“The Glorious
Church” 1 Peter 2:4-10 May
29, 2011
SCRIPTURE INTRO: We’re studying 1 Peter this summer.
The
theme of this letter is Christian suffering.
How as a Christian, you can live in such a
way that the troubles, pains,
and sorrows that inevitably come, don’t
crush you, but make you better.
The
theme verses of the letter are chapter 1 verse 6 and 7:
“In this you
greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief
in all kinds of trials. These have come
so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined
by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when
Jesus Christ is revealed.”
There
it is: Suffering, grief, trials—refined
by fire—praise, glory and honor.
And
Peter says in this passage that in order
for that to happen
you can’t live alone. You have to be part of something bigger than
yourself.
INTRO: Have you ever noticed that there is only one
person who can yell
at other people’s children and get away with
it?
Even
if some people don’t like it when this person yells at their child—
they almost never say anything about
it. They just accept it.
And many people do more than just accept
it—they support it.
They actually take this person’s side against
their child when their child yelled at.
It’s
not school teachers. In fact, if
teachers yelled like this, really chewed students
out like this person does, many parents
would go straight to the principal.
And
if the principal yelled at their children like this, would take it to school
board.
It’s not scout leaders or dance
instructors. It’s not even policemen.
So
who can yell at other people’s children and get away with it?
You’ve
probably guessed. It’s coaches.
They
can stomp and yell and scream and chew a kid out
in a way that nobody else can and get away
with it.
A big part of that is the enormous value
that many people place on athletics.
But
I think the more fundamental reason is that parents realize this is what it
means to be on a team. Their child made the team. He’s part of the team.
When
he gets yelled at and singled out by the coach, it’s not just about him.
He’s part of something bigger.
All the other players know that they are in
this together.
They
learn one another’s weaknesses. They are
listening when the coach chews
another player out—not so they can mock—
but so that they can compensate for those
weaknesses and work together.
They
want to be on the team because they love the sport and want to play.
And so they understand their coach and all
the pain he puts them through.
Will
played Pop Warner football last fall.
One
practice, a mother was pacing back and forth, seemed agitated.
Finally she said to me: Do you see what the coach is doing to my son?
Do you see how he keeps singling him out and
yelling at him?
I think I need to go out there and say
something to him.
I
said: Ma’am, I know nothing about
coaching football, but know that’s a bad idea.
And
she said: Yeah, you’re right.
She
didn’t like it, but she understood that her boy was part of a team.
And he wanted to be a part of that
team.
And that made all the difference in
processing his pain.
Peter
says that if you are going to be refined by fire, you have to know God’s grace.
You have to know that your salvation in
every part is the work of God.
So even your sufferings fit into God’s
eternal plan for your salvation.
And
Peter also says (as we’ve seen for the past two weeks)
that even though your salvation is all of
God, and all grace,
you have to make every effort to live a holy
life.
If
you aren’t striving to be holy as God is holy,
then you aren’t going to respond well to the
heat of suffering.
You’re going to fall to pieces.
Now,
Peter says, one more very important thing—you aren’t in this alone.
You
aren’t saved alone. You aren’t pursuing
holiness alone.
You aren’t suffering alone. As a Christian, you are part of something
big.
He
doesn’t use a sports metaphor here—doesn’t say you are part of a team.
He says:
You’re part of a people, a nation, a race, a priesthood.
These
are all different ways of describing what?
The church.
1
Peter 2 is one of the great church passages in the New Testament.
There
is a lot of theology about the church that can be gleaned from verses.
That would be ok to do in a sermon. What does this teach us about the church.
But
I want us to stick to Peter’s theme and purpose.
What’s he teaching Christians about pain and
suffering?
What does the church have to do with being
refined by fire?
This
is Peter’s point: In order to be refined
in the trials of life,
you must participate heartily in the
church.
It’s
in the church that you learn and apply the benefits of the gospel.
It’s in the church that you pursue holiness.
And so it is in the church that your
suffering makes you pure gold.
An
authentic Christian is not a lone ranger Christian—
He’s part of the team, and working things
out there. So how do you do it?
How
do you participate in the corporate life of the church in such a way
that you are refined in your suffering?
When
you join Christ Covenant, one of the membership vows goes like this:
Do you promise to support the church in its
worship and work to the best of your ability?
There
it is, two points—work and worship.
1.
You must participate heartily in the work of the church.
2.
You must participate heartily in the worship of the church. Let’s look at each.
MP#1 You must participate heartily in the work of
the church.
Peter
describes the church with a very interesting word picture.
He says the church is a spiritual house, a
temple, that is built out of stones.
But
these aren’t ordinary stones, they are living stones.
Each living stone is an individual member of
the church.
You, me, the other people sitting on the pew
with you.
And
this temple of living stones is built on a cornerstone.
That cornerstone is Jesus Christ.
Now,
let’s look at Peter’s word picture of the church piece by piece.
First,
let’s look at the cornerstone.
To
fully appreciate this, you have to know a little bit about building practices
in the Ancient Middle East.
Back then, the cornerstone was not just
decorative, as it is today.
It
was literally the first stone laid, it was the largest stone, often weighed
tons.
It was set in place to determine the
position of the entire structure.
It
was the most carefully quarried stone, with most precise angles.
The rest of foundation was built in relation to it as
well as walls.
If the cornerstone was true and firm, the
building would be too.
So
the cornerstone most carefully chosen stone, most expensive (precious) stone.
Peter says that Jesus Christ was God’s
chosen and precious cornerstone.
So
first there is the cornerstone, then there is the rest of the building, other
stones.
That’s you.
“You also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood.”
I
listened to an interesting sermon this week.
The preacher used this image
of Christ as the cornerstone to say that
every part of your life has to be built
in reference to him. Here are these other building blocks of your
life.
Your finances, your marriage, your career.
They
all has to line up with Jesus. He has to
be the cornerstone who determines
the placement and angles of your life, so to
speak.
That’s
a good lesson and certainly true. But
that’s not what Peter is saying, is it?
He’s not talking about our individual
Christian lives.
He’s talking about our corporate Christian
life. The church.
The
stones that are now laid in this temple in relation to cornerstone
are other believers, members of the
church. Christian laid on Christian.
Now
ponder that image.
You’re in this temple of other Christians
who are lined up with the cornerstone.
There
are Christians below you who are supporting you—lined up with Christ.
There are Christians above you who you are
supporting—lined up with Christ.
Christians
on either side of you—who are keeping you in line—
and you’re keeping them in line. It’s an active process. You are being built.
And
once the builder puts a stone in place.
Finds a good fit for the stone so that
it is being supported and supporting other
stones, it needs to stay there.
You
must find a role in the church, a right spot—
so that there are people accountable to you,
and you are accountable to others.
You
are praying with people, and enjoying fellowship with them,
and helping them along, discipling
them.
And
to the degree you participate in that that fitting process,
and actively become a living part of that
building, to that degree God inhabits you.
This
work of being fit into place doesn’t normally happen in the big meetings
of the church. It happens in smaller groups, informal
settings, one-on-one.
Reason
we have covenant groups, Sunday school, Bible studies, prayer meetings.
To provide places for this fitting to
happen.
Remember
the pattern of the Jerusalem church.
Met for worship in the Temple courts and in
each others home for fellowship.
They
understood this intuitively. The church
would never be built if all they
ever did was come together in a big group to
hear Peter and apostles preach.
But
from the very beginning the followers of Christ knew—
we have to spend time together, getting to
know each other.
And
remember how they knew each others needs and took care of each other.
There were widows and poor people in the
Jerusalem church—
other members gave, and deacons distributed
food and money.
This
is the work of the church. Being fitted
together with other living stones.
Getting to know people who are different
from you. Entering their lives.
Building up the spiritual house together.
As
you do, you are connected to other people who are connected to Christ.
You experience his suffering and his glory
through lives of other believers.
Many
American Christians have a completely different view of Christian life.
They think it works this way:
I
have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
It’s just me and the cornerstone.
And
I go to church, or any number of different churches just to energize my own
personal walk with Christ. That’s
the purpose of the church.
That’s what church membership means.
I
get my spiritual shot in the arm by going to church on my terms,
when it’s convenient for me, and then I’m
out of there.
You
cannot square that individualistic approach to the Christian life with 1 Peter
2.
You can’t do it. You have to be fitted into place if you want
God to inhabit you.
And
more to Peter’s point.
This is how you learn God’s grace, grow in
holiness, and are purified in suffering.
This
past week we celebrated two milestones.
Eliza turned 16.
I took her to the courthouse, she got her
driver’s license.
And on Friday Adrienne graduated.
And
in my mind, I can’t help connecting those milestones with the 15 years
we’ve been here at Christ Covenant. Way God has fitted us in.
I
think of people in this church who have been living stones beneath me.
Who by their faith and encouragement have
supported me.
I’ve watched them face suffering connected
to Christ.
