Forgiven

“Forgiven”

Matthew 9:1-8 

Preacher: Rev. Mark Bartsch

Kobe Union Church May 11, 2025

1 Peter 1:1-2

Chosen

As we begin our sermon series on 1 Peter, it’s good to pause and take a step back—not just to look at the words on the page, but to consider the man whose name is on the letter: Peter.

Peter is one of the most relatable figures in all of Scripture. He’s passionate and impulsive—sometimes brave, sometimes afraid. He has incredible, shining moments of faith, followed by jaw-dropping stumbles. And honestly, that’s what makes him so powerful to learn from. That’s what makes him so relatable.

Peter isn’t the guy who had it all figured out. He’s not the polished leader or the theological genius. (He was a fisherman—not a scholar like Paul!) He’s the guy who kept showing up. Who kept coming back. Who kept letting Jesus shape him—again and again. Years ago I was friends with a man who was an Alcoholics Anonymous group leader. One of my other friends went to the group and he had some major slip ups. My friend who was the leader said about our other friend. Yes he messes up but he keeps coming back. And so does Peter.

Personally, I find it hard to relate to Paul. He’s so smart, so put-together. I know he talks about the thorn in his flesh in 2 Corinthians, but even there, we don’t know exactly what that thorn was. (And just to be clear—I’m not trying to downplay Paul. Goodness, no.) But Peter? I can understand Peter.

A guy I know who recently became a Christian said to me, “I love Jesus—He’s my Lord. I love Paul because he’s so smart. But I relate to Peter. He’s the kind of guy I could tell a fart joke to—and he’d laugh.” And just think—really think: Jesus chose him and kept him close. If a guy like that is welcome in Jesus’ company, so are we.

It all started when Jesus found Peter fishing. Peter was an ordinary guy doing an ordinary job, and Jesus called him to something extraordinary: "Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men.” Peter’s first response was to fall at Jesus’ feet and say, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8)

It’s similar to the prophet Isaiah who said, "I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips…" (Isaiah 6:5) Yet both Isaiah and Peter were called. And so are you.

Peter’s journey wasn’t a straight line from there. He got a lot of things right—but he got a lot of things wrong, too. Remember when Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was, and Peter nailed it: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)

Jesus praised him and said, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” Huge moment, right? But then, literally minutes later, Peter tried to talk Jesus out of going to the cross, and Jesus said to him: "Get behind me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23)

Not because Peter was evil, but because in that moment he stood in the way of God’s redemptive plan. He didn’t yet understand that the cross wasn’t a defeat—it was the victory.

Peter’s story is full of these moments—foot-in-mouth comments, bold declarations, quick failures. Probably the lowest point came the night Jesus was arrested. Peter had promised, "Even if everyone else falls away, I never will.” (Mark 14:29)

But that night he denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. That kind of failure can crush a person. But again, Jesus meets him with grace. And he will meet you with grace too if you come to Jesus and repent of your sins he will forgive you.

As Paul later reminds us that pressure will not defeat us: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9)

After the resurrection, on a quiet morning by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus called Peter over. There’s a fire going, fish cooking—Jesus, cooking breakfast for His friends who had caught nothing without Him. (There’s a sermon in that!)

Then Jesus turned to Peter and asked, "Do you love me?” Three times. One for each denial.

This was not to shame Peter—but to restore him. To heal him. To remind him: "You’re still mine! You’re still called! You have a job to do! Feed my sheep.” This letter and his ministry is doing the job that God has called Peter to do. 

From that point on, Peter became a man on a mission. Not a perfect man—but a faithful one.

On the day of Pentecost, it was Peter who stood up and delivered the first sermon of the early church:

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.” (Acts 2:22–24)

It’s hard to believe that just 50 days earlier, Peter had been hiding in fear in a locked room.Amazing things can happen in just 50 days—if you let God work in your heart.

This man who once was afraid to admit he even knew Jesus to a young woman now boldly proclaims the gospel in the streets for all to see. Thousands come to faith that day. That’s the power of redemption. That’s the power of the Holy Spirit working through broken people who say “yes” to God.

According to church tradition, this same man—who once denied Jesus out of fear—was crucified in Rome. But he requested to be crucified upside down, feeling unworthy to die the same way as his Lord.

Peter’s influence didn’t end there. The Gospel of Mark—many scholars believe—is really Peter’s account of Jesus’ life, recorded by Mark. (And remember—Mark himself had once been considered a failure, kicked off  the team of Paul and Barnabas’s missionary team.)

Again, we see a pattern: God using flawed, imperfect people to carry out His perfect plan. That’s good news for all of us. That’s the GOOD NEWS.

Years ago, a smart guy told me he couldn’t believe the Bible because he thought it was flawed.He pointed to the difference between 1 Peter and 2 Peter in Greek style and grammar.He said, “It’s improbable the same person wrote both.”

I said, “I know.” And then I explained: I don’t believe Peter physically wrote either letter.He most likely dictated both, and different scribes translated or transcribed them into Greek.That doesn’t make the message any less authentic.

If I preach a sermon in English and two different people translate it into Japanese with slightly different style, but even though the styles might differ the message remains the same. If anything, it shows Peter’s faithfulness. He didn't let a language barrier get in the way of his calling.

That brings us to our text today:"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.”

Peter opens this letter like someone writing to old friends scattered far from home. But this is more than a friendly note — it's a reminder of who they really are. And maybe that's what we need today too, in a world that often makes us feel out of place. I have lived in Japan a long time. Most times, it feels very normal, but occasionally, someone’s actions or the way that I perceive a problem makes me feel like a real foreigner. Two years ago, I went back to the States, and I thought I would feel totally at home, but I felt more out of place there than here. Maybe I am a wanderer, just like Abraham before me. My home — your home — is not in a place but in Christ. And if you are in Christ, you are never a gaijin but a child of the Most High God.

Peter writes to the people and reminds them — and us:You are known. You are chosen. You are part of something bigger. You belong.

Peter calls his readers "elect exiles.” It’s a striking combination. "Elect" — chosen by God. "Exiles" — strangers, not quite fitting in. Moses’ mother called her son Gershom " for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land." — Exodus 2:22. How can we be both at once?

Peter is talking to Christians who are living scattered throughout Asia Minor (Turkey). They were literally dispersed, but Peter says their deeper identity is spiritual: wherever they live, this world isn’t our true home.

If you’ve ever felt like you don't quite belong — like your values, your faith, your hope set you apart — Peter says: that’s not a mistake. That’s part of your calling! We’re not meant to feel completely at home in a broken world. We are exiles — but we are elect exiles. Not forgotten. Not random. Chosen by God.

Maybe you’re walking through something that makes you feel alone. Maybe you wonder if your faith is making you miss out on what other people are doing, like something like office gossip. Peter’s words are a comfort: You are exactly where God has placed you. You are His.

Peter anchors this identity even deeper: You are "chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” "Foreknowledge" doesn’t just mean that God knew about you ahead of time — it means He knew (and knows) you. Before you were born, before you had a story to tell, God knew you and set His love on you. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb." — Psalm 139:13

This is not about random chance. This is personal, intentional love. The Father didn’t just react to our faith — He initiated it. He knows our weaknesses, our wanderings, our failures — and still chose to call us His own.

Peter goes on: "...in the sanctification of the Spirit…" Just so we are clear: sanctification is being set apart for God’s purposes and transformed into the likeness of Christ. It is both a one-time event and an ongoing process in the life of a believer.

The Spirit isn’t just something we experience once when we believe. He is continually at work — through the Holy Spirit — shaping us to be more like Jesus. Sanctification is not us trying harder — it’s the Spirit living in us: nudging, convicting, comforting, growing us.

It’s a process. Some days we see progress. Other days we feel like we’re going backward. But Peter reminds us: the Spirit is working even when we can’t see it.

All this — being chosen, being sanctified — leads to something: obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling with His blood. Obedience sounds heavy, but in Peter’s mind, it’s joyful. It’s living in relationship with the One who loved us first. It’s responding to grace with trust.

The phrase "sprinkling with His blood" pulls us back to the Old Testament, when the covenant was sealed with blood (Exodus 24). Peter is saying: Jesus' blood seals your relationship with God. You are clean. You are His. Nothing can break that bond.

Paul said it best in Romans 8:38–39: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Obedience isn’t how we earn God's love — it’s how we live inside it. And when we fail (because we will), the blood of Jesus still covers us, we seek forgiveness, dust ourselves off and try and try again in God’s love.

Peter closes his greeting with a prayer: “May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” Not just a little grace. Not just a sprinkle of peace. Multiplied. I’m reminded of the masu—the traditional wooden box used for serving sake in Izakayas. The custom is to pour sake until the cup overflows into the masu, giving more than expected, more than paid for. That’s what God’s love is like—overflowing, abundant, undeserved. We receive MASA love. Peter knows that life as an elect exile is hard. It wears you down. So he prays not just for enough—but for an overflow of God’s gifts. Grace and peace in abundance. More than enough to sustain us... and then some.

In just two verses, Peter gives us a whole identity to stand on:• You are chosen.• You are known.• You are being sanctified.• You are sprinkled clean by the blood of Jesus.• You are blessed with overflowing grace and peace.

Wherever you are today, however you feel about your place in the world, Peter reminds you:You are right where God’s love has placed you.Take courage. You are His.

And now, we remember how we became His — not by our efforts, but by the body and blood of Jesus Christ. As we come to the table, we remember the One who chose us, the One who sanctifies us, and the One who shed His blood for us. You are not forgotten. You are not alone. You are His. Let’s come to the table in faith, with gratitude, and with hope of our risen Lord and Savior.

Let’s Pray.