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Speaker: Man, that that last
song, last song was so good.

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I had not heard it before
and I was listening to it.

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I was like, okay, this is good.

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And then at the end, I think people
were clapping in the room at the end

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there when we went up and the dynamics.

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That was awesome.

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That was good.

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Um.

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That's for free.

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That has nothing to do with
what we're talking about

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this morning, but just, yeah.

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I love our, our, our
team, our worship team.

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They, they put in a lot of time and,
and effort into doing what they do.

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Uh, they, they love to worship the
Lord they gather on Thursdays and,

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and practice and rehearse together.

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And, um, it's just a joy to have them
here weekend and week out with us.

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We are in a series called Suffering
Saints, and uh, this message for,

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for week two is called When the
World Attacks Fight Flight or Right.

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I Am, oh, for one in physical
altercations in my life.

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Uh, sixth grade.

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Uh, Matt, if you're in
the room, forgive me.

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We can talk afterwards.

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Maybe we can reconcile.

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But sixth grade, um, basketball
court, not, not like competition, not

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league playground, basketball court.

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Uh, so stakes were high.

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I don't even remember what happened.

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All I know is I decided I
was gonna bow up to this kid.

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His name was Matt Frankl.

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His name will be in my mind until
my deathbed, I'm sure of it.

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He's the reason why I'm not a fighter,
because I decided to bow up to

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Matt, and Matt was smaller than me.

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But the next thing I knew, I was on
my back looking up at the blue sky,

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trying to figure out how to breathe
again, and uh, I was over for one.

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It was at that moment that I decided
to become a black belt with my

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words instead of a black belt with.

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My body.

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Everything in us, right when we
are attacked, wants to fight back.

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It's just, it's natural.

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It's who we are as human beings, we
are hardwired to want to retaliate.

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We are hardwired to want
to repay evil for evil.

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When someone hurts us, we
want to defend our honor.

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We want to get justice.

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We want to get the last word in.

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We wanna make sure that we have one.

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But the question we have to ask
is, what does God want us to do?

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How does God want us to respond?

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Again, suffering.

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Saints.

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Peter's addressing this whole idea that
as Christians, as followers of Jesus, we

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should expect that we are going to suffer.

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Last week we talked about how as a
church, we need to be strong together.

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We need to band together.

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We need to be united.

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We need to be loving one another.

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We need to be humble in mind because
attacks like what we're gonna talk

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about this morning are gonna come
and we need one another to help

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stay strong and to pursue what
we're talking about this morning.

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What does God want us to
do in situations like that?

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It is not natural for us when we
are attacked not to attack back.

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It's not natural for us when somebody
slanders us not to try to clap back.

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It feels like weakness.

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It, it, it feels like losing and in
the world's eyes, it, it probably is.

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But again, we have to ask the question,
God, what do you want from me?

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How do you want me to respond?

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And as Christians, if you are a
Christian in the room this morning,

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the, the cross, the gospel of Jesus.

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Becoming a follower of Jesus
changes everything about how you

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respond to the attacks of the world.

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The gospel changes everything
for you about how you respond

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to the attacks of the world.

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Pick up with me in one Peter,
chapter three, verse nine, one

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Peter chapter three, verse nine.

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Peter says this, do not repay evil
for evil, or reviling for reviling.

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But on the contrary, bless for
to this you were called that

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you may obtain a blessing.

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Peter's actually continuing.

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The, the, the Greek is continuing
in its sentence structure from

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what he's talked about last week,
but the shift is, is in the focus.

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We're, we're no longer talking
about within, inside the ranks of

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the church, though if we're honest
with ourselves as sinners, we sin

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against each other within the church.

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There's gonna be times when there's
evil committed against one another

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in the church, or reviling committed
against one another in the church.

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So everything I'm gonna say this
morning applies within the church as

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much as it applies outside the church.

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But specifically, I think Peter
is referring to those that are

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going to attack us as Christians,
those that are going to attack

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the church from the outside.

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As we experience those
things, what do we do?

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And he begins by saying, do not repay.

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It's a, a phrase in the Greek
that has a, it's a negative

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imperative here, don't do this.

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Or even if you are doing it, stop.

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Doing it.

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Don't give back is what the word means.

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Don't give what somebody
has has given to you.

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This is the, the golden
rule in, in reverse.

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But, but we're not supposed to do that.

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What does the golden rule say?

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Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you.

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Right?

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What about when somebody has done
something to me, does the reverse follow,

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am I allowed to do unto them as they've
done to me, the Bible would say no.

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It's, it's not on us.

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It's not our prerogative.

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It's not our right to repay
someone evil for evil.

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That's Romans 1217 says the same thing.

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Do not repay.

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Do not give back.

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Evil.

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For evil.

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The word evil there is a, a
general term in the Greek,

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it's kind of a catchall term.

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It's not hard for us to find
evil in the world around us.

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We can look all over the place and
and see examples of evil that pop

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up all over, whether it be abortion
or murder or despotic regimes

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and rulers or abuse, whatever.

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It's, and it's one thing for us as
the church to sit back and think

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about evil generically and think,
man, evil is bad and horrible and

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we want evil to be done away with.

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But it's another thing when that evil
happens to us, not just around us, not

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just near us, but when the evil happens to
us, when the evil shows up in our kitchen.

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Maybe it is abuse.

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Maybe you've suffered from physical,
emotional, verbal abuse, whatever,

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whatever it may be, may maybe
it's mistreatment by a, a boss

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or a superior or an employer.

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Perhaps it's the actions of an
ex-spouse, an ex-husband, an ex-wife.

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Could just be something as simple as
an obnoxious neighbor or a rude driver

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on the road, whatever it may be.

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Peter is saying, don't repay evil to them
for the evil that they have given to you.

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That's not our right, our prerogative
or he goes on to say reviling.

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For reviling.

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The word reviling there is from, again,
the Greek, that, that suggests slander,

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insole, or defamation of character.

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I, I don't want us to miss the
irony of who's writing this.

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This is Peter.

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This is the Peter that was with
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

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You recall what happened there?

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Yes.

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The soldiers came up to arrest
Jesus, and with them was the

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servant of the high priest.

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The guy's name was Malus.

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And Peter was there, and we
know that this was Peter because

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John was like, it was Peter.

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Peter did this, but they
come up to arrest Jesus.

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And what does Peter do?

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Peter draws his sword and he
swings and he's a lousy swing.

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And so he misses the, what he was going
for, cuts off the ear of the high servant

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and Jesus has to rebuke Peter and say,
Peter, put your, put your shoulder away.

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Also, don't miss that.

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This is the one that went to Jesus
in Matthew 18 and said, Jesus, how

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many times do I have to forgive
my brother if he sins against me?

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And, and so we see that this
is, is somebody who was well

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acquainted with what it means to
feel like, man, I wanna lash out.

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I want my pound of flesh.

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I wanna retaliate.

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Peter was far from a pacifist.

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What changed in Peter's heart was an
encounter with Jesus in the cross.

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And so now Peter's writing these
things saying, do not repay evil

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for evil, or reviling for reviling.

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But he goes further than this because
he is not just saying, don't do this.

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He's gonna say, do this instead.

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Don't repay these things.

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But on the contrary, he says, bless.

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It's a word that means, on the other
hand, bless the word blessed there.

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ETO is where we get our Greek
word or our English word.

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Eulogy.

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Eulogy.

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So if you go to a funeral or you go to
a memorial, someone eulogizes the dead.

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What that means is they
speak well of them.

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That's what it means to speak well of.

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So Peter's saying, rather than.

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Tear them down back rather than repay them
evil for evil or reviling for reviling.

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Instead, what I want you to do
is I want you to bless them.

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I want you to speak well of them.

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Does that mean I'm, I'm supposed
to build somebody else up

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who's tearing me down perhaps.

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But I think the most concrete way that
we can bless someone else, and I think

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this is probably what Peter had in mind,
is through praying for that person.

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This is what Jesus said in
Matthew 5 44, that we should

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pray for those who persecute us.

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And so it's not just what you're not
supposed to do, it's also what you're

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supposed to do, which is to bless them.

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And then Peter says this, for
to this, you were called, what

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does he mean there to this?

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I was called, I was called to be
attacked and, and to not retaliate.

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To not respond.

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To not fight.

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Back.

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In short, yes.

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Because you were called to follow Jesus
because you were called to be like Jesus.

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In fact, some of you may be hearing
this passage and reading this passage,

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and in your mind you've already gone
there and you've thought to yourself,

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man, this sounds really familiar.

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It sounds like we've covered
something similar to this.

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And we have in one Peter chapter two
verses 21 through 23, if you'll let

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your eyes glance over there on your
Bibles, maybe it's back at page, but one

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Peter chapter two verses 21 through 23.

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Peter there wrote this for to this.

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You have been called, that sounds
really familiar, doesn't it?

202
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Same words that we just read in one
Peter chapter three, verse nine.

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For to this, you have been called
because Christ also suffered for

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you, leaving you an example so
that you might follow in his steps.

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He committed no sin.

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Neither was deceived, found in his mouth.

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When he was reviled.

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He did not revile in
return when he suffered.

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He did not threaten but continued
entrusting himself to him.

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Who judges justly.

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If you are a Christian.

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That means you have been
called to follow Jesus.

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And if you are going to follow Jesus
in this world, in this life, you are

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following him in a world that hates him.

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Remember last week we talked about what
it means to follow Christ in a christless

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world that is going to bring opposition,
that is going to bring hostility, that

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is going to bring the attacks of the
world and responding to that looks like

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us saying, as Christians, we want to
follow the example that we have in Jesus.

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So to this, you have been called.

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You've been called away
from the natural response.

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In other words, you've been called
away from the worldly reaction

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to reviling, to slander, to evil.

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When evil is perpetuated
against us, you've been called

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instead to follow Jesus.

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And if we're gonna follow Jesus,
we have to overcome those first

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instincts when somebody attacks us.

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Point number one this morning
is this, fight your natural

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response to personal attacks.

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Fight your natural response
to personal attacks.

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Let me quote the, the great
well-known theologian Daniel Tiger.

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For a minute if I can.

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Daniel Tiger's neighborhood.

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Anybody tracking with me on this one?

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He's not.

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What he said though applies here, so if
you're going, he thinks he's a theologian.

236
00:10:37,620 --> 00:10:39,210
What kind of pastor is this?

237
00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:40,485
I don't consult Daniel Tiger.

238
00:10:40,485 --> 00:10:43,110
When I preach sermons, this just applies.

239
00:10:44,699 --> 00:10:46,710
Daniel Tiger taught my kids from
the time that they were little.

240
00:10:46,710 --> 00:10:48,635
When you feel so mad that you wanna roar.

241
00:10:49,605 --> 00:10:49,995
Come on.

242
00:10:49,995 --> 00:10:50,565
You guys know it.

243
00:10:50,565 --> 00:10:52,815
Don't hide behind the like, I don't
know what he's talking about there.

244
00:10:53,085 --> 00:10:56,355
Take a deep breath and
count two, four, right?

245
00:10:56,415 --> 00:10:57,585
'cause it rhymes with more.

