1 Peter chapter 2 verse number 1. Let's hear God's word. 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 that 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, He also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a 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, a lact precious, and he that believeth in him shall not be confounded. 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 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 called you out of darkness into his marvellous 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. 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. Amen. We'll conclude as we said at the verse number 12, our Bible reading. This second chapter in Peter's first epistle has been a rich chapter for us as we have visited a number of times as we've been considering together this series of messages on Christian identity. If you haven't been with us for period of time you'll know that or you maybe don't know but we've been considering the thought or the question who am i as a christian who am i as a christian you'll maybe recall on one of and one of those messages we considered those various designations that peter gives off christians there in the verse number nine there he describes the christians as a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people on another occasion we took the verse number 11 as a proof text to affirm two other ways in which the christian is to consider themselves now that they have come to faith in the lord jesus christ there peter he refers to believers as pilgrims and strangers, as strangers and pilgrims. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Well, tonight we come back to the second chapter of Peter's first epistle, and this time to the verse number five, where we are informed by Peter that Christians are lively stones. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Now while there are many ways in which Christians are referred to, or while many of the ways, sorry, in which Christians are referred to appear many times in the Scriptures, such as sheep and saints and priests, this designation that we are lively stones appears only this once, and this time it appears here obviously in 1 Peter. and the chapter number five now whenever we read that we are lively stones we would have to say that it's really not that complimentary to be called a stone what good is a stone however on closer examination there is a great deal that is instructive and profitable and challenging from this designation than maybe we first think it to be. I want you to notice that before Peter comes to speak of who we are as Christians in verse number 5, he firstly emphasizes to his readership who Christ is, who Christ is in the verse number four. To whom coming as on to a living stone, this is allowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Speaking there of the Lord Jesus Christ, ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house. Now the reason why Peter does that is because we must always view ourselves in light of who Christ is. We must always view ourselves in light of who Christ is and who we are in Jesus Christ. You see, apart from Christ, We are nothing, brethren and sisters. If we consider ourselves in the light of who we are, we are then of ourselves, we are going to depress ourselves. However, when we view ourselves as those who are in Christ, then we have got everything to encourage us. As we consider who He is, then we come to a better understanding of who we are in Jesus Christ. And so Peter, he places the emphasis on Christ first of all, and then he brings us to consider who we are. And in verse number 4, Peter speaks of the Son of God as being a living stone. A living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. It's very interesting to notice that from Peter's word that the Son of God is likened on to a stone, a living stone. But that's not the only reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. Speaking in these sorts of terms, in the Old Testament in Isaiah chapter 28 verse 16, The Savior is referred to as a tried stone and as a precious cornerstone. Let me read that verse. a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation, he that believeth shall not make haste. The cornerstone was that principal stone from which all the other stones would be joined to. The cornerstone was the first stone to be laid in a building whenever it was first laid. under construction and Jesus Christ is this precious stone he is this tried stone in Ephesians chapter 2 he's described as the chief cornerstone Ephesians 2 20 and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone and so christ is termed by peter in verse 4 as a living stone but then notice how peter immediately goes on to speak of god's people as being themselves lively stones he speaks of christ as being a living stone and then in verse 5 he speaks about us as being lively stones Now why are those two qualifying words placed before the word stone in verse 4 and the word stones in the verse number 5? Why they are different in our English translation. These two different words are translated from the exact same Greek word. And so we could therefore justifiably read that Jesus Christ is a lively stone or a living stone and we are living stones or as it is here lively stones. Just as Jesus Christ is the living stone, so we are living stones. Just as he is the lively stone, so we are lively