To Sum Up, All of Y'all
First B Jackson
2024-01-28

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Well, good morning, everybody. How are we doing this morning? I'm glad to see you. One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm one fifty. And would you please stand and and we're gonna sing together.

But one here's what Psalm one fifty says. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Let's take just a moment. Take a deep breath in. And then exhale.

That felt good. I mean, that's us. That's us. We have breath. Shall we sing?

There's a song in my soul.

Joy my soul and it rises like the morning this I know for sure, that your grace is enough, and your promise never breaking, I give my song to you. All of your your presence and always sing to you. All of your good dance is like a well running over. To you singing out all my days every single breath I breathe singing out holy, holy, holy, holy,

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. Have a few announcements here. What are they? Hey, what's happening, Carl?

Tomorrow night. Yeah, we are

on tomorrow. It's a regular club night and Naomi's going to be cooking for the volunteers at the beginning but kids come at 05:45 for another Awana Club.

Awana Club tomorrow night. There are a few revisions proposed for the church constitution. They're sitting in the back on those dimmiloon tables in the back, best view, narthex or whatever your tradition may call that area out there. We also need volunteers for connect hour. That's down in the fellowship hall between services.

Addie Hair came in this morning was setting up. Her number is right there. If you would like to help out, you can call her and she'll coordinate when would be a good Sunday and what might work. So, that's good. Sisters Saved by Grace is a wait a minute.

Oh, it says, when, yes, it is Thursdays. Thursdays, it started a couple weeks ago. It's in the fellowship hall on Thursday evening, six They get together, they eat together, they study the word together, and they pray together. It's a fantastic group. I got a chance to sit in on that for a few minutes last week and it's really, really good.

Enjoyed that. The women's Bible study community Bible study meets here on Wednesdays at 10AM to noon and so it's right here starting off in this room and then they break off into small groups. It's a great place to meet like minded ladies and have a look slightly different perspective too from those same other believers. So, that'd be a good place. 10AM to noon on Wednesday.

There's a men's snowmobile retreat up at Old Faithful Christian Ranch. February twenty third to twenty fifth. So, that's coming fast. You can call Richard Largie. Is he sitting out here somewhere?

Don't see him right now. But Richard Largie is the guy in charge of that. So if you would call in (508) 742-5724. He'll let you know more information. There's a membership class today, discovery class that's happening in my office between services.

Gary Geek will be leading that. If you have questions or you want to just hear more about things inside out from the church, membership class is February 28 today between services and oh, we have announced. This is a long ways off and we know it but y'all be praying already. We've announced Vacation Bible School be June 17 through the twentieth. So, you want to put that into your little planner and say, I'm going to be here this week.

I want to volunteer. I want to send the kids or the grandkids. Please, June 17 through the twentieth. It'd be hometown Nazareth where Jesus was a kid. That ought to be fun.

To the And to And teacher. I wouldn't put every single one of you on the spot like this.

Yeah. Haven't planned anything. So, yeah, I moved to Jackson by 2015 and been at first be almost that that whole time and just really blessed by the fellowship here at the most welcoming church that practices what what is preached. Real humbled and blessed to to be here and look forward to being more of a part of the church.

Thank you. And so this is kind of laid back, the membership ceremony. I'm not terribly ceremonial. But it's a covenant between you, the people, and this person, right? Individual and so, he has expressed an interest to become a part of who we are officially although he's been a part of it for some time.

Would y'all promise that you will do what you can to love and support Ben and his family to be a part of the ministry of First Be Here in this community. Would you do that? Yes. Okay. Do you accept that?

I do. Alright. I think you're in,

buddy. Alright.

Love you, man. I love you all and I'm thankful for you. Would you stand up? And it really is time for musical chairs. Would you collapse forward and fill up all of the empty seats?

I mean it this time. Usually, I give you an out and say, oh, you're not going do it anyway. No, really. Would you come forward? Please, time for musical chairs.

If there's, you know, circus music we could play during this time, that would be great. Thank you. And we'll bring you back together here with a song. We're trying to make some space. We had some folks come in last week.

God help us. In Jesus name, amen. I mean it. Would you stand and sing now?

In Christ alone who took on flesh fullness of God in helpless babe this gift of love and righteousness scorned by the ones he came to save till on that cross as Jesus died the wrath of God

a moment. Lord, thank you. We have sung a beautiful and true song. You're our comforter, our all in all, all in all. Lord, in your power, we stand.

You command our destiny. No guilt in life. No fear in death. This is the power of you in us. Thank you, lord for these truths.

We sing of them. We sing to you with glad and joyful hearts. In Jesus name, amen. Amen. From Hebrews.

And, you know, what we're singing here, it comes from scripture and and really scripture has authority. It has the the the power to do the work of God in us and listen to this from Hebrews. It's Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, forever. God, thank you for that comfort to know. Lord, we change.

Things in our life change constantly all the time but you God remain the same. You are constant and you are faithful through everything. Praise you. Thank you. Amen.

You can have a seat here for a moment.

This is

the worship through giving part of the service.

I'd like

the ushers to come on forward. We're gonna sing sing another song. Christ be magnified from Psalm 34. This is another one of my favorites that says magnify the Lord with me. Collectively.

Let's do this thing together. But before we sing, hey, may I ask you to pray? Sure.

God, thank you. Thank you for this great calling, Lord, to come together in your name to proclaim your salvation, your sanctification, your transformation. God, may all of those things be at work in us and through us. In Jesus name, we ask that you would advance your good gospel through these, lord, gathered faithful, humble, and obedient servants. In Jesus name, we ask you that you would do your will among us and through us this morning.

Your will and your way, lord. Amen.

The altar of my life. Christ be magnified

Amen. It's time for children's church, middle school and high school, Sunday school. Would y'all pray with me? God, help us. Help me.

Calm my fast beating heart and my breathing, Lord. In Jesus name, I pray that that this would, Lord, make a difference in my heart. In Jesus name, amen. Here we are. I've been doing I guess you'd call it a series by this point.

It's four. The last four sermons have been really relational in in theme, I guess. And I'm working back towards going back into Holy Week. We were up to Tuesday of Holy Week just in a chronological study. It's funny.

Somebody came in last week and said called me on Monday, I think, and said, I knew I'd been on church for a few weeks, but you went from Mark and Matthew and Luke to Romans? No. But I am going through it relational. Really, it's the rubber hits the road type passages in the New Testament. I covered godly sorrow and worldly sorrow on New Year's Eve.

Godly sorrow versus worldly sorrow. We all are going to have some sorrow in our lives. All of us are. But godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation and wholeness that can never be regretted. And worldly sorrow only produces death.

Okay? So I pray that if we look at scripture and it tweaks our heart a little bit and goes, Oh, I'm not in line with that. I didn't didn't I'm not that. That immediately, what it would do is go, that hurts me. Lord, help me to repent and walk away from that.

And he can and he does, especially when we're humble before him. So we're going look at this. First Peter two thirteen through three twelve. It looks like a lot. It is kind of a lot.

We'll go as far as we can. But we don't hit this week. We'll hit next week. But I'm going start with the latter part if that's alright with you. Rather than starting in two, I'm going start with the passage three:eight through 12.

This is kind of the closing bracket. You know, it's an opening bracket closing bracket sort of thing. But I like it because it sums up. To sum up, you know the line, right, from Princess Bride. There is too much.

Let us sum up. Right? Right. There's too much. It's great because it sums up the passage.

I'll come back and I'll end with this. Hopefully, benediction will actually be this. But to sum up what I'm trying to say Peter says, oh, Peter, that impetuous one, always stepping out in faith and sinking sometimes. Denying Christ but being restored. Peter, he's so humble in this volume where he is broadcasting it out to these aliens and strangers living all over and still us today.

To sum up all of you, and it's all of you all, if that's not obvious. All of you all, every single one of you. There's not anybody that's reading this letter that is not included here. To sum up, you've put your faith in Christ. He's redeemed you.

