Living as God's Chosen People
Pastor Stone Webber | October 12, 2025
There's a profound truth woven throughout Scripture that challenges the way we view our identity as believers: we are not merely followers, not just saved souls, but a royal priesthood. This isn't an Old Testament concept reserved for the Levites or a special class of religious elite. It's the calling of every person who has chosen to follow Christ.
The apostle Peter declares this radical identity: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9-10). These words were written primarily to Gentiles—ordinary people like you and me—establishing that the priesthood of God extends to all believers today.
The Wake-Up Call
The story of Lazarus offers a striking reversal of our typical complaints. We often cry out to God, "Wake up! Where are you?" Yet in John 11, Jesus stands before the tomb and calls out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" The dead man walks out, still wrapped in grave clothes.
The message echoes to us today: God isn't sleeping—we are. We're the ones who need to wake up. We were dead in our sin, but Christ offers new life. The question is whether we'll respond to His call, shed the grave clothes of our old life, and truly live as resurrected people.
What Does It Mean to Be a Priest?
The book of Ezekiel provides detailed instructions for the priesthood that reveal our modern calling. While we don't perform animal sacrifices or wear linen garments, the principles remain strikingly relevant. The priests were called to:
Minister to God in the sanctuary
Serve as gatekeepers, protecting God's house from enemy influence
Minister to the people
Teach the difference between holy and unholy
Remain pure and set apart
These responsibilities translate directly into our lives today. We are called to minister first to God—through worship, praise, obedience, and submission. Then we minister to His house and His people. But none of this is possible without the foundation: holiness.
"You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:45). Holiness means being set apart, different from the world. How can we bring light to others if we're full of darkness ourselves? The process of becoming more like Christ—sanctification—is the daily work of choosing God's way over our own.
The Cost of Sacrifice
Being a "living sacrifice" sounds noble until we realize what sacrifice actually means: it's not easy, it's not convenient, and it costs us something. Modern Christianity often wants faith to be comfortable, a spiritual insurance policy that makes life easier. But true discipleship requires dying to ourselves daily.
Every morning presents a choice: Will I live for myself or lay down my life for God? This isn't a one-time decision or a box to check. It's a constant, moment-by-moment commitment to consult God in everything—yes, even where to go for lunch.
Consider how many decisions you make without first asking God for guidance. What if every choice, every step, every word was filtered through the question: "God, what do You want?" The impact would be immeasurable. Yet we typically operate on autopilot, only crying out to God when things go wrong, never realizing that our choices led us into trouble in the first place.
The Trap of Hidden Sin
In Ezekiel 8, God shows the prophet a disturbing vision: the elders of Israel, the priests themselves, are secretly worshiping idols in hidden rooms. They say to themselves, "The Lord does not see us. The Lord has forsaken the land."
This is the trap many believers fall into. We call ourselves Christians, attend church, maybe even serve in ministry, but we harbor secret sins we think God doesn't see. We've built walls between ourselves and God, then wonder why we don't feel His presence or hear His voice.
God already knows. He's not fooled by our Sunday smiles or our religious activities. He's searching our hearts, and He sees the darkness we're trying to hide. The solution isn't better hiding—it's repentance. It's tearing down the walls and stepping into His light.
Seeking the One We Love
The Song of Solomon offers a beautiful picture of our relationship with God. When the beloved realizes her lover is gone, she doesn't casually wait around. She rises immediately and searches the city with urgency: "I sought the one I love."
This is how we should respond when we feel distant from God. Not with passive resignation, but with desperate pursuit. If your spouse disappeared one morning, you'd panic. Why do we treat God's presence so casually?
The good news? He's not actually far. He's waiting in the garden—a place of peace, provision, and rest. He wants to hear your voice. He wants to be with you. The garden represents that space of communion where all your needs are met and His presence dwells.
Nothing Can Separate Us
Romans 8 delivers the most powerful assurance in all of Scripture: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" The answer rings through the ages: nothing.
God is for you. He didn't spare His own Son but delivered Him up for you. If He did that, won't He freely give you all things? You are more than a conqueror through Christ who loved you. Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor demons, nor anything in all creation can separate you from God's love.
The Choice Before Us
God has already chosen you. He sent His Son to die for you while you were still a sinner. The question now is: Will you choose Him in return?
This might be your first time truly surrendering to Christ, or it might be a moment of repentance, returning to your first love. Either way, the invitation is the same: Wake up. Die to yourself. Live as the royal priest you were created to be.
Stop choosing yourself in a thousand small decisions every day. Stop hiding in the darkness. Stop thinking God is distant when you're the one who walked away.
Rise up. Seek Him. Sit with Him in the garden. Let this be the day you say, "God, I choose You—not because I have to, but because I want to, because Your way is better, because You loved me first."
You are His beloved. You are His priest. You are His child and co-heir with Christ. It's time to live like it.
