Christ’s Spiritual House of Living Stones

Transcript

GR 1930
10/18/2015
Christ’s Spiritual House of Living Stones
I Peter 2:4, 5
Gil Rugh

We are going to I Peter in your Bibles, I Peter and we are in the second chapter. We are going to come into a section as Peter has gone back and forth he has talked about our salvation, the wonder of our salvation, the provision of that salvation and our eternal inheritance and he talked and gave a serious of commands that we are to follow through in light of the salvation that we have in Christ. We noted those commands, verse 13 of chapter 1, “Fix your hope;” Verse 15 of chapter 1, “Be holy;” Verse 17, “Conduct yourselves;” Verse 22 “Fervently love;” and then in down chapter 2, verse 2, “Long for.” The response that we are to have the salvation that God has provided; what we are to do in light of His grace.

Now he will move back to remind his readers of what God has done for them and what he is doing with them and you will note in this section, verses 6, 7, 8, down through verse 10 particularly you have a series of quotes from the Old Testament. They are set aside by being in capital letters as you are aware so it is easy to pick out these quotes from the Old Testament.

I just want to remind you that Peter is writing to Jews, Jewish believers. Jewish believers scattered outside the land of Palestine. We noted in verse 1 of chapter 1 the literal reading of this is “He is writing to the elect sojourners of the diaspora.” We talked a little about the word ‘diaspora,’ and it is a term that is used only two others times in the New Testament but it becomes a technical term for Israel being scattered outside the land. It really is an indication of God’s judgment coming out of the Old Testament where God told them if they were not faithful and obedient to Him He would scatter them out of the land that He had promised them.

We noted when we looked at chapter 1, verse 1 there is some discussion even among dispensationalists whether diaspora here refers to the Jews or its being used in a more symbolical way of Gentiles who are sojourners scattered throughout the world.

Let me look with you at the two other uses of diaspora. Come back to John’s Gospel, chapter 7. In verse 35 Jesus has told the people that verse 34: “You will seek Me and will not find Me. Where I am you cannot come.” This was speaking of His coming departure from the earth. Verse 35: “The Jews then said to one another, ‘where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him?’ He is not intending to go to the dispersion, to the diaspora among the Greeks and teach the Greeks is he?” He is going to leave Palestine and to out to the Gentile parts of the world where we won’t be able to find Him like we do here when He is in Palestine, clearly referring to the Jews scattered among the Greeks. The other use is back just before I Peter in the book of James chapter 1 of James, verse 1: “James a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad;” to the twelve tribes in the diaspora. No doubt there he is talking about Jews, the twelve tribes scattered. As we noted some think that in Peter it’s a different use.

Let me read you, this is from a non-dispensational writer. “The term ‘scattered,’ diaspora in I Peter 1:1 derives from a Jewish rather than a Hellenistic background. The word is used metaphorically in I Peter for literally it designates the Jewish dispersion but Peter applies it to Gentiles.” Well, that’s what you say but you just can’t change the meaning of a word because it will fit better your predetermined theology. “The believers in I Peter are the new people of God.” Now you see now we are not talking about Israel anymore so diaspora can’t refer to Israel because Peter is writing about the new people of God who have really taken the place of Israel.

It goes on to say, “The term ‘dispersion’ was often used of Jews who lived outside Palestine who were scattered from their homeland because of their sin.” In the New Testament the word is only used in two other places which we just looked at referring to Jews who were outside the land; in this instance in I Peter though the word probably is used metaphorically. Peter was not writing to Jews but primarily to Gentiles hence he was hardly suggesting they were dispersed of Israel and not in a real sense. Well we just have these kinds of comments as though that settles it. The diaspora is not the diaspora. It now refers to Gentiles scattered, why? Well because God is not dealing with the Jews anymore. The Jews aren’t the Jews. The church now has taken over the promises to Israel. We have a new people of God as he talks about and he has some footnotes emphasizing the same thing, we have a new people of God. Well he’s got a decent commentary but when you come with a non-literal interpretation you come with your pre-disposed theology. I am saying this. Some dispensationalists have good commentaries, John MacArthur, D. Edmond Heibert. Both say diaspora in I Peter 1is not a literal use and it gets them in trouble then when you get to the section we are in in chapter 2 and they talk about the lack of the article and when we are in I Peter chapter 1, verse 1 I talked about the significance and non-significance of the article and some of you reminded me I seemed awful caught up with the use of the article in verse 1. It doesn’t change the meaning of the word whether the article ‘thee’ is with diaspora or not. The presence or absence of the article does not change what the word means. It means Jews scattered outside the land. Peter is a Jew writing to Jews. There is only one way they would understand it.

