The Privileges and Blessings of Being In Christ (2) 02/04/2024

We pray, Lord, that you would guide us and lead us.

We pray that we would be listening to what your word has to say.

We pray, Lord, that each one of us would diligently seek to

ascertain what it is you are calling us to do.

And, Lord, in the power of the Spirit, we pray that we would walk in obedience to you.

Thank you, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen.

Well, this morning, we conclude our study of 1 Peter 2, verses four to

10, which addresses the great privileges and blessings that belong to those

who have come to him, to those who have come to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, this is a very important text.

With all the struggles, busyness, and worries of this life, it can be very easy to

forget the great riches of being in Christ Jesus.

Trials, tribulations, persecution, difficulty, suffering, injustice,

all of these things can easily take our focus off the reality of who we are

in Christ Jesus.

Amid all of these things, it can be very easy to forget the great privileges and the blessings of belonging

to Christ Jesus.

Beloved, you must never forget who you are in Christ Jesus.

You must never forget your identification in Christ Jesus.

Never forget the privileges and blessings that are found in him.

In this world, you will experience all manner of difficulty.

Man is born to trouble as sparks fly upward.

However, you should never be anxious.

You should never doubt.

You should never despair, because you are a child of the Lord God Almighty,

who is the creator of heaven and earth.

You are a child of great privilege.

You're a child of great blessing, because you are in him.

Well, what are the blessings and privileges of those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ?

Please turn with me to 1 Peter 2, verses four to 10.

1 Peter 2, verses four to 10.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God

chosen and precious, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built

up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices

acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For it stands in scriptures, behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a

cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.

So the honor is for you who believe.

But for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,

and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

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.

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.

Well, what are the privileges of those who belong to Christ?

Two weeks ago, we looked at the first two privileges.

Those who belong to Christ are identified with Christ.

Jesus Christ is the living stone.

We are like living stones.

In Christ, we are being built up together as a spiritual house.

We're being built up together as a holy temple, as a dwelling place for the Lord God.

By grace, through faith, those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are bound together

with him in a permanent, unbreakable, and everlasting union.

Those who belong to Christ offer sacrifices through Christ.

The second privilege, we are his priesthood.

As his priest, I offer myself as a living and holy sacrifice.

I offer my praise, praising the Lord God for who he is, praising the Lord God for what he has done,

all the while expressing gratitude and thankfulness to him.

As a priest, I offer my good works.

I serve others.

I share with generosity.

As his priest, I offer all of these spiritual sacrifices to the Lord God through

the Lord Jesus Christ.

This morning, we're gonna look at five additional privileges, so seven in total, that belong to those who are

in Christ Jesus.

Again, let's look at verses nine and 10.

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.

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.

The third privilege of belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are a chosen race.

We're a chosen race.

The third privilege is our election.

In dramatic contrast to those whom Peter had just described in verses seven and eight, those who

rejected the cornerstone, those who did not believe, those who did not value Christ as

precious, those who were destined for destruction, you, however, you

are destined for life, for you are a chosen race.

The Greek word translated chosen means to be selected.

It means to be picked out.

The term implies something or someone who is the object of choice, the object of

divine favor.

In this context, chosen refers to those who have been selected and picked out by the

Lord God for salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Election is an act of the Lord God before the foundation of the world, that is before creation,

in which he chooses people to be saved, not on account of any

foreseen merit or worth in them, but only because of his sovereign grace.

In the 1689 London Baptist Confession, Article Three, Paragraph Five and Six,

election is defined as those of mankind who are predestinated to

life, God chose before the foundation of the world was laid by

his eternal and immutable or unchanging purpose and

the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will.

God chose them in Christ for everlasting glory, solely out of his free

grace and love, without anything in the creature as a condition or cause

moving him to choose.

Just as God has appointed the elect to glory, so he has by the eternal and completely free

purpose of his will foreordained all the means.

Therefore, those who are elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ

and effectually called to faith in Christ by his spirit, working at the

appropriate time.

They are justified, adopted, sanctified and kept by his power through faith to

salvation.

