I have been meditating on these Scriptures verses for two weeks now they have made me aware of just how unique and what a special privilege it is to be a part of God’s plan and purpose. To be chosen from the foundation of the world to carry out God’s plan for choosing a people for Himself for the purpose of making Him known throughout the world, to bring glory to His glorious grace.
You can say this choosing is preordained, by foreknowledge or is choreographed if you will and we all play parts, believers and non-believers. But one thing is for sure we are going to be accountable for what side we are on. There has been a lot of talk about the existence of Hell and eternal punishment, with the publishing of a book by a famous Christian pastor. I have not read the book personally, but I do understand the argument.
I think when you think about judgment you have to take into account ‘who’ is being offended by your actions. What I mean by this, and I hope I can clearly present this illustration: If I hurt my dog for example, I will not be punished for what I do. If I do the same to my child, there could be legal consequences depending on the severity. If on the other hand I hurt the President of the United States, I am going to spent time in jail and rightfully so. So when I sin against the God of the universe, there are going to be dire eternal consequences for my action. I have sinned against God Almighty.
You have to keep this thought in the back of your mind in reading this text and how it fits within the over plan of the Bible. That is why when God spoke through Moses before going into the promise land God said I set before you a ‘blessing and a cures’. With God there isn’t a middle ground, it is either one side or the other. You either accept what God has chosen or you reject God’s choice and by rejecting God you face God’s justice and righteousness.
The Living Stone v.4-6
We started this passage with the Living stone, chosen by God but rejected by man. We know the Living stone is Jesus Christ and through Him we too are chosen by God and being built into a spiritual house.
-Spiritual House
Each one of us is made into living stones to make up a new ‘temple’ of believers. This new house for God isn’t made up of cold dead stone and set in one place—stationary, but is alive and mobile. It is made up of people, of all tribes and nations.
-Holy Priesthood
Not only are the believers ‘living stones’ but they are also a holy priesthood. Set apart for the purpose of being God’s representatives, in relationship with God, who can enter the throne of Grace with boldness and talk to God directly and minister to others.
-Chosen and Precious
Christ, the chosen cornerstone, precious and valuable beyond comprehension. Christ the stone on which the entire Christian faith finds its purpose and existence. It is Christ to whom God the Father was well pleased and it is only through Christ we can be part of this holy people that will never be put to shame. Which bring us to this morning passage:
So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving, the stone that the builders rejected — this One has become the cornerstone, and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined for this. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:7-10 HCSB)
Rejected v.7-8
We begin this week by picking up where we left off last week. Those who have believed in Christ will never be put to shame, but will receive honor. Those who are united with Christ, will share in the honor given to Christ by God. This directly contrasts those who have rejected what God holds as precious and has personally chosen.
Peter now uses two Old Testament verses to illustrate the difference between those who believe and those who did not. Let me add here, Peter’s readers would have taken comfort in these verses. Because remember they were facing persecution all around them, by both Jewish believers and Gentiles. Peter encourages the believers with these verses; this rejection was foretold and was part of God’s overall plan.
-Cornerstone
There are two thoughts I gather from this passage. I think in quoting Psalm 118:22, Peter is identifying the Jewish leaders. The Jewish people were the ones who built the original temple. They are “the builders” and they have rejected Christ, the cornerstone on which the new temple is built. Which for me seem like an even greater tragedy, because they were the one entrusted with the word of God and they are God’s chosen people. So to reject what they were waiting for, the Messiah is tragic. So I can understand Paul when he says:
I speak the truth in Christ —I am not lying; my conscience is testifying to me with the Holy Spirit —that I have intense sorrow and continual anguish in my heart. For I could almost wish to be cursed and cut off from the Messiah for the benefit of my brothers, my own flesh and blood. (Romans 9:1-3 HCSB)
So the first thought is the rejection of the Messiah by God people, and second thought is the rejection of what God has chosen. Think about this for a moment, by rejecting Christ, Christ who was chosen from the foundation of the world to fulfill God divine purpose was rejected. Christ who is valued above all things; He is the precious and honored cornerstone is rejected.
-Stumble
Not only did they reject the precious cornerstone, but they also stumble over it. This cornerstone is a foundational stone. It is not flush with the ground but just high enough to trip over. So the people not only rejected Christ, but they also stumbled over Him. Peter goes on to tell us the reason they stumbled is because they disobeyed the message, to which Peter further adds says they were “destined for this.”
