You have your Bibles open them up if you would please to 1 Peter, the book of 1 Peter chapter 2 stand together. The words are up on the screen and let me get right into this this morning. I'm continuing on a series on family and relationships and it's not going to seem like that once I get into this. You're going to say, well I thought he was doing family and relationships. Well wait a while you'll get it in the end but it's not going to seem like that at the first. So it says, let's read beginning at verse 9, let's read together. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Father, add Your blessing to the preaching and teaching of Your Word. And I pray, Father, as we talk about authority, that we would submit to Your authority. In Jesus' name, Amen. While you're being seated, I will say that there's still a couple of spots open for the trip to Peru. I'll go the 1st through the 11th of July. There is a cost, but if you are interested, I would love to have you. It is not a trek. Anybody vertical and walking can participate in this, and we will do the same things of Bible distribution and preaching among people that have never heard it. So if you are interested, you need to speak to me personally. I had two or three speak to me after the first service, and I'd love to hear it. Now, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9 to 12, I want to talk about authority. We have here an apostolic letter, and a letter is what a letter is today. It's written on an occasion. In other words, there was a reason for the letter. It wasn't wasn't a commentary that he wrote to them, or it wasn't a theological thesis that he is sending to these people. It is a letter written on the occasion of a particular need. All New Testament letters are that way, all of them. This one is written by Peter, and it is written to dispersed Believers. Believers that are going all over the place. In fact, I think we have a map. Why don't you stick that up? These are the places that are mentioned in 1 Peter 1, verse 1. It mentions Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. all of those places up at the top to the right Pontus and then Galatia down below it Cappadocia bottom right to the left Asia what we might call Asia Minor and other venues. Bithynia all of those general areas have received many of the believers that are on the move. They're called pilgrims, strangers, aliens. They're on the move. They've been run out of where they are. This is the circumstance of this letter. These people are worried. Persecution is on the rise. There's all kinds of problems coming their way. They believed in Jesus and instead of things getting easier, things got more difficult. Can I get an amen on that? In other words, instead of Christianity making a Rosicrucian existence, they found resistance on the part of other people whenever they let people know, I'm a believer in Jesus. Well, that's what happened. They were considered part of the diaspora, the dispersed believers. This book was written, oh, about 61 or 62 AD. It was written when the Jews and non-Jewish believers, the persecution against them was on the rise. was a man named Nero reigning. He reigned from 54 to 68 AD. I thought that Nero was some old cranky guy with a long beard who was mad at the world. He died when he was 31 years old, he poisoned himself. Nero reigned for 14 years but he was just a pup when he started to reign and he was mean from the first day. He hated Christians. He especially hated the fact that the Christians would not call him Lord. They wouldn't worship the visible gods of Rome. They they insisted on worshiping an invisible God named Jehovah and His Son Jesus whom they actually reported to be back from the dead. He despised them because they wouldn't call Him Lord. He despised them because they wouldn't venerate Him as a God. So when we open the book we find these believers, they're called beloved, they are getting run out, wherever they are they're getting run away from. From Jerusalem they've long since been running and now then just about anywhere they are in the Roman Empire they can't stay very long, they're just pilgrims. there on the move. So Peter had some things to say to them. First of all, this isn't in your notes, but just take a note on the right. In chapter 1 verse 6 he said, don't worry about it. He says, you're being persecuted, you're being run around, but don't worry about it. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by these trials. that the genuineness of your faith, which is much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus, whom not having seen, you love." So he told them just rejoice, don't worry about it. He told them something else, chapter 3 verse 14. Peter told them don't be intimidated. First, he said, don't worry. Then he said, don't be intimidated by this persecution. Even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed and do not be afraid of their threats and do not be troubled. Then he said, do not be surprised by it. there are a lot of Christians today that people say bad things about them. They ridicule them, mock them, make fun of them, and they are surprised. Well why on earth would anybody ridicule me? I am a