Who Am I? - Pt 6

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, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV).

Today we come to the fifth and final description Peter uses to explain the characteristics believers have been given in the redemptive act of Christ. He says: we are “… a royal priesthood" (v. 9). Let’s review before we dive into this truth. He has said that we are chosen by God and pitied by God and possessed by God and holy like God. Now he says we are royal priests to God. The point here is first that you have immediate access to God. We don't need another human priest as a mediator. God himself provided the one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ. We have direct access to God, through God. And, second, we have an exalted, active role in God's presence. I remember when I was in an active role as a pastor that one of the children’s programs we used was “RA’s.” All three of my boys spent many Wednesday evenings in the activities of “Royal Ambassadors,” which is the designation of the acronym “RA.” The concept which was the basis of the name was in the truth we have in our reading today. We are royal in our adopted lineage; and, we are the representatives of the King to the peoples we are sent to. It was a good program and good theology. In many churches today it has been replaced by “AWANA.” This program is so named as it is derived from the first letters of "Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed.” It is also a good program and undergirded by clear Scripture. However, I wonder if we have somehow lost the concept of our royal lineage and with that the privilege of the “priesthood.” You are not chosen, pitied, possessed, and holy just to fritter away your time doing nothing. You are called now to reflect the glory of God in all that you do. All your life is priestly service. You are never out of God's presence. You are never in a neutral zone. You are always in the court of the temple. So you can see that your identity—the question, "Who are you?"—leads directly to the question, "What are you here for?" Your identity leads to your destiny. You are chosen, pitied, possessed, and holy, all for a purpose, to minister as priests. And the heart of that ministry Peter describes for us very clearly in the last verse of verse nine: “… that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Today, commit yourselves to being who you already are!