The Superior Value Of A Sanctified Heart-4

The SUPERIOR VALUE Of A SANCTIFIED HEART-IV—1Peter 3:13-17

Attention:

Birdbox Challenge—excerpted from: Caitlin O'Kane | CBS News—Friday, January 11, 2019

The Netflix movie, ‘Bird Box’ was a smash hit, with over 45 million viewers streaming it in its first week. It is a sci-fi flick in which a mother & her two children must wear blindfolds as they travel to escape a sinister force that turns anyone who sees it suicidal. Earlier in the the movie’s release month, Netflix warned viewers not to attempt to replicate the movie’s ‘blindfold’ theme in real life.

However, the movie unsurprisingly inspired some of it’s watchers to take “the Bird Box challenge.” This challenge quickly spread via internet. People had themselves filmed doing everyday tasks blindfolded.

CBS News reported that, so far, as a result of “the Bird Box challenge”, one woman nearly burned herself on a heater; a boy repeatedly crashed into furniture with his tricycle; & a blindfolded toddler slammed into a wall.

But this takes the cake—Just north of Salt Lake City, a driver in Layton, Utah, crashed her car on Utah’s Layton Parkway while wearing a blindfold!

The Layton Police Department tweeted after the incident—“Bird Box Challenge while driving...predictable result.”

The police department tweeted photos of two cars involved in the crash – one was a pickup truck with the front bumper bent, the other was a smaller vehicle with the entire driver's side crushed.

Fortunately, no one was injured because of the a dangerous stunt.

So that you won’t walk thru life with your spiritual ‘eyes closed’, God has made it your choice & privilege to set God as holy in your heart.

When your heart is set apart(‘sanctified’) to discovering & living out God’s will, then others, who have never heard or have merely ‘heard of’ God’s truth, will hear it from & thru you & the ministries in which you are involved.

Need:

Our society must realize that the Church does not gather to be entertained, nor to celebrate their own achievements, nor to merely socialize with their friends—Which are all too common misperceptions & misconceptions.

Rather the Church gathers together regularly & repeatedly in order to prepare themselves & their world for the return of Jesus & for the final judgment of God upon the earth...In that, we experience personal growth in holiness by the Holy Spirit, & due to that growth we also share the good news of salvation by grace thru faith in Christ alone.

Peter causes his audience to examine the superior value of a sanctified heart.

The superior value of a sanctified heart is exposed.

How is the superior value of a sanctified heart evaluated/measured/determined?

5 means/ways of evaluating the (superior)value of a sanctified heart:

We’ve found previously that, The (superior)value of a sanctified heart is evaluated thru Your Relationship With...

1. HARM(:13)

2. BLESSING(:14)

3. READINESS(:15)

4—The (superior)value of a sanctified heart is evaluated thru...?

YOUR RELATIONSHIP With INFAMY(:16)

Explanation:(:16)Disrepute/Dishonor/Notoriety/Pride

:16—“having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”

“Having a good conscience,”

The Christian will share their faith in possession of “a good conscience”—meaning that there will be no sinful strongholds maintained that would hinder the truth from being shared.

The Christian will have no problem in divulging their past & current personal struggle(s) with sin, so that the recipient of that personalized truth will unmistakably see that Jesus, & not personal merit, makes one able to abide in God’s kingdom.

God’s people must exhibit a brashly honest openness regarding divine salvation or deliverance from the penalty & earthly ravages of personal sin. Such transparency elevates God’s plan in Christ.

God’s people are not ‘proud’ of their sin. In fact, they are embarrassed by it. *However God’s people are very willing to divulge personal sin for what it is—a personally condemning affront to God—so that the person receiving their testimony will recognize their own similar failures & thereby, their helplessness apart from Christ Jesus. God’s people use their past to give God all the glory. God’s forgiveness & restorative work is seen, elevated, & promoted in the saved sinner.

“Good/Clear”2X(See :13, 21)—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).

“Conscience”(See :21)—suneidhsiv—Noun Fem.—1)The consciousness of anything; 2) The soul as distinguishing between what is morally good & bad, prompting to do the former & shun the latter, commending one, condemning the other—2a) The conscience. Strong—Co-perception, i.e. Moral consciousness.?From—suneidw—To see completely; used(like its primary) only in two past tenses, respectively meaning, To understand or become aware, & To be conscious or (clandestinely)informed of.?Suneidw From—sun—&—eidw—=‘With Knowledge’.

“That when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ”