Address—Paul Renaud
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Good evening.
You have your, uh, little block in book with me. Feel free to, uh, read with me.
The first few lines are actually maybe stands as of Him 225.
Mid scenes of confusion and creature complaints. How sweet to the soul is communion with Saints to find out the banquet of mercy. There's room to feel in communion. A foretaste of home, sweet bonds that unite all the children of peace, and thrice bless his Savior.
Whose love cannot cease?
So off the mid trials and dangers we roam with sign we're United and Hastings towards home.
I certainly enjoyed umm, yesterday's ministry from first John to be reminded, uh, that in order to have fellowship with one another, umm, we have to have fellowship first with God and that our sins break that fellowship and need to confess them. It was most blessed truth.
I would like to, uh, borrow from Bob's beginning and read a verse.
But I think my verse is a little easier for people to know where the book in the Bible is that it's found. Umm, I think it's easy enough that I can pick on a young person.
So this is the verse.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
What book of the Bible is that from?
Have a volunteer.
Said This is the mask, man in the back, Ephesians. Thank you. Thank you, Ephesians.
Probably when it comes to spiritual warfare, probably the verse that we're all the most familiar with.
But what does it mean? Who are these principalities?
A lot of these powers and how when we're sitting in a room across the table from someone who's flesh and blood.
Who's saying unkind things to you? Who has hurt you in the past and it's hurting you again? Who is disappointed? You. Who has?
Perhaps done something that you really believe is is.
Is hurting.
God's testimony or or how, how, how, how can we say that we wrestle not against flesh and blood?
I certainly won't be able to answer all those questions at all, but I just want to share with you.
Uh, tonight, with the Lord's help, some of the things that I believe God has, uh, revealed, uh, to me recently through especially this, uh, pandemic, this time of.
Unprecedented, uh, worldwide.
Trial.
There's been other things we all know about protests and so on, a lot of unrest.
Umm.
One of my favorite lines from CS Lewis.
And as Chronicles of Narnia is, uh, you're only told your own story. Some of us remember that. So in other words, we can't. We're only told our own story. And that's true. I don't know what your experience has been.
But I do know from God's word that there's no trial that has under that is he set up no trial that we go through that is not common to man. So I would pray, we're going to pray here for God's blessing and and help. I pray that some of these things might be of help. And and there's certainly I pray from God's word and God's word doesn't return void. So that's just give thanks.
Your God, thank you for this privilege to gather together as.
So believers, fellow soldiers.
Amidst intense conflict, Lord.
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Umm.
Pray that we would, uh, take your word and apply it and really search it.
Umm.
Pray that if anything that's said is not from your word or that it would fall. We thank you that the power of your word doesn't depend on, uh, well organized speech. It doesn't depend on uh.
Anything but your spirit, and we thank you for this. Amen.
Umm, so first.
I think it's probably a a profit to remind ourselves of some of this background information. Who are these principalities, Powers. Rulers of the darkness of this world? Spiritual wickedness in high places?
Well, so often when we search a subject in the Bible, so often the story goes back to Genesis.
We all know the story of the fall. We know that God created.
The Garden of Eden, uh, for Adam and Eve to be in fellowship with them and, and very quickly the serpent tempted Eve and we know that.
Adam and Eve yielded to that temptation and and sin then started in men, and death passed upon all creation. So let's turn to Genesis chapter 6 briefly.
Just another instance where?
Man's rebellion is magnified. I'm not gonna say much about it, but.
Genesis chapter 6.
And verse one. And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair, and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh, yet his days shall be 120 years.
There were giants in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men.
And they bear children to them. The same became mighty men which were of old men of renown. With the benefit of reading Jude verse six and second Peter, I think it's chapter 2, verse four. We know that. I think we we can we can say with confidence these were spiritual beings that came down and corrupted men.
Men with spiritual beings, leading to further and further corruption.
For the rebellion from God.
We know what happens next. We know that there's faithful Noah.
We know that Noah was spared in the flood, and then after that Noah's told to multiply the earth, but what happens?
