The Bible tells us, "In
the beginning was the Word
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and the Word was with
God and the Word was God."
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It says, "To receive with
meekness the implanted word,
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which is able to save your souls
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and to be diligent
to present yourself
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approved to God
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rightly dividing
the word of truth."
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Join us now for the
3ABN Sabbath School Panel,
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our study today
is Feed My Sheep,
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1 and 2 Peter.
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Hello, and welcome to
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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My name is John Lomacang.
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If you've tuned in
before you might know who I am.
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But if you haven't,
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welcome to this
very important topic
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in discussing the overall theme
in our Sabbath School lesson
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for this quarter
"Feed My Sheep'',
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and it has been a journey
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through the first and
second epistles of the book
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of the books written by Peter.
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Can we all say amen to that?
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Amen. That's right.
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It's been a
journey that taxed our mind
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because, you know, as we
look at our panel here today,
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there have been some themes
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that have overlapped
in many ways have kept us
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really digging
into the Word of God
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to find answers to things
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that we thought we
already had answered,
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yet in fact the Lord
impressed Peter so much
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to reiterate these themes,
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and now are brought
to us the importance
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that what has
happened in his day
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is recurring in our day.
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If you like a copy of the lesson
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to follow along with us,
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go to this following
website absg.adventist.org
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and download lesson number 13,
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the final one in
our quarter's lesson,
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the 1 and 2 epistles of Peter.
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Also, I always like to reiterate
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thank you for whatever you do
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for the cause of
God for this ministry,
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prayers, your financial support,
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very important we cannot do
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what we do without
you standing with us
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as we prepare for the
second coming of Jesus.
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But before we go
onto our Bible study,
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we're gonna ask for you
to bow your heads with us
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and I'll ask, Mollie,
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if you can have
prayer for us today.
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Holy Father, we come
before You in the name of Jesus
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and, Father, we are so
grateful for this opportunity
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to share Your word.
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Father, we pray for
everyone that is listening,
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everyone that is
watching, Father.
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Open up all of our hearts,
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Lord, that as the word
goes forth it will be implanted,
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it will take root, it will grow,
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and it will produce
bountifully for Your kingdom,
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is our prayer in
Jesus' name, amen.
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Amen. Amen.
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The major themes
in 1 and 2 Peter,
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there are five,
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the themes are
major all the way through
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when we look at
the Epistles of Peter.
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One thing that
strikes me amazingly about
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the Apostle Peter is
what the Lord could have,
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what the Lord was
able to do in his life
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after he was converted.
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Yes. Not before but after.
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Yes.
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He had an encounter with Christ,
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when the Lord said to him,
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"Satan desires
to sift you as wheat
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but I have prayed that
your faith will not fail."
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And then he became
one of those pillars
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in the development of
the New Testament church.
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And so, when we look at
the introduction of the lesson,
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there are two areas
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that were big issues
in the Christian church,
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persecution and false teachings.
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And everything was
bathed in those two areas
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where the devil could
not persecute and discourage
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he saw to distort and redirect.
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And so Satan's
tactics are not new,
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persecution and destruction
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or persecution and
deception are tactics
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that he often uses
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which ends up in either way
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to the destruction of the person
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that is taken by
that particular snare.
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So as we look at
that, let's go to Sunday,
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we're gonna look at suffering,
Jesus and Salvation on June 18.
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And there are five
particular passages
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that are brought
out in this lesson,
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each one of them
are notes is noteworthy
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about the topic of salvation.
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What do each of these
passages say about salvation?
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As you wrap up the theme though,
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we'll find that Peter
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when he talked
about persecution,
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what I liked about this
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is he didn't just
talk about the people
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that are being
persecuted in the congregation,
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or the people that
were being persecuted
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for standing for their faith,
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or the preachers
that were being persecuted
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for telling the truth
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but he, he bended all the way
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back to where
it should have been
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because Jesus
said, "Blessed are those
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who are persecuted
for righteousness sake."
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And what Peter is
in essence saying is,
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"If you're not living in harmony
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with the will of God,
you wouldn't be persecuted."
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And so we have to
keep that in mind to,
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persecution doesn't come
because people don't like you
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but as one person
once said and I like this,
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"They don't like
the Jesus in you."
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Right.
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If they didn't see
something in you that cause them
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to be either offended or
bent in the wrong direction,
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they really wouldn't feel
the need to persecute you.
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So, what in essence
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he is saying is
don't allow persecution
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to be personal thing
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because if Jesus said,
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"They didn't like me
and I'm the green tree,"
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how would they like you
and you're not a green tree.
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If they do this to a
tree that produces fruit,
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what would they do to a tree
that does not produce fruit?
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And so, a point was
made in one of our lessons,
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I think a while ago,
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Mollie, brought out
something's that I never forgot,
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the difference
between suffering, pruning,
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and what was the other one?
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Chastening. Chastening.
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And chastening.
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And so you've got to understand
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why the Lord
allows you to go through
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what He allows
you to go through,
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but always
remember this very thing,
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you would not go
through what you go through
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except the Lord saw that one day
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you'll be refined
gold with no spot,
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no wrinkle, or any such thing.
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Amen.
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So let's look at
some of these motivations.
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We'll first begin by
going to 1 Peter 1 and,
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but I want to look at the
memory text together first
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because we
always start with that
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and the memory text is taken
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from 1 Peter 2:24 New
Revised Standard Version
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but as we read it in our
lesson together we can follow,
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let's read it together.
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It says, "He Himself
bore our sins in His body
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on the cross,
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so that free from sins,
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we might live for righteousness,
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by his wounds you
have been healed."
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Amen.
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Sounds like Isaiah 53, by
stripes we have been healed.
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What's amazing about
the New Testament writers is
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that they had
the constant themes
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of the Old Testament writers,
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in one of the prior
lessons we talked about that,
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the Old Testament, how
it became a guiding light
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and now we have
the New Testament
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which in fact
reflects back on the things
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that were hidden in the old
had been revealed in the new,
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and the things that
have been revealed in the new
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were forecast or
prognosticated in the old.
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But Peter now
unfolds these motivations
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and I'd like to...
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I'd like to have us walk through
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each one of these five passages
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that are
highlighted by the person that
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or persons that
compiled our lesson.
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We'll begin with 1
Peter 1:2 and the question is,
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read the following passages
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and note what each
reveals about salvation.
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Let's start with the
first one, 1 Peter 1:2.
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Who has that for us?
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Anybody has that...
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Jill, would you
read that for us?
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"Elect according to
the foreknowledge of God
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the Father in
sanctification of the Spirit,
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for obedience and sprinkling
of the blood of Christ:
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Grace to you and
peace be multiplied."
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Okay, now the part I
want to emphasize is,
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"The foreknowledge of God".
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Now there is knowledge
and there is foreknowledge.
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I always treat
foreknowledge this way,
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just say you're standing on
the 30th storey in a building,
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you're on the 30th floor,
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you're standing at the very
extreme corner of the building
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which means you
can see to the west
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and you can see to the south.
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And you see two
vehicles speeding
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as they were to the intersection
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and while they're driving,
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you see someone come
and remove the stop signs
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and you think, "I know
exactly what's gonna happen,
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I didn't set anything in
motion but I know exactly,
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I know it's gonna happen."
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Now they have knowledge that
there's an intersection coming
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but God has foreknowledge
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as to what's going to occur
if one of them doesn't stop.
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And so the
foreknowledge of God says,
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"Before the events
of humanity unfold,
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I have looked
into the past and seen,
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I looked to the future and see."
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He is the eyes of the church,
He's the head of the church,
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He hears for us, He sees for us,
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He thinks for
us, He speaks for us.
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When you think about the cross,
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it wasn't Jesus'
mind that failed Him,
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it was the body that failed Him.
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You're right.
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And so, when Paul,
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when the
Apostle Peter sees this,
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he says a number of things,
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one, we have to trust in
the foreknowledge of God.
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And the foreknowledge of God,
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He allows to be
revealed briefly in His word.
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He only reveals those things
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that He sees is
necessary for our salvation.
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Now here is where
the danger comes in
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and Peter talks about this.
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When someone tries
to explain something
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that the Lord has not revealed,
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we're going down the wrong path.
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Absolutely.
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He says the secret
things belong to the Lord.
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But the things that are revealed
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belong to us
and to our children.
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Often the apostasies of
the church go through is
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when people ask
questions that are not,
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the answers are not
revealed in the word.
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For example
somebody sent me a letter,
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"What are we gonna eat in
heaven other than fruits?"
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And I responded back
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and they got
upset at my response.
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I said, "The Bible has not
revealed that knowledge to us,
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but I'm sure that you
will not be disappointed
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when you get there."
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They said, "Well, why
can't you answer my question?"
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I said, "Because God
didn't see it necessary to say,
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whether they're gonna
be Vega-Links or, you know,
00:09:28.76\00:09:31.90
Big Franks."
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I believe there is gonna
be butter for our corn though.
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But there are some
people, you know, the other one,
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"What was Adam's race?"
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Human race, he was
the father of all of us.
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We've all come from one father,
different mothers, you know,
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"Was Jesus black, white,
was He Asian, was He Hispanic?"
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Well, where He's
from in the world
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he couldn't be European,
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all these unnecessary questions.
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From one blood came all nations.
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And so we have to
trust the sanctification
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that comes through the
work of the Spirit of God.
00:10:01.53\00:10:03.93
You've to trust
God's foreknowledge
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and the other thing 1
Peter 1:8-9, who has that?
00:10:05.73\00:10:08.54
Let's go to 1 Peter 1:8-9.
00:10:08.57\00:10:10.87
Let's try to get
through the other components
00:10:10.91\00:10:12.31
that he brings out
so classically here.
00:10:12.34\00:10:14.18
Do you have that, Shelly? Yes.
00:10:14.24\00:10:15.94
"Whom having not seen,
you love," speaking of Christ,
00:10:15.98\00:10:19.38
"Though now you do not
see Him, yet believing,
00:10:19.41\00:10:21.92
you rejoice with
joy inexpressible
00:10:21.95\00:10:24.79
and full of glory,
00:10:24.85\00:10:26.19
receiving the end or
the goal of your faith,
00:10:26.22\00:10:29.52
which is the
salvation of your souls."
00:10:29.56\00:10:31.39
What Peter is saying
here is belief is possible
00:10:31.43\00:10:33.56
even in the
absence of a visible God.
00:10:33.60\00:10:35.56
Right, amen.
00:10:35.60\00:10:36.93
He's saying to the
New Testament church,
00:10:36.97\00:10:38.30
"I'm preaching to you
about somebody you haven't seen,
00:10:38.33\00:10:39.83
but I have.
00:10:39.87\00:10:42.24
And I am sharing this
with inexpressible joy
00:10:42.27\00:10:45.37
and I'm full of the
glory that I have experienced."
00:10:45.41\00:10:49.21
Even though we may, even
though we do not see the Christ,
00:10:49.24\00:10:52.68
Paul is saying we could rejoice
and the end result of that
00:10:52.71\00:10:56.32
or the goal of our
faith, thank you for saying that
00:10:56.35\00:10:58.15
because the end result
here was the goal of our faith.
