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[0:00] Good morning. All right. I've got it turned on right this time. All right. How are we all doing today?

[0:12] All right. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father God, Lord, we come to you on bended knee. We come to you thanking you and praising you for all the many things you've done for us, for sending your son to die on the cross for us.

[0:30] For being there for us in everything that we're going through, loving us and taking care of us. Lord, I ask that I'm going to go sit down.

[0:41] I want you to preach this sermon. I'm going to go sit in the background and I'm going to watch you work. I'm going to watch you do your thing. I'm just going to watch you do what you do. Because this is all about you and not about me and not about anyone but you.

[0:57] I pray this in the name of Jesus. Yes. Amen. All right. So we're still in Peter. 1 Peter 2, 4 through 10.

[1:08] Because we're a chosen people. How does it feel to know that you're a chosen people? Does it feel good to know that? Amen. All right. It's a good thing. And so I want to start off with this little story.

[1:23] It has to do with the president. Okay. It has to do with Air Force One, actually. Not the president, really. So Air Force One is just a plane. And when the president is not on Air Force One, it's whatever the tail number is.

[1:42] That's what the pilot calls it. And as soon as the president walks onto the plane, it becomes Air Force One. So when you accept Christ as your Savior, you become different.

[2:00] Just like that plane took on the persona of the president, you should take on the persona of Christ when you accept Christ as your Savior. And if we're a chosen people, that's what should happen.

[2:16] So if we look, go to the next slide, Mark. In 1 Peter 4 through 6, it says, So as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men, but chosen and precious in God's sight, you yourselves as living stones are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

[2:47] And when we look at that, you have to really understand that you're now taking on the persona of Christ. Just as he is the cornerstone and the original living stone, you now have been chosen to be a living stone.

[3:08] And it's up to you to help build the church. And I don't mean the church as far as a building goes. I mean the church as through Christ, as a chosen people, as royal priests.

[3:26] That's the church you have to build. Go to the next slide real quick, Mark. In Psalms it says, The stone that the builders discarded has become the cornerstone.

[3:42] See, Christ is the cornerstone of this church. He's that. Sits in the corner. And everything, gives everything strength.

[3:53] And because he gives everything strength. You're the living stone that helps extend the church. Helps make it bigger. Helps complete the church.

[4:07] It's so important that we understand that. That we help complete the church. But it still goes through Christ.

[4:19] He's still the one. He's still the cornerstone. He's what pushes us to do what we have to do. Go to the next slide, Mark.

[4:31] In 6-10 it says, For it says in Scripture, Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone.

[4:45] And whoever believes in him will never be put to shame. Think about just that one verse. If you believe in Christ, if Christ is your Savior, and if you're doing his work, you're never going to be put to shame.

[4:58] He's going to protect you. He's going to move you to do his work. I remember I worked for True Green.

[5:12] I was a manager. We had a sales manager that was an atheist. And he went out of his way all the time to get me in trouble.

[5:24] Because he didn't like the way I ran my department. And it backfired on me. Because the first time he tried to get me in trouble, I got an award for being field manager of the year.

[5:37] Or the quarter. Because he said, Oh, they don't do this, they don't do that. But I took our response time to service calls from seven days to 1.12 days.

[5:56] I was trying to do it the way God would have me do it. Not the way he wanted me to do it. That guy. He wasn't my boss. He ran his own department.

[6:08] Excuse me. But the point I'm making is God protected me. And he put to shame those that would try to put shame on me. So you who believe see his value.

[6:23] But for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. And a stumbling stone. And a rock to trip over. Excuse me.

[6:34] They stumble because they disobeyed the word.

[6:45] As they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race. A royal priesthood. A holy nation. A people of his own.

[6:56] So that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness. Into his marvelous light. Hey, we sang that song today, didn't we?

[7:08] You once were not a people. But now you are God's people. You are shown no mercy. But now you have received mercy.

[7:19] Think about that. You received mercy. You're a royal priesthood. So I wanted to look into what that might be.

[7:30] What the definition was. Go to the next slide, Mark. The meaning of royal. The aspect that highlights the believer's status is part of God's kingdom with access to his throne and divine inheritance.

[7:46] Meaning of priesthood. It signifies that believers are called to serve God. Acting as mediators between him and others. Offering spiritual sacrifices of praise and service.

[7:59] Go to the next slide, Mark. Key implications. Direct access to God. Believers can approach God directly through Jesus Christ without needing earthly intermediaries.

[8:13] See, I don't have to ask John to get me there. Because I got Jesus to get me there. Proclaiming God's virtues.

[8:27] They are called to share the good news of God's grace and salvation with the world. Holiness and set-apartness. Believers are called to live lives that reflect God's holiness and to be a distinct community separate from the world.

[8:43] Responsibility and privilege. The royal priesthood is above a privilege and a responsibility requiring believers to live out their faith and serve God faithfully.

[8:54] That's what a royal priesthood is. And each one of you are royal priests. How does it make you feel to know that? Does it make you feel good down inside to know you're a royal priest?

[9:08] That you're a chosen people. Think about that. That you're a living stone. That means you're one of them stones, one of them rocks that they put when they're building a church.

[9:21] That's what you are. That's what you are. And it's important that we remember that. That that's who we are. We're a living stone.

[9:33] I do want you to remember that. It's important why. So I want to show you this thing I put together, okay? So don't laugh too much at me, okay? And hopefully it doesn't fall apart when I pull it out.

[9:47] Which it did. But that's okay. So if this was the church. And when I say the church, I mean the church, not a building.

[10:00] But the church, Christ, is building. That's what I mean that to be. So let me pick it up. So there's a cross.

[10:12] And it's like the beginnings of a building. Because Jesus isn't done yet, is he? So if it's not done, then this can't be done, can it? That's what this is to represent.

[10:27] Of how we're building this church for Christ. And we're each living stone. See all the living stones that are in this church? It needs some more, don't you think?

[10:41] And since each one of you are living stones, if I can get a member of the youth to come here. I got a job for you, okay? Can I get a youth member?

[10:52] Come on, come on, come on, one of you. Okay, so. I want you to hand this, one of these, to everybody. Okay. Okay? See, you guys, I got to give you something to remember being living stones.

[11:08] So each one of you are going to get a Lego to hold on to. And when you look at it, you'll be like, I'm a living stone.

[11:20] I'm a royal priest. I'm chosen. God has chosen me to be a living stone. That's the reason I'm doing this.

[11:31] Because I don't want you to forget it. I want you to remember it every day. Mark, go to the next slide, please. Because see, in Isaiah 28, 16, it says, Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says.

[11:48] Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic.

[12:00] And this is Isaiah. This is long before Peter wrote what he wrote. And he's basically saying the same thing. Look, God's going to give us Christ. And he's going to lay the foundation.

[12:14] Thank you very much. Make sure you don't get yours. What, I don't want to get a thank you? Well, thank you, sir.

[12:25] I'm one of the youth around here. Yeah, that's true. It's important that we understand that. That God planned this long ago to send his son to die on the cross for us.

[12:40] To send his son to lay and be the cornerstone for the church. Not a building, but the church. And that's why it's so important that we remember that we're all living stones.

[12:55] Each one of us. And we're all loyal priests to us. We've been chosen by God to do that. Go to the next slide, Mark.

[13:07] See, God chose us.

[13:35] He formed us. He created us. So we can praise him. And so that we can spread the word of Christ.

[13:46] So that we can go knock on people's doors. Or talk to them. When we're at work. Or school. Or church. Or wherever we're at. Shopping.

[13:59] Have you ever had that encounter shopping? Where you had to stop about Christ? It happens. Well, you're at work. I talked to somebody just the other day about it.

[14:13] But the point I'm making is, it's a form of us praising God because we're willing to speak. We're willing to reach out and be what God formed us to be.

[14:28] His chosen people. A royal priesthood. And a living stone. So I challenge each one of you to think about that this week.

[14:41] And to do that. Be a living stone. Help increase. Let's build the church. And I don't mean physically. With physical rocks and stones and timber.

[14:54] I mean with hearts. Build a church with hearts for Christ. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father God, Lord, I just thank you for taking over.

[15:07] I thank you for being the one in charge. I thank you for loving us the way you do. For making us all living stones. For making us all there for you. Please, Lord, continue to use us.

[15:20] Continually. Every day. Every week. Every month. Just continue to use us. And push us forward. I pray this. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

[15:30]  Amen. Amen.