I was reading through the news on the Internet this past week – as is my regular habit, and I came across a most interesting article. According to the article, it has been reported that there are aliens living among us. One of the witnesses quoted in this article says that there may be hundreds of thousands of them living right here in the United States. One official reported that the number was more likely in the millions.
He said, and I quote, “they’re everywhere! They could be living next door to you; many of them are probably working in the same offices, on the same construction sites and in the same factories as regular human beings. In many cases they are almost indistinguishable from regular humans. In a few cases, they can be detected rather easily.”
As the reporter went on with his story, he talked to one official about the history of alien encounters. This official said, “We believe that they have been inhabiting earth for thousands of years. There has been some attempt in the past to eliminate them, but without much success. It seems as if they are multiplying themselves. I believe that it is their mission to overrun and eventually control the world.”
Another person tried to describe these aliens; “They look and dress just like your average human being. You really have to pay attention to be able to tell who they are. They come in both male and female bodies. They come in all races. Some are tall and skinny; some are short and rather heavy. Some are short and skinny, and some are tall and heavy. They really fool you.” He went on to say; “all I can say, is you have to watch yourself. They are out to get you. You never know when you will encounter one of these aliens – in the workplace, in the supermarket – heavens, they could be sitting right next to you on the bus.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but I found this article to be really fascinating. And, do you know why? Because I believe that it is 100% true. I personally believe that there are aliens living among us. I believe that this planet has been invaded. In fact, I believe that there are some sitting right here in this church, in these pews this morning. In fact, I would go so far as to say, that if there aren’t I would be greatly disappointed.
Now, before you come to the conclusion that your Pastor has gone completely insane, turn with me to 1 Peter 1:1-2. Starting this morning, we are going to begin a new series. For the next few months, we will be looking at the book of 1 Peter.
1 Peter 1:1-2 (NASB)
Peter, 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.
Confession time: I really didn’t read an article on the Internet. But, the facts that I shared with you are true nonetheless. There really are aliens living all over the world. In fact, were them! Peter says very clearly that we are residing as aliens. Some of your Bibles may translate the word to be "Pilgrims" or "Strangers."
When he wrote these words, he was not referring to people who were living in a foreign land, but to people who do not belong to this earth. The Christians who were scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia were legal residents of those regions, but – and this is the important distinction – their true citizenship was not of this earth. Truly our citizenship is in another world – and for that reason – in the truest sense of the word, we are aliens!
As Peter opens his letter, let’s take a quick look at how it is we identify ourselves as aliens.
First of all, we are not of this earth, because we were chosen for another world. Look at verse 1 and the first part of verse 2:
“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.”
Notice that Peter says we are “chosen.” Do you know why we do not belong to this earth – why we are truly aliens? Because our heavenly Father has chosen us for His kingdom.
Now, let’s be sure that we understand clearly what this does not mean. It does not mean that God looked down on earth, saw all of his human creation and just arbitrarily picked those whom he would save. We weren’t chosen through some divine crapshoot. Roll the dice, and if your number comes up – then you are lucky enough to be chosen to be saved. If not, well . . . it’s the lake of fire, weeping and gnashing of teeth for you.
No, Peter says that we were chosen “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” God, in His infinite wisdom – knows the end from the beginning. He knows that there will be those – who under their own free will, will decide to accept the eternal sacrifice of His Son on their behalf. God knew from the beginning of time whether or not you would respond to His invitation to become His children. It has never been His desire for any to neglect His salvation. 1 Timothy tells us;
“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
I think it would be best to say it this way. God didn’t choose who would be saved and who would be condemned. Instead, God chose the instrument of our salvation – knowing that there would be those who would choose to accept it and those who would choose to reject it.
Think about that – way back at the beginning of time, as God was creating this earth and all that would live upon it, He was aware that his greatest creation – mankind – would eventually rebel against Him. He was aware that we would break our fellowship with Him. He knew that sin would come into the world and with it would be a permanent separation.
And so, in spite of the fact that we would sin, God chose to create us anyway. He determined beforehand that He would one day send His Son to live with us, to teach us, and to die for us. He chose this means of atonement so that we could – of our own free will – choose to love Him.
Jesus told a parable illustrating this;
But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ “Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ “Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ “And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ “And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. ‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”
You see, God has given all of us an invitation. In a very real way, we have all been chosen. But, only those who are willing to accept the invitation are truly His children.
We are not of this earth, first because we have been chosen by God the Father and second, because we have responded to his invitation and have been cleansed by the blood of the Son.
