Shabbat Shalom. Will you please open your Bibles today to 1st Peter chapter 4. Today, we are going to read those 19 verses of this fourth chapter and by the grace of God. If it is possible, we will seek to conclude with this fourth chapter by the end of the ministry meeting. And I begin to read from verse 1. "For as much then as Messiah has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. For he that hath suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lust of men, but to the will of God.

For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries, wherein they think it's strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riots speaking evil of you, Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. "But the end of all things is at hand.

Be therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent love among yourselves. For love shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging, as every man hath received a gift. Even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the man For the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak, as the oracle of God. If any man minister, let him do it, as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified. Through Yeshua the Messiah, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trials, which is to try you as though some strange things happen unto you.

But rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Messiah's suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Messiah, happy are ye. For the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come.

The judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it first began at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator. I stop here in verse 19 of the fourth chapter. I enjoy immensely this book of 1st Peter, because this book is an encouragement to believers as they are going through trials, as you and I may go through trials in our lives.

And this book is an encouragement for us to move on, to follow Yeshua, to trust him, to commit ourselves to him, because there is a time that we are going to be with him, and we are going to eternally enjoy his presence. While here on earth, there are many, many difficulties in the life of those who follow Yeshua. And specifically, going back about 2,000 years ago, those early believers, Jewish believers to whom he wrote, under the Roman Empire, imagined to live in this time that, as we have mentioned in the beginning, scattered abroad, and yet under the time when Nero would have been the Caesar and the fear that they had to experience because of the persecution that believers have experienced at that time, about 2,000 years ago.

For you and I, today, living in a country such as Canada, we are privileged to have liberty, freedom, opportunity to enjoy Yeshua the Messiah, enjoy each other, serve him in this country unmolested, without fear of being killed or being hindered because of our faith in Yeshua the Messiah. Well, in this fourth chapter, you could see, by the way, again, that the ones who divided the chapters and gave chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, those who divided the chapters really meant well, but really the Spirit of God shows us here that verse 1 of chapter 4 4 is a direct continuation from that which preceded the subject of the sufferings of the Messiah, which we talked about in the third chapter.

And you remember, brothers and sisters, this difficult passage that we have studied in verses 18 to 22 of chapter 3, how the apostle Shimon Petros sought to show us what happened to the Messiah when he suffered. And when he said the Messiah also has suffered for sins, the just, for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. And he says, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit. And then we read that it is the same Holy Spirit of God that was using Noah long time ago, preaching the message of the truth of God to people who then were alive, but now they rejected the Messiah and are no longer alive.

They are waiting in prison in Hades, in hell, the day of judgment which is going to come upon them in the coming day. And so he continues now in chapter 4 and verses 1 to verse 11. He is now directing those readers to have the mind of the Messiah, the mind of Yeshua the Messiah, in the daily living. We mentioned it more than once before, that when we are here as believers on earth, our mind at time is being filled with things that are not healthy for us spiritually and hinder us from spiritual progress. So in the first part of this chapter 4, Shimon Petros began by telling the believers to have the mind of the Messiah every day of their lives.

And he began, first of all, in the first three verses, and he is telling them in those three verses to identify with the Messiah in suffering, because when we identify with the Messiah's suffering, it helps us or it reduces in our life a desire to fall into sin. And notice that he began with verse 1 and he said for as much then, that word for as much, take us back to the previous verses from verse 18 to 22 of the previous chapter. He says for as much then as the Messiah has suffered for us in the flesh. He says in verse 1b, "Arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, for he that has suffered in the flesh has seized from sin." Now, we begin here by telling those believers that they need to focus in their mind the sufferings of the Messiah.

He died for us on the cross. He suffered by the hand of man, first of all. Then he suffered on the tree on the cross by the hand of God, who judged him for our sin and sins. And so when we realize what he has done for us, we are now to arm ourselves, to put this arm, if you will, to arm ourselves to have the same mind of the Messiah. Because if we are going to identify with the sufferings of the Messiah, it will help us to sin less, or to be drawn less by the enticement of sin. You notice it says here, and I'm going to repeat it, where it says, "Arm yourself likewise with the same mind, for he that has suffered in the flesh has seized from sin." The word here for seized does not necessarily mean stopped totally.

The Greek word is P-A-U-O, P-A-U-O, which simply means restrain himself from sinning, or no longer stirred by sin's enticement. You notice, brothers and sisters, when problems come in our own way, in our own life, and when we are suffering because we follow Yeshua the Messiah, it somehow has an effect upon our lives. It draws us to identify more with him and close ourselves to the world and its influence. Now the difference between the Messiah and us is simply this. He was sinless, he was undefiled, he was separated from sinners, he was pure and holy son of God. You and I are not sinless. We have a sin nature.

And what happened many times in our lives, we have been enticed by sin and somehow we are drawn after the things that are not honoring to the Lord. So what he's really saying to us, to the believers, he says, "Listen, the more you are occupied with Yeshua, and the more you are identified with his suffering in a world that rejects him, the more it will draw you to live a holy life and less to be enticed by the world and its influence." You notice it truly happened in our own lives, right? When we walk with the Lord, when we identify with the Messiah, we want to open ourselves as less as possible to that which is not honoring unto him.

