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Sweet Sunday Sermon – Why Would You Want to LOVE or CARE About  Someone You Had NOT Seen?

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Submitted by Dr. GP

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: I Peter 1;8 

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO LOVE OR CARE ABOUT  SOMEONE YOU HAD NOT SEEN?

1 BECAUSE IT WAS PREDICTED  SEE JOHN 20:29  AND BECAUSE THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOR EVER   I PETER 1:24 

2 BECAUSE WE WERE BORN AGAIN OUT FOM ABOVE TO A  LIVING ASSURANCE

3 BECAUSE WE ARE KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD  I PETER1:3-5

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

4 BECAUSE WE WERE REDEEMED BY HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD I PETER 1; 18-19

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

5  BECAUSE CHRIST SUFFERED FOR US TO BRING US TO GOD AND NOW SITS AT GOD’S RIGHT HAND INTERCEDING FOR US I PETER 3; 18

3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

6 BECAUSE CHRIST SUFFERED FOR US AND RETURNED US TO THE SHEPHERD AND BISHOP OF OUR SOULS I PETER 3:24-25 

3 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

IN CONCLUSION

I Peter 2.7

Unto you therefore which believe he is precious:   

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21 responses to “Sweet Sunday Sermon – Why Would You Want to LOVE or CARE About  Someone You Had NOT Seen?”

  1. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    Love is inside you and not outside and you are not dependant on anyone or anything else.
    You have all tools required to reach highest levels of understanding inside you.
    Unlock your potential breath relax meditate perform qigong tai chi yoga walk after meals.

  2. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    Everyone should take a turn preaching whatever their higher powers beliefs are or may be

  3. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Scriptural definition of love takes us to the highest level of love for God through Faith

    On the other side of the coin there are many instances of adopted children having a great desire to see or know of their blood parents
    That bond which was created between mother and child while the child was in the womb creates a yearning of fulfilment which is triggered by love
    The thesis of the story relies on that part of the soul we feed the most
    When one hear that God’s Love for mankind was sufficient and enough for God to send his son to be a living sacrifice for man the believer cant help but to return the love by Faith and appreciation
    When an adopted child is told that the parent gave the child up for adoption in order for the child to have a better life
    The bond between mother and child becomes stronger as the child grows to understand why a sacrifice was done on both parent and child behalf for better

  4. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ DR.GP

    If this letter was dictated by Simon Peter the disciple ,how come he claims not to have seen ? Jesus?

  5. David Avatar
    David

    @Kiki

    Anybody?

  6. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    @ DR.GP

    If this letter was dictated by Simon Peter the disciple ,how come he claims not to have seen ? Jesus

    Was Peter speaking of God the Son
    Or God the Father
    Remember there is also the trinity which GP is a member of the fan club

  7. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    @ David

    draw in energy of 3 treasures
    from heaven earth mankind
    from down below from the centre of earth
    from up above from high heaven above
    from all around on planet earth

    devil dance to release your demons raise hell

  8. GP Avatar
    GP

    RE @ DR.GP

    If this letter was dictated by Simon Peter the disciple ,how come he claims not to have seen Jesus?

    1 PETER 1:8 DOES NOT REFER TO PETER……….IT REFERS TO US, AS PREDICTED BY JESUS IN JOHN 20:29
    Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

    AS A LAD IN THE ANGLICAN CHURCH WE USED TO SING A LOVELY HYMN BASED ON 1 PETER 1:8

    O Savior, precious Savior,
    Whom yet unseen we love!
    O name of might and favor,
    All other names above!
    We worship Thee, we bless Thee,
    To Thee, O Christ, we sing;
    We praise Thee, and confess Thee
    Our holy Lord and king.

    O bringer of salvation,
    Who wondrously hast wrought,
    Thyself the revelation
    Of love beyond our thought;
    We worship Thee, we bless Thee,
    To Thee, O Christ, we sing;
    We praise Thee, and confess Thee
    Our gracious Lord and king.

    In Thee all fullness dwelleth,
    All grace and power divine;
    The glory that excelleth,
    O Son of God, is Thine;
    We worship Thee, we bless Thee,
    To Thee, O Christ, we sing:
    We praise Thee, and confess Thee
    Our glorious Lord and king.

    O grant the consummation
    Of this our song above,
    In endless adoration,
    And everlasting love!
    Then shall we praise and bless Thee
    Where perfect praises ring,
    And evermore confess Thee
    Our Savior and our king.

  9. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    Love will know

  10. GP Avatar
    GP

    The Greek phrase is “of Whom not having had a glimpse”.

    The emphasis in this phrase is upon the person of Christ – “Whom”. The Greek implies the idea of “toward whom” placing emphasis upon the direction of our faith toward a person

    Unlike Peter, these readers were not eyewitnesses of Jesus, but this was not a “spiritual disadvantage.” The world says “seeing is believing” but Jesus said “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (Jn 20:29) Another of those glorious “paradoxes” of Christianity.

    Paul reminded the Corinthians that “we look (skopeo – spy out, look towards an object, to contemplate, give attention to – so not merely a description of usual human vision but with the idea of regarding a thing as important) not at the things which are seen (these things are not the goal of their existence), but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2Co 4:18-note)

    Jowett comments that “to be able to see the first is sight; to be able to see the second is insight. The first mode of vision is natural, the second mode is spiritual. The primary organ in the first discernment is intellect; the primary organ in the second discernment is faith… All through the Scriptures this contrast between sight and insight is being continually presented to us, and everywhere we are taught to measure the meagerness and stinginess of the one, and set it over the fulness and expansiveness of the other.” (Jowett, Life in the Heights, pp68, 69)

    Peter’s readers had fully developed the skill of “spiritual insight” and had learned to “walk by faith, not by sight.” (2Cor 5:7)

    How do we develop that same “spiritual insight”? By believing what Scripture says and living by that belief.

  11. GP Avatar
    GP

    Peter’s readers never saw the Lord Jesus with the physical sense of sight, but ah, what a vivid portrait of Him did the Holy Spirit paint for them on the canvas of their spiritual vision… The picture of the earthly Lord Jesus in His mortal body, seen by human eyes, is supplanted now by the picture of the glorified Man in the Glory, painted by the Holy Spirit for the spiritual vision of the saint… It is as we free ourselves from the conception an artist may have of what he thinks the Lord Jesus looked like in His life on earth, and depend upon the Holy Spirit through the Word to reveal to us the likeness of our Lord Jesus, that we come to some true conception of Him in His glorified state. We will recognize Him in the Glory over yonder, not by what human artists have conceived Him to be, but by the Holy Spirit’s portrait of Him.
    (Wuest, K. S. Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)

  12. David Avatar
    David

    Believing in the scriptures is the proverbial chicken and the egg perspective.

  13. GP Avatar
    GP

    How do we cultivate and maintain that kind of love for our unseen Savior? Three thoughts:

    First, Spend time alone with Him. You can’t cultivate love for your mate if you never spend time alone together. If you want to love the Lord more, spend time alone with Him in His Word and in prayer.

    Second, Obey Him. In our day of “sloppy grace,” people think that obedience is legalism and has no place under grace. Those who think so need to read their Bibles. Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love” (John 15:10). The apostle John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3). If you are disobeying God, you will not be able to love Him as you should.

    Third, Come frequently to the Lord’s table. It is a time to look to the Savior and the salvation He provided for us at the price of His blood. He knew that we tend to forget, so He instructed us to do it often in remembrance of Him. It’s a time to receive His love and express your love back to Him. As you look to Christ and His salvation, as seen in those elements, you will experience His joy, even from the pits.

  14. GP Avatar
    GP

    Here are some resources to reinforce your faith in the Bible:

    “Scientific Facts in the Bible: 100 Reasons to Believe the Bible” by Ray Comfort
    “Reasons We Believe: 50 Lines of Evidence That Confirm the Christian Faith” by Nathan Busenitz

    “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell

    Answers in Genesis website
    Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry website
    Alpha and Omega Ministries website
    “Why We Believe the Bible” video by John Piper
    “Why We Believe the Bible Is True” video by John MacArthur

    “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell is perhaps the leading text on APOLOGETICS
    IT IS WORTH A READ BY ALL SKEPTICS AND BIBLE ILLITERATES AND UNBELIEVERS

  15. GP Avatar
    GP

    WHY BELIEVE THE BIBLE

    The fundamental answer to that question is that we should believe the Bible because it is the word of God (2 Tim. 3:16).

    The Holy Spirit Himself must transform our hearts, removing our spiritual blindness and humbling our natural rebellion against God, in order for us to receive His word (1 Cor. 2:14). No mountain of evidence will ever be able to overcome our innate opposition to the things of God without this supernatural work of the Holy Spirit (Luke 16:31). But that is not to say that there is no evidence attesting to the fact that the Bible is what it says it is: the inspired, inerrant, infallible, trustworthy word of the Living God. Here are some evidences of the Bible’s divine origin:

    The Bible claims to be the Word of God: Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:97-104, 130; Matt. 21:42; Matt. 22:31-32, 43; Matt. 26:54, 56; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12; 2 Pet. 1:19-21

