TEMPTATION - Why can't I say no?

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on November 19 th 2023  by Navaz. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

TEMPTATION - Why can't I say no?

 James 1:12-21 

¹³ When tempted, no one should say,“God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

INTRODUCTION

I love spy, detective, and medical dramas. What do they have in common? They both uncover the truth that lies behind the mystery of a crime or a disease.

WHY DOES TEMPTATION COME?

  You may be wondering about this: why do I fall into the trap of temptation over and over again? I turned away from my sinful past and gave my life to Jesus. I am a Christ follower who is supposed to live a victorious life. Then why does this happen?

We need to go back to the beginning. Was there absolute freedom in the Garden?  From God’s perspective, YES. The world and the devil would like to tell us otherwise and therein lies the problem. This is what the devil tempted the first couple with and that is to believe that they were not truly free as long as they obeyed God and lived within the boundaries, He gave them. Satan tempted them with independent thinking outside of God’s instructions and got them to change their belief that God could be trusted and had indeed given them true freedom. The boundary around the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was a boundary of love.

Thank God the story does not end there.

CHRIST SETS US FREE

God always had a plan of redemption; to set us free from this trap once and for all. He sent His son Jesus who did not fall for the tree of temptation rather he took all our sins on a tree by being crucified so that we could know freedom. The cross sets us free from the penalty and the power of sin. This is why Jesus’ resurrection is so pivotal to our faith. Just as sin could not control Jesus, so it is powerless to control those who’ve been placed in Jesus by faith.

However, many believe that a magic wand is waved over our heads when we are saved and that is why they get disillusioned when we find those old habits still around.

We know that our old nature was crucified on the cross along with Jesus. We were made alive and new in Jesus. Our old self was not raised to life. We are Born again – a new creation in Christ. The old is gone! Yet we find this struggle in our hearts. While need to realize that while we are new creations, and our desires are changing we still need to deal with sinful habits.

What we know by faith we must act upon.

We need to distinguish between temptation and sinful habits that we form because of giving in to temptation repeatedly.

WHY DO I STILL GET TEMPTED?

Even as a Christ follower there are behaviours, sinful habits lifestyles, and thought patterns that we need to work on. This process is called sanctification. Our behaviour is influenced by how we think which is influenced by what we believe.

I want to pause and ask a question. What are your core beliefs?

WHERE DOES TEMPTATION COME FROM?

Firstly, understand that God does not tempt us nor make us sin. (James 1:13). God may allow us to be exposed to temptation as Jesus told us that in this world you will have many troubles.

FIVE ELEMENTS TO THE PATTERN OF TEMPTATION

James shows us the structure so that we can slow down and examine what is happening in our hearts. You must have seen this while watching cricket/football on TV. They do a replay in slow motion to show you how the wicket was taken or how the goal was scored. So, we are doing a slow motion to the process of temptation. This will help us detect the presence of the evil one, resist, stand firm or flee.

1 ATTRACTION

We see things or experience things through our senses, and we are then lured by “our own evil desires” (James 1:14a) which lead us into temptation. As one preacher put it so well, we need to see everything through our ears!! This is true from the beginning of scripture. The devil gets Eve to rely on what she sees rather than God’s word spoken to them.

David saw Bathsheba and the rest followed.

2. DECEPTION

V16. Don’t be deceived. Satan deceives us by blurring our vision. When we think and start to rationalize our behaviour repeatedly and then the reasons we give ourselves become truth rather than ‘THE TRUTH’.

3. PREOCCUPATION

Each person is tempted when he is lured or enticed by his own desire. What does enticement do? It draws you in. It is like holding something so close to your eyes that you cannot see anything else (tunnel vision) and it fills up your mind.

4. CONCEPTION

This is the real clue to what James is thinking. Then desire when it is conceived gives “birth to sin”. Sin begins in the thoughts and emotions before we act upon it.  

5. ENTRAPMENT

Ironically the very freedom that you chased eludes you. You become a prisoner of your sin and the consequences thereof. Sin results in bondage to that sin.

 

HOW ARE WE SET FREE? DEBUGGING THE BRAIN

BELIEFS

We must get rid of old beliefs and thought patterns and replace them with new ones. What do we replace them with? We replace them with the truth found in the Bible. In John 8:31-32 we are told that we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.

You might say that you read your Bible Day in and out, yet do not experience freedom. Why? This knowing is not head knowledge. It is not information. Information that challenges us to change our beliefs and thoughts will lead to transformation.

Do not try it on your own because you will give up. We need His empowering enabling Grace in our lives that comes by being immersed in the Holy Spirit.

THOUGHTS

What you believe about God, yourself, the world etc will affect how you think. Beliefs are like the filter or lens through which we perceive life. If you believe you are unloved it will be the filter through which you experience the world, and it will colour your thoughts. The Bible tells us as a man thinks so he is. What this means is that your thought life dictates how you live and respond to your environment.

FEELINGS

What the mind is preoccupied with will preoccupy the emotions.  Feeling can only respond to thoughts and through what lens we experience our world. If my thoughts about a situation change my feelings will soon follow feelings are very subjective, and we can control them by what we feed our minds on.

BEHAVIOUR

Our behaviour is a sum of what we believe, think, and feel. The former three are the drivers of our behaviour. That is why it is so important to renew our minds. James clearly shows this progression in his text.

 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THOUGHT PATTERNS I NEED TO BE SET FREE FROM?

What I have seen is that the battle for freedom from wrong beliefs which lead to wrong behaviour is one of the biggest battles, we face as Christ followers.

Let us look at only 3 patterns or idols of the heart that become strongholds of thinking. An idol is anything I over-desire and desire more than God.

LOOK GOOD

 This is all about keeping up appearances. You live life pretending to be someone else. This happens when we do not live out of our identity in Christ. So, you lie, cheat, deceive and create false impressions.

Because you want people’s approval you find it difficult to say “NO” because you want the maintain the image of the ‘nice guy’.

This idol will mask itself in good works. Also, because I want to feel good about myself, I indulge in comparison and unhealthy competition.

FEEL GOOD

We live in a very sensual world. You can make some harmful lifestyle choices if everything is about making you feel good. You can’t always feel good. God has given us a lot of emotions. God feels angry, grieved, jealous, sad, happy, joyful etc. So, while we are NOT ruled by our emotions, they are markers about how we are experiencing the world around us.

Our feelings are a response to our thoughts which are dictated by our beliefs. If we believe that all negative emotions are from the devil or an indication that we do not have faith; the result will be that we deny those emotions and live with unreality. I suppress my true feelings masking it with religious mumbo jumbo. There is a place for the right confession. While we declare the truth, we do not deny the fact. E.g.) I am sad that my daughter is unwell (FACT) but I know God can and will heal her (TRUTH). I am sad I lost my job (FACT) but I know God is my provider (TRUTH)

Feeling driven people don’t like to move out of their comfort zone. Comfort and pleasure are idols. The need to feel good can also result in self-medicating addictive behaviours that give you that constant “high”.  This is seen with overconsumption of social media, movies, gaming, and porn.

 

BE RIGHT

This behaviour is fuelled by the belief that I need to be perfect. Perfectionism drives what I do and how I relate with people. It keeps me from being who I truly am because there is no place for weakness.

So, we need to be right at any cost. This leads to lying, cover-up, deceitful behaviour, rationalizing our faults, blaming others, and inability to take responsibility for our behaviour. Apologizing and owing up is the hardest thing for them to do because their identity and self-worth are attached to what they do and not to who they are in Christ.

All of us have elements of all 3 of these wrong belief systems. But as we renew our minds, we will get healthier and learn to walk in true freedom.

 

HOW DO I FIX THIS PROBLEM?

God has given us several means of Grace viz His Word, His Grace and His people.

Knowing the word is critical because it changes our thought patterns. People need to know that the Word does its work through the Word. We are transformed by the renewing of the mind. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

God’s Grace is always sufficient. He will not allow us to be tempted more than we are able to resist. His grace is empowering and gives us the strength to say no to sin and yes to godly living. Titus tells us that the Grace of God that has appeared to all men teaches us to say no to ungodliness. Those who call this legalism have not understood grace.

Community – We are not called to live in isolation but in community. There are so many ‘one-another’ verses in the New Testament. We are told to confess our sins one to another so that we might experience healing.

We also need to change our appetites. If you have eaten junk food all your life you will not know how good gourmet food is till you have experienced it. We do enjoy our sin till we begin to cultivate a new appetite and then the old sin will not be enjoyable anymore.

