My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,
and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today.
A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us.
We're glad you're here.
And we're...
Is this going in and out?
Oh, okay.
Sorry.
We're glad we have backup sound equipment.
We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,
but because we're following Jesus together as one community.
And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good that they don't need God's grace,
and no one so bad that they can't have it,
which means that God has something to say to everyone in His Word.
He has something to say to people who have been Christians their entire lives,
people who have been Christians for maybe a very short amount of time,
and perhaps people who wouldn't consider themselves Christians,
people who have doubts or questions or objections about Christianity.
God speaks all of those things in His Word, and so that's why we come back to it week after week.
If you've been with us, you know that we're in the book of 1 Peter,
and the book of 1 Peter is a letter.
It's a letter written by a man named Peter,
and he writes it to churches that are in modern-day Turkey.
These churches are in the first century A.D.
And he writes to them because they are facing some challenges.
They are feeling out of place in the world,
and they're facing opposition from the world because they're Christians,
because they follow after Jesus.
And so Peter writes to them to encourage them and also to instruct them.
He writes to them to encourage them that Jesus is worth it.
Jesus is worth living for and loving for.
He's worth suffering for and dying for.
And he also writes to them to instruct them how they should live in this world
as people who follow God.
We have been sort of going back and forth between instruction and encouragement.
Near the beginning of the letter, it was almost exclusively encouragement,
and then we had a couple places of instruction.
And now we're back to encouragement,
as Peter has been talking about the community of God
and how people are to act towards each other in the church.
Last week, we looked at how we get along in the church
and the putting away of malice and slander and hypocrisy.
And now we continue to look at the church community,
asking questions like, how is it different than other communities?
And what does the church as a community have to do with suffering?
If this is a book about people who are facing opposition for being Christians,
they're feeling out of place,
if they're suffering for the name of Jesus Christ,
what does God's community, the church, have to do with that?
It's with those questions that we come to chapter 2,
and you're going to find this.
It's in your worship guide.
You'll also find it in your Bible or on your phone.
And we're going to be starting at verse 4.
And as we come to this, remember that this is God's word.
And God tells us that while the grass may wither and the flowers fade,
his word stands forever.
That's why we read now, starting at verse 4,
as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men,
but in the sight of God, chosen and precious,
you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house.
To be a holy priesthood.
To offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it stands in Scripture,
behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious.
And whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.
So the honor is for you who believe,
but for those who do not believe,
the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.
They stumble because they disobey the word,
as they were destined to do.
Please pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.
Father in heaven, we thank you for your word that you give to us,
that you haven't left us alone like orphans in a merciless universe.
You haven't left us in the dark to stumble alone.
But instead, you have given us your words as your instruction,
that we would know the way to walk in this world.
We ask that you'd send your Holy Spirit now to help us,
that we would listen carefully,
that we would understand that you would open our eyes
and unstop our ears and soften our hearts,
that we'd be able to believe and see and understand
everything that is written about you in your word.
We ask these things not because we have earned them or deserve them,
but because Jesus has earned them for us.
And so we ask them in his name.
Amen.
As many of you know,
there's all sorts of things that go on at our church throughout the week.
And sometimes I get to see more of those than others because I'm here.
And I think it was last, now, two summers ago
that I told you about the shelter of the wing out there
that people hide under during the hailstorms.
Another thing that I observe is we have several Bible studies
that meet at our church throughout the week
that aren't associated with our church.
They just use our building.
We open it up to them.
And there's one that meets on Thursdays.
And we have asked this Bible study group
and really a lot of the groups that meet
to park over on the east side, our east parking lot.
That's the door that we unlock, the entrance that's open.
Makes it easier for them to come in that way.
And of course I see these cars as I come in throughout the week,
especially when I come in on Wednesdays and Thursdays
and these groups meet.
And this group on Thursday, though,
there's one thing that's happened several times
that I've noticed as I've come in.
And so you have all these cars over on the east side,
and yet there's one car over on the west side
right here behind me.
And the car that always parks on the west side
is a black Porsche.
Now, I'm not criticizing this person.
If I had a black Porsche, I would also park on the west side.
Okay, this is not a judgment on anyone's character.
This person is wise in the ways of the world.
In fact, often I try to find a parking spot away from other cars
so that people aren't going to scratch my car
or knock their doors into it.
And my car is much less valuable than a Porsche, right?
