Encounter Christ

by Paul Won

Luke 22: 54-62 and Luke 23:26-49

Key Verse: Luke 23:34a- “Jesus said, Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Encounter Christ

Hi everybody, I hope everyone is having a good time at the conference and had a good time paintballing. hopefully you won’t be too tired to listen to God’s word. I’m going to start with a quick prayer.

Since arriving here last night, we have listened to two different messages. First, we heard a message from Peter about the calling of Peter, where we learned about the building of his relationship with Jesus. Secondly we heard a message from Patrick about the identity of Peter in Jesus Christ, where we learned how Jesus gave Peter a new identity as the future of his church. My passage is no different than these except, I want to focus on a different aspect of Peter’s relationship with Jesus, or you could say breaking the relationship with Jesus. Through this passage I want to look at how Peter betrays the relationship with Jesus, but moreover I want to look at the forgiveness of Peter.

Part 1: Peter’s Denial; Luke 22: 54-62

My passage starts at Luke 22 verse 54, but I want to start by looking at the beginning of the chapter to set some context for what is to come. Luke starts of by writing about the festival of unleavened bread. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it is the celebration and commemoration of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. As we learned in Exodus, God told the Israelites to commemorate the exodus, with a week long festival in remembrance. Passover starts on the 15th day of the 7th hebrew month and lasts for 1 week. And if we look at chapter 22 verses 7 -10 we see the disciples and Jesus celebrating it together in Jerusalem.

During the passover meal with his disciples, Jesus says to Peter in verses 31 and 32, “ Simon,simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you SImon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back strengthen your brothers.” However in verse 33 Peter says that he was ready to follow Jesus to prison and death, but rather jesus continued to say that Peter would be tested and would deny him 3 times before the rooster crows.

Later, Jesus then left to the mount of olives to prepare for his arrest. As Jesus was praying at the mount of olives Judas came with armed guards and religious leaders to come and apprehend Jesus to be lead away.

Now let's look at the the passage, Luke starts his account of Jesus’s trial with verse 54, If someone could read this for me?, “Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance.”

During this trial 2 disciples had followed Jesus: Peter and John. According to John’s gospel Peter had stopped in the courtyard and John went into the house of the high priest. However, I want to focus on Peter and what happens with him. In the second part of verse 54, Luke mentions that Peter followed at a distance. I want to take a little bit of time to look at the significance of this action. For the last 3 years since the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Peter had always been with Jesus. As we heard in Peter’s message we see Simon Peter being called along with James, John, and Andrew as the first disciples. And since, then they had been with Jesus ever since. Peter had walked alongside Jesus, slept next to Jesus, ate with Jesus, and even worshiped with him, but in this instance Peter followed at a distance.

For someone to follow someone this closely for three years, you would think they would be with him at the pivotal time before their death,

Why would Peter be following Jesus and a distance then?

Let us examine Peter’s attitude at this moment in time. Peter experienced the emotion that we know to be fear. This fear appeared as indecisiveness in Peter’s commitment that he had made to Jesus. Peter’s fear impeded his ability to follow Jesus as his disciple. Many times when we are faced with difficult circumstances, we make decisions based on our emotions and especially fear. And it is no different when you are following Jesus. There will be times when you will experience fear, but a lot of the times we will just dismiss following jesus because it pulls us out of our comfort zones. It seems as though Peter only wanted to follow Jesus closely when it was convenient for him. And that is the same for many of us. When difficulties come our way, can we say that we were following Jesus? If you can answer yes, are you really following Him, closely, even today?

As we learned in Peter’s message Peter dropped everything to follow Jesus, because Jesus does not want someone who follows him half heartedly instead he wants them to drop everything to follow him. Key word Everything. Jesus wants full commitment. Following Jesus is not just a thing that you can put some effort in, but it takes your all effort and sacrifice to follow him.

However in the case of Peter, he had this self confidence, this hot shot attitude that he could do anything. He said in verse 32 that he was ready to follow Jesus to prison and even death, but he was not. His confidence in his worldly abilities blinded him from being able to see what Jesus was telling him. Peter was weak and fell to the traps of Satan. He succumbed to fear and when the servant girl had asked him if he was a disciple he denied it, and then denied it again, and denied it again. He fell into a pattern of fear because no matter confident and proud he was, he could not fight satan; he could not fight the power of fear by himself. Peter’s pride was his downfall. He did not realize that what Jesus had predicted was going to be true because he thought he was invincible.

Once Peter was accused, he went into survival mode. He just wanted to look after himself. His mindset was about himself and himself only. Even after Jesus had told him exactly what happened Peter still did not realize what happening. He did not remember that jesus told him he was going to deny him 3 times. You would think that he would remember the words that Jesus spoke but he didn’t. If someone could read verse 61 for me.

“The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”

That’s right, Peter did not remember what Jesus had said until he had looked at him. Many times we don’t realize our sins until it's too late, or many times we dismiss them completely. Jesus’ look reminded him of what he had done. I feel like, many times as Christians we do not realize what is wrong until we see ourselves in relationship to Jesus. We do not realize notice our sin until we see the holy Jesus.

Now, I want to ask you what do you think Jesus’ look was like?

As I read this passage for the first time, I remember thinking about what this look was. I first thought it could be like a chastising or rebuking look, but now it seems as if Jesus gave a look of love and reconciliation to Peter. For in verse 62, “he went outside and wept bitterly.” Peter had realized what had just happened and wept bitterly because at that moment he realized his own sin of pride. Peter’s pride in his strength had failed him. However, Jesus showed the ultimate act as a good shepherd. Even through his pain he still managed to help his disciples to realize their sins and and struggles.

The assurance of Christ’s knowledge of Peter’s sins melted his heart, and this assurance paved the way for his love and forgiveness. The tears that Peter shed, which are out of regret do not wash away the sin, but they come from the assurance that Christ’s love, that like a flood, has swept the sin away.

I myself if this context am just like Peter. Throughout this year, I was blessed with so many different things especially being able to get into college. I saw this triumph not as a blessing but rather I worked so hard for this. I saw getting into Northwestern as my own accomplishment. My sinful nature told me don’t thank God, but praise yourself. I am just like Peter, I think that I can just put my head down and not listen to what people are saying and things will come out alright but God humbles the proud and I realized that the hard way. Through Peter’s denial I saw God’s grace to humble me even through my pride. Jesus gave me that look that allowed me to see my faults and sins clearer. And Jesus had forgiven me through his death that we will talk about next.




Part 2: Jesus’ Forgiveness; Luke 23:26-49

Now we get to the crucifixion of Jesus.

