Who You Are In Christ - A Chosen Generation, an Holy Nation, a Peculiar People
Bob Eckel · May 18, 2008
Who You Are in Christ, No. 20
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492611404361

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

So I looked at where we've been, where we've come from, and I had a chance to listen to Kurt's lesson last week, this morning, and as I reflected on the topic before us today, which is a chosen generation, a holy nation of peculiar people, I sense that that Kirk got the tough lesson and it was one of the four and I got the easy three to follow.

But anyway, we'll let you make your own conclusions about that. This is rich text and again is among the number of topics that have been identified by Lewis Barry Schaeffer that is defined as the 33 riches of divine grace. And I think, you know, if we all made our own list of what those grace-related attributes are, we could come up with maybe a slightly different list. God's grace is infinite in terms of his love for us and how he portrays that in his words.

Today's topic is three of the four components of 1 Peter 2.9. Now that we have the right lesson on the board, let's see how we move forward here. Folks got to turn this on too. Everything is requiring energy that we activate before it works. I think we're on.

1 Peter 2.9. We're not going to stop there at 2.9. We're going to look at 10 later, too, because I think it really has relevance.

So the verse is, But ye, in five, are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy union or nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. So the topic today is a chosen generation, a holy nation, and a peculiar people. I like the King James here. Peculiar is a word we're going to play on that word here this morning.

But as I thought about the royal priesthood and I listened to last week's lesson, it sounded to me like this role of the father in the home being the royal priesthood. Let me tell you, I never got that kind of respect. So you guys went out on a limb there for a while last week and then you came back. I think, Roger, it seemed to me you were the one that kind of brought things back on path here. But I thought that was fun to kind of look at the early implications of the priesthood in terms of the role of the father in the home. Anyway, we'll leave that behind. You got that all conquered last week.

So let's go ahead then and move forward on a chosen generation. What's that mean to us? When we're called a chosen generation, what do we think of that? All right. That is implied, I think. New creation. I always think of the Jewish people as God's chosen people. Good. So rooted kind of in Israel, right? Right. We're going to go there. Okay, good. Other thoughts about it? Go ahead. Something else? Okay. Chosen generation. Acceptance. All right. And what implies acceptance? You wouldn't be chosen if you weren't accepted. Oh, all right. That sounds... Well, let's kind of look at it.

This comes from two Greek terms. The first is electos, which is kind of the phonetic of being elect. And the second term is genos, or race, kindred, offspring. So I kind of, you know, if you play with those terms, what's it mean to be elected? Isn't that kind of cocky? No, God says it. You got all kind of good answers this morning. But what's this idea of election? We're a chosen generation, elected race or kindred. What do you make of that? I mean, I could say, gee, you know, we can all say we're elected and with you unelected people, you non chosen generation. You fit the bill, whatever it is. If you're elected, you fit the bill of whatever. You fit the bill.

Is that by what? It's by God. Alright, so God's got, you know, His elect and His non-elect up there. He's kind of just saying these are the groomed and those are the ones I've chosen and these are the unchosen? Yeah. Yeah, you like that. Let's expand on that. You look like you've got some thoughts going on. Of course, that's usual. I'm not dissenting. You know, a good way to put this, I think always, this helps me a lot, I think J. Vernon McGee kind of said this, in God's view, you know, the elect are in place and they're eternally, but from our view, we have no idea.

I mean, so if God would have none that perish, and that's his goal. The elect are those who come to salvation. We're not going to try to solve that issue about why some respond to God's grace and some don't. We can't answer that question. But we have to view every walking human as God would have them not perish, but be called unto his elect. It's not a human view. God's elect is God's human. We have no ability to seek the understanding about who are, quote, the chosen generation. But we are.

I always like to actually, you covered, I was just thinking about it, you had the first lesson and elect was one of the ones you did back months ago. He has a better memory than I do. I didn't look at it, that's why I cheated. But actually what's amazing is once we trust Christ we are elected. I mean it's a characteristic, that's why we're studying it, of who we are in Christ. I mean that's a God says, that's an attribute of you because you trusted me. And we think, well how can that be?

