"Purposely Saved"
1 Peter 1:1-2
(Note: all Scripture quotes are from the NASB unless otherwise stated)

Note: Although this sermon is has a lot of Greek mixed in it, I do not go through every word during my sermon.  These Greek references are only that, references for me to use if it strengthens the message.  Plus it is helpful if someone has questions about what I said after the sermon.

Introduction: The apostle Peter wrote this epistle just before or shortly after the beginning of Nero's persecution of the church in A.D. 64 to Christians who were suffering in a pagan and hostile society in what we would call today Modern Turkey. The persecution took the forms of slander, riots, local police action and social ostracism. Today believers around the world are still facing intense persecution. Even in America we are seeing a society that is becoming more pagan each year, and as it does we are seeing an escalation of hostility directed towards Christians. So again we see that God's Word is eternal, and is just as applicable today to us as it was for the believers during Peter's time. To help encourage the believers, Peter wrote them to encourage them to live above their circumstances and to do it with joy. And what better place to begin, than with a reminder that God saved them for a purpose.

I. Saved To Be Sown (v.1).
1. Sojourners

A."Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens [parepidemos {par-ep-id'-ay-mos: adj, pron, dat, m, pl}; one who comes from a foreign country into a city or land to reside there by the side of the natives, a stranger, sojourning in a strange place, a foreigner, pilgrim, temporary resident],"

1) Lit., the Greek text reads, "to the chosen sojourners of the dispersion of....."

A) The KJV, NIV and the Revised Standard Bible all put "chosen" with the second verse along with "foreknowledge."

B) The NASB puts it at the end of verse 1.

C) All of them are correct because when the Bible was written it had no chapter numbers or paragraph numbers, these have been added and revised for nearly 2000 years to help man study the Scriptures.

2) Anyhow, the word "chosen" ties into "sojourners...scattered...according to the foreknowledge of God..." - So I'll come back to it a little latter.

B. The term "sojourners" or "those who reside as aliens" is emphasizing the foreign nationality and the temporary residence of these Christians in the land that they presently resided in.

A. "scattered [diaspora {dee-as-por-ah': n, gen, f, sg}; a scattering as of seed, a sowing, dispersion, of the Christians scattered abroad among the Gentiles] throughout Pontus (pon'tuhs), Galatia (guh-lay'shuh), Cappadocia (kap'uh-doh'shee-uh), Asia (ay'zhuh), and Bithynia (bi-thin'ee-uh),"

B. The term "scattered" tells us how these believers became "sojourners."

1) The word "scattered" speaks of scattering seeds as if you are sowing them.

A) This term predisposes us to think that these Christians were Jewish believers because James uses that same word concerning believers from the 12 tribes of Israel, "James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, greetings." (James 1:1)

B) Also the same word is used in John 7:35 to describe Jews who were scattered among the Gentiles, "The Jews therefore said to one another, 'Where does this man intend to go that we shall not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He?'"

2) With all this said, it cannot be determined that this letter was written to the Jewish believers only because Gentile Christians could have been forced (i.e., dispersed) to leave their home lands also due to persecution because of their faith.

- Ryrie believes that internal references (1:14; 2:9-10; 4:3-4) refer to Gentile believers, "These were Christians who, like Israel of old were scattered throughout the world, though the readers of this epistle were predominantly of Gentile rather than Jewish background."

Application: While there is the pure historical significance of these believers being scattered into other lands to escape their persecution, there is a spiritual truth that we should not miss. It is God who uses the things that man intends for evil for His good purpose. We think of Joseph's words to his brothers when they were reunited years after they sold him into slavery in Genesis 50:20, "And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." The picture that Peter is presenting to us here is of God sowing us, casting us outward to bring about His purpose and will. Sometimes God has to shake us up in order that we can do what He has commanded us to do. Romans 10:14-15, "How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!'" You and I are saved to be sown and not saved to sit. This is why America today is becoming more-and-more pagan because Christians have gone into their spiritual "greenhouses" and have not planted themselves by the highways and byways. God's wonderful plan of salvation has a purpose and a plan, and that is to bring glory to God and we can only do that by sharing the "good news" that God has made a way for sinful man to be reconciled to Him. Let's remember that the great commission is that, and not a great option; Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"
 

Transition: Not only are we saved to be sown, but Peter reminds us that we were saved according to God's divine plan...
 

