Who Are We?
Sermon delivered at Carisbrooke Priory 11 October 2018
-
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 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.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 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. 10 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.11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 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.
-
Generosity
Introduction: The Letter, the writer and the readers
In AD 63 a man wrote a letter which archaeologists have found copies of and the letter has been handed down and preserved for us to read. The people he was writing to were being persecuted for what they believed. Christians had been scattered throughout Asia Minor, places like Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Bithynia and Asia in general. The man who wrote the letter was called Silas, a well-educated man. Another man dictated the letter, he was not well educated, unpredictable, hot-headed, impulsive, and passionate. He knew Jesus personally and was well known as the man who failed Jesus three times in one evening, he was called Peter.
Peter, in this letter, was trying to encourage Christians to hold on when hard times come. Peter said even though they were strangers in the world, they were not strangers to God. So Peter began his letter with spontaneous praise 1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our LJC”
Then he goes on to enthuse about who we are as members of God’s family..
Today I want to ask – Who Are We? As Christian people?
1 Peter Chapter 1 expresses who I am as a Christian - 1. Born again - A new life 2. An inheritance 3. A Salvation 4. A Relationship
1 Peter 2 v 4-12 expresses who we are as a Christian community – living stones, chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation and that’s what I would like us to think about this afternoon not who am I but who are we. (I’m OK: my eternal destiny is secure, I’m saved forgiven, Me me)
I will share 3 things in response to this question who are we 1. a Community to Glorify God
2 A community to serve others 3 a Community his most treasured possession.
1. A Community to Glorify God
2. A community to serve others
3. A Community his most treasured possession.
1. A Community to Glorify God
The Second chapter of this letter of Peter who walked and talked with Jesus says a number of things about who we are as community…. All of which add up to us being his body with Christ as the head or living stones with Christ the cornerstone. v5 Living stones, holy Priesthood, v9 a chosen people, v9 holy nation, a people belonging to God. V10 Once you were not a people but now you are the people of God.’ We are a Christian people (not Christian individuals).
If you look back to the OT Ex 19v6 you will find very similar words given to Moses on Mt Sinai to teach the people that they would be God’s treasured possession… a priesthood and a holy nation. It is no coincidence that Peter now writing to Christian people. You are God’s treasured possession a community, a body (with Christ as head) and like Gods children in Ex 19 you are called to commit yourselves to living for each other and living for God and you are a treasured possession and built together. It’s a promise for us today, an unbelievable promise a corporate promise. It is saying God inhabits a people - built together to love and serve God and others. There’s something deeper about an assembled people of God a Christian community. Worship in this gathering is different to me singing hymns as I drive alone in my car. Prayer in this gathering is different to me interceding in my QT alone each morning. The preached word in your hearing, here and now is different to someone listening to it on a web site. DML Jones 20/12/1899 – 1/3/1981 said a ‘sermon is not a product it is a participation.’ (For many years he refused to let his sermons be recorded). There is a communal response, I can see you , you see me. There is a transformational power of a sermon preached in a assembled community (lives changed). God’s presence in this community mustn’t be underestimated. Sadly we do have small expectations when we gather together to worship, pray and absorb God’s word. Peter is saying to the struggling church and to us now: God is here, with us. Head & body Cornerstone of living stones
So are we going to have small expectations or great expectations of the power of his word, of our prayer or power of our serving community. Let us pray the words of Isa 64v1 ‘O that you would rend the heavens and come down’ We are a Community who glorify God .
A community to serve others
I said earlier We are a Community who glorify God and serve others. 1 Peter 2v5 says a holy priesthood. It doesn’t say we have a priesthood.. you are a priesthood. Ancient religious orders had temples and priests who served the people, eg over their rituals such as sacrifices. The Holy ones who mediated between the people and the gods. Peter is saying we the church (people) are the temple and we are also the priesthood . Why is that important? Ans: There are no more elite holy ones. We are all called to serve others and are given gifts to serve in many and various ways. Gifts of hospitality, gifts of showing mercy and compassion (chaplaincy). God determines the gifts and the giving of gifts and how they will be used in a needy world who v12 ‘may see your good deeds and glorify God.’ v9 that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’
It seems to be OK in society today to express dislike of organised religion but the Christian community is a movement rather than an institution. A body of parts with different roles and different gifts. When our street and school pastors go out on ‘the beat’ they are dependant on prayer intercessors back at base upholding them in prayer. Some one at a recent SWAY meeting had a picture of trees holding hands, interlocked, supporting eachother rooted and grounded in our Lord, but reaching outward to love, comfort and support others. We are not just another religious organisation we are the only body that Jesus set up with Christ as the head.