So, according to Luke 23 verse 32, Jesus was lead from pilot’s house to be crucified. As Jesus was taking this journey, I want all of you guys to close your eyes and picture it.

Imagine this, not sleeping the previous day, and you have puncture wounds on your forehead and bruises and cuts all over your body from being flogged and whipped. Then you’re forced to carry a cross that weighs around 165 pounds, up a hill thats a quarter of a mile. Imagine this for a second.

And finally in verse 33 when they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. I don’t think any of us could really picture what this looks like

So, I just want to show you a video about Jesus’ crucifixion. I think this is as close as we can get to seeing Christ on the cross. This video is really graphic. So if you don’t want to see what will happen, then you can cover your eyes.

This video is from the movie “Jesus”. As you can see in the video, Jesus is going through so much pain. I don’t think any of us could imagine what this is like, but then Jesus said in verse 34 my key verse,

“Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

As we saw in the video, He was going through the hardest and most painful thing He’s ever had to endure. Yet He was praying. What’s even more impressive is that He was praying for, our forgiveness.

When times are good and you’re healthy, maybe you’ll look at others’ needs and try to help them. But when times are bad, when we feel wronged, persecuted or feel pain, we have a “woe is me” mentality and focus on ourselves. We want to be at the center, with the whole world revolving around us.

It might not be a surprise to you to see Jesus praying in the midst of this trial, but to see what He’s praying for should. We could understand if He was praying, “Father, they nailed me to a piece of wood. I came to save them and now they’re trying to kill me! Father, strike them dead and let’s start all over.” That would be understandable, but very unlike Jesus. Or maybe, “Father, I know I have to endure the cross for the salvation of your people, but it’s so difficult and painful, so please help me to endure it.” That would be a really understandable prayer. But He doesn’t pray that either.

During the time when it would be understandable and expected for even Jesus to be self-focused, He was being utterly others-focused. His focus was on God and those around him. And in the end he said, “Father, forgive them.”

I know we’ve probably heard these three words many times, but I want to take some time to really break each one down, and the significance that they hold.

So first there’s Father.

Obviously whenever we pray, we pray to the father, however that is not what I want to look at. I want to look at why would Jesus say it on the cross. Why would Jesus cry out to god only on the cross?

When Jesus was on the cross, He now became the atonement for the sin of the world. So now Jesus could ask his father for the forgiveness of the world because he had taken it upon his shoulders. His sacrifice allowed him to ask for the forgiveness of the world because Jesus took the wages of sin on himself, which is death.

The second word in this phrase is forgive.

A lot of times, I feel like we all, including myself take this word for granted. Jesus did not have to ask God for forgiveness for us, Jesus didn’t have to die for us, . He didn’t have to do anything for us but yet he did. Jesus’ infinite love and mercy was poured out for us because We are all sinners but he bore the whole sin of the world with his death.

The last word is them.

Jesus wanted to forgive not only those who had wronged like the religious leaders and the centurions, but everyone there. Also He wanted to forgive Peter and the even the whole world and this forgiveness had and has no exceptions. Anyone can experience God’s forgiveness if they ask for it. Jesus is holding his arms open to welcome you if you just ask. For in 1 John 1:9, he says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

All three of these words are shown in action in one of the most beautiful stories in the bible: The forgiveness of the penitent criminal.

It doesn’t say much in the bible about who these two criminals, but I want to look at their words and actions, next to jesus on the cross.. Now let's look at verse 39, if someone could read this for me?

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

This criminal who hung there was trying to survive. He wanted to somehow escape this death. But the other criminal who hung there said in verses 40 and 41, “But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

This criminal had accepted his punishment and realized the holiness of Jesus Christ, he saw the perfection of Jesus and through his perfection he had seen his sins. The criminal hanging on the cross recognized his sins, and asked jesus for his forgiveness. And the most beautiful thing happened. Jesus said Today you will be with me in paradise. Jesus had forgiven his sins. And in this short time he went from a criminal to a citizen of heaven.

As I was going through the passage and reflecting about the penitent criminal, I struggled to grasp the thought about what it was talking about. Because whenever people talk about the crucifixion they always have this big grand story about how Jesus’ forgiveness changed their lives just like in the criminal story. But as i wrote, I had such a hard time to think of something like that. But it’s not about the ending, it’s about your desire to ask for forgiveness. And that’s what we see in all the miracles that jesus performed, the desire to come to Jesus, and many of the times they came for forgiveness. Jesus wants us to have that desire, that’s why i believe he looked at Peter, he wants us to have that desire for forgiveness. I honestly repent for not having this desire. I replaced my desire of Jesus with the chase of worldly pleasures. I wanted to fill my life with the love and recognition of others, but really it prevented me from really seeing that Jesus just wanted me to come to him in repentance. I crucified Jesus, because I tried to fill Jesus’ forgiveness with my own desire. And as I writing this message, I realized that I needed to have that desire to come to Jesus and be forgiven.

Now we come to the end of jesus’ life where he finally takes his last breath .If someone could read verses 44 and 45 for me?




“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.”

These events are huge, but they would never happen without his death and forgiveness. If you guys weren’t here for our exodus study, I’ll explain the significance of these verses. First of all in the temple in jerusalem, there were 2 rooms. The holy place, and the most holy place. The curtain separated the two rooms because the most holy place was the dwelling place of god. No one could come into the room except the high priest. But Jesus tore this curtain.

Jesus is the bridge now, he filled the gap between man and god. He is that mediator between us and God because Before in our dirty and sinful lives, we were not allowed in god’s presence but by his death we are cleansed and are allowed into the presence of Holy God.

This is the fullness of the Gospel. That even though we sin, Jesus died on the cross for us so that we may be forgiven of those sins when we repent and believe in Him. We don’t deserve this grace, because we are all sinners and in fact don’t deserve anything. And, That is what easter is about, not all the easter bunnies and the things that people secularized it as but it is about the death of Jesus christ and that he has forgiven our sins through his death. Jesus’s death is the most important event in history. His death gives everyone life if they choose to believe in him and We are able to be with Jesus in paradise. I pray that as this easter season comes into full swing that we may be able to have that moment to see Jesus on that cross and come to him in repentance, that moment where we can all weep in realization of our sins. For the real reason of easter is to celebrate Jesus’ death and reflect on what it really means to you personally.

I want to challenge you guys to think about, what is hindering you from coming to jesus in repentance, what are your excuses, maybe social pressure by the crowd, fear like peter’s, or just plain ignorance by the people around.