II. Saved According To God's Eternal Plain (vv.1b-2a).

1. By God's foreknowledge

A. " who are chosen[eklektos {ek-lek-tos': adj, pron, dat, m, pl}; choice, chosen, select, the elect, used here of the community of believers]" (v.1b NASB; v.2 for all other translations).

1) The miracle of God's salvation began with God; we were "chosen" by Him.

A) The implication is that not only has God purposely placed these Christians in their communities for a purpose, but that He chose them to belong to Himself .

B) This is known as the doctrine of divine election.

2) "Election" is a biblical teaching regardless of whether we can understand it or not.

A) We need to understand that if God would not or if He could not "chose" us then no one could be saved because it is not in man's sin nature to seek God (Rryre: "So Great Salvation," p.148).

(1) Romans 3:11, "There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;"

(2) Ephesians 2:1-6, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,"

B) We must understand that God is totally Sovereign in everything: from creation to salvation and probably in more ways than we could ever imagine.

(1) Isaiah 46:9-10, "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';"

(2) Romans 9:15-18, "For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.' So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires."

B. "according to [kata {kat-ah': prep, acc}; according to, after, by] the foreknowledge [prognosis {prog'-no-sis: n, acc, f, sg}; foreknowledge, forethought, pre-arrangement (predestination), advance knowledge, of God's omniscient wisdom and intention (comes from two Greek words: "pro" = fore, in front of, prior to, before; "ginosko" = to know, allow, be resolved , be sure)] of God [Theos {theh'-os: n, gen, m, sg}; God, the supreme Divinity, the true and living personal God] the Father[pater {pat-ayr': n, gen, m, sg}; father, forefather, progenitor, procreator]," (v.2a).

1) Not only did God choose us, He also did it in eternity past.

2) The word "foreknowledge" is the same Greek word we use today; Prognosis, which means to forecast or forecasting.

A) The medical world uses it to mean "a prediction of the probable course of a disease and the chances of recovery." (Webster's).

B) In the Bible it goes beyond just trying to "predict," but it carries the idea of forethought or a prearrangement (predestination) and comes from two Greek words: "pro" = fore, in front of, prior to, before; "ginosko" = to know, allow, be resolved , be sure

C) Paul uses it in Romans 8:29, "For whom He foreknew [proginosko {prog-in-oce'-ko: v, indic, aor, act, 3 per, sg}; to have knowledge before hand, to predestinate, it also carries the idea of knowing someone personally and just knowing about someone (the aorist tense and indicative mood states the certainty and reality of God's action in the past without regard to its duration)], He also predestined [proorizo {pro-or-id'-zo: v, indic, aor, act, 3 per, sg}; to predetermine, decide beforehand, foreordain (lit., to before fenced or encircled)(the aorist tense and indicative mood states the certainty and reality of God's action in the past without regard to its duration)] to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren;"

D) Kenneth Wuest: "the word for foreknowledge means more than a passive foresight; it contains the idea of 'having regard for' or 'centering one's attention on'" (BKC, p.840).

(1) It is the same word used in 1:20 of Christ who was "chosen" by His Father before creation.

(2) The Father did more than merely know about His Son ahead of time; He knew Him completely.

3) So "foreknowledge" does not suggest that God merely knew who would accept Christ beforehand so He chose them.

(1) To do this attempts to make the doctrine of election and foreknowledge palatable to our understanding which only serves to detract from the sovereignty of God.

(2) Warren Wiersbe defines it like this, "to foreknow means 'to set one's love on a person or persons in a personal way.'"

Application: God is sovereign in every aspect of our lives, and His sovereignty is not dependent upon our being able to comprehension it or whether we approve of it. As William MacDonald points out in his commentary, "any difficulty in reconciling God's election and human responsibility lies in man's mind, not in God's." We must also understand that God doesn't reject anyone, they have already rejected Him. While we may never be able to totally understand the doctrine of election, it should still be a comfort to us knowing that we have a God who is sovereign in every aspect of our lives and our salvation. And if God chose us, then we can have assurance that our salvation is secure. This should give us the confidence to face every problem that this world throws at us because we know that it is a part of God's plan and that it can bring glory to God. There is no hopeless situation when it comes to one of God's chosen. This is why Paul could say in Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Transition: God's plan of salvation in eternity past also included the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit....
 

