1 Peter, chapter number 1, verses 1 and 2. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers, who are scattered throughout Pontus and Galatia and Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, elect through sanctification of the Spirit, elect unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you, and peace be multiplied. Peter, as we have stated, had a particular goal in mind when he first began writing this letter. He primarily wanted to encourage the struggling people of God on the earth. The theme of his letter, as we've learned, is suffering, repeated frequently in this letter. There are many experiences in life that will cause us pain. That's what the essential meaning of the word suffering is. Suffering involves all kinds of pain. Pain is not limited to our physical body. Pain can be felt mentally, emotionally, even spiritually. Paul groaned in his spirit. Peter includes in his idea of suffering the trials of life. Life is filled with trials, events that cause us to feel and experience stresses of life, confusion, disappointments, heartaches. All humans are subject to suffering, including God's children. No one is exempt from this normal part of living as physical beings in a world that is subject to the devil and his corrupting influences. Peter is convinced from his knowledge and understanding of God and the world we live in that we must identify who we are in this world. It is crucial. And so the first thing he focused on in his letter concerning suffering is our true identity. Peter describes the followers of Christ as strangers in this world. And he'll also call us sojourners and pilgrims. In order for us to live our life properly and be able to handle our trials the proper way, we must acknowledge and accept our true identity. We are strangers. This world is not our home. We are temporarily here, just passing through on our journey to our homeland. We don't fit into the system of this world. We are focused on different things than the world is focused on. And our life is complicated by the fact that we are the light to a world that exists in darkness spiritually. We shine into their darkness the truth of God and his will that most don't even desire to know. Being light is what turned people against the Son of God and led to his murder. The Apostle John wrote in his epistle that because the world hated Jesus Christ, it will also hate you. Light forces the truth into a world where most humans prefer spiritual darkness. And the bottom line is this. Choose to live a righteous life, one that endeavors to do the will of God, and you will suffer at some level for your devotion to God. Peter's quick to add to the fact that we are strangers, that we are also at the same time the elect. It is extremely important for God's people to know and understand what this description of our life also means. The word elect transports us into the eternal purposes of God concerning us as God's children. Those who've turned from sin by faith have received Jesus Christ as their only hope for salvation and have surrendered their life to Jesus Christ as their Lord over their life. We are not just strangers in the world, but we are those whom God has selected, as the word elect means. We have been chosen to be his children. Last Sunday we learned that this selection process was done by God the Father before time began. Election is God's action of choosing to provide a complete salvation for those he elected. And we also learned that no one knows when and where and exactly how this will all be revealed, but God has designed his plan to reveal to his elect his plan of salvation through the preaching of the gospel. And the elect reveal themselves by hearing that word and in faith responding, turning from their life, receiving the good news regarding their salvation. So the fact is, if you're sitting here this morning and you don't know what your relationship with God is and there's any interest in your heart for God, rejoice, rejoice, because it is God who has put it in your heart to desire him. Rejoice and turn to him. Paul, quickly, it's important that this gets framed properly in our mind as we work through these ideas. In Ephesians chapter 1, this great chapter on the doctrine of salvation, God's plan, worked out the Father's work, the Son's work, and then the Spirit's work in time when the sinner hears the gospel and the elect are saved. Paul works that out here in chapter 1, verse 13 and 14 in Ephesians, in whom, speaking of trusting in Christ, in verse 12, in whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. God had an appointed hour and a time on earth for you to hear the gospel of your salvation. And when you heard that gospel as the elect of God, you trusted, you believed the gospel when you heard it. Look at 2 Thessalonians, one other passage before we move on this morning. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, again, similar information concerning the elect, hearing the truth, and revealing that they are the elect by responding to the gospel. In verse 13, in 2 Thessalonians, Paul writes, but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, who've received this special love of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, similar to the way Peter explains it. And then in verse 14, whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so, once again, the elect of God are manifested in this world when they hear the gospel, when they hear about Christ. They turn from their way of living, and they give their life to Christ. That's what the elect do. Look at, go back to 1 Peter, as we expand our thoughts this morning. In 1 Peter chapter 2, Peter adds three very important statements that are linked to our election. We don't have time to cover all three of them this morning, so I've chosen to focus on the first statement about election. We are distinguished, identified as elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. We live in time and space. We view everything on a linear plane. Past, present, future, yesterday, today, tomorrow. That's the way we think. That's the way we live because of the plane we live on. It's hard to imagine any being being outside that plane, but God is. God does not live on our plane. God lives in eternity. He exists outside of time and space. Peter wants us to know a few important things about our election. And here he places our election, which happened in eternity past, as our new important word. It happened in eternity past, our election, downstream, right? Downstream from God's foreknowledge. Thank you, Steve, for introducing that word to us last Sunday. It