A Peculiar People

With Peter, chapter number two, verse nine: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." Thank you, you may be seated. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God shall stand forever.

I'm going to talk for a minute about a peculiar people. The choir has taken about twenty minutes of my time, so I have ten minutes to get through this new assembly. I have a helicopter message and a 747 message, and it depends on you which one I use this morning. The 747 takes a long time to get up and going, and I can use that one when the helicopter just jumps right up and gets with it. I can use that, but it depends on you. It just depends on you, and I'll know in about five minutes which one I need to use.

This word of Peter has been written to the church in a time of great persecution. The church is under siege; the church is under attack. Peter uses some Old Testament references and titles to remind the people of God that although you are under assault, although the church is being maligned and criticized, there is much reason to give God praise.

I never complained when I was a young person—younger than I am now. I never complained about going to church. I never let my daughter tell me that she wasn't going to church. I never said I went to church too much. I never said there were too many churches in this city because we never complained that there were too many nightclubs. We never complained that there were too many malt liquor trucks. We never complained that there were too many crack houses. But I hear people make the foolish statement that there are too many churches. You can't get enough churches for the sin in this city.

People laugh at the church and mock and caricature the church and the people who go to church. They think that what we do here on Sunday morning makes no sense; it's foolishness to them. The scripture says it's a stone of offense, a stumbling block. This stone, this tried stone, this precious cornerstone, for those of us who believe is one thing, but to the unbeliever, it's a stone of offense. People are offended by the Word of God and the works of God, and they think that we are deluded for coming here every week, listening to the same man say the same thing Sunday after Sunday: "He died, didn't he die? But early Sunday morning, he rose from the grave." You've been hearing that for the last almost 25 years, and you still come here every week.

People think it doesn't make any sense for us to do what we do because it really, really doesn't matter if you go to church or not. It really doesn't matter if there is a God or not. But we know from the Word of God that that's not true. Here’s what the scripture says: "Ye are a chosen generation." Now, that's what he called the children of Israel, but the church is the new Israel. Just like God chose Israel, God chose us in the church. I say God chose us because we didn't choose Him. We were dead, as Ephesians says, in our trespasses and in our sins. But God, through Jesus Christ, has done a new thing and brought us into His family. Just like Israel was God's chosen race, the church now is God's chosen generation.

God chose Israel through Abraham. He made a covenant with them through Abraham, and through Moses and through David, He made covenants with them. He made promises to them; He established His statutes and His laws with His chosen people, Israel. But now we who are in the church, God has made us some promises. We were aliens and strangers, cut off from the covenants of promise and strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel. But in Jesus Christ, the Levitical and Aaronic priesthood has been done away with because now we have a high priest.

I wish I had one or two Bible readers. They used to have to go behind the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Most Holy once a year on the Day of Atonement. The priest would wear his ceremonial ephod, and he'd take a goat and write the sins of the people on a sheet of paper and turn that goat loose in the wilderness. He would become for them a scapegoat. He sprinkled blood on the altar, but only once a year. He had bells on the tassels of his robes, but if he fell dead behind the veil, they could pull him out because only the high priest could go behind that curtain and make a sacrifice.

But on the cross, one Friday on a hill called Calvary, Jesus died and brought down the middle wall of partition. We don't need a high priest to go behind a veil to pardon us from our sins; we already have a high priest who died to set us free. For that reason, we are a chosen generation. That’s good news! Even though I didn't choose Him, He chose me. Even though I wasn't in love with Him, He was in love with me. Even though I wasn't running after Him, He was running after me. When I was lost and on my way to hell, He still chose me from the foundation of the world.

You are a chosen generation, and as a chosen generation, that makes you a new creation. Old things are passing away, and behold, all things are become new. When you walk with the Lord, you start to notice some things that don't bother you anymore. Some places you used to go, some attitudes you used to have—those things start falling away from you as you mature in your faith. Because if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. We are a chosen generation, which makes us a new creation.

Then he says, "You are a royal priesthood," which gives us a new communion. I want you to get this: the Old Testament Israel, now the church, the New Testament Israel. In the Old Testament, from the tribe of Levi and from the house of Aaron, they were a ritual priesthood. But now the church is no longer a ritual priesthood but a royal priesthood. We are not saved by bullocks on the altar. Come on, help me preach a minute! We are not saved by lambs without spot or blemish. We are not saved by feast days and holidays and convocations of the people of God at the tent of meeting.

