Christ Our Cornerstone

And want to encourage you to take your Bibles and turn back with me to one Peter chapter two, and we're going to be looking at the next section this morning and I was stopped by someone to visit a little bit before church and they mentioned that Peter is their favorite character in the Bible. And I said, I agree. He's probably the most relatable of all the apostles that we probably feel the most like and that he was just a mess up, but he was passionate and he was committed to Christ and over the years of him following Jesus Christ transformed him. And we are getting to know the seasoned St. Peter here in one Peter chapter one and two and looking forward to going through this book with you. Hope you're liking it or loving it as much as I am, but we're in one Peter chapter two and we're going to be looking at verses four through eight this morning one Peter chapter two, verse four, and coming to him Christ through a living stone, which has been rejected by men but is choice and precious in the sight of God.

You also as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone and he believes in him will not be disappointed. This precious value then is for you who believe, but for those who disbelieve the stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone and a stone of stumbling in a rock of offense or they stumble because they are disobedient to the word and to this doom, they were also appointed. Father, we are so grateful to be able to come again to your word. We thank you that we have the confidence that your spirit is the one who inspired Peter to write exactly what we just read, and it's that same spirit who indwells us and illuminates us so that we can understand what Peter meant by what the spirit had him write. And so we are in a good place this morning to have the spirit of God to guide and direct us through this text. And I pray that the spirit would have his way, your spirit would have its way in our hearts as we humble ourselves before you and we ask you to speak to us and to change us and to grow us and to make us who you want us to be. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, of all the 12 disciples, Peter had the most memorable interactions with Christ. One of those memorable interactions is recorded in Matthew 16, and I want to encourage you to turn there with me. Matthew chapter 16, verse 13. Again, a familiar interaction that Jesus had. He was with his disciples and CES of Philippi, which is north of the region of the Sea of Galilee. And he was asking his disciples, this is Matthew 1613, who do people say that the son of man is? And they said, some say John the Baptist and others, Elijah and still others. Jeremiah one of the prophets, he said to them, but who do you say that I am? And guess who speaks up Simon? Peter answered, you are the Christ the Son of the living God.

And Jesus said to him, blessed are you Simon Barona because flesher and blood did not reveal to you. In other words, you didn't figure this out on your own, but my father who was in heaven, I also say to you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. This is the first mention of the church in the New Testament, and I would say even in the scriptures, completely in the Bible and it's likened here to a building. And Jesus made a play on words here because Peter Petros means a small stone. And Petra, the word he used here means a boulder upon this rock, Petra, a boulder that would serve as the foundation of the church. And so Jesus was not telling Peter that he was going to be the foundation on which he built his church, nor nor was he going to be the head of the church IE the first Pope. Christ is the sole founder and head of the church. He alone is the architect and builder and owner and master of the church. What Jesus was saying is that he was going to build his church on the spirit inspired boulder like truth that came out of Peter's mouth, that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God.

Peter was also present when a few chapters later in Matthew 21, go ahead and turn there with me, Matthew 21 when Jesus told a parable in the temple to confront the Jewish religious leaders. And you may remember the parable, I don't want to read it in total, but it's in Matthew chapter 21. It's the parable of the landowner starting in verse 33. And this was the story of a landowner were planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, rented it out to vine growers and went on a journey. And then the harvest came. And so he sent his slaves to the vine growers to receive his produce and the vine growers took the slaves and beat them and killed another and stoned a third. Well, the owner sent more slaves, a larger group than the first time they did the same thing.

But then afterwards he sent his son to them saying, they will surely respect my son. But then when the vine growers saw the son, they said, verse 38, this is the heir. Come let us kill him and seize his inheritance. And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine growers? Jesus was talking about what they were about to do to him and crucifying him and they said to him, he'll bring those wretches to a wretched end and will rent out the vineyard to other vine growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper season so they knew exactly what they would deserve. And then notice what Jesus does next. He quotes from the Old Testament, he quotes Psalm one 18 verse 22, a messianic psalm. He said, did you never read the scriptures? The stone which the builders rejected? This became the chief cornerstone. This came about from the land and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and be given to a people producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.

