Jack Graham - Loving the Unseen Lord
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The title of this message is «Loving the Unseen Lord». Peter begins his letter with a doxology of praise and that exaltation of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and the celebration of our amazing salvation in Christ, that we have been born again unto a living hope. That we are kept by the power of God, sure and secure in the Lord Jesus Christ. And not only that, but we are people of the resurrection and therefore, we are people of hope. Peter is the apostle of hope and he writes to Christians who are facing fire. They’re living in a hate-filled hostile world, scattered like seeds, Peter said, around the world. These early believers were preparing for persecution, increasing persecution. And all of them, as we should today, are counting the cost of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
How are we to live in a world that is so hostile and so often toward the things of God. Anti-god and anti-christ. How are we to face fires of opposition and even persecution in these days? Well, we’re told that we are to face these fires and pressures with joyous faith and sure hope. We never, ever lose hope. Why? Because Jesus lives! Jesus lives! And He’s coming again. Peter knew what it was like to nearly lose his faith when at the cross he denied the Lord three times. And Christ was buried in a borrowed tomb. He almost lost it all, and yet, his life was saved and his life was restored when he met the risen Lord. And Peter never got over it. His experience of meeting Jesus for the first time and then for the last time when Christ ascended into heaven and he saw Him go and then the promise, He said, I’m coming again.
So Peter is sure and he is challenging us to be sure as well. One of the interesting facts about the book of 1 Peter, the letter of 1 Peter is that there are thirty imperative verbs in 1 Peter, which means Peter is preaching hard. You wonder sometimes why preachers raise their voices. Well, it’s an exclamation point, it’s an imperative. And Peter is challenging us all in this letter to obedient faith and holy living. He knew full well that we need to brace ourselves in a demonized world in which we should be fearless in the face of every attack of Satan. That we are to be bold and brave as believers; courageous Christians!
Here’s what we know. We know that we are pilgrims on a journey, and there is joy in this journey because we know that this world is not our home. We’re just passing through. So from time to time, we need to check our passport and remember where home is, and make sure you’ve got a passport as a citizen of heaven. So, yet, on our journey home, we’re not on home turf. Heaven’s our home. This isn’t our home. We’re in this turf that is ruled by Satan himself. And we can expect to fight battles, and it’s not always a fair fight, is it? It isn’t. But we live on the promise of the heavenly hope. And we live on the promise of seeing a Savior that we trust with our very lives.
So verses 8 and 9: «Though you have not seen Him, you love Him». «Though you do not now see Him, you», He’s talking to you, «you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls». And «the salvation of your souls» here is future tense, when you see Jesus and you’re made perfect in Him. Well, this text is such a sublime scripture because it gives to us, really, the very essence of what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a follower of Jesus. That we would know and love the unseen Christ. Have you ever wondered what Jesus looks like?
I mean, if we could go back in time and see His face and so many times we wish we could have been there When He walked on the water, when He healed the multitudes, fed the 5000. Even to stand at the foot of the cross when He gave His life, knowing the outcome of the cross was the resurrection. To have been there; to embolden our faith. There are many things I would have liked to have seen when Jesus walked on the earth. To have seen His face then. But, of course, we don’t see Jesus today through eyes of the flesh but through eyes of faith. We don’t know exactly what He looked like, but we know Him and we love Him.
And that’s the point that Peter is making. You have not seen Him. You have not yet seen Him. You will, if you are a follower of Christ, but you love Him because you believe in Him and because you’re looking to Him in faith. So what does it mean to love the unseen Lord? That’s the title of this message. It means that we know Jesus personally. To love the unseen Lord means that we know Him. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12: «I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against the Day» the Day that is yet to come. We know Jesus. Not because of a photograph, not because of a painting, but we know Him because He has made Himself known to us. He has showed Himself in creation.
God is manifest in creation, but specifically and personally He has made Himself known to us in His Word. This Book is the Jesus Book. It is God’s love story to each one of us. It is the story of Jesus and His salvation for all who trust in Him. Yes, He has revealed Himself. And the Scripture says in 1 John 4:19: that «we love Him (why?) because He first loved us». And in His love, He came to us and died and rose again. And we have been transformed by the living presence of God in us, the Spirit of Christ who is within us. He is real. Jesus is real to me. He’s not someone I just talk about; He’s someone I know. I know Him! Jesus said in John 16, verse 7, in the upper room, «Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you».
So Jesus went away and we will not see His face until He comes again. And yet we know Him because His Spirit, the living Spirit of Jesus lives in us. Yes, we love the unseen Christ because we know Him. And we want to know Him more and more. That was the holy ambition of the Apostle Paul who said, «That I might know Him more and more and the power of His resurrection». The greatest apologetic for the Christian faith is the power of Christ transforming lives through the centuries. And Jesus has changed our lives. We have not seen Him but we know His presence! We do! This is why we say, «To live is Christ». Look at the Apostle Paul. «For to me to live is Christ», to love Christ is to live in Christ. We walk with Him; we talk with Him. We experience His love.
Thomas one of the disciples, wanted to put his hands in the nail-prints of Jesus, feet and hands, before he would believe. But Jesus in His resurrection appearances appeared to Thomas and showed him His hands, showed him His feet. Thomas bowed down and worshipped Jesus because at that moment he knew the miracle had taken place, the resurrection, and he believed! He worshipped in total faith. And then Jesus said something to him that He says to you «Have you believed because you’ve seen Me»? That’s to Thomas. «Blessed to those…» This is beautiful beatitude to every Christian. «Blessed are those who have not seen Him and yet have believed»! That’s you and that’s me.
Secondly, to love the unseen Lord means loving Jesus passionately. He says, «You have not seen Him, but you love Him». I don’t mind telling you, I love Jesus. Every man, every woman, every boy, every girl who names His name should say, «I love Jesus»! This is the essential. This is the essence of what it means to be a Christian. It means to love Jesus. What did Jesus say about the first commandment, wrapping up all the commandments? He said, «Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul and your strength». With everything you have.
Christianity is a person. It is loving Him! It is loving and honoring and serving and worshipping Jesus. Christianity is all about this. Not regiments, not rules, not religion, not a code, not a creed, not conduct, not a church, but Christ and Christ alone! There is no Christianity without Christ! We love Jesus! This is why we keep preaching Jesus! This is why we keep talking about Jesus! We can’t help to tell the story of Jesus! Why? Because we love Jesus! We talk about the things we love!
So to be a Christian is to love the Lord. And if you don’t love the Lord, you’re not a Christian. If you don’t love Jesus, it’s because you don’t know Jesus. Because to know Him is to love Him! And we spend our lives till He comes for us, getting to know Him better and better than we might love Him more and more. Now it is possible, according to Jesus Himself in speaking to the Church in the book of Revelation to leave or abandon your first love. And this love, this passionate, emotional, devotional love that we have for Christ, that is the first love. A fervent, devotional, emotional love for Jesus.
What is that love? It is a love that overflows with gratitude and praise. Sometimes it is a love that is expressed in tears when we’re overcome in emotion, when we remember and realize His love for us. What Jesus has done for us. It moves us to commitment and service to Christ. What does it mean to truly love Jesus passionately and primarily in our lives? Let me mention about four ways. You may want to write these down.
Number one, when I love Jesus, I will spend time with Him. That’s a simple thing but it’s true. We want to spend time with the people that we love. I love spending time with Deb, the love of my life. These are great years for us, spending time together. And also our family because we love our family. And then there’s those grandchildren. So you spend time with people that you love. And because we love Jesus, we want to make time and spend time and give time in personal communion with Christ. This means prayer, this means worship.
Psalms 63, verse 1 through 3, the psalmist put it this way: «Oh, God you’re my God and earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory». What was the psalmist saying? In worship I looked to God and I didn’t see His face, but I saw His glory, and I worshipped Him, «Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You». And when you are overcome with the presence and the glory of God, you worship Him, you experience Him. There is a longing in your heart for Jesus.
The first minister of music worship pastor of Prestonwood Church was a man by the name of Richard Baker, Dr. Richard Baker. Many of us remember him, a great man. But Prestonwood has always sung choruses and spiritual songs of faith, and early on they were written by Dick Baker. He wrote some beautiful, wonderful songs. He was a revivalist who traveled the country before becoming our worship pastor here at Prestonwood. But I loved to hear Dick Baker sing, «I have a longing in my heart for Jesus just to be near Him, just to be like Him. I have a longing in my heart for Him». So when you love Jesus, the love produces a longing for Him.
