Sermon

A Nation of Priests

October 20, 2019 Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church - Sermons

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Good morning.
My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,
and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.
If you are new or visiting with us, welcome.
We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,
but because we're following Jesus together as one community,
and as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good,
that they don't need God's grace, and no one so bad that they can't have it,
which is a way of saying that God has something to say to everyone in his word,
which is why we come back week after week to hear from God.
If you've been with us, you know that we're in the book of 1 Peter,
and the book of 1 Peter is a letter.
It's a letter written by a man named Peter, and he writes it to Christians
who are living in the first century in what is now modern-day Turkey,
and these Christians are in distress, and so Peter writes to them,
and they're in distress because they are feeling out of place in the world
because they're Christians, and they're facing opposition from the world as Christians.
Peter writes to give them both encouragement and instruction.
He writes to encourage them that Jesus is worth it.
Jesus is worth living and loving for,
and Jesus is worth suffering and dying for.
He also writes to instruct them that they would know how to live in the world as Christians,
and they would know how to respond when living as Christians leads to opposition from the world.
Last week, we talked about the importance of community,
that we're not just chosen as God's people,
as we saw at the very beginning of chapter 1 as individuals,
but we are chosen as a group, that we're meant to belong and be together.
We had the image of the stones that are built together into a spiritual house in verses 4 through 9, 4 through 8.
Now we turn again.
Peter's going to continue to talk about God's people as a group.
He's going to cement even more what we've discussed last week,
and so we're going to continue to ask the questions about God's people that we looked at previously,
and one of the questions is this.
Why does God have a people?
What is the purpose or mission of God's people?
What's the relationship of God's people to the world around them?
And how is it that God's people should act as they encounter that world,
especially when, as Peter's readers are experiencing opposition, they experience opposition?
And so it's with those questions that we come to 1 Peter 2, starting at verse 9.
You can follow along with me in your worship guide.
You can find it on your phone.
You can open it up in your Bible.
But remember, as we come, we're coming to God's Word,
and God tells us that His Word, unlike grass which withers,
and unlike flowers which fade, will last forever.
And so that's why we read now, starting at verse 9.
Verse 11.
I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's Word.
Father in heaven, we praise you and thank you that you speak to us,
you communicate with us.
You're not a distant father, but you're a father who's close,
who communicates and teaches and instructs His children.
And so we ask simply that you would send your Holy Spirit this morning to do that,
that you would instruct us and teach us,
that you would unstop our ears and open our eyes and soften our hearts and clear our minds,
that we would be able to see and hear and know and believe and understand everything that is written about you.
We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
I have mentioned to you all before that I grew up right outside Washington, D.C.,
and my parents made it a priority to try to be tourists in the place that we lived,
and so there were countless times that we went into the city.
And one of the things that we started doing near the end of my time at home,
I think it probably wasn't until I was in high school,
was we would head into National Cathedral, which is the large cathedral in Washington, D.C.,
for their Christmas Eve service.
We had bounced around for a while as a family trying to find the right spot to be at Christmas Eve,
because our church didn't have one.
And if you drive to the National Cathedral, if you're familiar with Washington, D.C.,
you know it's hard to get there without going along Massachusetts Avenue.
And Massachusetts Avenue is actually known, has a nickname, it's called Embassy Row,
because as you go along on both sides, it's lined with different embassies from different countries,
and you can see because they have the country's flags hanging outside.
And so you'll drive along and you might see the Indian Embassy,
or the Embassy for Greece, or the Embassy for Ireland.
This is not just true of Washington, D.C., we actually have some embassies in Denver.
It turns out that Colorado can have nice things.
Not just 14ers, and so we have the Canadian Embassy.
We have an Irish Embassy.
Because these places are places where people can go and have that country represented.
If you have business you need to do with that country, if you're a citizen of that country,
that's your hot spot.
That's the place where they fly that flag above every other.
Peter's been telling his people, the recipients of this,
about belonging to God and being not just individuals but a group,
and he begins here in verse 9 to use all kinds of different language, including national language.
He tells them,
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.
What Peter is telling them here is radical.
