Well, good morning, everyone. Good to be in the house of the Lord again. You can turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 2. Continuing our way through 1 Peter chapter 2, this section, hopefully today conclude the section that we've been looking at in these first several verses of chapter 2 up to the end of chapter, or sorry, up to the end of verse 10.

So last week, we went up to verse 8, from 5 to 8. This week, we'll look at 9 and 10. There's going to be a bit of overlap. As I mentioned last week, we skipped over a few things in verse 5 particularly that hopefully, time permitting, we can come back to and address those today.

I just sort of structured it that way just for sake of fitting all the information into these two sermons last week and this week. So 1 Peter chapter 2, we'll read the entire chapter, and then, like I said, we'll look at verse 9 and 10. So 1 Peter chapter 2. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is also contained in the scripture, behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame. Therefore, to you who believe, he is precious, but to those who are disobedient, The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble, being disobedient to the word to which they also were appointed.

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. Beloved, I beg you, as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honourable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Therefore, submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, or to those who are sent by him for the as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

As free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God, honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, If, because of conscience toward God, one endures grief, suffering wrongfully, for what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.

For to this you are called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps. Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. Who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously, who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed.

For you were like sheep going astray, but now have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we do come before you now to ask your blessing and the ministry of your Spirit upon us As we examine this passage together, Lord, I pray that you would send the Spirit to be among us, to aid in preaching and in hearing, and that you would apply these things to our heart, and Lord, that we would leave here rejoicing in the great God that you are, God that has called us out of darkness into marvelous light, and through the work of your Son, the Lord Jesus, who came and rescued us from darkness.

So Lord, I pray that you bless us now. I pray that you Let you be glorified and exalted among us here this morning. And we pray this in Christ's name. Amen.

Introduction and Review

So, just by way of brief review, I know we've looked at this over the course of a year or so that I've sort of slowly worked through this. But Peter is preaching to primarily a Jewish audience, or writing to primarily a Jewish audience. These were the Jews, he calls them the dispersion, the pilgrims of the dispersion. Again, we see that in verse 11, he called them sojourners and pilgrims.

And they're feeling alone, they're isolated, they've been chased out of their own promised land, out of Jerusalem and Judea, they've been chased out of that by their own people, and as he addresses them throughout this book, he's using a lot of Old Testament language. He calls them the chosen ones in chapter 1, verse 2, elect. He talks about our Messiah, our Christ, he says in chapter 1 as well. He's using a lot of this Old Covenant language, and this is language that they would have been very familiar with, of course, And things that would have been very comforting to the Jews as Jews, the Jews as a special people of God in the old covenant there that God had taken them, had rescued them, had protected them.

They were his special people. But now, as we've seen last week, we saw that he's applying all these Old Testament terms and all of this. He's speaking to them, not as Jews, but he's speaking to them as believers, believers in Christ. So his point is that you are the true people of God.

He's trying to get this across to them. You are the people of God and to take great comfort by this. Don't be discouraged that you've been chased out of the land, out of the promised land. Don't lose heart.

Be greatly encouraged. You are the true people of God. So last week we saw in verse 6 there that he He's grounding this, all of his ecclesiology, which ecclesiology is the doctrine of the church, so he's speaking to them as believers, that's the church, he's grounding this all in the Old Testament, and he does so with this prophecy here in Isaiah 28, verse 16, about the cornerstone in Zion, the fact that it was applied to the Old Covenant Jews, we saw that last week, as they had broken God's law, they had been exiled into Babylon, but yet that cornerstone was there whereby the foundation of a new kingdom that was going to be built, they would be returned. This was highlighting, of course, on a spiritual level, those who have sinned, they've broken God's law, like Adam, they broke God's law, they're in darkness, in sin, Christ rescues them out of that.

So that picture, that's what we saw last week in terms of that rescue from Babylon. Babylon being the kingdom of darkness there. And then Cyrus was the one whose God calls his Messiah. We saw that in Isaiah 45 verse 1.

Cyrus is the Messiah, the one who does the rescuing, the one who comes and destroys Babylon. which is representative of the kingdom of darkness, and then restores them back to the promised land. So that was the typology from the Old Testament that we saw last week in terms of how it's applied to the church. Now, we also saw the human response in verse 7 and 8, and then that was where we stopped. So I'm going to pick up in verse 9 today on the description, a further description of the the the kingdom that is founded on on this cornerstone Christ and then I'm hoping hopefully we have time to look at the duty and Or the role of the kingdom in in verses 9b and then also going back to verse 5 as well there so so in verse 9 then he begins and He begins here, he says, but you, so he's refocusing on the believer.

So just looking back at verse 7 and 8, remember we have this contradiction between, or the contrast between those who believe, to those who believe he's precious, but then we have those who are disobedient, or those who reject the Christ, the Messiah there. So he's refocusing now on them as believers. And as I said earlier, he's appealing to them not as Jews, but as believers. That's important to understand in this context here.

Believers as the New Israel

So that the believers are the new Israel, as he's going to apply all this Old Covenant, Old Testament language here. Look at verse 9 here, he says, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people. So these are all, if you're familiar with the Old Testament, these are all very, very Old Testament. It's Old Testament language.

These were all applied to the nation of Israel. We have Israel typology happening here again. But this time it's different. Last time we saw how they were like Adam.

They broke the covenant. They fell into darkness, into exile, and they were rescued out of that. Here we have something, the same idea, the same concept of a restoration from Babylon. And again, we have the same thing.

It's a restoration from Babylon, but we've got to go back even even further. And this morning, we looked at the covenant theology this morning, and we looked at that Abrahamic covenant, which is what the typology that he's using here now is referring back to the Abrahamic covenant and to a rescue from from, I say Babylon, but it's the Tower of Babel. Now, Babel and Babylon in the Old Testament are the same thing. The Hebrew word is identical word.

It's translated for different, as Babel in Genesis 11 versus Babylon and the rest for various reasons, but that is, it is the same thing. So when we think Babylon, we're thinking kingdom of darkness. That's important to have in our minds here. So to understand now, what is this typology?

Israel Typology from Deuteronomy 32

Turn to Deuteronomy 32. for a minute, that will help us to understand this concept here in terms of being pulled out of darkness into marvelous light, as Peter says at the end here. So, Deuteronomy chapter 32, this is Moses, the song of Moses before the Israelites are about to leave and enter the land. We know Moses was not permitted to enter the land, but this is Moses' song. And it's a reminder to the Israelites of their heritage.

So, we can pick up in verse 1, Deuteronomy 32, or maybe actually the previous verse, 31 verse 30. Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly the words of this song until they were ended. Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as rain drops on the tender herbs showers on the grass for I proclaim the name of the Lord ascribe greatness to our God for he is the rock his work is perfect For all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice.

Righteous and upright is He. They have corrupted themselves. They are not His children because of their blemish, a perverse and crooked generation. Do you thus deal with the Lord, O foolish and unwise people?

Is He not your Father who bought you? Has He not made you and established you?" Now Moses here is speaking of He's prophesying, in a sense, of their fall, that they're going to fall away. And at the end of verse 31, he talks about that. He says, you know, I know your rebellion, or sorry, chapter 31, verse 27, I know your rebellion and your stiff neck.

You know, so he understands and he's now prophesying in a sense of their falling away, and he's reminding them of something. So let's continue on. Verse seven, remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations. Ask your father and he will show you your elders and they will tell you when the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam and set the boundaries of the peoples according to the children of Israel.

Now, this is a, Moses here is speaking of the Tower of Babel and the dispersion of all the nations at the Tower of Babel there. And so, to understand this Israel typology, we need to look at this, especially verse 8. At the end of verse 8, we see it says, when he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. Now, if you look at your margin, if you have a new King James, If you have other versions, they may say what our margin says here.

So the Septuagint, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus, which is a Greek translation of the Old Testament, and the Latin, they all say either Angels of God or Sons of God. So this variant says the Sons of God, and it's a very well-supported textual variant, the Sons of God. He's not speaking here of the division of the promised land, where God divided up the nation or divided up promised land into allotments for the various tribes. That doesn't happen until the end of Joshua, after the conquest.

That was when the land was divided. He's speaking of the Tower of Babel here. So literally the first line of verse 8 says, So what's taking place at the Tower of Babel is that we understand the Tower of Babel when we read that story. It is Satan, the kingdom of darkness.

They're coming together. They're attempting to dethrone Yahweh of Israel, the creator. They're attempting to overthrow that. So it's the kingdom of darkness coming together against Yahweh.

So what happens then? We know the Lord changes languages and He disperses them, but what He does there is that he disperses them by people group. That's why we have all the, in Genesis 10 and 11, we have all these various people groups that are split up that way. And according to this passage here, that each of these people groups is given out to one of these sons of the gods or an angel of God.

When we think angel, we don't know, it doesn't necessarily mean, you know, a good angel. Angels are just spiritual beings here. We understand Satan has dominion over the earth. We saw that this morning in the confession study there.

We saw that last week when we looked at it. It's important to understand that Satan has dominion over the earth. He says that himself, Luke chapter 4, I think I quoted it last week as well, but the devil said to Jesus in the temptation, all this authority I will give you and their glory. So he's showing them all the nations of the earth in a moment of time, it says.

