Elect Exiles.

Steve Gentry

[0:09] Go ahead and have a seat. Welcome to Village Church. This is your first time here. My name is Steve. [0:13] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. And as always, I’m thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you this morning. [0:20] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to First Peter. We’ll be starting in Chapter one, verse one this morning as we begin a series in which we go through the entire [0:29] book of First Peter as a church. But First Peter is a message of encouragement. And that message of encouragement is meant to aid Christians to endure in faithfulness, as well as living the mission of Jesus and what could be considered a hostile context. [0:48] The church at that time was directly in the center of a difficult circumstance, directly in a hostile culture. And when you’re in a hostile culture, you may feel that there is somewhat of an unclear future. [1:02] During the first century, they had just seen the God, the Son become a human being. They’d seen him die as a sacrifice for their sin. They’d seen him rise from the dead, securing victory over sin and death. And that is the foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ.

[1:20] Peter, though, addresses this letter to the Church of the Dispersion. And that’s a little bit different of a context than we see in the rest of the New Testament. And these are a people living in a different context than the church in Jerusalem. [1:34] The audience for this letter were people who were spread throughout small regions within the Roman Empire. It’s understood that these letters would have been mainly to Gentile Christians, even though some Jewish believers would have migrated to those areas over time. [1:51] But because of the broad net, Peter communicates to them as though they are spread out because they are. He tries, though, to bring unity to this dispersion by showing them what they have in common spiritually speaking, as well as what they’re about to have in common and maybe even at that time were enduring, where persecution would have been a common experience at varying levels. [2:15] This letter was written, historically speaking, right before Nero, the emperor, would have given rampant persecution to Christians within the limits of Rome itself. But that didn’t start till about 64 A.D. [2:30] Therefore, the persecution that these Christians were going to experience would have been a more personal level of persecution, more of a local level of persecution, even in their personal lives. [2:40] This was frequently seen, though, in Paul’s missionary journey. So if you read throughout the Book of Acts, you’ll see the context of people in localities persecuting Christians, the suffering that they would have endured.

[2:53] It’s thought that maybe Silas was the one that was a missionary to this area. He was the one that reached these cities. But frankly, it’s uncertain as to how so many believers popped up in areas so separated from the Jewish context. [3:09] But what is known is that the persecution and suffering had reached the level that Peter, who if you understand Peter’s context of most of his missionary work, he was known as the apostle to the Jews, not the apostle to the Gentiles, as Paul was. [3:24] But even though he was the apostle to the Jews, Peter thought it necessary to encourage and admonish these Gentile Christians to endure through faith that was going to be marked by pain in their lives. [3:40] And so throughout this letter, Peter weaves reminders for the church to not lose its identity in Christ. And this is something that is going to require them to endure through both trials as well as temptations with an understanding that their citizenship was in heaven rather than on earth. [4:01] Applying this identity in Christ always impacts your present situation. This is no identity that you separate yourself from the physical, thinking all of the physical is somehow evil, rather understanding that your citizenship is in heaven. [4:16] It’s something that you apply to the here. It’s something that you apply to the now. It’s something that you apply to your present situation and circumstance in order for you to find your identity in Christ, applying that to your present situation and using the hope that you have in Christ.

[4:31] To spread the real life activity for the sake of those around you. To tell them why you can endure suffering. To tell them why you can endure hardship is because you are a follower of Christ. [4:46] And that even gives the gospel that you believe to those that are the ones that are persecuting you. [4:53] So by the year 60 A.D., understand the persecution had become more organized, it had become more widespread, and it was even becoming barbaric. It was even rising to the level where Christians were being killed. [5:08] Peter wrote this letter probably from his imprisonment in Rome awaiting his own execution for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. [5:17] So I’ve entitled this series Winning in a Hostile Culture, which, yes, of course, it’s relevant to our own time. [5:25] Make no mistake, though, the relevancy of such a title fits with the entire history of the church.