This is still true today people stumble over Christ. They either reject Him out of hand or they stumble over Him. They stumble over the virgin birth, they stumble over God in flesh, they stumble over the crucifixion, they stumble over the resurrection, and the list goes on and on. The reason they stumbled then is the same reason they stumbled now. They disobeyed the message, they don’t submit to the word of God.
When we don’t submit to the word of God in our lives we are bound to stumble, bound to trip and fall. We have to put ourselves under the Bible, to humbly approach it and allow it to shape us, to guide us to help us walk without stumbling. When we disobey the word and do what we want, we will stumble. We will fall.
The last part of the verse is tough and important to think about, Peter says those who stumble and fall, “they were destined for this”. Peter doesn’t say if the people continued to reject and stumble over the message, but he does imply they were destined by God for a season to reject and stumble, Christ and His word. I believe God uses all things as Paul says in Romans 8:28, to work together for good for those who love Him. So I believe God uses all things, even the sins of others to bring about good of those who believe in Him.
This for some of us is hard to accept, and there are mysteries to how God works out His divine plan. But the text here is hard to ignore, it is saying those who rejected Christ and are disobeying God word were destined by God. I believe in the context here, this idea was a comfort for those suffering. Knowing that all things were going to work out and are a part of God’s greater plan. I think also we have to be careful and not think God is the author of sin, but he certainly allows it to take place. I believe God knows all things, he knows everything, what everyone will do and He has incorporated this knowledge into a plan to save all of those who believe—to the praise of His glorious grace (Eph 1:5).
Two places in the Bible I think this concept is the clearest. God used Pharaoh’s sin of disobedience to harden his heart that would lead to the freeing of the people of Israel from slavery. And again the religious leaders rejected Christ and crucified Him and God used their sin to free people from the slavery of sin. Two clear places God used the sins of others to bring glory to His grace.
A Holy People v.9
So in verse 9 and 10 we see a direct contrast to the disobedience we see in 7 and 8—the result of obedience. I love these next verses; I hope you can take it all in. Because I think it’s important to understand who we are. We have a misguided image I think of “who” we are as Christians. You are part of something incredibly beautiful, something profound and wonderful and are incredibly privileged.
-Chosen Race
“But you are a chosen race” There is no way not to see the connection to God’s chosen people, we are a new chosen race of people, Christians, who have been chosen through Christ. Just as Christ was chosen and precious, you too are chosen and valuable to God!
-Royal Priesthood-Holy Nation
You are also a royal priesthood; you are God’s representatives, his ambassadors. You can petition God on behalf of others, you can minister to others in God’s name. You are also part of a holy nation, which is based not on a location geographically, or ethnic identity, but are rather based in allegiance to Jesus Christ, our King, our Lord.
You are God’s own people, a “people for His possession” and you exist to bring glory to Him. To proclaim his glorious grace, that brought you out of darkness into His marvelous light. We rejoice in His salvation and sing a new song, so many will see and hear and fear the Lord! We exist to proclaim Christ to the world!
God’s People v.10
Peter closes this thought with this, “you are God’s people”. Once you were not His, once you were separated from God by sin, but now because of his great mercy you have become God’s chosen. Through Christ you have been brought from the darkness into His wonderful light. You who were once lost have been found. You who were once slaves to sin are now free!
We should read these last two verses and rejoice with all of our hearts. God is great!
We are part of God’s divine plan to proclaim Christ to the world. We are chosen and precious to God through Christ. We are living stones that make up the temple of God. This new temple is made up of believers and it is where God the Holy Spirit resides working in their lives. We are a priesthood of believers whose role is to proclaim Christ throughout the world. We represent God by interceding for Him on behalf of others. We do this in our homes, in our work places, our neighborhoods, and in our communities.
We are God’s possession chosen with Christ at the foundation of the world. This should give us great confidence in light of the trouble we face in life. It should also greatly humble us and even break us. It should cause us to take inventory of our lives, to cause us to give everything for Christ—who makes all of this possible.
This morning Christ has been made know to you—what will you do with what has been presented? Will you embrace the call or will you reject what God has chosen.
Sermon was delivered by Pastor Steve Simpson on April 10th 2011.
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