1 Peter 2:5-12 – Navigating a Christ-Rejecting World

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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.

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How can we live with confidence when everything around us seems so unstable? Well, Dr. J. Vernon McGee leads us through the book of 1 Peter on Through the Bible, where we’re going to discover a solid answer to that age-old question. I’m Steve Schwetz, welcoming you aboard the Bible bus. We’re going to set off for 1 Peter 2, verse 5. So while you find your seat and get settled, I want to share a letter that we received many years ago. Dr. McGee always did appreciate poetry, everything from the works of Shakespeare down to a simple verse like this one sent in by a listener.

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And it’s an original poem sent to me from Overland Park, Kansas, by a man by the name of Norman Weir. And I’d like to share it with you. The title of it is Higher Education. It says, I don’t have a PhD or credits from Purdue, but I have learned a lot in life as I’ve been passing through. I have a course of study, perhaps of it you’ve heard, a book known as the Bible, God’s own holy word. It teaches how God sent his Son, redeeming sinful man. In him believe, by faith receive, not do the best you can. You’ll never need a credit card because salvation’s free. Accept Christ as your Savior, how happy you will be. I’m in my last semester and I can hardly wait to wear my brand new cap and gown at Baccalaureate. When on my graduation day I leave this world of strife, I’ll read on my diploma, Received Eternal Life. And friends, there’s no better gift that you can receive than eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Savior, to as many as received him alone. gave he the right to become the sons of God, even to those that don’t do any more nor less than just simply believe in his name.

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Just as Dr. McGee loved receiving your letters telling of the great things happening because of God’s word in your life, we do too today. So let’s read a couple more before we jump into our study. Here’s one from Algeria. Thank you for encouraging our whole family to stand firm even in sickness. It is in difficult circumstances that our relationship with God is tested and strengthened. You help us to see that. Please pray for our family member who is seriously ill. And then there’s one more from a listener in Africa who emailed this. God had mercy and brought us back, and your programs have helped. Please pray for us to continue to focus on what is true and holy. Well, if you’d like to join our world prayer team as we pray for listeners like these, visit ttb.org forward slash pray or look for the world prayer team in our Through the Bible app. And let’s pray now. Heavenly Father, speak to our hearts and minds about Jesus and then help us to trust him more and more. Thank you that you’re faithful to your word as it goes out. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Now let’s jump into our study of 1 Peter chapter 2 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McKee.

