Subject this evening, turning to 1 Peter chapter
2, and we're going through from verse 11
this evening to the end of verse 17.
1 Peter chapter 2, verse 11, through to
the end of verse 17.
And that means that we're looking very carefully,
and I say carefully, at seven verses this
evening.
Just seven verses.
And if you give me ten minutes for
each verse, then we're seventy minutes, aren't we?
Might need a minute or two more, but
what does that matter?
And I want you to note that in
these seven verses, we have seven very precious
exhortations from Peter to believers.
You know, in the first chapter, we've been
looking at some of the fundamental things that
Peter deals with.
And I can tell you that when Peter's
dealing with fundamental truths, then I can tell
you that he's a great and powerful and
unique preacher.
Because when we get into the second letter,
he's been dealing with dispensational truths.
We're talking about the day of the Lord,
in which the heavens shall pass away with
a great noise, and the elements shall melt
with fervent heat.
And I can tell you that when Peter
deals with dispensational truths, he's a powerful preacher.
And of course, right through these letters, we've
got evangelical truth, red hot evangelical truth.
But I would say this, that while Peter
preaches on fundamental truth and dispensational truth and
evangelical truth, he's a wonderful preacher.
But I think he's most wonderful when he's
dealing with practical truths.
And it's all practical this evening, I assure
you.
Practical.
It's seven very powerful and very precious and
very practical exhortations to believers.
All of you who have been coming to
the class, you remember the teacher began his
first letter talking or writing to the strangers
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, and Cappadocia.
And I want you to remember what he
called them, strangers scattered.
Of course, Peter was the great apostle to
the Jews, while Paul was the great apostle
to the Gentiles.
And I believe Peter is using the word
strangers there in the first chapter and in
the first verse, because he's writing to Jews
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and so on.
And of course, from the second verse you
can see they're saved Jews, because they were
elect according to the full knowledge of God.
They were sanctified by the Spirit and they
were under the blood.
And they were following after the obedience of
Christ.
And we went right down through that chapter
and we found that they had a living
hope.
We found that they had an inheritance, and
it wasn't the old Jewish inheritance either.
Because it was an inheritance which was incorruptible,
no philistine will ever corrupt it.
And it was undefiled, no pagan god will
ever enter into it.
Nothing but defilers shall ever enter it.
And we found that these people were elect
and sanctified, that they had a living hope
and an eternal inheritance, that they loved the
Lord Jesus, that they were born again, that
they were redeemed.
Not with corruptible things, but with the precious
blood of Christ.
And so just because these Jews scattered throughout
Pontus were elect and redeemed, Peter calls them
in the beginning of our portion tonight, dearly
beloved.
And we must always remember this, I wish
we would.
That every one of the elect, every soul
saved by grace, every soul justified by faith,
every man and woman and boy and girl
redeemed by precious blood, let's remember that they're
dearly beloved to God.
And they should be dearly beloved to us.
Whether they see eye to eye with us
doesn't really matter on this issue.
They're in the body, and if they're in
the body, we should always dearly love them.
And let's learn the lesson now, because that's
how he begins talking the other evening.
Yes, they're dearly beloved.
And he says this in the first exhortation,
Dearly beloved, I beseech you, our strangers and
pilgrims.
Isn't that very wonderful?
They were elect, of course, and they were
marching to Zion, and they had an inheritance
incorruptible, and they were redeemed and born again.
And yet, you know, in a sense, they
were strangers and pilgrims down there.
Now, he's not using the word strangers now
in the same sense as he used it
in the first chapter.
Because when he used it in the first
verse of the first chapter, he was thinking
about these Jews scattered throughout these different provinces,
and he said, your strangers scattered throughout.
He was thinking of them in a national
sense then, and in a geographical sense.
But he's thinking of them now in a
spiritual sense.
Because remember, in a spiritual sense, and in
a very great spiritual sense, we're just strangers
and pilgrims down here.
And I wish we could get this into
our minds.
It would do us a lot of good
just at this time.
In a very real sense, you know, we're
just a passing fruit.
And all of him, you know, gets the
truth over.
This is not our home.
Praise God, this is not our home.
Ah, no, friends.
Our citizenship is in heaven.
We're not being subdued, you know.
If, friends, if we could only get the
hold of this, that we're only passing through,
that this is not our home, that our
citizenship is in heaven, that we look for
a city which has foundations, whose builder and
maker is God, and no rebel will ever
burn it.
