(Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)

You're listening to audio from Faith Church Indie. If you would like more information about our church, ministry, and upcoming events, you can find it at faithchurchindie.com. Now, here's the teaching. Please rise as you're able for the reading of God's word.

Today we'll be in 1 Peter, chapter 2, verses 4 through 10. 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, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture, behold, 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. They stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

This is the word of the Lord. Kids, you are dismissed, and you may be seated. Thank you, Amy, and so wonderful to see all the kids going down to learn the gospel, and the catechism, and to understand the basic truths of God's word.

Well, 1 Peter 2, 4-10 raises the question in my mind for you, how well do you fit in this world? We're working through this first century letter, probably written in the 60s AD. Do you know who was the emperor in the 60s AD? Nero, not a nice man. And during that time, Peter, a disciple of Jesus, wrote to Christian exiles in modern-day Turkey.

Now, over the previous 30 years, the church has expanded from Jerusalem to the edges of the empire, and there are Christians living in a world or culture where they don't fit very well. Can you relate to that? This isn't just the socially awkward stage of growing through junior high and high school, not fitting in. A lot of us had a hard time in that period of life.

It was much more than that. In some places, believers were actually accused of being atheists because they didn't acknowledge, or worship, or go to the temples of the Greek and Roman gods. They were considered antisocial because they did not participate in all the pagan activities of the community.

There were rumors even about secret gatherings where they engaged in cannibalism, eating flesh and drinking blood, not understanding the significance of the Lord's Supper. There were rumors of incest, that they called each other brother and sister while practicing something called a holy kiss. Now, we don't know the specifics of the people in central Turkey and whether or not they dealt with these particular things, but over time, they became outcasts.

Exiles, yes, probably, literally, exiles in some form or another, and yet also exiled in terms of separation from the culture. Peter writes of Jesus in verse 4, rejected by men. And so the followers of Jesus were rejected by the culture as well, or as Paul wrote to the Ephesians, strangers and aliens.

So what about you? Do you fit in? If not, then you should feel right at home with Peter's letter, those who received it. This is our fifth message in 1 Peter, and the focus is who we are in a pagan culture, not focusing on the pagan culture, but on who we are in Christ. In this opening section, Peter reminds us of our new identity, that is, who we are based on our relationship with Jesus.

Now, this is introduced in the first chapter, and where we get our serious title, Living Hope. 1 Peter 1, 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

And so what we have in 1 Peter 2, 4-10 is a reminder of who we are and who we are becoming because of this new birth into a living hope, our new identity in Christ. And Peter speaks of the church here as a temple under construction. 1 Peter 2, 4, you, like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house.

You know anybody named Living Stone or Livingston? That's where it comes from, right here. He refers to the church as a temple or a house, the place or sanctuary where God dwells in us, the church. And so we celebrate that we are God's people being built up as a spiritual house, a temple where God dwells.

Now what do you imagine or what do you envision when you see the word temple? Well, we have temples all over the place, ancient ziggurats in the Fertile Crescent, Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, the great Greek and Roman temples. Today, beautifully adorned Hindu temples and Sikh temples and Buddhist temples, Mormon temples, Muslim mosques, the Dome of the Rock, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount, Christian cathedrals all over Europe, amazing facilities, Notre Dame in Paris, St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and of course Westminster Abbey in London, and our own National Cathedral in D.C. So you have that image in front of you, and yet this is a very different temple, not built with physical materials of stone and brick, but not decorated with gold and precious stones, not a physical building for God to live in. God can't be contained in a building, you know that, don't you? But it's the church, the body of Christ, that's where God lives in His people.

Now there are several elements in the raising up of this house temple, and so I'm going to give you my three-point outline. There is the central place of Jesus. He's the cornerstone of this temple.

There's the place for believers who are called living stones. Yes, individual pieces are parts of the building, but only relevant as they come together, as they fit together in the overall structure of the temple and fulfill their role. And then finally, our new identity.

As we're going to summarize the whole thing, our new identity as believers in Jesus. And this text doesn't divide into three clear divisions. The first two points particularly are very much mixed together, as you will see.

So let's dive in. Number one, the central place of Jesus in this temple. In context, Peter, when he speaks of a temple in the Jewish people, you're going to think first of all of the amazing Herodian temple in Jerusalem, where Jesus was taken for dedication as an infant, where 12-year-old Jesus went with His parents from Nazareth down to Jerusalem for the Passover, but when they were headed back, suddenly He's missing, and they find Him back in the temple interacting with the teachers there.

