WEBVTT 00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:02.690 All right, well, we're going to be continuing 00:00:02.690 --> 00:00:09.689 in our series, Exiles, 1 Peter chapter 4. If 00:00:09.689 --> 00:00:11.789 you've got a Bible, you can turn on over there. 00:00:12.710 --> 00:00:14.970 We're going to be reading chapter 4, beginning 00:00:14.970 --> 00:00:19.730 in verse 1 together. 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 00:00:19.730 --> 00:00:22.170 1. If you don't have a Bible, there are Bibles 00:00:22.170 --> 00:00:24.129 directly underneath the seat in front of you 00:00:24.129 --> 00:00:26.859 somewhere. You're welcome to grab that, use that. 00:00:26.899 --> 00:00:28.780 You're welcome to take that Bible home with you. 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:31.280 It is yours. It's our gift to you. We'd love 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:34.380 to have you have the word of God anywhere you 00:00:34.380 --> 00:00:37.479 go. And so if not, you can read on your phone 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:39.100 or you can look up here on the screen. We also 00:00:39.100 --> 00:00:43.399 have the words up here as well. First Peter chapter 00:00:43.399 --> 00:00:48.280 four, beginning in verse one. Therefore, since 00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:50.439 Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves 00:00:50.439 --> 00:00:54.429 also with the same understanding. Because the 00:00:54.429 --> 00:00:56.950 one who suffers in the flesh is finished with 00:00:56.950 --> 00:01:00.070 sin in order to live the remaining time in the 00:01:00.070 --> 00:01:04.189 flesh no longer for human desires, but for God's 00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:07.209 will. For there has already been enough time 00:01:07.209 --> 00:01:09.689 spent in doing what the Gentiles choose to do, 00:01:09.810 --> 00:01:13.650 carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, 00:01:14.030 --> 00:01:18.150 drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry. 00:01:18.510 --> 00:01:21.469 They are surprised that you don't join them in 00:01:21.469 --> 00:01:24.579 the same flood of wild living. and they slander 00:01:24.579 --> 00:01:27.959 you. They will give an account to the one who 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:30.680 stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 00:01:30.819 --> 00:01:33.379 For this reason, the gospel has also been preached 00:01:33.379 --> 00:01:36.760 to those who are now dead, so that although they 00:01:36.760 --> 00:01:39.180 might be judged in the flesh according to human 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:41.840 standards, they might live in the spirit according 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:45.700 to God's standards. The end of all things is 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:49.700 near. Therefore, be alert and sober -minded for 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:53.219 prayer. Above all, maintain constant love for 00:01:53.219 --> 00:01:56.060 one another since love covers a multitude of 00:01:56.060 --> 00:02:00.780 sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:04.879 Just as each one has received a gift, use it 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:07.400 to serve others as good stewards of the varied 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:10.639 grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:13.710 one who speaks God's words. If anyone serves, 00:02:13.930 --> 00:02:16.629 let it be from the strength God provides so that 00:02:16.629 --> 00:02:19.110 God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in 00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:22.030 everything. To him be the glory and the power 00:02:22.030 --> 00:02:31.629 forever and ever. Amen. This is God's word. Peter 00:02:31.629 --> 00:02:38.009 has his eyes on heaven. Peter has his eyes on 00:02:38.009 --> 00:02:40.270 heaven. There's an old saying that describes 00:02:40.270 --> 00:02:44.419 someone whose mind, is preoccupied with spiritual 00:02:44.419 --> 00:02:50.120 things, eternity, theology, heaven. And so they 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:52.419 have become disconnected from practical everyday 00:02:52.419 --> 00:02:55.060 life and people's real needs. That saying, when 00:02:55.060 --> 00:02:56.759 something like this, some of you may have heard 00:02:56.759 --> 00:03:00.840 it, oh, he's too heavenly minded to be any earthly 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:06.060 good. Or she's too heavenly minded to be any 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:10.919 earthly good. But Paul says in Colossians chapter 00:03:10.919 --> 00:03:15.860 3 that we should set our minds where? On things 00:03:15.860 --> 00:03:21.039 above, not on earthly things. And both Peter 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:25.500 and Paul say that our citizenship is where? In 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:31.340 heaven, right now. So how can we not be preoccupied 00:03:31.340 --> 00:03:35.979 with it? I would say that when someone is truly 00:03:35.979 --> 00:03:38.379 heavenly minded, at least in the biblical sense, 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:42.240 they actually become more earthly good, not less. 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:48.020 Why? Because they see others with eternal value. 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:52.960 Because they are willing to serve sacrificially 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:56.180 because this life and this moment is not all 00:03:56.180 --> 00:03:59.379 there is. There's an eternal life and an eternal 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:04.259 kingdom that is the eternal kingdom of God. Those 00:04:04.259 --> 00:04:07.620 who are truly heavenly minded, they care all 00:04:07.620 --> 00:04:10.819 the more about justice and mercy and truth because 00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:14.740 these are enduring truths, enduring characteristics 00:04:14.740 --> 00:04:19.139 of who God is in the coming kingdom. One who 00:04:19.139 --> 00:04:24.399 is truly heavenly minded live with hope and humility 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:30.990 and a sense of urgency. One of my favorite 20th 00:04:30.990 --> 00:04:33.649 century authors and thinkers is C .S. Lewis. 00:04:33.930 --> 00:04:37.290 And C .S. Lewis says this in his book, Mere Christianity. 00:04:37.910 --> 00:04:41.529 He said, if you read history, you will find that 00:04:41.529 --> 00:04:44.529 the Christians who did most for the present world 00:04:44.529 --> 00:04:47.829 were just those who thought most of the next. 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:52.620 The apostles themselves who set on foot the conversion 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:55.680 of the Roman Empire, the great men who built 00:04:55.680 --> 00:04:58.699 up the Middle Ages, the English evangelicals 00:04:58.699 --> 00:05:01.379 who abolished the slave trade, all left their 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:04.379 mark on earth precisely because their minds were 00:05:04.379 --> 00:05:10.040 occupied with heaven. It is since Christians 00:05:10.040 --> 00:05:13.160 have largely ceased to think of the other world 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:15.959 that they have become so ineffective in this. 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:19.920 And then he ends with a very well -known and 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:25.560 famous sentence. Aim at heaven and you will get 00:05:25.560 --> 00:05:30.360 earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:37.100 neither. Peter has his eyes on heaven. Peter 00:05:37.100 --> 00:05:40.560 is preoccupied with heaven and he's trying to 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.459 get the people of God to get their eyes on heaven. 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:46.660 Only when they get their minds and hearts set 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:49.920 like a GPS system or a map system in your phone 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:53.079 that is set to a specific address, only then 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:56.240 will they navigate this present reality in a 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:59.680 way that makes sense of their suffering, that 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:03.100 transforms their priorities. That keeps them 00:06:03.100 --> 00:06:06.019 moving in the right direction even when the road 00:06:06.019 --> 00:06:11.620 gets hard. To have our minds and our thoughts 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:13.959 and our hearts set on heaven is not escapism. 