INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• There are a lot of popular televisions shows we watch. There is the whole CSI genre, Miami, NY, Navy, Cold Case, CSI Sierra Vista.
• We have the “talent show genre.” We have decoration shows, reality shows, but one of the genres that seem to have some amount of popularity is the makeover genre.
• These are the shows in which they take a person and make them a “new” person. In some of the makeover shows they take a house or a car and renovate it. The television is full of these types of shows. Ambush Makeover, What not to Wear, Trading Spaces, Extreme Makeover, 10 Years younger, Rides, Monster House, and one I used to watch, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
• In Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the crew usually goes to a family who is fallen on very hard times, and they come in and completely tear down and rebuild their home in something like seven days.
• When it is all said and done, the home is beautifully decorated and suited to the special needs of the home owner.
• I think the attraction of these shows is that we want to see someone be able to better themselves and we like to see a person who has not had too many good breaks receive a break for once.
• In the makeover shows, there is usually some expert or group of experts who all work together to make something better.
• God looked down and knew it was time for an extreme makeover and so He sent the expert, Jesus to cause some things to change.
• Let’s turn to 1 Peter 2:3-10 together.
• SLIDE #2
• 1 Peter 2:3-10(ESV) 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in Scripture: £“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, £“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”£ 8and £“A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
• In the first part of God’s extreme makeover we see…
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. GOD GAVE WORSHIP AN EXTREME MAKEOVER.
The Old Testament worship was producing an outward faith. God did not intend for worship to be this way, but that is what was happening.
Worship had a lot of external trappings, from the temple, to the items in the temple to the 10 Commandments which were turned into several hundred by the well-meaning religious leaders of the time.
Worship became about a system of rule keeping instead of relationship. God needed to give worship an extreme makeover and He did so through Jesus.
SLIDE #4
1. The makeover included a new cornerstone. (6)
The cornerstone was the stone in which the rest of the building was started from. It was the first stone laid. If the cornerstone was not square, the building would not be square either.
The positioning of the cornerstone determined the direction of the building would be erected along with where it would be built. The size of the stone could affect the size of the building.
Jesus is said to be that stone, but it was a stone that the builders rejected. The word in verse four denotes Jesus as being refused as unsuitable, that He was tested and rejected as though He lacked qualifications to be the cornerstone.
Men think one thing about Jesus while God thinks about Jesus in a totally different way!
Verse seven tells us that the builders rejected Jesus.
1 Peter 2:7(ESV) 7So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
A builder would look at many stones before choosing one to be the cornerstone. According to the religious leaders, they looked at Jesus and determined that He did not meet their specifications for a Messiah, so they rejected Him. They wanted a political Messiah who would lead them out of the bondage to the Romans.
God said Jesus would be the new cornerstone on which our faith and worship would be built upon!
This leads us to the next part of the extreme makeover of worship:
SLIDE #5
2. The makeover included a new residence for worship. (5)
The old way of worship featured the Temple. The Temple was the central part of worship. It started with the Tabernacle and then went to the Temple.
Notice in verse 5 we are told that we come to Jesus as living stones that are being built up as a spiritual house.
1 Peter 2:5(ESV) 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The word for house means house, not a temple. Worship does not reside in the building. The building is not the church. Each one who is a Christian is a part of the church, we are the church. The building is just where we meet.
There are too many folks who are trying to make worship about the building, it is not. Worship is about the worshipper and God.
This is what Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:20
SLIDE #6
Matthew 18:20(ESV) 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Notice there is no mention of location? Where ever two or more meet.
This new residence allows us to be able to have an internal form of worship instead of one based on the trappings. If we have to have trappings to worship, we need to work on the relationship.
Because of the new cornerstone…
SLIDE #7
3. The makeover demands that we make a new choice.
Verse 8 tells us that Jesus, the cornerstone is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense!
1 Peter 2:8(ESV) 8and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
The stumbling spoken of here is not an accidental stubbing of the toe, it is a choice man makes of his own freewill, a choice of whether to believe or disbelieve. In the old system, you were more or less born into the family of God.
Now we make a choice, a choice to reject the Savior will result in the ruin of those who reject Him. Verse 8 tells us the rejecters reject by being disobedient to the Word and their doom is appointed to them.
