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Welcome to the Susquehanna Valley Baptist Pulpit, preaching a life worth living, abundant life in Christ. And now the message. Second Peter, chapter number one. We're talking about some spiritual culture shock. And really what it is, is it is that maturing that happens in the life of a believer. When you're saved, the moment of salvation is glorious. You know, I know some I've got some good, dear friends that at the moment of salvation, There were no tears in their eyes. Bible doesn't say you have to have that. There was no, maybe they're phlegmatic a little bit in their temperament, they're even-keeled, you know. They weren't bouncing up and down. But one way you can tell the genuineness of salvation is if that life begins to be transformed. Someone asked once, said, how do you know for sure that the word of God is true? And I said, well, that gets into apologetics. And there's a number of things you can point at, right? You can point at the creation of the world. What is? The order. No wonder the psalmist says, it declares the glory of the Lord. And Romans speaks of the similar things of the creation now and the manifestation, the publication of His Godhead. But if you really want to see, in my estimation, the verification of the Word of God, look at the lives it's transformed. It has the power to change lives. There's few things in this world will do that. I saw a little bit of a baseball or football game yesterday and one of the commercials, one of these medication commercials that come on, they tickle me to death. You know, here's this medicine you take for whatever symptom you have, what have you. And it may cause blindness and you may die, but it will help you with your current illness. And it's just, you know, I get that there's risk to the medication and stuff like that, You know, so often that is the experience of human life, right? So many things that we do in this life have a response because of the decision we make. Meaning there can be personal choices that I make aside from spiritual things. There can be choices I make, but then those choices bring about other issues as well. But not so with the word of God. When I allow myself to be changed by His mighty Spirit through His Word, there's never a downside to that. It moves, it changes. One of the greatest witnesses to the verification of truth is the lives that have been transformed by Him. And that indeed is a wonderful testimony. You know, that's what Paul said to the Philippian church. He said, you are my crown. You know what he's talking about. When I, Paul speaking of course, not me, but Paul looking at the end of his life, looking at the ministry that God had given him when he looked back and he thought of the Philippian brethren, the very transformation that salvation and the Spirit of God wrought in the lives of those Philippians was enough for him to say, I'm so thankful for the work of God. If I had seen God accomplish nothing else, it was that fulfilling to His life. Nothing brings that about. Reformation won't bring that about, but regeneration will. But the moment I'm saved, right, I didn't inherit full maturity as a child of God. But I did inherit, as we just read in our scriptures a moment ago, I did inherit a divine nature that the scripture mentions presently in the Word of God. Verse number three says, according to his divine power hath given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. This life is best enjoyed by a believer. I do not think a lost man can truly, really, thoroughly enjoy this life. Now they can enjoy experiences of this life. That's true. But how can they enjoy the life that is from God? How can you enjoy God's gift of life and remain in a place where you don't know him? I submit to you the greatest joy of life is the fact that I get to walk with the creator of life. That's what gives me hope. That's what gives me peace. That's what gives me joy. That's what allows my head to stay screwed on to my shoulders. It's the fact that I walk with the sovereign of the universe. It's the very fact that I know not what tomorrow may bring, but I know the God who has created and will sustain the tomorrow. I know not what calamity might occur. I get nervous as a pastor sometimes if we go a couple of days without there being somebody in the church without a problem or something. Why? Because too much of those and we've got major problems. I don't know what's going to happen on tomorrow. I don't know what ill tide might suit us. It might come to you or come to me. But one thing I can rest excludingly in or in its fullness with is the Lord cares for me. He'll sustain me. And that same sustaining God will be with me tomorrow. Now, I didn't know all that the moment I got saved. I needed to grow. And maturity as a child of God is an important part of your Christian life. I have a quote in one of my Bibles, and I think it expresses the truth of so much of this series. As a child of God, we need contentment. But there should be a holy discontentment in our life. Note the word holy. I should be content with what things I have. Amen. I feel like the week of Black Friday that requires two amens actually. I