Published: October 5, 2025 | Speaker: Mark Freitag | Series: 1 Peter - Part 20 | Scripture: 1 Peter 2:18-3:7
Transcript
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sanctuary to see thy power and thy glory because thy loving kindness is better than life. My lips will praise thee, so I will bless thee as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in thy name. My
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soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. Let us pray.
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Father, oh that our hearts would be as David's was. That we would be satisfied with you.
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That we would be satisfied as if we had that fatness, that morsels in our mouths that just makes our mouths water.
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that that would be a picture of the sensation for our our senses, our hearts, our minds, our spirits would react to that
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and be satisfied in you, Father. There is no satisfaction in anything else in this world except in you. And in that
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satisfaction, then we can we can live as David did. We could live by faith. we could walk in a manner that pleases you. We could be satisfied with you all day.
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And so we ask that you would do these things in our hearts, but we ask that you would also do this in the midst of the congregation, that you would build us up in our most holy faith, and that
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you would be pleased, you would be glorified in it. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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I invite you to stand as we turn to him 77. We use the second tune.
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The Lord's my sheer I not want. He makes me down to lie. In pastures
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In pastures green he leadth me. The quieters
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by my soul. He doth restore again and me to walk of May
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within the path of rightuous
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[Music] Though I walk in death dark veil, yet will I fear the hill.
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For thou art with me, and thy rod, and staff me comfort
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still. My table thou has furnished
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in presence of my foes. My head thou dust with oil
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anoint and my cup overflows. Goodness and mercy
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and mercy all my life shall surely
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me. And in God's house forever more my dwelling my dwelling place shall be.
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[Music] Let's turn over now to him 7:36.
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melody from 15 which is Duke Street.
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Jehovah hear thee in thy grief. Our father's God and be still.
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Send from his holy place. Relieve place. Relieve and strengthen thee from Zion's
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hill. My sacrifice My sacrifice may heard and all thy offerings bear in mind.
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My heart's desire to thee.
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[Music] In my salvation we rejoice we rejoice and in God's name our bers
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to thy voice. Fulfill thy prayers through all thy Salvation will the Lord command
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and his anointed will defend. will defend. Yay with the strength of his right hand
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from him he will and answer
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on horses others will rely will rely but we acknowge All our defense
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our defense is God Jehov the Lord most high. Now we arise at the bright sand
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while they subdued and helpless Jehovah save us by thy hand.
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The king give when we call. Please be seated.
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going to continue our reading in Hagi, the second and last chapter of the the On the 21st of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came by Haggi the
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prophet, saying, "Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shaiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehosed, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Who is
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left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison? But now take courage, Zubabel, declares the Lord.
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Take courage also, Joshua son of Jehoshed, the high priest. And all you people of the land, take courage, declares the Lord, and work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts. As
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for the promise which I made, As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, my spirit is abiding in your midst. Do not fear, for thus says the Lord of hosts, once more in a little
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while, I'm going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also, and the dry land. I will shake all the nations and they will come with the wealth of all nations. And I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of Hosts. The
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silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of Hosts. The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the Lord of Hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of Hosts. On the 24th
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of the 9th month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggi the prophet, saying, "Thus says the Lord of Hosts, ask now the priests for a ruling. If a man carries holy meat
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in the fold of his garment and touches bread with his fold, or cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy? The priest answered, "No." Then Haggi said, "If one who is unclean
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from a corpse touches any of these, will the latter become unclean?" And the priest answered, "It will become unclean." Then Hagi said, "So is this people, and so is this nation before me,
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declares the Lord. And so is every work of their hands, and what they offer there is unclean. But now do consider from this day onward, before one stone was placed on another in the temple of
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the Lord. From that time, when one came to a grain heap of 20 measures, there would be only 10. And when one came to a wine vat to draw 50 measures, there would only be 20. I smoke you and every
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work of your hands with blast with blasting wind, mildew, and hail. Yet you did not come back come back to me, declares the Lord. Do consider from this day onward, from the 24th day of the
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ninth month, from the day when the temple of the Lord was founded, consider, is the seed still in the barn, even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree. It
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has not borne fruit. Yet from this day on, I will bless you." Then the word of the Lord came a second time to Hagi on the 24th day of the month, saying, "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah,
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saying, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of of the nations. And I will overthrow the chariots and
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their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another. On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerugo, son of Shaiel,
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my servant, declares the Lord, and I will make you like a signant ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of
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[Music] God is our refuge and our strength, our ever present day. And therefore, though the earth gives
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way, we will not be afraid. Though mountains fall into the sea, though waters foam and roar,
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we will not fear. Go mountains quake as waves engulf the shore.
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The river flows whose streams delight the city of our God. The holy place in which the Lord goes high as his abode.
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God is within his holy place. The city will not yield for God will come and break a day to be
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her help and shield. The nations are in disarray. The kingdoms disappear.
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kingdoms disappear. God speaks and at his mighty voice the whole earth melts with fear. The Lord Almighty is with us to
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strengthen and sustain. For Jacob's God, our strong defense and fortress will remain.
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Come see the works the Lord has done, the judgments he commands, the desolations the desolations he has brought to pass in many lands.
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In every land throughout the earth, he makes all conflict cease. He shatters bow and spear and shield and
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brings his reign of peace.
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Be still and know that I am God on earth exalted high exalted high and all the nations of the world my name will glorify.
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will glorify. The Lord Almighty is with us to strengthen and sustain. For Jacob's God, our strong defense and
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fortress will remain
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[Music] Thank you. [Music] Amidst the sun
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below it stands and it's us. His pierced hands
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points to the wounded feet and side. Blessed emblems of
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the crucified
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when at his table says the Lord. The wine, how rich, the bread, how sweet.
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When Jesus stays the guest to me, if now with eyes
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defiled and dim, we see the signs blessing on him.
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Oy his love. The scales display this place as it uses
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to face our transports. We recount when with him in
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the holy m our souls to thirst a new
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his good lovely face to you. How glorious bright
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groom of our hearts thy present smile [Music] the heaven.
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Oh, lift the veil. If there be, let every saint
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It's at this time that we go before our God in prayer. Would ask any of you in Christ to pray and after a time I'll close. Let's pray.
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Gracious heavenly father, how blessed we are to are to be under your hand, be under your guidance, all your grace and mercy that you've
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given to us, Father. Most of all, we're so thankful for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His sacrifice upon that cross
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paid all the sins we have done will do. He paid that price that we couldn't even fath to do.
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Lord we again thank you. We praise you for who you are, what you grant us each and every day.
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We pray that our service this morning would be sweet and our fellowship would be uplifting be uplifting hearing your word today brought to you
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Father that we would hear those things not just be hearers
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Lord, we ask that you would fill our hearts with the the image of that body that was true bread being broken, the
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blood that was true drink being shed, that we might indeed partake of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not
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in the physical sense, but in our souls, the bread and the wine as they are in our mouth would be the body and blood of Jesus Christ in our hearts.
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And help us to rejoice that that blood was shed, that body was broken, that he who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, that we might be the righteousness of God in him.
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and help us also to rejoice knowing that having made the sacrifice our Passover lamb, there is therefore no condemnation
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now for those who are in him. And by your spirit, we pray that you would fulfill the righteous law of your demands upon us for your glory and for
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our good that you having begun a good work in us will indeed bring it to perfection in the name of the Lord. We do ask or not. Come with us. Come quick.
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Father, for prayer for our brother Elie, we had to leave early because of the pain he's in, coming off medication before his biopsy scheduled for tomorrow. pray that you would uh get him
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home safely, help him to have a good evening of rest, be able to endure the pain, and get through the procedure tomorrow. You
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thank you for his his faithfulness in the congregation. the congregation. Pray that you would comfort him even even now as he
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waits for the outcome of the biopsy of things to come. Pray that you would strengthen him physically, strengthen him spiritually as well. Christ's name we pray.
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Father, we thank you that we have inherited a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We praise you for how in Christ you did overthrow thrones and kingdoms and powers and rulers
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and revealed yourself to the only true God. who sits on this throne.
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ruler of this world has been judged judged in Jesus's death and resurrection and that we who have died with him and raised with him do not come under that
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judgement any longer. We can gloriously look forward to the day when you reveal what you have accomplished in Christ.
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We pray that as you have not given us a spirit of fear. So we would indeed entrust our lives to you and even glory when we are allowed
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to suffer to suffer knowing that our suffering is like the suffering of Christ. We suffer with him with him.
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We thank you for your words of promise and power and power the old and new testament. We put our faith in these things. Knowing that you are suffering
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that no power exists exists apart from your control.
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I pray for the gospel to continue to go forth in power power of Christ resurrection. I think especially up this morning
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his ministry in Turkey a seen the gospel and seemingly been plunged back into darkness. We pray that you would
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strengthen the word that is in his mouth. Protect him that is your will.
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Lord, you are able to break chains and open prison doors and allow people to walk out freely if you choose. So you pray that you would strengthen him and protect him and that his
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ministry would bear fruit. That you would reveal yourself in that land as land as again sovereign.
