1 Peter #1
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Connection:
Who are we? Where are we going? What shall we do? Identity, Destiny, and Calling. These questions shape our lives—and the answers to these questions determine our being.
I’m sure that some of you have travelled overseas. On your trip or vacation you might have crossed by an embassy. What is an embassy? It is an official residence and representation of a home country, in a foreign country. When you’re in the UK and you come to the USA embassy you are seeing the official presence of the USA in the UK.
Now let me tease this out a bit more. Suppose that you were employed by the embassy to work for a specific mission while in this foreign country. But, during your employment you found yourself getting distracted by the culture around you; you found yourself no longer living as a citizen of your homeland but were living more like the foreign country around you.
Why is this unacceptable? Because you have been chosen to be the representative of the other city while in exile. You are called to be the presence of your home city while in the foreign city. You are not called to assimilate—but to resist and stand firm.
This is exactly the nature of the church of Jesus Christ. We are chosen citizens of a heavenly city—on a mission during our exile—and are called to be a faithful witness in our suffering.
As we start a new sermon series this morning we are going to see what it is to live as God’s faithful new covenant saints—as the church of Jesus Christ, the true Israel of God. Thus, here is the title for this mornings sermon:
Theme
Elect Exiles of the Triune God
Need
We need to know our identity so that we will have fuel and power and motivation to be faithful during our stay. We need to be strengthened by the Gospel of our triune God in order to be faithful to our triune God while we await our heavenly homeland.
Purpose
To comfort the saints in their identity as the chosen people of their Triune God and to exhort the saints to grow in obedience through the means of grace.
Read Text:
1 Peter 1:1-2 ESV
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
(1) The Church is Elect, Exiled, and Scattered
(1) The Church is Elect, Exiled, and Scattered
Before going any further we need to establish the author of the letter, and the recipients of the letter. Who wrote it, and to whom was it written.
(1) The author. “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ” (V1).
This is no less than the beloved Apostle himself. The great character in the Gospels. The foolish disciple, the bold disciple, and at last, the godly and wise disciple. This is Peter Bar-Jonas—one of the three closest friends and companions to the Lord Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry.
In the Gospel of Matthew, at the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ the Godman, we are told that: Matthew 4:18-20
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
It is this Simon Peter Bar-Jonas who is the author of this epistle. He was a follower of Jesus Christ who became an Apostle of Jesus Christ.
Q - What is an apostle? A - An Apostle is a legal representative of Jesus Christ who bore unique authority as if it was Jesus himself speaking when they spoke. They were given unique gifts and powers and abilities to confirm the work of God in the NT. They were sent out by Jesus Christ to be the foundation of the church and the primary eyewitnesses of the risen Lord. Well, if this is the author, then who was Peter writing to?
(2) The recipients. “To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia”
We see here that the Apostle Peter was writing to churches that were (a) elect - chosen, (b) exiles - strangers, and (c) dispersed - scattered. They were from Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
(A) They were elect and chosen. The saints whom Peter was writing to were firstly grounded in their identity as the chosen people of God. This term elect and chosen is used extensively as referring to the nation of Israel in the OT (Deut. 7:6). But here Peter is using the same term to refer to the New Israel, the church of Jesus Christ. The true elect, the true chosen ones, are those who are united to Jesus Christ the faithful Jew and Saviour of the world. To be elect is to be chosen by God the Father, given to God the Son, and set apart by God the Spirit. To be chosen is to be a royal diadem, a crowning jewel, a beloved child of the most high God. The very first thing that Peter thought of when he thought of the church was ‘elect’. For every other blessing of the Gospel flows from this fountain head. Without election there is no salvation—because we are all dead in our sins. If God does not choose to save by sovereign grace—then no sinners will be saved throughout all eternity.
