1 Peter chapter number 1. Peter identifies the children of God two ways. In his opening, in verse 1, he identifies us as strangers or pilgrims, foreigners. And in verse 2, we are called elect. And he goes on to say that we are elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father. We are elect through the sanctification of the Spirit, and our election brings us unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace be multiplied. Peter makes it clear in his scope and sequence of God's plan as it's being worked out in time that every elect person, every elect will be set apart, every elect person will be designated as the people of God. We are chosen and we are placed in Christ before time began. During our appointed time when we live on the earth, God's plan of salvation will be revealed to us. And by faith, we place our hope of eternal life in his plan. And once we are set apart and sanctified, we are now the property of God. And as his elect children, God continues the process of our sanctification. We are now God's vessels to be used by him and for him. We are now being made in this present life a more devoted vessel that is taking on the image of his own son. Our conformity to God's son is more than a possibility. It's a reality because God predestinated that every elect child would be like his son. God even ordained the good works that we are to do in order to be conformed to his image. Peter's presentation of God's plan in verse 2 is very simple and concise, deep without a doubt, many layers, absolutely. But here's the simple, concise statement that he is making to us here. The elect are being made more holy throughout their life on the earth now. And now on the earth, they reveal their election and the work of the Spirit in them two ways. First, by our obedience. This is proof, the evidence of our election, our interest in obedience. To the elect, he gives ears to hear. The elect hearken. They're interested in what he says. We hearken to the will of our Father, we hearken to the lordship of Christ, we hearken to the work of God's Spirit, and we practice obedience. That's the evidence that you're the elect of God. Peter works that out here for us. But not only is obedience proof of our election, he goes on to indicate that we are God's elect in our attitude toward our fellowshipping with God. The elect have a desire to walk with God. The elect are willing because that's not easy. Walking with God in the light as he is light is not easy, not complicated, but it requires us to be willing to humble ourselves and to walk in transparency with God, confessing and acknowledging our sins as they appear before us, as we're brought to awareness. We seek to resolve them. Why? So that we can continue our fellowshipping with God. Sin disrupts it, and the true believer, the elect, want their conscience to be cleansed from dead works so they can serve the living God. The elect come to the fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins to be washed in the blood, sprinkled, as he says, by the blood of Christ. The elect enjoy that washing as they come to God and confess. The elect know that their daily life is often contaminated with failed obedience, and we stand in need to be washed. And so the elect are manifested. They reveal themselves these two ways, by our obedience to the will of God and by our desire to walk in fellowship with him. And so God has provided the means for us to do that, that we can be washed, our conscience can be cleansed, and we can walk in fellowship with God. This is the perfect place for Peter to express not just his wish or desire for us, but to tell us that God wants his elect to know that his grace, his grace is sufficient for all of our needs. Grace will never cease, and grace is greater than all of our sins that still remain in us and often defile us. Grace is greater than our sins. It is to those who are sprinkled with the blood, or those who are sometimes defeated and discouraged by their besetting sins, who often wonder, is there still grace for me? Grace is greater than all of our sins. Come to the fountain, be sprinkled, be washed. Confess your sins, acknowledge them. His grace is greater than your sins. And though Peter declares grace to you, multiplied, abundant grace, he goes on to say, is available for you. Whatever your needs are, we have God's grace. It is available and it is sufficient. God is ready, God is willing, God is able to give grace to you at any time and any place in your life. But it comes after we've been washed, after we have confessed our sins and acknowledged them before him, as we have come humbly before him. And when we ask, there is no limit to his grace, but we must ask in humility and in faith. So it's not complicated to walk with God. The things that interfere with our life, like self-sufficiency, pride, that complicates our walk with God. But God has made it available so that we can walk in the light with him, as he is in the light. Peter's wish for them that expresses the desire of God, Peter's wish, grace to you. This is not just Peter, this is God speaking through Peter, grace to you. And he also says, and peace to you. God wants you to have peace. You've heard it in the songs, you've heard it in the readings, the prayers that have been offered up to this time of