But as I would see this car week after week for several times,
the last time as I saw it and I walked into the church,
I thought,
you can stay safe
and never be hurt,
but you'll always be alone.
You can stay far away from all the other cars.
You can guarantee
that no other door will ever hit your door.
You can guarantee that no one will ever scratch your bumper.
And you'll always be by yourself.
You'll always be alone
on the other side of the parking lot.
Peter writes this letter to these people here
and he makes not a point but an assumption.
There is no such thing
as a Christian
parked alone.
There is no such thing
as a Christian
out by themselves
on the west side of the parking lot.
Instead, he gives us this image
of what it's supposed to look like
for the community
and the church.
We see in verse 5,
he tells them,
you yourselves are like living stones
and you're being built up
into a spiritual house.
And you're coming,
verse 4 to him,
he's talking about Jesus
who's a living stone
rejected by men
but in the sight of God
chosen
and precious.
In other words,
this is God's design
for his people.
Not that they would be isolated
and alone
like stones
who are scattered around
but instead
they are stones
connected intimately
and directly
to one another
as part of one house.
God's intention
is not for his people
to be isolated
following him
as individuals
but instead
that they would be like
these stones
who are part of one structure
which means
that they are close together.
means that they are rubbing up
against each other.
Means that people
are trying to find
exactly how they can fit
into the structure
and work around
all the other people
who are building together
to create
this one mission,
this one group of people,
this one temple,
this spiritual house.
Now that's not really
the point that Peter
is making in this passage.
It's his assumption.
Why is it his assumption?
Because of course
that's the category
that the Bible has
for Christians
that they would always be
together as God's people.
They would not be isolated
and alone
scattered around
like individuals.
He doesn't say
you are like stones
who are in random places
in the field.
Now we have some stones
that are in random places
in the field.
But we also have a building.
And Peter's telling them
that being in the church
is much more
like the building
than being scattered.
These are people
who are joined together
as one body.
Another way of putting it
would be this.
If you
said,
you know,
I am
I'm a Christian.
I love Jesus.
I follow after him.
I love what he taught.
I believe he forgave me
of my sins.
I just can't really
stand other Christians.
So,
I say,
you know,
the church is great
for people who
need that
kind of thing.
It's pretty messy
and it's not necessary.
We don't really see that
in the New Testament.
It's really more
just these believers
who are following after.
You know,
if I do come,
maybe I'll come to a church
and I'll just kind of
be there on the back row
but I'll make sure
that no one ever knows my name
and I don't have to,
you know,
no one will ever scratch
the side of my car door,
right?
I'll never be in this community
where someone could actually
hurt me
or do something
that would offend me
or challenge something
that I believe.
if you said that
to someone living
in East Berlin
in the 1960s
or you said it
to someone living
in communist Russia
in the 1970s
or the 1980s
or you said it
to a Christian
living in Pakistan
in 2019
or in China
in 2019,
they would not
understand
what kind of crazy talk
you were saying
because that is
the only way
they know how to survive.
The recipients
of Peter's letter
are living in a culture
where they are feeling
out of place.
Of course,
they are together
like living stones.
This is not even
Peter's word of instruction.
He's just encouraging them.
As you walk together
in this world,
this is how you're making it.
You're not just
a group of people.
You are a group
of living stones
that are founded
on the living stone.
If you were to talk
to some of those
other people
from different places
and different times
in the history
of the church,
they would say,
of course,
of course we're living stones.
Of course we're together
working towards one mission.
How else would we survive?
How else would we make it?
Of course we're not
an isolated Christian
somewhere out there
disconnected from other Christians.
That would be nonsensical.
There's no other way
I would be able
to make it
in communist Russia.
There's no other way
that I would be able
to survive East Berlin.
There's no other way
that I would be able
to make it.
The recipients
of this letter
understand what it's like
to live in a culture
and a world
where they don't feel
like they belong.
Peter encourages them
that not only
do they belong,
but they are part
of this living
spiritual house
put together
with other Christians
and founded on Jesus.
I say that Peter
is writing to
encourage and instruct
these people
and he's encouraging
them with this
and instructing them.
How else would you survive
in that culture,
in that world,
without some kind
of alternate community?
Christianity is lived
out in the church,
in the context
of the church
with other Christians.
Peter doesn't say
there's these living stones
and there's also
kind of these random stones
that aren't part
of the building,
but they're connected
to Jesus somehow.
No, every stone,
every stone is part
of the house.
And so every one
of God's people
has a place
connected not just
to him,
but to each other.
If you truly believe
that you are
what we talked about
in chapter 1,
verse 1,
if you believe
that you are an exile
and a stranger
in this world,
then you're going
to find your people
really fast.
If you have not
found your people
really fast,
God's people,
the church,
then you do not
truly believe
you are an exile
and a stranger.
And so Peter
encourages these people,
letting them know
that they're not just
an assortment
of individuals,
but they are actually
the place
where God's power resides.
They are living stones
based on the living stone.
Now we might see
some language here
that's familiar
because he's telling us
not just that these
are people who belong
into community together,
but he tells us
the nature of this community.
Verse 4,
they are coming to him
that is Jesus,
a living stone
rejected by men,
but in the sight of God,
chosen and precious.
Where have we heard
chosen before
in 1 Peter?
in chapter 1,
verse 1,
we were told
they were not just
exiles,
but they were also
elect.
Remember I explained
to you that elect
is related to our
English word election
where we choose someone
and so that people
are chosen by God.
The same language here
is applied to Jesus.
He was also chosen
by God,
but rejected by men.
What kind of spiritual
house is this?
What kind of stone
are you?
You're a stone,
lowercase s,
that looks like
the stone,
uppercase,
capital S.
What is happening
to you,
he's encouraging
these people with this,
what's happening
to you is simply
following the pattern
of what happened
to Jesus.
Jesus was chosen.
The stone.
You are stones,
you're also chosen.
Jesus was rejected
as a stone.
You were also rejected.
Jesus is living.
He's a living stone,
verse 4.
Guess what?
You are also alive.
You have the spiritual life
that we've talked about
that comes from
the new birth
that Jesus taught about
in John chapter 3.
and Peter has referenced
multiple times now.
So he's encouraging
these people,
you belong to this
powerful house
and what you are experiencing,
what you're going through,
the type of stone
that you are,
is connected to Jesus,
the great stone.
And so everything
that's true about Jesus,
I shouldn't say everything,
many things that are true
about Jesus,
the pattern of Jesus' life
is also true about you.
Jesus experienced honor
and glory.
If you follow the stone
and his path of suffering,
rejected by men,
you will also experience
honor and glory.
What is true of the stone
is also true of the stones.
Peter's giving us an image here
that has many different facets
and elements to it.
We could talk all day
about all the different ways
that these stones
interact with each other
and what this image
teaches us about
what it means to be a Christian.
But fundamentally,
he's telling us
that we're in a community.
We're being built
into a spiritual house
and everything that we're doing
is based on Jesus
as our foundation.
He's the cornerstone.
We still see cornerstones today,
right?
You go by a building,
you'll see a large stone,
sometimes on a corner,
and often you know
it's the cornerstone
because it has the date,
the year that the building
was built chiseled into it.
That's how you know
that's the cornerstone.
That's the stone
that lays the foundation
for the rest of the building.
Jesus is the stone
that lays the foundation
for the church.
And so how does the church
help us walk
as a community
through suffering?
Well, it helps us walk
because it is a community
and it's not just any community,
it's the living community.
And also,
as we've talked about before,
it's suffering makes sense.
As the cornerstone,
so the stones.
Of course,
we will be rejected by men.
Why?
Because Jesus was too.
Of course,
we're living.
Why?
Because Jesus is living.
He's given us new life.
Of course,
we will experience these things
because as the stone,
so the stones.
And so application here is simple.
Don't be surprised
when you face
what the stone faced.
Don't be surprised
when you are rejected as well.
and take comfort.
You're with Jesus.
You are part of the building
that lasts.
You are part of the living building.
Peter here is comforting
and encouraging his readers.
as you feel out of place
in the world,
realize that you are part
of the building,
the true building
that lasts.
You're part of the building
you have lost
and you are losing
things that don't matter
eternally.
and you have gained
and you are gaining
things that do matter
eternally.
And so you are part
of something
so much greater
and so much more glorious
than you realize.
and you are doing it together.
You are not doing it
alone and isolated
but you are doing it
rubbing shoulders
with other people,
having conflict
with other people,
rejoicing
with other people,
working side by side
with other people,
having hospitality
with other people.
You are a living stone.
You cannot separate yourself
from the other stones
any more
than you can separate
yourself from the stone.
This community, however,
is not just a
gathering of people
connected to Jesus,
although it is.
