Temple Baptist Church - 9-18-2022
1 Peter 1:3-8
Introduction:
A. This morning, I want to look at something that we should not have to be reminded of, yet Peter reminded the “strangers scattered.” Our great love for our wonderful, loving, compassionate Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and His even greater love for His children.
B. Too often during the midst of hard times, we forget some things, and this unfortunately is one of them. We get so surrounded our trials, troubles, disappointments, and discouragements that these things gender a self-pity that causes us to doubt God’s great love for us and our great love for Him.
C. These “strangers scattered” were no different than us. There will be times when God’s children need to be re-assured of God’s unchangeable, eternal love for them and then reaffirm our undying love for Him.
D. It is amazing that we, as God’s children, can so love One whom we have never seen with the physical eye. No man on earth has seen Jesus Christ since John was given the Revelation of Jesus Christ on the Ilse of Patmos in app. 90-95 AD.
E. Our love for Christ is a love that the world knows nothing about. It is a love that only the child of God can know.
Ephesians 3:17-19 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; (19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
F. All God’s children love Him but there are still degrees of the love for Christ.
1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
G. As Jesus Christ paid a terrible price because He so loved, these displaced, scattered Jews also paid a terrible price for their love of Christ.
1. It is a Reciprocal Love. Song of Solomon 2:16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
2. It is Separating Love. Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
3. It is an Obedient Love. John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
4. It is a Constraining Love. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: (15) And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
H. Though this love that these “strangers scattered” was a “faceless” love (having not seen), it was not a “baseless” love! The first 9 verses show the basis of this great love that God’s children have for the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. We Love Him For His Great Salvation – vs. 3
2. We Love Him For His Marvelous Grace – vs. 2
3. We Love Him For His Glorious Peace – vs. 2
4. We Love Him For His Wonderful Prospect – vs. 4
5. We Love Him For His Blessed Assurance – vs. 5
6. We Love Him For His Infinite Wisdom – vs. 6-7
7. We Love Him For His Unspeakable Joy – vs. 8
8. We Love Him For His Promised Eternity – vs. 9
Conclusion: It is in our difficult times that we find Christ’s great love. It is Christ’s great love that precipitates our great love for Him.
1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
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