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1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9, verse 9, 1 Peter chapter 2, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you of darkness into his marvelous light. We're just saying, My Redeemer then shall hear me shout his praise. Further, second reading, 2 Timothy chapter 2, 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 15, Verse 15, 2 Timothy chapter 2, Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Now come with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 11. We'll come to verse 26. Verse 26, 1 Corinthians chapter 11, For as oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.

Final reading, John chapter 20 and verse 20. Verse 20 of John chapter 20, It says in verse 19 that, Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where his disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst. Saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

Verse 20, as we connect with the other four verses, And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Now just for a few brief moments in this time period, As our brethren have indicated, Devotional, seeking to draw our hearts out, Praise and worship and thanksgiving to the person of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.

These verses have come to my mind in recent. I trust to even further look at them in more depth in my own privately. But as they've just connected, you'll notice there's one word.

And we'll point that out that bring our attention and link them together. We have read that your chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that you should show forth. The praises of him who has called you of darkness into his marvelous light.

The word there that you should show. And the very thought there is in that word, particularly, as you would notice if you would study these. There is a different word that the Holy Spirit in the original would be pointing out to give us more insight.

Here it is the thought of telling out or it is a giving of evidence of divine life in our very soul. But let me just come to verse five. As you look there, you will notice that we are a holy priesthood and we have read here that we are a royal priesthood.

Now, I've heard this on more than one occasion. And so I just repeat that as holy priests, we would come in to worship. And that is why we have come today on the first day of the week as those disciples, as we would conclude our little message here shortly.

They on the first day of the week when they were assembled together, Jesus came and stood in their midst. And as royal priests, we would go out to serve. Now, it is worship that gives us that divine strength to serve.

Now, there is an expression, no doubt you have heard it, that we are saved to serve. Now, I hear that and I listen and I understand what they're saying. But when it comes to the thought of our priesthood, that is something we need not take for granted.

It is a great privilege that is given to us. And if we want to think about our failures, there are many. But it is very sad to say that we have failed in the greatest thing, and that is priesthood.

You will notice in the conference that that theme has been struck from the very outset. So here we are. And when I think of priesthood, it brings my attention to the thought of worship.

And worship is that which is Godward. And let me just mention quickly, as we think of priesthood, every believer in this day of grace, dispensation of grace, is a priest. I remember the special, unique ministry of our brother, Arnold Adams.

He used to come to Newfoundland on different occasions. And he was telling that one time he was on an airplane. And as he was sitting there, this individual by his side said, Are you a priest? And for instance, he said, Yes, I am.

And my mother is too. And now that is very true. In the Old Testament, just briefly, there were those that were chosen of the tribe of Levi.

It was mentioned too yesterday that Aaron was a priest, and a group of men chosen from that particular tribe. But in this day of grace, when a person is saved, they become a holy priest. And those priests in the Old Testament, as related, and you can find that very true, they were able to actually go into the presence of God and offer up spiritual sacrifices.

Now, that is something that is a privilege that we are able to do as believers. And you say, now, what is a spiritual sacrifice? Well, we can quote a verse, just three, I will. I beseech you, therefore, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

What is that talking about? Well, it's talking about that we can present our bodies. And that simply means that when I got saved, that all that I have, we're talking about that which is spiritual, all that I have and all that is mine, that has come to me, has been given to me by God. And it says that we might present our bodies, that encompasses our body, soul, and spirit.

All that I am and all that I have, that is my hands, my eyes, my feet, my tongue, it can be given and presented and used for him. And then we have in Hebrews chapter 13, it tells us there, by him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

That verse is telling me what is in my heart and is able to come forth out of my lips and continually, even at the very beginning of the day, I can speak forth praises to him. And there in that very same portion, the next verse, but to do good and to communicate, forget not for such sacrifices God is well pleased. So there's those things that I can do for others to their benefit and communicate, have fellowship with.

Then those sacrifices are pleasing to God. This says here, just as we would pass on now in a moment, but you are a chosen generation. We know Israel, they value and they prize very highly the truth of priesthood and the temple and all those things that you read about in Hebrews, they're very dear to them.

And the third thing I would say, that they were chosen. That was something that was very special to them. The temple and the priesthood, in fact, they were chosen.

And you know, here today, I just come to this verse and it's one place in my Bible that I stop and I ponder. And I think, you know, I've been chosen. A brother was talking to another brother one time and he was younger.

And he said, why did God choose Judas? Well, he said, why did he choose you? Well, that makes you think, doesn't it? And I think of Joseph. God chose Joseph. Why? Because of his grace.

He chose Joseph just because he chose him. And God has chosen you and me. And I stop and think of that in my Bible.

I only have to stop and think about that for a moment. And that has a tremendous effect upon me, that I have been chosen in Christ. And that we should show forth his praises, that we should tell out.

Now, I learned this as a young believer. A story I heard, and it was about a young man and he wore black clothes. And he had a beard and he wouldn't even put a button on his clothes.

And he had a black horse and a black buggy. And one time he went even 250 miles to this religious meeting with his black horse and black buggy. The individual that was talking to him was Norman Crawford.

And he asked him, why did you do that? That seems very odd. He said, I asked myself the same question. And he said, I remember myself going down through the main part of town and I'm thinking, everybody's looking at me.

But he said, you know what? He's only saved three days. He said, I think I've learned something. That was just pride, he says, I can see.

I believe that God wants me to draw attention to his son. So young believers here today, let me tell you, somewhere in your life, somewhere, sometime, you will need to stop and think and decide who's going to get the credit in your life. You can't exalt yourself and the Lord Jesus at the same time.

We'll just be brief on the others and close here in just a minute or two. I came shortly in Newfoundland. I've been in Newfoundland and Canada, so I can camouflage my stories.

I could be talking right in the backyard of Iowa or the Midwest. But I will tell you that this story was told in Newfoundland. I don't know where it come from.

My brother I was with probably for a great deal of five years. We labored together much, Brother Marvin Dirksen. And he told about a young man preaching the gospel, and a brother went and talked to him and said, now if you're going to kind of carry on that way, we just assume that you won't maybe speak.

Well, okay, I just won't do anything. And so that's what he done. And he said that.

But then he read this verse one day, and he realized, he wants me to show forth the praise of him. He's called me out of darkness. What I've been doing is showing off.

He doesn't say that. He says he might show forth the praises of him who has called me. Now here is the word that we should study and show ourselves approved.

Here is another word that we should study to show ourself approved. There's different metaphors here, and they're very instructive. Here is the student.

And a student is an individual that has the capacity for intelligence and the capacity to learn. And what he does is he applies himself so that he may show himself approved, that he might present himself. And the thought here is to set forth or to come very near.

So this here is something that is very close to yourself individually, and that he might be a workman. He's an individual that studies so that he may be able to be a worker, that he may be able to present the truths of God and the mind of God. He studies homework, and he is able to rightly divide the word of God to clearly distinguish and discern the truth of God.

And one of the things, as I think of this verse, and we'll come to the next one, is the fact of the little hymn says, More about Jesus would I know. More about Jesus would I know. You know, if you come near to me, you'll see more failures and more shortcomings.

And things like that. But the nearer you get to Christ, more beauties and glories you will see. The poet said these words, Still as we study him more and ponder his works and his ways, new beauties unnoticed before are blossoming out to my gaze.

Study to show thyself approved. What do I know of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ? A little poem I remember hearing one time when I was younger. If everyone in the assembly was just like me, what kind of an assembly would our assembly be? In Canada one time, I don't know, maybe probably that's where it happened, someone quoted that, and a sister went home, and she wrote another little line.

It goes like this. If everyone in our assembly was like unto our Lord, was like unto our Lord, what worship to the Father would our assembly afford? Here it says in 2 Corinthians 11, As oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. You show the Lord's death.

Now, I could remember the Lord at home, that is true, but only in partaking of the emblems can I show forth. Now, I believe it's Darby's translation, if I'm remembering right, would it translate that, announce. It's a thought of proclaiming, telling, telling forth his death.

See, the Lord could have given us one emblem to remind us of himself, and we dare not suggest what that might be, but to show his death, it takes two, the blood that was shed and the body that was broken. In that cup, it tells me that he shed his precious blood. All that blood was poured out for me.

That body, the precious blood, the precious body of my blessed Lord Jesus Christ, and on the first day of the week, we can show forth his death. What I'm saying when I come is this, that Jesus died for me. All my hopes for eternity is based upon his death, burial, and resurrection.

I will stop now. Let me just tell you what we have in the last one on the first day of the week. When those disciples were assembling together, he came and he stood in the midst.

He showed them. I think this is probably the simplest one that we think of most often. There he just presented himself.

He showed him his hands and his side. There's something that's very, very special about God's assembly. Most unique thing upon the face of the earth.

You know why? It's only on the first day of the week where we get special manifestations of himself. I have got glimpses of Christ in his presence. I wouldn't trade the world for.

That's what happened with those disciples as they were gathered together. There they were. And our brother was speaking about a half an hour in silence in heaven.

Oh, for a time of silence and that we might see him. Our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. I close.

When I think of heaven, I think of the words we sing. How shall I know thee amidst those hosts of love? What true will show me the object of my love? Thy wounds, thy wounds, Lord Jesus. Those deep, deep wounds will tell the sacrifice that freed me from sin and death and hell.