00:10:58.19\00:10:59.79
Amen.
00:10:59.82\00:11:01.26
"The goal of our faith is
the salvation of our souls."
00:11:01.29\00:11:03.99
So belief leads to
an expression of joy
00:11:04.03\00:11:08.56
and a revelation of God's glory.
00:11:08.60\00:11:10.53
But if you don't believe,
00:11:10.57\00:11:11.90
then skepticism
comes as it scoffers,
00:11:11.93\00:11:15.24
skepticism comes,
but then he also says,
00:11:15.27\00:11:17.54
"Continuous faith results
in the salvation of our souls."
00:11:17.57\00:11:21.41
Have to keep trusting.
Let's go to the next one.
00:11:21.44\00:11:23.11
1 Peter 1:18-19, Pastor Tom,
can you read that one for us?
00:11:23.14\00:11:28.15
1 Peter 1:18-19.
00:11:28.18\00:11:30.02
"Knowing that
you were not redeemed
00:11:30.05\00:11:31.69
with corruptible
things, like silver or gold,
00:11:31.72\00:11:34.09
from the aimless
conduct received by tradition
00:11:34.12\00:11:37.56
from your fathers,
00:11:37.59\00:11:38.93
but with
precious blood of Christ,
00:11:38.96\00:11:40.93
as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot."
00:11:40.96\00:11:45.47
Okay, so what is
being said here is
00:11:45.50\00:11:47.64
when you think of the
price of our salvation,
00:11:47.67\00:11:49.50
I mean, we have
millionaires, billionaires,
00:11:49.54\00:11:51.94
we have a deficit
that's in the trillions.
00:11:51.97\00:11:54.11
And we were
visiting in England recently
00:11:54.18\00:11:56.04
and I asked, well,
we saw the crown jewels,
00:11:56.08\00:11:59.25
they're in the
Buckingham Palace,
00:11:59.28\00:12:00.82
no, no, in the...
anyway, I don't remember...
00:12:00.88\00:12:04.22
Tower of London.
00:12:04.25\00:12:05.59
The Tower on London, the
Tower of London. Thank you.
00:12:05.62\00:12:07.26
I saw the crown
jewels and I said,
00:12:07.29\00:12:09.19
"Well, what is the cost,
what is the worth of that?"
00:12:09.22\00:12:11.86
And the lady said,
00:12:11.89\00:12:13.23
"What's the deficit in America?"
00:12:13.26\00:12:14.60
And I said, "Well,
it's in the trillions."
00:12:14.63\00:12:15.96
She said, "It will pay off
the deficit and then some."
00:12:16.00\00:12:19.33
And I said, "Can
we borrow that crown?
00:12:19.37\00:12:21.70
We'll give it back, I promise."
00:12:21.74\00:12:24.31
You see, there is no deficit
in the righteousness of Jesus.
00:12:24.34\00:12:28.81
His blood is
sufficient for our salvation
00:12:28.84\00:12:31.68
because it's not corruptible,
00:12:31.71\00:12:33.11
it's not gold or
silver but the precious blood.
00:12:33.15\00:12:35.95
So salvation is not something
purchased by temporary things.
00:12:35.98\00:12:39.75
Redemption is only possible
00:12:39.79\00:12:41.76
through the
incorruptible blood of Jesus.
00:12:41.79\00:12:43.76
Amen.
00:12:43.79\00:12:45.13
And one last one I'll
read at a great pace here,
00:12:45.16\00:12:47.60
2 Peter 2:22-25.
00:12:47.66\00:12:50.07
Second or first?
Oh, 1 Peter 2:22-25.
00:12:50.10\00:12:54.70
"Who committed no sin,
00:12:54.74\00:12:56.40
nor was deceive
found in His mouth,
00:12:56.44\00:12:58.27
who when He was reviled,
did not revile in return,
00:12:58.31\00:13:01.81
when He suffered,
He did not threatened,
00:13:01.84\00:13:04.05
but committed Himself to
Him who judges righteously,
00:13:04.08\00:13:07.35
who Himself bore our sins
in His own body on the tree,
00:13:07.38\00:13:11.39
that we, having died to sin,
might live for righteousness,
00:13:11.42\00:13:14.79
by whose
stripes you were healed.
00:13:14.86\00:13:16.89
For you were like
sheep going astray,
00:13:16.93\00:13:20.13
but have now
returned to the shepherd
00:13:20.16\00:13:22.26
and overseer of your souls."
00:13:22.30\00:13:24.63
Oh, I love this whole thing.
00:13:24.67\00:13:26.00
Revival is only possible
when we consider the price
00:13:26.03\00:13:28.90
that Jesus paid for us.
00:13:28.94\00:13:30.57
And notice how He did that.
00:13:30.61\00:13:32.14
He didn't take it even
thought it was personal,
00:13:32.17\00:13:35.71
He did not allow the persecution
00:13:35.74\00:13:37.31
that He went through
00:13:37.35\00:13:38.68
to cause Him to
change His course
00:13:38.71\00:13:40.78
because He had, His course
was to save everyone of us.
00:13:40.82\00:13:44.75
And I'll leave it
there because, you know,
00:13:44.79\00:13:47.12
when you think of the suffering,
00:13:47.16\00:13:48.49
and Jesus in salvation,
00:13:48.52\00:13:50.09
when you think of all
things leveled against Him,
00:13:50.13\00:13:52.73
the question now
is, how shall we live?
00:13:52.76\00:13:54.86
And, Mollie, that's
today that you have to cover.
00:13:54.93\00:13:56.67
How should we live in
light of all these things?
00:13:56.70\00:13:58.33
And looking at the
themes in 1 and 2 Peter,
00:13:58.37\00:14:01.40
I was overjoyed
00:14:01.44\00:14:02.77
when I receive
this to look into,
00:14:02.80\00:14:06.37
how should we live?
00:14:06.41\00:14:08.04
And one of the
things that Peter returns
00:14:08.08\00:14:11.81
to how should we live is simply,
00:14:11.85\00:14:14.78
how should we live
godly in Christ Jesus?
00:14:14.82\00:14:18.49
And 2 Peter 3:11,
he states it like this,
00:14:18.52\00:14:24.29
"Since all these things
00:14:24.33\00:14:27.60
are to be dissolved in this way,
00:14:27.66\00:14:30.60
what sort of persons ought
you to be in leading lives,"
00:14:30.63\00:14:34.87
and he says it, "Of
holiness and godliness."
00:14:34.90\00:14:38.77
Now, prerequisite to this,
00:14:38.81\00:14:41.01
"Since all these things
00:14:41.04\00:14:42.61
are to be
dissolved in this way."
00:14:42.64\00:14:44.58
What is he talking about?
00:14:44.61\00:14:46.75
Everything you see,
everything that exists,
00:14:46.78\00:14:49.92
Pastor, can we say that
00:14:49.95\00:14:51.95
everything is
going to be dissolved,
00:14:51.99\00:14:53.69
that everything...
00:14:53.72\00:14:55.86
When you live in
this beautiful home
00:14:55.89\00:14:59.26
and you're so
proud of this home,
00:14:59.29\00:15:01.50
look at that home
because in that day,
00:15:01.56\00:15:04.80
everything you see around
you is going to be destroyed,
00:15:04.83\00:15:08.27
it's going to be
burned with fire,
00:15:08.30\00:15:10.04
it's going to be dissolved.
00:15:10.07\00:15:11.84
The only thing that you
can take into the presence
00:15:11.87\00:15:15.11
of all mighty God is what?
00:15:15.14\00:15:16.61
And we say this so often
here at 3ABN is the character.
00:15:16.64\00:15:21.28
So he says here,
00:15:21.35\00:15:24.09
"Taking into account
00:15:24.12\00:15:25.45
that everything that
you hold dear right now
00:15:25.49\00:15:28.96
is going to be dissolved.
00:15:28.99\00:15:30.33
What sort of person ought
you to be in leading lives of?"
00:15:30.36\00:15:34.93
And he says it, "Godliness,
holiness, and godliness."
00:15:34.93\00:15:39.40
Amen.
00:15:39.43\00:15:40.77
And that's just described
in plain old Christian decorum.
00:15:40.80\00:15:44.81
Now let me read
to you Hebrews 12:14.
00:15:44.84\00:15:48.61
Hebrews 12:14 says,
"Pursue peace with all people,
00:15:48.64\00:15:54.82
and holiness, without
which no one will see the Lord."
00:15:54.85\00:16:00.29
Amen.
00:16:00.32\00:16:01.66
Without holiness no
one will see the Lord.
00:16:01.72\00:16:04.86
And without that
perfected character
00:16:04.89\00:16:08.50
you have nothing to take
00:16:08.53\00:16:09.86
into the
presence of almighty God.
00:16:09.90\00:16:12.27
So we can't be shortsighted.
00:16:12.30\00:16:15.77
This isn't all there is.
00:16:15.80\00:16:17.61
We must use this day, this time
00:16:17.64\00:16:21.28
that we have on
this side of eternity
00:16:21.31\00:16:23.65
to prepare ourselves for
the other side of eternity.
00:16:23.68\00:16:29.28
Holiness and godliness,
those aren't scary words.
00:16:29.32\00:16:33.76
When writing the dress code
00:16:33.79\00:16:37.86
for the ladies at 3ABN,
00:16:37.93\00:16:41.10
I wanted to read
you a portion of that,
00:16:41.16\00:16:44.33
it goes something like this,
00:16:44.37\00:16:45.77
actually it doesn't
go something like this,
00:16:45.80\00:16:47.74
it goes exactly like this
00:16:47.80\00:16:49.20
because I copied it
out of the dress code.
00:16:49.24\00:16:53.07
"Although," I tell the ladies
00:16:53.11\00:16:55.04
"We want our working environment
00:16:55.08\00:16:56.95
to be friendly and comfortable.
00:16:56.98\00:16:59.61
We must never forget that
we are a Christian organization
00:16:59.65\00:17:04.25
and therefore must
reflect godly decorum."
00:17:04.29\00:17:08.26
What's decorum?
00:17:08.29\00:17:09.62
It's just the way
we conduct our lives,
00:17:09.66\00:17:11.83
just our daily living.
00:17:11.86\00:17:13.36
"And Christian modesty
not just every now and then
00:17:13.40\00:17:16.93
but at all times."
00:17:16.97\00:17:18.53
Just live godly in Christ Jesus.
00:17:18.57\00:17:21.30
I will never have to
go to any of the ladies
00:17:21.34\00:17:24.14
and tell them, "You are dressed
inappropriately for work."
00:17:24.17\00:17:28.64
If they will just
dressed with Christian modesty,
00:17:28.68\00:17:32.45
just that common sense,
modesty and Christian decorum.
00:17:32.48\00:17:38.35
In 1 Peter, go to 1
Peter now, the first chapter,
00:17:38.39\00:17:42.62
we're going to look
just at verses 15 and 16.
00:17:42.66\00:17:47.03
"But as He who called you is..."
00:17:47.03\00:17:50.77
What's that word? Holy.
00:17:50.80\00:17:52.13
"Holy, you also be holy in..."
00:17:52.17\00:17:55.20
How much of your conduct?