[5:31] Christians are saved by God, and Christians are made unique. They are made distinct by the work of redemption through the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. [5:42] It is by faith that we seek to continue that work as we impact the culture for the sake of Christ, whether it is a culture that applauds our faith or whether it is a culture that is hostile towards our faith. [5:57] For the Christian, that changes nothing about what our mission actually is for the world. [6:04] And so I want to start reading in verse one. It’s going to give you an indicator of who I believe wrote this book. [6:11] Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. It’s very helpful when they do that for me. [6:18] To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,

[6:26] 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. [6:42] Number one, this morning, I want you to understand that Christian culture is distinct from the world. [6:47] Christian culture is distinct from the world. [6:50] Most people spend their lives seeking to not stand out. [6:55] Most people just want to belong. Most people just want to fit in. [6:59] Most people just want to quietly kind of walk through life unnoticed.

[7:03] And as much as you can fit in the better, because it’s going to be easier for you. [7:08] It’s probably going to get you ahead in many ways in this world, especially materially speaking. [7:13] But the fact is that following Christ will put you at odds with an unbelieving world. [7:19] And if it never does, then you could be an unbeliever. [7:26] The first two verses of First Peter reveal the importance of understanding the context within which the original text was written. [7:35] We cannot first say, what does this mean to me?

[7:39] If you ever read the Bible and you take that kind of posture towards scripture, what does it mean to me? [7:43] If you immediately think that way, you’re probably going to get most of the Bible wrong. [7:48] Because the Bible wasn’t written originally to you. It’s a really old book. [7:53] It had an original audience. It had original author. [7:56] And so he didn’t direct it specifically at you, even though the Holy Spirit himself makes it timeless for you. [8:04] We have to ask ourselves, what is the situation that the original recipients of this letter would have found themselves in?

[8:12] We’re only going to cover the first two verses this morning. [8:15] And while that’s not much, it is because it is so filled with important terms. [8:21] It’s so filled with important phrases that are going to set the stage for the rest of this letter from the Apostle Peter. [8:29] And he begins, of course, by introducing himself, noting his apostleship. [8:34] And he asked, why would he do that? [8:36] I believe it’s because he wanted to share his authority and experience with Jesus so that he could establish clout specifically because of the situation the recipients were experiencing.

[8:49] He wanted them to understand that his encouragement to them for endurance, his encouragement to them to be faithful in a difficult situation was based in his own authority to say such things under the power of the Holy Spirit. [9:03] By the time this letter is being written, probably somewhere between 60 and 63 A.D., persecution was happening not just within Jerusalem as you read the pages of the Book of Acts. [9:15] There’s no mistaking it in the Book of Acts, but it had spread all over the region to anyone who was following Jesus Christ. [9:21] And this specifically, all of those cities and those towns that you see mentioned there in verse one, all of them were Roman territories that are placed in modern day Turkey. [9:32] And within just a few lines, the apostle uses two concepts that are controversial even today. [9:41] What does he invoke? First, he invokes the doctrine of election.

[9:45] Then he invokes the doctrine of divine foreknowledge. [9:49] And that’s his introduction to this letter. [9:51] And so we can’t make it very far without unpacking why if he’s writing to a church and a hostile culture with a message of endurance, would he start with two deeply theological principles? [10:04] And I will tell you, the reason that he starts with those two deeply theological principles is because that is what he is going to found his message of encouragement for endurance on. [10:16] He’s going to say you can endure because you are elect.

[10:22] You can endure because none of this has caught God’s knowledge off guard. [10:29] He saw it way before you experienced it. [10:33] Because the sovereignty of God is the guarantee that trusting in the promises of God, especially where the gospel is concerned, is not in vain. [10:47] And that’s the foundation of the message that Peter is going to give them. [10:52] This is you can trust the gospel because it was established before the foundations of the earth. [10:58] You can trust the gospel because it’s anchored to the very foreknowledge of a God who is in control of absolutely everything.

