1 Peter 1:1-2 Peter,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to
the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit,
for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to
you and peace be multiplied.”
This last Sunday marked our
fifth Sunday since our church campus closed and virtual church was produced for
broadcast video of the Worship service. Pastor Kyle started a new sermon series
through the book of first and Second Peter. He points out that the term
“pilgrim” in the first verse is used for one just traveling through. It
describes someone who knows that wherever they currently are, it is not the
final destination. This is such a great metaphor for Christians on planet
Earth. We are here, but just passing through; chosen for a greater destination
– eternity in Heaven.
In the second verse, the
Apostle Peter used the phrase: “according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father”. Did God choose us based upon His foreknowledge of our choices would
be, or did He pick us because He picked us based off His own reasons? There are
solid biblical arguments for both. We’ll fully understand in Heaven. But, we do
know that God didn’t have to love us; God chose us because He wanted to. And,
because we are chosen by God, there are some expectations that come along with
that. Believers have been set apart for the sanctification of the Spirit and
obedience (doing what God says more and more every day).
Peter starts by telling
every Christian that they are chosen by God … they didn’t earn it, they don’t
deserve it; it is a gift. Since we are chosen pilgrims, there is this
expectation of spiritual growth. And, one of the biggest evidences of spiritual
growth in every Believer’s life is the multiplication of grace and peace. It is
a fitting affirmation for us today, and we decide what get multiplied and what
does not. How?
We don’t have to let the negative
events outside of us which are going around and beyond our control to get multiplied
inside of us. In this day and age, we sense a lot of other things being multiplied
in our society. Stress, anxiety, depression, fear, financial uncertainty,
unanswered questions and disagreements are being seen multiplying daily in our
culture; not just in the world in general or in those who do not know the Lord,
but also in Christians. Honestly, it is a daily battle for me to be in a place
of grace and peace, Negatives, that are so vividly seen, are always going to be
around us, but those are not the things that God wants multiplied in us.
How do we get to the place
where grace and peace are multiplied in us? I believe that the first key is to
remind ourselves that we decide what gets multiplied. It’s in our control.
There is an old saying: You can’t stop
the birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from building a
nest in your hair. There are a multitude of negative realities around us
that are beyond our control. Those facts are 100% true and we should not live
in denial about them. We should be informed about them to the extent that we
know what action steps to take for ourself and our family. But, the issue is
that we cannot do anything to change those things. What I want you and I to
take hold of today is that those things can multiple around us, but the negative
aspects of them don’t have to multiple inside of us. You decide what gets
multiples inside of you.
It sounds like I an saying
that people are in charge of their own destiny, but I am not. The Apostle Peter
wrote that we are chosen by God, undeservingly elect according to the foreknowledge of God so that grace and peace could be multiplied
inside of us. That is supernatural; not something that you or I could do on our
own. That is something that God’s Spirit enabled every Believer to do by His
power, not ours. You see, God has enabled every Believer to have grace and
peace multiplied on the inside, but God has also given them the choice to take
hold of it daily in simple, practical ways.
Let’s continue Pastor Kyle’s
message of grace and peace in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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