PRESERVING OUR ROYAL HERITAGE
1 Peter 2:4-25
Sermon Objective: Show the awesome-out-of-this-world heritage God’s people have in order to call them to life of dedication/separation and service.
“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, 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. “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (I Peter 2:4-12)
I want to congratulate this church and join you in giving glory to God for His work among you, his work in you, and his awesome work through you. I stand with you this morning with a heart bursting with praise to our Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit who is doing a marvelous work in this city through His people in this city individually and corporately. God set you as a witness to His gospel, His grace, and His name in this city.
God’s word for this church family today comes from 1 Peter. As many of you know this letter was written originally to the Diaspora – scattered followers of Christ who were experiencing persecution. Life has become more difficult for them because of their relationship with Jesus. Serving the Lord during their times was dangerous and costly. It was difficult to not join the majority of people who have given their allegiance to the earthly god-emperor, who required everyone to call him god. It was easy to just run away – to be refugee in another place, where it was safer to serve Jesus. The question this letter answers is this: What should people do when their jobs, their resources, even their lives are on the line because of their allegiance to Jesus Christ, the one true king? What should the church do when the witness of Jesus is challenged with hatred, threat, persecution or even death?
We can update the threats: persecutions, threats, rejection, criticism, injustice, then are the threats from false teachers, and what about our own sinfulness and the temptation from the world.
God spoke to the scattered, threatened and persecuted church. His message was simple:
“God made you who you are so you could tell others who He is. We exist to advertise God’s excellence in the world. We are God’s agents on earth. This is our full-time job description as royal priests: to declare the glories of our God and King.”
Here are 3 ways to PreSERVE our royal heritage?
1. CELEBRATE JESUS:
KEEP COMING TO JESUS, YOUR GREAT TREASURE TO BE BUILT UP
JESUS IS OUR GREATEST TREASURE
Peter uses an unusual word about Jesus. He calls him a stone upon which the whole church is built. You can see that in four different places in our text:
In verse 4, he is the “the living Stone.”
In verse 6, he is “the precious cornerstone.”
In verse 7, he is “the capstone.”
In verse 8, he is the “stone that causes men to stumble, and a rock that makes them (those who do not believe) fall.”
But there is even more in our text about Christ the stone:
He is the stone chosen by God (v. 4).
He is the stone the builders rejected (v. 7).
He is the stone that is precious to every believer (v. 7).
We can say it another way:
To God, he is the chosen stone.
To the world, he is the stumbling stone.
To believers, he is the cornerstone.
What are we to do with Jesus? This is quite a exegetical challenge. I SEE TWO TRUTHS: We have a present participle and a verb: we either
“As you are coming to him … let yourselves be built.” As you come to him … you are being built. Or “Now that you are coming to him, let him build you up.” This is good word. We need to keep coming to Jesus. What a privilege to come to Jesus? Romans 5:1-2 – We have been given “access” to God. A “kingly introduction”. Hebrews 4 exhorts us to come “boldly to the throne of grace” to receive help in time of need. People who keep coming to their Father, and His Son, and who spends time with the Holy Spirit, those who remain in the Holy Spirit, they will be built up. I have yet to meet the first follower of Jesus who spends intimate moments with Jesus who is not overflowing with joy and thanksgiving; who does not have a vision of what God wants; a heart filled with God’s love and a hope that is beyond anything. I have the opposite too. Tell me a weak Christian, a person who claims to know Jesus but who has no love in her heart, who is unkind, and impatient, who has no vision of a Great Father and His unshakable kingdom, and I will tell you that this person is not being built up. If you do not come to Him, He is also not coming to you. If you are intimate with Him, you have no idea about how intimate He also is to you.
This is good stuff, but God is saying something else in this letter. God is saying:
“As more and more of you come to him, you are being built into a spiritual house for holy priesthood.” Persecutions do not stop the church from growing. Economic and political challenges do not snap the life out of the church. On the contrary, the church always thrives when driven away. (Early church grew when they were driven away from Jerusalem). The church in China is a millions times more today than 50 years ago. They sent all the missionaries home, and forbade evangelism, the holding of meetings, imprisoned workers, beat Christians, even raped women.
Share my initial visit in China. I taught them all right. But they taught me about passion for God. We arrived there at 4 am after traveling overnight. The believers were already there hours before we arrived. They have been praying. Some of the church leaders traveled there for days. The church is unstoppable! They share about worship without words. They have people who memorize Scriptures to share these with others …. Walking Bibles… but their passion and love for God.
“18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."Matthew 16:18-19
Church, Let God build you up into a spiritual house.
What a joy to be part of the body of Christ. It is birthed by God.
2. CELEBRATE WHO GOD HAS MADE YOU: WHO YOU ARE, WHAT YOU ARE BECOMING. What you have is God’s gift to you (2:8-10)
We have a theological challenge in 2:8: the mystery of predestination. The horrible condition of those who reject the Lord: they will also discover that they have been rejected. But the joy of those who believe is that they will be discovered that they have been chosen by God.
4 Descriptions of God’s people
1. Chosen Race – ISA 43:20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, ISA 43:21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. (NIV)
EPH 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
EPH 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession--to the praise of his glory.
This letter of Paul is one of my favorite letters of Paul. It is so rich. The church is described in an awesome way. Notice the most important phrase in these paragraphs: for or to the praise of his glory.
We were chosen to give Him praise; to exalt the name of Jesus; to make Jesus look good everywhere you go. That Jesus in glorified in all our dealings; in all our relationships; in our day to day lives.
2. The King’s Priests – Exodus 19:6; Rev. 5:10
EX 19:3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 `You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
REV 5:10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
This verse means that we rule with Christ as His priests. Matt 19:28 = Luke 23:30; 1 Cor 6:2;
καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, “ ‘And they will reign upon the earth.’” The reign of the saints in the sense of their participation in the reign of God is an apocalyptic theme emphasizing the acquisition of power by the powerless that first appears in Dan 7:18, 27
This great honor is God’s gift to us. We did not earn this right.
OT PRIESTS. Note Levi. Was he a good person? Was he better than his brothers? Did he fit to work as priest to God?
The answer is no. Levi was not the best. He was not the most loving, godlike son of Israel. They were described by his own father as hot-tempered, uncontrollable men.
GE 49:5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers-- their swords are weapons of violence.
GE 49:6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
GE 49:7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.
But when God chose a priest for Him; when God chose the person who will stand in his presence to offer the sacrifices, he chose an unfit person. He chose the least-liked son to represent Him to the people and to represent the people to God.
This is an amazing truth that should bring us to our knees and fill our hearts with praise to God. God called us to follow Him, not because we are the best. The opposite is true. He called us to Himself, to make us His trophies of grace.
You are a church – a kingly priest because of the grace of God.
The most important identity pointed out in this passage is WE ARE GOD’S PRIESTS. That is our heritage. What are some of the privileges of a priest?
1. Chosen by grace – Levi was one of the least respected tribe. Remember Jacob’s words to him (Genesis 49). He was cursed, violent man, sinful, morally weak. And yet when God chose a tribe to stand in his presence, he chose Levi.
2. Cleansed – Lev 8:6-30; 1 Peter 1:2; Eph 5:26
3. Clothed – Exo 28:42; Psa 132:9; 1 Cor 1:30
4. Anointed – Lev 8:12-30; 1 John 2:20,27; 2 Cor 1:22
5. Especially prepared – Lev 9:4, 23-24; 1 Tim 2:15 – Trained for ministry
3. Holy Nation – Exodus 19:6 – A nation or people who stand in unique relationship to God. They have been separated for God’s service. We are a people dedicated to God alone. We have no dreams apart from His dream. We live for Him. We live to please Him. We live to honor Him.
4. God’s own people: “A people for possessions”
MAL 3:17 "They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
Malachi 3:17
Isaiah 43:21 –
You are completely different from others. You were bought by God. You are inhabited by God. Your sins are forgiven. Your name is written in the book of life. You have been reconciled to God.
