1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:04,600 In the arms of majesty we hear him speak, we hear him speak to 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:08,440 us as his children. So he says, you are a chosen 3 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:14,640 race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own 4 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:18,320 possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him 5 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:20,920 who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:25,120 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. 7 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:30,400 Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 8 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:33,960 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 9 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:38,000 The flower fades, grass Withers, but the Word of our Lord stands 10 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:39,560 forever. Let's pray together. 11 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:42,960 Lord, we would ask that you would bind this word tightly 12 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,560 into our hearts so that we would be transformed by it, shaped and 13 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,920 molded by your word, both in our understanding and in our 14 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,280 actions, and ultimately in our devotion to you. 15 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:54,000 We pray through Christ our Lord, we ask. 16 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:55,800 Amen. Please be seated. 17 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,040 It was somewhere, I think in middle school or maybe a little 18 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:09,320 before that, that I realized how tremendously influenced I was by 19 00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:14,560 other people's opinions of me. I was very insecure, needy, kind 20 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,560 of a kid, like many kids, I believe at that age. 21 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:20,920 I don't know that I was uniquely that way, but I certainly shared 22 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:24,000 all those characteristics, those traits, and I was tremendously 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,840 influenced by what other people thought of me and I tried to 24 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,080 shape my life around their thoughts with the expectations 25 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:31,720 were with the results that you would expect. 26 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:36,200 Disaster kind of flowed upon so much of my life as I tried to 27 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,080 meet the expectations of people that were around me. 28 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:43,840 Part of maturity is learning to what extent and to who you can 29 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,880 put your trust in and whose opinion of you matters, because 30 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,080 people's opinion do matter at points, and some people's 31 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,040 absolutely doesn't matter. And maturity is learning to know 32 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,040 the difference. And it took me quite some time, 33 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,680 as it takes a lot of people to be able to discern the 34 00:01:57,680 --> 00:01:59,680 difference between those two things. 35 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,920 Well, what about Hebron Church? What about the opinion people 36 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,880 have of Hebron Church? I have to tell you that this was 37 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:07,680 about 3 or 4 months ago at this point. 38 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,520 I had some visitors come up to me and speak and they just tell 39 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,080 me how absolutely warm and welcoming Hebron was. 40 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,600 That they felt immediately like a a family had embraced them, 41 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,040 that they were, they, they felt incredibly blessed by being 42 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,000 here, etcetera. My head just swelled. 43 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,280 I was so proud of all of you for interacting with them. 44 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,960 I just was overwhelmed with joy over that kind of opinion. 45 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,800 I'm not kidding you. Hours later, later that evening, 46 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,360 I was in a conversation with a couple that had determined that 47 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:41,120 they needed to worship someplace else because they had a hard 48 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:43,560 time breaking in. They couldn't connect with some 49 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:46,480 of the folks that were here, that they were isolated, that 50 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,440 they didn't feel that joy and that blessing that other people 51 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:51,600 express. So you got 2 totally different 52 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,680 paradigms, 2 totally different opinions on Heaven Church. 53 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:58,880 Over the past couple of months, I have been trying to put 54 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:03,120 forward what I understand is a biblical picture of our church. 55 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,640 What should our church be? And I put it forward both as as 56 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:10,680 what we are now to some extent and to what we need to grow to 57 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:12,680 be. So there's kind of a continuum 58 00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:15,600 that kind of says, you know, we're moving towards this kind 59 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,000 of a picture. And at this point, my sure, my 60 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,120 guess is that you will have heard this if you've been 61 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:21,920 worshiping with us at any period of time. 62 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,560 This is kind of a statement that I think captures the biblical 63 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:30,920 witness, biblical call for Hebron Church that we are moving 64 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:33,160 towards if we have not yet attained it. 65 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,280 Hebron is a biblically based, Christ centered community of 66 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,960 disciples, A Reformed classically evangelical church 67 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,600 in the Presbyterian tradition, worshipping, growing and serving 68 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,720 Christ in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh and beyond. 69 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,440 That's kind of a statement that I believe. 70 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:52,760 That's my opinion on what Hebron is or Hebron should be. 71 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,920 Now, to what extent does that shape and mold your own 72 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,880 thinking? Well, again, people's opinions 73 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:03,040 influence us appropriately and sometimes inappropriately. 74 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,080 And my opinion of Hebron should influence you appropriately and 75 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,520 sometimes inappropriately. And so we have to evaluate that. 76 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,440 There should be, however, little evaluation to the opinion that 77 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,040 God himself gives. This is God's description of 78 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:24,640 Hebron Church. Hebron Church is a chosen race, 79 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:29,920 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own 80 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:34,200 possession. That's Hebron church. 81 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,440 Now we know that to be the case because God's Word proclaims 82 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,760 that specifically to be the case. 83 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:45,680 I want you to notice a little bit here as we walk through this 84 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,560 description, just like what we've done before, I've tried to 85 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:53,400 hold forward the idea that the description that I gave about 86 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:58,240 Hebron is something that we are modeling ourselves upon, seeking 87 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:00,200 to be. And that means for us as a 88 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,360 congregation, but also for us as individuals. 89 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:08,440 And just like someone else's opinion influences us, certainly 90 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:10,960 God's opinion needs to influence us. 91 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:13,200 And So what we're going to see as we walk through this 92 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:19,320 description is not simply what Hebron is, but also what we as 93 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:23,680 individuals are to be. So as I as we look at this 94 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:28,040 verse, as we talk about this together, the idea is not simply 95 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:32,200 how is Hebron doing this, but how am I doing this? 96 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,680 So if you have your Bibles, if you want to open them up again 97 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:37,880 to first Peter chapter 2, first Peter is white towards the very 98 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:39,640 end of your Bibles, you should be able to find it. 99 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,000 As always, if you don't have a Bible, steal one of ours. 100 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:47,000 We have extra ones. We'll be happy to give you 1 and 101 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,720 have your Bible in front of you. First Peter chapter 2 beginning 102 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:52,920 in verse 9. And it starts with that phrase. 103 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:57,280 But, but, and it's kind of weird to jump into the middle of an 104 00:05:57,280 --> 00:05:59,880 argument, but I felt like it would be best for us to do so. 105 00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:03,720 But we did need to quantify or classify the fact that this 106 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:09,080 verse begins in the midst of Peter talking about who he is 107 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:11,960 talking about, those who have rejected the rock of Jesus 108 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:15,960 Christ, those who have rejected the call of Jesus Christ and 109 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:20,440 enlightened who the stumble over the rock, who are not able to 110 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,280 embrace the rock as their savior. 111 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:26,120 And in contrast to that, Paul, then Peter then shifts and says, 112 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,600 but you and he talks about who we are. 113 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:34,400 Now the you here is plural and it's emphatic, it's emphasized, 114 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:37,960 it's bolded. It's it's every Greek 115 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:40,600 expression. It was written in Greek 116 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:44,120 originally, every Greek intensity to try to emphasize 117 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,160 the you here. So what Peter is doing is he's 118 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:50,840 saying, look, all of you collectively as God's people, 119 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:53,480 this is who you are. And then notice the way in which 120 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,280 this phrase is this passage is phrased. 121 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:02,600 This passage is not phrased as a possibility or as a hope or as a 122 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,640 desire or as a goal to be aimed at. 123 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:08,560 This is very different than what I've been trying to articulate 124 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,920 when I say, look, we are a reformed body and I know that we 125 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:13,520 need to move more in that direction. 126 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,520 I know that we are classically evangelical, and I know we need 127 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:19,240 to move more in that direction. This is not that way. 128 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:25,040 What Peter says, what God says is this is who you are. 129 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,520 This is who you are. So what does he say about us? 130 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:36,320 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 131 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:39,080 a people of God's own possession. 