really rings true. Downstream, election is downstream from the foreknowledge of God. These two reference points are in eternity past, both of them. Our election happened before God created anything. Foreknowledge happened before election. And I say happened, I mean, these ideas existed in eternity past, and one precedes the other. Foreknowledge precedes election. Election is not some random action of God. He didn't on the spur of the moment see the need to do electing. Election is in perfect harmony and agreement with God's foreknowledge. Election is an action within the realm of God's foreknowledge. Foreknowledge, and you've heard some references already on this, is not just the passive knowledge of an omniscient God. It is that. God knows everything. He knows everything about everything. We know that God's foreknowledge, His knowledge is infinite. There's not a single thing that He doesn't know everything about. It's infinite. And His knowledge is eternal. He's always known everything, and He always will. There's not a starting place in God's mind for new information. And so when He says election is downstream from foreknowledge, we are dealing with a mind of God as human beings trying to fathom this, and it is not possible to satisfy our little brain in understanding. It's impossible for a human mind to fully grasp these divine things pertaining to God, and yet we are meant to know and understand them at some level or they wouldn't be here. We don't say, oh, those are deep things. Let's skip over those. That's not why they're here. They're there for our edification, for our enjoyment as God's people by knowing these truths. In Peter's statement regarding God's foreknowledge, this word, this Greek word that is translated foreknowledge includes the idea of a predetermined plan. And we'll see that as we work it out in some references. That is, our election is a part of His plan or foreknowledge. It's a part of His plan. Election happened because of His foreknowledge. So, we'll need to do some basic research here in order to develop a correct knowledge and understanding of this word foreknowledge. And we'll do this by looking at a few references. We can't be exhaustive, but we'll look at a few that use this same Greek word. Here's what we do know. History proves this to be true, and that's why we're taking time with it today. If you don't get this right, other doctrines get wrong. You need to think this through and understand it correctly, or your understanding of election will be distorted. It matters. Peter identifies us as the elect, but he doesn't let our election stand alone. Our election takes us into the realm of the mind of God and His eternal knowledge of each child that is born in time and destined to eternal life. Where does that happen? At election? No, in the foreknowledge of God. And so, I want to look at a few references that will help us, I trust, understand this statement of Peter with greater clarity. Look at Acts. Wes read this a moment ago, Acts chapter 2. It contains the same Greek word that Peter's using in Acts chapter 2. Peter's preaching, so it's not unusual that in his letter and his preaching you find the same word being used. Remember, Peter is crying out, ye men of Israel, hear these words. And he tells us about Jesus of Nazareth. And then in verse 23 he says, him, speaking of Jesus of Nazareth, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Now, there's a mystery. Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost. He's rehearsing what happened seven weeks earlier concerning the crucifixion of Jesus. And he tells us that Jesus was delivered. He was delivered. He wasn't taken and then God decided, oh well, I gotta deliver him. He was delivered and then he was taken. If God had not decided to deliver him, they could not have taken him. He was delivered. God the Father, the word simply means to turn over. God the Father turned his son over to wicked people to kill him. And then they took him and they slew him. But what we find here is that what they actually did was a part of God's eternal plan. You see that in these phrases, him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God you have taken and crucified. Determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, these are one and the same. In the Greek, they run as what are known as parallel phrases or two ways of saying the same thing. God's counsel, you see the determinate counsel, God's counsel had established or predetermined what would happen and it all fits into the foreknowledge of God. It's not that God knew what they would do, but God determined what would be done. For our salvation, our redemption, God delivered him according to his determinate counsel. Meaning God knows because it's his plan. What God doesn't know what he's planned, that's his foreknowledge. These events are all under or within the realm of God's foreknowledge. Determinate counsel, that's a strong word, determinate. And it refers to established boundaries that have been set by the eternal counsel. God's mind and will set the predetermined boundaries on this matter concerning his son being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. God's foreknowledge knows all things that he has planned to do and he's always known his plan. He's not making his plan up along the way. He's always known who the elect are and that they would be placed in Christ before the foundation of the world to guarantee that their salvation would be fully achieved because they were placed in Christ. As Paul reasons out in Ephesians 1, this is how Peter is using foreknowledge. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God our Father. Look at another passage in Acts, in fact, chapter 15. The tendency among some are to leave, is to leave the idea of foreknowledge in the realm of God knowing information. God just knows all things. He knows everything about everything. But in their understanding of foreknowledge, they do not have a grasp that in his foreknowledge are all things also his decrees, his determinate counsels, his eternal plan. It's not just that God knows everything. He knows everything because he's designed a particular plan concerning his son regarding the elect. And that plan is going to be fulfilled from its beginning all the way to its end. Look at Acts 15, verse 18. There's a statement here made at this counsel by James. We'll look at the context in a moment, but he says his conclusion in considering these things, his conclusion is this, known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. There's the perfect condensing of the foreknowledge of God. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Why was that even brought up? Well, strange things were happening at that particular time. Gentiles were being converted and rushing into the church. The converted Jews didn't know how to handle that. What do we do with this? Caught us off guard a little bit here. They're trying to figure it out. They're not rejecting it. They're just trying to make sense of it. And so they go back into the prophets and they read the prophets and the prophets give some indicators here. And he quotes out of Hosea regarding what God would do. Look at verse 15. And to this agree the words of the prophets as it is written, after this I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David which has fallen down. So there's a spiritual interpretation of what Hosea had predicted in his prophecies concerning this very thing. And I will build again the ruins thereof and I will set it up that the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called saith the Lord who doeth all these things known unto God, known unto God are all his works from or since before the beginning of creation. Before Genesis 1-1, in the beginning God, before that statement occurred, before that existed, the elect had been chosen. And they'd been chosen in light of the foreknowledge of God. God had a plan concerning a people. Known. In fact, this word is the same word used by Peter in 2 Peter 1-2, the exact same word in the Greek. Known describes here, known unto God. What is that? It describes the nature of God. It describes his foreknowledge known unto God. All things are known including these events which reflect what? The works. Known are all his works. The issue about human history is not human works but God working in the midst of time and space. And so God has determined to do certain things and election is one of those things that flows down from the foreknowledge of God the Father. His plan concerning the elect moved from the realm of eternity eventually as we know into space and time when the doctrine of salvation began to be unfolded first in Eden and then through the Old Testament in its priesthood and sacrifices and ultimately in Christ. The plan to save the elect was accomplished by only one person and it was their representative, the representative of the elect who had all been placed in Christ before the foundation of the world. Look at Paul and quickly in Romans chapter number 8. I wish we had time to explore the background of what we want to look at but just quickly Romans 8 28 and what follows is where we'll focus a few moments on. But the background to this passage is Romans 6 7 and 8 up through verse 27 which deals with our struggles in the human flesh as we battle against sin that remains as a part of our flesh. And as long as we live in these bodies our fleshly bodies are going to struggle with sin. But we are told that the power and the reign of sin has been broken by Christ and we can overcome sin. Never perfectly of course. That's not feasible as humans but we can make great gains against them, defeat sin. We can throw off bondages that once held us because of the power that is at work on our behalf through Jesus Christ. And then he goes into chapter 8 where we before he gets to this verse 28 and following he reminds us that we will suffer in this world and that God has ordained our suffering for our benefit, our advantage. We shouldn't fear suffering. It will help us deal with our sin. Peter's going to really build on that in the coming chapters. And so as we deal with it we are then encouraged to remember to pray. Cry out to God. The Spirit understands your need. He knows where you're at. He will carry those burdens to the Father, to the throne from which blessings are released upon you to enable you to even do better. That's the context here. And besides this he then adds in verse 28, and we know that all things work together. Whatever we experience, whatever we go through, the ups and downs, the successes, the failures, we know. Whatever the trials are, we know, or at least we should. We should be fully persuaded. If you doubt that all things work together for good then you're going to be victimized in life. You're going to struggle with life. But for those who know, there is confidence in what we must encounter. All things, we know that all things, that's pretty encompassing, isn't it? All things, what does that mean? All things, right? All kinds of things, whatever they might be, whatever realm they might come from, all kinds of things are going to work together. Bits and pieces have shattered this and shattered that. Somehow a mosaic is going to be made out of all of these shattered pieces. All things working together, coming together for good, for our good, for our good. Does that mean for everyone in the world? No. Does that include everyone just because they go to church? No. To them that love God, everything will work for their good. To them, to them, he says it again, to them who are the called of God according to his purposes. To them. And so here is where he then goes into, I mean, that in and of itself, that statement is pretty profound, what he just declared in verse 28, but he's not going to leave it there. He's going to explain it. He's going to give some reasons here for why this is so. Why is it that God will take everything in the life of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose, why is he going to work everything for them for their good? Why? Well, here's the reason. For whom he did foreknow, so he takes us all the way back into eternity past concerning the foreknowledge, the same word that Peter used. Paul uses the verb form of the word, so he's referring to a particular action of God for whom he did foreknow. This is not just a thing, and this is not just a noun. Peter uses foreknowledge as a noun related to the elect in verse 2 of his first chapter. Here, Paul uses the same word as a verb. So we're not talking about passive knowledge here, right? I mean, it's impossible. The language does not allow it. For whom he did foreknow, there is an action related to that, and it flows forward. Listen to it. He also did predestinate. So the foreknowledge of God has actions corresponding to it. Election is just one of those actions. And here he tells us, whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate, another verb. Predetermine is the idea. Before time that his elect would all be conformed to his son. Predetermine this. This adjective conform describes who we will be like. If you're an elect of God, guess what? Your likeness has already been predetermined. Do you know how you