Series: 1 Peter
Title: A Spiritual House
Text: 1 Peter 2: 4-5
Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 17: 1-15
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Date: March 24, 2011
Believers are spiritual creatures by the new birth. But by our first birth we are creatures of flesh. We think of earthly things far too much as being the reality. They are not. Spiritual things are the reality.
We are often too fond of our place.
Before ascending to the Father, the Lord Jesus Jesus told the church to go forth into all the world and preach the gospel. After the Holy Ghost was poured out on the day of Pentecost and 3000 were added, then several thousand a little later, they grew fond of Jerusalem. So the Lord took the restraints off a man named Saul of Tarsus (later became the apostle Paul). Saul made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and hailing men and women committing them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8: 2-3.) In verse 1, we are reminded that Peter is writing to those scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. (1 Peter 1: 1.)
We are often too fond of our material things.
Peter repeatedly reminds us that by God’s grace, every believer has something far greater than any earthly riches. We have an “inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, reserved in heaven” for us. (1 Peter 1: 4.) The “trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth” (1 Peter 1: 7.)
We are often too fond of our former lusts and of vain traditions.
1 Peter 1: 13: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation… 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” (1Peter 1:13-19.)
As creatures of flesh, believers are even too fond of buildings, of religious leaders, and of religious works.
When the apostles marveled at the temple in Jerusalem the Lord said, “There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24: 2.) How easily we look to beggarly elements as if they were spiritual realities: Hosea said, “Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples.” (Hosea 8: 14.) Earthly things are tangible, touchable things. But they are not real and lasting.
Proposition: The reality is that which is spiritual.
1 Peter 2: 4: To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5: Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Title: A Spiritual House.
Divisions: 1. The Foundation of the House; 2. The Stones which make up the House; 3. The Priesthood and Sacrifices of the House
I. THE FOUNDATION OF THE HOUSE
Christ Jesus is the living foundation of his house (1 Peter 2: 4)
God the Father is the Archtitect—(v6.) God the Holy Spirit regenerates and quickens us to life—making us living stones and builds us up his spiritual house (1 Peter 1: 22023.) BUT IT PLEASED GOD THAT CHRIST RECEIVE THE PREMEIENCE. God the Son—Christ Jesus is the Living Foundation—there is no other footing—Righteousness and truth have met together. God has satisfied God in Christ. Christ is the Righteousness of God, the righteousness of every believer.
When David decided to build a house of cedar for God, the LORD God made sure David knew it was Christ the Son of God who would build him a house. Solomon was David’s son. Solomon was used to build a temple. But look long pass Solomon to King Jesus and will find him who builds God’s house, who is a Son to God and whose throne is established forever.
1 Chronicles 17: 11: And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12: He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever. 13: I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee: 14: But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore.
Disallowed of Men (1 Peter 2: 4)
Christ Jesus was disallowed indeed of men (1 Peter 2: 4)—so he is still today. When Christ came the religious actors had no more costume to cover up their sin (John 15: 22.) So it is when the sovereign electing grace of God which chose Christ and people in Christ is preached. When the truth that Christ is the only sinless, spotless Lamb of God is declared it uncovers the ungodliness of the most moral men. Every time the truth is preached that Christ was made sin and by his death redeemed all God’s elect, only God’s elect, and there remains nothing for his elect to do but to be quickened by the Holy Spirit and drawn to this temple and built up—that message uncovers the sin of freewill, the sin of decision-ism, the sin of the false gospel of universal redemption, the sin of infant baptism. When Christ is preached as the Sanctifier and the Sanctification of his people it reveals the sin of that “other gospel which is not another” called progressive holiness (Galatians 1: 6-7; 3: 1-3.) When the triune God in Christ Jesus receives all the glory and self-righteous, haughty, pompous little religious nobodies have their self-imposed glory revealed as a cloke man always disallows Christ, but only to their own demise.
Isaiah 8:14: And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
If the majority in religion rejects something, it is usually a safe assumption that it is worthy to be received by the believer—at least worthy to be considered.
Chosen and Precious (1 Peter 2: 4)
But Christ Jesus is chosen of God and precious (1 Peter 2: 7-8.) Christ is God’s elect (Isaiah 42: 1; Matthew 12: 18.) Christ is precious—how precious must he be for holy God to call him precious! And to you who believe Christ Jesus is precious.
II. THE STONES WHICH MAKE UP THE BUILDING
Ye Also (1 Peter 2: 5)
This word “also” means that what Christ is the believer is.
1. Christ is the living foundation and believers are the living stones in the Lord.
Christ is a living stone—a sanctuary—an holy abode for his people (Isaiah 8: 14.) Scripture says, “God was in Christ” (John 10: 38; 14: 10; 17: 21-21.) And even as God was in Christ--believers are built up a spiritual house made one in Christ our living foundation. Christ is in every believer so every believer is in Christ.
Our Lord Jesus called his body the temple of God, he said, “Destroy this temple, and I will build it in three days” (John 2: 9.) His perfect body was a true temple which God pitched and not man, even so is every believer and collectively the spiritual house of the Lord. Paul says our bodies are “the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in us” (1 Corinthians 6:18, 19). The bodies of the saints are really and indeed temples of the Holy Ghost. The whole church together--the redeemed, regenerate, and called--are “builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph 2: 22.)
2. Even as our Lord was disallowed of men, so believers are also disallowed of men because we are one with our Lord and he was disallowed of men (John 15: 20.)
3. Even as our Lord is chosen of God and precious, believers are also chosen of God and precious
1 Peter 1: 2: Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ…
1 Peter 2: 9: But ye are a chosen generation,…
4. Even as Christ is alive, believers also are alive because Christ is alive
John 14: 19:…because I live, ye shall live also.
