All right, go with me. If you
would back to first Peter chapter one, this first epistle or letter,
that's what epistle means. Peter wrote it and it's called
in the title, a general epistle. And what that means is it's not
written to any one person in particular. But verse 1 tells us that it
is written to a particular people. It's not written to any one person
in particular like when Paul wrote his letter to Timothy or
his letter to Titus or his letter to Philemon. And it's not written
to any group of people in particular, like when he wrote his epistle
to the Romans or the Corinthians or the Galatians. But this epistle
is written to a particular people. Verse one says, Peter, an apostle
of Jesus Christ to the strangers. It's to the strangers. That's
who this word is written to. It's to the strangers. Now he
tells us in chapter five, why he wrote this letter to the strangers.
Look with me at first Peter five verse 12. It says by Sylvanus, also known
as Silas, Paul's travel companion, Silas, by Silvanus, a faithful
brother unto you, as I suppose I have written briefly exhorting
and testifying. I wrote this short letter to
exhort and testify that this is the true grace of God wherein
you stand. He said, I wrote this to confirm
to you that you believe the truth. That's the reason I'm writing
this. If you're standing on this, you're
standing on the true grace of God. Now, back in our text in
chapter one, he said, I'm writing to the strangers. Who are the
strangers? Who are they strangers to? And
what does he have to say about them? Who are they? And who are
they strangers to? And what does he have to say
about them? And that's the title of the message to the strangers.
All right. This is to the strangers. First look with me at Hebrews
11. Hebrews 11 verse 13 says, these all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off
and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that
they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. These strangers
that Peter is writing to, they are men and women who die in
faith. They leave this earth in the
faith, in the faith of looking to Christ. They're believers.
Those who are persuaded of, and they confess the promises that
God has given in his word. They're persuaded of them. They
believe them. God gave promises in his word through his son. And these people believe them.
God said, you don't have to do anything. It's all through my
son. And these particular people don't say, well, I think I better
add something just in case. They just believe him. They just
embrace what God said. And they confess, I'm persuaded
that he's telling the truth. I'm just going to stand on that
right there. Well, why call them strangers? Who are they strangers
to? Look with me at first John chapter
three. 1 John 3 verse 1 says, Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God? Therefore the world knoweth
us not, because it knew him not. The world knoweth us not. Now, let me ask this question
and let's really think about it. Are we okay with that? Are you okay with that? Is it okay for the world to not
know you as long as Christ does? Is it okay for everyone and everything
to say, I don't know you, I don't support you. I don't want to have anything to
do with you. Is it okay for the entire world to say that as long
as God Almighty says, before I formed you in the belly, I
know you, I support you. I want to have
something to do with you. The Lord's people are strangers
to this world, but thank God they're not strangers to him.
I mean, they're strangers. They're strangers in a world
of people. They don't fit in. They don't belong. They don't
even want to. Total strangers, but not to God.
That's such a blessing. That is such a blessing. Back
in first Peter one, he said in verse one, Peter, an apostle
of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered. They're all scattered. They're
not clumped together yet. We just saying when I get there,
I'm going to shout with the millions on high. They're all going to
be clumped together right now. They are scattered. It's because
of persecution. Persecution scattered God's people
all over the world. Persecution from the world for
being strangers. Let me show you something over
in John 15. Look with me at John chapter
15. John 15 verse 17. These things I command you that
you love one another. He's talking to all the strangers.
