Book of 1 Peter - Ch. 2, Vs. 21-Ch. 3, Vs. 18 (Date Unknown)

Calling to Suffer and Christ’s Example in 1 Peter 2

1 Peter 2, 21 is where we're going to start, or even here on 2, were you called? We were called to suffer. We were called for Christ. We were called by God. Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, leaving us an example.

It is an example that he suffered, that he died. It is our example, whether we take opportunity of it or not, that you should follow in his steps. For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Verse 13, it is God that worketh in you. It was God that worked in Jesus. Did Jesus have the Holy Spirit different than, no, was the Holy Spirit different than Jesus had, from what we have? He had it without measure.

Was it any different? Of course. Just there's only, yeah. There's only one. With their faith. He had use of all of it. We have use of part of it. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Burge, what's guile?

He wasn't, there wasn't any deceit found in him. He wasn't. All right.

Who, when he was revealed, reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. Now, when he was reviled, how many of us would revile back?

Most of us would strike out. But we say we would, we'll never know until we're in that position. When he suffered, he threatened not. When he was suffering, he did not threaten anybody, which we would do.

But he committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. Committed. There is a word that I want to be sure we understand. Committed. Jesse, to you, what does the word committed mean? An example. All right, that's a good example, but what does the word mean?

John?

Giving your all, everything, turning it over, I would say. All right.

David, what does committed mean? So, so given over to the purpose of the other, that your purpose is secondary to his purpose. All right. To hand over to someone else for use or for keeping. Isn't it good that we can refer everything to God?

Who, his own self, bearing his own body on the tree, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed. By his own self, he needed no help. By himself means by himself alone.

There was no one that could stand with him. God even turned his back on him. What happened to the world when he turned his back on him? Everything went completely black. Everything went black. There were thunderclouds, lightning, resurrections, everything when God turned his back on Jesus.

To me, that's what hell's going to be. God's not present in hell. We have a slight taste on this earth of what he will, what it will be when God's not there. God is not in hell. The only thing he made of which he has no participation.

Bear. The word bearing here means to take up. He bear, he takes up, he took up our sins. In his own body on the tree, not a natural tree, but something made from a tree. That we be dead to sins. When Jesus died on the tree, on the cross, he made it possible for us to be dead to sins.

Now, if we are dead to the sin nature, certainly not the physical, but the sin nature, then Dennis, why is it that it bothers me so much? Well, our flesh is dead to it, yet we're still living in it. We're still living in it.

John, what is there about sin that even attracts me to it?

Well, we have a carnal nature, but with the Holy Spirit in us, it repels it.

All right, but we do have a carnal nature. I'm not making excuses for sin, but we need to look at it. We sin because that's our old nature. Our new nature is born again. But he said that you being dead to sins should live unto righteousness.

That's what we should do. We have the opportunity to live righteously. To live righteously. Great. What does righteous, righteously mean here?

It means to live the way God would want us to live.

All right. How are we going to translate that into everyday living?

Well, do everything like Jesus would do it. Try to get into that frame of mind.

All right. John, you want to say something?

I remember years ago you told us if you'll get up in the morning and give the day to him, then not only it's in the back of your mind, but you've already started out that way.

Spend time in the Word. If you don't have the Word, then quote it from memory. If you can't do that, get as close as you can to it. By whose stripes ye were healed. This has been misinterpreted so much.

They say that this means that you've already been healed. You're not to have any physical diseases or anything. But that's not what it says. By whose stripes ye were healed. By whose stripes, his beating, the stripes that come upon him.

Ye were healed. That is past, present, or future. Past. Past. Word. A one-time action that lasts forever. Ye were healed. This is spiritually. Ye were healed spiritually. The healed spiritually refers to what action?

The forgiveness of sin. Alright. The forgiveness of sin. Once and once only. Ye were healed. Not of diseases, or it represents the present tense. This is from the law. Ye were healed. For ye were as sheep, going astray, but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls.

He's the caretaker of your soul. Ye were sheep. Now the word refers to what period of time? Past. Before the cross. The cross changed everything. Ye were sheep going astray. Will sheep wander off by themselves?

Yes they will. Unless you pin them up, or somebody keeps track of them. They'll just scatter forever. And are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls. Are now returned is past or present.

Or future. Present. Right now you're returned. You can say that two o 'clock in the morning. Right now I am returned. Now this shepherd and bishop of your souls. The Jews had a shepherd. They knew what that was.

He was keeper of the flock. Bishop means overseer or keeper. And souls means your life. So the bishop of your life, the soul of your life. Jesus is our shepherd. He is looking after us. He's the caretaker of our souls.

And if we were returned, we were with him once. And are now returned unto the shepherd. That's a good point. I overlooked that. Return simply means coming back. You were once with him and now you're with him again.

There was a space of time in there in which you were lost. You were not with him. But now we are. You are now returned to the shepherd. Chapter 3 changes subjects a little bit. It starts off by saying, Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if anybody, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversion.

Conversation of the wives. The conduct of the wife. Subjection. Let's look at subjection. John, what does subjection mean? Giving way to. All right. Bill, what does subjection mean? Under the authority of.

All right. Clarence, what does subjection mean? Submission. What? Submission. I didn't hear. Submissive. Submissive. Yes, submissive. Jesse, what does subjection mean to you? All those things. All right.

It means subjection, but not like a child. We have dominion over the children. This subjection has to do with that which is voluntary. Women are responders. You love them, they love you back. You cut one short, they're apt to cut you short.

As the husband displays this behavior, the wife will respond to it. This is why the husband is told to love his wife, and she loves him back. After they have done all that they can, the wife and the lost husband, she has to leave it to the sovereignty of God.

This in no way means that the husband is saved, only that the wife has done all in obedience to God. The saving part becomes property of the Lord. If it was meant for him to be saved and to be saved this way, then he will see to it.

While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Now, if you go about the Christian life, talk about the wife, and continually respond with the Christian attitude, I don't mean just I'm reminded of the wife that begged her husband to be saved.

Every morning she would fix his breakfast, and by the time it was finished she was crying, wanting him to be saved, be saved, be saved. Night the same way. Now let me ask you husbands, how many of you would like to come home to a crying wife all of the time?

You wouldn't like that. That's not what it means. She's going at it the wrong way. She has to live a Christian life, but in subjection to her husband, so that he in seeing her reaction will himself become saved.

Who's adorning, let it not be that of outward adorning of plaiting of the hair, and of wearing of gold or putting on apparel. Now, who's adorning? When the Christian woman or church appears and appeals to that that glorifies the totally depraved nature of the unsaved person, get that picture in mind, she is feeding that person's appetite for sin instead of appealing to that person's concern for obedience to God.

None of you women do that. There are churches that they do. They dress, they act, they talk like the world, because that's where the husband is, and they think if they go there they'll influence him. That's not right.

Christian people should take care that all of their external behaviors are answerable to their profession of faith, or you'll be a hypocrite. This does not prohibit all adorning, nor it would prohibit all wearing of apparel.

Some women need painting. And some don't. But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible. Even the ornament of the meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

It is a great price to God to appear rational, normal. Normal changes I know, but you know whether you're godly or not.

Brother Otis, can I say something here? You know, we're talking about in the eyes of God, but it's Christian men to have a Christian wife. That's something that we ought to treasure the same as God treasures.

You know, I mean, you can see, like you talk about the adornment stuff, but your wife appearing hard is worth more than any of the things you're going to see outside of her. And I'll say that to Marianne.

I mean, she's more than me. I know she's precious to God, but it's men to have Christian wives like we do. That's something we ought to treasure every day too. That's true.

I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for my wife. Amen. I'm sure I wouldn't be here. The beauty comes from the inside, not from the outside. Romans 12, 2,. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

For after this manner, in the old time, the holy women also who trusted in God adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husband, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. Little El, whose daughters you are as long as you do well and are not afraid with any amazement.

You're all a daughter of Sarah. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with him according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the graces of life, that your prayers be not hindered.

Now, notice that last part. What is it that will hinder a prayer?

If you're not right with God, for one thing. Yes, and what else?

You're not right with your wife. You cannot be not right with your wife and right with God. Now, to be right with God, it means you're right with your wife and all those that dwell around you. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with him according to knowledge.

Now, this doesn't just happen. It takes study. It takes knowledge. Giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel. Weaker physically, not spiritually. Not morally, not intellectually. Just physically.

One Mind, Tenderheartedness, and Blessing

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, and love as brethren. Be pitiful, be courteous. That calls for unanimity. Finally, brethren, be all of one mind. Wouldn't it be great if we were all of one mind?

We are all of one mind, except we vary in lesser things. And that's the way it should be. But we're all of one mind in God. Love as brethren. Be pitiful, be courteous. Why did they put pitiful in here, Bill?

