Inspired P.S. #3: Salutations Conveyed

1 Pe. 5:13 1 Peter

Pastor Martin expounds 1 Peter 5:12-14, focusing on the postscript's salutations. He addresses the interpretive difficulties of 'Babylon' and 'Mark, my son,' concluding that 'Babylon' refers to Rome and 'Mark, my son' signifies a spiritual relationship. The sermon then delves into the meaning of 'greet' (aspazomai) as conscious recognition with goodwill, applying it to both fellow believers and enemies. Martin emphasizes the practical comfort of belonging to the universal church and the restoration of trust, highlighting God's electing love as a source of perseverance for suffering saints.

2 illustrations in this sermon

Introduction: The Challenge of Expository Preaching and the Postscript of 1 Peter

palette metaphor

Peter's Pastoral Passion

Driving home: To be able to know all of the individual parts to some degree and miss the whole is to misrepresent the mind of God in Scripture.

Peter's letter is described as 'the pouring out of Peter's pastoral passion' for suffering saints, emphasizing his deep concern for their perseverance in Christ.

That letter that I've reminded you. You who have been here for the expositions, is the pouring out of Peter's pastoral passion for the suffering saints who live in the areas of the Roman provinces in Asia Minor, the part of the world we now identify as Turkey. And Peter writes to them with this concern that their sufferings would not unhinge them in their attachment to the Lord Jesus. And so he sets before them.

3:04 - 3:36 Read in full sermon

The Heart of the Passage: The Meaning of 'Greet' (Aspazomai)

compare analogy

Greeting a Ship in Harbor

The point: It is not merely saying good morning to your unconverted neighbor as a dutiful social politeness, but doing what is necessary to show that you have a God-like love for that unconverted neighbor.

The patriarchs welcoming promises from afar is compared to a man greeting his family's ship arriving in New York Harbor, straining his eyes and waving with intense emotion, illustrating the heartfelt nature of 'greeting'.

A man has left Europe, gone ahead of his family, established a place here in the United States. And his family is coming in on one of the ocean liners and he knows when it's going to arrive at the dock and he's down there straining his eyes. And when it's several hundred yards away from being docked and the tugboats are maneuvering it into position, he sees his wife and his children and he waves his handkerchief and he hollers and jumps up and down like a monkey. What is he doing?

31:58 - 32:27 Read in full sermon

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