Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Acceptable

Listen to Sunday's sermon here.

Heavenly Father,
Because of your great mercy, we who were once not a people, are now Your people, and through Christ we have been made acceptable in Your sight.  As we live as your dear children, teach us to long for the pure milk of Your word.  Help us fill our ears with what is good for us.  Teach us to let go of our pathetic attempts to bargain with You, and to accept your love and forgiveness as the free gift that it is. 
Jesus, our dear sacrifice, our living foundation, uphold and care for the church You are building.  We are mere beggars before You, yet You pour out Your mercy on us daily.  Keep us safe in You dear Jesus. Hold us close when the storms of life rage.
Amen.

1 Peter 2:2-10 (English Standard Version)

2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
 4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in Scripture:

   "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
   a cornerstone chosen and precious,
 and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

 7So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

   "The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the cornerstone,"

 8and

"A stone of stumbling,
   and a rock of offense."

   
   They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
 9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

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