60 1 Peter 3-5 - Pastor Chuck Smith - C2000 Series

shall we turn now to first Peter chapter 3 as Peter addresses himself to the wives this particular section goes back to verse 13 of chapter 2 submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the lord's sake whether to king as supreme governors unto them sent to the punishment of evildoers so it is the will of god that him well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men so the idea of submitting to one another in love and so he talks about first of all the servant submitting themselves unto their own masters Christ leaving us an example and now two wives likewise ye wives be in subjection to your own husbands that if any obey not the word they may also without the word be won by the conversation or behavior of the wives or the life style of the wives this particular Greek word is a difficult word to translate the old English word was conversation which doesn't mean verbal but it means your life style and so it's a word that has lost its meaning through the years when when this translation was made so you can translate that behavior or lifestyle or manner of living so as Paul wrote to the Corinthian church I don't need that anyone should write letters of commendation for me because you are my living epistles known of all men our life style testifies to what we believe and more people are brought to Christ by the observing of the Christian life as you live it then are converted through just someone laying the four spiritual laws on them we were talking with a missionary who is in the Philippines and has a ministry basically to the Muslims and he talked to the difficulty of the converting of a Muslim because for a Muslim it is a capital offense to convert to Christianity is and can be put to death by his family members if he leaves the Islam faith and becomes a Christian it is a capital offense to convert a Muslim but he said in order to convert a Muslim they must see Christianity in action in your life you can't do it with words they have to see the gospel demonstrated in your life they watch the observe and then he said they have to see a miracle and answer to prayer and these are the things that convince the Muslim of the truth of Christianity so Paul is declaring that our lifestyle is all important you lot with wise who have unbelieving husbands you're more apt to convert them by your lifestyle than you are by putting tracts in their peanut butter sandwiches so that when they bite into the sandwich they get the word and they pull it out of their mouth and they read God loves you you know so it is the lifestyle the way we live becomes the witness of what we declare one of the weaknesses of the church is the lack of the positive lifestyle of the believer professing one thing and living another that of course we call hypocracy and that has been the vain in the curse of the church so how we live is extremely important just as important as what we say while they behold your chaste lifestyle with reverence whose adorning or beauty let it not be the outward the fancy hairstyles the wearing of gold or the putting on a fancy clothes I could get in big trouble at this point not my wife I'm not thinking about her I'm thinking about a television station locally here whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning with the fancy hairstyles the wearing of gold putting on a fancy apparel but let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible a meek and a quiet spirit which in the sight of God is very valuable the true beauty is an inner beauty not an outward beauty now there are some women who are outstanding artists and they can paint a beautiful face it takes them a while it takes longer as the years go by there's an old Swedish proverbs good looks don't last good cookers do the idea is to encourage the young men not to look for a pretty face but to look for a good cook but the true beauty the beauty that doesn't fade the few the beauty that grows with years is that inner beauty some of the most beautiful people in the world that beautiful inner beauty you love to be around them because there's just such a beauty that comes forth from their lives and and Peter is saying recognize that that is the true beauty the true beauty isn't that what you put on outwardly but the true beauty is that which is inward which shines out I do not believe that Peter is intending here to issue a prohibition against the ladies looking nice I don't think that this is a prohibition as some have interpreted to be of wearing gold apparel or things of this nature not intended as that at all the intention is just that you recognize that true beauty is inward that which God values the meek the quiet spirit which in the sight of God is very valuable for after this manner in the old time the holy women also who trusted in God adorn themselves being in subjection to their own house even as Sara obeyed Abraham calling him Lord now I don't expect that you women are going to go this far as to call your husband's Lord unless it's tongue-in-cheek and interestingly enough Sarah had an asserted her place to I mean it wasn't day you know it was a two-way street when she was upset over Ishmael mocking her little boy she said to Abraham you get rid of that woman and her child and Abraham though it hurt him got rid of Hagar and Ishmael so you husband's don't try to pounce on this scripture and use it as a club to beat your wives and Submission marriage is a give-and-take proposition and it is an understanding now of course with Peter interestingly enough has quite a bit to say to the wife and if you read it in amplified I think these guys were male chauvinist because they really jump onto this and amplify it almost to an extreme Peter has quite a bit to say to the wives but he has very little to say to the husbands interestingly enough Paul shares pretty much