1 Peter Chapter 1
Don Fortner Sermon paraphrased by me!

Peter gives us a wonderful description of who we are as saints and describes most simply the great gifts that we have, the gifts that we can rejoice in and treasure as we sojourn here. 

1. We are strangers in this world; the world will not know us. Abel was a stranger to Cain although they were brothers because Cain did not know Abel. Cain was a natural man, Abel a spiritual. It is the enmity between the seed of Christ and the seed of the serpent, to always exist until the new heavens and the new earth. 

2. We are elect, the favored of God. We believe as a result of our election unto salvation.

3. We are begotten again unto a living hope. We are regenerated and born anew from above.

4. We are heirs of an inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us, an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled. We cannot even begin to fathom what awaits us in glory as ‘eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1Corinthians 2:9

5. We are kept, we are hedged about, guarded and sealed by the power of God. What a truth to realize and embrace, that we are kept by God, never to be lost. He will bring us each home safely.

6. We rejoice even in heaviness, being tested by fire. It is a ‘needs be’ to be tested and tried so that our faith will be more precious and it will result in praise and glory when Christ is revealed when He returns.

7. We love Him because of His great love for us. Do we meditate on that enough, do we understand that God is rich in mercy and He loves us with great love? Do your ears hear that, it is GREAT love!

8. We believe Him though we do not see Him; by the faith He has given us.

9. We have joy and this joy comes because we believe Him, because we love Him, because of our knowledge of Him. It is joy that comes from confident peace that rules in our hearts.

10. We receive the salvation of our souls, the end of our faith. We are continually receiving this great salvation as we sojourn here. The prophets searched and made careful inquiries into this salvation and the angels long to look into it. What a great salvation it is, do we remember that every day? We walk in that salvation every day, the salvation purchased for us by His blood. We walk 'set apart', not to show our ‘religion’ before man, not to be seen of men but because it is right, we are set apart unto God not to man.

11. We know what God reveals because we are continually taught of God. We know the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, our ears have been opened. We know how God saves sinners; we get the lessons because He is the One teaching them to us. We know what God has revealed in His Word. Do we search the scriptures daily to know more of the Gospel of our Lord, the Gospel that is the power of God unto salvation? It has been given to us to know.

12. We are redeemed, not with corruptible things but with the precious blood of Christ. Do you remember that every day, do you remember that without Him we are nothing? We have been redeemed from a meaningless existence in time; we have been redeemed from a vain manner of life.

It was a willing sacrifice; doesn’t that still to this day amaze you? He was willing to suffer and shed His blood for His people.  

Praise Him; praise Him, Jesus our blessed Redeemer!