Let us once again turn to God's
Word. I want to direct you again to
the portion we were considering this morning in the first general
epistle of Peter and the second chapter. We read again verses
4, 5 and 6. 1 Peter chapter 2 and verses
4, 5 and 6. To whom coming as unto a living
stone disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious.
He also, as lively stones, hath built up a spiritual house, and
holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained
in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone,
elect precious, and either believeth on him shall not be confounded."
Earlier we were thinking in particular of that precious cornerstone
spoken of here in verse 6, making mention of Christ himself as
the one who is the only ground of our faith. The believer is one who is built
upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and as he is the foundation stone,
so also the whole of the building is framed around him as that
precious cornerstone. What I want us to do tonight
is to move on from thinking of the foundation and the cornerstone
and to consider more particularly the spiritual house, God's spiritual
house, which is the church and it's spoken of quite specifically
here in verse five, he also, as lively stones, built up a
spiritual house. A spiritual house. Thinking then,
first of all, of the materials that go into this building. I remind you again now that it
is grace that is the foundation. When we look at the text in its
context, previously here at verse 3, Peter writes, if so be you
have tasted that the Lord is gracious. The Lord is gracious,
to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men,
but chosen of God and precious. It is that gracious Lord that
is being spoken of. Grace is the foundation, the
foundation of the church. Here we are reminded of the sovereignty
of God in the whole matter of the salvation of His people. Those words in verse 6, Behold
I lay, says the Lord God. It is His own work. As we said this morning, there
is a reference here in verse 6 to those things that are written
In the Old Testament, in that portion that we read, Isaiah
28 and verse 16, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone.
This is that that is contained, says Peter, in the Scripture.
And that prophetic word has been fulfilled with the coming of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and how in all that work that He undertook
and accomplished, His obedience in life, His obedience unto death,
His resurrection, His ascension, in all that great work He was
laying the foundation of salvation for sinners. But what is prophesied
in the Old Testament is thus spoken because of God's eternal
purpose. Those things that God foretells
are so because He Himself has an eternal purpose. It is that
that was foreordained before the foundation of the world.
And in the Scriptures we have the revelation, that revelation
in the Old Testament prophecies, which was to be fulfilled in
the fullness of the time with the coming of the Lord Jesus.
Oh, it is God himself who has laid the foundation. The foundation
is laid in the grace, the sovereign grace of God. Other foundation
can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. And remember the words of the
Lord Jesus in the Gospel in Matthew 16, there at Caesarea Philippi,
when he says to Peter, after Peter had made his great confession,
thou art Peter. and upon this rock I will build
my church." Now the Church of Rome grasps at that word and
says that here it is evident that Peter, whom they falsely
claim to be the first Bishop of Rome, the first Pope, they
say Peter is the foundation, and therefore the popes of Rome
are part of that foundation of what they consider to be the
only true church. But their interpretation is flawed. They have wrongly exegeted and
expound that scripture. What the Lord is saying there
is not that Peter is the foundation, it is what Peter had confessed
when the Lord had asked his disciples, Whom do men say that I am? And
they told him the various things that they were hearing and then
he said, Whom do ye say that I am? And it was Peter who said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And it was
that confession upon this rock On the foundation can no man
lie than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. The church is built upon that
sure foundation. It's rooted and grounded in the
grace of God. Those words that we referred
to again this morning at the end of Ephesians 2 concerning
the saints, the household of God, built upon the foundation
of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the
Chief Cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are
builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Oh,
it's built upon that sure foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
those Apostles, those Prophets of the New Testament, those foundational
offices in the church. No more any apostles and prophets
now because the foundation has been laid. We don't need apostles. We have the Word of God. We have
the Scriptures of Truth. And this is our authority to
the Lord and to the Testament. But how the Lord vindicated the
ministry of the Lord Jesus and vindicated the ministry of His
apostles and those New Testament preachers with remarkable signs
following the preaching, those miracles, those things that are
spoken of there in the epistle to the Hebrews, God bearing them
testimony, with those signs that follow the ministry of their
works. It is God himself then who has
accomplished his eternal purpose with the coming of the Lord Jesus.
