For the week of April 20, 2026
MONDAY
Day One: What Defines Us
Sermon Focus: God (in His mercy) rescued us from darkness and brought us into light…we’re valued in His eyes.
Truth: 1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “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.”
Sermon Point: Peter rattles off four things that characterize the honor of those who have placed their faith in Christ and become part of His body. We are a chosen race – chosen and set apart by God before the foundation of the world. We are a royal priesthood – consecrated by the blood of Christ and able to approach Almighty God directly to present our sacrifices of repentance. We are a holy nation – holiness by virtue of Jesus Christ, united together as one. And we are God’s people – owned and loved by Him. And here’s one last amazing Truth: instead of requiring obedience to earn all these blessings, they are ours because of the unconditional grace we have in Christ.
Sermon Reflection: How does thinking this way about yourself change the way you pray and carry yourself throughout your everyday, ordinary life?
Application: Choose to dig deeper with one of these articles on the four things that characterize God’s beloved children: https://www.gotquestions.org/chosen-race.html OR https://www.gotquestions.org/royal-priesthood.html OR https://www.gotquestions.org/holy-nation.html OR https://www.gotquestions.org/peculiar-people.html. Choose one to share with someone as way to encourage and build them up today.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Praise God for the unconditional grace that is ours in Christ; praise Him for the honor He bestows on His beloved children; thank Him for the brand-new life (and identity) we have by grace through faith.
- Pray that we would become more assured of who we are and what is ours in Christ. Pray that our lives would reflect our new identities and that we would treat one another in a way that affirms that value that we have because we are part of the body of Christ.
TUESDAY
Day Two: Glorify God’s Excellency
Sermon Focus: God (in His mercy) rescued us from darkness and brought us into light…we’re valued in His eyes.
Truth: 1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “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.”
Sermon Point: The sole objective of our new life in Christ is to be about proclaiming God’s Glory Alone. Because of who we are (a chosen race, etc.), it’s our honor – our greatest aim – to magnify God’s glory in all that we do! With our thoughts, our desires, our choices, the words that come out of our mouths, our relationships, the way we spend our money – in ALL things, we must be about the business of proclaiming God’s excellencies.
Sermon Reflection: So…IS God’s glory the chief end of your life? Is it the be all and end all of your life?
Application: Set three alarms to go off on your phone today. When they do, take stock: is what you are doing or thinking or saying for God’s Glory Alone? If not, stop…repent…and do the next right thing.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Repent of all the ways you so quickly and easily slip back into living for your own glory and proclaiming your own excellencies. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind us throughout the day of our calling to proclaim God’s excellencies with the entirety of our lives. Pray that He strengthens each one of us to do that more and more.
- Thank God for Jesus today – that He is our example of what a life looks like when it is lived for God’s Glory Alone. Pray that we, like Jesus, would long to obey the Father in all things as we rely on the Holy Spirit to strengthen us to do so.
WEDNESDAY
Day Three: Out of Darkness into His Marvelous Light
Sermon Focus: God (in His mercy) rescued us from darkness and brought us into light…we’re valued in His eyes.
Truth: 1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “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.”
Sermon Point: What mercy that God would call us out of the darkness of all our sin and shame, out of all the nastiness that pervaded our lives on the wide, dark path…and graciously welcome us into His marvelous light! Marvelous! And it’s because of His marvelous light that we can have life – eternal life! Just as light opposes darkness, so life opposes death. In other words, Eternal Life stands in direct opposition to Eternal Destruction. How could we not proclaim His excellencies for so great a gift?!
Sermon Reflection: In what ways does your life reflect darkness rather than God’s marvelous light to those around you?
Application: Identify one next step you can take toward Christ to reflect more of His marvelous light with your life; now take it!
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Thank God for His mercies and grace that never run out; that even though we still choose sin far too often, His forgiveness is always available to us when we repent. Pray that His Spirit would help us to never take His mercy and grace for granted.
- Praise God for the amazing gift of salvation that we have. Pray that we would be assured of our justification, encouraged in our sanctification, and joyfully anticipating our glorification.
THURSDAY
Day Four: We Are Now God’s People
Sermon Focus: God (in His mercy) rescued us from darkness and brought us into light…we’re valued in His eyes.
Truth: 1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “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.”
Sermon Point: If you’ve been born again, you are now one of God’s people. Before we’re born again, we’re riddled with sin and shame, hopeless and headed for eternal destruction. But when God calls us out of darkness and into His marvelous light, we’re granted eternal life and a place within His Kingdom. We become part of Christ’s body, the church – that spiritual house that believers are being built up into. That’s our new identity – and our certain Hope!
Sermon Reflection: How much of your identity is wrapped up in the temporal roles you have here on earth…dad, mom, engineer, baker, electrician, nurse, etc.? How does that affect the way you live your life?
Application: Our temporary roles here on earth are simply meant to be avenues through which we make disciples, every single day – for God’s Glory Alone. So, do that today! Go and make disciples wherever God has placed you.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Thank God for FMC – for all the people He’s worked through since 1812 to make His Name known in this area. Thank Him for His faithfulness to us and pray that He would continue to cause FM to flourish long after we’re all gone.
- Pray for FMC – that with whatever time and opportunities we’re given, we would be a church who embraces the fullness of all we have in Christ and that we would be compelled to give all we’ve got to make sure others find a place within God’s Kingdom, as well.
FRIDAY
Day Five: We Have Now Received Mercy
Sermon Focus: God (in His mercy) rescued us from darkness and brought us into light…we’re valued in His eyes.
Truth: 1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “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.”
Sermon Point: The two verses we’ve been studying this week are so rich with good news! And it’s all ONLY possible because of God’s mercy. He delights in extending kindness to those in need; not because we deserve it – hardly. He simply chooses to be merciful, because that’s who He is. Without His mercy, our outlook is bleak and hopeless, to say the least. But because of God’s abundant mercy, we get far more than we deserve – we get grace! By grace, through faith, we get eternal life!
Sermon Reflection: How often do you meditate on and rejoice in the mercy that’s been extended to you by God in Christ?
Application: God delights in extending kindness to those in need…today, find a way to tangibly reflect that same kindness to someone in your life who is in need.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Repent of the selfishness that so deeply plagues us – repent of kindness NOT extended when it was within your power to bless someone else – repent of your desire to be served rather than to serve. Ask the Lord to give us hearts that are so overwhelmed by God’s kindness and mercy that we are transformed into people who delight to extend it to others.
- Thank God for His Word today – for all the rich doctrine we are learning from1 Peter and the Psalms. Ask God to give us a hunger and thirst for His Word – that we would meditate on it, study it, memorize, pray it, obey it…because it is our greatest joy to live lives that glorify Him in all we do.