Who are the Elect, Pt. 1

Intro:

I remember driving to Cedar Falls Iowa about 10 years ago. It was night time, it was dark. Apparently I missed my turn and it wasn’t long before I was surrounded by blinking red lights. I started to feel nervous like I was going to a close encounter of the 3rd kind, when I realized I was in the middle of a wind far. I remember how foolish I felt for being confused about where I was . I called humbly call 911 for help, and were kind to help get me back on the right path.

1 Peter 1:3-9

The apostle Peter is writing to to Christians that maybe felt much the same way. The martyrdom of Stephen led by Saul caused the Christian’s that had united themselves in communional living had scattered to new places to survive. Notice how Peter called them the “elect”. He means this in two ways both generally and specifically

Generally, they were Christians. As Christians they were citizens of heaven, just as we are. They found themselves in unfamiliar surroundings from Jerusalem when many of them were from.

Psalm 16:2, 11

life is a journey, we say, right? We can think of a path as something we travel on to find the things that make us feel alive. To live out that verse in 1 Pet. we have to look for three things.

What is imperishable - lasts forever, no experation date,

undefiled - purity of motive and lifestyle, it doesn’t say one thing and do another. It has integrity.

unfading - means you can see it, there are no blurred lines, it’s vivid, it’s clear, it’s authentic, and it’s forever. it doesn’t fade.

In contrast with trials world which is constantly shifting it’s focus on trends, that follow human behaviour, with a short shelf life.

Specifically - Peter was writing to Christians who were strangers in the world, who are sojourners in the world, but they are people who have been displaced to places foreign to them, people who faced persecution and have been living in exile to different cities in the reign. The lived in constant fear, they didn’t know who they could trust.

Peter was telling them that he understood what they were going through. And he reminded them that though they felt alone and abandoned by God, that what was happening was not a suprise to God. He uses Jesus as the ultimate example of this, who, through, his suffering helped them make sense of their suffering.

Conclusion

You and I must see that we were meant to follow Jesus into the unknown. That is faith, by faith we sojourn as strangers a world with temptations and trials.

A world that wants our allegiance. Politicians want our votes and for us to take sides, celebrities want our attention, name brands want our money, you know - each one is vying for your heart. And so does Jesus. God wants you to consider the path that you are on. Is a path were things fade and perish, spoil, and fade. If you want stability and peace, take te path that is Imperishable, pure, and unfading - eternal.