Sunday April 27, 2008

Who Are We (the Church)?
1 Peter 2:4-10

I. Introduction

We are going to spend the next three weeks that I preach looking at this passage found in 1 Peter 2:4-10.

The reason I would like to look at it so carefully is that Peter uses some incredible language to describe who we are
as the church and, in light of what I perceive to be a vast amount of misunderstanding of what it means to be the church,
I think it is important that we spend some time with this passage.

Before proceeding with today’s focus, I would like to briefly point out that his passage actually speaks of two kinds of people: those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of faith and those who have rejected Him.

“As the Scriptures say, ‘I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts
in him will never be disgraced.’ 7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those
who reject him, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ 8 And, ‘He is the stone
that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they do not obey God's word,
and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.” (verses 6-8)

Here Peter quotes three Old Testament passages that looked forward to Christ and how people would respond to Him.

First, Jesus is the cornerstone of the church and our relationship with God.

A cornerstone is used to join two walls together and is essential to the structure of the building.

In light of the importance of the cornerstone in building, the word has developed a secondary meaning: “vital person or thing: somebody or something fundamentally important.” (MSN Encarta)

God chose Jesus to be the cornerstone of faith – anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced. (See Isaiah 28:16)

Second, there are those who tragically will reject Jesus and unfortunately will be shocked when they realize the one
they either disregarded or ridiculed is the very one they should have depended on for salvation.

But for those who reject him, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’
(See Psalm 188:22)

Third, Jesus is unique in that you cannot completely ignore Him.

He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.
(See Isaiah 8:14)

They stumble because they do not obey God's word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. 9 But
you are not like that…

II. Who Are We?

If we are not like those who reject Christ, then who are we?

Are we a social club, social service agency, political party, mental hospital, counseling center or even a religious institution?

We are not! We as the church should be a place of friendship, we should help those in need, we should be a prophetic
voice to the political institutions of our day, and we should counsel one another. We even probably need some kind of structure to help us fulfill the purposes of God on the earth.

The difficulty is keeping these in their proper perspective. They are not primarily who we are, but they may be things that
we do in light of God’s call upon the church.

What I want to do over the next few weeks is look at who we are and then what we are supposed to be doing as it is presented to us here in 1 Peter.

Who are we?

 A. We are living stones. (verse 5)

I will come back to this later because this deals with what God is doing in us as a church.

 B. We are a chosen people. (verse 9)

This takes us right back to the beginning of Peter where he makes it clear that we as the church are the chosen ones of God.

It is not like God said something like, “Of all the people to put their faith in Christ, why did it have to be Kelly?” No, He chose me and you.

But even more relevant to this passage, He has chosen the church (those who have truly put their trust in Jesus Christ) to walk and live in covenant relationship with God.

You (plural) are a chosen people.

 C. We are royal priests.

To serve as a priest in the Old Jewish system you had to have come from the Levitical lineage and then you could not have any blemish. The smallest defect or problem excluded you from the privilege of the priesthood.

As a priest you ministered constantly before the Lord, represented the people before God, and you were the representative of God to the people.

Today, we have that same privilege and responsibility.

And you are not only a priest, but you are royal priests.

We do not have royalty in the United States, so it may be difficult to grasp the magnitude of this statement, but to a common Jew the idea of being royalty would be an impossibility as it only came through the Davidic lineage.

Or for the common Greek, the idea of becoming an emperor was beyond even their wildest imaginations.

Once again we see Jesus Christ leveling the playing field. Whether you are the president of the United States or the clerk down at Jiffy Mart you are part of a royal priesthood.

 D. We are a holy nation.

Holiness is not simply a matter of following the rules; it speaks to the idea of being set apart for the glory of God.

We are to be a distinct people. It should be evident to all that we are the church.

What do people see when they see the church? Do they see the glory of God?

Sadly, many people do not, and that is why they are not followers of Christ today.

We cannot underestimate the power of our testimony to the community. As much as I want to tell people that they
should not look at me, but should look at Jesus, it is clearly portrayed in Scripture that we are the Body of Christ.

We are a holy nation. Do we act like it?

Is it clear to others that we have been set apart for God? That we are not pursuing the things of this world, but that we are pursuing and desiring Jesus Christ before anything else?

You are a holy nation.

 E. We are God’s very own possession.

As the church we are God’s possession. We are not our own, to do whatever we want.

You want to sing on the worship team – is that God’s desire for you or just your own?

You want to start a ministry, run a program, be a leader, serve communion?

Do you do what you do because you are the Father’s and you are determined to be about His business?

III. Application

In verse 10 our passage comes to a close by saying, Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people…

We (together) are the people of God. While you can (in a sense) claim for yourself that you are chosen, a royal priest, and God’s possession, it would be difficult to say that you as an individual are a holy nation.

The idea of this passage is not individualistic. In fact one of the problems in our culture today is the prevailing attitude that
you need to look within yourself to find your identity.

We were not created that way. Why do kids get involved in gangs, try out for sports or join the chess club? They are
looking for identity.

As adults we identify with our work, our role in our families, the local tavern or even a sports team.

These things help us identify who we are, but they are all in some way incomplete.

I believe we were created for community, and that community in whatever form is a major factor in how we view ourselves.

The question I believe we need to seriously consider today is: where are we deriving our sense of identity?

I understand that the church is far from perfect. In fact, the visible church is a mixture of all kinds of people and we are
all in different places of maturity concerning our relationship with God.

In fact there are some here who may not even know Christ in a personal and intimate way.

In spite of all the church’s shortcomings, I believe Scripture clearly states that as we fellowship, pray, worship, study the Scripture together, and care for one another that we will grow in our understanding of who we really are.

   We are a chosen people.
   We are royal priests.
   We are a holy nation.
   We are God’s very own possession.

   We have an identity.

If you do not find that identity among the people of God you will look for that identity elsewhere.

I believe this is why there are many who “backslide.” They return to the bars or drugs or the pursuit of money or wherever they formally had some sense of identity, even if it was incomplete or unhealthy.

I also believe that when we lose sight of our identity as the people of God we will begin to focus on other
unimportant things.

I invite you to commit yourself today to the church. A commitment that says no matter what may happen or how I might be hurt or whatever attempts Satan may do to move me away from the church, I will not forsake her.

I am not saying this should be your commitment to Grace Christian Fellowship exclusively, but to the people of God wherever they may be.

I do believe we are often too quick to leave one local expression of the church and move to another, but my primary
concern is for those who cease to fellowship with other Christians.

Are you struggling with your identity? If you are a genuine member of the church you are a part of God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and you are God’s treasured possession!