Sixth Sunday of Easter – May 29, 2011

1 Peter 2:4-10 - 4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Easter Means That We Have A Solid Foundation

In the name of the Rock, upon which our faith depends, dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

These days, things seem less certain than ever. Whether its job security, financial security, safety and security in the home or school, among friends or co‐workers – everything seems to be thrown like a deck of cards into the wind. Jobs and money come and go. Friends seem to be fair-weather. There seems to be nothing and no one in our lives that we can truly count on.

So, how do we build a life for ourselves and our families in which we can put our confidence? How do we build for ourselves a spiritual house that won’t crumble when life throws us a curve ball? How do we build a strong and lasting spiritual house that will outlast the storms of life?

Today, through the Apostle Peter, our Lord gives us an answer. In doing so, Peter offers us a warning: Be careful how you build; and then he points us to our Solid Foundation – Jesus Christ.

Be careful how you build…A spiritual house built on works will fall. Sadly, that’s how many build. They take a look at Jesus – the very cornerstone that is chosen by God and is precious to him – they check him out; test him; and then they reject him. “A Savior, what do I need him for – there’s a lot of people worse than me!” “Sin, don’t make such a big deal out of it – everybody does it!” And so this very stone that is to be the cornerstone of every spiritual house is “rejected by men; it’s a stone that causes men to stumble; it’s a rock that makes them fall.”

But a house built on works will ALWAYS fail. And yet, constantly people want to lay a foundation of works for their spiritual house? Even for us – who preach and teach that it’s by grace alone – how quick we are to want to try and help build our spiritual house with the things we do. Oh, we know and confess that we can’t lay the cornerstone, but aren’t there times we think we can help. We think to ourselves, “Look. I can do kind things for my neighbor. I can do kind things for the hungry and homeless. I can be honest and moral. I can even go to church and give an offering; participate in the right kind of spiritual activities; and live a life of service to others.” No, we may not actively push aside the cornerstone, but we sure do try to make our spiritual house extra shiny with the works we do, and then even consider our spiritual house to be standing on a solid foundation because of our works instead of Jesus, our cornerstone.

But dear friends, Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). All it takes is one sin. All it takes is one sin and suddenly the spiritual house crumbles because “whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one part is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). All it takes is one and suddenly the whole house crumbles because as soon as we want to build a spiritual house with the sticks and stones of our works, we replace the cornerstone.

And then that cornerstone becomes a stone upon which we stumble. If you want to build your spiritual house with even one of your works you will stumble and your house will crumble. A house built on works falls every time!

A house built on Christ never falls! This is the certainty that Scripture drives home again and again. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “No one can lay any foundation other than the one that is already laid, that is, Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 3:11). There is one foundation for a spiritual house that never falls! That foundation is Christ Jesus! We see this as we wrestle with the words of our text. “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’”

Notice the emphasis! You are being built – God is building you into a spiritual house! God is laying a foundation – I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone. From beginning to end our spiritual house is built by God with one foundation – Christ! He is the living Stone, chosen by God and precious to him. Just briefly consider that cornerstone for a moment. Peter calls him “the living Stone.” Strange, isn’t it? We often think of a stone, a rock, as immovable and inanimate. We think of a stone as solid and unchanging, but not living and not alive. Yet Peter calls him “the living stone.”

That’s because Christ isn’t a piece of dead history. He is alive. He is active. He is caring and concerned for our salvation. He is living and active for you and for me! He is risen! And at the very same time, he is the stone – immovable and unchanging. Who he is will not change. What he has promised will not change. “He is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8). This makes Jesus, the living Stone.

This living Stone is the one God chose. Before all creation God chose him and set him apart for our salvation. Before all creation God chose him and set him apart for our forgiveness. Before all creation God chose him and set him apart to give his life as a ransom for you and for me and to give you and me his life. Even though Jesus was rejected by people of his time, and is rejected by many today – Jesus is the solid foundation. He is true God and true man who came to this world to win our salvation. His suffering and blood is the mortar which makes it all possible. The forgiveness of sins he achieved for us is the key to our life, the constant which holds us in salvation. Without Jesus in our lives, our lives would quickly deteriorate and fall apart. It would become a life not only without purpose and direction, but a life without hope. But with Jesus in our lives we can’t fall. God has made us his special people by making us into a spiritual house. He has made us into a spiritual house, built on Jesus as the cornerstone who holds it all together.

Yes, this living Stone is so precious to God, that he said there is no other name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Yes, here is the place upon which our faith is built! Not our works! Here is the Rock upon which our faith depends!

And that’s because God makes is so! Our God is the builder of our spiritual house. He calls us a holy priesthood. He tells us we are a chosen people, a holy nation, a people belonging to God! Can you believe it? God takes fools like you and me, people who have a whole variety of problems – dirty mouths, quick tempers, selfish desires, and a whole list of other sinful problems – and washes us clean in the blood of Christ. He makes us his treasured possessions, belonging to him and brings us into his Church!

And now he wants us to bring our lives as a living sacrifice to him through Christ! He wants us to declare his praises – so that as his chosen people who have been called from darkness to light, we might tell the world what he has done for us and for them! This is our honor and our privilege as Christ‐followers. Brothers and sisters, this is the Rock upon which our spiritual house is built. This is the Rock of our salvation. And if we are built upon Christ, then our salvation is certain and so are the lives that we live. Yes, every turn in our life, we will not be moved. Christ is our Rock! He is immovable and so we are immovable. Yes, dear friends, Easter means that we have a solid foundation for salvation and for life. He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Amen.