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Continuing our chapter, we read the 1St.
Verses of the 4th chapter might please notice the thoughts there.
Continuing our subject and then adding to it the 1St.
5 verses of the 4th chapter.
First Peter 2.
1St 19.
For this in fact worthy of a man, for conscience, Lord God, in your grief, suffering, wrongful.
For what glory is it if when He has, if He be suffered for your fault, He shall take it patiently. But if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God, or even here unto where He called across. Christ also suffered for us, leaving us the example that you should follow His steps.
Who did all sin? Neither was God found in his mouth.
When he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him. The judges right.
Who is also fair? Our sins, and his own body on the tree. But we being dead, descended to live under righteousness. By whose right you were healed? For he were as sheep going astray. But now I returned under the shepherd and Bishop of your soul.
On the 4th chapter.
For as much then as have suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. For these he that have suffered in the flesh have seen from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the place of the lust of men, but to the will of God.
Will the time pass of our lives face a fighters who have brought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in the stevia love X size of wine reveling fantasy abominable idolaters wherein they think it's strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot speaking evil of you who shall give account to him?
That is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
Should be exercised.
By the word of God. Otherwise it is not a proper conscience.
Man was not born with the conscience, he received it when he fell. But it has to be exercised by the truth of God. That's why it's so important to continually have the word of God before us that we have. In Hebrews 4, the word of God is living, inoperative and sharper than any two edged star, dividing between soul and spirit. That is. I take that to mean at least partially.
That.
We may have a certain desire to do something.
But we prove whether it's of God by.
The principles we find in the Word of God.
The latter believes who?
Be partly at least, the thought we have of dividing between soul and spirit.
Is that right? That's why we should be careful when we judge another, because another may not have the same conscience. As was mentioned this morning, that verse read in Roman 14.
When we don't, this may not be as well advised in Scripture as others. And if they press something upon us, it becomes a legal matter rather than the exercise of the heart before God. It's hard for any of us to endure grief and suffer wrongfully, isn't it, if we're budgeted for our faults, for things that we do that we know are wrong?
When we naturally feel that this was coming to us for what we have said or done.
But when we have sought to please the Lord and then have to suffer, we don't get much credit from others. But isn't it nice this is acceptable with God?
And this ought to be an encouragement not only to the servant or to the person who has dealings with the world. For a good conscience is not appreciated very often, but even in our dealings with one another in the Assembly of God, sometimes even a Christian seeking to please the Lord may be.
00:05:11
Misunderstood. Well, he has to go on and have the consciousness of the Lord's approval and committed all to Him.
I'm just going to say the Lord was not only dismissed by those about him, but he was misunderstood by his disciples. But he committed everything to his Father, didn't He? Yes, and it was in view of the Kingdom here when the reward would be as well.
And we find the Lord Jesus is the example, as our brother Brown was calling our attention in that 24th verse at the beginning of the meetings to His own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin, should live under righteousness.
By whose stripes you were healed, living unto righteousness. Now there's a reward in the Kingdom for that. To get that in Matthew, I believe it's Matthew 5, reward for suffering for righteousness. But then there's also reward for suffering for Christ's sake, which is a higher order of things I believe and more connected probably with.
The Church and its position today.
However, there's still that suffering for righteousness sake now in that connection.
I think of the Whitestone in in Revelation. There are many things in the life of the believer that he has to take being misunderstood, but the Lord knows all about it. And if it's done for him, there will be that in eternity that the Lord.
Knows about that in our lives that we have passed through and also.
He's chosen us to be his companions now in order to be proper companions as that little hymn we sing sometimes. Meet companions then for Jesus. Boring like he made.
In order to be.
True companions, we have to know something.
Of what he passed through here.
Now the Lord suffered in two ways. He suffered in atonement. You'll never understand the depths of that, but he suffered with the people of God.
And he was afflicted with them, and even in the Old Testament the Angel of his presence followed them.
So that when he was here and he passed through things that.
Men didn't realize what he was going through. His own disciples didn't realize what he was passing through. No one will ever know, even in his sufferings with the people of God when he passed through. Now will the believer will pass through things. He'll be misunderstood, he'll be misquoted, he'll be he'll be charged with things that are not true.
Often times.
But the spirit of submission becomes us, not self vindication. All this will come out in the Kingdom day when the day of manifestation and there will be His approval, which is worth more than the approval of men. And so I believe the thought here is living in the sight of God.
Toward God.
Reparations toward God, not toward men. Strive diligently.
And to show thyself approved unto God. That's Timothy.
All went through this, he got too much thanks for the church truth that he preached all in Asia departed from them and evidently is a fossil shipment. Things connected with him with questions and is only brought out from the power of the Spirit of God. He doesn't seek to defend himself.