We think of going out and I choose apples or oranges and it's not that way at all. That's a characteristic. God says, that's who you are. You elect. And I have determined that and it's immutable. It's perfect. It's not the idea of rejecting some. He doesn't reject it.

You know, I think you should look at the Greek genus too and you look at the other terms that could be used for this Greek term. I like kind of a chosen race. We think of race in terms of color of skin, but we're a unique race no matter what color our skin is.

Kindred, what's that mean? You're tucked in. You're kind of an offspring, that third word. We're sons of God. Whole different generation, a whole different race than the unbeliever. And we're going to come back to this towards the end, but where's our citizenship? In heaven. Yeah, we're a race that has a different path to be walking down. So, incredibly important.

But as was said just a few minutes ago, this ultimately has roots in Israel. I mean, this first, first of all, Peter really was a messenger to the Jew primarily, but Peter is really directing this to the Jewish believer. Remember, there's no Jew nor Greek. I mean, they're all one in Christ, so Peter has that view. But the roots in Israel relate to verses like this, and there are many by the way.

I'm just selecting Isaiah 43, 20, and 21. The beast of the field will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to my people, my chosen. This people I have formed for myself. They shall declare my praise. Now that's not directed to us. That's, in Isaiah, directed to the nation of Israel. But isn't it interesting? How often have you considered recently your election into this very special race in order to declare the praise to his name?

And that's, in fact, what's said here in 1 Peter 2.9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now think carefully here.

The Old Testament, the whole Bible is for us. But the whole Bible isn't about us. Right? Peter was rooted in Judaism, in the nation of Israel. And his letter, although valuable to all of us, is particularly directed to the Jewish believer or potentially to the non-believer who's reading the text. And so the roots in Israel pertain to Israel. not to us as a chosen generation, but that's kind of the basis by which a statement like this would be made. Everybody with me? Okay with this? All right. Any other comments on a chosen generation before we move on? Yes, bud. There's one statement, you know, really my salvation and learning.

I was always quoted in scripture as being such an iamb. To this day, I can't recall where I saw it. It says, kill your people, zealous of good works. Is that anywhere in the canon of the church? I don't know that one. Maybe it's there someplace. They subtly slip that in. I've listened to that for years. Zealous of good works. How would you respond to that if somebody challenged you with that?

Ungracious, not of works. Okay. Okay. But is it Christian not to be identified with works? All right. I mean, a simple kind of one liner. It's not what we do. It's who we are. Right. And then once we know who we are by His grace and the Holy Spirit's living, our works reflect that, don't they? Our life is a reflection of that rose that we see in 1 Corinthians that smells like a rose.

We were saying in the car, but weren't we coming down this morning, this idea of... So let me go aside here just for a second. Margaret and I were with my daughter and her husband, Kristen, away in Seattle last weekend, and they're getting ready to move to Irvine, which that's another story. But anyway, when we were there on Sunday, we didn't go to church.

They listen to the tapes here. They're not part of a body there. I wish they were in a body of believers that they had fellowship with, but they're not. But they're as saved as can be. The issue is this morning his parents are there and the mother, Wade's mother, is used to being in a church every Sunday.

There's nothing wrong with that. We're here. We love being here. The fellowship we have with this body is so wonderful. It's not what you get out of it. It's who you are and just fellowshipping with one another. And I wish all my kids had more of that in their lives. But all that, that's a constant prayer request.

But the issue that came up this morning is that they were going to the Olympic Peninsula to drive over, which is a three or four hour drive. It's a long day to do that. And they kept going by churches, and his mother would keep saying, I wonder what kind of Baptist church that is. It's the idea that we should be stopping somewhere this morning to go to church.

But back to the issue. And Kristen says to me, Dad, this is so foreign to me. And I feel maybe Gillard would let him down. Isn't who I am in Christ and the fact that we said to them, let's sit and listen to the Holly Hills tapes from last week this morning as an alternative. And obviously that, and I'm not picking on his mother, but I think that there's this, it's not what we do.

It's who we are. So, but back to your point, you know, zealous of good works. Absolutely. That's the life of Christ lived out in us, isn't it? Those works. How are you doing at your works, Stan? Getting them all in there? Stan, we're going to line you up over here with the Pharisees, alright? Let's see how those works measure out here this morning. Works are important. The Bible talks about that repeatedly. But the source of the works is really what is the issue.

Yes, Doug? Question here. Generation. It says chosen generation. Hey you guys, this is what you missed. You missed the first part of the lesson. This is the soft part. We think of a generation as a period of time. Like my generation, my children are a different generation. How does that fit in here? What do you think? You ask the question, I ask you the question. Let me dodge this again. What does the class think about Doug's fine question here this morning? A chosen generation. Do you think a generation is just one cycle of... Period of time, I'm saying. Well, could be. Stan's got his hand up. I was going to ask the same thing because the Bible refers to a generation as 40 years. Well, why do you think we have alternative definitions of race, kindred, and offspring here? Is that reflected in periods of time? Is that the same root that you have? That's a word in the... Now, how about two generations?

And you know, whether you like dispensationalism or not, isn't the cross the great divider of all time? I mean, before the cross, there were a certain set of expectations by faith. Something needs to happen to change that relationship, and Christ, in fact, happened. And after the cross, we have a whole new generation, don't we? So there's the generation under law by faith that's saved, But the chosen generation now is on different terms. It's based on the sacrifice. I mean, actually, the salvation by faith in the Old Testament is based on faith too. I mean, the cross was still the cross even before it occurred. But I'm looking at this generation broadly as post-cross, the church, the body of Christ, the kindred, the race of who we are as New Testament believers.

Okay with that, Bud? Wasn't it within the covenant of God from the foundation of the earth before the foundation of the earth? He knew way down. He knew who was going to be saved all through it all. Correct. And that's the chosen generation, right? That would make sense because before Christ there was a generation. Jewish nation and so forth. Correct. After Christ there's another generation. That's us. I see what you're saying there, yeah. That's us, Doug.

So the chosen generation, just like, remember, back to Isaiah 43, 20 and 21, that verse is directed directly to Israel. That's not for the believer. We can tie into that because ultimately 1 Peter 2, 9 really pretty much exemplifies what that verse says.

But where do you think that my people, my chosen, the people I have formed for myself are going to ultimately declare themselves as that chosen generation? When's that? That's Kingdom Age theology, right? The nation of Israel doesn't mature to this relationship that God created for them until the Kingdom Age. And we're going to see that as we move forward this morning in another section that deals with a chosen generation, a holy nation, and peculiar people. The kingdom age.

Do you understand what I mean by that? That's when Christ comes, right? That's post-truth. That's the millennium, right? That's where he writes his truths in their heart, right? That's really where that's seeking. Although, you know, God gave that verse to Isaiah to declare to the nation of Israel at the time. But it has prophetic value.

Everybody okay with the chosen generation? Post-cross the body of Christ. That's the chosen generation. Alright, now let's turn to a holy nation. Where's that nation located? Somebody want to find that on there? I think that's it, right there. Oh, okay. You don't think it's here in Denver, Colorado, huh? Or how about down here in Adelaide, Australia? This is a math test, by the way. I want you to be... Ben, you want to continue that? All right. So, yeah. So, you're right, Carol. I mean, it's the whole world. You know, a question comes up. This is really going astray here a little bit, but we got time this morning.

Are there people elsewhere in the universe Have you ever thought about that? I mean, a chosen, a holy nation, is it possible that that nation exists on some other planet in some other solar system? What do you think? There are some people who think so, but I don't think so.

Well, why don't you think so? Well, because of how astronomers seem to have figured out the whole creation. It doesn't seem like the exact conditions would be healthy. Okay, but the astronomers would argue that the, you know, if the universe, whether it was, came out of nothing or it was formed by a creative force, it was a big banger no matter how it came about, there could be conditions that are fairly similar in existence in terms of distance of planets from the sun, in terms of the atmosphere and all these kinds of things.