No one but the elect are redeemed by Christ or effectually called,

justified, adopted, sanctified and saved.

Now there's a lot of theology that is packed in those two articles, but if I were to sum it all

up, salvation, our salvation was due solely

to his choice.

The Lord God's election of man to salvation was not in any way conditioned on man himself.

It was nothing in man.

It was nothing of man, nor was the merit of man even taken into

consideration.

Rather, the Lord's God election of man was unconditional.

It was based upon his unchanging purpose, his secret counsel and the good

pleasure of his will.

Salvation is of the Lord.

In the Old Testament, the Lord God did not choose the people of Israel because they were the most deserving people,

nor did he choose them because they were the greatest or the most righteous people.

No, the Lord God's choice of the people of Israel was based upon his love

for them.

God's choice was not in any way merited or conditioned upon their response to him.

The Lord God elected, the Lord God determined and the Lord God

chose to set his love upon them.

Deuteronomy 7, for you are a people holy to the Lord your God.

The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession out of all the peoples

who are on the face of the earth.

It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you

and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples.

But it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers

that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery,

from the hand of Pharaoh, King of Egypt.

In Isaiah 43, verses 20 through 21, the wild beasts will honor me, the

jackals and the ostriches for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert to drink

to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might

declare my praise.

In my opinion, there is no doubt that Peter had these passages in mind as he wrote

1 Peter 2, 9.

Peter was applying these descriptions of Israel, a people holy to the Lord,

a treasured possession, a chosen people, a loved people, a people for the Lord God's

possession.

The Lord God had formed them for himself.

He applies these descriptions to those who had come to Christ.

Just as Israel was chosen by the Lord God, just as Israel were the people formed by the Lord

God, so those who come to Christ are also chosen and formed by the Lord

God for a special and distinct purpose within his redemptive plan.

Charles Spurgeon remarked, election is at the bottom of it all.

The divine choice rules the day.

None take Jehovah to be their God till he takes them to be his people.

What an ennobling choice this is.

We are selected to no mean estate for

no ignoble purpose.

We are made the particular domain and delight of the Lord our God.

Being so blessed, let us rejoice in our portion and show the world by our lives that we

serve a glorious master.

Beloved, it is crucial for us to understand that salvation is of God.

Salvation is not based upon our choice of him but his choice of us.

Salvation is not based upon our will but the will of God.

It's based upon his sovereign and electing purposes laid down in eternity past,

laid down before the foundation of the world was laid.

And beloved, it is from this magnificent doctrine that all of our benefits,

all of our riches, and all of our spiritual privileges flow.

Truly, election is at the bottom of it all.

Remember that you, Ephesians 2, one through five, you were dead in the

trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of the world, following the

prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work and the sons of disobedience, among

whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body

and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath like

the rest of mankind.

So how does someone like this come to Christ?

Verse four, but God, but God being rich in mercy because of the

great love which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive

together with Christ.

By grace, you have been saved.

Therefore remember, Ephesians 2, 11 through 13, remember that at one time, you Gentiles in the

flesh called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the

flesh by hands, remember that you were at that time separate from Christ,

alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope

and without God in the world.

How do a people without hope and without God come to know him?

Verse 13, but now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far

off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Salvation is of the Lord and the beginning of our salvation is our

election.

Over the years, I've had many interesting and lively discussions with people regarding the doctrine of election.

Election runs contrary to our perceived freedom.

And our liberty,.

And it can be very difficult to comprehend.

Election does not fall in line with our independence.

It does not agree with our autonomy or our self -rule.

It doesn't conform to our finite understanding of things.

Election occurred in eternity past.

Election occurred outside of time.

It is an infinite truth.

And the Lord God does not wrap up the doctrine of election in a pretty little box and present it to us.

Rather, he leaves it raw and uncut.

To a finite created being, those loose ends often leave us hanging and it leaves

us with some unanswered questions.

Well, how does the Lord God answer these questions?

To those who are left wondering about the doctrine of election, Paul addresses it in Romans chapter

nine.

