Five Signs of the Identity of God’s People

God is holy, loving, and very forgiving. In His presence there is life.

Lord, help me touch Your life. I do not want merely to hear these words. I need renewal of life and transformation through Your touch. Glory to You, Lord. Amen.

Our Identity and Responsibility

The Identity of God’s People

I want to speak about our special identity as God’s people and the responsibility connected with it. This simple but important word should be a reminder and a test for me. It is not enough to speak beautifully about being part of God’s people or to call Jesus Lord. God may see my life differently.

Walking with God Is Not a Game

The greatest deception in life is self-deception. Walking with God is not a game or a matter of convenience or comfort. God does not call His people those who in reality are not His people.

Examining My Deeds and My Relationship with God

I can say the right words and do remarkable works, but that alone is not enough. I need to do the will of my Heavenly Father and live in a genuine relationship with Him.

Matthew 7:21-23 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (NKJV)

God’s Invitation for Every Person

The good news is that everyone has an opportunity to become part of God’s people. God paid the price to make this available to everyone who sees His invitation and wants to receive it.

Some hear God’s call but say that they do not want to answer. Some want to, but put off their answer: they are busy now, it is not convenient for them, and they think that time for God will be found later. Some consider God’s call foolishness, because by this world’s standards they are succeeding in something and think they can manage without God.

I am grateful to God for the conviction that I cannot manage without Him. For me, this is not merely an accepted doctrine but a conviction. Faith is conviction. You could shoot me, but I am convinced of this. Others may argue, but for me this is not a matter for debate: I know that I need God. Therefore, I build a relationship with Him not for show and not only when it is convenient. I need Him every moment. Only with such conviction can I take walking with God seriously.

Five Signs of God’s People

God’s people are:

Called. God Himself invites people into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ: to salvation and forgiveness, to fellowship with the Son, and to service. The response to the call is faith, repentance, obedience, and readiness to serve.
Set apart. From the power of sin, the standards of this world, idolatry, injustice, and the works of darkness.
Chosen. By God’s grace, not by merit or by numbers, for a special purpose: to be a herald and a witness.
Faithful. God expects faithfulness from His people; unfaithful people cannot be relied on.
Holy. God calls His people holy and commands them to live a holy life.

In this message the pastor expanded on the first two signs. He named the other three and showed them in Scripture, and said he would return to them if there was time.

These Characteristics Are Inseparable

God calls people to Himself, sets them apart from the power and dominion of sin, chooses them for a special purpose, expects faithfulness from them, and commands them to live holy lives. These qualities are connected to one another. I will now look in detail at calling and separation, but I remember that being chosen, faithfulness, and holiness also belong to the identity of God’s people.

Victory Belongs to the Lamb

Revelation speaks of the last days and of the war between the forces of darkness and God. Satan and his allies make war with the Lamb. This struggle also takes place in people’s minds, when it is claimed that God does not reign, His will is not done, and He is not worthy of worship. But God’s Word cannot be revoked: the Lamb will overcome.

Revelation 17:14 14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (NKJV)

If I want to be on the side of the Victor, I must be with the Lamb. Even when circumstances do not look like victory, God does not lie. The reason for victory is that the Lamb is Lord of lords and King of kings.

Christ Remains Lord of Lords

When Jesus stood before Pilate, He was beaten, and outwardly He looked defeated. Pilate spoke as though the authority to crucify or release Jesus belonged to him. But Jesus showed that all authority over Him could only have been given from above.

John 18:33-34 33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” (NKJV)

John 19:10-11 10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” 11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (NKJV)

If Christ looks as if He is losing, it is only because He has chosen it for now. He is Lord of lords. Therefore He will win. If I stand on the side of the Lamb, victory awaits me.

Called, chosen, and faithful with the Lamb

Being on the Lamb’s side requires a certain condition of the soul, because it is war and struggle. This kind of struggle drives out of me what is unclean and everything that does not match God’s nature. Three qualities of God’s people are named in the words about the Lamb: calling, being chosen, and faithfulness. I accept my calling, understand that I have been chosen by God’s grace, and remember that God expects faithfulness from me. Unfaithful people cannot be relied on.

A chosen, holy people who belong to God

Every day I recognize that I belong to God’s people. God called me, brought me out of darkness, and set me apart from darkness. I am no longer part of the system of darkness. He chose me for a special purpose: to be a proclaimer, a witness, and to proclaim His excellencies. He called me a holy people.

1 Peter 2:9 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (NKJV)

In Scripture, Israel is first of all called God’s people. God called it holy, chose it, and made it His own possession among the nations of the earth.

Deuteronomy 7:6-11 6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. 7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; 10 and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face. 11 Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them. (NKJV)

I see here that God’s people are holy, chosen, and belong to God. The Lord brought them out of the house of bondage so that no other power would rule over them. Therefore, I do not attribute being chosen to my own merits. God chooses not because we are more numerous or better than others. It is His decision, based on love, faithfulness, and grace.

Sign 1: God’s people are called

Calling begins with God’s invitation

To be chosen means to receive God’s invitation to enter into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. God’s people are people who have entered into a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. God Himself initiates this relationship. I cannot simply declare myself part of God’s people: I need God’s invitation.

When I accept this invitation and enter into a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, I accept the salvation available through Christ. Then I say: I will follow Jesus Christ and fulfill His purpose for my life. I am called.

Calling to salvation and forgiveness

The first thing I am called to is salvation. When I receive the invitation, I receive forgiveness. God’s people are a forgiven people. My sins are forgiven, and God has separated me from the past so that it no longer has power over me. I confess: I am redeemed and forgiven.

I must remember the specific day when I called on the name of the Lord and accepted His invitation. From that moment, He became my Savior and Lord. Throughout my conscious life, I know that I am forgiven and saved. But I am saved for a purpose, not only to receive forgiveness of sins. I will follow Jesus Christ until the end of my days.

Calling to fellowship with the Son of God

Accepting salvation is not where everything ends. I am called to fellowship with God. God’s people are people who fellowship with Him regularly and continually. There is much that I do not know, but God knows. He wants to reveal Himself to me so that I may know Him, and this happens in fellowship with Him.

1 Corinthians 1:9 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (NKJV)

Works do not replace a close relationship

I can do many good things and, on that basis, consider myself part of God’s people. But what I do is not all that matters. What matters is whether I have a close relationship with God and fellowship with Him.

Jesus does not dispute that the people He mentioned prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles. Their ministry was visible, and the world knew about it. But they did not have a close relationship and fellowship with Him.

I can make up for myself what I should do and call it good. It is different when, through fellowship with God, I receive a commission and a specific assignment, and then faithfully carry it out. The assignment may be visible, like healing or prophecy, or it may be unpopular and unknown to people. If I received it from God in fellowship with Him and faithfully carry it out, that is obedience to God.

I am not saying that Jesus will call every person whom God uses in visible ministry someone He does not know. I am saying that those who do the Father’s will will enter the Kingdom, and His will is known by those who fellowship with Him.

Sometimes I can be too busy with good works and still have no fellowship with God. God wants me to fellowship with Him and receive direction from Him, rather than limit myself to works that I myself consider good and right.

Lord, help me. Thank You for calling me to salvation. Help me understand my calling to fellowship with You and be faithful in it.

Calling to ministry

I live out my calling and treasure it, because it is God’s invitation and God’s initiative. God has prepared what I am to do and invites me to it.

Ephesians 2:10 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (NKJV)

Everyone who calls themselves God’s people should be able to say: I serve God in this way. I have a ministry in God’s house, and I serve as a steward of God’s manifold grace.

1 Peter 4:10 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (NKJV)

I am called not only to be called one of God’s people, but also to serve, reflect God’s character, and reveal it to the world. My life must be a testimony. I am called to proclaim God’s excellencies and be a witness to the light into which He has called me.

Abraham as an example of an obedient response

God Himself initiated Abraham’s calling. Abraham was living and going about his affairs, when God came to him and called him to leave his land, his relatives, and his father’s house for the land that He would show him.

Genesis 12:1-4 1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (NKJV)

Abraham responded to God’s call with obedience. He went as the Lord told him and left Haran at the age of seventy-five. His response was marked by faith, trust, and obedience.

How I respond to God’s invitation

That God Himself invites me is a privilege. There is responsibility in this privilege. I respond to God’s call with faith, repentance, obedience, and readiness to serve Him.

