Give Thanks in Everything | A Sermon on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Introduction
Thanksgiving is this Thursday.  I’m thankful Kelly doesn’t have to work and our kids are all coming up.  Since my wife works as a nurse in a hospital, it is rare that she is off and we can all gather to celebrate the holiday on the actual Thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving is something Christians should strive to practice everyday.  Gratitude is a lifestyle. A thankful heart is possible when we root our life in Christ, not in our circumstances.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
¹⁶ Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

“Always Be Joyful.” (verse 16)
This is one of the shortest—and yet most challenging—commands in Scripture.  So let’s take a closer look at it.  Verse 16 says, “Always be joyful.”

You might think it’s impossible to always be joyful.  There are so many difficult times in our lives where it seems impossible to be happy
But it is possible if you understand what Paul really means.

Paul is not saying:
Always be happy.  Every person has ups and downs. Sometimes you're happy, sometimes you're sad. Some people are more even-keeled than others. Other people are really happy one moment and really sad the next. But joy is not the same as being happy. Paul is not saying, “Be happy at all times.” He's saying, “Be joyful.”

He's also not saying we should pretend everything is fine. We know bad things and evil things happen, and it's okay to acknowledge it. You don't have to pretend. 

Paul is not saying we should ignore grief or pain.  We all go through pain. When someone dies that we love, we grieve for them. And it’s important that we don’t pretend we're not sad or grieving, because that's not healthy and it will come out in other ways. But joy can exist even in the midst of grief. And I want to tell you this—joy is more remarkable, real joy is more remarkable because of pain. When you see someone who is full of joy even though they are full of pain, that is wonderful.  It's remarkable.

Paul is saying:
Choose joy because your joy is in Jesus, not in circumstances.  This is important because circumstances change, feelings rise and fall, but Christ is constant.  We can choose joy because our joy is in Christ and Jesus is always the same.

A Thermometer vs. Thermostat
How many of you are cooking a turkey this week?  When we cook our turkey, we use two important tools that are related (and sound similar), but have different functions.  We use a thermometer and a themostat.  A thermometer measures the temperature of the food.  It reacts to the conditions.  A thermostat tells the oven what temperature to aim for.  It controls the environment.

Most people act like thermometers.  They simply react to whatever is happening around them.  If good things are happening they are happy.  If bad things, they are sad, angry, depressed.  They simply reflect whatever’s happening around them.

Christians who choose joy are like thermostats.  They tell their life what attitude to aim for. We aim for the joy that we have in Christ. We may not be there yet—we may not be in a joyful environment—but we're aiming for Christ, and He changes our life.  Christians who chose joy bring the energy that changes the world around them and makes it more joyful.  The source of that energy is the Holy Spirit.  It is the light of Christ burning within us, even in a dark world.

“Never stop praying.” (verse 17)
Verse 17 says, “Never stop praying.”  You might think it’s impossible to never stop praying. But it is possible if you understand what Paul really means.

Paul is not commanding nonstop verbal prayer. Paul is describing a posture of prayer—constant communion, continual awareness of God’s presence.

Prayer fuels gratitude because:
You stay connected to the Source of peace. Remember Jesus in the boat during the storm? He was asleep while the disciples panicked. Jesus could rest because He was connected to the Father. When we stay connected to Jesus, we can have peace even in our storms.

Prayer fuels gratitude because you are reminded you are not alone. Think about Jesus in Gethsemane. Facing the cross, He prayed. He prayed so He would remember He was not alone—His Father was with Him. If Jesus needed prayer, so do we.

Prayer fuels gratitude because you begin to see God working in the everyday moments. My wife and I have been preparing to sell our home. A photographer came yesterday, but it was raining and overcast. Kelly kept praying, “Lord, just let the sun break through for a few minutes.” And at the exact moment the photographer arrived, the clouds broke and sunlight lit up the front of our house. Some call that coincidence—I call it God answering her prayer. And when you begin to thank God for moments like that, you start seeing His presence everywhere.

Prayer is like breathing. When it’s healthy, you don’t even notice it. But when your breathing is off—like with a cold or a sinus infection—you notice it immediately. Prayer is like that. When your prayer life is sick, nothing else seems to work well. So maintain a posture of continual prayer, and it will change your attitude.