He's transforming you. To sum up all of y'all. So this Christian's going through a difficult time. He says, it's a fiery trial. Literally, going to be the case.

If it hadn't just been, it's going to be the case, a fiery trial. A lot of Rome burned, right? Christian is going through a difficult time in the midst of the society that they're in. They're spread out all over the known world and he's Peter. So this book, to sum up all of you all, all of you all, be harmonious.

Isn't that great? Musically, to have just melody is great, but to have a harmony added in just adds so much more to it. And I can go through three definitions real quick of harmonious just to slow us down a bit. It's tuneful, not discordant. You can tell the difference.

One of my dad's favorite sayings is, I'm not a cook or a piano player but I can tell when both are done wrong. Tuneful, melodious, melodic, sweet sounding, mellifluous, dulcet, lyrical. Oh, that sounds great. I want a part of that. If I were to do a musical experiment here, I'm not going to this Sunday.

But you just you heard it. You heard when you start off and you have one voice and then you have lots of voices coming. It often happens during the offering here because you all are concerned about other things and we're singing and you're sitting down. And then before the end of the song, it's the whole room in harmony. Oh, I love it.

Forming a pleasing or consistent whole. Oh, that decor is harmonious blend of traditional and modern. Congruous, coordinated, balanced, in proportion, compatible, well matched, well balanced, incongruous. That's another one. But this one is the one, metaphorically speaking.

Free from disagreement or dissent. Harmonious relationships. Friendly, amicable, cordial, amiable, congenial, easy. It might take some work to get them there. But man, it's so much easier when you're in harmony with one another.

Peaceful, peaceable, cooperative, the antonym to that one is hostile. Which would you rather be, harmonious or hostile? Yes. Online personalities tend towards hostile. Even if the people are typically harmonious in person.

And I think it's had an influence on us to be more free, to be more hostile. And I don't think that's a good thing. So this is just the first adjective we're hitting. To whom does this command apply? Let's remember, it's all of you all.

It's all of us, I should say. I'm up here too. Be harmonious. It's a command to be harmonious. Be sympathetic.

All of y'all. Be sympathetic. Sympathetic is compassionate but it's made up of two words. With or alongside of and feeling or the pathos, the emotional component of who we are. Feeling with the same emotions that another is feeling.

We hit last week, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. It is getting in tune with what's going on. You can help people by just being with them where they are. You don't always have to have a solution. But you do need to understand where they are.

We covered in James this week that quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to get angry, harmonious and sympathetic go together well, understanding from sum and pasco, Mutually commiserative. That sounds easy. We mutually commiserate a lot. Having compassion one of another. Now I think that what we typically do when we are mutually commiserative is we're mutually commiserative on our own team.

Yeah. You poor baby. They shouldn't have treated you that way. But I think that this is saying if we're going to all of us be harmonious, it's saying, find the ones that you're out of harmony with that are singing in a different key and figure out the key and figure out why they are singing the song the way they're singing the song. Get in tune and figure it out.

Be harmonious. Be compassionate. All of y'all. Be brotherly. I think that goes right along with what I just said.

Being harmonious and being sympathetic. Yeah. Can do that. Can do that. I can do that within my own family.

Within my own team. I can do that. It's saying all of y'all be brotherly. Work on getting together. Work on knowing that you are a part of the same family, brotherly, referring to the love between family members.

I have one brother. He'll turn 50 this week. He's my little brother. Redeemed people. The the ones who are in God's family.

If God has chosen to take people out of all tribes, tongues, and nations and bring them into one family, that's the family I'm talking about. Okay? All of y'all that have been called out. He's already called you a royal priesthood. He's already told you that your living stones being built up into this temple of God.

Be brotherly towards one another. All of y'all, be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted. I like this word. Kindhearted. A couple of weeks ago, we hit in Ephesians four thirty two.

It says, Be kind to one another. That's a different word for kind. And then tenderhearted. Tenderhearted is the same as kindhearted here. And it is Carl's favorite Greek word.

