Confident - Our Identity in Christ (3)

Week 4 - A Peculiar and Praising People

Introduction

For us to truly be everything God intends for us to be we must understand our identity. We must understand Who we are and What we are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we are saved, but it goes deeper than that, and the only way to live victoriously is to understand all that comes with our salvation

Lively Stones - God is building us into something special for His glory

Chosen Generation - We are redeemed by His blood, from the Law, and unto His family

Royal Priesthood and Holy Nation - We have unlimited access to God and We ought to live Holy lives

Today: A Peculiar and Praising People

In our modern mindset, when we look at the word “peculiar” we often think that it means “weird”. But that is not the intent of this word, The Greek word for “peculiar” is literally translated to mean “a purchased possession”. So when Peter says we are a peculiar people it implies that we are different. We are supposed to be different to this world, maybe even “strange” to the world.

But what does all of that mean and include? To understand this we need to ask 3 questions

What makes us different?

How do we live differently?

How This Affects Us?

I. What Makes us Different?

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

The very moment we trusted Christ as our Savior the Bible says that we became a new creature. Old things are passed away and all things are become new

New Creature = Metamorphosis (Caterpillar to Butterfly)

Old Things = the things of our past such as our old identity, our old sins, our old way of life

Have passed away = they died the moment we got saved. God has given us a new beginning!

All things are become new = The verb tense is continuous. Things dont just become new once for the Christian! The Christian Life is a series of new beginnings! Every day His mercies are new, every day is a new beginning and a new start for one in the Lord Jesus Christ

Salvation makes us a new creature! It makes us different from the world and different from the person we used to be. This is “peculiar” in the eyes of the Lost

Personal testimony of when i got saved a few of my friends had mentioned that I had changed.

II. How Do We Live Differently?

2 Corinthians 6:14–18 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

“yoked” means to be joined together. So what does it mean to be “unequally yoked”? Paul explains it right after

Essentially, it means we are not to be joined together with unbelievers. It does not mean we cannot be friendly to the world or even have unbelieving friends, but we are not to “yoke” ourselves to them.

Christians are not to marry unbelieving spouses and they should not join themselves to unbelieving friends and acquaintances.

The more time you spend with unbelievers, the more you will act like them. The people you spend the most time with are the people that will influence you the most, which is why it is so important to have Christian friends in your life.

There needs to be a clear distinction between a Christian and an unbeliever, not necessarily based on appearances, but based on character and actions.

The First way to live differently is to separate yourself from the world and unto Christ

Romans 12:1–2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

In verse 2 Paul says that we are not to be conformed to this world = this warns us that the “world system” - the popular culture and manner of thinking that is against God - will try to conform us to its ungodly pattern, but we must resist this at all costs

Instead of being conformed to the world we need to be transformed (or changed). But how do we do that? “by the renewing of your mind”

The battle ground between conforming to this world and being transformed is within the mind of the believer. Christians must think differently

To be transformed we must think differently. Too many Christians are concerned about feelings or actions, but not enough about their minds. We must ask God to change our minds based on what He says in His Word, NOT on how we feel or what we do

The Second way to live differently is we must think differently from the world

III. How this Affects Us

Lets go back to 1 Peter 2:9 and look at why God has made us into all of these things, including a peculiar people.

“that ye should shew forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”

The purpose of these privileges is not so we can grow proud, but so that we can proclaim the praises of Him Who has done so much for us.

God wants us to give Him praise for all that He has done for us, and when we think about everything we are in the Lord Jesus Christ, it becomes very easy to do just that!

And this is another way that we are different and “peculiar” from this world, because we have something to praise God for! We have something we can find true joy in, and that is in being His own special people. A people that is His purchased possession.

Luke 24:48 says that “ye are witnesses of these things” and Acts 1:8 says that “ye shall be witnesses”

Our praise to God and our difference from this world act as a witness to our unbelieving peers about our faith in Christ.

Conclusion

Remember who you are this week! Remember that you are to be different from this world system because you ARE different. You are a new creation in Christ Jesus! Be separated from this world and renew your mind so that you can shew forth the praises of the One Who has called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light