Today we look deeper into Sunday's message. Pastor Rob shares from 1 Peter 1:1-12.
Peter reminds the exiled church of their identity.
1 Peter 1:2 (NLT) 2God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.
1. As exiles, you are known and chosen.
A. He knew you before you were created!
Psalm 139:16 (NLT) 16You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
B. Because he knew you, He loved you.
Psalm 139:17–18 (NLT) 17How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!
C. Because He loved you, He chose you.
Ephesians 1:4 (MSG) 4Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.
• God’s choosing you was not based on anything you had done, because you weren’t born yet!
D. Because He chose you, He sent the Holy Spirit to work in your life
--1 Peter 1:2 (NLT) 2God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. . ..
--1 Peter 1:1–2 (NASB95)1 . . . to those . . .are chosen 2by the sanctifying work of the Spirit . . ..
• The Father drew you to Jesus.
John 6:44 (NIV84) 44“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
• The Holy Spirit convicted you of your sin.
John 16:8 (NLT) 8And when he [The Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness . . ..
• You obeyed the Holy Spirit and confessed your sins
--1 Peter 1:2 (NLT) 2 . . . As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ . . ..
--1 John 1:9 (The Living Bible) 9But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.
• Because Jesus died and was raised, and we obeyed, we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 9:14 (The Living Bible) 14just think how much more surely the blood of Christ will transform our lives and hearts. His sacrifice frees us from the worry of having to obey the old rules and makes us want to serve the living God. For by the help of the eternal Holy Spirit, Christ willingly gave himself to God to die for our sins—he being perfect, without a single sin or fault.
2. As exiles, you are not defined by your circumstances, rather you are defined by your new birth.
1 Peter 1:3 (NIV84) 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth . . ..
A. When you are born again spiritually, you receive a new identity.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (The Living Bible) 17When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!
• The Bible lists 33 identity changes that you experience when you become a Christian.
