Introduction

Many years ago, a young man from Denmark began attending our church. Staying for a year or two with relatives who were members at Calvary, he began attending our church with them. Growing up, he had not thought hard about the claims of the gospel, but while here, he submitted his life to Christ. He began devouring solid Christian teaching, and within a short period of time, he became a solidly developed Christian man.

While he was here, he and I developed a friendship. Eventually, it was time for him to return to his homeland, but we remained in contact. I was the youth and college pastor at the time, and Christina and I briefly flirted with moving to Denmark to start a church with him.

After a few years in Denmark, he reached out to me to ask if I'd fly out to speak to a small conference of believers from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. He didn't have to ask twice, and over the next ten years, I took frequent trips to Denmark and Sweden to serve God's people. I thought I was teaching them, but I have discovered over time that they were teaching me.

What I discovered there was a small contingent of committed Christians who were a religious minority in their communities. Their love for Jesus was sincere, and they all realized their need for one another. They had no expectation that their Christianity would have a heavy influence on their societies. They didn't expect laws, curriculums, morals, or priorities around them to reflect biblical standards. Instead, they expected to stand out from the crowd.

I mention this beautiful group because they are like the exiles Peter wrote to in his first letter. And I learned so much from them. Some Christians live where Christianity is socially accepted, but Christianity in Northern California is trending towards looking like Christianity in secularized Europe. We can still vote, litigate, teach, and contribute to society according to our biblical convictions, but those Scandinavian believers gave me a glimpse into the future. Many parts of the United States are heading in the direction of Europe. Perhaps it's time for us to learn more from the church's experience there.

Fight, Flee, Or Conform?

And the believers Peter wrote to also found themselves as the religious minority. Slanderous accusations were cast against them. They believed and behaved differently than their society, and they were beginning to feel the pressure.

They likely wondered, "What should we do? Should we angrily fight and ridicule our society? Should we flee town for more welcoming communities? Should we conform our views and behaviors to look just like the culture around us?"

As I pointed out last week, Peter will show them all through his letter that the answer is not to fight, flee, or conform.

• Fighting, in the wrong sense of the word, with unrighteous anger, feelings of superiority, or an expectation that an unconverted world should somehow act like the converted, is what institutional Christianity does. Institutional Christianity thinks there are Christian nations that should reflect Christian teachings. Another word for it is Christendom. But Christendom was a mistake because Christ goes after individuals who make up nations, not nations made up of individuals.
• Fleeing is what escapist Christianity does. Escapist Christianity thinks we just need to hold on until Jesus takes us outta here. But escapist Christianity neglects Christ's mission.
• And conforming is what Progressive Christianity does. Progressive (or Liberal) Christianity bends doctrines and warps the Scriptures to become more palatable to society. But society isn't interested in watered-down Christianity. Progressive Christianity is not Christianity.

Instead of fighting, fleeing, or conforming, Peter will show us how to stand firm. He said:

1 Peter 5:12 (ESV) — 12 ...I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.

After everything I've said up to this point, you might think I am a despairing pastor and depressed Christian. Not at all. I have great hope in God. I am excited about what he is doing on the earth today. I never expected to be in the majority. I've always known that if Christianity was ever the majority, it would not be the norm. Some say they are shocked at the rapid rejection of Christianity. Me too -- that it's not worse. The normal Christian experience is one on the margins. One day, when Christ returns, we will be done with margin-life because our Lord will be at the center of all things, but right now, we get to live the exciting and hope-filled life of Jesus-followers.

But where do we get this hope? I am calling it "Exile Hope." Where does it come from?

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1. Exile Hope Starts With Praise (1:3a)

Pivotal Praise

The first thing I want you to see is that Exile Hope starts with praise. Peter, writing to dispersed and exiled Christians, many of whom had experienced economic persecution, verbal assaults, and social rejection for their beliefs, pivots his letter here. He shifts from his introduction, which we studied last week, to praise.

Peter was praising God when he said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!" (3). To bless God is to praise God. This is worship.

A Song For The Homeless

The thing about being a dispersed and exilic Christian is that you often feel homeless. Though our American society gravitates towards stark, simple, polarized views, believers often take to their Bibles and feel out of place. We feel without a home; "homeless," if you will.

I can't tell you how many times I have felt "homeless" as a Christian man.

I've felt homeless while watching the sexual revolution play out in modern times. I've felt homeless watching people resist that sexual revolution with vitriol (instead of resisting with love and reason).

I've felt homeless whenever I've watched a parent refuse to say "no" or correct their child or when a hard religious parent rules with an iron fist.

I've felt homeless while trying to find something that won't degrade me on Netflix or when told I should never watch TV at all.

I've felt homeless when the left does its most leftiest things and when the right does its rightiest.

I've felt homeless when trying to find decent music to work out to or when someone suggests I should pump iron to worship music.