Let me just direct you to a couple of passages you will see referred to. Come to Galatians chapter 6, Galatians chapter 6. These are referred to by those who don’t take a literal interpretation of prophetic matters, don’t take a literal interpretation of what God says to the nation Israel so they believe the New Testament indicates the church is the new people of God and the church has either totally replaced Israel or any promises to Israel are absorbed in the church with Israel being part of it because they don’t want to be called replacement theologians so they will say, “Well, Israel can be included in the church so they partake of the promises as they are fulfilled in the church. In Galatians chapter 6 Paul is writing the letter to the Galatians remember, dealing with Judaizers who want to impose the Mosaic Law on Gentile believers. Paul writes strongly as you are aware opposing that. He talks about, look at verse 13: “Those who are circumcised do not even keep the law themselves. They desire to have you circumcised so they may boast in your flesh.” These Judaizers, would be converts that we could be proud of. We have converted them to Judaism. They are Christians now they say but they are really keeping the law. “But may it never be that I would boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ through which the world is being crucified to Me, I to the world. Neither is circumcision anything nor uncircumcision but a new creation and those who walk by this rule peace and mercy by upon them and upon the Israel of God.”
Now in light of the book of Galatians what would you think the Israel of God is? It is comprised of the true believers, true Jewish believers. Why do you jump here and say, “Well the Israel of God is now Gentiles. Would any of the readers of that time say, “O, Israel of God? The Israel of God?” There has always been the nation Israel was elect and chosen by God as a nation. But that does not mean that every individual Jew experienced God’s salvation. So within that elect nation there were elect individuals, chosen individuals, true believers. They were the only Jews that would be the recipient of the covenantal promises given to the Jews. So the Israel of God distinguished from these Jews who hadn’t believed because if you really believed as a Jew you would believe in Christ, the Messiah and would understand the finished work, circumcision or uncircumcision is not the issue now. Paul would be identified as one who was part of the Israel of God. He’s a believing Jew, now be part of the church since God is not dealing with the nation as such.

Come back to Romans chapter 2. These are passages that sometimes those who say well the church is Israel see the Israel of God in Galatians. That doesn’t say anything. It just says the Israel of God. Why would I say Israel is not Israel? In Romans chapter 2 Paul has been talking about the Jews. They thought that they would be saved because they were Jews and they kept the law. He makes clear. Just because you have the law and try to live by the law doesn’t mean you are justified because you don’t keep the law. Nobody did. And so he is arguing that point and if you don’t keep the law what good is circumcision? Verse 25 of chapter 2 of Romans: “Indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. And if the uncircumcised man kept the requirements of the Law will not his uncircumcision be regarded as uncircumcision?” The point is you make salvation an issue of being circumcised but you realize if you don’t keep the law and nobody does because he is building until down in chapter 3, verse 19 and 20, “By works of the Law shall no flesh will be justified.” So he can demonstrate Jews and Gentiles alike are all justly condemned by God.

So you come to verse 28 of chapter 2: “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.” Now for some reason those again who don’t take a literal interpretation of Scripture and God’s promises to the Jews think this means the Gentiles become Jews in their heart. So he is not a Jew who is one outwardly but he is Jew who is one inwardly. He is talking about Gentiles becoming Jews. No, that has always been the case. The only Jews who were in the line of experiencing the blessings promised in the Abrahamic Covenant were those Jews who had their hearts circumcised by God. So within the chosen nation you have saved and unsaved Jews. Saved Jews are those who had their hearts circumcised. To read into this, see, this means Gentiles because they have their hearts circumcised, have become really the spiritual Jews. That is reading your theology into the passage. You wouldn’t get that out of the passage.

Come back to Leviticus 26, Leviticus chapter 26. We are going to verse 41 and we are just breaking into the context. You can read it on your own. “I also was acting with hostility against them to bring them into the land of their enemies.” That would be judgment, conquered by their enemies. “Or if they are uncircumcised heart becomes humble so that they then make amends for their iniquity then I will remember My covenant with Jacob. I will remember my covenant with Isaac, my covenant with Abraham,” and so on. So you see the issue is their uncircumcised heart has to become humbled and then God would circumcise their heart and He could spare them from further judgment.

