Who Am I (1 Peter 1:1-2)
You may know that there is an election going on in the US and you may also know that I love to follow elections particularly American ones. I wanted to talk to you about one of the main issues has been bubbling along in the US and in other countries not to take a political position, but because if we can understand this concept it will help us understand 1st Peter verses 1 and 2 in the concept is identity politics. Why do people say those words but they don't really know what identity politics is what exactly is identity politics. Identity politics is when you suggest to a group of people that one characteristic of one of their characteristic is the Supreme characteristic. It is the one that defines who you are. It is the one that helps you make decisions. And that defiant that characteristic could be anything your characteristic is your skin color or your characteristic is the country you live in or your characteristic is your gender or your characteristic is your economic class. It doesn't matter what the characteristic is but identity politics says I want you to embrace this one characteristic and it is the most important thing about who you are. This one characteristic your skin color your gender your place of origin your heritage. Whatever it is that one characteristic will determine who you vote for it will determine how do you think about social issues? It will determine how you treat other people.
You may be surprised to hear me say this but identity politics is a good idea. It's a very good idea because it helps us answer to questions that everybody wants to know the answer to 1 is who am I? Who am I really like as a person? Who am I that's why identity politics is so popular cuz it answers this question. You're a black person. You're a woman. You're a Canadian. You're a rich person. You're a poor person. It helps answer the question. Who am I and not only who am I but what is this mean about my purpose? Well, it means that you're going to vote this way. It means that you're going to think this way. It means you're going to take the following positions. The problem with identity politics is not the idea of identity Politics. The problem with identity politics is all the areas of identity that are too small. Temporary it may be true that you are a woman or a man and that is important. We celebrate that but that's not the most important thing about you. That's not the thing that informs ever. It may be true that you have European Heritage or Asian Heritage or Island Heritage that may be true and we celebrate that. But that is not the same that informs who we are that is an aspect of who we are we celebrate that diversity, but that's not the most important thing. Today 1st. Peter is going to start to give us those answers in a very healthy biblical way the answers to who am I? Who am I really? I know I'm a man. I know I'm white. I know I'm this but who am I? We're going to discover that this morning and when I know who I am. How does that inform? How I Live how does that inform how I deal with people how does that inform the way I approach issues and make decisions
Let's jump right into it. And by the way will be in 1st Peter from now until about Advent. So we are going to go through this letter fairly carefully. Let's just go through this. Peter
Peter what we're about to read is written by Peter that one word the first word of a letter gives it gravitas. Have you noticed have you noticed that we may all be members of Western Heights Baptist Church, but when Jim Randall speaks, it has a certain gravitas.
When Jack Hanna speech it has a certain gravitas, by the way, you'll notice that those men speak very little at business meetings and so forth because they are aware that when they speak they are held in very high esteem. They have been working for the Lord for a long time. There's a lot of water under that bridge and Jim founded this church. It was his feet that was walking on the pavement his knuckles that were rapping on doors when they speak we listen. Samsung Gear this is Peter. This is Peter. One of the first two disciples called Peter and Andrew were the first disciples called. You know, there are three or four times in the New Testament. We're all 12 disciples are listed in end of the order is not the same in each of the list. That'll tell you. What is the same Peter James and John are always in the first three positions that James and John sometimes switch. Peter is always number one.
Remember the story Jesus says follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men Who did he say that too? That was Peter. Remember when Jesus said who do you say that? I am you are the Christ who said that that was Peter. Peter wasn't the first person to see the resurrected Jesus but he was the first disciple the women were the first but he was the first disciple to see the resurrected Jesus. What we're about to read is written by which has anybody Peter as in Z Peter. Anna has gravitas not only because of who he is, but the office he holds. He's an apostle. He is speaking with Apostolic Authority. Whatever we read in this letter is true.