The foundation has been laid. And now there is the church,
that great superstructure that God builds upon that certain
foundation. What does it say here in the
text? Verse 5, Ye also as lively stones
are built up a spiritual house. And previous to that in verse
4, we have to whom coming as unto a living stone, the reference
in verse 4 being to the Lord Jesus. He is that living stone
And that building that is constructed upon that foundation is made
up of lively stones, a spiritual house. We observe a certain sameness
in the materials that are in the foundation as are in the
superstructure. And it shows that near relation
between the Lord Jesus Christ and his church. Robert Layton
says, it shows that there is a spiritual union. And I want
us to, for a while, just observe the sameness between the foundation
which is laid in Christ, this living stone, this chief cornerstone, and this building
these lively stones built up as a spiritual house. There are
a number of things we can observe in which we see the sameness.
First of all, with regards to each, we see that they are disallowed. The Lord Jesus, we're told in
verse 4, is one disallowed indeed of men. Again, in verse 7, the
stone which the builders disallowed. He came unto his own and his
own received him not. He was born into the people of
Israel. He was a Jew. And he comes to
his own but they reject him. He is despised and rejected of
men. He is a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. This is true of him who is the
foundation. And what is true of the foundation
is also seen to be the same with regards to that church that he
came to save. Who is it that Peter is addressing
in this epistle? We look at the opening verse,
Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout
Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. The church
is made up of those who in this world are strangers. They are
rejected by the world. Again here in this particular
chapter Verse 11, Peter says, Dearly Beloved, I beseech you
as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war
against the soul, having your conversation honest among the
Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they
may by your good works which they shall behold glorify God
in the day of visitation. Why in the world these Christians
are spoken of as evildoers? They are those whom men are only
too ready to reject, just as Christ himself was rejected of
men. And this has ever been the mark
of those who are the people of God. When we read in the 11th
chapter of Hebrews, of those of the Old Testament who were
of faith, are we not told these all died in faith, not having
received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were
persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they
were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Oh, this is the lot
of God's people. As Christ was, so are they in
the world. Oh, beloved, think it not strange,
he says, concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as
though some strange thing happened unto you, but rejoice inasmuch
as ye are partakers of Christ's offerings. that when his glory
shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."
There's nothing strange about this experience of the godly
as they are rejected in the world. This is part and parcel of being
a partaker of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. Here is the
mark then, the sameness that we see between the foundation
or the chief cornerstone and that great superstructure, each
disallowed indeed of men. But then also, with regards to
each, we see that they are chosen of God. They are chosen of God,
God's sovereignty. What do we read concerning the
Lord Jesus in this fourth verse? Although disallowed indeed of
men, it says, but chosen of God. But chosen of God and precious. Is he not that one who is the
Lord's first elect? Doesn't God say as much back
in that prophecy of Isaiah, those familiar words of the 42nd chapter? Behold my servant whom I uphold,
he says, mine elect, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. I have put my Spirit upon him. Oh, the Father giveth not the
Spirit by measure unto him. What a glorious effusion of the
Spirit fell upon Christ. He is the anointed of God. He
is the Christ. He is God's first elect. And all the election of grace
are in Him. They are chosen in Him. According
as He has chosen us in Him, says Paul, before the foundation of
the world. chosen in Christ. We sang it
just now in the hymn, Christ be my first
elect, he said, then chose our souls in Christ our head. Let us have a clear understanding
with regards to the great doctrine of God's eternal election. Now
it is all together that doctrine bound up with the Lord Jesus
Christ. The only way we can have a right
and a proper appreciation of the doctrine is by considering
Christ as that One who stands at the very head of all the election
of Christ. He is God's first elect and all
who are chosen are chosen in him. And there is such an emphasis
upon this. Here in verse 9 he says, but
ye are a chosen generation. And again when we come to the
opening words, those whom he is particularly addressing. You
know, we need to be careful with regards to our understanding
of Scripture. We need to see who it is that
is being spoken to in these epistles. Peter is addressing himself to
a certain a particular people. It's a general epistle. It's
not written to a particular church as many of Paul's epistles are. But it's not general in the sense
that it's addressed to all and sundry throughout the world.
