During the beginning of the new school year at a local community college, a young man named Bill Smith attended with lots of enthusiasm and excitement. The professor was an uncanny expert on the English language and seemed to almost pull out of the air the most appropriate word for an occasion. What the professor seemed to do was when He done role call, he would briefly give a history or meaning of that person’s name before continuing to the next student. As Bill Smith’s name was called, the professor stated “Bill Smith…this is a common name in our language.” Bill sharply rose from his seat and address the professor with a stern voice and said, “Sir, Bill Smith may be frequent but not common.”
Very true and noble words. Can anyone say that they are common or ordinary? Can anyone really claim to be just an average joe or jane? The world teaches us that if we act, look and think in a certain way, we are acceptable in that certain group. Some years ago, read an article in a well-known magazine describing a scientific approach to how we as carnal humans identify beauty. They had a picture of a young man and young women, and below it was the same picture of the two, but their appearances were slightly different in each picture. According to the article, over 80 percent of people who was surveyed, they each identified the same pictures of the man and women as having the most beauty. What the world teaches us is what beauty is, what we should like, dislike, accept or reject. You see, how we measure success, beauty and value is NOT what matters. Just because 80 percent of people identified a certain picture of the man or women to be a sign of beauty, does NOT mean the others where not as spectacular. When Genesis tells us “Man was created in Gods image,” it assertively means exactly that! All the flaws and imperfections of our bodies and personalities, is a result of what God created. So, in short, we are designed to stand out, not just be another human. We are designed to live a Godly life, not a life of turmoil and sin. Scripture tells us For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Each one of us is an individual, special, and a chosen person to be alive on this earth by our creator, our heavenly father—regardless of what ‘you’ may think, what ‘you’ may have heard, what ‘you’ may feel or even what the ‘evil’ one has tried to convince you of. God has a purpose and plan for everyone. Friends, in starting our journey this morning, I ask you to reflect and respond to Gods words as we find in Peters first letter to primarily Jewish Christians who have been dispersed throughout the world because of persecution, in believing in Christ Jesus.
So let us start our journey at verse 4. “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Peter is telling us God has called each of us to a life of building, not destroying. In the old testament, God required the children of God to build a temple made out of solid stones to house His Holy Spirit. With the new covenant through Jesus Christ our Lord, the stone God uses to house His spirit is us, his temple! Listen to Paul’s first letter to the people of Corinth, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”
Think about it, friends. Each of us, are to be something very special, powerful and meaningful, to house His spirit, as living stones. Verse 5 “we are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
How many of you remember your parents or guardian teaching you early about playing with fire? It is true that children must learn that all sources of fire are dangerous and potentially deadly. But just because fire can be unsafe doesn't mean that it is always bad. Fire is a very helpful asset to humanity as it warms our houses, cooks our food, and does other essential things. The point I want to make here is not to do away with fire, but to teach a healthy fear and respect for its power. In the same way, God's holiness, justice, and jealousy are beneficial as well as dangerous. Remember, God will not be mocked.
To try and understand better into the realism of what honoring God meant in the early days of the faith, we go to the book of Leviticus 8-10. Two priests, Nadab and Abihu, listen to what they did. “Nadab and Abihu each took his censer [something like a dish or fireholder] and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So, fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord, then the Lord spoke to the High Priest, “By those who come near Me, I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.”
According to Gods laws, only the priests were allowed to enter the temple and offer a sacrifice, an atonement for the sins of the people. To do this, steps had to be taken. Honoring and Glorifying God was paramount without exception. The priests were cleansed from head to toe, they could only enter at a specific time and only wear specific clothing. To access God directly was forbidden. God did not live constantly in spirit with mankind, all because of sin which was not fully taken care of. It took a far more precious event to take care of the sin problem. Guess what that event was? Christ death and resurrection. The willing blood sacrifice, an atonement, for all our sin.
Now think of this friends, in order for us to become living stones, sin had to be dealt with. Gods’ presence cannot be amongst evil, God cannot look upon sin. The prophet Habakkuk tells us “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.” Prophet Isaiah tells us “But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” The Psalms tells us “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil can dwell with You.”
Where sin is, God cannot dwell. But there is a, a cure, by way of Jesus, His only son. It is Gods ever-loving presence to those who know Him, who serves Him, who worships Him, who call Him lord and savior with not just with their lips, but with every ounce of strength, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the greatest commandment, Jesus tells us.
Under the New Covenant, believers are called to offer spiritual sacrifices to God directly. By what Jesus has done for each of us, God can NOW dwell with us fully and wholly—we now have direct access to Christ only by way of the Cross—what Christ done for each of us. Listen to these words from Hebrews, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, [sinful flesh] but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.”
We can rest assured friends that our foundation is built on nothing less, than Jesus Christ and His righteousness. In us becoming living stones, we need a foundation, a solid rock onto which to stand, and as Peter tells us, we now have a cornerstone we can build upon. Behold, I am laying in Zion [Jerusalem] a choice stone, a precious cornerstone, And the one who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers, “A stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief cornerstone,”
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians tells us, “In whom Christ the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
Notice the term, grows that is used here. As we are to becoming living stones, with Christ as our foundation, we are to grow in His likeness; become like Christ in every essence of the word. Nowhere does it say to remain stagnant, useless or avoid Christ in any way. Guess what all of this means friends? We are worthy to be called Christians, servants, Holy priesthood, all because what Christ done on the Cross and what we chose to do in having faith in Him by way of the Cross, and most importantly, as in what prophet Isaiah says in chapter 28, Christ was chosen by God to be the chief cornerstone. No one else can take His place.
Becoming living stones is sort of a hard concept to understand I know. Think of it this way. Gods laws that Moses brought down from mount Sinai was written in stone. However, the law was not of stone but alive as a living testimony of who He is and who we are to be. So this morning, let me try to give you a few steps and pointers to pray and consider when trying to work towards becoming living stones.
One, is the mere fact that like Jesus, these stones will be rejected by men. What ever we try to accomplish in Christs name, no matter how powerful, mankind and its sin will reject the light of God. But rest assured friends, what man rejects, God accepts period.
Another is the various descriptions that a community of believers in Christ, is one community! We serve God under one faith, one Lord, one baptism. When we Honor, Worship and Glorify Christ Jesus, we are one community. We are an exclusive race of people, a royal priesthood. Jesus tells us “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”
Then its understood that being part of this community, it is not a social club. You can’t come to this club with the finest outfits, best tithings, top notch jobs expecting better treatment, more perks, better service. Its sole proprietary is God and the cornerstone if Jesus, and we, who are amongst that community of believers, are called to ‘house’ His spirit, to be part of the effort and belong to God period, along with being persecuted for Christs sake.
Then our identity will change. From being part of the world, to being of God. I remember watching the Men in Black movie. When will smith, also known as agent J, took the job as secret agent, he was put under different stations where there would be no identifying marks of any kind on his body to distinguish him from others, even fingerprints. When we house the Holy Spirit, there is only room for Him and nothing else! We become a new creature in Christ, a new creation when we ‘genuinely’ put Him on, and He lives within us. There is no room for something else.
Far too often do we hear or read about how some people really believe it’s their ‘own’ goodness and ‘own’ works that give them the upper hand in gaining Gods favor or saving their life. If you just think about it friends, God has sole authority over admission at the doorway. If you do not have the correct ticket, you will not enter. That ticket can ONLY be given to you by God, not what we have done, but what He has done for us. Amen.
In closing friends, list to this, A stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief cornerstone,” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” Jesus will either be the chief cornerstone of our lives, or He will be the stone we stumble over. There is no being neutral concerning Jesus. To mold to the world is to reject Christ.
What shall we do? How are we to keep the spirit alive?
A little 9-year-old girl came home from VBS one day. She proudly told her parents and little brother that, "Jesus is living in my heart now!" Mom and Dad were so proud, and made a big deal out of it.
Later that day, her little brother said something she didn’t like, and she hauled off and knocked the soup out of him! He didn’t know much about church, but he knew a Christian shouldn’t act like that! He said, "I thought you said Jesus was living in your heart?"
She replied, "He is, but He’s asleep right now!"
Do NOT let our spirit fall asleep. Let us stay alert, awake and aware that God is part of who we are by worshiping, serving and honoring Him all of our days. As Joshua said so very clearly, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Amen.