The stone which the builders rejected...

1 Peter 1:13-2:10 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

¹³ Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷ If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. ²⁰ For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. ²² Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, ²³ for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For, “All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off, ²⁵ But the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you.

2 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, ² like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, ³ if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. ⁴ And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” ⁷ This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” ⁸ and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. ⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

As thorough, precise and meticulous as scripture is with many numbers and measurements it does not use finite terms to describe the number of people who will be saved or who will reject Jesus Christ. Today’s text says:  “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” ⁸ and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.  

In Matthew 22, Jesus tells a parable about the kingdom of heaven.       “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. ³ And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. ⁴ Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ ⁵ But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, ⁶ and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. ⁷ But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. ⁸ Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ⁹ Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ ¹⁰ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, ¹² and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

This story is one that many people will not talk about. It seems unfair to many that this one man would be removed because he wasn’t dressed properly. After all we are not to judge by outward appearance or prioritize those who have much over those who have little. We need to understand part of the culture in Jesus time was that the king would provide the wedding clothes for the guests of the wedding. This man then was without excuse. Even though he accepted the invitation and came to the feast, he rejected the proper attire which was provided for him. In the same way there will be some who accept the invitation to come to God, yet reject the only acceptable attire. Each one who comes to God must be dressed in the righteousness of Christ. Jesus Himself says: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:6) Either we believe Him and accept the work of the cross and Christ’s righteousness, or we believe there is another way, another righteousness that will qualify us for the kingdom of heaven, in believing that, we disbelieve Christ and so reject Him.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus speaks another word of caution regarding salvation. He says:    ²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

It is not enough to know and even acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. It is not even enough to do even great works in His name. Again there is no exact number given here by Jesus, but He uses the word many. Jesus says: "The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me." (Luke 10:16)

There are many things that we are called to do as believers in and followers of Christ. We are called to love, serve and show compassion to both our fellow believers and to the world. We also though are called to:   As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

We do people a disservice if we invite them to the banquet of the kingdom of heaven but fail to tell them of their need for the acceptable attire of Christ’s righteousness. Everything else we do is of no value for eternity, either for ourselves or others, if we aren’t like Paul, determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)

Our culture, our society and even some in the church are trying to tell believers how they should respond to the world. The truth is we should respond in love with care and provision, but we cannot respond with acceptance and tolerance of sin and we cannot neglect to tell them the truth, the good news of the gospel.     For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit; Thank You for providing all that I need to enter into Your banquet feast. May I be found faithful, known by You Lord Jesus, to do the will of the Father, to love, to serve and to speak the truth, the good news of the gospel of Christ, believing that: there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)     Amen.