Elect Exiles Scattered

Yet again, I have the privilege of opening up the Bible and preaching through another of its 66 books. It’s one of my very favorite things to do. It affirms what we believe about the Bible:

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NIV

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Every single one of the Bible’s 66 books are breathed-out by God for us. Each book is useful, profitable, helpful. Preaching through entire books of the Bible has taught me to depend more and more on God’s Word—both personally and pastorally. It’s not my wisdom (as if I have any). It’s not the world’s wisdom. It’s God’s wisdom. He knows. His truth is what we need.

A handful of people encouraged me to preach through 1 Peter, and I don’t take much convincing. I’ve never preached through 1 Peter and it’s one of the books of the Bible; that’s all I need.

1 Peter is a “beautiful and powerful letter” that “sets forth what it means to be Christians in a hostile world, in a world where Christians were persecuted for their faith” (Thomas R. Schreiner, 1-2 Peter and Jude, 3). 1 Peter was initially written to Christians who were scattered and suffering. More than anything, perhaps, 1 Peter is about suffering.

The ESV Study Bible summarizes the letter like this:

Peter encourages his readers to endure suffering and persecution (1:6–7; 2:18–20; 3:9, 13–17; 4:1–4, 12–19; 5:9) by giving themselves entirely to God (4:19). They are to remain faithful in times of distress, knowing that God will vindicate them and that they will certainly enjoy the salvation that the Lord has promised. The death and resurrection of Christ stand as the paradigm for the lives of believers. Just as Christ suffered and then entered into glory, so too his followers will suffer before being exalted.

Many of us don’t know what it is to really suffer. A lot of us have led pretty charmed lives. And then there those of you who have suffered a great deal; I’m looking around the room and I see people who have suffered loss, those who have suffered physically, and some who are currently experiencing suffering (and not just because they’re here listening to me preach).

Here’s the deal: If you are currently suffering or if you have suffered at any point in your life, especially in the time you’ve been walking with Jesus, 1 Peter is for you. It’s “God-breathed” just for you.

I would encourage you to read 1 Peter in its entirety at some point this week and over the next several weeks. It’ll take you less than 20 minutes to read from start to finish (even if you’re an especially slow reader, it won’t take as long to read as it takes you to watch whatever show you’re streaming).

What we’re going to read this morning is the short introduction written by Peter. If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to 1 Peter—you can find it toward the very end of the Bible.

If you are able and willing, please stand with me for the reading of God’s Holy Word:

1 Peter 1:1–2 NIV

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

May God add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

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If you know me, you know I have no patience for clutter or stuff just sitting around gathering dust. The amount stuff that I have thrown away from this building—the attic and classrooms and “storage rooms”—the sheer tonnage of what I’ve thrown away would stop of team of oxen in its tracks.

I’m a little sentimental and there is in my DNA the tendency to hoard everything anyone ever gave me. So I fight that urge and then the pendulum swings to the other side; it goes from “keep everything forever” to “get rid of everything immediately.”

I don’t keep much, but there is one thing I hold onto: cards and letters. I hold onto every card and every letter I’ve ever received. This box sits in our living room and holds the most recent batch of birthday cards and thank you cards and get-well-soon cards. When it gets filled up, I’ll put these in a box in storage and we’ll fill it up all over again.

For me, there’s nothing like getting a card or a letter in the mail.

Way back, in the early 1st Century, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, a disciple of Jesus, an elder in the early church, a witness of the death and resurrection of Jesus, wrote a letter to some other believers who were scattered around the area.

[MAP]

1 & 2 Peter and Jude 1. Opening (1:1–2)

Peter addresses believers from various areas in Asia Minor, in regions of modern-day Turkey. The area covered extends about 300,000 square miles, which is nearly all of Turkey.

Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia—people living in these regions, these Christians, are the original recipients of this letter that Peter writes; by virtue of reading this letter, they would have been encouraged, strengthened, challenged, rebuked, and trained in righteousness—all things God intends this letter to work in the lives of His people.

The same goes for you and me today. Here and now. In Rich Hill, Missouri. Because, in Christ, we are the same as Peter’s original audience: elect exiles scattered.

What we will see from these opening verses of the letter Peter wrote is our status in Christ and our suffering in this world.

Our Status in Christ & Our Suffering in the World

It’s crucial we understand who we are in Christ; we have to know our status before God. Without a foundational understanding of our status, we will flounder and falter. You see it all the time, sadly. A Christian gets a cancer diagnosis or loses their job or comes up against some kind of adversity, and they forget who they are.