But when things are okay and we don't suffer here, what happens? We indulge ourselves with things of the world and then we are being drawn because we have a sin nature, Satan tempting us, the world influences us, the sin nature allows this temptation to draw us away and we end up falling into practice of sins. Then, of course, we have to go to the throne of grace. We have to confess our sins as we have in 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But nevertheless, to identify with the sufferings of the Messiah will produce a desire to live a holy life and will close that which is drawing us away from him.

And you notice he used the word with the same mind of the Messiah. "Let this mind be in you," Paul said in Philippians 2. "Let this mind be in you, which was in the Messiah Yeshua." Philippians 2 and verse 5. And listen to what he says. "Who being in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but he made himself of no reputation, and he took upon him the form of a servant, and he was made in the likeness of men, and being found in a fashion as men, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Paul said it, that the believers at Philippi should desire to have the mind of the Messiah in their lives.

Peter said to those Hebrew believers as well, "to arm yourself likewise with the same mind." And the mind is what all the information comes in the mind of men. Whether we are believers or not believers. Our minds are being often saturated by things that are not necessarily healthy if we are not keeping our mind close to the Lord. So, "arm yourself." And you notice he used the word "arm." And it reminds me again of Ephesians, of the armor of God that we are to put on, the breastplate of righteousness, and the belt, and the shoes, the preaching of the gospel of salvation, and all these armor of God that enable us to sin less, to close ourselves to the world that seek to see the fall of the people of God.

And we know very well, when at times our mind was not kept, and we were not thinking and meditating upon the person and the work of the Messiah, and not identifying with his suffering, we end up to fall into sin. And thank God that he is able to restore his people and to draw us back to follow after him. And now we continue, in the next verse 2, he says that we are to live the rest of our lives doing the will of God. You know, there is not much time that you and I have here in this world. Some of us became believers when we were young.

Last week, we have seen Hannah coming to know Yeshua the Messiah. And from here on, she needed to grow and to seek to live for the Lord. And you notice he said that he no longer would live the rest of his life in the flesh, to the lust of men, but to do the will of God. Since the time that we became believers, we ought to have a desire to do the will of God in our lives. It says here in verse 2 that the rest of his or her time. How much time do we have? Some of us are older, some of us are younger.

We have a limited amount of time here in this world to live for the Lord. And we have to make a choice to choose to live the rest of this time, not to the flesh and its lusts, but to live it in order to do the will of God. We do not know when the Lord will come. We do not know when the Lord will take one home to the presence of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah at the right hand of the Father. For some of us, or some believers, it may be very soon. It could be today the Lord will choose to take a believer home.

And that's why our time is limited here in this world. And therefore, Peter is encouraging those believers. And he says, listen, the rest of your time, seek to do the will of God and seek to serve him and to minister to God's people because you do not know when the Lord will come to take us home. And now he describes in verse 3, he gives us a description of our lives before we became believers. And again, it's interesting because he's writing to these Hebrew believers of first century and he's telling them for the time past, verse 3, "If our life may suffice to us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lasciviousness, in lusts, in access of wine, in revelings, in banquetings, and abominable idolatries." You notice that Peter included himself with his Jewish brethren to whom he wrote because he used the word twice in verse 3, "that the time of our life, me, Shimon Petos, and you, my Jewish brethren to whom I'm writing to." He's also saying that it suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we, Peter, Shimon Petos, and those to whom he wrote, "walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries." Apparently, he's probably looking back and he's reminded of the time when our own nation, Israel, in a time when they were not right with the Lord, you remember Numbers chapter 25, when they were influenced by the Midianites and Israel were not following the Jehovah, the God of Israel.

And God had to discipline his very own people, Israel. Chapter 25, "Israel abode in Shittim." This is Numbers 25 verse 1. "And the people began to commit hudom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto their sacrifices and their gods, and the people did it, and they bowed down to their gods." This is the people of Moab. It says in verse 3 of Numbers chapter 25, "Israel joined himself unto Baal Peor, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people Israel." Here is Israel, a favored nation. A nation that was called to be separated to the living God. But they were influenced by the Midianites, by the Moabites, by the nations surrounding them, the Philistines and other nations.

And they're ending up, instead of worshiping the true and living God and devoting themselves to Jehovah, they're ending up sacrificing to Baal Peor. And God was angry, a righteous indignation against his own people. And he disciplined his own people. And so, Shimon Petros, writing to these brethren, and he's saying to them, "Listen, in the past, before we became believers, we, the nation, have joined ourselves, we wrought the will of the nations." Just like our own nation of all Israel, in the time when they were on the way to the Promised Land. And they were not right with God. It says this is the past. When we walked in lasciviousness, in lusts, in excess of wine, in revelings, in banquetings, and abominable idolatries.

That was the past. That was before we became believers in Yeshua, the Messiah. But now, he says, that the rest of our time, let us live it in a way that we will do the will of God. You see, brothers and sisters, what he's saying in those three verses, identify with the Messiah in his suffering, and it will enable you to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, to restrain yourself from living a life of sin, to no longer be stirred by sin's enticements. And oh, how we are capable to fall into it. And we do, at times, when we are not right and we are not close to the Lord.

So, Peter is encouraging those believers. He continues to tell them the second thing, because in those first 11 verses, he wanted them to have the mind of the Messiah in his suffering on a day-by-day living. And so, he said to them now, after saying to them to identify with the Messiah in his suffering, in verses 4, 5, and 6: "Bear in mind, brethren, that those who receive not the Gospel ultimately will be judged by the same Savior, the same Messiah, who wanted them to be saved." There is coming a day. It may seem to be delayed for a season. But there is coming a day when a person who is unregenerated, he or she will have to face the judgment of God.