But when we come here on Sunday morning, it's not a ritual that we perform because the ritual has already been performed. This may be out of place, but it's a good place to put it right here. I have some friends of mine who, during this season between Ash Wednesday and Easter, are fasting and making sacrifices. They are giving up some stuff for Lent, and they've been kind of critical of me because I'm not giving up some of the stuff I like. I'm not giving up gumbo; I'm not giving up oxtails. They're trying to get me to get on that side with that sacrificing situation, saying, "Reverend, you don't want to do right. We're going to stay away from you because you're going to get us off our fast."

And I say to them, "The sacrifice has been made. Jesus paid it all. And so my life now is a living sacrifice. Giving up something for 40 days ain't going to make me any more holy if I go back to it 40 days later." Somebody help me preach a minute! Since Christ gave it all up for me, I'm going to enjoy myself because I have been set free in the liberty wherewith Christ has made me free. And whom the Son has set free—come on, you can help me preach it—he is free indeed!

I don't need a ritual to prove I love God. I love the Lord because He heard my cry. Now, I'm not against you if that's what you want to do, but don't try to put any rules on me, and don't try to make me come under your ritual because I no longer have a ritual priesthood. It's a royal priesthood, and with royalty comes privileges. Have I got a witness here? I have unhindered, unfettered access. I can come boldly before the throne of grace that I might find mercy in the time of need.

Now, the reason you can't shout on that, the reason you can't get with that, is perhaps you are so steeped in your Baptist tradition and your church antics that you've got to sit in a certain seat in order for you to shout. And your preacher has to be preaching, and it has to be your Sunday for you to show up at church. Some of us are starting to act like we used to do in the country. We used to have church on the 2nd and the 4th Sunday, and some of y'all just show up on the 2nd and the 4th Sunday. Come on, talk back to me here!

But God is good every day, and every day, every Sunday is a holy day where you ought to come and thank God for keeping you all week long, for blessing you with blessings that you didn't even deserve, that you weren't even looking for. Because we have access now to come before God boldly and ask for anything we want. We are a royal priesthood.

Then he calls us a holy nation. We have a new creation, we have a new communion, and because we are a holy nation, we have a new character. There ought to be something different about you because you go to church now. Because you're a Christian, it doesn't make you better; it just makes you different. Come on, help me preach one more time! Different does not mean better; different just means different. I don't act the same; I don't talk the same; I don't live like I used to live. I don't do the things I used to do because I have a new character. God has changed my nature. Talk back to me if you can!

The devil is always warring against me to drag me back to that old man that I used to be. But I gotta come on Sunday morning so that the Spirit can drag me back to the new man I am in Jesus Christ. That's why I understand how folks don't go to church because there's so much out there to keep you from God that you need to come here every Sunday to get refilled.

Listen, brother and sister, don't let the job you prayed for keep you from being blessed. I noticed how the world is against the church in that almost every activity for our children is on Sunday morning. These sports events—soccer, baseball, football—these tournaments for children, they're on the weekends. There was a time when we didn't let our children miss Sunday school. Come on, talk back to me! Because if you can go to band practice and softball practice and cheerleader practice, you need to go to choir practice. If you go to ballet practice and drama rehearsal, you ought to go to choir rehearsal.

Because what we are raising is a generation of sophisticated infidels—children who have social graces but don't know Jesus Christ. And you ought to tell your children that life will fall apart one of these days, and you don't need a Savior. You will need somebody to help you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and you won't be able to get that at ballet rehearsal. Don't let the culture dictate to you how you ought to bring up your family. Joshua said, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

A new character, a new creation, a new communion. But I want to get to this last part: He calls us a peculiar people. That part of the verse has been grossly misunderstood because the word "peculiar" in this text does not mean peculiar like we understand it. He's not calling us peculiar like we are odd or crazy. We're not kind of off because we are Christians. Peculiar does not mean erratic; peculiar does not mean out there. That's a gross misrepresentation of this text.

I hear them singing this song on the radio that we ought to give God some crazy praise. What's wrong with intelligent praise? What's wrong with praising God like you got good sense? I got good sense; that's why I praise God. Because I'm reasonable, I'm intelligent enough to recognize that I didn't wake myself up this morning. I'm intelligent enough to realize I didn't bring myself to where I am right now. It was nobody who kept me but the Lord.

