1 Peter, Part 7

Well, for those who are visiting with us, I might mention that we've been going through 1 Peter. We got up the last time, the verse 14 of chapter 4. What I'd like to do is just go back to verse 12.

I emphasize the last time I was going through this book that this is a book that dwells on why we have trials, why we have tests, why we suffer, why we go through these type of things. What is God trying to do with us? What is He trying to develop in our lives?

And if you'll notice, beginning in verse 12, He says, Beloved, do not think it strange, concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. So when we go through a trial or a test, don't think it's strange, but rejoice to the extent that you are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Now, as Colossians, I believe it is 1.24 states, that you and I fill up the sufferings of Christ. Now, we know that Christ suffered. Not only did He suffer when He was crucified and scourged, but He suffered throughout His life. But you and I also suffer. We are, today, His body.

The Church is referred to as the body of Christ. And so, as Christ suffered in the body when He was on the earth, literally, so His body suffers today. And what God is doing, God is making a bride who is compatible with her husband. The Church is the bride of Christ. And, as a result, God is molding a group of people who have the same love, the same empathy, the same concern for people that God has. And most of us don't have that naturally, do we? We've got to develop the love and the concern for others. And so, we find that this is exactly what He's referring to here. Let's go on in verse 14. In verse 14, it says, If you are reproach for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you. On their part, He is blaspheme, but on your part, He is glorified.

Now, there are times that you find that we might be reproach for the name of Christ. The word reproach means to revile in the Greek, and the word revile means to be hated or detested.

That there are occasions when people who claim to be Christians are looked down upon, hated. You know, even in our world today, you'll find that there are nations where if somebody professes to be a Christian, they take their life into their hands. And many times, there are people who are killed. And why is that? It says, for being a Christian, for one who lives like Jesus Christ lived. And so, we have to realize that there will be times that we will be reproach, that we will be detested because of the way we live. And I think that's especially true when you realize that true Christianity goes beyond the spectrum of what is normally considered Christianity out there. It involves a way of life. It involves a way of doing things that runs contrary to most of Christianity. And so, therefore, people not understanding that will sometimes make fun or ridicule. But verse 15 says, but let none of you suffer.

And the word means continue. It's progressive here. That none of you continue to suffer, implying that at one time, they had been a certain way. So he says, let none of you continue to suffer as a murderer. Is it conceivable that a murderer could be converted and come into the church?

What about the Apostle Paul? Paul drug Christians off. He was there when Stephen was stoned. In fact, he gave his approval. He hauled Christians off and threw them in jail. He divided families.

And you will find that God will at times call any number of people. And he's showing here that sometimes that we've had people in the church who've been murderers, or a thief, an evil doer, or a busybody in other people's matters. So what you find is that God will call a cross-section. And let's face it, in the millennium, in the Great White Throne Judgment, God is going to call a lot of people who've been all of these things and give them an opportunity for salvation. Now, a busybody. Let's focus on the word busybody.

Could we possibly ever be a busybody? What is a busybody? It's a body that's busy. It's a meddler, is what the word means. Somebody who meddles in other people's business.

Actually, in the Greek, it means a self-appointed overseer of other men's affairs.

Not that you are appointed, but you are self-appointed. So you get involved in everything that everybody else is doing, and you become a meddler in what they do.

Well, it's easy sometimes, if we're not careful, because we all care about one another.

And sometimes it's easy to get so involved that you begin to meddle in what other people are doing and step over the bounds. So you have to be very careful about that. Now, in verse 46, it says, Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

Now, remember, at this time, the word Christian was still a word of contempt. Because to start with, they weren't called Christians.

But as time went on, the term was used, much like you would say, well, somebody is an Armstrongite, or somebody is, and you add whoever the leader was. Well, since Christ was the leader of the church, and they claimed that they were following this Jesus Christ who had been killed, what you find, they use the term Christian as something that was contemptible. So notice what he's saying here. If you suffer as a Christian for doing what's right for following Christ, then don't be ashamed. But if you suffer as a busybody or a meddler, or you suffer as a thief or a murderer, if you suffer because of your own conduct or wrong conduct, things it used to do in the past, and you still do them, you bring them over into the church, then he says, you know, don't glorify that. Remember, Peter had denied Jesus Christ three times. So here's Peter writing that we should not be ashamed of Christ, when at one time he had been ashamed of Christ, and he had denied Christ three times.

And yet here, he learned from his mistake, and he was exhorting them, don't you do the same thing I did? You learned from me. In verse 17, For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? So you and I today, we are the house of God. The church is a house of God. And you find that we come under judgment.

The world as a whole is not being judged for their actions. As we know, this is not the only day of salvation. God has not called everybody today. God is going to give everybody an opportunity for salvation. So eventually, God will call in the great white throne judgment. People have never had a chance. They will understand the truth of God. But it's not until God opens your mind, gives you understanding, and you begin to respond that God begins to judge us. So we need to realize that as a church, we are being judged right now. You and I are being judged for how we live, how we conduct our lives, how we respond and treat one another.

And most of the time, we tend to think of judgment. Well, there's a judgment when Christ comes back, and you'll be judged whether you get eternal life or not. Now, you are judged right now. You will be sentenced one way or the other. You will either be rewarded, given eternal life, or you will be condemned and say, no, you're going to get eternal death. So we're being judged presently for how we live. We are the only ones who presently understand truly God's way of life. So we need to respond to that. With understanding, with responsibility, comes action. And you and I have to be involved. So we find, in verse 18, now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, that means with difficulty, if we barely make it, where will the ungodly and sinner appear?

So you'll find that Peter is quoting here, and it's interesting. A lot of times in quoting, you'll find that instead of the apostles actually quoting strictly from a Hebrew text, you go back, this is quoted from Proverbs 11.31, that it's not that way in English, but it is that way in the Greek text. Remember, there was a Septuagint translation, the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was extended at that time. So what this shows is that Peter and Paul, also the apostles, not only did they quote the Hebrew Bible, they also quoted from the Greek translation of the Hebrew. So it's not wrong to use more than one translation, and that's just a side point in studying the Bible. Now verse 19, Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God, so some do suffer because of God's will, commit their souls to Him in doing good.

So if we're suffering, should we say woe is me and have a pity party and stop doing good, stop serving others? Well, no, but we should do that as to a faithful Creator.

So you and I should continue to do good in the face of unjust persecution, in the face of slander, realizing that God is going to judge us for what we're doing, not what other people say. It doesn't matter what other people say. We have to react according to what God has given us or revealed to us. So I think what he's showing here is that it's easy for us, if we're not careful, to let that type of persecution or trials get us to the point where we just give up and we quit.

Okay, now that brings us over to chapter 5 in the book of 1st Peter, and I think we may have an opportunity to finish today.

Do better than I did in Galatians. I was going to cover Galatians 3 today, the whole chapter, and I got six verses, I think, in Galatians 3. But Galatians 3 and 4, if you understand those two chapters, you can understand the book. So it's important to take some time on that. Now we get into a section here where Peter is exhorting those who have responsibilities and duties in the church, the elders, and how they shepherd the flock, how they look after the congregation. And this can apply to anybody who's given duties or responsibilities. It says, The elders who are among you I exhort. So we're not just talking here about elderly people, but it's talking about the elders who are among you. And in one sense, an indication that they weren't just a special spiritual class, but they were elders. An elder is one who has been selected because of his maturity, his wisdom, his ability, and is set aside to be able to serve, and to serve in a way that others do not serve by teaching, by anointing, by counseling in these ways.

So elders have the responsibility of spiritual oversight of a congregation. So notice here Peter says, the elders who are among you, I exhort, or he's encouraging them, I who am a fellow elder. Now I want you to notice that Peter was also an apostle.

So an apostle is also an elder, but not all elders are apostles. And I think we all understand that. An apostle was a designation of one who was called and sent with a message in the original 12 apostles, plus Paul, Barnabas, James, different ones later on who were ordained. All who are ordained into the ministry are elders. That's a general classification, referring to those in the ministry. But not all are apostles. Not all are given that duty or that responsibility.

And notice here, he said, I'm a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ.

So he's referring to the fact that he had the responsibility of going out and preaching about Christ and what Christ is as our Savior, and will also be a partaker of the glory that will be revealed.

So you and I are going to have and partake of the glory that God will give us. You might remember in the Old Testament, in the Tabernacle and also in the temple, the very glory of God came down and rested on theirs. And when God wanted to speak to his servants at that time, such as Moses, his glory would be there and God would speak out of the glory, out of the cloud. Well, there's going to come a time when you and I will become glorified, just as God is. If we will have radiance and power, we will be given a spiritual body. So, you know, he's alluding to all of this. Now in verse 2, notice he begins to enumerate the job and responsibilities, the duties of the elders.

Shepherd the flock of God, which is among you. So the elders were among the flock, so they weren't all over here somewhere separate, but they were among the flock, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly.

Now, the word shepherd means to tend or to feed. So if you're a shepherd and you've got sheep, you tend. You look after that flock and you feed them. Remember the 23rd Psalm, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, and talks about how he leads me into green pastures. So the shepherd guides the flock to where there's food to eat, still water, water to drink. When there's trouble, he's there to protect them, and he's there to comfort them, to strengthen them. This word is also in its noun form used of a pastor. You see the word to pastor in the New Testament. It is a noun form of this verb, and a pastor is one who sends the flock, who feeds the flock. Now, you might remember John, back in John 21, verse 16, hold your place here, but let's go back to John 21, verse 16.

The prior to Jesus Christ's ascension into heaven, he had talked to Peter, and in verse 16, he said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, tend my sheep. He also said, feed my sheep. So Peter is passing on to the elders, the admonition that Christ gave him, and that is to feed the flock, to tend the flock, to shepherd the flock. So it says, shepherd, notice, whose flock is it?

The flock of God, which is among you. So it's not my church, it's God's church. It's God's flock. And we as shepherds are there to look after that flock.

So you find, you know, there's several things a lot of times we just sort of read over.

And then it says, serving as overseers. An overseer is one who oversees, has responsibility and duty to oversee and make sure that things are done decently in order. Back in 1 Corinthians 14, it talks about the church and how things are done, that everything should be done decently and in order. That God is not the author of confusion, but a piece, as we see in all the churches. So the shepherds are the ones who oversee the flock and look after it. So we should do it not by compulsion, not being pressed into it, not being forced into it, but willingly, not coerced. You and I should very, if a person or a man is given that responsibility, should willingly want to serve the church. Actually, the word willing, the way it's translated, is not strong enough. It's a word that indicates zeal, or we would say eagerly. Do it eagerly! Do it with zeal, enthusiasm, and not something that somebody's got to twist your arm to get you to do it. So we're told again, not by compulsion, but willingly, eagerly, with enthusiasm, not for dishonest gains. So we're not to do it for the money.

I can guarantee you, over the years, those in the ministry haven't done it for the money. You don't really, or haven't really been paid. Thankfully, the ministry is paid a little more today than they used to be, but what you find, the ministry is not a profession you're going to get rich in. So it's not one of those that you go into thinking, I'm going to make a bundle of money, because you simply are not. And it says, not for dishonest gains.

So it's obviously, if you're serving in the ministry, it's your full-time occupation, you want to be paid something, you've got to take care of your family. So to have honest gain, there's nothing wrong with it. It's interesting, the word here, dishonest gain, the word describes the man who never sets enough food before his guest, and gives himself a double portion when he's carving. He gets the best pieces, he gets the filet mignon, the tenderloin, everybody else gets the wing, the tail, and the legs, that type of thing. He waters the wine, he goes to the theater only when he gets free tickets. When he is selling corn, he uses a measure in which the bottom is pushed up, so that he doesn't have to give the full amount. And even then, he carefully levels the top. Rather than give a wedding present, he will go away from home when a wedding is in the offering, to avoid that. So this is talking about the type of person. This is not the type of person you want in the ministry. You want somebody who is hospitable, who gives. What does the Bible talk about when it talks about giving full measures? It is overflowing and going over. So you fill the bushel up as high as it can go, and it flows over, then you give. So we find that he's showing the attitude and the approach that should be used here. Now, in verse 3, he says, "...nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." The word lord means petty tyrant, high-handed autocratic rule over the flock. So, I'm in charge. Don't you dare do anything to cross me. You cross me. You've had it. And so, you're that type of approach. Notice, entrusted to you, God gives the flock to us, and we're entrusted with it. It's like a valuable piece of merchandise.