132 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:44,160 Now my guess is if you have any self reflection at all and you 133 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,200 look around at everybody else around this room, you sit there 134 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:55,400 and think really God's own possession, a holy nation, a 135 00:07:55,560 --> 00:08:01,560 chosen race. And the answer to that is yes, 136 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:06,560 yes, that's the way God sees you. 137 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:09,960 That's the way God sees Hebron Church. 138 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:14,080 Now he's not blind to our failures. 139 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:18,120 He's not blind to our struggles. He's not blind to our our 140 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:23,160 sinfulness and our failures. What God does though is he 141 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,240 identifies us as who we are as a people. 142 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:31,000 And once again, he's Speaking of Hebron Church as well as every 143 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,000 individual participant in Hebron Church. 144 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:39,000 This is who you are collectively, this is who you 145 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,000 are. You are a chosen race. 146 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,440 Now right off the bat, we've got a, we, we bump into a cultural 147 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:47,880 issue that that's relative for us. 148 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:51,160 When we talk about race in America in the 21st century, of 149 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:55,880 course we have in mind the two 300 years or so history in which 150 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:58,960 we have been dealing with racial issues, black and white and 151 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:03,880 Asian and Native American etcetera, etcetera, that when we 152 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:06,040 think about race, we tend to think about those genetic 153 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:09,000 characteristics. That's not what the scriptures 154 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,720 are speaking about. When the scriptures use the term 155 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:15,080 race, particularly in this particular instance, what is in 156 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:19,800 mind is a an aggregate collection of individuals who 157 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:22,160 all show share a certain characteristic. 158 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,640 So you gather together certain group of people that all have a 159 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:29,440 certain characteristics that then is labeled as a race. 160 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:31,840 That's a race in the biblical language. 161 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,160 And so when God here is identifying Hebron Church as a 162 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,280 race, he's not talking about our genetic qualities or 163 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:40,800 characteristics or our skin tone or anything like that. 164 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,200 What he's doing is he's looking at Hebron Church and saying you 165 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:47,960 collectively share a particular characteristic. 166 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:50,080 Now what is that particular characteristic? 167 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:54,520 That is our aggregate collection, that us together, we 168 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:59,640 are chosen. We are a chosen race. 169 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:06,760 My thought is, and it's the same I'm sure for all of you that you 170 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:09,240 got up this morning at some point and you said, oh, I get to 171 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:11,880 go to church today. Or some of you said I have to go 172 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,160 to church today. However you want to phrase it, I 173 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:16,800 get to go to church today. I have to go to church today. 174 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:18,880 I am part of this church community. 175 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,640 And so I gathered together with God's people. 176 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:26,200 And my guess is overwhelmingly, most of you think of that in 177 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,120 terms of your choice, what you chose to do this morning. 178 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:31,720 And when we look around at some of the empty seats and our 179 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,000 brothers and sisters who aren't present here, we think to 180 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,240 ourselves, why did they choose not to be with us at this 181 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,600 particular adventure, etcetera. And why did I choose or or I 182 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,200 chose to be part of Heaven Church because they're so nice 183 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:45,840 and wonderful and the pastor so good looking or whatever, you 184 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,440 know, whatever it is, it prompts people to choose and God 185 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:53,200 identify specifically a totally different characteristic trait 186 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:57,720 here. You are here because you were 187 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:03,440 chosen by God to be here. You are part of this community, 188 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:07,400 part of Heaven Church, because you are chosen by God to be 189 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,480 here. But not only that, but the 190 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:15,160 people you're sitting next to are here because God chose them 191 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,400 to be here. It was not your choice. 192 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:21,400 It is not your decision, it is not your process that separates 193 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,760 you out as a particular race in God's eyes. 194 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:28,240 It is the fact that He has chosen us to be present in this 195 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:34,480 place and I tell you that's a vastly shape that that's a mind 196 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:38,280 shaping experience or understanding to think that you 197 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:41,680 are present here in this place, not by your own volition, but by 198 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:45,000 God himself. God is the one who has chosen, 199 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:48,360 who is determined that it is right for you to be here and God 200 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,520 himself has chosen for that. It is right for you to be 201 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:54,400 sitting with the people that you are and throughout the week to 202 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:56,960 be involved in the Bible studies that you are and serving the 203 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,640 Lord in this place and being participated, being a 204 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:01,680 participant in the Ministries of Heaven Church. 205 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:06,920 All of that is ultimately because God has ordained it to 206 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:10,040 be the case. God has determined that it is 207 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:14,320 right for you to be here and that has to dramatically shape 208 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:18,080 your attitude towards being here. 209 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:24,640 Now undoubtedly in some sense, all of us were dragged here by 210 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:28,360 something, the car, our family members, you know, an 211 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,680 expectation or responsibility that we have. 212 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:34,760 All of those things weigh upon us and those earthly and human 213 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:39,360 experiences certainly are true. But what God leads out with it 214 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,520 says, look, this is the way I see you. 215 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:46,320 I see you as a group of people that all share this character 216 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:51,840 trait that I chose you to be here, I chose you to be here. 217 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,920 That has to affect our attitude in which it also has to affect 218 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:58,000 the way in which we view the people around us. 219 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:02,040 Now, I'm just guessing, but you're really happy that 20% of 220 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:04,120 the people are here because they're the people that you're 221 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:06,000 friends with, they're the people that you interact with. 222 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:09,840 Then there's another 60% that you're kind of that you kind of 223 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:12,760 pass and you say nice things with etcetera, etcetera, and 224 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:14,760 that's great too. And then there's 20% of the 225 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,800 people that you hope you don't run into in the morning, that 226 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,760 that's, that's my guess is that there's 20% that you're really 227 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:22,640 happy about the 60% in the middle. 228 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:26,520 And there's 20% that you're. But the reality is that every 229 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:30,280 one of them, the people that you really enjoy, the people that 230 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:34,400 are OK and the people that you hope to avoid, all of them are 231 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:37,080 here because God has chosen it to be. 232 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:39,800 So when you minister in this place, when you're involved in 233 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,800 Bible studies, when you're involved in the in the 234 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,320 leadership of the event, when we are ministering to the kids in 235 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:50,240 this place, when we're engaged in whatever we're engaged in, we 236 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:54,200 are ultimately doing so because we are a chosen race. 237 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:57,640 You can't avoid it. God doesn't say he wants us to 238 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:02,040 be that. God says you are this, you are a 239 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:05,600 chosen race. That has to affect our 240 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:07,920 attitudes. It has to affect the way we view 241 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:11,680 one another, and it has to affect our devotion, our 242 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:14,440 passion, and our love for the Lord. 243 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:21,360 He has chosen you in this place at this time, for this purpose. 244 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:26,640 You are a chosen race. You are a royal priesthood. 245 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:30,880 Royal priesthood. Now, once again, my guess is not 246 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:32,680 a whole lot of you feel like royalty. 247 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:37,800 Not a whole lot of you even appreciate the idea of a priest. 248 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:39,760 OK. If you have a Catholic 249 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:42,720 background or an Anglican background, Lutheran, or if you 250 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:45,000 read a lot of the scriptures, etcetera in the Old Testament, 251 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:47,560 you might have some perspective of what a priest is. 252 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:51,640 And so you think about the way they dress or what they do or 253 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:53,200 the way their actions in which they take. 254 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:57,880 All of that is derivative of the key characteristic of what a 255 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:01,040 priest is. What a priest does is connect 256 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:05,720 two separated parties. 2 warring parties stands in the middle as 257 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,000 a mediator and connect the two parties together. 258 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:10,440 Who are the parties that the priest is connecting? 259 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:16,400 God who is separated from man by their sin and man who was 260 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,840 terrified and separated from God by His Holiness and the priest 261 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,480 stands in the middle and connects the two together. 