By way of introduction to the recording of this sermon on 1 Peter 2, 9-10, entitled, The People of God, there were a series of power outages that disrupted the original recording. I have patched together the pieces and tied them together by re-recording the audio of the sections that were lost and patching them in. That is the explanation for the glitches that will occur. Now to the sermon. So there's a lot to be thankful for. Turn, if you will, please, over to 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter 2. We'll be continuing our study of this book. I appreciate very much Philip Jordan preaching last week while I was at Camp of the Woods. I had a great time, and I gave the sermon for those attending that particular retreat and some of the staff. But Phil's sermon was, I haven't heard it yet. My apologies to Phil. I haven't had time to sit down with it yet. But I was told by several people, it's very encouraging. Do not lose heart from 2 Corinthians 4, 7 through 18. There's a link to it on the website. So you can catch that if you did not hear it last week. Now, here in 1 Peter 2, I've been reading this verses 1 through 12, the last several sermons in different versions. I've already done a New American Standard, English Standard Version, The Legacy. Today, I'm going to read it in New King James. I'm doing this on purpose because I want you to understand that you have a great benefit as English speakers. You have all these very good translations that you can compare to get a sense of what's in the original Greek. It's a good thing. I know there are some churches, they only want one version, one version only. I don't believe that. Unless we're all doing it in Greek or Hebrew, we need help to understand what the original language is. And I find in reading through different more literal translations, such as the ones I just mentioned, I can compare them and get a bit of a sense even before I start digging into the Greek. of what may be behind some of these words, and we'll be digging into that. So follow along as I read 1 Peter 2, verses 1 through 12. This is the new King James. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to him as to a living stone rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. You also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is also contained in the scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame. Therefore to you who believe he is precious, but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble being disobedient to the word to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." Now remember that the very purpose of Peter's letter to these who are in the province of Asia Minor, that's modern Turkey, was to prepare them for persecution. It appears he is writing right after the persecution under Nero had begun, and it's going to get worse. And he recognizes this, and so he's trying to encourage them before that happens, or even in the midst of what is already going on, as they're facing various trials that are causing them distress. I find there's a lot of parallels between what Peter talks about and what's going on in our own land as the elite in our society and government entities are turning against those who profess to be Christians and those who still hold to biblical moral values. We're starting to be blamed, just like Nero started to be blamed for the ills of our land. The elite would reason that if we would only agree with their moral abominations and go along with them, fall in line with their political agendas, then everything would be harmonious and we'd reach utopia. Well, I'm going to be point-blank. Utopia is not going to be reached until Jesus Christ returns. Okay? That's just the way it is. Until the king returns, there's going to be rebellion. And then you'll put it down. So, we can expect a lot less in Utopia. They want to keep working for it, but their idea of Utopia is pretty bad. Now, Knowing this, we need to make sure that we are faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. Even if that means we're persecuted. If we're persecuted, we're persecuted. We don't live for this life. We live in this life for something that goes beyond it. We have a greater purpose than just our own comfort in building our kingdom here. And so if we suffer persecution, we know that John warned that that would happen. In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, or be encouraged, for I have overcome the world. We serve the King. Period. And so we do take courage, even when we may be slandered for upholding righteousness, even for slander, because we carry the name of Christ. Jesus told us in Matthew 5, 10 through 12, there's a blessing for us. It may not be here in this earth. There will be many blessings, but the greatest one is going to come when we are with our King. Now, as we've been going through this, or you've been reading through 1 Peter yourself, I hope you've noticed there is a flow of Peter's thought in both chapter 1 and 2, that he has been making an emphasis on making sure that these Christians to whom he is writing understand fully their position and purposes in Christ. That is vitally important. It's critical to know that if you do not know who you are, if you do not know why you are here, then it's extremely difficult to withstand the pressures of society, whatever society that is, and not end up conforming to it. Peer pressure is great when governmental weight is added to it even more. Well, I'll just do whatever they say. We have a different purpose. We have a different identity. That's why in Romans 12, 1 and 2, Paul points out that because the mercies of God, which he explained in the previous 11 chapters, the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, he could urge them to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. That's what the proper response should be. I live for Christ. And then, to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good. The will of God is that which is good and acceptable. So, if I understand who I am, why I'm here, I can live a different way than everybody else around me. who's just getting pushed in. Well, the world says this is important, so do what the world says. Just stay out of trouble, keep your head down. No, keep your head up and keep walking forward to Christ. Okay, if I'm looking down, all I see is the ground. If I'm looking up, I can see Christ. Remember, when Peter was walking on the water after Jesus said, yeah, come on out, he didn't have a problem till he looked down, did he? Okay, then he knows the waves and it's terrible. I shouldn't be walking on water. Keep your eyes focused on Christ, okay? Your beliefs about yourself, where you've been in the world, is vitally important. It's critical. We call this your worldview. I was reading a summary of a recent Barna survey, the American Worldview Inventory for 2022. Very disturbing. Among the things in it were this. Quote, nine out of ten parents have a muddled worldview. And two-thirds, that would be 67%, of preteen parents claimed to be Christian. However, the big picture result was that only 2% of all preteen parents actually possessed a biblical worldview. That's disturbing. Who trains the next generation? The parents. If only 2% of parents or those who are entering into adolescence even have a biblical worldview, what do you expect to be instilled into these kids who are quickly going to become adults and then influencing the world you live in? Is that not true of the previous generation whose percentage was higher but it was still very few that had a biblical worldview? This very fact explains a lot about the rapid decline in our society on every level. When nearly a quarter of Americans self-identify as having no religion, and the vast majority of the rest live as if there is no God, they're practical atheists, is it surprising to see the depravity of mind that's being displayed before us? It really isn't, is it? The end of Romans 1 becomes reality before our eyes. If you want to understand, I'm going to say this because Phil said I should say it. He did tell me that, right? You weren't going to talk about the election, so I am. If you want to understand the recent elections, start here. Start at this point. People with depraved minds vote for people with depraved minds. And those who only have a leftover cultural morality increasingly have a hard time discerning what is right, what is wrong, resulting in being easily swayed by advertising that plays to their emotions and selfishness. They have nothing solid to determine, this is right, this is wrong, this is what God wants, that's contrary to God. This is the way we need to go, that is wrong. Now, keep in mind that often candidates running for office lack integrity. Have any of you else noticed that? You know, they make promises and forget it. They're not going to do that. They're going to sway by whoever is the elite within their party. That's both major parties and the smaller ones as well. That was proven this week. Twelve Senate Republicans joined all the Democrats in clearing the procedural hurdle for the misnamed Respect for Marriage Act. That joined the nearly 50 Republicans that joined all the Democrats back in July in passing the bill in the House. This bill would be more properly titled either the Disrespect of Marriage Act or the Destruction of Marriage Act. I wrote a letter to our senators concerning that earlier. I did send that out by email to those that are on the email list. It redefines marriage. It's bad enough that the courts have tried to do so, but it also now threatens legal action against those that would advocate God's design for marriage. Often referred to as national marriage, but God's design for marriage. It's one man, one woman, that's marriage. If you advocate for that now, you are bigoted. You're discriminatory. And the weight of the law will go against you, including allowing individuals to sue you if this bill passes as it currently stands. You know, it doesn't matter what lawmakers do in trying to make evil acceptable by redefining it. Or making it legal within our society. Because what God declares is simply true. If he declares it to be an abomination, what is it? It's an abomination. If he declares it to be good, what is it? It's good. And we need to keep that in mind. So regardless of where society goes, we walk with God, we proclaim what God says, ultimately we all stand before God, and they will stand before God. It is not an act of hatred to tell someone they're in sin and they need to repent. It's an act of love. You're seeking to prevent them from going the direction they're going so they can receive the blessings that God actually has for them if they'll believe in Christ. So you need to be prepared when this bill is passed, it will be passed in some form, you can expect immorality and the perversion of society to accelerate. It will get even worse. Yes, the bill is contrary to First Amendment rights to speech and to religion, but some of you may have noticed that our constitutional rights seem to be a flimsy protection in most courts, and have been so for a long time. Now, are you ready then to be persecuted simply for standing up for what God says? You see, that's been the point of going through all this for some time. It's been, in my mind, for quite a few years, this is where we're going. It's here. It's upon us. The simple act of saying, this is what God said. If you end up reading in public, the biblical Passover marriage, you will be subject to this law. That's how bad it's going to be. Okay? Now that sounds really depressing, right? Yeah, I can see your faces. No, it's bad. But you realize that most of the world throughout history has lived in societies that persecute Christians. It's bad to us because we've been the anomaly for hundreds of years, where Christianity being upheld, a biblical Christianity, has been upheld as something society strives for. We're simply going to be joining the rest of our brothers and sisters around the world. And they do great. If I'd thought about it, I would have had the picture of, there was a lady in, I think it was a job, if I recall, it was in the South Pacific. She was badly burned from Islamic terrorists coming and burning her village. And even though she couldn't really smile for half her face was kind of burned away, you could tell this woman was joyful. And her greatest desire was to be able to witness to those that murdered people in her village, and burned her out. Because she saw something greater than herself. She saw the Lord Jesus Christ. She understood her identity in Christ and her purpose in being here. So though these are not things we relish, and we should fight against them, we must fight against them, at the same time, they're not going to affect who we are. Because we have a greater purpose, and that's why our identity is so crucial. Peter is preparing those whom he's writing for persecution take it to heart of what he's saying and you're going to be able to withstand whatever comes against you without fear with a boldness not recklessness but a boldness because you understand why you're here by going back to first peter chapter one inverses 1 and 2, Peter marks Christian identity beginning with this, you are someone who has been chosen by God according to foreknowledge of the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, and the cleansing that comes from Jesus' blood. He adds in 1, 3, that according to his great mercy, God has caused you to be born again. You are now alive spiritually when you were not before. In 1.18 and 1.19, he points out that Christians are redeemed from their former feudal way of life that they inherited from their forefathers. You're going to live differently than the generations prior. In 2.5, he calls Christians to be living stones being built at a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. This morning, we're going to see five additional aspects of your identity as a Christian. But Peter also marked off in the first chapter, and up to where we are so far in the second chapter, your purpose. Why are you here as a Christian? Why has God extended life to you? In 1-2, it included obedience to Christ. In 1-7, it includes having a faith that withstands the test and brings praise, glory, and honor to Christ. In 1-8, it is a belief in Jesus that enables you to rejoice in every circumstance. And 113 is having a mind girded for action and a sober spirit because your hope is fixed on the God's grace through Jesus Christ. I'm living for something beyond just the present. And 114-117 is an obedience in pursuit of holiness that opposes the former lust that you had prior to becoming a Christian. You're going to live a different way because your heart is set differently. 22 it includes an obedience to truth that results in a purification the soul and a sincere and fervent love of the brethren from the heart That's a change in who you are into the radical change And because of that love you've put away the way you used to live it because those things that he lists there in chapter 2 verses 1 and 2 malice guile hypocrisy envy slander they are opposite of Christian love and That's why we put them away. They have nothing to do with us anymore. And then in 2.5, Christians have a purpose in life that's to be a holy priesthood. We offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God, through Jesus Christ. Now finally, Peter also marks the hope the Christian has for the future. In chapter 1, verses 3 through 4, it is a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is an incredible inheritance He gives us as well. It is undefiled. It is unfading. It's reserved in heaven. It's imperishable. God guarantees it. It cannot be taken away from you. The salvation of the soul from sin and its consequences that began with God's choosing in eternity past, that entered in present time when you were born again, will be finalized at the revelation of Christ. And you won't even have the same body. And I'm looking forward to it, okay? I'm looking forward to it. I don't have to deal with the pains and the aches, and mine are minor compared to some of you. We're looking forward to that. It is guaranteed. I have the living and abiding word of God that enables me to endure in present circumstances because in it are the precious and magnificent promises of God. The better a Christian understands his identity in Christ, this purpose that he has for us in our life, the eternal promises that belong to us, then the better able we're going to fulfill both our God-given purposes in our very existence and withstand the pressures aside to make you live a different way. Peter wrote about this just over a page or two. In 2 Peter, Chapter 1, starting in verse 2, he applies the same thing. He says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of him who has called us by his own glory and excellence. For by these he has granted us his precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you became partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." 1 Peter 2, 9-10 gives us five additional facets of this Christian identity and one additional purpose. If I know who I am, if I know why I'm here, I can live differently than what the world is doing. I can live contrary to what the world is doing. Verse 9, You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. You were once not a people, but now are the people of God. You have not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Now it begins this whole section with an emphatic adversative, but you, this is a contrast to what he had just said in verse 8. These who were stumbling because of their disobedience to the word of God. And because of that disobedience, they were under God's judgment, and they would be condemned. Contrary to them, you are something different, and we start off with a chosen race. Now remember, Peter is writing to a church that's in Asia Minor, modern Turkey. They're largely Gentile. There would be some Jews in these places, but it's largely Gentile. And he says here, you're a chosen race, genos eklaton. Our English word gene and genealogy comes from the Greek word here, genos. Or we use the soft G, genos. You can get the, here, gene, genealogy. And that word itself refers to people who have a general biological relationship to each other. And so it's often translated as family. It's in Acts 7.13. Nation, Philippians 3.5. A descendant, Revelation 22.16. But the word is also used in a broader sense. It's often translated as kinds. For example, kinds of languages, 1 Corinthians 12, 10, and 28. Kinds of fish. Matthew 13, 47, and kinds of demons, Matthew 17, 21. But it is striking that Peter, a Jew, takes what in the Hebrew Scriptures applied to Jews and now applies it to Gentiles. Peter learned a lesson from Acts 10. Now remember, he had a vision that God gave him, all sorts of animals, unclean animals coming down from heaven, and said, saying, Peter, rise, kill, and eat. Lord, I've never touched any of these things. Peter, rise, kill, and eat. And then the people from Cornelius came, and he goes up to see them, and he finally understands. The word of God also is now being given to the Gentiles. In fact, he put it that God does not show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is welcome to him. He learned the lesson. The gospel enabled the fulfillment of the promise given to Abraham that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. It's coming through the gospel. Or as Paul described it, Ephesians 2, 11 and 12, Jesus broke down the barrier of the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles so that he might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross. So it doesn't matter your ethnic background, doesn't matter what your biological heritage is, none of that matters in Christ. were one in Him. And so He is applying this that had only been applied to Jews, and He's now applying it to Gentiles. Now, the concept of a chosen race comes from several Old Testament passages. Deuteronomy 7, 6 through 9, Psalm 32, 12, Isaiah 41, 8 and 9, and 44, 1 to 2. Those are just a few of them. God had chose to set His love on Israel simply because He chose to do so. In fact, Very specifically, it says it's not because of their size. Jeremiah 6 through 9 is they were small in number. And it's not because they were some kind of really wonderful people. In fact, he says in Jeremiah 9, 6, they were stubborn people. And yet he chose them. In 1 Corinthians 1, 12 and 1 through 31, Paul makes it clear that it is God that chooses. And who has he chosen? says he chose the foolish, he chose the weak, he chose the shameful in order to magnify his name and remove any basis for men to boast. What's nice is about that it means he chose us. He chose us. There's no boasting us. This is why the beginning point of salvation always begins with a humility that seeks repentance, a turning away from the former way of life as you believe what God has said and who he is and who Jesus is. We are a chosen race, Christians are a chosen race, not due to any kind of blood ties, but being due to being born again through Jesus Christ. That's our tie now. That's why we're a family. We're a chosen race. He also says we're a royal priesthood. I spoke about this a little bit a couple weeks ago, the idea of a priesthood. The Jewish priesthood was according to God's choice of the tribe of Levi, and you had to be descended from that tribe in order to be in the priesthood. And to be in the high priesthood, you had to be from the sons of Aaron. Now they had a lot of different tasks. Everything from administrative and civil tasks for the nation. It was a theocracy. They had tasks to be carried out as mediators between God and man. They were to lead and worship. This was all just part of their responsibilities and duties as priests. Christians are not Levitical priests. We neither