When I was a student taking a class in a complex subject such as metaphysics, I always perked up when the professor would end a long and multifaceted lecture by saying, “Boiling it all down…” The phrase or sentence that followed was worth gold to me. I knew that I may not have grasped every part of the instructor’s subject matter, but I could at least focus on the essential elements.
“To boil down” is a metaphor from the realm of cooking. Literally, “boil down” means to condense or concentrate a substance by boiling off liquid. Figuratively, it refers to taking a topic or problem with many intricate and knotty implications and complications and reducing it to its essential elements. The subject of God—including God’s identity, character, and ways—is surely the most complex issue imaginable. Many of us study what God has revealed about himself our whole lives and still feel we have just begun to have even a small understanding of his greatness. But, once in a while in the Bible, God provides for us a “boil down” text. We come to that kind of text this weekend. In 1 Peter 1:9, the Bible summarizes the entire message of salvation that the Old Testament sought to explain and that angels long to comprehend.
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| Series Introduction | Week 3 Introduction |
The boil-down text for the rescue effort of God that Jesus came to enact is simply, “grace has come to you.” We will take time reflecting on the beautiful statement in our services. And, when we see that God’s grace has come to us primarily in the person of Jesus, perhaps we will understand why Peter wrote, “Though you have not seen Jesus, you love him; and though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…” (1 Peter 1:8).
To the praise of his glorious grace (Eph. 1:6),
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor