Ever wonder about your purpose, your place in this world? Ever ask yourself the question, "Why was I born?" Ever sit in church and question why you were there? It's good if you have because the only way you will get answers is if you ask questions. Yahweh doesn't mind the questions because his desire is for us to seek. We just have to make sure we are seeking in the places he has provided the answers. Let's start with Israel.
Yahweh did not grow Israel to be a pampered nation; they had purpose:
"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus 19:5-6)
As I have stated before, Yahweh's purpose for Israel was to reflect his glory to the world. The world knew there was a Creator but they did not know who. Israel was a nation grown to know him intimately and through whom the Lord would revealed himself. But Israel blew it because they made it all about them. They became so focused on themselves that they lost their relationship, dependence and guidance. There were great moments when Yahweh was able to reveal himself, such as when they entered the Promised Land. All the nations feared them because of Yahweh, but those moments were few and far between.
Then Yahweh did a new thing.
The old covenant was destroyed and Yahweh brought in a new one through Jesus Christ. In Jesus it does not matter which nation we come from because he has created a new people who call him King. There are no borders and we live according to the rules and principles of the Kingdom of God. We are not united by a common land but by the same Spirit who lives in us. We are called the Church, the Bride of Christ, the children of Father. And what is our purpose?
The purpose of the Church is no different that Israel's, only now we have a better vision, understanding and covenant to share with the world. Our purpose is still to be a nation of priests, servants whose sole purpose is to do Father's will:
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; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
Our purpose is to glorify Yahweh in everything he has given us to say and do. Our first need is to accept that he has saved us from our sin and has called him to us as his children. The second is to realize we have given up everything to follow him, to be his servants, to seek and do his will. The third is to obey; to actually do what he has commanded. Our purpose is to be instruments of his glory, so the world will see and understand the name of the Creator. Then we pray they will make the same decision we have made, to love Yahweh with all that we have and are. Enjoy your day of service.
Showing posts with label 1 Peter 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 Peter 2. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Sunday, January 12, 2014
In The World But Not Of It? Seriously?
"Be holy because I am holy," said Jehovah to his nation Israel.
Before the exodus from Egypt, Israel was nothing more than a people born of one man, a family, a bunch of slaves to be exploited in a land that did not belong to them. In order to be a nation you need an identity and land helps. To be a society you need a common law. Jehovah was going to give them all of this but he was also going to give them purpose, which was to be used by their God to glorify himself to the world.
The Law was given to separate Israel from every other nation. It was a physical separation, their actions marking the difference from the behaviour of everyone else. This Law became their identity, what defined them. Moses gave them these instructions for when they were to enter the Promised Land:
Keep all these commands that I give you today. When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. (Deuteronomy 27:1-3)
Notice they were to do this as soon as they entered, at the border. The Law was to be posted at the border to distinguish them from all other nations. Jehovah warned them time and again not to have anything to do with the behaviour of these other nations because they were under his judgement. Israel was not to take on their practices, or to intermarry because they would be corrupted and start to behave like the others. They wholly belonged to Yahweh. Unfortunately they did not obey.
They did exactly what Jehovah told them not to do; they intermarried, they took on the foreign gods, they sacrificed their children, they made deals with other nations, they stopped relying on Jehovah. Their behaviour became just like everyone else's, their hearts turned from Jehovah and they fell under his judgement. He was not glorified through Israel for the whole world to know him.
I often hear well meaning Christians saying, "We are in the world but not of it". Do you think that to be true? It should be because the Church has been raised up with the same purpose as Israel, that Yahweh would be glorified through us and the whole world would know of Jesus. Our big problem is that we do not know we are a people, a holy nation, set aside for his purpose. We still identify ourselves by our geographical location: I am a Canadian and I am Christian. I consider the laws I must answer to are found in my government and it is only natural for me to follow the customs and habits of the people around me. But the Word tells us differently.
