God’s People

1 Peter 2: 2-10

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen.  The sermon text for the fifth Sunday of Easter is the epistle reading 1 Peter 2.  In our first reading from the book of Acts, Luke records the words and actions of Stephen. Stephen was a Christian man who the apostles appointed to help in the work of the church.  He was to help distribute food to the widows in the congregation.  He also shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others.  He was doing the work of God.  But there were those outside the church who wanted to silence Stephen, so they came up with false charges against him and brought him before the Jewish leaders.  Stephen stood in front of a hostile crowd and spoke the Word of God.  He applied the Law, and he proclaimed the Gospel.  Stephen stood before the council, and he bravely proclaimed to them the truth.  He explained to them that they were resisting the Holy Spirit.  He compared them to the rebellious Israelites of the past.  Stephen was applying the Law. Stephen did not gain any benefit for himself by speaking God’s Word to the crowd.  He did so because it was his desire to bring them to repentance.  But the truth of his words only made the hostile crowd even more enraged.  The crowd of people had hardened their hearts.  They cast Stephen out of the city and then they stoned him to death.  Before he died Stephen asked God to forgive the crowd. In his last words he proclaimed the Gospel to the people.  Luke’s account of what Stephen said and did is quite remarkable.  Most people would have remained silent if they had to face a hostile crowd.  Most people would not stick their neck out to help their enemy.  Most people would have cursed those who threw stones at them. But Stephen did not follow sinful human nature. 

So, we must ask ourselves some important questions.  What would cause a man to stand up to a hostile crowd and speak the truth of God’s Word to them?    What would cause a man to stand up to a group of very powerful religious leaders and tell them that they were wrong based upon the Scripture?  What would cause a man to put himself at risk with the desire to bring his enemies to repentance?  What would move a man to ask God to forgive the people who were stoning him? 

The apostle Peter gives us the answers to these questions in our epistle reading for today.  Peter said these words in our text.  “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation”.  The pure spiritual milk that Peter is referring to is the Word of God. It was God’s Word that created faith in the heart of Stephen.  It was the Word of the Lord that gave him strength to the will of God.  It was the Gospel of Jesus Christ that moved him to forgive those who sinned against him. 

Peter goes on to explain that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the church.  Stephen understood that the church is built on Christ. Stephen looked to Jesus, and he trusted Him.  Stephen knew that Christ would bring him to the heavenly realm after his earthly life was over.  He knew that through Christ Jesus he would be part of the final resurrection on the last day. Christ called Stephen out of the darkness of sin and into the marvelous light of God’s grace.  Stephen had received the love of Christ and he trusted God.

Peter teaches us that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church and encourages us to long for the Word of God.  Peter points us to Jesus Christ, the One who died on the cross to bring us forgiveness. Peter points us to Christ, the One who rose again from the dead to assure us of our salvation.  Peter then reminds us of the power of God’s Word to strengthen our faith.  It is the Word of God that comforts us in times of struggle.  It is the Word of God that strengthens us in times of weakness. It is the Word of God that turns misery into joy, despair into hope, and gives peace to the restless.  We look to Jesus Christ and trust in Him.  We walk in faith being given the pure spiritual milk – the Word of God.   

Stephen was called by God to be a witness to Christ.  We also have our own callings.  The Lord has placed us in our various vocations to confess the name of Christ, to share the Gospel, to speak the truth.  Peter describes it like this in our text.  “But you are a chosen race a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of Him who called you out of darkness and into this marvelous light”.  What a joy it is to proclaim the excellence of Him who has called out of darkness. What a joy it is to point people to the marvelous light of Christ Jesus.  

It is a joy to proclaim Christ, but it will not always be an easy thing to do.  Sometimes the world will reject our Christian confession.  We are probably not going to get stoned like Stephen, but people will not always respond very well to the church’s confession. Peter tells us to long for the Word of God.  That starts with the law of God.  The sinful world does not like to hear that all people are accountable to God.  I remember a pastor telling me about a funeral service that he did in Minnesota several years ago.  He was speaking at the committal service at the cemetery.  He was talking about sin and our need for a Savior.  A woman at the service interrupted him while he was talking.  She told the pastor to stop talking about sin in a very loud voice. She said that she did not want to hear about sin.  She wanted the pastor to tell good stories about the person.  The woman did not want to hear about sin but that should not stop the church from proclaiming the truth.  The Law of God must be proclaimed.  It is the Law of God that reveals our sinful condition.  It is the Law of God that shows us our need for a Savior. 

Peter tells us to long for the Word of God.  He is also speaking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is the Gospel that has saved us, and it is the Gospel that saves others. We have the great privilege to tell others about what Christ has done for us.  We have the mission to tell what Jesus has done for the world.  The most remarkable part of the account about Stephen is that he forgave the people who were stoning him.  He was moved to do so because the Lord had forgiven him.  It is what we pray in the Lord’s Prayer.  “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  We do indeed share the Gospel and we forgive those who have sinned against us.  We forgive as Christ Jesus has forgiven us. We look to those lost in this fallen world and we love them.  We want them to receive God’s grace and be saved.  We pray that they to will be called out of darkness and into the marvelous light of Christ Jesus.     

God has called us to faithfully confess the truth.  It will not always be easy.  But we must also understand that God’s Word is very powerful.  It gave Stephen strength even when he faced death.  It is God’s Word that gives us strength.  We also understand that the Lord did not abandon Stephen.  Stephen is now at peace with the Lord and will remain in the presence of the Lord forever.  The Lord will not abandon us either for He is the One who will deliver us from this valley of tears and place us into His heavenly Kingdom. 

Peter is telling us that we are God’s people.  Christ has redeemed us.  We are a part of the church.  Together we have been called to tell the world about Jesus.  Remember what Peter said, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”. Amen.