And it's not just
that what's true of Jesus
is true of them,
but they also have
a mission and a purpose
as a community.
They don't exist
just so these stones
can be side by side.
It doesn't exist
just so these stones
can avoid
loneliness in the world
or they can have
companions like any
other group would
have companions,
but they have a purpose.
And we're going to get
even more into this
next week,
so this is really
just whetting your appetite.
This is an appetizer
for chapter 2,
verse 9,
which when Peter gives us
the mission statement
of the church.
But he tells us
the reason here.
You yourselves
are like living stones
with a purpose.
You're being built up
as a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood,
to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ.
In other words,
you exist
to be the place
of God's presence.
That was the purpose
of the temple
in the Old Testament.
You exist to be a place
of God's holiness,
which is the section
that we just finished,
a place where God's ways
are lived out,
where everyone can look
and see what it looks like
when people follow
what God has commanded.
And then finally,
to offer spiritual sacrifices,
which here means
that their lives
of obedience,
as they honor God
and live together
as a community
of integrity,
as difficult as it is
in the world,
is a beautiful sacrifice
before God.
Peter's encouraging
these people
who are perhaps wondering
why is it worth it
to live a life
of holiness
if it's not getting me
anything in this world.
And he reminds them
that they are part
of the living building
and that their obedience
is something that's
offered up to God
and that he delights in.
We're going to talk more
about this priesthood
next week.
So I'll just give you
a little bit of an appetizer.
The priesthood
had the responsibility
to represent God
to the people
and represent
the people to God.
They were a part
of God's people
and now Peter tells them
that all of them
are a priesthood.
In other words,
part of their mission
is to represent
as a whole people,
as a spiritual temple,
to represent God
to the world.
It's part of everyone
seeing what it looks like,
what this countercultural
community is.
These people who are
doing what we talked
about last week,
they're putting off
slander and hypocrisy
and malice and instead
they're loving one another
earnestly from a pure heart.
They're a priesthood
to show the world
what it looks like
when people truly
love each other.
They're a priesthood
to show what it looks like
when people put off
the passions
that Peter mentioned
a couple sections ago
where they're walking
with integrity,
putting off
the addictions
that cause them
to hurt themselves
and each other.
Peter writes
to these people
to give them
tremendous encouragement
that they would know
that as they live
their lives before God
they are not in vain.
But instead
they're taking part
of something
that is living
and will live,
something that's lasting
and will last
and something that is
honoring and pleasing
to God
and that will continue
beyond anything else
in the world
where they exist
that will one day perish.
and so they can take
tremendous hope
and encouragement
and faith
from knowing
that they are stones
connected to the stone.
He continues to encourage
them in this way
in verse 7
he says,
so the honor is for you
who believe.
In other words,
while you may have shame
in this world
because of following
after Jesus,
you have honor
in the world to come
and honor that matters.
And there's an implicit
warning there,
if you have honor
in this world,
be careful
because honor
in this world
does not last
and you may have shame
in the world to come
and the things that matter.
You're a living stone.
And you're part
of a spiritual house.
You're connected
to other people.
You're connected
to Jesus,
the living stone,
the great stone.
And you follow
after him
knowing that what's
true of him
is also true of you.
Encourage living
in a world
where sometimes
it doesn't seem
valuable or worth it,
holding on to the hope
and the promise
that there's honor
for you who believe
and that this is
a spiritual house,
a holy priesthood
whose obedience
is accepted
and honoring to God
who will give
consequences for it
of glory and reward
that will last
into eternity.
You are taking part
in something
that is so much greater
and so much more glorious,
Peter is telling
his audience here,
the recipients
of this letter.
And then finally,
he gives them
what's often called
the scandal
of the gospel.
people.
Many people
are offended
by Christianity
and in a sense,
it is offensive.
They should be
for the reasons
that's given here
which is that
there are only
two ways to live.
I've said before,
many people
in this world
would think of there
being three ways
to live, right?
You're either
a super good person
like Mother Teresa,
you're a super terrible
person like Adolf Hitler,
or you're just
a normal good person.
Just doing what
you need to do,
you're being a good
neighbor,
you're going to be
fine, right?
But the Bible
just says there's not
three kinds of people,
there's actually
two kinds of people.
Here, they're presented
as those who build
on the stone
or those who stumble
on the stone.
They're either
those who accept
Jesus and his offer
of salvation
or those who do not.