He says, so then he has mercy on whomever he wills and he hardens whomever

he wills.

You will say to me then, why does he still find fault?

For who can resist his will?

But who are you, oh man, to answer back to God?

Well, what is molded, say to its molder, why have you made me like this?

Has the potter no right over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use

and another for dishonorable use?

Now, this is not the answer that most people are looking for, but it's the answer that the Lord God gives

to us and it is a sufficient answer.

Who are you to answer back to the Lord God?

How can the finite answer back to the infinite?

God's thoughts are not our thoughts.

God's ways are not our ways.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God's thoughts higher than our thoughts and his ways higher

than our ways.

I think what most people struggle with is not the mystery of election, but the fact that election

utterly devastates and crushes our pride because all the credit, all the praise

and all the glory for our salvation rightly goes to the Lord God.

Election leaves man no room for boasting, no room for pride, no room for self

-exaltation.

And the truth is, men like to boast.

Men like to praise and exalt themselves.

Men like to take credit.

Beloved, you may struggle with the doctrine of election.

Most of us have at one point or another, but you cannot deny it.

It is woven all throughout the tapestry of the scriptures.

It is undoubtedly and undeniably seen.

Romans 8 .28, and we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good.

For those who are called according to his purpose.

For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son

in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

And those whom he predestined, he also called.

And those whom he called, he also justified.

And those he justified, he also glorified.

And here is the unbroken chain of our salvation with election at the beginning.

Romans 9, verses 10 through 18.

And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,

though they were not yet born and had done neither good or bad, in order that God's

purpose of election might continue, not because of works, but because of him who

calls, she was told the older will serve the younger.

As it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.

What shall we say then?

Is there a justice on God's part?

By no means, for he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have

compassion on whom I have compassion.

So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God

who has mercy.

For the scripture says to Pharaoh, for this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and

that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

Again and again and again, the scriptures are clear.

Salvation is of the Lord.

You did not choose me, John 15, 16, but I chose you

and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask in my

father's name, he may give it to you.

Before the foundation of the world was laid by the Lord God's decree, and for the

demonstration of his glory, some were chosen to eternal life through

Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace, and others are left to

live in their sin, leading to their just condemnation, to the praise of his

glorious justice.

Beloved, you are not left to live in your sin.

You are a chosen race.

What an amazing privilege.

The fourth privilege of belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are a royal priesthood.

Those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ are a royal priesthood, and the emphasis here

is on royal.

Remember back in 1 Peter 2, 5, we already addressed our privilege as serving the Lord God

as his priest.

1 Peter 2, 5, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to

be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to

God through Jesus Christ.

As a holy priesthood, we do not offer animal sacrifices to the Lord God, but spiritual

sacrifices.

As a holy priesthood, every prayer, every praise, every thanksgiving, every good work,

every act of service, absolutely everything that we do is to be done

as an act of worship, which ascends to the Lord God our Father through our

great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.

As his priests, this is our spiritual act of worship.

But not only are we referred to as a holy priesthood, Peter describes those who come to Christ

as a royal priesthood.

Well, what is the significance of being a royal priesthood?

The Greek word translated royal refers to that which belongs to, is appointed to, or

is suitable for a king.

The term can mean palace, it can mean sovereignty, it can mean crown.

The term is often used to describe a sphere of authority or power or dominion.

Peter draws this concept of royal priesthood from the book of Exodus, where the Lord God speaks to Israel

through the prophet Moses.

Exodus 19, verses five and six.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my

treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.

And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.

The Lord God's plan for the people of Israel was for them to serve as a kingdom of priests.

His plan for the nation of Israel was for them to be a holy nation, a nation set

apart from the rest of the nations, a nation set apart as holy to the Lord,

a nation that would proclaim the glory of the Lord, a nation that would be a light to the other nations,

a kingdom of priests that would shine brightly in the darkness of the

world.

The nation of Israel rejected this plan.

Israel rejected her Messiah.

They rejected the cornerstone.

In her sin and rebellion, Israel forfeited this magnificent privilege.