We have just finished celebrating the Easter season. Easter – especially Good Friday – is a reminder of the cost of our salvation. The Book of Hebrews tells us, “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Throughout history, the blood of lambs and goats was used to cover our sins. God accepted sacrifices on our behalf – looking forward to the perfect sacrifice. That came on Good Friday, when Jesus Christ – God’s only begotten Son – offered his perfect life as a sacrifice for our sins.
Now, think about that for a minute. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life – without sin. He is the only person ever to do so. He “earned” all claims to heaven. He is the only person to ever “earn” eternal life. It could not be denied Him. Because of that, He did not deserve to die. Death comes because of sin. Without sin, we would live forever. Jesus earned eternity. And then, He took his perfect life, and accepted death on our behalf. He didn’t have to die, he chose to. He didn’t have to go to the Cross – He chose to. He didn’t have to offer His blood as a payment for our sins, He chose to.
And, God the Father was pleased to accept His sacrifice as the payment – the redemption of our sins.
Today, our obligation is not to offer sacrifices for our sins. We no longer have to offer the blood of lambs and goats. Our obligation is to accept the invitation of the Father to apply the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf.
It is like an invitation to a party, only it is written in blood – the blood of Jesus Christ. You didn’t do anything to deserve the invitation, it is offered out of the Grace and Mercy of a loving Father. In fact, you couldn’t do anything to deserve it. All you can do is accept it or reject it.
By accepting it, you are saying; “I realize that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I can not offer myself to the Father as a perfect sinless person, therefore, I accept the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on my behalf.” When you do, God washes away your sins with the blood of Jesus Christ. That is what Peter means when he says, “we are called . . . to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood.”
When you are willing to accept Christ’s sacrifice, the Bible says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Another version says, “all things have been made new.” When that happens, you are no longer of this earth – you have received an heavenly citizenship. You have become an alien living in a foreign world.
The third reason we are not of this earth is because we have been set apart by the Holy Spirit.
Listen again to the words of 1st Peter;
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.
Notice the phrase; “by the sanctifying work of the Spirit.”
Those are very important words for the believer. The word “sanctify” is one of those Twenty-five dollar theological words. It literally means to “be made holy.” In the Old Testament, it referred to setting something aside for God. The Utensils that were used for worship in the Tabernacle, and later in the Jewish temple were no different than the utensils that would be used in homes, except they had been “sanctified.” They were for a holy use, and therefore could not be used for ordinary everyday life.
When a person accepts the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment for his or her sins, something really special happens. At that very moment, that man or woman becomes a child of God and He sends the Holy Spirit to them as a seal of their relationship.
When you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, God marked you with the Holy Spirit. You were sealed for all of eternity.
At that very moment, the Holy Spirit entered into your life and set you apart for the Father. In that instant, in that twinkling of an eye, you became Holy. At that very moment, you became a citizen of heaven.
To this day, the Holy Spirit has never left you. Now, it is quite possible to grieve the Holy Spirit. It is possible to quench the Holy Spirit. But it is not possible to shake the Holy Spirit. He will continue to live in you, to teach you, to guide you, and to convict you when necessary.
You see, it is the Holy Spirit that helps you live your life as an alien. He is the one who sets you apart, who tells you when you are stepping out of line with the will of the Father.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us; “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
When you look in a mirror, what do you see? Do you see a temple? Do you see the residing place of the Holy Spirit? Well, that is what you are – the temple of the Holy Spirit. And that makes you special. That makes you holy. And, you know what else? That makes you an alien in this world. You see, you do not belong to this world, you belong to God.
From the very beginnings of time, God has chosen you to be His child.
He did so by choosing to allow Jesus Christ to die on your behalf. He did so by inviting you to accept His sacrifice so that you could become a child of God.
Perhaps, you have never accepted that invitation. Perhaps, you didn’t even know you were invited. Well, you are. God’s desire is that none would perish, but that all would come to the knowledge of salvation. This morning, I would offer the invitation. If you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, why not do it today. Why not do it now. While we are singing the closing hymn, if you would like to come forward and pray to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, I would invite you to step out and make your way to the front pew and I or someone else in the congregation will show you how to do just that.
When you do, something wonderful will happen in your life. You will immediately become a child of God. You will immediately be forgiven for all of your sins through the blood of Jesus Christ, you will immediately receive the Holy Spirit, and you will immediately receive the gift of eternal life – making you a permanent citizen of heaven and an alien on this world.
Amen, God Bless.
