‘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--IV—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 or the CHURCH—
D. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Church-IV—1Peter 3:8-12
Attention:
In any team sport—basketball, football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, etc.
The governance of every Coach on the team—& there are multiple coaches even at the high school level—pervades the game.
Obviously, the emotional stability, commitment, ability, & outright skill of each player plays into the success of the team as well.
All aspects of the team must be consistently governed within recognized guidelines & interpersonal skills in order for it to be successful.
We like to think that we can ‘have’, with no real commitment to ‘having’s requirements & responsibilities. We may suppose that we can ‘have our cake & eat it too.’ But the Church, though it is built upon individual commitments to Christ, is much more grand than that. The Church—the Body of Christ—is much more than the sum of its parts.
God’s Church is about the GATHERED Church! It is about individuals who have been born-again so that they operate together in unison with one another as do the individual members of one’s physical body. The Church is to operate as one body—the body of Christ! And THAT requires Christian/godly governance.
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).
We have already found that...
Christian governance regarding the CHURCH(Body of Christ) addresses...
1. SINGLENESS Of MIND(:8-9)
2. The TONGUE(:10)
3. LIFESTYLE(:11)
4—Christian governance regarding the CHURCH(Body of Christ) addresses...MOTIVATION(:12)
Explanation:(:12)
:12—“For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”
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.”
It is the charge of God’s people to pursue peace(:11) because God Himself is aware of all. God intentionally looks to see the applications of His mercies & graces in His people—those who are considered by Him to be “the righteous.” “The righteous” are considered righteous only as they are obedient to God’s voice. God is positively attentive to these individuals—“eyes” “are on.”
God is also attentive(again in a positive manner) to hear the “prayers” of His people. Thus He shuts His “ears” not paying special attention to prayer that is prayed with indifference toward Himself.
In fact, YaHWeH’s “face” is even “against” “those who oppose Him, in “doing evil.” Thus perfectly turning His attentions to observe the “evil” of some, He rightly refuses to hear them or act regarding their cause due to it’s being “evil.”
The Governance of Christ in relation to the Church is absolutely vital.
“For/Because”—oti—Conjunction—1) That, because, since. Strong—neuter of ostiv[Which some, i.e. Any that; also (definitively)--Which same]as conjunction; demonstrative--That(sometimes redundant); causative--Because.
“Eyes”—ofyalmov—Noun Masc.—1) The eye; 2) metaph.--The eyes of the mind, the faculty of knowing. Strong—The eye (literally or figuratively); by implication--Vision; figuratively--Envy(from the jealous side-glance).?English=‘Ophthalmic/Ophthalmologist’
“LORD”2X—kuriov—Noun Masc.—1) He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord. Kuriov has a wider meaning[than despothv], applicable to the various ranks & relations of life & not suggestive of either property or of absolutism. Strong—from kurov(supremacy); Supreme in authority, i.e. as noun--Controller; by implication--Mr.(as a respectful title).
*“On”(See “Against” below)—epi—Preposition—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position--On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—properly, meaning superimposition(of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution[with the genitive case], i.e. Over, upon, etc.; of rest(with the det.)--At, on, etc.; of direction(with the accusative case)--Towards, upon, etc.
“Righteous”—dikaiov—Adj.—1) Righteous, observing divine laws—1a) in a wide sense--Upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God—1a1) Of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined, 1a2) Innocent, faultless, guiltless, 1a3) Used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, & acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, & who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life—1a3a) Only Christ truly, 1a4) Approved of or acceptable of God, 1b) in a narrower sense--Rendering to each his due & that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others, whether expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them. Strong—Equitable(in character or act); by implication--Innocent, holy(absolutely or relatively).
“Ears”—ouv—Noun Neuter—1) The ear; 2) metaph.--The faculty of perceiving with the mind, the faculty of understanding & knowing. Strong—apparently a primary word; The ear(physically or mentally).
“Open/Attend to/Towards”—eiv—Preposition—1) Into, unto, to, towards, for, among. Strong—a primary preposition; To or Into(indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or figuratively--Purpose(result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases.
“Prayers”—dehsiv—Noun Fem.—1) Need, indigence, want, privation, penury; 2) A seeking, asking, entreating, entreaty to God or to man. Dehsiv is petitionary, & may also be used of a request addressed to man. Dehsiv gives prominence to the expression of personal need. Proseuch & dehsiv are often used together. Proseuch is restricted to prayer to God, while dehsiv has no such restriction. Dehsiv also refers chiefly to prayer for particular benefits, while proseuch is more general. Strong—A petition. Used 19X.?From—deomai—To beg(as binding oneself), i.e. Petition.?From—dew—a primary verb; To bind(in various applications, literally or figuratively).