Well, after Jesus was crucified by these religious leaders, he was resurrected and he ascended back to heaven. And Peter was arrested at some point after that by these same religious leaders for healing a lame beggar and preaching that Jesus was alive and he reminded them of what Jesus had told them. Look at Acts chapter four, acts chapter four, and this is all in preparation for where we're going and what we're going to see in one Peter chapter two. But in Acts chapter four, verse eight, when he was confronted about what power or in what name had he healed this man, Peter filled with the Holy Spirit. This is Acts four, eight said to them, rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made, well let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ and Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised for the dead by this name, this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone.

And now in his first letter to the suffering believers scattered throughout Asia minor, Peter again referenced this messianic prophecy or imagery of the cornerstone that Jesus, he had heard Jesus apply to himself. In doing so, he clearly identified Christ, not him as the rock on which the church is built, but he also instructed his readers how they fit into the construction of the church. And the church is God's building project and the person to work of his son Jesus serve as the foundation. And again, a couple more verses that just lay the groundwork for us here this morning, one Corinthians chapter three, verse nine, Paul likens the church to a building. He says, you are God's field. You are God's building according to the grace of God, which was given to me like a wise master building, I laid a foundation and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. And then he asks this question about the corporate nature of the church in verse 16, do you not know that you're a temple of God unto the spirit of God dwells in you. If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him for the temple of God as holy and that is what you are.

And then last one I want you to see before we go to our Texan one, Peter, is Ephesians chapter two verse 19. Ephesians chapter two verse 19, Peter, excuse me, Paul says this to the church and Ephesus, so then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole building being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the spirit. So Paul likened the church of Jesus Christ to a holy temple in which God dwells. And Peter was essentially saying the same exact thing in one Peter chapter two verses four through eight. You can actually go back there now, but this is part of how we study God's word. It's called cross-referencing, right? It's the analogy of scripture that all of scripture fits together. And in order to understand one verse or one past of scripture, it's helpful to go to other verses another past of scripture that talk about the same concept.

And so today we have the opportunity to study Peter's contribution to the cornerstone concept which we find both in the old and New Testaments. And he provided in this passage one of the most vivid and precious descriptions of the corporate nature of the church. And those of us who make up the church are likened to stones which are cemented to Christ and cemented to our fellow Christians, which is committed to worshiping and serving God together. In other words, God intended his people to live in community and be united with Christ and be united with one another. And that's what we're going to see in these verses. Now, the way I decided to break this passage down and principle lies, it is simply that Peter contrasted the two responses to Christ and the two results that naturally follow the two responses to Christ and the two results that naturally follow.

First of all, we're going to see in verses four through seven, the privilege of those who receive Christ and those who receive Christ are constructed into a place where God dwells. And then the rest of the passage we're going to see the penalty for those who reject Christ. Those who reject Christ are condemned to a place where God does not dwell. And so let's look at these two responses in these two results. First of all, the privilege of those who receive Christ, those who receive Christ are constructed into a place where God dwells verse four and coming to him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is it a choice and precious in the sight of God? Just stop there for a second that coming to him there obviously referring to how Christ called people to come to him, but based on the Greek grammar here, Peter was not referring to our initial coming to Christ for salvation, but our habitual coming into Christ's presence to worship him and to fellowship with him.

So he's writing to believers here and he's confident that they are already communing with Christ already abiding in Christ. And so this is the idea that we find in the book of Hebrews about drawing near to God. And again, you're right there in the same neighborhood. Just turn back to the book of Hebrews. There's lots of cross-references in Hebrews that thankfully it's so close by, we just have to turn back a few pages. But Hebrews chapter four verse 16, therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace chapter seven verse 25. Therefore he's able also to save forever those who draw near to God through him. Chapter 10 verse 22, let us draw near with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith. And then chapter 12 verse 22, where the writer here contrasts the old covenant in the new covenant Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. He says, but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to myriad of angels to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God, the judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant under the sprinkled blood which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

It's a good reminder that it is not by coming to church that we are joined to Christ, but it's by coming to Christ that we are joined to the church. Important distinction there. And as you remember, I'm sure that Peter has already mentioned here a living hope chapter one verse three, we just sang about that. He also mentioned the living word in chapter one, verse 22, but now he mentions a living stone notice. He says in coming to him Christ as to a living stone. In other words that Jesus is alive from the dead and he gives spiritual life to those who trust him. John 11, verse 25, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the what life He who believes in me will live even if he dies and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Paul describes Jesus as the second Adam or the last Adam in one Corinthians 1545, who became a life-giving spirit. Colossians two 13, when you were dead in your transgressions and the circumcision of your flesh, Christ made you alive together with him. First John, chapter four verse nine, God has sent his only begotten son into the world so that we might live through him. He who has the son has the life he does not have, the son of God does not have life. And yet despite these clear pictures of Christ being the source of true life, abundant life and eternal life, men have no place for Christ in their life.

And so they sadly and foolishly reject him. Notice he says, and coming to him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men. That word rejected means discarding something after it's been examined and found useless. And this is exactly what the Jewish religious leaders did with Jesus. They examined, they tested, they investigated his claims and credentials for the purpose of approving him, but he didn't measure up to their standards or their specifications. He didn't meet their expectations or fit their preconceived notions of what the Messiah would be like. And so they handed him over to the Romans to be crucified in order to get rid of him.

And yet that didn't change the way God views Jesus. Notice he says in coming to him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, the way God sees and evaluates and appraises things and the way we see and evaluate and appraise things as men are often very different and at times diametrically opposed to each other. And this is never more true than when it comes to Jesus Christ. And Peter says that in God's eyes, Jesus is choice and precious. He was no ordinary stone. He was specially and specifically selected by God to be the redeemer of mankind. And because he's indispensable to God's work of salvation, he is of inestimable value to God, he is precious in God's eyes. There is no one more honored or prized by God than his son Jesus. He is beyond compare.

God loves Jesus more than anyone or anything in the universe, and the psalmist said it Well, Isaiah 42, 1, behold my servant, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. Hopefully we too can say that about our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, that our soul delights in him. Notice how he goes on. He says in coming to him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but as choice and precious in the sight of God, you also as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. So not only does he describe Jesus as a living stone, but he describes us as living stones as well.

And what he's talking about is that when we are born again, Christ imparts his nature to us. In other words, we are granted life through him and we become living stones just like he is a living stone. John 1419, Jesus said, because I live, you will live also. And again, just like Paul Peter compared the church here, a building into which every believer fits together with other believers, every time someone repents and trust Christ as their Lord and savior, it is as if another stone is quarried out of the pit of sin and cemented by grace into the church.

When you came to Christ, it was like God was adding another brick to the church. Again, this is a good reminder I think that God never intended for us as believers to live isolated from one another. We're not a bunch of stones just kind of scattered out in a field somewhere all by ourselves. No, he wanted us to be brought together and to be connected with one another, to be cemented together in the body of Christ where we could enjoy close permanent union with him who is the head of the church and with fellow members of the body of Christ. That's Paul's analogy, right? The body, it's all connected.

I think this is also a good reminder when he is talking about us living stones who are being built up as a spiritual house, that the church is not this thing, this building that we are occupying right now. The church has never been steel and stucco and stained glass. It's you, it's me, it's we are the church. I knew a pastor who is now with the Lord who wanted his church to keep meeting and rented facilities and storing all their stuff in trailers and setting up and tearing down every Sunday just so the members of his church would never lose sight of the fact that the church was the people, not the facility, and that God dwells in us as a body of believers and not in some ornate sanctuary.

In other words, we could be meeting like some are meeting today in other parts of the world under a tree. They don't have a building, but guess what? They have a place of worship. It's them. They are the house in which God dwells. Those that Peter was writing to were familiar with the tabernacle. They're familiar with the temple which served as a dwelling place of God in the Old Testament. And so what he was, the point he was making is here is that now we as believers corporately serve as a spiritual house in which God dwells. We are the household of God. In fact, he mentions it in chapter four, verse 17. He says, for it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. Paul says it in one Timothy three 15, I write so that you'll know how you ought to conduct yourself in the household of God, which is the church of the Living God. Hebrews three, six, Christ was faithful as a son over his house whose house we are.

And based on what Peter said next, he was clearly comparing the church to the temple in which God dwelled notice. He said, here, you also as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. Peter likened his readers, he likened us to the Old Testament priests. And in the Old Testament, the only people who qualified as priests were Aaron's des descendants, the tribe of Levi. And the priest could only enter the temple if they brought a sacrifice with them to atone for their sins. And the only one who could enter the holy of Holies was the high priest. And that was only once a year on Yom Kaur, the day of Atonement. And he would have bells sewn into the hem of his garment and a rope tied around his leg. So if the bell stopped jingling, they assumed that he had been struck dead and they would haul him out with the rope because they weren't about to go in there and get him.

The role of a priest was to be the mediator between God and men. In other words, no one in the Old Testament had direct access to God. That is until Christ the great high priest sacrificed himself on the cross. And if you remember when he was hanging on the cross, the veil that separated the holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, which symbolized that through Christ and his death on the cross, men could now have direct access to God. Look at chapter three, verse 18. For Christ also died for sins once for all.

Again, backtrack a bit into the book of Hebrews, Hebrews four 14. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast. Our confession for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of God or excuse me, to the throne of grace without a priest so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We don't need an earthly priest because we have a heavenly high priest, chapter 10, Hebrews chapter 10 verses 11 and 12, every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices which can never take away sins, but he Christ having offered one sacrifice for all time sat down at the right hand of God.

And then look at verse 19 of Hebrews 10. Therefore brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way, which he inaugurated for us through the veil, that is his flesh. And since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith, having our heart sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. So those of us who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ, right, we are robed with his righteousness. When we place our faith in his substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, we can now approach God and pray to him directly through the name of Jesus. In other words, we have instant anytime access to the throne of God because we're in Christ and because of Christ. Every one of us is a priest.

This is what is referred to as the priesthood of all believers, the priesthood of all believers. Look there in one Peter chapter two in just a few verses later. Notice he says in verse nine, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. First John 2 27 love this. As for you, the anointing which he received from him abides in you and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as this is anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie, just as it is taught you abide, you abide in him. In other words, you don't. While there's a place for the preaching and teaching of God's word, what I think John was saying there is don't feel like you're dependent on a priest to or someone else to teach you the scriptures. In other words, you have the spirit of God in you. And so you can pick up a copy of God's word and read it for yourself and the spirit of God can teach you what it means.

And again, this is a big deal. If you know anything about the history of the Catholic church where it got to the place, the only person that had a copy of the scriptures was the priest. And people would show up on Sunday mornings or Saturday nights for mass and they would simply listen to the priests, read the scriptures and talk about the scriptures and they would go home. And that was their only access, if you will, to the scriptures was whatever that priest read, whatever that priest said. And that's why part of the reformation was these men having a passion to get the word of God translated into the common language so that everybody could have a copy of the scriptures and study them for themselves.

Believers are likened to priest multiple times in the book of Revelation. I'll just read one of them. Revelation chapter one, verse six. It says, he has made us to be a kingdom of priests to his God and Father. He says that again in chapter five, verse 10 and chapter 20, verse six. So I don't know if you considered yourself or how you identified yourself or what you considered yourself to be as you came to church today, but according to what Peter's saying here, you came as a priest. I'm not your priest. I'm not your mediator. The elders aren't your mediator. You have direct access to God. You're a priest in God's eyes If you are because of Christ and his high priesty work, if you are in Christ, then you are a priest. And like the Old Testament priests we're required to live holy and pure lives. That was part of the job description of a priest. We should also strive to live holy and pure lives. And Peter's already said that in chapter one, verse 15, like the holy one who called you be holy yourselves also in your behavior because it is written you shall be holy. For I am holy.

