Location and Designation of the Readers

Driving home: But when we come to the opening paragraph, Peter's greetings, we are coming not merely, not merely to consider the words of a man who had a disposition of goodwill to fellow believers in that part of Asia Minor to whom h…

Martin contrasts his thousands of personal letters, whose greetings are not meticulously studied, with Peter's greeting, which, as God's Word, demands careful consideration, highlighting the divine authority of Scripture.

The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, February 1st, 1998, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now, over the course of many years, I have been privileged to write literally thousands of letters to hundreds of God's people in many parts of the world. There was a time when I was putting out some 30 to 35 letters a week, and I look back now and wonder what I was trying to do, but somehow at the time it seemed to be the right thing to do. And in almost every one of those thousands of letters, since most of them were written to fellow believers for various reasons...

0:03 - 1:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin discusses the geographical identification of the readers, acknowledging scholarly debate on whether Peter refers to Roman provinces or general areas, concluding that the…

Martin uses the ambiguity of 'New York area' (state, city, metropolitan) to illustrate the challenge of precisely identifying the geographical locations Peter mentions 2,000 years later, emphasizing the need for careful interpretation.

As he identifies them, having given their fundamental designations, they are elect sojourners of the dispersion. He now moves to describe them in terms of their present geographical location. They are elect sojourners of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Now suppose I were to write one of the letters that I might dictate in this coming week to a friend in the country of Australia.

6:53 - 7:29 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin contrasts the initial gospel flourishing in Asia Minor with its later spiritual decline, as evidenced by the warnings in Revelation 2-3 and Paul's admonitions to the…

Martin shares his sobering discovery that modern Turkey, once a hub of gospel flourishing, is now one of the most unevangelized countries, illustrating the tragic consequences of spiritual decline and apostasy.

And then do some reading in John Stone's Operation World and know that the land of Turkey, the land of these four provinces, is called today the most unevangelized country of any size in the world, where believers are identified not by the thousands or tens of thousands, but by the hundreds. What in the world? I'll tell you what happened. Remember what Paul said to the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20?

24:09 - 24:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine your life: if you think you are bound for heaven in the ways of sin, you are either deceived or have found a new way untrodden by all who have gone to heaven.

Martin quotes Robert Leighton, who states that those who think they are bound for heaven in the ways of sin are either deceived or have found a new, untrodden path, underscoring that true salvation involves sanctification and a departure from sin.

Fearings. He can say you are what you are, not only according to in line with the standard of God's free, loving, sovereign choice of you, but according to this mighty sanctifying operation of God, the Holy Spirit. Very interesting. Our spiritual Layton, who's written the classic commentary, 19th century writer, no 18th century writer.

48:37 - 49:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I shall never forget the day 25 years ago when Pastor Blaise in the old cracker box got wound up to the point where he was levitating. Some of you have seen him levitate when he gets preaching. And I'll never forget him …

Martin recalls Pastor Blaise's emphatic statement, 'It takes the whole Trinity to save one sinner,' using it to powerfully summarize the Trinitarian work in salvation described in 1 Peter 1:2.

Peter believed the whole triune Godhead was involved in their salvation. I shall never forget the day 25 years ago when Pastor Blaise in the old cracker box got wound up to the point where he was levitating. Some of you have seen him levitate when he gets preaching. And I'll never forget him saying it takes the whole Trinity to save one sinner.

59:54 - 60:19 Read in full sermon