Shalom, everyone. The Bible reading for today is in 1st Peter. This time, we are going to read from the second chapter, 1st Peter, chapter 2. And in the ministry today, we are going to deal with the first 10 verses of 1st Peter, chapter 2. Shimon Petros is writing, and he is speaking to these early believers, as well as to you and I, though he wrote, of course, to those early believers some 2,000 years ago, yet he is speaking as well to you and I today, and he is writing to these believers, and he says now in the second chapter, very, very important chapter, And we are reading the first 10 verses, he says, Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.

If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious, to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Yeshua the Messiah. Wherefore, also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious. But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.

And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. This is the reading for this message today. First Peter chapter 2 verses 1 to 10. And the apostle Peter continue in his ministry to those brethren to whom he wrote in first century, to you and I as well today.

But it's always important to read a text in light of its context. And the context is 2,000 years ago, writing to a persecuted Jewish brethren that have been dispersed and scattered in Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. And he's writing to them to encourage them to follow after Yeshua the Messiah after they have been brought into this great salvation that God had provided for them. And you and I as well today, when we think of the song we just have sung, Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary for you. We also sing in this stanza, Lord, now use me as your servant to bring glory unto you.

Purchase at a price, a living sacrifice, this my prayer, Lord, to you. We just sung that beautiful song that deals with the desire of the believer to be a living sacrifice. And here the apostle Peter is really dealing with this subject. The two major points in these ten verses that the apostle Peter wants to communicate with us all is number one, that there is a need in the life of every believer to grow spiritually. That's the first point that he's going to speak about in the first three verses. And second, there is a need in every believer's life to understand the importance of the privilege in which we have been brought into as part of the body of Mashiach, the body of Christ.

So we're going to look at those two major points here in the first ten verses of 1 Peter chapter 2. Now, I want you to notice now, in the first three verses, the question, of course, is being presented. How can a person grow spiritually? You and I have come to know Yeshua the Messiah. We are now part of this great salvation that God has provided. We are saved. We are going to go to heaven. We belong to the Father. We are children in the family of God because we have received Yeshua the Messiah. But now the question is immediately coming in this text. How can a person grow who becomes a believer in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah?

How can he mature? How can he become useful for the time that he is left behind before we're going to go to heaven? You see, when we're going to go to heaven, brothers and sisters, we will stop learning in that sense of what we learn here in this world. We will no longer have sin nature. We will no longer be tested and tried. We are no longer going to have to be disobedient and failing the Lord. It is here and now that we learn and we grow and we develop spiritually. And just the same like an ordinary baby that is born to his mom and dad, he or she need to develop and to grow and to become a grown-up on his or her own living their life.

The same thing it is for you and I spiritually. The same thing it is for every believer that came to trust in Yeshua the Messiah. So, here the apostle, Shimon Petros, Simon Peter, gives us these two things that we need to have in our life if we are to grow spiritually. Things that we need to lay aside. Things that we need to totally put away from our lives. And things that we need to desire after. And I want you to notice how he is speaking here in these verses. First of all, notice verse one. Every believer is to lay aside certain things that cause us to stumble, cause us to stop our spiritual growth.

Verse one, he says, "Wherefore?" Notice that this is the second time he used the word "wherefore." If you turn back to chapter one and verse thirteen. "Wherefore?" Gird up the loins of your mind. Here in our chapter two, verse one. "Wherefore?" Why it is "wherefore?" Why it is "therefore?" Is because in light of the salvation that we have received, chapter one. This great salvation. Our hopes are in heaven. Now, here and now. Therefore, in light of what we have been brought into. Here are the things that we are to lay aside. Notice he says in verse one. Laying aside. In another translation, it used the word "put away." "Wherefore, put away from your lives." Brothers and sisters, he is saying to us.

Notice those five things he's mentioned. Number one, malice. Number two, guile. Number three, hypocrisies. Number four, envies. Number five, evil speaking. These are the things that the believer is to lay aside. To put away out of our lives. Now, you know, brothers and sisters, that these are areas that are very hard for us to put aside. But these things are that which characterize the flesh oftentimes in our lives. Notice he mentioned this list. Malice. What is malice? Malice is wickedness in general. We live in the world that is headed up by the wicked one. Satan is called. Satan is called. And he oftentimes stir up this old nature of ours to act wickedly.

And at times we fall into these old practices in our life. And so he said, malice, wickedness, a characteristics of the world. It's not a characteristic of the believer in Yeshua, the Messiah. In general, lay aside. In New York, he used the word all three times here in this verse. All malice. Then use all guile. And all evil speaking. But we can take the word all to apply to these five things that he's telling the believers to lay aside, to put away. Now, how is it possible for the believer to grow when he's characterized in his ongoing lifestyle with malice, with wickedness? That is something that we used to be characterized by before we became believers.

But now that we became born again, born from above, born by the Spirit of God, these kind of things had to be totally put away. You notice that, brothers and sisters, this is something we need to actually do. There are things that God has done for us positionally. But those are things that we need to do and to seek to put this away from our life. He adding to this, he says, all guile. That expression in the Greek for guile has to do with craftiness, crookedness. That should not be characterized by the believer. Guile, craftiness in our life. We continue and use the word hypocrisies.

Now, what is a hypocrite? Hypocrite is a person that pretend. And, you know, we are pretty good in hypocrisy, aren't we? We fail so much. What we are individually on our own and what we are in public is oftentimes two different things. You know, the word hypocrisy comes from the shows in olden times when the actors on the stage used to put a mask appearing this way and then they used to take a mask and have a different appearance. And that comes from the word hypocrisy. That which is not genuine. That which is pretension. And, you know, he said this to our own forefathers and he would say it to Christians in general today.

Yeshua himself said it in Matthew when he was speaking to our own religious leaders. He really challenged the religious leaders. And we can say that that's applied to us as well today. Many times call them hypocrites. Just want to read those verses in Matthew chapter 23. And he called them in verse 13. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. For ye neither go in yourself, neither suffer you them that are entering to go. In other words, you are hypocrites. And he's saying to them in verse 14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows' houses.

And for a pretense make long prayer. Therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. He was speaking to the leaders of our forefathers. But he may speak to us as well. That we often time are being hypocrites. You see, when Peter is writing to these Jewish brethren. Apparently that was a need that existed there. There's a need that existed here in my life, in your life. This is something that we need to put away if we are going to grow spiritually. We have to put away malice. We have to put away guile. We have to put away hypocrisy. Here's another thing in that list in verse 1.

Notice he says, Also envies. You know, to envy someone. To desire that which not belong to you. Or to desire that which someone is maybe a success in one way or another. By envying someone. You quench the liberty of the Spirit of God. To help you to be satisfied in what the Lord have given to you and to me and to the believer. And to envy someone. It's so unhealthy. If somebody growing, we should be so thankful for them. If somebody the Lord blessed them, we should be so thankful that God had blessed them. And envy bring about all sorts of division. Envy bring about all sorts of things that are dishonoring the Lord.

And that's why we have to put this away in a practical way. And then finally, evil speaking, he says in this list. Apparently, perhaps, there was a need that people were speaking evil. Not only evil words, but evil against each other. You know, brothers and sisters, if we have something to say about somebody else, it's far better to say that which is honorable about that brother or that sister, rather than that which will speak evil and wrong against our brothers and sisters or the people of God to pull them down. That is what hindering us from spiritual growth. When we have those things characterize us in our life and we don't put this away, that is hindering the growth of the child of God.

There is another word in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1. The apostle who wrote to the Hebrew believers this letter, he says, Wherefore, we also are compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses. Let us, here's the same word, lay aside or put away every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. And let us run with patience the race that is set before us. We are in a race. We are to grow spiritually. And if we are to grow spiritually, we got to lay aside this activity of the flesh which we saw easily get beset by this. Put it away. Put it away. Lay it aside.

He is saying in Hebrews as well, chapter 12. And of course in this text that we have. And also in Colossians 3 verses 8 and 9 to put this away, to lay aside the activities of the flesh. Now, easily said, but it's hard to practice. Easily spoken about. But it is another thing to practice this. That's why we need a help from the Lord in order to be able to do so. And so in order to do that, he is giving us a way whereby we will be able to do so. And so notice the next verses. In 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 2 and 3, he tells us exactly the opposite. In verse 1, lay aside.

Put away. Shun it. Get it out of your life. But in verse 2 and 3, he said that's what you should desire to follow after in your life. And now notice that in verses 2 and 3. First of all, in verse 2, to desire as a newborn baby, the pure milk of God's word. The sincere milk of the word of God. Notice that. As a newborn baby, desire the sincere, that word for sincere is unadulterated word of God. You know, when we gather together as believers, we do not come here for some sort of entertainment. We don't come for some sort of religious entertainment. We have to have this desire to come to learn the word of God collectively.

That which we need to have it personally for our own life. To have this desire. Notice this expression. The desire as a newborn babe. The sincere milk of the word of God. Those of us that are parents know very well when our wives gave birth to our children. We know the desire of a baby. All what he wants. The milk from his mother. And he or she desiring this milk. And if you will not give them that milk, the nourishment from their mother. They will cry and they will not be satisfied. That's the way it ought to be with us spiritually. When we as newborn babes in Messiah Yeshua, we should have the same desire of the sincere, unadulterated, pure word of God.

You know, the word of God that we have in our hands is the only way whereby we can be fed. You know, the Hebrew men of old. The Old Testament prophets of Israel. They preserved that book for us. They were feeding on that book for us. They were inspired to write that word for us as we have already read it in the previous chapter. They have been led by the Spirit of God to write to us that word of God, the Bible. Same thing with the apostles in first century. You know, those brothers who wrote to us the New Testament, the Brit HaChadasha. They have given to us that word by divine inspiration.

