Belong, Believe, Become: Living as God's Family

Devotional

Day 1: Marked by Scarred Hands

Jesus stood resurrected but still bore the nail wounds. He showed Thomas His hands, saying, “Stop doubting and believe.” The disciples’ fear turned to awe as they touched His scars. Baptism marks us with the same promise: we fall into Christ’s scarred hands, safe forever. [25:11]

Those scars prove God’s grip on us. When life shakes us, we don’t land on chaos but in the palms that shaped the universe. Jesus’ wounds remind us He paid for every failure, every doubt.

When you face failure this week, picture your life cupped in those scarred hands. Where do you need to trust His hold instead of scrambling for control?

“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
(Luke 24:39, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus aloud for holding you securely, especially in your weakest moment today.
Challenge: Text one person about your baptism story or a time God carried you.

Day 2: Rescued from the Treadmill

Peter warns against “futile ways” like the endless grind of making donuts, chasing promotions, or surviving adrenaline crashes. Jesus ransomed us from these empty cycles. Baptism drowns old patterns and births us into purposeful living. [47:55]

God doesn’t save us just to watch us treadmill. He adopts us into a family mission. Like Rhodes’ sponsors, we’re called to redirect each other toward eternal impact when worldly rhythms consume us.

Identify one routine this week that feels soul-numbing. How could you infuse it with prayer or service?

“You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.”
(1 Peter 1:18–19, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one “futile way” you’ve prioritized over God’s purpose.
Challenge: Set a phone reminder to pause and pray at the start of your most draining daily task.

Day 3: Exiles with Living Rooms

Peter calls believers “exiles,” yet we still stress over couch colors. Jesus’ kingdom isn’t about earthly comfort but investing in family. Our homes aren’t hiding places but hubs for hosting God’s people. [53:34]

God’s kingdom advances through open doors, not perfect decor. Like the men’s retreat forging brotherhood, our spaces matter most when filled with others seeking Jesus.

What’s one step to make your home a place where faith is shared, not just stored?

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”
(1 Peter 2:11, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to show you someone needing invitation to your table this week.
Challenge: Move one piece of furniture to create more gathering space in your home.

Day 4: Lions and Living Letters

Satan prowls for isolated believers. At Rhodes’ baptism, sponsors vowed to “get in his business”—praying, correcting, and guiding. The church survives not by lone warriors but by pack defense. [56:31]

We mirror the early church’s radical care. When Peter says “love one another deeply,” he means chasing each other like Jesus chases us. Isolation kills; community resurrects.

Who have you avoided because their struggles feel messy?

“Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.”
(1 Peter 1:22, ESV)

Prayer: Name three church members you’ll intentionally check on this week.
Challenge: Call someone who’s missed church recently to say, “We’re not the same without you.”

Day 5: Milk and Mountain Tops

Newborns crave milk; believers hunger for God’s Word. Peter ties growth to craving Scripture. Just as the pastor learned in seminary, daily immersion in truth steadies us more than last-minute cramming. [01:00:55]

Baptism isn’t graduation but enrollment. Rhodes’ candle reminds him to keep seeking light. We mature by feasting on Scripture, not snacking on highlights.

What habit could help you “long for pure spiritual milk” this season?

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
(1 Peter 2:2–3, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to give you a craving for one specific Bible passage today.
Challenge: Read Psalm 23 aloud at breakfast or dinner, then discuss it with someone.

Sermon Summary

Baptism appears as God’s gracious act rather than a human duty, a visible promise in which God claims a child and pours faith through word and sacrament. The rite functions as divine adoption: the baptized become members of God’s household, marked by the sign of the cross and the promise that Christ’s nail-scarred hands hold them in every season. Parents, sponsors, and the wider congregation join in vows to teach, pray for, and hold the baptized accountable, so that the gift can be grasped and grown in a life shaped by grace.

Life in Christ calls for a renewed identity and a different way of living. Believers live as exiles in a world that offers comfort, adrenaline, ambition, or despair as false roads to meaning. Those patterns—treadmill routines, roller-coaster highs and lows, endless escalator climbs, or giving up on the slide—fail to satisfy and lead away from God’s purpose. Instead, resurrection realities require a reorientation: put faith in the God who raised Jesus, recognize belonging to a family that loves and bears one another’s burdens, and pursue growth into the character God intends.

