amen
Good morning everybody!
Welcome to Sequim Community Church
It's wonderful to see you this morning
and thank you for joining us online as well
You know, this morning as we come into this time of worship
maybe you've had a crazy week ,
maybe you've had a busy week or a discouraging week
and we just wanted to encourage you that
the Lord is here this morning
and he wants to meet with you.
This next song we sing is really awesome
because it talks about putting our hope in the lord
and Isaac's gonna share the scripture
Yeah - Isaiah 40:31 says,
"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength."
Let's stand and let's sing this together this morning
God, you are good, you are the way
you are the healer the Great I Am
there is none like you it never has been
there never will be
You are one true God
we want to tell you that we love you
back
and lord we continue that thought
you're always good
in fact the definition of who you are
is that there is nothing bad about you
even though we can't feel you even
though
sometimes we can't see you working
you still are working everything out for
good
for those who love you and are
striving to live according to your
purpose
on a day-to-day basis
and you know what our days are
you know the joys and the celebration
you also know the the challenges and the
difficulties we face
we're trying hard to look
forward and not be preoccupied with the
past
or even overwhelmed with the present
but to find the path that you have for
us and you have a path you have a good
path for us
and as we walk down that path as we
actualize
your plan and your purpose and our our
day-to-day living
we know how great you are how holy you
are how good you are
we know that we come
short
that we miss the mark
that that we are sinners
and father we're thankful out of your
goodness and mercy and grace
instead of punishing us
you give us grace you forgive us
it's great joy
it's a burden on
unholding us in terms of holding us down
and holding us back and you lift off
that burden you free us
to know your truth is to is to know that
we're free
in you
and that freedom speaks to the eternal
nature of our relationship with you the
the love that you have for us the plan
that ends in heaven
now because you choose us you want us to
spend
eternity with you we're thankful for
that lord we celebrate that
as we worship you today
again as we lift you up and worship
please lift us up and worship as well
and we pray these things in your name
amen
so give a wave to everybody around you
this morning
it is fun to have real people in the
room it's it's uh
fun and awesome to have you with us
online this morning
today we're culminating our series of
messages
on uh being our best and then
starting next week we're going to do a
deep dive we're going to be
diving deeply into our faith
and right now i think is a great time
for us to be
taking on that mindset
and and how the scriptures are equipping
us
and preparing us for uh the real life
that we're living day in
and day out so i i'd invite you to come
and be
all uh a part of that you can download
the message outline ahead of time so you
have it with you
as you watch online uh pastor rick is
going to be writing bible studies
that parallel uh what we're talking
about on
sunday mornings and and that'll take us
from
uh here in september through the end of
of october we'd love to have you be
a part of a small group i believe that
one of the ways to be the best
that you are is to be in relationship
with other great people
and that's what being in a small group
is all about
being around others that are part of the
family of god
and to be around the truth and the
practical nature
of god's word those are things that move
us forward in life those are things that
refine
us uh launch us as we
as we look forward in life
if you want to be a part of a small
group and you're here today
and you have questions rick is going to
be over
in the uh in the adult portable or here
look firm either place i'm not sure
where
he's going to be over there right
in geneva he's going to be in genevieve
okay in geneva right
okay all right look i i i've got it
right
he's gonna be in the adult portable and
he'll be there at 10
15 and at 11 15. if you're online
and you're going to be a part of small
groups or exploring that idea
and you have questions please email rick
this morning
at rick at squingcommunitychurch.org
and he will respond with you i think
he's setting up an opportunity
for uh people to talk to him and vice
versa
he does and we do want to answer any
questions you have
about being a part of a small group
lots of programming is starting this
week
so check on the website for your
particular
ministry program or activity i know that
