Corporate Identity / Duty of God's People

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin begins with a humorous anecdote about receiving his notes, then reads 1 Peter 2:1-10, and leads in prayer for the sermon.

Pastor Martin shares a personal anecdote about his deacon hand-delivering his sermon notes during the offering, explaining it was an unusual occurrence due to him forgetting them, to prevent anyone from adopting it as a practice.

Again, for the benefit of any visiting with us, it is not a practice for me to have the chairman of the deacons hand-deliver me my notes during the offering. This was the first time in six months I didn't go over my little checklist before I left home. And now you know the rest of the story.

0:05 - 0:24 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin reflects on Peter's personal history of denial and restoration, highlighting his pastoral heart in writing the epistle. He explains Peter's theological method of grounding…

The example of Simon Peter's denial of Christ and subsequent restoration in John 21 is used to illustrate the grievousness of denying the Lord and the glory of being forgiven and recommissioned.

It is a very grievous and a wretched thing for a true child of God in a moment of weakness to openly deny his Lord.

4:26 - 4:46 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Though they are singular words, they have no meaning if you think of them atomistically and individualistically. A nation has significance, a race has significance, a priesthood has significance, and a people only, in te…

The word 'crowd' is used as an analogy to explain the concept of a 'collective singular,' demonstrating how a singular word can refer to an aggregate of many individuals.

If we were to say, there was a great crowd at the football game in my town yesterday, the word crowd is a singular word. To make it plural, you add an S. There were crowds. Crowd is a singular word.

15:01 - 15:19 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Though they are singular words, they have no meaning if you think of them atomistically and individualistically. A nation has significance, a race has significance, a priesthood has significance, and a people only, in te…

The phrase 'the whole town came out to vote' is used as another analogy for a 'collective singular,' illustrating how 'town' refers to many people collectively.

There was an aggregate of people. That's a collective singular. You might say, the whole town came out to vote last week. Town is singular.

15:28 - 15:38 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Though they are singular words, they have no meaning if you think of them atomistically and individualistically. A nation has significance, a race has significance, a priesthood has significance, and a people only, in te…

The 'Heinz 57 variety' (a metaphor for diverse origins) in America is used as an example of why it's difficult for Americans to think of themselves as a 'people' or 'nation' with a corporate identity, contrasting with cultures where this sense is strong.

That's why we struggle to relate to what's going on in Bosnia, what's going on in Kosovo. I told my wife, after reading a current article from a Christian perspective trying to sort it out, I said, Honey, I can't relate to this. But you see, when for generations, for centuries, in some cases for millennia, people have been reared with a sense of their identity as a nation, as a people, they have a consciousness of this corporate identity. But our Heinz 57 variety here in our own country makes it very difficult for us to think that way.

17:24 - 18:05 Read in full sermon

Driving home: We are no longer vassals and slaves of a world system that would seek to grind us within its own pressure and conform us to its own standards we have a dignity as a royal priesthood

The terms 'royal China' and 'royal guard' are used as analogies to explain that 'royal' signifies dignity and association with the king, applying this to the concept of a 'royal priesthood'.

twenty commentaries I'm still not certain in my thinking but I believe that the emphasis falls in this direction when something is royal it bears the dignity of its association with the king we speak of royal China it's the China that is set apart to be used in the palace of the king we think of the royal guard that's the guard that is committed to the protection of the king and he says you are a royal priesthood a priesthood that bears the dignity of the one who is your king priest even the Lord Jesus and could it be and I only ask it as a question

35:10 - 35:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: We are no longer vassals and slaves of a world system that would seek to grind us within its own pressure and conform us to its own standards we have a dignity as a royal priesthood

The contrast between heathen temples with their ornate furnishings and priests holding people in bondage, and the dignity of believers as a 'royal priesthood' with direct access to God, is used to highlight the privilege of the latter.

that would seek to grind us within its own pressure and conform us to its own standards we have a dignity as a royal priesthood all around us are heathen temples with their ornate furnishings and with their ornately clothed priests who hold men in bondage by their so-called ability to mediate their access to God to mediate their forgiveness to mediate their eternal destiny they can walk about with heads held high no temples no priest and when questioned don't you fear to go through life without the blessing of the priest to be able to say we are part

38:07 - 38:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Lay the foundation for detailed practical instruction by setting forth the great indicatives of the Christian life, understanding that this provides the framework, motivation, and power to fulfill the imperatives.

An extended quotation from John Brown's commentary is used to underscore the importance of proclaiming the 'grand indicatives' of God's word in ministry, arguing that it honors Christ, converts sinners, and lays the foundation for practical instruction.

from whom all these privileges are derived by displaying the ardor and the tenderness of his love the efficacy and the value of his sacrifice the prevalence of his intercession and the munificence of his liberality they tend to the conversion of sinners and he goes on to say few things are calculated more to make sinners jealous than to hear what the people of God are and have in Christ I hope some of you have been made jealous today I would like to be part of that elect race that royal privilege priesthood that holy nation that people of God's possession and then he goes on to say that as we ...

61:46 - 62:31 Read in full sermon