should be completely thankful and content with what things you have. But as a child of God, there should be a holy discontentment within me, a constant desire to be more like the Master. A constant desire to know Him. That was Paul's cry. Paul said in Philippians chapter 3, I count not myself as apprehended but this one thing I do. He wasn't talking about forgetting what he had for breakfast tomorrow and reaching forward to the steak he's gonna have in a little bit. No, he was talking about his holy discontentedness within him that he wanted to know more of Christ and that he wanted to be conformed to his very image in his life. He wanted to be more like the master in his every daily discourse. So that should be our desires. And so if I'm going to bear fruit, and this is the passage here, if these things, verse eight, be in you and abound, they shall make you that shall not be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. If I want to grow in fruit, I need these holy arithmetics done in my life. Now we group these in threes for you, or essentially in the three areas. Number five and six, you have the virtue and knowledge that we're to add. That is the characteristics of your faith. That is the characteristics. If you were to add some of those characteristics, that excellence, that zeal, that manliness as it relates to your faith and faith as it relates not only to the adherence to biblical truth, but also a faithfulness in it. Those are the characteristics of our faith. And then we get down to temperance or rather patience, temperance and patience. And those are the dispositions of our faith. Two things by which all believers should be known. We have patience. And we have that great glorious responsibility of being controlled by the Spirit of God. And then there's the third area, and that is the relationships with our faith. And every relationship that we should have should be marked by godliness. That was a theme of a message earlier last in the month. And two others, he notes there, brotherly kindness and charity. Now, at first glance, at first glance, Brotherly kindness, you might think of brotherly love, philadelphos. And when we think of love, and particular to the biblical word here, charity, agape. There are, at least in the Greek languages, at least three types of love that exist. One is a marital type love, it's central in nature. Then you have a transcending love, that's agape love. And then you have a brotherly love, phileo love. But oftentimes, and I'll be direct with you in these matters, when you get to phileo, or brotherly love, brotherly kindness, the exact Greek word behind brotherly kindness is Philadelphia. That's where that comes from. And oftentimes you're brotherly love in charity, and we kind of describe it as the same thing. And when we speak of charity among the believers, I think of 1 Corinthians chapter 13, now these three endureth. And he talks about faith, he talks about hope, and he talks about charity, but the greatest of these are, do you remember? Charity. We look at it in this sense and we almost kind of glaze right over brotherly love and brotherly kindness. And I want to speak this morning about the importance of adding to your faith brotherly kindness. It has been well said that we love all our brothers and sisters in the Lord. All God's people said. But some would say it's much easier to love them at a distance and the more distance the more we love them. I think there's probably a sad truth to that reality. Truly Proverbs chapter 17 says a friend loveth at all times and a brother is born for adversity. I think it's an interesting mixture of those two words. A friend loveth at all times, a brother born for adversity. In fact, the word for brotherly kindness, and I don't do this often, but it's Philadelphia. And it's made up of two words, philos and delphos. Philos has the idea of friends. In fact, if you were to turn to John chapter 15, in particular verse 15, he said, you are my friends. Greater love hath no man than this, a man lay down his life for his friends. That is that word philos. Delphos has the idea of brother or brethren. So for instance, when you get into the scriptures and they admonish brethren, and several verses come to mind about that, that has that idea of Delphos. That's where they're at. The connection is friend and brother. I would note, historically in the commonwealth, the brethren and the friends, society of friends, both derived their ecclesiastical labels from this word, Philadelphia. And of course, we've got the great, glorious, wonderful city of Philadelphia here in our commonwealth as well. But brother and brethren, friend and brother are linked together. A friend loveth at all times, but a brother is born for adversity. Consider in the New Testament how often it's expressed. For instance, in 1 Peter 3 and verse 8, finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren. That's an amazing passage. Oh, the time would allow us to get in 1 Peter 3 for a little bit, but anybody remember the context of 1 Peter 3? You're in 2 Peter right now, right? Turn over like a page and a half. Mine's two pages. Look at chapter 3 of 1 Peter. Just take a gander for it a