Believers are called to live holy lives in anticipation of future glory, despite present unfair circumstances. Peter's first epistle highlights five key motifs: the believer's behavior, unfair circumstances, courtesy, motivation from Christ's example, and anticipation of future glory. The sermon emphasizes that believers are of inestimable value to God, chosen according to His foreknowledge and set apart for obedience and cleansing by Christ's blood. This new birth into a living hope guarantees an incorruptible inheritance and future salvation, providing motivation for godly living and holiness in all aspects of life, as exemplified by Christ and nurtured by the Word of God.
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Not certain yet. We're in First Peter, Chapter One. I'm only going to read a few verses here. We'll work through the first chapter and part of the second chapter as well. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Athenia, 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. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto our living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that faith hath 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 time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold trials or temptations. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found that the praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen ye love. In whom, though now ye see him not yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.
Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand that sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with a holy spirit sent down from heaven which things the angels desire to look into wherefore gird up the loins of your mind be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as he who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, or all manner of life, because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy. May the Lord bless. the reading of his word. Let's pray together. Father, in the precious name of thy dear Son, we thank you that the trials we face are more precious than gold. And the Apostle James said, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into many trials or testing, knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience and let patience have a perfect work.
We thank you, our God, that the work of patience is perfect, and that the work of patience in us through trials produces an eternal weight of glory. We thank you for it, and we rejoice, O God, in that which you have provided for us by divine grace. We ask now that as we study this portion together, that our hearts may be lifted up to thee because of what you have promised and because of the means that you use to bear and to bring that promise to pass.
We just ask again for Brother David for adjoining mercy. We pray for the family members and we ask that he may know that peace and joy in the midst of sorrow. knowing that your promise that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and to be with the Lord is far better. And we thank you that here we can rest, and here we can rejoice. And while we sorrow, we sorrow not as others who have no hope, but we have genuine hope in thee, our God, through thy dear Son.
So, receive our thanks and manifest our love and grace. We pray for Jesus' sake. Amen. Previously, we examined the motifs of First Peter. Now, I said motifs. And I was taught this week that I could be better if I said motif. So, the motifs of First Peter. And... These basic themes run throughout the epistle of First Peter. There are five of them. They're intermingled right through the first epistle of Peter.
And we find, I'm going to list these five once more. First of all, there's the believer's behavior. That behavior which is so important. Second, there is the believer's unfair circumstances. His circumstances are unfair as we look at it. He's an alien. These people to whom Peter writes are scattered throughout the regions which are now known as modern Turkey. But in that day it was Asia Minor, Pontus Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. And you remember the Apostle Paul wanted to go into Bithynia, and he also wanted to go into Asia.
Acts chapter of... Fifteen. No, excuse me. Chapter... Yes, the end of chapter fifteen. And the beginning of chapter sixteen. And it was there that he received the Macedonian vision. And he went to Europe instead. But finally, the apostle could say, Oh, that be in Asia, I've heard the word of the gospel. So God has his timings. for various places to accomplish his purposes. And then the third motif is the believer's courtesy or respect that the believer is always to manifest because of his relationship to Christ.
The fourth is the believer's motivation is the example of Christ. And that example of Christ is found in the close of the second chapter where it says, when he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not. He committed himself to him who judges righteously. And we're invited to do the same, to commit ourselves to the shepherd and the bishop of our souls, knowing that he's in full command. He's a sovereign of the universe. And the fifth motif is the believer's anticipation of future glory. Now with these major themes, the crucial argument that while his readers lived as strangers, and pilgrims here in this life on planet Earth, intimidated and abused by their adversaries in the Lord.
They were people of inestimable value. And how wonderful that is. Everyone who belongs to Christ is rich. For I read in Romans chapter ten and verse thirteen. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But the verse before that, the twelfth verse says, That the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And these people scattered abroad. And we in affluent America must remember that that Indian who lives in a grass hut along the Amazon River in South America, having been saved by the grace of God.
That man to the Lord is as precious and as valuable as any one of us. These saints are of inestimable value. They were chosen according to the eternal knowledge and predetermined plan. That's what we read in these opening verses. They were the elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Elect means chosen by God. Foreknowledge simply means that it was predetermined. God's predetermined plan.
And by the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work, they were selected for a twofold purpose. God had two reasons. in selecting them, in choosing them. Number one, He chose them to obey Jesus Christ. You and I, who are saved by grace, were chosen to obey. To obey the Word of God. There's a day coming, according to First Corinthians, When the Lord Jesus is going to offer to God, he's going to give back to God the mediatorial kingdom over which he's king.
He's king now. He's going to present the kingdom according to First Corinthians, back to God. And he'll do it having subdued everything that would raise its ugly head against God's determined purpose. What is God's determined purpose? His determined purpose is that which is revealed in Holy Scripture. So we have the divine order that's given in Holy Scripture. And that's God's means of bringing His mediatorial kingdom into focus by believers' obedience to the Word of God.
