Good morning and Praise the Lord! It is so good to be back with you after the several weeks of wonderful and strong teachings of Dr. JoAnne P. King and Apostle Coy Wade.
How many of you remember Sister Jessica Smith? She was with our ministry many years ago when we worshiped at Cannon Road Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland. I was thinking about her as I was preparing this message. I remember that she and her husband got married on a Friday evening in August 2009, and I participated in her beautiful wedding ceremony.
The wedding got started very late, and I didn’t get back to my home in Gaithersburg, Maryland until well after mid-night. I recall on the Sunday following the wedding, it was blazing hot, and I was still very tired from the wedding. I preached for about two-hours, and afterwards, I drove one of our member’s home that lived in Washington, D.C. Driving home I caught myself a couple of times drifting off to sleep while stopped at traffic lights. I kept shaking and telling myself to stay awake!
I was about 10-minutes away from my home, when I completely fell asleep at the wheel. The Mercedes SUV I was driving went across traffic headed in the opposite direction, went between a large thicket of tress and a telephone poll, and jumped the curb. I immediately woke up with the SUV plunging down a six-foot embankment. I did not even have time to cry out the name Jesus to save me!
The next part is truly amazing! At the base of the embankment was a fairly large and wide creek filled with large rocks. However, when I went down the embankment, the creek turned into a “dry grassy knoll,” and I drove up and out of it onto a level grassy field. It all happened seemingly within in a blink of an eye!
Immediately, I began praising God with all my might for delivering me. I knew God had given me a miracle of epic proportions. The Bible says that for those who “dwell in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” For them, God commands His angels to take charge, “to keep them in all their ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, less they dash thy foot against a stone.” (Psalm 91:1 &11-12)
I could have been seriously injured or killed. But God, who is full of mercy, preserved me alive and brought me out of this calamity without even a scratch on me or the SUV! Praise Almighty God! I recall that there was an elderly woman driving down the street who saw me in the vehicle, and as she drove by she could not stop staring at me. I knew she was wondering how in the world, I got over into the grassy field, which was far away from the street.
Now, tell me, isn’t this a very “Peculiar story?” This is a story of deliverance that I freely share with everyone who will listen; to give God all the praise and glory due His name.
On that Sunday in August, all I had been doing is living for God and serving Him, and God protected me in all my doings. As God promised in His Word, even in times of great distress, when we are weak, God shows Himself strong on our behalf! (II Cor. 12:10) Time is not sufficient for me to give you even more examples of how God has miraculously delivered me out of crisis moments while I was simply in His service.
I want to preach a message to you that the Lord gave me entitled: “A Peculiar People on Purpose.” This is exactly who we are as born-again Christians, God’s people—a peculiar people on purpose.
After receiving my miracle that day, I began reflecting on just how wonderful it is to belong to God. I meditated on scriptures like, I Peter 2:9 and Titus 2:14 respectively, which read:
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should
show forth the praises of him who hath called you
out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Who (Jesus Christ) gave himself for us, that he might
redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself
a peculiar people zealous of good works.
I want every born-again Christian to fully understand who you are presently and forever in God in Christ Jesus. God chose you to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior so that you could be a part of His royal priesthood, holy nation, and a peculiar people unto Him. We did not choose God, God chose us, and henceforth and forever we are members of “God’s race!”(John 15:16) A people not “born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but born of God!” (John 1:12-13) We are new creatures (entirely new species) in God and Christ Jesus. (II Cor. 5:17)
We make no boast in ourselves in being a “Peculiar People”—the prized-purchased possession of God through Jesus Christ. For we are fully aware and eternally grateful that once we were all sinners, unpitied, and without a covenant with God. (I Peter 2:10) Yes, while we were all sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) But now having received God’s exceedingly great grace and mercy, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are God’s people! God dwells in us, and we in Him. (I John 4:15)
Being reconciled with God and clothed in humility (Holy-Ghost boldness to obey God in all things), we unashamedly wear the mantle of Christ, and go forth graced with the gift of the ministry of reconciliation. (II Cor. 5:18-19) To call and draw all the people of the world to Christ through the preaching of the gospel, as a peculiar people with an ardent zeal to do God-ordained works from the foundation of the world. (Titus 2:14 & Eph. 2:10). All to the praise and glory of God.
Further, we understand that although we live in this fallen world, we are not of it. As Christians, we are foreigners and aliens in this world, because our real home is with God in heaven. Thus, our true loyalty is to our citizenship in heaven, not to our citizenship on earth, as we know the day of the Lord will surely come and the earth will melt away with fervent heat! (II Peter 3:10)
We are not bound by human gender, race, ethnicity, political affiliations, and sociological designations. We, for example, do not raise our fists marching through the streets chanting, “black power” or “black lives matter.” Nor are we apart of Right Wing Militias that riot against our government and capital. Rather, we are the people of God who pray and lift up holy hands to God, without wrath and doubting, for repentance, deliverance, and restoration of all people—for all people matter to God! (I Tim. 2:8)
Our sole allegiance is to God, the Word of God, His way of doing things, and to the people of God. We are separate and apart from the ways and behaviors of the people of this world, and we have no love for the things of the world. (II Cor. 6:17 & I John 2:15-17) And because we are loyal to God, often times we feel like strangers in a world filled with people (including some family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers) who would prefer to ignore God, reject Jesus Christ, and the church of the living God.
The people of this world do not know and hate Jesus Christ, and therefore, they do not know and hate us. (John 15:16-21) It makes sense that the people of this world would hate us because we are the possession of God. As God’s people, we say and do extraordinary things that the people of this world reason as foolishness, impossible, or even are seemingly downright “peculiar.”
For consider that we are a people who live and walk by faith (believing and trusting in the unseen and eternal God, and His promises inherited through the finished works of Jesus Christ). (Rom. 1:17, Heb. 10:23) It sounds really wacky to human senses and reasoning that we call and demand things that are unseen by human eyes to come forth into physical existence. (Rom 4:17-18 & Mark 11:23-24)
We are a people who when reviled by others, revile not again. (I Peter 2:21-23) A people who when slapped on the cheek, gladly offer the other cheek for assault. (Matt. 5:38-40) A people who purify themselves daily as Jesus Christ is pure, by remaining vigilant and expecting the return of Jesus Christ to rapture His Church any time now. (I John 3:3) A people who do not mourn as others do when our Christian brothers and sisters take their last breath on earth and transition to heaven. But instead, we rejoice exceedingly that, while absent from their physical bodies, they are present with the Lord! (I Thess. 4:13-18)
Perhaps most peculiar and confounding to the wisdom of the people of this world, God Almighty calls and chooses few wise, few strong, and few noble people to be a part of His people. Rather, God chooses the unwise, low, despised, and weak to be membered to His prized-purchased possession and to do his mighty works—so that no man can take glory in His midst. (I Cor. 1:25-31)
In the eyes of many people of this world, Christianity is a big waste of time, and the things Christians say and do are peculiar to them. Of course we seem peculiar to them. They are not born-again from above by God. Their spirits are still in darkness and they cannot yet perceive nor understand spiritual things. (I Cor. 2:12-14) This is why we are “peculiar on purpose” to show forth the love and character of God, signs and wonders, and miracles for the world to see, so that they may come to Jesus Christ and glorify God. (Matt. 5:16)
The word “peculiar” is also used to describe one’s perceived actions as: strange, bizarre, outlandish, and freakish-even! We belong to God, therefore, we say and do the things that God in His Word instructs us to do. This can be very upsetting and unnerving to sinners as we are not conformed to this world, but are transformed by the renewing of our minds with the Word of God. So our actions many times can cause people to become uncomfortable, nervous, scratch their heads, laugh at us, call us foul names, and persecute us.
What the people of this world don’t understand is that the hearts (spirits and souls) of Christians have been changed to obey God and His Word, which causes us to walk opposite of their way of thinking and living. (Heb. 10:16 & Ps. 51:10) In fact, we fashion ourselves to be like Jesus Christ, as servants, and are obedient unto God and His Word, even unto death! For we are expecting to receive the Lord’s grace upon His glorious appearance. (Phil. 2:5-9 & I Peter 1:13)
We have learned well from the example of Peter and the other Apostles, that even while experiencing intense pressure from the people of this world to submit and conform to societal norms, we respond instead saying, “we rather obey God than man.” (Acts 5:29) The world will always love the ways of the world and try to draw Christians into becoming lovers of the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life. But, we will remain faithful to God and His Word, with our hearts and minds set on the crown of life we are destined to receive from the King of Glory, Jesus Christ. (Rev. 2:10)
For example, even now, one of the greatest pressures this nation and society attempts to force upon the Church and Christians individually, is to accept and embrace homosexuality, transgenderism, and same sex marriage as a right and normal way of living—deserving of full liberties. Nevertheless, we stand against these behaviors and call it iniquity (the practice of sin) as the Word of God says it is, and call all people to repentance who indulge in such behaviors. (Rom 1:18-32, I Cor. 6: 9-10)
For it is God who has made us either male or female, and not we ourselves. No person can change their gender—either through self-determination or surgically enhanced medical procedures. Moreover, we firmly uphold the sanctity of marriage as being only between “one man and one woman”—as the Bible commands. (Mark 10:6-9)
When Christians obey God with their whole heart, peculiar (that is, strange, outlandish, the freakish) things happen! You see all of the earth belongs to God, and God has given everything in the earth to Christians. (Eph. 1:3, I Cor. 3:22-23, & II Pet. 1:3-4) So when Christians obey God, supernatural exceedingly great things happen. They happen not by luck, chance, or through osmosis. Rather, the miraculous happens on purpose! Obeying God releases every good thing into the hands of Christians. See Exodus 19:5 below, it reads:
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep
my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me
above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Living and abiding in obedience to the love commandment of Jesus Christ allows God’s peculiar treasure to live above all people on the earth. (John 13:33-34) Peculiar people receive peculiar treasure—favors, riches, protections, healings, strength, and wisdom not of this world, but from God. We call Jesus, “Lord, Lord” because we do the things He has commanded! As we listen to and obey His commandment to love one another (including our enemies) as He has loved us, we see the supernatural resurrection power of God unfold for us.
Add these scriptures to your faith as well. (Is. 1:19 Mal. 3:6-12,
Lev. 26:3-10, Deut. 28: 1-13, 30:1-3, 9-10 Is. 48:18, and Ez. 18:21) Just do what God says do and the results will far exceed what you or any other person can do in their own wisdom and strength.
Let’s review for a few minutes one the greatest recorded miracles in the Bible. Many times the body of Christ, the Church, marvels at how Peter, after asking permission of Jesus Christ to get out of the ship, walked on the water to Jesus in the midst of a hurricane-like storm. Surely this event would qualify as “peculiar.” But as wonderful and supernatural as this event was, we really have missed the true lesson and greater glory of the story. For consider the beginning and ending of the story. (Matt. 14:22-33, Mark 6:53, & John 6:21)
Jesus had just completed the miracle of feeding the multitudes with five loaves and two fishes, and immediately he “constrained” (strongly insisted or demanded) that the disciples get into the ship and go to the other side of the lake to Bethsaida.
The disciples, some of whom, were in the fishing business were aware that a bad storm was coming, and did not want to sail across the lake that night. Nevertheless, in obedience to Jesus’ word, facing great peril, they tolled all night attempting to make it to the other side in the midst of the storm. Now focusing on the end of the story, when Jesus Christ returned with Peter walking on the water to the ship, they all fell down and worshiped Jesus, and immediately the ship was at the shore! (John 6:21) Picture it! An entire ship, with 13 passengers onboard, was taken up by God’s power, from the middle of the sea, and carried through the air to the shore.
This is a lesson we should all memorialize and never forget. We must learn the simple lesson of obedience to God. Whatever the Bible instructs us to do, just do it! If the Holy Ghost tells you to do something, just do it! No matter how unusual, difficult, or impossible the task may seem; always be willing and obedient to carry out the assignment until the end. God will surely show Himself strong and do the exceedingly above and beyond all you can ask or think in your life.
