Rejoiced With You in Our Lord Jesus Christ
The sermon emphasizes the enduring power of faith, its fruit of rejoicing, and salvation by the will of God through Jesus Christ.
St. Polycarp of Smyrna rejoices with the believers for following the example of true love displayed by God, especially in caring for those in chains. He commends their strong faith that endures and bears fruit for Jesus Christ, who suffered for their sins and was raised from the dead by God. Despite not seeing Jesus, they believe and rejoice with unspeakable joy, understanding that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Text
I have greatly rejoiced with you in our Lord Jesus Christ, because ye have followed the example of true love [as displayed by God], and have accompanied, as became you, those who were bound in chains, the fitting ornaments of saints, and which are indeed the diadems of the true elect of God and our Lord; and because the strong root of your faith, spoken of in days long gone by, endureth even until now, and bringeth forth fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ,
who for our sins suffered even unto death, [but] "whom God raised froth the dead, having loosed the bands of the grave." "In whom, though now ye see Him not, ye believe, and believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; " into which joy many desire to enter, knowing that "by grace ye are saved, not of works," but by the will of God through Jesus Christ.
Sermon Outline
- Faith Endures
- Fruit of Faith
- Salvation by Grace
- Not of works
- By the will of God through Jesus Christ
Key Quotes
“whom God raised froth the dead, having loosed the bands of the grave.” — St. Polycarp of Smyrna
“In whom, though now ye see Him not, ye believe, and believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory;” — St. Polycarp of Smyrna
“by grace ye are saved, not of works,” — St. Polycarp of Smyrna
Application Points
- We should rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, knowing that our faith endures even until now.
- Our salvation is not by our works, but by the will of God through Jesus Christ.
- We should trust in the power of God to raise us from the dead, just as He raised Jesus Christ.