Faith and trust

When God calls me, I answer Him with faith and trust. As with Abraham, this faith does not remain only in words, but is expressed in an obedient response.

Repentance, obedience, and readiness to serve

My response includes repentance. God expects obedience from me, and I must be ready to serve Him. Faith, repentance, obedience, and readiness to serve – that is my response to God’s invitation.

Lord, thank You for Your invitation and Your calling in my life. Thank You for salvation. I have answered Your call. My sins are forgiven. You redeemed me from the curse of the law. I am free, but free to live for You.

Galatians 3:13 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), (NKJV)

Thank You also for other areas of calling. You call me into fellowship with Yourself. Help me respond to this call with faith, repentance, obedience, and readiness to give You my time. Forgive me, Lord, because sometimes I forget about this.

The ministry entrusted to me

Ministry is an area in which God gives me the task of cultivating what He has entrusted to me. This is like the instruction given to Adam in the beginning: to cultivate the garden, make it beautiful, and put his hands, labor, and mind to it.

Genesis 2:15 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. (NKJV)

I must put my hands, labor, and mind to work so that the area entrusted to me becomes beautiful. What area has God entrusted to me?

What is happening in it?

That is my ministry.

Ministry requires order, diligence, and work, as well as patience, faith, and obedience. May God help us.

Sign 2: God’s people are set apart

God calls me to come out and be separate

God’s people are not only called but also separated. That is what makes them distinct. God tells me to come out from the midst of my former life, to separate myself, and not touch what is unclean.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.” (NKJV)

To separate means not accepting the standard of this world. God’s people cannot live as everyone else lives. I am separated for God.

Renewal of the mind and God’s standard

God calls me to present myself to Him and not conform to this age. My mind is renewed so that I may know God’s will – good, pleasing, and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV)

This world has its own standards for dress, speech, friendship, and relationships. But God’s people do not accept the world’s standard, forgetting that God has set us apart for Himself. God’s standard has boundaries.

Purity without isolation from people

To be set apart means to separate myself from sin and from a way of life that contradicts God’s will, so that I belong fully to God and live by His standards. I am set apart from all impurity. I ask myself: are my thoughts pure?

Are my actions pure?

Are my relationships pure?

This especially applies to the relationships of young men and women. God’s standard has boundaries.

Not everyone who goes to church and calls Jesus Lord belongs to God’s people. God’s people are a set-apart people. Yet being set apart is a process: if I did not know something and acted wrongly, God reveals the truth to me, and I am transformed through the revelation of His Word.

The biblical concept of the church as God’s people is connected to the word “ekklesia,” meaning a calling to come out of a particular environment. But this is not isolation from the world. We continue to work with people and live within the system of this world, but their practices do not become our practices. I can tell people that I belong to God and do not want to touch what is unclean.

Separation makes my life a testimony

God sets apart His people so that they may be His witness in the world. Witness is not only inviting people to God or to church. The strongest witness is when I live a set-apart life.

If I speak well and invite people to church, but they see in me the same way of life, standards, and manners as in the world, what testimony am I giving?

God wants people to see in my life a special people who belong to Him. Through Abraham, God showed what it means to be with Him.

Psalm 33:12 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance. (NKJV)

What matters is not only what I say, but also what people see in my life. When I am set apart from impurity and from a way of life that contradicts God’s will, when I fully belong to God and live by His standards, my life becomes a testimony to the world.

Separation from the power of sin

If we accept the characteristics of God’s people and, with God’s help, show them in our lives, we glorify God more than by any other activity. When we live as a called and set-apart people, we do more good than through our activities and ideas alone.

The first thing God wants to separate me from is not only sin itself, but the power of sin.

Romans 6:12-14 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (NKJV)

I thank the Lord that He has separated me from the power of sin. I am under God’s grace. Sin has no power over me and cannot rule over me, because I have been set apart by God’s power and brought out from the dominion of darkness.

I live this way not because I am simply trying to do certain things or not do certain things. The word of God’s grace governs me. I hold fast to this confession and allow this truth to penetrate my whole inner being so that it governs me.

Separation from worldly values and worship of God

We are set apart from worldly values that contradict God’s standards. The world dictates directions, demands, and fashion, but I do not accept its dictate as the standard.

When the children said that it was unfashionable, I replied, “I set the fashion. I decide what I wear.”

God’s standard in clothing

I sense that God is drawing our attention to this question. Does clothing that exposes the body meet God’s standard?

When God created man, He covered him with glory. This is clothing that glorifies the Creator. When people sinned, they were deprived of this glory and realized that they were naked. Then God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Genesis 3:21 21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. (NKJV)

I must not accept the world’s standard as the norm for the church. God does not want us to expose ourselves.

Exclusive worship of God

God requires true worship for Himself alone. This means complete devotion to God.

Exodus 20:3-5 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, (NKJV)

If work, children, finances, studies, or anything else becomes more important to me than God, it takes the place of an idol. Whoever I worship is the one I listen to, and that one governs my life. God must occupy first place, not second, third, or fourth place.

Following Christ Comes Before Human Priorities

Jesus spoke strong words about following Him to show that God’s will and Christ’s calling are above every human demand.

Luke 14:26 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. (NKJV)

These words do not call me to stop loving or honoring my parents and those close to me. Jesus does not abolish the commandment to honor father and mother.

Exodus 20:12 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (NKJV)

He Himself rebuked those who used religious words to cover their refusal to take responsibility for their parents.

Matthew 15:3-6 3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”- 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. (NKJV)

Following Christ means that at the decisive moment I choose God’s will even when it does not agree with the will of those close to me. I do not stop loving my parents, and I do not neglect them, but God remains in first place.

Testimony About My Father

When I repented, my father told me: “You will not go there. If you go there, you will no longer be my son.” He confirmed this decision by his actions. I faced a choice: obey my father or follow God’s calling and invitation.

My decision to follow God could have been interpreted as though I had hated those close to me. But I did not stop loving my father or betray him. I did not turn away from God. Today I stand before you precisely because I chose obedience to God.

God works in circumstances when His will becomes more important to me than anything else.

Proverbs 16:7 7 When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. (NKJV)

In time, my father changed his decision. Before he left, we had a very good relationship. He told me: “You did the right thing.” I see that God can reconcile even those who at first oppose my choice.

Separation from Unrighteousness and the Works of Darkness

God knows His own, and everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must depart from unrighteousness.

2 Timothy 2:19 19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (NKJV)

I reject dishonesty, immorality, hatred, and injustice. There must be no dishonesty in my life even when no one is watching me. I act honestly not for human approval, but because it is right. My life is not built on deception and falsehood.

Daniel’s Faithfulness in Trial

I think of Daniel, who was thrown into the lions’ den. From a human perspective, it seemed that he had suffered defeat, but his faithfulness to God remained a testimony.

Daniel 6:16,22-23 16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.” 23 Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God. (NKJV)

Sometimes it seems to me that God is losing because I am going through difficult circumstances and do not receive immediate deliverance. But God does not lose. If I am on His side, He remains on my side.

Life as Children of Light

I am separated from unrighteousness, idolatry, the power of sin, and spiritual darkness. I was once darkness, but now I am light in the Lord.

Ephesians 5:8-11 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. (NKJV)

I live as a child of light. The fruit of the Spirit is manifested in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. I test what is pleasing to God, I do not take part in the unfruitful works of darkness, and I expose them.

Conclusion: The Life of a Called and Separated People

God separated me from this world and says that I should no longer take part in what He led me away from. I no longer take part in the former life. God’s people must be distinguished by character, qualities, behavior, and life priorities.

Separation Leads to Love and Humility

Separation from the power of sin leads us to greater love. We learn to love more. Our response to God’s call to separate and come out leads us away from pride.

This word reminds us of God’s requirement and standard for His Church. It is not enough simply to come into the church building and do good church work. Our lives must reflect the life of a called people, set apart for God. There is also election, faithfulness, and holiness. If there is time, we will talk about this, but we will keep it in mind even now.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank You for Your Word. We receive Your Word.

I receive Your Word and thank You, Lord, for Your generosity. You have given us an invitation to be participants in Your life.

Thank You for Your love for us and for Your plan for our lives. Thank You for the calling. Thank You, Lord, for setting us apart.

You brought us out and gave us Your grace so that we could live a different life. We want to glorify You through our calling and through separation. Thank You, Lord, that You chose us.