receive our priesthood through some kind of genealogical line, nor do we have the same functions, at least all the same functions. We do not have a function as Christians in civil life, in government, unless God puts us in there, Christian or not. We don't offer up animal sacrifices. So, it's a different priesthood. And yet, there are similarities. Now, Paul calls him a royal priesthood. Royal refers to what pertains to the king. Who's the king? Jesus, right? Jesus is the king. He is also described as the perfect high priest in Hebrews 10, 12. He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down the right hand of God. He sat down because his work was done, and he only took one sacrifice. Levitical priesthood, it was sacrifice after sacrifice after sacrifice, because the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin. One sacrifice, himself, he's taken away sin. And in doing so, he also made all the animal sacrifices for sin null and void when he voluntarily became the sin offering on our behalf. That's what he accomplished. Our redemption has been purchased. Forgiveness is now offered to all who believe in him. In addition, in Hebrews 7.25, it tells us that Jesus is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Hebrews 7.11-28 explains how Jesus is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. It's not genealogical. and that our priesthood before God is the same. It's not a genealogical one, it's by God's choice. Jesus the King, his choice means it's a royal priesthood. It also means, from what I just said, is we have access to the Father. That's part of the function of a priest. There's a mediatorial. I have access, I mediate between God and man. Because we are priests, we have direct access. Hebrews 10, 19 to 22 describes that we enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus and being able to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so we might receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need, Hebrews 4, 6. Ephesians 2, 18, it tells us it's through Jesus that we both have access in one spirit to the Father. That's a priestly function. I can go to God directly. This is the individual priesthood of the believer. It's an extremely important doctrine. If you go to false religions, or you go to cult religions, you go to a lot of other groups that even call themselves Christians, you can't go directly to God. You can't go to him and say, here's my sin, I confess it, forgive me, and he forgives you. You've got to go through some human mediator. And then they give you something that you need to do, some religious literal, some good work you need to do, something you must work in order to gain forgiveness. We don't have that. We go directly to Him. Counting on what the promises God has given to us in Jesus Christ, 1 John 1, 9, if we confess our sins, what happens? He is faithful and just, forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We're just simply relying upon God. what he's done in Christ, his promises. I'm not going through somebody else. I have direct access to God, the Father. And so Christians are royal priests in fulfilling that role. I can go to him, but I'm also a mediator. I'm one who declares the Word of God, and not just me as a pastor, but you as well are to declare the Word of God. That's part of your role, this priestly role you have. Declare to others what God has said. That's both evangelistic efforts, give them the gospel, and edification efforts. Teach them what God has said that they might live by it. But also it's the intercession part of it. We intercede for each other in whatever comes up in life. That's part of the beauty of Christian fellowship. When we're talking with each other, we let each other, this is what's going on in my life. Pray for me. And you should just stop right there and pray for each other. That's part of your priesthood. But we also intercede for those that don't know Christ. We beg God to be merciful to them. We beg them to be reconciled to God. That's a priestly role. The priestly role we also have is worshiping God. That's a normal part of church life. And we lead in worship, not just when the church meets together as a congregation, but in the daily life, at home. Are you not worshiping God? If not, you should. Do you not have a time of worship as a family? When you're out with friends, it includes that. You're going to make a declaration. You're going to worship God. That can be as simple as you go someplace to eat. Do you thank God for the food? I mean, that's a simple thing, but a lot of people, they're afraid to do that. You're a priest. Be grateful that God has given you this privilege. Thank Him for the food and let other people know, hey, Want me to thank God on your behalf for your food you're eating? Don't be shy about it. This is who you are. You're a priest of God. A royal priest chosen by Him. It is when you're out petitioning God for some issue that comes up. You're just talking with somebody. Something comes up. Fulfill your priestly duties. Responsibilities, privileges. Stop right there and say, let's pray about it. Let's take this before the throne of God. You're welcome to come before him. That's an exciting thing. Too often I think we take it for granted. I trail human, sinful. God welcomes me into his presence because of Christ. And so I take advantage of that. Every person who believes and follows the Lord Jesus Christ is a royal priest. That's your identity. He then continues