1 Peter, 2:9-10
Gene Fuqua · Dec 10, 2006
1 & 2 Peter (2006-07), No. 11
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926010493997

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Well, let's just take a quick review and see what you've learned. That's a teacher in me that likes to say, what have you learned? You know, I had six faithful friends that taught me all I knew. Their names were Watt, and Howe, and Why, and Where, and When, and Who. So we're going to ask a few questions with these faithful friends. Who was this book written to that we're studying? Talk up loudly so you can be heard.

Okay, the churches, Cappadocia, what other areas? Did you get it? Bithynia, anything else? Asia. Okay, where were these, what was this region called? It was... Asia Minor, and also it was a Greek region, and basically it's what nation today? Turkey. Turkey. Okay.

And where, let's see, who was this written to besides just to these believers there? Us, believers. All scriptures given by inspiration of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be thoroughly furnished to every good work. Thank God for that.

So, what subject does Peter deal with in this first chapter, beginning verses 3 through 12? What did we learn there? One word would satisfy that answer. What subject was he talking about? It starts with an S. Salvation. Salvation. We needed this review, didn't we? Yes. Now, what subject have we been studying from chapter 1, verse 13 through 2.10? Of course, we haven't finished 9 and 10 yet. We're just starting those today. But what subject is that? Another S word. Sanctification. Good. Okay.

Now, he tells us, Peter says, to fix our hope completely. on the grace that's brought to us at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is going to be brought to us. He says, now, what is God's standard for our sanctification? We see that in chapter 1. What is God's standard? The Lord Jesus Christ. Good. And it's His holiness. He said, Be ye holy, for I am holy.

And what does Peter tell us about the new birth there in verse 23? What do we know about that new birth? How does it come about? By an imperishable seed, which is the Word of God, the Word of God. OK. All right. Now, let's see, what does Peter say is characteristic about this born again affections that we have as believers? What does he say about that affection? How does it work out? How does it manifest? Love one another. Good. Okay. How does Peter say that we're going to grow spiritually? The Word. These are easy questions, aren't they? Good. We're getting awake.

Now, are we growing toward our position in Christ or are we growing out of our position in Christ? Which is it? out of the position there. We're not seeking after a sanctified life as far as positionally. Now, there is the conditional sanctification whereby we're to put off the old man, and there are things that we do by faith. And so, that's good to think about. Alright, what type of stone does Peter describe Christ as being? Living. All right. And and how about us? We are called a type of a stone. What is it lively or living stones also?

You know, we tend to forget who we are and we forget about our calling. It reminds me. This famous or well-known politician went into the nursing home and he went over and he said to this one elderly lady, do you know who I am? And she said, no, but if you go over to that counter over there, they'll tell you who you are. We need to know who we are, folks. Lord, help us to go home before we lose our memory of who we are.

Peter's telling us who we are here. And this precious value of Christ, we found out, is also ours because we are these living stones, a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices. And so we are the fabric of this building of what God is doing, something for all eternity. So today we come to 1 Peter 2, 9-10.

Let's look at that on our sheets, the beginning of your notes. are a chosen race, you, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. But you are. Notice that there. But you are.

This refocuses our attention back on what we studied last week when we were thinking about the opposite side of this is the unbelievers who have been appointed to doom. And we saw in 2 Thessalonians 1, 7 through 11 that this doom, of course, is eternal destruction, separation from God forever. Can you think of anything worse for anyone than to be separated from the source of life forever?

And yet His holiness, His justice, His righteousness demands that the sin problem be handled correctly. And He has handled it correctly. He's dealt with it at the cross in a way that's righteous, a way so that unbelievers don't have to go there if they'll believe. And so that's what's keeping them out of this wonderful place of eternal bliss, which is heaven. Because God, not only is holy, but he's also righteous and he must deal with sin. And but they refuse to believe.

We learned that last week as we were studying. So Peter here in these verses, he's thinking about the corporate members of the body of Christ. He does not use the word church here, but his description of the church comes through. And it comes to a climax here in verses 9 and 10. Now, he's going to give us four titles or four privileges for the collective church. You might call these the credentials. You know, it's good to have credentials and to know who we are.