We are a community who glorify God and serve others.
A Community his most treasured possession.
Having asked who are we as Christian people in community we now hear that we are God’s Most Treasured possession.
You are a chosen people, chosen not because of something Good God sees in you but because everything is good about God. God who can say all creation is mine yet he says ‘you are my most treasured possession.’ Despite how many times we let God down both corporately and individually he shows mercy. Peter quotes in v10 from the book of Hosea ‘once you were not a people now you are the people, once you had not received mercy, now you receive mercy.’ Hosea a tragic story of an man of God whose wife betrayed him in adultery and prostitution and God told Hosea to go and buy her back because that is a picture of what Jesus did for us when he came down and bought us paid the penalty for our sin and shame so we can say ‘now we have received mercy v10’. We are God’s most treasured possession and no matter how many times you feel like you have let him down, wander away from him, you cannot stop him loving you as his most treasured possession. Anyone who has experienced loving someone who turned away from you will know the agony of a loved one turning away. God’s agony is infinitely more. Jesus came into this world to save sinners such as you and I and paid our debts with his own precious blood. Because you are his most precious possession, now v10 ‘you have received mercy.’ If that penny could drop with you today you would respond to him with a renewed zeal to glorify him and serve others in this Priory and in your other Christian communities.
Some churches are a bit like clubs I have been involved with. Hockey club, football clubs, snooker, book clubs…. They have a common purpose but no wonder, no amazement…Church communities need something to set them off, ignite them. It usually begins with some people experiencing grace (undeserved favour) or HS in some deeper way eg Martin Luther, John Newton, John Wesley but others like a move of the HS in the Meth church in Niton 100 years ago then again in 2000, a shrinking congregation decided to close the church but in dedication they fervently prayed, and God answered! IGNITED. New people joined and the congregation once again flourished. Now, nearly half the congregation is made up of families with young children.
My Uncle George Allen who for years served the Lord and led meetings and the CWU in Portadown. One day in prayer he received a deeper experience of Grace or a Holy Spirit experience and the church and Portadown chapter of FGB was ignited. The preached word seemed anointed, people came to faith, people came forward for healing.
We are still God’s most treasured possession and he longs to detonate our Christian communities and answer our prayers if we would only ask. Raise your expectations, Pray Isaiah 64 ‘Rend the Heavens to come down.’ Some of you are old enough to remember the ‘Come together musical of the 1970’s featuring Pat Boone a key scripture then and for us today is :
2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then Iwill hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Stumbling Stone
As a postscript, this passage also says the rejected stone would become a stumbling stone. Sadly, Jesus, the Cornerstone for believers is also a Stumbling Stone for those who do not believe, those who reject him.
Psalm 118:22 “The stone which the builders REJECTED has become the chief cornerstone.” Notice, the stone (Jesus) was rejected by the “builders.” He was rejected by the Jewish religious leaders and still to this day, He is rejected by many. Not everyone believes the good news of salvation through Jesus or accepts Him as their Cornerstone. To them, Jesus is not the “Cornerstone,” but the Stumbling Stone.
Some time ago I asked a builder friend, Dave Young, could he take a step of faith and trust in Jesus as his cornerstone. He said he could believe but he could never be good enough to keep it up. He knew he needed a Saviour but he could not trust him to be his righteousness. To be sure, none of us can be good enough but that is why Jesus came; to be our Saviour - “Cornerstone.” Make sure you have made Him your Cornerstone – if you haven’t yet; you can do that today.
