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April 26, 2021 2:00 am
As believers, we should seek to influence our world for Christ and leave a lasting impression. Skip explains how you can do that as he unpacks some time-transcending principles in the message "Maximum Impact."
This teaching is from the series Rock Solid.
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Dear Kristin, know this life is built on character. Character is built on choice decisions.
Every choice, every decision you make larger small life. What is chisel does to a block, every choice you make shapes and as it saves you are. It shapes how people looking you will view the God you say you serve how much of your day is about building God's kingdom today on connect with Skip Heiser. Skip shares how you can seize every day impact this world with the love and truth of Jesus Christ before we begin to use a great resource that will help you lock into the peace that Jesus offers you how is your stress level on a scale of 1 to 10 stresses that the robber of peace and joy. Skip I think with the planet observation.
If you don't live with an anchor of faith adrift in a sea of anxiety and most people in the world they don't have anything anchor.
They have no real grand scheme or purpose in life to help you live with an anchor of faith. You can learn to lean into God in times of anxiety by sending three powerful resources. I think the new booklet overcoming an anxious mind is teaching me uncertainty on CD plus is over worship stating this bundle is our thanks when you get $35 or more today to help expand the Bible teaching outreach of skintight safe Jesus as Savior brings peace with God Jesus as Lord is called now to request three encouraging resources when 819 to 1888, or give online securely connectwithskip.com/offer first Peter chapter 2 today as we get into the teaching with Skip Heiser of always love the story about Samuel Morse in the missionary who gave his life to the continent of Africa was coming home to retire. He was on a ship headed for New York Harbor on the boat with him was Pres. Teddy Roosevelt, who had been in Africa for three weeks. Hunting big game when the boat pulled into New York Harbor. Samuel Morris, and the missionary noticed the crowds who came to welcome the president home.
There were balloons in bands and banners and people shouting at the president.
He, however, Samuel Morrison walked off the same boat completely unnoticed bothered him in his mind he was thinking. Thoughts really almost a prayer to the Lord's presidents been in Africa for three weeks killing animals he comes home in the whole world welcomes him home. I've given my life to see souls saved and eternal life. Given and I come home and nobody notices just that. Hear the Lord's voice speak to his heart, saying you're not home yet this world is not your home and to give proper incentive as well as proper balance we need to remember were loved by God were just passing through, were sojourners, we need to realize our identity.
The second is to resist knowing who we are, will help us know what to do when certain impulses and temptation come. Beloved, I beg you and sojourners and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. You see what Peter is doing. He's beginning on the inside with our hearts with our minds and what we think and how we deal with Fox before he gets to the outside because Peter wants us to know if you live a godly life on the outside begins by living a godly life on the inside site. You are your passing through this world is in your home so say no or abstain from fleshly lusts which war against your soul. Pretty obvious that Peter acknowledges that in this world we will be bombarded with desires to do bad things, simple things, wrong things and here's why our souls are saved your Christian our souls are saved.
There's a newness in you, but your soul is incarcerated by your human fallen nature, the flesh, so Paul says there is no temptation taken you but as is common to man get the point.
Everybody goes through them. Everybody has temptations everybody has impulses and drives and desires to do wrong things.
Everyone even that cute little baby born into your home.
That son or daughter or grandson or granddaughter that you think is perfect/new/they're not yours ago. A report was put out by the Minnesota crime commission 77 pages. I'll spare you bucket you one paragraph very very insightful document and I quote every baby starts life is a little savage. Every parent is chuckling right now he is completely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it is bottle his mother's attention. His playmates toy.
His uncles watch deny these and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous were he not so helpless.
It permitted to continue in the self-centered world of his infancy given free reign to his impulsive actions to satisfy his wants every child would grow up a criminal, a thief, a killer, a rapist," powerful powerful statement which the source of all this you have right here, the flesh, the flesh, Paul writes in Galatians, the flesh wars or lasts.
That's what the word here means strong desire intense craving the flesh lusts wars against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh happens and you. It happens in me Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist once said I have more trouble with DL Moody than any man I know find that to be true. The biggest struggle is often inside. It's what Peter means here fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
You know the word war means here sucks a single battle or a skirmish. The word that he chose for war against the school soul means to carry out a long term military campaign until the Romans fought in Concord they would set up a village or town or city around the city they wish to conquer four weeks, months and even years was a long term military campaign. So here's the truth. All of those allurements afforded to us by the fallen world that produced desires within us there like an army of terrorists that want to subdue and enslave you. What are these fleshly lusts. Well, there's a little list of them given in Galatians chapter 5 I read it to Paul writes Galatians 5 verse 19 now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, intentions, jealousies, and just about knighted on okay okay I get what he's going outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, and are going okay I got it, but he keeps going and the murderers drunkenness, revelries, and then he says, and the like, which is his way of saying etc. etc. etc. implying this is an endless list. So what's the solution what's the fix well in that very same chapter of Galatians 5.
A few verses, Paul puts it this way and gives us a solution. This I say then, walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Let me tie these thoughts together. If we live a Spirit led life, we will have the power to as Peter said, abstain from fleshly lust which means hold those things away from you.
Don't let them in if you've ever read John Bunyan's works besides programs progress.
He wrote a book called the holy war where he envisions us as being a fortress with walls and gates you have the I gate the ear gate you let things into your mind by what you see and what you hear and even by what you touch or smell in the solution is, is when the enemy comes close the gate. Don't let the enemy in.
I have a little dog. You've seen them up on the screen before new Mac this little crazy Welsh terrier. If the gate is open he will run away and the other day my wife was walking and he got out of the gate and he chased a coyote in our neighborhood. Let me rephrase that the coyote made Max think he was chasing the coyote it's all coyote's work. They make dogs think that they're playing and they lure them back to their den where there are his buddies ready to kill him no long and short of his he is a little emotional trauma. He's been to counseling this week, but he's gonna make it. The solution is keep that gate closed during the war of always been amazed when I see photographs of our troops overseas. When it's 110� in Afghanistan there completely suited up with hundreds of pounds of helmet invest in outfits in a wider dress that way is because they know were in a battle zone. A mortgage could come unannounced at any time, and so with believers were in the war zone.
As Paul said we need to put on the whole armor of God, abstain from fleshly lusts, so we realize who we are.
Our identity we resist the impulses of the Spirit led life. Now that's all in word so far. Now look in verse 12 he takes it from the inward to the outward. He says what is private and in word must eventually become public in outward verse 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles's word for unbelievers that when they speak evil of you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation.
Let me read it to you in the NIV listen to it live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. I think you realize that unbelievers study us.
One of the reasons is they want the dirt on us there watching to see if you'll fail and they would love it if you did, so that's why when it work. You get angry at an employee.
They register that and they might even say oh you say you're a Christian, you just frowned. Yeah, I guess because I'm a human yet mature Christian and they hold you to this standard and they would love to turn it into an accusation. They did with Jesus. Did they not they called him a drunk, a glutton, someone trying to overthrow the government.
One who forbid people to pay taxes all as were false accusations and illegitimate child calls accusation they did with Paul the apostle. They said he was a troublemaker. They was trying to stir up riots all over the world. They did it with the early Christian church. Did you know that one of the accusations of the unbelieving world toward early Christians in the Roman Empire as they were cannibals. There were stories of them eating children at their fees. That's because they heard of the Lord's supper were we use the words of Jesus were. He said eat this. This is my body, drink this. This is my blood and they turn that around into an accusation of cannibalism. The early Christians were accused of incest because they called one another brother sister. The early Christians were accused of atheism. Can you imagine because they would worship the pantheon of Roman gods or Caesar who was deified by the Romans, all false accusations.
So here we are citizens of heaven living alongside of people who are citizens only of this earth were called to live differently than they live. But whenever we do, they won't like it and they will accuse you of everything imaginable with Peter simply saying is lives so noble a life that any of those accusations won't stick by inward purity and in outward quality reason to tell us how to do that. Unfortunately all of the time today, but just notice beginning in verse 13 he says you do it by submitting to your government that would be an interesting study you do it. Also in verse 18. By submitting to your employers.
If your wife, you do it 1/3 way by submitting to your husband. That's chapter 3 verse one that's a ways you demonstrated, but suffice it to say today we as Christians are on stage, the lights are on the lights, the bright light of the unbeliever is on us, and there watching us. My question is what are they seeing as they watch us. I love what Ruth Graham used to say when she was alive here on earth. She used to say a saint is a person who makes it easy to believe in Jesus so simple but profound saint is a person who makes it easy to believe in Jesus Christian should be the most honorable, honest, trustworthy, reliable people in the community. Unfortunately, many times it's the opposite I've heard people say I would never hire another Christian there lazy their life are working to try to take advantage of live such good lives that those accusations won't stick folks. It's Peter's plea for integrity. Some of you remember Irma Bombeck and author.
She had what she called Bombeck's rule of medicine was simple, never trust a doctor whose house plants have died that great going to his office.
All his plans are dead you think it now if you can't take care of lower life.
You're not touching me. Never trust a doctor whose house plants have died about trusting a Christian whose life doesn't reflect any things of the things that that person claims so with an inward and outward quality how effective can this be well I take you to the end of verse 12 and that's our fourth characteristic here.