If you read 1 Peter from cover to cover you will discover Yahweh's call to his holy nation to not conform to the patterns of this world and, because of our spiritual condition, we aught to be separate in behaviour. I encourage you to sit down and read the whole book in one digestion. Of living godly lives in a pagan society, Peter writes:
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:11-12)
Later he writes:
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2)
Look around. Can you honestly say you are living for the will of Yahweh? Can you say that your relationship with Jesus is such that it keeps you from joining in with the things that he has called evil? Are we entertained by shows of murder? Do we play games where we get to kill people? Are we entertained by sex and lust, greed and pain? Are we honest in all things or just some things? Do we love him with all our being and others as ourselves? Are we governed by his holy will for us or by the lower law of the land or by our own desires? Do we waste our time on distractions or are we bent on his purpose for us in this place? Do we even see ourselves as being separate? Take heed:
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:7-11)
Amen!
Before the exodus from Egypt, Israel was nothing more than a people born of one man, a family, a bunch of slaves to be exploited in a land that did not belong to them. In order to be a nation you need an identity and land helps. To be a society you need a common law. Jehovah was going to give them all of this but he was also going to give them purpose, which was to be used by their God to glorify himself to the world.
The Law was given to separate Israel from every other nation. It was a physical separation, their actions marking the difference from the behaviour of everyone else. This Law became their identity, what defined them. Moses gave them these instructions for when they were to enter the Promised Land:
Keep all these commands that I give you today. When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. (Deuteronomy 27:1-3)
Notice they were to do this as soon as they entered, at the border. The Law was to be posted at the border to distinguish them from all other nations. Jehovah warned them time and again not to have anything to do with the behaviour of these other nations because they were under his judgement. Israel was not to take on their practices, or to intermarry because they would be corrupted and start to behave like the others. They wholly belonged to Yahweh. Unfortunately they did not obey.
They did exactly what Jehovah told them not to do; they intermarried, they took on the foreign gods, they sacrificed their children, they made deals with other nations, they stopped relying on Jehovah. Their behaviour became just like everyone else's, their hearts turned from Jehovah and they fell under his judgement. He was not glorified through Israel for the whole world to know him.
I often hear well meaning Christians saying, "We are in the world but not of it". Do you think that to be true? It should be because the Church has been raised up with the same purpose as Israel, that Yahweh would be glorified through us and the whole world would know of Jesus. Our big problem is that we do not know we are a people, a holy nation, set aside for his purpose. We still identify ourselves by our geographical location: I am a Canadian and I am Christian. I consider the laws I must answer to are found in my government and it is only natural for me to follow the customs and habits of the people around me. But the Word tells us differently.
If you read 1 Peter from cover to cover you will discover Yahweh's call to his holy nation to not conform to the patterns of this world and, because of our spiritual condition, we aught to be separate in behaviour. I encourage you to sit down and read the whole book in one digestion. Of living godly lives in a pagan society, Peter writes:
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:11-12)
Later he writes:
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2)
Look around. Can you honestly say you are living for the will of Yahweh? Can you say that your relationship with Jesus is such that it keeps you from joining in with the things that he has called evil? Are we entertained by shows of murder? Do we play games where we get to kill people? Are we entertained by sex and lust, greed and pain? Are we honest in all things or just some things? Do we love him with all our being and others as ourselves? Are we governed by his holy will for us or by the lower law of the land or by our own desires? Do we waste our time on distractions or are we bent on his purpose for us in this place? Do we even see ourselves as being separate? Take heed:
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:7-11)
Amen!
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
A Holy Nation - For What Purpose?
They say that if we do not study history we are doomed to repeat it. That gives us a very good reason to study the Old Testament. I once had someone tell me that there are no perfect people in the Bible except one, and that the LORD had filled his Word with ordinary people so we could discover how extraordinary he is by his mercy and grace. As we study the Hebrew Scriptures we do indeed find a God of mercy and grace who often covered the sins of his people.
What a wonderful LORD we serve who called us by his mercy and grace for his purpose. But in order for us to understand our purpose we need to study history to understand the purpose of Israel. What was so special about them? Why did the LORD choose them to reveal his glory to the world? He seemed to have nothing but problems with them.
First, it was more than a choosing. The LORD grew this nation. He chose a man (Abraham) and then he gave this man a son with a promise that he was the seed of a great nation. From this seed he developed a large family that was blessed with fertility. The Egyptians tried to control the population but could not because God's blessing was upon them. By the time they left Egypt we know there were over 600,000 fighting men so if we add the women and children and the older folk, the population could very well have been over 2 million people. That's in just over 300 years.
The LORD had grown this nation for a specific reason. It wasn't because Abraham was a superstar and the LORD wanted to honour him. It was because our LORD had chosen a period in time to reveal his glory to the world. He said to this nation:
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ (Exodus 19:5-6)
He had set this nation aside, giving them a set of laws to follow, and called them holy because he is holy. He poured blessings into them, prospered them, drove out nations from them, created a land for them, watched over and defended them, all so he could show himself to the world.
Now Israel, instead of understanding their purpose and place, became like spoiled and disobedient children. They were a source of heartache for the LORD, yet he gave them opportunity after opportunity to get it right. He had warned them what disobedience would bring. He warned them that there were consequences for rejecting his holiness and their purpose, but Israel still made it about them and the LORD had to bring in severe correction.
Why is this important to us as the Church? Because this is what the LORD has said of the Church, the Body of Christ:
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; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
I believe at times the Church has forgotten her purpose; that we, as a nation, act as spoiled children, doing whatever we want with the excuse of grace. But the LORD has raised us up with the same purpose as Israel was raised up: to be his people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. For ourselves? Don't you believe it. He has done this so that we will magnify the name of Jesus in words and deeds, so the whole world will see his glory.
But I am afraid we are making the same mistake. I believe we are destroying ourselves and our witness. I believe we are setting aside our purpose for selfish gain. I think we are trying to gain the whole world at the risk of our souls. I think we have to repent. I think we need to turn away from the direction in which we are headed. I think the LORD must become our LORD once more and we his holy nation, set aside for his purpose so that the whole world may see his glory, believe and be saved. It's not about us.
.
What a wonderful LORD we serve who called us by his mercy and grace for his purpose. But in order for us to understand our purpose we need to study history to understand the purpose of Israel. What was so special about them? Why did the LORD choose them to reveal his glory to the world? He seemed to have nothing but problems with them.
First, it was more than a choosing. The LORD grew this nation. He chose a man (Abraham) and then he gave this man a son with a promise that he was the seed of a great nation. From this seed he developed a large family that was blessed with fertility. The Egyptians tried to control the population but could not because God's blessing was upon them. By the time they left Egypt we know there were over 600,000 fighting men so if we add the women and children and the older folk, the population could very well have been over 2 million people. That's in just over 300 years.
The LORD had grown this nation for a specific reason. It wasn't because Abraham was a superstar and the LORD wanted to honour him. It was because our LORD had chosen a period in time to reveal his glory to the world. He said to this nation:
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ (Exodus 19:5-6)
He had set this nation aside, giving them a set of laws to follow, and called them holy because he is holy. He poured blessings into them, prospered them, drove out nations from them, created a land for them, watched over and defended them, all so he could show himself to the world.
Now Israel, instead of understanding their purpose and place, became like spoiled and disobedient children. They were a source of heartache for the LORD, yet he gave them opportunity after opportunity to get it right. He had warned them what disobedience would bring. He warned them that there were consequences for rejecting his holiness and their purpose, but Israel still made it about them and the LORD had to bring in severe correction.
Why is this important to us as the Church? Because this is what the LORD has said of the Church, the Body of Christ:
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; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
I believe at times the Church has forgotten her purpose; that we, as a nation, act as spoiled children, doing whatever we want with the excuse of grace. But the LORD has raised us up with the same purpose as Israel was raised up: to be his people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. For ourselves? Don't you believe it. He has done this so that we will magnify the name of Jesus in words and deeds, so the whole world will see his glory.
But I am afraid we are making the same mistake. I believe we are destroying ourselves and our witness. I believe we are setting aside our purpose for selfish gain. I think we are trying to gain the whole world at the risk of our souls. I think we have to repent. I think we need to turn away from the direction in which we are headed. I think the LORD must become our LORD once more and we his holy nation, set aside for his purpose so that the whole world may see his glory, believe and be saved. It's not about us.
.
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