our services. God gives us grace, he bestows favors upon us because of his loving kindness toward his children. And out of the abundance of his grace he gives to us, he has provided for us peace. Peace is an extension of his grace to us. Peace is of great value to the supplicant. When we go to God and ask for forgiveness, what could be worse than not receiving forgiveness? But when we're forgiven, and we know that we are when we go and we confess before him, we are promised forgiveness. There's peace. There's peace in our walking and our fellowship with God. How important it is in this movement of thought to have the Spirit's peace settle over our mind and heart and calming our souls and reassuring us everything is all right, everything is okay with you and God. That is the benefit that comes to those who go to him and confess, who walk sprinkled under the blood receiving God's grace in their life, that grace brings peace as well. And so, when we go to the throne of grace, we go in faith, we seek help. Are we not able to go back into the challenges of our life and face our challenges with greater calmness of life? If we have gone to God and we have made ourselves right with him, we are cleansed from our defilements and we go out into the daily activities of our life, we face those challenges. Isn't it peace that gives us calmness to face them? Peace is a vital thing to the children of God. And so, we rejoice that as pilgrim strangers in this world today, living in this world now, while we journey, we are often weary. But it's great to know that at this moment or any moment of our day or week or the rest of our life, we can find peace in this world. The world is filled with strife and turmoil and hatred and division is everywhere. Our surroundings, our circumstances make it difficult for us to find and maintain peace even as Christians. But what we have Peter telling us here is that God wants us to have this thing called peace rule our mind. This is that noun, feminine gender, it's a disposition. Peace to you. It's not God saying, I'm wishing your circumstances were all better. It's not saying, I'm going to make everything easier for you. It's God saying, I will give to your mind, I will give to you a state of thinking that will bring peace regardless of your circumstances. That's the peace that is being referred to here. It's not conditional. It's above conditions. It's can be experienced even when our circumstances are chaotic and often our circumstances are. There's hardly a day that I do not face the need for peace. The calmness of God to rule over my own being and my state of mind that I can deal with the circumstances that I'm dealing with. Whatever they might be that disrupt our life, can be on the job, can be your neighbor, can be your marriage, can be anything. How important it is that we know where we can go and find peace to calm us in those moments. And so God is promising to give peace to you. It has nothing to do with changing your circumstances, but it's the ruling of our mind, ruling over it. When Jesus spoke about peace in the Gospels, he had a lot to say. There's probably the most important statements he made on the subject of peace came toward the end of his life. Look at John 14. I feel it's important to read a portions here out of the Gospel of John where Jesus speaks about this peace. Remember what it is. It's a state of mind. There's a calmness, settled calm, regardless of your circumstances. In John 14, beginning in verse number 16, we'll read a few verses down through verse 27. We'll read a lot of passages this morning, so be ready to follow and listen to what God's Word is saying. I'm just reading it to you. Jesus said in verse 16 of John 14, I will pray the Father and he shall give you, speaking to his disciples. This was the night before his crucifixion. And he will give you another comforter, someone to come along, walk with you, and be with you, because I'm going to leave. And he will be with you forever. Who is he? He is, verse 17, the spirit of truth. I'm going to send you a comforter. He's called the spirit of truth. It tells us something about how he goes about comforting, right? He's the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive. The world does not identify with him because truth cannot be understood by them. They don't care about the truth. They cannot receive it. They can't see him, so it's hard to identify anything about him. They have no spiritual sight and spiritual ears. It seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, speaking to his disciples. For he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. I will come to you through him. I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more, but ye see me, because I live. Ye shall live also. At that day, ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, is that obedience principle, he it is that loveth me. Why do we desire to be obedient? What motivates us to be obedient? We love him because he loved us. We don't have to be coerced and pushed and forced into some way of behaving. It's natural within the children of God to desire that. He that keepeth my commandments, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him. Judas, not Iscariot, spoke to him, Lord, how is it that thou wouldst manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words. Obedience again, it's a part of our fellowshipping and walking with God under the authority of the Lordship of Christ. All of that is at play here in Jesus' words. If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him, fellowship with him, walk with him, if we keep his words. Verse 24, he that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings, and the words which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. So the relationship to Christ and the Father are one, and they are dependent on us having ears to hear and being obedient to what we hear. That's the evidence. It's the evidence of our relationship to God. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the time is coming when the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, spirit being out of the very bosom of God himself, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. And then he gives these words, peace I leave with you. All of that which he has just said is essential to this statement. There would be no peace if there is no Comforter. There would be no peace if God did not come and dwell with us. There would be no peace if we did not love God and seek to obey him. All of these things are assumed and implied here, and to his disciples he then says, peace I leave with you, and my peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives, give I unto you. What comforting words. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You're not going to be alone. I will be with you. I will make my abode with you through the very Spirit, who will teach you all things that you need to know. And then you go to chapter 16. A few verses here in verses 12 through 14, and then a couple at the end of chapter 16. Jesus is still the same night prior to his crucifixion. He says, I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, that's not a reference to talking about himself, the Spirit, but it's a reference to him talking and communicating. He won't do it apart from the truth having been taught. And that's what he says. But whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. Then his communication is activated when the truth is being taught. So the Spirit of God functions in harmony with God's Word. And he wants his disciples to understand how this works as he prepares to leave. And then again at the end of the chapter 16, verse 33, these things I have spoken unto you. Again, all these things he's been opening up to them. I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In the world you're going to have tribulation. There's going to be a lot of trials and sufferings that you as my people will experience in the world. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. And so here again is Jesus promising that he is going to give us peace. And that peace will be cultivated and developed in us by the Spirit of God who takes the Word of God and comforts us along the journey of life. There's no other way to manufacture godly peace than that way. You can take yoga, transcendental meditation. You can do everything the world wants to offer to try to get you to calm down in life. But God has one way. It's his Spirit and his Word being communicated to his children. And as they yield to that Word, there is comfort, there is peace that we can enjoy. One other portion, Jesus, after his death and resurrection in chapter 20, a few verses here, 19, beginning in verse 19 of chapter 20. How important is it to Jesus Christ that his disciples are able to enjoy peace as they live out their life in this world? Well, he spent a lot of time in 14, 15, and 16. And here, after his resurrection, he is going to emphasize it again. And then the apostles are going to take it up and hammer on it all through their writings. Verse 19, chapter 20. Then the same day at evening time, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, that Jesus came and he stood in their midst. And what were the first words he said to his disciples? Peace to you. Same thing Peter said. Peace to you. Peter's just repeating what Jesus said. Peace to you. The world's a mess. Lots of potential dangers you have to face every day. Things that will cause turmoil in your life. You're going to go out into this world and you're going to face them even unto death. But the first words, peace. Peace to you. Jesus wants to know that it is the will of God, his Father, and him, and the Holy Spirit that we have a state of mind that brings calmness to our life. Because life's going to be in turmoil. But you don't have to live according to the circumstances surrounding you. You can find peace in the midst of what is chaotic. That's what he's encouraging them to understand here when he says to them when they were afraid. There they were, huddled together, afraid to go outdoors. He comes into their little huddle and he says, peace. Peace to you. I know you're afraid. I know you're troubled. I know you fear for your life. Peace to you. He says again, verse 21, he showed him his hands and they were glad when they saw the Lord. In verse 21, then said Jesus unto them again, peace to you. There's something being conveyed here that they probably didn't fully grasp quite yet, but he knew what they needed. They needed a calming impact upon their mind and on their emotions. And that must come