0:03
It's been two weeks since I was up here last. Um, I don't want to rehash everything that I did in that first session,
0:18
but I actually do have a few more um I guess I'll call them introductory statements to say. Uh, and in part my concern here, I don't want to test anyone's patience by not immediately jumping into First Thessalonians and and uh, you know,
0:31
racing down the track, but I want to be very careful in putting out here what I think is the the foundation, the footing, the right base on which to
0:43
build this study as we go forward. Um so just a few points to make here um as we as we sort of get started which is uh
0:55
where are we going? Well I'm going I intend hopefully Lord willing to cover these five books together. Most of which are Pauline Jude of course is its own.
1:07
Um why am I covering these five books? I've given you my sort of brief outline. We discussed that somewhat last time I was up here. up here. Um, but why am I covering these particular books? Well, I think that
1:19
there's something to be seen here. I'm I'm using the analogy to see the glade if not the whole forest. So, if we consider these things as trees, let's look at these couple of trees together
1:30
um and try to see what they have to say together because I actually do think that these books interrelate in a way that has something to say um that is not necessarily the same as their individual
1:42
messages. I think their individual messages will all contribute to this. But I think it's a an an exercise for us in reading scripture
1:53
collectively. Does that make sense to everyone? The as in reading the books not in isolation. Um there's so much cross-pollination in scripture. And I
2:04
told Jenny, I I um apparently I'm going to to to skip a rock across the New Testament this morning as I kept putting more and more and more references down in my notes.
2:15
And I will try not to test everyone's patience. This is also not a sword drill Sunday. Quick, everybody, turn to act. No. Um but there's so much interwoven.
2:26
There's so much that scripture has to say of itself and to itself. It it converses. And I think this has come out of um Chuck's biblical theology studies.
2:36
I think it has come out of the way we've been doing things here for many years. I think it's come out of Aaron's study in in Deuteronomy. We have seen so many of these things. So, um I think these books
2:49
are short enough that hopefully we can get our hands around all of them together to look at these side by side. I understand that we probably could do an entire session on each one of these
2:59
uh books individually if we wanted to. There's going to be depth that I'm not going to get down to. Um, there will be some things we leave behind here, not out of disrespect for the books, but
3:10
simply because of the exercise that I'm attempting here. And I am, uh, I'll say up top, I'm always happy if somebody wants to challenge me. If you want to throw your hand up and say, I think
3:20
you're completely wrong and you're mishandling scripture, uh, go ahead and let me know because the sooner we talk about that, the better. Um, but the the point here is
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I've been reading here uh a lot over the last couple of years along with other things, but found myself returning to these over and over again, puzzling over why they get such short shrift in the
3:45
church. It seems like um they don't get a lot of time or attention spent on them. And I want to give us uh a little more a little more light shined on it, a
3:55
little more time spent here. Um I didn't initially start this study thinking that I was going to use it as a follow-up to Erin's study in the law uh
4:05
providentially. That's where we have ended up. And it uh it ties in much closer than I thought it would. I'm very very grateful for Aaron's study in Deuteronomy. I've learned a lot and
4:16
we're we're certainly not done. Um, so I look forward to learning more as we go forward. But it has a lot to say to us. And one of the things that we've been talking about there that's begun to
4:27
change my thinking is the idea of wisdom. The idea of the law as wisdom I think is very important. But actually the idea overall of approaching the
4:39
scriptures not with the view towards systematizing them but approaching the scriptures to spend time chewing on it in order to extract wisdom.
4:50
extract wisdom. Now I view those as different things and perhaps you don't view them as different things but I think they are different because we have a tendency when we systematize things to go and maybe I'm
5:00
guilty here. Aha. Okay. I figured out a little piffy thing that lets me shortcut this. There you go. That's all I need to remember out of it.
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I think we need to spend the time to chew on it, to masticate, to get to some deeper understanding, to extract from it the wisdom that is there. And frankly, I
5:25
would encourage us as we go forward in our in our day-to-day walks all of scripture. Don't go into it going, "Okay, here's the here's the big theological points
5:36
that come out of it." I guess this is my frustration. Um, frustration. Um, where I'm coming from with part of this is, you know, I I've seen a number of, uh, reformed theologians uh, write a
5:49
whole book in Titus just about eldership. Titus has a lot of things to say, including things about eldership. But Titus has a lot of things to say. It ends up becoming the, "Oh, I know what
6:00
theology is in that section." I would caution us to think about it more contextually, more in terms of wisdom, less in terms of this is the the
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keyword, the tag, my hashtag theology that that associates with this passage. All right. So, uh again to answer the
6:23
question, why why are we doing this? Why are we here? Um I think there's a a phrase here, how then shall we live? uh in the New Testament side of this having
6:34
talked about the law as wisdom. Well, here we are. We live here in the light of Christ's incarnation, death, and resurrection. So, what now? How do we
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live? And I think these books illustrate for us in Living Keller how we live. Yes, Chuck. Yes, Chuck. >> Well, I don't know if you're heading in this direction, but it seems to me that
7:11
>> Yeah. as a believer they don't get into some of the deeper discussions or even more
7:36
I think begins to show us his offer to a whole bunch of different things which I would call perspective. >> I I >> can see
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as a whole sometimes that's where we see where people really what they really think is in their reaction
8:09
I I appreciate that comment very much because uh I I think you have sum summized exactly what I'm trying to do here. Um I hesitate to use the word necessarily more practical, but it is perhaps Paul's um or to use dad's phrase
8:22
where the rubber meets the road. This is where uh the theologies that are expressed in other places meet the uh realities of living with one another.
8:33
And this is exactly what I'm trying to drill down on. Um, so I appreciate that very much because I do think and and that's where I'm trying to say taking them together I think illustrates for us
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more than spending time a lot of time in any one of them helps us to see the consistency of thought across here. And and actually I'm throwing Jude in for a couple of reasons. One um it actually
8:58
has a lot that ties into the things we're talking about here. It also is one of those books that people tend to shy away from, not least of his reference to an extra biblical source
9:09
that bothers some people. Um, but he has a lot here. Um, I've I've put up here my sort of heading, the law of liberty. He highlights for us very clearly.
9:22
Liberty is not lawlessness. Liberty is the opposite of lawlessness. We'll get there. Stay tuned. So,
9:33
um, but I do want to say, um, I I think it is exactly what you you've pointed out there. It it is for us Paul's worldview of living with one another,
9:44
living in community, um, and the sharp edges of the stones getting filed off as we are shaped and molded to be built up together into the holy edifice that is the church. Uh so
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there's a lot there's a lot uh and I hope that we can see it as we move forward. But I do think there's a bridge here not just because of the law. There's a bridge here to some of the
10:08
sections that Aaron had near the the concluding sections or sessions in his most recent session discussing the similarities and differences with the people of Israel. We just said there's
10:19
major difference. We live here on this side of Christ's incarnation. But there is a similarity in that we are treated in these letters and not only these letters. I think you can think of dozens
10:29
of examples in your own minds of the use of the New Testament's idea of us as a family that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. That we are related to each other now because of who our father is.
10:42
Okay? So they had Abraham for their father in the sense that we've been grafted in. So do we. But importantly, we have God as our father. We have Christ as our savior. We are related. We are a family.
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And we are treated time and again in scripture as an army, as a military unit, just the way Israel was intended to have both related familiar aspects and a
11:07
military capacity to defend itself and to conquer the promised land. These are all analogous for us. Okay. So, we are a
11:20
community based in his name. How we treat one another is of critical importance. Uh, this is not the first time you've heard me say this. This will certainly not be the last time you hear me say this. Theology is important.
11:34
If you are not treating your brothers and sisters correctly, your theology is probably not correct. Actually, it's certainly not correct because your theology ought to lead you
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to these same conclusions that Paul has in his worldview about how we treat one another. Okay? So, I'm going to be careful not to uh contrast this as
11:57
theology versus practicality. Rather, this is the outworking of true and correct grasp of God's nature,
12:08
who he is, will lead us to treat each other the way we ought. we ought. If you want another premise for this study, I'll give you that one. Um to put
12:20
it another way perhaps theology matters but if we have not love. Okay. So Okay. So um I want to start the first passage I'm
12:32
going to jump into this morning. Um and I don't I'm not going to spend a long time in any of these. Again, I'm I'm sort of using them to weave a web of um
12:44
support out to other portions of scripture before we jump down this particular road. particular road. Um Aaron had mentioned the sort of central kayastic structure in that section of Deuteronomy where he was. And
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uh I think it was Ariel's question that led us to look at 2 Corinthians um a section here in 6 and 7 of 2 Corinthians offered as potentially a a related or
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New Testament kayastic structure that gives us a similar look. Um so I'm going to read this section here as a as our sort of correlary to where he was there.
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I'm going to pick up in verse 11 of chapter 6. Although again you could go further and further back. Uh 2 Corinthians 6:1. Our mouth has spoken
13:30
freely to you, O Corinthians. Our heart is opened wide. You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. Now in a like exchange, I speak as to children. Open wide to us
13:44
also. Do not be bound together with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with
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darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with balile? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God
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said, I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord. and do not touch what is
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unclean and I will welcome you and I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me says the Lord Almighty. Therefore having these promises beloved let us cleanse
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ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Um I could go on I I also want to point out here
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that section there. I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God. They shall be my people. Thursday night, we're talking about incarnation as a central biblical
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theology. Here it is. It's all ties together. Okay. So, Aaron used the phrase here that I had in my notes that Paul is making an an appeal to them here, making an appeal for them to love one another,
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to walk in harmony based in their relationship as brothers. The same way Moses was making his appeal to them at the giving of the law in
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Deuteronomy there as he was speaking to that generation who was to enter in an appeal based in their relationship to each other as a people. We are a people.
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We are brothers. We are together in this. Our relationship to one another is of highest importance to the writers of scripture. I would argue top to bottom,
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beginning to end, the relationship of God's people to each other is of highest importance to them all the way through. Again, throw your hand up and argue with me if
15:52
you think I'm off base here or if you want to bring up a counter example. I'm happy to do it. This is my assertion as we move forward. So I am also basing a bunch of the thought
16:04
here and um I've used it a number of times and will continue to use it. This phrase the law of liberty which does not appear in any of these five books. Um
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so forgive me but I'm going to bring in somebody else's uh key phrase here. But frankly I think the practical worldview you find in here
16:26
is the law of liberty. So, um, I'll also say here, I do want to turn to James and talk about this out of James, but I want to say here,
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uh, in my initial introductory session, I accidentally tripped over a bunch of people's trauma. people's trauma. I'm sorry. It may happen again. So,
16:49
please let me know. I I think it was a very useful discussion. There will be a number of challenging things we will run into here that Paul
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exhorts his people to that he exhorts God's people to. And what I want to say right here is please tell me when you have an
17:11
objection or a thought or a phrase or if you've had an experience of somebody using this in in effectively abusing the truth. I want to know that. That's
17:21
helpful to me because I don't have a lot of those experiences actually. But I also want to say uh no lawyering. We don't get to caveat our way out of
17:33
the things that Paul challenges us with. Okay? So when he asks very hard things of the people of God, please don't let our first impulse go a here's why that
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doesn't apply to me. That's very dangerous. So please, as we go forward, if if you have had someone use this as a rod to
17:54
beat you, please tell me, but we need to go down to what does he actually say? What are the scriptures bringing us to? Um, abuse of the truth does not make it
18:08
untrue. As he says, unstable men twist these things to their own ends. I beloved, I believe better things of
18:18
us. Okay? So, we need to go past the abuse into the truth. Does that help? Um, I'm not doing this to try to to
18:30
trigger people or upset people by any means. I want to read what Paul has to say to the people of God together as a community and establish what is it that we hear of whom I am convinced of better
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things that we can do together and walk according to righteousness. Paul, not Paul, nor Jude, nor I are
18:54
going to advocate for behavior that is against God's nature at any point. Okay. So when he asks us
19:05
to do challenging things or to accept what feels like personal affront for the good of the body, this is not in contrast to God's nature. None of what
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we are exhorted to will be against that. It was brought up um in that first session times that people have been asked to uh accept things that were not
19:27
things they actually did or worse uh cases of covering up of violence or sexual abuse or things of that nature.
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No part of that is in line with God's nature. He does not call on us to conceal those things. Okay? He does not call on us to bury sin in this way.
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>> You were referring to I think we need to make sure we remember what he said in 5.
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>> Yes. That kind of sets the tone for first Corinthians 6, >> Being conflicts of a different nature. >> Yes. Yes. And and it was I appreciate that very much. Um, and not to rehash
20:23
everything we said there, but I also appreciated um, Jerry's point there that the the section we read in 1 Corinthians 6 that I was tying in here, and we'll we'll come back to it, no doubt. He specifically says, "Is there no one wise
20:35
among you able to to parse these things, to resolve them inside the church?" That's where we're headed is wisdom for the body to live and to deal with these
20:47
things. But there is a difference between interpersonal disputes or in that case he was talking about basically property fraud um that is a different category versus I
20:58
hate to borrow you know Catholic phrasing but mortal sin right we understand that there is a difference here and to say that there's no difference in degree or difference in
21:09
the the circumstances is disingenuous >> say a crime >> a a crime literally literally a um a civil crime. I mean it it is under the authority of of the government to which
21:22
we are subject. So please go ahead. >> You talked a few minutes ago about resving theological
21:33
disagreement and here talking about not we don't want to bury sin among us either the attitude that sies
21:44
theological either the same tendency to walk away from it because it's too close when it comes to comes to an acquaintance of ours has suffered or we have suffered is the same tendency to
21:57
drop a disagreement and then run when it comes to our theological differences. >> I think so. Um I I think that's that's
22:08
not incorrect at all. Um that the yeah it's a very similar attitude. Uh, and I guess what I'm trying to encourage here as we step into
22:18
this study, and I do think we will find ourselves challenged by things that Paul and Jude have to say to us. It is always in line with the nature and
22:32
person of God who has given us these instructions. Okay? instructions. Okay? And secondly, And secondly, if I can accomplish one thing in this
22:42
study, it would be to encourage us to look to the good and not to assume the worst. Okay? When we read these things and we
22:54
find encouragement here to behave in a certain way, please let us look for the encouragement to be good and upright and
23:04
walk according to the law of liberty and not immediately imagine all of the ways in which this could be taken advantage of. Does that everybody follow where I'm
23:17
going here? Okay. That's why I say this here. I again I unfortunately I don't know that we're going to make it to First Thessalonians this morning because I want to make sure that our foundation is solid and we are all on the same page
23:29
as we get started here. Um so as we study we will see and I've already mentioned it once um I think Jude does
23:39
it for us in particular but it comes up a couple of times also in the letters of Paul that we're going to look at here. Lawlessness is the opposite of liberty. Okay. So, I
23:51
am going to probably say some things in this study that you may have heard very very very liberal quote unquote Christians use as license to do whatever
24:01
they want. That's not what I'm doing. What I am doing is reading the scripture and looking at where we are encouraged to use our liberty to build up the body.
24:15
Okay? So there will be phrases here that again may trigger in your mind abuses of the truth. Please let's stick to the word that's here. And if I'm going off
24:25
track, by all means throw up the the guardrails at me, okay? And stay on the road here. But lawlessness
24:35
is excoriated here. Okay. We are not lawless. You said a couple things. You said the same thing a couple of times.
24:47
And I'm going to say something and I hope it doesn't upset anybody, but I do also want to make sure everybody understands that the primary responsibility is staying on theological
25:04
Yes. Please do keep that love in and not let's noting
25:16
let's noting but also but also you know this is >> yes I appreciate that very much because not only is this flock pastured uh
25:28
pastured pasteurized pastured it is pastured very well even if I'm not speaking very well. Um, I guess I'll say this. I think most of
25:40
you know me. If you don't know me, come say hi. say hi. Please trust that I'm not a looney tune. Okay? I'm here to to teach the word of
25:52
God based on the time I've spent dwelling here because I am convinced of good things for us and I want us all to to go there together.
26:05
And a body, your physical body heals best and exists best when your muscles are relaxed. A tense body can't heal. A tense body can't be healthy.
26:24
thank you for saying what you said. Don't we exist in a high trust environment? >> I hope so. I certainly hope so. >> Really? pointed because I'm nothing pointed that
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you're not going to grow if this isn't a high trust environment period. You're not going to be healthy. You're not going to heal whatever whatever various traumas we all bring to
26:47
to these subjects is not going to be healed short of relaxing in your home environment and environment and that's the path.
