Believer’s Obligations (Part B)

Think of all the things you cannot do in Jesus name. Quite a few when you hate when you retaliate, you cannot say I hate you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ preaching the devil sermon. If you did so these snide behaviors.

These petty little criticisms meanness that we are very capable doling out God save us from it. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Peter, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today. Pastor Rick will continue teaching through the book of first Peter chapter 3 had his message called believers obligations verse nine he says not returning evil for evil, or reviling for refiling but on the contrary, blessing, knowing that you were called to this and that you may inherit a blessing. One about justifiable retaliation.

I mean, they pulled on my cape had it coming to them. They ask for it all. That may be true, they had it coming to them and they asked for, but it is not for you to answer. Have you heard the expression when animals attack. How about when Christians attacked. Isn't that marvelous. Is that something to honor Jesus Christ and Christians attack and bite and scratch and claw and small. In Jesus name. Well self exaltation is only avoidable when we shrink in the presence of his commandments. He must increase, I must decrease. I must not be inflated with myself justifying my rude carnal behavior because they had it coming to them. The Christian life is to be spirit filled.

If you are spirit filled. I promise you, you will be devil tempted nowhere around your spirit filled so that you will be able to respond to those temptations. People will provoke you and it is harder when it comes from those who name Christ as Lord again because we don't expect we expect those who are Christians to be on a higher level to exhibit a higher behavior and they will let you down time to time. It will be hard but you we are still not to return evil for evil.

I would not want to stand before God as some Christians will and explain to him why I felt it necessary to visit a church and just not care for it on the doctrinal heresies were preached and then feel obligated to go online and tell the world why I gave them less than five stars is my opinion is so important. It is vital that the world knows my criticisms. I think it's shameful. I mean I think it's good if you'd like a church you give it five stars.

If you want to voice something whatsoever things are good whatsoever things are lovely, of good report, meditate on these things, that the apostle not where they get a loan to me way to the world finds out that I did not care for something, my rights were offended or whatever it may be. So I encourage you don't do that some of you may have already done it loops you repent and don't do it again. Think of all the things you cannot do in Jesus name. Quite a few of them when you hate when you retaliate, you cannot say I hate you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You would be preaching the devil sermon.

If you did so these snide behaviors. These petty little criticisms in meanness that we are very capable doling out God save us from it, not once but twice. David could have ended his misery of that maniacal bloodthirsty crazy King Saul of Israel. Both times he let him go. Why why did he not retaliate. He certainly was justified. This man was not trying to kill him because David was always mindful of God. He lived in the fear of God. Yet I know we had week time when he sin with Bathsheba. He said he knew he was wrong. He does the steepest caught in the vortex of the flesh, and he lost that battle, but the battles he knew he could win. It was gallant. No one can take that from him. Christ is not taken Christ as capital to associate his throne with the throne of David magnificent how encouraging it is.

He says Peter does but on the contrary, blessing, how you bless an enemy way for them to sneeze there. I did it. Summary. I'm not doing a consume type or write by praying for their salvation. If they are not saved by praying for the Christ likeness. If they are. It's very hard to do this when your feelings are invested when you feel justified when you are offended when you are you you you been stepped onto someone you love has been hurt. It is very hard to pray for an enemy with any seriousness what I have done is afraid to just check the box sort away. And Lord may save them but I mean it, but I'm the Civil War, but I know what's expected. I know I'll obligated to do this and it is better to force myself to face it to sweep it under a rug or someone can trip and stumble because of it. Otherwise, we become like Islam.

We justify those whom we retaliate against murder for not agreeing with us.

That is not how we are supposed to be. As Christians, and you know it should never be satisfied with anything less. Again, those who heard the sermon on the mount that David Jesus spoke they never forgot it they got it they may not have understood every single thing he said, but they understood enough to know that they had their hands full, that there was work cut out for them if they were going to claim God as their God. The sermon of the Mount.

It rattles us every single one of us. No one reads a sermon of the mountain walks away feeling good about themselves is that I got work to do.

The apostle said to Jesus, will then who can go 10. Why bother getting married.

If this is what we're going to face Jesus that listed your stock so you better learn to fight, put up a perimeter dig up foxhole and trench complete with grenade pit because you're going to need it and in the end.