246
00:10:57,855 --> 00:11:00,285
If you need 5, 6, 7,
whatever you need, take it.

247
00:11:01,035 --> 00:11:02,325
But what isn't that fascinating?

248
00:11:03,015 --> 00:11:05,205
You take a show like Daniel Tiger's
neighborhood, and I don't know the, the

249
00:11:05,205 --> 00:11:08,235
producers or writers behind it, but you
take a, a show that's that's aimed just

250
00:11:08,235 --> 00:11:12,285
at, at the world and they're trying to
teach young kids, Hey, you know what?

251
00:11:12,465 --> 00:11:14,385
You're going to find yourself
in a situation where you're

252
00:11:14,385 --> 00:11:15,135
gonna wanna be angry.

253
00:11:15,135 --> 00:11:17,715
You're gonna wanna lash out, you're gonna
wanna attack somebody who hurts you.

254
00:11:18,135 --> 00:11:18,945
Here's what you need to do.

255
00:11:18,945 --> 00:11:21,015
When you feel so mad that you
wanna roar, you need to take a

256
00:11:21,015 --> 00:11:22,695
deep breath and count to four.

257
00:11:24,285 --> 00:11:28,155
I remember my twins when they were
in their, they're sitting in a

258
00:11:28,155 --> 00:11:29,475
bumbo stage where they can't sit up.

259
00:11:29,475 --> 00:11:29,775
Right.

260
00:11:29,895 --> 00:11:30,615
You know, by themselves.

261
00:11:30,615 --> 00:11:32,655
They'll, they'll tip over, but you
can put 'em in a bumbo and they'll,

262
00:11:32,655 --> 00:11:34,035
they'll manage life for a little while.

263
00:11:34,905 --> 00:11:38,295
We had two of those and I remember
just watching them and, and they would

264
00:11:38,295 --> 00:11:40,395
sit in the bumbo and they would look
at each other and one would have a

265
00:11:40,395 --> 00:11:42,855
toy and just be content with this toy.

266
00:11:42,855 --> 00:11:44,505
And it's not like we
deprived the other one.

267
00:11:44,505 --> 00:11:46,125
We weren't like, you have to
watch him play with his toy.

268
00:11:46,125 --> 00:11:47,055
You just have to sit there.

269
00:11:47,655 --> 00:11:48,735
He would have his toys too.

270
00:11:49,290 --> 00:11:52,650
But he would look at his brother and
his brother's just loving life with this

271
00:11:52,650 --> 00:11:55,920
toy that he has, and he would look at it
and be like, yep, I'm gonna have that.

272
00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:58,950
And so he would reach across and just
rip it outta the hands of the other twin.

273
00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:01,830
And it's not as though the other
twin was like, you know what brother?

274
00:12:02,190 --> 00:12:02,790
I'm good with it.

275
00:12:02,910 --> 00:12:03,270
I'm good.

276
00:12:03,270 --> 00:12:04,770
I'm not gonna repay evil for evil.

277
00:12:05,070 --> 00:12:06,270
Reviling for reviling.

278
00:12:06,855 --> 00:12:07,395
I'm good with it.

279
00:12:07,395 --> 00:12:08,865
You need that more than I need it.

280
00:12:08,865 --> 00:12:10,035
I'm content with this.

281
00:12:10,095 --> 00:12:10,905
This toy over here?

282
00:12:10,935 --> 00:12:14,745
No, it was the lookout for mom and dad,
like our mom and dad anywhere near me.

283
00:12:15,135 --> 00:12:18,555
Then it was followed by the blood
curdling scream, and then the plot went

284
00:12:18,555 --> 00:12:20,535
into action of how can I get it back?

285
00:12:21,495 --> 00:12:24,945
And so there were lunges and there were
reaches and there were grabs and any

286
00:12:24,945 --> 00:12:28,065
body part that was was grasped became.

287
00:12:28,305 --> 00:12:30,525
I'm taking you with me to
get that toy back from you.

288
00:12:32,295 --> 00:12:37,095
We don't have to teach, in other
words, what we have to overcome

289
00:12:37,095 --> 00:12:40,965
in this point, it's natural to who
we are as falling human beings.

290
00:12:42,135 --> 00:12:46,545
Part of the worldliness in us
is to say, I care about me.

291
00:12:47,535 --> 00:12:52,455
I want what's good for me, and
if somebody hurts me, then I

292
00:12:52,455 --> 00:12:53,685
need to lash back out at them.

293
00:12:54,525 --> 00:12:55,545
I need to hurt them.

294
00:12:56,205 --> 00:13:01,065
That's the natural response that we
have to overcome, and sure we get older.

295
00:13:01,500 --> 00:13:05,340
And so we get older and, and our
instincts, you know, are, are,

296
00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:08,130
are overcome a little bit, but
man, it's still there isn't it?

297
00:13:09,090 --> 00:13:11,819
You're out on the road, you're
driving somebody somewhere, somebody

298
00:13:11,850 --> 00:13:15,300
cuts you off and you're just
like, it, it kicks in right there.

299
00:13:16,350 --> 00:13:18,150
I want to get around
them and cut them off.

300
00:13:18,870 --> 00:13:19,380
Why?

301
00:13:19,650 --> 00:13:20,010
I don't know.

302
00:13:20,010 --> 00:13:21,240
I just need to, they cut me off.

303
00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:21,900
How dare they.

304
00:13:23,010 --> 00:13:26,670
Or the person that, that goes down the
left lane into the very last second

305
00:13:26,670 --> 00:13:29,430
when all y'all have been waiting
patiently, like good citizens to just

306
00:13:29,430 --> 00:13:32,430
get, you know, the lane's closed and
then they cut everybody else off.

307
00:13:32,490 --> 00:13:36,990
And in your heart you're going, oh
man, I hope they get a flat tire.

308
00:13:40,020 --> 00:13:44,220
It's there in us this natural response
when we're attacked, when we feel

309
00:13:44,220 --> 00:13:49,560
wronged is to lash out, to say, man,
I, I, I, I want, I want revenge.

310
00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:51,810
So what changes for us as Christians?

311
00:13:52,485 --> 00:13:54,405
Remember, the cross changes
everything in how we respond

312
00:13:54,405 --> 00:13:55,245
to the attacks of the world.

313
00:13:56,235 --> 00:14:00,435
What changes is that we are enabled by the
indwelling of the spirit, not to respond

314
00:14:00,435 --> 00:14:02,085
naturally, but to respond supernaturally.

315
00:14:03,165 --> 00:14:04,875
We're enabled by the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit to

316
00:14:04,875 --> 00:14:07,395
produce fruit of the Spirit.

317
00:14:08,475 --> 00:14:11,025
And if we consider the fruit of the
spirit from Galatians five, notice

318
00:14:11,445 --> 00:14:14,145
some of the descriptors of the fruit
of the spirit here, and how many

319
00:14:14,145 --> 00:14:17,895
of them have to do with relational
interactions between us and other people.

320
00:14:19,155 --> 00:14:21,075
Paul says this, but the
fruit of the spirit is love.

321
00:14:21,525 --> 00:14:32,055
Joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,

322
00:14:32,775 --> 00:14:35,415
and self-control against such things.

323
00:14:35,415 --> 00:14:36,135
There is no law.

324
00:14:36,944 --> 00:14:40,245
Notice how much of the evidence
of the spirit within you has to do

325
00:14:40,245 --> 00:14:41,594
with how you treat other people.

326
00:14:43,515 --> 00:14:46,755
And so now when as Christians,
we are attacked, we are

327
00:14:47,115 --> 00:14:49,214
given evil by an evil world.

328
00:14:50,460 --> 00:14:52,350
We have the spirit dwelling within us.

329
00:14:52,350 --> 00:14:56,640
That enables us now to overcome that
natural response, to overcome that

330
00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:58,650
response that says, man, I want to fight.

331
00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:00,030
I want to lash back out.

332
00:15:00,030 --> 00:15:02,040
I want to get my pound of flesh.

333
00:15:02,310 --> 00:15:05,880
We have the spirit now dwelling
within us, that's producing within us.

334
00:15:05,910 --> 00:15:12,450
Things like patience and, and peace
and gentleness and self-control to

335
00:15:12,450 --> 00:15:13,500
enable us to say, you know what?

336
00:15:13,500 --> 00:15:15,540
I'm not gonna do what
naturally I want to do.

337
00:15:16,439 --> 00:15:18,840
Instead, I'm gonna respond the way
the Lord would have me respond.

338
00:15:20,385 --> 00:15:23,265
And so maybe when you're attacked, you,
you, maybe you do need to take a deep

339
00:15:23,265 --> 00:15:29,385
breath and count to four or 40, or maybe
you do need to, to delete the social

340
00:15:29,385 --> 00:15:35,295
media apps that are just getting under
your skin and, and provide opportunities

341
00:15:35,295 --> 00:15:36,555
for you to lash out at people.

342
00:15:37,755 --> 00:15:40,335
Maybe there's some relationships
that you need to change up as well,

343
00:15:40,335 --> 00:15:42,765
because when you're around that people,
you just, those people, you just

344
00:15:42,765 --> 00:15:45,735
find that, that there's a continual
temptation for you to lash out at them.

345
00:15:48,210 --> 00:15:49,890
We need to overcome that natural response.

346
00:15:50,190 --> 00:15:51,900
But remember, it's not
just what we don't do.

347
00:15:51,900 --> 00:15:52,920
We talked about this, right?

348
00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:55,200
Peter didn't just say,
don't do these things.

349
00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:57,660
He also said that we need
to be praying for them.

350
00:15:58,380 --> 00:15:59,280
We need to bless them.

351
00:16:00,090 --> 00:16:02,730
So part of our fighting, our
natural response to personal attacks

352
00:16:02,730 --> 00:16:06,420
is not just making sure that we
don't retaliate, but to also make

353
00:16:06,420 --> 00:16:08,130
sure that we do pray for them.

354
00:16:08,370 --> 00:16:09,750
We do pursue them.

355
00:16:10,890 --> 00:16:13,290
Luke chapter six, verses 27 through 28.

356
00:16:13,740 --> 00:16:15,395
Jesus said this, I say to you, who here?

357
00:16:16,275 --> 00:16:19,395
Love your enemies and do
good to those who hate you.

358
00:16:19,845 --> 00:16:21,705
Bless those who curse you.

359
00:16:22,095 --> 00:16:23,895
Pray for those who abuse you.

360
00:16:25,065 --> 00:16:28,275
Romans 1214, Paul says this,
bless those who persecute you.

361
00:16:28,755 --> 00:16:30,345
Bless and do not curse them.

362
00:16:31,845 --> 00:16:32,925
Or one Corinthians four 12.

363
00:16:32,985 --> 00:16:35,205
And we labor working with our own hands.

364
00:16:35,445 --> 00:16:40,695
When reviled, we bless and
when persecuted, we endure.

365
00:16:41,910 --> 00:16:47,340
And so your response to personal attack is
not just keeping your mouth quiet, right?

366
00:16:47,340 --> 00:16:47,520
What?