00:17:55.27\00:17:57.41
In all of your
conduct, you've got to be holy,
00:17:57.44\00:18:00.94
"Because it is written:
"Be ye holy, for I am holy."'
00:18:00.98\00:18:03.78
Now, let me ask you
this because that word holy,
00:18:03.81\00:18:06.95
Pastor Lomacang,
it just scares people
00:18:06.98\00:18:09.32
and I hear it and I
say, I just can't do it,
00:18:09.35\00:18:11.29
so they just give up?
00:18:11.35\00:18:12.69
No, holy doesn't mean that
you don't ever make mistakes.
00:18:12.72\00:18:16.26
Exactly. Or that
you don't ever mess up.
00:18:16.29\00:18:18.69
Now does it?
00:18:18.73\00:18:20.06
Because if it did
none of us would qualify,
00:18:20.10\00:18:22.43
that's just a fact.
00:18:22.46\00:18:24.20
Holiness means
that we are dedicated
00:18:24.23\00:18:28.07
and consecrated to God.
00:18:28.10\00:18:30.21
I dedicate my life,
"Lord I give myself to you.
00:18:30.24\00:18:33.27
I commit myself to you."
00:18:33.31\00:18:35.64
And I just know every time
I teach, I use the scripture,
00:18:35.68\00:18:39.58
I didn't even put
it in my notes thinking
00:18:39.61\00:18:41.85
I wouldn't use it this
time but it's 1 John 1:9.
00:18:41.88\00:18:45.32
We just, oh, we just
have to go back to that.
00:18:45.35\00:18:48.19
Oh, we want to be
holy, of course we do.
00:18:48.22\00:18:51.16
We all want to be conformed
00:18:51.19\00:18:52.63
to the image of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:18:52.66\00:18:54.93
We want holiness and
godliness working within us.
00:18:54.93\00:18:58.57
But if we sin, if we sin,
00:18:58.60\00:19:02.67
well, let's take the if out,
what word do I put in there?
00:19:02.70\00:19:05.47
When. When we sin.
00:19:05.54\00:19:07.51
When we sinned, thank God
00:19:07.54\00:19:09.88
that we have the
advocate with the Father,
00:19:09.91\00:19:11.88
we have the
advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ
00:19:11.91\00:19:14.95
and we confess our
sins and He's faithful
00:19:14.98\00:19:17.19
and just to forgives
us and to cleanse us,
00:19:17.22\00:19:19.62
and then we stand
before God with clean hands
00:19:19.65\00:19:22.86
and a pure heart once again.
00:19:22.89\00:19:25.16
So that's what
He's calling us to do.
00:19:25.19\00:19:27.50
Verse 17 now
that's 1 Peter 1:17,
00:19:27.56\00:19:31.67
"And if you call on the Father
00:19:31.70\00:19:34.57
who without partiality judges
according to each one's work."
00:19:34.64\00:19:39.21
Yes, you are going to
stand before the Father,
00:19:39.24\00:19:42.31
and yes, there
is a judgment day,
00:19:42.34\00:19:45.15
"Conduct yourselves
00:19:45.18\00:19:47.58
through out the time of
your stay here in fear."
00:19:47.62\00:19:52.42
So what he's saying is
00:19:52.45\00:19:53.89
as long as you're
alive here on this earth
00:19:53.92\00:19:57.19
conduct your life,
00:19:57.23\00:19:58.76
that word fear
doesn't mean scared.
00:19:58.83\00:20:01.26
What does it mean?
00:20:01.30\00:20:02.66
Just in reverence to God. Amen.
00:20:02.70\00:20:04.93
Oh, just be willing
and obedient children.
00:20:04.97\00:20:08.70
And then he says in 1 Peter 2:1,
00:20:08.74\00:20:12.67
"He gives us attributes of one
00:20:12.71\00:20:16.01
who is living a holy
life, one who has..."
00:20:16.04\00:20:19.45
And can I ask you this?
00:20:19.48\00:20:21.02
Have you dedicated
your life to the Lord?
00:20:21.05\00:20:23.45
Have you said, "Oh God,
look at all my imperfections,
00:20:23.49\00:20:27.66
help Lord, help."
00:20:27.69\00:20:29.02
You know, that's all
you'll have to say to the Lord.
00:20:29.06\00:20:31.13
We cannot overcome
in our own abilities,
00:20:31.19\00:20:33.66
not the most
holy person, you know,
00:20:33.70\00:20:38.00
isn't perfected in every area.
00:20:38.03\00:20:39.63
That's right.
00:20:39.67\00:20:41.00
And though, and
they haven't got to where
00:20:41.04\00:20:42.70
they are now in
their own strength,
00:20:42.74\00:20:45.34
except for the work
00:20:45.37\00:20:46.94
of the Holy
Spirit in their lives,
00:20:46.98\00:20:49.31
they have no hope just as,
00:20:49.34\00:20:51.11
we all have to depend on God,
00:20:51.18\00:20:53.21
by the power of
His Spirit to draw us
00:20:53.25\00:20:55.85
out of darkness and into light.
00:20:55.88\00:20:58.12
Let's read 1 Peter 2:1
"Therefore, laying aside..."
00:20:58.15\00:21:02.89
Who does the
laying aside? We do.
00:21:02.92\00:21:05.19
See, we are actively
involved but when, it says,
00:21:05.23\00:21:09.76
"All malice, all
deceit, all hypocrisies,
00:21:09.80\00:21:12.83
envy, and evil speaking."
00:21:12.87\00:21:14.50
And I'm going to
touch on this evil speaking.
00:21:14.57\00:21:16.87
But let's choose
that word deceit,
00:21:16.91\00:21:18.91
let's say, what was deceit,
00:21:18.94\00:21:20.28
that would be
like lying, Shelley.
00:21:20.31\00:21:22.21
So, let's say you have
this strong propensity to lie,
00:21:22.24\00:21:25.71
and you have said, "God,
I am not gonna lie anymore."
00:21:25.75\00:21:28.92
And you know what
you find yourself doing?
00:21:28.95\00:21:31.62
You tell a lie, and you say,
00:21:31.65\00:21:33.09
"Oh, I said, I was
never going to do that again."
00:21:33.12\00:21:36.46
Do you know, in
your own strength
00:21:36.49\00:21:38.26
and in your own
ability, you cannot.
00:21:38.29\00:21:41.06
But if you come before the Lord,
00:21:41.10\00:21:42.80
this dedication and consecration
00:21:42.83\00:21:44.67
I'm talking about,
and you say to God,
00:21:44.70\00:21:47.34
"God I don't want to lie,
00:21:47.37\00:21:49.14
I don't want to be a liar,
I don't want to be a deceiver.
00:21:49.17\00:21:52.64
But God, I'm trying
and I'm doing it anyway,
00:21:52.67\00:21:56.68
oh God, would you help me?"
00:21:56.71\00:21:58.15
You know what He's gonna say?
00:21:58.18\00:21:59.75
He's gonna say, "Oh yes,
I would love to help you.
00:21:59.78\00:22:02.52
I will help you."
00:22:02.55\00:22:03.89
And now I'm going to
show you how He does it,
00:22:03.92\00:22:06.42
the other portion
was, and I believe it said,
00:22:06.45\00:22:09.92
evil speaking,
yeah, evil speaking.
00:22:09.96\00:22:13.03
In that process of laying aside,
00:22:13.06\00:22:15.30
that's that
sanctification process.
00:22:15.33\00:22:18.47
Laying aside,
all of these things
00:22:18.50\00:22:20.74
and I wanted to
touch on James 3:6.
00:22:20.77\00:22:24.11
Go to James 3:6, it says,
00:22:24.14\00:22:26.47
"And the tongue is a
fire, a world of iniquity,
00:22:26.51\00:22:29.78
the tongue is so
set among our members,
00:22:29.81\00:22:32.95
that it defiles the whole body,
00:22:32.98\00:22:34.92
and sets on fire
the course of nature,
00:22:34.95\00:22:38.09
and it is set on fire by hell."
00:22:38.12\00:22:41.36
And so we are not to do...
00:22:41.39\00:22:43.09
to allow evil
speaking, Ephesians says,
00:22:43.12\00:22:46.59
"Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth,
00:22:46.63\00:22:50.23
but that which is good,
good to the use of edifying
00:22:50.27\00:22:54.64
that it may minister
grace to the hearers."
00:22:54.70\00:22:56.87
So this tongue,
it's a little member,
00:22:56.91\00:22:59.21
but it's set on fire of hell,
00:22:59.24\00:23:01.04
and so we don't
want evil speaking
00:23:01.08\00:23:03.68
to proceed out of our
mouth, we don't want to lie.
00:23:03.71\00:23:06.45
So here is what we can do.
00:23:06.48\00:23:08.92
We can pray and ask God to
put a guard over our mouth.
00:23:08.95\00:23:13.79
That would be Proverbs 13:13,
00:23:13.82\00:23:17.09
"He who guards his
mouth preserves his life,
00:23:17.13\00:23:20.03
but he who opens wide his
lips shall have destruction."
00:23:20.06\00:23:24.27
And so we are going to ask God,
00:23:24.30\00:23:26.53
by the power of His
Spirit to put a guard
00:23:26.57\00:23:29.24
over our mouth
and what He will do,
00:23:29.27\00:23:31.21
I promise you He will do this.
00:23:31.24\00:23:33.04
When you start to lie,
00:23:33.07\00:23:34.51
when you start
to do evil speaking,
00:23:34.54\00:23:36.51
hypocrisies,
malice, all of these things,
00:23:36.54\00:23:39.11
He will quicken you by
the power of your spirit
00:23:39.15\00:23:41.68
and you will know that He is...
00:23:41.72\00:23:44.09
the Holy Spirit
is quickening you
00:23:44.12\00:23:45.89
not to tell that lie, not to,
00:23:45.92\00:23:48.26
not to let that evil
speaking come out of you.
00:23:48.32\00:23:50.76
Now you can do
one of two things,
00:23:50.79\00:23:52.69
you can be
obedient to the spirit
00:23:52.73\00:23:54.83
and shut your mouth or
you can override the spirit
00:23:54.86\00:23:58.93
and go ahead
and sin against God.
00:23:58.97\00:24:01.77
But it's in your court
and we want to live godly
00:24:01.84\00:24:05.97
and holy lives everyone of us.
00:24:06.01\00:24:08.24
Amen.
00:24:08.28\00:24:10.28
Shut your mouth.
00:24:10.31\00:24:12.45
That's too cute.
00:24:12.48\00:24:14.05
You know, I have
choose this lesson
00:24:14.08\00:24:15.95
and it's hope in
the second coming
00:24:15.98\00:24:17.45
and it's interesting
00:24:17.49\00:24:19.19
that out of the five
scriptures that are listed,
00:24:19.22\00:24:22.69
that four of them are
on judgment and hellfire
00:24:22.72\00:24:27.20
and it's just the
first one that's about hope.
00:24:27.23\00:24:29.70
But there are three
00:24:29.73\00:24:31.17
that are
particularly about judgment,
00:24:31.20\00:24:32.90
1 Peter 1:17,
where God is the judge,
00:24:32.93\00:24:35.77
1 Peter 4, 5 and 6
Christ is the judge,
00:24:35.80\00:24:38.84
and 1 Peter 4:17, that
judgment begins with the church.
