The SUPERIOR VALUE Of A SANCTIFIED HEART-IV—1Peter 3:13-17
Attention:
Birdbox Challenge—excerpted from: Caitlin O'Kane | CBS News—Friday, January 11, 2019
The Netflix movie, ‘Bird Box’ was a smash hit, with over 45 million viewers streaming it in its first week. It is a sci-fi flick in which a mother & her two children must wear blindfolds as they travel to escape a sinister force that turns anyone who sees it suicidal. Earlier in the the movie’s release month, Netflix warned viewers not to attempt to replicate the movie’s ‘blindfold’ theme in real life.
However, the movie unsurprisingly inspired some of it’s watchers to take “the Bird Box challenge.” This challenge quickly spread via internet. People had themselves filmed doing everyday tasks blindfolded.
CBS News reported that, so far, as a result of “the Bird Box challenge”, one woman nearly burned herself on a heater; a boy repeatedly crashed into furniture with his tricycle; & a blindfolded toddler slammed into a wall.
But this takes the cake—Just north of Salt Lake City, a driver in Layton, Utah, crashed her car on Utah’s Layton Parkway while wearing a blindfold!
The Layton Police Department tweeted after the incident—“Bird Box Challenge while driving...predictable result.”
The police department tweeted photos of two cars involved in the crash – one was a pickup truck with the front bumper bent, the other was a smaller vehicle with the entire driver's side crushed.
Fortunately, no one was injured because of the a dangerous stunt.
So that you won’t walk thru life with your spiritual ‘eyes closed’, God has made it your choice & privilege to set God as holy in your heart.
When your heart is set apart(‘sanctified’) to discovering & living out God’s will, then others, who have never heard or have merely ‘heard of’ God’s truth, will hear it from & thru you & the ministries in which you are involved.
Need:
Our society must realize that the Church does not gather to be entertained, nor to celebrate their own achievements, nor to merely socialize with their friends—Which are all too common misperceptions & misconceptions.
Rather the Church gathers together regularly & repeatedly in order to prepare themselves & their world for the return of Jesus & for the final judgment of God upon the earth...In that, we experience personal growth in holiness by the Holy Spirit, & due to that growth we also share the good news of salvation by grace thru faith in Christ alone.
Peter causes his audience to examine the superior value of a sanctified heart.
The superior value of a sanctified heart is exposed.
How is the superior value of a sanctified heart evaluated/measured/determined?
5 means/ways of evaluating the (superior)value of a sanctified heart:
We’ve found previously that, The (superior)value of a sanctified heart is evaluated thru Your Relationship With...
1. HARM(:13)
2. BLESSING(:14)
3. READINESS(:15)
4—The (superior)value of a sanctified heart is evaluated thru...?
YOUR RELATIONSHIP With INFAMY(:16)
Explanation:(:16)Disrepute/Dishonor/Notoriety/Pride
:16—“having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”
“Having a good conscience,”
The Christian will share their faith in possession of “a good conscience”—meaning that there will be no sinful strongholds maintained that would hinder the truth from being shared.
The Christian will have no problem in divulging their past & current personal struggle(s) with sin, so that the recipient of that personalized truth will unmistakably see that Jesus, & not personal merit, makes one able to abide in God’s kingdom.
God’s people must exhibit a brashly honest openness regarding divine salvation or deliverance from the penalty & earthly ravages of personal sin. Such transparency elevates God’s plan in Christ.
God’s people are not ‘proud’ of their sin. In fact, they are embarrassed by it. *However God’s people are very willing to divulge personal sin for what it is—a personally condemning affront to God—so that the person receiving their testimony will recognize their own similar failures & thereby, their helplessness apart from Christ Jesus. God’s people use their past to give God all the glory. God’s forgiveness & restorative work is seen, elevated, & promoted in the saved sinner.
“Good/Clear”2X(See :13, 21)—agayov—Adj.—1) Of good constitution or nature; 2) Useful, salutary; 3) Good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy; 4) Excellent, distinguished; 5) Upright, honorable. Strong—a primary word; “Good”(in any sense, often as noun).