But the Spirit of God causes him to stand in defense of himself. That was because there are certain testimony was committed to him, but it was not self indication, was it? And Peter did witness the Lord suffering here on earth thinly.
But he did not witness the suffering of death. Hebrews 2.
Darkness covered the whole land. No human eye could penetrate that darkness when the blessed Lord was made sin for us and then suffered under the hand of a holy God. Peter did not witness that scene, didn't he? But he did witness the sufferings of Christ here on earth.
00:10:11
All right, these two kinds of suffering that have been mentioned here after the and that is suffering for righteousness, say perhaps if we notice the third chapter in the 14th verse, it says.
Bodine, if you suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye.
And be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, and so on. Now the 4th chapter. And the first beloved thinketh not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange.
Happened unto you, but rejoice in as much as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory shall be revealed, he may be glad also with exceeding joy, if he be reproached for the name of Christ. Happy are ye, or the Spirit of glory and of God rested upon you. On their part he is evil spoken of, and on your, but on your part he is glorified.
Well, perhaps.
Were asked to do something in the company were working for and perhaps even something that we can't do even among others with a good conscience before God. And so we seek to please the Lord and we're misunderstood and perhaps misjudged for what we have done. Well, that's suffering for righteousness sake. But then supposing we speak up and confess Christ, we let it be known that we belong to him and.
To please him. Now there's another kind of suffering. The world hates Christ, and so we we suffer now because we have confessed his name. But the world is so dishonest that sometimes they dislike it when they have a fellow Christian working with him, even if he doesn't mention the name of Christ, if he just tries to do what's right.
He just tries to be honest, not right in his job. Well, we have to be content to suffer in both those ways.
And as it says, there's a happiness in it, the happiness of the Lord's approval.
This is particularly in connection with servants, isn't it? The principle applies in general.
Why does he say for what? For what glory is it when you be buffet for your fault, you should take it patiently. Why is the word glory brought in? Is it not looking forward to the time of the Kingdom when everything will be seen in its true life? We're not looking for glory now, I suppose. Not directly, but.
Associated with the thought is.
That which is honoring through the name of our Lord Jesus, isn't it? There's no worry.
To his name when, through my own faults or carelessness, I.
Reprimanded and buffeted.
If I'm known to be a child of God and I've gotten in the wrong path and called the task for it, this is actually a dishonor.
It detracts from the glory of the Lord Jesus in respect to my testimony.
I believe that would be commanded so very much. Perhaps we can raise Philippians.
19 up to 11.
These I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, that you may approve things that are excellent, that you may be a sincere and without offense to the day of Christ.
Being filled with fruits of righteousness.
We are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and the praise of God.
Righteousness, I think, has to do with our fellow man.
And the law wants us to.
There were the fruits of righteousness, not for our own glory, but unto the glory and the praise of God.
We have also the truth of lives which says in Hebrews 13 by Hindu or let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lives, giving thanks to his name. That's God works in Philippians. I believe his men word here is God works and also the glory of God.
00:15:25
And be reminded too, brethren, that.
If we are allowed to.
Testing in connection with the trials that are spoken of here.
It behooves us to.
Be very prayerfully.
Considerate of what has brought this reprimand or the disapproval.
Of some, and one thinks particularly of our relations, one with another, as children of God.
How prone we are in one speech of his own heart when?
Our brethren may have some opposing.
View as to an action or a comment on the scriptures, how prone we are to take revenues, perhaps even in these verses, and to justify ourselves whereas.
It would do us well to consider.
In a very prayerful manner.
Should I be subject to my brethren? Perhaps I am wrong after all, and more likely so than not.
And so not to use this as a place of refuge wrongfully, sometimes we hear brethren saying in such a situation, well, it'll all come out of the judgment seat of Christ.
Personally, I deplore this expression under those conditions.
As far as to be subject 1 to another, and if we know something of the sadness and the trial of having a word of reprimand from our brethren, let's remember that the Scripture tells us to be subject 1 to another and to accept that in humbleness. Now we may before God.
Conclude finally well, I I do feel that my position yet was right. My president do not understand it.
Well, let it rest there then, and not pursue it. It was a matter of discord among our fellow Saints.
Is that not a part of the discipline, the school of God?
That oftentimes we learn precious lessons by being misunderstood and submitting to it because after all, it's the it's the flesh being put in its place that.
Brings about spirituality with the believer. The flesh is kept in its place. Pride, because after all, you may be right, but there may be pride, and so the discipline that goes with it is most important.
21 We have various stoves, and they're all different colors.
And I believe there are a picture of that morally which will be seen in the millennial day when the believer will be used as a medium transmitting that light.
In the Kingdom.
It's a picture and that stone is formed now.