00:24:38.87\00:24:43.18
So, I'm looking
and I'm thinking,
00:24:43.21\00:24:45.75
"How is this
all, why is it titled,
00:24:45.78\00:24:47.72
Hope in the Second Coming?"
00:24:47.75\00:24:49.08
And here's the
conclusion that I've come to.
00:24:49.12\00:24:51.62
He begins with, and
let's turn to 1 Peter 1:4,
00:24:51.65\00:24:54.79
because that's a great beginning
00:24:54.82\00:24:56.19
in 1 Peter 1:4.
00:24:56.22\00:24:58.56
The crucial
issue that was facing
00:24:58.59\00:25:02.43
the church members was
that they were being persecuted,
00:25:02.46\00:25:06.60
they were weary,
00:25:06.63\00:25:07.97
and he's comforting
his readers right now.
00:25:08.00\00:25:10.67
Those who
through faith in Christ
00:25:10.71\00:25:12.24
and through accepting the gospel
00:25:12.27\00:25:14.91
and having new birth,
00:25:14.94\00:25:16.38
that they had this
promise of eternal life.
00:25:16.41\00:25:20.88
And he says in 1 Peter 1:4 that,
00:25:20.92\00:25:23.49
"We have been
saved to an inheritance
00:25:23.52\00:25:26.25
incorruptible, and undefiled,
00:25:26.29\00:25:28.99
that does not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you."
00:25:29.02\00:25:33.03
That's a covenant
promise for covenant people.
00:25:33.06\00:25:37.20
So Peter is telling them,
"No matter what happens here,
00:25:37.23\00:25:40.80
your future
reward is in heaven."
00:25:40.84\00:25:43.64
And hallelujah,
because that's something
00:25:43.67\00:25:45.81
that we have such a
difficult time with,
00:25:45.84\00:25:48.71
but now I'm going
to skip the next three
00:25:48.78\00:25:50.95
that I just mentioned to you.
00:25:50.98\00:25:52.35
Turn to 2 Peter
Chapter 3, because I think that
00:25:52.38\00:25:55.85
there's still a few more things
00:25:55.88\00:25:57.22
and the writer who
compiled this lesson for us.
00:25:57.25\00:26:01.82
This passage, 2 Peter Chapter 3,
00:26:01.86\00:26:04.59
we're gonna see if we can
get through all 10 verses.
00:26:04.63\00:26:08.33
What this does is it
highlights the last judgment
00:26:08.40\00:26:11.37
in the fiery
destruction of the evil.
00:26:11.40\00:26:14.17
And showing that not
only can you have hope
00:26:14.20\00:26:17.91
in your eternal
inheritance reserved in heaven
00:26:17.94\00:26:23.48
but you can have
hope in the second coming
00:26:23.51\00:26:26.15
that God is going
to destroy the wicked,
00:26:26.18\00:26:29.22
He's gonna destroy
those who persecuted you.
00:26:29.25\00:26:32.19
And you know, sin is
not going to rise again.
00:26:32.22\00:26:34.69
Nahum 1:9 says,
right? So, hallelujah.
00:26:34.72\00:26:37.79
He says, "Beloved,
I now write to you,
00:26:37.83\00:26:40.10
this second epistle,
in both of which I stir up
00:26:40.13\00:26:43.37
your pure minds
by way of reminder
00:26:43.40\00:26:45.13
that you may be
mindful of the words,
00:26:45.17\00:26:47.57
which were spoken
before by the holy prophets."
00:26:47.60\00:26:49.90
He's talking about that
00:26:49.94\00:26:51.27
more sure word of
prophecy, isn't he?
00:26:51.31\00:26:52.64
That's right. Excuse me.
00:26:52.67\00:26:55.34
"And of the
commandment of us..."
00:26:55.38\00:26:57.51
The commandment that
the Lord, Jesus Christ
00:26:57.55\00:26:59.81
gave to the apostles to
deliver and what he says,
00:26:59.85\00:27:06.05
"The apostle of
the Lord and Savior."
00:27:06.09\00:27:08.26
So, he's referring to now
not only the Old Testament
00:27:08.29\00:27:12.33
but portions of
the New Testament
00:27:12.36\00:27:14.46
that have been written
as we looked at last week
00:27:14.46\00:27:16.63
that he
considers Paul's writings,
00:27:16.67\00:27:21.04
the New Testament
authority as authoritative
00:27:21.07\00:27:23.84
as the Old Testament.
00:27:23.87\00:27:25.21
So verse 3, "Knowing this first,
00:27:25.27\00:27:27.41
that scoffers, mockers,
will come in the last days,
00:27:27.44\00:27:30.18
walking according
to their own lusts."
00:27:30.21\00:27:34.15
You know, based on the
teachers of the Old Testament
00:27:34.18\00:27:36.65
and the apostles, they
knew what was gonna happen
00:27:36.69\00:27:39.25
in the last days.
00:27:39.29\00:27:40.62
They knew that this was coming
and what was gonna happen.
00:27:40.66\00:27:43.16
And he's warning
them, "Don't be led astray."
00:27:43.19\00:27:46.39
These were sensual minded
men and they didn't look forward
00:27:46.43\00:27:51.70
to the coming of Jesus
that those false teachers
00:27:51.73\00:27:55.27
and they really didn't
want Him to come again,
00:27:55.30\00:27:57.31
because they
have to straighten up.
00:27:57.34\00:27:59.84
Verse 4, "And saying,
00:27:59.87\00:28:01.54
where is the promise of
His coming, His perusal?
00:28:01.58\00:28:06.35
Where is the promise
of His second coming?"
00:28:06.38\00:28:08.98
Now here they're
referring, these false teachers
00:28:09.02\00:28:11.22
are thinking back on
00:28:11.25\00:28:12.75
what all that the
Old Testament had to say
00:28:12.79\00:28:15.42
and what Paul's had to
say, and Peter say, all right.
00:28:15.46\00:28:19.23
You know, all of these promises.
00:28:19.29\00:28:21.60
"We don't see
anything that's change,"
00:28:21.63\00:28:23.33
they say, "For since
the fathers fell asleep..."
00:28:23.37\00:28:25.73
Referring to the sleep of death
00:28:25.80\00:28:27.77
as Jesus referred to
Lazarus sleep of death
00:28:27.80\00:28:30.34
and Paul referrers to
it in 1 Thessalonians 4:13,
00:28:30.37\00:28:34.01
he says, "All things continue
00:28:34.04\00:28:36.14
as they were from the
beginning of creation..."
00:28:36.18\00:28:38.61
And then this is what
false teachers are saying,
00:28:38.68\00:28:41.68
but then here's what Peter says,
00:28:41.75\00:28:43.08
"They willfully forget,
00:28:43.12\00:28:45.15
they deliberately shut
their eyes to the facts
00:28:45.22\00:28:47.72
that by the Word of God,
by His powerful creative word,
00:28:47.76\00:28:53.23
the heavens were of old
00:28:53.26\00:28:54.93
and the earth
standing out of water
00:28:54.96\00:28:56.93
and in the water..."
00:28:56.97\00:28:59.17
That's when God
was preparing the earth
00:28:59.20\00:29:02.20
as a habitation for man
00:29:02.24\00:29:03.91
when he gathered the
waters into one place.
00:29:03.94\00:29:06.27
He said, "By which the
world that then existed perished
00:29:06.31\00:29:10.31
by those same waters
being flooded with water."
00:29:10.35\00:29:14.85
It's, you know, some people say,
00:29:14.88\00:29:16.69
"Oh, a rain of forty
days and forty nights
00:29:16.72\00:29:19.62
could not have
flooded the entire earth."
00:29:19.65\00:29:22.49
But what they're
missing is that, the Bible says,
00:29:22.52\00:29:26.63
"That the fountains
of the deep broke open,
00:29:26.66\00:29:29.50
so, these waters are coming
up, as water is coming down.
00:29:29.53\00:29:33.67
So, but here's the part
that I just absolutely love.
00:29:33.70\00:29:38.34
Well, let me...
00:29:38.37\00:29:39.71
Let me go back to verse 6 first,
00:29:39.74\00:29:41.21
he says, "By which
the world had been existed
00:29:41.24\00:29:43.88
being flooded with
water, but the heavens,
00:29:43.91\00:29:47.32
and the earth
which are now preserved.
00:29:47.35\00:29:50.45
So, by the God same
word, are reserved for fire
00:29:50.49\00:29:55.29
until the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men."
00:29:55.36\00:30:00.16
God destroyed the
ungodly by turning the world
00:30:00.20\00:30:04.83
into a lake of water.
00:30:04.87\00:30:07.74
That's right.
That's the first time.
00:30:07.77\00:30:10.37
But the second time,
God is going to destroy
00:30:10.41\00:30:14.41
the ungodly by turning
the world into a lake of fire.
00:30:14.44\00:30:20.05
The same lake of fire that
Revelation 20 and 21 mentions
00:30:20.08\00:30:24.35
and this will be
the second death,
00:30:24.39\00:30:27.29
the second death it's mentioned.
00:30:27.32\00:30:29.42
And we don't have
time to turn there
00:30:29.46\00:30:31.09
but write these
down, Revelation 2:11,
00:30:31.13\00:30:34.66
Revelation 20:6,
00:30:34.73\00:30:40.77
and Revelation 21:8,
00:30:40.80\00:30:43.24
four times in Revelation,
00:30:43.27\00:30:44.94
it talks about the second death,
00:30:44.97\00:30:47.08
this is that eternal death.
00:30:47.11\00:30:49.41
So then, everybody's saying,
"Where is that like of fire?
00:30:49.44\00:30:52.75
Where is hellfire?"
00:30:52.78\00:30:54.62
It's when God comes
and destroys the world
00:30:54.65\00:30:58.82
by this firestorm.
00:30:58.85\00:31:00.86
So verse 8, he says,
"But beloved do not forget
00:31:00.89\00:31:02.96
this one thing
that with the Lord,
00:31:02.99\00:31:04.86
one day is to
as a thousand years
00:31:04.89\00:31:07.23
and a thousand years as a day."
00:31:07.23\00:31:08.73
This is not a prophetic
time, time score way to keep...
00:31:08.76\00:31:13.84
He just saying
that God's divine,
00:31:13.87\00:31:15.57
He does not
operate on our timetable.
00:31:15.60\00:31:19.24
As a matter of fact,
00:31:19.27\00:31:20.61
there are several
times in the Bible,
00:31:20.64\00:31:22.64
where it says,
"Before time began,
00:31:22.71\00:31:25.38
before time began."
00:31:25.41\00:31:27.08
And now physicists have proven
00:31:27.12\00:31:28.95
that time did not
begin before our world.
00:31:28.98\00:31:32.89
So God doesn't, you know,
when God decrees something,
00:31:32.92\00:31:38.39
He keeps it, it
happens and even though
00:31:38.43\00:31:42.10
it hasn't happened yet,
we can count on it happening.