I will I will give them to you and their glory for this has been delivered to me and I give it to whomever I wish So at the Tower of Babel then God's confusing the languages. He's he's dispersing them out He's in a sense. He's scattering this The the kingdom of darkness into into all little people groups and each one is allotted are given out as an inheritance verse verse 8 They're given as an inheritance to to these various, you know spiritual beings that's That's important to understand here in terms of our covenant theology, our Israel typology that we find in this passage here, that the nations were given over to the kingdom. They were already in the kingdom of darkness, but they were dispersed as nations into these evil spiritual beings.

This is a good concept to understand here. But then let's read on then in verse 9. Now, in Deuteronomy 32, we're still there. So he's divided the nations, the inheritance, out as an inheritance, given them to the sons of God, or these spiritual beings, which are part, or sons of the gods, I should say, spiritual beings, which are part of the kingdom of darkness.

God's Portion: His People from Darkness

But verse 9, but the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the place of his inheritance. So what's happening at the Tower of Babel is in history, this is historical covenant that's giving us typology of the church, the true Israel. God is rescuing one nation for himself out of darkness.

He's taking a nation out of darkness and making it his own people, his portion, his inheritance. We saw that last week when we looked at Psalm 94, talking about the writer of the psalm. His comfort was the fact that he was part of the inheritance of God. Not as an inheritance that someone gave to God, but as that God took and gave to himself in this context here, which happened at the Tower of Babel.

God took Israel out of darkness, one special nation for his own special people. Amos 3 verse 2 says, you only have I known of all the families of the earth. When you think families, think nations. That was how they were divided up, was by family there.

So let's move on then. So verse 9, the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is a place of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land and in a wasteland, a howling wilderness.

Again, wasteland, howling wilderness, think darkness, think kingdom of darkness. That's the biblical theology of wilderness, is darkness. So God found him there in a desert land, in a wasteland, a howling wilderness. He encircled him.

He instructed him. He kept him as the apple of his eye, as an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings. So the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign God with him. So we see here very clearly this rescue out of darkness by Yahweh of Israel, rescuing a nation for himself out of darkness.

This concept of being rescued out of darkness, the redemption, the typology, we often think of it in terms of the Israelites being rescued out of Egypt. That God broke down the bondage of Egypt, took them out, and brought them to his promised land. And that is, there is that typology there, absolutely, to be sure. But this is the root of it.

This is where it goes back to, all the way back to this account at the tower Babel it's it's tied into the the Abrahamic Covenant is the foundation for this, you know God's people being a special nation so and that's why immediately after the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 we have the the genealogy of Abraham and Then and then this and then chapter 12 starts with how God takes Abraham gives him that promise to make him a nation and his and his You know and his own special people there and then within that we also see that that that God gives the promise to Abraham that that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed. It wasn't just for your family, Abraham. I'm not, you know, he says, I'm rescuing you now, Abraham, just your family in terms of history. But in terms of on the spiritual level, one day there's going to be, one is going to come from your family who's going to rescue those who are from all of these families.

So it's pointing forward to something so much bigger, so much more. a better covenant. We read that in Hebrews 8 this morning. A better covenant with better promises. That's what it's pointing forward to there.

So God gives this promise to Abraham of this one who's going to come. So we see that promise there. So

Titles of the Church in 1 Peter 2:9

now, with that concept in mind, understanding what is going on here in terms of this rescue from darkness and becoming the special people of Yahweh as a nation, now this is pointing forward to, this is a typology of the church. So now with this in mind, let's read these titles here that Peter gives to the church. He says,

Chosen Generation

you are a chosen generation. So generation here, think, you know, people, people group, family lines, not generations, not succeeding generations. We sometimes talk about that, but it's talking about a family group, a group of people from a family line. So you are that chosen generation there.

And remember, this is how they were divided at Babel. We saw that as families, but God chose them as a family. Now, we are, as a church, we are that chosen generation, that special people. Now, we see that We can turn to Deuteronomy 7.

We looked at it this morning, so there's going to be, as I said this morning, there's going to be some overlap. For those who are in the confession study, there's going to be some overlap. So you can turn to Deuteronomy 7 to see that concept of being the chosen people of God. Now, he's speaking to them, of course.

This is post-Mosaic covenant, so this is further down in history. But again, like I said, the root of it goes back to the Abrahamic covenant. Now to the Israelites, after their redemption from Egypt, in chapter 7, Deuteronomy 7 verse 6, For you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.

