211107 1st Peter: The Triune God at Work in the Believer

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OPENING SLIDE

Please open your Bibles to 1st Peter chapter 1. We have been going through the Bible in 2021 looking for and finding Christ in each book. This has opened our eyes to incredibly interesting aspects of Jesus, especially as we went through the Old Testament and now as we are getting closer to the end of 2021, we are winding down the survey - which we will spend in last few books of the Bible. INTRODUCTION

Typically, as we have been going through the Bible I have been biting off way too much at a time. We actually completely read through several books in their entirety and sometimes went through multiple chapters at a time, very difficult to do well but great in that we got an eyeful of the big picture of the Bible. That is all about Christ.

Today, we get the privilege and delight of only going through two verses! INTRODUCTION Yes, you heard that correctly, only two verses. The first two verses of 1st Peter.

You know, many of us read through the Bible in our morning devotions and skip merrily through several verses before we catch up to the main idea or thought of the Author. If we did that today we would miss some massive truths that we really need to steep in.

The Bible can be read at a breakneck pace and a great argument can be made for doing so but there is much to be said for reading slowly, mulling over and digesting the rich theology that is on every page. Today, we are going to look at 1st Peter 1:1-2 and by the time we come to the end it is my hope that we gain a greater appreciation for how blessed, we who are believers, truly are.

Peter is writing to Gentiles Christians to give them some perspective as they are beginning to feel the heat of persecution. He wants to anchor them in the truth, so that they can be prepared for what lies ahead.

He wants them to understand who they are in relation to the world and in relation to God, and not just God the Father or the Son but all three members of the Trinity. He is going to open his letter of comfort and perspective by reminding them how unbelievably blessed they are.

MAIN POINT SLIDE The main point of this sermon is “The Believer is chosen by the Father, sanctified by the Spirit and made pure by Jesus. MAIN POINT SLIDE The whole Trinity works together to extend to the believer infinite, everlasting and never failing grace and peace” PAUSE LET THEM READ AND MULL OVER IT

Today, we are going to be reminded of things we know, things we have heard before, we are going to enjoy truths that make enduring under persecution not only bearable but also meaningful, purposeful and I think we are going to relish what we re-learn today.

If you have not already gotten completely settled in please stand with me and I will read the first two verses of 1st Peter chapter 1. PAUSE GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO STAND UP

1 Peter 1 | 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. THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD, THANKS BE TO GOD

Let’s go to prayer. BLANK SLIDE

PRAYER

Father, Spirit, Son we lift You up and exalt You. Because of Your grace and mercy You have taken pity on us in our sin and raised us up those who believe from death to life with Christ. We who believe, have been known by You before the beginning of time and we who believe know, that our believe is only the result of You changing us and opening our eyes.

Truly, You deserve all the glory and credit for our salvation. Because of the great gift of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of His Spirit we now have access to the Father’s limitless grace and peace. Thank You thank You for this astonishingly generous gift.

Help us today as we learn what You have done for us. It is in Jesus’ name and in the power of His Spirit we come to You Father, amen.

Thank you, please be seated.

SERMON

CONTEXT SLIDE

Ok, here is the context. The year is approximately A.D. 64 and Peter, the young strong fisherman, has grown old and is nearing the end of his life. PAUSE It has been 31 years since Jesus rose from the dead and Peter the apostle, who is a pillar of the young church, is thinking of the future and the coming persecution which will be burned indelibly into history.

The Christians he is writing to are going to suffer extraordinary persecution, but he wants them to conduct themselves as their Savior did and He is going to open the letter by anchoring them in great truths. CONTEXT SLIDE

SPEAK SLOW He is writing this traveling letter to give the recipients an assurance and hope that their salvation is secure, cannot be lost, and is reserved for them. He is writing to encourage them to submit to authority and joyfully respond to suffering just as Christ did. Up on the wall there, you can see a 4th century copy of the text, called Codex Sinaiticus, that was sent to the locations shown on the map of what today is in modern Turkey. The believers scattered throughout would have received these words as though they were the very words of Christ, which they are, because Peter did not write this letter alone. He co-authored it under the Inspiration of the Spirit of Christ.

I believe that this particular letter will become vastly more and more important to the Church in America, as well as the rest of the world, in the next few years. Time will tell.