No, as we've already said, it's an epistle addressed to those
who are strangers. and pilgrims in the earth and
those who are scattered but then he goes on in the second verse
to say they are elect or they might be strangers in the world
but they are beloved of the Father He has set His sovereign love
upon them He has chosen them in the Lord Jesus before the
foundation of the world they are elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. The words belong
to a specific people. They are the election of grace. There is that sameness then,
again between the foundation and the superstructure. Each
disallowed, of men rejected, of men ridiculed, of men in the
world, but each of them chosen of God and precious in God's
sight. And then thirdly, with regards
to this sameness in the materials that make up this great structure,
both of them live. Both of them live. What sort
of a foundation stone, what sort of a corner stone is it? It's
a living stone. In verse 8 it says, to him coming
as unto a living stone. It's allowed indeed of man to
be a living stone. Oh, that's the Lord Jesus. And
then he goes on in verse 5, he also has lively stones. He's
a living stone, they are lively stones. Oh, what a blessed union
between each. The Lord Jesus says in the Gospel
to His disciples, because I live, ye shall live also. We know that He is the One who
is the Creator of all things. He is the Creator of life. In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. The same
was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him.
And without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was
light, and the light was the life of men. He is there in creation. He is that One who speaks the words, and creation
happens all by the word of the Lord were the heavens made and
all the host of them by the breath of his man but he is not only
the one who is the creator of our natural life he is the one
who is the author of spiritual life it is that resurrection
life in the Lord Jesus that comes into the souls of all them that
believe. He says again back in Isaiah
26, 19, Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall
they arise. Or is He not risen again for
our justification? There is the communication of
that resurrection life. That same power that was there
when Christ was raised again from the dead is what God puts
forth and demonstrates in the soul of that sinner who is born
again. It's according to the working
of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised
Him from the dead. Oh, the exceeding greatness of
His power to us all who believe, says the Apostle. That power
that resurrection power. Because I live, says the Lord
Jesus, ye shall live also. And as both in the foundation
and in the superstructure we see the spiritual life, it's
a spiritual building, so we see that there's a sameness, with
regards to priesthood. What does it say in verse 5? The spiritual house and holy
priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ. Now the Lord Jesus is that one
who is the grace High Priest. We have to consider Him. This
is in many ways the great theme that runs throughout the epistle
to the Hebrews. We're told there in the opening
words of the third chapter, consider the Apostle and High Priest of
our profession, the Lord Jesus Christ. And He's not one who
is a priest after Aaron, but he is a priest
after Melchizedek, that mysterious personage to whom Abraham pays
tithes. Remember there in Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 5,
So also Christ, it says, glorified not himself to be made an high
priest, But he that said unto him, Thou art my son, today have
I begotten thee, as he saith also in another place, Thou art
a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. All the priesthood,
it is part of that ministry that the Lord Jesus Christ came to
fulfill. We think of that threefold ministry
that we have typified in the Old Testament. how there were
in Israel of old those who had the office of the priesthood,
who were to make the sacrifices, the priests of Aaron, belonging
to the tribe of Levi. But then also there were those
men that would be raised up, those prophets and seers, who
were to speak the Word of God to the people, And then there was the office
of the prince or the king. These three offices. The priests,
the prophets, the kings. And it's all foreshadowing Him
who was to come, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that threefold office
that Christ has, He is a prophet. He is the fulfillment of the
prophetic office. He is that one that was promised
back in Deuteronomy when the Lord God spoke to Moses and said
he would raise them up another prophet like unto Moses. The
law was given by Moses, yes. In many ways Moses is the greatest
of those men who were prophets in the Old Testament. because
all of them were to expound the Lord of God and to seek to apply
the Lord of God to Israel, to Judah. Their ministry was to
the Lord and to the Testament. If they speak not according to
this word, it is because there's no light in them. Their words
didn't contradict the Lord of God. They faithfully expounded
the Lord of God. The law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. He is one greater than
Moses, that one that God promised. Like unto Moses, yes, a prophet,
but one also far greater, because he comes to reveal to sinners
the way of salvation. No salvation in the Lord of God,
What is that Lord? It's the ministration of condemnation. It's the ministration of death.
It serves the gospel. It's that schoolmaster to bring
us unto Christ. All of salvation is in Him. The
one who comes and puts himself under the law of God. He's made
of a woman. He's made under the law. He's subject to the law.