00:31:42.13\00:31:45.50
But I want to
say that, we need to,
00:31:45.57\00:31:49.47
even though we are
to expect any, any day
00:31:49.50\00:31:52.44
'cause we don't know,
today could be my last day,
00:31:52.51\00:31:54.78
I could be hit by a
Mack truck on the way home.
00:31:54.81\00:31:57.48
So, I need to live
as if today is the day
00:31:57.51\00:32:02.75
that I might meet the Lord.
00:32:02.78\00:32:04.75
But even if He
should delay His coming,
00:32:04.79\00:32:08.72
I am to occupy until,
you know, I heard someone say
00:32:08.79\00:32:12.69
and I forget who said that that,
00:32:12.76\00:32:14.73
"When they were
younger that they were told,
00:32:14.73\00:32:18.03
"Oh, maybe we
shouldn't get married
00:32:18.07\00:32:19.40
and have children
because Christ is coming back."
00:32:19.47\00:32:22.07
No, no, no.
00:32:22.14\00:32:23.61
God said, "Be
fruitful and multiply,
00:32:23.64\00:32:25.61
go out and occupy."
00:32:25.64\00:32:26.98
So we are to go forward.
00:32:27.01\00:32:30.18
Oh, I just don't have much time,
00:32:30.21\00:32:31.81
let me, let me
run down here too.
00:32:31.85\00:32:34.28
I do want to hit on
verse 10, "The day of the Lord,
00:32:34.32\00:32:38.19
God's judgment on the
earth, that's Christ's return,
00:32:38.22\00:32:40.29
will come as a
thief in the night,
00:32:40.32\00:32:41.66
sudden and
unexpected for unbelievers
00:32:41.69\00:32:44.36
in which the
heavens will pass away
00:32:44.39\00:32:45.73
with the great
noise roaring flames,
00:32:45.76\00:32:49.36
the elements will
melt with fervent heat.
00:32:49.40\00:32:52.13
Matter is just going to dissolve
00:32:52.17\00:32:54.17
and both the earths,
the earth and the works
00:32:54.20\00:32:57.34
that are in it
will be burned up."
00:32:57.37\00:32:59.77
All material things
that we work so hard
00:32:59.81\00:33:03.71
to obtain are going
to be reduced to ashes.
00:33:03.75\00:33:08.38
So we should
spend our time striving
00:33:08.42\00:33:11.15
for Christ like character,
not for more possessions.
00:33:11.19\00:33:14.42
I want to read Malachi 4:1-3,
00:33:14.46\00:33:20.43
it says, "For
behold the day is coming
00:33:20.46\00:33:22.70
burning like an
oven and all the proud,
00:33:22.76\00:33:24.90
yea, all who do
wickedly will be stubble.
00:33:24.93\00:33:27.27
The day which is
coming, shall burn them up,
00:33:27.30\00:33:29.64
says the Lord of host,
00:33:29.67\00:33:31.54
it will leave them
neither root nor branch."
00:33:31.57\00:33:34.44
And then in Malachi 4,
00:33:34.48\00:33:36.51
jump down a couple
scriptures verse 3,
00:33:36.54\00:33:39.75
he says, "You shall
trample on the wicked
00:33:39.78\00:33:42.02
for they shall be ashes
under the soles of your feet
00:33:42.08\00:33:44.55
on the day that I do this."
00:33:44.59\00:33:47.09
So Paul tells us,
if we're Christians,
00:33:47.12\00:33:50.49
we don't have to worry about.
00:33:50.53\00:33:52.43
We should have an
idea when He's coming,
00:33:52.49\00:33:54.63
that's in 1
Thessalonians 5, I believe.
00:33:54.66\00:33:57.67
But here's the point,
even though God is delaying,
00:33:57.70\00:34:03.20
second return of Christ,
00:34:03.24\00:34:05.77
because He
wants to give everyone
00:34:05.81\00:34:07.14
an opportunity to be saved.
00:34:07.18\00:34:09.28
His patience is
not inexhaustible
00:34:09.34\00:34:12.21
and there will come
in the fullness of time,
00:34:12.25\00:34:16.22
Christ will return for us.
00:34:16.28\00:34:17.99
We have an inheritance,
incorruptible in heaven
00:34:18.02\00:34:21.19
and all who are
wicked will be destroyed.
00:34:21.22\00:34:24.39
Amen, thank you,
Shelley, thank you so much.
00:34:24.43\00:34:26.76
Pastor Tom, order in
society and in the church,
00:34:26.80\00:34:29.66
as a pastor you might
know something about that.
00:34:29.70\00:34:31.67
Yeah, and you know what
I was just thinking about
00:34:31.70\00:34:34.50
which Shelley just shared
is actually God's strange act.
00:34:34.54\00:34:38.94
Yes, it is.
00:34:38.97\00:34:40.44
He is the life giver
00:34:40.48\00:34:41.81
and the good news of
the judgment like this,
00:34:41.84\00:34:44.65
is the fact that
sin is done away with.
00:34:44.68\00:34:47.28
Amen.
00:34:47.32\00:34:48.98
But you know, I was
thinking about this,
00:34:49.05\00:34:51.55
let's go to 1 Peter 2.
00:34:51.59\00:34:55.69
I know that
throughout the quarter,
00:34:55.72\00:34:57.06
we've gone to these
verses over and over.
00:34:57.09\00:34:59.16
So I want to kind of, to
have us turn to that page
00:34:59.19\00:35:03.16
but also maybe look
at verse 18, 2 Peter 2...
00:35:03.20\00:35:07.74
Excuse me, 1
Peter... 1 Peter or 2?
00:35:07.77\00:35:09.10
Okay. Boy, wow.
00:35:09.17\00:35:10.51
1 Peter 2
00:35:10.54\00:35:13.51
and we're gonna look at verse...
00:35:13.54\00:35:15.71
Let's start with 13.
00:35:15.74\00:35:17.98
"Therefore submit yourselves
to every ordinance of man
00:35:18.01\00:35:20.88
for the Lord's sake."
00:35:20.92\00:35:23.15
You know, I decided to do
a little search on government
00:35:23.18\00:35:27.36
and types of
government that are out there
00:35:27.39\00:35:29.82
and then the reason
for this government.
00:35:29.86\00:35:33.60
And it says here, first of
all we have local government
00:35:33.63\00:35:36.90
that might be our town or city.
00:35:36.93\00:35:39.50
We have the
boroughs or the villages
00:35:39.57\00:35:41.40
depending on the
size of our community.
00:35:41.44\00:35:43.61
Then we have those
townships and then the county
00:35:43.64\00:35:46.44
and then we have the state
and the federal government.
00:35:46.47\00:35:50.21
And these are,
you know, in Illinois
00:35:50.25\00:35:53.18
and they're throughout
this country and in the world,
00:35:53.21\00:35:55.52
I'm sure there's
different governments
00:35:55.55\00:35:56.89
that are out there.
00:35:56.92\00:35:58.82
But what is the
purpose of local government?
00:35:58.89\00:36:02.22
So, I did a little
Google search on that,
00:36:02.26\00:36:03.86
trying to find
out what I could find.
00:36:03.89\00:36:05.86
And it says, "The
peace for the peace order
00:36:05.89\00:36:08.30
and good government of
their municipal districts,
00:36:08.33\00:36:12.67
peace and order."
00:36:12.70\00:36:15.20
And so government, it
has a vital role in society.
00:36:15.24\00:36:19.94
Yes.
00:36:19.97\00:36:21.31
There is a purpose for it.
00:36:21.34\00:36:22.68
And as
Christians I know sometimes
00:36:22.71\00:36:26.25
we have someone approaches,
telling us, you know,
00:36:26.28\00:36:28.28
you don't need
to be paying taxes.
00:36:28.32\00:36:30.35
You know, you can honor
God, not have to pay taxes.
00:36:30.39\00:36:33.79
They are
insubordinate for a government,
00:36:33.82\00:36:35.42
toward government.
00:36:35.46\00:36:36.79
But in reality the government
is put in place by God,
00:36:36.83\00:36:41.00
is allowed by God and set
up and established for peace
00:36:41.03\00:36:43.87
and order in society.
00:36:43.90\00:36:45.67
There are four main
purposes of government,
00:36:45.73\00:36:47.67
maintenance of social order,
00:36:47.70\00:36:51.17
maintenance of social order.
00:36:51.21\00:36:54.21
Number two,
providing public services
00:36:54.24\00:36:58.28
and the one thing I find
is the larger the municipality
00:36:58.31\00:37:01.92
the more public
services that are needed.
00:37:01.95\00:37:05.32
Also providing
national protection,
00:37:05.35\00:37:08.72
government helps
to protect the people.
00:37:08.76\00:37:12.03
And we also have
the fourth thing,
00:37:12.06\00:37:14.10
making economic decisions
00:37:14.10\00:37:17.40
that impact all of
the society at large.
00:37:17.43\00:37:22.20
Public services
are also provided
00:37:22.24\00:37:24.07
by government
and transportation,
00:37:24.11\00:37:27.24
transportation,
education, hospitals
00:37:27.28\00:37:29.28
and public welfare
00:37:29.34\00:37:31.25
are all under the
auspice of government.
00:37:31.28\00:37:34.25
So that's why it says,
00:37:34.28\00:37:35.62
if you go to
verse 17 in 1 Peter 2,
00:37:35.68\00:37:38.62
it says, "Honor all
people. Love the brotherhood.
00:37:38.65\00:37:42.42
Fear God. Honor the King."
00:37:42.46\00:37:45.83
Because government
is, is one of the tools
00:37:45.89\00:37:47.96
that God uses to
hold all things together.
00:37:48.00\00:37:52.90
Now I want to shift into
00:37:52.93\00:37:55.14
for the
remaining time the mission,
00:37:55.17\00:37:57.81
the church side
of this, this lesson.
00:37:57.84\00:38:00.91
And you know, the word
mission really means a purpose.
00:38:00.94\00:38:06.41
Every church needs
a mission, a purpose.
00:38:06.45\00:38:11.75
And you know, in
the Illinois Conference
00:38:11.79\00:38:13.66
we have a mission statement
because there is a focus
00:38:13.69\00:38:17.39
throughout the conference
00:38:17.43\00:38:18.79
to make healthy
disciple making churches,
00:38:18.83\00:38:23.57
spiritually healthy
00:38:23.60\00:38:25.07
that are making
disciple making churches.
00:38:25.10\00:38:28.70
So when we came to
the, that in my district,
00:38:28.74\00:38:32.11
I approached the church
00:38:32.14\00:38:34.51
and said, "What do we want to do
00:38:34.54\00:38:35.91
for a mission
statement that lines up
00:38:35.94\00:38:37.51
with the focus
of the conference?"
00:38:37.55\00:38:39.28
And what we discovered is,
00:38:39.31\00:38:40.75
why not be a healthy
disciple making church.
00:38:40.78\00:38:45.72
In other words, be
exactly what the focus
00:38:45.75\00:38:47.52
in the conference
is being as we look
00:38:47.56\00:38:50.53
at the governmental system here,
00:38:50.56\00:38:52.56
but also realizing
this is about the mission
00:38:52.59\00:38:55.00
that God has for us.
