You and Me in the world
Last week we talked about vision…We tried to see vision via God’s eyes….Which I believe is not limited by the walls of a building or a membership. A church that does not have a vision that extends past the walls or the church property is held back by man made limits and not using God vision for His church.
We uses scripture to see how Jesus described free will, choice by God’s creation to do right or wrong. We can set limits and standards for ourselves and even for others in how to move closet to God. It is almost like we create a maze of walls that helps us in some ways but they dramatically limit us and others because they are our rules or understanding and not God’s.
So it is important that Christians and groups of Christians have a vision more that goals.
Personally, I had hoped that you might consider what your “personal vision statement” might be. It might include what kind of Church do you want to be a part of. What impact it might have on a community and members. What kind of a church that you would feel comfortable to help other people to move closer to Jesus. God is passionate the reach out the people that are separated from Him and he has no limits on welcoming people home. He looks outside the walls of the church with the expectation that his invitation will be accepted and as his children we should too.
This week we are looking at the role that a Christian is expected to play in God’s mission.
The scripture this morning from 1 Peter 2:1-12 – Peter refers to his preaching to them and this verse picks up.
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
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.
Video clip
This clip is from Pygmalion (not related to swine flu in any way) Elisa makes her living on the streets of London selling flowers, practically begging. Ms. Doolittle had a chance meeting with Mr. Henry Higgins and has made up her mind that he can help her to speak like a lady. She knows that she has problems that have limited her and can better her self with his help…..
This scene opens with her coming to Mr. Higgins home to pay for lessons…Her offer of a few cents an hour is weighed against the normal amount charged for the family of an élite in his society and he sees that she is offering an equivalent of hundreds of dollars per lesson.
START - Scene form Pygmalion..
Elisa Doolittle after a brief exposure to a strange man takes a first step to improve herself and ultimately was chosen to be something more than she could have dreamed ort even understand.
While Higgins is not the kindest teacher…he does know what he is doing. He offers Elisa the promise of her highest obtainable goal (working in a flower shop) to gain her complete cooperation.
When we come to Christ , when we receive and accept the Gospel we in a way enter into the home of a teacher that can help us to obtain our highest imaginable goal.
But, we normally don’t feel ready t head off to Buckingham palace the next day to stand before the king. We feel like Elisa, it is obvious that we need help. We were not instantly changed. We don’t know where to start and we are asked to submit to the instructions of a teacher….ultimately the Holy Spirit.
Here is the basic point, when we made the choice to submit to the teacher…we were chosen too. We were accepted with not qualifications, there was not requirement for assets, money, talent or even cleanliness.
We were not expected to be sinless when we first came. In fact this world was really good at telling us our place and regularly reminds us of our mistakes and problems.
Even in the freedoms of this culture people are enslaved in many different ways. Fear depression, anger, hate, health, finances all become problems that can hold us down.
As a result we generally know our place, our job, our home, our church. We know our place …..and we are comfortable enough to just stay where we are. We just decide to endure and hold on to the seed of faith that we have.
We don’t have a vision that might include something bigger that a promise of getting better ourselves.
Elisa could have walk away and said she was several times. She could have avoided the abuse that seemed on the horizon. But she wanted something better. She came for lessons and was willing to endure some discomfort to be change toward what she wanted.
For her, being able to leave the selling of flowers on the streets to working in a shop was her view of heaven.
In the family of God we have similar choices. Being a Christian is not easy so it is pretty easy to avoid all the work it takes to experience a personal change that we might have initially wanted. In the struggle we often stop on the journey or choose to head back out and live in the world day by day. It is easy to become comfortable with who we are and quit trying to move toward something bigger.
It is easier to choose to not be changed or to limit how much change we will endure. Basically, we often have the same goals in life as non-Christians. We choose to work that same as everyone else, we operate our cars and shopping the same as everyone.
We are going to be involved in all the same things for the same reasons as all of the society around us.
However, our scripture tells us what we are actually chosen/called to be. Peter reveals God’s vision for his people.
Our focus on the reading this morning is on the description starting in verse 9.
The church is not defined by property. The walls and the roof that protect us from the weather are not supposed to protect us from the world, from people knowing that we are Christians. Let me remind you that the church is not this building and grounds….the church is made up of people. So when we are not at worship or bible study or prayer group and we are doing normal things….the church is out there in the world.
It shops, it goes to ball games with our children and grand children. It goes fishing and watches foot ball games.
The church is where ever we ----you and I - work and play. Peter tells us what it means to be a representative of the church.
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.
Chosen by God….
