Living Stones, Lasting Glory | 1 Peter 2:1-12 | Together Proclaiming His Marvelous Light

What does it mean to truly belong—to God and to His people?

In this sermon from 1 Peter 2:1–12, Pastor Mark Groen walks through the powerful imagery of living stones, a spiritual house, and a chosen people. We see how the gospel not only brings us out of darkness but also builds us together on Christ, the cornerstone, for a life of worship and witness. This message calls us to grow in holiness, embrace our identity in Christ, and live visibly faithful lives in a watching world.

Watch the full sermon below as we continue our Living Hope series through 1 Peter.

Find five days of short devotions related to this message here.

📖 Click to Show the Transcript of this Sermon

Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon from First Reformed Church in Edgerton, Minnesota. Each week we dig into God's Word, trusting that the Holy Spirit will continue the good work of sanctification in us. I'm not sure when the trend of all these home renovation shows started. I took notice in probably 2003 or 2004 because my wife and Anna were rather obsessed with them.

They would watch as many as they could find within a reasonable timeframe. And I didn't always sit down and watch a whole episode with them. But if I happened to be in the general vicinity and saw the before version of the home, I tried to find a way to be back around for the after reveal. I wasn't all that interested in the process.

Sure, it was interesting to see the work and hear the conversations with contractors about obstacles that they ran into, but I was mainly concerned with the finished result. Now, you know, each show kind of plays out a little bit differently, but the formula is the same. The families brought back to their home and their view would be blocked. Maybe by a bus, maybe by some sort of screen, or even on some shows, a gigantic photo that they would split apart and then reveal what the house looks like.

But you know about the big reveal process here. The camera would cut to the family's faces during this reveal, and they're in shock and amazement, and then the commercial. That's how it always worked. But after the break, We finally got to see what all the gaffes were about.

Because sometimes the house just had a small facelift, a few cosmetic upgrades here and there, but the basic structure of the house stayed the same. But also other times, the house was almost unrecognizable from what it was before. It wasn't just touched up, it was transformed. It was completely changed.

It was more than an update. It was almost like it was a completely new home. So as we make our way into the second chapter of 1 Peter today, we see the change that God makes. And Peter uses imagery we can understand.

He talks about being built up into a spiritual house. God takes a people that were once not a people and he makes them his people. And we hear that these people are living stones built up into this spiritual house that brings glory to God, the God who has saved them. So the ideas that we're going to see today have all been set up by the first chapter of 1 Peter that told us to live as holy people because we have received the grace of God in Christ.

We were ransomed, not by perishable things like silver or gold, but through the precious blood of Jesus. that sets this all up. And as the first chapter closed up, we see that Peter rooted this idea in the certain and unchanging Word of God. And this idea continues as we come to the first three verses of 1 Peter 2 this morning.

So as part of this call to holiness that Peter mentions, some specific thoughts and actions are told to us to put away. He tells us that we are to put away malice and deceit and envy and slander. And I think we can understand why these sins are mentioned by Peter here, because these types of things, these sins, are things that eat away at our joy. They chip away at our contentment.

If we are envious, it is a desire for things that fade and fail, right? Peter had told us to worry about things that don't fade and fail. But when we're envious, we're thinking about those things. Those are our focus.

And when we have anger towards others, It's the same thing. When we deceive, when we are hypocritical, it isn't because we're pursuing the things of God, right? We aren't hypocritical when we're pursuing the things of God. We are hypocritical and envious when we're pursuing the things of the world.

And all the vices that are mentioned here essentially amount to violations of the 9th and the 10th Commandments, right? They show a lack of satisfaction in those things that God has provided for us. They involve the pursuit of things that are of this world and not the things of God. And instead of pursuing these things, those things that fail, Peter calls us to long for pure spiritual milk.

to desire that which will nourish our souls. As a newborn requires things that nourish them and they desire it, we are to also desire as children of God to be built up in the Word of God. That is our spiritual milk. You can't fill up a baby bottle with Mountain Dew and have that be the entire diet of a newborn and expect them to be healthy.

The idea is so absurd actually, I don't think we can even really imagine what would happen if we did that. But often that's what we expect out of our Christian diet. We think that a few spiritual quick hits here and there will give us the nourishment that we need to grow in the faith. But what we need is the nourishing milk of God's Word to tell us about the things of God.

It is through the Word and the Spirit that we are convicted of sin and that we grow in holiness. It's through the Word and Spirit that we're reminded of the grace that we have received in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we receive the gift of the assurance of our salvation through the Word and the Holy Spirit at work in us. And Peter lets us know that when we taste of those things, then that's what we'll desire.

We'll desire the nourishment of God's Word and the Gospel that feeds us. And we've all experienced a time where we've missed out on the nourishment that our bodies needed, right? It doesn't take long for us to start to feel the impact of missing out on having a good meal. Your legs get weak.

Focusing on tasks can become difficult. Generally speaking, you just feel off, right? But then, you get the food that you need and things start to feel right again. When you taste and see that the Lord is good, you will know that you're being nourished.