What do you think? Is that possible? How do you argue with the hardcore scientists on this issue? Well, we define them. I like that. What would the Bible say about this? Well, you know, right now it's on the news about little space cadets running all over the place and what do you call the little things flying? Space stations? Yeah. And, you know, it's just ridiculous.

And if you read the Bible, we are created by God and we have dominion over the animals and I don't believe that, it's not in the Bible that there are other... ships out there looking to do us in. If God is who he says he is, and we believe that truth, is it not possible that this same kind of system could be created elsewhere, and the Bible would be identical for a different population? I can tell I've got some discussion here. That's the whole point, it doesn't say, right? Bill, you were going to say something? I said, I mean, it's possible. We don't know. We're finding stuff about Earth. Doug?

I'd say no, except because the world, Christ came to this world. He didn't come to the universe. I like that answer. Would Christ have to die a second time for another population? And I guess I don't see any clue that that happened more than once in history. So I'm fairly selfish with the concept that this is the one and only world system where human life exists. But I guess we can't prove it.

Remember, if you get into these kinds of scientific arguments, which I don't do very much anymore because, you know, quickly, the point you need to make is, you know, evolution and its own mindset is an act of faith as much as creation is. So, I mean, we're not going to solve those questions from a scientific perspective. It's what faith you want to put your trust in, right? Faith of evolution, faith of creation, faith that there's life in other solar systems is simply that, an act of faith, right?

The Bible gives us no clue that this is something that's happened elsewhere. So this Holy Nation, and Carol's right, it's that. The people who live in those geographic land masses that ultimately have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you. All right, again, this is rooted in the nation of Israel.

Exodus 19.6, and ye shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. So, for all the nation of Israel, I think again, this is back to the Kingdom Age truth. This is something that is currently not, in fact, before us.

Isaiah 26.2 says, Open the gates that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. That's Kingdom truth. Has the nation of Israel walked forth as a righteous nation in terms of what we understand about the Old Testament and the cross and what subsequently has occurred? No. So when you read the Bible, be careful to understand who God's writing to.

This is kingdom age stuff. This holy nation. Israel is only a holy nation by God's declaration at the time of the millennium. Jewish believers are called from their Judaism into this chosen generation we call the church. Everybody's fine with it. But here, as I just said, this applies to spiritual Israel and Gentile. And those that were in the Romans class, we dealt with this, that the Jew is really broken down into the spiritual Israel versus the nation of Israel. one population together, called a holy nation today.

2 Timothy 1.9 says, Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling. So we're a holy nation because we've been called with a holy calling. Not according to our works, But according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, right? There's that Ephesians truth again, that we're founded in him and eternity passed. So this chosen generation, this body of Christ, God had fashioned before ultimately man was ever formed.

Let's look at holy for a second, and I tried to get some more information on this in preparation for today, but it's interesting, the Greek root word is hegos, which means an awful thing. But how the Greek term ultimately became holy from that, it's unclear, but that's the root word is hegos. So if you look at the Greek term, it's used as holy 161 times and as saint 61 times. So it's clear it's taken on an alternative meaning.

So Holyos, which comes from the Greek root word Hagos, or Hagios, which comes from the Greek word Hagos, ultimately is a name which identifies us as a chosen generation or a holy nation. And we are saints, a member of that nation. So describe what being part of a holy nation means to you. Now before we were describing what a chosen generation is, now let's be more personal as to what being part of a holy nation means to you.

We're set apart. Okay. Other thoughts? Of course you can read your handout and see where we're going. Let's go ahead and bring it up. Okay, so other words to describe holy is sacred, morally pure, and sanctified, and when we think about sanctification we think of, as Margaret said, kind of being set apart.

And thus, Hebrews 3.1, I like this because it says, therefore, wherefore holy brethren, and the next phrase is partakers of a heavenly calling. Now that's neat because it gives us access, doesn't it? I mean, we're accepted in the beloved, were considered holy, that means were sacred before God, morally pure, and sanctified or set apart really unto Him.

