Who Are You?
1 Peter Holy Living • Sermon • Submitted
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· 9 viewsDo you really know who you are in Christ?
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Introduction
Introduction
In late 1977, two friends by the name of Keith Moon and Peter Townsend put together a song that simply asked, Who are you? You may remember it as a song by the group The Who. For over six minutes, they ask Who are you? Who? Who?
Keith Moon who was credited with helping develop the song never was able to hear the recorded version. He died of an overdose before the song was released. I can’t help but wonder if he had received the answer to that question, would have he died so tragically and so young?
Even today, there are many Christians that are struggling to fully understand who they are in Christ. Do you really know who you are in Christ?
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.
Peter in this text identifies five characteristics of who we are as a people of God. If you call yourself a Christian, then it is my understanding that you have these five characteristics. As I have studied this text and these characteristics, I have had to ask myself these questions: Is there evidence in my life of each one these characteristics? If so, would I be found guilty of living out each one of these?
1. A Chosen People
1. A Chosen People
How does it feel to be chosen? Our kids start school this week. Like many of you, I am praying for our students as they go back to school and all the influences to which they are exposed. We are going to pray for our students in a bit.
I am reminded of the friends that chose me to be friends during my school days, but I am also reminded of the times where I was not chosen. In fact I was mocked, laughed at and even bullied.
I am so glad that our Lord has chosen us! HE has loved us so much that He has chosen us to be favored.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
Psalm 3
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
2 Thessalonians
They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
In our Wednesday Bible Study we have been going through the book of Ephesians. In doing so I have asked our folks to make a list of “I am statements” where they personalize this book and use the words “I am” to highlight characteristics of who we are in God’s eyes through Christ.
These verses I have just read have lots of “I am” statements in them:
I am blessed
I am a fruit bearer
I am apart from this world
I am chosen before the creation of the world
I am holy
I am blameless
I am saved
I am sanctified
I am a faithful follower
How would you rate yourself on these “I am” statements on a scale of 1-10, 1 being awful and 10 being I just can’t get better?
I have discovered that I am indeed chosen! And because I am, I am given a sense of honor that comes with belonging. I am given a sense of being part of a family that loves me and respects me and helps me feel that I am worthy! I am given a sense of being privileged!
If you have Christ in your heart, I can say that without a doubt, you are a chosen people!
2. A Royal Priesthood
2. A Royal Priesthood
Have you ever thought of yourself as a priest? Not just a priest, but one of a royal priesthood?
Peter clearly says that another characteristic in understanding who we are in Christ is that we are indeed part of a royal priesthood.
You see, a priest is responsible to represent God before the world and the world before God!
and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.”
Revelation
Priests are to offer sacrifices or offerings before God!
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
Romans 12
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who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 2:
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.
A priest deals with the problem of sin for God’s people.
Are you praying for others to turn from sin and turn to God?
and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Revelation
Ancient Israel had a professional class of priests waiting for the day the whole nation would assume priestly duties.
Jesus Christ dealt with the sin problem once and for all, destroying the need for special atonement and has provided for us direct access to the Father, the Holy God!
Are you helping communicate that to this world? There are folks walking by here right now that need to know that they can be forgiven and loved and redeemed! Jesus is counting on you and me to show that, to give that and to be a Royal Priesthood!
3. A Holy Nation
3. A Holy Nation
Peter gives a third characteristic for you and I to be a Holy Nation. Notice it does not say that the United States is a holy nation. Even though I feel our forefathers desired for this country to be a land of the free and home of the brave, we are falling short today of being holy. We are a divided people in a very divided land. As Christians you and I are called to be representatives of something bigger than ourselves. We cannot re-write history but we sure can determine the future. God desires you and I to join hands across this church, this community, this state and the country with other people of God, uniting our hearts and minds through the blood of Christ so that we may indeed reach others for the sake of the kingdom!
Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
Are you helping or hindering?
4. A people belonging to God
4. A people belonging to God
Where do you belong?
Paul
We prayed a few minutes ago, “Our Father Which Art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name!”
It seems to me that if we pray that prayer and really mean what we say, we are speaking as if we are His children! As a people belonging to God, we are to have the characteristics of the Father
We are to look like Him
We are to talk like Him
We are to walk like Him
We are to behave like His children!
If we are a people belonging to God then it seems like we are to be like Him!
Our Memory verse for the month
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:
We are His Church!
This means we are to learn from the church how to do our priestly duties!
This means we are to work within the church to discover God’s will for our lives and for our church!
This means we are to work with the church to find our His will for the world!
This means that we work for the church and not against the church!
This means that we learn to cooperate together even when we have differences!
Not only are we to be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people belonging to God, we will also be
5. Aliens and Strangers
5. Aliens and Strangers
What?!?
What kind of curve ball is this?
Peter gives us these beautiful characteristics of a people chosen by God, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging and then says oh yea, by the way you are aliens and strangers.
You and I as Christians are to be detached from this sphere!
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
This is not our home we are just a’passing through!
You and I as Christians are preparing for eternity today!
The great Hall of Faith in reminds us in
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
One of the things that has been instilled in me is that when I am a guest, I need to use my manners, clean up after myself, and always leave that place better than when I came. I think that we have that admonition here:
that as aliens and strangers we ought to be have an influence and be remembered not as the ones that tore up the place, but the ones that made a difference!
In fact verse 12, the final verse of our text says it best this way:
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.
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Who are you?
Who Who?