And we're back
with "Books of the Book"
00:00:01.40\00:00:03.08
and with us is Dr. Shepherd.
00:00:03.11\00:00:04.75
Dr. Shepherd, why don't we
continue in our study? Yes.
00:00:04.78\00:00:08.15
Verses 8 and 9
talks about some values.
00:00:08.18\00:00:12.09
Yes, let's read them
again verse--verse 8 says,
00:00:12.12\00:00:15.65
"Above all, keep
loving one another earnestly,
00:00:15.68\00:00:18.42
since love covers
a multitude of sins.
00:00:18.45\00:00:21.00
Show hospitality to one
another without grumbling."
00:00:21.03\00:00:25.58
His big emphasis is
on the concept of love.
00:00:25.61\00:00:29.93
He talks about it being earnest
00:00:29.96\00:00:32.35
and eager about
this question of love.
00:00:32.38\00:00:36.44
It is the love
that is supposed to be
00:00:36.47\00:00:38.21
the focus of our
life as Christians.
00:00:38.24\00:00:40.92
So one wonders
why is love threatened
00:00:40.95\00:00:44.37
when you are talking or
thinking about the end of time.
00:00:44.40\00:00:47.70
Why would love be threatened?
00:00:47.73\00:00:50.41
Want to turn over
to another passage.
00:00:50.44\00:00:52.82
If you've been noticing
we've been reading 1 Peter
00:00:52.85\00:00:56.01
but we also will go to
other passages in scripture
00:00:56.04\00:00:59.28
that throw light on
what Peter is talking about.
00:00:59.31\00:01:03.18
We're gonna turn over
to Revelation 2:1 to 7.
00:01:03.21\00:01:08.24
This is the message of
Jesus to the Church of Ephesus
00:01:08.27\00:01:14.52
and He also talks
to them about love.
00:01:14.55\00:01:20.55
Revelation 2:1 to 7. Why
don't you read it for us.
00:01:20.58\00:01:23.46
"To the angel of the
church of Ephesus write,
00:01:23.49\00:01:26.22
'these things says He who holds
00:01:26.25\00:01:29.29
the seven stars
in His right hand,
00:01:29.32\00:01:31.36
who walks in the midst of
the seven golden lampstands.
00:01:31.39\00:01:35.17
I know your works,
your labor, your patience,
00:01:35.20\00:01:38.23
and that you cannot
bear those who are evil.
00:01:38.26\00:01:41.72
And you have tested
those who say they are apostles
00:01:41.75\00:01:44.42
and are not, and
have found them liars,
00:01:44.45\00:01:47.93
and you have
persevered and have patience,
00:01:47.96\00:01:51.62
and have labored
for My name's sake
00:01:51.65\00:01:53.73
and have not become weary.
00:01:53.76\00:01:56.29
Nevertheless I
have this against you,
00:01:56.32\00:01:58.81
that you have
left your first love.
00:01:58.84\00:02:01.51
Remember therefore
from where you have fallen,
00:02:01.54\00:02:04.03
repent and do the first works,
00:02:04.06\00:02:06.32
or else I will
come to you quickly
00:02:06.35\00:02:08.47
and remove your lampstand
00:02:08.50\00:02:10.38
from its place
unless you repent.
00:02:10.41\00:02:13.74
But this you have,
00:02:13.77\00:02:15.14
that you hate the
deeds of the Nicolaitans,
00:02:15.17\00:02:18.29
which I also hate.
00:02:18.32\00:02:20.05
He who has an ear, let him hear
00:02:20.08\00:02:21.95
what the Spirit
says to the churches.
00:02:21.98\00:02:24.04
To him who overcomes I'll give
to eat from the tree of life,
00:02:24.07\00:02:27.95
which is in the midst
of the Paradise of God." '
00:02:27.98\00:02:30.93
Okay, now this
is the church of--
00:02:30.96\00:02:34.62
first church of Revelation
00:02:34.65\00:02:36.72
and they are famous
for something they lost.
00:02:36.75\00:02:40.14
What did they lose?
00:02:40.17\00:02:41.54
Their first
love. Their first love.
00:02:41.57\00:02:44.65
How do people
usually interpret that,
00:02:44.68\00:02:47.55
what does that mean
they lost their first love?
00:02:47.58\00:02:50.57
Well, it almost
sounds like a relationship.