So it is quite simple. What we feed our minds with will fuel our behaviour. Is it the world or the Word?

FROM REPENTANCE TO RENEWAL

What does renewing the mind look like?

Renewing involves removing and replacing.

Recognise – First, we need to recognise or acknowledge the area of sin we are struggling with. What beliefs have helped the sin stay in my life?

Repent- Realize that your sin breaks the heart of God. Seek His forgiveness and decide to change what you believe and do.

Replace – You cannot leave that space in a vacuum. Replace your beliefs and thoughts with the Word of God and find new patterns of behaviour or responses to situations. It will take time and you might slip into old habits but don’t worry. A step each day is 365 steps in a year! If you read James carefully, he gives you the clue in v21. God speaks to us and saves us through His Word.  The Holy Spirit may remind you of His word while you pray. In Ephesians we are told that we attack every flaming dart of the evil one with the Sword of the Spirit, the word of God. In Romans, we are told to renew our minds by soaking it in the WORD.

Renew- When you replace your beliefs and thoughts a renewed cycle of behaviour will be easier to follow.

CONCLUSION

WHAT IS MY RESPONSE?

I respond by changing my beliefs by identifying the patterns.

Here are two samples of how you can track what you believe, think, feel, and do. You can do this exercise for any temptation. Just ask the Holy Spirit to shine His light into your heart.

Remember, we will never reach perfection on this side of eternity, but we can get healthier. One day when Christ returns, or we go to be with Him we will never have to fight temptation ever again. But till then, fight the good fight of faith for God is also as work in you.

Be blessed in your journey of faith.

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.  

 

 

 

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on October 15th 2023  by Kavitha Emmanuel. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Write Your Story

¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10

Zoe

What is Zoe? It is an eternal life, purpose-filled, fruitful and divine life. It also means life yet to be created. The uncreated life with full potential.

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” – John 4:10

What happens when living waters flow? It just flows. If you put a box there, it will flow into the box and then overflow. As a church today, that is the kind of church we are supposed to be.

Imagine you are writing a story. If you check on Google how to write a story, it may show you 5 steps or 7 steps. But here are 3 major steps to write a story –

1.     Write a compelling beginning.

2.     Create a powerful ending.

3.     Write the middle.

Stephen Covey says, “Begin with the end in mind.” We know our destiny. We must live with the end in mind. Our own lives are uncreated but with full potential.

Robert Clinton says, “Leadership is about recognizing and responding to God’s providential shaping in your life.”

Life – an art of God. It is unique, an expression of their inner potential, new and beautiful. God created us with passion. Passion is to bring something to life. When you see a piece of art, it speaks volumes without any words written on it. But it is still a static piece of art.

1.     We are God’s work of art.

Our life is an art of God. When God breathes into us, Zoe started rolling. This life is not just for us but for the outside world.

You are beautiful. Culture may say you must fit into the box. But Zoe doesn’t fit inside a box. The scripture reminds us that God designed us intricately inside out. Everything is unique about us.

You are original and unique but not a photocopy. God loves you and wants you to be powerful.

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

We are God’s masterpiece, and we bear His image. Many think that they may have to give up their talents when they come to Jesus. No! He is the one who has put all the talents in you. He motivates you to do His will with all your talents. He inspires you. That’s your beginning. You are co-creating your life with God.

2.     We are God’s ambassadors of love to all the people.

An artist hangs the artwork on a wall for everyone to see. God wants to do the same with us too. Our primary ministry is not just what we do but who we are. It is to demonstrate God to the world. In his book, “Thank God it’s Monday”, Mark Greene writes how we could be ready to let God work through us so that the world can see God.

Wake up and be a blessing!

Wherever you work, music, film making, adventure, anything, your ministry is to show others that they too can have Zoe.

¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. ¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. – 2 Corinthians 5:14-20

Our ministry is reconciliation. God has committed to us and given us the message of reconciliation. God is appealing. Don’t forget that. It is about carrying the message of reconciliation but not creating our own kingdom.

3.     We are God’s disruptive ammunition.

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

Salvation is disruptive. It disrupts us. It changes us. If you are the same after hearing the gospel then you are not really saved.