That's what we're heading for.
They're marching to that.
Wish we could get this into us, you
know, that in a very deep and real
and wonderful spiritual sense, that we're just strangers
and pilgrims down here.
So he starts to exhaust the believers, calling
them firstly dearly beloved, and then reminding them
that they're only strangers and pilgrims.
He says, dearly beloved, I beseech you as
strangers and pilgrims, abstain, that's a great word,
isn't it?
Abstain from fleshly lusts.
This is the first exhortation.
It's the exhortation to abstain.
And you can see what he's saying quite
clearly, to abstain from fleshly lusts.
And he adds this wonderful phrase, of course,
empowered by the Spirit, which war against the
soul.
You know, every time that I see a
picture of the old Indians of the West
circling round our own caravan on the ferry,
and we've all seen these pictures from our
early boyhood days, and when I see these
Indians brushing with their war paints, and their
tomahawks held high, and you can hear the
war cry of the tribes, I think that
these are just like fleshly lusts coming against
the soul, which war against the soul.
And they come against you with real power.
Because you know that Samson was overtaken with
sex, he lost the battle.
If this wild Indian of sex, would you
like, got in on him, and of course
one evening, and it was only one evening,
David was overcome by the same thought.
But don't let's think that fleshly lusts end
there.
I think outside of the subject we know
pretty well without too much barging.
But you know there are men down in
this world whose God is their belly.
Yes, and that's a fleshly lust too.
And as somebody said in our morning meeting
once, some men just live to eat.
They don't eat to live.
They just live to eat.
And this can be a fleshly lust, you
know, and it comes against the soul.
And if you just get taken out of
peace and pardon, I'll tell you, you'll not
be as spiritual as you might be.
Some of us would need to know maybe
more about fasting than we do.
Yes.
Mind you, I can tell you this, that
power becomes a fleshly lust.
And you can get so absorbed with these
things, until there's a craving in your very
soul, and you lose your balance for God.
And it comes against you, you know, through
war, against the soul.
And there's a whole lot of fleshly lusts
that you would need to abstain from.
To the point I fear, that when Peter
looks at these believers, and they say, dearly
beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts.
You know, too many believers take these sorts
of expectations, and they make them a sort
of ten commandments for the soul.
And they keep the word abstain, and they
go away home, and they roll it under
the tongue, and they fill their mind with
it.
And they make up their minds that tomorrow,
you know, tomorrow I shall abstain.
Oh, I'm telling you, you're on the wrong
track altogether.
You know, if ever you take some of
the teachings of grace, and this is one
of the teachings of grace, and you make
it on the same parallel as the teachings
of the law, then you're going to be
bruised.
Because, you know, you might as well make
up your mind just now, that you can
abstain from nothing.
And that the only way that the teachings
of grace can be carried out in your
life is by the power of the Holy
Ghost.
And we need to be continually being filled
with the Spirit of God.
And I'll tell you this, if we're continually
being filled with the Spirit of God, then
our whole inner being will be filled with
love, and joy, and peace, and long-suffering,
and gentleness, and goodness, and faith, and meekness,
and temperance.
And these fleshly lusts will never lay a
narrow in the tent of your life.
And that's how it's done.
That's one of the expectations that is underlining
this evening.
It's the expectation to abstain, but you must
remember that it's part of the teachings of
grace.
And it can only happen in your life
when the Holy Ghost is taking you over
and looking after you.
Now, he goes on again to exhort him.
He says, Having your conversation honest among the
Gentiles.
And I assure you that that word that's
translated conversation is an old Greek word, and
it should be translated behavior.
And in some of the translations, thank God
the word is behavior.
Because this is how it should read, Having
your behavior honest among the nations, the word
should be.
Sometimes we get Gentiles in for nations.
It isn't that he's making a differentiation between
the Jews and the Gentiles.
He's talking to these believers, and he says,
Having your behavior honest among the nations.
Now that's very important, isn't it?
It's a powerful expectation.
It's simply saying the same as Paul said
to Timothy, that we should adorn the doctrine
of God our Savior in all things.
You see, this is an expectation to adorn.
The other was an expectation to abstain.
He's wanting us to adorn the whole teaching
of Christ in all things.
