Who You Are
1 Peter 2:2-12 April 24, 2005
Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, [3] if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. [4] And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, [5] you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. [6] For this is contained in Scripture:
"Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a PRECIOUS CORNER stone,
And he who believes in Him shall not be DISAPPOINTED."
This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve,
"The stone which the builders REJECTED,
This became the very corner stone,"
and,
"A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense";
for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. [9] But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a HOLY NATION, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; [10] for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. [12] Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
CCI: Our identity is transformed when we are in Christ and defined as we are in relationship with one another.
Intro: Who are you? (Ask some people.)
We can find our identity in a number of different ways and in that identity we find our sense of purpose. The first way most of us identity ourselves is with our name. Many parents think long and hard about the name they give their children, they understand that they will carry that name 20, 40, 80 years from now. The name we bear can influence the directions of our lives. But we are more than a name. Who are you?
We can identify ourselves based on our skills or abilities. On the TV show Married With Children Al Bundy identified himself as a highschool football player. Some one else may choose to be known as a mechanic or a teacher. However, abilities change and in time we can no longer play high school football or teach the next generation, or repair the newest vehicles. If the heart of our identity is found our abilities, it is very shaky. Who are you?
Another approach may be to find our identity in our accomplishments. Some people identify themselves by being in the Guiness Book of World Records. Perhaps they have the longest fingernails in the world, or can spin the most hoola hoops, or have balanced the most glasses on their chin. Others may identify themselves by the awards they have earned. But if our identity is rooted in our accomplishments, it will be lost when our records are surpassed or our awards are forgotten. We are more than our accomplishments. Who are you?
Sometimes we find our identity in the roles we fulfill. I am a pastor, or a husband or a parent or friend or a secretary or teacher. These roles can identify us to others, but roles change, sometimes they even change when we go from one setting to another. If our identity is tied up in our roles, then we will often be confused and feel out of place. We are more than the role we fulfill. Who are you?
Another source of identity is to look inside and “find yourself.” For example self identity through Ho`oponopono is about opening doors to greater understanding and deeper awareness of life and one's purpose as an individual incarnated on earth as an inhabitant of humanity. Ho`oponopono says, “You as a soul are precious. Knowingly and unknowingly you impact all about you through thoughts, words, deeds and actions.” Self Identity through Ho`oponopono is a process of letting go of toxic energies within you to allow the impact of your Divine Self though thoughts, words, deeds and actions. And by the way, the cost of the stage 1 course in this philosophy costs $350. Dr. Tony Campolo has suggested that if you are peeling away all the outer layers to find yourself, you may discover you are actually an onion. We are more than the layers of masks that we wear. Who are you?
Another form of identity is found in relationships. Father, friend, child, citizen, or wife are identities that are not as fleeting. But even they change and if the center of our being has been found in a relationship that ends, then we are once again left without a sense of self or purpose. We are more than the relationships we share. Who are you?
The text this morning begins answer this question. There are a number of ways the follower of Jesus is identified in this passage (Read Text)
First, we see that Jesus is the living stone who is the cornerstone and we are living stones being built into God’s house. The expression Living stone is strange to our ears. When we play “Animal, Vegetable, Mineral” with our kids the mineral part if for stuff that is not living. However, the Greeks had a different way of speaking of stones. A stone that is rough is in it’s natural state is considered dead, however, if a sculptor is working on a stone and has begun to make it something else, that stone is said to be alive. As a new shape or purpose emerges for the stone, it takes on life. And so God is actively at work with us as stones. And God is shaping these living stones and building them together into a new house. It is a house where Jesus is the cornerstone, that means he is the one that all the other stones in the building relate. When the cornerstone is right, all the others fall into place in relationship to it. Our identity is found in our relationship with Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the world God is building. As we relate to Him, we find direction, and as we relate to one another, we find purpose for no stone can become a building by itself, we need one another. We become living stones built together when we join hands in working for the kingdom of God.
Second, Peter tells us we are a chosen race. People have often identified themselves by their race and it has never been pretty. On Thursday, May 4, Jews and others will commemorate Yom HaShoah, the day of remembrance for 6,000,000 Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. It is a day that should remind all of us of the danger of looking to our genetic race for our identity. As humans we do it, we choose to be with people who are like us, (if you want proof, look around this morning). However, the race that Peter tells us should be giving us our identity has nothing to do with genetics. We are a chosen race, not by virtue of our birth, but because of our new birth. When we come to Jesus, we become a new creation and are made part of a new branch of humanity, a new, chosen race. But notice again, this identity is not individual, it only exists in relationship to Jesus and in relationship with other believers. There is no race of one. We are a chosen race, but the reality of that identity only becomes visible when we relate to one another as sisters and brothers.
Hear your identity, you are living stones being built into a spiritual house, and you are a chosen race and
Third, you are a Royal Priesthood. The priesthood stood for the people before the Holy God. They brought the sacrifices and they prayers. And they spoke to the people for God. Even the king needed the priest to intercede. And today you, as a follower of Christ are a priest to Kings, but not in isolation. Late in the history of Israel, wealthy people began hiring family priests and this was an evil thing in God’s eyes. Apart from the priesthood, the brotherhood of priests, there were no true priests. As we work together, God has made us a royal priesthood.
And you are a holy nation. Our citizenship as Americans, or Koreans, or Germans, or Canadians is important, however, as a follower of Jesus, you are member of a new nation, a holy nation. In verse 11, because of this new identity, Peter says we are strangers and aliens in this world. Our citizenship is not in identified by geography or race, but by commitment and relationship. And while you live in the United States and are subject to the laws and cherish the privileges, your ultimate commitment is to the Kingdom of God and it’s citizens for that is where your citizenship lies.
You are a living stones, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. You are a people chosen by God to fulfill God’s purpose.
The identity we have in Christ is new, a new life, new relationships, new roles and even a new name. And it is all for a purpose and that purpose is that we may be effective witnesses for Christ. After giving them their new identity, Peter says this: Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. [12] Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
The purpose of our new identity is to bring glory to God through our life. We don’t do it because God is an egomaniac who needs people praising him all the time. Rather we bring God glory because when we do that, we are most human, we are most clearly what God created us to be.
God has a purpose for each of the stones he brining to life. Even though at times that is hard to find.
When the Temple was being rebuilt after it had been destroyed by the Babylonians, the work was taken very seriously. Though the temple was made of carved stones, it is said that the sound of the hammer was never heard on the building site. Everything was cut to size in the quarry. Every piece was cut with care and precision, to this day, the walls that remain fit tightly together. At the quarry there was one rock that was out of place. It was misshapen, and it was in the way. The stone cutters were constantly moving it from place to place until, as legend has it, it was thrown into the quarry to be forgotten. After many of the stones had been cut and the building site had been prepared, the chief builder came to the quarry. He began to gather the stones that would form the first course of the wall. Suddenly he stopped and began searching frantically. Where was the cornerstone that he had carved himself? That was the stone that was to be first laid and all the others were to relate to it. Where was it? After what was apparently a very frantic search, the stone was found, cast aside, in the bottom of the quarry, the very stone that the builders had rejected.
Who are you? As a living stone, you have been prepared to be a part of a building that is alive and on the move where others can find God. Who are you? You are a child of God, holy, cleansed, forgiven and sealed, and that will never change.
And so, I charge you, live out that identity not as lone rangers, but as nation, a priesthood, a people. As a congregation, may we live in such a way that even when those around us charge us with evil, the charge will not stick because we are known as God’s own people, sharing his love and good news with all meet.
