For the week of January 26, 2026
MONDAY
Day One: Genuine Faith
Sermon Focus: Our faith is tested in part because we place it in an unseen God.
Truth: 1 Peter 1:6-9 says, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, 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.”
Sermon Point: A little context before we get into the meat of our verses for this week…We learned last week that our new life in Christ is one where joy and grief must learn to coexist. On the one hand, we rejoice because we’ve been Born Again to a New Life in Christ. Our sins are completely washed away, and we’re now reconciled to and in communion with God. But on the other hand, we still reside in this world, so Peter acknowledges that “for a little while,” we may be grieved by various trials – trials that are necessary to prove the genuineness of our very precious faith. It’s a genuine faith that will result in praise, glory, and honor when we finally get to meet Jesus face-to-face.
Sermon Reflection: How/where are joy and grief sitting next to each other in your life today? In what ways do you see God’s grace in both?
Application: Today (or sometime this week), find yourself a yummy sweet AND a savory snack (who doesn’t love that combo?!). As you enjoy it, be reminded that God uses both the good times and the difficult ones to refine us and make us more like Jesus.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Thank God today for the specific trials (name them) He has deemed necessary in your life…and that He’s using them for your good – to prove the genuineness of your faith. Pray that Four Mile will embrace this biblical perspective on both our sorrow and our joy.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit will highlight for you the specific part(s) of your faith (think: belief and behavior) He is strengthening, purifying, or reshaping through your trials. Ask that God would grant others the grace to see His purposes at work in the midst of their own trials.
TUESDAY
Day Two: We Love the One We Have Never Seen
Sermon Focus: Our faith is tested in part because we place it in an unseen God.
Truth: 1 Peter 1:8-9 says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, 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.”
Sermon Point: As one of the disciples in Jesus’ inner circle, Peter knew Him well; he had seen Him with his own eyes; he had an up-close and intimate relationship with Jesus, so it was natural for Peter to love Jesus. But those saints in Asia Minor, and we, too, for that matter – we’ve never seen Jesus. And yet, somehow, we still love him. How can that be? It may not make sense to unbelievers, but we know it’s because of the Holy Spirit’s presence in all those who place their faith in Jesus – He cultivates deep down within us this insatiable desire to love Him. And this love, it’s not a feeling. It’s an act of the will, a choice that we get to make every day. Jesus made it clear in John’s gospel what it means to truly love Him, that we keep His commands.
Sermon Reflection: Can you look back on your life and see moments/seasons when the Holy Spirit empowered you to love God, even though you couldn’t see Him or understand what He was doing? How does remembering those times encourage/strengthen you now?
Application: Set some reminders on your phone today (you choose how many!) – when they go off, say this simple sentence out loud: “Jesus, I love You!” It’s a way to practice the unseen relationship Peter describes here, and it trains our hearts toward affection, not just belief.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- We love God only because He loved us first – praise Him today for the love He has poured out on us in Christ and thank Him for all the many ways we get to express our love for Him through obedience. Pray that He would give you the grace to love others with the love He has shown you.
- Pray (by name) for those people in your life who do not profess a faith in or love for Jesus; ask God to open their eyes and soften their hearts with the Truth of His love for them.
WEDNESDAY
Day Three: We Believe in the One Who We Do Not Now See
Sermon Focus: Our faith is tested in part because we place it in an unseen God.
Truth: 1 Peter 1:8-9 says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, 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.”
Sermon Point: Once again, this just doesn’t make sense to unbelievers. How can we believe in someone we can’t see? But that’s what the mystery of faith is all about, isn’t it? It’s what Christianity is based on: Faith – the belief that Jesus is Who He says He is and behavior in step with that belief. In other words, we obey Him, and as we learned yesterday, we obey Him because we love Him. So, we love Jesus even though we’ve never seen Him in the past, and we believe in Him, even though we don’t see Him now. And it’s all because our relationship with our unseen Savior is based on this gift of faith: “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” as the writer of Hebrews defines it.
Sermon Reflection: What does “believing without seeing” look like for you in this season – in your decisions, prayers, and posture toward God?
Application: Choose one decision today to make by faith, rather than by sight – it could be a conversation you initiate, a step of obedience you’ve been putting off, or a moment of generosity. Let it be a small but concrete expression of your belief that Jesus is Who He says He is…and you want your life to reflect that belief.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Spend some time in confession and repentance for the ways/areas you struggle to believe God’s promises because you can’t see Him or what He’s doing, but don’t do so without receiving His gracious forgiveness, as well.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen your belief in the Father’s faithfulness and goodness and to help you obey Jesus…even when you cannot see Him or what He’s doing. Pray that the faith (belief and behavior) of Four Mile would be deepened as we all keep taking our next steps toward Christ, day by day.
THURSDAY
Day Four: We Don’t Just Believe, We Rejoice!
Sermon Focus: Our faith is tested in part because we place it in an unseen God.
Truth: 1 Peter 1:8-9 says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, 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.”
Sermon Point: The ongoing nature of salvation means we get to start tasting it right here and now. Because our salvation is guaranteed, it doesn’t matter what trials may come our way in this life; we simply can’t help but rejoice! Sure, we’ll have times when we’re angry or frustrated or heartbroken; nonetheless, the joy of Christ that sits at the very center of our souls remains. And the longer we walk with Christ, the further down that path we get, the more our inexpressible joy deepens.
Sermon Reflection: Where/when have you tasted even a small measure of the “inexpressible and glorious joy” Peter describes here? What does that reveal about what our souls were made for?
Application: Before you go to bed tonight, pause for 1 to 2 minutes to simply savor joy in God’s presence. Review your day in your mind, remembering His nearness – be encouraged that “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” is possible even in the midst of our everyday, ordinary lives.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Pray that as a church, we would become a people who reflect the kind of joy Peter talks about here – that no matter what season we may be in, we cannot help but exude the joy of Christ because we are so steadfastly focused on all that our salvation means for us.
- Thank God for His promise that He will finish the work He’s started in us (He always does what He says He will do!) – we’ve been saved (justified), we’re being saved (sanctified), and one day we will be saved (glorified).
FRIDAY
Day Five: The Outcome of Our Faith
Sermon Focus: Our faith is tested in part because we place it in an unseen God.
Truth: 1 Peter 1:8-9 says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, 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.”
Sermon Point: Salvation unfolds in our lives as we take hold of God’s promises. We often refer to it as the middle voice in the Greek language. The Middle Voice reflects how we actively receive and take hold of God’s provision – the grace (unmerited favor) He grants us out of His great mercy. And we embrace the gift of faith, the mechanism through which grace unfolds in our lives. As we live our lives in the middle voice – taking hold of God’s gifts and employing them for His glory – we actively participate in all that God is working in us: the salvation of our souls, which will finally be fully realized when we’re glorified in His presence forever!
Sermon Reflection: How can you more consciously live toward “the salvation of your soul” – letting eternity shape the way you interpret and respond to today’s emotions, pressures, and hopes?
Application: Identify one place where you see evidence of salvation at work in you – it may be a gentler reaction, growing patience, or a deepening hunger for God’s Word. Rejoice in the Holy Spirit’s sanctification – and share your joy with a friend.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Repent for whichever extreme you tend toward: doing everything we possibly can to be good enough to get into heaven (the active voice)…or “letting go and letting God” (the passive voice) because we think that by just making a profession of faith, we can live however we want; ask God to help you live in the middle voice, so that you actively take hold of all that God has granted you through the Gift of Salvation in Christ.
- Pray for Four Mile – that our faith, joy, and love would become more and more visible in our community as we continue taking our next steps towards Christ, together.