Today for our Bible study, let's
turn to 1 Peter chapter 1 and let's begin reading at verse
1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ
to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia. Now here's 1 Peter chapter 1
verse 2. elect according to the foreknowledge
of God, and that word foreknowledge there is the same word for ordination
of God, the decrees of God, 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. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten
us again into a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last days." Now, God gave these precious words to a sinner
named Peter. This is the very Word of God
by divine inspiration. Peter writes to the elect of
God. He calls them in verse 1, he
describes them as they are known among men, believers. He calls
them strangers. scattered throughout Pontus,
Galatia and these different areas. No doubt these believers here
in the early church were persecuted there in Jerusalem for the gospel
and through persecution they were scattered and they went
everywhere preaching the gospel and being a witness to the grace
of God in Christ Jesus. Peter addresses them as strangers,
but there are certainly no strangers to God because he describes these
people who were believers who were scattered throughout the
area because of the gospel and for the gospel's sake. He refers
to them and he describes who these strangers are. in verse
2, and in verse 3, 4, and 5, he describes and gives a description
of what they have. So let's look at these verses
here. 1 Peter 1, verse 2. These strangers are described
as the elect of God. Now, these strangers were believers
of the gospel. But their title that He gives
them here is the elect of God, the elect of God the Father.
That is, God from eternity in that covenant of grace, God chose
a people and gave them to Christ. Our Lord referred to them as
all that the Father hath given me. Now, notice here, they're
chosen. That's what elect means. There is an election. God does
the choosing. He said to those disciples, you
didn't choose Me, I have chosen you. But were elect according
to the foreordination of God. God the Father, from all eternity,
chose a people unconditionally by His decree, by His foreordination,
and He gave them to the Lord Jesus Christ. Made Christ their
servitude, their representative, their substitute for sin. known
unto God are all his works from the beginning. You see, the foundation
of God's stand is sure, having as sealed the Lord knows them
that are his. They are elect according to the
four ordination, the decree of God. Believers believed the gospel
because they were ordained unto eternal life in Christ Jesus. It says in the book of Acts,
as many as were ordained to eternal life, Acts 13, 48, believed the
gospel. Now how do these people who are
referred to as strangers, who are called the elect of God according
to God's full ordination, God's decree, how do they know anything
about being chosen to salvation in Christ? Well, read the next
verse, the next line in verse 2, through sanctification of
the Spirit. You see, God does have a people
that he chose in eternity. He did give them to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Christ did die at Calvary to
put away the sin of those people for whom he represents. But in
time, they know of their election because of the sanctifying work
of the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit comes in
the preaching of the gospel. that comes just not in word only,
comes in power. When Paul wrote to those in Thessalonica,
he said, we know your election is of God because you just didn't
hear the word with the ear. You heard with the heart. You
heard with power. You heard by the power of the
Holy Spirit. In 2 Thessalonians 2.13 we read
this, But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you,
brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit.
There is election, God choosing, there is the work of the Holy
Spirit, sanctification of the Spirit, that includes conviction
of sin, regeneration, and the fruit of that is belief of the
truth whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining
of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." So they are strangers
in this world, these believers are called, but they are elect
according to the foreknowledge of God, and we know of our election,
we know of our salvation, that God has chosen a people unto
salvation by this setting apart and by this work of the Holy
Spirit who revealed unto us what it says there next, unto obedience
he gives faith, grants faith, faith is the result of the new
birth, faith is the result of the blood atonement of Christ,
it's the gift of God, unto obedience, and the sprinkling of the blood
of Jesus Christ. These believers are described
as elect They are described as those who have been convicted
by the Holy Spirit, who have been born of God, been made new
creatures in Christ Jesus, and they acknowledge and know that
the only atonement, the only pardon for sin, is the sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ. There we see the work of God
the Father, He chose us, the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed
us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. He
shed his blood to put away the sin of God's elect. And we know
this by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. There you
see the whole work of the triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. So that's who these people are.
Now, beginning in verse 3, we see what they have. Notice verse
3 of 1 Peter. This is 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse
3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy
has begotten us again into a living hope. Here's what we have in
Christ Jesus. Notice it's according to His
abundant mercy. Not merit. We know nothing of
merit in the scheme of God's salvation. It's all grace and
mercy. He said, grace unto you and peace
be multiplied through the Lord Jesus Christ, according to his
mercy. You see, it's not by works of
righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy,
he saved us. It's according to His mercy that
we have been begotten. That's the new birth. That's
the work of God. And we have been begotten unto
a living hope. This living hope is a living
person. Jesus Christ is all our hope
of salvation. We have a good hope through the
grace of God. And this is a living hope because
of our living Lord, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And notice this. The Lord Jesus Christ died. We
have a living hope because we have a living Savior who died
to put away all the sin of God's covenant people. Our Lord said,
I am he that liveth and was dead. Behold, I'm alive forevermore. And because I live, you shall
live. That's what He said in John chapter
14. So here's what we have in Christ
Jesus. And this is according to His
mercy. A living hope. We have a real hope. And it's
because of our living Savior, Jesus Christ, our hope. When he had by himself purged
our sin, he sat down on the right hand of the throne of God on
high. Now, notice what else he describes
here, that believers, who they are, and then what they have. They have a living hope by the
living Lord. And then in verse four, he says
to an inheritance incorruptible, we have an incorruptible inheritance. Now, an inheritance is not something
you earn. An inheritance is something that
is given to you. If you are included in someone's
will, it's not because you have merited or earned that inheritance. It's simply earned by someone
else and it's a gift to you. Salvation is by inheritance. We've been made heirs of God
and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. Our inheritance
is based upon the merit of the substitute Jesus Christ that's
given to us. That's the inheritance of grace.
But it's incorruptible. It's incorruptible. This inheritance
we have is eternal. Because salvation is eternal.
This redemption we have in Christ is eternal because He obtained
for us eternal redemption. So it's an inheritance that will
never corrupt. It's holy. In Christ we are holy
and unblameable in God's sight, the believer in Christ Jesus.
And then it says here, undefiled. Undefiled by sin. Undefiled by
sin. It's pure and holy. And then it says here, this inheritance
that we have in Christ. This is talking about what we
have according to his abundant mercy. We have a living hope.
We have a resurrection hope because our Lord lives. We are heirs
of God with an incorruptible inheritance that is undefiled. It's not tainted by sin. It's
holy, perfect and pure as God himself in Christ. And then it
says this inheritance that we have will never fade away. because
it's reserved in heaven for you. He has purchased for us everlasting
salvation. The blessings and gifts of God
are eternal blessings. He gives eternal life to His
sheep and they shall never perish. Our Lord said, I go away to prepare
a place for you, and if I go away, I'll come again and receive
you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. These
people who are described as strangers in this world are God's elect
who shall enjoy eternal salvation forever and ever with the Lord. That's why Paul said, My desire
is to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. This inheritance
is incorruptible. It's undefiled. It does not fade
away. That means it is eternal. And
this inheritance is called it's reserved. It's a reservation.
It's an inheritance by reservation. Now, who made the reservation?
How is the reservation made? Who paid for it? Who appointed
it? Well, it's all a work of God. It's a reservation all by
God's decree, God's purpose. in Christ and then further in
verse five it describes these people who are the elect of God
what they have who were kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last day so we have an
inheritance incorruptible undefiled it's eternal it's by reservation
and then he says Our salvation is guaranteed. Our ultimate salvation
is with Christ Jesus. Our glorification, you see, our
elections of God, our justifications of God, our glorification is
all of God, who are kept by the power of God. Now, we're kept
by the power of God through the gospel, because the gospel is
called the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth,
Romans 1, 16. We're kept by the power of God
through faith. The faith that's a gift of God
and faith that is true and real constantly looks to the Lord
Jesus Christ, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. This faith receives Christ, who
is our Savior, who is all our salvation, and this salvation
ready to be revealed now in Christ Jesus by the gospel. This salvation
is revealed through the preaching of the gospel and by the power
of the Holy Spirit. I would encourage you to look
at these verses here at 1 Peter 1, verses 2 down through verse
5 very closely. I know it will be a blessing
to you who believe the gospel. If you'd like to order today's
message, you can do so by calling 631-9053, or by writing to us
at church, and just request a message from 1 Peter, and we'll get it
out to you. You can write to me at 6088 Zebulon
Highway, Pikeville, Kentucky, 41501. I hope you'll join us
next week for another message from God's Word.