1 Peter - Part 13 - 2:9-10 - 4-30-2017

But 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. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

PRAYER

Last time we were in Peter we had just finished verses 4-8 and looking at one of Peter’s favorite metaphors about Jesus, that Jesus is the living stone. We talked about how he focused on what this means for us as believers in Jesus and how we are being built into a spiritual house, but we also saw that Peter speaks to those who have rejected and are rejecting Jesus. He said there are people who have rejected Jesus, the living stone, and as hard as they try to get rid of him they accomplish nothing except their own destruction. They try to discard him but he is inescapably the cornerstone, the one that holds everything together and in the process of rejecting Jesus they stumble over him. Jesus is the central figure and issue, if they get this wrong they get everything wrong. If they reject him they will be destroyed, period.

We pick up right after Peter says this with

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

Peter says, BUT, and it’s a big one, you are not like those who reject Jesus the living stone. We as Christians are different. If we are in Christ, we are different from the world. God forgive this generation of the church in America that wants to look just like our culture. Sunday morning is here so let’s break out the laser lights and fog machines and t-shirt canons and door prizes. Let’s lower the bar as low as possible and bribe people to come to church and then when they get here - we need to make sure we entertain them so let’s use as many hip new songs, graphics, and toys as possible. No joke I once saw a “preacher” spraying the “congregation” with a SuperSoaker. God forgive us for desecrating this holy, sacred, special time of worship to God and making light of how amazing and miraculous this gathering is. You’re not an audience, you’re a congregation. You’re not supposed to be coming here to be entertained, you’re supposed to come here to worship and learn and grow spiritually. I’m not your late night TV host, your awards show presenter, your talented entertainer, or your news anchor. I’m your preacher - and I’m here to preach, to proclaim the words of the One and Only, the True and Living God to you. God forgive me when I have failed in that regard and I have tried to entertain rather than to educate and enlighten.

No you and I as Christians aren’t supposed to be like everyone else. Were supposed to be aliens in this world - remember Peter writes this whole letter to the Elect Exiles. So why are we different? How are we different? What are the distinguishing characteristics or marks of God’s elect?

We are a chosen race - You know what I can’t stand? America’s obsession with skin color. As far as I’m concerned racisim in America was all but extinct until recent years when parties who will remain nameless decided to resurrect the power of racism to divide the masses and solidify their political power. Now we have groups once again dedicated to promoting one skin as better than another. Biblically I find the whole notion of racism absolutely silly. My savior was a middle-eastern man through whom the elect people from every tribe, every tongue, and every nation are made one family, one body, one people. And Peter says all the colors and races that you thought you knew - they’re gone now. There’s one two races, only two groups of people. The sheep and the Goats. The living and the dead. That’s it. Yes I know there are different skin colors still, but you and I have brothers and sisters in Christ who are Asian, Latino, African, Middle Eastern, and every other conceivable racial distinction you can think of. We are all of us who are in Christ Jesus one people, though our color may vary. We are one race, the chosen and we are the largest and most diverse family that has ever existed. But what does it mean chosen? We are picked and selected. We are called and elect. By God’s sovereign choosing we are made alive though we were dead. God doesn’t choose us because we have special qualities that makes us better than everyone else. God doesn’t choose us because He needs certain skills for His line up. God doesn’t pick us because we’re perfect or pious people. God chooses who He chooses because of His great love and according to His own perfect and mysterious will.

Deuteronomy 7:6–8 ESV

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Peter connects our election with how God elected Israel of all the nations on earth to work through. Where once there was one chosen race who God worked through, we are now all who are in Christ a part of the chosen race. But notice Peter connects this passage to his writing for a reason. Not just to show the election, but to show how the election works. Our passage from Deuteronomy shows us that Israel wasn’t chosen because it was mighty. It wasn’t chosen because it had a large population. It wasn’t chosen because it had the best economy or the brightest scholars or the most ferocious warriors or any other inherent quality in them. No. Notice what the authors says, God set his love on you, because the Lord loves you. No other reason. God chooses who He chooses because of His love.

2. We are a royal priesthood - We, all of us, are a priesthood. We already know that as Christians we are chosen, elect, and holy. That tells us who we are. But this phrase tells us what we do, what business we are about in this world. We are a royal priesthood. What do priests do? They worship, they offer sacrifices, they sing, they praise, the glorify their God. We are a royal priesthood. We worship the one true Royal who exists, the one true King of Heaven and Earth, of Seen and Unseen, the Emperor of the Universe, the Monarch over all existence. But we are also part of His family because of His choosing. We are adopted and granted full rights of being royal family. says that believers are heirs of God. We are royals because of His great mercy and because of His great mercy we should be continually pouring our praise to the King.

3. We are a holy nation - we are to be as Christians a distinct, separate, special, and sacred people who like a city on hill reflect the light of the Light of the World that all may see it. We want to be a people who bear witness to what had been done in our lives. We want to proclaim the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord and that by His death and life we have life too. By His light we have triumphed over the darkness. By His work a way to the Father has been made. We are witnesses to the truth!

4. We are a people for His own Possession - all of this happens for His great glory. We are chosen, we are saved, we are His people that He may receive through it all glory, honor, and praise which is rightly due Him as our maker. We are His. We belong to Him. And it is our privilege and responsibility to as Peter so eloquently puts it, “proclaim the excellencies of him who called you...” And oh what a privilege it is my friends. Do you see what Peter says!?!

We who were once in darkness, are now called into his marvelous light.

We who were once not a people, are now not only A people, but God’s people.

We who had once not received mercy, have now received mercy.

We who are Christians are blessed beyond anything we deserve, and more than we could ever as rebellious sinners guilty and deserving of Hell could hope for. We have reason to respond with great joy and to declare for the world to see how marvelous and wonderful is our God and King.

My friends if you are in Christ that is who you are.

And my challenge to you if you are not a Christian today is this, you are here or hearing this message for a reason. Do not rebel against your maker. Surrender to Him, kneel before Him, believe in Jesus and repent and these great truths are promised to you. We’ll have a song in just a moment that you can come forward during to confess Jesus as Lord. But first...

My challenge for those of you in Christ is this - are you living like this? Are you enjoying God and proclaiming His excellencies?

We’re going to have a time to sing God’s praises right now. Sing out to Him declare His excellencies now as we stand and sing together.

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