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I can email her the link after. Do you know which chapter you missed.
Okay.
Yeah, I'll email it to you so Same email the Yahoo one, right? Yeah. Okay. Okay, we'll start with the prayer we'll pray for Carolyn who's sick. And do you do do you have any other prayer requests To feel better, too.
Okay. Yeah. Okay. We'll pray for Carolyn and pray for Diane and People are traveling this week. So let's pray for them to have homes in the Michaels. They're traveling. Okay, let's let's pray father. We're grateful to gather here Our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Thank you for the opportunity to study your word. We ask that your spirit would open all of our hearts and Help us to understand your word and help us to obey your word. We also ask that you would heal Carolyn and Diane.
Thank you that Diane can join us in person now, we also pray for Safety for traveling for the Huffman's and The Michaels we pray that you'd protect them from every physical spiritual and even emotional attacks slash stressful situations that traveling may.
Have.
In Jesus name. Amen. Okay, first Peter is a great book. I went over it just like two chapters in seminary and then rereading it and Restarting it. I realized man. I wouldn't agree with what he said. While learning it I was like, right and then while reading it I'm like I don't you know, it's like I don't know if that's what it is.
And the main thing is We're gonna discuss this whether whether first Peter's written to the Jews or the Gentiles and I'm going to share the options. I was taught that it was written to the Gentiles and then it's all Metaphorical like dispersion, you know, but then now rereading it.
I'm like there's not a ground To read it as a metaphor that they're in dispersion because Jews have been in dispersion for a long time. Right, so we'll go over this. So right now I'm I I think first Peter's written to the Jews.
Like Jewish Christians, right? They're still Christians. They're not Unsaved there's still Christians, but Jewish background. So, let's take a look We're gonna we're gonna go over the background information of first Peter.
Who wrote it? When was it and all of that? So let's go over the first two verses. Who can read the first two verses of first Peter? First Peter go ahead Dexter.
Dispersion. Okay.
In.
New Testament letters or epistles. Same word I mean same meaning really letter or epistle. The introduction is pretty important. It really tells us who wrote it and Kind of the summary of the purpose and to whom he is writing.
So we're going to unpack this. Who is the human author of this letter? Yeah, Peter, right? Of course the Holy Spirit is the divine author right. God is the divine author and Peter here is the human author.
And what title does he describe himself with? Apostle, okay. Now we're going to unpack the meaning of the Apostle because of This new apostolic. Is it Reformation or yeah.
The.
The new heresy the NAR right? Yeah new apostolic Reformation. So they would say well, you know, the Apostle doesn't always mean, you know Peter Paul John James, right? Let's unpack that so. What does the title Apostle mean?
Sent one. Yeah the sent one. Yeah. Yeah the Apostle. If you literally translate it It means the sent one because the greek verb is apostella, which means to send. I send. So apostle is the sent one. And depending on the context it can just mean someone like a messenger right, uh and Context determines the meaning of the word.
So like what do I mean like in second corinthians 8 23. There's the uh word apostle used but it just means messenger it doesn't mean one of the leaders of the church. Uh second corinthians 8 23 if anyone inquires about titus He is my partner and fellow worker concerning you.
Or if our brethren are inquired about they are messengers of the church is the glory of christ. So obviously. These brothers are not big a apostles, right? They're not peter. They're not paul. They're not james.
John, right matthew. These are just messengers.
Or.
Another way in which the apostle is used is the title for a commissioned church leader. Who is specifically? Sent by jesus christ himself. That's the that's why I call it the big a apostle right. It's more than a messenger, right.
It's a special office.
Right.
As peter an apostle of jesus christ to the pilgrims of the dispersion.
Which.
Meaning do you think he's going with?
Sent.
The sent one just the messenger.
Or the.
Big a apostle commissioned by christ. The whole gospel. Yeah, the the big a apostle right. And why do you think that he is Using the title christ commissioned church leader rather than just a messenger.
What gives us the context? That's right. Peter is directly taught from him and we can see that in the gospel accounts. Uh, and also Notice an apostle of jesus christ. An apostle of jesus christ. It's possessive an apostle belonging to jesus christ.
What that means is this of jesus christ. Uh, wayne brudem a systematic theologian argues that The apostle is the only office in the church Where of jesus christ is added to it and it makes it specifically the commissioned church leader.
So when you have apostle of jesus christ it has to be the special commissioned leaders who have seen christ And have been specifically sent by christ. Uh, so it is a distinct honor. There is Nobody alive on earth right now who can call himself an apostle Of jesus christ, right?
This is important. There is nobody alive on earth right now who can add to the bible a single word. Okay, the canon is closed. The book is closed.
Um, so it yep. Yeah, I I would say like a messenger. Sure, like missionary. Yeah, because they're sent right in a in a sense of they are the sent ones. Yeah, we you know missionaries right and all of you right you are all sent.
Uh to your community your neighbors your jobs your colleagues. We are sent. Yeah, not in the same way not in the same way as peter paul matthew john. We're sent from jesus. Uh, yeah, not not in a physical direct sense.
That's right. Yeah. Yeah physically. Yeah. That is that is one of the main Categories used in act one to replace judas who was with us. Right. Who who was with us during jesus's early ministry? I think it's paul.
Uh, I I think it's I. I think paul is chosen in the.
Uh in uh.
Unexpected time. I think he's a special apostle to the gentiles, but I think the 12th one is not paul. Uh, Yeah, matthias. Yeah, I think it's matthias. I I think.
Jesus didn't actually To them like he chose the other apostle. I think it's still paul. They didn't want to wait for something or they. Yeah, they just had the other matthias just took over the duties.
The duties.
Yeah, jesus's duties. I I know I know that that's another interpretation of acts one.
Yeah.
Well, matthias did see jesus during earthly ministry. During his earthly ministry so. So I think I think paul's special. I think he is an apostle. I think he's one of the most impactful apostles. Uh, but I think matthias is still the replacement for judas because paul does say I'm, i'm a unique special apostle for this ministry the gentiles.
So we'll we'll go over it when I preach through acts. Which would be in a couple of weeks.
Um.
But.
With that Yeah of jesus christ. It's a distinct honor. Paul makes a distinction uh, and in first corinthians 9 1 he says it's because he has seen the lord and the work of god. Right. So seeing the lord is a criteria for the apostleship.
We're sent indirectly, right? We Jesus didn't come knocking at your door saying i'm sending you out. We're sent through scripture through the holy spirit, right? Uh, but peter john james the 12th, right? and paul.
Have been directly sent by Jesus christ himself, right? Jesus actually appeared to paul. That's what makes him an apostle. Right, that's his argument in galatians, right? Paul is an apostle. Uh, and there's no no debate about peter being an apostle.
He's been there since the beginning.
Now.
Let's talk about this. So there are no apostles right now. So this is peter's son of jonah, right, uh peter simon peter, right. He is one of the original 12th uh. Now if you talk to a liberal christians or liberal christian or modern theologian who are not Evangelical or you know, like conservative or take the bible seriously.
They'll argue that it's not written by peter.
Uh.
But church history is not on their side. Uh first clement opening first clement clement of rome was uh Historically discipled by peter he quotes he quotes, uh peter's writings Uh in his letters and he he lived in the first century.
Uh polycarp also alludes to Peter's writings and he lived and it's the writing is between ad 112 to 114. That's pretty early on uh tertullian Who lived from 160 to 240 actually cites verses from first peter and attributes?
Authorship to peter so church history is on the side of scripture. Uh early church fathers all believe that first and second peter, uh were written by peter. So I I know but in modern theology So many people believe paul didn't write colossians.
They it's it's all jumbled. It's it's crazy. That's why so many like good commentaries now. They like their initial chapter is on like authorship who wrote it and even though it's pretty clear It's peter.
They have to argue using church history like actually like It's been believed to be peter. It's Yeah, so i'm just giving it to you now if you want like quotations like I we I can give that to you too.
Like I I've found quotations of like polycarp and clement. Like quoting or alluding to first peter. Second in the book of second peter peter actually says Uh, he refers to another letter, which means then these two letters are written by peter.
So That's another that's that's a that's an internal evidence. It's in the scripture Land logically if first peter was not written by peter Why did the early church keep it? In scripture right, why take the Uh hard effort and costly too, right letters making letters costly.
