1 Peter

Today we have come now to 1 Peter chapter 3. We spent considerable time on the first two chapters of Peter, and just whatever time it takes with the Epistles of Paul class that I'm teaching ministers online, WebEx, we have covered nine chapters now, and we've had about four meetings. So that's eight hours of instruction. Maybe we've had five, maybe ten. And we want to wring out whatever we can from whatever we're studying.

And most of you have been in the church over 35 years. How many of you have been in the church over 30 years? Well, you see, in 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 1, likewise, you wives. Now, it's quite a dramatic shift from chapters 1 and 2 to chapter 3. Now, I also keep in mind with regard to the Apostle Peter. I call of the Apostle Peter the Apostle of Hope. Remember, he was told by Jesus Christ that no matter how he lived his life, that the only way he was going to get out of this life was through crucifixion.

And according to legend that upside down, Peter was crucified. And he knew this. He had received this word from the very lips of Jesus Christ. So he knew how he was going to die. These three chapters here are deep-end instructions in Christian living and gets down to what they call the nitty-gritty in several places with regard to it. So we have this instruction to wives and to husbands. It starts off with the wives. Likewise, you wives be in subjection to your own husbands. That if any obey not the word, that is the husband, obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conduct of the wives.

It is not the conversation per se. This word is can mean conversation, I suppose you would say, but it's a better translation would be behavior or conduct through their example. Almost everybody goes through the first love flash and trying to convert relatives. I know that I did it. One of the first things that I showed my brother, who was here this week, both he and my sister-in-law teach Sunday school in the what they call the Benoit Union Church, on one Sabbath the Presbyterian speaks, another Sabbath the Baptist, and another Sabbath the United Methodist.

They just alternate that. My sister-in-law is teaching tomorrow the Messianic priesthood. My brother said, well, why don't you have Donald write you an outline? I said, well, Donald's got too much already on his plate to write her an outline, but you might consider Revelation 5.10. You won't like it, but it's there, which says, and he has made unto us kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. Of course, later in the day, my brother was talking about we were sitting at lunch, and he said, there won't be any Moslems in heaven, so I don't know.

Continuing in verse 2, while they behold your chaste conduct, couple with fear. One of the first booklets I remember that I gave my brother, this was somewhere around 1962, was 1975 in prophecy. And it made him very angry because he just didn't believe a word of it, and other reasons too. And we got into quite an argument about it, and over a period of time, it took me about a year or so. We didn't try to convince one another.

And of course, my mother was involved in it. My dad basically remained silent, which is the wise thing to do. In verse 3, whose adorning, let it not be that outward. And this word adorning can mean more than just the physical part that we might think of it, first of all, in terms of the physical. It says here, by implication, the world in a wider and narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively. In other words, adorning of the things of the world could be also included in it.

But it's more specifically here directed toward grooming. And I'm going to talk a little bit about this with regard to grooming and what is acceptable, not acceptable, according to the Scripture. So, whose adorning let it not be that outward of plaiting the hair and of wearing of gold or of putting on apparel. Now, this is not saying that you should not wear gold, you shouldn't fix your hair, or that you shouldn't put on clothes.

So, let's go to, at this point, let's go to Ezekiel 16. Now, what Ezekiel 16 is about is that when God decided that He would work through Israel, why did God choose Israel? Well, it was like a chain kind of thing. After the flood, He chose to work through Shem and then the descendants of Shem, and one of the descendants of Shem was Abraham. And then the promises made to Abraham that through Christ all nations would be blessed. And then through Abraham the promises were passed unto Isaac and from Isaac to Jacob. Then Jacob had twelve sons that became the nation of Israel, and the promises given to Israel and the old covenant with Israel. And God had to start somewhere. He did not start with Israel because Israel was better than any other nation. He makes this clear, and by analogy, He uses the analogy of the condition that a newborn is in when just born, with all of the things on the newborn, having just been born, needing to be cleaned up. So that's what He talks about here in Ezekiel 16, of the condition that Israel was in when He found them. Verse 3, Thus says the Lord God unto Jerusalem. Jerusalem is sometimes used in the generic sense to refer to the whole nation. Your birth and your nativity is of the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite, your mother was a Hittite. And as for your nativity in the day that you were born, your navel was not cut. Neither were you washed in water to supple you. You were not salted at all nor swaddled at all. Not I pitted you to do any of these unto you, to have compassion upon you, but you were cast out in the open field to the loathing of your person in the day that you were born. So it wasn't because Israel was better than any other nation, more beautiful, or anything else. And when I passed by, I saw you polluted in your own blood, and I said unto you, When you were in your blood, live. Yes, I said, live when you were in your blood. Live! I've caused you to multiply as the blood of the field. You have increased and waxed great. You have come to excellent ornaments. Your breasts are fashioned. Your hair is grown, whereas you were naked and bare. Now, when I passed by you, looked upon you, behold, your time was a time of love, and I spread my skirt over you, covered your nakedness. I swore with you, entered into a covenant with you. That's the Exodus, chapter 24 covenant, the old covenant we call it. After the law covenant had been given, it was based on the law covenant, which was given in chapter 20 of Exodus.

