What Christian’s Are (Part B)

When you can't win friendships with the lost out in the world.

You don't get opportunities you opportunities to preach the truth are greatly diminished. But when people at least respect you as a decent person hold tracks of opportunity can open up, I'm not telling you something I read in the book telling you something that I've lived in life. 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. Today's message is called what Christians are taught from first Peter chapter 2 we can learn much about a person by what they hold to be precious to be dear to them. What is dear to you, what is the most dearest thing to you create a list in your head and what's at the top and and how far opposite.

If you're honest, you might say I know it should be the Lord, but I have other passions. I don't like that I have these other passions, but they are there. That's an honest answer. That's with the fighters something wrong about being honest something very wrong with pretending that the truth is not the truth, and so we learn much about ourselves by what we hold to be precious Jesus said for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Well, you go to the long stretch of time in your Christian walk with Jesus is just as radiant visit beautiful Savior, but then tough days come, and they don't. They last a long time. Sometimes you may find yourself struggling to find that same zeal in the faith that you once had. You are now mature your expected to work through this and be victorious because of the Scripture because of your faith, so the thing we hold precious what will it do to us. It is more of an active row will than it is our emotions see the lesser precious things.

It's emotional. The loved ones the children you we can feel that. But one was struggling and it seems that Jesus is not helping like we had hoped he would.

Emotions begin to betray us if we're not careful, so he says, but to those who are disobedient. In contrast to those who willfully come to Christ willfully have him as Lord and Savior.

In contrast with those who are disobedient people will face consequences for disliking Christ. They will face consequences for not accepting, whom he says he is the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone against own metaphor for the Christ Messiah, God's son by the time Peter wrote this letter, the Jewish nation had finalized as a nation.

Their rejection of Jesus Christ. Yeah, there were Jews that were Christians and there were still Jews coming to Christ. But as a people in their synagogues at their temple. They had rejected Christ completely and these were different days. Now Christ and the church God and the Holy Spirit was now centerstage as far as the light of the world and whether it be in Jerusalem this rail of the Diaspora Jews dispersed throughout Gentile lands.

He was rejected. We read about it next chapter 18. For example, Luke is writing about Paul's experience in current three were asked separating verse five when Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is Messiah, but when they opposed him, and blasphemed. He shook his garments and said to them, your blood be upon your own heads.

I am clean from now on I will go to the Gentiles. They had rejected as a people. The chief cornerstone. They had forfeited their calling as builders of righteousness. This is not against the Jewish people. It is a fact. It is a fact not only of biblical history, but world history there, refusing the chief cornerstone has brought upon them much unnecessary sorrow, perhaps more than any people that have ever been because not only are they battling the world, but the Satan behind the world that is determined to destroy them to prove God's promises are not sustainable.

Satan will fail.

Of course, in that endeavor, but because he is insane with his own ambitions. He doesn't believe it. Verse eight and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, they stumble being disobedient to the word, which they also were appointed. So he continues to develop it. A stone of stumbling a rock of offense, what would have been the most crucial component of the structure that chief cornerstone that symbolic stone of their faith became the cause of injury and not salvation.

Second Corinthians 216 to the one we are in a roamer of death, leading to death and to the other the aroma of life leading to life to the unbeliever the message and the Christian himself is a message of death and judgment.

If they remain unbelievers, but to those who have become believers. The message of the cross is life.

It is light.

It is a sweet smelling aroma. This is what it always comes down to one of the other and in your most difficult times. As believers, that is what we claim to that we believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the son of God, that he died and rose again that he is coming again that he has given me is Holy Spirit to preach the truth concerning God and salvation in the state of man.

This is what makes us believers amongst other things, not an exhaustive list, nor is it intended to be, they stumble being disobedient to the word. That's what it says. Look at verse eight. A stone of stumbling in a rock of offense, that means things got ugly, they stumble being disobedient to the word how many of you wish the sermons here.don't answer this where 10 minutes so who hold horizon go-ahead answer live tell me more.

But you see, there are many places like tennis elbow, but his wrist, elbow from looking at their watch every two minutes Wednesday 10 minutes going to end because the words not preached, nor is it desired.

This is a tragedy. This is not something we going to be critical of them were better than them. That's not that's not it at all is what is in here our own Bible is loaded with these sorts of exhortations concerning God's word but they just dismissed, they stumble being disobedient to the word hell is packed with those who treat God's word as though it was is not God's word. That's how they got there and by the way, hell is never booked up. There's always room for more. It is in abyss is endless and that's what concerns us. We say we love Jesus that he is precious to us that what is precious to him must be precious to us to and if it is just our lives in the circle of our loved ones.

We are missing it. We hope we been hijacked, it must go beyond the church doors the home. It has to get out into the world. You say how does it do that you handle my CDs from you and I when we are with the world when I'm on our best behavior were not Christian behavior.

We do as best we can and if it but but if we're just honest and abrasive and unlikable and grumpy, especially all the time. We can't win can't win friendships when you can't win friendships with the lost out in the world. You don't get opportunities you opportunities to preach the truth are greatly diminished. But when people at least respect you as a decent person hold tracks of opportunity can open up, I'm not telling you something I read in a book telling you something that I've lived in life.

If we are blameless people. If we walk up right, God will use. Use us will come back to that in a minute. But back to this, they stumble being disobedient to the word, they would not heed their own profits concerning their own Messiah.

What should have been foundational to them again became a hazard sentence of doom such of the consequences of recklessness with God to get a believer to what you can say to the nonbeliever to we can say to them you being of reckless with your eternity by making things up about it.

You have no authority to make up things about what is going to happen to you when you die, or anyone else. But there is an authority. You must understand the Satan is devoted he is fanatical about getting people to not believe this is what God has said Peter. Of course, as we considered once will consider throughout his letter that we've got, the more sure word of predictive prophecy. Prophecies that have been fulfilled and we today have prophecies that are being fulfilled. He says here, to which they also were appointed. The Jews were appointed to the laws of preaching of God's word, yes, but also to the judgments of rejecting it. And that's what he's talking about here. The laws of cause and effect.

You reap what you sow, if you so unbelief you going to get unbelief. You will not get a harvest of belief from doubting. When you find yourself doubt doubting, which is understandable is never be surprised no Christian should ever be surprised that doubt tries to gain entrance where we should be surprised. That is, if we start making it feel very comfortable that we didn't let it come in is sort of like you know you can get a critter into your house that you don't want in your house you going to spend your energy to get it out like a hornet. For example, even a bird from Kellenberger my house. All right anyway but maybe maybe you'd do. I mean, I don't mean a domesticated bird maybe to help you with it have a turkey vulture you want to those ugly did the ugliest creature ever made hand lewdly well to which they were also appointed.

Now he's not talking about not introducing Calvin's doctrine of election. He is talking as I mentioned, cause and effect, reaping what you sow, reap the point of the inevitable consequence of rejecting the Messiah's judgment so a brief review of the history of the Jews in 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 referenced it 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 their 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 the 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 in 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 knew who 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, is 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 and 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 is on 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 snares, they gotta get it done.

He's applying Exodus 19 to the church because it has been forfeited by the people in the rejection of Messiah.

So having already said the first thing about us that we are born.

Or maybe I'll sit 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 it out.

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 now. 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 a mariner sees that light, as he knows the 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 of all 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. This 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, our determination to adore him to love him, love of those again who are not lovable, belong to another world.

We first come to Christ, boasted that, don't you.

I am not of this world, but as the days rolled by, you find this world a Sandia policy 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 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 what he himself has given us some 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 while 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 and he 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. The 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 that is not how it is.

And of course in 70 A.D. the temple was right at 135 A.D. the Jews were completely tossed out of their own land so everything supported there Levitical ministry was lost. God had no use for it had another priesthood now according to the line of Melchizedek. 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 tuned in again next time to join us as we continue our study through the Scriptures right here on cross reference radio