And this is an act of God, not of us. And I think as we think about this, we have to think about what it means then as a holy nation or being made holy as partakers of the heavenly calling. What are you thinking about there when we're told that we're partakers of a heavenly calling? Well, I began by thinking position. You know, we're a holy nation here. our citizenship's in heaven and that's where we're positionally accepted in the beloved.

Right? This is just our business address. Correct. Heaven is our home and earth is our business address. A good way of thinking about things because this is a temporary dwelling wherein God's purpose is ultimately to make make our lives reflecting His and ultimately bring people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Build up the body.

Okay, any other comments on a holy nation before we go on to the favorite of these three for me is this peculiar people. Stan? I just say that in the Bible God picked David and Saul had all the super delicacies That's a timely comment, isn't it? So, even though we have, you know, the approval of the world, and ultimately, as you said, it's God who makes the choice. I mean, even though, you know, he can pull out a young kid who's turning sheep above a man that everybody else wants because he's hitting shoulders above everybody else, the Holy Nation still amounts to God's choice. God's choice in terms of who he's going to pick and his plan and his will. I'm saying he's the, it all comes back to him. Well, I mean, God is certainly in control and has full knowledge, but our view can never be that this chosen generation is up to us to be involved in, right? We can never become cocky or haughty.

This sanctification is not a process of separating us from the world in terms of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for sure. We just have to be very, very careful there. This Calvinistic Arminian thing, we need to simplify and just say God knows all things, we know nothing in terms of who that body is and we need to be lights in the darkness. And that's not something you work on either. That's that life portrayed in us by our faith, by His grace and our response by faith. Everybody okay with that? So a chosen generation is post-Cross, this is the body of Christ, elected by Him for eternity and in eternity past.

The Holy Nation is something that makes us different from the world around us. We think position, we're ultimately separated from the ways of the world. Now, if you examine your own lives, you may have some question about how separated you are. And that's not a guilt trip I'm putting on you, but the walk of the believer can exist within the world, but remember, that's our business address only. Our home address is in heavenly places.

Alright, a peculiar people. Are we really peculiar? Well, I've been meaning to talk to you, Margaret. Yes, we are. Thank you. Okay. It means difference. In a positive sense, I hope, right? Yeah, we're peculiar to God. We're connected with him. Well, I think to put it in very colloquial terms would be the world must look at us as kind of peculiar, right? I mean, we operate in a world system. We all have jobs. We have neighbors. We have people we interact with on a day-to-day basis. And when you kind of stand on the principles of Christianity and the Lord Jesus Christ, ultimately we are peculiar. And Roger, I'm sure in engineering, I mean, we all work in certain times, but clearly you're an oddball, right?

Yeah, well, I think of the verse about being, the cross is foolishness. And I've had people basically say, what you believe is foolish. I mean, God's just grace, grace, grace, and more grace. He doesn't care about anything. And their perception of grace is, you know, that they've distorted grace, but they, oh, you can do anything you want, you know, you're forgiven immediately, you can do whatever you want, and they make light of it, fun of it.

So that's the perception of the world. And that's a peculiar view. And that's why you're peculiar. And don't you think too, I know we've had the response, how can you, I mean to Bob, how can you be a scientist and believe that, you know, fairytale stuff? I mean really, that's kind of what they think. You must, you're smarter than that.

You know, we all exist in different places in life. We work with people of our own kind and have similar skill sets, maybe a bit different, but you know, no matter where you find yourself, you're peculiar. Unless you, I guess, work only in a body of believers all the time and never get exposed to the outside world.

Ruthie? I was just going to say, yesterday the family and I sat down and watched The Hiding Place with Corey Ten Boom. The women in the barracks with her and Betsy were just dumbfounded with looking at Betsy and Corey and their faith. And they would sit there and read the Bible to the ladies and they would shout out questions like, well, how could they, how can God put us in a place like this? You know, if he's really God, he can just take you out and whatever. And they just continued to read the Bible. They didn't try to answer the question, they just continued to read the Bible. And those ladies around them were like, these ladies are really weird, peculiar. In the end, a lot of them accepted the Lord around them.