And you became mine. I washed you with water. Yes, I thoroughly washed away the blood from you, and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you with broidered work. So these are pretty fancy clothes that God puts on Israel. But what Peter's talking about, you don't do these things as an outward show. It is not the thing that is most important. However, the way you dress says a lot about you and reflects a lot about you, and if you go for a job interview, you'll find this out. And, of course, the hippie movement in the 60s and 70s changed to a large degree the dress of the nation for a period of time. And it looked like the nation was absolutely doomed after the presidency of Jimmy Carter. And then came along Ronald Reagan and the conservative movement. And we had a, like it was, a revival, a renaissance, a restoration of dress and grooming in the nation. And college students began to wear three-piece pence striped suits at the universities and majoring in business. And we had that quite a turnaround in the early 80s.

I clothed you with broidered work, shod you with badger skin, I girded you about with fine linen, I covered you with silk, I decked you with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon your hands, a chain on your neck, I put a jewel on your forehead, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head. Now some of this can be speaking symbolically in the spiritual sense, but yet even if you read a description of God's throne, God is...

there are a lot of jewels and finery that surrounds the throne of God. You were decked with gold and silver, your raiment was of fine linen and silk, embroidered work, you did eat fine flower and honey and oil, and you were exceeding beautiful, and you did prosper into a kingdom. And you're renowned, went forth among the nations, for your beauty, for it was perfect through my calmliness, which I put upon you, says the Lord God. But you did trust in your own beauty, similar to what Satan the Devil did, as described in Ezekiel 28 when he rebelled, you did trust in your own beauty and played the harlot because of your renown, and poured out your foreign occasions on every one that passed by, his it was, and of your garments you did take and decked your high places, and instead of using these to the glory of God, they used them to the glory of pagan gods. So God is not against proper dress. Now, recently, there's come into the Doctrine Committee, and I had a message, I think I've mentioned this, I'm not sure this was in, I think, the plans this Tuesday. There is a PCD letter out there somewhere that says that, and I'll talk about this a little bit, PCD letters are written by various ministers, there are three or four, who answer, PCD stands for Personal Correspondence Department, and so there are three or four ministers, and they are pastors at various locations around the nation that send out the answer of personal correspondence that comes into the home office. Now, a PCD letter is not an official doctrinal position of the United Church of God. It is, if every PCD letter that came in had to go through the whole doctrinal process, you would never get anywhere, because we don't get very far with what does, it just takes a long time to grind it through. So, and then there are blogs that appear on the website, and there are songs, and there are all kinds of things. Those are not necessarily doctrinal statements. And one of the ABC instructors sent me, and I don't know why he didn't deal with it himself there, but anyhow, there's one article or blog out there somewhere having to do with preparing for the Passover and talking about what Christ did. One of the statements that says is that Christ gave up His divinity. No Christ did not give up His divinity. So, no matter, and I've said it quite often, I say it again, no matter who says it, if I say it, Mr. X says it, or Y, or it's in print, or whatever it is, you had better check it out with this. And also, don't just assume, then talk to whomever the minister or whomever it is, and get it cleared out.

Now, you look at the Leviticus 19.28. Leviticus 19.28. So, one of the great rages of the day is this thing of tattooing. I mean, if you don't have a tattoo, you ain't nobody. I mean, it's even grandma covering it, crossing the parking lot at Walmart.

She's got a tattoo usually on the ankle. I don't know where else, but anyhow, in Leviticus 19 and verse 28, You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you. I am the eternal.

Nor print any marks upon you. I am the eternal. Now, I've had, originally, this was in the last year or so, a young person says, Well, it only says there's one place in the Bible.

Well, how many times do you have to say it? In Deuteronomy 14 and verse 1. Now, of course, there are people who are converted after they, you know, their body may be tattooed all over. Look at some of those people in NBA. I'm telling you, they just about don't have anything left to tattoo.

In Deuteronomy 14, you are the children of the eternal your God. You do not cut yourselves or make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For you are the holy people under the eternal your God. The eternal has chosen you to be a peculiar people unto him above all the nations that are upon the face of the earth. And another reason for this is the fact that you are made in the image of God and that you are made for your body to be the temple of God. And you would not want to set any kind of mark or disfiguration upon your body that would defile that temple because you're made in the image of God. And that image of God, the way he made human beings, if you don't, if you do the right thing with regard to your body, it reflects to a large degree the glory of God. And that we are made to reflect the glory of God. I won't pursue that much farther there, but the first three verses here focus on, first of all, don't try to convert your relatives, and he uses the wife-husband relationship. Don't try to convert them just by word. Do it by example. And then it gets into grooming. How are you going to groom? Then it goes to what God is really looking for. Don't let it be the outward appearance, but look at verse 4.

Even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. So that's what God wants us to be. He wants us to be clothed with humility. Later on in chapter 5, it says, be you clothed with humility. For after this manner, the hidden person of the heart, for after this manner, in the old time, the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorn themselves. See, how did they adorn themselves? They adorn themselves from the inside out. From the inside out, they adorned themselves. And it doesn't matter what you put on with fancy clothes and jewels and all of that. I mean, as we read from Ezekiel 16, God is not necessarily against that done in moderation in the right way. But the most important thing is what's the adorning of the inside. It's similar to the Matthew 23, that the scribes and Pharisees, they washed the pots and pans and made the outside look good, but neglected the weightier matters of the law. For after this manner, in the old time, the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorn themselves, being in subjection under their own husbands. Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters you are as long as you do well and are not afraid with any amazement. Maybe with afraid here, you're not alarmed, you're not frightened, you're not afraid with any amazement.

You're not alarmed, you're not upset by it, you're not afraid. Likewise, you husbands, and of course, a husband could take advantage of a woman who has the meek and quiet spirit, but generally speaking, if a woman really wants to make the husband putty in her hands, you do what God says, and it's just all over for him. He will melt before you. But if you're argumentative and try to be the one who is in the dominant position, then of course you've got problems. And one of the things that happens, there are three basic, of course you can read psychology books and they give you all kind of personality types, but when it comes to dominance, there's high dominance people, mid dominance people, low dominance people, that's the way they're wired, that's the way they are. And when a high dominance woman mares a low dominance man, and if you are converted, then you have a greater battle to fight than most people do, because that's the way you are. You have a tendency to jump in and take control, but if you follow what God says to do, even though you may be high dominance, he low dominance, or vice versa, it can work if you follow what God says to do. So, verse 7, likewise you husbands dwell with them according to knowledge. Now that knowledge would be, obviously the ellipse would be according to the knowledge of God, according to the instructions that he gives, giving honor unto the wife. Ephesians 4, verse 25, 26, along in there says that husbands love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. In other words, sacrificial love willing to lay down your life for your wife. Being heirs together of the grace, the word carous, grace, divine favor, that your prayers be not hindered. If you don't follow this outline that is in the Bible with regard to marriage and married life, your prayers will be hindered. Now look at Ephesians chapter 4. Of all the things that my wife and I have tried to practice through the years, and we cannot say, as some have said, well, we have never had a disagreement in all our lives.

Well, maybe one of you had lobotomy or something, but anyhow, in Ephesians chapter 4, we'll start in verse 23. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, the new man, the man above the water. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for you are members one of another. How are you members one of another? We have that common essence, the spirit of God and Christ in us. Join together, members one of another, and in the spiritual sense, when you harm one of the brethren, in effect, you're harming yourself because you're part of that body. No matter what your role or station may be within the body. In reality, you're harming yourself. But this verse 26 is our key verse here. Be you angry, sin not, let not the sun go down on your wrath. If you let the sun go down on your wrath, then this thing will fester, and you'll begin to wonder, well, what did she mean by that? What did he mean by that? Is that the way that he thinks I am? Does she think I'm really that way? Well, I just tell you, I don't know. I don't believe that. I mean, it just goes on and on. It festers. Be you angry, sin not, let not your wrath, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil, because if you let the sun go down on your wrath, you will give place to the devil. Because your mind will take this thing and it will massage it, and if you let your mind just go wild without controlling your spirit, then you'll give place to the devil. So, you go back to this 1 Peter 3, 7, being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered, because they will be if you don't follow the proper, the husband follows the proper administration of authority. The wife follows God's instructions with regard to subjection, and subjection does not mean that you just lie down and be a martyr.

In the marriage relationship, you are to follow the steps of reconciliation. You don't say, well, God says to be subject. If your husband is abusing you, you are not subject to abusers.

If your husband is an alcoholic, and we could go on and fill in the blank with various aberrant behaviors that your husband might be, and we could say wife, but either way, whichever one it is, you are obligated, according to Scripture, to walk in a reconciled position, especially in the marriage relationship.

And to not do so is contrary to what God teaches in His holy Word. Now, there does come situations in which one or the other party refuses to be reconciled. And Paul deals with this, so I'm not going to get sidetracked too far on that in 1 Corinthians 7 with regard to that. God expects us to walk in a reconciled position. Remember we talked about one of the biggest requirements for taking the Passover, to reconcile to God and Christ and each member of the body of Christ. Bread we eat, the cup we drink, isn't not the communion of the body of Christ. What is the body of Christ? Well, His literal physical body that He gave for the sins of the world. And also the Church is His body because He lives in His Church, in His body, the Church.

And the next verse here in 1 Peter 3, verse 8, summarizes to a large degree what we have just said here. Finally, be you all of one mind, having compassion in one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful. That doesn't mean pitiful in the sense we might think of pitiful. It means tender-hearted. Be tender-hearted. Don't be hard-hearted. Don't play the stand-off. The worst thing that people can do in a marriage relationship especially is to give the silent treatment. Oh, I'm not going to talk to you. You spend 40 days of penance and maybe we can have a conversation. Is that God's way? Be tender-hearted. Be courteous. The word courteous we think of. You're looking out for the welfare of others. Friendly of mind, kind, courteous. Not rendering evil for evil. Okay, you did that to me. This is what I'm going to do to you.

Not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing, but contrary-wise. Just the opposite of that blessing, knowing that you are there unto call. We have been called to inherit a blessing. What is the greatest blessing? To be born into the family of God, a glorious radiant spirit being. You've been called to inherit a blessing. So why are you going to curse somebody else?

Contrary-wise blessing, knowing that thereunto you are called, that you should inherit a blessing. The ultimate blessing, the kingdom of God. For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile. So much of the talk that goes on among church members, oftentimes there is no guile in it. This word guile here, it can mean deceit. Craft, deceit, subtlety. But oftentimes we sit around talking to each other. When I had a wart, I put vinegar on it. When I had a wart, I soaked it in Epsom salt. This is not real, of course. But it's examples of people giving advice of different things. Well, if I were you, when I was doing this, well, I did that. We have to be careful with just sitting around and throwing out all kinds of advice to people without the proper qualification. Because some people, well, they did it. Maybe this will work. So I go home and scald the cat, but I mean, it's not.

Just please be careful in conversation of giving advice. In verse 11, let him eschew. It means to get away from, to run away from. Let him eschew evil and do good. Let him seek peace and ensue it. And of course, these words are in the Old Testament in different ways in several different places. We have a hymn that has these words in it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and His ears open unto their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

And who is He that will harm you if you be followers of that which is good? I would put in the margin there, the Romans 8.31. If God be for you, who can be against you? If God be for you, who can be against you? If He would give up His only begotten Son and allow Him to go through the horrible crucifixion and death that He had experienced, if God be for you, who can be against you?

But if you suffer for righteousness sake, happy are you and be not afraid of their terror, neither be trouble. Because if God be for you, who can be against you? And He is going to deliver you. But in view of that, instead of railing for railing and that kind of thing, sanctify the eternal God. Set Him apart in your hearts. And be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Try to learn to speak accurately and precisely. And one of the difficulties we have, the more words that you put out, like with regard to our website and our literature, you have all kind of people putting out words and words. And there are not enough people to absolutely go over this with a fine-toothed comb and to examine every last word to make sure it is absolutely correct. So there is a great responsibility. We try to tell church members that. We've tried to tell them this for decades. In fact, it goes back to Acts 17, verses 11 and 12, where it says, And the Bereans were more noble than they in Thessalonica, and they searched the Scriptures daily, whether these things be true. You must prove things for yourself. You must, Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians, prove all things. Hold fast that which is good.

