Strangers in a Strange Land

James Grossi

Grace and Suffering: Standing Fast in the Present Evil Age • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

1 Peter 1:1–2

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Please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter… I want to encourage you to follow along with us in your Bible, so if you don’t have one, feel free to use the one that’s in the rack in front of you, and you’ll find our text on page 1,014.

Scripture Introduction

So we’re going to be starting a new series this morning… now, you might be thinking to yourself, “didn’t we just start a new series last week? Aren’t we going through the book of Hosea?” And yes… we did… we’re not skipping that…

But this is a different “new series.” Normally when I have the opportunity to preach, what I’ll do is exposit a passage of Scripture, something that the Lord has laid on my heart or something that I’ve been reading through in my personal devotional time… but I’ve decided to do something a little different this time… I figured that since I’m going to be preaching for the next two weeks, rather than choose two passages of Scripture to preach through, what I’ve decided we’d do is start walking expositionally through a book of the Bible. In this case, 1 Peter.

So the way that it would work is this - this week, we’re going to start with the introduction… just two verses…

We’re going to point out some of the features of the landscape… We may fly a little close here and there…

But I figured that since I’m preaching this week and Lord-willing the next, I thought I’d do something a little different than what I normally do and take us through an entire book of the Bible… not in 2 weeks but over time… As the Lord wills, and as I have opportunities in the future, we’ll just continue with it…

This isn’t replacing that series… but it’s supplementing it… Now, normally when I have the opportunity to preach, what I’ll do is I’ll choose a passage of Scripture, something that the Lord has laid on my heart or something that I’ve been reading through in my devotional time… and I’ll preach on that.

And what I thought I would do this morning is two things… the first thing is, we’re going to take a bird’s-eye view of the entire book.

So this time, we’re doing something a little different…

And what I thought I would do this morning is two things… the first thing is, we’re going to take a bird’s-eye view of the entire book.

So what I thought I would do this morning is two things… the first thing is, we’re going to take a bird’s-eye view of the entire book.

It’s like climbing to the top of a mountain and looking out over the landscape. And when you do that, what you notice is the big features… what you notice is the valleys and the peaks… you get an overall view of what the terrain looks like.

And then the second thing we’re going to do is, we’re going to come down off the mountain and we’re going to start heading down a path… and that will allow us to examine some of the features of the terrain in more detail.

It’s going to allow us to notice some things that we couldn’t necessarily see when we were on top of the mountain… So this week, we’re going to examine the greeting…

And then next week, Lord-willing, we’ll get into the heart of Chapter 1. And then in the weeks and months that follow, as I’m given opportunity, we’ll just pick up where we left off…

And over time, as the Lord wills, we’ll walk our way through this entire letter… a letter that’s so rich and deep with meaning…

A letter that really speaks to us today as we try to figure out how to live our lives as Christians… as we strive to please the Lord in a world that seems to be turning further and further away from the things of God.

So why did Peter write this letter?

You see, for us, our identity as Christians is not only the source of great joy, but ironically, it’s largely the the reason why we suffer…

For us, because of our faith, we’re often marginalized by society… we’re often alienated in our relationships… and threatened with - if not experiencing - a loss of honor and standing in society.

And that’s just here… that’s just in the United States… that says nothing of the persecution faced by our brothers and sisters around the world… some of whom have literally lost everything, including their lives, for their faith in Jesus Christ.

But as followers of Christ, we’ve all experienced some form of suffering and loss because of our faith…

It could be the friends or family members who no longer invite you to gatherings because they’re tired of hearing about Jesus… and they don’t even tell you, they just stop inviting…

Or maybe they do tell you, and that’s a source of much grief…

Maybe it’s the co-workers who snicker about you by the water cooler because you won’t partake in gossip or crude joking…

Maybe it’s the friends at school who think you’re weird because you want to honor God by remaining sexually pure…

Or maybe you’re a Christian business owner and you realize that it’s just a matter of time before you’re asked to do something that violates your convictions and causes you to lose everything.

Or maybe you’re the Pastor who realizes that your stand for Christ and the sanctity of marriage could one day land you in jail… and that day is right around the corner… it could be tomorrow.

You see, what Peter wants us to understand is, the way to stand fast in this present evil age is by understanding first and foremost who we are before God in Christ…

That we are His people… that He has set his love upon us… that He has separated us from the world and called us to holiness…

And we’re not called to do this alone… He’s given us His Spirit… He’s given us one another…

An important thing to know about 1 Peter is that it’s written primarily to Gentiles…

Why is that important? Because for them, identifying themselves as God’s chosen, set-apart people a radical idea…

yes, he refers to them as “the Dispersion,” and yes… the three other times that word is used in the New Testament, it’s referring to Jews who have been “dispersed” or scattered outside of Israel… but not here.

Peter is writing to Gentiles…

After all, God’s people were the Israelites… but for these Gentiles, it changes everything… it makes all the difference.

So, how do we know it was written to Gentiles?

You see, when you come to Christ in repentance and faith, the Bible says that you are a new creation… the old has passed away and behold, the new has come.

He wants us to really lay hold of this idea… that in Christ, we have been given a new identity… and this identity is glorious. And because of this, we have to think of ourselves and our relationships to family and society differently from how we did when we were unbelievers.