Well, let’s begin the believer’s election SLIDE

I. The Election of God's Holy Ones, (1 Pt 1:1)

A. Our introduction to Christ's messenger

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

Peter, as I already mentioned is one of the pillars of the church. The official spokesman of the twelve disciples and here self-introduced as a messenger of Christ. This communication is not to be received as good advice or a just another update like a church newsletter, but as the binding word of God.

Peter understands this and so he takes on the title granted him, an apostle of Jesus Christ, an authorized messenger to communicate the truth that these believers need to hear. So who are the recipients? SLIDE

B. Our introduction to God's elect

1. Strangers in the World

1b To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen

This letter was not sent to a particular church, it is not specific to any one cultural context, it was sent to multiple churches throughout Asia Minor - what today we call Turkey. Frankly, although I doubt that Peter knew that the church would be around as long as it has, I know that it is as much a letter to them as it is to us today. This is the authorized word of God to His church.

After he introduces himself, Peter uses an interesting term here to describe the recipients, “Aliens.” That isn’t a term that we are very used to hearing, except perhaps in the context of illegal border jumpers, but it communicates an important reality about those that are reading the letter.

They don’t belong here...

As we grow in our faith as Christians, we become very aware that something is not quite right. We don’t really fit around here. We are often uncomfortable in the world. We are in the world but not of it. What appeals to non-believers doesn’t much attract believers and the more and more we mature and grow we gradually get it, that this world is not our home. Peter has a word from Christ Jesus for these believers who are strangers, sojourners and aliens in the world. They are chosen of God to be citizens of the Kingdom of God SLIDE

2. Citizens of the Kingdom of God

What does it mean to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God? Well, a parallel could be drawn with the right of citizenship in ancient Rome. Citizenship is a bit different then how we think of citizenship now. Citizenship came with some very coveted rights and high social standing. One of those rights involved being able to appeal court cases to the highest court in the land, that of the emperor SLIDE

That’s why the apostle Paul could appeal to Caesar and avoid torture in unfair trials. He was born a Roman citizen and could (and did) whip out that trump card when he needed it.

Peter says that these Christians are aliens, sojourners and strangers in this world but that they are chosen of God, citizens as part of His Son’s Kingdom. Colossians 1:13 says that God rescued... SLIDE

Colossians 1:13 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,”

AWED What are the implications of that? What are the implications of our citizenship PAUSE

If the ancient citizens of Rome could appeal to the emperor for justice how much greater are the rights of the Citizens of the Kingdom of God? PAUSE

We can appeal to the divine Author of Justice at any time, SLIDE no court fees, no lawyers, no Circuit Courts, no red tape. We can plead our case to Him and He will eagerly take up our cause, absolutely answering every petition with perfect justice.

APPLICATION SLIDE

I know we do not fully understand the power available to us through prayer... At anytime, day or night, we can request His divine sovereign will be accomplished in our lives and be assured that He will answer. This is an unprecedented privilege and we do ourselves a grave disservice when we do not take everything to God in prayer. We need to take advantage folks.

Well, now we are going to enter a verse that I find particularly fascinating because it is explicitly Trinitarian. SLIDE

We are going to see aspects of the Father, Son and Spirit working hand in hand to grant the fullest and greatest measure of grace and peace to the believer and it all starts with the Father’s foreknowledge.

II. Based on the Triune Work of God,(1 Pt 1:2)

A. The Father's choosing

2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,

Foreknowledge is an interesting word in the Greek, πρόγνωσιν, where we get the English word prognosticator or someone who sees the future. It borrows some meaning in this context from the Hebrew word ידע which means, “to know,”

1. Based upon His intimate knowledge

“To know” sounds like something that would be acquired by learning but that is not what this word communicates. The foreknowledge of God has a much richer depth of meaning. It means to experientially know at a very intimate level, in the Hebrew it is often used to indicate sexual intimacy. Those who are chosen, the elect, the ones predetermined by God were chosen based upon His intentional foreknowledge.

He didn’t just passively understand that some would believe but He brought it to pass that they would believe. As such we learn that His choosing of believers is unconditional. SLIDE

2. Unconditional *

What incredible weight is lifted off our shoulders when we as Christians can never lose our salvation, because it was granted before the foundations of the world. APPLICATION SLIDE Before Adam existed, before the earth was formed, Christian you were chosen, called out, made distinct from others, you were sanctified to be the particular recipient of God’s grace.

He granted this privilege to you before you were ever conceived, and He knew at that time every sin you would ever commit and chose you to be the recipient of matchless grace in spite of all of that.

Oh believer, you are not more powerful than God, there is no way that you could never not be saved. Gain confidence that His plan for you is good and that He is only going to give to you the very best. You can trust in Him. He has chosen us, He has saved us and He is making us like His Son through the work of His Spirit. SLIDE

Let’s go back to the text, verse 2 says

1 Peter 1:2 | to the chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit,

B. The Spirit's sanctifying work

1. Conversion

The Holy Spirit was sent by God to effect His choosing. He is directly responsible for convicting the world regarding their sin, their need for righteousness and the coming judgement. If you are saved today, you can thank the Holy Spirit for His work in your life, changing your mind and creating within you saving faith.

This was all according to God’s plan.

Sanctification is a word that is not used very often in regular conversation. When we say sanctification, we often rightly think that it must be something religious. Sanctification or ἁγιασμῷ in the Greek means to become holy. It has the sense of the act of being set aside, or dedicated to God, distinct, devoted and holy.

Christian, you are a stranger in this world but you are chosen and beloved of God. He made this happen by sending the Spirit of the Son into your life to convict you of your need and create within you saving faith to believe the Gospel.

Through His work He has completely extracted you from the domain of darkness and made you a citizen of the Kingdom of God’s beloved Son.

Furthermore, His work does not finish until we die. He progressively works in us to make us more and more like Jesus through something called progressive sanctification. SLIDE

2. Progressive Sanctification

What is progressive sanctification? Progressive sanctification is simply taking on the likeness of Christ. Becoming more and more pure, more and more righteous.

This isn’t something we manufacture within ourselves, we don’t pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and decide, “Today I am going to be more Christlike.” Nor is it a completely passive either. Progressive sanctification only happens working in conjunction with the Holy Spirit - we do this hand in hand.

The Holy Spirit comes into our life at conversion, effecting the change in our life to accept and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith and then gradually transforms us - making us like Christ.

SLIDE

2nd Corinthians 3:18 says

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

We are going to look more in depth at progressive sanctification next week in 2nd Peter, but suffice it to say that progressive sanctification is proof that our salvation, our calling, our choosing by God is real.

If you look no different, act no different, think no differently than when you first professed faith in Jesus Christ then I have hard news to tell you, “You probably are not saved.”

The fruit of the Spirit is increasing love, increasing, joy, increasing kindness, increasing gentleness, increasing self control. If we are not increasing in these attributes of Christ, if we don’t look and act more like Christ then there is something dreadfully wrong and we are quite possibly incredibly deceived.

PAUSE

Believer, our progressive sanctification ought to receive a great amount of our consideration and thought. Ask yourself, “am I more like Christ today, than I was at conversion, five years ago, ten years ago, 50 years ago.” That’s the test and the proof of our being chosen by God. VERSE SLIDE

Let’s go back to the text. We talked about being chosen according to the intimate foreknowledge of God, made able to believe through the work of the Spirit and now we are going to discuss what Christ’s part in our choosing is. SLIDE

C. The Son's purifying work

1. Chosen to obey

Believers are foreknown, set apart and chosen in advance to for the purpose of obedience. They are chosen to be obedient. Obedient to what? Obedient to Jesus Christ. The triune God determined before the beginning of time that there would be only one way for sinners to have relationship with God. John 14:6 makes it abundantly clear “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

We can only come to God in the righteousness of Jesus. We dare not approach the living God in our own merit. We have nothing He wants or needs and our sins will always outweigh our self-motivated good works. God requires perfection from those created in His image. He requires holiness. He requires that all that would approach Him take on the perfection of Jesus Christ.

The only way we have the necessary perfection is through the shedding of perfect blood, to right the wrongs that we have committed against Him. We need the perfect blood of Jesus SLIDE

2. The perfect blood of Jesus (1 Pt 1:18-20)

Those chosen of God, are intimately known by Him, set apart by His Spirit and made holy through obedience to Jesus and the covering of their sins with His blood.

