THE ELECT OF GOD

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." -- 1 Peter 1:1, 2.

     "Peter an Apostle of Jesus Christ." -- This is Peter the poor, humble, unlearned fisherman, but he had seen Jesus. He had seen Him by the seaside, he had been with Him in the ship on the storm-tossed sea, and had marveled at His power; he had seen Him walking on the waves of Galilee, and when about to sink in his attempt to do the same had felt the power of that almighty hand holding him up; be had walked with Jesus along the dusty highways of Judea and wondered when, at the gracious words which fell from the lips of the Son of man, lepers were healed, the, blind saw, the dumb speak, the deaf heard, the lame walked, the dead were raised, devils fled, and the poor heard the gospel; he had been with Him in the mount and beheld His face shining like the sun and His raiment like light; he had beheld Moses and Elias talking with his Lord, and when he entered the cloud he had heard the voice saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him." Then Peter, with the others, had fallen on his face "sore afraid," but when he looked again he saw no man "Save Jesus only;" he had reclined with Jesus at the passover feast in the upper room, be had heard His parting instructions and reluctantly submitted to have his Lord and Master wash his feet; he had been with Him in the garden and had slept for sorrow of heart; he had followed far off as He was led to the judgment hall, and had denied Him only when He whom he worshipped seemed to have lost His power; he would have fought in the garden, but had been rebuked for his rashness; yes, he was with the five hundred up at Bethany and watched the Christ of his love as He ascended and was received out of sight. For upwards of three years Peter had been constantly with his Lord, sharing with Him the hardships of His humility; he had seen the vision, he had caught the spirit, he had been transformed. by the vision, from a humble fisherman to an "apostle of Jesus Christ;" he had been clothed with the power of the Spirit, and now he delighted to tell the glad news and "strengthen the brethren."

     Did you ever notice the sturdy strength, both of faith and character, that resides in every line of Peter's writings? He was a man of action. He could not sit down and ecstatically gaze into the heavens-he must be up and doing. Just one time, -when he was on the mountain, he thought he would like to stay and gaze, but he was not much more than down again when his hurtling disposition manifested itself. He must do something.

     To be practical, did you ever catch the vision, did you ever receive the Spirit, did you ever see Jesus? You did not walk with Cleopas to Emmaus as Jesus talked with him, feel your heart burn within you; but did Jesus go with you in the test? Did you see Him amid the lashing waves? or, with Peter, did you lose your vision when Jesus was reviled and buffeted and seemed to become like another man, and deny Him there? Did you ever ascend the mountain with Him and behold His glory? If you see Him not thus, you have no part in Him.

     "To the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia." What matter is it where these countries were located. If Peter wrote only to them he did not write to me. But there is one word that takes me in. From any standpoint the matter is viewed, I was and am a stranger. I was a stranger to the covenant of grace, I am now a "stranger and a pilgrim" in this world, I am seeking a city which is out of sight, and it is the hope that I may sometime reach that city which causes me so persistently to abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul."

     A stranger can easily be noticed in the town. People gaze after him wondering who he can be, and he stares around in such a manner as to prove that the surroundings are all now. And this is much more the case if the stranger is a foreigner and does not understand the language or customs of the residents, or dress according to the prevailing fashions of the place. If you are a Christian you are a stranger and a foreigner in this world, you do not understand its sinful language nor fellowship its unholy customs, and the people of the world think it is strange that you run not to the same excess of riot as they and speak evil of you.

     "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God." If a man is elected it is because of some real or supposed merit in him that makes him fit for that position. He cannot take his seat unless he is elected according to the law or prevailing practice. They that run in a race, run all, but no man is crowned except he strive lawfully. Thus, God has His laws according to which we must be governed or all of our running will be in vain, Jesus spoke of certain people who should cast out devils, prophesy in His name, and in His name do many wonderful works, but who should never be elected according to God's law, for, when they come to the gates of heaven and knock, Jesus will command them to depart, declaring that He has never known them. But we need not be ignorant as to whether we are lawfully elected. Peter lays down one simple rule and names two results that will inevitably follow a proper election: The rule - "elect through sanctification of the Spirit." The two results (1) "unto obedience," (2) "and sprinkling of the blood of Christ."

     "Elect through sanctification of the Spirit."

     Sanctification is that gracious work of the Holy Spirit by which the consecrated, believing soul is cleansed from all moral defilement, and exalted to holiness of heart and life. This then is the means by which we are elected. God made Aaron and his sons priests, the people elected George Washington president, bishops are elected by those who lawfully hold the proper franchise; if we are ever elected at all it will be through sanctification. God cannot tolerate the unclean. Judas, the son of perdition, must die; Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, must be cast out. No country would knowingly delegate authority or franchise to a traitor. Sin is a traitor, and God who knows all things demands its execution in order to a proper election. Now all the powers of the soul declare for God and strongly and joyously bear the bounding heart into God and set it triumphant on the throne of power.

     But notice that the possibility of this condition of affairs is brought about only by the Spirit of God. He alone can cast out the traitors, He alone can bring the soul, so rebellious by nature, into loving submission to the divine will. He cleanses the rebellion from the heart, He changes the enemy to a friend; the sinner to a saint; He fits the temple for His own indwelling, and henceforth reigns alone

     Now for the proof of our election:

     (1) "Unto obedience." "Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." Men are sanctified that they may fully possess the power to obey. A sanctification that does not bear this fruit or bring about this result is not of God. "Lo, I come to do thy will, oh God," was the prophetic utterance of the Psalmist: "Nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done," was the cry of the suffering Christ in Gethsemane; "I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest," is the declaration of the sanctified soul.

     A partial obedience is a forced obedience, and a forced obedience is not, acceptable to God; a full obedience from a heart filled with love is the only form of service the Lord can smile upon. To be sure I will make mistakes, and there is no doubt but that in my most complete submission I will often miss the divine intent, but God is gracious and will fill out my unintentional deficiencies with mercy, and let me go free.

     (2) "Sprinkling of the blood of Christ." There are two sides to this sanctification. Man's obedience, and God's sprinkling of the blood. Some stop with man's part and are never elected; but some go on until their panting souls touch the blood, or, rather, are touched by the blood, and they are thus made -every whit whole. It is not by works of righteousness that we ascend to God our best works without the blood are filthy rags; but we reach God by obedience and a living faith on our part, which, through some mysterious power, produce or bring about an application of the blood of sprinkling which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel. When the destroying angel saw the blood on the doorpost of an Israelitish home, even in the midst of doomed Egypt, he passed over that house.

     "Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." An apostle's idea of blessing. Not an increase of wealth, or honour, or power; not prestige or position, but an increase of grace and peace. Not by the slow process of addition but by the rapid development of multiplication. What a great heart Peter had! Such men as he, generally have a large vision. He could embrace an opportunity and finish the job while the other disciples were getting ready. There was much of the intuitive, as men would say, but of the divine, as God would say, in his make-up. Jesus commended him for his quick grasp of divine truth that revealed things unseen, and said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona; flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."

     Now he catches a glimpse of the things in store for us, and with a fisherman's simplicity prays that we may receive them. "Grace" and "peace," favor and blessing. What more could we ask I With these we become children of grace and "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."