This message was given at Grace Community Church in Minden, Nevada. At the end, we will give information about how to contact us to receive a copy of this or other messages. If you have your Bibles, would you open to 1 Peter, please? 1 Peter. We're picking up in chapter 2, starting at verse 4. This is the reading of God's own word. 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, 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. It's the reading of God's word. Go and have a seat. Let's pray real quick. Our father, please be with us. Please speak to us. We pray that you would give us ears to hear. We pray that you would give us the eyes of faith to see life for what it really is. To see our savior for who he really is. Be with us, Lord. We can do it no other way. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. This is such a cool text. I mean, if you've read this, the Living Stones. Oh, it's so good. There's some, you just have favorites, right? This is a wonderful text and it's describing just a stunning reality. We're going to do this kind of in two parts because we can't fit the whole thing in today. We just can't do it. But you know, if you've read the Bible at all, if you've heard any stories, Solomon's temple, it was just supposed to be spectacular. Just marvelous to behold what those people put together, just bringing together the best of the resources, the most skilled of the craftsmen. And they had created a temple that was incredible. David was said during his time, so he was told that it wouldn't be him who would build the temple. So his service to the temple was he was storing up for it. He was storing up for what must have been years to prepare for it. Because you just imagine all the gold it took, all the silver, the bronze, the precious stones, the marble, all these things are listed in the scriptures. Each facet of that temple just skillfully and marvelously executed upon. And then Peter describes here something that makes that temple seem like a pale, pale memory of the past. He describes a spiritual reality, not just something that was found in a certain place over in the Middle East. He describes a spiritual reality, a spiritual house, he says, that is being built up. The stones of this house, they're not mere stones anymore. It turns out every believer, every follower of Jesus Christ is one of these stones forming a part of this glorious structure that only God could create. And the most precious part of that structure, it is the cornerstone. And the cornerstone, it turns out, is Jesus Christ himself. As we start this section, you have to start with that cornerstone. If we're to understand the house, we have to start with Jesus himself. And so what Peter's doing here is he paints Jesus from two different angles, two very different angles defined by two different reactions to Jesus. There are those who are going and who have already rejected Jesus. And then there are those who come to him and recognize his worth. This is the same Savior, but this is Jesus the rejected, and this is Jesus the precious. So Peter starts with the rejected, the rejected Savior. He says Jesus was rejected by men. I mean, this is about as obvious as it gets. If you're at all familiar with Jesus's life and his legacy, he was ejected by men. He was rejected by the people he came for, the people who should have welcomed him in throngs. Many, while he was alive, seeing this marvelous and compassionate man, mocked him, far from worship. Many threatened his health, his life. They wanted to kill him. Others looked for any chance they could to get him in trouble with the government, but the government take care of him. Even after his resurrection, you know, you're faced with Easter morning, you're faced with an empty tomb. He was there, now he's not. Even then, people cannot come around to him. Even then, they're looking at this empty tomb, they can't find a body anywhere, and they're left thinking, nope, I'm not buying this. Even then, they reject him. Even then, they refuse to believe in him. To this day, Jesus Christ is rejected widely. You see it in violence, Christians who are persecuted, driven from their homes, attacked, killed. You see it subtly too though. You see a culture that's just looking to update Jesus a little bit. You know, we like him, but it's time for Jesus 2.0. Let's polish off some of the rough edges. We really think this is a great thing you started here, Jesus, but we just have to fix a few things. Actually, a lot worse, probably, than outright attacking the followers of Christ. Peter paints this rejection of men across all time. as builders of a building, right? People constructing a building. He says the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Cornerstones aren't something we deal in a lot these days, but a cornerstone is that first stone of a building. You put that stone down thoughtfully, you put it down decisively, because every stone from there on out will be related to that stone in some way, will be dependent upon that stone in some way. So that's the picture Peter is making of Jesus. He says, Jesus is our cornerstone. Jesus is our rock upon which everything else must depend. And he says, the world rejected the cornerstone. That's a problem for the whole thing after that. Whatever it is that humanity thinks that they are building, they have started out by rejecting Jesus Christ. They looked at him, they looked at him up and down and they said, not interested. It's the spiritual buffet syndrome that we think we are entitled to. I want a little bit of this and I want a little bit of that. I don't want any of this Jesus stuff. And so they reject him from the very start and everything that comes thereafter is going to be based on that fundamental mistake, that fundamental rejection, that fundamental decision. Where you begin is so important. It defines so much of what's to come. Your view of the world, it affects so much. These builders, the world at large, they rejected the starting point and everything they are going to build will be undermined because of that. Have I told you guys about the first and only time I baked a cake? I started with a very important decision that you are supposed to fill the cake pans to the top. If you've made cakes, you know what's about to happen. It was a smoky and fiery mess. It tasted okay though. Once the fire went out. I mean, more