Do you remember the day you really met Jesus for the first time? I'm sure Simon Peter never forgot it. His brother Andrew had brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Kepha – a Rock. (John 1:40-42) Simon was far from rock-like. But Jesus knew, with prophetic insight, what – by God's grace – Simon would become.

Nor would Simon have forgotten the day he said openly to Jesus, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus had replied, Blessed are you, Simon.. for this wasn't revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter (a Rock), and on this rock I will build my church... (Matt 16:15-18)

Christians have differed how to interpret that promise. (See Eph 2:20; Rom 15:20; 1 Cor 3:10-13) But I believe that today's reading from his letter is Peter's own commentary on it:

As you come to [the Lord], the living Stone – rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame." (Isaiah 28:16)
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
"The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone." (Psalm 118:22)
and,
"A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall." (Isaiah 8:14)
They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:4-10)

God's chosen Cornerstone.

The Old Testament had often spoken of God as Israel's Rock, starting from the testimony of Jacob!(Gen 49:24; Deut 32:4; 2 Sam 22:2; Psa 19:14, 93:15; Isa 26:4; etc) And Jesus had quoted Psalm 118:22 – as Peter does here – pointing to himself as the corner- or cap-stone. (Matt 21:42) This was a metaphor Isaiah had used, both of God and of his Messiah. (Isa 8:14; 28:16)

Paul, writing to the Christians at Ephesus (where a great temple to the goddess Artemis was one of the wonders of the ancient world) says we are being built into a holy temple! Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.. (Eph 2:20) And to the Christians in Corinth, Paul wrote, No-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 3:11)

And now Peter uses the same picture – Jesus as a foundation stone, a corner-stone, on which we are being built – to make a spiritual house, a temple of God.

Peter also says the Lord is a Living Stone. Why living? Because Jesus is alive from the dead! And because he gives life to others! Where did Peter get that picture? Perhaps from that Rock in the desert of Sinai. God told Moses to strike the rock. And out of it gushed water for God's people, dying of thirst. Certainly Paul sees that rock as, in some way, Christ. (1 Cor 10:4) And although neither Paul nor Peter allude to it, before the Spirit could be given, Jesus had to be struck. (Isa 53:4-6; John 7:39)

That event in the desert was remembered year after year at the Feast of Tabernacles. Each day of the feast, water was brought and poured out at the altar. On the last day, Jesus stood and called out in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this, comments John, he meant the Spirit... (John 7:37-39)

But Jesus also had this to say to his hearers, You refuse to come to me, to have life! (John 5:40; 6:36) Jesus is God's touchstone – he divides men! (John 6:52; 7:43; 9:16; 10:19) Men rejected Jesus and sent him to his death – but in God's sight he was his chosen stone. Chosen to be the foundation of God's temple. Chosen to bind God's spiritual temple together. Like the corner-stone holds the foundations square and firm. Chosen by God and precious to him.

Men have been known to pick up diamonds, and throw them away unrecognised. But a diamond merchant knows the value of a stone – and how it can be made to reveal its splendour. Peter speaks to those of us who have found Jesus precious. We've done so if we've come to him, and trusted him. And received the forgiveness and new life he offers.

God's holy Temple.

If we've come to Jesus – we've been built into God's temple! That means you don't come to Jesus by joining the church – it's the other way round! – you come to Jesus himself, in simple trust in him – and God builds you into his church! Peter calls us living stones – because, if we've come to Jesus in that way – he gives us new life – his own risen, eternal life, in union with him. (John 3:15,16,36; 5:24; 1 John 5:11,12; Eph 2:4,5; Col 3:1)

What a wonderful picture Peter gives us, of what God is doing! Men have thought they could build adequate temples for God on earth – and somehow confine him within a building! King Solomon was wise enough to know that couldn't be true. Will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! (1 Kngs 8:27)

God says to us, through Isaiah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me?... Has not my hand made all these things? (Isa 66:1,2) God has made the whole universe! Yet unbelievably, God goes on, This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. Elsewhere we read, This is what the high and lofty One says – he who lives for ever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and lofty place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit.." (Isa 57:15)

We cannot build God a worthy building on earth – but he himself is building a holy temple – a dwelling for his Spirit – with us as the building blocks. (Eph 2:22; 1 Cor 3:16) You will have seen many a building – including churches – surrounded by scaffolding. This whole universe is God's scaffolding about his temple. When it is complete, the scaffolding will be removed – and the temple will be seen in its beauty!

God's holy Priesthood.

But the glory is God's alone. Peter goes straight on to the worship within the temple. He tells us we are to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices. Sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For nothing we can do will not be tainted by our sinful attitudes and motives. Even the best things we do, need to be made acceptable, through the offering of Jesus' own life for us.