the heart to heart women are here today
they have the bible study book
that the women will be going through and
it's available
for you to purchase today if
you would like to purchase one and have
it mailed to you
just call the church office and we'll be
happy to
put that in the mail to you as well
i think that's the last of my
announcements uh we
have a very melodious scripture reader
this morning
taking us to god's word
first peter 2 8-12 he is the stone that
makes people stumble
the rock that makes them fall they
stumble because they do not obey god's
word and so they meet the fate that was
planned for them
but you are not like that for you are a
chosen people
you are royal priests a holy nation
god's very
own possession as a result you can show
others the goodness of god for he called
you out of the darkness into his
wonderful light
once you had no identity as people now
you are god's people
once you receive no mercy now you
received god's mercy
dear friends i warn you as temporary
residents and foreigners
to keep away from worldly desires that
wage war
against your very souls be careful to
live properly among your unbelieving
neighbors
then even if they accuse you of doing
wrong they will see your honorable
behavior
and they will give honor to god when he
judges the world
peter makes a great statement
here in chapter 2 about
about who we are what it looks like
to step into our new
self our our being a new creation
on a day-to-day basis and i'm convinced
that
to be our very best to be your very best
that is all about
uh stepping in to being and stepping up
to being a new creation
in in jesus christ allowing our
old self our old sinful self
uh to fall away and stay in the past
and then put on the new nature that god
has
in store for us i believe that
is the most definitive thing
the most definitive element or dynamic
of who you are as a person
a person created in god's image
a person that god has a a calling to
a person that god has tailored a plan
and a purpose for
in this world and and yes he wants
you with him and along with us
uh any in eternity
how does peter cast
uh an image a description of who we are
as new creations
it's verses 9 and 10 that we just heard
let's let's loop back around to it one
more time
you are chosen people a royal priesthood
a holy nation a people belonging to god
now you are the people of god now you
have
received mercy god's mercy
let's look at the passage it it tells us
some very
important things about who we are
as new creations in jesus christ
number one is it it makes it very clear
that we
are completely accepted by god
that god accepts us that he wants to be
in a relationship with us and acceptance
is a big thing
in fact one of the things we need as
human beings
is acceptance by other people and to
accept other people we want to be known
we want to know
other people we want to be in
relationship with other people and that
works best when we can
accept one another
sometimes we believe that god doesn't
accept us
or that god has partial only partial
acceptance of us i mean he's holy and
great and almighty and we're just
human beings just just
making our way in a fallible
endeavor at times
yet god does love us and accept us
completely he wants
us to know that he accepts us
and of course he speaks to us and
chooses us so that we can accept
him and be in relationship with him
peter points this out clearly the good
news is you have been chosen by god
himself
he has chosen you he wants to be in
relationship with you
he does have a plan and a purpose that
he has
crafted and designed just
for you why do we know that because that
is who god is and that is how god
demonstrates his acceptance to us
here's how paul put it in ephesians 1 4.
he chose us in him before the creation
of the world to be holy and blameless
in his sight by his love
well i don't know about you but there
are moments and days where i don't feel
very
holy and i know i'm not blameless
but here paul is is holding up the crown
of christ
over our heads and he
he wants to encourage and pray us into
that
no we are not perfect but god accepts us
and in his acceptance he is empowering
us to move
forward and become more and more the men
and women of god that he created us to
be
in christ jesus
and the truth is is to have
and to know god's acceptance while
that slates us for success in life
it comforts us it frees us
in life
god made us acceptable that's what
our our communion wait it's usually over
here i put it
over here today that's what communion
reminds us about
is that god has fully accepted us
number two in god's sight we are very
valuable
yes you are extremely valuable to god
again here's how peter put it you are a