Once I was, when I was in the Navy, I was stationed in Philadelphia and I was in a Navy unit band there. Well, they had placed all of us band members right into the brig area. In fact, our bunk beds were inside the jailhouse, you might say, in the brig. And we had to go through and show our credentials, so to speak. We had to show our emblem on our shirt. and they would know who we are.

And the guys who were the prisoners there, which were military men, they didn't have a badge on, you know. They just, but they had, they wore the same kind of clothes, you know, the same kind of everything. And so one day I went in and somebody mixed me up with a prisoner. They were from this side.

They didn't see my credentials, so to speak, here. And I thought he was going to put me and really take hold of me. And then I thought, well, I better show him this. I showed him my badge over here. emblem and the fact that I still had it, so I didn't get put in the prison as far as the part I didn't get locked up.

But they made us, you know, get right in there with those Marines who were watching these guys. We slept in the same quarters with them, but it was sure nice to have on the shirt that day that had some kind of credential to it that they didn't put me in jail. Well, so Peter's telling us these things that we have, therefore a chosen race. Now notice each one of these things that he describes here has an adjective. I never did real great in English, but I think you see adjectives here.

Chosen race, royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. For is a preposition, but I think that describes the people, a people of God's own possession. So these four privileges are ours before God because of our being in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, let's first start now with a chosen race, he says. Now, let's say this, if you have your Bibles, look at Exodus 19, chapter 19 of Exodus, and just so you can understand some of the terminology. Remember, he's talking to these Jewish believers.

You know anything about teaching, you know you've got to start from what somebody knows and take them to what they don't know. You know, you try to try to get them from here to there. And I tell you, it's very different, difficult sometimes in teaching children. You've got to find a common ground or something that you can get a hold of in here. OK, we're going from here to over here, you know.

And so if you look in the 19th chapter of Exodus versus nine and no versus five and six now, then and by the way, I believe this is at Mount Sinai and God the Father is speaking here. Now then, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine. Now he's talking to Israel. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests. and a holy nation." These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel. So, there was a plan, and there is a plan for God for Israel. But Israel failed, didn't they?

God is doing a brand new thing in the church. A new thing. We're new creatures in Christ. And Peter, in discussing this, He's using some terminology that they would understand, but then he he he brings out the newness of it. As he said in verse 23, our first Peter 2.2, as newborn babes. So he's emphasizing the newness of the life, but he also is going back and using these Old Testament terminology with these believers.

Turn in your notes. I realized after I put this together that it would have been better if I had this on page 3. A quote by W.R. Newell, and I'm going to go to that first, and then this will help, I think, for you to understand, because we can misapply these passages and misunderstand it if we don't understand how Peter's dealing with these people. Okay, in the middle of page three, right under a people for God's possession, I have this quote by W.R. Newell.

God calls the church his saints, not a people. See Romans 1, 6 through 7. 1 Corinthians 1, 2. Ephesians 1, 1. He never refers to the church as a people or nation. 1 Peter 2, 9 is not an exception, but rather a proof of this fact. For Peter is writing to the elect of the diaspora, the individual Jewish believers of the Jewish dispersion in Asia Minor. Just as James also wrote, To the 12 tribes, which are of the Diaspora, in both James and Peter, there is still the sufferance or the permission, you might say, by God of Jewish things. As in Acts, they are allowed to keep the feast and are in the temple, although these were all passed in God's sight and the temple left desolate. God was acting in great patience with Jewish believers, but Paul brought a new message that the church was not earthly or national nor Jewish in any sense, but a new body and altogether heavenly.

So the Jewish saints are now called partakers of a heavenly calling, Hebrews 3.1. And Paul says this also in Galatians, now ye have come to know God, or rather to be known by God.

So I hope that will help you understand. There are some people, I believe, in the hyper-dispensations who take Peter's writings and they don't always, they put a real Jewish nature to it and say it pertains totally to the Jews. I believe that's the way some do that.

