Home • Preaching the Word • 1 Peter
Scattered for a Purpose
Preached October 7, 2009 at a Mission in Downtown Birmingham, Al by Jake Hanson
"To those who reside as aliens, scattered..." 1 Peter 1:1
To be gathered together. To be gathered together with those you love, with those who love you in your home. To be gathered. It is what we all long for. To be at that place, where we can take our shoes off—the place where our chair is molded to our own bodies, and no one else’s. To be at that place with those who know your feet stink when you take your shoes off, but they love you anyway.
But here you are, at Bro. Bry. Mission. You are away from your home—if you even have a place you can call home anymore. You are away from those whom you love, and from those who love you—if you even have loved ones in your life anymore. And some of you wonder why you are here. Why are you not gathered to your home, gathered with loved ones.
I imagine this is how some of those who the Apostle Peter writes to feel. Look with me in the very first verse. “Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.”
These people were not gathered together in their home and resting place. They were scattered. They lived as temporary residents without the rights of citizens in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia—that is where modern day Turkey is today—a few hundred miles away from Jerusalem, where Jesus had walked and ministered and died. Away from where the Temple was, the main center of worship for early Christians. They were away from where they thought God was really wanting to work in their lives. But as is usual in our lives, God had other plans for their lives. God had better plans for their lives. And He has better plans for you as well, if you will listen to what He is saying.
This word, “scattered” is an important word in the Bible. And to understand it, we have to go on a little journey through the Bible.
The Lord God had promised the People of God—the Jews—a land, flowing with milk and honey. This Promised Land, which is in the region of modern day Israel, was referred to as the Jews’ inheritance. An inheritance, as you all well know, is land, or money or possessions you get for being a family member—usually when someone dies. In this case, nobody dies, for God the Father does not die
The Lord God promises that getting this land will not be quick or easy. He tells them that before they enter the land, they would be in Egypt for 400 years. You will remember how hard those years would be. The Jews would become slave laborers for the Pharaoh, but the Lord God delivered them from Egypt as they crossed the Red Sea and marched on their way to the Promised Land.
Then the People of God wandered in the wilderness for forty years before they could finally enter into the Promised Land—the Land flowing with milk and honey.
Right before they were to enter into the Promised Land, the Lord gave them this warning from Deuteronomy 4:
“So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, [and if you] act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God so as to provoke Him to anger, …The LORD will scatter you among the peoples…But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”
You see, the people of God, the Jews or Hebrews at that time, had been promised to be gathered together in the Promised Land if they were obedient, but scattered throughout the nations away from their home if they were not.
They entered into the Promised Land and stayed there for several hundred years. They were never perfectly obedient, but they became increasingly disobedient through the years, until finally, the Lord God would have to make good on His promise to scatter them for their disobedience. So He sent them into exile in another country, far away from their home in Babylon in modern day Iraq.
He did this for at least two reasons. First, He loved His people, and He wanted them to return to Him with their hearts. But second, He wanted the nations to see His power and His glory through His people in their midst. You see, the Lord God has the whole world in His hands—He raises up nations, and He brings them down. And He demonstrates His love and power in that He always remains faithful to His promises to His people, and will never neglect His people.
And so, the people returned to the Lord while in Babylon, and He brought them back to the Promised Land—to their inheritance—to be once again gathered together.
But that was them. The question might be going through your mind, “What did I do wrong to be scattered from my home?” And maybe even more, what did those who Peter is writing to do to be scattered from their homes—away from where it seemed that God was working?
What I want to say to you tonight, is that you may or may not be here in this place because of disobedience to God, but the purpose of your being scattered is the same as it was for the Jews—to bring glory to God throughout your world.
What has changed? There was a shift. You will remember that when Jesus died and rose from the grave, His disciples did not know quite what to do. Some of them thought that Jesus was going to lead them to retake the Promised Land from the Romans who had taken over. But Jesus had other plans. And as the Disciples were gathered together Jesus came to them and said, “Go therefore [in other words, scatter from here!] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you always, to the end of the age.”
No longer are the People of God scattered as a result of disobedience, the People of God, believers in Jesus Christ are scattered for the purpose that salvation might reach every corner of every part of the earth—and this is why you are here. And this is why Peter writes to those who are scattered. And this is why he is writing to you, that you might declare the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Let’s continue to look at the first nine verses of 1 Peter 1 where we see a glimpse of the hope that we have as believers in Jesus Christ.
1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
I just want to make a few points about this text that we have just read.
First, from verse 2. God foreknew your situation. He knew you would be where you are long ago. It is not a surprise to Him that you are here, and it is not a mistake. He has brought you here to teach you, to set you apart for His service (sanctify), and to call you to obedience to Himself.
Second, from verse 3 [“3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”] if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you have a new life—you have been born again. And since you have been born again, you have living hope in the new life you have in the Lord, and in the hope of the glories to come. And by the work of the Holy Spirit, you have inexpressible joy in the midst of trials and tribulations.
Third, just as the People of God, the Jews had a Promised Land, an inheritance, so also you have an inheritance if you have trusted in Jesus Christ. Our inheritance is far better than a land flowing with milk and honey, for milk goes sour, and honey goes bad. But our inheritance which is reserved in heaven for us, it says in verse 4, will never die, will never be tainted by sin—and many of you know how destructive sin is—it wages a war against your soul, and the glory of it will never fade away. Once in heaven, we will never again see disease, sickness and pain. We will never be hurt by betrayal and the sin of others, and we will never betray or hurt or sin against our brothers and sisters. It will be a perfect place where our excitement and joy and enjoyment of it will never end.
Finally, you will face and are facing trials in this world. Remember that this world is not your home. You are just temporary residents, staying for a while, while your real home gets prepared. For Jesus said in John 14:2-3, “I go to prepare a place for you…that where I am, there you may be also.”
As you go through these trials, remember that the Lord is using these trials in order to refine you, to shape you, to make you into the man you are called to be in Christ Jesus. It may be painful, but as you submit to the Lord, it will produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
So as you are scattered here in this place, you will find that at times you will wonder where Jesus is. Perhaps you are wondering that tonight. But take heart. Jesus is with you. Trust Him to carry you through these times, and learn to love Him all the more. As you do, you will learn that even in the midst of the most fiery trials and difficulties in this life, you can rejoice with inexpressible joy and you will be delivered from this dying world and gathered into the arms of our loving God.
It is to this we hope, and it is this we proclaim. Blessed be the name of the Lord our God.