00:02:50.60\00:02:53.31
Maybe, they've met
one and they have lost it
00:02:53.34\00:02:57.19
and apparently
they have another one.
00:02:57.22\00:02:59.57
Okay, oh, I mean like
00:02:59.60\00:03:01.14
they've got a new
person that they care about,
00:03:01.17\00:03:02.98
they don't have the same one
that they used to have. Sure.
00:03:03.01\00:03:05.31
They have lost their first love.
00:03:05.34\00:03:07.40
A lot of people
tend to think of this
00:03:07.43\00:03:09.03
and they say, well, you know,
00:03:09.06\00:03:11.11
they came into the
church and they were active
00:03:11.14\00:03:14.85
and then they
lost their first love
00:03:14.88\00:03:19.63
and they became pew potato.
00:03:19.66\00:03:23.72
You've heard of couch
potato? I've heard it.
00:03:23.75\00:03:26.04
This is pew potato and
they just sit and they--
00:03:26.07\00:03:29.31
all they do is
complain, they don't, you know,
00:03:29.34\00:03:31.25
they're not
active for God anymore.
00:03:31.28\00:03:33.53
Well, if you look carefully
00:03:33.56\00:03:34.93
at the message of
this church in Ephesus,
00:03:34.96\00:03:38.51
they were anything but inactive.
00:03:38.54\00:03:41.23
They were a very active church.
00:03:41.26\00:03:42.85
He says I know your works,
00:03:42.88\00:03:44.25
your toil, your
patient endurance.
00:03:44.28\00:03:46.97
You can't bear
those who are evil,
00:03:47.00\00:03:48.73
you've tested them.
00:03:48.76\00:03:50.26
He says I know
you're enduring patiently
00:03:50.29\00:03:52.28
and bearing up for my namesake.
00:03:52.31\00:03:54.26
You've not grown weary.
00:03:54.29\00:03:56.93
So they seem like a
very, very active church
00:03:56.96\00:04:00.46
and they're very
careful about what happens
00:04:00.49\00:04:03.45
but he says this is the problem.
00:04:03.48\00:04:05.82
He says, you've
lost your first love.
00:04:05.85\00:04:08.48
Well, in that kind of context,
00:04:08.51\00:04:11.07
the first love idea
means seems to point
00:04:11.10\00:04:14.18
towards what Jesus said
that you should love one another
00:04:14.21\00:04:18.26
and people should
know that you're Christians
00:04:18.29\00:04:20.84
because you love one another.
00:04:20.87\00:04:23.15
Here's what happened
to the church of Ephesus,
00:04:23.18\00:04:24.82
if you've studied the history
of that city and its church
00:04:24.85\00:04:27.97
and the things that happened.
00:04:28.00\00:04:30.45
They became very careful it
seems about truth and error.
00:04:30.48\00:04:35.22
Paul warned them
in the Book of Acts
00:04:35.25\00:04:37.76
that false
teachers would come in,
00:04:37.79\00:04:40.30
they had to be on their guard.
00:04:40.33\00:04:42.42
So, you know, when
the apostle warned you
00:04:42.45\00:04:44.31
that you got to
be in your guard.
00:04:44.34\00:04:45.71
What do you do?
00:04:45.74\00:04:47.11
You sit up,
you're on your guard,
00:04:47.14\00:04:48.51
you know, you're watching
something might come along.
00:04:48.54\00:04:52.67
They remembered what I call
very strong side of Christianity
00:04:52.70\00:04:56.62
that is stand up for the truth,
00:04:56.65\00:04:58.95
have courage in the
face of persecution,
00:04:58.98\00:05:01.22
truth, watchfulness, you know,
00:05:01.25\00:05:03.58
dare to be a Daniel,
dare to have a purpose,
00:05:03.61\00:05:06.01
to dare to make
it known, you know.
00:05:06.04\00:05:07.45
It takes courage to
stand on the plain of Dura
00:05:07.48\00:05:10.00
be thrown into
the fiery furnace.
00:05:10.03\00:05:12.93
But they left what I call
the weak side of Christianity.
00:05:12.96\00:05:17.01
The weak side is I
admit that I'm a sinner,
00:05:17.04\00:05:21.10
I admit that I
need Jesus as my Savior.
00:05:21.13\00:05:24.19
I need His love and His grace
to come and heal my problems.
00:05:24.22\00:05:28.37
I need to watch out
for those who are lost
00:05:28.40\00:05:30.88
and help them
come back to Jesus.
