Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God, the first epistle of Peter, and chapter 2, we will
commence reading at verse 9, and verse 9 is our text, is the
verse that we will meditate on later. 1 Peter chapter 2 from
verse 9. But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a peculiar people, that
ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out
of darkness into his marvellous light. 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. Dearly beloved,
I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly
lusts which war against the soul. Having your conversation honest
among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers,
they may by your good works which they shall behold glorify God
in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance
of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme,
or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do
well. Or so is the will of God, that
with well-doing He may put to silence the ignorance of foolish
men. As free and not using your liberty
for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men, love the brotherhood,
fear God, honour the King. Servants, be subject to your
masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also
to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a
man full conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if, when
ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But
if when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently,
this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called,
Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example,
that ye should follow His steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile
found in His mouth. Who, when he was reviled, reviled
not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. Who, his own self, bare our sins
in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,
should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray,
but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls. So reads the holy and infallible
Word of God. Now I want to speak to you from
verse 9. But ye are a chosen generation,
and I would remind you that Peter here is writing to the strangers
that are scattered abroad. That is, they were Jews, but
they were not in their own land, and so where they were, they
were strangers there. and he writes to them and acknowledges
their election and their being the people of God and blessed
of God. But we have even in the Jews,
God's ancient people being scattered, a beautiful type of God's people
now, because they in every nation kindred and tongue are not yet
in their own land. We are strangers and pilgrims
here. And so I want to look at this
word here and this verse and look at three things for you
to meditate upon throughout the day. Firstly, what the people
of God are. We have a fourfold description
of the people of God in our text. And then secondly, the change
that has been made in us. And I do want to, instead of
it speaking of the people of God as someone else, bring it
down to us, the change wrought in us. And then thirdly, the
purpose for which the change has been made in us, which is
to show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of
nature's darkness and into His marvellous light. Then we have
firstly a fourfold description of the people of God. In our
text, verse 9, the first description is a chosen generation. A chosen generation. We read
in that beautiful Psalm 22 which speaks of the sufferings of our
Lord a thousand years before he actually suffered, the Psalm
of David. At the end it says that a seed
shall serve him and that it shall be accounted to him for a generation. Now we're used to generations. We've had our grandchildren with
us in the last couple of days, and we've had three generations. There's been ourselves, our children,
and the grandchildren. But we bless the Lord that their
children are called by God's grace, and we are. So there's
two generations, as it were, in time in that way. But as regards
the things of God, there is one generation. And when that number
is made up in heaven, there shall be no old man, there shall be
no young, there shall be one in the Lord. Those are sweet
times when you may have one, as I did in my early days, and
visiting a pilgrim home, well no, it was a worldly home in
Australia where we had a sister in faith, She was 81 when she
died. I was 25. I took her funeral. But we had many, many days of
sweet fellowship and communion in the Lord, where age didn't
make a difference. It was a generation in the Lord. And so all of God's people are
chosen in Christ from the foundation of the world and they're brought
together in time and then gathered to be with the Lord forever. A chosen generation. May we think of that. Bless the
Lord if we have those of our children or grandchildren that
are called and part of that chosen generation. The second is a royal
priesthood. Well, we have in verse 5, early
on, if you haven't got your Bibles you won't see it, but lively
stones built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer
up spiritual sacrifices. So that is another description
of the people of God to offer up spiritual sacrifices or spiritual
worship to the Lord. The third thing is an holy nation. Israel was a type, a separated
nation amongst all the nations of the earth, and they were a
holy nation. And Peter is very clear of this
when he writes in the first chapter of this epistle, and he exhorts
to, being holy, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be
ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, be ye
holy, for I am holy. So God's dear people, they are
a holy nation. Out of every nation, Kindred
and Tang described as a nation. And then we have the last, which
is a peculiar people. Now, if we look back, the original
languages could also be translated a purchase, possession. But the word peculiar, if you
look at the definition of that, is different to what is normal
or expected. And certainly the world views
the Church of God, the people of God, as different to what
they expect. That's why we are to give a reason
of the hope that is within us to everyone that asketh us. Why
are you different? Why do you do this that we don't
do? Why don't you do this that we do? So, here's something to
meditate upon through the day. Just the description here in
verse 9 of the people of God. Well the second thing is the
change that has been wrought in them. There's three things
that are spoken of as the change. The first is that they're called
out of darkness into His marvellous light. There's two sides to it. No, some of the Lord's dear people,
they tremble to put themselves amongst the people of God that
are walking in light. But if you put it to them, are
you still walking in darkness? They say, no, I'm not. The Lord
has opened my eyes, He's shown me the Word, He's shown me my
need as a sinner, and He's shown me the Saviour. I have a light
there that I didn't have before. And the Scriptures very often
does this. If the Lord's people can't see
themselves amongst His people, can they see them amongst the
wicked? And what is set before us here
is a change. And you know, if the room that
you're in this morning was all in darkness, and then someone
came and put the light on, you'd know the difference, wouldn't
you? Sometimes though, it's very gradual. You think of the dawning
of the day, and it slowly gets lighter and lighter until the
brightness of the day. But it's happened so gradual,
you can't put a specific time on when it changed from dark
to light. And sometimes it's like that
with God's children as well. The dawning of the day is gradual,
but still it has happened. There has been darkness, and
now there is light. The second change is that they
once were not a people, but are now the people of God. The numbers
in the churches of God very often change. If I went back to the
church where I was brought up and where I was baptized and
sent into the ministry in Australia, and think of when I was actually
over there, then those that were in the church then, those that
were even in the congregation then, were for the most part
different than what are now. Some are still there, but some
have been taken home to glory, some have passed away. Others
have been brought in, called out of darkness, numbered amongst
them that weren't there before. There is still a people there.
