The group to whom he is writing are the elect of God. This is important to remember as we work through 1 & 2 Peter. His audience is the elect and chosen of God. These are the true regenerated believers of God who have been sovereignly chosen by God grace and mercy! (Ephesians 1:4). The elect exiles are truly exiles on this earth with Heaven being are home guaranteed (Rev 17:14)

We can look at the resurrection of Christ with a greater hope and assurance. Since He was resurrected from the dead as the first fruits, we who are born again have the promise that we shall be resurrected as He was at His coming to finally see hope complete.

Peter reminds these exiles of the living hope and the inheritance that is theirs because of the mercy of God. He encourages them to rejoice in this fact. He wants them to keep in their minds the good news and the future hope they have because as he is going to tell them, trials are coming and are necessary. This applies to us today as well. We know that trials have come and will come, but we are to rejoice and remember that we are exiles and that we have an inheritance that is being kept for us and we are being kept for our inheritance.

Peter is telling them the trials are coming and that the trials are necessary, but for them to remember what he had just told in the preceding verses: rejoice, you were born again to a living hope and have an inheritance that is being kept for you in Heaven.This world is temporary, but your inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and will never fade away! God values your faith more than your temporary comfort, so know that the trials will come! God loves His children and values their faith so much that He will put them in the crucible to refine it!

We know that the hope of this world and the hopes spoken of in the Bible are not the same. The hope of the Bible and the promises of God are of full assurance to the believer. Faith is linked to this assurance which is an anchor for the soul.

The true and Holy God has called the believers to be holy and set apart for Him. While we are exiles in this world we are to renew our minds and set our hope on our inheritance that we are to receive as we will declare to the God who rescued…... .Holy, Holy, Holy!

The more we begin to understand who God is and the magnitude of His holiness, the more we would reverence and fear God. The more we reverse we fear and reverse God, the less we will sin.

Jesus paid the price for His sheep. This was a personal and absolute transaction. He would receive and redeem all whom He purchased on the cross. Jesus did not come to purchase all people, because if He would have redeemed all people by His blood on the cross, all people would be rescued and set free. Christ’s blood on the cross purchased everyone He intended to redeem and not one more or one less. Chris does not pay to redeem someone and then gets cheated and fails to not gain possession of that person. In the previous verse we see to whom Peter is talking to, those who call Him as Father.

The Gospel is the power of God unto to salvation (Romans 1:17) The call of the Gospel rings out across the planet, but the life changing Word of God and His Gospel will only take root in the cultivated soul of His elect. Since we don’t know who the elect are we evangelize like everyone we meet is and all that hear the Gospel and believe with a sincere heart of true contrite repentance, will find a perfect Savior! If you are a Christian, then know that prior to you hearing and believing the Word of God, God Himself was preparing the soil of your soul so that the truth of His Word would be the greatest news ever!