They are a new group of people, a different race, a different kind of people,
because they belong to God and they're Christians.
And not only that, as they live in this world and they feel marginalized,
they are actually their own nation.
That is how serious God thinks of his people,
how seriously he thinks of his people and the reality in which they belong to him.
Their identity belonging to him as a people is so strong
that they can think of themselves as their own nation
with their own allegiances and loyalties and practices and laws.
They're their own race.
That loyalty takes place above maybe the birth race that they have.
They belong to God's people before they belong to any other people.
And really, we could spend a sermon on each one of these descriptions.
I think there's four here.
Race, priesthood, nation, people.
These are overlapping categories.
And Peter is telling them again what we saw last week,
that they are part of a countercultural community
that exists in the world chosen by God with loyalty to God.
They have countercultural practices and ways of living.
And their loyalties are greater and different
than any of the other loyalties that they face.
If you walk just a few blocks from here,
you'll go by Otero Elementary School, which is just that way.
And Otero has a flagpole like many schools do.
And it has two flags on it.
It has the American flag and it has the Colorado flag.
Now, which of those flags is the flag on top?
It's the American flag.
Peter is telling these people in Asia Minor
that their flag as Christians
flies higher than any other flag.
It is a loyalty that is greater for them
than any other loyalty.
And we're going to talk about that next week,
how that affects the Christian's relationship
with the government and the state.
But remember that the people receiving this letter
are people who feel at times harassed and helpless.
They're out of place in the world
that they live geographically.
They don't necessarily belong to the nation that they're in.
And even if they do,
they claim a different and higher loyalty.
They have different practices.
Peter encourages them that when it comes to God,
they belong to his nation.
And they're a part of his people.
They're a priesthood and a nation.
They're holy.
They've been set apart.
And so just what was said singularly about individuals,
of course it was in the plural in the book,
but I applied it to you all as individuals in chapter one.
Now Peter continues to apply to groups.
That God doesn't just have single people,
but he has a people.
We talked about the importance of this people last week.
And because of the image of the stones in the building,
I did not have time to focus as much
on the image of the priesthood.
And I told you last week
that we would talk about it this week,
and I gave you a little teaser.
And lo and behold,
it shows up here in verse nine.
So to review,
in verses four and five,
we're told not only are we living stones,
but we are a holy priesthood
to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.
And as we talked about last week,
that's the obedience and praise
that believers give to God in their lives.
Peter repeats that here in verse nine,
telling them that they are a royal priesthood.
Now if you are familiar with the Old Testament,
you know that the priests served in the temple,
and they did all sorts of things.
They taught people God's word.
They made sacrifices on behalf of the people.
And they were set apart from the rest of the people.
There was something about them
that was different and special.
They were called to a higher standard
of behavior and living.
Now some of you remember
the old style SATs,
where you had the analogies,
you know, cat is to dog as,
I won't finish that one.
But Peter is using an analogy here
about the priesthood.
He is telling them,
as the priesthood operated towards Israel
in the Old Testament,
now you, as a whole nation,
operate towards the world.
Whatever the priesthood was supposed to do for Israel,
you now, as New Testament believers,
all of you are priests,
and you interact in that way with the world.
In other words,
you represent God to the world.
And, in a sense,
you represent the world to God.
You represent God to the world,
and you also represent the world to God.
That's what priests did.
They helped people know God.
They helped people have a relationship with God.
They taught people about God's ways.
If there was a sermon that was given in the Old Testament,
there was teaching about God's law,
the chances are it would have been given by a priest.
They would have helped people know God
and what the truth about Him was.
Embassies, they don't just exist to exist,
but they have a purpose.
They represent that nation to another place.
And,
they represent people from that foreign place
back to their nation.
Now, living outside of D.C.,
we had easy access to embassies,
and that wasn't necessarily helpful for us
because we weren't traveling a lot as a family internationally,
really not at all.
But,
there came a time after my grandfather died
that my grandmother,
my dad's mother,
took a lot of trips and traveling
for a period of time,
and there were points in nations
where she had to get permission,
receive permission to travel to them.