holy nation
a people belonging to god
we do want to belong to god we
we do want to be in relationship with
him and
here peter is is saying that you really
belong to god you are
you are possessed by god
purchased by god you are brought into
god's
circle so to speak theologically
and practically and
and that gives you great value what
gives something great
value
it's who owned it
and what someone is willing to pay for
it you
are a treasurer of god
titus 3. he made us acceptable to god
and he gave us
the hope of eternal life
a great a great moment of acceptance
and a great call to us on our day-to-day
life
deuteronomy 7 6 you are a people
holy to the lord his treasured
possession
we are god's treasured possession
and we are ultimately of value to him
because
of who do we belong to and
what has been paid for us
in fact i looked it up
that's what memorabilia is all about
people pay
millions of dollars for certain things
and they pay millions of dollars because
of who owned it
and then its value comes in what someone
is willing to pay for
last year the the largest thing at
auction
when it comes to memorabilia was the
jewelry of elizabeth taylor
and it sold last year for the highest
record
ever 100
million dollars
wow that's a hefty price
and because it was it was jewelry owned
and worn by elizabeth taylor
it garnered an extraordinary price
we are bought
we are we belong to god
and the person that owns us is really
god
and we know that because god is our
father the scriptures say
look at the birds god feeds them
and you are far more valuable to him
than any birds far more valuable than
any jewelry
any poster or card
house or car
we belong to him therefore we're very
valuable
and look at look at the price that was
paid for us
in jesus you've been brought and paid
for by christ
so you belong to him
you belong to him
he's the one that gave his life so that
we can have life
and he calls to us but but we also owe
him
we owe him devotion and dedication
because of what he's done for us
what he is doing for us what he will do
for us in the future
i'm like you sometimes i don't feel all
that valuable
all that treasured
but as we sang earlier just because we
don't see it or feel it it doesn't mean
that it's not true
and the holy spirit is there in those
moments of desperation
those moments of depression and anxiety
to whisper to us to tell us to lead us
know
god has paid for you
you belong to god that makes you very
valuable you are a treasured person
and remember if he can do what he does
for the birds
you're far more important than any bird
he is a a good father who knows how to
give
good gifts to his children
why because he loves us why because we
are valuable
to him
the scriptures also say here
in peter that we are totally capable
people
you are a royal priesthood chosen
to tell about the wonderful acts of god
what a great privilege that is
and it's the acts of god not only out
there but the acts of god in here
what he has done to transform us
what it what it feels like to be a new
creation
in jesus christ
the truth is god does miracles and he
starts with you
you're impossible to change
but the holy spirit changes us and
transforms us
even though we're impossible human
beings
come up short sinners
that did not that did not prevent or
stop god from calling us and choosing us
it did not slow him up in his desire to
give his
life so that we could have life
and so we are we are completely capable
people
now we can't write our relationship with
god
and there are some limits to that that
point
but in totality god has made us
only incomplete in him
and as we put that key god peace
at the center of the puzzle of our life
we understand the love
and the mercy and the grace and the
acceptance
and the value that we have in god
and god says yes you can go forth and
and multiply you can go
forth and and carry out
my will even though you're you're
not perfect you're more than capable of
telling people about
who i am and what i do
the fact that there is an eternal hope
in jesus christ
that exists nowhere else on this planet
we know that because god is working in
us
the capacity we have comes from god it
is
he who made us capable of serving
the new covenant the new the new way of
being in relationship with god
given the death and resurrection of
jesus
and so we can grab a hold of the reality
and the truth
i can do everything through christ who
strengthens me
and is that not put to the test every
day these days
i'm like you as i i
ponder what's going on as i get in touch
with my own
feelings i i have to admit there
there are those moments i feel like i
can't
instead of i can
i don't want to because i'm not able
and so we we need to hold on to
philippians 4
13.
