April 17, 1994
Bethlehem Baptist Church
John Piper, Pastor
CHRISTIAN IDENTITY AND CHRISTIAN DESTINY
1 Peter 2:9-10
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 wo 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.
He starts the sermon by noting that he and his wife wer praying and he found himself thanking God for the wonder of being a human. He notes our astonishing capacity to hear, feel, etc. He says the "best of all is to find all these wonderful human capacities caught up in knowing and loving and serving the greatest Being in the universe...our Maker and our Savior and our God." He moves on to talk about his dog Sable. She is kind, forgiving, humble and patient, etc. She however is a dog. "She does not prize anything because of its true worth..its relation to God. She doesn't know where she came from. She doesn't reflect on her identity." "She doesn't think about why she's here and doesn't know where she's going." John Piper continues his sermon by stating "...she is not created in the image of God. And as I think of her I am amazed at my own humanity."
Girlfriends when is the last time you took a look at yourself and said "I am made in the image of God. I have capabilities...like feelings, emotions, being able to make judgments, know right from wrong, knowing good vs. ugly, etc." John Piper was "astonished". We should be to. I recently gave the ladies in our Esther study little scrapbook stickers where I wrote "REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE." This is what we will learn below...what true destiny is in relation to who we are. Let's get back to his sermon.
John Piper: To be alive as a human being with indescribable mysteries at every turn, and to have in front of us an eternal destiny of spectacular glory or inexpressible horror is a weight that can either press you down with fear and trembling or bear you up with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Whether it does the one or the other depends in large measure on whether you know the answer to the big basic human questions or not.
Who are you? How did you get that identity? What are you here for?
Who are you? Keep in mind that Peter is identifying Christians.
1. You are a chosen race. ....he is talking about the church. The chosen race is a new people from all the peoples...What gives us our identity is not color or culture. So your first identity is that you are chosen. God chose you. Who am I? I am chosen. I did not earn it or merit it, or meet any conditions to get it. It happened before I was born. I stand in awe of it...tremble with joy at it. Bow and accept it. (Girls, this is very reassuring. Let it sink in.)
2. You are pitied. (Really?) When God chose us, he then saw us in our sin and guilt and condemnation and he pitied us. He chose me and then drew near in mercy to help me and save me. My identity is fundamentally this: I have been shown mercy. (Thank you, Jesus.)
3. You are God's possession. You are God's inheritance. You are the ones He aims to spend eternity with. (We belong to Him...we are wanted, desired, and expected. Wow!).
4. You are holy. (This is so good my friends). You are set apart for God. You exist for God. And since God is holy, you are holy. If you do not act in a holy way, you act out of character. You contradict your essence as a Christian. For you identity is holiness to the Lord: you are holy. (Scary!)
5. You are a royal priest. (First)...you have immediate access to God...you don't need another human priest as a mediator. And, second, you have an exalted, active role in God's presence (His presence!). You are called now to minister in the presence of God. All your life is a priestly service. You are never out of God's presence. (Never?) And your life is either a spiritual service of worship (Rom.12:1,2) or it is out of character. (Ouch!)
How did I get this identity?
The answer is almost to obvious. We got our identity from God. Peter answers this in verse 9 "Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." He called us out of darkness into this light. ...the experience of walking in the light of being chosen...the experience of that identity...is the effect of God's sovereign call. (Ladies, we have no more identification with darkness when we have His identity.)
What are we here for?
Peter says in verse 9 that we exist "that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you..." This is the full-time (FULL TIME!) destiny of a royal priest...to make the glories of the king known. ...as a Christian you cannot talk about your identity without talking about the action of God on you, the relationship of God with you, and the purpose of God for you. The Biblical understanding of human self-identity is radically God centered. He has given us our identity in order that his identity might be proclaimed through us. God made us who we are so we could make known who He is. The meaning of our identity is that the excellency of God be seen (seen?) in us. (Did I say "scary" earlier?) And we can do it in a thousand different ways of love that suit our situation and personality. - John Piper
Ladies, this sermon was very stirring to my soul when I read it the first time. It truly makes clear the answer to "What am I here for?" My destiny isn't about me at all. It is about Him. I hope you were able to hang on until the end of this post. Please look up the sermon in its entirety. John Piper is a great preacher and author.
