If we stopped people on the street of Nashville and asked them what they think of when they hear the name “Nashville Christian Church” what would come to their mind? (Pause) Some might mention our parking lot, maybe others a pretty building in the middle of town. If we are a little more optimistic maybe an exciting youth program, they might mention a member or two that they know and like (or maybe dislike). Perhaps they would have received help from the church at one time or another, maybe brought their kids to our “Trunk N Treat” on Halloween or appreciated our chimes in the middle of the day. It’s hard to say how people might respond if you asked them what came to their mind when they are reminded of Nashville Christian Church. The thought might bring a smile to some people’s face, to others there might be a frown.
Now let me change the scenario a bit. How do you think that God would respond if someone were to bring up Nashville Christian Church to Him? (Pause) Well, that’s what we have been doing for the last several weeks, listening to God describe His Church. And I wonder what you have thought as you have seen the Church from a God’s Eye View. As we’ve listened we’ve heard God describe the church as the body of Christ, a diverse group of people all connected to others. We perform different tasks according to our abilities, and we all respond to the direction of the head, who is Jesus Christ. NCC is the body of Christ.
God also describes us as the Bride of Christ. We live our lives as a betrothed bride in anticipation of the time when Christ will come and claim us in a marriage ceremony. As we wait, our responsibility is to remain faithful and stay pure until our beloved comes for us. NCC is the bride of Christ.
Last week we heard God describe us as His family. He is our Heavenly Father, and we are surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ. The image of the family stresses the fact that the church is all about relationships. When we live in this church family, we can trust our family members to be there when we need them. We share our lives with our Father and our brothers and sisters. NCC is the family of God.
But this morning as we ask God what He thinks of our congregation, I think there is a smile that crosses His face as He looks at us with pride. Then He says, “Those are my people, they belong to me, and I have made them my possession so that I can show them my mercy, and then they in turn will proclaim my mercy to the people around them.”
Text: 1 Peter 2:9-12 (Have people turn there)
You know, as I have preached this series of sermons about the images of the church in the New Testament, I stepped back and wondered why God would devote so much of the Bible to helping us understand who we are. Why is he so intent on us understanding ourselves as the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ, members of His family and a people belonging to Him. There’s a scene in the movie Toy Story that I think helps us understand.
How many of you have seen the movie Toy Story. (It’s good to know we have such a sophisticated congregation here this morning!) On the surface the movie is about a bunch of toys that come to life. The lead characters are Woody a toy cowboy and Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger. On the surface the movie is about toys, but really it is about identity, understanding who you are. A pivotal scene occurs where Buzz has been captured by a boy who is going to blow him up with some explosives. Watch what happens…. (show from 56:54 to 59:31 where Woody and Buzz struggle with their identity as they are held captive by Sid. Buzz finds determination when He recognizes that his purpose is to bring joy to his owner, Andy)
I love that movie, not just because it’s funny, but because it portrays the struggle that we all go through at one time or another. Everyone at some point struggles to know why we are here, what is our purpose on the planet. But it’s only when we come to recognize our true purpose that we find the fulfillment and determination to be who we are created to be. That’s why God spends so much time giving us images to understand ourselves. He wants us to be who He created us to be, and in the 1 Peter passage I read a moment ago, He wants us to come to the realization that we are a distinctive people.
Now the world is filled with all kinds of distinctive people. It used to be that if you traveled the world you would run across all sorts of distinctive people. If you went to Asia you would find people who looked and talked one way, if you went to Africa you would find others who looked and talked another way, then if you went to South America you will find people who look and talk another way. The world is populated with distinctive people-groups, separated by the way they look, the way they think, and the way they talk. But according to Peter, there is another group of people who are made distinctive not by our actions or our looks, but by God’s action on our behalf. The church is a people-group, called out from among all the other people of the world to be His prized possession. (Read 2:9-10)
This isn’t the only place where God makes this point. In Philippians 3, Paul lays out the distinction between people who belong to God and those who belong to the world. (Philippians 3:18-21) For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. (Paul says that there are some people who don’t recognize why they have been created. But then he contrasts them with the people of God.) But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (NIV)
In Revelation 21, the apostle John is given a sneak preview of heaven, and God makes His point again there. Revelation 21:3-4
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (NIV)
You see how important God thinks this is to get across to us. He wants us to recognize who we are, His prized possession, a people set apart for His purposes. We belong to Him, and our purpose is to serve and obey Him. Once we give Him our lives, we no longer live for ourselves, we live for Him. His purposes become our purpose. His Will becomes our will. Instead of living for our own selfish purposes, Peter says we live “to declare the praises of [God].” Instead of living from day to day just to make ends meet, just to survive and get ahead in life, our motivation is totally changed. We’re no longer at home here in the world, because we live in anticipation of a time when we will be truly at home with Him in heaven. We are a people, set apart for God’s purposes, and living for God’s glory.