For this light affliction is but for a moment, but worketh in us a far more eternal and exceeding way to glory, while we look not at the things that are seen. but the things that are not seen. Because the things that are seen are temporal, but the things not seen are eternal. Boy! That she kept saying over and over again. No pit is so deep that Jesus isn't deeper still. Yeah, you know, but we're all used to security blinders.

Have you tried to conceptualize what it must be like in Myanmar now or in China? Some of these world disasters were somewhere between 30,000 people, I guess, in China up to 100,000 now in Burma have been killed by a natural God-engineered catastrophe. I mean, you know, the unbelieving world is skeptical about a God that could allow this kind of thing to happen, right? But Quirtendom is one of the esteemed examples of a person whose citizenship was realized in the way she carried out, in times of great trial and tribulation.

You know, if you think about it, my flesh doesn't have the power to do that. But the Lord Jesus Christ in us does. And that's why Paul is such a such an important figure because here's a guy totally educated, totally knowledgeable about world systems, but yet allowed a life to be totally transformed by being buried with him in baptism under death and risen with him in the newness of life.

I wonder how much that scripture speaks in the Old Testament about my thoughts, your thoughts, my ways are not your ways. How much of that is really to us as a mystery? Well, that security blanket we put around us, Bud, is that comfort zone of heavenly places. That's, again, you know, if you're risen with Christ, seek those things that are above, right? That's where he has us.

And we can't, we shouldn't anyway, we do get too wrapped up in what goes around us. I'm having all kinds of difficulty at work right now keeping my lab open, and so there are issues there. When I preoccupy on that, I only get further. Maybe my score is a C plus now. The issue is these things are there to build us in faith and growth.

They're temporal and have eternal value if we walk by faith through them. Anyway, let's go back. We are peculiar. I think when ultimately we respond like Corey Tenbin did differently to the circumstances, That's a light into darkness and ultimately that's why we're peculiar. Because that's not the human response.

Alright, this is also translated in most versions of the Bible as people for God's own possession. So this is kind of a more appropriate interpretation in terms of how we think of peculiar and what that term means in the colloquial language we use on a day-to-day basis. So this is from the Greek parapoesis, which means obtained or purchased possession. Now we're going to try to distinguish this from a chosen generation and a holy nation, but yet it's very related. And by the way, to the royal priesthood that Kurt so nicely covered last week.

Titus 2.14, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people. Here you are bud, zealous for good works. Is your question now answered? So look at the purpose of the purification is for good works, right? his purpose fulfilled in us.

Ephesians 1.14, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory. So this reflects on the purchased possession being to the praise of his glory.

And finally Acts 20.28, therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God which he purchased, again purchased possession with his own blood. So I think this being a peculiar people or being God's own possession reflects very, very directly as the others do too, but maybe more indirectly to the fact that we are a purchased generation. We're not just a chosen one, we're a purchased one. His own possession to be used as a holy nation set apart from the world to bring a message that's not that of the world.

Question then, what's good works? Oh Doug. Those are the ones that God created that we might walk in them. That's fulfilling his will. I've got a list on my refrigerator I can give that to you sometime. See how that fits you. Doug asks a very important question. I mean, what are good works? The works that are, as Carol said, that are chosen by Him for us to do, those are the only works that won't be burned up.

Alright, does that mean we lay back, let go, let God kind of thing? Or what's that mean? Do we think about that? Do we do things that are pleasing to God? I do at times. I guess that's one way we can go about it. To me, when you get in that mindset, is this pleasing to God, you're kind of walking in Adam and recognizing that you're doing things pleasing to God. I don't know, maybe that's stretching it a bit too far.

If you look at 1 Corinthians 3 about the kinds of ministries and the results, Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall test every man's work of what it is. Wood, hay, and stubble burns, doesn't it? Fire makes what is in fact gold and silver and precious stones really probably more spectacular. If any man's work abide which he hath built upon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved.