He'll obey the law. He'll honour the law. He'll magnify
the law. by a life of perfect obedience to every commandment
and so by that life he will accomplish the glorious righteousness, that
robe of righteousness with which he clothes his people as he justifies
them. And then that holy righteous
man he honors and magnifies the law also with regards to all
its penalties. He doesn't just fulfill it by
his obedience to the commandments. He does more than that. He bears
the penalty of the broken law when he suffers and dies as a
substitute in the place of his people. Oh, the Lord Jesus Christ
is that One who has come. He's the Priest, but He's more
than the Priest. He's the Sacrifice. He's the
Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. He's that One who is Prophet,
Priest and King. He's that One who comes to rule.
He's the Head of the Church. He's the One who has all authority.
the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. But we're thinking
more particularly here of Christ in terms of His priestly office.
His priestly office. Having made the sacrifice. Having
suffered and bled and died, He is now risen and ascending. And
He's entered into that within the veil. He's entered into heaven
itself. and there in heaven he is an
interceding priest. His very presence is a constant
plea on behalf of his people. What a comfort it is, friends.
At all times he is there before the throne. He fills the throne.
He is the throne of grace. All he ever lives to make intercession.
And yet I say that there is a certain similarity between Christ as
that priest and his people. He also, as lively stones, built
up a spiritual house, it says, and holy priesthood to offer
up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. And again there is a certain
emphasis, again we have it, you see in verse 90, our chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a royal, kingly priest, kingly priest. Isn't that the
language that we have in the book of the Revelation, there
in chapter 5, our God has made us on, or Christ has made us
onto our God, kings and priests kings and priests and we shall
reign with him on the earth for the priesthood of all believers
all believers are priests it's one of those Baptist distinctives
we believe that we don't believe in some special priestly caste
we don't speak like the Romanists of the The clergy and the laity,
even the Church of England speaks of the clergy and the laity. Even with regard to their government,
they speak in terms of the house of clergy and the house of laity. Now we say that every believer,
every believer is a priest, offering sacrifices, but not large sacrifices. This is where we deny all the
blasphemy of the Romish Mass. The Lord Jesus Christ has made
the great final blood sacrifice. All without the shedding of blood
there is no remission of sins. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
that one who has poured out his soul unto death. Why? The life
is in the blood. What a bloody death He died there
upon the cross. We don't say that believers present
to God any blood sacrifice. No, what does it say in Scripture?
This is our guide, this is our rule. By Him, therefore, let
us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, giving thanks
to His name through Jesus Christ. It is the sacrifice of praise
that we present unto God as priests. But there is a similarity. Christ is the great high priest.
But all of his children are also priests who offer that sacrifice
of praise and we do it continually. when we come together the purpose
of our gathering is it not that we might offer that sacrifice
we praise his name we want to render to him that worship that
is his Jew I say friends there is such a similarity here between
the material involved in the in the foundation of the church
in that chief cornerstone, and the superstructure itself. Both are rejected in the world,
disallowed indeed of men. And yet, in the case of both,
they are chosen, elects of God and precious. Christ is that
lively stone, believers are living stones built upon Him. He is
the great sacrificing priest, but all believers are kingly priests who offer
the sacrifice of praise continually. But let us turn in the second
place for a while to consider the manner of the building, the
manner of the construction, how this spiritual house is reared
up. it is built up by conversions
that is the way in which these lively stones are built up a
spiritual house look at what we read at the beginning
of verse 4 to whom coming as unto a living stone disallowed
indeed of men but chosen of God and precious there is a coming
you see we have to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to
be taken, as it were, and built upon the precious foundation
stone. Taken and built into that chief
corner stone. Now what is this coming that
he's spoken of? Well, it's not something physical. We cannot physically come to
the Lord Jesus. There were those who, whilst
he was here upon the earth, could come to him in that physical
sense. They could be in his immediate
presence. They could come where he was.
And the people at times did gather around him. There was a great
press around him, quite often. But the Lord Jesus Christ is
no more present in that local sense. We cannot come to him
in that sense at all. our coming must be a spiritual
coming and we see that in what the Lord himself says in John
chapter 6 and verse 35 there we have the key whereby we can
understand what it is to come to the Lord Jesus listen to what
it says Christ says he that cometh to me shall never hunger and
he that believeth on me shall never thirst Think about the
words that the Lord himself is using.