Come over to Deuteronomy, chapter 10, verse 16: “So circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer.” You know that picture that stiffened neck in defiance of God. You need to have your heart circumcised. Well obviously when it says circumcise your heart that means submit to God in faith that He might do to your heart what you can’t do. This is not circumcision in the fles, this is circumcision in the heart. It was required of the Jews always to be the beneficiary of the promises that God had made to the fathers and without that you are excluded, you are a Jew under the judgment of God.

Come over to Deuteronomy chapter 30, verse 6 and God promises in Deuteronomy 30 the blessings that come to Israel when they finally turn to Him and they are restored from diaspora being scattered outside the land and so on and you come down to verse 6: “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart, the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul so that you may live. And the Lord your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies;” judgment on them instead of you, why, because your heart has been circumcised.

One more; jump over to Jeremiah. So we go from we are past 1,000 years. Moses is about 1500 years before Christ and Jeremiah about 500 years, round things off. So a 1,000 years go by in which Jeremiah is preaching in Jeremiah chapter 4, verse 4: “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord. Remove the foreskins of your heart.” Bow in faith. Allow God to cleanse you within, remove your wickedness. So naturally when you come to Romans chapter 2 and he is talking to the Jews and he says, “You know it is not enough to be circumcised physically. You have to be circumcised in your heart.” Many commentators say, “O see, the Gentiles now have become Jews.” What do you mean? For the Jews to have salvation they need what the Old Testament said they needed, a spiritual work of God in their heart.

Alright, I got that off my chest. Come over to I Peter chapter 2. It ties to Peter because they are coming into a section that these who deny the literal interpretation for Israel (you will see when you read their commentary) that now the church is the Israel of God picking up that expression from Galatians chapter 16 and then you will see a cross reference to Romans chapter 2, verses 28 and 29 which proves nothing about Gentiles and the church taking on the promises given to Israel. Now we are going to benefit from some of the promises to Israel but we don’t take Israel’s place and we are never called Israel. The church is never called Israel in the New Testament if you interpret it literally. So where do they pick up these expressions? From the passages that we just looked at.

Alright Peter is going to move into with verse 4 we have talked about the power of the Word of God in bringing salvation and that word is the nourishment for our new life in Christ in the opening verses of chapter 2. We are to long for that milk, the spiritual milk of the Word or pure milk as we have it in many of the English translations. And so, “Coming to Him,” he has just talked in verse 3 “If you have tasted the kindness of the Lord,” coming to Him so he is going to pick up in the connection there. What he has said in verse 3, we are coming to the Lord. Taste of His kindness which connected back to Psalm 34, verse 8. We come to Him as a living stone rejected by men and here the reference is going to be to Christ and coming to Him is another way of speaking of believing in Him. We sometimes talk about the terms of salvation and in these we have different language that can be used, receive Christ, believe in Christ, repent, come to Him. Those all are talking about the same thing. Turning from your sin and placing your faith in Christ.

Come back to the Gospel of John chapter 6. We went through a period of time years ago when the controversy going around was on the terms of salvation and some believed that you used any other term than faith or believe you are adding to the Gospel because other terms imply works. That is just not true. Coming to Christ is a valid expression of believing in Christ. Jesus is speaking in John chapter 6, come down to verse 35: “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’” You see to come to Christ is to believe in Him. He uses the expressions interchangeably. “He who comes to Me will not hunger. He who believes in Me will never thirst.”

Down in verse 37: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me.” Again believe in Him. Down in verse 44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draws him.” To come to Christ is not saying you have to do something in your own effort. A person comes to Christ just like they believe in Christ. They are synonymous. You believe in Christ because the Spirit has worked on your heart and mind to move you to faith. You come to Christ because the Spirit draws you.

Down in verse 65 while we are in this chapter. “He was saying, ‘For this reason, I have said to you, that no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father.’” To invite a person, we invite you to come to Christ today. Turn from your sin, your rebellion. We would say repent, turn to Christ, place your faith in Him. Now we know that is a sovereign work of God but Jesus here is telling people to come to Him but He also says it is the sovereign work of God enabling that to happen. So you have God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. So that expression, “to come to Christ.”