(B) They were exiles and strangers. The saints whom Peter was writing to were secondly grounded in their identity as the people of God in exile, in a foreign land, on their way home to the promised haven. As before, this too is a phrase used for the nation of Israel in the OT while they were exiles in Babylon (Jer. 29:4-7). The people of God were outside of their promised inheritance and homeland—they were strangers in a foreign country. Yet Peter, writing to the NT church, applies this language to the New Covenant people of God—the new and true Israel of God. Our exile is not in physical Babylon, and our inheritance is not the promised land in Canaan. Our exile is a spiritual one, as we are in this present evil world and are on our way to the eternal inheritance of the new world—not just a piece of land in the middle east—no—but the entire cosmos of the New heavens and New earth.
(C) They were dispersed and scattered. The saints whom Peter was writing to were thirdly grounded in their identity as those who were not yet gathered into one ultimate flock. They were scattered abroad—in various places and in varying circumstances. Yes they were gathered as local churches—but the final ingathering of God’s elect into one eternal church body had not yet come. They were still in exile—still scattered—and still on mission. This too is language used of OT Jews were were scattered because of persecution and judgment (Hos. 9:17). There were Jews living all over the ancient world and they were not joined to the one body. Peter here once again uses a phrase for OT Israel and applies it to NT Israel, the church of Jesus Christ who, like Israel of God, is presently scattered to the ends of the earth as she lives on mission for her risen King.
Q - Were the recipients of this letter Jews or Gentiles? Or Both? Who are these saints in these various cities?
Most scholars today acknowledge that the recipients were most certainly an audience composed of primarily Gentile sinners saved by grace and engrafted into the true Israel of God, the one olive tree of God’s people.
Throughout the letter Peter refers to the church as those who must not be “conformed to the passions of your former ignorance” (1:14), and that they were “ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers” (1:18). In light of these considerations, one scholar says:
Most likely, then, Peter is writing to churches that are primarily Gentile in their makeup, though there may also be Jewish Christians mixed in. The reference to the Diaspora in 1:1 describes Christians living in the world away from their heavenly home. As we have seen, the theme of believers living in this world in light of the hope of glory is vital to the encouragement of this letter.
Q - When was the letter written?
I would date the letter around AD 62–63 before the onset of the persecution [from Nero]. The reference to Babylon in 5:13 is almost surely a reference to Rome, indicating that Peter wrote the letter from Rome to churches in Asia Minor. We know from the letter that the readers faced suffering and persecution for their faith (1:6–7; 2:18–20; 3:1, 13–17; 4:1–4, 12–19; 5:10).
Thus—the Apostle Peter is writing around 60AD to a audience that is primarily composed of saved Gentiles who are coined the true Israel of God—who are engrafted into the one olive tree of God’s people—who are elect, chosen by God, exiles and strangers in this foreign land of this present evil age, and are scattered abroad through this wicked world.
The church of Jesus Christ are citizens of heaven and are called to live faithfully, like like the embassy of the kingdom, we are to live for King Jesus as we wait for our inheritance, living on mission for him, not assimilating into the wicked ways of our culture—but following Jesus Christ all of our days.
Are you amongst this company? Are you chosen of God? Is this world strange to you? Do you not fit in because of your allegiance to King Jesus? Then take heart—this letter was written directly to you, to encourage you in the Gospel and to exhort you to be a faithful witness for Jesus, even in suffering and persecution.
(1) The Church is Elect, Exiled, and Scattered.
Let’s continue to our second point:
(2) The Church is Foreknown by God the Father
(2) The Church is Foreknown by God the Father
The Apostle continues, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and he says that the church are the elect exiles: according to the foreknowledge of God the Father (v. 2a).
Here we see the ground, the basis, the foundation, the source, and the life of our election and identity. Why are we chosen by God? Because of the foreknowledge of God the Father. Every blessing in the heavenly places has its root and ground in the heart, love, delight, motive, and joy of the Father. No one is chosen or elect apart from the Father’s will—and those who are find eternal delights and eternal pleasures at his right hand.
This doctrine affords wonderful comfort the the sheep of Jesus Christ who find nothing to get upset about here—no, no—for we realize that we stand condemned in our sin, justly under the wrath of God for our rebellion. We stand in opposition to the living God, we do not want him. We don’t want his kingdom, we don’t want his Son, we don’t want his love, we don’t want his glory—we just wanted our own glory, our own kingdom, our own pride, our own sin, and our own way.
To the Christian who has been humbled in their unworthiness, in the weight of sin upon their shoulders—in their utter lostness and hopelessness. To the Christian who knows that he has nothing, that he is poor in spirit—the doctrine of election by the foreknowledge of God is a grand delight to our hearts—for we know that it is our only hope in life and death.
Q - What is the foreknowledge of God the Father? The foreknowledge of God the Father is his eternal love, delight, and affection that he chooses to lavish upon unworthy sinners according to grace alone.
Dr. Sam Waldron writes:
It is crucial to notice that in these passages it is not something about the elect which is foreknown, but they themselves who are foreknown. Here we remember that the term know in the Bible frequently carries with it the idea of love. Thus foreknowledge in these passages contains the idea of electing love”.
Here we see that before all eternity past, before the foundation of the world, before the creation of heaven and earth, before anything even existed other than God—that you dear Christian were elected and chosen by the foreknowledge of God the Father who purposefully set his delight and desire and grace and mercy and love and goodness and kindness and salvation upon (Jer. 1:5; 1 Cor. 8:3; Gal. 4:9).
And lastly Dr. Shriener declares:
When Peter says that believers are elect “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,” the emphasis is on God’s sovereignty and initiative in salvation. Believers are elect because God the Father has set his covenant affection upon them.
Oh how can it be? That the infinite, eternal, and unchangeable God would choose to save wretched sinners? And how? Not by fore-seeing our faith or good works—but by foreknowing and fore-loving us by unconditional affection and election! Eph. 1:3-6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Oh how can it be that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ would choose to lavish mercy upon his enemies? That he would bless us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places? That he would predestine us to be his children, his sons and daughters! Why? To the praise of HIS glorious grace! God get’s all the glory—soli deo gloria—because God is the Fountain of Life who has chosen us, unconditionally, who has loved us as his children, eternally, and who has intimately purposed to bring us into a state of salvation by grace alone.
Oh dear Christian if this does not warm your heart than I don’t even know what to say. If this text of Scripture does not make your heart sing with joy then your heart must be harder than stone. If this text does not give you wings to fly and a song to employ, then you must repent and run to God and ask to him to give you a heart of praise.
Oh that God would choose me? Why me? Not because of anything good I’ve done—but because God desires for his glory to be magnified in making me, in making you dear Christian, “a vessel of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory” (Rom. 9:23).
Oh hallelujah! That God the Father would delight to lavish us with his tender mercy in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter, in the Holy Spirit, wanted you, wanted all true Christians to know that they are the infinite delight, song, desire, and jewel of God the Father.
What is the only response to such good news? What is the only response?
Humble praise and adoration to the God who elected you unto salvation! A desire to fellowship with your Bridegroom who is yours by precious choice and eternal delight. A determination to walk in the Spirit and to know your Triune God more and more, as you live with Him, and for Him.
Yet some of you are sitting here even know and scratching your heads. Your thinking, I don’t believe in a God who would choose some and not others…. Oh be very careful dear Christian about what you say to the living God.
Faith swims where reason can only wade.
If you don’t like the plan of the Almighty then you are despising his very love to the church of Jesus Christ—you are sneering at the love that Jesus has for his Bride—you are scoffing at the sovereign grace and sovereign right of our Bridegroom and his pleasure to chose whom he will marry. This is not a doctrine to toil with—it is one to humbly adore—that God would choose wretched sinners and lavish them with eternal salvation, that he would clothe us in the white garments of Christ’s righteousness, that he would blot our sins our of his mind by the blood of Jesus.
The question is not has God chosen any unto salvation—the question is: why in the world would God even do such a thing for wicked rebels like you and I?
Yet for those of you who have accepted this teaching by the Holy Spirit, you might tremble and ask: how do I know that I am elect?
I would ask in response: how does a bride know that she is beloved by her groom? By his loving embrace and by your response of faith and love. We will address this in greater depth soon.
(2) The Church is Foreknown by God the Father.
