Derek Grier - Coming To Him
We're gonna be in 1 Peter 2:4. Peter says, by the Holy Spirit, "Coming to him". Peter doesn't say, "Having come to him," past tense, but, "Coming to him," which in the Greek is continuous and ongoing. Now, my wife and I have been married almost 30 years, but in order to keep it fresh there has to be those daily conversations. There has to be that regular time spent, vacations are traveled, gifts are given. She loves that part. And a lot of saying, "I'm sorry".
One of the best tips for a long and healthy relationship is to learn how to say sorry and mean it. Whether that relationship is with one another or with the Lord himself, it requires daily conversation, regular time. It requires some time, some travel. And you had to get in your car to come here. It requires gifts given. And a lot of times I do have to say, "Lord, I'm sorry". The Bible says, "Coming, over and over, continuously to him".
I don't care who you are, how long you've been in church, how well you think you know your Bible. You will never arrive this side of the grave because the moment you stop growing, you start dying. Matter of fact, in this life, growing older is mandatory, but growing up is optional. "Coming to him". You see, when you've tasted something really good, you want it again. If you've ever really come to Jesus, if you've ever really tasted Jesus, you will keep coming. But what I've learned in my life is what I feed my soul is what determines my appetites.
So if I really tasted, there'll be an acquired taste. I'll start to want it. But if you've never really tasted, you won't get what church is all about. You won't get what all those, you know, lifted hands and all that singing and worshiping is all about. If you've never really tasted, you won't really get it. But my Bible says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good". Now all of his goodness is there for you. But it's up to you to take the step of faith to taste and to see. Stay with me. "Coming to him as to a living stone".
Now, Peter lived in the time of the second temple. Jesus even preached sermons and ministered often and frequently from that temple. So people would swear by the temple because it was the holiest site in all of Israel. And they couldn't say the name of God in vain, but they would use the temple. And this temple had massive stones. It sat on about 36 acres or so of land. If you looked at it from the bottom of the retaining wall, it was about 32 stories high. The temple parts of it were gilded with gold. The temple itself, you know, there've been different numbers, but upwards of 100,000 people could gather on the Temple Mount. The temple of Jerusalem was truly an architectural wonder.
But Peter is about to describe and tell us about a temple even more wonderful. "Coming to him," and he uses the imagery of a temple now, "as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men". Now, this imagery was from the ancient stone quarries that were used to build the temple in the time of Jesus. And what would happen is these highly trained masons, I mean, this is what they did for a living. These were experts in their field. They would carefully examine every single stone because if they got it wrong, you know, their livelihoods depended on it, before they would allow the stone's use in the temple.
Likewise, all the trained religionists of Jesus' day, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the chief priests and the scribes, they all rejected Jesus. But rejection does not always mean you failed. Sometimes it just means the other person failed to see all you have to offer. So Peter begins by likening us to a temple, but it's a living, vital temple. And then he tells us some of the history of that temple, that it had been rejected by the authorities, but nonetheless chosen by God and precious. Isaiah teaches us that God's thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways.
You see, from the average human's perspective, the Earth looks pretty flat. We learn this in science, so we take it, you know, for granted. We learn this in school, but it really doesn't feel like the Earth is spinning. If you paid attention to the sun, it looks like it's bigger in the morning, but it shrinks by evening. But when Aristotle and the ancients looked at the Earth and things from a higher perspective, he began to observe that the lunar eclipses formed a round sphere on the moon. And from that image, he concluded that the Earth was round because its shadow was curved.
You see, when your perspective is preloaded with a higher perspective from the Word of God, false appearances lose their power over your life. You don't just live by what things look like. You live by what things truly are. You see, God sits high, but he looks low. His perspective is like none other. He said, "you also". So he said, Jesus is a living stone, and that's greater, and I get that. But then Peter includes us in that image. You also, just like Jesus, "as living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house".
Jerusalem had a beautiful temple of stone, but this new temple would be composed of magnificent, beautiful, walking, talking, breathing stones from every tribe, every language, every people, and every nation on Earth. This building we are in is not us. It just seats us. And as important as it is, we'll never change the world by coming to church. We'll change the world by being the church. So Peter says, "We can't worship in Jerusalem the way we used to, but don't let that bother you, because we're part of a greater temple, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood".
So if we're truly a temple, particularly in the ancient world, you'd have priests serving within. Do you realize those working in the parking lot, welcoming you as you come into the door, guiding you to your seats, changing diapers of our children, wiping noses, are conducting priestly services? Peter is writing these verses to remind us who we are. "A holy priesthood". A holy what? Priesthood. You know, the measure of a person's greatness is not the number of servants he has or she has, but the number of people he serves. "To offer up," watch this, "spiritual sacrifices".
So temples with priests always have accompanying sacrifices. And if it's a sacrifice, a sacrifice is something that costs you something. So when I'm disappointed, I give him the sacrifice of praise. When I feel like walking away, I give him again my body. When I feel like losing it, I give him my mind. When I'm down to nothing, I still give him whatever I have left. We are "a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God" through what or who? "Jesus Christ".
Jesus teaches us that there's only one way to the Father. And I don't get it sometimes why people are so offended that Jesus said there's only one way. I'm both amazed and grateful that God gave you and I any way at all. I mean, he didn't have to give us one way, much less two or three. I mean, God gave his best gift. He can't improve upon that gift. Anything he gave other than that would be inferior, would be less than. So after giving his best, how dare we complain about God not giving us more? "Therefore it is also contained in the scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone".
Now in Herod's temple. Y'all learning anything today? We growing together? Okay. The cornerstone was about 33 feet long. It was seven feet wide and three foot tall. It weighed about 50 tons, about 100,000 pounds. This cornerstone was the single most important stone because the angle that that stone was cut in guided the placement of all the other stones that would come after it. So he said, "Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone," watch this, "elect," meaning Jesus is God's choice. And God cannot make a mistake. Elect and precious, meaning Jesus is the highest possible quality. Jesus is not only enough, he's God's best. God could never possibly give us more than himself.
Jesus was the most precious gift possible. Stay with me. "And he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame". Literally meaning you'll have no reason to run, no reason to panic, no reason to hide. You'll be able to square your shoulder, look people in the eye, walk calmly with full assurance of faith.
You see, I know for me, I don't always know what the future holds, but I know the one who holds my future. Skip to verse nine. "But you are". You see, the challenge was Christians have been kind of kicked out of Judaism. And you know, the people felt a little bit less than. They had all of these gentiles in the church and they didn't know nothing yet. And the church, you know, didn't have a 1000-year history like the temples had. And folks just felt a little bit disappointed. They didn't feel like they really had anything to show for their faith in Christ.
So, they began to shrink a little bit, and Peter here wants to fill them back up by telling them who they are. He says, "But you are not at all inferior to the Jewish temple or to the Jewish people, but you Gentiles and all are a chosen". A what? Chosen. An adopted child was once being teased by his new brothers and sisters. And he responded, "Well, mom and dad, you know, when when they got you it was just a roll of the dice, but mom and dad chose me".
You see, God knew everything about you and me, but he chose us anyway. "But you are a chosen generation". The best translations there say chosen race. You and I are as much chosen as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We don't replace them, but are loved right alongside of them. I really wish that we as a people could get this. We are not first African-American. We are not first Asian. We are not first white. We are not first Hispanic. We're not first Grier or Gonzalez, Democrat or Republican. We are first brothers and sisters in Christ. Can I get at least one amen in the room?
But you are God's choice. As funny as you look, as bad as you have been, you are God's choice. "But you are a chosen generation". What benefit is there of being a Black Hebrew or a white nationalist? Both the same. If you understand your Bible. If you understood your Bible, you'd already know that you're already part of a chosen race. You're already part of a special people. Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with their experience. I'm preaching good right here. "But you are a chosen race". Anyone that has to put down others to prove that they're chosen or not chosen at all.
If God really chose you, your fruit will speak for you. Jesus said, "By their fruit you shall know them". Not their words, not their arguments, but by their fruit. "But you are a chosen race". A new race on planet Earth filled with the Holy Spirit. New creatures in Christ. It's not based on the color of your skin, but what God has placed within. I'm preaching good right here. And then he goes on and says, it's a little bit different than the Old Testament because we're a royal priesthood.
You see, in the Old Testament, there was a very strong separation between priests and kings. In fact, in the Bible you see that kings were struck with diseases for trying to be priests, and priests that began to support the wrong kings were quickly removed from office. But here's the deal. In the New Testament, God only allows royalty to be his priests. One more time. God only allows royalty to be priests. But you are a royal priesthood. Priests represent God. And you cannot represent God having the mindset of a stray cat all at the same time. We are already royalty. We are kings and queens before God.
And then he continues. "A holy nation". We may all look a little bit different, come from different places, but we all have the same King. And we should all have the same loyalties. "His own special people". We belong to someone. So when crazy starts to assault you, in your mind, you ought to say, "Well, I'm already spoken for. I belong to someone else. I belong to to one with a sound mind".
When sickness tries to take you, you have already been spoken for. He's already spoke his word of healing over your life. You're not trying to get healed, you're already healed. The devil is trying to take your help. When people attack you, you're already spoken for. When shortages try to shrink you, you're already spoken for. When stress tries to grab you, you're already spoken for. His own. I'm spoken for. When my wife and I were engaged, she was off the market. She was spoken for.
Hear what I'm saying? And as far as the devil's concerned, Derek Grier is off the market. I am spoken for. As far as the devil's concerned, Grace Church is off the market. We are spoken for. As far as you are concerned, you are off the market. You are already spoken for. You've got a huge rock on your finger. You have a big old crown on your head. You belong to somebody.