BUILT ON THE CORNERSTONE – 1 Peter 2:4-8

Preached Sunday, April 7, 2013 from 1 Peter 2:4-8

Theme: We are to be built together upon Jesus Christ into a holy temple unto God.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

In the portion of 1 Peter that we’ve been studying, the apostle had been writing to tell his believing brothers and sisters some things they needed to know about their daily Christian walk. It was important for them to know these things, because they were a group of people who were suffering persecution and hardship for their faith in Jesus; and they needed to be encouraged by the resources that were theirs in Christ.
And in this morning’s passage, Peter presents a very important concept. It’s a concept that has to do with the very foundation of the Christian life—not only for those of us who are individual believers, but also for us as a community of believers who are joined together in His name. To present this concept, Peter speaks in the language of an architect or a builder; and he makes use of the idea of a “cornerstone”.
Peter writes to his believing friends about Jesus Christ and says;
Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”
and
“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”
They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed (1 Peter 2:4-8).

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In our day, when a building has a ‘cornerstone’, it’s usually only symbolic. It’s a ceremonial stone—often inscribed, or bearing a plaque that tells something informative about the building. Usually, it has no real importance to the building beyond that.
But in ancient times, a cornerstone was the most important stone of the building. When builders would begin laying bricks for a building, they would carefully select one large stone—a stone that they then carefully worked and prepared—that would hold the strategic place in the construction of the foundation. All the other stones would be set in reference to it. It would be the stone that joined the beginning walls into a solid corner; and would thus be the stone that determine the position, structure, and stability of the whole building. The very first thing that a wise builder would do would be to select, prepare and place the cornerstone.
That illustrates a great spiritual lesson to us, doesn’t it? It makes us ask, “What is the cornerstone of my life? What is the beginning point upon which the whole rest of my life is constructed?” Many people choose such things as science and human reason as the beginning point. Others look to ‘spirituality’ and ‘religion’ or the teachings of various human philosophies. Some seek to build their lives on such noble things as service to others, or humanitarianism, or the pursuit of social justice. Others seek to build their lives on things like materialism, or success, or reputation, or even power over others. Some seek to build their lives on good health. Some build their whole lives on the pursuit of pleasure.
Very few people stop to consider what it is that they have used as a ‘cornerstone’—what it is that they have built their lives upon. Many just keep building without any thought of the foundation. And sadly, many find that what it is that they built their lives on disappoints them in the end. They had not wisely selected the right beginning point—the right cornerstone.
In the Bible, we’re told that there is really only one reliable cornerstone. God has made us to build our lives in the way He has ordained—and we are made by Him for no other way than His. He has appointed the proper stone for us to use. You may have noticed that the apostle Peter made reference in this morning’s passage to what has been written in Scripture; and in these Old Testament passages, God tells us about this promised “stone”.
Peter quoted, for example, from Isaiah 28. In that passage, God spoke to the leaders of the people of Israel who were rejecting Him and His good way for them. They sought to build life in the way they choose—even thinking that, in defiance of God, they had made a deal with death and the grave, and were thus safe from the consequences of their choice. And so, in verses 14-16, Isaiah writes;
Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
And with Sheol we are in agreement.
When the overflowing scourge passes through,
It will not come to us,
For we have made lies our refuge,
And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.”
Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,
A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
Whoever believes will not act hastily” (Isaiah 28:14-16).
It’s God who lays the true cornerstone of life—not man. No other stone can be trusted than the one He has laid. And the stone that God lays is a truly reliable one. No one will be disappointed who builds on it.
God promised in the Old Testament that men would reject this stone to their own loss. But their rejection made no difference to Him. It is still the stone that He Himself lays. Men may reject it; but God exalts it and declares its value. As it says in Psalm 118:22-23;
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes (Psalm 118:22-23).
And because it is the stone that God Himself establishes, those who seek to build their lives upon some other stone in rebellion against His way for them will—in the end—be disappointed. In that sense, each human being is judged on the basis of what they do with God’s established cornerstone. In Isaiah 8:12-15, the prophet was spoken to by God and told;
“Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.
The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.
He will be as a sanctuary,
But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And many among them shall stumble;
They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and taken” (Isaiah 8:12-15).
Did you notice that—in that Old Testament passage from Isaiah—the stone is clearly declared to be a Person? The same Lord who is a “sanctuary” to God’s people is also “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”. To reject this one true cornerstone—the one that God Himself establishes—is to bring destruction to one’s self. Anything built on any other cornerstone will end in ruin and loss.
There isn’t a greater question to ask of yourself than this: “What is my cornerstone? Upon what am I building my life? Is it the one that is from God? Or is it one that will leave me disappointed and ashamed in the end?”
This was a very important question to the people to whom Peter was writing. They had chosen to build their lives on Jesus Christ—and they were suffering horrible persecution for it. Unbelieving people hated the divinely appointed cornerstone they had chosen; and they hated them for the fact that they were building their lives on Him. Some of these believers may have wondered if they had made the wrong choice. But Peter wanted to write to them and assure them that they had not chosen wrongly. They had allowed God to draw them together to Christ and to be built together upon Him as a holy temple for His use; and they would never—not by any means—be disappointed in the end.
Neither will we be, if we are built together upon Jesus Christ.

