Living at the Intersection of Faith and Culture

1. “A CHOSEN RACE.”

The old adage that we are all God’s children is inaccurate.

We are certainly all the special creation of God, but one only becomes a child of God through the transaction of salvation.

and the transaction of salvation only happens when a person repents of his or her sins, calls on the name of Jesus for salvation, and receives Jesus by faith.

That person then is part of the group of people known as God’s people..

The privilege of belonging to God’s people is conveyed by Peter with a number of Old Testament allusions. Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 114.

a. “CHOSEN RACE” SPEAKS TO OUR POSITION…

and the privilege of belonging to God’s people is conveyed by Peter with a number of Old Testament allusions.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), .

b. WE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE TO BE PART OF HIS FAMILY…

The first is “a chosen race.”

c. WE ARE NOT ONLY PART OF HIS SPECIAL CREATION, WE ARE PART OF HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE.

To be a believer is to be part of a group of people specifically chosen by God to be ambassadors for Him to the nations.

now, you may think that there is little need for ambassadors for Christ in the current culture…

that the message of the Gospel has pretty well saturated the world, but according to the Joshua Project, there are over 6900 still unreached people groups in the world...

an unreached people group is described as a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group without outside assistance.

and there are over 6900 of them...

this is why God has chosen us...

to be His representatives to nations with no sustained evangelical presence and no domestic gospel witness..

next is “a royal priesthood.”

i. THAT WORD “RACE” IS THE GREEK WORD “GENOS” AND IT LITERALLY MEANS “TO BE PART OF THE SAME GENETIC STOCK…”

Israel’s priesthood was such that they were to mirror to the nations the glory of Yahweh, so that all nations would see that no god rivals the Lord...

ii. WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS WORD IS THAT WE TYPICALLY USE IT AS A WAY TO SEPARATE AND SEGREGATE PEOPLE…

the same is true for believers today...

iii. BUT GOD USES IT HERE AS IN INCLUSIVE TERM THAT REFERS TO EVERY PERSON WHO HAS EVER PUT THEIR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST…

Now God’s kingdom of priests consists of the church of Jesus Christ. It too is to mediate God’s blessings to the nations, as it proclaims the gospel.

iv. IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD, THERE ARE MANY ETHNICITIES, BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE RACE…THE HUMAN RACE…

v. AND GOD’S PLAN IS FOR EVERY HUMAN BEING TO BE EXPOSED TO THE GOOD NEWS OF SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST…

vi. SO HE HAS CHOSEN US TO BE PART OF HIS FAMILY…THE BODY OF CHRIST….

vii. WE ARE PART OF THE CHOSEN RACE…

2. NEXT IS “A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD.”

a. “ROYAL PRIESTHOOD” SPEAKS OF OUR PURPOSE…

b. ISRAEL’S PRIESTHOOD WAS SUCH THAT THEY WERE TO MIRROR TO THE NATIONS THE GLORY OF YAHWEH, SO THAT ALL NATIONS WOULD SEE THAT NO GOD RIVALS THE LORD...

c. THE SAME IS TRUE FOR BELIEVERS TODAY...

d. NOW GOD’S KINGDOM OF PRIESTS CONSISTS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST. IT TOO IS TO MEDIATE GOD’S BLESSINGS TO THE NATIONS, AS IT PROCLAIMS THE GOSPEL.

e. TO BE A BELIEVER IS TO BE PART OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE SPECIFICALLY CHOSEN BY GOD TO BE AMBASSADORS FOR HIM TO THE NATIONS.

f. NOW, YOU MAY THINK THAT THERE IS LITTLE NEED FOR AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST IN THE CURRENT CULTURE…

g. THAT THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL HAS PRETTY WELL SATURATED THE WORLD, BUT ACCORDING TO THE JOSHUA PROJECT, THERE ARE OVER 6900 STILL UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS IN THE WORLD...

h. AN UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP IS DESCRIBED AS A PEOPLE GROUP AMONG WHICH THERE IS NO INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY OF BELIEVING CHRISTIANS WITH ADEQUATE NUMBERS AND RESOURCES TO EVANGELIZE THIS PEOPLE GROUP WITHOUT OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE.

i. AND THERE ARE OVER 6900 OF THEM...

j. THIS IS WHY GOD HAS CHOSEN US...

k. TO BE HIS REPRESENTATIVES TO NATIONS WITH NO SUSTAINED EVANGELICAL PRESENCE AND NO DOMESTIC GOSPEL WITNESS…

l. WE ARE A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

3. NEXT, PETER USES THE TERM “A HOLY NATION…”

a. THIS SPEAKS TO OUR PATTERN OF LIVING.

b. HOLINESS IS NOT TO BE THE EXCEPTION…

c. HOLINESS IS TO BE THE RULE…

d. WE ARE SURROUNDED BY UNHOLY INFLUENCES, BUT INSTEAD OF GIVING IN TO THOSE UNHOLY INFLUENCES…

e. WE ARE EXPECTED TO BE INFLUENCED BY THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD AND THE POWER OF GOD’S SPIRIT, THROUGH A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD’S SON…

f. HOLINESS IS TO BE THE ORDER OF THE DAY FOR THE PERSON WHO CLAIMS TO BE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST…

g. WE ARE TO BE A HOLY NATION…

4. FINALLY, PETER USES THE PHRASE “A PEOPLE FOR HIS POSSESSION…

a. THIS SPEAKS TO OUR DEVOTION…

b. - 17 “THEY SHALL BE MINE, SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS, IN THE DAY WHEN I MAKE UP MY TREASURED POSSESSION…

c. GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD, AND HIS INTENT IS THAT WE BE FAITHFUL TO HIM…

d. IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES…

e. THAT WE RUN AFTER NO OTHER GODS…

f. THAT WE ARE ENTICED BY NOTHING THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER…

g. BECAUSE WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN US FAR OUTPACES ANYTHING THE WORLD COULD EVER OFFER US…

h. WE ARE TO BE A PEOPLE FOR HIS POSSESSION…

5. WHY?

a. LOOK AT THE LATTER HALF OF …

i. THAT YOU MAY PROCLAIM THE EXCELLENCIES OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT.