1 Peter 3

Sir Brian and company continue through 1 Peter. This week we have some just raw and real discussion about life in our little town. As we continue in 1 Peter 3. Hearing these episodes after the loss has been very comforting. Remember Jesus loves you and so do We.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_04 0:34

Wheresoever your streets might be. Fake from the street.

SPEAKER_07 0:41

But but on, like you know me. You know better. You know that I get eaten that in a way.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Like if I felt that way, you just said I would have left the wrong one. Stuck around our marriage into this or like we're 20 years old. Yeah. Like I know anywhere.

SPEAKER_08 0:59

Probably marriage is contemporary.

SPEAKER_07 1:03

Perfect.

SPEAKER_08 1:03

Now speaking of so many people don't know.

SPEAKER_07 1:06

Right. Uh what do you get at? The way that I communicated in my marriage, and it's because of how they were, I think, for the most part. But to me, when the anger flares up, that's when the filters go away. Yeah. That's when you're really speaking to each other. Like I've had conversations with my wife, like, why are you yelling? Why don't you be yelling like this? Now we're really talking. Now the real stuff's coming out. We're letting down all the guards and the filters. Now what you're really thinking or what you're really bothered by is gonna come out because you're no longer in control of your tongue. And then I was never really upset or heated by the yelling. I just wanted to get to the truth in the back of the room calling the problem. Deacon Sir Brian. Deacon Sir Brian. Captain Deacon Sir Brian. Be prepared that there will be a video game out with Brian's voice on the video game. And he is doing his pirate accent, so that's where we get the Captain Sir Brian. We also have for a moment Rob's here.

SPEAKER_08 3:26

Scott. As always.

SPEAKER_07 3:29

Again, we're gonna do 1 Peter chapter 3. Um, but let's talk about what we did this week. We had a pretty hot week here in town. I know I had a rough week working. How about everybody else? Same, brother. Same. It was so hot. Yeah, very warm. Poor Sir Brian here is afraid of the sun, so by choice. Not by choice.

SPEAKER_06 3:51

Stayed inside all day. I'm a vampire, I don't like the sun either. Neither do I know.

SPEAKER_07 3:58

That's because Rob hasn't age in the last 20 years that I've known him. That's true. They're moving.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Look at their wedding pictures, they look exactly the same. Exactly the same.

SPEAKER_08 4:07

Look at their high school pictures, they look exactly the same. It's frightening. He's a Christian vampire. Yeah. Who knew? He must be doing it ethically or something. He's gonna deal with the Red Cross. He gets it from Blood Bank. Yeah, end of the question was so yeah, this week was a good week.

SPEAKER_07 4:26

Uh we were running low on gathering supplies, and we put out some Facebook posts, and God wave of supplies. It was fantastic. Oh, it was so awesome. I think we're just Moses moment.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Dude, I just finished stuff for the temple.

SPEAKER_07 4:40

I had just finished posting it on Facebook, and Unity Baptist showed up with what, two truckloads. Kicks down the door. There's so much stuff. Yeah, I mean, we didn't even get a chance to go through it all. I got a text message earlier from somebody at work. She's got a whole big hallway full of stuff for me.

SPEAKER_05 4:57

I have a bag for you.

SPEAKER_07 4:59

Rob brought me Rob brought me a bag. Clearly didn't read the Facebook for me. I didn't see the Facebook.

SPEAKER_06 5:05

I can't do it on Monday. But there's work.

SPEAKER_07 5:07

But there's two other people from church today that brought me stuff too, which is fantastic. Again, people, if you don't see God working, your eyes aren't open. And like Brian said at lunch today, it's like, what did the scripture say? But do you remember? Do you think I remember what I said at lunch? I set you up for it. Ask. And ye shall receive. Thank you, Sir Brian. Thank you, yes. And that's true. I mean, that was something that was spoken last night at uh Gather and Celebrate with Bobby Hayden. He was a fantastic speaker last night, a lot of fun, played some music, did some worshiping. I think he really touched a lot of people with what he said. We had a woman that really got moved. That was pretty awesome. She was actually church again today this morning. But yeah, it's like, you know, when you ask, and you ask in a humble, like worthy way, like, no, he's not going to give you a million dollars if you ask for a million dollars, because let's be honest, we're we don't know how to manage that.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

Correct.

SPEAKER_07 6:10

You know, and that's not really God's will. But if it is, it is.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

That's what I'm saying, right? We don't get to tell God what to do.

SPEAKER_07 6:19

Agreed, agree. But I want to make sure that we understand that uh uh it says in scripture that pray like he's already answered your prayer. Yes. And how often do we not do that?

SPEAKER_05 6:29

You know, we're or how often do we pray something that we believe is not gonna get answered?

SPEAKER_07 6:34

Well, that's a good one, too. Yeah. That's the other end. Like I'm gonna pray for this, but it's probably not gonna happen. That's not what scripture tells us to do. You know, that's not being a faithful person at all. Just realize it's in his hands, he's got it, nothing can tear you away from him. Um that's something that uh Bobby was kind of saying last night, too. He knows who his daddy is now. Our father in heaven. He realizes who he is. And our sermon today with Scott was a lot of that, you know. So just remember God loves you, he's not mad at you. He wants you to come to him, he wants you to ask for things. Yes, he knows. It's not about him knowing, it's about you being reliant on him and giving it to him and letting him do what he says he'll do. He's faithful whether we are or not.

SPEAKER_01 7:25

Yeah, Paul writes on Timothy, when we are faithless, he is faithful.

SPEAKER_07 7:31

Right. Even when we're got our backs turned to him, he's still chasing after us, no matter what. