Latest / The Bible Explained with Jenn Kokal / 1 Peter 2:18-25 - His Wounds Healed Us

Transcript

1 Peter 2:18-25 - His Wounds Healed Us · The Bible Explained with Jenn Kokal

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Life Audio. Well, howdy there, faithful listeners, and welcome to
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: the Bible Explained podcast on this lovely, lovely Thursday morning.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: I'm thankful that all of you guys are here to
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: share a delicious cup of coffee with me. And you
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: might need it because we are going to be talking
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: about another hot button topic. In fact, all of First
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Peter for the next couple days is going to be
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: hot button topics because it's talking about submission. And us
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Americans and the West broadly do not enjoy the topic
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: of submission because we want to be in charge of ourselves.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: We want to say yes when we want to say yes,
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: and we want to say no when we feel like
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: saying no. So submission, understandably, can be a tough pill
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: to swallow, especially with what we're going to talk about today.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: But first, a quick message from a sponsor. All right,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: you guys ready? Are you sitting down? Are you holding
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: on to your coffees or your teas for you crazy
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: tea drinkers? Today, we're going to talk about submission when
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: it comes to slaves and slave masters. Let's read 1
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Peter 2, 18 through 25. As usual, I'll be reading
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: from the WEB this morning. Servants, be in subjection to
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: your masters with all respect, not only to the good
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: and gentle, but also to the wicked. For it is
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: commendable if someone endures pain, suffering unjustly, because of conscience
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: toward God. For what glory is it if, when you sin,
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: you patiently endure a beating? But if, when you do well,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God. For
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for us,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: leaving you an example that you should follow his steps.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Who didn't sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: When he was cursed, he didn't curse back. When he suffered,
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: he didn't threaten. but committed himself to him who judges righteously.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: that we, having died the sins, might live to righteousness.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: You were healed by his wounds, for you were going
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: shepherd and overseer of your souls. After reading through that passage,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: some of you guys might be questioning, how could Peter
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: actually encourage a slave to continue to be a slave
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: under a cruel, slave master. Why would he encourage this?
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: Why would he not tell this slave to run away,
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: to fight for himself or his family? Why would he
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: not encourage these things? In fact, if God is loving,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: why didn't God abolish slavery? But what's really interesting about that,
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: even though there is no verse in Scripture that says,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: do not own slaves, somehow Christians figured out based upon
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: Scripture that slavery was wrong. Because if you look at history,
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: it was the Christians who were the abolitionists. It was
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: the Christians fighting for the freedom of the slaves. You
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: can look that up. I am not exaggerating. It was
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: the Christians who brought the movement of slavery to an end.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: And now in the West, which is broadly Christian, even
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: still to this day, slavery is illegal. If you are
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: caught owning a slave, then you will go to jail. Now, slavery...
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: across the rest of the world is actually still legal
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: in some parts, specifically the parts of the world that
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: Christians are in the minority. Because Christians somehow through scripture
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: figured out that slavery was a sin and it was wrong.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: And yet there is no verse in scripture that says
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: not to own a slave or not to be a slave.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: In fact, more often we see these passages like the
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: one we just read in 1 Peter 2. Starting in
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: verse 18, it says, So Peter is basically saying that
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: if somebody is a slave and they cannot get free,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: then they need to obey their earthly masters no matter
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: what the situation is. It does not matter if their
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: master is a Christian and is kind and good and gentle,
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: or if their master is a pagan who is cruel
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: and beats them and mistreats them because of their faith.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: It doesn't make a difference. Peter says, submit to your
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: masters with all respect, regardless of who they are. And
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: there's a similar passage in 1 Corinthians 7, 20 through 22.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: This now is Paul speaking to the servants. He says,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Let each man stay in the calling in which he
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: was called. Were you called being a bondservant? Don't let
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: that bother you. But if you get an opportunity to
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: become free, then use it. For he who is called
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: in the Lord being a bondservant is the Lord's free man. Likewise,
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: he who is called being free is Christ's bondservant. And
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: that right there is really interesting because Paul is telling
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: the slaves, look, if you were called to be a slave,
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: then stay in the calling in which you were called.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: You see, Peter and Paul and the other apostles like James,
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: they understood something that the rest of the world did
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: not understand at this time. They understood that slaves had
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: just as much humanity as a master did. That a slave,
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: through his actions, could potentially save the entire family that
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: he was owned by. That a slave had that much power.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: Because in this same chapter, 1 Corinthians 7, where Paul
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: actually tells the slave to stay in the calling in
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: which he was called, he tells husbands and wives the
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: exact same thing as well. In fact, in verse 16,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: right before he starts talking about slaves, he says, for
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband?
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: your wife? And that is in relation to the husband
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: and wife staying in the marriage relationship, even if their
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: spouse is not necessarily a Christian and they are. They
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: shouldn't leave the marriage over that because someday they might
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: be able to convert their spouse to Christianity. And the
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: same thing goes for the slaves, because Peter and Paul
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: knew that slaves were human beings, that they were created
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: in God's image the same exact way that the masters
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: were created in God's image. So a slave, if he
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: became a Christian, had a lot of authority and power
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: and could potentially someday end up saving the entire family
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: who owned him. That is why Peter and Paul actually
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: encouraged the slaves to remain in the position that they
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: are in unless they directly get the opportunity to become free.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: So in other words, don't run away. Don't be lazy.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: Be a good servant, be a good slave. Show the
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: love of Jesus to your master and to his family.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: And then if the master actually became a Christian, it's
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: very possible that he would free his slave, understanding that
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: his slave was no longer a slave, but a brother
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: or sister in Christ, an adopted family member of God.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: And that's actually what happens in the book of Philemon.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: Philemon had a slave who had run away. His name
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: was Onesimus. And Onesimus, during his... rebellion, met Paul and
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: became a Christian. And Paul actually encouraged Onesimus to go
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: back to Philemon and apologize. So if you turn to
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: Philemon 1, there's only one chapter in it, verse 12
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: through 17, here's what it says. This is Paul speaking.
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: I am sending Onesimus back, therefore receive him that is
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: my own heart, whom I desired to keep with me,
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: that on your behalf, he might serve me in my
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: chains for the good news. But I was willing to
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: be as of necessity, but a free will. for perhaps
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: he was therefore separated from you for a while, that
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: you would have him forever, no longer as a slave,
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: but more than a slave, as a beloved brother, especially
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: to me, but how much rather to you, both in
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: the flesh and in the Lord. If then you count
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: me a partner, receive him as you would receive me.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: That was so counter-cultural for the day. For Paul to
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: actually encourage a slave owner to free the slave, because
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: the slave was a brother in Christ. In fact, Philemon
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: was actually one of the books specifically that slave owners
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: in antebellum America did not want to let their slaves
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: know about. So a lot of times slaves weren't even
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: allowed to learn to read and write for fear that
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: they might actually be able to pick up the Bible
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: and start reading it and realize that they had humanity
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: under Christ. Because when somebody becomes a Christian, they are
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: adopted into the family of Christ. Same exact as the
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: slave owner, if the slave owner ends up becoming Christian
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: as well. That means, based upon this new family unit,
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: that nobody is beneath another person. Hence why James chapter
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: 1 talks about how Christians should treat the poor and
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: the wealthy. There should be no distinction between the two.
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: Just because somebody is wealthy here on earth, that doesn't
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: matter in the grand scheme of eternity. You should treat
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: the poor man just as well as you treat the
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: rich man that comes through the church's doors, essentially. All
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: of the New Testament was countercultural when it came to slavery.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: And that is how Christians were able to figure out
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: that slavery was a sin because every single person was
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: not just created in God's image, but when they become
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: a Christian, they are part of God's family. So let's
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: go back to our passage for today. First Peter 2,
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: 18 through 19. Servants be in subjection to your masters
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: with all respect, not only to the good and gentle,
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: but also to the wicked. For it is commendable if
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: somebody endures pain, suffering unjustly because of conscience toward God.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: But what glory is it? If you sin, you patiently
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: endure a beating. But if you do well, you patiently
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: endure suffering. This is commendable with God. So essentially, if
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: a Christian slave does well, but is persecuted by his
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: master because his master is just an evil guy or
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: because his slave is a Christian and he doesn't like that,
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: it actually says that it is commendable before God to
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: endure persecution when you have done nothing wrong. And the
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: reason this is commendable before God is because that is
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: what Jesus did. This is part of being like Jesus
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: is able to endure through persecution and through suffering. Because
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: look at Jesus as the ultimate servant of humans. He
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: died on the cross. And that is what Peter is
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: about to explain here. He says, for you were called
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: to this in verse 21, because Christ also suffered for us.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: Who didn't sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: And when he was cursed, he didn't curse back. When
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: he suffered, he didn't threaten, but he committed himself to
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: him who judges righteously. So essentially, Jesus left everything up
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: to God. He didn't sit there cursing the men who
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: caused him to suffer. In fact, when Jesus was on
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: the cross, he said, Father, forgive them for they do
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: not know what they are doing. So Jesus is the
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: ultimate example of suffering well, because Jesus, I believe, suffered
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: more than any human being could ever suffer. And you
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: might be like, well, Jen, many people experienced crucifixion. Many
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: people experienced torture. Many people experienced way worse torture than
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: Jesus ever did. And yes, that is true. People have
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: experienced torture and they have experienced crucifixion and other horrific
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: means of death. People have experienced these things. But here
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: is something that Jesus experienced that no human being can
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: ever understand or experience themselves. Verse 24 right here. He
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: that we having died to sins might live to righteousness.
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: You were healed by his wounds. So Jesus experienced taking
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: every sin of humanity and putting them inside of his
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: own body and sacrificing himself so that we do not
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: have to die in those sins. So whatever this was
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: like was beyond human comprehension. Because think about it. Jesus
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: did this when he was perfectly sinless, right? He did
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: not tell a lie. It actually says right here, there
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: was no deceit found in his mouth in verse 22,
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: which by the way, is Peter quoting Isaiah 53, which
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: I'll go over there in a second and read that.
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: But Jesus was perfectly sinless, but yet he took the
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: punishment of the sins that he did not commit. You know,
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: when you are blamed for something that you didn't do,
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: is that not one of the worst feelings ever? Especially
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: if people don't believe you. I'm sure this has happened
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: to every single one of you guys listening here on
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: this podcast, that you've been blamed for something that you
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: didn't do. It feels unjust. It feels unfair. It is miserable,
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: especially if you take the punishment for something that you
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: did not do. Now, imagine doing that for every single
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: person on the entire earth. past, present, and future. There
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: is something to that that we cannot possibly understand. An
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: emotional and spiritual component that Jesus endured that you and I,
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: no matter how much torture and suffering like physically we
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: could ever go through, we will never understand that. And
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: Jesus also endured the most excruciating death that you can
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: pretty much imagine as well. I mean, that's where we
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: get the word excruciating from is from crucifixion. So he
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: had two things going on. the physical torture of the
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: pain he was suffering, and also the emotional and mental
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: and spiritual suffering that he was experiencing by taking all
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: of those sins of humanity on himself. Here's what Proverbs 18,
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: verse 14 says. A person's spirit can endure sickness, but
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: who can survive a broken spirit? I like that verse
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: because human beings can endure through many different things. We
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: can endure through physical suffering, through pain, like it's miserable
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: and we don't like it and we might cry and
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: we might hate it in the moment. But our tenacity
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: and our spirit can endure through these kinds of miseries
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: and sicknesses. But when it comes to the emotional stuff,
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: it says, who can survive a broken spirit? There is
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: something just traumatizing about emotional suffering and emotional pain. I
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: am not saying that it's worse always than physical suffering.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: It's not a lot of times. Sometimes physical suffering comes
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: along with emotional suffering. But Jesus endured everything on the cross.
