Mercy Proclaimers
Pastor Peter Dusan
Focus:
That we display who we truly are and celebrate the one who made us His.
Introduction:
Pastor Dusan shared his story of how he encountered our Lord Jesus thru his friend Josh.
"I heard The Gospel: Jesus Saves Sinners. I ate it up like it was a bag of cheetos after a fast. I believed in Jesus and became his own, & began the real adventure of life with Him! I’ve never been the same since; in fact I’ve since dedicated myself to expanding the mystery of how simply & profoundly Josh impacted my life, just by enjoying and celebrating Jesus, and refusing to shut up about Him. Because of that, I’m not just a wanna-be baseball player, nor am I just a preacher or father, or husband, or American. I’m more; I am in my core identity: His possession"
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Quick Overview of the book 1 Peter
This letter is written to various 1st century churches located in Modern day Turkey
Churches that were scattered by persecution, pain, or disease.
In their pain they had been under the care of the elderly apostle Peter.
Identity Imperatives / Effect of the Gospel
Response to what God has done, or the effect which God has caused in the Gospel.
1 Peter 1:3-4; 10-13 (ESV)
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
[10] Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully . . . (:12) things that have now been announced . . . things into which angels long to look.
[13] Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:3-12
“Because of His death & resurrection . . . his great mercy in making you born again” (Gospel / Cause)
Now therefore, you are HIS (identity), so . . . act like Christians (imperative, or command).
1 Peter 1:13
Being sober minded--you ARE sober-minded (identity, because He renewed your mind) so set your hope FULLY on him (imperative).
* Maybe you have reasons to feel anxious (real / difficult reasons), but you possess greater reasons to BE children of hope!
1 Peter 1:14
You are obedient children (identity), don’t go back (imperative).
* FYI most of our disobedience has less to do with the things we do (behavior), & more to do with lies we believe about who we are.
1 Peter 1:16
He is holy, (implied-you are his-identity), be holy. (do holiness)
* It’s the sanctified #YouDoYou (you’re his-you’re holy--be holy)
Be who you truly are, not just who you think you are or who you used to be. But to learn who you are, you have to get to know God more.
1 Peter 2: 1-2; 9
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:1-2
You’re born of Him (identity) like newborn babies! So, LONG FOR HIM, and put away malice/hate. (imperative)
1 Peter 2:9
But you ARE a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession (IDENTITY), that you may (IMPERATIVE) proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light
Displaying who we truly are and celebrating the one who made us His is our transcendent identity.
Chosen Race
Texas vernacular : “all y’all are chosen.”
By faith alone, you are regenerated by God the generator himself. If you have faith allegiance to King Jesus, you are not just descendants of Abraham, but direct descendants of the redeemer God himself! Chosen Generation/race.
Royal Priesthood.
Before Jesus, Israelite priests (Levites) made sacrifices of animals to represent an atoning work on behalf of the people of Israel.
Without the shedding of blood, there’s no forgiveness of sin.
Jesus didn’t just represent atonement, HE BECAME THE SACRIFICE & died to fully & finally atone for our sin, and He rose from the grave to bring us new life.
And what happens to us when we really believe that?
We become born again, generated anew.
A chosen race, but also even the extension of his ongoing atoning work, declaring and confirming his forgiveness to others HIM who we proclaim, making peace on the earth!
We are sent from the king himself to extend his royal pardon
We are the: Royal priesthood. Paul calls us AMBASSADORS OF RECONCILIATION!
Holy Nation
The word Peter uses here for “nation” is ETHNOS, the Greek word from which we get our English word Ethnicity.
When we believe in Jesus, we are the holy ethnos!
When we’re born again, our past backgrounds, whether ethnically or nationally, aren’t erased; they’re subordinated under a greater, holy identity.
When God gives us a good thing, like our ethnic heritage, it’s meant to be displayed for his glory. It must be neither eliminated nor elevated above the giver of the gift. Eliminate it and it robs God of his glory of producing diverse beauty; elevate it too much and it can be idolatry. (like any gift).
A People for His Own Possession
“My life is not my own.”