on, he says, you're a holy nation, ethnos agion. It's another description originally only used for the Jews. First occurs in Exodus 19, six, he constructs Moses to tell the Israelites that they're coming out of Egypt. If you will keep my covenant with me, then they would be to him, kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Peter's applying this description to Gentiles. Now, ethnos in its original sense refers to, quote, a multitude associated or living together. As time went on, it developed a greater application, referred to, according to Laonita, or Nida, the largest unit into which the people of the world are divided based on their constituting a socio-political community. Isn't that a fancy definition? A nation, a people. Now Peter is using it here specifically to refer to the larger community of believers as a whole. Theologians would call this the universal church. You as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ are part of something much bigger than yourself. Much bigger than this local manifestation of the church. Much bigger than our church association. Much bigger than the Christians who live here in the United States or North America. You're part of the Christians who live all over the world. You're part of a holy nation. Now, he describes this nation as holy. It's the same word he used back in chapter 1, verses 15 and 16, that, like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your behavior, because it's written, you shall be holy for I am holy. Holy, the basic meaning is to be separated unto. I'm separated from the world, I'm separated unto God. And so because of that, I live a holy life. I live a life that's reflective of the God who saved me, the God who created me, the God who loves me. All believers living this way as a whole constitute a holy nation. This community of people around the world that share the same beliefs and therefore desires and goals in life and serving the Lord, It's easy at times to feel isolated as Bible-believing Christians, even in a country in which there are still a lot of churches. How much more alone might you feel that the majority of your society is against you, and you're being actively persecuted for your faith in Jesus, knowing that you are part of something much larger than what you can see, and that the purpose of your existence is to reflect God's holy character now? Not ultimately. Because ultimately, heaven is only to be populated with those who believe what I believe. That's an encouragement. I need to be on that side, progressing forward. I'm not alone, I'm not isolated, even when I feel like it. I am part of a holy nation. There are many who believe as I do. And so it's an encouragement to remain faithful. Stand firm, even in circumstances that test your faith. We are part of a holy nation. Next, he says, God brought the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt and made a covenant with them. That's what he's referring to. And if they would keep this covenant, Exodus 19, 5, it says, then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples of the earth, and all the earth is mine. Now Peter applies this to the church, people here. It was a poetic word for a population, a group of inhabitants. Extensively in Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, to refer to Israel, a united people And there extensively, so often, it is Israel as the people who belong to God. Those who have this special and privileged relationship with the Creator. Now, Peter uses it here in the same sense for us who are Christians, tying it directly to, well, it's translated different ways in different versions, but the Greek here is periasis. It means to obtain, to acquire a possession. The New King James translated as a special group of people, a special people of God. The old King James called us peculiar. Well, some of us are more peculiar than others. But peculiar actually is an interesting word. It's a Middle English term derived from the Latin peculiarius. It refers, now you can see the connection, to private property or something exempt from ordinary jurisdiction, especially a church. That's what they meant in the King James. not that you're odd, but that you belong to God. That makes us peculiar. This is a very appropriate description of Christians, because we belong to Christ. 1 Corinthians 6, 19-20 points out that even our bodies are not our own, having been bought with the price, redemption price, of Jesus' own blood, as Peter pointed out in chapter 1, verses 18 and 19. Paul stated it this way in Titus 2, 14. Jesus, who gave himself for us, for us, to redeem us from every lawless deed, to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds." Now that's a humbling description though, isn't it? I'm not my own. I've been bought with a price. If I've been bought with a price, what does that make me? I would say even as Americans, and even more so in the the last couple generations, that almost seems repulsive. We've been fed a steady diet that as Americans, we're steeped in this idea, we're independent, we're free, we're autonomous, we can do whatever we want. In the last generation too, you've also gotten a constant rhetoric about how evil slavery is, especially the evil in America, as if slavery didn't exist. Throughout time, it doesn't exist in the world today, or doesn't even exist in America today, it does. And so we have a repulsive, what do you mean I'm owned by somebody? Well, I, like Paul, I take joy in the