But here we see he's calling the believers a chosen race. He's talking about a generation and we are members of one family through our new birth in Christ. And you're a chosen people, he says, chosen race. The church is a race based on spiritual birth. We entered into union with the Lord Jesus for eternity. Thank God for that.

Ephesians 1.4 goes in and says this, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before him.

Did God the Father know that Adam's race was going to fail? He did. He knew all about it. And you know what? Had that not happened, we would not have the appreciation for the heavenly things and the heavenly man and for what we're going to have. God's great wisdom in allowing us to be down here and to suffer a little while to see what it's like when man is in charge.

It just turns out to be a mess. I'm amazed that our dad lived long enough to have us. You know, I mean, you think of all the wars that have happened and times past. I mean, isn't it something that, I mean, your dad didn't get killed in the Civil War, or one of the wars, you know, and you didn't end up here. But God knew, and He had it planned, and He chose us to be in Christ. And it's a wonderful thought. Yes? Are you seeing a picture of the church? Yes. See, he's talking to believers, isn't he? Peter's talking to believers. But look who's talking here is Peter.

And remember what I said about when you teach somebody and help somebody, you've got to start where they are. So he's helping to see, I think, that God is doing something for them. that now in Christ that the nation failed. They failed. When John the Baptist came on the scene and was telling them to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand and be baptized, what was the first work that they did to the priest in the Old Testament? He was anointed. He was baptized for the position. And they were to be a kingdom of priests, and they rejected Christ. They rejected Christ. And so they're not going to have that priesthood.

During this period of time we're in now, God's doing a new thing. I believe that we'll see that, however, when Israel is restored. We see that in Romans chapter 9 and 10 and 11. Actually, it would be the future would be chapter 11 of Romans. So, does that make sense to you? It's a difficult thing, I think. Yes, but we can see and apply this to us because all scripture is given by inspiration of God. It's profitable.

And when we look at it in the light of the fact that we are a new race in Christ, that God's doing a new thing, and that who's the federal head? Christ. What does federal mean, by the way? Federal. Anybody? Yes, what? What? Not D.C. Federal means one who acts for all.

When Christ acted on the cross, he acted for all. See, when Adam acted in sin, he took us all into sin. He's the federal head of the first race, which failed. And then Christ is the federal head, one who acted for all. So, you know, if our federal government acts and takes us into war, we're all at war. And that's what we're in right now.

So, but they acted for us. Christ acted for us. Adam, the first Adam, acted for us. So there is a chosen race in Christ. And that's why God chose us to be in him. So we have to keep that separate. And Peter's using Old Testament, some of this terminology, I believe, to try to help them. to understand what he's saying to these believers. But he makes it very clear it's a new thing.

You see that 1 Peter 1.23, 1 Peter 2.2. Yes. Yes. Talk loudly.

I was just looking at these, and just bearing in mind all these children's generations of old Christians. He isn't talking about Israel per se, but about Yes, I believe he's talking about us believers, yes. And he makes that clear, I think, like I said with those verses preceding, in the first chapter and the second chapter. Look, it's as far as chosen, John 15, 16 there on our notes. You did not choose me, the Lord said, but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give you. So this idea of birth is in the word race. And because of our spiritual birth, The new race goes beyond all of these natural distinctions, like ancestry and language and cultures and such.

I have a cousin, bless her heart, who has dug into all the history of the Fuquay family, my family, and she's so enthralled with it and she's been so enthused with it, and I'm thinking, I don't want to go back and all that stuff, forgetting those things which are past. I mean, I mean, goodness, you know, who wants to know that your great, great, great grandfather hung by his neck or whatever, you know, you know. Yeah, and I know we couldn't have come from monkeys, but, I mean, some of my relatives, they may not have hung by their tails, but they sure did maybe hang by their neck, you know. Okay. All right. So, thank the Lord we can rejoice in a new federal head, Christ Jesus, one who has done great things for us.

Now, let's look at royal priesthood. Royal. In the Greek, it means kingly in nature. Okay, the priests of the Old Testament were just priests. They had an earthly high priest over them. They were not royal. Believers in our dispensation are king-priests. Royal means that no person stands over us as priests. We have a direct access to God. Our priesthood was made royal when the Lord Jesus Christ, our high priest, had done His work. By our second birth, we have the same royalty as the Lord Jesus has.

