A Peculiar People

Introduction

Good morning, everyone. Ernie, you don’t have to leave. It’s not going to be that bad, I promise. Well, maybe I shouldn’t promise that. It’s good to be with you this morning. It’s good to have the opportunity to talk with you yet again. This morning we’re going to be talking about a peculiar people. Standing out, standing up, and standing firm, because those are the things that we are called upon to do. Now, if that wording seems familiar to you would do yourself a favor if you would go ahead and open your Bibles to 1 Peter, the second chapter. And go ahead and put your bookmark there. We’re going to be bouncing around to a few other passages of Scripture this morning, but we’re always going to come kind of come back to this as our home base.

A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now, one of the things that you may have noticed as I was reading there out of the New American Standard is that the New American Standard does not render that passage a peculiar people. It says that it that we are a people for God’s own possession. The New King James says that we are God’s special people. And one of the reasons why, perhaps, that it’s changed over time. Number one, a people for God’s own possession is more in keeping with the original Greek there. But the word peculiar gives us sometimes a bad connotation there.

That when we say peculiar people, this is not what it’s talking about. Bailey, I’m sorry. But this is what happens when you host the young people’s class on a Sunday evening and leave, I guess I should say, sorry to Kayla, too, that and leave your iPad unlocked. Peculiar people come and do peculiar things with it. This is strange, but not necessarily peculiar. Now, I want to stop here and say, I know in this picture, this young man looks like a hooligan, but this was done in love. And that he won’t mess with your stuff, your iPad or your iPhone unless he loves you. I’m convinced of that. But I also want to say what a real joy it is to have to have people like Bailey come over to the house and study.

And if you’re not availing yourself of the opportunity to host the young people’s class on a Sunday evening, you really should. And if you think maybe it’s something that you can’t do or that you’re just not sure how to go about doing it, next time Lauren and I host one, just let us know and come over and join in, and maybe you’ll want to host one. I get, honestly, I think I get more out of it than they do. So, anyway, this is not incidentally the peculiar people that we’re referring about, referring to. There is a word, and you will find this word, we talked about it recently in the lesson. It was talked about here. and you’ll find this word used in Romans, the eighth chapter, that I actually want to bring into the text, even though we don’t find this specific word in our first Peter text, and I’ll point it out here in just a second, but in Romans the eighth chapter, beginning in verse 18, it says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subject to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery, to corruption, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan with ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons of as sons, the redemption of our body. I apologize, this is a little clearer on the map here, that the picture isn’t as bold. But the redemption of our body, for in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for he for who hopes for what he already sees, but if we hope for what we do not see with perseverance, we wait eagerly for it.

In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, and he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose, for those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son. Circle that word image, if you would, in your mind, so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren. And those who these whom he predestined, he also called, and these whom he called, he also justified.

And these whom he justified, he also glorified. Now the word image comes from the Greek word echion, where we also get our word icon from. I know we talked about this recently. An icon is an image or representation. A representation or picture of a sacred thing, an important and enduring symbol. That we are to be born into the image of Christ. Now we talked a little bit about that being God’s eternal plan a few weeks ago. But this morning I want to talk about what it means to be that icon. Second Corinthians the third chapter. Beginning in verse 12, the text says, Therefore, having such hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face, so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.

But their minds were hardened, for until this very day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains unlifted because it is removed in Christ. But to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart. But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed. Look at that word. Transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. Colossians 1. For he rescued us from the domain of darkness and transform and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether the thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church, and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him, and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, through him I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

So we have this concept of the image of God, the image of Christ, an image that we’re supposed to be reconciled to, an image that we’re supposed to be becoming into. And we know this word icon. How many of you know that icon? How many of you have one of those icons in your pocket? If not, you’ve probably got the little green android guy. We know this icon. We know this icon that’s sitting in my driveway. I have one of those icons. Doesn’t work very well some days. Maybe I should have gotten one of those with the large gold thing on the front, but I just can’t bring myself to do that. I’m not a Chevy fan.

