today on grace to you we have this constant access to God through him by which everything in our life is a kind of spiritual offering that is made acceptable because it’s offered by Christ in us and through us God already knew you and already set his love on you to choose you for his Everlasting family what in the world makes us so embarrassed about the gospel for I deter determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him [Music] [Music] crucified how can we so live and so speak to make Christ so

attractive that even though we be deadly enemies there is an open-heartedness to the message we preach the answer to that question comes I think in the text that I read earlier open your Bible to First Peter chapter 2 1 Peter chapter 2 and I want to just begin in verse four and go down to verse 12 in this text Peter is writing to some Christians who are under persecution they are aliens as he says in verse one scattered throughout the Gentile World in pontis galatia capus Asia and bethenia they are experiencing some serious

persecution animosity hatred their lives are being threatened and Peter gives them here a a rich understanding of who they are in Christ that becomes the basis for their testimony to those who hate them what is it about Believers that is unique what is it that we have been given I want you to begin by looking at verse four give you something to think about number one we have Union with Christ we have Union with Christ This is the first privilege first identifying Mark of Christians verse four and coming to him

let me stop there and just say this being a Christian is not about joining a community of people who are attached to some religion it’s not about accepting some theology it’s not about endorsing some historical group being a Christian is about coming to Christ it’s about coming to him Jesus said come unto me all you who labor and heavy laden I’ll give you rest come take my yoke learn of me my yoke is easy my burden is light to be a Christian is to come to Christ and it is to come to Christ in such a way that you literally are joined

to him in an indivisible Union and coming to him as to a living Stone which has been rejected by men but is choice and precious in the sight of God you also as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house when we come to Christ we take on his life and his character he is a living Stone and we become Living Stones because he grants us his life and his character we become says Peter partakers of the divine nature we are joined to Christ so that we live and yet not us but Christ lives in us it is we are in