Before we came to Hermiston, I was the worship pastor at a church in Lebanon, Oregon. We served there for 10 years before coming here. During our time in Lebanon, we had both of our daughters and bought our first house. It was a great first house for us, but as our family grew, we noticed it was missing something we wanted: a family room. So, not knowing any better, I decided to add on a family room. How hard could it be? The room would sit on an existing cement slab, adjacent to an exterior wall.
However, as I dug into that exterior wall, I discovered years of dry rot. This wasn’t unusual for older homes on the west side, but it still caught me off guard. I was anxious to put up sheetrock and flooring, and do everything that would turn this into a room where we could hang out as a family. But before we could get there, I had to deal with the dry rot. So I began peeling back the wall, exposing the rotted boards until I found all the rot and replaced the framing.
Once that was done, I could move on and build a room where we spent many hours together as a family.
The goal was a family room. But before I could build what I wanted, I had to deal with what was already there. And it wasn’t pretty.
As I studied our passage this week, I was reminded that God is a builder, too. And what He’s building is far more significant than anything I could ever construct. He’s building a people. A family. A spiritual house that reflects His glory to the world. And just like that family room, there are some things in our lives that need to be removed, a foundation that everything depends upon, and a purpose behind the whole project.
Looking back at chapter one, Peter reminds us to pursue holiness not to earn God’s favor, but because God has shown us favor when he redeemed us from an empty way of life. The price for our redemption was the precious blood of Christ. Peter says holiness should lead us to show sincere brotherly love for the family we were born again into.
Remember, Peter is writing to persecuted people. Their lives were always in question. At any moment, they might be arrested and hauled off to be tortured unless they recanted their belief in Jesus. The church is never more important than in dark and troubled times. So, beginning in chapter 2, Peter reminds us that God is building us together into a people who reflect His glory.
Let’s read what Peter writes in 1 Ptr 2:1-10:
1 Ptr 2:1-10 (CSB)—Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving, the stone that the builders rejected—this one has become the cornerstone, and a stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
(Bring your Bible on Sunday mornings)
When it comes to this building that is being created, the first thing we see is:
God is preparing the building materials.
Here it is again, “Therefore.” What’s it there for? Peter says that because your obedience to the gospel is leading you to love one another, get rid of anything that might hinder this growth. In essence, Peter says, expose the rotted boards and cut them away.
What are the rotted boards? They are malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
Here’s what I see in Peter’s list. All of these things have something in common. They destroy relationships.
Malice destroys goodwill.
Deceit destroys trust.
Hypocrisy destroys authenticity.
Envy destroys contentment with one another.
And slander destroys reputations.
God is building us together into a spiritual house, but these are the very things that tear a community apart. How can God build us together if we’re constantly tearing one another down?
In chapter one, Peter just told us to love one another deeply from the heart. Now he’s telling us to get rid of everything that makes that kind of love impossible
All of these things interfere with love in action.
When I built my family room, I could have simply ignored the dry rot. I could have covered it with fresh sheetrock and made it someone else’s problem 20 years later. Or I could build it to last. I could do the extra work knowing that I was building something that would probably outlive me.
Peter says to remove the things that undermine love, cut away the rotted boards, and replace them. What do we replace them with? Peter says to replace them with a desire for the pure milk of the word, a desire to grow.
Desire it as a baby cries for milk as a newborn. Some of you have newborns, and you understand Peter’s words. You know how persistent your hungry little ones can be. For some of us, that was a while ago, but I still remember what happened when my girls were little and decided they needed to eat. Crave the things that will bring you growth.
Peter’s not just referring to gaining more knowledge about the Bible. Sometimes we equate growth with knowing more, but unless that knowledge translates itself into the action of loving God and others, the knowledge is useless. Peter says this milk should grow us up into our salvation; we’ve tasted His goodness and should want more of it!
God isn’t interested in simply covering up the damaged boards in our life. Instead, He wants to transform us because, as He transforms us as individuals, He takes those individual pieces and builds something extraordinary. That building begins with a strong foundation.
God is building on the only foundation that will last.
1 Ptr 2:4-5 (CSB)—As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
This is what makes what God is building unique. I have nothing against the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club, or the Lions Club. They are all good civic organizations doing positive things in our community, but the church is nothing like them. It is unique.
It is unique because the church is built on a living stone, rejected by men but chosen and honored by God. Jesus is our foundation.
He is the cornerstone of this building. The cornerstone was the most important stone in an ancient building’s construction. Everything was built on and aligned according to the cornerstone. Jesus determines the shape of this building, its purpose, and holds it all together.
That means the church isn’t built around our preferences, traditions, personalities, or even our programs. We build everything around Jesus.
One of the questions we frequently ask ourselves is: are we building our church around Jesus, or are we asking Jesus to fit into the church we’re building?
The church is also unique because it is built from living stones. Peter’s picture is not of an ordinary house, but of the temple of God. It is a place where God’s presence is found. The supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit lives in us and changes us. We are the living stones, incorporated into this building built on Jesus.
