The Encouragement of Our True Identity

The end that's not Standing there Friday, July 22, do you need a little encouragement these days. The study of first Peter continues to lead the believers to find encouragement in knowing our true identity in Christ. If you turn the first Peter chapter 2 delight we come to the fourth verse and read through the 10th versus the second chapter. First Peter while you turning to let you know one of Satan's choicest tools in the life of the believer is discouragement. It doesn't make a difference. What you know how many experiences you've had with God. How much scripture you can quote the people you want to Jesus how well you've done in serving him if he can get you onto the cloud of discouragement. He doesn't care what you do because you say that not many folks drawn to discourage Christian, discourage Christian doesn't do much in excitement with joy with anticipation is not anything very magnetic about a discourage person's personality, and often times when you are not a silver forecasting oncoming danger oncoming persecution or own coming trouble time. Sometimes we allow what we ourselves forecast even before it ever comes and sometimes it never even comes in our future predictions of things that are going to be troublesome. We begin to worry. We accept things before they ever happen, and sometimes they don't happen and we get discourage now when Peter was writing this epistle. He was writing the people who already saw on the horizon, black clouds of persecution.

In fact, they were already beginning to experience a little bit but the darkest days were ahead of and so all through this epistle Peter is writing to them to encourage their hearts and reminding them of who they are and in this section, he is encouraging them listen.

He is encouraging them by reminding them of who they are in their relationship to Jesus Christ. Listen to what he says beginning in verse four and coming to him. That is the Christ as to a living stone, rejected by man, but choice and precious in the sight of God. You also are living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, and offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. This is contained in Scripture. Now he mentions a couple of Old Testament passages here.

This is contained in Scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone, and he who believes in him should not be disappointed.

This precious value then is for you who believe, but for those who disbelieve the stone which the builders rejected this same. The very cornerstone and a stone of stumbling on a stone or rock of offense, but they stumble because they are disobedient to the word and that 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, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Now he says listen you need to remember that his Jesus Christ was and is the chief cornerstone. He says you are a living stone, coming to him as the living stone, rejected by men but choice and precious in the sight of God.

Listen rejected by men but choice and precious in the sight of God. You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house now is what I was to look at it when he says that you and I are living stones that is like of the stone.

The cornerstone he says something very significant that I believe Christians in our country and they need to be reminded of.

He says we are living stones and notice how he says this living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house. That is, each believer is like a stone, and he says the foundation stone is the person of Jesus Christ.

That is the cornerstone now there are stones 69 feet long 13 feet wide and 12 feet high. This would be I cornerstone. For example, of a building or a R a wall that is that part is not going to have a move is not going anywhere 69 feet long 13 feet wide or high and 12 feet wide. That's the rock that's the cornerstone. That's the chief stone everything rest upon that. He said Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. But you and I are stones that is every single one of us is a part of the body of Christ. Now it's interesting to me today that people have the idea that they can be loan ranges as Christian. No, I don't want to be a delegate are relegated to some group over here that has some name I just frequented I'm a Christian. I been born again. I will tell you something friend is not a single verse in this Bible anywhere that promotes that kind of Christian, did not a single one you think all the service you want to join the church. Don't worry about meet with God's people man just frequented to the Lone Ranger unit is solo all the way to heaven. There is not one verse in the Bible indicates that not a one in this. What good is a brick.

A brick is a very useless piece of matter, but a brick laid on top of another brick beside a brick under a brick and mortar, filling the joints you know have this church building was built a single brick was laid by a single brick on top of a single brick beneath a single brick and brick laid upon brick upon brick upon brick upon brick and we have a household for the first Baptist Church meets once a break all alone.

I will tell you my friend. These folks have the idea that doesn't make it lives with her join the church now to become a partner with active or not that they can't find that in the Bible nowhere. He says forsake not the assembling of yourselves together. Why does he spend the whole chapter than first Corinthians when he talks about the meeting the nose of the ear needing the hand, the foot you see because all of us are interdependent.

God has made us interdependent with each other. That's the way he's built his body and so he says that you and I have become living stones and God is taking this stone. The stone the stone the stone and he's building what he's building a house for a royal priesthood series is first of all that you are not a living stones when out with not to operate singly solo Lone Ranger. We are to operate one stone upon the other one stone beside the other ones going to the other. We are to live in the worship and to cooperate and to serve the living God together. That's how God builds his body nice is not only will living stone, but he says he says God is building himself a house for a or a royal priesthood around the holy priesthood and down in verse 90 says a royal priesthood, a holy priesthood, is that is a group that has been separated for the purpose of interceding before God for the purpose of offering offerings to God. And it's interesting about the word priest here in the Latin it's Pontifex and it means a bridge builder utility saying that this is what you can have solos. He's is first of all, he says we are each one of us is a living stone that God is fitting together. He says we are a holy priesthood, that is, we have been made holy by the presence of Christ within us and we are all priest of God.

That is our responsibility is to intercede.

Our responsibility is to go before God in behalf of others.

We also offer offerings, holy offerings of sacrifice in the him we are Bridgeville, what is that me you and I become the bridge builders between a holy God and unrighteous person. You say what you know.

I do still believe God wants me to share my faith. Let me ask you question how the were you going to be a priest of God and not share your faith, because the very word means Bridgeville building bridges from people who do not know Christ to knowing him introducing them to him. So that's part of who we are and you see when you and I begin to understand who we are, we began to be encouraged in those troublesome times. Listen, he says, you and I like those bricks. It just takes all of us to build this place.

