You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace.
Join us.
As we begin our sermon this morning, I'd like to invite the kids to come up here and sit
on the stairs with me for a couple of minutes.
I want to talk with you.
Look, you can sit with Miss Angela too.
It's going to be fun.
All right.
Just come on up here.
See if you can get where you can see me.
There's some seats down here in front of the steps.
I want to tell you all how glad we are that you all are in here worshiping God with us
every week.
Isn't it fun to be in here and get to celebrate how much God loves us?
That's awesome, isn't it?
You get to sing with us and pray with us and get to be a part of the baptism.
We're just really glad that you all are in here with us.
Sometimes, at this part of the service, Pastor Will talks for a long time, doesn't he?
Does anybody think sometimes Pastor Will talks too long?
That's not very nice.
Put your hands down.
Okay.
It's true.
Sometimes, it's a little bit too long.
But some of y'all haven't usually been in here when we're having the sermon, when we're studying
God's Word together.
And this summer may be the first time that you're staying in here with us.
And we want you to know how important that is because we love God's Word.
Because God tells us in it how much He loves us and tells us what it means for us to be
His people, right?
And so, we want to listen to it together.
And so, Miss Angela has been thinking with lots of other friends really hard about how we can
help y'all be a part of that.
And so, we have these new bags for y'all.
Did some of y'all get one of these bags on the way in?
These are worship bags.
If you didn't, we have a whole bucket of them right there on the front.
And you can get one when you go back to your seat, okay?
But there's lots of stuff in here.
It's not stuff to distract you from the preaching.
It's stuff to help you.
Sometimes, is there any adults that it helps your hands to be doing something while you listen?
Or you like to color or draw a picture?
Have your parents ever colored on their bulletin?
Yes.
That's okay, isn't it?
And so, we've got some crafts and some crayons and lots of fun things.
I don't even know what you would do with something like this.
Pastor Will's not very crafty or creative.
But y'all could probably make really cool things with this.
There's also something in here that I want to tell you about.
It's called the Sermon Word Challenge.
You see this little piece of paper?
It has six words on it this week.
It says mercy, moon, Jesus, belonging.
That's a big word.
Exodus and grace.
And you can get this out of your bag.
And while Mr. Will is preaching this morning, you can listen for these words.
And when you hear them, just mark in the circle right there next to it.
Some of them you have to listen really closely because you might only hear them one time.
And you don't want to miss them, okay?
But some of them, your circle might get really full because I might say them a lot of times.
Do I sometimes say some of these words a lot?
Jesus a lot, I know.
I know, that one might get a lot of marks.
I hope it does.
So, this is for you.
And you can take it and maybe even get a treat in your Connect class afterwards.
Wouldn't that be awesome?
So, we do get prizes if we do it right.
You do get a prize.
Yeah, just bring your card up with you and see your small group leader.
Yeah, and then Miss Angela, what do we do with these bags at the end of the service?
Do not take them home.
They don't go home.
If you guys, when you get finished with the service, if you'll put everything back in your bag,
and you can take it and put it right back in the silver bins that are outside,
then we can refill them and then they will be here for you next Sunday.
Does that sound good?
I want to tell you all one more thing before you go back and sit down and listen.
We're going to, God's Word is so important and we want you to learn to listen to God's Word
and to understand God's Word.
And so, we have a new slide that we're going to use every Sunday when we're reading the Bible.
And today, our passage is from 1 Peter.
Do you see that?
The book of 1 Peter, chapter 2, verses 9 and 10.
And if you don't have a Bible with you, you can get one out of the pews that are out there.
There are red Bibles in there.
And that's the page to turn to if you don't know where 1 Peter is.
Somebody can help you find it, okay?
And so, when I read it, you'll be able to follow along with us.
And then you can keep it open there if you want to be able to look during the sermon, okay?
It'll help your parents, too.
Some of them may read that on their phone or they may read it out of their Bible or a Bible from the pew.