And he puts this little bit in which
is very interesting, Having your conversation honest among
the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you
of evildoers.
And remember that's exactly how the world and
the nations talk about us.
And the man who thinks that he's going
to get medals from the world for living
like Christ, he's a fool.
He won't get any medals.
You know, this book assures you, absolutely assures
you, that all who will live godly shall
suffer persecution.
And the world will slander you.
And the world will say evil things about
you.
And the world will call you evildoers.
Well, Lord Jesus told you of this.
He said, if they hated me, or hate
you.
Mind you, none of us just living up
to the standard of Christ.
You know, a professor in Queens argued with
me just the other day.
He said, if all the church was living
like Christ, you would see a difference.
I said, what difference?
It is me living.
Are you setting him up as an example?
Was he wonderful?
Yes.
I'll tell you what they did with him.
They put him on a cross.
That's what they did with him.
The world doesn't like it.
Mind you, live in a family for God.
You'll keep time, won't you?
And you'll work for your master honestly.
And you'll not sit at the boy's next
door.
You'll be in trouble.
Yes, they'll call you evildoers.
Of course they'll call you evildoers for very
little, you know.
I was talking to a young woman, she
must be 25.
And I was talking about a man who's
the superintendent of a Sunday school.
I said to him, if he's not our
superintendent, I want to get him into the
clear before I get on with it.
Oh no, it's in another city altogether.
I was talking about this man, and she
says, you're no hypocrite.
I said, what do you mean, you're no
hypocrite?
She said, when I went to Sunday school,
he'd come round every Sunday.
And if you hadn't your vest done, he
would eat you.
I said, there's no hypocritical business about that.
He was only trying to get the Word
of God into you.
But do you see, you know, just because
the man was doing what he believed the
Lord would have him do, neither world takes
it out on him, don't they?
Well now, this is what Peter's saying to
these believers.
He's saying, having your conversation or your behavior
honest among the nations, that whereas they speak
against you as evildoers, they may buy your
good works.
Do you see that behavior and good works
are one and the same?
By your honest behavior, by your good works,
they shall glorify God in the day of
visitation.
What does that mean?
It simply means this, that these Gentiles, these
nations, you know, that while you walk honestly
and act honestly and speak honestly, when the
day comes for God to visit them with
salvation, you'll glorify God that they ever knew
you.
That's what it means.
Because God will come and save some of
these talkers yet, and will betray them.
Somehow, all of a sudden, they know a
man of God.
They remember somebody that worked for them.
They know it all right.
They shall glorify God in the day of
visitation.
I'll tell you this, always remember that all
these teachings of grace were quite different from
the teachings of the law.
We're not under the law.
The law said, thou shalt not give them
no power to do it.
Because the law was just the schoolmaster to
bring them to Christ.
When the law said, thou shalt not covet,
oh, you can't do anything about it, you
just go on coveting.
And it's only to sue you that you're
a sinner.
It's the schoolmaster that brings you to Christ.
Ah, but when grace stops the believers and
exhausts them, the power is there already.
And if we would let the Holy Ghost
have his way in our lives, we would
not only abstain, we would adorn the doctrines
of God our Saviour in all things.
And then it comes to a very important
expectation.
You can see the first one as to
abstain, and you can see the second one
is to adorn.
Now, the third one is to acknowledge.
He's what he's saying to these believers, submit
yourselves to every ordinance of man for the
Lord's sake.
You know, that's a tremendous statement, isn't it?
You know, we must remember that they and
I went into rift.
Who was on the throne?
Who was the emperor of Rome?
When it happens to be, it was Nero.
And I can tell you now, he was
no good.
He was the man that threw the Christians
to the lions.
He was the man who gave support out
of all the believers.
There's a thousand and one things that you
could say against this evil man.
And yet both Paul, and remember, it was
Nero that took Paul's head off at the
last.
But both Paul and Peter, they're encouraging the
believers to submit themselves and submit themselves to
the power of the being.
It's tremendous teaching, you know.
It's in this book, you know, I didn't
write it.
And if you were arguing with it, it's
a pity of you.
Because I'll tell you, the book will fix
you at the last.
You know, darling, on this whole planet, we've
got three great, wonderful things.
We've got the wonderful thing of the church.
Church.
All the believers.
And we've got the wonderful thing of the
state, too.
And the state is different from the church,
you know.