That growth comes through repeated spiritual practices and mutual care. Honest confession, regular reading of Scripture, and faithful gathering with brothers and sisters in Christ form the daily disciplines that move baptism from a one-time act into a lifelong formation. The community functions as both refuge and crucible: it welcomes the weak, bears each other’s burdens, corrects with love, and spurs one another toward holiness. God’s grace forgives when sin occurs, but grace also transforms—calling believers out of malice, deceit, envy, and hypocrisy into newborn-longing for spiritual nourishment.

The Christian life therefore rests on three interlocking realities: believe (trust God’s hands), belong (live in the family of faith), and become (grow into the holiness God calls forth). These realities free life from false securities and invite a steady, communal following of Jesus that reshapes everyday choices, relationships, and priorities. The call issues to every baptized person: live as God’s child, lean on the family of faith, and allow the Spirit to form a repentant, loving, and obedient life.

Key Takeaways

1. Belief secures identity in God Faith roots life in the reality that God raised Jesus and now holds believers. Trust becomes the defining posture: when life soars or crashes, the baptized stand in God’s hands rather than on their own resources. This trust reframes fear and failure as occasions to turn back to the One who chases after wandering children. [54:21]
2. Baptism is God’s active promise Baptism functions as God’s gift of adoption and a visible assurance of grace, not merely a human rite. It marks the baptized with Christ’s redeeming work and places them under God’s protective care. That promise invites ongoing remembrance and teaching so the baptized can claim it by faith through life. [20:44]
3. Belonging forms the Christian family The community of faith intends to be a relational remedy to isolation, offering accountability, care, and shared spiritual formation. Mutual love and confession remove the enemy’s tactic of picking off stragglers and instead create a place of refuge and correction. Living as family makes the gospel believable to outsiders through practical love. [56:31]
4. Christ calls for personal transformation Grace does not leave believers unchanged; it calls for the putting away of malice, hypocrisy, and envy and the pursuit of spiritual growth. Regular intake of Scripture, mutual accountability, and repentance produce growth that aligns daily choices with the new life in Christ. Becoming is an ongoing, communal process shaped by the Spirit’s power. [60:55]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:44] - Baptism as God’s Promise
[21:24] - Confessing the Faith
[22:08] - Parents’ and Sponsors’ Vows
[25:49] - Baptism Performed
[26:49] - Prayer of Blessing
[42:14] - Transition to First Peter
[47:55] - Futile Ways of Living
[51:23] - Exiles and New Identity
[54:21] - Believe: Faith in God
[56:31] - Know: Belong to Family
[60:55] - Become: Call to Holiness
[64:06] - Confession and Forgiveness
[72:21] - Invitation to Pray

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
*1 Peter 1:17-23 (ESV)*
*17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.*

*Galatians 4:4-7 (ESV)*
*4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.*

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Observation Questions

According to 1 Peter 1:17, how are believers instructed to live during their time as “exiles”?
What does Galatians 4:5-7 say about the purpose of baptism and its connection to identity?
The sermon compared futile ways of living to a treadmill, roller coaster, escalator, and slide. What specific example was given for the “roller coaster” lifestyle? [49:14]
In 1 Peter 2:1-3, what attitudes and behaviors are believers called to “put away” as they grow spiritually?

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Interpretation Questions

Why does Peter describe believers as “exiles” (1 Peter 1:17), and how does this contrast with the world’s definition of belonging?
The sermon emphasized that baptism is “God’s active promise” rather than a human duty. How does Galatians 4:4-7 support this idea of adoption and divine initiative?
How might mutual accountability in the church (e.g., sponsors “getting up in their business” [23:15]) help resist the enemy’s tactic of isolating believers?
What does it mean to “long for pure spiritual milk” (1 Peter 2:2) in practical terms, especially for someone new to faith?

