WEBVTT 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:09.460 Let us pray. Father, as with every week, we ask that you would help us to be people that submit to your word. 00:00:10.300 --> 00:00:17.199 We wouldn't be people that try to bend your word or get around it, but that it would confront us. 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:29.080 Lord, this morning, as we enter into 1 Peter, Lord, teach us what it means to be faithful citizens of heaven, but here on earth. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:38.000 Lord, empower us. Help us not to just hear words and think it's pleasant and nice and then go on with our lives, Lord, by your Holy Spirit. 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:44.079 Change us, we ask. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen. 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:51.500 A huge question that I wrestle with, and many of you wrestle with, at least the ones that I've talked to, 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:58.980 is how we ought to live as God's people in our city, in a culture that is on one hand tolerant, 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.219 on one hand it's relatively free and just, it's full of opportunity. 00:01:06.140 --> 00:01:13.319 Often quite pleasant people live around us, we work with, even the people that aren't super pleasant aren't terribly mean. 00:01:14.420 --> 00:01:25.560 Yet at the same time, we live in a culture that is somewhat incompatible with living as a faithful Christian in this life. 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:33.500 We are trying, by God's strength, to live faithfully in Ottawa in 2024. 00:01:34.520 --> 00:01:39.540 Do you not feel this tension? Do you not feel the push and pull? 00:01:40.299 --> 00:01:46.140 Sometimes you feel like you are a fish swimming along the current. 00:01:46.379 --> 00:01:51.260 You wonder, this is just what it looks like to be a Christian in this time. 00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:55.320 Sometimes you look no different from your neighbor or co-worker. 00:01:55.920 --> 00:02:04.260 You dress the same, you eat the same, you look for the same deals, you celebrate when you get gas under $1.60. 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:10.219 You share a lot of the same victories, so to speak, the same worldview. 00:02:10.219 --> 00:02:18.180 But, on the flip side, you feel the pressures as you try to live as a Christian, 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:24.919 and you feel this incompatibility with what it means to be a Christian in Ottawa 2024. 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:29.579 And maybe you kick the tires around, well maybe we just move out of the city. 00:02:29.580 --> 00:02:37.920 And we just kind of pull away from, move out of the city in a figurative way, literally as well. 00:02:38.160 --> 00:02:39.660 But we're just pulling out. 00:02:40.100 --> 00:02:41.200 We don't want to be engaged. 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:42.960 We want to be completely separate. 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:43.700 It's too hard. 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:48.260 We want to unplug in as many possible ways as we can, 00:02:48.340 --> 00:02:52.820 because it's just too hard to live as a Christian in our day. 00:02:52.819 --> 00:02:56.519 Should we engage? 00:02:57.719 --> 00:02:59.699 Should we pull out? 00:03:01.900 --> 00:03:04.979 King Solomon says something wonderful in Ecclesiastes. 00:03:05.739 --> 00:03:08.340 He says there's nothing new under the sun. 00:03:09.620 --> 00:03:14.019 Every generation of Christians, every generation of believers, 00:03:14.359 --> 00:03:19.340 all the way to the opening chapters of Genesis, 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:23.719 God's people have had to wrestle with this question of how to live faithfully 00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:26.259 as his people in society. 00:03:26.900 --> 00:03:31.640 How to thread the needle between conformity on one hand and resistance on the other. 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:33.400 You feel this tension. 00:03:34.480 --> 00:03:35.539 You struggle with it. 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:38.039 If you do, you're in good company. 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:41.379 If you don't, you might in the weeks to come. 00:03:43.180 --> 00:03:46.740 Fortunately for us, 1 Peter equips us and encourages us in this regard. 00:03:46.740 --> 00:03:56.080 Peter is writing to a number of different churches in what is modern-day Turkey. 00:03:56.620 --> 00:03:59.020 He is writing in the time of Nero. 00:03:59.700 --> 00:04:04.520 If you know Nero, you know that he was a very cruel Caesar. 00:04:05.379 --> 00:04:10.820 He was not just a guy that you disagreed with. 00:04:11.260 --> 00:04:12.080 He would kill you. 00:04:12.540 --> 00:04:13.780 He would flay you. 00:04:13.900 --> 00:04:15.219 He would crucify you. 00:04:15.219 --> 00:04:21.500 And here, Peter is saying to the churches in this first century, 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:25.000 in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and to us today, 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:27.240 there is a way forward. 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:31.360 And it's not pulling out, and it's not assimilating fully. 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:39.379 So, as we get into our text this morning, 00:04:39.819 --> 00:04:43.620 we're actually not going to be in 1 Peter 1, 1-12. 00:04:43.939 --> 00:04:47.620 We're actually just going to be in 1 Peter 1, verses 1-2. 00:04:48.420 --> 00:04:52.780 And a part of that is just the way Peter has written this epistle. 00:04:52.779 --> 00:04:58.639 If you ever get lost on, like, Wikipedia scrolling, 00:04:59.059 --> 00:05:01.739 you look up something, and then there's hyperlinks everywhere. 00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:04.219 You get excited about, oh, I want to learn about this. 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:07.359 And you click it, and then you're like 12 clicks in, 00:05:07.719 --> 00:05:13.519 and you realize it's just an endless, bottomless hole of information. 00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:16.180 But it's deep, and it's thick. 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:17.759 Peter's kind of like that. 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:21.060 He uses a lot of theological terms, a lot of Old Testament allusions, 00:05:21.859 --> 00:05:23.919 that you could double-click, 00:05:24.159 --> 00:05:26.779 and you're not going to understand the full meaning of what's happening 00:05:26.779 --> 00:05:30.259 until you know what Peter is getting at. 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:33.359 And verses 1 and 2 set the table, so to speak, 00:05:33.419 --> 00:05:37.299 for the rest of the letter, and it is full of these allusions. 00:05:38.159 --> 00:05:40.259 Verse 1 and 2, it's thick, it's deep, 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:41.659 and we're going to explore it this morning. 00:05:41.660 --> 00:05:45.540 And we're going to look at three different aspects of verses 1 and 2. 00:05:46.460 --> 00:05:50.900 And again, in mind, in the back of our minds, we have this question, 00:05:51.080 --> 00:05:55.740 how do we live as God's people in Ottawa in 2024 faithfully? 00:05:56.980 --> 00:05:59.340 The first is who we are. 00:05:59.420 --> 00:06:00.060 What's our identity? 00:06:01.580 --> 00:06:04.300 Peter will tell us that we're elect exiles. 00:06:05.200 --> 00:06:07.660 The second thing he will tell us is that, 00:06:08.660 --> 00:06:11.080 or the second question we'll have answered is, 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:14.180 how we have come to be these elect exiles. 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:19.060 And that is through the triune God and his salvation. 00:06:19.219 --> 00:06:24.039 And then finally, in light of who we are and how we came to be who we are, 00:06:24.479 --> 00:06:25.719 how are we then to live? 00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:29.360 And we'll look at the last verse in verse 2. 00:06:29.419 --> 00:06:34.000 So if you have a Bible, turn with me to 1 Peter 1, starting in the first verse. 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:35.759 There's still a couple more Bibles in the back. 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:39.019 If you want to grab it at any time, don't worry about interrupting me. 00:06:39.660 --> 00:06:42.920 I'd be very pleased if you would follow along. 00:06:43.779 --> 00:06:44.740 I'll read verse 1. 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:50.759 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion, 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:55.540 in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, 00:06:56.259 --> 00:06:57.000 according to the fort... 00:06:57.000 --> 00:06:58.500 I'll just read... 00:06:58.500 --> 00:06:59.040 I'll stop there. 00:07:00.459 --> 00:07:02.339 So Peter is introducing himself. 00:07:03.259 --> 00:07:06.680 He's writing to a collection of churches in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey. 00:07:07.259 --> 00:07:09.980 Almost certainly, they are predominantly Gentiles. 00:07:10.540 --> 00:07:11.740 That is non-Jewish. 00:07:12.740 --> 00:07:17.220 These are people that have come from all sorts of different religious backgrounds. 00:07:17.220 --> 00:07:23.660 Almost certainly, they have multiple gods that they are serving, 00:07:23.880 --> 00:07:27.500 one of whom would almost certainly be Caesar. 00:07:28.660 --> 00:07:30.740 They are non-Jewish. 00:07:30.860 --> 00:07:37.080 They're not a part of the biblical people of God that we read about in the Old Testament. 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:38.100 They're not Israelites. 00:07:39.460 --> 00:07:42.040 And this is significant because what we see Peter do 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:47.900 is that he calls them elect exiles of the dispersion or the diaspora. 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:50.260 These terms are full of meaning. 00:07:50.379 --> 00:07:51.580 Remember, this is like Wikipedia. 00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:54.000 We can double-click, double-click, double-click, 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:56.879 and we're going to have a wealth of information. 00:07:57.020 --> 00:07:59.439 So we're not going to exhaust these terms, 00:07:59.540 --> 00:08:00.759 but we need to take a look at them. 00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:03.200 These terms are full of meaning. 00:08:03.580 --> 00:08:07.420 Specifically, the terms, again, elect exiles in the dispersion or diaspora. 00:08:07.420 --> 00:08:12.879 And they all allude back to the Old Testament people of God, 00:08:13.080 --> 00:08:14.040 the Israelite nation. 00:08:14.699 --> 00:08:16.860 In fact, in chapter 2, 00:08:17.100 --> 00:08:23.080 so much will Peter identify these predominantly Gentile churches 00:08:23.080 --> 00:08:27.680 with Old Testament language that is specific to the nation of Israel 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:31.819 that he will call these people a holy nation. 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:34.159 This is a term only for Israelites. 00:08:34.560 --> 00:08:36.399 It's remarkable what he is doing. 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:39.659 And it's significant for three reasons. 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:41.899 The first is Peter's a pious Jew. 00:08:42.980 --> 00:08:45.220 And if you know the story of Peter, 00:08:46.439 --> 00:08:49.919 especially from Acts 10, 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:54.379 Peter isn't super jazzed about non-Jewish people. 00:08:55.799 --> 00:08:57.720 I mean, I think the majority of the people here, 00:08:57.779 --> 00:09:00.399 if not everybody here, they're non-Jews. 00:09:00.740 --> 00:09:04.360 Peter, back in Acts 10, not super fond of you guys. 00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:06.100 Maybe he doesn't necessarily hate you, 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:07.659 but he's skittish around you. 00:09:07.700 --> 00:09:09.159 He's skittish around non-Jews. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:11.019 He thinks like, listen, 00:09:11.659 --> 00:09:14.180 the Jewish Messiah has come for the Jewish people. 00:09:15.320 --> 00:09:16.920 Sucks to be you, Gentiles. 00:09:17.180 --> 00:09:17.740 I mean, it's, 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:21.019 maybe we can include a Rahab here. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:23.820 We can include a Ruth there. 00:09:23.920 --> 00:09:24.639 But overall, 00:09:24.860 --> 00:09:26.100 we're not going to, 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:27.460 all of a sudden, 00:09:27.759 --> 00:09:29.100 destroy boundary markers. 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:31.620 In Acts 10, 00:09:31.720 --> 00:09:33.019 it takes God three, 00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:38.159 it takes Peter three visions from God 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:41.300 to even warm up to the idea 00:09:41.300 --> 00:09:42.560 of visiting Cornelius, 00:09:42.600 --> 00:09:43.340 if you know the story. 00:09:44.060 --> 00:09:46.879 Cornelius being a non-Jewish Roman soldier 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:48.300 who comes to faith, 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:49.019 him and his family. 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:51.379 Later on in Galatians, 00:09:51.639 --> 00:09:54.540 we see Paul talking about a situation 00:09:54.539 --> 00:09:55.659 where he had to confront Peter 00:09:55.659 --> 00:09:59.659 for treating non-Jewish believers 00:09:59.659 --> 00:10:01.219 as second-class citizens. 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:01.919 It was a problem. 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:03.419 You see, 00:10:03.980 --> 00:10:06.319 things are kind of hard for us to understand 00:10:06.319 --> 00:10:07.759 in modern day times 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:08.659 because, 00:10:09.099 --> 00:10:10.879 by and large, 00:10:11.099 --> 00:10:11.779 we say, 00:10:11.939 --> 00:10:13.399 can a Jew become a Christian? 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:14.699 But in the early church, 00:10:14.779 --> 00:10:15.000 it was, 00:10:15.139 --> 00:10:17.639 can a non-Jew become a Christian? 00:10:17.639 --> 00:10:22.539 The first church council in Acts 15 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:23.860 dealt with this very question. 00:10:26.059 --> 00:10:28.439 So it's remarkable that Peter, 00:10:29.199 --> 00:10:32.100 this Israelite nationalist, 00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:33.100 so to speak, 00:10:34.100 --> 00:10:36.919 the person who's skittish around non-Jews, 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:38.659 treating non-Jewish believers 00:10:38.659 --> 00:10:40.319 as second-class citizens, 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:41.779 he's not saying, 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:42.159 hey, listen, 00:10:42.319 --> 00:10:43.019 you're okay now. 00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:45.659 He is using the very language, 00:10:45.819 --> 00:10:46.639 this inclusive language, 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:50.419 as if they are Jews just like him. 00:10:53.179 --> 00:10:56.419 This ought not to be lost on us. 00:10:56.879 --> 00:10:58.919 What Peter is doing is remarkable, 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:00.360 and what he is communicating 00:11:00.360 --> 00:11:02.899 is that God has done an incredible thing, 00:11:03.439 --> 00:11:04.819 that he has welcomed all people 00:11:04.819 --> 00:11:05.919 from all backgrounds, 00:11:06.379 --> 00:11:07.759 regardless of your ethnicity, 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:10.480 into the family of God, 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:12.819 if you have put your faith and trust in Christ. 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:16.159 The second significant bit about this 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:18.299 is that Peter calls them exile. 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:19.919 So going back to the first part, 00:11:19.980 --> 00:11:20.819 he calls them elect, 00:11:21.199 --> 00:11:22.159 chosen people, 00:11:22.379 --> 00:11:24.100 that is a term only used for the Jewish people. 00:11:24.179 --> 00:11:25.719 Now he calls them elect, 00:11:25.860 --> 00:11:26.740 or foreigners. 00:11:27.939 --> 00:11:30.279 Peter is connecting this church, 00:11:30.860 --> 00:11:32.039 this group of churches 00:11:32.039 --> 00:11:32.939 in Asia Minor, 00:11:33.059 --> 00:11:33.799 modern-day Turkey, 00:11:34.699 --> 00:11:36.419 back to the father of the faith, 00:11:36.539 --> 00:11:37.339 Abraham himself. 00:11:38.579 --> 00:11:38.980 Abraham, 00:11:38.980 --> 00:11:42.180 he was the father of the Israelite nation, 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:43.519 but he was a foreigner. 00:11:44.060 --> 00:11:46.980 He came from what is modern-day Iraq's, 00:11:47.800 --> 00:11:49.460 not exactly sure exactly where it is, 00:11:49.539 --> 00:11:51.779 but he was called out of a distant land 00:11:51.779 --> 00:11:54.860 and became a foreigner in the land of Canaan, 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:57.560 where God would give him and his descendants 00:11:57.560 --> 00:12:00.960 the land that really points to heaven. 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:03.620 It's a covenantal term 00:12:03.620 --> 00:12:05.180 that's connected to Abraham, 00:12:05.340 --> 00:12:09.480 which means that God made a promise to Abraham 00:12:09.480 --> 00:12:10.740 and his descendants forever, 00:12:11.100 --> 00:12:13.080 and that was only understood to be 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:14.420 for the Israelites, 00:12:14.660 --> 00:12:15.420 to the Jewish people. 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:16.680 And now Peter 00:12:16.680 --> 00:12:19.340 seems to be extending that again 00:12:19.340 --> 00:12:21.820 out to the non-Jewish people. 00:12:21.820 --> 00:12:28.080 It seems that through Christ 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:31.540 something groundbreaking has happened. 00:12:33.180 --> 00:12:36.460 There is one true faith, 00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:38.980 and it is now for all people, 00:12:39.280 --> 00:12:41.220 again, regardless of ethnicity. 00:12:42.040 --> 00:12:43.960 All who put their faith in Christ 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:44.960 are now foreigners, 00:12:45.520 --> 00:12:46.520 pilgrims on the way. 00:12:47.160 --> 00:12:48.480 They're meant for a future home. 00:12:48.940 --> 00:12:50.860 As Abraham went to Canaan 00:12:50.860 --> 00:12:52.919 and God promised him a future home, 00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:53.940 so too are we, 00:12:54.300 --> 00:12:57.500 promised a new heavenly city. 00:12:57.980 --> 00:12:58.539 And all of a sudden, 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:00.240 we start to see that Peter 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:03.419 is helping us to understand 00:13:03.419 --> 00:13:04.860 who we are in Jesus, 00:13:05.379 --> 00:13:06.240 which is critical 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:07.740 if we are to live out this life 00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:10.560 faithfully here in Ottawa in 2024. 00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:12.080 And the final bit of significance, 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:13.620 it's connected to this term 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:15.720 dispersion or diaspora. 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:18.159 So in the biblical story, 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:20.360 the Israelites became dispersed. 00:13:20.539 --> 00:13:20.840 Why? 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:23.360 Because they were not faithful 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:24.519 to God's covenant. 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:27.139 They worshipped other gods. 00:13:27.259 --> 00:13:29.620 They went after other things 00:13:29.620 --> 00:13:30.980 that displeased God, 00:13:31.060 --> 00:13:32.700 that were evil, sinful, 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:33.879 broken, and bent. 00:13:35.379 --> 00:13:38.680 So God gave them up to their unfaithfulness, 00:13:39.019 --> 00:13:39.700 and they were scattered. 00:13:40.519 --> 00:13:42.480 Assyria, Persia, 00:13:42.800 --> 00:13:44.320 or Babylon, Persia, 00:13:44.740 --> 00:13:46.680 Greece, Rome, 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:48.460 across the known world. 00:13:48.460 --> 00:13:52.060 But God promised that he would not allow 00:13:52.060 --> 00:13:54.080 his people to remain forever dispersed. 00:13:55.139 --> 00:13:57.519 They would be gathered once again 00:13:57.519 --> 00:13:59.259 through the might and sacrifice 00:13:59.259 --> 00:14:00.879 of a Savior, the Messiah. 00:14:01.460 --> 00:14:02.920 They would be given new hearts. 00:14:04.400 --> 00:14:05.840 A new covenant would be made with them. 00:14:05.920 --> 00:14:07.620 Their sins would be remembered no more. 00:14:07.740 --> 00:14:09.560 Their hope would be in the old, 00:14:09.940 --> 00:14:11.360 would not be in the old Jerusalem, 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:12.580 but in the heavenly Jerusalem. 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:17.180 These Gentiles who put their faith in the Messiah, 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:17.680 Jesus, 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:19.919 had completely new identities. 00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:22.180 They were God's people 00:14:22.180 --> 00:14:24.320 enjoying the promises that God made 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:25.860 to his elect Israelites, 00:14:25.860 --> 00:14:26.539 Israelites, 00:14:26.800 --> 00:14:28.980 but now it included elect Gentiles. 00:14:30.779 --> 00:14:32.200 Peter is telling us 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:35.659 that if you are in Christ, 00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:38.019 you are no longer the same. 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:40.800 The feelings of being unsettled, 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:41.539 not belonging, 00:14:42.259 --> 00:14:43.740 constantly wandering, 00:14:44.100 --> 00:14:44.919 and when I say wandering, 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:45.560 not literally, 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:46.960 but you're just unsettled. 00:14:47.060 --> 00:14:49.399 You can't figure life out. 00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:53.399 This is no longer your identity. 00:14:53.920 --> 00:14:54.440 You have a home. 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:56.860 You are a people. 00:14:57.200 --> 00:14:57.940 You have a father. 00:14:58.080 --> 00:14:58.780 You have a God. 00:14:59.900 --> 00:15:02.540 And this is a promise that is rooted, 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:04.440 this new identity of yours, 00:15:04.540 --> 00:15:08.300 it is rooted not in the changing fads, 00:15:09.860 --> 00:15:11.980 the shifting values, 00:15:12.420 --> 00:15:14.340 but in the unchanging God 00:15:14.340 --> 00:15:16.160 of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 00:15:16.260 --> 00:15:17.120 the God of creation. 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:19.160 And all of a sudden, 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:21.580 you are no longer a second-class citizen. 00:15:21.760 --> 00:15:22.740 You are not far away. 00:15:22.740 --> 00:15:25.019 You have a new identity, 00:15:25.139 --> 00:15:26.240 and your identity is Christian. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:29.159 This is good news. 00:15:30.379 --> 00:15:32.379 And what is even better news about this 00:15:32.379 --> 00:15:34.159 is that the initiative was not yours, 00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:36.639 but it was the initiative of God. 00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:40.139 It's the God before the world began, 00:15:41.419 --> 00:15:43.320 he had in mind redemption, 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:44.659 and it included you. 00:15:44.659 --> 00:15:48.120 And this brings us to our second point. 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:49.819 If that is our identity, 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:52.199 how have we come to this identity? 00:15:52.579 --> 00:15:53.579 Look with me in verse 2. 