It's so wonderful to know in a fellowship where we don't have a hierarchy here of some of the clergy, of a ecclesiastical order that's better than the other. Isn't it wonderful, refreshing to know that we're all saints, that we're in Christ, and that we don't have to have a special parking spot. The head pastor. I don't know. I think one could deserve that, however. When he gets to be about 90 years old. The great high what?

Monkey muck. Monkey muck. Great. With an emphasis on muck. I tell you, you know, I just hate it when I get mail sometimes. Reverend Gene Fuqua. I can't stand it. Holy and Reverend is his name. Oh, never send me anything with Reverend on it. Oh my, I tell you.

The world demands or wants us to be licensed to preach. And the church, so many of them want you to be ordained and all these things. But thank God. If you're not ordained by God, who wants it? Forget it. I tell you. Thank God for Brother Verne and those that minister here who are not seeking some prestige of some kind. Well, I just love that. Don't you? I mean, God blesses the humble. And we thank the Lord for Brother Verne and for all that minister just to God's glory and not for their own. And I know there's some dear saints that do have the term reverend, and I don't put them down for it. Maybe they'll come to the light one of these days. All right.

Revelation 1, 6, and he has made us to be a kingdom of priests. To his God and Father, to him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. The priests of the Old Testament were of the order of Levi. Now, this is good. Christ, however, came from the tribe of Judah, which is a kingly tribe. And we see that Christ's priesthood was of the order of Mechizedek. We see that in the book of Hebrews.

Mechizedek, remember, was the king of Salem. And royal refers to the kingly priesthood order of Mechizedek, Hebrews 5, 6. Remember Uzziah, who was a king, and what he did? He took upon himself to intrude on the priest's office. He was a king. He had no right to be a priest. And he intruded on it. And so remember, because of this, he suffered. He was really taken quite sick. I think it was leprosy or something like that that he got. But Christ, even though he came from the kingly tribe of Judah, he also has the priesthood, but by order of Mechizedek.

It's a wonderful, royal, heavenly priesthood. And it's kingly. Believers are royal priesthood because of our relationship to Christ Jesus. He is both king and priest. So, all of us make up a kingdom of priests. Now, where is our high priest this morning? Seated at the right hand of the Father. Now, where are we positionally? I mean, that's a great position, you know.

So Hebrews 4.14, Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. So our service is rendered on resurrection ground from the throne of glory. And that's wonderful if we can come from there.

And to me, that says, I need to be in prayer before I go into service, of any kind of service. I need to come and have that relationship with Him and be aware of that. There's so many things that would detract us from that relationship, you know, when you go to ministry. But the Lord has a way of reminding us and keeping us on track. And that's a wonderful thing.

So from our exalted position in Christ, we can serve in His strength and His power and say, Lord, it's time for you to work, not I, but Christ. So by virtue of our position in Christ, we have this strong union with Christ. Our priestly work is in the fullness of the Lord who has risen. So two characteristics of a priest.

Now, you remember in the tabernacle, and I gave you a few weeks ago, there was a handout on the tabernacle. Remember, when you come into the courtyard, the first thing you have is the altar, the place where the brazen altar, and then you have the brazen laver, and those are speak of judgment brass. And the priests were to come, And they were to wash at the labor before they ministered in the holy place. And everything in the holy place was made of gold, right? Or at least it was covered with gold.

And so, once they came clean, 1 John 1, 9, for us believers at the labor, in there. When you picture it, for me, I try to picture it in New Testament language. I feel like, and maybe I'm wrong, but when we sin, we end up out in the courtyard again, and we've got to come to the labor. come in a minister. And I don't know how Vern looks at that, but I see that the labor is a place of cleansing. And it also speaks of the Word of God, which when we look at it, it's like a mirror. It was made of the looking glasses of the women.

You look in, you can see yourself and make self-judgment, judge ourselves, 1 John 1.9. And then we come in and on the right side we see the table of showbread, and on the left, the candlestick and the altar of incense, a place of prayer, a place where the priests would minister.