They've given us what we have in our hands today. And we are to desire as newborn babe, the pure milk of God's word. It is interesting that the Bible oftentimes is looked at or presented by the writers in various ways. In this case, of course, Peter says the Bible, God's word, is like milk. You drink milk. You nourish yourself with milk. You would nourish yourself with the word of God. In other places, the Bible or God's word is looked at as the meat, solid meat for mature believers. It is a solid meat. It is a solid meat. You know, we learn things that the world cannot teach us, that no one can ever instruct us.

These are meat. These are things for the word of God, things that are for mature believers in Yeshua the Messiah. You can find it in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, in verses 1 to 4, and in Hebrews chapter 5, verses 11 to 14. The word of God is being looked upon as meat, solid meat that every believer who growing spiritually can feed upon. We are marveling sometimes of things that others know from the word of God. There is so much depth to God's greatness, God's grace, God's love for us. There is so much meat in the word of God that if we are growing spiritually, we can feed on it and enjoy it.

The Bible is also looked upon as bread. You remember where God said to our forefathers in Deuteronomy chapter 8, "Men shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord." The word of God is looked upon as bread. Can you live without bread? Can you live without water, without milk? It is so important to feed on the word of God because it is food for our souls. Also, in Psalm 119, the word of God in verse 103 is presented as honey. Look at this, it says, "How sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth." The psalmist David said when he was speaking about the word of God, When you want to get nourishment as a babe, you drink milk.

When you want to be satisfied and to be content, you eat bread. When you want to be completely satisfied, if you will, you eat meat. And when you want to enjoy dessert, if you will, you would eat something sweet as honey. God's word is all-inclusive. It is for the babe. It is for the ordinary young man, young woman. For the mature believer, and yet a sweetness to God's word. Look at this, brothers and sisters. There were times that you would ask me, Gideon, come to sit and read the word of God. Come to sit and hear a message about the Bible, about God. And I would say to you, I have no interest in that.

It doesn't give me satisfaction. That was before we became believers. When we became believers. It's such a joy to open the Bible and to read a verse and a text. It's such a blessing to go to a meeting and to hear the preacher minister something of the preciousness of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. It's such a pleasure to open the radio or the internet and to listen and to read a text as something that gives you refreshment to your own soul. So brothers and sisters, Peter is saying, listen, if you are going to grow spiritually. Not only that you have to put away malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies and evil speaking.

You cannot only put this away and not replenish yourself. In order to be able to grow spiritually, you also need to have this desire for the sincere milk of the word. And why he used the word milk. It doesn't mean that they should not eat bread or meat or honey. What he's really saying is always go back to what you call first base. Where you began as a believer, as a newborn baby. Apparently, of course, these Jewish believers, they were young in the faith, in a Messiah. They were early Hebrew Christians of first century. And they needed to grow with their sincere milk of the word of God.

There are Christians around the world who were just born yesterday or today, became believers. They cannot be fed with meat, with things that they cannot grasp. They need to be fed with the simple ABC of the word of God. Such as, for example, a verse that we are all fall in love with every time we read it is John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. This verse is very profound, yet it is a very simple verse that one can enjoy to read. And so, Simon Peter is stirring up the hearts of those early believers to desire the sincere milk of the word of God.

And you know, we just read in our reading, Psalm 42, where the sons of Korach said: "As the hurt penteth after the water brooks, so penteth my soul after thee, O God." The psalmists say: "God, I have this desire towards you." The Hebrew word "taarog." It's a sincere, deep desire for the things of God, for the word of God. And you and I need to have this sincere desire towards the word of God. To desire to feed on the word of God. As a baby is feeding on God's word. So, this is what he says in verse 2: "To desire the sincere milk of the word." And then he says, notice in verse 2 at the end: "That he may grow thereby." When you see a person who became a believer.

And he read the word. He pour over the word. A brother or a sister. A man or a woman. And you can see that there is a change in their lives. The desires are different. The purpose of life is different. Why? Well, the word of God left an effect on their lives. The desire now is to spend time with Yeshua. To grow spiritually. Because they want now to serve him. And to live for him. And again, I would like to emphasize the very song. You know, that we say: "Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary. Pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I will be a living sanctuary for you." The scripture said it in this song.

It's taken from the word of God: "Lord, I want you to help me to develop this desire in my life." And then he says in verse 3: "If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." Now the word "if" really, to put a doubt. But there is no doubt here. Really, the word should be: "Since so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." He is quoting the Tanakh, the Old Testament, Psalm 34 and verse 8. And you know, he says: "Taste and see." That the Lord is gracious. He is good. You know, we have tasted. We have tasted in our own soul.

We have seen that Yeshua, Jesus, our Messiah, our Messiah, he is good, he is gracious. He is loving. And so we have tasted that he is good. Therefore, lay aside that which hinder from your progress. And desire that which will help you to grow spiritually. Desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby." So, brothers and sisters, how are we going to grow spiritually? I am sure you do. Do I want to grow spiritually? Yes, we do. We want to grow spiritually. Well, this is a guideline for that. Lay aside when things coming into our hearts that cause us to stumble and to fall.

With the Lord's help, lay it aside. And then at the same time, develop a desire in your heart to feed on the word of God. You know, every day when we can read at home the Bible. When we can share with each other, maybe by a phone call. Maybe through sitting together and meeting with each other at dinner time. Wherever you have an opportunity to sit down and to hear the word of God. Desire this for your life and you will see spiritual growth in your life. That you can be, as we have sang, to be a servant of the Lord. While testifying for the preciousness of the person of the Lord.

He is the one that is the bread of life that came down from heaven, who is able to feed us and to encourage us. Here it is. Verses 1, 2, and 3. How to grow in the Lord? Well, lay aside, and on the other hand, desire the sincere milk of the word. Now, let's move on. In the next verses, 4 to 10, we are being presented with the privilege that we have because we belong to the Lord Jesus the Messiah. Again, I want to say these verses applies in general to all believers in every period of time of the church age. But I also want to make sure that we understand because Peter was writing to Jewish believers, we can see that he make a distinction here in these verses between the Jewish believers and the Jewish unbelievers.

And you can see this in this text. There is the Israel of God who is the Jewish believers who are part of the church. And here we can see in these verses why he makes this distinction. You can notice that now in the next verses. Notice that, first of all, in verse 4, he is saying that those believers came to Yeshua as the living stone. Our Lord Jesus the Messiah, he is a living stone, a chosen stone, and a precious stone. This is found in verse 4. He says to whom coming as to a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Now, the whom here, it is to the Lord Jesus.

It is to Yeshua the Messiah. He was just saying to them in the previous chapter that he is the one that redeemed them with his precious blood as a lamb without spot and without blemish. This is chapter 1 in verse 19. And now he is telling to them, you see, you came to him. You came to the Lord Jesus the Messiah, and he became for you a living stone. And he continued, he is chosen of God, and he is precious. Now, three things he is saying about our Lord Yeshua the Messiah here in verse 4. Three things. Number one, he is a living stone. Number two, he is a chosen stone.

And number three, he is a precious stone. The first thing is living stone. Why does he call him living stone? Because the Lord Jesus the Messiah is no longer dead. You remember in chapter 1 in verse 3, he said at the end of the verse, living hope by the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah from the dead. You see, Yeshua, even though Israel as a nation have not accepted him, the vast majority of our own people did not accept him. And when he died, they, as much as the world today, say, well, he died. He is not alive. But for the believers who understand the word of God, the Lord Jesus is no longer in the tomb.

He had been resurrected. He had been ascended. He is a living stone. He is alive today, sitting at the right hand of the Father on high. But not only that he is alive. He is a living stone. He is saying here in the next expression here, he is also a chosen one by God. You know, God have selected his son, chosen Yeshua, his son, to become a redeemer and a savior. He is a chosen one by God. God have chosen him to be the redeemer, the deliverer, the one that he will save the human race from sin. John said it in John 1, behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of this world.

He had been chosen by God. Thirdly, he is saying here in this verse 4, that he is also precious. The word for precious is found here many times in the book of Peter. Peter loved to use this word precious in Hebrew. In Hebrew, we call it yakar, dear, very precious. You know, it's like a woman who would have a precious jewel that she would hold on to that. Like a precious ring that had a nice jewel on it or a precious necklace that had a nice diamond. You know, the Lord is so precious, so dear to the heart of God. He is so precious that that's why he is saying to these believers, listen, you came to him, to Yeshua the Messiah, the one that is alive.

He is the one that had been elected by God and chosen. And he's precious to God. You know, the world look at Jesus and look at Yeshua and they rejected him. They despise him. The Bible does say that they rejected Yeshua the Messiah. But to God, he's precious, he's chosen. God have elected him and brought him to become this redeemer, the savior of this world. And you know, he has a reference here when he writes to us this. Remember, again, always remember that we are talking about context. The text has to be read with its context. The context here is the Old Testament promises of the Hebrew writers.

And I want you for a moment, if you may, turn with me to Psalm 118. And I want you to see what David said concerning the Messiah and his coming. You notice one of the messianic titles of the Messiah is a stone, a rock. And the psalmist in Psalm 118, verse 21, 22, 23, and 24 says this. I will praise thee for thou has heard me. And you are become my salvation. And then he says in verse 22, the stones which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

You know, the psalmist of Israel, who wrote the Tehillim, the psalms, he was prophesying about the coming of the Messiah to our forefathers. The Hebrew prophets told our nation, Israel, that the Messiah will come. He will be called the stone that God have chosen, have elected. And therefore, in Psalm 18, he said, the stone which the builders, this is the religious leaders of Israel, the spiritual leaders of Israel, refused. It become the head stone of the corner. You know, when the Messiah came at his first coming, the leaders of Israel did not acknowledge him. They did not recognize that he was the Mashiach, the promised stone, the promised Messiah.

