Elgar's Enigma Variations are so called because they contain a theme which Elgar said 'went with' another, which you never hear – whose identity he never revealed and which no-one knows.

These next 3 weeks I have chosen readings to go with another passage – which hasn't been read – and to illustrate it. But I'm not leaving you in the dark! We're going to look at Peter's First Letter.
Today, just the first two verses: Peter's words of greeting:

• Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

A few remarks on the letter as a whole. As you can see, it is from Peter, the apostle or chosen emissary of Jesus Christ. And it's addressed to Christians throughout what is today N & W Turkey. Today it comes to us, still bearing Peter's name and the authority our Lord gave him. In truth, this letter is our Lord's message to us.

Those who first read it were facing testing. The most frequent word is suffering. The next most frequent are faith and obedience. For we can best meet and overcome troubles and trials if our trust in the Lord is securely based – and we are seeking daily to obey and serve him.

Peter's letter therefore begins by reminding us of our hope and the greatness of our salvation. The letter ends with practical teaching for us, while we live our present life among unbelievers, facing maybe their hostility and opposition.

We sign our letters at the end, but in those days the name of the sender began the letter, followed by that of the recipient, and a formal word of greeting. But there's nothing formal about Peter's greeting – it's deeply moving and reassuring.

God's People are Exiles

Peter's very first word to these Christians (as it appears in the Greek) is the word CHOSEN, ELECT. He greets us as God's chosen – God's very own people. His very next word is STRANGERS. The word describes those who live among others, but to whom they do not belong. In other words, people like many of us, who live in France, but who are not ourselves French. We are foreigners – we live where we do not really belong. Most of us are exiles – temporary residents – living where we do not expect to stay permanently.

It's a fit word to describe refugees! – and that conjures up a rather different picture. We've all seen, many times in recent years, those pictures of desperate humanity, huddled under tents or even less adequate shelter – refugees from war and famine. And we're also aware of refugees right here in France, living in poverty, unable to find employment, sad, rejected by many, and discouraged.

Do you pity such people? Would you help to give them a hope for the future? Could you love them enough to take them into your own home? But that is exactly what God has done for us! That's how he's seen us! – as in desperate need – and loved us! When we've become truly aware of our need, and come to him – he's called us his own children – and promised us a home with him forever.

Our home here, in this world, is temporary – this world is not our home – heaven is! Already we are citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20; Eph 2:19; Col 3:1; Heb 12:22) – and therefore strangers and exiles in this world (1 Pet 2:11). That's why I called Peter's greeting a deeply moving and reassuring greeting. If you could tell desperate refugees that they were loved – chosen – and destined for a glorious future – wouldn't that comfort and strengthen them? And so should the gospel mean to us!
Do others reject or despise us, because we are Christians? Then remember that we are God's chosen – his beloved! If others ignore us – let's recall God's nearness and loving care. Already we are citizens of heaven! What would you demand of prospective new citizens of your own home country? Wouldn't you require them to learn the language of their new country? Its outlook and ways? Its laws, its history and its future hopes? Wouldn't you expect them to identify themselves with their new country? And as one of its citizens, speak up for it – when others run it down? Why then should we do any less for the kingdom of God, for which he has made us citizens?

Peter now goes on to remind us of how all three Persons of the Godhead are involved in our present status – and our future. He tells us straightaway that we have been chosen by God the Father, with the intention we should obey his Son, Jesus Christ, and be forgiven through the sacrifice of his death. And this made effective in our lives by the work of God's Holy Spirit. God has a purpose for you and me – and he doesn't want us to be ignorant of it! God has chosen us to be his people. And that means we are to be different. Different from those around us who do not believe in God. Different from what we were before God called us to belong to his people.

How should we receive such a message of God's loving purpose for us? I believe we can only properly receive it on our knees in worship and adoration, for his loving mercy – because it humbles to the dust our human pride. Men of the world treat this message with scorn – and even many Christians have been offended by it, too. Even if we don't understand how God has chosen us, we should receive it – for God's word clearly teaches it. We cannot expect to fathom all God shares with us about himself.

Chosen by God the Father

Peter says God the Father has chosen us according to his foreknowledge. The word know in the Bible has an intimate sense about it – a sense of personal love and choice – as when God says of Israel, You only have I known of all the families of the earth. (Amos 3:2) The sense of chosen here is so strong that the NIV uses that word instead of known. And for the same reason, these words of Peter's are rendered, chosen according to the purpose of God the Father (or by similar words) in other translations. And Peter uses the same word later in this chapter, when he says of Christ, he was chosen – foreknown – before the foundation of the world. (1:20)

These words of Peter's about us are echoed elsewhere in the New Testament. They can surely only mean one of 2 things:

• EITHER God is said to choose us because he knew beforehand that we would choose him;
• OR God chose us for no merit of ours, but only because he set his love upon us. (Matt 11:25-27; John 15:16,19; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Eph 1:4-6; Rom 8:28-30; Deut 7:7,8)

This is a difficult and great mystery – and Christians have differed over this. For my part I solemnly believe that the Bible teaches equally clearly

• BOTH our responsibility to believe the gospel, (Matt 4:17; John 3:16-18; 6:40; 20:31; Acts 2:38; etc)
• AND that even our faith in Christ is a gift of God. (John 6:44, 65; Acts 16:14; Eph 2:8; etc)
  God chose and destined us for himself, not because he had the foresight that we, of ourselves, would want to become like Jesus, but so that we might, by his power, be changed into his likeness.

I cannot understand or explain that paradox. It humbles my pride and self-sufficiency. That is why I say that we should only receive this on our knees. Rightly received, this is a message of great love and assurance – and incredible joy. (Lk 6:23; 10:20)

Do you think we might find a human analogy to this love and joy? Think of a man and a woman 'in love', when they discover their mutual love and choice of each other! We know that moment is one of real joy! But the love of God for us is much more wonderful, because of our rebellion, and consequent lack of love for God; the condition of our hearts, and our captivity to sin and judgement.
For, It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-one can boast. (Eph 2:8) Jesus said to his disciples, You did not choose me, but I chose you. (John 15:16) And speaking to the Father about himself, Jesus said, You granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. (John 17:2)

Incomprehensible it may be – but this is God's message to Christians – we are chosen – because, from the beginning, the Father set his love upon us. (1 John 4:19; 2 Thess 4:13)

Set apart for God by his Spirit

And this choice was worked out in time. We were brought to know him by the working of God's Holy Spirit – for we were spiritually dead – incapable of turning to God. (Eph 2:1,4,5; Rom 5:6) A preacher is like the prophet who, in a vision, found himself in a valley of dry bones. The Lord asks the prophet if these bones can live. O Sovereign Lord, you alone know! The prophet obeys the instruction of the Lord and says, Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! But it is God who says, I will make breath – Spirit – enter you, and you will come to life. (Ezek 37:1-5, 14)

God's Spirit calls us – sets us apart for God – and gives us life, eternal life! Sets us apart – that's what holiness is – having no other goal but to do God's will for our life – to please and serve him, because we love him.

No-one naturally has such a desire, or any power to do it. Only God's Spirit can change us.(Deut 30:6; Jer 31:33; Ezek 36:26,27) And that is why we need a new birth – an interior transformation that the Spirit brings about (John 1:13; 3:3-8; Tit 3:5; Col 2:13) – which manifested itself when we first trusted Christ as Saviour and Lord. After that we began to want to please him. Thereby we showed that the Holy Spirit was at work in us, making us holy.

The goal is likeness to Jesus – who always pleased his Father and did his will. That is why Peter says we've been chosen for obedience to Jesus Christ, our King. Because you've received the gift of a new and changed life, you now want to please the Lord. In all our struggles to do that – let's remember this, It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Phil 2:13) The Holy Spirit is helping us and will go on helping us and changing us. (Rom 8:13,14,26)

A Japanese convert went into a church and saw the Ten Commandments displayed. He'd been a thief, and when he read, You shall not steal, he read it – not as a prohibition – but as a promise. You shall not steal! God was changing him into someone who would not steal.

John, in his first letter, speaks of the wonder that we should be called children of God, and that we shall finally become like him, when Jesus returns. He says, Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3)

Do you see now, why the knowledge of God's love for us, his choice of us, his intention to make us like himself – brings reassurance to our weak and feeble lives – and spurs us on with joy and hope? For as Peter prays, Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Forgiven through the Death of God's Son

And when we do fail – as we continue to do until our dying day – we have the extraordinary forgiveness which God has made available to us through the death of Jesus. We can only become the dwellingplace of God's Holy Spirit – when we have repented, and he has cleansed us from sin and guilt.

Peter uses the Old Testament picture in which anything, any person, was made acceptable to God, by the sprinkling of the blood of sacrifice. (Heb 9:19-22,14) In our first reading we heard how Moses inaugurated God's covenant with God's people in just this way. When the people said, We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey – then Moses sprinkled the blood on the people. Let's remind ourselves – Peter says we've been chosen.. for obedience to Jesus Christ. Man first sinned when he disobeyed God. We certainly cannot claim to be a Christian, to be one of God's chosen, if our heart is not set on obeying his will, and if our lives have not changed.

What did that blood represent? A life poured out in death – in substitution for the sinner, whose life was forfeit. (Rom 6:23; Lev 17:11; Heb 7:26,27) Only Jesus Christ our Lord could offer a truly effective sacrifice on our behalf. Only because he is the Son of God could his death have infinite value; only because he is a sinless Man, could he die in the place of men.

Perhaps Peter mentions this last of all – because we need the cleansing of that shed blood – until our life's end. And that's why Jesus has given us that reminder of his dying love, that we receive when we come to his Table. Because Jesus died for our sins – as we eat and drink in faith, committing ourselves wholly to him – we can ask for, and receive God's forgiveness, and be renewed in our spirits by Jesus' living presence with us.

Therefore, this morning, let us ask ourselves these questions:

Do I know God the Father loves me and has chosen me?
Have I truly responded to that love from my heart, thanked him for it, and committed myself to live for him?

Have I understood that God's Spirit has set me apart for himself – to obey my Lord and Saviour?
Have I asked him to make me more like Jesus?

Have I realised that Jesus, the Son of God, gave up his life on the cross for me?
Have I come today for his cleansing from sin?

Will I now live as a citizen of heaven, while an exile here on earth?

                                                                                      Amen.