Today, anyone from any people, from any nation who comes to the Lord Jesus

Christ will freely receive this privilege.

Anyone who comes to the Lord Jesus Christ will be made a royal priest.

Today, the Lord God's kingdom of priests is the household of faith.

It's the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

Revelation 5, 9, they sang a new song, saying, worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its

seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every

tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom of

priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.

Revelation 20, verse six, blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection.

Over such, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and

they will reign for a thousand years.

The church shall reign.

The church shall rule.

The church is a priesthood with dominion.

Not only do we offer spiritual sacrifices to the living God, but we will one day rule and reign

with the Lord Jesus Christ as his royal priesthood.

Privilege number one, those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ are identified with Christ.

Privilege number two, those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ offer sacrifices through Christ.

Privilege number three, those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ are a chosen race.

Privilege number four, those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ are a royal priesthood.

The fifth privilege, a belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ, you are a holy nation,

1 Peter 2 .9.

You're a chosen race, a royal priesthood, you are a holy nation.

Well, what does it mean to be holy?

The Greek word translated holy means to be set apart, it means to be separated, it means to be sanctified.

The term refers to whatever or whoever is set apart or sanctified for a special

purpose.

In the Old Testament, many things were divinely set apart by the Lord God for His own special.

Purpose.

There was the tabernacle, the temple, the furnishings in the temple, the altar, the Ark of

the Covenant, the Holy of Holies, there were tithes and offerings of the people.

These are just some of the things that had been set apart or sanctified or made holy.

By the Lord God.

Many people were set apart by the Lord God.

The nation of Israel was set apart as His chosen people and the tribe of Levi was set

apart as His chosen priesthood.

In Leviticus 10 .10, the Lord spoke to Aaron, the brother of Moses, the high priest whose job

was to distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean.

In obedience and rebellion, the nation of Israel failed to distinguish between these.

Things.

Israel forgot that she too had been set apart by God, that she too was holy to the Lord.

Israel forgot her holy privilege to be holy

as the Lord God is holy.

Under the new covenant, the tabernacle, the temple, the Ark, the altar, the tithes, the priesthood,

these no longer exist.

The only thing that has been set apart by the Lord God are His people, the

church.

And it is the church whom the Lord God has sovereignly and graciously chosen

and set apart for Himself through Jesus Christ for His

purpose.

The church is the temple of God.

The church is the priesthood of God.

The church is God's holy nation.

As a holy nation, the Lord God has sanctified us.

The Lord God has set us apart from the rest of the world.

The Lord God has set us apart from that which is unholy, that which is immoral, that which is impure.

And He's done this for His purposes.

Positionally, we have been sanctified.

We have been holy, devoted, and dedicated to the Lord God to be used according to His

plan, His purpose, and His will.

If you flip back two verses, 1 Peter 1, 1 and 2, to

those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,

Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the

Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with His blood.

Beloved, we are the elect exiles.

In eternity past, the Lord God elected us, and the Spirit of God set us apart.

We were elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, and then we were set apart in the

sanctification of the Spirit for the purpose of obedience,

obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Practically speaking, to be holy means to be pure.

It means to be clean.

It means to be righteous.

It means to be without sin.

It means to be free from the contamination and defilement of the world.

Second Corinthians 7, 1, since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from

every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of

God.

Ephesians 5, 1 and 2, therefore be imitators of God as beloved children and

walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us,

a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

To be holy means to be like the one whose image we bear.

To be holy means to be like the Lord God, to be without sin, to be without spot, to be

without blemish.

As obedient children, we are not to be conformed to the passions of our former ignorance,

but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your behavior.

Since it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy.

Holiness is achieved only when you no longer are being conformed to the sinful standard

that was yours prior to salvation.

Rather, we need to live according to the holy standard that was set by the Lord God,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5, 48, you therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

God is the standard.

God is the benchmark.

God is the pattern.

He is the only rule by which we must be measured.

Beloved, don't compare yourself to other Christians.

Compare yourself to God.

Don't compare yourself to other people.

Compare yourself to Christ.