367
00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:48,450
What did mama used to say?

368
00:16:48,450 --> 00:16:50,370
If you don't have anything
good to say, don't say what?

369
00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:51,930
Anything at all.

370
00:16:51,930 --> 00:16:52,260
You know what?

371
00:16:52,260 --> 00:16:53,130
That's not good enough.

372
00:16:53,130 --> 00:16:57,360
In situations like this, I think
Peter would say, if you don't have

373
00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:58,315
anything good to say, think again.

374
00:17:00,435 --> 00:17:03,255
Because what Peter's gonna call us
to do is not to remain just silent

375
00:17:03,255 --> 00:17:06,704
and to grit our teeth and just get
through it and not lash back out.

376
00:17:07,244 --> 00:17:10,335
Peter's gonna say, no, the redeemed
heart, the transformed heart is

377
00:17:10,335 --> 00:17:11,595
gonna pray for that person instead

378
00:17:13,724 --> 00:17:15,464
is gonna seek their good before the Lord.

379
00:17:17,115 --> 00:17:21,675
So maybe that looks like praying for their
salvation if they're not saved, or it

380
00:17:21,675 --> 00:17:27,285
looks like praying for their repentance,
it looks like praying for reconciliation.

381
00:17:28,875 --> 00:17:32,145
It looks like if, if this is somebody
who professes faith in Christ, praying

382
00:17:32,145 --> 00:17:36,165
for God's discipline in their life,
until they do come to repentance,

383
00:17:38,264 --> 00:17:41,955
and so we pray for them, ano, another
way to bless them and to speak well of

384
00:17:41,955 --> 00:17:44,504
them is, is to not pile on with others.

385
00:17:45,465 --> 00:17:46,274
Here's what I mean by that.

386
00:17:46,425 --> 00:17:47,625
When somebody hurts you.

387
00:17:48,945 --> 00:17:52,035
Y your family, if they become aware of
that, what are they gonna naturally do?

388
00:17:52,035 --> 00:17:53,895
They're gonna naturally do what,
what we're talking about here.

389
00:17:53,895 --> 00:17:55,665
They're gonna come alongside
you, man, that person.

390
00:17:55,695 --> 00:17:56,295
What a jerk.

391
00:17:56,295 --> 00:17:57,645
I can't believe they said that about you.

392
00:17:58,725 --> 00:18:00,405
I always thought that
they were bad for you.

393
00:18:01,155 --> 00:18:03,435
Oh man, I, I hope this happens to them.

394
00:18:04,995 --> 00:18:06,315
And what, what's the temptation?

395
00:18:06,315 --> 00:18:08,415
The temptation is for us to
jump in on board with that

396
00:18:08,415 --> 00:18:10,485
and be like, yeah, thank you.

397
00:18:12,495 --> 00:18:15,435
But I think the biblical response
would be for us to, to short circuit

398
00:18:15,435 --> 00:18:17,145
that, to stop it before it gets going.

399
00:18:18,735 --> 00:18:21,525
To not pile on, to not participate
in that, not to perpetuate the

400
00:18:21,525 --> 00:18:24,255
text thread with the, the people
that are going, I what a loser.

401
00:18:24,255 --> 00:18:24,735
What a jerk.

402
00:18:24,735 --> 00:18:25,665
I can't believe they did that.

403
00:18:27,165 --> 00:18:28,965
Not to listen to the slander.

404
00:18:30,855 --> 00:18:33,735
Instead, what you could do
with that, those people that

405
00:18:33,735 --> 00:18:34,935
want to 'cause they love you.

406
00:18:35,025 --> 00:18:35,745
They love you, right?

407
00:18:35,745 --> 00:18:37,485
That's why they're,
they're offended for you.

408
00:18:38,325 --> 00:18:40,875
You could say, Hey, you know what
would really encourage me is if you

409
00:18:40,875 --> 00:18:41,955
would join me in praying for them?

410
00:18:43,245 --> 00:18:44,445
You wanna shock your family.

411
00:18:44,505 --> 00:18:46,030
You wanna shock those
who love you that way.

412
00:18:47,670 --> 00:18:50,250
Ask them that, especially if they're
believers, I guess primarily, if they're

413
00:18:50,250 --> 00:18:53,100
believers, say, Hey, would you join me
in praying for this person's repentance?

414
00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:54,840
That's what I would really love.

415
00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,250
Encourage others to pray
for you in that too.

416
00:18:59,490 --> 00:19:02,280
Hey, you know what, when, when you
got, IGI understand what you're doing.

417
00:19:02,970 --> 00:19:03,660
I appreciate it.

418
00:19:03,660 --> 00:19:06,810
You want to defend me in this and, and
I hear you on that, but what I would

419
00:19:06,810 --> 00:19:09,600
really love you to do, what would
really help me more is if you would

420
00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:12,720
pray for me to, to respond biblically
to what's going on right now in my life.

421
00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:15,090
Would you pray for my
heart towards this person?

422
00:19:15,750 --> 00:19:17,730
Would you pray for how I'm
thinking about this person?

423
00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:21,570
That's another way for you to, to
speak well of them, to bless them.

424
00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:27,000
A third way that is more internal
is not to replay the conversation

425
00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,240
that you wish you had had in the
moment when you were attacked.

426
00:19:31,740 --> 00:19:33,900
Have you ever walked away from a
conversation you thought to yourself,

427
00:19:33,900 --> 00:19:36,870
man, if only I had said this,
that would've just shut them up.

428
00:19:38,340 --> 00:19:40,470
If only I had said this, that
would've been the dagger.

429
00:19:42,915 --> 00:19:46,395
We have to be careful not to get our
revenge through daydreaming and fantasy.

430
00:19:47,895 --> 00:19:52,815
You have to discipline your mind not to
think evil of these people either, right?

431
00:19:55,845 --> 00:19:56,595
Again, why?

432
00:19:56,595 --> 00:19:57,345
Why, why?

433
00:19:57,705 --> 00:19:59,685
Why fight the natural response
and the natural response?

434
00:19:59,685 --> 00:20:02,025
Is it in the moment so much
more satisfying, isn't it?

435
00:20:04,005 --> 00:20:06,105
The reason is because we've
been transformed by Jesus

436
00:20:07,035 --> 00:20:08,265
and we've been set on a path.

437
00:20:09,090 --> 00:20:11,940
Through the cross and through the
gospel to follow him, to be like

438
00:20:11,940 --> 00:20:16,800
him and being like, Jesus looks like
following the example that he left us.

439
00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,100
And you remember the, the, the
greatest example of this, I think

440
00:20:20,100 --> 00:20:23,490
is when Jesus is on the cross, some
of his final words before dying.

441
00:20:24,660 --> 00:20:28,260
To those that had nailed him to the
cross, to those that were openly mocking

442
00:20:28,260 --> 00:20:31,110
him, slandering him, blaspheming him.

443
00:20:32,190 --> 00:20:32,940
What did Jesus say?

444
00:20:33,524 --> 00:20:37,784
Jesus went to the Father and
said, father, forgive them for

445
00:20:37,784 --> 00:20:38,625
they know not what they do.

446
00:20:42,030 --> 00:20:46,320
We wanna follow our savior's example, and
so we need to fight the natural response.

447
00:20:47,670 --> 00:20:49,770
But there's, there's
another side of this too.

448
00:20:49,770 --> 00:20:54,240
There's, there's more motivation to this
and it's, it's related to our redemption.

449
00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:56,790
It's related to the fact that we
wanna be like Jesus and the fact

450
00:20:56,790 --> 00:20:58,200
that we want to be with Jesus.

451
00:20:58,200 --> 00:20:59,670
And I think we see that here in the text.

452
00:20:59,670 --> 00:21:02,940
If you look back at the text here,
it says this, do not repay evil

453
00:21:02,940 --> 00:21:04,680
for evil or reviling for reviling.

454
00:21:04,890 --> 00:21:06,060
But on the contrary, bless.

455
00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:07,955
And then he says this, for
to this you were called.

456
00:21:08,699 --> 00:21:11,850
And we talked about that being
called to follow Jesus in order

457
00:21:11,850 --> 00:21:14,490
that you may obtain a blessing.

458
00:21:15,330 --> 00:21:19,260
So another motivation here that we're
looking at from Peter is this blessing

459
00:21:19,260 --> 00:21:21,090
that you and I have been called to obtain.

460
00:21:22,949 --> 00:21:25,919
We have to understand what
this blessing really is though.

461
00:21:26,580 --> 00:21:29,010
And again, I think this blessing
is related to and connected

462
00:21:29,010 --> 00:21:30,510
back to our redemption.

463
00:21:31,500 --> 00:21:33,659
Peter's gonna explain this
blessing in just a second here

464
00:21:33,659 --> 00:21:36,840
by quoting from Psalm chapter 34.

465
00:21:37,815 --> 00:21:40,875
Psalm chapter 34, and in fact, what he's
gonna be doing is he's gonna be going

466
00:21:40,875 --> 00:21:45,764
back to the Sept translation of Psalm 34,
which in the Sept is actually Psalm 33.

467
00:21:46,034 --> 00:21:49,605
Unless you panic and think, well, why
is the Sept different than than the ESV?

468
00:21:49,605 --> 00:21:50,835
We just, we need a new Bible.

469
00:21:50,835 --> 00:21:51,735
Somebody messed up here.

470
00:21:52,215 --> 00:21:54,825
The, the chapter numbers, the,
the verse numbers, those are all.

471
00:21:54,865 --> 00:21:56,575
Added by editors later on.

472
00:21:56,665 --> 00:21:56,845
Okay.

473
00:21:56,845 --> 00:21:59,125
Chapters and verse
divisions are not inspired.

474
00:21:59,875 --> 00:22:03,055
And so in the tut oftentimes there will
be a difference in chapter, but the

475
00:22:03,055 --> 00:22:05,455
content is, is the same content there.

476
00:22:05,905 --> 00:22:09,385
So Peter's quoting from Psalm
33 and the Sept, Psalm 34 in our

477
00:22:09,385 --> 00:22:14,185
Bibles, and he's doing this to help
extrapolate, I think, on this blessing

478
00:22:14,185 --> 00:22:15,475
that we've been called to obtain.

479
00:22:16,770 --> 00:22:20,940
Because the hard thing is, is we might
look at this blessing and say, okay, what

480
00:22:20,940 --> 00:22:22,230
are we talking about with the blessing?

481
00:22:22,230 --> 00:22:25,440
Are we talking about a blessing
that is, is temporally experienced?

482
00:22:25,495 --> 00:22:29,550
I, I it's it's experienced
here and now today, or is this

483
00:22:29,550 --> 00:22:32,490
blessing more a, a blessing that's
going to be ours in the future?

484
00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:38,495
And I think I, I think, I think, I
think Psalm 34, I think Psalm 34.

485
00:22:39,225 --> 00:22:40,395
Provides an answer for us.

486
00:22:40,905 --> 00:22:42,555
Psalm 34 is an interesting Psalm.

487
00:22:42,555 --> 00:22:44,955
There's a lot of parallels
actually, between Psalm 34 and

488
00:22:44,955 --> 00:22:48,885
the entirety of one Peter in Psalm
34, which was written by David.

489
00:22:49,095 --> 00:22:52,965
David is reminding himself and his
readers about God's faithfulness to

490
00:22:52,965 --> 00:22:56,865
deliver even as they walk through
trials and suffering and attacks.

491
00:22:57,975 --> 00:23:01,455
I want you to consider the life
of David for a second, especially

492
00:23:01,455 --> 00:23:02,865
in the context here of Psalm 34.

493
00:23:02,865 --> 00:23:05,415
He's on the run for his
life from King Saul.

494
00:23:06,195 --> 00:23:07,815
Now, David has already been anointed.

495
00:23:08,940 --> 00:23:10,410
As the next king of Israel.

496
00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:13,770
And rather than thinking about,
okay, what's the transfer

497
00:23:13,770 --> 00:23:14,730
of power gonna look like?

498
00:23:14,730 --> 00:23:15,690
How is this gonna go?

499
00:23:15,690 --> 00:23:16,950
Is this gonna be tacky?

500
00:23:16,950 --> 00:23:18,750
Is this, is everybody gonna
be okay with this transfer?

501
00:23:19,170 --> 00:23:20,820
David's running for his life.

502
00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,950
The current guy on the throne doesn't love
the fact that David's the next guy up.

503
00:23:26,730 --> 00:23:30,060
And so the current guy on the throne,
Saul, is gonna take the armies of

504
00:23:30,060 --> 00:23:33,480
Israel, the nation that David has
been anointed to lead and he's gonna

505
00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:35,430
chase David and try to to kill him.

506
00:23:36,780 --> 00:23:39,030
And he is gonna get pretty
close on a few occasions.

507
00:23:39,900 --> 00:23:40,890
David's gonna be betrayed.

508
00:23:40,890 --> 00:23:42,570
David's gonna be accused.

509
00:23:42,570 --> 00:23:44,130
David's gonna be chased.

510
00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:46,170
David's gonna be certainly attacked.

511
00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,130
And in Psalm 34, David finds
himself in Philistine territory.

512
00:23:50,310 --> 00:23:50,940
Cape Philistine's.

513
00:23:50,940 --> 00:23:54,000
Israelites not non, not compatible.

514
00:23:54,660 --> 00:23:58,895
They did not get along and David finds
himself before the Philistine King.

515
00:23:59,865 --> 00:24:03,435
And there before the king, it, it says
in the inscription when he changed

516
00:24:03,435 --> 00:24:06,975
his behavior before Aek, so that
he threw him out and he went away.

517
00:24:07,425 --> 00:24:10,485
David found himself in a bad
situation and, and he realized,

518
00:24:10,485 --> 00:24:11,925
man, Saul wants to kill me.

519
00:24:12,015 --> 00:24:13,155
The Philistines wanna kill me.

520
00:24:13,335 --> 00:24:15,885
And so he kind of started
drooling down his beard.

521
00:24:15,885 --> 00:24:18,045
You remember the scene, it's kind
of a weird one in the Bible, and,

522
00:24:18,045 --> 00:24:20,625
and the, the king says, don't I have
enough crazy people in my kingdom?

523
00:24:20,625 --> 00:24:21,405
Why'd you bring me this guy?

524
00:24:22,725 --> 00:24:23,805
And then he, he throws 'em out.

525
00:24:25,305 --> 00:24:27,975
That's the context in
which David's writing.

526
00:24:27,975 --> 00:24:28,695
Psalm 34.

527
00:24:29,295 --> 00:24:31,335
He's like, man, I've got
enemies all over the place.

528
00:24:32,265 --> 00:24:33,975
People trying to kill
me everywhere I look.

529
00:24:35,355 --> 00:24:36,405
And yet, God is faithful.

530
00:24:37,125 --> 00:24:40,635
And part of Psalm 34, the part that he
quotes from at least, is right here.

531
00:24:41,445 --> 00:24:45,165
What man is there who desires life and
loves many days that he may see good?

532
00:24:45,915 --> 00:24:48,130
Keep your tongue from evil and
your lips from speaking dece.

533
00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,840
Turn away from evil and do
good, seek peace and pursue it.

534
00:24:52,020 --> 00:24:53,880
The eyes of the Lord are
toward the righteous and his

535
00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:55,440
ears open towards their cry.

536
00:24:55,830 --> 00:24:57,870
The face of the Lord is
against those who do evil.

537
00:24:57,870 --> 00:25:01,260
To cut off the memory
of them from the earth.

538
00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:06,990
Peter's gonna take this, this hope that
King David had, and he's gonna apply

539
00:25:06,990 --> 00:25:11,790
it to the context that he was writing
to with the elect exiles in one Peter.

540
00:25:12,570 --> 00:25:15,660
And by extension, the spirit of God is
taking it this morning for us through

541
00:25:15,660 --> 00:25:19,410
the authority of the word of God and
applying these things into our lives in

542
00:25:19,410 --> 00:25:21,810
whatever situation you happen to face.

543
00:25:21,810 --> 00:25:25,950
But I think in this verse and in our
text, we get a picture as to what this

544
00:25:25,950 --> 00:25:28,920
blessing really is, and it's right
here at the beginning of verse 10.

545
00:25:29,970 --> 00:25:35,280
Whoever love desires to love life and
see good deeds, good days, whoever

546
00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:37,320
desires to love life and see good days.

547
00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:41,700
When are we gonna love
life and see good days.

548
00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:43,890
Is it here and now?

549
00:25:45,270 --> 00:25:50,850
Maybe, maybe I'm not ruling that
out as a possibility, but when

550
00:25:50,910 --> 00:25:55,590
do we know for sure that we are
gonna love life and see good days

551
00:25:57,990 --> 00:25:59,129
when we're in heaven with the Lord?

552
00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:03,390
And, and I think that fits with what
Peter's been talking about so far in

553
00:26:03,390 --> 00:26:07,320
the letter already blessed to be the
God and Father of heaven who has caused

554
00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:11,040
you to be born again to a living hope.

555
00:26:11,639 --> 00:26:15,389
To an inheritance that's
being kept for you, right?

556
00:26:15,389 --> 00:26:21,419
Peter's been already driving the eyes
of his readers up into the future that

557
00:26:21,419 --> 00:26:22,620
they're gonna have with Jesus Christ.

558
00:26:24,060 --> 00:26:27,659
And so in point number one, we have to
fight the natural response because we

559
00:26:27,659 --> 00:26:29,399
have the spirit of God dwelling within us.

560
00:26:29,460 --> 00:26:31,980
We've been made new creatures in Christ.

561
00:26:31,980 --> 00:26:36,000
We've been born again to follow Jesus
and now as new creations in Christ.

562
00:26:36,300 --> 00:26:39,990
What he's really arguing here from
here on out is we need to live like it.

563
00:26:41,310 --> 00:26:44,580
And so here he's saying, if you
wanna love life and see good

564
00:26:44,580 --> 00:26:49,919
days, this is what it looks like
for you as the world attacks you.

565
00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:55,169
Here's another reason why I think
that this is, is good for us to, to

566
00:26:55,379 --> 00:26:58,504
look at this as, as a view towards
eternity more than, than the temporal.

567
00:26:59,775 --> 00:27:02,985
It's, it's not that the Lord might
not reward your faithfulness for

568
00:27:02,985 --> 00:27:06,465
responding well, for not repaying evil
for evil or reviling for reviling.

569
00:27:06,465 --> 00:27:08,745
It's not that the Lord might
not bless you here and now he is

570
00:27:09,045 --> 00:27:12,555
fully, it's, it's within his realm
of, of capability to do that.

571
00:27:12,555 --> 00:27:14,145
And he has done those things.

572
00:27:15,585 --> 00:27:18,315
But the danger if we make it all
about that is this, we become those

573
00:27:18,315 --> 00:27:19,665
that practice Christian karma.

574
00:27:21,030 --> 00:27:21,420
Okay.

575
00:27:21,540 --> 00:27:24,180
Then God, if I do all of these
things that you're telling me to

576
00:27:24,180 --> 00:27:26,280
do, then the hurt's gonna go away.

577
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:27,120
The pain's gonna go away.

578
00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:29,010
That person that's attacking me,
you're gonna take them outta my

579
00:27:29,010 --> 00:27:32,370
life because I want to see good
days and I want to love life.

580
00:27:34,050 --> 00:27:37,080
And maybe that happens,
but maybe it doesn't.

581
00:27:38,610 --> 00:27:39,870
But there's a day coming when it will.

582
00:27:40,950 --> 00:27:41,670
There's a day coming.

583
00:27:41,670 --> 00:27:42,690
When it will, when when.

584
00:27:42,690 --> 00:27:45,960
There's not gonna be any more opportunity
or moment or time when you're gonna

585
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,780
sin against me or I'm gonna sin against
you, or anyone else is gonna attack you.

586
00:27:49,889 --> 00:27:54,120
In that day when we will love life and
see good days is the day that we will

587
00:27:54,120 --> 00:27:58,949
realize when we are in eternity with the
Lord, when we step into his presence.

588
00:27:58,949 --> 00:28:03,330
Psalm 16, the presence of the fullness of
joy, where there's pleasures forevermore

589
00:28:03,330 --> 00:28:04,350
with the right hand of the Father.

590
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:09,959
And so Peter is saying, Hey,
live as believers basically.

591
00:28:10,620 --> 00:28:14,790
This isn't a contingency when he says,
whoever loves desires to love life

592
00:28:14,790 --> 00:28:16,200
and see good days, let him do this.

593
00:28:16,409 --> 00:28:19,409
Peter's not saying heaven
rides on how you respond.

594
00:28:20,220 --> 00:28:24,300
Rather Peter's reminding us of of
the, the, the good life and the,

595
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:27,540
the, the good days that exist
in front of us to be with Jesus.

596
00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:29,850
And he's saying in light of that,
if, if that's where your heart is, if

597
00:28:29,850 --> 00:28:32,970
that's where you desire, if you want
to be there, hey, live like it here.

598
00:28:33,930 --> 00:28:34,710
Live like it here.

599
00:28:35,310 --> 00:28:37,440
And that impacts how we conduct ourselves.

600
00:28:38,265 --> 00:28:41,055
And so what Peter's doing here is he,
he's, he's giving a perspective shift

601
00:28:41,055 --> 00:28:46,095
for us, which helps us as we seek to
navigate the situations when we feel

602
00:28:46,095 --> 00:28:49,815
like we've been attacked, slandered,
reviled, somebody's committed an evil

603
00:28:49,815 --> 00:28:51,705
against us, wor or hurt, or wounded.

604
00:28:52,665 --> 00:28:55,965
Peter's giving us a perspective shift
that can help us navigate what we do

605
00:28:55,965 --> 00:28:58,155
Next point number two, this week is this.

606
00:28:58,155 --> 00:29:00,795
Stay fixated on your future with Jesus.

607
00:29:02,115 --> 00:29:04,725
Stay fixated on your future with Jesus.