But once they were not a people, but now they are a people. And that can be replicated through
many of the places of worship, and certainly with the people
of God. Once they had no desire for the
things of God, once they were in the world and of the world,
and then the Lord has made a difference. You think of Ruth, Ruth the Moabiteess,
once was not a people, not numbered with the people of God. But then
she was brought out of Moab, and to be numbered, and in the
line to Christ of the people of God. Then we have a change
where it implies something else as well. They had not obtained
mercy, but now have obtained mercy. And, of course, these
changes is in verse 10. not obtain mercy. I believe once,
and all of us by nature, we never even sought mercy. We didn't
think we deserved or needed mercy. Our own works were good enough,
our own ways were good enough. So there's an implication here,
is one has been brought to see their own works, their own righteousnesses,
as not sufficient. and that they don't deserve heaven,
they don't deserve the blessings of God, and they've sought it,
they've asked for it, they've begged the Lord for it, and there
was a time when they had not obtained that mercy. But then
when the Lord blessed them and they obtained that mercy, what
a difference to realize that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, has cleansed from all sin, that the Lord in mercy has revealed
Himself, He's revealed the Saviour, He's revealed that precious blood,
and we shelter beneath it. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. So there's those three changes. Dear friends, think on this,
meditate on this throughout the day, the changes that God has
made in your heart, in your life, maybe extend it to your loved
ones as well, and refresh again the wonder, the blessedness of
the Lord that should so make a change in you, a saving change
as described here. Well, the last thing is the purpose
for which the change has been made in us. We have in verse
9, it is, that ye should show forth the praises of him who
hath called you out of darkness and into his marvellous light.
This is the lot, the privilege of all the people of God. And
so when the Apostle has set this before us, then he sets before
us those things which I just named to you to meditate upon
in the remainder of the passage here, as to how that we are to
show forth that praise. In verse 11, we are to abstain
from fleshy lusts which war against the soul. In verse 12 we have
that our conversation, that is not just our words but our whole
life, must be honest among the Gentiles, among those that do
not know the Lord, they should look upon us as living honest
and upright lives. In verses 13 to 16 we are exhorted
that we should be submissive to every ordinance of man for
the Lord's sake. And we can make it very clear
that of all the inhabitants of our land, the most obedient and
law-abiding are those that fear the Lord and obey Him and are
called by His grace. Then we have in verse 17 that
we are to honour all men. You may remember when the Apostle
Paul was privileged to give his testimony before King Agrippa
and Festus, that Festus said to him, Paul thou art mad, much
learning doth make thee mad. And he Paul answered in a very
gracious way, he says, I am not mad, most noble festers, but
speak forth the words of truth and grace. And he didn't rile,
he honoured his position and he spoke in that way. Honour
all men. Then in verse 18, there's a word
to servants, those of us that serve others. In whatever condition
it is, it really points you don't have to be in a high position
in life to glorify the Lord or to show forth His praises. We
are to be subject, not just to the good and gentle, but to the
fraud also. Contrawise blessing. And the
last thing that he sets before us is to follow Christ's example. What a beautiful point to finish
on, to rest on. The Apostle Paul, he says, be
ye followers of me as I also am of Christ. And we are to follow
His example, who for the joy that was set before Him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God on high. May the Lord help us to
observe what is written in this passage, and to see and to be
encouraged that we are called and to show forth God's praise
today and every day for that calling and that blessing that
he's blessed us with. May the Lord bless the word to
you. Amen.