And I can tell you that if you
read Peter, a writer, he is not teaching
you that the church should run the state.
Oh no, I know a whole lot of
people who think a whole lot about Peter
and they think that Peter teaches that the
church should run the state.
How many things we have found out from
Peter's writings that all folks are in a
muddle about.
You know, there are people who teach that
you get born again by getting water sprinkled
on your brow.
Baptism of regeneration they teach.
When Peter teaches quite clearly that you're born
again by incorruptible seed, by the Word of
God.
That's what he teaches, the first chapter.
Last week we found out that 2nd Book
speaks that Peter is the foundation of the
church when Peter teaches that Christ is the
foundation.
That he was chosen of God and precious.
That God reigned inside the chief cornerstone and
that precious.
And now we're finding out that Peter is
teaching not that the church rules the state,
but that the church is to be submissive
to every ordinance of the state except the
state go against the ordinances of God.
If I want you to get the whole
of this, you know, we've got the church
and the state and the family.
And I'll tell you this, the church doesn't
rule the family.
And I'll tell you this, the family doesn't
rule the church.
And I'll tell you this, that the church
doesn't rule the state.
And I'll tell you this, that the state
doesn't rule the church and the things divine.
We need to get all these things tangled
up.
It's quite clear to see that the church
doesn't rule the family.
Why, if I give an order out here
tonight, let's do it all to get conflict
every morning at 7 o'clock.
Boy, I wouldn't reign long here.
I need to go back to New Zealand,
you know, wouldn't I?
No, the church doesn't rule the whole.
Not a bit of it.
And sometimes there are problems in the home
that they try to bring into the church.
And it is not the church's problem at
all.
And I'm very careful about it, you know.
When you try to bring the family problems
in here, I'll just tell you to keep
them.
Go ahead and solve them.
Yes, this is not a priesthood up here.
Not of that kind.
Not priestcraft.
Get this quite clearly, that, you know, the
Christian is being taught here, the stranger in
the pilgrim-parting group.
He's being taught how he should conduct himself
in the state.
And I think this is a line of
truth that needs to be present these days.
How a believer should conduct himself in the
state.
If he is to be submissive to every
ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether
it be to the king, our supreme, or
unto governors, or even lesser bodies who are
sent by him.
You see, I believe from the potentate on
the throne, down to the ordinary common policeman
on the beach, that he is to be
submissive to the ordinances of man for the
Lord's sake.
Because the policeman on the beach is going
to take your name in the name of
the queen, as we have it today.
But mind you, the Christian church is taught
to be submissive to every ordinance of man.
You know, Paul did the same thing, let's
go to Paul for a moment.
And we're at Romans, chapter 13.
Letter to the Romans, and we're chapter 13.
I think it's what Paul is saying to
these saints at Rome.
And remember, Nehu was on the throne.
He says, let every soul, that is, every
saved soul, of course, be subject unto the
higher powers.
For it is no power but of God.
The powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance
of God.
And they that resist shall receive to themselves
damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good
works, but to evil.
Would thou then not be afraid of the
power?
Do that which is good, and thou shalt
have praise of the faith.
For he is the minister of God to
thee for good.
But if thou do that which is evil,
be afraid.
For he beareth not the sword in vain.
I want you to get that phrase into
your mind.
That those who are ruling bear the sword,
and they beareth not in vain.
You know, the Believer in the States is
taught by this book, through these teachings of
grace, that is to be submissive to every
ordinance of man for the Lord's sake.
And it is to be subject to the
powers that be.
You know, he's also taught that he's to
supplicate for those who are in apostasy, for
kings and for all that are in apostasy.
Mind you, this is the teaching for the
Christians in the States.
He's taught to be submissive, he's taught to
be subject, he's taught to supplicate for kings
and for all who are in apostasy.
I'll tell you this, that he's taught to
sign.
Oh, let's get the hold of that one.
Have a look at Philippians, and we're at
Philippians chapter 2.
Paul is writing to these saints of Philippi,
and in this second chapter he says this,
in verse 14.
Do all things without murmurings and disputing, that
ye may be blameless and harmless.
There might be words out there.
Blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without
rebuke, in midst of a crooked and perverse
nation, among whom ye shine as light in
the world.
You see, the Christian in the States is
asked to be submissive to the ordinances, though
he should be under the law and order
of the States.