Remember who you are. Have a wonderful day, and enjoy His presence. Keep in mind you are NEVER out of the presence of God. acf
Girlfriends when is the last time you took a look at yourself and said "I am made in the image of God. I have capabilities...like feelings, emotions, being able to make judgments, know right from wrong, knowing good vs. ugly, etc." John Piper was "astonished". We should be to. I recently gave the ladies in our Esther study little scrapbook stickers where I wrote "REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE." This is what we will learn below...what true destiny is in relation to who we are. Let's get back to his sermon.
John Piper: To be alive as a human being with indescribable mysteries at every turn, and to have in front of us an eternal destiny of spectacular glory or inexpressible horror is a weight that can either press you down with fear and trembling or bear you up with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Whether it does the one or the other depends in large measure on whether you know the answer to the big basic human questions or not.
Who are you? How did you get that identity? What are you here for?
Who are you? Keep in mind that Peter is identifying Christians.
1. You are a chosen race. ....he is talking about the church. The chosen race is a new people from all the peoples...What gives us our identity is not color or culture. So your first identity is that you are chosen. God chose you. Who am I? I am chosen. I did not earn it or merit it, or meet any conditions to get it. It happened before I was born. I stand in awe of it...tremble with joy at it. Bow and accept it. (Girls, this is very reassuring. Let it sink in.)
2. You are pitied. (Really?) When God chose us, he then saw us in our sin and guilt and condemnation and he pitied us. He chose me and then drew near in mercy to help me and save me. My identity is fundamentally this: I have been shown mercy. (Thank you, Jesus.)
3. You are God's possession. You are God's inheritance. You are the ones He aims to spend eternity with. (We belong to Him...we are wanted, desired, and expected. Wow!).
4. You are holy. (This is so good my friends). You are set apart for God. You exist for God. And since God is holy, you are holy. If you do not act in a holy way, you act out of character. You contradict your essence as a Christian. For you identity is holiness to the Lord: you are holy. (Scary!)
5. You are a royal priest. (First)...you have immediate access to God...you don't need another human priest as a mediator. And, second, you have an exalted, active role in God's presence (His presence!). You are called now to minister in the presence of God. All your life is a priestly service. You are never out of God's presence. (Never?) And your life is either a spiritual service of worship (Rom.12:1,2) or it is out of character. (Ouch!)
How did I get this identity?
The answer is almost to obvious. We got our identity from God. Peter answers this in verse 9 "Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." He called us out of darkness into this light. ...the experience of walking in the light of being chosen...the experience of that identity...is the effect of God's sovereign call. (Ladies, we have no more identification with darkness when we have His identity.)
What are we here for?
Peter says in verse 9 that we exist "that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you..." This is the full-time (FULL TIME!) destiny of a royal priest...to make the glories of the king known. ...as a Christian you cannot talk about your identity without talking about the action of God on you, the relationship of God with you, and the purpose of God for you. The Biblical understanding of human self-identity is radically God centered. He has given us our identity in order that his identity might be proclaimed through us. God made us who we are so we could make known who He is. The meaning of our identity is that the excellency of God be seen (seen?) in us. (Did I say "scary" earlier?) And we can do it in a thousand different ways of love that suit our situation and personality. - John Piper
Ladies, this sermon was very stirring to my soul when I read it the first time. It truly makes clear the answer to "What am I here for?" My destiny isn't about me at all. It is about Him. I hope you were able to hang on until the end of this post. Please look up the sermon in its entirety. John Piper is a great preacher and author.
Remember who you are. Have a wonderful day, and enjoy His presence. Keep in mind you are NEVER out of the presence of God. acf
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