God's People in a troubled world
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God’s people in a troubled world
God’s people in a troubled world
10 “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.”
Confession of Faith
I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith! In Jesus Name!
Introduction:
“Before you can know what you want you have to know who you want to be”
I have heard this many times from parents talking to children, elders and mothers in the church, coaches in sports!
You have to know who you want to be to truly serve God in spirit and truth
In this walk of faith you cannot become a wanna be!
Today I want to challenge each of us in this troubled world not to wanna be a Christian but to be a people growing in God’s grace so we can proclaim that grace to someone who needs to receive the Grace of God
These are trying times - it has been a hard week for America
The bible reminds us
7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
These trials are real and the tests that we are going through individually as people, collectively as family, and globally as a nation is revealing where , what and who are true faith is focused on!
Now more than ever we must get rid of anything destructive to our growth and desire for what the bible calls the “milk of the word of God!
Today it is not enough to just call yourself a Christian, you must have a uncompromising commitment to maturing in your walk with Jesus and relationship with God!
We are God’s people!
I know there was a time when many of us could not say were we God’s people this is why you must know Who you want to be!
God is Calling his people to separate from the things of this world
1 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.
Listen, Peter is reminding us that as God’s people we are to separate or lay aside - get rid of things in our life that don’t please God!
1 Peter 2:1 (NKJV)
1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
Malice is a Vicious intention or desire to hurt someone or something!
Deceit - misleading people
Hypocrisy - Pretense to being what you really are not, especially the pretense of being a better person than what you really are
Envy - Painful or resentful awareness of someone else blessings or advantage plus having the desire to possess what that other individual has
22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.
23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.
You Have Been Called To Holiness!
You Have Been Called To Holiness!
You are called especially in these trying times to lay aside - cast off or away practices, thoughts actions that are not in line with God’s will for his people!
As Christians this is the time for us to be united not divided!
Seek What Is Pure
Seek What Is Pure
2 As newborn babies want milk, you should want the pure and simple teaching. By it you can mature in your salvation,
3 because you have already examined and seen how good the Lord is.
Don’t take insult as if I am referring to you as new babies - but remember we were all born again!
I’m reminding you that: You have been delivered from sin and the consequences of sin and also that we must continue to grow and mature in our salvation!
I’ve seen recently that a lot of new born babies have arrived - some in our congregation others as a result of family and friends we know
Just like those babies crave their mothers milk - that's how we should be for the word of God! Don’t let being a Christian become old and mundane to you - each day is new and should be full of new grace, new mercy, new energy, new love, new peace, new joy, and new hope!
It’s the word of God that will keep us pure, it;s the word of God, that will give us strength, it’s the word of God that will tell us who we are and whose we are, it’s the word of God that will mature us to handle the craziness in this troubled world!
The Word must be simple - to digest, to bring spiritual nourishment, to help us grow!
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
My Identity is in Jesus Christ!
My Identity is in Jesus Christ!
4 Come to the Lord Jesus, the “stone” that lives. The people of the world did not want this stone, but he was the stone God chose, and he was precious.
My identity is in the living stone! Jesus lives in me! Man, the world rejects Jesus, but God chose jesus his only begotten son, just like he chooses you and me!
So I am wrapped up, tied up and tangled up in Jesus!
5 You also are like living stones, so let yourselves be used to build a spiritual temple—to be holy priests who offer spiritual sacrifices to God. He will accept those sacrifices through Jesus Christ.
We must focus on being living stones! We can’t be separated and isolated by the world, we must become a group of stones being built up! That is the church!
The Church is The House Of God
The church is not a building, but a physical house where the Holy Spirit dwells!
Our identity should reflect a spiritual family, a holy priesthood, where we are all focused on bringing to God our lives as spiritual sacrifices!
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
1 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
Jesus is my Foundation!
Jesus is my Foundation!
6 The Scripture says: “I will put a stone in the ground in Jerusalem. Everything will be built on this important and precious rock. Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed.”
Our trust must be in the foundation , the cornerstone!
God is constructing a spiritual community where all who believe in the precious rock, the chief cornerstone will never be disappointed
Jesus Is Precious!
Jesus Is Precious!
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
7 To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him, The stone the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone.
I believe Jesus, I Trust Jesus!
But to them that refuse to accept him he becomes a stumbling block! He becomes the reason they cannot have fun in life, he becomes the reason why they can’t do what they want and live the way they want! He becomes the stumbling block in why they can’t understand when bad things happen to them or those they love
But to those of us who accept him - our faith in him says you will be done, even if I don’t understand I trust you!
If you take everything away, I trust you,
I you never bless me again, I trust you!
Because you mean so much to me!
Everyone who hears of Jesus must make a decision to obey or disobey - to build or to stumble!
Our Privilege and Purpose!
Our Privilege and Purpose!
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;
During these troubling time we must know who we are!
So that we can know what to do!
As believers know that we are a chosen generation!
different races, sexes, ages, and spiritual gifts! For this TIME!!!
Chosen by God!
As believers know that We are a Holy Nation!
set apart by God to do good works, to bring words of praise, to live lives opposite of the world, to be in this world as light and not darkness,
As believers know that We are a Peculiar People
That does not mean that we are weird! It means we belong to God - that we are a people of God’s own possession! Just as each of you has peculiarities or qualities that are unique to you So God has a people that are unique to him!
Man, here’s why - in this mist of this chaos, this troubled world, most people only want to take care of themselves, but this is the time for the community of God to show the world our purpose and that is to show the goodness of God! To let people know just how much God loves them
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
15 Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy.
People are watching, lives have been torn apart, people are hurting and they are looking for the Good News of Jesus Christ! We cannot keep this to ourselves! We must live holy and share the gift that has been given to us ! Salvation!
Each of us is expected to serve as a representative of God through Jesus Christ! We must be a Witness to this World! We must show people how to come out of the darkness in to his marvelous light!
We are God’s People!
We are God’s People!
I heard this story about a church picnic held by a river. Some of the members set out in boats to go down the river. As they were traveling they passed two girls on the bank! One asked the other who those people in the boats were
The other girl said ‘ I can’t imagine who they could be they all are so different”
That’s the description of the church community! We are all different, different hobbies, levels of income, education, races, live in different parts of the city, town, country,and world, but here is the one thing we all have in common
Faith In our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Faith In our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
We are different yet identifiable
we are the true People Of God!
we are the true People Of God!
Next Steps:
Week 2 - Reading Thru The Bible
(Sunday) - Rom 3-4 (Monday) - Gen 4-7
(Tuesday) -Josh 6-10
(Wednesday) - Ps 3-5 (Thursday) - Job 3-4 (Friday) - Isa 7-11 (Saturday) - Matt 3-4