When God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, he told them through Moses, If you will obey me fully, and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. [The word means the private treasure of a king.] Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exod 19:5,6; Isa 61:6)

By the grace of God, we Christians are adopted as his children. We have entered into the promises God made to Israel – Jew and Gentile alike – when we come to Jesus and ask him to be our Saviour and Lord. As the sons and daughters of the King, we are a royal priesthood. Not to offer sacrifices for our sins – only Jesus could do that – when he died for us on the cross. But in loving gratitude we are to offer him the love and service of our lives. As Paul wrote, In view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.. (Rom 12:1)

Under the old covenant [O.T.] priests had to observe a strict outward purity and holiness – by their daily ritual washing (Ex 30:19,20), by their special clothing (Ex 28:2-5,42-43), and by their being anointed with special sweet-smelling oil (Ex 30:30) – before they could serve the Lord.

To us belongs the reality those things signified. Daily we need the washing of Jesus' precious blood from the guilt and stain of sin – that is to say – through the virtue of his atoning death (1 Pet 1:19; 1 John 1:7-2:2; John 13:8-10; Heb 9:14). Always we need the righteousness of Christ, received by faith and clothing us, as we come into God's holy presence (1 Cor 1:30; 2 Cor 5:21; Rom 5:17-19; Gal 3:27; Rev 3:18, 7:14).

Above all, we need the anointing of his Holy Spirit, to exhibit the beauty and loveliness of Jesus in our lives. Without coming to Jesus, we cannot begin to serve God. But neither can we do so while we continue to defile our lives with sinful disobedience and wrong-doing. And even if we give ourselves in love and service to others, as we should, we must seek only God's honour and glory, not our own! (Psa 115:1; 96:8)

Why and how we're to declare God's praises.

Peter says we are to declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. (2:9) Have we realised the greatness of our privilege as God's priests in this world? Every one of us, who is a Christian believer – is a priest! [The New Testament knows of no other kind – apart from Christ himself. (Heb 2:17, 5:4-6, 7:26-28, etc)] So let's remind ourselves – the work of a priest is two-fold – to bring men and women to God – not least by praying for them – and to bring the truth about God to men and women. (1 Sam 12:13; Ezek 44:23; Mal 2:6,7; Heb 5:1)

Too many of us have too low a view of what God has done for us in Christ. We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes – to see the darkness of our lost state – and the light of Christ into which God has brought us. (John 3:19, 9:39-41; Isa 9:2, 42:16; 2 Sam 22:29) We Gentiles especially need to know we had no hope, no expectation of rescue from God's righteous condemnation – if God in his infinite mercy had not provided a way of salvation even to those who were not his people, those who had not been promised any love. (Hos 1:10, 2:23; Rom 9:25,26)

If some mountain guide led us along a narrow ledge above a vast abyss – clinging precariously to fragile finger-holds and toe-holds – we should have a terrible sense of our danger. We would be immensely relieved when at last we reached safer ground. But that is precisely our true position with respect to God's judgement!

Outside of God's people, we are in a hopeless darkness, whether we're aware of it or not. We're ignorant of the reality of God. Our minds are filled with despair – or trivia – with hate or fear, callousness or filthy-mindedness – having no peace and no hope. We are only dimly aware of God's day of reckoning after death. (2 Cor 4:6; Rom 1:28-32; Eph 5:8-11)

Contrast that with the love, joy and security you now enjoy as a child of God – knowing peace with God (John 14:27; Rom 5:1; Phil 4:7) – his forgiveness through Jesus' death for your sins – your assurance, through Jesus' resurrection, of that living hope I've already talked about – that assurance of a like resurrection into an eternal life with Jesus (1 Pet 1:3,4).

Now, says Peter, since God has done this for you – declare his praises so that others will leave that darkness and enter into the same wonderful light! (Acts 26:18) If we are to take that command seriously, we shall be willing and seeking ways to present the gospel to those who do not know God's way of salvation. As Peter says later in this letter, Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (1 Peter 3:15,16)

Of course, such priestly service is costly – as it was for Jesus. It involves the sacrifice of our lives, if men and women are truly to see God's character revealed in our lives, and hear God's truth from our lips – for how else is his praise declared? God has shown mercy and love to us, who deserve neither – and we are to do likewise to those the world judges and despises, so that it may know what God's character is.

In years gone by Christians laboured for the end of slavery and better conditions in mines and factories. What did they receive? Opposition and ridicule. Nearer our own day, Christians in occupied Europe sheltered Jews from death. What did they receive? Imprisonment and death.

What does God ask of us? Who are the least in today's society? There are so many. Ask ourselves who we'd be willing to take into our own home, and we soon discover our own prejudices! Would we take in refugees? Drug-addicts or alcoholics? The mentally or physically handicapped? The physically or sexually abused? Ex-offenders released from prison? The lonely elderly? Single expectant young women, who've been urged to have an abortion?

God loves all these – as he has loved us. He chose us – to declare his praises, who brought us out of darkness into his light. This world has many sinners, many hurting and desperate people. God doesn't wave a magic wand to put the world right. He chose his Son to come – to die at our hands – to redeem us.

Now he has chosen us, his people, to follow in our Saviour's footsteps. God still loves and values the outcast. Do you know that God loves and values you? Will you let God love these others through you? That is what it means to be God's royal priesthood – to declare his praises.

                                                                                        Amen.