Chameleon (2)

Week 2: You Are Chosen

Big Idea - As followers of Christ, we have been chosen by the God of the universe as His prized possession. We are chosen and set apart through Christ our Savior. This has all happened for a specific purpose which is to allow us to proclaim the goodness of God to those who still find themselves in the darkness.

Scripture - 1 Peter 2:9-10, Jeremiah 32:38-39, Acts 9:3-5

Introduction:

WE are not called to blend in but rather to be set apart. To be Holy, a shining light that reflects the likeness of Jesus Christ. In our words, actions, choices, lives…

(Story) Tell a story of a time that you were playing sports growing up and you were picked for the team. Or picked for a group of some kind.

The reason you were picked is because you had something valuable to bring to the group...You were of value to the team that picked you. The reality today is, God chooses people to use for His Kingdom’s causes. Oftentimes, the people He chooses are outcasts, forgotten about, not wanted, leftover, etc... Which means, no matter where you find yourself, or how you view yourself, God wants you! 

Today, we are in week 2 of our series, “Chameleon,” all about standing out rather than fitting in. Last week, we discussed the difference between conforming to the world around us and being transformed as God defines it. Once we choose to be transformed by God, we then allow God to use us for His purposes, which we will talk about today. So if you have a Bible please turn with me to 1 Peter 2:9-10. This is where we will be camping out for most of our time together.

READ 1 Peter 2:9-12

1 Peter 2:9–12 NKJV

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Now, in order to understand the significance of what Peter just said, we have to understand the context in which he is writing. When Peter writes this letter, he does so to a group of Christians who are scattered throughout the northern part of Asia Minor. These Christians are “aliens” or “foreigners” in the land they find themselves in, and many of them are facing suffering because of that. Therefore, Peter is seeking to encourage them in their faith. Within the passage we just read, I believe there are three things in particular that Peter is trying to do: 

1) Remind

2) Challenge

3) Strengthen

If we can receive each of these things for ourselves today, we will understand the significance of God choosing to use us.  We will be spurred on to achieve greater things in our walk with Christ than ever before. 

Let God Remind You of Your Past.

As I said, the first thing we see Peter do when he is writing to his audience, is simply trying to remind them of the past. He says, “You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, and God’s very own possession.” The key phrase to sum up all that Peter is trying to remind these Christians of is the final thing he says: that they are “God’s very own possession.” I want to pause right here. I want us to sit in silence for a few moments, thinking about this phrase: 

God’s very own possession. 

Read Jeremiah 32:38-40

Jeremiah 32:38–40 NKJV

38 They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.

You see, this is a promise God makes to His people all the way back in the Old Testament, before Jesus arrives on the scene. A promise that still stands in 1 Peter because of the pathway Jesus made for all people to have access to their Heavenly Father. You see, when God chose us, it did not just mean that we are His people, but it also means that He is our God. 

If you look closely enough all throughout the Bible, there seems to be a trend: frequently, for God to take you where He wants you to be, He often has to remind you of His faithfulness in the past. Peter is doing the same thing here. “Hey, I know it’s tough. I know there is suffering and persecution all around, and you are probably on the brink of giving up, but I need you to remember: God CHOSE you! Not so that He could leave you, but so that He could USE you!”

Remember today: you are His...He chose you.  

Accept the Challenge.

This leads us to the second thing I believe Peter sets out to do in this passage. That is, to challenge the scattered Christians. 

He just finished reminding his readers, God chose them, and he goes on to tell them, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

Church, a lot of us tend to receive God’s blessings in our lives convinced that they are only for us and we think we can keep them to ourselves. 

Psalm 67 says it like this; “May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.” 

We ask for His blessing and grace so we might make His salvation known to all. 

And our passage from Peter also speaks about the concept of advancing the Kingdom of Heaven, oftentimes by simply living a righteous lifestyle. The choice God made to choose us was ultimately to bring glory to Himself. Believe me when I say, the way we live is so important because the truth is, people are always watching. The way we live our lives is one of the loudest testimonies we will ever share with others. 

St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as saying it this way, “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.” Our deeds and works are preaching on our behalf even when we aren’t saying anything.

Peter is addressing a group of believers who are watched all the time. People are intrigued by their message and therefore want to see how they are living. Peter then throws out a challenge to use this for the Kingdom’s advantage. 

I believe the same challenge applies to us today. 

I wonder who in our daily lives are watching the way we live, the way we speak, the way we spend our time, and the way we treat other people, because they are interested in what we believe that makes us act that way. 

This is the amazing privilege we have as God’s chosen people...to show the world around us what Christ looks like: the light that overcomes the darkness. 

Allow God to Encourage You.

This leads to the final thing Peter does in this passage as he writes: he encourages the people of God. 

He says, “He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. ‘Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” Peter once again takes us down memory lane to the time in our lives when we were stuck living in darkness. Chances are, because we are all human, we have experienced what this feels like first hand. 

One of the most striking biblical examples of God’s mercy and grace over a person’s life is found in the transformation of Saul the Pharisee to Paul the Apostle. 

Saul was present during the stoning of Stephen, he was hunting Christians from house to house, and God intervened literally as Saul was traveling from one persecution to another. His story picks up in Acts 9:

“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. Acts 9:3-5

Quite a scene, as even those present with Saul were speechless. 

Saul was walking in darkness, and the light of Christ met Him in the midst of his journey. God not only had mercy on Saul, but loved the gentile nations so much that he chose Saul to be their appointed apostle and bearer of the gospel.

Saul deserved death, but through Christ he received life. 

And he traded the rest of his earthly life to serve Christ.

This is the kind of thing God can do with any and all of us. This is the kind of kingdom transformation Peter is encouraging in his letter. He’s challenging his original readers to remember who and whose they are. He’s challenging them to step into their calling and represent Christ to others around them both in their words and their works. 

We are not saved by our good works but we are saved to good works. 

And the bottom line encouragement for all of us is this: God can use any of us. He can redeem any life and bring all the lost sheep home. If God can turn a Saul into a Paul then just imagine what He can do in and through your life.

Conclusion

Peter makes it clear: God does not simply choose us strictly for our benefit, but ultimately to benefit others around us. Maybe we have been keeping the seed of salvation all to ourselves. Maybe it’s time to expand our comfort zones a bit and share the good news of redemption.

The truth is, there are people in your daily life, maybe even in your inner circle, that do not know there is a God who loves them and would choose to use them for a higher purpose than anything this world could possibly offer them.

They are watching you as you walk the path of faith. 

They are observing your responses. 

Your reactions to suffering and adversity. 

Your joy, peace, patience, and kindness. 

Let your life preach such a powerful message that those close to you have no other option but to praise God in heaven. 

Who comes to mind when you think of those close to you? Who do you think might need to hear the good news of Christ? What can you do this week, in word or deed, to proclaim the good news to those around you? 

As you consider this challenge, remember; 

You are chosen and redeemed. 

You are an ambassador of Christ, a messenger of the greatest news the cosmos has ever known. And the same God who raised Christ from the dead will raise you up in your time of need. He will never leave you nor forsake you.