And when they're saying, what are you doing? He said, why were you looking for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my father's house? It was a bit of a head-scratcher for them, I'm sure, trying to figure out, okay, who is this boy? Well, they knew, but they didn't quite understand. The first Passover, after Jesus went public in His ministry, He went into the temple and cleaned out the money changers, flipping tables, making quite a collusion. Yes, that happened twice, once at the beginning and once at the end of His ministry.

He said, take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house of trade. On the same occasion, Jesus said, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

The Jews then said, it's taken 46 years to build this temple, and you'll raise it up in three days? But He was speaking, it says, of the temple of His body, and that was brought up two or three years later at His trial, as they accused Him of a terrorist plot to destroy the temple. The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. If we're right, this letter was written in the mid to late 60s A.D., then it was still a few years before the temple would be destroyed by the Romans. But the real temple is not made of stone.

But of Christ and the church. So the rebuilding of the temple is fulfilled, as Jesus said, in His resurrection, and in the establishment, growth, and maturation of the church into a holy temple in the Lord. So what is Jesus' place in this temple as we relate to it? Verse 4, look at it.

As you come to Him. That's where it starts, with Him. So what is the place of Jesus? Verse 4. Jesus, God the Son, was sent to this world by God the Father to be born of a virgin, God incarnate, fully man, fully God, to die on the cross as a sacrifice for our sin, our substitute, dying in our place, to be raised from the dead, to offer salvation to all who will receive Him.

This alienation, this not fitting in that the early believers felt, this rejection by the culture, what you may also feel at times, was first experienced by Jesus. God came and was rejected. So it's no surprise, is it, that it would happen to you as well.

Peter quotes three Old Testament passages, one after the other. Here, verse 6, A cornerstone chosen and precious. And whoever believes in Him, it's personified here, whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.

God fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah, the Savior, Jesus, has come and died and rose from the dead to bring salvation. And Peter adds in verse 7, So the honor is for you who believe. Then quoting from Isaiah, Psalm 118-22, But for those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

And then verse 8, going back to Isaiah 8-14, A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. Do you remember when Jesus was taken to the temple the very first time by His parents? He was an infant. And He was dedicated by this old man, Simeon, who took baby Jesus, infant Jesus, into His arms, and He emphasized both of these elements that we're talking about today.

Luke 2, 30-35, Simeon says, Understand in the beginning, this is not just for Israel, this is for everyone. Fulfilling Isaiah 28-16, whoever believes. But then it goes on, Fulfilling Psalm 118-22 and Isaiah 8-14, the stone that the builders rejected, a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

So as prophesied, the chosen precious stone, which is Jesus, was rejected by this world. Jews and Gentiles conspired to kill Him. But in so doing, it did not defeat the purpose for which Jesus came.

It fulfilled God's purpose. You remember Peter's preaching, this is 30 years before, shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus and His ascension, and then 50 days, and the day of Pentecost, and then the days that came after that. He was out one day with Peter, with John, and they healed a lame beggar, and then Peter's arrested.

He says, by what power and what name do you do this? And His response, Acts 4, 10-12, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, see, He's giving the answer, make sure He gets the gospel and His clarity in there, by Him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone, this is Peter speaking to the religious leaders, this Jesus is the stone, same analogy, that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone, and then he adds that there's salvation in no one else. There's salvation in no one else, for there's no name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

So chosen by God, rejected by the world, this was God's design. They go off after this, Peter's released, they go and they have a prayer meeting in the church, Acts 4, 24-28, Sovereign Lord, You made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David.

He quotes from Psalm 2. Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against His anointed one, Jesus. Indeed, Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against Your holy servant, Jesus, whom You anointed. But then they understand this, and we must understand this, they did what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

This was all God's design. God's design for our salvation that Jesus is the chosen precious cornerstone who was rejected. He is our Savior and Lord.

Now, as I finish up this first section, just a word about the cornerstone. Now this is a little risky, especially with the experts in construction here, and I'm not one of those. But I think construction methods have varied over the years and over the centuries.

But I think I'm right that it's critical when you're building a structure to have the building aligned with itself. Might be different ways of doing that, but the building has to be aligned with itself. There must be some focal point.

There must be a straightness both vertically and horizontally within the building structure. And in this means of construction, the cornerstone is put in place first, and then everything must be aligned with it. The larger context of Isaiah 28, you'll want to check it out.

It's a tested stone. Jesus was certainly tested. God says, I'll make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line.

Things have to line up here. And as the cornerstone in a building, by the way, not just a direct decorative stone, when you leave today, if you go out the southwest entrance, I think you'll see out there somewhere, is it in the overhang posts or somewhere, you'll see a sort of a cornerstone, a decorative stone with a date on it. But that's not what we're talking about here.