608
00:29:06,525 --> 00:29:11,115
There's a highway interchange in downtown
Dallas called the Mix Master, which

609
00:29:11,115 --> 00:29:14,835
is the single worst feat of traffic
engineering the world has ever known.

610
00:29:16,875 --> 00:29:21,135
If you've ever driven it, then you are one
of the few in the proud that has survived.

611
00:29:22,245 --> 00:29:24,795
Every time, every year, my family
goes down to the state fair.

612
00:29:24,855 --> 00:29:28,725
It's like I, and I'm at the age where
I turn down the music in my car to be

613
00:29:28,725 --> 00:29:30,315
able to make sure that I don't get lost.

614
00:29:31,125 --> 00:29:31,965
Anybody else there?

615
00:29:32,145 --> 00:29:32,535
No.

616
00:29:33,015 --> 00:29:33,495
Thank you.

617
00:29:33,495 --> 00:29:36,285
A few of, you're there, you
teenagers, you're like, what?

618
00:29:36,375 --> 00:29:37,635
In the world that has nothing to do?

619
00:29:37,635 --> 00:29:38,655
Those two things aren't related.

620
00:29:38,655 --> 00:29:41,355
They are just wait until you get
old enough that they're connected

621
00:29:42,795 --> 00:29:45,225
and, and I'll, I'll get my wife and
I'll be like, Hey, I need your help.

622
00:29:45,225 --> 00:29:46,815
I need your, your set of eyes on this.

623
00:29:46,815 --> 00:29:50,475
Because the mix master, it's just a rat's
nest of highways that all come together

624
00:29:51,045 --> 00:29:52,725
and there's signs that don't make sense.

625
00:29:53,655 --> 00:29:57,795
And you, you try to stay on course
and yet so easy is it to find

626
00:29:57,795 --> 00:29:59,055
yourself on a different highway.

627
00:29:59,055 --> 00:30:00,555
And next thing you know, you're in Waco.

628
00:30:00,765 --> 00:30:03,495
When you're not trying to get
to Waco at all, you're going,

629
00:30:03,495 --> 00:30:06,345
how did I get here, y'all?

630
00:30:06,345 --> 00:30:09,165
The world that we live in as
Christians is the mix master.

631
00:30:10,455 --> 00:30:15,825
There is one path that we are
called to follow, and it's the path

632
00:30:15,825 --> 00:30:17,235
that's fixated on Jesus Christ.

633
00:30:18,225 --> 00:30:21,690
And, and, and yet when we are attacked,
those attacks are like the enemy

634
00:30:21,690 --> 00:30:25,080
trying to say, Hey, come take this
off ramp towards, towards anger.

635
00:30:25,590 --> 00:30:26,760
Take it towards retaliation.

636
00:30:26,820 --> 00:30:27,990
It's gonna be so good over here.

637
00:30:27,990 --> 00:30:29,160
Look what's over here at this exit.

638
00:30:29,820 --> 00:30:30,930
Or the enemy's gonna say, you know what?

639
00:30:30,930 --> 00:30:33,120
You need to go over here and to,
to loathing and self-pity, and you

640
00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:35,370
need to be over here 'cause this is
such a good exit for you to be in.

641
00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:39,300
Instead of, what we're called
to do is we're called to keep

642
00:30:39,300 --> 00:30:41,910
our eyes fixated on Jesus.

643
00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:46,590
And there's three descriptors that we
find here in these verses here, verses

644
00:30:46,590 --> 00:30:51,570
10 and 11, of what that looks like
for us and how we should stay fixated

645
00:30:51,570 --> 00:30:54,330
on Jesus when the world attacks us.

646
00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:58,020
Notice first he says this, let
him keep his tongue from evil and

647
00:30:58,020 --> 00:30:59,399
his lips from speaking deceit.

648
00:31:01,889 --> 00:31:02,070
Man.

649
00:31:02,070 --> 00:31:06,540
So often when we are attacked,
the weapon we employ is our words.

650
00:31:08,310 --> 00:31:10,740
James talks so much about
the power of the tongue.

651
00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,940
In James chapter three, and he talks
about the incongruence between us

652
00:31:14,940 --> 00:31:17,730
wanting to use our tongue to worship
God and to praise God, and then use

653
00:31:17,730 --> 00:31:21,180
our same tongue to go out and curse
other people made in the image of God.

654
00:31:23,490 --> 00:31:26,880
As long as you have the ability to
speak, you are never attacked, unarmed,

655
00:31:28,950 --> 00:31:31,770
because one of the greatest weapons
that we possess as Christians is

656
00:31:32,820 --> 00:31:36,390
our words, and Peter's saying to us.

657
00:31:36,915 --> 00:31:41,085
Let you, your tongue be kept from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.

658
00:31:42,375 --> 00:31:44,955
It's interesting that he talks
about our lips from speaking deceit.

659
00:31:44,955 --> 00:31:48,525
I think when we're attacked, one of
the defenses that we have is sometimes

660
00:31:48,525 --> 00:31:50,265
to embellish a situation, isn't it?

661
00:31:51,495 --> 00:31:55,605
To make ourselves look better and
to make the other person look worse,

662
00:31:57,765 --> 00:32:01,155
and certainly speaking evil,
we need to guard against that.

663
00:32:01,785 --> 00:32:05,055
Social media has made it far easier
for us to give full vent to the

664
00:32:05,055 --> 00:32:06,165
evil of our hearts, hasn't it?

665
00:32:07,605 --> 00:32:11,084
To run to a Facebook post, to run
to an Instagram post, to run to a

666
00:32:11,084 --> 00:32:13,455
comment, to run to a, a Twitter post

667
00:32:16,125 --> 00:32:18,105
or text messages and, and emails.

668
00:32:20,054 --> 00:32:23,324
Lemme just give you some uninvited advice.

669
00:32:23,324 --> 00:32:26,685
I, I think text message and emails
are, are two of the worst ways to

670
00:32:26,685 --> 00:32:28,485
seek reconciliation that exist.

671
00:32:30,645 --> 00:32:32,985
If you can avoid it at
all, I would avoid it.

672
00:32:34,230 --> 00:32:36,900
Because when you send a text
or when you write an email, you

673
00:32:36,900 --> 00:32:40,890
are letting the, the one that is
reading, that interpret your tone.

674
00:32:42,900 --> 00:32:45,600
They can't hear your voice,
they can't see your face.

675
00:32:46,530 --> 00:32:49,890
And if you really have what's good
in mind, if you're really after

676
00:32:49,890 --> 00:32:53,880
reconciliation, then you are gambling
by sending that text or sending

677
00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:56,220
that email rather than sitting down.

678
00:32:56,220 --> 00:32:57,930
Ideally, the best place
would be face to face.

679
00:32:59,370 --> 00:33:01,410
If you can't be face to face,
I think there's a blessing that

680
00:33:01,410 --> 00:33:04,530
we have in in FaceTime or using
video chat with each other.

681
00:33:04,530 --> 00:33:08,790
You can see facial expressions and if
not, those two things I would say at least

682
00:33:08,790 --> 00:33:10,020
pick up the phone and talk to somebody.

683
00:33:10,020 --> 00:33:14,010
You can hear the tone of voice that
way, but Peter saying, don't use

684
00:33:14,010 --> 00:33:16,140
your words for evil or for deceit.

685
00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:18,690
Don't lash out.

686
00:33:18,690 --> 00:33:20,010
Don't retaliate that way.

687
00:33:20,910 --> 00:33:21,090
Why?

688
00:33:21,090 --> 00:33:22,950
Because you've been born again.

689
00:33:24,315 --> 00:33:26,115
And we want to be like Jesus.

690
00:33:26,205 --> 00:33:29,265
And Jesus when he was reviled,
did not revile in return.

691
00:33:29,835 --> 00:33:31,095
So keep your tongues from evil.

692
00:33:31,095 --> 00:33:31,725
It's a command there.

693
00:33:31,725 --> 00:33:34,455
It it suggests if you're
doing it, stop doing it.

694
00:33:35,595 --> 00:33:37,125
If you're not doing it,
don't start doing it

695
00:33:39,225 --> 00:33:39,615
again.

696
00:33:39,855 --> 00:33:43,155
This is part of that fixation
on our future with Jesus.

697
00:33:43,155 --> 00:33:45,735
We know where we're going and we
wanna live in light of what we're

698
00:33:45,735 --> 00:33:50,385
doing, where we're going right now,
and that's gonna be so much better.

699
00:33:51,270 --> 00:33:55,410
Then the, the momentary satisfaction I
might get by lashing out with my words.

700
00:33:57,420 --> 00:34:00,300
Second way that, that we can keep our
eyes fixated on Jesus is this, let

701
00:34:00,300 --> 00:34:01,560
'em turn away from evil and do good.

702
00:34:02,910 --> 00:34:04,530
Let 'em turn away from evil and do good.

703
00:34:06,630 --> 00:34:09,480
In other words, move on
in obedience to the Lord.

704
00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:11,850
Move on in obedience to the Lord.

705
00:34:12,060 --> 00:34:15,510
You, you know when, when Paul
tells Timothy, flee these

706
00:34:15,510 --> 00:34:19,350
things, sexual morality, love of
money, other things like that.

707
00:34:20,310 --> 00:34:21,690
Paul doesn't just put a period there.

708
00:34:21,690 --> 00:34:22,050
Does he?

709
00:34:23,639 --> 00:34:27,090
He says, flee these things
and pursue these things.

710
00:34:28,170 --> 00:34:31,440
Pursue godliness and righteousness
and holiness and, and love.

711
00:34:33,060 --> 00:34:36,510
So anytime as, as Christians that
we're being called to turn away

712
00:34:36,510 --> 00:34:39,159
from something, we are being called
to turn towards something else.

713
00:34:40,770 --> 00:34:44,550
And so here, what Peter's saying
is, is don't let the enemy.

714
00:34:45,330 --> 00:34:47,040
Don't let the enemy get you off track.

715
00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:50,880
Don't let the enemy attack you
during times like this to derail

716
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:52,290
you from your walk with Christ.

717
00:34:54,210 --> 00:34:55,800
Stay focused on Jesus.

718
00:34:56,219 --> 00:34:59,550
Keep your obedience intact
when it comes to Jesus.

719
00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:01,560
Keep walking after him.

720
00:35:03,810 --> 00:35:06,570
Third way we keep ourselves
fixated on our future with Jesus

721
00:35:06,570 --> 00:35:08,070
is we seek peace and pursue it.

722
00:35:10,140 --> 00:35:11,160
We seek peace and pursue it.

723
00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:12,600
We talked about this a
little bit last week.

724
00:35:12,915 --> 00:35:14,985
In our sermon when it comes to unity,

725
00:35:17,025 --> 00:35:20,205
but how do we do with this with
somebody outside of, of the

726
00:35:20,205 --> 00:35:21,675
flock, outside of the church?

727
00:35:21,855 --> 00:35:23,925
What does that look like there
for us to seek peace there?

728
00:35:25,575 --> 00:35:28,845
Romans 1218 says this if possible,
so far as it depends on you.