Strangers ought to love each other. Uh, we're all we have. We're all each other has here
on this earth, tangibly speaking. So he said in verse 17, these
things I command you that you love one another. If the world
hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you
were of the world, the world would love his own. But because
you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I
said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If
they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they
have kept my saying, They will keep yours also, but all these
things will they do unto you for my name's sake. It's because of my name's sake,
because they know not him that sent me. They're going to do
it to you because they don't know him that sent me. They don't,
they've never seen him. It hasn't been revealed to them,
but it's been revealed to you. Our Lord said in verse 19, he
said, my people are not of this world. And he said, I've chosen
them out of the world. And that's what Peter is repeating
in our text. Go back over to first Peter one. Verse one says, Peter, an apostle
of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered. throughout Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Now, don't you love
the humility that God puts in his people? We mentioned this
sometimes when we begin an epistle, but God's people, all of them,
when they see God as he is, and when they see themselves for
what they are, It strikes a great deal of humility in God's people. They are humble, humble people. And Peter did not arrogantly
write, the Apostle Peter says to you. Paul never called himself
the Apostle Paul. He said, Peter, the delegated
messenger. That's what apostle means. The
called servant. Just the called servant. Peter
cried the same thing that all of God's people cry, and it's
this, I must decrease. He must increase. He must. He said, Peter, a servant of
Jesus Christ. That's what he's saying when
he says an apostle. A servant of Jesus Christ. To the strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, Kingsport, Buck
Mountain, Pikeville, Crossville, College Grove, Lexington, Ashland,
Madisonville, Louisville, Danville, Orlando, Fairmont, North Carolina,
Iowa, Texas, Louisiana, California, Oregon, New Jersey, Michigan,
wherever God's saints are, Mexico, all the saints. all the dear
saints, every location where there is one of God's scattered
strangers. All of those places have some
scattered strangers, some precious scattered strangers. Verse two,
Peter called them elect. Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God. This is what God's word has to
say about his strangers. Number one, he said, they're
scattered. To all the strangers, they're scattered. They, they're
all over this world. And he said, you send this gospel
to all the world. And the reason is because my
strangers are scattered over all the world. Every tribe in
the world, every nation in the world, you send the gospel. all
over this world, and then he said every single one of them
has been chosen out of the world. They're all elect according to
the foreknowledge of God. What that means is before this
world ever was. This brings me so much comfort.
If I believed that a soul, the salvation of a soul was dependent
on me, I think the responsibility would be so great I'd just kill
over right now. Really, if I believed that it
was up to me to save someone's soul, I think that's what would
happen. I think I'd just kill over. But
thank God it's not up to me. Before the foundation of this
world, God made this world. He made everything about this
world. foreordained according to the foreknowledge of God.
He ordained this, this moment. He ordains His Word to go out
all over this world. He has scattered His peculiar
people, His treasure, all of these strangers to the world,
and He's going to take His Word and He is going to find them
with it. And He's going to use men to
do it, but in spite of men. That Word's going to go out,
it's going to bless the hearts of every person it's supposed
to bless. They're going to see Christ as
He is. And Peter said, this is the message
of scripture. This is the message I'm so happy
to preach. This is to the strangers scattered
all over the place, elect according to the four knowledge of God,
every single stranger that has been chosen on purpose, chosen
on purpose, chosen to be a stranger. Look with me at acts 13. This
is one of my favorite verses. Acts chapter 13. Acts 13 verse
48. And when the Gentiles heard this, They were glad, you know, the,
the, can you imagine the Gentiles? You know, everything's to the
Jews. Those Jews were so proud. We're the Jews and we have all
these laws and we have all these ordinances. And then the gospel
comes to the Gentiles. And when the Gentiles heard this,
they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed. What did they
tell these Gentiles throughout these chapters in Acts? They
told them, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
saved. And that's what we still say. Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. Here's the commandment. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing full well that as many as were
ordained to believe, will believe. Every ordained stranger that
embraces the truth of God's Word and confesses that he or she
is persuaded, Christ is all, Every one of them were ordained
to that, ordained to believe that. They didn't believe it
on their own. Couldn't believe it on their own. They were foreordained
to believe that. Romans 8 says, whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Our Lord,
we just read, our Lord said, I was a stranger. If they hated
me, they're going to hate you. Everything they did to me, they're
going to do to you. He's the firstborn among many
brethren, just like him. Moreover, whom he did predestinate
them. He also called in whom he called
them. He also justified and whom he
justified them. He also glorified. Everything
about them was ordained. Everything. Second Thessalonians
two says they were chosen to salvation, ordained, chosen to
it. Go with me back over to first
Peter one. Verse two says elect according
to the foreknowledge of God, the father through sanctification
of the spirit. Every one of God's strangers
have been set apart for God's use, set apart to him, set apart
for him. That's what sanctification means.
Set apart, pulled out, spared for him. Verse two, elect according
to the foreknowledge of God, the father through sanctification
of the spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ. Now I want to read this and understand
this in two ways. Number one, every one of God's
strangers have been sanctified by the spirit. set apart by the
Spirit through the obedience and the bloodshed of Jesus Christ.