They didn't have printing press why spend all the effort and money to Keep copying first and second peter if you if they didn't think it was written by peter.
Is there um.
No, no for sure. No, i'm i'm not. I'm not saying peter didn't write it i'm just saying. The argument is against those.
People.
Who are saying it's not written by peter? If people really thought it was not written by peter in the first century, they wouldn't have kept it.
Right for the ones that were in charge.
Yeah, well I I'm assuming those who received first and second peter knew peter directly and said hey it's from peter Right. I'm assuming the messengers Who deliver these letters to what? Uh pontus galatia, so on Came from peter Right and these letters these churches copy them down because they believe it was from peter, right?
All right. To whom is peter writing? Uh, let's unpack this. What does it mean by elect here elect according to or Anyone chosen. What does that mean. Yeah, they're believers right.
So aliens.
Yes, they they are also aliens aliens not as an extraterrestrial. They're. They're scattered about they're in foreign lands.
Uh the word it says pilgrims or aliens of the dispersion.
So although they are dispersed. They're all throughout the world. Uh, by the way these uh, Cities pontus galatia cappadocia asia and bithynia. They're all in turkey. Modern-day turkey. Oh, really? Yeah.
Yeah, they're all in modern-day turkey. Um, I think it was the southern part. Let me let me take. Uh, I think it is the southern part of turkey. But they're all like close to each other like roundabout so like you could take the letter and then pass it on.
Yeah. Yeah. Yes.
Yes.
That's that would be a yeah modern-day turkey knowing that it was a favorable environment.
So what probably happened was.
Jews.
Historically uh have been Oppressed all the time right. Right like jews. Jews are taken from one empire to another to another right? Uh, and because of that. They're found like everywhere right in africa.
And even asia, right? Um, like turkey area europe. They're found everywhere. So what probably happened was From one oppression to the next and one exile to the next. They stayed there. So their ancestry is jewish.
But they're stuck and they have never really found a way to come back to the Promised land because a if you're established there you have a family you have a business. It's really hard to uproot and just go right.
So they're stuck in dispersion. My view is as they're stuck in dispersion. And you can notice some of these cities paul visited, you know, and other apostles visited, right? Heard the gospel. They became christians.
But what paul's i'm sorry peter Uh is saying is although they're far away and they're dispersed and scattered about. These are specifically believers and they're chosen by god as god's people, right? They're not just accidentally in foreign lands, right?
God is not only aware of them but have covenantally chosen them, right? They're in god's covenant. That's I I think of chosen as covenant, right? Hey god wanted them to be part of his people, right? So god Saved them.
Right, even though they're far away and and Imagine how relieving that is for a jew right because. Over history the jews they're so covenantally tied to what? Jerusalem right the land they had to visit jerusalem at least three times of three major feasts.
But what if they're so far away? What if they're in turkey? Well peter's saying You're still. You're still of covenant, right? You're still of the covenant. You're chosen. You're special. You've been redeemed by god.
Right. You're still a believer. And I I think that that is very comforting, right? Even though you're far away. Just as israel is often called chosen people right like the chosen people ministry. I'm, not sure I haven't really looked into chosen people ministry, but I get emails a lot right but that's israel was chosen, too.
It's not because they were like good. They're chosen because god promised that he would rescue abraham's descendants, right? So out of egypt god chose them out right entered into covenant together. So that's I think it has that ring to it.
So it denotes a covenantal relationship. It denotes commitment god's faithfulness. Loyalty. And it's not transactional. Right. Hey just because you're not in jerusalem. It doesn't mean you're you're not part of god's people, right?
So dispersion I I did some studies with like what does it mean to be of the dispersion or diaspora? You might have heard of diaspora. Have you heard that diaspora? Yeah scattered dispersion. Same thing.
They're not truly at home. In one sense these jews Are in foreign lands, right? They're not truly at home but peter he's the apostle to the.
Whom.
Jews, yeah, right. He. A lot a lot of the time in acts peter's really in jerusalem. Can you imagine if you get a letter? from the apostle to the jews. And he says hey to those who are in dispersion the elect ones.