He's asked to be subject to the powers
that be.
He's asked to do more, he's asked to
supplicate for those who are in apostasy.
And he's asked to do a bit more,
he's asked to shine at the same time,
to be blameless and harmless.
Yea, you're not blameless and harmless if you
have a gun in your hand.
That's a bittersweet.
I would want to know how you can
be blameless and harmless with a gun.
Oh, he's a robot on me.
Finished.
Yes, these are the teachings of grace, aren't
they?
You know, sometimes the believers try not to
forget this, that the church is not only
an option, the church is an option.
There have been a lot of believers like
you in Russia, and they've got to be
submissive, and they've got to be subject, and
they've got to supplicate.
And you'll find that the church is over
the whole world just now.
They're all strangers and pilgrims.
And it doesn't make a matter of what
faith you're in.
When I go to Denmark, to Brits, when
they play the national anthem and say, I
just found the street of rest, I'll tell
you why in a moment, I've got to
honour the king of the country.
Because I know him, sir.
And I'm taught to honour the kings, and
it doesn't make a matter of what faith
you're in.
If they play the national anthem, you've got
to honour it.
My dear friends, I think that we forget,
you know, that the church is over the
whole world at times.
And if you were in Russia tonight, you'd
have to be submissive to a lot of
things.
Only when the government of any state gets
out of bounds with its books, as the
Jews did with Peter and John, and said,
you can't preach any more in Christ's name.
Peter took a deep breath, which filled with
the Spirit.
He said, we ought to obey God in
this matter, rather than men.
Men tell me that I can't preach any
more in the name of Jesus.
Then I shall be a rebel from that
moment.
Men tell me that I cannot pray any
more.
I shall pray, even if they kill me.
I won't be knocked around like that, you
know.
I want you to get this.
You know, we're to be submissive and subject.
We're to supplicate.
We're to find...
Would you get this bit off of you?
This is the bit that believers don't like.
We're to supplicate!
Who doesn't like to supplicate, you know?
You know what the subject will be next
week?
Let's go back to 1 Peter and I'll
show you now.
When we get to 1 Peter chapter 2
next week, we'll be coming to this verse.
We'll be starting at 18.
I'll not do too much of it now,
because we must keep it for then.
Peter said, servants.
We'll be stopping to slaves in big houses.
Servants or slaves, be subject to your masters
with all fear.
Not only to the good and gentle, but
also to the frugal.
For this is strength worthy, if a man
for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
That's the title of the subject next week.
Suffering wrongfully.
That's not enough before you're suppressed.
No!
That's suffering wrongfully.
Let's look up here, in case you can't
read.
I wonder what some of the believers read
out of it that I listen to.
Because they're entirely against the teaching of the
Word of God at times.
Yes, we've got to suffer, you know.
And we may have to suffer a whole
lot more.
But you may make up your mind that
you're asked to suffer.
And asked to suffer wrongfully.
I want you to get that.
Now, I want you to watch this turn
in the thing.
Now, while it is perfectly true that we
should be submissive, and subject to the powers
that be, and supplicate for them, and shine
in the midst of a crooked and perverse
nation, and while we must suffer wrongfully at
times, remember, we're not to return evil for
evil.
Now, we're taught this in this book, that
we're not to return evil for evil unto
any man.
Christians in a very peculiar position, you know,
as they march us through this land on
its way home.
But I want you to look at this,
that while we must be submissive and we
must suffer wrongfully at times, and while we
must not return evil for evil, and we
must pray for them, the persecutors, and who
say slanderous things against us falsely, yet we
expect the state to do something about it.
Make any mistakes about that?
Because we're not the state, we're just the
Christians.
Now, read the passage over again.
Are you back at 1 Peter chapter 2?
Now, what's this?
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for
the Lord's sake, whether it be to the
King, our Supreme, or unto governors, or right
down to the ordinary policemen on the street,
or unto them that are sent by the
King for the punishment of evildoers.
We expect the state to do something about
it.
Sometimes I wonder what they are doing.
You know, when we are taught to submit
to the powers of being, the powers of
being have a source.
He's there, not the source.
They tell me I'm not to do anything
like that, and I'm prepared to obey the
book, but I expect the state to do
its job.
Yes, well, I can't do evil for evil.
I know the state ought to be looking
after evildoers.
