1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,320 I'm going to ask you to turn in a in a moment to the book of 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,520 Mark. But before I do that, I was 3 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:14,520 reflecting the past couple of days on a statement that the 4 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:20,000 Psalmist made in Psalm 73 ASAP, who was struggling in his heart 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,320 about the benefits of being righteous and serving God, 6 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,120 especially when he contrasted his life with the wicked who 7 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,900 seemed to get away with so much and inherit blessing. 8 00:00:30,900 --> 00:00:33,300 On top of it, though, they have turned their backs on God. 9 00:00:34,540 --> 00:00:37,540 And yet at the end of that song there's a there's a declaration 10 00:00:37,540 --> 00:00:42,420 that ASAP makes that I present to you, he says. 11 00:00:42,420 --> 00:00:47,740 But As for me, it is good to be near God. 12 00:00:48,780 --> 00:00:53,180 But As for me it is good to be near God. 13 00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:58,740 And I know usually when we preach sermons you tend to warm 14 00:00:58,740 --> 00:01:02,100 up before you get to any applications or exhortations. 15 00:01:02,100 --> 00:01:08,620 But I want to begin by simply asking you this afternoon, are 16 00:01:08,620 --> 00:01:12,860 you near God? Are you near God? 17 00:01:15,300 --> 00:01:20,660 Are you far from Him? You know, some would say it's 18 00:01:20,660 --> 00:01:24,230 self-righteous. It would be arrogant to say that 19 00:01:24,230 --> 00:01:26,510 I am near God. Well ASAP. 20 00:01:26,510 --> 00:01:30,430 Didn't think so. ASAP Didn't think that it was 21 00:01:31,030 --> 00:01:37,950 proud or dishonest to be able to acknowledge and self assess that 22 00:01:38,070 --> 00:01:42,670 he was near God. And so it's good to ask that 23 00:01:42,670 --> 00:01:48,790 question from time to time. Am I near God? 24 00:01:50,830 --> 00:01:53,390 How do you know if you're near God? 25 00:01:54,630 --> 00:01:59,750 This isn't going to sound deep. You know when you're near God, 26 00:02:00,710 --> 00:02:06,630 your heart will testify. If you're near God, he is 27 00:02:06,870 --> 00:02:11,030 constantly in your meditations. He has captured your affections. 28 00:02:12,070 --> 00:02:17,030 He is unrivaled in your pursuits, in life, your desires, 29 00:02:17,030 --> 00:02:21,750 your longings. He's not peripheral in your 30 00:02:22,030 --> 00:02:25,940 priorities. And it's possible to be here 31 00:02:25,940 --> 00:02:31,580 today, very near others, near the people of God, near the 32 00:02:31,580 --> 00:02:34,180 singing of God's praises, near the proclamation of God's Word, 33 00:02:34,180 --> 00:02:36,940 and yet at the same time to not be near God. 34 00:02:38,740 --> 00:02:43,820 And so I hope that you are close and walking closely with them. 35 00:02:43,820 --> 00:02:47,620 If you are not, I want to give you a little insight into 36 00:02:47,620 --> 00:02:50,540 something. No matter what message is 37 00:02:50,540 --> 00:02:55,970 proclaimed behind this pulpit, the aim is always the same. 38 00:02:55,970 --> 00:02:58,610 And it is this that regardless of the subject at hand, no 39 00:02:58,610 --> 00:03:02,730 matter what verses we are expounding on, it would end up 40 00:03:02,930 --> 00:03:06,170 wooing you closer to the Lord always. 41 00:03:06,570 --> 00:03:08,330 Or else what is this all about, right? 42 00:03:08,610 --> 00:03:10,130 What do we just do the past 30 minutes? 43 00:03:10,130 --> 00:03:14,730 Are we just singing into the air and trying to make this less 44 00:03:14,730 --> 00:03:16,610 awkward as possible by participating? 45 00:03:16,610 --> 00:03:20,410 Or are we singing to God? What's the purpose of this right 46 00:03:20,410 --> 00:03:23,510 now? To hear from God. 47 00:03:23,510 --> 00:03:25,950 For what purpose, though? To come closer to God. 48 00:03:27,190 --> 00:03:31,470 And my prayer and preparation for this text is that you would 49 00:03:31,470 --> 00:03:37,350 be, in the end, more enamored and drawn closer to your Lord 50 00:03:37,910 --> 00:03:39,830 and to your Savior. And we're going to do that by 51 00:03:39,910 --> 00:03:43,910 examining probably one of the most shocking incidences in the 52 00:03:43,910 --> 00:03:48,950 Gospels, because Jesus is going to give one of his strongest 53 00:03:48,950 --> 00:03:53,080 rebukes to one of the closest people to him while on the 54 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,440 earth. So turn with me to Mark chapter 55 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,600 8, verse 31. As we examine a couple of verses 56 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:17,250 today, Mark 831 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man 57 00:04:17,250 --> 00:04:22,130 must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the 58 00:04:22,130 --> 00:04:26,410 chief priest and the scribes, and be killed, and after three 59 00:04:26,410 --> 00:04:31,790 days rise again. And he said this plainly, And 60 00:04:31,790 --> 00:04:34,470 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 61 00:04:35,390 --> 00:04:39,030 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and 62 00:04:39,030 --> 00:04:44,870 said, Get behind me, Satan, for you are not setting your mind on 63 00:04:44,870 --> 00:04:48,470 the things of God, but on the things of man. 64 00:04:49,870 --> 00:04:51,870 Father, we pray as a church today. 65 00:04:53,020 --> 00:04:56,740 Members of this Church, visitors to this church, grateful that we 66 00:04:56,740 --> 00:05:01,300 are yours. Would you do what you did to the 67 00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:04,340 disciples and Luke 24 Open our minds that we may understand the 68 00:05:04,340 --> 00:05:09,860 Scriptures, it may the delivery of this word be cloaked in the 69 00:05:09,860 --> 00:05:14,460 power of the Holy Spirit, and that our hearts would also be by 70 00:05:14,460 --> 00:05:16,700 the Holy Spirit, ready to receive your instruction. 71 00:05:16,700 --> 00:05:19,980 For your glory, and yes, even for our good, we give you 72 00:05:19,980 --> 00:05:22,520 maximum praise. And we pray these things in the 73 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,000 strong name of Jesus. Amen. 74 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,200 Amen. Here's how we're going to 75 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:30,840 understand these verses. Here's here's how we're going to 76 00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:34,920 dissect this episode. Want us to look at three things 77 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:36,520 concerning the rebuking of Peter. 78 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,920 The 1st is Peter's presumption. The second thing is Peter's 79 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,960 problem. And the last thing is Peter's 80 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,200 posture. A lot of peas, right? 81 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:53,790 Peter's presumption, Peter's problem, Peter's posture. 82 00:05:54,670 --> 00:05:57,110 The last thing that we see concerning Peter was that he 83 00:05:57,110 --> 00:06:01,230 made an incredible statement, an incredible confession to Jesus 84 00:06:01,230 --> 00:06:02,590 and the presence of the disciples. 85 00:06:02,990 --> 00:06:07,550 You are the Christ. This was an accurate 86 00:06:07,550 --> 00:06:10,390 identification of the person of Jesus and it was a response to 87 00:06:10,430 --> 00:06:13,230 Jesus question concerning himself to his own. 88 00:06:13,630 --> 00:06:18,070 Who do you say that I am? And Peter was the one here who 89 00:06:18,070 --> 00:06:24,870 spoke up, as he often does, and he gave this clear, concise, but 90 00:06:24,870 --> 00:06:28,550 profound understanding about who Jesus is. 91 00:06:28,670 --> 00:06:29,910 You're the Messiah. You're the one we've been 92 00:06:29,910 --> 00:06:33,070 waiting for. And that confession is 93 00:06:33,710 --> 00:06:36,430 significant for many reasons. And one of the reasons is that 94 00:06:36,430 --> 00:06:39,950 it would introduce it would trigger a new shift in the 95 00:06:39,950 --> 00:06:41,750 teaching ministry of Jesus Christ. 96 00:06:42,630 --> 00:06:45,230 What I mean by that is that from this point on in the Gospel of 97 00:06:45,230 --> 00:06:49,110 Mark, Jesus is going to build upon that revelation that Peter 98 00:06:49,110 --> 00:06:55,190 had and will now focus his attention not just but a lot on 99 00:06:55,510 --> 00:06:58,030 a theme, a particular theme concerning his mission on the 100 00:06:58,030 --> 00:07:01,110 earth as the Messiah. And what is that theme going to 101 00:07:01,110 --> 00:07:02,790 be? It's going to be the determined 102 00:07:02,790 --> 00:07:06,590 plan of his impending death and resurrection. 103 00:07:08,070 --> 00:07:12,310 This is what Jesus is going to teach repeatedly, over and over 104 00:07:12,310 --> 00:07:15,030 again. And it was absolutely crucial 105 00:07:15,350 --> 00:07:18,470 for the disciples to grasp because these disciples like 106 00:07:18,470 --> 00:07:23,410 many of the Jews where the under the impression that this rabbi, 107 00:07:24,450 --> 00:07:28,370 at least some who who thought he was more than a rabbi. 108 00:07:28,650 --> 00:07:31,890 But definitely the disciples were thinking this rabbi at any 109 00:07:31,890 --> 00:07:38,490 moment is going to establish and occupy a real throne and fulfill 110 00:07:38,730 --> 00:07:41,410 what we've been longing for as a people politically speaking. 111 00:07:42,650 --> 00:07:46,910 And Jesus here, fully aware of that, understood that the idea 112 00:07:46,910 --> 00:07:51,790 of him being mounted upon a Roman cross was 1,000,000 miles 113 00:07:51,790 --> 00:07:54,630 away from their theological imagination. 114 00:07:56,870 --> 00:08:02,310 And so he's going to educate them by bringing this up more 115 00:08:02,310 --> 00:08:03,470 than once. And you're going to see that as 116 00:08:03,470 --> 00:08:07,750 we go through the Gospel of Mark to try to clarify the Messiah's 117 00:08:07,750 --> 00:08:12,500 complete redemptive purpose as the time of his betrayal was 118 00:08:12,500 --> 00:08:14,660 drawing closer and closer. And that's why you read in verse 119 00:08:14,660 --> 00:08:18,140 31. And he began to teach them. 120 00:08:18,620 --> 00:08:23,140 He began to teach them this because now Peter's mind is open 121 00:08:23,140 --> 00:08:26,140 as well as the disciples, and now he's able to work with them 122 00:08:26,140 --> 00:08:28,820 and expounding upon what it means for him to be the Christ. 123 00:08:29,140 --> 00:08:32,659 And notice this year says he began to teach them that the Son 124 00:08:32,659 --> 00:08:38,220 of Man must suffer, must suffer many things. 125 00:08:38,740 --> 00:08:43,480 The sufferings of Jesus, the the torment that he endured was not 126 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:50,680 optional, nor was it accidental. It was precisely the 127 00:08:50,680 --> 00:08:54,680 predetermined will of God. The foreknowledge of God was at 128 00:08:54,680 --> 00:08:59,040 work here concerning Christ and what he would undergo. 129 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:02,600 He must suffer because apart from his suffering, there would 130 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,200 be no atoning for sin. Apart from his suffering, there 131 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,560 would be no possibility for reconciliation with God. 132 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:10,660 Apart from his suffering, there would be no eternal life that 133 00:09:10,660 --> 00:09:15,780 could be granted. Jesus Christ had to suffer, He 134 00:09:15,780 --> 00:09:19,940 had to, and he entered into this world with that soul and 135 00:09:19,940 --> 00:09:22,980 ultimate purpose post resurrection. 136 00:09:22,980 --> 00:09:25,140 He appears to these disciples, these two that are walking 137 00:09:25,740 --> 00:09:29,620 toward Emmaus and he rebukes them because they also didn't 138 00:09:29,620 --> 00:09:32,580 understand how this Messiah could suffer and he says they're 139 00:09:32,580 --> 00:09:37,260 in Luke 24. Was it not necessary that the 140 00:09:37,260 --> 00:09:42,180 Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory? 141 00:09:42,540 --> 00:09:46,460 It was necessary. Now you can imagine how these 142 00:09:46,460 --> 00:09:48,380 twelve who have given up everything to follow this 143 00:09:48,380 --> 00:09:51,660 Messiah, demonstrating great power, giving so much hope that 144 00:09:51,660 --> 00:09:54,780 at any second, by the snap of the finger, he can overthrow 145 00:09:54,780 --> 00:09:58,740 Rome and he can bring in a golden age that would make 146 00:09:58,740 --> 00:10:01,300 Solomon's reign look pale in comparison. 147 00:10:02,740 --> 00:10:07,700 You can imagine how they receive this news that Jesus must suffer 148 00:10:09,010 --> 00:10:10,850 and take it too lightly, especially Peter. 149 00:10:11,210 --> 00:10:13,890 And so Peter now is about to do something that I would say is 150 00:10:13,890 --> 00:10:16,930 unthinkable. Peter now is going to do 151 00:10:16,930 --> 00:10:20,850 something that, if you really think about it, is crazy for 152 00:10:20,850 --> 00:10:23,370 anybody to even entertain the thought to do. 153 00:10:23,570 --> 00:10:25,930 And this is where we look at his presumption. 154 00:10:26,890 --> 00:10:30,330 Jesus explains what he's going to undergo, what he's going to 155 00:10:30,330 --> 00:10:34,290 experience, and Peter has the audacity, the boldness, the 156 00:10:34,290 --> 00:10:40,290 courage to get up, take Jesus aside, and rebuke him. 157 00:10:42,650 --> 00:10:46,290 Think about how shocking is rebuking the Son of God, 158 00:10:48,170 --> 00:10:54,050 assuming superiority over Jesus, and attempting to claim that he 159 00:10:54,050 --> 00:10:57,210 is misunderstood concerning his destiny. 160 00:10:59,130 --> 00:11:00,930 I was meditating on this earlier, and I thought to 161 00:11:00,930 --> 00:11:08,690 myself, what gave Peter this sense of courage and boldness 162 00:11:09,290 --> 00:11:14,050 and right to come to Jesus and attempt to correct him? 163 00:11:15,210 --> 00:11:18,410 Was it love? Was it fear? 164 00:11:19,050 --> 00:11:22,970 Was it a mixture of both? You could say that. 165 00:11:23,530 --> 00:11:26,170 But I believe that if you just look at the immediate context, 166 00:11:26,170 --> 00:11:28,010 there's a suggestion. There's something else that is 167 00:11:28,010 --> 00:11:32,850 important to take note of that might have added to Peter's 168 00:11:32,850 --> 00:11:35,810 willingness to do this. What happens right before this 169 00:11:36,370 --> 00:11:38,290 Again he confesses You are the Christ. 170 00:11:38,650 --> 00:11:43,930 And Matthew adds in Matthew 16 that Jesus praises He praises 171 00:11:43,930 --> 00:11:46,450 Peter. He says, Simon, this is 172 00:11:46,450 --> 00:11:48,010 something that was not given to you by flesh. 173 00:11:48,010 --> 00:11:49,850 This is not something that was given to you by flesh and blood. 174 00:11:49,850 --> 00:11:51,850 This was given to you by God himself. 175 00:11:52,410 --> 00:11:54,890 This is something that the Father himself revealed to you. 176 00:11:54,890 --> 00:11:58,050 And he praises Peter and he tells Peter on top of it, you're 177 00:11:58,050 --> 00:12:01,810 blessed. You're blessed to have this kind 178 00:12:01,810 --> 00:12:04,610 of revelation to come to this understanding of who I am. 179 00:12:06,350 --> 00:12:08,670 Now we don't have commentary on Peter's heart at the moment, but 180 00:12:08,670 --> 00:12:10,710 I wonder if it did something to him to hear that. 181 00:12:11,070 --> 00:12:13,990 Imagine hearing that from Jesus that out of all the people of 182 00:12:13,990 --> 00:12:17,910 Israel and then you zone it out of all the disciples, you were 183 00:12:17,910 --> 00:12:21,350 the 1 to rightly identify who Jesus is. 184 00:12:21,390 --> 00:12:27,990 Wow, I am blessed. Again, we don't know his 185 00:12:27,990 --> 00:12:31,150 thoughts, but could it be that what had just happened after 186 00:12:31,150 --> 00:12:35,390 being told and informed that you received divine guidance to come 187 00:12:35,390 --> 00:12:37,790 to this conclusion? Something happened to his 188 00:12:37,790 --> 00:12:42,110 confidence. Something happened to his 189 00:12:42,110 --> 00:12:45,270 confidence to the degree that he felt like it was appropriate to 190 00:12:45,270 --> 00:12:50,070 even try to bring correction to the message of the Son of God 191 00:12:51,310 --> 00:12:53,630 because it didn't align with His own understanding? 192 00:12:55,950 --> 00:13:00,840 This is for our instruction, because if we're not careful 193 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:04,200 what God does in you and in me, what God chooses to do you, to 194 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,920 do in you and to do in me can create in us an attitude that 195 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:12,640 would warrant divine rebuke instead of blessed praise. 196 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:18,400 You know, our hearts are so corrupt, so creative in 197 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:23,400 inventing sins and making things that should be pure and holy to 198 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:28,480 something dwarfed and horrible that even our excelling maturity 199 00:13:29,250 --> 00:13:35,050 and even our blessed labors can spoil us and can even bring 200 00:13:35,050 --> 00:13:40,930 harm. And if we don't understand that, 201 00:13:41,130 --> 00:13:43,250 then we will not be on guard against spiritual pride. 202 00:13:43,250 --> 00:13:46,490 Usually from the puppet you hear warnings to those who are, you 203 00:13:46,490 --> 00:13:49,770 know, drifting away spiritually, falling asleep, being allured by 204 00:13:49,770 --> 00:13:52,690 the love of the world. But Peter's example here is a 205 00:13:52,690 --> 00:13:58,250 charge to those who stand out among other believers, like 206 00:13:58,250 --> 00:14:02,260 Peter did. Who stand out? 207 00:14:02,260 --> 00:14:05,100 You know what I mean by stand out something unique about you, 208 00:14:05,660 --> 00:14:08,580 about your gifting, about your inside, about how God uses you. 209 00:14:08,580 --> 00:14:10,660 People tell you. People acknowledge, and I'm sure 210 00:14:11,020 --> 00:14:18,660 pride is always lurking on the other side of genuine, unusual 211 00:14:18,700 --> 00:14:26,140 experiences and every fruitful endeavor in the name of God's 212 00:14:26,140 --> 00:14:27,820 glory. It's right there. 213 00:14:27,820 --> 00:14:30,240 Waiting. Right there waiting. 214 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:32,760 The apostle Paul himself, I mean, think about Paul. 215 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:34,600 He championed the message of grace. 216 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,520 Paul confessed that he was the chief of sinners, that he was 217 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:39,600 the least deserving of God's mercy. 218 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,920 And that same Paul who wrote about grace, who rejoiced in 219 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:47,680 grace, who sang about grace. This Paul also said to himself 220 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:54,000 in Second Corinthians 12/7 that in order to be kept from 221 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:58,960 becoming conceited because of the surpassing revelations, a 222 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,560 thorn was given to him. Paul. 223 00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:09,320 Paul himself, that man who swam in the grace of God the mercy of 224 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:14,440 God, was fully aware that he himself was capable of falling 225 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:18,600 into that trap, of thinking more of yourself than you should. 226 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:26,820 And so if, Peter, if Paul, these giants can actually be tempted 227 00:15:29,060 --> 00:15:32,900 to have a certain attitude that would demean, that would even 228 00:15:32,900 --> 00:15:36,340 attempt to challenge the word and will of God. 229 00:15:37,180 --> 00:15:40,900 How much more we, How much more we? 230 00:15:40,900 --> 00:15:43,900 How much more do you and I need to be careful. 231 00:15:44,140 --> 00:15:47,660 So be careful my brother. Be careful, my sister, when 232 00:15:47,660 --> 00:15:51,140 people praise you because of your godliness. 233 00:15:53,910 --> 00:15:56,750 Be careful when your ministry grows in number. 234 00:15:58,910 --> 00:16:08,070 Be careful when people begin to seek you for counsel, for 235 00:16:08,070 --> 00:16:11,670 prayer, and you feel as though more people are coming to you 236 00:16:11,670 --> 00:16:13,550 than the next person. Be careful. 237 00:16:14,150 --> 00:16:19,910 What can happen to your heart can be very ugly very quickly, 238 00:16:20,630 --> 00:16:23,670 and so we must be on guard. And God will help us as we are 239 00:16:23,670 --> 00:16:25,550 at least aware of that possibility. 240 00:16:26,630 --> 00:16:28,470 And more can be said about that. But there's something else to 241 00:16:28,470 --> 00:16:31,910 consider about this this Peter and his attitude here. 242 00:16:31,910 --> 00:16:35,270 Peter's rejection, right when he, when he refuses to accept 243 00:16:35,270 --> 00:16:40,350 what Jesus says, clarifies what we didn't touch on the last time 244 00:16:40,350 --> 00:16:42,390 we were talking about Peter's confession 3 weeks ago. 245 00:16:43,190 --> 00:16:45,350 Look what we what we didn't touch on in verse 29. 246 00:16:45,870 --> 00:16:48,350 And he asked them, But who do you say that I am? 247 00:16:48,350 --> 00:16:51,810 Peter answered him. You are the Christ, and he 248 00:16:51,810 --> 00:16:56,170 strictly charged them to tell no one about him, Huh. 249 00:16:57,650 --> 00:17:01,850 OK, so this is a right answer. You are the Christ, the most 250 00:17:01,850 --> 00:17:04,650 important answer you can have concerning who Jesus is. 251 00:17:05,010 --> 00:17:08,170 They got it. And your response to the right 252 00:17:08,170 --> 00:17:09,530 answers? These guys that you're training 253 00:17:09,530 --> 00:17:11,970 up to be messengers, apostles, the foundation of the church, 254 00:17:11,970 --> 00:17:13,530 you're asking them not to tell anybody about it. 255 00:17:14,690 --> 00:17:17,569 Does it make sense to anybody? At least from immediate reading, 256 00:17:17,569 --> 00:17:22,020 you can confess it's not a sin. It challenges you, Right, Lord? 257 00:17:22,180 --> 00:17:25,819 Why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you say you're 258 00:17:25,819 --> 00:17:28,220 right. Now go tell it on the mountains. 259 00:17:28,260 --> 00:17:31,980 I am the Christ. Prepare the people of Israel 260 00:17:32,380 --> 00:17:33,940 that the Messiah has indeed come. 261 00:17:33,940 --> 00:17:36,460 He is here. The wait is over. 262 00:17:36,460 --> 00:17:39,900 And This is why you got to continue reading your Bible. 263 00:17:39,900 --> 00:17:42,420 A verse a day on the app doesn't help you get to these 264 00:17:42,420 --> 00:17:46,260 conclusions. You read verse 30 and you say 265 00:17:46,260 --> 00:17:47,980 okay. He's strictly charged him not to 266 00:17:47,980 --> 00:17:51,890 tell anybody about him, and the answer comes to our text today. 267 00:17:52,450 --> 00:17:56,090 The answer is brought when you continue to read, because right 268 00:17:56,090 --> 00:18:00,170 after he says don't tell anybody about this, he goes on to now 269 00:18:00,170 --> 00:18:04,170 teach them, yes, you know, I'm the Messiah, but do you know 270 00:18:04,170 --> 00:18:05,890 what the Messiah is supposed to do? 271 00:18:08,010 --> 00:18:11,690 They thought they did, but they prove Peter proves that they 272 00:18:11,690 --> 00:18:16,590 really didn't. They understood the Messiah is 273 00:18:16,630 --> 00:18:18,830 Jesus, but they didn't understand what Jesus was to do 274 00:18:18,830 --> 00:18:22,230 in his first Advent. And so listen, if the disciples 275 00:18:22,230 --> 00:18:25,830 were given the opportunity or disobeyed Christ and went about 276 00:18:25,830 --> 00:18:28,230 telling everybody this is the Messiah, what would he have 277 00:18:28,230 --> 00:18:32,790 said? Well, they had the same level of 278 00:18:32,790 --> 00:18:34,070 understanding as most of the Jews. 279 00:18:34,070 --> 00:18:36,070 Then he must be the one that's going to come and overthrow our 280 00:18:36,070 --> 00:18:37,950 oppressors. Then he must be the one who's 281 00:18:37,950 --> 00:18:39,470 going to establish the earthly rain. 282 00:18:40,110 --> 00:18:42,470 Then he's going to come and and ransack the enemy and we're 283 00:18:42,470 --> 00:18:44,830 going to know prosperity politically, economically. 284 00:18:46,030 --> 00:18:47,870 They would have fueled false hope. 285 00:18:48,990 --> 00:18:50,830 They would have misguided the people. 286 00:18:52,310 --> 00:18:55,150 And Jesus was aware of that. So he says pause. 287 00:18:55,630 --> 00:18:59,590 Yes, I am the Christ, but you need to understand that I must 288 00:18:59,590 --> 00:19:03,990 suffer. You don't get that part yet, you 289 00:19:03,990 --> 00:19:05,230 know. When I looked at this, I thought 290 00:19:05,230 --> 00:19:09,300 to myself, evidently they were permitted not to share Jesus 291 00:19:09,300 --> 00:19:11,540 being the Christ, because they themselves did not comprehend 292 00:19:11,540 --> 00:19:13,380 the complete assignment of the Christ. 293 00:19:14,140 --> 00:19:17,700 They had a skewed, limited, elementary view, and that needed 294 00:19:17,700 --> 00:19:21,900 to be changed before they can go out and teach you. 295 00:19:21,900 --> 00:19:22,940 Look at that. You said that's true of the 296 00:19:22,940 --> 00:19:24,900 disciples, but you realize the principle behind it. 297 00:19:24,900 --> 00:19:27,980 Here it is. Some believers, in their great 298 00:19:28,100 --> 00:19:32,260 zeal and desire to serve the Lord at certain capacities, feel 299 00:19:32,260 --> 00:19:35,980 frustrated. They feel frustrated because 300 00:19:36,410 --> 00:19:39,530 they're not doing what they believe they should be doing for 301 00:19:39,530 --> 00:19:43,210 the Lord. They feel like they are in one 302 00:19:43,210 --> 00:19:44,450 place. They feel like there should be 303 00:19:44,450 --> 00:19:46,050 more opportunity. They feel like there should be 304 00:19:46,050 --> 00:19:48,570 more. More audience, more influence. 305 00:19:49,730 --> 00:19:52,850 And though that might be a noble cause, the reasons why certain 306 00:19:52,850 --> 00:19:56,050 opportunities and certain doors are not open, they can vary. 307 00:19:56,050 --> 00:19:58,290 But consider this one. I know this one might hurt, but 308 00:19:58,290 --> 00:20:01,290 it's true our own unpreparedness. 309 00:20:04,210 --> 00:20:05,450 I know we always feel like we're ready. 310 00:20:06,410 --> 00:20:09,890 We always feel like we're prepared, but as we see with the 311 00:20:09,890 --> 00:20:14,010 disciples here, often times before, the Lord will use us in 312 00:20:14,010 --> 00:20:17,570 a certain way. He will cause delay for the sake 313 00:20:17,570 --> 00:20:21,170 of development. He would cause delay for the 314 00:20:21,170 --> 00:20:24,970 sake of development. And whether that be your 315 00:20:24,970 --> 00:20:27,490 character and mine, whether that be your knowledge or mine. 316 00:20:27,770 --> 00:20:31,930 Christ in His love, not just for you but for other people as 317 00:20:31,930 --> 00:20:40,400 well, takes His time with us. And He has a way in providential 318 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:44,560 power and wisdom to train and mold us so that in the long run 319 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:48,880 we would be more effective, so that we cause less damage and 320 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:53,560 more blessing instead. So let your heart not be so 321 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:56,200 discouraged. Don't be so anxious. 322 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:00,520 Believe that the Lord leads you perfectly even in your zeal to 323 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:03,640 serve Him. He knows when and how and where. 324 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:08,320 Every step of the way. You know you see that throughout 325 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:10,560 the Bible from beginning. And this is how God works. 326 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,480 This is how the school of God works. 327 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:16,920 Even when Israel came out of Egypt, there was this verse that 328 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:18,440 came to mind. When I was meditating on this 329 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:22,080 truth with the disciples, there was a shorter way to get to the 330 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,400 promised land, and God chose rather to go the longer way. 331 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:32,200 More days in the wilderness, more temptation and trials. 