And if you don't get those meals, you will know when things are off. But this idea doesn't stop with the nourishment and growth of us as individuals. The scope of the picture widens here. And we see that the nourishment is a part of God building up his people.

Now we often get the idea that faith is just an individual thing. And that we do this Christian thing on our own. But Peter paints a clear picture that lets us know that this Christian faith thing is something we do together. We are built up in Christ together.

So we're told here that Jesus is a living stone that was rejected by men, but in the sight of God, he was chosen and he was precious. And when Jesus took on our flesh, the people did not see Him for what He was and who He was. He was the promised, anointed One. He was the Messiah.

But He was rejected. They didn't see how someone who was a suffering servant could possibly be their Savior. They expected a grand political conqueror. But instead, Jesus died at the hands of the Romans.

He wasn't what they expected. And Peter says that he was the stone that was rejected by men. And I think this is an image that we can understand. So imagine that you are building a structure of some kind out of stones.

Some stones are gonna immediately stand out to you. I have to use that one, that one's perfect. They're strong, they're large, or they have the right shape to fit nicely with what we're building. But others, you're going to reject right away because of their size or because of their shape.

So what Peter is saying here is that men left Jesus out of the building that they were putting together. But God had other plans. And we will see as we get deeper into the passage that Jesus was the most important stone for this building of God. But before we get to that idea, we see that we are living stones as well.

God is using us to build up a spiritual house. We are chosen by God to build the house that he has planned. And he takes every stone and he takes it and he fits it together according to his blueprint, according to his plan. And it's described here as a spiritual house.

So we need to stop for a second and think about what kind of a house is he speaking of here? This isn't a humble first century dwelling on the outskirts of a city that a family will dwell in, that we're meant to be thinking of here. When Peter says spiritual house, the idea is a temple. The idea here is that God is doing something new.

God's people, the church, they are the true temple of God. Not a physical structure in Jerusalem where there's sacrifices. No. The people of God are His church.

They are His temple. In the New Covenant, there are not sacrifices of animals to shed blood to remind us of the price that's paid for sin. Instead, we offer spiritual sacrifices through our lives And this is an act of gratitude for the salvation that we have been given in Jesus. And so what Peter does here is helpful because he points back to the Old Testament to show us this truth.

And we see this in verses 6 through 8. And he's pulling together three passages to paint this picture. Three passages make one point. The cornerstone of this redemptive plan is Jesus.

Those who believe and understand this and receive it by faith, they are the family of God. They are the people of God. They are the temple of God. But those who reject the message, they just stumble over it.

So first, Peter throws Isaiah 28 verse 16 at us. And by quoting this passage from Isaiah, we see that Jesus is chosen. That what he's talking about was the plan all along. The message that Jesus was crucified but resurrected and now ascended to the right hand of the Father, that was the plan all along.

You hear me say this all the time. The gospel, the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus was not plan B. because the Jewish people rejected Jesus. No, it was the plan all along.

What we believe is not a secondary option. Jesus was the Messiah. He is the Messiah. And the message of the Gospel was the plan all along.

And those who believe in it will never be put to shame. This is the plan, that God is building this house out of this stone that is Jesus. And then the next passage that Peter recalls is Psalm 118 verse 22 where it says that the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. So as he calls upon the Psalter here to make his point, remember that his Jewish readers would have had this verse deeply embedded down in them.

Because it's from their hymn book. They would have sung these words hoping for the Messiah. This was a messianic psalm. They would have sung them in hope and in anticipation.

And when this statement is made by Peter here, his Jewish audience would have likely had a light come on. Jewish Christians probably would have just had a moment where they're like, that's what this verse is about. This is amazing that this was the plan all along. It's becoming more clear for me.

And this statement here also draws out the foolishness of those who have rejected Jesus. They threw out the best stone. The stone that is holding up the whole work of God. The cornerstone.

The strongest stone that holds it all together. They didn't even bother with it. They rejected it. And the whole point here is that humans totally missed the point.

And we lost the plot. But God was doing something spectacular for the salvation of His people. And we see this idea in verse 814 of Isaiah as well. And the point drawn out from this quotation is that those who reject Jesus as the Messiah, they're not just missing out.

They stumble over Him. In other words, they will be judged for their denial of Jesus as the Promised One. So let's go back to the idea of building a stone house to understand what's being said here. So you're constructing this building and you're looking for all the best stones.

You decided against the best stone in the whole area and it's right there. It's the best stone for building this project. It's right next to where you're building the building. It's that obvious.

And so what happens? As you're doing your work, as you're moving around, you're constantly stumbling over this stone. It's in your way, and you still keep missing it. It should be the most important part of your project, but you're not using it.

You're stumbling over it. And all of this is not just for Peter to describe to us what kind of house is being established by God. He wants us to know who we are in that house. And this idea is shown to us in verses 9 and 10 with beautiful language that moves us to praise God for what He has done for us.

