‘For The LORD’S SAKE’—1Peter 2:13—3:12
A. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Government—1Peter 2:13-17
B. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Work—1Peter 2:18-25
C. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Marriage—1Peter 3:1-7
D. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Church--II—1Peter 3:8-12
So far in our study of 1Peter we have examined the fact that
Christians are...CONSIDERED ALIEN(1:1-2)...
We’ve discovered...WHAT’s So GREAT About GOD—(1:3-12)
Discovered God’s means of...UNLEASHING Your SPIRITUAL VITALITY/Vigor(1:13-21)
We’ve also found the importance of LOVING THE BRETHREN(1:22—2:12).
We have seen how those truths play into the overall scheme of Submission...the give-&-take of relationships within CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE.
We began by examining the relationship of CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE in regard to GOVERNMENT(1Peter 2:13-17).
Followed by the relationship of CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE in regard to WORK(1Peter 2:18-25).
And lastly we looked at the relationship of CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE in regard to MARRIAGE(1Peter 3:1-7).
Today we will continue by looking at the role of CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE within the Body of Christ, AKA--the CHURCH—
D. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Church-II—1Peter 3:8-12
Attention:
It’s Only A Quarter!
Several years ago, a preacher accepted a call to church in a city & state with which he was unfamiliar. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.’ Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, ‘Here, you gave me too much change.'
The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?'
'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday.'
When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.’
Addendum: NOW...don’t get too high-&-mighty thinking it would be a good idea to ‘set up’ or ‘test’ the preacher for failure(or anyone else for that matter)! That’s what the devil did during Jesus’ wilderness temptation(Lk. 4:1-13). Also the Pharisees approached Jesus in the same manner & they were acting in the flesh/hypocritically/demonically!
Lk. 4:9-12—“Then he[the devil] brought Him[Jesus] to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, & said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ “&, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” “And Jesus answered & said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
We like to think that we can ‘have’, with no real commitment to ‘having’s requirements & responsibilities.
Likewise God’s Church cannot be healthy without real commitment to that end.
Peter pressed the importance of Christian submission as it related to the Church or Body of Christ.
Christian submission is directly tied to relationship with the Church.
How is Christian governance addressed regarding the Church(Body of Christ)?
6 undertakings/facets of Christian governance regarding the Church(Body of Christ).
Previously we’ve found that Christian governance regarding the CHURCH(Body of Christ) addresses the Church’s...
1. SINGLENESS Of MIND(:8-9)
2—Christian governance regarding the CHURCH(Body of Christ) addresses...The TONGUE(:10)
Explanation:(:10)
:10—“For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.”
Peter quotes from & applies Ps. 34:12-16 to the church of Christ, which is iterated here in 3:10-12.
Ps. 34:12-16—“Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil & do good; Seek peace & pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.”
“For” informs us that there are biblical reasons behind the Christian’s stance against retaliation/vengeance.
The stance & statement of Scripture is that if a person would have designs on “loving life” & “seeing good days” that he will take it upon himself to purposely keep his “tongue” from that which is “evil” in God’s eyes. Likewise, one’s “lips” would never be party to voicing deception.
FYI—The tongue is a major means of conveying your heart’s desire.
Such does NOT mean that if one merely curbs his/her tongue but continues to hate in her/his heart, that it is acceptable simply because nothing was said(1Jn. 2:4-6; Js. 3:2). Hatred(as well as love) begins & flows from the heart(Mat. 5:21-24; Rom. 10:9-10)...
1Jn. 2:4-6—“He who says, “I know Him,” & does not keep His commandments, is a liar, & the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
Js. 3:2—“For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”
Mat. 5:21-24—“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, & whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, & there remember that your brother has something against you, “leave your gift there before the altar, & go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, & then come & offer your gift.”
Rom. 10:9-10—“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Granted—NOT openly voicing your hatred/“evil”, keeps the church(local & universal) from being overwhelmed thru collateral damage of slander, which is a far worse scenario involving multitudes of God’s saints. Thus keeping one’s mouth closed makes even the fool(in heart) appear wise(Prov. 17:28).
Prov. 17:28—“Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.”
Thru Holy Spirit driven restraint regarding one’s flesh, one’s “love of life” becomes apparent. Such “life” is descriptive of “life” which is had only by & in God thru Christ Jesus. The term encompasses “life” both earthly—now—as well as that which is eternal—future. “Life” is a continuum thru our ‘now’ & on into eternity, so that no matter when one’s ‘eternity’ begins—upon death or ‘translation’—earth & eternity are integrally & seamlessly linked to today.
Thereby it is seemingly easy(though requiring restraint--“refrain”) to “love” such “life” as God provides His people.
Likewise, thru Holy Spirit driven restraint regarding one’s flesh, “good days” are destined to be had by the one given to God. Thus a Spirit-filled life is evidenced in the “good days” one experiences empowered by the Lord Himself.
This does NOT mean that the child of God will have ONLY “good days”, in the sense that his “days” are trouble free in the way that the world would consider them trouble free. The Christian’s “good days” may be fraught with hardship, yet such days of hardship are still “good days” when empowered in Christ Jesus!
“For”—gar—Conjunction—1) For. Strong—a primary particle; properly--Assigning a reason(used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles).
“Would”—yelw—Verb—1) To will, have in mind, intend—1a) To be resolved or determined, to purpose, 1b) To desire, to wish, 1c) To love—1c1) To like to do a thing, be fond of doing, 1d) To take delight in, have pleasure. Yelw denotes the active resolution, the will urging on to action. Strong—apparently strengthened from the alternate form of aireomai[To take to oneself or prefer]; To determine(as an active option from subjective impulse; whereas boulomai properly denotes rather a passive acquiescence in objective considerations), i.e. Choose or prefer(literally or figuratively); by implication--To wish, i.e. Be inclined to(sometimes adverbially, gladly); impersonally for the future tense--To be about to; by Hebraism--To delight in.
“Love”—agapaw—Verb—1) of persons—1a) To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; 2) of things—2a) To be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing. Agapaw concerns embracing especially the judgment & the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty & propriety. Strong—perhaps from agan(much) [or compare bge[To breathe after, i.e. To love(sensually)]]; To love (in a social or moral sense). RWP—“the noble word so common in the Gospels for the highest form of love.” Not—filew—i.e. To have affection for(denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling).
“Life”—zwh—Noun Fem.—1) Life—1a) The state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate, 1b) Every living soul; 2) Life—2a) Of the absolute fulness of life, both essential & ethical, which belongs to God, & through him both to the hypostatic "logos" & to Christ in whom the "logos" put on human nature, 2b) Life real & genuine, a life active & vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions(among them a more perfect body), & to last for ever. Strong—Life(literally or figuratively).?Zwh corresponds to Hebrew—yx. A)quch—Breath, i.e. by implication--Spirit, abstractly or concretely--The animal sentient principle only, which is distinguished from, B) pneuma—The rational & immortal soul, & C)zwh—Mere vitality, even of plants. These terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew...A)vpn, B)xwr & C)yx.
“See”—eidw/oida—2Aorist Active Infinitive—1) To see—1a) To perceive with the eyes, 1b) To perceive by any of the senses, 1c) To perceive, notice, discern, discover, 1d) To see—1d1) i.e. To turn the eyes, the mind, the attention to anything, 1d2) To pay attention, observe, 1d3) To see about something 1d31) i.e. To ascertain what must be done about it, 1d4) To inspect, examine, 1d5) To look at, behold, 1e) To experience any state or condition, 1f) To see i.e. Have an interview with, to visit; 2) To know—2a) To know of anything, 2b) To know, i.e. get knowledge of, understand, perceive—2b1) of any fact, 2b2) the force & meaning of something which has definite meaning, 2b3) To know how, to be skilled in, 2c) To have regard for one, cherish, pay attention to(1Th 5:12). Eidw/oida denotes to see with the mind's eye, signifies a clear & purely mental perception. Strong—a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent optanomai & oraw; properly--To see(literally or figuratively); by implication (in the perfect only)--To know.
“Good”(See 3:11)—agayov—Adj.—1) Of good constitution or nature; 2) Useful, salutary; 3) Good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy; 4) Excellent, distinguished; 5) Upright, honorable. Strong—a primary word; “Good”(in any sense, often as noun).
“Days”—hmera—
“Refrain...from/Keep...from”—pauw—Verb—1) To make to cease or desist; 2) To restrain a thing or person from something; 3) To cease, to leave off; 4) Have got release from sin—4a) No longer stirred by its incitements & seductions. Strong—To stop(transitively or intransitively), i.e. Restrain, quit, desist, come to an end. Used 15X.
“Tongue”—glwssa—Noun Fem.—1) The tongue, a member of the body, an organ of speech; 2) A tongue—1a) The language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations. Strong—of uncertain affinity; The tongue; by implication--A language(specially, one naturally unacquired).
“From”—apo—Preposition—1) Of separation—1a) Of local separation, after verbs of motion from a place i.e. Of departing, of fleeing, ..., 1b) Of separation of a part from the whole—1b1) Where of a whole some part is taken, 1c) Of any kind of separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed, 1d) Of a state of separation, that is of distance—1d1) physical, of distance of place, 1d2) temporal, of distance of time; 2) Of origin—2a) Of the place whence anything is, comes, befalls, is taken, 2b) Of origin of a cause. Strong—a primary particle; “Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses(of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative).
