I PETER 1:1-2

September 22, 2019
Let me begin by asking you some questions this morning.  Have you ever felt invisible?  Nobody sees you, nobody knows you, no one values you?  You feel unimportant, insignificant.  Maybe you haven’t felt that way – you haven’t felt insignificant and worthless – but others made you feel that way by their neglect – the way they look over you, through you, around you.
Maybe you’ve felt that way in the church – maybe this church.  You come, and few if any speak to you.  You’ve made no real deep or lasting connections.  You know it’s supposed to be a community, but it doesn’t really feel like it.  My daughter is finishing her nursing degree at East Carolina University in Greenville.  She’s been attending the same church since January – and told me recently she goes every week, sits on a row by herself – walks in and walks out without anyone talking to her. Now, to be sure, I encouraged her to get involved – to find a way to meet people.  And she did – she joined a small group women’s bible study – and that helped.  But still, most weeks, she’s alone.  She said to me recently, “Going to church alone is a whole new level of lonely.”  Maybe you feel that way sometimes.  
Making your way in the world today
takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries
sure would help a lot.
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
Sometimes you wanna go
where everybody knows your name,
and they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see
our troubles are all the same.
You wanna go where everybody knows your name.
It was one of the most popular television shows ever – one of the longest running weekly series. Set in a Boston tavern where, surprisingly, there were no murders, kidnappings, high speed chases, criminal conspiracies, no action, no adventure.  So why watch it?  It was a show that portrayed the interactions of people who were drawn to the camaraderie of crying in one another’s beer – they went to a place where someone knew their name.    
We’ll come back to all that later – and I hope to encourage you – to encourage us to recognize that we are known.  There are differences among us, of course – but we share more in common than we don’t.  We are family, and we can act like it. Again, I’ll come back to that. You see, this morning, we begin a new book – I Peter.  I hope to get through I and II Peter before you seniors graduate, but don’t count on it. 
But I must do the necessary introductory work to a new book – author, recipients, purpose – things like that – to set the context.  But in so doing, we’ll look at the first two verses where my hope is you’ll be encouraged.  You are not invisible, you are significant – you are known and you are loved.  Facing a difficult challenge – opposition, discouragement, loneliness?  You’ve been known and loved since before time.
In II Peter, also said to be written by Peter, the author says, this is now the second letter I’ve written to you.  Not entirely convincing, but we have two letters said to be written by Peter, the second referencing the first.
Polycarp, a church father who lived in the early second century, quoted I Peter is his letter to Philippi, written about 112 AD.  That’s important.  This at least means the letter was well-known by this time, widely circulated and read.  That doesn’t happen overnight.
By the end of the second century and first of the third, the author was clearly identified to be Peter by church fathers Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Irenaeus.  I could go on, but clearly the early church accepted the authorship of Peter.  And that was maintained for centuries.
The Greek is too polished to be written by a Galilean fisherman whose first language would have been Aramaic. I mean, after all, in Acts 4, Peter and John, were called unschooled, ignorant men.  Remember, Peter was from Bethsaida, a fishing village on the north end of the Sea of Galilee.  He was a fisherman, not trained in the rabbinical or theological schools of higher learning.  This was advanced, even lofty Greek – no way he wrote it.Second, the persecutions in the book clearly happened at a later time than the life of Peter.  Likely near the end of the first century under the persecutions of Domitian or Trajan – long after Peter had been martyred during Nero’s persecutions in the 60s.Third, the author seemed to be too reliant on the theology of Paul.And fourth, while the author claimed to be an eyewitness of Jesus’ life and suffering, he doesn’t share enough details to be an actual eyewitness.
First, each of the objections to Peter’s authorship are not very strong.  Peter was raised in the Hellenistic north of Galilee where Greek was spoken, and was the trade language of the day.  He would have to know Greek somewhat fluently to conduct his fisherman trade.  Not only that, he had been an apostle for up to three decades by the time the letter was written, spending many years in Rome.  It was plenty enough time for his use of Greek to grow.  Further, when the Sanhedrin exclaimed, Peter and John are unschooled, ignorant men – they were saying that because of the way these men articulately and bravely handled themselves in front of the council. Their point was, they shouldn’t be talking like this – they’re unschooled – and yet here they are. And finally, Peter mentions Silas as a secretary, which means he could have helped with the writing of the letter.
Second, the persecutions against Christians were already happening right after Jesus died – why is it hard to see persecutions happening against them by the time Peter wrote the letter.  After all, both Peter and Paul were put to death under Nero’s persecutions.  Most agree what is describes was more likely in the early 60s, which most conservative scholars assign as the time of the writing of this letter.
Third, if the theology is consistent with Paul, doesn’t that rather mean that Paul and Peter agreed on biblical and gospel truth?  Why would we expect them to disagree with each other if the Holy Spirit was the ultimate author. Shouldn’t the biblical authors agree with one another?
And fourth, he claims to be an eyewitness, true – but remember, he wasn’t writing a gospel.  That was the Gospel of Mark – which everyone agrees, Mark wrote at Peter’s direction – from Peter’s recollections.  In other words, Peter already helped in the writing of a Gospel.  He could have shared more details in this letter if that was his purpose – it wasn’t.
Yes, it’s true pseudonymity was a common practice, but in the early church, if a letter was found to be written by someone other than the author claimed, it was rejected.  For example, supposed letters by Paul to Laodecia and a III Corinthians were found to be written by pseudonymous authors, so they were rejected.  Later, an elder in Asia Minor authored a letter said to be from Paul, and he was disciplined by the church.  So clearly, the early church accepted Peter wrote the letter – and if he didn’t, they would have rejected it.  And finally, I would say this – if you can’t trust the first words – Petras apostolos Ihasou Christou– Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ – how can you trust any of it?  
Why do I spend so much time on this issue of authorship?  Besides the fact everyone else does – I recognize we have many students who may hear in a philosophy of religion class that Peter wasn’t written by Peter, that some of Paul’s letters weren’t written by Paul, and so on.  And while that is categorically false, if they can get you to question the authorship, authenticity, inerrancy and authority of Scripture, they can get you to deny Christ, His gospel, and the Christian faith.  I don’t want that to happen.  So when you hear the Bible cannot be trusted, don’t believe it for a second.
Well, as Peter wrote it, what was his purpose in writing the letter.  He tells us in chapter 5, the last part of the book, verse 12, “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God.  Stand firm in it!” You see, his readers were facing severe persecution because of their faith in Jesus. It is challenging to name the name of Christ.  So he writes to encourage them in the midst of the persecution to stand firm in the grace of God.  
“First Peter presents the Christian community as a colony in a strange land, an island of one culture in the midst of another  The new birth that gives Christians a new identity and a new citizenship in the kingdom of God, makes us, in whatever culture we happen to live, visiting foreigners and resident aliens there.” (Karen Jobes, I Peter, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)
The word scatteredis actually diasporaand was a technical term used of Jews who were scattered from Israel during the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities.  In fact, it’s estimated when Peter wrote his letter in the early 60s, while there were about million Jews in Palestine, there were 3-4 million living outside Palestine – large groups of them in Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey.  So, some have suggested, as the Apostle to the Jews, Peter was writing to converted Jews.  Possible – but was he only writing to them?  
Further, when were these Jews scattered in this diaspora?  Many point out they were Jews scattered from Rome when Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome because of their fighting over a man namedChrestus, perhaps a misspelling of Christus, or Christ?  But again, back to the question, were the recipients only Jews?  I don’t think so – he also speaks of them as having been redeemed from their empty, idolatrous way of life.  So others rightly suggest his recipients were largely Gentile believers.
Now, where were these aliens, these sojourners, to whom he writes.  This brings us full circle to our introduction.  They were living in five Roman provinces north of the Tarsus mountains in Turkey.  Three of the provinces are named in the list of people present on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2.  In a couple, Paul did extensive missionary work, planting churches. (Peter)
But you should know, these five provinces were not friends.  They didn’t get along, politically, racially, economically. They didn’t speak the same mother tongue – some barely knew Greek.  And yet, here we have this letter written to them, together.  How can this be?  Because, there was more that united them than what divided them. They were followers of Christ – Christians, and that made them family – brothers and sisters in Christ. Their political ideologies, their ethnicities, their economic status, their homeland, their foreign languages – none of that mattered.  They were bound together by their relationship with Jesus Christ.  Here’s my point.  Do you feel alone here this morning?  You are not alone.  If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, this is your family. We belong together.  We are a community of believers.  
