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I want to invite you to grab a seat and grab a Bible as we get started this morning. And I want to join with Pastor Conrad and say we're just so glad that you're here with us this morning and so grateful that you decided to worship with us this morning.
If you're here for the first time or you call Living Oaks your home, we're genuinely just really excited to step into this season together.
And to pick up where we left off in our series together in 1 Peter chapter 2. So if you have your Bibles, turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 2 this morning. And as you turn there, take a couple moments this morning as we just kind of think about where we're going and what we'll be studying together today. Think with me for a couple of moments about things that are designed or things that are built from the ground up.
Things that are designed, things that are built from the ground up. You might think of things like Lego sets or Ikea furniture. You might think of play structures. You might think of skyscrapers. Things that are designed and things that are built literally from the ground up. And how they begin at ground level with a foundation and then there's framing and a structure. And then one day they're finally completed.
Unless, of course, they have missing pieces, right? Or broken pieces. Or a faulty foundation. Or even a lack of funding to complete the project. Have you ever been in a situation when you weren't able to... Finish building something from the ground up. Maybe you opened up the box of furniture all in pieces and you realize that there's missing pieces and now you're waiting at the customer service desk trying to return this half-built dresser or piece of furniture.
Maybe you lost a Lego piece with your five-year-old son and you can't finish building this Lego set from the ground up. Has anybody ever experienced not being able to complete building something from the ground up? It was a few weeks ago that my mailbox decided to get run over by my neighbor's trailer. And, you know, so there's this long story of how over the course of Two weeks, myself, my neighbor, my father, a church member, I mean, pretty much the whole community came together to try to rebuild this mailbox from the ground up.
We ordered some fancy one off the internet, and that was a bad idea because it was very complicated to build this thing from the ground up. It was on a piece of cement, and so, I mean, we're talking multiple impact drills, a Multiple screwdrivers, torque wrenches, we drilled two holes, four holes, six holes, eight holes, ten holes into the cement where the mailbox is supposed to go. There's bolts, there's nuts, there's washers.
We used pretty much every Milwaukee tool I could get my hands on to try to fix this thing to the ground. And weeks later and many, many, many trips to Home Depot later, our mailbox just barely made it by. And it was built from the ground up. And so I'm proud to show you my new mailbox. However, you don't have to applaud, I'm sorry. However, I'm showing you the top of the mailbox and not the bottom of the mailbox for a reason this morning.
Okay, now, there's the Axon mailbox, but then there's the Chicago Spire. Has anybody ever heard of the Chicago Spire before? I'm not surprised. You probably have never heard of the Chicago Spire because you've never seen the Chicago Spire before, have you? The Chicago Spire is an interesting story. It was planned as a 2,000-foot high-rise skyscraper right in the heart of Chicago. And it was supposed to be this 150-story spiral residential tower in downtown Chicago that would have been the tallest building
high-rise the tallest building in the entire Western Hemisphere. However, there's no such thing as the Chicago Spire. In fact, if you go to Chicago, what you'll find is not a 2,000-foot building, not 150 stories of residential mixed-use space. What you'll find is a 500-cubic-foot hole in the ground in downtown Chicago. Has anybody heard of the Chicago Spire or seen this hole? It's right where the Chicago River empties into Lake Michigan.
And it's a story of how they began building in 2007. And you all know what happened in 2008. And they weren't able to fund the project. They weren't able to finish the foundation of the project. They certainly weren't able to frame the project. They actually abandoned the project. And it was actually in 2004 that they filled that hole with dirt and cement, and it will never be completed. Now this morning, as we think about things that are built from the ground up, things that are barely built from the ground up, like a mailbox, and things that are maybe never built from the ground up, like the Chicago Spire, I want to talk to you today about a building project
project that is guaranteed to be built from the ground up, that is guaranteed to be completed, that is guaranteed to be finished because God himself is the builder and he calls you his building project. I want to turn with you to first Peter chapter two, and I want to consider the fact that there is a building project that God is constructing for And I'm going to show you three guarantees that this project is going to be completed because God himself is the builder and the cornerstone of this building.
And this building project is called the church. If you remember with me, we looked at Matthew chapter 16 before we began our study in first Peter and in Matthew chapter 16, Jesus says, I will build my church and And the gates of hell will not prevail against it. There is absolutely nothing that can get in the way of this building project being completed. And I just want to remind you today that while you may be under construction, God is not finished and he is working in you.