Who are you? In Christ, who are you?

Peter is going to tell us who we are, using some of the most moving, significant, lofty language in the Bible. This humble fisherman, inspired by the Holy Spirit, boldly declares who we are in Christ and in the world.

If you are a Christian—one who has put their faith in the person and work of Jesus, trusting Him for the totality of your salvation—if you are a Christian, understanding who you are changes everything about how you view your life in this world.

It will affect how you view other people, how you view your job or school; knowing who you are affects your perspective on the news, sports, politics, your possessions. It will affect everything.

Peter wants for us to understand our Status in Christ & Our Suffering in the World.

We are ELECT EXILES SCATTERED.

You can write those words down if you’d like, or circle them in your Bible. These are key. This is what Peter wants us to hear. More importantly, this is what the LORD God wants us to understand about ourselves.

Christians are exiles here, strangers in a foreign land. I like the word “exile.” Your Bible might use the word “stranger,” or “pilgrim,” or “sojourner.” Maybe “alien.” The entire concept is that you and I, as Christians, are temporary residents in a foreign place.

Its like we’re a citizen of another country, living for the moment in a foreign land. You actually long for your homeland while you live and work in this foreign country. You don’t adopt the culture and customs and everything done here, because, ultimately, you don’t really belong.

You are an exile, a stranger, a pilgrim, an alien. You are “just a-passing through.”

Most scholars are convinced that the original recipients of 1 Peter were primarily Gentiles, not Jews. Now, there were some Jewish Christians in these churches throughout Asia Minor. If you remember, there were Jewish residents of these places mentioned on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2 for mention of people from Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia). These Jewish people heard the gospel—the Good News about Jesus—on that day.

“Though the recipients may have been literally “exiles” (1 Pet. 1:1, 17; 2:11), it is more likely that Peter speaks figuratively here: they are spiritual exiles awaiting their heavenly inheritance.” -ESV Study Bible

Some of the people Peter was writing to were born in these same places. They were actually citizens of the Roman Empire. And still, they’re exiles and scattered. Even if they were born and raised in one place and lived there for their entire lives, they have a different home and a different homeland.

They, along with us, are foreigners. Exiles.

Until I moved to Rich Hill, I had never noticed signs for “Century Farms” posted on properties. There are a handful of families in our church body who are living on the land their family has owned for generations.

What Peter says goes for you, too. If you belong to Christ, this is not your home, regardless of how long your family has resided in a specific place.

Your citizenship is in another country.

Philippians 3:20 NIV

20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Hebrews 11:13–16 NIV

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

A better county—a heavenly one. A country far better than this.

Right here, today, the Bible is speaking to all who belong to God by faith in Jesus Christ. God labels you an exile, a foreigner in this country. We are merely temporary citizens of the United States; we belong to another country. We have another homeland we long for, fight for, and live for FAR MORE than this one.

Our ultimate allegiance and citizenship are in another country. Remember this when you engage in the political process, when you go to the ballot box, when you think about and emotionally engage with a politician or party.

Our ultimate aim is not the good of our nation; our ultimate aim is the spread of the gospel and the glory of God in our nation and to all other nations.

Remind yourself: “I am an exile here.” It will be good for your remind yourself so you don’t tether yourself here to all that which is passing and will pass away. But it will also prepare you for being treated like an exile, a stranger, an alien.

When we live for the LORD and not for the praise and acceptance of the world, we will be marked by the world as different, possibly as enemies, and will be treated as such.

Part of our suffering in the world will come at the hands of those who don’t like who we are. We will be maligned, mistreated, ostracized. We will be labeled and lied about. Suffering is a major theme in 1 Peter, and he’s introducing the theme at the outset. Being an exile means you will suffer.

Expect it. Plan on it. Prepare yourself for it.

“I am an exile here; that’s who I am.”

Our Status in Christ & Our Suffering in the World

The good news—the exceptional news, really—is that we’re not exiles only. We’re not just exiles; we’re elect exiles. This is our status.

What makes us exiles here? The election of God makes us exiles here. What makes you an exile and foreigner here and now is that you are eternally loved by God the Father—chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.

The word elect (Greek: eklektos) means to choose someone. The jaw-dropping reality is that God the Father has elected—chosen—you, Christian, to be His.