26:58
>> I agree with that. Um I do uh Trying to be careful here. I don't say this to say, "Please don't tell me
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tell me about things that have been a source of pain in these passages before." I want to know and I want the body to work through that together because odds are
27:21
if you've had a terrible experience before being bludgeoned with the word, somebody else probably has too. Um, and I want us to get free of those things
27:31
and into and into work it out. Don't just bottle it up,
27:58
were came to him there >> and from that reate but I've always considered the church this as the island of choice
28:13
it should be a place of peace and healing it should be a place of being it is we all have had
28:24
experiences sadly experiences sadly ministered either by family or the >> Yeah, >> that's a reality of living in
28:52
>> Thank you. Okay. Um, in the time that I have left this morning, I want to try to quickly address I wish I could just read the first two chapters in their entire entirety. We don't have enough time to do all of that, but I'm going to say these last couple of things to try to
29:04
get us on this footing here so that we can move on to first Thessalonians next week. So, uh, I'm going to read this this bit of James here. I am excising a little bit of his thought in between uh,
29:15
chapter 1 and chapter 2 where I'm going to pick these up. These are the two places where this phrase law of liberty appears in specific. Um James, as dad
29:25
well knows, having done a lot of study there, you could do an entire Sunday school session on each one of these phrases. I am not getting all of the density out
29:36
of this this morning in the last 10 minutes. It's not going to happen. Just follow with me, please, and let's try to pick out the the main piece here as we go. Okay. James chapter 1. Uh I'm going
29:47
to pick up in verse uh 19. So he says this, you know, my beloved brethren, but everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
29:58
For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and what remains of wickedness, in humility, receive the word implanted, which is
30:10
able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer and not a doer, sorry, a hearer of the word and
30:21
not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror. Once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But the one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of
30:33
liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer, but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. Uh, I'm going to jump down then to I'm
30:47
going to read through, I guess. If anyone thinks himself to be religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight
30:57
of our God and father is this. To visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Jump down to verse eight. If however you
31:08
are fulfilling the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by
31:20
the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "do not
31:32
commit murder." Now, if you do not commit adultery, but you do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and act as those who are to be
31:44
judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but has no
31:55
works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed, be filled, and yet you do not
32:05
give them what is necessary even for their body." What use is that? Even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
32:17
Okay. the law of liberty. Try to establish this briefly from here and then I will try to establish it more as we move through here because this is
32:27
this is the key for me here. The law of liberty talked a little bit we've talked quite a bit actually about the law of Moses. Okay, a lot of people have come to the
32:38
law of Moses with theological baggage and a lot of people have left the law of Moses with a lot more baggage. the law of liberty.
32:49
We are held to a higher standard than the law of Moses, but a lower burden.
33:03
Because we are called to love one another as he loved us. We are called to forgive one another as he has forgiven us. We are called to live and to treat one
33:16
another in accordance with God's nature. That's not easy. That's really hard. And yet in Acts,
33:29
Paul contrasts this concept when they ask basically, do we need to procilitize according to our understanding of Juda Judeaic religion all of the people who
33:40
are coming into the church? What is the phrase that Paul uses with them? He says, "Why are you going to lay on them this burden that neither us nor our forefathers could bear? We have a higher
33:51
standard of conduct that we are called to as Christians beyond that law because we are in the law of liberty. But because of his indwelling of us, because
34:02
of his giving of us a new heart, the burden should be lower, but the standard is higher." Everybody follow me here? Okay.
34:15
So this royal law, love as I have loved you, forgive as you have been forgiven. We are judged. Uh it is it is try to do
34:26
this really quickly. Most of you are familiar with um Luther's hangup with James because he saw all of this bit here about works and things that people
34:36
have to do and could not get over the idea of works. contrast with grace, etc. I don't know that anybody here necessarily has that same hang-up.
34:47
But please, as we go forward, keep it in mind because you're going to see over and over and over and over again as we move through these, we are called to certain actions. We are okay. We are
34:59
called to work. We are called to put in the effort uh to to do these things. I this is maybe slightly an aside, but I'm
35:10
going to do it anyways. Was just gobsmacked the number of times I've read through here and didn't notice this phrasing for whatever reason until
35:21
recently I was going through it with the kids. In Acts chapter 10, um this is another one of those places where uh systematic theology has bludgeoned something right
35:32
out of a passage. Most of you are familiar with Cornelius. Yeah, good old Cornelius. Man, Cornelius comes up a lot when we talk about pato baptism because his whole household here. But listen,
35:43
please to the beginning of this section, Acts chapter 10, beginning in verse one. Now there was a man at Cesaria named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, a devout man
35:56
and one who feared God with all his household and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. About the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God
36:07
who had just come and said to him, "Cornelius." And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial
36:19
before God. Now dispatch some men to Japa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter." That man got effectively well done good
36:31
and faithful servant while he was still alive. Has it have you ever noticed that? What does he say? Your your alms and
36:43
your prayers, your devotion to God and its outworking through doing good to his people has ascended as a memorial before God. They are not separate pieces. And
36:54
God honors this man here by saying, "You're the one. Because of this, I am honoring your diligence by having you be the one to bring him here. You
37:05
effectively are going to be among the first fruits of the Gentiles." It's amazing. It's amazing. I don't know why I've never dwelt on that particular act or facet of this man
37:17
before now, but Cornelius's works were were were honored by God. Um, and we are called to be diligent. I'm going to do two more
37:30
passages. I know I've got I really should be stopping right now. I'm going to quickly do two more passages, but technically I've got five minutes and I'm going to take them today. Sorry.
