Two other self-indulgent moments just quickly.
I have left, for anyone who did want to sign up for prayer updates while we're away,
I left a sheet out on the Connect desk last chance because we will be gone after today.
So please do do that.
And the other thing I wanted to say is we're jumping into a bit of 1 Peter today
without the chance to kind of chase the rest of it.
So I'm leaving it on you to keep reading 1 Peter over Christmas.
It's a good book any time, but hopefully after today your appetite will be sufficiently wetted
so that you will chase that and get all the gold that God has placed in there.
Let's leave me and all the distractions to the side now
and ask that God would focus us on his word and what he wants to say.
Father God, you are incredibly good.
We have already talked about and sung about and prayed about the joy that is Christmas,
the joy and wonder it is that you would enter your creation for sinful people like us.
And so, Father, we ask that this morning as you speak to us in your word
that you would reveal yourself to us,
that you would give us a vision for the lives that you would have us live,
that you would give us the ability to grasp even tighter
the substance of the hope that you have purchased for us through the blood of Jesus.
Father, we pray that you would equip us by your spirit to be salt and light in the world.
Amen.
Some of you may not have noticed, but just in late November,
Google, the internet search engine in Australia, made an interesting decision.
If you were to search for, for example, the opening hours of Chatswood Chase on Christmas,
the tagline at the bottom inserted by Google would have read,
this date may be impacted by Family Day.
Not Christmas Day, Family Day.
Somebody in Google's office in Australia, it wasn't any other country that I'm aware of,
made the decision that Christmas Day was not inclusive
and that Family Day was a better title.
They've since changed it back, you'll be interested to know.
But at least for this one person and sufficiently that it made it onto the internet,
the course for inclusion, the course for being more open-minded,
is the removal of all things Christian.
Over the past few months in our country and in our city,
because of the new plebiscite,
you will remember that there has been a chorus in our political landscape
declaring that faith and religion must be removed from the political and the public sphere.
You can have your faith, you can believe in Jesus, just shut up about it.
And don't let it come into our decision-making.
Don't force it on anyone else.
Now, aside from the fact that that completely misunderstands what it is to have faith
and to believe in a Christ who came and entered in and gives us hope for more than this life,
it's interesting that the particular religion that needs to be removed,
at least in our context, is Christianity.
That's the one that can't have a voice
because it's the one that rubs against the grain of the culture that we exist in.
Over the past few years, you may also remember an enthusiastic little lobby group known as FIIRUS.
It's creatively titled Fairness in Religion in Schools,
which is a euphemism for Stop Teaching Kids About Jesus.
Aside from the fact that scripture or religious education in schools is completely voluntary,
the accusation by this group is that the teaching of Christianity is oppressive and harmful
and shouldn't be taught to teenagers in schools.
It would be fair to say, just these examples and there's plenty more,
that if you are a Christian and you are listening to the world around you,
the message that you're getting is,
keep your faith to yourself.
If you want to believe in Jesus, it stays in your house, it stays in your head,
it's not something for public consumption.
And yet, as you hear that message,
and you turn up to church on a Sunday,
you go to your community group,
you open the Bible,
you are also hearing the message,
in fact, the command from God's Word,
to be light in the world,
to declare the hope of the Gospel.
At best,
we're living in a tension.
At worst,
you might be living in a deep confusion and discouragement.
So how do we live,
as Christians,
with that tension?
How do we walk out of here with the enthusiasm of being gathered with God's people,
and the encouragement of the Gospel,
and the hope we have for Heaven,
into a world that not only doesn't want to hear it,
but may even persecute us for what we believe?
How do we live in a hostile environment?
Well, 1 Peter is a letter written to Christians scattered throughout what is modern-day Turkey.
And we don't know how the Gospel got to these Christians exactly.
It could have been people who were converted and travelled there.
It could have been missionary journeys.
But what we do know is that the Christians in those regions
were beginning to experience the kind of hostility and isolation
that maybe you're experiencing at the moment.
The hostility from work colleagues,
the being looked over for promotions,
the avoidance of your neighbours,
the isolation that comes from living in a culture
that you just don't quite fit into.
See, the culture in their day was heavily Roman.
And so that meant that social interaction for them
was heavily tied up in pagan rituals.