He says we are a holy priesthood, God set you apart. You set yourself apart. God set you apart and delegated you the responsibility of being a bridge builder to those people around you need to know Christ. He says it is our responsibility was. He says it is our responsibility to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. What is a spiritual sacrifice well in the Old Testament course it was lambs and of goats and sheep and all the rest, but for us in the New Testament. What is a spiritual sacrifice. It can be a spiritual sacrifice of praise and adoration. Lifting your hands and praising the Lord God. It can be money, it can be time but most of all, it is our life, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your body a living. What sacrifice that is you presented to God, and you take your hands off of it.

That is, you say to him got I present to you my body soul and spirit, undivided possession, undivided control, undivided use of my body, soul and spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom it rightfully belongs. That is a living, acceptable sacrifice. Now back to chapter 2, he says not all that whole nation of people for God's own possession, that is, it speaks of his ownership of us seasick.

None of us can freewheel it really will have a right just like us do our own thing easily is the Christian liberated liberated to be obedient to God will listen. We are the children of the living God. Stones of the great temple. The great living temple that God is building here on this earth. We divided segmented, fragmented, splintered, one believes this one believes the other God's heart must be awfully grieved that we got some in the tags and you know what he looks that he doesn't say that this Charleston Methodist John Piscopo and Frank is says is one of my chosen ones, and so God sees this, and he accepted us just the way we were before we were anything.

He accepted us just the way we were. He says we are a chosen race, holy nation, royal priesthood, God's own possession. Listen, he says now listen, we become living stones in this great temple that God is building and he says as a part of this holy priesthood. We offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to him and we he says are to be Bridgeville's and then he says listen, that you may proclaim the excellences of him that is Christ who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. For once you were not a people, but you are now.

You had not received mercy, but you have now solicited what he saying in his last two verses are personally says you and I were in ignorance. We were in darkness but Jesus Christ snatches out of that involves and the truth is is you are in darkness. Now you in light but look at this next phrase which is very significant. For once you are not a people, but now your people. You know what that means once he says you are no people. The nation of Israel who were they unto God began to work. They want until God chose one man and determined to bring forth the Messiah through that simple family. Let me ask you this. Who were you before you were saved, what were you before you were saved, when you have to agree that you are full of ignorance, full of darkness.

When you have to agree that for all practical purposes, you are nobody until Jesus came in your life and made you some body special when you not begin understand his view of us listen, he says there was a time when you were not a people, but now you are insignificant but never significant when you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. You know what happens. It would cause us to get discouraged. It isn't that we face insurmountable obstacles.

What causes us to get discouraged is that we began to see ourselves in our insignificance versus the big obstacle we face, and then we become discouraged.

Listen, you will not be discouraged no matter what you face. That is, there may be moments of it, but when I stop in my own life example when I stop and think, okay, God. At the moment this looks impossible at the moment this looks insurmountable at the moment it looks hopeless at the moment it looks dark but got I have to do this once of our Lord, would you just remind me of who I am.

From your perspective and I want to tell your buddy you get up smiling every time you know why because when you see yourself the way God sees you listen as a vital part of this great temple. He's building, you can't stay discouraged very long and Peterson hey look, look, look who you are. Even with those foreboding clouds of darkness coming look who you are. You are a vital part of God's great temple. He's building chosen, royal priesthood, living stone, living stone coming from the chief cornerstone, precious and chosen as he is. That's who we are.

The next time you get discouraged. Our guarantee fuel stops okay God, would you just remind me of who I am. From your viewpoint, it will be very difficult to continue to worry continue to be discouraged and something will happen in your spirit. You know why because you begin to see things as God sees them and you see them as he sees them. You know what happens. The dark clouds the silver lining just after while totally envelops the darkness and everything is bright in your life.

But here's how the devil's nurses. He gets is to moving very fast thinking about the problem thinking about the burden thinking about the trouble thinking about the mountain thing about how impossible it is and we don't stop to ask Lord to show me who I am, from your point of view. If you tempted to be discouraged this coming week. If you will just stop and review in your mind who Emma child of God saved a born-again on the light of the world. I'm an ambassador for Christ.

I've been redeemed have been forgiven and accepted in the beloved. I am loved. I'm walking in the grace of God. I've been justified.

I've been declared righteous. My names written in the Lamb's book of life. I'm in a drop of the Holy Spirit.

He's my God, he's my teacher he's my enabler. I have the power of the Holy Spirit living within me the spirit of God is equipped me to face everything I need to face. He says he's put his words in my mouth and come in the shadow of his hand. You could just go all and all and all, and all you know what you can't review who you are in Christ and stay discouraged if you really believe the teachings of God's word. Peters goal was to encourage those facing difficulty and that's my goal for you tonight that no matter what you face if you take the so how I can remember all that I until you have you will know how save in, get your 4 x 6 card and write all those things in the current healing have to remember the just write them down everyone's well I got a whole stack of of the five bait cars are most popular, not written for myself just read them know what happens. Something inside of you, at least, lives a little bit.

God wants us to walk in the joy of who he knows we are father, thank you for showing us how to avoid discouragement and or sometimes the devil just keeps it all.

And for those brief moments we buckle. But then we begin to realize who we are and you you just blow the clouds away the sun begins to shine our heart lives how joy begins to overflow in the songs of Zion began the come flowing through our minds old love that will not let me go. I rest my weary soul in the thank you father and I pray that you just ask this truth in our minds. And for every single one of your children who faces discouragement in this coming week. Would you bring this message to them on and they would you get them in the word find out for themselves who they really are in you is my prayer in Jesus name, amen.

Thank you for listening to the encouragement and archery light in any more about her family and touch ministries in text data lighting at The presentation intact ministry, Atlanta, Georgia