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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2. This morning 
in our Sunday school, we considered the doctrine of adoption. Chapter 
12 in our confession of faith of adoption. We considered what 
the blessings were associated with being the adopted sons of 
God, being brought into his household, being brought into his family. 
And tonight, we're going to consider the corporate privileges that 
we enjoy as Christ's church. Specifically, we'll be looking 
at verse 9 of 1 Peter, chapter 2, and some of the surrounding 
context as well. But I'll just pick up reading 
in verse 1, read to the end of the chapter, and then we'll make 
several observations on our text. 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 the 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 honorable 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, 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 were 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 are 
like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the shepherd 
and overseer of your souls. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we thank you for the Word of God, and we pray for the ministry 
of your Holy Spirit now. I pray that we as a church would 
reflect on those privileges that you have granted to us, and that 
we would use these blessings, God, that we would approach you, 
that we would call upon you, that we would take up that blessed 
privilege to tell others concerning the good news of Jesus Christ 
our Lord. We ask that you would forgive us for all of our sins. 
We pray that you would cleanse us in that blood. We pray, Father, 
that you would cause us to see the glory of Christ as it's so 
clearly set forth in the scriptures and cause us to think on him, 
to let our minds truly be rooted in the right hand of God where 
Jesus is sitting. We just pray now that you would 
be glorified in our time together. And we ask through Christ the 
Lord. Amen. Well, it is obvious, as we consider 
these privileges of Christ's church, that they were won for 
us based on what the end of the chapter says. Notice the Apostle 
Peter calls us to be submissive. He calls us to submit ourselves 
to those earthly institutions that we find ourselves in. He 
sets forth Christ as an example, but Christ isn't simply an example. Christ is the reason why we have 
been freed from our sins. Notice verse 21. He says, for 
to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, 
leaving us an example that you should follow in follow his steps 
who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. Notice 
in verse 23, 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. 
It's based on the doing and dying and rising of Jesus Christ that 
we are adopted into the family of God and that we enjoy these 
corporate privileges. We mustn't ever forget that. 
These things are secured for us. They are purchased for us. 
They are bought for us by the finished work of Christ. He goes 
on in verse 24, he says, 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. We ought never 
to consider our privileges without first considering the reason 
why we have these things. Well, now, having said that, 
let's look at first Peter chapter two, specifically at verses nine 
and ten. The first observation we want 
to make is our corporate identity. who we are as a church in the 
sight of the living God, our corporate identity. Notice the 
language of the apostle in verse nine. You are a chosen generation, 
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people. I hope 
that as you read this, you're thinking of the book of Exodus. This is language straight out 
of Exodus 19, verses five and six. God called Israel, his firstborn 
son, to function in this particular manner. They were to be the nation 
that mediated God's blessings to the nations around them. In 
fact, you may turn there. I want you to see this so you're 
tracking with biblical theology. The book of Exodus, chapter 19. 
Exodus, nineteen, beginning at verse three, and Moses went up 
to God and the Lord called him, 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, and 
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. You see, they were to 
be a people set apart with God's blessing to function as a blessing 
to the nations around them. Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 4, 
where this is highlighted and illustrated. Deuteronomy chapter 
4. Just picking up in verse one 
of Deuteronomy four now Israel listen to the statutes and the 
judgments which I teach you to observe that you may live and 
go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers 
is giving you you shall not add to the word which I command you 
nor take from that you may keep the commandments of the Lord 
your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the 
Lord did at Baal Peor, for the Lord your God has destroyed from 
among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. But you who held 
fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you. 
Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord 
my God commanded me, that you should act according to them 
in the land which you go to possess. Therefore, be careful to observe 
that for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the 
sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, 
Surely, this great nation is a is a wise and understanding 
people for what great nation is there that has God so near 
to it as the Lord our God is to us for whatever reason we 
may call upon him. You see, God chose Israel out 
of the massive nations to function in this capacity to be a means 
whereby he would communicate his redemptive word, his redemptive 
blessing to the nations around. Well, as we track through the 
remainder of the Old Testament, we see that the people of Israel 
didn't do that. They didn't function in that 
capacity. They were not the kingdom of 
priests that God set them apart to function as. So God sends 
his son. The Lord Jesus is the champion. 