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:16.879 It's perspective and having the right perspective 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:23.339 changes everything. As a little sidebar before 00:06:23.339 --> 00:06:26.199 we jump into the points, the four points that 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:30.600 I have today. Village, we are Bible people and 00:06:30.600 --> 00:06:33.860 we love to go to the word. We love to study the 00:06:33.860 --> 00:06:36.540 word. We love to be changed by the word. We love 00:06:36.540 --> 00:06:39.860 to read large chunks of scripture and cover them 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:42.620 in a short amount of time that sometimes creeps 00:06:42.620 --> 00:06:46.279 and gets a little longer, right? We love scripture 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:50.259 and we love going to it. But did you know that 00:06:50.259 --> 00:06:54.540 studies show that you will lose 70 % of what 00:06:54.540 --> 00:06:59.199 I share this morning within 24 hours? You will 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:02.240 lose 70 % of what I share this morning within 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:06.699 24 hours if you don't do one thing while I'm 00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:09.360 talking. There's something that can actually 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:13.120 short circuit that. You can retain more. You 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:15.019 will lose 70 % of what I'm sharing right now 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:18.420 in the next 24 hours if you don't write it down. 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:24.180 And so I want to add to us being Bible people, 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:28.279 let's be note -taking people. Because you get 00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:31.199 a chance to carry what the word of God says and 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:34.199 shares into the week to have conversations. And 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:37.160 it'd be a travesty to sit through however long 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:40.160 it's going to be today and only take 70 % of 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:43.560 it. I could save you some time and just cut the 00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:47.379 time back 70%, right? And then you'd only get 00:07:47.379 --> 00:07:49.560 70 % of that. So it'd just be, it'd be a wash. 00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:55.480 If you are able, take notes. Take them in a journal. 00:07:56.029 --> 00:07:58.230 Put them on your phone, in a notepad, in our 00:07:58.230 --> 00:08:01.069 app. You can take notes directly in the app on 00:08:01.069 --> 00:08:04.170 the sermon for this week under the sermon tab. 00:08:05.029 --> 00:08:07.310 If that doesn't work, grab the connect card that's 00:08:07.310 --> 00:08:08.889 in front of you. There's a pen right in front 00:08:08.889 --> 00:08:11.089 of you. You can write on your arm. You can write 00:08:11.089 --> 00:08:18.790 on your neighbor's arm. Just write it down. But 00:08:18.790 --> 00:08:22.610 the first point is to arm yourself with Christ's 00:08:22.610 --> 00:08:27.209 mindset. Arm yourself with Christ's mindset. 00:08:29.370 --> 00:08:32.389 Anytime you see a therefore, you have to ask 00:08:32.389 --> 00:08:35.710 yourself what it's there for. And the Bible never 00:08:35.710 --> 00:08:38.350 gives you busy work. It never tells you something 00:08:38.350 --> 00:08:41.450 to do without telling you the therefore, the 00:08:41.450 --> 00:08:45.490 why. Why is it there? And so Peter starts chapter 00:08:45.490 --> 00:08:47.809 four with therefore, and he connects this to 00:08:47.809 --> 00:08:50.590 chapter three where he talks about Christ's victorious 00:08:50.590 --> 00:08:53.759 suffering. And he connects that with our call 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:57.399 to holiness, our call to a holy, resolved life. 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:01.120 And what Peter is saying is because Christ suffered 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:06.299 to bring you to God and is now victorious, you 00:09:06.299 --> 00:09:08.860 too should be willing to suffer in obedience 00:09:08.860 --> 00:09:13.460 to God's will. Are you willing to suffer in obedience 00:09:13.460 --> 00:09:15.840 to God's will? That's a question you should be 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:19.039 asking yourself now. Am I willing to suffer? 00:09:20.779 --> 00:09:24.480 In obedience to God's will. So that I might walk 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:28.259 in his footsteps and show in my life that sin 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:34.220 no longer reigns over me. And so he begins the 00:09:34.220 --> 00:09:36.179 therefore, right after the therefore, pointing 00:09:36.179 --> 00:09:39.059 backwards. In light of that, he says, to arm 00:09:39.059 --> 00:09:43.899 yourself with the same understanding. What does 00:09:43.899 --> 00:09:45.820 arm yourself mean? Well, it's a military term 00:09:45.820 --> 00:09:50.500 and it means intentional preparation. Intentional 00:09:50.500 --> 00:09:53.139 preparation, like suiting up for a battle. You 00:09:53.139 --> 00:09:56.919 don't go out to war without preparation. I was 00:09:56.919 --> 00:09:59.179 watching a documentary the other day about the 00:09:59.179 --> 00:10:02.019 beginnings of the Afghanistan war after 9 -11, 00:10:02.179 --> 00:10:04.259 and they showed some behind the scenes of the 00:10:04.259 --> 00:10:06.659 war council and the president at the time, George 00:10:06.659 --> 00:10:09.740 W. Bush, meeting with his war council, and he 00:10:09.740 --> 00:10:12.360 was talking to the different pieces there, the 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:14.480 people there, about what the contingencies, what 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:16.399 are the plans here, and he turns to the general 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:19.360 in charge of the armies, and he says, how long 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:24.019 until we can, boots on the ground, go into Afghanistan? 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:28.600 And the general says, we need six months. We 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:31.019 need six months of preparation. We need six months 00:10:31.019 --> 00:10:33.379 of buildup. We need six months to get ourselves 00:10:33.379 --> 00:10:36.139 ready to be there because going to war requires 00:10:36.139 --> 00:10:42.899 what? Preparation. And Peter isn't calling you 00:10:42.899 --> 00:10:46.240 and I into some casual spirituality, friends. 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:48.919 He's not calling us to be weakened warriors. 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:56.059 He's calling us into war. Into war, that the 00:10:56.059 --> 00:10:59.159 spiritual struggle that comes to each one of 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:02.320 us when we choose to live for God, when we choose 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:04.399 to pattern our life after God, when we begin 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:08.940 to follow in obedience, war is on. And you need 00:11:08.940 --> 00:11:12.919 to arm yourself. You need to arm yourself. You 00:11:12.919 --> 00:11:16.720 need to be prepared. And much of what we need 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:21.559 in preparation is a renewing of our mind. It's 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:24.700 an issue of our thinking and our mindset. It 00:11:24.700 --> 00:11:27.740 needs to be renewed. This last Friday was the 00:11:27.740 --> 00:11:30.320 final day of kind of a ministry experiment we 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:34.179 did called The Ramp. It's a skateboarding camp. 00:11:35.769 --> 00:11:37.330 There was a new family that had come to the church 00:11:37.330 --> 00:11:39.629 a couple months ago, and they have two kids, 00:11:39.710 --> 00:11:41.409 and they were like, we got these kids, and these 00:11:41.409 --> 00:11:44.169 kids have all these friends who go to school 00:11:44.169 --> 00:11:47.129 with them, and they always want to be over our 00:11:47.129 --> 00:11:49.330 house, but our house is small. They live right 00:11:49.330 --> 00:11:52.289 over here off of 17th. Our house is small, and 00:11:52.289 --> 00:11:54.809 we don't have a lot of activity, and we saw this 00:11:54.809 --> 00:11:57.250 church, and we saw the gymnasium and this big 00:11:57.250 --> 00:11:59.269 building, and we thought, maybe there's something 00:11:59.269 --> 00:12:03.230 here. And so we started talking. And then we 00:12:03.230 --> 00:12:05.690 also have another couple that comes here to Village, 00:12:05.870 --> 00:12:08.330 Chandler and Anissia. Anissia sings on stage 00:12:08.330 --> 00:12:10.769 while Chandler's often behind the scenes doing 00:12:10.769 --> 00:12:13.230 our camera work and other things. He's actually 00:12:13.230 --> 00:12:15.470 a professional skateboarder. He does that on 00:12:15.470 --> 00:12:18.730 tour. He's gotten endorsement deals. He does 00:12:18.730 --> 00:12:23.090 it on video. He's a very, very, whatever, skillful 00:12:23.090 --> 00:12:25.929 skateboarder. And we were in the room together, 00:12:26.009 --> 00:12:27.950 this couple and that couple, and we were talking 00:12:27.950 --> 00:12:31.470 about reaching youth through Village. And this 00:12:31.470 --> 00:12:33.450 couple throws out, what about skateboarding, 00:12:33.450 --> 00:12:36.070 not knowing that this guy is a professional skateboarder? 