So you would gather and you would have your feasts
around different festivals and sacrifices.
Your day-to-day existence was dependent
on the willingness of your neighbours,
the people you lived around,
being willing to trade with you,
being willing to buy from you,
being willing to sell to you.
And these Christians were experiencing the beginnings
of what would become a bloody and severe persecution.
It's before it gets to its worst.
In the following decades,
the Emperor Nero would unleash
one of the bloodiest persecutions of the Christian church
that history will ever know.
And so these Christians,
as the hostility slowly ramped up,
were understandably tempted to compromise,
tempted to adjust,
tempted to keep their faith to themselves,
tempted to modernise what they believed
and maybe include some of these other religious festivals
with the Jesus that they were trying to follow.
And so Peter writes a message to these Christians
and it's a message that you and I need today
and every day until Jesus calls us home.
It's a message we need
because the reality is we're in the middle of similar pressures.
I'm almost reluctant to use the word persecution.
I think that some of our brothers and sisters in the world
who follow Jesus are experiencing persecution.
We're maybe on the beginning of a path of hostility,
but it's getting harder.
And it's going to get harder.
So how do we live in a world that is hostile?
First, remember who you are.
Remember who you are.
Before we focus too much on the world out there
and how to engage them,
on the circumstances, the culture we live in,
we need to take stock of who we are.
We need clarity on our identity as followers of Jesus
because it's just as significant a factor
in how we live and how we experience our lives
as anything that can externally influence you.
I mean, this is simple science.
Any reaction is dependent on two elements.
If you have just petrol, it's fine.
Petrol and fire equals explosion.
Petrol and water, just a mess.
Any reaction is dependent on what both elements bring to the conversation.
And so even though the world around us might feel like a flame,
might feel hostile, might feel angry,
that's only an issue if we're a flammable element.
That's only an issue if we come to that fire as paper,
with a flimsy identity that's easily burned and easily consumed.
If we're paper, we should be worried.
We should be avoiding the world.
We should be fleeing to the hills.
But if we're gold,
then the flame is for our benefit.
The flame is a good thing.
The flame is something to be pursued.
It purifies us.
It strengthens us.
So the first question we need to ask
as we begin to experience hostility in the world that we live in
is what are we made of?
What are we made of?
So if you're a Christian, who are you?
Verse 1 there in 1 Peter 1,
that Jess read out for us.
See, you could stop after three words there.
If you are a Christian,
you are God's elect.
That means you are chosen.
He chose you before the creation of the world.
Before He'd made all that we experience and enjoy,
He'd already chosen to do Christmas.
He'd already decided He was going to send His Son
for you specifically.
And now by the power of His Spirit,
He has made you His.
You belong to Him.
You are His possession.
He chose you to be somebody who is at home with Him,
who is more comfortable with Him.
He chose you for something more than this world,
something better.
In chapter 2 of 1 Peter,
He goes on to say that
He made Christians to be a holy nation.
That means to be set apart for something else.
He made Christians to be a royal priesthood,
meaning that they are representative of something else,
representative of the new home,
the new identity that He has purchased for them.
If you are a Christian,
this is not your home.
This is not your home.
You do not belong here.
And the upside of that is
God has chosen you for something better.
And so we need to hope for something better.
Have a look at verse 3.
You could just re-read those verses over and over.
The hope that Jesus has purchased for you
through His death and resurrection
is a living hope.
It's a hope that is so substantial,
it will continue to grow
as you begin to see more of how good God is.
It is a hope that cannot perish, spoil or fade.
See, before Jesus,
every single human individual's life
has the same boundary.
Death.
That's the end point.
For every single human without Jesus,
because people reject God and ignore Him,
we're unworthy of heaven.
And so the offer of eternal life,
the offer of life for more than just your
80, 90, 100 years,
is actually off the table.
We all have the same fences.
You're born, you grow up,
you work, you play,
and then you die.
It's all over.
You can't take anything with you.
Finished.
And so if that's it,
then we should eat, drink and be merry.
We should spend our lives
trying to squeeze everything out of it that we can,
collecting experiences,
collecting stuff,
doing whatever we can
to get as much enjoyment as possible
out of right now.
But,
praise be to the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who's given us new birth
into a living hope.