The Lord Jesus undertakes. The Lord Jesus does all that 
Israel was commanded, and he does it successfully and victoriously. And by virtue of our union with 
him, those terms are now applied to the church, and we are to 
function in like manner. G.K. Beal says, the expression 
in Exodus 19.6 is a summary of God's purpose for Israel and 
primarily meant that the Israelites were to be a kingly and priestly 
nation, mediating God's light of salvific revelation by witnessing 
to the Gentiles, a purpose which the Old Testament prophets repeatedly 
blame Israel for never fulfilling. And so when we come to first 
Peter chapter two verse nine, if we're thinking biblically, 
we hopefully will go. The Lord God does fulfill His 
promise. The Lord God does set apart a 
people. The Lord God, through the power 
and the wisdom and the glory that is inherent in His being, 
has sent forth Christ to live for us, to die for us, to rise 
again, to purchase the Church of Christ so that we can function 
in that capacity that Israel of old failed to carry out. We 
are the true Israel or the spiritual Israel. Christ secured the privileges. He secured the privileges for 
the holy nation that is his church to be that kingdom of priests. 
We see this language applied to the church in Revelation chapter 
one at verse five in the greeting and from Jesus Christ, the faithful 
witness from the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over 
the kings of the earth, to him who loved us and washed us from 
our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests 
to his God and Father. To him be glory and dominion 
forever. Amen." So this is what Peter 
is saying. Our corporate privileges, or 
our corporate identity rather, are those things God had purposed 
from the beginning that his people would in fact manifest. Let's 
just look at these. He says, first, we are a chosen 
generation. A chosen generation. This highlights 
God's sovereignty. We didn't choose ourselves. We 
didn't put ourselves in a state of grace. We didn't put ourselves 
on some sort of a list and hopefully the Lord God will pick us and 
we can seek to accomplish these things for which he has purposed. 
No. We are a chosen generation. The Lord God set us apart. This 
chosen generation is not made up of those from a particular 
physical descent, but it is made up of those sovereignly chosen 
by God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. 
We see that in Ephesians 1, just as God chose us in Him before 
the foundation of the world. That we should be holy and blameless. And then in love he predestined 
us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ, to the praise of the 
glory of his grace. We need to remember this. We 
are a chosen generation, not chosen because we were good, 
not chosen because we performed well, not chosen and therefore 
merited God's favor. But we were chosen out of the 
mass of humanity, according to the sovereign pleasure of God 
Most High, to function in this particular capacity. He says, 
secondly, that we are a royal priesthood. Look back at verse 
5 or verse 4 in chapter 2. It says, 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. 
When you're feeling proud about yourself, just remember you're 
just a stone in the wall. That's a nice humbling thought, 
isn't it? You're a rock. You've been chosen by God to 
be that rock, but you're a rock. You ever feel like a rock sometimes? 
This is what Peter is saying. I love the imagery that he captures 
here. A holy priesthood or dropping down into verse nine, a royal 
priesthood. I hope you understand the distinctions 
between prophet and priest. The prophet was sent by God to 
communicate God's word to the people. The prophet came in the 
name of Yahweh and said, Thus says the Lord. God sent the prophet 
on a particular task in the old covenant, more often than not, 
to call the people to repentance and to set before them the glory 
of God. The priest, on the other hand, 
went to God on behalf of the people. Remember the Levitical 
priesthood. You had a great group of men 
or a group of men that were selected for priestly activity. Of that 
massive priest, there was one particular priest, the high priest, 
who would enter into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement 
one time a year. He'd take off all of his fancy 
outfit, he'd take off all of his regal gear, and he would 
just go and linen into that Holy of Holies, where he would offer 
up sacrifice. Well, what was he doing? He was 
appearing before God on behalf of men. And this is our function 
in the New Covenant Church. We are a royal priesthood. We 
get to go to God. We get to present our petitions 
to God. We have access to God. This is 
why Luther emphasized the priesthood of all believers. We don't need 
a Roman Catholic priesthood to somehow mediate God's blessings 
for us. We have a great high grace who 
mediates those blessings to each and every one of us so that we 
may in turn approach the living and true God with boldness, with 
zeal and with great earnestness because the Lord Jesus has secured 
our privilege. John Gill says, and they are 
priests as well as kings being made so by Christ and through 
his priestly office. are anointed with the Holy Spirit 
and sanctified by His grace and allowed to draw near to God and 
offer up by Christ their spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise 
and are enabled and assisted to offer up the sacrifice of 
a broken heart and their bodies also and even their lives when 
called to it. That is a great privilege that 
the priests of God have in the New Covenant. So we're a chosen 
generation. We're a royal priesthood. He 
says, thirdly, we're a holy nation. I think this helps us understand 
what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 21. You can turn back 
to Matthew 21 for just a moment. You remember that in Matthew 
20, Jesus comes into the city, the city of Jerusalem. And he 
sees it in a very... I'm sorry, chapter 21, he enters 
into the city of Jerusalem and he sees it in a very bad state. 
And then he begins this series of dialogue and discourse and 
interaction and even confrontation with the religious leaders in 
his particular day. He tells a parable of the wedding 
feast in... I'm sorry, going back to Matthew 
21. He tells the parable of the vine 
dressers. If you compare this with Isaiah 
5, you'll see there's nothing new in biblical history. Jesus 
is simply doing what Isaiah did before him in Isaiah 5, this 
parable of the vine dressers. God owns the vineyard. God's 
leased it out to the vine dressers. He has called them to be faithful. 
He has called them to exercise the stewardship. They have rejected 
that. They have rebelled against that. 
God sends His Son, the heir. Oh, they will, in fact, respect 
Him. But instead, they kill Him. They destroy Him. The obvious 
picture is what the Father is doing with the Son in sending 
Him to save His people from their sins. Now, notice at the end, 
in chapter 21, at verse 41, or verse 40, therefore, when the 
owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers? They said to him, he will destroy 
those wicked men miserably and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers 
who will render to him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus said 
to them, have you never read in the scriptures, the stone 
which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 
This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 
An interesting passage that fares in Peter's treatment in 1 Peter 
chapter 2. Notice in verse 43. Therefore, 
I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you. Apostate 
Israel, Old Covenant Israel. The Israel that went a whoring 
from God, that rejected his covenant, that rejected his mercy, that 
rejected his grace, that treated his son with contempt, treated 
his prophets with contempt. Jesus says, the kingdom of God 
will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits 
of it. Well, who is that nation? It 
is the church. It is the blood-bought children 
of God. It is the corporate body of God's 
elect brought together to fulfill what the Father had given Israel 
to do. But they failed. Christ is successful 
and therefore Christ's people take up the mantle of being a 
light shining amongst perversity. Wayne Grudem says, just as believers 
are a new spiritual race and a new spiritual priesthood, so 
they are a new spiritual nation, which is based now neither on 
ethnic identity nor geographical boundaries, but rather on allegiance 
to their heavenly King, Jesus Christ, who is truly King of 
Kings and Lord of Lords. We are a chosen generation, a 
royal priesthood, a holy nation, and then fourthly, he says, a 
special people. These are great terms. This is 
a great privilege that is ours. With this understanding of our 
corporate identity, there ought to be some joy in our hearts. I remember this morning after 
going through chapter 12, Mrs. Mars says, boy, this is unbelievable 
that God would take sinners and bring them into his own family. 
Our confession talks about how God is a father. He pities us. He provides for us. He protects 
us. He chastens us. He never casts 
us off. If you're tracking with that, 
Reverend, hopefully your heart is leaping. Your heart is rejoicing 
what we, as individuals, have by virtue of our union with Jesus 
Christ. Well, corporately, the Free Grace 
Baptist Church, with all of our spots and all of our blemishes 
and all of our issues and our remaining corruption. These four 
things are true of us. We are a special people. Titus chapter two. The apostle 
highlights this Titus chapter two and giving us the scope of 
Christ's redemptive mission. Titus chapter two verse. He says, 
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all 
men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, 
we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age, 
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our 
great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that 
he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself 
his own special people, zealous for good works. Again, you see 
how it's intimately connected to the crosswork of Christ. We're 
not special people because we're special people. We're special 
people because of a champion named Jesus. We're special people 
because of our victory and Redeemer. We're special people based on 
the fact that he gave himself for us, that he might redeem 
us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special 
people. Zealous for good works. So, going 
back to 1 Peter 2, verse 9, that's our corporate identity. Secondly, 
we notice in the text our God-centered function. Our God-centered function. After giving us these four descriptions 
of the church, he then says in verse 9b, that you may proclaim 
the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his 
marvelous light. That's our God-centered function. 
That's why we exist. That's what we're supposed to 
do primarily We're not to have a social club. We're not to engage in entertainment. We're not to be the best show 
in Chilliwack. Rather, our task, our mission, 
our calling, is very narrowly defined with reference to Holy 
Writ, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you 
out of darkness into His marvelous light. There is a necessity here. This must be a defining characteristic 
of what the Church is. It ought not to be the case that 
people go week in and week out to the church and never hear 
the glory of God expounded, never hear the people of God discussing 
the gospel, never hear conversation that focuses in and centers in 
Jesus Christ. It ought to reek of what Spurgeon 
says. We may happily call ourselves 
Baptist. We may happily call ourselves 
Calvinist. We may happily call ourselves 
reform. All those things are great. But 
the primary and defining characteristic is that we're Christians. We 
love Jesus and we proclaim his praises. That's what we've been 
saved for, is to proclaim those praises. Seeking our own eternal 
well-being, right, though, that is this is brutal again, could 
never provide a truly satisfying goal for life. The answer to 
our search for ultimate meaning lies in declaring the excellencies 
of God, for he alone is infinitely worthy of glory. Redemption is 
ultimately not man centered, but God centered. You see that 
you've been saved. You've been blessed. The blood 
of Jesus has cleansed you for a specific reason. So that on 
Sundays when we gather to sing, we sing. It doesn't matter if 
you haven't been to singing school or music school. It doesn't matter 
if you can't, you know, dazzle everyone with your beautiful 
notes. You sing. That's how we proclaim 
his praises. We proclaim his praises in prayer 
meeting. We call upon him. We proclaim 
his praises when one man up here prays, we enter into that prayer. 
It's not just a one man show. Hopefully you're engaged. Your 
mind is there. You're amening right along when 
the man is leading in prayer. We proclaim his praises as we 
hear his word, as we receive his word. Our hearts are leaping 
for joy. We're being inspired, not in 
a worldly sort of way, but we're being inspired rightly so that 
we may go from this place and point others to Christ. We may 
tell others about our Savior. Jesus Christ is so glorious that 
when he saves us, we want to go out and then proclaim his 
excellencies, tell others what great things he has done. This 
is what evangelism is all about. There is a necessity involved 
here. But with this necessity comes 
a responsibility. We need to get the gospel right. 
Not everybody that's proclaiming the praises or preaching the 
gospel are necessarily doing it right. The gospel isn't your 
experience. The gospel isn't your happiness. 
The gospel isn't your holiness. The gospel isn't your achievement. 
The gospel centers in and focuses upon the doing and dying of Jesus 
Christ. It is those events associated 
with his first coming. In the first place, he died. 
He was buried. He rose again on the third day, 
according to the scriptures. And he does this for our sins. This is the gospel. You may share your experiences. You may tell what great things 
God has done. You may indeed call attention 
to how great he is, but to preach the gospel means to speak of 
Christ and him crucified and him resurrected. Make sure you 
get that down. I have told you before, encouraged 
you before, not told that sounds bad. First Corinthians 15 is 
a great place that summarizes the gospel. Commit this to memory. So if someone ever were to say, 
what is the gospel? What is the good news? It's not, 
well, it makes me feel good. No, it is a revealed message 
rooted in history, given by God, centered in upon the Lord Jesus. 
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached 
to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which 
also you were saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached 
to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you 
first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for 
our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that 
he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he 
was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve. Again, in a setting you 
may praise God and tell about how you were this, and God saved 
you, and how he cleaned your life up, and how he's given you 
blessing, and given you a spirit, and all that sort of thing. But 
the message that God uses to save souls. It's not what's happened 
in your life. It's what's happened in Jesus' 
life. It's what's happened in Jesus' death. It's what's happened 
in Jesus' resurrection. You see, the gospel is focused. 
The gospel is narrow. The gospel is central. The gospel 
is what we all need to be responsible with when we handle it, when 
we engage in what we find here in 1 Peter 2. That you may proclaim 
the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His 
marvelous light. God's power, God's glory, God's 
mercy, God's excellence, God's wonder. Yes, discuss those things, 
proclaim those things, exalt in those things and always point 
your audience, point your hearers, point those to whom you speak 
in this world to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, of his 
will, by the word of truth he brought us forth. It is the Scripture 
that God uses. We've seen our corporate identity, 
our God-centered function. Thirdly, our transformed condition. 
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. That is a blessed statement. 
Who once were not a people. The background for this verse 
is Hosea 1 and Hosea 2. Remember, God told Hosea to name 
his children specific names. One was not my people. In the 
book of Romans, the apostle Paul highlights this reality and says 
Gentiles who once were far off, who were not God's people, are 
now God's people. Jew and Gentile, believers on 
the Lord Jesus Christ, are those who are the people of the living 
God. And notice how he describes this. 
Who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. A defining 
characteristic, one of the defining characteristics of a Christian, 
you've obtained mercy. Really kind of takes the glory 
away from you, doesn't it? You see, if works or merit or 
law keeping or any of that was introduced, you could say, well, 
you know, I actually do deserve this. No, you have obtained mercy. That's what a Christian is. Somebody 
who by the grace of God has obtained mercy. God looks upon you with 
pity. God looks upon you with misery. 
God looks upon you with great care and great kindness. And 
God has been merciful to bring you into that place of saving 
grace. Well, we've seen our identity, 
our function, our condition. Let's just close considering 
our corporate privileges. Some things, not necessarily 
combined to this passage, but things that we find in other 
portions of Scripture. First is access to God. We've 
already spoken of that. Do you use that privilege? Do 
you use that privilege privately as an individual adopted Christian 
in the family of God? And do you use that privilege 
when you come to church on the Lord's Day? You know, when all 
is said and done, in the course of a week, we have three hours 
in church. That's not a lot, is it? I mean, 
in the grand scheme of things. Somebody here probably knows 
how many hours are in the week. I feel like I should know that, 
but I don't. It's probably a lot. But in the 
midst of that lot of hours, three of them are in the presence of 
the High King of Heaven, corporately. I'm talking about private Christianity 
at this point. I'm talking about corporate church 
worship. If we had three hours to be in 
the presence of some great dignitary, we'd probably prepare ourselves. 
We'd have our list of questions ready. We'd make sure we were 
physically prepared. We'd get the proper rest. We'd 
wear the proper things. We'd present ourselves in a manner 
consistent with the being of that dignitary. Why is it at 
church at times we struggle so much? Why is it at church at 
times it is such a trial to try and focus on the things of the 
Lord God Almighty? Three hours. And that split up. I mean, we're not Puritans, brethren. 
Those brethren met three hours at a time. You think a 45-minute 
sermon is taxing? Those men routinely preached 
an hour thirty, two hours. And I'm not talking fluff or 
birdbath theology. You read some of their sermons, 
and they're boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. You know, major 
subpoint, minor point, subpoint, sub, sub, subpoint, and then 
back to the main thing. Just to read one of those is 
taxing. Can you imagine sitting there? They did it. Leland Ryken, in 
his book called Worldly Saints, describes worldly, not that they 
were worldly. They were saints living in the 
world. He describes how for these Puritans, the Lord's Day was 
central. It wasn't tacked on. It wasn't 
the tack on or add on to life. It was the six days and then 
the Sabbath. And they would gather expectantly 
to hear the Word. They were attentive. They knew 
they were coming into the presence of God. They were having access 
to God Most High. Those who have access to God 
Most High ought to cherish that, ought to rejoice in that and 
exult in it. MacArthur says the main privilege 
for a priest is access to God. You look at that tabernacle and 
then temple, you look at that whole structure, you look at 
the animal sacrifices. What is the main thing in all 
of that? It's access to God, the removal 
of sin by atonement, the sacrifice, the expiation, the propitiation, 
all those things pointed to the grand reality that we get to 
come into the presence of God. Access to God. Hebrews chapter 
10, after discoursing on the priesthood of Jesus Christ and 
highlighting how we have prospered or benefited or been privileged 
with access, the Apostle in Hebrews 10, 19 says, brethren, having 
boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new 
and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil that 
is his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, 
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, 
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies 
washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession 
of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful, 
and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and 
good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, 
as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another in so much 
the more, as you see the day approaching. Look at that, after 
expounding on the priestly office of Christ and what he has won 
for his people. Says, therefore, brethren, verse 
19, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Christ. He says, let us draw near with 
a true heart in full assurance of faith. That's what it's about. That's why we're here. That's 
what we engage in. We're drawing near to God most 
high access. Another corporate privilege is 
prayer to God. To pray, isn't that what the 
priest did? He interceded for the people and he sacrificed. 
Isn't this what Jesus Christ does in his high priestly prayer? 
Jesus intercedes for the people. Do you intercede for the saints 
of Christ in your local church? You listen to the to the prayer 
request. When those things come through 
the email, do you take a few moments and just pray for your 
brother, your sister? That is a privilege that God 
has given you within the corporate body of Christ so that we can 
bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. 
I realize everybody's busy. I realize there's a lot of times 
on your a lot of hands on your time. We're not people with a 
lot of time on our hands. We have a lot of hands on our 
time. I understand that. But it doesn't take very long 
to remember a certain brother or to remember somebody that's 
suffering in another situation and to bow our heads and ask 
God on their behalf to be merciful. Prayer to God. Thirdly, praise 
to God. We've already seen this within 
the text itself. This is done in public worship. 
This is done in evangelism. When you go out and testify concerning 
Jesus Christ, when you tell sinners about the gospel, when you tell 
sinners about God's power and glory and majesty, what are you 
doing? You're praising God. You see, some people have this 
idea that if sinners aren't saved, evangelism didn't work. No, evangelism 
is first and foremost for God. Please get that. Evangelism, 
first and foremost, is for God. If the sinner to whom you declare 
the praises of God rejects it outright, God's still been praised. 
Even the wrath of man shall praise thee, the psalmist said. God 
is praised and glorified in our declaration of these truths, 
and we don't know when he'll Those words spoken, God is in 
the business of saving. Our task is to present. Our task 
is to proclaim. Our task is to make known the 
excellencies and the glory and the majesty of God most high. We have access. We have prayer. 
We have praise. And we have, finally, the knowledge 
of God. The knowledge of God. And I don't 
just mean, oh yeah, we know that there is a God. I mean that Jeremiah 
thirty-one knowledge and all will know me from the least of 
them to the greatest of them. The priests in the old covenant 
were to teach the people, according to Deuteronomy thirty-three and 
Malachi chapter two. As priests in the new covenant 
community, we are to understand the truth. We are to imbibe the 
truth. We are to read the truth. We 
are to study the truth. We are to get the truth in our 
heads and our hearts. We are to be activated and animated 
by the truth of the living God. These are corporate privileges 
that we enjoy as the people of God, and we need to take them 
seriously and begin to implement them if we have not. And for 
those who do not know Christ, those who are not in the church 
in terms of salvation, go back just a few verses. A few verses, 
you'll see in verse 4, 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. Now notice, and he who believes 
on him will by no means be put to shame. What a beautiful statement. And he who believes in Him by 
no means be put to shame. Believe on the Lord Jesus and 
you will not be put to shame. Believe on the Lord Jesus and 
you will not ever look back and say, why did I ever do this? 
You'll look back and say, why didn't I do this a lot sooner? 
Because He is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand. 
And what Peter says there in verse 7, ought to warm our hearts. 
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious. Well, let us 
pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
our precious Savior. We thank you for the blessed 
identity that you have given us as the Church of Christ. We 
thank you for this function that is ours to proclaim your praises 
and to testify concerning your excellencies, excellences. And we pray as well that you 
would just cause us to rejoice in these things and to use these 
privileges and to come to you, Lord God. We just pray now that 
you would watch over us. I pray for this local church. 
I love the saints of Christ here. I pray that your great blessing 
would be upon them. I just commit them to you and 
to the word of your grace and pray you would watch over each 
and every one in this local body, that you would strengthen us 
with might in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in our 
hearts through faith. I pray that we would comprehend 
and know the love that Christ has for us and that we as a church, 
as individuals, would be filled with all the fullness of God 
most high. We just praise you, Father. We ask that you would 
bless Pastor Cam as he leads Bible study on Wednesday night 
and the preaching next Lord's Day. We pray for the other men 
that will occupy our pulpit in the coming weeks. And we just 
commit this to you and pray that you would indeed send forth your 
spirit and do great and glorious things among your people here. 
And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.