Living Stones

 “Living Stones”

1 Peter 2:1-10

Kobe Union Church

Preacher: Rev. Mark Bartsch June 1, 2025

Today's passage from 1 Peter 2 offers us a powerful vision of who we are in Christ and what we are being formed into. Scripture says, "Without vision, the people perish." It's true that many believers can drift, not because their belief wavers, but because they lose sight of their identity in Christ and the path of growth He has for them. It's not a lack of effort, but a lack of vision. So, this passage speaks to our very identity and calling. And it begins with a direct challenge.

"Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind." Why this call to rid ourselves? Because these things simply don't belong in the new life we've received in Christ. They are remnants of our old nature—those habits we picked up when we were busy building our own little kingdoms, focused on our own glory rather than God's. But in Christ, we are being built into something entirely new. If we truly are part of God's spiritual house, then we must intentionally leave behind those things that divide and ultimately destroy.

Let me just ask you a few personal questions:

• Is there any envy lingering in your heart?

• Have you ever spoken poorly of someone else recently?

• Are you, in any way, wearing a mask—pretending?

Peter's words here aren't meant to condemn us; they are actually full of hope. He clearly believes that growth is possible for us. Otherwise these questions would just be judgment. They are not. But we also know that growth often requires effort, and sometimes, let's be honest, it can feel a little awkward when we grow.

I remember when I was in junior high, around the age of your second year, I suddenly shot up to almost my full adult height. I used to be good in sports, but that year, I couldn’t walk down a hallway without tripping over my own feet! It was just plain awkward. But that's often how growth feels—a bit off balance, maybe even uncomfortable. The same holds true in our spiritual lives. But keep going. Keep feeling out this new spiritual body you're developing and keep growing.

Peter continues, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

Now, it's interesting to note that some commentators point out how Paul and Peter use the word "milk" with slightly different meanings. Paul sometimes uses it to refer to more basic or introductory teaching. But here, Peter uses it to refer to the pure Word of God in its entirety—and he urges us to crave it. When I hear the word "crave," my mind immediately goes to my dog, Benji. If you say the word, "chicken," he will sprint to the kitchen, (not just walk). Just a few weeks ago, Stephanie fed him right before she went out. I got home maybe 30 minutes later, saw his bowl was clean, thinking he had not been fed said, "Do you want your chicken?" He took off like he hadn’t eaten all day!

That’s the kind of desire Peter has in mind when he talks about our attitude towards God’s Word. This image of a newborn craving milk is both tender and incredibly powerful. Growth in Christ isn’t primarily driven by sheer willpower; instead, it comes from a deep craving for what truly nourishes us:

• God’s Word itself.

• God’s presence.

• fellowship

Some of us might be feeling spiritually dry right now simply because we're living on a self-imposed diet of spiritual malnutrition. We fill up on mental, emotional, and even spiritual junk food, and then we find we have little to no appetite left for what truly nourishes our souls.

I remember once going to a really high-end buffet. They had all these expensive meats and seafood, but they were placed after the pasta and the bread. Why? To fill people up on the cheaper stuff first, so they would eat less of the more expensive items. My friend saw me loading up on pizza and other bready things and said, "Hey, don't fill up on the cheap stuff." Peter is essentially saying the very same thing to us: Don't fill up on the cheap stuff.

Don't let your life become so consumed with endless TV, social media scrolling, or even the constant churn of politics, to the point where there’s simply no room left for God’s truth to take root and nourish you. Instead, crave the good stuff.

Our new identity in Christ, we find ourselves being drawn closer—both to Him and to one another. Verse 5 beautifully says that we are "like living stones, being built up as a spiritual house." Just imagine that for a moment. Individual stones, all by themselves, are just scattered rocks. But when they are carefully shaped and intentionally placed together by the Master Builder (and we absolutely have a Master Builder!), something truly beautiful and lasting is created.

Too often we make faith just this personal thing and it is, but it is also communal. As we genuinely follow Jesus, we can’t help but grow closer to the other sheep in our sheep pen. Our shared faith, our shared experiences of both joy and suffering, and our shared hope in Christ make us like kindred spirits—bound together into something far greater than the sum of our individual parts. As 1 Cor 12:26 reminds us, "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."

This is described as a “spiritual house.” Not a physical building, not just another institution, but a holy family—a place where God Himself dwells by His Spirit, as we see in Ephesians 2:22. In a world where we can often feel like outsiders or even exiles, this is our true home. "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."

When I think of stones, my mind often goes to the incredible stones at Machu Picchu. I’ve never actually been there—and maybe I never will—but I would absolutely love to see it someday. Machu Picchu was built by the Inca civilization, and the stones are so precisely cut and shaped that you can’t even fit a blade of grass between them. Remarkably, no mortar was used; they were fitted together with such incredible care and precision that they’ve stood for centuries, enduring earthquakes and the relentless passage of time. That’s the kind of profound closeness and intentionality that God is working in us. We’re not just loosely stacked together. We are meant to be so deeply connected in Christ that no fear, no bitterness, no indifference can wedge its way between us.

But what exactly are we being built around? Peter answers that beautifully in verses 6 and 7. He quotes from Isaiah 28:16: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame." And then from Psalm 118:22: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."

This is absolutely key to understanding. God’s spiritual house is centered entirely around Jesus Christ. All of us, as these living stones, find our rest and connection in Jesus and to each other through Him. Jesus is the ultimate load-bearing stone. He is the cornerstone. In ancient construction, the cornerstone was the very first stone laid, and it was absolutely critical because it set the direction and alignment for the entire structure. If the cornerstone was off, then everything else built upon it would inevitably be off as well.

But consider this: Jesus—the true, perfect, chosen, and precious cornerstone—was rejected. Not just by the world at large, but specifically by the religious leaders of His own time who should have known what was said about the coming messiah. And in many ways, nothing has fundamentally changed. The world still often rejects Him. And perhaps more subtly, our contemporary culture often tries to reverse the very blueprint. Instead of building our lives firmly around Jesus, there's a constant temptation to try and reshape Jesus to fit comfortably within our pre-existing lives—our comfort zones, our personal desires, our own subjective versions of truth. We make ourselves the loadstone and Jesus an ornamental stone on top.

We want Jesus to like what we like, rather than embracing the profound truth that we are called to love what He loves. On the very night Jesus was betrayed, the Gospel of John tells us that having loved His own who were in the world, He showed them the full extent of His love by humbly washing their feet. Remember, Peter was one of those whose feet were washed by our Savior. And Jesus Himself tells us that we will be truly blessed as we learn to love what He loves. Do what he does.

If we desire right theology, if we want to understand the very foundation of our faith, we must recognize that Jesus was and is the starting point of our spiritual house. But He isn't just the beginning; He is also, in a sense, the finishing touch, the last nail. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. God places Christ first, and therefore, absolutely everything else in our lives must be aligned with Him. Jesus Himself declared in John 10:30, "The Father and I are one." Or, to use our building analogy, the father and I are in perfect alignment.

Scripture calls us to actively build one another up, as we see in 1 Thessalonians 5:11. But Peter here specifically emphasizes that as we come to Jesus, God Himself is the one who builds us up. We are never actually told in Scripture to build ourselves up! That path inevitably leads to pride—and we know all too well that pride comes before a fall.

Notice that twice in this short passage, Peter describes Jesus as “chosen and precious” (verses 4 and 6). Then, he turns to us and says that we too—as “living stones”—are being built. What's the powerful implication here? That we, too, are chosen. We are precious in His sight. This is a fundamental part of our new identity in Christ.

That truth alone has the power to truly build us up from the inside out. When you begin to see yourself the way God sees you, it changes absolutely everything. But we also desperately need to see each other through this same lens—as chosen and precious in God's eyes. Absolutely no one is expendable in God’s house. So, let’s be intentional this year to never look down on or dismiss one another. Instead, may God grant us the grace to build each other up, with eyes that see both ourselves and each other through the boundless love of Christ.

Furthermore, we are also in the process of becoming “a holy priesthood.” Verse 5 states, “…to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” And Peter reiterates this profound idea in verse 9, declaring that we are a “royal priesthood.”

This isn’t a calling reserved for a select few “elite” Christians; it’s a calling for all of us who are in Christ. It’s not merely a title to claim; it’s an active calling on our lives. God desires for us to be a holy priesthood—not just in name, but in our everyday actions.

So, what exactly is a priest? At its core, a priest is someone who helps others encounter the living God. A priest stands in the gap—bringing people to God, and also bringing God's presence and truth to people. We don’t need robes or fancy theological jargon. God is simply looking for hearts that are willing to serve. Jesus Himself is our ultimate Great High Priest. And as we faithfully follow Him, we become His holy priesthood—each one of us actively praying, serving those around us, and sharing His very heart with the world. We lift up our families, our friends, our church community, our neighbors, and those who are still lost and searching. We speak God’s life-giving Word. We point people, in word and deed, to Jesus. So, let’s earnestly ask God to help us grow into this identity—to be a holy priesthood together.

Think about it: God has personally brought each one of us out of deep darkness—whether that darkness manifested as addiction, the grip of sin, crippling fear, overwhelming shame, profound loneliness, or simply spiritual blindness. He has brought us into His marvelous light—into the radiant realms of forgiveness, healing, true freedom, lasting peace, and overflowing joy.

Now, when we hear the phrase “holy priests,” some of us might picture individuals who are stiff, self-righteous, or even intimidating. But that’s certainly not the picture Peter paints for us. Take a close look at verse 10: “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

That’s the very heart of this new identity. We are priests not because of our own merit, but fundamentally because of God’s incredible mercy. We didn’t earn this status. We didn’t work our way up to it. We were all, at one point, sinners—outsiders looking in—until God, in His boundless mercy, called us to be His very own people. Remembering this foundational truth keeps us grounded in humility and cultivates a soft and receptive heart. It keeps us close to Jesus, constantly aware of our dependence on Him.

So, as we walk away from this passage today, let's carry this vision with us. We are living stones, being built together on the firm foundation of Jesus. And we are a royal priesthood, called to show the same mercy we've received to a world that desperately needs it. May we live into this incredible calling, not in our own strength, but in the grace and power of the One who chose us and calls us precious. Amen.

Let’s pray. 

Questions

1. What do you think it means to be a “living stone” in God’s spiritual house?

• How does this image challenge the idea of faith being purely personal or private?

• In what ways are we meant to be “fit together” with others in the church?

2. Peter urges us to rid ourselves of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.

• Why do you think these particular attitudes and behaviors are so damaging to our growth in Christ and to community?

• Which of these do you struggle with most, and what steps might help you surrender it to God?

3. Peter describes us as a “royal priesthood.”

• What do you think it means to be part of a “holy priesthood” in your everyday life?

• How can you offer “spiritual sacrifices” to God in ordinary moments?

4. Craving the Word like newborn babies crave milk is a powerful image.

• What are some “cheap things” that you tend to fill up on instead of God’s Word or presence?

• How can you develop a deeper craving for the things of God?