00:12:36.730 --> 00:12:38.429 And he says, well, that's kind of what I do. 00:12:38.549 --> 00:12:42.769 And they go, what on earth? Can we have permission 00:12:42.769 --> 00:12:46.230 to try something? And I'm usually, I like my 00:12:46.230 --> 00:12:48.870 plans to be like well formed behind the scenes 00:12:48.870 --> 00:12:51.450 before we do anything. I like to think through 00:12:51.450 --> 00:12:54.509 them. And so this was the opportunity to be tested 00:12:54.509 --> 00:12:57.419 and stretched. And it was like. All right, let's 00:12:57.419 --> 00:12:59.320 go. Let's see what happens. And we took it one 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:02.120 meeting at a time trying to develop this idea. 00:13:02.299 --> 00:13:04.220 And it turned out to be a nine -week skateboarding 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:07.139 camp. We ended up with a variety of kids, maybe 00:13:07.139 --> 00:13:10.179 10, 15 kids who came over the course of the camp. 00:13:10.299 --> 00:13:12.580 And they learned different tricks or different 00:13:12.580 --> 00:13:15.899 levels each week they came. They would get stickers 00:13:15.899 --> 00:13:18.000 as they advanced through those levels. And the 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:21.320 final level of this camp was they had like a 00:13:21.320 --> 00:13:24.190 two and a half, three foot ramp. that they were 00:13:24.190 --> 00:13:26.870 using that had kind of a drop in, a really small 00:13:26.870 --> 00:13:29.470 one if you're just looking at it. But the kids, 00:13:29.590 --> 00:13:31.669 the final test, the final level was the kids 00:13:31.669 --> 00:13:33.690 were going to stand on the edge of the top of 00:13:33.690 --> 00:13:36.409 the ramp and they were going to drop in and hopefully 00:13:36.409 --> 00:13:39.470 not fall and die and sue us and then game over. 00:13:42.690 --> 00:13:44.850 And so the kids were all looking, that's what 00:13:44.850 --> 00:13:46.549 we get to do by the end of it. That's what's 00:13:46.549 --> 00:13:48.750 going to happen. That's where we get to go, right? 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:51.059 And not all the kids made it all the way through 00:13:51.059 --> 00:13:53.159 the steps. They each learned at a different level 00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:56.440 and they each gathered a little bit of new skill. 00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:58.779 And a lot of them were riding skateboards by 00:13:58.779 --> 00:14:01.240 the end who had never ridden a skateboard before. 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:03.940 But there were a couple of kids who knew this 00:14:03.940 --> 00:14:06.100 last Friday was going to be the final opportunity. 00:14:07.019 --> 00:14:10.039 And they wanted that last sticker on their name 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:11.960 badge, that last sticker that says they dropped 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:15.259 in on the ramp. And so they began to test it 00:14:15.259 --> 00:14:17.019 out. They tried it out, but they would have an 00:14:17.019 --> 00:14:18.960 adult leader standing there with their arm out 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:21.580 or their finger out, right? Helping them to drop 00:14:21.580 --> 00:14:24.200 in, helping them to drop in. And some of us leaders 00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:26.679 were standing off to the side watching. And we 00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:30.340 realized these kids have it. They couldn't do 00:14:30.340 --> 00:14:33.460 it, but they keep holding onto the finger that's 00:14:33.460 --> 00:14:36.919 being offered to them. They're scared. Their 00:14:36.919 --> 00:14:40.179 mind is not yet ready to drop in, even though 00:14:40.179 --> 00:14:42.100 they have the skills. They're clearly doing it. 00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:44.600 In fact, and sometimes they were holding so tightly 00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:46.639 to the finger that the holding onto the finger 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:48.919 was what was causing them to go the wrong direction 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:52.279 when they dropped into the ramp. And little by 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:55.070 little through encouragement. And reminding them 00:14:55.070 --> 00:14:57.389 of what they were aiming for. And reminding them 00:14:57.389 --> 00:14:59.629 of what would be lost if they didn't drop in 00:14:59.629 --> 00:15:02.070 this last time. They would miss their opportunity. 00:15:02.610 --> 00:15:05.070 Slowly but surely, the arm that they were holding 00:15:05.070 --> 00:15:07.269 on became a hand. And the hand became a finger. 00:15:07.370 --> 00:15:09.190 And pretty soon the finger was drifting away. 00:15:09.409 --> 00:15:11.590 And then the big crescendo is one of them. The 00:15:11.590 --> 00:15:14.610 first one finally said, I'm doing it. And he 00:15:14.610 --> 00:15:18.309 drops in and just lands it perfectly. And do 00:15:18.309 --> 00:15:21.750 you know from that moment on, scared, timid before, 00:15:21.889 --> 00:15:24.470 from that moment on, he circles back around and 00:15:24.470 --> 00:15:27.730 does it 10 more times, no problem. 10 more times, 00:15:27.870 --> 00:15:30.509 no problem. And there's another kid who's there 00:15:30.509 --> 00:15:32.830 and he's up at the top and he clearly has the 00:15:32.830 --> 00:15:35.929 skill, but his issue, his hangup is he keeps 00:15:35.929 --> 00:15:40.009 saying, everyone's watching me. I had one of 00:15:40.009 --> 00:15:41.889 those kids too. Like everyone's watching me. 00:15:41.909 --> 00:15:43.529 They're judging me. I don't want to do it. Can 00:15:43.529 --> 00:15:47.600 you all leave the room? Everyone's watching me. 00:15:47.919 --> 00:15:50.500 And through repeated instruction and reminding 00:15:50.500 --> 00:15:52.340 him what they were doing and that everyone here 00:15:52.340 --> 00:15:54.799 is a cheerleader wanting to see you succeed. 00:15:55.899 --> 00:15:59.820 Little by little, the arm to the hand to the 00:15:59.820 --> 00:16:02.740 finger, and pretty soon that young man dropped 00:16:02.740 --> 00:16:05.620 in, nailed it, and repeated it multiple times. 00:16:06.820 --> 00:16:09.000 Something in the mind was keeping them from going. 00:16:09.080 --> 00:16:11.679 Something in the mind from trusting what was 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:13.779 clearly prepared and what was ready for them. 00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:16.080 And yet they couldn't get over that hump because 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:18.299 their mind wasn't fully there. But once it was, 00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:22.399 they were fully armed and ready to go. And that's 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:24.840 exactly what Peter is saying here. Arm yourself 00:16:24.840 --> 00:16:27.919 with the mindset of Christ. You're going to need 00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:29.840 the mindset of Christ for the war that you're 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:33.299 in. And it's not about knowing you're supposed 00:16:33.299 --> 00:16:36.299 to get from point A to point B. It's about being 00:16:36.299 --> 00:16:39.500 ready mentally and spiritually to do it even 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:43.100 when it feels risky. To live the life you're 00:16:43.100 --> 00:16:45.759 being called into even when it doesn't feel safe. 