Come back to Peter. So coming to Him is that tasting the kindness of the Lord in verse 3. When did we do that? Well, when we placed our faith in Him. That is when we first partook in a saving way of God’s graciousness, His kindness, His mercy, His love when we became the recipients of His salvation. Coming to Him and we are coming to Him not just in that initial act but that is an ongoing activity that’s going to be developed here when He talks about priesthood of believers. So He uses the present participle coming to Him. That is ongoing. I first came to Him like I first believed in Him when my eyes were opened and I trusted Him as my Savior but I believed and trusting Him every day since. That was the beginning of the life of faith. So coming to Him then now is a continuing action. I came to Him, tasted of Him, partook of His salvation and now we come to Him and worship Him, honor Him. That is a privilege that is ours. It’s not like well I have to make an appointment, you know I am limited, He is busy. I can only come three times a year on these occasions. No, now we have that freedom of access coming to Him.

Back up to another letter written to Jews just before Peter. You have the little book of James in between and then you have Hebrews just a little bit in front of Peter. In chapter 4, Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 16: “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace” because we have a high priest. He has provided access for us. So we would come to Christ and partake of His kindness in salvation and now come before Him to receive the grace we need at various times, in time of need. What do we do? We turn to the Lord. I come to Him. Where did I go when I needed salvation? I came to the Lord. Where did I come when I needed grace to sustain me in this trial, this situation? I come before Him. It is now an open door that is mine.

Over in chapter 7, verse 25 referring to Christ: “Therefore He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession..” So you see that ongoing work of that continual intercession enables me to continue to come to the Lord. Think about it. What a privilege. The eternal, almighty God I am just to be continually coming to Him for whatever I need. Does He ever run out of sufficiency, grace, mercy? No. Why? Christ, my high priest is continually, He ever lives to make intercession. So you just keep drawing near. You just keep coming. I don’t have to just do it between you know, 6:30 and quarter of 7 in the morning. I have 24 hour a day access. Wake up in the middle of the night and you can’t sleep and “Lord, it’s me again. I have some things to bring before You.” You know we cast our burdens on Him because He cares for us; “Casting all your cares on Him because He cares for you.”

Over in chapter 10 of Hebrews, verse 1. The sacrifice of the Old Testament couldn’t break perfect those who draw near so the deficiency in the Old Testament system but then you come down to verse 21. Verse 19: “Therefore brethren since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.” Verse 21: “Since we have a great High Priest over the house of God.” We are going to talk about that house in Peter in just a moment. “Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. Let us hold fast our confession. Let us continue how to stimulate each other to love and good works.” We draw near, let’s draw near, come. So we keep on coming to Him, the One we came to for our redemption by His grace.

Alright Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6 connects it to faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him. He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” And there you see faith and coming to Him inseparably joined together. You come to Him because you believe. You believe and you come to Him. That is what brings you together.

Come back to Peter. These Jews with their background can appreciate this. That tasting we saw in verse 3 was connected to Psalm 34, verse 8 and now “coming to Him as a living stone” and we are going to do a summary here which will be developed in verse 6 and following because he will talk about a living stone, rejected, choice and present in the sight of God and then down here he will unfold that with a series of quotations. So we are not going to look in detail because he will break it out for us down in verse 6 and following in more detail but He is a living stone.
The word ‘living,’ He is alive so the stone is a picture because he is going to talk about a building. In those days buildings could be built out of stones so He is a living stone because this is going to be a spiritual building not a physical building and it stands. These Jews can realize we have moved to much of what God has promised, not in the ultimate fulfillment when there will be an earthly temple but what He promised could be true for us.

Christ is a living stone. He is rejected by men but He is choice and precious in verse 4. That stone is the stone that had been carved, shaped, chiseled for its appointed place. So this is a stone that will be key in the building. It is a living stone. It is alive. It is not only alive but it is life giving because when you come to Him you become a living stone. Verse 5: “You also as living stones.” So this picture of a stone in the construction of a spiritual house, the people of God that He is drawing here and for these Jews in particular and some of what he says in this section is applicable to all believers. You know these Jews with their background could grab on to it and appreciate the spiritual dimension that God required in the Old Testament that would bring about the literal and physical fulfillment of what God had promised.

Christ was a living stone. He has been rejected by men and the perfect tense denotes something that has happened in the past and continues on, that rejection continues as even as Peter writes. Men have decided this stone does not meet what we require, what we are looking for. You know it is like you might have somebody building a house for you and they don’t work and they show you material and you say, “No, that is not acceptable, that is not what I am looking for.” And the builder may say “this is the best, this would work the best.” This is what the unbeliever says. He is rejected by men but He’s choice and precious in the sight of God. He is God’s chosen One, precious, highly valued before God. He’s the key here, the stone that is central to everything. He will talk about, rejected by men down in verse 7: “The stone which the builders rejected.” So again these things will be played out a little more fully.

