For our scripture reading tonight, turn with me to Matthew 16, as we read a few verses of that chapter, the familiar verses in which Peter makes his confession, his beautiful confession of Jesus Christ. Reading verses 13 through 20, the text being 1 Peter 2, verses 4 and 5, as we continue our study. of that letter. Matthew chapter 16, verses 13 through 20, as we hear now the Word of God. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, who do people say the Son of Man is? They replied, some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. And so others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But what about you, He asked. Who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Then He warned His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ. And turning to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2, again verses 4 and 5. A reading from verse 1. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious to Him, 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. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, after Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels said to his disciples, this Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven. Now that was almost 2,000 years ago. That's a long time. Have you ever wondered why Jesus has not yet come back? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, why has He stayed away this long? Why didn't He come back long before I was born? Were these angels just kidding? Was their announcement some kind of a joke? Could they have been mistaken? Absolutely not. Perish the thought. Jesus Christ has not yet returned on the clouds of heaven because His work is not yet finished. Oh, His work of living that perfectly righteous life in perfect obedience to God's law for you and for me. He's accomplished that. His redeeming work on the cross of paying the penalty for your sin and my sin and conquering death and hell and the grave. That has been accomplished. But His redeeming work has not yet been completely applied to all of the elect in Christ Jesus. There's a great project taking place even as we speak. It's a construction project. It's a building. And God is the architect and builder and He is busy building His dwelling place. Building the church of Jesus Christ. that building known as the congregation of those who believe in Jesus Christ. And as Peter points out, those who by God's grace crave or long for the pure milk of the Word of God, they have been given an important part in both the construction process and in that which is being built. Beloved, God builds His church. God builds it. And notice, as the outline says, the solid foundation, the usable building materials, and the spiritual purpose. We know, of course, from Old Testament history that God chose to establish fellowship with His people, of course, in His covenant, as we were reminded this morning. But also, He chose to establish fellowship with His people, we might say, in a local or visible or concrete way by means of the tabernacle in the wilderness. Later on, the temple that Solomon built. And therefore, it's fitting that Jesus and Paul, and now here in this text, Peter, it's fitting that they use the figure of a building for describing the congregation of believers. Now as we think of a building project, we know that the most important part of a building is the foundation upon which the building rests. The building is only as good as its foundation. Even those of us who are not in the building industry, the construction industry, clearly understand. The boys and girls clearly understand the difference between the wise man's house that was built on the rock and the foolish man's house that was built upon the sand. The boys and girls understand that if you go out to the sand dunes and you see the wind blowing the sand and altering the shapes and sizes of those sand dunes, you see that the sand is not stable. Or go to the beach and you see the sand being blown around. But a rock, a large rock, cannot be blown around by the wind. We understand, don't we, that there must be a solid foundation. Peter says in verse 4, As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious to Him. Very simply, this is talking about Jesus Christ. Paul speaks of God's household, the church, and says in Ephesians 2, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone. The foundation of the church is the testimony and the witness of the apostles and prophets concerning whom? Jesus Christ. Who do you say that I am, He asked? You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And upon this rock, Jesus, as the rock of Peter's confession, The truth of Peter's confession is that I will build my church. And therefore, the solid foundation is Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 3 we read, For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. Paul says, According to the grace of God which was given to me as a wise master builder, I laid a foundation and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it, For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now here Peter describes Christ as the living stone. Stones were a major part of the ancient building customs because of their strength and their durability. And really the same is true today. Of course, the ancient builders couldn't get on the phone and ask the local concrete company to send out ten yards of concrete to pour a new foundation. But mankind in every age has understood the same thing. We need a solid rock foundation. The cornerstones or the foundations changed throughout the ages. At one time, the cornerstone was a series of stones built in a corner in such a way, and then all the walls were anchored into that series of stones that made the corner. And then later on, it went to one particular stone, large stone, And the cornerstone was the most important stone in the building. Because again, the walls were anchored into it. The builders would literally go out and search for just the right stone to begin the wall because that stone was crucial to the whole building. All the weight would rest upon it. And therefore, if the cornerstone crumbled, the whole building would crumble and of course fall. Jesus Christ is the living stone. Now, describing something as living, if you recall, seems to be a common theme for Peter. In