One of the most basic questions, we as humans ask is “Who am I?” In other words, what is my identity? Peter answers that question in this section. Our identity is wrapped up in terms of our relationship to God.
Teaching Notes:
The Glorious Privileges of the People of God
1 Peter 2:9-10
Intro: One of the most basic questions, we as humans ask is “Who am I?” In other words, what is my identity? We might answer that question in relation to our parents (I’m the son of Leo and Mary Anderson), or our position (I’m the owner of a window cleaning business). But Peter answers that question for us in terms of our relation to God. We will never have an accurate self-identity until we see ourselves in relation to God. In any relationship, there are privileges and responsibilities. I want to take the bulk of our time this evening opening up the privileges of our relationship with God, and then finish by talking about our responsibility in this relationship. But, in all this discussion, we need to remember that Peter’s concern is not with the individual Christian, but with the Corporate Church of Jesus Christ. “You” is “ye”. He’s speaking of all God’s people as a race, a priesthood, a nation. So, first the question, “Who Are We?”, then “Why Are We Here?”
Who Are We? (Our Privileges)
1. A Chosen Race:
But: is in contrast with those who disbelieve (2:7), who reject the corner stone, who stumble over this stone, who are disobedient to the Word, and who were appointed to this stumbling (2:8). Now we are introduced to those who believe, to whom Christ is precious (2:7). We would have been one of them if not for God’s sovereign grace! Our identity is wrapped up in our chosenness, but our ethnic race, color, or culture.
Race: what is a race? It is a group of people all descended from a common ancestor and therefore related to each other. Jews were a race because they were all descended from Abraham. Christians are a race because we are all descended spiritually from God as our Father. Christ is our elder brother, and we are all related as brothers and sisters to one another through the New Birth. If I’m “in Christ” I’m part of the Church and of this Chosen Race.
Chosen: my identity begins with understanding I am chosen by God. I don’t know why He chose me. It wasn’t because I was better or more valuable than others that were not chosen. I didn’t deserve it or qualify for it or meet certain conditions in order to achieve it. God just did it for me. He did it before the foundation of the world. When I contemplate it, it blows me away. I rejoice at the thought of it, and tremble with fear lest I fail to walk in a manner worthy of it.
2. A Royal Priesthood:
Priesthood: Peter has emphasized this truth back in 2:5. There it was a “holy” priesthood that he emphasized. What is the great privilege of a priest? Access to God! In the OT, the priests got closer to God than others. They were permitted inside the tabernacle and the temple. God dwelt in the Holy of Holies. If you happened to be the High Priest, you had the greatest access to God of anyone. The truth of the NT, is that because we are all priests, we all have immediate access to God! Eph.2:18; 3:12; Heb.4:16. We don’t need another human priest to mediate between us and God. We can go directly to Him through Christ. Offer Sacrifices: priests in the OT were idle – they had employment. They were busy offering sacrifices for the sins of the people. We too ought never be idle. We have plenty to do to fulfill our priestly role – offering the sacrifices of praise, doing good, sharing, our bodies, and giving financially to God’s work (Heb.13:15-16, Rom.12:1; Phil.4:18). What a privilege to have access to God and to be able to minister to God!
Royal: why are we called a “royal” priesthood? Well, it may be because we serve the King of kings! All these priests constitute a royal priesthood, because they all have access to the King and offer sacrifices to the King. But there may be more. May be saying we are a royal priesthood, because we partake of royalty! And in a real sense we do. 1Cor.6:2-3; 2Tim.2:12; Rev.5:10; 20:6; 22:5. Christ is both King and Priest as Melchizedek and we partake of Him (Heb.7:1). In C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, the 4 children become kings and queens in the land of Narnia, which speak of our ruling and reigning with Christ in heaven. How could it be otherwise if we are betrothed to Him, and He is the King of kings? Eph.2:6 tells us we are raised and seated with Christ. Rom.3:21 – Jesus promises to those who overcome to sit down with Him on His throne.
