Held In Place
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We have been speaking about anticipation.
How many know that the Christian life should be full of anticipation? Of Great Things. Because our Great God has given them to us.
In our verse for the year , Peter writes
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
He says look forward to these things.
Illus - Marrying Kim - I couldn’t wait. Any of you who have been married, know what I’m talking about
And now here is the thought behind all of these messages.
We are engaged to Christ. He is the bridegroom. And I (we) should have the same anticipation, (even more) about our spiritual marriagethat we had about our earthly marriage.
The reason for these messages is to encourage you to live up to the standard that Christ enabled us to live up to
To remind you just who you are in Christ so that you can live like that
To open your eyes to the power things that God has given us so that we would move in that power every day
That we would expect his power in our lives every day.
SO
So we have a Gl
Live Expectantly in Your Glorious Inheritance
Live Expectantly in Your Glorious Inheritance
Our living hope, based on that inheritance - It is sure, eternal and enduring
Our Genuine Faith in the One who left us the inheritance - a real faith in THE REAL GOD!
Our Awesome Salvation - The process of change in our lives that brings about renewal and restoration in our lives.
Live Expectantly in His Amazing Grace
Live Expectantly in His Amazing Grace
Grace that sobers us up to the realities and seriousness of life, yet gives us real joy and power to face it every day.
Grace that makes us Holy - Allowing the Holy Spirit of Adoption to live through us and effect our lives
Grace that through that same Holy Spirit of Adoption makes us children of Heaven.
Giving us the wonderful opportunity to know the Father Heart of God.
Live Expectantly in His Powerful Word
Live Expectantly in His Powerful Word
The Word that reveals God to us.
The Word of truth that sets us free
The word of truth that purifies our soul
We are not hopelessly addicted the things of this world, but our hope is in the One who frees us from the things of this world
Tenth AVenue North - “The Struggle” We are Free to Struggle, but we aren’t struggling to be free.
We are not hopeless in any area of our lives here on this earth, because christ has given us the victory.
Church it’s time to rise up and live in it.
And then we have a fervent love - the one who is set free from much loves much.
Amen - So we have a glorious Inheritance, an Amazing Grace and Powerful Word. What did you do with them this week? How have you seen them at work in your life?
Turn with me to
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. 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.
1 Peter 2:4-
We Have a Place to Belong
We Have a Place to Belong
That’s what everyone wants. It’s not even about where that place is, it’s just that’s where I belong.
We have young people getting involved in gangs because they want to belong
We have people getting involved in all types of wrong relationships - because they want to belong
They want to fit in
They want to be accepted.
I want to tell you today, that if you are visiting with us today or listening online today, that this is a place where you can belong
This is a place where you will be accepted and loved
Why, because as believers in Jesus Christ, we have found our place in HIM>
Peter says, it’s not a mortar and brick building. It’s a spiritual building built out of spiritual stones.
We Belong to the Spiritual Family of God.
We Belong to the Spiritual Family of God.
You see we all think we came to church today, but that’s not true.
Because, yes, this is a church building, but there are churches meeting in movie theaters today, and school buildings and store fronts.
They don’t have a steeple on them. They aren’t buildings that will be empty and not doing nothing when the people of God are gone
They are buildings committed to entertainment, and commerce and business.
But today they are churches.
No, you didn’t come to church today. But the Church came into the building today.
Tent/Tree Church in Zambabwi
It’s a spiritual house. A house not built with hands
A house different than all others
To get a better picture we have to go back and look at the time that this letter was written.
There are a couple of different views, but it would seem that this is shortly after Rome destroys the temple in 70 AD
That temple was everything to the Jewish people
It was where sin was atoned for - now there could be no sacrificing of animals, how could sin be forgiven and dealt with
It was their identity of a people and a religion. The people of God. This is where the commandments and statutes of Gods word were put into place.
