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Elect Exiles and Salvation Inheritance

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God’s Chosen Exiles (vs. 1-2)

Peter addresses this letter to the elect, “eklektós,” the chosen ones. Most translations bump the word “eklektos” to verse two, but it’s the first word after Peter’s introduction, “Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect…” The word “elect” was used in the Old Testament to refer to Israel, “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has elected you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Dt. 7:6). Peter echoes this in 1 Peter 2:9. When Peter addresses this letter to the elect, he is not talking about individual persons, but to God’s special people, the new Israel.

But God’s elect––the known, sanctified, blood-sprinkled and obedient people, are pilgrims scattered across the world. The word dispersion means scattering like the scattering of seed and was used in the Old Testament to describe the result for breaking the covenant (Dt. 28:25). Now God’s chosen people are pilgrims who have been scattered in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia––the Roman provinces that make up the region called Asia Minor or modern day Turkey. Peter views this not as a curse but a blessing and cause for rejoicing.

A Psalm of Praise (vs. 3)

Peter starts his letter in worship. He begins with a psalm of praise, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” There’s not a command to do something, but the acknowledgment and praise for what God has done for you.

The theme for this praise is the salvation inheritance that’s been brought by the abundant mercy of the Father, through the resurrection of Jesus, and revealed by the Holy Spirit. You were dead in your sins and born as children of wrath, but now because of the Father’s mercy, you are born again to a living hope, a hope of life. And Peter specifically says this happens through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Your life as a Christian is dependent on Christ. When Jesus was born again to new life, you were born again. And so salvation is bound up with our unity with Jesus. His story is now your story. His life is your life. His death, your death. His family, your family.

Incorruptible, Undefiled, Unfading Inheritance (vs 4-5)

And what comes in a family? An inheritance from your Father. Salvation is life in Christ. And because we share in Christ’s life, we also share in Christ’s inheritance (Rom. 8:15-17). And no one will mess with Christ’s inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, unfading, reserved in heaven for you (vs. 4).

Your inheritance is kept secure in heaven, and you are kept secure in the world by the power of God (vs. 5). The word “kept” means guarded, protected by a military garrison. God is the sentinel in the citadel turrets guarding your life. The Father who knew you before time began, who caused you to be born into his family, who prepares your inheritance, will guard and kept you until you come to Him.

Joyous Salvation (vs. 6-9)

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.” You greatly rejoice even when you are being grieved. Can these emotions of joy and grief, these reactions occur at the same time? (Jm. 1:2)

One of the reasons you can have joy in the pain is because you know the the trials are from the Father and He has a purpose––“so that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” You don’t throw a lump of gold into a fire because you think it’s worthless. Fire is applied to reveal the gold’s value and make it more valuable. But the process of purification is non-too pleasant for the lump of gold, and so love Jesus, believe in Jesus, rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. God regards your faith and its fire-tested purity as more valuable than gold, more valuable than an easy, comfortable life. Your faith will gleam to the honor, praise, and glory of Jesus Christ.

The Search for Salvation (vs. 10-12)

In these last verses Peter wants his readers to appreciate how valuable the gift is that they hold. The prophets in the Old Testament “searched carefully and inquired of the grace that would come to you.” They wrote the treasure map and investigated but never found the treasure. Peter says been given the treasure, your salvation. And our salvation is “the suffering of Christ and the glories that would follow.” Can you believe that? The ancient mystery was the grace of Jesus as the Christ who would suffer and die. This is the good news not only for you, but for all those who will share in the inheritance of Jesus.

Peter began this letter with a hymn of praise. And so worship must be our first response to what the Father, Son, and Spirit have done for his chosen people. Believe the gospel that you have been begotten again to a living hope. Rejoice greatly that you are kept by the power of God. Preach by the Spirit the salvation to the inheritance of the nations.

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Wise Men and Worship

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Introduction

As we consider this familiar passage, I’d like us to view this as the story of kings and their worship. I’m not referring to the “We three kings of Orient are…” rather, just to the two kings––King Herod and King Jesus. The magi appear with the announcement that the King of the Jews has been born, and they have come in order to worship him. So who is the king and who gets the worship? We observe three responses to this worship for the king by the wise men, the Jewish religious leaders, and King Herod.

Ironic King of the Jews (vs. 1-3)

Mathew draws our attention to Herod being the king so we need to know what kind of king he was. By the time Jesus is born Herod has been ruling in Judea for around 40 years. He first came to power when Marc Antony (of the Cleopatra fame) made him the tetrach of the region and was then appointed “the King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate. The chronology of Herod’s life reads like the biography of a mob boss with regular hit jobs for rivals mingled with lavish checks to the neighborhood charities. So when Herod, the King of the Jews, hears the report of a new born “King of the Jews,” all his well sharpened survival instincts kick in.

The Magi and the Star (vs. 2)

Who are these men that cause a ruckus for Herod and Jerusalem? Matthew describes them as wise men or magi from the East. Before they became associated with the nativity scene, magi would have been associated with kings and the ruling class. “Magi” was the Babylonian or Persian title given to priests, astrologers physicians, sorcerers who various kings in the ancient world consulted for their skill in interpreting omens, signs, and the stars.

Once the magi arrive in Jerusalem they start asking around, “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East…” Perhaps the star is a reference to Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 24:17, “I see Him, but not now: I behold him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A scepter shall rise out of Israel, and bater the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.” And so these pagan magi from foreign nations follow the star in order to worship the King of the Jews.

Indifferent Priests and Scribes (vs. 4-6)

Herod the King is trouble and so assembles all the chief priests and scribes together and asks, “Where the Christ was to be born?” Did you get that? Not just the King of the Jews, but the Christ. They respond, “Bethlehem” while pointing to Micah’s prophecy (Micah 5:2). The Christ, the long expected Messiah, the promised deliver will be born about six miles down the road from Jerusalem. The Magi have travelled for hundreds, if not thousands of miles, and Jewish religious leaders can’t be bothered to go less than ten miles to find their Christ.

Do we not find ourselves following the easy option of the scribes and the priests? We too know the Bible answers about the Christmas story. We’ve heard it, read it, sung it hundreds of times. But are we hesitant to worship? Perhaps we think it’s all too inconvenient. Perhaps we fear being reported by the palace’s holiday tolerance division. And so we remain comfortable and safe in our religious shelters.

Magi’s Worship

The magi follow the directions and the miraculous star leads them to Jesus. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (vs. 10).  This the biblical language for jumping up in the air with high fives, fist pumps, sobbing tears and laughter. The magi bow down and worship the Christ child, the greatest gift God could give and has given. And from this worship they become like God and give their treasures. Here Jesus and Magi at the beginning picture what will happen at the end––all nations will come and bow down before Jesus Christ the King.

Christmas Reveals your Worship

Christmas reveals your worship. The question is not whether you will worship, but who will you worship? The options in this story were King Herod or King Jesus. But this new story presents itself as the Kingdom of Jesus continues to increase.

So here are the days we live in––Jesus has been born as the King of the Jews and the Messiah for the World. How ought you to respond? Don’t be like the scribes and chief priests. Don’t be content knowing all the facts about Christmas but indifferent to Jesus Christ. Don’t be like Herod who attempted to destroy King Jesus and his increasing kingdom. Those like Herod still actively seek to make Christmas Christ-less. Be like the wise men and worship. Celebrate your discovery that you have found the King. Bow before him and delight in the gift of the Son. Imitate the Father and offer him the treasures of your life. Splurge. Celebrate Christmas in such a way that makes Christ-less kings worry. Let your battle cry ring of “Merry Christmas.”

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The Father Seeks Worshippers

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The Text

“When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.4 And he must needs go through Samaria.5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink . . . “ (John 4:1-26)

Christmas Desires

While the Samaritan woman does not usually make the list for Advent passages, this story illustrates the deep longings of humanity and the One sent from God to satisfy these desires. This woman desired water, and Jesus offers water that provides eternal life. She wanted men, and Jesus reveals God as a Father. She sough to worship rightly, and Jesus explains that God is seeking her as a worshipper. The story of the Samaritan woman forms part of the larger story that begins at Christmas with the good news of great joy that the Father is seeking people to worship him in spirit and truth.

Journey to Samaria (vs. 1-6)

Jesus along with his disciples trek from Judea to Galilee in northern Israel. Verse 4 states that “Jesus had to go through Samaria.” In a practical sense, Jesus did not have to pass through Samaria. Many strict Jews avoided Samaria, but Jesus intentionally travels to Samaria and rests at a well outside Sychar.  Since it’s around lunchtime, Jesus sends all the disciples to the town for food. He arranges

A Samaritan Woman at a Jewish Well (vs. 7-9)

A Samaritan woman comes alone to the well to draw water. Culturally, most women draw water in the cool of the morning. Her arrival at noon reveals a clue of her situation. She’s on the outskirts of the Samaritan social scene. If the Samaritans shun you, you’re really hurting. Then Jesus asks the woman for a drink. She responds. “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a Samaritan woman?” About 750 years of hatred are bearing down on this request for a drink of water.

Living Water and Cracked Cisterns (vs. 10-15)

Jesus continues with his surprises, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that said to you ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (vs. 10). Notice that Jesus initiates with a known desire of the woman––water. This woman is an expert on the water in this well. She knows the stats. She knows the urban legend of Jacob. But this woman who everyday lugs her pot to the well knows the need and preciousness of water.

Jesus is offering the woman not something that can be put in  a bucket, but he is offering himself. Jeremiah the Prophet compares living water and cracked cisterns, “Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13-14). Living water is found in the Lord, and in him alone. But those who refuse to drink from this source must dig from their own cisterns that can hold no water. Jesus now identifies the cracked cistern of men that has left her soul thirsty.

Husband Thirst and Wrong Worship (vs. 16-22)

“Go, call your husband, and come here.” She becomes a linguist, “I have no husband.” Jesus confronts her spiritual thirst by pointing out that she has had five husbands and now a live-in boyfriend. The woman is dumbfounded that Jesus knows the details of her life and assumes he is a prophet (vs. 19). A prophet reveals a person’s place in the eyes of God and the way to make things right between God and man. The woman recognizes her sin and the necessity of repentance, but she has been worshipping wrong.