And so,
she would drive up from North Carolina
to our home in Southern Maryland,
and then she would drive in to Washington, D.C.
to visit the embassy
so that she could turn in her application
to visit a specific country.
And so,
in that sense,
the embassy represented her.
And,
the embassy also represented
their country to us.
I think at one point,
she went to the Indian embassy.
So,
they represented her to India,
and they represented India to her.
Why do God's people exist?
Why does God have a people?
God has a people
so that he would be known
in the entire world.
that he would have
an embassy in this world.
And he has a people
to represent him
to that world.
And in a sense,
those people
also represent the world
to God.
And so,
as we represent God
to the world,
we're making God known
to the people around us
in our community.
You might be wondering,
how is it
that we represent
the world to God?
Right?
People have to have
a direct relationship
with God through Jesus.
We can't have a relationship
for them.
But,
think about this.
Abraham,
as one man has pointed out,
prayed on behalf
of Sodom and Gomorrah.
when we pray to God
on behalf
of the people around us
and on behalf
of the nations around us
and the nation
in which we live,
we are serving
as priests
representing the world
to God.
And when we tell
the people around us
about God's goodness
and his justice
and his mercy
and his love,
and when we live it out
in our lives,
we are representing God
to the world.
And so,
being a priesthood here
is not just
some fancy
religious language.
It's not an image
of people
who hide
in prayer closets
all day
and can never
seem to be found
anywhere
except a Bible study.
Instead,
it is people
who are living out
God's purposes
in the world
and making him known
in the same way
that priests
in the Old Testament
made sure God's people
knew about him.
How is it
that we serve
as priests
to the world?
Peter gives us
two ways
about how we help
other people
to know God.
First,
he gives us
a little bit
of a mission statement
here in verse 9.
Okay,
we're a chosen race,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people for his own possession.
Why?
That you may proclaim
the excellencies
of him
who called you
out of darkness
into his marvelous light.
God has chosen us
as his people
that we would
praise him
and that the world
would see and hear.
God has chosen us
as his people.
God has a people
so that the entire world
would be filled
with his praise.
and not just
praise in general
but praise
about the fact
that he's called us
out of darkness
into his marvelous light
proclaiming his excellencies.
Proclaiming God's excellencies
is talking about
his great acts
of redemption,
what he has done
for us
and for the world
and so we're proclaiming
that he's the creator.
He's the one who's made
the heavens and the earth.
We're also proclaiming
that he's our redeemer.
He's the one who comes
and offers to restore us
and the world
from the effects of sin
through the death
of his son.
And we're proclaiming
the effects of that.
He's called us
out of darkness
into light.
We are not just people
who have had the penalty
of sin removed from us
but we experience
the freedom
of walking
without the shame
and guilt
that would otherwise
cover us
because of our sin.
God has a people
in this world
to proclaim
his goodness
into that world.
And so that's the first way
that we're priests.
We're priests
as we praise God.
We represent God
to the world
as we worship
right here
on Sunday morning
October 20th.
We are right now
serving as priests
as we sing praises
to God.
And we're also
serving as priests
as we live out
our lives
as people who belong
to God
and tell others
around us
about the truth
of God.
We're telling them
what's in verse 10
once we were not
a people
but now we are
God's people
because we've
received mercy.
Peter does not
just tell them
however
that they serve
as priests
by praising God.
Now that would be
great right
if the Christian life
you know
we come to
confess Christ
and we decide
all that means
is we just show up
on Sunday mornings
and sing praises
and we can go
and just
nothing else
needs to change.
We'll just go
and live our lives
the way they were
before
but church is a
great place to be
on Sunday morning
to be with other people
and kind of to feel
uplifted and excited
and sometimes
the music is good
and we really like it
but sometimes
it's not our
favorite song
but that's really
what it means
to be a Christian.
Certainly not
less than that
but Peter tells us
here that it is
so much more
than that.
He moves on
from praise
to talk about
not just our identity
as chosen by God
or our people
as worshipers
but hear about
our behavior.
