First Peter 2. First Peter 2. If Walker and Joe had as many
notes as I have, they could preach for about three weeks, I think. First Peter 2, bear with me.
1 Tim verses, 1 Peter 2. Wherefore,
laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies
and all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk
of the word, that ye may grow thereby. If so be ye have tasted
that the Lord is gracious. to whom coming as unto a living
stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Ye 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 I lay in Zion a chief
cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded. 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 offense, even to
them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto
also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people, that
ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out
of darkness into his marvelous light. which in time past were
not a people, but are now the people of God, which had not
obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. The thing I want
to concentrate on is this word precious. This word precious means valuable,
wealthy, or of great price, rare. or heavy or something that satisfies. In looking at this word, I want
to try in three points to show this preciousness. And that's
Christ being the living stone, being precious. And that's precious
because of who he is, precious because of his sacrifice, and
also his preciousness to the believer. First, His preciousness
because of who He is. And last week we talked about
what the believer confesses. But let's look at a few more
things of who Christ is. First of all, Christ is the Creator. He created the world and all
that it is. In Genesis we read, in the beginning,
God. And then he goes down through
and you can see where he creates all these things. In Colossians
1.16 it says, For by him were all things created that are in
heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created by him and for him. And he is before
all things, and by him all things consist. Christ is prophet, priest,
and king. Prophet, in Acts 3.22, it says,
for Moses truly said unto the fathers, a prophet shall the
Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me.
Him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto
you. Priest, in Hebrews 4.14, it says,
seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into
the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. And King, 1 Timothy 6.15 says,
which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only potentate,
the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the one that does
things and no one can say unto him, what doest thou? Nebuchadnezzar
was brought to say this in Daniel 4.35. And all the inhabitants
of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? He is, I am, that I am. In Exodus 3.14 it says, And God
said unto Moses, I am, that I am. And he said, Thus shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. Also in John 8.58 we read, Jesus
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham
was, I am. He is the eternal Son, and He's
that one that is holy, holy, holy. Now, precious because of His
sacrifice. Simply because of everything
He is makes it precious. But let's look at how He went
about doing what He did when He was on this earth. First of
all, he declared himself to be equal with God, but yet he submitted
himself to the Father. In John 10.30, it says, I and
my Father are one. In John 5.30, he said, I can
of mine own self do nothing, as I hear, I judge. And my judgment
is just, because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the
Father which has sent me. Christ was the self-made man.
I remember that message Paul preached, the self-made man. He had the right to do whatever
he, you know, come and be whoever he wanted on this earth. If it
was me, I would have made myself the most richest, most powerful
man there was, but he did not. He made himself of no reputation. In Philippians 2.7 it says, but
made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of
a servant and was made in the likeness of men. He made himself
an ordinary looking individual. He was not one that someone would
recognize or some striking man. It says in Isaiah 53 too, for
he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root
out of dry ground. He has no form or no comeliness.
And we, when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should
desire him. He came working miracles. He
was kind to people. He helped people. It also says
in the ending of our text here in 1 Peter 2, we also read that
he did no sin, no guile was found in his mouth. When he was reviled,
he reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not. Then came the hour when he was
to be made sin for us, when he would bear our sins in his own
body. we find this holy God crying
out, the one that came and served. In Matthew 27, 46, we read this. In about the ninth hour, Jesus
cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani. That is to say, my God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me? It also says, and he cried, it
is finished, and gave up the ghost. That is faith. Faith accepted of God. This shows
Christ the author and finisher of faith. He started it and he
perfected it. This is the kind of faith I have
to have to believe God. The faith of Jesus Christ. God
Almighty must give the gift of faith and he does. Yet there
are few of us by His grace who were chosen from before the foundation
of the world who would be made the righteousness of God in Christ. Now that leads me into the preciousness
to the believer. And all of the above certainly
applies to that. But let's look at some things.
There was a time when Christ did not mean anything to me.
In fact, I could take Him or leave Him, It was neither here
nor there to me. The problem was, I didn't really
know who Christ was. I'm the one that, after reading
Romans 9, where it says, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I
hated, I said, if that's who God is, I don't want a God like
that. That's this sinner. But this holy God, who came down
in human flesh and made himself a servant, sent someone with
me, to me, with the gospel, to me specifically. Now it might
be that you're in a crowd or by yourself, but he will send
him to you specifically and speak to you through his gospel. When
you truly find out who Christ is, you will be in the dirt. Maybe not physically, but in
your heart and mind, you will be bowed down in fear and trembling.
But there came a time when I began to see, as Job did. And if you
would, let's turn to Job 26 and read that. Job 26. But Job answered and said, how
hast thou helped him that is without power? How savest thou
the arm that hath no strength? How hast thou counseled him that
hath no wisdom? And how hast thou plentifully
declared the thing as it is? To whom hast thou uttered words?
And whose spirit came from thee? Dead things are formed from under
the waters and the inhabitants thereof. Hell is naked before
him and in destruction hath no covering. He stretcheth out the
north over the empty place and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds and the clouds is
not rent under him. He holdeth back the face of his
throne and spreadeth his cloud upon it. He hath compassed the
waters with bounds until the day and night come to an end.
The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.
He divided the sea with the power, and by his understanding, he
smiteth through the proud. By his spirit, he hath garnished
the heavens. His hand hath formed the crooked
serpent. Lo, these are parts of his ways,
but how little a portion is heard of him, but the thunder of his
power, who can understand? Job began to understand who God
is. And in time, you know, God brings
us to the end of ourself. And we start to see that. And
there comes a time when we are enabled to cry, Abba, Papa. Then we begin to see things like
this. Psalms 18 and two says this. The Lord is my rock and my fortress. and my deliverer, my God, my
strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler, that is shield or
protection, and the horn, that is trumpet and light of my salvation,
and my high tower, that place where no one or no thing can
get to me. He becomes precious to the believer
because all that he is. What God says is precious, is
precious. But the word being revealed to
a believer, he also becomes precious to us. We might ask questions
like this, what must I do to be saved? What must I do to walk
in his way? What must I do to do the right
things or not do the right things? The only answer is, look to Christ. Believe him, trust him. He is
our example. Look at who He is and what He
has done. He is where guilty, helpless
sinners must run to. He tells us to take no thought
for anything. It says in Mark 6, 25, therefore
I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you shall
eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you
shall put on. Is not the life more than meat?
and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air,
for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better
than they? The believer in Christ is as
precious to God as Christ himself. Because Christ made him so. Oh, that we might say with Apostle
Paul, and I want to read I'll read this scripture too, Philippians
3.8. If you don't mind turning with
me there. Philippians 3.8. Yea, doubtless. And I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do
count them but done, that I may win Christ, and be found in him,
not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith. that I may know Him and the power
of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being made
conformable unto His death, if by any means I might attain unto
the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect, but I follow after if that I
may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ. I hope he allows me to do that
all the time. I want to reach for him. And
I just want to end this with asking, what is precious to you? What's precious to me? Amen. Dear old God, thank you for being
with your lowly servant. May it be that I have honored your name, dear
Lord. Be with Joe as he comes here to speak. Give him boldness
to stand up here and speak freely of the mercies that are in Christ. And be with Walter as he stands
here to speak. Give him the strength in his bones to stand up here
and preach to us yourself, dear Lord Christ. All these things
we ask in Christ's name, amen.