You know, as Hal taught this in 1 Corinthians 5, I think, or 2 Corinthians 5. Chapter 5. I think it's 1 Corinthians 5. No, I think it's 2 Corinthians. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad. That's 2 Corinthians 5. How beautifully taught that. And if you can get the tapes of that, you should listen to that. But we're not going to be there paying penalties for the works of the flesh.

Ultimately, that's the refining and God ultimately will reward those things done in the power of the Spirit and the person of the Lord Jesus Christ in our life. I have an opinion on this that can be supported in part by scripture if we take time, but when we're focusing in on our own works, we're being motivated, I think, largely by flesh.

Yeah, Jamie. Isn't really our good works is anything really that we do when we're walking in faith through Christ living out? in my life, you know, even, even like getting up and, you know, in my life, uh, you know, just doing what's right with, for, for my family and walking through. I mean, just all those little things I may not look at, you know, doing money for my husband is a good work in the Bible and, you know, checking that off or whatever, but it's, you know, when I'm walking through, um, choosing to put my faith in Christ and having Him live through me, it's really everything after, thereafter, isn't that? Good work. That's right. Are those things you're accounting daily to your benefit? No, it's a life. You're walking a life, right? And that life is lived by faith. And that comes down to very mundane tasks on a day-to-day basis, doesn't it?

So, Doug, I don't think we can list what good works are. It's a life lived out in the power of the Spirit that I think, again, my opinion probably, but I think it's a supportive question. These aren't things that we're self-examining and giving ourselves credit for, right, Stan? I was going to say... Doug, let Doug comment and then you stand. Doug, go ahead. What I'm thinking, good works would be something we do as unto the Lord rather than something we do for our own edification.

Alright, does... Did you say it that way? That can be. That can be sacrificial, doesn't have to be. Yeah, I mean, I'm okay with that except that we can't think of God up there with a scroll kind of on one side putting our good works on the plus side. I didn't mind it as far as my head's concerned. Yeah, it's what the reason We do it. Can we put that in there? Okay, but do you consider the reason?

I want to be a big guy. I want to show everybody what I can do. I'm going to go over here and work and do this just so everybody can see I'm doing my good works. Okay. That's edifying myself. That's not what it's called. Correct. In my opinion. It's something we do as unto the Lord. But you gotta be careful here because the world system looks at good works about what you are doing for other people. And I believe that the Christian is called to first of all meet the needs of his or her brother. Oh yes. In the body, first. And then the world beyond that.

And yet, if you think about a lot of the problems of the downtrodden and the socioeconomically deprived in our world, maybe the church could be more effective there, but that's not our initial calling. You've got the Christ of the poor you always have with you, but that doesn't mean that life of Christ in us can't extend to those people. I mean, we never want to get to the point of the works of God are one, two, three, and four. Stan?

I was going to say, I think that it has to do with the Christian being obedient to the direction of the Holy Spirit. And I'm not saying to move out and do a physical act, but in many cases, the Holy Spirit first works on attitude, character, and how you see things. And, you know, I don't know if this is correct or not, but my personal belief is that, you know, it's working in the new nature and not the old man. And to work in the new nature means that he has to change me.

And that's the hardest part for me. I mean, I'm not there from a long stretch, you know, I'm an older man and I should be, you know, I would think that I should be even more into this nature than I am, but I'm not. It's just not being receptive to the direction. And a lot of times I stand up and say, no, Holy Spirit, I want to do it this way. Whereas if maybe I would be, not if, if I'd be more receptive and say, okay, Lord, I will do it your way. And in that process I become, more like Christ, and my nature changes, and I'm able to do those good works. And most of those I don't even know that I'm doing. Christianity is a life. It's not things. And that life lived out, those works will ultimately be seen. And I agree with everything you said, but the one thing I particularly can tie into is this.

As we grow in grace, the ugliness of who we really are in Adam becomes more revealed. You think you're going to get away from the old man as you grow in grace. It's really a mistaken principle. Adam becomes darker and more evil as we grow in his great grace. But God doesn't call us to focus on Adam and how he can be improved because he's always the same. He just becomes more evident to us as his great grace applies. Boy, if that's not among the riches of divine grace.