seriously, this is what we've been doing in Genesis too, right? The book of beginnings. You start with all these fundamental decisions about what it is that constitutes reality, that it was God who existed before anything, that it was God that created. out of nothing, that it was God that designed us, that it is God that defined right and he defined wrong. You reject these starting points and no wonder everything after that that you build is messed up. There's no other choice when you start so off base. Rejecting Jesus Christ, the one on whom we're supposed to depend with our whole existence, will compromise everything that comes after that. Without Christ, we will never know God. Without Christ, we will never be right with God. Without Christ, there will be no good news. It will just be the same old news that we still stand in our judgment and in our sins. You know, in the end, rejecting Christ, something to be clear on, it doesn't hurt him. Rejecting Christ, we think it's this like empowered decision of ours. It does Christ no harm. But Peter says, man's rejection of that precious cornerstone, that just causes us pain. We're just going to stumble over that stone if we're not gonna build on it. The only name Under heaven, by which we can be saved, becomes a stumbling block. Refusing to be built on Jesus, people instead fall over him. The merciful and loving Savior, he becomes an offense. That's what Peter describes and has, an offense. Rather than being rescued by God, we're offended by God. How backwards is that? How backwards is that? But really, it's like abusing medicine. What was meant to be the cure instead becomes the poison. And Peter says that this stumbling is something that people will stand liable for. It is something for which they are guilty. He says, they stumble because they disobey the word. And again, we're in that obedience language. And to remind you, all he's talking about here is those who will believe the gospel and those who refuse to believe the gospel. The problem here, the cause of the stumbling was not that the dumb people go the bad way and the smart people go the good way. It had nothing to do with that. It didn't have anything to do with who had the money to get into the club. It didn't have anything to do with who was likable and who was not. It had nothing to do with our ethnicity, our geography. God's forgiveness is based on nothing like that. God's forgiveness is based purely on this, entrusting in Jesus Christ to save you. This is not just some mental mistake like getting the wrong answer on your math worksheet. This was not just intellectual ignorance. Rejecting Jesus is a moral decision. And really at the end of it, the rejected Jesus offers no salvation. The rejected Jesus offers no salvation. The rejected Jesus marks the downfall of everyone who's going to go that way, who's going to go down that path. Everyone who rejects Jesus turns out, Peter says, they're showing themselves to be rejected by God. That's what he means when he says, this is what they were destined for. Turns out God's free choice is sovereign. both over those he chooses and over those he rejects. So what choice do we have? We have the choice to embrace Jesus as precious. So we turn to the precious Savior. Christ may be rejected by men, but it says, in the sight of God, is chosen and precious. Chosen and precious. You can hear the echoes of the very beginning of the letter if you remember. That second verse, the letter was addressed to the elect exiles. Remember? The chosen outsiders. There we were reminded, there we learned that Christians may be rejected by men, but they are chosen by God and precious. The life we live is just flowing out of our source of life, Jesus Christ. He likewise was rejected by men. Although in fact, he was precious and is precious to his father, to God. Jesus, the precious. Jesus, the valuable. Jesus, the treasured. Jesus, the prized. He is precious because he is God himself, a member of that Holy Trinity. He is precious as the only son of our heavenly father. Do you prize your children? How much more so does God? Jesus, the precious. And you remember our context here. Jesus is rejected by men, But in the sight of God, but in the sight of God, Jesus is chosen and precious in the sight of God. You better believe there's a point to be made there. Mankind actually didn't think much of Jesus. The prophet Isaiah actually foretold that. Do you remember? Isaiah 53 talked about Jesus would be despised and rejected by men, said we would esteem him not. But humanity's opinion doesn't hold much weight here. It turns out humanity doesn't have very good taste in things like this. God, the father, the creator of all. He looks at his son and he thinks he is precious. And it is God's opinion that really matters here. Try and hear those words like Peter's first audience. Most likely this is a people who are regularly being insulted for their faith. They're regularly distrusted because they have taken on the name of Christian. They're regularly berated. They regularly have to hear how silly their faith is. They live in a society that is bit by bit by bit ratcheting up the heat on those Christians. They're human, they must at some point Be doubting. I mean, when you think something and a thousand people think something else, does that not cause you to doubt? When you live in a society that thinks your faith is worthless, would that not cause you to doubt? When they think your savior is cheap, would that not cause you to wonder, is he really? Faith is the anchor that works here. Faith is the anchor that holds here. When society calls Christ cheap, when they call him fake, when they call him idiotic, faith takes God's opinion and not man's. In the eyes of men, our precious savior is ridiculous, or at least irrelevant. But in God's sight, Our savior is the precious and chosen cornerstone. To make his point all the more, Peter reminds them of what the prophet, that same prophet Isaiah had said before. Verse six, it's quoting Isaiah 28, just another signpost on this story of redemption saying, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, pointing down there. And Peter says, I want you to be sure of this. Those who trust in Jesus will never be put to shame. Again, pause here. Think about these people's lives. He's saying they will not be put to shame. You go back to where it was and think about it. Did