It is from Spelunknoi. U E U means good. When you go to a funeral and you hear a eulogy, is Eu Lagas. The good word about that person. This is splanchnoi, the visceral organs.

It's the gut. A lot of times in the Bible where it says heart, it really says guts, bowels even. Living with good guts towards someone else. Properly, the visceral organs as they exercise positive, gut level sympathy. I get where they're coming from.

My goodness. I never would think about that that way. But I can see how you did my brother, my sister. Wow. We're ways apart and we've got to figure out how to move towards one another.

Gut level sympathy, empathy, compassion, living with good guts, humble in spirit. This is summing up. All of you all, be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind hearted and humble in spirit. This is one word I won't even attempt to pronounce. Humility, lowliness of mind and modesty.

It comes up a lot in the sermons because it comes up a lot in scripture. And to be humble before God is to be open to being changed, transformed, saved and used of God. To be proud before God, you will receive his resistance. God gives grace to the humble but he resists the proud. It is, I like this definition from the lexicon.

It is an inside out virtue produced by comparing ourselves to the Lord rather than to other people. Dwell on that one for just a minute. I've been thinking about this for three straight weeks. This is not easy to do. We are constantly putting people at different levels.

And often, we're putting people at different levels so we can feel better about ourselves. So it's an inside out virtue produced by comparing ourselves, Lord, I fall so short of Jesus' way. Wow. Rather than, yeah, I'm flipping the tables over there with you Jesus. I'm right there with you.

Wow. How have I fallen short? I have. But I've been forgiven and Lord that humbles me. It brings our behavior into align with this inner revelation to keep one from being self exalting.

It will keep us from wanting to be lifted up. I say that from a platform, a literal platform. It's ridiculous. We don't want to lift ourselves up on a platform. We want to put ourselves on the same plane, level ground at the foot of the cross because we all have sinned.

We all fall short. It's easier for us to spot the sins we don't struggle with sometimes. But if we compare ourselves to the Lord in humility, he will show us and he'll bring us to a good place and allow our behavior to line up with him. For the believer, it means living in complete dependence on the Lord with no reliance on the fleshly self. Wow.

God, would you allow us to As Carl said this morning, breathe in deep and what we breathe out, may it be praise to you, Lord. Thank you for the good gifts that you have given. Pray that you'd use them to bring us into harmony. Amen. Humble in spirit, not returning evil for evil or insult for insult.

That is the way of the world, right? Evil for evil and insult for insult is the way of the world. And Peter is saying, Don't live like that. It's hard enough. But when you do that, it makes it harder for us to be harmonious.

It makes it harder for us to be sympathetic. Don't be returning evil for evil or insult for insult. If you're humble in spirit, you recognize that there's only one who's done this well, It's Jesus. And so Jesus says, you've heard that it was said in Matthew five, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. You know that that's the way of the world, right?

That's that's just right. But I say to you, don't resist an evil person. Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, you turn to the other also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let them have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him too.

Wow, Jesus. That's a little much, isn't it? Give to him who asks of you. He doesn't put any exceptions on that right there. Give to him who asks of you and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

You've heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, the ones who oppress you so that you may be sons of your father. You all may be sons of your father who's in heaven for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good. He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love just those who love you, just the ones who are on your team, what reward is there there?

What reward do you have there? Don't even the tax collectors do the same thing? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Don't even the Gentiles do that? Therefore, you all are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

There's only way to do that and that's to let the Spirit of God rule in our hearts, right? The clicky clicker is not clicking, Blake. There it is. I love this line even if I misspelled it. It's right here on this slide and we'll get to it in a few minutes.

But I like it so much I'm going say it twice. You've been called for this purpose since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you as an example for you to follow in his steps. Jesus, who committed no sin. Think about that. He was actually righteous.

Nor was any deceit found in his mouth. He wasn't lying or fudging the facts. And while he was being reviled, he did not revile in return. While he was suffering, he uttered no threats. But he kept on entrusting himself to him who judges righteously.

