Let's turn again tonight to 1
Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1. Peter, an apostle
of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Elect, according to
the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification
of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ, grace unto you, and peace be multiplied. Last Sunday, evening, we looked
at a very brief history of the author of this epistle, that
is, the Apostle Peter. You know, we know that the scriptures
have what is called a dual authorship. That is, man wrote the Bible,
but God wrote the Bible. God used Peter in writing these
words that we're looking at in this letter that we are going
to be looking at for the next several evenings. First, those
to whom the letter was originally written. They are identified
here in two ways. First, their outward condition. To the strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. There were strangers scattered
throughout Asia Minor. Some of the writers are convinced
that the Apostle Peter wrote especially to converted Jews,
that this letter was written to Jewish believers at first. They were often called men of
the dispersion. And there were several times
in the history of the nation of Israel when they were led
out of their land into other countries. We know that in the
Old Testament, the 10 tribes at first, they were taken out
of the land of Palestine. And they never returned. They
were gone. They individually returned, but
As a tribe, they never returned and rejoined to the two tribes,
that is of Judah and Benjamin. And then we know that Nebuchadnezzar,
he took the two tribes away because of their rebellion. They were
dispersed into Babylon. And then between the Testaments,
there was a dispersion of the Jews as well during the time
of the Maccabees. But as I said, most of the writers
believe that these words, this epistle was written to converted
Jews. But if you look over to chapter
four, and there's other places we could look, but when you read
through the epistle, it seems odd that Peter would use these
words to Jewish believers. In chapter four and verse three,
he said, for the time past of our life may suffice us to have
wrought the will of the Gentiles. When we walked in lasciviousness,
lust, excessive wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries. That doesn't sound like the nation
of Israel, does it? Idolatries. I know there's different
kinds of idolatry, but when the nation of Israel, when they came
back from the Babylonian captivity, they never as a nation worshiped
idols again. They were guilty of idolatry,
and that was why God punished them and took them out of the
land. But these to whom the apostle is writing here were involved
in what he calls abominable idolatries. wherein they think it strange
that you run not with them to the same excessive right, speaking
evil of you. So, I believe, after reading
several other men, I believe it's best for us to understand
that Peter wrote this first epistle to converted Jews and Gentiles,
not just to the Jews exclusively. But I do want to point out, I
said their condition their outward condition, they were strangers
scattered throughout Asia Minor. And that's the condition of God's
people tonight. God's people, God's sheep, God's
elect, they're scattered throughout the world. God has his people
everywhere. But I want to call our attention
to three places that he names here, that is Pontus, Galatia,
and Bithynia. He's writing to those in Pontus,
Galatia, and Bithynia. Now, I've chosen these three
places because the first one, Pontus, if you look back in Acts
chapter two, on the day of Pentecost, in Acts chapter two, we know
that it was the Feast of Pentecost, and there was Jews from all parts
of the world gathered in Jerusalem. And we read here in chapter 2
and verse 8, And how hear we every man, this
is what the people who were there in Jerusalem said, because they
were hearing the apostles speak in their language. We know that
when God the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were given the
gift of what the scriptures calls tongues, and I don't know why
the translators ever translated that tongues. The word is clearly
languages. You know, that has allowed people
to run in every direction talking about tongues. No, they were
languages, languages that could be understood, languages that
people spoke. And there was people gathered
here in Jerusalem on that day out of every nation that is listed
here. They were Jews, no doubt, or
Jewish proselytes. They had come to Jerusalem for
the Feast of Tabernacles. And the men, the apostles, began
to speak, and these men could understand. And they said in
verse 8, how hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we
were born? Parthenians and Medes and Elamites
and dwellers in Mesopotamia and in Judea and Cappadocia, here
it is, and Pontus. Peter's writing to strangers
scattered abroad and one of the places that he's writing to are
believers in Pontus. And isn't it possible that some
of those who were saved that day on the day of Pentecost,
there was 3,000 of them that God saved, and they took the
gospel back. They took the gospel to Pontus,
that region, and there was a church there. And then the second place
that I noticed, I call our attention to, is Galatia. Look back in
our text, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia. Now we have an official