Let’s look at the third point for this morning:
(3) The Church is Sanctified in the Holy Spirit
(3) The Church is Sanctified in the Holy Spirit
We have seen that the church is elect by the gracious and electing love of the Father, and here Peter tells us that we are made God’s people in space-and-time “in the sanctification of the Spirit” (v. 2b).
Schreiner again writes:
When believers are converted, they become God’s holy and set-apart people (e.g., 1 Cor 1:2). This work of God accompanies the preaching of the gospel (1:12). As the gospel is proclaimed, the Spirit sanctifies some by bringing them to faith—into the realm of the holy.
Have you been set apart by the Holy Spirit? Have you been given new life? Have you been born again? Have you been sanctified in the Spirit? Have you tasted of the goodness of God? Are you turning from sin and trusting in Jesus Christ? Do you delight in Jesus Christ? Do you desire to follow Jesus in holiness, in spirit and truth? Have you been raised from spiritual death to life? This is the gracious work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all the elect of God. The delight of the Holy Spirit is to bring God’s elect people to the Lord Jesus Christ—his eternal pleasure is to bring dead sinners to new life in the Gospel. Hear from the Holy Spirit himself in in Holy Scripture:
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
As I stand before some of you this morning, I see your lives before me, your physical lives that is—but I also know that some of you are still spiritually dead, you have no spiritual life, you are rejecting the God you know, you are delighting in your sin, you do not love God, you do not have a refuge on the coming day of judgement, and if you delay, if you do not come to Jesus, then you will come under the eternal wrath of the holy and righteous God for spitting in his face.
Some of you have no desire to live for the glory of God—you are in need of a Saviour, and the Spirit to grant new life. Well the good news is that this is the very thing that the Holy Spirit has come to do—to breathe new life into dead souls as the Gospel is proclaimed!
This is the only way for a sinner to come to Jesus Christ—that the sinner is granted new life, that the sinners heart is changed, that the sinners mind is renewed, that the sinners will is unchained—to freely and irresistibly run to Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, the Lord of Beauty, the Saviour of the world.
But at the very same time—though this is the work of the Spirit—it is the responsibility of every creature to repent and believe the good news. You must not wait—you must cast your soul upon Jesus Christ.
God the Father proclaims: Isa. 45:22
“Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
God the Son, Jesus Christ, says: Mark 1:14-15
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
God the Holy Spirit says: “Rev. 22:17
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
It is the command of God for all creatures to repent of their sins, to agree that they are in rebellion against God, and to change their mind about their lives—to agree that they need salvation, and to desire to walk in ways pleasing to God—and to believe in Jesus Christ, to trust in his life, death, and resurrection, to cast the entire hope of your soul upon Him and Him alone for salvation from hell, and for the gift of eternal life.
Therefore I plead with you this very day—to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and by the Spirit! Repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ! Do not wait for a certain feeling or excitement, do not try and clean up your life, just come as you are to Jesus Christ and cry out for his mercy! Rom 10:9-13
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Run to Jesus Christ and you will find the true riches of eternal life as a child of God, in the family of God, forgiven of all of your sins, clothed in the perfection of Jesus, brought near to God, and made safe in his everlasting arms.
Yes it is true that one needs the Holy Spirit to even do these very things—but the command still goes forth, and if you find yourself casting your soul upon Christ alone, then you will find that the reason for it was that you were chosen by God the Father, and you were sanctified in the Spirit. You do not need to know whether or not you are chosen before you come—the way that you find that out is if you cast yourself upon Jesus Christ. And if you are here this morning it is highly likely that God is at work in your life—for faith and salvation “comes from hearing the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Do not despise the fact that the living God has brought you here this morning—He is pleading with you this morning through his humble servant.
Q - How do I know that I have been chosen by the Father, and have been Sanctified by the Spirit? By the fruits thereof: conversion! Repentance and Faith! Turning from sin and trusting in Christ! Which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit who instills within us a new affection for Jesus Christ—to obey Him because he has sprinkled us clean with his blood.
Do you trust in Jesus? And do you love Jesus? Do you have the Spirit of Christ? And are you following Jesus Christ? Then you can make your calling and election sure this very day.