Those who continuously believe will not be disappointed according to verse 6. The word “believes” denotes a continuous action. God will not disappoint the believer; God will give the believer what He promised!
SLIDE #8
II. GOD GAVE OUR LIFE-PURPOSE AN EXTREME MAKEOVER.
• With God, we have a new life purpose! This means that..
• SLIDE #9
1. The new purpose gives us a new job.
In the old system, only those of the tribe of Aaron could be a priest. In verses 5 and 9 we see that God has established a new priesthood. Not only are we being built up as a spiritual house, but that house is being built for a holy priesthood!
A priest is a bridge builder. A priest was supposed to build a bridge between man and God! Every Christian has the responsibility to try to help people establish a relationship with God!
Verse 9 tells us we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, A holy nation, a people after God’s own possession!
SLIDE #10
2 Corinthians 5:20(ESV) 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Each one of us who are called by the name of Jesus is a representative of Christ!
How each one of us conducts ourselves is a reflection on Jesus.
SLIDE #11
2. Our new purpose gives us a new focus.
The priest’s job was to serve God, care of the temple and they were the mediator between man and God.
Verse 5 tells us the focus of the holy priesthood is to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ! We are to offer up to God prayer and praise!
SLIDE #12
Hebrews 13:15(ESV) 15Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
SLIDE #13
Romans 12:1(ESV) 1I appeal to you therefore, brothers,£ by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.£
We are to love our brother and allow God to use us and our possessions for His glory! Hebrews 13:16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Notice the sacrifices must be ACCEPTABLE to God. We cannot serve God “our” way, we must serve Him on His terms. We cannot lay down a path of service that violates God’s commands or wishes.
Verse 9 says that we are a people of God’s own possession so THAT we may proclaim the Excellencies of Him who called us out!
This is why we are what we are. We are not saved to do nothing; we are not saved so we can go on and live life our own way, like Jesus is some salvation insurance policy.
God’s special people are saved to serve, just like the O.T. priest was set aside to serve God in a special way!
To PROCLAIM means to “publish abroad, to make widely known.”
All Christians have an evangelistic function to perform for God! The Excellencies are the qualities that make God unique and special, that set Him apart from any false God.
Our focus is to be on God in every area of our lives!
SLIDE #14
III. GOD GIVES OUR POSITION AN EXTREME MAKEOVER.
Who we are changes significantly in Christ!
SLIDE #15
1. The makeover includes a new kingdom.
Those who have allowed God to perform an extreme makeover with them get to be a part of a new kingdom! Verse 9 tells us we have been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light!
We get to experience a kingdom change! If you have seen Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, you have seen the faces of the people who have been helped. They are excited. We should be even more excited because we get a whole new kingdom to be a part of!
SLIDE #16
2. The makeover includes being a part of a new family.
This flows close to the new kingdom, but suffice to say, when we come to Jesus as living stones, we are adopted into God’s family.
Unless you are a part of His family, you cannot enter His kingdom! Verse 10 tells us that we were once not a people, but know we are the people of God!
There was a time when only the Jewish nation was a part of God’s family, now anyone who belongs to Jesus is in the family!
SLIDE #17
3. The makeover gives us a new lease on life.
Verse 1 also reminds of the reason sinful man can be a part of God’s family! It is because of God’s mercy that we have received!
It is not because I deserve it; it is because God decided to accept me through Jesus! Before you are saved, you do not enjoy the forgiveness of your sins, only when you have been washed with the blood of Jesus can your sins be forgiven!
This forgiveness of sin opens a whole new opportunity for you! You get to enjoy a clean slate with God! You get a new lease on life because of Extreme Makeover: Christ Edition!
CONCLUSION
Back in verse 3 we are told that IF or Since you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
Since you have experienced the wonderful grace of Jesus, what are you doing? Have you allowed God to continue the makeover? As nice as the homes in Extreme Makeover are, they must be continually kept up.
Are you living like a priest for God? Are you performing the duties of a holy priest for Him?
Today, do you need an Extreme Makeover? If you do, quit trying to do it yourself, let God do your makeover through Jesus!