37:44
Romans 14. Another thing you could spend an entire length of a Sunday school session on. And Chuck's going here next when he returns to the pulpit. So, not to take anything away from it, but here
37:55
I want to read this section listening for this law of liberty as we go. Okay? Listen, listen for the signposts. Uh, beginning in verse one of Romans 14. Now except the one who is
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weak in faith, not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not
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to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats. For God has accepted him.
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Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls and he will stand for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another. Another
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regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day observes it for the Lord. And he who eats does so for the Lord. For he gives thanks to God.
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And he who eats not for the Lord he does not eat and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself. And not one of us dies for himself. For if
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we live, we live for the Lord. If we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end, Christ lived and died and lived again, that he might
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be the Lord of both the dead and the living. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we all
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stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. Each one then will give an account of
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himself before God." Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore, but determine this, not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.
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I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt,
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you are no longer walking according to love, do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.
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Consider others more important than yourself. Also, this do not destroy him for whom Christ died. Occurred to me as I was looking at this, the amount that
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we talk about our fellow believers or people that we maybe know in passing who have professed faith, maybe you're not a little sure. You go, "Oh, well, he's a believer." It's weird to me as I was
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thinking about it how much we put that back on the person. Now I think he
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it is God who ordains faith. Okay. It's not that man I think he believes. Paul says here that's one for whom Christ died.
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There's not a nice easy phrase for that other than brother. I guess um you know you say I think he's a believer. I think he's one for whom Christ died. Do you treat him like that? Do you think of them like that? It's God's decision.
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I need to wrap this up here this morning. I am excited to take this on together. I hope that it has a lot to illuminate for us all and helps us arrive at a better
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understanding of God and a better understanding of how he wants us to live. But if you're sitting here going, I mean, I've read first and second
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Thessalonians probably a few times. Um, I think it was the Smiths, Stop Me. If you've heard this one before, that that old song. Uh, don't stop me if you think you've heard
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this one before. Follow with me, please. And I'm going to I'm going to use as my basis and my conclusion here this morning, First Peter. And I'm going to read uh First Peter, sorry, Second Peter. Second Peter chapter 1. And I am
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going to read through these couple of verses and end with this. Second Peter chapter 1. Simon Peter, a bondervant and apostle of Jesus Christ.
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To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of
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God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and
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excellence. For by these he has granted to us precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
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corruption that is in the world by lusts. Now for this very reason also applying all diligence, wait a minute, working applying all diligence in your faith,
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supply moral excellence. And in your moral excellence, knowledge. In your knowledge, self-control. And in your self-control, perseverance. In your perseverance, godliness. In your godliness, brotherly kindness. And in
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your brotherly kindness, love. For these qualities are yours and are increasing. If they are yours, and they are increasing, they render you neither
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useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from former sins.
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Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you. For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. For in this way, the
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entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. And now I will borrow his words for my own. Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though
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you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,
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knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure, you will be able to call these things to mind. I don't think
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I'm dying, by the way. But if you already know this, I think it fit to remind you. So please come with me as we walk down these
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letters. And I'm going to close in prayer this morning. Father, we do thank you that you have given us your word, that you have given us such a rich treasure of scripture to
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read, to study, to improve our minds and our hearts, and to grow these qualities in our souls. But Lord, we know we would have no diligence. We would have no
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appetite for these efforts at all if you had not given it to us. And so, Father, we beg that you would be with us this morning. Be present in our midst as we go upstairs to spend that time together
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in your word through song, through prayer, through hearing the preaching of your word. That it would be a blessed sacrifice in your sight. And it would do exactly as we have read this morning to
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build us up in love and the increase of fa. We ask all of these in Jesus name.