We need to be transformed in our thinking about who we are in Christ and what that means for our relationships… our relationships with family, friends, co-workers, society in general… and especially, with other believers… so how we relate to one another in the church.

So, how do we know this?

After all, Peter refers to them as “elect exiles of the Dispersion.”

Well, we don’t know with absolute certainty, but look with me at vv. 1:17-19, it says,

1 Peter 1:17–19 ESV

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

1 Peter 1:18 ESV

knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

It would be odd for Peter, who was a Jew, to say that his Jewish forefathers lived in futility. After all, the Jews were God’s elect people…

And then, 4:3-4, which says,

1 Peter 4:3–4 ESV

For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;

1 Peter

What Peter is saying is, the time for living this way is over… it’s behind you… but be prepared… because everyone you know, who are expecting you to live this way… and expecting you to join them… are going to be surprised when you don’t…

That would be an odd thing to say to Jewish believers who never would have identified themselves with sinful living like that…

So why is it so important? Why is it significance?

So why is it so important? What’s the significance?

Peter wanted his Gentile readers to conceive of themselves as the people of God. He wanted them to shift their identity.

He wanted them to identify themselves with the new creation… because that’s what the Bible says…

You see, when you come to Christ in repentance and faith, you’re a new creation… you’re part of the new creation… the old has passed away and behold, the new has come.

And he wants us to really lay hold of this idea… that in Christ, we have been given a new identity… and this identity is glorious.

And because of this, we have to think of ourselves and our relationships to family and friends and society different ways than we did before.

We need to be transformed in our thinking about who we are in Christ and what that means for our relationships… relationships with family and friends… with our co-workers… with society in general… and especially, with one another in the church.

We’ve become resident aliens because we realize that living the way the world does wars against the soul… and that makes us foreigners… it makes us strangers in a strange land.

You see, Peter wants us to know that by believing in Jesus Christ, we have become part of the true Israel of God… we see this in Chapter 2, where Peter identifies the church as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession… a people whom he has called out of darkness into his marvelous light (vv. 2:9-10).

They had become part of the true Israel of God by believing in Jesus Christ… we’ll examine this idea further when we explore Chapter 2, vv. 9-10.

And for Gentile Christians in Peter’s day, this idea that they were part the chosen people was vital…

This is exactly how Moses identified the Israelites in …

And this idea is vital to our faith…

But for the Gentile Christians in Peter’s day, this idea that they were part the chosen people was vital…

Peter wants us to understand that the only way that they would have the strength to endure the suffering and distress of this present evil age was by recognizing that they were part of a rich and glorious heritage in Christ…

to encourage believers in his day to stand fast while they endure suffering and distress in the present evil age, knowing that a great reward will be theirs on the day of salvation… on the day that Christ returns in glory.

Understanding that we have been chosen and set apart, that we’ve been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, that we’re heirs to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading… this understanding gives us the strength to remain faithful through suffering and trials and tribulations.

They

And this is vital to us as well…

He wrote this letter to encourage them and us to stand fast while we endure suffering and distress in the present evil age, knowing that a great reward will be ours on the day of salvation… on the day that Christ returns in glory.

Peter calls us to perseverance… and we demonstrate this perseverance by living godly lives, by living as good citizens, as gentle wives… and as understanding husbands.

And when we live in this way, we say to the watching world that we are placing our hope in God rather than in the joys and comforts of this world.

In other words, we who hope and trust in Christ will have the strength to endure whatever comes our way in the present.

And that’s the theme of the entire book… So what’s 1 Peter about?

So standing on top of the mountain, here’s what we see…

Peter starts out by grounding our identity in the redemptive work of the Triune God… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1:1-2).

Peter starts out by grounding his readers’ identity in the redemptive work of the Triune God… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1:1-2).

Then he praises God in an act of worship for granting believers new life… that God has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1:3-9)… and that this glory was part of God’s sovereign plan from the beginning, predicted in the Scriptures (1:10-12).

And then he calls us to live a life of holiness that is rooted and grounded in the redemptive work of Christ. Because God is holy, we are holy. Because Jesus ransomed us and we’ve tasted his goodness, we put away sin (1:13-2:3).

Because we are God’s chosen nation, we abstain from sin and live honorably, even when we’re slandered (2:4-12).

This holiness that we’re called to manifests itself socially, in submission to governing authorities and earthly masters (2:13-25).

While wives submit to their husbands, husbands honor their wives, that they may live together in grace (3:1-7).

Because we are God’s chosen nation, we abstain from sin and live honorably, even when we’re slandered (2:4-12).

This holiness that we’re called to manifests itself socially, in submission to governing authorities and earthly masters (2:13-25).

Peter tells us that we, for the most part, can expect to live well, experiencing God’s favor, if we are loving and honest and seek peace (3:8-13).

While wives submit to their husbands, husbands honor their wives, that they may live together in grace (3:1-7).

Peter tells us that we for the most part, we expect to live well, experiencing God’s favor, if we are loving and honest and seek peace (3:8-13).

But nevertheless, it’s possible to suffer for doing good (3:13-17). This very thing happened to Jesus when he suffered for us and liberated us from death (3:18-22).

Jesus did so when he suffered for us and liberated us from death (3:18-22).

And Jesus left us an example… and this example arms us to stand up to opposition from the world (4:1-6). But even in that, the follower of Christ is not combative… but instead we are…

But even so, the follower of Christ is not combative.

Self-controlled, loving, hospitable, and eager to use God’s gifts to administer God’s grace (4:7-11).

And this grace is so necessary if we hope to face the trials that will certainly come to those who share in Christ, the One to whom we entrust ourselves (4:12-19).

And in doing this, Jesus left us an example… and this example arms us to stand up to opposition from the world (4:1-6). But even in that, the follower of Christ is not combative… but instead we’re self-controlled, loving, hospitable, and eager to use God’s gifts to administer God’s grace (4:7-11).

While individual believers seek to endure and do good, the elders of the church lead by setting an example and by watching over the flock (5:1-5).

While Peter is glad to advise people in their specific callings, the great principles of life are the same for us all: we humble ourselves before God, we cast our cares on him, we resist Satan, and we stand firm in God’s grace (5:6-14).

That’s the message of 1 Peter… and it’s an important word for the church today because of the direction that society is headed in…

Self-controlled, loving, hospitable, and eager to use God’s gifts to administer God’s grace (4:7-11).

And Lord-willing, as God gives opportunity, over the coming weeks and months, we’ll walk down off the mountaintop and head down the path that lays before us, examining the details and features of the landscape as we go... digging deeper into these glorious truths and words of encouragement that were left so long ago for us to follow…

And this grace is so necessary if we hope to face the trials that will certainly come our way… to those who share in Christ (4:12-19).

While individual believers seek to endure and do good, the elders of the church lead by setting an example and by watching over the flock (5:1-5).

and Lord-willing, as God gives opportunity, we’ll dig deeper into those glorious truths in the coming weeks and months…

That’s the message of 1 Peter… and it’s an important word for the church today because of the direction this world is headed in…

Now, as we step down off the mountaintop and head down the path that lays before us, we’ll examine these things things in detail…

But today… what I want to focus on today are the first few opening lines of this glorious letter to the church…

Like all letters in the Bible, it opens with a greeting… and it would be very easy for us to just dismiss it… but that would be a mistake.

Now, it would be very easy to gloss over this greeting and just dismiss it as a customary “hello,”… but that would be a mistake.

You see, this greeting is overflowing with rich, theological meaning. It forms the basis and the foundation of the hope and encouragement that Peter meant for us to have.

It forms the basis and the foundation for our identity as the elect people of God…

So as we come to our text this morning, I would invite you to stand with me in honor of the reading of God’s word. And the Word of the Lord says,

1 Peter 1:1–2 ESV

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

This is God’s Word… please be seated.

Prayer for Illumination

Let’s pray…

Introduction

As we come to our text this morning, we notice that Peter opens the letter by identifying himself as an Apostle…

Now, the term “Apostle,” in its verb-form, means “to send out.” However, the way it’s used in the New Testament is to refer to someone who was sent out by Jesus as an authorized agent.

So what that means is, this letter doesn’t merely represent good advice… it’s a binding apostolic word for the church. It carries weight… it carries authority…

It was written by Peter to God’s pilgrim people… “the elect exiles of the Dispersion.”

So why does Peter identify them this way?

Simply put, to identify his readers as “elect” means that they have been chosen by God. And because they have been chosen by God, that makes them strangers and exiles in this world.

Now, we’re not literal exiles… I mean, we may be, but that’s not what Peter is getting at here. The reason we’re exiles is not because we have been displaced from our homes…

We’re exiles because we suffer for our faith in a world that finds our faith offensive.

We’re exiles because our citizenship is in heaven rather than on earth.

We’re exiles because we have been chosen by God, our citizenship is in heaven rather than on earth.

Because of God’s sovereign election, we indeed find ourselves as strangers in a strange land… we are pilgrims, sojourners, and exiles on earth.

Main Point:

The church is God’s suffering people, having no place of rest in this world. But we can have confidence to stand fast in this present evil age because we have been:

We are God’s set-apart people, distinct from the world (1: 1-2),

We are God’s set-apart people, distinct from the world. We can have confidence to stand fast in the present evil age because we have been.

Chosen by the Father,

We have been born again into a living hope (1:3-9),

Sanctified by the Spirit,

We have been called to a life of holiness

Sanctified by the Spirit,

Cleansed by the Son.

These are the three glorious truths that we’re going to examine this morning… they’re three glorious truths that should encourage us to stand fast…

Now, fist and foremost, one thing I want you to notice about this greeting is, your conversion is distinctly Trinitarian.

That means if you’re in Christ, you’ve been redeemed by the Triune God…

All three Persons of the Godhead were involved in bringing you from death to life… All three Persons of the Godhead were involved in calling you out of darkness into His marvelous light… and that’s an amazing thing!

What I want you to notice here is that this is greeting is distinctly “Christian”… and your conversion is distinctly Trinitarian.