See, because Jesus rose again,
because He's not still in the grave,
He proved that He's more powerful than death.
He proved that when we trust Him
with our lives,
when we follow Him
with everything that we've got,
we get reborn.
We get a new life.
We get a hope that lasts
well beyond the death,
well beyond 80, 90, 100.
It's a living hope
that doesn't perish,
that doesn't spoil,
that doesn't fade.
If you are a Christian,
you have been chosen
for unending life.
Death is not your finish line.
And so that changes
how we experience right now.
If you are not a Christian,
the hope that Jesus offers,
the reason that He bothered
to come as a baby at Christmas,
the reason He lived
and died and rose again,
is so that death
would not be your finish line.
So that you could stand
in the face of sickness,
in the face of death,
in the face of rust
and decay,
and know that nothing
can take the eternal life
that Jesus offers from you.
this inheritance,
verse 4,
is kept in heaven for you.
No one can take it from you.
This inheritance is kept
in heaven for you
who through faith
are shielded
by God's power
until the coming
of the salvation
that is ready to be revealed
in the last time.
The inheritance
that reshapes
our whole existence
and our perspective
on our circumstances,
that even reshapes us,
the thing that we hope for,
the thing that we look forward to,
our hope is for salvation.
That's what draws us forward.
That's not just avoiding death.
It's at least that.
But the salvation
that God offers
is himself.
The thing God
is keeping for you
in heaven
is a place
with him.
God is shielding people,
his people,
for himself.
So in verse 5 there,
it's salvation
that will be revealed.
But if you skip down
to verse 7,
it talks about
our refined faith
being to the praise of God.
When?
What is revealed?
Jesus Christ.
Salvation is not
some abstract concept
where you just get
set free.
The salvation
that God offers
is a relationship
with him.
An unhindered relationship.
A face-to-face relationship.
The eternal life
that God has purchased
through the death
of his son Jesus
is not just living
forever.
It's life
plugged into
the limitless source
of life and goodness,
God himself.
It's life
in an unhindered
relationship
with God
through Jesus.
See,
the unfading
inheritance
of God's elect,
the thing
that we hope for,
the thing
that transforms
the way we experience
hostility
in this world,
is the secure
salvation
of a place
that's prepared
for us
in heaven.
It's the confidence
we have
that because
Jesus died
and rose again,
not only does God
love us,
not only is death
defeated,
but our names
are written
in heaven.
There is a specific
place that God
has prepared
for you
that no one
else can take
and not only
is God
preparing that
place for when
you get there,
but he is
shielding you
every step
of the way
from now
until then.
it may be
hostile,
but as God's
chosen people,
we're protected,
we're secure,
and our
inheritance can
never perish,
spoil,
or fade.
How do we live
in this hostile
world?
Remember
whose
you are.
You're
God's
chosen
who chose
you
and who
gave you
new birth
through the
resurrection
of his
son.
Remember
who you
are,
God's
chosen
son
or
daughter
with a
glorious
inheritance
that awaits
you.
In
hostility,
remember
who you
are.
In
adversity,
remember
who you
are.
Even
in
prosperity,
remember
you
were
chosen.
You
have
a
living
hope.
Remember
who you
are,
and the
second
thing
is,
remember
where
you
are.
Remember
where
you
are.
So
Peter
is writing
this
letter
to a
diverse
group
of
people
scattered
across
a big
geographical
area.
Their
cities
would have
been
distinct
in these
different
provinces,
the way
they
functioned
and
operated,
but he
still
addresses
them
all
with
that
title
elect
and
then
exile.
Elect
is
who
they
are,
exile
is
where
they
are.
Now
exile
is a
big
Old
Testament
word.
In
the
Old
Testament
exile
talks
about
the
time
where
God's
people
Israel
after
repeatedly
disobeying
God
and
worshipping
idols
and
bowing
down
to
false
gods,
finally
they
are
taken
into
exile
or
captivity
by the
Babylonian
army.
So exile
is where
they're
removed
from
their
country,
from
their
homeland
and
dumped
into
this
new
place,
they're
forced
to
live
in
this
new
place
without
their
culture,
without
their
routines.
So exile
is usually
politically
motivated.
In this
case,
the idea
was that
if you
take Israel
away from
their
home and
you dilute
them into
the Babylonian
culture,
what you do
is you
weaken
them as
a nation.
You
take away
the things
that make
them
them and
you dissolve
the culture
and the
values.
That's
Old Testament
exile for
Israel.
Now,
Peter's not
just writing
to Jewish
people here.
There might
have been
some Jews
in these
provinces,
but he's
not writing
to just
Jewish
people.
These
people,
and you
and I
come from
a whole
bunch of
different
countries
and ethnic
backgrounds,
these people
are not
in geographic
exile like
Israel was,
they're all
spread out.
Now,
I'm not
aware of
anyone in
this room
who is in
geographic
exile,
although you
might be,
but the
point is
for these
people and
for us
is that
they're
exiled
because of
who they
now are.
Now that
they're God's
chosen people,
now that
their hope
is a living
hope in the
death and
resurrection of
Jesus,
their home
is now with
God in
heaven.
That's
where they
belong.
That's
their
defining
reality.
That's
their
passport.
They
don't
belong in
this
world.
They
are in
exile in
this
world.
And so
if you
are a
Christian,
your
inheritance
and your
hope and
your
identity,
your
citizenship
is in
heaven with
God.
That's
where you
belong.
That's
what you're
looking forward
to.
That's
why you
feel
frustrated
about the
world that
we live
in and
the things
that are
wrong with
it because
you know
you were
made for
something
better.
Your
exile is
not
Australia.
It's
this
world,
still full
of sin
and death
and opposition.
Now the
whole concept
of exile,
and this is
why this is
really important
for us,
the whole
concept of
exile has
built into
it the
hope or
the longing
for return.
While Israel
was in
Babylon,
initially they
longed to
return home.
They longed
to go back
to where
they were
from and
where they
were supposed
to be.
But then
progressively they
settled into
the culture.
Some people
became more
Babylonian than
Jewish.
And at that
point it ceases
to be exile.
It's just
immigration.
You've moved
and you're in a
new place and
you've made
yourself at
home.
Exile has
built into
it that sense
that I don't
belong here.
I want to
be where I
where I'm
supposed to
be.
I want to
be at
home.
And if
you're a
Christian,
that home
is heaven.
This is
not heaven.
I'm assuming
that's not a
newsflash for
people.
Even though
there's plenty
of good things
that God
blesses us
with,
even though
Christmas is a
joyful time,
this is not
heaven.
And so as
God's chosen
people,
as his
elect,
we need to
cultivate,
we need to
embrace a
holy discontent
with where we
live.
We need to
look around
the world
that we are
in and
long for the
something better
that God is
keeping for
us.
and that
God is
keeping us
for.
We need to
be very
nervous,
maybe even
catch ourselves
if all our
dreams and
hopes and
aspirations are
confined to
what's going to
happen to us
within our
lifespan on
earth.
If that's all
you're aiming
for, maybe
you've
immigrated.
Maybe you've
forgotten where
your home is.
Maybe you've
forgotten who
you are.
We need to
cultivate and
embrace a
holy discontent
and long for
the better
home that
God's keeping
for us.
Verse 6,
in all this
you greatly
rejoice,
though now for
a little while
you may have
had to suffer
grief in all
kinds of
trials.
One of the
reasons we
long for that
future is
because we
know that
where we
are is
temporary.
We know
that the
suffering we
experience,
the loneliness,
the sickness,
the hurt,
the pain,
the death,
it's temporary.
It's fading.
Even the
blessing,
even the
good things
we know that
we have in
this life are
temporary.
But they're
still real.
It still
hurts when
we suffer.
It's still
unpleasant to
be lonely or
sick or to
lose a loved
one.
people.
It's
why Peter
says you
will suffer
trials of
many kinds.
He's being
pretty inclusive
here.
He's not
saying that
some of the
trials in
your life are
supernatural
spiritual
opposition and
other ones are
just unlucky.
That's not how
life works.
Life doesn't
get compartmentalised
into the
spiritual stuff
and then the
other stuff.
our whole
lives are
part of a
broad spiritual
reality and
so the trials
may come in
the form of
demonic
oppression or
a crisis of
faith.
But equally
they might
come as
sickness,
financial
struggle,
relationship
breakdown.
Those are
the tools
that Satan
loves to
use.
They're the
things that
Satan loves
to use to
distract you
from the
hope that
you have.
To make
you desire
and pine for
the comfort
that the
world can
offer you
right now.
But later
on in one
Peter,
he says,
dear friends,
do not be
surprised at
the fiery
ordeal that
has come on
you to test
you as
though something
strange were
happening to
you.
when we
forget we
are in
exile,
we begin
to wonder
why there
would be any
difficulty in
our lives.
We begin to
measure how
happy God
is with us
by how
smoothly our
life is
going.
Things are
going well,
so I must
be honouring
God.
So,
all of
these things
are tools
that Satan
would use
to turn
you away
from God
and to
doubt his
goodness.
But those
struggles that
we experience
now,
while we
live in
exile,
serve an
eternal
purpose
if we are
followers of
Jesus.
Verse 7,
these have
come,
the trials
have come,
so that the
proven genuineness
of your
faith,
of greater
worth than
gold which
perishes even
though refined
by fire,
may result in
praise,
glory and
honour when
Jesus Christ
is revealed.
We're not
paper in the
face of
hostility.
We're gold that
increases in
purity and
value as we
get put under
the trial of
flame.
The reason,
the purpose,
the benefit of
the trials that
you will face,
maybe that you're
in right now.
They're the
Father's tools for
refining you,
for proving you
and to ensuring
that you finish
the race.
See, God in
his incredible
love has taken
Satan's tools that
would distract you,
that would drag you
away and he has
transformed them into
opportunities to
grow you.
Opportunities to
strengthen you,
opportunities to
increase your joy
in him and to
help you discover
that in the grief
and in the loss,
Jesus is better.
That no matter
what else happens,
no matter what can
be taken away from
you, the
inheritance that
can never perish,
spoil or fade,
Jesus is more
than sufficient.
We are so wired
as people to
avoid suffering.
We're all about
pain avoidance.
We're conditioned
to aim for the
short-term solution,
to fix it today
and deal with
tomorrow's consequences
when we get there.
We get frustrated
with God when our
lives are not running
smoothly.
Why are you allowing
this, God?
Why don't you help me,
God?
What have I done
wrong, God?
As if comfort was
somehow a measure
of God's approval.
Have we forgotten
who we are?
Have we forgotten
that we are the
ones chosen and
purchased by the
death of Jesus?
Have we forgotten
that we have a hope
for heaven?
Have we forgotten
that this is exile?
That there should be
a certain level of
unpleasantness?
Even if at its very
base level it's just
the fact that it's
not yet heaven and
we know that's where
we're supposed to be?
Have we traded in
the living hope
and our unfading
inheritance
for temporary comfort?
Now I'm not saying
go looking for
suffering.
You don't have to.
Just follow Jesus.
It'll find you.
But the reality is
there is a daily
temptation for us.
A daily temptation
to forget the hope
that we look forward
to.
To forget that God
is shielding us
by his power
and so to compromise
just to make
ourselves a little bit
more comfortable.
To be not willing
to admit that maybe
we believe something
different to the
people we work with
while there's a
conversation about
religion.
To maybe water
down the gospel
a little bit for
those people who
just it's too far.
So we say things
like yeah you can
follow Jesus
you're welcome to be
part of our church
and call yourself a
Christian you don't
have to change
anything just come to
church.
Rather than the
message that God
had to die because
you are so
ridiculously sinful
and unworthy
and he has a better
life for you
we just water it
down because that's
a bit offensive.
Rather than
declare the truth
of the gospel
that there is only
one way to heaven
and that is in
Jesus Christ
we say
whatever you
believe is fine.
There is a daily
temptation for us
to want to fit in
and make this
home.
Temptation to make
our life decisions
based on what's
going to be most
comfortable right
now instead of
on the death
and resurrection
of Jesus and the
eternal home that
he's prepared for
us.
If we start
living like this
is home
there's a good
chance that we
will have traded
our internal
inheritance for
this.
If there's no
difference between
us and the world
that we live in
that should be a
reason for concern.
I was having a
conversation with a
man at a funeral
recently that we had
here at St. Paul's.
I'd never met the
guy just having a
conversation about
stories about the
man who had died.