We have two statements, parallel statements in many ways. Receiving
nourishment at his hand. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Why? Coming is equivalent to
believing. That's what coming is. It's to believe. to believe in
Him, is to come to Him. And yet, men will not come. The Lord Jesus says as much Himself,
Ye will not come to me that ye might have life. Why, by nature,
men are dead in trespasses and sins. and they have a will but that
will is in bondage to their natural condition, their lost condition. They're dead in trespasses and
sins. The very idea that men have free
will is such a nonsense really. Man's will is bound up with what
the man is and in his fallen nature There's nothing spiritual
there at all. He's dead. In trespasses and
in sins. And this coming, this believing,
is a matter of the will. Ye will not come to me, says
Christ, that ye might have life. Why the Lord says something more
than that? In John 6, verse 44, no man can come to me, except
it were given to him, my father. It is written in the Prophets,
they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that has
heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me. How plain and
how clear the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ is then with
regards to this coming, this believing. No man can come to
me. except it were given to him of
my father. The father has to do it. When
Peter makes that great confession concerning the Lord Jesus Christ
as that great foundation of the church in Matthew chapter 16, when he says, Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God, And the Lord goes on to say, upon
this rock I will build my church. What does he say to Peter? Flesh
and blood have not revealed it unto them, but my Father which
is in heaven. It was nothing natural you see.
It was a revelation. The Father showed Peter who the
Lord Jesus was and so he makes the confession, Thou art the
cross, the Son of the living God. No man can come, says Christ,
except it's given to him of my Father. It is written, it's written
in the Old Testament, written in the book of the prophet Isaiah,
they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that has
heard and learned of my Father cometh unto me. All what is involved
then in this coming, we have to learn the truth, our spiritual
impotence, that we cannot come. because we will not come we have
to learn the truth of God's absolute sovereignty and how that is such
an offense to me and we see it in that sixth chapter we've referred
to several verses there in that great chapter and remember what
we read when we come towards the end of the chapter verse
65 He said, therefore said I unto
you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto
him of my father. From that time many of his disciples
went back and walked no more with him. How offensive. Here's
the offensive thing. The sovereignty of God. Oh, fallen
man! These were supposed disciples. They were no real disciples.
So many of them walked back or they would no more follow him.
They wanted nothing more to do with him. When we come here to Peter, do
we not find very solemn words? Later in the chapter, verse 7, as he writes to these strangers
scattered and yet the election of grace he says in verse 7 unto
you therefore which believe he is precious but unto them which be disobedient
the stone which the builders disallowed the same is made the
head of the corner and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence
even to them which stumble at His Word, being disobedient,
whereunto also they were appointed." Solemn words, it's the awful
doctrines of double predestination, the doctrine of reprobation,
they were appointed to this. Why so? Because they stumbled
at the Word. They stumbled at the Word. Oh, let us not stumble at the
Word of God. Remember how we read in Hebrews 4 of those of
Israel who could not enter into the promised land because of
unbelief. That's why they couldn't enter
in. Oh, let us not be offended at the Word of God. Let us be
those who would come. Who would come. And come. And come. In fact, this word coming at the beginning
of verse 4 is a present participle but in the past tense it has
the idea of a continual coming. Are we those who are ever coming
to the Lord Jesus Christ to whom coming as unto a living stone
disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious he
also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house ought to
be those who are coming for the Lord Jesus rooted and built up
in Him and established in the faith in the language of Colossians
chapter 2 and verse 7 all that's what we need is it not to have
that faith that is truly rooted in the Lord Jesus as He is the
the ground of our faith rooted and built up in him says Paul
and established in the faith, to be established in this sure
and firm foundation which is our Lord Jesus Christ to whom
coming as unto a living stone disallowed indeed of men but
chosen of God and precious he also as lively stones are built
up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also
it is contained in the Scripture, Behold. Oh, let us behold Him,
consider Him, look to Him. Behold, says God, I lay in Zion
a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on Him
shall not be confounded. The Lord bless His Word to us.
Amen.