I Peter 2:9-10 "A People with a Purpose"

You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

Our passion is to experience and express grace.

Join us.

As we begin our sermon this morning, I'd like to invite the kids to come up here and sit

on the stairs with me for a couple of minutes.

I want to talk with you.

Look, you can sit with Miss Angela too.

It's going to be fun.

All right.

Just come on up here.

See if you can get where you can see me.

There's some seats down here in front of the steps.

I want to tell you all how glad we are that you all are in here worshiping God with us

every week.

Isn't it fun to be in here and get to celebrate how much God loves us?

That's awesome, isn't it?

You get to sing with us and pray with us and get to be a part of the baptism.

We're just really glad that you all are in here with us.

Sometimes, at this part of the service, Pastor Will talks for a long time, doesn't he?

Does anybody think sometimes Pastor Will talks too long?

That's not very nice.

Put your hands down.

Okay.

It's true.

It's true.

Sometimes, it's a little bit too long.

But some of y'all haven't usually been in here when we're having the sermon, when we're studying

God's Word together.

And this summer may be the first time that you're staying in here with us.

And we want you to know how important that is because we love God's Word.

Because God tells us in it how much He loves us and tells us what it means for us to be

His people, right?

And so, we want to listen to it together.

And so, Miss Angela has been thinking with lots of other friends really hard about how we can

help y'all be a part of that.

And so, we have these new bags for y'all.

Did some of y'all get one of these bags on the way in?

These are worship bags.

If you didn't, we have a whole bucket of them right there on the front.

And you can get one when you go back to your seat, okay?

But there's lots of stuff in here.

It's not stuff to distract you from the preaching.

It's stuff to help you.

Sometimes, is there any adults that it helps your hands to be doing something while you listen?

Or you like to color or draw a picture?

Have your parents ever colored on their bulletin?

Yes.

That's okay, isn't it?

And so, we've got some crafts and some crayons and lots of fun things.

I don't even know what you would do with something like this.

Pastor Will's not very crafty or creative.

But y'all could probably make really cool things with this.

There's also something in here that I want to tell you about.

It's called the Sermon Word Challenge.

You see this little piece of paper?

It has six words on it this week.

It says mercy, moon, Jesus, belonging.

That's a big word.

Exodus and grace.

And you can get this out of your bag.

And while Mr. Will is preaching this morning, you can listen for these words.

And when you hear them, just mark in the circle right there next to it.

Some of them you have to listen really closely because you might only hear them one time.

And you don't want to miss them, okay?

But some of them, your circle might get really full because I might say them a lot of times.

Do I sometimes say some of these words a lot?

Jesus a lot, I know.

I know, that one might get a lot of marks.

I hope it does.

So, this is for you.

And you can take it and maybe even get a treat in your Connect class afterwards.

Wouldn't that be awesome?

So, we do get prizes if we do it right.

You do get a prize.

Yeah, just bring your card up with you and see your small group leader.

Yeah, and then Miss Angela, what do we do with these bags at the end of the service?

Do not take them home.

They don't go home.

If you guys, when you get finished with the service, if you'll put everything back in your bag,

and you can take it and put it right back in the silver bins that are outside,

then we can refill them and then they will be here for you next Sunday.

Does that sound good?

Does that sound good?

I want to tell you all one more thing before you go back and sit down and listen.

We're going to, God's Word is so important and we want you to learn to listen to God's Word

and to understand God's Word.

And so, we have a new slide that we're going to use every Sunday when we're reading the Bible.

And today, our passage is from 1 Peter.

Do you see that?

Do you see that?

The book of 1 Peter, chapter 2, verses 9 and 10.

1 Peter 2:9

And if you don't have a Bible with you, you can get one out of the pews that are out there.

There are red Bibles in there.

And that's the page to turn to if you don't know where 1 Peter is.

Somebody can help you find it, okay?

And so, when I read it, you'll be able to follow along with us.

And then you can keep it open there if you want to be able to look during the sermon, okay?

It'll help your parents, too.

Some of them may read that on their phone or they may read it out of their Bible or a Bible from the pew.

But we want to be looking at God's Word not just when we're together in the worship service, but all week.

So, we want to be having God's Word in our hands and learning how to read it.

And that's important for you and your parents and for me.

So, can you all do that with me this morning?

All right.

Grab a bag if you don't have one and you can go back to your seats and we're going to listen to God's Word.

Thanks, Pastor Will.

Adults, if you need a bag to help you for the next 30 minutes,

please feel free to come forward.

Nobody will embarrass you.

I might call your name.

That's okay.

I am really excited about this new sermon series,

One Another.

A very creative title, I know,

since we'll be looking at some of the about 60 places in the New Testament

where that phrase is used

to help us learn

what relating to each other

in gospel community

looks like.

You can think of

some of the one another's already, I'm sure.

Love one another.

That's in there a lot.

That's next week.

Confess your sins to one another.

Forgive one another.

Carry one another's burdens.

Spur one another on to love and good deeds.

If we get really excited,

we may even talk about

greet one another with a holy kiss,

which is in there more than once.

We're going to spend this summer

asking the Holy Spirit to teach us

and honestly more than teach us

to shape us

and mold us

and change us

into what God has designed

His church to be.

It is His design.

That's why His Word talks so much

about how we relate

to one another.

The church is to be

this unique community

where the good news

of our Savior

and our connection to Him

binds us to each other

in this unique way.

God answering our loneliness,

the loneliness of this world

with this unique community

and these life-giving relationships

that we all need.

it's going to be encouraging

and it's going to be convicting

because we don't naturally

and normally live these ways.

All of us struggle with it.

But if you want to be

part of a church,

part of a community

that's increasingly learning

to relate to one another

in these ways,

then come on.

Let's be a part of this together.

Pray with me

and dive in with me.

Be a part of this community.

Now having said all of that,

embarrassingly,

I want to start this Sunday

by looking at a passage

that doesn't have

any one another in it at all.

That's terrible, isn't it?

But here's why.

There's something that's so important

that I want us to start here

before we dive into

all of these

one another passages.

When you spend time

focusing on

how we relate to one another,

the temptation there

is to think

that how we relate

to each other

as God's people

is the reason we exist.

It's the goal of life.

It's the essence of our mission.

And it's just not.

God does not design the church

to be a holy huddle,

so to speak,

focused only on one another.

So before we talk about

how we relate to each other,

I want us to listen

to God's Word

remind us

who we are

as His people

and why we are here,

what our mission is.

And then at the end

of this morning,

we're going to reflect briefly

on how one anothering

is a vital part

of that mission.

Not a distraction,

but a vital part of it.

And yes,

one anothering

will be used repeatedly

as a verb

throughout this summer,

so just, you know,

get used to it.

Grab a Bible

of some form,

if you will.

Turn toward the back

to 1 Peter.

We're reading

just two verses

this morning

and then we'll pray together.

Peter's writing

to Jew

and Gentile Christians

scattered throughout

Asia Minor,

modern-day Turkey,

and He reminds them

of their glorious

identity

and mission.

1 Peter chapter 2

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

at verse 9.

This is God's Holy Word.

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,

mercy,

but now you have

received mercy.

Mercy, kids,

you get that?

Mercy?

Yeah, got it.

Let's pray together.

Holy Spirit,

we do need You.

We ask

for Your help.

Challenge our hearts,

convict us,

show us Jesus,

show us the beauty

of relationships

for Your glory.

We ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

If you walked into a

building on Redstone Arsenal

and you saw a bunch

of these pieces

lying around

on the ground,

you might not

think very much

of them, right?

Some nuts and bolts

and screws

and wires

and sheets of metal,

perhaps,

and they seem like

pretty insignificant.

They really couldn't do

anything very important.

You might just walk

on by.

However,

when they

and some other things

get connected together

in the right ways,

these random bits

of metal

and plastic

and technology

may become

a rocket.

A rocket

that accomplishes

a really great mission

like putting a man

on the moon, right?

That's a picture

of that rocket.

Things that

didn't seem

significant

but are now

put together

and become something

that really accomplishes

something great

and glorious.

It's a picture

of the proverbial reality

that the whole

is greater

than the sum

of its parts.

You've heard that

before,

probably.

Individual things

collected into a group

may become

something entirely

different

and accomplish

a greater mission

than they could

separately.

That's part

of the picture

that Peter

is painting

for us

this morning

in this passage.

He's using

all these

collective nouns,

words that talk

about groups

of people,

a race,

a priesthood,

a nation,

a people

that are brought

together

to become

something new

with a new

and significant

purpose.

He's talking

about Christians

as a group.

There are a lot

of places

in the Bible

that talk about

God's personal

love for individuals.

That's true

and it's important

but this is actually

talking about

God's love

for his people

as a group.

We'll focus

on the collective

mission

this morning

but the mission

is fueled

by the collective

identity.

Who is

this new

people?

Verse 10

says it's

God's

people.

That's really

the bottom

line.

That's what

unites them

into one

group.

Verse 9

has several

things it says

about them.

They're God's

because he

chose them

first.

You are a

chosen

race.

brothers

and sisters

we love

because God

first

loved

us.

That's why

we love him.

Because he

first loved

us.

We're his

because he

made us

and because

he sent

his son

for us.

He picked

you.

Even knowing

all your

failures and

flaws like

Pastor Peter

was talking

about earlier.

He picked

you to be

on his team.

In fact

to be in

his family.

Because of

his gracious

heart.

Isn't that

amazing?

Praise the

Lord, right?

He loves

you like

that.

This passage

in first

Peter mirrors

what God

tells his

people Israel

all the way

back in

Exodus chapter

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

19.

Before telling

them in the

next chapter

how to live

as his

people in

what we

call the

Ten

Commandments.

God

tells them

what he's

done to

make them

his

people.

Exodus

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

chapter

19

at

verse

4.

I think

it's

the

next

slide.

There it

is.

You

yourselves

have seen

what I

did to

the

Egyptians.

How I

bore you

on

eagles

wings and

brought you

to

myself.

Now

therefore

if you'll

indeed

obey my

voice and

keep my

covenant

you shall

be my

treasured

possession

among all

peoples.

This is

what I've

done for

you.

I've

loved you

and I've

come and

I've

brought

you to

myself.

I chose

you.

Not because

you were

great or

amazing or

impressive or

in charge.

You weren't.

But because

I loved

you and

brought you

to myself.

And now

God's

applying this

to Jews

and

Gentiles.

Chosen

race is not

some ethnic

superiority.

That's an

evil twisting

of this.

May it

never be.

He's

saying

you're

a chosen

race

connected

spiritually

because

God has

chosen you

and brought

you together.

We're also

a royal

priesthood.

Friends

of God.

Those who

can come

near into

God's

presence.

That's who

the priests

are.

No one

comes into

the king's

presence on

their own

but a royal

priesthood.

Those that

can walk

into

serve the

king.

And they

even

represent

him to

others.

And represent

others to

him.

Right?

All the way

back in

Exodus 19

again.

All the

earth is

mine,

God says.

And you,

Israel,

shall be to

me a

kingdom

of

priests.

What's

God saying?

I own

the whole

earth.

I want

every nation

to know

me.

And so you,

Israel,

are going to

be priests

the ones

who know

Yahweh,

who have a

relationship

with him

and then

share of

him with

all the

nations around

you so that

the whole

earth knows

who he is.

All of us

then are

priests who

know God,

who have

God dwelling

in us and

therefore bring

his presence

to all around

us.

Especially,

Peter says,

as we're

gathered

together,

offering

spiritual

sacrifices

to God

as priests.

And then

we're a

holy nation.

The exact

same words

used in

Exodus 19.

But what

makes a

people or

a place

holy?

There's

really only

one thing.

God's

presence.

we're set

apart for

him as

a group

different from

others around

you, called

out to be

marked by the

presence of

the living

God.

Do you see

how in all

of these

things Peter's

describing what

makes the

group a

group is

God?

He chooses

us.

He is the

king whom

we represent

as priests.

He is the

one present

with us that

makes us

holy.

What unites

those rocket

parts is the

identity as

a rocket.

Right?

That's what

makes them

rocket parts.

What unites

Christians is

their identity

belonging to

God.

Once, we

were not a

people.

You know

what that

feels like?

not to

belong

anywhere,

not to be a

part of any

group.

Have you

felt that

before?

It's not a

good feeling,

is it?

Alone,

insignificant,

left out,

ignored.

Once you

were not a

people, you

were bits of

metal,

plastic scattered

about, but

now you are

God's

people.

You belong

to your

heavenly

father.

Once you

had not

received mercy,

you were

hopeless,

undeserving,

discarded,

worthless.

But now you

have received

mercy.

Just like God

told his

people through

the prophet

Hosea, that's

what makes you

significant.

That's what makes

you his.

What is it

that makes

God's people

God's people?

He is.

He graciously,

mercifully gives

us an identity

together, calls

us his own,

loves us as

his children.

He sends his

son to make

us his.

Southwood, I

know you know

this.

This is 101, I

get it.

But do you

realize the

significance of

that for us?

Do you

understand what

it means that

our identity

comes from

belonging to

God?

Can you stop

and think of

the implications

of that for

us as a

church?

If who you

are and your

identity comes

from belonging

to God, we're

a people, Peter

says, for his

own possession.

We should be a

possessed people

in the best

possible way.

We are his.

What a privilege.

We're his.

Which means our

purpose is what?

God.

If that's our

identity as

people belonging

to God for his

own possession,

then what's our

purpose?

It's got to be

about him,

doesn't it?

Peter says it

in verse 9.

We're a people

for his own

possession that

you may proclaim

the excellencies

of him.

not yourself.

It's not about

you.