That's just an identifier. This is actually critical to the structure of the building, that which every part of the building must be measured and aligned. And only Jesus qualifies and fulfills that role.

So that's the central place of Jesus in this new covenant temple. Now, secondly, let's go to the place for believers. Verse four, as you come to him, verse six, whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.

The Isaiah 28 text from which this comes goes on to say the one who relies on it, the cornerstone, Jesus, will not be stricken with panic. There's no longer any reason to fear if your hope and confidence is in him, if your trust is in him. Verse seven, so the honor is for you who believe.

What if you don't believe? Well, that's clear too. But for those who do not believe, they'll be put to shame. Then verse eight, a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

They stumble because they disobey the word. Now, some get nervous when you say, well, we're saved by faith. And then it says, well, they stumble because they disobey.

So is it by faith or by obedience? Well, this language is the same language used by John in John chapter three. At the very end of the book, well, John 3, 16, whoever believes will not perish but have eternal life. And then John 3, 36, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life. But the wrath of God remains on him. It's not arguing whether salvation is by faith, by grace through faith, or by works.

It's saying it's a matter of obedience to the call to believe in Jesus. That's what it's saying here. And then, of course, there'll be implications of that that do relate to direct obedience of what he says.

John 3, 16, whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. First John 5, 11, and 12, this is the testimony. God gave us eternal life.

This life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

That's individual. Your response to Jesus is critical. I call you today to believe in Jesus, to trust Jesus with your eternal future.

He is your only hope of salvation. But there's more. Verse 5, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

And then another piece of this in verse 9, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into this marvelous light. You don't keep it a secret. You proclaim it.

Now there's a bunch to unpack here, more than we have time for, but the most obvious thing about it is that we're in this together as a family. Don't miss the corporate nature of this. Verse 5, you yourselves, plural.

You is a problem in English because you don't know if it's plural or singular. It's plural here. You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.

We are not saved to live in isolation waiting for death in heaven. We're a growing temple, the body of Christ, to do life and serve God together. Eight weeks ago, Dr. Piotrowski preached.

By the way, we're looking forward to hearing him again next Sunday. So thankful for him. But he preached from 1 Corinthians 3, 10-17 before we started this series, and he said, he preached this text, do you not know that you, plural, are God's temple? Ah, the same idea.

And God's spirit dwells or lives in you. Paul and Peter agree on this. Ephesians 2, so then you're no longer strangers and aliens or exiles or just don't fit anywhere, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

In Him, you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. God has made us to be a family to do life and ministry together. So because we're in this together, therefore we are on mission together.

What's our mission? Verse 5, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. Verse 9, to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. What do you see here? Sacrifice and proclamation.

Now what sacrifices could Peter mean? You initially think, well, a priest, the Old Testament offers sacrifices. He kills animals and puts them on the altar to burn up, offered as a sacrifice to God. But it's far more than that.

In fact, that's not the primary thing. Peter doesn't specify exactly what sacrifices. But a quick review comes up with a beginning list.

You can continue it in your own study, but Psalm 50, verse 14, offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, a heart of gratitude. That's important. Psalm 51, 17, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, a humility of heart.

That's an important sacrifice. Two New Testament passages, you probably memorized Romans 12, 1 and 2 sometime in your life, many of you, but he says, I appeal to you by the mercies of God to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Worship is not just singing songs, that's a wonderful part of it, I love it.

But worship is a whole life of sacrifice to God. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. So essential to our witness is the integrity of our lives that's described in Romans 12.

Read the rest of the chapter and it'll fill it in even more. And then I think of Hebrews 13, through him let us then continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. We are to sing together.

We are to proclaim the glory of God together, to one another, to worship him. Do not neglect to do good, but more than that, do not neglect to do good and share what you have for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. So essential to our witness is the combination of God-focused worship in the congregation of God's people as they gather and expressions of love and kindness, not just to each other but to the world.

You see, the purpose at the beginning of God's call to Israel, set apart from the other nations, was not for them to be in isolation and keep all the good things of God for themselves, but Israel's call was to mediate God's grace to the world. The call to Abraham in Genesis 12 is clear with that, to mediate God's grace to the world and that is what we're called to do, to spread the gospel of God's grace to the world, verse 9, to proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. So that's our second emphasis.

The central place of Jesus in the temple is number one. Number two, the place for believers to know two parts, that we're in this together as family and we're on mission together. Finally, Peter gives us one glorious summation of our new identity in Christ.

Do you know who you are? As exiles, as outcasts, wondering who we are and where we fit, verses 9 and 10, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood.

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