Remember Who You Are
Joel Gorveatte · Tidal Church Moncton · January 2, 2022
Joel Gorveatte teaches from 1 Peter 2:9-12, reminding believers they are chosen, a royal priesthood and a holy nation, called to live in community. With Max Lucado's story You Are Special, he shows that God's opinion of us matters most.
Topics: Identity, Mission & Outreach, Discipleship
Transcript
[0:00] On this first day, this first Sunday together of 2022, when things are not like anybody would want for them to be, it's quite the task to stand before a group of people and declare something that you need to hear. That's a big responsibility. It's one of the greatest joys and the heaviest burdens of my life, is getting up to teach from God's Word and see how this ancient text connects to our modern lives and how the Word of God never changes because its relevance is as new today as it has been for thousands of years. And yet, as beautiful and wonderful and life-giving as that is, it's a big challenge because everybody's in a different stage in their life. Some of you are going through great stuff.
[1:12] The stock market has been wonderful for you. You're just rolling in good times and just hoping that next year is going to be even better. For others, this has been a year of insufferable loss for you in the year gone by, and you're kind of dreading as we head into 2022 and the government press conferences are always, it's like, what week? You know, it's like, it was bad last week. Let's make what's even worse this coming week. And you're just worried that as things continue to get worse and worse, what's going to happen? And wherever you are on that spectrum, it doesn't matter what I say, it's probably not going to hit you right where you are because you're in different positions of life, right? And that's one of the things that's really hard for so many pastors over the last couple of years that I've had friends who have left the ministry because they say, it doesn't matter what I do, half the people are upset with me these days.
[2:09] It doesn't matter what I say, half the people think I said too much and other people think I didn't say enough. And so what, on a day like today, could I bring to you that could maybe set the course for the coming year? Well, we've got our kids in the room today, so I've got, actually, this sounds really, that was a heavy, heavy start, but I promise this is going to be a good time today. I just wanted to lay the consequences for the gravity of the topic today. What is one thing that I have to say to you for 2022? And to set that up, let me tell you a little story. I have a good friend in Alabama when we lived there. His name is Skip. Skip Baumauer, sometimes his family is with us online from Alabama.
[3:01] If you're with us, Skip, hey, brother, good to see you today. But years ago, he had his two little girls when they were just a little at a farm and there were horses all around and there were boy horses and there were girl horses and you never know what kids are going to learn about the facts of life when you take them to a farm. And so he was, they were walking through the pasture and the horses are all around and all of a sudden his four -year-old daughter, Jessica, made an announcement and said, daddy, I know the difference between a boy horse and a girl horse. And all of a sudden he was very intrigued and somewhat nervous that he was about to get an anatomy lesson from his little girl.
[3:53] And she said, daddy, I know the difference. And he said, okay, well, honey, what is the difference between a boy horse and a girl horse? And she said proudly, the girl horse has longer eyelashes. He was so relieved in that moment. That's how you tell the difference. And so here's the question. This is what I want to set up today. How do you tell the difference between a Christian and someone who does not have Jesus in their life? How do you tell the difference? Because I think if there's anything that we need in this world in the year 2022, is it is that we need to see a difference between people who are followers of Jesus and people who are not. We are not called to be like the world. We are in the world, but we are not of the world.
[4:40] And so what does that difference look like? And today I want to take you to first Peter chapter two, verse nine. First Peter chapter two, verse nine. And we're going to read verse nine down through verse 12. It's going to be on the screen, but you might want to make a note of it so that you can look it up later as well. And then we're going to talk about a few of the things that we see here. And then we're going to do something fun that hopefully the kids will find enjoyable. First Peter chapter two, verse nine says, but 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.
[5:34] See, 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. So 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. And so Peter says here, in this world filled with tension and anxiety and anger and hatred and division and all of the things that we see in our lives on a daily basis, Peter said, there's something that I need for you to remember about yourself.
[6:32] Peter said, listen, no matter what this world throws at you, no matter how people try to tear you down, no matter how discouragement might start to slip in. There's one thing he says you need to remember. You need to remember that you belong to God when you are in Christ Jesus. And when you belong to God, he says there are some distinctive characteristics about you. Look back at verse nine again. Peter says, Christians, you are a chosen people. In other words, God sees you. He knows you. And even more than that, he wants you to be with him. And that is the message of the gospel.
[7:18] That's why Jesus came to this earth to die on the cross, to pay the punishment for our sins, so that we can be forgiven and find new life in him and be part of his chosen people. And then he says, remember that you are a royal priesthood. If somebody were to ask you, so what do you do for a living? You might say, well, I'm a teacher, or I'm a garbage collector, or I'm a computer technician, or I'm a stay-at-home mom, or whatever it is that you might say. But if people say, but who are you? Did you know that you can legitimately say, well, you may not know this about me, but I happen to be a priest. I'm a royal priest.
[8:05] Did you know that? You are a royal priest. You are a member of the priesthood of believers. You are a minister of the gospel. And so here's how that plays out in our lives. Every Christian needs to have a ministry and a mission, a ministry and a mission. Now, what are those two things? A ministry is how you help or minister to people within the body of Christ, the church, to other Christians. A mission is how you make a difference out in the world and help people who don't yet know Jesus. And so my question for you is, and we're going to talk about this in our small groups this week and our small group discussion guide, the question is, what is a ministry that you feel like God is calling you to do within the church? And it might not even be a formal program.
[9:02] It might not have a title. It might be a prayer ministry. It might be a note of encouragement ministry. It might be a Twitter ministry or a Facebook or Instagram ministry where you send messages to people and encourage them and bless them with prayers. What is a ministry within the church? And then what is your mission to our community to share the love of Jesus outside the walls of the church? Because whether you realize it or not, in 2022, what you are called to be is a royal priest in service of the king. And then he says to remember that you are a holy nation, a holy nation. In other words, these are not singular statements.
[9:50] It's not just about you. It's about us. It's not about me. It's about we. That we were called to be in community together. And I think over the last two years, as we've seen statistically and even in our own experience, people that maybe even you can think of in your own life, who a couple of years ago you would have probably considered them a solid Christian. And today they have drifted away. And you're not sure where they stand spiritually. I think this is one of the reasons that we've seen such a great falling away is because we were not designed to do our spiritual lives alone. They were designed to be lived together in community together.
[10:39] And even in isolation, let me talk to those of you who are at home right now. That statement is not to make you feel shame that you're not here in the building, but it's a reminder that community is essential. And if all you're doing is watching church like a TV service, but are not engaging in spiritual community, not connecting in a prayer group and in an online small group or whatever it is that works best for your context, then you are missing what our faith is actually about. And I think that's one of the reasons over the last two years statistically we have seen a great falling away is because when Satan can separate us from spiritual community, he can come in and pick us off one by one as he separates us from the herd. And then he says that you were called out of darkness into his wonderful light.
[11:39] Now, what does that look like in our lives? I'm glad you asked. To illustrate that today, I have something really fun that we're going to do that I've never done in all the years that I've been here, but I used to do it years ago when our kids were small, is we would call it storybook someday. So kids, we've got a children's storybook that we're going to go through today, and I hope you'll be okay if we allow the adults to listen in. Is that all right? This story is called You Are Special, written by Max Lucado. Now, it's kind of an older book now, and so many of you have maybe never heard of it, but this is a really significant book for my family. We used to read our kids this book on a regular basis because let me find the signature on the front.
[12:26] I believe my mother-in-law is watching, is with us online right now. Let me find the, oh, here it is in the front, presented to Kate Gorevat from Granny, her grandmother, on October 7th, 1998. So we've had this book in our family since 1998, and today I'm going to share it with you. This is our word for 2022. The Wemmecs. The Wemmecs were small wooden people. All of the wooden people were carved by a woodworker named Eli. His workshop sat on a hill overlooking their village, and so each Wemmec was different.
[13:21] Some had big noses, others had large eyes, some were tall, and others were short. Some wore hats, other wore coats, but all were made by the same carver, and all lived in the village. And all day, every day, the Wemmecs did the same thing. They gave each other stickers. Each Wemmec had a gold, a box of golden star stickers and a box of gray dot stickers. And up and down the streets, all over the city, people spent their days sticking stars or dots on each other. The pretty ones, the ones with smooth wood and fine paint, always got stars.
[14:14] But if the wood was rough or the paint chipped, the Wemmecs gave dots. The talented ones got stars too. Some could lift big sticks high above their heads or jump over tall boxes. Still others knew big words or could sing pretty songs. Everyone gave them stars. Some Wemmecs had stars all over them. Every time they got a star, it made them feel so good. It made them want to do something else to get another star. Others, though, could do little. They got dots. Punchinello was one of those.
[15:01] He tried to jump high like the others, but he always fell. And when he fell, the others would gather around and give him dots. Sometimes when he fell, his wood got scratched, and so the people would give him more dots. Then he would try to explain why he fell, and he would say something silly, and the Wemmecs would give him more dots. After a while, he had so many dots that he didn't even want to go outside. He was afraid he would do something dumb, such as forget his hat or step in the water, and then people would give him another dot. In fact, he had so many gray dots that some people would come up and give him one for no reason at all.