But we want to be looking at God's Word not just when we're together in the worship service, but all week.
So, we want to be having God's Word in our hands and learning how to read it.
And that's important for you and your parents and for me.
So, can you all do that with me this morning?
All right.
Grab a bag if you don't have one and you can go back to your seats and we're going to listen to God's Word.
Thanks, Pastor Will.
Adults, if you need a bag to help you for the next 30 minutes,
please feel free to come forward.
Nobody will embarrass you.
I might call your name.
That's okay.
I am really excited about this new sermon series,
One Another.
A very creative title, I know,
since we'll be looking at some of the about 60 places in the New Testament
where that phrase is used
to help us learn
what relating to each other
in gospel community
looks like.
You can think of
some of the one another's already, I'm sure.
Love one another.
That's in there a lot.
That's next week.
Confess your sins to one another.
Forgive one another.
Carry one another's burdens.
Spur one another on to love and good deeds.
If we get really excited,
we may even talk about
greet one another with a holy kiss,
which is in there more than once.
We're going to spend this summer
asking the Holy Spirit to teach us
and honestly more than teach us
to shape us
and mold us
and change us
into what God has designed
His church to be.
It is His design.
That's why His Word talks so much
about how we relate
to one another.
The church is to be
this unique community
where the good news
of our Savior
and our connection to Him
binds us to each other
in this unique way.
God answering our loneliness,
the loneliness of this world
with this unique community
and these life-giving relationships
that we all need.
it's going to be encouraging
and it's going to be convicting
because we don't naturally
and normally live these ways.
All of us struggle with it.
But if you want to be
part of a church,
part of a community
that's increasingly learning
to relate to one another
in these ways,
then come on.
Let's be a part of this together.
Pray with me
and dive in with me.
Be a part of this community.
Now having said all of that,
embarrassingly,
I want to start this Sunday
by looking at a passage
that doesn't have
any one another in it at all.
That's terrible, isn't it?
But here's why.
There's something that's so important
that I want us to start here
before we dive into
all of these
one another passages.
When you spend time
focusing on
how we relate to one another,
the temptation there
is to think
that how we relate
to each other
as God's people
is the reason we exist.
It's the goal of life.
It's the essence of our mission.
And it's just not.
God does not design the church
to be a holy huddle,
so to speak,
focused only on one another.
So before we talk about
how we relate to each other,
I want us to listen
to God's Word
remind us
who we are
as His people
and why we are here,
what our mission is.
And then at the end
of this morning,
we're going to reflect briefly
on how one anothering
is a vital part
of that mission.
Not a distraction,
but a vital part of it.
And yes,
one anothering
will be used repeatedly
as a verb
throughout this summer,
so just, you know,
get used to it.
Grab a Bible
of some form,
if you will.
Turn toward the back
to 1 Peter.
We're reading
just two verses
this morning
and then we'll pray together.
Peter's writing
to Jew
and Gentile Christians
scattered throughout
Asia Minor,
modern-day Turkey,
and He reminds them
of their glorious
identity
and mission.
1 Peter chapter 2
at verse 9.
This is God's Holy Word.
But you
are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people
for His own possession,
that you may proclaim
the excellencies
of Him
who called you
out of darkness
into His marvelous light.
Once you were not
a people,
but now you are
God's people.
Once you had not
received mercy,
mercy,
but now you have
received mercy.
Mercy, kids,
you get that?
Mercy?
Yeah, got it.
Let's pray together.
Holy Spirit,
we do need You.
We ask
for Your help.
Challenge our hearts,
convict us,
show us Jesus,
show us the beauty
of relationships
for Your glory.
We ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
If you walked into a
building on Redstone Arsenal
and you saw a bunch
of these pieces
lying around
on the ground,
you might not
think very much
of them, right?
Some nuts and bolts
and screws
and wires
and sheets of metal,
perhaps,
and they seem like
pretty insignificant.