“Be thankful in all circumstances…”
As with the other statements in this passage, it seems impossible to “be thankful in all circumstances.”  How can anyone possible do that?  But look closer at Paul’s statement.

Paul does not say: “Be thankful for all circumstances…”  Some things are evil, tragic, or heartbreaking.  God does not expect you to be thankful for evil or injustice or loss.

However, Paul does say: “Be thankful in all circumstances…” because God is working in all things for the good of those who love Him.  

We can give thanks in everything because God is with us in every circumstance, Christ redeems all suffering, nothing is wasted in God’s hands, and our hope is eternal, not temporary.  Remember, gratitude isn’t a reaction to blessings.  Gratitude is an acknowledgment of God’s faithfulness in all circumstances—even when life is hard.

“…for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Now Paul tell us why we should live in these challenge ways.  It is God's will for you.  

Understand this:  God’s will for you is not primarily about where you work, where you live, or  who you marry.  God cares about all these things in your life, but they are not the main focus.  

God’s will is for you about who you are deep down inside. God wants you to have a joyful spirit, a prayerful heart, and a grateful lifestyle.  These characteristics will last forever and change everything about how you see the world, your circumstances, and your purpose.

The Thanksgiving Lifestyle
If we want to shift our attitude about thanksgiving from a holiday we celebrate once a year to a lifestyle where we give thanks every day, it requires at least three changes.

The first change is from occasional gratitude to daily gratitude.   Thank God for small things—sunrise, breath, warm home, friendship.

The second change is from focusing on our circumstances to focusing on Christ. Circumstances change; Christ never does.  Don’t let what’s happening around you control your attitude. Instead, keep your eyes on Jesus and trust Him no matter what’s going on.”

The third change is from reactive thanks to intentional thanks.  Don’t let your thankfulness depend on your mood or the moment. Choose to be grateful on purpose, not just when life goes your way.

This shift doesn’t happen overnight.  But with practice we can live out Paul’s instruction to live a thankful lifestyle.  Here’s some ways to practice thankful living this week.

1. Wake up every day with a prayer of gratitude. Before your feet hit the floor, say, “Thank You, Lord, for this new day.”

2. Keep a list of things you’re thankful for. Write them down throughout the day.

3. Turn complaints into prayers. When you want to complain, pause and thank God instead.

4. Express gratitude to one person daily. Send a note, a text, or say a simple thank-you.

5. End your day with a prayer of thanks. Review your blessings and say, “Thank You, Lord.”

Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank You for Your goodness to us. Help us stretch our Thanksgiving Day into a Thanksgiving lifestyle—365 days a year. Teach us to be thankful in every circumstance, because our gratitude is anchored not in our circumstances but in You, whose faithful love endures forever. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

The Secret of Contentment | Philippians 4:10-13

Introduction
As we lead up to Thanksgiving, let us continue our study of gratitude.  How can we develop and live a life of gratitude?  Last week, we learned that you must be intentional and remind yourself to be thankful.  And I challenged you to do something practical to help maintain an attitude of thanksgiving throughout every moment of your life.  Wake up reminding yourself to be thankful.  Keep a list or a journal throughout the day of things for which you are thankful. 

What are you doing to practice being thankful every day?

Today I want to address a question I often encounter: 
“Pastor, how can I be thankful?  I have nothing to be thankful for.” 
I get it. Because often people are hurting. People are overwhelmed. And life is not easy.  And that’s exactly why we need to learn what Scripture calls ‘the secret of contentment.’

I want to share with you the experiences of two men who faced terrible circumstances, yet each learned what it means to be genuinely thankful.  One man is Viktor Frankl; the other is Paul.

I want to start by reading Paul’s story from the Word of God, for it is God speaking to us and it is the firm foundation for all Christian belief and practice.  Before I read, I also feel it’s important to tell you Paul wrote these words about thanksgiving while he was in prison in Rome, awaiting trial and facing a death sentence.  He was in chains for preaching Christ and building God’s Kingdom.

Philippians 4:10-13
¹⁰ How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. ¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ,^[a] who gives me strength.

I Have Learned How to be Content
When I was a kid, my favorite superhero was Superman.  He had superpowers.  He was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap over tall buildings in a single bound.  But I want to tell you about another superpower, one that is real that Paul had and that you can have too.  In verse 11, Paul says “I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.”  