Sometimes the state seems wicked, doesn't it?
Now, here's the problem that was put to
me once, and we've got a lot of
policemen with us tonight, starting over there, and
another one here, and another one back there,
and another one, bless you.
Somebody said to me once, now supposing a
policeman is a Christian.
Then I said, he's a Christian policeman, isn't
he?
Well, he said, he said, you know, he's
not to render evil for evil.
And yet he's to punish evildoers.
I said, that's exactly both are right.
He said, you know, you must not only
call him a policeman, you must distinguish this
fellow from the rest of the ranks.
He's a Christian policeman.
And it's the very same for the Christian
soldier.
Now, as a Christian, he's got to pray
for those who are persecuted.
Yes, but then as a policeman, he's got
his duties to do to the state, because
that's what he works for.
You know, there's an old text in the
Buddhism, wasn't it?
Jesus Christ who says it, and he was
the best expositor of all.
He says, let the Christian policeman render unto
Caesar the things that are Caesar's.
Go and do your duties, that's what you're
paid for.
And unto God the things that are God's.
That's the best text for a Christian policeman
I've ever seen.
He's just to do his duty unto his
king or queen, but at the same time
he's to render unto God the things that
are God's.
Somebody said to me, can a Christian be
a policeman?
Of course he can.
But he's got to remember that he's both.
He's taken two things upon him now.
He's a Christian, and he's a policeman of
the state.
And he's got to render unto the state
the things that belong to the state.
And he's got to render unto God the
things that belong to God.
But we who are marching through the state,
we believe that this state should be beginning
with evil laws, and punishing them.
Punishing them.
That's what the book says.
The punishment of evildoing.
Flipping the sword.
Mother of state shouldn't bear the sword in
vain.
Don't put it in the sheath.
They need to use it.
Yes, I hope you've got the hold of
that.
Because that's a tremendous thing, you know.
Now that's an acknowledgement, isn't it?
And again, it takes all the power of
the Holy Ghost to help us to acknowledge
these wonderful things.
He says here, when he's talking about this,
he says, Submit yourselves to every ordinance of
man for the Lord's sake, whether it be
to the king, our supreme, or unto governors,
as unto them that are sent by him
for the punishment of evildoers, and for the
praise of them that do well.
For so is the will of God.
Some people are always looking for the will
of God.
And there's someone who argued with me something
along this line the other night, let them
feed the will of God.
He didn't want this at all.
He wanted to go out and murder a
lot of people.
He didn't want the will of God at
all.
He wasn't looking for the will of God.
Because it's all ideas about settling things.
No, I think we'd be better to be
directed by the word of God, and it's
very wonderful.
It fills me that Peter, the fisherman, is
in all things us.
My dear friend, the man that questions the
inspiration of the word, I think he's the
greatest dupe I've ever seen.
Yes, there's Peter, he's just a fisherman.
He used to push a little boat up
from the shores of Galilee to get towards
the soul of this man, so firm with
his spirit, that he can deal with fundamental
things in a remarkable way, and dispensational things,
and even technical things, and now these practical
things.
And then he comes to another exhortation.
Oh!
He says that we are free.
I think this is a great one.
Not using your liberty for a cook of
maliciousness.
Free of the servants of God.
You know, I don't want to take much
of this, because on Sunday evening, I'm going
to talk about the glorious liberty of the
sons of God.
You know, we are free to like, we
believe.
We're free in a very wonderful sense from
fizz.
Yes, it is true that he breaks the
power of tampered fizz, and sets the prisoner
free.
And I took him in the door from
New Zealand tonight, and looked at me.
I know I'm good-looking, but she helped
me along a bit.
She said, dear God, she said, you know,
you wouldn't think that, but this is what
we heard about.
I used to go drunk and be with
the gang and all that.
Well, it's the same fellow.
It's the same old, ordinary private.
With this difference.
That I'm free.
Absolutely free.
My chain fell off one day.
Don't ask me how they fell off.
I just know they fell off.
They fell off, I'm free.
It's I'm free from fizz in a very
great sense, and in a wonderful sense, I'm
free from the power of fizz.
From I was 16 till I was 24,
I was drunk every day, and that means
Sunday too.
I can do that before God tonight, and
close my eyes, look by faith into the
faith of Jesus Christ, and I never was
drunk once since it.
And I never will.
I'm free.
