Eastgate Service - Loving Jesus and Receiving Salvation

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-9

1 Peter 1:3–9 NIV

3 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, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 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, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Loving Jesus and Receiving Salvation

Message for East Gate Service

Friday, November 21st, 2025

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Movement 1: The Holiday Season

Thanksgiving is almost here, and it will be Christmas before we know it. I've already seen Christmas decorations in people's yards as they get ready for the joyous celebration this season brings. I've wondered at times why these two holidays have been so close together at this time of year. But I can't imagine these late fall and early winter months without them, without the lights and Christmas decorations, Christmas carols, and all the parties that occur. We would just have two months that keep getting darker and colder.

Even with the festivities, we still sometimes have a mix of good and bad feelings. We can be excited about the celebrations, but we can miss people who are no longer able to celebrate with us, either because they are gone or have just moved away. In this holiday season, it's easy to see Jesus leaving his mark on our world, helping us remember to be thankful for the blessings we have and to celebrate his birth, his life, and how grateful we are that he came to our world to save us. We find our days filled with gratitude for our blessings and seeing additional needs for prayer everywhere, because that peace on Earth that we yearn for is not here yet. And that means our feelings can be all over the place, where we can feel joyful in one moment and sad in the next, and sometimes both at the same time. Because this season reminds us of how much Jesus has done for us, and how much more we need him to do in and through us.

Movement 2: The Bible Text

After Jesus rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, many people came to faith in Jesus. And those early Christians were persecuted by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. It got so bad that most of them left Israel altogether, and Peter began making his way toward Rome, sharing the Gospel wherever he went. But there was a part of him that was always yearning for the day when Jesus would return. And that carried through in all his letters.

Peter's life changed the day Jesus called him out of the fishing boat. And while I think he gained confidence in his ability to serve God after Jesus returned to heaven, there was a part of him that always wished Jesus were standing right there with him in person.

So in our scripture today, as he begins his letter to these new Christians who never met Jesus, he passes on something remarkable. He tells them that they love Jesus even though they've never seen Him, and that's part of what makes their faith so beautiful, so strong, so good. If you've heard many sermons, you may have come across this idea that we walk by faith, not by sight. But in this passage, Peter focuses in not just on faith, but on love.

These people had no image of Jesus. There were no photographs back then, no TVs, no paintings of Him. They had never met Him, never seen Him, never seen a picture of Him. They could not have picked Him out of a crowd. And yet they loved Him. More than anyone else in the world, they loved someone they had never seen. And that is what Peter praises them for. And he tells them that as they grow in their love for Him, they experience their salvation.

Movement 3: Receiving Salvation

Sometimes we think of salvation as a moment when we decide to follow Jesus. This sort of seals the deal, now and forever. Other times, we think about salvation as a distant hope, that one day, when we leave this world, Jesus will catch us up and save us from the guilt and consequences of any sins we've ever committed. But Peter tells us that the salvation we receive from Jesus begins today and continues to grow until we meet Jesus face-to-face. And perhaps it grows even after that.

And while Peter was very interested in helping people lead better lives, to Peter, it's our growing love of Jesus that makes the biggest difference in our lives. Being nice people, doing good things is a good way to live, but it's not the same as receiving and living out your salvation. Growing in love with Jesus more and more each day has a way of transforming us more than we often recognize.

Movement 4: Practical Application

Our relationships change us. While it may be hard for us to understand how to love someone we've never met, most of us know what it's like to love someone we don't get to see in person, someone we miss, the way Peter missed Jesus. We know what it's like to wish we could talk to them, sometimes even to do things for them when they're not there. And on tough days, we know what it's like to wish they were with us and to think about what they would do if they were right beside us in those tough times.

Peter tells us that salvation means realizing that Jesus can be here with us, even when we don't see him. We can talk to him anytime and tell Him anything and everything that we need to in prayer. And not only do we get to talk to Him, but He can talk to us. And if we listen patiently, we can hear Him speaking to us. It's not easy to recognize His voice, since we didn't get to meet Him in person, as Peter did. But we can learn to recognize His voice by reading His Word, learning what He said and how He said it, and letting Him speak to us through it.

Sometimes we feel like it's hard to hear Jesus in the normal places that we spend most of our lives. But that's where Jesus speaks the most. He speaks to us in those quiet morning moments, when we're just trying to get ourselves out of bed and ready for the day. He speaks to us in those late afternoons when all the visitors are gone, and He's there with us in those sleepless hours in the middle of the night. Those are holy moments with Jesus. He meets us in those ordinary, everyday moments, waiting on us when we're off and waiting on everything else. Those are our opportunities to talk to Him and to listen to Him.

And as our love for Him grows, through our conversations in prayer, we begin doing things for Him. And the more that we hear Him speaking to us, the more we move from just doing things for Him because we miss Him, to doing things with Him, because we recognize that He is here with us, even if we can't see Him.

What does it look like to do things with Jesus? It might be praying for a nurse, an aide, or a neighbor who looks tired or is not feeling well. It could be giving someone an encouraging word when they look like they're having a bad day. It could be something as simple as smiling at someone who looks lonely. Or telling someone, "Thank you for caring for me." If you look and listen for Jesus, He will show you where those opportunities are and help you know what you can do.

Some of you might think, "I can't do much anymore. My body doesn't work like it used to. How can I serve Jesus from my bed or from my wheelchair?" Did you know that some of the greatest ministry happens with people just like you, in places just like this? The prayers you pray today might be the most powerful thing you've ever done for the Kingdom of God. When you love Jesus despite your pain and trust Him through your limitations, showing patience and grace right in your struggles, you're a living witness of what faith looks like. And you show others how much you love Jesus even when you haven't seen Him yet.

We hear His voice. And like the wind that has no color or shape, we can see the effects of His presence all around us. We receive that salvation and grow in our love for Jesus by talking with Him and listening to Him. We receive that salvation and we grow in our love for Jesus, as we do things for Him and with Him. We receive more of our salvation and grow in our love with Jesus when we trust him not just with our joy, but with our pain and sorrow, and allow him to be with us through those hard times.

Movement 5: Conclusion

As you work on your holiday preparations, thinking of the things to be thankful for, getting excited about Christmas coming soon, and all the joy that comes with it, take time today to get to know Jesus a little bit more. Let him grow that faith and that love in you so that you get to experience what salvation feels like today. And let it grow deeper with every passing day, until Jesus comes again to take us home.

Closing Prayer

Lord, as the days get colder and darker, we thank you that we have holiday seasons to look forward to and things to celebrate, and we thank you for the way you provide for us and invite us to celebrate your birth. Remind us that you are the reason behind this holiday season. And Lord, we pray that in the midst of our celebrations, whether they fill us with joy or a sense of sadness for people and things that we're missing, we pray that we wouldn't miss you. Help us to know you're right here with us every day, waiting to talk to us, waiting to serve with us, and just wanting to be with us. Remind us again today, Lord, that the salvation that we're looking for and hoping for someday is right here today with you. In Jesus' name. Amen.