Keys of the Kingdom 5 – The Chosen Rejected

The Old Testament prophets often use this strange imagery of a stone in the Old Covenant. In the New Testament, we find out what that stone is. First Peter 2 speaks about it, so open with us today to First Peter 2, and we'll discover what that stone is all about in the Old Testament. Amen, amen. Good morning! Would you open your Bibles with me to the book of First Peter? If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will gladly bring you one.

First Peter is very near the end of your Bible, right after the large book of Hebrews and then James. First Peter, chapter 2, is where we'll be this morning, and if you would please stand with me for the reading of the Scriptures.

First Peter chapter 2, we will begin at verse 1. There, the Apostle writes, "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Therefore, it is contained in the Scriptures, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect and precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame.' You, therefore, who believe, he is precious. But to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble, being disobedient to the word to which they also were appointed.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God.

Who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Father, as we come before You today, we come before Your word as those who desire to be given nourishment from it, Lord. As we have tasted of Your grace, which is awesome and good, we pray, God, that we would grow by Your word and by the work of Your Spirit in our lives. We ask that in some measurable way, when we leave this place at the end of our time together today, there would be some transformation at some level. God, do a work in us that we would boldly proclaim the praises of You who called us out of darkness and into this wonderful light, into this wonderful life. God, do a work here in this place, we ask in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, Amen. You can be seated.

It didn't take very long for His name and fame to spread. After His baptism by John the Baptist, recorded at the beginning of the Gospels, Jesus' ministry began in earnest and very quickly. Without the modern amenities of communication, news spread rapidly. This was pre-Snapchat, pre-Instagram, pre-Facebook, pre-text message, pre-email, pre-telephone, pre-television, pre-newspaper, and pre-printing press. Without any of that, news spread very quickly about this great man, Jesus of Nazareth.

One of the reasons it spread was not only His message. The message that John the Baptist was speaking was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." People went out from all the cities they lived in and traveled down into the wilderness of Judea, near the Jordan River, to hear the message of John the Baptist. Now they were moving from John the Baptist to follow Jesus, who was preaching much the same message. Both of them said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

However, there was a major difference between the ministry of John and the ministry of Jesus. This difference was most articulated by the miracles that accompanied the message of Jesus. John performed no miracle. As a result, people went out to see Jesus, to hear Jesus, and perhaps to experience a miracle at His hands, or maybe just to be close when He would heal someone who was sick.

Or he would cause someone who had a withered hand to stretch forth his hand. He would cause a paralyzed man to rise up, take up his bed, and walk. He would cast demons out of people. Whatever it might have been, they went out to see and hear all the things that were going on with Jesus.

In the midst of all of that, the gospel writer Luke records in Luke chapter 6, verse 12, "Now it came to pass in those days that Jesus went out to a mountain to pray, and he continued to pray to God all night." Here were multitudes of people following him, and among them were some who followed him everywhere he went. They became known as disciples, followers of Jesus. In the midst of all this chaos and commotion, he withdrew from everybody, went up into a mountaintop, and prayed all night long.

The next morning, he came back to them, and when it was day, he called his disciples, all of his followers. It says in Luke 6, verse 13, "He called all his disciples to himself, and from them he chose twelve, whom he named apostles." Luke gives us the names: Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew, his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alpheus; Simon called the Zealot; and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became his traitor.

I wonder what it must have been like amidst all these disciples, all these followers who wanted to be close, to see, to hear, and to follow him everywhere he went. News was spreading throughout the entire nation about how awesome this man, Jesus of Nazareth, was. What it must have been like to be chosen by him. We all like to be chosen, and if you are to be chosen, how great it would be to be chosen first.

Remember going back to grade school when they chose teams? I'm not entirely sure what it was like to be chosen first, because I can't say that I ever remember being chosen first, but it would have been great.

What's really interesting about the listings of these twelve apostles is that Jesus comes from a time of prayer all night long, and he gathers all his disciples together. Who knows how many of them there were? Some people say there were seventy or maybe more. They all gathered around, and he said, "Peter, Simon, where are you? Over here. You're one." Then he called, "Andrew, where are you? Come on over, Bartholomew, where are you?" In every one of these accounts, there are three gospel accounts.

That record the naming of these apostles, and each one of them, Peter is always first. In fact, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10, it reads like this in verse 2: "Now the names of the 12 apostles are these: First, Simon, who is called Peter." This is recorded in eternal scripture. First, Simon, who is called Peter, is chosen number one. What a rich blessing!