I love that. God, I feel like I'm losing the argument now, Lord. But I think I'm taking the next right step. Would you, Lord, keep my heart close to yours and not let me get drawn away by the moment? Lord, keep me right where you would have me to be.

I trust every step to you that you'll lead me the way you led Christ. Will you show me the next right step to make? Will you show me the next good word to make? Will you give me good guts? Amen.

But given a blessing instead. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse was last week. Jesus just said it in Matthew. For you were called for the very purpose.

What's the purpose? The very purpose is to be giving a blessing. I had a professor in seminary who said all the time, the mission of God, the mission of God is a blessing for all peoples. The mission of God. Missio Dei, is a blessing for all peoples.

And if you bring that down from all people groups to all people, it's a blessing. If you want to be a part of the mission of God, you need to be ready to bless and not curse. That you might inherit a blessing. That's the cause. I mean, a cause and effect right there.

You be blessing so that you might inherit a blessing. Be blessing instead that you might inherit a blessing. And then Peter goes into some Old Testament. For the one who desires life to love and see good days. Could I get a show of hands?

Who desires life and to see love and good days? Can I really? Really? That's all of y'all? 40% of you.

Alright. It's all of y'all. Okay. All of y'all. Peter's talking to all of y'all.

The one who desires life to love and to see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good. It is really easy to head off with evil and do more evil. That's our human tendency. And he's saying don't do that.

He must turn away from evil and do good. He must seek peace and pursue it. Love is seeking the best for the other even with some personal cost. That's from Psalm 34 actually. Psalm 34, the one that says, taste and see that the Lord is good in verse eight.

Psalm thirty four twelve to 16. Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Well, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it.

For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears are open to their cry. Wow. Okay. Peter does go on to say that. For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous.

He is looking around. Actually, you go back to there's another place in the Old Testament, I think. I think it's in Chronicles. It's weird that it's in Chronicles, it it isn't. It says, for the eyes of the Lord are seeking to and fro about the earth and they are seeking out someone in whom he may show himself as strong.

Wow. He's looking for you. He's looking for you. You have put the ugliness behind you. He's forgiven you for it.

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous. His ears attend to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. It just is. If you feel like, I can't stand that they are evil, Lord.

They are evil. Let the Lord deal with them. That was last week's message. Vengeance is mine. I'll repay.

He's got that covered. You pray. The face of the Lord is against evildoers to cut off the memory of them from the earth. They will get what's coming to them eventually or God will change their mind. Pride versus humility is what it always comes down to.

Exodus. Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of their bondage. And they cried out. They were being oppressed, obviously, I guess.

And their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And God saw the sons of Israel and God took notice of them. The Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. It does not pass his notice that you're in a bad spot.

He knows. I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and I have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, ones above them. For I'm aware of their suffering. So I've come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey. Now behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me.

Furthermore, I've seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing. God knew them and he made a way out when they're seen. No way out. Pride versus humility comes down to it. So the bracket on the other side.

The bracket on one side was that to sum up. And on this one it says, Submit yourselves, all of y'all, for the Lord's sake to every human institution, Whether to a king as the one in authority or a governor sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right, God's instrument from Romans 13, if we kept going from where we were last week, it would say that God has government as an instrument in his hand. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether the king, as the one on authority, or governor sent by him to punishment of evildoers in the praise of those who do right, even when they've got it backwards. Honor authority. Boy, to Protestant Americans.

Why should I? What if they're wrong? It doesn't say honor righteous authority. It says honor authority. Oh, I hate that.

Yep. But then he follows it up with this. For such honoring authority is the will of God that by doing right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. The foolish men might be the ones in authority. It might be me.

It might be the other team. It might be my team. For such is the will of God that by doing right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Now act as free people, free men. And do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God.

There is a higher authority. And you can be humble before Him and doing the next right thing that He leads you to do as His bond slave. 17, I love. I actually mentioned, Oh, that ought to be a T shirt. Somebody made a bunch of T shirts and brought them to me.

