CHARLES E WHISNANT
The Spiritual Benefit, Entitlement, Advantage, A Special Right, Immunity Granted, Available only to a Particular Group of People. Which most people cannot take advantage of.
THE GREAT BLESSINGS WE HAVE OF BEING A CHRISTIAN BELIEVER IN CHRIST GRANTED BY GOD BECASUE OF THEIR POSITION IN CHIRST. First Peter 2:
1A Embracing with Christ "Jesus the Chief Corner Stone."
2A Entrance to Christ: "God's Building A Spiritual House."
3A Protection in the Lord "What Does It mean to be a Priest" & "How Are We To Function"
4A Attachment to the Lord "Building on a Chosen Foundation", "The Preciousness of Christ, "A Stone of Offense,"
5A Chosen By Our Lord: "A Royal Priesthood"
6A Ruling With the Lord "Chosen By Our Lord"
7A Separation to Our Lord "A Spiritual Intimacy With Christ"
8A Possession By the Lord "A People For God's Own Possession."
Vs. 9 "A PECULIAR PEOPLE" But you are A CHOSEN RACE, a royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION,
so that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light
People of God's own possession: Exodus 19:5, Isaiah 43:21, Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 26:18.
God has redeemed Christians not out of Babylon but out of darkness and has called them to Himself, taking them not out of Jerusalem, but into His marvelous light
"A peculiar people.' Means a set-apart nation of people formed for God's possession. A consecrated class of people. Purchased people. An acquired people.
"They are a people which He has secured as a possession, or as His own, a people, therefore, which belong to Him, as to no other."
Ephesians 1:14 tells us how He possessed us. The purchased price? Redemption. Acts 20:28 "with His own blood." First Corinthians 6:20. "For ye are bought with a price." Titus 2:14 "Who gave Himself for us that Her might redeem us from all iniquity."
"I AM A PERSONAL POSSESSION OF THE LIVING CHRIST."
9A ILLUMINATION IN OUR LORD:
"THAT YE SHOULD SHEW FORTH THE PRAISES OF HIM WHO HATH CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELLOUS LIGHT." VS. 9
God's purpose in redeeming us is not simply our own enjoyment, but that we might glorify Him. Isaiah 43:7, and 25. Isaiah 43:21; 60:1-3; Matthew 5:16; Eph sian1:6; 3:21; Philippians 2:15,16)
You are acquired so that you might proclaim abroad the excellencies of Him who hath called you.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CALLED OUT OF DARKNESS?
Refers to unbelievers in their condition before their conversion, when they were in intellectual darkness, i.e. they could not see truth, and moral darkness, i.e. they could not see righteousness.
Spurgeon...See where you once were, and see also to what you have been called by God’s grace: “out of darkness into light.” That is not all: into His light. Even that is not all: “into his marvellous light.” The light of the gospel is full of wonders. As common light is made up of many colors, so the light of God’s grace is made up of many marvellous colors, — the colors of all the attributes of God.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT THEY WERE CALLED?
You have been called to participation. God invites men and women to participate in fellowship with Him and in His salvation. God's saving initiative, the effectual call of God. God called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. First Peter 1:1, 15, 2:21 and 3:9 and 5;10
WHAT DOES IT MAN TO HAVE BEING GIVEN LIGHT
You have been called out of intellectual nonsense, and moral perversion into a wonderful truth, and righteousness.
"TO SHOW" i.e. declare , to tell out, to tell forth, to rehearse in adoring language of God's righteousness.
"God's excellencies" Its speaks forth the praises of God, Psalms 9:14; 71:15; 73:28; 79:13; 107:22; 119:13, 26
When you are around Christians who speech fulfills this purpose invariably refreshed our spirits.
He desires to be known. To know God for what He is. Why? Because He would have every heart gladdened and blessed for ever by that received and believed light.
WHY HAVE CHRISTIANS BEEN SAVED?
You have been saved for God's sake. What people can learn about God from a true Christian is a better revelation than has ever been made or can be made elsewhere?
People of the world takes its notions of God, most of all from the people who say they belong to God's family. They read us a great deal more than they read the Bible. They see us, they see Jesus Christ. We make Jesus our life, so people can see who Christ is in us.
You are to be advertisers of the praises or virtues of Christ, not only to know them, and to be glad to know them, but to make them known to others. Beloved, how far are you doing this? I put the question personally to each one of you, for you were chosen by God on purpose that you “should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”.