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Now today, friends, our study brings us into this second chapter at verse 6. And we’re talking about the Lord Jesus as the stone, the rock on which the church is built. And Simon Peter, you remember, was the one, he was told, the Lord Jesus said to him because of his confession, you’re just a little pebble, but on this rock, and that is not on Peter’s confession even, but on himself, the Lord Jesus. He is that chief cornerstone, and Simon Peter understood it that way. And he says here, as we saw last time, he says, ye also as living stones, When you’re born again, a child of God, you’re a stone that’s put into this building of God. And that is the thing that Paul talked about over in Ephesians, the second chapter, verse 20, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.” So that what is happening today is that God is building a temple. It’s a living temple. And he takes those of us that are sinners that come to him. And just as he put it in Matthew, he says, if you fall on this stone, why, you’re going to be saved. But if this stone falls on you, it’ll grind you to powder. Now, when you fall on him, it’s when you come in your sins. just as you are, and accept him as Savior. And then you are put on that foundation, which Paul says there’s no other foundation, but you can build on it, of course. But that foundation is there, and we become a living stone on that foundation. Now he says, verse 6, Wherefore also it’s contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” Now, this is a quotation from Isaiah 28, 16. I think probably I ought to go back and pick up that quotation in Isaiah. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make haste. This is the stone that Christ is. And I think that’s made very clear from the Word of God. Now he goes on to say in verse 7, “…Under you, therefore, who believe, he is precious.” And that could be changed a little. A better translation would be, for you therefore which believe is the preciousness. It’s the preciousness of Christ. This great big rugged fisherman, Simon Peter, is the one that uses this woman’s word, precious. It’s a word that belongs in their vocabulary, but Simon Peter, when he speaks of Christ’s or of his blood, or any part about him, it’s precious. Unto you, therefore, who believe, he’s precious. But unto them who are disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, to disallow here means reject, that stone has become the same, has become the headstone of the corner. And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them who stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. Now, this is a very important passage of Scripture. It makes it very clear that Christ is either stepping stone for you or he’s a stumbling stone. He is presented in the word of God and he becomes a stumbling stone to many. What I’m trying to say is this. The tragedy of the hour is to celebrate the birth of a little baby and to reject The purpose of that little baby is coming into the world to die on a cross in order that you might be saved. Now, there’s a tradition on which this passage is scripture and the passage actually that you will find back in the Psalms relative to him. In Psalm 118, verse 22, it says, “…the stone which the builders refused is become the headstone of the corner.” There’s a tradition that when the temple was building in Jerusalem, remember Hiram, king of Tyre, his men, they were hewing out the stones and then sending them down to Jerusalem. And a very large, fine-looking stone came up, but they couldn’t fit it in anywhere, so they just put it aside. And then the other stones came up and they fitted them into place. And remember, it was without a sound of a hammer. And these stones all were fitted into place. And then when they got it all built, why, they sent word down, they said, send up the cornerstone. They had a place for it there, but no stone. And in the meantime, that stone they couldn’t find a place for, they just pushed it off the brow of the hill and forgot about it. And then they said, why, we sent that stone up to you a long time ago. And then they thought, well, that’s the stone we pushed off the side. So they had to go down, and with a great deal of effort, get the stone back up to the top of the hill, and they fit it right into place. And it’s on that tradition, apparently, that this scripture is built, that the stone which the builders rejected has become the headstone of the corner. And certainly, it’s a picture of Christ coming into the world Not only was he rejected by his own people, he came unto his own, his own received him not. But you and I live today in a Christ-rejecting world. Now, I don’t know about your town, but I know in my town, we celebrate Christmas. But we’ve rejected Jesus Christ. And to me, that’s just about as hypocritical as anything possibly can be, is to reject the one. And yet you’re supposed to be celebrating his birthday. Now, he’s either to you today. He’s a stepping stone or he’s a stumbling stone. Now we come to this very wonderful passage of Scripture in verse 9 that we have here. It reveals that a Christian is to live a life that’s commensurate with his position in Christ. And until we live that life, we’re not experiencing normal Christian living. Now, he says here several wonderful things about us. And these are gifts for you. And I’d just like to call your attention to the fact that God now has these gifts for you today, Christian friend. And let me read verse 9. And there are quite a few of them here for you. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now, we are told here several things. First, a chosen generation. Second, a royal priesthood. Third, a holy nation. And fourth, a people of his own, not a peculiar people. God’s people are not supposed to be oddballs or crackpots. Some people seem to think that is what peculiar means. But it means, as the translation is given here in the New Scofield Reference Bible, A people of his own. Now, let’s look at these rather briefly, but they’re very important for us today. He says here that you are, first of all, a chosen generation. That is, an elect race. Now, back in the Old Testament, God chose Israel as his people. And you have in the scripture two elect groups of people. The nation Israel is called an elect nation, and the church is called an elect nation, also an elect people. And there are these two groups. Now, what Peter is saying to his own people, and as we’ve said, this is written to the diaspora, those Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire and even beyond. He says, instead of being scattered now and You certainly don’t look like a chosen generation, an elect race now, but you have come now to Christ and you are a chosen generation. You’re an elect nation, just as the children of Abraham was. You remember God chose a man and he made a nation. And that nation failed. And the thing that’s important is that now there has been given to the church the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And today we’re to give out the gospel because the church is the chosen. Now, this honor is conferred upon believers. And God has stamped out for you today a very wonderful medal like that of Israel. And on it is you are an elect race. You’re a chosen generation. Now, there’s a vain attempt being made today to identify certain peoples of this earth with the Ten Lost Tribes. Well, the Gypsies have been identified as that, the Mormons have, the Adventists, the British Israel group, and all that sort of thing. May I say to you, if you could prove that England and America are the Ten Lost Tribes, what have you proven? God has set aside the nation Israel temporarily. And today God’s doing a new thing. And out of every tongue and nation and people, God is calling out an elect race, a chosen generation from both Jew and Gentile. And they’re brought into a new relationship to God in the church. And you and I have come to him. But he says he’s chosen us. And I like that. Remember hearing the story about two little children, two little urchins, they were brother and sister from the slums. New York, they got up where there was Macy’s department store and they were looking in the window at the gifts that were there that they could never have. But they were playing a game. And one of them says, I choose this one. I choose that. I choose that toy. I choose that doll. And I don’t know about you. I choose Jesus. And that’s what you say today. That’s fine. But the most wonderful thing about it is Jesus chose me and he chose you. I think one of the most wonderful things he said about his apostles, he says, you haven’t chosen me. I’ve chosen you. That’s wonderful, friends. And I do not mean to be irreverent, but if he chose me, he’s responsible. The responsibility is his. I belong to him. Unto you, therefore, which believe he’s precious. How wonderful it is to have him today and to know that he has chosen us. Now, we’re told that we’re a royal priesthood. Now, what does he mean by royal priesthood? Well, back in the Old Testament, God, first of all, chose the entire nation of Israel to be priests. And I believe in the millennium, they’re going to be priests here on this earth, the whole nation. But they sinned, and then God chose one tribe out of that nation. There is no priesthood today on this earth that God recognizes except one. There is a priesthood and every believer is a priest. And I gave a message some time ago on our Sunday program. And my subject was, you are a Catholic priest. And I’m a Catholic priest. Catholic means general, of course. And every believer is a priest, therefore. And as priests, we have access to God. He tells us here, and it’s Simon Peter, he told me, I’m a member of a royal priesthood. I’m a child of the king. What a wonderful thing it is. I now belong to Christ. And what a wonderful gift that is. We have access to God. We can come today into the Holy of Holies. And we’ll read a little later on in this epistle, “…for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and he hears their prayers.” And today, the door is wide open to give the Word of God out. And I hope you’re involved in a ministry somehow or another of getting the Word of God out today. And then the third thing here, he says, you are a holy nation. Now, Israel never was a holy nation in conduct. And the same can be said of the church. Never been holy in conduct. Israel’s failure is glaring. The church’s failure is appalling. but we’re holy in our relationship with him. He’s been made unto us righteousness, and Christ is our righteousness. And if you have any standing before God, it’s not in you, it’s in Christ. And I can’t think of anything more wonderful than that, that today I stand complete in him and how wonderful it is to be a member of a holy nation. And this is a new nation that is in the world today. And then he mentions the fact here about your peculiar people are, as we read, people of his own. And that is something that I think is rather important. It’s really a people for acquisition, a people for God’s own possession. We belong to him. And not only, therefore, is there a new nation in the world, but there is a peculiar people, that is, a people that belong to him. And I don’t know why that it seems to me like this is something a great many people are afraid of. It doesn’t mean that we have to be peculiar in conduct or act strangely, but we belong to him, his very own people. And it’s something that is his own. It’s like a boy that goes out and gets a job. And he makes money for the first time. And his dad’s been giving him an allowance. But now the money belongs to him. This is something he worked for. And it’s his very own. Well, Christ’s work, his work of redemption. He shed his blood, as we’ve seen in this epistle. And now he has a people for his own. And you remember that he prayed for those. Yonder in that great high priestly prayer of his in John 17, he says that the Father gave them me and everyone that comes to me I’ll not cast out. How wonderful it is. And God calls his own. And he calls you today, my friend. He calls every race today. Doesn’t make any difference what race you belong to. You’ve been called to become a very special, a very wonderful, a chosen generation. and a royal priesthood, not to wear robes and recite a ritual, but a priesthood that has access to God and belong to a new nation, not Germany or England or Japan or even the United States, but you belong to that great company of believers out of every nation, a people, happy as that people whose God is the Lord. We are the people and the sheep of thy pasture. The Lord is round about his people. And for the transgression of my people, he said, and sanctify the people with his blood. How wonderful, how wonderful it is to have a wonderful high priest. that today is for us. And these are the wonderful positions he’s given. Now he says, “…who in time past were not a people.” We didn’t belong to God. We were far from him. “…but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” And friends, there’s one gift that you don’t want to miss. And the title of that gift, the name written on the box, is mercy. And it’s a big box. God, he’s rich in mercy and abundant mercy. And if you need any today, you can go to him and he’s merciful. He wants to save you. He wants to help you. He wants to lift you up. How wonderful it is. Then we are told here in verse 11, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, a stain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Now, the child of God here is to publish his praises. In what way? Singing Christmas carols? No, my friend, not necessarily. You can do it that way. But you show forth his praises by not manifesting the works of the flesh. And we have seen that those works of the flesh, malice and hypocrisy, we manifest it by our attitude and knowledge of the Word of God today. That is the way that we manifest it. Then he says, “…having your behavior honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers…” they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. May our lives reflect something of this glorious, wonderful gospel that we have and the wonderful Savior that is ours today. So until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