Worship the Seeking Father (vs. 23-26)

Worship of God is possible because the Father is seeking people to worship him. When was the last time this woman experienced a father? Over the years, she had experienced men as husbands, but not a father. God the Father is not distant or scornful but actively seeks to find people. God’s desire for you realigns the desires of your life. What does God want? He wants you to know him as your Father. He wants you to worship him as your God in spirit and truth. This woman has a deep thirst that can only be satisfied in the worship of the Triune God and by the work of the Triune God.

What does the Father want? A world of worshippers. And so the Father has sent his Son Jesus to a world full of people with messed up desires and wrong worship. This is the joyful announcement the angels shouted to the scruffy shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:11) This great news of great joy came to the Samaritan woman. And we join in this celebration even now in the season of advent that the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Desire of the Nations, has come.

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The Joy of Christ’s Increase

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The Text

“After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison). Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him’ . . .” (John 3:22-36)

Life in Community

We are part of the Moscow community which covers the spectrum of people from the Renaissance Fair to our Reformation Fest. Within this cultural hodgepodge there forms tighter communities––church community, school community, work community, family community. But what happens when one community appears to compete with another community? An unassuming statement like “I love our church community” can reveal competition, rivalries, envy.

A similar situation prompts our story in John 3 when some of John’s disciples vent their frustration about the upstart Jesus and his rival baptism ministry, “Look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” But instead of adding his own grumbles, John directs his disciples to truth that completes his joy––Jesus must increase, but I must decrease. John gives the guiding principle for a godly and joyful life and community. When you live with this mentality––Jesus must increase, but I must decrease, you enter into the life of the Trinity and discover complete joy.

Rival Baptizers? (vs. 22-24)

Jesus and his disciples depart from Jerusalem and begin baptizing. And we could rightly assume that John the Baptist would now retire from his job as the Baptist. Jesus has arrived and He can take it from here. But the passage says that John and his disciples continue to baptize in Aenon near Salim. There’s still water, there’s still people, there’s still time before he’s imprisoned and beheaded. How about this to reshape our thinking on retirement.

Ministry Monopoly (vs. 25-26)

A discussion arises between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. The discussion group comes to John to sort things out. But instead of presenting a question, they vent their frustration, “Rabbi, he who was with you across from the Jordan, to whom you bore witness––look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” They are wounded for John and concerned for his ministry. They thought they had set up a monopoly on the baptism market, and now they feel competition.

He Must Increase, But I Must Decrease (vs. 27-30)

John holds an open hand to his ministry knowing that it all has come from God in Heaven. And remember what he’s said all along––I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. John has not set himself up as a rival to Jesus and doesn’t let his disciples hoist him up on the pedestal either. In fact, his disciples are thinking about it all wrong. They shouldn’t regret Christ’s advancement but rejoices in it. That’s what John is doing. He’s like the friend of the groom on the wedding day beaming as he watches the groom laugh and hug and kiss his bride. The friend has done lots of work preparing this moment (setting up chairs, last minute ice-run, escorting Great Aunt Marge), and it all out of joy.

“Therefore this joy of mine is complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” This seems like a backwards way to achieve joy, at least by the world’s reckoning but not in God’s world. The principle is that when Jesus increases, joy increases.

From Heaven and Not From Earth (vs. 31-33)

In the last verses of the chapter, John explains why we should rejoice in the exaltation of Jesus Christ. To begin with, Jesus is not from around here. Jesus has breathed the air at the summit of Heaven and has come down to earth and so has greater authority over man. But Jesus is not only different in superiority but also in substance than any other man. Man belongs to the earth, and as Paul says, “We have borne the image of the man of dust” (1 Cor. 15: 47-49). What do we look like when we share a family resemblance to Adam? We are selfish, envious, quarrelsome, murdering, drunkards and that just gets us a few chapters into Genesis. But 1 Corinthians 15 gives hope of a new image––of the man from heaven who is infinitely different from Adam or any of his earthy descendants.

Life with the Triune God (vs. 34-36)

In verses 34-35, we glimpse the life in the Trinity. Two present tense verbs reveal what the Father does 1)The Father is always giving to the Son the Spirit without measure and 2) the Father is always loving the Son. Giving and loving are central to the community of the Trinity.

Remember we are answering the question, “Why should we rejoice that Jesus increases?” Look at how the Father thinks of Jesus.The Father has sent Jesus from heaven to speak for God. The Father has given Jesus the Spirit in abundance. The Father loves Jesus. The Father has given all things into his hand. What’s the Father’s thinking? “My son must increase!” The Father then turns to the world and asks, “Do you agree?”

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Spirit-Born, Serpent-Saved, Father-Loved

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The Text

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.” (John 2:23-3:21)

What is in man? (2:23-25)

Born again of water and the Spirit (3:1-8)

How can these things be? (3:9-12)

Salvation through a serpent on a pole (3:13-15) 

The Father’s love for a condemned world (3:16-18)

Love darkness or love light (3:19-21)

 

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