In its various colors, and it takes all of these things informing those colors in the believer that is forming each one for his place in that day.
We actually learn more of what the flesh is by false accusations than true ones because when we are falsely accused and get upset about it, it's because we're as good as saying, oh, I wouldn't do that. And so we get angry because we're accused of doing it. And I believe the Lord uses false accusations to discover to us what the flesh is.
With the Lord Jesus, it was never sold because He always pleased his Father.
But I think perhaps we could say this, but whenever we're falsely accused, perhaps this would be the right attitude to take. Supposing I say, well, I could have done it and I would have done it but for the grace of God. So why should I be angry when someone says that I did it? I have the satisfaction in my own heart of knowing that before the Lord it was not so.
00:20:09
And if he has allowed this false accusation, that has helped me to discover how much pride there was in my heart.
That thought I wouldn't do it, for it's much better to be accused of doing it and not have done it than to be accused of doing it and have have done it. So the Lord uses even false accusations in this way. And I believe that this was what we learn in the case of Job.
Those things that his brethren said about him were not true, but they discovered an immense amount of pride in the heart of Job which God was seeking to correct. God said about Joel before his trial that there wasn't a man like him in the earth. Then when the trouble came, his friends came and said to all Job, there's some secret failure in your life.
And you're hiding it. And John knew that this was not so.
But all these accusations really brought out to Job how much pride there was there. This was the thing God was seeking to judge or bring Job to judge and want to. Sometimes said a brother might be the most blameless brother in the whole meeting, and yet the Lord has to deal with such a one because we might be proud about it. And the Lord has to show us that pride that.
And give us to judge it for our good and for our blessing. So in the end, Joel discovered that it was not really for something that he had done, but it was an attitude of his heart of pride and self-confidence, a self righteousness that the Lord discovered to him. And he judged. And he said, I repent and abhor myself, and dust and ashes.
Well, I believe, brethren, that this is a very important lesson for us. But I also have this that.
Job did not really get the blessing. God didn't turn his captivity until he prayed for his friends. I think many of us have thought, at least I did, that God turned the captivity of Job when he said I repent and the poor myself and dust and ashes.
But God didn't. It was not until he had prayed for his friends, because.
If if God had turned his captivity when he repented in His presence, I think Joel might have said, well, I learned what God is trying to teach me. But those friends of mine never helped at all. They were just a hindrance, and he would have held a bad feeling toward them for the rest of the time. But can the Lord said, as it were, no job, that you mustn't hurt, hold any bad feelings toward those friends?
Because I was using them to discover the flesh in you. And so he prayed for them. And so let us remember this, brethren. I believe it will help us to overcome in situations where we are falsely accused and that we'll see that God is helping us to discover.
Through those things, what the flesh is. And I say again, much better to find it out that way than to find it through a fall.
This next expression here brings us to that, doesn't it? It sets before us that example in the end of verse 20. If you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God, acceptable with God, four, even 02 where he called because Christ.
That is, the life that the believer has now is that same life. It's in Christ.
And so.
We can't raise the standard, we can't lower it. There's only one standard described. We show these expectations as our brother Brown called her attention to the 24th person to start. They're all based upon the example that's set before us and the end of the chapter that we've come to them, a person's Christ.
Using this 1St frame for where or even here on to where he called. I don't know how far you press this what I was thinking we are called under this we can say well if you are falsely confused and supposing something happened.
Even here on two working calls, all these things were going to happen when the apostle Paul was called. The Lord says I will show him what great things he must suffer for by namesake.
00:25:04
On the next part of that day, the price also has suffered.
Think of the Lord Jesus Christ coming in from Maryland under his own and was going to see them not.
He was rejected and misunderstood. He would have been higher tax weight in his sleeve and he finally ended up on the Nokia. Must be lifted up and all that. But you know, he came in for the good of his own.
Understood all the way and he was crucified. Free diversion.
Proverbs 16 and 9 connection with which you just mentioned too.
A man's heart divided his way, but the Lord directed his steps.
Now in the.
In Matthew 12. In Matthew 12 and.
Chapter.
In the 25th verse.
At that time, at that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, oh Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and has revealed them on debate. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Now the point is that a man may devise his own way.
But his steps are directed of the Lord.
Jeremiah 10 tells us that a man cannot direct his own steps. Yes, I have it right here. Oh Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself. He is not in man that walkers to direct his steps.
Now we may devise our way, but the Lord directs the steps and out beautifully. You see it in the Lord Jesus himself and even in the time of extreme trial in his pathway here that we've just read up John the Baptist ministry had been rejected and he was about to be beheaded if he was not already beheaded the ministry.
The Was he beheaded at this time? I don't remember but at least his ministry was rejected. The Disciples ministry was rejected.
The Lord Himself was rejected and He turns his eyes to heaven and He accepts the path because He knows that everything up there is going on all right down here. God may allow things in the pathway for our testing, but it was all to be for blessing results.
And the psalmist gave a beautiful expression, and 143rd Psalm caused me to know.
The way wherein I should walk, where I looked up my soul under thee.
Good for us also to remember that God may not vindicate us in this world. The Lord Jesus was never vindicated in this world after a perfect life of doing His Father's will. Then at the very end all his disciples forsook him and fled.
Of the people that had been healed and blessed by him, he was left, as it were, alone to face all that enmity of man, and then finally forsaken of God. But where are the results of all that He suffered, whether all manifested in resurrection? And this is a very important thing for us, I believe that we.
Look for vindication here in this life. While we may not have it, it says there in the verse our brother just called our attention.
Says.
For.
But we're called to this.
It says even here under where you call because Christ also has suffered for us and it says.
That.
While I was thinking of the Second Timothy chapter 2 and the way it reads here in the new translation, Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse seven, I'd like to read it in the new translation.
00:30:03
Think of what I say, for the Lord will give the understanding. That's from the seventh verse. Remember Jesus Christ raised from among the dead of the seed of David, according to my glad tidings.
In which I suffer even unto bonds as an evildoer, For the word of God is not bound for this cause. I endure all things for the sake of the elect, but they also may obtain the salvation, which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
Well, here he is writing to encourage Timothy. In a day when everything was being given up and he was to seek to go on and labored in obedience to the word of God, could he expect to be vindicated? Oh no, he said that.
The Lord was not vindicated. How will we have understanding to know how to go on in a day, when to follow in the path of obedience means suffering, rejection and misunderstanding? All we have to look beyond this life. And so is the new translation reads. Remember Jesus Christ of the seed of David, raised from among the dead.
Of the seed of David, according to my glad tidings.
That is where where the results of all that perfect work. It's all in resurrection and this is for us too an encouragement for it says in Philippians chapter one unto you. It is given on the behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake.
A time of suffering. Now there were cases where God did vindicate his people. Joseph was vindicated later before his brethren, and they came down and recognized him as Lord of Egypt. But the Lord Jesus, the perfect one, was not vindicated in this life. Uriah the Hittite was not vindicated in this life. He was put to death.
In such a tragic way. So we have to leave some things with the Lord and to go on.
Satisfied with the Lawrence approval in our pathway. This is the only thing that really gives peace, whether individually or going on collectively, walking in the truth. Would you have in mind that verse in Isaiah 49, fourth verse connection with the Lord.
That's prophetic of him, I believe.
Yes, I think it's a very important verse.
That Isaiah 49 and four.
And then I said, I have laid it in vain. I have spent my strength for not and in vain. Yet surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God. I remember some years ago.
In the Los Angeles meeting room.
A brother of our late brother Hathaway in Los Angeles, we've been a missionary in.
In Africa.
Come back and accept that meeting.
And this verse was brought up at that meeting.
He said no, I know why I came here tonight.
He said. I've been working down there for years and there doesn't seem to be any fruit.
But this verse is accomplished to my soul.
And I believe it is a comfort.
As the Lord could say, this is prophetic I believe.
I have labored in vain, I spread my strength through not and in vain. Yet surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God.
In this world you shall have tribulation.
I have overcome the world.
How refreshing it is to us in all the admonitions for the walk, to have our eyes turned to the one who walked perfectly before us.
And there is nothing that he's asked of us that He himself didn't in a perfect and thorough way, manifest in his walk. And so He sat before us here, as we've already had our attention drawn, as the One who not only suffered for us, but in that suffering, in that reviling, He returned. No reviling.
He went as a lamb, dumb before the sheep, dumb before shearers.
00:35:04
What a gracious, loving Savior He was and how it encourages our hearts weak and people always be and often failing. Yet to remember there was that One whose steps marked a wilderness journey and we may follow those steps. We may times be uncertain as to our own selves, but when our eyes are on Him.
And we review the pathway that he walked and read again and again of His grace and his patience.
And his refusal to revile and to rebuke.
Those who who will harm him. Our own hearts are encouraged that we should follow in this pattern.
Weather station is used to know in connection with that verse.
Of a father going through the snow with his large boots and leaving large footsteps, and the little child jumping from one step to another who can't fill those steps, but he does walk in them. I believe that's the true reading here, is it not? In his steps. And so the child does not fill those steps.
But he walks in those steps.
He brought out in that precious burst when the large people have rejected them, and he said, Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, stones, the prophets, how often would I have gathered you under my wings?
And that hand would gather her flock. Isn't this a word to us? Even when we, when we wander away and forget, are still going up to us, this children?