We are set apart through His obedience, through
His blood. Everything that He did is what
sets us apart. What makes us better than another? Here's the answer. His obedience
and His blood. He was better. And the Spirit
applied everything He is to His people. We're set apart through
the obedience and the bloodshed of Jesus Christ. All from the same lump. Isn't
that what the scripture says? All cut out of the same lump.
We are what we are by Thee. And that's the first thing Peter
says to them. The end of verse two, he said, grace unto you.
This is the first thing he has to say, elect. And what makes this so wonderful? What makes this election so effectual
is this grace unto you and this peace that's multiplied. God's strangers are, there are
scattered people. Strangers to the world and scattered,
but God's strangers are an elect people chosen to salvation, ordained. God's strangers are a sanctified
people. They're all set apart unto God. And it's all because of his grace,
God's grace to strangers, God's kindness to strangers. The word strangers means aliens. That's what if you look it up,
it means aliens. I want to show you God's grace
to aliens in Ephesians 2. Go with me over there to Ephesians
2. Ephesians 2, the end of verse
5 says, by grace. Everything he's saying here is
by grace. The middle of verse 7 says, the
exceeding riches of his grace. Verse 8 says, for by grace, this
is all by grace. Now what is that grace? Verse
11. Wherefore, remember, That you
being in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision
by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands. That
at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the
Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ
Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the
blood of Christ. For he is our peace who hath
made both one, the sinner and the savior. He's made both one
and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. You talk about kind. having abolished
in His flesh the enmity." What that means is we hated Him. We
hated Him. We hated Him. We hated Him. We hated Him, so what did He
do? He attached Himself to us and
He made of twain one flesh and He broke down that middle wall
of partition and He completely did away with every ounce of
that enmity. And now we cry, we love Him. We love Him. Thank God for Him. Oh, we love
Him. Verse 15, having abolished in
His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments, contained
in ordinances for to make in himself of twain one new man. That means Christ in us, us in
him, one new man. So making peace and that he might
reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain
the enmity thereby. and came and preached peace to
you, which were a far off and to them that were nigh for through
him, we both have access by one spirit unto the father. I'd like
to read that verse again. Cause I liked that one through
him. He always had access to the father.
He prayed father. I know you always hear me. He
could go back to His Father. But now through Him, we both
have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore, you
are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints and of the household of God. and are built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the
chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, In whom you also are
builded together for a habitation of God through the spirit. Now,
let me just ask this question. Are you okay with that? You okay
with that? Are we okay with being strangers
to this world? I mean, strangers, but fellow
citizens. with the saints and of the household
of God. Can you? Are you OK with being
allowed to live in God's house forever? In one body by the cross, he
slew the enmity, he made peace, and now because of that, we both
have access to the father. No more strangers, fellow citizens. a house where God lives. Christ himself being the chief
cornerstone. Now don't go back, but I told
you we were going to look at verse 2 in our text two ways.
Number one, God's strangers are sanctified through the obedience
and bloodshed of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the second thing
we see, is God's strangers are elect according to the foreknowledge
of God, the father through sanctification of the spirit. And this is what
it says in that verse unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ. This is what that means. And
we're going to close with this. Go over with me to John 10. We're set apart through sanctification
of the Spirit unto obedience and unto the sprinkling of the
blood of Jesus Christ. John 10 verse 24, it says, then
came the Jews round about him and said unto him, how long does
thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Jesus answered them. I told you
and you believed not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. But you believe not, because
you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep, my strangers,
my elect, hear my voice and I know them. The world doesn't, but
I do. My sheep hear my voice And I
know them and they follow me. They follow me. They come to
me in obedience. They come to me in faith. They
come to my righteousness. They come to my blood alone. They have nowhere else to go.
Isn't that what Peter said? Lord, we don't have anywhere
else to go. No other salvation, but you. Verse 27, My sheep hear
My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give unto
them eternal life. They come to Me. They're set
apart by that Spirit unto obedience. And they come. And when they
do, I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. How happy are
we that God has made us to be strangers to this world. How
thankful are we for that in the flesh? We're children of the
world in the flesh. We are lovers of the world destined
for the destruction of the world, but by his spirit in his choice
through his work of grace, he redeemed us out. pulled us to
himself. He made us to be fellow citizens
and joint heirs, family members. And that's always going to be
amazing to me. Not only did he not kill us,
that's great mercy, but the grace is he made us part of the family,
family members with Christ himself. To all the strangers, it said,
grace unto you and peace be multiplied. All right, let's all stand together
and.