    The Bible contains fulfilled prophecy, especially about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus: Gen. 3:15; Psalm 2:1-12; Psalm 16:10; Psalm 22:1, 7-8, 14-18; Psalm 110:1-7; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 53:1-12

    The Bible’s revelation of God is beyond human imagination: Ex. 15:11; Psalm 89:6-8; Psalm 97:9; Psalm 113:5; Psalm 115:1-18; Isaiah 55:8-9; Rom. 11:33-36

    The Bible’s doctrine of human depravity is not what men typically say about themselves: Gen. 6:5; Gen. 9:20-21; Num. 20:12; 2 Sam. 11:27; Isaiah 53:6; Mark 14:72; Rom. 3:10-18; Gal. 1:13; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Tim. 1:15

    The Bible’s doctrine of salvation uniquely debases the pride of man and exalts the grace and glory of God: Rom. 3:20-28; 1 Cor. 1:18-29; 2Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:3-6; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 3:8-9

    The Bible has been extraordinarily preserved and accurately transmitted to us down through the ages: Isaiah 40:8; Matt. 5:18; 24:35; John 10:35; Rev. 1:3; 22:7, 18-19;

    C.F http://www.icr.org/bible-manuscripts/; http://carm.org/manuscript-evidence; http://www.provethebible.net/T2-Integ/B-0801.htm

  16. GP Avatar
    GP

    Notice verse 8, “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” Why do you rejoice? Why do you greatly rejoice? Why is your great joy inexpressible and full of glory? Because you love Him, and because you trust Him, that’s the two things he says. You love Him, and you believe in Him, and you’ve never seen Him. Peter exalts love and trust.
    We all know that beyond equivocation that the two key ingredients in any meaningful relationship are love and trust, love and trust. That is the essence of relationship. It is the source of surpassing joy in any relationship. Violate love and the relationship disintegrates. Violate trust and the relationship disintegrates. There’s some real deep pathos in this verse, deep pathos.

    Which of the apostles apart from Judas, most demonstrated a weak trust and faith in Christ, which one? Which one? Peter. Which of the apostles of Christ, apart from Judas, had to face Jesus Christ and have his love questioned? Which one? Peter. Peter was the leader to whom it was said, “O you of little faith.” Peter was the leader to whom Jesus said three times, “Peter, do you – ” what? “ – love Me?” And I see here some very beautiful humility. And Peter commends these suffering believers and says to them, “You’ve never seen Him and you love Him, and you don’t see Him now but you believe in Him.” And the pathos in the background is the humble attitude of Peter because in his heart he is saying, “You’re far beyond where I am, or where I was, because I saw Him and I couldn’t sustain my love, and I saw Him and I couldn’t sustain my faith.”

    Peter, in true humility, reflects on the difference between himself in the past and these troubled Christians. He had seen Christ, walked with Christ, been with Christ over three years and he demonstrated a weak faith and a weak love. And they had never seen Christ, and yet their faith was strong, and their love was true in the midst of the same kind of trials to which Peter succumbed. And so there’s some deep pathos in this beautiful verse in the heart of Peter as a humble, humble man is opened up.

    Would you notice that first phrase in verse 8? “Though you have not seen Him”? “And though you have not seen Him. Oh that’s such a profound statement. You see, it’s usual to trust and love someone you’ve seen, someone you’ve touched, someone you’ve come to know. But these Christians had never met Jesus Christ. Like us, they never looked into His face. They never touched Him. They never ate with Him. They never walked with Him. They never talked with Him. They never heard His voice. They never felt His hands. They never gazed into His eyes. “And yet,” he says, “you love Him.”
    Present active indicative, agapa, you are loving Him, constantly the love of choice. That word expresses the love of the will. You’ve chosen to be faithful in loving Him. And that, to me, is the essence of joy. It’s that intimate love relationship you have with Christ.

    Now let me just take this a little bit deeper. I believe that what Peter is saying here is categorically the description of the essence of what it means to be a Christian. If you ask me what is a Christian? I will tell you it is someone who loves Jesus Christ with the love of the will, who loves Him. I don’t believe there’s any better way to describe the essential expression of the new nature than to say it loves Christ continually.

    I love the Authorized translation of 1 Peter 2:7, “To those who believe, He is precious.” And Paul says in 1 Corinthians 16:22, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be – ” what? “ – anathema, devoted to destruction, cursed.” The Christian can best be described as someone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ.

  17. GP Avatar
    GP

    why believe the Bibl
    The fundamental answer to that question is that we should believe the Bible because it is the word of God (2 Tim. 3:16).

    The Holy Spirit Himself must transform our hearts, removing our spiritual blindness and humbling our natural rebellion against God, in order for us to receive His word (1 Cor. 2:14). No mountain of evidence will ever be able to overcome our innate opposition to the things of God without this supernatural work of the Holy Spirit (Luke 16:31). But that is not to say that there is no evidence attesting to the fact that the Bible is what it says it is: the inspired, inerrant, infallible, trustworthy word of the Living God. Here are some evidences of the Bible’s divine origin:

    The Bible claims to be the Word of God: Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:97-104, 130; Matt. 21:42; Matt. 22:31-32, 43; Matt. 26:54, 56; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12; 2 Pet. 1:19-21

    The Bible contains fulfilled prophecy, especially about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus: Gen. 3:15; Psalm 2:1-12; Psalm 16:10; Psalm 22:1, 7-8, 14-18; Psalm 110:1-7; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 53:1-12

    The Bible’s revelation of God is beyond human imagination: Ex. 15:11; Psalm 89:6-8; Psalm 97:9; Psalm 113:5; Psalm 115:1-18; Isaiah 55:8-9; Rom. 11:33-36

    The Bible’s doctrine of human depravity is not what men typically say about themselves: Gen. 6:5; Gen. 9:20-21; Num. 20:12; 2 Sam. 11:27; Isaiah 53:6; Mark 14:72; Rom. 3:10-18; Gal. 1:13; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Tim. 1:15

    The Bible’s doctrine of salvation uniquely debases the pride of man and exalts the grace and glory of God: Rom. 3:20-28; 1 Cor. 1:18-29; 2Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:3-6; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 3:8-9
    The Bible has been extraordinarily preserved and accurately transmitted to us down through the ages: Isaiah 40:8; Matt. 5:18; 24:35; John 10:35; Rev. 1:3; 22:7, 18-19; http://www.icr.org/bible-manuscripts/;

    see http://carm.org/manuscript-evidence; http://www.provethebible.net/T2-Integ/B-0801.htm

  18. GP Avatar
    GP

    here is Deffinbaugh on our text

    Faith deals in the unseen, even as the writer to the Hebrews tells us:

    Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

    I cannot help but think this theme of the “unseen” is fresh in Peter’s mind because he heard our Lord speak these words to His disciples before He ascended to the Father:

    Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:28-29).

    In verse 8, Peter does not attempt to minimize dealing with the unseen. But his emphasis is on who is unseen and how our faith enables us to relate to Him. The object of our faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the preeminent One in this verse.6

    Peter has been speaking of the proving and purifying of our faith. In verse 8 he gives us three specific ways a genuine and precious faith will be evident:

    (1) In our love for Christ (“Though you7 have not seen Him, you love Him”)

    (2) In our trust in Him (“Though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him”)

    (3) In our rejoicing, because of Him (“You greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory”)

    By faith, we trust in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. We recognize His work as the expression of God’s love to us, and in response to His love, we love Him in return (Romans 5:3-8; 1 John 4:16-19). We not only live by faith, we love by faith. Love is rooted in and closely related to faith:

    17 So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God (Ephesians 3:17-19).

    Faith is necessary in order to believe in Him. We must believe both that He is, and that He is good—the rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is the basis for belief.

    Faith is also necessary in order for us to rejoice. Peter not only expects us to rejoice in our salvation (1:6) but to rejoice in the midst of our sufferings (1:8). And he does not mean a second-class rejoicing. He means rejoicing with “inexpressible joy,” a rejoicing which is “full of glory.” Only a masochist would rejoice in suffering for suffering’s sake. We are to rejoice because suffering proves and purifies our faith, thereby bringing glory to God. We are also to rejoice because suffering is a part of a divine process which results in the salvation of our souls, as Peter will show in verse 9.

  19. GP Avatar
    GP

    Remember 1 Peter was written to Gentiles in the diaspora

    Whom having not seen you love:

    Peter knew that though he had seen Jesus (both before and after the resurrection) most every Christian in the early church had not seen Jesus. Nevertheless, they loved Him. Jesus was no less real because they had not seen Him.re

  20. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ Dr. GP

    A classic example of evolving theology. Thank you.

  21. GP Avatar
    GP

    THIS LITTLE HOMILY WAS GIVEN IN BREAKING OF BREAD ONE SUNDAY MORNING SOMETIME IN THE LAST TWO YEARS IN A 5 MIN CHAT
    IT IS REALLY A BRIEF LOOK AT CHRIST IN I PETER

    BUT THERE IS A TEXT A BODY AND A CONCLUSION, BUT ONE COULD EASILY EXPAND
    THIS OUTLINE COULD EASILY BE EXPANDED ON

    IT SHOULD BE A LESSON TO ANY WHO SEEK TO PREACH

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