Remember your intention here is what is in a new were closing this off in the last part of this verse. He saying all of this is so that the ultimate goal of being what it will do unbelievers look look at yourself. Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, so that when they speak evil against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they observe. Here is glorify God in the day of visitation, glorify God in the day. Visitation was that mean day of visitation, you wouldn't be familiar with that unless you're an Old Testament student. It's an Old Testament phrase and Peter was a student of the Old Testament. He was Jewish. The day visitation is an Old Testament phrase you several times to describe when God comes and visits the earth with blessing or with judgment. I'll give you an example of each. When Naomi and a limb alike left Bethlehem and went over to Moab because things dried up in Bethlehem, then her husband died in her sons died. Naomi said I'm going back home to Bethlehem and the Bible says because she heard the Lord visited his people with bread.
God showed up with blessing, but sometimes it means negative Zechariah chapter 10 the prophet says that God was angry at the leaders of this people, and the Lord was visiting them with wrath and fury, visiting his flock in anger.
So whenever God shows up either in blessing or in judgment, it spoken about as a visitation. So Peter uses it here.
They will glorify God in the day of visitation in Peter's mind using the phrase I believe he speaking of the second coming of Christ. When Jesus comes again to the earth and visits the earth a second time. That'll be a day of good news.
Well, for some it will be a day of bad news for others right soccer person who was observing a Christian glorify God in the day. Visitation will two ways, but primarily one way number one. And the best way is to looking at your life checking you out watching the way you live. They've heard the gospel message God is visiting them within with an inkling of conviction and the need for salvation and they can remember your lifestyle that's going to push them right over us and be like the final closing of the deal. The remember your life and go okay I'm in I'm in a do it I just seen change life displayed in front of me. I'm in, I'm all in the glorify God in the day of visitation by receiving Christ himself.
You say, what about the person who observes our life, but says I want nothing of it and dies in that will they glorify God. Actually, yes, they will because the Bible says in Philippians every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, even the most defiant person will have to confess Jesus is Lord and give glory to God, but I would suggest the first is better do it now with your will voluntarily rather than later under force and compulsion when it's not voluntarily. Either way by observing your gracious, godly life produced from the inside convictions because you realize who you are.
You said no to those things that war against your very soul. People observant and that that will make maximum impact to close with the word to believers and then a word to unbelievers.
If you're a Christian know this life is built on character. Character is built on choice decisions. Every choice, every decision you make larger small does to your life. What a sculptor's chisel does to a block of marble shapes.
It every choice you make shapes who you are and as it shapes who you are. It shapes how people looking at you will view the God you say you serve your on display. That's why this exhortation is so important know where to unbelievers. I realize that Christians over the last 2000 years haven't all been perfect. In fact, none of them have been perfect.
I can't think of a single one that is perfect and yet some of you perhaps as an unbeliever, you said I don't want to be a Christian because are so many hypocrites in the church when he does say I apologize for all the hypocrites that have ever existed. But I also want to say to you that is no excuse because in the last day you're not, you have to sit before all those hypocrites to be judged will only stand before God and all those hypocrites want have to stand before you to be judged before the God who forgave them for what Jesus did for them. So when you say there are so many hypocrites in the church. I say well then there's room for one more component because last time I checked, Jesus died for sinners and Paul said I'm the chief of the mall chief of the mall.
In this text, Peter speaks about the war of the soul. Jesus said, what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul. If you don't know Jesus personally today during this Advent season this Christmas season this very day this to be a perfect time for you to say yes to the one who gave it all so that you could be his you come to him and you let him work in you and change you, what you are. You want to clean up your act enough to be perfect or angelic just come as you are soiled and stained with all the stuff all the baggage taken as you are, let him do his work, and watch what he can do through you that Skip with a message for you from the series rock some right now you Skip to tell you how your support helps keep these messages coming your way and connect more people to God's truths that we all know that life is filled with ups and downs but God remains our steady, constant, our heart is to bring people closer to him so they can have a relationship and enjoyed the riches of his word.
Your gift today means we can keep sharing these teachings that you love for many more years to come. Would you consider sharing a gift today and giving the gift of Scripture to so many others here, so you can do that visit connectwithskip.com/donate to give your gift today that's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 800-922-1888. Again, that's 800-922-1888 coming up tomorrow Skip icing shares how you can experience complete freedom by living in submission to Christ, therefore, submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for what is, for the Lord's. In other words, do it on her God.
God is honored when his earthly representatives are seen as stabilizers in their and isn't this the highest reason is this the greatest motivation to do it because God said I Jesus that you love me you will keep my commandments. Which means if you constantly bring his commandments Skip presentation of connection communication through