Have you ever considered:  contentment is a superpower?  Contentment is the opposite of our natural inclination to always want more.  We grow up being told and feeling inside that if we can just have something new or something more that we will be happy and fulfilled.  It seems logical.  Surely, that new thing will meet our need, right?  

But in reality, we become slaves to more.  Every new thing means new responsibilities and new stress.  And we don't even feel satisfied with that new thing for long before we want some thing more (and more and more).  And we find the things we own soon begin to own us.

More is not the answer.  Contentment is.

As Paul write these words in Philippians, he is in prison facing the death penalty; and he is full of gratitude.  His gratitude isn’t based on what he has but Who has him.  It's not based on comfort, but on Christ.  Even though he has very little, Paul is thankful. And that transforms his prison cell into
a place of unexpected joy and a testimony that gratitude doesn’t depend on circumstances.

You Can Learn Contentment
I also want you to notice that this ability to be content wasn’t natural for Paul.  In verse 11, Paul says he learned how to be content.  And then again in verse 12, he says, “I have learned the secret of living in every situation…”  So how do we learn to be content?

Here are a few ways to practice and develop contentment.

Start Each Day with Gratitude.  Remember God’s faithfulness.  We talked about this last week.  Thank God daily and keep a list.
I’ll add this practical advice:  Before asking God for anything, thank Him for three specific blessings. This trains your heart to see His goodness first.  And that helps change your attitude.

Get Rid of Comparison.  Comparison is the thief of joy.  With social media, we've grown accustomed to comparing ourselves to others.  Most people only put their best on social media.  And we see their beautiful pictures and we want to be like them.  Meanwhile, half of the people we want to be like don't even want to be like themselves.  They are dreaming and hoping to be like you!  

There's a reason the the tenth commandment is do not covet (Exodus 20:17).  It steals our joy and destroys our gratitude for all our blessings and disrupts our relationship with God.  So get rid of comparison and learn the secret superpower of contentment.

Serve Someone.  Serving shifts your focus outward and cultivates humility, gratitude, and joy.  Make time to serve others beyond yourself and you will learn gratiude for what you have.

Anchor Your Heart in Christ.  Repeat Paul’s words often: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  And remember, this isn’t about having physical strength or even overcoming an obstacle.  When Paul said this, he was talking about living with contentment whether he had a lot or a little.  When you keep your heart anchored in Christ, you can be content with whatever you have.

Viktor Frankl
Now let’s look at Viktor Frankl, because his story echoes the same truth Paul discovered:  you can lose everything on the outside and still have strength and contentment on the inside.

Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist who survived the Nazi concentration camps.  Out of that horror, he discovered that while we can’t control our circumstances, we can choose our attitude.  He wrote about this in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, and his insight has helped millions.

In the concentration camp, Frankl had almost all of his external comforts, freedoms, and securities were stripped away.  He writes:  “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”

I want to share with you an important Truth today:
You can’t always control what happens to you. But you can choose your attitude.

Frankl had everything stripped away—food, comfort, dignity, freedom.  Even his name was taken away and replaced with a number, the last form of attempted dehumanization.  But Frankl realized that even in suffering, he could still choose how to respond on the inside. Gratitude helped him notice the small graces that remained—a sunrise, a memory of his wife, a single moment of kindness—and those became lifelines of meaning and hope in the darkness.  For Frankl, gratitude wasn’t denial—it was defiance. It was the decision to hold onto his humanity when everything around him tried to crush it.

Christ enables us to give thanks in every situation.  Frankl discovered what Paul already knew—gratitude doesn’t come from comfort.
Gratitude comes from meaning. And Christians have the greatest meaning of all:  Christ Himself. Having Christ enables us to have gratitude even in circumstances like Paul’s or Frankl’s because Christ gives us something suffering can’t touch. Our peace isn’t anchored in comfort but in a Savior who never leaves us. Christ gives us forgiveness for our past, strength for our present, and hope for our future—and when those things are secure, no prison cell and no hardship can take our gratitude away if we choose to dwell in our gratitude.

With Christ, we don’t have to wait for life to get better to give thanks.  We give thanks because He is with us, even when life is at its worst.

In Man’s Search for Meaning, Part One: “Experiences in a Concentration Camp.” Frankl writes, “Those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear almost any ‘how.’”  Frankl’s point is simple and powerful:  It’s not the size of the suffering that breaks us—it’s the absence of meaning.

When you know why you live, you can endure almost anything you face.  What does that mean for Christians?  For Christians, this means our ultimate why is rooted in Christ—His love, His presence, and His purpose for our lives. Our suffering is never meaningless because God works through it, strengthens us in it, and promises eternal hope beyond it. When Christ is our reason to live, we can endure whatever we face, knowing He is with us and our story isn’t over.

Put It In Practice This Week
Paul learned the secret of contentment in a prison cell.  Viktor Frankl discovered it in a concentration camp.  And both of them point us to this truth:
You can’t always choose your circumstances, but you can choose your attitude.  And with Christ, you can choose gratitude anywhere.  

But contentment doesn’t grow by accident.  It grows by practice.  So this week, I want to give you a few simple steps you can actually do to help you learn the same secret Paul learned:  how to be content in every circumstance.

1.     Begin every morning with gratitude. 

2.     Keep a running list of blessings.  (Don’t repeat them.) 

3.     Bless one person intentionally each day.  Write a note. Send a text. Serve someone quietly.
Nothing cultivates contentment like helping someone else. 

4.     End your day by thanking Christ for everything.

When you practice these small habits, day after day, it will help you start to discover what Paul discovered—the secret of contentment.

Closing Prayer
“Lord, teach us to be content in You.  Give us eyes to see Your blessings, hearts that choose gratitude, and strength to trust You in every circumstance. Christ, You are enough. Amen.”

 

Bless the Lord, O My Soul | A Sermon on Psalm 103:1-5

Introduction
My daughter, Abigail, always says Thanksgiving is here favorite holiday.  The others—especially Christmas, she says—have so much buildup and hype and commercialism.  But then they fail to deliver all they’ve overpromised.  But Thanksgiving is simple:  food, family, and giving thanks.  Abigail has always been wise beyond her years.

As we lead up to Thanksgiving, I want to spend a few weeks considering what it means to give thanks. How can we live a life of gratitude, so that thanks is part of our daily life, not just one day a year?

Gratitude begins when we take time to remember the goodness of God and bless Him for all His benefits. Forgetfulness leads to grumbling; remembrance leads to praise.

Psalm 103:1-5
¹ Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
² Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    may I never forget the good things he does for me.
³ He forgives all my sins
    and heals all my diseases.
⁴ He redeems me from death
    and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
⁵ He fills my life with good things.
    My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

Tuning Your Soul to God
Psalm 103 is attributed to David.  Now David was king of Israel, but it was a long road to get there.  Remember, David started out as the youngest of a set of brothers.  And when the prophet Samuel came to inspect Jesse's sons to see which one of them would be the next king of Israel, David wasn't even invited to the party.  He was left out in the field to watch the sheep.  Even his own family didn't respect him.

And after David defeated the giant, Goliath, and won battles on behalf of King Saul, Saul was jealous.  David ended up unjustly accused of treason and chased all around the land with Saul trying to kill him.  He slept in caves, suffered deprivation, and had his reputation questioned.  But through it all, David reminded his soul to praise the Lord and not forget all the good things.  That's how David lived his whole life and it kept him so in tune with God that the Scripture says David was a man after God's own heart.  

We must tune our souls to God through gratitude.  Do you remember the old radio with the analogue dial tuners?  You would tune it to a station, but you couldn't just go by the number on the dial.  That would get you close, but you had to listen until the static faded and the signal became clear.  

Gratitude is how we tune in our soul to God.  Remind your soul to give thanks to God.

Beware of Spiritual Amnesia
We all suffer from spiritual amnesia.  Forgetfulness is one of humanity’s spiritual diseases.  The Israelites constantly forgot God’s deliverance.  Even after he miraculously parted the Red Sea so they could escape the Egyptian army on dry ground, and God fed them with mana from heaven and quenched their thirst in the desert with water from a rock, the Israelites stilled complained.  They forgot so quickly.

And it wasn't just in the Old Testament.  Even the 12 Disciples who walked with Jesus in the New Testament and saw His miracles, constantly forgot, doubted, worried, and were afraid.

