Our Precious Stone 1 Peter 2:4-10 Psalms 23:1-6 Psalms 91:4 Psalms 119:64 Psalms 4:7-8 Hebrews 7:23-25 2 Corinthians 5:21 1 Peter 1:18-19 2 Peter 1:3-4 03.02.20

OUR PRECIOUS STONE

BREAD

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  ⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, ⁸ and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for. ⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:4-10 (NIV)

A psalm of David.  ¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, ³ he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. ⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶ Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.  Psalms 23:1-6 (NIV)

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  Psalms 91:4 (NIV)

⁶⁴ The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees. Psalms 119:64 (NIV)

⁷ You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. ⁸ I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.  Psalms 4:7-8 (NIV)

²³ Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; ²⁴ but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.   Hebrews 7:23-25 (NIV)

²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV) 

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)

BUTTER

“He is present and precious to His own.”   Hudson Taylor

“All we love is in his hands. He hears our prayers and our tears when there are no words. He counts them as liquid intercession, which is precious to him (Ps. 56:8a). He is our Mighty Warrior and contends with those forces that are contending with us (Isa. 42:13; Ps. 35:1). Sylvia Gunter

“Even faithful people will go through the wilderness, even faithful people will have to surrender the most precious things.  Yet because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed. We are not consumed by our circumstances. We are not consumed by rejection. We are not consumed by cancer or divorce or infertility or trauma or abuse or anxiety or fear or even death. Because of His great love, we are not consumed.  We open our hands. We offer him the entire portion of Hard. Every last bit of it. Our anger, too? Yes, even our anger.  We say, ‘Here it is. All of it. It’s a horrible mess. I cannot do anything here that will make this better. So I’m opening up my hands and I’m giving you the whole tangle.’ And then we do it again. And again. And again.  A few times every hour, if needed. After all, His mercies are new, His compassions never fail. We choose to open our hands when what we’d rather do is clamp shut, protect, defend. We offer instead of hide.  This is the only way I know to make the journey.  You are held. It is all held. You are not lost. You are not broken. You are not disqualified. You are not sidelined. You are not silenced. You are not swallowed whole. You are held. Benevolently. Faithfully. Held.  There is always a hand reaching toward you.  There is always grace available. And there is always a chance to begin again.”   Leeana Tankersley

“If the Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omniscient God is on our side, as His child, seriously, what do we have to fear?  He, Who loves us with an everlasting love, Who ever has His eye upon us, Who never leaves us nor forsakes us, Who not only died to save us but has also given us the Grand Deposit of the precious Holy Spirit to empower us to walk in a manner worthy of our high calling all the way Home – this God, this very God is for us and not against us.  No matter what the circumstances of your life may be bellowing out.  The world shouts fear while God whispers peace.  He will never let the righteous fall and we can trust Him with our lives and with the lives of all we love and hold dear.”  BHY    

    

“It's a promise that whatever you might be experiencing today is just one chapter in a story that He is writing, and that story isn't over yet....extract the precious from the worthless (Jeremiah 15)..Life has far more sticky situations than miraculous moments. As you encounter challenges, difficulties, and setbacks, train your eyes to ‘extract the precious.’ Train your ears to hear the promise. And train your heart to pursue relentless hope.”   Beth Guckenberger

“I have continually to mourn that I follow at such a distance and learn so slowly to imitate my precious Master.”   Hudson Taylor

“O Lord, I plead thy precious promises; and thou canst not deny thy word.  Thou hast laid thyself under obligation to help a feeble, praying soul.  Then let thy Holy Spirit abide with me, to quicken my soul when fainting, and to rule my heart in all things, that no sin may have dominion over me.”   K. H. Von Bogatzky

“There is really only one thing that can minimize Christ’s saving work and that is our failing to lay hold of it.  I’m convinced that this is when we begin to make our forward steps as Christians.  When I know through experience that I can lay hold of Christ’s blood by faith to cover my sins this morning, and then to cover my sins this afternoon, even if they’re the same sins—when I know this, the preciousness of Christ’s blood becomes a tremendous reality, I begin to live in the light of His presence and in the light of His work—not just in the past or in the future, but in the present.  I begin to live in the reality of the supernatural world.  A true Christian is that person who knows, by experience, the ever-present wonder of being able to lay hold of the blood of Jesus and then being able to say thank you, knowing that his or her fellowship with God is completely restored.”  Francis Schaeffer

“Jesus claimed that the Word of God is inspired, accurate, authoritative, infallible, unerring, and trustworthy down to its smallest elements.  Every single Word of the Bible is precious.”   Robert J. Morgan

“Reader, put these few following questions to thine own heart, as in the presence of God; if thou canst answer them affirmatively, doubt not thy real interest in him, and in his great salvation:  Is the Lord Jesus Christ precious to me, as he is to all that believe?  Once he was to me without form or comeliness, and I saw no beauty in him; is he now to me the chiefest of ten thousand, yea, altogether lovely?  Do I behold an infinite amiableness and glory in his person, a transcendent excellency in his righteousness, an inexhausted fullness in his grace, and a heaven of happiness in his love?  Do I esteem him above every name, love him above every creature and thing, and value an interest in him before ten thousand worlds?  Is the language of my soul, ‘None but Christ!  None but Christ!    Whom Have I in heaven but thee?  And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee?’”   K. H. Von Bogatzky

“His favors are always performed with the love of His heart.  He doesn’t send us the cold meat and the broken pieces from the table of His luxury, but He dips our morsel in His own dish, and seasons our provisions with the spices of His fragrant affections.  When He puts the golden tokens of His grace into our palms, He accompanies the gift with such a warm pressure of our hand, that the manner of His giving is as precious as the boon itself.”   Charles H. Spurgeone puts the golden tokens of His grace into our palms   

HEART SAVOR

• ·         He is precious to His own.
• ·         He took my sin and gave me His righteousness.
• ·         His divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness.