Know Who We Are

Opening Prayer

Last Sunday

We looked at the devastating consequences of rejecting God’s Word.

We saw that it was a life of unending stumbling...

Looking to false ideologies that promise an Utopian Society...

But never delivering anything other than devastation...

False hopes, false dreams…never fulfilled.

Just like any idol…they promise pleasure and fulfillment...

Yet, they can only deliver let down and misery.

This morning I want us to look at what Peter lays aside such stumbling...

This contrasting picture of the Church of the Lord.

The Church has a much different life.

And, so it is important for us to...

Know Who You Are

We are not people who reject Christ.

We are not a people who are characterized by disobedience to Christ.

We are a people who believe Christ and upon Christ.

We are a people who have entrusted ourselves and our being to the watch–care of the Good Shepherd.

As Christians, it is vital that we know who we are.

Every day of our life, as Christians, the world is tempting us to settle for less than who we are.

And, who we are must not be defined by how we feel, our circumstances, or what others say...

Who we are is and can only be defined by God.

v.7 says So the honor is for you who believe...

And, now in v.9-10 we see the honor explained...

1 Peter 2:9-10 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. 10 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.

So, here we see described in detail, the honor of believers...

And, in the description of our honor...

We are told exactly who we are, as defined and purposed by God…v.9

#1 – A Chosen Race

Race is not the best word, especially in the climate of our culture and how our culture defines this word.

The word race used to mean ethnic group...

But Darwin and his theory of evolution divided people up by skin color...

And, in that belief, created racial or skin-color hierarchy.

However, when you drill down into the meaning of the original Greek word...

You find that the word really communicates the meaning of...

being biologically related, offspring, lineage, posterity

So, we are a chosen offspring...

This carries with the biblical truth that we, as Christians, have been born again by the HS...

And, through the new birth have become the children of God.

We are God’s chosen offspring...

His posterity through Christ...

Who was the fulfillment of the Seed of Abraham.

We are chosen out of the world...

The adopted children of God.

But, this new family of God is not just God collecting people for His own possession...

It is redemption from … as Peter explains in Chapter 1

What stands out about this new family of God?

Not skin color…that is NOT what stands out...

Remember, we are out of every tribe, tongue and nation...

What’s different about this new family of God?

What sets us apart from all other image bearers?

What are the characteristics of this chosen offspring?

There are four things that set us apart:

i) Born again

John 3:3, 5-6 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Once we are born again of the HS of God we are made joint heirs with Christ...

Adopted into the family of God.

Our new birth is our certificate of adoption into this chosen offspring of God.

Paul says in… 1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

ii) New Spirit

Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,

Romans 7:6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

iii) Renewed mind

Romans 8:5-9 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

iv) New Creature

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Galatians 6:14-15 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Colossians 3:9-11 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Not only are we a chosen offspring & family, but we are...

#2 – A royal priesthood

Just think about this statement for a moment.

As if being a citizen of the Kingdom of God...

An adopted child of God…His child...

The Lord of Glory…His sons and daughters.

As if that is not enough...

He piles on the privilege...

He piles on the reward...

He piles on the delight...

We are a royal priesthood.

The first truth that comes to mind is the privilege of the priesthood.

They were able to walk into the Temple and be in the presence of God.

No one else had that kind of access.

Think about the unbelieving world who reject God & His Word...

There is a dividing wall between them and God...

It is a wall that they keep erected...

But, nonetheless, the lack of and need for reconciliation stands between them and a right relationship with God.

When you look at history of mankind there is this common thread...

People have felt the need for a representative for them before God.

But, we as God’s children…reconciled to God by the blood of Christ...

Have access to God at all times.

And, within the human realm, we occupy the highest position in this life...

As priests, no man stands between us and God.

We can come boldly into the throne room of God and find mercy and grace in time of need.

What a wonderful privilege we have as God’s chosen offspring.

But, the privilege gets better...

We are not just a priesthood, but a royal priesthood.

This goes above and beyond the model of Levitical priesthood.

Peter is not saying we are priests to royalty...

He is saying we are royal priests.

This takes us back to the language of Melchizedek who was a King and a Priest.

Peter is saying that we are royalty and priests.

We are Kings & Priests unto God.

We are Kings & we are Priests unto God.

Kingly Priests who serve the King of Kings & Lord of Lords.

There is no higher position in this world in which we live in.

Why would we ever want to find our identity in anything else?

APPLICATION:

How many of us actually walk and live in the presence of God like this?

How many live in the light that we have unbroken communion with God?

How many seek to experience what it is to be praying always?

May God convict our hearts and stir us to recommit our lives to prayer and communion—to praying always.

#3 – A holy nation

"A holy nation" ...

God is creating a unique, chosen offspring...

Pulling from all nations of the world...

Pulling from all ethnic groups of the world...

And, is creating a “holy nation”

A “holy nation” is one that is wholly separated from the unholy...

And dedicated to God.

Ἔθνος is the regular word for "nation" which is also used when speaking of the Jews as a national body.

As Christians, we have come from many earthly nations...

Spiritually, we now form a distinct, "holy" and exalted nation...

And, so we are "foreigners" among the earthly nations (Chapter 1:1 and 2:11).

The application of such a description and such a truth is...

We should give up the desire "to be like other people..."

And, rather, we should desire to be like the One who has given us such a privileged existence.

A citizen of God's holy nation:

He serves the Sovereign Head of God's nation, even God Himself.

He obeys the laws of God's nation.

He is dedicated to follow the life-style prescribed by God for His nation.

He speaks up for and defends the nation of God.

We are, by the way, Peter tells us...

#4 – A people for His own possession

This is a most precious thought:

God makes us His very own people, a very special possession of His.

Possession has the idea of value, of worth and preciousness.

We are more precious to God than all the precious gems and treasures of the world.

Possession also has the idea of provision, protection, and security.

We are God's possession, His very special people...

Therefore, He will provide and protect us and make us secure in every sense of the word.

There’s no other better way to live than to live as God’s special, chosen possession.

We’ve been bought...

We are not our own...

And, the purchase price was the precious blood of Christ.

We Have Purpose

1 Peter 2:9b ...that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Our purpose is stated here.

We are to proclaim the superiority of God to all other things.

Proclaim means to announce “out” or “abroad.”

True believers cannot keep still...

We simply must speak out with lip and with life.

We function as a royal priesthood...

And we offer up sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.

This is the confessional and the missionary spirit...

And the activity of God's people...

We remain in the world for this purpose...

To proclaim the superiority of God & His ways...

Over anything, everything, and anyone the world has to offer.

God's call, operating through the gospel...

Brought us out of this state "into his marvelous light."

Instead of hiding the fact that we are foreigners in this world...

We proclaim it and speak with delight of the One who has made us what we are...

And how he has done what he did.

Is this divine purpose being carried out by you?

Are you speaking to the people God has placed in your life the excellencies of Christ?

Are you looking to know more people so that you can speak to them about Christ’s excellencies?

Are you making it your goal to be a missionary in your area?

Are you convinced that you’re a missionary in Melissa, the home of our Church?

What does Melissa think about GBFC?

Do they care that we even exist?

Are we existing as a Church that corporately impacts this city?

Does the city of Melissa even know that we care about them?

Do they know we proclaim the excellencies of Christ?

Just some thoughts & questions for us to think through, individually and corporately.

Announcements

Offering Basket is in the back

We’re going to move to observing the Lord’s Table...