equally as quite a bit to say the wise but then he has also quite a bit to say to the husbands as far as the marriage relationships and her personal relationships within marriage but you are the daughters of Sarah as long as you do well and are not afraid with any amazement now that's a peculiar phrase not afraid with any terror and I don't understand what Peter is saying by that maybe some of you has some ideas you can share with me having devoted six verses to the wives he now devotes one to the husband's likewise G husband's dwell with them according to knowledge giving honor unto the wife as unto a weaker vessel and as being heirs together the grace of life that your prayers be not hindered getting along you know our Paralyzed can be hindered by friction within the home and so it's important that there be a harmony within the house there's an important that a husband recognized the weaknesses of the wife and honor her as a weaker vessel watching over her taking care of her shielding her as I have said basically and marriage God has two rules one for the wife one for the husband in giving two rules he keeps it simple so that it's almost impossible to say well I forgot the rule he's giving you just one so you can't forget and in giving the rule God was thinking of the other so when he said husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church he knew that a woman's greatest need was that of knowing that she is loved supremely by her husband and the woman is always fishing for the affirmation of this honey do you love me honey do I look nice do I look sharp tonight is this you know do you like this outfit and and she's always fishing for honey you're beautiful I love you you're everything to me she's needing this assurance and she fishes for this assurance because she needs the security I'm knowing that she's loved now Peter is saying honor her knowing that she's weaker give her that security give her that strength you are the strong one give her that strength let her feel the protection let her feel secure your big strong arm around her and she feels that security and she needs to feel that security then the Lord said to the wives submit yourselves unto your own husband's and God knew that guys have this stupid male macho image of themselves and that they've got to feel that they're strong and powerful and in control that they're running the show and a challenge of their authority is a real threat to their manhood and so in the challenging of the authority they then feel they have to assert their manhood and big boys don't cry that is big boys aren't emotional and so to assert my manhood I become very strong cold and aloof I'm running this show and I don't need you and I don't need anybody else I can do it myself you know oh boy what that does then is just come the insecurities of the wife that caused her to challenge you in the first place and you can get a horrible cycle going here as it works against the marriage to destroy it because the more cold and aloof you are the less secure she feels the less secure she feels the more she challenges your decisions the more she challenges your decisions the colder you become and the you know and so you can just tear a marriage apart and so these are important rules they're basic to a good marriage because the more the wife submits to the husband the easier he finds it to show his love the more he shows his love the easier she finds it to submit to him well it may be stupid he may lose everything but he's here and he loves me and you know we're together we'll make it but if you're cold and aloof as jerk making a stupid mistake and he's probably going to take off when he's lost everything he'll be gone and then I won't have anything what am I going to do and she feels secure so she has to challenge everything that you do everything that you say so if these are basic simple rules and always as far as the wife it is subjection to the husband to the husband it is the honoring and the loving of his wife and when it is working it becomes a beautiful combination and your lives can be enriched and your prayers effective heirs together we are heirs together the grace of life there is no kind of a hierarchy in the spiritual realm the men do not have an advantage over the women or vice versa as far as in Christ we are all one so anybody who is looking for the superior sex or anything else you will never find it in Christianity for in Christianity it removes any kind of barriers that exist between people and we all come the same way to the same Lord to receive the same grace and we are all one heirs together of the grace of God we share together equally in the things of the Lord where there is neither male nor female bond nor free Christ is all and in all finally addressing now both be of one mind having compassion for one another love as brethren be pitiful now that word is changed in his usage - it would better be translated full of pity you see that's what it's actually saying pity full but we've come to you know think of pitiful as you know a poor cat that's lost an eye or something so be full of pity or another translation of the Greek word is tender-hearted be a softie be tender-hearted I pray that God will always grant to me a tender heart a heart of compassion to be like Jesus I must have it how many times you read in the gospel and Jesus looked upon them and had compassion on them he was tender-hearted he was a soft touch anybody could get to him he was always moved by the needs of people and may God help us to be tender hearted not to become calloused or indifferent to the needs of people around us but we might have tender hearts full of pity and be courteous beautiful Christian trait courtesy it doesn't hurt that it pays big dividends how important to be courteous not rendering evil for evil now that's what the natural man would like to do isn't it I'll