A Chosen People
I want to look at a favourite verse of mine this week - 1 Peter 2:9. At the beginning of the chapter, Peter has spoken about those who've rejected Christ. And then in verse 9 he says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special position, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”
Chosen Yet Invited
That verse is just full of ideas of who we are in Christ, and I want to look at them this week. Peter firstly says you are a chosen people, and in the Old Testament the Jews were often called God's chosen people. But now Peter is applying this amazing phrase to all who are in Christ.
And in fact, he really echoes the words of Paul in Ephesians 1:4, who wrote “for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight”
Now this presents an interesting argument. Some people would say God's already chosen who's going to be saved, and you've got no chance if you're not one of the chosen. But you know, in Matthew 22, Jesus tells a parable about a king who throws a wedding feast for his son. And when the time has come, he goes out to find all the people who were invited and none of them want to come. They all reject the invitation. And so he opens up the doors to everybody. And so scores of people come into the feast! And then when the king walks in He sees somebody who's not wearing the right wedding clothes and he kicks him out. And at the end of the parable, Jesus says this. “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Invitation and Choice
It seems as if Jesus is saying that everyone's invited, but many people will reject the invitation. But those who accept the invitation and in faith come to Christ, they are the chosen ones. And you'll know that they are because they live the right type of lives as a result of their salvation.
It's not so much about God picking some and rejecting others. It's about us rejecting the invitation, and those who accept the invitation are God's chosen people.
And so, friends, you're invited to the feast. You can reject the invitation, or you can walk in as one of God's chosen. Which choice are you going to make?