D speaks not only of his own heart, but he speaks from full out the stolic authority what he says here will be binding a note to those. He's not writing to everybody. This is not an open letter to the world. This is a letter addressed to certain people. This is a letter written to some people and not to others. Who is this written to who is this letter written to it is written to
the elect exiles friends. Those are the most important words in this entire letter elect Exile that is also the answer to our first question. Who am I if you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, you are an elect. exile Bolt & Nut that is much more important than your skin color that is much more important than your place of birth that is much more important than your heritage this informs everything about us. Who are we we are black we are white we are Asian We Are Men We are women we are old we aren't yest. All those things are true. All those things are important. They definitely doesn't like our heritage does impact how we Act and the habits we have all true, but that is not the most important thing. The most important thing about us is that we are elect. X-Files both of those words are so important elect. What does that mean? It means that God. for his own reasons has selected you
to be a son or daughter of his
and not when you accepted Christ not even when he created the world before that. Before he created anything before he created heaven or Earth. He selected you to shower his Covenant of Love on you and to reconcile you to himself so that you could be erect. Friends, I know that that raises all sorts of questions will wait a minute that he chose me then did I have any role in it? And if I didn't I didn't I didn't have any role in it then. How can he send people to hell and did I really have for you? I get all those questions and those are good questions. And if you want to talk to me about them buy me a coffee, but every store man has to be about something and it can't be about everything. We are not going to discuss the mysteries of God selection rather. I just want to focus on the fact that it is true. 2nd Thessalonians 2:13, but we ought always to give thanks to God for you brother's beloved by the Lord because God chose you.
as the first fruits then that just blows my mind. How could this be? And what about Free Will? Yes for another time. I'm just trying to establish the fact that this is in fact true when Jesus was on Earth. He said this you did not choose me, but I
chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit that your fruit should abide. Friends you if you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are elect.
And you are not only a locked you are an exile. What does it mean to be an exile? The Greek word here has two major components to its meaning. The first major component is foreign. When you're an exile your fault, you're a foreigner. You're not in your hometown, you're not in your home Province. You're not even in your home country for whatever reason you are a foreigner and people can tell they can tell by the way you dress by the way by your accent by the food. You eat people can tell you are not in your home country. part of the word Exile means Foreigner the other word that it's a kind of a joule component here one word is foreign the other word that defines Exile is temporary. You are in a foreign land, but it's temporary. You fully expect to be returned to your Homeland. You're not a landed immigrant. You're not getting really comfortable. You haven't changed your citizenship. This is a temporary situation. You are in a foreign land, but this is a temporary situation.
By the way, how did that come to be? How do we get to BX oils? Like God created the Earth, right? Yes. And he created humans to live on the earth. Is that right? Yes, and he said to the Earth humans live here and subdue the Earth and grow your Society, right? Yelp well, then why is this a foreign land we are where God placed us to be we are I don't I don't understand it. How can we be exiled when we are in the very Place God put us to be well, that's because we don't understand the kingdom story. I just read a 750 page book on the The overarching Narrative of the kingdom of God from Genesis 1-2 revelation 22. I would commend it to you. It's called he reigns forever by guy named a black black but we can't go through 750 pages. So I'm going to give you the kingdom story in three chapters 4 chapter one is let Heaven and Earth Proclaim. This is Genesis 1 and 2. God creates the heaven God create the Earth and Heaven and Earth are going to be together. We are going to live on the earth with angels and we are going to subdue the Earth. We're going to build the kingdom of God in all of creation a we are going to worship Him and we are going to be one big happy family. That's why we sing at Christmas time let Heaven and Earth Proclaim because heaven and Earth are going to join together humans and Angelic beings are going to join together and we are going to work. Serve the Lord does chapter one of the Kingdom Story chapter 2 is everything's broken. There's a rebellion that takes place in heaven and that Rebellion spills onto Earth. Did God really say well G. Sounds like a good idea. Give me some of that fruit. And here we are. Everything's broken, you know God created in harmony. We were in harmony with God. We were in harmony with each other. We were in harmony with creation. All that is lost in Genesis 3 the whole Kingdom narrative takes a left hand turn.
It's all lost. But it's going to be restored. Heaven and Earth will be remade and reunited. That's why if we ever get back to Revelation. That's why in Revelation 21 and 22 the whole that the New Jerusalem is in heaven and it comes down to earth. Heaven and Earth are reunited in a beautiful life in a beautiful song of Praise their the New Jerusalem is a cube wire Cube. Shapes are very important like numbers in the Bible shapes mean something what else in the Bible is a cube.