The Lord did not set His love on you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any other people. For you are the least of all peoples, but because the Lord loves you. So, to an Israelite, being chosen by Yahweh was a very special thing. There was great comfort in that because they understood the implications of Babel and the fate of the other nations, that they were under the influence and the control, the power of these false, wicked gods, these little g gods.

They understood that, so for them, the fact that they had been taken out of that and that they were now Yahweh, the creator, the one who rules righteously, they were his special people, that was a very special thing. And again, to Peter's Jewish audience, they would have held these things very dear, but they would have held them, it would have been on a temporal level that his Jewish audience would have been thinking of these things, that we were supposed to have life in the land, whatever it may be, These things were on a temporal level. But, you know, Peter wants them to think big picture. He wants them to think that this is so much more than, you know, being a special people of Yahweh, as I'm applying it to you as believers in Christ.

You are the special people. But it's so much more. You know, it's not just about having a nice plot of land in the Middle East. God didn't rescue you from darkness. you know, just to have a nice piece of land in the Middle East.

He chose you to be his special people, but he rescued you from darkness, from the oppression of Satan, the kingdom of darkness on a spiritual level. And he's rescued you from that. And yes, the certain destruction that would have come upon you had you remained in that kingdom of darkness, kingdom of Satan, in rebellion against the Lord, but he rescued you from that. And he's made you the true people of God, true people who are going to dwell with him in that eternal inheritance.

That's what Peter's been speaking about this whole time here, about this inheritance that we have to look forward to. And he's saying this is incorruptible, it's undefiled, it doesn't fade away. This isn't just a piece of land in the Middle East. This is new heavens, new earth, wherein righteousness dwells, he says.

So he wants them to understand this. You know, God chose you for this, to bring you to that. And again, as I said, the concept of being chosen to the Old Testament Israelites was a comfort, was an incredible thing. And for us, it should be the same thing as well.

When we understand where we were in darkness, in rebellion against God, you know, we can say oppressed in that oppressive darkness under the control of of Satan, him trying to keep us in darkness. God rescues us out of that. And it's a rescue, and God does that to his chosen people, rescuing them. What a comfort that affords.

I think I said it last week too, but so many people look at the doctrine of election as they just don't like it, the fact that we're chosen, there's something that rubs them the wrong way. I think it's such a comfort when we understand where we were and where we are now, and the fact that God took us out of that, We were helpless, we were in bondage. It's truly a joy, truly a comfort there. So that is chosen generation.

Royal Priesthood

Then he moves on, he calls them royal priesthood. You can turn to Exodus 19 to see that, Exodus chapter 19. Verses 4. and following. Verse 3, Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel, You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

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, that you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. So the nation of Israel was to be a kingdom of priests. Now, when we go back and we think of Adam's job in the garden, Adam's responsibility, that he was a priest-king.

He was to be king, having dominion over the creation, advancing the borders of the garden. He was supposed to be doing that, but he was also a priest and a prophet. These three offices function very much together. So he was to subdue the earth, protect it, keep it, extend the borders of the garden, and fill it with image bearers.

And so making a kingdom, so propagating a kingdom by having children being fruitful and multiplying. He was to be a king. But he was also to be a priest, where he was to bring all creation together, offering up this spiritual sacrifice, offering up worship to God. So, Michael Morales says there, his kingship would be in the service of his priestly office, namely that he would rule and subdue for the sake of gathering all creation to the Creator's footstool for worship for the liturgical declaration Yahweh reigns.

So what does this mean for Israel? We're still looking in Old Covenant typology here, and it goes with this next description there of them being a holy nation as well, that they were set apart, they were distinct, that Israel was to be a kingdom that was set apart, distinct from all the other nations, and they were to be a testimony of the greatness of God, of Yahweh, the Creator, to be a testimony to all of the nations, and to be a testimony of His glory, His greatness, and of His universal dominion. Remember, it wasn't for them Their job was to understand that these other little G gods, these other spiritual beings that were part of Satan and his principalities, his powers, they're powerful, but they are not on the same level as God. Yahweh of Israel was not... was not on an equal level as Baal or Molech or these other gods of the nations.

Yahweh is Creator and that was their job, as Israelites, was to testify to all the nations of the sovereignty of Yahweh, that He was the Creator. Being a kingdom of priests, it wasn't about them subduing nations physically and making a massive empire out of Israel and dominating all the nations around them through physical war and dominion that way, but a witness to the glory and sovereign rule of Yahweh the Creator. And again, calling on them to worship Yahweh, not to worship their own gods. We see that in the Psalms a lot.

You can turn to Psalm 66 to see that for a minute. 66 and 67 both speak to that. Psalm 66. Starting at verse 1, make a joyful shout to God, all the earth. Sing out the honor of his name, make his praise glorious.