Why is it that he would be listed as number one? There are all kinds of theories and speculations. One of the theories is that he was the oldest. We don't know that for sure, but it seems possible and logical. Some people say, "Well, maybe he was the oldest." Perhaps he was the one who, when the Gospel accounts were written down, had become the most prominent, so it just seemed logical to list him first.

Maybe it was, and perhaps you can identify with this problem that Peter had, which we call foot-and-mouth syndrome, because he was the most outspoken. Certainly, he was the most outspoken. Maybe it was because he is the only one of those apostles who walked on water.

Of all of Peter's failings, years in the future, as they are going back and forth after Jesus has ascended into heaven and God is doing great things through them, you wonder if there was ever a conversation between, say, Peter and his brother Andrew, or Peter and John, or Peter and James, or Peter and Bartholomew. They might say, "Man, Peter, you were such a screw-up back then." And he could respond, "Yeah, but I walked on water. You got me there."

Why is he listed as number one? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Peter was given the keys of the kingdom. He was given the keys of the kingdom. What are you talking about? That's what the scriptures say.

In fact, turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew. If you are in 1 Peter, turn to the left. You will pass a whole bunch of books: the Corinthians, Romans, Acts, John, Mark, and Luke. You will get there just before you reach Malachi. If you see Zephaniah or Zechariah, you've gone too far.

In Matthew chapter 16, there is a great story recorded for us. We are going to begin at verse 13. It goes something like this: "When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi..." Let me stop right there. Caesarea Philippi is in pretty much the northernmost part of the nation of Israel.

On the border of Syria and Lebanon, there is a region very close to Gentile areas where many non-Jews lived. In Caesarea Philippi, the headwaters of the Jordan River begin. The Jordan River starts there and descends south through Galilee, continuing down to the lowest part of the earth, the Dead Sea. At Caesarea Philippi, the prime headwaters of the Jordan emerge from beneath a striking red rock cliff. During a great rainy season, water gushes from these springs, creating a stunning natural phenomenon.

This breathtaking display led many to create temples dedicated to various deities, the gods worshipped by the Gentile peoples. Thus, Caesarea Philippi became something of a pantheon of Gentile gods. It was in this context, with the red rock cliff as a backdrop and the sounds, smells, and sights of pagan worship surrounding them, that Jesus approached his apostles.

In Matthew 16, verse 13, He asked His disciples, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" They began to answer, saying that some believed He was John the Baptist, who had already been killed and was no longer alive. Others thought He might be Elijah the prophet, who lived over a thousand years before, or Jeremiah, a prophet who lived 400 years prior, or one of the other prophets.

Little has changed in 2,000 years; everyone has differing opinions about who Jesus is. If you ask a co-worker, a neighbor, a friend, or even a family member, "Who do you think Jesus is?" I challenge you to conduct this test. Just ask someone, "What do you think about Jesus?" You might hear responses like, "Oh, yeah, he's a good man." But really, what made Him good? Some might say, "He's a good teacher," or mention something about miracles and healings. Others may refer to Him as a prophet.

Everyone has an opinion about Jesus, just as it was 2,000 years ago when He asked His closest followers, His twelve apostles, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" Some said He was John the Baptist, maybe Elijah, or perhaps Jeremiah.

One of the prophets, Jesus asked them the all-important question that every single one of us needs to answer personally: Who do you say that I am? It's recorded right there in verse 15. It's Simon Peter, of course, who spoke up. He said in verse 16, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." To which Jesus responded, "Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, you got it!"

What do we have for Peter today? Actually, Jesus says, "That's it. Blessed are you, Simon, bar Jonah, son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." Listen, Peter, you didn't come up with this on your own. You didn't arrive at this understanding by talking with other people and considering all the varied opinions. You didn't come up with this by going out and contemplating the reality of who Jesus was. God in heaven has revealed this to you and through you for those who were there in that place.

I imagine the rest of the apostles standing there probably thought, "Man, how cool would it be to receive a revelation directly from God?" And that's what Peter received. God spoke through Peter: "You, Jesus, are the Christ, the anointed Messiah, the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." What does that mean? You are God in human flesh, God incarnate.