So be ready to give an answer of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. This word, hope, L-P-C, it's spelled E-L-P-I-S, L-P-C, and it means anticipation, expectation. One place Paul writes in Romans, chapter 8, you are saved by hope. And if that hope is burning so brightly in your mind, and you have a picture of what God has for you, the kingdom of God, if that picture is burning so brightly in your mind and your heart that you just with anticipation, expectation, think about what lies before you. It would be hard to turn you away. You know, 1 Corinthians 13, 13, what does it say? Now abides these three, faith, hope, charity. But the greatest of these is charity. But going back and looking at that, see, the first one listed is faith. Hope is springs from faith. Why do I have hope? Because I have faith that God, who has promised, He is faithful and He will deliver.

Faith, hope, charity. And if I live by faith and hope, eventually being produced in me, the result or outcome will be the love of God shed abroad in my heart.

We probably should focus more than we do on this word, hope. The reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Having a good conscience. A good conscience.

This word, conscience, has to do with a knowing within yourself. Sunidasis. A perception, a moral consciousness of what is right and what is wrong. And that conscience has to be trained by the Word of God. We are born morally illiterate. And we will be whatever that culture, the training, the education that we receive that is put into our minds and hearts. So, the headhunters in New Guinea, the pygmies in Africa, the music in China, or you name the cultural trait. Why? Because that was the way that they were trained.

To have a good conscience, it has to be your mind and your heart has to be filled with the Word of God. Having a good conscience, whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conduct in Christ. For better, if the will of God be so, that you suffer for well-doing than for evildoing. And as time goes on, the heat will more and more eventually will the things that you read about. Well, they're killing Christians in Iraq. They're killing Christians in Egypt. They're killing Christians in China. One of these days, they'll be killing Christians in the U.S. of A.

I guess that's hard for us to imagine. How many years from now? I don't know. I don't know.

But he who would come to me and love not less, father, mother, yea, even his own life, is not worthy to be called by disciples. For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quicken, made alive by the Spirit. Of course, he was in the grave. We had quite a discussion this past Tuesday with the ministry with regard to consciousness, whether or not there's any consciousness in the grave. There is no consciousness in the grave. There is no consciousness in the grave. If you look at Ecclesiastes 9 and 5, there are several other places, but here there are two verses that essentially say there is no consciousness in the grave. Some people have difficulty with what about the eternal Spirit? See, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. If you go back in eternity, at one point, as you read in Philippians 2 and verse 6, at one point in time, being in the form of God, thought it not in robbery to be equal with God and made himself of no reputation and took on the form of a man. So that Jesus Christ has existed in eternity, the one who became Jesus Christ. Going through the Beguetto birth process, he is now the Son of God. In Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 5, we'll come back to that in just a second, but the question that people have, well, what about that eternal Spirit during the time that he was in the grave and dead for three days and three nights? Ecclesiastes 9 and 5.

There is no consciousness in the grave. Now look at verse 10.

So when Jesus Christ died and was in the grave, there was no consciousness. The spirit essence of Jesus Christ was in the hands of the Father just as your spirit essence. We go through the same process. You have the eternal Spirit within you. Hebrews 9 and 14. You have the eternal Spirit in you. When you die, there is no consciousness. That spirit that is in you does not die. But apart from your physical brain, in this life, there is no consciousness. When you die, you're dead. Now you look at Romans 8-11. I've mentioned this a few times. Every person in the Church of God should have this scripture memorized. Romans 8-11.

But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, see, he that raised Christ from the dead, Christ did not raise himself. There was no consciousness within him. Just before he died, he prayed, he said, Father, into your hands, commend I you, my Spirit, my life essence is in your hands for you to resurrect me. And so he did. He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken, make alive your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. See, that spirit does not cease to exist.

Okay, let's read this 18 again. This is a real interesting little inset right here that Peter writes, For Christ also has once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, and be put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. This is how he's quickened. We just read it here from Romans 8-11. That by the same Spirit, if he had raised Jesus from the dead, he will raise us from the dead by the Spirit that dwells in us. It is that eternal Spirit by which, in other words, by this Spirit also he went and preached under the spirits in prison. What spirits is he talking about? Well, he's talking about the demons. The demons were at one point, see, before the flood, and we've got a lot to learn about the demon world, but I don't know if we'll ever learn it. Maybe we will. But before the flood, the demons had far more liberty than they had after Jesus Christ went and preached to them. You look at 2 Peter 2, 2 Peter 2, and you'll see where this restraint was put on them. 2 Peter 2, verse 4, The Greek word here for hell is tarkeru. It means a condition of restraint. If he put them in a condition of restraint and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment. So there was some restraint placed on the demons at this juncture. And spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness bringing flood upon the world of the ungodly. So here we are in verse 19 of 1 Peter 3, By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, who were in this condition of restraint, which sometime were disobedient when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being built, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. How were they saved by water? Well, of course, the ark was on top of the water, and they were in the ark, and they were saved. Now, he uses this analogy for the next verse, verse 21. The figure where unto baptism does also now save us, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, it's not that part where you're under the water where the old man buried, it's the part where you're raised to newness of life, the new man, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, not the crucifying of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After Christ was resurrected, the Holy Spirit was sent, and now we can be new creations. And we live on top of the water, as it were. We come up out of the watery grave of baptism to live the new life, the resurrected life. Look at Romans 6, Romans 6.

Romans 6, verse 3, verse 3, Now that's the part of putting away of the filth of the flesh under the water. Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism unto death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead, by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life. Now we're on top of the water, like the ark was on top of the water, and eight souls were saved. So now we're on top of the water, and we have to keep the old person down. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin, that old man buried under the water. Now we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more, death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once, but in that He lives, He lives unto God. Likewise, reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus. Jesus Christ our Lord. Now you go back and look at chapter 5 and verse 10.

One of the words in the song Jim sang had to do with reconciliation. So you look at verse 10. For if we were enemies, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled. He paid the penalty so we could be viewed as sinless, so we could receive the Holy Spirit. We shall be saved from wrath through Him, but much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. So the Spirit living within us. So let's read this 21 again.

The light figure where unto baptism does also now save us, not that putting away the filth of the flesh, not the under-the-water part, but the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, who has gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him. See, all things are put in subjection under Christ. Look at Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3.

I don't know why I said chapter 3. It's chapter 1. In Colossians chapter 1, beginning in verse 13, Colossians 1.13, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, God the Father, hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom, that is, in the Son, we have redemption buying back through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn, prototikos, of every creature. He was born at the resurrection. He became the firstborn at the resurrection. Revelation 1.5.

He is the head of the body, the Church. Here's one of the places where the Church is called His body, who is the beginning of the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have preeminence. He is going to the right hand of the Father, and what is one of the main things He does in this role at the right hand of the Father? Romans 8.34.

And we start in verse 31. Romans 8.31.

What shall we say to these things, that God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is He that condemns? It is Christ that died, yes, rather, that is risen again. Who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us? And then in Hebrews 7.25, pray this prayer every night, include Hebrews 7.25.

In verse 24, but this one, because He continues ever, this is Jesus Christ, has an unchangeable priesthood, the priesthood of Melchizedek, wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.

Where such an high priest became us, who is wholly harmless undefiled, separate from sinners made higher than the heavens.

So everything put under subjection, under Christ, of course, the Father is not in subjection under Christ, as it says in 1 Corinthians 15. Now we go to chapter 4. For as much then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, for He that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. Of course, one of the reasons that God allows us to experience the pains of the flesh and the pains of sin is that we might cease from sin, but it seems that we have a hard time, I know I do, of learning the lesson that He no longer should live the rest of His time in the flesh to the lust of men but to the will of God. How do you know the will of God? Well, the Bible reveals the will of God through the Holy Spirit. For the time past of life may suffice us to have wrought to have done the will of the nations. When we walked in lasciviousness, lasciviousness is a word that's similar to licentious. It means wantonness, doing your own thing, the lust, the wrong desire, concupiscence, excess of wine, revelings, vanquittings. In other words, anything goes, this word vanquittings, it says drinking bout or carousal and abominable idolatries. All of the things that have to do with licentiousness, lawlessness, license to sin. For the time past of life may suffice us. We may have lived that way in the past.

Now verse 4, wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you. I've had this happen to me. They say, well, this was before I ever came to ambassador to actually end the church, but it began to change and began to repent. And people began to say, well, you used to do such and such. You don't do this anymore. It's like the old thing of this country song. It says, since I stopped drinking, you ain't much fun anymore.

I don't think I want to take too many lessons from country music. And, wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of rioting, speaking evil of you. Well, who is he, the old goody-two-shoes and all the things that people may say? Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the living and the dead? Now, verses 5 and 6 are discussed quite a bit in commentaries. Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the living and the dead? Now, let's preface this with 1 Thessalonians 4, verses 13, 14, 15, 16 along. And there says that the dead in Christ, or the living, shall not precede the dead in Christ. For the dead in Christ shall rise first to meet the Lord in the air. Then those that are alive and remain shall be caught up in the air to meet Christ in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Paraphrasing, the dead rise first, and then those that remain and are alive are caught up. Verse 6, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead. This does not mean that the gospel was preached to people that are dead. What it means is that the gospel was preached to them in their lifetimes as they had opportunity, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh. At that time, when they were alive, they had the gospel preached to them, and those that would listen came to understand that if they lived according to the flesh, they would die. But if they lived according to the Spirit, they could live. That's what the verse is saying, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead. So those that had the gospel preached to them while they were alive, that are dead, when Christ comes again, of course they are going to be caught up in the air, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh. While they were in the flesh, they had the gospel preached to them, they repented, they accepted God, Christ, but then they died, but live according to God in the Spirit.

So it is not saying at all that, as the Mormons teach, that we are baptized for the dead. And that's not what that scripture is saying anyhow in 1 Corinthians 15.

One of the reasons why Mormons are so into genealogy. Back in the 80s, I went to Salt Lake City and went to the Tabernacle, Mormon Tabernacle, and that whole compound there, and they have a section, the library, the genealogical library, where you can look up your ancestors. It was interesting to look at the census around 1890, where my relatives listed out their family members. And it's on microfiche, and you can see it. They're handwriting. And so they go try to research back in their family tree, and then are baptized for people in their family tree, and the big emphasis on the family, that the family will be together in the kingdom of God, and you try to do everything you can to be baptized for the dead. But as I said, I'm not going into the whole explanation of that right now. But obviously the dead don't know anything. And what this is saying here, that when these people had the opportunity, the gospel was preached to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, and as they were hearing the gospel preached, they understood that if they continued to live according to the flesh, that they would be judged according to the flesh. But if they would repent, they could live according to God in the Spirit. And of course, that's what we have hopefully gone through, that we have repented of doing that which was of the flesh, and now that we are living according to God in the Spirit. Now verse 7 also, but the end, and this word is another word that you need to be aware of in your study. When you see this word end in the New Testament, basically it is the Greek word telos, T-E-L-O-S, and it means the result or outcome. The result or outcome or the climax of things is at hand.

Usually it means the result or outcome. But the result or outcome of all things is at hand. Be you there for sober, meaning watchful, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves, agape, spiritual love, for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Now here's another very interesting verse that requires some explanation. Now if you're talking about sin, the transgression of the law, which incurs the death penalty, it doesn't matter how much I love you or express my love towards you or pray for you. My love for you, or your love for me, or your love for your mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife, will not cover that sin.

So what is... Now on the other hand, if all these little things that go on among especially husband and wives, and in the family, in which there are all kind of trivial things, I told you to pick this up, you didn't pick it up. I told you that you always need to take out the trash on Monday morning, but you didn't take it out. And what I always have to... I mean, if you have the right understanding and so on, and you really love people and follow what God says to do, you're a long-suffering patient. That doesn't blow the place up. But if you're talking about sin, how can sin be forgiven?

I may know that you are sinning. You may know that I am sinning. You may pray for me until you're, as I say, blue in the face. Now your prayer may help in the sense of bringing it to your attention, but how is it going to be forgiven?

How is it going to be forgiven?

It is only through repentance and faith and the sacrifice of Christ. Now how do you love people?

Let's go to Leviticus 17.

Maybe it's 19.

Let's go to Leviticus 19.

Leviticus 19, well it started at 15. Brother, what we're about to cover here is a pretty hard saying, but I didn't write it.

In Leviticus 19, verse 15, you shall do no unrighteousness of judgment. You shall not respect the person of the poor nor honor the person of the mighty. But in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. Now a lot of people like to go around quoting Matthew 7, where it says, judge not, that you be not judged, for what judgment you judge someone, the same will be meted out unto you. That goes on to say, get the beam out of your own eye before you get the mote out of your brother's eye. The big thing out of your eye before you get the splinter out of it. We've all heard those sermons and that kind of thing, but it goes on even in Matthew 7, that after you have done that, you have to be careful about it. But the Bible does not say that you shall do no judgment. The Bible doesn't say you shall make no distinction between right and wrong. It's foolish. You have to make distinctions and help your children all along the way. And I'm reading from the Scripture right now what this says.