minute. Look at verse 1. And then take a minute and look at verse 7. Tell me what the context is. Interesting, isn't it? He's talking about home life. That's the general context. Now the overarching context of Peter is suffering, which also might be talking about home life. Then he gets down to verse number eight, finally, be all of you. So this is within the marital realm too. You see, in the marital realm, you have the nexus of all types of love that exist. You have a marital love, You stood before, often is the case in a Western marriage, you stand before God and you plight your trough. You confessed your love before God. That's a charity. That's what you did when you got married. And you also have a responsibility to brotherly love, where all of that meets together. Notice here in verse eight, he says, finally be of all of one mind, having compassion one another. And the phrase there is, love is brethren. When you get the idea of this brethren he's talking about as a relationship. Now we understand that that moves in many different facets. It is a birth relationship, it is a spiritual relationship, and it can also be a friendly relationship. I'm looking out on the congregation this morning, I know this is the case in my life, but I have a friend that though we're getting older and have a lot going on in life, we were like brothers, we are like brothers. I have no biological brothers. I have four sisters, I have brother-in-laws, but I don't have any biological brother. But we understand what it's like to have a friend that is like a brother or sister to us. Here he admonishes them of love as brethren. It's not the word charity. It's that root word philos type love. be pitiful, and has the idea of tenderness, be courteous. He goes on, Romans chapter 12, which we'll get to in a moment ago. He says, be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love, in honor, preferring one another. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, he says, but is touchingly brotherly love to the Thessalonian church? He says, you need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are told of God to love one another. From God's perspective at his church there, the Thessalonian church, the Apostle Paul said, you've passed the test of maturity as it relates to how you love on one another. That's a high mark of praise incident. Of course, you get to chapter five. They hadn't figured out how to work. That was a whole nother thing. They had figured out how to love, but they had not always figured out how to actually go to work and earn a living. That's chapter five in that epistle. Nonetheless, as touching brotherly love, you need not that I write unto you. Hebrews chapter 13, one and two particularly, but just verse one, let brotherly love continue. First Peter chapter one, he says that you obey the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren. So probably seven, eight times throughout the New Testament, you've got a commandment to brotherly love, but it stands in distinction from charity, which is agape love. Let me give you some illustrations of brotherly love. You'll find them both in the New Testament and the Old Testament. In the New Testament, you would see brotherly love manifested by one Barnabas, who having land, sold it and did what? Now, why did he lay that money at the apostles' feet? There was an overriding issue. I'm not chastising this. Did he do it for a tax donation? I'm not saying that's wrong, but is that the reason he did it? No. Did he do it to get out of alimony? No. Did he do it because he was tired of paying the taxes on that land? Why did he do it? because the people he attended the Jerusalem church with, many of them were in great need. So he had this land, he sold it, laid at the apostles' feet for them to direct the funds for the specific purpose of aiding his brethren. Now let me make a spiritual analogy, right? No, it's not a spiritual analogy, y'all, it's a physical one. I can remember years ago, I was at a funeral. I had just lost my job. And my wife and I was at this funeral and a relative of my wife came up to me. And they put their arm around me and I thought they were going to console me about the loss of the dearly departed. And said, I want to talk to you a minute. I understand that you lost your job. And I said, yes. OK, well, what do you need? I said, no, we're good right now. He said, well, no, if you miss a mortgage payment, it's because you were too proud to ask. You're family, and I want to make sure I take care of you. It was not my blood relative. In fact, they were not even my wife's blood relative. Now, you look at that, and you say, well, preacher's got rich relatives. No, it was at one time, you know. But that really shouldn't be uncommon. Man, family does stuff for family, don't they? We've got some extended family here. And if your child was moving, if it at all was your ability, what would you do? What would you do? You're gonna go out and help them, that's my point. That's the biblical example of brotherly love. Barnabas giving of that land, he was loving like they were his little brethren. I'll give another example. Omniciphorus over in 2 Timothy. He goes to Rome, he can't find