We forget too.  So we have to make ourselves remember what God has done.  Make a habit of remembering and giving thanks. Some practical things you can do to help:

• Keep a gratitude journal - write down things for which you are thankful throughout your day.  Then go back and read it from time to time--especially when you are feeling down or overwhelmed by your problems.
• Share testimonies - tell people about the good things God has done for you.
• Tell your children or grandchildren what God has done for you.  If you don't have children, share it with other young people in your life.  It will encourage them and you.
• Share daily gratitude post on social media.  A lot of people have been doing this during the month of November, leading up to Thanksgiving.  It is a wonderful, useful, uplifting habit.

Throughout Psalm 103, David lists so many of the things God has done.  We read the beginning of His list in verses 3-5 and these are all things for which we can be thankful too. 

We can be thankful God forgives all our sins.
Remember, you do not deserve God’s mercy. You do not deserve good things. You are a sinner.  You turned away from God and rejected His rightful authority over your life.  You didn't care that He made you for a purpose.  You chose to chase after your own desires.  Some may have even done specific things they know they shouldn't do.  But God, through Christ, has mercy and forgives all our sins.  Be thankful. 

He heals all our diseases.
All healing—whether physical, emotional, of spiritual—comes from God.  We often pray for physical healing.  And often it comes.  Do not forget or take for granted every healing that comes from God--even the small moments of healing.  

Sometimes healing does not come in the way we expect.  But we can still be thankful.  Because, if we are in Christ, God is still working to heal us--even if it doesn't come until the next life.  Keep in mind that all physical healing in this life is only temporary.  Even if you are healed from some terrible disease (like cancer) today, your body will still eventually wear out and die.  So our ultimate hope is in the ultimate healing that comes when we rise from death.  Then our bodies will be made completely whole.  And so, we can be thankful...

He redeem us from death.
Ultimate healing comes when we die and are resurrected with Christ.  Through Christ, we have eternal life with God forever.  And there will be no more sin or sickness or suffering or death (Revelation 21).  So no matter what happens to us or those we love, we can be thankful because Jesus conquered death.  We are victorious when we trust in Christ.  Even death can be cause for thanksgiving for Christians who trust in Jesus Christ.

He crowns us with love and tender mercies.
Though we were sinners, rebels, betrayers, failures, God puts a crown on our heads and calls us His royal sons and daughters.  He loves us like He loves His own Son, Jesus.  He rewards us as though we had followed Him faithfully.  What incredible tender mercies! "God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."  (Romans 5:8) Praise be to God!  

He fills our lives with good things.
Each of us have so many good things in our lives to be thankful for.  We often forget, because we focus on our struggles instead of our blessings.  We may say, “Why do so many ‘bad things’ happening to me?”  We ought, instead, to ask, “Why does God allow anything good to happen to me at all? Sinful wretch that I am!”

But God fills our lives with so many good things!  Let us train ourselves to be thankful.  For in doing so, we tune our hearts to the Lord’s.

Psalm 103:1-2
¹ Let all that we are praise the Lord; with our whole hearts, we will praise His holy name.
² Let all that we are praise the Lord; may we never forget the good things He does for us.

Building a Life of Gratitude
As we head toward Thanksgiving, it’s easy to think of gratitude as a moment—just a day on the calendar with turkey and family and a quick prayer before the meal.  But Psalm 103 reminds us that gratitude is not a moment; it’s a lifestyle.

When David said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” he wasn’t waiting for everything in life to be perfect. He was training his heart to remember that, no matter what happens, God is still good.

Gratitude isn’t automatic—it’s a spiritual discipline. It takes practice.
But when we practice gratitude, amazing things happens:

• The things that once weighed us become lighter
• The noise of worry fades
• And the voice of God becomes clear again.

That’s why Thanksgiving shouldn’t just be a holiday—it should be a holy habit.  A life of gratitude is a life that stays tuned to God.

So this week—and in the weeks ahead—let’s do more than count our blessings.  Let’s build our lives around them.  I challenge your to think how you could practice gratitude.  Perhaps you could:

• Begin every day with a simple prayer: “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”
• When you feel overwhelmed, stop and remember one good thing God has done.
• Maybe you want to keep a list or journal of all the things you are thankful for each day.
• Before you fall asleep, whisper a thank-you for His mercy that met you again today.

If we train our hearts to remember—then every day can become a day of thanksgiving.

