1 Peter: Elect Exiles (1:1-2)
This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 30 June 2024. The audio recording of the sermon can be found below along with the transcript.
Well, if we haven’t met before, my name is Alex. I’m originally from NI, but have been living here England for 9 years now. And I have served as assistant minister here at Grace Church for the last two and a half years. I’m married to Sarah, and we have an 18-month-old son called Caleb. That’s a bit about me and my life. And I imagine those are the kinds of things that you usually say as well to introduce yourself: where you are from, what you do for a living, who is in your family. Those are the details that can help someone get a good picture of who you are.
And yet, in our short passage tonight, we have an introduction that focuses on far more important details. We find a way of understanding ourselves that goes beyond where we are from, what we do, even who are loved ones are. And we find this summary of our identity as Christians, not in how the author Peter introduces himself there at the start of 1:1 [...]. But rather, in how he then goes on to introduce his readers, those to whom he is writing.
Did you see how Peter describes them? Those two little words he uses in 1:1? Peter writes, ‘To God’s elect exiles’. That is what Peter calls these Christians. Elect exiles. And brothers and sisters, we will see tonight that that is how we too should understand ourselves, if we also are following Jesus. For to be a Christian, is to be an elect exile.
It is hard to overemphasise just how important these two words are in the book of 1 Peter. As we work through this letter over the next 10 Sunday evenings, I want you to conscientiously look out for these two themes as they appear over and over again. Look out for how Peter talks both about the suffering we face on earth, and the salvation we enjoy from heaven. How we are at the same time both exiles and elect. Indeed, you could say that these two words really summarise almost everything else Peter goes on to write in the rest of his letter.
And in case you think I am exaggerating when I say that, I want you to see that Peter seems to suggest the same. For he is going to end his letter just as he started it, by reminding his readers of these two words. If you turn to the end of the letter with me, you will see Peter concludes it in 5:13, by writing, ‘She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings.’ That’s Peter’s way of referring to the church he is with when he writes this letter. He says that that church is at Babylon. Which can’t mean it is physically in Babylon, because the city of Babylon was destroyed long before the first century. Instead, history tells us that Peter was probably in Rome by this point. However, he says that the Christians in Rome are in Babylon, because that’s where Old Testament Israel experienced exile. And what’s more, Peter also explains that those who are in exile at Babylon, are also elect, for he says there in 5:13 they are ‘chosen together with you’. And so, brothers and sisters, at both the beginning and end of this letter, we see that the way that we should understand ourselves as Christians, whether in the first century or twenty first century, whether we are in Asia Minor, or Rome, or here in Guildford, is not ultimately based on where we are from, what we do, who is in our family. Instead, our identity is summed up in those two short and simple words: Elect Exiles.
Indeed, some have suggested that this book of 1 Peter could really reduced be a two-word sermon: Elect Exiles. […] I’m sorry to tell you that we don’t quite have a two-word sermon tonight. However, it is a two-point sermon. As we are going to look at each of these words in turn. First, from 1:1, we will see what it means for Christians to be exiles here on earth. And then, from 1:2, we will see how Peter goes on to explain this idea of being elected by heaven. Those are the two points we consider together this evening. How, as Christians, we are both (1) exiles on earth and (2) elected by heaven. And we shall see that remembering and meditating on these two complimentary truths, will make a real difference as we face all the difficulties of life.
1. WE ARE EXILES ON EARTH (1:1)
I said I grew up in NI, and yet been serving in here in Guildford for the last few years. And yet I have lived in a few other places as well. A few days after Sarah and I got married in NI, we moved to live and work in central London for two years. We then moved to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, for 6 months after the law firm I was working at offered me a secondment to their office there. After that we came back here to England, to live and work in central London again for a few years, before heading off to America for a year, first to live in Washington D.C., where I undertook a pastoral internship at a church, and then to spend a few months in Louisville Kentucky, where I started my theological studies at seminary. Before we then return to England once again, this time here to Guildford, for me to serve as Assistant Minister alongside me completing my theological studies from a distance. All that to say, in the nine years we have now married, Sarah and I have ended up living in lots of different places. In those nine years, we so far have moved house six times, and changed country five times. As a result, I think we have begun to understand something of what Peter means here, when he calls his readers ‘exiles’ there in 1:1.
That word ‘exile’ literally means ‘a temporary resident in a foreign land.’ It means you’re living away from home, you are on a visitor’s visa, that you a stranger simply passing through. And if you have lived abroad for any length of time, you will also be able to appreciate something of what that means. Feeling like you don’t quite fit in. Being an outsider to the local culture and customs. Speaking with an accent, that people don’t always understand. Missing family and friends. Having to say goodbye. While being away from home can often be exciting, it can also be hard. And that’s how Peter describes living as a Christian in this world. It is exciting, but it is also hard.
Peter claims that God’s people are a pilgrim people. And if you know your Bible, you will know this has almost always been the case. Oh yes, of course there was a period of time in the Old Testament that Israel lived in its own land, was at home in the hills of Judea. But it took them hundreds of years to get there, and even after they got there, they ended up back in exile again. Indeed, in Hebrews 11:13, God’s people in the Old Testament are called ‘strangers and exiles on the earth.’ And so, it is unsurprising that here in 1:1, Peter also calls his readers, this group of God’s people, exiles. And he then goes on to speak of where they are in exile. For he says: [READ].
Those five geographic areas are mostly in modern Turkey today. And they include many of the main cities we are familiar with from the New Testament. Cities such as Colossae and Ephesus were in these areas. And here Peter calls Christians in these cities: exiles. He reminds them that even if they are from those places, they are no longer at home in those places. Even if they were born in Ephesus or Colossae, they no longer belong in Ephesus or Colossae.
And brothers and sisters, I hope you realise that that is also true for you today. Of course, not all of us will spend time abroad, live away from our home. Your movements over the last nine years, even the last ninety years, may be a lot less that those God has taken Sarah and I on. Some of you here tonight were born in Guildford, many, if not most of you, have lived in Guildford for some time. You feel comfortable here, you have settled in. Put down roots. And yet, brothers and sisters, based on what Peter says in our text tonight, we need to make one thing clear.
For even if you were born here in Surrey, you better not belong here in Surrey. Christian, while you may say that you are from Guildford, I hope you are not at home here in Guildford. For as Christians, we are exiles on earth. This world cannot, must not, be our home. There should be a sense that we are always somewhat unsettled, do not quite fit in. There should be an aspect of the local culture we just can’t join in with. There must be a certain accent to the way we live, even the way we talk, that those around us in school, our neighbourhood, at work can’t quite understand us. For as followers of Jesus, as part of his pilgrim people, Peter says here that we are exiles on this earth.
Throughout the rest of this letter, Peter gives example after example of how Christians can experience this exile. He explains, internally, we must battle against sin and temptation. That is all part of our exile, for we are living in a fallen world, with a sinful flesh, fighting against an enemy who is a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. However, not just internally, but Peter is going to speak about how we are externally exiles as well. He will warn us how in civic life, we can face all kinds of physical trials and political dangers. In our workplaces, we can struggle to submit to harsh masters. In our homes, we can struggle to live alongside unbelievers. In our communities, churches can do all the good they can, and yet still only end up being insulted in return. Few books in the Bible speak about as many different forms of suffering as 1 Peter.
It is as if Peter is writing this letter to elaborate on that statement of Paul from 2 Timothy 3:12, where he explains that all who seek to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Or to expand on what Paul tells churches in these same areas in Acts 14, that we must go through many tribulations before entering the kingdom of God. Friends, when you become a Christian, you do not sign up for a life of ease. No, you sign up for a life of exile. You become an outsider, even in the place you were born, a stranger, even to your own family and friends. I wonder in what way you are experiencing this exile this evening? How is it that you do not feel at home in your life right now? [...]
2. WE ARE ELECTED BY HEAVEN (1:2)
Brothers and sister, this is the hinge upon which all our hope turns. Here we can find a fountain filled with comfort, a remedy for all our afflictions. For though we may be rejected on earth, we must remember that we are accepted by heaven. While we my face persecution here below, we are precious to the one who is above. And if we only let that truth sink in, it really can make all the difference in all the difficulties of life. And we know that, for that is what we see in Scripture. Not just here in 1 Peter, but across the Bible.
For example, this is where David turns to in Psalm 27:10, when in midst of all his trials and troubles, he reminds himself, ‘my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.’ Similarly, towards the end of his life, Paul will cling onto this same hope. For in 2 Timothy 4, he writes that when he was on trial for his life in Rome, that ‘at my first defence, no one came to my support, everyone deserted me... But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength...’. And brothers and sisters, we see that very same truth here in 1 Peter. For even if your father or mother should turn against you. Even if your son or daughter cut you off. Even if your grandchildren are embarrassed by you. If your teachers disapprove of you. If your friends disown you or colleagues disparage you. Even if, like Paul, your church does not support you, or a Christian brother or sister ends up disappointing or deserting you. See here that you can find comfort in each one of those situations, in every affliction you ever face, by reminding yourself that while you are rejected on earth, you are accepted in heaven. That though you suffer exile here below, you are always elect above.
Now of course, this idea of being elect, of election, often causes great controversy and questions among Christians. Perhaps even as I have said that word in this sermon so far, you have found yourself flinching. Down through the centuries, different Christians have held different views on what this idea of election, of God crossing some for salvation, really is. And sometimes it can be seen as just a bitter pill we need to swallow. The Bible says it, and so we must believe it, even if we don’t really like it. And yet, we see here tonight, that election is not just some bitter pill we must swallow, but rather it is more like our favourite sweet, which we can suck on again and again, and still enjoy the taste in our mouth. For in all the difficulties of our exile, it is this doctrine of election will can bring us great comfort and assurance.
What is this comfort? How can this idea of election, of being chosen by God, steady and assure our hearts tonight? Well, having called us elect exiles in 1:1, did you notice that Peter then goes on to expand on that in 1:2, outlining three parts to this truth, assigning each part to a different person of the Trinity. There in 1:2, Peter explains we are elect exiles: [READ]. As we close, I just want to spend a few minutes on each part, each person of 1:2. Turn this trinity of truths around in our minds, like a jeweller turns a gem in his hand, admiring it from each angle, so he can see its true beauty. What does it mean that we are elect exiles here in 1 Peter 1?
A. We are foreknown by the Father
I’m sure all of us have made purchases and worried that something would later go wrong with them. Maybe you buy a car, and feel a bit unsure whether that timing belt really will last another 20,000 miles like they said. Or buy a house, and are somewhat nervous by some of the issues raised in the surveyors report. In life, we often take such risks. None of us know the future, and so we simply make the wisest choice we can, and hope for the best. And as a result, it can be easy to think and act as if God is in the same situation. As if God watches this world in the same way that we watch a movie. We know that it will have a happy ending, but can’t be totally sure how exactly that will come about.
And yet, that isn’t the position that God is in. For he knows the future. God has known all that will happen in time, long before there even was time. And that is not only a great comfort for when we are worried about our future, but do you see that it also provides great support in the challenges you are facing right now in the present. For God knew all about your present difficulties, long before they ever started coming to pass.
Brothers and sisters, all the afflictions you will ever face on this earth, were foreknown by your Father in heaven, long before you were even born. Indeed, we are told in Jeremiah 1:5, before God formed us in our mother’s womb, he knew us. God knew everything about your life, before he even gave you life. He not only knew everything about you, everything that will happen to you, but he even knew you, set his love upon you, decided to draw you to himself. And so even if you don’t understand what is going on right now, you can be sure that God does. That your heavenly father has it all figured out. And that should be a great comfort, for it means that we can place our little lives, in his great all-knowing hands. It means that when we do experience the rejection of the world, we can know that it is not at random, but rather it is all for a reason.
B. We are sanctified by the Spirit
This is where Peter reveals the reason for all our rejection, explains why we are elect exiles on earth. For Peter tells us that all the hard things that we experience in life, all the hostility we face as exiles, is to make us holy. Our suffering sets us apart for our Saviour. Our trials and troubles are tools that transform us. Yes, we are elect exiles on earth, but that is all part of being sanctified by the Spirit.
Here we are reminded that the aim of the Christian life is not to feel at home in this world, but to get read for our home in the next world. The goal of the Christian life is not to be happy by this world's standards, but to be holy according to God’s standards. And Peter explains here that our exile is the experience that God uses to make us holy. Our time here on earth is really just one long training camp to get us ready for heaven. Peter explains that being strangers and sufferers here on earth, is part of the sanctification of the Spirit.
Brothers and sisters, in whatever difficulties you currently find yourself, you need to remember that what God is doing in you, is far more important than what others are doing to you. Don’t get distracted by the opposition players, keep your eye on the ball. Remember the harder it is, the holier you will be. The harsher this world is to you, the closer you will be to Christ. Like athletes who train at great altitude, this hostile air we breath, will only make us stronger.
C. We are cleansed by the Christ
Peter finishes with a flourish, explains in 1:2 that we are elect exiles: [READ]. That first part on our obedience to Jesus, reminds us that the standard that God is shaping us towards is the person of his Son. As Paul puts it in Romans 8:29, we are being conformed to his image. If the Spirit is the sculptor shaping us, the Son is the model that he is trying to make us like. And yet, brothers and sisters, I think if we are honest, when we look at ourselves in the mirror, we rarely think that we resemble Jesus Christ. Rather than being reminded of our Saviour, we are all too readily reminded of our sins, our ongoing struggles and shortcomings, all the ways that we mess things up and let ourselves, others, and most importantly, our Lord, down. […]
And that is why it is so encouraging to read that part of being elect exiles, accepted by heaven, is not only that we are to be confirmed to the image of Christ, but that we are also being continually cleansed by the blood of Christ. As Peter puts it there, we are sprinkled with his blood. The death of Christ on the cross, is able to deal with all our shortcomings, all our sins. The blank cheque of Jesus’ blood, is always available to make sure that we will never become bankrupt before God again. Friends, praise God that there is more than enough forgiveness in Christ, to make up for all the flaws in us.
CONCLUSION
Who are we as Christians? What is the most important thing about us if we are followers of Jesus? Peter explains here that it is the fact that we are elect exiles. For it reminds us that not only are all our struggles foreknown by the Father, not only are all our sufferings being used for sanctification by the Spirit, but we are see here that all our sins are even covered and cleansed by Christ. And those truths can bring us comfort in all our afflictions, offer us solid ground in all the storms of life.
Indeed, so wonderful are the blessings of the Christian life, why would you ever choose to make your home on this earth, when such a heavenly life is available to you? What could the world possibly offer you, than is better than to what we have talked about tonight? […] Why would you choose to face the difficulties of this world alone? Bear the guilt for your sins on your own shoulders? When here in Jesus, you can find comfort for all your suffering, and cleansing for all your sins. By becoming a Christian, being an elect exile, you can enjoy grace and peace for ever.
