Guarded by Our Shield and Defender (1 Peter 1:1-9; LD 20)

Introduction

Abraham struggled to trust God's promises even after receiving a vision and an explicit word from God. The Lord assured Abraham that he is Abraham’s shield (Genesis 15:1).  The Lord will protect him and defend him. Peter also doubted the path to glory through the suffering of the cross.  The thought of a distant God protecting a people who seem so far away just seems absurd. 

Christians today may wonder whether God has abandoned his people. We face trials, and we might wonder if God is really in the midst of them.  This becomes even more apparent when Peter addresses us as exiles.  If we are in exile, we would think that God is even more removed from us.  Peter, who struggled to believe Christ would protect him, assures the church that the Triune God has neither forgotten nor forsaken His people. Rather, He is actively guarding them until they receive the inheritance He has prepared for them.  

The Triune God

Peter tells us that the Father has chosen us.  It is his foreknowledge.  Why does he know?  It is because he has decided it (1 Peter 1:1).  Our exile status is intentional.  The Son has redeemed us through his blood.  The Holy Spirit is sanctifying us to conform to Christ. (1 Peter 1:2)

Peter writes to believers living in exile.  We are outside the promised land.  We have to see that exile does not mean abandonment. The Father elects/chooses His children, the Son continues to reign as Lord and Redeemer, and the Spirit remains present, sanctifying and preserving God's people. The Lord refines his people through the painful trials.  The trials are like gold passing through the flame.  These trials are not signs of God's absence.  No, the trials are used to burn away the impurities of our faith, conforming us to be more faithful children of God. The Triune God is personally guarding us as he protected and guarded his people in foreign lands.  We are currently in exile on a Christian pilgrimage to the promised land, being guarded by God. 

It is true that we are reminded of our creaturely status when we contemplate the doctrine of the Trinity.  We know that our God is beyond our full comprehension.  However, we can know and do know our God.  We know that he is actively working on our behalf. 

Our Certain Application

Yes, we are in exile.  We are away from the promised land.  However, our Lord works to protect us.  The Heidelberg Catechism reminds us that the Holy Spirit has been given to me.  We might think of someone more spiritual having the Spirit.  However, the Holy Spirit is given to me.  I am a temple of the Holy Spirit by God’s grace.  The Holy Spirit will be with us from this age to the age to come. 

We might not think that this is very important.  However, Peter assures us that God is giving us double protection.  The inheritance that Christ has won for us is being guarded in heaven.  We are continually and actively being guarded by God to receive that inheritance. The assurance of this is that no Babylonian or Assyrian can take our inhertiance like we saw with Israel in the past.  Yes, we will face trials in this age.  We will get some bumps and bruises along the way, but the Lord will be the shield and defender, guaranteeing that we will receive what he has set apart for us. 

This means that as the Holy Spirit is given to us by Christ, we will be protected.  It means that as the Father has chosen us, we will receive his chosen inheritance.  This is not because it is grounded in us, but by our God working in history. 

Conclusion

Peter knows the struggle of the Christian life.  He too wanted glory now.  He did not understand Christ’s mission to gain heaven through the cross.  In fact, Peter denied Christ three times when Christ was heading to th