The man I was
talking to was a
non-Christian and I
was telling him
about the hopeful
grief that our
church family was
experiencing and how
our grief was
tinged with joy
because we celebrated
that this man had
been welcomed into
his internal
inheritance.
He was now home.
The man looked at
me a little confused
and quickly explained
that he was an
atheist and he
said that in the
service instead he
would find comfort in
the past and in the
fact that he knew the
man at all for a few
years.
This encounter
reminded me just how
differently I see the
world from those who
don't know Jesus.
It reminded me that
without Jesus the
fence you have is
death.
That's where it ends.
That's all you've got
and so you must find
your joy before then.
But because we know
Jesus, because he is
alive, this life is
just the beginning.
So we do not grieve as
those who are without
hope.
There is a finish line
for us.
There is an end to the
exile.
There is an end goal.
Our living hope will one
day be revealed.
One day we won't have
to put up with the
sickness and the pain.
We'll be face to face
with Jesus.
We'll be home.
It'll be amazing.
But that doesn't mean
that this life should be
really sad and somber
and that God has
reserved all the joy for
later on.
Even now we rejoice.
Verse 6.
In all this you greatly
rejoice.
Though now for a little
while you may have had to
suffer grief in all
kinds of trials.
because of who we are
even where we are we
greatly rejoice.
Or verse 8.
Though you have not
seen him you love him
even though you do not
see him now you believe
in him and are filled
with an inexpressible
and glorious joy.
An inexpressible and
glorious joy.
For you are receiving the
end result of your faith
the salvation of your
souls.
Just let that sit for a
second.
Inexpressible and
glorious joy.
As we reflect on the
opposition that we face
in our lives
that our brothers and
sisters face around the
world in far more severe
situations than we are in
all because they're
followers of Jesus.
How do you rate
on the inexpressible and
glorious joy scale
personally?
How do we rate
on that scale as a
church?
And how do we do it
better?
Because the opposition
and the trials are real.
Pain and grief is a right
response to some of the
things that we're facing
but how do we ensure
that joy too
is a mark of who we
are in Jesus?
The keys there in verse
8.
Though you have not
seen him
you love him
and even though you do
not see him now
you believe in him
and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious
joy for you are
receiving the end result
of your faith
the salvation of your
souls.
the joy
comes from
him.
Although we don't
see Jesus yet
we believe in him
and we're filled with
joy because we're
receiving the end
goal
salvation
which is just
another way of
saying we're
receiving the end
goal
Jesus himself.
That's where the joy
is.
The end is when we
get him fully
there's no more
gaps we'll be face
to face and we'll
just be overwhelmed
with a whole
another level of
inexpressible and
glorious joy.
But right now
as we trust in him
as we remember
whose we are
as we remember
that he sits on the
throne that death
is defeated that
heaven is our home
we begin to enjoy
his goodness
and his presence
in our lives
right now
by his Holy Spirit
through his comfort
when we suffer
through his
patience and grace
when we fail
God is present
with us in this
exile
lifting us out
of despair
filling us with
joy
in our living
hope.
The rest of
1 Peter
which again you can
read in your own
time goes on to
say in light of
that in light of
who you are
in light of where
you are
do good
don't grow weary
in doing good
keep doing good
love your enemy
entrust yourself to
God who is the
real judge
continue to do
good
serve
declare the
goodness and
forgiveness of
God in the face
of opposition
and do it
filled with the
joy that comes
from a living
hope.
How do you
live in a world
like this
that may grow
increasingly hostile
as the years
go on?
remember who
you are
God's
chosen
people
with an
inheritance that
will never perish
spoil or fade
kept in heaven
for you
you are
shielded by
God's power
until the day
you get to
enjoy that
inheritance
remember where
you are
this is not
home
always keep
lifting your
eyes
and remember
where you are
going
cultivate that
holy discontent
and that longing
for your heavenly
home
my prayer for you
St. Paul's
my brothers and
sisters in the
faith
is that as you
joyfully
and boldly
live out the
hope of the
gospel
that the
God of all
grace
who called
you to his
eternal glory
in Christ
after you
have suffered
a little while
will himself
respond to you
and make you
strong
firm
and steadfast
to him be the
power
forever
and ever
amen
that
and