get even with you evil for evil or railing for railing hmm some woman really railed on me this morning now it isn't the first time every time they let her out she comes around here and rails on me couple of Sundays ago she was throwing clay pots out in the patio railing this morning she came home as I was greeting people at the end of the second service and I was greeting a couple young men first time they were here they were telling me how much they enjoyed the service she comes up and grabs me and start calling me a filthy Viper and all kinds of stuff you know it is really railing on me and it would have been easy to have railed back but the poor woman is mentally disturbed but this poor young kid didn't know what happened you know I mean his eyes got big and he he just evens just telling me you know how much he'd enjoyed the message and how it spoke to him Harlan and she comes up with all of this and his eyes get big and all and then John got hold of her and drugged her off as she was railing going around the corner you know John dragging her and this kid said I didn't know what was going on I was ready to do something he said boy you really handled that well you know well the thing is I know the woman I know her problems but it is so easy to rail back but there's an interesting problem that says a soft answer turns away wrath now I had an interesting experience several years ago it was during the height of the hippie thing around here where these hippies had these old vans and held together with baling wire and you know they material things did it mean anything to them paint all over them and I was going down Fairview and one of these hippies pulled out in front of me in one of these old bands and it died just as he got in front of me and it was dangerous moving I mean he shouldn't have pulled out in front of me but he did and the thing died and there were traffic coming on my left where I couldn't get around him so I just laid on my horn and I was really upset and and this hippie kid you know the beard and the whole thing got out of his van and he looked back at me and just gave me the peace sign you know you know suddenly I felt real terrible about laying on my horn and the attitude that I had I mean here's a kid you know high on LSD telling me peace brother and here I'm supposed to be a minister telling people how to have fees and I'm all upset because of this stupid move of his and it really ministered to me how that a soft answer turns away wrath I mean I was ready to tear him apart and and just how it all been it's just you know if he got a now trailing I'm sure I would have jumped out of the car and and round up and grab him they told what a stupid move that was you know but his attitude was such that you know I just sort of chuckled to myself in the well why not have peace you know so don't render raining for raining that only creates you know that only builds and you're let's well you read you know there's so many nuts on the highway today you know you get out and rail some of these guys they'll pull a gun and she be read some of these things that are happening on the road I mean it's getting dangerous living contrariwise blessing and read etiquette did bless you peace brothers Shalom knowing that you are thereunto called that you should inherit a blessing we ought to be seeking to bring blessings to people so bless those that curse you jesus said do good to those who despitefully use you this is what we've been called to do for he that will love life and see good days now your Peter goes back and just quotes a portion out of the songs and again it is interesting to me because it shows us Peters good working knowledge of the Scriptures and as he is writing in his own little expectations here he he goes back and he quotes a portion of Psalms 34 about three or four verses out of Psalm 34 he that would love life and see good days let him refrain his tongue from evil in his lips that they speak no guile let him turn away from evil and do good let him seek peace and pursue it for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil do you want to have a good life you want to see good days these are these are the rules just keep your tongue refrain it from evil speaking evil and your lips from speaking deceit fully turn away from evil do good seek peace pursue it you'll have a good life and who is he that will harm you if you are followers of that which is good but and if you suffer for righteousness sake happy are ye and be not afraid of their terror neither be trouble now he's moving into a new section in which he's going to be talking about suffering and for the most part suffering wrongfully suffering for righteousness sake you remember when Peter was arrested for the preaching of the gospel and they beat him and told him not to preach anymore in the name of Jesus Christ and Peter and his friends went away rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer that kind of persecution for Jesus now Peters telling us the very same thing in other words Peter is not preaching something he didn't practice but he did this very same thing himself when he was suffered for righteousness sake he rejoiced happy are you jesus said blessed are ye and the word blessed is happy when men persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven there's where you have to get the right perspective you have to look on to the heavenly future so if you suffer for righteousness sake happy are ye be not afraid of their terror you be troubled but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts give a special place for God in your life and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you for the reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and reverence so live the kind of a life that is an example that will provoke people to question you what makes you different why is it that you are not upset over this be ready to give to every man an answer for that hope that you have having a good conscience that whereas they may speak evil of you as of evildoers they may be ashamed that falsely accused your good behavior in Christ or lifestyle in Christ for it is better if the will of God be so that you suffer for well doing them for evil doing it's always a better thing if you suffer for evil doing you've got it coming but if you suffer for well doing then that is a better thing for Christ also hath once suffered for sins he's referring of course to the cross Jesus went to the cross and died there for your sins the just died for the unjust God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God the purpose of the Cross is to put away our sin which had separated us from God the effect of sin is always alienation from God you see God created you in the beginning for fellowship he wanted you to be one with him but a holy pure righteous God cannot be a part of sin inconsistent with the nature of God so man fell into sin as the result lost fellowship with God the purposes of God were thwarted by sinful man so in order that man might have fellowship with God the purposes of God restored Jesus suffered once for our sins the just for the unjust that he might be able to bring you to God that he might be able to wash and cleanse you from your sin in order that you might have the purposes of God accomplished in your life as you fellowship with God being put to death in the flesh but he was made alive by the spirit by which also he went and preached unto the spirits that were in prison which sometimes were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared were in few that his only eight souls were saved by the water Jesus preached to the Souls in prison now in the prophecy concerning Jesus in Isaiah 60:1 says the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good tidings to the meek he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim Liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those that are bound what is he talking about the prison was death by which men were bound they were held captive Jesus came to open the prison to those that are bound or to open up Hades to those people who were bound there who before Jesus died for our sins so when he died he descended into hell and he preached to those souls that were in prison and when he ascended out of hell he brought with him those who had been captive in Ephesians chapter 4 Paul tells us that he who has ascended is the same one who first of all descended into the lower parts of the earth and when he ascended he led the captives from their captivity Luke's Gospel the sixteenth chapter Jesus describes what hell was like prior to his death two compartments no capacity of crossing from one to the other one was a place of torment the other was a place of comfort those who died in faith went to the place of comfort and were comforted by father Abraham they are the ones to which Jesus preached when he descended into hell but God did not leave his soul in Hell neither did he allow the Holy One to see corruption but this same Jesus has God raised from the dead and Matthew's Gospel chapter 27 tells us that the Saint the graves that many of the saints were open and they were seeing walking in the streets of Jerusalem after his resurrection from the dead he led the captives from their captivity so opening the prison the like figure that is the 808 soul saved by water the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us so they were saved by the water or by the arc in the water even so baptism Peter says saves us but then lest people make a mistake he points out it isn't the physical ritual it isn't the washing away of the filth of the flesh but it is the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ so the true baptism is a matter of my art now I do believe that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ should be baptized in water I definitely believe in water baptism and I personally believe in water baptism by full immersion but I do believe that water baptism by full immersion is only a symbol of the work of the Spirit that has transpired within my heart the old man being dead now buried in water and the new life that I now have the life of the Spirit through Jesus Christ's baptism becomes a beautiful symbol of that as I go down in the water it's being buried the old life just being buried and as I come up out of the water it's that new life and the spirit in Christ and it becomes a beautiful symbol but if it has not happened in my heart it cannot happen by the ritual the ritual itself cannot save me now you may be baptized by sprinkling by dunking by full immersion and still not be saved you know they could hold you down there till you drown and it still won't save you the Rite of baptism doesn't save it symbolizes that which is already transpired in my heart if it hasn't transpired in my heart then baptism is meaningless in fact it's worse than that it is it's almost condemning to me such as communion is condemning to the person who doesn't believe the partaking of the of the bread and the cup if you don't believe in Jesus Christ you're actually for taking your own damnation you're witnessing against yourself and he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his own soul not discerning the Lord's body so the same if you go through the right or the ritual of water baptism and it hasn't happened in your heart is only a witness against you it doesn't save you so I do not believe in what is called baptismal regeneration I do not believe that if a person is not baptized then they are not saved I can't believe that you're saved by believing in Jesus Christ now because I believe in Jesus Christ I want to obey Him and thus I am baptized as a sign of what has transpired already within my heart but should I never get around to being baptized by some unfortunate accident or circumstances of some kind I will still be saved I have every confidence of that it isn't the putting away of the filth of the flesh but it's that work of the Spirit within my heart the good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ who is gone in to heaven and is at the right hand of God angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him Jesus before he ascended into heaven said to the disciples all power is given to me in heaven and earth have you ever imagined how much power that must be look at the universe think of the power that brought it into existence all power he said is given to me in heaven and in earth and so he ascended to the right hand of God the Angels the authorities the powers the rankings of angels are all subject unto him for as much then as Christ hath suffered for us that is has gone to the cross in the flesh arm yourselves likewise with the same mind for he that has suffered or come to the cross as far as his flesh is concerned hath ceased from sin no this is the same rationale that Paul had in Romans chapter 6 as far as baptism is concerned as far as my old man being crucified with Christ dead buried in the water of baptism as I come up it's the resurrection it's the new life and the spirit and they who are really living the new life and the spirit have ceased from sin Paul said how are we who are dead to sin going to live any longer therein John tells us in his epistle we'll be getting that in a couple of weeks that whosoever is born of God does not track to sin because we have God's seed now in us we've been born again by the Spirit of God and we cannot practice sin no if you are living a life of practicing sin then you have better take inventory the Bible says he that thinks he stands take heed lest he falls there is a way that seems right unto man but the end thereof is the way of dead whosoever is born of God does not practice sin we've been born of a new nature not a sinful nature anymore you can't lay it on the past the old nature because that nature died and whosoever then has come to the cross has suffered and that is koke crucifixion with Jesus I am crucified with Christ is then dead to the old life and sin the flesh hath ceased from sin that he no longer should live the rest of his life in the flesh following the lust of men but he is to live now to fulfill the will of God for the time passed of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the heathen when we walked in lasciviousness and lust in the excess of wine in revellings and banqueting 's in abominable idolatries wherein they think it's strange now that you do not run with them to the same excessive riot speaking evil of you so it used to be that we lived the unbridled life of the flesh a life of lasciviousness and unbridled lust revellings the excess of wine banqueting is Obama lied Allah raised the good description of the world scene and those that are in the world think it's strange out you don't do it anymore what do you do for fun now man can't read him ask you that you know what do you do for fun you know you don't get bombed out of your head and make a fool of yourself so what do you do for fun and they say ah man he's got religion you know he's no fun anymore they speak evil of you but they are going to have to give an account to God themselves every man must appear before God to give an account they're going to have to account for their lives before the one who will judge both the living and the dead it's an awesome thing to realize that one day each man will stand before God to be judged and those that have lived the life of righteousness lasciviousness are one day going to have to answer to God for a totally wasted life what did you do with your life and they've taken God's precious gift the gift of life and they've wasted it wasted it upon themselves upon their own lost their own desires for this cause was the gospel preached also to those that are already dead that they might be judged according to men in the flesh but live according to God in the spirit but the end of all things is at hand bees for sober and watch unto prayer the church has always lived in the consciousness that we're in the last days and in a sense that is always true every generation is the last days I'm living in my last days you know I'm going to go if the Lord doesn't come to take the church it's going to be the last days for me one of these days you know who knows twenty thirty five years from now last days you know our days are all limited when I was a young person it seemed like you know life was forever but now you begin to number your days because you want to use what time you have to the best advantage for the kingdom of God so that's basically what Peter is saying he's getting older now and he is coming from a more matured view the end of all things is at hand and it was for Peter well not long after this he was beheaded by Nero be there for sober watching and praying and above all things have fervent love among yourselves among the body of Christ there should be a fervent love for love covers a multitude of sins how true that is how many things we can just overlook if we love hard enough how many things we don't see because we love and how many things we can see when we hate I mean we watch like eagles and every little thing we're ready to pounce on but love fervently in the body of Christ be hospitable one to another without grudging as every man hath received the gift even so Minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God now God has given to each of us gifts and interestingly enough there was a gift of hospitality and there are some people who have that gift of hospitality and they make marvelous hosts and hostesses you know they can just have anybody in and they just have that gift of hospitality others don't have the gift of hospitality and it's a strain whenever people come over they get tense they get nervous and and have you ever seen the person with a gift of hospitality they don't worry about what they're serving now doesn't bother them that it doesn't have to be perfect just lay it out on the table everybody grab what you want you know and you feel comfortable but those that don't have the gift you go there and you feel strange and all you want to make sure you look proper and I spilling on my shirt and you know and and you only take one of the little or doors and you know and you always feel under pressure but we each of us have various gifts use your gifts for the whole body sake that the body might be benefited by the gifts that God has given to you being good stewards of that which God has entrusted to you God has given to each of us entrusted to us gifts abilities talents no I want to be a good steward of that which God has given to me I want to use it use it well it's been entrusted to me and I'm responsible and if any man speaks let him speak as the Oracle of God or as a spokesman for God if any man ministers that is serves let him do it with the ability which God gives to him that's so important you know you can't be more than what God has enabled you to be so just do it with the ability that God gives you and then don't worry about it we've got to learn to just do our best and then just commit the rest now this is hard for a person as a perfectionist they do their best and then they worry about the rest why didn't I say this why didn't I do that oh did I do the right thing oh you know and they're constantly worried about what they have done Hey was it your best oh my yes alien army so let it go God doesn't require more than your best so whatever you do in word or deed do all to the glory of God so if you speak speak as a spokesman for God if your minister do it with the ability God gives that God in all things may be glorified is it isn't to bring glory to you as we minister we need to minister to bring glory to God through Jesus Christ to whom be praised and Dominion forever and ever amen now beloved don't think it's strange concerning the fiery trials which are going to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you why one of the weirdest things happen to me the other day I went through one of the worst trials you know hey no no is is not strange the fact that your faith is going to be tried rejoice in as much as you are partakers of Christ's suffering that when his glory shall be revealed you may be glad also with exceeding joy Jesus is coming again to be revealed in glory before the world and those that are his will he bring with him at his coming great gladness and joy exceeding joy in that day when we come with Jesus to establish God's kingdom upon the earth and so rejoice that we were able to suffer with him that we might reign with him if you're reproached for the name of Christ oh how blessed you are for the spirit of glory and of God is resting upon you on their party is evil spoken of but on your part he is glorified but let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evildoer or as a busybody in other men's matters in other words there are things that you're blessed for suffering for there are things that you're not so blessed if you suffer for them if you're a thief and you're caught and you you know get sent to jail it's no big glory in that yet if any man suffers as a Christian Jesus had persecuted for my sake and the gospel's let him not be ashamed let him glorify God in this behalf and of course in those days many of them were put in prison for being Christians now if you're putting President because you're murdered no no big glory but if you're put into Chris into prison because you're a Christian then you know rejoice that's great that's good now if you were arrested for being a Christian could they find enough evidence to convict you something to think about for the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God and if it begins with us what shall the N be to those that obey not the gospel I mean if if God is going to judge the believer what about those who don't even believe and if the righteous scarcely be saved where will the ungodly in the sinner appear wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator now this suffering of course is going back the whole context is is suffering persecution because you're a child of God and if you suffer persecution because you're a child of God then just commit your life to God the keeping of your soul to God he's a faithful creator and you've got to just learn to just commit yourself now the elders the overseers which are among you and I exhort because I am also an elder or an overseer an older man and I am a witness of the sufferings of Christ and I've also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed Peter witnessed the death of Jesus Christ I was a witness he said and also he was a partaker of the glory on the Mount of Transfiguration he saw Jesus transfigured Moses and Elijah talking with him of the things of the kingdom and Peter was so stoked by this experience is it all Lord you know let's just build three Tabernacles just stay right here and let's not go down from this place this is beautiful and let's live in the kingdom I don't want to go back to that old world let's just live here in the kingdom I was a partaker of the glory that's going to be revealed the Lord sort of took him in a time machine on out to the future the glory of the kingdom and and he was a partaker for a time in it his exhortation feed the flock of God which is among you now when Jesus confronted Peter in the 21st chapter of John after his resurrection he told the disciples to meet him up in Galilee and they came up to Galilee and Jesus didn't show up and Peter said well I'm going to go fishing the other said I will go with you and so they went out and they fished all night and caught nothing and on the morning Jesus was standing on the shore and he called out he said you catch anything why don't you throw your nets out on the other side and so they threw their nets out on the other side and immediately then that's were full of great fish so heavy they couldn't even pull him into the boat now when John saw that they couldn't pull in the nets because of the multitude of fish he said to Peter the Lord and so Peter grabbed his fishing coat because he was naked he dove in and swam to shore the other disciples got in a little rowboat and they rode on into Shore dragging the net with them and when they got to shore they found that Jesus already had a fire built there were coals better coals and he had some fish on them and he said come on Annie and then he said to Peter Peter do you love me more than these now these is a problem was Jesus talking about the fish or was he talking about the disciples you see the last time before his death that he was having a conversation with his disciples he said all of you are going to be offended tonight because of me and Peter said Lord though they are all offended I will never be offended so basically Peter was saying Lord I love you more than they do though they're all offended I'll never be offended he's bragging and Jesus said Peter before the crows renamed 93 times law they could kill me and I'd never deny you and so he is in a sense saying I love you more than them and so Jesus could have been indicating the disciples do you love me more than these Peter or he could have been talking about those fish because they represented the old life the life from which he had been called and catching a hundred and fifty-three great fish with one toss of the net is pretty much the epitome success in your old chosen field Peter do you love me more than the epitome of success in your chosen field either one is a very probing question Jesus said Lord you know that I am very fond of you and Jesus said then feed my sheep three times he asked the question and it could be because Peter denied him three times that he was giving him three times an opportunity to say yes Lord I love you but each time Jesus responded feed my sheep jesus said said to Peter at one time Peter Satan has desired you that he might sift you as wheat but I have prayed for you and when you are converted strengthen your brethren feed my sheep that was the calling that God gave to Peter and that is the peak the calling that Peter now passes on to the elders and I do feel that this is one of the most important exhortation to any and all ministers is to feed the flock of God which is among you I think that that is the perennial call of God to every minister to feed the flock of God and I think one of the greatest tragedies in the church today is that there are so few pastors who really feed the flock of God with the Word of God that will nourish their souls unto eternal life you know the God gets fed all kinds of hodgepodge you know you can go to church and get good doses of psychology and philosophy but to really just be fed the Word of God is a rare thing feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight not by constraint that is not under pressure but willingly and not for filthy lucre sake but of a ready mind he's warning against professionalism in the ministry warning against an emphasis upon money warning against really the prostituting of the gifts of God for your own enrichment not for filthy lucre but of already mine neither as being a lord over god's heritage the shepherding doctrine concept warning against that but be an example to the flock that was Paul's exhortation to Timothy wasn't it be thou an example unto the believer and the minister should indeed be an example of that which he declares to the people and when the chief Shepherd that is Jesus Christ shall appear you will receive a crown of glory that fades not away now there are promises of the crown of life in the scripture and here's the promise to those who minister to the body of Christ a crown of glory likewise ye younger submit yourselves to the older men yes all of you be in subjection to each other and be clothed with humility for God resists the proud now you want God to be resisting you it's interesting how that throughout the whole scriptures God has such an abhorrence towards pride and yet pride is such a common thing among men God resists the proud six things God hates yes there are seven that are on abomination unto Him proud look God hates it it's an abomination pride goeth before destruction a haughty spirit before a fall be clothed with humility for God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you in due time humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up he that exalteth himself shall be abased but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted so much is said concerning our attitudes towards ourselves which is reflected in our attitudes towards others casting all your care on him for he careth for you two different Greek words the first one should be translated perhaps anxiety casting all your anxieties upon him the second greek word is used as of a shepherd watching over his flock for he is watching over you with concern loving concern so casting all of your anxieties on him because he watches over you with loving concern be sober be vigilant on guard because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion is walking about seeking whom he may devour the sons of God were appearing before God in the book of Job chapter 1 and God Satan also came with him and God said to Satan where have you been and he said going to and fro throughout the earth walking up and down in it here Peter tells us that your adversary the devil walking around like a roaring lion just looking for whom he can devour you have to be on guard he's sober be on guard and resist him whom resist steadfast in the bait remember in our lesson in James resist the devil and he will flee from you now there's an interesting thing about our own mental attitudes and we can be defeated before we ever get to a problem because we've taken that kind of a mental attitude towards it and and with Satan we think of his power and and his cunning and and all and and we think oh man things attack me you know we didn't we just sort of melt and I think what can I do you know he's so tough he's so powerful and we don't resist when I first moved from Ventura down here to the Santa Ana area went to Santa Ana High School and I was just in high school when we moved down and we had a fella in high school name is Bill Duffy great guy tremendous football player and I went out for football and I was playing fullback and we were having intrasquad scrimmage a--'s and it was 38 on 2 and I was the number 3 back and so that was my call to carry the ball around the right in and I was headed down for a touchdown and Bill Duffy man and you know his build up he everybody's just terrified at this guy you know and so he comes charging over and hits me and and I just sort of just Oh bill go for you know pleasure to be tackled by this guy I mean he's sort of you know he's really great and and I just certain the coach called me over and he read he read me obviously you know you didn't even resist you know you just folded what's the matter you Smith you know Rini read me the riot act for we're not trying to bowl him over well you know I was so odd by the name and by this guy of course after I played well with him I found out that he's human just like anybody else and so you do your best to smash him just like you do everybody else here but sometimes with the devil we've got that same you know the devil's oh you know me just crumble instead of resisting resist steadfast hey he's no match for you when you've got the power of the Spirit on your side greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world as Martin Luther wrote in his song the Prince of Darkness grim we tremble not at him one little word will wipe him out the name of Jesus hey you've got authority and power over him and he is no match for you in Christ so resist him steadfast Lee don't just give in resist the devil and he will flee from you going about like a roaring lion he scares us to death with his roar but resist steadfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are all over the world but the God of all Grace who has called us unto his eternal glory oh I love that the God of all grace he's called you unto his eternal glory Paul tells us that in the ages to come he might be revealing unto you what is the exceeding richness of his love and his kindness towards you in Christ Jesus he's called you unto the eternal glory Paul prayed for the Ephesians that they might know what is the hope of their calling God has called you to eternal glory he's called you to share his eternal Kingdom with him in that glorious Kingdom world-without-end kingdom of righteousness and love and peace and blessing joy eternal but the God of all Grace who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you've suffered for a little while make you mature and that's the effect of suffering it it has a way of causing us to grow up it has as its effect the maturing of our lives in Christ establishing you strengthening you and settling you as our traits of maturity to him be glory and Dominion for ever and ever amen and so he ends his little epistle with this doxology and now the rest is just sort of personal notes by Silas a faithful brother unto you as I suppose I have written so Silas who was the companion of Paul on many of Paul's missionary journeys is now a companion of Peter perhaps Paul is imprisoned at this time and so Silas has gone with Peter and he is the one who writes does the actual writing of this epistle that was dictated to him by Peter and Silas was known to a lot of these people because he had traveled with Paul Peter had not known many of these people but Silas having been around with Paul he's a faithful brother unto you as as I suppose and I have written briefly exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein you stand now the church that is at Babylon that is elected together with you greet you as does mark my son and this is probably John Mark who was also a companion of Paul and of Barnabas and now is working with Peter Peter at this time is writing probably from Babylon his epistle then greet one another with a kiss of love agape peace be with you that are in Christ Jesus amen so Peters first epistle next week we'll study the second epistle written about six years later a lot of good exhortation in this epistle the purpose is to bring us into spiritual maturity into a life of strength and blessing and hope in Christ Jesus and may we now be doers of the word and not hearers only because that's self-deception you've got to put it into practice for it to have any value in your life and I encourage you read again this first epistle of Peter having now the background of the study let the Spirit of God now minister to you it's truth as he brings to your remembrance those things that we have studied and he enriches you in your walk and in your faith and in your life in Christ may the Lord be with you and bless you give you a good week in Jesus name

Channel: Ken Zenk

Views: 18,168

Rating: 4.6218905 out of 5

Keywords: Bible, God, Jesus, Christ, Love, Hell, Death, Sex, Marriage, Drugs, Satan, Porno, Cancer, Sports, Girls, Music, Holy Spirit, Children, Family, Heaven, Healing, Pregnant, Aids, Gay, Movies, TV Shows, Animals, Israel Prophecy, Last Days, Christian, Jewish People, Gentiles

Id: -_u8EslwNmk

Length: 79min 8sec (4748 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 02 2013