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:50.480 Even when obedience costs you something. Even 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:52.539 when the voice in your head says, play it safe, 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:56.399 don't do it. The life of following Jesus is full 00:16:56.399 --> 00:17:00.990 of these drop -in moments. Where obedience feels 00:17:00.990 --> 00:17:05.809 like leaning forward into uncertainty. But Peter 00:17:05.809 --> 00:17:09.430 says, if Christ suffered and overcame, you can 00:17:09.430 --> 00:17:14.009 trust him enough to commit. Drop in. Or like 00:17:14.009 --> 00:17:17.450 a soldier gearing up for battle, train your mind 00:17:17.450 --> 00:17:23.430 to think like Christ. Have his mindset. His mindset 00:17:23.430 --> 00:17:27.630 was shaped by obedience over comfort, a holiness 00:17:27.630 --> 00:17:31.799 over compromise. And purpose over self -preservation. 00:17:32.019 --> 00:17:34.619 And when you arm yourself with Christ's mindset, 00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:37.900 expect resistance from the world that thinks 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:40.160 you're strange. And from the devil who'd rather 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:43.539 see you sleepy than strong. And from your own 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:50.180 flesh that prefers comfort over obedience. But 00:17:50.180 --> 00:17:53.980 Peter's point is you're no longer ruled by sin. 00:17:54.619 --> 00:17:59.200 You've made a break, so live like it. With the 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:01.759 mind of Christ. And that leads to point number 00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:08.839 two. Leave the old life behind. Leave the old 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:12.859 life behind. For there has already been enough 00:18:12.859 --> 00:18:15.000 time spent in doing what the Gentiles choose 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:17.839 to do. Carrying on in unrestrained behavior, 00:18:18.119 --> 00:18:21.039 evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, 00:18:21.099 --> 00:18:23.940 and lawless idolatry. They are surprised that 00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:26.220 you don't join them in the same flood of wild 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:32.339 living. and they slander you. We are done with 00:18:32.339 --> 00:18:36.380 sin, we are told. If you are in Christ, you are 00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:40.539 done with sin. I want you to say this with all 00:18:40.539 --> 00:18:43.079 the confidence in the world. Say it after me. 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:49.720 I am done with sin. I am done with sin. Like 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:56.750 you're going to war, I am done with sin. Peter 00:18:56.750 --> 00:19:01.890 says you spent way too much time doing what the 00:19:01.890 --> 00:19:06.170 Gentiles do. You spent way too much time. And 00:19:06.170 --> 00:19:09.250 remember, for Peter, Gentiles is kind of shorthand 00:19:09.250 --> 00:19:12.089 for anyone who does not belong to the people 00:19:12.089 --> 00:19:14.750 of God, the royal priesthood, the holy nation. 00:19:14.950 --> 00:19:17.509 Anyone outside of that is the Gentiles. And those 00:19:17.509 --> 00:19:20.170 who are outside of the people of God who have 00:19:20.170 --> 00:19:22.109 received his spirit and are being sanctified, 00:19:22.150 --> 00:19:24.890 anyone outside, they go on doing the same things. 00:19:25.660 --> 00:19:29.180 You've gone on way too long, way too much time 00:19:29.180 --> 00:19:33.519 doing what the Gentiles do. And I want to highlight 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:36.440 one word there, which is doing what the Gentiles 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:44.819 choose to do. Sin is a choice. Let no one, including 00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:47.400 yourself, tell you that you don't have a choice 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:52.539 in the matter. If the Bible says... It is sin, 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:56.059 and you feel like, well, it's just who I am. 00:19:56.200 --> 00:20:03.039 You are wrong, and the Bible is right. And you 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:08.180 need to choose to not sin anymore. You need to 00:20:08.180 --> 00:20:11.720 choose to not sin anymore. And I'll tell you, 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:15.599 in that choice to not sin, the Spirit of God, 00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:18.779 the Spirit of Christ, provides the power to overcome 00:20:18.779 --> 00:20:23.990 the sin. But the power to overcome the sin is 00:20:23.990 --> 00:20:27.950 not just going to overtake you out of nowhere, 00:20:28.029 --> 00:20:31.269 possess you, and just overcome all your sins. 00:20:31.329 --> 00:20:38.750 You must choose to not sin. Don't act like your 00:20:38.750 --> 00:20:43.680 sin is just your cross to bear. No, instead I 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:46.500 recommend you stop and you take that cross off 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:48.920 and you get it nice and situated, strong in the 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:50.940 ground, and then you take the sin that you've 00:20:50.940 --> 00:20:52.920 been carrying around like it's a cross and you 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:59.319 nail it to that cross and put it to death. Be 00:20:59.319 --> 00:21:02.099 killing sin or it will be killing you. If you 00:21:02.099 --> 00:21:04.799 need an older illustration, I remember being 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:07.599 a young child watching the Disney movie Old Yeller. 00:21:08.519 --> 00:21:15.779 Anyone remember Old Yeller? It's the worst movie 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:19.859 ever. It was the first horror movie I watched 00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:27.779 as a kid. You take old, rabid yeller out back, 00:21:27.880 --> 00:21:34.660 like your sin, and you put a bullet in it. That's 00:21:34.660 --> 00:21:41.740 what you do with sin. done with it, put it to 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:47.900 death today, now, immediately, no excuse. And 00:21:47.900 --> 00:21:50.799 Peter gives us here in this passage a kind of 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:53.859 a non -comprehensive list of sinful behaviors 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:58.019 that in the end paint a portrait of a life dominated 00:21:58.019 --> 00:22:01.900 by sinful desire. And there are people that you 00:22:01.900 --> 00:22:06.579 know, and maybe it's you yourself. The picture 00:22:06.579 --> 00:22:09.140 of your life is a picture dominated by sinful 00:22:09.140 --> 00:22:15.099 desire. And Peter gives this list that in Roman 00:22:15.099 --> 00:22:18.660 times, in the first century in Rome, these behaviors 00:22:18.660 --> 00:22:22.339 were normal. These behaviors were normal. And 00:22:22.339 --> 00:22:25.559 Peter says to these normal Roman behaviors, no 00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:29.630 thank you. Because these Roman behaviors take 00:22:29.630 --> 00:22:32.490 things that are good, like sex and relationships, 00:22:32.609 --> 00:22:36.490 and even wine, right? Psalm 104 says that God 00:22:36.490 --> 00:22:42.529 gives us wine to make the human heart glad. But 00:22:42.529 --> 00:22:44.849 the world takes these things, sex, relationship, 00:22:45.210 --> 00:22:48.589 wine, alcohol, whatever it is, and twists it 00:22:48.589 --> 00:22:51.289 and distorts it, and they take it beyond the 00:22:51.289 --> 00:22:54.789 guardrails. Beyond the order, like Nick talked 00:22:54.789 --> 00:22:59.029 about ordering everything. God has ordered life 00:22:59.029 --> 00:23:02.250 for human flourishing if we'll stay within his 00:23:02.250 --> 00:23:05.809 order. But some take that and twist it and distort 00:23:05.809 --> 00:23:09.049 it and take it outside of order. And then what 00:23:09.049 --> 00:23:12.170 we see is pain. What we see is not flourishing. 00:23:12.250 --> 00:23:15.130 And then what we see is really an affront to 00:23:15.130 --> 00:23:19.990 God. It's like cursing God and saying, I don't 00:23:19.990 --> 00:23:23.240 need you. I don't want you. You are not good. 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:28.099 You are not all knowing. Your design is not perfect. 00:23:33.059 --> 00:23:39.019 So Peter's saying, hey, there are things that 00:23:39.019 --> 00:23:42.619 the Gentiles continue to do that you yourselves 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:47.180 spent way too much time doing. Like sexual acts 00:23:47.180 --> 00:23:49.960 with a person you are not married to or sexual 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:52.440 acts with someone of the same sex, even if the 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:54.339 state of California will give you a marriage 00:23:54.339 --> 00:23:59.240 license, is a distortion of God's gift of sex 00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:02.259 and covenant between a man and a woman in a lifelong 00:24:02.259 --> 00:24:07.539 committed safety of a marriage. It's a part of 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:10.420 the old life, Peter says. It's a part of the 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:15.799 old life that you're to leave behind. To have 00:24:15.799 --> 00:24:19.240 no place in the life of a new creation believer. 00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:25.259 Peter says, be done with it. It's getting drunk, 00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:27.440 weekend benders, hanging out with the boys or 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:30.220 the girls and throwing some back. This is a part 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:35.180 of the old life. Why? Because humans are created 00:24:35.180 --> 00:24:38.740 in the image of God. And this includes the capacity 00:24:38.740 --> 00:24:42.220 for reason and moral judgment and self -control. 00:24:43.169 --> 00:24:46.589 And drunkenness intentionally impairs those gifts 00:24:46.589 --> 00:24:50.710 that God has given us. Drunkenness is a counterfeit 00:24:50.710 --> 00:24:55.349 to spirit -filled living. In fact, it puts another 00:24:55.349 --> 00:24:59.369 spirit in control. Another spirit in control 00:24:59.369 --> 00:25:02.349 of your body, of your speech, and of your decisions. 00:25:02.349 --> 00:25:07.950 Isn't it ironic? What do they call alcohol? Spirits. 00:25:11.630 --> 00:25:14.289 It is a sin because it submits to a different 00:25:14.289 --> 00:25:18.569 master. It is a form of spiritual idolatry that 00:25:18.569 --> 00:25:21.549 trades God's presence for a temporary escape. 00:25:21.690 --> 00:25:24.630 Some of you in your former life used alcohol 00:25:24.630 --> 00:25:29.509 as an escape. Some of you weren't submitted to 00:25:29.509 --> 00:25:32.009 the master and instead were submitted to the 00:25:32.009 --> 00:25:36.460 drink. Some of you allowed the spirit. of alcohol 00:25:36.460 --> 00:25:39.359 to control your body, to control your mind, and 00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:41.980 to make decisions for you. And all of this was 00:25:41.980 --> 00:25:44.059 outside of the guardrails and outside of the 00:25:44.059 --> 00:25:46.839 bounds of God's good order. And anything that's 00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:49.559 outside is called sin. And anything that is sin 00:25:49.559 --> 00:25:53.940 leads to death. And along the way to death, it 00:25:53.940 --> 00:25:56.559 causes a whole lot of trouble in our lives and 00:25:56.559 --> 00:26:00.660 in the lives of people around us. And Paul says 00:26:00.660 --> 00:26:05.059 that those who persist in this, Paul later... 00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:07.299 Elsewhere in the Bible says that those who persist 00:26:07.299 --> 00:26:11.039 and remain unrepentant in their sexual sin or 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:13.539 in their drunkenness or in their uncontrolled 00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:16.400 lifestyle, they have no inheritance in the kingdom 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:20.180 of God. This is a horrible thing. This is a terrible 00:26:20.180 --> 00:26:24.480 thing. This is a travesty that can be fixed by 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:29.420 choosing to say no to sin and yes to obedience 00:26:29.420 --> 00:26:35.609 to God. And true repentance means not only confessing 00:26:35.609 --> 00:26:38.750 our sin, but walking away from it, even if others 00:26:38.750 --> 00:26:43.289 don't understand. Even if your drinking buddies 00:26:43.289 --> 00:26:46.609 mock you or your sexual partners don't agree 00:26:46.609 --> 00:26:49.210 or are hurt by the decision that you're making 00:26:49.210 --> 00:26:52.150 to obey and trust God and no longer sin, the 00:26:52.150 --> 00:26:55.069 decision still needs to be made. If you are in 00:26:55.069 --> 00:26:58.029 Christ, you say no to sin and yes to the spirit 00:26:58.029 --> 00:27:03.380 and life. But in case you also thought that, 00:27:03.420 --> 00:27:06.240 woo, I escaped that one. He didn't talk about 00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:09.900 anything that I'm struggling with. You know, 00:27:09.900 --> 00:27:11.700 we're like, the Bible's like an equal opportunity 00:27:11.700 --> 00:27:16.319 offender, right? It will find you in your sin 00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:21.180 wherever it's at. Peter ends with lawless idolatry. 00:27:23.299 --> 00:27:25.359 And I want to take a bigger view than probably 00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:27.460 Peter had directly in mind in the scripture, 00:27:27.559 --> 00:27:31.539 but a bigger view of idolatry. As Timothy Keller 00:27:31.539 --> 00:27:36.400 says, the human heart is an idol factory. The 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:39.220 human heart is an idol factory. An idol is whatever 00:27:39.220 --> 00:27:42.859 you look at and say, if I have that, then I'll 00:27:42.859 --> 00:27:46.920 feel my life has meaning. Then I'll know I have 00:27:46.920 --> 00:27:50.420 value. Then I'll feel significant and secure. 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:56.519 And I know for a fact that that is everyone in 00:27:56.519 --> 00:28:00.069 this room. We have all had an idol. At some point 00:28:00.069 --> 00:28:02.990 in time. We all had, whether it's in a moment, 00:28:03.109 --> 00:28:05.049 whether it was for a week, or whether it was 00:28:05.049 --> 00:28:07.470 for a decade, or whether it's right now and you've 00:28:07.470 --> 00:28:09.829 had your whole life, something that you have 00:28:09.829 --> 00:28:12.869 put your hope and security and your meaning and 00:28:12.869 --> 00:28:14.970 your value in that is anything other than God. 00:28:15.910 --> 00:28:21.029 You're on the hook too. Be done with it. Be done 00:28:21.029 --> 00:28:26.130 with the old life. Take it out back, put a bullet 00:28:26.130 --> 00:28:30.950 in it, and move on. Number three, live with the 00:28:30.950 --> 00:28:37.269 end in view. We are like people who are addicted 00:28:37.269 --> 00:28:40.970 to our phones, aren't we? This morning, I was 00:28:40.970 --> 00:28:43.049 out in the truck getting ready to leave, and 00:28:43.049 --> 00:28:46.769 I was like, where is... My life. I can't find 00:28:46.769 --> 00:28:49.650 my little device that has everything on it, including 00:28:49.650 --> 00:28:52.289 my music and my notes and everything. Where'd 00:28:52.289 --> 00:28:54.369 it go? Where'd it go? It was on my bed. I'd left 00:28:54.369 --> 00:28:55.950 it inside. So I had to go in and get it, right? 00:28:56.069 --> 00:28:57.730 So there was a time in life where you could just 00:28:57.730 --> 00:28:59.230 leave and you didn't have to find your phone. 00:28:59.269 --> 00:29:02.910 Now you have to find your phone, right? But the 00:29:02.910 --> 00:29:04.490 thing about phones is they also have batteries, 00:29:04.569 --> 00:29:07.569 right? And I don't know about you, but oftentimes 00:29:07.569 --> 00:29:12.250 I've had really poor battery management. You 00:29:12.250 --> 00:29:14.269 head out into the world with a full battery and 00:29:14.269 --> 00:29:16.269 then it starts to die. And when you have a full 00:29:16.269 --> 00:29:17.809 battery, you can do all kinds of things. When 00:29:17.809 --> 00:29:20.849 me and my wife were on our trip, regularly charging 00:29:20.849 --> 00:29:23.349 our phone batteries, we're looking at food reviews. 00:29:23.529 --> 00:29:25.490 We're looking at how many stars a restaurant 00:29:25.490 --> 00:29:27.869 has. We're checking out what the population of 00:29:27.869 --> 00:29:31.210 Denmark is or how many days our seahorse is pregnant, 00:29:31.410 --> 00:29:33.130 right? Whatever it is, you can look up anything 00:29:33.130 --> 00:29:37.380 you want. It's all right there, right? When you 00:29:37.380 --> 00:29:40.000 got a full battery, the world is your oyster. 