And so, notice how he continues in verses 4, 5, and 6: "Unbelievers do not understand the change in the life of the believer." They don't understand it. And look what he says in verse 4: "Wherein they think..." He is now speaking again to believers, "who in the past, before they became believers in Yeshua, they have allowed themselves to be wrought after the will of the nations, the Gentiles, the unbelievers." And now he says: "Now they think it's strange that ye run not with them to the same axis of riot speaking evil of you." "Now imagine, a person becomes a believer, a man or woman, a boy or girl becomes a believer in Yeshua, the Messiah." "And now because they became believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, they want to have a change in their lives." "And so when they have a change in their lives, the unbelievers looking at them and say: "You know what, you used to do this with me, and now you don't do this with me anymore." "What happened to you?" "What is the change that happened in your life?" "I think it's strange that ye run not with them to do the same things like axis of riot, and they begin to speak evil of you." Now can you imagine somebody pointed it in such a way when two friends used to be together doing things, unbelievers.

Doing all sorts of things that were not right, but you know, they were just doing it because they did not trust the Lord, they were not saved. "Now that one of them became a believer in Yeshua, the Messiah, so the other friend do not like to see the change in the life of the believer." "And they said, 'Wait a minute, you used to do this with me, and what makes you so different right now? Why do you all of a sudden stop to do what you used to do?'" "And then notice at the end of verse 4, they speak evil of you. Instead of saying, 'Wow, I'm so happy to see the change in your life.' I'm so happy to see that now you seek to live morally right, but instead of being happy for them, they begin to speak evil against them." "And you can just imagine what it meant for those early believers, and it does to us.

Do you remember the time when you became a believer? And the people you used to be with? And you used to swear with them and curse with them and do all sorts of things that were not right, and all of a sudden you are guarding yourself in some small measure, and they look at you and they say, 'What happened to you? Who do you think you are?' "What do you think you are? You are holier than thou? Do you think that you are better than me?" "Nobody said that one is better than the other, but because we want to follow Yeshua, we seek to change things in our lives, and instead of one to be happy for you, the opposite, they begin to speak evil against the believer who walk with the Lord." And you know, that's what they have done to Yeshua, the Messiah, in his life.

When he was walking, pleasing the Lord, they accused him. You remember that he did the miracles in the power of Baal Zvuv, as we read it in the Gospel of Matthew. They blamed him that whatever he had done, he had done it in the power of Satan rather than the power of God. And what about the early disciples, including Shimon Petros? How they persecuted the early believers because they followed the Messiah, and they were telling them, they were accusing them, they were speaking evil against the believers who followed the Messiah. So brothers and sisters, he is saying to them here, he says, Look, bear in mind that those you used to be with who are now have not accepted the Messiah, they will have to be judged by God.

And notice what it says in the next verse 5: "Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead?" Do you know, brothers and sisters, that the same Lord Jesus our Mashiach, who became the Lamb of God, who took upon himself the sin of this world? The same Messiah who became a lamb is the very same Messiah who one day is going to be the judge of the living and the dead. The same one that has offered himself a ransom for many one day, he is going to sit on the throne as a judge. And everyone will have to stand before him as this judge of the universe.

We read in the book of Acts chapter 10, Peter is speaking, and it says in verse 42: "He commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he," this is Yeshua, "which was ordained of God to be the judge of the living and the dead." The same Yeshua, the rejected and despised one, will one day sit on the throne as a judge. And you know, it is interesting because you either come to him at the foot of the cross, or you are going to come to him at the great white throne judgment. You either embrace him as the Lamb of God, or you will have to be judged by him as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

There is no in between. And he is the one that is going to be the judge. The same person who was judged on our behalf, who was willing to lay down his life, now become the judge of the living and the dead. You and I, who are living, meaning alive because of what he has done for us, we are going to have to stand at the judgment seat of the Messiah. For we must all appear at the judgment seat of the Messiah, 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10, that we will appear that everything that we have done as believers will be manifest before him. Not in order to be saved or not to be saved, we are already saved, but all that which was dishonoring to him will be set aside, and only that which was done for him will be brought to the surface and receive a reward for that.

But the unbelievers are going to have to stand before him at the great white throne judgment. Revelation teaches us this at the end of the book of Revelation, chapter 20. Everyone is going to have to stand before that judge who was refused when they were alive. And now they are going to have to stand before him at the great white throne judgment, only to be cast into the lake of fire forever and ever. And so he is telling them, unbelievers will have to stand before Yeshua the Messiah as the judge. And you remember again what God Jehovah said to the son, to the Messiah in Psalm 110 and verse 1.

The Lord said unto my Lord, David said, sit down on my right hand until I will make thine enemies thy footstool. One day the enemies of the gospel will end up to stand before him as a judge. So remember he is saying to the believers, bear in mind that those unbelievers who today reject you, misunderstand you, speak evil against you, one day because of the refusal to accept the Messiah, they will have to stand before him as a judge. And so in verse 6, Peter is now saying, for this cause, for the same reason that one must accept the Messiah, be saved, even though he is suffering here in this world.

Verse 6, for this cause was the gospel, preach also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. Now this verse has been taken oftentimes out of context to mean that the gospel was preaching unto those who are dead right now, giving them in a sense an opportunity to be saved now after they have died. Well, that is not the truth. What Peter is saying here, those who are believers that now are dead, they are no longer alive, but they were alive when they heard the message of the gospel and they have embraced Yeshua the Messiah.