I've felt homeless when surveying the political options. I've felt homeless watching what people spend their money on. I've felt homeless when refusing Sunday sports for my kids. I've felt homeless tithing, being faithful to my wife, or spending so much time studying a book that is thousands of years old.

And that's just me. I'm sure you have thousands of experiences as a believer that might cause you to feel without a home.

It All Starts With God

The believers Peter wrote to had similar experiences. They were exiled. They felt homeless. Yet Peter did not do what so many preachers do today. He did not stoke their anger and tell them to condescendingly fight, play on their fear and tell them to flee, or question their wavering convictions and tell them to conform. Instead, he directed them to God. He wanted them to praise God.

And when we are feeling without a home, we must pause to praise God. He, as Peter said, is a majestic being, both Father and Son. And he came to die for us.

And setting your eyes on him in worship can help you with anger, fear, and wavering. Worshipping him can bring you home. In worship, you confront a God who is angry with sin but also angry without sin. In worship, you confront a God who fears nothing. And in worship, you confront a God who is unchangeable and will not bend to popular opinion.

I encourage you to pursue God when you feel alone and without a home because of your Christianity. The nature of your beliefs and lifestyle will put you on the fringe of society in many ways. And on the fringe, you might feel lonely. But your Father in heaven is there for you. He wants you to engage with him. He wants to befriend and guide you. He wants to satisfy your heart. He wants to give you hope. And Exile Hope praises God.

2. Exile Hope Is Alive (1:3b)

The Impact Of The New Birth

Secondly, I want you to see that Exile Hope is alive. Peter told us to praise God. Then he said, "According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (3b).

This is astounding news for the exiled Christians Peter wrote to: God caused them to be born again (3). In the introduction, we saw how they were the elect of God (1). Here, we see another reason for their new birth: the compassionate mercy of God. Peter said they'd been birthed again according to God's great mercy (3). And this new birth is secured by nothing other than the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! (3). Since he is alive, believers are alive! We have been born again.

But why did Peter feel it necessary to tell these beleaguered and rejected Christians that they were born again? Think of it this way: our birth story says a lot about us. I was born to a church-planting father and mother. I was born at CHOMP. I was born into a home that provided the basic necessities and not much more. I was born into a gospel-loving home. All these realities impacted me in one way or another because people receive things like ethnic identity, national citizenship, and socioeconomic class from their parents. But Christians have a new birth that gives them a new identity and citizenship that redefines everything for them. And when society rejects you, as it had these early Christians Peter wrote to, it is strengthening to know you have a new identity, citizenship, and future because of your new birth.

The New Birth Produces Living Hope

And this new birth produces, according to Peter, "a living hope" (3). What does this mean?

Living Hope is not like dead hope. I can say that I hope to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers one day, but I have become increasingly sure that isn't going to happen. It is a dead hope. I can "hope against hope," but dead hope is always an illusion.

Living Hope is not like natural hope. In Peter's mind, our new birth is connected to Jesus' resurrection. That's unnatural. Natural hope is limited by time and space and norms that govern our lives. But living hope has resurrected power attached to it.

Living hope is the opposite of hopeless. Many people are toiling in hopelessness. Many of the philosophies and theories that explain human existence give no hope but merely declare we are a bucket of cells that will cease to exist one day. Experience pleasure while you can because one day, you will die. This has led many to deep despair.

But the new birth gives the Christian a hope that is alive. This means our hope is growing and progressing over time. It lives and breaths and develops. And it's alive because it's based on reality. We know what the universe is about. We know who made us. We know what our ultimate future holds with him.

Believers Are Hopeful

It is interesting to me that Peter started his letter to exiled and dispersed and suffering Christians with hope. As I said, he did not pander to their experiences but spoke to them like a dad -- Praise God. You are born again. You have a hope that is alive.

Some of his readers might have lost their jobs or social standing or even their families because of Jesus, similar to the way some today will disinherit a family member who converts to Christ. But amid all that loss, Peter directed his readers to hope.

In one sense, believers ought to be the most hopeful people on earth. I do not mean we are oblivious to the pains of this world, nor do I mean we are eternally optimistic that everything will get better. We believe sobering doctrines. We believe in human depravity (that humanity is broken and lost without Christ). We believe in eternal judgment. We believe sin has permeated everything. These are weighty truths.

So when I say we are hopeful, I do not mean we have our heads in the clouds. What I mean is that we know our destiny. As dark as it might get, we have a living hope, a solid conviction, a firm expectation of Christ's return for us. We know where we are going.

Every once in a while, in my house, someone else's socks get in my sock drawer. I am by far the largest member of my family, so when this happens, it becomes obvious in two seconds once I try to get the sock on my foot that they are not my socks. Women's size seven just can do men's thirteens. They don't fit.

Peter seems to be saying that despair does not fit the true Christian. Living hope is more like it because Exile Hope is alive!

3. Exile Hope Enjoys God's Inheritance (1:4-5)

Expelled People Without An Inheritance

But we have not only been born again to a living hope, but "to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" (4). When the Bible talks about an inheritance for God's people, there is an Old Testament connection because God had often promised his people an inheritance. And when he delivered them from four centuries of Egyptian slavery and took them to the land he'd reserved for them, he began to make them promises. They were his people, and he had specific things in mind for them.

The interesting thing is that many of God's promises to ancient Israel were physical in nature. He gave them land. He gave them health. He gave them crops. And if they walked with him, they would continue to receive God's prosperous blessings in those ways.

When Jesus came along, he brought a New Covenant filled with different promises. Those watching his life might've guessed that his promises would be less physical in nature, at least at first. When he came, he was poor, lived in obscurity, and often leaned on the care and provision of others. "Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head," Jesus said (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58). This was all suggestive that his kingdom would be made of more than the physical realm.

And now Peter gets on the Jesus Bus by proclaiming that we have an inheritance from God by our new birth. It is kept in heaven for us (4). Clearly, this is in line with the idea that the New Covenant did not promise us wealth and health in this life. And the most model Christians, including Jesus, suffered much for the faith.

But, in the midst of society's rejection, believers might wish God had a different plan. Wouldn't it be nice if walking with God secured our prosperity? Now, I do think abiding by God's dictates leads to a wise life, and wisdom often leads to human flourishing, so it would be wrong to suspect every Christian will be impoverished. My point is that we might be disappointed that God doesn't value a physical inheritance as much as we do.

But I believe God, in one sense, values physical blessings more than we do. This is why he has reserved them for the eternal state. Everything here has a temporary tinge to it, but his forever kingdom will be packed with spiritual and physical blessings. Health and prosperity will couple with spiritual fervor and joy. The internal and external you will be perpetually delighted.

We Have A Better Inheritance

God knows a physical inheritance would be nice right now, but he's working hard to secure people for an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading (4). What do these descriptions mean?

Our eternal inheritance is imperishable because it is free from death and decay. Everything in our physical realm is subject to decay. The new car turns into a beater. The first iPhone turns into a relic. The new wardrobe becomes a laughingstock. And don't get me started on our bodies -- perishable. But God's inheritance is forever.

Our eternal inheritance is undefiled because it is free from uncleanness and evil. It is unstained by evil. It feels like I can't even buy a T-shirt these days that isn't stained by evil somehow. But the eternal inheritance will be untouched by death and evil.

And our eternal inheritance is unfading because it cannot be impaired by time. Beauty fades, and newness evaporates, but not in the eternal kingdom of God. There, the natural ravages of time reverse and beauty transcends as we go forever from glory to glory.

As Peter said, this inheritance will be kept in heaven for us (4). God is guarding it, reserving it for our forever life with him.

The Answer To A Crucial Question

But the knowledge of this future inheritance might raise a question: Though God is keeping it reserved for me, what if I fail? Persecution is hard. What if I am not kept for that inheritance?

Peter answers the question here: We are those who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (5). What this means is that while God is guarding our inheritance, he is also guarding us. He takes our little mustard seed of faith in his gospel and uses it as the pipeline for his power to keep us future salvation.

And God's power is now unleashed to guard his elect, his children, those who've trusted in Christ and his gospel, until their salvation is revealed (5). The Bible teaches God's children are saved, are being saved, and will be saved. In the future, we will be delivered from all the brokenness of our time. Jesus will return. His kingdom will reign forever.

Be Conscious Of Your Better Inheritance

Peter knew it would be easy for his readers to fixate on what they could see, what they felt, their daily experience. So he tried, from the outset of his letter, to get them focused on their heavenly inheritance.

This is important. And it is not escapist. It is easy in our 24-hour news cycles to think often about our physical country and what's happening in it. It is easy to think often about our finances, our situation, our future, our struggle here on earth. And it is so much harder to see heaven. But, when we do, we become better for life today.

Last week, I told you Peter had adopted the attitude of the prophet Jeremiah. He wrote to Israelite exiles way before the time of Christ. He said:

Jeremiah 29:4–7 (ESV) — 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Daniel was one man Jeremiah targeted with his prophecies. Only a teenager when carried off to Babylon, Daniel did not fight, try to flee, or conform. Instead, he stood firm in the true grace of God. Though he couldn't get the whole Babylonian society to live as he did, he insisted on keeping God's law. He refused to defile himself by consuming things God had forbidden of his people. He would not refrain from praying when God told him to. And he also served various kings who came and went throughout his seventy years of exile. He had taken Jeremiah's words to heart -- the Babylonians (and Daniel) were blessed as a result.