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again sovereign. That you would go up against the powers and rulers and spiritual places
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there. and that you would show yourself to them by the gospel.
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So again, we pray for pray for his encouragement and strength and his joy, his confidence, his confidence, for you to be glorified in him and for Christ to be exalted.
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We pray for ourselves in our situation different contexts. different contexts. Certainly we don't
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face the opposition that has but we pray that we too would be faithful. We too would be willing to suffer in doing
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our souls to the Lord who suffered for us. Praise his name. Amen.
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Dear Lord, we praise your name for the encouragement that we receive through your spirit and by the words of our brothers and sisters. Lord, we ask that you would please continue to unite us today in our our study of your word and
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of our receiving the word preached. We ask that you would please make us like Thessalonica or Berea. That you would make us receptive to your word and
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encouraged by it and able to do the work you would have us to do. We ask that you would please bless our time here, that you would bless our supper and our worship to you and um
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that it would be in honor of you, that we would honor you in what we do. We ask that you would please continue to be with us throughout the week. I echo the the prayer of our sister that we
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would in our own context do what honors you and to live and face all of the challenges of life in the way that you would have us to.
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We ask all of this in the name of Christ. Amen.
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singing. Turn to hymn 462 but use the alternate
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[Music] has freely has freely been forgiven. [Music] Who sin is holy
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covered before the sight of heaven. Bless he to whom Jehovah
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will not impute his sin. his sin. Who has a godless spirit whose heart is true within.
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silence, my strengthless my strengthless spent with grief. Thy hand was heavy
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on me. My soul found no relief. But when I own my trespass,
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my sin did not from me. When I confess
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me. So let the godly seek thee in times when thou art near.
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No welling No welling flood shall reach them nor cause their hearts to fear.
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In thee, oh Lord, I hide thee. Thou saveest me from it.
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And songs of thy salvation,
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[Music] I graciously I graciously will teach thee the way that thou shalt
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[Music] And with my eye upon thee, my counel made thee know.
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A king of God not unruly
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not but willing but willing to heed my wise men. The sorrows
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The sorrows of the wind in number in number shall abound.
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shall abound. But those that trust
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his mercy shall surround. Then in the Lord be rejoiceful in songs. Lift up your voice.
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Be glad in God. Be righteous. Rejoice. We saints
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first Peter 2 and into chapter 3 to set the scene for what's coming up the in the future weeks. Um because I think there is the connections between these uh just make it better for
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us to see a whole before we start looking at the parts. I'm going to start at 1 Peter chapter 2 at verse 18.
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Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect. Not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor if for the sake of conscience towards God a
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man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience?
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But if when you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since
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Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in his steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth. And while
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being reviled, he did not revile in return. While suffering, he uttered no threats, but kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously. And he
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himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For by his wounds, you were healed. For you were continually
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straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. your souls. In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands, so that
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even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be one without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chasteed and respectful
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behavior. And let not your adornment be merely external, braiding the hair and wearing gold jewelry or putting on dresses, but let it be the hidden person of the heart
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with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also who hoped in God used to adorn
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themselves being submissive to their own husbands. Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. And you have become her children if you do what is right
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without being frightened by any fear. You husbands likewise live with your wives in an understanding way as with a weaker vessel since she is a woman and
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grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life so that your prayers may not be hindered. Let us pray. Our
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heavenly father, again we we ask that you would by your holy spirit speak to us, speak to our ears and our our hearts, our spirits that we may have a
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heart not only of of wisdom and understanding. We may have a heart to obey and walk as someone has prayed that we would be doers of the word and not
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hearers only. And father, we do ask that we would understand what you have written in your word. That we would not fill it with things that our society
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and the unbelieving society has taught us to think through, but we would truly understand what you have in your heart
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for us concerning how we ought to live in this society. and we ask these things for your glory and honor in Christ's name. Amen.
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I chose to read uh this section because it is uh controversial I think in the modern church the idea of of servants, the idea of the of slaves
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and why the New Testament writers did not speak against slavery and not um discredit it and criticize it and
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some would say begin a reform. Many look at what we see here in chapter 3, the instruction to to wives and
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husbands and husbands and miss, I think, what Peter the underlying purpose for his writing this whole
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section and turn passages like this and as we'll mention later, Colossians 3, Ephesians 5, they turn those into kind of a
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marriage manual instead of the heart of what Peter and Paul would say to us as
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These people that he speaks to are the most vulnerable in their society. But Peter has made two things I think clear to his readers in chapter one
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beginning in verse three. He has told them who they are and what God has done. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again
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to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Why? He goes on, "So that protected by the power of God through faith, the
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proof of your faith, though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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tested as by fire found to be in praise and glory and honor. He says, "While you are on earth, while you are
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in this society that God has placed you in, chapter 2, submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution,
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whether to a king as one in authority, for such is the will of God." He says, "That by doing right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men." His
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goal is that we bring glory to God by being witnesses to an unbelieving society. And that unbelieving society could be translated the culture in which you
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live, in which they live, but I think by extension in which we live. And yet, as
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the interesting discussion in our Sunday school this morning, what was first century Greco Roman society like? What was it
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what were the authorities like? What was it like for these Christians to live in that time in that society?