in our New Testament called Galatians. And that was the letter that
the apostle Paul was inspired to write to the churches, not
to the church, but to the churches of Galatia. There were churches
scattered out. And the Apostle Peter is now
writing to them. And the thing about it is that
was a Gentile church, the churches of Galatia. That was a whole
argument, wasn't it, in the epistle of Galatians that these Jews
had come and they were teaching them that you've got to be circumcised,
you've got to become a Jew in all practicality, you've got
to take on Judaism to be saved. Yes, you've believed in Christ
and that's fine and good, but now you've got to become a Jew
and practice all the rites that God had commanded the nation
of Israel. And the apostle Paul writes that
letter showing it's not by works of any kind that a person is
saved, but rather by the grace of God. And he accused them of
preaching another gospel, didn't he? Those who came added to. You see, if you just add unto
the work of Christ, it's another gospel. It's another gospel. It's not the gospel of Jesus
Christ. If you subtract from it, or if
you add to it, it changes the message. And Paul said, let a
man be accursed. Anyone who would come and preach
a different message than you've heard me preach, that gospel
that he preached, he said, I received from the Lord. Now the third
place that's mentioned here is Bithynia, here in our text, Bithynia. Look back with me to the book
of Acts, chapter 16. In Acts chapter 16 and verse
7, now Luke, we believe, is the author of the book of Acts, and
he was a companion, travel companion of the apostle Paul. And here
in verse 7, he says, after they were come to Mysia, they have
said to go into Bithynia. In other words, Paul, felt led,
Paul and Barnabas, no doubt, and Luke, they assayed to go
into Bithynia, the same place that Peter is now mentioning
that he's writing to believers there. They assayed to go into
Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them not. The Spirit said, no,
no. God had another place for them
to go, didn't he? So it's a matter that's not revealed
unto us, but the truth is revealed. We don't know who took the gospel
to the Bithynians, but someone did. And that just reminds us
that God has his people scattered all over this world, those whom
he's chosen, those whom Christ has redeemed, and those who he's
going to cross their paths with the gospel. There's going to
come a day when he is going to send the gospel that they might
hear and be saved. His people are scattered all
over the world, just as we read in Revelation chapter five and
verse nine, when praise in heaven was given to the Lamb of God,
declaring, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the
seals thereof, for thou was slain, and has redeemed us to God by
thy blood out of. This is another text that clearly
shows us that Christ died for his people. He did not shed his
blood for every single solitary man, woman, boy, and girl. These
people are praising God that he has, that Christ, the Lamb
of God had redeemed them out of. out of every kindred and
tongue, every language and people and nation, and has made us unto
God kings and priests, and we shall reign on earth. So these
people to whom this letter was originally written, they're described
first by their outward condition. They're scattered, strangers
scattered throughout Asia Minor. Now, this is not what the Apostle
Peter is dealing with by using that terminology, but he does
present us a truth that God's people are strangers in this
world. We're in this world, but we're not of the world. We're
strangers. We're pilgrims. We're just passing
through. And it would behoove all of us
to always keep that in mind. And not to drive our stakes,
as they say. You know, you put up a tent,
you drive those stakes down in the ground to hold it, to keep
it upright. Not to drive our stakes too deep in this world,
because we're not going to be here that long. We're just passing
through. We're strangers and pilgrims
on our way to heaven. Now that's the outward condition,
but look at their gracious condition. They're described by their gracious
condition. They are elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the
Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Salvation is by grace. It's by grace through faith,
the Apostle Paul writes. Men are saved by the grace of
God. And when I say that, I'm talking
about the grace of God that is each person in the Trinity. The grace of God the Father,
the grace of God the Son, and the grace of God the Holy Spirit. They are one. The grace of God
that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men. Usually, the three persons in
the Trinity, there's a certain portion of the work of salvation
ascribed to each one of these persons. To the Father, normally,
election is said to be the Father's work. We see that here. Elect according
to the foreknowledge of God, Now, that's not to exclude the
Son or the Holy Spirit, of course, because they are one, their purpose
is one, their will is one. But usually, in the Word of God,
that particular work of salvation, that is, divine sovereign election,
is ascribed to the Father. You're all familiar with this
verse we quote quite often here in Hebrews chapter one, not Hebrews,
Ephesians chapter one, when the apostle says, blessed, blessed
be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. And here's the first spiritual
