I Peter 2:3-8 tells us: “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, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, 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 offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”

First, I want you to see in this passage that Jesus is precious to the Father.  Jesus is the living stone, the rock of our salvation.  He is the foundation of the church and the chief cornerstone!  Jesus was despised and rejected of men, but chosen of God.  When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, according to Matthew 3:16-17, the Spirit of God descended from heaven like a dove and rested upon Him, and then a voice from heaven said: “… This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  In this passage, we see the Holy Trinity: God the Father, speaking from heaven; the Holy Spirit, descending like a dove; and Jesus the Son, being baptized.  Jesus is the beloved Son who is precious to the Father and was chosen by God to be the Savior of the world!

Secondly, I want you to see that Jesus is precious to the church.  I Peter 2:5 says, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built a spiritual house, an holy priesthood…”.  Jesus is the living cornerstone.  He said in Matthew 16:18: “…upon this rock I will build my church…” and we are the lively stones of which this spiritual house is built.  Verse 6 of I Peter 2 says: “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”  Jesus is the precious cornerstone of the church and we are the building blocks!  We are a spiritual house, a spiritual priesthood.  We offer up spiritual sacrifices which are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  I Timothy 2:5 says: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”.  Our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  A spiritual sacrifice is what you do for Christ. It is your service, your tithe and offerings, or your worship.  If you are saved, you are bought by the blood of Christ, and that makes your spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God the Father because you are doing it in and through Jesus Christ.  Of all the possessions a church can have, Jesus Christ is the most precious of all!  He should receive the preeminence.  All the honor, all the glory, and all the praise should go to Jesus Christ, and Him alone.  Nothing a church does should bring shame to His name!

Thirdly, Jesus is precious to the individual believer.  In I Peter 6 & 7 it says: “…and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  Unto you therefore which believe he is precious…”.  Without Jesus, there would be no salvation.  We would be lost and on our way to Hell.  We would not have access to God the Father, nor in times of trouble would we have the peace that passes all understanding.  To us He is precious but to the unbeliever, He is a: “stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient…”.  You can be offended by the Bible, offended by the church, or you can even be offended by the believer, but oh, my friend, you will not want to experience the consequences of that decision as you stumble into Hell!