00:38:55.03\00:38:56.40
I'd like us to go to what
God has already commissioned
00:38:56.43\00:38:58.43
a very popular verse,
let's go to Matthew 28.
00:38:58.47\00:39:03.20
But I want to point
out a couple of things
00:39:03.24\00:39:04.81
in this scripture.
00:39:04.84\00:39:06.17
Matthew 28,
we're going to go ahead
00:39:06.24\00:39:08.18
and look at both
verses 19 and 20.
00:39:08.21\00:39:11.38
Matthew 28, begin with verse 19,
00:39:16.08\00:39:19.22
it says there go,
00:39:19.25\00:39:20.66
this is Jesus
commissioning the church,
00:39:20.69\00:39:22.79
"Go therefore
and make disciples."
00:39:22.82\00:39:24.86
I think a lot of times
we overlook that very thing.
00:39:24.89\00:39:27.56
To be a disciple making
church, go make disciples.
00:39:27.60\00:39:30.33
It's in line with a
very great commission
00:39:30.37\00:39:32.47
that God has given
us, disciples of whom?
00:39:32.50\00:39:34.80
Of Jesus. Amen.
00:39:34.84\00:39:36.37
"Of all nations baptizing
them in the name of the Father,
00:39:36.44\00:39:39.44
the Son and the Holy Ghost,
00:39:39.51\00:39:41.31
teaching them to
observe all things
00:39:41.34\00:39:43.08
that I have commanded you
and lo I am with you always
00:39:43.11\00:39:45.45
even to the end of the age."
00:39:45.48\00:39:47.45
You want to
think about the goal.
00:39:47.48\00:39:49.62
You know, what was it?
What does this ministry say?
00:39:49.65\00:39:51.52
The blessing is on the go.
00:39:51.55\00:39:54.92
You know, do you
realize what the word go is,
00:39:54.96\00:39:56.66
it's referencing ministry
of presence and compassion.
00:39:56.69\00:40:01.06
Say that again.
00:40:01.10\00:40:02.46
Ministry of
presence and compassion.
00:40:02.50\00:40:04.83
Be there for the
people, be compassionate.
00:40:04.87\00:40:07.64
And that's not
only in the church
00:40:07.67\00:40:09.00
but that's to those
that are unchurched.
00:40:09.04\00:40:11.31
For instance, if
your church disappeared
00:40:11.34\00:40:13.51
with the community notice,
00:40:13.54\00:40:16.34
that is something
I think every church
00:40:16.38\00:40:18.25
needs to ask themselves.
00:40:18.28\00:40:19.71
If we weren't here,
would anybody ever really care?
00:40:19.75\00:40:23.45
Are we going for Jesus?
00:40:23.49\00:40:24.92
Baptizing is actually
the ministry of soul winning.
00:40:24.95\00:40:28.49
It is important that
that's infusion of life
00:40:28.52\00:40:30.76
in the church.
00:40:30.79\00:40:32.13
So Christ is
saying to baptize them.
00:40:32.16\00:40:35.03
Then the third thing I
want to point out is teach,
00:40:35.06\00:40:37.97
that's the ministry of
nurture and spiritual growth.
00:40:38.00\00:40:41.84
That is something that
must be in the churches
00:40:41.87\00:40:45.31
is all three aspects, going,
baptizing and instructing,
00:40:45.34\00:40:49.94
and nurturing, and
this is how we grow
00:40:49.98\00:40:52.48
healthy
disciple making churches.
00:40:52.51\00:40:54.75
You know, I've
been focusing on this
00:40:54.78\00:40:56.28
and trying to wrap
my mind around this
00:40:56.35\00:40:58.49
'cause I think
pastors throughout
00:40:58.52\00:40:59.85
the Illinois
Conference are having to rethink
00:40:59.92\00:41:01.62
how we minister
and how we can actually
00:41:01.66\00:41:04.83
put into practice
the mission statement.
00:41:04.86\00:41:07.40
And one of the things
that I find myself going to is,
00:41:07.40\00:41:10.37
these quick start guides.
00:41:10.40\00:41:12.60
We have, I think I
counted 46 different ministry
00:41:12.63\00:41:17.01
titles in the church.
00:41:17.04\00:41:18.81
You know, from
elder, deacon, deacon,
00:41:18.84\00:41:20.71
all those different titles.
00:41:20.74\00:41:22.11
Yeah, it could be a webmaster,
00:41:22.14\00:41:23.48
it could be any kind of ministry
00:41:23.51\00:41:25.15
that's out there that we
have quick start guides for.
00:41:25.18\00:41:28.05
Now it sounds kind
of, I don't know Germaine
00:41:28.08\00:41:30.65
or something to
be quick start guide
00:41:30.69\00:41:32.19
but wow, I want to
point out some of the things,
00:41:32.22\00:41:34.49
this is the greeter ministry.
00:41:34.52\00:41:37.13
You know, I have
come across Christians
00:41:37.16\00:41:38.83
that have intentionally visited,
00:41:38.86\00:41:40.43
they were leaders, they
have intentionally visited
00:41:40.46\00:41:41.86
other churches to see
how they would be treated.
00:41:41.90\00:41:45.63
Doesn't matter, you
know, how fancy the message is
00:41:45.67\00:41:47.74
and the rest of it, but
how are they been treated.
00:41:47.77\00:41:49.54
They come in, go
through the whole services
00:41:49.57\00:41:51.47
and leave and no
one even said hello.
00:41:51.51\00:41:54.54
The greeter might
have handed them a bulletin
00:41:54.58\00:41:57.31
and nodded and said,
"Hi," and that was it,
00:41:57.35\00:41:59.85
but they were just doing a job.
00:41:59.88\00:42:01.78
Do you realize that the,
00:42:01.82\00:42:03.52
I think one of the
most important ministries
00:42:03.55\00:42:04.99
in the church is
the Greeter ministry.
00:42:05.02\00:42:06.76
Yeah.
00:42:06.82\00:42:08.16
Because you are
the face of the church,
00:42:08.19\00:42:09.52
you're the first one they meet.
00:42:09.56\00:42:12.16
I don't have a lot of
time but I'm going to share
00:42:12.19\00:42:14.00
a couple of things out of here.
00:42:14.00\00:42:16.40
I really believe and
I'm gonna constantly tell
00:42:16.43\00:42:18.93
the members this,
00:42:18.97\00:42:20.30
that you don't have a
position of the church,
00:42:20.34\00:42:21.90
you have a ministry,
you're on a ministry team
00:42:21.94\00:42:24.04
and you have a ministry.
00:42:24.07\00:42:25.64
There are
different types of guests
00:42:25.67\00:42:27.01
that come to our
churches, the unchurched,
00:42:27.04\00:42:29.58
people from other
church denominations,
00:42:29.61\00:42:31.45
Adventists who
attend occasionally
00:42:31.48\00:42:32.85
but very seldom.
00:42:32.88\00:42:34.22
Adventists from our own town
or other local, out of town,
00:42:34.25\00:42:37.42
people brought to
our church by friends,
00:42:37.45\00:42:39.49
relatives or acquaintances.
00:42:39.52\00:42:40.96
Each group has
its own expectations,
00:42:40.99\00:42:43.09
fears and preconceived ideas.
00:42:43.16\00:42:46.16
So here's the greeters
ministry is really looking like
00:42:46.23\00:42:49.03
something that's
vital for the church.
00:42:49.06\00:42:51.40
If you're a team leader
of the greeter ministry,
00:42:51.43\00:42:54.30
host the
fellowship meal, brainstorm,
00:42:54.34\00:42:57.37
have a brainstorming session,
00:42:57.41\00:42:58.74
hold a training
session for greeters,
00:42:58.77\00:43:00.58
plan troubleshooting sessions,
discuss types of greetings
00:43:00.61\00:43:04.45
that are
appropriate for your community
00:43:04.48\00:43:06.35
and have time to celebrate,
recruit new church members,
00:43:06.38\00:43:09.22
develop training, recruiting.
00:43:09.25\00:43:10.65
Every ministry in the church,
00:43:10.69\00:43:12.45
we've got a
ministry training guide.
00:43:12.49\00:43:14.92
And it really has
assumes that everyone
00:43:14.96\00:43:17.26
is part of a ministry team
and we need to see ourselves
00:43:17.29\00:43:20.40
as a small group
ministry team and I believe,
00:43:20.43\00:43:23.37
this is what God is
calling His church to.
00:43:23.40\00:43:27.17
And if you haven't
used the quick start guides,
00:43:27.20\00:43:29.40
it's Advent source, is
where you can acquire these
00:43:29.44\00:43:33.07
probably at the
Adventist book center.
00:43:33.11\00:43:35.34
But Advent source is
where you can actually,
00:43:35.38\00:43:37.78
I believe, see these online,
00:43:37.81\00:43:40.22
you can actually
download the different...
00:43:40.25\00:43:41.58
If you are in certain,
00:43:41.62\00:43:42.98
if you're a
personal ministries leader,
00:43:43.02\00:43:44.35
you can download
the personal ministries.
00:43:44.39\00:43:46.25
But I remember real quickly,
I was in the Marion church
00:43:46.29\00:43:49.66
and it was between the services
00:43:49.72\00:43:51.96
and I came out to my car
to put my quarterly in it,
00:43:51.99\00:43:54.73
so I didn't forget
it in the church like
00:43:54.76\00:43:56.16
I've done to many times.
00:43:56.23\00:43:58.20
I see a man sitting in his car
00:43:58.23\00:44:00.07
with his window down
right next to my car.
00:44:00.10\00:44:02.24
The Lord brought
me to that point.
00:44:02.27\00:44:04.54
He lived about 40
miles from the church,
00:44:04.57\00:44:07.48
he's not churched,
00:44:07.51\00:44:08.84
had been
listening or watching 3ABN
00:44:08.88\00:44:11.58
for a number of years.
00:44:11.61\00:44:13.45
And he came to the
church because he has cancer
00:44:13.52\00:44:16.99
and he's very ill, and
he wanted to come inside
00:44:17.02\00:44:19.89
but wasn't sure, if he
had the courage to do it.
00:44:19.95\00:44:23.43
And I went into the church
00:44:23.46\00:44:24.89
after having a
conversation with him
00:44:24.93\00:44:26.29
because I said, "I'll be
praying for you, brother,
00:44:26.33\00:44:27.83
I would love to see you inside,"
00:44:27.86\00:44:29.63
I said, "I've got to go
in and I'll love to see you."
00:44:29.66\00:44:32.80
When I went in, the
greeters, I told them,
00:44:32.83\00:44:35.04
there's a man out there,
they went out and met him.
00:44:35.07\00:44:38.11
Oh, precious.
And invited him in.
00:44:38.14\00:44:40.08
And I want you, you know,
in this particular situation,
00:44:40.14\00:44:42.38
this man did not end up entering
00:44:42.41\00:44:44.91
and I ended up
trying to contact him later.
00:44:44.95\00:44:47.05
But there are souls that
come into our parking lot,
00:44:47.08\00:44:49.88
that need to be
ministered to by those
00:44:49.95\00:44:51.75
that are the face of the church.