Now I want you to notice the progression of thought in Peter’s writing. You see, once we come to a clear realization of our identity, once we see ourselves for who we are, it changes us. It changes the things that we value. It changes our motivation in life. It changes the way we act. Now I want you to notice in Peter’s words how it changes our actions, but I also want you to notice God’s ultimate purpose in all this. (Read 1 Peter 2:9-12)
Did you hear it? God wants us to recognize who we are, and He wants us to be who He created us to be. He wants to live like His people. But He has multiple motivations for wanting that. He wants us to live holy lives because that is what’s best for us. Our creator has told us how to live in His Word so that we can become everything He created us to be. But there is another purpose for us to be holy. He wants others to see the benefits of godliness so that they too will want to become a part of His people.
I was talking to somebody this past week, and they told me that they don’t put any kind of Christian bumper stickers on their car because they don’t want to take a chance on being a bad witness. I have to admit, I can totally relate. I’ve never put any kind of ICHTHUS (that fish) or a cross or anything on my car because I’ve been cut off by people with that stuff on their car and it caused me to doubt their religion. You know what I’m talking about; some guy blows past you doing 90 miles an hour and in the split second you get a look at his rear bumper you see a sticker that says “In case of the rapture this vehicle will be unmanned.” The Christian thing to pray then is “Lord, don’t come too quickly or that unmanned rocket is going to kill somebody.” After that conversation we had about not identifying our cars as being driven by Christians, I thought about how twisted that logic was. We are covering our tails, trying to be incognito Christians so that our bad actions won’t reflect poorly on Christ. Peter says that is exactly the opposite of the way we ought to be thinking. We ought to be declaring His praises at the top of our lungs, then backing up our talk with lives that are holy and righteous.
You see, the truth is, people are looking for the real deal. In our society we have been promised all kinds of wonderful things by slick marketing campaigns. We’ve been told that if we fork over a few bucks we can have it all. The body of a Greek god or goddess, wealth beyond imagination, the satisfaction of turning everyone’s heads by the car we drive, the fulfillment of a happy family because of the decongestant we take; all that can be yours if you will only pay the price. People in our culture have become disillusioned because nothing performs as good as it claims.
And far too often the same can be said about those who claim to follow Christ. Too frequently we don’t live like we are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” If we say “This world is not my home, I’m just passing through,” then why do we get so bogged down by collecting so much stuff in this journey? If we’ve been forgiven so that we can forgive, how come we can be so mean sometimes? If we believe that we are created by God in His image, how come we can become so despondent and depressed sometimes? Why is that?
I think I know why. It’s because sometimes we forget whose we are. Sometimes we get so hung up in who we are that we forget that we are a people belonging to God, created to “declare the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness and into his wonderful light.” And that’s why God keeps reminding us, over and over again He tells us who we are, and whose we are. Because He wants us to be “the real deal” so that others can recognize how great He is and come to know His love and grace.
You know, it might be not be a bad idea to ask the people in our community what they think about Nashville Christian Church. That would be very educational, and it might give us a pretty good read on how well we are living as people of God. I’m sure we could learn a few things about ourselves that way. But what is most important isn’t what the community thinks about us. We would get pretty side-tracked if we got too hung up on that.
The most important thing for the Church is to realize what God thinks of us. He is ultimately the only judge that matters. The reason we are here is all about Him! And when God looks at Nashville Christian Church, he doesn’t see a building or a parking lot or any program. God looks at this church and He says, “Those are my people. They belong to me!” The more we come to recognize what a privilege that is, the more Nashville Christian Church will become everything that God has created us to be.