[11:06] So trusting in Christ specifically had put these believers at odds within their own culture, and it was incurring them great persecution. [11:18] So oftentimes when we talk about the doctrine of election, oftentimes when we talk about the doctrine of foreknowledge, [11:23] we do it completely separated from the context within which these terms were even given to us in scripture. [11:29] We over personalize everything. [11:33] Well, election doesn’t make me feel good. Well, who cares how it makes you feel?

[11:39] Truth doesn’t care about feelings. [11:43] Truth is anchored to the God who created all the God who controls all the God who is in command of absolutely everything. [11:53] And here’s the key. If he is not in control, if he is not in command, if he is not a completely authoritative God, then how can we trust him?

[12:06] The sovereignty of God goes to the very root of whether or not we can even believe sin has been conquered. [12:18] In John 15 20, Jesus tells his followers that if he was persecuted, we shouldn’t expect much better. [12:26] Remember the word that I said, do you a servant is not greater than his master? If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. [12:32] If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. He’s telling them people who don’t trust him. [12:40] It’s not just that they’re not going to believe them when they give them the gospel. [12:44] It’s that they’re going to get hostile to the gospel. They’re going to resent them for following Jesus.

[12:51] They’re going to resent them for claiming to have hope in an otherwise hopeless world. [12:58] And to this day, the situation isn’t that much different. [13:02] Now, I can tell you, it’s like one of those discouraging posters. [13:08] You see where it’s like endurance because life sucks.

[13:14] Say, well, thanks for making me feel better. That’s not the chicken soup for the soul I was after.

[13:21] How is what Jesus says in verse 20 encouraging? [13:25] Well, in Chapter 16, starting in verse one, Jesus says this, he says, I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. [13:33] They will put you out of the synagogues, which if you are a Jew, that’s a huge deal. [13:38] That means your family is disowning you. Your faith is disowning you. Your culture is disowning you. [13:43] They’re putting you out saying you are unclean. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.

[13:54] Now, it’s important that Peter uses the term exiles in verse one, which can also be translated and it is in the NASB as aliens. [14:04] That is an interesting designation for people who would mostly be from the area that they were living in. [14:11] It’s not that they were physical foreigners. It’s their spiritual exiles. [14:19] And so what Peter’s talking about is understanding that their spiritual lives will have great effect on their physical realities. [14:30] Peter’s point there being that if your identity is living as someone who is elect in Christ, this will put you at odds with a sinful culture. [14:43] Unbelievers will not understand the values of someone living by faith in Christ.

[14:51] The answer, though, is not to compromise. It’s not to equivocate. It’s not to synergize with an unbelieving culture. [15:00] Peter’s answer is going to be throughout the entire book of First Peter to stand firm in their faith, to be immovable.

[15:09] Same message that Paul had to the church in Ephesus and Ephesians, Chapter six, when he gave them the whole armor of God. [15:16] He says, stand. And I love the way Paul says that he says, and when you can’t stand any longer, continue to stand.

[15:25] Peter connects their faith with the concept of exile so they would understand the unchanging nature of who they are in Christ.

[15:35] As much as culture is going to change around you, as much as culture may seem to stand against you, as much as culture may seek to coax you to give in. [15:47] Peter says there’s something that is unchanging in the face of a changing culture, and that is who you are in Christ. [15:55] Who you are in Christ makes you distinct. Who you are in Christ makes you different. [16:03] Who you are in Christ, I will tell you, will make you stand against the culture. [16:08] But when you stand against the culture, you’re standing for the culture. [16:12] And a lot of people think that that somehow contradictory, and I will tell you, it’s not.

[16:17] Might be paradoxical. It’s not contradictory. [16:21] The sovereignty of God reminds us that regardless of what happens in our lives, yes, God is in control and he will be faithful to his promises. [16:29] And that anchor to the sovereignty of God equips us to know just how we can be faithful to his promises. [16:36] Now, let’s consider this. These were people to whom the command of Acts 1-8 had been given. [16:41] I mean, put yourself in the mindset of someone living in Cappadocia in the first century. [16:48] And they’ve come to faith in Christ, and I’m sure the message was going to get to them.