And Philippians chapter one, verse six says that God is going to bring the good work that he began in you to what? To completion. And I just want to give you hope today. I want to remind you today. I want to point your attention today to the fact that you are God's building project. You are being built from the ground up. And there are three ways that you can participate in this great building called the church.
In 1 Peter 2, verses 1 through 8, we're going to see three ways that God is building us from the ground up. Three ways that God is building you from the ground up. Three ways that God is inviting you and calling you to participate in being built up as his people and as his church. Because this is the only building project that will last forever and will one day be completed to enjoy forever. And that is God's people and that is God's church.
So three ways that God calls you and I together. To be built from the ground up. Number one, to grow up as his children. We're going to see in 1 Peter chapter 1. He uses a few different metaphors. And one is that of a child. And how we're called to grow up as his children, having been born again to a living hope. And then we're going to see in 1 Peter chapter 2 that we're called to build up his church.
We're being built up as his church, but we also need one another. And we're called to build one another up. as his body, as his church. And then lastly, we're going to see in 1 Peter 2 that we're called to stand upon his cornerstone. Now, Jesus, we're going to see, is the cornerstone of God's church. And each and every one of us is called to stand firmly rooted, firmly planted on the cornerstone, the chosen and precious cornerstone that God calls Jesus.
the cornerstone of his church. So let's look at 1 Peter 2, verses 1-8. Here's what I'd like to do. I'd like to read the text for you. I'd like to pray, and then we'll kind of work our way through these three ways that God is building us from the ground up. So 1 Peter 2 says this, So put away, Peter says, so put away all malice and all deceit, And hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, he says, long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow up into salvation.
If indeed you've tasted that the Lord is good, as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God, Chosen and precious. You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture. Behold, God says, right? I am laying in Zion
A stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious.
And whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. Peter concludes and says, they stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to. Would you join me in a word of prayer this morning? Father, we want to come before you and we want to come to you as this passage says.
And we want to be reminded of who you are and what you're doing. God, you are the builder of the house. Christ is the cornerstone of the structure. And we are your people and we are your building. And God, you are building a magnificent thing called the church. Each and every one of us play a critical role, a critical part as living stones in this grand Ephesus that you are constructing. And I pray, God, that you would build each and every one of us up in love.
So that we would know the precious and powerful parts that we play as we build our lives upon the chosen and precious cornerstone that is Jesus Christ. So Lord, help us to go from this place thinking about what would it look like this week to build our lives on the rock and to build our lives on Christ, the cornerstone and foundation of our lives. Or we just commit our time to you. And we pray all these things in Jesus' name.
And all God's people said, Amen. Well, this morning, I do want to welcome you to our church and to this series. And take just a couple of moments to acknowledge where we are in our study of this letter and where we are in the storyline of Scripture. We're in the New Testament. We're... We're in a letter called 1 Peter that was written by a person named Peter. Peter identifies himself in chapter 1 as an apostle and a disciple.
And we've been thinking a lot about who Peter was and why. And what his experiences were and how we can relate to him, right? Peter was the first disciple that Jesus called to follow him. But I've been arguing that Peter's really the most relatable disciple that Jesus called to follow him. Because Peter has these moments, right? He has these seasons of up and these seasons of down, these ups. moments when he gets it and these moments when he doesn't get it.
It's really a model, an example for you and I today of how the Christian life is not about perfection. The Christian life is about progress. It's a journey of ups and downs. You remember Peter? He had this moment where he fixed his eyes on Jesus and he what? Walked on the water. And then he took his eyes off of Jesus and what happened? He sunk into that water. Peter had these moments where he argued that Jesus was the greatest.
And then he has this moment where he argues which of the disciples is going to be the greatest. Like, what a knucklehead, guys. Peter had this moment where he confessed that Jesus is the Christ. And then he had this moment when he denied Jesus was even his friend. I mean, Peter, I think, is a paradigmatic example for us of what it looks like. We're never going to get it right. We're never going to be perfect.
And the Christian life is not about perfection. It's about progress. And I think that that's an example for all of us and a reminder for all of us today that the Christian life is not about perfection. Can I get an amen? It's about progress in our journey with Jesus. And so we see that that's Peter's story, a life of progress, not perfection. And his parents call him Simon, but what does Jesus call him?
