Live As People Who Are Free. Where You Belong, Part 2

Music Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Christian, you know that Christ came to set us free, but what does it look like to live as people who are free? Are we freed only from the consequence of our sin and left to figure out the rest on our own?

How does our new identity change the way we view hardship, relationships, and life purpose? This is the beginning of a study through the book of 1 Peter, titled Live as People Who Are Free. Rich starts our series in 1 Peter 1, 1-2, where Peter reminds us where we belong. Listen in on the second part of this message, titled Where You Belong, first preached July 10, 2022. Listen to this from Pakistan, a very, very difficult part of the world in which to be a Christian.

Pakistan, Afghanistan, we've been praying for them. Very difficult place to be a Christian. For Pakistani Christians, following Christ comes at a great cost.

This is from Voice of the Martyrs. Family members, co-workers, and neighbors often violently oppose those who leave Islam to follow Christ. Jamila fled to a safe house after her husband threatened to kill her and their children because Jamila had become a Christian.

Samina Bibi was forced to flee from her place of employment when her supervisor locked her in a room after he overheard her praying on her lunch break. Trapped in a cycle of limited educational opportunities and poverty, many Christians remain at the lowest levels of society throughout their lives, performing labor-intensive menial work as, for example, sewer cleaners and street sweepers. And when they share the gospel and talk about their Christian faith, they are sometimes falsely charged with blaspheming.

Convictions can result in harsh prison sentences and even the death penalty. Yet amid continual pressure, frequent threats, and ever-present possibility of attack and economic hardship, our Christian family members in Pakistan remain firm in their faith and continue to advance God's kingdom. They take great risks to distribute Bibles, gather for worship, baptize new Christians, and courageously proclaim the gospel to their persecutors under difficult and dangerous circumstances. That's what you can do when you're free.

Free people flourish and can help others flourish. Look what he says in verse 13. We're going to look ahead here just a little bit.

We're going to be covering this maybe in a couple weeks. Therefore, prepare your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Energy flows where your attention goes.

You, in Christ, you are a free people. Energy flows where your attention goes. Now, that's not original with me. Some give credit to Tony Robbins, if you've ever heard of Tony Robbins, a very positive motivational speaker kind of guy. Others, there's a psychiatrist that people give credit to.

I don't know who it originated with, but energy flows where your attention goes. But the Bible gives credence to that statement, doesn't it? Colossians 3, verses 1 to 3.

Look at this with me up on the screen. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, where you have died and your life is hidden with Christ and God. Why does he say to seek and to set our minds on the things above? Because that is where our freedom comes from. That is our home. That is our destiny. That is where we receive our identity from. And when we set our attention there, then our energy goes into the things that matter for that. And then we become people who do a lot of earthly good because free people flourish and can help others flourish.

By doing good, you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. I know it is true that energy flows where your attention goes because Andrea had a vision for a garden in our backyard. And there was a back corner of our lot that had just all this crazy undergrowth and had been there ever since we moved in over 18 years ago. And she says, I'm going to plant a garden there. So, you know, grunt work rich here, you know, because I'm having to pull up all these vines of honeysuckle and all that kind of stuff, you know, first week out there, you know, just yanking on this stuff, pulling it up.

And by Friday comes around and I was like, honey, I really need a break, you know. And you should see it now. It's a full blown garden.

Looks entirely different from what it used to before. But energy goes where your attention flows. See, I know that by personal experience. You know, the old song goes, you're so heavenly minded, you're no earthly good. It's actually wrong.

It's actually wrong. Those who are the most heavenly minded do the most earthly good. Look at verse 17 with me. And if you call on him as father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.

Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. I've said this before, this is what we need to have as the right perspective. This is what Peter does for his readers in this letter. He's writing to a whole category of people strewn out through a large portion of land. And what he does is he draws for them a line. Take the line from there, from that wall to that wall, okay? And that line represents eternity. That line represents eternity. There's one tiny speck dot on that line. Do you see it?

Do you see the speck on the line? That, that is the entirety of your life. And that's not even an accurate representation.

Because proportionately, you wouldn't even be able to see it on there. What Peter is saying, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. What is he saying? You're not home, you're exiles. You don't belong here. Conduct yourselves with fear.

Here's what he's saying. Live for the line, not for the dot. Live for the line, not for the dot.

In other words, don't find all of your meaning, your identity, your purpose, and your satisfaction. That stuff doesn't come from the dot. And so we shouldn't live for the dot. We should live for the line. If you're living for the dot, what that means is that God is little more than an additive to your life. You consume God like a vitamin supplement so that your day will go better.

We become obsessed with security and we can't tolerate risk or vulnerability if we're living for the dot. But if we're living for the line, what does that mean? It means for me to live as Christ, to die as gain. If I'm living for the line, it means I become a confident risk taker for the purposes of the kingdom of God. Because it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

That's living for the line. This is how Peter is challenging his readers. So speaking of his readers, who are they? Who did Peter write to?

Three words or phrases that describe who Peter writes to? The elect exiles of the dispersion. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for the sprinkling with his blood, may grace and peace be multiplied to you. Do you know there is three months worth of theology packed in those two verses?

You ready to get started? I'm just kidding. The elect exiles of the dispersion. The word elect, now that is a word that is used of several different entities in scripture. And they include Israel, Israel's God's chosen. Angels are called elect, at least those that serve God, they're called elect angels. Jerusalem, the city, is called elect. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the chosen one.

And the church, the Christians. Here's what God is saying. If you belong to Jesus Christ, God is saying, look at me, you are mine. In a very loving, caring, comforting, complete loving, caring, confident way, you are mine. All the comfort in the world comes from that.

You are mine. If you were to look at any of these entities, there are four things that are true about them, what it means to be the elect of God. And one is that you are serving his purpose. Look at chapter four, verse two, scoot over the chapter four, verse two. And so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for the will of God. We who belong to God do not live for the passions of the flesh, but for the will of God.

That is our purpose. So what is the will of God? What is our mission as a church? Second Corinthians 5 19. We have been granted the ministry that was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them. And he has granted to us the ministry of reconciliation.

That's purpose. We are God's people, so we're serving his purpose. Not only are we serving his purpose, but we're serving his purpose under his protection. The elect of God always enjoy the privilege of God's protection.

Israel did, the angels do, Jerusalem did, Jesus did, the church does. Romans eight, who shall bring a charge against God's elect? He's the one who justifies. So we are serving his purpose under his protection. Not only do we have his protection, but we also have his power. God's elect have his power to accomplish his purpose. Acts one eight, you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

A lot more can be said about that. But lastly, privilege. We serve his purpose under his protection with his power and enjoying his privilege. Look at verse two with me. According to the foreknowledge of God, the father in sanctification of the spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for the sprinkling of his blood with his blood. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. There it is.

That's his privilege. Grace and peace be multiplied to you. May God lavish you with his grace and peace.

That is never said to an unbelieving people. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m. We'll see you next week.