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:43.220 You can look up anything you want. But when we 00:29:43.220 --> 00:29:46.579 were in Japan, we had just gotten off a flight 00:29:46.579 --> 00:29:49.200 and we had really poor battery management. And 00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:51.140 we get off the flight and we realize, while we're 00:29:51.140 --> 00:29:53.039 here in Japan, we're going to have to take public 00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:54.960 transit everywhere, the trains, and we got to 00:29:54.960 --> 00:29:57.039 check the schedules. And we don't know anything 00:29:57.039 --> 00:29:59.640 about anything. We need our phones and our phones 00:29:59.640 --> 00:30:01.880 are on 2%. What do you do when your phone's on 00:30:01.880 --> 00:30:06.140 2 % and you vitally need it, right? You panic, 00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:09.019 right? You also begin to preserve it. You start 00:30:09.019 --> 00:30:11.980 to not look up how long seahorses are pregnant. 00:30:12.460 --> 00:30:15.839 That's for another day. Today, it's about preserving 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:18.079 the battery. It's about being ready. It's about 00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:19.920 being alert to this because at some point, we're 00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:21.680 going to need it. And you make different decisions, 00:30:21.839 --> 00:30:25.039 don't you? You have a soberness of mind toward 00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:29.160 your battery power. Well, Peter says, the end 00:30:29.160 --> 00:30:33.660 of all things is near. Be sober. Be alert and 00:30:33.660 --> 00:30:39.019 sober -minded for prayer. Wake up. The world 00:30:39.019 --> 00:30:45.200 is on 2%. Get ready, because the end is near. 00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:49.039 And in light of eternity, all human time is short. 00:30:50.079 --> 00:30:53.079 In light of eternity, all human time is short. 00:30:53.180 --> 00:30:56.549 And Jesus' resurrection... has inaugurated the 00:30:56.549 --> 00:30:58.990 last days. We are in the church age. There is 00:30:58.990 --> 00:31:01.950 one more major significant event to take place 00:31:01.950 --> 00:31:05.109 in all of human history that will cap off all 00:31:05.109 --> 00:31:07.490 of human history and it will be done. One more 00:31:07.490 --> 00:31:10.109 event to take place and that is Jesus Christ's 00:31:10.109 --> 00:31:15.589 return. Jesus returns. History is wrapped up, 00:31:15.609 --> 00:31:21.789 packaged, and done. Jesus Christ and his return 00:31:21.789 --> 00:31:25.759 is imminent. Which means that it's not necessarily 00:31:25.759 --> 00:31:29.819 immediate because Peter believed it. He believed 00:31:29.819 --> 00:31:33.059 his return was imminent. Not necessarily immediate, 00:31:33.140 --> 00:31:35.980 but always imminent, meaning it could happen 00:31:35.980 --> 00:31:40.819 at any time. You and I just don't know. We simply 00:31:40.819 --> 00:31:44.279 can't know. But I will tell you this, one thing 00:31:44.279 --> 00:31:48.019 for sure, we are closer today than when Peter 00:31:48.019 --> 00:31:53.259 wrote this. We are 2 ,000 years later than when 00:31:53.259 --> 00:31:58.579 Peter wrote the end of all things is near. And 00:31:58.579 --> 00:32:01.980 should we panic? No. Should we live with urgency? 00:32:02.140 --> 00:32:09.799 Yes. Why? Because judgment is coming. You may 00:32:09.799 --> 00:32:13.940 be judged by the world now for your choice to 00:32:13.940 --> 00:32:16.420 leave the old life behind. You may be judged 00:32:16.420 --> 00:32:19.019 by your friends. or those who are really close 00:32:19.019 --> 00:32:21.240 to you, for your choice to leave the old life 00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:24.339 behind and to follow Christ and live for Christ, 00:32:24.480 --> 00:32:27.779 to take on his life and his mindset and his status 00:32:27.779 --> 00:32:30.039 and accomplishments and obedience, you may be 00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:32.980 judged now, but the world will be judged by God 00:32:32.980 --> 00:32:38.839 soon. God sees, God knows, and God will set all 00:32:38.839 --> 00:32:43.220 things right. God created and ordered all things. 00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:47.579 Sin entered the world and created disorder. One 00:32:47.579 --> 00:32:51.960 fact is 100 % for sure, signed, sealed, delivered. 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:56.160 In the end, God will set everything right again. 00:32:57.640 --> 00:33:04.200 He will reorder all things. And the Christians 00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:07.500 were mocked by the world in Peter's time because 00:33:07.500 --> 00:33:11.259 since the time the apostles began to preach the 00:33:11.259 --> 00:33:13.940 gospel of Jesus Christ till the time that Peter 00:33:13.940 --> 00:33:17.119 wrote this, some believers had died. And the 00:33:17.119 --> 00:33:19.619 world would mock them and say, see, your faith 00:33:19.619 --> 00:33:24.579 didn't save you. You ended up dying anyway. And 00:33:24.579 --> 00:33:27.579 what Peter is responding here in these verses 00:33:27.579 --> 00:33:31.000 is he's saying, yes, they died in the body, but 00:33:31.000 --> 00:33:33.299 they now live with God in the spirit as they 00:33:33.299 --> 00:33:36.829 wait for the resurrection. When they will receive 00:33:36.829 --> 00:33:39.890 their new glorified bodies, that is for every 00:33:39.890 --> 00:33:42.730 believer. And so the end of all things is near, 00:33:42.869 --> 00:33:45.930 so preaching the gospel matters because eternity 00:33:45.930 --> 00:33:49.829 is real. The end of all things is near, so preaching 00:33:49.829 --> 00:33:52.609 the gospel matters because judgment is real. 00:33:54.349 --> 00:33:57.690 Peter says to be alert and sober minded, not 00:33:57.690 --> 00:34:00.970 ruled by emotions, not ruled by sin or distractions. 00:34:01.289 --> 00:34:03.829 Why? What are we supposed to be ruled by? What 00:34:03.829 --> 00:34:05.829 are we supposed to be doing? He says, so that 00:34:05.829 --> 00:34:10.590 you can pray or for prayer. And you may say, 00:34:10.630 --> 00:34:13.489 wait a sec, prayer? Like that's the grand strategy? 00:34:13.829 --> 00:34:16.710 That's the tactic for winning this war? Is prayer, 00:34:16.789 --> 00:34:20.630 does that make sense? And Peter is saying, yeah, 00:34:20.670 --> 00:34:25.559 prayer is not the backup plan, folks. Prayer 00:34:25.559 --> 00:34:31.039 is the plan itself. Prayer is the battle plan. 00:34:31.559 --> 00:34:34.260 Prayer is the means by which God will do what 00:34:34.260 --> 00:34:36.400 he's doing. And you may think, well, that doesn't, 00:34:36.400 --> 00:34:39.099 give me something to do, right? As men, you might 00:34:39.099 --> 00:34:41.360 think, man, Lord, just point out who you want 00:34:41.360 --> 00:34:44.460 me to punch and I'll go punch them, right? Or 00:34:44.460 --> 00:34:46.659 who do you want me to trip or whatever, right? 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:49.679 You're like, give me something tangible. Tell 00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:54.239 me what to do. And he says, pray. I want you 00:34:54.239 --> 00:34:57.280 sober -minded. I want you ready so that you can 00:34:57.280 --> 00:35:03.480 pray. I think what I've come to realize in life 00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:09.219 is that I have a tool belt, that I have acquired 00:35:09.219 --> 00:35:12.559 tools, that some of them are the way God has 00:35:12.559 --> 00:35:14.539 made me, some of them the gifts that he has given 00:35:14.539 --> 00:35:17.139 me, some of them personalities and skills, and 00:35:17.139 --> 00:35:19.960 every one of us has a tool belt. And on that 00:35:19.960 --> 00:35:22.719 tool belt, We oftentimes go to that tool belt 00:35:22.719 --> 00:35:25.920 to solve problems. Oh, so -and -so's crying or 00:35:25.920 --> 00:35:27.599 they're dealing with this issue. So I've got 00:35:27.599 --> 00:35:30.659 a tool for that. I prepared for that. I got ready 00:35:30.659 --> 00:35:33.559 for that. I've read that book. I went to that 00:35:33.559 --> 00:35:35.320 leadership conference. I watched that video. 00:35:35.380 --> 00:35:37.420 I'm ready for this. I'm going to the tool belt. 00:35:37.519 --> 00:35:39.260 And then sometimes we go and we encounter a problem 00:35:39.260 --> 00:35:42.929 and we go, man, I don't have a tool. And our 00:35:42.929 --> 00:35:46.369 first response is like, oh, man, if only I had 00:35:46.369 --> 00:35:48.250 read a different book or I'd gone to a different 00:35:48.250 --> 00:35:50.550 conference or if I'd watched a different movie 00:35:50.550 --> 00:35:52.989 or video on YouTube, then I would know what I 00:35:52.989 --> 00:35:55.070 need to know in order to fix this problem or 00:35:55.070 --> 00:35:56.750 I would know what I need to know in order to 00:35:56.750 --> 00:36:01.210 confront this issue that's before me. But my 00:36:01.210 --> 00:36:03.869 friends, that's us dealing down here in the world. 