(3) The Church is Sanctified in the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look at our fourth point:
(4) The Church is Redeemed by and for Jesus Christ
(4) The Church is Redeemed by and for Jesus Christ
Here we come to the last person of the Triune God whom Peter holds forth before the church—now we come to the Lord Jesus Christ! The fruit of the Father’s election, and the Spirit’s giving of new life, is to produce “obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood” (v. 2c).
Have you noticed yet that here we see that the entire Godhead is engaged in our salvation! The Trinity is for our salvation! The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have eternally agreed and planned and covenanted together to save sinners through Jesus Christ. Each person of the Trinity is necessary for even a single sinner to be saved! This is not some scheme or gimick where God does part and we do part … NO!
This is the work of the Triune God, and He alone get’s the glory for it! The Father elects a people and gifts them to the Son, the Son agrees to save such people and to become a man to redeem them, and the Spirit agrees to apply such blessings through imparting new life to dead sinners. Without the Father, there is no people to be saved; without the Son, there is no Saviour; and without the Spirit, there is no application of the riches of Christ!
Oh beloved, rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory! “Salvation is of the Lord!” (Jonah 2:9). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have eternally set the delight of their hearts upon you, dear Christian, upon all who repent and believe, that He might save them by grace alone, to the glory of God alone. And this is not just a NT teaching! This is deeply rooted in the OT Scriptures:
I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
For all eternity this has been the plan of the Triune God, and in space-and-time God has graciously revealed this to us in the Holy Scriptures! God the Father gives his chosen people to God the Son as possession and prize, and God the Spirit gives us new life that we might obey the Gospel, be converted, and walk in newness of life.
The goal of the Father and Spirit’s work is to bring the people of God unto obedience to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood. What does this mean? This is language of covenant salvation! The blessings of the new covenant of grace, which are secure by the blood of Jesus, are brought to the sinner by the work of the Spirit of God who produces obedience by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus in our hearts.
Schreiner is again helpful here:
We see, then, that entrance into the covenant has two dimensions: the obedient response to the gospel and the sprinkling of blood. Similarly, God’s work of foreknowing and the Spirit’s work of sanctifying induct the readers into the new covenant. Believers enter the covenant by obeying the gospel and through the sprinkled blood of Christ, that is, his cleansing sacrifice
This obedience to Jesus Christ is probably the initial act of believing the Gospel, obeying the Gospel, casting your soul upon the command to believe, which is grounded upon the gracious promise that all who do come will be saved and given eternal life! But not only is faith and repentance the goal of the Spirit, but so also is His goal to sprinkle the precious blood of Jesus Christ to your soul.
This is the goal of the Holy Spirit—to bring this “obedience of faith” for the sprinkling or applying of the benefits of the blood of Jesus Christ to our souls! When we come to Jesus, though our sins are as scarlet, yet they shall be white as snow.
Oh dear listener—do you feel the weight of your sin? Do you feel the weight of your rebellion against God? Do you recognize your absolute destiny if you do not find salvation? Do you mourn over your wickedness? Do you feel the burning and crushing ugliness of your wrongdoings? Do you sense that you have come under the wrath of God Almighty and are under his curse and judgement? Then you must run to Jesus Christ, by faith in Him, you must obey the Gospel, and find the blood of Jesus Christ sprinkled upon your soul that your sins might be washed away!
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done and what you’ve failed to do—it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve failed to loved God, it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve failed to love your parents, it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve failed to love your niegahbours, it doesn’t matter how many time’s you’ve spat in the face of God with a cold indifference to His Word and His Ways. If you come to Jesus Christ, repenting of your sin, and trusting in Him, then you will find salvation and total forgiveness—your hearts will be sprinkled clean by the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who satisfied the wrath of God, who accomplishes eternal redemption, salvation, and deliverance for all who come to Him.
Do not delay—do not tell yourself that you will believe in Jesus later in life—for today could be your last day. You might go home this afternoon and die in a car accident—and then it will be too late. For death comes, and then comes judgment. Once death hits there is no second chance, there is no purgatory—once death comes you are sealed in your eternal destiny! So run to Jesus now and find rest, peace, grace, and mercy in Him.
And for all those who have come to Jesus, stand in adoration at the eternal love and election of the Father, the almighty power of the Spirit to cause you to be born again unto salvation, and the Redemption that Jesus Christ has secured in his life, death, and resurrection! Oh find eternal comfort in the precious blood of Jesus Christ—the only shed and sufficient blood that cries out: “it is finished” (Jn. 19:30).
The people of God, the church, the true Israel, the elect, all who come to Jesus—you are redeemed by and for Jesus Christ. Rom 8:28-30
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
You’re salvation is secure—because it comes to you by the promise and power of each person of the Godhead which secures your eternal destiny, from conversion all the way to glory—the golden chain of redemption cannot be broken, not by your own heart, not even by the devil who has been crushed and defeated and bound at the Cross of Calvary. The Trinity is not only the saving God, He is your saving God—and His reputation is on the line. If the Father loses one of the elect, if the Son loses one of the elect, if the Spirit loses one of the elect—then God has failed, his Word has become void, and he has nullified his eternal promises—this is an absurdity, for God cannot lie, and all his promises are “yes and amen in Jesus Christ”.
(4) The Church is Redeemed By and For Jesus Christ.
Let’s go to our final point:
(5) The Church is Built up in Grace and Peace
(5) The Church is Built up in Grace and Peace
Well, now what? The Father, Son, and Spirit have saved me—have redeemed me, have delivered me, have forgiven me, have clothed me in righteousness, and have adopted me. Now what? We strive to know God more, love God more, fellowship with God more, delight in God more, serve God more, live for God more, and be his faithful witnesses in our exile as we wait for glory—even through suffering and persecution. How does this growth come to us? By “grace and peace being multiplied to us” (v. 2d).
Growth in the Christian life is by the sovereign grace and peace of God, it’s objective security, and it’s subjective benefits, being multiplied in our hearts—as the Holy Spirit continues to use the ordinary means of grace (the Word, Prayer, and Sacraments), as channels to make us more like Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
God does not sanctify us magically, he multiplies grace and peace to our souls through the means that He has designated. And because we have been born-again by the Spirit—we have power from the Spirit to choose to bathe ourselves in these heavenly springs.
Jesus prayed: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). God has appointed the living Word of God to grow us in the Christian life. We must be like John Bunyan of old which was said that if you pricked him, that he bled Bibline—he bled the Bible.
The Holy Spirit tells us that we are to “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). God has appointed prayer to grow us in the Christian life—we must commune with Him and bring our needs to Him at all times.
The Apostle tells us that “the cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor. 10:16). We must come to the Lord’s Table, for it is a means of receiving spiritual nourishment. These signs and symbols stir our hearts by the Holy Spirit, by faith, and through them God makes us more like Jesus Christ.
Are you pursuing the Lord in His appointed means? Are you growing in grace and peace? Then press on to the heavenly prize. Are you neglecting the Word and Prayer? Then repent, run to God for mercy, and get up again. God never turns any of his children away who confess their sins and seek to follow Him afresh—why?—because we are accepted in the Beloved.
Press on Calvary—run hard after the Lord—that His grace and peace might build you up in your most holy faith, and that you might live for Him for all your days.
(5) The Church is Built up in Grace and Peace.
Let’s finish with our conclusion:
(C) We belong to the Triune God—so let’s grow in Grace and Peace as we Journey Home Together.
(C) We belong to the Triune God—so let’s grow in Grace and Peace as we Journey Home Together.
We are the embassy of the Kingdom of God here on earth—and we are called to witness and suffer for the glory of Jesus Christ. Let’s walk in the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the power of the Spirit. And as we continue this book we will be shown, by the grace of God, how to do all these things for the glory of God.
(C) We belong to the Triune God—so let’s grow in Grace and Peace as we Journey Home Together.
(C) We belong to the Triune God—so let’s grow in Grace and Peace as we Journey Home Together.
Amen, let’s pray.