Part 2 - 12-10-18

Title: Experiencing the Son in Stormy Weather pt. 2

Teacher: Brother Bennett

Premise: Being the channel through which blessings flow.

Attendance: 8

Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 3:8-16;

Last week we began a message called experiencing the Son in Stormy Weather. Our focus last week was on point 1) You must Cherish your family. To help us better understand how we do this, we broke down the five virtues given in 1 Peter 3:8; those virtues are being of one mind, being sympathetic, being brotherly, being kind hearted and being kindhearted. As we exercise these virtues of Christ, we cherish our family. It is as we cherish our family that we will experience the Son more, being the Channel through which his blessings flow. Today we will learn point 2; The next way you experience the Son in Stormy Weather, being the Channel through which blessings flow is by confronting your foes. You must confront your foes. Dear brothers, we are living in stormy weather that is ever increasing. The earthquakes of evil, the hurricanes of hate, and the tornadoes of false teaching are in and all around us. In addition to the attacks from the people, places, and things around us in the world. We also have our carnal flesh posing the same attacks. Some of these things are wolves in sheep's clothing, that is, in our own understanding.” The very thing we are called not to rely on. Proverbs 3:5-8; (read) it is an attack on our fleshly pride to be told, “you don’t know how to live,” but is not that exactly what these verses are telling us. In fact, not only is God telling us we do not know how to live, but because of the way we have “tried to live,” we are, in fact broken and dry. Verse 8; But Almighty God, now our heavenly father, has not left us to our own understanding, in our broken and dry state. Through the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we have been born again. We have been given new life. We are now Children of God. My dear brothers, we brand new! And in our newness, we must acknowledge our Father in all things so that we may learn how to live, inheriting the blessings we are purposed for in Christ Jesus. Proverbs 4:1-13, Matthew 11:29; Proverbs 2:1-12; (read). Now lets turn in our Bibles to 1 Peter 3:8-9; (read). In reading these two verses, we must include the prefix “Finally, let all be….” “Finally, let all be…” One mind, Sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, xxxx not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, giving a blessing. “And finally, let all be…” “for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing” This my dear brothers is the example of Jesus Christ. As we studied last week, Jesus is the example of these virtues. He is the life. Not only is he the example in which we are to follow. He is also the example of the results. Dear brothers Christ Jesus is the results! Let's turn to Philippians 2:9; (read); “Therefore also God highly exalted him…” God the Father exalted his Son by raising, him from the dead and opening the heavens to receive him back to his own right hand. And it is in him we now have access to the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Look at 1 peter 3:9. “For you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” Again, Jesus is our example; is the example. He died so that we may live in him, but in order to live in him we too must die. “…for you were called that you might inherit a blessing” Dear brothers I am talking about experiencing the Son in Stormy weather. I am talking about decreasing so Jesus can increase. How do we decrease? By denying the flesh and exercising in the Spirit. This begins with acknowledging him. Dear brothers this should not be a choice for a child for a child has no choice but to learn how to live. Again, we do not know how to live unless we learn from the one who has given us life. Ephesians 4:12-5:1; Proverbs 3:5-7; (read) In this part of our Study we will learn how to confront our foes. We will discuss 3 points to help us break this down. Lets read 1 Peter 3:8-11; together. In looking at verses 9-11; we see the word “evil” used three times and in three different ways. In verse 9; we are called not to return evil. In verse 10; we are called not to repeat; and in Verse II; we are called not to respect evil. As we explore these we will attempt to look at them internally and externally. Our first point is 1) You must confront your foes by not returning evil for evil; First we will look at this from an internal perspective. James 4:1; 1 Peter 2:11; (read). When evil thoughts, feelings or desires, attack us, through our carnal flesh. We must confront these foes. We do this by returning the good and power of Gods Word. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; (read) When our carnal nature and understanding makes speculations we must confront them with the truth of Gods Word. The attacks of fear. Worry, pride, doubt, regret, envy, greed, lust are not of the Spirit, they are of the flesh and are contrary to Gods Word. Dear brothers, these very things are what make up our understanding, our ways and our finite human wisdom, the very things we are called not to rely on. Humbling isn’t it, that we should be completely as children completely dependent upon the Father. Is this not the way we should be? These foes, and others, also came at us externally. When people, places and things of this world present evil whether verbally or physically we in the Spirit of Christ are to bless them. Again Jesus is the example. 1 Peter 2:21-23; (read). It is as we acknowledge him, as we follow him. That we became mature in Him. It is as we learn to live like Jesus that we live like Jesus. As we discussed earlier in Philippians 2:9; Jesus is not only the example we are to follow but also the example we experience. Philippians 1:21; (read); There are three levels of living, of this experience. The first is 1) returning evil for good; Romans 1:21; (read) this is unnatural/Satanic. This is what Satan did and sadly what we sometimes do. The second is 2) returning evil for evil; this is natural/human. This is our natural inclination as man. Proverbs 14:2, 3:5, (read) And lastly is 3) returning good for evil; this is supernatural/divine. Matthew 5:43-45 Perfection here is that spiritual maturity which enables us to imitate blessings to all without partiality. As imitators of Jesus Christ we are not to return evil for evil or insult for insult but in love, in the Spirit, we are to love and bless others, even our enemies. Lets read 1 Peter 3:8-10; our second point is 2)You must confront your foes by not repeating evil, verse 10 tells us “Let him who means to love life and see good days refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile…” Inevitably when we speak evil we are in fact repeating an evil thought, feeling or desire we have, or that we heard. Ephesians 5-12 (read). The dark and sinful thoughts of our carnal flesh are not to be communicated, they are to be confronted! Our carnal flesh needs no help from the world but things of this world that, share in the evils of our carnal flesh, only, add to the fleshly resistance. Romans 12:2; (read). All laughter is not healthy, all teaching is not beneficial and all experiences do not produce virtue. Be mindful, dear brothers. We are either being conformed or transformed, we are either repenting or consenting, we are either deleting evil or we are repeating evil Proverbs 3:6, 9:10 (read) “In all your ways acknowledge Him…” “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” This is where it must begin, and this can only begin in the humility of, we do not know how to live. Our last point is 3) You must confront your foes by not respecting evil; 1 Peter 3:9-11; (read), Verse II “And let him turn away from evil and do good Let him seek peace and pursue it” Ephesians 5:11; (read). It is impossible to respect God and respect evil, just as it is impossible to Serve God and Mammon. Lets turn to Romans 12; we will begin with verse 17 (read), God tells us to “respect what is right, in the sight of all men.” The word “right” (yours may say “honest”) but this word comes from the Greek Word Kal-os; meaning good, excellent and right in its nature and characteristic. Philippians 4:8 (read); We are commanded to respect people, places and things that are right. Not according to what the world tells us is right, not according to our own understanding, but according to God. Proverbs 3:3-7; (read) Verse 3 here conveys the same as Philippians 4:8; These are the thing we are to respect in the sight of all men. This is our dedicated service Romans 12:1-2; (read). We are called to prove what is good; Romans 12:9; (read) we are called to cleave to what is good; Romans 12:17; (read) we are called to respect what is good; and lastly Romans 12:21; (read) we are called to overcome evil with good. Which is what we as followers of Christ are called to do. It is as we do this we experience more of the blessings we are purposed to inherit. Jesus is our example. Philippians 2:1-9, James 4:10; (read). It is only in humility before God, accepting we do not know how to live, that exaltation happens. It is in the example of Jesus Christ we see humiliation and exaltation. We must, like him, experience the first if we wish to receive and experience the Second. Matthew 20:17-18; (read) We want the crown without the cross, the throne without the alter of sacrifice, the glory without the suffering that leads to it. Thanks be to God that although we are called to suffer like Jesus we do not have to suffer without Jesus. And if you know like I know this makes all the difference. 1 Peter 3:12; (read). Almighty God, all wise and everywhere present, watches over the righteous, and takes care of them. We became the Charnel through which his blessings flow by Cherishing our family, Confronting our foes and by communicating our faith which is what we will discuss next week in 1 Peter 3:13-16;