“Evil”(See 3:9, 11, 12)—kakov—Adj.—1) Of a bad nature—1a) Not such as it ought to be; 2) Of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting—2a) Base, wrong, wicked; 3) Troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful. These words[kakov, ponhrov, faulov] may be used with very little distinction of meaning, but often the difference is marked. Kakov frequently means evil rather negatively, referring to the absence of the qualities which constitute a person or thing what it should be or what it claims to be. It is also used meaning evil in a moral sense. It is a general antithesis to agayov. Strong—apparently a primary word; Worthless(intrinsically, such; whereas ponhrov properly refers to effects), i.e. subjectively--Depraved, or objectively--Injurious.
“Lips”—ceilov—Noun Neuter—1) A lip, of the speaking mouth; 2) metaph.--The sea shore. Strong—A lip(as a pouring place); figuratively--A margin(of water). Used 7X.
“From/Not”(See 3:10—“Not”)—mh—Particle—1) No, not lest. Strong—a primary particle of qualified negation(whereas ou, ouk, ouc expresses an absolute denial); adverbially--Not, conjunctionally--Lest; also(as an interrogative implying a negative answer[whereas ou expects an affirmative one])--Whether.
“Speaking/Speech”—lalew—Verb—1) To utter a voice or emit a sound; 2) To speak—2a) To use the tongue or the faculty of speech, 2b) To utter articulate sounds; 3) To talk; 4) To utter, tell; 5) To use words in order to declare one's mind & disclose one's thoughts—5a) To speak. Strong—a prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; To talk, i.e. Utter words.?Lalew means an extended or random harangue, while legw means to relate, in words[usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas epw & fhmi generally refer to an individual expression or speech respectively; while rew is properly, to break silence merely].
“Deceit/Guile/Deceitful”—dolov—Noun Masc.—1)Craft, deceit, guile. Strong—from an obsolete primary verb, dellw(probably meant to decoy; compare deleazw[To entrap/delude]); A trick(bait), i.e. figuratively--Wile. Used 12X.
Argumentation:
Prov. 10:8—“The wise in heart will receive commands, But a prating[talk long & idly] fool will fall.”
Prov. 10:11—“The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.”
Prov. 10:12—“Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.”
Prov. 11:9-11—“The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered. When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation. By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.”
The exhortation is that any & every “city” will benefit by honoring God’s righteousness, i.e., by doing what is right, by God’s design & determination of ‘right.’
Php. 2:9-16—“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him[Jesus] & given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, & of those on earth, & of those under the earth, & that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining & disputing, that you may become blameless & harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked & perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
Jn. 17:13-16—“But now I come to You, & these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; & the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
Just how is God going to keep His servants from the evil one?...By their faithfulness to God Himself!
**Js. 3:1-18—“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, & we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large & are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member & boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, & sets on fire the course of nature; & it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast & bird, of reptile & creature of the sea, is tamed & has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God & Father, & with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing & cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water & bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water & fresh. Who is wise & understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy & self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast & lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy & self-seeking exist, confusion & every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy & good fruits, without partiality & without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
When your tongue is not controlled by the Spirit of God...When your tongue accuses & berates the family of God...When your tongue spouts personal disappointment(‘church’ hurt) to others instead of asking for & allowing God to repair relationships & reconcile them, then the entire church is devastated & thus Satan is lifted up!...
We must be ‘discerners’ of the Lord’s body(1Cor. 11:29)!
Illustration:
WE'LL HAVE NONE OF THAT:
Two elderly women were sitting together in the front row of the church-house with a fiery preacher.
When this preacher condemned the sin of lust, these two ladies cried out at the top of their lungs, "Amen, Brother!"
When the preacher condemned the sin of stealing, they yelled again, "Preach It, Reverend!"
And when the preacher condemned the sin of lying....they jumped to their feet & screamed, “Tell ‘em, Brother...Tell It Like It Is...Amen!"
But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip, the two got quiet, stayed seated, squinted their eyes, & one turned to the other & said, "He's done quit preaching & now he's gone to meddlin'."
Some of y’all might consider that I’ve ‘gone to meddlin’’ this evening. But instead it’s GOD who’s gone to meddlin’ in your lives! And if you have a problem with that then you have some real issues that need to be addressed!
Application:
?Does ‘Christian Governance’ guide Your TONGUE?
?Is Christian Governance within the CHURCH aided or hindered by you?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The pastor’s quarter!--Almost sold out the Son of God for next to nothing!
Action:
Christian governance regarding the CHURCH(Body of Christ) addresses...
2. The TONGUE(:10)
1. SINGLENESS Of MIND(:8-9)
Pt# 2 presented 06/17/2018pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