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That’s a great challenge. Do our lives reflect the glorious, wonderful gospel? Do people observe our good works and glorify God? Those are questions that we should be asking. A godly life silences a lot of criticism. With a little less than two weeks left in our study of 1 Peter, let me give you a heads up of where we’re going next in our five-year journey through the whole Word of God. Can you guess? Well, if you guessed, the Bible bus is heading back to the Old Testament. You’re right. And as we travel through the prophetic book of Amos, that’s our next stop. So if you haven’t already downloaded Briefing the Bible, that’s our digital book that contains all of Dr. McGee’s notes and outlines for our five-year journey through God’s Word. You can check it out. It’s free digitally. You can download it over at ttb.org. The notes and outlines really are a great resource to help you get the most out of our study, so I’d recommend them. Very highly. Now, you can also call us if you need some help getting those. 1-800-65-BIBLE is the number, and we can send you an abridged paperback copy by mail. And you can always write to us at Through the Bible, Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C, 6B1. And of course, our app users already know where to find them. They’re right there at your fingertips in the app. So if you don’t already have it, why don’t you download it today from your app store? You can also go to ttb.bible and quickly download from there as well. Now as we go, I got a riddle for you. What’s a good servant but a bad master? Well, Dr. McGee has the answer in our next study. So be sure to listen, and as always, invite a friend along as we make our way through the Bible together. Our story on the Bible bus today is just one step in a five-year journey through the entire Word of God. Come along for the ride, and you’ll study both the Old Testament and New Testament, discovering God’s great redemption story. Is this your story too?