Be pitiful. I don't know. I would think pitiful might fear me not. Be full of pity toward others. It's a little hard to get the meaning out of it. But we would use other words. Tenderhearted. What? Tenderhearted.

Tenderhearted. Who said that? Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Tenderhearted. That's good. Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contravised blessing, knowing that ye are there unto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

Now, not rendering evil for evil. When some outsider speaks wrong of my wife, myself, or our child, I immediately, before I can catch it, the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, and I put up a defense.

So that's all right. But check it out first. Not to render evil for evil. Don't try to get even with God does that. He knows that you are there unto called. We're called to be Christlike. Now, that does not mean you let everybody run over you.

That does not mean that you take everything lying down. It means to stand for Christ. Let him do the work, but you stand. For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile.

The elixir of life. If we could love life and see good days. What's that mean, see good days? Greg?

Well, it's referring to right now, talking about loving life.

So it must be having a good life while here on earth. All right, but it means something else, too. David? Sometimes, in the Old Testament, that phrase means to live a long time. That's what it means here.

If you would live long, if your life would be meaningful, if you do God's work, happy to do God's work, energetic to do God's work, even when it goes against you, you do God's work. We are to love life.

We're to refrain his tongue and lie how tempting that is to say something. And his lips that they speak no guile, that they speak no sin or iniquity. Let him eschew evil and do good. Let him seek peace and ensure it, eschew it, ensue it.

Let him eschew evil. Eschew means what? It's an old English word. Dennis? I was going to say that word before we get to the word eschew. Eschew. I was going to say that word. Eschew. I don't believe that's it.

There is a few more words. But it means to put away evil and stay away from evil. All right. Stay as far away from it as you can. Brother, if you look at this original verse about the good days, it ain't very well made, having a long life.

I don't know. But every day is a good day. Yes. We just don't always recognize those days as good days. And I think what it's saying here is that you see these days as good days. There are some things that you need to do or you will view all days as evil days.

You need to refrain from evil. You need to refrain from speaking evil. You should eschew whatever this is we're eschewing. Eschewing evil and seeking peace. If we do those things, we'll see those good days that are there and provided for us.

Now that's a little bit different, but I don't think it's a way out of the context. That's right. All right. When will we know that they're good days? When God provided them to us, we know they're good.

All right. We know one day at a time. We know whether right now has been good or not.

I'd say it's the end of the day, you know. All right. Sometimes it's the end of the day and we don't know.

So we will know as we go. We'll know as we are going through the day. Are you doing what you should? Let him eschew evil and do good. Let him speak peace and ensue it. We're supposed to look for peace, but not to let him run over us.

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. Against them that do evil. Now, we have here anthropomorphic speech.

There are no eyes to the Lord or arms or ears. But it is that though he is, the Lord does not have these. I taught once in another church where I come to this verse and a lady took me to task over it.

She said we were made in his image, so he was just like us. And she'd never thought of it before. But that's her old philosophy, I guess. She never did see that God was not just a man. And who is he that will harm you if you be followers of that which is good?

If you are followers of the good life, the Christian life, everything that represents Jesus in this life, who is he that can harm you? Nobody. Now, in our short-sightedness, we may think that he's harming us.

We may think that I just shouldn't have this happen to me. But if we cover all of the bases, if we follow the rules, if we live our life as we're supposed to, and I don't mean that it's just a bunch of rules we have to keep because it's more than that, but we live the Christian life, who is it, John, that can harm you?

No one. Since God takes such good care of you, who can harm you? But see, we've got to be careful we don't interpret that who can harm us. The harming us part of being something like being sick, being afflicted, having financial problems, all of those things are not harming us.

They may be very well helping us. But what they're not harming is our spiritual life and our walk with the Lord and our existential salvation. That's what they don't harm.

It starts out with the righteous. It's our right. It's Christ, isn't it? Yes.

But and if you suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled. You shouldn't be troubled. I knew a lady once. She has gone to heaven now, but nothing upset her.

It was almost as though she was simple-minded, but I knew she wasn't. Just nothing disturbed her. I could care if they dropped the atom bomb outside, it didn't shake her. I have always wished I could be like that.

Neither be troubled. You've got to appear simple-minded to do that. But sanctify the Lord God in your heart, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

What is the hope that is in you? Yes. The living hope. I think Peter said earlier that Christ will return for us. It's more than a hope that we know of, or just a hope as we think of hope. We hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.