If you really allow God to enter your life, he disrupts. Sometimes it is messy and painful. But that discipline is needed because he loves us. We know the beginning and also the ending. In between, we will be edited and modified.

We must find creative ways to do church and deal with real problems. You may have a unique call.

In India, we need to disrupt culture. Toxic culture needs disruption. Jesus did that. We must be both salt and light. Salt is invisible but still disrupts. Light is seen. The wisdom of God tells us when to be salt and when to be light.

Salt also kills. If you dig up the soil under a plant and put a lot of salt on and around the roots, cover it with soil and start watering the plant everyday, the roots absorb the salt and the plant dies a slow death.

We must be like that. We must uproot and throw the toxic cultural deeds.

Our lives are spiritual weapons. Integrity, authenticity, grace, forgiveness – this is what we are. We must stand out as a powerful weapon. We have the power to redeem and give back what God has created.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

1 Peter Part 2

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on July 23rd 2023  by Colin D Cruz. There is no audio recording for this sermon due to a technical failure. 

1 PETER - PART 2

Christians are being persecuted all over the country today. Imagine if you were writing to a friend in Manipur right now, what would you say to them? 

In 1 Peter, we see a similar situation and the answer to the above question is contained in 1 Peter 1:3-9. 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As I was studying these verses, I was reminded of going to a buffet. Every section is so rich and we don’t know where to start. Peter is the great apostle who walked with Jesus. In the gospel, Peter is a very well-known person. Paul wrote a lot of letters in the Bible. There are letters that were written to specific people addressing a specific issue. But this book is for a whole group of people who are being persecuted. 

While writing to these people, Peter calls them the elect. Elect means people who have been chosen by God. He tells them that they are just passing through this world. There is a new heaven and a new earth we are destined for. The Jews were scattered in the Old Testament times when they pursued idolatry. Peter is using the same word- diaspora, the dispersion. They were mainly Gentiles. 

1 Cor 6:11 - “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When we are saved, there is a measure of holiness - we have put away some things and pursuing holiness. We are not just attending a new place of worship, we are a new creation. When we are really in love with Jesus doing things like going to the hospital at 12:30 in the night like Sunder did, is a joy, we do it for Jesus. 

Then Peter bursts out in praise in verse 3. He describes our salvation as a new birth into a living hope. Today we use the word hope like an optimistic statement. Here the hope that Peter is walking about is a sure and confident expectation. This living hope is guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Living hope means we have something to look forward to in the middle of all the suffering and persecution. This hope is as certain as Jesus being raised from the dead- that we will be raised from the dead in glory. 

Not only resurrection, but we will also have an inheritance. Peter is telling these persecuted Christians that they have an inheritance to look forward to that will not perish, spoil or fade. 

The Bible speaks about inheritance and reward. 

Revelation 21 gives us a beautiful picture of our inheritance. In Luke 19:17, we see the principle of rewards. “And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.'”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

All we receive right now is that we have a glorious inheritance waiting for us. The most expensive things in this world will fade away someday, but the inheritance stored for us is safe and kept in heaven.  Not only the inheritance but we too are kept safe. He will keep us safe till the end. Jesus sees us through.

Then in v.6, he starts talking about the trials that they have to face.  Michael Eaton “Any version of Christian life that depicts it as free of trouble is false and ineffective” 

But Peter here is helping them process their troubles.

Q. What are some of the troubles that you have in your life right now? 

Imagine God speaking into that situation - 

• We greatly rejoice in the inheritance and reward we have 

• We realise our troubles are temporary- it’s not by the measure of our understanding but it will end one day. 

• Sufferings vary - all types of suffering and grief. 

• The purpose of troubles - “tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ” Will you continue to praise God and serve God when things are not going your way. Job had this trial - his faith was tested and it came out purer than gold. 

What do troubles do? They perfect us, bring us to maturity, rebuke our slack, and prepare us for greater dependence on God and for greater usefulness in God’s kingdom. 

Luke 8:13 “And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.”

Testing will come, but will you fall away when they do? Amy Carmichael - She came to India from Ireland and set up a home for girls who were sold into prostitution. Towards the end of her life, she rescued over 200 girls. She visited a goldsmith who said, "I know the gold is pure when I see my face in it." It’s the same that God is looking for when he is refining us. Biblical writers talk about these troubles as light and momentary. They went through severe persecution, beatings, shipwrecks etc., for the faith. But they considered the glory to come as far outweighing it. 