But when we see these things, we know what to expect, don’t we? It says something to us about these particular products. If we see something with this logo, we know something about that product. We don’t even have to necessarily look at the specifications. We don’t even have to necessarily know what that product is yet to know if it’s got that logo on it. We might be interested in it. We know that if it’s got this logo, it’s probably not something I’m going to be terribly interested in. I’ll pick it up and I might put it in my closet, it might gather some dust. And if it’s got this logo, well, that gets me back and forth to the dear least. So I usually love things with those logos.

It was necessary for me to get rid of something with that with a BMW logo icon in order to get the wife because she wanted, she said she’d marry me if I took up hunting. Not honey, hunting. That was the smartest move I ever made. Not because I got the wife, but because when you’re a young man with a B and W, it costs a lot of them little green icons with the S and the line for it. But each of those says something to us about the quality and the purpose and the usefulness of that item. So if we are supposed to be the images of born into the image of God, if we are supposed to be conforming to God’s image, if we are supposed to be elevated to that image, what should the world expect when they see us?

We’re wearing the name Christian. We’re proclaiming with that name that we are indeed born into the image of God. What should the world expect to see when they see us? What should they expect to hear? What should they expect to know? Well, let’s go back to 1 Peter, the second chapter.

And let’s just begin in verse 1, where it says, Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord, and coming to him as a living stone, which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it is contained in Scripture, behold, I lay in Zion, a chief stone, a precious cornerstone, and he who believes in him will not be disappointed.

This precious value, then, is for you who believe, but for those who disbelieve, the stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. For they stumble because they are disobedient to the word and to his and to this doom they were also appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. So that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. For once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you, as aliens and strangers, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.

Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that it in so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may, because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly, for what credit is there when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience. But if when you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you, look at verse 21, have been called to this purpose. Do you wonder why we read so far past verse nine? You have been called to this purpose. Since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in his steps.

He committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth, and while being reviled, he did not revile in return. While suffering, he uttered no threats. He but kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously, and he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by his wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep. But now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. For this you have been called.

But let’s start, because verse 9 is kind of the pivot point for this chapter. It’s the point where Peter, almost said Paul, Peter begins to define who he who it is he’s who it is he’s talking about exactly. First, he says, chosen generation. Some of your translations will say race. The word there in Greek is genos, meaning family. We’re a chosen family, chosen race, chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, that we’re called upon to be these things. We’re called upon to be this royal priesthood. Now the word royal there is the is the Greek word basileos. Not basileus, but basileos. Basileus refers to a king. Basilos means you’re owned by the king. You have the king’s temperament. You operate under the king’s authority.

So we are a priesthood in service to the king. We are a holy nation. The word holy, hagios, meaning to sanctify, sacred, to pull it out, to separate, to make it ready for spiritual purpose. We are a nation that is devoted. It’s not talking about the United States here, incidentally, it’s talking about you and me. We are a nation devoted to God’s holy purpose. So what does it take to become this peculiar people? What does it take to become a people that is ready for God’s own possession? Well, first of all, we’re going to have to realize that we’re called out. We can look at, I’m going to do like Scott did here. I’m going to have to skip some of the material. But we can look at a passage like we can look at passage like 2 Peter 1 10, where it talks about making your calling and election sure.

It shares the same, not the exact same word, but the same root word that we are called, that we are selected, that we can look at the word royal, and we can say, okay, well, that means we’re supposed to be regal. We’re supposed to emulate the king. We’re supposed to reflect what the king wants. We can look at that word holy. We could talk about being sacred and sanctified. Incidentally, the same word we find in 1 Peter 3 15, sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks for the reason, asks the reason for the hope that is within you. That all begins with putting God in his proper place. And when we put God in his proper place, we in turn are put in a place where God says we should be.