Verse 5: “You also, you who have come to Him, have tasted the kindness of the Lord. You also as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices.” You come to Christ who is a living stone. You partake of His life. He is life giving. Now again it is a picture. Why a stone, because we are talking about the construction of a building. But it is not a physical building because the stone is alive and those who come to Him are stones that will be used in the building but they are living. They have come to life by connection with Him so it can be part of the building that He is constructing.

You are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. This is the work that God is doing, that Christ came to enable to happen, a spiritual house; again, this contrast with Israel’s physical temple. Christ is building a spiritual house. Now this does not take away from the fact that there will someday be a, if you will, physical realization for the nation Israel with a millennial temple and all of that but necessary predecessor to that is spiritual life so they are reminded what God is doing and it indicates God is not done with Israel and what is promised this is a necessary step in that. Believing Jews would realize as Paul did. The failure of Israel in the Old Testament was to believe, to have their hearts circumcised, to come to God in faith. They put it all on external observances so for the bulk of the nation they were lost.

“You are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood.” Now some of this is true for all believers even though he is addressing Jews here to appreciate what God is doing but all of us as believers are coming to Christ. He is the living stone. We are being constructed as a spiritual house.

Come back to 1 Corinthians chapter 3, I Corinthians chapter 3, verse 16: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God?” That is a spiritual house. This is where God dwells. “The Spirit of God dwells in you. If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him for the temple of God is holy. That is what you are.” The plural here would indicate he is talking about the church and so these Jews are part of what God is doing there because He has brought Jews and Gentiles together. So in this sense what he says is true of both Jew and Gentile in this portion of the Word. There will be some things that he is going to say that will be applicable only to the Jews but in this context, yes, we are to be built up and He is not building two different houses, spiritual houses but now during this time the Jews in the plan of God who believe are being built up in the house and the Gentiles. We find out the Gentile house as Paul elaborates further like in a passage like this.

You come over to 2 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 16: “For what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” And here he drew Old Testament Scriptures to support the fact that God’s people were to be a holy people, separate from the sins and practices of the world around them. So in this spiritual house that God is building there is to be holiness. We will look at in a moment.

Come over to Ephesians chapter 2, verse 19: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,” and this comes out of what the Gentiles used to be, excluded from the covenants of God that we talked about in our study earlier today. He has joined the two into one in the church. “You are no longer strangers and aliens. You are fellow citizens with the saints, are of God’s household, being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.” We are going to talk about that in Peter. “In whom the whole building being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together into the dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

This is the work of God of building the church. So it is another analogy like the church is the body of Christ. The church is the building of Christ. It is a temple where God will dwell. In I Corinthians 3 it refers to the local church. He dwells in our church because He dwells in each one of us individually and we are joined together indicating you know we are not just isolated pieces out here. Just like the body analogy. So you have the building analogy. It is important to see God is working to bring His people together building this house.

Over in Hebrews chapter 3, verse 6, “Christ was faithful as a Son over His house.” That is in contrast to Moses who in verse 5 was “Faithful as over his house.” Christ was faithful over His house whose house we are. So you see that picture and the house in the contrast to what God did with Israel, what He is now doing with the church in the present day but He will bring it back and bring out some of the unique parts for Israel as he moves later in this discussion but the Jews are reminded, you are a part of what God is doing in His work today that is consistent with what He promised in the Old Testament but it is not the final realization any more than we have experienced the final realization which will culminate with the glorification of the body and ruling and reigning in the kingdom.

You are in Hebrews. Come over to chapter 10 where we just read and we noted that we would come to this in Peter. Verse 21: “Since we have a great high priest over the house of God.” So Christ is the high priest over this temple and just like the high priest in Israel ministered in the earthly temple so Christ is the high priest over this spiritual temple and we belong to Him. He dwells in us and then together we are a temple.

Come back to Peter. We are being built up. You are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood follows through be a priest. Israel was promised that they would be a priesthood.

Come back to Exodus 19:6 rather than me just reading it to you, Exodus 19:6. Verse 5 the context, again, the promises to God. “If indeed you will obey My voice, keep My covenant then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples for all the earth is Mine. You shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation and they are being built up as a holy priesthood.” We will get to that nation. We won’t get to it tonight but the promise there.

