Title: Chosen Exiles

Text: I Peter 1:1-2

FCF: We often struggle continuing in our faith when faced with difficulty and oppression.

Prop: Because God alone has chosen us for His purposes in this world, we must have God’s grace and peace.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Peter chapter 1.

One of the defining attributes of the bible is that even though many writers over thousands of years from various backgrounds all wrote their individual works with their own personalities and styles for their own individual audiences and purposes, there is absolute unity and harmony across the scriptures both from Old to New Testament and also internally within any given book.

Peter begins and in two verses essentially prepares his readers for all they need to receive and do what he is about to tell them. Oftentimes, especially with these letters, we are tempted to just breeze by the greeting and get to the meat of the letter and in some letters that is possible. But Peter, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, demands we stop and think about every word he says in this greeting. There is literally no word spoken that is unimportant here. And everything said will flow from here into the various threads of truth and application which he is about to give.

I’m anxious to address all of I Peter because I know that it is extremely relevant to our lives today, but we must start here. And by inspiration of God, Peter begins with some fairly challenging pieces of truth about the identity of those whom the Lord has adopted as His children.

I am reading from I Peter chapter 1, I’ll begin in verse 1. I am reading from the CSB but you can follow in the pew bible on page 1364 or in whatever version you prefer.

Transition:

As you can tell from the reading of the text, we have a lot to talk about – so let’s get to it.

I.) We are chosen of God but rejected by the world, so we must have God’s grace and peace. (1)

a. [Slide 2] 1 – Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ:

i. Although we spent a fair amount of time defending the authorship and defining the person of Peter, I want to take a moment to realize what it means at this late hour in church history for Peter to call himself an apostle of Jesus Christ.

ii. Elders have become the primary leaders of the local church.

iii. New Testament writers including Peter would write primarily to the Elders of a church. They would meet with, primarily, the Elders of a church.

iv. And so, the role of an apostle at this time is wanning. But as long as he draws breath, Peter is still part of that leadership over the church which was formed by all of the apostles. Leadership to ground the church in truth and doctrine. Truth that John says – if you disagree with – you disagree with Christ.

v. So many times, we gloss over these kinds of statements – but to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, demanded immediate attention from any who were believers. And whatever these apostles said about the teaching of Christ was to be accepted as if it was from Christ Himself.

b. [Slide 3] To those chosen,

i. Peter begins by addressing this letter to the chosen. The elect.

ii. This is not singular as if referencing an individual entity but rather plural referencing a specific and defined body or group of people. The elect ones.

iii. If you are part of this group, the single defining characteristic is that you are elected. You are chosen.

iv. How and why? – that we will get to in a moment – but for now we are talking about the elect.

v. How does the New Testament use this word and how does the Old Testament use this word?

1. In the Greek Old Testament the word for elect is used to speak of those of the finest quality. Those evaluated and favored to be the highest value.

2. In the New Testament. Written in excess of 300 years later, the word seems to have lost its quality assignment and only refers to the fact that the thing – whatever it is – has been chosen or selected.

vi. Some use the Old Testament’s use of this word to suggest that the election of God is based on the quality of the person to which God is electing. And certainly, if we took the Old Testament definition alone we could arrive at that conclusion.

vii. However, the writers of the New Testament have created an interesting turn of phrase here that we wouldn’t catch if we did not first admit that to have been chosen or elected does have something to do with the quality or the goodness of the thing selected.

viii. Why did this word lose the “quality” or “best” aspect and drop to merely, chosen?

ix. I’m going to let that hang for a second but we’ll come back to it.

c. [Slide 4] Living as exiles

i. Peter addresses this not only to the elect but to those who are living in exile.

ii. They are sojourners., pilgrims, resident aliens.

iii. As I mentioned in the introduction, these people probably were not from the regions he mentions later.

iv. There is some evidence to suggest that these places they live now, were places they were sent to by force.

v. However, I think Peter is getting at a far deeper point besides their status as foreigners.

vi. Rather, I think he is speaking with reference to being citizens of the Kingdom of Light, living in the kingdom of darkness.

d. [Slide 5] Dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia

i. [Slide 6 (let it play automatically)] These places were in Asia minor and looking at the map we can kind of see that they could form a route for whoever was delivering this letter.

ii. The connection Peter has with these locations is difficult to establish, but we can be sure that they are familiar with him.

iii. Peter uses the word dispersed, which would have been a word most Jews would shudder to hear.

iv. This has roots in the Jew’s own dispersion into Assyria, Babylon and the Persian empire.

v. But as for followers of Christ, they too were dispersed. They now lived in a world that was not their home. Heading to a Kingdom that is already but is also not yet.

e. [Slide 6] Passage Truth: Peter identifies who he is writing to and that forms a part of the truth he is conveying in this brief greeting. They are chosen exiles. They are elect pilgrims. They are favored aliens.

f. [Slide 7] Passage Application: So, what are these people to do? As is typical, there is no opening command here in the greeting. But there is a wish at the end. Peter’s desire is for them to have the fullness of God’s grace and peace in their lives. And if they are to receive what he is about to write to them – they will need God’s grace and peace.

g. [Slide 8] Broader Biblical Truth: The paradoxical identity of the audience of Peter in this first epistle is the same as the identity of all who are in Christ today. We too are both favored and aliens. We too are both chosen and exiled. We too are both elect and pilgrims. How can it be both? Vertically, from God, we are chosen, elect, and favored. But horizontally by men we are exiled, pilgrims and aliens. And for all the young people I don’t mean from outer space – although sometimes I’m sure the unbelieving world may wonder if we are aliens from outer space. We came out of the kingdom of darkness and were brought into the kingdom of light. At that moment we were favored and alienated simultaneously. This truth sets up all that Peter will address with these poor persecuted believers. But before he begins to instruct them in this, he will wish them all they need to be successful.

h. [Slide 9] Broader Biblical Application: Grace and Peace in abundance. Grace being the supernatural favor to continue to be and do all that God has chosen us to be and do. And Peace being that cessation of hostility, but here it is surely not with God. Primarily it is a ceasing of hostility from men. It is not wrong to hope and ask for God to bring peace. This peace comes in two forms. First, that God would supernaturally protect and providentially provide an easing of tensions between His children and the people of this world. But second, and ultimately, that He would return with His kingdom and completely eliminate any other kingdom that exists. Then we will truly and eternally know peace.

Transition:

[Slide 10 (blank)] But knowing that we are chosen exiles is not enough for us to really realize how much we need God’s grace and peace. Certainly, it is a great beginning. But Peter has more to say about the identity of his readers and thus about our identity as well.

II.) We are chosen by God alone for His purposes, so we must have God’s grace and peace. (2)

a. [Slide 11] 1 – chosen

i. Peter does not actually say this word again. He only mentions it once.

ii. But since we do have some ambiguity in English as to what verse two could be joining with, the translators reinserted the word here to make it clear.

iii. Peter is not saying their dispersion is by the foreknowledge of God. Nor is it any comfort to them to know that Peter’s apostleship is by the foreknowledge of God.

iv. Exegetically speaking the only option for what verse 2 connects to is the fact that they are chosen.

b. [Slide 12] 2 - According to the foreknowledge of God the Father

i. So here is where the turn of phrase comes in.

ii. To be elected or chosen naturally presupposes the concept of something that is likable, agreeable, or judged to be worthy of selection by the selecting body.

iii. Afterall, no one goes to the polls to elect someone they hate or to elect the least bad option… oops – I guess we do do that. Well. There goes my point.