Old Llantrisant Hill
Introduction
- Looking at 1 Peter 2:4-10
- They give a remarkable picture of the Chuch
- How would we answer the question ‘What is the Church?’
- Quote from Spurgeon – "the dearest place on earth"
- Do we really think this?
- For many this is their experience
- However, not everyone sees the Church like this
- Some are confused about the Church
- Peter begins with the Lord Jesus Christ
A people who believe in Christ (v4)
- We come to Christ as a living stone
- To understand the Church – you must first understand Jesus Christ
- It only makes sense in relation to Christ
- Christ is a precious but rejected corner stone
- We are to build our life upon him
- Rock, stone, cornerstone x8
- What is a cornerstone? – explanation
- 1 Kings 5:17 – a high quality corner stone
- The background to Isa 28
- Instead of trusting God against the Assyria army they turned to Egypt
- Isaiah says this is a terrible mistake – making a covenant of death
- Isaiah speaking through God tells Israel they should have relied on God’s cornerstone
- Trust the cornerstone that God has provided
- Rest in God, not in human strength
- Peter states this cornerstone is Jesus
- The stone that has been rejected by humans is the very stone that is precious to God
- This cornerstone has been laid down for the eternal security of all who trust in Him
- Jesus is a precious cornerstone
- Peter states that for those who do not trust on Jesus as cornerstone – it becomes a trip hazard
- We cannot avoid Him
- We cannot ignore Him
- If Jesus is precious to you, then you are part of His Church
- If not, you have made a covenant of death
- You are on the broad road of destruction
- The Church – we trust in the precious Saviour
- The Church is a body of people that find Christ trustworthy, a firm foundation, a cornerstone for life
A people who belong together as we rest upon Christ (v5)
- We are living stones being built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ
- Think of the Old Testament Temple built upon good quality rock
- As people are saved, they are added into this temple
- The Temple was the meeting place of God
- God’s meeting place is the people of God indwelled by Jesus Christ
- God is building us upon Christ
- God is building His Church
- Ultimately the Church does not depend upon human strength
- Persecution and oppression do not thwart the growth of the Church
- We are being built up as a glorious residence of God on earth
- There is no such thing as isolated Christianity
- To be in Christ is to belong to the people of Christ
- Quote from Spurgeon
- God dwells in the Church by His Spirit
- The Church is sacred to God
- How we treat each other matters
- We are to build each other up
- We are to be a royal priesthood
- All have direct access to the Father through the Son (by the Spirit)
- Worship is through the Lord Jesus Christ who cleanses our impure worship
- Not just something we attend on Sunday and then forget about during the week
- We don’t leave Church – we are still the Church
- Encouraging and serving one another
- Because we are being built up by Christ
A people who belong together to broadcast Jesus Christ (v9-10)
- Do you feel the reality of these proclamations – a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation
- We can easily lose sight of this in our day-to-day life
- Do we continue in weakness and inability?
- This is who we are
- Example of the Israelites
- They became proud and selfish
- Instead of proclaiming His praise (Isa 43:21) or being a light to the Gentiles (Isa 49:6)
- The spotlight is not to be on us but on Christ
- We are all essential to Church life
- We are precious because of who we are and who we are to be
- How to broadcast Christ?
- Be amazed at the mercy of God – be thankful to God each day
- A life that consistently says Christ is precious to me
- By trusting in Christ
- By repenting and turning to the cross
- Through humility
- To tell others of Christ