It says honor all people. That doesn't put any exclusions on it either. Honor all people. Okay. What's next?

Love the brotherhood. You've got to honor everybody. But if you love the brotherhood, it's everybody that God has called out of. Every tribe, tongue and nation and brought into the ekklesia, the called out ones. The ones who are his.

Love them. Love them. Love them. Love them. Even if you disagree with them, you gotta love them and you need to be harmonious with them and sympathetic with them.

We're getting to that. Love the brotherhood. It's important. Fear God. Fear God is the beginning of wisdom.

Lord, you're infinite and I'm finite. The way I understand this is not the way so and so understands it. But I believe that you called them out. I know that you called me out. Lord, would you help us to see a different facet of what we have been seeing?

We revere you. Both of us revere you. Would you pull us closer to one another and honor the king. Honor the king. We don't like that one at all either, do Honor the king.

Consider this, Nero was king when he wrote this. Nero. Nero. Fiddled war on burned Nero, threw Christians to the animals, the lions. And Peter says, what?

I'll honor the king. Sorry. That's supposed to be a realistic representation of Nero. He's pretty rough looking at me. He looks like a Pixar villain.

Honor the king. Four Americans. Four Americans in The United States. Okay. What about this?

Honor the king. You could switch it over and say honor the president, I suppose. But if you believe in the we don't have a king, the law is king, Lex Rex, not Rex Lex, right? Law is king, then honor the law. And I think that has authority that comes with it.

Honor all people. That's sometimes a struggle. Lord, help us with that. Loving the brotherhood, that's sometimes a struggle, Lord. Fear God.

I have to tell my truth. Can't do we elevate ourselves above God's truth? Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom. Lord, what you say is what's true. Help me to adjust to that instead of thinking that I am smarter than you.

Honor the king. So those are the brackets. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution whether the king is the one in authority or the governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. To sum up all of y'all, and this is including the kings. This is including those who are in authority.

It's not just underlings. It's everybody. Sum up all of y'all. Be harmonious and sympathetic and brotherly and kind hearted and humble in spirit. Not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead.

For you were called for that very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. I stayed up for a lot of the night last night just dwelling on this and thinking about it and thinking, how can that be taken? It has to be taken individually and it has to be acted upon collectively. Servants. Bobby D, Bob Dylan.

Do you all know the song You're Going to Have to Serve Somebody? Yeah. It may be the devil. It may be the Lord. But you're going to have to serve somebody.

Everybody has to serve somebody. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect. So this is kind of a household code. It gets further down to the household household code. But this is servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect.

Not only to those who are good and gentle, Peter says, I know some of them are kind of jerks. I understand that. I get that. I'm the leader of the apostles. Sometimes I'm kind of a jerk, Peter might say.

No. Servants, be submissive to your masters. He says it as a fellow elder among you actually in this book. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor if it's done for the sake of conscience towards God, right?

If it's done for the right reason. I'm not asking to be a doormat just because bourgeoisie and proletariat blah, blah, blah, I'm not trying to keep the established order the established order. Peter believed that if the Christians would live this way, that long term, they would outlast because this is God's way. This is a better way. Short term, there's some suffering involved.

For this finds favor, it's for the sake of conscience if it's for the sake of conscience towards God that a person bears up under sorrows, godly sorrow or worldly sorrow? Sorrows. It's neutral. It can be either. If you bear up under it, recognizing that this is something that God will purify me through this fiery trial, and he will bring about the change eventually.

I trust him to do it. Christ went to the cross that way. Actually, we're getting to that. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience towards God a person bears up under sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when your sinner is harshly treated, you endure it with patience?

You did the crime. You do the time. That's just the way it is. If you did something that deserves punishment, then yes, you get it. That's no credit to you.

You just did it. But if when you do what is right, taking the next right step, and then you suffer for it and you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. Okay. If when you do what is right and you suffer for it and you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose since Christ also suffered for you leaving you as an example for you to follow in his steps.

