ELECT
Peter writes to sojourners dispersed in certain Roman provinces far from their homeland. He refers to them in chapter 2 as “strangers and sojourners”, 1 Pet 2: 11. I suppose they would have no rights in the countries in which they were living; they were strangers below and citizens above. They would have no influence on the course of this world; they were in the world but not of it. They were not of the world but in it to testify, and for the pleasure and the will of God. That is our position as believers—we are in the world but we are not meant to belong to it, we are meant to be apart from it. Our citizenship is in heaven, and yet we are left here in the world for the pleasure of God and for testimony.
Although they are addressed as sojourners and strangers they are addressed also as “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”, 1 Pet 1: 2. Although they would not be much thought of in the provinces in which they were, nor be persons of influence or be honoured by their fellow men, they were elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. God the Father had these very persons in purpose before the world’s foundation, which is true of believers down here now. This dignity, dear brethren, belongs to persons who are believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Himself is the Elect; “Mine elect”. God said as to Him (Isa 42: 1); it is special to Him; He is unique as God’s Elect; yet these persons were elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
Peter adds, “by sanctification of the Spirit”. Not only were they in God’s mind before the world’s foundation but they were persons who had received the Holy Spirit in view of being sanctified, set apart for holy purposes. That is our place down here, “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by sanctification of the Spirit”. The elect come to light as set apart by sanctification of the Spirit. I understand that the word “elect” applies to the words that follow—“according to” and “by” and “unto”; “unto the obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ”. The end in view is that persons are to be obedient. Indeed the same persons are addressed in 1 Peter 1: 14 as “children of obedience”; they belong to that family. “Unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ”, that is, the blood of Jesus Christ has certain claims upon these persons and they are desirous of answering to the claims that the blood has upon them.
In Leviticus 8 the blood of the ram of consecration was put on the tip of the right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the great toe of the right foot of the priests, and the oil was put on these same members. I think we need to represent a fulness of committal and devotion in the day in which we live. There was never a time for half measures, nor for having one foot self-pleasing and one foot in the will of God. It is impossible really; it is an unsatisfactory state to be in. What the Lord is after is fulness of committal to Him and to the will of God. The cleansed leper also had the blood put upon the tip of the right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, Lev 14: 14. We are all, I trust, cleansed lepers; we have known what it is to do our own will, even as believers, but there is a way of repentance and cleansing. The same treatment as in the consecration of the priests was given in the cleansing of the leper. It is in view of being set apart “by sanctification of the Spirit, unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ”.
In 1 Peter 3: 18 Peter says, “Christ indeed has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God”. It is a great matter to be brought to God, to be brought from our own matters, our own things, our own interests, and brought to God, brought in view of being serviceable to God and committed to His will. I had especially in mind the opening verses of chapter 4. It says there, “Christ, then, having suffered for us in the flesh, do ye also arm yourselves with the same mind; for he that has suffered in the flesh has done with sin”. The question, dear brethren, is whether we are prepared to suffer rather than sin. It is a test for every one of us. What will help us is our positive link with a living Man in heaven who, as it says at the end of chapter 3, “is at the right hand of God, gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being subjected to him”. The Lord Jesus Christ holds the highest office in the universe; no one surpasses Him as to the office which He fills, angels and authorities and powers being subjected to Him. How blessed to have Him before us as the object of our faith and our affections, and to be held, to abide in Him in that sense.
Then as we consider the fact that He suffered for sins we are by the Spirit’s help brought round to preferring to suffer rather than sin, to prefer to do God’s will rather than do our own. What a practical matter it is, to prefer to please God rather than to please ourselves, to prefer to be deprived of certain things that would please us. Not only is it wrong to sin, but the Spirit would help us to prefer to suffer rather than sin. Our tastes are to come round to this view that we would prefer to suffer rather than sin; we prefer God’s will to our will; we prefer to be pleasing to God rather than please ourselves; we prefer to be deprived, to deprive ourselves of certain things that please us, in order to be here for the pleasure of God. This is how the elect, dear brethren, come to light. A few of the elect in New York are here; such persons are dignified. They are certainly not all here tonight; there are many elect in New York; but the great challenge is whether we are showing that we are elect, whether there is with us this “sanctification of the Spirit, unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ”. It comes out in these features I have mentioned that we prefer certain things, prefer God’s will to our own will. None of us is like that naturally, not one of us; it goes against nature; but may the Lord help every one of us to desire to have this kind of taste, this kind of desire, to please God rather than please ourselves. May the Lord help us.
NEW YORK
14th March 1978
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