In this message, we dive into the foundational truths of 1 Peter 1:1-2 and 5:12-14 and discover how they offer great assurances even in times of suffering. These controlling realities remind us that we have been chosen eternally, known entirely, loved infinitely, saved radically, changed progressively, and graced abundantly. With these powerful truths, we can find comfort and security, even amidst our struggles. Don't miss this inspiring message of hope and encouragement!
To read the blog post connected to this message, follow this link: https://jameslongjr.org/suffering-yet-eternally-secure-1-peter-11-2/.
To receive group coaching from James, follow this link:
https://jameslongjr.org/memberships/
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https://jameslongjr.org/rw360/
ABOUT JAMES AND LESSONS FOR LIFE
Are you longing to find answers to the deeper issues of life? Join Dr. James Long, Jr., a pastor, counselor, and university professor with over 30 years of experience. Hear James as he tackles some of life’s biggest questions and helps us find God’s solutions to life’s struggles. Learn the power of living by God’s grace and for His glory. Experience the joy of forgiveness and freedom found in Jesus Christ alone. If you are in search of freedom, you will love being part of this conversation. Subscribe, and enjoy the show!
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In this message, we dive into the foundational truths of 1 Peter 1:1-2 and 5:12-14 and discover how they offer great assurances even in times of suffering. These controlling realities remind us that we have been chosen eternally, known entirely, loved infinitely, saved radically, changed progressively, and graced abundantly. With these powerful truths, we can find comfort and security, even amidst our struggles. Don't miss this inspiring message of hope and encouragement!
To read the blog post connected to this message, follow this link: https://jameslongjr.org/suffering-yet-eternally-secure-1-peter-11-2/.
To receive group coaching from James, follow this link:
https://jameslongjr.org/memberships/
To join our Relational Wisdom 360 (RW360) group, follow this link:
https://jameslongjr.org/rw360/
ABOUT JAMES AND LESSONS FOR LIFE
Are you longing to find answers to the deeper issues of life? Join Dr. James Long, Jr., a pastor, counselor, and university professor with over 30 years of experience. Hear James as he tackles some of life’s biggest questions and helps us find God’s solutions to life’s struggles. Learn the power of living by God’s grace and for His glory. Experience the joy of forgiveness and freedom found in Jesus Christ alone. If you are in search of freedom, you will love being part of this conversation. Subscribe, and enjoy the show!
Links
Website – https://jameslongjr.org/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/
Apple Podcast – https://jameslongjr.org/applepodcast
Google Podcast – https://jameslongjr.org/googlepodcast
I was thinking about the idea of suffering. I don't know if there's an hour during the day that goes by where I am not challenged by suffering myself or. More frequently, sufferings of others that are around me. The mental sufferings that people go through. The, the thoughts, the themes, the worries, the doubts that go through their minds. The mental suffering, the emotional suffering that people go through, the anxieties, the fears, the anger, the guilt that is heavy upon people. And then suffering not only mentally, not only emotionally, but relationally. How many breakdowns happen in relationships? How many struggles and discord and trials and troubles that happen in homes and in relationships, whether we're relationships in the work, relationships in community, relationships in marriage, relationships in a church the fracturing that can happen, the suffering, and how many people struggle physic. Just talking to a friend just recently who's, who's battling with cancer and the pain that that person is going through and, and the struggles that they're having. And then spiritually, how many people struggle today and suffer today spiritually, not living in the freedom that Christ has earned for them. Feeling guilt and condemnation, questioning whether they're going to go to hell when they have faith in Christ. And, and Peter is interesting because I love Peter because Peter is, he's called the apostle of. I think you're gonna see elements of that as we go through this book, as we go through his next two books. The hope that he has, and I think the hope that he has is a byproduct of the hope that he has felt in his life, that he's experienced in his life. They, they say that Paul was the apostle of faith and John was the apostle of love. But Paul Peter was the apostle of hope. And hope is interesting because hope in our society is like you're cross your fingers, you're really wishing for something to happen. But that's not biblical hope. Biblical hope is a confident expectation. It's an assurance that you have no matter what the trials are, no matter what the troubles are, no matter what the difficulties are in your life, that you can have aur and assurance of who God is and who you are. And I want you to. Keep that idea in mind as we go through these first two verses of the book and then the last three or four verses of the book. So why don't we read the passage first and then I'll start to talk to you a little bit about Peter and his life and then what he was telling his people. So let's look at first Peter. chapter one we're gonna look at, we're gonna kind of bookend it. So we're gonna go the first two verses of the book, and then we'll go to the last section of the book, chapter five. So let's start with first Peter, chapter one, verse one and two. This is the word of the Lord. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To those who are the elect exiles of the dispersion in Ponta, Galia, captia, Asia, and Bethia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. In turn with me to chapter five, the end of the book, chapter five, and let's look at verses 12 through 14. The last three verses here, verse Peter, chapter five, verses 12 through 14 by SVAs. A faithful brother as I regard him. I have written briefly to you exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God stand firm in it. She who is in Babylon, who is likewise chosen, send you greetings and so does Mark my son, greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you, all of you who are in Christ. So this is God's sufficient, eternal, authoritative, life giving and life changing word. Would you pray with me? So, Lord, as we open your word today and as we work through this, I pray that your Holy Spirit would do a work in us as, as he brought us to salvation in Christ and as he's given us this word. I pray that as he inspired these human authors, I pray that he would do. Your spirit would do a work in us to not only hear your word, but to believe your word. Not only to believe your word, to obey your word, to trust you and obey. And so Lord I, I praise you for that. I thank you for your great gospel of amazing grace. Thank you for your precious son whose blood was poured out for us. I thank you for your spirit that empowers us. Lord, I pray that you would be honored and glorified in what we do today. In Jesus' name we pray. As we look through first Peter, we're gonna see the theme of suffering. Suffering is gonna be talked about at least 15 times in the book over and over again. It's suffering, suffering, suffering. That's why I have the title Suffering yet internally secure. He's talking about the suffering, but he'll talk about how you live in this world, this godless world. He'll talk about marriage, he'll talk about living with government. He'll talk about responsibilities. He'll talk about relationships, but he talks a. Christ, and he says that Christ suffered in your place as your substitute, which we'll celebrate here at the Lord's table this morning. But then he is also saying that Christ suffered as an example for you, how you live this life in this world. He talks about eldership. He talks about leadership. He talks about church. He talks about a lot of themes about how you live steadfast in an unsteady. I want to point out several things I want you to think about now. I said suffering yet eternally secure. Let's look about the idea of eternal security, and the first thing I want you to consider is this, that you have been chosen eternally. You have been chosen eternally. It says this, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the elect exiles. I skipped over the word elect, elect exiles of the dispersion. So that God has sovereignly chosen and the election is very clear. It's written in multiple books of the Bible that God has chosen people, he has picked you. If you're in Christ long ago, he picked you before this world was ever created. It says in Ephesians chapter one, it's interesting that for some PE some people really struggle with this idea of election, but election has been there throughout scripture. He chose Abraham. Abram out of Earl of the Calians, and he, he chose this man who was an idle worship, Bernie. He chose him and brought him to faith. He, he chose Jacob rather than Esau. He chose Israel among all the nations. God has sovereignly chosen people throughout life. And what we see here is that Peter says he wants to ground your security in the fact that you've been chosen by God. You're not the last person picked on the team. You know, you know, maybe some of you were not the greatest sports. You know, when we used to break up these teams in high school or you would have a captain, two captains, and then you would start picking the people and you would always pick the person that was the really good athlete in the beginning, and you'd pick the really good athlete in the beginning, and then you'd get down to. The scrub there and it's like, I guess I gotta pick him. That's not the way it was with God. God picked you not because of anything about you, it's because of what he sees in himself. And, and God picked you as this sovereign election that he says that I have chosen you and I have picked you as my own, that you're part of my family. Now, a lot of times people say, that doesn't just seem fair at all and. Well, life's not fair. But what I will say is this, every person that has ever saved has been saved because of the sovereign election of God. And every person that's ever been saved has chosen to turn to Christ. And whether it's God's sovereignty or human responsibility, I think they both work. And it's a mystery to me. And I trust what God's word says. We are