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And as I studied these things over the past few weeks, I realized I didn't know much if anything about Greco Roman culture um except the little bits that
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you get from scripture. I needed some historians. I needed some people to kind of put some things together because I think that as we look at the heart of
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Peter's letter here from 211 down to 411 when he's talking about the relationships that we have with in our families in our workplaces in our the
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authority structures that are around us. uh I I I think we must first understand the Greco Roman culture in which uh
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Peter was writing and h what did they think about society and people's roles in it because isn't that what he's speaking of slaves or or
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servants um wives husbands and Paul speaks of children and their parents it's the role in which we find ourselves
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in this society. household and the proper relationships
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within that household. Slaves to masters, wives to husbands, children to parents. As the
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As the commentator Karen Jobes wrote, quote, disorder in the household would create disorder in the society. And for that reason, foreign religions, of which
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Christianity was one, were often rejected in Roman cit cities. They they always examine how does this religion
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and he's speaking of course to the Christians. How does your Christianity work in society?
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Does it cause disorder? Does it disrupt what the Roman society said the household should be?
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So Peter's focus is on the nature of these relationships these relationships that Christians have in society. But I think Peter
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walks a line. There's probably a word for that. But I think he walks a line because on the one hand freedom in the
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gospel I believe that he says must not give rise to suspicious or accusations against Christians.
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But at the same time the gospel of Jesus Christ is subversive to the Greco Roman culture. To subvert
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To subvert the definition is to undermine or overthrow or overturn the powers that be on the authorities of an established system or institution.
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So, so Peter's writing from his background in Judaism as a Jew and there is respect in the writings of
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Moses about respecting the slave and how the household should work. But he has to instruct his readers
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as they are surrounded by pagans, by people living out values and expectations of first century Greco
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Roman society. Roman society. So he affirms part of that social order, but he rejects other parts that are not
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compatible with the gospel. It's as if he's saying something like, "Do not use your new freedom in your new life
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in such a way as to bring condemnation on the church. But understand that being born again transforms who you are
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in a way that is so superior to the culture that you're living in.
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And he gives us a paradigm and Peter insists that it is found in the example of the supreme sufferer and the supreme servant as we've read in
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chapter 2 21-2. Jesus Christ brings dignity and self understanding to the lowly.
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He became like them in his incarnation, did he not? and he understands us and he left us as Peter writes as an example to follow in
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his steps. What was the socopolitical function of the household then in Greco Roman times
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of the first century? Well, there's basic philosophical belief and I say that because the philosophers Aristotle, Kato, and I'm not going to
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pronounce this correct, Zenopon wrote about these what they called household codes. household codes. And that basic belief was the order in
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the family was divinely ordained and it was the basis for a prosperous
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of what happens in the privacy of my home own home is none of your business would not fly in first century
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Rome. It was society's business to know how you operated your household. The family was more than blood relations. what we would call I guess
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extended family for sure was in there but this household slaves but there were also clients and there were also other workers in the home and
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as Aristotle and these other philosophers wrote uh these household codes they would describe how each member of the household was to live and
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how to see their role and they must know their place, they must know their function and they must perform it well.
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And these household codes and I uh know that some of the commentators particularly uh Richard Lensky the uh German uh commentator um says that the German word is houseif. Um, a better English
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translation I think for these household codes is what many call station codes. Your station in life. And the main purpose of these codes was
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to tell people how to fulfill your socopolitical duty within the greater society. Their emphasis was wisely accept your
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station and behave in a manner appropriate and consistent with it. And foreign religions like Christianity
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were scrutinized were scrutinized by whether they complied with the expected station codes. Did they comply with the necessary
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social order as set down by the
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And again reading some of these things and trying to get this setting for Peter's writing in my mind, I came across an expression um or sentence in
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one of the commentators that says, "Oh, how Peter's words and Paul again in Colossians 3, Ephesians 5 have been
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quote misused. used, misinterpreted, misappropriated. And the you know that there are people
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who look at these and and the term is power hierarchies power hierarchies using these things that that have been written and basically
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trying to give credence to things like slavery or to male domination. in a society. And so understanding
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the household codes, the station codes, I think is important. It's important to see that that Jewish writings of the day
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did not include these codes until Pho mid first century uh early to mid 1st century I believe. And Josephus
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And Josephus Phost studied and commented on the Bible in the synagogues and he wrote what some people described as schools of virtue.
