Elect Exiles (1 Peter 1:1-2)

This sermon was preached to Magherafelt Baptist Church on 9 June 2024.

Well, it really has been lovely getting to know you today, to speak with many of you, and hear a little about your life together. Thank you to everyone who has come up to Sarah and I, we really appreciate how welcoming you have been to us. If we haven’t had a chance to speak yet, or maybe you were away this morning and are wondering who I am, my name is Alex. I’m originally from NI, I grew up just a few miles away in Randalstown. But I have been living in England for 9 years now. And I currently serve as assistant at GCG, which is a large baptist church in a town on the edge of London. I am married to Sarah, and we have an 18-month-old son, Caleb, who is hopefully on his way to bed at his grandparent’s right now. That’s a bit about me. 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 thereat the start of 1:1. But rather, in the way that he then goes on to introduce those to whom he is writing.

Did you see how Peter describes his readers? Those two little words he uses in 1:1? Peter writes, ‘To those who are elect exiles...’. That is what Peter calls these Christians. Elect exiles. And brothers and sisters, we will see that that is how we too should understand ourselves today, if we too are following Jesus.

It is hard to overemphasise the importance of these two words. Indeed, you could say that these two words really summarise almost everything else Peter will go on to write in the rest of his letter. […] This book of 1 Peter could really be a two-word sermon: Elect Exiles. 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 the same two words. If you turn to the end of the letter with me, you will see that Peter concludes it in 5:13, by writing, ‘She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you 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 he and the church at Rome are in Babylon, because that was where Old Testament Israel were sent into exile. And not only that, but Peter also explains that those who are in exile at Babylon, are also elect, for he says there in 5:13 that they are ‘likewise chosen’. And so, brothers and sisters, at both the beginning and end of this letter of 1 Peter, we see that the way that we should understand ourselves as Christians, is not ultimately based on where we are from, what we do, or who is in our family. Instead, our identity as Christians is summed up in those two short and simple words: Elect Exiles.

Now, 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, to be rejected here on earth. And then, from 1:2, we will see how Peter goes on to explain this idea of being elect, being accepted by heaven. Those are the two points we consider together this evening. How, as Christians, we are both (1) rejected on earth and (2) accepted by heaven. And we are going to 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 REJECTED ON EARTH (1:1)

I said I grew up in NI, and yet been serving in England for the last few years. And so many of you have asked me today how I ended up there, about the path that the Lord has taken us on. And as we reflect back on it, it has been quite a journey.

As I said, Sarah and I both grew up in NI, and we both went to study at QUB. Sarah studied Children’s Nursing, and I studied Law. We started going out while at QUB, and then got married a few weeks after graduation. A few days later, we packed up all our things and moved to London for work. Sarah went to work at a large children’s hospital in the centre of London, where she still works part-time today, and I went to train as a solicitor at an international law firm. After being in London for two years, we then moved to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, for 6 months, so I could do a secondment with my law firm, working on some international cases from there. After that, we then moved back to London for a few more years. During that time working as a lawyer, my desire to study and teach God’s Word continued to grow, and so at the end of 2020, we moved to the US for a year, so I could begin training for ministry.

We spent half that year living in Washington D.C., where I had the chance to complete a pastoral internship at a church there, and then the rest of that year, I went to study full-time at a theological seminary in Louisville, KY. We then moved back to England, so I could do the Assistant role at GCG , which allows me to serve in a church and gain practical experience, while also finishing off my theology degree 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. And, as a result, I think we can begin to understand something of what Peter means here, when he calls his readers ‘exiles’ in 1:1.

That word ‘exile’ literally means ‘a temporary resident in a foreign land.’ It means you are on a visitor’s visa, 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 really means. Feeling like you don’t quite fit in. Being an outsider to the surrounding traditions. Speaking with an accent, people don’t always understand. Missing home. Looking forward to seeing family and friends. While being away from home can be exciting, it can also be hard. And that is how Peter describes living as a Christian in this world.

Peter explains that God’s people are a pilgrim people. And if you know your Bible, you will know that 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 going back into exile. Indeed, the author of Hebrews in 11:13 calls Old Testament saints ‘strangers and exiles on the earth.’ And so, it is unsurprising that here in the New Testament, Peter also describes his readers in 1:1 as exiles. And he specifically goes on to speak of where they are spending this exile. For he says: [READ].

That term ‘Dispersion’ or ‘Diaspora’ was a general term usually used to describe Jews scattered abroad in Gentile lands. However, Peter here instead uses it of Christians, mainly Gentiles, who are living in these five geographic areas, which are mostly in modern Turkey today. These five regions included many cities we are familiar with from the New Testament, such as Colossae and Ephesus. And Peter calls Christians in these cities: exiles. He reminds them that even if they are from those cities, they are no longer at home in those cities.

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 for a prolonged period. Your journey may look very different to the one that God has taken us on. Many of you were likely born in Mid-Ulster, or brought up in Mid-Ulster, you have spent most of your life in Mid-Ulster, and you expect that someday you will probably die here in Mid-Ulster. And friends, there are many blessings and benefits that come from such a stable life.

And yet, we need to make one thing clear. For even if you were born in Mid-Ulster, you better not belong in Mid-Ulster. Christian, while you may be from Magherafelt, you better not be at home here in Magherafelt. For as Christians, we are exiles on earth. This world cannot, must not, be our home. There must be a sense that we are somewhat unsettled, do not quite fit in. There should be an aspect of the wider culture that we just can’t join in with. There must be a certain accent to the way we live, that those around us cannot quite understand. For as followers of Jesus, part of God’s pilgrim people, Peter says here that we are exiles.

I wonder if you have started to feel a little bit like that in recent years, feel like you no longer fit in around here. As our wider culture becomes increasingly secular, and even increasingly hostile to our faith, Christians will start to feel a lot more like the outsiders they always were. We certainly feel that as a church community in England, and I know that many of you are starting to experience the same here in NI. [...] Those of you in older generations can remember a time when Christianity was widely seen to be morally respectable and intellectually acceptable. And yet, by the time those of us in our 30-40s came along, that began to change. For when we grew up, it was the case that Christianity was instead viewed as morally acceptable though intellectually suspicious. Christians were seen as good people, even if they were a little bit soft in the head. And yet now, as those of you who are in your teenage years and 20s well know, many in the current culture consider the Christian faith to be both morally reprehensible and intellectually ridiculous. It is not just that Christians are no longer worthy of respect, or no longer deserving of a pitiful smile, but instead Christians are now sometimes seen to be the baddies, the enemies of progress, the nemeses of the new morality.

And so, I am sure that many of you may be beginning to feel like you are exiles in this new world that is emerging. At school, you find yourself speaking up as part of an ever-shrinking minority. At work, you are seen to be among the awkward few that won’t put up your pronouns or wear a badge. Even in your own family, you find yourself less and less at home. As perhaps your children, or grandchildren, become increasingly embarrassed by, or even live openly in breach, of your beliefs. You have suddenly found yourself living as a foreigner in a strange land. And yet, Peter tells us here that we should not be surprised by such things. Indeed, as he will later write in 4:12, ‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.’ Brothers and sisters, what is happening is not strange. But rather, it is the same challenge that Christians have faced in different forms down through the centuries. For we have always been exiles on earth. We have always followed a master, who we heard this morning, faced all the hostility this world could heap on him. And so, if our Saviour was rejected, then we should not be surprised, should not find it strange, if we are all rejected to. If we do not fit in, are seen as the outsiders, the strangers who no longer belong in the very place they were born.

2.     WE ARE ACCEPTED 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 are accepted by heaven. While we my face persecution here below, we are precious to the one who is above. And that truth makes all the difference. And we can know it makes all the difference, for Scripture says so. Not just here in 1 Peter, but across the Bible. For example, this is the truth that David turns to in Psalm 27:10, where 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.’ And brothers and sisters, we see that very same truth here in 1 Peter. Though even your father and mother 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 your church hurts you, or the elders mistreat you. You can find comfort in every affliction you ever face, by reminding yourself that while you are rejected on earth, you are accepted by heaven. That though we must suffer as exiles here below, we are always elect there 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 again and again 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 really is. And perhaps you are here tonight with strong views one way or the other. If so, can I encourage you to practice what we spoke this morning, practice not getting so caught up in all the controversy that you miss the main thing. Friend, take all the controversy that the idea of election can cause, put it in a box, and set it aside for a second. Look past all the controversy, so you can simply enjoy the comfort that these words can you bring this evening. For no matter what you think Paul might be saying about election in passages such as Ephesians 1 or Romans 9, we can all agree on these words that Peter says here in 1:2, where he tell us of some of the most precious truths in the Bible. For here we see that election is not some bitter pill that 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.

What is this sweet comfort? 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 that 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, even as a jeweller will turn a gem in his hand, admiring it from each angle, so he can acknowledge its true beauty. What does it mean that we are elect here in 1 Peter 1? That we are accepted by heaven?

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. 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 exiles on earth. For Peter tells us that all the hard things that we experience in life, all the hostility we may 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 exiles on earth, but that is all part of being sanctified by the Spirit.

It is here we see the contrast between how we often understand ourselves, and how we should really understand ourselves as Christians. As we saw earlier, when introducing ourselves to others, we naturally speak of where we are from, what we do, who is in our family. And do you realise what all three of those things have in common? All three of those things are external to us. Relate to the outward, not the inward. They are the particular pitch that we must play on. But they are not the actual football game itself. They are the setting and context for our lives, but they are not the substance and centre of our lives. For the aim of the Christian life is not to be liked by the world, but to become like God’s Son. 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 has elected to use to make us holy. 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. Oh yes, in chapter 2 Peter will remind his readers that when Christ was reviled, he did not revile others in return. And yet, which of us can say the same? For when we are rejected by others, we are quick to retaliate, lash out at them in our minds, even if not with our mouths.

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.

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 even if we are rejected on earth, we are accepted by heaven. And that means 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. That by becoming a Christian, being an elect exile, you can enjoy grace and peace for ever.