00:15:56.459 --> 00:15:57.759 We'll read verse 1, actually, 00:15:58.039 --> 00:15:59.100 the second part of verse 1, 00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:00.279 and then we'll read verse 2. 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:03.559 To those who are the elect exiles 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:05.000 of the dispersion, 00:16:05.199 --> 00:16:06.500 according to the foreknowledge 00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:07.379 of God the Father, 00:16:08.079 --> 00:16:09.740 in the sanctification of the Spirit, 00:16:10.319 --> 00:16:11.899 for obedience to Jesus Christ, 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:13.939 and for sprinkling with his blood. 00:16:15.299 --> 00:16:16.819 Your fundamental identity 00:16:16.819 --> 00:16:18.699 as a child of God 00:16:18.699 --> 00:16:20.860 was not some ad hoc decision 00:16:20.860 --> 00:16:22.240 by God. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:24.439 It wasn't some kind of plan B. 00:16:24.440 --> 00:16:27.480 God the Father has always known 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:28.840 that you would be saved. 00:16:29.260 --> 00:16:30.060 Always knew it. 00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:33.920 He always had in mind 00:16:33.920 --> 00:16:35.460 a plan of rescue, 00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:36.240 of redemption, 00:16:36.420 --> 00:16:37.260 and it included you. 00:16:38.400 --> 00:16:39.940 We read John 10 00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:43.080 that Jesus knows his sheep. 00:16:45.520 --> 00:16:46.700 And what's implied there 00:16:46.700 --> 00:16:48.740 is that he knows them, 00:16:49.060 --> 00:16:50.480 every aspect of them, 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:51.300 who they are, 00:16:51.440 --> 00:16:52.600 how they function, 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:53.320 their fears, 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:54.600 their sins, 00:16:54.780 --> 00:16:56.940 the secrets that they keep. 00:16:58.340 --> 00:16:59.580 There was never a time 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:00.900 that he did not know you 00:17:00.900 --> 00:17:02.040 and did not purpose 00:17:02.040 --> 00:17:04.640 to proclaim the gospel to you 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:05.960 so that you could hear 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:06.799 and respond 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:08.860 and come to faith in Jesus. 00:17:09.700 --> 00:17:10.600 He took the initiative. 00:17:12.059 --> 00:17:13.200 He made the first move. 00:17:15.900 --> 00:17:18.640 He knew that your wanderings 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:22.120 were the undoing of you. 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:23.559 And what does he do? 00:17:24.239 --> 00:17:25.379 He saves you. 00:17:26.339 --> 00:17:27.599 He makes you a citizen 00:17:27.599 --> 00:17:28.639 of the heavenly city, 00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:29.479 the new Jerusalem, 00:17:29.659 --> 00:17:29.899 heaven. 00:17:31.199 --> 00:17:32.279 Friends, this is the doctrine 00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:32.879 of election. 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:34.239 There is much more 00:17:34.239 --> 00:17:35.039 to talk about, 00:17:35.579 --> 00:17:36.879 about this doctrine, 00:17:36.959 --> 00:17:38.059 and maybe I'll end up 00:17:38.059 --> 00:17:38.739 touching on it 00:17:38.739 --> 00:17:39.839 in our midweek 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:42.039 sermon recap 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:45.500 because it really is 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:47.339 incredibly deep 00:17:47.339 --> 00:17:48.339 and big 00:17:48.339 --> 00:17:48.879 and thick. 00:17:49.420 --> 00:17:50.339 But the big takeaway 00:17:50.339 --> 00:17:51.639 is that we can be assured 00:17:51.639 --> 00:17:53.379 that God extends mercy 00:17:53.379 --> 00:17:54.920 and grace to us 00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:56.319 not because 00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:57.379 we have had 00:17:57.379 --> 00:17:58.539 a stellar week, 00:17:58.779 --> 00:18:00.180 not because we come from 00:18:00.180 --> 00:18:01.200 a great family 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:02.700 or a great people group, 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:04.240 or our parents did 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:05.039 really well 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:06.680 and we're reaping the benefits 00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:08.500 of their good living. 00:18:08.500 --> 00:18:10.339 It was only 00:18:10.339 --> 00:18:11.400 by God's good pleasure 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:12.259 that you are saved. 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:14.299 The initiative is God's. 00:18:14.380 --> 00:18:14.980 He is the one 00:18:14.980 --> 00:18:16.400 who has done it all 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:17.200 and often, 00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:18.259 in fact, 00:18:18.380 --> 00:18:19.339 in every case, 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:21.180 it is in spite 00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:22.259 of the things you've done. 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:23.940 It's because of the things 00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:24.319 you've done 00:18:24.319 --> 00:18:25.220 that he saves you 00:18:25.220 --> 00:18:26.480 because you need saving. 00:18:27.619 --> 00:18:28.880 And this is good news 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:29.720 because our salvation 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:30.579 doesn't rise 00:18:30.579 --> 00:18:31.500 and fall 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:32.400 by our own strength 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:32.839 and efforts. 00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:35.099 I am somebody 00:18:35.099 --> 00:18:36.659 who believes 00:18:36.659 --> 00:18:38.059 and then struggles 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:38.679 with belief 00:18:38.679 --> 00:18:40.859 and then struggles 00:18:40.859 --> 00:18:41.439 with belief 00:18:41.439 --> 00:18:42.699 and then struggles 00:18:42.699 --> 00:18:43.619 with belief a bit more 00:18:43.619 --> 00:18:44.519 and then sometimes 00:18:44.519 --> 00:18:45.619 the belief 00:18:45.619 --> 00:18:47.019 kind of goes up 00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:48.159 maybe two, 00:18:48.299 --> 00:18:48.439 three, 00:18:48.579 --> 00:18:49.159 four levels. 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:50.639 I'm feeling pretty good 00:18:50.639 --> 00:18:51.199 about myself 00:18:51.199 --> 00:18:52.419 and then something happens 00:18:52.419 --> 00:18:53.699 and I struggle 00:18:53.699 --> 00:18:54.220 with belief. 00:18:57.480 --> 00:18:58.759 If my salvation 00:18:58.759 --> 00:18:59.839 was tied to that, 00:19:00.619 --> 00:19:02.339 I'd be in a pitiful state. 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:04.299 It would be 00:19:04.299 --> 00:19:05.019 by the whims 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:06.399 of how I felt 00:19:06.399 --> 00:19:08.639 or how hard I tried 00:19:08.639 --> 00:19:10.259 or the way 00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:12.839 I ate the night before. 00:19:12.939 --> 00:19:13.439 I don't know. 00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:14.199 The point is 00:19:14.199 --> 00:19:15.159 it would be on me. 00:19:16.679 --> 00:19:18.000 God says something different. 00:19:19.339 --> 00:19:20.699 It is by his good pleasure 00:19:20.699 --> 00:19:21.500 and his alone 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:22.480 that he saves us 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:23.199 and this is a work, 00:19:23.319 --> 00:19:23.419 friends, 00:19:23.459 --> 00:19:24.199 of the Holy Spirit. 00:19:24.859 --> 00:19:25.699 So we see that 00:19:25.699 --> 00:19:26.439 God the Father 00:19:26.439 --> 00:19:28.779 has foreknown us 00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:30.659 in salvation 00:19:30.659 --> 00:19:31.839 and that the Holy Spirit 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:32.539 then plays 00:19:32.539 --> 00:19:33.619 this critical 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:34.460 and huge part 00:19:34.460 --> 00:19:35.259 in our salvation. 00:19:35.700 --> 00:19:36.240 The Holy Spirit 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:37.599 allows us to hear the Gospel, 00:19:38.259 --> 00:19:38.960 to see our need 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:39.460 for the Gospel, 00:19:39.579 --> 00:19:40.960 to respond to the Gospel 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:42.259 in a worthy manner 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:42.839 and grow 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:44.599 in the knowledge 00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:45.480 of the Gospel. 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:47.379 In many ways, 00:19:47.460 --> 00:19:48.139 the Holy Spirit 00:19:48.139 --> 00:19:49.180 enlivens us. 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:51.159 He gives us 00:19:51.159 --> 00:19:52.099 the very impetus 00:19:52.099 --> 00:19:53.099 to even follow 00:19:53.099 --> 00:19:53.879 the Lord 00:19:53.879 --> 00:19:54.859 and therefore 00:19:54.859 --> 00:19:55.639 the Holy Spirit 00:19:55.639 --> 00:19:57.000 transforms us. 00:19:57.000 --> 00:19:58.640 first, 00:19:58.779 --> 00:19:59.279 our identity. 00:19:59.579 --> 00:20:00.299 We no longer 00:20:00.299 --> 00:20:01.160 are we citizens 00:20:01.160 --> 00:20:01.900 of this earth. 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:02.519 We are citizens 00:20:02.519 --> 00:20:02.980 of heaven 00:20:02.980 --> 00:20:04.700 and then by his strength 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:05.720 he conforms us, 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:06.839 he changes us, 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:07.619 that we 00:20:07.619 --> 00:20:09.759 abide by 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:10.380 and obey 00:20:10.380 --> 00:20:11.140 what God 00:20:11.140 --> 00:20:12.119 has called us to. 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:15.539 Sin no longer 00:20:15.539 --> 00:20:16.079 has a hold 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:16.779 on our lives. 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:19.039 This is the doctrine 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:19.940 of sanctification. 00:20:20.380 --> 00:20:21.420 It's at work with us 00:20:21.420 --> 00:20:22.319 through the Spirit of God. 00:20:22.439 --> 00:20:22.659 Again, 00:20:23.179 --> 00:20:23.819 sanctification, 00:20:24.179 --> 00:20:24.779 big word. 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:26.539 Think about a refining fire 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:28.139 that God 00:20:28.139 --> 00:20:29.240 through the Holy Spirit 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:30.419 is burning 00:20:30.419 --> 00:20:31.460 the bad parts 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:32.000 away from us 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:32.819 so that we would be 00:20:32.819 --> 00:20:34.059 a pure silver 00:20:34.059 --> 00:20:35.019 or pure gold. 00:20:36.019 --> 00:20:36.919 Much more to talk about 00:20:36.919 --> 00:20:37.639 with sanctification. 00:20:37.859 --> 00:20:38.079 Again, 00:20:38.740 --> 00:20:40.059 that's a double click. 00:20:40.159 --> 00:20:40.740 That's a full day 00:20:40.740 --> 00:20:41.359 of double clicking 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:41.819 right there. 00:20:42.899 --> 00:20:43.500 And this work 00:20:43.500 --> 00:20:44.139 of the Holy Spirit 00:20:44.139 --> 00:20:45.039 ultimately points us 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:45.460 to Christ, 00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:46.460 the incarnate God, 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:47.720 the Son of God. 00:20:48.619 --> 00:20:48.939 So, 00:20:49.939 --> 00:20:51.159 we are foreknown 00:20:51.159 --> 00:20:52.139 by God the Father 00:20:52.140 --> 00:20:53.440 in the sanctification 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:54.220 of the Spirit 00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:55.440 for obedience 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:56.480 to Jesus Christ 00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:57.780 and for the sprinkling 00:20:57.780 --> 00:20:58.800 with His blood. 00:20:59.400 --> 00:20:59.840 And again, 00:20:59.940 --> 00:21:01.000 we see this allusion 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:01.980 back to the Old Testament 00:21:01.980 --> 00:21:02.600 and it goes back 00:21:02.600 --> 00:21:03.980 to Exodus 24 00:21:03.980 --> 00:21:05.300 and the people of Israel 00:21:05.300 --> 00:21:07.540 are before God. 00:21:07.660 --> 00:21:08.259 They have been rescued 00:21:08.259 --> 00:21:08.920 from Egypt. 00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:09.860 They have been brought 00:21:09.860 --> 00:21:10.540 through the desert. 00:21:11.160 --> 00:21:12.240 They receive the law 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:13.280 and God makes a covenant 00:21:13.280 --> 00:21:14.320 with them at Sinai, 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:15.180 this big mountain 00:21:15.180 --> 00:21:16.300 where God shows Himself 00:21:16.300 --> 00:21:17.220 strong and mighty. 00:21:19.360 --> 00:21:20.740 And there's a sacrifice. 00:21:21.339 --> 00:21:21.660 Moses, 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:22.279 who is the leader, 00:21:22.359 --> 00:21:23.380 he takes the blood 00:21:23.380 --> 00:21:24.319 that is sacrificed. 00:21:24.599 --> 00:21:25.299 Stick with me 00:21:25.299 --> 00:21:26.319 because blood 00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:26.960 and sprinkling, 00:21:27.059 --> 00:21:27.680 it sounds weird, 00:21:28.120 --> 00:21:29.039 but he takes the blood 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:30.000 and the people 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:31.079 are before him 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:32.200 and they promise 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:32.880 to obey God 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:33.980 and he sprinkles them 00:21:33.980 --> 00:21:35.039 with the blood. 00:21:36.819 --> 00:21:37.900 It's a bizarre scene 00:21:37.900 --> 00:21:38.339 for us, 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:40.480 but this is what happens 00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:42.220 in the Old Testament. 00:21:45.220 --> 00:21:46.640 The sprinkling of the blood 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:47.259 alludes back 00:21:47.259 --> 00:21:47.920 to this scene 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:50.840 and really what it connects us to 00:21:50.840 --> 00:21:52.480 is that God is, 00:21:54.300 --> 00:21:56.120 He has chosen a people 00:21:56.120 --> 00:21:56.840 of His own 00:21:56.840 --> 00:21:58.779 and He is consecrating them. 00:21:58.840 --> 00:21:59.779 He is separating them. 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:01.779 He is making them holy, 00:22:02.279 --> 00:22:03.820 not in what they do, 00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:05.360 but by their connection to Him 00:22:05.360 --> 00:22:07.480 so that they would then be 00:22:07.480 --> 00:22:09.960 obedient to the mission of God. 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:12.360 But there was a problem 00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:16.259 because the Israelites, 00:22:16.779 --> 00:22:20.079 they vowed to follow God 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:20.959 and to obey Him. 00:22:21.659 --> 00:22:22.639 If you know the story, 00:22:22.819 --> 00:22:24.339 it is time after time 00:22:24.339 --> 00:22:25.359 after time again 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:26.299 that they fail 00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:26.879 and they say, 00:22:26.959 --> 00:22:27.740 oh, we're sorry, 00:22:28.219 --> 00:22:30.859 we'll get back on the cart, 00:22:31.099 --> 00:22:32.119 we're going to keep going 00:22:32.119 --> 00:22:33.019 and obeying God 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:35.539 and then there's this progressive 00:22:35.539 --> 00:22:38.139 evil and sin 00:22:38.139 --> 00:22:39.000 and brokenness 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:40.819 that seeps into their very being. 