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Look with me at verse 4; and notice . . .

1. THE STONE GIVEN BY GOD (v. 4).

Peter writes that they were being built upon Him; “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious . . .”
Think for a moment about that remarkable phrase, “a living stone”. We notice that the “stone” is a “Him”. This is speaking of the Lord Jesus—the one that Peter referred to in verse three when he said that we have indeed ‘tasted that the Lord is gracious’. But usually, when we say that someone is ‘stone-like’, we mean that they impress us as not living. We say that they’re ‘dead as stone’. But Jesus is here presented to us as a “living stone”. What does that mean?
Well; first think of what a stone is. It’s something solid and unmovable. It’s something strong and reliable. It’s something that does not change. Peter would know a thing or two about that. His name means “rock”. Jesus once told Peter that on his profession of faith—”You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”—”[Y]ou are Peter, and on this rock”—that is, on that rock-solid confession—”I will build My church” (Matthew 16:16-18). But the word that Peter uses in our passage this morning is a different word that describes a rock-solid stone that has been worked and prepared and beautified for a special use. And that’s what our Lord Jesus is. He is God’s appointed, specially-prepared “stone”. He will not change with the times. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is reliable.
But He’s also living—a ‘living’ stone. First of all, He’s living because He is a Person. He never changes; but He Himself is a compassionate Person who loves those who come to Him. And because He is a Person, He is personal. We are able to enter into a relationship of love with this wonderfully unchanging stone. He was dead, but He is now alive; and because of His resurrection, He truly is the “living” stone—able to give life to those who are connected to Him. And because He is living and unchanging, He is able to impart eternal life to others. He is able to transform the lives of those who are built upon Him.
Now; when He walked upon this earth, He came as the cornerstone that God had promised in the Old Testament. But He was rejected by those to whom He was sent. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. They didn’t want Him. Many still don’t want Him. Many still reject Him. Many scoff at the idea of tearing down their old, ungodly foundations and building their lives on Him instead.
But that doesn’t change anything from God’s perspective. Jesus is still the cornerstone that is “chosen by God and precious”. What a wonderful ‘living stone’ He is! He’s the only one upon which one can build his or her life with confidence! I hope you have built your life on Him!

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So; that’s the stone that God has appointed for us. Next, let’s consider . . .

2. THE TEMPLE WHICH IS BUILT UPON THIS STONE (v. 5).

Peter began in verse 4 by saying that we are “coming” to Jesus as to a “living stone”. And that word “coming” is put in the present tense of the verb—meaning not only that we are continually coming to Him, but that others are coming too. More and more are coming to Him every day. And in coming to this living stone, Peter writes, “. . . you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
First, notice what Peter says we are individually. We ourselves—like Jesus—are “living stones”. Being united to Him, we are made alive with Him. But in this case, we’re not “stones” like He is—that is, we’re not foundational “cornerstones”. Rather, we’re the bricks—the building materials—that are being built upon this stone. I’m not the whole building by myself, and neither are you. We are merely the stones from which the building is made—each one set in place in reference to Jesus, the one and only cornerstone.
And notice what we’re being built together into. We’re not being built into just any old building. We’re being built into something special—something holy. We’re being built into “a spiritual house”. It’s “spiritual” because it’s not made with hands; as was the temple of the Old Testament era. This is a building that’s built and formed by the Holy Spirit—made without hands. And it’s “spiritual” because it’s not for earthly purposes. It’s built for spiritual purposes. The world has nothing to do with the formation of it. The world can’t even understand it or relate to it. It’s a “spiritual” building—a temple of God.
And notice further what we are as parts of this building. Peter says that we—the “living stones” that come to Jesus and that are built together as the building material for a spiritual temple—are “a holy priesthood” that serve in this temple! We who are the bricks of the temple are also the priests that serve in it! We’re not a community of priests that have simply set ourselves up and establishes ourselves as a priesthood. We are, instead, a “holy” priesthood—one that is set apart by God Himself, and sanctified unto His holy purposes.
And finally, notice what we’re privileged to do together as what God makes us to be. We’re called “to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”. The sacrifices that we offer aren’t the offerings of the Old Testament priesthood. Those animal sacrifices were slain—and their blood shed—as a picture of what Jesus has now already fulfilled for us. Our sacrifices are the sacrifices of praise, and thanks to God, and of doing good and sharing in acts of service—both to one another, and to others who are in need. Our sacrifices don’t need to be made in conformity to the Old Testament rituals. Ours are made acceptable to God through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross in our behalf.
What a wonderful thing it is that we are being made into! What a wonderful thing the Church is—a spiritual temple to the living God, that is composed of living stones who are holy priests; making sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Christ our cornerstone!
And note this carefully. Our being joined together to one another into this holy temple is what it means to be united and properly built on Christ the cornerstone! No one who is truly built upon Christ is their own, individual, free-standing, ‘one-brick’ temple! To be truly joined to Christ means to be united to the Church of which He serves as the cornerstone!