They were earlier believers than those to whom Shimon Petros is writing his epistle. And the purpose for this cause was the gospel preached unto them that are now dead. But when they were alive, they've heard the message of the gospel that they might be examined or judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. See, they have gone before us and they have suffered just the same like believers today are suffering when they identify with the Messiah. So they became an example to you and I and every believer throughout the church age as those that identify with our Lord Jesus the Messiah and sought to live for him.

They are now dead, but when they were alive, they have embraced the message of the gospel. They continue to live a life for the Lord. And as it says here, they were judged in the flesh according to men, but they live according to God in the spirit. They were led by the spirit of God. They lived their life in a way that it was pleasing the Lord. So we are here in the first part of first Peter chapter four verses one to three identify with the Messiah's suffering. Verses four, five and six bear in mind that those unbelievers who did not accept the gospel, they will have to stand before the judge one day.

And thirdly, in verses seven, eight, nine, 10 and 11, he's saying to them prayerfully practice love and affection among yourselves. You will notice that in those verses seven to 11, there are three times that Shimon Petros used the word one another. In verse eight, he says, have fervent love among yourselves. In verse nine, he says, use hospitality one towards another. In verse 10, he says, minister the same one towards another. What he's saying right now in these next verses is the importance of believers who practice love among the body of Messiah. Outside, people speak evil against the believer. Outside, the world and its ways continue on. Outside, those who rejected the message of the gospel, they are awaiting the day of judgment.

But inside, among the people of God, things ought to be different. We know from experience, they are not always so. It is all our own fault because we fail in practicing this. But here is the encouragement that Peter is giving to those believers. And so look at the next verses. Verse seven, he began by saying, watch and pray. Be sober, watch and pray. Verse seven, the end of all things is at hand. Be therefore sober, watch unto prayer. There are three things that we can say here. Be sober, watch and pray. Now, he mentioned the word here, the time, the end of all things is at hand.

Again, I would like to mention that the context here is first century Jewish believers. Those first century Jewish believers were under the sentence of the A.D. judgment of God upon the whole people of Israel. If you remember, Peter wrote his letter at about 60 A.D. About 10 years later, the judgment of the 70 A.D. that was promised by our Lord Yeshua the Messiah was going to come upon the city of Jerusalem and the temple that will be totally destroyed by the Romans. Those Jewish believers were part of the nation of that time, even though they were already believers. And that's why he's saying to them, listen, the time is coming.

The time is at hand. The end of all things is at hand. The judgment of the 70 A.D. is going to come. But also, the Lord is going to come very soon. The second coming of the Messiah is at hand. Because of the fact that the judgment was going to come. The Messiah was going to come. You must be, number one, sober. Number two, watching. Number three, praying. Sober, you know very well, is the opposite of being drunk. When a person is drunk, he is not thinking right. He is not focused. The believers need to be sober. Thinking right in light of what the instruction that we have in the word of God.

To have the mind of Yeshua the Messiah. To be sober. Sober. So nice to see a believer that is a mature, growing believer. Who are really consistent in their lives. They are not one day this way and another way this way. They are consistent. They are sober. They are not a person who is drunk. He is not even walking steady. But a believer who is spiritually sober. They are walking steady. They are not one day in the mountain. The next day in the valley. One day they are in. The next day they are out. They are out. They are steady in their walk with the Lord.

That is what we are exhorted here to be sober. To be steady. To have the mind of the Messiah. Secondly, he says watch unto prayer. Prayer in the life of the believer is essential. A believer who does not pray. He or she have a real problem. Because who can we ask help from in our lives? With whom are we going to have fellowship? It is the Lord Jesus. It is Yeshua the Messiah. So to watch. To be consistent in speaking to the Lord. Sharing our hearts with him. Sharing with him our desire. Confessing our sins. Realizing that we can talk with him and walk with him along this narrow path in which we are called to walk.

This is essential brothers and sisters. There are so many verses in the scripture that we are encouraged to pray. One of the shortest verses in the word of God. The word of God. First Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 17. Pray without ceasing. Constantly have an attitude of prayer. Don't stop to pray. Because when we pray. When we speak with the Lord. Whether it is audibly in public. Or whether it is quietly on our own. We share with him our heart. We let him know the needs. We confess our weakness. Our failure. He shares with us. He assists us. He encourages us. So be sober. Watch unto prayer.

He is saying in verse 8. And now he is moving on. And he is talking about this one another. Among ourselves. And one another. In those next verses. And it is very very precious. Because he says in verse 8. Love one another. And above all things. Have fervent love among yourselves. Because love covers the multitude of sins. You know he says. Above all what I have told you up to now. Have among yourselves. Love. And the word here for love is agapeo. It is a sacrificial love. Not only feeling. An emotion. Though it is important. To have affection. And love towards the people of God. But here he is dealing with this.

Sacrifice type of love. Have love one towards another. And you know. The mark of a Christian. Or the mark of a Meshichi. A Messiah follower. Is by the very fact. That there is love among the people of God. When there is not love there. That means that there is some sort of a problem. Existing among the people of God. One of the words that Yeshua said before he left. You remember in the upper room. He celebrated Pesach. With his own disciples. He took a basin of water. He took a towel. He girded himself. And he went and he began to wash the disciples feet. Every one of them.