They really couldn't do
anything very important.
You might just walk
on by.
However,
when they
and some other things
get connected together
in the right ways,
these random bits
of metal
and plastic
and technology
may become
a rocket.
A rocket
that accomplishes
a really great mission
like putting a man
on the moon, right?
That's a picture
of that rocket.
Things that
didn't seem
significant
but are now
put together
and become something
that really accomplishes
something great
and glorious.
It's a picture
of the proverbial reality
that the whole
is greater
than the sum
of its parts.
You've heard that
before,
probably.
Individual things
collected into a group
may become
something entirely
different
and accomplish
a greater mission
than they could
separately.
That's part
of the picture
that Peter
is painting
for us
this morning
in this passage.
He's using
all these
collective nouns,
words that talk
about groups
of people,
a race,
a priesthood,
a nation,
a people
that are brought
together
to become
something new
with a new
and significant
purpose.
He's talking
about Christians
as a group.
There are a lot
of places
in the Bible
that talk about
God's personal
love for individuals.
That's true
and it's important
but this is actually
talking about
God's love
for his people
as a group.
We'll focus
on the collective
mission
this morning
but the mission
is fueled
by the collective
identity.
Who is
this new
people?
Verse 10
says it's
God's
people.
That's really
the bottom
line.
That's what
unites them
into one
group.
Verse 9
has several
things it says
about them.
They're God's
because he
chose them
first.
You are a
chosen
race.
brothers
and sisters
we love
because God
first
loved
us.
That's why
we love him.
Because he
first loved
us.
We're his
because he
made us
and because
he sent
his son
for us.
He picked
you.
Even knowing
all your
failures and
flaws like
Pastor Peter
was talking
about earlier.
He picked
you to be
on his team.
In fact
to be in
his family.
Because of
his gracious
heart.
Isn't that
amazing?
Praise the
Lord, right?
He loves
you like
that.
This passage
in first
Peter mirrors
what God
tells his
people Israel
all the way
back in
Exodus chapter
19.
Before telling
them in the
next chapter
how to live
as his
people in
what we
call the
Ten
Commandments.
God
tells them
what he's
done to
make them
his
people.
Exodus
chapter
19
at
verse
4.
I think
it's
the
next
slide.
There it
is.
You
yourselves
have seen
what I
did to
the
Egyptians.
How I
bore you
on
eagles
wings and
brought you
to
myself.
Now
therefore
if you'll
indeed
obey my
voice and
keep my
covenant
you shall
be my
treasured
possession
among all
peoples.
This is
what I've
done for
you.
I've
loved you
and I've
come and
I've
brought
you to
myself.
I chose
you.
Not because
you were
great or
amazing or
impressive or
in charge.
You weren't.
But because
I loved
you and
brought you
to myself.
And now
God's
applying this
to Jews
and
Gentiles.
Chosen
race is not
some ethnic
superiority.
That's an
evil twisting
of this.
May it
never be.
He's
saying
you're
a chosen
race
connected
spiritually
because
God has
chosen you
and brought
you together.
We're also
a royal
priesthood.
Friends
of God.
Those who
can come
near into
God's
presence.
That's who
the priests
are.
No one
comes into
the king's
presence on
their own
but a royal
priesthood.
Those that
can walk
into
serve the
king.
And they
even
represent
him to
others.
And represent
others to
him.
Right?
All the way
back in
Exodus 19
again.
All the
earth is
mine,
God says.
And you,
Israel,
shall be to
me a
kingdom
of
priests.
What's
God saying?
I own
the whole
earth.
I want
every nation
to know
me.
And so you,
Israel,
are going to
be priests
the ones
who know
Yahweh,
who have a
relationship
with him
and then
share of
him with
all the
nations around
you so that
the whole
earth knows
who he is.
All of us
then are
priests who
know God,
who have
God dwelling
in us and
therefore bring
his presence
to all around
us.