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Now; we love this cornerstone—and the Church that is formed from Him. But many in this world do not. They love neither the cornerstone, nor His people. The people to whom Peter wrote knew much about that. They were suffering persecution for their identification with Christ.
But Peter is writing, in part, to encourage them not to give up being united together; and to stay true to their connection to the cornerstone. And so, he reminds them of the things that were written in the Old Testament Scriptures. So; let’s look—in closing—to what those passages of Scripture tell us about . . .

3. THE UNIVERSAL IMPACT OF THIS STONE (vv. 6-8).

First, the Scriptures tell us that this stone is the only one laid by God. Peter quoted the Scripture in which God says, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious . . .” It is God Himself that lays it; and there is no other one than the one He has laid. The world searches in vain for another. People build in vain who build on anything else than Christ. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” We need to remind people that there is no other.
Second, Peter reminds us that this stone is reliable to those who believe. Jesus is, as the Scriptures say, “a chief cornerstone, elect, precious . . .” He is “elect” because He is the one what God has chosen. And He is precious, because He alone does the job—and is sufficient for it. And so, as the Scriptures say, “And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” That’s put in an emphatic way—”by no means”. Other cornerstones will lead to disappointment and loss. But Jesus—the true, elect, precious cornerstone from God—will never ever lead to ultimate disappointment. The apostle Paul—as he was sitting in a prison cell for preaching the gospel, and facing execution—was able to say, “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12). As Peter goes on to say, “Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious . . .”
Third, the Scriptures affirm that Jesus—this choice and precious cornerstone, was rejected by ‘the builders’. The ‘builders’ were the Scribes and Pharisees and the religious leaders of the Jewish people. When their God-appointed cornerstone came to them, they didn’t want Him. The Old Testament Scriptures spoke of them when they said, “. . . but to those who are disobedient [or, as it is in some translations, “who do not believe”], ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone . . .'” Jesus quoted that same passage of Scripture to the Pharisees who opposed Him in His day; and applied it to Himself. He told them,
“Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew 21:42-44).
But fourthly, the Scriptures tell us that this same Stone—rejected by men—has been exalted in God’s purposes. As the Old Testament declares, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone . . .” I believe this was publically declared to the world when God raised Jesus from the dead. Now, the whole world can see that this Jesus—rejected and crucified by men—is indeed the cornerstone from God! As Paul wrote; “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22). Oh how wonderfully He has been exalted!
And finally, the Scriptures declare that this God-exalted cornerstone is now judging the hearts of all men. All people are determined by what they do with Him. As the Scriptures say, if He is cast away by men, they aren’t really through with Him at all. He is “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” to those who do not believe. As Jesus Himself said at the end of the Sermon on The Mount:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27).

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Peter says, “They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.” But may it not be that any of us here today are appointed for stumbling!
Let’s make sure we believe everything that the Old Testament declares about this wonderful, God-appointed cornerstone. Let’s make sure that our lives are built upon Him—His sinless life, His sacrificial death, His burial, and His resurrection unto life. And as those who believe on Him, let’s allow ourselves to be joined together into a holy temple for His worship.
No one who builds their life on this cornerstone will—by any means—end up disappointed!