Say to God, how awesome are your works. Through the greatness of your power, your enemy shall submit themselves to you. All the earth shall worship you and sing praises to you. They shall sing praises to your name, Selah.

Come and see the works of God. He is awesome in his doing toward the sons of men. He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the river on foot.

There we will rejoice in Him. He rules by His power forever. His eyes observe the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.

Oh, bless our God, you peoples, and make the voice of His praise to be heard." So, very clearly there, calling the other nations around to acknowledge the sovereignty of Yahweh of Israel. Now, turn to 1 Kings 8. This is at the dedication of the temple. the dedication of the temple. Remember, again, thinking in terms of biblical theology, temple is, you know, a picture of the Garden of Eden.

This is what Adam was supposed to do. Now we have what Adam was supposed to, you know, build the temple, advance this garden, and then he was to, like I said to this, Propagate a people a kingdom to to worshiping God. Well, this is what Solomon is doing here as a type of Adam He's built he's built a temple and then he's dedicating it now So think thinking, you know temple and priesthood here now in in first Kings chapter 8 verse 41 He's he says moreover concerning a foreigner who is not of your people Israel But has come from a far country for your name's sake for they will hear of your great name and your strong hand and your outstretched arm when he comes and prays towards this temple here in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for that for which the foreigner calls to you that all peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you as do your people Israel and that you may know that this temple which I have built is called by your name and then in verse 60 we see we see that again that that all the that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh is God. There is no other.

Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments to this day." So that all the earth may know that you are Yahweh, that is so often repeated, making the earth aware of the universal dominion of Yahweh, calling the nations to acknowledge that, and to the praise of His glory.

The Church's Witness to the Nations

So what does that mean for us as the church? Well, it means exactly the same thing. I can repeat that line. Making the earth aware of the universal dominion of Yahweh and calling the nations to acknowledge that to the praise of His glory.

Now, nations there, it doesn't mean just ruling parties. It means all people there. That is the job of the church, is to advance the kingdom, making the... And we know this is done through Christ.

We'll look at this in more detail towards the end there, but the purpose of the building of the kingdom, spreading the gospel, spreading the declaration, Jesus is King, Jesus is Lord, and calling all the earth to bow the knee to King Jesus. So again, but now I want to,

Spiritual House: The Davidic Covenant

before I go on to the next description here of his own special people, I want to go jump back now to verse 5. Here, verse 5, I jumped over this, the spiritual house concept of the church. But you also, well, we looked at it somewhat, but you also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house. Now, this harkens back to the Davidic covenant.

So, if you want to turn to 2 Samuel chapter 7, 2 Samuel, 7, that's where we see the Davidic covenant. Start at verse 8. So David wants to build a house for God. That was the context here, a temple.

David says, I'm living in a nice house. I want to build a house for God. Nathan says, go ahead and do it. And then comes back to him and says, hang on, the Lord came, and this is what the Lord says to David now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David thus says the Lord of hosts I took you from the sheepfold and from following the sheep to be the ruler over my people over Israel and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you and have made you a great name like the name of the great man who are on the earth moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore as previously since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people, Israel, and I have caused you to rest from all your enemies.

Also, the Lord tells you that he will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seat after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish my kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son.

If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with a rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men, but my mercy shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever." So David wants to build a house for God, but then God says that he's going to build David a house. He's going to build David into a house is the idea there.

He's not gonna build a house for David, but he's going to build a house from David. And the concept here is one of dynasty, or household, we might say, but the idea of a dynasty. Now we know that the first person in that dynasty, David's son Solomon, he was going to be the one who would build that temple. And God, God said that you know, this is this this he's also going to this this house that that he's making of David It's going to be a forever house It's going to be or and then and then David's son one who is also going to be Yahweh's own son He says here would rule forever over that kingdom the kingdom that's established in God's name And it's that it's that the spiritual kingdom, which we know is the Church of God.

So so so so David's greater son then Jesus he came to build a true Spiritual temple which is the church and to do it out of out of to build this this this building out of the members of the household or the dynasty of God so it's a so the the concept in the in the Old Testament is is Is twofold we have we have a we have a temple building and we have we have a dynasty so but in the new covenant it comes together with in one. We have a dynasty, but the dynasty is the temple, is the house of God. Verse five says it there. You, back in second, or in first Peter, you are, as the living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.

So you, as the household, the family of God, the dynasty of God, are being built into this temple place. Michael Morales, again, says here, the bayit, now bayit is the Hebrew word for house. So Morales uses the word bayit here. The bayit David would like to build for God is a house, a building.