So they refused to accept him as the Messiah, as the redeemer, as the savior of Israel, as the king of the Jews. But you know what? While the builders refused to accept him, as far as God's concerned, the one who sent, he wanted him to be the chief cornerstone. And you know, there is a story that had been taught by our forefathers. The rabbis teach that. When King Solomon was building the temple some thousand years prior to the coming of the Messiah, they were not supposed to have any chiseling done by the temple mount. So they were going to the quarry and they were chiseling, preparing stones for the building of the temple in Jerusalem.

And there are various stones with various sizes. They used to bring them from the quarry to that temple mount. So as they were pulling the stones, there was a shipment that came and they were fitting the stones in the building of the temple. But then they saw one stone that didn't fit. And the builders said, we do not know what about this stone. They cast this out. They laid this aside. And they said, well, this must be a mistake. And as they were continuing the building of the temple, they came to a point where they needed to put the cap stone, the corner stone, to put the building together.

And so they were searching and they were calling down and said, hey, send up the corner stone. And from downstairs, they would tell them, hey, we have already sent that stone long time ago. And they were discussing this with each other. And then somebody remember, hey, you remember, there was a stone that came and we didn't accept it. We laid this aside because we thought it was not part of the temple building that need to be built together. And then they went and they searched for that stone. And they found out, beloved brothers and sisters, that was the very stone. That was the corner stone.

The stone that needed to be placed together in order to fitly finish the building of the temple. And that became like a story to illustrate Psalm 118 and this verse 22. The stone which the builders, Israel refused, became the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. See, God knew that. God knew that at the first coming of Yeshua, Hamashiach, that Israel, the builders, the leaders of Israel, will not accept Yeshua as the Messiah. But ultimately, in the plan of God, beloved brothers and sisters, he's telling us here, the stones which the builders disallow is a stone that is elected, chosen by God.

It is a living stone. And it is a precious stone. And you know, Yeshua is so precious to the heart of the Father that God opened heaven three times. And the Bible tells us, in the baptism of Yeshua, the Messiah, this is my beloved son. In the Mount of Transfiguration, this is my beloved son. And in John chapter 12, there was a voice came from heaven. The voice of the Father, pleased with his son. The stone which the builders refused became the head of the corner. And beloved brothers and sisters, today, when we share the message of the Gospel, men refused the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

Not only our people, Israel, have refused 2,000 years of church history. The world at large have refused to accept the Messiahship of Jesus. But for God, he is a living stone. For God, he is a chosen stone. For God, he is a precious, precious stone. Yakar, dear to the heart of God. And how we need to realize that. Now, to understand why this verse speaks specifically of the religious leaders of Israel, we can see that very clearly in Matthew chapter 21. I want you to see what Yeshua has to say. And how Yeshua takes this verse in Psalm 118 and applies it to himself. The last verses of this chapter, especially verse 42.

Yeshua said unto them, The them here are the leaders of Israel, which we find them already in verse 23. When he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him As he was teaching. And they said to him, By what authority dost thou these things? And who gave thee this authority? And then Yeshua elaborated and he shared with them various illustrations and parables. But I want you to notice in verse 42. Yeshua said unto them, Did ye ever read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing.

It is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto you, Yeshua speaking to the leaders of Israel at that time, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken. But on whomsoever it that stone shall fall, It the stone will grind him into powder. And look at verse 45. And when the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard this parable, They perceived that he spake of them. They understood that the stone, the Messiah, Which the builders, the leaders of Israel have refused. The stone become the chief corner, The head of the capstone of that building.

This is the Lord's doing. In other words, the Lord knew that it would happen, The rejection of the Messiah in his first coming by our nation. And it became a benefit for the nations of the world. That's how the body of Christ, the church, Has been built in this present day dispensation. Jews and Gentiles united together in the body of Messiah In this present day dispensation. So brothers and sisters, The privilege that we have is that we have come to this living, Precious, chosen stone, Which is none else but Yeshua, the Messiah. But now notice that. When we became believers in the Lord, We are now becoming living stones.

And then that is mentioned immediately in the next verse. He is telling them in verse 5, You also, just like the Messiah, just like Yeshua, Just like the Lord Jesus, Who is the living stone, singular. Now he says, You also, as living stones, plural now, Are built up a spiritual house. A holy priesthood. To offer up spiritual sacrifices accepted to God by Yeshua, Jesus, the Mashiach, the Messiah. He is now telling them, You came to that living stone, But now you are living stones. Now you know, when you build a normal building, You bring dead stones, You put them together, one beside the other, And you build a temple, you build a house.

But when it comes to true faith in the Messiah, In Christ, in this present day dispensation, We don't have a physical house to deal with today. Today, all believers, Jewish and non-Jewish, Are part of a spiritual house. A composition of all believers in this world. We became now a living stones in that spiritual house. You notice he mentioned three things here in this verse 5. The first thing he says, living stones. The second thing he said, spiritual house. And the third thing he says, that we are holy priesthood. Notice that. Again, I want to emphasize it. You are living stones. Build up the spiritual house. And you are a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus the Messiah.