332 00:21:33,330 --> 00:21:35,850 He chooses to go the longer route instead of going the 333 00:21:35,850 --> 00:21:37,810 shorter. And we're told why he did that. 334 00:21:37,810 --> 00:21:42,370 Why did God not make it quicker for the Israelites to get where 335 00:21:42,370 --> 00:21:44,290 they needed to go? Can I read it to you? 336 00:21:44,970 --> 00:21:50,010 And Exodus 1317 is your answer. When Pharaoh let the people go, 337 00:21:50,010 --> 00:21:53,770 God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, 338 00:21:54,970 --> 00:21:59,090 although that was near. It was nearer to go through the 339 00:21:59,090 --> 00:22:01,490 way of the Philistines. And he said, we're not doing 340 00:22:01,490 --> 00:22:02,330 that. We're we're going to take a 341 00:22:02,330 --> 00:22:08,900 detour for God said less. The people change their minds 342 00:22:08,900 --> 00:22:11,660 when they see war and return to Egypt. 343 00:22:14,580 --> 00:22:17,700 They had gone the shorter way. Sure, it would be less time in 344 00:22:17,700 --> 00:22:20,700 the wilderness, but they would have been confronted with 345 00:22:20,900 --> 00:22:24,900 military force in opposition. And guess what? 346 00:22:25,700 --> 00:22:28,380 These freshly delivered Israelites were not trained 347 00:22:28,380 --> 00:22:31,740 militarily. They were not equipped for that. 348 00:22:33,050 --> 00:22:35,730 Here's the understanding. If the Lord had taken Israel to 349 00:22:35,730 --> 00:22:38,370 go through this route, it would have been more dangerous for the 350 00:22:38,370 --> 00:22:40,090 nation of Israel than anything else. 351 00:22:42,850 --> 00:22:45,210 They would have been put in a compromising situation. 352 00:22:45,210 --> 00:22:47,810 They would have been tempted to give up and turn back. 353 00:22:48,370 --> 00:22:52,010 The Lord knew that the people didn't, necessarily. 354 00:22:53,250 --> 00:22:56,810 And that's the kind of thinking we must have as we look out into 355 00:22:56,810 --> 00:22:59,770 this world, as we walk with the Lord and perhaps don't 356 00:22:59,770 --> 00:23:04,730 understand how His timetable works for our own lives, even in 357 00:23:04,730 --> 00:23:07,170 the lane of serving him and the desires that you have, the 358 00:23:07,170 --> 00:23:08,810 dreams and the hopes and the prayers. 359 00:23:09,090 --> 00:23:12,930 Understand this, that He knows what's ahead. 360 00:23:13,730 --> 00:23:15,610 He knows what you and I can handle. 361 00:23:16,210 --> 00:23:20,410 He knows what and when can harm you or bless you. 362 00:23:21,330 --> 00:23:26,650 And so he sometimes oftentimes will prolong something will keep 363 00:23:26,650 --> 00:23:30,770 you waiting, because he knows what you can endure. 364 00:23:32,020 --> 00:23:33,820 I look at these disciples, and I see the same thing. 365 00:23:33,820 --> 00:23:35,780 He charged him not to tell anyone about him, that's He's 366 00:23:35,780 --> 00:23:38,260 counterintuitive, but he understands something about the 367 00:23:38,260 --> 00:23:41,860 disciples and their need before they should go. 368 00:23:43,540 --> 00:23:45,540 What about Israel and their monarchs? 369 00:23:46,220 --> 00:23:48,380 We're studying David. We just finished Second Samuel. 370 00:23:48,380 --> 00:23:51,020 But I always come back to this thought when I think about how 371 00:23:51,020 --> 00:23:53,780 the Lord delays or how the Lord does things with his men and 372 00:23:53,780 --> 00:23:56,300 women before He uses them in a certain way. 373 00:23:56,460 --> 00:24:00,090 You have Saul, you have David. You have Solomon, the 1st 3 374 00:24:00,090 --> 00:24:01,570 kings. Each of their reigns were how 375 00:24:01,570 --> 00:24:04,850 long? 40 years, 40 years, 40 years, 40 376 00:24:04,850 --> 00:24:07,810 years. They all messed up in their own 377 00:24:07,810 --> 00:24:10,810 way, royally. No pun intended. 378 00:24:13,290 --> 00:24:19,250 But let's be honest, Saul and Solomon ended in apostasy. 379 00:24:20,290 --> 00:24:22,930 You have Saul, who seeks a witch for guidance. 380 00:24:23,930 --> 00:24:28,530 You have Solomon who does what he worships false gods after 381 00:24:28,530 --> 00:24:33,370 marrying 1000 women. David made many mistakes. 382 00:24:33,530 --> 00:24:36,050 But David didn't end up being an idol worshipper. 383 00:24:37,650 --> 00:24:40,490 And I've always wondered how is it that these men had the same 384 00:24:40,490 --> 00:24:42,050 opportunity, the same length of time. 385 00:24:42,330 --> 00:24:45,810 But why did David stand out? Why was David different? 386 00:24:46,730 --> 00:24:49,570 And you can make many arguments for why David was different. 387 00:24:49,570 --> 00:24:53,170 He was a man after God's heart. But I also see something else, 388 00:24:53,170 --> 00:24:55,290 and this isn't dogmatic. This is just an observation for 389 00:24:55,290 --> 00:24:58,790 you and I to consider. When you look at David's arrival 390 00:24:58,790 --> 00:25:01,070 to the throne, when you look at the process, it was very 391 00:25:01,070 --> 00:25:03,990 different than Saul and Solomon's, was it not? 392 00:25:05,390 --> 00:25:10,230 That man went through trials, That man went through the 393 00:25:10,230 --> 00:25:14,790 grinder, That man was stuffed in caves and and he was running for 394 00:25:14,790 --> 00:25:17,830 his life. That man was gradually brought 395 00:25:17,830 --> 00:25:19,950 from one place of authority to the next. 396 00:25:19,950 --> 00:25:21,550 That wasn't true of Saul and Solomon. 397 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:28,400 And so if that has any contribution to David's 398 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:32,000 longevity and devotion to the Lord, then what a wonderful 399 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:38,400 truth concerning how God works. He takes his time, He lets you 400 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,480 suffer, He brings you through trials. 401 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:43,120 He brings. It's a dangerous thing for 402 00:25:43,120 --> 00:25:48,880 somebody to receive something so great, so, so responsible, so 403 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:54,200 large, without having the adequate preparation from God's 404 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:58,800 school. So dangerous and so be patient, 405 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,920 trust, wait, pray, seek the Lord. 406 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:04,720 This is Peter's presumption. But then we come to Peter's 407 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:10,640 problem. Look here in verse 33 says here, 408 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:13,800 but turning in mark 833 but turning and seeing his 409 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:17,960 disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, get behind me Satan. 410 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:20,120 For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but 411 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:22,520 on the things of man. Look, the Lord has given many 412 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,320 rebukes in his ministry, very hard rebukes. 413 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,680 I mean he's given rebukes to the extent where if you heard 414 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:31,360 somebody rebuking the way Jesus said you would, you would said 415 00:26:31,360 --> 00:26:34,480 it's not Christ. Like I wonder if some Christians 416 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:36,360 would have said that to Christ if they heard him rebuke the way 417 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:41,960 he rebuked whitewashed tombs. You serpents, Imagine going to 418 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:47,910 church and hearing that. You serpents, you brew the 419 00:26:47,910 --> 00:26:51,230 Vipers, you hypocrites. Now that was primarily to the 420 00:26:51,230 --> 00:26:53,710 Pharisees, the religious leaders of his time. 421 00:26:54,750 --> 00:26:57,390 But he said that in some of his meetings, particularly to them. 422 00:26:58,150 --> 00:27:01,830 What about Herod and Luke 13? Go tell that fox. 423 00:27:02,710 --> 00:27:05,230 Wow, I don't think he was calling him cute. 424 00:27:07,430 --> 00:27:10,910 Go tell that fox. But at all the things that the 425 00:27:10,910 --> 00:27:15,870 Lord said in his righteous indignation, he's never called 426 00:27:15,870 --> 00:27:20,150 anybody Satan. People argue, did he say to 427 00:27:20,150 --> 00:27:25,070 Satan or did he say to Peter, Get behind me, Satan. 428 00:27:25,790 --> 00:27:29,070 The closest thing that Jesus has ever said anything like this was 429 00:27:29,070 --> 00:27:34,190 when he spoke to Satan himself and the wilderness in Matthew 4. 430 00:27:34,190 --> 00:27:36,430 What does he say? Be gone, Satan. 431 00:27:38,310 --> 00:27:40,070 And I think that connection is important. 432 00:27:40,070 --> 00:27:41,750 You know why? Because in Luke's account of the 433 00:27:41,750 --> 00:27:45,700 wilderness temptation after Satan failed to tempt Jesus to 434 00:27:45,700 --> 00:27:49,340 avoid the shame of the cross and to have the throne by worshiping 435 00:27:49,340 --> 00:27:53,900 him. It says there, and the devil 436 00:27:54,100 --> 00:27:59,140 left him until another opportune time. 437 00:28:01,460 --> 00:28:04,780 That was in the end of Satan's attempt to try to persuade Jesus 438 00:28:04,780 --> 00:28:07,740 away from the cross. I believe he found it here with 439 00:28:07,740 --> 00:28:12,900 Peter. What do I mean by that? 440 00:28:13,330 --> 00:28:17,690 But when Satan learned that by tempting Jesus directly, that 441 00:28:17,690 --> 00:28:22,410 failing, well, let me try it indirectly and try to tempt the 442 00:28:22,410 --> 00:28:25,570 Lord through one of the closest people to him. 443 00:28:28,090 --> 00:28:32,050 And Jesus discerned that. You know what this teaches me, 444 00:28:32,730 --> 00:28:37,730 teaches me how the enemy works. The enemy is able to use people, 445 00:28:38,650 --> 00:28:43,930 even the people who are very close to us, to persuade us away 446 00:28:43,930 --> 00:28:48,010 from the will of God. You won't hear Amens about this 447 00:28:48,010 --> 00:28:51,850 point, and I'm not trying to bring this point to you, to make 448 00:28:51,850 --> 00:28:56,650 you cynical, or to justify your isolation, or to live with 449 00:28:56,650 --> 00:29:00,730 relational anxiety. But it is a call to be very 450 00:29:00,730 --> 00:29:03,810 discerning about the Council, and the encouragement that you 451 00:29:03,810 --> 00:29:07,570 and I received from others especially highlight that, 452 00:29:07,850 --> 00:29:12,090 especially from those who are spiritually weak and immature. 