And
the living stones above me. People who
have come to me for pastoral counsel
and I’ve been able to hold them up, and tell
them the truth.
And by telling them the truth, I’ve found
that I’m preaching the Gospel to myself
And
those special people who are fitted beside me and who say:
Andrew, you need to get in line here with
Christ.
I
wish I could name names and tell stories.
But I can’t because these things are too
tender. But you know what I mean.
I
know without a doubt that if I go through a furnace, if I go through suffering—
I’ll come out a better man than I otherwise
would have because of you all.
Because
of those of you I’ve gotten to know over these years.
The examples you’ve set in your own
suffering.
Our many conversations. Our times of prayer.
If
you want to be refined by fire and not burned up. If you want to be softened
by the heat and made more tender and kind,
then you must participate
heartily in the work of the church. Being fitted in as a living stone with other
Christians
who are connected to Christ in his suffering and glory.
That
brings us to the second point. In order
to be refined through suffering . . .
MP#2 You must participate heartily in the worship
of the church.
Peter
continues to develop this word picture of the church.
He
says that after the temple is built up of living stones
it is inhabited by a priesthood who spend
their time offering sacrifices.
“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.”
Then,
after the section on Jesus the cornerstone, his suffering and glory, Peter
says:
“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.”
He’s describing our worship
with OT terminology—temple, priests, sacrifices.
In fact, this is the very
language of Exodus 19—
kingdom of priests, holy nation, chosen
people. It’s not exclusive to NT.
There are many Christians who
interpret the Bible this way. They say:
There was Israel and the
Jews, God did his thing with them, kind of works oriented.
Now there is the church and Jesus and
grace. In the NT whole different
thing.
We don’t believe that. As Presbyterians we believe in covenant
theology.
One of the key features of
covenant theology is that the Bible is one story
from beginning to end—One God, one way of
salvation through faith in Christ,
one people of God, one way of worshipping
God, one final destiny for elect.
There are certain
administrative changes between the Old and New Testament.
There are certain forms the OT church
followed that served the purpose of
foreshadowing Christ. After his coming, those no longer needed.
But at the very heart, there
is no difference between us and them.
Israel is the church and the church is
Israel.
So our corporate worship is
essentially the same.
As Peter says here: We too offer spiritual sacrifices, we declare
his praises.
Since Peter raises the issue
of sacrifices, let’s look at the sacrifices of OT
worship and see how they apply to our
worship today.
See how even this morning, just following
the pattern of the OT saints.
The book of Leviticus was the
worship manual for Israel.
In every worship service there were three
primary sacrifices—
The sin offering, the burnt offering, and
the fellowship offering.
These three sacrifices were made at every
worship service in same order.
There were other
sacrifices—grain offering, wave offering, guilt offering—
but these were all secondary
sacrifices. Were only offered on special
occasions.
Now, in one way these three
primary sacrifices were the same.
And animal was killed, something done with
blood, cut up, burned.
But different actions were emphasized with
each sacrifice.
The OT worship service
started when the people were called to worship by priests.
The Levites and musicians would then lead in
music and singing.
After that, the sin offering
was presented.
The action that was emphasized in the sin
offering was the sprinkling of blood.
It was a time for the people
to confess their sins before God,
and to be reminded that God forgave their
sins through the death of a substitute.
As the saw the blood sprinkled in various
places, assured they were forgiven.
Do we do that in worship? Do we offer that sin offering?
Yes, we do it every Lord’s Day when we
confess our sins together.
We’ve gathered in the presence of a holy
God, we confess our sins.
At Christ Covenant we’ve
chosen to follow the pattern that the church has
followed for thousands of years. We pray together a confession of sin.
And then what do we do? I remind you that the blood has been
sprinkled for you.
You’ve been forgiven by Christ. Be assured, your sins are forgiven.
And as you respond with gratitude, you
complete that first sacrifice of worship.
Churches don’t have to do it
that way. Could confess sins in pastoral
prayer.
Could sing a song of confession. Could have a time of silence.
But you have to do something. It’s the first sacrifice we offer in worship.
There are some churches who
have dropped all confession of sin because
they think it’s a downer, not very visitor
friendly. We want to be upbeat.
But that’s just plain
wrong. Peter says, we’re a
priesthood.
The next sacrifice was the
burnt offering.
The distinctive action of this sacrifice was
the cutting up of the animal,
the washing of the parts and the arranging
of those parts on the altar.
This signified the
consecration of God’s people.
The re-arranging their lives in a way
acceptable to God.
How is this sacrifice
continued in our worship? Through
preaching of the Word.