Yes, that's nicely brought out, Brother Dodge, and what follows here in this 24th verse.
We could stop at the end of the 23rd and sort of have a, shall I say, a self satisfied attitude as our brother Gill remarked, Well, we just committed to all to the Lord. He'll bring everything out right. Well, this is blessedly true. But here is something more and I think this most his most touching in this 24th verse, though his own self, there are sins in his own body on the tree.
Was He misunderstood by the nation? Was He forsaken by His disciples? Yes. And what did He do? Well, he not only bore it and did not return threatening, but more than this, He went to the cross and died for them. He went to the cross and the wording here is so beautiful. Pulling his own self.
There are sins in his own body, on the tree and all. Brethren, it isn't just enough for us to say, well, I've committed to the Lord.
Even if I'm not educated here, I'll be vindicated above. This is all blessedly true. But do we still continue in loving service to the very ones who have perhaps misunderstood? Do we still make sacrifices for their good?
This is what the Lord Jesus did. He not only committed the whole thing to his Father, who judged righteously, but he went to the cross and died. And he's going to be surrounded in glory with the very disciples who forsook him and fled for the last number from that very nation who cried away with him and with us too, who have so often been unfaithful.
Well, if we're going to follow this blessed example, it's not only in this.
Way of leaving with things with the Lord, but let us continue in loving service to the Lord and to our brethren. And this is following the example of Christ.
That's easy to follow in this step and pointed out.
Right before us, the nearness to a walk, and close nearness to himself. Now Peter we read in one of the gospels that he followed afar off.
When he was following.
And it's good to be followers, but Peter followed a far off and he got into serious difficulties. Well, if we want to get into trouble, that is our connection. Spiritual things follow or follow up because it's only close to his pierced side. In peace we can't abide.
So our I've often thought of that expression that he should follow in his steps.
00:40:05
Brings before us that close walk with the blessed Savior.
Do we have that expression somewhere? Follow in his steps. This is the right rendering here at the right rendering, yeah.
This 25th verse is abound to our hearts.
For ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned. It doesn't say that. We hope sometime we will.
That this is the place that grace has set us in, and are now returned unto the shepherd and Bishop of your souls. What a comfort we have here where the soul can rest either. Should we? No, indeed, who did no sin? We have the blessing. Fourfold testimony to the perfection of Christ.
In this verse, who did no sin?
In First John 3.
And the end of verse five. And in him is no sin.
In Hebrews 415.
He was without sin.
2nd Corinthians 5/21 He was made sin, and he finally appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
How wondrous and perfection that blessed person was.
I like Brother Gladding, what another has said in respect to the 25th verse and your thoughts.
That Christ had no sin in him, but hath sin on him. The Christian has sinned in him, but no sins on him.
But he did not very practice who?
We cannot go as far as we have in the 24th verse.
That's to him, and to him alone.
I only spoke of it as a principle. That was all that the Lord gave himself and that there should be that willingness. Of course, we could never, never do what He did. He suffered an atonement, as you said, but there should be with us the willingness as it tells us.
He laid down his life, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. That is the principle with us of being willing to.
Sacrifice ourselves, not in the sense of bearing sin, the Lord Jesus alone could do that, but in personal sacrifice and devotedness and love for one another. Shouldn't we?
That connects with the 4th chapter or as much as Christ is suffered for us.
Even there is not the atonement, but it's the will of God was definitely and always before him regardless of consequences and He is thus our example that we have the same mind. So we go on the 1St chapter 4.
I just noticed in the end of that second chapter the.
Shepherd and overseer of our souls that He is watching us in our pathway here. He is the he is the Good Shepherd that gave his life for the sheep, but now he is the Great Shepherd caring for us in our pathway here.
Until this third chapter, we have some very practical exhortations about our feelings and the relationships of life and with one another.
That also have something to do with our locking in a way that's pleasing to him and how often are we're tested in the daily things of life and the relationships of life and that courteousness says.
It's mentioned in the in the eighth verse. Finally, be all of one mind, have compassion one of another. Love is rather than be careful, be courteous that if we don't follow in this pathway, why we may enjoy a certain amount of the spiritual thing God would have us to enjoy, but in a practical sense that we don't experience what God has provided for us.
Even in the natural relationships of life, he is the overseer of our souls. He cares not only for our eternal salvation and our conflicts, perhaps in the spiritual, but he's concerned about how we go through life in a natural sense, how often these things are lacking. Well, he's the overseer of our souls.
00:45:17
The brown isn't the flesh used in more than one way in this? In the fourth, yes. In this 4th beginning of the 4th.
Chapter The principle of the flesh is used, as well as the thought of the body, isn't it?
Notice the first verse. For as much then, as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh.
