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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. 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. 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? 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. 
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 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, 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. 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. 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, 
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.