Joy Unspeakable

JOY UNSPEAKABLE

Reading: 1 Peter Chapter 1 (NIV)

Text: v8 (AV) ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Background

The apostle Peter, disciple of Jesus, writes a letter to the Jewish Christians who had been scattered due to persecution around the time of the stoning of Stephen, during the period prior to Saul’s conversion (Acts 8v1-4).

This letter was written while Peter was ministering in Babylon (5v15) around the time that Paul was being transported to Rome (circa AD60). It is a letter of exhortation to Christians going through much trouble and trial. There are general encouragements concerning the anticipated second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ; and particular encouragements and exhortations concerning their present sufferings and their future glory.

Our text comes in the latter part of Peter’s introduction and thanksgiving before he launches into the main theme and prepares the hearers by focusing them on spiritual realities of their present position in Christ.

Our own focus today is to answer the questions “What is that Joy Unspeakable and Full of Glory?” and “How can this be a real experience in our present Christian lives?”

Introduction

The phrase is written literally in Greek as “you exult with joy unspeakable and glorified” The Amplified Bible puts it thus: “and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy.”

The writers who completed Matthew Henry’s commentary after his death say: “Where there are true faith and love to Christ, there is or may be, joy unspeakable and full of glory, full of heaven. There is much of heaven and the future glory in the present joys of improved Christians; their faith removes the causes of sorrow and affords the best reason for joy.”

The whole context of this text (Yes Text AND CONtext!) is: ”Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him...” The wider context is that these Christians were ‘going through the mill’ with various trials and troubles, yet they were standing firm in their faith; They were trusting in their Lord. In that constant faith and trust, they were not overwhelmed in their spirits by their problems but had that special inner joy that only comes from heaven.

They’d been scattered by persecution with all the deprivations and trials that brought to their lives

They were living literally in exile from their homes and families.

They were suffering unnamed problems where they were presently living.

STILL in spite of all this their faith and trust in God was unshakeable.

No wonder they had the joy that comes down from heaven; that glorious joy that’s too great to be expressed in words; a joy that other can know nothing of.

Three points:

1. What is this Heavenly Joy?

2. Why YOU can experience this Special Joy.

3. How you can receive this Unspeakable and Glorious Joy.

These believers were already experiencing this supernatural joy. It was already theirs. Peter here was setting up a spiritual marker post that they could see and understand amidst their earthly problems and trials.

ILLUS: Programme about an explorer (Livingstone?) seeking the source of the River Nile. He found a source, but it turned out to be the Great Congo River. At first it was a small stream, easy to negotiate. Then as other streams fed into it, it became a small gently flowing river. Then wider and greater until it was forced into a deep and narrow valley. It became a raging fast flowing torrent.

Sometimes our lives seem like that; swimming against a fast-flowing torrent, sometimes overwhelming us, sometimes in a calmer flow.

As Christians in this world, we’re swimming against the torrent of falling standards, worldly acceptance of many things that are contrary to the Christian way and the Bible way. It’s hard work just keeping afloat, let alone making progress.

As Christians we’re swimming with strokes of love FOR Christ; propelled by the twin engined power of faith and trust IN Christ; and buoyed up by the Unspeakable Joy OF Christ.

Here Peter sets up a metaphorical marker flag on the river bank, so that these Christians can always see amidst their troubles, the place where they have reached; that place of joy unspeakable.

In effect this marker is saying “Here’s where you are!” That marker flag is for us - when we are being buffeted by troubles and sometimes are slipping back from our spiritual position.

We can look and realise where we are in relation to our former position of joy unspeakable. Often it’s closer than we think; we have only to look up from the difficulties, see the marker and redouble our efforts to get back towards it.

We can renew our love for Christ, hold fast to faith and trust in Christ, and rise over the waves with the sustaining peace and joy of Christ in our hearts.