STANDING FIRM through life s hard-hitting trials 1 P e t e r waiting hardship difficulty trial struggle persecution injustice brokenness disease discord hatred harm war worry stress demands dishonesty lies hunger oppression suffering death
Believing, Belonging & Behaving!
1 Peter 2:4-10 (Pew Bible Pg 1014)
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 Scripture: 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.
Believing, Belonging & Behaving!
1. Know your new identity & belonging!
Chosen race: Elected by Christ!
Deut 7:6-9 - 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
Ephesians 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of His will.
1 Thess 1:4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.
Chosen race: Elected by Christ! Royal Priesthood: Dominion with Christ!
Exodus 19:6 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.
Revelation 5:10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth.
Revelation 20:6 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 with him for a thousand years.
Chosen race: Elected by Christ! Royal Priesthood: Dominion with Christ! Holy Nation: Set apart to Christ!
Acts 15:7-9 Brothers you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
Hebrews 10:10, 14 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Chosen race: Elected by Christ! Royal Priesthood: Dominion with Christ! Holy Nation: Set apart to Christ! Possessed People: Possessed by Christ!
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 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 wit a price. So glorify God in your body.
Titus 2:13-14 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.
2. Know your new purpose: To proclaim the excellencies of Christ & His glorious gospel!
3. Know what has happened to you!
We were called out of darkness!
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemptiom for the forgiveness of sins.
We were called out of darkness! We were made God s people!
We were called out of darkness! We were made God s people! We received God s merciful compassion!
Titus 3:5 He has saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
Do You Believe?
Do You Believe? Then you belong!
Believing, Belonging & Behaving!
STANDING FIRM through life s hard-hitting trials 1 P e t e r waiting hardship difficulty trial struggle persecution injustice brokenness disease discord hatred harm war worry stress demands dishonesty lies hunger oppression suffering death