The blood of Jesus Christ is problematic. Many people are nauseous at the sight of blood. They turn green. Blood is gross to them and the imagery of the blood of Christ is revolting, repugnant and if it was divorced from the reality of salvation I would probably agree.

But because, the blood of Christ is the means by which I am made pure, my sins forgiven, perfection graciously imparted I absolutely cherish the blood of Christ.

Many hymns sing of the blood of Christ and to those who have not spent a great deal of time within a church it must sound positively disgusting but it isn’t. The blood of Jesus is what is needed to pay for our sins. He paid for our sins with His life. SLIDE

Going back to the sacrificial system that God instituted for the people of Israel, blood was the only way to pay for sin, why? Because life is in the blood and only through perfect blood shed on our behalf, a life offered in trade, can we be made clean. SLIDE

God has chosen some to be intimately known by the Father, set apart by the Spirit and saved through obedience to Christ and cleansing by His blood. This ultimately has the purpose of revealing to us the infinite capacity of God’s grace and peace with Him SLIDE

III. Results in Grace and Peace (1 Pt 1:2)

A. God's capacity:

1. The infinite unmerited favor of God*

God’s divine choosing of the believer is wholly dependent upon His limitless capacity for grace - it is in no way dependent upon our own righteousness. If we were righteous we would not need God’s grace and Christ’s death on the cross would be pointless.

The attributes of God, His grace, His compassion, His mercy, His love are incredible. They are vast, cannot be measured or contained and without sinful creatures like you and I they cannot be fully displayed. SPEAK SLOWLY

He has incredible capacity for these characteristics but without the right model, without the right paradigm how can He showcase them? How can God receive recognition for His grace unless there is a contrast, a comparison between those that receive grace and those that do not? PAUSE

Sometimes I find it helpful to invert passages of the Bible to get a handle on what it is saying. Saying things backward or flipping concepts tends to clarify the magnitude of what is being communicated.

In our passage that would look like this SLIDE

1 Peter 1:1–2 AN INVERTED PARAPHRASE

Some are not chosen, some are not intimately known by God the Father, some are not enabled to be converted through the work of the Spirit and are completely antagonistic toward God and are His enemies, some are completely disobedient to Jesus Christ and are awash in their own impurity. These will receive the limitless wrath and punishment of God in fullest measure because they have willfully rejected Him.

Believer, can you grasp the monumental grace that has been lavished upon you? The contrast between what those who reject the Gospel and those that are enabled to cling to it is enormous, defying all attempts to put in terms we understand. SLIDE

Believer, the grace of God absolutely is unmerited, entirely unearned and nothing we can say or do can persuade God to grant it other than His own sovereign will. PAUSE

If we can see the work of God in our life, and I daresay we all can, we owe Him greatest thanks and praise. SLIDE

He has made it possible through our cleansing to have peace with Him.

2. The infinite peace of God

Friend, perhaps you are hearing this and know that you have spurned God throughout your life, rejecting His offered salvation.

Perhaps you are hearing clearly what this will end up costing you. I tell you today is the day of repentance. If you have heard the Good News, if you have understood it and the Holy Spirit has broken up your rock hard heart then it is time to take God up on His offered grace. It is time to assume the identity of Christ and enter relationship with God through Him - to enter into harmonious relationship and escape the penalty that is justly due to you.

It is time to obey Christ and receive the limitless grace and peace that God has offered you. If you would like to discuss this further please come find me after the message or speak with another believer whom you trust and will tell you the truth.

CONCLUSION SLIDE

Believer, Peter wrote these initial words to communicate a principle truth.

The Believer is chosen by the Father, sanctified by the Spirit and made obedient to Jesus and pure by His blood, shed on our behalf. The whole Trinity worked together to extend to the believer infinite, everlasting and never failing grace and peace.

He wrote this introduction to his letter to Christians that were about to endure some of the worst persecution ever seen in history. These are words are critical, they are our foundation, they are our anchor and they tell us that if we truly are chosen we can have great great assurance that God will not abandon us. These words tell us His choosing of us is prior to us ever taking a breath and that gives us great confidence that He will bring us safely to Him.

Please stand and I will close in prayer

PRAYER