His church is built out of people who have been redeemed, transformed, and brought together through Jesus Christ.
None of us can be that building on our own. If you think you don’t need the church in order to live out the Christian life, think again. I know I’m preaching to the choir a little bit here, but listen, if you think you don’t need the church, you’re just a 2×4 sitting alone in a field. You’re just a part of the whole building.
You are intended to be a part of something, made of many individual parts. The parts are meant to come together to become something extraordinary. That was frequently Paul’s message the churches he wrote to. Look at what he says to the Romans:
Rom 12:4-5 (CSB)—Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.
Following Jesus is deeply personal, but it was never intended to be private or isolated. You were redeemed to be an important part of something.
God doesn’t need any of us to carry out His plan in the world, but He chooses to use us, and we each have a unique role to play in supporting the church. If you withhold your part, then we are missing a key part of the building, and you’re just a 2×4 hanging out there on your own.
That’s why one of our values here at New Hope is Community. God has designed us to be most effective when we are being the church. Effectively growing as individuals and effectively impacting the world around us.
And then Peter reminds them that when they face difficulty and hardship, like Jesus promised they would, the world isn’t simply rejecting them; it is rejecting our cornerstone. Peter quotes from the prophet Isaiah here.
1 Ptr 2:6-8 (CSB)—For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving, the stone that the builders rejected—this one has become the cornerstone, and a stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this.
Remember Jesus’ words in Jn 3. He said:
Jn 3:16-18 (CSB)—For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
So many people, neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family, refuse to humble themselves and recognize their need for Jesus. Their pride keeps them from admitting that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Jesus is the stone they stumble over. That is why He is building His church.
God is building a people who will make Him known.
Peter says it clearly to end this section:
1 Ptr 2:9-10 (CSB)—But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Peter moves from the image of a spiritual house to the identity of the people who make up that house. Look at the descriptions he uses:
– A chosen race.
– A royal priesthood.
– A holy nation.
– A people for His possession.
Every one of these statements says something about our relationship with God. We’re chosen. We belong. We’re set apart. And we’ve been given a calling. These are Old Testament descriptions of the nation of Israel from Exodus and Isaiah, but now Peter applies them to the church.
Why are these things true of us? Peter says, “So that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Those two words, so that, are key to understanding the purpose of the church. We aren’t simply being built together for our own benefit. We’re being built together so the world might see the greatness of God.
In both verse 5 and verse 9 Peter uses the picture of the priesthood. In the temple in Jerusalem, it was the priests who offered the sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Now Peter says God’s people are collectively a holy and royal priesthood, called to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Our worship, obedience, love for one another, and witness to the world are all part of our priestly calling. God is building a people whose lives show the world what He is like.
And then he says, “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
Peter reminds them that they didn’t earn this identity. It is the result of God’s mercy. They were outsiders, but now they belong. They were without mercy, but now they’ve received it. And now they’re part of something much bigger than themselves.
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When I started building the family room in our house in Lebanon, I had a picture in mind. I wasn’t just trying to add square footage to our house. I wanted a place where our family could spend time together. Where our daughters could play. Where we would watch movies together and make memories. And that’s exactly what that room became.
All the work, including tearing out those rotted boards, was worth it because of what that room became.
It’s easy for us to lose sight of the big picture and what God is doing through the church. Especially when we see the church’s brokenness and dysfunction. In the midst of the hard-fought battles to overcome mindsets and old patterns in our lives. The struggle to balance our lives and to learn how to love people well and how to love Jesus with all our heart, soul, and mind. All of this is growing us personally, but it is also growing us into a people who declare His praises to a world that desperately needs to know Him.
Our world is a dark place these days. The world needs, more than ever, for the church, for New Hope Community Church, to be salt and light. Even when the church isn’t perfect, it is God’s plan for reaching a lost world. And the incredible thing is that He’s invited you and me to be part of what He’s building.
He’s building a people who belong to Him. A people whose lives are being transformed by His grace. A people who are learning to love one another. A people who are being built together on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
And He’s building us for a purpose.
Not simply so we can gather together on Sunday mornings and enjoy one another’s company, but so that we can declare His praises to a world that desperately needs to know Him.
So let me leave you with three questions this morning.
First, what needs to go?
Are there attitudes or behaviors in your life that are undermining what God wants to build? Is there bitterness, jealousy, hypocrisy, or something else that needs to be removed?
Second, what are you building your life on?
Is Jesus truly the cornerstone? Are His priorities shaping your priorities? Are you allowing Him to determine the direction of your life?
And third, are you embracing your place in what God is building?
Because you weren’t saved simply to become a better version of yourself.
You were saved to become part of the people of God. To love and be loved. To serve and be served. To encourage and be encouraged. And together, to make Jesus known.
The church isn’t perfect. We know that. But the One who is building His church is.
And He’s not finished with us yet.
God is building something extraordinary. And by His mercy, He’s invited us to be part of it.
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