262 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:25,560 That's the rule of the Old Testament pre sets the 263 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:29,200 theoretically the role of of ongoingly the priesthood in 264 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:33,920 different community communions and that is what God intends for 265 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:36,840 Hebron Church Hebron Church listen to this. 266 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:42,920 You are a priesthood, which means every individual here has 267 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:48,160 that priesthood function, not in the collar that you wear or you 268 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:52,040 know, and, and, and probably some of you might be thinking, 269 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:53,800 well, Henry, it's easy for you to talk like that. 270 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:57,080 You're a preacher. You kind of is priestess kind of 271 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,200 thing. No, when God speaks this way, he 272 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,680 speaks to every individual in this room, every Christian in 273 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:06,120 this room, every member of the Hebron Church and says you are a 274 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:07,600 priesthood. What does that? 275 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,640 What's that mean? It means that our function is to 276 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:15,400 connect those who are separated from God to Him. 277 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:20,280 It is our job in life to go into the world and define those who 278 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:23,160 are separated from the Lord Jesus Christ and to connect them 279 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:24,720 together. How do we do that? 280 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,240 Of course, we do that through the gospel message of Jesus 281 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:30,680 Christ. We proclaim the salvation of our 282 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:34,120 Lord Jesus Christ to those who are separated from him so that 283 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:37,400 they too might experience the union, the connectedness, so 284 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:39,600 that they too might be connected to our Lord. 285 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:43,640 We are a priesthood. This church is a priesthood and 286 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:47,280 every member in it is a priesthood, and it's a royal 287 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:51,240 priesthood. Now, I have the same experience 288 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,440 with kings that you do, you know, historically and that kind 289 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:55,640 of stuff. I don't have much of an 290 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:59,080 experience with kings, but when we think of kings, my guess is 291 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,440 that most of us shift to, and there's a couple of Canadians in 292 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:03,720 the room that are thinking we have a king. 293 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:08,520 We, we shift when, when we think about kings, etcetera. 294 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:12,240 The idea is that we, we probably think primarily of the 295 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:16,920 privileges and the royal trappings and the wonders, the 296 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:19,079 glories of, of the kingship, etcetera. 297 00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:22,160 And again, all that's true, but all that's derivative of the 298 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:26,599 primary role of a king. The king is responsible for his 299 00:17:26,599 --> 00:17:28,960 people. If you want to see that, read 300 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,920 the Old Testament, the Old Testament proclamation of a 301 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:33,640 kingship. Sure, there's the wonders, the 302 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:36,120 glories of the kingship, etcetera, etcetera, But 303 00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:40,560 overwhelmingly, the point of a king is that he's responsible 304 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,560 for his people. Responsible in what way? 305 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:47,160 We're priests, we are a royal priesthood. 306 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:50,040 It's not just that we get the opportunity to connect people 307 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,720 together, but we have that responsibility to connect people 308 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:57,920 with God, that that priesthood function is a royal priesthood 309 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:00,000 function. It is not just something that we 310 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,560 get to do. It's something that we must do 311 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:05,680 as part of our responsibility. And again, this must change our 312 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:09,000 attitude as we think of ourselves coming here to Hebron 313 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,240 Church. OK, I'm a member of Hebron 314 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:12,640 Church. I get to worship the Hebron, I 315 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:14,920 get to come and serve at Hebron, etcetera, etcetera. 316 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:20,000 And your attitude is driven by the fact that God sees me as a 317 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:24,040 royal priesthood. God sees me as one who comes 318 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:28,080 here with this specific intention to connect others to 319 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:31,440 the divine Savior, to have that priesthood function. 320 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:34,680 It changes our attitude. It also changes the way we look 321 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,400 at each other. OK, once again, you're looking 322 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:39,600 at each other and you're sitting there thinking I'm worshiping 323 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,160 next to these folks or I'm serving next to these folks. 324 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,080 I'm in Bible study with these folks, and the reality is that 325 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:49,280 they have been chosen by God to fulfill a priestly function. 326 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:53,160 What's your role? Your role is to encourage them 327 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:59,080 to have that royal prerogative, that responsibility to connect 328 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:02,320 people to Jesus Christ. That's what it means to be a 329 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:05,720 royal priesthood. It changes our attitude, it 330 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:10,120 changes the way we view one another, and it certainly shifts 331 00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:13,360 and changes our devotion and our love for the Lord. 332 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,160 Think about this. Our Lord has intentionally 333 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:21,960 identified you as someone that he counts on to connect others 334 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:26,240 to himself, to expand his love, to expand his Kingdom, to expand 335 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,560 his the reach of the gospel. Of course he can do it on his 336 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:33,760 own, but He has chosen to use you as part of the priesthood, a 337 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:35,760 royal priesthood. Here at Hebron. 