Peter and the word Peter actually means rock. And that's the new identity that Jesus gave him in Matthew 16. We saw a few weeks ago. Peter is going to play this foundational role in the life of the church. And it's actually Peter who who abandons his his fishing nets in Galilee to become a what? A fisher of of men among the Gentiles. And so Peter, he plants the first church in Acts chapter two. He's persecuted and arrested for his faith in Jesus throughout the book of Acts.
And then in Acts chapter 12, Peter is released from prison. Actually, he escapes from prison, we see. And he goes on to plant these churches that he's now writing to in 1 Peter. And, you know, Peter, he experienced his fair share of persecution. And the churches that he's writing to experience their fair share of persecutions. And so here's why Peter writes his letter. I've been sharing this with you each week.
He writes his letter to establish them in believing. He wants them to know the glorious future that they have in Jesus.
He wants them to know the hope that they've been called to. So he's establishing them on the foundation of what they believe to be true about Christ and his work.
And then he directs them in doing. He wants to help them get practical and apply this to their lives today. And then he comforts them in suffering. He wants them to know that they have hope and they've been born again to a living hope. And that's what we saw in chapter one. Think with me to a few weeks ago. We saw in chapter one, the most concrete, the most comprehensive, the most compelling picture and vision of hope in the entire Bible.
You remember it? Peter said that we are born again to a living hope, to an inheritance that is what? Imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Where is it? Kept in heaven for you. And you yourselves are being guarded for it by God. We have this hope, this reminder that we've been born again to a living inheritance. And we have this hope of heaven. And so Peter just wants to encourage you. He wants to remind you of the hope that is in you.
And what I love about Peter is he doesn't have his head in the sand. And he doesn't have his head in the clouds. Like, did I say head in the clouds? I didn't mean to say that. He doesn't have his head in the clouds. Are you paying attention? I'm just checking. I said clowns, not clouds. Good morning, everybody. Peter doesn't have his head in the clouds. And he doesn't have his head in the sand. Like Peter is down to earth and he brings hope down to earth.
And he wants you and I to know how our future impacts our present. And that's why he begins chapter two, verse one with this word. So, or let me add and say, so what?
Right? Like, I think, I think it's important to ask the question. So what Peter? Like I've been born again into a living hope. I have an inheritance in heaven. So what Peter? Like, how does that impact me? Like, how does that change me? Like, how does that affect me? How does that transform me? This is the so what of Peter's letter. In fact, I'd argue the rest of the letter is just explaining the so what of what he talked about in chapter one.
You've got a living hope. You were born again. So what? So what? And that's exactly what Peter goes on to say in the rest of his letter. Chapter 2, verse 1, he says, so, or so what? He tells us that we are called to grow up and grow into that salvation that we've been given.
To grow up and grow into that salvation that we've been born into. And he tells us to do it in two ways in chapter 2. He says, lay aside... And then he says, long for just exactly what verse one and two say. He says, lay aside and long for. So what Peter's doing is he's connecting the fact that we've been born again to the fact that we are now being built up from the ground up by God. And we're called to grow up into that salvation.
And we're called to lay aside what hinders our growth as a Christian. And we're called to long for what helps our growth as a Christian. Can I say that one more time? We are called to lay aside what hinders our growth as a Christian. Because God is building us from the ground up and God is calling us to grow up as his children. And we have to very intentionally lay aside that which is going to hinder our growth as a Christian.
And then he's going to say also to long for what helps our growth as a Christian. And so this word lay aside, let's talk about it. Chapter two, verse one, he says, so put away or or lay aside. It's this idea of take off or or rid oneself of what weighs you down or what trips you up or or what prevents you or what keeps you from from growing the way that God calls you to grow.
Like there are certain things in our lives that we need to lay aside, that we need to let go of, that we need to put off and take. And put away because they're going to hinder us from being the people that God calls us to be.
They're going to hinder us from growing the way that God calls us to be. This word lay aside or put away is used in Hebrews chapter 12. One of my favorite verses. Hebrews chapter 12. It says, it says, let us also lay aside every what? Every weight and sin which clings so closely to and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us right let us lay aside every weight and let us run the race that is set before us have you ever seen um or or have you ever worn uh one of those one of those weighted vests before you ever seen one of these before people are walking around in them and and running around in them they're
They're a weighted vest. They're for exercise. What they do is they add a little bit of extra weight to your body. They add a little bit of extra work to your workout. They're supposed to be about 10% of your body weight. This one's definitely not 10% of my body weight.