Verse 16, you shall not go up and down as a tail-bearer among your people, neither shall you stand against the blood of your neighbor. You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall in any wise rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin for him. Now, the Old King James has an awkward translation, but the correct translation is, you shall not hate your brother. Now, we'll read in just a moment that hate is equated with murder. And we'll also read that it says, you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall in any wise rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin for him.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible teaches you are your brother's keeper. Now, go to 1 John chapter 3, the Apostle of Love, 1 John chapter 3. And notice this verse equates hate with murder. This verse equates hate with murder. We'll read into it. In 1 John chapter 3 and verse 12, Not as keen who was of that wicked one and slew his brother, And why did he slay him? Because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death into life because we love the brethren. He that loves not his brother abides in death. Who so hates his brother is a murderer. You shall not hate your brother. You shall in any wise rebuke your brother and not bear sin for him. In other words, what is being said in 1 Peter 4 verse 8, that love covers a multitude of sins, that if you love your brother to the extent that you should, that you will go to him and you will enter into judgment with him according to the instructions that are given in the Bible.

Who so hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Hereby, perceived with the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But who so has his world's good, sees his brother have need, shuts up his vows of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him? Now, we're quick to respond to physical needs. Oh, they need this or they need that. Well, I'll give money, or I've got this. But what about the spiritual need that has to do with eternal life?

That is far more difficult and requires far more sacrificial love.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. What is the truth? Well, we're trying to teach the truth. We go to James, the last two verses of James.

The last two verses of James.

James, Chapter 5.

James, Chapter 5, Verse 19. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one bad translation, convert, you cannot convert. The Greek word is epi-straefoul. E-P-I-S-T-R-E-P-H-O. It means to turn about. Let him know that he which turns about the center from the air of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

And you couple that with 1 Peter 4, 8, that love covers a multitude of sins. Now, being long-suffering and patient and overlooking little things, as they say, mole hills that can become mountains, which really are not violations of the law of God. Love can really help that way and cover a lot of things that might come up in a family, especially. But when it comes to breaking the law of God, and you know that it is being done, and you don't love the person enough to confront it, you shall not hate your brother in your heart, you shall otherwise rebuke your brother and not bear sin for him. And of course, you make yourself very vulnerable, because we had a sermonette just recently, I think it was last Sabbath, by Neil Crane, with regard to correction. How do you take correction? Can you take correction? Very few people. Very few people. And of the people in the Church, you know that you can quickly develop an enemy, but are we going to obey God, or are we going to obey the flesh? Anyhow, I hope you have a better understanding of that love covers a multitude of sins. You can't just say, I love you, you just can't just pray for them, though you should pray for them. But action is also a part of it.

Using hospitality, and one more comment here with God. When people really know that you love them and care for them, they are more apt to stay away from that which is wrong.

And one of the things, like as a child growing up, I was far from perfect, there's no one perfect. But I know one of the things, always I do not want to bring dishonor to my parents. I don't want to hurt my parents, because I know how much they love me, I know how hard they have worked for me, and I don't want to dishonor them. So if that kind of love bond is there between parents and children, that helps a lot in keeping it for them to stay away from that which would be harmful, and especially, of course, breaking God's law. Going along with that is this next verse, using hospitality, fond of guests, inviting people in, serving one another, use hospitality one to another without murmuring. The word grudging is more about murmuring. Well, I guess it's alright to have them over, but I really don't want to. I'd rather not. Really, they ask themselves over. I didn't even ask them. They came over themselves. So I guess we have to go along with it. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Now, as each man has received the gift, and there are different gifts that God has given us, we have had sermons on spiritual gifts. Look at Romans 12. In Romans 12, Paul begins to talk about how you become a living sacrifice. In Romans 12 and verse 4, we'll start in Romans 12. In Romans 12.4, For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we being many are one body in Christ, and every one member is one of another. Every one member is one of another. We've talked about how that is through the Spirit of God. Having then gives differing according to the grace, very similar to this verse here in 1 Peter 4. Having gives differing according to the grace, the carous, that is given unto us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy, according to the proportion of faith or ministry, let us wait on our ministering, or he that exhorts unto exhortation, he that gives, let him do with simplicity, he that rules with diligence, he that shows mercy with cheerfulness, and so on. The various gifts that we have, God says through Peter, use them.

Verse 10 again, 1 Peter 4.10. As every man has received the gift, even so, minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. In other words, speak according to the word of God. If any man minister, let him do as of the ability which God gives, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen.