The Blessing of Belonging

The Blessing of Belonging

The Blessing of Belonging”

(1 Peter 2:9-10)

Series: Strength Through Adversity

Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD

Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson

  • Take your Bibles and join me in 1 Peter, chapter 2 (page 815; YouVersion).

If you’re visiting with us we started a series of messages in 1Peter a few weeks ago and we’re in chapter 2 of this letter the Apostle Peter wrote to Christians going through times of struggle and suffering. Many of the people of Peter’s initial audience would eventually find themselves under the reign of Roman Emperor Nero, one of the most tyrannical of the Roman Emperors, infamously remembered for burning Christians alive in his gardens as a source of light in the evenings.

Now that’s important to remember as we study our short text this morning, verses 9 and 10. In verses 9 and 10 Peter underscores the blessing of belonging. Remember these Christians had been ostracized from popular culture around them. They were persecuted economically, socially, and physically. They were generally hated by the non-Christians in the Roman provinces mentioned in verse 1. So in an effort to strengthen these believers and to shore up their hearts, Peter reminds them that while others may reject them and they find themselves as pilgrims who don’t seem to belong, they very much belong to God and to one another.

  • Stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.

9 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;

10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

  • Pray.

Introduction:

It’s a wonderful thing to feel that one belongs. One of the reasons social media like Facebook and Twitter is so popular is largely because those who “tweet” or “post updates” feel that they are among people who share some affinity with themselves, they feel they are among people who like them, people who accept them, people with whom they feel they belong.

This is the blessing also inherent in the nuclear family, however dysfunctional it may be. Family members feel they can be vulnerable with one another because they know they are family, they belong. Our family accepts us, however strange we may be.

This week I listened to a message by my favorite preacher, the Scotsman Alistair Begg. He was speaking about family and he was making this point that one can choose his friends, but he cannot choose his family. You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. You’re born into it. But the beauty of it is that in your family you belong. Now I thought I’d share this with you as Thanksgiving is coming this Thursday and it might be helpful to think about the blessing of family insofar as family members accept one another despite their oddities and quirks. In the message Begg said:

So Thanksgiving dinner will come around and Aunt Mabel will show up again from Minnesota. She talks far too much. Everybody knows it. Uncle Leonard usually doesn’t come, but when he comes he’s absolutely morose. Trying to get a smile out of him is like trying to get blood out of a stone. Frieda–nobody really knows who Frieda is–but she exaggerates dreadfully. And Tommy sees every glass half-empty. But they’re family! And therefore we pair with one another. And so it is in the church family.

Isn’t that so? In our church we have a wide variety of people from various backgrounds and there’s a wide spectrum of education, experience, and giftedness. Yet we all accept one another as Aunt Mabel accepts Uncle Leonard and as that family accepts Frieda and Tommy. That’s the church family. We are a family of those who belong to one another because we belong to God. I had to laugh when Begg went on to talk about the popular hymn, “The Family of God.” He says:

Now I know that Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote the song, “I’m so glad that you’re part of the family of God,” but for a long time here we haven’t sung it, and we haven’t sung it because I’ve destroyed it for you for all time by suggesting to you that it would be far better if it were written, “I’m surprised that you’re part of the family of God!” [He says] That would be far more honest, wouldn’t it?! Starting with ourselves.

We ought to be surprised that we are part of the family of God. And this passage of Scripture reminds us of that blessed privilege, the blessing of belonging.

Now look again at verses 9 and 10, chapter 2, verses 9 and 10. What Peter is doing here is taking a passage from the Old Testament and applying it to the church. He is taking an Old Testament passage about the people of Israel and saying that the church now is the new Israel. Now you need not turn there, but you might make a note of Exodus 19:5-6. Because it is there that God originally speaks the words Peter uses here in chapter 2.

When the Israelites were gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai to receive from God the former covenant, or what we call the old covenant, or the Old Testament, God said through Moses, “If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people…and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…” Sounds similar to verses 9 and 10 in our text. So Peter is saying that the church today is the ultimate expression of the family of God.

Now, let’s put a magnifying glass over verse 9 and study the blessing of belonging. Look at verse 9, the first three words:

But you are

That is, in contrast to those about whom Peter has just been speaking, the non-Christians in verse 8, those who are, “disobedient to the word,” those who refused Christ and in their refusal stumbled over the cornerstone, stumbled over Christ, and will therefore stumble or fall on the day of judgment. So in contrast to those in verse 8, you Christians in verse 9 are different. Peter writes, “But you are,” and then he gives four descriptive phrases that speak to the Christian’s position or rank or status. He says,

But you are a 1) Chosen generation, 2) a royal priesthood, 3) a holy nation, 4) His own special people. So Peter says to every Christian–and this is the first main point:

I. REJOICE in Your POSITION (9a)

You belong to God. You belong to one another. Rejoice in your position. Let’s look at each of these four phrases in verse 9 one at a time. But you are:

