In order to fully understand the nature and function of the Church, it's imperative that we understand who Jesus is. Today on Truth for Life, we'll explore the Apostle Peter's description of Christ and discover the divine consequences of either responding to Him in faith or rejecting with unbelief.
Alistair Begg is teaching from 1 Peter chapter 2. We're looking at verses 4 through 10. Well, last time we left it at the third verse of this second chapter, and we noticed that Christian growth begins with a taste. That taste, we said, was a life-giving taste and also a life-changing taste.
We noted that the taste was personal but that it wasn't private. And as he comes to the fourth verse, Peter changes metaphors. And as he begins to pick up on this new metaphor, he further reminds his readers that although they have come to Christ singly, that they do not live in him separately. And in this section, beginning with verse 4 and through to about the tenth verse, Peter provides for us another description of what it means to become a Christian and at the same time the implications of having done so.
Now, what I'd like to do is try and gather our study around three headings. First of all, by noticing the description of Jesus, which these verses provide. First of all, Jesus is described here in verse 4 as the living stone. The living stone. We're all aware of statues and great shrines that have been erected to religious figures in the past, and indeed, we can go throughout the world and find people embodied in marble. And yet, the wonder of Christian proclamation is this—that unlike a Buddha who may be enshrined in marble or in granite, Jesus Christ will never be found explained in those terms.
Because this Jesus, whom we worship this morning, is in fact the living stone. And it was this truth which transformed the disciples after the events of Calvary. You remember how John describes for us—and you can read it actually in John chapter 20 and in verse 19—that the disciples were so overcome and so discouraged by the events of Good Friday that they had gathered by themselves away from all the proceedings, away from everybody else.
And in John 20 19, it's recorded for us that on the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews. So here they were, Easter time, and this band of people who had followed in the train of Christ, who had seen his miraculous powers, who had heard his words, had all got together in a little group, hidden away, in case just possibly the same event should follow them as had impacted Jesus Christ. Now, I ask you this morning, those of you who are on the question and fringes of faith, to what do you attribute the radical transformation between the disciples cowardly hiding in a corner and Peter on the streets of Jerusalem in Acts chapter 2, declaring to these same Jews, of whom only days before he'd been afraid, in verse 24, but God raised Jesus from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Verse 15 of chapter 3, You, he says to these same Jewish people, killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead, and we are witnesses of this. And since you're so concerned about how this crippled man is walking and running and jumping all around Jerusalem, he said, you might as well know, by faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name, and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him as you can all see. So the first thing that we discover here this morning that we need to affirm is that Jesus Christ is the living stone, that he is living because he is resurrected from the dead.
And this transformation was what put strength in the backbone of Peter. Secondly, we're told that he is chosen by God, and he is precious to God. That's still in verse 4. We've already seen that the work of redemption was conceived in eternity. You'll notice verse 20 of chapter 1, He, Jesus, was chosen before the creation of the world. And now, again, Peter uses this same word. He's rejected by men, but he's chosen by God.
This is not something that we are just to skim over. This is a reminder to us of the eternity of Christ, that he, along with the Father and the Spirit, are co-equal in all of eternity. And somehow, in the mystery of it all, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit entered into a covenant, as it were, with one another. And the Father said to the Son, Now, Son, you are going to be the Savior. And the Son, submitting to the Father's purposes, proceeds down that road. And it is because of that that Peter is able to say of Jesus, This Jesus is the chosen one, precious to the Father. You've got children.
You know what it is for them to be precious to you. Do not let us denude the familial relationship of the Trinity of its truth. When God looked from heaven and he saw his Son Jesus at his baptism—do you remember what he said? That's my boy. This is my beloved Son.
Listen to him. This is my beloved Son. In him, I am well pleased.
I love him. He has been chosen by me, and he is precious to me. He's not only the living stone. He is chosen by God, precious to God. And thirdly, he is a precious cornerstone.
Verse 6, quoting the Old Testament again, See, I lay in Zion a chosen and precious cornerstone. Those of you who are the building trade here this morning will know much more about these things than ever I could learn from reading books. You know how vitally important it is that in the construction of homes or whatever buildings they might be, that the foundational elements, that the pieces that go in first need to be set absolutely correctly, need to be in line, because everything else will take the line from that. And that is exactly the picture that is given here. And that stone was placed in first, and it was put absolutely accurately so that all the other stones might be flowing out from the line and foundation that was given.
The angle of the walls and the nature of what was built were on the basis of this. And that is exactly the vital truth that we need to hear this morning. As we think of the church, it's the church of Jesus Christ, right? It's the church of Jesus. He is the foundation, precious cornerstone. We need look for no other around him, before him, or after him. And it is to Christ we must bow in obedience, irrespective of those who war against his worth. Verse 7, he is not only a precious cornerstone, but he is the capstone.
Now, the picture changes here a little bit, because the capstone in the architecture of this day was in the middle of an archway, so that you build the archway, and right there in the centerpiece of it was the capstone, which was vitally and strategically put in place. A reminder, too, is of a simple, vital truth, that Jesus is not only the cornerstone upon which and from which the whole church is developed, but he is also the key piece in the archway, that he is the head of the church, that to him goes all the glory, to him belongs all the power, to his words, in his words lie all the significance. And so this morning our gaze must be drawn to him.
Above his name there is no other name at all. He is, fifthly, a stumbling stone. Verse 8, he's not only the cornerstone and the capstone, but he is a stumbling stone.
To whom? To those who meet him and who reject him. Once a man or a woman has come face to face with a claim of Jesus Christ, they can never be the same again. Once a man or a woman has been confronted by Jesus—not confronted just by church, not confronted by religion, but confronted by Christ—Jesus will become to them either the precious stone to whom they run, or he will become the stumbling stone over which they trip. Because they will never, ever be able to say again, I didn't understand the gospel.
They will never, ever be able to say, I'm not sure I understand what it means, the good news and the story of his death and of his resurrection. And so it is that today Jesus Christ is a stone that causes men to stumble. He's a rock that makes them fall. Secondly, I want you to notice the reaction to him.
The reaction to him. The first phrase of verse 4 describes for us a coming to him. Simple little phrase, as you come to him.
There's a wealth wrapped up in this. You remember Jesus in Matthew 11? He gives that lovely invitation. He says, Come to me.
Come to me. All you that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And there are people in worship this morning, and that's just you. You didn't come in with carrier bags jammed full of stuff.
Not literally, but metaphorically so. You brought your baggage to worship this morning. You're burdened. You're weary. You're pressed down. You've got more questions than you have answers. You're trailing it behind you. People don't know why it is that your smile seems so insincere.
But it's because deep in your heart you cannot deal with this. Well, I've got good news for you this morning. The precious cornerstone has issued an invitation. It's broad, it's general, and it's open.
You do not need a special card printed by a special press with a special number on the back. But rather, he is calling out to individuals, Hey, come to me. Come to me. And you know what I'll do? I'll take your carrier bags filled with your burdens and filled with your sins and filled with your rebellions and filled with your identity crisis, and I will give you rest. I'll show you what life is really all about.
I will answer the insoluble questions that you face. Did you ever come to Jesus Christ? The coming to him conveys the notion of an intention to stay and a desire to enjoy fellowship. The word in verse 6 is the word trust. The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. The word in verse 7 is believe.
The one who believes will find the stone to be precious. If you don't believe, you'll never say Jesus is precious. It is belief which makes him precious. So, one reaction to Jesus is to come to him. To come to him is to trust in him. To come to him is to believe in him.
Not simply to believe that he existed, but to put all my weight and my confidence and my trust on the fact that when he said that, he came to give sight to the blind, that he came to heal, that he came to do all these things, that it was actually true. When I come to Jesus, I am saying, Lord Jesus, I rest my life, my destiny, my eternity in this truth. That's what it means to become a Christian, coming to Jesus, coming to trust him, coming to believe into him. And when a man or a woman comes to trust solely in Christ, then it involves no longer trusting in other things. It means that I no longer trust in my good reputation, or I no longer trust in my creedal ability to observe truth, that I no longer trust in my righteous deeds.
But I recognize that I must lay aside all that trust in order to trust in him. That is salvation. That is coming to Christ. That is trusting. That is believing. That's good news.
That's the reaction one. It is a coming to Christ that leads to being built into the church, will you notice? We do not become joined to Christ simply by entering the church.
Notice that in passing. You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house. So in other words, first we come to the living stone, and our lives are changed, and then he builds us into his church. That's why it's interesting that some people have this notion that the corporate dimension of worship and of fellowship and of praise is somehow a triviality. Now, he writes to those who believe and to whom Jesus becomes precious.
But not all did that. There was another reaction to Jesus, and there remains so. Verse 4, as you come to him, the living stone, here's the other reaction, rejected by men. Wasn't this the great sadness of Jesus on the occasion of his triumphal entry? Jesus comes, explains to his disciples what's going on. They don't fully grasp the picture. He gets the donkey, he starts to ride on it, and it goes nuts in Jerusalem.
And the people come, and they lay down the palm branches, and they wave, and they shout, and they sing. But Jesus saw beyond that. He saw a few days beyond that. He saw to the fact that many of the cries of praise were hollow. And there was great sadness in his heart to realize that many who today said, Hail him who comes, King of the Jews, were also going to join a matter of a week later and shout, Crucify him! We wouldn't have this man!
