Sep. 12 Commentary

Sermon Date: Sep. 12, 2010

Sermon Title: The Temple of The Holy

Sermon Text: 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9, 12

Small Group Text: 1 Peter 2:1-12

In this passage, the Apostle Peter addresses the church as made up of living stones. And here, the spiritual vitality of each living stone becomes important for the integrity of the entire structure – a spiritual house in which God lives and works to accomplish His redemptive purposes on earth. To this end, Peter admonishes the living stones to put off certain practices that would compromise the integrity of the building material and to engage in other practices that would guarantee the strength and authenticity of the church where God resides.

IT’S PERSONAL Get rid of it!

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. (1 Pt. 2:1)

In a word: repent – turn 180° and go the other direction. Here Peter lists five sins of attitude and speech, which, if uncorrected, will weaken the quality of the living stones and jeopardize the entire building.

• • • • • Crave it!

Malice holds wicked ill-will in the heart toward others Deceit is deliberately dishonest and false Hypocrisy pretends to be virtuous and loving for shameful motives Envy resents the successes and possessions of others Slander maligns others with backbiting lies or twisted truths.

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,… (1 Pt. 1:2)

One of the signs of a healthy, growing baby is the way it cries out for food – unapologetically. The same can be said of healthy Christians – here referred to as living stones. We know we’re in good spiritual health – and growing – when we have an appetite for God’s word, the “pure spiritual milk.” As we feed upon the truths of God’s word, the full benefit of this nourishment becomes obvious in the quality of the overall building material for the church – God’s dwelling place.

At least taste it! …now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Pt. 2:3)

But how does a believer purge the debilitating stuff of life in order to develop a voracious appetite for the word and will of God. Peter says, experiment! Taste! See! (Psalm 34:8).

Feeding on wholesome spiritual food has a built-in momentum producing increased appetite and subsequent strength and spiritual integrity.

IT’S POSITIONAL Living stones align with the Chief Cornerstone to form God’s house

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—(1 Pt. 2:4)

Innumerable living stones gather together and align with the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, to form the church – the dwelling place of God on earth.

To come to the living Stone is not a reference to the initial coming to Christ for salvation.

This coming to the living Stone refers to personally aligning one’s life with the holiness of Jesus Christ. Peter is urging each believer (every living stone) and the whole building (all the living stones together) to continually cultivate a close fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ through Bible reflection, prayer and obedience to the word and will of God. …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. ( 1 Pt. 2:5)

When the building material is good and in line with the nature and character of Jesus Christ, the church is ready to be used for God as the place from which he launches his work of redemption in the world. The living building becomes active.

Notice how Peter moves the metaphor from living stones comprising the dwelling place of God to describing the same believers as a holy priesthood serving in God’s house. Now, we priests are offering spiritual sacrifices. Old Testament blood sacrifices ended when full atonement for sin was accomplished in the sacrificial death of Christ. But God still delights in the spiritual sacrifices of His people. (Rom. 12:1-2; Gal. 5:6; Heb. 13:15-16).

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." (1 Pt. 2:6; Isa 28:16)

A cornerstone is the first and most important stone laid in an ancient building. Once in place, the entire construction takes it’s direction from this stone. And just as this preeminent building block is the visible support on which the building relies for direction, strength and stability, even so, Peter asserts that all believers are to align with the spirit and mission of Jesus Christ. To the extent that the church functions in this way it will experience victory and – “it will never be put to shame.” (vs. 6) [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 capstone," [8] and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall."

They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for.

To those who believe, the Stone is precious. Every moral quality that makes Jesus precious (valued and treasured by God the Father) belongs also to the living stones that are being conformed to his image – making all believers precious, valued and treasured by the Father.

IT’S PURPOSEFUL But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, 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. (1 Pt. 2:9-10)

The church has been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2). We are royal because we are children of the King. We are holy because God declared us righteous through the sacrifice of Christ. And we belong to God because He bought us with the precious blood of his son, Jesus Christ (1 Pt.1:19).

But the church is not simply a dwelling place for God on earth. It is also a dynamic, living community of believers whose express purpose is to participate with God in the redemption and salvation of this world through their testimony and holy lives.

Christians, are priests – a royal priesthood and a kingdom of priests (Rev. 1:5). The Latin word for priest is pontifex, which means bridge-builder. In this sense, the royal priesthood to which Peter refers is the church who is privileged to build bridges for others to come to God through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the Church is to declare the excellencies of God: who He is, what He’s like and what He is doing to rescue and redeem this broken world back to Himself. By his/her life and words, the Christian is to be a living witness of the transforming power of God through Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. [12] Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:11-12

This dwelling place of God (the church) and all the living stones of which it is made (Christian believers) are not of this world. The church always lives in full knowledge that its citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). Christians are aliens in this world – living in a place that is not their native home. Christ-followers are strangers in the world – something of an anomaly to others who do not know Christ. It is to be expected that Christian values and beliefs are misread and rejected as the people of God live sanctified lives – set apart from the immorality and sinful desires that characterize much of the fallen race.

Peter implores the church to abstain—literally, to persistently hold oneself back—from the magnetic pull of sin and worldly desires which war against their spiritual lives (see also James 4:1). To the degree that Christians follow this command, two positive effects result: 1) The Christian experiences the abundant life Christ promises (John 10:10); and 2) the Christian upholds an effective testimony of God’s transforming power before unbelievers.

The exhortation of verse 11 takes on even more significance when read in the context of verse 12. A positive Christian lifestyle is a powerful means of convicting the world of its sin. The holy lives of believers composed of good deeds contradicts the slander and false accusations of sinful people and ultimately bring honor and glory to God (Matt. 5:16; Rom. 15:6; 1 Cor. 6:20; Eph. 2:10; Titus 3:8; James 2:18).