other words Jesus, the living Rock was rejected by them, first by the Jews, in causing him to be put to death; and then by all men when he is offered to them as their Savior.
This is what Psalm 118:22 was speaking of when it speaks of “The stone which the builders refused.”
There could be some sort of physical literal application of this in the annuls of building the temple – and I’ve heard them taught over the years but they are always presented as legend.
But when it comes to the fulfillment of this in Christ the reality of it is all too apparent – The Rock was made flesh and dwelled among us and was rejected or refused.
Peter adds, “But chosen of God, and precious.” Passages like this always amaze me because from the way I see it they clearly delineate between the man and mission of the Man Jesus Christ, in flesh, condescending below all things by taking on flesh and blood and God who selected him as the suitable foundation on which to rear the church.
I have trouble seeing these words:
“Chosen by God and precious” as having anything to do with the fullness of God that dwelled in Jesus bodily or in His state prior to becoming flesh.
This phrase and phrases like it (in my opinion) speak completely to His humanity, and as one who, though in flesh, perfectly set the course for all who would be joint heirs with Him.
As man Jesus was chosen by God and precious. Having set this chief cornerstone in place for us here, Peter continues and says (verse 5)
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Stop the freaking presses! Right here we discover some tremendous insights and parallels.
In verse four Peter describes the living Rock, the chief cornerstone, the one who sets the course and levels and direction in the Body of Christ, in the new temple of God.
And now in verse 5 he adds – Ye also.
Christ is the chief cornerstone and we also. Notice we are all of the same building – Jesus too. He is the founder, the cornerstone, built upon a foundation of apostles and prophets and having set this out Peter now adds: “Ye also.”
I would suggest that Peter, using the former temple with its priests and animal sacrifices – even a wonderful material building – is now describing the spiritual temple of God – where the cornerstone is living and the stones that follow in thereafter as being described as lively.
The Jews prided themselves greatly on their temple. It was costly and a gorgeous edifice and if a material economy was to continue in the Christian world I would suggest that we too ought to have costly and beautiful physical edifices.
This is just not so.
Additionally, within the former material costly and beautiful temple sacrifices were made.
They were material sacrifices that included the death of literal animals with literal blood on literal altars by literal priests holding a literal priesthood.
It was also the place where God was worshipped and where God was supposed to dwell.
At the time of this writing this temple and all that it contained was about to be leveled.
And I believe Peter is attempting to illustrate to his reader (many of whom in all probability still regarded the physical temple with awe and respect) that the new, revised, unshakeable temple of believers was to continue to grow in an even MORE beautiful manner, replacing the former shakable system with one that could never be shaken again.
In other words, what had once made the temple “made with hands” so inspiring and glorious and magnificent would not be lost but would be enhanced by the new elements that would construct the new – believers, having been cleansed by the blood of Christ and following Him becoming a new and enviable body of priests who were now offering up (What Peter calls, spiritual sacrifices).
All the factions and people necessary to keep the temple clean and running were being replaced by the Holy Spirit doing a work among believers.
All the bloody sacrifices laid on the alter replaced by believers willing to lay themselves out dead to this world.
The former priesthood – relegated to only certain men of a certain tribe was now open to all people – men and women, bond and free – which Christ Jesus as our only High Priest.
This is a temple where we, like Christ, are living stones, made up of living materials, and a place where God dwells on earth – within EACH of us.
With this being the case the edifice that believer form together cannot help but be a living and spiritual building, a spiritual house.
So Peter says
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,
“an holy priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Peter here shows us something interesting. The ancient temple with its physical priesthood and literal sacrifices are not done away – in the least. They are made spiritual!
In other words God did not have them exist for nothing – they were and are to continue in and through believers in Christ, our Great High Priest.
Peter clearly shows that we are now the priests bearing the sacrificial duties in the temple or body of Christ except this time all things are spiritual and ALL believers are priests and everyone is engaged in offering sacrifice to God.
No longer is the business entrusted only to a limited body or class but every Christian is in fact a priest, and is engaged in offering an acceptable sacrifice to God.
Paul wrote in Romans 1:6
“And hath made us (believers) kings and priests unto God.”
Besides Christ none bear the office of High Priest but like bricks in the same wall we all extend off the chief cornerstone and help bear the load.
What load?
The load of sacrifice. Remember, this was the main object of the priests in the temple. So it is the main object of our being priests in the body of Christ or temple of God.
Because this is spiritual and has spiritual significance we would never use the label or title priest in the physical church today. That is never the case in all of the New Testament.
Those religions who appeal to the term have misappropriated the meaning completely.
Since the proper idea of a priest is “one who offers sacrifice” but since Christ there are no literal flesh and blood sacrifices to offer what are we doing as spiritual priests in the body?
Peter tells us: “To offer up spiritual sacrifices.”
I have been relentless and adamant in this church and ministry to refuse any and all temporal offerings as mandatory or obligatory.
Since we are all priests offering up spiritual sacrifices everything must come from the heart of the believer and cannot be mandated in material form.
Sacrifices come in a number of shapes and fashions in the body today but the important thing to remember is they are spiritual sacrifices, which I would suggest are motivated and moved by the Spirit.
Let’s work through some of the ways and means we all, as priests in the Spiritual temple of God, are offering spiritual sacrifices to God – we’ll start with some specifics mentioned in scripture and then end with the major general themes.
First of all we read of the sacrifice of our lips.
Hebrews 13:15-16 says it so well:
“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
In the Old Testament the COI would offer up literal sacrifices (of plants and animals) as a means to show forth their praise and gratitude to God. But such sacrifices are complete in Christ.
Since His work is upon the heart of individuals the fruit of our lips is generated by the condition of our hearts – and when our mouths offer up thanks to God for His goodness, it is pleasing to Him.
Psalms 107:22 touches on this saying:
“And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.”
Ephesians 5:20 says: “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1st Thessalonians 5:18 says “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
And then relative to the temple of Old I love the tie in to the sacrifice of our lips that Hosea gives, saying in Hosea 14:2:
“Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.”
The writer of Hebrews, tapping into this Old Testament concept says, “the fruit of our lips,” with both tapping into the former sacrifices of old and applying them to the praises we give to God – either in thanksgiving, worship, praise, songs or rejoicing. When it comes from the heart God is blessed and receives these sacrifices to Him.
There are then the sacrifices we render to others in the name of God as freely led of the Spirit.
Serving, volunteering to help, giving time, a listening ear, encouraging, teaching others, supporting with material needs – all are part of the fruit of the Spirit which is love.
Love is a verb. Verbs require time and attention and consume time – the stuff of which our lives are made. When we give these increments up for the welfare of another we are sacrificing our lives for their benefit by the Spirit which is love.
And God is honored.
When we give time or talent or funds or muscle or brain power (our prayers) to benefit others we are literally sacrificing part of our lives for them – a very, very Jesus like act – but one that must be lead by the Spirit for them to be Spiritual sacrifices and to therefore have weight in spiritual realms.
Of course the over-all sacrifice God seeks is the laying of ourselves out on the altar, our lives, our time, our will, our flesh for the spiritual house of God.
It’s why Paul says in Romans 12:1
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
We understand this in word and deed – presenting our bodies a “living sacrifice.”
And the concept plays right into the words of Peter here where he speaks of us, after Christ, being lively stones, in a building inhabited by the living God, and with us offering up spiritual (or spiritually alive) sacrifices to God.
In other words, inanimate stones that make up inanimate temples are a thing of the past. And animals that had their lives taken in order to shed their blood are done. We are now “lively stones,” offering up, “spiritual sacrifices” as “living sacrifices.”
Paradoxically, we are also the walking (living dead) relative to our flesh. The more dead we are in the flesh we ambulate about in, the more of a living sacrifice we will be in the service of God.
In other words, we give up (sacrifice) our lives and will which are steeped in sin to God. Paul puts it this way:
Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Galatians 5:24-26 adds some dimension to this:
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Taken out to some wonderful lengths, a life truly sacrificed to God will allow all the things that abide in the flesh – not just the obvious things like lust and outward sin, but spite, and envy, and malice, and revenge, and evil speaking (down talking) die to Christ.
The difficult thing about this is that the only way to grow in these areas is to be challenged in them – to experience success in them as a means to be strengthened in them when they arise again.
We call this process pruning, sanctification, purging, being honed, tried by fire. And in this we are presented with a constant choice.
Die on the cross, die on the altar, become a living sacrifice – or don’t.
And when buffed – rebuff.
When cheated – sue.
When despise – despise back.
Hated hate.
Or return good for evil, the other cheek for another slap, expect to be used and love as He was and literally be a living sacrifice that is both motivated by and offering up spiritual sacrifices.
Peter rounds this teaching out by referring back to Jesus as the Rock and what that means in verses 6-8.
I am going to treat these passages as a block because they are all speaking to the fact that God has laid a stone in Zion, a chief cornerstone who is elect and precious and there are two responses to it:
To those who believe on Him He they will not be confounded and He is precious
But those who are disobedient (meaning they do not believe on Him) He is a “rock of offense” causing them to stumble at the word.
This is how Peter puts the scriptures together to articulate this message:
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
So fist Peter quotes Isaiah 28:16 (from the Septuagint) God saying that He has laid a chief cornerstone in Zion who is elect and precious.
And he adds “and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”
“A better word is ashamed.”
Then Peter refers again, like he did in verse four, to those who are not ashamed, who have believed on Him and says:
“Unto you therefore which believe he is precious,” but then he adds:
“But unto them which be disobedient,”
And we have Peter dividing up the world into two basic categories – those who believe and those who are disobedient (a word I would say is synonymous with “disbelieve.”)
As Christians we are often called believers. Those who are saved believe. Those who are not do not.
End of story.
Where the King James says “But unto them which be disobedient,” from the Greek the literalness is actually “those who are unwilling to be persuaded,” a definition obtained from the Greek word, APITHEO which means willful and obstinate unbelief.
So where Christ, for those of us who believe, becomes our Rock to those who obstinately refuse Him He becomes a stone upon which they ruin themselves.
Or as Peter adds in verse 8:
“And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”
In direct connection with this imagery we find a teaching of Jesus in Matthew. This is what He says:
Matthew 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, “Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43 Therefore (listen closely) say I unto you, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”
This is the meaning for those who believe relative to the stone. We fall down upon it and are broken. We find that we are not made of steel but glass – all of our moral perfections, all of our accomplishments, all of our fame and wealthy and stature and beauty – when we believe on Him, and fall upon the Rock we break – and He heals us and makes us whole.
But Jesus says, on whomsoever it (meaning the stone or the rock) “will fall it will grind him to powder.”
In this way Jesus the Rock becomes a stumbling stone and a rock of offence because it will serve to grind the unbelievers down.
When scripture speaks of fire and brimstone the Greek word for brimstone is THEION. From it we get a touchstone which is used to grind away the rough edges of a blade. We can also see a relation to Theos (or God) and the derivative word – which is used seven times in scripture and translated to brimstone in each of those times.
I would suggest we conclude with this notion.
Theodace and Theion relate to flashing Sulphur, and the wearing away from touchstones.
As believers we are broken and humbled when we fall upon the rock.
Conversely, all unbelievers will have themselves refined by the fire of God and ground or rubbed down by flashing touchstones as it is applied to their rebellious souls.
Everyone is being refined to abide in the presence of God. We an experience it here, as children or we can experience it there, as enemies needing reform.
The choice is and will always be ours.
Is there a key scripture gives to the mindset of those who believe here and now verses the Jews and Greeks who refuse Him?
Consider
1st Corinthians 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