chapter 1, verse 3, he speaks of living hope. In chapter 1, verse 23, he says, living and enduring word of God. And then now here, living stones. And all of this is in stark contrast to the death and the deadness that is in man by nature. Remember what he said at the end of chapter 1, All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers, and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever. Man is like the grass that withers. But Jesus Christ is the living stone because He is the resurrected Savior. He overcame. He conquered death. He lives. He is life. And He gives life to those who come to Him in repentance and faith. Jesus Christ, as Scripture says, is the rock of salvation. When the Israelites got thirsty in the desert and when they grumbled and complained, Moses drew water out of a rock. And that rock typified Christ, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 4, where we read, And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ. And only this living stone gives life. He is also described, as we know, as the bread of life. He is the refreshing water which quenches thirst for eternity. Yet, Peter says this living stone was rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious to Him. Rejected by men. Mankind rejected life. eternal life by nature man rejects jesus and the greek word for to reject here means to reject after examination it means to examine something and determine that that something is useless it doesn't serve my purpose it's not needed man rejected the living stone jesus christ because upon examination, and we might as well include faulty examination, but upon examination, this living stone didn't suit man's purposes as the cornerstone. And Isaiah explains very clearly why. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him. Nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. Those who cried out to Pilate, We will not have this man rule over us. Let His blood be upon us and our children. You see, they didn't want Jesus because He didn't fit the bill. He didn't fit their, Messiah's, job description. He only came to save sinners. That's not our problem, they thought. They needed to be freed from Rome, is what they thought. Because of sin, the man rejected the living stone, but the very same living stone was chosen by God and precious to Him. Jesus Christ was chosen by the Father to be the one and only way of salvation, the one and only way to the Father. The psalmist says, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. God chose just this stone. And this stone which was worthless and without value in the eyes of man was choice and precious that is valuable and costly to God. God elected this living stone from the foundation of the world and carefully laid him in place as the foundation of his new house, of his church. Again, he chose just this one as the only way to be saved. And therefore, beloved, to reject Jesus Christ, as so many do today, is to reject God. But Jesus Christ is the solid foundation of His body, the church. He is the living stone that provides life and strength and support and endurance for eternity for those who hide themselves in the cleft of this rock. Isaiah 28, 16, from which that song we sang on the sheet was taken from, it says, Therefore, thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. Think about it. Isn't that beautiful? In our days of hurricanes and tornadoes and earthquakes. Will not be disturbed. Those who by the grace of God, through the working of the Holy Spirit, put their faith in Jesus Christ, will find in Him a firm. an unshakable, an immovable, an undisturbable foundation. But stones can also be used, we know, in destroying things. We know that you take a big stone and drop it on something, depending on what it is, you're going to crush it. Think of the big crushing stone on a crane that wipes out a building. Those who reject Jesus Christ will find Him to be a crushing stone, as Peter says a few verses later, and they will find themselves then to be the objects of His crushing power, the crushing power of His judgment. Jesus Christ is the solid foundation of God's dwelling place, and just as God chose or elected Him to be the foundation, God chose those who believe in Him to be the usable building materials. Paul says in Ephesians 1, He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. And Peter says in verse 5, You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. Now, don't forget who Peter is talking to. He's talking to those privileged pilgrims, as we have called them. To those elect strangers. To the congregation of God's people. God's people are the materials for His church. In fact, they are the usable materials, believe it or not. Why? Because they are living stones. And they are living because of the living cornerstone. They have been given life by the living stone. Remember, as verse 23 of chapter 1 says, For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and enduring Word of God. And Peter says again at the beginning of verse 4, as you come to Him, the living stone. You see, the character of their being alive, of their being living stones, is that they come to the living stone. And coming to Him implies that through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, because they have tasted the goodness of the Lord, that they follow God's selection. That they follow God's choice of Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. And the idea of coming to Christ or approaching Him is to come to Him by an act of faith. But not just a one-time act. Not just a temporary fleeting moment of faith. It's a continuous activity. It's a continuous faith. As God's children, we are to come to Him over and over, more and more. We are to approach Him more closely day by day. We are to take possession of Jesus Christ more and more. And we do this by drinking the pure milk of the Word. The more that we taste the pure milk of the Word, the more we are to crave it. And all the more that Jesus Christ has revealed to us, the more we understand Him and who we are before Him. The Spirit of God, you see, helps us to see Him more clearly. to love Him more dearly, and to walk with Him more nearly. God's people have become living stones because they have tasted the goodness of the Lord by the grace of God. Once we were unfit building materials