Don't compare yourself to man's flawed standard of righteousness, but compare yourself to

God's perfect standard of righteousness.

The Lord God, your heavenly Father, is holy and without sin.

Thus, we too are to strive to be holy and without sin.

In all of our conduct, in all of our attitudes, in our actions, we are to strive to be without.

Sin.

Holiness should embrace every single aspect of your life.

It should fill and permeate every nook and cranny, leaving nothing

untouched.

Beloved, we are a holy nation, and thus we must live holy lives.

Our daily practice must reflect our position in Christ, and our

position in Christ should drive us and compel us to pursue holiness as

our daily practice.

As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.

Be holy as God is holy.

The sixth privilege of belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are his own possession.

You're a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own

possession.

Well, what does it mean to be a people for his own possession?

The term possession means to acquire.

It means to purchase.

To be a people for his own possession means that we belong to the Lord God.

It means that we have been acquired by the Lord God.

It means that we have been acquired by the Lord God and purchased by him

for a price.

Beloved, salvation is a glorious exchange.

It's a glorious transaction.

A price was paid for your life.

You were purchased by the Lord God.

In fact, you were purchased at the highest possible price.

Acts 20, 28.

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to

care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

First Corinthians 6, 18 through 20, flee from sexual immorality.

Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.

Therefore, glorify God in your body.

Titus 2, 11 through 14, for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training

us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passion, and to live self -controlled,

upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for the blessed hope, the

appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself

for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness, and to purify for

himself a people for his own possession, who are zealous for good works.

The Lord God acquired us.

The Lord God has purchased us.

The Lord God has redeemed us.

The Lord God, by sovereign election, chose us in eternity past, and by the sacrifice

of the Lord Jesus Christ, paid the highest price to buy us back from sin

and slavery and death, and thus, we belong to him.

Beloved, you are not your own.

You have been bought with a price.

You were purchased.

You were obtained.

You were redeemed out of the marketplace of sin with the blood of

Christ.

Thus, it is no longer you who live, but Christ lives in you.

Therefore, glorify God in your bodies.

I want you to think about this for a moment.

I want you to think about your redemption.

I have been redeemed.

I have been purchased.

I have been delivered from the bondage of sin.

I've been delivered from death by payment of ransom, the

blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, this is a marvelous truth.

In light of our redemption, should anyone in Christ ever struggle with their self -worth

or their value or their confidence?

Sometimes we do, but does it make any sense?

Beloved, you may not feel confident and valued.

You may not feel that you're worth a whole lot, but you are.

You are valued and treasured by the Lord God.

Remember, he bought you at the highest possible price.

The Lord handpicked you, and he paid an infinitely high cost for you, the blood of

Christ.

The Lord God bought you, and he bought you for a purpose, and that

purpose is that you would glorify him, that you would please him, that you

would walk in obedience to him.

Beloved, you are his cherished and treasured possession.

The seventh privilege of belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to proclaim the

Lord Jesus Christ.

We are his ambassadors.

First Peter 2, 9 and 10, 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.

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.

As one who belongs to the Lord God, our privilege and our duty is to proclaim the excellencies

of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Well, the Greek word translated proclaim means to tell forth.

It means to declare abroad.

It means to publish.

As those who belong to the Lord God, we are to tell forth.

We are to tell abroad.

We are to publish.

We are to tell forth that which is not otherwise known.

We are to make him widely known.

We are to broadcast and proclaim everywhere to everyone.

Well, what are we to specifically proclaim?

Well, we're to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his

marvelous light.

We are to proclaim the mighty and heroic deeds of the Lord God, our savior.

We are to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ and him crucified.

We are to proclaim to the world that the Lord Jesus Christ died to save

sinners and that there is salvation in no one else.

There is hope in no one else.

We are to proclaim what the Lord God has done for each one of us.

We have been called out of darkness into his marvelous light.

We have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of his beloved son.

1 Peter 2 .10, once we were not a people, but now we are God's

people.

Once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy.

At one time, we were not a people.

At one time, we were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to

the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now, we're God's people.

At one time, we were dead in our trespasses and sins.

We followed the course of this world.

We followed the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.

We lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and of the mind, and were by

nature children of wrath.

But now, we have received mercy.

And because we have received mercy, because we are God's people, we are to proclaim him.

We are to proclaim 2 Corinthians 5, 4, and 5.

What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves

as your servants for Jesus' sake.

For God, who said, let light shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts to give the light of the

knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Because we are God's people, we are to proclaim 2 Corinthians 5, 17.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.

The old has passed away.

Behold, new has come.

All of this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and

gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself,

not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of

reconciliation.

Therefore, as ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through

us, we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him, we might become

the righteousness of God.

Beloved, our identification is in Christ Jesus.

And thus, we are to proclaim Christ Jesus.

We are to proclaim Christ Jesus and him crucified.

We are to proclaim the gospel.

We're to proclaim the excellencies of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

We are to proclaim the hope that is found in Jesus alone.

As Christians, this is our distinct privilege.

We are the means that the Lord God uses to further his kingdom.

Jesus Christ has the power to save.

Jesus Christ is the Savior.

He is the Redeemer.

And this is what we are to preach because the world is in darkness.

The world is ignorant of the excellencies of God.

The world cannot see the excellencies of God.

So, we must boldly and loudly proclaim them.

Charles Spurgeon remarked, the light of the gospel is full of wonders.

As common light is made up of many colors, so the light of God's grace is made up of many

marvelous colors, the colors of all the attributes of God.

God's grace has been bestowed upon you in order that you may show forth his

praises.

Or as the marginal reading puts it, his virtues.

Note what the Lord has done for you.

He has called you out of darkness into light, into his light, into this

marvelous light.

What a marvelous light that it is into which God calls us.

Try to measure it by the darkness in which we were.

Try to measure it by the deeper darkness into which you were going.

Try to measure it by the eternal darkness which would have befallen you if you had died in the dark.

God has graciously brought you into his marvelous light.

Beloved, each one of us are a living advertisement, a living banner

that is to promote the excellencies of God, the virtues of God, the attributes of God,

the privileges, promises, and blessings of the Lord God.

Beloved, your life should reflect, it should radiate the marvelous, blinding

light of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord God has built us up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer

spiritual sacrifices.

He has chosen us to be a holy race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his

own possession so that we might proclaim the excellencies of him who called us

out of this darkness and placed us in his marvelous light.

At one time, you were not a people, but now you are God's people.

You are God's possession.

At one time, you would not receive mercy, but now you have received mercy.

You have been pardoned.

You have been redeemed.

You have been reconciled.

You have been forgiven.

You have been adopted into the family of God.

At one time, you were living life for your own advantage.

You were living life for yourself, but now it is no longer

you who live, but Christ lives in you.

And the life that you now live in the flesh, you must live by faith in the Son of God

who loved you and gave himself up for you.

Beloved, live your life in light of these magnificent privileges and blessings

and boldly proclaim these excellencies to a world that is enslaved

in darkness and despair and futility and death.

This is your spiritual service of worship.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the work of Christ.

And Lord, we recognize we were in darkness.

We were separate from Christ.

We had no hope.

We were without God, and yet you accomplished something in us.

You did the work.

You chose us.

You set us apart.

You redeemed us.

You justified us.

Lord, you have given us tremendous life in Christ Jesus.

Lord, out of thankfulness and out of gratitude, help us now to live for you.

Help us to follow the steps that Christ followed.

Help us to think as he thinked.

Help us to do as he did.

Lord, we pray that we would be great proclaimers of your truth, great

proclaimers of the gospel.

Lord, I pray that in our lives, we would be consistent, that the proclamation

that we proclaim, our lives would line up to it.

So, Lord, help us to put off sin and help us to live righteous lives by the power of the

Spirit.

Lord, we pray that we would see your work in not only our personal lives, but in

our church and in our communities.

We pray, Lord, that we would see many men and women and children come to Christ.

And Lord, we give you all the glory.

Thank you, Lord.

In Jesus' name, amen.