blessing. According as he hath chosen us. Who? The Father. According as the Father hath
chosen us in him, in Christ, before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him
in love. Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to
the good pleasure of his will. The work of the Spirit, as we
see in our text here tonight, elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father and through the sanctification of the Holy
Spirit. That is the work, the setting
apart, the calling out, is usually ascribed to God the Holy Spirit. We might say that salvation was
planned by the Father, purchased by the Son, applied by God the
Holy Spirit. And the work of the Son is the
work of justification. Now, let's look at these three
truths here. First of all, elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father. What is this foreknowledge
of God the Father? What is it? Well, plain and simple,
it is God's eternal love. That's what it is. It's God's
eternal love. It is God's decree of election,
chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world. This foreknowledge of God relates
to his chosen. And it's, I point this out, it's
foreknowledge of persons. You know, there are those who
deny the doctrine of election, those who, for some reason, they
just have a problem with it. And you know, as you think about
it, most people that call themselves Christians, they're not really
against election. but they are against who does
the electing. Who's responsible for this election? If it's man, if man is the one
who ultimately does the electing, that's fine and good. But no,
don't tell me it's the father, it's God. But that's exactly
what the scriptures teach. And that's the reason with this
text, the way it's translated, is so easy for, and I have to
believe some people know better. I really do. They know better. But when they are asked this
question, what about this subject of election? Oh, well that's
God foreknowing what man would do. And God based his election
on his foreknowledge of what man would do. Oh no, that's not
true at all. If that were true, then God would
be taking credit for something He didn't do. No, God chose His
people. The Father chose His people. It's very clear in the Word of
God. If we'll just bow to it, You
know, that's one reason I believe that you say, why, why do you
preach on the sovereignty of God? Because it's the truth and
because it's revealed in the word of God and because God uses
this truth to humble his people and calling them out of darkness
and bringing us down from our high, high hearts. into the dust
before God and realize that salvation is by grace, that he hath mercy
upon whom he will have mercy. We're in his hands. And so many
people act and talk as if God were in our hands. What will
you do with Christ? That's not the question. What
will he do with you? What will he do with me? He has
a sovereign right to do whatsoever pleases Him. We're His creatures
and we've sinned against Him. No, this foreknowledge is God's
eternal love. And that's a subject that when,
if you're like me, you think about it sometimes and you just
finally come to the place, you just have to give up. How could
God have always loved me? How? There's no beginning. How? His love is eternal. Yea, I have loved thee, he said,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love. How is that possible? But it's
revealed, isn't it? We don't have to understand it,
but I sure believe it, because that's what I'm taught in the
word of God. For knowledge of God relates
to his chosen people, his eternal love. And the apostle Paul put
it like this, for whom, not for what, not for what he foreknew,
what man would do and what man would not do, no, for whom he
foreknew, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. You look up the word predestinate,
predestination, predestinated in the New Testament, And if
you can find fault with what we're predestinated to be, God
have mercy upon you. God pity you. That's all I've
got to say. For whom he did foreknow, he
did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. Nothing
wrong with that, is there? One day to be conformed to the
image of Jesus Christ, to be like him. That's what we want. That's what we desire. Then we see here the second thing,
through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience. Now, sanctification
here means separation or setting apart. We also, in that word
tulip, you know, people have used that word. That's an acronym,
isn't it? An acronym, T stands for something,
U stands for something, L stands for something, I stands for something,
P stands for something. The doctrines of grace are sometimes
referred to as TULIP. Oh, you believe in TULIP? Yeah,
I have to admit, I do. Haven't always. When I first
heard it, it didn't sound good to me. God has to do a work of
grace in our hearts, doesn't He, till we bow to His sovereignty. But the I in TULIP, irresistible
grace, we also refer to that to God's effectual call. And
that's what this is here, sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience. It's an internal work of God
the Holy Spirit. When we come into this world,
all men by nature, I don't care where you're born, what time,
what country, we're all born with an understanding that is
a mind that is darkened. That's the way the scripture
refers to it. It is darkened. The lights have
been turned out. Now a person may know a lot about
a lot of things. He may be super intelligent.