Whatever the reason is, let us hear the prayer of Jesus on the Cross and receive forgiveness today., because there’s forgiveness everytime we come to the cross of Jesus.

Can we read the key verse all together.

Encounter Christ: Identities in Christ

by Patrick Timlin

Key Verse Matthew 16:16- Peter replied “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Identity is an important part of every person’s life. It can be how you see yourself, or how others see you. It is what truly defines us as a person. Identity is formed by our actions, beliefs, and words, along with our backgrounds. Depending on who you ask, you’ll get different answers for the question “Who is Patrick Timlin?” My Academic Decathlon coach might reply “A hard worker who inspires the rest of the team to be better, while always being the catalyst of fun times.” On the other hand, my English teacher will reply “That kid who’s rarely in my class, and when he is there, he’s on his phone.” Or if you ask my mom, you’ll hear “My gift from heaven who loves God, his family, and gets straight A’s.” The closer the person we ask this question, the deeper response we expect to receive and it frankly is closer to the truth. In this passage we will dive into the idea of identity, dealing with Jesus and the people of this earth.

Jesus starts off his discussion with the disciples in verse 13 by asking “Who do the people say the son of man is?” Can someone read their response in verse 14? Here Jesus is talking about “the people”. In this case the people are all those throughout Israel who Jesus and the disciples have encountered during their travels. The people who have seen Jesus perform miracles, along with those who only heard about his wonders. Through their responses we can see how foolish they are. John the Baptist is alive at this point in time and is preparing the way for Jesus, therefore Jesus cannot be John. Elijah had last been seen on earth 900 years prior, being lifted into Heaven on a chariot of fire. Malachi prophesies that Elijah would return, saying (Malachi 4:5-6) Elijah would come back on the dreadful day when the Lord comes. Yet that day would not come until after Christ comes the first time. Furthermore Jesus could not be another one of the prophets because he is fulfilling the exact prophecies that the Prophets proclaimed. Here Jesus‘s identity is being misunderstood by some people, denied by others, and the chosen few understand it.

Then in verse 15 Jesus asks the disciples a different question. Can someone please read verse 15 aloud? (“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”). This question is much deeper. It requires thought from the disciples on who Jesus is to them. It’s much easier to describe someone’s opinion or words because it has no impact on us, really we are just passing the information along. A common use of this is gossiping in high school. Spreading the words of someone else happens everyday in the halls of Whitney Young, and I guarantee it happens everywhere else in the city. Whether it’s the passing period, in a group chat, or over snapchat, it is so much easier to gossip about what other people say. Yet here Jesus asks the disciples who they think he is, to find the answer, they will have to deeply think about who Jesus is to them. Their answer will show the heart of themselves, and much more importantly, that they know who he actually is.

Here our hero steps up. Peter is the first to answer. This is where our key verse comes in. Lets read all together: Simon Peter answered “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Peter’s answer could not have been any better. It perfectly sums up Christ in 10 words, those 10 words are enough to save a person’s soul, and portray Jesus’s identity that is most important to us.The story of Jesus’s identity starts long before any miracle that he had performed. The little baby Jesus had a controversial birth, with his mother being a virgin, yet becoming pregnant with child. This alone leaves to types of persecution amongst community circles when viewing Jesus as a child born out of wedlock. At Jesus’s birth he is just a little baby being born in a manger, yet at the same time he was worshiped by wisemen from far away lands. Then for a short time Jesus is raised just like any other boy, as the son of a carpenter. At these early points of Jesus’s life, it is hard to define his identity by his actions, rather we have to look at what he is fulfilling. He is fulfilling prophecy after prophecy about what the Son of Man would be. When he starts to perform miracles and teach the law to those around him, it becomes more and more clear to those who listen that Jesus is our Savior. Yet saying such a thing is a powerful statement.

This proclamation of faith is an important of not just Peter’s journey, but in every person’s walk of faith. Jesus makes it clear to us that this proclamation is a blessing because it was not something that Peter came up with on his own. Can someone please read aloud verse 17? The main part here is “not by Flesh and Blood, but his Father in heaven”- or in other words, the Holy Spirit. We as humans cannot truly understand Jesus’s power by ourselves. His ability to heal others, provide wisdom beyond our own, and conquer death are too much for our simple minds. In this moment Jesus’s identity is revealed to Peter through the Holy Spirit, something that we should all pray for. Peter’s declaration will provide him with eternal life in the kingdom of heaven and let him live freely on earth because he can trust that the Lord is his savior forever. The last important part is that Peter calls Jesus the Son of the Living God. Up until this point, Jesus was called the Son of Man (by himself and by the people). In Peter’s answer he shows that Jesus comes from God who is living. Rather than coming from an idol that is dead or inanimate, God is alive, constantly watching over us and blessing us. Since Jesus comes from God he has the same power and strength.

Peter’s pronouncement leads to something very peculiar, and really only something that Jesus has the power to do, a change in Peter’s identity. Jesus has already done this before when he changes Peter from someone who fishes for fish, to someone who will fish for people. Simon, son of Jonah, brother of Andrew, was a fisherman in Bethsaida, until Jesus called out to him while he was on the lake and turned him into a disciple. Look at verse 18. “18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Now Simon is being changed into Simon Peter, “The rock on which Jesus will build his church.” The blessings that follow Peter are endless. Whatever Peter bounds on earth will be bound on heaven. Peter will be instrumental to the faith and conversion of tens of thousands of people. He will be blessed with wisdom from the Holy Spirit, and courage to fight the good fight.

Peter starts to be this rock when the early church is forming, and we get a good image of this in Acts. At the Pentecost in Acts 2, Peter begins to build the church upon his own faith and showing it to others. He baptizes the entire congregation and Acts 2:41 says “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”. Later in Acts 3, Peter heals a lame beggar, something that we will touch on more with Johnny’s message. Then in Acts 4, Peter goes before the Sanhedrin and defends his faith. Acts 4:4 says that those who believed is increased by 5,000. Then finally Peter and John lead a prayer throughout the entire congregation in Acts 4:29-30 saying “29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” This prayer for God’s help in leading the early church members would start the spread of Christianity for centuries to come. Many of the early missionaries and believers looked to Peter for guidance and answers, and by God’s wisdom and strength provided through the Holy Spirit, Peter is able to continue with his identity as the rock on which the church is built.

As with everyone else, there are some downfalls to Peter that are apart of his identity. Peter is almost always the first one to answer Jesus’s questions or respond to his teachings, which is actually very similar to myself in elementary school during class. When Peter says the right thing, he comes off as fearless and wise. However Peter can also be perceived as rash and impulsive. In verse 21, Jesus tells the disciples about the suffering he will endure, that he would be crucified, and on the third day be raised to life. This idea is hard for the disciples to understand. For quite some time they had been traveling and teaching with Jesus and nothing had been able to stop them. They had fed 5,000 people, healed the sick, and even raised a dead man back to life. At every turn, the pharisees tried to criticize Jesus, yet he always had the correct response. Really anything bad happening to Jesus seemed impossible. Peter’s impulsive behaviors get the best of him when he rebukes Jesus for saying such things. First off, we should never rebuke Jesus. I mean how could we even rebuke Jesus, he is perfect and blameless. Second, Peter is thinking of only human concerns, not the concerns of God. Peter focuses more on the suffering and death of Jesus rather than the promise that he will return again, being raised to life on the third day. This joyous promise of Jesus’s return leads to the cleansing of our sins, and the central doctrine of Christian faith. Believing that Jesus was raised to life is what helps us identify as Christians.

Part two: Our Identity
So far we have learned about the identity of Christ, as our Messiah and Son of the Living God, along with the identity of Peter, the Rock on which Jesus built his church. As a christian, there are no identities greater than this. Yet if we all want to identify as Christians, Jesus has very specific instructions for us. It is not enough for us to attend church on Sundays, have a bible verse in our bios on instagram, or awkwardly raise your hand in class when the teacher asks if anyone is religious. Jesus says in verse 24 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Taking up one’s cross is no small feat. The journey that Jesus endured while dragging his cross, being prepared for crucifixion, and ultimate death that he would suffer was something that he himself did not want to endure. Matthew 26:39 describes Jesus turmoil as it says: “he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” An interesting side note is that Peter died by crucifixion in Rome. However at his own request he was crucified upside down, because he said he was not worthy to have the same death as Christ. The literal action of taking up one’s cross is impossible, it is a suffering that Jesus endured for all of us and Peter himself knew that it was something only Christ could do.

Has anyone here ever tried to see who their real friends are? Or been apart of a group where they want to see if everyone is committed? An example of this that I have encountered recently was with my volleyball team. Just to clarify for everyone, there is very little running involved in volleyball. At most, you will shuffle from one side of the court to other a few times on a given play. Thus I wouldn’t call anyone on my team a track star. Yet this year, our coach made us run around 10-15 suicides during the first week of practice. He said he wanted to build up our endurance, yet some kids disagreed with him, thought it was dumb, and quit the team. When starting the second week of practice, the remaining 13 of us anticipated another week full of running. Yet our coach simply told us he was trying to weed out the kids on the team that weren’t full devoted while also building us up as players with stamina for games that go to 3 sets. This simple strategy used by my coach to figure out which kids did not fully want to be on the team while also making the rest of us better, is similar to denying ourselves and taking up our cross and follow Jesus.

Jesus wants us to deny things of this world that may keep us from fully following him. Are we willing to take up our cross and follow him if it means losing a couple friends? Are we willing to take up our cross and follow him if it means messing up our reputation? Are we willing to take up our cross and follow him if it means losing our life? Honestly it is hard to do these things. I feel like all my friends now I go to church, because whenever I wake up from a sleepover on Sunday morning, they know that I’m going to take the train to church or that my friday nights are typically booked. Then recently one of my friends was caught off guard, and asked “Wait you believe in God?” I had to hesitate before I replied yes. I thought “wow something must be wrong here if my close friend had to ask that question. I must not be truly living the life as a believer that I thought I was.” This instance made me think harder about my faith and if I’m living it correctly. To be christians, we cannot simply just say yes, strictly read the bible, and pray before we eat. To conquer the things of this world and live our life of faith we need the Holy Spirit, just like Peter. Through deep prayer and faith, we too can receive the Holy Spirit, be able to declare that Jesus is the Messiah Son of the Living God. After we receive the Holy Spirit, we become stronger and rooted more in our faith. Taking up our cross leads us through trials that allow us to grow closer to God and struggle with Him.

To declare ourselves as believers and Christians, it has to be apart of our identity. It starts with encountering Christ, experiencing his glory, and living life with him. Christ will be there through all our struggles, regardless of how small or big they are. In the end, living our life as Christians is built in our eternal hope for life in the Kingdom of Heaven. As Jesus says in verses 25&26: 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” Here Jesus clearly tells us that living our life for him is the only way to save our soul. Giving our soul and living for God leads to gifts better than what we have here on earth.

By proclaiming ourselves as Christ followers and doing his work there are rewards to look forward to. Can someone read verse 27 aloud? (For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.) When Jesus comes again, what will you have done? Do these things call for gifts from God? I believe that everyone of us here has the ability to do something warranting a gift whether it's praying for someone else in our life, sharing the word with a friend, or being a servant for HBF whenever something is needed. Personally I feel that I am most able to live out my life as a Christian and believer in Christ by showing his love to all those around me. First off, Christ’s love is unconditional and is for everyone. Thus to all my friends and family I try to be someone they can count on, along with doing unwarranted acts of kindness to make their day better. I also make an effort to become friends with people who may not have someone around to talk to them. Sometimes this may push us out of our comfort zone or be unwanted, but we can happily show Christ’s love to other because he showed it to us when he died on the cross. All of us here can definitely show Christ’s love to other because God promises to reward us with eternal life in heaven. What a glorious life we have to look forward to when we declare Christ’s identity as the Messiah and our savior. I pray that we may all encounter Christ through the Holy Spirit and be able to identify as believers in Jesus through the rest of this conference.

Let’s read our key verse one more time.

Matthew 16:16- Simon Peter answered “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Difference between Son of Man and Son of the Living God.

Encounter Christ: Peter’s Lil Boat (ft. Jesus)

by Peter Won

Welcome to this year’s Easter conference. The seniors and I have been working very hard on our messages. The title for the conference is, Encounter Christ, I pray that we can all have open hearts and minds to learn how we can encounter Christ. Through this conference we will explore Simon Peter’s relationship with Christ and how he progresses from a fisherman to a shepherd and the leader of the new church. We will study Simon Peter’ calling, the significance of his new name, his denial of Jesus, his reinstatement, and his new life in Jesus. We’ll hear stories about miracles, personal testimony about transformation, and reflect upon our own journeys’ with Jesus Christ. I pray that throughout this conference we can encounter, rencounter, and live in Jesus Christ.

Luke 5: 1-11

Key Verse Luke 5:10b “Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’”

In these eleven verses Jesus begins the long and fruitful relationship with Simon Peter and his companions. Jesus calls them all and in response they leave all their comforts of home, a steady job, and a family to follow Jesus. The most difficult part of a relationship in my opinion is starting it. For example, our grade of senior guys, believe it or not wasn’t as close as it is now. We all went to cbf, but for the most part all lived kind of far from each other. Johnny always lived by the church, Josh lived in evanston, patrick lived on the south side, abraham moved to portland, and paul and I lived in Virginia. This relationship formed over multiple summers of going to cbf then playing basketball at warren park and eating mcdonalds. The close bond we share came with work and dedication to each other and sacrifices that we made for one another.

But before we dive into the passage, let’s look at what was taking place before Simon Peter’s calling. The calling was Simon Peter’s second encounter with Christ. The first encounter being Jesus going to Simon Peter’s home and healing his mother in-law. Simon Peter knew the gist of what Jesus was about, but he didn’t know him personally. He knew that Jesus was someone special, but he didn’t heed any attention to Jesus or who he really is.

Part 1: Put Out Into Deep Water
The beginning of the passage starts out with Jesus preaching along the lake of Gennesaret with crowds of people around him listening intently to him. As Jesus was teaching what was Simon doing as Jesus was preaching? Look at verse 2, “ He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.” What can we notice about Simon Peter through this simple action? First off we can notice Simon’s character. He is a hardworking man that will work all night in order to support himself and his family. Simon also thinks that he can do everything on his own power. He suffers from his pride and the feeling that he doesn’t need anyone else and that he could do everything by hard work and his own means. It’s also inferable that Simon values his fishing more than he values listening to the word of God. So, at this point in the passage Jesus becomes too crowded so he hops into Simon’s boat to distance himself. Then in verse 3 what does he ask Simon to? Can someone read verse 3 for me?

Notice how Jesus starts a relationship with Peter. He asks for a small favor that is quite easy to grant. This shows that Jesus comes to us where we’re at and wants to form a relationship with us. Also another thing to notice is that this small action makes it certain that Simon is listening to Jesus’ teaching and effectively sets up for the later challenges. Peter now is attentive to Jesus’ teaching and is learning about who Jesus is. We see how Jesus grabbed Simon Peter’s attention, and now I ask you how is Jesus attempting to grab your attention? Whether or not you want to be at this conference, Jesus could be grabbing your attention through this conference. Or through this Easter season, through his death, burial, and resurrection, he could be grabbing your attention.

Jesus finished speaking to the crowd and what did he ask Simon Peter to do now? Let’s read verse 4 together, “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” To a career fisherman like Peter, this request seemed absolutely ridiculous. If I was in Peter’s shoes I would have thought, who is this carpenter who’s telling me how to fish. Jesus’ second challenge seemed totally irrational and even stupid. This whole time it is evident that Jesus’ sole mission was to captivate Simon Peter and to form this relationship with him.This was the start of the conversation and his relationship with Peter.

So what was Peter’s response to Jesus’ second challenge? Let’s look at verse 5. Can someone read this verse out loud? “Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” First thing we see is how Simon Peter addressed Jesus. He called him master. Right of the bat we see Simon Peter’s respect for Jesus. We can also see that Simon Peter has worked hard all night and didn’t catch anything. Simon Peter says “ But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” This shows some reluctance to Jesus’ request, but because of the respect Simon Peter had for Jesus he did so. Simon Peter recognizes that Jesus is a special man that is deserving of his respect and obedience. Simon Peter put aside his pride and self reliance and obeyed Jesus. Obedience to Jesus’ command is the true start of a relationship with Jesus. In a relationship obedience is crucial. This relationship should be mutually beneficial for us, for Christ, and for others.

As a result of Simon Peter’s obedience to Jesus’ challenge, it describes in verse six and seven the immense number of fish they had caught. This miracle that Jesus created for Simon Peter and his partners to witness was essential for Jesus to demonstrate who he is. Luke writes that both boats were so full they began to sink. Imagine how many fish it must take to sink two boats. Jesus starts his ministry by making a miracle through this immense haul of fish and he will again appear to the disciple’s in Josh’s message with another large haul of fish. Now what was Simon Peter’s reaction to this miracle?

Let's read verse 8 all together, “ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” The first thing to note about Simon Peter’s reaction is the way that Luke writes it. He uses Simon Peter instead of Simon. This is the first instance of Luke using Simon Peter in the whole passage. So let’s focus on what this signifies. From here on out Luke uses Simon Peter instead of Simon, this is very important because this is a turning point in Simon Peter’s life. He goes from a sinful fisherman to the rock upon which the church will be built upon. He comes to Jesus recognizing his sinfulness and jesus’ holiness. Simon Peter starts his relationship with Christ by first surrendering himself before him and then by repenting of his sins. Simon Peter says “ Go away from me, signifying he left the choice up to Jesus. He knew he was unworthy of Jesus and left the relationship up to Jesus. Despite our inadequacies and flaws Jesus wants to meet us where we are and he wants to form a relationship with us. He wants us to have a relationship with him regardless of how sinful we are. We will see more about the significance of this new name in Patrick’s message.

Simon Peter falls to Jesus’ knees in repentance and surrender to Jesus’ lordship and ruling over him. Jesus approached Simon Peter and was in his boat. Simon Peter must have been filled with awe to be in the presence of God. Jesus coming to him and encountering him where he was at must have melted his heart. Jesus’ love is too irresistible.

At this point in the passage Simon Peter experienced two sets of challenges by Jesus. He started a relationship with Simon Peter through challenging him and by grabbing his attention. So as I wrote my message I asked myself how does Jesus want to grab my attention? Through this message I feel Jesus has grabbed my attention through helping me focus and work hard. Before this I felt that I have tried to dodge everything and get out of all responsibilities that is put on me. In school and in my responsibilities in and out of church I realized I have tried to take the easy way out, rather than branching out. My relationship with Christ up to this point has been more superficial than anything. Going to CBF and HBF my whole life has taught me what to say about passages and in Bible studies, but I personally struggle with accepting the word of God and the vision that Jesus has for me. I pray that I can have faith and courage to lean on Jesus instead of myself.

Part 2: You will fish for people 10b-11
So now how does Jesus respond to Simon Peter’s reaction? Let’s read verse 10b. “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” Jesus calls Simon Peter out of his sin and his fear into a relationship with him. Simon Peter leaves his sinful nature of being a self reliant man to a man who will learn to depend on Jesus. Jesus will make him into a fisher of people rather than Peter relying upon his own strength. When forming a relationship with Jesus he will provide for us and be our refuge. Beginning a relationship with Christ is a two way street where Jesus wants our all, our complete and total submission to his will, not only part of our effort.

