1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,653
In 1 Peter chapter 3 and in verse 7, Peter writes, having written to the wives, having
written to the servants, having written to the citizens, he writes to husbands and says,

2
00:00:16,653 --> 00:00:26,590
husbands likewise dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife as to the
weaker vessel.

3
00:00:26,762 --> 00:00:43,655
and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered."
Peter makes it clear that if husbands do not properly dwell with their wives, it will

4
00:00:43,655 --> 00:00:46,918
affect their spiritual life.

5
00:00:49,492 --> 00:00:59,765
There are few who can try and convince anyone that if their wife is not happy, everything
is still just fine.

6
00:01:00,726 --> 00:01:06,327
The adage is true, if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

7
00:01:07,448 --> 00:01:14,890
But Peter points out that it goes beyond just peace at home.

8
00:01:15,412 --> 00:01:22,227
It goes beyond just the scenario you find yourself in, in the comfort of your own house.

9
00:01:23,028 --> 00:01:26,471
That it affects your spiritual life.

10
00:01:26,471 --> 00:01:30,774
That he says specifically that it affects your prayers.

11
00:01:31,655 --> 00:01:35,778
He says that your prayers being not hindered.

12
00:01:36,439 --> 00:01:45,206
Now, there's an interesting concept there in that Peter makes it clear that how we live

13
00:01:45,976 --> 00:01:57,149
how we interact with others, the relationships we have can hinder the results of our
prayers.

14
00:01:59,692 --> 00:02:14,152
Have you ever stepped back to consider that there may have been an occasion in your life
where you were praying for God to deal with something, or you were praying for God to do

15
00:02:14,152 --> 00:02:28,662
something, or you were praying for God to act in some matter, and yet it was your
relationships with those around you that caused that to not actually take place?

16
00:02:30,540 --> 00:02:36,936
Peter tells us that that's a distinct possibility.

17
00:02:37,437 --> 00:02:54,103
That when we do not behave in the way that we should towards those who are on, shall we
say, a horizontal plane with us, it affects the relationship we have with God on a

18
00:02:54,103 --> 00:02:55,584
vertical plane.

19
00:02:56,448 --> 00:03:02,790
that what we do with one another affects what he will do for us.

20
00:03:03,693 --> 00:03:06,498
Turn over to 1 John chapter 4 and notice this.

21
00:03:11,087 --> 00:03:13,226
In 1 John chapter 4

22
00:03:17,438 --> 00:03:19,038
John writes,

23
00:03:45,964 --> 00:03:49,604
God, little children, and have overcome them.

24
00:03:49,604 --> 00:03:53,953
Because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

25
00:03:53,986 --> 00:03:59,449
They are of the world, therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.

26
00:03:59,449 --> 00:04:00,929
We are of God.

27
00:04:00,929 --> 00:04:03,511
He who knows God hears us.

28
00:04:03,511 --> 00:04:06,752
He who is not of God does not hear us.

29
00:04:06,752 --> 00:04:18,378
By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." Now, as he's introduced this
discussion, he's said twice, we are of God.

30
00:04:20,524 --> 00:04:30,958
He's making it clear that those who belong to God, those who are the children of God,
those who are Christians are of God.

31
00:04:31,699 --> 00:04:39,061
And those statements are the foundation upon which he says, beloved, let us love one
another.

32
00:04:40,082 --> 00:04:45,044
For love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

33
00:04:45,324 --> 00:04:50,318
He who does not love does not

34
00:04:50,318 --> 00:04:54,356
Know God, for God is love.

35
00:04:56,342 --> 00:05:07,117
Now Peter says to the husband, dwell with your wife according to knowledge, you give honor
to her as to the weaker vessel, you do these things and you make sure that your

36
00:05:07,117 --> 00:05:13,905
relationship is what it should be because if you don't your prayers will be hindered.

37
00:05:16,460 --> 00:05:20,936
because if you cannot dwell with your wife in love...

38
00:05:24,118 --> 00:05:31,403
which involves how you behave towards her, how you provide for her, how you interact with
her.

39
00:05:31,403 --> 00:05:35,285
If you can't do that, you're not going to have a good relationship with God.

40
00:05:36,427 --> 00:05:47,874
For the same reasons that John tells the Christians in 1 John chapter 4, if you do not
love, you do not know God.

41
00:05:49,812 --> 00:05:58,931
In this the love of God is manifested toward us, that God sent his only begotten Son into
the world, that we might live through him.

42
00:05:59,012 --> 00:06:06,439
In this is love not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins.

43
00:06:06,439 --> 00:06:13,106
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

44
00:06:16,010 --> 00:06:23,732
John is making it clear you do not love one another because they treat you right.