There's only one thing you read through the entire scriptures. There are only two cubes one is in Revelation 21 and 22 the New Jerusalem and one is the holy of holies in the temple. The holy of holies was a cube where God was thought to reside the messages is that he is his living placed. His home is the New Jerusalem in we live in there with him. We live in the holy of holies. It's going to be restored see if the problem is is that we are currently living in chapter 2 And the kingdom has been rustled away and of the kingdom is falling and that's why were exiled. And by the way, that's very clarifying when we know where we are in history. We are not in Heaven and Earth Proclaim. We are not in the full restoration. We're in the squishy middle part. That's very clarifying because God gives us instructions on what you do when you're in Chapter 2. This is all in Matthew Chapter 13, the Jewish nation has rejected Jesus sister Messiah. The Earth will not come to the king the kingdom will not come to the Earth at this time. And so Jesus says in Matthew 13 the kingdom of God in the mystery form looks like this. It looks like a member there's that series of parables. When we're living in Chapter 2 we are living in Andaman went to so. We just so we just so we live the gospel. We display the gospel. We speak the gospel and the seed Falls where it will will how will people respond to the gospel? How they respond sometimes the birds eat it off the past sometimes it's weeds choke it out. Sometimes it grows and produces 30 60 or a hundred fold, but we need to so that's our responsibility in Chapter 2 and to serve way. We love each other the way we interact with one another the way we respond to others indicates two other people that we are X oz of a kingdom that they don't know anything about
And the third thing we do in this second chapter is to sit tight. Because there's a big is coming. What are the songs were going to sing at the end of the service as soon and very soon sit tight brothers and sisters? This is not all there is is a matter of when? when the team sings The church's One Foundation. What's the words? The words say elect from every nation because when we get to chapter 3, we will still be elect but it does not say exiled because when we get to chapter 3, it will still be awake but will no longer be exiled member Exile foreign and temporary the temporary will end. We just need to sit tight. God will work this all out. Justice will be done.
We are elect X-Files. To those who are elected then they give several places. I don't want to go into all these different locations. I just want to point out that to the careful reader of the New Testament you realized that all those places are right in the area where Paul had his missionary Journeys. There was elect Exile in these places because Paul had gone and preach the Nations that he doesn't make the Christians but those who are elektra's bonded to the gospel. Is he taught it and identified themselves. I guess. I'm an elected Exile here. The reason that they were elect Exiles in these places is because Paul had shared the gospel with them. We need to be doing the same place. We cannot elect people to salvation, but we can evangelized and that is the method that the Holy Spirit has chosen to use to identify who was elected before the foundations of the world.
Can you just tell me a little bit more about the select X-Files like I'm kind of getting the outline here. But I would love to have some more details kind of feels like I'm walking, you know how sometimes you watching an artist draw and you can cut what is that? So what's so it's a horse and then he keeps drawing for like an hour and a half. Will you knew it was a horse an hour and a half ago? Why do you keep drawing because he adds color and he has detail and he has impression I get the outline of a wrecked chosen before the beginning of the world X-Files foreign and temporary, but can you give me more details? Yeah. That's the rest of the letter the rest of the letter. We are going to progressively find out who we are. What does it mean that we are elect exiles. And how does that influence our life? But we do have some more details for this morning. So our first big answer kids. This is in your sermon notes. We are an elect Exile. Can you give me a few more details on that? Yeah, I can. Inverse to notice we are elect Exiles according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. We are elect X-Files. according to a plan the father has chosen us.
This is not random. This is one of us. This is of him. There is a plan for history. And in that plan of History you are have been elected to be a father or I mean a son or a daughter of God will why me? I don't know. Why not someone else. I don't know. All I'm speaking to today is the effect of the reality of that and this is the most important thing about us. There is a plan according to any state what I just I still don't understand it me either but this is the way God works. Jeremiah was a prophet. Why was he a prophet? Because God elected him to be a prophet. He says to Jeremiah before I formed you in the womb not before you were born before you were conceived. I knew you before you were born. I consecrated you. I appointed you. This is before he has spoken his first word. This is before he has had his first thought I appointed you a prophet to the Nations.