It doesn't bother me.
I could sleep in a pub tonight, but
I wouldn't let the devil see me in
it.
Because, yes, I'm free.
As you know, I'm not only free from
sin, I'm free from the power of sin.
But like the rest of us, and all
that world and all this, I'm free from
the law.
And I don't know the law.
I'm under grace.
Something that they don't know anything about.
It's wonderful to be under grace, you know.
And I'll tell you, I'm not only free
from sin, and the power of sin, and
the law, I'm free from fear.
I don't know a thing about the future,
you know, or anything like that.
I'm not worried whether the Tories go in
or go out.
Keith and his teeth don't worry me.
The Lord's my shepherd.
The Lord has promised me that He will
see me through.
My God shall supply all you need.
And you close your eyes tight, and you
say, Hallelujah!
The Lord will see me through, won't He?
I have no fear or want.
And I'll tell you this, I have no
fear of death.
After all, I'll die when it suits Him.
The Lord has the keys of death.
And only when He puts the key in
the door of death for me, and turns
the key and opens the door, can I
go through, and I can't go through a
moment before it.
And when He opens the door, won't it
be alright?
I don't mind what sort of vital He
sends me through in.
It all suits me.
I can only die when the Lord allows
it to.
I have no fear of death.
I'm free!
Free from fear!
Free from law!
Free from the power of sin!
Free from the devil!
Out of this country!
I've been on party lines 24 years!
One day the Lord took me out to
dance.
Out?
Out of the kingdom of darkness!
What a wonderful day it was.
You talk about the astronauts moving us.
Sir, we left them behind.
Yeah, out on a flight it was.
Into the kingdom of His dear son.
We're free, you know.
But you know when you get into the
subject of the glory, of this liberty, of
the sons of God, you know, you mustn't
make it a cook for anything else.
You see, I'm one of those boys who
have held my freedom very tight on through
the years.
There'll be no society.
And no council.
And no Baptist council.
Or nobody else!
No church!
No state!
No elders!
No deacons!
All leave me alone.
I happen to be free.
And I won't cry.
One of those donkeys who can't cry.
But you know, I'm free tonight.
And I just told my brother that I've
got a letter from his country asking me
to go for six months.
And he's encouraging me.
You shouldn't let a month of life for
doing nothing.
He's encouraging me!
And I've got a letter to go to
Australia next door to him for six months.
And I've another one in today from Canada
and one in last week from Canada.
And one from USA and one from Trinidad
and one from South Africa.
I'm free.
I don't need to ask the elders to
me address me.
They'll be behind me.
Sometimes they push me on.
I could say yes tomorrow and go for
twelve months.
And nobody could stop me.
But if I use my freedom as a
cloak for world trapping it just wouldn't do,
you know.
And if I use my freedom just as
a cloak to do what I like to
see what I want it won't do!
Oh, I can't do a thing about it.
While it's true I'm free in a thousand
senses it is equally true that I'm the
slave of Christ.
You see, that's exactly what Peter is saying
here.
He says, you know, you act as a
free man and then he puts this phrase
in not using your liberty for a poke
of maliciousness but as the slaves of God.
The word servants there is an old Greek
word for slaves.
You see, I'm free to pick up whatever
subject I like on Sunday morning and I
can change the one I've announced to many
times I've done it.
But I must use this freedom, to use
this platform for maliciousness against somebody.
I've never been guilty of that.
It's church laws and in years I've never
been guilty.
I've given somebody the real red hot hell
no.
And didn't show it on Sunday morning.
I just had to say what I had
to say and then I went on ministering
the word.
And I don't use my freedom on this
platform as a poke to be malicious towards
anybody or at any other time.
You know, it's a tremendous thing that Peter
is exulting, to adore, to abstain, to acknowledge,
to act as free but at the same
time as the slaves of God.
That keeps us all in our box you
know, when we're the slaves of God.
And then he gets on through these wonderful
excitations in verse 17.
He says honour all men.
And it means all men.
That is all men who deserve honour.
I used to give honour where it's due.
You know, it's quite true that Old Chester
was against Ulster at one part of the
war and we never learned that until the
other day.
It's equally true that the nation that the
British nations owed a tremendous debt to this
great warrior while like all the rest of
us he had blunders.
And I'm perfectly sure that if he was
alive and I was in England and he
was passed by that I should take my
hat off.
