Sermons

Reaching Out (Pt.1)

Written by Ed Allen
Sunday, September 30, 2007 09:46

Vision

Note: our apologies, we missed the first few minutes of the sermon...

Sermon Notes

One of the most effective ways of point people toward God is by being who we really are!

1 Peter 2:9–12

⁹But 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. ¹⁰Once 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.

¹¹Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. ¹²Live 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.

Key phrases of this passage

• Chosen people
• Royal Priesthood
• Holy Nation – set apart and pure
• A people belonging to God – we are God’s possession
• We are all of this so that we might glorify God and point others to Him.
• We are this as a community, as a people. We have a new identity as the people of God through His mercy.
• We are foreigners in this world. We have to resist the desires and tendencies in this world that harm us.
• We are to live beautiful lives, good lives, honest lives out loud that draw others to Christ.

We need to be who we really are, which is children of God.

Why don’t we be who we really are?

• Don’t know who we are
• Fear
• Insecurity
• Want to pursue our sin tendancies

By not being who we really are, we miss out on outreach opportunities.