Now we’ll turn to our text for tonight...I Peter 2.9-12...let’s stand in honor of God’s word

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 

So what is the point of this passage? I would suggest this: we belong to God – so live like it...we’ll focus on what we are to be about in this life for the glory of God

We Belong to God...                        

First we’ll look at Peter’s continuation of the thought from last week...our identity as living stones following the Cornerstone, the Lord Jesus Christ...since Peter quickly goes back and forth between the ideas of who we are in Christ and the ethical portion of the text, where he speaks of Christian conduct, I’m going to pull together the verses by topic rather than just read through as they appear...SLIDE

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession ... Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ... 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles...

Peter uses seven descriptors to help us connect with who we are...SLIDE...let’s look at them

“Chosen” – this is the word we’ve seen a few times already in this letter, Gr ‘eklektos’ ... that which is selected by someone in preference to or over others...last week we touched on I Corinthians 1.27-29, where Paul talks about God choosing the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak things of the world to shame the strong...that is the thought again here...God doing the unexpected, choosing the unlikely, and, this is important, for His purposes...out from among all those in the world, He has selected us...not for any other reason than His grace...but yes, for a reason... 

“Royal” – unusual word...Gr ‘basileios’ – one of only two uses in the NT...this is the origin word of our word ‘basilica” – a large covered building, adopted very early on in the first century for Christian worship...a royal place...in more general terms, it meant something befitting or belonging to a supreme ruler...

“Holy” is a word we know well, Gr ‘hagios’ – to be set apart for special purposes...

“Belonging to God” – God’s own people – we are for His own possession...the first thing we usually think of is that we belong to Him, and that’s certainly true...but of the five uses of this word in the NT, this is the only time it refers to God possessing something or someone...the rest of the time it’s us obtaining or possessing something...obtaining our salvation, or the glory of Jesus Christ, in II Thessalonians, or in Hebrews, where it says we preserve our souls...the dominant meaning is to keep something safe...that’s what it really means here...because we are God’s possession, we are kept safe and secure...we talk about the perseverance of the saints...this is part of the basis of that doctrine...God possesses us, His love is a love that will not let us go...because of Him, we are both protected and preserved for the glory of His Son...

We are also “those who received mercy”...we have been given compassion and pity, mercy from the Righteous Judge...not because we deserved it, for in truth we deserved only condemnation...but God’s word to His people is this: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8.1)...Jesus looks upon us with compassion today, just as He looked upon the crowds of Galilee, as Matthew writes, 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9.36) ... His heart is tender toward us, for He knows that we are but dust...beloved, I want you to know that you are one of His, and the proof is that you have received His mercy, not His wrath...

The last two descriptors are closely related, and we’ve seen one of them before...”sojourners and exiles” ... both words describe people who are citizens of one country while they are temporarily residing in another country...”sojourners” emphasizes the temporary nature of our time here on earth, living in the midst of a fallen and ruined world...we’re only here for a short time, but we’re here right now...we can say with Moses, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land” ... “exiles” emphasizes the fact that we are not now in our true home, the land of our citizenship, where we really belong...that place to which we will go, and it will be as if we are returning to a place we have never been before..

Now let’s look at how Peter describes us, believers in Jesus...SLIDE

“Race” ... an unusual word in this meaning...descendants, a family, relatives...people related to one another, with a distinct culture and heritage...the other two uses refer to the Jews as a race, in Acts 7 and Romans 9...by the late first century, the description “the third race” using the Gr ‘genos’ was used to describe Christians in the Roman Empire...the first race were those of the Greco-Roman culture; the second race were the Jews; and the third race were those whom Christ had called out of the first two races or groups to be His people, as Peter says, a “people for God’s own possession...” – of course, their shared culture and heritage was derived completely from their shared faith in Jesus Christ and centered entirely on Him...

And we are a “priesthood” ... the word is only used twice, and then only four verses apart, 2.5 and here in 2.9...those who serve or function in a religious role...we serve under the authority of our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ...

We’re a “holy nation” – the Gr is ‘ethnos’ meaning, in general terms, a people group; it is where we get our word “ethnic” – the dominant translation is “Gentiles” but only slightly less frequent is this word, “nation” -- a group of people bound together by one or more similar characteristics...in this case, this nation is made up of those who are set apart unto God, those whom He has called “holy”...

And we are a people...Gr ‘laos’ where we get word “laity” as in the laity of a church...the meaning is very similar to “nation” – a people-group...

How beautiful...when you consider all of these pictures together, it makes up one of the NT’s most comprehensive descriptions of the church, the people who are holy, chosen, those who are completely and forever His...

But where I really want to focus tonight is on the remainder of this short passage...Peter’s description of what we are to do, how we are to live in this world because we are His, because we are who we are...

...so live like it.                           

Let’s look again at this passage...SLIDE

that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. ... abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

This portion of the passage is Peter’s to-do list for those who are the people of God...he gives us three imperatives with two purposes...one outward looking, one inward looking

The first is this: Witness to the World, Part 1

Christians are, by our nature and calling, proclaimers...if you know Jesus and He’s saved you and the Holy Spirit lives in you, it’s in your spiritual DNA to share your faith with others...but the emphasis in this passage is that Peter says the reason we are who we are is so that we can speak the truth about God...listen to verse 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. 

The purpose of our salvation we see highlighted here is that all believers are to be preachers...not always from a pulpit, but all of us are to share the message of Jesus with families, friends, and sometimes strangers...we are chosen, royal, holy, we are His in order to tell His story to the world...

So what’s the message? In II Corinthians 4.5-7, Paul says this: 

5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

The message is simple yet profound: Jesus Christ is Lord...God has already shone in our hearts all that we need to know to tell others of our Lord...the treasure is already in each of us as jars of clay...

To return to I Peter 2, we are to proclaim the excellencies of Him...only Peter uses this word, “proclaim”...it means to announce broadly, far and wide, we would say...the message is God’s excellence – His character, virtue, and goodness...to speak of Him so that others hear the message of Who He is, that they might know and trust Him as we have...

For He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light...our testimony bears witness to the truth of what Jesus Himself said in John 8.12...

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

We were in the darkness of our own sin and despair, but the gospel reached us where we were, and that same message can reach anyone else where they are, too...if we will but take it to them...Paul reminds us that God uses the foolishness of preaching...people sharing a truth that sounds to the world like nonsense...but that’s the way God has chosen to share that message, through our proclamation...

So here’s what I would ask all of us here: how are we doing at this task of telling the story about God? SLIDE

How do we know how we are doing? SLIDE at the task of the Great Commission?

While it’s hard to know exactly how we should assess ourselves regarding evangelism and missions, we do know this: over the last four years, East-West Ministries International, one of our missions partners, surveyed our congregation regarding what we thought of ministries within Verse by Verse Fellowship...what we believed we emphasized and did very well was a commitment to Bible study and knowing the word of God...what both surveys also told us was that where we needed to put more emphasis were evangelism and missions...over time, our mission partner relationships have grown along with our missions giving...but we’re still working as a church to involve as many people as possible in the Great Commission...in other words, we learn a lot about God but we need to improve at proclaiming His excellencies...that’s been changing over the last two years, with more missions trips, local evangelism opportunities, and investment and participation in partner organizations like Sparrow Songs, Project 10:27, and of course, East-West...but this isn’t meant to be something for just a few within our church, it’s something for all of us to participate in...in fact, it’s a major reason why God chose us – to proclaim His character and goodness to the world...and what a privilege it is to tell of our excellent God!

I would ask this of you: are you prepared to share two things with those who the Spirit places in your path: your Christ-follower story and the Scriptures that establish it as the truth...as Revelation 12.11a says, And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,

We need to know both the word of our testimony, and the Scriptures about the blood of the Lamb, Who Jesus is and how He can be known...

What are the key elements of your story? SLIDE What were you like before you met Jesus? How did you meet Jesus? How did the Lord bring that to pass? And how is your life now that you are walking with Christ each day?

What Scriptures can help you tell your story? SLIDE There are many...but which ones mean the most to you? That are deeply personal to your experience, so that when you share them with someone, it’s truly from your heart?

Now we turn to Witness to the World, Part 2

The final imperative is from verse 12: Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Keep your conduct...protect it, preserve it...guard your reputation, not for your own sake but also for God’s sake...

Our responsibility to other believers might be summed up in the phrase so often spoken by Jesus, “love one another”...Peter said this himself in the first chapter, verse 22... love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

But what is our responsibility to those who don’t yet know Jesus?

This imperative actually returns to the first of the three, about “proclaiming the excellencies of Him...” --- except that now instead of using words, we’re using actions...

We are to witness to the world – sometimes in our speech, always in our conduct... 

We belong to God...so live like it...Matthew 5.14-16 says it this way:

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Remember last week that I said that far more important than our personal identity – who we are – is the question whose we are...Peter builds on our identity in Christ by admonishing us to both speak out and live out our faith...

It takes both...to speak of Christ but not live for Him will be recognized by everyone as rank hypocrisy, and to live for Christ but not speak of Him is not enough, either, because you could be mistaken for those who help others but not from a motive of Christian love...the world needs to see and hear a faithful witness

Peter specifically describes our responsibility as keeping our conduct honorable...the word denotes moral excellence...Christians should never be guilty of moral lapses that would reflect unfavorably on Christ...what we must do is live in such a visibly and publicly moral way, in accordance with the word of God, that when unbelievers accuse us of moral failures, we (or those who might defend us) could point to our lives as first-hand, readily visible evidence of the truth of Christianity and the falseness of the accusations against believers...Peter’s audience for this letter may well have personally faced these accusations by the time they received the letter...

Instead of our immoral conduct standing against us and our verbal witness for Christ, our moral conduct should stand as a non-verbal witness alongside the word of our testimony to the truth of our claims about Jesus Christ...the goal is for our adversaries to be confronted with both a well-informed and supported verbal witness AND a vibrant, loving non-verbal witness...that kind of life – well-lived and well-spoken – is a powerful tool in the hands of God to share the gospel with people in the world who need to hear – and see – it...

That witness will bring glory to God...because even the world knows people don’t just consistently act toward others out of love and kindness, and then give someone else (God) the credit for it...that isn’t natural, that’s supernatural...

The last phrase in verse 12 is particularly interesting... on the day of visitation.

“Day” is Gr ‘hemera’ a day assigned to a particular purpose or observance...so a special day...and “visitation” is Gr ‘episkope’ – only four uses, contextually translated...it means an official visit for inspection or supervision...the closest use to this one in I Peter is in Luke 19 when Jesus enters Jerusalem for the final time on His way to the cross, and says to the city in a general way, And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

A day is coming for the world when God will show up and in that day our lives will bring glory to Him...may it be so, Lord Jesus!

The second is this: Wage War against Sin

Let’s look at the second portion... abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

“Abstain” is contextually translated, but straightforward...it’s found twice in I Thessalonians, to abstain from sexual immorality in chapter four and from every form of evil in chapter five...it simply means to stay from something, remain distant from it...we have already met the other two significant words, “passions” Gr ‘epithymia’, an intense craving or desire, and “flesh” Gr ‘sarkikos’ fleshly, earthly, material, with a view to the involvement of the sin nature

So the sense of it is this: stay far away from all the desires of your sin nature...for they are out to kill you...

I think in the Christian’s relationship with the flesh and sin and our sin nature, we don’t consciously think of them as our enemies...they are too much a part of us, of who we are, for us to consider them now as both alien to us and hostile to us, but the truth is found in Romans 7.18...For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh...

Same root as the word in I Peter 2.11...”flesh” in the Scripture is the seat of sin and rebellion against God...nothing good dwells there...somehow we struggle to believe that the sin nature wages war against our soul...it’s as if we think, sure, the flesh is a little disgruntled with me since I came to Christ, but surely it doesn’t wish to harm me...

 The error we make as Christians is the same error military commanders sometimes make in war...we seriously underestimate our enemy’s capabilities and their will to fight... 

C.H. Spurgeon reminded us of this truth: SLIDE “Christian, beware of thinking too lightly of sin...take heed, in case you fall little by little” – what a wonderfully apt description of our descent into sin: falling little by little...so slowly that we don’t even notice it...

SLIDE So how do we abstain from the passions of our flesh? How do we wage war against the flesh that is waging war against our souls?

SLIDE Avoid places and situations in which you are most likely to fall into sin 

SLIDE Stay in public or in the open at home...don’t be alone, if that’s an issue 

SLIDE Beware of technology, especially the internet...social media and means of communication

SLIDE Memorize God’s word for use when you need it... Galatians 5.24   And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

SLIDE Consider yourself dead to sin...Romans 6.11: So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

SLIDE Set your minds on the things of the Spirit...Romans 8.5: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 

SLIDE Put to death the deeds of the body...Romans 8.13: 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 

There will be times when despite all that we do to walk in the Spirit, we still fall to the temptations of the evil one...but even in those moments, don’t despair...we will stumble, but we will never fall utterly...the Holy Spirit within us will see to that...

The important thing is that we continue to fight to put the deeds of the flesh to death...John Piper got it right when he said, SLIDE “The sign of whether you are indwelt by the Spirit is not that you have no bad desires, but that you are at war with them.” 

So fight the good fight, Christian! Wage war against sin like you mean to win!

So let’s think about application...

Think about your days in elementary school...remember “show and tell” day?

For Christians, every day is “show and tell” day...

We show the world what it looks like when a person follows Jesus with a whole heart

We tell the world about our Lord, what He has done for us, and what He can do for them

Remember that, church...show and tell...live it out this week