"God Will Visit Us!"

Sermon on 1 Peter 2:9-12

Weekend of December 3, 2000

Saint Mark's, Watertown, WI

Pastor Karl Walther

Scripture assures us: Christ has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Amen.

God's Word for our special consideration this morning -- as we begin to prepare for Christ's coming -- is First Peter, chapter two, verses nine through twelve:

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

This is God's Spirit-inspired Word of Jesus Christ.

Introduction: The Christmas Season Means People Will Visit Us

Dear fellow Christians-- whom God will visit:

Are you having any visitors over to your place this Christmas season? -- You probably are. I know we are. We'll mostly have relatives come to visit us. In a week or so here, my side of the family will come to visit-- for some birthdays, actually. Then around Christmas itself, Sandy's folks will stop over, I'm sure. And after that, my side of the family will drop over again.

Well, if you're having visitors over to your place, too, you know what it means. You'll make sure the walks are shoveled extra well. You'll have the whole house vacuumed, toys picked up, and everything in place. You'll have your tree out, and other decorations-- maybe some candles burning. And you'll probably prepare lots of food-- or snacks and drinks, too.

Theme: "God Will Visit Us!"

Well, my friends: whether or not you're having visitors over to your place this Christmas Season, you are preparing for the arrival of a really significant Visitor. During this time of the year -- the Advent Season, which refers to Christ's coming -- you are preparing for Christ to reappear.

On that day, then, when Christ reappears: GOD WILL VISIT US! And how in the world are we going to prepare for God to visit us? Well, God's Word to us today urges us to: FUNCTION AS PROPHETS, PRIESTS, AND KINGS. It also encourages us to: ABSTAIN FROM SIN AND LIVE GOOD LIVES. All of that will give us plenty of preparing to do this morning....

Part One: God Has Made Christians Prophets, Priests, & Kings

God originally delivered his Word to us today through the Apostle Peter. It was in the late sixties ad-- some thirty-five years after Christ's life, death, and resurrection to rescue us. Peter himself was in Rome at the time. And he was writing across hundreds of miles and two bodies of water to God's people in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey.

One of the first things Peter found it necessary to remind these folks -- and this is actually the second verse of our text -- was this: Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

You see, the people to whom Peter was writing were non-Jews, Gentiles. There was a time they were idolaters of every variety. And so, they had placed themselves outside the grace of God. But by the preaching of men like Paul and later Peter, they had gotten to know Jesus Christ. They had gotten to know they needed mercy, on account of their many sins. And they had gotten to know that they had mercy, on account of their terrific Savior Jesus Christ.

You know, you and I were in the same situation. There was a time every one of us was not a godly person. There was a time every one of us had not received mercy. We were born into this world the wicked children of parents who were wicked by nature. And if you ever doubt that, then why do we struggle with sin to this day?

You see: the Gentile Egyptians worshipped the sun, and we Gentiles do the same when enjoying the outdoors keeps us from paying attention to our Lord. The Gentile Philistines worshipped their wheat god, and we Gentiles do the same when our pursuit of daily bread keeps us from paying attention to our Lord. The Gentile Romans worshipped their emperor, and we Gentiles do the same when we look to our governmental leaders to give us things only the Lord can give.

But take a look at what Peter says just before this. In contrast now: You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

You are a chosen people. God picked you out, from eternity past, to get to know him. God chose you to celebrate the birth of your Savior. God selected you to receive the gift of holiness by his holy life. God picked you to receive the benefits of Christ's death for the sins of all. God chose you to rise with Christ on this world's Final Day. God selected you to spend all of eternity with him.

You are also, it says: royalty-- a royal priesthood. As much as David was anointed king, and as Jesus himself was anointed the uniquely great King, you are kings-- or at least, princes and princesses, by way of your baptism. The Bible bids you to believe that you will rule along with Christ forever and ever.

You are, it says: a priest-- a royal priesthood. As much as Aaron and sons were anointed priests, and as Jesus himself was anointed the uniquely great Priest, you are priests. The Scriptures in this way make you assistants to Jesus Christ in all of his great work.

And you are, it says: a holy nation, a people belonging to God, his treasured possession then, and get this: that you may declare the praises of him, that you may be a prophet of him, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. And so, besides being a priest and a king, you are a prophet. As much as Isaiah was anointed prophet, and as Jesus himself was anointed the uniquely great Prophet, you are prophets. With Bible in hand, you have status as the Savior's ambassador.

Application One: Let's Function as Prophets, Priests, & Kings!

So, let's get this straight.... At one point we were nothing. Our wickedness put us in the darkness. But Christ's light dawned upon us. That made us God's people. And by our baptism: that great Prophet, Priest, and King declared us to be prophets, priests, and kings under him. What an amazing turnabout! How can we thank God? Well, if we're prophets, priests, and kings under him, we ought to function as prophets, priests, and kings for him!

For example, you are royalty. It says so right here. So, function like royalty. What I mean is this. When you and I consider royalty these days, we think of the monarchs of England. They wear their flowing robes and great big crowns on their heads. They're certainly treated well. And they don't really do a single thing. But that's not the way it was in Bible times. Take King David. What did he do? He killed Goliath for his people. He slew his tens of thousands of Philistines. He defeated the enemy.

