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1 Peter Principle 6 - Human Institutions - YouTube
Channel: Life Essentials Videos
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human institutions as Christ followers
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we are to be obedient within all human
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institutions and structures without
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violating biblical values here's dr.
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Jean gets it's interesting that the
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Apostle Peter addressed this issue in a
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very specific way for these people he
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called strangers and aliens as it were
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throughout this Roman world but the
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Apostle Paul addressed it as well and
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we're gonna see what he had to say but
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let's look first of all at Peter's
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excitations I've called this submission
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and honor
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he wrote submit to every human authority
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because of the Lord is that interesting
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because of the Lord whether to the
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Emperor when Peter wrote this letter who
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was the Emperor probably Nero one of the
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most wicked men that ever lived as far
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as being a leader in the secular world
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whether to the Emperor as the supreme
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authority or to governor's Wow
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who turned Jesus over to the crowds to
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be crucified remember his name Pilate he
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was a governor remember when Paul
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appeared before Festus and Felix
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they were governors within these regions
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King Herod King Agrippa where he shared
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and later of course Paul addresses this
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so Peter writes whether to the Emperor
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as a supreme authority or to governor's
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as those sent out by him to punish those
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who do what is evil and to praise those
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who do what is good for it is God's will
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that you silence the ignorance of
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foolish people the foolish people here
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are certain
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some of the leaders in the Roman Empire
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they're foolish because they don't know
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God in Christ for it is God's will that
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you sign us the ignorance of foolish
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people by doing good submit as Free
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People not using your freedom as a
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cover-up for evil but as God's slaves or
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servants honor everyone love the
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brothers and sisters fear God honor the
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Emperor now these were the practical
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words that Peter is giving these people
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who are already aliens who were already
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strangers who are already non-citizens
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in the Roman Empire he's giving them
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these instructions in order to be a
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witness in this world and of course that
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was very practical advice now the
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Apostle Paul dealt with the same issue
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when he wrote to the Romans he expands
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on this a bit
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he calls governments God's servant now
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we need to understand that it's not a
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servant as we think in terms of serving
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one another
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as believers but this is a servant
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really established by God to keep
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society from totally disintegrating when
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he talks about government's because
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without government's this world would
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deteriorate disintegrate so he says let
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everyone submit to the governing
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authorities since there's no authority
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except from God ultimately he is
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sovereign and the authorities that exist
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are instituted by God they wouldn't
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exist apart from God even though they're
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evil God didn't create the evil but he
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created the governments for it is God's
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servant for your good but if you do
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wrong be afraid because it does not
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carry the sword for no reason now the
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interesting thing is that even though
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the Roman Empire was purely pagan they
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had some very significant laws that
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protected people even though there was
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tremendous corruption at the higher
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levels and immorality and evil
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and yet there were laws that they had
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established to protect people and Paul
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goes on to say Ford has got servant an
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Avenger that brings wrath on the one who
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does wrong pay your obligations to
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everyone taxes to those who owe taxes
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tolls to those who own tolls respect to
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those who are respect and honor to those
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you owe honor and again Paul is
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addressing believers that are living
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within a total pagan society how are
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they going to be a witness how are they
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going to survive there to be a witness
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by being obedient but without compromise
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without compromising their own faith and
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God and Jesus Christ and we know that
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this happened within the New Testament
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world it's happening in within cultures
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today as Christians are able to survive
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because they are submissive to the
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government authorities now there are
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certain situations where things
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deteriorate in a horrible horrible way
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such as in Nazi Germany and that's a
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whole other issue to deal with what
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happened there
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I sometimes wonder as a young German
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myself who was about 18 years old when
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all that happened what I would have done
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if I had grown up in Germany think about
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that that was a terrible time in our
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culture in our history now one of the
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other things that Paul addresses is very
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foundational for all of us who live
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within these governments and it's prayer
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for government leaders and probably
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throughout all the teaching I've done on
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these 1,500 principals I've probably
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gone back to this part of this passage
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of Scripture more than any other and
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that is that we're to pray for all those
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who are leaders first of all then I urge
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the petitions prayers intercessions and
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thanks
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things be made for everyone for Kings
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who were some of those remember when
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Paul wrote these words he was just
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getting out of prison there were kings
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and the Roman Empire he had witnessed
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before one of them before he went to
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prison that was King Agrippa who laughed
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at him basically and said you know Paul
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you're trying to make me a Christian and
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Paul said I I wish you would become a
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Christian but he didn't he went on and
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was incarcerated in a Roman prison but
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Paul said I urge the petition prayers
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intercessions Thanksgiving be made for
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everyone for kings and all those who are
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in authority including Nero who was in
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charge at that time and then he says
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here's why you're to pray so that we may
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lead a tranquil and quiet life in all
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godliness and dignity you see that's the
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will of God to pray for that but why are
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we to pray for that just so we can be
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comfortable well that's part of it
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but here's the real purpose this is good
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and pleases God our Savior who wants
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everyone to be saved and to come to the
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knowledge of the truth what Paul is
