What Makes Us Different?
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Please turn you Bibles to the Book of 1st Peter.
Imagine for a moment that you're living in a foreign land. The language is unfamiliar, the customs strange, and the values often at odds with your own. You feel out of place, like you don't quite belong. The locals don’t understand you or embrace you. Perhaps they even despise your presence. Now, what if I told you that this feeling of displacement isn't just a fleeting experience, but the very essence of our Christian identity in this world?
Today, we're going to explore a profound truth that may challenge your perspective on what it means to be a follower of Christ. I’m referring to the concept of being 'exiles' in this world - not just visitors or temporary residents, but people whose true citizenship lies elsewhere, inherently different from the rest of humanity. And this difference often leads to challenges, but is to be embraced.
As we examine 1 Peter, we'll uncover why our differences from the world around us are not just inevitable, but essential to our calling. We'll explore how embracing our identity as exiles can empower us to live faithfully, with hope, purpose, and endurance in the midst of unjust suffering.
Let's explore of our true identity in Christ, and discover how being 'not of this world' is the key to being a faithful witness.
Lets reach verses 1 and 2 together today.
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
Author:
Author:
Peter, an Apostle (official messenger) of Christ.
When he writes as “an Apostle” it is with the Authority of Jesus
Recipients:
Recipients:
Christians in Northeast Asia Minor (modern Turkey)
Scattered Believers
Scattered Believers
.
Purpose:
Purpose:
The believers her are facing persecutions and trials of various kinds. Peter is writing to encourage them to hold firm to their hope in Christ while they maintain a godly testimony in the midst of unjust suffering.
Why are they suffering?
Well, they are enduring mistreatment because of their righteous behavior and their Christian identity. In essence, they are suffering because they are different from the world.
This we have in common with these early believers. We are different from the world in very key ways. If we embrace these the differences, it will be both a reason for some of our own troubles, but also the reason for our hope.
We Are Different
We Are Different
(vs 1) “Aliens” “Exiles”
(vs 1) “Aliens” “Exiles”
The Greek word means that we are temporary residents, sojourners, dwelling among people as a stranger. Peter saying they are actually exiles in the physical sense. Rather they are exiles in the spiritual sense. They are God’s people who are not at home in this world.
1 Peter 2:11 “sojourners and exiles”
This is not our home, we live among people who are not our people.
It is clear to them that we are different because of the things we do and don’t do.
1 Peter 4:4 “4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, maligning you,”
Why are we different? We have Been Chosen to Be Different
Why are we different? We have Been Chosen to Be Different
4 Traits That Make us Different
1. Different Father
2. Different Purpose
3. Different King
4. Different Savior
Chosen to be Different
Chosen to be Different
(v1) “Chosen” “Elect”
(v1) “Chosen” “Elect”
at the end of verse one, it say we “are chosen”. Some translation
ESV - “to those who are elect exiles”
NIV (1984) - “to God’s elect, strangers in the world”
NIV - “To God’s elect, exile”
We have been chosen
The Concept of Divine Election
The most significant election in history occurred before the world's foundation. This election was not our choice, but God's unconditional selection of us, regardless of our actions or merits.
Biblical Foundation
This concept, while challenging to grasp, is thoroughly biblical. Scripture presents it matter-of-factly, without extensive explanation or defense. Consider these passages:
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”
John 15:16 ““You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit
God's Sovereignty in Election
Romans 9:11-24 addresses potential accusations of injustice, affirming God's right to show mercy as He chooses:
In vs 18 he says, Romans 9:18–20 “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?”
The Purpose of Election
God's choice serves to display His glory and grace:
4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
5He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 2:7 "7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
God's Consistent Pattern
This pattern of divine choice is evident throughout Scripture, from the selection of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the calling of believers today.
The Process of Salvation
God's election encompasses every aspect of our salvation:
He foreknew us
He chose us
He called us
He justified us through Christ's sacrifice
He will glorify us when Christ returns
God's Sovereignty in Our Lives
Acts 17:26 "26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,"
The Gift of Faith
Acts 13:48 "many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."
Our Relationship with Christ
John 6:36–39 “36 “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”
John 6:44 “44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Back to 1 Peter 1:2 - this election was according to the foreknowledge of God - or as a result of the foreknowledge of God.
Foreknowledge
Foreknowledge
Our election results from God's foreknowledge, meaning His advance knowledge of all things:
Foreknowledge means to know something in advance. The reality is that God knows all things before they happen. Because he plans all things, controls all things according to his will.
What specifically did he foreknow?
What specifically did he foreknow?
In this context, He foreknew us as his special people. Long before we existed, God planned for our salvation and inclusion in His eternal kingdom.
The Universal Call and Particular Election
The Gospel call is universal, but those who respond do so because of God's work in their hearts, His appointment for salvation, and His predestination before time began.
The World's Response to Election
The doctrine of election often provokes anger or accusations of arrogance. However, it should produce humility and gratitude in believers, not pride.
This should humble us and fill us with gratitude. Unfortunately, many are ashamed of their election because they are afraid of what people will think of them. But this is to make us "Boast in the Lord".
Sadly, many Christians boast about who we chose on November 5, but not about who chose us before the foundation of the world!
Therefore, Christians, we are different because we have been chosen to be different.
And this difference is because God has chosen to set his love on you.
Not only that, we have a different Father.
4 Traits That Make us Different
1. Different Father
2. Different Purpose
3. Different King
4. Different Savior
1. Different Father
1. Different Father
(v 2) “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father”
(v 2) “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father”
“God the Father”
“God the Father”
Notice that it refers to him as “God the Father”
God determined that he would relate to us as “father” in a special way. If he is our father, that means we are his children.
Given all of the rights and privileges of being a child of God.
This affects us in many ways:
How God relates to us: God protects, provides, disciplines, and promises us like a father.
How We relate to God:
love, adoration, dependence
How we relate to ourselves
- New Mindset -our identity - how we view ourselves,
How we relate to others:
Our character - the way we act and behave,
How we view the future:
As his children, we are heirs of all that belongs to him. That is our future. Our inheritance - more on this next week.
We look to him for direction, security, and approval.
New Family
Since he is our father, and we are his children, then we are brothers and sisters in his family. We have a new family - the family of God, his church. These are the people who we relate with and love more than anyone in the world.
Let this encourage your heart, that yes, you and I are different from the world around us - that’s a very good sign.
This is what make us different from the World. We have a different Father.
Children of the Devil
Children of the Devil
Because those who do not believe in Christ are actually children of the devil. They are blinded by Satan, held captive to do his will, they are influenced by his lies, morals, and purposes. More than anything, they do not submit to Gods will.
Jesus said of the Pharisees
44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
You can tell the difference between a child of God and a Child of the Devil.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
Because of this, we are different from the world. How we think, act, work, etc. Everything.
This is a tough pill for people in our life to swallow. Parents who don’t know God, don’t understand that He is your father, don’t like that you think they are blinded by Satan.
4 Traits That Make us Different
1. Different Father
2. Different Purpose
3. Different King
4. Different Savior
3. Different Purpose
3. Different Purpose
(v2) “by the sanctifying work of the Spirit.”
(v2) “by the sanctifying work of the Spirit.”
so we are elect, as a result of the foreknowledge of God, but not only because God knew in advance, but the Holy Spirit is the source of our sanctification.
Sanctification
Sanctification
Sanctification has multiple meanings, but in this context, it refers to believers being "set apart" for God's service. This concept originates from the Old Testament, where priests and objects were dedicated solely for divine purposes.
For Christians, this aspect of sanctification occurs at conversion when the Holy Spirit sets us apart for God's work. As believers, we're called to live differently from the world, dedicating our lives to serving God in everything we do.
This distinction often confuses non-believers, as explained in
1 Peter 4:2-5 . The passage highlights how Christians should live for God's will rather than worldly desires, which may surprise those who don't share this purpose.
2so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
3For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.
4In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you;
5but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
Our ultimate purpose is to serve the One True God in every aspect of our lives and to obey Jesus Christ. We were saved from our sin and self centeredness. We were saved in order that we would serve God.
So, we have been chosen to have a different father, and a different purpose - we now we have a different king to whom we owe our allegiance.
4 Traits That Make us Different
1. Different Father
2. Different Purpose
3. Different King
4. Different Savior
3. Different King
3. Different King
(v2) “to obey Jesus Christ”
(v2) “to obey Jesus Christ”
Christ saved us to fulfill His purpose, commanding our ultimate loyalty above all earthly authorities. This devotion to Jesus as our King has often been perceived as a threat by worldly powers.
During the writing of 1 Peter, Roman Emperors demanded absolute allegiance and worship. Christians, recognizing Christ as their sovereign, faced persecution for refusing to offer sacrifices to Caesar.
While we respect earthly authorities, our primary allegiance is to Christ. His commands, as revealed in Scripture, guide our actions.
1 Peter 1:14–15 instructs: "As obedient children, not being conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your conduct."
1 Peter 1:22 further emphasizes: "Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a love of the brothers without hypocrisy, fervently love one another from the heart."
Our obedience to Christ's teachings, as found in Scripture, distinguishes us from the world. While others may follow their desires or various ideologies, we are called to obey Christ.
This commitment to Christ supersedes all other loyalties - be it to family, ethnic groups, business leaders, or government officials. As Jesus said, our love for Him is demonstrated through our obedience to His commands.
We are different because we are loyal to one king - that is Jesus Christ- and we obey him no matter what.
Don’t be surprised or discouraged when this results in opposition from leaders, and don’t give into them when their commands contradicts Jesus.
Lastly, we have a different savior.
4 Traits That Make us Different
1. Different Father
2. Different Purpose
3. Different King
4. Different Savior
4. Different Savior
4. Different Savior
(v2) “Sprinkled with His Blood”
(v2) “Sprinkled with His Blood”
What does this mean?
In Lev 14:6-7 sprinkling with blood was used for the ceremonial cleansing of a leper.
In Exod 29:21 it is used to ordain priests
In Exod 24:3-8 it is used to inaugurate the Mosaic Covenant.
I mentioned earlier that priests were set apart by sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice on them. This signified that they had been ceremonially purified of their sin so that they could serve God.
Here, we are sprinkled with the blood of Christ. This is a symbolic way of saying that through the death of Christ, we are cleansed of our sin and qualified to serve him.
This is how we are different:
We are the only people on the planet who are cleansed of our sins, who are right with God.
We define sin as God does. We recognize that our biggest problem isn't our past trauma, genetics, or low self-esteem. It's not our family situation, health, economic situation, political environment, or social circumstances. Our biggest problem is the sin in our hearts.
Our greatest need is redemption and salvation.
We seek a different savior. While the world looks for a political champion to usher in peace, prosperity, and justice, we seek a savior to rescue us from our sins. We have such a savior in Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself to cleanse us and fulfill God's plan to save us—a plan set in motion before the world's foundation.
This difference puts us at odds with a world that wants us to conform to its agenda.
They see Christian values, truth, and morals as abusive and evil.
The World defines sin differently. They define morality differently. They offer the wrong solutions to the wrong problem, and never solve the real issue. They want you to see it the same way and do the same things about it that they do.
People today look to mankind to save himself, whether from mental illness, anxiety, depression. Or from climate change, or from death. Even through religious efforts. Ultimately man can’t outrun their biggest problem sin and death - only Christ can save us.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in princes.
Thus says the Lord,
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
“For he will be like a bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt without inhabitant.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose trust is the Lord.
Isaiah 2:22 (NASB95)
Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils;
For why should he be esteemed?
Do not trust in princes,
In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.
His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;
In that very day his thoughts perish.
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
What about you? Who are you looking to?
Conclusion
Conclusion
Conclusion: A Call to Embrace Our Identity as Exiles
Conclusion: A Call to Embrace Our Identity as Exiles
Brothers and sisters, as we conclude , I urge you to embrace your identity as exiles in this world. We are different, and that difference is not accidental—it is by God’s design.
Remember, we have been chosen for a higher purpose. We are not of this world, our loyalty is to a heavenly kingdom, our Savior is Christ Jesus, and our purpose transcends earthly ambitions. This difference will inevitably lead to conflict with the world around us.
But do not be discouraged! Our difference is our strength. It is through this very difference that we shine as lights in the darkness. When we face opposition, slander, or misunderstanding, let us remember that these are not signs of failure, but confirmations of our true identity in Christ.
I challenge you today: Stop seeking the world's approval. Cease your efforts to make this fallen world your home. Instead, let us boldly proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Let our lives be a testament to the hope we have in Christ.
Yes, this path may lead to suffering, but it also leads to glory. For every person who sees our steadfast faith in the face of adversity, there is an opportunity for God to work in their hearts. Our temporary discomfort in this world pales in comparison to the eternal weight of glory that awaits us.
So, let us stand firm together. Let us embrace our identity as exiles, as those who are in this world but not of it. For we know that our true citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we go from here, may we live as true exiles—different, distinct, and devoted to our King. May our lives reflect the reality that we are pilgrims passing through, always looking forward to our eternal home. And may we, through our faithful witness, bring many others along on this journey to our true home in Christ.
Because we have been Chosen to have a Different Father, a Different Purpose, a Different King, and seek a Different Savior than the World.
Let us pray.