And Jesus said, "That's right. That's it. And this came by revelation of God in heaven." Here’s the prize, verse 18: "And I say to you that you are Peter." Who am I? Son of the living God, Jesus. Who are you? You're Peter. Even though your given name is Simon and your dad is Jonas, son of Jonah, you are Peter. "And on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom, the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

How incredible is that? I'm giving you the keys of the kingdom. That's a lot better than the keys to a Ferrari. We have a ceremony today. Sometimes, when we honor someone who is great, they are given the key ceremonially to the city.

Jesus says, "Peter, here is door prize number one for getting the right answer today." That question is about the keys to the kingdom. Now, what in the world does that mean? I have no idea. I have speculation, ideas, and thoughts.

Here's an interesting thing: if you go throughout Europe today and look at the Renaissance art of the apostles, as well as the Renaissance art of Christ and the Gospels, you can always identify Peter. Why? Because he has the keys in his hand. If you go to Vatican City and visit St. Peter's Basilica, you will see all these great carved statues of the apostles. Prominently displayed in St. Peter's Basilica, overlooking the forecourt, is a great statue of a curly-haired man holding two golden keys in his hand. You recognize him as Peter. He has the keys of the kingdom.

But even more than that, Jesus said to him, "I say, you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." What does that mean? "On this rock, I will build my church." Well, let me tell you what I think it doesn't mean.

In May of 2005, a couple of friends and I were in Rome. When in Rome, one of the places you want to see is Vatican City and St. Peter's. My friends Jeff and Toby, along with me, visited St. Peter's. Jeff lives in Chino Hills, and Toby is from Hanover, Germany. When you enter that area, Vatican City is prominently in front of you, with the great basilica, St. Peter's Basilica. Off to the left is a grand archway, which serves as the entrance into Vatican City.

Standing in front of that archway, behind a rope line that you are not supposed to cross, is an interesting character dressed in what looks like a court jester's outfit—blue, yellow, and red. He is one of the Swiss Guards, standing at attention with a straight face, looking off towards the horizon. Just behind him to the left is another individual in a similar clown-suited outfit, holding a stick with a blade on top. They stand guard at the entrance to Vatican City.

Of course, Toby, Jeff, and I talked about how we would like to go into Vatican City, which you can do if you have an appointment. If you're on the tour list, you can go see the necropolis, the city of the dead.

The catacombs in Vatican City are fascinating, filled with various historical artifacts. However, we didn't realize that we needed to sign up for a tour weeks in advance. Our names weren't on the list, but we still wanted to get in. I was there with Jeff and Toby, who is from Hanover. If you know anything about Germans, you understand that rules are important.

We approached the rope line, and Jeff and I thought we could just talk to the guard. Toby insisted that we couldn't do that; there was a line, and we should not cross it. Jeff and I, however, said, "Well, we're Americans. We're not German." Hashtag America! They didn't have hashtags back then, but if they did, that would have been our selfie moment. We crossed the line and walked right up to the Swiss guard. Without breaking his stare toward the horizon, he said, "Halt!" He must have known we were Americans because he spoke in English without any problem. You can spot an American from a thousand yards away in Europe.

We approached him, and he repeated, "You cannot pass." We tried to explain, but he firmly said, "Nope, you cannot pass. Go." This initiated a back-and-forth conversation, but he never shifted his gaze from the horizon. In his stern voice, he repeatedly told us we could not proceed until, about ten minutes later, he finally relented and said, "Okay, go."

"Pardon? Just go? Go that way or go that way?" we asked. "Just go," he replied. So, we started walking by, and Toby was nowhere to be seen. Next thing we knew, we were backstage, if you will. We had no idea what we were doing or where we were going, but we were in Vatican City.

I figured that, just a month prior, in April 2005, Pope Benedict had just become Pope. I thought to myself, "Listen, I'm Italian, I'm a pastor, and my name is DeBenedictus. So what? I'm not Catholic, but it works for me." We spent a good 45 minutes wandering around, feeling lost in Vatican City, until we turned a corner and encountered a couple of Catholic priests. We struck up a conversation with them. Two of our friends from the United States were with us, one from New York and the other from Cincinnati.

They started to talk with us, telling us about St. Peter's Basilica. They said, "Do you realize what this is? This great building, underneath this, in the necropolis, in the catacombs, in the city of the dead, there's the tomb of Peter of Galilee. Upon that rock, this has been built. Upon that rock, the church is built because Jesus said, 'Upon this rock, I will build my church.'"