So these Jews, who have come to believe, realize that they are experiencing salvation blessings that God promised. Now that’s not all there is. This is where the error comes to those who try to make the church take over the promises to Israel. That is not all there is but these salvation promises these Jews can be encouraged with. They are benefiting from, they are enjoying now even though the unbelieving nation is rejected. Not every Jew is rejected and they are sharing in these blessings and the Gentiles are sharing in the blessings. Those salvation blessings as the book of Hebrews developed, the new covenant blessing that God provided with the coming of Christ which provides for the salvation blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant. So these Jews can rejoice in the salvation they are experiencing and the blessing of God as they share with Gentiles in these things but certain things we will see will be unique to them, a holy priesthood.

Priests are those in the Old Testament. Priests stood between the people and God. The people did not have direct immediate access to God. They came to the priest who represented them. That has totally changed with the coming of Christ. He is our high priest so we are a holy priesthood because we can come directly to God on the basis of the fact that Christ is our high priest. This would fit with what He said about our salvation in chapter 1, for example; amazing. The whole Old Testament system has dissolved but the picture that it contained is there. We are priests, a holy priesthood. So this spiritual house is comprised of those who come before God directly; directly because the high priest, Jesus Christ has provided the sacrifice that enables them to come into God’s presence. Set aside for spiritual service if you will.

And what do priests do? They offer sacrifices so we are to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ Jesus. That is the foundation. So you see this spiritual picture. It becomes clear when God is using a picture. We have Christ being and He is the cornerstone, the chief stone down in verse 7. We will talk about that in our next study but we are not talking about a physical stone obviously because He is alive and we are living stones. We have life because of our connection to this key stone. We have a priesthood and it is offering up sacrifices but not physical sacrifices. You see the contrast with the religions of the world that always want to reduce it down to something physical and tangible. Here is it spiritual. Even the sacrifices are spiritual sacrifices. These sacrifices express communion with God, fellowship with God, honoring God and portraying our relationship with God as some of the fellowship offerings in Leviticus chapter 1 and chapter 2 did for Israel in the Old Testament; some of these spiritual sacrifices.

Come back to Romans chapter 12. We will just look at some of these spiritual sacrifices and this will be as far as we will get; very familiar verses. “Therefore I urge you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice.” We have a holy priesthood we offer holy sacrifices, sacrifices that are set apart from defilement and sin. You “present your body a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God. This is your spiritual service of worship.” This is the worship we have. We are a priesthood. One of the things we do, we offer the sacrifice of our bodies. That means we “are not to be conformed to this world but transformed by the making new of our mind.” Now we function according to God’s will for us and we are able to discern that will. We want to use our body and all of its parts to honor Him.

Paul told the Corinthians, “You are not your own. You have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your bodies.” Part of our sacrifice – we are living for Him. We serve Him. This is our spiritual service of worship, bodies that are given to honor Him. So it is not just something we talk about our worship service and this is where we come together as the people of God and together we join in worshipping Him but we have worship every day and all we do with our days because we are to have bodies that are serving Him, set apart from sin, used to honor Him. That is the sacrifice of our priesthood.

Come over to Hebrews chapter 13. This has been a book about the high priestly ministry of Christ and now that provides access for us to come into His presence which is our position as priests. In Hebrews chapter 13, verse 15: “Through Him, that is Christ then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God.” What does that mean? “Fruit of lips that give thanks to His name,” and that is not just on Sunday where we sing songs of praise but “honoring Him by giving Him thanks; acknowledging Him as the giver of every good and perfect gift of all our blessings.”

Thank you Lord for the day and the way You have directed me through this day. Thank You for your grace that sustains me. Thank You. We are giving thanks to Him. That is a sacrifice. That is an act of worship.

We need to be careful. You know that as Bible believing Christians we don’t squeeze down our worship that it just takes place in this building at certain times of the week. No, this is where we get a chance to express our worship together as a church family. You are just as much involved in worship when you are at the job that is so unpleasant maybe in so many ways surrounded by the world, the people of the world who seem to want to draw your attention away. That’s why we present our bodies a living sacrifice and what comes out of our lips is a sacrifice of praise to God. We give Him thanks. That’s why a complaining Christian, how does that honor the Lord? Don’t you think that God is in charge? Don’t you say you believe He is the sovereign God who causes all things to work together, grumble, grumble, grumble, complain, complain. I can’t see any good that can come out of this. So what? I have taken the place of God who said He causes all things to work together for good? I can’t see it therefore it’s not good. I am supposed to be giving Him a sacrifice.

Lord, I don’t understand all that is going on but I believe You are in charge. I give You thanks and I know that You will work it out according to Your purpose. Sacrifice. You know I realize how special life is because of His redeeming grace.

Down in verse 16: “Do not neglect doing good.” That is a sacrifice, doing good, doing that which is pleasing to God and in our relationship ought to characterize us. That ought to be our desire and with that is sharing the good works, the sharing which we have talked about in Corinthians. That is a manifestation of His grace. That is a sacrifice.

Back up to Philippians chapter 4. Paul had received a gift from the Philippians, remember that is one of the Macedonian churches that is so poor and yet they send Paul gifts to help him in his ministry. Here a prisoner in Rome, some of the essentials.

You know many years ago when we were in another country we talked to believers who had been imprisoned. They said, “You know (I have shared this with you a number of times) we keep a bag of essentials at the door because when they come and arrest us you go immediately and when you go to prison they don’t provide the essentials. What you didn’t bring you don’t have so we have a bag of essentials, you know, toothbrush, toothpaste, things we will need, a bar of soap, whatever.

Paul is in a Roman prison. They are caring about his comfort. The Philippians did. They have sent him a gift. Look at the end of verse 18: “You have sent (what is it?) a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice well pleasing to God.” Well we just knew Paul had a need and sent it to him. What was it? That was something well pleasing to God. That is what a sacrifice is. That is sort of like the fragrant aroma of the Old Testament sacrifices arising as a pleasing aroma to God.

That gift; that wasn’t just a monetary gift that helped Paul a little bit. That was something of eternal value. The God of heaven acknowledged it as a sacrifice that He received and was pleased with.

One more, Romans 15 and he talks about his gift as an apostle the end of verse 15: “Because of the grace that was given me from God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles.” Now note this – “Ministering as a priest the Gospel of God.” Well he is a priest. He is bringing the truth of God to people “So that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” I have taken what God has given me and I bring it to the Gentiles, His truth and what? These Gentile converts are an offering that Paul is giving to God to demonstrate what, his faithfulness that I am not my own, I have been bought with a price. I have been gifted by Your grace and my service is for You and this is the gift, the sacrifice, the Gentiles have been sanctified, made holy, set apart by the Holy Spirit.

These gifts, these are just some of the spiritual sacrifices we offer. That’s our life. You know we are missing it if we think an hour on Sunday morning, an hour on Sunday evening something like that you know we have a whole life, every day of the week, every moment of the day lived for Him; sacrifice for Him.

All of this is acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, I Peter chapter 2, verse 5 concludes. He is the high priest. “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” Paul wrote in I Timothy 2. He is the high priest. We saw that in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 19 – 22 because He offered the fit sacrifice we can now carry on a ministry as priests, coming into the very presence of God because we have a high priest. It is a new priesthood, the Melchizedekian priesthood and He offered the one sacrifice for sin for all time. That is the travesty and tragedy of something like the Roman Catholic priestly system. The Pope is not the high priest. These men are not high priests. There are no men between Christ and me. There are no saints between Christ and you. We come before His throne. Our life, what we say, what we do is a sacrifice offered in His presence. So we appreciate the individual and the corporate aspects. He is building us into a spiritual house and this is what we are to be doing as the church, the church manifest in this place to honor Him in all we do. What a privilege but it is not limited to this place. We are out in every place and what we do and we keep that in mind as we talk to different people this week. We think well I have lips that give praise to God that is not just saying at the end of every sentence “Well praise the Lord.” No, that is speaking consistently with His character, honoring Him, acknowledging Him. My body belongs to Him. My life belongs to Him. What a privilege.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for Your grace, Your love, Your power, Your work. Every portion of Your Word reminds us. Lord we would not waste the privileges given to us. May we not forget as we move into a new week the busyness of activities draw our attention. There are things we have to do. We are responsible to take care of our families, to work, to provide, take care of homes and do a variety of things but the blessings that is ours in everything we do we do it as Your slaves. We do it to please You. We do it to honor You. We do it to provide sacrifices that are acceptable to You. All that we are and that we do we belong to You. It is our greatest honor, our greatest privilege. May we manifest Your grace in our lives as we serve You in the week before us we pray in Christ’s name, amen.