Now you've heard these two verses twice already in the service. In the assurance of pardon, And then when I read the entire passage before I came down here to do the sermon, but they're so substantial, I'm going to read them one more time. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, But now you are God's people.

Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. This is who you are. This is who you are in Christ. You are a chosen race.

Because you are united to Jesus, you are the chosen people of God. You are a royal priesthood. You are a holy nation. You are a people for His own possession.

And think about how astounding this truth is. You are God's people. Not because you were born into a particular family. Not because you won the genetic lottery and now you're all set.

Nope. We are the people of God because we have been united to Christ by faith. He was building His church and He took living stones and brought us together to be a people for His own possession. We are the people of God and look at what the purpose of this was.

To proclaim the excellencies of the One who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Take hold of that, Christian. Take hold of that. You're a part of the family of God.

You are one of the people for His own possession. And today as we praise God and proclaim His Word, you are doing precisely what He called us out to do. Coming here each week is more than just something we do. It is doing what He saved us to do.

To bring praise and glory to His name for calling us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Without this salvation, we are not a people. We are just people wandering aimlessly without hope. But because we have been united to Christ by grace through faith, we are now the people of God.

We had not received mercy, but His mercy has been poured out on us in abundance. And so we are the people of God gathered here to bring praise to His glorious work. to praise him that he has saved a people for his own possession. And so we see again that this good news calls us not only to praise God, but we're once again called to holiness by Peter here in verses 11 and 12.

And he reminds us that we're sojourners and exiles, that we don't fit here in this world. Jesus was rejected by the world. We should not expect to be welcomed with open arms. to live forundering aimlessly without hope. But because we have been united to Christ by grace through faith, we are now the people of God.

We had not received mercy, but His mercy has been poured out on us in abundance. And so we are the people of God gathered here to bring praise to His glorious work. to praise him that he has saved a people for his own possession. And so we see again that this good news calls us not only to praise God, but we're once again called to holiness by Peter here in verses 11 and 12.

And he reminds us that we're sojourners and exiles, that we don't fit here in this world. Jesus was rejected by the world. We should not expect to be welcomed with open arms. to live for Jesus is costly.

We will be exiles in this world, feeling that we do not have a home. We will have that feeling like we are a sojourner, like Abraham, trusting that one day we will arrive at the promised land, looking at it from afar. We are God's people, but we still live in the world that rejected Jesus. And we need to remember that the world is watching.

And this is why Peter tells us that while we are on our journey, we're to abstain from the passions of the flesh because they wage war against your soul. And he's saying the reason to live a moral life is because, or he's not saying that the only reason to live a moral life is because unbelievers are watching. That's not what he's saying. Holiness is its own reward.

but holiness is also a witness to the world. When we reject sin and have integrity and reject hypocrisy, you are witnessing to Christ and you're showing that He is better than anything that the world has to offer. And so Peter tells us that living our lives this way may bring others to glorify God. It's a reminder to us that our gospel proclamation needs to be accompanied by holy living.

Let's be really honest here. Nothing is used against Christians more than the charge of hypocrisy. Of course, we aren't going to be perfect every last possible moment of our lives. And so that's why when we find that we are living in a hypocritical way, that we should repent and testify to the grace that we have in the gospel.

That others may not only hear of the forgiveness, but see how it leads us to repentance. That we're desiring to conform ourselves to what God requires of us. So as we close up, I want to give you some questions to ponder as you step out into the world this week. The first question, what part of your life is shaped more by the world than by Jesus, our cornerstone?

Now we have seen the sweeping ramifications of the gospel. We have been called out of darkness into light. We are a people for God's own possession, built into a temple for his glory. But are there things in our lives that still reflect the old house instead of the new one?

ways of thinking, habits, priorities. What can we do this week to conform to the image of Christ instead of the image of the world? And the second question, where might your life be a witness this week? Remember, Peter didn't say that the world might be watching.

He says when it is watching. So this is an important reminder that we will persistently have opportunities to live with integrity as a witness to the mercy that we have been given in Jesus. Chances are, as you see this question, you can think of a place where you can be a witness this week. May God grant you the boldness to stand firm in your convictions.

And may the Spirit and the Word be at work in those you come into contact with, that they might glorify God as well. So as you think on these two questions, it's vital that we remember the big theme of this passage as we close up. You are God's chosen people. You are His treasured possessions.

You are living stones built into a spiritual house for His glory. You have received mercy. May this truth get deep down into you, that your life might be a witness to Christ and bring glory to Him for who He is and for what He's done. Amen.

Let us pray. Great and merciful God, we thank you for the gift of your word. That it paints this picture of you taking us, you choosing us as stones to build a spiritual house for your glory. We pray that you would guide us this week, remind us of this great truth, that we might desire to live in such a way that we are witness to your mercy and your grace and that we might find opportunities to testify to your saving work that Christ might

be glorified. It is in his name that we pray. Amen. Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon.

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