“And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.'”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There is a commendation from God that we are looking forward to. 

“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The people Peter is writing to are in the middle of a great trial, but they love and trust Jesus. That’s the best we can give the Lord. There are gems of grace that can only be seen in darkness. When we are tested, make sure you don’t come out empty-handed. 

Troubles do not stop us from rejoicing. “and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭40‬-‭41‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The way to move forward in the Christian life is to trust and obey the Lord Jesus and he will give us the grace to rejoice in it. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.  

1 Peter Part 1

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on June 25th 2023  by Colin D Cruz. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.
 

STRANGERS- THAT’S WHO WE ARE

PART 1

1PETER 1:1-2

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, ² who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

INTRODUCTION.

V1. Peter an Apostle of Jesus Christ

In the ancient Roman world, letters started with the writer signing the letter or stating who the letter was from. You then had the salutation, the person to whom it’s being addressed, and then the intent of the letter.

Peter is writing this letter 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus around 60 AD.

 

THE WRITER - Let’s look at the credentials of this writer.

Peter is one of the first disciples Jesus called to himself. He is most mentioned in all the gospels. Some fun facts about him.

·       He was the most rebuked by Jesus and the only one to dare to rebuke Jesus.

·       He made the boldest confession of all (you are the Christ) and the greatest denial of all (I tell you I don’t know the man)

·       He was the most publicly praised by Jesus and told off in the harshest way (get behind me, Satan)

·       He denied Jesus 3 times and was affirmed by Jesus 3 times.

·       He was one of the 3 that Jesus took on some unique trips viz Mt of Transfiguration.

·       He was one of the first to run away from Jesus when he was arrested and one of the first disciples who ran to the empty tomb.

·       He was absent at the crucifixion but was one of the first to whom Jesus appeared.

So, you see how much importance you give to a letter is based on who is writing it. Today we get many spam emails promising all kinds of things. But when you get a letter with O.I.G.S (On Indian Government Service) you take its content seriously.

LANGUAGE CONTEXT

One of the rules of interpretation of scripture is to ask the question: what did this mean to the original readers and then ask how can we apply it today?

Apostle or Ambassador, Baptism or immersion, Grace or patronage.

WHO IS HE WRITING TO? (MAP

THE PLACE

 Unlike Paul’s letters which are addressed to specific churches because of specific issues Peter’s two letters are general letters of teaching, encouragement, and warnings for believers from an entire region; in this case, it is the provinces of Pontus- N.E Turkey, Galatia – Central Turkey, Cappadocia -Turkey, Asia, and Bithynia.

 THE PEOPLE -V1b TO THE ELECT 

Who are these Elect? They are the ones who have put their faith in Jesus. Elect implies chosen. Peter’s reason for writing was to encourage the believers who are persecuted and scattered away from their homes. He is reminding them of their special position and calling.

Stranger/exiles/foreigners/pilgrims”: depending on which translation you are reading. This is another word Peter repeats in his letters. He keeps reminding the believers that they are not of this world.

 STRANGERS -We do not belong to this world or its systems or values. Peter is making a point because he does not want their eyes to be fixed on their present trials. He was giving them perspective. Isn’t this true for us today? There are so many terrible things going on everywhere and we can lose heart. Or we can be so influenced by the lifestyle around us that we merge into it and lose our distinctness. This is a great challenge today – there is a battle for purity and holiness.

In another place in v17 live out your time as foreigners/strangers here in reverent fear. 

Chp 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

V2a who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,

These are not (and we) a random group of people. Peter is reminding them of who they are. They have been chosen in Christ before the foundations of the World were laid (Eph 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love). Salvation starts and is sustained by an all-knowing, all-powerful God. Therefore, we must be eternally grateful for our salvation.

Your election is special because unless the Father draws you, you cannot come to God. (John 6:44, Luke 10:20, Matt 24:22) Jesus spoke of the elect.

Also, in the verse, we see the trinity on display i.e., foreknowledge of the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and obedience to Jesus Christ.

V2b – By the sanctifying work of the Spirit.