I would honour him.
I would have no quibbles in my conscience
and nobody would keep me back from doing
it.
And I'm sure if Alexander Fleming were alive
the man, the great scientist who discovered penicillin
I should stand up straight and honour him.
And if Dr. Bernard who could come back
again I don't know what church he belonged
to he may have been a Presbyterian or
anything else but I should honour him and
I'm taught to honour to give honour where
honour is due and I'd honour all men
and when the Queen would come bless God
I should go out to see her and
stand on the streets and lift my hat
and hear that she goes by or as
I can state about a lot of things
but as the Queen of our country I
should honour the Queen.
I have no quibbles in those things I'm
taught by this book to honour all men
to honour the King.
I can stand and applaud as they go
by I want you to get the hold
of this one because this is a tremendous
one love or honour all men see this
one love brotherhood now that word brotherhood is
a very wonderful word it's the word Adelphites
it's the whole word Adelphites Adelphites now it's
not a problem to understand because it's only
twice in the New Testament I like the
words that are only there once or twice
I haven't too much bother with and I'll
tell you this no man used this word
in the New Testament but Peter and so
the word is twice in Peter's first letter
here are wonderful translators translated it by this
great word brotherhood I'll show you the same
words again in chapter 5, have a look
at chapter 5 see verse 8 be sober,
be vigilant because your adversary the devil is
a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he
may devour whom resists steadfast in the faith
knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in
your brethren see the word brethren there Adelphites
the word brethren in many other epistles is
not Adelphites that's the word that's translated brotherhood
look it up in a Greek lexicon when
you get home you'll find it's only twice
so that you have no bother about who
the brotherhood is it's your brethren which are
in the world oh I know that the
orange order and the trade unions have stolen
the word it didn't belong to them the
speaker that used it and he wasn't using
it for the trade unions no the orange
order none of it's on it go and
get the word of your own so the
thing was read of our book it just
means the brethren which are in the world
and it's a great exhortation you know great
exhortation we should love the brotherhood ah never
mind who they are never mind what flag
they fly it's their stage and you know
their stage and they're born again and they're
washed in blood let's love them let's try
to love them my dear friend this wonderful
thing called love is a mighty thing I
was talking to some rebel character the other
day and he said to me we're going
to shoot it out and I said yes
you're not shooting over me that's one thing
sure you can shoot me and I'll go
to heaven and that'll be quite alright but
you'll not shoot me till the Lord puts
the key in the door you can't do
it I'll tell you one thing and I'm
not apologetic at all if you think that
you can win people by shooting you can't
win anything by shooting wouldn't anybody know that
you wouldn't go to school to know that
I said if you boys could start and
love me he made me so nervous and
if not if you boys could start and
love one another we may get somewhere but
I'll never do it by shooting leave that
out we believers let's love the brotherhood let's
love our brethren which are in the world
don't forget that we're exhausted to do this
we're exhausted not only to abstain and to
adorn and to acknowledge and to act and
to applaud to admire here's his words fear
God you know that's not getting into a
corner and holding your hand up and getting
scared oh no that's not the word for
fear at all that word for fear is
the word reverence how we should reverence God
certainly if we should bow down before him
we should love and adore him let me
say that for these seven expectations they are
teachings of grace and we need to be
filled with the Holy Ghost and I'll tell
you this you know the work of the
Holy Ghost is wonderful because if we abstain
from fleshly lust and if we adorn the
doctrine and if we acknowledge the powers that
be and if we act correctly then and
if we love the brotherhood I'll tell you
this there'll be more of us back than
there's ever been before you know how Christ
was yes no more fleshly lusts about Christ
now you could see the doctrine of God
why he displayed the love of God, the
wisdom of God, the grace of God, the
mercy of God, he declared God to be
a friend friend he walked in a state
that hated him and yet he loved him
oh that we might be continually being filled
with the Holy Ghost that we might adorn
the doctrine of God in all things that
the world might see Jesus in me here's
a lovely hymn that I've sung today 837
837 837 forward we are watchword steps and
voices join secret things before us, not a
look behind burns the fiery pillar at our
army's head who shall dream of shrinking by
our captain led, forward through the desert, through
the toil and fight heaven lies before us,
Zion beams with light we never had this
before in my lifetime, I just found it
today and put an old tune to it
837, listen for the tune 837