In the second verse that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh.
To the lust of man. There's a different line of things, isn't it?
May we notice that those two words?
For us in verse one.
Is not the real thought.
Mr. Darby does have it in brackets in his translation.
Upon him very careful looking into this subject, 1 discovers that there's not any real ground, nor the context. Is it the thought of his atoning sufferings? It is his example as a sufferer that we are to imitate, that is, that we should not live unto our own will.
But unto God's will is the purpose of these first four or five verses.
Now as to the question you raised, I am aware of the fact that Mister Darby quotes from the 6th the Romans asked to.
Reckon yourself to be dead into sins. He actually quotes that in his exposition of this. But in general it is not Paul's doctrine here like it is in Romans 6IN general that's not Peter's line, but here the great point is.
That Christ was the example.
For suffering that we might also take up the following in his steps as to having one avowed purpose to live to God's will, regardless of every other thing.
That's the thought in these first four or five verses. I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I leave, yet not I by Christ give it in me. Give it in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, engaged Himself for me.
I guess it's the same daughter.
Well, the only thing that I was going to call attention to was that there never was any principle of the flesh in the sense that it may be applied to us with the Lord Jesus, ever.
That is, the thought is that as he took a body down here.
Who manifested the will of God in that body? But when you come to the second verse, we find with ourselves that we had lived in the flesh, which is another lie of faith.
How about the latter part of the first verse? Either that suffered in the flesh have ceased from sin. Is that nothing?
Does that not also bring us to ourselves and that flesh which is identified with the old nature?
Is the thought here, does this commend itself that?
Ceasing from sin bring suffering in the flesh is clearly the essence of it.
Doesn't mean that we've done with we've done forever with the sinning, but there has been that misconduct and it's appealed to the flesh and through the grace of God I've I've cut it off while it has caused suffering in the flesh, the flesh didn't like it.
It was distasteful. Is that that command itself?
If we may add another thought here, the Lord Jesus Christ in that body prepared for him that knew no sin.
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He came to do the will of God.
His entire corpse.
Thus entailed a path of suffering.
Now he is an example for us who have.
An entirely different nature in flesh.
Now he accommodated himself to us by becoming a man, took flesh, but poorly flesh. In our case, we are in flesh.
Our problem is because of having this tendency to sin. But the great point is that the one principle he had in his mind always is to do God's will. Now that we can have.
That's what these verses teach, that we can have that purpose to do God's will regardless of the sufferings that go with it. They accompany. They accompany. His life was characterized by doing God's will and suffering for it. Now we in flesh, his followers have the Holy Spirit for the power to have the same mind in us that he had that purpose to do God's will. That's first four verses.
12 and two there it is running.
Hebrews 12 and 2 bear this out.
Read it.
Looking on to Jesus, the author, finisher of our faith.
Who Joy?
That was set before endured the cross despising the shame and to sat down with the right hand of the drone God with even the joy for him to do this.
That was who for the joy that was set before him.
Here you had the joy of doing God's will right through to the end of it all, the joy that was set before him. I suppose that would be to be returned to the glory.
I understand what you have brought before us, Brother Brown, but of course it's very difficult for us to disassociate the idea of the physical body from the common nature that's in it. And because of this, why there's not only physical suffering in doing the will of God?
That is, supposing a person, a slave, wanted to please God and his master wanted him to go into the idols temple. Well, he might be beaten and in that way physically suffered. But then there's also another side that wants he indulged himself in certain sinful pleasures.
And when he seeks to please the Lord, there's not only the physical suffering, he might endure a beating because he wouldn't fulfill the desire of his master, that would be suffering in his physical flesh, but when he says no to certain things that he wants enjoyed as a Sinner in his sins.
Now the, the, shall I say the fallen nature is involved and the flesh, the sinful thorn flesh has to suffer. And it seems to me that that thought is brought in here too. I believe what you say, that in following the war there is a certain physical suffering, so it says you have not yet resisted on the blood striving against sin. The Lord Jesus would rather die than disobey.
That the path of obedience involved physical suffering, and so is our brother. Read to us in Galatians 2.
That it says that the life which I now live in the flesh, that's not the fallen nature there, that's simply in the body. I live by the faith of the Son of God. However, there is something here that seems to introduce the life, the person who lived in his unsaved days.
And how in refraining from this, there may not necessarily be a physical suffering. I may not be beaten for it, but the old nature hasn't changed. And if I love certain things before, I say that fallen nature is still the same. And in following the Lord, there is not only the physical suffering that I might have to endure, but the flesh suffers in being restrained.
Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, so that she should not do the things that she would.
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The character of Peter's ministry is, some of us know, has to do with God's government.
And necessarily with our practice here and even in that 11Th verse of Chapter 2 we had today.
Or was that yesterday?
To abstain from fleshly lust, which war against the soul.
Peter is emphasizing practice.
Paul is emphasized, emphasizing in some of his teaching nature.
And here in the next verse.
Verse two you get that thought right there that he no longer should live the rest of his life. The great purpose is to get our hearts one to do God's will to get us to practice.
That doing God's will is our business. It's practice. And Peter emphasized the side of things because it's governmental truth.
And as I say, if we get too deep into Paul's doctrine here in Peter, I think that it misses the point.
Now what you say is true, by the way, brethren, I want to own that. But I think Peter's line is A trifle different.
How good it is to to take this second verse to heart and it should there be any here who have been walking in the.
In the path of self will, that this might be the day to make the change he should no longer. This is practical, is it not? He no longer could live the rest of his time in the flesh through the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
Turn to 1St Corinthians. I believe it's nine. I know this is in Paul's doctrine again, but still I I think that it's good for us to read this verse at the 27 first.
I'll read it in a different translation. I buffet my body.
9 and 27 I buffet my body and lead it captive, less having creeks to others. I should be myself rejected. Now this is complete rejection in the sense that one may even be a preacher and still he may not himself be saved because he proves it.
By the fact that he is not controlled the body. Amen. The Newman has a life that is able to the power of the spirit dwelling in it, and to keep his body under to read it in our regular translation. But I keep my body under. I keep under my body and bring it under subject into subjection, lest that by any means.
When I have preached to others, I myself should be.
A castaway. And so the principle here is that.
Believer suffers in the flesh, it's true, but there is that power that enables him walk to walk through the glory of God down here.
Rice left you that example. We have the same life.
It seems rather.
Nice that the expressions here, although one sees the difference between Peter's doctrine and Paul.
But substantially we have, I believe, what was thought to be brought before the young people in the opening verse of Romans 12.
There it's presenting our bodies, a living sacrifice.
Our sacrifice involves putting to death, doesn't it?
And so the there is the practical, I'm not speaking now the doctrinal truth, but the practical truth of the body indeed being under subjection, that the flesh may know practical death, and then service to the Lord in connection with it.
Leave that simple thought with us. Well, let's spend a little bit of a puzzle sometimes the young believers I know, a young believer back at home heard someone say, well, since I've been saved, I have no more desire to do those things. And this young person thought, well, I I'm afraid I couldn't say that because I find there is a desire in my heart to do those things I once did.
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And.
He thought that there was something wrong with his Christian experience altogether, that he should even have a desire to do them. Well. Let us remember that the flesh never changes, and that when the flesh the fall of nature I speak of, is refused, it suffers. It suffers, and for a Christian to refuse something that the fallen nature wants not it involves suffering to that nature which wants to be given.
To exert itself. So when a Christian says, well I have no desire to do these things, it's the new man that doesn't have the desire. But the old man suffers when it's refused always. And so we have to. If a person doesn't understand the truth of the two natures, he finds it hard to just understand what is meant by.
A brother or sister who, says Hola, you wouldn't have any desire to do those things if you were saved.
All we do, the old nature is there, and it suffers when it ceases from sin. But of course, with the new man, its delight, its liberty, its joy is to do the will of God. And so, as far as the new man is concerned, I can say if the new man is speaking no, it has no desire for those things. And in a sense I identify myself with the new man.
That is, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I connect the eye with the new man, and so I can say, no, I don't want to do that. I don't find pleasure in it now.
That's the Newman speaking through me as an individual. But the the old nature, brethren, doesn't change. And when we refuse it, it suffers because it likes to be indulged.
Very, very true. We need it. In this case, the Lord Jesus had no kind of suffering.
Like you're Speaking of like we would have. And so in the beginning here of this chapter, it is that we should have the same mind as he had.
It is related to the purpose of heart, to doing God's will that we may have because we have a new nature and the Holy Spirit to help us to practice it.
You to trust with his own heart is a fool and one who has that self-confidence is sure to get into trouble because.
The heart is deceitful, above all things, industrially wicked. When we find ourselves in blessed circumstances and we think that everything is going right, that's just the time when the enemy is going to slip in.
Isn't it true that a Christian and brother Abel just mentioned I have no desire to do these things anymore. Put the side the word of God and becomes small and complacent and stops his prayer life. Those appetites will revive those things that he once loved. Became a Christian, learned to hate the love again. I think over a period of years this has been shown out.
And some.
Don't just restore them till their deathbed.
That's the third verse that we've come to for the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lascivious, less excessive wine, reveling vanity, abominable idolatry, valiant leader. Later we learned about a man who had forgotten his perch from his old sins.
And isn't that the result of neglecting the word and prayer?