A chosen generation

The Greek word for chosen there is e˙klekto/n (e˙klekto/n), from which we get “election,” the doctrine of election, the biblical doctrine of our having been chosen by God, chosen to salvation. God chooses us. That’s the word Peter uses and that’s what the word means. God chooses us. Yes, of course we choose Him when we receive Christ as Lord and Savior, but we choose Him only because He had first chosen us and drew us savingly to His side. This is expressed beautifully by an old hymn-writer:

Tis not that I did choose Thee,

For Lord, that could not be;

This heart would still refuse Thee,

Hadst Thou not chosen me…

My heart owns none before Thee,

For Thy rich grace I thirst;

This knowing, if I love Thee,

Thou must have loved me first. (Josiah Conder, 1836)

So no one in the church can boast of their being included. The text does not say, “A choice generation,” as though we were the very best, the cream of the crop, the choice pick, but it says, “a chosen generation.” God chooses us, we who were dead in trespasses and sin, we who had nothing to offer God. We were not choice. We were sinners chosen. So no one can boast of being included. We belong because God chose us to Himself, He chose us to belong to Him.

The word, “Generation,” there may be translated, “kin,” or, “people,” or even, “race.” Christians are like a new race, we are a people among whom ethnicity does not matter in the sense that it matters to so many today. Christians are those who belong to God and to one another regardless of their ethnicity. We are a chosen generation, a chosen race of God’s people, one family of believers belonging to God and to one another. As God’s chosen generation we are there for one another, helping one another, strengthening one another in our family.

Remember from last week, in verse 5, where Peter teaches Christians are a building? The church is not a building of bricks or stones. The church is people. The church is made of living stones, living people who come together and work together. A stone by itself is not a building. It needs other stones. A Christian by himself or herself is not the church. A Christian is a living stone, joining up and together with other living stones, to make up the church.

Last spring the “Los Angeles Times” summarized a research study on the mystery of floating fire ants in the Brazilian rain forests. When placed in water an individual fire ant will flounder, struggle, and then eventually sink. But when the fire ants band together they form life rafts that help them survive the flash floods. As a unified raft, they can even travel for months before reaching dry land.

So this article in the “LA Times” reported how scientific research has unlocked the secret of this natural mystery. The scientists collected a bunch of fire ants and dropped them into containers of water. The ants quickly spread out and formed themselves into rafts. Each individual ant used its claws and the adhesive pads on their legs to grip onto each other. One researcher said, “At first it just looks like a tangle of bodies and limbs everywhere, but the longer you look at the picture, the more you’re able to distinguish between different body parts and see the connection.” Then the insects use air pockets that form around their bodies to keep themselves afloat.

The article concluded, “The research sheds light on how deeply social insects act together: almost as if they’re part of a superorganism …. [As one scientist said], ‘The individuals acting together create this awareness of the environment that no individual ant has.’” Amina Khan, “Mystery of floating fire ants solved,” The Los Angeles Times (4-29-11).

That’s a picture of the power of the church. We as a chosen generation need one another. We accept one another, we depend upon one another, we work with one another, we survive because of one another. If you say, “Well, I don’t need the church,” or, “I don’t believe in organized religion,” you may find yourself alone one day and sinking. But with your family, the family of God, with fellow believers you cling to one another and ride out the storm together.

Rejoice in Your Position. You are a chosen generation. Peter also says in verse 9, you are:

A royal priesthood,

There’s a similar phrase we looked at last week in verse 5 where Peter refers to Christians as, “a holy priesthood.” We talked about that last week, how the priests of the Old Testament have been replaced with Christians who are their own priests. We don’t need a priest today to be our “go-between,” between us and God. We are our own priests.

So think about what else a priest does in the Old Testament. The priest prays. He prays for others. He intercedes for others. As a royal priesthood, we are to pray for one another. We ought to be like Samuel in the Old Testament who said in 1 Samuel 12:23, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you;” The church prays for one another.

In his book Bad Religion, Ross Douthat argues that as families have weakened and true friendships have waned, (many) have tried to fill the vacuum by relying on professional caregivers. While these professionals certainly care about their clients, there’s a deeper problem at stake for the church. Douthat writes:

As [the philosopher] Ronald Dworkin pointed out … the United States has witnessed a hundredfold increase in the number of professional caregivers since 1950. Our society boasts 77,000 clinical psychologists, 192,000 clinical social workers, 105,000 mental health counselors, 50,000 marriage and family therapists, 17,000 nurse psychotherapists, 30,000 life coaches—and hundreds of thousands of nonclinical social workers and substance abuse counselors as well.