The sermon is the burnt offering. Your submission to the Word of God
is your sacrifice. As you allow it to cut you, and wash you, and
arrange you.
Hebrews 4:12 says:
The word of God is living and
active. Sharper than any double-edged
sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it
judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Yes Lord, you say, as you
listen the sermon. Cut me, wash me,
re-arrange me.
I’m going to make these changes in my life,
change my thinking, change the way
I treat my spouse, change the way I spend my
money.
We know that in OT worship
there was a time when the Levites would read the law
and explain to the people. Don’t know when in service, but likely at
this point.
Saints of old also offered themselves as
sacrifices before the Word of God.
Then the last sacrifice was
the fellowship offering.
The distinctive action was
eating. A portion was burned symbolizing
God’s food.
And a portion of the meat cooked and eaten
by the worshipper, family, priests.
A fellowship meal between the Lord and his people
at the end of the service.
Does that sound familiar to
you? Of course it does. It’s a picture of Lord’s Supper.
In fact, remember what Paul calls it in 1
Corinthians—fellowship, koinonia.
Communion is an offering of
praise that you give to God—
reaffirming your covenant with him, with one
another.
Communion, saying—I’m with
these people. Not just Christians in
general,
not just the church in general, but this
body of believers.
One reason we chose, about 12
years ago to have weekly communion—
pattern of church throughout the ages. Sacrifice of praise we offer to God.
Here’s Peter’s point. As you commit yourself to the regular,
corporate worship
of God’s people. As you participate in your priestly role,
offering sacrifices.
Week by week, month by month,
year by year, decade by decade—
these great Gospel truths are worked in deep
and change you profoundly.
I’m a sinner, but I’m forgiven. I’m under God’s Word and being changed by it.
I’m at peace with God, in living fellowship
with him and his people.
You’re able to go through the
furnace of suffering and come out purified.
I’ve only been in the
ministry 19 years, but I’ve seen this pattern.
Believers who are committed
to corporate worship, who love it, who make it a
priority in their lives, generally hold up
better under trials. They shine in them
more brightly, and if they are cast down,
come out more quickly.
And on the other hands,
believers for whom worship is one option among many
on the Lord’s Day—taking a back seat to
sports, lake, company, sleeping in—
often fall hard in trials. Appear barely different from unbelievers in
response.
CONC: Do you want to be refined when you pass through the
fire?
Do you want to be made
better, softer, more useful?
Peter says you can’t do it alone.
God has saved you to be part of something
bigger than yourself.
I’ve told you before about an
experience I had on a mission trip.
During the summer between my
junior and senior year of high school
I went to Spain for a month with a group
called Teen Missions.
We worked in a village
building a house that was going to be a Christian
drug rehab center. It was the ministry of a little evangelical
church in city.
On Sundays we would go into
the city to worship with this church.
It was a small group, about
50 people. Led by an American
missionary.
And it was mostly young people. Older than us. We were high school age.
Most of them were in twenties.
The Spanish had a custom of
greeting you with a kiss on both cheeks—
which was nice because some of the Spanish
sisters in Christ quite attractive.
The second or third Sunday we
were there, noticed one of these young women had
had a bruised face and split lip. Someone asked missionary, was she in a wreck?
No—her
father hates her faith, beat her last Sunday for going church.
But there she was, smiling, greeting us with
a kiss as came in the door,
worshiping her Lord Jesus with a glow on her
face.
Why
was the church so important to her? Why
did she go to church that Sunday?
Why did she take risk of gathering once
again with fellow Christians to worship?
I’m
sure she had a personal relationship with Christ.
She had experienced times of personal
communion with Him.
So if going to cost her so much, why didn’t
she worship in privacy of room?
The Lord would have been there with
her. Better than risking her face.
Every
Christian here this morning knows why she went to church on Sunday,
even if you have never articulated it—it’s
the reason you are here now.
This is who we are and what God has saved us
to be. Living stones in his temple.
And
as King David said:
“I
rejoiced with those who said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
She
wanted to go. She was glad when Sunday
came and she could gather
with fellow believers to worship the Lord
and offer her body as a living sacrifice.
And,
of course, it was plain to see that she was being refined into pure gold.
As you participate in the
life of the church, worship and work,
you will be connected to the suffering and
glory of Christ through other
Christians who know him.
As you worship, you will have
the great Gospel truths worked in deep—
your sin, God’s forgiveness, his claim on
your life—
and when the trials come, you will be able
to process your pain through
those big things, and come out a better
Christian.