It had become their symbol for God’s presence. Just like the Ark of the Covenant before it. This is where God met with man
It had become their home. Remember, they were taught to stop and live when the cloud stopped moving. The tabernacle would be set up and life would be lived until God moved on. This had been their home now for a very long time.
And now they are displaced
Now they are without a way to come before God
Now they are hopeless of being clean before him
But here in our reading today, Peter encourages the readers, the displaced, the hopeless not to search for a new home for God’s presence, but to become the place of God’s presence as well as a home and family for the homeless
That’s what this gathering is all about today
There are people in our society today, who are displaced. They can’t find a place to belong. It may be physical, mental or spiritual. But God expects that this gathering today would be a home for them.
We have people who cannot find God today in our society. And it’s hard to do in a society that is anti-God. But what should be happening in this place today, should create an atmosphere where God can move and where people can sense that movement of his holy presence in their lives.
We have people who are lost in sin today (both inside and outside of the church) and this should be the place where that sin can be dealt with and where they can find their way to victory.
Why, Because we have a living cornerstone.
We are a Holy Priesthood
We are a Holy Priesthood
Not only do we have a place, but we have a purpose
We are to offer up spiritual sacrifices through Jesus Christ that God accepts.
Remember, without the temple, they could not offer their sacrifices.
This would also be important to those foreigners who would never be known by the titles given to the people of the temple.
This let them know that they were truly the people of God.
They could be priests.
If we look down further, we see a deeper detailed list:
a chosen generation
a royal priesthood
a holy nation and God’s own special people
How much hope do you think that gave them?
And we can now bring our own sacrifices before the Lord:
What are our spiritual sacrifices:
Our bodies -
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
That means that whatever you do, and we just went over this in youth two weeks ago, whatever you do in life, do it in a way that glorifies and worships Jesus.
What do you do for work
What do you do for play
What do you do for life
Do it to worship Jesus
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Bring your praise and Thanks. Jesus is worthy of it all
Today we sang songs. Did you just sing the words on the screen, or did you lift up praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Because He is Worthy
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
We do acts of love.
I just spoke about this in youth this past Wednesday.
We love Jesus so much that we just want to do what Jesus would for the people around us.
16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
These are a few of our spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God
Why? Because they are done to and through Christ.
They are acceptable to God when they are accomplished through the leading and empowerment of the His Holy Spirit.
They are acceptable to God because we have a cornerstone. A high Priest. And he holds all things together.
Jesus - The Cornerstone
Jesus - The Cornerstone
This is the key. In fact, in some scriptures the word that is used for cornerstone can also be translated, the Keystone.
Here Peter says that He is the chief cornerstone, elect and precious
He is the stone which the builders rejected
Imagine that, the builders with all of their plans and schematics, threw out the chief cornerstone.
They built it all wrong.
We see this in -37 (built on rock the other on sand)
Picture of a Cornerstone
Picture of a Cornerstone
Picture of a Keystone
Picture of a Keystone
The cornerstone holds it all together.
The reason why we can trust in this spiritual family today is because Jesus holds it together
We seek to make him the cornerstone, and even the builder of it all
The Bible tells that if God doesn’t build it, it’s not going to last
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.
The reason why we can be priests.
The reason why we can offer spiritual sacrifices
The reason why this place can become home
Is because we have a spiritual High Priest that oversees it all.
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Peter writes, they who believe or build their lives on him will not be put to shame.
Peter writes, they who believe or build their lives on him will not be put to shame.
In other words, they won’t be embarrased.
He will not fail them.
Their spiritual building will stand firm.
Those who won’t build upon his stability will be embarrased
He is seen to them as a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.
So my church family,
Let’s live expectantly of being a living stone in the living house of God.
Let’s allow the Cornerstone and the High priest, Jesus Christ, to empower us, hold us firm, and use us to touch our world with his mercy and grace in all of his power.
Let’s live expectantly this week of being and acting like a holy nation and and his own special people. Not in a snobby better than anyone way, but in a way that brings the power of God to every other life that we come into contact with.
Amen?
Let’s Pray