it help or hurt your social status to join this misunderstood, distrusted cult? It hurt, right? It hurt a lot. When you tell someone who daily is experiencing the shame of their society that before God there will be no shame, you are striking on a chord for them. If you're telling someone who's well-liked and comfortable and just doing great, okay, that's one thing, right? But when you say you will have no shame and you're talking to the unstable, to the vulnerable, to the suffering, this means something. This is a big statement. While the world may shame you, there will be no shame on that last day. While the world condemns you, on that last day, there will be no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. In the end, the truth will be obvious. God will make it so. And God alone will be the one who judges. God alone will be the one who decides what deserves shame and what deserves honor. And thank God that his judgment is different than that of this world. Peter looks them straight in the eye, so to speak. And he says, whatever this world is throwing at you, you've trusted the right savior. Whatever this world has for you, you will not regret this choice. As Jesus was vindicated when he rose from the grave, his followers will be vindicated on that last day. You see, this is the pattern of our lives, is the pattern set by Jesus before us. Jesus expected suffering, we likewise expect suffering. But Jesus entered into glory, we likewise expect glory. And truly, this is a promise that has glory in sight, doesn't it? When Peter says that those who trust in him will not be put to shame, well, you realize he means the exact opposite, doesn't he? It's like if I say, hey, I've got a surprise for you. I've got a surprise for you and you will not be disappointed. If you show up and it's just like a blank piece of paper and you're just not disappointed, I mean, I didn't really live up to my end of the bargain, right? It's an ironic understatement. Not only will you not be disappointed, but you're going to be thrilled. Likewise with this, you will not be put to shame, but instead Christian, you will have honor and you will have reward and you will have life and forgiveness and goodness and joy and blessing and peace. Will you be disappointed? Not a chance. So who is Jesus to you? Just a question begging to be asked by a text like this. Who is Jesus to you? The picture that Peter paints here is the exact picture we face. Jesus will remain the same, whatever you choose, whatever you do, but you, you will be a very different person depending on what you choose. And you will face a very different future as well. Your relationship to Jesus is the most important relationship you will ever have, bar none. Will you reject Jesus? Will you continue the all too human practice of building your life on a foundation that can't bear the weight. You know, our rejection of Jesus, we don't want to call it that. I know while I was rejecting Jesus, I wouldn't have called it rejecting Jesus. We say things and we think things like, you know, I really respect what he did. I respect his values and his morals and his character. I just don't believe the whole he's God part. and their salvation in him alone part. You see, your disagreements could be the most polite and respectful things around, but you have to understand that Jesus calls that rejection. He calls that rejection as much as if you were picking up a stone to throw at him, he calls it rejection. Picking and choosing what you will take from Jesus, it's just not an option. It's not a possibility. To put it another way, anything other than complete trust in him, complete devotion to him is a rejection in God's eyes. And Peter makes clear, hear me on this, that rejecting Jesus puts you in a terrible place. a terrible place. See, the problem isn't that you're going to go on to live some unsatisfying life or you're not going to live up to your potential or something like that. When we do that, we water down what's at stake. We're not talking about your best life now. It's not about what your life now is going to be like. When you stumble over Jesus and you fall, You will not just fall into dissatisfaction or mediocrity. You will fall into eternal judgment. It's a sobering truth. The only option we've been given, the only option we have been given is to wholeheartedly embrace and treasure our precious Savior. So will you treat him as precious? I mean, what an example we have today at the beginning and the end of this service. Those who by the waters of baptism want to be joined with Christ and declared to the world because they now know that he is precious. Those who in communion partake of that cup and of that bread because they know that Jesus is precious. You aren't asked to make Jesus precious. He's precious already. You are called to live in light of him. You know, our duty, our duty so often is just to acknowledge and recognize God. Like I said, you're not gonna make him precious. What's on you is to recognize him as precious. There is a savior. Precious beyond comparison. So whether you're the faithful or whether you have not yet believed, build your life on him. Chart your course based on the path he walked and he set before us. Rejoice in a sacrifice and in a salvation that was more valuable than you will ever realize. And even though the world will reject you and all Christians, just like it rejected him, rest assured, whoever believes in him will never be put to shame. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for your precious and chosen cornerstone, our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for rescuing us because we know, just like you described, we would be those who reject the cornerstone. We would be those who go after our own foolishness. We would be those who seek to build our lives on shifting sands. And you saved us. Hallelujah, we thank you, God. Give us eyes to see Christ, the precious cornerstone for who he is. For those who have not believed, may they believe today. May they reject the cornerstone no more. May every one of us, may every one of us find the faith and the grace to build our lives on him. It's in Jesus' precious name we pray. Amen. We hope you've enjoyed this message from Grace Community Church in Minden, Nevada. To receive a copy of this or other messages, call us at area code 775-782-6516 or visit our website gracenevada.com.