5. Even as Christ is raised up, we are built up on him and grow up into him in all things.
Illustration: When brick masons brick a home, the footer—the foundation—is already laid. The masons bring the stones to the foundation. They laid each stone-brick by brick—fitly framing them together. Those bricks were once just dirt. The dirt had to be dug out of the earth. They had to be made and molded into bricks and had to be brought to the foundation. A skilled mason cuts off any jagged pieces, cuts some in half, and discards any that marred in his hand (Jeremiah 8: 3-6.) By his cunning and his strength he fits the bricks in place. There they remain. The bricks are built up. This is the case with those God makes living stones and builds up a spiritual house. His children are made alive and built up in his house by the power of Christ Jesus, “I, if I be lifted up,” says Christ, “will draw all men unto me.” (John 12: 32.) He comes to where we are sending his messengers with his word. Through the word preached he makes us alive by the Spirit. He draws us to himself like stones brought to a temple. He fitly frames us to lay plum on Christ the great Foundation--corner to corner, middle to side—we lay fully, flatly, squarely upon Christ our Foundation and there we rest
This is the spiritual reality--He dwelleth not in temples made with hands…our Lord dwelleth in a temple which he himself hath builded for his habitation for ever (Acts 7: 48: 17: 24; Deut 12: 5.) “This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it” (Psalm 132: 13-14.) “I live, yet not I,” said the apostle “but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2: 20.) “The Second Adam is made a quickening Spirit” (1 Corinthians 15: 45.)
III. THE PRIESTHOOD AND SACRIFICES OF THIS SPIRITUAL HOUSE
An Holy Priesthood (1 Peter 2: 5)
Believers are the Lord’s holy priesthood. We do not—we must not—set men up as priests—as mediators between us and God.
Illustration: “That man’s wearing a dress.”
Look who it is that is reminding us that every believer is a holy priesthood—Peter. When the Lord said to Peter, “on this rock will I build my church” Peter knew the Lord spoke of himself. Peter was a living stone in the temple but not the Foundation Rock. (Read the context of the passage-Matthew 16: 13- 20; Ephesians 2: 20-22.) Peter does not say, “I am the Holy Father, I am the Holy Priest,” but he says, “YE are a holy priesthood.”
Believers are the true Levites of God. Holy—not trying to be or hoping to be—we are. How as the priest made holy under the type of the old covenant dispensation? He was chosen of God the Father—that is how God’s priesthood was made holy--(holy before him in Christ (Ephesians 1: 4); the priest had a lamb slain for him—that is how God’s true priesthood is made holy. By the one offering of Christ we are perfected forever (Hebrews 10: 14; Ephesians 5: 25-27); the priest were had oil poured upon them and blood applied to their ear, thumb and toe whereby they were consecrated to God—so it is that God’s holy priesthood is born of the Spirit of God, anointed with the Oil of gladness, washed in the blood and concecrated to God (1 Corinthians 6: 11; Hebrews 10: 22; Hebrews 10: 20.) We are born into this priesthood by the Spirit of God. Each one is clothed with the same priestly garments of Christ’s righteousness.
And believers are a “Royal Priesthood.” (1 Peter 2: 9.) Christ has made the believer “kings AND priests unto God” (Revelation 1: 6; 5: 10.) What significance does that have? As kings we have free, welcome access to his the throne of grace (Hebrews 4: 16.) As holy priests we have free, welcome access into the holiest of all. (Hebrews 10: 19-22.)
Spiritual Sacrifices (1 Peter 2: 5)
As the holy priests of God every believer offers up spiritual sacrifices—(spiritual as opposed to the carnal offerings of the old legal covenant.)
1. First—a Lamb was offered on the day of atonement—coming to Christ by faith is offering to God the only Lamb with which God is pleased, in full assurance that all our iniquity is taken away and God has received us graciously. Christ is the Lamb we confess with our lips.
Hosea 14: 2: Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
Romans 10: 10: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
2. The Levites gave themselves confessing to God that they were his and trusting God to provide all for them--coming to Christ the believer gives ourselves to Christ—our body is his temple in which he dwells and we are not our own. (These are spiritual sacrifices—the body of the believer, though full of sin, belongs to the Lord—we are merely giving to the Lord that which he has purchased and washed himself.)
Romans 11: 36: For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 12: 1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3. Incense and an evening sacrifice was offered by the priests in the temple—how do we offer that now?
Psalm 141: 2: Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
4. We sacrifice the possessions he has given us for the furtherance of his name. The things which the church at Philippi gave to Paul, he called “an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.” (Php 4:18.) And it all came from God (v19) These are carnal things, but to let them go for the furtherance of the gospel and the good of our brethren is a spiritual sacrifices when we let them go by faith trusting God is our salvation, not those things (Hebrews 13: 6.) Unless, these sacrifices are made by believers to our God willingly and voluntarily—by faith in Christ—they are unacceptable (2 Cor. 8:12; 9:7.)
2 Corinthians 8: 12: For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
Acceptable to God by Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1: 5.)
Through faith in Christ we and all our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1: 5.) It has to be perfect to be accepted of holy God. So we are in Christ.
This is the reality.
We worship no building—esteem not place but Christ to be our Sanctuary—and in Christ our Living Foundation we are living stones, his spiritual abode.
We have no earthly priests or councils of men between us and God, but in Christ our Holy High Priest we are a holy priesthood.
We offer up no carnal sacrifices such as incense or lambs (even the wine and bread is not a sacrament but elements to remember our Lord)--but in Christ our Lamb, we and all our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God.
And one day the house will be finished in absolute perfection—by our Lord—and every chosen, redeemed, sanctified child shall grow up into him in all things.
Zechariah 4: 7:…and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
AMEN!