I'm going to start here in verse
17 where we picked up last week about not using our liberty as
a cloak of maliciousness. And that's why it goes on, but
as the servants of God, use your freedom as servants of God. not to do and be mean and cruel
with your liberty. And then he goes on to say, as
the servants of God do this, he said, honor all men, love
the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Now when he talks about honor
and all men, he's talking about people to whom honors do. Paul
says this, give honor to whom honors do, tribute to whom tributes
do. And what he's doing, he means
according to their office, their position, whatever rank they
may have in this world, whatever authority they may have, whether
they're believers or unbelievers. And we run into people who are
people of position and authority and places, that all the time.
And we're to honor them because of their office and their position,
their rank, and whatever they may be, whether they're believers
or unbelievers. And we, the scriptures teaches
us that husbands ought to honor their wives. And then husbands
and wives are to honor, respect one another, be kind to one another,
love one another. Children are exhorted to honor
their parents and obey their parents. And teachers and school
officials are to be honored and held in great esteem. And that's
something that's not being done today. Those things are just
something that we've lost so much of, this honor and respect
and obedience to people in authority, teachers, school teachers, pastors,
elders. They're worthy of honor and respect.
Governor officials who've been vested with civil authority are
to be honored. But you know, this thing says,
I thought about this. There's so little honor, so little
respect, so little obedience given today, no matter where
you're at. You see it's so disrespectful. People using, teaching, you know,
teachers, and I wouldn't be a school teacher hardly for nothing, the
way they're treated today. And then there's so little authority
in places that it's hard for people to respect them. But look
over in 2 Peter 3. This is really where we're at. But we as believers, we're not
going to act this way. We're going to honor all men. We're going to give honor to
whom honor is due. We're going to honor our husbands, wives,
and children. We're going to honor their mothers
and fathers. Obie went up and spoke for Bruce Crabtree this
last week and took his whole family with him and I said weren't
these kids well respectful, ain't they quiet and ain't they peaceful
and that's one thing about this congregation I know all children
in this congregation have been so respectful and so honorable
and so decent I mean I do not remember one that hasn't been
that way I've watched all of Marlene's kids grow up here I
never heard him sass anybody. Kim's kids grew up here. Brad's
kids grew up here. Elaine's kids grew up here. And
they've all been so respectful. And that's the way it should
be. That's the way it should be.
But it's not that way everywhere. And this is what he said here
in 2 Timothy 3.1. This know also that in the last
days perilous times must come. And it is perilous times. You
turn on the news, you turn on the... and it's perilous everywhere
you look. It's perilous in the streets
in 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 1. And he says, this is the reason
men should be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers. Listen to this, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy. I was in the store the other
day and checking out and the little girl was just pretty as
she could be until they got to the checkout counter and there
was something she wanted on that checkout counter. Her mother
wouldn't let her have it. She got up on the thing, got
out of her cart, got up on the thing and went to scream it up
on the place where they run the things out. Poor old mother standing there.
You ain't getting it. She stood her ground. Oh, it's
just awful to see something like that. Without natural affection, truth
breakers, they're not honest, they just break a promise to
you and break it. False accusers, no incontinent,
no strength of character, fear of despisers of those that are
good, traitors, haughty, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than
lovers of God. This world is upside down. But
we as believers, we're going to honor all men. By God's grace,
we're going to honor people to whom honor is due. Whether it's
a policeman, whether it's the mayor, whether it's somebody
in the congregation, whether it's a committee man or whoever
it is, we're going to honor them in their position. And then he
went on to say, love the brotherhood. And what he's talking about is
a special family love. For all believers. For all believers. And we have that. God's blessed
us with that. And you know there's people that
we've not met and we converse with them and see them in social
places and love them. This is a special family love
that we have for one another. And we're of the same spirit
and body and faith. And our Lord teaches us to love
one another, love all people, but especially, especially them
who have faith in Christ. Love the present good. And then
he says, fear God. Fear God. Oh, what exhortations
these are. Now, when he talks about fearing
God, it's not talking about a slavish fear that we do what we do because
we're afraid God's going to punish us. We're afraid God's gonna
pour out His wrath on us for something we said or done. It's
not a slavish fear of wrath or judgment or hell or condemnation. No, no. This is a fear that we
have of God that we hold Him in awe. He is so glorious and
so mighty and so magnificent, so august. that you know that
he inhabits eternity whatever eternity is that's what he inhabits
I can only inhabit this space I can only be here God is everywhere
and inhabits eternity and we can only inhabit this spot and
he can inhabit this spot and us at the same time And oh, to
hold him in reverence and respect and awe, he's the living God. And he said he's greatly to be
feared in the congregation. Oh, to be worshipped and to be
praised. Oh, bless his name forevermore.