Closing Prayer
Lord, You have filled our lives with good things—
forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, and mercy.
Teach us to remember.
Teach us to bless Your name not only when life feels full,
but when it feels empty.
Let gratitude shape our words, our homes, and our worship,
so that this Thanksgiving and every day after,
we might live as people whose souls continually say:
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Amen.

 

Called out of Darkness | A Sermon on 1 Peter 2:9-10

Introduction
I’m starting a new series as we lead up to Homecoming on All-Saints Sunday.  What does it mean to live as saints in a troubled world.  And our first sermon is “Called Out of Darkness”. 

We are the Church, God’s chosen and holy people, called from darkness into light.  And today, I want to encourage you to embrace your unique identity as God’s people and to live differently from the world.

1 Peter 2:9-10
⁹ But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,^[a] 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.

¹⁰ “Once you had no identity as a people;
    now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
    now you have received God’s mercy.”^[b]

“But You are Not Like That…”
I want to dive right into the meat of this Scripture, but I must first address this initial clause.  Peter says, “But you are not like that…”  Originally, Peter was talking directly to Christians scattered across Asia Minor who were facing social marginalization and suffering for their faith.  But today, he’s talking directly to us.  And he says, “But you are not like that…” 

Not like what?

If you look back a few verses you find the answer.  You are not like the people of Israel who rejected Jesus. Israel was called to be a Holy Nation of Priests.  They had the honor of hosting the Holy Temple in Jerusalem where people from all over the world could come and worship God.  But they never lived up to their calling.  And when God’s own Son came to them, they rejected Him.  And verse 8 says:  “So they meet the fate that was planned for them.”  And verse 9, speaking to everyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord, says: “But you are not like that…”  So what are we like?

Who Are We in Christ?
“…you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.”  These were the words originally used for Israel in the Old Testament.  But now they apply to the followers of Christ.  Christians don’t replace Israel.  We are the fulfillment of what Israel was always meant to be.  We are chosen by God.  We are royal priests.  We are a holy nation.  We are God’s people.  Let that sink in…

What an honor!  What a privilege!  What a blessing!
But don’t forget that as God’s Chosen People, we have a great responsibility.

Set Apart for Holiness
“You are royal priests, a holy nation…”
Priests are set apart for the special purpose of representing God to the people.  In ancient times, priests stood out as holy.  Special clothes that mark them as different from ordinary people.  Special rituals sanctified them.  And they were known to have special access to God.  People would come to them when they needed healing or forgiveness or a word from God.  They came to the priest for help because they believed the priest were closer to God and had a special connection with Him.  The priest could go to God on behalf of the person in need and interceded for them and God was more likely to listen.

Today, people will often joke that I (as a pastor), have a direct line to God in a similar way.  But according to what the New Testament says, we all do!  I'm no closer to God than you.  You can go boldly before Him and present your prayers and He will listen.  The Holy Spirit lives inside you and intercedes for you in groanings too deep for words.  God hears you and listens!

We are all set apart to serve as God’s royal priests!  We who follow Christ are holier than the Jewish High Priest of the Old Testament!  It's incredible!    

And you are supposed to stand out as different, not b/c you wear fancy clothes or do certain rituals like in the Old Testament.  You stand out because:

• Christ lives in you
• You’re leaving behind the darkness of ignorance, sin, and despair
• You’re walking in the light of salvation, truth, joy, hope.
• You proclaim God’s goodness, mercy, and salvation in word and deed.

Christ Lives in You
When you repent of your sin and decide to follow Jesus, Christ comes to live inside you as the Holy Spirit.  In the Old Testament, the Temple represented God’s dwelling place on earth.  But now, because of Christ, the New Testament  says we are His Temple.  
1 Peter 2:5 – “you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.”
2 Corinthians 6:16 – “ For we are the temple of the living God.”

Have you ever heard of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem? It’s a very special place. The Temple in Jerusalem isn’t there anymore—it was torn down in 70 AD. The only part that remains is the western wall of the Temple.

For centuries, people—both Jewish and Christian—have made pilgrimages to the Western Wall. They write out their prayers on little slips of paper, roll them up, and tuck them into the cracks of the stones. It’s a sacred act in a sacred place, because this is where the Temple once stood—the very Temple we read about in the Bible. I’ve been there myself. I wrote a prayer and placed it in the wall. If you’re standing at the Western Wall, that’s what you do.

But let me tell you something amazing: that wall is not where God dwells. God is everywhere, of course, but that place is no more sacred than any other. The true dwelling place of God is not in the stones of Jerusalem—it’s in you.  There is no holier ground than the presence of the Holy Spirit living inside you right now. Christ lives in us—that’s what makes us different. That’s what sets us apart.

Turn on the Light
Secondly, we need to we need to live in the light.  We need to come out of the darkness.  We stand out when we come out of the darkness.  

This morning I woke up early. I wake up early almost every day, but especially on Sundays. Today I was up a little before 4:00. Now, I don’t mind getting up early—but my wife does. She values her rest, and I want her to have it. So when I get up, I move quietly and I don’t turn on the lights.

Our bathroom is on the opposite side of the bed, so I have to carefully make my way around in the dark. After living in our house for 15 years, I know the layout, but still—you never know what might be on the floor. So I walk slowly, carefully, feeling my way until I close the bathroom door. Then I turn on the light so I don’t disturb her—because I love her, and because, frankly, she’s a lot nicer when she’s slept well!

But it’s hard to walk in the dark, isn’t it? Even when you know where you’re going, you have to move cautiously. And sometimes, as Christians, we try to live our lives like that—as if we’re walking in the dark. Yet Scripture says: “God has called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

When Kelly is away visiting her mom, I don’t have to tiptoe around in the dark. I can flip on the light and move quickly, freely. I can see where I’m going. Life is so much easier in the light.

That’s what God wants for us. Life is better, freer, and safer when we walk in the light of Christ. So let me challenge you: where in your life are you still walking in darkness? Where do you need to turn on the light—stop conforming to the world, and instead live in God’s light as His holy people?

As Christians, we need to turn on the light!  We are called out of darkness into God’s wonderful light.  I challenge you to examine areas where you are conforming to the world instead of living in the Light as God’s holy people.

Darkness can represent many things in our lives.  First, darkness can represent ignorance.
As people of the light, we are called to be informed. That means studying God’s Word, seeking to understand it, and asking Him to make us aware of what we don’t yet see. Often we simply “don’t know what we don’t know.” So our prayer becomes: “Lord, show me what I need to know. Make me conscious. Help me be intentional as I follow You.”

Second, darkness can represent sin.
As God’s people of light, we must leave behind sinful behavior—the things we already know are wrong. That means repenting and turning away from them. But it also means asking God to shine His light on the areas we can’t yet see. “Lord, show me the hidden sins, the blind spots, the places I need to change. Bring me out of the darkness and into Your light.”

Finally, darkness can represent despair.
The world constantly tells us reasons to be fearful, anxious, angry, or hopeless. But as people of the light, we are called to lay down despair and embrace hope. No matter how bad things look, we know that Christ has already overcome the brokenness of this world. In Him we have eternal hope. We don’t have to live in despair anymore—we can step out of the darkness and walk in the light.

Living As Royal Priests
Our identity is not just about what God has done for us, but what we are to do for Him.  We are His royal priests who represent God to the world.  Let me ask you some questions:

When was the last time you reminded someone that they are loved and valued by the Lord?

When was the last time you stood in the gap for someone who was far from God?

When was the last time you brought someone else’s needs before God in prayer as a priest would?

When was the last time you prayed with someone?

When was the last time you carried God’s presence into a place of darkness or despair?

When was the last time you served someone in a way that revealed God’s love?

When was the last time you lived in such a way that someone asked about your faith?

When was the last time you told your story of how God changed your life?

Closing
Our closing song today isn’t just a fun song.  It’s a closing reminder to all of us.  Listen to the words of the chorus:
The same power that rose Jesus from the grave
The same power that commands the dead to wake
Lives in us, lives in us
The same power that moves mountains when He speaks
The same power that can calm a raging sea
Lives in us, lives in us
He lives in us, lives in us

We are God’s royal priests, a holy nation.  We are the Temple of the Living God. He lives in us.
This is an incredible honor and privilege.  But it’s also a responsibility.  We are called to serve,
to represent God to the world.  To be His powerful agents of grace—calling the world repent, inviting more and more people in God’s Kingdom and ushering His Kingdom into our world.

We have the power to do it, because the same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us.
But are we willing to live as God’s royal priests?