3. A Holy Nation:
Nation: Ex.19:5-6 – sound familiar. Why does Peter borrow almost the exact same language and apply it to the Church, made of Jews and Gentiles? Mt.21:33-45 – what has happened as a result of the Jewish religious leaders persecuting the prophets and crucifying the Son of God? Who is the “nation” or “people” that God has given the kingdom to? Because the Church is the True Israel! Ethnic Israel, by and large were not True Israel. Most of them died in unbelief and were not saved. But the Jews were a type of the Church which was to come. Just as the Jewish people had a priesthood, sacrifices, temple, circumcision, and Sabbath, so too these were all shadows pointing to the reality which takes place in the Church, the antitype. Priesthood – 1Pet.2:5; sacrifices – 1Pet.2:5; temple – 1Pet.2:5, circumcision – Rom.2:28-29; Sabbath – Col.2:16-17. So too, when God gave all those titles to Israel in the OT, He was pointing forward to a day when the Church would possess the spiritual reality of all the things Israel had only physically. The Jews had a physical Sabbath, circumcision, temple, priesthood, and sacrifices. But we have the spiritual reality of all those things. Rom.2:28-29; 9:6-8; 11:1-7; Gal.3:29; 6:15-16; Phil.3:3. The Jews as an ethnic race are no longer God’s chosen people. Now God’s chosen people are made up of people from every tribe, people, tongue and nation.
Holy: holy means “separated; set apart.” A nation is a community of people held together by the same laws. That is true of the Church. We are a people held together by the laws of God. The Church is holy, because God has separated it from the world to be sanctified unto Him. The Greek word for church is “ekklesia” which means “the called out ones.” The church has been called out of the world and separated unto God! Sanctified: “becoming in practice what you already are in position.” Positionally, you are separated from sin, world, and Satan unto God’s exclusive service. Now, become that practically!
4. A Purchased People: a people for God’s own possession (2:9). Again, “you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God” (2:10a). Of course God owns everything by virtue of creation, but He owns Christians by virtue of redemption. Ex.19:5 – “special treasure.” This indicates God’s cherishing and ownership of the church. We are His possession because He redeemed us. Acts 20:28 (He purchased the flock with His own blood). 1Cor.7:23 (bought with a price). We are exclusively God’s property because Christ bought us! He could have purchased any or all to be His special possession, but He chose you!We are not our own. Therefore, we must glorify God in our bodies! You do not belong to yourself any longer! You don’t have the option of doing your own thing! As one bought by Christ, you must now offer your body as a living sacrifice to the One who purchased you.
5. A Pitied People: 2:10 “you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Notice that 2:10 is in all caps – it is a quote from the OT. Actually it is Hos.1:6, and 1:9. Hosea was commanded to go and marry a harlot. He had 2 children. First a girl: Lo-ruhamah (she has not obtained compassion). Then a boy: Lo-ammi (not my people). What God is saying is that Israel has become a whore, committing spiritual adultery through her idolatry. As a result, her children would not receive mercy and not be the people of God. In other words, there was coming a day in which Israel would be cut off from the people of God. This took place when they crucified the Son of God and rejected Him as Messiah and Savior. Peter is saying, just like these cast off unbelieving Israelites, you too once had not received mercy and were not the people of God, but that has all changed. You are now “in Christ” and God has bestowed abundant mercy upon you! He found you in your sin, rebellion, guilt and condemnation. All we deserved was eternal condemnation, but He gave us mercy! God has graced us, mercied us, pitied us. Our identity is one who has been shown mercy. We are a God chosen, God-sanctified, God-purchased, and God-pitied one!
Why Are We Here? (Our responsibility)
To Proclaim His Excellencies: Whose? The One who has called us out of darkness. 1 Peter 1:18 – this darkness is the futile way of life we inherited from our forefathers. It is the darkness of ignorance, sin and misery. His marvelous light: the opposite of the former. His light refers to knowledge, holiness, and happiness. How did we get from darkness to light? He called us! In other words, all of the credit for our spiritual knowledge, holiness and happiness is due Him! He did it. He drew us. He regenerated us. He made us alive together with Christ. God has granted us our identity so that we can proclaim His identity. In other words, God made us who we are, so we can proclaim who He is.
What are His excellencies? The excellency of His sovereign freedom in choosing us, the excellency of His purity in making us holy, the excellency of His power in purchasing us, the excellency of his kindness in having mercy upon us.
How do we proclaim His excellencies? By words and deeds. Wherever you go, wherever you are, talk of the excellency of God. Church meetings: in our praying and singing, and speaking – be quick to speak of God’s goodness, greatness and power. This is the easy part! Surrounded by fellow believers. But when you are in the world, also be quick to speak of God’s excellency. When on your job, at the store, working with a customer. Be looking for an opportunity to speak of His excellencies. Also, do it in your Deeds! When you give up your own time to show love to someone else, you are proclaiming His excellencies. Are saying, He is glorious and worthy to be obeyed. When you consciously resist sin. When you serve the saints. When you make time to spend with God in the Word and prayer. When you fast. When you speak the gospel. All of these things proclaim that God is excellent. He is worthy. You become like the moon. The moon has no light of its own. It only reflects the light of the sun. Likewise we have no glory of our own. All we can do is reflect the glory of the Lord. That’s how our lives proclaim His excellencies!
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