called to repent and turn to him. That's what your call is. And God says that I sovereignly choose those that are. Both work and both are true and believe, but find security in the fact that you've been chosen by God. God, God chose you not because of anything that you've done. God chose you before this war was ever created before you were ever thought in anyone's mind. God chose you. And as you go through the suffering and the trials and the troubles of life, can you find yourself grounded into the fact that God chose me? Second thing I want you to see is that God knows you entirely. He says, under that umbrella of election, he says, now here's some elements I want you to see. He says, according to the foreknowledge of God, foreknowledge of God, God knows everything. Perfect. God knows everything fully. God knows everything completely and totally, and so God knows everything. He sees everything in advance. He saw you before you were ever You. He saw you and he knows you, and he says that you have been elected by the foreknowledge, the knowledge of God beforehand that information. I find it interesting for me and for you, I, I needed to do research this week to preach the sermon and you are hearing information this week and learning hopefully about through this sermon. So our knowledge that we gain is a gained knowledge. It's an acquired knowledge and it's a knowledge that. Ultimately deteriorate over time. You know, I was talking to a friend who's a parent of two different people. One parent has dementia, the other parent has Alzheimer's, and they're losing thoughts and losing knowledge that they've had before because they are deteriorating. Over time, our knowledge has been acquired, our knowledge has been gained, but that knowledge can be lost over time. But God's knowledge is never acquired. God's knowledge is never, he knows everything right now at this moment in its entirety. Everything past everything present, everything. Future, God knows it. He doesn't have to be taught. He doesn't have to acquire knowledge. He doesn't gain knowledge, and his knowledge never breaks down over time. That's the God that you se that you serve, that God never goes, I never knew that. Never does. We have a God who never says, I forgot that we have a God who never forgets and he knows everything. He knows everything fully. He knows everything completely. I often say to my clients, God never panics so you can trust him. He's never caught off guard. You can trust him. Now, for some of us that may feel uncomfortable, that God knows everything completely, God knows everything entirely. We may find ourselves questioning. Well, he knows everything about me. He knows the worst things about me, and he does. He knew the worst things about me before I ever did any of those things before the foundation of this world, and he still sovereignly chose me. Let rest in that when suffering comes into your life, rest in the fact that God sovereignly chose you. He shows you eternally, but he knows you entirely. He knows every thought you've ever had, every word that you ever, ever spoke, every action that you've ever done. We have a tendency to hide. We've been doing that since the garden, right? We cover up, we hide, we run away. But God says, you can run, you can cover up. But I know everything. Adam. I know you're hiding in that bush. I know you. And yet, That would not be enough for a lot of people because if you know everything, the next thing is what is important. I think in in as well. Not only does God choose you eternally know you entirely. He loves you infinitely. Loves you infinitely. Now, James, I don't see the word love here. Watch. It says, according to the foreknowledge of God. Now, when we often think about knowledge, we think about intellectual or informational, but when scripture talks about knowledge, it oftentimes talks about intimacy. It talks about a man knowing his wife intimately. The most intimate relationship that two people can share. God knows you. So it's not only he knows you intellectually, it's not only that he knows information about you, but he knows you intimately. He loves you. What incredible security that could. As you're living amongst the suffering and the trials and the troubles and the difficulties in life to know that God loves you and God's love is an, is an action. Scripture talks about love and you know, a lot of times in our society we talk about love as a feeling. And it's this emotion. It's the this thing that I am, I fell in love with this person, but that's not what the Bible speaks about. Love is an active thing in scripture. It is. It is something. It's a choice that we make, we choose to love. That's why God can say, you can love your call to love your enemies. You can pray for those who persecute you because it's an action that you do towards. It's what you do radically. God loved you when you were unlovable. God loved you enough to send a son for you, for, for God so loved the world that he gave his most precious gift. His son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have every lasting life. Now, he sent his son before you are ever going to be converted, so God loves. That love in Greek, it's this agape love. It's this love of, it's more than just affection. It's a love of selflessness. It's a love that is giving a love that abides. Where faith, hope and love of greatest of these is love. He says in First Corinthians, this agape love mirrors the character of God, that it's the character of God. To be a lover, to be a giver, to be a G one that gives out to those that are in. So he's saying this, that I want you to know that yes, you've been chosen eternally before the foundation of this world and that you are known entirely everything about you. God knows, but on top of that, he loves you infinitely. If you go into my office, I have this sign in there often say this God, God loves you, infinitely accepts you totally and forgives you, complet. God loves you infinitely. And so when the sufferings come and, and whether it's external sufferings of other people or the physical sufferings that you're going through, the mental emotional sufferings, the relational sufferings, the spiritual sufferings, ground yourself in the foundational truth that you're chosen by God. One, you are known by God. Two, you were loved by God, three and number four, you were radically saved by. Radically saved. He says, according to the foreknowledge of God, the father in the sanctification of the. Which is interesting because when we oftentimes think about sanctification, oftentimes we're thinking about this progressive sanctification. We'll, you'll see it this way and I've, we've talked about this, that there's justification where you are declared right in the sight of God at your conversion, and then there's this period of time between your conversion and going to heaven, which we call sanctification, where you're progressively made more and more holy like God, and then glorification when you will get to. And so we oftentimes talk about sanctification as this middle phase of your salvation, where you're growing to become more like Christ. But that, I don't think that's what Peter's getting at here. What he's getting at is the initial moment that you were converted. So you have been chosen by God eternally. You have been known by God entirely. You have been loved by God infinitely. Now you are being saved radically at the moment of your conversion. God has moved you from stranger to one of my family. He has moved you from death to life, from death to hearing, from blind to seeing. He moves you from separating an enemy to a family friend. You are radically. and what you are. Believe it or not, this is mindblowing. You are viewed as righteous in the sight of God at the moment of your conversion. Positionally, you were made right before God. You have been saved from God, your judge. You have been saved from sin. You've been saved from sin power. You have been saved from self and Satan. You've been saved from hell. You've been saved from God's wrath, and you were radically. It's a radical change. Positionally he takes, takes you out of the grave and brings you to life. And what he's saying is this, when the suffering comes in your life, remind yourself of the radical salvation that God has done for you. He has changed you inside out. He's changed you positionally. You're no longer an enemy, you're his friend. You no longer separated. You've brought, brought. So the sanctification here, I believe, is that you've been set apart. I didn't tell you that, but sanctification means to be set apart. God says, I'm plucking that one out. That's mine. Plucking that one out. That's mine. Another one that's mine. And on that day, when I was 13 years old at Pinebrook Bible Conference, I don't know why, but God says he's mine. Maybe today is the day that God shows. You're his. Maybe day after day you've been hearing sermons, maybe day after day you've heard the gospel message. You've gone through 5,000 Christmases, well, maybe not that many hopefully not that many. You've gone through tons of Christmases, tons of resurrection Sundays. You've heard the gospel message and said, no. Maybe today is the day that you say yes. Maybe today is the day that you bend your knee to. He changed you radically. He saved you radically. But the fifth thing I want you to know is that he's changing you progressively. He's changing you progressively. He says the sanctification of the spirit for obedience to Christ and for sprinkling with his blood. So Peter uses a lot of illusions. We'll see some illusions to the Old Testament as Peter writes. And you know, this is the amazing thing about this man. He's a fisherman. He's not a theologian, he's a fisherman, but he knew the word even as a fisherman. He sat in church. He probably took his notes. He, he studied the scriptures in whatever way he could, but he was able to learn God's word and apply God's word in his life. I think that's really helpful for us. Now, he talks here about obedience. tos Christ and for sprinkling with his blood. Now, once again, a lot of people tend to think the sprinkling with his blood is about the cross and about our salvation. I don't think so. I, I think it's afterwards. I think the progression has been going that you are elect by God. You have been chosen by God. You are known by God. You are loved by God. You have been radically saved. You are now growing in obedience. I think that's what he's gonna get at. Cuz this whole book is gonna be talking about how we can live obedience steadfast lives in this uncertain time. How do you live in a way that is holy? And