00:44:51.79\00:44:53.62
Amen. Very good, Pastor Tom.
00:44:53.66\00:44:55.52
Very good, I like the
direction you took that lesson,
00:44:55.56\00:44:58.23
the order of the
church is important,
00:44:58.26\00:44:59.89
how we treat each
other at the local level
00:44:59.96\00:45:02.70
and the first point of
contact, the greeter ministry,
00:45:02.76\00:45:04.57
thank you for that.
00:45:04.60\00:45:05.93
Jill, the primacy of
scripture. Absolutely.
00:45:05.97\00:45:09.24
I was thinking as you
were talking, Pastor Tom.
00:45:09.27\00:45:11.34
God calls each one
of us as church members,
00:45:11.37\00:45:14.11
no matter what our position
00:45:14.14\00:45:15.48
to ministry, to
outreach, to evangelize
00:45:15.51\00:45:18.58
and we can't do any of
that without the Word of God.
00:45:18.61\00:45:20.62
So, as you
mentioned, Pastor John,
00:45:20.65\00:45:22.85
it is the primacy of scripture.
00:45:22.88\00:45:24.45
And what we're looking at today
00:45:24.49\00:45:26.05
is really what should
be the role of scripture
00:45:26.12\00:45:28.29
in our lives and in our faith.
00:45:28.32\00:45:30.96
Well, look at a
couple scriptures,
00:45:30.99\00:45:33.09
let's turn to 2 Peter.
00:45:33.16\00:45:35.43
I'm in Matthew right now,
let me get back to 2 Peter.
00:45:35.46\00:45:38.53
2 Peter 3:2.
00:45:38.57\00:45:44.31
Well, I guess,
we'll start with verse 1,
00:45:44.34\00:45:46.21
"Beloved I now write to
you, the second epistle in both
00:45:46.24\00:45:49.21
of which I stir
up your pure minds
00:45:49.24\00:45:51.55
by way of remembrance."
00:45:51.58\00:45:53.25
Verse 2, "That you may
be mindful of the words
00:45:53.28\00:45:57.55
which were spoken before."
00:45:57.59\00:45:59.92
A pause just a moment
there, mindful literally means
00:46:00.06\00:46:03.26
to bring to remembrance,
to purposely remind oneself.
00:46:03.32\00:46:09.50
I remember, when I was
18 is when I left home,
00:46:09.53\00:46:14.27
raised in a
godly Christian home,
00:46:14.30\00:46:16.64
praise the Lord for my parents.
00:46:16.67\00:46:18.47
And at the age
of 18, I left home
00:46:18.51\00:46:20.64
500 miles away to go to college.
00:46:20.68\00:46:22.91
And I remember my mom
and dad sitting me down
00:46:22.98\00:46:25.31
in the living room
before we made this journey
00:46:25.35\00:46:28.88
and they said, "Remember,
Jill, wherever you go,
00:46:28.92\00:46:31.99
whatever you do, you
carry the family name
00:46:32.02\00:46:36.76
and you carry
the name of Christ."
00:46:36.79\00:46:41.63
And so we are to
remember, as I was at school
00:46:41.66\00:46:45.43
that counsel came
back to my remembrance,
00:46:45.47\00:46:49.27
I thought, "Be
careful what you say,
00:46:49.30\00:46:51.97
what you do, how you
act, you are carrying
00:46:52.01\00:46:55.54
the family name
to other people."
00:46:55.58\00:46:58.35
And you know, as Christians,
00:46:58.38\00:47:00.88
we carry the name of
Christ to other people.
00:47:00.92\00:47:05.05
So carry in remembrance.
00:47:05.09\00:47:08.02
Be mindful of the
words, to think back,
00:47:08.06\00:47:11.03
remember what we
have learned in scripture.
00:47:11.06\00:47:13.33
"Be mindful of the
words which were spoken before
00:47:13.36\00:47:15.46
by the holy prophets and
of the commandments of us,
00:47:15.50\00:47:19.93
the Apostles of
the Lord and Savior."
00:47:19.97\00:47:22.07
So, Shelley, you mentioned this,
00:47:22.10\00:47:23.54
two different things
he is reminding them of,
00:47:23.61\00:47:26.91
remember the
words for the prophets
00:47:26.98\00:47:28.81
which would be the Old Testament
00:47:28.84\00:47:30.18
as you mentioned
and as the apostles
00:47:30.25\00:47:32.78
which is the New Testament.
00:47:32.81\00:47:34.75
Read the scriptures
as a source of doctrinal
00:47:34.78\00:47:38.05
and moral authority.
00:47:38.09\00:47:40.19
And we are to keep in
mind, remember what we learned.
00:47:40.26\00:47:44.49
Let's turn to Deuteronomy 11,
when I think of keeping in mind
00:47:44.53\00:47:48.46
and remembering what we learned,
00:47:48.50\00:47:49.83
I think of this passage.
00:47:49.86\00:47:51.80
Deuteronomy 11, we'll
read verses 18 and 19.
00:47:51.83\00:47:58.74
Does anybody have
that Deuteronomy 11?
00:47:58.77\00:48:02.04
"Therefore you shall lay up
these words of my in your heart
00:48:02.08\00:48:05.68
and in your soul, and bind
them as a sign on your hand,
00:48:05.71\00:48:09.42
and they shall be as
frontlets between your eyes.
00:48:09.45\00:48:12.22
You shall teach them to
your children speaking of them
00:48:12.25\00:48:15.02
when you sit in your
house, when you walk by the way,
00:48:15.06\00:48:17.89
when you lie down,
and when you rise up
00:48:17.93\00:48:20.73
and you shall ride them
on the doorpost of your house
00:48:20.76\00:48:23.57
and on your gates."
00:48:23.63\00:48:25.00
Amen, so, we are
to read the scriptures
00:48:25.03\00:48:26.90
as a source of
doctrinal authority
00:48:26.94\00:48:29.00
and moral authority.
00:48:29.04\00:48:30.37
But we are to
call to remembrance,
00:48:30.41\00:48:33.64
every day, throughout
the day what we have read,
00:48:33.68\00:48:37.61
what we have
learned in the Word of God.
00:48:37.65\00:48:40.28
And if you're a parent,
00:48:40.32\00:48:41.65
to bring it before
your children often.
00:48:41.68\00:48:45.32
The second scripture
we're going to look at
00:48:45.35\00:48:47.39
in 2 Peter is 2 Peter,
we're still in 2 Peter 3,
00:48:47.42\00:48:50.63
let's go back to 2 Peter 3.
00:48:50.66\00:48:52.73
We're going to look
at verses 15 and 16.
00:48:52.76\00:48:57.10
And we read this on
our previous lesson,
00:48:57.13\00:49:00.54
verse 14 says,
00:49:00.57\00:49:01.90
"Beloved looking
forward to these things,
00:49:01.94\00:49:03.91
be diligent, to be
found by him in peace
00:49:03.97\00:49:06.44
without spot and blameless.
00:49:06.47\00:49:08.64
And consider that
the long suffering
00:49:08.68\00:49:11.25
of our Lord is salvation.
00:49:11.28\00:49:15.35
As also our
beloved brother Paul,
00:49:15.38\00:49:17.25
according to the wisdom
given to him has written to you.
00:49:17.29\00:49:20.16
As also in all his epistles
00:49:20.22\00:49:21.79
speaking in them of these things
00:49:21.82\00:49:23.39
and which are some
things hard to understand.
00:49:23.43\00:49:26.09
Which untaught
and unstable people
00:49:26.13\00:49:28.36
twist to their own destruction,
00:49:28.40\00:49:31.50
as they do also the
rest of the scriptures?"
00:49:31.53\00:49:34.24
That word twist is to
twist or pervert language
00:49:34.27\00:49:38.37
and it literally refers
00:49:38.41\00:49:40.14
to an instrument of
rack or torture like,
00:49:40.21\00:49:42.48
you would
imagine the inquisition
00:49:42.51\00:49:45.75
and they did that,
00:49:45.78\00:49:47.15
that torture to twist scripture.
00:49:47.18\00:49:48.88
So the second
point is to be careful
00:49:48.92\00:49:50.82
how you interpret scripture,
00:49:50.85\00:49:52.95
be careful not to
take the scripture
00:49:52.99\00:49:54.59
and to twist it
to our own opinions,
00:49:54.62\00:49:57.73
our own thoughts to
study the Word of God,
00:49:57.76\00:50:00.13
and say, "I'm going to
prove my brother wrong.
00:50:00.16\00:50:02.76
So I'm going to study
with my own presupposition."
00:50:02.80\00:50:05.20
No, instead of that. Right.
00:50:05.23\00:50:06.84
We are to go
over the Word of God
00:50:06.87\00:50:08.20
with an open mind,
with an open heart,
00:50:08.24\00:50:11.01
with prayer
inviting the Holy Spirit
00:50:11.04\00:50:13.41
as we study the Word of God,
00:50:13.48\00:50:15.41
comparing
scripture with scripture,
00:50:15.44\00:50:16.95
Isaiah 8:20, "To the
law and to the testimony:
00:50:16.98\00:50:19.71
if they speak not
according to this word,
00:50:19.75\00:50:21.25
it is because there
is no light in them."
00:50:21.28\00:50:24.62
So compare
scripture with scripture,
00:50:24.65\00:50:26.76
study scripture in context
00:50:26.79\00:50:28.59
and always keep Jesus
as the center of our study.
00:50:28.62\00:50:34.00
And as we talk about
keeping Jesus as the center,
00:50:34.03\00:50:36.26
we're going to go to 1 Peter 1.
00:50:36.33\00:50:40.50
1 Peter 1:10-12.
00:50:40.54\00:50:45.74
You have that, Pastor Tom? Sure.
00:50:45.77\00:50:47.41
1 Peter 1:10,
00:50:47.44\00:50:48.78
"Of this salvation,
the prophets have enquired
00:50:48.81\00:50:51.55
and searched diligently,
who prophesied of the grace
00:50:51.58\00:50:55.48
that should come
unto you: Searching what,
00:50:55.52\00:50:58.32
or what manner of
time the Spirit of Christ
00:50:58.35\00:51:01.52
who was in them was indicating,
00:51:01.56\00:51:04.46
when it testified beforehand
the sufferings of Christ,
00:51:04.49\00:51:08.26
and the glories
that would follow.
00:51:08.30\00:51:10.23
To them it was revealed,
that not to themselves,
00:51:10.27\00:51:14.70
but to us they were
ministering the things,
00:51:14.74\00:51:17.47
which now have
been reported to you
00:51:17.51\00:51:20.44
through those who have
preached the gospel to you
00:51:20.48\00:51:23.24
by the Holy
Spirit sent from heaven,
00:51:23.31\00:51:25.85
things which angels
desire to look into."
00:51:25.88\00:51:29.22
Amen, verse 11 says,
00:51:29.25\00:51:30.75
"The Spirit of
Christ testifies," what?
00:51:30.79\00:51:33.25
"Of the sufferings of Christ
00:51:33.32\00:51:35.29
and the glories
that would follow."
00:51:35.32\00:51:37.39
As we study the center of
all scripture is salvation
00:51:37.43\00:51:41.06
by the sacrificial
death of Jesus Christ.
