In tonight’s service we looked at 1 Peter 2:9-10 as we started a new series entitled ‘The People of God.’ Our identity is crucially important to us, and since God is our Maker and Creator, what He says about us matters even more than what we feel about ourselves or than what others say about us. Our identity is bound up in the fact that we are made in God’s image (Gen 1:27) and is far more than our gender (which seems to be the hot topic at present) since we are spiritual as well as physical beings. Moreover, our identity is not simply an individual matter, for Peter says here we have a corporate identity as the people of God, chosen and loved by Him.

Both Peter and Paul (see Eph 2:1-10) remind us that there is a vast difference between how we used to live and our status now as God’s children. Our identity does not lie in our achievements (see Deut 7:7-9) but in God’s mercy and kindness. Peter calls us a chosen people (see Eph 1:11), a holy nation (called to reflect God’s holiness), a royal priesthood (fulfilling the priestly role of mediator between God and humanity which in the Old Testament was fulfilled by the Levitical priesthood) and God’s special possession, as precious as a bejewelled crown. (Zech 9:16)

We must learn to live in this God-given identity which we have received through the generosity, mercy, kindness, grace and love of God and to believe we are who God says we are, rather than being squeezed into the world’s mould or being shaped by our past, our feelings or our culture. We have great worth and value and purpose, being called now to declare God’s praises to a world still in darkness.

If we are honest, living peaceably among other people is probably the hardest thing we ever have to do. Poverty, unemployment, education and health are all important factors in life, but one of the biggest sources of anxiety and conflict in our lives comes from our relationships with other people. 2 Samuel 3 shows us this is an age-old problem and one which we desperately need to fathom if we are to avoid the disastrous consequences we see there.

In that chapter, we see David as king of Judah and Ish-Bosheth nominal king over the rest of Israel, with Abner (chief commander) actually the one pulling the strings. We see Ish-Bosheth and Abner fall out over an accusation made, the result being that Abner withdraws his support of Ish-Bosheth and effectively defects to David’s side. Personal affront clearly trumped loyalty in his case, a reminder that the breakdown of relationships often comes when we are offended and unwilling to forgive and make amends. David’s commander, Joab, away when this peace treaty is negotiated, is furious when he finds out. He has not forgotten that Abner was the one who killed his brother, Asahel, and he does not believe Abner could ever change his spots. Unbeknown to David, he meets with Abner and murders him in cold blood.

Rivalry, revenge, a lack of remorse and a complete lack of forgiveness are the base human emotions dominating this chapter, and David (the ‘anointed king’) looks on helplessly, feeling that these ‘sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me!’ (2 Sam 3:39) He makes it plain that Abner’s death has not been authorised by him and laments the death of a courageous soldier, even as he has lamented the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, but once again, we see how personal pride and selfishness often lead to disastrous consequences.

Sin has spoiled our relationships and we struggle now to get on with others, often letting greed, selfishness, a refusal to forgive and pride dominate our lives. All the New Testament writers stress the need to love one another as the outworking of our faith in God, and all stress how grace, mercy and forgiveness – freely offered to us by God – need to be seen in our relationships with others. Only as we let go of our need to control, manipulate and bear grudges can we hope to fulfil Paul’s instruction: ‘If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.’ (Rom 12:18) This should be our aim, made possible by the power of God’s Holy Spirit living in us.

In the last of our series ‘Running The Race’, we looked at the different stages in life (perhaps summarised best by Shakespeare’s words in ‘As You Like It’ about the seven ages of man) and how faith is essential to each stage. At every stage of life, the challenge is to keep our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, and to fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. (2 Cor 4:18)

If we have been blessed with a Christian upbringing, we have had a good start to life. Eternal life starts when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, and at whatever age this happens, we realise that faith and grace are essential to life. To start a race well means to be ready and focussed. Heb 12:1 urges us to ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles’, and Jesus reminded us that we need to seek first God’s kingdom (Matt 6:33). It’s so easy to let anxiety and the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke God’s word and make it unfruitful. (Matt 13:22) To start well means to set our hearts on things above. (Col 3:1-2)

We need, though, to continue well. The Galatians came to faith ‘by means of the Spirit’ (Gal 3:2) but soon wanted to love by the ways they already knew, such as circumcision. Paul had to speak strongly to them (Gal 3:5, Gal 4:10-11) to remind them that faith is an ongoing part of the race. In the middle part of our lives, we may be tempted to rely on ourselves rather than God, but we need to keep on running. The things we learn in the mountain top experiences need to be lived out in the valleys as well. God will give us the strength we need to keep on running. (Is 40:29-31)

To win a race means to finish well. Paul knew this and commented on this in 2 Tim 4:6-8. We have to keep on running, even perhaps when age and infirmity make that difficult for us. Our times are in God’s hands (Ps 31:15), and we need to aim to retain physical health where possible (which will require self-discipline) and to continue with spiritual practices, including prayer, reading God’s word and having fellowship. It’s easy to focus on the negatives of old age, but we can grow in wisdom and spiritual strength even as outwardly, our energy wanes. God is able to keep us going!

This morning, we continued our series ‘Running The Race’ (Heb 12:1-3) by thinking about the relay race in the Olympic Games. Here, we see 4 individual runners competing as a team, running individually and yet needing each other to complete the race. This is a parable for us, for the Christian life is personal, but is not meant to be lived in isolation. God made man and said it was not good for him to be alone (Gen 2:18); the family is the cornerstone of society, because this was God’s plan! Similarly, as important as the family is, the church is also compared to a family (1 Pet 2:17), demonstrating that we are not meant to live life on our own. We are called to share our faith, to pass on the baton of faith to our children and to future generations, in the same way that passing on the baton is an essential component of a relay race. Ps 78:4-7 reminds us that it is our responsibility to teach the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done to future generations.

Sadly, our society has become more individualistic and selfish, not valuing the family or the role of the village in raising a child. We need to understand that God’s plan for the world starts with sharing our faith with our family members, intentionally teaching them God’s word and how to pray in the same way that we consider it important to teach our children to feed and clothe themselves. We cannot abdicate this responsibility to the state but must understand that faith matters must be taught and that we live out our faith in a world which needs to see God’s love through our everyday actions and through the community known as the church.

The church is described as a family, though the Bible understands all about jealousy, quarrelling and rivalry in families! Nonetheless, it praises unity and reminds us that we share a common bond with other believers through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul urges us to ‘bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.’ (Col 3:13-14)

The church is also described as a body, made up of different parts, all of which are important for our general health (see 1 Cor 12:12-19). In the same way, we all have different functions in the life of the church, but we are all chosen by God, valued and valuable, and all are needed. The gregarious extrovert has a role to play, as does the contemplative introvert. We need the person who relishes administration and the one who loves to be messily spontaneous. We need people who are practical and good with their hands and those who can reason and debate logically. We need everyone. The church is the one organisation that can never say, “Go away, we don’t need you.” Just as relay runners have different strengths, so too we work together in different ways to become stronger than the sum of our parts!

Team sports are important in the Olympic Games; life is rather like a team sport too. We need each other, and as we work together, we can pass on the baton of faith and show the world what a life of faith looks like.