He went. And he stooped down. And he began to wash the disciples feet. And you remember. Everybody was amazed. And Peter said to the Lord. Lord. You will never wash my feet. And you remember what Yeshua said to him. If I wash not your feet. You have not part with me. He didn't say you have not part in me. But you have no part with me. Because love among the people of God. Is an evidence of fellowship with our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. And he says a new commandment I give unto you. That you love one another. John 13:34. As I have loved you. That ye also love one another.

By this shall all men know that you are my disciples. If ye have love one to another. In other words he didn't say. By this shall all men know that you are saved. No. But he said. By this shall all men know that you are practically. A Talmid. A disciple. A follower of the Mashiach. By the very fact that you are practically. Love the brethren. And seek to minister to the people of God. It is the mark of a child of God. That there is a love among the brothers and sisters. And you see he says here. Above all things. Above all things. He said have fervent.

Not only just merely love. But fervent love. A strong love among the people of God. And then he says. Love cover multitude of sins. Now what does he mean by that? He doesn't mean that we are to condone sins. To say well. Do as much as you want sins and wrongs. We will just brush it underneath the carpet. He doesn't say that. But true love. Seek to help those who have committed these sins against us. By helping them to seek to be restored. And then ministering to them. So they will seek to live in their life no longer. In a sinful way. Love covers a multitude of sins.

Look at what Yeshua has done for you and I. How many sins our Lord Jesus had to forgive you and forgive me. That we have committed in our lives. Before we became believers. While we are believers now. How many wrongdoings that you and I have done in our life. We have been forgiven because the Messiah paid a price for these sins. And if you have done it for us. Why should we hold sins that others have done against us. Why should we not forgive others because they have wronged us. Love covered a multitude of sins. You know that's illustrated very well in the book of Genesis.

Do you remember when Noah came out of the ark. In chapter 9 of the book of Genesis. Noah was a farmer after he came out of the ark. He had three sons. Shem, Cham, and Yefet. And what did he do? He began to drink of the vine. And he got drunk. And he ended up to be naked. And exposed himself. His drunkenness had exposed him. He was uncovered. And one of his sons saw him. And uncovered his own father's nakedness. And he went and he said to his brethren. Look, daddy, Abba, is naked and drunk. And you know what the two other sons did? Instead of coming and watching him and mocking him.

They took a cover. And they didn't look at their father, their Abba. They walked backwards. And they covered the nakedness of their father. So they did not see his nakedness. In other words, what happened? What happened? They have honored their father. And in love for their father, they covered the nakedness, the wrongdoing of their father. That's how we are to behave towards one another. If we truly love one another and somebody else, I'm not going to expose the nakedness of somebody else. Meaning I'm not going to expose the false and the wrongdoing of somebody else. I will seek to correct him. We need to correct each other to help each other when we are wrongly acting.

We need to correct it on the basis of the finished work of the Messiah. But love, beloved brothers and sisters, covers multitude of sins as he mentioned here in this verse. We know also it is so precious because again, Peter being a Jewish believer, he's writing to early Jewish believers. And if you turn to the book of Proverbs, you will see that Peter, knowing his Hebrew scriptures, he's quoting what the king of Israel, Shlomo HaMelech, King Solomon, had mentioned in the book of Proverbs. It was King Solomon who said in Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 12, Hatred stirs up strife, but love covereth all sins. Hatred only produces strife and divisions among the people of God.

But true love, true agapeo stirs up a response that covers ultimately a multitude of sins, as it is mentioned in Proverbs 10 and verse 12. And apparently King Solomon, with all the failure that he had in his life, there are many, many things that he was given by God under divine inspiration to give it to us, of which the early apostles have drawn out of the sources that they have had before them, the Hebrew scriptures, so they can minister the word of God to their own brethren. So verse 8, he's mentioning to love one another because love covers a multitude of sins. And when we practice this, there is a change in relationship.

When we wrong each other, and when we sin against each other, it's so precious to be able to heal someone saying, I forgive you, and to receive that forgiveness. To turn to the Lord in prayer to confess this wrongdoing on the basis of the blood of Yeshua the Messiah. He is able to remove this before the presence of God. Totally remove that between each other, and we can continue to walk with the Lord together. Love one another fervently. And then he says, because love covers a multitude of sins. You don't have to go far, but just read 1 Corinthians chapter 13, the love chapter. Just take your time and read this love chapter, and you can see, love wants not its own ways, itself.

Love, it's amazing, it speaks to us of the Messiah, Yeshua, who in love for us was willing to lay down his life on the tree. He continues now in verse 9, and we are moving forward. You notice the word one another in verse 8, among yourselves. Now in verse 9, use hospitality one to another without grudging. Now hospitality is also one of the most important thing for us to practice among the people of God. It's so precious to be able to visit with others, and to invite others, and to seek to minister to others, using our homes, or using whatever the Lord had provided for us, our time to be hospitable towards the people of God.

You remember what we read of Abraham in Genesis 18, where the three men, the Lord himself and the two angels, came to the tent of Abraham. And Abraham beseeched them. Come into my tent. Let me wash your feet for a little while. Let me prepare for you something to enjoy. Hospitality. It's a precious thing. One of the recommendations that Paul gave to Timothy and to Titus, for those who seek to minister to the people of God, to be hospitable, to be open, to invite people to minister to them. We might not have a home even to invite somebody to one's home, but to give our time, our energy, to minister to the people of God, to be hospitable, an encourager, a builder up among the people of God.

Use hospitality one to another, and don't do it grudgingly, without grudging, as he says this in verse 9. In Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 2, he says, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." I don't know how much Abraham knew who he is entertaining, but when they came to his tent, what a blessing it was! He didn't know in the beginning who they were, but later on he discovered that it was the Lord himself and those two angels that have come to visit Abraham. Then he continued in verses 10 and 11, and he's saying, "Use your gifts for the benefit of one another." Here he is using again the word "one another" in verse 10.

Now listen, brothers and sisters, this is very important. "As every man has received the gift, even so minister the same one to another." Here's that word again. "As good servants, stewards, of the manifold grace of God, if any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. If any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God gives, that God in all things may be glorified through Yeshua the Messiah, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen." And you notice, brothers and sisters, now we learn something that is very important, that apparently every believer in Yeshua the Messiah has a gift.

I'm not talking about natural ability. We all have natural ability. Some are able to play music. Some are able to be very good at history. Some are able to be very good at math. Some are genius. Some are bright. Some have an ability to learn faster than others. This is natural ability that God had given to us when we were born. We have a natural bent as we were entering into this world as a human being. But when we became believers in Yeshua the Messiah, then we receive in addition to the natural ability a spiritual gift. And that gift is to be used for the benefit of the body of Messiah.

In fact, let me say it, when we don't use the gifts that God had given to us, what we really do, we hinder the growth of believers, of the body of believers. We are not participating in the ministry that the Lord has called us to be part of. And therefore, we all need just the same like those Hebrew believers of first century. As he's saying to them, "Every man hath received," past tense, "the gift." "Even so, minister the same," again notice, "one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Now, every one of us here today have a gift. Some might have an audible gift in teaching the word, in sharing the gospel, in shepherding the flock.

Others have not the audible gifts. They have gifts of service, of ministry, of practical things to do for the building up of the body of the Messiah. There are four books in the "Brit HaChadasha," in the New Testament, in which both Paul, Shaul, and Peter, teaching of gifts that have been given to the body of Messiah. To make it easier for us to remember Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, and then Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4. Those four books and four chapters deal with the gifts that have been given to the body of the Messiah. If you just turn with me, please, to 1 Corinthians 12:11 for a moment. Look at the reason that the gifts were given to the believers.

All these worketh the one and the same self-spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, and as many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is the Messiah. There is one body, the body of Messiah, to which, as it says here in verse 11, that he, the Holy Spirit of God, divided to every man severally those gifts, according as he desired to give the gifts of the Messiah. Now, why were the gifts given? And again, you will notice what he says, and I'm going to go backwards now for the reason why those gifts have been given.

You notice that the kind of gift, now in verse 4 of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, there are diverse gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are different administration, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operation, but it is the same God which works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man, and notice this word there in verse 7, to profit with all. The reason that the gifts were given to the believers is that there will be a profit, a growth among the people of God. Ephesians chapter 4 said it a little bit differently, for the edifying of the body of the Messiah.

You and I have gifts, and the gifts that we have ought to be used for the benefit of the people of God. We have to ask ourselves this question: Have I used my gifts for the benefit of the body of Messiah? And maybe I don't recognize exactly what kind of gifts I have. If we have at least one gift, we can ask the Lord in prayer, but also as we walk with the Lord, the Lord opens to us the doors, and He uses us in an area among the people of God to serve Him and to minister. It might not be an audible gift. It might be in serving, behind the scene, helping and assisting and working things in order that the body of Messiah will benefit.

And it is important for us to use our gift for the benefit of the body of the Messiah. So even so, minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. When we minister, when we serve among the people of God as servants, we are really showing forth the great manifold grace of God, how He saved us and brought us to be part of a redeemed company, and we are ministering among the people of God. Those words in verse 11, if any man speak, the word for speak here in the Greek is laleo, and laleo simply means to utter the Word of God, to utter God's Word.

And then instead, let him speak as the oracles of God. In verse 11, if any man minister, the word here for minister come from the Greek word diakaneo, that means deacons. You know, sometimes we talk about deacons. Deacons is a servant. And you notice, a servant is not an appointment, but it is a gift to serve among the people of God. You know, how many brothers and sisters, that I remember in the time that I have been part of ministry, that have been such a blessing to the people of God, and they are always behind the scene, serving the Lord, and ministering to the people of God, and we don't even recognize that, but they are doing things behind the scene, that nobody sees.

And a servant, they are ministering, really, when they minister to the people of God, they minister to our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. Messiah. It's just the same like our natural body. We see each other's eyes, and ears, and mouth, and nose, but we don't see the liver. We don't see the kidneys. We don't see the internal organ, which without them, we are unable to function. This is exactly what Shimon Petros is saying. Every man has received the gift. And you brethren, he's saying to those believers, minister the same one to another. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. Do the preaching, the sharing, the ministering of the word of God.

You are not speaking your own opinion. It's the oracles of God. It's the word of God. Bring glory to Yeshua, the Messiah, to minister to the hearts of the hearer. It's not you. It's him. It's not us. It's Yeshua, the Messiah. If any man minister, minister as the ability, which God had given, because all things ought to be to the glory of God, through Yeshua, the Messiah. I think I told you this story, what happened in Europe, many years ago, when the brethren came together, and they were coming to the meeting. And there was one of the brothers, who was really the one who opened the windows, closed the windows.

He was opening the door, and closing the door. He was the one who was ministering. He was like a deacon, a servant among the people of God. But every time he does the service, some brethren had to complain. It's too hot. It's too cold. It's too this. It's too that. So he said one day, he came in the middle of the meeting. It was a brother's meeting. He left the keys on the table. He says, I'm tired. I don't want to do this anymore. Always complaining. I don't want to do the heels. Take the keys. I'm gone. I don't want to do this anymore. So one of the older brothers, was kind of nodding his head, and says, okay, thank you very much for what you have done.

And I thought, whatever we do, we do it as unto the Lord. It's a service to the Lord. And thank you for what you have done. We appreciate what you have done. But let's remember, that whatever we do, we do it unto the Lord. We are not always going to be appreciated. We're not always going to be receiving a tap on our shoulder that says, great job. So there was a quiet time in the meeting. And then this brother, who was the servant there, he got up and he took the keys back. And he apologized. He says, really, you know what? I really do this service as unto the Lord.

I might not be appreciated at times. I might not be understood at times. I'm not going to get the tap on my shoulders at the time, but I'm going to serve to use the gift that Yeshua the Messiah gave me, even though at times I'm not going to be appreciated. Can you imagine to have an attitude like this in our own hearts? How many times many preachers getting discouraged because the people to whom they preached did not appreciate the messages or something and they wanted to get a tap on their shoulders every time. Many get discouraged. And as I mentioned in some of our Bible classes, many have left the ministry, have left the service that God has called them to do because of discouragement.

But then if they come to realization, wait a minute, I don't do this for the benefit of men, but I do it for the glory of the Lord. Yes, the benefit of men, but not in order to receive some sort of tap on the shoulder every time to get my mind lifted up and in pride because I'm getting tap on my shoulders. I do the services under the Lord. And then there is a blessing, even though at times we are being misunderstood and not being appreciated. If any man speak, just speak the word of God. The seed of God's word will fall wherever God will wish it to fall and growth will come one way or another.

If any man serve, minister, let him do it out of the ability, listen, which God gives. God enabled the believer to do his service faithfully unto the Lord, not for his own glory, but for the glory of the Lord. And you see how the conclusion in verse 11, it says here that all things will be glorified through Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah, to whom be praise, dominion, forever and ever. Amen. Ultimately, brothers and sisters, when we minister to each other, it is ultimately for the glory of our Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah. When he gets the glory, we get the blessing. That is the natural way things are going to work out.

Now, this is the first 11 verses. Have the mind of the Messiah in your day-by-day life. Identify with the Messiah in his suffering, verses 1 to 3. Bear in mind that those who reject the gospel will have to stand before the judge, verses 4 to 6. And prayerfully practice love among yourselves, verses 7, 8 and 9. Now, let's move on quickly to the second portion of this chapter, because in verses 12 to 19, he's talking about suffering, and suffering is part and parcel of the life of every believer. When we are suffering, it is not unnatural for believers to suffer. He says in verse 12, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to test or to try you as though some strange things happen unto you.

You know, when we go through trials, sometimes we really ask God, why am I going through this trial? And we think that, you know, now that we are believers, trial suffering is not for me to have, because after all, I've sought to change my life. I walk with the Lord and seek to please the Lord. And yet you find out the trials are coming our way. And that's why he's saying to those brethren, he says, you know, beloved. Notice he called them loved ones. Don't think it's strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to test you as though some strange thing happened unto you. Don't think it's strange.

Brothers and sisters, when we suffer and we go through trials, it's common for the people of God. It is part and parcel of every believers life. Israel have experienced trials as a nation. The church will experience trial as a redeemed company, as the body of Messiah. Believers throughout the ages experience trials. Why? Because we are in a world that do not want God's ways. We came from this before. We didn't want it ourselves. And now when we became the believers, we identify with Yeshua and trials is part of the life of the believer. Don't think it's strange, Peter said to those early believers. And you remember what Yeshua said in John 16?

In this world, verse 33, ye shall have tribulation. While he was still on earth, before he died on the tree, Yeshua said this, but he says, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. He ministered to us through the tribulation that we experience here in this world. Then verses 13 and 14, the believers are to rejoice in the Messiah, even though believers go through suffering. But rejoice, he said in verse 13, inasmuch as ye are partakers of the Messiah's suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of the Messiah, happy are ye, he's saying in verse 14, for the spirit and glory of God rest upon you.

On their part, he, the Messiah, is evil spoken, but on your part, he is glorified. He's saying in these verses 14 and 15, that the believers are to rejoice when they go through suffering. You know, I read this and I'm thinking, I said, boy, when was the last time problems come into my life? I said, wow, thank you, Lord. I rejoice because of this problem. Naturally speaking, beloved brethren, we don't say, Lord, thank you. Bring me some more. We don't say this to God because we have gone through pain and trials and suffering. We don't like it. But the word here, rejoice, has to do with not being happy, but having an internal joy because we identify with Yeshua, the Messiah.

So, he's saying to them, rejoice. And you notice in these 13 and 14, suffering for the Messiah bring us to joy because we are in fellowship with him. We are in fellowship with Yeshua, the Messiah. We identify with him. Again, he continues, suffering now, promise us joy in the future because he said at the end of verse 13, that when his glory shall be revealed, he may be glad also with exceeding joy. When we're going to be in the presence of the Lord, we're going to look at those suffering and we're going to say, you know, it brings us into fellowship with the Lord and there is a joy that we are going to have when we are going to be in his presence.

And also, verse 14 tells us that suffering for the Messiah bring the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives. You know this, brothers and sisters? If ye be reproached for the name of the Messiah, happy are ye, why? For the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you. On their part, he is spoken evil, but on your part, he is glorified. You know, the Holy Spirit of God ministered to us when we go through difficult time. The Spirit of God, Ruach HaKodesh, his ministry is to encourage the believers doing trial time, doing difficult time. That when we are going through trials, he ministered to our hearts the beauty of the Messiah, the preciousness of Yeshua.

Because he says, when you are reproached, the word reproach or reviled, the Hebrew word is cherpa. Cherpa means shame. You know how much shame Yeshua has experienced here in this world? He said in Psalm 69, reproach, taking over my soul. In other words, he has experienced reproach and shame here in this world. What a shame he has experienced in his life. And when we are identifying with him, the Spirit of God ministered to us, the person and the work of Yeshua, the Messiah, and how needful it is in the life of the believer. Moving on quickly here, verse 15. Do not suffer for wrongdoing, but let none of you suffer as a murderer, as a thief, as an evildoer, or a busybody in other men's matters.

I mean, sometimes when we do wrong, and therefore we are suffering, people don't appreciate that and reject us and treat us because of our wrong behavior. Well, we are not to be surprised. We deserve that, right? But here he's saying to them, don't suffer as a murderer, as a thief, as an evildoer, or as a busybody. Notice he compared all of them: a murderer, an evildoer, a thief, and a busybody. Sometimes one can be interfering with everybody else's affairs as a busybody. He or she want to know everything and interfering with everybody's issues instead of letting the Lord deal with them and just seeking to be a help.

But no, they are interfering. And he said, don't you suffer as a busybody, as an evildoer, as a murderer, as a thief, or as one that is interfering with other men's matters. In verse 16, here's the third time in the Bible where the word "Christian" is mentioned. "If you suffer as a Messiah follower, do not be ashamed." The word here for "Christian" is mentioned to these Jewish believers who identify with the Mashiach, with the Messiah. The word "Christian" comes from the Greek word "Christ follower." "Christos" is the Greek for "Mashiach" in Hebrew. And really what he's saying, if you are suffering as a Mashiach follower, as a follower of the Messiah, he says, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on his behalf.

Apparently, those early believers were called "Meshichim" in Hebrew, in the land of Israel. But also, in Antioch, remember the first time that publicly the believers in Yeshua the Messiah were called "Christian" "Meshichim" or "Followers of the Messiah" was in Antioch where publicly they identified the believers and they said, "Oh! Those are the people who follow Yeshua HaMashiach. Those are the Christ followers, the Messiah followers. And that's the name that the world gave to all those who follow Yeshua the Messiah. By the way, in Acts 11:26 is the first time in the New Testament where the word "Christian" is mentioned. The second time is mentioned in Acts 26:28 You remember where King Agrippa said to Paul, to Shaul, he says, Paul, almost you have persuaded me to become a Christian, a Mashiach follower.

Now, King Agrippa did not say it as if Paul almost had persuaded him. Actually, he was mocking Paul. He was laughing at Paul who was a Mashiach follower. But this is the second time that he's mentioned. Paul, you almost made me or almost influenced me to become a follower of the Mashiach. So, there are three times that the word "Christian" is mentioned in the Bible. "Meshichi" and all of them is in connection with identification with Yeshua the Messiah. So, if you suffer as a believer in Yeshua the Messiah, he says, don't be ashamed because that let him glorify God on the behalf of the Messiah.

And then, of course, in verse 17, God will judge his own people first before he's going to judge the unbelievers. He says in verse 17, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if this judgment began at the house of God or at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of the Messiah?" What he's really saying, brothers and sisters, that God is going to discipline his own people, first of all, before he's going to judge others without. The people of God are expected to have a change in their lives. The people of God are expected to behave in the right way.

And if they don't, God will discipline his own people. Judgment must begin at the house of God. God said this to Israel in Amos chapter 3. He says, "Only you, Israel, have I known." And because I know you, I'm going to deal with you when you are going away from me. I'm going to discipline you because you are my people and I'm going to discipline you when you are going in a wrong direction. And verse 18 and 19, and I'm going to close here with this, the eternal contrast between believers and unbelievers. What is the difference between a believer and unbeliever? We find it in verse 18. He says, "If the righteous be scarcely saved," He says, "Where shall ungodly and a sinner appear?" If God is dealing so harshly with His very own people, what's going to happen to those who are unbelievers?

Where will they stand when they have to appear before the Lord? We as believers who are being disciplined by the Lord here on this earth, when the time comes and we have to stand before the Lord, we are standing and we are received on the basis of the finished work of the Messiah. But what the unbeliever is going to do? Where will he or she stand when they're going to have to stand before the Lord? They have no hope without the finished work, the bloodshed of Yeshua, the Messiah. There is a contrast, eternal contrast between the believers and the unbelievers. And so he concludes this chapter by saying in verse 19, "Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator." When believers do suffer to commit ourselves to the Lord and continue in well-doing unto the one who is a faithful Creator who will do all things well, who does not make any mistake.

I read a final verse and I'm going to stop. 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul said, "For I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." "For I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." So brothers and sisters, what we learn here from 1 Peter chapter 4? The first thing, have the mind of the Messiah in every day of our life. Secondly, suffering is part of the believer's life. When we suffer, we are simply to commit this to the Lord and ask the Lord to help us as we are going here as believers in trials and challenges until the Lord is going to come and take us to be with Him at home.