There's not
super good people
and super bad people
and normal people.
In fact, the Bible
tells us that all people
are sinners
and deserve God's
judgment and his wrath.
But God offers
his salvation
to anyone and everyone
who puts their faith
in him.
Because this living stone
is living
and it reminds us
that he is risen
from the dead,
that Jesus died.
He lived a perfect life
that we couldn't.
He died,
and suffered the penalty
for our sins
and then,
as 1 Corinthians 15
tells us,
he conquered death
and rose again
from the dead.
And he did that
to pay the price
for our sins
so that anyone
and everyone
who has faith in him
can have what
verse 7 talks about,
the honor is for you
who have believed.
And so there's only
two kinds of people.
Peter gives these
quotations from the
Old Testament.
This idea of the stone
shows up in the
Old Testament over
and over again
as a sign for the Messiah
that's going to come
and save God's people
from their sins.
And even in the Old Testament,
what Peter says here
is clear,
that this stone
is going to be
a cornerstone.
Verse 6,
And whoever believes in him
will not be put to shame.
Whoever builds their life
on the stone
will experience
the life of the stone.
Whoever builds their life
on the stone
will experience
the life of the stone.
And there's only
one other option.
Verse 7,
The honor is for you
who believe,
but for those
who do not believe,
the stone that the
builders rejected
has become the cornerstone
and a stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense.
The image here
is of people
walking around looking,
trying to figure out
how they're going to
build their building.
And they come across
this stone,
Jesus,
verse 7,
and these builders
reject it.
This is not the stone
that they want to build on.
And so instead of being
a stone that it builds on,
it becomes a stone
they stumble on.
Peter's helping
these people understand
that that stone
that was spoken of
throughout the Old Testament
is Jesus.
And so those people
are building their lives
on the stone
that will last.
And even as they live
life in this world,
and they see the people
around them having
all kinds of success
and accomplishments
and experiences,
those foundations
will not last.
But the sacrifices
and the life
that they build
on the living stone
will last.
When it talks here
in verse 8
about those stumbling
because they disobey
the word,
it's talking about
people who reject
the cornerstone.
They reject the offer
of the gospel
that Jesus gives.
They're not willing
to confess
and repent
of their sins
and recognize
that without Jesus
they're without hope.
But instead
these are people
who believe
that they can build
their lives
on another stone.
But instead
the hope of Peter's
readers that he
extends out to them
is that they have
built their lives
on the stone,
the only stone
that matters.
And as they build
it on the stone,
that stone is Jesus.
He's the one
who gives them
hope and life.
So what does
Christian community
look like?
What does
Christian community
have to do
with suffering?
Well, it looks like
a community of stones
who are all next
to each other,
part of the same building.
They're not isolated,
hiding away
from each other,
avoiding getting hurt,
but instead
they're right up
against each other.
There's friction,
right?
These stones
aren't just together
on some mission,
but they're on
a specific mission.
They're on a mission
to live out
God's ways
in the world.
And they're not
doing that
powerless.
It's not a
pie-in-the-sky hope,
but they're doing that
because there's a
living stone
that's giving them
that power.
They're basing
their mission
on Jesus
who rose from the dead
and offers that
very same power
to them.
Paul tells us
in Ephesians 1
that the power
that rose Jesus
from the dead
is the same power
that's at work in us.
And these people
can be encouraged
as they go on
this mission
because when they
meet discouragement
and setback
and failure,
they know that
that is the pattern
of Jesus,
and so that will
be their pattern
as well.
And they can also
take encouragement
knowing that
Jesus' pattern
was one of honor
and glory,
and so that will
be their pattern
too.
Verse 7.
That what's true
of Jesus
is true of them,
and that this purpose
is one that they
would be a place
of God's holiness
and his presence
in the world,
living out God's ways
before the entire world.
Not because they're
better than them
or superior to them,
but because they are
connected to the
living stone.
And finally,
Peter tells them
that this is the stone
and it's the only
stone they can build
on.
And so as they're
suffering and looking
perhaps for other
options,
he reminds them
that this is the
only one.
And so it's for
this reason
that no matter
what we face
in this world
and no matter
what temptations
we have
to walk away
from the building
that God is creating
through his church,
that we take
faith and hope
and confidence,
knowing that what
verse 6 says
is true,
whoever believes
in him
will not be put
to shame.
Will you believe
in him?
Will you build
your life
on the stone?
Let's pray.