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May 4, 2021 2:00 am
As Peter addressed the church, his hope was that they would show one another real Christian love. In the message "How to Attract Flies," Skip explains how that kind of love can attract unbelievers and provide satisfying fellowship for believers.
This teaching is from the series Rock Solid.
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The church ought to be the place where walking did feel at home and beat up by this world should be able to come because we in being tenderhearted with each other something we should be great at someone once said the church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for six today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares how you can live in such a way that others only see the love of Jesus in your heart right now want to tell you about a recent that inspires you to live with unyielding confidence in God comes to mind when you think of right godly women probably Jesus's mother Mary, maybe Ruth, the unlikely ancestor of Christ. What about here's New York Times best-selling author Eric the taxes clearly God created us male and female in his image.
It's leaning into who we are as women for women that is going to show God's greatness. Discover how the lives of some of the women in history can show you the path to true greatness in your own life as a woman made in God's image, that's what you'll find in this month's inspiring resource by Eric metathesis everyone the seven women. I think you see a different side seven women is our thank you for your gift of $35 or more today to help connect more people to God's word and right now will also send you a special bonus resource pastor Skip message CD collection on prominent women from Scripture connectwithskip.com/offer to get online securely or call 800-922-1888 first Peter chapter 3 as we get into the message with skip, so it's interesting he says the same things, be of one mind always says feel the same things as the best definition I've ever found of sympathy your hurt and my heart your hurt, your pain, your hurt in my heart.
In other words, I can't be callous. I have to share your joy and share your sorrows. Romans chapter 12 verse 15.
Rejoice with those a rejoice with those that weep first Corinthians 1226 of one member of the body suffers, we all suffer if one member is honored, we are all honored together, having compassion, feeling together look at the third on the list. Love as brothers, stop right there. I grew up with three brothers so I read something this is love as brothers and doesn't like lift me up to some lofty place because I love my brothers but I also like chase a couple up with a baseball bat from time to time little brothers was his love as brothers really a better translation would be in a couple guys like me love one another as brothers should that's helpful.
Peter wrote this, and I can't help but feel that Peter had his own brother Andrew in mind. He wrote this Andrew was a good brother, loving brother. He was the one who led Peter to Jesus Christ so love one another as brothers should love by the way it's it's one of the proofs that you and I are saved, you will attract flies.
Love your brother and your sister in Christ. How can you love an unbeliever. If you can even love a brother or sister is a proof that we are saved first John chapter 3 we know that we have passed from death into life, because we love our brothers. The fourth thing in this description in verse 8B tenderhearted not to tell you that's a very difficult word to translate because the original word beating heart of the original Greek word is workouts blocking us and it actually means your intestines, your kidneys, your guts, your heart, your liver, that's what he refers to sparking us and a literal translation of this reads this way have good bowels is that in church my pastor.
To sum it up good bowels. That's what it says in his lawyer says that because a couple thousand years ago in the ancient world. It was believed that the deepest emotions that a person feels is an intestinal region. We still we still talk about right away. We say so what is your gut saying we speak about intestinal fortitude. I feel it and Mike got if I were to get some of you to stand up here and face the crowd just like some people are so petrified of standing in front of people that were called butterflies you feel queasy in your intestinal your stomach is, I feel weird.
Some of you would actually feel nauseated so the deepest emotions were felt in the intestinal region. So even though it's hard to translate this it would better be rendered. You must be deeply concerned for others reported to you this way the church ought to be the place where the walking wounded feel at home people were wounded and beat up by this world should be able to come because we revel in being tenderhearted with each other something we should be great at. If you're on the staff of this church are your you're not sure a greater or you're in the security team and you see people come in me just tell you that I thank God for your service, but we have to guard against the tendency to see another person with another issue. Another problem around this stuff is pastors all day long and easy for us to say there's another death, another divorce, another catastrophe is happened with the really guard ourselves from leaving this beautiful sweet spot of being tenderhearted work in another. The fifth description is be courteous just be honest with you. This doesn't really help me a whole lot back. I don't think it's a great translation.
Other modern translations do better justice to this would be courteous when I hear my mom right now sitting say please and say thank you that's been courteous right a better word, is be humble minded, be humble minded. Now this is such a shocking statement because when Peter wrote this in the Greco-Roman era humble mindedness was not considered a virtue, it was considered a weakness. Only weak people are humble people when the Greeks conquered people they turn them into humble minded people. There are slaves. The Greeks love such qualities as self-confidence, self-esteem, self assertiveness, they would've loved the swagger of the modern hip-hop artist or Clint Eastwood. Go ahead, make my day. The Greek what is yeah Peter does know rather than that humble mindedness. Humility is the grease that keeps the gears of relationships running smoothly. Read something by FB Meyer where he said I used to think the God's gifts were on shelves, one above the other, and the taller you grew in Christian grace the more easily you could take them. I've now come to realize that God's gifts on shelves, one below the other and is not a matter of growing taller, but of stooping lower humble mindedness so all five of these form a beautiful description of the general attitude of the believer which is well okay that's fine were okay.
Chapter chapter 3 verse eight got that down to get that account working at pastor.
Thank you. Canal gets hard because in verse nine, he's turning from people who are nice to you, brothers and sisters hi brother hi sister love you tenderhearted sympathy to people who are not performing to you what you do if some is really grouchy and griping what insult you or try to hurt you. I'm glad you asked. Verse nine.
This is our general response. 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. So I don't know here to know if if he's referring to unbelievers who are in the world, persecuting the believers who are in the church or or he could be speaking about fellow believers in your church who are just simply hassling you. You have a disagreement with either way, it's all the same. How you treat them. You don't hit back. You don't fight back. You don't yell back. You bless back that you might obtain or inherit.
He says a blessing to tell you I think this is very close to Peter's heart. I think Peter when he wrote this had a very specific thing in his mind from his past experience as it was a time in Peter's life when he did try to fight evil with evil. He did try to fight back the time of Jesus and his disciples were in the garden of Gethsemane and they came to arrest Jesus and the Roman soldiers came and member what Peter did and we got on his knee and was really humble is the Lord is whatever your will is I just want your will is because whatever you want. He did all right. He did not do that when you do if you got a sort. He took out a sword and he saw the servant of the high priest and thank God he was a fisherman and not a swordsman because he was trying for his head and he missed and got his ear and cut it off Jesus at Peter.
Peter put away your sword, don't you know that those who live by the sword by what about borderline it's not how you fight this Peter is writing this I believe that still fresh in his memory. You don't return evil for evil, or reviling for reviling but blessing knowing that you are called it is that you may inherit a blessing. This is such a hallmark of the Christian faith. And if you're looking for something that is the dividing line that separates Christianity from every other belief system. This is we love our enemies. That's what separates us from every other belief system in God we love our enemies was unheard of unheard of even the Jews had in the Old Testament what was known as the lex talionis that is the law that says the punishment fits the crime you routable forth in Exodus 21 life for life. I fry tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot that's the lex talionis. By the way it usually misinterpreted.
You know what I was given to limit vengeance because human nature to want more than just an IR tooth or foot, you took out why my eyes are to be blind in both your eyes for life. You took out one of my tooth teeth and not fight your dentures forever, but human nature. So to limit that the lex talionis was given, I fry tooth for tooth limb from limb. But this took blessing here I am up here with this microphone speaking to you and I just got this is so easy for me to preach about so hard for me to do.
Anybody can preach on this good preaching what people but I'll tell you the honest truth put me behind the wheel of a car to different situation. There was one time when I'm on the freeway here in town a day I just set up a creek is a place for all the bad drivers, we all live together in one city.
I'm on the freeway and somebody drives and pulls right in front of me and then slows down. I wanted to follow him through town all day long I was in my heart just yesterday I'm in uptown I'm I see a parking space and it's right up by the Apple stores like God so I'm I'm I'm seeing it. It opens up I'm about to turn and blinkers on.
I'm waiting I'm waiting for him to get out. Thank you Jesus. Just then right before I turn and somebody sees it and scoots right in and takes my spot. I so wanted to. Mrs. Mears put his windshield wipers. It's not easy to do.
Easy to say. Talk about easy to preach about easy even to listen to perhaps to do this is stuff I was reading in the Psalms and read the Psalms in the in the in your Bible called imprecatory Psalms are those theological way to mean not nice guy. Psalms vengeance Psalms were David calls down God's wrath from heaven on his enemies ever read Psalms I got there in the Bible. When I first read these. I was so shocked and I was drawn to that kind of literature in the Bible and I read that somber. David said and I quote, until I memorized break their teeth in their mouths. I read then I said underlined babies alive verse read this right in the Scripture is good.
What's your favorite lifers. There is break their teeth in their mouse well beyond a certain times I've actually prayed imprecatory prayers. I'm so glad that God is a good God is a list listen to everything I say not going to say yes to. But I found something as I prayed for people. My heart began to change as I generally pray for my enemies might start out very vengeful but I start thinking about them. My heart begins to something begins to change and what Peter says is that you return blessing knowing look what it says you need to see it, knowing that you are called to this that you make inherit a blessing. You may inherit a blessing. You will get blessed when you bless instead of do what feels right and react you will be blessed persecutions on earth today will have blessings to you in heaven tomorrow. Jesus said that in the sermon on the Mount Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and say all kind of evil against you for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. I read a book. It impacted my life. Years ago by an author pastor name Juan Carlos Ortiz. He was Argentinian Juan Carlos Ortiz was in leadership conference he was writing about. He said I saw a man who was in my former denomination.
So I went over to him.
He said to hug him, but the leader saw them coming and stood back and visit me were enemies and I Juan Carlos said to this fellow brother in Christ who said don't hug me. I'm your enemy. He said all I did know we were enemies visit. Praise God now have an opportunity to let my enemy and he walked up to him and hugged him close and publicly prayed in his hearing. Lord, thank you for my precious enemy, bless his life in Jesus name. Not but I was shocked but he said within one year. He was preaching at that man's church, you will receive a blessing's audio track flies by your general attitude of love by your gentle response blessing, and third will close by her genuine motivation to finish this up first 10 Petersons for he would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let them seek peace and pursue it for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. That's the motivation. Why do you do it is why he says for and what is he do he quotes what coaching Old Testament is quoting a Psalm in the Old Testament.
So always thinking.
Do this don't do that because or for any quote Scripture. In other words, he is showing his audience. The reason we do anything is because God says so in his word, quoting Psalm 34. One of his favorite songs. Obviously because he quotes at least three times in this letter so far. By the way, one of the great reasons why I'm such a stickler about our Wednesday night through the Bible, Bible studies, from Genesis to Revelation is for this reason, I think it takes the whole Bible to make a believer and understand what God says through all of his book adds that much more to your life. Notice what it says for he who would love life and see good days master something. Do you want a good life. You want a good life you have a good day. I could get that all the time and have a good day.
Have a good day will have a good life presented to. If you love life and love people the good people and the bad people you love life.
I love life. The French have a little phrase they call it joie de vivre joie de vivre describe somebody who loves life wakes up every day, another day that a brilliance that positive attitude lover of life, but there are some people who hate life. Solomon who should lie had every reason to love life because he had so much loading is little journal and Ecclesiastes. Therefore, I hated life because everything was vanity and vexation of spirit. Some people he liked other people. I would say a lot of people just endure life. I know a lot of Christian they just endure life okay I'm making it through one more day. That's okay if you do that for like a week but the following month. In the following year.
I don't see the spirit of your takeover will extend the life always enduring the other people try to escape life shirking their responsibilities and opportunities they don't love life. They don't endure life escape life, but you can enjoy life and that's when you realize sovereign God is in control of me and even allows the good and the gnarly people that come into my life to be there for his own purpose, to treat them with blessing and a curse.
That's when motivation here is the second verse 12 for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous get the ideas God's her peeking down from heaven looking at you not like watching you to see how you're doing. Did you mess up, but he's the idea of this is he superintending. He's watching over you with care. He's taking care of you. He's he's protecting you and he's paying attention to you and listening when you pray that's that's the picture for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears open to their prayers, but thought the face of the Lord is against those who do evil so here's the deal.
I don't have to worry about the people who do evil to me. God is taking notice of that.
He's watching over me and he's going to sort all that out in the end, so I don't have to be the guy to exact revenge. That's a high motivation. I do it because the Bible says to do it. I do it because God is watching over me superintending my life taking really good care of me and worry about all those evil people want to close this lot. As I went through this description of sweetness. I couldn't help but think this is exactly what God is like Romans chapter 5 God demonstrated his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us while we were sinners, Christ died for us. We were unlovely, Christ died for us.
When we rejected him. Christ loved us and died for. Just like Jesus.
So here we are. We are not the company of the faultless. We are the company of the forgiven which goes to show, and should be proof by the fact that we open our doors to the unlovely to the hurting to the raunchy and we show Christ love oyez the standard of holiness. Oh yes, truth. But his low and that's how to track flies and they want to be attracted just looking for someone and something sweet that wraps up Skip hi six powerful message for the series rocksolid want to share about an exciting opportunity to take your knowledge of God's word even deeper. Calvary College is now open for registration. Calvary College is offering select online classes as an opportunity for individuals to take their lives calling to a whole new level with educational emphasis in biblical studies with our unique partnership with Veritas international University Calvary Chapel University. You will have the opportunity to obtain your bachelors or Masters degree with complete online program. Whether you're looking to obtain an accredited online degree or take individual courses to become better equipped in your knowledge of God's unchangeable truth. Calvary College has you covered with a range of opportunities for updates on classes and registration information for Calvary College's visit Calvary ABQ.College that's Calvary ABQ.com for Calvary College, Calvary Q.College your generosity not only help these solid and relevant*if I'm here but it also helps provide monthly resources to the ministry.
Today, many others cannot connect/donate.connect.com – donate or call 800-9200 92. Come back again tomorrow. Skip hi six years promises you can cling to experience persecution. Skip Tatian of connection to truth ever-changing time