from the Godhead. Peace unto you. And then even again in verses, verse 26, he'll say, and after eight days, again, his disciples were gathered within and Thomas was with them this time. He wasn't there earlier. This time he was. Then came Jesus. And again, the doors were shut and he stood in the midst and he said unto them again, peace to you. Peace to you. Shalom, right? As the Old Testament word expresses that God would rest his abiding calm and peace and prosperity upon your life. Peace to you. The scriptures often illustrate and refer to directly the sudden unexpected news of an event or tragedy and how in those moments we will wrestle to gain control of our own fear and sadness. Even as Christians. But recovery is always the same. Forty some years ago, I had a book put into my hand called The Crook in the Lot. Has anybody ever read that? The Crook in the Lot by a Puritan called Thomas Boston. And it refers to our way of life suddenly taking a sudden tragic turn in our lot of life. We got a crook in the lot and he compiled all kinds of thought and sermons as a preacher on this subject to his people. And he himself had experienced tremendous suffering in his life. When I finished that book, it simplified my understanding of how you deal with pain in people's lives. There's only one way you must bring the truth to their life. There is no other way that God will heal what is broken and damaged, fearful from tragedy or whatever it might be. The only way the spirit of God will heal is through the use of the truth. If you reject that, then you will suffer through your pain longer unnecessarily. But when you're willing to hear the word, let the word of God minister to your life. You will be healed. You will find peace again. David had these moments, didn't he? As I'm reading through this, I'm thinking of just life and experiences and how peace like grace can get, we can get it today. By tomorrow, we need another dose. Yesterday's provision is not going to get me through today. I need more, more grace, more peace. David was a man who understood the peace of God in his life on many occasions. And yet there are psalms written by him where he cries out, why art thou disquieted, oh my soul? Why are you in turmoil? Why is there such chaos within you? What's wrong with you? Hope in God. Put your trust in him again. He can be trusted. Believe what he said to you. So he has to challenge his own state of mind to get back to thinking the right way. Disquieted. Why art thou disquieted? What a great word. What? Not quiet. Just tumult, unrest. And how does he find recovery as he works through those psalms? Psalm 42, I'm thinking of particularly this. He's wondering why God doesn't seem to hear his cries. Where is God in these moments of my pain? And God is speaking back to him and he's hearing these things and he's saying, remember, remember your God, how he dealt with these issues before in your life. Remember him. He will be faithful to you. He will aid you. He will come to your side. He will help you through your troubles and your pain that you're going through. Would you look at Psalm 29? This is one that especially speaks to this subject. Again, it's a Psalm of David. And he, as David often does, the story has already been worked out. And in the beginning of his psalms, he often gives the conclusion before he goes into the drama that led to the problem. And he does that here in Psalm 29 when he says, give unto the Lord, O ye mighty ones. And here he's calling upon the angels, the cherubim, the seraphim, all the mighty ones to give unto the Lord the glory and strength that is due unto him. He's exhilarated. He's excited about what his God has done. And he's calling on heaven to join in his praise with him. Give unto the Lord the glory that is due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. You dwell there in the presence of a holy, holy, holy God. Worship him. Then he talks about the storms, the forces of nature, as it were. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, many one. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic. It breaketh cedars. It breaketh cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them to skip like calves, Lebanon and Syria on like a young unicorn. The voice of the Lord divided the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shake at the wilderness. The Lord shake at the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord make it the hinds to calve and discover the forest. And in his temple, does everyone speak of his glory? The Lord sit upon the flood. And here it is. It is the whole realm of the world as it moves about, often in chaos. Yet the Lord sitteth king forever. He is not ever not king over all things, regardless of the storms and the chaos. God's voice is in all of those things. And so he concludes, the Lord will give strength unto his people. Believe that David had been persuaded of it at this event. The Lord will bless his people with peace. Believe it. God is interested in his children having that state of mind, a calmness as they journey through life. Peace. Peace to you. This is what Jesus was giving. This is what God wants us to know comes from him. Peace to you is his will for us. Though God does not spare us from the trials and the sufferings, the grace of peace is sweeter when found in the storms. The grace of peace is sweeter when found in the storms. The prophet Isaiah assures us in Isaiah 26, that peace can be found in difficult times. Look at Isaiah 26, just quickly here, a couple of verses here. Just want you to see it. You may want to meditate on these during difficult times. I have Isaiah 26. Well, just for sake of time, I'll just ask you to look at verse three and four. Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on him, on thee, on the Lord. So the state of mind, right? Peace is a state of mind. What keeps that state of mind in peace? It's dwelling on the Lord. Not your trials, not your troubles, the Lord. Because he trusteth in thee. Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. And so when your mind is stayed on the Lord, it is because you believe that he is faithful. He is true to his promises to you. And so the exhortation, trust ye in the Lord forever, for the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. How do you keep the mind settled? The mind must be set on God. And as you are set on him, only then can you have true peace. He brings peace to those who trust him. Every letter that Paul wrote, all 13 of them, all begin the same way. Grace and peace to you. Why would he say that? It's just sort of a customary thing to do is to open your letter with those words and phrases. No, these are real valuable things he wants them to know and enjoy as they live out their life. Grace, peace to you. Having calmness, quietness, even in the midst of chaos. Just a couple of references from the New Testament. Look at Philippians chapter number four. Philippians in chapter four. Remember, you've heard me remind you of this when we read out of the book of Philippians or Thessalonians. These are both Macedonian churches. And these churches were going through tremendous suffering at this particular time and season of that era of the early church because of Roman wars that were going on in Macedonia. There was a lot of suffering, a lot of loss of life, a lot of loss of property and goods. People were suffering tremendously in Macedonia. And one of the reasons Paul writes this letter to them after he had helped plant that church with the Philippian jailer, you remember that? Paul writes this letter to encourage them not to lose hope, but rather in the midst of their trials, find the joy that you've lost. Find the joy that you lost. The key word in Philippians is joy, rejoicing. You can lose it when life gets hard. It's easy to start complaining instead of rejoicing. And so Paul has dealt with this subject about rejoicing throughout this letter. And now in verse four, he then, as he's giving some final exhortations here, he says in verse four of chapter four, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. They couldn't say, well, you don't know my pain. You don't know my difficult. He does. And he's not pretending it's not hurting. But what he's concerned about is if you focus on the trial and the pain, you will not have peace. Peace is the result of focusing on God. So rejoice in the Lord. Isn't that what he says? Rejoice. Do you not have enough in the Lord to rejoice about? Rejoice in the Lord. And again, I say rejoice. And then he goes on to say, let your moderation, this whole idea is about gentleness or restraint. Let everyone see how you have handled yourself as you go through trials. Let your moderation be known unto all men. Let them see and observe your ability to manage your life during difficulties. You're a testimony to the grace of God in your difficulties. God may choose to leave you in your difficulties because there's a greater testament to his glory than if he were to take you out. So let your moderation, your self-composure, let it be known unto all. The Lord is at hand. Do you believe that? He's there with you. You're not alone in this thing. He's right beside you. The Lord is at my right hand. So be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. It's not as if God is saying, hey, I don't want to hear anything from you. Just buck up and be tough. That's not what he's saying. He is saying, come to me, pour it out to me. Pour it out to me. I will hear. I will listen. Bring your prayers and your supplications, your cries, your agony, bring it to me. And come with thanksgiving with it. Be ready to be grateful for the Lord who is at work in your life in these things. If you don't acknowledge that, then it just becomes a complaint session. And there is no benefit with that. Come ready to give thanks that God is at work in you. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall garrison, fortify, it will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. So there is a method in the stabilizing of the mind to have peace. It's important. God wants us to have it, but he's not going to give us an artificial form of it. You want true peace. And it's going to come through process of coming to him, yielding to him, submitting to him, confessing, being washed, whatever it takes, and being restored to fellowship, walking in light with God. All of that will bring a settled peace to your mind, and he will be there in the chaos to help you through. This peace that Peter is praying for is a blessing that is bestowed upon God's children. Peace is a grace of God to us who come to him believing in faith, asking what they need, washed in the blood. Peace is God's desire that we would enjoy and that we would have it abundantly multiplied. Peace to you multiplied, not just a little bit, but a big portion that calms and settles and gives you that state of mind that you need in a difficult world that he has called you to live in. So many references on this. Just one more I'll mention to you. In the opening of Christ's ministry, we are studying the Sermon on the Mount in our Sunday school. Our men have done a wonderful job in teaching all of those principles of truth that are to regulate our life as we live in the kingdom. And one of those statements concerning our disposition and the attitude and the mannerisms of our life, he says, blessed are the peacemakers, where they shall be called the children of God. And so here, the elect of God who enjoy peace are peacemakers. Who's making peace? Who's promoting peace among the brethren? Who are the leaders of that? He says, those are the children of God, the elect of God. You have to have it to promote it. You can't promote what you don't possess and you don't promote well what you don't possess a lot of. And so to be a peacemaker is an indication that you are enjoying the peace of God in your life. And so Peter desires what God desires for us today, and that is peace. God does not promise peace to you this morning and then withhold it and deny it to you. He is ready to give peace. He doesn't make the pronouncement. He is ready to give it. But don't think that he's got to change your circumstances to give it. He would rather give it to you in the midst of your circumstances. That brings greater glory to him than changing your circumstances. So come to him. Believe he is ready now. He is hearing your request when you cry out, help, I have need. I have need for your peace to calm my mind this day, God. I have need for you to calm this overwhelming sense of stress that I'm dealing with because of these matters that have collected together in my life. I have need of your peace. I need you. I need your peace. He's ready. He's hearing. And he's willing. And he's able. But he will use wisdom in how he dispenses it. And that we have to trust him with. We would like to dictate to him and tell him how to give it, when to give it. Now, he will answer your prayer. But with your prayer, you have to be willing to offer praise and thanksgiving to him because you know he will answer it, but he will answer it according to his wisdom, not your human anticipation or expectation that you might have of him. And so we must trust him. When we go to him in faith, we believe that he will give. And we will trust him with how he chooses to give. And remember, the grace of peace has nothing this morning to do with your circumstances. It has everything to do with your state of mind. How do you get that right? How do you get that right? The word of God is the only thing that will get it right. You hear the truth. You take in the truth. You trust the spirit as he develops that truth in you. And what happens in that process, that simple process that God has ordained, is that that which you have need of is going to be met. And his spirit will take that word and he will meet your need if it's for peace today. There are many things that flow out of peace that we won't take time to contemplate in this message, but I trust as you think through your life and the needs that you have for the grace of God, and there's times that you need the grace of peace, that you'll understand that it is there. It's above circumstances. It's a state of mind. It's trusting him, believing in him, not being distracted by the circumstances. Like Peter, if you look at the circumstances, we will sink. But when we in faith look to him, we can walk on water. There is power in faith to follow God. And I would hope that we learn to do that more fully. There are so many things. You can contemplate these on your own, but there are so many things that flow from this peace that demonstrate that you have it in your life today. One of the most important things that you need to contemplate is the subject of contentment. Did you know you cannot be content if you're not at peace? You can't find it. It's impossible to be content with God if you're not at peace in your relationship to him. You'll be in constant turmoil. It'll be chaotic. There will be no rest until you turn to God and trust in him alone and let his word just continually fill your mind. Let the Spirit use it and fill your mind with the truth. And through that, he will comfort you and he will bring peace to your life. Not circumstances, but to your life, your own mind and your own heart. Father, we thank you for the promises of your word, for the clarity that is there. As pilgrims who travel through this world, we stand in need of much grace and much peace. And we are thankful that you have supplied it in abundance for us. But you've also designed a way for us to be able to lay hold and to gain these things from you. I pray that today we would re-evaluate if we are living with troubles and constant turmoil in our mind and in our life, that we would re-evaluate our relationship that we have with you. I ask you to bless these things to your children today. I pray in Christ's name. Amen.