so what he says is this, he says, for obedience to Jesus Christ. It's so interesting that there's so many people today that think that salvation is only praying a prayer and there's no change. And that's, that's just so foreign to what scripture says, that there should be fruits of repentance. There should be a radical change of your life. Now, it doesn't mean that we don't mess up like Peter did time after time. After time he messed up, but when he messed up, he repented and returned back to God and God forgave him and then used him again. It's not that we don't ever fail, but it's the fact that we know who to go to when we fail time after time and obedience is, is essential. That God tells us the way we are called to think. God tells us the way we are called to speak. God tells us the way we are called to act. He's given us 66 books about how we're called to live obediently. In this book, he actually says, be holy as I am holy. See, what God has done is this you. When you were radically saved, he positionally counted you as righteous in. He has actually given you the position as though you lived Christ's perfect life. Cause he counts Christ's character and Christ's conduct as your own. But practically over here, I'm not that way. And so what he does is practically progressively he's changing you from the inside out as the Holy Spirit gets more and more of your heart. But it comes down to you are cooperating. Obeying him so that you look like Christ over and over, step by step by step in your life. But then he connects it to this sprinkling with his blood and what in the world is he talking about there. Turn with me to Exodus chapter 24, Exodus chapter 20. In Exodus chapter 24, I, I think I, I think this is where he is getting this theme. Now, in the Old Testament, there was a time where the sprinkling, it didn't happen a whole lot with individuals, but I think there was one time where a leper was sprinkled with blood Another time Aaron and his sons were sprinkled to consecrate their priesthood, but this time, I think this is what Peter's getting at in Exodus chapter 24. Exodus chapter 24. Moses has just received a law X 20 and he's come down with these 10 commandments and he's, he comes down with these 10 commandments in front of the people, and it says this in verse three. Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. So now he's preaching in essence, and all the people answered him in one voice and said all the words that the Lord has spoken. We will, what do? We will do. And Moses wrote down all the words that the Lord and he rose up early in the morning and he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and 12 pillars according to the 12 tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the people of Israel who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of an oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half the blood and threw it against the altar and he. Half the blood. I'm sorry. Then he took half the blood and threw it against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said all that the Lord has spoken. We will do, we will be. My version says obedient. And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words. So what the people were doing, the people were hearing the. Then the people were responding by saying, we won't obey. And what he did was he took blood and he threw it against the altar, and then he took another portion of that blood and threw that on them. In essence, they were breaking a covenant. In the Old Testament, there were contracts, but then there were covenants. Covenants were agreements between two parties. And oftentimes you would create a covenant by blood. You would actually, not to be too gross, but what you would do is you would take an animal and cut that animal in two. And then it's bloody. And as you cut that animal in two, like this aisle in front of me, then the two parties would walk side by side down that bloody path. And in essence, say, I am covenanting with you. You're covenanting with me. If we failed to break, if we failed as covenant, we will become as dead as the animals on the side here. So what Moses is doing is he's, he's throwing blood against the altar, which represents God. And then he is throwing blood on you, which rear represents you. You are saying we will obey. God is saying, I will forgive over and over I'll obey, but I fail. God forgives. Over and over and the altar in the Old Testament becomes the cross in the New Testament and that Jesus Christ bled and died for you. God is faithful. Peter Paul said in second Peter second Timothy, that we are faithless, but he will remain faithful. Because he can't deny himself God's promise to you. He will never fail that promise to you. So you sin. God will keep his side of the covenant. Even when we fail our side of the covenant. He is constantly grace upon grace, amazing grace with sweet. The sound that saved a wretch like me, the one that wrote that song on his deathbed, said, I am a great sinner, but Christ, this is amazing and great. And first, John tells us that if you confess your sins, he is what? Faithful. Faithful. He's faithful. And just to forgive you of all your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. Paul said in Romans, one of my favorite hymns. Grace. Grace. God's grace. Grace