00:36:03.889 --> 00:36:05.989 That's dealing with tools that will pass and 00:36:05.989 --> 00:36:08.960 perish. That's dealing with situations and circumstances 00:36:08.960 --> 00:36:12.920 that are temporal. Peter is calling us, Jesus 00:36:12.920 --> 00:36:15.960 is calling us to reach for tools that are of 00:36:15.960 --> 00:36:21.280 a higher caliber. Ones that have eternal consequences, 00:36:21.420 --> 00:36:23.900 though they may not show their results immediately 00:36:23.900 --> 00:36:27.039 and we may not see them. But spiritual tools 00:36:27.039 --> 00:36:29.539 that can have powerful effect in the spiritual 00:36:29.539 --> 00:36:32.739 realities that affect each and every one of us 00:36:32.739 --> 00:36:35.079 on a day -to -day basis in this war that we're 00:36:35.079 --> 00:36:38.989 in. I want to reach for some tool or technique 00:36:38.989 --> 00:36:42.030 in order to solve a relational problem. And Jesus 00:36:42.030 --> 00:36:48.670 says, go to prayer and see what I can do. You 00:36:48.670 --> 00:36:51.289 don't have to say a thing, but maybe my spirit 00:36:51.289 --> 00:36:54.809 could work in this situation. And I think, oh 00:36:54.809 --> 00:36:57.769 man, if I had only gone to another class or conflict 00:36:57.769 --> 00:36:59.989 resolution course or something, then I would 00:36:59.989 --> 00:37:01.949 have the tools to be able to deal with this situation. 00:37:02.369 --> 00:37:04.909 That's thinking down here. We need to start thinking 00:37:04.909 --> 00:37:09.630 more up here. Prayer, worship, what can worship 00:37:09.630 --> 00:37:13.590 do in our own hearts and with one another? Prayer 00:37:13.590 --> 00:37:16.050 and worship and reading God's word, soaking in 00:37:16.050 --> 00:37:18.369 his word and allowing it to renew our mind and 00:37:18.369 --> 00:37:21.929 change who we are. And then beginning to walk 00:37:21.929 --> 00:37:24.389 in obedience to it. This doesn't mean that we 00:37:24.389 --> 00:37:27.369 don't obey the word as if that is somehow down 00:37:27.369 --> 00:37:33.289 here. No, that's a high order tool that we all 00:37:33.289 --> 00:37:38.690 need to bring to this war. Prayer isn't just 00:37:38.690 --> 00:37:41.409 this backup plan. It is the battle plan and it's 00:37:41.409 --> 00:37:44.230 how we stay grounded to God's will. It's how 00:37:44.230 --> 00:37:47.309 we align our will with eternal realities and 00:37:47.309 --> 00:37:49.289 not get bogged down in what's happening in my 00:37:49.289 --> 00:37:54.230 life right now. Prayer is how we remain watchful 00:37:54.230 --> 00:37:58.750 and hopeful and engaged and how we live with 00:37:58.750 --> 00:38:05.269 the end in view. And so pray with clarity. When 00:38:05.269 --> 00:38:09.780 you... Pray, pray with clarity. And this is true 00:38:09.780 --> 00:38:12.500 about all of us, but what you pray about most 00:38:12.500 --> 00:38:17.659 reveals what you care about most. What you pray 00:38:17.659 --> 00:38:20.159 about most reveals what you care about most. 00:38:20.239 --> 00:38:22.340 One of the discipleship questions that I like 00:38:22.340 --> 00:38:24.900 to ask is what are you praying for right now? 00:38:27.079 --> 00:38:30.400 What are you praying for right now? It's a great 00:38:30.400 --> 00:38:33.099 conversation starter and it cuts through if you 00:38:33.099 --> 00:38:35.570 can get through all the fluffy stuff. It cuts 00:38:35.570 --> 00:38:37.650 through to, not what are you praying for, like 00:38:37.650 --> 00:38:39.789 right this moment, but what did you pray for 00:38:39.789 --> 00:38:42.250 yesterday that you're still praying for today? 00:38:43.289 --> 00:38:45.190 And if it hasn't changed, you're gonna be praying 00:38:45.190 --> 00:38:48.010 for it tomorrow. Because that's something that's 00:38:48.010 --> 00:38:50.210 important and significant and something that 00:38:50.210 --> 00:38:52.869 the Lord is doing in your life right now. What 00:38:52.869 --> 00:38:55.929 are you praying for? Because what you pray. about 00:38:55.929 --> 00:38:58.510 most reveals what you care about most. So look 00:38:58.510 --> 00:39:00.969 at your prayer life and begin to shift your prayer 00:39:00.969 --> 00:39:03.949 life. Are you praying kingdom prayers? Not just 00:39:03.949 --> 00:39:06.070 prayers for comfort and blessing, which are good, 00:39:06.130 --> 00:39:08.570 but are you praying more kingdom -minded prayers? 00:39:08.789 --> 00:39:12.130 Pray for personal holiness. Pray for an obedient 00:39:12.130 --> 00:39:16.059 heart. Pray for your enemies to be blessed. to 00:39:16.059 --> 00:39:18.440 experience the face of God, that he would shine 00:39:18.440 --> 00:39:20.860 on them. Pray that the gospel would advance. 00:39:21.059 --> 00:39:24.500 Pray for one more to be saved. Pray for more 00:39:24.500 --> 00:39:27.360 gospel workers to be sent to the harvest field, 00:39:27.420 --> 00:39:29.559 for the harvest is plentiful, but the workers 00:39:29.559 --> 00:39:35.099 are few. Pray that God's glory would fill Tallick 00:39:35.099 --> 00:39:37.800 Village and Tahoe Park and all of Sacramento 00:39:37.800 --> 00:39:39.820 and the neighborhoods that each one of you represent. 00:39:41.179 --> 00:39:46.230 Pray kingdom prayers. Pray for fruitfulness and 00:39:46.230 --> 00:39:50.610 speak with urgency. Time is short and people 00:39:50.610 --> 00:39:55.550 are going to hell. That conversation you've been 00:39:55.550 --> 00:40:00.030 putting off about Jesus, have it. The end of 00:40:00.030 --> 00:40:03.530 all things is near. Have that conversation today 00:40:03.530 --> 00:40:07.829 or tomorrow. Put it on your calendar. Don't delay. 00:40:08.630 --> 00:40:11.710 Someone's eternal destiny absolutely is dependent 00:40:11.710 --> 00:40:16.519 on your effort. Why? Because the grace of God 00:40:16.519 --> 00:40:19.699 isn't fatalistic. It's not, oh, if God wants 00:40:19.699 --> 00:40:22.119 it to happen, it will happen, and I don't have 00:40:22.119 --> 00:40:26.199 a part to play at all in this. Because grace 00:40:26.199 --> 00:40:30.079 is not opposed to effort. Grace is opposed to 00:40:30.079 --> 00:40:34.139 earning. And if you think sharing the gospel 00:40:34.139 --> 00:40:36.719 or living a holy life earns you salvation, you 00:40:36.719 --> 00:40:39.000 are wrong and you need to repent. But if you 00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:41.679 have received such a great salvation by grace 00:40:41.679 --> 00:40:45.099 through faith, you will outwork and outperform 00:40:45.099 --> 00:40:48.380 any and everyone trying to earn their way to 00:40:48.380 --> 00:40:53.260 God. Blood -bought, grace -filled Jesus people 00:40:53.260 --> 00:41:00.980 will outwork anyone. So live with an intentionality. 00:41:01.869 --> 00:41:05.889 Don't drift, but aim your life at the glory of 00:41:05.889 --> 00:41:09.090 God and the good of others. Because today counts. 00:41:10.449 --> 00:41:14.869 The end of all things is near. The final point 00:41:14.869 --> 00:41:23.469 is steward grace for God's glory. Whatever you 00:41:23.469 --> 00:41:27.250 have that is good, it has been given to you by 00:41:27.250 --> 00:41:33.260 God. Whatever has been given to you by God, you 00:41:33.260 --> 00:41:38.480 are called to steward. And a steward was a household 00:41:38.480 --> 00:41:41.420 manager in the first century who didn't own any 00:41:41.420 --> 00:41:43.400 of the resources that they had oversight of, 00:41:43.500 --> 00:41:46.860 but instead they were employed to utilize those 00:41:46.860 --> 00:41:50.360 resources of the owner in a prudent way for the 00:41:50.360 --> 00:41:53.400 good of the household. They were never allowed 00:41:53.400 --> 00:41:56.679 to squander or to steal the resources for themselves. 00:42:01.449 --> 00:42:05.230 In verse eight, it says, above all, above all, 00:42:05.269 --> 00:42:07.710 maintain constant love for one another since 00:42:07.710 --> 00:42:11.289 love covers a multitude of sins. Here, Peter 00:42:11.289 --> 00:42:13.730 is saying, before in front of and in the highest 00:42:13.730 --> 00:42:16.210 regard over everything else that I've been telling 00:42:16.210 --> 00:42:19.949 you, maintain constant love for one another because 00:42:19.949 --> 00:42:24.630 love covers a multitude of sins. And Peter is 00:42:24.630 --> 00:42:28.860 saying, and that we pray and we speak with urgency 00:42:28.860 --> 00:42:31.579 and that we live with intentionality, but also 00:42:31.579 --> 00:42:33.380 at the same time, make sure that all the while 00:42:33.380 --> 00:42:35.239 you maintain constant love for your brothers 00:42:35.239 --> 00:42:37.719 and sisters in your local Christian community. 