We’e been redeemed by the Triune God…

The Father chose you according to His foreknowledge. The Spirit sanctified you for obedience to the Son, and you’ve been sprinkled you with His blood, making atonement for your sins…

So we’ve been chosen by the Father, we’ve been sanctified by the Spirit, and we’ve been cleansed by the Son…

All three Persons were involved… Father, Son and Holy Spirt… and we’re going to spend the remainder of our time this morning examining what that means…

So what does it mean that we’ve been…

Chosen by the Father (vv. 1-2)

Look with me at the opening of the greeting through the beginning of v. 2… it says,

1 Peter 1:1–2 ESV

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

1 Peter 1:1–2 NKJV

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

The NJKV renders the passage this way:

1 Peter 1:1–2 NKJV

What Peter makes clear fom the outset that we are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God,” and it’s on that basis that we are “pilgrims of the Dispersion.”

He’s identifying us as the chosen people of God… and this is such an important concept for us to grasp.

Now, I recognize that Sovereign election, or God’s choosing of the saints before the world began, is probably one of the most difficult doctrines to discuss in all of Christendom.

It’s one of those doctrines that has been the subject of much controversy in the church. It’s been debated back and forth, with much passion…

Sometimes with an unholy intensity… arguments have been started over some of the ideas that I’m going to be sharing with you today.

Many Christians, knowing this, have shrunk back from even thinking about them at all.

They think it would be better to not even bring it up. It’d be better to not talk about election or God choosing or any of these kinds of things, because it’s just going to lead to arguments anyway…

So they hold back… they don’t want to talk about it or even think about it.

It’s just going to lead to arguments anyway, so they just hold back… they don’t want to talk about it or even think about it.

And they think, in some strange way, that by not bringing it up, they’re maintaining unity in the bond of peace… quoting Ephesians… which, ironically, if you’re familiar with Ephesians in Chapter 1, the doctrine of election is front-and-center.

But in doing so, they forget that God intended for us to know these things… that God has actually told us about this in Scripture… and not just here in 1 Peter or in Ephesians but in many places throughout the Bible.

God wanted us to read it and to know it and to allow it to transform us.

So it would be wrong for us to just ignore it… and dare I say that it would even be sinful for me as an Elder and a minister of God’s Word to just skip it or gloss over it or treat it lightly.

So we’re not going to do that this morning. After all, the Apostle Paul didn’t do that… we see it in Acts Chapter 20, in talking to the Ephesian elders he said, “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable”… and a few verses later… “for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”

So it wouldn’t be right for us as individuals and certainly not for me as an Elder to shrink back from discussing what Peter has written for us to know.

So, what is the right way for us to approach this topic? I would say that one right way is with much fear and with much trembling…

This is a deep and infinite mystery of God… well beyond our ability to fully comprehend. I don’t care how smart you are or how learned you are or how many books on theology you’ve read… this is infinite mystery.

No one can fully explain it, no one can fully comprehend it… it’s a heavenly doctrine…

And we can have confidence that it’s not the doctrine of men because no man could have conceived of it… the idea that God chose us before the foundation of the world… by name… to be His children…

I think that the words of the prophet Isaiah are helpful here…

Through him, God says to the human race,

Isaiah 55:8–9 ESV

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Another right way to approach this topic is with a gracious spirit…

Another right way to approach this topic is with great humility…

It’s very easy for us… especially when it comes to a topic like this one, to approach it with an argumentative spirit… because it grates against our natural, human inclinations and we don’t like it…

It awakens almost a sense of pride in us… and we rail against it. We find the idea offensive, that God chose, from the foundation of the world, from the mass of sinful humanity, those who would believe in Jesus Christ… We find it offensive!

But yet, it’s what he Bible says…

1 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV

13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

1 thessalonians 2:13

2 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV

13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

We’re tempted to say things like, “it’s not fair…” as if we believe that we’re somehow deserving of God’s saving grace… which would make it… ironically, not grace…

And that comes from a faulty sense of fairness… If we’re honest about it, the right thing to say would be it’s not fair that God chose to save anyone at all! For no one is deserving of His mercy…

And it’s almost as if God purposed to silence the argumentative nature of the human mind when He inspired Paul to write in ,

Romans 9:20 ESV

20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”

Romans 9:20–23 ESV

20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—

Who are we to argue if God has told us that He has done this?

So what are the practical benefits of studying this? What do we get out of it, and how does this help us as we seek to live godly lives?

All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable… what’s the profit here?

Firstly, it should awaken in us a deep sense of humility… this doctrine has the unique ability to humble the human heart… to lay it low… to level it completely.

And it’s very necessary for us to be humbled, because we’re oh so arrogant…

And to know that we’ve been chosen, before the foundation of the world by name, apart from anything that God saw that was commendable in us, is incredibly humbling.

Secondly, we get a profound sense of assurance… we get the benefit of knowing that we’re going to be finally saved in the end… Look with me for a moment at vv. 3-4 of Chapter 1… it says…

God has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

And That gives me a great sense of assurance and confidence as I battle my own sins, day after day… to know that God promised to complete the good work that He started in me. And that should give you great confidence as you battle your own sins, too…

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Listen to the words of Jesus from …

John 6:37–40 ESV

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never 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 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

1 Peter 1:3–4 ESV

3 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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

and that’s tremendously helpful to me as I battle my own sins day after day…

John 6:37–40 ESV

As I battle my own sins day after day…

john 6:

If that doesn’t awaken in you a profound sense of assurance, I would encourage you… read it again…

All that the Father gives me

Now the word “foreknowledge” could simply mean that God foresaw those who would be His elect or chosen…

That’s not the question… the question is, does the term include more than this?

Does it include more than the idea that God simply knew or foresaw those who would come to Christ?

Well, as we seek to answer that question, a good place for us to start would be to see how the word is used in other places in Scripture…

For example, very often, the word “know” in the Hebrew language is used to refer to God’s covenantal love that He’s bestowed upon His people.

We see in , God uses the word “know” when referring to his “choosing” of Abraham.

Genesis 18:19 ESV

19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

This same word is used in , when God says,

Jeremiah 1:5 ESV

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremi (cf. ; ; ).

In the New Testament, the word “foreknowledge” is used in connection with the crucifixion of Jesus… says,

Acts 2:23 ESV

23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

A form of it’s also used by Peter, later in Chapter 1, when talking about Jesus… says,

1 Peter 1:20 ESV

20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

Peter wasn’t merely saying that God foresaw when Christ would come. No… he was saying that God foreordained when Christ would come.

That’s what the word “foreknowledge” means… the Greek word is proginosko, which means to “forelove” or “foreordain.”

So in when it says that Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, what it’s saying is that God had ordained when Christ would come…

Listen to what it says in …

Galatians 4:4 ESV

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

His coming didn’t depended on human choices but on the will of Almighty God.

So when Peter said that believers are elect “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,” he’s saying that believers were “foreloved” or “foreordained.”

God sending forth His Son was according to his foreknowledge… it was according to the covenantal love that the Father has for the Son…

It’s the same covenantal love that God has for His chi

And what’s amazing is that same covenantal love that the Father has for His Son, He has for His children in Christ…

So if you’re a Christian.... if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ… you’re infinitely, perfectly, and eternally loved by your heavenly Father. He cherishes, you… He loves you…

He’s the highest authority in the universe… there is none higher than God… and He loves you… He’s set His love on you in Christ…

That’s what Peter’s emphasizing when he says that believers are elect “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.”

He’s emphasizing God’s covenantal love for His Children… he’s emphasizing God’s sovereignty and initiative in salvation…

So when Peter said that believers are elect “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,” he’s saying that believers were “foreloved” or “foreordained.”

Our election has nothing to do with our choices… it has noting to do with what we’ve done or will do, either good or bad… we see that in , when Paul writes, talking about the twins,

What’s he’s doing here is emphasizing God’s sovereignty and initiative in salvation.

Romans 9:10–11 ESV

Romans 9:10–16 ESV

10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Believers are “elect” because God the Father has set his covenantal affection upon them, before the world began…

It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God. God the Father has set his covenantal affection upon us… and this was done before He created the world…

Listen to what Paul writes in Ephesians Chapter 1, vv. 4-5…

Ephesians 1:4 ESV

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

Ephesians 1:4–5 ESV

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

So if you’re here today and you’re a Christian, if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, it wasn’t merely by your own decision, but by the sovereign will of God who called you.

You see, when you hear the call of the gospel and you respond in faith, it’s because God has caused you to be born again… It says that in …

But when you come to Jesus… what happens is, the Spirit of God causes you to be born again… the veil is lifted from your eyes, and once you see your sin for what it is, you recognize that you’re in rebellion against the God who created you and that your situation is hopeless…

When you’re born again, God lifts the veil from your eyes, and once you see your sin for what it is… you recognize that you’re in rebellion against the God who created you… and you recognize that your situation is hopeless…

And then like a ray of sunlight breaking into your soul, you behold the glory of Christ… the blessed Savior… and His glory consumes you… and you’re filled with the hope of the gospel…

And you know at once that if you turn to Him in repentance and faith and you put your hope in Him, you will be washed, and you’ll be cleansed and your sins will be forgiven…

And you want that more than anything else in the world… because God has removed your heart of stone and given you a new heart that functions the way He designed it to… which is to worship Him… and you bow the knee to Christ and confess Him as your Lord and your Savior…

And God saves you… He delivers you from the domain of darkness and transfers you to the kingdom of His beloved Son…

That’s what happened to you…

That’s what happens to everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord…

Now, I know that some of you may be thinking… you might be thinking, “What if I’m not one of the elect? What if I haven’t been chosen?”

What I would say to you is this… the Bible says that 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…

So instead of wondering whether or not you’ve been chosen, ask yourself “what do I believe?”

ow, I can understand why you’d ask that question, but I would submit to you that you’re asking the wrong one. The question you should be asking yourself is this:

Do I believe that Jesus is the risen Lord, and that if I turn to Him in repentance and faith, my sins will be forgiven and I’ll be saved?

If the answer’s yes, don’t waste your energy worrying about whether or not you’ve been chosen. Your belief in Christ is evidence of that… Instead, spend your energy living for Him and for His glory…

If the answer is no, the question I have for you is, “what’s holding you back?” Do you see your sin for what it is? Do you see that you’re in rebellion against the God who created you, and because of that rebellion, your eternal destination is hell?

And I want you to realize that if your answer is “yes,” that’s a real choice on your part… it’s a real decision that you made of your own will… but it was first and foremost an act of sovereign grace on the part of Almighty God, to the praise of His glory!