Yahweh, rather, will build David a bayit. Not only does Yahweh reverse roles, but he also escalates the building project from a bayit, a house made with stones, to a bayit made with living stones, his sons. So we, as the family of God, as God's people, we have become the dwelling place of God. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and we know this is just a guarantee or deposit of the greater things to come.

So as Christ continues to build that kingdom and then until the end when he delivers it to the Father where we dwell with the Father for all of eternity. Turn to Ephesians chapter 2 for a minute. Ephesians 2 19-22 we see this This concept here fleshed out by Paul in this instance Ephesians 2 verse 19 now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners But fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God Having been built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building fitted being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the spirit So that is the typology that we find here in the Old Testament now applied to the church, that we as the people of God are now part of the household of God, of the family of God, which is that spiritual house, that temple, that God and man dwelling together. Again, as I said, we're just in a state of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us in that way, as that taste of the greater things to come, when the house is complete, when the temple, the kingdom of Christ is complete.

So that is what we are, the household of God. And again, as now jumping back to verse nine, in 1 Peter, that's because we are this, the household of God, because we are this people for his own possession or his own special People the new King James says are a people for his own possession or his own is his his inheritance The the NASB says a people for his own possession. That's the concept there the the the kingdom the the nation that God the household of God that he chose as his inheritance the ones who would be who would be his people think thinking back to Babel again have that concept in in our minds there.

His Own Special People

But now, as a church, we are the special people of God. We saw that in Deuteronomy 32. We read that. You can jump back there for the reminder.

Deuteronomy 32. The Song of Moses there. The Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the place of his inheritance.

So, and again, he found him in a desert land, in a wasteland, howling wilderness, he encircled him, instructed him, kept him as the apple of his eye, this protection of Yahweh, rescuing out of darkness. Now this is for the people of God. Now, We also saw that in in Exodus 19 as well. We read that you will be You will be a special treasure to me above all people we see that concept of special treasure in elsewhere in in Deuteronomy Deuteronomy 7 verse 6 14 verse 2 26 18 several other places the this concept of being a special treasure of Yahweh the the the the people of God.

You know, all through the Old Testament, that was that reminder to the Israelites in terms of their temporal blessing, their temporal protection, temporal life in the land, all these things was that, you know, you are my people, Israel, that concept is all through there. God had rescued them at the Tower of Babel, and he'd rescued them from Egypt, he would rescue them again from Babylon, because they were his special And now Peter here, he applies it directly to the believers, that you are the special people of God. Now, I think it doesn't take much to just realize, like, what a blessing. This should make our hearts sing when we think about that, that Yahweh, the creator, looks at us, his people, those who believe in Christ, and he says, you are my special people.

What a blessing that he's rescued us. He's called us out of darkness into marvelous light That's what what Peter says here at the at the end of verse 9 He called you out of darkness into his marvelous light because because he because you are his special people because he chose you because he's making you a holy nation a house for himself one to dwell with because you are because you are special to him. That is a glorious, glorious truth. Turn to Acts 26 for a minute.

We see this Paul speaking here in Acts 26, recounting the words of Christ to him at his conversion. Acts 26, verse 17. Jesus is speaking to him, Paul's recounting this. He says, so Jesus says to Paul, I will deliver you from the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send you, to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me." So that is a beautiful, beautiful thing when we understand that.

Where we were in darkness, as Paul says, in the power of Satan, Satan trying to keep us in darkness to keep us from hearing the gospel and the means that God uses to rescue his people. Satan had us there, held us there, but God came. Christ comes as the conqueror, conquerors, us out of there. And in doing so, he's making a household, he's making a nation, a kingdom, whom God takes as his special people, and one who brings us into that eternal inheritance, where we dwell with him for all of eternity.

Remember the Old Covenant, the Israelites, there was great blessing for the Israelites, but it was all temporal things. It was all things to do with life in the land, in a plot of land in the Middle East. It was, you know, the protection from enemies, these types of temporal blessings, blessings to be sure. But as again, Hebrews 8, Christ is the mediator of a way, a better covenant, better promises.

These are the promises that we have, that we have this eternal inheritance as the true special people of Yahweh, the Creator.

The Role and Duties of the Kingdom

We'll look now briefly in terms of the responsibilities or the duties or the role of this nation, this people, this kingdom that Christ is building there.

Prophet, Priest, and King

We see it in terms of a prophet, priest, and king type of role. We have to understand, when we think of Christ, we look at this biblical theology, we look at Adam, Adam's job in the garden, Adam's responsibility that he failed to do, but it was one of prophet, priest, and king. Christ is the second Adam, or the last Adam, the eschatological Adam, Paul calls him. the last Adam, Christ is the one who builds his church. We know that Christ is Adam.