[16:51] And this message that Jesus had given directly to his apostles from Acts 1-8 had reached them when he says, [16:57] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. [17:06] And you receive that and you’re in Cappadocia and you’re like, well, I am not in Jerusalem. I am not in Judea. I am not in Samaria. [17:13] I’m the end of the earth.

[17:16] The gospel’s going out. God is being faithful to his word. [17:20] And we read Acts 1-8 and we think, yes, I can live for that. [17:24] How inspirational is that?

[17:27] And then it ruins your life.

[17:32] Your family doesn’t want you coming to Thanksgiving anymore.

[17:37] Christmas is filled with conflict.

[17:41] You get fired from your job. [17:44] Now your life is being threatened.

[17:49] Now they were combating a sinful, unbelieving culture, and they were standing against that culture so they could engage that culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ. [18:02] And now they were being discipled that the good news must go out of their lives and into the lives of others, which, by the way, is the same way every Christian is discipled. [18:14] I think sometimes we read this as though these are not normal human beings with the same dreams, oftentimes that we’re born with the same ambitions, the same discipleship. [18:29] And then they seek to obey God and boom, persecution arises on account of their faithful proclamation of the gospel. [18:37] I don’t care who you are. That’s discouraging.

[18:41] That’s discouraging.

[18:44] But Jesus warned them that this would happen.

[18:48] But does that change the reality of discouragement? [18:54] Does that change the reality of fear? [18:57] Does that change the temptation to backtrack into a life of disobedience where you kind of obfuscate your identity in Christ? [19:07] You know what that’s like because you’re really good at it. [19:09] You’re a Christian, but you’re kind of undercover at work.

[19:14] You’re a Christian, but let’s not bring that up at Thanksgiving. [19:17] It’ll offend grandma.

[19:20] You’re a Christian, but at Christmas, your gay brother is there. [19:24] So let’s not talk about Jesus.

[19:28] Does it make things uncomfortable? [19:30] I might not get invited back. [19:32] Or how’s this one? [19:33] Your kids moved out. [19:34] They’re now very progressive. [19:36] You’re a Christian.

[19:39] But you want them to still call you. [19:41] So maybe gay marriage is fine.

[19:47] See, friends, that’s the real stuff of life. [19:50] And yeah, they weren’t necessarily dealing with the specific things that I just said, but that’s what we’re dealing with. [19:57] And I see it change people’s posture towards how they apply the gospel to their own lives over and over and over and over. [20:09] And Peter writes this letter to warn you. [20:15] Don’t change your posture towards Christ because of anything a human being is going to threaten you with.

[20:24] See, friends, Peter wanted those believers to remember that even in the middle of potentially great suffering and suffering is subjective. [20:37] Different people tap out at different places for some people. [20:41] Even the thought of your child not calling on Sunday afternoon is greater suffering than you’re going to be willing to endure.

[20:50] These people could face real persecution, but Peter wants them to understand that you can face it with the hope that God is going to keep his promises so long as you endure in your faith. [21:01] And Peter wants them to know, don’t change for anybody. [21:04] Stay faithful. [21:06] How do you do that? [21:09] Number two, this morning, understand election is God moving you to a distinct culture. [21:14] Election is God moving you to a distinct culture.

[21:18] Election is the work of God alone. [21:21] Biblically speaking, the distinction of Christians within an unbelieving culture is a life. [21:28] And I want you to understand this. [21:30] That is not initiated by you. [21:33] It is initiated by God and God alone.

[21:38] From verses one through two there, Peter pulls these two aspects of the Christian life.

[21:44] He begins with what we understand as God’s work of redemption through justification.

[21:50] That’s what election really is. [21:52] And then he goes on to sanctification. [21:55] And then, of course, he bookends it when at the end of verse two with a reminder again that God is the one who works redemption. [22:01] And so that term in verse one, that term elect is the same term that in some translation is translated as chosen. [22:10] It’s translated actually in first Peter 2, 9, which we’ll cover in a few weeks as chosen. [22:16] He says we’re a chosen race before he calls us a royal priesthood.