We read earlier from John Chapter 6, where Jesus says,

John 6:40 ESV

40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

At the same time, I want you to realize that if your answer is “yes,” that’s a real choice on your part… it’s a real decision that you made of your own will… but it was first and foremost an act of sovereign grace on the part of Almighty God, to the praise of His glory!

says,

Acts 17:31 ESV

31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

And Sovereign Election doesn’t remove our responsibility to choose… I want you to realize that if your answer is “yes,” that’s a real choice on your part… it’s a real decision that you made of your own will… but it was first and foremost an act of sovereign grace on the part of Almighty God, to the praise of His glory!

Because on that day, when you stand before Him… you’ll look back on that choice that you made… and then the books will be opened and you’ll see… there’s your your name, written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world ().

Objections to the Doctrine of Election

I know that there are some who, especially if you’re not a follower of Jesus Christ, might be asking,

Do I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead? Am I looking to Christ and him alone as my only hope to be saved from my sins and the wrath to come?

If you can say “yes” to those questions, that’s all that really matters…

Again, I think that’s asking the wrong question… a far better question for us to ponder is, “how is it fair that God chose to save anyone at all?”

And the answer is, yes, of course! If you’re here today and you’ve bowed the knee to Jesus in repentance and faith, that’s an actual choice that you made of your own will.

No one coerced you, no one forced you to do it…

I’m willing to bet that at the moment of your conversion, you weren’t ushered into the kingdom kicking and screaming… you didn’t come to Christ with teeth gritted, knuckles white from clinging in desperation to your old manner of living…

No… you came rejoicing! You came willingly! Why?

Because God created you to worship Him… He created you with a heart designed to to give Him glory! The problem is, because of the fall of Adam, our hearts don’t function the way that God designed them to…

The veil is lifted from your eyes and you behold the gof

And then like a ray of sunlight breaking its way into your soul, you behold the glory of Christ… the blessed Savior… and His glory consumes you… and you’re filled with the hope of the gospel… and you know at once that if you turn to Him in repentance and faith and you put your hope in Him, you will be washed and cleansed and your sins will be forgiven… and you want that more than anything else in the world… and God removes your heart of stone gives you a new heart that functions the way He designed it to… and you bow the knee to Christ and you worship Him as Lord…

That’s what happened to you…

Now, did you choose tho bow the knee to Jesus? Yes, of course you did… but it was first and foremost an act of sovereign grace on the part of Almighty God, to the praise of His glory!

And then on that day, when you stand before the Lord… you’ll consider that choice you made when you decided to follow Jesus… and then the books will be opened and you’ll see… there’s your your name, written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world ()

That’s Sovereign Election… you see, God does have a plan for your life… and that plan was formed before the world began… and that plan is to conform you to the image of Jesus and bring you to glory…

But what if you ‘re not

Acts 17:31 ESV

31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

And that’s the foundation for hope that Peter is about to offer us… We can stand fast in this present evil age because we’ve been chosen by the Father… the first Person of the Godhead… but it doesn’t end there… you see, we’ve also been:

Sanctified by the Spirit (v. 2)

Now, I don’t want you to worry… my last two points are going to be much shorter than the first one… so if you’re noticing the time, the last two are much shorter…

So, “sanctification…” the word “sanctified” means to be “consecrated.” It means “to be set apart for God.”

So, “sanctification…” the word “sanctified” or “sanctification” means to be “consecrated.” It means “to be set apart for God.”

Peter wants us to know that they were the set-apart, chosen people of God. He wants us to realize that we never fully belong in this world… but we are separate… we are distinct.

Many times, when we talk about term “sanctification,” we’re talking about progressive sanctification, which is the process by which our lives are made holy… here… now…

But in this context, the focus is on conversion… When you come to faith in Christ, you are at-once set apart… the Spirit of God delivers you from the domain of darkness and transfers you to the kingdom of His beloved Son.

Even though we’re elect, Ephesians Ch. 2 says that before we came to Christ, we were dead in our trespasses and sins and children of wrath… but then we were made alive in Christ.

How? By the sanctification of the Spirt…

So the Father elects… and then at the appointed time, via the proclamation of the gospel, the Spirit moves… He takes ahold of a person from the inside and causes them to be born again…

The sanctification of the Spirit is the means by which God makes his electing foreknowledge operative in the lives of those who come to faith in Christ.

God’s elect people are able to respond to the call of the gospel because we’ve been sanctified…

He removes their heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh… a heart that is able to respond to God in faith…

A heart that is able to respond to the call of the gospel in obedience…

And that’s the purpose of setting us apart… it’s so that we’re able to obey…

It’s so that we’re able to obey the call of the gospel, and we’re able to live a life of obedience to the commands of Jesus.

And we are sanctified for a purpose… the foreknowing, electing work of God and the sanctifying action of the Spirit result in human obedience…

Paul, when addressing the Greeks at the Areopagus, said this…

Acts 17:30 ESV

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

Acts 17:30 ESV

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

The elect are able to respond to that command when the Spirit sanctifies them…

When you think about your own experience as Christians… when you think about your own conversion…

You’ve probably asked yourself at some point, “why did I respond to the call of the gospel and my neighbor didn’t?”

