SERMON: “The Spiritual House”

May 10, 2020

1 Peter 2:4-10 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans 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 cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes people 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, God’s special possession, 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.

We trade in the animal husbandry imagery of the Good Shepherd and the wandering sheep for an Architectural motif. We know and love the idea that the Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want but never say, “The Lord is my architect I am built into a spiritual house.” God the Father as the great builder starts right from the beginning of the world. The Father laid the foundations of the world when he created the heavens and the earth. The Old Testament building project was the construction of the Temple. The New Testament building project is what St. Peter calls, “A spiritual house.” Every building project begins with the foundation. Jesus tells the parable of the “Wise and Foolish Builders” in Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” God’s building will have a solid foundation. Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.”

The spiritual house of God starts with the foundation. Ephesians 2:20 says, “Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”

1 Corinthians 3:11 reinforces the idea, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Ancient building practices start with a cornerstone. The cornerstone for the St. John congregation is merely symbolic. It shows the date of construction 1959 but really has little significance in the structural integrity of the building. The cornerstone for God’s spiritual house is the living stone. This stone is chosen by Him and precious to Him. He chooses the only possible cornerstone, His One and Only Son. He is precious not only because of the relationship but because He is faithful. The Father speaks at both the Baptism of Jesus and at the Transfiguration. He is well pleased by His Son. The cornerstone is of greatest importance. If the stone is not set properly the rest of the building will not be erected correctly.

Unfortunately, many builders want to reject this cornerstone. The Gospel of John states right in the first chapter, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” Or as Jesus taught in another parable, “Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him” (Matthew 21:37-39). The leaders would call Jesus “Beelzebub,” claimed His power came from Satan and they cried out before Pilate, “Crucify Him.” St. Peter quotes from the prophet Isaiah, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” All other religions apart from Christianity have to decide; where does Jesus fit into their theology? Some deny Him altogether. They are left outside the building in the darkness where there is weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Some religions try to incorporate Jesus somewhere in their theology but not as the chief cornerstone. They will be left with an unstable structure that will eventually fail. What role does Jesus Christ play in your life? If your life is not built solidly on Christ, you may find yourself calling to the Lord and His response will be, “I don’t know you.”

The one who trusts in Him will not be put to shame. The believer calls out and the Lord hears him. The believer is connected to the living stone because they are incorporated into the spiritual house. They are living stones because they are built onto the true living stone. He is the living stone because He was raised from the dead. God chooses us. Have you ever watched bricklayers work? They pick up brick after brick and quickly assess the worthiness of each one. The bricks that are chipped, cracked or broken are rejected. God doesn’t want to reject us but to put us into the spiritual house. We are worthy because of the mercy of Christ. Seeing the condition we were in, He paid the price so we would be holy in the sight of God. We are holy because Jesus Christ has redeemed us from sin, death and the devil (Look back at Chapter 1:13-16). St. Peter connects these in our text: holy priesthood, royal priesthood, and a holy nation.

The purpose of choosing us to be living stones is so that we can serve in this spiritual house. This is the temple, the body of Christ. Jesus supposedly pointed to Himself when He said, “Destroy this Temple and I will rebuild it in three days.” How do we then offer up spiritual sacrifices? Let Holy Scripture guide you in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” or Hebrews 13:15-16, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” To declare the praises of the one who called us out of darkness. Jesus says in Luke 19:40, “if the disciples remain silent, ‘I tell you,’ he replied, ‘If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’”

The last building project is the one Jesus speaks of in our Gospel lesson today. He is going to prepare a place for us in heaven. The writer to the Hebrews says, “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Therefore, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.