2. Through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

A. "by the sanctifying work[agiasmos {hag-ee-as-mos': n, dat, m, sg}; sanctification, the process of making holy, dedicating, causing to belong completely to God (from the Greek word: "hagiazo" = to make holy, sanctify] of the Spirit[pneuma {pnyoo'-mah: n, gen, neut, sg}; Holy Spirit],"

B. The "sanctifying" work of the Holy Spirit is the convicting of the sinner and bringing him to faith in Christ.

1) The word "sanctify" basically means to "set apart" and has the same root as the words "holy" and "saint."

A) In our verse, it carries the idea of the process of making holy or causing someone to belong completely to God.

B) Every believer has be set apart to God and adopted into His family and that process starts with the Holy Spirit.

2) Sanctification is a ministry of the Holy Spirit and it takes place before conversion and continues throughout the life of a believer.

A) 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."

B) John 16:8-11, "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged."

3) The ministry of sanctification by the Holy Spirit will continue to work in the believer until the day that our position and practice will be in perfect accord with God when our sin nature has been removed.

A) John 14:16, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;"

B) John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."

C) 1 John 3:1-3, "See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

4) The person can be "made holy" only because the Son of God had to die on the cross for our sins, or else their could be no salvation (Christ is our sanctification).

A) Hebrews 10:10, "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

B) Hebrews 10:14, "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified."

Application: The ministry of the Holy Spirit should bring joy to every believer's heart knowing that we have a wonderful God who in eternity past laid out "every detail" that would be needed to reach out to a lost and dying world that had no desire of their own to reach back. If God can be this detailed in His work of salvation, we can rest assured that He won't forget us or lose us either.

Transition: The result of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is obedience to Christ....

3. For obedience to Christ.

A. "that you may obey[upakoe {hoop-ak-o-ay': n, acc, f, sg}; obedience, compliance, submission, to heed or conform to a command or authority] Jesus[iesous {ee-ay-sooce': n, gen, m, sg}; Jesus, "Jehovah is salvation," Joshua, Justus] Christ [christos {khris-tos': n, gen, m, sg}; Christ, "anointed," the Son of God, the Messiah]"

B. The third part of God's eternal plan of salvation is obedience to Jesus Christ.

1) The word "obey" means to comply, submit, or conform to a command or authority.

A) Man by his sinful nature is incapable of obeying God.

(1) Romans 2:8, "but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation."

(2) 2 Thessalonians 1:8, "dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus."

B) Here the obedience is the believer's response to the Holy Spirit's conviction based upon God's Word.

(1) Romans 6:16, "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?"

(2) Romans 10:16-17, "However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, 'LORD, who has believed our report?' So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."

(3) Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

(4) Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

(5) Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

(6) Romans 10:9-10, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

C) Obedience is a "fruit" of a believer's life.

- 1 John 2:3-5, "And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:"

Application: Salvation can only come when we obey God's Word and recognize the that we are lost in our sins and there is no hope apart from salvation in Christ. When people say that they are many ways to heaven or that all the religions are really worshiping the same God, they are denying God's Word and are therefore disobedience. Acts 4:12, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." If we want to come to God then we have to come to Him on His terms and not ours, after all how could a sinful man tell a sinless God how to live or how to save?
 

Transition: Not only does God's eternal plan of salvation requires our obedience to His Word, but it was made possible through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God....
 

4. With the blood of Christ

A. "and be sprinkled[rantismos {hran-tis-mos': n, acc, m, sg}; a sprinkling (purification), as ritual purifying, used here of Jesus' atoning sacrifice] with His blood [aima {hah'-ee-mah: n, gen, neut, sg}; blood, blood shed, used here of Christ's atoning sacrifice, the blood of Christ]:"

B. In the Old Testament, blood sprinkling was the priestly work at the tabernacle which required obedience on the part of the offerers and there was no forgiveness for sin without the shedding of blood.

1) Leviticus 17:11, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement."

2) Hebrews 9:22, "And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

C. Here, Peter is using figurative language to express this idea that salvation was made possible in God's eternal plan by the shedding of His Son's blood for you and me.

- Hebrews 9:13-16, "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it."

Application: Believers of all times, during all kinds of persecutions can find comfort in knowing that we have a wonderful God who in eternity past laid out a plan and put it into action. Only a God who deeply cares for and loves you, would do all of this for someone who was not capable on their own to love Him back. This is why salvation can only be found in God's grace and not man's works. If we could earn it then Christ didn't need to come and die for you and me. If we could earn it then God wasted His time and effort on a plan that wasn't needed. Then we would be like Paul when he spoke of those who denied the resurrection of Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:19, "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." But instead of being pitied for believing in a false hope we have trusted in the perfect, fulfilled plan of God. And knowing this we can find joy and hope in any situation because He has also promised to return someday to take us home with him.
 

Transition: Not only did God's eternal plan include providing a way of salvation but it also included the grace and peace we need to live daily for Christ regardless of our circumstances...
 

III. Saved To Live An Abundant Life (v.2b).

1. Abundant grace.
 

A. "May grace [charis {khar'-ece: n, nom, f, sg}; graciousness, gratitude, favor, joy liberality, pleasure, thanks] ....be yours in fullest measure [plethuno {play-thoo'-no: v, opt, aor, pass, 3 per, sg}; to increase, to multiply, abound, grow]."

B. Peter greeted his readers with the prayerful wish that they might experience God's grace in abundance.
 

1) The word "grace" not only means God's unmerited favor, but it also can carry the idea of God's divine influence upon the heart of the believer.
 

A) Wuest phrases it as "sanctifying grace to you"

B) When it comes to the Christian faith we are saved by God's grace and we all must live according to God's grace also.

(1) This means we need to allow God and His Word to mold and shape into the image of His Son, Christ.

(2) This means when faced with trials and suffering we need to draw closer to the Lord with our prayers and trust Him to see us through them (and not necessarily out of them).

2) And not only did Peter desire God's grace in our lives, but he desired the fullest measure of God's grace.

A) The term "full measure" means to grow, increase and abound.

B) These believers had already experienced God's grace in their lives through their salvation, but the time would come when they would need God's abundant grace (strength) to see them through their trials.

2. Abundant peace.
 

A. " and peace [eirene {i-ray'-nay: n, nom, f, sg}; the state of peace, rest, quietness, freedom from anxiety, used here of the disposition characterized by inner rest and harmony] be yours in fullest measure [plethuno {play-thoo'-no: v, opt, aor, pass, 3 per, sg}; to increase, to multiply, abound, grow]."

B. The word "peace" speaks of a inner calmness or a what we would say, "I have a peace in my heart" which means that we are comfortable with the situation in which we find ourselves.

1) This is what Paul spoke of in Philippians 4:11-13, "Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

2) Paul knew what it was like to experience the abundance of God's grace and God's peace in his life, and Peter says we can too.

Application: Vance Havner said, "God preserves the saints, He does not pickle them." To many Christians today act as though their faith is in a pickle jar. But God's eternal plan had and continues to have a purpose for you and me. God didn't save us just so we could be Sunday Morning Christians, but He saved us to be Daily Christians and He has made His grace and peace available to you and me to do so. The abundant life for a Christian isn't about spiritual gifts, money or lifestyles, it is found only in allowing God's grace to work its way out of your heart and into your daily walk. Worldly things do not bring any lasting peace or rest. Only God's grace can bring peace to a stormy heart afloat in a stormy life. If you want God's grace and peace in your life, then you need to allow Christ to take over the controls of your heart and trust Him to steer the your life.
 

Truths From This Lesson.
1. First we need to understand that Peter wasn't denying that man is accountable to God for rejecting His plan of salvation.

A. The bible clearly teaches that we can accept or reject the gospel and the bible clearly teaches election.

B. How can we reconcile the two?

1) The truth is we in our human minds can't even come close to understanding it.

2) If we simply try to write it off as God's foreknowledge then we have removed the aspect of God personally knowing and choosing us in eternity past.

3) It just comes down to faith; after all we don't have to know how to build a telephone or a car to use one...we just know they work.

- If God can do that, then He is able to keep and preserve us until we are called home to be with Him.

- We need to learn to lean on Jesus in both the good and bad times in our lives, and it will be during these times that we will fully understand what it means to experience God's grace and peace.