Then he said, in honor of the king, in honor of the king, honor
that person who holds the nation in the highest office and represents
authority. and all there to be respected,
and they hold office and authority, and we're to honor them, leaders
in affection, especially those who hold the highest office of
the land. Now look here in verse 18, and then he says servants,
he's giving us some exhortations here. Talking about, he just
goes on and on with it here. And servants, you're a servant,
you work for somebody. You're a workman, you're a servant,
you don't have your own business, you don't do service, be subject
to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle,
but also to the frail. And you know the Jews, you remember
now, Lord Jesus told them, He said, He says, you know, know
you the truth and the truth sets you free. And the first thing
they said, we're Abraham's children, we've never been in bondage to
anybody. We just never had to serve anybody,
never been in bondage to anybody. And they had the belief that
because they were the seed of Abraham, they ought not be the
servants of anybody. And even some of the believers
that were in the Lord Jesus Christ thought that they shouldn't have
to be subject to unbelieving masters. So he says, since Christ
is our master, we ought not have to serve any other master. And
they had the idea also that if their master was a believer,
and they were a believer, they were equal to one another, and
they didn't have to obey him that way. But that's not what
the apostles said here. If you work for somebody, if
you serve somebody, if you are hired by somebody, you're to
be subject to that person, obey that person, and serve that person
in authority and do it with some fear, do it with some respect,
and do it with some loyalty. Whether he's a brother, whether
he's an unbeliever, or whether he's mean as a snake. If you're working for him, you're
going to do what he says to do, and you're going to do it. And
that's what it means. Faith doesn't do away with authority
or a chain of command or our service to anybody when we get
an opportunity to do it. And I'm a firm believer in that.
I'm a firm believer when you do something for somebody and
they hire you and you're loyal to them. You give them the best
service you can possibly give them. I know the fella, he owned two
or three factories that had lots and lots of people working for
him. And he had a lot of people in a particular church that worked
for him. And he furnished all the tools, you know, drills and
all kinds of stuff. And he says, every day I'd have
to go buy a whole bunch of new drills for those people and pack
them out just fast so I could buy them. And this is a believing man. And he gave lots of people lots
of jobs. And then those believers in there
said they sometimes, he said sometimes they sassed me and
everything because we went to the same church. Said they didn't
feel like they had to pay much attention to me. Give them a
good job, give them good wages and provide all their tools. I tell you what, that's not the
way to be. That's not the way to be. And
even if I have to go do something for somebody, I'm going to give
them the best I can possibly give them. I may not be able
to give them very much, but whatever I get, I'm going to give them
the best I've got, if I can. And that's what he means here.
You know, not only to the good, not only serve your masters that
are good, and those that are gentle and kind to you, but if
you've got one that's just starving, Sorry, you go on, you go on serving,
you go on and do that. And then he says this in verse
19, talking about suffering now. You know you have to suffer under
these things. For if this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience
toward God, he's got a good conscience toward God, he's conscious of
God, he wants to keep his conscience clear before God. And if this
man endures grief and suffering wrongfully, Because of his conscience
towards God. He's conscious of God and he
wants to do what's right in the sight of God. For what glory
is it if, when you have above it for your own faults, you shall
take it patiently? But if you do well and suffer
for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable to God. And
what he's saying here is that believers, if we suffer because
of our profession, because of being believers, And we pay attention
to what's going on. And we suffer persecution. Husbands,
wives, children, whatever. And we suffer persecution and
dear grief and mistreatment. And our conduct and our attitude
is pleasing to God because we have this conscience of God.
That's acceptable, that's right, that's good, that's honorable. God's to be thanked for that.
And we do thank God for it and God gets the glory for it. But
if somebody's a rebel, a smart aleck, lazy, disloyal, and he
suffers the consequences of his own actions, there's no glory or honor in
that if he takes that patiently. And we can't possibly call it
bearing our cross and suffering for Christ when we are our own
difficulties and the things that are brought upon us because of
our own actions. You know, if a fellow is lazy
and sorry and brazen and somebody says, Lord you know it, then
you get on to him for it. And they take that patiently.
Then turn around and say, well I'm fast about to be bearing
my cross. He brought that on himself. But if somebody mistreats
you and you take that patiently, and it's for Christ's sake and
you bear that, then God gets the glory. And that's what he's
saying about it. And I'll tell you this, People out there being smart
alecky and lazy and sorry, just some people in trouble. Then
look what he says here in verse 21. And he says, for even here
unto were ye called. You're called to this. Then look
who gives us an example. We're called to suffering. Called
to all these things that the apostle talked about. You know,
honoring all men that we suffer. He said, and even here too were
you called. You're called to obedience. You're
called to Godliness. You're called to good works.
You're called to honor Christ. You're called to suffer whatever
affliction, violence, suffering. that may result from your being
a believer, from your better, good life that honors God. For
even hereto on were you called because Christ also suffered
for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in his
steps. Now he, that's what, he was suffered, he said we're called
to follow in his steps. Suffer, he said he's our example,
He took it patiently. Christ left us an example. And
I'll tell you, look over in Philippians 1.29 with me just a minute. Philippians
1.29. In the book of Philippians chapter
1 verse 29. That's what our Lord said, you
know, and that's what Paul said. Yea, all that live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution. And oh God help us if we are
reproached and we suffer. Because of our character and
our conduct, what a blessing that is. He said here in Philippians
129, He said, For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ,
not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
for His sake. You know, when they took those
apostles, And the first time they whipped him, first time
they beat him, they took Peter, James, and John. After that lame
man was healed, they took him over there. And they got all
those 70 men, gathered around them, and all the high priests,
and all them big shots gathered around them, and just questioned
them. And, you know, I mean everybody as anybody got around them. And
they treated them respectfully. And then they whipped him and
said, don't you go out there and do that again. And they walked
out of there rejoicing. Rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ. Why did they count
it worthy? Because they saw Christ suffering
for them. Why did they want to do that?
And there was a high priest who slapped the Apostle Paul one
time. And he called him a whited wall. And he says, you called
the high priest this? He said, I didn't know he was
a high priest. He said, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to speak evil of
him who God set in this position. And I tell you what, and that's
why I say this, that's what they always said. What a joy it is
to suffer for Christ. Now if we suffer for our own
sorriness, suffer the consequences for our own actions, let's don't
call this favor a tear in our cross. And then look what he
said in verse 22. Listen to what he said. who did
no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who when he was
reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered he threatened not,
but committed himself to him that judgeth righteous. And he
said, now Christ is our example. Now look what it said, he didn't
commit any sin. He didn't commit any sin. He
didn't, when he was put in a position He didn't get angry, he didn't
get mad, he never got upset with people. Listen to what he said
then. He said here, you see our Lord Jesus Christ said there
was no guile in his mouth. There was no deceit in him, no
lies, no exaggeration. And yet he suffered, he did no
sin, he committed no sin while he was in this world and yet
he suffered. Oh how he suffered. Never did he exaggerate. Every
word that came out of his mouth was the exact perfect truth. Oh my, then men reviled him. He said, well boy he's a drunkard,
he's a winebibber. Because they saw him with men.
They called him a devil. Said he's the prince of the devil,
he's miserable, this man's got a devil. They called him a friend
of sinners, they ridiculed him every chance they had. But why
did our Lord, did He turn around and revile them back? Did He
turn around and say, no, no, He never said anything back to
them. And when He stood before Herod, and then Herod said, say
something, Herod wouldn't say a word. Never tried to defend
himself. And when He suffered, He didn't
make them, when they caused Him to suffer, He didn't make them
suffer in return, or He didn't threaten them. And you know what
he could have done to make a man suffer? The minute somebody says
something to him, he could have brought, put him down in the
dust egg. Because he said, I could turn
these stones into bread. I could take these
stones to praise me. He said, if you don't praise
me, I could cause these stones to do it. And yet, beloved, He
never, instead of seeking vengeance or threatening them or causing
them to suffer in any way, you know what He did? He said, Father,
forgive them. They know not what to do. Pray
for them. He prays for me when I say and
do things I shouldn't do. Instead of making me suffer for
it, He prays for me and forgives me. and all beloved and look
what it says here he says in the last part of verse 23 but
committed himself to him that judges righteously he put himself
in his father's hands He committed his case and everything to the
judge of all men, and he knows that God, his Father, would do
exactly right with everybody and everyone who ever did anything,
and that he would bring his case and his cause out exactly the
right way to his glory. And this is our example, that's
what he said, this is our example. We may be misunderstood, ridiculed,
persecuted, but we're not to use the methods that the world
does, and we're not to certainly treat our enemies the way they
treat us. Our Lord says, love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use
you, and leave our cause in the hands of God, and He'll do exactly
right by it all. Don't you believe that? I'm thankful
that it's that way. And then look what He said in
verse 24. what he said in verse 24, who his own self, oh my,
this is what I, you know when you want to start talking about
getting upset with somebody and things, he said this is our example,
and he takes it to, not only did he, when he was reviled,
didn't revile again or threaten, he didn't threaten again. Who
his own self, thou art sins in his own body on the tree. Oh my, that we being dead to
sins, where did we die to sins at? On the tree. When He bore
our sins in His own body on that tree, we died to sin right there. As He put away sin and sin died
unto sin once, we died to sin right there. Sin was put to death
and we died with Christ in all our sins only. And he says this,
that we should live under righteousness by whose stripes you were healed,
for you have a sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the
shepherd and bishop of your souls. And oh beloved, this is the thing,
our Lord Jesus bore our sins in his own body on that cross,
that we might be redeemed, that God would justify us, pardon
us, forgive us, put all our sins away there on our blessed Savior's
body. There would our Savior boil on
His own cross on that tree. And He did that. That we being
dead to sins because we died with Christ, we should live righteously
in this world. And what does it mean to live
righteously? That means it's to live as well as we can by
this blessed book And do right when you know what's right. And
do it just because it's right to do it. Not because we want
a reward. Not because we want somebody
to pat us on the back. Because it's our nature. Because
it's the way we're to do. To do what's right. Always do what's right. God help
us to, that's what he says, live righteousness. Live under righteousness. And then he goes on to say, by
whose stripes you were healed of this awful disease of sin.
And then look what he goes on to say, for you as sheep going
astray. We all as sheep, every one of us turned to our own way.
We always, never was anything but sheep. Christ come to seek
and save his sheep. And he says, like sheep we were
going astray. David was a shepherd of sheep.
He said, I'll take my sheep, I'll carry my lambs and my mussels.
We're never nothing but sheep. And he came and found us and
we were a strain. He left the ninety and nine and
come into the wilderness to get us. And it says, now we're returned
unto the bishop. How did we return unto him? Did
we turn around and come to him on the whole power? How did we
return to the bishop, shepherd, bishop of our soul? You know
how we were returned? Christ got us and turned us.
Christ got us and brought us. And that's why Lord Jesus says,
I lay down my life for the sheep, and my sheep hear me, and I know
them, and they know me, and they'll hear my voice. And so we turn,
and now we're come to Christ the shepherd and bishop of our
souls. And so whatever happens in this world, whatever people
say about us, whatever they do to us, whatever, it don't make
any difference. They say, hey, you know, it ain't happened in
a long time, and you know, I'm sure it'll happen again. But
just as sure as folks find out exactly what you believe. You
know why the Lord says the world hates you? Because I've chosen
you out of the world. Just the minute, the minute you
tell somebody that I'm one of God's elect, that God chose me
before the foundation of the world in Christ, And right then and there, you're
going to hit a hornet's nest. That's all you got to say. You
mean you think you're special? No. I think he is. Why didn't he choose me? He didn't
choose everybody? No. And you got in a hornet's
nest right then and there. And all you done was told the
truth. That's all you done, told the truth. Ain't you thankful
for that? I'm going to tell the truth.
Tell the truth. Lord Jesus, blessed, blessed
Savior. Thank you for your pittiness
today as this evening as a father pities his children. Thank you
for enabling me to speak just a few minutes. I pray that you'd
be pleased to bless it to understandings to our hearts. Father, we want
to honor you. And if we suffer, we want to
honor you. If we suffer for our relationship
to Christ, oh, what a joy it would be. But Lord, help us to always be
respectful, to honor people, to be kind and loving to people,
even though they may be harsh and mean and impatient with us. Help us, Lord, to forgive those
who mistreat us, for those who would take advantage of us. Lord, we want to be believers.
We want to honor you. And, oh, we understand this flesh
is so desperately, desperately wicked that, oh, Lord Jesus,
you gave us a nature that loves you and needs you and depends
on you. So we cast it all on you again tonight. We present
our bodies a living sacrifice to you. God bless these dear
saints, these precious people of God. As they go their way,
we bless you in Christ's name. Amen. Amen. Learning to lead
Learning to lead. I'm learning to lead on Jesus. Finding more power than I've
ever dreamed, I'm learning to lean on Jesus. We need time.