Not only were the priests required to live holy and pure lives, they also faithfully serve God by offering sacrifices to God, animal sacrifices. We are to faithfully serve God by offering spiritual sacrifices to him. Notice verse five, he says, you also as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. We no longer have to offer up birds and cows and goats or lambs since our sins have been atoned for once and for all by the permanent perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross that fulfilled all the symbols and all the shadows of the Old Testament sacrifice of system.

The sacrifices that we offer on a daily basis are spiritual in nature and are simply expressions of worship offered out of love and gratitude for the forgiveness that we enjoy because of Christ. And as you look through the New Testament, there are a number of spiritual sacrifices or spiritual offerings mentioned. I came up with seven of them and they all start with S to make 'em memorable. Okay? Number one is the offering of a surrendered life, the offering of a surrendered life. And hopefully you immediately think about Romans chapter 12 verse one. Therefore, I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And so the very first offering, spiritual offering is we just dedicate our entire selves to serving Christ and worshiping Christ and obeying Christ.

That's an act of worship, a surrendered life. Secondly is the offering of singing praise to God. Look at Hebrews chapter 13 verse 15. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 15 says, through him, Christ, then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of lips that give thanks that his name. And so if you sang those songs earlier in our service in God's eyes, those were an offering of praise that was a spiritual offering, a spiritual sacrifice that you were making. Aren't you glad you didn't have to bring some goat or some cow from your ranch today and slid its throat here? All he had to do was sing in response to the sacrifice that God already slid his son's throat, if you will, on the cross. And so we can just rejoice and thank him for his kindness, his mercy, his grace.

So we have the offering of a surrendered life, the offering of singing, praise to God right there in Hebrews. In the next verse, Hebrews 1316, we see the offering of serving others and do not neglect doing good and sharing for which such sacrifices God is pleased. So this is the offering of serving others. Ephesians chapter two, verse 10, we are God's workmanship in Christ, which he saved right to do good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We are his workmanship created in Christ for good works, which God prepared before and that we should walk in them. Titus chapter two, verse 14, that Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify him for himself, a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds. So our good works are an offering of service or an offering of worship to the Lord.

The fourth one is right there in that same verse as well, and that is the offering of sharing with others, the offering of sharing with others. He says, and share for which such sacrifices God is pleased. This is the idea of giving to those who are in need. Ephesians chapter five, verse 27, he steals, excuse me, verse 28. He who steals must no longer steal, but rather he must labor performing with his own hands what is good so that he will have something to share with one who has need. In other words, if you're going to put off stealing, what do you put on at his place? Just paying for the stuff that you buy. No, it's even beyond that. Instead of taking stuff from people, stealing stuff from people, you share stuff with people you give to people.

Paul likened the offering, the financial contribution that the church and Philipp Philippi made to his ministry as an offering of worship. Philippians four 15, you yourselves also know Philippians that the first preaching of the gospel after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, but you alone for even in Thessalonica, you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I received everything in full and have an abundance. I am amply supplied having received from the paphitis what you have sent here, it is a fragrant aroma and acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

So when you give your financial resources to the Lord's work or to others, that is an offering of worship, that is a spiritual sacrifice that you do As a New Testament priest, we find another offering in Romans 1516, interesting how Paul describes his ministry to the Gentiles. He says in Romans 1516, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering is a priest, the gospel of God. So he even uses that idea of a priest. He calls himself a priest so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable sanctified by the Holy Spirit. So what is he referring to? He's talking about the Gentiles that God used him to lead to Christ are an offering to the Lord. He gives those souls, if you will, back to the Lord as an offering of praise.

And so you can offer worship to the Lord by sharing the gospel, by helping others come to know Christ. Evangelism is one of the spiritual sacrifice, one of the spiritual offerings of New Testament priests. And then there's a sixth one, the offering of selfless, sacrificial love, the offering of selfless, sacrificial love. Ephesians chapter five verse one. Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us an offering and has sacrificed to God as a fragrant aroma. So when we walk in love, selfless, sacrificial love towards one another just like Christ demonstrated us, that's an offering that smells good to the Lord. In the same way in the Old Testament, he loved the smell of the smoke rising from the sacrifices because that was an act of obedience and an act of worship from his people. He loves it when we selflessly sacrificially serve others. And then finally the offering of supplication, the offering of supplication. Revelation chapter five, verse eight.