Verse 11
In other words
it's not just
our praise
that brings
other people
to know God
it is also
our behavior
God means
for our obedience
to him
our holiness
our set apartness
to cause people
to stop
and pay attention
to notice
that there is
something different
that our holiness
would lead people
to see the goodness
of God
as we live lives
where we value
life
rather than death
people would see
the beauty of that
as we live lives
where we value
truth
over falsehood
others would see
how rare that is
in this world
as we live lives
where we honor
our vows
and our commitments
people would see
the character
of God
as people watch us
caring for the vulnerable
rather than them
being downtrodden
they would wonder
what it is
that makes that possible
as people
are around us
and they notice
that we're able
to enjoy each other
and laugh
and have fun
without substance abuse
they will question
how are those people
able to do that
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
when we use
our sexuality
to build other people
up
rather than to use them
and exploit them
people will see
the goodness
of God
and some of them
will glorify God
on the day
of visitation
now there's a catch here
sounds good right
people live great lives
people are drawn
to God through that
except verse 11
and 12
we're still sojourners
and exiles
verse 11
so we're still
living as people
who feel out of place
in this world
even more than that
verse 12
why are we keeping
our conduct
honorable
why are God's people
putting off sin
and putting on righteousness
well
what's going to happen
when you live
as a sojourner
in an exile
is that people
are going to speak
against you
as evildoers
and so there's
a dual reality here
on the one hand
people are speaking
poorly about these
Christians
on the other hand
they can't help
but see their good works
now I've told you
in the past
that a lot of
the opposition
that people face
for being Christians
is something
that happens
in other parts
of the world
and Nancy Carlson
mentioned that
this morning
we see opposition
perhaps in places
like Africa
or the global south
and yet we also
see this dual dynamic
here in the United States
the speaking against
its evildoers
and also seeing
good deeds
I received a text
this week
from a friend of mine
in seminary
telling me about
another friend
and one of my friends
went to work
after he graduated
at a church
in Columbia
Missouri
and that church
showed up in the news
this week
so and this is
very recent
so last Sunday
one of the pastors
of this church
not my friend
but a different pastor
and this is a
Presbyterian church
by the way
or not our denomination
but a sister denomination
the pastor stood up
and gave a message
from Genesis chapter 1

Genesis 1:27
verse 27
and he preached
what it is
and how we think
as Christians
about gender dysphoria
so he's talking
about how we think
about our identity
as men and women
the news media
got a hold of this
and very quickly
there was an outcry
in the city
of Columbia, Missouri
so there were petitions
that were being signed
to boycott
this church
now of course
the people boycotting
never went to the church
so they had to find
a different way
to boycott the church
they decided
to boycott businesses
that were associated
with the church
and this is ongoing
right now
this article just came out
on Friday
as you read it though
you might be wondering
what are these businesses
that are associated
with the church
churches don't run businesses
we don't run a business
most churches aren't involved
in business
as you read along
in the article
you discover
it's not businesses
this church
has been giving away
their money
their church's money
to non-profits
in the city
and so this petition
is begging these non-profits
to no longer receive
the church's money
the church also
this appears in the article
this is not an article
written by Christians
this church
also offers their building
for free
to an arts program
there in the city
this arts program
is now under pressure
so they have pulled out
and they will no longer
be holding their art display
for free
and this church
this is a large church
by the way
the church's large facility
the article mentions
that they no longer
have a place
to hold their art exhibit
which is coming up
very soon
verse 12
keep your conduct
among the Gentiles
honorable
so that when they
speak against you
as evildoers
this church is being
spoken against
as evildoers
they may see
your good deeds
and glorify God
on the day of visitation
what is this church doing
they are seeking
the flourishing
of this community
they're offering
their building
for people in the community
to use
to promote beauty
and art
they're encouraging
non-profits
in the city
that need
financial support
and I can't help
but hope
and wonder
that as people
read that article
they may tilt
their heads
a little bit
so we're saying
no the church
can't give money
to the non-profits
in our city
and we're saying
no they can't
host art galleries
for free
in their large building
that now maybe
this non-profit
is going to have to pay
to rent a building
I'm confident
that some people
are going to encounter that
and of course
they're going to continue
to speak against them
I'm also confident
that some people
are going to see that article
and realize
this church
is doing good works
and some people
may be drawn
to see their good deeds
and glorify God
on the day of visitation
in other words
some people
may come to faith
in Christ
because of the faithfulness
of this church
and when Jesus returns
in his second coming
to the earth
because of that
they will give glory
to him
oh and by the way
if you go onto
this church's website
of course the first thing
that shows up
is a question and answer
about last week's sermon
because this is just
blowing them up right now
if you scroll over
a couple other things
you'll see the new initiative
that they just completed
to pay off
medical debt
for people in poverty
in their city
and so this church
just donated $430,000
it's a very large church
to pay off
emergency room bills
for people who would
not otherwise
be able to pay them
now I tell you this
not to say
look at these great Christians
and all the good
they're doing
but to say
here's an example
of this dual reality
on the one hand
this church
is being slandered
and spoken against
in the media
in their local city
but they're
first Peter
kind of people
they're a first Peter church
and so people
can't help
but also see
their good deeds
we are priests
God's priests
to the nations
we are his embassy
to let people know
what is true
about him
not just
in our praise
verse 9
proclaiming his excellencies
but also
in our behavior
verses 11 and 12
we represent God
not just by what we say
but also by what we do
and when we're living
the lives
that God calls us to
in this world
those around us
cannot help
but see
and some of them
will give glory
to God
as a result
John Stott
says this
evangelism
that is declaring
God's praises
and his good news
of salvation in Jesus
evangelism without
good works
lacks credibility
good works
without evangelism
lacks intelligibility
evangelism without
good works
lacks credibility
good works
without evangelism
lacks intelligibility
why does God
have a people
he has a people
to serve as priests
helping others
to know him
and bringing those
people
to know him
as well
and why do they
do it
we saw last week
that we are stones
founded on the stone
so what's true
of Jesus
is true of us
we are priests
and Hebrews chapter 4

Hebrews 4 chapter mention
tells us
that Jesus
is our great
high priest
which means
that Jesus
is the one
ultimately
who represents
us to God
and so we're
able to proclaim
his goodness
in the world
not because of
what we've done
right
this church
is not claiming
its goodness
in fact
if you read
on their website
about what they've
done to pay
off the debt
they explain
the reason
they're paying
off these debts
is because Jesus
paid off their debt
they're serving
the community
around them
in mercy
because they know
the mercy
that they've received
through Jesus
and so as we act
as a chosen race
and a royal priesthood
and a holy nation
we do it
not because we're
the great priests
but because we follow
the great priest
and Jesus
as our great high priest
is both a priest
and a sacrifice
as a sacrifice
he suffered
the death
and punishment
that we deserve
and he also
lived the life
that we couldn't live
and so he took
the pain
and penalty
of sin
and now he's
our priest
he represents
us before God
that's why
we pray
in Jesus name
at the end
of our prayers
because we know
that Jesus
is the only one
who gives us
standing with God
he has
to represent us
and so
we also
represent him
to the world
proclaiming
and living
out the goodness
and mercy
of God
so why does
God have a people
God has a people
to represent him
and make him
known
in this world
that is why
God has chosen
you
and that's why
God has chosen
his church
how do we serve
as God's priests
in this world
we do it in two
ways
we glorify God
and we sing
his praises
we do it
with our words
and we also
live faithful
and holy lives
so that when
others speak
against us
they will see
our good deeds
and glorify God
on the day
of visitation
we do it
with our words
and we also
do it with
our actions
and we do
all of this
as priests
to the world
around us
because Jesus
is our great
high priest
and he
as we represent
him
he represents
us to God
and so that's
why we follow
him
and love him
and obey him
and proclaim
his greatness
throughout the world
please pray with me
dear father in heaven
we thank you
that you have
sent your son
as our great
priest
and that you
also give us
the privilege
of serving as
your priests
in this world
knowing you
and also making
you known
we ask that you
would encourage
us with that
and challenge us
that our lives
would be ones
where we don't
just praise you
but we also
honor you
in the way we act
and that we
would not just
honor you
in the way
that we act
but we would
also praise you
we don't deserve
any of these things
and so we don't
ask for them
on our own
but we know
that Jesus
represents us
to you
and so we ask
them in his name
amen