729
00:35:28,845 --> 00:35:32,235
Live peaceably with all,
live peaceably, with all

730
00:35:36,015 --> 00:35:40,365
forgiveness is such a massive
part of what we're talking about

731
00:35:40,365 --> 00:35:41,325
in this message this morning.

732
00:35:43,050 --> 00:35:47,565
And, and forgiveness is so crucial
if we are to do what we're talking

733
00:35:47,565 --> 00:35:50,895
about here, to, to stay fixated
on Jesus and to seek peace.

734
00:35:52,665 --> 00:35:57,825
I if, if you harbor unforgiveness against
somebody, then the enemy has hijacked

735
00:35:57,825 --> 00:36:00,075
your heart and your pursuit of Jesus,

736
00:36:02,205 --> 00:36:04,035
and he would love nothing
more than to do that.

737
00:36:06,315 --> 00:36:08,115
Lemme talk about forgiveness
for just a second.

738
00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:13,620
Forgiveness, I believe is required
of the Christian in every situation.

739
00:36:15,540 --> 00:36:16,140
Here's what I mean.

740
00:36:16,140 --> 00:36:19,380
There, there are two
components to forgiveness.

741
00:36:20,250 --> 00:36:24,150
There is a horizontal component that
is the relational component, right?

742
00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:28,200
The the relational component
of forgiveness may not happen.

743
00:36:29,460 --> 00:36:31,050
The person may refuse to repent.

744
00:36:31,350 --> 00:36:33,390
The person may refuse to seek forgiveness.

745
00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:37,285
You may have no contact
with that person any longer.

746
00:36:38,220 --> 00:36:41,700
And so there's not gonna be the
reconciliation per se, between you and

747
00:36:41,700 --> 00:36:44,069
them from a human relationship standpoint.

748
00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:49,470
That said, forgiveness can still
take place between you and the Lord,

749
00:36:49,470 --> 00:36:51,509
which is where it has to take place.

750
00:36:52,529 --> 00:36:57,149
And what that looks like is you taking
the offense against you and your hunger

751
00:36:57,149 --> 00:37:02,009
for, for justice, and you're thirst
for retaliation, and you yielding that

752
00:37:02,009 --> 00:37:05,669
and letting it go and see, seeding
it and rolling it over to the Lord

753
00:37:05,940 --> 00:37:07,319
to see that he will deal with it.

754
00:37:08,085 --> 00:37:12,285
According to his perfect wisdom,
that's the forgiveness that has to

755
00:37:12,285 --> 00:37:13,635
take place for every single Christian.

756
00:37:14,835 --> 00:37:18,135
When somebody has wronged you, whatever
it may be, is to roll that over to

757
00:37:18,135 --> 00:37:20,025
the Lord, to say, Lord, I'm hurt.

758
00:37:20,025 --> 00:37:20,745
I'm wounded.

759
00:37:20,745 --> 00:37:25,575
This has made me angry and I'm struggling
with this, but help me to trust you to

760
00:37:25,575 --> 00:37:27,405
be the ultimate arbiter of justice here.

761
00:37:28,725 --> 00:37:30,255
Help me to release this to you.

762
00:37:31,725 --> 00:37:35,415
And not to hold onto it and to remain
bitter and to remain angry, and to have my

763
00:37:35,415 --> 00:37:39,285
walk with you interrupted because I can't
let go of what this person did to me.

764
00:37:41,775 --> 00:37:47,565
Again, that earthly relationship, maybe
it's over forever, but you can let go of

765
00:37:47,565 --> 00:37:52,515
the offense to the Lord and trust that
he's gonna see too the, the recompense,

766
00:37:52,575 --> 00:37:54,225
the revenge if that's necessary.

767
00:37:57,330 --> 00:38:01,830
And so we need to keep our eyes fixated
on Jesus by making sure that we are

768
00:38:01,830 --> 00:38:05,340
walking as one who is a follower of
Christ, knowing where we're going, going,

769
00:38:05,340 --> 00:38:08,310
you know what this fault, this wrong
turnover here that you're trying to

770
00:38:08,310 --> 00:38:12,090
get me to take, uh, you know, to, to go
and, and slander that person back, or to

771
00:38:12,090 --> 00:38:13,710
accuse them, or to use my words for evil.

772
00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:14,850
No, no, no.

773
00:38:14,850 --> 00:38:15,509
It's not worth it.

774
00:38:15,509 --> 00:38:17,220
Being with Jesus is
where I'm, I'm looking.

775
00:38:18,615 --> 00:38:22,185
Or over here, this, this exit over
here that, that wants me to, to, to

776
00:38:22,185 --> 00:38:25,694
be derailed in my walk with Christ
and just hung up here and, and start

777
00:38:25,694 --> 00:38:28,545
sinning myself instead of pursuing
what's good and obeying the Lord.

778
00:38:28,815 --> 00:38:29,115
You know what?

779
00:38:29,115 --> 00:38:30,435
Nope, that's not worth it either.

780
00:38:30,435 --> 00:38:33,345
I'm gonna stay here because I'm, I'm
going after Jesus and I wanna be with him.

781
00:38:34,965 --> 00:38:35,415
Or, you know what?

782
00:38:35,565 --> 00:38:39,075
This thing over here that, that you
want me to just harbor bitterness and

783
00:38:39,075 --> 00:38:42,315
you don't want me to ever get over this
offense that's been leveled against

784
00:38:42,315 --> 00:38:47,355
me, and you want me to have this, this
feeling of, of distance, this roadblock,

785
00:38:47,355 --> 00:38:50,655
this obstacle between me and the Lord
because of this lack of forgiveness.

786
00:38:50,715 --> 00:38:51,015
Nope.

787
00:38:51,045 --> 00:38:51,675
Not gonna do it.

788
00:38:51,675 --> 00:38:54,045
I'm gonna let that go because
I want to go and be with Jesus.

789
00:38:54,045 --> 00:38:54,765
That's far better.

790
00:38:57,400 --> 00:39:01,365
And so we want to keep our minds, our
focus fixed on our future with Jesus.

791
00:39:01,365 --> 00:39:03,195
It's, it's like learning to drive, right?

792
00:39:03,525 --> 00:39:06,495
If you're anything like me, and I remember
teaching Josh how to drive recently,

793
00:39:06,735 --> 00:39:10,275
uh, you, you start out by looking
over the hood of your car, don't you?

794
00:39:10,725 --> 00:39:11,654
'cause that makes sense.

795
00:39:11,685 --> 00:39:14,475
'cause you think to yourself, well,
that's where I'm going, is right here.

796
00:39:14,475 --> 00:39:16,275
I wanna make sure that
I'm going the right place.

797
00:39:16,875 --> 00:39:18,945
But what happens when you're looking
right over the hood of the, your

798
00:39:18,945 --> 00:39:22,845
car, you, you start not realizing
it, but you're, you're drifting now.

799
00:39:23,220 --> 00:39:26,430
And so you think that's the safest place
for me to be, to stay in the lines.

800
00:39:26,430 --> 00:39:28,259
But what you realize is no,
that's actually harder to

801
00:39:28,259 --> 00:39:29,160
stay in the lines that way.

802
00:39:30,060 --> 00:39:34,230
Instead, what you teach somebody who's
driving to do is to look up, to look down

803
00:39:34,230 --> 00:39:35,910
the lane, to look at where they're going.

804
00:39:36,270 --> 00:39:39,450
And when you do that, what you find
is that you're far more stable.

805
00:39:39,569 --> 00:39:43,020
When you've got your eyes fixated down the
road to where you're going, then when all

806
00:39:43,020 --> 00:39:47,970
you're doing is looking at what's right
in in front of you, when the world attacks

807
00:39:47,970 --> 00:39:51,694
y'all, we gotta make sure that our eyes
are down the road and not right here.

808
00:39:52,799 --> 00:39:55,020
Because if they're right here,
we're gonna drift towards wrath.

809
00:39:55,020 --> 00:39:56,640
We're gonna drift towards unforgiveness.

810
00:39:56,640 --> 00:39:58,830
We're gonna drift towards, uh,
depression, and we're gonna

811
00:39:58,830 --> 00:40:00,060
drift towards discouragement.

812
00:40:00,060 --> 00:40:04,920
We're gonna drift towards stagnance in
my faith, it's instead, I gotta keep my

813
00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:10,020
eyes fixed right there and know that's
where I'm going, and I know where's

814
00:40:10,020 --> 00:40:13,110
coming because I'm able to see in front
of me and I know where I'm headed.

815
00:40:14,730 --> 00:40:18,840
That's what we're after, guys
keeping our eyes fixated on Jesus.

816
00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:20,040
Hebrews 12, one.

817
00:40:20,819 --> 00:40:23,009
Therefore, since we're surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses,

818
00:40:23,009 --> 00:40:25,424
let us lay aside every weight
and sin, which clings so closely.

819
00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:31,950
And let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us looking to Jesus,

820
00:40:32,310 --> 00:40:34,080
the founder and perfecter of our faith.

821
00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:38,520
Who by the way, for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, how

822
00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:40,020
did Jesus get through the hostility?

823
00:40:40,350 --> 00:40:42,330
How did Jesus get through the accusations?

824
00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:44,490
How did Jesus get through
the pain of the cross?

825
00:40:44,490 --> 00:40:46,830
How did Jesus get through the
suffering and the mocking?

826
00:40:46,830 --> 00:40:49,680
What does the writer of Hebrews
say who, for the joy set

827
00:40:49,770 --> 00:40:51,840
before him endured the cross?

828
00:40:53,190 --> 00:40:53,880
And so Christian.

829
00:40:54,285 --> 00:41:00,825
Yeah, there's a joy set before you
if you desire to see good days, and

830
00:41:00,825 --> 00:41:05,174
if you desire to love life, that
day's coming when you're gonna hear.

831
00:41:05,174 --> 00:41:06,315
Well done, good and faithful servant.

832
00:41:06,315 --> 00:41:08,955
Enter into the joy of your
master that day's coming.

833
00:41:08,955 --> 00:41:13,995
If you want that day, look forward to the
joy of that day and keep moving forward.

834
00:41:14,205 --> 00:41:14,805
In the meantime,

835
00:41:18,734 --> 00:41:19,935
there's one more part of this, though.

836
00:41:21,270 --> 00:41:22,110
That's great, right?

837
00:41:22,110 --> 00:41:22,650
That that's great.

838
00:41:22,650 --> 00:41:24,870
That that future is so good,
but what about right now?

839
00:41:24,870 --> 00:41:30,180
'cause right now, and it still
hurts right now, I still replay

840
00:41:30,180 --> 00:41:32,460
the words in my head right now.

841
00:41:32,460 --> 00:41:34,620
That offense, it's still something
that I'm dealing with the

842
00:41:34,620 --> 00:41:38,220
ramifications and the repercussions
of it, and it hurts right now.

843
00:41:39,150 --> 00:41:42,570
I know one day it's not going
to, but it does right now.

844
00:41:42,570 --> 00:41:43,500
What about right now?

845
00:41:44,670 --> 00:41:46,710
Verse 12, I think is a
comfort for us towards that.

