What Christian’s Are (Part C)

The supposed to be something about us that is not just human, not just interested in our carnal appetites. We are supposed to have greater expectations because we know the deal.

We know where things are going restart this life is humans but we go on to a new birth.

Now if you are a human being without Christ. It is up to you to find out what kind of human being, you're supposed to be. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Peter, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Here's Pastor Rick in first Peter chapter 2 as he continues his study called what Christians are now is not talking about not introducing Calvin's doctrine of election.

He is talking as I mentioned, cause and effect, reaping what you sow it points out the inevitable consequence of rejecting the Messiah's judgment so a brief review of the history of the Jews and and it is a sad thing and it should not gleeful at all but it is fact. 2000 years since the crucifixion of Christ.

We have watched the nation of Israel, even though they been without a land. For most of those 2000 years we have watched them suffer as a people who once had light and no longer do they wanted throughout the world. They have been strangers in Gentile lands exiled forced out of their own homeland, their country dissolve into a state that is been trampled underfoot by the Gentiles and their powers as Jesus reference to the time of the Gentiles.

They have been misunderstood. They have been hated and persecuted simply for being Jewish. Not for attacking anyone simply for being Jewish. They have faced anti-Semitism in every country under the sun. And then there was that horrific Holocaust nor the people have been subject for so long a time to what the Jewish people have been subjected to that is fact that his history coupled with that is their rejection of their own God judgment but there's more there is hope.

But before that. Hope comes to fruition this going to be a lot more suffering for them as a people and their own prophets have written about it long ago. It's there to be considered and to be shared from the Scriptures. Now verse nine but you are a chosen generation, and pause there. If the Bible is all is right about all this with the Jewish people you doubt the word because of your struggles maybe is some addiction in your life something you just cannot get rid of. Maybe it's an illness. You can't shake whatever it is you have that more sure word of prophecy. You have God saying listen to me. My word is accurate. I've left enough proof for you to see the fact that there are these other things in your life that you don't understand does not justify the rejection of the things you do understand call to those things that you know to be true. The day will come, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow or for long time, but the moment will come were all that is evil and weak about you pass away, and the only thing that will matter is your friendship with me. This is what the Bible says to man.

God is hated for this by many verse nine but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

What Christians are. That is what we are considering because Peter tells us he's resuming his identification of Christians is giving us some identity you're more than just human.

The philosophers of the world the best they can do is talk about humanity. That's as far as they go. It takes an apostle. It takes a prophet to go beyond that say there's more to you than your humanity. There's more to you than being human. Look at verse five of first Peter chapter 2. You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house or holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ is more to you than just pleasures, convenience, career, and everything else Peter tells us what we are even in the midst of difficult times. Even in the midst of depression.

You know you just don't feel like life.

You don't feel the joy anytime I get like that because one of you kidding, but anytime I get that you don't need a reason.

If that's the thing when you're depressed you don't have to have all this is why you have to sit there is always the same word from the Holy Spirit 1 foot from another keep moving, keep moving.

Don't lie down and wait for mercy from depression or anything else that is looking to harm you. Mercy is not something in Satan's vocabulary is not something that belongs to your sinful nature when it comes to confrontation with that between right and wrong. Peter tells us, remember he's writing to persecuted Christians is telling them what they are. He's saying you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people so unhappy.

So what you still have work to do. Clean up your own.

You still gotta get it done you parents. You know in your child's room needs to be cleaned up this euros were submitters. They gotta get it done. He's applying Exodus 19 to the church because it has been forfeited by the people and their rejection of Messiah. So having already said the first thing about us that we are born. Or maybe I'll see it this week begotten again. That's how he says it in chapter 1 we are begotten again and then he goes on to say we are born again, a different Greek word same meaning he takes read about humanity understands what people subject also to stuff but again he begins with the philosophers drop off. He applied all the terms that were for Old Testament Israel to the New Testament church and now our job to be a light of the world.

Moody mentioned about the lighthouse is that it radiates it shines it has no horn to blow it just shines its light. That's what witnesses America sees that light, as he knows there are rocks over that way.

Stay away from there we are to be this lighthouse.

We are to radiate light not blow horns and so is raising Christianity up to a higher level than Judaism again. He said we are a chosen generation, where God chooses to save all who choose to respond to God's terms and submit to them that to God chooses. We are royal priesthood will open that up in a minute. We have time where a holy nation, his own special people chosen generation, we take that one first. A new selected breed. That's what the Christian is supposed to be when I get not just human supposed to be something about us that is not just human, not just interested in our carnal appetites. We are supposed to have greater expectations because we know the deal. We know where things are going. We start this life is humans but we go on to a new birth.

Now if you are a human being without Christ. It is up to you to find out what kind a human being is supposed to be. If you are born again, then it is up to you to find out what kind of born again. You're supposed to be out of what is that going to look like a Peter tells us some of the things that go into being born the second time we are not to be as it was before we came to Christ. If nothing else, how determination to adore him to love him, love of those again who are not lovable. We belong to another world.

We first come to Christ, boasted that, don't you. I am not of this world, but as the days roll by, you find that this world is saying yeah let's see about that. We going to find out how much of this world is in you or not and nonetheless it is true. So now we must figure it out how to be the kind of believer we ought to be remembering who we are because we don't know who you are. You don't know you should be get a new job.

Not knowing much about the new job you have come to stand around to someone can begin to direct you.

Tell you what to do the same with coming to Christ. Yes, we have the Scripture, but he himself is given a sum to be apostles, prophets, evangelist Pastor teaches for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ and all of those positions of authority are so often rejected by those who say but I love Jesus. Why you act like it sometimes in those areas where you can pull it off. Do you pull it off, a royal priesthood, Israel had a priesthood but it was not a royal priesthood, was an ironic priesthood, a Levitical priesthood. It was a priesthood of ritual was the valuable ritual at the time, but it was not Royal and those priests offered sacrifices they made prayers stood between God and the people. That's what a priest does now the Holy Spirit says you belong to priesthood not just the men and women to the Old Testament entrance into the Jewish priesthood was controlled by Mosaic law. You had to be a man you had to be born into the family of Aaron.

No exceptions. It was restricted. Joshua could not be a priest. David could not be a priest. Daniel Daniel could not be a priest in Israel, King Uzziah tried to infiltrate the priesthood. He was struck with leprosy on the spot. Kings could be prophets that could not be priest. The two lines never crossed in the Old Testament, even Jesus Christ in the flesh could not be a priest. According to the Old Testament law because he was from the line of Judah that is how it was. But that is not how it is. And of course in 70 A.D. the temple was destroyed in 135 A.D. the Jews were completely tossed out of their own land so everything that supported their Levitical ministry was lost. God had no use for he had another priesthood now according to the line of Melchizedek because every Christian is a royal priest before God. We do not need priest as priest. We don't need a priest to confess our sins to court to go to God on our behalf.

We don't need saints, we don't need a figure named Mary to go to we go directly to God. What we do as priest is. We pray for unbelievers to be saved.

We pray for believers to be strong, safe, and to mature in Christ. We have much work to occupy ourselves with as priest. Remember in the Old Testament when God gave the Levites in the priest their uniforms. They were to wear hats because they would work out in the sun and they needed to be shielded somewhat from their elements and it has very distinct when you saw priest or Levite. It was no doubt who this person was just by the God they wore clearly the lines were defined and it should be that way with us. People should come in touch with us and say clearly you're not like everybody else. I mentioned that the Old Testament priesthood between man and God. The New Testament priest. The church we do to, but not for salvation, for salvation.

We go direct to God through him.

He is the one mediator first Timothy 254 there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, that does not relieve us from intercessory prayer. He says we are a holy nation. Those will what it what you saying we are Peter what your priest according to the New Testament. You're also a member of a holy nation which the law of the world does not recognize what God does coordination nation here in the Greek means Hebrew. Incidentally, before Pentecost you wanted to know something about God, you had to go through June. If you wanted to read something about God until the Septuagint, you had to read it in Hebrew.

The New Testament church changed all of that now. The Jews come through the Gentiles as a rule. Now the New Testament written in Gentile language. In fact, Luke was a Gentile and gives us the gospel according to Luke, things have changed. When our holy nation.

We we've gone beyond the borders of the promised land because of Christ and Pentecost when he said be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the outer parts of the world says a holy nation.

Holy has a do with being ceremonially separated lined up right with God would morally pure as well. That is what you say I do try. I tried to be morally pure and I blow it. We know that the stunned surprise. What is disappointing is if you let that be all there is about you this more to you than your stumbling in your failings.

There is this thing about you that Christ will not leave you because of those things. So get up fine okay if I'm struggling over here. I will make up for it on the side. I will punish my own flesh by making up for it. According to righteousness so the callings of Israel temporarily transferred to the church.

That's what Peter is saying they cannot go forward as light bearers of the world without the Messiah in a state of rejection and so the church now has a temporarily this does not do away with the Jewish people. God loves them.