in the things of this world, but spiritually his mind is darkened. It's darkened. And God the Holy Spirit must
shine into our hearts and our hearts to enlighten it. Remember
the heart refers to the mind that is the understanding, the
affections and the will. And God the Holy Spirit, this
sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience shines in our
heart. And we begin to see things as
they are presented in the Word of God, the truth of the Word
of God. We see that we are guilty. We're
guilty of sin. And that we are in ourselves
unable to remedy our situation. We may try. In fact, usually
we do when God begins to work in the heart of His people. People
try all kinds of things. They get baptized, they join
the church, they turn over a new leaf, do a number of things,
but that doesn't remedy the problem. They need a new heart. opens up our heart and the light
comes in, we see that by nature we are sinful creatures and we
cannot make ourselves right with God. But that same light reveals
to us, it shines in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, in the person of Jesus
Christ. And we come to see that He, and
He alone is Absolutely what we need. The perfect mediator between
God and us because He is God and He is man. And He gave His
life as a ransom for sinners because He loves sinners. Because
He's merciful to all who seek Him. And by the grace of God,
we come to the obedience of faith. This is what the apostle writes
here, through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience. And that obedience is to believing,
to believing in Christ, trusting in him. We obey his command,
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. In Romans chapter 6, the Apostle
Paul put it like this, but God be thanked that you were the
servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form
of doctrine which was delivered unto you. And that form of doctrine
is the gospel, of course. And we believe from the heart,
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness. The third
thing is the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. This sprinkling of Christ's blood
by the Holy Spirit is first inward, inward, and we're cleansed, we're
pardoned, and we're justified. Look at that in 1 Corinthians,
just a moment. 1 Corinthians chapter six. I want us to look especially
at verse 11, but let me begin in verse nine. Know you not that
the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived,
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,
nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit
the kingdom of God. And such were, Some of you, not
all of them, and probably none of them was guilty of all of
those things, but makes no difference. They were all sinners in the
church at Carnton. The same thing is true here in
the church at Lincolnwood. Such were some of you. But, thank God, He didn't leave us
that way. You're washed, you're sanctified,
you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and the Spirit
and by the Spirit of our God. Arthur Pink wrote about this
sprinkling. It is inward, as I said, the
Holy Spirit does that work. in us, but he was of the opinion,
and I agree, that the sprinkling of blood must also be by faith,
by faith. It is the faith of the believer. The believer is moved by faith
to rest upon Jesus Christ, to rest upon his work, his finished
work, as all our salvation. Now here's the second part. I'll
be very brief. The apostles desire for these. I don't think he just added this
in as, you know, we write a letter and sometimes we just have a
certain salutation we put in there, dear friends, and so forth
and so on. No, I believe the apostle meant
this when he said, grace, grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Multiplied grace is what he said
was true of them, means that they were recipients of God's
grace. In other words, to multiply grace
to someone means he's already received grace, right, for it
to be multiplied. They had already received the
grace of God, they'd been saved by the grace of God, but Paul
desires, wishes that this grace be multiplied unto them. Everything
about their salvation was of grace. We spoke of the Father's
election, grace. We spoke of the Spirit's sanctification,
grace. We speak of the Son's redeeming
shedding of His blood, grace, grace. The Apostle Paul was able
to write in 1 Corinthians by the grace of God. And every child
of God here tonight, we can say the same thing. By the grace
of God, I am what I am. If it were not for His grace.
In a message preached by Charles Spurgeon, he said, and he was
preaching, I'm sure, to a group in his congregation, should any
here supposing themselves to be the children of God, imagine
there is Some reason in them why they should have been chosen.
Let them know that as yet they are in the dark concerning the
first principles of grace and have not yet learned the gospel. Anyone who thinks, well, God
chose me because of who I am. God chose me because I'm such
a good, no. If you can see any reason why
God would choose you, I can see a thousand reasons why he wouldn't
choose me. Can't you? I can't see any why
he would. No. The reason is in him, in
his grace. And multiplied peace. You know,
among the Jews, when they wished a person peace, that just covered
everything. That covered all the bases. Shalom! Peace be unto you. That meant
prosperity, that meant good health, that meant all good. And that's
what Peter desires for these believers that he was writing
to. May the grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Let us sing a hymn, Bill.