Putting the present thing before us and corruption may not first take the form of moral corruption. It may be simply the the heart and the mind getting away from Christ. But remember, it will end up in corruption.
Get that in Hebrews, the one who turns away from the truth either goes back to the ordinances or ends in open sin. One of the two, possibly both Hebrews apostasy, but.
The other.
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That you referred to.
In second Peter one, do you mean to say that the Christian can become blind?
Yes, it's a believer there. That's the difference in this connection with this verse, brethren.
This third verse, then we just turned to a verse in Corinthians.
Seven 7th chapter. First Corinthians.
Now it's the 6th chapter.
Six chapter first victims.
We've been speaking a little of the body.
And it's been before us in these meetings in the 12Th chapter of Romans.
The body.
In the 13th verse of the 6th chapter First Corinthians.
Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
God has both raised up the Lord and will raise, will also raise up us, raise up us by His own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
What know ye not that he which is joined, who in Parliament is one body or two set? He shall be one place, that he that is joined unto the Lord is 1 spirit.
Please fornication, I understand the meaning of plea is to stay as far away.
Parameters possible never to get close to it. Please Fornication every sin that a man doeth is without the body.
And he that committed fornication sinners against his own body. But know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which you have of God, and you're not your own or your bought was the price. Wherefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God.
God, believe this God. These verses are connected with what we have.
In the third verse of our 4th chapter.
First, Peter.
But the time past of our life, they suffice us to have brought the will of the Gentiles when we walk. Notice that when we walked, this was the character of the walk in lasciviousness.
Lust.
Excessive wine, revelings, bunch of things.
And abominable idolatry.
Now the judgment of God is going to come down upon these things.
And we find today that.
The world is manifesting openly what has been held back because of the suppression by the truth of Christianity in these lands. But when Christianity is being given up.
When the truth of the Scriptures are being set aside, the heathen tendencies are coming out again. Now this is set forth in the first chapter of Romans, but the heathen tendencies were. But I think you'll find in the last chapter, or rather the third chapter of Second Timothy, the apostle Paul lets us know that this will be the character of the end of Christendom.
This very thing.
Now we as Christians have a valuable trust in our hands. We have the truth of God.
And the enemy is seeking to break this up, to make it boy. And the way he's doing it is to bring in, first of all, that low state of soul that would neglect the word of God, neglect the prayer.
And then the result will be the allowing of these lusts of the flesh to come in and take over, whatever they may be. And the result will be, there will be no testimony left for the name of the Lord Jesus down here. So we should be especially on our guard, not only in our conduct, but in our language.
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And all that pertains to our fellowship with one another that we remember.
That we are not our own. We're bought with the price and we're joined to the Lord. We have the Spirit of God indwelling us and we're we're reminded here that these things belong to our past, not the present, it said of the man who lives in resurrection life is living in the future.
And the present to him is the past. Living in the future, as far as what's before Him, is the object of being with Christ.
That's his object and the being, like Christ and everything in the present, is simply used in passing as it's needed. Never is an option.
Well, they're logged in with.
A licensed Creative 5 have to do with that.
The license 3/5.
Yes, Colossians three and five is the are the members upon the earth. If you look at the Colossians 2 and.
11 First it should read In whom also ye are circumcised, with the circumcision made without hands, and the putting off of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
The doubt in the fifth verse of the of the third chapter.
Mortified.
Therefore.
Your members.
In the death of Christ we are seen as the body of flesh being put off.
In the In the death of Christ.
Without the exercises, the members that we have on the earth.
That there to be mortified. I believe that's the teaching of this. That is the Gilgal truth in verse 5.
Colossians 35IS Gilgal truth? I don't want to get too difficult to be understood now, but you read in chapter 2 verse 11 about circumcision. Now there's a difference between circumcision truth and Gilgal truth.
It was at Gilgal where they did first circumcise the the males of all Israel. That was once never to be repeated for that generation.
Just once, is circumcision truth?
And our old man truth is related to that.
It can never be repeated. Our old man has been crucified with Christ.
Romans 66, Ephesians 4/22 and the correct translation. And in Colossians 3:00 and 9:00, which is before us here, the correct translation, It's always in the past tense so that circumcision is looked at as always in the past. It was at the cross of Christ that it occurred.
Fully, never to be repeated again. But then they did well to go back to Gilgal again and again and again when we come into God's presence.
Having no confidence in the flesh, judging it as such and.
Know that our strength is in the Lord and the power of His might.
That's Gilgal truth, no confidence in the flesh. We go forth from Gilgal, we need to be there again and again and continually go back to Gilgal, and that's Colossians 35 put to death. Therefore mortify the deeds of your body, the activities that are liable to go forth. That would be bad. Put them to death right at the start and keep it so.