It says, when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. He says it again in chapter eight, verse three, another angel came and stood at the altar holding a golden sensor and much incense was given to him so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints and the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints went up before God out of the angel's hands.

I dunno if you ever thought about that, but whenever you pray, that is a offering that you are presenting to the Lord. It's a spiritual sacrifice, one of at least seven that are here in the New Testament. But that's what Peter was talking about when he said that we are a holy priesthood who are to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. You say, well, how can these acts of worship be acceptable to God? Because everything I do is flawed. Everything I do is tainted by sin. But I would suggest to you that if we do these things in Christ's strength and for Christ's glory, then they are pleasing and acceptable to God. But if we do any of these things in our own strength or for our own pleasure or for our own glory, they're good for nothing. They're what Paul referred to as wood, hay and stubble. Right now look at the next three verses.

Paul quoted three old Testament passages, one after another to support this stone metaphor that he's been using here. Notice verse six, for this is contained in scripture. It's referring to the Old Testament, and he quotes Isaiah 28 verse 16. Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone, and Hugh believes in him will not be disappointed again. Notice the words choice and precious, which again are used to describe how God sovereignly chose his son to serve as the cornerstone. And since Christ is irreplaceable, that makes him invaluable. I'm assuming you're familiar with this concept of a cornerstone, but in ancient times, buildings were made out of stone primarily. And the first and most important stone that was laid was called the cornerstone. And it was exactly that. It was the corner stone. It was at the corner of the two main walls and every other stone in the building was placed on it and lined up with it. And so it was that cornerstone that determined the stability and the symmetry of the entire building. If the cornerstone was off, the rest of the entire building would be off.

And likewise, Christ as the cornerstone has first place in the church and is the most important part of the church, and he serves as the foundation of the church and everything we do and say as a church and as believers must be lined up with him and his work, it must match his word and his life. And notice what it says here, those who believe in him will not be disappointed when you live your life lined up. Or let's put it this way, if you live your life with Christ as your foundation and your lifestyle is lined up with Christ, you have nothing to worry about because he's trustworthy, he's dependable, he will never fail you. He'll never let you down. You'll never experience disappointment or humiliation or shame at the final judgment. That's where he is going with this. You will be rescued from God's wrath because of your faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In other words, your hope of eternal life in heaven will never be dashed.

You are forever secure in Christ. Nothing will ever separate you from his love. Romans 8 35 to 39, notice verse seven. He says, this precious value then is for you who believe. In other words, this is why Christ is so precious to us as believers, even though we can't see him, even though we've never met him personally. If you will, you may remember chapter one verse eight, and though you've not seen him, you love him. And though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. I mean this is actually crazy if you think about that we are placing our entire life and destiny on someone we've never actually seen or met.

It's no wonder that people look at Christians and go, you guys are idiots. What are you talking about? Well, we agree it doesn't make any sense, but it's faith and it's not my faith. It's the faith that God has granted me to believe that I can't take credit for mustering up this faith to believe in something I can't see or to find something or precious to love something that I can't see. And if we're honest, we know it wasn't always this way. One commentator that I had been reading said it this way, I thought was very picturesque. He said God's people were like dead stones before they were born again, before they became Christians, they were dead to the things of God. Jesus held no beauty for them. He was not precious to them. They would not give up anything to serve him. This was all because spiritually they were dead toward him. They were just like cold hard stones lying deep down in the darkness under the ground. They needed to be quarried and shaped before they could be of any use to God. However, having once come to Jesus in repentance and faith, they have been born again and made living stones in his spiritual temple. Is that a description of your testimony? That's all of our story.

And so this is the privilege for those who receive Christ. We are constructed into a dwelling place where God lives. What a profound picture. What an incalculable blessing and privilege. I wish we could end there on that high note. But Peter goes on to mention those who reject Christ and he talks about the penalty for those who reject Christ. They're condemned to a place where God does not dwell. Notice the contrast here. This precious value then is for you who believe verse seven. But for those who disbelieve the stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone.