Like that's a comfort. Although you might not have seen peter in jerusalem because you didn't really get to jerusalem. You get a letter as a jewish man who's never really been to jerusalem. I'm writing a letter to you from peter, right?
Gentiles right right. Paul went to the gentiles. Peter went to the jews.
Yeah, he peter was to the for the jews and paul was with gentiles. Yes.
And uh.
In another sense.
These.
Christian jewish christians. They are away from home and it's.
Heaven.
They're also it's like two layers. One is like yeah, they're away from jerusalem.
And then they're also away from the true home.
They're not meant to find permanent comfort wherever they are right now in the foreign lands. Right their citizenship is with him.
God um.
Yeah, god, right. Yeah god's kingdom christ's kingdom. So that's that's that's what diaspora mean.
Now, yeah, I just mentioned.
Something that says exactly in galatians 9 2.
Where.
Paul went back and was telling the church why he was preaching. And what do you think? And it talks about james and cephas or peter and john. Yeah, the ones who told Um paul you go to the gentile, right, right, right.
In other words, he's there in jerusalem. They're saying and he doesn't say we're to the jews, but he says they we were sending you to the judge. That's right.
That's right. Yeah. With the jews and that was his news. Yeah, I I fully agree.
Right um.
Now when was this written? I believe it was written around uh, 62 63 ad ad 62 63.
The reason is. Uh, although it's not in the bible 64. Yeah, the the reason is.
Although it's not in scripture. It's believed that peter died during nero's reign uh emperor nero uh of rome and he was uh, I mean. Historically people say he was crucified upside down. It's not in scripture.
So i'm not gonna like hold on to that.
But tradition, yeah, so. Because of that it's before neronian persecution. So that that's why I put it early 60s. Now the the question we've been right waiting for is peter writing to the jews or gentiles.
I want to say that first of all. The recipients are all christians. They are they believe in christ. They receive christ. The question is what's their ethnic background, right?
So I looked up diaspora dispersion. The word diaspora dispersion And shows up three times. Once is here. Two other times. One is in john 7 35. I'll read it for you. Then the jews among themselves. Whither will he go that we shall not find him talking about jesus?
Will he go on to the dispersed? Among the gentiles. And teach the gentiles. The the idea of the dispersed here in john is that These are the dispersed jews. Right, so it's the scattered ones who are jews who are living with the gentiles.
So in john 7 35 dispersion means jews. Uh, james 1 1 james a servant of god and of the lord. Jesus christ. To the 12 tribes Which are scattered or dispersed abroad reading? When you see 12 tribes, is that gentile or jew?
Yeah, jew. Because of that, uh I think it's Most direct and clear to read dispersion as jewish.
In fact the word dispersion gets used in the old testament with the greek septuage and greek translation Deuteronomy 28 25. It's actually a judgment that they are scattered for their unfaithfulness. Hey, if you don't obey you're going to be dispersed.
That's from god. And then deuteronomy 34 god says. But because he's merciful i'll gather you back from your dispersion. Same with nehemiah 1 9 so seems like the word dispersion applies to actually the jews.
Furthermore When you read first peter and when we read it all together, you'll see a lot of old testament quotations.
And.
I'm not going to list them all but 1 16 1 24 25 chapter 2 verse 3 6 through 10 22 chapter 3 verse 10 through 12 chapter 4 18 chapter 5. That's a lot and Most likely this these people probably knew the old testament because they're jews.
And also when you turn to first peter 2 12 Uh, I do like the like the old translations because they don't smooth it out. Having your conduct honorable among the gentiles. That when they speak against you as evildoers they may By your good works, which they observe glorify god.
In the day of visitation there it doesn't make sense to say that your conduct must be honorable among the gentiles unless They're not gentiles.
Yeah, uh, I uh the the.
Um, the word is the nations right, so. Why is for why is peter making a distinction between nations?
Nations and these people unless they're not part of the nations, right? Because gentile there can be gentile believers. Right, but obviously here that's not true. So that distinction I think is that's what convinced me When I saw that.
It's like why would peter make a distinction of the gentiles? Why can't he just say unbelievers? Unless these jews are living among the gentiles.
Uh, another thing is the argument from silence. Uh, if you read like Galatians colossians all these. When paul's writing to the gentiles, he what does he say? How whom does he write to?
