A PILGRIM'S POSITION

Alan Pihringer

Progressing as Pilgrims • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

1 Peter 1:3–5

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Transcript

Introduction

-{1 Peter 1}

-Another season of college football has come and gone, and now we’re also winding down the NFL. For those who might not know, I was born and bred and continue to be a Green Bay Packer fan (I thank you for your sympathy). We had a very rough year. If you have any inkling for sports, you may know that for years there has been a lot of drama surrounding quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Although he is talented in many ways, the Packers have not been able to capitalize on his talent for many different reasons. They have not placed themselves in a position to win the big one. This past year, because of Rodgers’ high pay taking a chunk out of the salary cap, they couldn’t get him good receivers which then affected his ability to be productive. As the off-season approaches, the draft is in just a few months, and it looks like trading Rodgers to another team is inevitable. The Packers will then have a lot of work to do with drafts and trades to be able to put themselves in a position of success.

-What’s true of a football team is true for life. You need to be placed in the right position to navigate life successfully. Not that navigating through life is easy or carefree—but there is a way for you to wind up winning in the end. Before you think that I’ve turned into a motivational speaker, a successful life has nothing to do with money or fame or reputation or toys or anything of this world. A successful life is one where you persevere in the faith until the end, and when you face your Savior He tells you, WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT. That’s the success you need to strive for. And, here’s the thing, if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you have been placed in a position to succeed in that way.

-We are studying 1 Peter, and the apostle writes to Christians about how they can navigate this life as pilgrims progressing toward a spiritually successful end. In the first two verses of 1 Peter, he painted a portrait of who we are as pilgrims. He revealed that we are ELECT EXILES who are EXTENDED THROUGHOUT THE EARTH BECAUSE GOD FOREKNEW US, FORMED US, AND FORGIVEN US. And now we learn that because of our position as a pilgrim of God, we can stand secure in a chaotic, dark, dead world. Because of our position, we stand on firm ground and are able to live a life of freedom in worship, truth, and faith. Let’s learn about our position.

1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV

3 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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

-{pray}

-You read these verses, and there is so much going on here. It’s like you’re being pelted from every direction with important theological truths. But there has to be a central point somewhere in here. And there is. The center of what Peter is saying, to which everything else is pointing, is found in v. 3: HE HAS CAUSED US TO BE BORN AGAIN. If you have been around church or Christianity in any way, that’s a familiar term. In John 3 Jesus told Nicodemus UNLESS YOU’RE BORN AGAIN YOU CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD. That sounds pretty important. But what does it mean? Because, you hear that term and you think it’s just a bunch of Christianese—a bunch of technical theological mumbo-jumbo. But it’s not—it’s important truth for life.

-First, let me tell you what it is not. It is not the same as rebirth which you might hear from New Age cults or Eastern religions. It is not some mere awakening to the spirituality of the cosmos. It’s not like all of a sudden you become more aware of the life essence of trees and animals and the like. That is not being born again. And it is most certainly not talking about reincarnation.

-The biblical concept of being born again stems from the fact that even though you may be physically alive, you are born spiritually dead. But when you personally believe and trust in the fact that Jesus is God the Son who died on the cross and rose again, God’s Holy Spirit breathes new life into your dead soul and you are thereby born spiritually. The first time you are born physically, but now you are born spiritually. By faith in Christ you receive a new nature and a new identity, and the Bible describes it as receiving a new heart.

-It is a spiritual change from death to life. It is a change of spiritual position so that you are not the same and the way that you relate to God, the world, and others is not the same. And with that change of heart and spirit comes a radical change in person and state. So, this is the position that I am talking about—a position of new life. When you have new life in Christ you have an unchanging eternal position that sets you on solid ground before God; and this is true even when you are still here on this earth. You no longer go through the earth like the walking dead, you are now a Christian pilgrim progressing along the journey that God has for you. This position will not lead to earthly riches or status, but it will lead to spiritual blessing.

-So, consider what it means to be a Christian pilgrim. You are an ELECTED EXILE amongst the DISPERSION because GOD FOREKNEW YOU, HE HAS FORGIVEN YOU, AND HE IS FORMING YOU. And these are truths because through Christ you have the position of new life—a position of spiritual power, spiritual riches, and spiritual blessing. That is your position for true success.

-The President of the United States thinks that he has power and success because of his supposed powerful position. And the pope thinks that he has power and success because of his supposed powerful position. And Jeff Bezos and other CEOs think that they have power and success because of their supposed powerful positions. But their positions are nothing in comparison to the position of new life that the Christian pilgrim has. In this chaotic world we are able to stand strong and stand tall because of the position of new life that God has given us in Christ. But what do we know about this position of new life we find ourselves in? Let’s consider...

