Rev. David Holwick C
Boothbay Baptist Church
Boothbay, Maine
February 20, 2022
1 Peter 2:4-10
LIKE A ROCK
I. A craze that took the nation by storm.
A. Why didn't I think of it?
In 1975 Gary Dahl was in a bar listening to his friends
complain about how much of a hassle their pets were.
That gave him the idea to come up with a perfect pet, one
that didn't need to be fed, walked, bathed, or groomed.
It would not die, it wouldn't require $3,000 surgeries at
a veterinarian, and it wouldn't be disobedient.
The perfect pet would be -- a Pet Rock.
Dahl came up with a clever handbook and got his rocks for
about a penny apiece, and packaged them on cheap excelsior.
That was so they would be comfortable.
Their boxes also had air holes so they could breathe.
He sold them for $3.95 each and made a dollar profit on each one.
At one point he was shipping up to 100,000 A DAY.
The fad only lasted six months but in that time he sold
1.5 million of them.
Do the math -- when you factor in inflation, in today's dollars
he made $10.5 million.
You can still buy an original Pet Rock, on Amazon -- for $40.
Pet Rocks do have their downsides.
They are hard, cold and unemotional.
They don't learn very quickly.
The only tricks they are good at are "sit" and "stay."
But they are excellent at portraying something that Mr. Dahl
didn't include in his manual - a Christian.
Each of us is a living rock, and we serve living Rock.
And we are not a fad that lasts six months, but for eternity.
#66511
B. Peter could appreciate the rock symbolism.
1) His own name means Rock, and Jesus made a pun on it.
a) In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asked his disciples who they
thought he was.
b) Peter answered for all of them, as he loved to do. He
said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
c) Jesus responded by saying that he was Peter, and on
this rock Jesus would build his church.
1> Simon (Aramaic) and Peter (Greek) both mean rock.
2> There really is no difference, like big rock versus
little rock. Both just mean rock.
2) What exactly is the Rock the church is built on?
a) Protestants like to say it is not Peter, but his
confession of faith, or Jesus himself.
b) Catholics insist it is Peter himself and he is being
made the Pope here.
c) What do I think? I am a Protestant, of course, but
I think Jesus is referring to Peter here.
1> Jesus is the builder of the church and Peter, and
those who believe like him, are his rocks he will
use as building material.
2> Peter is not being made a Pope here. The N.T. shows
him as a leader who is answerable to the church.
A> In Acts 8:14, he and John are sent on a mission
by the other apostles.
B> Peter is held accountable for his actions by the
church in Acts 11:1-18.
C> He is rebuked by Paul for his hypocrisy. [1]
3) Rocks are a huge metaphor in the Old Testament.
a) Isaiah refers to the Messiah as a rock.
b) Daniel prophesies about a rock that will shatter the
mountain that represents the kingdom of the world.
c) The Psalms also refer to the Messiah as a rock.
4) Peter quotes three Old Testament passages here:
a) Isaiah 40:6-8
b) Psalm 118:22
c) Isaiah 8:14.
C. Peter gives his own understanding of it in today's passage.
1) Jesus is our Living Rock.
2) Every Christian is a living rock as well.
a) How can we do better than a Pet Rock?
b) First, we have to consider the One we are chipped from.
II. Jesus is the Cornerstone. 2:6
A. Isaiah says he will be laid in Zion.
1) "Zion" was the hill in Jerusalem that held the temple.
Israel is a rock-rich country and doesn't have much else.
Rocks became the premier building material.
One of the rocks used in building the temple platform
there is 44 feet long and 11 feet high.
It weighs between 250 and 300 tons and is one of the
largest building blocks in the world. [2]
2) Zion later became a metaphor for the entire city and even
the entire nation, especially the nation of true
believers.
3) This special stone is a cornerstone.
a) They had to be extra strong to hold up two walls.
b) Even today, cornerstones have special meaning because
we put the name and year of the building on them.
c) My church in New Jersey had two of them.
B. He is chosen and precious.
1) Peter has already referred to this in verse 4 - Jesus is
chosen and precious to God his Father.
2) He should also be precious to you.
a) What do you consider most precious?
Back in 1980, Pastor Bill Rittenhouse was driving through
Kansas when he was passed by a loaded station wagon.
Suddenly, a suitcase strapped to the top of the car worked
itself loose and bounced to the shoulder of the road.
Bill tried to signal the driver but failed.
He drove back and recovered the suitcase, hoping there would
be some identification inside.
He found clothing and a small white box with a rubber band
around it.
Inside was a $20 gold piece.
On one side it said: "Twenty years loyal and faithful service."
On the other side were stamped the words:
"Presented to Otis Sampson by the Northwestern States
Portland Cement Company.
After some difficulty, Bill found the address for Otis Sampson
and contacted him, and Otis sent a letter back immediately.
He described the contents of the suitcase and told Rittenhouse
he could throw the suitcase and clothes away.
