Tonight. I want to go to first Peter chapter one the opening of Peter’s letter. He makes some statements here that I want to look at. First Peter chapter one we’re going to read verse one and two says, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the stranger scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bethania eat, elect according to the fore knowledge of God,
the father, the word elect means chosen to select who is he talking about? Well, he’s talking about those strangers scattered abroad. Those through that are the Christians he’s writing to the Christians, us, those that are scattered abroad, they are the elect. How are they chosen? Says according to the fore knowledge of God, some would like us to think that we are selected before we were born and we have no choice,
but that’s not the case. Go with me to Fijian chapter one. Ephesians chapter one verse four Says, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be Holy and without blame before him in love, we are chosen in him before the world foundation of the world. God had a plan before he even created us.
What was that plan? Second Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians chapter two verse 13 but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God half from the beginning chose you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. Where into he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
How did he call us through the gospel? Those that are elect are those that are called through the gospel, but how go back to first Peter chapter two our first Peter chapter one verse two it says, elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the father through sanctification of the spirit. Now Aaron, I always like to talk about the same thing on the same night.
John chapter 17 and verse 17 it says, sanctify them through that truth. I word is truth. The word sanctification here means to be set apart for a special purpose. It says here we are sanctified. We are set apart. Set apart from what? From sin. The spirit sets us apart, separates us from sin. How on to the word on two means.
There’s connection here and to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus gave that sacrifice. We are sanctified. We are set apart from sin, from the world through the blood of Christ. Revelation chapter one revelation chapter one and verse four verse five and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness and the first be gotten to the dead and the Prince of the Kings of the earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
we are sanctified. We are set apart by that sacrifice that Christ made for us. How can we be the elect? How can we be elect? What we see here, God, the father had a plan before the world began. We see that the spirit separates us from the world through the blood of Christ unto obedience. We have to obey that plan.
We’re not just selected. We don’t have a choice. We have a choice RI. Hebrews chapter five verse nine says, and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. We can be the elect. Just as Peter here talked about how he was riding to the elect, we can be that elect through obedience to his plan of salvation.
We, how do we get in contact without blood, which cleanses us through baptism. We have to follow his plan. We have to hear the message. Romans 10 verse 17 we have to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Mark 16 verse 15 and 16 we have to repent of our sins. Acts three 19 we have to confess that Jesus Christ is the son of God.
Romans 10 verses nine and 10 and then we have to be baptized where we come in contact with that blood. We rise up, cleanse a new person, the elect of God. Have you done that tonight? Have you done that? Tonight is a night to put on Christ in baptism. If you have not, tonight is the night to do it.
As we stand and as we.