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: He endured the physical suffering. He endured the emotional suffering.
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: And he endured the spiritual suffering as well. So I
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: am under the belief that Jesus truly did have the worst,
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: most excruciating death that anybody could ever possibly imagine. Because
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: he cries out to God on that cross and he said,
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? So
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: something traumatic, even beyond the physical suffering was happening to
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: Jesus up on that cross. Now, whether or not Jesus
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: went to hell, that is debatable. Some people wonder that.
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: I'm under the opinion that he did not only because
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: of the fact that Jesus said it is finished when
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: he gave up his spirit, which means I think that
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: what he came to do was done. So maybe he
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: didn't have to go to hell. However, it does say
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: elsewhere in scripture that he descended down to the depths
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: of shoal, right? So it could be that he went
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: to hell, but even so, the suffering that Jesus endured
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: on the cross by taking the blame of all of
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: humanity's sin is something that you and I can never,
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: ever understand. But coming back to 1 Peter 2, Peter
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: is actually saying that we suffer a little bit with Christ,
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: a little bit, when we experience persecution for something that
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: we did not do wrong. That's what it says right
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: here in verse 20. If you do well, you patiently
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: endure suffering. And this is commendable with God. And you
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: are called to this because Christ also suffered for us,
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: We are to become like Christ in every way that
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: we can. And Jesus actually did say, that if you
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: want to follow him, you will experience persecution. Here in America,
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: that might not be the physical persecution like it is
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: in some other countries. But if we want to follow Jesus,
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: we definitely will experience persecution. The emotional persecution where people
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: reject you or cancel you or mistreat you or slander
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: you or say something nasty or try to get you fired.
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: It could be all of these things combined. You will
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: experience persecution if you want to follow after Jesus. But
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: that's not something that we should be afraid of. It's
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: actually something that Christ considers commendable, as Peter says right here.
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: It is commendable for us to suffer for Jesus because
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: he suffered indescribably for you and I. And when he suffered,
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: he didn't threaten, it says in verse 23, but he
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: committed himself to the judge who judges righteously. So now
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: to conclude in verse 25, Peter says, for you were
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: going astray like sheep, but now you've returned to the
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: shepherd and overseer of your souls. And this brings me
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: now to Isaiah 53. And I'm not going to read
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: the entire chapter, even though the entire chapter is beautiful
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: and talks completely about Jesus. It is just prophecy of
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: Jesus hundreds of years before he even was born. Beautiful chapter,
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: but I'm only going to read a few verses for
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: you guys. So starting in Isaiah 53, five and six.
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: It says, but he was pierced for our transgressions and
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: our peace was on him and by his wounds we
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: has turned to his own way and Yahweh has laid
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: on him the iniquity of us all. So that shows
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: us right there, the depths of suffering that Jesus had
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: to experience, that he was abandoned, tortured, mistreated, and completely
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: blamed for all of our sins. And his suffering, it
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: says right here, actually brought our peace. And continuing in
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: verses seven through nine, it says he was oppressed, yet
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: when he was afflicted, he didn't open his mouth. As
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: a sheep that is before its shearers is silent, so
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: he didn't open his mouth. He was taken away by
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: oppression and judgment. As for his generation, who considered that
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: he was cut off of the land of the living
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: and stricken for the disobedience of my people, they made
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: his grave with the wicked and with the rich man
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: in his death, although he had done no violence, nor
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: was there any deceit in his mouth. He was perfect
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: in every single way. He did not sin in any way, shape,
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: or form. There was no lying found in his mouth.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: He had done no violence. He'd done nothing that had
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: warranted his death and also his suffering for humanity. And
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: yet he did it anyway. And why did he do it?