However, he definitely wanted the gold coin.
Several times in his letter he referred to the coin as his
most precious possession.
Bill Rittenhouse returned the $20 gold piece with a personal
letter.
He described his adventures as a pilot during WWII, his escape
from a Romanian POW camp and calling out to God for help.
In fact, Bill wrote, "I can say that my relationship with
Jesus Christ is my most prized possession."
More than a year went by.
Bill assumed he would never hear from Otis Sampson again.
But at Christmas he received a small box in the mail.
Inside was the same $20 gold coin and a personal note.
"Last Sunday, my wife and I were baptized ... we want to tell
you to have the gold piece to carry with you always.
Now, our relationship with Christ is our most prized
possession."
#4812
3) How can Christians show that Jesus is precious to them?
a) By practicing his values of love and forgiving grace
to people you come in contact with, especially people
who others would rather ignore.
b) By choosing to fellowship and worship with those who
are saved.
c) By spending time in prayer and studying God's Word.
d) By telling people who don't know Jesus about him.
e) By meditating on his promises and longing for His coming.
#30983
C. Those who believe in Jesus will never be put to shame.
1) Not everything we trust is trustworthy.
John D. Rockefeller was the world's first billionaire.
He was a Baptist, too - a tithing Baptist.
But he grew up in very humble circumstances.
Perhaps out of a self-protective instinct, his father, Bill,
taught his children to be wary of strangers.
When John was a little kid, Bill would urge him to leap
from his high chair into his father's waiting arms.
One day, he dropped his arms, letting his astonished son
crash to the floor.
"Remember," Bill lectured his son, "never trust anyone
completely. Not even me."
#4708
2) Can we trust Jesus?
a) Millions have found that they can.
b) Some are in different faith traditions than us.
I have issues with much of what Catholic churches teach, but
I can affirm the truth of what Pope Francis told a group of
young people back in 2013:
"I have not regretted [serving as a priest for 60 years].
And it's not because I feel like Tarzan and have the
strength to go ahead...
No, I have not regretted it because always, even in the
darkest moments, in the times of sin, in the times of
fragility, in the times of failure, I looked to Jesus
and I trusted Him, and He did not abandon me.
He is a faithful companion."
#64244
c) Think of difficult times you have been through. Did
your faith in Jesus give you strength?
III. Jesus is the Stumbling Stone. 2:7
A. Not everyone is going to believe in Jesus, or follow him.
1) Have you ever stumbled over something in the dark?
a) It is usually when you are in your bare feet, and
slam your toes into a table leg or something.
b) It hurts big time.
2) Jesus can be like that, and worse.
a) Many modern people see little positive about him and
much that is negative.
B. Even the essence of the gospel causes offense.
1) Many people these days don't like a God who requires
human sacrifice (i.e., the cross) to wash away sins.
2) It sounds mean and vindictive and doesn't mesh with
their idea of a God who loves and forgives.
a) Atonement isn't cool.
b) Some even call it "cosmic child abuse." #18975
C. Usually the problem isn't Jesus but their own issues.
1) In verse 8, Peter says they stumble because they disobey.
a) When you choose the way of sin, you usually also choose
to rationalize it.
b) The problem cannot be you, but him.
c) The longer you sin, the harder you get.
2) Peter adds something hard - their stumbling is predestined.
a) Rev. Ray Pritchard says there is perfect balance in this
statement.
There is the human side - "they disobey the word" - and
there is the divine side - "as they were destined
to do."
The human side we understand; it's the divine side that
bothers us.
He says we recoil from statements like this because we
value our freedom so much.
We like to think that if anyone goes to hell, it's
almost an accident.
Peter wants to emphasize that people cannot overturn
God's purposes by their unbelief.
Though they reject Jesus and crucified him, nevertheless
God makes him the cornerstone of the church.
No unbeliever will ever be able to say, "See, I messed
up God's plan.
I was supposed to be one of the "living stones" but I
said no to Jesus and so now there's a gaping hole in
God's building."
Wrong! There are no holes in God's temple.
God will have the final word.
Three times Peter uses the word "precious" to describe
Jesus.
To the world, Jesus is not precious at all.
You can't tell the value of something just by checking
popular opinion.
The world was wrong about Jesus 2,000 years ago and the
world is still wrong about him today.
You cannot be neutral about Jesus.
He will save you or he will crush you.
There is no third choice.
Sermon #20268
b) It doesn't have to be that way for us.
IV. Christians can be living stones just like Jesus.
A. We are building blocks for a spiritual house.
1) My church in New Jersey was built of smooth rocks dug
out of the flood plain we were situated on.
Back in 1917 the members of the church went into nearby
fields and gathered these stones so the walls could go up.
A few of the members, now much older, were still alive
when I came there in 1989.
2) We love to build our sanctuaries of rock because it lasts.
a) Of course, they eventually crumble anyway.
b) Some wonder if we are in a major crumbling period
right now.
c) Many church leaders are thinking the shrinkage during
the COVID period will not bounce back.
1> Some say the people are still there, they are just
tuning in on the internet or TV.
2> But are they really? Most are not very consistent
about it.
3> Lots of people have just gotten out of the habit
and won't be coming back.
3) The need for fellowship is still there.
a) People need genuine spiritual contact.
b) Not just sitting in hard pews, but interacting with
other Christians about the real issues of life.
c) We need to hear God's Word and think deeply about how
he wants us to live.
B. God has never been that into buildings.
1) King Solomon built a magnificent temple for God yet he
knew it missed the point.
1 Kings 8:27 he says:
"But will God indeed dwell on the earth?
Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain
you; how much less this house that I have built!"
2) Every church building will crumble someday but God's house
will still stand, because we are that house.
a) A real church can never crumble.
b) Even the stone ones are rather resilient.
The great Notre Dame cathedral shocked the world when it
caught on fire and gutted the entire roof.
The oak beams were hundreds of years old and burned like
matchsticks.
But from the floor of the cathedral, things don't look so bad.
This is because the ceiling is a vault made of hand-carved
stones and they resisted the flames.
There was some damage where the spire crashed through, but
most of the rocks held tight.
We all need to hang tight, too.
Quality stones will make a difference!
V. Become part of something larger.
A. Many people today are cut off from meaningful relationships.
1) The COVID lockdown has aggravated our sense of isolation.
2) I myself became a Christian because of loneliness -
I didn't feel I fit in anywhere.
3) With Jesus I found a world-wide body of dynamic people
who were living for something beyond themselves.
B. We possess the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises.
1) We are a chosen people.
a) In many ways, the church is the New Israel.
b) We get all the good things promised to them.
2) We are a holy priesthood.
a) Peter mentions this twice, in verses 5 and 9, so it
must be important.
b) Every Christian can serve God in a spiritual way,
not just preachers.
c) And we all have to serve.
I saw a cartoon this week of a church member being
carried out of a church in a straightjacket.
The pastor turns to someone next to him and says,
"I'm really going to miss Louis.
He volunteered for everything!"
Sermon #21536
d) One of the pastoral candidates we are looking at asked
how our church was functioning without a pastor.
1> A perfect guy can't do anything if we are not
already keeping things going.
2> We could report to him that we are doing just fine
and even have our own layleaders filling the
pulpit by rotation.
3) We are a holy nation that belongs to God.
a) The recent Super Bowl was noteworthy for gathering
70,000 mostly maskless fans, all shouting their
hearts out.
b) Christians have the greater honor of shouting out
God's greatness.
C. Have you become a part of God's House?
1) Peter says once we didn't belong to God, now we do, and
once we weren't forgiven but now we have God's mercy.
2) Where do you belong? Are you a rock in God's house?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] Material derived from C. A. Carson, The Expositor's Bible Commentary
(1984), volume 8, Matthew, pages 367-370.
[2] “Western Stone,” Wikipedia; <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Stone>.
# 4708 “How Rockefeller Learned Trust,” by Ron Chernow, from his book
“Titan - The Life Of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.,” 1998, page 30.
# 4812 “Your Most Precious Possession,” by Andrew Craig (editor),
Australia's Fair Dinkum E-zine, May 9, 1993; and Chaplain Ron
Naylor, April 24, 2020, <https://www.wvmuncie.com/2020/04/chaplains-corner-vol-i/>.
#18975 “Savior Or Martyr? Christians Struggle With the Meaning of the
Cross,” by Susan Hogan, The Dallas Morning News, April 7, 2001;
<http://www.dallasnews.com/religion/331673_jesus_07rel.ar.html>.
#30983 Adapted from “Christ Precious,” by J. Sidlow Baxter, The Evangelist,
Vol. 67, No. 6, March 2006, from the Garth Hutchinson collection.
#64244 “The Pope Isn't Tarzan,” Preaching Now, September 26, 2013.
#66511 “Christians Are Better Than a Pet Rock,” by Rev. David Holwick,
adapted from the following sources:
"The Pet Rock Captured a Moment and Made Its Creator a
Millionaire," by Dan Good, April 1, 2015;
<https://abcnews.go.com/US/pet-rock-captured-moment-made-creator-millionaire/story?id=30041318>.
"How Did the Pet Rock Fad Start?" by Samantha [no last name
given], May 23, 2016;
<https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/05/deal-pet-rocks/>.
"Pet Rock," Wikipedia; <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Rock>.
Sermon #20268 “Welcome To the Priesthood,” by Rev. Dr. Ray Pritchard,
Calvary Memorial Church; Oak Park, Illinois,
keepbelieving.com; Abe Kudra collection.
Sermon #21536 “The Mature Minister of God,” by Rev. Jeff Strite,
Church of Christ; Logansport, Indiana; SermonCentral.com.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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