It's only 16 pounds, but it's heavy. And depending on who you are and maybe who's, you know, your workout coach or your personal trainer, some people really highly recommend these because they're a bit of resistance training. They're a little bit of weight training. They weigh you down as you go. But a lot of people are also acknowledging, like, these things are terrible, guys. Like, what? My back hurts already just wearing it for just a moment here.
And while it might be helpful for training, if I were to actually go and prepare to run a race, you know what this thing's going to do? It's going to hold me back. It's going to weigh me down. Like I'm going to go significantly slower than the competition and I'm not going to be able to run that race that is set before me as quickly as normal because I've got something on my back. I've got something holding me down.
I've got something weighing me down. And so Peter, what he's saying is there are things in the Christian life that are on your back and they're weighing you down and you need to let them go and you need to lay them aside. You need to cast them aside. You need to lay them aside. Every single weight so that you can run the race that is set before you with endurance and grow the way that God calls you to grow.
What are the five things that he says to lay aside? I mean, when have these five things ever helped you grow as a Christian? And when are these five things ever helped those around you grow as a Christian? He says, lay aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Have any of those ever helped you grow as a Christian? Have they ever helped y'all grow as a Christian? You know that he's not just talking to you as an individual.
Peter is talking to you as what? A group of people. He said y'all need to lay these things inside, right? Because these things affect the community. These things affect the church. These things affect your relationships personally. These things affect the family of God. And why would you allow them to remain when they're going to weigh you down? And they're going to prevent you from growing the way that God calls you to grow.
So lay them aside. Would you just talk to God this week? You know what we call talking to God? Prayer. Just talk to him this week. Maybe right now. Which of those five do you just need to lay aside? Just cast them off. They're a burden on your back. They're weighing you down. They're preventing you from growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus the way that Peter tells us to. So just would you talk to God right now?
Maybe talk to God this week. Just ask him to show you which of those that you just need to cast aside. And would you join me in throwing that weight off your back?
And, you know, there's a very powerful quote from someone I deeply respect. And he says this, be killing sin or sin will be killing you. Oh, that's powerful, guys.
I got goosebumps when I say it. It's powerful and it's true. And it's a reminder that these things we need to lay aside because they will stunt our growth in Christ. And then he says, long for. Don't just lay aside. That's the negative. Then he says, long for what helps you grow as a Christian.
Ah, there's the positives. And then he goes on and he says, like newborn infants, long for what? The pure spiritual milk of the Word. My wife and I are getting ready to meet our third child in a few weeks here. If I'm gone for a little while, you know where I am. I'm taking care of a little newborn baby. And you know, it was actually eight, nine years ago before we were expecting our first child that my wife and I, we attended some of the parenting classes at the hospital.
And they had a series of classes that just helped new parents know what to expect when they're expecting, right? And so one of the classes, you know, actually what we did, this is interesting, what we did is after each class, we would go to In-N-Out Burger in Westlake. Anybody like In-N-Out Burger? We'd go to In-N-Out Burger together after the parenting classes and we would debrief over dinner what we learned at the class.
It was delicious. Not the class, the burger. And what we did is we debrief what we learned and one of the classes was about feeding your child and they wanted parents to expect like what to expect about your child's desire and need for nurture and milk and its development in its early stage of life. And so they told parents expect to feed your child eight to 12 times in 24 hours. You know what that translates to?
Every two hours, every three hours. From the start of the first feeding to the start of the second feeding, just for the record. And the children, newborn infants, they're so hungry that each feeding could take 30 minutes, could take 45 minutes, right? And so you know what they're telling parents? You're not going to get any sleep, Archie, because this newborn infant is longing for milk. And so every two to three hours, eight to 12 times a day, 30 to 45 minutes, this child is going to need to eat.
And you know what? This child is going to grow. Day one, the baby's going to be a little tired, so they might favor sleeping over eating. But you know what happens on day two?