338 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:41,360 Not only are we a chosen race and a royal priesthood, but we 339 00:19:41,360 --> 00:19:45,840 are also a holy nation. Now that should make you giggle. 340 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:48,760 God looks at you and thinks, oh, you're holy. 341 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,280 All right. Now most of us understand the 342 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:54,560 nation, the notion of holy as being, you know, holier than 343 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:57,680 thou. And we fear the criticism of the 344 00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:00,080 world that, you know, what are Christians are walking around 345 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,240 say I'm holier than you are and aren't I so holy and aren't I 346 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:05,720 wonderful, etcetera, etcetera. And what we're talking about is 347 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:08,840 our moral standing, our moral quality is so much better than 348 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:11,120 the rest of the world because they're steeped in sin. 349 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:14,280 And I am part of Hebron Church, and of course we know that's 350 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:16,480 ridiculous because the moral depravity. 351 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:18,880 That exists out there, exists in here. 352 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:20,840 It exists in all of these places. 353 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:25,560 The difference between those two is that we are holy in God's 354 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:28,080 eyes. Not perfect in God's eyes, but 355 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:30,880 holy in the sense of being set apart. 356 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:37,600 We are set apart by our God. That's what holy means, being 357 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:41,440 part of Hebron Church to if God is right by looking at Hebron 358 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:45,280 Church and say you are a holy, not you should be a holy nation, 359 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:51,200 but you are a holy nation. You are set apart by the Lord 360 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:53,400 for what? For what purpose? 361 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:59,560 We are a holy nation. The nation is bound together by 362 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:03,080 its political structure. And I am not talking about 363 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:05,720 Republican or Democrat or the United States or anything. 364 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:09,400 I'm talking about the political structure that governs Heaven 365 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,360 Church. Not our session, not our elders, 366 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:18,400 not the pastor, but God himself. We are set apart for God 367 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:21,680 himself. That's what being a holy nation 368 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:26,040 means, that in God's eyes that we, that he has determined that 369 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:31,680 we would be set apart as his people, as a nation to proclaim 370 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:36,080 that goodness that is carried forward and being a chosen race, 371 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:42,680 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own possession, 372 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:46,280 God's special possession. OK, well, wait before we do 373 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,600 that. Being a holy nation changes the 374 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,200 way you look at each other because you see the sin in each 375 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:56,080 other. You see the brokenness, you're 376 00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:58,440 aware that it's there and you know that you're supposed to be 377 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:00,680 gracious toward them. We need to be gracious towards 378 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:02,920 them. But the way in which you see one 379 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,680 another, you are holy. This person has been set apart 380 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:09,960 by God in all of their brokenness, in all of their sin, 381 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:13,400 in all of their failure, They nevertheless have been set apart 382 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:17,600 by God for His purpose. You have been set apart by God 383 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:21,880 for his purpose and that changes the way in which we relate to 384 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:25,760 him, the way in which we love him, the way we are devoted to 385 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:30,360 him because he has set us apart, not made us holier than the rest 386 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:33,720 of the world, more morally godly or anything like that, but 387 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:37,080 because he has ordained that there is a particular purpose, a 388 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:43,520 goal, an intent for you. For Hebron Church, we are God's 389 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:46,000 own possession, God's own possession. 390 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:49,400 The word possession here refers to something that is near and 391 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,320 dear to his heart, but not just near and dear to his heart. 392 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:55,680 It's something that he values, something that he holds closely 393 00:22:55,800 --> 00:23:00,640 and he that he is that that he values tremendously based upon. 394 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:03,720 Now there's two different reasons why you can value 395 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:05,360 something. You can value something because 396 00:23:05,360 --> 00:23:07,680 it's a gift. Somebody gives you something 397 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:10,280 freely and it's a gift and you sit there and think, thank you 398 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,280 and you value it so much because you value the relationship. 