We're to

proclaim his

excellencies.

That's our

new purpose.

Now, maybe

not new in

the sense that

it's what God

originally created

us for, isn't

it?

But we've been

living for

ourselves for a

long time,

haven't we?

I'm pretty

used to it.

But this is

why God calls

people to

himself because

what's best for

them is not

actually living

for themselves.

And he calls

us to himself.

Even with Old

Testament Israel,

this is what God

says to them,

his chosen

people, the

people whom I

formed for

myself that

they might

declare my

praise.

Chosen for

him to

declare his

praise.

God then

sends his

son not

primarily to

make us

happy but

to make us

his.

Let's be very

clear about this

because we get

confused.

Jesus didn't go

to the cross so

you and I could

have a more

comfortable life

with nice

neighbors and

good church

friends.

God's

God's

friends.

Our mission is

not merely to

make each other

feel good and

enjoy life with as

little discomfort and

loneliness as

possible.

Jesus came so

that everyone in

all nations would

know the glory of

the one true and

living God no

matter what it

cost him.

God sent him.

He was a sent

savior for that

purpose and so we

are here so that

everyone in all

nations would know

the glory of the

one true and

living God no

matter what it

costs us including

our comfort and

our nice

neighborhoods and

our good friends.

We are a sent

church as he is a

sent savior.

It's not

complicated because

we are God's.

We are to live for

God's glory.

God's glory.

It's that simple but

it's hard for us

isn't it?

It's hard for us to

live like that.

It's even hard when

we come to church.

You think you maybe

spend an hour a week

you know doing that

but Jack Miller in

his classic book

Outgrowing the

Ingrown Church, yes

you should read it,

says this, many

church members do

not seem to come to

church on Sunday

with strong intent to

meet with Christ and

be transformed in

motivation and values

by his glory.

So honesty requires

us to begin where

we are to confess

forthrightly that we

have sinned and

fallen short of the

divine glory.

Then he says the

great American church

tragedy is the local

church with an

abundance of resources

and spiritual gifts

held back by

unbelieving apathy and

blinded by the

strange notion that

the work of

missionary outreach is

the domain of a few

highly trained

leaders.

You don't have to be a

pastor or a formal

missionary to have

your purpose be

proclaiming the

excellencies of God.

We're all priests.

That's our job.

Together that's our job

as a church.

church.

We need to start by

saying Father

forgive us for our

apathy to your

glory.

Being God's means we

live for his glory

and we declare his

grace.

It's the second part

of verse 9 that we

would proclaim the

excellencies of him

who called you out of

darkness into his

marvelous light.

What's the story we

have to tell and

share?

It's God's story of his

rescuing the undeserving.

We have experienced

God's grace that we

might express God's

grace.

That many others as

undeserving as we are

may hear and see and

trust that God brings

them from darkness to

light just as he does

us.

We are defined by

receiving mercy.

We need his help.

That's who we are.

We became a people by

receiving mercy so it

must be that thy

mercy my God is the

theme of my song.

The joy of my heart

and the boast of my

tongue.

Thy free grace alone

must be what moves my

heart and my tongue to

proclaim his

excellencies.

Our purpose is not to

have God's grace stop

with us and say how

great and wonderful it

is.

But to have it flow

through us to

others.

We are not here for

ourselves.

We are not even here

merely for each other

as important as that is.

We are here also for

those who are not here

yet.

Edmund Clowney in his

book The Church writes

mission is not an

optional activity for

Christ's disciples.

The gospel itself is the

story of the seeking

savior who knows the

father's love.

He goes out looking for

people right?

We have read about it in

Luke.

So if mission is lost

the gospel is lost.

That's the story.

The story of a sent

savior.

We must be about what

Jesus was about.

Having the love of God

that we know that is in

us overflow to those

around us.

You've heard me say

before if that's not our

heart for those around us

in Huntsville and

beyond we ought to

close the doors.

We should.

And send the money

somewhere else.

To someone who will

have that be their

purpose.

We are God's people

to follow Jesus in

declaring his grace in

word and deed.

Speaking unbelievable

hope to the hopeless.

That's the message of

the gospel right?

Showing undeserved

kindness to the least

of these.

That's what we've

received.

Undeserved kindness.

And we're to show

that.

So that one

relationship at a

time.

All may see how

excellent and

glorious and

gracious our God

is.

God's glory and

grace here and

everywhere must be

the driving passion

of our lives and our

church.

God's glory.

That's great.

Wonderful.

Exciting.

Now I'm frustrated.

Why, Pastor?

Why are we going to

waste the next ten

weeks one anothering?

Isn't that going to

distract us from our

mission?

Let's get going.