00:05:30.91\00:05:33.90
Christianity has a
strong side and a weak side.
00:05:33.93\00:05:36.82
They need to stay in balance
00:05:36.85\00:05:38.75
with one
another, strong and weak.
00:05:38.78\00:05:41.81
And when one predominates,
00:05:41.84\00:05:44.22
when you get
just the strong side,
00:05:44.25\00:05:45.89
you tend to go
towards kind of legalism
00:05:45.92\00:05:47.97
that you're
watching out for, you know,
00:05:48.00\00:05:50.26
catching anybody going wrong.
00:05:50.29\00:05:52.72
If you go on the weak
side, the emphasis on love,
00:05:52.75\00:05:55.34
then you tend to
forget, you know,
00:05:55.37\00:05:58.06
the importance of
truth and you'll say
00:05:58.09\00:05:59.86
well, anything goes wrong,
it doesn't matter what you do,
00:05:59.89\00:06:02.02
you know, God still
loves you, you know, it's okay.
00:06:02.05\00:06:04.53
You're always welcome, you know,
00:06:04.56\00:06:06.17
and it's always
acceptable whatever you do.
00:06:06.20\00:06:08.30
So you got to have
this balance in between
00:06:08.33\00:06:11.07
and sometimes a focus on the end
00:06:11.10\00:06:13.87
can focus maybe
on the strong side
00:06:13.90\00:06:15.59
and you forget the weak side,
00:06:15.62\00:06:16.99
so Peter says look,
you need to emphasize love,
00:06:17.02\00:06:19.93
you need to keep
your focus on that.
00:06:19.96\00:06:21.48
Well, can we better press on?
00:06:21.51\00:06:23.42
Why don't we look at verse 8?
00:06:23.45\00:06:25.15
Peter says for love will
cover a multitude of sins
00:06:25.18\00:06:28.61
and apparently he's
quoting from another book.
00:06:28.64\00:06:31.84
From the Book of Proverbs.
00:06:31.87\00:06:33.24
Okay. Well, it seems so.
00:06:33.27\00:06:35.45
It's not the text
isn't an exact quote
00:06:35.48\00:06:39.38
but in Proverbs 10:12, it says,
00:06:39.41\00:06:41.67
"Hatred stirs up dissension,
love covers over all wrongs."
00:06:41.70\00:06:45.48
And is Peter here suggesting
that love forgives sins?
00:06:45.51\00:06:50.44
Well, not so
much. Not exactly that.
00:06:50.47\00:06:52.83
Love is not forgiving sins here.
00:06:52.86\00:06:56.18
In Proverbs 10, you
see there's a parallelism
00:06:56.21\00:06:59.52
between hatred
stirs up dissention,
00:06:59.55\00:07:02.19
love covers all wrongs,
00:07:02.22\00:07:04.18
so they stand in
opposition to one another
00:07:04.21\00:07:06.79
but instead he's--he's not
suggesting a cover up of sin.
00:07:06.82\00:07:11.26
You know, so that if
you can do whatever you want
00:07:11.29\00:07:13.21
but instead he's teaching
that love is forbearing,
00:07:13.24\00:07:16.32
love deals with other people
patiently and cares for them
00:07:16.35\00:07:21.51
it's similar to
Jesus words in Matthew 18
00:07:21.54\00:07:24.58
were he says that
if your brother sins,
00:07:24.61\00:07:27.37
you go to him yourself
and you talk to him alone
00:07:27.40\00:07:30.55
because you see
sin is a shameful thing
00:07:30.58\00:07:35.46
and we shouldn't
expose it to lots of people.
00:07:35.49\00:07:39.56
When somebody sins you
just go to that person alone.
00:07:39.59\00:07:42.29
Don't tell it to everybody else.
00:07:42.32\00:07:44.55
We do just the opposite to
it usually what Jesus said.
00:07:44.58\00:07:47.08
He said go to him alone
then take two or three others,
00:07:47.11\00:07:49.11
then tell to the
church if they all listen.
00:07:49.14\00:07:50.63
We tell it to the church
00:07:50.66\00:07:52.22
and we never go to
the brother by themselves.
00:07:52.25\00:07:54.55
Then they're hurt
and there is hypocrisy,
00:07:54.58\00:07:57.64
then there is back biting
and there's all kinds of probes.
00:07:57.67\00:07:59.98
We should follow Jesus'
method of dealing with issues,
00:08:00.01\00:08:02.70
forbearing with
people but working with them
00:08:02.73\00:08:04.98
on individual
bases, you know. All right.
00:08:05.01\00:08:08.27
And why don't we go on
to verses 10 and 11 here.
00:08:08.30\00:08:11.58
It seems like
Peter is now shifting
00:08:11.61\00:08:14.12
to the aspects of service.
00:08:14.15\00:08:17.48
Yes, lets reads
those verses again,
00:08:17.51\00:08:18.92
they're quite interesting.
00:08:18.95\00:08:20.66
"As each one
has received a gift,
00:08:20.69\00:08:22.46
minister it to one another,
00:08:22.49\00:08:25.60
as good stewards of
the manifold grace of God.
00:08:25.63\00:08:28.50
If anyone speaks, let him
speak of the oracles of God.
00:08:28.53\00:08:31.68
If anyone
ministers, let him do it
00:08:31.71\00:08:34.07
as with the
ability which God supplies,
00:08:34.10\00:08:36.38
that in all things God may be
glorified through Jesus Christ,
00:08:36.41\00:08:40.38
to whom belong the glory
00:08:40.41\00:08:42.62
and the dominion
forever and ever. Amen."
00:08:42.65\00:08:45.76
All right, very good.
00:08:45.79\00:08:47.54
Now you see here
in verse 10 he says,
00:08:47.57\00:08:50.37
"As you've received a gift,"
00:08:50.40\00:08:52.77
he is clearly talking
about spiritual gifts.
00:08:52.80\00:08:54.94
He doesn't have the long
list like Paul tends to have.
00:08:54.97\00:08:57.97
He has kind of a short list
00:08:58.00\00:08:59.40
but we'll see
that his short list
00:08:59.43\00:09:00.91
kind of catches
everything in its net.
00:09:00.94\00:09:03.62
But he starts off and he says,
00:09:03.65\00:09:05.54
you've received a gift, he said
00:09:05.57\00:09:07.64
so you should use
it to serve one another
00:09:07.67\00:09:10.89
and then he uses
this interesting word,
00:09:10.92\00:09:13.20
he says, "As good
stewards of Gods very grace."
00:09:13.23\00:09:18.61
Do you know what a
steward is? What's a steward?
00:09:18.64\00:09:21.73
A steward in my
understanding is a good manager.
00:09:21.76\00:09:24.68
A steward, our term
today is a manager, okay.
00:09:24.71\00:09:28.40
Now what's the
difference between
00:09:28.43\00:09:30.30
the manager of a bank
and the owner of a bank?
00:09:30.33\00:09:33.88
Well, the manager
has a reasonability role,
00:09:33.91\00:09:37.18
where as the owner
doesn't really have
00:09:37.21\00:09:40.74
that big burden of reasonability
if something goes wrong.
00:09:40.77\00:09:45.09
The owner can make decisions
00:09:45.12\00:09:46.56
and without
really having to contact
00:09:46.59\00:09:49.36
or ask for any
type of approval by any.
00:09:49.39\00:09:53.94
All right, so the
owner actually owns the thing
00:09:53.97\00:09:57.21
and the manager is taking care
of it for the owner, all right.
00:09:57.24\00:10:01.73
So Peter here talks
about us being managers
00:10:01.76\00:10:06.07
or stewards of the
gifts that God has given us.
00:10:06.10\00:10:11.70
The Adventist Church
has this very interesting
00:10:11.73\00:10:13.48
and powerful
teaching called stewardship.
00:10:13.51\00:10:16.97
And most people when
they think of stewardship,
00:10:17.00\00:10:18.96
they think of money.
00:10:18.99\00:10:20.63
That's right.
They think of money.
00:10:20.66\00:10:22.10
Today we're gonna
talk about stewardship.
00:10:22.13\00:10:24.44
Ah, they're
gonna talk about money.
00:10:24.47\00:10:26.17
Tithe and offerings.
Tithes and offerings.
00:10:26.20\00:10:28.51
Actually it's much more than
that, it is all of our life.
00:10:28.54\00:10:33.51
Some people think of that
00:10:33.54\00:10:34.91
we're making
contributions to the church
00:10:34.94\00:10:38.08
but there's a big difference
00:10:38.11\00:10:39.48
between a
contribution and commitment.