So, what happened to us when we became believers? What happened to those Jewish people who became believers in Yeshua? They now became alive spiritually. They are living stones. And they now became a spiritual house. No longer now a physical house. No longer now we are talking about the temple in Jerusalem. Because believers are everywhere in this world. They are not limited anymore to one locality. And all believers from every people, tongues, and nation are now become living stones who are making up that spiritual house. You remember Jesus the Messiah, Yeshua said about the church when he was talking about the ecclesia. He was talking about that he is going to build a house.

Matthew chapter 16. When he asked Peter and the disciples. Who do men say that I, the son of man, am? And you remember they gave him all sort of an answer. And Yeshua asked, but whom do you say that you are? And Peter said, you are the Messiah, the son of the living God. And Jesus said to Peter, Simon Petros, flesh and blood have not revealed unto you, but my Father which is in heaven. And then he said, and upon this rock, I will build my church, my ecclesia. And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And you know, since the time that Yeshua died on the cross, was buried and resurrected.

Until today, the building is going on. And other living stones are being added to this spiritual house. And every person, wherever he or she are. In this country, or in Israel, in Jerusalem, or elsewhere in the world. Every person who accepted Yeshua is part of this huge building, spiritual house, as he called it. Part of this great house, big house that God is building here, which is called the church, the ecclesia, the body of Messiah. But now listen to that. He says in verse 5, not only that they are living stones, spiritual house, but they are holy priesthood. Now do you know that every believer in Yeshua, the Messiah, is a priest?

Not only even a male, but even a female. Now you might say, Brother Gideon, wait a minute, wait a minute. Well, let me explain myself. In biblical time, under the Old Testament economy, under the law, there was only the Leviim who were the priests among our people Israel. Even though, according to Exodus chapter 19, God wanted all Israel to have a priestly nation. And Israel will be a priestly nation in a future day, in the kingdom, in a messianic age. But because of disobedience, God had chosen only the tribe of Levi to become a priestly tribe among the nation of Israel. But when the Messiah came, and he died, he was buried, and he rose again, Israel did not accept him as a nation.

The kingdom age had been postponed. The messianic kingdom will come. The reign of the Messiah restored Israel will come in a future day. But in this present day dispensation of the church age, all believers are priests. And I use male and female meaning that a sister is just a priest as a brother in dispensation, but she had a sphere of service that was not given to the brothers. We have it in the scripture, in the epistles. The public priestly ministry was given to the man, not to the woman. But there is service that we are all called to do in the spheres where God had placed us in the body of Christ, in the body of Messiah.

All of us are priests, are to serve God. We are no longer limited to what we had prior to the coming of the Messiah. In order for an Israeli to come to the presence of the Lord, he always had to come through the priests and the Levites. He couldn't approach on his own. No Israeli could come to the temple or to the altar and offer a sacrifice without to do it through the Levites and the priests. But in this present day of the church age, we do not need to come to God through any other man except the one, our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. And in our sphere of service, in our approach to God, we can come to him directly, not being limited by any man.

It is unfortunate that in many professing Christians, in order to come to God, you got to go to that box of confession or to certain leader. And they claim that you have to come to God through them. But that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches us, ye are living stone, built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up, notice, not physical sacrifices anymore, but spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Yeshua, the Messiah. What are those spiritual sacrifices that we can offer? Look at it, he's using the word spiritual sacrifices. No longer, we don't need any more to offer animals. The blood has been shed.

The Messiah, Yeshua, finished the work for us on the cross, on the tree. But we can offer spiritual sacrifices. Let me show you one or two of those spiritual sacrifices that we can offer. If you will please turn with me to the book of Hebrews, once again. Hebrews chapter 13. Here's one of the spiritual sacrifices that we, as holy priests, can offer to God. Listen. Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 15. And I'm reading. By him, by Yeshua the Messiah, let us offer the sacrifice. Listen. The sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks unto his name. Here's the sacrifice that every believer can offer to God by Yeshua the Messiah.

It is the sacrifice of praise. Brothers and sisters, when we sing, when we praise the Lord, this is something that every believer have the privilege of offering to God. God delight to hear the praises of his own people. Offering a spiritual sacrifice. They call it here the sacrifice of praise. Very interesting verse. Turn also to the book of Philippians in connection with offering sacrifices unto God. One more verse. In Philippians chapter 4. And the verse is verse 18. Paul is saying to the brethren. But I have all. And I am abound. I am full, having received of Apaphroditus the things which were sent from you. In order of sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.

Notice. Apparently, when Paul was in prison, the brethren in Philippi used Apaphroditus to bring him gifts. It may have been all sorts of things. Maybe something to eat. Maybe some things that he needed. But the giving from the willing hearts of these believers to Shaul, to Paul, when he was in prison. For him, it became a sacrifice that had been so acceptable and well-pleasing to God. And here is the thing for us. You and I can do today. We cannot offer any longer any animal sacrifice. Because, praise God, once and for all, Yeshua's death, burial, and resurrection dealt with the issue. Once and for all, we do not need to repeat it.

