A Cornerstone Chosen and Precious

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:

“’Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

    a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’

“So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“’The stone that the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone,’ and

“’A stone of stumbling,

    and a rock of offense.’

“They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” (1 Peter 2:4-8 ESV)

The “him” being spoken of here is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God who is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When he lived on the earth he was fully man (human) – although not born with a sin nature like us since he was conceived of the Holy Spirit – AND he was fully God (God incarnate, in the flesh, among us). He was/is the Christ (the Messiah) who was to come and who now had come to the earth.

Jesus left his throne in heaven and came to earth to take on humanity and to live among us, partly so that he could minister in person to the people of the earth. Here he could also experience the kinds of things that we humans experience so that he could experientially feel what we feel. And while he was on the earth he performed many miracles, raising the dead back to life, healing the sick and afflicted, and delivering people from demons.

While he was still on the earth he also preached repentance for forgiveness of sins and walks of obedience to him as required for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God, as part of faith which saves. This faith comes from God, is persuaded of God, and is gifted to us by God, and is not of our own doing. It is not of the will nor of the flesh of man, so we don’t get to decide what this faith looks like. God does. And it aligns with his will and purpose.

[Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18]

Now Jesus Christ came to the earth to live among us ultimately that he might die on a cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will be crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are no longer to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to obey its desires, for if we obey sin, it leads to death.

[Romans 6:1-23; Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Matthew 24:9-14; Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:35-58; John 8:31-32; John 10:27-30; John 14:15,21,23-24; John 15:1-11; Acts 26:18]

Now the rulers and the teachers and the people of influence in the temple of God, and among the Jews, mostly did not like Jesus, and so they fought against him left and right. They rejected him as the Christ (the Messiah) who was to come and so they persecuted and harassed him frequently. And often they laid mental traps for him hoping that he would fall into them so that they could accuse him falsely of wrongdoing. For they wanted him gone.

Eventually they plotted out his death on a cross thinking that would be the end of him and of his followers and of the spreading of his gospel message among the people. But they thought wrong, for Jesus came back to life, encouraged his followers, and then went back to heaven to be with the Father. And then he sent his Holy Spirit to live within those who believed in him and who followed him with their lives, and they continued his work.

And those who were and are now his followers are called “Christians,” and collectively they form the body of Christ, which is the church. And this includes both Jews and Gentiles who trust in Jesus Christ. The Gentile believers in Christ were grafted into Christ’s body Israel while the unbelieving Jews were cut out of biblical Israel, but can be grafted back in by faith in Jesus. So biblical Israel consists of all believers in Jesus Christ.

So, Jesus is the living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious. He is our chief cornerstone in his building, the church (spiritual Israel). He is the foundation upon which his church (his body of believers) is built and on whom we depend to keep us in alignment with his will and purpose for our lives. And we are to give our lives to Christ as living sacrifices to him, holy and pleasing to him, which is our worship of him.

But Jesus is a rock of offense for all who do not give their lives to him as living sacrifices to God but who choose their own path, instead – both Jew and Gentile by physical birth. And they stumble because they disobey the Lord and his written word in the Scriptures. But those who believe in Jesus are not under the Old Covenant liturgical and ceremonial laws, but we are required of God that we must obey him under the New Covenant.

So this is a call and it is an encouragement to all who have made no professions of faith in Jesus as well as to all who profess to believe in Jesus. We can only be in relationship with God and be assured of eternal life with him if we have died with Christ to sin and if we are now walking in obedience to his commands in holy living, in the power of God. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

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