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: Because he wanted to bring us peace because he loves
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: us and he cares for us. And here's what verse
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: six says. all we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: has turned to his own way and Yahweh has laid
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: on him the iniquity of us all. And Peter actually
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: finishes that verse right here in verse Peter 2, 25,
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: by saying, for you were going astray like sheep, but
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: your souls. Isn't that a beautiful conclusion to that verse?
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: That yes, we were once doing whatever we wanted to do,
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: But now as sheep, we are no longer doing that. Instead,
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: now we are following the ultimate shepherd. So in conclusion
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: to everything we just talked about in this passage, slaves
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: should continue to treat their masters with respect because they
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: are suffering in a similar way that Jesus suffered. And
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: to God, that is considered commendable. So these slaves actually
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: have a greater reward in heaven. because of their position
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: than any slave master ever did. That's what Hebrews 11
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: towards the end says, that some people to receive a
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: better reward actually endured more persecution and didn't take the
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: way out because they knew they would receive a better
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: reward in heaven. And that's a really interesting thought and
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: something that I don't know that I'd be able to do.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: If I was given the way out, kind of like
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7, I would certainly
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: take it. But some people actually had such a resolute
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: faith that they chose not to take the way out,
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: which is fascinating to me. And I don't know if
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: I'll ever be able to achieve that kind of faith
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: in my life, but I guess that is something that
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: I can strive for in the future. Faithful listeners, thanks
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: for listening to this episode. I hope that you guys
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: learned something from it. But before I end today's episode
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: with a happy listening and God bless, I'm just going
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: to ask all of you faithful listeners to hang on
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: for a second while this next sponsored ad plays. Well,
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: faithful listeners, I greatly appreciate all of you guys, and
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: I'm thankful that you are here through The Bible Explained
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: with me. And you know what? I actually made a
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: mistake about a month ago. I said that the podcast
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: is seven years old, but when I was thinking about it,
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: I was like, wait a second. No, it's actually six
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: years old because I started it. on August 20th, 2020.
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: And for some reason, my brain was broken and I
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: thought that I started it in 2019. I did not.
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: I started it in 2020. So it just hit its
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: sixth birthday and we're about halfway through the Bible at
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: this point. So it might be another six years before
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: we are done with the entire Bible. As you can tell,
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: I am not rushing through scripture because there's so much
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: here and I don't want to rush through it. I
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: want to really take time to analyze these bite-sized bits
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: of scripture that, you know, sometimes we don't hear about
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: on Sunday services, but it's really just fun to delve
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: into these little portions of scripture. So I hope that
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: you guys have been enjoying this podcast as much as
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: I have been enjoying making it. So faithful listeners, if
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: you do appreciate the podcast and would like to support
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: it further, I do have a membership available for everybody
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: where on Fridays, tomorrow, I go through the Psalms with
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: the faithful members. It's called the Bible explained on Fridays,
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: but you cannot gain access to it unless you are
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: a faithful member. So if that's something that you're interested
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: in is going through the Psalms with me on Fridays,
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: then check out the link in the description that says Kofi,
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: or you can also go over to p40ministries. com slash plans.
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: I think it is and sign up over there as well.
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: And you will gain access to the Bible Explained on
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: Fridays through all of that. So check out those links
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: listed in the description. But faithful listeners, have a fantastic
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: and wonderful day. I will see all of you, if
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: I don't see you tomorrow, on the Bible Explained on Fridays.
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: I'll see you guys on Monday for the regular scheduled
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: episode from Esther chapter 7, I believe we're in. Until then,
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: happy weekend, happy listening, and God bless. I just want
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: to take a second to thank the team at Life
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: Audio for their partnership with me on the Bible Explained podcast.
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: In fact, if you go to lifeaudio.com, you'll find dozens
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: of other faith-centered podcasts in their network. They've got shows
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more.