To.
People. But what what does he refer them as? Right the church. To the church of. To the churches of. Right. Here we don't get that. Here we just get dispersion.
That's like.
White.
Huh?
Maybe they don't call themselves Right the church, but rather they're jewish christians. Right, although they're part of the universal church, right? No argument about that, but maybe how they refer themselves is not quite the same way as the gentiles do.
Oh, maybe they because they weren't they weren't called christians. Then was this written?
After acts before this is written after acts. So yeah, so this is still. It's all done.
Yes, maybe these guys didn't want to.
Yeah, or they're they're like ethnic identity is just being jewish right. So they're called the dispersed people, right? Uh, and as victor mentioned galatians 2 7 through 8 peter's role was he's apostle to the jews.
Uh, I think the roman catholics. I try to brainwash history and whitewash it make it seem like peter was the bishop of rome, but it's like Have you read romans who wrote that. Right, it's like Uh peter didn't write romans.
Peter probably just died in rome. He was taken there, but he probably didn't minister too much in rome.
Just to be uh fair I want to look at uh. Why why people would say they're gentiles, you know, because like you you want to be able to Have a good conversation, right? So what is the argument that they're gentiles why would we read this metaphorically right.
Like dispersion as in like it's a spiritual dispersion. It's not about land, you know, that's that's how they would say it, right? Uh first peter 118 is what they say Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers.
So it's this idea that hey you were redeemed by christ uh from your Really empty tradition. Aimless conduct right empty conduct vain things. Uh that you receive from your fathers. So, uh, these people would say see.
That's that's what you would say to a gentile, right? Why why would you say about the jews? Now here's the counter argument. Uh jews also had empty traditions. Like without Jesus had major problems with empty traditions of the pharisees.
And uh, if you read the mishnah, that's like the jewish tradition like. It really botches, uh salvation. Uh by grace through faith alone, right? It doesn't have that. It's very works based. That's an empty tradition.
Any tradition that misreads the bible. And makes salvation based upon works that is an empty tradition whether jewish or gentile. Right, so that would be my counter argument to that if they say well, that's obviously gentile because it's empty tradition.
But I would say well jews also some jews had empty traditions, right? Yeah, I I would say after christ has revealed. And after he has died and rose from the dead. Uh, it could have become an empty tradition if we had made gentiles become jews in order to be saved.
I think a lot of the intertributions were the fact. Which they say in the law that the people who wrote the law Put their own words like beside it to the point where they created.
Traditions far beyond what the lord had. Right right right. Like a great examples like mark 7. When the pharisees are like really angry at the disciples of christ, we're not washing their hands before eating.
Nowhere in the old testament law. Do you have to wash your hands where it's unclean, right? Uncleanness is something different than washing hands. Although we would say that's unclean, but that's not against the law.
It's tradition. And then when peter didn't want to eat all that animal foods that when he was hungry God.
I may not make it clean. Yeah. Yeah post christ. Yeah, it's Post christ you can't Apply the law the same way as you did because you have to apply it in in christ. What the what how did christ? Fulfill that right?
Well, you're made clean by his blood right not by what you avoid eating, right? So yeah empty tradition another argument. They use is first peter for Uh three through four before we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the gentiles.
When we walked in lewdness lost drunkenness revelries drunk drinking parties and abominable Idolatries and they read idolatry and they're like See, it has to be gentile idolatry, right? But what would be the counter argument to that?
That's right. Have Huh? Have you read the old testament right. Idolatry is a continued theme in israel, right? Um, in fact, they have so many idols. It's hard to even follow which gods they didn't worship for sure, so I couldn't find the counter example.
Counter-argument to the argument to the jews so I can't share that. But I was able to find the counter argument. To those who claim that it's written to the gentiles.
So because of that I am uh, I am going with first peter was written to the jewish christians like ethnically jews.
Diane you have a question.
With.
Oh.
Yeah, I can get back to you if you remember yeah.
Now why why did I spend so much time going over that. What's at stake? Like why does it matter whether it's written to the jews or the gentiles, right? In the end it is written for us to apply to live godly lives.
Uh in this world, even though we don't belong here, right? Because we are spiritually sojourners here. Why does it matter? Uh, it's because Of how do we actually read dispersion and alien and pilgrims?
Do we read it literally or metaphorically? That's the decision we have to make. And for me, I don't find the ground that we can read this metaphorically. Right, uh, and if.
If.
There's no context to read it metaphorically. That it's not wise to read it metaphorically.
And and then we also uh the relationship between the church and the nation of israel the the ethnic jews, uh is also in play here. If we uh, if we don't.
If we read it metaphorically that play is gone, right. The ethnic jews and the church.
Are they distinct although saved by christ same saviors the same way belief in christ alone? Uh, the question is Was there a distinction in terms of how did peter make a distinction between the jews and the gentiles and how he ministered?
To them directly. Right. So that's that's the thing.
He's certainly not about yeah.
Himself, right.
Initially about ministering to the gentiles, right where the lord let down the uh,.
What he. He was sent to minister to the jim right. Right in korean court, right.
For sure. He said I don't participate in those kind of things, you know, right? And it brings that down a sheet with all the things that.
Jews don't eat right, right, right.
And so he I think he had a battle that the lord had to deal with for sure.
No, yeah, I.
Initially initially for sure and then he he changed like acts 15. Jerusalem council said Gentiles don't have to eat like jews, right?
A bigger picture is this idea of replacement theology. Has anyone heard of the replacement theology? Yeah. It's an old one, but it's coming back in vogue. Right, it's becoming popular. It's this idea that every time you read israel.
Or you know anything like that in the bible? It's the it's the church. So I have a hard time with this mainly because. Although they are both saved in christ, right all those they're both saved by the same god same way faith through grace, right.
I think the bible makes a distinction.
Uh between israel and gentiles. Um, so I think a lot of people who hold to the replacement theology they want to read this metaphorically to say this is the.
Gentile, right. When I was a child my father was a pastor and they had people that would come and say Well, i'm a at that time they would say i'm a british israelite.
Uh and. So they would argue their argument was is the jews killed christ, so he's done away with them, right?
Yeah, that's the idea. Yeah, that's the idea. Yeah. So right not so yeah. Yes, I I I think I think in I think in the end days like the last days. Oh, I think the last days I think a lot of jews will come to faith in christ.
Uh after the time of the gentiles, right? That's the 144 romans romans 11 I believe is 9 through 11 really is about that, right? I think we're getting like a glimpse of it like some israelites are like Being they're coming to faith, but we're not seeing the fullness of it.
Yeah, jews for christ one for israel chosen people ministry. They're yeah, they're they're seeing some fruit a lot of.
Theologians in some of our major denominations. Apply everything In the scripture to the church. Yeah, it says well god did away with the jews because of what they've done to christ. And that's what's really the argument in world war ii, you know.
They're in their mind. We got to kill all the jews because yeah, and this was the christian.
Germany was quote unquote, right? They're lutheran, right? Yeah christian. Yeah, so maybe the romans had anything to do with it. Yeah, right, right romans did.
And even to prove it this way The hatred of the jews today is just a real.
A confirmation. Yeah. Yeah, nazis did the cults like I do not trust that they're spiritually dark too. It's not even just Moral, I think there's spiritual satanism there. Yes.
So yeah because of that reason I hold that first peter. Just as it says dispersion means the jews who've been dispersed.
Right. Yeah on that note. Who said.
Yes, they would say then these gentiles are not like Gentile ethnically. I mean, obviously they would be ethnically gentiles, but they would be Unbelievers, right? They would read that as unbelievers or pagans instead of As an ethnic term, even though the term itself just means nations, which we would have applied to gentiles non-jew.
In any other way? Yeah that I think that's that's one of the strongest one where like peter specifically Distinguishes the readers from the gentiles then.
Why?
Wouldn't you. Right. But they they metaphorically read read that as non-christians. It's because I think it's driven by their theology. Yeah, just like. Because elsewhere in the new testament or the old testament, they would read israel as the church.
And because of that they can do it here you know. Uh, so. Um, but but you'll you'll meet even like conservative christians who will hold to that too. Um, so you'll see that. Uh, they're still saved if they believe in jesus christ, but it's just I wouldn't agree with that reading.