[22:21] It’s a term that shows, yes, God is the initiator of salvation, not you. [22:28] Christians do not work salvation into their own lives. [22:34] You are not a Christian because you are more righteous than other people. [22:39] You are not a Christian because you are smarter than other people. [22:43] And you figured it out.

[22:46] Now, what Peter wants this church to understand is that you were redeemed because God chose you for it. [22:54] The term literally means picked out or selected in preference to another. [23:02] And what Peter wants us to understand is that you can trust the promises of God because he has chosen you to receive his work of grace through Christ. [23:12] Look at what Jesus says in John 15, 16. [23:15] You did not choose me.

[23:18] That’s fascinating, isn’t it? [23:21] But what about free will? [23:23] You did not choose me.

[23:26] It’s a really simple phrase.

[23:30] But I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. [23:43] And I love that he gives that promise on the end because what he begins with is what qualifies that promise on the end. [23:48] He says the work began with Jesus. [23:52] So the work is all about Jesus. [23:54] It’s not about you. [23:57] This is how God has always worked in the world.

[23:59] We somehow only have a problem with this narrative when we get to the New Testament and it becomes about us.

[24:05] When you read the Old Testament as a Christian, election is all over it. [24:09] He chose Abraham.

[24:13] There were other people that he could have inserted himself into their lives, but he chose Abraham. [24:18] Why did he choose Abraham? [24:20] Not because Abraham was more righteous. [24:22] We see that through his life. [24:24] Not because Abraham was smarter, not because Abraham was already following him. [24:29] When God shows up in Abraham’s living room, Abraham’s like, who are you?

[24:34] He didn’t even know who he was. [24:35] He was worshiping false gods. [24:37] God chose Moses.

[24:40] God chose David. [24:43] God chose the nation of Israel over other nations. [24:48] You must ask yourself, why didn’t you choose the Amalekites? [24:52] Because he didn’t want the Amalekites. [24:55] He wanted Israel. [24:57] That is the work of election.

[25:01] And it happens in real time. [25:03] And it necessitates choosing one over the other. [25:08] If you do a study on Romans chapter nine, it reveals to us that nothing about God’s election is unjust.

[25:16] It reminds us it is about God’s grace on display for all of us to see. [25:21] And it gives God great glory being the initiator of salvation. [25:25] He wanted to be both just and the justifier of those who would have faith in Christ Jesus. [25:29] Ephesians chapter one, of course, verses four through five states that this act of grace is so sovereign [25:35] that it happened before the world was even created. [25:38] Even as God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world,

[25:45] that we should be holy, blameless before him in love. [25:49] He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ. [25:54] According to what? [25:56] According to my intelligence?

[26:00] No. [26:01] According to the purpose of his will.

[26:05] God’s will should be more valuable to you than your own. [26:09] If it isn’t, then you’re worshiping yourself and you’re not worshiping God. [26:16] The election is not arbitrary. [26:19] Ephesians one makes that clear. [26:21] It is based on God’s will through Christ. [26:25] Therefore, we can trust the gospel to be victorious in the future.

[26:30] Why? [26:32] Because the plan of the gospel happened before sin even entered into the world.

[26:40] If you don’t anchor yourself to a real view of sovereignty where God is concerned,

[26:48] then you have to be concerned about whether or not the gospel worked. [26:52] I don’t see another way and I’ve thought about this quite a bit. [26:56] Because it marries me to a view in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate the fruit. [27:04] It’s like, hmm, well, they undid God’s glory. [27:09] Hmm. [27:10] Well, then how do I know someone else can’t undo the work of Christ?

[27:19] Some of you are going to have a tough time sleeping tonight.

[27:23] I can trust it because God planned for sin before it even happened.

[27:30] The promises of God then are dependent on God alone. [27:36] You know, I’ve heard a lot of sermons in my day. [27:38] I’ve probably heard at this point thousands of hours of sermons. [27:41] I love preaching. [27:43] And which reminders of the sovereignty of God are often castigated as unhelpful in situations of physical or emotional. [27:51] Suffering. I’ve even heard it said, don’t be one of those Christians who, quote, Romans 8 28.

[27:58] All things work together for good for those who love God and are called dot dot dot. [28:04] Yet. [28:05] That is precisely what God chose to do in his word. [28:09] So we got to ask why don’t we like the type of encouragement that God has for us in difficult situations? [28:14] And I think I know why. [28:16] It’s because in the face of suffering, we often don’t want to think there is purpose to it.

[28:26] We often don’t want to think God has a plan for my suffering. [28:31] We don’t want to think that all of the things that aren’t working out the way that I want them to work out, that God has a purpose behind it and it is for my good. [28:42] Often we would rather sit in our puddle of tears.

[28:49] When God says, keep trusting me.

[28:56] See, he follows Romans 8 28 with Romans 8 29. [29:00] And that’s what Romans 8 28 is based on. [29:03] It says, for those whom he foreknew, there’s that foreknowledge. [29:08] He also predestined to be what conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [29:16] How did you ever expect to be conformed to the image of Christ without ever suffering like Christ?

[29:24] The foreknowledge then of God can’t just be some flaky idea. [29:31] That God looks forward into the future and he sees the choices that I make.

[29:38] That’s nothing more than a desire to be God rather than trust God. [29:44] The term foreknowledge here in First Peter 1 2 is a term that literally means to plan beforehand.

[29:52] It’s about God’s forethought into his own will. [29:57] He has it mapped out. [30:00] Now in Romans 8 29, it’s a different term. [30:04] It doesn’t mean to plan beforehand. [30:06] It’s actually a term that means to befriend beforehand. [30:11] It is a relational term.

[30:14] It’s the same idea from the Old Testament when it says Adam knew Eve. [30:20] And which it says God knew Israel.

[30:23] It doesn’t mean that God didn’t know other nations existed.

[30:29] Rather, it means that he had chosen to have a special relationship with Israel. [30:35] That he wasn’t going to have with anyone else.

[30:41] And when he says it about you, the church, [30:46] he’s saying that he has a special relationship with you as a Christian. [30:50] And you can trust it because it was God’s plan all along to redeem you.

[30:57] He tells this to us so that we will understand he chose Israel so that his son would be born. [31:05] And he chose the church so that right there at the end of Romans 8 29 [31:11] when it says that he would be the firstborn among what? [31:15] Many brothers. [31:17] He wants you to have such a rock solid trust in the sovereignty of God [31:22] that regardless of what you may face for it,

[31:26] the Church of Jesus Christ will rise up [31:29] and take a victorious gospel to an unbelieving world, regardless of the cost.

[31:38] But then number three, the way that this works out in your life is that election sets you apart for obedience.

[31:46] This doesn’t happen by accident. [31:49] So my favorite things is the difference between justification and sanctification. [31:53] Sanctification and justification is God’s work of declaring that you are righteous, [31:59] not because of what you’ve done, declaring you are righteous [32:02] because of what his son has done on the cross and through the resurrection.

[32:07] Sanctification is different. [32:09] Sanctification is something that happens after you come to faith in Christ. [32:14] And in First Peter 1 2, he says the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit for what?

[32:24] Obedience to Jesus Christ. [32:27] What’s that all about? [32:29] What he’s saying very simply is that you were redeemed for a purpose. [32:34] You were not redeemed just so that you could walk through life [32:38] the same way that you used to walk through life with this hope of heaven on the end, [32:43] but from here to there, unaffected.

[32:46] Now he’s saying that God has done such a great work that started before the foundations of the earth. [32:52] He literally moved history itself to ensure that God the Son would be born. [32:58] And he continues to move history itself to ensure that the great gospel of his son will go to the ends of the earth. [33:06] But God has not just made sure that the ends of his will are going to take place. [33:12] He has also ensured that the means of his will will work towards those ends. [33:18] And he’s going to do that through you obeying him.

[33:23] Your obedience and disobedience are not disconnected from the sovereignty of God. [33:32] They are not irrelevant to the sovereignty of God. [33:36] Rather, it’s the way that God brings his will to happen. [33:42] The idea of purpose behind everything, that Romans 8.28 reality, [33:49] goes another step and leads to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in your life. [33:56] To be clear, sanctification is the process that takes place after your faith.

[34:01] It’s a real life activity. [34:03] It’s what is meant when you say, I’m following Jesus. [34:07] You’re saying, I am sanctified.

[34:11] Sanctification literally means to be set apart for the purposes of God.

[34:17] See, he starts by saying, you’re elect to exiles. [34:20] You’re distinct. [34:21] You stand out from the culture. [34:25] And what I love about verse two is he introduces the whole book by saying, [34:29] you should probably be more distinct than you even are.

[34:34] This is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in your life. [34:38] So be distinct, be set apart. [34:41] Live for the purposes of God above absolutely everything else. [34:47] Therefore, election is the work of God alone. [34:50] But sanctification is a work by which God empowers us to do the work.

[35:00] Election is monergistic. [35:02] It’s God alone.

[35:05] Sanctification is synergistic. [35:07] It is a partnership between me and the Holy Spirit in my life. [35:11] Hebrews 10, 14 states that the work of Christ has made me righteous, [35:15] but it goes further. [35:17] He says, for by a single offering, he’s talking about Christ. [35:21] And he says, Christ has perfected for all time.

[35:24] That’s justification. [35:26] He declares you righteous. [35:27] But then what does he say? [35:29] Those who are being sanctified. [35:33] That’s a present tense with effects on the future. [35:37] He’s saying it is currently happening in your life.

[35:41] It’s not finished. [35:42] He calls it an ongoing experience. [35:45] That is the key difference of understanding the difference between [35:47] justification and sanctification. [35:50] Sanctification is about choices that posture your life towards being [35:54] obedient to Jesus Christ.

[35:56] In other words, I am going to make decisions today in real time that [36:01] impact my sanctification.

[36:06] What if this morning I had made the statement, it’s raining today. [36:10] I’m not going to preach.

[36:13] I demand lovely weather for my preaching.

[36:19] Would that have impacted my sanctification? [36:21] Yes. [36:23] Yes. [36:24] Yes. [36:26] I make a thousand choices every single day that impact my sanctification. [36:30] Here’s what many of you don’t want to believe.

[36:33] You say, well, you’re a pastor, Steve. [36:36] You’re no different. [36:38] Your decisions may not be about preaching on Sunday morning, but your [36:42] decision to come today has an impact on your sanctification. [36:45] Your decision for what you’re going to do with the rest of the day has an [36:48] impact on your sanctification.

[36:50] Every decision you make in life has an impact on your sanctification for [36:53] good or for bad. [36:55] We have to own that reality. [36:57] You say, well, how does that work with the sovereignty of God? [36:59] I’m going to ask Jesus when I get there.

[37:04] There is some knowledge that is clearly too great for my feeble mind. [37:10] Some of those details aren’t for me to figure out. [37:13] All of those details are for me to submit and say, since you say it, I will [37:18] do it. [37:19] And that decision has a great impact on my sanctification, as it does on yours. [37:26] You see, friends, Peter is so honest with them when he goes further into this

[37:34] idea of pleading for them not to quit because it is hard. [37:40] Your present circumstances change nothing about God’s desire for you to [37:56] live.

[38:00] You are to live set apart for the purposes of God.

[38:05] Therefore, any suffering you endure must be for that purpose.

[38:12] You see, friends, your redemption means that everything God brings into your [38:19] life is for his purpose for your life. [38:22] And everything that he takes out of your life is for his purpose for your life.

[38:30] That he can work through you to bring others to faith in Christ. [38:37] And that is a hard pill to swallow some days. [38:42] Some days it’s great. [38:43] Sun’s shining. [38:44] Everything’s going my way. [38:47] Everything coming into my life is good.

[38:50] Everything going out of my life is something I wanted to sell at a yard sale anyway.

