Fruition of Loving/Believing Unseen Christ

Driving home: He's a strange creature because he stakes his highest concerns upon a world of reality which he cannot see with his physical eyes. And he gladly confesses that all his hopes to attain that unseen reality rest upon a pers…

The Christian is strange because they stake their highest concerns on an unseen reality and a person they have never seen, highlighting the unique nature of faith.

He's a strange creature because he stakes his highest concerns upon a world of reality which he cannot see with his physical eyes. He's a strange creature because he stakes his highest concerns upon a world of reality which he cannot see with his physical eyes. And he gladly confesses that all his hopes to attain that unseen reality rest upon a person whom he has never seen. So he is indeed not only a rare, but a very strange creature.

4:01 - 4:27 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin briefly reviews the preceding verses of 1 Peter, highlighting God's great salvation, the living hope, and the paradox of abounding joy amidst crushing grief, setting the…

The simultaneous experience of abounding joy and crushing grief is presented as a paradox, illustrating the complex reality of the Christian life.

After the opening words of greeting, Peter launched into a eulogy, a speech, speaking well of God and of his great salvation. And in verses 3 to 5, he describes that salvation as rooted in the great mercy of God and culminating in this marvelous hope, this unfading, this indefectible hope for which every true Christian is being guarded by the power of God. Then beginning in verse 6, he begins to describe, he begins to describe something of the experience of these Christians who possess this great salvation, and he does so in what I called this paradox of Christian experience, in which at one a...

5:32 - 6:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section details the object of Christian love (Jesus Christ of biblical revelation), the context of their love (not having seen Him physically, unlike Peter), and the present…

Martin questions how Peter, writing from Rome, could be so certain that Christians across Asia Minor loved an unseen Christ, explaining it by the universal nature of saving grace.

But he uses a simple present tense. He uses a simple present and indicates that the love that they have for Jesus Christ is a present and a constant reality in their experience. Now how in the world could Peter write a letter, most likely from Rome, way over in the western part of the existing then world of the Roman Empire, and all the way across to the eastern borders. How could Peter, for the perfect human purpose, be living in the radial order of that empire?

12:49 - 13:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Self-examine whether you love Christ, as it is a mark of a true Christian.

Paul's strong closing in 1 Corinthians 16:22, cursing those who do not love the Lord, is used to demonstrate the absolute necessity of love for Christ, even in the context of pastoral problems.

Listen to the same witness from the Apostle in a totally different setting, 1 Corinthians chapter 16. And though a sister word for love is used, it does not alter the fundamental weight of this text. Paul has addressed a whole gamut of practical problems in the church at Carmel, all the way from divisions to immorality to questions about marriage, to questions about eating meats offered to idols, to spiritual gifts. And in every problem, He constantly brings the people back to some aspect of the person and work of Jesus Christ as being the fundamental resolution of that problem.

17:32 - 18:14 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Faith is the movement of the soul out of itself and into Christ.

Faith is described as 'the movement of the soul out of itself and into Christ,' providing a concise and vivid definition of saving faith.

The very one whom Peter described as the object of their love, is the Christ who is the object of their faith. He says, on whom, literally into whom, on whom, believing. One of the best descriptions of faith that captures the biblical emphasis, where again and again we are told to believe into, ice, or N, in, or F, P, upon Christ, is that faith is the movement of the soul out of itself and into Christ. That's what faith is.

25:52 - 26:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin uses John 3:16, John 3:36, and the account of doubting Thomas in John 20 to confirm that saving faith is a continuous belief in Christ, and that there is a special blessing…

The story of Thomas needing to see and touch Jesus' wounds is used to contrast with the blessedness of those who believe without seeing, reinforcing the theme of unseen faith.

But in chapter 20, that incident where the Lord Jesus appears in the midst of the fearful believers. And you remember doubting Thomas? He's not going to believe unless he can see and touch. He's the empiricist. He said, I've got to have evidence.

31:39 - 31:54 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin unpacks the 'super rejoicing' of believers, describing it as 'unspeakable' (beyond normal description) and 'full of glory' (infused with heavenly radiance), emphasizing…

Martin explains the term 'hopox logomena' (a word found only once in the New Testament) in relation to 'unspeakable,' illustrating the unique nature of this joy.

And this is what, we'll probably get this later on. In our studies in how to interpret the Bible, it's amazing how the biblical scholars come up with big words to confuse us. This is called a hopox logomena.

36:54 - 37:07 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is the joy of heaven before heaven. Experience now in fellowship. With union in Christ.

An early church father's use of 'unspeakable' to describe the star at Christ's birth is given as an example of the word's meaning, conveying something beyond normal description.

Well, it's like this, it's like that. One of the early church fathers used it in trying to describe that star that God placed in the heavens in conjunction with the birth of our Lord Jesus. And it described it. As a star of unspeakable glory.

37:45 - 38:03 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is the joy of heaven before heaven. Experience now in fellowship. With union in Christ.

The world's promise of joy always exceeds the reality, while Christian joy exceeds the promises, highlighting the supernatural quality of joy in Christ.

And so Peter reaches into the grab bag of vocabulary and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he says the fruition of the love and faith directed to the person of Christ in these ordinary first century Christians in Asia Minor was that they were experiencing a joy that was unspeakable. You see, that's in direct contrast to what the world, the world and the devil promises us in the pursuit of joy. The promise and the product held out always exceeds the reality and the experience.

38:04 - 38:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not go around with a long face because of unpleasant circumstances, as your joy should be rooted in God's unchanging salvation.

Martin challenges listeners who have 'long faces' due to minor inconveniences, contrasting it with the joy of early Christians who faced severe trials, to expose misplaced joy.

Because God's tweaked your flesh with a few unpleasant circumstances.

42:18 - 42:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not go around with a long face because of unpleasant circumstances, as your joy should be rooted in God's unchanging salvation.

Examples of favorable external circumstances (no doctor visits, bills paid, sweet spouse, obedient kids) are used to illustrate how many people's joy is wrongly tied to their situation, rather than Christ.

Not the fruit and the product of favorable circumstances. No visits to the doctor for six months. All the bills paid. Your wife's been sweet.

43:08 - 43:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section explains that believers are presently 'receiving' (taking away as a reward) the very goal of their faith: the salvation of their whole person (body and soul), which…

The word for 'receiving' is compared to an Olympic athlete taking gold, illustrating the idea of taking away a prize or reward for oneself.

If you were going to describe someone in the Olympics who took gold, you could use this word. That man took the gold. That is, he received for himself. He took out the prize for his accomplishment.

44:59 - 45:10 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section explains that believers are presently 'receiving' (taking away as a reward) the very goal of their faith: the salvation of their whole person (body and soul), which…

The reference to 'eight souls' in Noah's ark (1 Peter 3:20) is used to demonstrate that 'souls' in Peter's writing often refers to whole persons, not just disembodied spirits.

Not just the non-material part of us, but the whole us. For example, look at chapter 3 and verse 19. Speaking of the Lord Jesus, in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison that aforetime were disobedient, when the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved through water. Well, I didn't read about disembodied spirits floating into the ark.

46:54 - 47:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Imagine Jesus asking you personally, 'Do you love me?' and honestly answer that question.

The post-resurrection encounter between Jesus and Peter by the Sea of Galilee (John 21) is used as a vivid scenario for listeners to imagine Jesus asking them directly, 'Do you love me?'

I want first of all that you would imagine with me, you're back in John 21, and I'd like you to turn there for a moment. You're back with the disciples by, the shore of Galilee, the resurrected Lord has seen you out in your boat, fishing. He's prepared breakfast for you. You've arrived at the shore, you've seen the coals, the fish upon it.

50:25 - 50:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Imagine Jesus asking you, 'Do you believe on me?' and assess if your experience includes reliance and resignation to Him.

Saving faith is summarized as having two basic elements: 'reliance and resignation,' providing a concise and memorable description of its essence.

You rely solely upon him for salvation and you utterly resign yourself to him for the direction and government of your life. One of the most helpful, little things I read in my preparation was that at the heart of saving faith, there is reliance and resignation. It captures the essence of saving faith. Reliance, not upon myself, but upon this person in all the glory of his person and the perfection of his work.

59:09 - 59:43 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The final question challenges believers who claim to love and trust Christ but lack unspeakable joy. Martin suggests that unresolved ethical controversy grieving the Holy Spirit…

Martin shares his personal prayer to God for fresh joy before preaching on this text, illustrating the need for God's work in the soul to experience this reality.

I only ask the question, knowing for weeks, that I was going to have to preach on this text. You know what I told God? I said, God, I can't preach on verses eight and nine, unless you do something fresh in my own soul. Little did I know how God would do it, but I would denigrate the grace of God if I didn't stand before you and say, he's done it and imparted a measure of joy and the glory of the world to come that I have not known.

65:08 - 65:43 Read in full sermon