1) The basis of our new life

-v. 1 tells us that it is according to His great mercy that He caused us to be born again. The only reason that we received this new life is because God has extended His mercy toward us. God did not cause us to be born again because we were handsome, pretty, smart, or any other positive attribute that you think you have that makes you think that people should just fawn all over you. God did not cause you to be born again because you are somehow more privileged than others.

-That’s a sticking point for many. We live in a day and age where people think so highly of themselves that they see themselves as a cut above the rest. They think that just because the world is blessed with their presence, that they are privileged and people ought to treat them as privileged; and if anyone doesn’t recognize how privileged they are, they get highly offended. The pretty girl thinks that just because she’s pretty she should get special attention. The celebrity thinks that just because they’re rich and famous they should get more special treatment than us common folks. And there’s people who think that because they are special in some way that God should just grant them anything and everything they want. They shouldn’t have to believe the gospel or follow His commands. That’s for the other folks, but not for them. But that thinking doesn’t fly with God. You are not caused to be born again because of your supposed privilege.

-What is the basis of this position of new life? It is based on God showing us lowly sinners mercy. Everyone is born in sin, and everybody commits sin. God, the righteous judge, has to punish sin. There have been too many cases that we hear in the news where rich people or very good-looking people get off with lighter sentences in court. Not with God. It doesn’t matter how pretty or ugly you are. It doesn’t matter how rich or poor you are. It doesn’t matter how privileged or underprivileged you think you are. God shows no favoritism. Everyone is on an even playing field. All are sinners, who are spiritually dead, and deserve the sentence they receive from God.

-But here is the wonderful news. Jesus died and rose again, taking our just sentence on Himself. And with our sin problem taken away, all who believe in Him are caused to be born again—we are given true, eternal life. But here is some bad news—those who do not believe in Jesus have not received mercy and they have no standing before God. In this life they have no solid ground—they are being tossed and turned by every whim of the world. And in the life to come, they have no position before God. You see, the mercy that God extends is available here and now, and if you receive that mercy your position of new life is for eternity. But if you do not receive His mercy here and now, that choice also follows you for eternity.

-In her book entitled, In His Image, author Jen Wilkin gives a wonderful illustration of how this mercy works. She wrote:

My husband, Jeff, is an excellent driver. Several years ago, I was driving across town to get to a speaking engagement during Friday rush hour traffic. Having waited three cycles to make a left turn at a busy intersection, I accelerated through a yellow light and continued on my way. A couple of weeks later a ticket came in the mail with photo evidence of my depravity. I had run the red light. Justice dictated that it would take two hundred dollars to clear my good name.

Or so I thought. Let’s just say we didn’t have an extra two hundred dollars lying around, and my embarrassment over the whole thing caused me to stall on paying the ticket. Jeff noticed that the deadline to pay was upon me and gave me a gentle reminder.

I was leaving town, and he generously agreed to get online and handle the payment. That’s when he discovered that it was not, in fact, my good name that was at stake, but his. Because the car I was driving was registered to him, my ticket had been put on his driving record—his excellent driving record.

His response? “It’s taken care of.” Mercy. He paid my ticket without grumbling, and my guilt was assigned to his record. In the eyes of the great state of Texas, the demands of justice had been met, albeit by another. I did not receive what I deserved, but Jeff did in my place.

-Our position of new life is based on this mercy that the One who knew no sin took our guilt upon Himself. That gives us our good position. And having this position of new life, what do we receive...

2) The blessings from our new life

-Three times in the original language of these verses, Peter tells us that God caused us to be born again TO something. These “somethings” are the spiritual blessings that we receive from our position of new life. These three blessings are possessions that belong to us right now, even though we might not see their full fruits until the end of our days. But these blessings are to be encouragements to us as we continue on our pilgrimage. Whenever we hit a rough patch on the journey, these three blessings are reminders of what our position really is, even if life’s circumstances or the lies of the enemy would try to tell us otherwise. What are these three blessings? First, Peter tells us that we currently have a...

a) Living Hope

-The hope that God offers in Christ is not a bunch of empty promises. How often do you see ads on TV or pop ups on your social media for these different products that boast a lot of things; but there’s something in the back of your mind that’s just like: I DON’T KNOW. I DOUBT IT. We’ve become jaded and cynical because we’ve been burned in so many ways. And not just by ads, but by people who made promises and then didn’t pull through for us. And then when something actually works like it is supposed to or someone actually followed through on their word, we’re actually shocked.

-And sometimes we treat God that way. He didn’t do for us what we thought He would or should do, so we don’t put a lot of stock on His Word or His promises. But that’s because we’re the ones that put all sorts of conditions and expectations that are not found in Scripture—or we twist the Scripture to prove our preconceived notions. But God never backs out of a promise. God never goes back on His Word.

-And so, because of the new life in Christ, we live with a living hope, not some dead promises. The world system boasts that it can do big things for us, but they’re not able to follow through. But God can follow through on His Word. How do we know? Peter tells us right here. God has caused us to be born again to a living hope THROUGH THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD. Because we have a living Savior we are given a living hope. If Jesus had died and stayed buried, we would have nothing to stand on. If Jesus had died and stayed buried, we would not have any position before God or on this earth. We’d be in a worse position than even the Green Bay Packers. But because Christ is risen, our hope is sure, certain, and real. This is in opposition to the supposed hope that the world gives which is deceptive, empty, and false. Ours is a hope of victory.

-I was reading an article the other day about Alexander the Great. He led his troops in what is probably still the greatest military conquest in history. He literally thought he could conquer the entire world. But once he got to the Ganges River in India, his troops mutinied and said they would not go any further. Even Alexander the Great couldn’t pull off a complete victory. Even Alexander the Great could not instill enough hope in his troops for them to carry on. No human is able.

-But God is able. We know that because God raised Christ from the dead, He is able to do anything, and He is able to see us through our pilgrimage. We know we have our position in Christ and the hope that it is something we stand in for now and eternity. We are blessed with a living hope. But, next, we also are blessed with a...

b) Spiritual Inheritance

-v. 4 tells us that we have an inheritance from God based on our position in Christ. The language that is used looks back to language used for Israel’s promise of possessing the land. The land was gifted to them by God and he referred to it as their inheritance. Using that same language, Peter says that Christians have an inheritance. But it’s not a physical inheritance. Later, in 2 Peter, we’re told that this inheritance is realized in the new heaven and new earth. This earth and the worldly systems that run it will be burned up, and we will receive something brand new.

-And Peter goes on to describe this inheritance for us. This inheritance will never perish—it’s not something that can be destroyed or taken away. This is quite unlike the Israelite’s land. They were kicked out, sent into exile, and their cities and temple were torn down and destroyed. Once we have the inheritance found in Christ, it can never be taken from us.

-Peter also says that this inheritance is undefiled, meaning it is pure. Our inheritance cannot be tainted by sin. It cannot be made spiritually dirty—all traces of sin and darkness are going to be completely gone forever. You know, week after week we clean our houses, and week after week our houses get dirty again. I might dust and vacuum one week, and then the next week it’s like I almost never touched it. But our inheritance will not be like that—it will always be morally pure and pristine.

-And then it says that it is unfading. The word means that it will never lose its brightness. It won’t grow dull over time. After 1000 years, everything will be just as bright and beautiful as the first day we came into our inheritance. I have pictures that I got from my parents after they passed. There are some old pictures, and they are getting more dull and yellow over time. But not our inheritance.

-And it says that this inheritance is kept in heaven for us. The picture is of security as if the inheritance were in a locked and armed vault that no one can penetrate. And it is waiting for us. Because of our position in Christ, we have this spiritual inheritance. And then we also have...

c) Eternal glory

-v. 5 tells us that we have a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. We ourselves are going to share in the same glory as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is where our salvation has always been moving. We talk of salvation past, present, and future. We were saved when we believed in Jesus. We are being saved as we are being made more holy. And we will be saved when we enter into God’s presence to be with Him in all His glory, being changed into the creatures we were always meant to be.

-This is our blessings. And yes, they seem to mostly be future, but these are truths about us right now. This is our position right now. I can stand here in these truths and promises knowing that right now I have a living hope. Right now I have a spiritual inheritance. And right now I am on the path to eternal glory.

Conclusion

-Real quick, I want to end with some thoughts of application that came to my mind when studying this passage.

-First, teach these truth to your families so that they are able to stand strong in their position in Christ because of the chaotic days ahead.

-Next, when faced with adverse circumstances, remember your position, and be encouraged that what you are going through will never change your position of new life and the blessings that come with it.

-Next, God has shown Himself worthy through the great blessings and promises that come with this position, so trust Him now with everything else.

-Next, start trimming away all things that do not reinforce these truths in your life.

-Next, constantly search God’s Word and see how it reinforces this great truth.

-Next, lovingly share this great truth with others.

-Finally, let this truth lead you to worship. That’s actually how this whole passage started: BLESSED BE THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST! ACCORDING TO HIS GREAT MERCY, HE CAUSED US TO BE BORN AGAIN.

-My friends, we have been placed in a position to be able to successfully navigate this world as born again Christian pilgrims. I don’t know if the Packers will put themselves in a position for success next year or not. There are a lot of contingencies for them to reach such a position. But if you are in Christ, walking with Him through this life, you already have everything you need. You are in a spiritual position of new life that, no matter the earthly circumstances, will lead to your eternal, spiritual success.

-Christian, come and pray at the altar and praise God you are in such a position. But if you have never trusted in Christ, none of this is yours. You are in a position of destruction, not new life. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ...