Many cannot conceive that going to church and serving God as anything other than duty. To them, this is what you do so that you can go to heaven, then (possibly) you will enjoy yourself in heaven. This falls short of the mark of biblical Christianity in many ways. Importantly, it misses the fact that enjoying God is a natural experience for those who have experienced the new birth. Though they still battle the lust of the flesh, believers are characterized by a love for God and an enjoyment in God. This experience will be enhanced in eternity, yet the experience is a reality for those followers of Christ this side of glory – those who have not seen Jesus, but love Him and rejoice in Him. To listen to this sermon, please click on the following link: 1 Peter 1:8-9, pt2.
Do you love Jesus? This is an important question. Loving Jesus is a characteristic of someone possessing saving faith. To put it another way, without any love for Jesus you do not have faith that will result in the salvation of your soul. God expects to be loved by His people, commands it, and such love for God is evident in the lives of believers throughout Scripture. So, do you love Jesus? To listen to this sermon, please click on the following link: 1 Peter 1:8-9, pt 1.
Peter wrote to encourage believers to think Biblically about suffering. He taught them the truth that though Christian suffering is grievous, it is outweighed by the joy of hoping in God. This overwhelming joy causes the grief of suffering to be bearable, while testifying of the surpassing greatness of Christ in whom we rejoice to a greater extent than we suffer. Moreover, the blessing of suffering is its product: a tested faith that proves to be genuine. Our faith links us to a righteous Redeemer. It is an encouragement to know that this faith is not a sham. Suffering is a blessing when we come through with the confidence that we truly have saving faith, thus are confident that our hope is in God. To listen to this sermon, please click on the following link: 1 Peter 1:6-7.
The teaching of the Bible is that humans are sinful, deserve punishment from God, and cannot save themselves. The Good News is that God sent His Son as a substitute, to suffer in our place and to provide reconciliation with God. Yet, judging by the life of many who profess faith in Jesus, the prospect of eternity in heaven with God is not much more than a better alternative to the other option (hell), but not really their first choice. To put it another way, if God would ask them, they could come up with a number of improvements to heaven. These improvements would be more in line with the things they pursue here on earth. Yet, the Bible explains that what believers have in Christ is the fulfillment of all their longings. A believer’s hope is to be with God and commune with Him. God Himself is the reward and communion with Him is their hope -this is what they long for. To listen to this sermon, please click on the following link: 1 Peter 1:3-5.