Sermon 1 Peter 2:2-10 “Building a Living Church”
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
May 10, 2020
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Today I will be continuing my sermon series from the book of First Peter as we look at the implications of our new lives that result from the resurrection of Christ from the dead. We have already seen that even though we may find our new lives difficult we can rejoice because of all God has given us. We have become new people who genuinely love one another. And even in the midst of our suffering and sorrow, we are comforted by the faith, hope, and love of God. Today we will see how God uses us in our new lives to form a spiritual community here on Earth called the church. We will get to all of this, but first, let’s pray.
Father in heaven, help us today to drink the spiritual milk of your Holy Word. Build us into a spiritual temple where we can offer to you our praises and prayers. And by your grace adopt us as your people. We pray this in the name of Christ, the cornerstone of our faith. Amen.
1 Peter 2:2-10 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation-- 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." 7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner," 8 and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
When I was young my favorite toy was a bunch of plain wooden blocks. They came in several sizes and you could stack them in many different ways. They came from my grandmother and I think my father may have played with them too. They were unpainted and could be stacked together to form many different things. I don’t know where they are now, but I still think about them because this is the way God thinks about the church. God sacks one block upon another until his creation of the church is finished. We are blocks and the church universal is the spiritual temple that God is building.
As Christians, we are nurtured by the Word of God. Scripture is what gives us life and hope. Reading and meditating on the Bible transforms us into holy people. We get a taste of Jesus and want more, much more. Many Americans conclude that since reading the Bible brings them closer to God and since reading the Bible can be done alone there is no need for corporate worship. They attempt to develop their own spirituality without going to church. So we see church membership declining at the same time we see sales of Christian books and Bibles increasing. People are trying to find God in solitary reading rather than communities of faith.
But the Apostle Peter tells us that God has a different idea. God wants to use the people to whom he has given new life to build a spiritual temple built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Peter is not talking about a church building of brick and cement. Rather he sees that God is building a spiritual temple of all the believers in the world with Jesus Christ at the head, the cornerstone. As people with new lives, we are part of this new temple because we are the building blocks that God has used to make it. We are living stones. Each of us is a part of God’s overall creation of the church of Jesus Christ.
In this spiritual temple, we are the priests who offer up to God sacrifices of praise, prayer, and thanksgiving. This is what we call “worship”. We find Jesus in the Word of God and respond with prayers of joy and praise. Since it is impractical for all believers in the world to praise God in the same place and at the same time, we form individual churches in neighborhoods like Daretown, where we join together as living stones into the spiritual temple. We taste Jesus in scripture and sing the praises of God in worship.
Being a part of this spiritual temple is a benefit of our new life which comes to us through our belief in Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Christ is the foundation of the temple. The whole weight of the building rests on him. Those who believe in Christ are built by God upon this foundation into a spiritual temple. The strength of the walls of the temple is determined by our faith. Therefore it is only through our faith in Jesus Christ that we are given new lives and formed by God into a spiritual temple called the church universal.
But what about all the people who do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and thus reject Christ as their living Lord and Savior? Are they part of this spiritual temple? Peter says no. Anyone who does not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ does not receive new life and will not be part of the spiritual temple erected by God. Jesus Christ is the foundation of the temple, but he is also the stone of judgment. Believers are living stones built upon this foundation, but the nonbelievers, who reject Christ, find this solid foundation a stumbling block. A belief in Jesus Christ is required for new life and participation in the spiritual temple of God.
This belief, in the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ for a new life, creates problems for us in our culture. In America today, we live in a pluralistic land where people have the freedom to worship as they choose. We have the right to reject the message of Christ, worship in our own way, and believe whatever we choose to believe. Our culture values tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Christians are often accused of being intolerant because of our belief that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. But we are not being intolerant of others. Rather we believe that Christ is the only way because of the historical fact of his resurrection from the dead. We, therefore, know that what the Bible claims is true and that it provides us with the spiritual milk which brings us closer to God.
As attendance in the mainline church declines, there has been a move to water down our message. Our music and sermons are often designed not to offend anyone. We don’t want anyone to complain. Sermons are filled with lots of stories about daily life but say little about the requirements of the gospel to believe and live a holy life. We form seeker services that are long on entertainment and short on the requirements of following Jesus. We don’t want to seem judgmental or intolerant so we design worship services that will please as many people as we can. Our goal is for everyone to have a good time in church.
But after a generation or two of watering down the gospel, I believe that there is now a real thirst in America for genuine, authentic spirituality. People hunger for nutritious spiritual food that will satisfy their desire to reach God. People long for a word from God they can believe. They desire to be part of a larger plan and to be used for something bigger than themselves. They have a desire for authentic worship of their creator. This is the great opportunity for the church today: to proclaim the really good news of new life as a result of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to watch as God builds those with new lives into a spiritual temple filled with praise and worship.
God has chosen us, believers, to be his priests, set aside for his purposes, in this spiritual temple. This is a high honor for us because it allows us to both worship and serve God. We are permitted to offer to God a sacrifice of our own lives by denying ourselves and following Jesus Christ as our Lord. We do this with prayers, thanksgiving, tithes, and service to the church. God uses our service as holy priests to build us into the church not because of our own efforts, but because of what Christ did for us on the cross. We are called to give glory to God.
So if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ then you are still in darkness. You are not yet receiving the benefits of a new life in Christ. You are not yet formed into a spiritual temple. So I urge you to taste, just taste, a little of the spiritual nourishment that is provided to you as you read the Bible. This will bring you to belief in Jesus Christ your Lord and will enable God to give you new life. Then you will be formed into a spiritual temple with Christ at the foundation where you will be ordained as holy priests to offer up to God yourselves in worship and receive, by God’s grace, his glory and honor. Make that decision today to read the Bible daily and come to church every Sunday, so you will come to believe in Jesus Christ and be built into the wonderful spiritual temple that God is creating. Let’s pray.
Father in heaven, we come to you as believers in your son. We have tasted the spiritual milk that you have provided us in your Holy Word and found that it is good. Transform us into new lives and build us into a spiritual temple where we can worship and glorify you in our prayers and praises. We pray all of this in the glorious name of Jesus. Amen.
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