Paul and he keeps searching until he finally found Paul and the scripture says, ministered to him. My soul, you think of a relative in a hospital and you don't know exactly where they're placed in the channeling, sprawling hospital they're in, what would you do? If it's your child, what do you do? You'll knock on any door. You'll stay as long as you need to. You'll talk to whoever you need to, to find your brother, your sister, your mother, your child. Omniciferous looking for Paul? They're not related. That was a matter of brotherly love. I'm in Rome and I'm going to plunder all of Rome until I finally come up with the Apostle Paul. I'm going to find him. I'm going to seek out and search. I think perhaps no greater illustration of brotherly love can found than John 13. Turn over with me if you will. In John 13, now some adopt this as an ordinance. We, as biblically minded Baptists, do not adopt this as an ordinance. And the reason why is in the New Testament church epistles, it was never commanded as an ordinance. We see in the New Testament two ordinances that were given to the assembly. Baptism, which is conveyed throughout the New Testament epistles, and the Lord's table. But not this one, but nevertheless, there are wonderful illustrations with it. Now I'm in Acts chapter 13, look in John chapter 13. Jesus, verse number three, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand and that he was come from God, went to God. He riseth from supper and laid aside his garments, that's his outer coat, and he took a towel and girdeth himself. Oh, you could preach on this. The idea of girding it, prepared for labor. In biblical times, when you got ready to do business, you girded yourself. It has the idea of taking that robe that they would wear and taking a round off of the leather belt that would go around their waist and they would run strap through betwixt the legs and tuck it in. It would enable them to bend and to move and have great flexibility in this nature and that's what our Lord did. He took a towel and girded himself. And after he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with a towel, wherewith he was girded. And of course, blessed Simon, the same one the Lord would use to pin first and second to Peter, saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? And Jesus answered and said unto him, what I do thou knowest not, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter said unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but my hands and my head. Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. Ye are clean, but not all. Verse 11 makes reference of knowing whom should betray him. Now notice, if you will, in verse 12, And so, after he had washed their feet and taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto him, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye say, Well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet? What's the balance of verse 14? Ye ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you." That, my friends, is brotherly love. The Lord showed divine love at Calvary. And there's great illustrations and applications that can be brought from this passage. But you're face to face with the God of the universe that stooped to minister beyond any requirement to those he was not required to minister to. That is, my friend, brotherly kindness. It exists also in the Old Testament. I think of Daniel and Mephibosheth. Old Mephibosheth for Lodibar. He said, is there any left of the household of Saul that I may show kindness to? David was under no regard to show any kindness to the crippled Mephibosheth at all. Mephibosheth was a defendant of Saul. David does not make this request in 2 Samuel chapter 9 till the Second Jewish Civil War was over with. And you know who David was fighting? A descendant of Saul who claimed the throne unlawfully. He's just finished dealing with his adversary and now he looks back. Is there any of Saul that I might show kindness to? I think of the Shunammite woman and Elisha in 2 Kings chapter 4 and verse 8 through 37. Elisha had passed through and the Shunammite woman and her husband, they had given some food to the old fella. And she goes to his wife and says, you know he's, and I'm paraphrasing, that old fella's come back through here several times. Should we make a small room that the prophet should rest in? She was just showing kindness to him. By the way, Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 2, for some have entertained angels unaware. She was ministering to God by showing kindness. Listen, she'd have given her sister a room. She'd have given her son a room. She did give her son a room. She'd have given a friend of hers a room, but now she's treating someone of the faith like family. Of course, I think of Abraham and Lot. I know you can make the analogy of Abraham and Christ. And when he sees the Lord and that Christophany descend, he goes and Abraham kills the fatted calf and he feeds him, you know. But go back two chapters beyond that, you're in Genesis chapter 14, and you've got Abraham showing brotherly love to Lot, the kings of the area at war. And they've invaded, and I'll spare you all the historical background, but they've invaded Sodom and Gomorrah, and the problem was there was nobody to save them and they were gonna enslave all the people. But Lot had a uncle. And the uncle took his trained servants. You know what he went over there for? He's going to show a little brotherly kindness to Lot. And the brotherly kindness he would show would deliver Lot and his family and many others from destruction. Lot didn't go over there. I should say Abraham didn't go over there to save the kings. Abraham didn't go over there to save all of Sodom and Gomorrah, but by virtue of having to save one man, his brother, he saved a multitude. You get to this idea of brotherly kindness, and it seems this graciousness seems somewhat out of place for Peter, who at times could be so cold and factious. He had run-ins with everybody. He had a run-in with the other disciples. Who's going to be the greatest? Somebody, and I don't know if it was Peter or not, brought Mama into the entire equation. At times he had run-ins with Christ. He goes to the Mount Transfiguration and the bright idea is let's build three equal altars. One for Christ and two for his faithful. And forgets that there's only one man between God and man and that's the man Christ Jesus. He had a run-in with Malchus, the servant of the high priest. He had a run-in with those outside the hall as Christ is being interrogated during his great passion. In the book of Galatians he has a run-in with the Apostle Paul. If there's one faithful, consistent thing about the Apostle Peter that you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt is at times he could be fractious, at times he could be pugilant, at times he could be downright cold, indifferent, and unkind. Yet under inspiration, in 2 Peter chapter 1 he admonishes them Add to your godliness, brotherly kindness. In 1 Peter 3, verse 8, he commends having compassion one another, love as brethren. In 1 Peter 1, verse 22, he says, have an unfeigned love of the brethren. God developed this grace in him. And if we are to mature in Christ, this brotherly affection must advance in our life This is so important within this body of believers. It's more than just a courtesy. It is a distinction that should be pursued and committed to. It is what separates the believers in this locale from oft times this cold and deceitful world. By the way, John chapter 13 is present in verse 33 and 34. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples. How? if you have love one to another. Oh, that passage has been taken out of place. We think of it as, well, as long as I show love to the world. I'll be honest with you. I struggle to show love to the world. And I'd question you to go find the passage in Scripture where I'm supposed to love them that hate Christ. Now, I'm supposed to love them that hate me. That ain't even what I said. I said to love them that hate Christ. I'm called for a militant defense to the word of God. And yet over again, the responsibility, I think of Titus chapter one and verse seven, to be a lover of good men. It's more than a courtesy. So how is brotherly kindness in a practical way manifested and how should it be pursued in our life? Well, I'm glad you asked. Look over if you will in Romans. Now we spoke on this topic, or this passage, I believe earlier this year. We're gonna look at it in the next few moments from the point of view of brotherly love, of brotherly kindness. Romans chapter 12 and verse one, those tender mercies of God. By the way, that's where it always starts. If you want the spirit empowerment to love others, it always starts at looking at how Christ loved you. I think sometimes we wanna look at, and I thank God for godly parents. I say that about mine, I say that about those that are present here as well that have left and are leaving a legacy to be followed. But you'll find no greater love than the love of God has given toward you. Your dear mother, your dear father, have not the capacity within them to love you like God loves you. You say, preacher, that's a hard statement. Well, if your parents are God loving people, they're going to agree with that statement. Your parents have a great problem. They're sinners. And that's one reason that your parents cannot love you like God loves you. My friend, when I consider how much God loves me, how much he loved Peter, that despite Peter's, at times, coldness, God humbled himself to wash Peter's feet. And then I consider ourselves for a moment. In a practical sense, sometimes we're in such a big hurry in life, we've got no time for people's problems. We've got no time for people. Sometimes people are slow to maturing in the spiritual things and we wish they were faster. And we've got the people we're gonna be part of and the people we ain't gonna be part of. You don't see that in the life of Christ. I think the first way that you have biblical kindness or brotherly kindness, brotherly love manifested, it starts with the humility of mind. You're not gonna get past that. You're in Romans chapter 12. Draw your eyes to verse 13. Some of you should quote this. For I say through the grace that is given unto me to every man that is among you. So we're talking about the locale. I'm dealing with the people with inside these walls. That's who the Lord is dealing with and he's dealing with that church that is at Romans. Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly according to God has dealt to every man that measure of faith. Drop your eyes down to verse number 16. Be of the same mind one to another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estates." What's that last phrase there? Be not wise in your own conceits. Starts with humility of mind. We have a tendency to think more highly of ourselves than we really ought to think. And when you've arrived at that pinnacle of superior righteousness, inevitably your righteousness has been gained not through Christ, but through comparison with others. There's always somebody better than you. I learned that in kickball. You'd get these little boys. I wasn't one of them, I was perfect. And they're just the best kicker of all time. until the neighborhood kid came over to play one day and then you banned him from playing ever again. Listen, can I tell you something? There's always somebody more spiritually mature than you are. Don't think too highly of yourselves. You're not the God of all creation. But you see the legacy he's left. Listen to Philippians chapter 2. You can turn there if you'd like. Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own thing, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, Thought it not, Robert, to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man. Being found in the fashion of man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. That's the mind we ought to embrace. You wanna show brotherly kindness, it always starts by humility of mind. I'll give you another passage quickly, Colossians chapter three, put on therefore as the elect of God, holy, beloved, vows of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering. In a practical aspect, how do I see the manifestation of brotherly love or brotherly kindness? How do I have it pursued? Humility of mind. Think of yourself less than you think of yourself. Number two, not only a humbleness of mind, but if you're going to deal with the manifestation of brotherly kindness, I think it's important to talk about helpfulness with words. Helpfulness with words. One writer poignantly said, marriage goes up in smoke because of unrestrained tongues. Children and students are demoralized and embittered because of a parent or teacher's unrestrained tongue. Roommates are hurt and wounded. Parents and teachers are saddened and discouraged because of a child or a student's unrestrained tongue. No wonder James writes, the fire of the tongue kindles an enormous forest fire of destruction. James talks about it being a great fire. Some would say if you can't say anything nice, then I'll give you a better maxim. You have the indwelling of Christ. There's no reason you can't say something nice. I realized as a child, that's a good maxim from a child. If you can't say something nice, you don't say anything at all. But listen, as a child of God, you're not a child. You have the indwelling of the spirit of God in you. You have 66 books of good things to say. thousands of verses to consider, then that means there should not ever be a child of God that is present in the assembly that I cannot, through helpfulness of words, seek to aid. But yet, this is a continual issue that believers, we so often have. Amen? How do you know it's a continual issue? Well, I'm turning there. Listen to Ephesians chapter 4. I want to turn here. And you turn with me for a moment. Look, if you will, in verse 29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers. You could flip back up, I think it's to verse 25. Wherefore put away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbors, for we are members one of another. God would have you speak. Sometimes silence is golden. Sometimes silence is cowardly. But to the child of God, as we interact with other believers we're gonna spend eternity with, we need to practice and learn the art of maturing in spiritual kindness. And part of that is not only humbleness of mind, but it's learning helpfulness with words. Well, you don't understand I'm a blunt person. Well, put the blunt down and be a godly person. practicing seasoning your speech. Why? It's God's will. By the way, isn't it interesting to examine the Lord's speech? Yes, there was a time he told Peter, get thee behind me Satan. But he also told Peter a host of other things as well. He loved Peter. He expressed his love for Peter. Friend, oh, that ought to be in our case in life. What a sad commentary that we come in to the house of God and spent no time ministering brotherly kindness one to another. Let me give you a third way. The humility of mind, the helpfulness of words, number three, the honorability of the will. Peter here is writing this. Add to your godliness, brotherly kindness. And really one of the themes in chapter three of 2 Peter deals with longsuffering. One of those powerful ones is found in verse number nine. That God is not slack concerning his promises, but is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any perish, but that all come to repentance. Peter understood one fact about God. He's long-suffering with us. Now, here's the catch for it. If God is long-suffering with us, what is the prerequisite response that we should have? What is the requisite, rather, response that we should have? We are to long-suffer one with another. In fact, being long-suffering is part of the requirement for the pastor. 