Word of Salvation – Vol. 31 No. 31 – August 1986

 

Joy Through Love And Faith

 

Sermon by Rev. B. U. Kuipers on 1Peter 1:8

Readings: 2Cor. 3:7-18; 1Peter 1:3-12.

Singing: 490; 81; BoW 605; 22; 441; 492

 

Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Throughout history, there have been believers in differing stages of "seeing Jesus".  First of all there were the believers of the old covenant who looked forward to the coming of Jesus.  Their expectation of him never came to reality.  They died when their hope was not yet realised.

Secondly, there were those who were eye witnesses of the Christ-event.  Relatively speaking, there were only few who ever got to see Christ and to hear what he said.  Peter of course was among these people.  He was one of Jesus' own disciples.

Then thirdly, there is the situation of the readers of this letter.  They had not seen Jesus in the flesh.  They could only see Jesus with the "eye of faith".  We too are in this category.  We are amongst those who live after the Christ-event.  We will never actually see Jesus in the flesh.  Perhaps I might ask the boys and girls a question at this stage.  Do you think it would be more wonderful to live in the Old Testament times or would it have been more wonderful to see Jesus face to face?  I suppose you would probably say that it would have been wonderful to have actually seen Jesus.  Yet, in one sense it really does not matter if the believer lives before, during or after the coming of Jesus.  For in every period there were those who truly loved and served the Lord... regardless of whether they saw him or not.

And in each of those periods, there were those who disbelieved: -

1. In the Old Testament there were many Israelites who turned away from the Lord. They were brought up to love him, but in their hearts they were far from loving him.
2. Many in the days of Jesus saw him, touched him, heard him, and yet they finished up rejecting and hating the Lord. The fact of having seen Jesus did not make someone a believer for there were many who did not love him at all.
3. It is no different today. Many do not accept Christ – many reject the Gospel and laugh at Christians. They will not accept him.

Therefore, we should not think it would be more wonderful to have seen the Lord with our physical eyes.  Did not Jesus himself say to Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen me and have yet believed.” John 20:29.

So while it would have been special to have seen Jesus with our eyes, we especially want to talk today about the more important and far greater matter of seeing Jesus with the eyes of faith.

Whether we live before, during or after the days of Jesus on this earth, it is true for every age that Christ at every time needs to be seen with the eyes of faith.  That is the essential thing.

So, like the readers of Peter's letter – we have not seen Jesus in the past – we cannot see him in the present – we are perhaps not going to even see him in our life time.  Yet, despite the lack of seeing Jesus with our eyes, we may just as truly believe in him and love him as those who did see Jesus with their eyes.

Seeing Jesus in faith means that we look to him with our spiritual eyes opened.  That means of course that we are born again.  Your blindness is taken away so that you can indeed see Jesus and believe in him.

But that is not the end of the matter – rather it is the beginning.

When the message of the gospel is embraced in faith then the Holy Spirit works true faith in us.  We then believe in the finished work of Christ.  Let us dwell for a few minutes on the vast treasures we have in Christ.  A person who has accepted the gospel message in faith has come to Christ and has been justified.  That means, he has been declared righteous in God's sight.  What has happened to that person is that God gives to that person the life of perfect obedience to the law that was required.  God lays the perfect life of Jesus to your account and he takes from you all your sin and wretchedness.  All your disobedience is laid on Christ who bore it all on the cross of shame.  So one may have peace with God because God the Father no longer sees that sin-filled life that is yours and mine.  Instead he sees Jesus.

What a beautiful teaching of Scripture.  That is the basis of our faith.  Jesus!  Peace with God through the blood of his own dear Son.

All of us stood condemned because of sin.  We stood judged because we were born in sin and we increase our guilt every day.

Yet through Christ that is now no longer true.  I may experience the thrill of being forgiven.

And what of our older brothers and sisters?  Is it any less exciting today than when you first heard and believed those words of peace: Forgiven!  Pardoned?  Are you still just as thankful to know that you have been declared forgiven – that the slate has been wiped clean?

Indeed it is most wonderful.  To be accepted at God's right hand.  What a miracle, that he has plucked us from the one way path to Hell and placed us on the pathway that leads to glory.

Why is all that possible?  Why did all this come about?  It is because Jesus suffered the torments of Hell for me and paid the penalty for my sin.  He clothed me with his righteousness.

No one can say these things are true for him and realise that Jesus died for him - without feeling anything.  It is not possible to be a Christian and NOT to feel anything.  Rather, a true Christian will be eternally grateful for God's most precious gift ... for his amazing blessing.