399 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:16,080 So much of our lives is a gift. We get all of our lives as a 400 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:18,960 gift from the Lord, and of course we appreciate and value 401 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,200 it so much because the Lord Himself gives it to us. 402 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:25,040 But what the word here, possession, is that God has 403 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:29,200 worked hard for it. You are God's possession because 404 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:33,320 He has worked hard for it. And therefore He values you. 405 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:37,040 He possesses you, He protects you, He guards you. 406 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,640 So in the midst of being a royal priesthood, in the midst of 407 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:44,160 being a holy nation, in the midst of being a chosen race, 408 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:49,080 God possesses you, He holds you, and He values you because He has 409 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,040 worked so very hard for you. And of course, what's the work 410 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,120 that the Lord has done for you? This is nothing but Peters 411 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:59,000 casting back the imagery upon the cross of Jesus Christ. 412 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:03,760 This has to change your attitude towards why you are here and 413 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,720 part of this community. You are here and part of this 414 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:12,320 community because you are God's own possession, because he holds 415 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:15,760 you and cares for you that intimately and desires that 416 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,400 passionate from you. That has to change the way you 417 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:21,080 view one another. Why is that person here in this 418 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:23,880 church knowing their brokenness, knowing their sinfulness, 419 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:26,200 knowing that they're going to be cold to me again, they're going 420 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:28,160 to give me the cold children, they're going to forget my name 421 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:29,360 again. I always do that. 422 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:32,920 Or as something along those lines, how can, how can we? 423 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,880 Why is this person here? This person is here because they 424 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:41,360 are God's special possession and he has worked hard for them. 425 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:47,640 He has worked hard for them. Now, why if God looks at Hebburn 426 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:53,400 Church and he says this is Hebburn, God's chosen, chosen 427 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:58,960 race, royal priesthood, holy nation, people of God's own 428 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,920 possession, why? Why are we here at the end of 429 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:04,640 verse 9? If you have your scriptures, you 430 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:08,000 look at the end of verse 9. It's that great word there that 431 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,720 identifies that we're talking about a purpose clause so that 432 00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:15,120 you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called 433 00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:17,800 you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. 434 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,480 What is the purpose of being God's own possession? 435 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:23,320 What's the purpose of being a holy nation? 436 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:25,680 What's the purpose of being a chosen race? 437 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:29,560 It is so you might proclaim the excellencies, proclaim the great 438 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:33,360 things of our God who has called you out of darkness into this 439 00:25:33,360 --> 00:25:37,560 marvelous light. I think that every Christian 440 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:43,480 should have PTSD. And I I say that very aware of 441 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,000 the fact that we have cheapened the word PTSD. 442 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:49,400 We have cheapened that to the idea that, oh, if you have a bad 443 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:53,120 experience with somebody, you've got PTSDI hate that because the 444 00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:56,200 history of the word, of course, is connected to the military 445 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:59,680 trauma, trauma of men and women who've gone through the most 446 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:01,960 horrific experiences. They come out. 447 00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:06,440 That's what PTSD is. And I think Christians should 448 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,480 have it. You know why? 449 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:14,040 Because every believer in this room, if you like it or if you 450 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:17,200 don't, if you remember it or if you don't, every believer in 451 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:21,600 this room was pulled out of darkness and into God's 452 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,640 marvelous light. Most of us don't remember it. 453 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:26,400 Most of us don't want to reflect on it. 454 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:29,960 Most of us can't desire to leave it behind. 455 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:33,040 But the reality is that every one of us have been pulled out 456 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:34,800 of darkness. And I just don't mean wow, 457 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:36,800 there's just no light here. And isn't this terrible? 458 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:41,840 That darkness is the is the description of hell itself and 459 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:44,480 of what it means to live separated from Jesus Christ, 460 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:49,880 what it means to be completely uncreated in who God desires for 461 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:52,560 you to be. Darkness is a picture, is a 462 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:55,880 characterization of everything that is evil, wicked, and 463 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,840 hellish in this world, and God has called you out of that. 464 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:02,080 We should have PTSD. We should have that in our 465 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,920 memories so strongly that it so affects us. 466 00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:09,920 Or is it possible that we don't have PTSD because we forget that 467 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:11,920 we've been called into marvelous light? 