“But”—de—
“Face”—proswpon—Noun Neuter—1) The face—1a) The front of the human head, 1b) Countenance, look—1b1) The face so far forth as it is the organ of sight, & by it various movements & changes) the index of the inward thoughts & feelings, 1c) The appearance one presents by his wealth or property, his rank or low condition—1c1) Outward circumstances, external condition, 1c2) Used in expressions which denote to regard the person in one's judgment & treatment of men; 2) The outward appearance of inanimate things. Strong—from prov & wq(the visage, from optanomai); The front(as being towards view), i.e. The countenance, aspect, appearance, surface; by implication--Presence, person.
*“Against”(See “On” above)—epi—
“Do”(See 3:11; 2:22—“Committed”)—poiew—Verb—1) To make—1a) with the names of things made--To produce, construct, form, fashion, etc., 1b) To be the authors of, the cause, 1c) To make ready, to prepare, 1d) To produce, bear, shoot forth, 1e) To acquire, to provide a thing for one's self, 1f) To make a thing out of something, 1g) To (make i.e.) render one anything—1g1) To (make i.e.) constitute or appoint one anything, to appoint or ordain one that, 1g2) To (make i.e.) declare one anything, 1h) To put one forth, to lead him out, 1i) To make one do something—1i1) cause one to, 1j) To be the authors of a thing (to cause, bring about); 2) To do—2a) To act rightly, do well—2a1) To carry out, to execute, 2b) To do a thing unto one—2b1) To do to one, 2c) with designation of time--To pass, spend, 2d) To celebrate, keep—2d1) To make ready, & so at the same time to institute, the celebration of the passover, 2e) To perform: to a promise. Poiew denotes "to do", prassw - "to practise"; poiew to designate performance, prassw intended, earnest, habitual, performance; poiew to denote merely productive action, prassw definitely directed action; poiew to point to the action result, prassw to the scope & character of the result. These words are often used interchangeably. Strong—apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; To make or do(in a very wide application, more or less direct).
“Evil”(See 3:10, 11)—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.
Argumentation:
Prov. 15:29—“The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.”
Jer. 32:19—“‘You are great in counsel & mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways & according to the fruit of his doings.”
Heb. 4:12-13—“For the word of God is living & powerful, & sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, & of joints & marrow, & is a discerner of the thoughts & intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked & open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
Jn. 9:24-34—“So they[Pharisees] again called the man who was blind, & said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.” He answered & said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already, & you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” Then they reviled him & said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” The man answered & said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God & does His will, He hears him. “Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered & said to him, “You were completely born in sins, & are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.
People who are legalistic do not operate by the power of God but by the power to maintain a system. No doubt they wanted to know ‘how’ the man’s eyes were open so they could duplicate it themselves & thereby discredit Jesus.
2Chron. 16:9—“For the eyes of the LORD run to & fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him....”
Prov. 10:2—“Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, But righteousness delivers from death.”
Prov. 11:4, 19—“Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.”.....“As righteousness leads to life, So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.”
Prov. 10:4—“He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
Why would a person’s hand be “slack”?—No motivation! A passion for diligence in the things of God makes one “rich” in more ways than mere finances...Their “diligence” makes him/her “rich” in spiritual matters. If the finances follow it is just ‘icing-on-the-cake’ as it were!
Isa. 30:1—“Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;”
Isa. 59:1-2—“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
Mk. 11:27-33—“Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, & the elders came to Him. And they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?” But Jesus answered & said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, & I will tell you by what authority I do these things: “The baptism of John--was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ “But if we say, ‘From men’--they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. So they answered & said to Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus answered & said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.””
Jn. 15:18--16:3—““If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come & spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen & also hated both Me & My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. “And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.”
Php. 3:17--4:1—“Brethren, join in following my example, & note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, & now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, & whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Therefore, my beloved & longed-for brethren, my joy & crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.”
Js. 5:10—“My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering & patience.”
1Pet. 2:19-25—“For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good & suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd & Overseer of your souls.”
Illustration:
I was watching a secular TV show called ‘One Strange Rock’—A secular science themed show about the physical workings of our planet/It’s premises are tied to the knowledge of former astronauts who have spent many days on the international Space Station/One of the astronauts-scientists held up his father as a key motivator for his life’s efforts—An ‘If Dad could only see me now, he would be proud of me. And Dad would know that it’s only because of him that I’ve become who I am.’/What a telling testimony to the paltry & insignificant ‘heights’ of life lived without Jesus!/MOTIVATION
Why do you do what you do?
What is your Inducement/Stimulus/Incentive/Catalyst?
Application:
?Does ‘Christian Governance’ guide Your MOTIVATION?
?Is Christian Governance within the CHURCH aided or hindered by you?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
In any team sport the governance of every Coach on the team pervades the game.
Action:
Christian governance regarding the CHURCH(Body of Christ) addresses...
4. MOTIVATION(:12)
1. SINGLENESS Of MIND(:8-9)
2. The TONGUE(:10)
3. LIFESTYLE(:11)
Pt# 4 only! presented 07/29/2018am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
