Turn to 1 Peter 2. I enjoyed
preaching in New Jersey this weekend, felt like I had some
liberty. But when I come back, I'm reminded why this is the
place I want to be more than anywhere else. I mean that from the depths of
my heart, I love you dearly and miss you and thankful to be here. Thank you, Claire. 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 4. To whom coming as unto a living stone, a stone
who lives. disallowed indeed of men, but
chosen of God and precious. You also, as living stones, are
built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual
sacrifices. acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Now, Peter combines those two
verses of Scripture that I just read from Isaiah chapter 26 and
Isaiah chapter 8. Wherefore, also it is contained
in the Scriptures, 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 the stone of stumbling and a rock
of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient,
whereunto also they were appointed." Regarding that last phrase, someone
is thinking, what does that mean? What does it sound like it means? That's what it means. Christ Jesus himself is called
a living stone, the stone who lives, the chief cornerstone,
the elect, chosen of God and precious a sure foundation, and
some see him as that. I just made those statements
from the word of God regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. And you
said in your heart to what was said, Amen. Amen. Amen. But others look at this
same stone. And for the reasons that some
love him, others reject him. and despise him, and set him
at naught, and hate him. Same stone. Same stone. And for the very same reasons
many reject him, many love him and adore him. Now, which one
am I? Which one are you? Now, the Lord
Jesus Christ is the foundation. He is the cornerstone. I love
what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3, 11, for under foundation can
no man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus the
Lord. He is the foundation upon which
all my weight rests. I am completely, 100% dependent
upon him for my salvation. That's what it means to lay on
the foundation. You're completely, 100% dependent
upon who he is and what he did as all that God requires of you. How about you? How do you feel
about that? Now, any church that does not
have him only as its foundation is not really a church, is it?
Not really, it might go by that name, but it's not really a church
of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, the church of the Lord
Jesus Christ meets together for one reason. To hear of the foundation. To worship Him. To glorify Him. And if He's glorified, everything's
fine, isn't it? Doesn't matter what else happens,
if He's glorified, and I'm not even talking about my own life.
If the Lord is glorified, it doesn't matter what happens to
me. And I really believe that. It doesn't matter if he's glorified.
But if he's not glorified, nothing's right. A true church is a church
that is founded upon the only foundation, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, any gospel you hear preached that does not have him as the
only foundation in all that's said is a false gospel. It won't save. Now, all of God's
blessing, would to God, I could say this the way it needs to
be said, all of God's blessing is in Him. What that means is,
is any blessing you have is given for His sake. It's because you're
in Him. That's why God blesses you. All
of God's blessing, all of God's favor, all of God's salvation,
all of God's mercy, all of God's grace is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every blessing we have is in
Him for His glory and for His sake that in all things He might
have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that
in Him should all fullness dwell. He's the foundation of every
aspect of salvation. This is something, there's no
way I can understand it, but I was thinking, you know, God didn't
choose me and put me in Christ. God chose me because I was in
Christ. God redeemed me by Him. God justified
me by His righteousness. He sanctified me by making Christ
Himself my sanctification. Every aspect of salvation is
in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the foundation. He said, I am the way. I am the
truth. I am the life. No man comes to
the Father, but by me. I love this verse of Scripture.
1 Corinthians 1.30. Of him are you in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom. God looks at me and says, there's
a wise man that I can have fellowship with, that I can embrace, because
Christ is my wisdom. He's made into me righteousness,
so God embraces me as a righteous man, just like Olaunt, the righteous
lot. I love that name for a lot. Righteous
lot. His righteous soul is best from
day to day with their own. That's me. I'm righteous because
Christ is my righteousness. He is made unto me sanctification
and holiness. He is my holiness before God
so that God is pleased with me. He's my redemption. He's my full
deliverance. Now, any hope that is not utterly
and entirely founded on him is a false hope. Now, here's my hope. Here it
is. He despaired, not his own son. God the Father, spared not
Christ. He despaired, not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not? Freely. with no cause in me, give us
all things. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? God justified them. Who is he
that can condemn? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather,
that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also makes intercession for us. That's my hope. And a sure hope He is. My hope is Christ alone, nothing
more. Nothing less and nothing else. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. Any Christian
that is not founded wholly on Christ, whatever else he may
be, he's not really a Christian. You see, Christ is the stone,
the sure foundation, the chief cornerstone, the stone who lives. The Lord said to his disciples,
Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man am? And they said, well,
some say you're Elias or Jeremiah or one of the prophets. They
put you in some high cotton. They say good things about you.
He said, but whom say ye that I am? And I'm asking you that
right now. Who do you say? This is all I
care about right now. I don't care about what you think
about anything else. Who do you say in your heart that Jesus
Christ the Lord is? Whom say ye? I'm not, we're not
even thinking about the person beside you. Whom say ye that
I, the son of man am? And Peter answered, thou art
the Christ, God's prophet, God's priest, and God's king, the son
of the living God. Can you say that? You really believe He's God's
Christ? The Son of the Living God? Listen to me. Who so believe
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. That's what the Scripture
says. Remember that Ethiopian eulogy? What hinders me from being baptized?
Here's water. What hinders me? If you believe
with all your heart, you may. He said, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. You know, I believe that too.
I believe that too. I'm right there with it. He is called the elect. He's God's elect. He is God's
chosen. Now, I know in John chapter 15,
verse 16, he said to his disciples, you've not chosen me, but I've
chosen you. Now, he said that. You didn't
choose me, but I chose you. And that's true. What I'm saying
is not in conflict with that in any way. That's true. But
when he says, as my husband, without take this man to be your
lawful wedded Savior and Lord and Master and Redeemer, you
know what I say? I do. I do. He's precious. First Peter 2,
7 says, and to you that believe, he is precious. And if he's all
in your salvation, he's certainly precious. You believe him to
be so precious to God, precious to me. He's that one pearl of
great price that if you have him, you quit searching for other
pearls. You're not even interested in
him. You've got the one pearl. He is that one who, if you see
him, Moses and Elijah disappear. When you see Him in His glory,
He's precious. He's precious to me. His righteousness is precious
to me. That's my righteousness. His
blood is precious to me. That's what wipes away my sin.
His intercession is precious to me as he represents me before
the Father. My prayers are accepted and heard.
Oh, how precious he'll really appear when he stands for me
in judgment and answers for me. He is precious. Turn back to
Isaiah 28. Verse 16, Therefore thus saith the Lord
God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a tested stone. You know, the Father tested Him.
The Father tested Him the whole time He walked upon this earth.
And you know what He said regarding His Son? This is My beloved Son. in whom I'm well pleased. God's law tested him. It looked
him over continually and said there's no fault in him. He's
kept me perfectly. The devil tested him. Remember
when he was brought out into the wilderness 40 days to be
tempted of the devil? Now, if the devil had 40 days
with you, what do you reckon would happen? You reckon you
could stand up to him? Well, you know you couldn't.
But he said, the prince of this world has found nothing in me.
He couldn't find anything that he could grab on to. He was tested
by the devil, and he's tested by every believer. Tried and
proved. 2 Timothy 1.12, Paul said, I
know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded, I'm convinced.
that he's able to keep that which I've committed to him against
that day. Now, he's called a tried stone, a precious cornerstone,
a sure foundation. Now, what is a sure foundation? How sure? How sure? I hope this makes sense, but
a sure thing that has not happened yet is not a sure thing. How
many times have people thought of a sure thing that was going
to happen, but it didn't? And you put all your thoughts
and efforts into that thing that was a sure thing, but it wasn't
a sure thing, was it? You see, a sure thing that hadn't
happened yet is not a sure thing. You know what a sure thing is? Something that's already happened.