In the end you will find out that my word does not return void that it will be worth it when you think Christianity is not worth it. What you are doing it anyway.

What can the hell do against that one weapon formed against that exist, none is when Christ will say well done essay.

Okay, you're right, I am after that.

Yeah baby that's what I want I want it to be some emotion and it now. The truth be told of choruses as I hope I always tell appear them is when I'm not appearing in life, truth be told, is that I always feel not getting it right. I'm not doing enough. I mean, someone could get their car stuck on the moon and I would feel like I didn't do enough to help them get it towed Scripture. It rubs us the wrong way when we are facing contrary to Christ like you know you say you take a dog if you rub this further in the direction that it goes. It's very nice and then you rub it the other way is rubbed the wrong way and stands up that's being rubbed the wrong way and we need to turn around face the other direction. Romans 12. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him if he is thirsty, give him a drink for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Give me a picture that parkas are not clear when you met. I want to feed him led would you like a hemlock shake. Stephen the great man of God, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. The Bible says of him and six others as last words were prayer that God would forgive his enemies. Those who were stoning him to death. This enraged Paul, who was then Saul of Tarsus. He heard that sermon he hated every line, every precept upon precept, he hated he hated hated the guts of Stephen and he couldn't shake it went on a rampage arresting and persecuting Christians why because the truth disturbed his conscience the likeness of Jesus Christ bothered him to the point that when it came time for God to confront Saul of Tarsus's repentance was instant and it was forever. Judas Iscariot, on the other hand, didn't see it so Isaiah 26 verse 10 the grace be shown to the wicked. Yet he will not learn righteousness in the land of uprightness. He will deal unjustly and will not behold the majesty of Yahweh will that's the life of Judas Iscariot. He sought all he was there to see the look on Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ did everything that he did and it did not register Christ. What does the last word that Judas heard directed at him from Jesus Christ friend had you come out against me friend did not register Christ did it anyway leaving us the example so we had read earlier in Peter for this is the will of God, that by doing good. You may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice but is slaves of God, slaves of God. The lead bondservant and mean something to us as we understand we been around Christianity.

While we understand the bondservant of the willing slave, but again in the in the Greek the word simply slave slaves of Jesus Christ whenit is sovereign over us.

Thank God he is also loving will go back to that little bit but one more picture of not reviling for refiling in the days of naming Naaman was a man that men loved people did not mind following it comes out in the story.

There are so many people under his authority that were encouraging him. You should go see the prophet, the prophet did that they would just they loved him well. Naaman had led a raid into Israel and taken slaves of the Jews with him and one last one young woman or girl he had assigned to serve his wife. You know what that young Hebrew daughter of of Abraham said to make Naaman of Naaman's wife.

If my master would only go to see Elijah the prophet he would be healed. How many of you would say I hope you drop dead the way only gets worse. She did, she pointed the one who enslaved her to the cure to his diseased body. What a picture.

What a magnificent hero of Scripture she didn't even know it. Just telling the truth. She believed in the power of God through the man of God's legendary what is legendary of me. Those who want throwing rocks at my casket.

The ones who love me. What will they remember. I hope it is a man of God. Every one of us should ask ourselves that question not about me. Not all about me, but it should be all about me know. It should not knowing that you are called to this now business is to love others without a need for them to love us back. That's it, knowing that Christ loves us. That is something to think about. I will love you without demanding your love and return that is agape love that is not Philo that is agape you mothers you know that set up with a child all night long on the little in the morning when they feel better. Seldom do they come and say thanks mom. I don't remember it was thanking my mom as a little guy is her duty to correct didn't think I went off to play gratitude that were thank is related to our English word, think this is knowing that you are called to this but I say Jesus speaking and so on. The sermon now, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those eight you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, you going to need to pray up for that one. You're not going who we are going to need one after pursue chase the Christian life in the spirit to achieve any of that.

And thus we pray leave me not into temptation but deliver me from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory Christianity is not a religion for angels. It is a religion in its strict sense for sinners souls banished from the presence of God is that not what happened to Adam he get out of the garden.