00:10:39.51\00:10:42.69
You see,
contribution and commitment,
00:10:42.72\00:10:44.64
it's like the story
of a pig and a chicken
00:10:44.67\00:10:48.39
talking to each
other, made up of course.
00:10:48.42\00:10:51.49
And the farmer was planning
00:10:51.52\00:10:53.67
to have bacon and
eggs for breakfast.
00:10:53.70\00:10:56.62
He hadn't heard
the health message yet
00:10:56.65\00:10:58.41
and he was planning to have
bacon and eggs for breakfast.
00:10:58.44\00:11:00.61
And the pig said to the chicken,
"You know, madam Chicken."
00:11:00.64\00:11:03.59
He says, "you are
making a contributions
00:11:03.62\00:11:07.17
to this breakfast but
for me its total commitment."
00:11:07.20\00:11:12.54
So when we think of
this idea of stewardship,
00:11:12.57\00:11:16.40
God has placed
into our hands His goods
00:11:16.43\00:11:20.18
they don't belong to
us, we are not our own,
00:11:20.21\00:11:23.61
we don't belong to
ourselves, we belong to God.
00:11:23.64\00:11:25.89
He says, "You are to use these
gifts to bless other people."
00:11:25.92\00:11:30.66
That's the purpose He
gives you the gifts for,
00:11:30.69\00:11:33.06
He gives you the gift of live
and He gives you opportunities.
00:11:33.09\00:11:35.67
He has two groups of
gifts that he refers to,
00:11:35.70\00:11:39.23
He talks about "Speaking"
and he talks about "Serving."
00:11:39.26\00:11:43.90
So one you could say is in words
and the other is in action.
00:11:43.93\00:11:49.73
Peter focus both
of these ideas on God.
00:11:49.76\00:11:53.91
You see, he says,
00:11:53.94\00:11:55.71
"That if you're
given the gift of speaking,
00:11:55.74\00:11:58.06
you speaks the oracles of God
00:11:58.09\00:12:00.14
and whoever serves the one
00:12:00.17\00:12:01.72
who serves by the
strength that God supplies,
00:12:01.75\00:12:04.96
so that in everything God may be
glorified through Jesus Christ."
00:12:04.99\00:12:09.68
The goal of our
life as Christians
00:12:09.71\00:12:12.58
is to glorify
God, not ourselves.
00:12:12.61\00:12:15.79
In the process of blessing
others and encouraging them,
00:12:15.82\00:12:19.18
we ourselves are actually
lifted up when you glorify God,
00:12:19.21\00:12:23.19
it encourages your heart,
00:12:23.22\00:12:24.91
it brings you up
to a higher level.
00:12:24.94\00:12:27.45
That's the purpose of
our being in the church.
00:12:27.48\00:12:30.70
Some people will say,
"Well, that church is so cold,
00:12:30.73\00:12:33.54
I don't think I want go there."
00:12:33.57\00:12:35.63
Well, they need you.
00:12:35.66\00:12:37.32
If you can see that it's cold,
00:12:37.35\00:12:39.68
then you know
what warm is about.
00:12:39.71\00:12:42.86
And God may be
calling you to that church,
00:12:42.89\00:12:44.85
so you can warm it up.
00:12:44.88\00:12:47.13
So instead of complaining about
what's wrong with the church,
00:12:47.16\00:12:50.16
we need to become
part of the solution
00:12:50.19\00:12:52.59
to draw people upward to Christ.
00:12:52.62\00:12:55.17
You know, at the end of
this verse he says, "Amen."
00:12:55.20\00:12:58.87
Almost like he's
done with the book,
00:12:58.90\00:13:00.27
no he's not done, he's still got
00:13:00.30\00:13:01.92
the whole another section to go
00:13:01.95\00:13:03.32
but this is the conclusion
of this section of the book
00:13:03.35\00:13:06.97
and we will be looking at
some more in the next show.
00:13:07.00\00:13:10.14
Once again, Dr. Shepherd,
00:13:10.17\00:13:11.54
we want to thank you
for being with us again
00:13:11.57\00:13:13.22
in this program
"Books of the Book"
00:13:13.25\00:13:15.34
I have been certainly
very blessed in hearing these,
00:13:15.37\00:13:19.75
these Bible study
we're having together.
00:13:19.78\00:13:21.93
Well, God bless you friends.
00:13:21.96\00:13:23.33
Till next time this has
been "Books of the Book."
00:13:23.36\00:13:25.96