453 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,720 The reality is some people will speak into your life and they 454 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:20,880 will speak into your life even with great sincerity, like 455 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:26,880 Peter, but out of human wisdom, genuine affection, but misguided 456 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:35,720 affection, fear, sometimes jealousy, and often shallow 457 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:39,840 spirituality. Instead of relying on the mind 458 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:44,220 and will of God by saturating and submitting to what God had 459 00:29:44,220 --> 00:29:48,860 revealed in his word, be very careful how you allow others in 460 00:29:48,860 --> 00:29:52,380 your life to shape your way of thinking. 461 00:29:53,580 --> 00:29:59,700 Be very careful. Peter was one of those kind of 462 00:29:59,700 --> 00:30:01,780 people who had a certain personality. 463 00:30:01,780 --> 00:30:05,140 He had a leadership kind of personality where he just could 464 00:30:05,140 --> 00:30:10,080 easily persuade people. He was able to to get them to go 465 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:14,160 somewhere to agree with him. That was the kind of charisma 466 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,640 that Peter had. Can I prove that to you? 467 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:19,920 Actually, if you want to turn there, you can. 468 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:21,680 I can just read it to you in John 21/3. 469 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:24,640 This is after Jesus resurrected and the disciples were kind of 470 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:26,120 at a standstill. They didn't know. 471 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:28,280 Well, they did know, but they were very impatient concerning 472 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:30,560 the next instructions that they were to receive from Christ. 473 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:32,320 And so Peter decides to do something. 474 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:34,320 In John 21. Three it says Simon. 475 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:36,640 Peter said to them, he's speaking to his disciples, his 476 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:40,600 friends, Simon Peters said to them, I am going fishing. 477 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:46,720 I'm going fishing now People debate, is this Peter just, you 478 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:48,720 know, doing something recreational, just trying to 479 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:50,920 find something to kill the time? Or is this Peter going back to 480 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:52,720 what Jesus called him out of? I agree with that. 481 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:57,640 This is Peter going back to what Jesus called him out of and he 482 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:02,280 says I'm going fishing. Did he say you're going fishing 483 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:03,960 with me? No, he just said I'm going 484 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:04,920 fishing. What happens? 485 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:07,280 They set him. We will go with you. 486 00:31:09,300 --> 00:31:13,300 We'll go with you. They went out and got into the 487 00:31:13,300 --> 00:31:15,300 boat, but that night they caught nothing. 488 00:31:17,340 --> 00:31:21,420 There are people like that in Christians lives, and they're 489 00:31:21,420 --> 00:31:24,780 professing believers as well. But because they don't go to the 490 00:31:24,780 --> 00:31:31,580 meetings, you won't go to the meetings because they won't 491 00:31:31,580 --> 00:31:33,780 serve the Lord in a certain way, or serve the Lord at all. 492 00:31:34,500 --> 00:31:38,890 You won't serve the Lord when they begin to gossip and speak 493 00:31:38,890 --> 00:31:42,210 against the Church. It influences you. 494 00:31:43,850 --> 00:31:47,210 It influences the way you think, because there are certain people 495 00:31:47,210 --> 00:31:49,610 who have been gifted in a certain way to be very 496 00:31:49,610 --> 00:31:51,650 persuasive in their speech and their actions. 497 00:31:51,650 --> 00:31:54,850 So I want to say to you through this example, be very careful 498 00:31:56,250 --> 00:32:01,450 who speaks into your life. Do they walk with God? 499 00:32:02,330 --> 00:32:05,970 Do they fear God? Do they honor the word of God? 500 00:32:06,560 --> 00:32:09,440 Do they have a genuine relationship with the Lord? 501 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:13,960 Peter was a follower of Christ to an extent, but Peter here, at 502 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:16,120 a moment of weakness convinced others to join them where they 503 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:18,680 should not have gone. Christ met them in His mercy, 504 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:22,320 and that's what we rejoice in. But I've seen throughout the 505 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:25,880 years people, wonderful followers of Christ, wonderful 506 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,880 lovers of God. But when they get around even 507 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:34,000 just one person, and that person does not have the maturity or 508 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:38,820 the bandwidth to understand how their decisions and words can 509 00:32:38,820 --> 00:32:44,180 influence others, they change. They, they become different 510 00:32:44,180 --> 00:32:47,300 people. When that person is not in their 511 00:32:47,300 --> 00:32:51,980 lives, they're better. It's crazy. 512 00:32:53,620 --> 00:32:55,940 Satan understands that, that that's a strategy. 513 00:32:55,940 --> 00:32:59,820 And so he uses Peter here with all the things that he had in 514 00:32:59,820 --> 00:33:04,210 terms of gifting and ability and personality, and he tries to do 515 00:33:04,210 --> 00:33:07,970 that with Jesus foolishly. Now how does that happen? 516 00:33:09,970 --> 00:33:13,410 Is Jesus suggesting here that Satan was indwelt by Satan? 517 00:33:13,410 --> 00:33:17,130 You have some people on social media who would say yes, those 518 00:33:17,130 --> 00:33:19,330 who propose that you can be a follower of Jesus Christ and be 519 00:33:19,330 --> 00:33:22,610 possessed with the devil. If that is true, may I suggest 520 00:33:22,610 --> 00:33:26,770 one simple, one simple question that can dismiss that without 521 00:33:26,770 --> 00:33:29,250 any debate. If Peter was possessed with 522 00:33:29,250 --> 00:33:32,450 Satan himself, why didn't Jesus cast Satan out of him? 523 00:33:35,810 --> 00:33:38,050 I'm very concerned with this teaching that's going around 524 00:33:38,050 --> 00:33:40,050 because it's going to torment a lot of millennials. 525 00:33:40,050 --> 00:33:42,530 In Gen. Z especially, we're being told 526 00:33:42,530 --> 00:33:44,450 that they have a devil living inside of them, though they 527 00:33:44,450 --> 00:33:48,690 profess Christ and they use this as a proof text. 528 00:33:49,650 --> 00:33:54,490 No indication whatsoever that Satan was indwelling Peter, but 529 00:33:54,490 --> 00:33:59,930 he was influenced by Satan, and that is possible for Christians. 530 00:34:00,970 --> 00:34:05,530 It is possible for genuine followers of Christ to be 531 00:34:05,530 --> 00:34:10,489 unwittingly used by the evil 1, unknowingly being used by the 532 00:34:10,489 --> 00:34:14,770 enemy to hinder the work of God, while they're actually thinking 533 00:34:14,770 --> 00:34:16,250 that they're helping the work of God. 534 00:34:17,130 --> 00:34:19,570 Peter's doing this with right ambition, but right ambition 535 00:34:19,570 --> 00:34:21,010 isn't enough. Right motive isn't enough. 536 00:34:21,010 --> 00:34:24,889 It's whether it's true or not. And the enemy saw an open door 537 00:34:24,889 --> 00:34:29,330 and he utilized this to try to bring obstacles. 538 00:34:31,100 --> 00:34:32,940 You know what? It's not entirely wrong with 539 00:34:32,940 --> 00:34:35,820 hearing that I would be careful throwing around Satan's name and 540 00:34:35,820 --> 00:34:37,780 accusing people of Satanic activity. 541 00:34:38,179 --> 00:34:41,020 But at the same time, you've probably been through 542 00:34:41,860 --> 00:34:45,500 disappointing things in church life long enough and wondered, 543 00:34:45,940 --> 00:34:49,860 is is this the enemy doing this even among believers? 544 00:34:50,699 --> 00:34:55,860 It's very possible, yes, even among believers for there to be 545 00:34:55,860 --> 00:34:58,820 demonic infiltration. Very possible. 546 00:35:00,660 --> 00:35:03,540 And if that is true, then I got to ask the question, how is it? 547 00:35:03,540 --> 00:35:06,700 How is it that church members and professing believers open 548 00:35:06,700 --> 00:35:08,740 themselves up to this horrible possibility? 549 00:35:08,740 --> 00:35:12,020 And Jesus gives us the answer. In this very same rebuke, He 550 00:35:12,020 --> 00:35:14,900 gives us the answer he says, for you are not setting your mind on 551 00:35:14,900 --> 00:35:17,540 the things of God, but on the things of man. 552 00:35:18,860 --> 00:35:21,820 That's how Satan gets into the thinking of believers. 553 00:35:22,100 --> 00:35:25,140 The entryway for the enemy's influence in the lives of those 554 00:35:25,140 --> 00:35:29,240 who are followers of Christ is by how they think. 555 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:35,560 When our convictions and our outlooks are not conformed and 556 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:39,560 submitted to the Word of God, it leaves room for Satanic 557 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:45,400 influence. But the more you and I allow 558 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:49,880 God's Word to and His wisdom and His will to govern our thinking, 559 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:54,360 our outlook, our convictions, our attitude, our decisions, our 560 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:57,900 reactions, the more the word of God Shields us, the less room we 561 00:35:57,900 --> 00:35:59,980 give the enemy to direct our paths. 562 00:36:01,980 --> 00:36:04,380 And in Peter's case, his thoughts about the Messiah did 563 00:36:04,380 --> 00:36:08,060 not align with the word of God. It was selected by personal 564 00:36:08,060 --> 00:36:12,060 interpretation and preference. He did not like the idea of a 565 00:36:12,060 --> 00:36:14,980 suffering Messiah. He had already given up so much 566 00:36:14,980 --> 00:36:16,540 to follow Jesus. And now Jesus. 567 00:36:16,540 --> 00:36:18,140 You're talking about going to die. 568 00:36:19,860 --> 00:36:24,760 Not on my watch. Now you're going to conquer and 569 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:26,400 we're going to, we're going to reign with you. 570 00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:28,360 Didn't they always talk about who was going to be the 571 00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:30,440 greatest? Didn't that reach a feverish 572 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:33,080 pitch where you had James and John say, even using their 573 00:36:33,080 --> 00:36:37,520 mother, hey, who can we sit closest to you on your throne? 574 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:38,880 This is what they were thinking about. 575 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:44,200 And we see here that, yeah, Peter was right and identifying 576 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:47,040 that Jesus was the Messiah, but he was wrong in applying and 577 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:48,600 understanding how that played out. 578 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:52,640 And the enemy loves to work with those who mix personal 579 00:36:52,640 --> 00:37:00,020 preference with truth, who will quote this verse but not that 580 00:37:00,020 --> 00:37:04,700 one, who love the parts of the Bible that justify what they 581 00:37:04,700 --> 00:37:07,500 want, but dismiss the others that might even condemn them for 582 00:37:07,500 --> 00:37:09,340 doing something that they're trying to justify. 583 00:37:12,900 --> 00:37:15,140 The enemy doesn't need us to totally deny the word of God. 584 00:37:15,180 --> 00:37:18,180 All he needs is you and I to misapply, and that would 585 00:37:18,180 --> 00:37:21,460 suffice. And if that's true, then we have 586 00:37:21,460 --> 00:37:24,420 to ask ourselves very carefully. Here's the question that we have 587 00:37:24,420 --> 00:37:26,260 to ask ourselves in light of this revelation. 588 00:37:26,260 --> 00:37:28,180 Do my thoughts not just about the Messiah. 589 00:37:28,180 --> 00:37:40,020 Do my thoughts about everything? Money, money, ministry helps to 590 00:37:40,020 --> 00:37:43,820 divide things. Marriage. 591 00:37:45,020 --> 00:37:48,820 Relationships. When you look at these things 592 00:37:48,820 --> 00:37:51,180 separately, ask yourself this question. 593 00:37:51,750 --> 00:37:55,070 Do these different compartments of my existence, my ideas about 594 00:37:55,070 --> 00:37:57,270 them, my hopes, my dreams, my convictions? 595 00:37:58,310 --> 00:38:04,550 Do they echo God's thoughts or do they sound different? 596 00:38:07,990 --> 00:38:10,790 How do I know we have God's thoughts? 597 00:38:12,150 --> 00:38:13,830 And that's what renewing your mind looks like. 598 00:38:13,870 --> 00:38:17,200 It's submitting your thoughts to the will of God and allowing the 599 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:20,120 will of God to transform your mind so that you would not be 600 00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:23,200 conformed to this world, but you would know what the will of God 601 00:38:23,240 --> 00:38:26,520 is. And one of the glories and the 602 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:29,960 benefits of that is Satan has very little to work with to get 603 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:31,880 in there so that he can do more damage. 604 00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:39,960 He made Peter a spokesperson for himself because his thinking was 605 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:41,760 not right. That's the open door. 606 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:46,050 So this is Peter's foundational problem, and it can be the 607 00:38:46,050 --> 00:38:49,930 problem for us if we are not careful to allow God's word to 608 00:38:49,930 --> 00:38:53,970 be our ultimate authority and to live under that, and to allow it 609 00:38:53,970 --> 00:38:56,370 to shape your life. Not just quoted, not just teach 610 00:38:56,370 --> 00:38:59,610 it, not just preach it, but to allow it to actually influence 611 00:38:59,610 --> 00:39:02,450 you. That's when you are bulletproof 612 00:39:03,570 --> 00:39:09,570 from being a foothold to the evil one and being his 613 00:39:09,570 --> 00:39:13,900 ambassador unwittingly. That is Peter's problem. 614 00:39:13,900 --> 00:39:15,700 But notice something with his posture. 615 00:39:15,700 --> 00:39:18,700 What I mean by his posture is his attitude, his heart, 616 00:39:18,700 --> 00:39:21,700 disposition. At least here in response to 617 00:39:21,700 --> 00:39:25,660 this but turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and 618 00:39:25,660 --> 00:39:28,260 said, get behind me, Satan, for you're not setting your mind on 619 00:39:28,260 --> 00:39:30,300 the things of God, but on the things of man. 620 00:39:31,500 --> 00:39:34,660 Imagine receiving that kind of correction from Jesus publicly. 621 00:39:36,500 --> 00:39:40,190 Would it offend you? I mean Lord, you just told me I 622 00:39:40,190 --> 00:39:44,590 was blessed by the Father and now you're telling me Satan talk 623 00:39:44,590 --> 00:39:50,110 about spiritual high, spiritual low, but there's no such 624 00:39:50,110 --> 00:39:55,510 reaction from Peter. You get clear indication in the 625 00:39:55,510 --> 00:39:58,230 Bible that when Jesus said certain things, some people 626 00:39:58,870 --> 00:40:01,390 receive that correction and other people were outright 627 00:40:01,390 --> 00:40:03,670 offended. Who was often offended by the 628 00:40:03,670 --> 00:40:08,950 words of Jesus? The Pharisees often offended. 629 00:40:09,720 --> 00:40:12,080 When you look at Matthew 1512, that's one place where it's 630 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:13,480 explicitly said that they were offended. 631 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:15,240 The disciples knew the Pharisees were offended. 632 00:40:15,240 --> 00:40:18,240 Jesus just finished correcting their view about human 633 00:40:18,240 --> 00:40:20,600 tradition. And the disciples came to the 634 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:21,880 Lord. And I said, Lord, do you not 635 00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:24,280 know that the Pharisees were offended by this? 636 00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:28,560 You know what Jesus does? Oh, no, really? 637 00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:31,200 OK, let me find because I'll let them be offended. 638 00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:37,160 They're blind guides. You know what that shows me? 639 00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:43,720 If I live in a fence, if I allow offense to take over, I will be 640 00:40:43,720 --> 00:40:46,520 limited in my spiritual transformation and growth. 641 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:50,800 The Pharisees stayed the same for many reasons, But instead of 642 00:40:50,800 --> 00:40:53,400 receiving and hearing what Jesus had to say, no matter how strong 643 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:56,240 the charge was, they chose to be offended rather than to be 644 00:40:56,240 --> 00:40:59,560 convicted and to humble themselves and to examine their 645 00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:04,000 hearts more carefully. Offense has a way of keeping you 646 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,210 in the same place and leading you in the wrong place. 647 00:41:07,210 --> 00:41:14,370 Ultimately, Peter made a couple big blunders in his life as as a 648 00:41:14,370 --> 00:41:16,410 servant and follower of Jesus Christ. 649 00:41:18,130 --> 00:41:25,210 But Peter knew how to acknowledge his wrong and to 650 00:41:25,210 --> 00:41:30,330 repent, and the Lord used him teach abilities absolutely 651 00:41:30,330 --> 00:41:34,110 massive for the Lord's hand to be on our lives and for us to 652 00:41:34,110 --> 00:41:36,590 reflect and honor him the way he designed us to. 653 00:41:37,830 --> 00:41:39,910 There's so many examples of that in the Bible. 654 00:41:40,030 --> 00:41:43,230 One of my favorite examples about it, having a teachable 655 00:41:43,230 --> 00:41:48,630 spirit, is a man that we often don't talk about, and there's 656 00:41:48,750 --> 00:41:51,230 legitimacy for that. But Apollo's. 657 00:41:52,270 --> 00:41:55,110 I like this guy. Apollo's, you know who I'm 658 00:41:55,110 --> 00:41:56,510 talking about. Maybe you don't. 659 00:41:56,510 --> 00:41:59,110 So you have to see it because we have a biography about him and 660 00:41:59,110 --> 00:42:10,160 Acts 18. Look at Apollos in Acts 1824. 