Taken quite literally, church tradition interprets this in a specific way. Is that what Jesus meant? I suggest that Peter understood that this is not what Jesus meant. The words that Jesus used when he spoke to Peter in the presence of his disciples were chosen specifically and for a purpose. He said, "Listen, Simon, you are Peter." In the original language, the word is "Petras," which means little rock hewn from a much larger, greater rock. "You are Petras, and upon this Petra, great rock, large stone, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against that."

So, what is this Petra from which Petras, Peter, is hewn and cut? I would say it is that statement that he made, revealed to him by God in heaven, not of earthly origin: "Jesus, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Why do I believe that this is the answer? If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts, the history book of the New Testament, you will find it. If you're in Matthew 16, it's to the right. You'll pass Mark, Luke, John, and then Acts.

In Acts chapter 4, shortly after the birth of the church in Acts chapter 2, the church had not yet moved out from Jerusalem. Peter and the other apostles were notable leaders in the church, dedicating themselves to the apostles' doctrine, the teaching, and to prayer. They were still going up to the temple as culturally Jewish men, followers of Jesus of Nazareth, to pray every single day. In Acts chapter 4, it is recorded that Peter and John went up to the temple to pray at the end of the day, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

As they entered through the main gateway into the temple, many people were coming and going. There, at the gate of the temple, was a man who was lame, begging for alms. He had probably been there for a very long time, and people saw him and passed by him constantly. Some individuals, without even breaking their gaze, would toss something at him, likely missing whatever he was trying to collect it in. He would try to gather what he could, but he probably never looked up due to the shame of being in that condition.

Then Peter and John came upon him. Peter said, "Hey, look at me." The man looked up, and Peter continued, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise." He reached out his hand and helped the man up, and the man was instantly healed. He went into the temple, likely for the first time in his entire life, because being in the condition he was in, he was never allowed to do so. He entered the temple jumping, leaping, and praising God. You can bet that caused a commotion.

People from all over the temple started to come and see what was happening. They murmured to each other, "Isn't that the guy who was always at the gate? Yeah, I think I gave him some gold yesterday. But what happened?" They were all asking, "How did you get well?" Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to speak to the multitude, preaching the gospel. As he did, the religious leaders of the temple came and seized John and Peter, along with the lame man, pulling them back to the courtroom before the leadership, the Sanhedrin, the ruling council.

It is recorded in Acts 4, verse 7, that when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power and by what name have you done this?" A notable miracle had been performed, and nobody could disagree that it had happened. The question was, "By what power and by what name have you done this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, responded, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if this day we are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well? Well, that is the question. Let it be known to you all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth..."

Whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole. Now look at the words that he says in verse 11: "This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby they must be saved."

Point number one on your outline: Jesus is the bedrock and foundation of the church. By revelation of God, Peter had said it in Matthew 16, and Jesus had affirmed it. Now, by Spirit-inspired preaching, the Holy Spirit came upon Peter, and he spoke boldly before all these people, declaring that Jesus is the bedrock and foundation of the church. Even though the religious establishment of the day rejected Him, He is still the chief cornerstone.

There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby they must be saved. Do you want to know what power raised this lame man up? It is the power that raised Christ from the dead, and He is the bedrock and foundation of the church. Peter knew that this is exactly what Jesus meant when He said, "You are Peter, and upon this rock, this rock of a statement, 'You’re the Christ, the Son of the living God,' I will build my church."

Every person who would be considered a Christian, a part of the church, believes and trusts that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. You cannot be called a Christian and not believe and trust that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. You can go to church and not believe that. You can even own a Bible and not believe that. You can even have a "Not of This World" sticker on your car and not believe that. But you cannot be a Christian and not believe that truth.

You can have a lot of opinions about who Jesus is, and everybody you meet will have an opinion about who Jesus is. However, you cannot be a Christian unless you understand that Jesus is the bedrock and foundation upon which His church is built. Any other belief will not stand up.

To the gates of hell, but the gates of hell will not prevail against the church built upon that foundation. Now, thirty-plus years later, after that incident in the temple before the Sanhedrin, on the day that the lame man was healed as Peter spoke, inspired by the Spirit of God, he said, "He is the stone, Jesus, that was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone."

Now, thirty-plus years later, he writes in this letter, 1 Peter 2, verse 3: "If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." If today you have tasted of the grace of God, coming to Him, verse 4 states, "as to a living stone rejected indeed by men but chosen by God and precious." If you have tasted of the Lord's grace, then you have done so by coming to Jesus. That's what he says: "If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, coming to Him."