Again, he's quoting Psalm one 18 verse 22. He'd heard Jesus quote this. He had already quoted it to the religious leaders in Jerusalem after the day of Pentecost. Again, it was the religious leaders along with the majority of the Jews who refused to believe that Jesus was their chosen messiah and had crucified on the Roman cross, on a Roman cross. But again, that didn't change God's view of Jesus. And God raised Jesus from the dead, seated him at his right hand, exalted him as the king of kings and Lord of lords and installed him as the cornerstone of the church.

And yet not everyone believes in Christ or aligns their lives with Christ. There's still a lot of people in the world like the people that were around when they built the Tower of Babel and they rejected God's blueprints, if you will. They rebelled against God. They pursued their own path and totally disregarded God's plans for their life and favored their own. And as a result, notice verse eight, Christ rather than becoming the cornerstone to them becomes a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. It's a quote from Isaiah chapter eight, verse 14, which we know was literally fulfilled in the history of the nation of Israel when Jesus came and presented himself as the promised Messiah, despite all the convincing proofs that he provided them, the Jews were offended by him and they stumbled over the fact that he wasn't the kind of messiah that they had expected. They wanted a strong military leader who would overthrow the Romans and set up his kingdom and reign in Jerusalem, but instead he died, he was hung on a tree which every Jew believed the Old Testament teaching that anyone who hangs on a tree is what cursed by God. Surely this is not the son of God or he wouldn't be on this tree being crucified.

Paul quoted the same two passages from Isaiah, Isaiah 14 and 26 18 in the book of Romans when he was writing to the churches there to give evidence that God had anticipated that the Jews would reject Jesus because he didn't fit their assumptions of who the Messiah would be. Romans nine and 10. You may remember this from our study recently of this book, Romans chapter nine 10, excuse me, chapter nine verse 33, just as it is written, behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense, and he believes in him will not be disappointed. And he's talking about how Israel has rejected their Messiah.

And then again in chapter 10, verse 11 for the scripture says, whoever believes in him will not be disappointed. So he was just simply saying, Hey listen, this didn't catch God by surprise this, catch him all God off guard. This was prophesied in the book of Isaiah that the nation would reject their messiah and that Jesus would become a stumbling block. And Paul mentions this in a couple places. One Corinthians 1 23, he says, we preach Christ crucified to Jews, a stumbling block. Galatians five 11, he talks about the cross being a stumbling block. Well, Peter goes on here back in one Peter chapter two, to give the reason why they stumble, why they can't get past Christ, why Christ trips them up. Notice that at the end of verse eight, for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word and to this doom, they were also appointed for they stumble because they're disobedient to the word. God's word clearly commands everyone to repent and believe. And if we are unwilling to obey that command, we will die and go to hell.

That is our doom, if you will. And the reason why people stumble over Christ is not because they can't believe, but because they won't believe. And I want to make that very clear in light of what I'm about to say and what Peter said. Next here, people stumble over Christ not because they can't believe, but because they won't believe In other words, they're unwilling to believe like Jesus said in John five 40. But that last I say that because that last phrase is kind of tricky to interpret and to this doom, they were also appointed. What did Jesus, or excuse me, what did Peter mean when he said to this doom they were also appointed? Well, some say that Peter was simply acknowledging that all who are disobedient to the word are destined to stumble. In other words, stumbling is the inevitable result of willfully rejecting the gospel.

Disobedience makes stumbling a foregone conclusion. That's how some would interpret this passage. But in light of Peter's emphasis already in this letter on the sovereignty of God and salvation, we've already seen it in chapter one, how he talks about those who were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God, talking about how Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world. Verse 20 of chapter one. I think this is most likely a reference to the accompanying doctrine of predestination. Whenever you talk about election, you've got to talk about predestination. And predestination literally means to mark out beforehand or to determine the outcome ahead of time. In other words, God has predetermined our destiny. That's as raw as you can say it.

And this verb here that Peter uses appointed here in the Greek is often used to talk about things that God has appointed to occur long before they happen. There's several references that I could read to you for that. But before you immediately run in your mind with predestination and take it to its logical conclusion, you need to keep in mind that nowhere in the Bible does it explicitly say or state that unbelievers were predestined to be eternally damned in the same way that believers are predestined to be eternally saved. Some use verses like this one along with perhaps Romans 9 22 and Jude four to teach what's referred to as double predestination or reprobation.

And they reason that if God predetermined who would be saved, then by default, he also must have predetermined who would be damned. And the picture is the playground at recess when we were little and we were picking teams and we went down and said, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, right? And then we divide it up. God didn't in eternity past go Heaven, hell, heaven, hell heaven, hell heaven. Hell, that's not what he did. And see, the natural implication here is that God is somehow equally responsible for causing people not to believe in Christ as he is for causing people to believe in Christ. But God doesn't prevent anyone from coming to faith in Christ. He simply passes over them and allows them to creep right on doing what they're doing, rebelling against him and allows them to keep right on going where they're going and they're going to hell.

We are all by nature objects of God's wrath and are destined for hell. And God graciously chose to rescue some of us. And the emphasis of scripture is that God chooses those who go to heaven, but people choose to go to hell. That's the emphasis of scripture. And even these few verses including this one, and you'll notice that appear to teach that some people were predestined for hell emphasize man's disobedience and denial of Christ for they stumble because they were disobedient to the word. And we need to keep in mind that God desires all men to come to repentance and be saved. We know that second Peter, even Peter's going to mention this in his second letter, the Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but his patient towards you not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. That's the heart of God. But men refuse to repent and are condemned to hell as a result of their unbelief.

So you ask yourself perhaps this question, you're sitting here going, well, why would Peter include such a controversial subject in his letter to these suffering saints? Really, Peter, you're going to go there. Well, again, what was one of his main purposes for writing? He wanted to give them hope. He wanted to give them comfort. And so he did that here. I think by reassuring them that God was still in control and that he reigns even over those who oppose Christ and persecute the Christians to whom he was writing that it's okay, God knows he's in charge and it's going to be okay.

So for us today, there are only two responses to Jesus Christ. You can either receive them or you can reject them. You can either blow 'em off or you can build your life on him. Matthew chapter seven, the closing illustration of the Sermon on the Mount, the title in my Bible is the two foundations, Matthew 7 24. Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a Wiseman who builds his house on the what rock and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall for it had been founded on the rock.

Everyone who hears these words of mine does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and slammed against that house and it fell. And great was its fall. How you choose to respond to Christ will determine whether you spend eternity with him in heaven or apart from him in hell. Bottom line is Jesus is coming back, and if you think a tornado touching down in Montgomery's a big deal, we ain't seeing nothing yet to what Jesus is going to do when he returns. And there's one passage in the Old Testament that I didn't read or I didn't, and Peter didn't reference about this imagery of a stone, and lemme just read it for you again. This is in Daniel chapter two. This is that interpretation of the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had of this statue made of four different types of metal.

The head of that statue is made of fine gold, its breasts and its arms of silver. Its s belly, its sides of bronze, his legs of iron, his feet, partly of iron, and partly clay, as he was looking at this great statue, wondering what it meant. And in his dream, he said he continued looking until a stone was cut without hands and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed all at the same time. It became like chaff from the summer threshing floors and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth to reference to the coming of Christ that uncut stone hurdling from heaven, and not just his first coming, but also his second coming.

And this is Daniel's interpretation. In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed. This is talking about, I believe his second coming and that kingdom will not be left for another people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. In as much as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future. So the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.

Trust me, you want to be on the right side of that rock, that stone that's going to come hurdling from heaven someday. And the only way to be protected from the wrath of the second coming of Christ is to be in Christ. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this beautiful imagery that might seem ancient on one hand, but it's so relevant to our lives today. And I pray, Lord, that no one here would stumble over Christ or be offended by Christ or the cross, but that you would grant them the humility to bow the knee and to surrender their life to Christ so that they would not have to fear or dread his second coming, but they could look forward to it with great anticipation. So accomplish your work and every heart here today for your glory. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.