661 00:42:17,520 --> 00:42:22,920 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to 662 00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:24,920 Ephesus. Now look at this description of 663 00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:27,840 this man. He was an eloquent man, 664 00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:32,000 competent in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the 665 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:36,160 way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and 666 00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:40,080 taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew 667 00:42:40,080 --> 00:42:42,520 only the baptism of John. So think about this. 668 00:42:42,520 --> 00:42:46,640 He's eloquent, he's competent. One translation says that he 669 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:52,680 mastered in a sense mighty in the scriptures and he was 670 00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:54,800 fervent in spirit. He wasn't a dull theologian. 671 00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:59,790 He wasn't a ice cold academic. No, He had some fire in him and 672 00:42:59,790 --> 00:43:02,150 so he was engaging. He was captivating, but it was 673 00:43:02,150 --> 00:43:05,350 also educational. He just had the whole package as 674 00:43:05,350 --> 00:43:07,950 a public speaker and he utilized it for the glory of God. 675 00:43:08,110 --> 00:43:10,230 He was limited and his understanding though, and that's 676 00:43:10,230 --> 00:43:14,110 being told for a reason. So this man is an Ephesus and he 677 00:43:14,110 --> 00:43:16,430 spoke right. Verse 26. 678 00:43:16,510 --> 00:43:19,550 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, boldly. 679 00:43:20,870 --> 00:43:24,990 But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside 680 00:43:24,990 --> 00:43:28,430 and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 681 00:43:28,710 --> 00:43:32,590 So in attendance on that synagogue service, there is this 682 00:43:32,590 --> 00:43:35,190 couple, Priscilla and Aquilla. They were friends of Paul. 683 00:43:36,150 --> 00:43:38,430 And this this couple here, something happens. 684 00:43:38,430 --> 00:43:41,830 They're they're hearing what this awesome speaker has to say. 685 00:43:41,830 --> 00:43:45,110 But they were perceiving that he didn't understand fully the 686 00:43:45,110 --> 00:43:47,310 mission and the purpose of Jesus Christ. 687 00:43:49,630 --> 00:43:53,550 I don't know who's doing that, but if the ushers or one of the 688 00:43:53,670 --> 00:43:59,850 deacons can help, Thank you. And so we see here that they're 689 00:43:59,850 --> 00:44:01,970 in attendance and they hear and and they look at each other 690 00:44:01,970 --> 00:44:04,970 perhaps saying, this guy's good, but I don't think he really gets 691 00:44:04,970 --> 00:44:08,810 at all. And So what do they do after the 692 00:44:08,810 --> 00:44:10,410 service? The pulse is there shaking 693 00:44:10,410 --> 00:44:13,370 people's hands. And Priscilla and the Quila say 694 00:44:13,610 --> 00:44:16,210 we were so, so, so encouraged by what you had to say. 695 00:44:16,490 --> 00:44:18,970 But are you willing to come over? 696 00:44:18,970 --> 00:44:20,770 We we want to. We want to share some things 697 00:44:20,770 --> 00:44:22,850 with you. Concerning Jesus of Nazareth. 698 00:44:24,650 --> 00:44:27,680 Here's Apollo's preacher, traveling minister Eloquent. 699 00:44:27,680 --> 00:44:30,760 He already has a reputation. You know what? 700 00:44:30,760 --> 00:44:33,280 These people were this couple. They were tent makers. 701 00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:36,840 They weren't priests. They weren't theologians. 702 00:44:37,240 --> 00:44:42,000 They were tent makers. And Apollo's was willing to give 703 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:47,240 him an ear and sit in their house and hear what they had to 704 00:44:47,240 --> 00:44:49,560 say. And he received their 705 00:44:49,560 --> 00:44:55,660 instruction. Do you know the result of 706 00:44:55,660 --> 00:44:58,460 Apollo's humility here? It's found in verse 27. 707 00:44:58,580 --> 00:45:03,020 Look what happens. And when he wished to cross to 708 00:45:03,020 --> 00:45:08,300 Akeya, that's in Corinth, the brothers encouraged him and 709 00:45:08,300 --> 00:45:10,860 wrote to the disciples to welcome him. 710 00:45:11,940 --> 00:45:14,900 So Paulos had this desire to see his ministry expand. 711 00:45:14,900 --> 00:45:17,900 He wanted to go to this region and to preach Christ. 712 00:45:18,740 --> 00:45:21,420 And because he's here in Ephesus, you make the connection 713 00:45:22,940 --> 00:45:25,180 that he developed a relationship with these brethren. 714 00:45:25,180 --> 00:45:28,940 And he was able to receive a recommendation letter from these 715 00:45:28,940 --> 00:45:30,660 brethren to say, receive this man. 716 00:45:31,340 --> 00:45:33,940 Receive this man. He's a sincere brother. 717 00:45:33,940 --> 00:45:37,820 He's a dear brother. And he will be a blessing to you 718 00:45:39,420 --> 00:45:41,220 as a result of a policy. Humility. 719 00:45:41,220 --> 00:45:44,340 His ministry broadened. Humility will do that. 720 00:45:45,140 --> 00:45:47,620 It will open more doors. It will cause others to want to 721 00:45:47,620 --> 00:45:51,340 work with you. That's what teachability does. 722 00:45:52,430 --> 00:45:55,950 It makes you more attractive. It helps others. 723 00:45:55,950 --> 00:45:58,550 See, this is a team player. This is somebody who's not all 724 00:45:58,550 --> 00:46:00,110 about themselves. This is somebody who wants to 725 00:46:00,110 --> 00:46:03,510 work with others. And so teachability is necessary 726 00:46:03,790 --> 00:46:06,790 if there's going to be any possibility of expansion of your 727 00:46:06,790 --> 00:46:09,630 Ministry and mine. But not just that. 728 00:46:09,630 --> 00:46:13,350 Look what else happens here. When he arrived, he greatly 729 00:46:13,350 --> 00:46:18,270 helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully 730 00:46:18,270 --> 00:46:21,230 refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that 731 00:46:21,230 --> 00:46:26,510 the Christ was Jesus. He greatly helped those who were 732 00:46:26,510 --> 00:46:27,350 there. Why? 733 00:46:27,510 --> 00:46:29,750 Because he well, how did he greatly help? 734 00:46:29,870 --> 00:46:31,630 We'll follow the context. He was. 735 00:46:32,030 --> 00:46:36,990 He was further enlightened, he received greater understanding 736 00:46:36,990 --> 00:46:39,870 about Jesus, and he was able to take that to the next level. 737 00:46:40,030 --> 00:46:46,200 And others were blessed by it. So because Paulus was willing to 738 00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:51,440 grow, God could say now go. And because he was willing to 739 00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:56,400 submit to even these people who who had no credentials, they 740 00:46:56,400 --> 00:47:01,520 weren't fellow ministers, tent makers, he was able to 741 00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:05,560 powerfully refute the Jews because he was taught more 742 00:47:05,560 --> 00:47:10,320 accurately the ways of Jesus. This is so important to 743 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:13,600 understand. This is so crucial to grasp. 744 00:47:14,820 --> 00:47:18,140 How do you and I respond when somebody reproaches you about 745 00:47:18,140 --> 00:47:21,620 something that you believe you have mastered? 746 00:47:23,940 --> 00:47:25,740 I've been doing this for 20 years. 747 00:47:28,980 --> 00:47:33,260 Are you defensive? Do you recoil? 748 00:47:34,060 --> 00:47:37,060 Do you turn tune out the person and just nod your head? 749 00:47:37,740 --> 00:47:39,460 Just wanted to get the conversation over with. 750 00:47:42,180 --> 00:47:44,460 Do you attack the person back in a veiled manner? 751 00:47:44,460 --> 00:47:46,940 By what? Offering them correction? 752 00:47:47,500 --> 00:47:48,900 They didn't come to ask for your correction. 753 00:47:48,900 --> 00:47:50,620 They came to offer you some suggestions. 754 00:47:50,740 --> 00:47:52,460 How did this turn around and become about them? 755 00:47:52,620 --> 00:47:55,060 But we do that. Oh, thanks for the correction. 756 00:47:55,060 --> 00:47:56,620 But you know what, brother? This and this and that about 757 00:47:56,620 --> 00:47:59,100 you. This is about you, sister. 758 00:47:59,100 --> 00:48:01,540 I noticed that as well. There's no need for that. 759 00:48:04,180 --> 00:48:09,020 Do I pretend to have accountability by surrounding 760 00:48:09,020 --> 00:48:14,670 myself with yes men who will always agree with what I have to 761 00:48:14,670 --> 00:48:20,870 say, but at the same time, I can justify with a false humility 762 00:48:20,870 --> 00:48:23,030 that I do have people that speak into my life. 763 00:48:23,030 --> 00:48:25,430 There's designated Yes man. That's not the same. 764 00:48:27,030 --> 00:48:29,950 Apollos was a man who was able to listen no matter who was the 765 00:48:29,950 --> 00:48:33,670 person giving the correction. He was a man who was willing to 766 00:48:33,670 --> 00:48:35,630 pause and give time and learn something. 767 00:48:35,630 --> 00:48:38,470 Also from Priscilla and Aquila. They didn't stand but stand up 768 00:48:38,470 --> 00:48:40,190 in the middle of the server and say, hey preacher, you did a 769 00:48:40,190 --> 00:48:42,110 good job, but you missed this, this and that. 770 00:48:43,190 --> 00:48:44,110 No. What are we told here? 771 00:48:44,110 --> 00:48:47,230 That they took him aside? I added there that just for the 772 00:48:47,230 --> 00:48:49,710 sake of presentation, that they took him aside privately to 773 00:48:49,710 --> 00:48:50,990 their home. Perhaps that was the case, but 774 00:48:50,990 --> 00:48:53,430 they took him aside and explained to him the way of God. 775 00:48:53,430 --> 00:48:55,990 More accurately, they made it a private matter. 