Why was it that when Paul’s preached the gospel to the Greeks at the Areopagus, did some mock, others want to hear more and yet others believed?

Why do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Why are you hoping in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and the promise of eternity in heaven?

Why has this happened to you and not your unbelieving neighbors, and co-workers and family and friends? Why you?

He removes their heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh… a heart that is able to respond to God in faith…

A heart that is able to respond to the call of the gospel in obedience…

says…

And that’s the purpose of setting us apart… it’s so that we’re able to obey…

It’s so that we’re able to obey the call of the gospel, and we’re able to live a life of obedience to the commands of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Well, why can you understand them? Why has this happened to you?

You see, the Father elects… and then at the appointed time, at the hearing of the gospel, the Spirit moves… and He sanctifies… He takes ahold of a person from the inside and causes them to be born again…

He removes their heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh… a heart that is able to respond to God in faith…

A heart that is able to respond to the call of the gospel in obedience…

That’s what happened to you… you were able to respond in faith to the gospel because the Spirit of God brought you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

Martin Luther said, “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to Him.”

And it’s for that purpose the Spirit sanctifies us... it’s for obedience…

It’s so that we’re able to obey the call of the gospel, and we’re able to live a life of obedience to the commands of Jesus.

We can do that because we’re sanctified… we’re set apart.

And that should encourage you… it should give you confidence…

It should encourage you in your fight against sin, as you try to live a life that’s pleasing to God in a world that’s gone completely off the rails…

It should give you confidence because God, by His Spirit, has set you apart for holiness and given you the ability to please Him in faithful obedience…

Because the Father chooses and the Spirit sanctifies,

Because the Father elects us and the Spr

Because the Father elects and the Spirit sanctifies, you can be assured that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ ()

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

And that should give you confidence… confidence not only in your own walk with Christ, but also in evangelism… as you proclaim the gospel to the lost, you can be assured that some will mock… some will want to hear more… but some will believe…

And their belief has nothing to do with how well you explain the gospel… and don’t get me wrong… we should learn how to proclaim the gospel well…

But my point is, it doesn’t depend on us. A person’s salvation doesn’t depend on us but on the God who elects… on the God who calls… on the God who sanctifies…

And ultimately, on the God who cleanses… You see, we’ve been chosen by the Father… we’ve been sanctified by the Spirt… and finally, we’ve been…

Cleansed by the Son (v. 2)

And this is vitally important to our faith… The Father elects… the Spirit sanctifies… but it’s the blood of Christ that cleanses us and atones for our sin…

Now, there’s a lot that can be said about the blood of Christ… much more that I can possibly cover today…

So what we’re going to focus on here is what I believe Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wanted us to see…

No… they’re brought specifically into the New Covenant, founded on Christ’s blood…

Which is that the New Covenant… the covenant of which we’re a part, is founded upon the blood of Jesus Christ…

And what that does is it strengthens our identity as the people of God… because not only has God called us by name and set us apart… not only has God set His covenantal love upon us… but he has brought us into a covenantal relationship with Him that can never be broken! Why?

Because that relationship is founded upon the blood of Jesus Christ! It can never be broken… it can never fail… why?

Because the One who’s blood was spilled is none other than Almighty God Himself!

And that gives us tremendous hope… that gives us tremendous assurance as we suffer and struggle through the trials and tribulations of life… as we battle our sin and strive for holiness in a world that finds this offensive…

<Pause>

So how do we know this is what Peter’s talking about? Look with me again at v. 2… it says that we are…

“Elect exiles… in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with His blood.”

1 Peter 1:2 ESV

2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

1 Peter 1:1–2 ESV

English Standard Version Chapter 1

for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood

It’s the idea of obedience combined with the sprinkling blood… when those two ideas are combined, it points to people entering into a covenantal relationship with God…

We see this same idea in Exodus Ch. 24:3-8, which says…

In , Moses writes:

Exodus 24:3–8 ESV

3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Then there’s a promise by the people to obey…

So there’s the concept of obedience coupled with the sprinkling of blood…

English Standard Version Chapter 1

for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood

So there’s the concept of obedience coupled with the sprinkling of blood…

obey matches the obedience that Peter mentions in conjunction with the blood… Moses then sprinkled the people with the blood, stating, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you” (v. 8).

And then there’s cleansing… Moses then sprinkled the people with the blood, stating, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you” (v. 8).

The blood of the covenant signifies the forgiveness and the cleansing the people needed to stand in right relationship with God.

Without blood, there is no purification… without blood, there is no forgiveness of sins…

Obedience and the sprinkling with blood are how we enter in to the New Covenant… we enter by an obedient response to the gospel… and then we are sprinkled clean with the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ…

Paul, recalling the Lord’s Supper says in…

1 Corinthians 11:25 ESV

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

That’s one of the things that we do when we take the Lord’s Supper… we proclaim the Lord’s death and His coming again, but we also affirm our identify as the New Covenant people of God…

And the New Covenant isn’t like the Old Covenant. This cleansing isn’t temporary… the blood Christ, the blood of the New Covenant, has the power to take away sins once permanently…

The author of Hebrews writes,

Hebrews 10:1–4 ESV

1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

And then further down in v. 11…

Hebrews 10:11–14 ESV

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

There is so much more we could say about the blood of Christ… much more than we can possibly cover here.