45
00:06:24,612 --> 00:06:31,714
You do not love one another because they interact with you in a way that you enjoy.

46
00:06:32,174 --> 00:06:39,056
You do not love one another because they are perfect and flawless and sinless.

47
00:06:39,256 --> 00:06:45,778
You do not love one another because they have no faults and they have never done you
wrong.

48
00:06:46,326 --> 00:06:51,989
You do not love one another because you are perfect.

49
00:06:52,350 --> 00:06:56,212
None of those are the reasons why you love one another.

50
00:06:57,794 --> 00:07:10,762
John says you love one another because God sent his son to die on the cross as the
sacrifice for you that you could never have paid for yourself.

51
00:07:12,950 --> 00:07:15,131
So doesn't matter if they treat you right.

52
00:07:15,352 --> 00:07:18,935
It doesn't matter if they behave the right way toward you.

53
00:07:18,935 --> 00:07:23,078
It doesn't matter if they are everything that they ought to be.

54
00:07:23,078 --> 00:07:29,223
It doesn't matter if they exhibit faults that you think they shouldn't have.

55
00:07:29,223 --> 00:07:38,190
What matters is they're the children of God and they are of God.

56
00:07:41,302 --> 00:07:45,982
And you'll notice back in verse 9, he says,

57
00:07:59,670 --> 00:08:10,496
Sometimes when you have a positive statement like that, you can dwell momentarily on the
negative of that statement, the opposite.

58
00:08:12,077 --> 00:08:19,301
That had God not sent His Son, we were dead.

59
00:08:21,908 --> 00:08:23,832
and had no life.

60
00:08:27,082 --> 00:08:29,382
And so we are reminded.

61
00:08:31,114 --> 00:08:34,415
that without Christ we're nothing.

62
00:08:34,415 --> 00:08:35,535
We're dead.

63
00:08:35,915 --> 00:08:37,236
We're hopeless.

64
00:08:37,536 --> 00:08:39,056
We're without hope.

65
00:08:39,656 --> 00:08:43,278
And yet with Him we have everything.

66
00:08:43,278 --> 00:08:53,560
And so as we consider the love that we are to have with one another, we are to love one
another with Christ in view.

67
00:08:54,741 --> 00:08:59,022
We are to love one another as if they are Christ.

68
00:08:59,894 --> 00:09:13,777
We are to love one another as if their sins and their faults and their failures and their
imperfect actions are covered over by the blood of Christ.

69
00:09:13,777 --> 00:09:17,330
Go back to John chapter 1 verse 1 and that's what you read.

70
00:09:18,192 --> 00:09:24,137
If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.

71
00:09:24,940 --> 00:09:30,413
The blood of Christ is the connector between all Christians.

72
00:09:31,393 --> 00:09:36,656
Without the blood of Christ, we do not have fellowship.

73
00:09:38,017 --> 00:09:46,421
But with the blood of Christ, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ continually cleanses our sins.

74
00:09:47,302 --> 00:09:48,008
So.

75
00:09:48,008 --> 00:10:00,682
John helps us to understand what Peter is telling these husbands in that he doesn't say,
if your wife treats you the way that she ought to, if your wife respects you the way that

76
00:10:00,682 --> 00:10:08,994
she ought to, if your wife submits to you the way that she ought to, if your wife does
everything that she ought to do, and if your wife is easy to get along with, and if your

77
00:10:08,994 --> 00:10:16,076
wife is genial, and if your wife doesn't give you a hard time, then dwell with her in
honor.

78
00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:23,409
and dwell with her according to knowledge and dwell as heirs of life." No, he doesn't say
that.

79
00:10:26,798 --> 00:10:40,398
Peter is pointing out to them their responsibility to dwell with their wife as a Christian
first.

80
00:10:42,572 --> 00:10:49,030
having already shown her the honor of providing for her.

81
00:10:50,550 --> 00:11:01,874
Then Peter writes, finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another.

82
00:11:02,255 --> 00:11:08,877
Love as brothers, be tender-hearted, be courteous.

83
00:11:09,217 --> 00:11:10,978
As Peter.

84
00:11:11,976 --> 00:11:18,921
exemplifies in his message the characteristics that these Christians are to have.

85
00:11:18,921 --> 00:11:22,787
He says first and foremost, have one mind.

86
00:11:27,350 --> 00:11:41,579
when people work together, not because they all do the same thing, not because they're all
mimicking one another, but when they work together, when they complement one another, when

87
00:11:41,579 --> 00:11:48,963
they strive together to achieve the same goal, it's an amazing thing to observe.

88
00:11:49,303 --> 00:11:54,186
It's just worthwhile to pause for a moment and watch.