It's going to kick in and they're going to desire eating more, more than sleeping at the hospital called it the all day buffet, right? You're welcome, mom. And you know, it's just this, this child just gets hungry, right? And what's crazy is the, the, the child, the amount that they eat is actually going to quadruple in the first six months, right? From one or two ounces of feeding to, you know, five or six ounces of feeding.
And Or more. And the best part about it is the more the babies eat, they get bigger as they eat, but they also get cuter as they eat. I wish I could say the same about myself. It just doesn't work that way anymore. But these babies, they're longing for the pure physical milk that they need to grow. And so Peter says, oh, you're a newborn infant. And in other passages, that might be a corrective, but this is a positive.
He's saying, you're a child of God. Oh, you've been born again. Oh, you're a newborn infant.
Oh, and you should long for the pure spiritual milk of the word of God, the way that a newborn child longs for that milk to sustain him Or to sustain her and to feed him or to feed her. Oh, friends, we need the pure spiritual milk of the word. We don't need alternatives. We don't need substitutes. We need the real stuff. We need the good stuff. We need the pure stuff. And that is the teachings of the word of God and the very truths on the pages of scripture, which the Bible says elsewhere is like milk, but also like honey and sweeter than a honeycomb.
And what you and I need the most in our lives is the very words of God. And we should long for this book and we should thirst for this book and we should pray. Hunger for this book like a newborn child loves and longs for milk. Oh, we should love and long for the pure spiritual milk of the word of God. We need this book. We need to study this book. We need to read this book. We need to meditate on this book.
We need to teach this book. We need to apply this book. We need to sing this book.
We need to live this book because it contains love. The very words of God.
And it helps us grow up into our salvation, Peter says. And then look at verse 3. He says, if indeed you've what? Tasted that the Lord is good. If you've tasted how good God is, and if you've tasted how good his word is, you'll be addicted to the Bible. Oh, you'll just keep coming back for more and for more and for more because you know that his ways are the best ways and that this book is life. And it's not life in itself, but it points us to the one who gives us life, who is Jesus Christ.
And this book is all about him. And so we should long for him. And so let me just ask, what this week do you need to lay aside? And what this week do you need to long for? What would it look like to just lay aside those weights weighing you down? And what would it look like to long for this book and spend time in this book and maybe just recommit yourself to this book and to seek out what God has for you in this book?
We're called to grow up as his children and we're called to build up as his church. And I want you to see what Peter says next in verses four through five. He talks about this idea of how we're being built from the ground up through the nourishment of God's word. We're being built from the ground up into this building called the church. And he says in verse five, as you come to him, a living stone, you yourselves like living stones are being built into a spiritual house.
It was about 25 years ago. - My family and I moved from Orange County to Simi Valley. And where we moved was this brand new development at the base of the Ronald Reagan Library, actually. It was actually one of the first homes that was completed and finished in the 75 home track right there at the base of the Ronald Reagan. And you go up Presidential Drive to get to the library, and then there's Roosevelt Court, and then there's Eisenhower Way, right?
We lived on Roosevelt Court. Has anybody been to the Ronald Reagan? Do you know the housing development I'm talking about? So we moved in and there's like maybe three homes finished, four homes finished, five homes finished. We're in there early. And so, you know, still a kid and running around and playing in those unfinished homes. And, you know, every few weeks we see a new construction team come through.
We see a new phase of construction be completed. From the foundation, to the framing, to the plumbing, to the electrical, to the drywall, to the finishes, until it's ready for sale. That's how you build a modern house. But think with me, how do you build an ancient house? What steps, what stages are there for building not a modern structure, but an ancient structure? What materials... What phases of construction would there be for an ancient home or an ancient structure?
What do you think are the major materials that you'd use to build an ancient house? Stone. Think about all the ancient structures in ancient history, many of which are still standing today. You've got the pyramids. You've got the Parthenon. You've got the Colosseum. Just in the last few hundred years in American history, you have the Washington Monument.
Has anybody seen in person the Washington Monument? You've got layer upon layer upon layer upon layer of what?
Stone that is one layer after another layer after another layer connected all the way at the bottom to what's called a what? cornerstone. You've got a foundation in most traditional buildings, but in ancient buildings, you don't necessarily have a full foundation. You have a cornerstone. And the cornerstone is laid, usually the largest stone, usually the heaviest stone. A cornerstone is laid because it gives alignment and it gives stability and it gives structure.