He puts he put a century there Sentinel, a spiritual being with a flaming sword. Second Corinthians tells us that we banished souls can be reconciled. That's the kind of faith. This is our reality beyond religion. It is our reality. It is the real thing. No, all things are of God. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that beautiful second Corinthian letter is hard to teach first Corinthians is just spanking guilty Christians for the first nine chapters of which I am one that second one is reconciliation is enough of them, pledged themselves to get their act together you can work with that can work with one that is just insistent on thing in the flesh, and still claiming Christ.

Now all things are of God, who is reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Fixing the problem that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Four times reconciled get it fixed as much as it is in you fix it.

Romans 511 and not only that we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received reconciliation. Banished souls can come back to the way of Christ, the truth and life is no other way. You believe there's another way to heaven. You've been lied to and you falling for you been suckered and sold a Badham bag of you been sold bucket with no bottom. Useless. He says here, Peter does, that you may inherit a blessing were not for my own failures were not for my own family. I would point my little preachy finger at you to get your act together but I've got mine to so this makes it very real. I cannot claim everybody except me a minute to everything I preaches for me to first Peter again since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren love one another fervently with a pure heart. Having been born again, not of corruptible seed through the word of God which lives and abides forever. The incorruptible you can't mess with God's word. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth how many Christians things they did this. It's cool to not be reverent you will make yourself a fool with that kind of 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.

A general principle, giving an absolute dollar guarantees is as a rule, if you want to see good days, long life than work to be righteous is quoting Psalm 34 which is a Psalm of David.

David wrote this Psalm after he behaved as a fool in the presence of the king of Gath Philistine ruler. He survived it and when he actually wrote about it.

He put music to it.

Psalm 34 verse 12. Who is the man who desires life loves many days that he may see good.

Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit depart from evil and do good, seek peace and go after it. The eyes of Yahweh are on the righteous and his ears are open to their cry.

The face of Yahweh is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. If penalty as Peter learned in the upper room of Christ is not washed a sinner sinner can have no part with Christ so as prayer of the psalmist in the center is Psalm 51 to this this Psalm again. As you know, David. David survived egregious sin with Bathsheba and he writes this 51st Psalm, and he says wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, that deep bit iniquity that deep down dirt that plagues us wanted out of it even wanted in his life. The mark of a believer. I wanted out, not only because it's bad for me and for others but it is against my God. Verse 11.

Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let them seek peace and pursue it again is quoting the song we are obligated to go after peace. Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called sons of God. Verse 12 how life characterized by turning away from what is evil going for what is good for this is for the eyes of Yahweh. It's the Lord here in the Greek New Testament written in the Greek is quoting the Old Testament the covenant name of God to the Old Testament, righteous Jews, Yahweh went to the Christian. It is Jesus Christ who is the Yahweh of the Old Testament 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 is a man Peter is applying Scripture anything like what we read in the Bible is real stuff yeah God he sees what's going on, his children, the right is not to smack them over the head. We often respond well to VCs, why is he delaying why does God appear to be in active when I need him most. The final answer is he sees beyond everything we see and that's good enough for him and in the end will have to wait good enough for us. This life will be the only agony we will have the Oxford martyrs. Ridley Vladimir and Chambers. They were scholars. Two of them were old man and they were burned at the stake because they love the word of God. Vladimir says to Ridley, they will burn together claim would be burned later that Amir says were about the light a candle in England that will never go out with courage is that later Chambers. He recants against his is outcry against Rome Catholicism and then he is given the takes about what is not believed a sentence to be burned at the stake. Several month later and he gets to preach a sermon before his death that day and of course he lets it all out. The people love these men as they were preaching God's word to them and they were getting God's word prior to the in England.

This is the English Reformation. Well anyway Chambers these ghost of the stake and the hand that he used to re-sign his recants, he puts it into the flame. He screams out burned hand in other words you you who signed and betrayed your Lord, you perish. Courage the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. Those men died knowing God saw them would receive them as did Steven and so many other martyrs, men and women alike.

That's what faith does sees beyond what's up in my face sees to turn it we are so glad you tuned in today to study the book of first Peter on cross reference radio cross reference radio is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and we are blessed to bring you God's word with each broadcast. If you'd like more information about this program or want to listen to additional teachings from Pastor Rick please visit our website cross reference radio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for cross reference radio iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast. We hope you tune in again next time to join us as we continue our study through the Scriptures like here on cross reference radio