But we are on an ongoing basis, as a holy priest, approached to the presence of God. We can sing to him. We can praise him. We can deal with each other by help and all the gifts that God has given to us to be a blessing to one another. These are sacrifices that are acceptable to God by Yeshua the Messiah. In fact, Paul said in Romans chapter 12 that we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice which is acceptable to God. Romans chapter 12 and verse 1. So, the sacrifices that we can offer today as believers are spiritual sacrifices which we are to present to God by Yeshua the Messiah.

Now, notice in the next verse, he is speaking about the privileges that we have. So, verse 6 now, we read of God promising his word that one day he will lay in Zion a chief cornerstone. He is saying in verse 6, wherefore. Again, you notice how many times he used the word wherefore. He used it in verse 1, wherefore. He used it in chapter 1, verse 13, wherefore. He is using it again in verse 6, wherefore. In light of this fact that you came to the Messiah, the living stone, and you became living stone. Look what it says in the scripture. It is contained in the scripture, the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, the Hebrew scripture.

Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Now, this verse 6 and 7 and 8, I'm going to read them together. It says unto you, therefore, which believe, he is precious. But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. Those three verses ought to be read together. But here, brothers and sisters, is where the apostle Shimon Petros make a contrast between Jewish people who came to faith in the Messiah and Jewish people who refused to accept Yeshua the Messiah.

That's why we emphasize so much the context when we study the word of God. While we apply many things to all believers, but you can notice here that he zeroes in on the difference between those early Hebrew Christians who accepted the Messiahship of Jesus and those early Hebrews who did not accept the Messiah. And he show here the contrast between the two groups. Again, he's saying it's written in the Bible, in the scripture, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, a precious elect. He that believes on him shall not be confounded. Now, where does this mention in the scripture? He's now taking us back to the prophet Isaiah chapter 28.

And you notice what the scripture speaks about the one that God had promised to bring to Zion, to Zion, as we say it in Hebrew. Isaiah chapter 28 and verse 16. But I'm going to read the previous verse, first of all, in light of the context. God is speaking to his people Israel. Because he have said, we have made covenant with death and with hell. Are we at agreement when the overflowing scourge shall pass through? It shall not come unto us. For we have made lies our refuge. And under falsehood have we hid ourselves. You see, the nation, in a sense, kind of made a covenant. Instead of trusting in the Lord, they trusted in themselves to avoid some problems.

But then God said to them, therefore, thus says the Lord in verse 16. Behold, I, this is Jehovah, lay in Zion, in Zion, for a foundation, a stone. A tried, tested stone. A precious cornerstone. A sure foundation. This is some of the titles of the Messiah. He is the foundation stone. He is the tested stone. He is the precious cornerstone. He is a sure foundation. And now notice he said, he that believeth shall not make haste. And then he continued in verse 17. Judgment also will I lay to the line. And righteousness to the plummet. And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies. And the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

And your covenant with death shall be annul. And your agreement with hell shall not stand. When the overflowing surge shall pass through, then ye shall be trotted down by it. It continues in these verses. And he's really speaking about when Israel in disobedience have gone astray. Instead of trusting God and his word, God says, listen, I am going to bring to Zion, to Zion, to Yerushalayim, a foundation stone. One day, Israel, I'm going to send the one, the promised one, the Messiah, the tried stone, the precious stone, the sure foundation. And whosoever from among you, Israel, will believe in this Messiah and this stone. He will not make haste.

He will not be confounded. So he's really speaking to the whole nation. But out of all the nation, the vast majority did not accept the Messiahship of Yeshua. And that's why in Peter, again, in 1st Peter chapter 2, in verse 6, he says, it contained in the scripture. What Isaiah already spoken in chapter 28. I'm going to lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, a precious elect stone. And the one that will believe on him shall not be ashamed or to not be confounded. Well, you see, those first century Hebrew believers, they believed on him. They were not ashamed that they are part of the company of redeemed, even though the rest of the nation did not accept him.

Peter said to them in a previous chapter, whom having not seen, you loved him, you loved the Messiah. Well, they were not ashamed in the person of Yeshua, the Messiah, the chief cornerstone that God have intended to bring to Zion. But now notice verse 7 and 8. We read the contrast now. Those believers were not ashamed in the Messiah. They recognized that Yeshua was the Messiah. Now in verse 7, he says to you, these are the Jewish believers. To you, therefore, which believe he is precious. This is the Jewish believers. But then he makes the contrast with the Jewish people who did not believe in verse 7b. But unto them, the them here is the rest of the nation of Israel.

To them which be disobedient, the stones which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. You see what he's saying to them in verse 7 now? He makes a contrast. Now, I want to emphasize. While it is true that this is applied to all believers in every country, every nation, those who became believers in Jesus, the Messiah, but specifically, beloved brothers and sisters, Peter is making a contrast between Jewish believers and Jewish non-believers here. Jewish believers were not ashamed in Yeshua, the Messiah. The Jewish people who did not believe, those as he's calling them, them which are disobedient, they did not accept the Messiahship of Yeshua, the stone, which they, the leaders of Israel, the builders disallowed, the very same stone became the head of the corner.