It's a knowledge of knowing that Christ will return for us. To those looking for the truth, not for those that are looking for an argument. All other religious systems are incapable of a rational explanation because they are all founded on some misconception of divine nature.

Other people, the lost, do not understand. They cannot. They do not see the new nature. We are to live like that. All other religious systems, and so prominent in our thinking now about the Mohammeds and all of that bunch.

Other religious systems. Every one of them is founded on man. Having a good conscience, that whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be ashamed and falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

Having a good conscience. What makes your conscience? Why is your conscience? Why does it convey a guilty feeling to you, Jesse? That's right. You know immediately, don't you? Now, who is it that really conveyed that feeling to you?

God did. God did. Bill, who is it that can remove it? God has. We need to ask forgiveness. Now, our relationship with God has not changed. It will not. It cannot change. But our fellowship with the Lord changes.

If we go around with guilty conscience all the time. Having a good conscience, that whereas they speak evil of you, even in your good, they will speak evil of you. They may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

They may ultimately be ashamed. They may be now. But ultimately they will be. For it is better if the will of God be so that you suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing. Now, Bill, tell me some way in which we can suffer for well-doing, doing well.

Oh, there's a lot of ways that physically we can suffer for evil-doing, for good-doing. Just by the virtue of doing good, sometimes you separate yourself from the people around you who are not. And you get their censure.

All right. Now, Roger, should we do good in order to get the praise of man? No. What happens when we do? Well, one, we might be disappointed because we won't get the praise that we were looking for. And two, if we do, well, then there's our blessing.

If we do it for the praise of God, we will receive his blessing. That's right. And you may not receive it right now. You might receive it right now. It's totally up to him. For it is better if the will of God be so that you suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing.

We've been misunderstood that we suffer for evil-doing eventually. And what makes the difference between well-doing and evil-doing? What's good and bad? Where's the difference, David? Well-doing is when you are acting.

I like this whole chapter started where Jesus made himself committed or committed himself to God. When you act in that fashion, it's good. When you don't, it doesn't matter how good it looks, it's not good.

That's the key I was going to, I was headed for. It may look good to the world or to an individual, but unless it's of God, it isn't good, no matter how much money you make. For Christ also has once suffered for sins.

He does not deal with sins any longer. He dealt with it one time, and that was sufficient. The just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened of the spirit, being put to death in the flesh.

When he was put to death in the flesh, in what state was he? When he was put to death, what state was he?

He was in the human state.

Alright, he was in the human state, which is what? Flesh. Which is what? Jesus. We're talking about his death.

He took our sins on him, so he was in a state of sin.

Alright, he was in the state of sin. Do you see that? Sin cannot be in the presence of God, can it? This is why he turned his back on him. For so far, a few moments, or days, I don't know how many, Christ was lost, just like we were lost.

He had to come to where I was. He could not stand outside and pass it in. He had to come. He became sin for us. Do you see that? Does everybody see that? It's hard. It's hard to see him. It's hard to see a lost person, a righteous person, becoming sin and separated from God.

But he had to, if he was going to do what he said he would. And what he said he would is our salvation. I think the problem is it doesn't seem fair. That's right. It doesn't seem fair that Christ, that Jesus, who was all of the time up until now righteous, should have sin put upon him through no doing of his own.

But I guess that's kind of symmetric with us living all of our life in sin, having it removed through nothing that we do. That's right. Absolutely. He became sin so we wouldn't have it. Good. So the righteous became sinful so that the unrighteous could become righteous.

I want to stop right there. Verse 18. Does anyone have anything they'd like to add? Well, it's time to be dismissed then.

Verge, would you dismiss us? Our dear Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for bringing us here this morning, Lord, and just hearing your word, Lord. And I just thank you that you were willing to go to the cross, Lord, and take up our sins, Lord, and we might have the eternal salvation that you promised, Lord.

I just thank you for the strong lesson this morning, Lord. I just thank you that you have blessed us so richly in this country, Lord. Lord, I thank you for the godly wives that we have in this church, Lord, that were brought to our attention this morning, Lord.

I just thank you for all the many things that help us to always be understanding when you show us things, Lord. I just thank you for Brother Otis, Lord, and the teaching that he's done so much of, Lord.

And I just pray that you continue to bless his life, Lord, and be with Brother Dave as he brings the message, and just give him the Holy Spirit and the words that need to be spoken, Lord, and he will bring forth what needs to be brought forth, Lord.

Just forgive us of all of our many sins. I ask all this in Christ's name, amen.