I Peter 2:4-10
Introduction:
It is very important to understand the point Peter is revealing in these verses. He wants his readers to understand the "big picture" of serving God before he gives them the day by day detail of just exactly how true service is given to God. The "big picture" is given in verses 4-10 and the detail of day by day living begins to be discussed in verse 11.
If a person doesn't understand the "big picture", he will fail to understand why he should or shouldn't do a certain thing. He won't understand the purpose behind his actions, or the true consequences of his actions.
Beginning in I Peter 2:11 and continuing throughout the remainder of the book, Peter gives instructions for day by day living. It is very possible for a person to live according to these instructions and not understand why he must do a certain thing, or not do a certain thing. Peter doesn't want his readers to do that. His desire is that they be "fully grown Christian", serving God day by day because they understand the true consequences of their actions. This way, their purposes in religion will be right, and people watching their daily lives will glorify God "in the day of visitation", instead of thinking these "Christians" are completely out of their mind.
The verses before us give two views of the Saviour: that of the believer and that of the unbeliever. To the believer, Christ is everything and nothing is lacking. To the unbeliever, Christ is nothing, and lacks everything. To the believer, Christ is the living stone, the chosen of God, exceedingly precious. To the unbeliever, Christ is disallowed: they disapprove of Him, reject Him, repudiate {disown} Him. He is a stone of stumbling, a rock of offence; they stumble at His Word because they were appointed to this purpose.
Verse 4, To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
I. To whom coming.
A. This is not Christ coming to us, or of Christ's return to this earth at the rapture.
B. This is us coming to Christ.
1. The only way we will come to Christ is for Him to first draw us to Himself.
2. This coming is not just coming to Christ for salvation, but continually coming to Christ for all the things of life.
3. It is necessary to first come to Christ for salvation before coming for anything else.
II. There are a few that come to the living Christ, while the mass of mankind refuse to believe.
A. It is remarkable that men reject that which has been chosen of God.
1. Total Depravity is exactly that - total.
2. A person cannot believe the truth, because it is enmity to him.
B. Living stone
1. It is no more difficult to understand the "Living Stone" than it is to understand the "Living Water" of John 4:10, or the "Living Word" of John 1:14.
2. They all point to a life outside the flesh, given by God the Father through Jesus Christ by means of the Holy Spirit.
C. Christ is here called the stone.
1. John 1:42 - Jesus named Simon Peter "Cephas", which means a stone.
2. Peter is a little stone, while Jesus is a large unmovable rock.
3. The fact that Peter refers to Christ as a stone shows that he believes Christ built the church upon Himself, not upon Peter.
Verse 5, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
I. Lively stones.
A. Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone, and the apostles are the foundation of the New Jerusalem.
B. The individual people that make up the church of the Lord Jesus Christ are the lively stones that make the church a living organism.
1. Just as Peter was a little stone, so all the individual stones together make up the local church.
2. All these little stones are alive through the blood of Christ, thus the church is alive.
II. Note that the time of the Levitical Priesthood is over.
A. There is no doubt that Peter's writings (a Jew) will be read by other Jews. They should understand that the days of animal sacrifice is over.
B. The holy priesthood is the spiritual house.
1. The church building is not the spiritual house, but the people inside who are worshipping God.
2. People are no longer required to offer sacrifice at Jerusalem, or any other place.
3. The temple at Jerusalem has been replaced with many places of worship.
4. Any place two or three of God's children are gathered together in the name (authority) of Jesus, He is there with them.
C. Spiritual sacrifices.
1. The types of offering given by the Jews at Jerusalem has been fulfilled in Christ.
2. It is no longer necessary to shed the blood of innocent animals as a symbol of forgiven sinfulness.
3. Christ took care of all that on Calvary.
III. Acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
A. There was a time when God accepted the animal sacrifices, which represented the coming sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
B. When Jesus paid the price on Calvary, the animal sacrifices were continued by the Jews, but they were unacceptable by God because Jesus was not included.
Verse 6, Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
I. The Old Testament passage is Isaiah 28:16, Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
A. Eph. 2:20 tells us that Jesus Christ Himself is the chief corner stone.
B. Chief and corner means the same thing. That Christ is placed at the extreme corner, and the remaining parts of the building are built upon its strength.
C. Elect means chosen by God for this position.
1. There is no higher position available because of the great responsibility of this position.
2. If Christ falls, all will fall.
II. He that believeth shall not be confounded.
A. Believeth means more than a superficial "head" belief.
1. That kind of belief will leave the "believer" ashamed and confused.
2. True belief in Christ also involves a loving, confident, reliant, dependent, trust that Christ will keep us safe in all circumstances of life.
B. Confounded means ashamed.
1. Others will never be able to make the person ashamed who places their all on Him.
2. The person who puts their trust in Christ shall never be ashamed he places his all on Him.
Verse 7, Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
I. The preciousness of Christ is directly related to whether or not we believe.
II. Even though there are those that are unbelievers, that didn't stop God from making Christ the head of the corner.
Verse 8, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
I. Stone of stumbling.
A. Jesus Christ is a stumbling block to unbelievers, an obstacle in the way which if one strikes his foot against he stumbles or falls; that over which a soul stumbles i.e. by which is caused to sin.
1. Unbelievers will each come to the place where they will know about Jesus Christ.
2. They won't go to hell without stumbling over Jesus Christ.
II. Rock of offence.
A. Christ is a rock: the word is Petra, a large stone that cannot escape our attention.
1. To believers, He is the Rock of Ages, the hope of all our salvation and life.
2. To unbelievers, He is that which is totally abhorred and to be avoided at all costs.
B. Offence.
1. The movable stick or trigger of a trap, a trap stick; a trap, snare; any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall, (a stumbling block, occasion of stumbling) i.e. a rock which is a cause of stumbling, fig.
2. Applied to Jesus Christ, whose person and career were so contrary to the expectations of the Jews concerning the Messiah, that they rejected him and by their obstinacy made shipwreck of their salvation.
3. Any person or thing by which one is (entrapped) drawn into error or sin
III. Stumble at the word, being disobedient.
A. The Word of God didn't cause them to stumble, but their being disobedient caused them to stumble at His Word.
1. Luke 7:30 - The Pharisees rejected the counsel of God against them because they didn't have the baptism of John.
IV. whereunto also they were appointed.
A. See also Jude 4, where ungodly men were of old ordained to this condemnation!
B. Does this mean that God predestinated some people to go to heaven and some to go to hell, like John Calvin believed? NO!!
1. This erroneous viewpoint has caused a lot of people to reject or have a perverted viewpoint of the Bible doctrines of Total Depravity, Predestination, Unconditional Election, Irresistible Grace, Limited Atonement, and Whosoever Will.
2. If we start out with a wrong premise of where people come from, we will have a perverted viewpoint of some Bible doctrines.
3. The Bible says in Matt. 13 24-30 (The parable of the tares) that Satan came and sowed tares in the field where Jesus had sowed good seed.
a. The tares are the children of the devil and the good seed are the children of God.
b. God did not have to predestinate the tares to destruction, because they were never His children, but the children of Satan.
c. This would be the sheep and the goats. There are lost sheep (who will be saved) and saved sheep (who are already saved) and goats (who will never be saved).
d. We can't tell the difference, and there is no need for us to try, or to worry ourselves about whether our children or loved ones are sheep or goats.
e. We ought to be diligent to give them the gospel and let God's Holy Spirit convict them, so they will be saved.
f. Matt. 13:43 - When this parable is explained, Do you have ears to hear?
C. The word "appointed" is from the Greek "tithemi" and refers to an appointment to any form of service.
1. This appoint is based on the fact of past performance.
2. Matt. 24:51 - The unfaithful minister will be appointed his portion with the hypocrites because he failed to remain faithful to the commands of Christ. and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
3. Heb. 1:1,2 - Christ has been appointed heir to all things, because of His faithful carrying out of all His Father's commands. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Verse 9, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
I. God has made us these very special things to Himself.
A. A chosen generation.
1. The elect of God are a special group of people on this earth that represents God Himself.
2. All the elect of God will think and act the same way, because they are of the same family.
B. A royal priesthood.
1. The elect are a royal people because they are adopted into the very family of God.
2. Christ is the Great High Priest, and we are all priest under Him.
C. A holy nation.
1. Holy means a most pure thing before God.
2. The word nation does speak of Israel, but of the aggregate collection of all the saints of God put together like their were a nation.
a. They have many things in common like the various citizens of a nation has in common.
b. Their king is Jesus and their desire is to obey and serve Him.
D. A peculiar people.
1. Peculiar doesn't mean odd, but that which is purchased or obtained, as Christ has purchased us to Himself.
2. People refers to all of the believers who are of the same stock and language.
II. The reason Christ has made us all the above things.
A. The people of this world won't read their Bibles, but they will read our lives.
1. We are the only Bible many folks will ever have.
2. Let us realize this, and live before them as graciously as we know how, letting our lights shine in the local churches in this sin darkened world, giving God all the glory and honor for using our unworthy souls.
B. So we will be able to praise His worthy name for all the marvelous blessings He has so willingly bestowed upon us, who are so unworthy.
1. We will praise God while we live on this earth.
2. We will continue to praise God throughout all eternity.
Verse 10, Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
I. The Jews were considered the people of God, but they rejected Christ and He turned to the Gentiles, which became a people of God.
A. Every Gentile is not a part of the people of God, but only those that have believed.
1. I should note that in the beginning a saving belief in Christ as personal saviour was always followed by faithfulness in the Lord's church.
2. As time has gone by, a perverted gospel has lead to much confusion.
3. There are those that say they believe, but refuse to be a member of one of the Lord's local churches or to serve Him faithfully.
4. They make all kinds of excuses for their failures, seeking to justify themselves in the eyes of man.
B. Romans 11:11-15 - God turned from 2% of the world (the Jews) and to the 98% (Gentiles).