We'd rather have Barabbas! The rejection was about to come from the lips of some who praised, and it was already in the lips of some who should have known better. Remember the Pharisees? They said to Jesus, Hey, you tell your disciples to stop all this singing here. Remember Jesus said to them, If I told them to stop, the stones would start to sink, because God in Christ will be greatly praised. And Jesus gathers himself and looks over Jerusalem, and he weeps.
And he says, How often would I have gathered you, as a hen gathers her chicks, and you wouldn't come to me? He says, If only you, Jerusalem, had known today what it is that makes for peace! You know, there's a sense in which Jesus still cries over Jerusalem, right?
I mean, literally over the Jerusalem of the Middle East. And still he yearns for the salvation of those to whom he came, who rejected him. And one day before he comes back, there will be a massive turning of Jewish people, even in the streets of Jerusalem, to faith in this same Jesus.
And the streets will again cry out his praise. But in the meantime, he weeps over their rejection. And notice what he says here, that once a man or a woman, verse 8, sets themselves against Christ, they discover that he who had offered to be for them is now against them. And this is the outworking of judgment on unbelief.
That's the explanation of the phrase which is also what they were destined for. You are destined for salvation as you come and place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and you are destined for judgment as you turn against him in rejection. There is a divine consequence, if you like, to faith, and there is a divine consequence to unbelief. And hence, it is a reminder to us, lest when we hear the voice of God, we harden our hearts.
Loved ones, there may not be a tomorrow, there may not be a next week. That's why the Bible says, Now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. For there could be no more tragic phrase to hear from the voice of God than this, Have it your own way.
And the Word says that God's Spirit will not always strive with man. That's why when you hear the Word of God proclaimed or someone shares Christ with you, and in your heart there is a stirring and there is a desire to come to Christ, may I urge you to do that today? The description of Jesus, the reaction to Jesus, and finally, just in a moment, the transformation that is wrought by Jesus.
Let me give you four phrases in summary here. What happens when Jesus Christ comes to reign within our lives? Number one, he puts us together.
Verse 5, you also like living stones or being built into a spiritual house. These individuals, we as individuals, were once without hope. We were without God. We were without mercy. We didn't belong.
We were kind of lost. And when we came to Christ, we discovered that he put us together, brought us into a relationship with himself and into a relationship with one another. Let us then beware of those who describe themselves as freelance Christians. There are no freelance Christians.
There is no solo flying to heaven. You come to Christ, you come to church. In this sense, 1 Peter 2.4 sense. So he brings us together. He puts us together. Secondly, he puts us in place. He puts us in place to be something. Do you want to be something? God in Christ will make you be something. You'll be a holy priesthood.
Is that good? Let me tell you, that's fantastic. To the Jewish mind, the priesthood was rarified, dignified, codified. There were only a few that could ever aspire to it. Jesus comes along and says, hey, you're all priests. You can all do it. You can all come right in here.
You can all worship me. You can all sacrifice. That's why, when he died, the curtain, the veil, was torn right through so that access into the presence of God might be available to everyone. That holiness and priesthood is a privilege of all. Thirdly, he puts us to work so that we, still in verse 5, might offer spiritual sacrifices.
What are the spiritual sacrifices? Well, first of all, your work is a spiritual sacrifice. Did you know that? You say, hey, wait, wait, wait a minute. You don't know where I work. Well, I know where some of you work.
Don't forget this. You are offering up to God a spiritual sacrifice of worship in your work. That's sacrifice. In your worship, that's sacrifice. We can't worship unless there is a sacrificial element to it. We don't worship, jingling the change in our pockets. We worship as we offer sacrifice.
And our very lives are a sacrifice. So he puts us together, he puts us in place, he puts us to work, and finally, he puts us to witness, so that we might, back down in verses 9 and 10, declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. And so, in these verses, Peter provides the answer to the believer who's asking the question, where do I fit and how do I function? Do you know where you fit? Close to Jesus. Do you know how you function? In service to Jesus.
Do you know that God's architecture is biological, and he is building us into this precious cornerstone? Let me finalize this by asking you a question. Are you trusting Jesus, or are you tripping over Jesus?
You're either trusting or you're tripping. There's no abstention on the ballot. You can't write for, against, or abstain.
Abstain means against. Have you come to him, the living stone? Then go for him. And so this morning, I'm either a mission field or I'm a missionary. I'm either coming to him or I'm going for him. And the one to whom I come, and the one for whom I go, is none other than Jesus Christ, the precious cornerstone. Unto you this morning who believe he is precious.
You're listening to Truth for Life with Alistair Begg. You know, the more we love and trust Jesus, the more we want to know about him. And if you've not yet requested the book we're recommending called The Glorious Christ, let me encourage you to do so today. The book is yours when you donate to support the ministry of Truth for Life.
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