00:51:41.10\00:51:43.63
It is salvation by
grace through faith.
00:51:43.70\00:51:46.37
The center of scripture
is Jesus and the glories
00:51:46.40\00:51:49.74
that are coming here
after that He has laid up
00:51:49.77\00:51:52.47
or prepared for
those who love Him.
00:51:52.51\00:51:54.38
So, as we study scripture,
keep the focus on Jesus.
00:51:54.41\00:51:59.75
Now the center of
all scripture is Jesus,
00:51:59.78\00:52:01.98
but you can study scripture
00:52:02.02\00:52:03.92
and as we mentioned
the previous point twisted
00:52:03.99\00:52:06.22
or rest it for your own opinion
00:52:06.25\00:52:08.76
instead of keeping
Jesus as the center.
00:52:08.79\00:52:10.93
I remember, I went through
a period in my life where,
00:52:10.96\00:52:15.10
I did not keep Jesus, is
just being candid with you
00:52:15.13\00:52:18.93
and with you at
home, I did not keep Jesus
00:52:18.97\00:52:21.17
as the center of my
walk, as the center of my life
00:52:21.20\00:52:25.57
and I became
focused on externals...
00:52:25.61\00:52:30.11
Yes.
00:52:30.18\00:52:31.51
Focused on
lifestyle which God calls us
00:52:31.55\00:52:35.68
to live godly in
Christ Jesus, God calls us.
00:52:35.72\00:52:38.85
And in Peter, you see
that, we call it Peter's ladder,
00:52:38.89\00:52:42.32
the graces, the
virtues that we are to exhibit
00:52:42.36\00:52:45.49
as sons and daughters of God.
00:52:45.53\00:52:47.96
So that is biblical
but I was putting the cart
00:52:47.96\00:52:50.70
before the horse as it were
00:52:50.73\00:52:52.20
and I was
thinking of my own strength
00:52:52.23\00:52:55.40
and my own power,
00:52:55.44\00:52:56.81
somehow I had to
become righteous,
00:52:56.84\00:52:59.24
I had to do all of these things
in order to earn salvation.
00:52:59.27\00:53:03.31
How did that work for you?
00:53:03.35\00:53:04.75
It didn't work.
00:53:04.78\00:53:06.11
I was discouraged
00:53:06.15\00:53:07.48
and I thought I'm
never gonna make it
00:53:07.52\00:53:09.92
and so then you want to
throw in the towel, right?
00:53:09.95\00:53:12.82
Okay, if I'm
never gonna make it,
00:53:12.85\00:53:14.36
I might as well...
00:53:14.39\00:53:15.72
Go out and live it
up because I can't...
00:53:15.76\00:53:17.49
I can't make it,
so when I found Jesus,
00:53:17.53\00:53:22.46
when I found
Jesus in the scriptures
00:53:22.50\00:53:24.60
and I discovered
Jesus for myself,
00:53:24.63\00:53:27.34
it made all the difference
knowing that it is God
00:53:27.37\00:53:29.80
who works in us both to will
00:53:29.84\00:53:31.41
and to do of His
good prayer of pleasure.
00:53:31.44\00:53:34.71
The last scripture,
I think we have time
00:53:34.74\00:53:36.41
for the last one in 2 Peter 1.
00:53:36.44\00:53:40.32
2 Peter 1:16-20.
00:53:40.35\00:53:45.39
We won't read the whole passage,
00:53:45.42\00:53:46.76
we've read this
in the past verse 16,
00:53:46.79\00:53:48.46
he says, "We
don't follow cunningly
00:53:48.49\00:53:49.82
the wise fables."
00:53:49.86\00:53:51.66
"But we're
eyewitnesses of His Majesty."
00:53:51.69\00:53:54.00
But then, verse
19, King James says,
00:53:54.00\00:53:57.43
"We also have the more
sure word of prophecy."
00:53:57.47\00:54:00.30
And not only it's saying that
00:54:00.37\00:54:02.84
the Word of God
trumps even our experience.
00:54:02.87\00:54:06.88
Now we can say,
"Oh, I experienced this,
00:54:06.91\00:54:09.61
so I feel therefore this
is," so, any experience we have,
00:54:09.64\00:54:14.22
we have to take that
back to the Word of God.
00:54:14.25\00:54:16.08
And if it does not line
up with the Word of God,
00:54:16.12\00:54:18.69
we have to cast that aside.
00:54:18.72\00:54:20.86
Amen.
00:54:20.89\00:54:22.22
So as we come to the
end of our study of 2 Peter.
00:54:22.26\00:54:27.00
I want to encourage you
to get into the Word of God,
00:54:27.03\00:54:29.50
study God's Word.
00:54:29.53\00:54:31.57
Open it up every
morning, spend time with Jesus,
00:54:31.60\00:54:35.77
find out who He is for yourself.
00:54:35.80\00:54:38.04
You may never
have experienced Jesus.
00:54:38.07\00:54:40.38
You may never have
accepted Him into your life
00:54:40.44\00:54:42.88
as your personal Savior.
00:54:42.91\00:54:44.25
We want to appeal
to you, choose Jesus,
00:54:44.28\00:54:47.78
ask Him into your
heart and study His word
00:54:47.82\00:54:50.89
and watch the transformation
00:54:50.92\00:54:52.65
that He wants
to do in your life.
00:54:52.69\00:54:55.09
Wow. Well, Praise the
Lord. Thank you, Jill.
00:54:55.12\00:54:57.03
Thank you, Pastor
Tom, Shelley and Mollie.
00:54:57.09\00:54:59.06
We have a little bit more
time on our at the closing
00:54:59.09\00:55:01.96
out of this lesson
and this study of...
00:55:02.00\00:55:04.80
Of the Feed My Sheep portion
of first and second epistle
00:55:04.83\00:55:07.67
of Peter has been a
blessing, has it not?
00:55:07.70\00:55:09.40
Oh, yes.
00:55:09.44\00:55:10.77
And would like
to let you know that
00:55:10.81\00:55:12.34
we're going to
be looking forward
00:55:12.37\00:55:13.84
to having you come back again,
00:55:13.88\00:55:15.88
as we look at the
next quarter's lessons
00:55:15.91\00:55:18.25
which is the
gospel of Galatians.
00:55:18.28\00:55:20.12
What a book!
00:55:20.18\00:55:21.62
Galatians and
Romans, those are books
00:55:21.65\00:55:24.15
that have been wrestled with,
00:55:24.19\00:55:26.72
as we just found out to
some people's destruction.
00:55:26.76\00:55:30.99
It deals a lot about the
things that were very well known
00:55:31.03\00:55:34.46
to the culture of
the Jews in their days,
00:55:34.46\00:55:36.60
the laws versus
00:55:36.63\00:55:37.97
the ceremonial laws
versus the moral laws.
00:55:38.00\00:55:40.07
And we're gonna
be talking about that
00:55:40.10\00:55:41.44
in our next quarter's lessons.
00:55:41.47\00:55:43.00
But I want to give
each of you an opportunity
00:55:43.04\00:55:44.37
because Mollie,
when you, when you delve
00:55:44.41\00:55:46.64
into your lesson study,
00:55:46.71\00:55:48.04
might be a few
seconds here or...
00:55:48.08\00:55:49.98
kind of summarize
what you want the viewers
00:55:50.01\00:55:52.58
and listeners of this
lesson study to remember.
00:55:52.61\00:55:56.62
For over the last 13 weeks,
00:55:56.65\00:55:59.92
the thing that I
would want to hope
00:56:00.06\00:56:03.29
that everybody caught
and I think everyone of you
00:56:03.32\00:56:05.53
have said this at one time
or another is the power of God
00:56:05.56\00:56:09.56
to change your life.
00:56:09.60\00:56:10.93
We look at
Peter, impetuous Peter,
00:56:11.00\00:56:14.27
when we first meet
him and then Peter,
00:56:14.30\00:56:17.71
who isn't even willing to die
the same way that Christ died.
00:56:17.74\00:56:21.51
He wanted to be
crucified upside down
00:56:21.54\00:56:24.28
because he didn't
feel like he was worthy
00:56:24.31\00:56:26.98
to be crucified in
the same manner as Christ.
00:56:27.05\00:56:29.95
What a change the power of
God can effect upon a person.
00:56:29.98\00:56:34.56
If He can do it for Peter,
00:56:34.59\00:56:36.02
He can do it
for every one of us.
00:56:36.06\00:56:37.39
That's right. Shelley?
00:56:37.46\00:56:38.79
Now what I think
of this 1 Peter 1:18,
00:56:38.83\00:56:41.00
that, we were not bought
00:56:41.03\00:56:43.20
or redeemed with
corruptible things,
00:56:43.23\00:56:45.67
but with the
precious blood of Jesus Christ
00:56:45.70\00:56:48.97
and you are worth nothing less
00:56:49.00\00:56:51.17
than the price God paid for you,
00:56:51.21\00:56:53.58
to redeem you from sin.
00:56:53.61\00:56:55.94
He used His own
Son's life blood.
00:56:55.98\00:56:58.88
But the other
scripture that is my favorite
00:56:58.91\00:57:01.32
in Peter's writings
is in 2 Peter 1:3-4,
00:57:01.35\00:57:07.19
that says, "His
divine power has given to us
00:57:07.22\00:57:09.72
all things for
life and godliness,"
00:57:09.76\00:57:12.99
and then he says,
00:57:13.03\00:57:14.36
"That He has given
us His exceedingly great
00:57:14.40\00:57:17.00
and precious promises."
00:57:17.07\00:57:19.07
So that through the
power of these promises,
00:57:19.10\00:57:21.90
through His Word, we
can escape the corruption
00:57:21.94\00:57:24.91
that's in the world for blessed
00:57:24.94\00:57:26.74
and actually be
partakers of His divine nature.
00:57:26.78\00:57:32.38
Pastor Tom, ten seconds.
00:57:32.41\00:57:35.02
To watch Peter go
from the one that need
00:57:35.05\00:57:37.29
to be instructed to the
one who before his death
00:57:37.32\00:57:39.35
was instructing
others was nothing less than
00:57:39.39\00:57:41.72
short of than the
power of God in his life
00:57:41.76\00:57:44.23
and that it can be
true for you as well.
00:57:44.26\00:57:46.46
That's right. Jill?
00:57:46.49\00:57:47.83
1 Peter 1:22, "Live
the truth, obey the truth
00:57:47.86\00:57:50.57
and reach out and
love toward other people."
00:57:50.63\00:57:52.10
Amen. Wow.
00:57:52.13\00:57:53.50
If the Lord can change
Peter, what can He do for us?
00:57:53.54\00:57:55.80
Amen.
00:57:55.84\00:57:57.17
Our encouragement is not that
we're telling you what to do,
00:57:57.21\00:57:58.77
but that you will
follow the example of Jesus,
00:57:58.81\00:58:00.91
so that one day we will all see
what we can all be in Christ.
00:58:00.94\00:58:04.68
Until that time, God bless
you, till we see you again.
00:58:04.71\00:58:08.02
Amen. Amen.
00:58:08.05\00:58:09.78