What if someone had a beautiful vase?

Maybe it's a Tiffany, and it's 300 years old. I don't know how old Tiffany might be, but we'll say something's 300 years old. And it's worth a small fortune, maybe a million and a half dollars. And they say, keep this for me, look after it, and don't let anything happen to it. What would you do with that? Well, first of all, I wouldn't handle it.

No, I mean, you would put that away somewhere where hopefully nothing could occur to it, right? You'd protect it. You'd look after it. Maybe you'd check it every day. Put it in a bank vault somewhere. You would make sure that this particular item that you've been entrusted with that is valuable has been looked after. Well, brethren, do you realize that each one of you sitting here has been entrusted to those in the ministry to look after and to be concerned for, because each one of you is a potential son of God, potential daughter of God? And as we read back here in Hebrews 13, let's go back to Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17. It says, Obey those who rule over you and be submissive. So the ministry does have authority to rule.

For they watch for your souls as those who must give account. So one day, we have to give account.

Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. So you find, then, that God has entrusted his flock, his people, his potential sons and daughters to others to look after and to help. And so, therefore, it is a tremendous responsibility. So there has to be this care for the flock. Notice, as it says here, not being tyrants over the flock, but being examples to the flock. So you are to be an example. Paul said, Follow me as I follow Christ. So hopefully we can be an example. Word means a pattern, a model to follow. We are all to model our lives after Jesus Christ and then, hopefully, model for each other. Now, that's one thing you will find. You might say, I'm sitting there in the congregation. Nobody pays attention to me. Nobody knows me. But what if you model a wonderful marriage for other couples? And there are others who are having trouble in their marriage, and they see your marriage. They see you and your wife seem to get along, love one another, seem to really there's something special there. Well, maybe they will try to follow your example, or maybe they'll come up and ask you, what are you doing to have a good marriage? Or maybe your children are obedient, and maybe your children behave for growing just good examples, and they come up to you, well, how do you get your children to behave that way? You know, I'm having all kinds of trouble here, and so you model, and you set the right example. So we all have the responsibility of modeling, living in the right way, and to set an example before others.

Then we go on to read here in verse 4, And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

So the chief shepherd is Christ. When he appears at his second coming, at the resurrection, you and I will receive the crown of glory. Now, this is not talking about a royal crown, a diadem. This is talking about a crown of victory. It is the crown that was given to the participants in the Olympic Games, to a military leader who came back. He had destroyed the enemy, and he was successful, and so they had this crown of victory that they would place on his head. It was sort of like a garland or a reef that would be placed there. So it's something that God shows that at that time we will get a crown of victory. We will have gotten victory over Satan, over our human nature, over this world, and God will give us eternal life at that point. So that's something that we want because, as it says here, a crown of glory, that crown being symbolic of the glory that God will give to us, that does not fade away. Ever had a light bulb that fades? You know, maybe it's a three-way bulb, and the first time you turn it on, you know, 50, 100, 150. The first thing you know, 50's gone, and you got 100 and 150. The next thing you know, 150's gone. It seems like 100 hangs around for a while, and you're working off of 100 what? Or it just gets dim and finally goes out. Well, when God gives us His glory, we don't have to worry about it fading away. We will be like the sun in His glory. We will be totally energized at that time. So in verse 5, likewise, you younger people, or younger men, submit yourselves to the elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. So God resists those who are proud.

You'll find that it's something that those who are younger tend to have a little more. I shouldn't say a little more because we all have it in equal doses, but maybe it's more apparent. You can see the vanity as a young person thinking, well, I can run faster, I can jump higher, I can do this, I can do that, and you've got all of this flowing through you. Somebody who's 70, 75, I used to do this, and I used to do that, and I could do something else, but you're not able to do it anymore. Well, so it's saying to the younger people, especially, you'll be willing to submit yourselves to those who God has placed in authority and be clothed with.

This is a rare word. It refers to a slave who puts on an apron before he starts serving.