That's why it's so important to know the Word of God and to obey the Word of God. That's the first reason for which He chose them according to His predetermined plan. But the second was to be cleansed by the sprinkled blood of Christ. And whenever you think of the blood of sprinkling, that is a theme that runs throughout Scripture. It takes us back to the ratification of the Old Covenant. In Exodus chapter twenty four. When the old covenant was ratified. When Moses took the blood of sprinkling. And he sprinkled the book.
The book of the law. And the people. They said to the Lord. We will obey. And we will be obedient. You and I were not saved to do our own thing. No matter what your own thing is. You and I were saved to obey the word of God. Does it mean what it says? It does. It means what it says. You see, to God, these people were not strangers. To God, these people were well known.
They were foreknown before the foundation of the world. For that's when they were chosen. And they were chosen before the foundation of the world according to the predetermined plan of a holy God. They were well known personally, for they were the sheep of the Lord. And the Lord says, I know my sheep, and my sheep hear my voice. So he says in John chapter ten, more than that, they were a unique part of God's eternal plan. This is one of the most amazing subjects in the Word of God. It's a subject that will cause you, if you believe it, to worship and wonder and adore in the presence of a holy God.
Why God chose you. See, that's not my problem. My problem is not why He chose you. My problem is why He chose me. For I know me better than anybody else here. And that's a marvel of divine grace that God would choose me. And that's what became the wonder of the hymn that was written by John Newton. Amazing grace, how sweet the sun that saved a wretch like me. For if you've ever read a book by John Herfus, Up from the Dead.
For that's where John Newton is pulled out of the sea, having gone down for the third time. And when he went down for the third time, he remembered a verse that was taught to him by his grandmother, and that cursing wretch through that verse was brought to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And later he wrote, Amazing Grace. It is amazing. The more you examine it, The more you want to worship. To God, these were not strangers. Now, being aware of this plan. You see, that is the beginning.
That's the introduction to this epistle. Being aware of the plan of God. Of God's electing love. Of God placing his love upon us in Christ. To be aware of this plan would allow them to suffer unjustly. at that time. But their suffering would not diminish the fullness of their sanctification. For God is going to make His people holy. Peter's introductory greeting ends with an appropriate blessing to the hearers. The end of verse two says, Grace unto you and peace be multiplied.
In other words, Believers here in chapter one, in the midst of suffering, they are assured of future glory, even though they are treated unfairly now. You'll notice what he says. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. the certainty of the believer's glorification. It serves as one of two motivational factors. There are two great motivational factors here to encourage believers in their struggles.
Ah, the Lord's coming. In a little while our Lord will come and we shall wonder here no more. He'll take us to the Father's throne. And there we shall enjoy his glory. But the second motivational reason is to spur them on to godly behavior. Future glory. And we need to be spurred on and encouraged to godly behavior now as we're on the way. Now, you see, his reasoning begins with a hope of future glory, the assurance of it. and what it's based upon their new birth in Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us. That's birth. That's birth. He hath begotten us, what? To a living hope, which is incorruptible and undefiled, to be begotten unto a living hope. You see, this is a constant expectation. of life to come, which grows and which increases with strength each year. In other words, the more we grow in Christ, the greater the lamp of the coming of the Lord should burn before us.
The light is before us. You see, the new birth, brings these three great promises to us as the children of God. First, the glory of an inheritance. That inheritance is reserved for us in heaven. And we are reserved for the inheritance. It tells us that this inheritance is incorruptible and it's undefiled. And it won't fade away. It's reserved in heaven for us. Not for the angels. for us and that links us to all those great passages that speak of believers as being heirs and joint heirs with Jesus Christ Romans chapter eight and by the way in Romans eight the airship and the sonship that is ours is also linked with suffering exeminence if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together.
So that's the first promise. And the new birth brings these promises. In other words, the new birth, we have that promise of God sustaining power for obtaining future glory. God was their fortress to arrest any forces that are bent on depriving them of glory in time to come. How do I know that someone isn't going to get in there and steal that glory, that God is reserved for me? Well, God is my fortress. God is my stay. It's reserved in heaven for us.
And I tell you, the years pass rapidly. And the older we get, the more rapid they pass. I say that for the benefit of anybody who has a birthday shortly. They pass rapidly, you see. But there's another promise that's given there and linked with the new birth. The third promise given with the new birth is that the very salvation that we enjoy will be ours at the return of the Lord. Notice verse nine, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of the souls.
of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you. You see, salvation in the New Testament is in three phases. The day I was saved, that I trusted Christ, I was saved from the penalty of sin. Christ bore the penalty of my sin at Calvary. And having been saved from the penalty of sin, God is day by day seeking to deliver us, to save us, from the power of sin in our lives.