that will pardon And cleanse within grace. Grace. God's grace. Grace that will redeem you and pardon you from all your. See, as you stand here, I want you to know that you are chosen by God. You are loved known entirely, you're loved infinitely. You're saved radically. You're changed progressively day by day, whether it's thoughts or words or attitudes or actions. You fail. God forgives you, but then he progressively wants to make you free over and over again, and you do that by going back to one Peter chapter. You knew that. Do that by remembering the sprinkling of the blood and remembering that OB obedience to Christ. The last piece I want you to consider is not only your chosen, eternally known, entirely loved, infinitely saved, radically changed progressively. Your graced abundantly, graced abundantly. He says, may grace. And peace be multiplied to you. That's really I love that. Grace was the Greek side of it. Grace, peace, Shalom was the Jewish side of it. And he's saying, grace and peace be multiplied to you. You, you know, and, and Paul uses similar language. Grace and Peace and other New Testament writers do the same. Grace never comes after peace. You ever wonder, It never says peace and grace. It always says peace after grace. Grace always comes first. Whether it's unmarried, it's an unmerited favor. Undeserved favor, but the grace is in an unsurpassed grace. It is an unassailable grace. It is grace enough. It is grace that surpasses any sin. And Peter knew that. That's where his great hope was. I constantly fail you Christ, but you are constantly forgiving me. In Romans five, one, it says, therefore, you've been justified By faith, you have peace with God. So grace upon grace, his His grace is abundant to you over and over. It never fails. It will never run out. Your sin will never draw. Draw the well of God's grace to an end. Let's go. In closing, jump with me to chapter five. verse 12, and following chapter five, verse 12, and from following, it says by this one, Peter five 12. It says, by Salvas, my faithful brother as a regard him, I've written briefly to you exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God stand firm in it. So SVAs could have been Silas, I'm not sure. Faithful brother and some wonder whether he was Pulse. Peter's secretary as Peter's dictating this letter, is Silvans the one that's actually writing it down? But it seems as though he's not the one writing it down. He's the one that's delivering this letter whatever way it is. He was, he was faithful and he, he see how he grounds it, he says, I want you to remind yourself of the true grace of God stand firm in it no matter what the suffering is, stand firm in it. Then he says, she who is in Babylon, who likewise chosen, sends you greeting those who seem to be churches in Babylon. And Babylon was code word for Rome of the time. So there are elect people in Rome that are sending you greetings, so you're not alone in your suffering. And so then he ends with this greet one another with a holy kiss. Kiss of love, peace to you all there in Christ Jesus. He ends by saying, no grace, stand firm in it. Be a minister of gospel. Grace, like savannas was taking the word out there and love one another. isn't that where we're called to stand in the midst of the sufferings and the trials that you go through? So today I want you to remind yourself that in Christ you are chosen eternally. If you know Christ and you are known entirely, knows everything, you are loved infinitely, you're safe radically, you're being changed progressively, but you are graced abundantly. No matter what the suffering you're going through, ground yourself in those foundational truths. Jesus talked about in Matthew chapter seven. He talked about those that build their house on a rock, and those that build their house on sand. And when they build their house on sand, when the winds and the waves and the struggles of life come, it beats against their house. And it falls, falls. But those that build their houses on the rock, those that hear God's words, interestingly enough, and obeys them, hears God's word and obeys them, they build their house in a. The storms come beats against the house, but that house stands, your foundation in Christ is firm, stand firm. So father, I don't know what the suffering is that people are experiencing right now. Perhaps as I went through the list earlier, they're saying they're thinking, yeah, I'm suffering emotionally. Or Yes, I'm suffering mentally. Maybe they've just got into an argument with a family member. They're suffering relationally. Maybe for some of them they're feeling guilt and condemnation, even though they profess faith in you. And even though that they have been told about gospel grace, they struggle spiritually. For so many of us, we suffer. Father, I pray that you would remind us to suffer like your son did. He suffered in our place as our substitute, and he suffered in such a way that he provided us an example. Help us to do that. Well, father, thank you for your amazing grace. Thank you for your love. Thank you for the firm foundation, Usain to the Lord. It's laid for your faith in his excellent word. What more can he say than to you? He has said to you, who, for refuge to Jesus, have led? Thank you that we can flee to your son. In Jesus' name, amen