89
00:11:54,476 --> 00:11:59,629
because you have a group of people working together in an excellent way.

90
00:12:00,490 --> 00:12:03,391
Peter says that's what the church is supposed to be like.

91
00:12:03,852 --> 00:12:12,998
It's supposed to be like a group of people being of one mind, not because they're perfect.

92
00:12:15,340 --> 00:12:18,991
but for the same reason that Paul described.

93
00:12:19,392 --> 00:12:27,475
He says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus over in book of
Philippians.

94
00:12:27,995 --> 00:12:31,466
But he also says having compassion for one another.

95
00:12:31,466 --> 00:12:35,518
Do you have to have compassion for one another if there's never any problems?

96
00:12:36,819 --> 00:12:39,940
If nobody ever has any hard scenarios to deal with?

97
00:12:40,701 --> 00:12:44,802
Nobody ever has some unfortunate situations they have to put up with?

98
00:12:45,326 --> 00:12:50,046
You don't have to show compassion if everything's rosy and sunny all the time.

99
00:12:50,626 --> 00:13:04,406
You've to show compassion when things hurt, when things are hard, when things aren't going
right, when invariably difficulties of this life begin to mount up.

100
00:13:04,406 --> 00:13:08,986
You need Christians who will show compassion.

101
00:13:09,426 --> 00:13:13,726
But he then also says, as brothers.

102
00:13:14,540 --> 00:13:16,892
Do brothers always get along?

103
00:13:18,395 --> 00:13:22,619
Only the people who have never had brothers would assume that they do.

104
00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:28,466
Because all of us who have had brothers know that that is not how brothers work.

105
00:13:31,124 --> 00:13:45,270
And yet, what is typically true, not always, but typically true in families with brothers,
is that brothers will be the hardest on one another, but the minute there's an outside

106
00:13:45,270 --> 00:13:49,322
person trying to pick on the brother, now they're the defender.

107
00:13:51,574 --> 00:14:02,241
I mean, they will give the one who is their brother the hardest time, but the minute
there's somebody who's not a family member picking on that brother, it's the outside

108
00:14:02,241 --> 00:14:03,922
person who's gonna get the whooping.

109
00:14:07,138 --> 00:14:12,341
Peter says, love as brothers.

110
00:14:13,362 --> 00:14:23,989
Love as those who are part of family, who are tied together by blood.

111
00:14:25,010 --> 00:14:33,116
Because we are brothers not according to birth in the physical sense, but according to the
blood of Christ.

112
00:14:33,116 --> 00:14:36,662
He says, love as brothers, be tenderhearted.

113
00:14:36,662 --> 00:14:53,286
be courteous, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary
blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

114
00:14:54,047 --> 00:15:05,710
Peter calls upon these Christians to interact with those direct context within the church,
greater context within the world,

115
00:15:06,184 --> 00:15:22,345
in such a way that they offer blessings and not revilings, that they offer good and not
ill, and that they understand that when they do this there is an inheritance of a blessing

116
00:15:22,345 --> 00:15:23,666
awaiting them.

117
00:15:23,686 --> 00:15:35,692
He says, verse 10, for he who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his
tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

118
00:15:35,692 --> 00:15:38,745
Let him turn away from evil and do good.

119
00:15:38,745 --> 00:15:41,227
Let him seek peace and pursue it.

120
00:15:41,227 --> 00:15:45,631
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers.

121
00:15:45,631 --> 00:15:49,044
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

122
00:15:50,754 --> 00:16:06,548
Peter here brings in Psalm 34, and he brings in a passage which lists a number of things
that the psalmist writer says, if you want to love life, if you want to see good days, if

123
00:16:06,548 --> 00:16:18,722
you want to have joy and happiness and all of these blessings that are invariably part of
the life that people desire, he says you need to do a few things.

124
00:16:18,722 --> 00:16:20,862
You need to help yourself out.

125
00:16:20,958 --> 00:16:30,526
I was talking with a business consultant earlier today who I've got a good relationship
with and he's getting ready for a presentation he's doing tomorrow and it's all on, he's

126
00:16:30,526 --> 00:16:32,508
just beginning with a list of don'ts.

127
00:16:32,508 --> 00:16:40,914
If you own a business, don't do this, don't do this, don't do this, don't do this, don't,
help yourself out and don't make all of these mistakes.

128
00:16:43,266 --> 00:16:44,518
That's what Peter's doing.

129
00:16:44,518 --> 00:16:49,254
Peter's like, you want to love life and see good days?

130
00:16:50,096 --> 00:16:54,201
Refrain your tongue from evil.

131
00:16:54,883 --> 00:17:00,450
Refrain from speaking that which is not good.

132
00:17:03,522 --> 00:17:07,647
Have you ever met the most miserable people alive?