It’s not like God’s the captain of the team who picks the best players. God did not choose you like that.

Our performance would not warrant God choosing us. He would never want us if it was based on our merit or ability. Our lives shout to God, “You don’t want ME!”

And, in our natural, sinful state, we scream to God, “We don’t want you!”

Our natural inclination is rebellion. We’ve, all of us, have rebelled against God. This is true for every person; it’s the reality in every one of our hearts.

We all, like sheep, have wandered; we’ve gone astray. We all, like petulant little children, have gone our own way. On our own, we would be marching headlong into destruction, following others like lemmings right off the cliff.

But God chose to rescue us. Peter writes: To God’s elect...

He chose us according to His foreknowledge. Listen to Dr. Platt:

“Does foreknowledge just mean God knew in advance that we were going to choose Him? No. This word means that God decided long ago to love you and pursue you, before you were even born…

Listen to how the Bible uses this language in Romans 8:29: “For those whom he foreknew” —same word there— “he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”

God destined you to be saved from your sin by His Son Jesus.”

This, friends, is only possible because of what Jesus, the Son of God, has done for us, in our place.

He came for us, to take our place, to rob our sin and make us holy. He took our sin, the wrath we deserve, the death we owed, and paid for it all, once for all time.

He died, was buried, and then rose from the grave—victorious over sin and death, restoring us to a right relationship with God the moment we put our faith and trust in Him.

Paul writes this in Ephesians (something we’ll be studying over the next few weeks on Wednesday nights):

Ephesians 1:3–6 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

You are an exile here, but not merely an exile. You, Christian, are an elect exile!

God chose to love you. God destined to adopt you as His child, to save you from your sin. And not because of anything you have done. You weren’t even born!

It’s not because of anything you would do, because all you would choose to do is rebel against Him, just as soon as you had the opportunity.

The only reason you belong to God is because of His amazing grace—grace that saved you, keeps you, and will lead you safely to your true home.

Who you are in Christ—chosen by God—is the best thing about you, Christian. It’s the only thing, really. To hear God say, through His Word, “I chose you, before the world began, and have loved you an unfailing love and always will.”

This is what steadies us in challenging times. This is the truth that braces us when life tries to knock us down. This is our encouragement when Satan tempts us to despair.

Remind yourself of this, and do it daily. “I am an elect exile.” Think about what that means for your daily life.

Our Status in Christ & Our Suffering in the World

Not only are you, Christian, eternally loved by God the Father, but Peter writes that this is through the sanctifying work of the Spirit.

The sanctifying work of the Spirit means that He has set you apart for a purpose.

The Spirit is at work in your life, if you belong to God by faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit is working to conform you to the image of Jesus, to make you more and more like Jesus.

God the Father chose you and the Holy Spirit is working in your life. Be encouraged, brothers and sisters.

What’s more, we are united to Jesus through His blood. Look at the last phrase in verse 2: sprinkled with His blood.

In the OT, when God’s people entered into a covenant relationship with Him, blood was sprinkled over them as a picture of God’s faithfulness to them even when they would be unfaithful to Him.

Peter picks up that image from Exodus 24 and reminds us, in a much greater way, when we fall short, when we sin, when we fail to follow Him, Jesus covers over our sin because we’re united with Him in His death and resurrection. It’s His mercy shown to us.

1 & 2 Peter and Jude 1. Opening (1:1–2)

The Father chooses and ordains, the Son comes to earth and secures redemption through the sacrifice of his blood, and the Spirit applies the redeeming work to the hearts of believers. Peter focuses here on the experience believers have of the triune God, for they come to know God through the electing work of the Father, the redeeming work of the Son, and the sanctifying work of the Spirit.

Our Status in Christ & Our Suffering in the World

The opening to 1 Peter is thoroughly Trinitarian and awash with hope and encouragement in the midst of suffering and trouble.

These verses are a reminder to remember who you are:

You, Christian, are eternally loved by God the Father.

You are set apart by God the Spirit.

You are united with God the Son through His death and resurrection.

You are an elect exile in this world.

Don’t live for this world. Live for the world that is to come!

Remember who you are, Christian: “I am an Elect Exile.” Like the early Christians, scattered throughout Asia Minor, here we are, scattered throughout the world. We just happen to be scattered all throughout Bates/Vernon counties. Why? Because God deemed it so, that we would go and share with those who don’t yet know Jesus.