1. Put Away Malice and Desire the Pure Milk

So let’s look at a couple of things here. If we are truly a people for God’s possession, Peter begins this discussion in the beginning of the second chapter by saying there’s some things that we’ve got to put away. He says, we’ve got to put away malice. Now, this is not just malice in the term in the term that we think of malice, where we think of malice as somebody that’s mean. This word malice here, although incorporating that is the term for all wickedness. He says, You put away wickedness, you put away bad spirit, you put away evil temperament and deceit and hypocrisy and envy and slander. Put these things away. Put these things away, but not only put these things away, desire pure milk of the word.

2. Growing Spiritually as Living Stones Built Up

You see what Peter’s saying there? He says, You’re filling yourself up on these things over here on the left, my right. Unless I turn around. Malice and deceit, hypocrisy and envy and slander. You’re chewing each other up, you’re tearing each other apart. You’re not building yourself up into the character of God. He says, you need to put those things away, and you need to desire to be filled first with the things that God would have you be filled with. Secondly, he says we need to be growing spiritually. He says we need to come to him as to a living stone, and that we ourselves are living stones. But not just coming to him as a living stone. We’re to be built up in him. You also, as living stones, are being built up, verse 5, as a spiritual house for holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For this is contained in the scripture, verse 6. Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone. And he who believes in him will not be disappointed. We’re not going to be disappointed. We are being built together with Christ. Christ was laid first. He is the foundation. He is the first building block. He is the one that sets the pattern and dictates the way. I am the way, the truth, and the life. And we are building in him an abiding relationship. I just smacked that, I’m sorry. We are building in him with him an abiding relationship. That we aren’t separate from Christ. We are being put together with him and being built up into something for God’s purpose. Now, brothers and sisters, does that describe who we are today?

As you conduct yourself and as I conduct myself, as we conduct our lives.

And the greatness of the individual. We talked about this in Bible class, didn’t we? And how important it is to be individual, and yet all these people that are telling you how important it is to be an individual are going out and doing all of them the very same things, and yet they’re telling you how individual they are, and about their individualness. Our power as children of God is not in our individuality. The strength that we have as children of God is in our reliance upon God the Father and God the Son. And the word that was given by God the Spirit. That’s where our power comes from. That’s where our eternal life comes from. That’s where our strength comes from. It doesn’t come from being individuals for individual sake.

It comes by seeking an abiding relationship with Him, an ongoing and everlasting relationship with Him. And so He makes this point that we are living stones. And if we’re being built up in Him as the chief living stone, then He is life-giving, life-affirming, and life-sustaining. We’re sustained by Jesus. All that we strive to be as children of God is affirmed in the purpose that we are given through the blood of the Son. And of course, He is the ultimate life giver. We are not living stones without first living in Him. So we have this abiding relationship. If we’re going to be a people for God’s possession, that status isn’t summed up in baptism for the remission of sins. Baptism is the beginning of something. It’s not the end of a thing.

3. Abstainers Who Differ From the World Around Us

It’s the beginning of something. And it’s an abiding, ongoing relationship. Paul wrote to Titus that Christ died to redeem for himself a people that were zealous for good works, zealous for good things. A people of good purpose. So if we’re going to be a people for God’s purpose, let’s unpack this passage here in 2 Timothy. Or 2 Peter, 1 Peter, I’m sorry. Verse 9, let’s talk about some of the spiritual purposes we have. But you are a chosen race, 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 and into his marvelous light. Verse 11, beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

We’re to be abstainers. We’re to be the people that differ from the world around us. You know, it’s really hard to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a chosen generation if we are looking and acting and behaving like everything around us. And brothers and sisters, this is something that we have to get really clear on because if there is one besetting sin of this generation, when I say this generation, I don’t mean the young people. I mean anybody living and breathing in this auditorium this morning. Including me.