stones. There's a very simple lesson to learn. But are we not taught from this that every Christian ought then to be a reflection of who Jesus Christ is? We are to be like him. He is the living stone and we are living stones. He is the lively stone. We are to be lively stones. I know that we like to imitate and we like to copy and we like to mimic Christians that we admire. and that we look up to, but brethren and sisters, we really ought to resemble Jesus Christ first and foremost. Since he is a living stone, so we are to be living stones. But how do we then become like Christ? How do we become like Christ? Because He is the living stone and we are to be living stones. How do we become like Christ? Well, Peter tells us how we become like Christ. Verse number 4, And I want you to notice that opening statement in verse 4, By coming on to Christ, by drawing near on to Christ, by continually drawing near and coming on to Christ, we become more and more like Him. Alexander McLarnon, he said, they that come near to Christ become as Christ. And how do we draw near to Christ? We cannot draw near to Him in a physical sense, but we can draw near to Him through the means of grace. Through prayer, through the reading of the word of God, we draw near to Christ. You know, maybe you're here tonight and maybe you mourn over how unlike Jesus Christ you are. Let me ask you then this question, are you drawing near to Christ? Are you coming near to Christ day by day? Do you pray? Are you found in his word? You know, whenever Moses found himself in the near presence of God, His face shone. It came to reflect the glory of God in whose presence He had come to dwell. And so when we draw near to God, we come to take on His image. We become His image bearers. We come to bear His image. This image of the Christian being a living stone, a lively stone, it brings us to the construction site. Peter says ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house. There are constructional terms that are being used here. Stones built up and house. And one of the lessons that we are being taught in this image is a lesson that we have already been learning and that we have already learned at the very beginning of this series of messages and that which we are taught throughout the New Testament. The lesson being that the Christian is one who is united to Jesus Christ. We are in union with Jesus Christ, just in the same way as a stone is united to the foundation in a physical building, so we are united to Jesus Christ who is the foundation stone or the cornerstone of His church. And being united to Him, thank God we cannot be un-united to Him. And from him, our strength and our stability is derived. Because the foundation cannot be destroyed, that which is built on the foundation cannot be destroyed either. And therefore, our union with Christ, it guarantees our preservation. Now, the descriptive word lively that Peter places before this word stones is worth a comment. You'll be aware that stones are inanimate objects. There's no life in a stone. A stone is cold. A stone is hard. A stone is a lifeless object. They lie in a field or maybe they lie down in some quarry. But here the Christian is likened on to a lively stone. There's life in these stones. Now if you and I were walking past a stone one day and it started to move and it's sort of evidence that it had life in itself, it wouldn't be too long before we were running up the road if we found those stones. Those are the type of stones that you want to find in a ploughed field. Those stones that move of their own if you've ever had to go in to applied field and pick up the stones you wish that there was a bit of life in them unfortunately there there aren't and i did it on a few occasions whenever i lived back at home although those hands don't prove it in any way but we know that stones are inanimate objects there's no life in a stone but here these stones they're spoken off here in in terms of being a lively stone. Life and stones are just two things that do not naturally go together. So how has that which by nature is lifeless, that which is dead, how has that now become something that has possessed life? Well folks, that comes about by the new birth. Because in the new birth what happens is a principle of new life is placed and imparted into the life by God, into a life that is dead in trespasses and sins. These stones have been made alive by the power of God. God has made them living stones. This doesn't come together, these two terms, stones and living, they do not come naturally together. And so it is, when we find ourselves in our fallen sinful state, we find ourselves dead in our trespasses and sins, but God by His power works something within our souls to bring life and to put life into the dead. That all happens in the work of regeneration. These dead stones, are quarried out of the mine of fallen humanity and are made alive by God. These stones do not make themselves alive. There is no, as it were, spark of life in them that God then starts to work on. No, these stones are dead. And God, by His Spirit, makes them alive. Paul writes of this quickening in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, and you hath he quickened made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. There's no, as it were, state of deadness. There's no degrees of deadness. A dead man is a dead man. And so it is with ourselves, spiritually speaking, we're dead in our sin and we need someone from outside of ourselves to make us alive. And this is what happens in the new birth. There's similar words that are found in the book of Colossians 2 in the verse 13. You'll know that the book of Ephesians and Colossians are similar to one another. And so we read there, And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. That which is dead is quickened, is made alive by God. He who is the living stone, he who possesses life in himself, imparts that life to all who trust in him. Now brother, sister, are you not glad that God has made you alive? that you're not in the quarry of sin tonight, that you're not lying, dear friend, that you're not lying out, as it were, in the field of the world, in a deadened state, but God has quickened you, God has made you alive, and he's made you a living stone, a living stone. How glad we are that we're no longer in the deadness of our sins. Now notice where these lively stones are then found. They're not found lying out in a field or sitting on some quarry floor in isolation or lying as solitary stones, strolling over a building site. No, we're told that they have been taken up. They've been taken up and they have been used by Jesus Christ as the master builder to construct a building. These stones are said to be built up. a spiritual house. These lively stones are wonderfully and wisely set into the church of Jesus Christ by the Son of God. And in that setting, in that setting, within His church, within that setting, we have a role to fulfill and we have a function to perform. No believer, no matter how spiritually mature or minded they think themselves to be, can live the Christian life, can live the Christian life as God intended, in isolation from other believers. You can't do it. You can't do it. Lord Jesus Christ has placed us into his building, into his church, and it is within that setting that we are to live our lives. We are not to live isolated lives, we're not to live separate lives, but we are to live interdependent lives. We are to help, but we are to encourage, we are to support and we are at times to reprove and to provoke one another to good works within the setting of the church of Jesus Christ. We are not to be lone rangers. We are not to be lone rangers, but rather we are to belong to Christ's church. John Wesley said, the Bible knows nothing of solitary religion. The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion. Now notice that this building is a spiritual house. This building is not to be a carnal house. This building is not to be a worldly house. This building is not to be a carnal house, but rather this house is to be a spiritual house. There is to be spirituality about it. In other words, there is to be godliness about it. Speaking of the church of Jesus Christ, and we have a part to play in that, because the church is simply made up of those who attend and those who belong to Jesus Christ. And so the church is reflective of its membership and of the friends that accompany and the friends that attend the house of God. I wonder how are we looked upon in this community? Are we looked upon as a spiritual house? Are we looked upon as a godly house? Are we looked upon as a house where men and women love the Lord, and they serve the Lord, and they live godly and they live holy lives. Or are we looked upon in another way? We're looked upon as worldly, carnal, and sinful. And so Peter, he reminds us here that there's a building. And with regard to this building, he reminds us that God is building his church, because it says, ye are built up a spiritual house. In Matthew 16, 18, we know the verse well. Jesus Christ said to Peter, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And so he places us, Christ as a master builder, he places us into his church. And he places us in the position he wants us to occupy. Many times we think, well, we need to occupy another position. No, God places you in the position that he wants you to occupy within his church. Paul puts it like this in Ephesians chapter 2, the verses 20 and 21, that we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly free and together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builded together." Together, notice what it says, you're built together. Not in isolation, but you're built together for inhabitation of God through the Spirit. Now that little phrase in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 21, fitly framed together, it's a very instructive phrase. In construction terms it really represents the whole of the process by which stones are brought together and then fitted together to construct the building. That process would have involved the quarrying of the stones, the preparation of the services, the cutting of the stone, the rubbing of the stone, the testing of the stone. the preparing of the dowels and the dowel holes, and then the fitting of those dowels with molten lead. In short, it represents the careful joining of every component of the building, each stone precisely cut to fit neatly with every other stone. Nothing is out of joint. Nothing is out of place. Nothing is defective. Nothing is misshapen. Nothing is inappropriate. And such is the case in Christ's building of his church. He is fitly framing her together as he adds daily to these lively stones. I wonder do we have any understanding of what a blessing it is to be placed into the church of Jesus Christ. First of all into Christ and then into his church. What a privilege to be part of a building project that is overseen by Jesus Christ. We need to remember whenever we read these words of who was going to read these words initially, we often read these passages of scripture and we forget about who these letters were actually written to. Who was going to be the first to read these particular letters? Well you need to remember that in chapter 1 of 1 Peter we read that this epistle was written to those Saints of God who were scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. These were Christians who, because of persecuting forces, had been dispersed around the Middle East. And so these believing Jews, they were far from Jerusalem, the city of the great king. And so they would have felt, I'm sure, that they were missing the sacred precincts and the special privileges of the temple located at Jerusalem. The temple in Jerusalem was characteristically the place of the presence of God. It was formerly the dwelling place of God. But Peter comes to remind these believers that they were now the dwelling place of God. That they were the spiritual house. Oh, there's an earthly house in Jerusalem that I have long vacated. But I am building a spiritual house. and you're part of that spiritual house, and I have come to indwell you. Just as I indwelt and I present myself in the temple, now I come to indwell you as you who belong to this spiritual house. Know ye not that your body is the temple of God? See, God's Spirit had come to dwell in these believers and so they didn't need the physical structure of a temple back in Jerusalem in order that they might worship God. In the place that they now live, these saints, they could offer up to God the spiritual sacrifices that He expected of them. And brethren and sisters, that's why we've been made living stones. We have been made living stones in order that we might actually do something. We're not made living stones in order to sit and, as it were, become ornaments in God's house. But these living stones, they're actually to do something, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Yes, it's speaking about the priesthood, but here's the picture of the temple, and also of the priesthood, the exercising of the ministry within this temple, and this is being brought together that you are the temple, but you're also the priest. And in that you are to offer up spiritual sacrifices unto God. And we can do that. We offer up the spiritual sacrifice of praise and of prayer, which like holy incense ascends like precious perfume unto God. Now while every living stone comes to rest upon Christ the foundation stone, as a consequence of that union, We also find that we are joined to other living stones who are also joined to him in the exact same way. Peter uses the plural here, ye are as lively stones. There is a plurality of stones. We know that no building is made of and constructed of just one brick. Many hundreds, thousands of bricks are required to see to a structure's completion. Well, it's no different in the building of Christ's church. There are many, many who make up this edifice of Christ that Christ is building. Can I say that we in this church, we do not make up the entire church of Jesus Christ? We're only a small part of her. There are many who are united to Christ. Because they are united to Christ, then we are united to them. This result of this union between Christ and His church is that the individual members then of His church, they are united to one another and they have mutual communion and fellowship with God and with other believers. And our Westminster Confession of Faith explains it in this way. All saints that are united to Jesus Christ by their head, by his spirit, and by his faith, have fellowship with him in his grace, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory, and being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other's gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and the outward man. Yes, there is union with Christ, But therein there is union with these other living, lively stones. You see, beloved, we have the same Savior. And we're indwelled by the same Spirit. And we have the same Heavenly Father. And we belong to the same family as others who have put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And whenever we think about it in that way, it really should transform the manner in which we see each other and treat one another. I wonder, are we pulling down the stones? Or are we building up the stones? Notice that Peter speaks about being built up a spiritual house. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house. You know, by using and employing such language, it indicates that this building project has installed This building project hasn't been, we talk about something being mothballed. In other words, nothing happens on it. I'm sure you see places like that. You see building sites. Maybe the foundations are laid and then nothing happens on those foundations. Well, not this building project. This building project is progressing. The building that is built on Christ is growing, is advancing. It's getting larger every day and this is something this truth is a truth that Paul brings out there in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 21 because he says about the building fitly framed together growth into a holy temple in the Lord. And I'm told that that word growth is in the present tense, which simply means that it's continually growing. It's an ongoing process. And something else about that word growth, it groweth on to a holy temple. It's what is known as its voice, the verb, is in the passive voice. And that simply means that the power that is producing the growth is not coming from itself. but rather it is coming from an outside source. And that outside source, you will know, is, of course, God. God is causing this growing, this building, this advancing, this progress, this getting larger every day. And so as the church continues to grow, as God works, he sees to the addition of lively stones to it. And only whenever the last stone is put into the building will the full glory of the church be seen. You know, we look out the back and we see some bricks put in the footings, but we haven't seen the finished product. We're hoping that the finished product will be a lot more nicer to look at than simply footings. Christ is building His church. We look at her. At times we wonder, is she even advancing? Of course she is. Of course she is. For Christ is building His church. And we look at her. And when will we see her glory? When will we see, is it where the finished article? We'll see it. whenever Christ returns for His bride. And then He will present to the Father that unspotted church, that unspotted bride, without spot and without wrinkle. The structure of the building has not yet been completed. God has all their stones to quarry and to cut and to polish and to place into His church. And the wonderful thing and the amazing thing is that He allows us to be involved even in that, in the preaching of the Word, in our personal witnessing for Christ. Souls are saved. And as they are, what does God do? He sets them, He cements them into His church as lively stones from which they'll never be removed. Every stone will find its place in the church someday. Not a stone will be missing. The structure that Christ is building has no building defects in it. No building controller will ever come and survey the bulwarks of Christ's church and say there's a deficiency there, there's a stone missing there, there's a dangerous part there. No. No, there'll be none like that. Building control will not condemn it. Outside forces will not demolish it. Internal turmoil will not decimate it. When the headstone is finally placed to signal its completion, the cry will go up from all within and all without. What will the cry be? Grace. grace onto it. The grace of God has built His church. The church of Christ in this world is a glorious building that God Himself is overseeing. Though we cannot see the finished edifice now, there will come a day and the final lively stone will be placed in. I wonder, will that lively stone be your loved one? Will it be your son? Will it be your daughter? Will it be your father, your mother, your husband, your wife, your cousin, your aunt, your uncle? That final stone placed in. And as living stones placed into this building, It is our responsibility then to find what God wants us to do and for us to be faithful in doing that service for Him. Oh, may we see to the building of Christ's church, may we long that other lively stones, those who lie in the field of sin tonight like an old dead stone, God would pass by and speak the word, live. And that living stone, picked up in the nail-scarred hand of Christ and placed into his church, where God places it, it'll always be. And where are we placed? We are placed in Christ. And from him, we will never be taken from. Oh, let us then, as lively stones within the church of Christ, let us do what we're encouraged to do as those who belong to this house and those who exercise a holy priesthood, for we are made priests and kings unto God. Let us offer up to our God spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by or through Jesus Christ, through Him, our service is accepted. May God help us and may God give us understanding even in these things this evening for Christ's sake. Amen. May the Lord bless His word. Let's bow in a word of prayer together briefly. Our loving Father and our gracious God, we're so very thankful for the day, Lord, that you passed by. Lord, you, by your grace, quarried us out of humanity's quarry, Lord, that great quarry of the ranks of humanity, and thou didst set thy love upon us, and thou didst lift us up, and thou hast set us into Christ. Lord, tonight we are within the church of Christ, a polished stone, a set stone. We find ourselves joined to our Savior and join to one another too. O God, cement us together, we pray. Lord, may we be like the wall of Nehemiah's day. May we be joined together. Lord, may the gaps and the breaches, Lord, may it all be built up, Lord, we cry to Thee. And grant, dear Father, in these days, Lord, the going and the advancing and the progress of Thy blood-bought church across the nations. Lord, continually add to her such as should be saved. We thank thee, O God, that there will be no defect in that building. Lord, we rejoice that it'll not be a building that will be, as it were, condemned, but Lord, it'll be a building that will be praised. And Lord, all glory will go to the chief architect and builder who is Christ. Lord, bless, Lord, thy church. Where e'er she be found, today and tonight, across the world. And may she know, Lord, O God, days of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. We pray these prayers in and through the Savior's great name.