Especially,
Peter says,
as we're
gathered
together,
offering
spiritual
sacrifices
to God
as priests.
And then
we're a
holy nation.
The exact
same words
used in
Exodus 19.
But what
makes a
people or
a place
holy?
There's
really only
one thing.
God's
presence.
we're set
apart for
him as
a group
different from
others around
you, called
out to be
marked by the
presence of
the living
God.
Do you see
how in all
of these
things Peter's
describing what
makes the
group a
group is
God?
He chooses
us.
He is the
king whom
we represent
as priests.
He is the
one present
with us that
makes us
holy.
What unites
those rocket
parts is the
identity as
a rocket.
Right?
That's what
makes them
rocket parts.
What unites
Christians is
their identity
belonging to
God.
Once, we
were not a
people.
You know
what that
feels like?
not to
belong
anywhere,
not to be a
part of any
group.
Have you
felt that
before?
It's not a
good feeling,
is it?
Alone,
insignificant,
left out,
ignored.
Once you
were not a
people, you
were bits of
metal,
plastic scattered
about, but
now you are
God's
people.
You belong
to your
heavenly
father.
Once you
had not
received mercy,
you were
hopeless,
undeserving,
discarded,
worthless.
But now you
have received
mercy.
Just like God
told his
people through
the prophet
Hosea, that's
what makes you
significant.
That's what makes
you his.
What is it
that makes
God's people
God's people?
He is.
He graciously,
mercifully gives
us an identity
together, calls
us his own,
loves us as
his children.
He sends his
son to make
us his.
Southwood, I
know you know
this.
This is 101, I
get it.
But do you
realize the
significance of
that for us?
Do you
understand what
it means that
our identity
comes from
belonging to
God?
Can you stop
and think of
the implications
of that for
us as a
church?
If who you
are and your
identity comes
from belonging
to God, we're
a people, Peter
says, for his
own possession.
We should be a
possessed people
in the best
possible way.
We are his.
What a privilege.
We're his.
Which means our
purpose is what?
God.
If that's our
identity as
people belonging
to God for his
own possession,
then what's our
purpose?
It's got to be
about him,
doesn't it?
Peter says it
in verse 9.
We're a people
for his own
possession that
you may proclaim
the excellencies
of him.
not yourself.
It's not about
you.
We're to
proclaim his
excellencies.
That's our
new purpose.
Now, maybe
not new in
the sense that
it's what God
originally created
us for, isn't
it?
But we've been
living for
ourselves for a
long time,
haven't we?
I'm pretty
used to it.
But this is
why God calls
people to
himself because
what's best for
them is not
actually living
for themselves.
And he calls
us to himself.
Even with Old
Testament Israel,
this is what God
says to them,
his chosen
people, the
people whom I
formed for
myself that
they might
declare my
praise.
Chosen for
him to
declare his
praise.
God then
sends his
son not
primarily to
make us
happy but
to make us
his.
Let's be very
clear about this
because we get
confused.
Jesus didn't go
to the cross so
you and I could
have a more
comfortable life
with nice
neighbors and
good church
friends.
God's
friends.
Our mission is
not merely to
make each other
feel good and
enjoy life with as
little discomfort and
loneliness as
possible.
Jesus came so
that everyone in
all nations would
know the glory of
the one true and
living God no
matter what it
cost him.
God sent him.
He was a sent
savior for that
purpose and so we
are here so that
everyone in all
nations would know
the glory of the
one true and
living God no
matter what it
costs us including
our comfort and
our nice
neighborhoods and
our good friends.
We are a sent
church as he is a
sent savior.
It's not
complicated because
we are God's.
We are to live for
God's glory.
It's that simple but
it's hard for us
isn't it?
It's hard for us to
live like that.
It's even hard when
we come to church.
You think you maybe
spend an hour a week
you know doing that
but Jack Miller in
his classic book
Outgrowing the
Ingrown Church, yes
you should read it,
says this, many
church members do
not seem to come to
church on Sunday
with strong intent to
meet with Christ and
be transformed in
motivation and values
by his glory.