That's why First John chapter two, verse one says, My little children, these things write I unto you that you sin not. And then he says, But if any man sinned, We're not going to be sinless. But I believe that if we're honest, we can go one minute without sinning. And I believe if we're honest and we mean business, we can go for five minutes without sinning. And I believe that if we're honest, we can go for fifteen minutes without sinning.
And that times when we go without sinning should be getting longer as believers. These things write I unto you, but ye sin not. But you see with these people that have these blessed promises, the weight of severe trials, no doubt them the hope of glory for these despised pilgrims. You know a trial has a way of wearing us down. When you read the seventh chapter of Daniel, there's a little verse in the seventh chapter of Daniel. I always am amazed at it, where it's speaking of the coming Antichrist, the world dictator, that little horn he's spoken of in Daniel chapter seven, who's going to make war with the saints and he's going to seek to wear out the saints of the Most High.
Peter is calling the people of God to take a good look at the future glory that awaits us at the coming of the Lord. It means salvation from the very presence of sin. And in light of salvation from the very presence of sin, I was saved from its penalty. I'm being saved from its power, and I'm going to be saved from its very presence. And knowing that the Antichrist, the man of sin, his attitude and his action is to wear out the saints to the most high.
Make them tired so that they give in. That they throw up the hands and say what's the use to continue in the fight? What's the use? Ah, there's every use. Because God's word means what it says. And there's a day coming when our Lord, through his mighty work that he began in his first Advent, which will be consummated in his second Advent, is going to take the kingdom and present it back to the Father. He will have put down all rule and all authority and all power.
You see, when you look at the world today, in the various movements, they are movements that are contrary to the revealed Word of God. But where does God expect to see His Word endorsed and enthroned? He expects to see it in the lives. of his people. And then his people take a stand for what the word of God says. They're going to be in the same position that these saints were. And what is the hope before us? The hope before us is the coming of the Lord. I have been begotten.
I've been saved into this hope. The new birth is a guarantee of it. You see, the new birth according to this chapter. We'll secure our future glory in spite of present trials. We have that in verses six through twelve. For in verse six he says, wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season ye, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold trials, knowing that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire. may be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
And then according to verse six, you'll know these trials are real, but they're varied. You see, they're manifold trials. Satan tries one believer one way and another believer another way. The trials are varied. They're manifold. More than that, These trials are necessary in order to demonstrate the genuineness of your faith, of their faith. And of course you have that in verses seven all the way down to verse twelve. You see, the trial of your faith being much more precious than gold perishing.
I was sitting by a man that I happened to know. And he was showing me a collection of gold coins one day, not too long ago. I tell you, some of these gold coins are worth a lot of money now. But there's something more precious than that, the trial of faith. That man's going to leave the gold coins when he leaves here. There's something more precious than gold coins. The trial of faith is more precious. For the trial of faith is going to work a far more and exceeding an eternal weight of glory.
We may not see it this way in our affluent society, but, beloved, that's how it is. More than that, Peter revealed the precious nature of true faith in verses seven and eight. And in verse eight in particular, he says, Whom having not seen ye love, in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. What a test. What a statement. We worship one that we have never seen with our eyes. But we have fullness of joy, the expectation of fullness of glory.
because this is what faith has wrought in us. And you see, Peter revealed the precious nature of this true faith. It was a faith that was tested by fire, and it was found to be pure. You see, if we have the genuine thing, then faith is going to produce in us That which glorifies God, and that which is going to be rewarded in a mighty way in the coming day. And you see, it's a faith that loves Christ, having not even seen him, but believing in him.
You remember on the resurrection morning, and it was noise abroad among the disciples that the Lord is risen. Mary Magdalene was very instrumental in this. And Peter and John, they run to the sepulcher. And it says of John, he saw and believed. And then it says this, Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed. Whom having not seen? We love. You and I have not seen the risen Lord, but believing faith produces in us fullness of joy and expectation of glory.
Now, the present trials of these abused believers created an environment in which the true nature of their faith might be demonstrated. See, God permitted them to be put to the test in order that the true nature of their faith might be demonstrated. Where was the true nature of Joseph demonstrated when he was tested in the house of Potiphar? That's where you learn what kind of a man Joseph was. How do we know the true nature of his faith?
when he was tested in the prison in Egypt. And you read that hundred and six and hundred and seven psalms where we read that his feet were put in the irons of the prison. But God honored him. God honored him. The trial of faith was blessed by God. In other words, therefore our trials instead of acting as an agent of condemnation, casting doubt as to whether or not they would ever receive future glory. You see, these various trials are considered elements of encouragement.
Peter said, this isn't, we didn't, you are not going through these trials to discourage you. These trials are a means of encouragement. Future glory awaits you. That's what he's saying. In other words, God would use their faith to produce a bond for harvest, the blessing and glory for them when our Lord returns. They are guaranteed in verses nine through twelve, three things. Praise, honor, and glory. And that praise, honor, and glory equals something. Salvation, which is to be theirs in that day.
In verse nine, it is salvation with a certainty. receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul. The day that my soul was saved, that day I received everything I'm ever going to get. The end of my faith is guaranteed. And that's the language of Romans eight. In those five great statements, whom he did for no. And then he goes on the list. He also glorifies. Future glory is guaranteed. This is salvation with a certainty. And then he lays another foundation.
He says this salvation was predicted by the prophets of old in verse ten. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that you've come unto you. And notice what they searched. Searching what? or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Oh, there are two things here. His suffering and his glory. Someone has said that he's like a man looking over two mountain peaks.
As he looks into the distance, he sees these two peaks and he sees them close together, even though they're many miles apart. And he doesn't see the valley between those two peaks. There's a mountain peak of the sufferings of Christ, Mount Calvary. There's a mountain peak of the glory of Christ when he returns in power and great glory. But you and I are in that valley between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. And just as God raised Christ from the dead and gave him glory that our faith and hope might be in God, he's going to give us glory as well.
It's a certainty. In other words, these prophets saw the exemplary sufferings of Christ, and they saw the glory that is his, and they wrote about it. the content of the gospel that these people heard and was declared by these prophets and the announcement that their fulfillment was found in Christ. For that was the essence of the teaching of the apostles. The apostles took the Old Testament prophecies and they expounded them that they spoke of Christ, these people didn't have a New Testament to whom Peter wrote.
If they had a few books of the Old Testament, they were fortunate. All they had was the Old Testament. When Paul went forth preaching on his missionary journeys, the gospel accounts hadn't been written yet. Most of the Acts was written while he was by Dr. Luke. And he preached from the Old Testament. And his message was that these prophecies concerning the sufferings of Christ, concerning the glory of Christ, have their foundation and their fulfillment in him.
And just as sure as our blessed Lord suffered and was glorified, they who suffered would be glorified also. And so that brings us to the second thought here, and that is this. Christ's example of suffering is a motivating factor for these believers in their walk through persecution. The first motivating factor is a promise of future glory. Although more than that, the example of Christ in his suffering is a motivating factor. Should not the servant be willing to follow his master?
What did our Lord say in John chapter? The servant is not greater than his Lord. In other words, their assurance of future glory created the expectation for holy living in spite of their trials. You see, our trials are not an excuse for unholy living. In other words, when Joseph was tempted for unholiness, he said, How can I do this thing and sin against the Lord?
He said, It's wrong. He couldn't say, I couldn't help myself. That's the language of today. Joseph said, I cannot sin against the Lord. And here is a call to holiness. In other words, their assurance of future glory created the expectation of holy living in spite of their trials. The believer's righteous behavior. is the primary theme of first Peter the believers holy living his righteous behavior in other words these believers are encouraged by the hope that and the assurance of hope to come and they were to be holy in all manner of their behavior for verse fifteen and sixteen says but as he who have called you is holy.
So be ye holy, in all manner of conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. As I was meditating on these verses this week, I've been taking up holiness and righteousness. Is there a difference? between holiness and righteousness. Holiness is what we are. Be ye holy. Righteousness is what we do.
Righteousness is the active side of holiness. In other words, our Lord was that holy thing which was born a marriage. And what kind of a life did he live? He lived a righteous life. Everything he did, he did in righteousness, and thereby he earned a righteousness for us. Oh, the blessedness of viewing our blessed Lord. In other words, he encourages believers in verse fourteen not to live like they once lived before they were saved.
Don't live like you lived before you were saved. He says, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts. In your ignorance. In other words, they were to manifest the practical holiness of God in a walk that was well pleasing to him. And in doing this, They were to long for the pure milk of the word. And they were to put aside those five kings that are mentioned in chapter two and verse one. There are five kings hidden in the cave of our lives.
You remember Joshua in Joshua chapter nine and ten in his mopping up operation when they went in and they conquered the land of Canaan. There were five kings hidden in the cave at Makeda. Joshua told a roll of a large stone over the mouth of the cave that he couldn't get out. And then he went on with his operation. But then he came back and he got to those caves. He said, now you bring them out. And here are five things that can lurk down and reign in the life of a believer. He says, wherefore laying aside all malice and guile, hypocrisies, and envies and evil speakings.
Oh, these five kings that can reign and they can bring us into trouble. But what's the answer for it? Verse two, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. You see, the word of God will enable them to grow with respect to salvation. The word of God will nurture that growth. with Christ as our cornerstone, verses three and four, especially verse four, to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed a man but chosen of God and precious. And the word ensured that they who rejected the stone would stumble.
They would stumble, but they who believed were special to God and would receive mercy. So let us apply this very quickly.