Is the Tower of Babel young people? I just just for a second want to just briefly, little side note, when I was a young person and even quite a bit of my adult years, these early chapters of Genesis were a hard thing for me. Umm, and perhaps they're hard for you, I don't know.
But I, I have to say, as I've gotten older and studied them, umm, it's been a source of tremendous blessing and I would encourage you not to.
Look at these things and and when they don't appeal to you, what you may call your rational mind, don't dismiss them. This is God's word and this is truth and there's wonderful blessing from it.
But certainly just kind of ignored it when I was a young person because that was easier. So now we have the Tower of Babel, which was always kind of confused by, but there is widespread rebellion. Men decide they're going to make a name for themselves and they build this tower. And God says no. He disperses them. He divides them into.
Nations and at that point in time.
There is no man that's calling upon God or none. I don't I don't read it in scripture.
What happens next?
God calls out Abraham, calls out Abraham, who is Abraham. We can turn to Joshua. We can read that Abraham came from a family that worshipped idols. I don't know that we read that there is anything special about Abraham. God just called him out and God said I'm going to make a great nation from you. From you all nations of the earth will be blessed. And how is that nation formed? Was formed in a miraculous way.
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From a barren woman, I think a foreshadowing of what would happen later with the church. He speaks to my soul that way. And then of course.
God calls out Abraham. He makes a nation in a miraculous way.
And we have many chapters of Genesis until that nation actually becomes a great people. But they're in *******. They're in ******* under the Egyptians. The Egyptians really believe that their origin was from.
The ruler having a go, being a God basically and having relations with a God. So let's turn just again, I just said my, my, my desire here is just to show you the intensity of the spiritual warfare that's throughout the Bible that's turned to, uh, Exodus 5.
So Exodus 5.
And we know the same, but I just want to highlight.
The wording here.
Exodus 5 verse one. And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus sayeth the Lord God of Israel, let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh says, Who is the Lord? The words that's used here is I think Yahweh. Yahweh. I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing that correctly, I'm sorry.
But he's using the unique word for the God of Israel. He says, Who is the Lord? That I shall obey his voice to let Israel go. I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.
Turn to Exodus 12.
And just a phrase.
The end of verse 12.
Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord.
These gods of Egypt were not real gods. There's only one God to be worshipped, but these gods of Egypt had real power.
Gods of Egypt.
For lack of a better term, demons as men partnering with spiritual powers.
And then let's turn to Exodus 15.
This is uh.
What was this?
Speaking, Who is like unto thee, O Lord among the gods, who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful, and praises?
Doing wonders that stretches out thy right hand. The earth swallowed them.
Sorry, I was looking for.
Moses, father-in-law.
Uh, here we go.
Looks like it's in chapter 18.
See if I can find it here.
Exodus 18, verse 10.
And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods. For the thing wherein they dealt proudly, he was above them.
So I'm just, there's so many portions we could turn to.
That talk about spiritual warfare from the very beginning of the Bible.
But we know how this goes. These people that God called out.
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They have some triumphs, but they have many, many failures. And eventually, as we read our Old Testament, the prophecies regarding Jesus the Messiah become more and more clear.
Mankind needs to deliver.
That only could be the Son of God.
That's look at loop. We know that when Jesus comes.
Satan tries to destroy him at birth.
Just to pick up our story for the Luke chapter 4.
The temptation scene.
Verse five. And the devil, taking him up as Jesus up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him.
All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them.
Now make sure you understand this phrase, this next part of the sentence, for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give it.
The devil says this is my world.
I have power over all the nations. I can give that power to whomsoever I will.
Just the kind of authority.
The devil has kind of power that he has.
Sometimes, uh.
There's a phrase that is used in the world that kind of captures your imagination. And for me, I kind of adopted into my own phrase. I don't say it too often, I don't think, but I like to say. Then there be fighting words. They know about fighting words and they'll be fighting words. These are fighting words and let's just see how.
Jesus responds.
Let's go to loop 433.