We are elect according to the foreknowledge of the father. Let me just tell you three things. I don't want to solve the whole freeway will mystery here in this sermon, but I do want to say three things that are important one. This is the most important thing about you. Are you white? Are you black? Are you or are you Asian? Important info are you a man? Are you a woman important? How old are you? Anyway important you tell me a little bit about your economic status important. Can we talk about your political leanings important? Tell me about your heritage. What was your family life like important? But the most important thing Is that according to the foreknowledge of the father he chose you? He chose you to be reconciled to him and to be one of his sons or daughters. This is the most important thing about you and this is how our future directs our present because we are elect we should act in a certain way. We should speak in a certain way. We should talk to one another in a certain way. We should conduct ourselves in the world in a certain way.
Identity politics is finding out who you are and letting that be the determining factor in everything else. That's a good idea. It's just that food. We are is not black people or white people are Asian people or Caucasian. People are rich people or poor. People are men or women are old or young or Ajax or Pickering or Oshawa Canadian or American? That's that's asked but that's not who we are who we are is elect exiled and that colors everything. Not only the most important thing about you not only the future directing your present but the secrets of security.
When we recognize that we are who we are because God has made us to be that person when we recognized that he bestowed this on us before we had our first thought we didn't do anything. We didn't do anything to be elect. Nothing when we realize that their security because if there's nothing you did to get it. There's nothing you can do to lose it. You may have Financial losses you may have medical upsets. You may have relational breakups. And those are important and we grieve with you for those things. But nothing of Eternal value can be upset because nothing of Eternal value depends on you. You are elect according to the foreknowledge of the father. There is a plan there is a plan. But not only a plan. But there's a process.
There's a process. in the process is this
Before Time began you were locked But in a particular point in time you accepted the Lord Jesus as your savior and when that happened the Holy Spirit came into your heart and he immediately began rewiring redecorating moving the furniture around. This is the proof of Salvation the as we become progressively more like Christ this demonstrates what we already know to be true. And that was the we are elect For Those whom he foreknew.
Before time he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that happens in real time the way you know, you're saved is that because we can't see the books of heaven. We don't know who was elected or not. We don't have access to those documents. There are documents that are opened up in Revelation. We don't have access to them. So how do you know, you know because you're being conformed to the image of Jesus?
By the way people who are there's a theological word that describes people who have professed Faith but are not being conformed into the image of Jesus. You know, what that word is unbeliever.
We will not all be Sanctified at the same rate and there are ups and downs and there are times a backsliding but if your life is not characterize over a long. Of time if your life is not characterized by becoming increasingly price like there is only one possible explanation for that. You are not a believer. Every believer at different rates at different times. There are backsliding sometimes we're going backwards. But over a long. Of time, every believer is Sanctified by the spirit. There is a process. There is a plan. The $4 of the father there is a process the sanctification and there is a product. We are Becoming something we are becoming obedient to Jesus Christ, the outward demonstration that we are being Sanctified is that we are becoming obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ himself said this In John 14. He says Whoever has my Commandments and keeps them he it is who is a good little boy who loves me? You know how I know if you love me or not. You'll be in my word.
You know what that means for disobedience. It is a demonstration of the absence of salvation. We don't obey so that we can be saved. We are increasingly obey because we are already saved. And as we become more christ-like, we are more filled with love love for God love for his people love for all people.
By the way, just before I move on to the last phrase and closed. Did you notice that our Salvation depends on God and Only God there's the father for knowledge. There's the spirit sanctification. There's the sun obedience. Where do we figure in? We're not mentioned. We are the receiving object of these we didn't build the plan the father built the plan. We don't do the sanctifying the Holy Spirit does the sanctifying are simple as we become more like him. We just obey salvation is a work of God final image of say what happens when we when we actually live in the fact that we are elect. Exile what happens Like as we realise on a deeper and deeper level who we are and embrace that is our identity politics. What happens? I'll tell you what happens. Grace Grace as we see more clearly the unmerited favor. God gave us the kindness. God gave us then we give other people unmerited favor. We give other people Grace and not only Grace. but peace We enjoy peace that passes understanding. We enjoy a piece that others can't understand. Friend, I'm looking forward to studying the book of 1st Peter with you. I would just ask that you read first Peter with me and your own quiet times, read it over and over and over again and embrace this identity not black not white. Not Asian not rich, not poor not not female not mail. These are all wonderful things, but our primary identity is elect X-Files. We're going to sing about how Jesus Christ whom we find. Our identity in is the church's One Foundation. But first we're going to sing about the fact that our Exile is going to end.