So, friend, fellow royalty: defeat the enemy! Drown the devil in your children, your family, your friends: by bringing them to Holy Baptism. Slay Satan in your spouse, your relatives, and your coworkers: by bringing them to study the Scriptures. Destroy the devil's power: by preparing them to receive Lord's Supper-- which Satan can't stand. Don't just sit on your royal throne. Rescue people!

You are also a priest. It says so right here. So, function as a priest. And what did a priest do? Well, more than anything, priests bridged the gap between God and people. Old Testament priests did so by offering sacrifices, whose blood pointed ahead to the blood of Christ, who brought us back to God. New Testament priests might bridge that same gap by petitioning the Lord in prayer.

So, friend, fellow priest: bridge the gap between God and others. By all means bring them the message of the Scriptures, and then pray. Pray every morning for your loved ones who do not yet trust Jesus. Make a list of them, and name them by name. You can't cause them to confide in Christ. But by praying, you will be calling upon God to do what you can't do. Pray them into paradise!

And you are a prophet. It says so right here. So, function as a prophet. And what did prophets do? Well, they simply proclaimed God's Word. Sure, sometimes it had to do with foretelling the future-- something we really cannot do. Usually, though, being a prophet had to do with forthtelling the Savior. And that's surely our prerogative.

So, friend, fellow prophet: speak. Don't be saying you don't know what other people need to know about Christ. You do, too. So, tell them! Assure them there is a God, and use creation as your witness. Assure them that sin stands in the way of us and God, and use this wicked world as your witness. Assure them that Jesus Christ wiped out sin, and use the Bible as your witness. And then assure them that they can learn more here.

You see, God is going to visit us! To prepare us for that day, the Lord has baptized us prophets, priests, and kings underneath the unique Prophet, Priest, and King: Jesus Christ. So, function for him and for others!

Part Two: God Has Forgiven Sin & Credited Righteousness

God will visit us! Is there any other way we might need to prepare for him? -- Yeah, and we read about that in the rest of God's Word to us today. It puts things first negatively and then positively....

Negatively, we read: Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. In other words: if Christ is coming back, and he certainly is -- if God will visit us -- then we need to abstain from sin.

Positively, we read: Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. In other words: if Christ is coming back -- if God himself is visiting us -- then we need to live good lives.

Application Two: Let's Abstain From Sin and Live Good Lives!

Let's consider both those things for just a moment yet today....

Christ is coming back! God will visit us! In order to prepare for him, we need to abstain from sin. And just to make that clear, let me put it this way. Christ has forgiven your every sin. But when Christ comes back, you don't want to be caught continuing in some big sin.

So, suppose your particular sin is covetousness, greed. You've got a craving to have anything anybody else has. Or you visit a store or check out a catalog and you just have to have what's offered there. And it’s all probably evident in the fact that you owe others money, or you have credit card debts, and other debts up to here.

Well, in view of Christ's coming, abstain from your sin! Let your spouse know your struggles or let a friend in on your struggles. And then get rid of your temptations. If catalogs are a temptation, throw them out right away. If shopping is a temptation, don't ever just go browsing. If credit cards are a temptation, cut them up. Really. And get yourself on a budget, and enlist somebody to help make you accountable to that budget.

Christ is coming back. Abstain from sin!

Or maybe your particular sin is lust. Your thoughts are occupied with sex outside of marriage. Or your eyes are occupied with sex outside of marriage. Or -- God forbid! -- your body is occupied with sex outside of marriage.

Well, in view of Christ's coming, abstain from your sin! Let your spouse know your struggles, or inform a same-sex friend of your struggles. And then get rid of your temptations. If quote-unquote "adult" establishments are a problem, you can't go into them any more, under any circumstances. If cable television is a problem, cancel the movie channels-- and don't ever let them be sent back, even for "free" (the cost is too great). If the internet is a problem, get some sort of a filter-- and give somebody else the password. Or if it's a certain lady who is your temptation, don't see her. Or if you are still single, take a sober look at possibly marrying her.

Christ is coming back. Abstain from sin!

And live good lives!-- since Christ is coming back. Oh, it's not at all that your good lives are going to buy you heaven. Jesus Christ already did that with his perfect years of life, and his bloody death, and his glorious resurrection. It's just that when he comes back, you want to be well occupied doing his work.

So, go help somebody. If your spouse needs help on the job, help him. If your spouse needs help watching the kids, assist her. If your Mom or Dad need help fixing up the house or putting up Christmas decorations, help them. If your children need help on a homework project, assist them. If a classmate is hurting, pay her some attention. If a coworker is short on money, give him some. If a relative is ailing, go see her. If a neighbor is lonely, go visit him.

Conclusion: The Advent Season Means We Have Special Opportunities

You see, Christmas is coming. And that means God will visit us. So, as prophets, priests, and kings, we need to prepare for his arrival. We do so week by week at church. We'll also do so specially in Advent services: starting this Wednesday at eight-thirty in the morning, three-thirty in the afternoon, and seven at night. We'll consider Jesus as our unique Prophet, Priest, and King on the basis of the Psalms.

You are invited! Amen.

Scripture assures us: Christ will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Amen.