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One of the stoic philosophers again first century philosopher Senica wrote quote no one will do his duty as he ought unless he has some principle to
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which he may refer his conduct. See there there was a code there was a a way that it was laid down and people expected to follow
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and these codes appear to 21st century people as patriarchal to the point of being abusive.
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They assume a social world in which dominant males control all others and including not only women and children but other men.
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That women are inferior to men. And slavery is just something that the world has to
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view as necessary and it's pervasive.
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So how does Peter navigate this Greco Roman first century social stationary codes? Well, again, the New Testament passages in Colossians 3,
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Ephesians 5, 1 uh Timothy 6 along with our passage here in First Peter 2 are often cited as these are examples of
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Christian stationary codes or household codes. But again there is abuse because many of these commentators who who
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think this way of these codes focus on the male figure, the husband, the father, the master and they advise him how to act toward his
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But both in Peter and in Paul, they don't follow that tack. Both parties are addressed. The slave and the master, the wife and
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the husband, the child and the parent, but in that order. The slave first, not the master, the wife first, then the husband, the child first, then the
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parent. Because the first in each pair was considered the subordinate person, the lowliest person. lowliest person. But they recognized
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Peter and Paul did that the role of the subordinate figure is significant is significant and important and important and Peter treats them with dignity.
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In the first century context, they're not fully equal and mutual relationships. And I think we see that in God's economy,
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but they convey full access to salvation in Jesus Christ to everyone in the household. And that's an important difference.
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So what is the function of Peter's station codes in New Testament ethical instruction? Well, there are some theories out there and I guess I have to agree with one of
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the commentators who say these are not mutually exclusive, mutually exclusive, but it is possible that it's a legalistic response to an egalitarian
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movement among women and slaves. think feminism in first century. It could be that Peter and Paul were trying to create a
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cohesive identity for the fledgling church. Uh the young church that needed an identity needed to know that we're we're acting together. We are in union
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with one another. But it's pro possibly an apologetic response to criticism to the effect as
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we've already said of what is Christianity's relation to the accepted and required social order.
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But Peter doesn't rubber stamp the Greco Roman philosoph philosophical codes. He uses a similar form while putting the household relationships as one commentator says on
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a whole new footing. He writes about these ethical codes to show that Christians were to be good
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members of society while he also recognized what was wrong with the unjust systems around him.
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And without using Senica's words that every man quote will do his duty as he ought unless he has some principle to
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which he may refer his conduct. Peter shows that that principle to which Christians must refer their contact is found and only found in Jesus
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Christ and not in the codes of the society in which you live. So Peter begins by addressing the lowest
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of the lowly, the slave before the masters, the wife before the husband. And by the way, the idea of of servants in the New American Standard are slaves
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and some of your others. There are two words for that translated slaves. One is dulos. But the one used here is more what we
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would consider domestics, domestic servants, household servants. But these domestics function, I think,
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in Peter as an example for all Christians. Peter's addressing all believers
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and the motivation in verse 20. For this finds favor if for the sake of conscience towards God a man bears up under the sorrows when suffering unjustly.
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suffering unjustly. Thomas Reiner writes, "Those who endure suffering from their masters while doing what is good will be rewarded by God."
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Understand Peter is not condoning slavery here. He is not winking at the oppression that many people were
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under. And his focus is not the stability of the Roman Empire. that that's that's not what Peter values. As Edmund Clowney wrote, what does have
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point and value is their response to unjust punishment. unjust punishment. Peter sees the possibility of significant persecution coming. I I I
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think he has an insight into the things that the church is going to face because he himself has faced some of those. And the Christian domestics
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may have wondered if their being born again, the new life they have in Christ would relieve them of the oppressive society and the expectations of it.
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And again, people wonder, well, why didn't Peter take this opportunity now then to criticize the institution of slavery and call for its abolition?
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As the writer Reinhardt Feldmmeer came across this quote in another commentary, "Christians as a hated minority were certainly not in position to make any
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demands and proposals about this matter or to change anything in pagan society. They were They were considered very lowly in society.
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And again, I say that Peter's concern is for the godly response of all Christians, no matter what their station is. Peter's words here, be submissive to
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your masters, are understood to be imperatives for all domestics.