by

Chosen To Be . . . A Living STONE! (Sermon Audio)

~

This is the audio from the July 14, 2024 sermon, “Chosen To Be A Living STONE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: 1 Peter 2

“As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:4-5 (NIV)

This morning’s message continued a series through 1 & 2 Peter with a theme of “Chosen To Be . . . “.  As God works the miracle of revival in our life, we discover He does so as the God who chooses us!  This is an important message to all who feel distant from God for whatever reason.  To those believers who are scattered around the known world, God communicates a message that they are known by Him, loved, by Him, and chosen by Him.  As we gaze into God’s Word and examine what it means to be chosen by God, we find that we have been chosen to be a living . . .

  • Sacrifice:  1 Peter 2:1-5

    • Chosen to be a living stone involves our choosing to be a living sacrifice.  God calls us to live a life that is first given to Him so that our giving to others is meaningful.  It is when we offer our self as a living sacrifice that we engage in the worship of God which is both reasonable and spiritual.  As building blocks for a living kingdom, we must willingly sacrifice our desires to the will of the Builder.

  • Testimony:  1 Peter 2:9-10

    • Chosen to be a living stone involves our choosing to be a living testimony.  Every person has a story to tell and our story is the opportunity to testify to the goodness and power of God.  As God shapes us and forms us into the living stones of His kingdom, our testimony can help others seek and experience the power of God working in them.  As building blocks in the kingdom of God, we give testimony when we tell our story and give God the credit.

  • Occupant:  1 Peter 2:11-12

    • Chosen to be a living stone involves our choosing to be a living occupant.  While we do live on this earth as kingdom citizens, we still live as occupants of this world.  We must continually draw on the help of God’s Spirit to know how to effectively live in the world but not of it.  God has us each occupying a unique combination of home, school, workplace, recreation areas, and so many other places so that together the light of Jesus shines in ways it never could if it depended on any of us individually.  As building blocks in the kingdom of God, we are His living occupant wherever we are.

  • Nation:  1 Peter 2:13-17

    • Chosen to be a living stone involves our choosing to be a living nation.  We have been called out of darkness into the light of Christ so that we have a new citizenship that is not of this world.  While I don’t take lightly the benefits and privileges of living in the great nation I call home here on this earth, I must constantly be mindful of the living nation of God’s kingdom to which I belong.  When I live as a foreigner, I respect the ways of my temporary home while not losing sight of my true citizenship.  As building blocks in the kingdom of God, we are a living nation as His holy people.

  • Example:  1 Peter 2:23-25

    • Chosen to be a living stone involves our choosing to be a living example.  There is an old phrase that says, “you can talk the talk but can you walk the walk?”.  It is important that we rid our lives of all things which are sinful and that set a bad example for those who observe us.  People tend to watch what we do long before they seriously listen to what we say.  Our lives ought to be lived as such an example that people will not only “see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”, but they would also see those works and have reason to “ask about the hope which lies within you”.  As building blocks in the kingdom of God, we are to be a living example to everyone around us.

Today, how will you live as one chosen to be a living STONE?