133
00:17:10,104 --> 00:17:17,364
They're the people who cannot say anything good about anything, no matter how good their
situation is in life.

134
00:17:19,468 --> 00:17:24,978
They have a complaint for every moment of every hour of every day.

135
00:17:24,978 --> 00:17:27,704
All you have to do is talk to them, walk near them.

136
00:17:27,704 --> 00:17:30,368
They will tell you about something that is wrong.

137
00:17:32,108 --> 00:17:33,482
Hehehehehe

138
00:17:37,036 --> 00:17:43,112
You know, there's two senses in which there's in scripture.

139
00:17:43,112 --> 00:17:48,778
Evil carries with it an idea of that which is sinful at times.

140
00:17:48,778 --> 00:17:52,641
It also carries with it the idea of that which is negative.

141
00:17:54,043 --> 00:17:58,827
Both of those fall into the use of the term evil.

142
00:18:00,289 --> 00:18:01,630
And Peter,

143
00:18:01,670 --> 00:18:15,589
is describing how we use our tongues and he says if all your tongue dwells on is negative,
if all your tongue puts out is that which is evil.

144
00:18:17,676 --> 00:18:19,927
then you're not going to have a good life.

145
00:18:20,828 --> 00:18:22,930
You're not going to see good days.

146
00:18:23,931 --> 00:18:28,684
You're going to kill all the good days with your mouth.

147
00:18:31,392 --> 00:18:40,247
And we've all experienced this at some time in our lives where we were just having the
best day you could have.

148
00:18:41,047 --> 00:18:46,950
And you walk in a room and somebody shoots their mouth off and it's over.

149
00:18:47,631 --> 00:18:52,514
Everything about the day from that moment forward is bad.

150
00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:57,736
Imagine if, yeah.

151
00:19:04,108 --> 00:19:14,729
That is absolutely true to a degree, but sometimes those days just turn around no matter
how hard you try.

152
00:19:22,574 --> 00:19:24,714
if I'm trying to.

153
00:19:24,714 --> 00:19:27,214
I tell my story a lot.

154
00:19:27,814 --> 00:19:29,374
And it's not good.

155
00:19:29,994 --> 00:19:31,354
Is that bad?

156
00:19:31,694 --> 00:19:32,754
No.

157
00:19:33,594 --> 00:19:34,534
So.

158
00:19:37,142 --> 00:19:44,766
Sure, there's talking about things that are bad because you're trying to cope with things
that are bad.

159
00:19:44,766 --> 00:19:50,470
And then there's talking about things that are bad when everything's good, all right?

160
00:19:50,470 --> 00:20:05,558
And the difference is, and let me add, one of the things that we need to avoid is talking
about negative things.

161
00:20:06,124 --> 00:20:09,897
with people who have no ability to help with those things.

162
00:20:10,138 --> 00:20:11,058
Okay?

163
00:20:11,078 --> 00:20:21,047
So sometimes we as Christians will describe the difficulties that we're going through and
we'll talk to people, especially other Christians around us about the difficulties we're

164
00:20:21,047 --> 00:20:24,149
going through because we need comfort.

165
00:20:24,460 --> 00:20:25,630
We need strength.

166
00:20:25,630 --> 00:20:26,641
We need encouragement.

167
00:20:26,641 --> 00:20:27,671
Okay?

168
00:20:27,671 --> 00:20:35,473
That means the person who's on the receiving side of that can provide that comfort,
provide that strength, provide that encouragement.

169
00:20:35,473 --> 00:20:37,293
They can do something about it.

170
00:20:38,494 --> 00:20:50,697
But if we go about our day and all we ever do is talk about the negatives, even to the
person who can do nothing about it, even to the person who all they'll do is feed off of

171
00:20:50,697 --> 00:20:53,018
that to cause more harm.

172
00:20:53,934 --> 00:20:56,734
then we're not even working in our own best interest.

173
00:20:58,454 --> 00:21:08,314
I don't agree with everything Dave Ramsey's ever said, but one of the policies he has at
his company, and it's been ranked one of the top companies in the state of Tennessee to

174
00:21:08,314 --> 00:21:12,834
work for for I don't know how many years in a row, they have a policy.

175
00:21:12,834 --> 00:21:21,554
If you complain about a company issue to a person who is not authorized to fix the issue,
that is a fireable offense.

176
00:21:25,134 --> 00:21:33,134
because they have a policy of there's not going be any gossip, there's not going be
tearing everybody down, not going be tearing the company down.

177
00:21:33,134 --> 00:21:40,094
So if there's a problem, take it to the person who can fix the problem or be quiet about
the problem.