And thank God that we have entrance right into the Holy Holies because of Christ. So, it's really, you're just right there. It's all opened up for us. It's beautiful. Alright, so when we look at the priest and he has access to God, we have access right to God the Father. And we are to serve by bringing others to Christ. Romans 5, chapter 5, verses 1 and 2. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained our introduction, or as King James says, access. Access. By faith into this grace in which we stand and we exult in the hope of the glory of God.

The second thing the priest does, he brings an offering to God. For us New Testament believers, what is our offering? What offerings do we bring? Yes, praises, okay, good. Spiritual sacrifices, the sacrifice of ourselves. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Hebrews 13, 15-16, Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, for the fruit of our lips, that give thanks to his name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. You know, somebody asks you, how are you doing today? The grocery lady. It's a great time to say, well, thank the Lord. Things are going great. Or acknowledge Him. Oh, it's wonderful.

You know, this time of year, it's so easy to talk about Christ because people are thinking about Christmas. It's so easy to bring up Christ. But how many times people ask us how we are. And it's a great time to praise the Lord and say, well, praise the Lord. Things are going great. The Lord Jesus has sure been good to me. It's a great time to answer with a spiritual praise that will be glorifying to the Lord.

And you never know when you might have that opportunity to lead that person to Christ. Now we come to a holy nation. Okay, a community of believers is what this is speaking of. The word holy means set apart, as you know. And the culture of this community is of the redeemed and it's those who are holy. Believers are people set apart under God in Christ.

Can you visualize a society that's going to be coming when we get to heaven where there is no all this sin? Can you get a hold of it? You don't have to lock your doors when you're in heaven. You don't have to worry about one of your relatives going out and getting killed by a drunk driver or somebody on drugs.

I mean, we have a great thing to look forward to. And Hal, thank God, he's already rejoicing in this, Brother Hal. He's already up there rejoicing and not having to put up with sin natures and put up with the sin problem that we have to deal with down here.

As obedient children, we read in 1 Peter 1, 14-16, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourself also in all your behavior, because it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. So holiness is not abstaining from this or that. Holiness is conformity of the heart and mind and will to Christ.

You know, there are a lot of people that go to monasteries to get away from the sin of the world, all the trud out here in the world, but they're not separated from themselves. And that's a real problem. I mean, the worst problem, let's face it, as believers, that we have is ourself, right? I mean, that's the worst thing that we have, the hardest thing we have to deal with. Because, I mean, the heart's deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. The old man that we have to daily put off is something else.

And by the way, I tell you, there's some people, you get to know who they are, they can send you some cruddy emails. I'm learning to just delete them right away, I'll tell you. Not you, Bertha. She sends me some funny emails. But I tell you, I mean, there's some people just love to send something a little dirty, you know. So, you know, the Lord wants us to put off those things and to be a people that are holy as He is holy. All right. Let's look at a people for God's own possession. We are those who are saved Gentiles.

I don't think we have any Jewish people that have come out of Judaism here. So Bob, are you Jewish? I tell you, you never know. Well, I did hear that it was a little Jew back there somewhere in my head in there when you got a hereditary column or whatever you call that ancestry. Yeah, I don't know. It wasn't enough to influence me to be into that religion, however. I used to be religious, I'll tell you. Hourly, that's for sure.

Okay, those who are saved Gentiles and those who are saved Jews are God's own special possession. Isn't that wonderful to know that we're His? He's redeemed us. Titus 2.14, "...who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possessions, hell yes, for good deeds." All of this is going to be done in Christ, folks. Well, that is good news. You know what?

I tell you, when you're trying to, out there trying to, and you're being the old Adam Improvement Society, you know, try to improve yourself, because there's so many groups of religious groups you can get in where they, oh, come down the aisle and rededicate your life to Christ.

What life are you rededicating? You don't rededicate your new life. You know, it's the old life you've been, I can't tell you how many times I've rededicated my old life. Why? While I was baptized three times, it still didn't help. I could wash away that old nature. I tried so hard through baptism. Every time I came out of the water, it was still there. But thank God when Christ baptized me, when He placed me into Him. Now you're an old farm boy. You're recommending lye soap, aren't you? Okay. All right.