Just a few verses after, and in the synagogue there was a man which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone, what have we to do with thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth, art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
And when the Devil?
Had thrown him in the midst. He came out of him and heard him not.
The New Testament is the first time we see devils being passed out of people only.
God has that kind of authority. Only his Son had that kind of authority. We see this, we turn a little bit further down.
And go to loop Chapter 9, verse one.
He called the 12 disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases.
And we can go to chapter 10.
First one.
After these things the Lord appointed over 70 also, and sent them two and two, and then down to verse.
17 And the 70 returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
70 I I don't know for sure why there were 70, but some have mentioned that back at that scene, the Tower of Babel, the nations are divided into 70 nations, and perhaps this is representative of of.
Jesus basically saying to Satan, I am here to take back the nations.
And then last reference in, well, almost the last reference in loop Chapter 11.
So she's a speaking verse 20 If I with a finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man arm keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace, but when the stronger than he shall come upon him and overthrow him, he take it from him.
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All is armor wherein he trusted and divided the spoils. These are fighting words.
But of course, we know what happens, right?
Later on in loop we can read he's just telling Simon that Satan has desired to have you, that he would sift you like we, but God doesn't allow that. However, Satan enters into Judas.
I think it's the only time we read of Satan himself entering into someone.
And the Lord Jesus the Messiah is crucified, and undoubtedly Satan thinks he's done something.
Very good as far as he is concerned. We can read that in First Corinthians chapter 2. You know this verse, I'm just going to read it. First Corinthians chapter 2.
Seven we speak the wisdom of God and the mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the Princess of this world knew, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Then one last background verse is turned to Revelation chapter 12.
Revelation chapter 12 and verse 7.
The scene in the future in heaven.
Revelation 12 Seven And there was a war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not neither was their place found anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent called the devil and Satan.
Which deceiveth the whole world.
He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
So I've given you a lot of verses about spiritual warfare and you may say, oh, OK, all right, yeah, they're in there. I I tell you from my recent personal experience, when you start to look for fighting words for spiritual warfare, words in the Bible, they are all over references to conflict and armor and struggle, they're all over the place.
So what does that have to do with you?
What does that have to do with me? What are some practical applications?
When?
I just want to share just a few things. When the umm.
A few weeks into the pandemic, maybe you guys had a similar experience, Umm.
There wasn't a whole lot of places for our family to go, but in Maine the beaches were still open and uh.
We got to go to this beach, one of our favorites. It's called Pop Em. Pop Em is uncharacteristically sandy for me and large. And one unique feature about Popham is that that low tide, there's a sandbar that you can walk about 1/4 of a mile to this very tall.
Rock slash hill mountain, but it's rocky it's it's a tall prepares or whatever the word is 100 feet up in the air or so it's really beautiful. So we went we saw refuge at the beach and it's school closures amidst me and my job not knowing how how much I would be touched by by COVID and and being in charge of some.
Certain certain things that work like like many of you and and umm.
I was feeling really down and sad and overwhelmed and as I was walking towards that rock a phrase came into my mind and it was take me to the rock that is higher than I. And I just kept on repeating that and then it turned into a prayer and I sat up on top of the rock and I repeated it and umm.
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I thought it was nice. I, I wanted, I didn't want to be, I want to die, but I wanted to be transported out of the scene. I wanted to, to leave this trial. I went back to my car or home, I can't remember exactly what, but I thought, I'm going to look up where that verse is.
And perhaps all of you know, like I couldn't find it. It's not there. The verses leave me to the rock that is higher than I lead me to the rock. He doesn't transport us from this scene. We know Satan is a defeated foe.
You know that. But He has many things here to show us that we can only learn, and He has many ways to display His glory.
To us many ways for him to be glorified, as Scripture says in these vessels of clay.
One portion that check my time I do have time, 1 portion that jumped out to me and all this is Romans chapter 8.
Well known portion but I think some of his contacts was lost on me.
I trust I have a better understanding of the contacts that start.
Romans, chapter 8.
Umm.
Let's see here.
I reckon where is that verse that is.