2 Timothy chapter 4. Preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, exhort, I missed a word there. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all what? Long-suffering and doctrine. One of the greatest ways that you and I show long-suffering is obedience to forgiveness. We forgive. If you want to harbor ill will, if you want to hold on to every offense and perceived offense in your life, I promise you, you're doomed and destined for a lonely existence here on earth. You're going to be offended. Circumstances are not always going to be palatable. People are going to have bad days. People are sometimes going to have a concern. Early in my ministry, not my pastorate ministry, I'd get to preach. And I don't know where I picked it up, homiletics or something, but you're supposed to look at the people. But you're never supposed to look at one person. Like, you want to look at everybody. That's the rule. And I preached one day. And as I looked out, there were these people that were so, like, mean-faced in this. They just, like, the meanest look. And it bothered me to the point I couldn't even focus on my message. It really bothered me. So I talked to somebody else about it. I got counsel for someone that I shouldn't have got counsel from, and they told me bad counsel. Duh. So I got to reading one day, and Ezekiel, and he said, son of man, I've called these stiff-necked people, be not afraid of their faces. And I said, that's what I'll do. I just won't be afraid of their faces. And I adopted that, but then it dawned on me sometimes later that why that individual was making a face. because they weren't. They weren't making a face. That's just naturally how their face looks. But that bothered me for months. I was ashamed ever to tell them because, you know what, I don't want to embarrass myself. Friends, you can, in your head, you can make perceived slights all you want. You can convince yourself right now the preacher is really talking to you. I'm just right now in my mind, you know what's going through my mind? You wanna know? I'm wondering if I can get through this message before the clock is done. That's what I'm thinking about right now. I'm not thinking about any particular. But the reality is so often we can be upset because someone didn't say something to us and should have said something or didn't shake our hand. Friend, you need to have a pursuit of forgiveness in your life to the real and to the imagined. Nobody's out to get you here except for the people that are out to get you. Honorable will, forgiveness. You're in Romans, let me finish here. There needs to be hospitality in action. Hospitality in action. You're in Romans 12, we made it. When we speak of hospitality and action, we're talking about expressions of kindness, honoring one another, preferring one another. You'll find that right in the text. Notice in verse number 10, be kindly affection one to another and brotherly love in honor, preferring one another. That word preferring has the idea of leading the way. Here in this text, there's at least Four to five things, practical manners of manifestation of brotherly kindness of hospitality. Look in verse number 12. Continuing instant in prayer would be my focus. I show honor one to another. I show hospitality by willingness to pray for my brother. Praying for one another. Now, I think specifically, folks, you can certainly pray, God bless everybody I go to church with. I think that's a good thing. I'd much rather you pray that than to pray, God curse the people I go to church with. But that's not really the best prayer. It's good, but it's not the best. God would have you pick a person out and pray for them individually. And then another and another and another. And eventually you would say, preacher, that takes too much time. And I would say, brethren, that's what God wants. to consider one another, to prefer one another. So often we pray, we're all guilty of this perhaps, and the whole of our prayer is not really detailed until we're talking about us. That's a self-centered prayer that is not in likeness with Jesus Christ. So in a practical sense, I can show hospitality by praying one for another. Look at verse 13, distributing to the necessity of saints. I can show hospitality by giving aid to brethren when they're in need. By the way, if I haven't mentioned yet, this is the month of November. In November, we spotlight our benevolence offering. And if you'd like to contribute to the benevolence offering, as you perhaps should, you can do so by putting your gift into an envelope, putting on the outside of the envelope benevolence and dropping it in the offering box. There you go, a little ad inside of that. Why do you do that? because it's part of brotherly kindness. You may not know all of God's people's need. You're not responsible to know all their needs, but you are responsible to be able