There’s too much temptation to wear what the world wears. There’s too much temptation to talk like the world. There’s too much temptation to go where the world goes. There’s too much temptation to evaluate who we are by what the world says gives status. Verse 12. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may, because of your good deeds as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. We’re supposed to be a peculiar people. We’re supposed to be strange. And in that strangeness and in that difference and in that oddity that the world sees in us, they’ll ridicule it. And they’ll slander it. But there will be come, there will come a day when that will be what they are looking for.

And if they have seen it in us all along, they’ll know where to find it. We glorify God in the fact that we are his own special people, his peculiar people, a people for his possessions. Verse 15, finally, for such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men, act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bonds slaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Our obligation is to show through our action what the will of God is. We’re to encourage others to look like us. And we’re to take the freedom that God has given us and rededicate ourselves to the purpose of proclaiming who it is that we know that they ought to be by being who it is that we know that we ought to be.

4. The Holy Nation Glorifies the Name of the Father

And when we compromise that, when we use that freedom to engage in worldliness and ungodliness, when we use that freedom to tear each other down, when we use that freedom to just embrace what the world embraces, even if it’s not outright ungodly, as we might define ungodly, we’re not sanctifying ourselves, or we’re not being a sanctified people. We’re not making ourselves into a holy people. We’re not conforming to the image of God. Rather, we’re conforming to the image of everything else around us. And so let’s talk about these three statuses. Let’s start with the holy nation. The holy nation, as we talked about earlier, glorifies the name of the Father. The point of the holy nation is to bring glory back to the name of the Father.

Glory taken from the name of the Father by our sin, returned to the Father by our being holy in our conduct. Look at verse 12 of chapter 2.

Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles. So that it in so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may, because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. We could go over to Ephesians the fifth chapter. And look, beginning in verse 7, says, Be not ye therefore partakers with them, for ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, walk as children of light. Goodness and righteousness and truth, provide proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things are reproved and made manifest by the light.

For whatsoever doth make manifest is light, wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. Are we walking in light this morning? Are we shining the light of the gospel? Are we conducting ourselves away from the unfruitful works of darkness and promoting the works that we know show the living God in the greatest possible light that edify and glorify his name? Are we holy in our conduct? How about holy in our pursuits? Philippians the third chapter in verse 18 through 20 talks about those that had separated themselves because they had gone after the God, their God, which was their belly, and gone into all kinds of unrighteousness. Paul challenges the Philippians to consider themselves as those who had their citizenship already in heaven, verse 20, and not to walk in those ways.

Are we holy in our pursuits? What’s your goal? As you sit here this morning, right here in this auditory, just you in your own mind, what is your first goal? What is your chief identity? Is it to be a child of God? Or is it to fill up some aching material need? You know, mentally we know the right answer, don’t we? We know the right answer. But the true answer is shown in our conduct. We need to be holy in our communications. This is one of the things that, if we’re not so careful, this is going to come back to bite us eventually. And it is the advent that is social media. Who you are online. Is it the same person that you know you ought to be in the real world?

I want you to do me a favor, if you will. You don’t have to, but I want you to do me a favor. I want you to go home this morning. I want you to look at your Facebook profile. And if I want you to look at it, if you don’t have one, that’s fine. Look at the emails that you send, look at the text messages that you send to friends. If you don’t have any of that, then congratulations. Maybe they are in order. But for those of you that do, I want you to go home. And I want you to look at the persona that you’re putting out there. And I want you to look at it through the prism of what would somebody else see when they see this.

And I’m not just talking about our people here. I’m talking about people at large. I see people whose first identity is to stand up and complain about the government. I see people whose first identity is we need to do something about this social cause or this social cause. I see people whose first identity is summed up in the things that they’ve recently purchased. The bigger house, the bigger boat, the car. I see people whose first identity, if you were just to read their posts, and just what they’re putting out there might be an affinity for a particular political party. Brothers and sisters, if that’s all that’s coming out of our mouth, we need to be very cautious. Because most people that see us today, guess what?

That’s exactly where they’re seeing us. Are we speaking like godly people when we’re online? Are we saying godly things? Are we promoting virtue, the virtues that Christ Himself promoted? Or are we just complaining about everything that’s out there? Are we just angry? There’s something that I did a couple of years ago now. I really just kind of shut off talk radio. Now, this was my personal decision. You don’t have to make this decision. I just shut off talk radio. I went back to it a few months ago just to see if it had changed any. And if anything, it was actually more just kind of visceral than it was even before. And so I shut it off again. I shut it off because I realized a couple of years ago, it was actually Lauren that helped me see it, that in every discussion I was having with friends and loved ones, it all became about politics.

It all became the way that I thought things needed to be. And it all became about my personal political persuasion. Let me tell you something. Once you’ve alienated somebody with as much polarity as there is at polar extremes as there are today in the political world, once you have alienated them with what you think and how the cow ate the cabbage and what needs to be done about it, you’re probably never going to reach them with the truth. There’s a danger to this being our first identity. And I don’t care how much I love the Second Amendment. I do love the Second Amendment. I got lots of things in my house that say I love the Second Amendment and bought one of them things to keep them safe because I love the Second Amendment and all those things.

5. A Royal Priesthood Serves the Purposes of the Father

But guess what? That shouldn’t be my first identity. And if that’s all that people are getting from me, they’re not hearing from me that I am putting my trust in God if I’m just angry all the time about something that is purely secular and really doesn’t have much bearing on my day-to-day life. We’re supposed to be a royal priesthood. We’re supposed to serve the purposes of the Father. This is just a reflection on the verse I pulled it out of, verse 9. We’re supposed to magnify his purpose. Verse 12 again. Last Sunday night we talked about 1 Timothy 3 15, that you ought to know how to conduct yourself in the household of God, which is the church, the pillar and ground of the truth. We’re supposed to magnify his purpose.

We are supposed to be those that walk in light and wisdom. Ephesians, the fifth chapter, beginning in the 15th verse. See then that you walk circumspectly not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is, and do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God, the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Are we walking circumspectively? Are we magnifying his purpose? Are we walking in wisdom?

As the text challenges us. I mean, that’s our purpose, right? To show, to glorify his name. That’s what we read down in verse in verse 21. We’ve been called for this purpose. We’re a royal priesthood. We need to be walking in wisdom and we need to be holding forth those things that God says we ought to be holding forth. We need to be stopping and thinking about what time it is spiritually and the obligations that are before us. We need to be redeeming the time that God has given us for the purpose that he gave us that time.

Do we serve the purpose? The priesthood was supposed to be those that taught the truth. We’re supposed to be those that taught the truth. Do we serve the purpose of illuminating him who illumines us? Verse 15, again in 1 Peter chapter 2. I think I’ve said 2 Peter about four times this morning. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Matthew, the fifth chapter, after stating the Beatitudes, Jesus compares us to salt and light. He says that you can’t hide a city that’s built on a hill, and no one lights a candle and puts it under a bushel, but they put it on a lampstand so it gives light to all that are in the house.

And salt that doesn’t have any flavor isn’t good for anything anymore but road traction. And then he says this let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. Are we illuminating him? I mean, that’s our purpose. That’s what it means to be a royal priesthood. A priesthood that serves the king, serves the purpose of the Father. We proclaim his greatness, we magnify his purpose, and we illuminate him in the way that he wants to be illuminated. We shine our light reflectively back on him so that the world can see through our good works him whom we serve. Are we illuminating him in that way? Are we illuminating his purpose in that way? Are we shining with the glory of God?

6. A Chosen Generation Belongs to the Father

How about a chosen generation? We’ll not go to the Ephesian reference there. I know we’re short on time. I apologize for that. The chosen generation is a generation, a genus, a family that belongs to the Father. We are in fact his family. Ephesians 1, 3, and 7 in Romans 8, 12 and 7, 12 through 17. Talk about God choosing to adopt and to save some and to give an inheritance to those that would become his family. Are we his family? Are we his children? Are we fellow heirs with Christ? I goof that one up. Are we his people? Verse 9. Also Hebrews 11. Turn over, if you will. Let’s take some time and actually look at this passage in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 11, beginning in verse 15, said, actually, it’s back up to verse 14.

For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Brothers and sisters, when’s the last time we stopped and thought about the fact that we are God’s people? Again, forgetting for a moment that individuality, forgetting for a moment that personal identity, forgetting for the moment who Jared Bowman is. What if my first identity were to be a child of God? Before I was anything else, that all my decisions and all my purposes and all the choices that I make were filtered through the desire first to be his people, to be his child.

We’re also to be his icons, made in his image. Ephesians the fifth chapter again, beginning in verse 1, says, Therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love.

But fornication and uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you as is fitting for the saints, neither filthiness nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving thanks. For this you know that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not be partakers with them. Look at how he started that passage. Be imitators of God. One more quick aside here, and then we’re going to wrap this up. Young people, I want to talk to you specifically. There are a lot of people who are going to tell you that you are the future of the church.

That’s actually not true. You were very much, if you are a child of God, the present of the church. You are the now. One of the reasons why I left the chosen generation on the screen is because sometimes we discount the youngest of us, that we discount the opportunities that they have to teach the gospel, stand for the truth, and hold forth the lamp of the word. I want to tell you something, and I know this from my own experience. You will never have more and better opportunities to teach the gospel than you do right now. The older people get, the more set in their ways they become. The older that people become, the harder it is to reach them. You’ll reach some, perhaps. But we’re not reaching enough people this morning, I’m convinced, because we’re not instilling in our young people the firm foundation of the truth that is necessary for them to go out and wage spiritual warfare.

Their opportunities are just as important as the opportunities that we have. The obstacles that they face to their conscience and their character are just as severe as the obstacles that we face. And maybe even more so because in these formative years, the wrong decisions, the wrong choices, a certain kind of spiritual ambiguity towards godliness and spiritual indifference towards godliness will transcend and carry over into your adult years if you don’t start laying those foundations now. I know, believe me. I watched as almost my entire generation of people who grew up in the church, just about all of them left the Lord. There was a time when all of the ones that I knew where they were, now some I didn’t know where they were, and I believe they were faithful during that time.

But just about everyone that I could have told you where they were located or how to get in touch with them, none of them were faithful to the Lord. Because they didn’t start with the spiritual foundation that was necessary to be part of the pillar and ground of the truth. They didn’t start with the spiritual foundation that was necessary to bring them up into the godly people that they ought to be. They didn’t start, they didn’t get started. I shouldn’t put the burden on them. They didn’t get started with the people that gave them instruction, by the people that gave them instruction with a deep and abiding faith and love for the truth. That is not the failing of preachers. And that’s not even the failing of Bible class teachers.

Where the failing happens is in the home. Parents, if you want to get your children off to be good and godly people, if you want them to be among this chosen generation, to do their work as a royal priesthood, to be edified, to be those that edify and encourage and are part of the holy nation that brings reverence and respect back to the name of God. Bring reverence and respect for the name of God back into your home. Bring the word of God back into the home around the dinner table and around family time. Shut the television off and show them with your own example how important it is that we be icons made in the image of God. I know I went way over. I apologize.

Conclusion

But thank you for letting me talk to you about being a peculiar people this morning. People for his own possession. People dedicated to a certain kind of spiritual work. A people that shows the light of God. Is that who we are this morning? Are we the chosen? Are we the royal? Are we the holy? There’s anyone here that owes some duty to God if your soul is not right. There’ll never be a better opportunity to change that than right now. Won’t you come forward confessing your sins?