“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9, NIV).
It is an ordinary thing for a man to lift weights or for him to climb a mountain. But, to see a man lifted weights and climbed a mountain and stood on top of it with one of his feet that is artificial is an extraordinary thing. Also, in our time, it may be an ordinary thing if someone would invent a new calculator, but during the time of Blaise Pascal of France, when he in-vented the world's first mechanical calculator at the age only of 19, it was extraordinary.
The extraordinary Book, the Bible, records many extraordinary performances of ordinary indi-viduals. A young shepherd armed with a slingshot defeated and killed a giant veteran warrior. A poor widow was able to “put in the temple treasury more than all the others,” who are rich (You can review the account in Luke 21:1-4).
This time, let’s challenge ourselves not only to accomplish something, but to accomplish the extraordinary. Let’s go, then, to our text (1 Peter 1:8-9) and identify experiences or acts that are not ordinary, or cannot be done ordinarily.
So, what are the things that are extraordinary and yet we could accomplish?
The text was written by Peter, a fisherman who became a fisher of men, who once denied Jesus but He prayed for Peter that his faith may not fail. And that when he turned back, he should strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). This was exactly what Peter did in this letter, while he was in Rome in the mid-60’s A.D., as he addressed not only the Jewish, but also Gentile Christians (scattered throughout Asia Minor) who suffered sporadic and local perse-cutions before the reign of Nero.
In the early portion of the first chapter of 1 Peter, he encouraged the believers that they have a solid ground to praise God for the extraordinary thing that God had done for them.
In the opening of verse 3, we read: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth…”
The English Standard Version translated it, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again…”
Peter pointed out to the suffering Christians then that they were recipient of the great mercy of God that He gave them new birth, or caused them to be born again.
And because of that Sovereign act of God, though his readers were facing various trials, they were able to experience or accomplish the extraordinary, that you and I could also duplicate.
I - The first one that we can accomplish extraordinarily: LOVING JESUS (verse 8).
Reading the opening of verse 8, it says:
“Though you have not seen him, you love him…”
Loving “Him” refers to Jesus, as we read in the previous verse. And it was not normal, easy or ordinary thing even during that time to love Jesus. Why? Peter told his readers, they were able to do that – loving Jesus -- “though you have not seen him…”
Perhaps, we could say it’s alright for Peter to confess his love for Jesus even three times, because he was able to see Him in person, he lived with Him, he touched Him, he saw His miracles, and he heard Him.
But, his readers have not seen Jesus. Yet, they love Him. That’s extraordinary!
Today, we need to accomplish such extraordinary thing. It’s a Divine command.
We read in Matthew 12:30, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” That’s an extraordinary thing to do. Not on-ly we don’t see God, we are also commanded to love Him not just in an ordinary way. But, to love Him with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with our strength!
However, maybe, we are so familiar with that verse and if we do not obey, we just take it light-ly. But, consider what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:22:
“If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!”
Notice very well that Paul did not just say, “If anyone does not love the Lord, it’s a sin…” but, “let that person be cursed!”
How about us, saints? God forbid that cursed be on us.
Do we really love God? Do we really love Jesus more than the comfort and sufficiency that we want to see to happen in our life? And let’s not be content to love Him in an ordinary way.
Jesus Himself said, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).
II – Another thing that we can accomplish extraordinarily: BELIEVING IN JESUS (verse 8).
We read the next part in verse 8, “even though you do not see him now, you believe in him…”
This act of believing is not just the ordinary way of believing, wherein the devil himself could do. Or, the kind of belief that many Jews professed during the time of Jesus on this earth.
However, the readers of 1 Peter have an extraordinary kind of belief. They did not just be-lieve God, but they believe the God-Man, Jesus, as their Savior and Lord, though they have not seen Him.
And because of that kind of belief, Peter acknowledged them as God’s children. He knew that those who believed in Him were given the right to become children of God (John 1:12), as Peter reminded them in verse 14, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.”
It is worthy to note what kind of children they become those who have extraordinary belief in Jesus, or have genuine faith in Him. Of course, they become children of God. But, Peter expected them to be “obedient children.”
So, let us not be content to have the ordinary kind of belief. Let’s examine ourselves, if we have the extraordinary kind of faith in Jesus. Really believe that apart from Him we cannot have forgiveness and cannot appease God’s wrath against us. Apart from Him, we cannot appear righteous before the Holy God. Apart from Him, we cannot become children of God. Realize also that so great a blessing to become His children, and as Peter acknowledged, “obedient children,” not rebellious, ungrateful, indifferent children. And we experience such blessing, if we extraordinarily believe in Jesus, if we have genuine faith in Him.
We could just remember what He said in John 20:29B, “…blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Let’s, then, experience the extraordinary blessing from God and let’s believe extraordinarily.
Let’s not just believe that there is a Living God, or believe that there is a historical Jesus who lived 2,000 years ago on this earth. But, let’s really believe His words. Let’s believe that we can have the right to become God’s children, obedient children. Believe His promise that we will not be lost from His Hands. Believe He will come again, so we eagerly wait for Him. Believe His command to go and make disciples.
Do we realize, then, saints – both young ones and once young, that if we experience the extraordinary faith in Jesus, something happens to us? Faith in Him does not make us passive, indifferent, or stagnant. If we really have the faith, we don’t just realize that we become children of the Holy King – but, children who are holy and obedient, eager to become like our Holy Father. We do not just wait for the return of Jesus; we eagerly wait for Him and in seri-ous business in helping others also to be prepared to meet Him. We don’t just believe His Reality, we believe His words – all His words, not only His promises, but also His instructions and warnings.
III – And finally the third thing that we can experience extraordinarily: HAVING AN EXTRAORDINARY JOY (verse 8).
We read in verses 8B-9, “…and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
That’s not an ordinary kind of joy.
And remember also that those persons at that time that were filled with such extraordinary kind of joy “may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials,” as we read in verse 6. They didn’t wallow on the pain and difficulty they were suffering or about to suffer, but they were expectant for what they would receive in the future. They know they are receiving the end result of their faith, the salvation of their souls. And they also have that extraordinary joy, because they loved and believed in Him, though they have not seen Him.
We, too, could experience the extraordinary joy. We could be filled with inexpressible and glorious joy though we are suffering difficulties.
If we really love Jesus, we will rejoice. One of the ingredients in love that we don’t easily note is that in love, we rejoice. We read in 1 Corinthians 13:6, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” Yes, love delights, delights in what is good. It rejoices not with falsehood, but with Jesus and with His Word – the Truth. And if our love for Jesus is extraordinary, we will also rejoice extraordinarily – “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”
If we really believe Jesus, believe His promises – like, He will come again to take us to Himself, or no one can snatch us away from His Hand, we will also experience the extraordinary joy, though we are facing various trials.
And if we also look forward for the supreme joy to be with our Loving Savior, we could also go through with any difficult path. As the Captain of our Salvation had set the example for us. We read in Hebrews 12:2:
“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Saints, is our goal just to experience the ordinary, earthly, temporal joy in this world? Youth in the church, is it enough for you to experience the thrill, pleasure and common happiness that are promoted in the media? And those who are once young, are we contented to celebrate the joy of security and ease offered in this world?
If we are not careful, we could even focus on the joy of the productivity of our effort rather than on the extraordinary joy we could have, as we fix our eyes on Jesus and on the end result of our faith.
Physically, to accomplish what is extraordinary could be accomplished by ordinary people. But, to have an extraordinary love for Jesus, to have an extraordinary faith in Him, and to be filled with an extraordinary joy could never be accomplished by any normal, ordinary person.
As Peter mentioned in the early part of chapter 1 in 1 Peter, his readers were able to experience such extraordinary accomplishment, because of the great mercy of the Sovereign God to them, He did something extraordinary to them. Remember what was that Sovereign act? Let’s read again verse 3, the whole of it: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
In His great mercy, God gave them new birth. Or, He caused them to be born again. That’s a very extraordinary experience. No one of us can decide or choose to cause ourselves to be born again. Only God can do it. So, how can we experience it today? How can God apply the resurrection of His Son to a particular person today? How can one be born again?
We read in verse 23, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” We can experience the great mercy of God to have a new birth through His Word. Let His words dwell in us richly and experience the extraordinary act of God, so we can also accomplish what is extraordinary.
PRAYER: Our Holy Father in Heaven, we are so grateful for the extraordinary that You mercifully performed in our life. Help us to treasure and remember it all times, so we could also be motivated to perform the extraordinary things for your glory. And may your great mercy extend to every person whom we could share with Your words, in Jesus Name, we pray, Amen!