to help those in your assembly whose need you know exist. Look at verse 13. Given, that last part, given to hospitality. I'd submit to you a third practical way. Invest your time. If you love something, you invest your time into it. If you love disc golf, what do you do? You go disc golfing. If you love fishing, what do you do? If you love woodworking, if you love your wife, spend time. Well, brethren, if we love one another, what are we going to do? Don't be the first one out the church door. You can't anyway. The kids are going to beat you out. You spend time. I'm amazed at the number of Christians. They get upset that nobody cares about them, but they will never be at anything long. You forfeited your right to complain. It's like hating the way the government works, but refusing to vote. No, be part of it. Invest some time. Settle up a chair and smile a while. It's hospitality. Some would have the idea of hospitality always inviting people over. I think that's part of hospitality. It's Hebrews chapter 13. But I do not think that's the exclusive form. It reaches, it is a love of people. That's why it's required of the preacher. First Timothy chapter 3, he's to be given to hospitality. I've never understood preachers that don't want to be around their people. A fellow some time ago said that, he said, I love the ministry, I just don't like people. Well, you're in the wrong place. You better like it or at least create, at least create a love of it. First Titus, Titus one, a love of hospitality. First Peter chapter four, this is broad race, use hospitality one to another without what? grudging. When was the last time that you talked or prayed with someone that you usually would not talk and pray about? I'm not saying that you should keep a brotherly kindness journal, but it's not a bad idea. When was the last time that the people on this side spent some time with the people on this side when they weren't related or otherwise obliged to do so? Or when was the time the people in the back spent time with the people in the front or the people in the front with the people in the back? It's amazing. We have an easy tendency to get around the people we really like or family who we are obligated to. That's not really brotherly kindness. The manifestation of brotherly kindness is involving yourselves around and with people you would not otherwise be inclined to because that's part of spiritual maturity in your life. I think some of it can be summarized, the fourth thing of hospitality in verse 15, rejoice with them that rejoice, weep with them that weep. There should be sympathy of emotions. If you know something's discouraging to them, it doesn't even take much wisdom, you can be sympathetic towards them. Lastly, be welcoming to him. All this is predicated in the fact that you're togetherness. That's why he's not talking to believers of all ages and he's not talking to believers of all locale. His preeminent ordinance has to be believers present. I can't be sympathetic, I cannot spend time with people I am not around. So part of it is necessitated, the underlining fact is necessitated, I be present. Now, on a practical theology point of view, That's why we have fellowships. That's why we have special times throughout the year that are fostered to get God's people around each other. That's why when a family member, a close family member passes away, a mom, a dad, a child, we're passing around a sympathy card. It's not accidental. It's your opportunity to engage and brotherly kindness. Our relationship within the body is extremely important and it should reflect the labors of Christ. We should enter into these doors ready to be gird about, ready to work, ready to minister. It is life that is an evidence, it is evidence of a life that is transformed. No wonder John wrote in his epistles, we know that we have passed from death into life because we love the brethren. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. It is evidence of a life that is a witness. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples. It is evidence of a life that is maturing before God. Add to your faith. Have you added? Are you growing? Are you engaging in brotherly kindness? Yes, it may be a shock to our temperament, it may be a shock to our experience, but it's indefinite, divine, biblical truth mandated. Ergo, we ought to do for Jesus' sake. Spiritual culture shock, the need for brotherly kindness. Let's stand to our feet. Thank you for listening. If you would like to contact us, please write us at P.O. Box 126-541-Harrisburg, PA 17112 and visit our website at www.svbcpa.org. Until next time!
Spiritual Culture Shock: The Need for Brotherly Love
Series Descriptions of Christian Life
One characteristic of a believer is a transformed life. Brotherly kindness starts with a humble mind. We need to have the right mindset towards other believers. And with the indwelling of Christ, we should always have something kind to say! How can we minister to others, showing brotherly kindness?
Sermon ID | 1124241929141890 |
Duration | 53:16 |
Date | |
Category | Sunday - AM |
Bible Text | 2 Peter 1:1-10 |
Language | English |
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