You cannot taste of God's grace without coming to Jesus. There is only one way by which you can taste of the goodness and graciousness of God, and God is certainly good and gracious. But there's only one way to taste of His grace, and that is by coming to Jesus Christ.

Well, how do you come to Jesus Christ? Later in this passage, we will find in verses 6 and 7 that you come to Him by trusting and believing in Him. When you trust in Him, when you believe in Him, you have come to Him, and now you can taste of His good grace.

So he says, "If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, you have come to Him as to a living stone." What in the world is a living stone? A living stone. Well, he's speaking poetically; he's using a metaphor here. But he's speaking the very same words that he spoke back in Acts 4. These words are not just from his mind that he made up one day while sitting on a hillside covered with grass and flowers.

Peter didn't come up with this on his own. He says, "If you've tasted of the grace of God, you've done so by coming to Jesus, and in coming to Jesus, you have come to a living stone." What is that?

Well, it is obvious by every observable fashion that stones are not alive. That's some great knowledge right there, isn't it? Stones don't live. Rocks are not alive.

And yet, if a rock were going to become alive, it would require a phenomenal miracle. The same kind of miracle that it would require to make a crucified dead man live. The awesomely impossible and improbable possibility of a rock becoming alive requires the same miraculous power of a crucified man living. He was most certainly dead because the Roman soldiers pierced through his chest into his heart, and out came blood and water. They laid his lifeless body into a tomb, and three days later, he was alive, and the tomb was empty.

The only way to taste of the grace of God is to come to that living stone and to trust and believe in the One who was once dead but now is alive by the miraculous power of Almighty God. Let it be known to all of you and to all people that by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified, Peter said in Acts 4:10, whom God raised from the dead, this man who was lame stands before you whole. By that same power, he was made whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but now he has become the chief cornerstone.

Point number two on your outline: Jesus gives grace to those who come to him, and there is no grace apart from him. Do you realize this is the single greatest objection to the Christian faith in the 21st century in the United States of America? The exclusivity of that claim. It's not a claim that the church made up. It's not a claim that I came to by myself. It is what Jesus himself said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by me." There is no other way.

There is no other name given among men under heaven whereby they must be saved. He is the only way, and you can only taste of the grace of God by coming to Jesus. Some people say, "Well, that's just narrow, and that's just ignorant and arrogant. How could you possibly be so audacious to say that there's no other way to God?"

Well, listen, if there is only one way, it's not narrow and mean to expose the fact that there's only one way. If that's the only way, it's rather awesome and nice of God to tell us that it's the only way and to say all those other ways won't work.

How many of you have a GPS? Pretty much everybody has one now. When you make a wrong turn, the GPS says, "Recalculating." That route isn't going to work. If you're on the wrong path, then you need to recalculate and realize that it isn't working. God, the God Positioning System, says you're on the wrong path. Recalculate.

Well, which way should I go? That way. Jesus is the only way. It's actually merciful and gracious to expose the error of someone's wrong way and say, "This is the only way." Now, you can argue and say, "Well, I don't want to go that way." That's fine; you'll be lost. It's perfectly within your rights to continue being lost. You can choose to be lost, and that's just fine.

But I don't want you to be lost ignorantly. I want you to know there's only one way and that you're on the wrong path. How narrow, right? It's rather nice of me to tell you. That way ends in death. You can stay on it if you want. I think it's rather foolish.

Jesus gives grace to those who come to Him. Grace for what? Well, look at verse five of 1 Peter, chapter two. You also, you who have come to Him and tasted of His grace, are like living stones being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Just like Christ, after His crucifixion, was dead and needed miraculous power to raise Him from the dead, every single human being is as dead as the stones outside on the hillsides—dead spiritually, with rock-hard hearts.

None of us can live without miraculous power. When you come to Christ and put your trust in Jesus Christ, the living stone, He becomes the chief cornerstone upon which your life can be built. He makes you, who were formerly dead in your trespasses and sins, a living stone as well. Then, He gathers those living stones together, as Peter says, and builds them up into a habitation for the dwelling place of God.

You might think that is far out or the strangest thing you've ever heard. However, that is what both Peter and Paul spoke of. Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 3 and 6 that if you are a believer in Jesus and have tasted of His grace, then you have become the habitation of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Christ dwells in you, as Paul told the Colossians, who were Christians and followers of Jesus. We have this treasure in earthen vessels. We are all just a bunch of cracked pots. Yes, we are all cracked pots. By His grace, He takes our broken lives and fills us with His awesome treasure, the glory of God.