So when we apply these things, as I hope to hear, in terms of our responsibility, how it It represents, mimics the prophet, priest, and kingly duties. We are not replacing Christ. We're not doing His work for Him, whatever it may be. Christ is the one who is building His church, but Christ uses means to do that.

And the means that He uses, the ones He has commissioned to do this, is His church that was that's the the great commission. We call that is the commissioning of his people to go and build this kingdom through the declaration of Of his of the gospel the gospel message and that's what that's what peter tells us to do here At the end of verse 9 to that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Now, there's definitely an aspect where we praise our Lord and our Savior for what He's done. Just the simple fact that He has called us out of darkness, that He saved us.

We rejoice, we praise for that, to be sure. But it says here that you may proclaim the praises of Him if you have, I think, most other versions say the excellencies, because the word is a different word. than a typical word for praise in the Greek. But it's one of praising or declaring the virtues, the excellencies, the amazingness of our Savior. So it's not just thanking Him in praise, but it's declaring who He is to the nations, to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you of darkness into his marvelous light.

And that is the message of the gospel. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation. Paul tells us that. And that we are to be the ones proclaiming that.

Jesus is building his kingdom, but he's doing so through the proclamation of his word by his people, the proclamation of that gospel message that Jesus is king. Jesus is excellent, Jesus is glorious, and Jesus can save you as well. That is the message we proclaim. So much could be said on these things, and I've tried to really shrink it down in order to fit this passage into these two sermons.

Spiritual Sacrifices of the New Covenant

But we'll look at the priestly role. As well, we see that back in verse 5 of 1 Peter 2, that you as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices. Acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. It's important through Jesus Christ.

That's always our that's always our our We always remember that Christ is Christ is is the the mediator Christ is the one who's doing this and we come to the father We offer these sacrifices to the father through our our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ We come to the father through the son and now these are these sacrifices that he's that he's speaking of here these spiritual sacrifices. This is not This is not atonement for sin. That's not, that's not the, you know, that's not what the concept here at all. That, you know, we're supposed to offer up some sort of atonement, atoning sacrifice, but rather, you know, those, that atonement, the one, you know, one for all sacrifice, one time, that was made by our mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church, that cornerstone.

We understand that. You know, so then what does it mean for, you know, New Testament believers to offer sacrifices? These are thanksgiving sacrifices, you know, so presenting our bodies in service to the Lord. Romans 12, verse 1, we can see that.

We can see that they're presenting our bodies. It's not just simply service, but it's also in purity. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice Holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service So that is um, that is that is that is one way in which our New Testament tells us to that we that we can offer as sacrifice our bodies. It's it's holy holy living it's and and and living a life of holiness in praise to God, sacrificing our bodies in that sense.

We also have the sacrifice of praise the Bible talks about. Hebrews 13, 15, therefore by him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of our lips, giving praise to his name. We also have the sacrifice of doing good to others. Do not forget to do good.

And this is Hebrews 13, 16 now. Do not forget to do good and to share for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. But again, these are very practical things in terms of where the New Testament uses that terminology of sacrifice in terms of our response to God. Simple, practical things we can do, we must do.

But again, we also want to think in terms of the role of Adam in the garden, and Eve as his help meat, and now us as the church with our head, Christ, carrying out that role as well. So that is the role there. Again, I'll reread that quote from Michael Morales, that his kingship would be in the service of his priestly office. So speaking of Adam, namely, that he would rule and subdue for the sake of gathering all creation to the Creator's footstool for worship, for the liturgical declaration, Yahweh reigns.

So through us, I don't want to say being prophets. That's wrong. But our declaring the word, proclaiming the gospel, you know, by God's grace, people are saved. And the declaration, our job then is to, like Adam here, for the liturgical declaration, Yahweh reigns.

That's our purpose as we share the gospel, as we advance as the gospel advances, that we bring people under into the kingdom of God, proclaiming the praises of God. We find that in Revelation as well, where the saints are called the royal priesthood or a kingdom of priests there. So that is our role. It's that priest, king, Again, like I said, we're not superseding our King, the Lord Jesus, you know, but we are, and we're not ruling and reigning through military might, you know, trying to conquer the earth, to make the earth a Christian nation.

We're not reigning through political might, where we want all of society to be structured back, I'm thinking in terms of theonomy, so just, you know, that's, You know, that's not our role either as a church. The church is to proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, to call all men, women, boys, and girls from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation to bow the knee to our King and to proclaim the excellencies of who He is. So again, we're not reigning through military might. You know, the Emperor Constantine tried that.