Peter writes to his readers and to us, "You love him."  Yes you have a feeling.  You have a love burning in your heart for Jesus.  He writes about an inexpressible and glorious joy.

The meaning of that little phrase, "filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy" is to have joy filled with glory.  That's why we also read from 2Cor.3 which spoke of Moses who had to keep his face veiled because of the glory – it was shining so brightly.

Paul says in 2Cor.3:18 "We who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Peter talks about a love and a glorious joy – or a joy that shares in God's glory (which is like the shining face of Moses).

Peter can't really put it all into words.  For him it is an inexpressible joy.  It is filled with the glory of the life to come.

Look how Peter describes these Christians.  They have a burning love for Jesus.  Their faith expresses itself in an experience of joy that already has a trace of everlasting glory of heaven.

The Christian life is no drab existence.  It is not a lifeless thing.  It's not boring at all.

How indeed could it be boring to come together with many believers in a worship service, i.e. with others who also love him; with others who are filled with a joy that can't be put into words?  How could anyone say that it would be boring to be present when God's children have such love and are filled with such joy?

But let us also be very realistic.  May I ask you how you experience these things?  For example, how did you wake up this morning?  Did you wake up and give God thanks for his rich gift of salvation for you?  Is it for you a fantastic exhilaration to be loved by Jesus?  Do you want much to love him in return?  Are you filled with a joy that can't properly be put into words like that glory shining in the face of Moses?

Was it like that with you today from the moment you got up?  Or were things not like that at your place?  Maybe there were grumpy faces, maybe unkind words were spoken.  Maybe the atmosphere was ruined and as a result the joy was gone even before you got to church.

Congregation, why is it that far too often things are just like that?  Do you then sometimes wonder what Peter is talking about?  Is he really speaking the truth?

He talks about an inexpressible and glorious joy.  Why is it that far too often our love for Jesus and our joy in him are so cold and half-hearted?  It is because Satan wants to rob us of this joy.  He wants to stifle our love for Jesus.  He uses subtle ways to do that.

Satan is quite pleased that we go through life grumpy and angry and frustrated and with bickering.  He loves disunity and strife.  All these are elements to rob us of our joy.

But our text in 1Peter tells us of the real focus of joy.  It is always in Jesus: Faith in Christ and Love for Christ.  I said that no one can be a Christian, no one can truly understand the height or depth or width of the love of Christ without that realisation having an effect on him.

A Christian realises this and therefore he in return will have a burning love for Jesus in his heart.

So, why can Satan then rob us of this joy?  It's because our love for Jesus is burning so low.

A good illustration is to think of a slow combustion wood heater.  When it's time to go to bed, you make sure there is plenty of wood in it but the air intake is restricted to such an extent that the fire almost goes out.  There is just enough air to keep it smouldering, nothing more.  There is almost no heat being produced.  Hardly any fuel is being consumed.

So, why can Satan rob us of our joy?  A joy filled with glory?  Well, he does so by letting us think that it’s quite alright to have our love for Jesus on 'low' most of the time.

Sure there is some warmth there but it's not significant.  It's not really much to talk about.  Hardly anyone notices.  Is your joy like that?  If it is, how much time do you spend stoking up the fire?  How much time do you spend dwelling on the glorious truths of salvation?  How much time in feeding on the Word and living in a close relationship with our Saviour and Lord?

When we come to nurture and feed the faith that God has given us we shall see – like the illustration of the wood heater – that this faith can put out a tremendous amount of love and joy.  But not without that access to an air supply, not without access to the means that God has given to make that faith strong and to make it flourish.

Worship the Lord – you say you love him – spend time with him!  Just as a marriage cannot flourish if there is no communication, unless there is kindness and affection – so too, love for the Lord cannot deepen unless faith is being fed.

Already now that heavenly joy is yours.  Already there radiates that glow of eternal glory.  That too is the testimony of all these beautiful hymns.

Psalter Hymnal 382: 3,4

3.       He saw me plunged in deep distress,
And sped to my relief;
For me He bore the shameful cross
And carried all my grief,
And carried all my grief.

4.       To Him I owe my life and breath,
And all the joys I have;
He makes me triumph over death,
And saves me from the grave,
And saves me from the grave.

Psalter Hymnal 383:4,5

4.       He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood availed for me.

5.       Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Saviour come;
And leap, ye lame, for joy. Amen.

Psalter Hymnal 384:2,4

2.       It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
‘Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary rest.

4.       Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought.

Truly, more devotion to Christ, more thinking of His love to you will result more and more in that life marked with that joy that even now has the foretaste of heavenly glory.

AMEN.