REMADE TO BE ROCK-SOLID REPRESENTATIVES OF CHRIST
“To be or not to be, that is the question.” (Shakespeare)
Question to ponder: Did you decide at some point in your life what you wanted to be . . . only to have your decision changed by your marriage relationship, your parental responsibility, your professional role? Of necessity - at some point in everyone’s life - the reality of decisions sets in - for better or worse.
Your decision and mine “to follow Jesus, no turning back” no doubt brought changes that we never dreamed of . . . to what we were going to be and do . . . to where we wanted to go . . . live . . . how we would conduct the facets of our lives.
Never in a million years, for example, would I have imagined that little ole me would marry “above my pay grade” . . . go to school in “that city” known for Mardi Gras . . . start my career in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia . . . wind up in the pulpit of the birthplace of the SBC . . . retire from organized ministry while serving in a largely unknown place named Rex . . . “keep on keeping on” via the counseling profession for 20 more years . . . finish my ministry on a high note – by gathering every Sunday for 15 years with the saints who reside at The Palms at Lake Spivey – a foretaste of “glory divine”!
Question: When you gave your heart to Christ, and decided to follow Jesus, did it ever occur to you that there was in store for your something more than just a saved soul? (There may be “Backdoor Baptists”, but the Church of Jesus Christ has no back doors - only open doors of opportunity!)
You and I were saved to live for Christ in the here and now and to live with Christ in the hereafter. BUT, what we learned is: to live for Christ means far more than we imagined!
You and I were “wonderfully made then remade” to be somebody, a child of God . . .“remade to be adopted into the family of God” as a child of the King . . . “remade to make a difference for Christ” as a minister of the New Covenant.
As if being in those three astounding relationships to Father God were not enough, here comes the Apostle Peter with the shocking announcement about a “role of all roles” that is yours and mine because of our uniqueness as children of God, children of the King, ministers of the New Covenant:
You and I were remade to be Rock-solid Representatives of Christ, just as surely as any God-ordained priest ever was or is!
“Therefore”, admonished Peter, “put away old behavior patterns, and, as newborns, yearn for pure spiritual milk by which to grow in Christ. I know you will do this because you have indeed tasted that the Lord is good.” (I Peter 2:1-3)
From that easily understood “milk” analogy, Peter turned his rhetoric up a notch or two, using analogies that elevated a mature believer’s role to the highest level attainable – I Peter 2:4-10 . . .
“A picture is worth a thousand words”! Do you see the picture painted here by Peter – a word picture of the Temple of which there was no greater structure or edifice in the minds of Peter’s hearers, and no greater representative of God than the priest associated with the temple?
Peter depicts the onward Christian movement in terms of three essential components of the Temple: the cornerstone, the building blocks, and the Priest. Please recall that Jesus spoke of His body as the temple of God which would be destroyed, but raised; Paul asked that searching question, “Don’t you know that you are the temple of God . . . that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” Thus, Peter elevates the role of mature believers to the highest level imaginable by visualizing Christ as the Chief Cornerstone of a Spiritual Temple being built with living stones into a Spiritual House served by a Holy Priesthood made up of priests (God’s representatives) who are individually distinctive! “In Christ, there is no difference!”
What a privilege that we should be called sons of God . . . ministers of the New Covenant . . . priests (rock-solid representatives of Christ)!
By now, you do know that The Church of which you are a part is not a physical building of bricks and mortar standing at a particular geographical location!
The Church of Jesus Christ is Believers who represent Christ in word and in deed as we: go wherever we go . . . do whatever we do . . . say whatever we say!
The One to whom you are connected, attached, fixed, committed - as if you were a stone aligned with the cornerstone of a temple - is the One who has been rejected by others but accepted by you. This is the way it was, is now, and forever will be.
A word of caution: Let their rejection in no way affect your profession of faith in Him and your testimony for Him. While others deny Him, keep your trust intact, and you will be pleased with the outcome of your faithful representation of Christ. Let us:
Represent Christ by humbly accepting our role as priests chosen by God – no bragging, as if we were God’s favorites, while others were excluded. No! ONLY because we repented of sin and accepted the One chosen by God to be an atoning sacrifice are we now considered to be priests chosen by God. To be His disciple is to be chosen by His Father. You choose Jesus, God chooses you.
Represent Christ by living up to the image conveyed by “royal priesthood”. Royalty is supposed to act royally! We want our lives to bring honor, not shame, to the Name of Jesus. Unashamedly we want to let it be known that we are His - connected to, aligned with, and our lives patterned after, Jesus Christ!
Represent Christ by living out our lives in as “holy” a manner as we possibly can without displaying a “holier-than-thou” attitude. If we keep our role as priests in perspective – humbly accepting our “chosen” status – we should never have to worry about coming across as “holier-than-thou” - simply because we won’t be!
Represent Christ by a willingness to be “peculiar”. When we conduct our lives in keeping with our calling, our profession of faith, our status of having been set aside and dedicated to God, there is no question that some folks will consider us to be “odd” or “unusual”.
(A gay athlete at the Olympics refused to shake v. p. Pence’s hand because the v. p. had once voiced his disapproval of gay marriage. The athlete said he does not associate with “odd” people. Say what? Mr. Pence responded like the gentleman he is by sending the athlete best wishes anyway.)
The word translated “peculiar” actually means “a purchased possession”. So, we are “God’s special possession purchased by the blood of Jesus”! Now folks: THAT is an honorable position to be in - not to be ashamed of but proud of!
So proud that we let our light shine that others take notice and respond in one of two ways – ridicule us, or, glorify our Father in heaven (hopefully the latter)!
Finally: Our priestly status means that we have the privilege of entering the presence of God at any time of our choosing - as we need to and want to.
In Christ, we all (each of us who bear the name of Christ) may unhesitatingly and unreservedly approach the throne of God (Hebrews 4:14-16). Jesus made access to God possible by His atoning sacrifice on the Cross. (“And when Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit (he died). At that moment, the veil (curtain) in the temple was rent (torn) in two from top to bottom.”)
In the Old Testament, only designated priests could enter the Holy of Holies (the presence of God) which was separated from the people by a curtain.
In the New Testament, due to our connection to the great high priest, Jesus, we are made priests; thus, we need no intervener; we have direct access to God.
And who represents us when we go straight to God in prayer? None other than the One who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
The One we represent as we go about our daily lives represents us as we go to God in prayer! Amen.
