Why Do God Want You?

Scriptural Text: 1 Pet 2:9-10

The world’s great heart is aching,

Aching fiercely in the night;

And God alone can heal it,

And God alone give light;

And the ones to take that message

To bear the living Word

Are you and I, my Brother,

And the millions who have heard.

—Anonymous

Jesus Christ, “the living stone,” invites us to become “living stones” so that He might use us to build His church. We cannot live in spiritual isolation. We must be available to Him and to each other so that our Lord can use our lives to build the kingdom of Christ.

Peter bring to light, the truth about self-image

Know what kind of people you are (1 Pet 2:9, see also 1 Pet 1:2)

a. A chosen people (an elect race)

The mystery is whether we have chosen the Lord or He has chosen us. If you are wondering which is true, both are.

in 1 Peter 1:2, Peter has reminded us that we are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.

He proceeds to teach us to be holy in all our conduct, “as He who has called you is holy” (1:15). Indeed, God has called us and elected us to be His chosen people. We are members of His body—the church. He is the Head, and we are the various parts of His body.

“My people, my chosen. This people have I formed for myself” (Is. 43:20–21). See also Eph 4:17-19

Ephesians 4:17–19 (ESV)

17Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.

18They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

19They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

b. A royal priesthood

In the “New Covenant” through Jesus Christ, He invites all of us to be members of His royal priesthood. All of us have been called to ministry (Eph. 4:11–13). All of us have both the joy and the responsibility of serving Christ and each other.

Ephesians 4:11–13 (ESV) 11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

c. A holy nation

d. A people who belong to God

2. Know what your purpose is: To declare His praises

“That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (v. 9b).

The statement that ye might show forth, means to speak forth; to tell out; to publish abroad; to set forth. The word praises (aretas) means virtues, excellencies, and the supreme and eminent qualities of God.

The very task of the believer is to witness for God, to share the glorious message of God. (Mk 16:15, 2 Cor 4:13, 2 Cor 5:20, Act 1:8)

What is that message? Note the verse:

“the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (v. 9b)

The message: that we are to share is the glorious message of salvation. God will deliver man out of darkness into the light. This is what He has done for believers.

He has saved us out of the darkness of sin and death and delivered us into the light of eternity. We shall live forever. We are to praise God, proclaim the glorious message of His marvelous light or salvation.

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15).

“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak” (2 Co. 4:13).

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Co. 5:20).

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Ac. 1:8).

3. Know what has happened to you (1 Pet 2:10)

1. You have become the people of God (Jn 1:12, Rom 8:15, 2 Cor 6:17-18, Gal 4:4-6)

But when a person comes to God’s Son, when a person enters the light of Christ, God saves him and gives him the light of life. He is given the light of life’s purpose, meaning, and significance. He becomes a member of the people of God. He fulfills, satisfies, and completes life and all that life is meant to be.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (Jn. 1:12).

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Ro. 8:15).

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Co. 6:17–18).

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Ga. 4:4–6).

“For thou art a holy people unto the lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (De. 14:2).

2. You have received mercy (Titus 3:5, Ps 103:17, Lam 3:22-23)

Before we were saved we were like everyone else: we ignored, neglected, cursed, rebelled against, and rejected God. We refused to change our lives and to cry out for the mercy of God; therefore, God could not have mercy upon us. But when we repented He saved us...

God had mercy upon us and allowed us the glorious privilege of becoming a member of the people of God.

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Tit. 3:5).

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children” (Ps. 103:17).

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning” (Lam. 3:22–23).