There is no way the disciples had it in their minds that such a miracle would happen on the sea, let alone a storm like this. To not only be delivered from the storm, but to be immediately transported to shore, in a blink of an eye, was beyond their wildest imaginations. This is what our God will do for us when we obey Him from the heart so that we can share our testimonies of His greatness with all men.
The Apostle Philip had a similar experience after preaching Jesus Christ and baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch who he had met on the way to Gaza. (Acts 8:26-40) After baptizing the eunuch, by the Spirit of God, he was immediately supernaturally transported from Gaza to Azotus—about 20-miles. Philip’s willingness to listen and obey the voice of the angel of God to travel to Gaza, positioned him to experience the peculiar on purpose.
Finally, at I Peter 2:11-12, the Apostle Peter implores God’s people as strangers in this world to abstain from the sensual urges, the evil desires and passions of the flesh that wage war against our souls. Peter encourages God’s people to continually conduct themselves with honor among the people of this world. That even as they persecute us and slander our names, they may witness our good deeds. Every person (sinner man) has a day of visitation by God in which God will call them to Himself—the peculiar works (miracles) in your life can cause the lost to draw near unto God.
We want to forever on purpose maintain our peculiarity before the people of this world through our words, behavior, and performance of the mighty works of God. Satan and the kingdom of darkness will try and war against us with temptations to sin. But remember, we have the perfect weapon of spiritual warfare to overcome and destroy the entire body of sinful works of the flesh, which is the Word of God spoken from our hearts and mouths in faith.
Remember the October 10, 2021 Sermon, in which I gave you nine power-packed biblical affirmations to use when tempted to sin, from Romans 6:1-14, to place Satan and his defeated kingdom under your feet. Resist the devil with these affirmations and he will flee from you!
The Word of God is Our Weapon of Warfare to Combat and Defeat Temptation and the Practice of Sin.
When the enemy tempts you with sinful thoughts, pull down the strongholds by faith, saying out loud:
- I am dead to sin! (Rom. 6:2)
- I have been baptized into Jesus Christ and, therefore baptized unto His death. (Rom. 6:3)
- My old-man and wicked sin-filled nature is crucified with Jesus Christ, and my entire body of sin (work, output, performance) has been destroyed. The root of sin has been destroyed, therefore, the fruit of the work of sin is destroyed too! As such, I don’t serve sin! (Rom. 6:6)
- I am dead to sin therefore I am free from sin! (Rom. 6:7)
Bring the sinful thought into captivity and make it obey the Word of God.
- Because Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, death has no more dominion over Him, and He forever lives unto God. (Rom. 6:9-10)
- As a result, I count myself dead to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ. (Rom. 6:11) “There is no good thing that ever comes from sin, only evil and the wicked sad pathway to destruction.”
- I refuse to let sin reign in my thoughts and body by a defeated devil! Sin has no power over me. The only way I can sin is if choose to! (Rom. 6:12)
- I refuse to yield my thoughts and actions to sin, which is nothing more than death. Dead things stink, decay, and belong buried in the graveyard. I am alive unto God, alive unto the resurrection, and I yield myself completely unto righteousness—equality with God. (Rom 6:13)
- To all of this I say, sin has no dominion over me. Rather, I rule over sin. (Rom. 6:14) Whenever and wherever I am tempted to sin—I tell sin to get out of my face and out of my way, for it is a dead work!
Also remember, as the people of God in Christ Jesus, we are a living sacrifice to God, holy, and acceptable unto God. (Rom. 12:1) We have died to ourselves and live in the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. We are in the Lord’s service and with the resurrection power of God, on purpose and with confidence, we do the mighty works of God to show forth the praises of God who has called us to glory. Whatever we ask for in accordance with the Word of God, God hears us and we receive it! (I John 5:13-15) So that all men might marvel at the lives and works of God’s Peculiar People, and come and say what must I do to be saved? And, the answer is believe on the name of Jesus Christ!
Don’t miss next week’s message as we will explore two very simple acts of obedience that enable Christians to enter into the true riches of Jesus Christ.