00:42:38.880 --> 00:42:40.880 Yes, we should love all brothers and sisters 00:42:40.880 --> 00:42:43.840 in the faith, but you can't be patient with a 00:42:43.840 --> 00:42:47.179 Christian who's in Kenya right now because they're 00:42:47.179 --> 00:42:51.159 not here making you impatient. And so to love 00:42:51.159 --> 00:42:53.280 them, they need to be present and embodied. These 00:42:53.280 --> 00:42:55.320 are the people you're supposed to maintain constant 00:42:55.320 --> 00:42:57.079 love for. Look around. They're all around you. 00:42:57.619 --> 00:43:02.099 They need love. You need love. They need Jesus 00:43:02.099 --> 00:43:09.760 too, but so do you, right? Love is a gift of 00:43:09.760 --> 00:43:14.780 God. The Bible tells us that God is love and 00:43:14.780 --> 00:43:17.940 God has poured his love into our hearts. That 00:43:17.940 --> 00:43:20.199 means love is a gift of God. And if love is a 00:43:20.199 --> 00:43:22.900 gift of God, then we are to be stewards of his 00:43:22.900 --> 00:43:26.320 love. If you have any love, you're a steward 00:43:26.320 --> 00:43:31.699 of it. And that means you are to use it. God 00:43:31.699 --> 00:43:33.760 expects you to use it for the good of the household 00:43:33.760 --> 00:43:37.219 of faith, for your brothers and sisters. And 00:43:37.219 --> 00:43:38.960 that word constant, it says maintain constant 00:43:38.960 --> 00:43:42.219 love. The word constant in CSB literally means 00:43:42.219 --> 00:43:46.840 in the Greek stretching or unfailing. Like you 00:43:46.840 --> 00:43:49.179 ever had something you stretch, right? And like 00:43:49.179 --> 00:43:51.059 a rubber band to a breaking point and then it 00:43:51.059 --> 00:43:53.420 snaps. Imagine a rubber band stretching and getting 00:43:53.420 --> 00:43:56.599 thinner and thinner but never breaking. You are 00:43:56.599 --> 00:43:59.800 to have a stretching love like an athlete who 00:43:59.800 --> 00:44:03.659 pushes well past their comfort zone. Our love 00:44:03.659 --> 00:44:08.039 to maintain a stretching love. You ever had your 00:44:08.039 --> 00:44:13.199 love stretched thin? Don't let it break. Maintain 00:44:13.199 --> 00:44:17.940 a stretching love. A love that covers over a 00:44:17.940 --> 00:44:20.400 multitude of sins. And this doesn't mean that 00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:24.280 you overlook moral failures or active disobedience 00:44:24.280 --> 00:44:27.639 to God. That's not what this means. When it says 00:44:27.639 --> 00:44:29.840 it covers over a multitude of sins, the sins 00:44:29.840 --> 00:44:32.480 he's talking about in this context are relational 00:44:32.480 --> 00:44:36.710 sins between one another. Unforgiveness, holding 00:44:36.710 --> 00:44:39.969 a grudge, lying to each other, slander or gossip, 00:44:40.190 --> 00:44:43.550 distrust, shortness or harshness or a critical 00:44:43.550 --> 00:44:47.690 spirit, coldness or division or favoritism or 00:44:47.690 --> 00:44:52.730 partiality. A stretching love lets go of being 00:44:52.730 --> 00:44:57.710 easily offended. A stretching love doesn't demand 00:44:57.710 --> 00:45:02.050 perfection. A stretching love takes and holds 00:45:02.050 --> 00:45:04.730 the most charitable view of someone's motives 00:45:04.730 --> 00:45:08.889 and actions. Do you know how hard that is? That 00:45:08.889 --> 00:45:13.269 takes work to hold the most charitable view of 00:45:13.269 --> 00:45:16.989 someone's actions and motives. A stretching love 00:45:16.989 --> 00:45:20.190 gives forgiveness freely and doesn't keep a record 00:45:20.190 --> 00:45:23.250 of wrong, responds to sin with grace and not 00:45:23.250 --> 00:45:27.469 gossip and seeks to reconcile rather than retaliate. 00:45:27.929 --> 00:45:31.510 Wayne Grudem, the scholar says, where love abounds 00:45:31.510 --> 00:45:34.969 in a fellowship of Christians, many small offenses 00:45:34.969 --> 00:45:38.849 and even some large ones are readily overlooked 00:45:38.849 --> 00:45:43.429 and forgotten. But where love is lacking, every 00:45:43.429 --> 00:45:46.590 word is viewed with suspicion. Every action is 00:45:46.590 --> 00:45:49.289 liable to misunderstanding and conflicts abound 00:45:49.289 --> 00:45:57.059 to Satan's perverse delight. And to stretch that 00:45:57.059 --> 00:45:59.980 love a little bit further, Peter then says, by 00:45:59.980 --> 00:46:03.579 the way, you need to open your homes. You need 00:46:03.579 --> 00:46:06.820 to open your homes. You need to practice hospitality. 00:46:07.519 --> 00:46:11.739 You need to make space in your personal private 00:46:11.739 --> 00:46:15.559 life for other people to come. That's what he 00:46:15.559 --> 00:46:21.130 says. Make space. for others to come practice 00:46:21.130 --> 00:46:24.829 hospitality, invite others into your life and 00:46:24.829 --> 00:46:28.170 into your space. And in Peter's day, it primarily 00:46:28.170 --> 00:46:30.369 meant opening your home to traveling Christians 00:46:30.369 --> 00:46:32.909 or gatherings of the church or those who are 00:46:32.909 --> 00:46:35.250 in need in the family of faith. And Peter knows 00:46:35.250 --> 00:46:38.250 it's costly. Why? Because the very next thing 00:46:38.250 --> 00:46:43.050 he says is, do it without complaining. Do it 00:46:43.050 --> 00:46:46.789 without complaining. But open your home, open 00:46:46.789 --> 00:46:49.130 your front door, open your cupboards, open your 00:46:49.130 --> 00:46:53.739 refrigerator. Practice hospitality. A little 00:46:53.739 --> 00:46:56.400 bit later this year, Becky is planning to offer 00:46:56.400 --> 00:46:59.219 a course on hospitality, practicing hospitality 00:46:59.219 --> 00:47:01.860 at our house. And we're in the process of talking 00:47:01.860 --> 00:47:03.619 through that and getting that all down. We'll 00:47:03.619 --> 00:47:05.099 get some dates out to you. But if you're like, 00:47:05.139 --> 00:47:07.500 I don't know what to do, that sounds really intimidating, 00:47:07.739 --> 00:47:09.519 that's gonna be the place that you need to go 00:47:09.519 --> 00:47:13.739 in here. She's got a great history and pattern 00:47:13.739 --> 00:47:16.639 of being a hospitable person. And we definitely 00:47:16.639 --> 00:47:22.460 want to receive whatever's there. Practice hospitality. 00:47:22.539 --> 00:47:25.679 Stretch that love. Let that rubber band get stretched 00:47:25.679 --> 00:47:28.639 then. Open up your home. Who cares if it's dirty? 00:47:29.420 --> 00:47:31.960 Try to tidy up a little bit, but who cares, right? 00:47:32.159 --> 00:47:34.099 Who cares if all you got is bologna sandwiches? 00:47:35.079 --> 00:47:37.820 Serve the bologna sandwiches with joy and delight. 00:47:42.119 --> 00:47:44.239 It will cost you time. It will cost you money, 00:47:44.300 --> 00:47:47.099 comfort, energy, your privacy, but chances are 00:47:48.650 --> 00:47:51.610 If you haven't been practicing hospitality, chances 00:47:51.610 --> 00:47:54.389 are that you just got used to using what God 00:47:54.389 --> 00:47:58.610 gave you only on yourself. And it's time to be 00:47:58.610 --> 00:48:04.469 done with that. It's time to stop. It's time 00:48:04.469 --> 00:48:07.010 to stop and to invite others to enjoy it as well. 00:48:09.289 --> 00:48:11.789 And finally, Peter says, you've all received 00:48:11.789 --> 00:48:14.710 a spiritual gift. Everyone in this room has a 00:48:14.710 --> 00:48:17.750 spiritual gift. Every Christian has a gift. a 00:48:17.750 --> 00:48:21.210 gift of grace from the Spirit. It's a gift that's 00:48:21.210 --> 00:48:24.090 not earned, it's not deserved, but it is entrusted 00:48:24.090 --> 00:48:27.670 to you. And Peter gives two categories of these 00:48:27.670 --> 00:48:30.429 gifts, speaking gifts. And for speaking gifts, 00:48:30.449 --> 00:48:32.630 he says, if you have a speaking gift, do it as 00:48:32.630 --> 00:48:35.969 one who speaks God's very words. In other words, 00:48:35.969 --> 00:48:41.070 do it with truth and reverence, no ego. But if 00:48:41.070 --> 00:48:45.250 you have a serving gift, If you have a serving 00:48:45.250 --> 00:48:47.170 gift, he says to do the serving gift with the 00:48:47.170 --> 00:48:49.670 strength God provides. You say, I can't do it. 00:48:49.670 --> 00:48:51.710 I'm too tired. I can't do it. I don't got the 00:48:51.710 --> 00:48:53.590 strength. Do it with the strength God provides. 00:48:55.309 --> 00:49:00.150 Lean into the spirit. Ask him to give you zeal 00:49:00.150 --> 00:49:03.250 and strength for the work ahead, to strengthen 00:49:03.250 --> 00:49:05.630 your feeble hands and to strengthen your knees 00:49:05.630 --> 00:49:08.190 that give way. Ask him for strength and he will 00:49:08.190 --> 00:49:13.480 give you strength to serve. Ask yourself, where 00:49:13.480 --> 00:49:16.860 am I using my gifts to build up the body of Christ? 00:49:17.860 --> 00:49:20.780 Don't wait to be asked. Stewards don't need permission 00:49:20.780 --> 00:49:26.059 to be faithful. All of this, loving, hosting, 00:49:26.320 --> 00:49:30.179 serving, speaking, laying down the old self, 00:49:30.340 --> 00:49:33.440 all of this has one goal, and that is God's glory. 00:49:34.059 --> 00:49:37.820 So that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, 00:49:38.039 --> 00:49:44.019 and by extension, his body. in everything. To 00:49:44.019 --> 00:49:46.480 him be the glory and the power forever and ever. 00:49:46.980 --> 00:49:47.500 Amen.