yes we can do all things through christ
who strengthens
us even be in relationship with god
a transcendent god a holy god
it does not mean that there will not be
challenges
and difficulties in our life
original sin is still moving about
our world
yet what god promises to us here through
the pen of paul
is that he will come alongside of us he
will empower us
he will lead us he will pick us up
he will move us forward
and so there isn't anything that we face
that god
can't and won't help us with
because jesus came to help us do all
things
all things
and so in christ we are capable
in christ we're not only capable but we
are people who are totally loved
eternally loved
once we were not a people peter says
but now we are the people of god
we are people of god because we're in
relationship with jesus
and that relationship is is founded on
an
unconditional love that god has for us
and i love that about god
god doesn't turn his back god isn't
ashamed
every time i i don't do something
correct
he doesn't walk away when i sin
and yes he has every right to do so
because he is a holy god
but in his holiness he chooses to stand
with us
and yes i i believe at times he is very
much
waiting for us to come to him in
confession
to come to him and need
and i'd like to think that even at times
he taps his foot
what are you waiting for
sure you made a mistake sure you sinned
sure you feel inadequate and incomplete
but my love is unconditional
my love is an in spite of kind of love
now that god loves us unconditionally
that
that he loves us eternally is founded in
his forgiveness of us which is the last
point
that peter makes
but now you've received his mercy his
mercy is his forgiveness
and what's great about god's mercy is
it's not given out in small doses
it's given out in an amount that we need
in the moment
be it a small mercy or a giant
mercy
an eternal mercy
see god forgives us completely
totally
here's how isaiah describes god when it
comes to his
forgiving nature i am a god who forgives
your sins and i do this because of who i
am i will not hold your sins
against you see it's just the way that
god is
it is the nature of god the scriptures
say for him to forgive us
i am a god who forgives your sins it's
because of
who i am and who i want to be in
relationship with you
and so as god chooses us
accepts us values us
makes us capable people
fills us with his love which is put to
the test
in his desire and willingness to
lavish mercy upon us when we fail and
falter
and sin
who would have a lesser god
who would desire a god below this level
no one
his love is returned in our
understanding that when god forgives us
he forgives us completely periodly
and how do we know that we know that
because of this meal
because jesus paid the price for our
sins
for by the blood of christ we are set
free that is our sins are forgiven
how great is the grace of god
the greatness of god is displayed in
jesus's desire and will to
to give his body his blood
to give his life so that we can have
life
and an amazing truth is god does not
want to exact
from us one single penny of the cost
he says no it's a cost that only i can
pay
on your behalf
and even though it was difficult even
though it challenged
jesus himself at the very core of who he
was
he allowed the the mercy of god the love
of god the
the capability that god gives us
the understanding on how valuable we
are to god
his loving and reaching arms of
acceptance
he allowed all of that to be
the moment the response to the call the
motivation
for giving his life for paying the price
that we
we could never pay
and we know there's a price because how
many times do we try to pay that
ourselves
how many times and the good there
is as we try and fall short of god's
glorious ideal
that beckons us and calls us
to the cross
it positions us so that we can hear the
call of christ
that he has chosen us
that he wants the very best
for us
as we celebrate communion together
remember there's two tabs
this is christ's body which he was
willing to break
for you and me
so that we would know him that we would
be
transformed by him
so that we would spend just not
several years with him but eternity with
him
take and eat
christ held up the cup and he said this
is my blood that i willingly
shed for you
and as christ sheds his blood that means
we can stop
sweating blood
we can stop feeling as though that we're
all alone
in this journey
and that somehow the
bad is going to win over the good not
true not true
we know that we will be victorious
because christ
has shed his blood for you and me
christ's blood shed for you
let us pray together
lord god we are thankful for all that
you
all that you do for us and in us
and and that transformation that
plan and purpose that is eternal we know
is
just your character in nature it is who
you
are
that you're an accepting god who values
us that you're a god who
who makes us capable in jesus christ
not only eternally but on a practical
day-to-day basis
lord we're thankful for your in spite of
unconditional
eternal love it makes such a difference
each and every day
and as we celebrate your supper
it is a great reminder
that you not only forgive us
but you forget
you not only clean the slate of our soul
but you give us a new one
we become a new creation in you
and we are thankful for that lord
not only receive our confession today
but
receive our feelings and thoughts and
actions
of praise and adoration to you
and so we pray all these things in your
name
amen
let's stand and sing this together
i
into the
my soul
is
oh
grace
calls me
hallelujah
jesus christ
is
every day
your buried body
begins to breathe
has
we can
oh
me
right
jesus thank you so much for being our
living hope we bless your name today we
say
thank you thank you for choosing us
thank you for making a way for us
god we stand in awe of your unfailing
love
i love what pastor scott said today when
he said
something has value because of who owned
it
and how much someone is willing to pay
and just think about that this week
jesus who owns all things created you
he was willing to die so he paid for
anyways just a beautiful thought bless
you guys
have a great sunday