Still, Israel will beast restored. Paul tells us in Romans that all Israel will be saved and will be after the bloodbath of Antichrist. God's work is gone forward without those who do not want to go with his son in the church is evidence of that you have dual citizenship.

You and I incidentally we can be patriotic when not revels in the societies that were in. But we do have limits. If I were in the military as a Christian man and I was ordered to attack Israel. I wouldn't do it. Couldn't do it see that there are boundaries there that set us apart and belong to a holy nation with the dual citizenship, but one has priority. This is because persecution of the saints throughout history were almost done a special people you have met some of them special people, Lord your old King James Bible's might say, a peculiar people will when the old King James was penned the word peculiar was used in a different way. Now, it means weirdo peculiar person we are not that there's nothing weird about Christ of Paul or or Peter did this does not honor to Christ acting like the odd ball in areas of life. We should not be an oddball and we got our courts will all all of us have something you who are married, you find the mall after you vowed to to endure them and you know you tell the young couple listen once you say I do is final really only two reasons why this not going to be fine and almost all the time is likely yeah yeah boy ready way, do you see what's coming. That's why they given the house.

You put two sinners together you going to have problems, but is not the whole story. This also victories this also much to be had spoken like a true true believer. Amen this is not the Satan is the one that takes us to the side and get system focus on something that causes us to crash and not to fly. Years ago there was an Eastern flight. When I lived in New York actually are all important important important part is the flight. This Eastern Airlines flight had a problem with one of the gauges was relatively minor thing, but everyone in the cockpit got focused on this gauge.

Not reading and as a result, they forgot they were flying the plane and it crashed and killed everybody. That's what Satan tries to get us to do focus on one little gauge. The cost of the flight.

We are a special people were not to be screwball's a Looney Tunes. What makes us special to things the blood of Jesus Christ and his truth, no one else got what the Christian this chosen nation.

This special people. Royal priesthood, we have it. He said that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light of Peter, do you know will be persecuted here.

We want you to tell us what is going to stop when were going to no longer be persecuted. Tell us apostle Peter. When asked Jesus. When is this going to stop. That's not the case is he plows forward, you are to proclaim his praises.

In the midst of taking hits and I think as you get older. In life you reach a point. We realize that here is really messed up down here is not really get better. It's plateaued. This is what I have to work with.

This is what I'm going to be judged by okay now I can get the business with before you get to that realization. You know you just hope we have these great hopes these great ambitions, and then when you find out the not so easily attained. You're either going to begin to crumble going to take steps to make this serve the king and that's what he is telling them here he is telling them you are to proclaim his praises, but I don't feel like telling Jesus how wonderful he is with this problem in my life. That's when you're supposed to do it. That's when it counts the most. That's one hell is told you can't win. You can shut me up from praising Christ because I got misery in my life. Pentecost is supposed to have changed all of this the lives of believers in each believer supposed to have a personal Pentecost, verse 10, who once were not a people, but are now the people of God who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy as referring to another prophet Hosea see him as a man of the word, but the point is life and everything he is saying is based on what God has said, and he God is giving him more Hosea God disowned the northern kingdom at this time because of their idolatry and their unfaithfulness.

But Hosea and his own personal life was going with through a parallel problem. His wife was being unfaithful. Gomer was not being true to her husband and God was using that as an object lesson for the nation.

God was saying, I will disown you, and yet God made a provision to bring them back. While all of us.

We were sinners lost in our sin.

God is made a provision to bring us back and Paul writes to the Corinthian he's talking about their moral immorality descendents into their gait that people engage in, he says, and such were some of you, and such were some of you but you were washed, you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God is saying, who were once, not a people of God, but now are because of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus at all not leave you orphans I'll send the comfort the people of God, because with this last phrase the church is no longer Jew nor Gentile. It is just Christian. That's it. Yeah, ethnicity is your ethnicity, but it really doesn't count with God would count with God is your standing with Jesus Christ counsel people. People want to know something good reasons over were not, but we are subject now to engage the enemy's interest is deceptions is lies. We have been brought into this nation, a royal priesthood, battling priesthood and remember the little Levitical priest, a warrior priest who we are to engage the deceptions of Satan in the lives of others. Telling the truth. The Jews and Gentiles who believe the people of God move. We are so glad you tuned in today to study the book of first Peter on cross reference radio cross reference radio is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and we are blessed to bring you God's word with each broadcast. If you'd like more information about this program or want to listen to additional teachings from Pastor Rick please visit our website cross reference radio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for cross reference radio iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast. We hope you tune in again next time to join us as we continue our study through the Scriptures right here on cross reference radio