“Conscience”(See :21)—suneidhsiv—Noun Fem.—1)The consciousness of anything; 2) The soul as distinguishing between what is morally good & bad, prompting to do the former & shun the latter, commending one, condemning the other—2a) The conscience. Strong—Co-perception, i.e. Moral consciousness.?From—suneidw—To see completely; used(like its primary) only in two past tenses, respectively meaning, To understand or become aware, & To be conscious or (clandestinely)informed of.?Suneidw From—sun—&—eidw—=‘With Knowledge’.
“That when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ”
There will always be those who will do their utmost, to damage your Christian witness. They will attempt to present you to the world as doers of evil. They will put forth much effort to present their choices as righteous, & attempt to confirm & present their own evil deeds as that which is good.
These “defamers” “revile” or rail against “good” Christian “conduct.” They object to “good” Christian “conduct”, wanting their audience to see it instead as the “doing” of “evil.”
Isa.5:20-21—“Woe to those who call evil good, & good evil; Who put darkness for light, & light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, & sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!”
Some people desperately want to be seen & accepted as wise when they are actually fools(Rom. 1:22).
Rom. 1:22—“Professing to be wise, they became fools,”
*Who did? Those who are ungodly & unrighteous suppressing God’s truth by the lie they lead(:18)...Those who have became futile in their thoughts, having darkened hearts(:21).
How do you respond to personal Disrepute? How do you respond to personal Dishonor? How do you respond to personal Notoriety?
?What is the source of the Disrepute/Dishonor/Notoriety?...Does it flow out of your commitment to Christ Jesus?
OR--?Is yours a response of vengeance or of sulking—of prideful fleshly conduct in flesh?
“Defame/Speak Evil/Slandered”—katalalew—Lit.=‘down speaking/utterance’—1)To speak against one, to criminate, traduce. Strong—To be a traducer, i.e. To slander. Used 5X.?From—kata—1) Down from, through out; 2) According to, toward, along.—&—lalew—1) To utter a voice or emit a sound; 2) To speak—2a) To use the tongue or the faculty of speech, 2b) To utter articulate sounds; 3) To talk; 4) To utter, tell; 5) To use words in order to declare one's mind & disclose one's thoughts—5a) To speak. Strong—To talk, i.e. Utter words.
“Evildoers”(See :17)—kakopoiov—Adj.—1)An evil doer, malefactor. Strong—A bad-doer; specifically--A criminal. Used 5X.?From—kakov—1) Of a bad nature; 2) Of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting—2a) Base, wrong, wicked; 3) Troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful. Kakov frequently means evil rather negatively, referring to the absence of the qualities which constitute a person or thing what it should be or what it claims to be. It is a general antithesis to agayov. Strong—apparently a primary word; Worthless(intrinsically, such), i.e. subjectively--Depraved, or objectively--Injurious.—&—poiew—Strong—apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; To make or do(in a very wide application, more or less direct).
“Revile/Falsely Accuse/Speak Maliciously/Caluminate”—ephreazw—Verb—1) To insult; 2) To treat abusively, use despitefully; 3) To revile; 4) in a forensic sense--To accuse falsely; 5) To threaten. Strong—To insult, slander. Used 3X.(Here & Lk. 6:28)?From a comparative of—epi—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position--On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—Over, upon, etc.; of rest(with the det.)--At, on, etc.; of direction(with the accusative case)--Towards, upon, etc.—&—(probably)areia—Threats.
“Conduct/Behavior”—anastrofh—Lit.=‘twist among’—Noun Fem.—1) Manner of life, conduct, behavior, deportment. Strong—Behavior. Used 13X.?From—anastrefw—To overturn; also--To return; by implication--To busy oneself, i.e. Remain, live.?From—ana—1) Into the midst, in the midst, amidst, among, between. Strong—a primary preposition & adverb; properly--Up; but by extension(used distributively)--Severally, or locally--At(etc.).—&—strefw—To twist, i.e. Turn quite around or reverse(literally or figuratively).
“May be ashamed.”
By elevating God instead of self, any “defamation” or “reviling” of Christian character that comes to the Christian thru others, MAY(intention, not certainty) result in the open & personal “shame” of the “defamers” & “revilers” themselves.