It's the reference point for the rest of the structure. And so you have a cornerstone that And then in ancient architecture, you have layers of stone upon stone upon stone. In the case of the Washington Monument, 36,000 layers of marble, right?
On top of a 24,000 pound cornerstone.
At its corner. And so this is ancient construction. And this is what Peter is using as this metaphor. He moves from a newborn child now to the construction of a building.
And he reminds us that we are living stones.
And we are built upon the cornerstone who is precious and chosen in God's sight. Even as you have stones at your seats today. And I'm holding a stone in my hand today. And I invite you to hold your stone in your hand today.
And I just want you to think for just a couple of moments with me today about ancient architecture and ancient construction and how God would, or how his people even, in constructing the temple and their homes in Israel, how Peter is pointing us to this image of buildings and structures and And architecture and engineering and how God would use stones, layer upon layer of stones, one stone in relationship to another stone in relationship to another stone, ultimately in relationship to the cornerstone.
He would use those stones to build this magnificent structure. They would have strength and stability as one stone is connected to another stone. and ultimately connected to a cornerstone. If you hold up your stone real briefly, I want you to observe something. Look around the room at the other stones. Each and every one has a different shape, and each and every one has a different size. Guys, each and every one has a different texture.
Each and every one has a different color. But what's true of these stones is that they are being built together. Layer upon layer, one stone in relationship to another stone in relationship to the cornerstone. And it's being built into a spiritual house. And what Peter says is true of us as if we are living stones. Christ is the living stone, the cornerstone of the structure upon which our lives are built and founded.
But on top of the cornerstone. Are layers and layers and layers upon living stones. And you are being built. Into a spiritual house. And a spiritual family. And you belong in God's house. By the blood of Jesus. And you are welcome in God's house. By the love of God. And you are important to God's house. Because you are strengthening and making more stable. Each and every layer built on the strongest layer, which is Christ, the precious cornerstone.
And he's using you to be built up and he's using you to build others up. And all throughout the New Testament, we're told that we are a part of God's house. We're a part of God's family and that we all belong by the grace of God and by the love of Jesus. And we're being built together stone by stone, brick by brick, saint by saint, believer by believer into this magnificent house called the church where we're all different and we're all unique, but we're all connected by virtue of our faith in Jesus and the fact that we are ultimately built upon the cornerstone.
So would you hold this in your hands? And would you tell yourself and remind yourself that you are a living stone, that you belong to God's church, that you are being built up in him and that you are being used to build others up in him. And your church needs you and you need your church and the brothers and sisters of the faith to your right and to your left are being built upon you. And you're being built upon them.
And you are a pivotal, critical layer in this stone structure built upon the foundation of Christ, who is the cornerstone. And let me just remind you of how precious and chosen you are. We're going to get there next week. This is a shameless plug to come back next Sunday. I'm actually not preaching. Our founding pastor, Doug Posey, will be preaching. These next few verses, chapter 2, verses 9 through 12, and you know what it's going to say?
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession to proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
God calls you a living stone, and God calls you his precious chosen possession, and he is holding you in In his hand. And he is building you in to his church. And I just want to invite you to think this week. What would it look like to remind yourself. I am a living stone. On what Peter says next. Is that we are living sacrifices. You can see what he says is the purpose of this house that God is building.
What's the purpose of this house that God is building in verse 5. To be a holy priesthood. And to offer what? Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus. What's God building with these stones?
What's God building with you and me? What's God building layer upon layer upon layer? A house of worship where we come together and we remind one another of the incredible things that God has done. But more than that, the incredible person that God is. Father, Son, and Spirit. And his son Jesus who lived and died and rose again so that we could be purchased with his precious blood. And we could be adopted into this family called the church.
And we could have purpose and calling and worth and hope and a future. We come together to worship and to declare how great he is. And the great things that he has done. But you know what? The church is not a building, is it? The church is a people. And we are living stones. And we are called to worship. And we are called a priesthood. And we are living sacrifices. And so I sure hope that this is your favorite place every Sunday morning.
But you know what? You're called to worship all week long. And you're a living stone whether or not you are inside of this building. Because you are God's building. And you are his dwelling place by his spirit. And you are called to worship each and every moment of each and every day. Listen to what Hebrews says.