Even though they rejected him, they didn't accept him. He is still the chief cornerstone that upon this rock, God is building the assembly, the church. And upon this rock, one day Israel will be restored. In the future day Israel will accept him as the Messiah, but in the present time they are in a state of disobedience. Notice verse 8. He continues. And he says, And he became a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense even to them. Then here, again, I'm emphasizing this in this ministry, it's the remaining nation of Israel who did not accept the Messiah. Yeshua became a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

I don't have to tell you this, beloved brothers and sisters. When you would talk to our own families, when you would talk to our own brothers and sisters of the nation of Israel, Jewish people, Canada, America, Europe, Israel. And you will tell them that Yeshua the Messiah is the Messiah, you will offend them. And then he became a stumbling stone to our very own people, prophesied already by the Hebrew prophets Isaiah in chapter 28, by the psalmist in Psalm 118. They are stumbling over this precious, precious stone, the Messiah. Our own people are stumbling over him. They don't recognize that he is this wonderful promised Mashiach of Israel.

Now, I want you to see that also in light of the New Testament. We read Isaiah 28. We should read also Isaiah chapter 8. But I want you to see what the New Testament Jewish writers say. So, turn to Romans chapter 9 here for a moment. Paul's writing to the Romans. He is writing about the Jewish people. Chapter 9, past privilege. Chapter 10, present problem. Chapter 11, future prospect for Israel. But in chapter 9, at the end of the chapter, in verse 30, it says: "What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to the righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness." Why?

Verse 32. "Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at the stumbling stone. As it is written, behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." See, Paul, Shaul, he knew his Bible, he knew his scripture. He applied the text in Psalm 118, in Isaiah 8, Isaiah 28, to the nation of Israel who stumbled over the stone, the Messiah Yeshua. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, just read with me this verse. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 18, it says this: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.

But unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribes? Where is the disputer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." Now, notice verse 22: "For the Jewish people require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach the Messiah crucified unto the Jewish people, he is a stumbling block.

But unto the Gentiles, or the Greeks, he is foolishness. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is the power of God, and the wisdom of God." Notice, beloved brothers and sisters, no wonder why our families, who are not yet believers, the Lord may bring them to Yeshua even today. They are stumbling over the beautiful person of Yeshua, the Messiah, and they reject him. They say it couldn't be possible that he is the Mashiach of Israel. If he would have been the Mashiach, we would be not in such a condition as a nation. He would save us. He would restore us.

He would build the promises that he had given to our forefathers. Not understanding that he must first be paying the penalty of sin before he is going to rule as King of Kings, and as Lord of Lords. And so, verses 6, 7, and 8. He is saying, notice he is not only a stone of stumbling, but he is a rock of offense. And this is a quotation really from Isaiah chapter 8. "A rock of offense even unto them that stumbled at his word, being disobedient, where unto they were appointed." You see, the same one that became the stone to lead us to a salvation, he became like a rock of offense.

And he offended our people by the very fact that he did not do what they had planned and what they intended for him to do. But he came to do what God gave him to do. You notice it says here, "being disobedient, where unto they were appointed." Now, God never appoints anybody to do evil. God never choose somebody to go to hell, no. Anybody that rejected the Mashiach, Yeshua, have appointed himself. God never appointed somebody to go to hell. He has never chosen anybody to go to eternal separation. He has chosen us to bring us to glory. But he has never chosen anybody to be sent to hell.

Therefore, we have to be sure that when we say where unto they were appointed, we have to understand that they appoint themselves into the rejection of the Messiah and ultimately will suffer the consequences of this disobedience. Now, I'm going to close with verses 9 and 10. And he says there that the position of the believer. Notice, "But ye are chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time past you were not a people, but now you are the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now you have obtained mercy." You can see in those last verses the privileged position that the believer have.

First of all, these Hebrew Christians, because specifically he's speaking to them. "But all of us too, we are called a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a peculiar people." All these points, all these exclamations, speaking of us believers in the present day dispensation. You know, we have been chosen by the Lord and we are royal priesthood. Not only a holy priest in verse 5, but also a royal priest. A holy priest go into the presence of God. A royal priest go out of the presence of God. A holy priest offer to God the sacrifices of praise. A royal priest serve after he come out from the immediate presence of God.

God called them out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time past they were not a people, but now they are the people of God. The context here comes from Hosea chapter 1, when he's speaking about Israel, when Israel should have been a people that represent the Lord, but because of disobedience, the remnant of Israel. Those Jewish believers now are representing what all Israel should have been representing. waiting the day when all Israel as a nation will be saved and will be restored to the Lord. And if we will apply it to us as the church, all believers, you and I are called to be a representation of God here in this world until he will take us to be with him in glory.

May the Lord bless his word.