Introduction

Having trouble remembering what day it is?  Our usual schedules are gone. You don’t get up and go to church Sunday. You don’t go grocery shopping Saturday. You don’t get up and go to work or school Monday. All our usual weekday markers are gone. So, you wake up and wonder, “Now what day is this?”

There are other things we easily forget about during this time when nothing seems quite right. Sometimes we forget who we are. Now we don’t forget we are husbands or wives, moms or dads or kids or grandparents. But do we forget what God says about us? Do we forget who we really are in God’s eyes?

We are the Blood Bought Children of God

God tells us who we are through the Apostle Peter,

“knowing that you were ransomed from your futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with…. Him [you] are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”  (vv. 18-21)

That is who we are! We are the blood bought children of God. Jesus saved us from our sinful ways inherited from Adam and all generations before us. He bought us with His own precious blood shed for us on Calvary’s cross. We belong to Christ who purchased us not with silver or gold but with something more precious—His own blood. Then God raised Him from death on the third day.

God’s Word Says So!

By God’s power through Jesus Christ we have the forgiveness of all our sins and eternal life. God’s Word says so. By God’s power He has worked faith and hope in us as believers in this Jesus who did all this for us. We are God’s children. We are people of faith. We are people of hope. God’s Word says so!

It is Easy to Forget

It is easy to forget this in trying times like these. Sometimes it just doesn’t cross our minds between the worry and anxiety and boredom of day after day, same old same old. We can lull ourselves into forgetting who we are. We never give it much of a thought.

The Danger of Forgetting

Who we are, however, has implications.

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.”  (v. 22)

This is our calling as the blood bought children of God. We are purified through faith in Jesus Christ. So, now we turn our love for Christ to those around us. When we forget who we are—the blood bought forgiven children of God—we wind up forgetting about the needs of others. We become self-focused on what we need and forget about what others do. We forget about checking on loved ones or friends. We forget about the needs of our fellow believers in Christ in our own church. We forget about the elderly person living next door with no family. We forget about those out of work and in real financial danger. This is the danger of forgetting who we are.

God’s Word Reminds Us

So what does God do to help us, strengthen us?  Listen again to what Peter says,

“since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God…”  (v. 23)

God works in us new things. We are born again by His word of His Son and what He did for us. God surrounds us, immerses us in His Word. His Word is always there for us.

“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flowers of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that we preached to you.”  (vv. 24-25)

God’s Word Gives Us Hope

God’s word, God’s promises, God’s good news is for you and forever. This is what give us hope. This is what creates us and reminds us of who we are. As God’s blood bought people we are His hands, His instruments in this world to show God’s love to others. 

God’s Word is Overflowing with Promises for Us

God gives us His Word to speak to us, strengthen us and give us hope. He tells us over and over again what He promises each one of us—His children. So, He says,

• “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
• “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:37-39)
• Still, He tells us more, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)
• He knows what we go through every day. “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
• He loves to remind us who we are. “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

The Living and Abiding Word of God

We have a hope that is grounded in the living and abiding word of God. This is a word that will last forever—to all eternity. This word is for you, for your family, friends and loved ones. The word is for our world from God Himself.

Remember Who You Are!

So, even if you can’t remember what day it is, remember who you are-the blood bought children of God. People of faith believing in Jesus Christ who bought us with His blood, His life, His resurrection. In the midst of this world we are people of hope. When we remember this hope, these words from God then we will be His instruments, His hands in this world. Amen.