846
00:41:47,625 --> 00:41:51,615
Peter says this, for the eyes of the Lord
are on the righteous and his ears are

847
00:41:51,615 --> 00:41:55,725
open to their prayer, but the face of
the Lord is against those who do evil.

848
00:41:57,165 --> 00:42:00,194
Peter's zooming in right now and he's
coming back to, to where we're at today,

849
00:42:00,765 --> 00:42:02,654
and he's saying, Hey, but, but know this.

850
00:42:02,984 --> 00:42:06,404
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous.

851
00:42:08,730 --> 00:42:11,279
Such a, a comforting thought
for the here and now.

852
00:42:12,450 --> 00:42:17,310
That confidence that, that God knows,
that God sees that we're not suffering

853
00:42:17,310 --> 00:42:19,860
alone and that he does indeed care.

854
00:42:21,509 --> 00:42:22,620
There's an old saying that, right?

855
00:42:22,620 --> 00:42:24,600
That, that God is good all
the time and all the time.

856
00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:27,060
What God is good

857
00:42:29,310 --> 00:42:35,250
when you're attacked from the
world, that truth, God is good.

858
00:42:35,790 --> 00:42:39,180
It's so important for you to hold
onto final point this morning

859
00:42:39,180 --> 00:42:41,370
is this trust that God is good.

860
00:42:42,660 --> 00:42:48,299
Trust that God is good for the eyes
of the Lord are on the righteous.

861
00:42:49,020 --> 00:42:51,060
The eyes of the Lord are actually
on everyone, aren't they?

862
00:42:52,109 --> 00:42:53,940
Proverbs, chapter 15, verse three.

863
00:42:53,940 --> 00:42:57,930
The eyes of the Lord are in every place
keeping watch on the evil and the good.

864
00:42:59,279 --> 00:43:01,919
So then why does Peter say the eyes
of the Lord are on the righteous?

865
00:43:01,919 --> 00:43:02,910
Why is he emphasizing that?

866
00:43:02,910 --> 00:43:04,710
Well, it's because of what that means.

867
00:43:05,550 --> 00:43:11,310
It means the eyes of the Lord for your
good and for your favor are on the

868
00:43:11,310 --> 00:43:16,560
righteous that God sees that God knows.

869
00:43:17,700 --> 00:43:20,070
And one of our twins, and I'm not
gonna tell you which one, you've

870
00:43:20,070 --> 00:43:21,660
got a 50 50 shot, I'm guessing.

871
00:43:24,365 --> 00:43:26,700
We will come into our room in the
middle of the night and, and wake us

872
00:43:26,700 --> 00:43:30,089
up from the dead sleep, you know, and
he, he's getting weirder about it.

873
00:43:30,540 --> 00:43:35,490
Um, we have windows that are about,
like 10 feet away from, from the

874
00:43:35,490 --> 00:43:40,470
bed, and rather than coming up to the
bed and scaring me right here, now

875
00:43:40,470 --> 00:43:44,129
what he's prone to do is he, he like
walks the perimeter of the room and

876
00:43:44,129 --> 00:43:47,609
he like, he's like this up against
the window and the bed's over there.

877
00:43:47,609 --> 00:43:48,509
And he's like, dad.

878
00:43:49,410 --> 00:43:53,460
Dad, and you just wake up and you
see this outline against the window,

879
00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:56,640
and then you realize it's whatever
it is, it's small enough, you could

880
00:43:56,640 --> 00:43:59,460
probably take it even though I'm
oh, for one in physical encounters.

881
00:44:00,300 --> 00:44:02,970
And then you realize it's a child
that belongs to you and you go,

882
00:44:02,970 --> 00:44:06,450
okay, and all this is happening
within a few synapses firing.

883
00:44:07,620 --> 00:44:09,120
But he's like, dad, I, I had a bad dream.

884
00:44:09,150 --> 00:44:09,780
It's like, okay, bud.

885
00:44:11,820 --> 00:44:16,290
So you take him back upstairs, you put him
back in bed, you tuck him in, and then.

886
00:44:16,890 --> 00:44:19,799
You go back to bed and you wake up in
the morning and he comes downstairs

887
00:44:19,799 --> 00:44:20,940
and you look at him, you go, what?

888
00:44:20,940 --> 00:44:21,509
Why?

889
00:44:22,110 --> 00:44:23,430
Why did you do that last night?

890
00:44:23,430 --> 00:44:23,700
What?

891
00:44:24,390 --> 00:44:25,320
Did you fall back asleep?

892
00:44:25,380 --> 00:44:26,220
Yeah, I fell back asleep.

893
00:44:27,180 --> 00:44:27,870
Okay.

894
00:44:28,620 --> 00:44:33,029
Why did you come downstairs and, and wake
me up and he'd say something like this?

895
00:44:33,120 --> 00:44:37,590
Because I wanted you to know, I
wanted you to know that I was scared.

896
00:44:38,670 --> 00:44:41,370
I wanted you to know that I
was awake and I couldn't sleep.

897
00:44:43,380 --> 00:44:47,160
Me knowing is part of what was the
comfort for him to go back to sleep.

898
00:44:49,230 --> 00:44:52,530
Christian, the eyes of the
Lord are on the righteous.

899
00:44:53,490 --> 00:44:57,180
Whatever you're going through, whatever
slander has been lobbed at you,

900
00:44:57,180 --> 00:44:59,610
whatever attack, whatever accusation,
whatever the world has done to you,

901
00:44:59,610 --> 00:45:08,460
whatever a person has hurt you with,
the Lord knows he sees he's aware, and

902
00:45:08,460 --> 00:45:10,470
his eyes for your good are upon you.

903
00:45:11,900 --> 00:45:16,215
It's such a comforting thought,
such a comforting thought to us.

904
00:45:17,565 --> 00:45:22,545
God may bring justice here and now
he may bring reconciliation between

905
00:45:22,545 --> 00:45:26,505
you and that person here and now he
may even allow you to forgive and,

906
00:45:26,505 --> 00:45:29,295
and move past something you weren't
sure that you would be able to.

907
00:45:29,295 --> 00:45:32,895
He may allow you to do that here and
now, but we know for sure that one day

908
00:45:32,895 --> 00:45:34,245
we will experience that in the future.

909
00:45:34,245 --> 00:45:38,415
And in the meantime, he's got us,
is what this verse is telling us.

910
00:45:40,140 --> 00:45:41,670
You are not by yourself.

911
00:45:42,540 --> 00:45:43,710
You are not on your own.

912
00:45:45,420 --> 00:45:46,380
He is with you.

913
00:45:46,530 --> 00:45:47,970
He's given you his spirit.

914
00:45:47,970 --> 00:45:49,320
He's there to comfort you.

915
00:45:49,320 --> 00:45:51,660
He's there to remind
you that he sees that.

916
00:45:51,660 --> 00:45:53,460
He knows that he's aware.

917
00:45:55,710 --> 00:45:58,230
And on top of that, as he goes
on, he say his, his ears are

918
00:45:58,230 --> 00:45:59,850
open to your prayers rares.

919
00:46:01,170 --> 00:46:04,650
Not only does he see and know
and is aware, but he also hears.

920
00:46:06,015 --> 00:46:10,095
So that when you're hurting right now,
you can bring those hurts to the Lord.

921
00:46:11,325 --> 00:46:12,645
You can be honest with him.

922
00:46:13,545 --> 00:46:15,765
You can pray like David prayed, how long?

923
00:46:15,765 --> 00:46:16,245
Oh Lord.

924
00:46:17,295 --> 00:46:20,985
And know that David hears that
prayer, that God hears that prayer.

925
00:46:22,665 --> 00:46:23,235
Scratch that.

926
00:46:24,015 --> 00:46:25,485
You can know that God hears that prayer.

927
00:46:27,315 --> 00:46:28,395
God heard David's prayer.

928
00:46:28,485 --> 00:46:29,415
That's what I was going for.

929
00:46:31,185 --> 00:46:33,255
Every time you've prayed
that, God has heard that.

930
00:46:34,155 --> 00:46:35,445
You say, okay, but what about pastor?

931
00:46:35,445 --> 00:46:36,195
It doesn't feel like it.

932
00:46:37,035 --> 00:46:38,625
I've been praying about this situation.

933
00:46:38,625 --> 00:46:40,005
I've been praying about the
pain that I'm going through.

934
00:46:40,005 --> 00:46:41,025
I've been praying for an end of this.

935
00:46:41,025 --> 00:46:43,935
I've been praying for reconciliation
and, and it's not happening.

936
00:46:45,135 --> 00:46:46,305
Does he hear my prayer?

937
00:46:46,665 --> 00:46:46,815
Yeah.

938
00:46:46,815 --> 00:46:47,535
He hears your prayer.

939
00:46:48,975 --> 00:46:49,605
What do I do?

940
00:46:51,345 --> 00:46:52,275
I think a, a few things.

941
00:46:52,275 --> 00:46:54,795
When you find yourself in a situation
like that, I think it's a good opportunity

942
00:46:54,795 --> 00:46:59,055
to examine the motives of our heart
to make sure that we're, we're really

943
00:46:59,055 --> 00:47:02,175
seeking the lord's will, we're praying
the right things in those times.

944
00:47:04,035 --> 00:47:05,955
I think the second thing is keep praying.

945
00:47:07,485 --> 00:47:10,845
Keep praying until it's absolutely
clear that he is not gonna answer that

946
00:47:10,845 --> 00:47:13,185
prayer the way that you want him to be.

947
00:47:13,185 --> 00:47:14,055
The persistent widow.

948
00:47:14,055 --> 00:47:15,195
Keep knocking on that door.

949
00:47:15,975 --> 00:47:17,115
Keep going before the judge.

950
00:47:19,215 --> 00:47:21,555
Third, acknowledge that
God's wisdom is perfect.

951
00:47:23,385 --> 00:47:26,565
You are praying and, and, and I'm
praying in those times from our

952
00:47:26,565 --> 00:47:29,625
own wisdom, and we do the best we
can to pray the best we know how.

953
00:47:30,420 --> 00:47:31,980
And yet our wisdom is fallen.

954
00:47:32,070 --> 00:47:34,080
We are not sovereign when God is,

955
00:47:36,540 --> 00:47:40,710
and so God sometimes uses these pain
points in your life to accomplish his

956
00:47:40,710 --> 00:47:42,480
sovereign and perfect will in your life.

957
00:47:43,560 --> 00:47:47,190
God will sometimes use the attacks
of other people to make you more

958
00:47:47,190 --> 00:47:52,470
like Jesus, to cause you to depend
on him more, to cultivate more of a

959
00:47:52,470 --> 00:47:57,180
forgiving heart in your life, because
that makes you more like Jesus.

960
00:47:59,025 --> 00:48:01,395
And so we acknowledge his wisdom
is perfect, and then finally we,

961
00:48:01,395 --> 00:48:03,525
we acknowledge that he does answer.

962
00:48:03,525 --> 00:48:06,045
Sometimes we just don't want the
answer that he answers us with.

963
00:48:07,365 --> 00:48:09,675
Sometimes that answer is no.

964
00:48:11,145 --> 00:48:13,485
Sometimes that answer is not yet,

965
00:48:16,850 --> 00:48:21,765
but he does hear, which should be
immensely comforting because he's good.

966
00:48:23,145 --> 00:48:25,575
And so because he is good and because
he does hear, we know that however

967
00:48:25,575 --> 00:48:28,695
he chooses to respond, if we do
trust that he is good, is going

968
00:48:28,695 --> 00:48:31,335
to be good, is going to be good.

969
00:48:32,025 --> 00:48:34,485
And then the third part of our
comfort is this, but the face of the

970
00:48:34,485 --> 00:48:35,745
Lord is against those who do evil.

971
00:48:37,245 --> 00:48:39,795
The face in the Old Testament
represented the entire person

972
00:48:40,695 --> 00:48:45,825
because on the face you saw how the
person really felt the expressions.

973
00:48:46,875 --> 00:48:49,755
And so the face of the Lord being
against those who do evil, what

974
00:48:49,755 --> 00:48:51,375
it means is the Lord is against.

975
00:48:51,990 --> 00:48:52,680
Those who do evil.

976
00:48:54,960 --> 00:48:58,920
And so this should be a comfort
to, to you to know that right now

977
00:48:58,920 --> 00:49:03,690
it hurts, but the Lord sees it
and your hurt counts in his eyes.

978
00:49:04,650 --> 00:49:06,540
The offense against you matters.

979
00:49:07,140 --> 00:49:10,110
Maybe it doesn't matter in the
sense of justice from this world.

980
00:49:10,110 --> 00:49:13,740
You may not see justice from a temporal
perspective, but you can know from

981
00:49:13,740 --> 00:49:16,980
a verse like this that the pain that
you're experiencing counts in God's

982
00:49:16,980 --> 00:49:20,610
economy and he will meet out justice
in his perfect and divine wisdom.

983
00:49:22,815 --> 00:49:25,424
And so you can trust that
he's good in that as well.

984
00:49:26,745 --> 00:49:30,315
Which brings to question, what about
earthly justice in all of this?

985
00:49:30,765 --> 00:49:30,915
Okay.

986
00:49:30,915 --> 00:49:33,225
We've been talking a lot about
how we should respond and nowhere

987
00:49:33,225 --> 00:49:35,055
does it say press charges.

988
00:49:35,234 --> 00:49:38,565
Nowhere has it said, seek
a settlement in court.

989
00:49:39,075 --> 00:49:41,895
Nowhere has it said, file the
report with your employer.

990
00:49:41,984 --> 00:49:43,185
So what do we do?

991
00:49:43,185 --> 00:49:44,415
How is that okay?

992
00:49:44,415 --> 00:49:46,365
Should we just roll over and play dead?

993
00:49:46,455 --> 00:49:48,645
And I would say, no, you don't
need to roll over and play dead.

994
00:49:48,645 --> 00:49:51,884
The Bible says the government
does not bear the sword in vain.

995
00:49:52,515 --> 00:49:55,395
I think as Christians we
should champion justice.

996
00:49:55,395 --> 00:49:58,964
We should pursue things being
righted when they have been wronged.

997
00:50:00,165 --> 00:50:04,275
But I think personally we need to
have a couple of of cautions here

998
00:50:04,275 --> 00:50:06,285
as we may seek earthly justice.

999
00:50:07,230 --> 00:50:09,120
Somebody wrongs you, somebody
does something to you.

1000
00:50:09,120 --> 00:50:12,270
Is it wrong to press
charges or to seek justice?

1001
00:50:12,390 --> 00:50:14,220
I would say no.

1002
00:50:14,220 --> 00:50:14,730
It's okay.

1003
00:50:14,730 --> 00:50:15,660
So long as a few things.

1004
00:50:15,660 --> 00:50:17,220
Number one, how's your heart in it?

1005
00:50:19,080 --> 00:50:19,920
Are you vengeful?

1006
00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:23,880
Are you seeking justice because this
is your way to repay evil for evil?

1007
00:50:23,880 --> 00:50:28,020
If that's the case, then there's a
problem in your own heart with it.

1008
00:50:29,819 --> 00:50:32,940
Second is, as you seek earthly
justice, are you still able

1009
00:50:32,940 --> 00:50:33,930
to pray for that person?

1010
00:50:37,710 --> 00:50:41,715
I, I think I saw this most clearly and,
and so many of us did when Erica Kirk

1011
00:50:41,715 --> 00:50:47,475
stood up on that stage and she looked into
the camera at her su husband's assassin,

1012
00:50:47,475 --> 00:50:49,035
so to speak, and said, I forgive you.

1013
00:50:52,575 --> 00:50:53,715
I don't, I don't know her heart.

1014
00:50:53,865 --> 00:50:56,175
I don't know her at all,
so I don't know her heart,

1015
00:50:58,245 --> 00:51:01,515
but man, what a testimony it would be
if, if she's been praying for that man.

1016
00:51:02,865 --> 00:51:05,055
As she's going through all the pain
and sorrow that she's going through.

1017
00:51:05,265 --> 00:51:09,524
A man who certainly personally
attacked her so you can seek justice.

1018
00:51:09,555 --> 00:51:11,924
'cause notice she's not saying I
wanna drop all charges against him.

1019
00:51:11,955 --> 00:51:12,765
You can just let him go.

1020
00:51:15,345 --> 00:51:20,595
You can seek justice and still have your
heart right before the Lord in this third.

1021
00:51:20,595 --> 00:51:22,785
Are you able to keep your tongue
from evil and your lips from

1022
00:51:22,785 --> 00:51:24,555
speaking deceit in the process?

1023
00:51:26,355 --> 00:51:28,875
Are you able to obey what Peter's
been calling us to in this passage

1024
00:51:29,174 --> 00:51:30,615
as you seek that earthly justice?

1025
00:51:34,215 --> 00:51:37,065
Those are just some, some thoughts as you
think about, does earthly justice fit?

1026
00:51:37,065 --> 00:51:38,355
Can I still pursue earthly justice?

1027
00:51:38,355 --> 00:51:43,605
YY, yes, but most of the times we're
gonna be dealing not with situations where

1028
00:51:43,605 --> 00:51:44,805
you're gonna involve the authorities.

1029
00:51:45,255 --> 00:51:49,425
Most of the time we're dealing with,
okay, this is person on person,

1030
00:51:49,815 --> 00:51:52,305
slander, accusations, attacks.

1031
00:51:53,265 --> 00:51:54,225
How do we respond?

1032
00:51:55,995 --> 00:51:57,465
What does this look like for us?

1033
00:51:58,065 --> 00:51:59,175
How do we do this?

1034
00:51:59,835 --> 00:52:00,885
Why do we do this?

1035
00:52:02,715 --> 00:52:05,685
Well, we do it in a way that's
different than anything else you're

1036
00:52:05,685 --> 00:52:07,515
gonna find outside of Christianity.

1037
00:52:08,445 --> 00:52:12,075
And the reason is, is because
we wanna be like Jesus.

1038
00:52:13,485 --> 00:52:13,965
Because why?

1039
00:52:13,965 --> 00:52:19,395
Because we have met the Lord through
the good news of the gospel, which

1040
00:52:19,395 --> 00:52:22,155
is that Jesus Christ died on the
cross for our sins that we be can

1041
00:52:22,155 --> 00:52:25,305
be forgiven and that he rose against
that we can live forever with him.

1042
00:52:26,040 --> 00:52:29,070
If you repent from your sins and put your
trust in Jesus, it changes everything

1043
00:52:29,070 --> 00:52:33,840
about your life, not the least of which
is how you respond when you're attacked,

1044
00:52:34,080 --> 00:52:40,380
slandered accused, maligned, or hurt from
those that still aren't following Christ.

1045
00:52:42,300 --> 00:52:44,520
The Gospel changes everything about us.

1046
00:52:45,180 --> 00:52:47,610
It changes how we respond
because the gospel sets us on

1047
00:52:47,610 --> 00:52:48,960
a course to be more like Jesus.

1048
00:52:50,130 --> 00:52:50,730
Let's pray together.

1049
00:52:52,140 --> 00:52:56,910
Father God, we lament the reality
that we live in a world where there is

1050
00:52:56,910 --> 00:53:01,110
this brokenness, this fallenness, this
heartache, this sorrow or the offense,

1051
00:53:03,450 --> 00:53:06,030
those that are created in the
image of God, tearing down others

1052
00:53:06,030 --> 00:53:07,200
created in the image of God.

1053
00:53:08,130 --> 00:53:10,530
And if we're honest with ourselves,
we have both been those that have

1054
00:53:10,530 --> 00:53:12,180
perpetuated that and received it.

1055
00:53:14,370 --> 00:53:16,620
And Lord, if we're honest with
ourselves, I'm, I'm sure we're going

1056
00:53:16,620 --> 00:53:17,645
to be hurt again in the future.

1057
00:53:18,510 --> 00:53:20,520
I'm sure we're going to feel
wounded again in the future.

1058
00:53:20,520 --> 00:53:23,130
I'm sure we're gonna feel the
temptation again in the future to

1059
00:53:23,130 --> 00:53:27,270
lash out, to retaliate, to want to
respond and repay evil for evil.

1060
00:53:27,270 --> 00:53:30,990
But Lord, I pray that by your spirit
working within us to make us more like

1061
00:53:30,990 --> 00:53:35,430
Jesus, that you would help us to live
like Jesus and to follow his example.

1062
00:53:36,480 --> 00:53:39,240
Lord, this is not easy and we do
long for the day that we're with you.

1063
00:53:39,990 --> 00:53:43,500
But until we reach that day, Lord,
help us to be obedient to what

1064
00:53:43,500 --> 00:53:45,000
you've called us to be as Christians.

1065
00:53:45,660 --> 00:53:49,860
And comfort us with the knowledge that
you know, you see, you're with us.

1066
00:53:50,009 --> 00:53:52,980
And ultimately you will see the
justice is done, whether it's on

1067
00:53:52,980 --> 00:53:54,990
the cross or under your wrath.

1068
00:53:55,650 --> 00:53:59,040
And God, we do wish that more and
more would come to know that justice

1069
00:53:59,040 --> 00:54:03,450
has been satisfied on the cross for
them, and that less and less would

1070
00:54:03,450 --> 00:54:04,980
have to face your wrath in the future.

1071
00:54:05,279 --> 00:54:08,130
Use us towards that end, even Lord, as
we're praying for those that have wounded

1072
00:54:08,130 --> 00:54:10,770
us, praying for those that have hurt us,
praying for those that have accused us.

1073
00:54:11,670 --> 00:54:13,799
We want people to to
come to faith in Jesus.

1074
00:54:14,670 --> 00:54:15,930
Help us to be such a church.

1075
00:54:16,110 --> 00:54:19,170
Use us to reach people and to bring
more and more to the knowledge of

1076
00:54:19,170 --> 00:54:20,430
Jesus Christ, of the Lord and Savior.

1077
00:54:20,430 --> 00:54:21,630
We pray this all in Jesus name.

1078
00:54:22,050 --> 00:54:22,530
Amen.