What’s interesting is that Dworkin writes, “Most of these professionals spend their days helping people cope with everyday life problems, not true mental illness.” He adds, that this means that, “under our very noses a revolution has occurred in the personal dimension of life, such that millions of Americans must now pay professionals to listen to their everyday life problems.” He concludes, “The result is a nation where gurus and therapists have filled the roles once occupied by spouses and friends,”–and we would add, the church. Ross Douthat, Bad Religion (Free Press, 2012), pp. 240-241

Take time this week to truly listen to others. Consider the power of blessing in the question, “How can I pray for you?” As royal priests, we should pray for one another. “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.”

Verse 9, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,

A holy nation,

Christians are a holy nation. I have been challenged by Tim Keller’s statement, “To be holy is to be wholly God’s.” Holiness is a matter of being, “Wholly God’s.” Every area of our lives is to be dedicated to Him. Our thoughts, our actions, our words, our eyes, our tongues, our hearts, “wholly” His. Think about that this week as you consider yourselves, “a holy nation.” Think of “holiness” as being, “Wholly God’s.”

Verse 9, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,

His own special people,

The King James has, “a peculiar people.” That’s not a great translation of the phrase for today. In 1611 it made sense, but today the word, “peculiar” means something else. Some have even quoted the King James Version to support weirdness of some Christians. Some Christian is kind of goofy and a person will say, “Well, you know we’re a peculiar people.” Yeah, but not strange and goofy!

The phrase, “His own special people,” is more literally, “A people for possession,” or as another translation has it, a people, “belonging to God (NIV).” Christians are God’s treasured possession.

You are treasured by God not because you are choice (remember!), but because He has chosen you, “in Christ.” What makes you special to God is your position in Christ. You are “hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).” Your sins are paid for in Christ. You are clothed in Christ’s righteousness. God looks upon you and sees you not in your sins, but sees your sins paid for in Christ Jesus and His righteousness covering you like a big overcoat. For this reason, you are, “His own special people,” a people for possession, a people belonging to God.

Just as you have something in your home that is your most treasured possession. In case of a fire, you run to that thing and grab it because it’s your most treasured possession. Because of Christ Jesus, you are God’s own special people. You are His treasured possession–not choice, but chosen.

So, when you are feeling down, don’t read some pop-psychology book to boost your self-esteem, just go to the Bible and open 1 Peter, chapter 2 and read verse 9 and rejoice in your position. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special possession, people.

Rejoice in your position. But for what purpose? Why are we here? Last part of verse 9:

that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

So here’s number two:

II. REALIZE Your PURPOSE (9b)

Your purpose in life is to, “proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” If He is the one who treasures us as His special people, then we owe our lives to Him. We live for Him. Our ultimate purpose in life is to glorify God.

Our ultimate purpose in life is not to be successful, to make a lot of money, to retire on the beach and spend our days in lazy reflection and isolation. We have been created for the purpose of, verse 9, “proclaiming the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

As the Apostle Paul says elsewhere, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).”

You and I exist for reflecting the light we have received. We received the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we now live as light reflectors. We, verse 9, “proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” That is, “We declare to others the excellencies of God.”

What does that look like practically speaking? How do we, “proclaim the praises of Him?” How do we declare to others the excellencies of God and His Son, Jesus Christ? We proclaim the praises of Him through both our worship and our words. In one sense, we proclaim the praises of Him through worship, like we’re doing this morning through praise and biblical teaching. But we also proclaim the praises of Him through our words, through our witness.

This week we will proclaim the praises of God through our witness at work, at school, and in our neighborhoods. This is your ultimate purpose in life. This week, as many of us are reunited with family for Thanksgiving, take time to proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Rejoice in Your Position, Realize Your Purpose and, thirdly:

III. Remember Your Past (10)

Peter adds:

who once were not a people but are now the people of God,

who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Remember your past. You once were, “not a people.” You once were, as Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1, “dead in trespasses and sins.” You once were dead. You once were blind. You once were lost. But now you are alive, but now you see, but now you are found. You once were, “not a people,” but now you are, “the people of God.” You once had not obtained mercy, “but now have obtained mercy.”

Never forget where you were before God took hold of your heart and drew you to His side! Remembering your past will keep you humble. You didn’t deserve salvation anymore than anyone else. God gets all the glory for what He has done in your life. He has taken broken people and put them together in this unique organization called the church. The blessing of belonging!

I close with this:

NPR Commentator Heather King is a recovering alcoholic. She has become a Christian and in a book published last October she reflects on her initial experience with the church. She writes:

My first impulse was to think, My God, I don’t want to get sober…with THESE nutcases! She adds, “Nothing shatters our egos like worshipping with people we did not hand-pick …. The humiliation of discovering that we are thrown in with extremely unpromising people!—people who are broken, misguided, wishy-washy, out for themselves. People who are … us.” [Adapted from Heather King, “The Better Church,” Shirt of Flame blog (10-23-11)].

What a joy to belong to a people as goofy and mixed-up as we ourselves–a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people.

  • Stand for prayer.

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