00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:44.519 I mentioned the diaspora before. 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:45.099 Ultimately, 00:22:45.299 --> 00:22:47.119 they get dispersed. 00:22:48.539 --> 00:22:48.960 And why? 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:50.039 It's because ultimately 00:22:50.039 --> 00:22:50.659 their hearts 00:22:50.659 --> 00:22:52.159 were not transformed. 00:22:52.980 --> 00:22:54.740 That the blood of bulls and goats 00:22:54.740 --> 00:22:56.279 could not transform their hearts. 00:22:57.619 --> 00:22:59.439 But what Peter is saying here 00:22:59.439 --> 00:23:00.879 is that by the sprinkling 00:23:00.879 --> 00:23:02.599 of Jesus' blood, 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:05.079 those that have put their faith 00:23:05.079 --> 00:23:05.619 in Jesus 00:23:05.619 --> 00:23:06.980 and what He has done on the cross, 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:10.740 this is what all of those sacrifices 00:23:10.740 --> 00:23:11.460 pointed to. 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:13.460 This is the once and for all sacrifice 00:23:13.460 --> 00:23:14.940 and that God, 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:16.099 if He has sprinkled 00:23:16.099 --> 00:23:18.259 His blood upon you, 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:18.680 Jesus, 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:19.960 the Son of God, 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:20.920 you are His. 00:23:21.400 --> 00:23:22.400 You are consecrated. 00:23:23.220 --> 00:23:24.900 But He does something even greater. 00:23:25.019 --> 00:23:26.620 He gives you a new heart. 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:29.259 He transforms you 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:31.120 so that you are capable 00:23:31.120 --> 00:23:32.480 of obeying Him. 00:23:33.259 --> 00:23:34.640 He has atoned for your sins. 00:23:35.099 --> 00:23:36.319 He has consecrated you 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:37.319 as a holy people. 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:39.460 He has given you the ability, 00:23:40.099 --> 00:23:40.740 a new heart, 00:23:41.259 --> 00:23:42.679 the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, 00:23:43.139 --> 00:23:44.379 to then obey Him. 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:47.799 This is the big takeaway. 00:23:49.240 --> 00:23:50.240 Our identity 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:52.000 could only be transformed 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:53.939 by the sacrificial, 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:54.819 life-giving, 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:56.000 life-saving death 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:56.519 of Jesus 00:23:56.519 --> 00:23:57.659 upon a Roman cross 00:23:57.659 --> 00:23:59.099 so that He 00:23:59.099 --> 00:24:00.799 calls you 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:01.720 and takes you 00:24:01.720 --> 00:24:02.379 for His own. 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:04.780 It took that 00:24:04.780 --> 00:24:06.200 and nothing less than that 00:24:06.200 --> 00:24:07.900 for you to have new life, 00:24:08.380 --> 00:24:09.200 a new identity, 00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:10.480 a new citizenship 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:11.520 in the heavenly city. 00:24:13.120 --> 00:24:14.260 This is why 00:24:14.260 --> 00:24:15.360 all other forms 00:24:15.360 --> 00:24:16.220 of spirituality 00:24:16.220 --> 00:24:18.620 aren't just lesser forms 00:24:18.620 --> 00:24:19.440 of spirituality. 00:24:20.300 --> 00:24:21.800 They are false forms 00:24:21.800 --> 00:24:22.640 of spirituality. 00:24:24.340 --> 00:24:25.400 This tells us 00:24:25.400 --> 00:24:26.300 that true spirituality 00:24:26.300 --> 00:24:27.340 can only be rooted 00:24:27.340 --> 00:24:28.060 in atonement. 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:29.360 What do I mean by that? 00:24:30.600 --> 00:24:31.360 True spirituality 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:32.399 can only happen 00:24:32.399 --> 00:24:34.059 when we are connected 00:24:34.059 --> 00:24:35.199 to the only 00:24:35.199 --> 00:24:36.159 and perfect God 00:24:36.159 --> 00:24:37.919 because He has 00:24:37.919 --> 00:24:39.259 taken away 00:24:39.259 --> 00:24:40.019 our sins, 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:41.259 remembering them 00:24:41.259 --> 00:24:41.819 no more. 00:24:42.339 --> 00:24:43.159 That we are no longer 00:24:43.159 --> 00:24:43.719 called 00:24:43.719 --> 00:24:46.659 by our old names, 00:24:46.699 --> 00:24:47.319 but we are called 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:48.539 by our new names 00:24:48.539 --> 00:24:50.219 so that when God, 00:24:50.299 --> 00:24:50.979 the Father, 00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:52.619 looks at us, 00:24:52.979 --> 00:24:53.859 He doesn't see 00:24:53.859 --> 00:24:55.059 our brokenness 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:55.699 and evil 00:24:55.699 --> 00:24:56.519 and our sin 00:24:56.519 --> 00:24:58.059 and the abuse 00:24:58.059 --> 00:24:58.879 that we have 00:24:58.879 --> 00:25:00.219 leveled at people 00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:01.759 and the nasty words 00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:02.440 we have said 00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:03.200 or the gossip 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:04.799 we have engaged in, 00:25:05.860 --> 00:25:06.940 the promiscuity 00:25:06.940 --> 00:25:08.079 that we would like 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:08.640 to hide. 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:11.500 He sees Christ Himself 00:25:11.500 --> 00:25:13.880 and we can know Him 00:25:13.880 --> 00:25:16.480 in a completely honest 00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:17.539 and vulnerable way 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:20.039 and this is true spirituality. 00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:22.839 other forms of spirituality 00:25:22.839 --> 00:25:23.639 would have us 00:25:23.639 --> 00:25:25.299 try really hard 00:25:25.299 --> 00:25:26.980 to tip the scales 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:29.920 back onto the good side 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:30.980 to figure out a way 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:32.779 to erase the red ledger, 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:34.399 the red ink 00:25:34.399 --> 00:25:35.579 on the ledger. 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:37.659 It would find a way 00:25:37.659 --> 00:25:38.680 to pretend 00:25:38.680 --> 00:25:40.399 that what happened 00:25:40.399 --> 00:25:40.940 in the past 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:41.700 didn't really happen 00:25:41.700 --> 00:25:42.579 or we can excuse it 00:25:42.579 --> 00:25:43.379 or find nuance 00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:46.360 but none of that 00:25:46.360 --> 00:25:47.380 will connect us 00:25:47.380 --> 00:25:48.440 to the one true God 00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:49.320 and therefore 00:25:49.320 --> 00:25:50.000 our spirituality 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:50.860 is false. 00:25:51.040 --> 00:25:51.780 We might feel 00:25:51.780 --> 00:25:52.920 grounded, 00:25:54.340 --> 00:25:55.260 we might have 00:25:55.260 --> 00:25:56.820 excellent breathing techniques, 00:25:57.820 --> 00:25:59.000 we might be 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:00.500 feeling like we are 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:01.040 at one 00:26:01.040 --> 00:26:02.320 with the universe 00:26:02.320 --> 00:26:04.380 but all of that 00:26:04.380 --> 00:26:05.800 are just feelings, 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:07.100 that is not true spirituality. 00:26:07.760 --> 00:26:09.300 What Peter is telling us 00:26:09.300 --> 00:26:10.920 is that true spirituality 00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:12.080 can only be rooted 00:26:12.080 --> 00:26:13.779 in the atonement 00:26:13.779 --> 00:26:15.600 of our sins 00:26:15.600 --> 00:26:17.120 by the blood of Christ. 