[15:51] He deserves lots of dots, the wooden people would agree with one another. He's not a good wooden person. After a while, Punchinello started to believe them. I'm not a good Wemmec, he would say. The few times he went outside, he hung around other Wemmecs who had a lot of dots like him. He felt better being around them. But one day, he met a Wemmec who was unlike any he had ever met. She had no dots, nor stars. She was just wooden. Her name was Lucia.
[16:37] It wasn't that people didn't try to give her stickers, it's just that the stickers didn't stick. Some of the Wemmecs admired Lucia for having no dots, and so they would run up and give her a star. But it would fall off. Others would look down on her for having no stars, and so they would give her a dot. But it wouldn't stay either. That's the way I want to be, thought Punchinello. I don't want anyone's marks. And so he asked the stickerless Wemmec how she did it. It's easy, Lucia replied. Every day, I go see Eli.
[17:23] Eli? Yes, Eli, the wood carver. I sit in the workshop with him. Why? Well, why don't you go see for yourself? Go up the hill. He's there. And with that, the Wemmec, who had no stickers, turned and skipped away. But will he want to see me? Punchinello cried out, but Lucia didn't hear. And so Punchinello went home, and he sat near a window, and he watched the wooden people as they scurried around, giving each other stars and dots. It's not right, he muttered to himself, and he decided to go see Eli.
[18:11] He walked up the narrow path to the top of the hill, and stepped into the big shop. His wooden eyes widened at the size of everything. The stool was as tall as he was. He had to stretch on his tiptoes to see the top of the workbench. A hammer was as long as his arm. Punchinello swallowed hard. I'm not staying here. And he turned to leave, but then he heard his name. Punchinello, the voice was deep and strong. Punchinello stopped. Punchinello, how good to see you.
[18:59] Come and let me have a look at you. Punchinello turned slowly and looked at the large bearded craftsman. You know my name? The little wimek asked. Of course I do. I made you. Eli stooped down and picked him up and sat him on the bench. The maker spoke thoughtfully as he looked at all the gray dots. It looks like you've been given some bad marks. I didn't mean to, Eli. I really tried hard. Oh, you don't have to defend yourself to me, child. I don't care what the other wimeks think. You don't? No.
[19:53] And you shouldn't either. Who are they to give stars or dots? They're wimeks just like you. What they think doesn't matter, Punchinello. All that matters is what I think, and I think you are pretty special. Punchinello laughed. Me? Special? Why? I can't walk fast. I can't jump. My paint is peeling. Why do I matter to you? Eli looked at Punchinello and put his hands on those small wooden shoulders and spoke very slowly. Because you're mine.
[20:40] That's why you matter to me. Punchinello had never had anyone look at him like this before, much less his maker. He didn't know what to say. Every day I've been hoping that you would come, Eli explained. I came because I met someone who had no marks, said Punchinello. I know. She told me about you. Why don't the stickers stay on her? The maker spoke softly because she has decided that what I think is more important than what they think. The stickers only stick if you let them.
[21:33] What? The stickers only stick if they matter to you. But the more you trust my love, the less you care about their stickers. I'm not sure I understand. Eli smiled. You will. But it will take time. You've got a lot of marks. For now, here's what you need to do. Just come to see me every day and let me remind you of how much I care. Eli lifted Punchinello off the bench and set him down on the ground.
[22:22] Remember, Eli said as the Wemmick walked out the door, you are special because I made you and I don't make mistakes. Punchinello didn't stop. But in his heart, he thought, I think he really means it. And when he did, a dot fell to the ground. Would you stand?
[23:07] Our Heavenly Father, Lord, on this first Sunday of a brand new year, a year that we enter with so much uncertainty in our culture. And yet there are a few things that we can know for sure. We know that you love us. We know that you care for us. We know that you have a plan for us. And we know that you are good. And so, Lord, as we enter this new year with all of its challenges and all of its uncertainty, for anyone here who has never made the decision to surrender to you, Lord, I just pray that you would be speaking to their hearts about the hopes and the dreams that you have for them. That we would be reminded today of what you have said about us.
[24:10] That we are your chosen people. That we are a holy priesthood. A holy nation that you have called to be together under the banner of your kingdom. And that you have called us out of darkness into your glorious light. And, Lord, of all the things that we don't know, this we do know. We are who you say we are. And when we set our eyes on you, when we set our eyes on you, Lord, we are so grateful to know that your strength is all that we need.