If you were a slave and you were working in a kitchen, maybe a lot of you don't do this, but I don't know if you have aprons or not, but a woman used to, when she was cooking, would put an apron on. Maybe one had a top on it so that her clothes were protected from splashes and spills and all of this. Well, this is talking about putting on an apron just like a slave would, and so humility is something that we are to be clothed with. Just like putting on a garment, we should be clothed with it. So, you and I are to put on and be clothed with humility. Basically, what it points out is that you and I cannot serve effectively without humility, and humility is referring to our attitude towards God. Humility has to recognize that God is all powerful, supreme, and we're nothing. We're human beings. It means not rising far from the dirt, that we realize who we are, that we're nothing without God. We can't do anything. So, we have that humility, and we need to realize that if you have that, God will give grace to the humble. God is willing to forgive. He gives extra blessings to those who are humble, but He resists those who are, and actually it's present progressive, God continues to resist those who are proud. So, it's not a matter He resists this once and walks off and forgets it. He's going to resist this.

So, I would rather be in God's graces and blessed by God than have God resisting me. So, if you don't want God resisting you, don't get all huffy and proud.

So, in verse 6, we find, therefore, because of this, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. So, you and I are to humble ourselves under God's hand. There will come a time, it says here, due time, that God will exalt us.

Can you expect that if you go home, you hear this Bible study, you think, I'm going to work on humility. So, this coming week, you say, well, I'm humble. I'm really humble this week. I've developed humility. So, therefore, God's going to exalt me. And you keep looking for some type of exaltion. It doesn't work that way. God says, in due time, that may be the resurrection that God will exalt us. For, you know, basically, I think that's what He's referring to here. It's not a matter that we go around trying to be humble so we can get some high position or prestige. Now, in due time, God will exalt us. So, we need to wait upon God. And then, in verse 7, it talks about casting all your care upon Him. The word care means anxiety, worry. All those who do not worry or have anxiety, hold your hands up.

I think I'll put mine down here. I think that this is something we all go through.

We all become anxious and we worry. But we're told cast, and it's referring to, you know, throw it all out there. Throw it all on God. Why? Because He cares for you. See, God is not indifferent to the problems we go through. I don't care what your circumstance might be, what my circumstance might be. God is very concerned for every one of us. And He cares for us. If He didn't care for us, He'd just let us go off and do our own thing. But He's very intimately involved in our lives and working with us. So, we are to cast all of our anxieties, all of our worries, frustrations on Him, because He cares for us.

You see, the fact that God would be concerned for human beings runs contrary to what most religions at this time. Their gods were not gods. I'm talking about the idols and the pagans, who were concerned about human beings. They were just concerned about themselves and the human beings pay a great deal of honor. But when Christians came along and started talking about God, the God is concerned for us, the God is working in our lives in an intimate way, that just sort of ran totally contrary to the fault of the day. So, in verse 8, we're told, be sober. That means we're to be vigilant mentally and be vigilant, be sober, be vigilant, or watchful. The word vigilant here means awake or alert. How alert are you when you first wake up in the morning? You're not very alert. You wake up and what is that? You and I, sometimes the phone can ring in the middle of the night and you hear it, but what's going on? And finally it dawns on you. Oh, that's the telephone. Well, we're not too alert when we're sleepy, so we're to be awake, we're to be alert, we're to be mentally vigilant. Why? Well, because we've got an adversary out there. We've got somebody who's out there trying to destroy us. He's called the devil.

So, the word devil here means false accuser, slander. So, there's somebody out there who's going to slander us, accuse us, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

We've all seen enough National Geographic programs of lions hunting and what happens when they've got something cornered. Well, we need to realize that Satan is out there and he's like a roaring lion. He's just seeking someone to devour. Now, who becomes easy prey to a lion? Well, if you've watched any of those shows, you know it's those who are weak, those who are unhealthy, those who get separated from the herd, you know, as newborn, you know, these type of things.

The lion is there and they come after them. So, you and I need to be careful. One, we need to stay in the body, you know, not get out here on our own. And we need to make sure that spiritually we're not weak because we can get in a weakened state and Satan, we become easy pickings to Satan. So, he's constantly out there roaming around looking, watching, and he comes by every once in a while to observe and to see who he might be able to pick off.

