My week has been busy as I've been working hard to get the house in better shape to sell. I've also been trying to survive at my job. I am thankful for it, but I can't say that I enjoy it. Please continue to remember me in prayer this week.
As you are in prayer this week, please remember to pray for those suffering as a result of the cyclone that hit the nation of Vanuatu. Pray that these people will receive the aid that they need to recover. Also, while Ebola is not in the news that much, and the situation has improved greatly, let us continue to pray for those who are afflicted with this disease. Let us pray for a complete eradication of this deadly virus. Continue to pray for peace in the many troubled areas of the world.
Last week, we took a break from our series of messages in I Peter. I posted a message about how that Jesus described Himself as being meek and humble of heart. We need to follow the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Today, we will resume our series in I Peter beginning where we left off at I Peter 2:4. I Peter 2: 4-8 speaks about Jesus being the chief cornerstone and believers being lively stones in the spiritual house that God is building. This is an unusual passage of Scripture, so lets try to figure out what its meaning is for those of us living in the 21st century.
In Psalm 118:22 it states, " The stone which the builders refuses has become the head stone of the corner." This verse is a Messianic prophecy foretelling the fact that when the Messiah revealed Himself, He would be rejected. However, even though rejected by men, the head stone of the corner would be the one who built the spiritual temple of the Lord.
This prophecy was completely fulfilled in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus. During His time on this earth, Jesus was rejected by the people and especially by the religious authorities. The Bible says that He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.
In Mark 12:10, Jesus quotes the passage from the Psalms concerning the rejection of the cornerstone. The context was the parable that Jesus told about the vineyard and the tenants. In this parable, Jesus speaks about a landowner who leased his vineyard out to tenants . Later the owner sent a servant to collect the portion of the harvest that was due to him. The tenants would not pay. They beat the servant and sent him away. The owner sent other servants with similar results. Finally, the owner sent his son thinking that the tenants would respect his son. However, the tenants killed the son and would not receive him.
This parable is exactly what happened throughout Biblical history. God sent many prophets to tell His people to repent and turn from sin. Most of the prophets were mocked or killed. Their message went unheeded.
Finally, God has sent His final word in His Son the Lord Jesus. When Jesus came, He was despised and rejected of men. Instead of listening to Jesus, they crucified Him. However, God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus is Lord.
Even though Jesus was initially rejected by those He came to save, many people have responded to the message of Jesus' love and have come to know Him as Savior and Lord. Those individuals that have come to Jesus are included in God's plan for this world.
Jesus is the foundation of our faith. Jesus is the Word made flesh. We are to follow His teachings and commandments and spread His message of love and forgiveness to the world. We as Jesus' followers are established as a holy priesthood whose duty is to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
What are these spiritual sacrifices? I believe that this is referring to the fact that we are to present ourselves to the Lord as a living sacrifice. Paul writes about this in Romans 12:1 which states, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God , that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." In other words, since we have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb, we are to give all of our lives over to the service of the Lord.
We need to be willing to do anything that Jesus calls on us to do. Jesus had called all of His followers to obey the great commandment to love the Lord with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. We have received a commission from Jesus to go into all the world and to preach the Gospel to every creature. We have been given the task by Jesus to minister unto the least of these wherever we may find them.
This is one aspect of making a spiritual sacrifice to the Lord. I also believe the offering a spiritual sacrifice to the Lord means that we come to the Lord with thanksgiving, praise and expressions of our love for Him. We need to offer up our prayers as holy incense to the Lord.
Just as Jesus was rejected in His day, Jesus and His message of love is rejected by people in today's world. Jesus has revealed to this world love beyond measure. I urge you not to reject the love of Jesus. Don't keep turning Him away. Come to Him and receive His love and forgiveness.
If you have come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord, thanks be to God. Offer unto Him the sacrifice of all of your life. Offer up to Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise. Follow the Lord Jesus wherever He may lead you.
Next week, I will post the verses on Monday. I should have a review on Wednesday. I will have a Palm Sunday message next week and an Easter message the following week. The I Peter series will continue after that. May God bless you. Amen.
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