00:26:20.180 --> 00:26:20.620 Friends, 00:26:20.660 --> 00:26:21.460 this is good news 00:26:21.460 --> 00:26:23.440 and yet 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:25.259 this is our new identity, 00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:26.340 this is how we've got 00:26:26.340 --> 00:26:27.160 our new identity, 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:29.060 we are not ours, 00:26:29.140 --> 00:26:29.600 no longer, 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:30.580 we have been bought 00:26:30.580 --> 00:26:31.440 and consecrated 00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:32.180 by Christ 00:26:32.180 --> 00:26:34.220 and yet we still live 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:34.539 in Ottawa, 00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:34.980 don't we? 00:26:36.259 --> 00:26:37.340 We might be citizens 00:26:37.340 --> 00:26:38.500 of the new heavens 00:26:38.500 --> 00:26:40.580 but we live here 00:26:40.579 --> 00:26:42.359 we're paying rent, 00:26:42.460 --> 00:26:43.679 we're paying property tax, 00:26:44.379 --> 00:26:47.159 we're getting nabbed 00:26:47.159 --> 00:26:48.939 at the speed trap 00:26:48.939 --> 00:26:50.639 on Shea Road 00:26:50.639 --> 00:26:51.699 all too often. 00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:52.699 We are living 00:26:52.699 --> 00:26:53.339 in Ottawa. 00:26:54.740 --> 00:26:55.299 So, 00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:56.559 how do we live faithfully? 00:26:58.220 --> 00:26:59.139 This is 00:26:59.139 --> 00:27:00.099 at the very end 00:27:00.099 --> 00:27:00.960 of verse 2. 00:27:01.720 --> 00:27:02.480 This is what it says. 00:27:02.639 --> 00:27:02.980 By the way, 00:27:03.019 --> 00:27:04.319 that's me getting nabbed 00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:05.439 at the speed trap 00:27:05.439 --> 00:27:06.139 on Shea. 00:27:07.919 --> 00:27:08.439 Yeah, 00:27:08.639 --> 00:27:10.199 it's a problem. 00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:14.119 This is what it says. 00:27:14.179 --> 00:27:14.899 How are we to live? 00:27:16.579 --> 00:27:17.359 May grace and peace 00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:18.299 be multiplied to you. 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:20.339 It seems simple, 00:27:20.500 --> 00:27:21.119 it seems like 00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:22.639 it's the Christian thing 00:27:22.639 --> 00:27:23.299 to say 00:27:23.299 --> 00:27:24.859 at the end of a greeting, 00:27:24.980 --> 00:27:25.819 that's what Peter is saying. 00:27:27.079 --> 00:27:27.819 But no, 00:27:28.899 --> 00:27:29.819 this is, 00:27:29.939 --> 00:27:30.859 may grace and peace 00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:31.839 be multiplied to you, 00:27:31.960 --> 00:27:33.220 this is the entirety 00:27:33.220 --> 00:27:34.579 of 1 Peter 00:27:34.579 --> 00:27:38.220 concentrated 00:27:38.220 --> 00:27:39.299 down to, 00:27:39.360 --> 00:27:40.380 to one sentence. 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:46.660 When I was a kid, 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:48.640 we did a mission trip. 00:27:48.839 --> 00:27:50.039 Our church was connected 00:27:50.039 --> 00:27:51.079 to this other church 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:51.880 in Belfast 00:27:51.880 --> 00:27:53.360 and Belfast 00:27:53.360 --> 00:27:53.860 has some really, 00:27:54.019 --> 00:27:54.620 really poor neighborhoods 00:27:54.620 --> 00:27:55.700 and we got to run a VBS 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:56.480 and stuff like that. 00:27:56.539 --> 00:27:56.759 Anyways, 00:27:56.799 --> 00:27:57.299 we got there. 00:27:57.299 --> 00:27:58.579 I grew up 00:27:58.579 --> 00:28:01.539 just chugging juice 00:28:01.539 --> 00:28:01.899 a lot 00:28:01.899 --> 00:28:02.960 and we would buy it 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:04.359 by the dozen 00:28:04.359 --> 00:28:05.659 in the frozen cans 00:28:05.659 --> 00:28:08.019 and we'd pour the frozen can 00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:08.819 and you'd mix it up. 00:28:08.879 --> 00:28:09.559 You guys know what's up 00:28:09.559 --> 00:28:10.220 with the frozen can. 00:28:10.859 --> 00:28:11.079 Well, 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:12.559 in Belfast, 00:28:12.619 --> 00:28:13.480 they just have a container 00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:14.559 that looks like juice 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:16.039 but it is concentrate 00:28:16.039 --> 00:28:18.559 and you just pour a little bit in 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:19.440 and you pour your water 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:20.099 and you have juice. 00:28:20.399 --> 00:28:21.839 It's actually a lot easier 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:23.839 than cans of frozen juice. 00:28:24.359 --> 00:28:25.299 But when I got there, 00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:26.759 I'm used to chugging juice 00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:28.059 and I go out 00:28:28.059 --> 00:28:29.480 and buy a thing of concentrate. 00:28:29.579 --> 00:28:30.559 I just drink the whole thing. 00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:31.519 I'm just like, 00:28:31.559 --> 00:28:31.680 man, 00:28:31.720 --> 00:28:32.859 they have really sweet drinks 00:28:32.859 --> 00:28:35.339 here in the UK. 00:28:35.559 --> 00:28:36.139 I had no idea 00:28:36.139 --> 00:28:37.379 what was happening 00:28:37.379 --> 00:28:38.200 until this lady 00:28:38.200 --> 00:28:40.599 had a laugh at my expense. 00:28:43.460 --> 00:28:45.940 That's just a stupid story 00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:47.259 just to say that 00:28:47.259 --> 00:28:49.720 all of 1 Peter 00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:51.440 and really all of the Christian faith 00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:53.180 is concentrated, 00:28:53.779 --> 00:28:54.339 concentrated 00:28:54.339 --> 00:28:56.139 into this one sentence. 00:28:56.299 --> 00:28:57.259 May grace and peace 00:28:57.259 --> 00:28:58.240 be multiplied to you. 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:00.699 It can be expanded. 00:29:01.179 --> 00:29:02.259 It can be stretched out. 00:29:03.099 --> 00:29:04.039 It can be explored. 00:29:04.179 --> 00:29:05.119 We can spend 00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:06.599 the rest of our life 00:29:06.599 --> 00:29:08.899 exploring what grace is 00:29:08.899 --> 00:29:09.919 and what peace is 00:29:09.919 --> 00:29:10.539 and what it means 00:29:10.539 --> 00:29:12.359 that God is multiplying it 00:29:12.359 --> 00:29:13.299 and what it means 00:29:13.299 --> 00:29:14.279 that he is giving it 00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:15.019 and what it means 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:16.720 for it to be given to us. 00:29:18.379 --> 00:29:20.220 But this is it. 00:29:20.220 --> 00:29:21.600 This is what it means 00:29:21.600 --> 00:29:24.299 to be a Christian, 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:25.259 that grace and peace 00:29:25.259 --> 00:29:26.200 will be multiplied to you 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:27.460 and this is how we are to live 00:29:27.460 --> 00:29:28.319 in Ottawa 00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:29.460 here in 2024. 00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:31.660 We are to live 00:29:31.660 --> 00:29:32.420 with the assurance 00:29:32.420 --> 00:29:33.860 that God will grant us 00:29:33.860 --> 00:29:34.759 grace and peace 00:29:34.759 --> 00:29:36.440 without measure. 00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:38.900 Grace to grow in holiness 00:29:38.900 --> 00:29:39.640 and obedience. 00:29:40.299 --> 00:29:42.039 Grace also to ask for forgiveness 00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:43.779 and know that we are receiving it. 00:29:43.779 --> 00:29:46.899 peace when we feel the pain 00:29:46.899 --> 00:29:48.240 of that holiness 00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:49.079 and obedience 00:29:49.079 --> 00:29:51.559 as it grinds up 00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:53.099 against the cultural moment 00:29:53.099 --> 00:29:53.680 of our day. 00:29:55.899 --> 00:29:57.660 The whole of the Christian life 00:29:57.660 --> 00:29:58.579 is grace and peace. 