776 00:48:56,270 --> 00:48:59,110 They didn't embarrass Apollo's, they didn't shame him. 777 00:48:59,310 --> 00:49:01,870 They're very wise in how they offered this kind of correction 778 00:49:02,390 --> 00:49:05,910 so we can learn both sides here. I love. 779 00:49:05,990 --> 00:49:07,630 I was looking at this and I thought, I want to know more 780 00:49:07,630 --> 00:49:09,430 about Apollo's. I want to know so much more 781 00:49:09,430 --> 00:49:10,590 about him. There's an interesting place 782 00:49:10,590 --> 00:49:13,470 about Apollo's at the end of First Corinthian 16, and I'll 783 00:49:13,470 --> 00:49:17,150 end it here in First Corinthian 16 and verse 12. 784 00:49:17,430 --> 00:49:19,950 Paul's writing to this church in Corinth and he he mentions 785 00:49:19,950 --> 00:49:25,790 Apollo's by name Now concerning in First Corinthians 1612. 786 00:49:25,790 --> 00:49:30,750 Now concerning our brother Apollo's, I strongly urged him 787 00:49:30,750 --> 00:49:34,160 to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all 788 00:49:34,160 --> 00:49:36,960 his will to come. Now He will come when he has 789 00:49:36,960 --> 00:49:42,280 opportunity. Why is Paul bringing up Apollos? 790 00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:46,400 Because Apollos had a great role in playing and watering the seed 791 00:49:47,080 --> 00:49:52,080 of these Corinthian Christians, and so they had a strong 792 00:49:52,080 --> 00:49:55,120 relationship with Apollos. Apollos had discipleship 793 00:49:55,120 --> 00:49:56,920 relationship with many of these believers. 794 00:49:57,120 --> 00:49:59,840 And so he wants to comfort this church and let him know, hey, I 795 00:49:59,840 --> 00:50:02,970 asked Apollos if he's willing to come by the church, but he said 796 00:50:02,970 --> 00:50:06,890 not now, maybe at another time. And there's a lot of debate. 797 00:50:06,890 --> 00:50:13,450 Why didn't Apollos want to go? It's not explicitly said. 798 00:50:13,450 --> 00:50:19,410 You know what many people believe, though, Apollos was not 799 00:50:19,410 --> 00:50:21,610 too happy what was happening in the Corinthian church. 800 00:50:21,890 --> 00:50:24,970 There are many issues, but one of the primary issues was what 801 00:50:24,970 --> 00:50:26,450 you see in the introduction of this book. 802 00:50:27,250 --> 00:50:28,970 There were divisions in the church. 803 00:50:28,970 --> 00:50:32,670 You know what people were saying, hey, hey, we're the Paul 804 00:50:32,670 --> 00:50:35,550 guys. We follow Paul and this group 805 00:50:35,550 --> 00:50:38,470 over here saying no, we follow Cephas and another group over 806 00:50:38,470 --> 00:50:46,750 there saying we follow Apollos. What many believe is that 807 00:50:46,750 --> 00:50:49,710 Apollos and knowing about the factions that were caused with 808 00:50:49,710 --> 00:50:56,630 his name in it, was disgusted and he didn't want to fuel that. 809 00:50:56,630 --> 00:50:58,390 He didn't want to be captured by that. 810 00:50:58,670 --> 00:51:03,060 He didn't want to entertain that further, and perhaps even by his 811 00:51:03,180 --> 00:51:06,700 refusal to come at first is trying to communicate that he 812 00:51:06,700 --> 00:51:08,260 does not approve of what's happening. 813 00:51:09,540 --> 00:51:13,020 If that is true, because it's not explicit, then that just 814 00:51:13,100 --> 00:51:16,540 solidifies to us again the kind of heart posture This man, he 815 00:51:16,540 --> 00:51:20,100 was a man who didn't take advantage of the praise that he 816 00:51:20,100 --> 00:51:21,380 received. He wasn't a man who was all 817 00:51:21,380 --> 00:51:23,700 about himself. He wasn't a man who got caught 818 00:51:23,700 --> 00:51:25,260 up and what people were saying about him. 819 00:51:25,500 --> 00:51:27,580 He didn't want to set up a personality called. 820 00:51:27,580 --> 00:51:31,180 He shunned that. If that is the case, why he did 821 00:51:31,180 --> 00:51:33,780 not go? And that might be debated. 822 00:51:33,780 --> 00:51:36,460 But you know what's not debated? I love Paul in this verse. 823 00:51:37,620 --> 00:51:38,900 Do you see what Paul is saying here? 824 00:51:39,060 --> 00:51:42,140 Hey, I urge. I strongly urge him to visit you 825 00:51:42,140 --> 00:51:44,700 with the other brothers. But it was not at all his will 826 00:51:44,700 --> 00:51:46,060 to come now. He will come when he has 827 00:51:46,060 --> 00:51:49,500 opportunity. Paul as a leader in the church 828 00:51:49,500 --> 00:51:52,660 never dictated or determined what other people should do 829 00:51:52,660 --> 00:51:57,020 forcefully. What a leader, what a leader. 830 00:51:58,010 --> 00:52:01,210 He understood that there in some areas are personal, subjective 831 00:52:01,210 --> 00:52:04,290 convictions and that the spirit leads us in different ways. 832 00:52:04,290 --> 00:52:06,930 So he didn't force himself. He didn't threaten the Apollo's. 833 00:52:07,650 --> 00:52:11,650 But even more than that, Paul was a man who was humble 834 00:52:11,650 --> 00:52:14,050 himself. In what sense? 835 00:52:14,490 --> 00:52:17,290 Think about it. He knew that the Corinthians 836 00:52:17,290 --> 00:52:21,530 really, really loved the Apollo's and he knew that there 837 00:52:21,530 --> 00:52:26,180 were even people in the church comparing him to Apollos and 838 00:52:26,180 --> 00:52:27,660 Cephas. There was kind of this 839 00:52:27,660 --> 00:52:30,940 competition going on and their names were involved. 840 00:52:31,020 --> 00:52:35,940 And yet this Paul was not intimidated by Apollos. 841 00:52:38,060 --> 00:52:44,540 He wasn't threatened by Apollos. Pauls was a very gifted man and 842 00:52:44,540 --> 00:52:47,140 Paul knew that Apollos would be a greater benefit to the church. 843 00:52:47,140 --> 00:52:50,140 As Apollos go go, they will benefit. 844 00:52:50,140 --> 00:52:51,500 Who knows how we strongly urge him. 845 00:52:51,970 --> 00:52:54,370 But if Paul was insecure, he wouldn't have made such a 846 00:52:54,370 --> 00:52:55,730 suggestion. I'll take care of this and 847 00:52:55,730 --> 00:52:56,090 Paul's. Thanks. 848 00:52:56,090 --> 00:52:57,210 Okay. I'll just do this myself. 849 00:52:57,770 --> 00:52:58,810 All right. Hopefully they'll like me, know 850 00:52:58,810 --> 00:53:00,890 more now if I come in here and fix some of these issues. 851 00:53:01,130 --> 00:53:03,410 So now we thought, you know, ministers think like that. 852 00:53:05,730 --> 00:53:06,970 People think like that in the church. 853 00:53:07,130 --> 00:53:09,370 They see their brother and sister as a threat to their 854 00:53:09,370 --> 00:53:13,930 gift, to their reputation. I've played this instrument my 855 00:53:13,930 --> 00:53:16,450 whole life. I've preached my whole life. 856 00:53:16,810 --> 00:53:19,090 I hold on to this pulpit. This is my pulpit. 857 00:53:20,960 --> 00:53:22,440 This is my ministry. I've been in the Sunday School 858 00:53:22,440 --> 00:53:24,240 for this long. I've done this for the that's 859 00:53:24,240 --> 00:53:28,680 not Christian, that's not, that's not what we see with 860 00:53:28,680 --> 00:53:31,400 these leaders. So you have Peter who is able to 861 00:53:31,400 --> 00:53:35,720 be called with a strong rebuke and receive it. 862 00:53:36,840 --> 00:53:39,480 You have Apollo's who is willing to listen to Priscilla and 863 00:53:39,480 --> 00:53:42,200 Aquila. You have Paul who understood 864 00:53:42,200 --> 00:53:45,080 that there are some people comparing him with other 865 00:53:45,080 --> 00:53:47,800 preachers and he still champion and advocated the other 866 00:53:47,800 --> 00:53:50,570 preachers because he saw their gifting and their ability says 867 00:53:50,570 --> 00:53:55,290 go, they will benefit from you. May God help us, May God help 868 00:53:55,330 --> 00:53:59,890 us, May God help us. Peter's presumption, Peter's 869 00:53:59,970 --> 00:54:07,770 problem, Peter's posture. Lord, we thank you for the word 870 00:54:07,770 --> 00:54:12,810 of God. It can encourage and it can cut. 871 00:54:12,810 --> 00:54:21,600 But even when it cuts, even when it cuts, you want to heal us, 872 00:54:23,000 --> 00:54:24,880 You want to remove things from us. 873 00:54:29,480 --> 00:54:32,040 Thank you that your word says in Revelation 3 that those whom you 874 00:54:32,040 --> 00:54:35,960 love you rebuke. You loved Peter. 875 00:54:37,560 --> 00:54:39,720 Lord, you love Peter not only when you restored him at the 876 00:54:39,720 --> 00:54:41,480 beach. And John 21 you loved him even 877 00:54:41,480 --> 00:54:43,120 when you said, get behind me, Satan. 878 00:54:45,080 --> 00:54:47,720 Lord, give us wisdom to know how to relate to one another. 879 00:54:49,550 --> 00:54:52,630 Protect our hearts from pride when you use us in a certain 880 00:54:52,630 --> 00:54:57,430 way. Help us, O Lord, limit more than 881 00:54:57,430 --> 00:55:03,070 just limit completely. Be shielded by Satan's 882 00:55:03,350 --> 00:55:09,150 suggestions, by having every aspect of our lives submitted to 883 00:55:09,150 --> 00:55:16,290 the word of God, and teach us to serve you with each other, to 884 00:55:16,290 --> 00:55:19,410 love each other, to champion and praise you for one another. 885 00:55:19,970 --> 00:55:23,010 Help us see one another as members of the same body. 886 00:55:24,370 --> 00:55:28,250 You are our head. And so, Lord, today we say thank 887 00:55:28,250 --> 00:55:31,090 you again for this. Not just your blessings, not 888 00:55:31,090 --> 00:55:34,170 just your grace and mercy. We say as we've studied Peter's 889 00:55:34,170 --> 00:55:36,890 rebuke. Thank you for even your rebukes 890 00:55:36,890 --> 00:55:41,050 in our lives because you rebuke those whom you love. 891 00:55:41,810 --> 00:55:44,850 Now we worship you in Jesus name. 892 00:55:45,260 --> 00:55:46,340 Amen. Amen. 893 00:55:46,380 --> 00:55:49,100 Why don't we stand and worship the Lord together?