So honesty requires
us to begin where
we are to confess
forthrightly that we
have sinned and
fallen short of the
divine glory.
Then he says the
great American church
tragedy is the local
church with an
abundance of resources
and spiritual gifts
held back by
unbelieving apathy and
blinded by the
strange notion that
the work of
missionary outreach is
the domain of a few
highly trained
leaders.
You don't have to be a
pastor or a formal
missionary to have
your purpose be
proclaiming the
excellencies of God.
We're all priests.
That's our job.
Together that's our job
as a church.
church.
We need to start by
saying Father
forgive us for our
apathy to your
glory.
Being God's means we
live for his glory
and we declare his
grace.
It's the second part
of verse 9 that we
would proclaim the
excellencies of him
who called you out of
darkness into his
marvelous light.
What's the story we
have to tell and
share?
It's God's story of his
rescuing the undeserving.
We have experienced
God's grace that we
might express God's
grace.
That many others as
undeserving as we are
may hear and see and
trust that God brings
them from darkness to
light just as he does
us.
We are defined by
receiving mercy.
We need his help.
That's who we are.
We became a people by
receiving mercy so it
must be that thy
mercy my God is the
theme of my song.
The joy of my heart
and the boast of my
tongue.
Thy free grace alone
must be what moves my
heart and my tongue to
proclaim his
excellencies.
Our purpose is not to
have God's grace stop
with us and say how
great and wonderful it
is.
But to have it flow
through us to
others.
We are not here for
ourselves.
We are not even here
merely for each other
as important as that is.
We are here also for
those who are not here
yet.
Edmund Clowney in his
book The Church writes
mission is not an
optional activity for
Christ's disciples.
The gospel itself is the
story of the seeking
savior who knows the
father's love.
He goes out looking for
people right?
We have read about it in
Luke.
So if mission is lost
the gospel is lost.
That's the story.
The story of a sent
savior.
We must be about what
Jesus was about.
Having the love of God
that we know that is in
us overflow to those
around us.
You've heard me say
before if that's not our
heart for those around us
in Huntsville and
beyond we ought to
close the doors.
We should.
And send the money
somewhere else.
To someone who will
have that be their
purpose.
We are God's people
to follow Jesus in
declaring his grace in
word and deed.
Speaking unbelievable
hope to the hopeless.
That's the message of
the gospel right?
Showing undeserved
kindness to the least
of these.
That's what we've
received.
Undeserved kindness.
And we're to show
that.
So that one
relationship at a
time.
All may see how
excellent and
glorious and
gracious our God
is.
God's glory and
grace here and
everywhere must be
the driving passion
of our lives and our
church.
God's glory.
That's great.
Wonderful.
Exciting.
Now I'm frustrated.
Why, Pastor?
Why are we going to
waste the next ten
weeks one anothering?
Isn't that going to
distract us from our
mission?
Let's get going.
There's a world out
there.
There's a mission to
accomplish.
And when we focus on
relationships with one
another, aren't we going
to lose sight of that
mission?
I love that question.
Thanks for asking.
The best questions to
answer.
The ones you ask
yourself.
Let me tell you.
Let's go back to the
rocket mission to the
moon for a second.
Imagine you heard that
for a few weeks,
everyone on the launch
team was focused on the
fins there at the
bottom of the rocket.
rocket.
They had to get them
figured out.
They turned their
attention towards that
because they wanted them
to be aerodynamic so
they'd go just right.
They needed to make sure
that the temperature
control was there for
when they go through the
Earth's atmosphere.
I guess some of you all
know way more than I do.
Don't critique me.
They wanted it to be just
right so it would smooth
attachment to the rocket
body, right?
And they had to, if you
heard that was going on,
would you say they've
lost focus?
No, you would say
that's a vital part of
the mission.
