Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Church: A Community of Resident Aliens \\ 1 Peter 2:4-12*

 

 

 

Open your Bibles to 1 Peter … chapter 2. …

In 1 Peter 2 … Peter does something which might seem a little unusual.

… He compares Jesus to a living stone … and he talks about Christians as stones which are being built together into a great temple.

… So Jesus is *the living stone* … and God’s kingdom is being built stone by stone.

{POINT OUT PEOPLE} … As God puts us all together.

Even though this might sound a little strange … these images are frequent in scripture.

… God is called our rock.

… Jesus is the rock of ages.

… In Daniel God’s kingdom is called a “rock cut out without hands.”

So God is a rock.

… God’s kingdom is a rock.

… These images are common in the OT … and Peter picks them up in our text.

1 Peter 2:4-12 says … *{PP} (1 Peter 2:4-12)* … “As you come to him … the living Stone—rejected by men … but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you *also* … like living stones … are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood … offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

*{PP} (1 Peter 2:4-12) *6 For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion … a chosen and precious cornerstone … and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

7 Now to you who believe … this stone is *precious*.

… [PAUSE]

*{PP} (1 Peter 2:4-12) *But to those who do not believe … “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone” … 8 and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

*{PP} (1 Peter 2:4-12)*

9 But *you* are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

*{PP} (1 Peter 2:4-12)*

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world … to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

*{PP} (Blank)*

Last week we looked at a few verses in this same chapter when we talked about the priesthood of all believers.

This morning I’d like for us to look at this text again.

This time we’ll focus on how we relate to those outside of the church.

… How do we live … (as Jesus talks about) … “*in*” the world … without being “*of*” the world?

… The answer is that the church is a community of *resident aliens*.

But before we get there … I’d like to *first* explore this image of the church as living stones being built together.

*Then* we’ll talk about how we are to live in relation to the world.

… The church is supposed to live in a certain tension.

… “*In*” the world … but not “*of*” the world.

… Most Christians are uncomfortable with this tension and so they seek to resolve it.

But we’re not supposed to resolve it.

… We’re supposed to live in the tension.

… That’s where we are heading today.

But first … let’s talk about the church.

Verse 5 says … “you also … like living stones … are being built into a spiritual house.”

It’s easy to build with bricks.

… Every brick is identical.

You just slap them together.

… That’s *not* how God builds.

God is a craftsman.

… An artist.

We know this from the way He has designed human beings.

Each human being is unique … “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

… That’s how He builds the church too.

… He doesn’t slap a bunch of bricks together.

… He carefully fits just the right stones together.

… You are not here by accident.

… You’re here for a reason.

And God builds His church.

… And this is a constant job.

… Notice it says you “are *being* built.”

… It’s a work in progress.

Every stone in a wall is dependant on all the others.

… Right?

… What would happen if you pulled out one of the stones in the middle?

… The whole thing would come crashing down.

Sean Haase builds retaining walls.

… (“Sean … you know about having to rebuild an entire wall if one stone is removed … don’t you?”)

If the Apostle Peter is right … and he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

… (So … he’s right) … then every single one of you is a vitally important part of this “spiritual house” God is building.

Every stone is important.

If you’re a stone … then you’re built in and around lots of other stones.

… And they are dependant on you.

… If you’re pulled out … they will crash.

… And you’re dependant on them too.

The imagery is one of *deep* interdependence.

… This is so foreign to us.

We live in an age where a lot of Christians just “go to church.”

… They sit under the teaching.

… Maybe serve in an occasional ministry.

… But they’re *not* being built into each others lives.

Are you letting God build you into the lives of others?

… Are you in a small group where this is happening?

… Where you’re dependant on one other?

… Where you share in each others struggles?

… Where you’re growing together?

… Where … if you stop coming … the thing will collapse?

Peter calls the dwelling that’s created when *all* the stones are built together … a spiritual house.

… A *temple*.

… *That’s* the dwelling in which God resides.

I hope you’re not expecting God to be active in your life apart from living *deeply* connected to other believers … (apart from community).

… You’ll never really know God as an individual.

… You can’t.

… I don’t care how good your quiet times are.

… You *have* to know Him in community with other believers.

C. S. Lewis illustrates this in a wonderful little book called /The Four Loves/.

It was one of the first Christian books I ever read when I came to Christ about twenty-five years ago.

… In his chapter on friendship he talks about a group of friends that he had.

It was a very close group of friends … and one of the friends … Charles … died.

… And \\ C. S. Lewis writes … “In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out.

… By myself I’m not large enough to call any person completely into activity.

I want other lights … than my own … to show off the facets.

Now that Charles is gone … I will never again see Ronald’s reaction to a specifically Charles joke.