Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Sunday September 20, 2009

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Living Stones

1 Peter 2:4-10

And coming…this is part of a series – 1:17 conduct yourself in fear/ 1:22 love one another/2:2 long for the spiritually pure milk/2:4 come to Jesus

This passage points us to Jesus as a…
 

    * Living Stone  4

In the OT you came to a dead stone - 10 commandments.  The law didn’t impart life, but death.  Paul says that the law stirred up in him a desire to sin, then sin killed him.  Tell someone “No” and they want to do the exact opposite.  Eli/Sophie – don’t sneeze/say a word…”ferocious beast”.

The dead stones became deadly stones.  Law - stoning for sin.

  “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 

The dead stone became a weapon – throw the law at her/throw the book at her.  The Law didn’t impart life, but death.  Classic confrontation – the dead stone of the Law/Jesus the living stone.  Where the dead stone of the Law brought death, Jesus, the living stone, imparted life to her.

The 10 commandments on stone called for a performance based relationship w/ God.  When you don’t live up to what the dead stone says, the stone becomes a weapon against you.  When you have a law based religion, you are always throwing stones at people.  This is what religion does – it becomes a weapon.  Law: throw stones at enemies/Jesus: give grace to enemies.  He doesn’t throw stones, He becomes a shelter.

    * Rejected stone  4,7

A stone was brought to Solomon’s temple that didn’t seem to fit/ discarded/ later found to be the stone that knit the 2 walls together. 

They looked at Jesus and said that He couldn’t possibly be the Messiah, the Son of God.  As far as they were concerned, He didn’t fit the expectations they had.  Have you rejected Christ?

    * Choice and Precious Cornerstone  6

The cornerstone had to be precisely cut so that the vertical/horizontal stones fit together properly.  Eph. 2:14-21  Jesus fits us w/ God/man. 

You are building your life upon a foundation.  You may not even know what it is – but if we look under you, we’ll see it.  “Eat, drink, be merry…”  Wealth is satisfaction/security.  A life of virtue is a life well lived.  Which foundation can w/stand ‘the big one’? – death/ eternity.  We’re all waiting for ‘the big one’ around here.  Ultimately, Christ is the only one you can build on.  Come and build your life on Jesus Christ – a Jesus movement – you won’t be disappointed.

    * Stumbling stone  7-8

…he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”  Matthew 21:44

The ones who reject/stumble/are offended at Jesus Christ will be stoned, but, in essence, they stone themselves.  Quaker: “I mean thee no harm, but thou standeth where I am about to shoot.”  You are standing in a place of judgment/stoning.  Come to Christ!

This passage points to us a temple built upon Jesus Christ…

    * A temple is built of some kind of material

1K5 – Huge stones quarried by the workers for the temple - had to be hauled and put into place w/ grunts/groans of the laborers.  Living stones move themselves!  I wish we had living chairs!  (Let’s all move closer.  Chairs that could stack themselves.)  Living stones not only want to come to Jesus, they want to come together.

As I come to Jesus, as I get closer to Christ, I draw nearer to you.  For some, that’s a real problem because when we come together we bump up against each other.  God uses others to knock off our rough edges/sand us down/polish us. 

Also, when the stones were brought from quarry to temple, they were locked into place.  We don’t like that – we value our freedom.  We resist the demands of relationship.  I’m convinced that the more spiritually mature you are, the greater your involvement in a local church.  Because people are so apprehensive of commitment the church looks like a tumble of stones instead temple of living stones.

There was cedar on the house within, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen. 1K6:18

The stones were covered w/ cedar wood carved into flowers.  You are the stones and the carved cedar is the work of the Holy Spirit.  It pictures a fruitful life by the power of the Spirit.  Nothing of natural life is to be on display.  Problem: I want people to see me.  But people are to see Jesus.  Open flowers – the beauty and fragrance of Christ in the believer’s life.  In your life, things are to open up and grow and bear fruit.

Something happens when the stones come together.  You weren’t overlaid w/ cedar unless you were fitted w/ those around you.  There is a greater beauty of Christ in those who are built together as a spiritual temple.  Start w/ stones and end up w/ a garden. 

    * A temple must have priests  5/9

Priest: consecrated to God.  Different names for the priests: chosen race/royal priesthood/holy nation/people for God’s own possession.  We are all priests – not the achievement of some, but the privilege of all. 

    * The priests must have sacrifices  5/9

The priests must offer up sacrifice (not works, not blood offerings – but praise, for the work is done).  5 – spiritual sacrifices/9 – proclaim His excellencies. 

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.   Hebrews 13:15

10 – Have you received His mercy?  Come to Him/build house on rock.

Some decisions:

Will I come to Jesus?

Will I yield to the Holy Spirit as He makes me a part of the church?