Grace Fellowship Church

Closing Thought: Even though we are God's elect exiles, we have never seen Jesus, nor do we now see Him face to face. Yet we love Him, and we believe in Him. And this faith fills us with a joy that is inexpressible and full of glory, because even now, we are living in the present reality of our soul's salvation. And that means that one day we will see Him face to face forever and ever. Come Lord Jesus!

Closing Thought: As followers of Christ, we will face many trials that bring sorrow and pain. Yet as elect exiles, heirs to a heavenly inheritance that can never perish, we do not respond with despair or hopelessness. These trials are not meaningless; they are refining fires, testing and proving the genuineness of our faith, which is more precious than gold. And so, even in suffering, we rejoice. We jump for joy; not because the tests are easy, but because our faith is being proven, and it will result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Closing Thought: Peter encourages God's chosen exiles to remember that their hope as believers is not found in present comfort, but in the assured promise of eternal glory. They can endure life's trials with confidence, knowing that their future salvation is secured by God's power through faith—and that the eternal inheritance awaiting them far outweighs the fleeting hardships of this world. Beloved, as elect exiles, let us praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us not merely a promise, but a living hope—one that anchors our souls and guarantees our eternal destiny.

Closing Thought: In his first letter, Peter addresses the scattered Christians of the 1st century by reminding them of their identity as God's chosen people, the means by which they became His people through divine intervention, and the manner in which they should conduct their lives in obedience to Jesus Christ while enduring trials, temptations, and persecution during their earthly existence. May we, as Christians in the 21st century, also receive an abundance of grace and peace to navigate this same reality.

Closing Thought: Peter wrote this epistle late in the first century to God's chosen people living in a land in which they were exiles. He was writing to them to stand firm in the grace of God in the face of persecution, trials, and suffering. He begins his letter by reminding them that it is God who made them His chosen exiles. May this encourage those of us who are God's people today to rejoice as we remember that we too were chosen by God to be His exiles in a place that is not our eternal home.