believer. I am trying to do right and live right. I love the Lord and we are ridiculed for it. We are called names. In fact they even say of the good things we try to do that they are evil. Jesus said it would happen in the late days that what is what has always been identified as good is now going to be classified as evil such as tolerating all evil is good being discriminating against what is evil is bad we live in a time when it's all changed Peter said don't be intimidated and then he said in chapter four verse twelve don't be surprised don't think it's strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing is happening to you the point of the fiery trial was much more literal than you could possibly imagine. According to the early 2nd century historian named Tacitus, he himself disliked Christians, but Nero burned Christians alive as torches to light his gardens at night. He killed Christians for all sorts of entertainment purposes, but he especially loved to throw Christians to wild animals in the Colosseum to watch them be devoured in front of him. Now Peter's instructions to the dispersion or the diaspora in this place, even though they're removed from Rome, yet the area that they're living in that you see there was under Roman rule, and so they loved Rome because Rome sent them roads and money and they sent them all kinds of business so they loved Rome and they hated the Christians because they saw the Christians as the impediment to them getting more from Rome. Well you've all heard of how persecution of Christians today in the world in faraway places is increasing. In northern India, the Hindus and Muslims are almost competing at driving Christians out. They've laid them out on the ground and killed them in many places. In Indonesia, churches have been burning for years, but now they've gone to locking them up and burning the churches with the Christians in them. Since what our government praised, the Arab Spring of a couple of years ago, Christians are now being eradicated in Egypt, in Northern Africa, Yemen, and from many places that were formerly safe for Christians to live. Iraq, for instance, was somewhat of a haven for Christianity but not anymore as the numbers have almost completely disappeared in that country. A man named Abadini, a pastor, is still in jail in Iran and he is just one of many as they continue to try to eradicate Christianity from within their borders. Closer to home, hate speech laws of Canada have been successfully applied to Bible preaching churches. Now listen to me carefully. What we heard is a rumor three or four years ago about how they had passed laws against hate speech. People say, well, they'll never enforce that. Well, they have. they have taken preachers to jail for preaching from certain passages of scripture that are discriminating concerning evil and uh... when they took them to a higher court the higher courts upheld the lower court's ruling and now you just simply can't say some things in the pulpit even though the bible declares it to be true and so i don't know if you're paying much attention but our media academia and the government are increasingly increasingly bashing specifically Christianity in this country. They see it as the kink in the cogs of progress for progressive thinking and for godless living. I'm glad to be a kink in that cog, by the way. I don't know about you, but I'm just kind of glad I'm slowing that down. All of this is to say that Peter saw this and he warned the believers. He said it is happening, it will intensify, and you must carry on. We have to carry the light, we have to be the witnesses of God's love, and we have to do so with a certain attitude. And you say, well what did Peter say to those people? What was it that he could possibly say to those suffering believers at that time under that persecution, under those circumstances? What would he say? Would he tell them to run and hide and stop telling the truth? Would he tell them just to maybe get together and form their own army and just have an overthrow of the government? I mean what would he tell them? Well, interestingly, He told them to practice submission. Look at verse 13. It's interesting. It follows right on the verses we read. Verse 13 says, "...therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether the king is supreme, or governors, or those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of those who do good." Now folks, that's a hard saying. Submit yourself to the ordinance of man. Look at verse 18. Servants, be submissive to your masters in all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh, the work circumstances at that time. Many were slaves, and I don't think slavery in America. Many of the slaves had far better situations than those that were independent because they did have somewhere to sleep, something to eat. But the slaves were told, be obedient, be submissive. Now, I'm going to read one more, and this is where it really gets, you know, I mean, I really grind like chalk on a, you know, like a piece of chalk on a chalkboard with that little screeching sound, you know. Look at chapter 3, verse 1. Wives, uh-oh, man, I was doing good until I got to that one right there. I'm going to say a lot of things, now just listen to me, I'm going to say a lot of things over the next couple of weeks that are just going to be countercultural, out of step, irritating, archaic in many people's minds. I'm going to say some things that are just really going to irritate some people. They are going to wonder what rock I crawled out of and do I have a club at home that I beat my wife with. That's what you are going to wonder. I didn't write the Bible but I'm dead sure going to preach it. Now listen to this, the Bible says, wives likewise be submissive to your own husbands even if some do not obey the word, they without the word may be won by the conduct of their wives. I won't stop there. Look at verse 7, Husbands, also speaking of submission, but of a different kind, dwell with them according to understanding. Look over at chapter 5 verse 5, I'm going to make another group mad this morning. Five-five. Likewise, you younger people submit yourself to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive one to another and be clothed with humility for God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble. You just got a forecast of my next sermons. Those are my next three sermons coming up right there. Now watch. I wanna say this right here and right now. I'm going to preach prescriptive preaching from the word of God over the next few weeks. You say, what do you mean? I'm gonna talk to you not about what is, I'm gonna talk to you from the word of God about what ought to be. I have no desire to poke a pen in anybody or to make of anybody pain who has been through terrible situations in your families. Some of my most wonderful friends and co-laborers together in the gospel in this church are people who have been through divorce in their life. I love you and I want you to know that from the bottom of my heart. I love you. I will do anything to help you, to pray for you, to encourage you, to answer your questions. I will do anything. What I'm preaching about over the next few weeks is not to go back and poke anybody or make anybody experience pain about what happened in the past. You can't change the past. You've got to move on in the future and let God restore what I'll say the canker worms and the palmer worms have eaten. You've got to just move forward. But here's what I am going to say. Someone at some time in the world in which we are living has got to tell the truth about what God's ideal is. It's one thing to work only with what is and never talk about what ought to be. My preaching over the next few weeks is prescriptive preaching. Those of you that are here that have gone through the angst and the pain of all kinds of family difficulties will be the first to say, yeah, and I would like to give a few thoughts to some people coming after me as well, because it is so painful to go through, and I just want you, I want you, you would like for the next generation to be listening to what I'm going to be saying. Again, I repeat, this is not, please don't write me a letter and say, that's it, Pastor Phil thinks this, that, or the other. I'm out of the church because he looks down on me. You're not listening to a word I'm saying. I want you to understand that what I'm talking about is what God's Word has to say about what ought to be. And I pray for this next generation coming along, and for those that are married now, you may be going through trouble, but I'm praying for you and I'm praying for the next generation. Please understand how big this issue of family and relationships is to God and what His purpose for is in this world, for it is in this world. Please, please listen carefully. So let's get this straight. Submission is the general attitude of believers at home, at work, and in public. This is in contrast to rebellion. One way we know it is the last time that we are living in according to Jude 8 is that people in the last day will despise and reject authority. If I had to describe America at this moment, if I had to describe this country, I would describe it as a big bunch of people who don't ever want to be told anything that is to be told not to do something or that something is incorrect or that they're not permitted. They don't want to be told anything at any time by anybody that they perceive is a limitation of the free exercise of what they think will bring them happiness. They want no authority whatsoever. That's America. That's where we live. Don't tell me no. Don't tell me what I can do. I'm independent. I'm a self-made person. I'll do what I want to do. That is not biblical Christianity. Now, let me speak the word in all clarity from God's Word. Somebody's going to say, yeah, but when the authority is wrong and it goes against God, then what? All right. resisting authority, even rebelling against authority may be called for at times. Daniel did it. The three Hebrew boys did it. The Hebrew midwives did it. Peter, when they told him, you cannot speak in the name of Jesus, he said, well, whether it's right or not for you, whatever you say, you have to say, but I can't disobey God. what I've seen and heard, that I must speak. So there are moments, but folks, those are the exceptions. We cannot build a society