So, we are told in verse 9, resist him. The word resist means stand up to him. Poke him in the face, so to speak. To withstand him. So, we stand up to him steadfast in the faith. So, how do we do it? Well, it's because we are steadfast in what we believe in the faith, in the belief, in the doctrines, in the teachings, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by the brotherhood in the world. Now, it might not be too comforting, but he's saying, look, we're all going through the same thing.

So, the brotherhood out there, you know, the church, everybody's going through the same thing. The word steadfast actually means, it's a military term, it means refers to solidarity, strength, standing fast, without moving, even under attack. So, here are the enemy's attack. And again, we've all seen enough movies where when the enemy attacks and you're overwhelmed, first thing you know, the people begin, troops begin to run, retreat. Well, this is talking about we don't retreat. We stand right where we are and we fight even when we are being attacked. The implication is a rock-like faith.

You and I have to have faith just like a rock. We're not going to be moved. And so, we meet them head on and we realize that we're all going through the same trial. Now, verse 10, it says, but may the God of grace who called us by his eternal glory, by Christ Jesus, after you suffered a while.

So again, we find this theme of suffering, trials, tests, going all through this book. After we suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. So, notice what the results of suffering are. You and I become established, meaning we're made strong, we're made solid like granite, we're strengthened, so we're filled with strength, we're filled with God's strength, and then we're settled.

Word settled means like laying a foundation. We are secure. And so, when we go through tests and trials, it drives us down to the very bedrock of our faith, to put our trust, our allegiance in God. Then, verse 11, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Then, he adds here at the end, by Sylvanius, our faithful brother. So, apparently Sylvanius was the one that Peter dictated the book to, who then wrote it down as a scribe and passed it along.

Sylvanius is another word for Silas. We know about Silas. He's mentioned all through the book of Acts in Acts 15, verse 22. He is one of the two men chosen to convey the decision from the Jerusalem Conference in Acts 15. To Antioch, he was also regarded as a prophet in Acts 1532. He accompanied Paul and Barnabas and went in separate directions because of disagreement over John Mark. Remember, John Mark went with Barnabas and Silas went with Paul.

So, this is the same Silas, apparently, that we're talking about. And he goes on to say here, By Sylvanius, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I've written you briefly, exhorting and testifying that it is the true grace of God in which you stand.

Then, verse 13, She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greet you, so does Mark, my son.

Now, she here, you'll read all the commentaries, and she who is in Babylon, there are all kinds of different ideas. Some say the Babylon here refers to Rome, and Peter was in Rome. I don't think that's true. She, some say, refers to the church.

That some have speculated it could have been Peter's wife or some other prominent woman. Guess what? Doesn't say, does it? So all you can do is guess. And your guess is as good as my guess, and I can read the commentaries. They say they're all over the map when it comes to who she might be. She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greet you, and so does Mark, my son. And then verse 14, greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen. Now, the kiss of love was accustom at that day. It was a kiss on the cheek, much like you see in certain cultures today. The Greeks, you know, they're hugging and kissing each other on different cheeks. A lot of you ladies come up and greet one another with a kiss. In our culture, the men don't come up and kiss the ladies.

But in some cultures, they do. I mean, you go to Italy, you go to maybe some of the South American countries, and you'll find that it's a little different ballgame and culture in those areas. So, you know, he's describing something here. He doesn't say, we go find the prettiest girl in the church and give her a kiss. You know, that's not what he's talking about, but he's talking about the affection and the love that is shown one to another. So that brings us to the end of 1st Peter, the end of chapter 5. Now, I might mention, as I did before, that next time we have Bible study, and I think we'll wait until after the feast to have Bible study, we're coming up to the Holy Days here, and we need to begin to focus in that direction. But we will begin going through the fundamental doctrines, and hopefully we will be able to use our PowerPoint projection, Cameron, all of that, because we do have a lot of that ready to go. So, appreciate everyone's attention. Hopefully we've gained a lot out of the book here. And remember that Peter wrote this in his day, but he wrote it because he said he wanted to make sure that the truth, the right way, was preserved. And so, you and I can be very thankful that it was preserved for us, and that we have it to study today and to live by.