Jamie. I'm sorry. What do you mean when you say... recognizing the old man as what we were, because the old man is dead. Well, he's dead before the judge. Right. But he's alive and well within us. But remember, we've been, before God, we've been buried with him and baptized unto death, risen with him in newness of life, and we're to reckon that as true. But Adam's nature is still Adam's nature. I mean, before God, he's out of the picture.

In fact, a verse I love is Hebrews 2.14. Satan has in fact been done away with before God's throne. But is a Satan alive and well?

Yeah, he's still operational. And I think the great analogy is this boat going from London to the States or from England to the States where in fact the captain is found guilty of a heinous crime on board. He's sentenced and found guilty and put behind bars on the boat, but he's still yelling out from behind bars although a new captain's on board. The old captain has no right anymore to be commanding the ship, but he's still yelling out orders behind bars downstairs.

That's kind of like the Adam nature. Adam never changes. So if you're living in the fact that Adam's totally dead, wonderful, praise God, because before God, he is. I'm just saying experientially, Adam never changes. In our condition, until we're with the Lord.

Roger, you want to build on that? I think what Jamie's asking is that conditionally, And you said it before, Jimmy, you can, by faith, walk with the Lord moment by moment, day by day, but when you're not doing that, you're self, right? And that's the old nature or the sinful nature, right? So when you respond to that, then that basically proves that you have two natures in essence, right? Scripture teaches us that, but we actually experience that by realizing, why did I do that?

Why was I angry with my husband? Why was I upset with my kids? Sometimes it's probably well-taken that you get upset with anybody out in front of traffic. You say, why did you go out in front of traffic? But sometimes it's not, you know, so we have, it's that battle between the natures and God's desire is that we live where he's positioned us in our condition. Day by day, you said it beautifully, you get up in the morning and you say, Lord, I have a job to do, you know. I have these things to do. They aren't flashy. I might check them off while I do the dishes. Check. Vacuum check.

Roger, the scripture teaches us the spirit, and Jamie, spirit is always battling with the flesh, right? And the flesh is the spirit. This is an ongoing thing. But before God, remember, we're positionally secure. That never changes, no matter how many trials and tribulations and how depressed we get and how frustrated we get. I'm just saying to Stan, as we grow in grace, that darkness becomes more revealed for what it really is. But we're not to focus on the darkness. We look at ourselves as resurrected in position by God's great grace.

Let's move quickly now. We need to finish. We are truly a possessed people, are we not? The idea of being possessed, but we are a possessed people. We're purchased and obtained by God as his possessions. And what's the purpose of this declaration of God?

I think we gotta go beyond this 1 Peter 2.9. Let's look at this again. That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. And let's look at this. This is so interesting.

Which in time past were not a people. but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. The idea is, we are not a people of this world, are we? This is mercy in light versus no mercy in darkness. Now, Adams just tied up full time with no mercy in darkness.

But we've been called as a chosen generation, a holy nation of peculiar people, to mercy and light. That does make us peculiar, doesn't it, in a colloquial sense. And as we consider all the trials, disappointments, failures we experience in this cosmos, this world system universe where we live, we must remember always that by His grace and our faith in response, we're always fully accepted in the Beloved because He sees us entirely in His Son. His grace never ceases, does it? So His grace calls us a chosen generation, a holy nation, and peculiar people, and then Adam shows up. But this truth never changes. Because we're a chosen generation, and a holy nation, and a peculiar people, we have the privilege of Colossians 3, 1 through 3, among many other texts directed to us as special people.

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth, like the old man. For ye are dead, remember, dead before God, crucified, sins forgiven, Adam crucified, before God righteous, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Any brief closing comments? Praise the Lord, yes? Let's pray. Father, we're grateful this morning be called such a peculiar people. The world does look at us that way as we walk by grace and faith. We want to be more peculiar in terms of not being offensive, but allowing that light to shine into darkness, both the darkness of the circumstances that enter our own lives, but also the darkness of the world system in which we live. Let us seek those things of above, for that's where our rest, our trust, and the ultimate truth resides. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.