Right, like like presbyterians. They they would read that. Right. Israel's the church.
All right, number two 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 now.
How is their election described. What do you notice here. Yeah for not. What does the foreknowledge mean. God knew it's it's. And I think this is very comforting. Imagine if you're a dispersed jew, right.
And it's just like What am I to do with jerusalem anymore? Right? I don't I can't even track my lineage. But then peter writes to you.
Hey.
You're a part of the covenant. And god knew that you would be. You didn't just accidentally get saved. Right, I think that's comforting right? Hey god's love for you is not an accidental whim. Right god had a plan of redemption for you.
That's the foreknowledge. Second by the sanctification of the spirit. What does it mean by sanctification? Holy make it holy set it apart.
There are two different types of sanctification. We normally think of sanctification as something we do like, uh, Not. We do something the holy spirit does. To transform us as a process, right? We're not suddenly perfect.
We become more and more like christ. That's sanctification. What we normally use another way sanctification can be is to set apart. And it can be a positional sanctification. So god has set them apart.
They're not they're different from the world. So I think it is more like positional sanctification here that the spirit of god has set them apart for a purpose.
And what's the purpose? What's the result?
Tell the world about.
Sure, but what what what does it say in verse two? What's the result? What's the purpose? For obedience to obey. Yeah, and sprinkling of the blood. We're gonna have to unpack that one. What's what is with the sprinkling.
But for obedience that that makes sense, right? You're safe. You're part of the covenant. God knew. That you would be saved you would be redeemed. He had a way for you, right? We're in the world.
And the spirit set you apart right. You're not of the world. And what's the purpose for obedience. So that you would obey. Now what. Let's talk about the sprinkling of the blood, uh. What does it mean to sprinkle blood.
It's sacrificial right. Sprinkling of the blood is cleansing blood.
It's covering of sin. Yeah. Um, and it's also a covenantal initiation if you remember in uh exodus 24 and. It's crazy to think exodus was like two years ago for us. But it seems like it was just like a couple months ago I preached through exodus like in 22.
Oh and 23 but in exodus 24 what happens is God saves israel from egypt and he gathers them and then he tells moses Hey make this sacrifice and sprinkle the blood on the altar. And sprinkle the blood of them the israelites and moses does so so uh.
And moses took half the blood and put it in basins and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar that represents god. Then he took the book of the covenant verse 7 and read in the hearing of the people and they said all that the lord has said we will do and be obedient.
But they really didn't I right but that's uh, but the context is this. It's the context is covenantal. What are these dispersed jews saved from. Well, they're saved from sin. According to the foreign knowledge of god the father god.
The father knew that they would be saved. He knew that jesus would die on the cross, right? It didn't it wasn't a surprise, right? Sanctification. And he he set them apart from the world and the point is For obedience just like in the old covenant.
They were set apart with blood sprinkled on them for what? Obedience.
So if they don't do the obedience.
How about but take a look at this. Is it the animal blood they're sprinkled with Jesus. It's christ's blood. That's the difference. It's a different covenant. Yeah, it's one and done. There's actually forgiveness.
Right. Sprinkling of the blood of jesus christ is forgiving. They're they're made pure. They're forgiven so. What do I. What does that mean this? Uh. These jews are not saved for nothing. They're not saved just to be saved.
They're saved to be obedient faithful people of god and. Imagine the encouragement they must have received reading the introduction. They thought they're just a bunch of nobody's forgotten cannot trace their lineage back to jerusalem and cannot visit Jerusalem three times a year because it's so far.
But peter says not so. Foreign knowledge. God knew god was going to redeem you. He loved you even before.
Because god knows who's gonna be always gonna obey and he's not but I I think he probably does.
Yeah, I think that's what for knowledge. Yeah, he he's omniscient.
In sanctification of the spirit, they've they've been set apart. Yes, they're far away. They're far away from jerusalem but they're they're still god's people.
Right, I think I just saw that because he knows that they're not gonna obey.
I I think there's there's there's still grace. There's. Well, there's there's grace, right? They're saved through grace. There's it's not based upon perfect obedience. It's just. It's faith in jesus christ that saves them, right?