Verse 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to compete to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in US, skipping down to.
1St 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
Skipping down further.
For 31.
What shall we say then to these things? If God before us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justify it. Who do you think Scripture has in mind here, when it says, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
You think it's your neighbor down the street.
Does your neighbor have access?
To make a charge to God.
No.
No, but.
You've read that Accuser of the Brethren does the spiritual warfare here. That's in mind in these verses, I believe.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. He rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Now verse 36 is the verse that I would just read before the pandemic and not really look up.
Is what it says as it is written for thy sake.
We are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
That's a quote from Psalm.
UH-44 if you read Psalm 44.
You'll realize that it goes something like this, the the, the psalmist says. We've heard of your acts of old God. We've heard how wonderful you were to our ancestors.
We're obeying your law. We're seeking you. We know only real power comes from you. But God, we don't feel it. We're we're we're not feeling blessed. We're not feeling your power. We're not feeling your might. Why have you forsaken us? Because we are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. This is a Psalm.
Where the psalmist does not feel God's love, what does God say?
In this portion he says He that spared not his own son, but delivered Him up for us all, How shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
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It's easier to say than to practice, but in the midst of times where we do not feel God's love.
We can remind ourselves of this first, see that spared not His own Son, how shall he not freely give us all things? Why would God stop loving us? After all, He's given up for us. What do our feelings have anything to do with it when we can look at what we know from God's Word and be reassured?
With his for His love, His love to us.
And of course, we'll just read again versus, uh, the next verse. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, or any other creature, she'll be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The next portion I'd like to look at I have. I have two more.
Let's go to 2nd Corinthians.
Oh.
2nd Corinthians.
Verse 7.
This is, uh, something I think most all of us know about. We know that the Apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh.
But what I think, at least for me, was easy to overlook. How did that thorn in his flesh happen?
2nd Corinthians 12 seven Unless I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, it was given to me, a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet me last, I should be exalted above measure. What he's saying here is that thorn in the flash, that infirmity which we really don't know what it was.
Was delivered to him by Satan and allowed of God.
This should remind us of Job.
Remind us of.
How God will allow Satan to give us trials?
Satan certainly didn't mean it for Paul's good. I mean, was not Satan's intention. Satan wanted to sift Paul.
The call can look back and say.
That trial was so that I would not be exalted above measure. We'll read on here. He says, For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for the for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly, therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, and reproaches, and necessities, and persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.
So Paul asked God to take this trial away from him. God says My grace is sufficient for thee.
We think of grace as God's unmerited favor, but it can also be thought of as God's attributes, what God has done for us, who God is.
Paul says no, I didn't want this infirmity, but.
God reminded me that His blessings, His benefits, His goodness, all these things.
Or what?
Is my strength, What is my portion?
Just before I get to the last portion.
Maybe, maybe just at your own time we can you can remind yourself of what 2nd Corinthians 4 says.
Just a couple verses.
Well, I'll just read it. Second Corinthians 4, verse 7.
We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest.
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In our body.
For we wish live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life, life also of Christ might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
So you may say, and this is, this is very fair. You may say, OK, you've, you've given us a couple examples of a personal distress or conflict.
You gave us an example of of when we feel like we're not hearing anything from God, when he, we feel like he's abandoned us. You've given us an example of physical infirmities and how Paul handled that.
The verse that you read in Ephesians says we wrestle not against flesh and blood.
And you said something about how about that person across the room from you, that person who's hurt you, that person who is spewing things out of their mouth towards you?
What do you do with that one?
Well, I I.
Certainly harder. Umm, I want to just.
Umm.
And.
The mist of some of this tension, umm, that we've all been experiencing, uh.
I had a conversation with a fellow believer that is dear to me about a trial that they were going through, something that we would call in medicine and acute on chronic situation. So in other words, this trial had been going on for quite some time, but it acutely been stirred up, it acutely worsened and it was spilling over and affecting me.
And this conversation we had?
Had to happen.
And going into it, I knew it was going to be emotional.
Umm.
But I didn't Umm.
Expect at the end of the conversation for our relationship to look as terribly shattered as it was. It, it, it, it looked really bad. I I, I thought the things that I said were.
OK. I thought that they were reasonable questions. I thought that what I had to say, I didn't. I didn't realize it was.
It's going to be so poorly received and so hurtful.
Umm, I thought Council and I prayed a lot and.
Young people, if you don't pray from time to time on your knees, do it. It's.
Yeah, just do it with the reason why people in Scripture pray on their knees.
And in the midst of this, God brought before me I, I believe, a portion that was of immense comfort, umm, and instruction. And I don't know if it speaks to you in the same way.
Umm, but I can only speak about my experience and, and this conversation I was having and what I took from this portion in Galatians. So please turn to Galatians chapter 2. And this is really.
Probably by larger burden if you've been sleeping. If you're willing to be awake, Umm.
This is, uh, it's really my, my biggest burden.
And this portion we have the Apostle Paul, who's this, who's this apostleship is being challenged. And he's, he's talking about different things that happened and he talks about a scene of intense spiritual warfare that I don't know that I had really appreciated. But I, I, it's the way I read it. Please tell me if you if you disagree.
Let's go.
To verse 9, he's he's talking about how he was in Antioch. Antioch was kind of the the, the big epicenter of Gentile Christians.
He was in Antioch and when he was in Antioch once came from James, the brother of Jesus. They they said they I don't know, they said they represented him or they said that we're friends of James. But first nine says and when James Oh no, excuse me, verse 12.
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I apologize again. Let's start with verse 11.
But when Peter was come to Antioch, I was stood him to the face because he was to be blamed for before that certain came from James heated eat with the Gentiles. But when they were calm, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. So these ones came from James. They said, you know, we're we're we're friends with James. They wanted to eat with the Gentiles. They were Jewish.
Believers and Peter was influenced by them.
The few verses we have before we can read that, I mean, Paul has been an apostle for at least 14 years. Peter, I don't know, 20. These guys were not new to the faith.
Hmm, so let's read on here.
Since he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision, and the other Jews assembled likewise with him, and so much that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation, So again they're refusing to eat with the Gentiles.
Their actions are influencing the rest of the Jewish believers there in Barnabas, Paul's right hand companion.
Can you imagine? Just stop and think for a second about what's going on here? 20 odd years after Price died, I don't know how long, but quite a bit after Christ died. Think about.
How much? Satan must have thought he had the upper hand here. How?
He probably thought a great schism was coming in the church.
How?
Them not eating with a Gentile believers was undermining the very message of the gospel. Think about.
From a fleshly standpoint, what Paul's emotions must have been? How?
Understandably angry he could have been and upset and disappointed with all of his brother and.
Let's read how Paul handles this.
N.
Verse 14.
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly, according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou being a Jew with us after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compel us, thou, the Gentiles, to live as do the Jews? I know it's a big sentence, but please notice just one sentence, that He.
Instructs personally to Paul here, he says.
I know you weren't separating from them in the past.
How are you doing this?
And then look what he does here.
1St 15.
We who are Jews by nature, and not centers of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even as we believe in Jesus Christ, that he that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also our found centers, is therefore Christ the minister, ascend God.
Did I look at verse 18? For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law, and dead to the law, that I might live unto God, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet in that eye, but Christ liveth 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 and gave Himself for me. I do not.
Frustrate the grace of God, for righteousness came or come by the law. Then Christ is dead in vain. I read the whole thing.
Just to show you how quickly.
It changes to we and then I and how out of context when you read this, if you started at verse 17 or 18, you wouldn't even probably realize this is a rebuke of the apostle Peter.
Just a few things that spoke to me in this.
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Also, view comes right at the moment of the incident.
He doesn't wait until the day after. He doesn't.
Wait until the week after.
And all that Paul does in here, to me it speaks of not making any provision for the flash of, of Peter or himself. He doesn't act in a way that allows Peter to respond in a fleshly manner. Or I shouldn't say it doesn't encourage Peter to respond in a fleshly manner. He he, he talks to him right at the moment. There's no disputing of the facts of the situation. There's no.
You know, well, well, they were actually, it was just good to see my friends and and they were actually the the Gentiles were they were close by. They were in the table next to us. And it really wasn't that bad. He there's no disputing of the facts.
He he brings it up right at the time of the offense. He also does not.
Make a party. He doesn't. He doesn't go to other people and and and try to rally a group behind him.
There's no party making.
And his rebuke of Peter. There's no mention of Peter's past failures or offenses. He doesn't say something like Peter. Aren't you the one that denies the Christ or Peter? I heard about what you did last week too. Or Peter? I mean, how many times in my own experience, when?
Uh, a brother offends me or I see something that I think is wrong. I'll tell myself, well, it's just not something to make a big deal of right now.
But then this thing happens again, or this person upsets me again, and when I finally decide to talk about it, I have a whole list of things.
That I want to mention.
There's no mention of Peter's past failures. He's 6 to the offense right in front of him.
I already mentioned in one sentence, he switches to the we he for lack of a better, better way of saying it, he owns this and he he doesn't chastise Peter and say, how could you? Shouldn't you know better?
How do you, the the apostle to the Jews, make such a such a elementary mistake? How could you? He doesn't do that.
We have other times in the Bible where the faithful.
Say something to God, like God. Look at everyone else. I'm so faithful and, and I'm the only one. And God doesn't like that attitude, does he? He doesn't honor that. Umm.
When we identify with the send and and don't elevate ourselves above our brother and that that God blesses the situation.
This rebuke of Peter, at least to my reading, is so fluid that it's really hard to know where it begins and ends. It's so seamless. If you look at other translations, they struggle with where to put the parentheses.
I don't know where the exact words begin and end and the NASD it begins with those. I'm sorry the the phrases I mentioned about Peter and then ends at verse 21 of the translations do it differently.
And then the other thing I, I, I, I feel like spoken to me about this is.
Paul does not try to be the Holy Spirit in Peter's life. He doesn't try to say, Peter, I know you have this problem and you need to work on it. He doesn't say.
Peter, I see this error. Peter I he, he, he likes, he lets God do that if that's needed.
In my conversation that I was having with this fellow believer.
Uh, I realized all my words that I had spoken to this person were about flesh and blood.
Umm.
I allowed a lot of provision for the flesh in my words. I brought up past things that I really couldn't recollect perfectly.
I probably even tried to mention other people's names to influence the conversation.
Umm.
I tried.
In my own subtle, what I thought was subtle way.
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To umm, do the the work of the Holy Spirit.
This rebuke of Peter to my reading, Peter basically had two choices. He could have either said yeah, I'm I'm I'm done with the gospel, or he.
Basically, there was nothing in it that he could.
In a fleshly way, strike back at Paul. I mean, what? What can he say to this?
Paul, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a solid rebuke and it's a humble rebuke.
Umm.
To me, I just spoke about wrestling not against flesh and blood. This, the flesh and blood in that room had to have in a natural way, gotten Peter's, uh, sorry, Paul's ire, but but he doesn't respond in that way and I know.
I'm not. I'm not trying to say that, you know, every offense needs to be.
Needs to be dealt with, but umm, like I just just spoke to me as a pattern of how to do this in a in a way that acknowledges the spiritual warfare and doesn't serve the flash.
Well, I'm going to pray.
Dear God, we thank you for your son.
Who has overcome?
The world and Satan and all Satan's foes are defeated.
Lord, we know, uh, that in your wisdom you've left us here.
To uh.
Learn more of your blessed ways.
Uh, we pray that in all times and especially this time of, uh, increased stress where we can observe a lot of things.
Umm, that our brethren do that might get us upset.
Or cause disputation. Lord that we would umm.
Not, I think, room for the flash. And then we wanted umm.
He could get flesh and blood that we would.
Umm, acknowledge our true enemy and that we would, uh, glorify you in this Lord. Your name we pray. Amen.