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Bro. Otis Fisher
1 Peter 4 .14 If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. What does reproach mean, Virg?
As a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Now busybody is a nice term for it, but you're sticking your nose in where you don't belong. Gossip. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this day.
So we're told that even though we suffer, if it is for Christ, it's right. Now if it's not for Christ, you have a problem. For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And it is first begun at us.
What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God, if we barely are saved? And that's what it amounts to. We're saved, but we're barely are saved. What about those that are not saved? Those that are not of the glory of God?
Those that do not belong to him? It's an awful end. And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? They don't even appear on the scale. Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as unto a faithful creator.
God as creator, through Jesus, has created everything. Everything belongs to him. Now, if we suffer according to the will of God, and I think we all have to some extent, or are, but we know, that is, I hope we know, that it is for the glory of God and we shall come through it.
Chapter 5, verse 1. The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, for also, and also a partaker of the glory, that shall be revealed. Feed the flock.
It doesn't say fleece the flock, it says feed the flock. For a male, the flock of God which is among you, take the oversight. Care for the church which resteth upon the elders. Not by constraint. What does that mean?
Not by constraint. Greg, what does he mean? All right. Being coerced into something that we are not equipped for, and do not want to do, we are to do only which we know is pleasing to God. Now, how do you know that?
Are you doing something that's not pleasing to God, or are you walking in his path? God is not pleased with us when we allow others to dictate our position. By that I mean, there are so many offices in the Baptist Church.
First, there's a lot more than there's supposed to be, but they will create a class in Sunday school, according to age limit. Then they'll find someone that's not doing something, and tell that someone that they must teach.
That's not right. I would rather have all of the church in one class under a dedicated teacher, than to be 50 classes under those that are not dedicated. We are to do it willingly, voluntarily, of one's own accord.
You're to be led by the Spirit. You say, well, we would never get a teacher if we do that. That's all right. To never have a teacher, rather than one that's not dedicated to God. Not for a filthy lucre, but for a ready mind.
Joy, what does it mean, a ready mind? All right. What does it mean, filthy lucre, Dennis? All right. Is there anything wrong with money? Not for a filthy lucre. Anything that's not of God's filthy. Put out the food in such a way that they will want to eat it.
That's the hardest thing for teachers to do. Teach the word in such a way that the people want to come back. They want to hear, they want to learn, they want to know more. Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being in samples to the flock.
Do not be lords over or rule over God's heritage. The word heritage. What's meant by that, David? All right. And when the chief shepherds shall appear, not maybe, not if he appears, but he shall appear to make manifest or visible or know what has been hidden or unknown.
Whether by words, deeds, or in any other way, Christ, the head of the church, he shall appear. You shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. This crown of glory, Verge, what is that? It's not salvation, though.
Greg? That's right. The rewards. Now, Charlie, are you working for rewards? Well, let me ask that different. Is that the only thing you're working for is to get the reward? Okay. We work for rewards without it being known.
You accumulate rewards without knowing it. You cannot know ahead of time. That fadeth not away. The root idea here being that it is unaffected by the withering, which is common to plants. It fades not away.
Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elders. Yea, all of you being subject, one to another, and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble, because they are always seeking it.
Those that do not humble themselves are always looking to humble themselves. Where the knowledge of God is, absent humility is impossible. Where the knowledge of God is, it's impossible to not be humble, if you really have the knowledge of God.
There is a voluntary humility, such as people thanking themselves unworthy to come to God, like Peter. You remember Peter thought he was unworthy of it. Are we unworthy of it, Dennis? All right, there must be some worth there somehow.
David, are we unworthy to come to God? We're not worthy in and of ourselves. It is Christ that makes us worthy, but we are worthy, or he would not have died for us. Yes. They are above a lot of other people.
And that scripture is just verifying that, that we come to him, and on a wide portion of our society, and we're going to him in the wrong direction anyway. The people you see, we've got to humble ourselves lower than what we are to go to him.
I'm not saying it's right, but to be, make God what we're supposed to be, we need to be humble, or lower than the people below us, so we cannot, people like to say, look at me, look at me. When we're doing that, we're taking away from God.
That's right, that's right. Is that what the scripture says? Yes, yes. We must humble ourselves, that's taking second. We're not first. Thou shalt never wash my feet is another expression. Peter used that one.
I'm not worthy of the Lord's supper. Well, you are worthy of the Lord's supper in God's eyes. You may not be in yours, but in the eyes of God. Another one, I cannot believe the Lord loves me. Well, he's told you that over and over and over in the scripture.
This is the worst kind of pride, setting up worthiness as a condition to receive the free gift of God. You could never be worthy. You could never, never come up to his standards. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
Now, exalt, Jesse means what? Alright, he will lift you up in due time. Now, Greg, what does due time mean? Right, whether it ever happens on this earth or not. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God.
David, what does the mighty hand of God mean? He is all powerful. He knows everything. We say that in a few words, but it has a world of information in it. He knows it all, because he caused it all. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
Now, Fred, in due time means that it is time according to God. You cannot exalt yourself other than that. We can lift ourselves up, have exaltation for a moment, but that's not God's way. It may never happen in this world, and it may.
Now, this is written in the passive voice. It means to be acted upon by God, be humble, be submissive to the discipline of God. There is a mouthful. To the discipline of God. Greg, how do we know the discipline of God in our life?
We know mostly when we are not in the discipline of God. We know right quick when we have sinned. We know quickly when something I said or something I did was wrong. Now, what if we never knew that? What would life be like?
I hate to think about it. Did you know that all the world is doing his will? Boy, that's hard to understand. We cannot understand it. But it is. But, brother, shouldn't we care today for that humbleness?
Yes, yes. You cannot use the humbleness of yesterday. It has to be now, today, right now. In due time, at the proper time, this life or the next, he'll lift you up. Casting means to be put in motion. All your care upon him, for he cares for you.
Do not worry once for all, ever, about anything, ever again. You don't have to worry about anything. Be sober. What's that mean? Jesse, what's it mean to be sober? All right. Mentally self-controlled.
Be vigilant. Dennis, what's it mean to be vigilant? All right. Military term. Watch. Keep watch. Looking for God's control in your life. Because your adversary, the devil is a roaring lion, walking about seeking whom he may devour.
Can he devour you? All right. God will never, never allow Satan to devour your soul. Now, we may at times run off, but we still belong to him. The devil cannot devour us, but he can tempt us. The devil cannot devour us.
What do I mean by that, David? This is not just a wish, it's a prediction. He cannot destroy our soul. And our soul's what's going to heaven. Whom resisteth steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
The same thing happens to you, that happens to your neighbor, that happens to England. That happens every time. To stand firm at the onset of the devil. Can we personally resist Satan, Dennis? You cannot fight Satan yourself.
There's no way. In the exercise of your given faith. But the God of all grace. There's a mouthful. The God of all grace. Joy, what's that mean? That's right. But the God of all grace. Who hath called us unto his eternal glory.
By Christ Jesus. After that you have suffered a while. Make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. Now. The God of all grace. He has it all. Who hath called us unto him. Is that a call that you can refuse, Charlie?
That's right. The call of God to you, Jesse. You had, you didn't think of anything else. You just responded. After that you have suffered a while. Dennis, do you suffer? We can never know. Because it's in comparison to other people.
Do you suffer according to the Afghans? Afghanistan? It's in an entirely different way, isn't it? After you have suffered a while. What does that tell us, David? That's right. All of his children suffer.
All different. But they all suffer. It'll come to an end. Establish. Now, Greg, there's a good English term. Establish. What does it mean? Is it active or passive? Passive. We are established. It doesn't mean established.
It's established. You have been set in one direction. Fixed. You cannot get away from it. You're facing God. In your soul, you're facing God. Strengthened. Strengthened. Verge, what does that mean? Are you strengthened according to Greg?
No. Or David? No. But according to you and what's facing you. Is that right? Yes. Settle. Settle. What does settle mean, Charlie? Settle you down. Make you comfortable. You can never make this one up.
Fixed. Fixed. Fixed. You're settled. You're not in a turmoil. You don't have it all stirred up all of the time. Even a polluted glass of water will turn clear if you let it settle. But if you shake it, it shows.
That's right. Settle you. God is a source of all comfort and help for every occasion. Jude, is there ever an occasion that God is not in? No. This is a divine summons. It's effectual. You cannot refuse this call.
God calls us unto into salvation. In order that he may derive glory for himself. By virtue of our being saved, he will gain glory by our salvation. He did it for himself. Now, that's a little hard to understand.
That everything God does, he does for himself. We look at that as being selfish. If everything I did was just for me. It would be. But not God. God did everything for himself. He does everything here to please himself.
I don't understand it. I know I could not be in that position. But God can. Well, as our creator, God glorifies you. That's right. You can't be in that position. What? You can't be in that position. You do things for others to please yourself.
That's right. Because you seem to have a mind of God. And in doing things, pleading for others pleases you. That's what God wants you to do. Basically, you're right. But when we start out, we slip over into personal benefit jealousy.
Not necessarily if we have a true mind of God. But we don't have that all the time. That's what we strive for. That's right. What did somebody else say? Fergus said we don't. That's right. But we are to strive for that.
And I would hope we're all in that all of the time. Even though it's impossible. And be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. So true. And we fall so far short in our sight of it. We can't see beyond this moment.
I can think and I can hope in the future. By future I mean the next moment. But He has hid it from us. All we can do is the very best I can right now. Not five minutes from now. But right now. Knowing that it is all under control.
If I could just believe that. I'm teaching myself more than you. But if I could really believe. And I believe the belief. That it's true. I can say the words. But I can't express it. It has to be true.
The rest of the chapter. He closes by Silvanus. A faithful brother. One thing Joy. You brought out in the tenth verse. Let me back up there a moment. The word establish. We go through all of this. From the first of ten down.
He has established us. We do not establish ourselves. He has established me. In Him. I can't do it. I can't say. Now God if it pleases you. Take me today. No. It's got to be passive. It's got to be God.
By Silvanus the faithful brother unto you. As I suppose. I have written briefly. Exhorting and testifying. That this is the true grace of God. Wherein ye stand. Not maybe stand. But you do stand. The church.
That is at Babylon. Elected together with you. And so does Marcus. My son. Greet you one another. With a kiss of charity. Peace be with you. All that are in Christ. Jesus. Amen. Are there any questions.
Over today's lesson. Well there is so much in there. We have a few minutes. We can probably say that about any chapter. In any book. Next week. We are going to start Hebrews. I would like for you. To study it.
Now. All week long. Just the first five verses. Brother Dave and I. Was talking the other day. I truly believe. That if I had only one book. Of the Bible. It would be Hebrews. Or anything from anybody.
That is right. You are elected with me. I am elected with the Venice. We are all elected. As a group and as an individual. Now he places us into that. Elect group one at a time. But we have always. Belonged to him.
We didn't know it. Until he revealed it to me one day. Anything else. Verge dismisses please. Father. Amen. Amen.