This refers to all that the Spirit produces in salvation: faith, repentance, regeneration, and adoption. This sanctifying work cleanses, purifies and sets us apart. Unless the Holy Spirit does His sanctifying work, you cannot be convicted of sin and righteousness.

 THE PURPOSE V2c- To be obedient to Jesus.

Peter states the reason for our election. Our obedience to Jesus is paramount and must be the by-product of our Salvation. Matt 28:18-20 “Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded”. All the Epistles are written to encourage believers to obey. Jesus ends his sermon on the mount with “Not everyone who says Lord, Lord.” (Matt 7:21)

So let us not treat our election lightly. It is not fire- insurance but we have been saved for a purpose.

V2c Sprinkled by His blood!!  

We have been saved by the Father’s foreknowledge and the sacrifice of Jesus: washed clean/sanctified. Peter is reminding his readers that their election has come at a huge cost i.e. the Savior’s death. It was only 30 years ago that the event of the crucifixion took place. Our memories can fade if they are events that we have not personally witnessed by knowing this second hand. Also, by then people were questioning the crucifixion and resurrection.

It is also an old phrase from the OT where the altar was sprinkled with blood (Ex 24:3-8, Rom 1:5, Heb 9:18-23, 12:24) and then Moses sprinkled the blood on the people. The blood sprinkled on the altar represented God’s agreement to reveal His law and the blood sprinkled on the people signified their consent to obey. This is powerful.

In the New Covenant – Jesus sprinkles his blood as a covenant of redemption and forgiveness and our response is to obey His Word. (Act 5:31-32)

V2d Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

 These were common salutations in the Greco-Roman world.  Grace or Charis was a common Roman greeting like “Salam” or “Namaste”.

We have misunderstood the word Grace to mean, anything goes, God understands, we need to overlook people’s faults, and we can ‘nod and wink’ at sin!

What did Grace or Charis mean?

 Charis/Grace in those times meant receiving favour from a higher to a lesser-a powerful relationship between a giver of gifts and the recipients of those gifts.  Today the word patronage could have negative connotations like favouritism. In the Roman world, it was understood as a relationship between a patron and a client where the patron gave the client something usually money to the amount that they could never repay but they entered an agreement and relationship “based on mutual trust and loyalty. The new client “was expected to show respect and gratitude to the patron, to render certain services to him . . . and to support his political, economic and social activities” ” (Paul Sampley, editor, Paul in the Greco-Roman World: A Handbook, Vol. 2, 2016, p. 206). So, becoming a client in the Roman world was not a light commitment. The client was supposed to show gratitude. The Patron protected the client.

But this takes on a new meaning for the Christian.

Charis served New Testament authors as a model for God’s mercy through the atonement of Jesus Christ, which also comes with covenantal obligations. When Paul sought to explain the Christian’s new relationship with God, then, one of the ways he did so was in terms of the ancient system of patronage—something everyone understood.(Richards and O’Brien ) . Paul and Peter use this as a part of their greetings to mean that God is our divine patron giving us undeserved forgiveness, favour, and the amazing gift of eternal life! They use the word Grace when explaining what Jesus has done on the Cross for us. They take common day words and weave them into their gospel so people can make sense of what they are saying. Patronage had its own vocabulary. Words we usually consider particularly Christian terms—grace and faith—were common parlance. So, there is an expectation that Jesus also has of us. Just as the client demonstrated ‘pistis” i.e faithful loyalty we are required to live in obedience to His word, that we are faithful and loyal to Him. (Rom12:1) Faith (pistis) without works is dead (Jam 2:17)

As time went on, by the 5th Cent AD a number of Christian scholars began to teach that grace is something given freely without expecting anything in return. However, “free grace” is not what Paul intended. Paul profoundly understood that “by grace [charis] you are saved through faith [pistis] . . . it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8, ESV).

Peace – was the common Jewish greeting – Shalom which means wholeness in every way. My guess is being aware that these letters would be read by both Gentile and Jewish converts the Apostles adopted this dual style of greeting.

CONCLUSION

What are the key thoughts I want to leave you with?

You are chosen by God, brought in a new covenant that requires you to live in obedience, you are strangers on the planet who can live because of the Holy Spirit’s work in you.  Much grace and peace and been given to you.

How should I live? – where am I compromising with the world? What do I need to set right to keep being faithful to my patron- Jesus?

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.