Your truest and deepest identity is not something you do (job), & not something YOU identify about yourself, but something HE CALLS YOU. Because you can’t know who you are without discovering whose you’re meant to be.
I can’t discover WHO I really am until I GIVE MYSELF AWAY, so He can use me . . .
That we display who we truly are and celebrate the one who made us His.
Our calling to Celebrate the One Who made us His
1 Peter 2:9b
[9b] that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light
The purpose of us being chosen and set apart by God also has a lot to do with our calling to tell others about it.
“We weren't just chosen instead of other people, but on behalf of other people.”
~Dr. Brian Taylor
When God set you apart, it was to love you like no one else could, but also it was for Him to love your neighbor through your proclamation of His goodness. He wanted to do a work in you also ON BEHALF of those around you who would bear witness to it.
“Proclaim” in KJV is “shew forth, ” original meaning: to tell out, make known by proclaiming, or CELEBRATING.
Our faith is personal, but not private--enjoy Jesus publicly.
Evangelism can be as simple as living a celebration lifestyle and spreading Jesus
Pay attention to the words of this verse! It doesn’t say, “Jesus has made you a HOLY NATION, now you go do something for him!” (it doesn't say that, but how often do we act like that’s what sharing our faith is?) ○ That’s not our burden! Peter didn’t say, “y’all should proclaim, ” but “that you may.”
God removes the burden of what you think you SHOULD do in evangelism, & reveals the simple joy of what you CAN do.
No longer do we have to do things FOR God, but we can proclaim/celebrate FROM our secure love and identity in God.
And so, like the priestess JLo implores us: Let’s get loud! Except loud with the truth of a real savior, & not loud with any other foolishness.
What is it that we are to celebrate and proclaim?
1 Peter 2:9b : HIS EXCELLENCY
It’s hard to proclaim His excellency when your mouth (or mind or maybe your facebook timeline) is full of other things.
If you are HIS, the calling to tell of Him is YOURS. It’s not about performing, it’s about displaying and celebrating.
1 Peter 2:10
[10] Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
V10 is the cause of our identity and our imperative to celebrate it loudly, & Peter reiterates verse 10, in order to source verse 9.
This is a couplet; 2 parallel statements stating one truth in different ways.
There is a relationship between receiving mercy & having a true identity established. No mercy? No identity. because His mercy makes us His! And keeps us his (throughout all our scatteredness)
Only the Gospel of mercy sets us right, makes us a people. 1 Peter 1:3 According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again . .
Bottom Line:
The Great Mercy seen in the Gospel is the only thing that truly renews
When Jesus (the perfect sacrifice) died for us, it was an infinite act of transformative MERCY.
When soldiers or police officers or firemen & firewomen lay down their lives for us, they garner for us certain privileges for which we all ought to be deeply grateful. But their sacrifice cannot cause us to be born again. An earthly priest can say you’re forgiven; a life coach can tell you to forgive yourself, but NONE OF THEM CAN ACTUALLY ABSOLVE THE DEATH SENTENCE BEFORE GOD, THAT WAS EARNED BY YOUR SIN.
Only a perfect man, born of a virgin, can offer to trade the outcome of his perfect life for the outcome of our rebellious life; his life for our death
Only Jesus can offer this and then actually deliver on it.
Jesus did do ALL THAT. It’s so great it’s not even fair; it’s mercy. Great. Mercy.
The question is, HAVE YOU RECEIVED IT?
Is it yours? And therefore are you HIS? Are you born again? Does your life demonstrate it to be so, and are you turning up in celebration?
Would you pray with me?
Holy Spirit, show us how to respond. Jesus, you are truly excellent and great. No words can fully express that. And you’ve made us your own. I confess that I live for less. So help me to love you back in a way that is fitting and thus miraculous.
○ For those that have not yet fully given themselves away, not to religion, but to you Jesus, the one who’s already given everything for us to have a whole new life, bring new life EVEN NOW, and faith, and show them what steps to take next to walk out new life with friends in church.
○ For those whose CELEBRATION OF YOU is hindered in any way, grant the gift of confession and freedom and may their proclamation ripple into new life for friends and family, and may we see it in church this easter season!
May your Kingdom come!
Second City Church