fact I'm a slave of Christ. He's my master. You know, that makes my decision making a whole lot easier. All I need to do is find out what does my master want. Then go do it. It also means something else. He takes care of me. I belong to him. And he's already given me those promises. I seek first his kingdom, his righteousness. He said he'll take care of this stuff so I can live. That's what my master wants. And my master has given me a promise for eternity. I will be with him forever. You see, when you have a good master, there's nothing better than being his slave. Don't be afraid of that term. It's actually a glory for us as Christians. I am the slave of Christ. He's my master because he purchased me with his own blood. But see, there's a contrary aspect to that, too, because you're somebody's slave. Romans 6 makes that clear. You're either the slave of sin or the slave of God and righteousness. So which is it? I'd much be rather the slave of God than of Satan. I'd much be rather one who is committed to obeying righteousness than sin, going against God, and having to deal with all the consequences of that. Being the slave of Christ makes the prospect of facing persecution something that can't be tolerated, because He actually is the master of all my circumstances. And if my master directs me to go into the storm, I go into the storm. My life is in His hands. Period. in the present and in the future. It's in his hands. His promises of eternity enable him to endure whatever suffering I may experience in this life. And whether that's persecution or just the fact that I live in a sin-cursed world, and their suffering is part of it. I have a master, and he's a good master. He's a loving master. Peter next states the specific purpose of being a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for God's own possession. so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." That's why he did all this. That's why you are these things. This was actually the purpose God had given to Israel. It's stated in Isaiah 43, 21. The people whom I formed for myself will declare my praise. Psalm 78 instructs one generation to tell the next generation the praises of Yahweh, including his strength and his wondrous works. Specifics of those things are given throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. Including everything from the creation, to the flood, to the exodus, to the time of the judges, the time of the kings, the deportation, the return to the land, and then all the prophecies. Some still ongoing and still to be fulfilled. In this passage, Christians are to proclaim, which means to announce, to declare, to speak out about the excellencies of our God. Excellencies here, or atei, is manifestations of power characterized by excellence. You say wonderful acts, the powerful deeds of God. And so that would include all that God has done. But the specific deed of excellence referred to in this particular verse is God's call of them out of darkness and into his marvelous light. Psalm 107 verse 14 mentions, it says, Now the context of that verse is dealing with those who rebelled against God, they were suffering the consequences, they repented of it, they sought God to restore them, to save them from those circumstances. Something we've seen, you see in the history of Israel, the cycle of the judges, the cycle actually of the kings as well. But the darkness and light referred to here in 1 Peter 2.9 is actually from Isaiah chapter 9 verses 1 and 2. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. That is fulfilled in Matthew chapter 4 verses 4 through 6, 14 and 16. It records Jesus coming and this actually happening. The darkness is a reference to spiritual ignorance, to unbelief. The light is the coming of truth resulting in belief. It's an interesting statement in Psalm 102 verse 18 which says, Now the context of that better fits the description of the future millennial kingdom. But it's also true that the Abrahamic covenant included a blessing to all nations, correct? It's also true in Psalm 22, 26, or 31 and other scriptures, it refers to all the families of the earth worshiping Yahweh. That's going to happen. It's also true that Jesus spoke of other sheep that would become part of his flock. That's we who are Gentiles, John 10, 16. It's also true in Acts and the various New Testament epistles. They make it very clear that Gentiles are included in the church as those that would know and worship the Lord God. So what was true for ancient Israel is even more true for us as Christians because we can add to this praise everything about our Lord Jesus. His coming, His life, His death for us, His resurrection, His ascension to heaven, His promises to receive us to Himself when He returns. We can add all that. These are all part of the praises we give to God. Those that are in darkness will not do that. In fact, in John 3, 17-21, it talks about those who are light will come to the light. Those who are not a light are repulsed by the light, lest it expose their deeds of darkness. But being of the light, we come to the light. We want it to be proclaimed. This phrase matches well the spiritual sacrifices mentioned back in verse 5. You see, it's hard to remain in a negative mood when you start praising God for all that He's done. Isn't it? Do you not see that often in the Psalms? The psalmist starts off and he's despondent and life is hard, I'm being persecuted, you know, everything's terrible! And then he starts recounting the things of God and he ends up just in praise and it changes your whole mood. It's a good hymn on that, count your blessings. When upon life's billows you are tempted to toss, when you are discouraged thinking all is lost, count your blessings, name them one by one, it will surprise you what God has done. That's one reason I really like Thanksgiving. It forces you out of, it's so terrible out there. Yeah, it's terrible out there, but this is who my God is. And so I can get excited. I can almost get as excited as Mark. And that man gets excited. Well, verse 10, Peter points out two more acts of God toward Israel that he now applies to Christians. And it reinforces these previous references to God's call from darkness to light that he's talking about spiritual salvation. He says, for you were once not a people, but now you're the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. The references in this verse go back to the book of Hosea. The word for people here is, once again, lost. And it's, that I noted earlier, it's a reference in this context of people who have a special and privileged position as the people of God. What had been true for the Jews became true for all who had become Christians, including the Gentiles. This special position of the Jews came from God's unilateral covenant with Abraham. The special position we have as Christians is due to God's own act of mercy. This undeserved compassion from God, arising out of His own character, that caused us to be born again into God's family. To understand the truth, believe it, and be changed. Now, one note of caution I want to quickly add here. Although Peter is talking what had previously applied only to Jews, is now applied to Christians, which include Gentiles. Peter is not replacing the Jews with the church. He is expanding the actions and the promises of God to include all Christians. The church doesn't replace Israel. As Paul points out in Romans 11, though the Jewish branches of the olive tree were broken off, So Gentile believers could be grafted into the rich root of Israel. The partial hardening of Israel at the present time is only temporary. It only lasts until the time of the Gentiles has been fulfilled, and then all Israel will yet be saved. It'll only be a remnant, but all that's left will be saved. So we as a church do not replace Israel, neither do we receive either the promises or the curses specific to that nation. God has a future for the nation of Israel and His people because He is faithful. He will fulfill all the promises He has made in His covenants with that nation. The people of God include Old Testament saints, church saints, that's the present age, it will include the tribulation saints and the millennial saints. Or to put it a different way, the church is one subset of all the people of God throughout time. Knowing your identity in Christ Knowing God's precious and magnificent promises is going to go a long way in helping you to be able to do what God wants you to do to begin with. To give him the praise and tell of his excellencies, but also to stand firm even when persecuted for the sake of righteousness or for his namesake. In 1 Peter 2, 9 through 10, Christian identity includes being a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for God's own possession, because we are recipients of God's mercy. That's our identity. Our purpose of existence, proclaim the excellencies of our God. Proclaim Christ anywhere and everywhere. In season, out of season. He is the one that has called us out of the darkness that we lived in. Our ignorance, our sinfulness, and he's called us into his marvelous light to walk with him. To walk with a purpose that extends to eternity, not just for the present. Woe to those who think it's just about this life. It's very short. And if it's all about this, all you have is pain. And too many of that's all they're trying to do is escape pain instead of recognizing all that God has done for us. I'm looking forward to the present, the near future, and eternal future because of my God. I'm his slave. Be diligent to learn of God's character, his wonderful acts, both in history and toward you, so you can fulfill your purpose. Know his precious and magnificent promises. If you're not yet a Christian, then consider very carefully the invitation that Jesus extends. He put it this way in Matthew 11, 28 through 30. Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. I am gentle and humble in heart. You will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Talk with myself or any of our church leaders, any of those that you'll see here standing up in front in a few minutes when we prepare communion. We'd love to introduce you to Christ, that you can know these same truths, that you too can be part of a holy nation, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, that you would be one of God's people. Father, thank you for your blessings to us. Thank you that your mercy is extended to such great lengths, that you would not only redeem us from our sins, but grant to us these identities, identities far beyond this life. but identities that give meaning to this life, that we know why we're here. We know who we are. Father, we thank you for your Holy Spirit's work as he continues to teach us, enabling to understand the truths of your word, what you have already done for us, your promises. Father, we might live according to them and bring you the glory and honor you deserve. In Jesus name. Amen.