and a civilization and a church life and a family life around the exceptions. You have to build them around the rule, around the norm. And Peter says, for all of you people, you dispersed believers that are running everywhere, I want you to live at peace, try to operate within the system, try to recognize authority. It's about authority. you'll listen I'll help you. You say, well why do you believe that this is so crucial? Because to reject the authorities that we can see in this life is tantamount to rejecting the ultimate authority that we cannot see. Romans chapter 13 verses 1 to 3. And so let me share some things. We submit to authority for several reasons, and write them down quickly. One, we submit to authority because of our alien status. You say, Pastor, what does that mean? Are we from Mars? No, no. Alien. It just simply means we are pilgrims. Write that down. We're strangers in this world. It says it several times in the passage. Look at chapter 1, verse 1. 1 Peter, this is the motif of the whole book. Peter, an apostle of Jesus, to the pilgrims of the dispersion. And then look at chapter 1, verse 17. It says, We're just staying for a while, folks. You've heard the song. This world is not our home. We're just passing through. Do you understand? In other words, he said, look, whenever you came to Jesus and whenever you were born into his family, whenever you became the child of God, you also became part of his eternal kingdom. We are members of another kingdom, another land, if you will. And so we're members of that kingdom and we are now on visiting status in this world. We are aliens in this world. And so we're pilgrims, we're strangers in the world. And these words speak to temporary residency. And let me put it this way, we reside here, but we may not be able to preside here. Do you understand? We live here, we reside here, we dwell here, but it just may not go our way. We may not be able to preside here. They were pilgrims, they were here for a stay. Then over at chapter 2 in verse number 11 it says, Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims abstain from the fleshly lust that wars against the soul. And so he calls them, he says they're sojourners. And that really is the word resident aliens, resident aliens. And what are resident aliens? Well, they have the right to live, the right to pay taxes, the right to work, but they do not have the right to rule and they may not be able to vote. I am a resident alien of the nation of Peru. I have a little card at home and it's got my picture on it and it's got an identification number. I'm a resident alien of the nation of Peru. But I am not in charge and never can be in charge because I'm an alien. I'm a citizen of this country, but I'm also a citizen of heaven and I'm more of a resident alien in this world. Many of us live like we're resident aliens of heaven and really don't have anything eternal there. We live our lives like everything depended on right here, right now and what I have and how deep I can put my roots down and what I can gain and put in my pocket or put in the bank or hold on to. We live as though this is it and it's all about right now. but we're resident aliens. We are sojourners, we're moving through, we're not going to be here forever. Sojourners, they're resident aliens. The writer of Hebrews agrees, Hebrews 11, 13, speaking in the hall of fame of faith, all of these people died without receiving the promises, but they saw them afar off, they embraced and confessed, and they understood they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Paul said it another way, 2 Corinthians 5.20, now then we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. Can I help you a minute? Just watch this for a second. We are ambassadors for another kingdom. How many of you are believers in Jesus? You've called on Him to be your Lord and Savior. Raise your hand. All right. You're members, or better yet, you're citizens of His kingdom and of His rule. You, 2 Corinthians 5 20, have been placed in this world as ambassadors of that kingdom. Now make sure you get this. This location, this church right here, is like an outpost of the kingdom of heaven on earth. We come together, we sing our songs, we take up our offerings, we do our ministries, we reach out to try to get more people to join our kingdom and be part of this spiritual kingdom, but this is an outpost of the kingdom of heaven. Now let me just say a word to you who are the kind of people who don't wanna put your roots down anywhere and you don't wanna take too many responsibilities, you don't wanna be a part of a local church, you just kinda wanna float around like a hummingbird and just suck out the nectar from wherever you land. Listen. We are citizens of an eternal kingdom. We are ambassadors for that kingdom. We speak up in this world for that world. And when the body of believers comes together, they come together because they're supposed to have a rally point, a place to be together, a place of encouragement and edification, a place where we can keep ourselves encouraged. How dare a member of the kingdom of heaven tell God I don't care anything about your outpost on earth, I don't even like those people. Whoa. You say, what did you mean by that? Join a local New Testament church, get to be a part of it, support it, rally with them and serve God through them. That's what I mean. Now listen, when I lived in Peru, I submitted to their way of doing. On my recent trip to Africa, I was under their jurisdiction. I submitted to their way of doing. Even in the states, when you go from state to state, you had better be ready to submit to the doings and the way of doing things in that state. For instance, the New Jersey Turnpike has a speed limit of 55 miles an hour. The Garden State Parkway, also in New Jersey, has a speed limit of 55 miles an hour. I can give you personal testimony, they mean it. Telling how fast we just got done going in Maryland and Virginia has nothing to do with it. When you enter the state of New Jersey, they've got their own rules. You know we're talking about the same kind of thing. I want to move a little quicker here, but I want to make sure that you follow along with what I'm saying. Somebody's going to say, well, what in the world does this have to do with family? Just wait a while. Number two, we submit to authority because of our high calling and purpose. Look now at chapter 2, verse 9. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people. Who are we? That's who we are. We are a royal nation, or we are a royal priesthood, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and His own special people. That's pretty lofty statements coming from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That's who you are. All right, so we're royal priests. We just got done studying this, and so right there, first of all, right down, and we're chosen specifically. we're royal priest. What does a priest do? We just got done studying that. In Hebrew, a priest is one who goes to man for God and he goes to God for man. He goes to man for God and he goes to God for man. In the Old Testament, the Jews were called his kingdom of priests. Their job was to get God's ways to the world so that they would be drawn to it. They didn't do very well. Guess who the new kingdom of priests is? Believers. You are a kingdom of priests. We are His own special possession. I've got something to say there but I'm going to skip it for lack of time. We are chosen specifically and then we are chosen purposefully. Write that down. You say, really? Yeah, let's read the Bible and let the Bible speak. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may. First of all, He tells us who we are, and then second of all, He tells us why we are. What's the why? That you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Who once were not a people but now are the people of God. Who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. And so he tells us who we are. We're special. We're chosen. We're elect. We're select. We're his. So that We can tell his praises concerning the fact that he called us out of the darkness of this world into his marvelous light. What a message. He's called us out of darkness. The Bible says in this same book, chapter 4, verses 1 to 3, and he goes on and talks about having the same mind. He said, Let's don't live the rest of our time in the flesh for the lust of men, but the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime doing the will of the Gentiles, that is the lost, when we walked in lewdness, lust, drunkenness, revelries, drinking, parties, and abominable idolatries. In other words, what he's saying is, that's the darkness that I called you out of. I've called you out of that darkness. Somehow in America, somehow in American Christianity, we've gotten the idea that salvation is a destination, salvation is only forgiveness for my sins, salvation is a free ticket to heaven, but salvation doesn't call on me to live for Jesus or to walk from darkness into light. But God has called us, you say, well, Pastor, I thought we were saved by grace apart from the works of the law. We are saved totally by grace unto good works, for good works. We are saved for obedience, chapter one, verse two, 1 Peter. We are sanctified by God for obedience and the sprinkling of blood. Now, what are you saying? It's very simple. If we come to the doorway of salvation, and we have no intention whatsoever for Jesus Christ to be the Lord, the ruler, and the leader of our life, if we just want fire insurance, then I'm here to tell you that's not salvation at all, because He came to us to change us, to buy us, to invite us into His family, to make us a citizen of His kingdom, and to send us back into the world as proof that there are those who come out of darkness into light. Now we get down to it. We are called out of darkness. We're called out of selfish living because it's darkness. We're called out of sinful indulgence because it's darkness. We are called out of pornography. We are called out of all of the sinful works of the flesh. We are called out of competition and conflict and battles at home. What? How did you get there? What do you mean? Do you not understand Ephesians chapter 5 and 6 teach so clearly that the real point of the home is to be the picture of how Christ loved the church and died for it? Do you not understand that there's something a whole lot bigger going on in our homes than just us getting together and procreating and having children? Do you understand that it's more than us just... No, no, no! Our home, our life, our words, our work, our worship, our testimony, the way we live, the way we act, the way we talk, the way we submit to authority that's over us, all of it speaks to a world in darkness. We're not supposed to bifurcate. We're not supposed to divide. Being a Christian with living for Jesus, we're not supposed to separate those two things. We're supposed to live for Jesus because He died for us. Rebellion to God's authority is darkness. We are in the world to show the way to the dark world. We have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light. If we look like darkness in the way we live, in the way we conduct our homes, in the way we conduct ourselves, and if we just go through serial divorces, I told you now, I'm not picking on people. I love you. I'm not picking on, I'm talking about what ought to be. I'm not trying, I cannot change the past. Nobody can. God forgives it and God moves us on. But just listen to me. Somebody needs to tell the truth about what God's desire and will is for us in our life or we will never change. It'll just keep spiraling worse and worse. Divorce rates among Christians are giving the mockers fodder for their critical fires. We love to stand up, and I see Brian back here, we love to stand up against same-sex marriage, and well we should. That's a good place to say amen. We should stand up against same-sex marriage, but when we do this, they ask and they mock and ridicule and say, you're ready to stand up against same-sex marriage, but you're not ready to defend and stay in your heterosexual marriages. What do we say now? Everything about our life. all authority that God has. Now somebody's going to come up to me like they did after the first service and they're going to ask me some specific question about a specific law and this and that. I'm talking in general attitude toward life. We're not supposed to be 1960s people who just love to rebel against anything and everything that's out there because that's just who we are. We're independent and we just do our own thing. Listen, that's not Christianity. We recognize civil authorities. We recognize home authority. We recognize authority in the workplace. We live under authority. Even Jesus said He was under authority of the Father. We submit to authority because we want to have credibility. If we don't do that, then where is our moral authority? Number three, quickly, we submit to authority to put to shame the evil doers. 12 says that, it says, when they speak against you as evil doers they may see your good works. Verse 15, this is the will of God by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Then over in verse 16 of chapter 3, having a good conscience that when they defame you as evil doers those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. You know what we can do when we submit to authority? We can shame those who like to redefine goodness. that's what this world is doing is trying to redefine goodness goodness is tolerance of all evil according to this world instead of being discriminating people you say well I hate discrimination that's because you have been taught a new definition of the word discrimination to discriminate just simply means to be wise in your observance and in your assessment of things we ought to be able to look at good and evil and tell the difference this world can't They've redefined goodness and they've defined evil as good and good is evil. We can also shut the mouths of ignorant attackers. That's the next one, we can shut the mouths of ignorant attackers. And I won't even work on that one. Number four, we can submit to authority in order that even the wicked glorify God at Christ's return. Look at verse 212, 212, have your conduct honorable among the Gentiles so that when they speak against you as evil doers they may by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation. Now will you listen to me for a minute? Not everyone is going to fall on their face and trust Jesus because of your good testimony. Some will. Some will listen to your talk. Some will listen to your presentation of the gospel. Some will see your life and they'll say, man, you've got something I don't have, I wanna see it. They may, but the vast majority won't. But that's not the whole issue. The issue according to verse 12 is, is that when it comes to the end of days and the Lord comes back, they will look at your good works that God will magnify and they'll say, yep, we have to admit they did right. and God will be glorified in the end. So by our good works that they observe, Matthew 5, 16, let your light so shine before men. Let your light shine in such a way that they can see your good works and glorify you. No, glorify your God, Father in heaven. And so somebody says, how can I live this? And I finish with this. Pastor, is this possible? Can we live this? Can we, with ridicule and mockery and rising persecution, can we really live this? Yes, if you do three things. One, reconcile yourself to being a pilgrim, an alien, a sojourner, and a stranger in this world. Reconcile yourself to that. Folks, you can't live as Christians in this world as if this is all there is and putting all your roots and putting all your cookies in this jar. You can't put all your cookies in this jar if you want anything for eternity. You just can't. We have a message for this world, but we're not merely earthly citizens any longer. We're citizens of heaven. We're ambassadors from another kingdom. We cannot live as if this is all there is. All investments cannot be here. All hopes cannot be here. And all future cannot be here. And our loyalty cannot be here. It has to be in eternity. And the second thing is resist the urge to be a rebel at heart. Resist the urge to be a rebel at heart. Oh, I'm not a rebel. Everybody's a rebel. Now be honest. When somebody tells you don't, what is your first inclination? I mean, wet paint, don't touch. Oh, really? Folks, listen, the first rebel was Satan, and the ones who were right behind him were the demons. What did they do? They rebelled against God's authority. The first sin of mankind was what? It was rebellion. You can have all these trees, anything you want, eat it all, it's all yours, everything, but that one. What'd they do? Rebelled. Let's don't be rebels at heart. You say, well, I don't know. I didn't know I wasn't. Yes, we're rebels. We are automatic rebels. We are rebels like our forefathers were rebels. And once Jesus comes and saves us from our sins, that rebel nature never goes away, but we can submit it to the Holy Spirit of God and pray that he would give us power to not be rebels on a continual basis. gotten into the specifics of this, but this affects wives. This affects husbands. This affects young people. This affects children. This affects workers in the workplace. This affects everyone. We cannot have a spirit of rebellion in our heart on a continual basis and give the light to a lost world at the same time. Resist the urge to be a rebel at heart. Finally, rejoice in the truth of your permanent inheritance. Go back to chapter 1 verse 1. Chapter 1 verse 1, 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 1. Oh, folks, please see this. This is the whole issue. Peter lays it out in the very first two, three verses what this is all about and then everything else is building on this statement. Here's what he says. I can get there, there it is. Peter an Apostle of Jesus Christ to the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia elect according to the foreknowledge of God in the Father and the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Watch now. Grace to you and peace be multiplied. be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that does not fade away, reserved in Heaven for you who are kept by the power of God and so on." You say, what's that all about? Well, That's the point, isn't it? They were losing their position. They were losing their power. They were losing their possessions. It was their inheritance that they were losing. This is what was happening to them. They were in trial. They were in persecution. They were suffering. They were going through all of these things. And Peter says, I got to get the pen out. I got to write these people. They're coming to pieces. They've got to understand there's a bigger picture. They're beginning to rebel. They're talking about picking up swords. No, no, no, no, no. Hold on a minute. He said, listen, you are elect by God, select by God, chosen by God, as if to say you have been rejected by this world. You've been kicked out by this world. You've been dispossessed by this world. This world doesn't like you. This world rejects you. It rejects you. It rejects your life. It rejects your values and it rejects your God. But that's all right. Because though you've been rejected by the world, you've been accepted by the Father. Though you've been rejected by the world, you are select by the Father. Though you are rejected by the world, you're chosen of God. In other words, you've lost all of your positions, all of your possessions, and all of your power. But don't worry, because you still have the real inheritance that cannot be touched, changed, diminished, or taken away. It's in heaven. It's reserved for you. And by the way, if you get weak-kneed over the whole thing, I'm keeping you by my own power. Now listen to me. Listen. Here's what he's saying. This is what the whole book is about. You're pilgrims! You're on the move! Stop trying to take over this world! Stop trying to put your roots down in this world! Forget it! Because your eternity is in heaven. You're from another kingdom. You're headed to another place. And guess what? Your Lord Jesus said the very same thing. Don't lay up for yourselves treasures on this earth where what happens? Moths eat it up. Rust corrupts it. thieves break in and steal rather live for eternity because moths can't eat it and rust doesn't happen and there are no thieves that will ever break in and steal he's simply saying hey subject yourself in this world because in the next world you're going to sit on the throne with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and you're going to own it all but you bow your heads and close your eyes