Royal Priesthood….
Holy nation…..
A people belonging to God
The description is really a set of images. They are a vision of what God’s people look like. It is the core identity that we should take to heart.
Notice that this is not a description of an individual it is a description of a group, a church. The images don’t represent a group of people that get together to form a religious club, like a tennis club, a golf club or a flower club.
This church is not a religious club designed to help people be nicer during the week or to privately grow in a green house. We gather together because God is at work in the world and he has touched…chosen each one us to respond at some level to God’s reaching out to us.
God’s love has brought us together, the idea that he can do what he says he can do and invited us to become something better. That is a much easier task when we gather together as a group.
The description of the people in the group is that we are a royal priesthood. Priest in the bible and in cultures around the world have a history of being unique in a community. They provided access to God. People would go to the priest because the priest was someone that could offer to God what was acceptable…pleasing to God. Then would tell people what God had to say to them.
But the scripture describes the church and being a group of priest, royal priest. In scripture there are only two priest that are described that way. Melchizedek in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New testament.
In Israel the priest and the royal blood lines were kept separate. But followers of Jesus Christ are adopted into the royal family. We share the unique description of Royal priest. And as priest we can offer acceptable sacrifices to God and we have access to God.
Folks, that is a pretty big deal. Being chosen is special, but assuming the position of royal priest. This is not an earned position; it is a gift and a responsibility. Our acceptable offering is the giving of our lives, our time and talent and love in our role as priest.
The next view of the church is that we are a part of a holy nation. That means that we have a citizenship that is bigger and more meaningful than our American citizenship. We are citizens of heaven which means that to some extent we don’t really fit in here. There is always a little discomfort and uncertainty about our time in this world.
Movie clip – Elisa fitting in
Elisa never thought she would fit in…She never expected to be thought of as an aristocrat she just wanted to move from the gutter to the flower shop. She was willing to settle because she could not see the complete change.
Those of us who are walking with Christ on some level are living as aliens. In fact, he calls them aliens and strangers. There are some things that don’t fit.
I have visited other countries where it was obvious I was not a local. I had to go through checkpoints and show my Passport. I did not speak the language well and in some places I looked very different.
Peter tells us that we are definitely different because we belong to the kingdom of God. Bought with a price. Our credentials are established. And we have something to declare….all these qualification are to establish one purpose… that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Declare is a strong word….It indicates volume, resolve… It is like a news paper or TV reporter tells the story. IT IS NOT SOMETHING that we keep to ourselves or do only in a worship service.
According to Peter we have the job of declaring what God has done publically not just privately. Faith can be an entirely private thing. It is bigger that that.
As Royal priest we are to share the invitation form God that we received.
Peter says, 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.
Here is what it comes down to…It ends up being you and me in the world. By living as an alien in thes culture our lives, our choices, our values, our service and our love preach the gospel and open doors of conversation with the people that surround us.
We can not deny our role as priest unless we deny out calling and our family. So how you live and act is your constant testimony teaching about Christ.
There is an old story that is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. The he and a younger monk were going out into the village to share the gospel. Almost right outside of the door of the church they found a farmer that the wheel of the cart come off the axel. The two monks helped him lift the loaded wagon so the wheel could be put back on.
Not far down the road the ran into a woman trying to round up a flock of birds that had escaped form her pen. The spent over an hour helping her recover the birds. Through out their walk in the village they found need after need and as it was getting dark the two monks were heading back to the church when the younger man ask Francis, “I though we were going to preach the Gospel today.” Francis reply is said to have been, “We did. Preach the gospel always. And if necessary, use words."
God’s vision for a church is that we by his choice, and help represent him to the world in all that we do.
Our vision that everything we do has the potential of being a priestly act. Scary isn’t it. People are going to be watching. People will notice that we don’t really belong. We also know that some will be hostel and may say – so you are a Christian – show me something Christian.
In is Peter’s day not every priest did the public ceremonies. There were some that carried wood to the alter, others kept inventory of the store rooms. Some cleaned the temple areas. Others directed crowds. They were all priest with the understanding what that they sere serving God in every thing that they did.
They had rules and limits and walls that were designed to keep people out. However peter tells us that our vision should be to live among the people and be available to help those that are interested to move closet to God through the love and actions of Jesus Christ.
The main point is that the ministry that we should desire and work on our selves to do happens outside these walls. It happens at wall mart, or on the side of the road or at the base ball game.
Folks we will never properly reach our potential in the house of God is we never view ourselves as Royal priest in the family of God.
All Glory be to God.