So, if you put your trust and faith in Jesus, He takes you, who were formerly dead, and makes you alive. He gathers together all those living stones and begins to build a house, with Him being the chief cornerstone, the foundation upon which we are built. In hearing these words, you might think, "Man, that is just the strangest thing."

Point number three on your outline: By grace, Jesus makes us alive and builds us up. Why? To offer up acceptable service to God. Let me emphasize this point a little more. Not only is Jesus the only way to God, but being built upon Him is the only way for your life to offer acceptable service to God. You cannot be acceptable to God outside of Jesus; He is the only way.

When you put your trust in Jesus, He takes you, who were formerly dead because of sin, makes you alive, and gathers together all those living stones to build a house through which He will abide and through which we can offer acceptable service to God. Again, we look at this and just scratch our heads, thinking, "Man, this is an amazing thing."

Peter explains that he did not come up with this idea on his own. He refers to verse six of First Peter 2, stating, "Therefore, it is contained in the scriptures." This is not a new concept; it is rooted in the scriptures. When Peter mentions "scriptures," he is referring to the only scriptures available to him at that time, which we now call the Old Testament—the first two-thirds of the Bible, from Genesis through Malachi. The truth he discusses is contained within those scriptures.

Peter continues in verse six, emphasizing that it is also contained in the scriptures. He quotes from Isaiah 28:16, which was written about 700 years before Peter and 2,700 years before us. He states, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect and precious." This raises the question: Is Isaiah, 2,700 years ago, referring to an actual rock in Zion, the city of Jerusalem? God declares that He has established a chief cornerstone in Zion, which is chosen and valuable. He assures us that those who believe in Him will by no means be put to shame. God has laid a foundation, and if you trust in this cornerstone, you will not be put to shame.

Peter continues in verse seven, addressing those who believe. If you trust in the chief cornerstone that Isaiah spoke about 2,700 years ago, which Peter reveals to be Christ, then that cornerstone is precious to you. He emphasizes that for those who believe, the cornerstone has become valuable. However, to those who are disobedient—those who do not believe and reject Him—Peter notes that they are disobedient in their unbelief. He quotes the scriptures again, referencing Psalm 118:22, which was written 1,000 years before him and 3,000 years before us. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

Peter is saying, "Listen, I didn't come up with this on my own. I'm not just pulling things out of thin air and saying, 'Well, this sounds really cool.' He's a stone, and a really cool foundation stone, and you should build your life on him." Everybody's going, "Wow, that's far out, man. Where'd you come up with that?"

"I was sitting by the Tiber River in Rome and I had this vision." No, he was reading in the Scriptures because it's contained in the Scriptures. In Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22, it says, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone." In verse 8, it mentions a "stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." He goes back to Isaiah 8:14. This imagery, this metaphor, is all throughout the Scriptures. This idea of the rock, the stone, is prevalent.

In fact, there's a really curious passage of Scripture that talks about the time when the children of Israel came out of Egypt in the book of Exodus. They went through the wilderness, and it says there was this stone that followed them in the wilderness. You might picture them walking along, and there's this rolling stone behind them. You think, "What in the world is that?" Everybody goes, "I have no idea."

Then there was this guy named Nebuchadnezzar. He was the king of Babylon in 580 BC, and he had this vision of a statue. It had a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, and all this stuff. It's standing there, and a rock came down from heaven, crashed into the feet, knocked it down, and this rock became a mountain. He's going, "This is far out." He's totally tripping. He calls all these guys together and says, "What is this?" They go, "I don't know. Ask Daniel; he interprets dreams."

Daniel comes in and says, "I'll tell you what this is. The head of gold is you, the kingdom of Babylon. The chest and arms of silver, that's the Medo-Persian Empire. They're going to come and destroy you. The body of bronze, that's the Greek Empire. The legs of clay and iron, those are the Roman Empire. But then there's going to come this great rock that's going to destroy all human empires."

You might wonder, "What is this rock?" It's in Exodus, it's in Daniel, it's in Isaiah, it's in the Psalms, it's in all the Scriptures. What in the world is this rock? Well, it's the stone that was rejected by the builders that has become the chief cornerstone. What is that? It's Jesus.

