Holiness in an unholy world... (7)

But now...

We’re starting our first week of Advent. Advent is the time when we look back to Christ’s first coming as a babe in a manger, but we also look forward to His Second Coming where we say, “Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.”

Today, we are looking at Hope, and we have much hope. and much to hope for.

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Let’s look at to the Word of God as we look at the Hope that we have in Christ.

1 Peter 2:9–10 NIV

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

(SC) Chuck Swindoll wrote

We can live several weeks without food, days without water, and only minutes without oxygen, but without hope – forget it.

Hope

We all need hope.

I want to tell a story to you this morning that I know will hit close to home because it will remind you of one of our own.

It’s called,

THE POWER OF HOPE

When 18 year old Heidi was thrown from a car and suffered a head injury it was a real miracle that she recovered and was soon in rehab at Crystus Santa Rosa. She was learning to walk again through rehab and therapy and a young 16 year old girl named Ashley was brought to Crystus for rehab. She had suffered a similar injury in an accident and she wasn't talking or walking.

When Heidi heard about Ashley she asked her mother to wheel her in to Ashley's room. At her bedside she stood up with every ounce of her own strength and then said to Ashley, "When I came here I wasn't talking or walking either."

Ashley's parents looking on, and Ashley had been given "hope!" Heidi planted a seed of hope into their lives! Before long, Heidi and Ashley were making laps around the hallway together!

We all need hope, and we have been given the hope of the gospel. When facing tragedy or calamity, it can be very difficult to look on with hope. When disaster strikes like the flooding on both ends of our country. When the doctor calls and gives us the bad news, when relationships are broken, many struggle to find hope, but the circumstances that we are in don’t define who we are. Trials don’t define us, it is the Lord who defines who we are.

In Psalm 42, the sons of Korah wrote about having hope even in our deepest trials.

Psalm 42:1–11 NIV

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Why should we have hope?

1 Peter 2:9 NIV

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

This scripture stems back to Exodus 19:6

Exodus 19:6 NIV

you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

Peter brings this passage which God gave to Israel and he includes those of us who are not Jews. We become,

A chosen people

When you believed, when you came to faith, when you responded to God’s call, you became a child of God. You became part of the family.

John 1:12–13 ESV

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Adoption Explained Contributed by Bruce Ball on Jul 7, 2009 (message contributor

ADOPTION EXPLAINED During the time that the New Testament was written, when a family adopted a child, there was no immediate big celebration of that adoption. But, when that child reached the proper age, there was a celebration, and at that time, the child was given every single legal standing as every other member of that family. In other words, once adopted, that child became a full member of that family along with inheritable rights. God has adopted us, and now we have every legal right to the kingdom of Heaven – if we would only know it. Most Christians do not have a clue as to how much they really have through Christ Jesus. And if they do not know it, they certainly cannot use it for their good or for God’s good.

Has anyone here watched the Movie “The Blind Side?” It’s a movie based on the true story of Michael Oher.

The Adoption Of Michael Oher Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jan 4, 2010 (message contributor)

THE ADOPTION OF MICHAEL OHER Michael Oher was born in Memphis, TN. His dad was murdered and his mom a cocaine addict. He didn’t have a permanent address until he was 16 and went to 11 schools in 9 years. At the age of 16, he had a measured IQ of 80. Michael was staying with a friend whose son was going to Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis. The friend decided he should go as well. While at the school, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuhoy, whose daughter went there, saw him. They also saw him again on Thanksgiving break. He was walking to the gym, even though he wasn’t on the team. He just wanted to stay warm. They took him into their home, and he lived there for most of his high school career. The Tuhoys owned about 60 Taco Bell franchises. One day they went into Michael’s room and found a bunch of food stashed in his room. He was stashing food because he was accustomed to not knowing where his next meal was coming from. They told him he could go into any one of their restaurants and get something any time he wanted. By the way, Michael was the first-round draft-pick of the Baltimore Ravens.

Could you imagine what it must have been like to have to hoard food because you just aren’t sure if there would be food for you? I think that we can bring this into our spiritual walks, sometimes we don’t understand what God has for us. We don’t really understand what it means that God has given us everything that we need for living a godly life in Christ Jesus.

What do we have in Christ?

Psalm 103:1–6 NIV

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Royal Priesthood

How does this bring us hope?

When we look at these two words, we see Royal, and Priesthood.

When you put your faith and your trust in Jesus Christ, you become part of the Royal family.

Maybe some of you if you were to look back into your family’s history, you would find that you are part of a royal family.

Romans 8:14–17 NIV

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

These verses speak to our royalty, we get to receive this inheritance, the blessings of God here and life that never ends with God, everlasting life.

It also speaks to access. We don’t need someone to be our mediator, or our go between. Each one of us can come to God at any time of the day or night. He longs for us to come to Him.

Jeremiah 33:3 NIV

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

When we know whose we are, we can know who you are. You are a child of God. That gives you the rights of sons and daughters.

Holy Nation

You are a holy nation. God has called you out of darkness into His marvellous, His wonderful light.

He has set you apart. He has called us to be Holy.

Romans 6:13–14 NIV

Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

What do you think of when you think of nationality? Many of us are proud of our heritage.

For me, my closest connection to a nation other than Canada was my Grandma. When she was sixteen, she came from Norway.

As I was growing up, we’d have special occasions for Grandma. I was pretty small when she had her 70th birthday, but I was there. We celebrated her 75th, 80th, 85th, and 90th. Every time, there were family representatives that came from Norway. The women had national dresses. They were colorful and beautiful. They were so proud to dress up in their national outfits to honor Clara Maria.

We always looked forward to this as this was quite an experience to meet our long lost relatives from overseas. Now with FaceBook, we can still keep in contact with some of them and see how their lives are in the country that Grandma came from.

Each of you have your heritage. If you’ve had that experience to see relatives from the old country, these experiences are great.

When we give our lives to Christ, we join this Holy nation. Our citizenship is now from Heaven because that is the homeland that we long for.

Special possession

You are God’s special possession.

Were any of you your Daddy’s little girl.

When God looks at you, He sees His creation. He sees you and He knows that you are made in His image. God put special thought in you and don’t believe for one minute that He didn’t know what He was doing.

Psalm 139:13–18 NIV

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.

Because of this Hope...

Now what?

1 Peter 2:9 NIV

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

He calls us to declare...

Because of what God has done in our lives, we get to declare the goodness of God.

Psalm 118:17–24 NIV

I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

Will you declare what God has done in your life? Will you proclaim that He is good.

Psalm 27:13 NIV

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Are you confident that you will still see the goodness of God?

God has done great things in your life not just because He is good, not just to bless you, but so that you can declare His goodness.

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

But now...

1 Peter 2:10 NIV

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

This is our hope! This is our message that we have to proclaim! We can tell others about the mercy and grace that we have received through the cross.

Let’s not only tell, but let’s walk alongside those that we want to see following Christ. God has been gracious to us, let’s share that same hope to others.