Secondly, when you love Jesus, you will love what Jesus loves, you will love what Jesus loves. And that includes His Word, to love His Word. We want to listen to people that we love and hear from and so we want to listen to Him, our Lord, as He speaks to us in His Word. It would also include His Church, that we love what Jesus loves. Well, does Jesus loves His Church? Sure, He does. The Bible calls the Church the Bride of Christ. And as husbands we are to love our wives as Christ loves the Church. So Jesus loves His Bride, His body, the Church.
Now there’s some people, I’ve heard some Christians or professing Christians saying, «Well, I love Jesus. It’s just Christians I can’t stand». And truly there’s some unusual people in the church. Every family’s got that weird uncle. And if you’re wondering who that is, maybe you need to look in the mirror Could be you, if you don’t know! But, no, it’s a fact. Churches are flawed. But don’t say, «I love Jesus but I just don’t like Christians, I don’t love Christians, I don’t love the Church». Listen to what John says in 1 John 3:14. «We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death». So we love what Jesus loves. We love one another and we care about His church. Why? Because we love the one who birthed us in His family of God. Love the family.
Thirdly, if you love Jesus, you will not only love what He loves and spend time with Him, but you will hate what He hates. You say, oh, well, you’re not supposed to hate. Well, Jesus hated some things. He hated sin. He overturned tables in the Temple when He saw the hypocrisy and the unbelief there. Yes, the psalmist said in 97, verse 10 of the Psalm. «You that love the Lord should hate evil». God hates sin. Sin put Jesus on the cross. It was sin that crucified our Lord. And if you love sin or you love this sinful world, then you don’t love Jesus! Someone said, «Before you became a Christian, you used to love sin and leap into it. But once you became a Christian, then you may sin but you lapse into sin and loathe it».
If you are an unbeliever, you leap into sin and love, but as a believer, if you sin, you repent of your sin and you turn away from it. And so we hate what He hates. We despise the things that are destroying peoples’ lives. Jesus said, «Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I command you»! God hates sin and so should you if you love Jesus. You know, there are people who say things like «Well, I love Jesus, but I really like sleeping with my girlfriend». No. Jesus said, «If you love Me, keep My commandments». «Well, I love Jesus but, man, I really like to party on the weekends». No. If you love Jesus, you love what He loves and you hate what He hates. You want to know what Jesus hates? You want to know what God hates. There’s a scripture I want to show you.
Proverbs the sixth chapter and we’re told what the Lord hates. «These six things the Lord hates, yea, seven are an abomination to Him; a proud look», because pride, the perpendicular pronoun of I is at the top of the list, «a lying tongue», watch this, «hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brothers». Yes, God hates sin. He mentions these, including hands that shed innocent blood, hands and feet that are swift to do evil. God hates abortion because it not only takes the life of a child, but it, in fact, can destroy the life of the mother.
And then if you love Jesus, that means that you love His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8 tells us that Christ is coming again. And Paul is looking forward to it. He’s leading into it. He’s about to go into the presence of the Lord and he said, «The Lord will appear with a crown of righteousness, and not only for me but all who love His appearing». What does a Jesus-loving Christian do? Look up, because Christ is coming again for you. He said, «I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again for you to receive you to Myself, that where I am you may be also». And whether you’re going by land or by air, either in death or rapture, one day and one day soon you’re going to see His face.
«Face to face with Christ our Savior, face to face, what will it be when in rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me». The greatest day of your life is coming and that’s the day you see Jesus. It will be the best day of your life because it’s only the beginning of your life with Him forever and ever. And we will know Him. We’ll recognize Him and He will receive us into His presence. It will be clear who Jesus is, that He is the one who is worthy of all of our worship. No wonder Peter completed this sentence about the unseen Lord with these words «We rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory», joy with the ability to even say it. Just imagine that.
There’s a song that talks about that. I can only imagine what that’s going be like. What will I do? Well, I predict that your face is going to be with the glow of the glory of God, that your countenance and your very life will be in the presence of the Lord forever and ever. This is the hope and the promise of heaven. We will be with Christ. But when we see Jesus, of all the things that we can hear and know about heaven, what makes heaven, heaven is the beauty and the glory and the presence of Jesus.
You will see Him if you know Him and trust Him. That’s why we sing «My Jesus, I love you. I know Thou art mine. For Thee all the follies of sin I resign. My gracious Redeemer, my Savior and Lord, if ever I love You, My Jesus is now». Do you love Jesus? If you love Jesus, you will trust Him. You will know Him more and more by spending time with Him, by loving what Jesus loves, hating what Jesus hates, and looking forward to seeing Him face to face.