Christ coming is taking longer because he's hoping everybody gets saved because it says that when they're God wants everybody to say and so they think he's hoping that everybody.
Diane that's uh eschatology would be a different conversation. Maybe we can do that after.
But I think I think there's a real Expanding on this in chapter two verse nine. Yeah. Chapter two verse nine expands on that whole concept.
Yeah, but you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation his own special people. That you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, right? It's it's talking about salvation.
You were saved to glorify the lord. That's right.
Right amen, right.
This is really cool when you take a look at this introduction. Who is involved in god's people entering into this covenant relationship with the lord? Who's involved what? Characters, do you see here in verse two?
Yeah the spirit. It's it's it's father the son and the spirit right all three of them. The covenantal status of god's people is a trinitarian work. Right the tri you enter into a covenant with a triune god.
If you want to just simplify it the father foreknows the spirit sanctifies the son cleanses. You could read that there. I mean, it's a beautiful thing and when people say You can't find trinity in the bible, you know, it's like it's everywhere.
It doesn't say the word no, but the concept is there right? Uh, notice no angels are involved right there. Notice. No Prophets are involved. It's God the son god the father and the god the spirit.
It ends with grace to you and peace be multiplied and that's a very common greeting but for christian. Uh, it's it's a deep greeting, right? Well, what's the what's so special about grace?
It's god's um.
Yes god's riches. At christ's expense, it's free. You're saved at christ's expense. Right. And because you're saved at christ's expense. There's peace. That's multiplied. There's peace between you and god and that is the most important piece that the world needs.
This day. Right. It's peace and it you can't get peace without christ. Riches.
And as we as we close. The purpose of this letter is to the scattered jews who probably are disheartened. Maybe even feeling rejected feeling out of place. Uh in a literal and spiritual sense because a they're in a foreign country and b.
They just became christians so who knows what kind of persecution they're facing too from even jews too, right. And these christians probably were not really being shepherded because. You know, if you're a jewish christian, you better be in jerusalem.
But they're in turkey. But the apostle to the jews himself writes this letter to encourage and to shepherd them through the persecution that is starting. Now they're probably not getting killed at this point.
It's too early. But they're still suffering and social pressure is still hard if you're you know. If you're a christian and you're a new christian, it is still hard. It is scary. And peter wants to say hey endure in your new identity in christ.
Yes, you're dispersed. But In that sense You belong to another kingdom. Your dispersed physical social status applies spiritually to. You belong to a different king. You belong to a different Kingdom right.
And with that he opens with grace to you and peace be multiplied. All right, any questions or comments before we close in prayer?
I don't know if it makes a difference. Yeah, but are they the scattered exiles from?
Old testament or recent it can be both so like, uh after the assyrian Empire, so the northern kingdom gets judged heavily first and the assyrian empire Takes them away from the land and they go everywhere because the syrian empire is huge, right?
It's kind of like the big empire of that time. So they end up everywhere. And they didn't go back because they settled down right. And people who settle down normally don't go back right. It's kind of like like lauren's family can Get to like hungarian right.
Like her dad's like almost 100 hungarian.
Hey, has steve ever gone back to hungary?
No.
Yeah, right. This is no they came to the alice island and have settled down, right? And that's that that happened to the jews but over time too because it wasn't just the assyrian empire that did it. Babylonians did it uh greeks Romans, they all you know.
So yeah, they're dispersed throughout the time and they've just always been oppressed. By one empire to the next. So yeah, I think I would say it's both yeah, but they're still feeling out of place because if you're ethnically jewish you're.
You still kind of keep the culture of reading the old testament and then you. Yeah, and then you read and you're like Gee, I never really go to the temple anymore, you know. It's like hmm. I feel out of place but peter says No, you're chosen.
You're redeemed you're sprinkled with the your plans.
Uh, good good question. Uh, any any other questions here before we close? All right, thank you. Thank you dexter for the suggestion. Because i'm learning I feel like i'm learning more than when I learned it in seminary.
Let's pray father, we're grateful that we too Don't belong to Uh the kingdom of america. We belong to the kingdom of christ. We pray that you would help our hearts and desires and our minds to be set on the things of christ.
And wait for the king to come back help us to live honorably until that time in jesus name.
Amen.