5. People who received God’s mercy
a. From darkness into God’s marvelous light
b. Not a people of God but now God’s people
c. Not received mercy but now we have received mercy
Application: Joy and thanksgiving for this privilege. There is no greater privilege than to be a dearly loved child of God.
3. PASSIONATELY SERVE AS PRIESTS
It is clear that the primary work of God’s people is that of holy priesthood. So what do priests do:
1. Offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ. These sacrifices are spiritual sacrifices, meaning, sacrifices that are inspired, led, moved, opened, directed by the Holy Spirit:
A) Our bodies (Romans 12:1).
B) Our praise (Hebrews 13:15).
C) Our good works (Hebrews 13:16).
D) Our generous giving (Hebrews 13:16).
E) Our converts (Romans 15: 16).
F) Our love (Ephesians 5:1-2).
G) Our prayers (Revelation 8:3-4).
2. Proclaim the wonderful (excellencies, praises) acts of God. Church find a way to share the goodness of your life to other people. Use occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions to share to family, friends, and loved ones about our walk with God. Write in the city magazine, write out tracts about your story with God.
v. 12 “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
One translation says, “Live an exemplary life.” Another says, “Conduct yourselves honorably.” The NASB says, “Keep your behavior excellent.” The Greek text uses a word that means winsome, lovely, attractive or praiseworthy. Here is the principle: Live so that even unbelievers are impressed by your behavior.
Christians ought to be the most honest people on earth.
We ought to be the kindest people on earth.
We ought to be the most gracious people on earth.
We ought to be the most trustworthy.
Unfortunately, it’s often the opposite. I hear people say, “I’ll never do business with another Christian again” or “I’d rather hire an unbeliever.” What a shame when people turn to the world to do business because they are turned off by the way Christians act.
Our goal is clear: Make Jesus beautiful by the way we live! Peter adds a reason for living an excellent life. Do it so that “they may see your good deeds.” The word translated “see” is actually an unusual word that means more than a glance or a passing look. It means the seeing you do when you study something for a long time. Whether we know it or not, unbelievers watch us all the time. They study us from a distance and they pay attention to how we do things. People who don’t know Jesus are watching …
§ how you handle problems at work.
§ whether or not you laugh at dirty jokes.
§ how you dress.
§ how you spend your money.
§ how you raise your children.
§ how you respond when tragedy strikes.
§ how you deal with difficult people.
Christians in other countries understand this better than we do. In cultures that are more communal, local people will often stand at the window and watch what goes on inside the house. Sometimes they will stand on the front porch, and sometimes they will even come into the house uninvited and make themselves at home. In America the same kind of watching takes place, but in a more discreet fashion. Usually you aren’t aware you’re being watched until much later. Years may pass and then you receive a letter telling you that someone knew you way back when, and your Christian example played a big part in their coming to Christ.
Just remember this. Every day you are either drawing people to Jesus or you are pushing them farther away.We a living testimony of God’s love and truth.
3. Be a witness to the world
How you live in the world. We need to live in such a way that people are not offended. That they do not end up questioning our faith. We need to become men and women of integrity – honest, transparent – whole person. Same person in church and in the home. You are God’s priests in the workplace. That is your workplace – our mission and our ministry.
The apostle Peter tells us about the evangelistic power of a good life. A life of inner beauty testifies to the reality of the gospel.
4. Living with thanksgiving. Being thankful to God in everything. This is also a powerful witness.
Road most traveled is a road of moaning and complaining. People, sadly even God’s people, despite Jesus’ words about “life being a difficult one” and that the life of a disciple will be a life of difficulty. Jesus talks about a narrow road and that only a few people walk there. The less traveled road is the road of surrender to God. In the midst of sufferings and problem we remain joined with God. We remained offering our thanksgiving and surrender. We are called to live a life of witness.
Conclusion: So this is our spiritual heritage. It is without parallel. It is a great privilege.
Invitation:
1. Those who have yet to become part of God’s people.
2. The people of God who needs to recapture, to rekindle, to reclaim their heritage in the Lord.
3. Invite the younger men/families for dedication -
