Making Disciples for God's Glory and Others' Good

Aug 30, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Chosen Stones Built Around the Cornerstone

The church isn’t a random collection of people but living stones intentionally joined to Christ. Just as a builder selects each stone to fit a specific purpose, God gathers diverse believers around Jesus, the cornerstone. This unity isn’t based on shared preferences or backgrounds but on shared mercy. Those once separated by sin and darkness now form a spiritual house where God dwells. Their identity flows not from human effort but from Christ’s finished work. [01:00:35]

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you subtly rely on human effort rather than Christ’s work to define your purpose? How might your interactions change if you saw others as “living stones” chosen by God?

Day 2: Proclaiming the Light We’ve Been Given

Declaring God’s greatness isn’t optional for those rescued from darkness. Like survivors guiding others to safety, believers speak of the mercy that found them. This proclamation isn’t polished theology but raw testimony – the excellencies of the One who lit their path. Worship services, conversations, and quiet faithfulness become megaphones for the God who transforms exiles into ambassadors. [01:09:48]

"For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8, ESV)

Reflection: When have you last shared how Christ’s light specifically reshaped your darkness? Who in your life needs to hear not just about church programs, but about your personal encounter with mercy?

Day 3: Exiles Planting Gardens in Enemy Territory

Christians live as hopeful outsiders, cultivating goodness in hostile soil. Like refugees planting orchards in a warzone, believers abstain from destructive patterns while actively sowing love. Their honorable conduct – marked by integrity at work, patience in hardship, and generosity to critics – becomes inexplicable fertilizer for gospel growth. [01:16:07]

"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable." (1 Peter 2:11-12a, ESV)

Reflection: What “passion of the flesh” most often sabotages your ability to plant gospel gardens? How could honoring Christ in one practical relationship this week display His goodness?

Day 4: Warring Against the Selfishness That Silences Witness

Sin isn’t a private struggle but a civil war endangering others. Malice, deceit, and envy (1 Peter 2:1) aren’t personal vices but landmines destroying community credibility. Victory comes through ruthless honesty – confessing how resentment poisons prayers or how pride undermines service. Every surrendered desire becomes a weapon for others’ good. [01:18:15]

"Put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander." (1 Peter 2:1, ESV)

Reflection: Which hidden sin most often causes collateral damage in your relationships? What specific step will you take this day to “wage war” against it through accountability or repentance?

Day 5: Good Deeds That Demand a Divine Explanation

Consistent Christlike conduct forces skeptics to reconsider God. Like neighbors puzzled by an unshakeable peace during crisis or coworkers curious about refusal to gossip, observers eventually connect unusual goodness to its source. The goal isn’t admiration but awe – lives so saturated with grace that critics must either dismiss God or glorify Him. [01:22:54]

"Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16, ESV)

Reflection: What “good deed” in your routine life seems least remarkable to you but might intrigue someone far from God? How could you prepare to connect that action to Christ’s work when asked?

Sermon Summary

Peter grounds the church’s mission in what God has already done. God has called people out of darkness into his marvelous light, made those who were not a people into his people, and given mercy to those who deserved judgment. The church is not built by programs, a building, shared interests, or human effort. Christ is the cornerstone, and God joins very different people together around his Son as living stones.

God’s goodness does not stop with the people who receive it. Peter says that God makes his people a chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, and people for his own possession so that they might “proclaim the excellencies” of the one who called them. The glory of God means that the attention falls on him, not on the church’s size, reputation, leaders, or accomplishments. Discipleship aims at more than knowledgeable Christians or active volunteers. Discipleship helps people know God, treasure God, obey God, reflect God, and worship God.

Peter also joins proclamation to conduct. God’s people are sojourners and exiles whose values and allegiance are shaped by another kingdom, but that distinction does not call them to withdraw from the world. God places his people among neighbors, coworkers, classmates, and family members whose eyes are on the reality of their faith. Honorable conduct means a whole pattern of life that is good and beautiful, even when others misunderstand or accuse believers.

The passions of the flesh wage war against the soul and harm other people through malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. God’s goodness becomes visible when his people resist those desires and pursue integrity, compassion, humility, generosity, holiness, and sacrificial love. The gospel is obscured when mercy is proclaimed but withheld, faithfulness is proclaimed but commitments are broken, or transformation is proclaimed while bitterness still rules.