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Application Questions

The “treadmill” lifestyle was described as busyness without purpose. What rhythms or habits in your life might reflect this pattern? What small step could you take to refocus on growth instead of survival? [47:55]
Baptism marks believers as “held in Christ’s nail-scarred hands.” When have you felt like you were “falling” in life? How could remembering God’s promise in baptism reshape your response to fear or failure? [25:11]
The church is called to be both a “refuge and crucible.” Who in your life has permission to lovingly correct you or “get up in your business” when you drift? If no one, what would it look like to invite that kind of relationship?
1 Peter 2:1 lists envy and hypocrisy as barriers to spiritual growth. Which of these do you struggle with most? How could daily Scripture reading or confession with a trusted friend help you “put it away”?
The sermon urged believers to “become” through communal practices. What spiritual discipline (e.g., prayer, Scripture, gathering) feels hardest to prioritize? What’s one way to integrate it into your routine this week? [01:00:55]
The enemy tries to isolate believers by whispering lies like “you’re not good enough.” When have you withdrawn from community because of shame? How can you lean into your church family this month instead? [57:56]

Sermon Clips

God loves you too much to let you die in your sin, but he also loves you too much to let you live in it. He will change you. He will call you to be different. Become who he's calling you to be by the power of the spirit. Be in the word so that he can call for change. We wanna follow after Jesus, and Jesus is sometimes gonna take us places we don't wanna go. But it's always better than what we were doing. It will get you off of the treadmill. It will take you off of the escalator. It it will get you off of that slide. It'll even get you off the roller coaster. [01:01:34] (38 seconds) #SpiritTransforms

Become the person that God is calling you to be. Get into his word. Gather together with your brothers and sisters in Christ to have fun. Yes. But also to dig in to the life giving, life breathing word of God. Men, hold each other accountable to living this life. Women, hold each other accountable living this life that we are called to. Sponsors, get up in their business. God is calling us to do this together. God loves you too much to let you die in your sin, but he also loves you too much to let you live in it. [01:01:09] (30 seconds) #FaithInCommunity

And he doesn't stop there. There's a lot of churches out there these days that are really good, and they they really like the idea of believing that we are saved by grace and belonging in the family of God, but God doesn't stop there. Right? We learn here in first Peter, one of the resurrection realities we live in is, yes, you are saved by grace through faith. It's an incredible gift. And, yes, you have a family of God. You belong. We tell people, you belong in this church. You are welcome in here regardless of what your background is. There's a seat at the table for you. But God doesn't stop there. He also tells you, I want you to become. Become who I'm calling you to be. [01:00:02] (39 seconds) #BelongAndBecome

But they'll also tell you the place we come is to the cross, and we ask for forgiveness. And God says, my child, I forgive you. My son already paid the price. Now, go and live for me, together, as a family. Let us believe, let us know we belong, and let us become more and more who he's calling us to be. This is our call. It's time to get to work. Children of God, live as family. Amen? [01:03:07] (40 seconds) #LiveForgivenTogether

Even when you feel like you are the worst of the worst, God still loves you and has you in his hands, and he is saying to you, be with your brothers and sisters in Christ. When everything is failing, he says, go spend more time with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Go let them know. Tell them about the diagnosis. Tell them that's what's going on with your family. Tell them you are struggling financially so we can help and take care of each other and love each other. We are called to do this. We are called to gather together and do life together. [00:58:22] (29 seconds) #ShareYourBurden

It wasn't until I transferred from Texas Tech. Texas Tech is a great school, I cheer for them all the time, but when I got to Concordia Saint Paul, I discovered something different. I discovered my family. I discovered how loved I am by God, and I discovered that he is calling me to be different. And since then, it's been a journey to become more and more who God is calling me to be, and I still mess up. Every single day, ask these. They'll tell you. They'll definitely tell you. But they'll also tell you the place we come is to the cross, and we ask for forgiveness. [01:02:35] (38 seconds) #FoundFamilyInFaith

One of the main things I want you doing after the sermon number one, I want you thinking about what is God saying to me and what am I gonna do about it? Number two is who should I invite to lunch today? This is your family. Do this life together, not on your own. Men, he works hard, the enemy does, on us with this. Lone ranger, go do it on your own. No. Family of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, we do this life together. Now, in our house, the number one thing we're talking about as we're putting this in, we want it to be comfortable, but we're also going, how many people can we fit? [00:59:10] (39 seconds) #DoLifeTogether

And it made me think about how do we do it today? What are the the futile ways that we live today? And one of them, I was thinking, is some of us kind of live life like it's a treadmill. We're busy. We're busy all the time. We're always working, but it's kind of always the same thing. And and we don't really ever get anywhere. It's just You remember, our younger people, I'm sorry about this, most of us who are, you know, over 35, I think will remember this. Do you remember the commercial [00:47:33] (31 seconds) #TreadmillLiving

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