It's already taken place. I'm not as sure for heaven as
if I were already there. I'm already there. In the person of my Redeemer,
I'm already there. There's no chance whatsoever
that I won't be there because I'm already there. In Christ,
I am complete and my salvation is already accomplished. That's
how sure of a foundation he is. Listen, if you're in Christ,
you're already in heaven. If He's there and you're united
to Him, and Ephesians 2, 6 says we're seated in the heavenlies
in Christ Jesus. If He's there, you're there too already. And
that's how sure you are. What a sure foundation. A sure
foundation where it's already been done. How sure that is. And then it says in Isaiah 8,
14, turn over there, He shall be for a sanctuary. He shall be for a sanctuary,
a safe place. That's what a sanctuary is. It's
a place of holiness, but it's a place of safety, a place of
safety. I'm so safe and secure in the
Lord Jesus Christ. He only is my rock and hiding
place. And the believer finds him to
be the living stone he comes to. I love thinking of him being
the elect, don't you? The chosen of God. Christ be
my first elect, he said, then chose us in him our living head. He's precious, he's tried, and
he's sure. Now turn back to 1 Peter chapter
2 for a moment. This elect, precious, and tried
stone is also the one disallowed and rejected of men. That's what
disallowed means, it means rejected. Verse 4, to whom coming as unto
a living stone, disallowed, rejected indeed of men, but chosen of
God and precious. Now, men disapprove of the gospel. They disapprove of it. And they
find out they disapprove of it when they hear it. They may think
everything's okay till they hear the gospel. But when they hear
who Christ is, and what He did, and what He actually accomplished,
and where He is now, and how we're in His hands, and that
He's in complete control, and that He's the Lord of lords,
and He's the King of kings, and He's the tribe, sure as stone,
and there's salvation only in Him, and you cannot be saved
by your works. When they hear that God elected
a people, and Christ died for the elect, and the Holy Spirit
calls him invincibly and irresistibly, and they shall persevere. When
they hear that, they say, I disapprove. Well, I knew you would. I knew
you would. But God's people won't. They
won't. They approve. Those who do not
approve, well, they're natural men. Peter says, he was said
it not by you builders, counted as nothing and contemptible,
and they stumble. Finding him to be a stone of
stumbling and a rock of offense. When the Lord walked on this
earth, people were offended by him. Now, let's stop there for
a moment. What does it mean to be offended
when you're offended? I had a couple of things last
week that offended me. I was mad over what took place. I felt like I'd been wronged.
I felt like I'd been under appreciated, just offended, mad. Somebody says you can't offend
the chief of sinners. That's true. You can't. You can't. Part of
me is I thought most of the time I don't believe I'm the chief
of sinners. I say I do, but anytime you get mad, you're wrong. You're wrong. You shouldn't get
offended, but I did. You become offended when you feel like you've
been wronged. When you feel like you've been misrepresented. Or
you become offended when you're disgusted at something that's
been scandalous. It's a wrong behavior. Scandalous. Just wrong. You're offended by
that. And you've seen people's actions that offend you. You
don't like it. You're disgusted by it. Well,
when the Lord walked upon this earth, men were offended by Him. Offended. either feeling like
they've been wronged or feeling disgusted by his doctrine, the
things that he said. They were offended as low birth.
He's not just the carpenter. He doesn't look like a Messiah
to me. He's a common carpenter. They were offended at his claims.
Turn to John chapter 10. I love this passage of scripture.
I love the Lord's sarcasm here. John chapter 10,
verse 31. Then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him. You know, he had quite a few
times where people wanted to murder him because they were
offended so much at what he'd said. Jesus answered them, many
good works have I showed you from my Father. For which of
these works do you stone me? The Jews answered him, saying,
For a good work we stoned thee not, but for blasphemy, and because
thou, being a man, makest thyself God." They were offended at his
claims, weren't they? Yeah, he said, I am God. He that has seen me has seen
the Father. And they were offended at his
doctrine. Turn to John chapter 6. You're there in John. 59, these things said he in the synagogue
as he taught in Capernaum. Many, therefore, of his disciples,
when they'd heard this, said this is a hard saying. They found
it offensive. Who can hear it? When Jesus knew
it himself, his disciples murmured at him, he said, Does this offend
you? Are you offended by what I've
said? Do you find this, you're being
wronged in this? Is this what you feel like? You're
being wronged? Are you offended? And you're familiar with this
passage of scripture. Most of you are, at any rate. This is
where he said in verse 44 of the same chapter, no man can
come to me except the Father, which is hidden in God. He said,
you're unable to come to me. You can't come to me unless God
draws you. You're going to drop into hell
unless God draws you is what he's saying. And they were offended. This is where he told him in
verse 37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and
him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out of election,
offends me in sense of choice. Verse 39, this is the Father's
will which is sent me, that of all which he hath given me I
should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last
day. Oh, what a glorious message he preached. They were offended. This is disagreeable. We don't
approve of this. This is not good. We're offended. by this message. The bottom line
has been offended by the gospel. Turn to Romans 9, verse 30. What shall we say then, that
the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness. They weren't
even seeking God, didn't even care about righteousness. They
were living in perversion and idolatry and wickedness. But
they've attained to righteousness. Even the righteousness, which
is a faith, they weren't even looking for it and they were
given it. But Israel. Which followed after the law
of righteousness. They didn't get it. They didn't
attain to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they sought it not
by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law, they stumbled
at that stumbling stone. As it's written, here it's quoted
again, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock
of offense, and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. The bottom line is men are offended
at grace, aren't they? It doesn't seem right that these
fellows were seeking righteousness and they never got it. And the
fellows who weren't even seeking it were given it. I'll tell you who likes it, the
ones who are given it. They're thankful. But a word of warning regarding
this, turn back to First Peter, Chapter two, regarding this thing
of being offended by the gospel. If I reject what I'm hearing, it's all my fault. It's all my fault. I'm responsible for my rejection,
my willful rejection of the gospel. I've got nobody to blame but
myself. But look what Peter says, verse 7, unto you therefore which
believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient. The
stone which the builders disallowed, the same as 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." Now, I believe I know why Peter used
language like that. Turn to Matthew chapter 21. Verse 42, Jesus saith unto them, Did you
never read in the Scriptures? I love the way the Lord always
said that. I mean, these fellows have read this who knows how
many times. Haven't you read? Obviously, you didn't hear what
was said. Haven't you read? Did you never read in the Scriptures
the stone which the builders rejected? The same has become
the head of the corner, this is the Lord's doing. This rejection,
this is the Lord's doing. This is what you were appointed
to. This is the Lord's doing. And it's marvelous in our eyes. Marvelous. Someone who looks at this sure
foundation bestowed who lives, elect, precious, tried and sure,
and rejects it, and sets him at naught. Now, regarding that
person, listen to me. I do want you to be saved. I
want you to bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ and come to
a knowledge of God through Christ. I want you to love him. I want
you to see him as elect, precious, tried. I want you to see him
in that light. But if you die, thinking the way you do about
Christ, you ought to be damned. You ought to be. Hell's the only
place for you if you don't see the beauty of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, those are solemn words,
but they're true. If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha. Let him be damned
upon the return of the Lord. Oh, this tried, precious stone. May God give me grace to see
him just like this. Now, I'd like to end on a much
more positive note. Turn back to Isaiah 28. Verse
16. Therefore, thus saith the Lord
God, behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried
stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He that believeth. Believes what? Exactly what this
verse says. That's what he believes. He that believeth shall not make
haste. I'm going to wait for Him. When
my name is called, I'm waiting for Him who is my representative. I'm waiting for Him to say, present
and accounted for. I'm waiting for Him. I'm not
in a hurry. But this passage is also quoted
in Romans 9. We just read it. Would you turn
there? Verse 33. As it is written, Behold, I lay
in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of fence, and whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed." Shall not be ashamed. There are so many things of which
I am ashamed about myself. But you know what? On Judgment Day, I won't have
anything to be ashamed of. That's how complete Christ's
salvation is. I will not have anything to be
ashamed of. And I'm not ashamed of the Gospel.
The Gospel that I'm preaching to you, I'm not ashamed of. It's
worthy of God. That's what Paul said. He said,
I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. I'm proud of it. I'm
proud of the gospel I preach. This is a gospel worthy of God,
isn't it? I'm proud of this gospel, not
ashamed of it. But when Peter uses the word
in 1 Peter chapter 2, turn there. Once again, this is the last
scripture. Look at it again. We've already looked at it several
times. To whom coming as unto a living
stone, verse 4, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and
precious, you also as living 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 Scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief
cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded." He's not going to make haste. He's
not going to be put to shame. He's not going to be ashamed
and he's not going to be confounded. Now, that word is the same word
translated ashamed, but something that's really interesting about
this. Those other words were future tense. I won't be ashamed. I won't be ashamed in the future.
But here is past tense, I won't be Confounded. You see, my future
is bright because my past is bright. Chosen in Christ. Viewed in Christ. United to Christ. Go ahead and dig up all the dirt
you can. There ain't none. That's why I can look to God
toward the future, knowing I won't be ashamed because there's nothing
in my past. Nothing in my past that'll make
me ashamed. You read my history, you read
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and there's Todd Norbert. His
obedience is my obedience. And I love what the Lord said,
this is the Lord's doing. It is, isn't it? This is the
Lord's doing. And it is marvelous in our eyes. Let's pray.