[38:55] That’s when you’re like, something’s going to happen. [38:56] Sovereignty of God. [38:58] I’m hashtag blessed. [38:59] Oh, man. [39:01] I’m Instagramming this.

[39:06] You see, the context of 1 Peter isn’t about the good days. [39:09] The context of 1 Peter is about nothing’s going your way. [39:13] Something came into your life that you don’t want there. [39:15] Something was taken out of your life that you wished had stayed because you had [39:19] banked everything on it.

[39:22] And Peter says, endure. [39:24] Don’t quit. [39:25] Keep going. [39:27] God is sovereign. [39:28] Distinction is rooted in that. [39:33] And distinction is good.

[39:37] And expect it to make you controversial in this world. [39:42] First Corinthians 6 11 is very pointed about this reality. [39:45] He gives an entire list of immorality.

[39:50] Things that this world continues to struggle with. [39:53] This world continues to find its identity. [39:55] And then know what he says about Christians. [39:57] He says, and such were some of you. [40:02] He’s saying you’re not like them anymore. [40:05] You’ve changed.

[40:06] You were washed. [40:07] You were sanctified. [40:09] You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the spirit of our God. [40:16] God has set you apart. [40:18] And you must view your life. [40:21] And you must make decisions about your life through that measure.

[40:27] If the world around you is rising against you because of Christ, stand firm, stand [40:33] tall and be faithful because that is who you are in Christ. [40:41] It is not who you attain to be.

[40:47] It is who you are. [40:49] He has made you that way. [40:53] He says, find your identity in Christ and never move. [40:57] It’s a gift he gives you. [40:59] It’s not something you have to earn. [41:01] God is bigger.

[41:02] He is more trustworthy than a wicked culture that may persecute you. [41:07] You exist for the purpose of obeying Christ. [41:12] That is what you exist for alone. [41:15] It’s not easy. [41:17] It’s incredibly difficult. [41:18] But it’s not complicated.

[41:22] If you follow Jesus, you will stand out from the crowd and that is good.

[41:28] Do you stand out is the question.

[41:33] And not for weird stuff.

[41:37] Some of you are like, I’ve been standing out my whole life. [41:39] That’s not what I’m talking about.

[41:43] No, specifically because of your obedience to Christ, because of who you are in Christ. [41:48] Peter finishes verse two by reminding you how God worked election into your life and why sanctification is possible. [41:59] He reminds them Jesus shed his blood in real time on a real cross to remove your sin. [42:07] You see, friends, the promises of God are sure because of Jesus. [42:11] Philippians 1 6, I think, sums it up. [42:14] Paul writes to the church at Philippi and he says, I’m sure of this.

[42:20] Are you?

[42:22] Some days are better than others. [42:25] But Paul says, I’m sure of this. [42:27] He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. [42:34] Paul is saying and he’s echoing Peter. [42:36] Nothing can stop God’s purpose for your life. [42:39] He’s going to bring it to completion.

[42:41] We serve a God who can be trusted.

[42:47] God will win. [42:48] He always does. [42:50] And he will use your life to bring about great change in the world directly around you.

[43:01] If you will trust him and follow him.

[43:07] A few application points this morning. [43:09] Lean into a life of distinction because of Christ.

[43:14] Don’t try to camouflage your faith.

[43:19] Don’t try to hide it. [43:21] Lean into it. [43:23] Secondly, choose to stand against evil and for Christ.

[43:28] That can be increasingly controversial. [43:32] But you must stand. [43:34] It’s a New Testament concept that you can’t get around is just this idea to stand and never back down. [43:42] Thirdly, trust God’s sovereignty in your life.

[43:47] Because the resurrection shows us how his sovereignty plays out. [43:53] It plays out into victory. [43:55] That’s why you can trust it. [43:57] And then finally, live for the purpose of God above all else. [44:00] I love you. [44:03] But some of you have greater purposes than Christ in your life.

[44:08] And you need to turn from those purposes and you need to put Christ first. [44:16] Above everything else. [44:18] Regardless of the fallout. [44:22] And because of the promised victory.

[44:34] Thank you.