Prophetic Scripture:
Text: 1st Epistle of Peter (shows Christ as our Precious Cornerstone of our faith)
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Vs 10 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.
A multitude of studies in the last forty years indicate that the way we see ourselves determines to a large degree the way we act and react in life. That one's self-perception, self-worth, self-esteem tends to be a governing factor in our life. If we see ourselves as a loser, we end up to a large degree acting like a loser. If we see ourselves as a victim, we tend to let people victimize us. If we see ourselves as uncreative, we never come up with any creative ideas. If we see ourselves as a piece of junk or little peons, we begin to think that we are nothing. If we see ourselves as successful then we tend to repeat successes that we've had in the past. Like studies, indicates, we set ourselves up. Our beliefs or views about ourselves determines our behavior.
Believe it or not people of God, but the beliefs that we have about ourselves originate in childhood. Unfortunately, some or many of those beliefs are false. Many people have a negative view of themselves because of erroneous information they have received from misinformed and unauthorized sources in their lives.
We need to look at ourselves from a different perspective. We need to hear from an informed and authorized source.
For example, a student in architecture entered a nationwide contest for building design. Judged by a panel of architects, her design received honorable mention. She was utterly depressed. She believed hers was the best design. At lunch on the last day of the convention she was sitting over her uneaten sandwich, looking at her creation. An old man was looking at it, too. At last, he remarked, not knowing who had designed the building, "This one, I think, is the best of the lot." Judges had merely given her work Honorable Mention, but one old man had liked it. The young student went home elated. Why? Because the old man was Frank Lloyd Wright, probably the greatest architect of the time.
When the authority tells us something we can count on it. God is the authority on who we are. He is our Creator. He gives us the correct information. He is the one we should be listening to about who we are.
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
Peter, in the first chapter, says what God has done for us. In chapter two, he talks about what God says about us. As believers in Jesus “the’’ Christ, he informs us of who we are.
I. You are acceptable (v. 9, "a chosen race")
One translation puts it (Eugene Peterson Bible), "You are the ones chosen by God . . . from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted" (1 Peter 2:9-10, The Message). Meaning we are (ek-lek-tos’) select; by implication of favorite: chosen; elect.
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained (meaning I have properly put you in an upright and active position; prostrate; appointed) you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Most of us spend our entire lives trying to earn acceptance. We seek it from our parents, peers, and partners. We seek acceptance from the people we respect and the people we envy. Our desire to be accepted influences the kind of clothes we wear, the kind of car we drive, the kind of house we buy, and even the career we choose.
Why are we so driven by acceptance? It’s because we love the feeling of acceptance. We love to know that someone has chosen and accepted us. Remember playing baseball as a kid and dividing up the teams? Usually, the two best players would be captains and as they were choosing up sides you were thinking, "I hope I get chosen by this team, because they are the winning team." If you were chosen by that team, remember how great you felt to be chosen by the best player?
On the other hand, remember how bad you felt when they got down to the last two or three and maybe you still were not chosen?
When you are chosen, accepted, it raises your self-esteem.
Even with our disabilities, character flaws, shortcomings, insecurities, and immaturity, God accepts us as we are. He invites us into His Kingdom. No conditions, nor restrictions. He chooses us for His team. We don't have to get cleaned up or stitched up or made up to be accepted by God. He accepts us as we are.
II. You are valuable (v. 9, "a people for His possession")
How much do you think you are worth? I am not talking about net worth, but self-worth. Net-worth is the total assets of a business minus its total liabilities. Self-worth is the sense of one’s own value or worth as a person; your self-esteem or self-respect. As Evangelist Hansley told us last Sunday, “Human worth is not based on possessions, achievements, or physical attractiveness, but it’s based on the image of God”. Criticizing or downgrading ourselves, is criticizing what God has made and the abilities He has given us.
We should never confuse valuables/assets with value as a person. To answer the question, how much do you think you are worth? We need to ask another question, what determines value? There are two things that determine value in life: Value depends on what someone is willing to pay for something and who has owned it.
Example: a house, a car, a piece of art, or a baseball card is only worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them. Value depends also on who has owned an item in the past. Value is enhanced by previous owners such as: celebrities; Prince; Michael Jackson. Did not, when they died, their possessions were far worth more than when they were alive?
Well, what about our Big Brother “Jesus the Christ”?
The Scripture say, "Ye are bought with a price, so you belong to Him" (1 Corinthians 7:23 KJV). Who owns you? What was paid for you? Christ owns you and paid for you with His life. But it was the blood deposit that was the purchase price of our redemption.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
This life is in the blood, and so blood must be furnished which is sinless and incorruptible. There was one man which was Jesus who gave all His sinless blood on the Cross of Calvary. There a blood bank was opened and into that bank went the blood of the Lord Jesus. How many know the blood of animals could not atone for in the Old Covenant. It could not take sin away. It could “cover” sin, for that is the meaning of “atonement,” but it could not remove it, or reconcile man to God.
The blood of animals could atone for sin, but only the BLOOD of Christ could bring about “reconciliation” by propitiation according to Hebrews 9:11: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building: vs 12: Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
It took the infinite price of the blood of the Son of God to take it away. And when each drop hit the ground, it paid earth off. Whew!!! Hallelujah!
God exchanged His own Son for you and The Cross proves your value. How many know God loved us just that much.
In society's value system we may seem like nothing more than little peons on earth, but to Jesus, we are the most precious treasure in all the world.
III. You are capable (v. 9, "a royal priesthood")
Capable meaning having the power and ability; efficient (performing or functioning); competent (having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience for purpose).
God calls us a priest!!! Hallelujah!!! Praise God!!!!
Peter is saying that the two benefits that priests have are now available to everybody who is a believer in Jesus Christ. One, we have direct access to God. We have the right to go directly to God. We don't have to pray through anyone else. We don't have to confess our sins to anyone else. We don't have to experience God through anyone else. We can go directly to God.
Two, we have a responsibility to minister to the needs of other people. Every Christian is a minister. 2nd Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
God says that you and I have been gifted for ministry to serve other people. We are "God's instruments to do His work and speak out for Him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference He made for us" (1 Peter 2:9 [recognizing who you are]).
The Latin word for priest means bridge. The priest is a bridge builder between God and man. But, in order to be the bridge builder you must first recognize who you are in God! Hallelujah!!!
1st Corinthians 6:19 What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Man’s body is the temple or house of God!
Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands.
He came as the enduring man, and His Body was “a temple of the Living God” because He made it alive. He said, 1 John 4:17: Because as he is, so are we, in this world.
So, recognize that you are “the high priest” of your temple. The high priest is “I AM.” Therefore each one of us is a high priest in his own temple. When we enter the absolute, we sacrifice the personal upon the altar, that we may realize and recognize “The Christ” way into the secret place of the Most High.
How many know the secret place is “The Wealthy Place” our Pastor told us about. Hallelujah!!! Talking about, “Recognizing Who You Are!!!”
Every person is a high priest in his own consciousness. When you say, “Jehovah is in his holy temple,” do you think of God as dwelling in externals? If you do, have the fearlessness to say to every tumultuous thought, any thought marked by disturbance, uproar, or is disorderly or distraught, to “Be still, and know that I AM God!” “Jehovah is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him” and know that your own God-given ego is speaking.
Again, you can do that when you have recognized who you are in God!!!
IV. You are forgivable (v. 9-10)
In other words, you are forgiven. There are no three words that communicate self-worth more than: You are forgiven. God doesn't rub your sins in, He rubs them out. He doesn't rehearse your sin, like we do, He releases it.
Revelation 7:14 These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
When we come to Christ our sins are wiped out. We will not be held accountable for them. They are forgotten, gone, erased, and treated as though they never existed!
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
God is in the business of forgiving sin. He can take all our sins and wipe our slate clean. Immediately, our past can be purged.
1st John 1:7 And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
So, it is with God's mercy. When we confess our sin, Christ forgives us immediately and without charge. As if nothing had ever gone wrong.
So, people of God, remember the four pillars of self-esteem: I am acceptable, I am valuable, I am capable, and I am forgivable. Because of what God has done for us we can "proclaim the praises of the One who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). The earth is God’s handiwork, but we are God's masterpiece, His creation! Hallelujah!!!
Therefore, we declare praise to Him for who we are. Peter goes on to say, "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:10). We are God’s own, we are chosen, we have worth, we are found capable, and we are forgiven! When we have that and know that the world's judging system just doesn't matter, then we know we are somebody. We are God's!
Do you really know who you are? If you ask Jesus He will tell you. As believers in Him we are accepted, valued, capable, and forgiven. What more could we want?
Come on and give God the praise!!!
Assistant Pastor Jackie Burton