the house God is building (1 Peter 2)

In our worship at Good Shepherd, we have been studying 1 Peter 2 for a number of weeks.  What began as a look at our identity in Christ developed into a rich consideration of the "house God is building."  What follows below is a summary of that study with links to individual sermons.

Peter sets the teaching of identity in the broader context of who Jesus is and what God is doing, using the imagery of God as master builder and architect. God has a plan, outlined on the foundation of His Word, spoken through Apostles and Prophets; on that foundation, at the time of God’s choosing, God set the chosen one, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, as the cornerstone (that makes some stumble). That living stone is measured with justice and level with righteousness. And on that foundation and cornerstone, God is building His Church – YOU are that Church, and at that point the names or identities begin to flow.

You are a spiritual house made of the living stones of those who trust in Jesus Christ, made alive just as Jesus is alive. You are a holy and royal priesthood, those who respond to God’s grace with obedience, praise, and public witness. You are a chosen race, adopted into God’s family in Christ and attached through him to God’s people in the world and all the promises and mission given to them in scripture. And you are a holy nation, not an earthly one, but a spiritual kingdom that confesses Jesus as our King.