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saying is that far more people will come
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to Christ and put their faith in Christ
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in a peaceful environment than in an
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environment that is hostile as hostile
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towards Christians hostile towards those
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who are believing in God and Jesus
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Christ and the Holy Spirit it's
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interesting practically speaking I've
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used this illustration before but for
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many many years in China Christians
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lived within a controlled society of
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communism an evil that tried to wipe out
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religion not just Christians but
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Buddhists and any form of religion they
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tried to wipe them off the face of the
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earth
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and yet as far as Christians are
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concerned they survived and if you study
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that history you'll find that some of
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the other religions never survived and
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never regrouped but Christians did
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survive and even the church grew but
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what happened when China began to open
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up and give more freedom the church grew
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incredibly fast and millions in other
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words more people came to Christ within
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that peaceful environment than in the
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vironment that was controlled by those
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who are evil and so this is very
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practical and I think it's very
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important for those of us living in our
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society today that we be sure that we
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prioritize the importance of prayer and
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I'm speaking to myself because I tend to
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forget that priority in my own life
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especially when I see some of the things
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that are happening in our society today
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now we've got to face the reality though
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Peter faced reality that ultimately he
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was martyred because of the gospel of
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Jesus that's a reality Paul faced the
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same experience he was put to death by
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the very man he prayed for Nero probably
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and so we go back to a statement that
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there are times like the Apostles we
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must obey God rather than people but we
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need to understand the context here
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because I think we can misunderstand
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this in acts 5:29 we read as Peter stood
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before the Sanhedrin now the Sanhedrin
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were the Jewish leaders seventy men who
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were over all Israel it was centered in
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Jerusalem and when these
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men said stop proclaiming Jesus as a
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messiah Peter said we must obey God
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rather than people now why must we be
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careful not to take that out of context
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because Peters and the Apostles are
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dealing with a charge that Jesus gave
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them to preach the gospel right there in
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Jerusalem to the Jews just like Jesus
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did and Jesus was put to death because
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he said I am the way the truth and the
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life and what Peter is saying we cannot
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stop proclaiming Jesus because we have
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been given that Commission to do this
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right here in Jerusalem and in Judea and
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of course they face tremendous
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persecution eventually they were
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scattered throughout the Roman world and
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of course Peters addressing some of
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those people who were scattered when he
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wrote this letter but here's the point
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once the church was scattered into the
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Gentile world the whole emphasis and the
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epistles was different and that is that
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they were to live as a body of believers
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in such a way that even the unsaved
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world would ask what's the reason for
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the hope that you have and as a body of
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believers they were able to respond it's
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our faith in Jesus Christ in other words
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the way they lived and the way they
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practiced what Paul said what Peter said
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about the authorities gave them the
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opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus
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Christ let me end with a reflection
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response question and what ways can we
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be good citizens in our culture without
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violating the will of God and what are
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some situations where we must obey God
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rather than people and that last
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question where I say what are some
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situations
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we must obey God rather than people when
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you think about that question I think it
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Bobby it's somewhat comes to a bottom
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line and that is when we're asked to
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deny Jesus Christ
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and fortunately in most places in the
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world today there are exceptions when
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we're living the way God wants us to
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live we are not asked to deny Jesus
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Christ but there are some places where
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it happens and I would say that that's
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one of the most foundational things that
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we would need to consider and I would
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hope like hots grace I've ever faced
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that situation it would be God first
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never deny Jesus Christ now that doesn't
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mean that we shouldn't be as wise as
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serpents and harmless as doves and I
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respect people who are living in
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countries where they have to be quiet
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Christians because even if the
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government knows about that it could
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create horrible persecution for their
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children and for their families so they
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have to be wise as serpents and harmless
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as doves in relationship to be able to
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survive in some of the cultures of the
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world today on the other hand we need to
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really think about our Christian
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brothers and sisters in some places in
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the world for example if it ever should
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come to the place where the government
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says you're gonna have an abortion or
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you go to prison now as far as they know
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in the history of looking at even what
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happened in China
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it happened on one occasion because of
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their restriction there was a
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restriction on number of children where
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they restricted it to one child and
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there was a forced abortion because of
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that and they actually reach ange the
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laws to say you can have two children
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which makes it a lot easier to be sure
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that they're not faced with tremendous
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persecution but just suppose you're
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faced with that issue I pray for people
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who would ever have to face that
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question or that situation but it might
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happen someday
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even within our own culture so when we
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think of these people what they faced I
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come back to a very significant truth
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and that is if they could survive and
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serve Jesus Christ and be loyal to Jesus
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Christ without compromise what about us
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with all the freedoms that we still have
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particularly within our culture let me
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repeat the principle as Christ followers
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were to be obedient within all human
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institutions and structures without
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violating biblical values
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