1 Peter

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 89:5-8
• Hymn — O God of Every Nation (#600)
• Prayer of Invocation
• Hymn — (#261)
• Prayer Requests
• Pastoral Prayer
• Sermon
• Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14

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Sermon Title: Elect Exiles and the Triune God of Salvation

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1-2

I. The Recipients: Elect Exiles of the Dispersion

A. The term dispersion (Greek: diaspora) evokes the scattering of Israel under Assyrian and Babylonian conquest B. Historical context: Emperor Claudius established Roman colonies in the five provinces named in 1 Peter 1:1 and expelled Jews (and likely Christians) from Rome (Acts 18:2) C. The term exile carried the weight of covenant curse in the Old Testament, yet the prophets promised restoration

1. Partial fulfillment came through Cyrus, Nehemiah, and Ezra — but no king, no full covenantal blessing, corrupt priests (Malachi)
2. The genealogy of Matthew 1:1 announces the long-awaited King
3. Jesus judges the temple and declares himself the true temple (John 2:19); he is where the Father's glory now dwells D. The inheritance of these exiles is not earthly but eternal — imperishable, undefiled, and unfading (1 Peter 1:4)
4. Christ has entered the true heavenly sanctuary, not a copy (Hebrews 9:24)
5. Believers are born from above and belong to the world Christ has inaugurated (John 3)
6. Suffering is expected for those not of this world, but Christ has overcome it (John 16:33)

II. The Basis of Election: The Foreknowledge of the Father

A. The Greek word prognosis (foreknowledge) means "to know beforehand" B. In Scripture, divine "knowing" is relational and intimate, not merely intellectual

1. Exodus 2:25 — God "knew" Israel in their bondage: an intimate, loving knowledge
2. Jeremiah 1:5 — God knew Jeremiah before birth: an electing, consecrating knowledge
3. Matthew 7:23 — "I never knew you": not ignorance but the absence of covenant love C. To foreknow is to fore-love; God set his love on the elect before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5)

III. The Agent of Election: The Sanctification of the Spirit

A. Two types of sanctification in Scripture

1. Progressive sanctification — the ongoing work of putting off the old man and growing in holiness by the Spirit
2. Definitive sanctification — God's objective act of consecrating and transferring his people from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of Christ B. The sanctification in 1 Peter 1:2 is definitive: God sets apart his people for obedience, not as a result of it C. The Spirit's role fulfills the new covenant promise of Ezekiel 36:27 — God puts his Spirit within his people to cause them to walk in his statutes D. Romans 8:3-4 — what the law could not accomplish in the flesh, God accomplishes through the Spirit indwelling his people

IV. The Seal of Election: Sprinkling with the Blood of Christ

A. The language echoes Exodus 24:8 — Moses sprinkled the blood of the covenant on Israel, binding obedience to sprinkling B. Two key differences between old covenant and new covenant sprinkling

1. The blood: animal blood in the old covenant only reminded of sin; Christ's blood actually cleanses the conscience and forgives sin (Hebrews 9:14; Matthew 26:28)
2. The Spirit: the new covenant adds the indwelling Spirit who empowers obedience (Ezekiel 36:27; Romans 8:3-4) C. The church, like Israel at Sinai, is sprinkled with blood in the wilderness — pilgrims trekking toward their true inheritance

V. The Goal: Entering the Eternal Rest Secured by the True Joshua

A. Hebrews 4:8-14 — Joshua's conquest of Canaan did not give Israel everlasting rest; another rest remains B. In the Greek, Jesus and Joshua are the same name — the writer deliberately contrasts them

1. Joshua passed through the Jordan into earthly Canaan
2. Jesus passed through the heavens into eternal rest at the right hand of the Father C. Therefore believers are to hold fast their confession and strive to enter that rest (Hebrews 4:11, 14) D. The Spirit given in the wilderness secures the perseverance and obedience of God's elect exiles until they enter that rest in Christ