We can now explore the second part of verse 10b, which is to be a fisher of people. So what does it mean to fish for people? Fishing is not for us to get many fish, but to serve others and to bring them to Christ. So let me tell you a quick story about a time going fishing. It was a perfect day for fishing and I was determined to catch this big fish that lived behind my house in a pond. My friends and I made a spear to skewer this fish. We lured the fish in by throwing bait close to shore and when the fish came close I threw the spear and hit the fish. I saw the knife and the end of the spear sink into the flesh of the fish and the fish swam off into the middle of the lake. Because I forgot to tie a rope to the end of the spear the fish got away despite my best efforts. Regardless of the point of that story it shows what is needed to catch a fish. You need a rod, line, hooks, and bait. We are the net and the rod that gets the fish, but the bait is Jesus’ alluring love and compassion for all. Jesus’ love for us is irresistible and when we experience this love it just radiates from us onto others. In the same way, this love jesus poured into peter overflowed from him as he conducted the charge Jesus gave him; to fish for people

Jesus uses this miracle to illustrate how great his power is. He shows how many fish he can catch so how many people will Jesus bring to Simon Peter and to himself. Jesus will do much more for us than we could ever imagine. This miracle of a large catch of fish is nothing in comparison to what Jesus will do for Peter and for us if we accept Jesus’ calling to leave our comfort zone in order to serve Jesus. He casts a vision for Simon Peter for him to be something greater than just a fisherman. Jesus casts a vision for us and for Simon Peter to be fishers of people. Jesus will make us a blessing for all peoples’ and nations through our relationship through him and through the obedience of our calling. With a relationship with Christ comes with obedience of his commands while, he will be with us along the way to mentor us and to guide us in the right path.

As we will see Jesus’ calling of Peter to be a fisher of people will later escalate to him transforming from a fisherman to a shepherd who knows his flock by each of their names. Jesus calls Peter to be the rock upon which he will build his church and to take care of his sheep which we will later see in Patrick’s and Josh’s messages.

This is the third challenge that Jesus issues to Simon Peter. To recap, the first was to set out a little from shore, the second challenge was to go out into deep water, and the third and most challenging of all jesus’ challenges is to make Peter in a fisher of people. In Mark’s account of Peter’s calling he writes “Come, follow me,”Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” It’s very important to note in Mark’s account of the calling of Peter that Jesus does everything and it is through his power alone that Peter will be a fisher of men. In Luke’s account Jesus does not say to come and follow him, rather than says to not be afraid. Our fear of not being able to acquire things of this world and being different from others inhibits us from following Jesus and to obey his calling. Our fear of being inadequate and not good enough for Jesus leads us to believe that we’re not worthy to serve him and to perform the vision that Jesus has laid out for us and for Simon Peter.

So how did Simon Peter and his companions respond to Jesus’ calling? Let’s read verse 11. “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” Peter didn’t go home to say goodbye to his wife and his family, nor did he go to the market to sell all his fish. He left everything and followed Jesus. Jesus has this effect on people. They are so captivated by his love and his lordship that they are willing to leave everything for Jesus. So the question we must ask now are we willing to leave everything to follow Jesus? Peter and his companions were definitely willing to do this. What does this reveal about Peter’s character and new found relationship with Christ? Well first of all we can see that Peter surrendered everything and followed Jesus. He followed Jesus whole-hearted regardless of any difficulties or worries. Jesus entrusted Peter to be the foundation and rock of his new church, and from that point on Peter was mentored by Jesus and went with him everywhere. We will later see in Patrick’s message that to starts a relationship with Jesus or anyone in general you will have to give up something, but Jesus wants our whole attention and for us to pick up our cross daily and to follow Christ.

Can I leave everything to follow Jesus? Being born into a Christian family and in a Christian environment I honestly don’t think I have been taking this seriously. I have been taking this for granted my whole life. At this point in my walk with Christ I struggle with not being able to leave my comfort zone of having fun and hanging out with friends and doing the things I know that I am supposed to do. It is very difficult for me to leave the things of the world and the things that I enjoy in life. My fear of being different than those of the world and losing friends drive me to serve myself and my enjoyment rather than extending Jesus’ love to those around me. I realized that I’m fearful of making this commitment because I fear that I will lose the things in the world that I cherish. I pray that I can strengthen my relationship with Christ in order to say that I can truly leave everything to follow Jesus as Simon Peter and his companions have done. Throughout my life I have never been really challenged to do anything that is worth it. Submitting myself to Jesus and to his Lordship my life can bear much fruit for me and for all those around me. Jesus challenges me to accept him truly as my Lord and savior and to form a lasting and fruitful relationship with him.

In conclusion Jesus first encounters Peter and gives him three challenges. The first being the easiest, setting out a little from shore, the second being a little harder which was to set into deep water, and the third and final challenge was to become a fisher of people and to follow Jesus. Jesus calls us into a relationship with him to serve him and to serve others. He creates a vision for us and for Peter to be fisher of people. Jesus will not desert us in this relationship to be on our own, but will be with us step by step as we accept Jesus’ calling for us and as we have a relationship with him. A relationship is created with Christ when we obey his calling for us, which is to leave everything and follow him.

THE END

2018 New Year's Message: Grace. Obedience. Blessing. by Sam Toh

These verses are signature verses that, growing up in UBF, I’m sure you’ve heard countless number of times. Countless number of prayers have ended with “Make America and kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” It is still the title of the yearly UBF calendar that grace the walls of our house every year. While we may be familiar with the phrase, I realized not many of us have taken the time to look at these verses in their original context in Exodus 19. So I’m thankful for God’s providence in allowing us to study Exodus this school year and bring us to this exact chapter for this winter retreat.

Since not everyone has been studying Exodus with us in Chicago, let me take a quick minute to give a very general overview of Exodus.

A Story of Deliverance: The theme of Exodus (mass departure) is that the people of God are delivered from the hand of the Egyptians to worship Him. Exodus can be divided into three parts:

1. Chap 1–18: God redeems Israel from bondage in Egypt.

2. Chap 19–24: God gives Israel the law at Mt. Sinai. (We are at the beginning of this part)

3. Chap 25–40: God prepares Israel for his holy presence by providing instructions for the tabernacle and for the priesthood.

Value of Exodus. Exodus is an important book for us as Christians to study because a Christian must know how we were delivered from bondage to sin. If we are unsure about our deliverance from sin, it may be questionable whether or not we are a Christian who has truly met God, the One who saved us out of his mercy (Tit 3:5) and grace (Tit 2:11). Exodus is a story of deliverance from bondage, and deliverance is something we all desperately need.

Significance of Exodus 19: It is also a signifant book to study because Exodus 19 is regarded by some as (one of) the most important chapters in the Bible, because without a proper understanding Exodus 19, Exodus 20--which contains the 10 Commandments--will be not be understood. When Christians (and non-Christians) misunderstand the Bible and Christianity, it is often because they misunderstand the Law--how the Law functions in their own life. The Israelites are going to spend 11 months in Sinai (Ex 19:1-Num 10:10). And what happens during these 11 months is central to the Pentateuch. It occupies 58 chapters (Ex. 19–Num. 10:10).

Grace. Obedience. Blessings. For the sake of this message, we will look at these verses in three parts. And the order in which we are going to look them is crucial to not only our understanding of this passage, but crucial to our understanding of our faith as Christians.

Here is the sequence.
1. Grace (Ex 19:1-4): How God saves us.

2. Obedience (Ex 19:5): Our response to grace should obedience to the Law.

3. Blessing/Calling (Ex 19:6): The blessing and reward of obedience (and punishment for disobedience).

So lets take a moment to look at this passage more closely.

I. Grace (Ex 19:1-4): How God Saves Us
Grace is the starting point of our life with God. Some would say Grace is the keyword of Christianity. Thus, before God gives the 10 Commandments in Ex 20:2-17, he repeats in Ex 20:1 what God said in Ex 19:3-4. Why? God wants his people to know that a covenant relationship with God is based entirely on God's grace. It is a relationship that they did not earn or deserve. Ex 19:4 gives us 3 things we need to know and understand:

1. Ex 19: 4a You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt,
This shows us God’s Divine judgment. Judgment is never a pleasant subject. But no one can truly understand grace, or understand God, without truly understanding God's terrible judgment on the ungodly. God's people must always know that what God did to Egypt, God could have done to them. Just as one of our gospel key verses, 2 Cor 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ.” Just as death is in all of our futures, so is judgement. Even though God is the judge, he provides us the way to Salvation.

2. Ex 19:4b how I carried you on eagles’ wings
This shows us God’s, Divine deliverance Israel did not rally together as an army to deliver themselves. They did not work for, nor gain, nor even earn their deliverance. God carried them on eagles' wings.

3. Ex 19:4c and brought you to myself
This shows us God’s Divine initiative God did not wait for you and I to find Him. God took the initiative to bring us--who are steeped in slavery to sin, selfishness and Satan--to Himself. I did not find God. God found me. I did not choose God. God choose me (Jn 15:16).

God starts with a reminder of his judgment and of his grace and deliverance. This is also the start of our lives of faith. The story of God’s grace in our own lives is one we should not forget

So, what is your testimony of Grace in your life? Do you have one? My family got together as we always do for Christmas, and my youngest brother told Anna a story about how one night when he was 7 he was lying in bed and when I came into the room talking on the phone with my friend. I must have been 13. He said I thought he was asleep, because he was so shocked to hear all the swear words coming out of my mouth. I was a pretty typical jock at 13, I went on to play three sports in high school, had terrible language and loved vulgar and sexual jokes. It’s hard to even think of my teenage self now, but all these things that are unsettling from the outside weren’t the real problem of my life. The problem was, I appeared as such a perfect angel at church and to my parents. I was two completely different people at school and at home/church. This really became burdensome and tiring. It also tore me apart on the inside causing an identity crisis. I would feel such a deep disconnect and dissonance in my life that dragged me down. Then one night, God showed me that this double life I was living was not just tiring, but it hurt God deeply. God showed me this through someone I loved and trusted deeply breaking my trust and living a different life behind my back. I was 17 years old, and I remember being so hurt I started crying. And this was weird for me cause I couldn’t remember the last time I cried. My face literally hurt when tears first came out of my eyes. And the weird thing was I couldn’t stop crying all night. In my tears, I remember feeling the presence of God into my room, gently but clearly saying to me: “How you feel now, is how I feel when you life your life the way you do. Pretending to be my child, but living a double life.: And God’s word came to me through Lk 23:34, it’s almost as if I heard the audible words of Jesus that night in my room, “Father, forgive Sam, for he does not know what he was doing.” For the first time I felt God’s deliverance and forgiveness deeply in my life personally. From that night I vowed to God, and to my self, to live true to who I am. And the life I chose that night was a life as a forgiven sinner by God’s grace. After that night it took a while to kick the bad habit of my speech and attitude towards girls to change. But it was clearly the beginning of living my life as a confident, secure, and dearly loved child of God by Jesus’ grace alone.

We all need a savior. We all need to be delivered. God can and will deliver you from your bondage. Bring them to him and experience his saving grace. What is your storying of deliverance?

II. Obedience (Ex 19:5): Our Response to GraceAfter God showed his grace in verse 4, he says in 5a, "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant." Let’s think about those two phrases. How do we "obey God fully"? God spells it out in the 10 Commandments, which Jesus sums up in 2 Great Commands: Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Simply put, we live a life of "full obedience" when the direction, desire, delight, devotion, duty and deeds (6 D's) of our hearts are to love God and love others.

Jesus said, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching" (Jn 14:23). A Christian's motivation to obey the Bible should be love for Jesus. Obedience as taught in the Bible is not simply an act of the will or human resolve. Obedience should also involve our mind (cognition) and heart (emotion). In Ex 19:4-6, the motivation of obedience is the unconditional grace of God. However...

Ex 19:5 seems to say, "If you obey me, then I will bless you. If you obey, then you will be my people." It surely sounds like God is conditionally saying, "Obey me THEN I will save you." But in context, God first said, "I saved you (Ex 19:4). Now obey me (Ex 19:5)." Either way there is obedience. The difference is whether obedience precedes salvation or follows salvation.

This is the difference between Religion and the Gospel. Religion says, "I obey, therefore I'm saved." The Gospel says the opposite, "I'm saved, therefore I obey." This may seem inconsequential. But it makes all the difference in the world. Thinking Religion makes the Christian life heavy, burdensome and with a false sense of holiness and spirituality like that of the Pharisees. But knowing the Gospel brings a continuous revival in our soul all the days of our lives.

Still, we wonder if Moses is confused by making 2 seemingly opposite statements in Ex 19:4-5: "God saved you by grace" (Ex 19:4). "But unless you obey, God won't save you" (Ex 19:5). How do we explain the conditional "If/then" language in Ex 19:5? Before doing so, let us examine 3 wrong ideas that people, including Christians, have about salvation:

1. We are saved by obedience. If my good outweighs my bad, I will be saved and blessed.

2. We are saved by grace and obedience. Without obedience I can’t be saved.

3. We are saved by grace, so we don't need obedience. So I can do whatever I want because God will save me anyways.

The second phrase is “keep my covenant.” What helps me personally understand the obedience God expects and the covenant he expects us to keep, is to understand them in the context of a relationship. To understand obedience as a Christian, it helps to understand 2 things about responsibilities:

1. Every relationship has responsibilities. These responsibilities require self-denial, submission and obedience to certain expectations. Marriage may be the best human illustration and example. But even in friendship. A good friend is one who understands the responsibilities they have when given the trust, heart, and secrets of another person. These responsibilities are what makes friendships thrive and grow into deeper and deeper relationships.

2. Responsibilities are a blessing. The responsibilities I have as a husband to my wife and as a father to my kids are not always light. But they are always a blessings. Because as I keep those responsibilities I grow to have a deeper relationship with my wife, I grow to have a more intimate relationship with my kids. The most miserable and unhappy Christians are those who try to have the least possible responsibilities, with maximum blessings and rewards. In our responsibilities and obedience to God, we grow in a deeper relationship with Him.

To one who knows and has tasted the sweetness of God's grace, obedience is a responsibility that is at the same time a wonderful blessing. Their obedience is simply their happy life living in gratitude and in response to the grace of God.

Let me conclude this part on obedience and covenant relationship by sharing with what many of you have heard me say many times. But first let me ask you a question. What is something you love? Is it music? Soccer? Video games? Basketball? Reading a good book? Hanging out with friends? Sleeping? What do you notice about the things that you love? You can spend endless hours doing them, without it feeling burdensome. Doing them gives you life. They excite the heart and the soul. When we’re in love, there is no limit to what we’ll do. So here’s the phrase that my dad always says, and that is that, “a lover will always out work a worker.” Sure sometimes the work we do is difficult, requires much sacrifice, and even painful. But when we’re in love, we can do it. I pray each of you may grow in obedience that flows from your relationship with God.

III. Blessings/Calling (Ex 19:6)
When we have a deep appreciation for God’s grace, our obedience pours out. This is our relationship with God. And in this relationship we have many many blessings and a calling (a purpose). Verse 6 give us a picture of what this blessing and calling looks like. But before we dive in, at first glance, these verses seem to be exclusive words for the Israelites. We know they are God’s special possession because of his calling and choosing Abraham, through whom he would send our Savior Jesus into this world. So maybe these verses are just for the Jews…? But based on 1 Peter 2:9, which you should have covered in your Bible study. We can claim this promise as our own. The blessing, and the calling in this verse, has been extended to us because of our living stone Jesus Christ. So let’s look at verse 6, phrase by phrase, and claim this blessing and this calling as our own.

These promises are expressed in how they change who we are. They change our identity. God promises to make us the following:

1. Ex 19:5b "Out of all nations you will be my treasured possession"
The first blessing is that God has made us his treasure. In response to God’s grace, our obedience brings us to a very secure relationship with God that is expressed in being his treasure. This is such a wonderful blessing, because we can live all the days of our lives in this safe and loving place as a child of God. Dearly loved. Dearly treasured.

2. "Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests”This is our calling as treasured children of God: to be a kingdom of priests. So does that mean we should all enter the priesthood, or because full time pastors? Obviously not. A very simple definition of the role of a priest is that a priest is a mediator who brings God to people, and who brings people to God. That is why we asked in our living out God’s word question “what can you do to be a “priest” to one person around you?” 1 Peter 2:9 and 10 give us a place to start. “That you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful life.” The first thing we can do as priests is to share our personal testimony of God’s deliverance to others (declare the praises). Not necessarily the big story of your conversion, but even in the small ways, like Helen shared about her car, that God delivers. But your personal testimony of finding God is the place to start. And I loved what Abraham Ahn shared in his reflection, about the opportunity to dialogue with an agnostic friend about life, and faith, and the existence of God. As we share with others our personal testimony, it will spark conversation about God and who he is. And I pray for each of you, that God would give you the Holy Spirit, and the words to share in each unique situation. Our commitment to studying the Bible deeply in UBF is to help us be effective priests, knowing God’s word, in order to bring God to people, and people to God. I pray each of you may find small and maybe even large ways to grow as “priests” in your circles of influence.

3. "a holy nation" (Ex 19:6).The final thing we will think about here is what it means to be a Holy Nation. Let me first clarify the meaning of nation. In Chicago UBF we have often prayed for “North America to be a kingdom of priest and a holy nation.” And in it’s original context, God may have been talking about a specific nation, the Israelite's. But when Peter extends this calling to others in the book for 1 Peter, he is writing to “God’s elect, exiles scattered through out [many providence's], Asia and Macdeonia.” (1 Pet 1:1). So this calling transcends nations and people groups. By the blood of Jesus, all of us, no matter what our nationality or ethnicity, have become one nation, one people united as brother and sisters. And this invitation has been extended to you, to me, and to everyone.

So we are all to be one Holy Nation through the blood of Christ. So here’s my last question to ponder. What does it mean to be holy? Holy means to be set apart, to be consecrated or dedicated to God. Holiness is not optional in the Christian life. Why? God says, "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Pet 1:16; Lev 11:45, 19:2). We should desire to be different, but not act like an elite or extra special group of people. We are to be in the world, but not of the world. We should all desire to be like Daniel who though exiled to Babylon, acted in wisdom in tact, accepted a new name, accepted the indoctrination of Babylonian history and culture, but he had resolve to be clear when he needed to be clear. And in this way God stood before the kings of Babylon declaring the praises of God. This happens as we grow in obedience to God. I pray that each of you may be a set a part person. Someone who is different, but not better. Someone who lives true to God’s will and God’s ways. And then some day, be able to stand before the figurative “kings” of your time to testify to who God is.

In this new year I pray we would each grow deeply in our faith. Specifically in these three areas: 1. Grow to know the fullness of God’s grace and deliverance from our sins. 2. Out of the overflow of knowing and appreciating this grace, I pray we’ll grow in our obedience to God. And 3. I pray that we will grow in the blessing and calling we have to be a part of God’s international kingdom of priest and holy nation people.

I want to close by coming back to the “living out to God’s word” question. Maybe you had time to think about it deeply, maybe you didn’t. Maybe the message gave you some new insights. But I want to give you each a few minutes to think about that some more. Add anything. Or just pray and lift up the decision to God. And then in a couple minutes I want you to share that decision you have with one person, and pray for each other.­­