Charles Sheldon's book, In His Steps is right there. That's what it is. That's where it's coming from. To follow in his steps, he who committed no sin nor was any deceit found in his mouth. And while he was being reviled, he did not revile.

In return. If you look at the and we'll look at it in a few weeks. The other thieves on the cross, when they're being nailed he's being nailed to the cross. They're being tied to the cross and it says, and they were reviling him. And then when they stood him up after Jesus prayed, father forgive them for they know not what they do.

When he stood him up, one of those guys said, he's different. Right? Because he didn't revile in return. Because he didn't return evil for evil or insults for insults. He uttered no threats.

But he kept on entrusting himself to the one who judges rightly. Made a difference for that penitent thief on the cross that Jesus lived his life and died his death this way. And he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For by his wounds, you were healed. Isaiah 53 reference.

For you, y'all, all y'all, were continually straying like sheep. But now, you have returned to the shepherd and the guardian of your souls. Amen. Now that you're back, now that you're here with Christ, and now that he's leading your life, be living like he is the one leading your life. And then it goes into household codes.

Oh, I'm out of time. Dog gone. Really am out of time. This is the wives submit to your husband's part of Peter. It's also and I'm going read it.

Why not? Hey, you all argue about it on the way home. Actually guys, up and leave the room. No, sorry. In the same way, you wives.

In the same way, what he's asked for, right? The sum up all you be harmonious, all that. In the same way. That's why I bracketed it with both of those things. He's asking everybody.

Every single one of y'all. In the same way, in this time, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if, even if they're not doing the right thing, they're disobedient to the word. That they may be won over without a word by the behavior of their wives. If you're living it out, one of the ways that people are drawn into doing the right thing is seeing other people that are doing the right thing. They may be one without a word by the behavior of their wives as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.

Your adornment must not be merely external, braiding of the hair, wearing of gold jewelry and putting on dresses, but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit which is precious in the sight of God. In this way, in the former times, the holy women also who hoped in God used to adorn themselves being submissive to their own husbands. Just as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord, and you have become her children if you do what's right, without being frightened by any fear. That one, if you saw the other household codes of the day, if it's Aristotle's household codes or some of the others, this is sweet, I promise. It is really good.

And you husbands, in the same way. See how it's mutuality all over it? It is being harmonious and all of that recognizing you're in the same family. You husbands, if you're believers and you're getting this letter and you're listening to me, you all be living with your wives in an understanding way and before it makes you mad as with someone weaker. The terminology there, I looked up a lot of different translations.

It is gear or tackle. And it's not just that she is gear or tackle or an instrument. It is that we all are gear or tackle or instruments in God's hand, do His will. And if you're climbing a mountain and you've got one rope that has a tensile strength that will hold up, I'd say, Anika Lampa, that's not the rope I want. Right?

I want one that will hold up more weight. And for me, the gear or the tack or the tackle or the implement or the equipment, I'm heavier equipment. This says, I'm to live as if I'm heavier equipment than wife. I think she's stronger than me. I think she's smarter than me.

But I'm supposed to live like she is the weaker vessel and I'm supposed to carry the load if I can. You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way as with someone weaker since she's a woman. And show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life. Show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life so that your prayers will not be hindered. Alright.

Sum up. Here we are. Let's get away from the household codes. No. Let's don't get away from them.

Let's live them. Let's live them out. To sum up, all of y'all, all of y'all, can you stand up with me? And we're gonna get the band back up here this time. All of y'all, be harmonious.

You're getting a chance right now to be harmonious. If you have a harmony, sing along in harmony. Be sympathetic and brotherly and kind hearted and humble in spirit, not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead. Amen. What are we singing, Carl?

Who you say I am? Finally, all of y'all. All of us actually. Be like minded. Be sympathetic.

Love one another. Be compassionate and humble. Don't repay evil for evil or insult for insult. But on the contrary, repay evil with a blessing because to this you are called so that you may also inherit a blessing. And this is the blessing.

Lord, by your mercies that are new every morning, would you transform our hearts by the renewing of our minds? Amen.