Peter’s hope reaches all the way to worship. People who once slander God’s people may see their good deeds, reconsider the God they reject, receive mercy, and glorify him. The good of others includes tangible care for real needs, but it cannot stop at temporary relief. The greatest good for any person is to know and glorify the God for whom that person was made. Making disciples for the glory of God and the good of others means declaring his greatness, displaying his goodness, and inviting others into the marvelous light of Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s goodness starts the mission. God does not send his people out to earn mercy or prove that they matter. God sends those whom he has already called, forgiven, and made his own in Christ. The church’s work begins with gratitude, not anxiety, because God is the one building his church. [65:41]
2. Discipleship directs attention toward God. The glory of God keeps discipleship from becoming a project of making impressive church members. God receives glory when people see his mercy, faithfulness, holiness, and power as the reason anything good exists among his people. The church is never the hero of the story. [72:41]
3. Honorable conduct makes grace visible. Peter calls for more than occasional good deeds because conduct means a pattern of life. Sin turns people inward and trains them to use, resent, or disregard others. God’s goodness becomes believable when integrity, mercy, and sacrificial love shape ordinary relationships. [78:46]
4. The good of others is eternal. Tangible care for hunger, pain, loneliness, and family burdens matters because God’s goodness touches every part of life. The good of others cannot be reduced to making life more comfortable while leaving people in darkness. Christ offers the deeper good of mercy, reconciliation with God, and eternal life.

## [86:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[40:30] - A New Season and Church Mission
[49:01] - Why the Church Exists
[52:03] - Jesus Gives the Church Its Mission
[52:49] - Making Disciples for God’s Glory
[55:54] - Peter’s Word to Sojourners and Exiles
[57:30] - The Mission Road Map
[58:16] - God Has Called His People
[60:35] - Christ the Cornerstone Builds the Church
[62:31] - Called Out of Darkness
[67:39] - Proclaiming God’s Excellencies
[70:29] - Worship and Witness Together
[75:11] - Displaying God’s Goodness
[78:15] - Waging War Against Sin
[80:50] - Doing Good When Opposed
[82:25] - Inviting Others to Glorify God
[87:37] - Receiving and Sharing God’s Goodness

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 Peter 2:9–12
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” [54:59] [01:15:14]

Matthew 28:18–20
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” [52:11]

Ephesians 2:19–22
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” [01:00:35]

Hosea 2:23
“and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” [01:04:12]

Observation questions

In 1 Peter 2:9–10, what descriptions does Peter give to God’s people, and what changes does he say God has brought about for them?
What purpose follows the words “that you may” in 1 Peter 2:9? What are God’s people meant to proclaim? [01:07:39]
According to 1 Peter 2:11–12, what two parts of life are connected to honorable conduct: resisting sinful desires and doing good before others?
What examples of sins that harm other people are named, and how does each one damage a relationship? [01:17:30]

Interpretation questions

Peter says that believers are “sojourners and exiles,” yet he tells them to remain among people who may misunderstand them. What does this show about how Christians should be distinct from the world without withdrawing from it? [01:15:38]
Ephesians 2 says that Christ is the cornerstone and believers are being built together around him. Why does this keep a church from being centered on shared preferences, leaders, programs, or human effort? [01:00:50]
Peter connects good deeds with outsiders eventually glorifying God. How can a believer’s steady pattern of integrity, kindness, and generosity challenge false assumptions about Christ and his people? [01:22:43]
Jesus commands his followers to make disciples, baptize, and teach obedience. Why is discipleship more than helping people gain Bible knowledge or become active volunteers? [01:13:08]

Application questions

God called his people out of darkness into marvelous light and gave mercy to those who did not deserve it. How does remembering your own need for mercy change the way you view someone who is far from God or difficult to love? [01:06:43]
What do the people closest to you hear most often from you: frustrations, accomplishments, fears, opinions, or God’s faithfulness and mercy? What is one natural way you could speak more clearly about what God has done? [01:14:19]
Peter says the passions of the flesh wage war against the soul. Is there a pattern such as resentment, envy, dishonesty, harsh speech, pride, or a desire for comfort that is harming your relationships? What would it look like to bring that struggle into the light this week? [01:17:01]
Honorable conduct is not one impressive deed but a consistent pattern of life. In your home, workplace, school, or neighborhood, where would greater integrity, compassion, humility, or generosity most clearly display God’s goodness? [01:18:46]
Christians are called to keep doing good even when they are misrepresented, unappreciated, or treated harshly. Is there a relationship where you are tempted to return evil for evil? What could truthful, patient, and sacrificial love look like there? [01:20:50]
Caring for practical needs matters, but the greatest good is for people to know and glorify God. Who in your life may need both tangible care and a clear invitation to trust Christ? What is one next step you could take toward that person? [01:26:14]
God’s goodness is too good to keep to ourselves. Who might God be placing before you—a family member, neighbor, coworker, classmate, or friend—to receive his goodness through your words, your conduct, or both? [01:28:36]

Sermon Clips

28s

#ServingFromMercy

“The church begins with something God has already done. And so we're not serving to receive God's mercy. We're serving because we've received it. Right? We're not making disciples to prove that we're worthy to be God's meaningful and to make sure that we're, be God's people and to make sure we're participating in something meaningful. We make disciples because God has already made us his people and brought us into something meaningful through Christ.”

46s

#PointAllToChrist

“We make disciples so that people will know God and treasure God and obey God and reflect God and worship God. We teach children the scriptures so that they'll see how great God is. We minister to students so that they'll build their lives around the glory of Jesus. We gather in life groups so we can help each other trust God and follow him more faithfully. We care for people that are hurting so that they can experience something of the compassion of God. We serve our communities so that our neighbors might see the goodness of God. We share the gospel so that people living in darkness might see the light of Jesus, and they would join us in praising him. Everything we do should be directing our attention to him.”

45s

#NotAboutUsButGod

“Even a good ministry can quietly become a way of proclaiming our own excellencies. But God has not made us his people so that the world can be impressed with us. I mean, he's made us, like, look around us, these people come together in this place because you have to recognize that only God can actually do that. Right? The world gets to see through us what's excellent about him. So, our church isn't like the hero of the story or anything, know. Jesus is. We don't want people walking away from here thinking, oh, what a great church. We want him to see the greatness of our God.”

39s

#SpeakFaithNotSelf

“And so I think one of the questions we should be asking is not just, hey, is our ministry working? Are people participating? We should ask, is this helping people see and respond to the greatness of our God? And I think you should ask that same question about your own life. When people listen to you speak, what do they hear? What are they hearing you proclaim? Do they hear more about your frustrations than about God's faithfulness? Do they hear more about your accomplishments than about God's mercy? Do they hear more about what you're against than the savior in whom you've placed your hope?”

32s

#LiveGodsGoodness

“And Peter assumes that they're watching you. That they hear what Christians say about God, but they also pay attention to the kind of people those Christians are. They see how you treat your family. They see how you respond when you're frustrated. They see whether you keep your word, whether you care about people, whether the faith we proclaim is actually changing the way that we live. So Peter says, you've got to display the goodness of God with your lives.”

46s

#RescueNotProjects

“We don't speak about the light as people who've always had everything figured out, you know? We speak as people God has graciously rescued from the darkness. And I think remembering that starts to change the way that we see the work that we're doing and and the role that we're playing in the world to the people around us. People who are far from God aren't like projects or something that we're trying to complete. They're not interruptions to the ministry that we would rather be doing or like enemies that we need to stand against and defeat or anything like that. They're people who need the same mercy that we received.”

56s

#ProclaimGodsExcellencies

“That's what Peter means when he says we proclaim the excellencies of god. It's the idea that we're declaring everything about god that makes him worthy of our praise. And what is it that made him worthy of our praise? Just a few words before. That he called you out of darkness and into marvelous light, right, by making you a chosen people and a royal priesthood and a holy nation. And so we speak about who he is and we speak about what he's done. We declare he's holy and righteous and and loving and merciful and wise and powerful and faithful and good, that he created us, that he sustains us, that he sought us when we were lost, he gave his son for our salvation, that he raises the dead, that he forgives sinners, that he restores the things sin has broken, and he keeps every promise that he's made.”

35s

#PresentAmongNeighbors

“We're distinct from the world, but we're still present in the world. God doesn't call us out of darkness so that we can just disappear from the lives of everybody that's still living there. He intentionally has placed us among people who don't know him, your neighbors. Right? The people that work beside you, the people that go to school with you, the people that live in your homes. And Peter assumes that they're watching you. That they hear what Christians say about God, but they also pay attention to the kind of people those Christians are.”

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