There's a world out

there.

There's a mission to

accomplish.

And when we focus on

relationships with one

another, aren't we going

to lose sight of that

mission?

I love that question.

Thanks for asking.

The best questions to

answer.

The ones you ask

yourself.

Let me tell you.

Let's go back to the

rocket mission to the

moon for a second.

Imagine you heard that

for a few weeks,

everyone on the launch

team was focused on the

fins there at the

bottom of the rocket.

rocket.

They had to get them

figured out.

They turned their

attention towards that

because they wanted them

to be aerodynamic so

they'd go just right.

They needed to make sure

that the temperature

control was there for

when they go through the

Earth's atmosphere.

I guess some of you all

know way more than I do.

Don't critique me.

They wanted it to be just

right so it would smooth

attachment to the rocket

body, right?

And they had to, if you

heard that was going on,

would you say they've

lost focus?

No, you would say

that's a vital part of

the mission.

I'm so glad that they're

paying attention to those

because if they're going

to get to the moon,

those fins are going to

have to work right.

The same is true for

gospel community.

Not on my authority.

On the authority of

God's word.

This same book that

tells us the purpose of

the people possessed by

God is to proclaim God's

excellencies says we must

live in humility with one

another.

We must love one another

earnestly and so forth.

There's a lot of them.

It's not either love the

world or love the people

in your church, love one

another.

No.

It's both and.

Okay, why?

Why is the people vital for

the purpose?

Why do we need one another

for God's mission?

Why invest time and energy

in relationships with

brothers and sisters that

aren't easy?

And with people who don't

have anything in common

with me except Jesus.

And it's so frustrating.

Well, there are many

reasons we'll see through

the summer.

But to give us a start,

it's because when you want

another someone you don't

have anything in common

with except Jesus, it

demonstrates the excellencies

of Jesus, doesn't it?

That the power of his love

is the only explanation for

this relationship.

I love the way Dr.

Clowney frames this for us,

but it's really convicting.

American evangelicals have a

tradition, we like

traditions, of individualism

individualism that sees the

church as a voluntary club

for the converted.

And this is his warning.

Until we have a deep

biblical sense of the

corporate identity of the

new people of God, we will

not be able to present the

gospel of peace on the front

lines of our culture wars.

The true drawing power of the

church transcends the

cultural enclaves of

contemporary society to

dissolve the hatreds of a

fallen world in the love

of Christ.

And there's a lot to chew on

there, but the relationships

we are supposed to share,

but often don't,

are the ones the world is

longing for.

Unity and peace among those

normally divided and in

conflict.

Let me try to say it in a more

pedestrian way than the

beautiful professorial language

church.

When a young black

Republican, a middle-aged

Hispanic libertarian, and an

elderly white Democrat

give themselves to a shared

mission and pour their lives

into each other, into actually

caring for and listening to and

understanding and loving one

another, it testifies to the

excellencies of the king who

unites them, doesn't it?

It says that there's somebody

more compellingly worthy than

anything else that they're

about.

And it says that their mission

is more compelling and

valuable than any other

single political or racial or

generational issue that they

care about.

That there's something else

that's more important.

And Jesus is that.

This gospel community that we're

to nurture and develop is what

we're inviting a lonely and

broken and divided world into.

Ask yourself, who would want to be a

part of any group that's

consistently hypocritical, holier than

thou, neglectful, abusive, stubborn,

and fake.

You want to be in that group?

Often the church, we are guilty of

all those things.

We must start with our own

repentance and pray for God to

bring revival that would transform

us.

We're praying for revival.

We need to pray it starts in our

hearts and then transforms our

community around us.

We need one another.

We need one another for

encouragement and help because

the mission is hard and the

opposition is real.

We need one another.

We need one another because God

says it's actually in relationship

with each other that we see the

glory of his love most fully.

We get this view of his love in

all its dimensions as we point each

other to the glory and grace of

Jesus in our lives.

We must be a people with a

purpose.

We are focusing on one another this

summer not to lose sight of the

glory of God and the declaration of

his grace but rather to propel us

more effectively and more powerfully on

that mission with a big view of our

Savior.

Amen.

Let's pray.

God we ask for your help.

We confess that we are not the

people that you would have us to be

and yet you love us.

And yet you promise to make us that.

There's hope for us not because we do

this today perfectly but because our

Savior is perfect because he loves us

because he will see this mission

accomplished and what a delight that

he includes us in it.

Thank you Father.

Give us joy and your mercy to us that

makes us yours.

Help our hearts delight in being your

people and to live like that day by day.

We ask it in Jesus name.

Amen.

Amen.

For more information visit us online at

southwood.org

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