If you've ever read the book of Hebrews, it talks about how Jesus is greater, right? You know this? Jesus is greater than angels. Jesus is greater than Moses. Jesus is greater than the priesthood. Jesus is greater than the sacrifices. Jesus is the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament. And so it says this about Jesus. For Jesus has been counted, this is Hebrews 3.3.
For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses. Much more glory as the builder of the house has more honor than the house itself.
Oh, let me just tell you that you are chosen and precious as God's house. But Jesus is even more chosen and even more precious than as the cornerstone and the builder of our house.
And he deserves our worship and he deserves our praise each and every moment and each and every day. So what would it look like to take this stone with you?
Please don't leave the stones on the chairs that you found this morning. I hand washed these, by the way. I'm actually not joking. I couldn't give you all dirty stones. These are from Home Depot.
They had dirt all over it, but I washed them. And so I hope that you would take these home. Take them home with you. Put them in your pocket. Place it in your car. Take it on the go. Remind yourself that you are a living stone. You are a house of worship. And the purpose of your life is to honor him in all that you do. So what would it look like to go out this week and just say, how can I build up God's church?
Right? I'm a member of it. It's the most important house. It's an indestructible house.
It's an eternal house. It's a glorious family. It's a heavenly family. And we're going to be together forever. How can I build this thing right here, right now? How can I build up my brother? How can I build up my sister? How can I build up this family? How can I build up God's church? Because you know what? I'm a stone and I belong to it. How could you go from this place and say, you know what? I'm a living stone and I'm a house of worship and I am called to worship everywhere I am and everywhere I go.
How can I worship God this week? How can I be not this dead stone, but how can I be a true living stone and worship God everywhere I go? Friends, we are called to grow up as his children, to build up as his church and finally to To stand up on his cornerstone. Now let me land the plane. This is when I'm supposed to land the plane. I will do my very, very best to land the plane. And here's what he says in these last few verses.
You know what he quotes? Isaiah 28, Psalm 118, and Isaiah 8. This is really rich. I encourage you to go and read each verse this week. What Peter's doing is he's showing how Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise in the Old Testament. Jesus is the cornerstone of the house. Jesus is the cornerstone of everything in this world. Without him, we would be nothing. And without him, this world would crumble to nothing.
Jesus is the cornerstone. And so he's saying, guys, don't be ashamed to build your life on Jesus. There's a reality in which People reject Jesus. I'm sure you've figured that out by now. People reject Jesus and people reject you as a follower of Jesus. But what Peter is saying is though people have rejected the cornerstone, do not be ashamed to build your life on him. And these are Jesus' words that he told Peter, right?
Remember what Jesus told Peter in Matthew 7? He told the rest of the disciples. It's the Sermon on the Mount. He says, Everyone then... Who hears these words of mine. And does them. Will be like a wise man. Who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew. And beat on that house. But it did not fall. Because it had been founded on the rock. And let me also let this rock remind you this week.
That Jesus Christ is the rock. He is the cornerstone of your life. And to not be ashamed to be building your life upon Jesus, God's chosen and precious cornerstone. God, don't be ashamed of him. Don't be afraid of what people will say when they find out that you follow him.
Boldly and courageously build your life on the precious and chosen cornerstone because verse 6 says, whoever believes in him will what? Not be put to shame. And lastly, you're not just supposed to not be ashamed of him, but you're going to be honored. You're going to be honored for building your life on him. Just look at how verse 7 concludes. It says, so the honor is for you who believe. Guys, I don't understand because only God deserves the honor.
And yet he says that he's going to honor you when you build your life on the precious cornerstone, on the precious rock, on the precious foundation of Jesus. Our cornerstone. And let me just finish. We talked about buildings that never got completed. We talked about mailboxes that barely made it off the ground. Let me just remind you that you will be completed. And that God is going to finish what he started.
And that you are his favorite building project. And he is building you from the ground up each and every day. Let me remind you of Philippians 1.6. I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you We'll bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. God is not finished with you. He is building you. And he will bring the good work that he began in you to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.
Amen? Amen. Let's pray together. Father, thank you for this morning and for this reminder that we are built upon the foundation of your word. And we are built upon the foundation of your son. Lord, help us to go from this place remembering how chosen and precious we are, but more importantly, and more ultimately, how chosen and precious Jesus is. In your sight and in ours. Lord, we celebrate him now with communion.
We pray all these things in Jesus' name and all God's people said.