Luke’s gospel records the account of the Last Supper… and it’s at the Last Supper that Jesus said this to His disciples… He said,

“This cup that is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood.”

So when we come to the Lord’s Table, we’re not only proclaiming the Lord’s death… we’re not only looking forward to His coming… we’re not only remembering His sacrifice for us in the breaking of His body and the spilling of His blood…

We’re remembering His covenant…

Covenant is such an important concept in the Bible… God’s election is an expression of His covenantal love for His people… His Spirit sanctifies us by setting us apart and brining us into His New Covenant, and it’s upon the blood of Christ that this New Covenant is founded.

And this covenant is better in every way… because the blood of Jesus, upon which it is founded, is better in every way…

We could do an entire sermon series on Penal Substitutionary Atonement and still not say all that could be said about the blood of our blessed Savior…

Hebrews 12:24 ESV

24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Do you see the connection? Do you see the connection between sanctification, obedience and blood?

Do you see how all three Persons of the Godhead are involved in bringing a person to faith in Jesus Christ?

Those who are elected by the Father are sanctified in the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ, and for sprinkling with His blood.

All Three are involved…and this is glorious…

And unlike the Old Covenant, which was founded on the blood of bulls and goats, the New Covenant is unbreakable…

Why? Because this covenant was founded on the blood of Jesus Christ, our great God and Savior…

<Pause>

One of the most remarkable texts in all of the Bible, at least in my opinion, is , where Luke, recording Paul’s charge to the Ephesian Elders, writes this,

Acts 20:28 ESV

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

What a remarkable thing… to care for the church of God, which he obtained with is own blood…

It’s that same idea that Peter wants us to take way from the opening of this marvelous letter…

He wants us to realize that if we’re in Christ… by God’s sovereign… electing… sanctifying grace… he’s made us part of His church… a church that God obtained with His own blood…

And that should encourage you… that should encourage you to stand fast as you face struggles, it should encourage you to stand fast as you experience alienation at home, with your family and friends, at work or at school… it should encourage you to stand fast as you’re ridiculed and mocked for your faith…

As the author of Hebrews writes, when you come to Christ, “our hearts are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” ()

Because of the electing, sanctifying, cleansing

It’s because we are God’s set-apart, chosen people, sanctified by the Spirit

And in fact, some have done this. If this is a subject that interests you and you want to dig deeper into the concept, I’d recommend you read ________________ by Mark Dever and ______. It traces the concept of Penal Substitutionary atonement from…

In , God says to His people,

Ezekiel 36:25 ESV

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

In the Old Testament, the sprinkling of blood was used for the cleansing of a leper… says,

Leviticus 14:6–7 ESV

6 He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field.

You see, when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, they don’t come to some generic spirituality, which is so prevalent in our society today…

No… they’re brought specifically into the New Covenant, founded on Christ’s blood…

As you’re ridiculed and mocked for your faith…

Conclusion

And I think that’s what Peter wanted us to see…

He wants us to realize that if we’re in Christ… by God’s sovereign… electing… sanctifying grace… he’s made us part of His church… a church that God obtained with His own blood…

And that should encourage you… that should encourage you to stand fast as you face the struggles of this life… it should encourage you to stand fast as you experience alienation at home, with your family, with friends, at work or at school… and it should encourage you to stand fast as you’re ridiculed and mocked for your faith in Jesus…

The only sure basis we have for hope in this world is the relationship we have with God in Christ…

So where’s your hope? If it’s not in Christ, where is it? You’re hoping in something…

You don’t have to be a Christian to know that things aren’t right in the world… You don’t have to be a Christian to know that things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be… and you know this… so where’s your hope?

If it’s not in Christ, you have no hope… Anything else that you’re putting your hope in will fail you… people… money… the government… all of it will ultimately fail you in the end.

Why? T

But I want to assure you, there is hope…

so where are you placing your

And the reason they’re not is because of sin…

Because of all that we talked about today, I can say this to you with confidence… turn to Christ… turn to Him today… receive forgiveness for your sins… and when you do, the Spirit of God will cause you to be born again into a living hope…

You’re placing your hope in something… but is that foundation sure?

says that God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

So you will stand before Him, and the books will be open

Acts 17:31 ESV

31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

We could spend weeks upon weeks examining each of these concepts in detail… we’ve only but scratched the surface…

1 Peter 1:1–2 ESV

Election… sanctification… blood atonement are all glorious, heavenly doctrines…

Peter closes his greeting with these words:

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you.”

this is greeting is distinctly “Christian”…

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” We distinctly get the sense that we are in constant need of God’s grace…

Peter was keenly aware of the fact that we are in constant need of God’s grace…

Your sin has separated you from God… and the only way you can have a relationship with him is through the blood of Christ…

1 Peter 1:5 ESV

5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:4–5 ESV

4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Let’s pray…

That’s the only hope that you have… to be rescued from your sins and the wrath that is to come…

But you don’t have to face that wrath, because there’s hope… but that hope only comes by the blood of Christ… call out to Him today...

Let’s pray…

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