1 Peter 2:9
Introduction:
God desires His power and holiness to be known.
That is why He singled out the Israelites to be His possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6, (NASB).
The purpose is to make His power known to the entire world through them. It was a great privilege.
Unfortunately, they wasted the opportunity. How? While Moses was interceding for them on the mountain, some of them were worshipping golden calf (Exodus 24:7-8). The only tribe who upheld God’s righteousness was the Levites and God made them priest. (Deuteronomy 21:5).
The opportunity for all of us to be God’s priests came again in the New Testament. Every believer becomes God’s own possession, a priest and a holy nation through Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:11; 12:13; 1 Peter 1; 2; Colossians 1:13). We are called to witness. Therefore, to build a witnessing life is to let what we say, and how we live turn others to Christ.
1. Our Position:
1 Peter 2:9 states that Christian (ladies) who accept Jesus as their Lord and saviour have become:
i. A chosen generation
ii. A royal priesthood; that is, a kingdom of priests and
iii. A holy nation
2. Our Tasks:
I. Being a Chosen Generation means that God has chosen us; we did not chose ourselves.We need, therefore to praise Him for including us among His candidates. We should also discover the purpose for our selection (1 Peter 1:2; John 15:16)
II. Being a Royal Priesthood means that God calls us to serve as His representatives. We need therefore to know God’s mind and reveal it to others in order to guide them aright (1 Peter 2: 4-6)
III. Being a Holy Nation means that though we live in a corrupt world, God expects us to be pure, having been set apart by Him to be exclusively His (John 17:19; 1 Corinthians 1; 2; Hebrews 10:10)
3. The Requirements for Building a Witnessing Life
I. Living a God-centered Life Daily: The witnessing life is built through a devoted life to God. The world can pull us away from God’s will if our devotion to Him is weak., The Lord rebuked the Church at Ephesus because they were replacing their first love for Christ with other things.(Revelation 2:1-7) How do we then live a God-centered life daily? (1 Peter 2:4-5). When we surrender our will, motives, time and gifts to the Holy Spirit, we live a Spirit-controlled life (Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 15:16)
II. Fellowshipping with His People: Our witnessing life is built through constant fellowship with God’s people, not with the people of the world. In a physical building each block is important; likewise we depend on one another for spiritual growth. We are part of a body.
III. Feeding Constantly of God’s Word: God’s love, which we are to share with the lost souls is contained in the Bible. We need to read it constantly, believe it and practice it. Then, we will be able to share it through the enablement of the Holy Spirit. Our words cannot convert a soul. Only God’s Word convicts and converts.
IV. Proclaiming the Goodness of God to others (1 Peter 2:9; Matthew 28:19 – 20); A witness is not afraid to make known to others God’s goodness and faithfulness. We defeat the devil when we announce God’s love, grace and mercy, through our actions and in-action, through or by our testimonies.
Conclusion:
We cannot be a witness to what we have not seen or experienced. Have you experienced the salvation through Christ? Are you daily offering your life as a spiritual and living sacrifice to Him? Are you joining other believers to expand God’s kingdom or you are just attending church? Are you proclaiming His love to those in darkness that they too, may come to know the Saviour? God desires to bring others into His family trough you! Arise now, and shine!