1 Peter 2:9 *
Today is a blessed occasion. Here we are, gathered together for our third annual Unity Sunday. As with all our Sunday gatherings, first and foremost we are here today for worship. We have come together to praise God because of Who He is and what He has done for us in Jesus Christ.
But there is an additional element in play this morning. More than any other Sunday of the year, this single service is also a commemoration. In fact, we can take it a step farther. It is a celebration. What are we celebrating? Lots of things…
We celebrate God’s grace in bringing us together. We celebrate our oneness in Christ. We celebrate our oneness in purpose. We celebrate our oneness in mission and
ministry. And overall, we celebrate our oneness as a Christian family unit
known as
The text for this Unity Sunday Worship and Celebration service comes from the inspired pen of the Apostle Peter. His words, addressed to Christians everywhere and in every age, are found in his first letter, chapter two, verse 9: 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Many of you are probably familiar with this story told about Vince Lombardi…
Early in his career and after a particularly troublesome loss to the Chicago Bears, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers addressed his troops at their next practice. Gathering them all around him, he told them in no uncertain terms they were lacking in the fundamentals of the game and that beginning that day they were going to start all over. To illustrate his point, he then held up a football and said: “This, gentlemen, is a football.”
In other words, he told them they were going back to the basics; back to the foundation and rudimentary principles of the game.
Although applied to football, such an exercise far transcends the arena of sports. Going back to the basics from time to time is a good idea in just about every area of life – including spiritual life. And today provides us with an especially fitting opportunity to do just that. Looking at the words of Peter, let’s spend our time this morning going
BACK TO THE BASICS
1. Of who we are
2. And why we exist
Judging from history, it is very human to ask, “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “What is the meaning of life?” Those who are considered great thinkers have contemplated these basic questions of life for centuries…
But human wisdom doesn’t provide the answers. Only God does. And God, speaking through Peter, is pleased to reveal such matters to us. In our text, Peter identifies “who we are” with four short descriptive phrases, all of which are loaded with meaning and comfort. So let’s get back to the basics. Who are we?
#1 – We are a chosen people. The key word here is “chosen.” We, meaning Christians, are a chosen people. And God is the One who has chosen us.
With this phrase (as well as with the others he’ll be using) Peter calls to mind God’s Old Testament people, the Children of Israel. You may recall they were often referred to as God’s “chosen people.” But how is it they came by that title? We need to turn back to the Old Testament for the answer…
In the Book of Deuteronomy (7:5f) Moses makes it clear that
Israel’s selection as God’s chosen people in the time before Christ had
absolutely nothing to do with
anything on their part. Rather, it had everything to do with God’s grace. God chose this people not because they were virtuous, but because He is gracious. In His grace and through His grace alone He selected the people of
What we learn from this is that there is no connection
between the word “chosen” and the
idea of being deserving. Being chosen by God to be His child (whether
in the Old Testament as it applied to
We are God’s chosen people. Contemplate this great truth for too long a time and it will blow you away. Just think of what this means practically. It means that no matter how badly or uncertainly we may feel our life is going, one thing that is always there for our great comfort is the fact that God has chosen us to be His own. He has initiated an action that will have repercussions and ramifications for all eternity. God has brought us to faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior so we can live forever in heaven. And if that is taken care of, how bad off can we ever really be?
Back to the basics. Who are we? We are a “chosen people.” What an honor! What a comfort!
#2 – We are a “royal priesthood.” Both of these words have significance. Let’s first take up the matter of our priesthood. Again, the Old Testament comes to mind. The function of an Old Testament priest was to be a mediator between God and man; sort of a broker between God and His people. The priest also offered sacrifices on behalf of the people. There was a strong relationship between God and His people, but there was also some distance…
God in His Word tells us that all distance was removed when
God became one of us in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. He walked among His people, touched them,
healed them, and died on the cross to take away their sins. At the moment of His death the Gospels tell
us the curtain of the
And now, as priests, we also have the privilege of offering sacrifices. What kind? The Apostle Paul lays it out for in Romans 12. “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” In other words, everything we are and everything we do is a thank-offering to God for all He has done for us…
There is more. We are not just priest, but royal priests. It’s highly unlikely that any of us has ever suspected another of us to be royalty. It’s also highly unlikely that any of us spend a lot of time in the morning deciding which shade of ermine we’ll be wearing for the day. Nevertheless, God declares us to be royalty. How is this?
We are royalty because we are sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Our connection with and to Jesus Christ makes us royalty. May not particularly feel like royalty. May not particularly be treated as royalty. But that is what we are. Our crowns may be in heaven, but our royalty began the day we came to faith in Jesus.
Back to the basics. Who are we? We are “a royal priesthood.” What an honor! What a comfort!
#3 – We are a holy nation. The key word here is “holy.” We need to understand it in a couple of different ways.
Certainly on our own we are an unholy nation. As sinners
before a perfect God who demands the same perfection in us, we fail. And we rightfully deserve the wages of
sin: eternal death. Because of the work of Jesus Christ, however,
we have been declared holy and righteous and forgiven. His sacrifice on
The second way that we are holy is according to the simplest definition of the word, which means to be “set apart.” As Christians, we are to be set apart from the world around us. Not physically, but spiritually. Not by our absence from the world, but by our actions in the world. Scripture makes it clear that the call to be a Christian is the call to be distinct before a watching world. Our lives are our testimony to the goodness of God and the joy we find in Jesus… so that perhaps through us others will come to know Him.
I’ve told you many times my favorite quote from St. Francis
of
Back to the basics. Who are we? We are a “holy nation.” What an honor! What a privilege!
Peter then sums it all up by saying we are “a people belonging to God.” That’s who we are. And the reason we exist is this: “To
declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful
light.”
Briefly and simply put, our overriding purpose in life is to glorify God. To bring Him honor. To elevate His name. To lift high the cross.
And today we are grateful that God has allowed us to do this
in a very tangible way. Through
embarking upon our building program, God has given us the honor of honoring
Him. God
in His grace has blessed us with the privilege of carrying out our very reason
for existence!
Last year at this time we kicked off our Rooted and Growing campaign. We fervently sought God’s benediction upon our efforts. We prayed for Him to open our eyes and our hearts so we might see the difference He could make through us. And He has blessed us. God worked through His people.
Last Unity Sunday we made a prayerful start. This Unity Sunday, we ceremonially break ground for a new educational facility. Next Unity Sunday, God willing, we will experience the joy of seeing that facility completed.
And in that new educational facility there will be three cornerstones. One will say 1888. A second will say 1957. A third will say 2003. And each will represent the resolve of God’s people to go forward with Kingdom work at a particular time in history…
But more importantly, those cornerstones represent the real cornerstone on which our church, our school, our congregation, and our individual lives are built: Jesus Christ.
Because the message of Jesus Christ is our foundation. The message of Jesus Christ takes us back to
the basics. Because of Him and through
Him we know who we are: “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people belonging to God.” And we know why we exist: “To
declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful
light.”
So, on this third Unity Sunday, for the privilege of gathering together as a Christian community, let us ever thank Him. For the honor of honoring Him through new and improved facilities, let us ever praise Him.
But for the wisdom to always know the spiritual basics of
who we are and why we exist, let us ever implore Him. Amen.