Various English kings and queens tried that. It doesn't work. You know, that's not what the kingdom is all about. The kingdom of Christ is not an earthly kingdom.

It's a spiritual kingdom. So we're giving them that message that changes the heart, the gospel, that is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. Sorry, I'm trying to cut and paste here as I go. So again, Adam was to be fruitful and multiply.

He was to fill the earth with image bearers who would proclaim the sovereignty of Yahweh. We are to proclaim the gospel as the means that Christ uses to be fruitful and multiply his kingdom. So the command being fruitful and multiply in the garden. It's not to have as many babies as you can have.

It's okay to have as many babies as you can have. That is a great and glorious thing. Blessed is the man who has his quiver full of them, the Bible says. But that application to us in the New Testament is to proclaim the gospel, to be fruitful, multiply the kingdom of God.

And those who, as Adam was to fill the earth with image bearers, we proclaim the gospel And that gospel is what God uses to restore unto the image of God. Those who are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created Him. Colossians 3.10. So that's our role.

Application and Conclusion

Now, a few things then we get to the...that sort of concludes our exposition there. I'm sorry if I'm a little bit scattered. There's more things I could say here, but we're out of time. But just a few things that I want to...

I want us to appreciate, to marvel at. First is just the incredible imagery of spiritual redemption that's played out in history in the people of Israel. That God sovereignly orchestrated history in the covenantal realities of the nation of Israel to typify and show the true covenant, the covenant of grace and redemption In that sense that that that is to typify the redemption of all true believers of the spiritual Israel So so again, you know, we last week had talked a little bit Dispensationalism it loses that the that that aspect of it when you've separated those two things the Israel and the church We lose those beautiful connections that are there and then As I said, we were singing number 135, I think it was. It's a psalm. 135 is a beautiful psalm.

But if you are, as a dispensationalist, and I would say a consistent one, because I think many would still take these things to heart and apply them. But Psalm 135 makes no sense. to a dispensationalist, to a consistent dispensationalist. There's no comfort in there. Speaking of the sovereignty of God over his people, of the protection, the rescue, the inheritance they have, there's no comfort for us if we separate those two.

But we understand the connection between the two. And these things that were of incredible blessing in the Old Covenant, they were just in terms of temporal things. How much more for us as the spiritual people of God are these blessings for us? So we can rejoice in that.

We can appreciate the beauty, the unity of the Bible there and God's sovereignty over history. And then, of course, I think it's very plain, very easily applied, but just to rejoice in the fact that we are the chosen people of God for his special possession, the creator of heaven and earth, that he chose us, us who were in darkness and rebellion, he chose us for himself and made us that, his special people. Look at verse 10, we'll close with that. Verse 10, who once were not a people, but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

So we can rejoice in that. As Paul says in Colossians 1, 13, He delivered us from the power of darkness, conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood. So we'll close on that note. I hope you were greatly encouraged, greatly comforted by that, especially as we look at a world that It's evil, it's wicked, it's darkness.

It's part of the kingdom of darkness, but yet we know what we have. We have become Yahweh's special people, rescued from that, going to the new heavens, new earth where unrighteousness dwells. So let us close in prayer.

Closing Prayer

Oh Lord, what a humbling and amazing thought that it is to be called the special people of Yahweh, those whom you have chosen for yourself to be the ones with you for all of eternity in communion with you. Lord, our hearts rejoice when we think of these things. I pray that you would that you would greatly encourage us as we and we would take to heart these things and and to be encouraged and that our lives would be we would be we would be full of praise and full of declaration of the excellencies of that one who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. So Lord, I pray that you would bless us in the rest of this day.

We pray that you would bring us back together this evening if it's in your will. And we pray this in the name of our Savior, the one who called us out of darkness into marvelous light, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen. But we'll close with the doxology, 568. You can stand and sing that together, please. ♪ Praise the Lord ♪ ♪ In all creatures here behold ♪ ♪ Praise him above ye heavenly host ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ You can be seated for a time of meditation.

After that, I will come up and pray for the food, and then we will enjoy our luncheon together.

Scripture References

• Genesis 10:1-32; 11:1-32
• Exodus 19:3-6
• Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; 31:27; 31:30; 32:1-43
• 2 Samuel 7:8-16
• 1 Kings 8:41-43; 8:60-61
• Psalms 66:1-8; 67:1; 94:14; 135:1
• Amos 3:2
• Isaiah 28:16; 45:1
• Luke 4:5-7
• Acts 26:17-18
• Romans 12:1
• Ephesians 2:19-22
• Colossians 1:13; 3:10
• Hebrews 8:6; 13:15-16
• Revelation 5:10
• 1 Peter 1:2; 2:1-10