identify the elect of God? They have interest in the likeness of Christ. They have interest in submitting themselves to his lordship over them, because they cannot be made into the image of Christ if they're resisting his lordship, right? Likeness to Christ. And that's worked out in many places in the New Testament. But this characterizes the elect. This is who they are. And it is God's foreknowledge that has predetermined that. Left to yourself, would you have a passionate desire to pursue conformity to Christ left to yourself without God's intervention? Look at the world without Christ. Do they have a passionate interest in conformity? No. And the sad thing is the church is filled with many who don't have any desire either. They've made a profession of faith, but if that profession doesn't translate in conformity to Christ, it means nothing. That's how you know the elect. So listen, I'll just read this. I don't have time to enlarge upon it, but all those wonderful songs we sang today. Thank you, Steve. But it's pressed us a little for time, and that's okay. Look at verse 29, whom he did foreknow, he did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that we might be the firstborn among many, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, he goes on, those whom he did predestinate, them he also called in time. The gospel is preached. They are called in time. And whom he called, then he justified. He declared that they are right before God. God is fully satisfied with the righteous demands of his law, because they have been met in Christ. Fully justified. And whom he justified, he also glorified. And that is a work that is ongoing that takes hold immediately. The glorification of Christ in your life will one day be realized, but it's taking place as we move through life. What shall we say, then, to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Why do you fear anything? Why are you troubled by anything? Do you realize what's at work for you? From all eternity, it's at work for you. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God who justifies. And so this is a passage, like the others we read in Acts, that just reminds us that foreknowledge is not a passive thing with God. It's not just God knows everything. It's a statement that God not only knows everything, but he has determined everything that he knows. And he's done all of that for you who love God, who've been called according to his purpose. What a special thing that is. A couple of closing comments from Peter before we leave this phrase this morning. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God. Theos, right? A name that depicts the one and only sovereign magistrate that directs all things under his sovereign will. Theos, is this not what every suffering saint needs to hear? We are elect according to the foreknowledge of God. It is God who has set his attention upon you before time began. As far back as there is God, he has had you on his mind. There is no new thought with God. You have been there. What more do you need to know to be inspired to live for God? Every suffering saint needs to be familiar with this. Pain in life, is that disrupting to you that you can lose sight of these glorious truths? Hardships, disappointments, can they overshadow this reality? Natural conclusion for me is let us accept this and submit to it. Let us discover its benefits. Let us ever learn to rejoice because we believe, we trust the power and the wisdom of our great Theos concerning our suffering in this world. No one has loved you more than he has loved you from the beginning and he's worked out all the details concerning you. Paul, that's his logical conclusion at the end of Romans chapter eight. But in closing, elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father. What a great way to end a sermon on Father's Day. Who has done this for you? He is the great God who has done this for you through the offering and the gift of his only begotten son and worked out every detail before time ever began. It has all been settled for you. And who is this God who has done this? He is the Father. His ultimate goal is to bring you into his presence and have you abide with him eternally in his love. Paul worked out in Ephesians 1.4 the same thing. You understand his intentions concerning you. He is the Father. And so I would exhort you this morning, the knowledge and understanding of these truths are meant to inspire his children. This is not an intellectual exercise that puffs up the mind and makes us feel superior to someone else. That's not the purpose of what Peter or Paul or others have written. The knowledge and understanding of these truths are meant to inspire us to walk in wisdom, to walk circumspectly, to live our life in this world, not as the world lives. We don't fit here into the world system because we are God's elect children known unto him from the beginning, chosen or foreordained to eternal life. And everything that we need from the beginning to the end has all been provided for us by our Father in his Son. Does that motivate you? Does that inspire you? James said that, listen, brethren, every time you fall into diverse tests and trials of life, don't worry, rejoice. God's at work in you. Or Paul wrote, remember, in 2 Corinthians, what are these light afflictions that we go through in comparison to the eternal weight of glory that has been worked out for us? When we accept our identity in this world, it is much easier to live in this world and not be easily manipulated by the world and by the devil and his corruption and his appeals and his lusts that he has sewn and stitched into the fabric of the world. What are those things? What are those things in comparison to the knowledge of what we've just pondered for a moment? Elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father. That's great, great information that I trust that you will take with you. It will become a source of comfort, humility, and inspiration to your life that he, the great Theos, has chosen you. Father, thank you for the moments we've had to contemplate your Word and consider deep things that we acknowledge we don't understand them fully, but we rejoice that you have chosen to tell us about these things and how much you have loved us and how much you have worked out on our behalf. I pray, Father, as we leave this day, we would not only be mindful, but we would be moved. That's the direction where Peter's going here, Father. We know to be moved that we would be holy as the one who has called us is holy. Father, bring us along to that conclusion. I pray in Christ's name. Amen.