So, peculiar does not mean strange. The word "peculiar" in the text means I am a unique possession. God treasures me like a unique possession. If you lose something that you treasure, you turn the house upside down looking for that treasure. You go help me close this, won't you? We were lost one day, and God came and found us. And when He found us, He kept us. He holds us; He caresses us; He hugs us like a peculiar possession, a unique possession.

Now, if you don't think that about you, God does. God is trying to get you to see today that you ought to love yourself so much that you do not settle for anybody's definition of you. Don't let anybody define you. I'm getting to the meat of the matter right here. He says that ye should show forth—here it is—the praises of Him who brought you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Now is the time for you to shout! You are a chosen generation, you are a royal priesthood, you are a holy nation, you are a peculiar people. But here is why you are all of those things: that you are to show forth praise. See, I caught you! You missed your opportunity to shout! You missed your opportunity to shout! You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people for one reason.

Let me run it by you one more time: You missed it again! You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people for one reason: that when you show up here on Sunday morning, praise the Lord! Why, Reverend? He brought me out of darkness and into His marvelous light!

Let me run it by you one more time: You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people for one reason: that when you drive up on this parking lot, get out of your car, get in this church, sit in your seat, there ought to be but one thing on your mind. I came here this morning not because I'm dressed up. I came here this morning not to see who else was dressed up. I came here this morning not to sit by nobody and worry about what nobody has on. I didn't come to hear the preacher necessarily; I didn't come to hear the choir. I came for one reason: I am a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people for one reason.

When I get to that church, you better get out of my way! When I walk in that sanctuary, I don't care who likes me, who does not like me. I don't care who's on my side; I don't care who knows my story. I'm going to that church for one reason: He brought me out of darkness and into His marvelous light!

Now, I need somebody—I said I need somebody—who was in darkness and the Lord brought you out, and you know who you are and you know whose you are. You are a chosen generation! I wish I had a witness! A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. And you got one thing on your mind: I came here to praise the Lord!

The choir just got through telling us I got so many reasons to rejoice. God's been good to me! Come on, help me testify! God has opened doors for me! God has made a way for me! And so I come here for one reason: I am a chosen generation! I know who I am! I am a royal priesthood! I am a holy nation! I am a peculiar people! But I'm here for one reason and one reason only: He brought me out of darkness and into His marvelous light!

And I've come here today to tell God thank you for all you've done for me! Is there anybody here who knows who you are and whose you are? You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar people! But you come here for one reason and for one reason only: If it had not been for the Lord!

Is there anybody here who wants to help me praise Him a minute? I know He's been good to you! I know He's opened doors for you! I know He's made a way for you! I know He's healed your body! And if you don't feel like it, then you don't have to do it. But if God has been that good to you, then you ought to go on and praise Him!

Why don't you help me lift Him up? Why don't you help me magnify His name? If the Lord opened doors for you, help me praise His name! If the Lord's been good to you, help me magnify His name! Why don't you grab somebody? Why don't you touch your neighbor and tell them, "You are a chosen generation! You are a royal priesthood! You are a holy nation! You are a peculiar people!"

And you ought to just have one thing on your mind: I've come to praise Him! He's done so much! He's done so much! He's done so much! He's done so much! If the Lord opened doors for you, help me magnify His name!

Well, maybe you're not praising Him because you don't know who He is. But let me introduce you to Him just one more time. He's a rock in a weary land! He's a shelter in the time of storm! He's a friend when you're friendless! Bread when you're hungry! Y'all know Him, don't you?

He's Adam's Redeemer! Abel's Vindicator! Abraham's sacrifice! Y'all know Him, don't you? Jesus! He died, didn't He die? But right early Sunday morning, He got up from the grave with all power in His hand! I wish I had a witness who knows how good God has been! Shake somebody's hand and tell them, "You don't know like I know! You can't tell it like I can tell it!"

What the Lord has done for me! Oh, hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Come on, preach it like our preacher! Grab your neighbor by the hand and preach it like I'm preaching! You are—come on, preach it like you know how! You are a chosen generation! Come on, preach it like you know how! You are a royal priesthood! Come on, you can holler with it! You are a holy nation! Come on, shout it out one more time! You are a peculiar people!

Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus! No, He's all right! He brought me out of darkness into His marvelous light! I'm no longer a child of darkness; I'm a child of the light! Walk in the light as He is in the light, for in Him there is no darkness at all!