Believing on the Invisible

The one thing which makes our Lord the most unusual person in heaven and earth is the way He captures the love and devotion of multitudes though they have never seen Him. 

1 Peter 1:8,9 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believe, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

We know Him through the Bible, the Spirit, and personal experience. We need not see Him to know Him as Savior, Shepherd, Keeper, and Guide.

He appointed us His witnesses, lights, salt, and ambassadors. If we don't witness, who will? If we don't let our light shine, people will remain in darkness. If we don't use our influence for good, evil will prevail.

How much do we really love our Lord and Savior?

So Let's Talk About Being Sober

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer.

In Chapter Four, Peter gave Ten Commandments to his readers to keep them in balance concerning the Lord's return.

1. Be sober -- v. 7
2. Watch with prayer -- v. 7
3. Have fervent love -- v. 8
4. Use hospitality -- v. 9
5. Minister your spiritual gifts -- vv. 10-11
6. Think it not strange -- v. 12
7. Rejoice -- v. 13
8. Do not be ashamed -- vv. 15-16
9. Glorify God -- v. 19
10. Commit yourself to God -- v. 19

So, let's talk about being sober. If we are sober-minded, we will be intellectually sound and not off on a tangent because of some "new" interpretation of the Scriptures. We will also face things realistically and be free from delusions.

The sober-minded saint will have a purposeful life and not be drifting, and he will exercise restraint and not be impulsive. He will have "sound judgment" not only about doctrinal matters, but also about the practical affairs of life.

In a world that is susceptible to wild thinking, the church must be sober-minded.

Victory in Jesus

1 Peter 3:22 Who is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him

Forty days after His resurrection, our Lord ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, the place of exaltation. He is ministering to the church as High Priest and Advocate. He is preparing a place for His people and will one day come to receive them to Himself.

Christ's complete victory over all angels and authorities and powers refers to the evil hosts of Satan. The unfallen angels were always subject to Christ.

As Christians, we do not fight FOR victory, but FROM victgory -- the mighty victory that our Lord Jesus Christ won for us in His death, resurrection, and ascension.

O victory in Jesus, my Savior forever
He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood
He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due him.
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.

Eugene Bartlet 1939

Those who delight, meditate, and seek to obey

. . . God's Word will experience God's direction and blessing in their lives. The Word reveals God's mind, so we should learn it; God's heart, so we should love it; and God's will, so we should live it. Our whole being  -- mind, will, and heart -- should be controlled by the Word of God.

Psalm 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.

When I was sixteen I heard a man's voice beside the gurney I lay on under bright lights, awaiting emergency surgery. "Don't worry, everything is going to be all right," He said. A sweet spirit soothed my fears. Whether it was God or His angel, it was real. I sat up and looked around the room, but saw no one until the surgeon, anesthesist, and nurses came in. Later I learned how close I brushed death.  

Everything that God is and does is characterized by

. . . His glory. "Glory" is not a separate attribute or characteristic of God, such as His holiness, wisdom, or mercy. He is glorious in wisdom and power, so that everything He thinks and does is marked by glory.

He reveals His glory in creation, in His dealings with the people of Israel, and especially in His plan of salvation for lost sinners.

1 Peter 1:24-25 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away; But the word of The Lord endureth for ever . . . 

When we were born the first time, we were not born for glory. Whatever feeble glory man has will eventually fade and disappear; but the glory of The Lord is eternal. Believers are born again to glorify God. The works of man done for the glory of God will last and be rewarded. 

Psalm 108:5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens and thy glory above all the earth.

Though God Slay Me, Yet I'll Trust Him

James 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of The Lord; that The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy.

We consider "blessed" as those who have persevered. But you cannot persevere unless there is a trial in your life. There can be no victories without battles; there can be no peaks without valleys. If you want the blessing, you must be prepared to carry the burden and fight the battle.

God has to balance privileges with responsibilities, blessings with burdens, or else you and I will become spoiled, pampered children. 

When do blessings come? In the midst of trials as the three Hebrew children experienced in the fiery furnace.

Remember, Job didn't know what was going on behind the scenes between God and Satan. First God humbles him. He loses his wealth, children, and health. Then God honors him, giving him twice as much as he had before. 

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him ...  Can we say that?