178
00:21:40,634 --> 00:21:49,014
Because if you're only talking to the people who aren't authorized to fix the problem,
you're not trying to solve the problem.

179
00:21:49,474 --> 00:21:51,314
You're part of the problem.

180
00:21:51,884 --> 00:21:58,633
And so it's a fireable offense to talk about a company problem with someone who's not
empowered to actually solve the problem.

181
00:22:03,630 --> 00:22:05,792
You've got a recommended solution to go with.

182
00:22:05,792 --> 00:22:07,633
That's exactly correct.

183
00:22:07,774 --> 00:22:26,550
So, as you consider what Peter is saying here, he says, if you want to love life, and I
kind of skipped over that phrase, I thought that John wrote over in 1 John that we're not

184
00:22:26,550 --> 00:22:29,356
supposed to love the world or the things in the world.

185
00:22:29,356 --> 00:22:31,709
He that loves the world, love of the Father's not in him.

186
00:22:31,709 --> 00:22:36,754
So why is it that Peter's saying you're supposed to love life and John's saying you're not
supposed love the world?

187
00:22:40,262 --> 00:22:51,735
All right, when you love life as a Christian, you do not prioritize the physical over the
spiritual.

188
00:22:52,236 --> 00:22:57,121
You do not prioritize the here and now over the eternal.

189
00:22:57,898 --> 00:23:10,226
You love life in its fullest extent and not just the temporal, physical lusts of the
flesh, which is what John's talking about.

190
00:23:10,907 --> 00:23:19,692
John's referring to a love of the world and the world's view of that which is worth
loving.

191
00:23:20,874 --> 00:23:26,097
And John says, no, you can't even, you're an enemy of God if you love that.

192
00:23:27,648 --> 00:23:30,960
Peter's saying, you ought to love life.

193
00:23:31,401 --> 00:23:34,723
You ought to love what God has created.

194
00:23:34,723 --> 00:23:38,606
You ought to love the existence that we have in this world.

195
00:23:38,606 --> 00:23:42,629
You ought to love the church that is around you.

196
00:23:42,629 --> 00:23:51,556
You ought to love life even when your government is opposed to you, even when your master
is opposed to you, even when your spouse is opposed to you.

197
00:23:51,556 --> 00:23:54,297
All of those occasions, you still ought to love life.

198
00:23:55,702 --> 00:23:59,765
because he says you have the ability to impact it.

199
00:23:59,765 --> 00:24:05,629
Consider as well, he says, he who would love life and see good days.

200
00:24:06,811 --> 00:24:18,199
Some come to the disposition and come to the mindset of life that they have no control
over how their life is going.

201
00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:21,062
And that is nonsense.

202
00:24:22,542 --> 00:24:26,082
Every individual has control over how their life is going.

203
00:24:26,082 --> 00:24:30,622
They don't have control over every aspect of how their life is going.

204
00:24:31,382 --> 00:24:32,822
But Peter makes it clear.

205
00:24:32,822 --> 00:24:34,582
The psalmist writer makes it clear.

206
00:24:34,582 --> 00:24:37,402
It's been clear for a thousand years.

207
00:24:38,662 --> 00:24:49,518
You have control over how your life is going because you can negatively impact it by
allowing your tongue to speak evil.

208
00:24:49,518 --> 00:24:53,220
Well, if you can negatively impact it, that means you have some control over it.

209
00:24:53,321 --> 00:24:55,442
It means you can positively impact it.

210
00:24:55,442 --> 00:25:02,386
He goes on to say, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

211
00:25:03,187 --> 00:25:13,114
You start lying, you start deceiving others, you start being deceitful, and you will find
your world crumbling around you.

212
00:25:13,996 --> 00:25:17,547
He says, him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

213
00:25:17,547 --> 00:25:21,568
Let him turn away from evil and do good.

214
00:25:23,586 --> 00:25:29,211
But wait a minute, if I do this thing that's evil, I'm going to make so much more money
this year.

215
00:25:30,126 --> 00:25:38,034
If I participate in this thing, that yeah, defrauds the client, but hey, I'm going to get
paid.

216
00:25:40,802 --> 00:25:50,509
Peter says, you are going to destroy your happiness.

217
00:25:51,491 --> 00:25:56,754
You are going to destroy your good days.

218
00:25:59,057 --> 00:26:05,762
He says, rather turn away from evil and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it.

219
00:26:09,388 --> 00:26:14,125
back in the silent film era.

220
00:26:17,004 --> 00:26:23,378
there were the Keystone cops back in that era of film.

221
00:26:23,839 --> 00:26:28,923
And every aspect of that involved them chasing something.

222
00:26:28,923 --> 00:26:33,286
They were chasing it in a car, then they were chasing it on foot.

223
00:26:33,286 --> 00:26:36,228
The disaster would happen, they were chasing it on a horse.

224
00:26:36,549 --> 00:26:39,110
But they were always chasing something.

225
00:26:39,371 --> 00:26:41,693
There's only so much you can do with silent film.

226
00:26:41,693 --> 00:26:43,974
Sound was actually kind of important.

227
00:26:45,484 --> 00:26:49,281
So there were a lot of chases in those films.

228
00:26:52,140 --> 00:26:58,073
Peter saying, see peace and you pursue it.

229
00:26:59,174 --> 00:27:07,628
Now, the world would have a substitute true peace for the world's version of peace.

230
00:27:07,628 --> 00:27:16,376
You see people all over the place, especially online, trying to sell you peace.

231
00:27:17,368 --> 00:27:25,345
Peace is sitting in a house on a porch on the edge of the beach with no work to do.

232
00:27:25,887 --> 00:27:29,050
Peace is the four hour work week.

233
00:27:29,050 --> 00:27:32,493
Peace is having freedom of time.

234
00:27:32,493 --> 00:27:34,716
Peace is being wealthy.

235
00:27:34,716 --> 00:27:37,749
They'll describe peace as all of these things.

236
00:27:37,749 --> 00:27:41,001
This is what we're all working for.

237
00:27:43,862 --> 00:27:46,212
They haven't read the book of Proverbs very well.

238
00:27:50,786 --> 00:28:00,195
Proverbs writer will describe the sleep of a laborer as peaceful.

239
00:28:01,497 --> 00:28:03,459
He's labored all day.

240
00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:07,203
He's provided for his family.

241
00:28:07,203 --> 00:28:08,385
He comes home.

242
00:28:08,385 --> 00:28:09,336
He's exhausted.

243
00:28:09,336 --> 00:28:10,046
He's tired.

244
00:28:10,046 --> 00:28:11,447
He goes to sleep.

245
00:28:12,329 --> 00:28:13,770
And it's peaceful.

246
00:28:15,340 --> 00:28:21,773
And then he compares him to a rich man who's always worried about something.

247
00:28:22,953 --> 00:28:33,168
Always worried about one thing or another that he always has to keep an eye out for
somebody else inflicting some sort of harm on his riches.

248
00:28:33,168 --> 00:28:37,179
And he can't get any sleep.

249
00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:42,422
So here's the man who has virtually nothing and he sleeps well.

250
00:28:43,124 --> 00:28:46,589
Here's the man who has abundance and he doesn't sleep at all.

251
00:28:49,004 --> 00:28:56,673
We fool ourselves sometimes when we allow the world to dictate what peace is.

252
00:28:58,486 --> 00:29:10,831
God tells us what peace is and then God offers us in Christ peace that passes, surpasses
understanding.

253
00:29:12,391 --> 00:29:16,873
Which Paul says will guard our heart and mind.

254
00:29:16,873 --> 00:29:19,374
Peter says you pursue peace.

255
00:29:20,748 --> 00:29:33,206
Because Paul has already told us when you reach that peace, when you achieve that peace,
when you obtain that peace, it is a defense for your heart and your mind.

256
00:29:34,247 --> 00:29:36,428
And so you should hold on to it.

257
00:29:36,747 --> 00:29:41,431
But notice verse 12, Peter says, for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous.

258
00:29:42,432 --> 00:29:46,134
Sometimes we approach,

259
00:29:47,988 --> 00:29:53,974
God looking at people with a disposition that that's probably only something that brings
about judgment.

260
00:29:55,574 --> 00:30:00,977
that, you know, God's watching me, so I better not mess up.

261
00:30:02,258 --> 00:30:07,480
Like every moment of our lives we ought to be looking to wonder, is God going to see me
mess up?

262
00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:09,121
Because if so, I'm going to have punishment.

263
00:30:09,121 --> 00:30:17,996
That's not how God's children are supposed to have a disposition towards God.

264
00:30:19,872 --> 00:30:37,034
Rather, we are to be those who go, I have assurance, I have confidence, I have the ability
to do what I need to do in this life because I know God's eyes are watching me.

265
00:30:42,494 --> 00:30:51,467
Most adults at some point have helped a little toddler try and walk.

266
00:30:53,856 --> 00:31:03,172
When you do that, especially as they're just starting to get their feet under them, you're
looking for everything that could cause them to fall.

267
00:31:03,253 --> 00:31:10,398
And you're, yeah, they're gripping your fingers and you're guiding them this way and
guiding them that way, don't step on that toy.

268
00:31:10,398 --> 00:31:14,500
You're watching them to make sure they don't stumble.

269
00:31:15,681 --> 00:31:17,222
That's the picture here.

270
00:31:18,583 --> 00:31:23,116
God watching His children.

271
00:31:24,886 --> 00:31:29,107
so that their feet are on steady ground.

272
00:31:29,828 --> 00:31:36,250
He says, for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their
prayers.

273
00:31:36,891 --> 00:31:41,713
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

274
00:31:42,193 --> 00:31:54,868
Now he's wrapped back up what he was stating in verse 10 when he says, if you would love
life and see good days, you better not have God against you.

275
00:31:57,548 --> 00:32:04,202
Because if God's face is set against you, this is what you can have guaranteed.

276
00:32:05,484 --> 00:32:08,896
You will not love life and you will not see good days.

277
00:32:11,296 --> 00:32:14,846
Now, Psalms writer over in Psalm 73

278
00:32:16,942 --> 00:32:29,382
from a single moment in time with a single sliver of time will look at life and he'll look
at the righteous and their struggling and their being defrauded and their being abused and

279
00:32:29,382 --> 00:32:43,282
then he'll look at those who are doing evil and he'll see them just everything's great
nothing goes wrong they die in peace well clearly they're loving life and seeing good days

280
00:32:44,910 --> 00:32:55,666
except the psalmist writer then describes that he struggled with this situation almost to
the point of giving up until he finally understood.

281
00:32:57,826 --> 00:33:05,054
He says, when I went into the house of the Lord, then I understood their end.

282
00:33:07,256 --> 00:33:22,710
So while there are those who do evil who will see nothing but seemingly outwardly
happiness, comfort, peace, enjoyment, leisure, they're still gonna leave this life and

283
00:33:22,710 --> 00:33:25,162
they're still going to meet God.

284
00:33:27,298 --> 00:33:37,505
And the reality is when you dig a little deeper into their lives, rarely do those lives
quite look inwardly the way they look outwardly.

285
00:33:38,826 --> 00:33:50,754
He says, verse 13, and who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is
good?

286
00:33:52,096 --> 00:33:55,778
As he's just described, pursuing peace.

287
00:33:56,822 --> 00:34:04,576
He now describes the Christians as those who are followers of what is good.

288
00:34:06,296 --> 00:34:20,925
And the picture here is, here's a Gentile, a pagan Gentile, and he looks at these
Christians, he considers them meddlesome, he considers them troublemakers, he considers

289
00:34:20,925 --> 00:34:32,192
them those who, you know, upset the peace, not to mention the prosperity of the idolatry
and the land, and he's looking for any reason to accuse them.

290
00:34:34,446 --> 00:34:45,396
Except just like Daniel, when the other rulers tried to do that to Daniel, the only thing
they could find against Daniel was what?

291
00:34:48,556 --> 00:34:50,369
disfaithfulness to God.

292
00:34:51,574 --> 00:34:58,529
Daniel is that epitome in the Old Testament of one who followed good.

293
00:35:00,994 --> 00:35:11,544
They couldn't find anything about him that they could actually present as a reason to the
king to have a bad disposition towards Daniel.

294
00:35:11,704 --> 00:35:18,370
They could find nothing that he did that would be worthy of accusation.

295
00:35:18,711 --> 00:35:26,558
Certainly nothing that would cause the king to not hand over all control of the entire
region to Daniel.

296
00:35:28,236 --> 00:35:30,365
the only thing they could find.

297
00:35:33,932 --> 00:35:35,706
Maybe that's my new bell.

298
00:35:36,590 --> 00:35:38,513
It's a new buzz instead.

299
00:35:38,696 --> 00:35:41,192
The only thing that they could find.

300
00:35:43,138 --> 00:35:46,494
was his complete devotion to God.

301
00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:56,858
Peter says, and who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?

302
00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:05,748
Will there be those who, just like those rulers of old, tried to harm Daniel?

303
00:36:05,748 --> 00:36:06,768
Yes.

304
00:36:07,490 --> 00:36:12,094
But when they tried to harm Daniel, who was defending Daniel?

305
00:36:13,762 --> 00:36:17,245
Number one in his camp, God.

306
00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:28,512
So they throw him in a pit with all the hungry lions, and the lions never even open their
mouths.

307
00:36:31,084 --> 00:36:33,566
But who else did he have on his side?

308
00:36:39,864 --> 00:36:49,177
Who came to the den first moment of the day and hadn't slept a wink?

309
00:36:51,384 --> 00:36:52,389
The King!

310
00:36:54,850 --> 00:37:02,298
Now here's someone who clearly probably had really important things to be doing that day.

311
00:37:04,078 --> 00:37:07,176
The only thing he was concerned about was Daniel.

312
00:37:09,068 --> 00:37:15,041
The only thing he wanted to know is, did your God save you?

313
00:37:20,322 --> 00:37:23,569
when we follow what is good.

314
00:37:25,762 --> 00:37:30,860
We may not convert everyone that we know.

315
00:37:33,068 --> 00:37:41,738
We're going to have people who are invested and on our side, even if they don't agree with
everything that we believe.

316
00:37:43,596 --> 00:37:48,735
because they see a character of life that they're willing to defend.

317
00:37:50,926 --> 00:38:01,366
So Peter says, but even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed.

318
00:38:01,806 --> 00:38:06,126
And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.

319
00:38:06,126 --> 00:38:07,846
Isaiah chapter 8 and verse 12.

320
00:38:07,846 --> 00:38:09,886
Turn over to Isaiah chapter 8 real quick.

321
00:38:29,728 --> 00:38:44,070
Isaiah chapter 8 and verse 11, "'For the Lord spoke thus to me,' Isaiah says, "'with a
strong hand and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people.'" Isaiah

322
00:38:44,070 --> 00:38:50,635
begins as he's about to deliver what the Lord had spoken to him and given to him to say.

323
00:38:50,635 --> 00:38:59,200
The first thing that the Lord had to say to Isaiah was, don't walk the way this people

324
00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:00,215
walks.

325
00:39:02,476 --> 00:39:07,132
Don't live like these people.

326
00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:15,232
So do you think Isaiah's message is gonna go over real well with those people?

327
00:39:16,553 --> 00:39:17,493
No.

328
00:39:18,594 --> 00:39:28,448
And yet notice, he says, do not say a conspiracy concerning all that this people call a
conspiracy.

329
00:39:28,448 --> 00:39:32,599
man, we could use a little bit of that today in America, couldn't we?

330
00:39:34,180 --> 00:39:39,342
He says, nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.

331
00:39:40,012 --> 00:39:47,484
the Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow, that is to make holy.

332
00:39:48,064 --> 00:39:58,827
Not because He's not holy, but because you recognize Him and react toward Him and behave
toward Him as if He is holy.

333
00:39:59,907 --> 00:40:08,209
The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow, let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread.

334
00:40:10,830 --> 00:40:26,540
tired of Israel whining and complaining about every bad situation they come across
thinking there's some grand conspiracy by men that they should be afraid of.

335
00:40:26,540 --> 00:40:29,521
And God says, are you kidding me?

336
00:40:30,882 --> 00:40:35,525
Why don't you try being afraid of the person you should be afraid of?

337
00:40:36,186 --> 00:40:37,026
Me.

338
00:40:39,222 --> 00:40:44,779
Why don't you fear the one who can actually do harm to you?

339
00:40:45,482 --> 00:40:46,694
Me.

340
00:40:48,546 --> 00:40:52,126
Why don't you DREAD ME?

341
00:40:53,932 --> 00:40:57,547
because you're afraid of all these other things.

342
00:40:57,948 --> 00:40:59,711
They were afraid of Assyria.

343
00:40:59,711 --> 00:41:01,424
They were afraid of the Philistines.

344
00:41:01,424 --> 00:41:04,959
They were afraid of this people and that people and this people and that people.

345
00:41:04,959 --> 00:41:07,202
And they were never afraid of God.

346
00:41:09,196 --> 00:41:11,455
yet he was the only one they should have been afraid of.

347
00:41:13,004 --> 00:41:31,511
He says, will be a sanctuary, but a stone of a, excuse me, he will be as a sanctuary, but
a stone of stumbling and a rock of a fence to both the houses of Israel as a trap and a

348
00:41:31,511 --> 00:41:35,002
snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

349
00:41:36,852 --> 00:41:47,249
Interestingly, Peter's already discussed back in chapter 1, Jesus Christ, the stone of
offense.

350
00:41:49,538 --> 00:41:53,399
the stone of stumbling, also the cornerstone.

351
00:41:54,600 --> 00:42:06,043
And Isaiah, as Peter references him here, says, let me be what you fear.

352
00:42:07,224 --> 00:42:15,596
And instead, do not fear their threats and do not be troubled by their words.

353
00:42:17,474 --> 00:42:27,097
So Peter helps us to realize that when we follow after what is good, we don't have
anything to fear from the people around us.

354
00:42:27,797 --> 00:42:30,518
that doesn't mean they won't ever act against us.

355
00:42:30,758 --> 00:42:35,760
It means we have nothing to fear from them, which reminds us of what Jesus taught.

356
00:42:36,120 --> 00:42:42,102
Do not fear him who can destroy the body, rather fear who.

357
00:42:45,836 --> 00:42:49,183
He who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

358
00:42:49,183 --> 00:42:51,220
All right, thank you for your attention.