468 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:15,120 So many of us are so used to living in the light right now 469 00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:17,560 that we know that we have forgotten that it's marvelous. 470 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:20,040 We've forgotten what God has done for us. 471 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:23,320 We have forgotten that crucial idea of being called out of 472 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:26,000 darkness and into marvelous light. 473 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:28,640 But that's happened for Hebron Church. 474 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:32,640 That's happened for every believer in this room. 475 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:35,560 We've been called out of darkness and into his marvelous 476 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:37,000 light. And we should remember. 477 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,240 That should impact us. That should affect us in such a 478 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:43,440 way that we proclaim His excellencies to the entire 479 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:46,160 world. Isn't that a marvelous picture? 480 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:50,720 Don't you want that? Don't you want to I, I Don't you 481 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:56,160 want to remember the hell that was before you, before Jesus 482 00:27:56,160 --> 00:28:00,280 Christ, so that you can proclaim His excellencies now? 483 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:04,240 How is this possible? This sure sounds like I've been 484 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:06,560 laying this on Hebron Church, that God's saying this about 485 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:08,880 Hebron Church because I think there's no other way of looking 486 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:11,240 at this text other than saying that that's exactly what takes 487 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,640 place. But please don't miss verse 10. 488 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:20,360 If you have verse 10 before you, once you are not a people, but 489 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:23,160 now you are God's people. OK, that's, that's the summary 490 00:28:23,360 --> 00:28:26,440 of the of the previous verse. What does it mean that you're 491 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:28,600 the chosen race? What does it mean that you're a 492 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:30,400 holy nation? What does it mean that you're a 493 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,520 royal priesthood? OK, Once you were not a people 494 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,480 there, there was there was nothing. 495 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:40,640 There was no character trait that identified you as who you 496 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,640 really are. There was no character trait 497 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:48,080 that identified you as somebody created in God's image and 498 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:52,000 redeemed for His purpose. But now you are. 499 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:56,160 And what's the difference? Once you had not received mercy, 500 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:01,560 but now you have received mercy. What's the difference? 501 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:07,600 The difference is not you. The difference is not me. 502 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:11,600 The difference is the cross of Jesus Christ. 503 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:18,760 What is it that causes you to be a chosen people, chosen race? 504 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:22,360 It is a cross of Jesus Christ. The mercy that you have 505 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:25,440 received. What is it that enables you to 506 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:28,680 be a royal priesthood? It is mercy. 507 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:32,800 What is it that enables you to be a holy nation? 508 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:37,200 It is mercy. Why is it that you can proclaim 509 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,960 His excellencies? Why is it that you have been 510 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:42,760 pulled from the darkness? Why is it that you are now 511 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:45,800 blessed by being involved in this marvelous light? 512 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:52,000 It is the mercy of Jesus Christ. It is the cross of Jesus Christ. 513 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:58,160 That is to what defines Hebron Church from beginning to end. 514 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:03,520 It must because it does in God's eyes. 515 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:08,880 Let's pray together, Gracious Lord, we pray that you would 516 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:12,640 open our hearts and our minds more and more to the reality 517 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:17,440 that we have in Jesus Christ, that we are indeed a royal 518 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:21,640 priesthood, A chosen race, a holy nation, a God's own 519 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:24,560 possession. Lord, we hear that call. 520 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,040 We recognize that that is how you view us. 521 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:31,640 Give us the grace, Lord, to act faithfully according to that, to 522 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:35,240 proclaim your excellencies to this world because we've been 523 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:38,280 pulled from darkness into your marvelous light. 524 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:40,480 We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. 525 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:44,760 Amen, My brothers and sisters, if you could stand together with 526 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:51,800 me and let us proclaim that which we believe, what do we 527 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:55,480 believe together? All believers are united to 528 00:30:55,480 --> 00:31:00,720 Jesus Christ by his spirit and faith and have fellowship with 529 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:05,320 Him in His grace, suffering, resurrection, and glory. 530 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:10,480 United to each other in love, believers are obligated to 531 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:15,000 nourish one another's mutual good, both spiritually and 532 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:15,680 physically.