Further, Peter goes on to describe them and their, dare I say, infinite worth because of the Triune God and His work in their salvation.  I don’t want to make too much of us – but God did love us so much, that He sent His Son to die for us and our sin, that He might redeem us – a people for Himself.  Did you hear that?  You are not worthless, you are not insignificant – you are valuable, you are known, and you are loved.  Peter is writing to a diverse people, scattered, persecuted for their faith, and he starts by reminding who they are – they’ve not been forgotten, they are His people – and that will be a theme throughout the book.
Look at it – though you are different, from different backgrounds, you together are chosen – literally, you are elect strangers, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by or through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and His gospel, through or in the sprinkling of His blood.
The first thing I want you to notice is the work of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit – in your salvation.  Unimportant, not valuable, insignificant?  Hardly.  Now, each of these phrases is referring to your initial salvation – your conversion.  (Order of salvation)  First, you were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.  Everyone agrees we were chosen – you can’t deny that it’s all over the Bible. The Israelites were chosen by God to be His people.  Here, Peter will use OT concepts to say we are God’s NT chosen people. Now, there has been lots of discussion about this foreknowledge of God.  That is, what caused Him to chose us?  Was it an active foreknowledge in which God knew you in electing love, and chose you before the foundation of the world to be His child?  Or, did God look down the corridors of history to see who would respond to the gospel and choose Christ, and therefore, God chose them?  
I happen to think it is the former – that God actively chose you – and predestined you to salvation from eternity past to be saved – that this is what it means to be chosen according to the foreknowledge of God.  This is meant to be an encouragement and comfort to these struggling believers.  Sometimes, it does the opposite – causing much concern and consternation.  But, the point of election is, salvation is God’s work – He brings it about, He insures it, and will therefore keep you safely and securely in His grace.  This is meant to encourage us – in the midst of rising opposition, when we will pay for being followers of Jesus – God will keep us – after all, He chose us for salvation a long time ago.
And not only did He chose us – second, but He also saved us by or through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.  Now usually, when we think of sanctification, we think of the ongoing work of the Spirit in our lives, post-conversionn, through our lives to make us more holy – to make us more like Christ.  And that is true. But here, Peter is referring to the initial Spirit’s work of regeneration – to make us alive in Christ and make us holy.  We have been chosen to be saved, and God brought it about by regenerating us, sanctifying us – that is, taking from a position of being unholy to being holy – by the work of the Holy Spirit.  
And third, we are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit to obey or for obedience to Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood.  This takes us back to Exodus 24 where Moses instituted the Old Covenant.  He had just read the Law to them, and the people responded, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do.”  So, to ratify the covenant, Moses offered a sacrifice and sprinkled the people with the blood of the sacrifice – behold the blood of the covenant.  Here, by the obedience of faith – that, believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are sprinkled with His blood, the blood of the New Covenant.  And we are saved.  So, we are chosen by the Father.  We are sanctified by the Spirit.  We are sprinkled by the blood of Jesus.  But, there is human responsibility – the responsibility of responding to the gospel through faith.  
So did you get all that?  First Peter was written by the Apostle Peter to Gentile and Jewish believers in five Roman provinces of Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, in the early 60s AD.  Persecution was rising – from family, from culture, eventually even from governing structures.  It will cost you to be a Christian – to do good and share the gospel.  But it’s worth it, because there is a day coming when Jesus will return, and all our faithful endurance will prove the reality of our faith and result in praise and glory to God when Jesus returns.  So stand firm in the grace of God.  May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.
Not feeling particularly important, significant when you came in?  I hope you are as you leave.  God loves you because you are a part of a community of His chosen people.  
Last thing I’ll say. We are a big church.  When we open the new spaces – more room for Little Alliance and Youth – a new auditorium in which we will likely grow – we will be bigger.  But I don’t want you to be lost in the crowds.  You are important, to us, and more, to Christ.  As Pastor Kevin DeYoung recently said, “People will always fall through the cracks of the local church, but let’s do what we can to make sure they are tiny cracks.”  You are loved – you are valuable – let’s make room in our lives for one another.