because we were dead in trespasses and sin, but now because of the life that we have been given in Christ Jesus, we have been transformed into usable building material by the grace of God. And God uses those who believe in Jesus Christ and He fits us in place in that spiritual house He is building. Again, Peter says, You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. Do you notice the description of the church of Christ there? A spiritual house and also the activity that is to take place there? A holy priesthood. You see, the shadow of this spiritual house was the Old Testament temple. The church of Jesus Christ is the temple of God. The temple in the Old Testament was God's dwelling place among His people where God dwelt with His people under one roof, as it were. And the church is the spiritual temple of God, the house that God is in the progress of building for His fullness to dwell in for all eternity. We know a scripture says that each and every believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit and is a building block, a living stone in God's house. Paul says, again in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 19 to 22, Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens. These elect aliens or strangers. You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. That's a description of that spiritual house. And then again, what is the activity that is to take place in God's spiritual house? Well, as Peter says that, which is performed by a holy priesthood. You recall that God established the nation of Israel as a priesthood, and He established a priesthood within Israel. And the priests, we know, were set apart. They were consecrated by God for holy service to Him. They were to lead God's people in worship, setting God apart as the Holy One and the only object of worship. They presented offerings to God on behalf of His people. Israel, we know, was set apart by God among the nations of the earth, and they were to be a showcase to the nations around them of God's electing love. Congregation, God's people, are called to holiness. For Israel, the fancy ceremonialism of the Mosaic rituals were to teach of the absolute need for separation from the defilement of sin. See, holiness, as we know, seems to be another one of Peter's themes, along with living. In chapter 1, verse 15, he issues the call for holiness when he says, So be holy in all you do. In chapter 2, verse 2, he talks about growing in holiness. When he says, Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. And now he talks about functioning as a holy priesthood. Every true believer is a priest in the household of God. To be dedicated to God and separate from the world. And then there is a spiritual purpose for this holy priesthood. As those who believe in Jesus Christ and as building blocks in Christ's church, we are called to be a holy priesthood. Again, as verse 5 ends, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. You see, the offerings and the sacrifices of the Old Testament don't really end, do they? Well, they do physically. We don't burn bulls and goats and doves because Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, offered Himself up as the one perfect and final sacrifice for our sin. But the spiritual sacrifices that are required of us are our hearts and our lives, our obedience. Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice to remove our sin and guilt. We don't have to do that. We can't do that. He has done that. And therefore, our sacrifices in response to His sacrifice, our sacrifices must be sacrifices of thanksgiving to God for that redemption that Christ has secured. In congregation, our spiritual sacrifices include, first of all, offering up ourselves, our lives, our hearts. Romans 12, verse 1 says, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. You see, we can offer nothing to God until we offer ourselves to Him as a sacrifice. Denying ourselves and dedicating our whole life to God's holy way. Only then, only then follow our sacrifices of praise and prayer and thanksgiving to God and our sacrifices of mercy. For example, giving generously of our financial resources for the work of the church. Giving generously and sharing with others in Christ's name. As well, our sacrifices of other Christian service, of which we could mention many, many things. Hebrews 13 says, Therefore, by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. See, beloved, I believe we need to understand that nothing a Christian does is first of all for self, for myself or for yourself. Nothing that we do, none of our actions are first of all for ourselves. But our actions are an offering, are to be an offering to God. Whether we are studying young people, or beloved, whether we are working, or boys and girls, whether we are playing, the very actions of these things are to be sacrificial. Sacrifices to God, for example, studying young people. The fact that you study and how you study is what I'm talking about. The fact that you study, indeed, it's for your benefit to do well on a test maybe or to do well on an assignment. But the fact that you study is, first of all, to be sacrificial. It's to be done as holy unto the Lord. Because He will hold each one of us accountable for all that we say and do. And we are called to do our very best. And then how we study is also to be sacrificial to Him. And the same is true with our work and with our play. And I believe that when we consider all of our activities in this light as sacrificial to God, boy, that really changes the character of our living, doesn't it? We see it in a whole different light. You see, beloved, this means that you offer your whole life to God. Your body, soul, mind, will, and heart. And that also includes all that God has given to you and me. Your wealth, your possessions, your husbands, your wives, your children, your jobs. All those things that God has given to us, indeed, for our pleasure. But first of all, they are dedicated to Him. All of these things are to be consecrated, that is, set apart as holy to God. Everything that you claim is yours, physical or non-physical, is to be treated as holy unto the Lord. That means that we don't waste the resources that God has given to us. Instead, we spend our money wisely. You see, we're talking about, very simply, ordinary, daily obedience. Sacrificial living. But also our families. How do you treat your wife? Husbands? Do you treat your wife as a precious jewel because she is God's possession, first of all? Wives, how do you treat your husbands? Parents, how do you treat your children? Do you see them, first of all, as God's children? And you and I have been given a responsibility to raise God's children. Again, as we were reminded this morning, in that covenant, They have an identity. And we are called to teach them and train them and bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Children, I'm not going to let you off the hook. How do you treat your parents? How do you treat your parents? Do you honor them as God's representatives in your home? Those whom God has placed over you to care for you, to nurture you, to love you, to discipline you. do you honor them in that way do you obey your parents without any back talk beloved how do you treat your friends or your fellow members of this congregation or your customers or your co-workers do you treat them as holy unto the Lord do you see them as gifts your customers are gifts you know from God do you treat them that way Do you seek their good? Do you seek their salvation? Or do you abuse them? Do you take advantage of them? Do you act disrespectfully toward them? Do you insult them or try to hurt them or talk about them behind their back? Do you try to cheat them or do you try to tear them down instead of trying to build them up? Beloved, are you offering spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God? If you are by the grace of God, then do not forget that your sacrifices and my sacrifices are not pleasing to God because of your worthiness or my worthiness. They are only acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. You see, apart from Him, as Isaiah says, all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags. But Jesus Christ, the final sacrificial lamb, has been slaughtered and He lives again. And because He lives, He guarantees to those who believe in Him, He guarantees the continual effectiveness of His offering. In other words, the continual effectiveness of His offering to cleanse the offerings of His people. Because again, even our best works are as filthy rags and even our worship we ought to pray would rise to God as sweet-smelling incense cleansed by the power of the Holy Spirit. And Christ guarantees the continual effectiveness of His offering to make our sacrifices acceptable to God. God builds His church. The solid foundation is our Lord Jesus Christ. The usable building materials are those who have life from that solid foundation, who are wholly dedicated to this building project, and who fit on that foundation. As a teenager, when I was working for a cement contractor, It didn't take me long to figure out that when we poured a foundation for a basement wall upon which we would build a block wall, that you didn't pour a 6-inch wide foundation and then lay an 8-inch wide block on it. That doesn't make sense. No, we poured maybe a 16-inch wide foundation and laid an 8-inch block right in the middle. It fit right securely upon that firm foundation. Those who fit on this spiritual foundation are those who are one with Jesus Christ. are you a living stone? Has God fit you into His building project? When it comes to the life of the physical church, and especially this congregation, are you an active living stone? Do you desire to build up the church of Jesus Christ in this place? Do you desire to fellowship with the rest of God's people? Or do you despise some of God's people around you and desire to have nothing to do with them so that when it comes to fellowshipping and the life of the congregation, count you out? You come to worship once a Sunday and you've done your duty. If that's the case, if that's your attitude, then I'm afraid that you are more like, not like a living stone, but more like a dead rock. You are a loose and crumbling stone and God will not have any use for you. Jesus said upon this rock, again the rock of Peter's confession, I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. And that means that God will only use usable living stones in the building of His church. See, beloved, it's not a right. It's not a right to belong to the church of Jesus Christ. It's a privilege. Only for those who have tasted the goodness of the Lord and long for the pure milk of His Word and offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. You know if you've ever been a part of a building project or observed one going up that at the end of a building project you have a beautiful, perfect building made of good building material. But before the cleanup is all done, you also have a pile of rubble, the garbage sitting next to it, The pieces of brick and wood and mortar and whatever else didn't fit. It was unusable. But what happens to that pile? That pile is thrown away. It's burned, maybe. It's destroyed. And one day those who proved unusable in God's building project will be crushed by the crushing power of the living stone, Jesus Christ. And therefore God's call is sure still today. Come to Him and Him alone, the living stone. Remember, that stone has been laid, the solid foundation. You see, just like that pile of rubble, it doesn't matter how close you are lying to that foundation. It won't do you any good unless you are lying on that foundation. May we look to Him and Him alone. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we thank You at the close of this evening hour and this day for Your Word. Indeed, Your living Word. Your Word, Your incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. And the Word that You speak to us through Your servant. Father, indeed, we thank You for the church of Jesus Christ. His body. His bride. And may each one of us be securely fit as building blocks, living stones in that building project, never to be removed. Father, may we look forward to the day when she is complete, when the scaffolding of the world will be torn down and destroyed, and your church, that building for you to dwell in forever, lives forever. Father, strengthen us by your Holy Spirit, that we might offer those sacrifices and offerings of praise to you throughout our whole life in every way. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray these things. Amen.