Sabbath 7/2/16 Seventh Day Baptist Pastor Wray sermon �Peculiar People�
Posted : 2 Jul, 2016 09:35 AM
Sabbath 7/2/16 Seventh Day Baptist Pastor Wray sermon �Peculiar People� Titus 2:11-14.
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This scripture brings to mind the subject �peculiar people� The KJV version uses the words peculiar people seven times. It means a treasured possession and not something strange or odd. In Titus verse 12 it says that we are to live self controlled godly lives and to say no to worldly lusts. Jesus gave of himself for us. While we wait for Jesus to come back, we should live godly.
Originally the word peculiar meant private property. In KJV it is used to describe Christians as private property, treasured possessions that belong to God. In Deut. 2, God says Israel was a holy, peculiar people unto God. The Israelites were owned by God and special to God. No one touched them unless the Lord let them be touched. The Israelites were a treasured possession. You and I are �peculiar people�, a special people to God. I Peter 2:9 says that we are special to God, a royal priesthood that belongs to God. The Lord did this for us and we didn�t deserve it.
Ephesians 2:3 says that God loves us and made us alive in Christ. We are saved by Christ Jesus and through his Grace. It is by Grace we have been saved through our Faith. It is the gift of God because we did not earn our salvation. The only thing we did that qualified us for God�s grace is that we repented of our sins and accepted Jesus. We accepted that Jesus now owns us and He is our Lord and Master. Jesus is the only savior that would have folk like you and me. God loved us so much that He gave Jesus, his only son, to die for us. Because we accept Jesus, God has made us his peculiar possession, his treasured possession, his peculiar people.
Holy means separate or set apart. We are a holy, peculiar people. Holy is to be separate, set apart from something else. We are set apart, set aside by God from the rest of the world. This makes us peculiar. We are not like everybody else because we are different from the world. God has made us holy. The bible also says we are to make ourselves holy too. Be different and be set apart from the rest of the world. God calls us to not be normal but to be peculiar. Say NO to the worldly lust and live godly lives. Why? Because Jesus gave himself for us, to set us apart and we will be purified and holy.
Being different isn�t always a bad thing. It depends on how you look at it. We have been set apart by God, called out of darkness and made to be a peculiar people for God. God wants us to live differently than the world around us. He wants us to not be as the world and to have nothing to do with them that lie, cheat, kill and do evil things. We are to live different lives than they of the world. We are to live like this so we can glorify God. Jesus said let our light shine before men so they will see our good works and glorify God our father. Our righteous deeds are done to glorify God. We are a chosen generation, a royal priest hood, a holy people.
We are sacred people. Sacred doesn�t just mean sacred temples, sacred buildings, sacred preachers or priests. Sacred means to be a holy people. The Holy Spirit resided in us and God goes wherever we go. We are God�s temple and God lives in us. We are a peculiar people that are the private property and treasured possession of God. Our church is us and our feet and hands should not be idle. We are to go into the world and be a people that emulate God and are led by God. We are a peculiar people and we are the church. We are to model those around us what a godly life should be like.