1 Corinthians 6, 19. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? We're bought with a price. What a precious price that was and is. Okay, also, I skipped a verse I want to use. 1 Corinthians 6, 20. I don't have it written down here, but, For you are bought with a price.

Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. I may have said that somehow and repeated myself. Okay, Psalm 107, verse 2. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed out of the hand of the enemy. The Lord wants us to publish, proclaim, The excellencies of him, you know. You've got to say it the right way.

I used to think, the scripture says in the Old Testament, say to the heathen, the Lord reigns. I would say that to people and say, no, it's not reigning. They didn't know what I was saying when I said reign, you know, that he rules. You know, it took me a while to figure out that they didn't know what reign means, you know. The Lord is ruling. So I don't use that verse anymore.

Alright, 1 John 1 verse 3, But what we have seen and heard, that which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. Wow, that's good, isn't it? I can't think of anything better than to be in fellowship with Him. You know, that's great.

Philippians 3.8, More than that, I count all things but loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. What a powerful statement that is. For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I might gain Christ. Can you say that? Well, that's quite a statement, isn't it? That's what Paul said. Is it? Yes.

Dung, dung. You know, I use that word sometimes to describe my students, the way they play at school. I say, you know, they don't they don't know the word dung. Scoobalong. Scoobalong. That's the Greek word. Scoobalong. Don't forget that. Clean up your language, would you, Bud? Would you clean up your language and use that? Okay. All right.

The more that we know the Lord, the more we can show forth his praises. You know, it's just amazing. The more we know Him, we just want to praise Him more. 1 Corinthians 10.31, Whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Ooh, that's quite a statement, isn't it? Whatever you do, do to the glory of God. Whatever you do, do wholeheartedly as to Him.

Ephesians 1, 6 through 5 and 6. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ through himself according to the kind intention of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. So our lives and our church fellowship are to be an accurate reflection of the excellences of the Lord. You know, some of us yesterday were able to hear the sound of the Rockies. Well, this is a singing group, a men's group, and they're quite outstanding if you get a chance to hear them. And I went once, I thought, well, I might join that group.

So I went to practice with them. We practiced for three hours, standing up straight, no sitting down. Three hours that night, no sitting down. And they do this about every Thursday night, they practice. And these guys sound with excellence. when they perform. Winnie and Jack, they heard them yesterday also, we went there after the memorial service, we had tickets before we knew when the memorial service was, and anyhow, it's just wonderful.

How much do we work on our music? How much do we work on our Sunday school lessons. There's a lot more work done here on, I'll tell you, than places I've been before. And I'm really challenged at the way Vern teaches us and the hours he puts into this and other teachers here.

What a blessing from the Lord. And so whatever we do, let it be done wholeheartedly as Lord. The ladies did a great job yesterday, by the way. That was just wonderful. And we didn't run out of food, did we? And so what a blessing. That was great. It was done with excellence. That was a very good meeting. And so he wants us to make excellent choices. Philippians 110, approve the things that are excellent.

You know, there's so many good things we can do. You ever think, I want to do this, I want to do this. I mean, I'd love to study Spanish so I can order hamburgers down at the McDonald's and get my order right, you know. I mean, these Spanish people do not understand our English, and they mix up the order. But I'd rather study the Bible. You don't like your fries in the Coke?

Alright, we'll go on to who has called you out of darkness. Okay, alright. I don't have this verse down on your sheets, but Proverbs 4, 19 says, The way of the wicked is darkness. And then in John 3.14, and this is the kind of nation that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. And they won't come to the light. God calls us out of darkness of being a person without Christ. Darkness is the realm of those who reject the Lord as their Savior. I think of that old hymn, Out of My Bondage. sorrow and night, into thy freedom, gladness and light." I mean, what a blessing to be there.

Ephesians 5.8, for you were formerly darkness. He doesn't say you were in the darkness, he says you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Remember when Paul was on the road to And the Lord spoke to him in Acts 26, 18. Actually, he was giving his testimony in Acts 26, verse 18. And he said, the Lord told him to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.

In Jude 1, 13, we understand that that these wicked people are going to be wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Hell is going to be a place of darkness. A place of darkness. No light. Christ is a light. No Christ. No Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing of the life of Christ, but nothing but separation.

Now he says, into his marvelous light, Peter says. This refers to the occasion of a person becoming Christian. Colossians 1.13, For he rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son.

And I love this, Ephesians 5.8 says, Now you are light in the Lord. We're not darkness, we're light. Wow, that's good. Now, he goes on and says here, he says, for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once describes the pre-Christian life that we had. We were not useful in God's plan, but now we're useful. Can you believe it? God has made us useful now in Christ. First Corinthians 6, 9 through 11.

It's a great verse, verses. Listen to this. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Spirit of our God.

Folks, I see myself in these verses. I don't know about you. It's the way I once was. Thank God for His deliverance. It's good, isn't it? What He's done for us. 1 Peter 1.23, we know that. That, you know, this is the incorruptible seed that we're in. We were not a people, but now we are a people because of this new birth. Paul and Peter both believe that it was good for believers to remember what they once were in Adam. And it should help us to appreciate now what we are in Christ.

Ephesians 2.13. But now in Christ Jesus, you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Then it goes on to say, Peter says, you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. What is mercy, folks? Did you not learn anything from Bern? Okay, not getting what you deserve. Don't look at my notes, bud. Okay, Nancy says not getting what you, not what, getting what? Not getting what you deserve. What do we deserve?

Hell and death. Yeah, second death. So the emphasis, mercy emphasizes God's decision to spare punishment for our sins. He holds back punishment for us in the light of Christ's work on the cross. Christ bore the punishment. Now God is free to exercise mercy toward us. Now, what is grace?

Let's see if Vern brought you anything about that. What? That's it, getting what we don't deserve. Good, you have been taught well. That's good. Grace emphasizes God's provision for us in salvation. Grace is a gift, and salvation is by grace, because it's God's gift to anyone who's willing to take it. So, 1 Timothy 1, 15 and 16. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost sinner, in other words, Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life.

I love the story of Onesimus. If you have your Bibles turn to Philemon, I think we have a minute or two so we can look at that just briefly beginning verse 10 And I think if you look at this and I want you to think of Philemon as being God the Father I want you to think of Paul as being Christ. I want you to think of Onesimus as being us And he says here, I appeal to you. This is Paul speaking, verse 10.

I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and me. I have sent him back to you in person. That is, sending my very heart, whom I wish to keep with me, so that On your behalf, he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel. But without your consent, I did not want to do anything so that your goodness would not be in effect by compulsion, but of your own free will. For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever. No longer is a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. If then you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me. If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account." So you see here that appeal.

I think that this passage shows what God has done, an eternal view of what God has done. He's allowed us to depart from the fourth season. He allowed us to get into Adam's race, to see what it's like, to get out there and see that we can't live without Him. And now He's, through Christ, we are brought back to the God the Father, and Philemon being the type of the Father. And if He's wronged you, Paul said, I'll take care of it all. Charge it to my account. And everything that God the Father would have had against us has been charged to Christ's account.

And why did God allow sin to come about anyhow? Why did He allow us to get separated and to get away from His presence? Look here where it says, for perhaps, in verse 15, for perhaps He was, for this reason, separated you for a while. that you would have him back forever, no longer a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me.

So, the Lord doesn't want us to be slaves. He wants us to live up to what He's called us to. And we see that in these verses 9 and 10, what He wants us to be. He wants us to realize that we are a holy nation, you might say, a royal priesthood, and these things that we have just talked about.

So may the Lord Jesus be magnified as we proceed, and next week we'll be getting into a different section, and looking forward to Brad teaching next week. It'll be a good time. Let's pray. Thank you, Father, for this wonderful time to look in your Word, and we trust that by your Spirit you've opened and taught, and all of us have seen you in a better way today. Thank you. In the precious name of the Lord Jesus, amen.