Thru such telling encounters with true Christians, “defaming” & “reviling” people WILL be shown to be the true “evildoers”(technically but not necessarily practically).
And as a result of their exposure to the world as lying “evildoers” themselves, then they will be truly “ashamed” before others.
*Spiritual “shame” damages the very heart of your belief system. “So shame” has great POTENTIAL to destroy pride. However, it MAY also escalate pride, depending upon the condition of the heart of the person living with shame.
Prayerfully a person’s “shame” will drive them to be humbled so they will personally recognize themselves as rank sinners before Almighty God.
And prayerfully thru this godly ‘shaming’ experience, they will choose to no longer leave themselves vulnerable to hell as they had been—by not seizing upon God’s secure salvation in Christ!
Prov. 25:21, 22—“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the LORD will reward you.”
Rom. 12:17-21—“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
2Cor. 7:8-11—“For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
“Ashamed/Put To Shame”—kataiscunw—Verb—1) To dishonor, disgrace; 2) To put to shame, make ashamed—2a) To be ashamed, blush with shame, 2b) One is said to be put to shame who suffers a repulse, or whom some hope has deceived. Strong—To shame down, i.e. Disgrace or by implication--Put to the blush. Used 11X.?From—kata—1) Down from, through out; 2) According to, toward, along. Strong—a primary particle; prepositionally--Down(in place or time), in varied relations with which it is joined).—&—aiscunomai—from—aiscov(disfigurement, i.e. disgrace); To feel shame(for oneself).
Argumentation:
Lev.19:15-18—‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, & not bear sin because of him. ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
2Sam. 22:26-31; Ps. 18:25-30—““With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”
Jesus did not fit into the Pharisaical doctrinal mold, so they sought to destroy Him as a ‘false teacher.’ But they could not destroy Him because He was & is now the Savior & Teacher in & of God’s goodness.
*Matthew 10:24-25—“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, & a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!”
Jn. 8:37-48—[Jesus speaking to the Jews who had believed Him yet disdained Him]—““I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, & you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered & said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father--God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth & came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, & the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, & does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar & the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” Then the Jews answered & said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan & have a demon?””
Mat. 12:9-14—“Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”--that they might accuse Him. Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, & if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it & lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, & it was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out & plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.”
Mat. 9:2-8—“Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise & walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”--then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, & go to your house.” And he arose & departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled & glorified God, who had given such power to men.”
Lk. 6:22-23—“Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, & cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day & leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
2Cor. 11:18-28--12:9-10—“Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. To our shame, I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold--I speak foolishly--I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ?--I speak as a fool--I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night & a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness & toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger & thirst, in fastings often, in cold & nakedness-- besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”....”And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Illustration:
Some people thrive on infamy & relish it. These are overwhelmed by pride to the point that they would rather appear untouched by shame than to live by the truth!/When this happens within the church it damages the church’s witness for Christ Jesus & damages the overall witness of God/RELATIONSHIP With INFAMY
Type-cast actors or actresses/Regarded in public as their portrayed characters—villains or good guys/RELATIONSHIP With INFAMY
What do people in the community call you?—whose lives you have influenced? What do they recognize you as?....
Do others call you ‘mayor’, ‘pastor’, ‘teacher’, ‘captain’, ‘coach’, ‘oysterman’, ‘neighbor’, ‘father’, ’mother’, ‘deacon’, ‘friend’, ’buddy’, etc.?
Are you looking to make a name for yourself?
*In each of those ‘presumed’ capacities we either dispense ‘self’ to others, or we dispense ‘Christ’ to others.
Application:
?What is your RELATIONSHIP With INFAMY?...
...?Does it limit or enhance your ministry potential?
?What Value do You place upon a Sanctified Heart?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The driver in Layton, Utah who crashed her car on the Parkway while attempting the ‘Birdbox Challenge’ wearing a blindfold.
Action:
The (superior)value of a sanctified heart is evaluated thru
Your Relationship With...
4. INFAMY(:16)
1. HARM(:13)
2. BLESSING(:14)
3. READINESS(:15)
Pt# 4 only! Presented 03/31/2019am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