I'm so glad that they're
paying attention to those
because if they're going
to get to the moon,
those fins are going to
have to work right.
The same is true for
gospel community.
Not on my authority.
On the authority of
God's word.
This same book that
tells us the purpose of
the people possessed by
God is to proclaim God's
excellencies says we must
live in humility with one
another.
We must love one another
earnestly and so forth.
There's a lot of them.
It's not either love the
world or love the people
in your church, love one
another.
No.
It's both and.
Okay, why?
Why is the people vital for
the purpose?
Why do we need one another
for God's mission?
Why invest time and energy
in relationships with
brothers and sisters that
aren't easy?
And with people who don't
have anything in common
with me except Jesus.
And it's so frustrating.
Well, there are many
reasons we'll see through
the summer.
But to give us a start,
it's because when you want
another someone you don't
have anything in common
with except Jesus, it
demonstrates the excellencies
of Jesus, doesn't it?
That the power of his love
is the only explanation for
this relationship.
I love the way Dr.
Clowney frames this for us,
but it's really convicting.
American evangelicals have a
tradition, we like
traditions, of individualism
individualism that sees the
church as a voluntary club
for the converted.
And this is his warning.
Until we have a deep
biblical sense of the
corporate identity of the
new people of God, we will
not be able to present the
gospel of peace on the front
lines of our culture wars.
The true drawing power of the
church transcends the
cultural enclaves of
contemporary society to
dissolve the hatreds of a
fallen world in the love
of Christ.
And there's a lot to chew on
there, but the relationships
we are supposed to share,
but often don't,
are the ones the world is
longing for.
Unity and peace among those
normally divided and in
conflict.
Let me try to say it in a more
pedestrian way than the
beautiful professorial language
church.
When a young black
Republican, a middle-aged
Hispanic libertarian, and an
elderly white Democrat
give themselves to a shared
mission and pour their lives
into each other, into actually
caring for and listening to and
understanding and loving one
another, it testifies to the
excellencies of the king who
unites them, doesn't it?
It says that there's somebody
more compellingly worthy than
anything else that they're
about.
And it says that their mission
is more compelling and
valuable than any other
single political or racial or
generational issue that they
care about.
That there's something else
that's more important.
And Jesus is that.
This gospel community that we're
to nurture and develop is what
we're inviting a lonely and
broken and divided world into.
Ask yourself, who would want to be a
part of any group that's
consistently hypocritical, holier than
thou, neglectful, abusive, stubborn,
and fake.
You want to be in that group?
Often the church, we are guilty of
all those things.
We must start with our own
repentance and pray for God to
bring revival that would transform
us.
We're praying for revival.
We need to pray it starts in our
hearts and then transforms our
community around us.
We need one another.
We need one another for
encouragement and help because
the mission is hard and the
opposition is real.
We need one another.
We need one another because God
says it's actually in relationship
with each other that we see the
glory of his love most fully.
We get this view of his love in
all its dimensions as we point each
other to the glory and grace of
Jesus in our lives.
We must be a people with a
purpose.
We are focusing on one another this
summer not to lose sight of the
glory of God and the declaration of
his grace but rather to propel us
more effectively and more powerfully on
that mission with a big view of our
Savior.
Amen.
Let's pray.
God we ask for your help.
We confess that we are not the
people that you would have us to be
and yet you love us.
And yet you promise to make us that.
There's hope for us not because we do
this today perfectly but because our
Savior is perfect because he loves us
because he will see this mission
accomplished and what a delight that
he includes us in it.
Thank you Father.
Give us joy and your mercy to us that
makes us yours.
Help our hearts delight in being your
people and to live like that day by day.
We ask it in Jesus name.
Amen.
For more information visit us online at
southwood.org
단arly for videos on YouTube through the
route.
Thank you for sharing your
悔
students
um
to
dennis
olha
Let's one
care of
dear
媽
to
of
...
iPhone
动
can
it's