He says it's contained in the Scriptures. "I didn't make this up." And those who reject him stumble, as mentioned at the end of verse 8 in 1 Peter 2. They stumble, being disobedient to the word. Why? Through unbelief, they also were appointed. There are many.

That would fall under the classification of "they." They stumble, and through unbelief, they reject Him. But you, as stated in 1 Peter 2:9, who are obedient by faith and trust and come to Jesus, are, through believing trust, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people. I love how the King James Version describes it as His own peculiar people, and many of us fit that bill perfectly.

You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people. If you have come to Jesus, if you've trusted in Jesus, if you have put your faith in Him, your life is now being put together upon His as a living stone made alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins, for the purpose of offering sacrifices and offerings to God that are acceptable to Him. You are a chosen royal nation, a special set-apart people as priests—those who go to God on behalf of the people and go to the people on behalf of God. You are priests.

Why? For what purpose? Well, look at the middle of verse 9. He tells us what your purpose is. You are all these things so that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. You were once not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not obtained mercy, but now you have obtained mercy.

Listen, if you have put your trust in Jesus today and you have believed in Him, come to Him. You've tasted of His grace. He has made you alive, who were once dead. He has indwelt your life by His Holy Spirit. He has made you a special people, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation—not because you're awesome, but because of His mercy. Verse 10 says He has done all of that for a very specific purpose: so that you and I would proclaim the praises of God who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

That's the work that God has called you to. In fact, point number four on your outline is our acceptable service: proclaiming His praises. That is what God has called you to be if you're a believer in Jesus today—a proclaimer of the praises of God who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Now, I suggest that if Peter said...

Your task as a believer in God and a follower of Jesus today is not to perfectly articulate an ontological argument for God to everyone who asks a question, nor is it to perfectly defend the faith by providing a sincere and flawless apologetic for every teleological argument for or against God. In fact, there is probably only 1% of the population, with good study, that could do a good job of that. But God hasn't called you to that.

You know what He has called you to do? Simply tell people, "I once was blind, but now I see. I once was lost, and now I'm found." How did that happen? By His grace. Just proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. How many of you think you could probably just tell people, "Jesus saved me"? I think you probably could do that.

Every single one of you has that friend, co-worker, or family member who comes to you and asks a question, and you find yourself saying, "I have no idea." Let me encourage you: don't make something up. When they ask you that question, just say, "Gosh, I don't know, but let me try and figure that out." But all you can really tell them is this: "I once was blind, and now I see."

There was a man who was healed by Jesus in John chapter 9. He was blind, and they brought him before the religious leaders who thought they knew everything in the Scriptures. They asked him, "By what power were you made to see?" He replied, "Gosh, I have no idea." They pressed him further, "Tell us, how did you become a seeing man? You were blind." He answered, "Yes, I was blind. Well, how did it happen?" He said, "I don't know. I just was blind, and now I see."

They then asked his parents, "Was he blind?" They confirmed, "Yes, he was blind." They continued, "Well, how did he get to see?" The parents replied, "I don't know. Ask him." So they turned back to him and asked again, "How did you get to see?" He repeated, "I don't know. I was blind, and now I see." They responded by saying, "Get out of here," and they excommunicated him from the church.

Why? Because that friend who has all those questions that you can't answer, they can't answer that either. You once were an adulterer, and now you're not. You once were a drug addict, and now you're not. You once were a jerk, and now you're nice. Whatever it may be, there has been a transformation that cannot be explained other than by the living stone making you a living stone and building you into a holy habitation to offer acceptable sacrifices to God.

All He wants you to do is to proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light, to tell people how good and awesome God is. So may God make us bold to do that. That's what Peter is saying here. Though the world may reject Him and have many different opinions about Him, may it be that we boldly declare His truth.

I once was blind, but now I see. I once was lost, now I'm found. Amen?

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?

Father God, thank you for your grace. In tasting of your grace, we know that it is good. None of us deserve the goodness of your grace. We thank you for your forgiveness. We thank you for buying us back from sin and death and giving us life when we were dead.

Lord, for empowering us by your Spirit to be able to share the good news with other people, I pray right now for anyone in this place who may have been invited by a friend or who has been driving past this building for years and finally decided to come in. They may not yet believe or trust, but they have come to you. I pray that you draw them by your Spirit and that they would leave this place today believing and trusting, being made alive by your grace and proclaiming your praises.