00:29:59.460 --> 00:30:00.559 It is a mark of those 00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:02.019 who enjoy divine blessing 00:30:02.019 --> 00:30:02.599 and goodness, 00:30:03.059 --> 00:30:04.460 who are sojourners, 00:30:04.940 --> 00:30:06.460 who are resident aliens, 00:30:06.700 --> 00:30:08.639 who have citizenship in heaven, 00:30:08.639 --> 00:30:10.779 yet they live here on earth. 00:30:10.779 --> 00:30:13.779 grace and peace 00:30:13.779 --> 00:30:15.599 in abundance. 00:30:17.579 --> 00:30:18.480 Like I mentioned 00:30:18.480 --> 00:30:18.920 at the beginning 00:30:18.920 --> 00:30:20.579 that this letter 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:21.079 was written 00:30:21.079 --> 00:30:22.119 in the time of Nero. 00:30:23.819 --> 00:30:24.420 Nero, 00:30:24.799 --> 00:30:25.879 wherever you fall 00:30:25.879 --> 00:30:27.259 politically, 00:30:28.099 --> 00:30:31.440 no politician 00:30:31.440 --> 00:30:32.759 that Canada has ever had 00:30:32.759 --> 00:30:34.599 hasn't held a candle 00:30:34.599 --> 00:30:35.480 to Nero, okay? 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:36.859 You might not like 00:30:36.859 --> 00:30:37.500 him or her, 00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:38.579 but they're not Nero. 00:30:40.779 --> 00:30:42.420 It was a very tumultuous time 00:30:42.420 --> 00:30:43.180 in the first century. 00:30:44.259 --> 00:30:45.119 In some ways, 00:30:45.819 --> 00:30:46.980 more difficult 00:30:46.980 --> 00:30:47.779 than it is now, 00:30:47.859 --> 00:30:48.579 although now 00:30:48.579 --> 00:30:49.920 it might be more difficult 00:30:49.920 --> 00:30:50.619 than it was then. 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:51.220 Either way, 00:30:52.519 --> 00:30:53.759 it's always been difficult 00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:54.839 to be a Christian. 00:30:56.039 --> 00:30:56.399 And yet, 00:30:56.539 --> 00:30:57.180 the message 00:30:57.180 --> 00:31:00.420 that Peter gives us 00:31:00.420 --> 00:31:01.899 is the same then 00:31:01.899 --> 00:31:02.700 as it is now. 00:31:02.859 --> 00:31:04.119 It is grace and peace 00:31:04.119 --> 00:31:05.200 be multiplied to you. 00:31:06.700 --> 00:31:07.940 This will be the strength, 00:31:08.119 --> 00:31:08.339 friends, 00:31:08.339 --> 00:31:09.459 that you need 00:31:09.459 --> 00:31:10.359 to endure hardship 00:31:10.359 --> 00:31:11.019 and suffering. 00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:12.519 And hardship and suffering 00:31:12.519 --> 00:31:13.039 will come 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:14.439 if you are being faithful 00:31:14.439 --> 00:31:14.939 to Christ. 00:31:15.659 --> 00:31:16.159 This letter 00:31:16.159 --> 00:31:17.459 has strengthened Christians 00:31:17.459 --> 00:31:18.359 throughout the centuries 00:31:18.359 --> 00:31:19.899 to suffer well 00:31:19.899 --> 00:31:21.259 and in doing so 00:31:21.259 --> 00:31:22.039 proclaim the hope 00:31:22.039 --> 00:31:22.699 of salvation 00:31:22.699 --> 00:31:23.819 and eternal blessing. 00:31:24.819 --> 00:31:25.199 How? 00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:27.379 Because we imitate 00:31:27.379 --> 00:31:28.539 Christ 00:31:28.539 --> 00:31:30.099 who himself 00:31:30.099 --> 00:31:31.240 suffered perfectly. 00:31:32.099 --> 00:31:32.500 In fact, 00:31:32.539 --> 00:31:33.659 he suffered so perfectly 00:31:33.659 --> 00:31:36.159 that he exposed 00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:37.320 and destroyed evil, 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:37.680 sin, 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:38.040 and death 00:31:38.040 --> 00:31:38.860 through his suffering. 00:31:39.340 --> 00:31:40.400 He turned it all 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:41.100 on its head. 00:31:43.420 --> 00:31:44.420 The resurrection 00:31:44.420 --> 00:31:46.080 was this huge 00:31:46.080 --> 00:31:47.380 declaration to the world 00:31:47.380 --> 00:31:48.700 that no longer 00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:49.740 will evil prevail. 00:31:50.140 --> 00:31:51.440 No longer will sin 00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:52.680 win the day. 00:31:53.380 --> 00:31:54.720 No longer will our flesh 00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:56.560 be masters over us. 00:31:58.340 --> 00:31:59.180 And he says 00:31:59.180 --> 00:32:00.820 that we who are in him 00:32:00.820 --> 00:32:02.740 get to partake in that. 00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:05.480 We are now his. 00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:07.400 We are now holy. 00:32:07.940 --> 00:32:08.900 We are now citizens 00:32:08.900 --> 00:32:09.539 of heaven. 00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:11.920 And over the next few weeks 00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:13.019 let us learn together 00:32:13.019 --> 00:32:16.099 about what it looks like 00:32:16.099 --> 00:32:17.640 to live as people 00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:19.599 that are enjoying 00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:20.620 and needing 00:32:20.620 --> 00:32:22.140 and receiving 00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:23.680 grace and peace abounding. 00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:24.839 Let's pray. 00:32:27.160 --> 00:32:28.039 Father in heaven, 00:32:28.120 --> 00:32:28.599 we thank you 00:32:28.599 --> 00:32:29.779 for the great wisdom 00:32:29.779 --> 00:32:31.799 of your word. 00:32:31.799 --> 00:32:31.839 Lord, 00:32:32.399 --> 00:32:33.079 we thank you 00:32:33.079 --> 00:32:33.819 for the Holy Spirit 00:32:33.819 --> 00:32:35.759 that spoke through 00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:37.000 the Apostle Peter. 00:32:38.339 --> 00:32:38.680 Lord, 00:32:39.079 --> 00:32:41.359 our time is much different 00:32:41.359 --> 00:32:41.919 than it was 00:32:41.919 --> 00:32:42.639 in the first century. 00:32:43.480 --> 00:32:43.980 And yet, 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:45.579 we are still 00:32:45.579 --> 00:32:47.019 feeling the tension 00:32:47.019 --> 00:32:48.299 of what it means 00:32:48.299 --> 00:32:49.500 to participate 00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:51.240 in the world, 00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:52.000 the city, 00:32:52.599 --> 00:32:53.619 the neighborhoods, 00:32:54.039 --> 00:32:54.879 the workplaces 00:32:54.879 --> 00:32:56.240 that we live in 00:32:56.240 --> 00:32:58.759 and not be 00:32:58.759 --> 00:33:01.059 on the flip side 00:33:01.059 --> 00:33:02.039 assimilated to it. 00:33:02.779 --> 00:33:03.160 Lord, 00:33:03.220 --> 00:33:03.859 we need your help. 00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:05.099 We need your strength. 00:33:05.579 --> 00:33:06.200 We want to grow 00:33:06.200 --> 00:33:06.740 in holiness. 00:33:07.380 --> 00:33:08.180 We want to proclaim 00:33:08.180 --> 00:33:08.859 your goodness 00:33:08.859 --> 00:33:10.000 and your gospel. 00:33:10.960 --> 00:33:11.620 And Lord, 00:33:11.660 --> 00:33:12.480 we just need your help. 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:13.539 So Lord, 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:14.059 this week 00:33:14.059 --> 00:33:15.220 and for the weeks 00:33:15.220 --> 00:33:15.680 to come, 00:33:16.539 --> 00:33:16.759 Lord, 00:33:16.839 --> 00:33:17.759 may grace and peace 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:18.720 abound to us. 00:33:19.720 --> 00:33:20.299 May we be 00:33:20.299 --> 00:33:21.519 ever asking that. 00:33:22.220 --> 00:33:22.740 May those 00:33:22.740 --> 00:33:25.119 two things 00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:27.139 be the things 00:33:27.139 --> 00:33:28.000 that we pray about 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:29.079 day in and day out. 00:33:29.879 --> 00:33:30.579 And that trust 00:33:30.579 --> 00:33:31.279 that by faith 00:33:31.279 --> 00:33:32.019 we will receive 00:33:32.019 --> 00:33:32.539 because you are 00:33:32.539 --> 00:33:33.099 willing to give. 00:33:34.099 --> 00:33:34.660 We pray this 00:33:34.660 --> 00:33:35.259 in Christ's name. 00:33:35.940 --> 00:33:36.200 Amen.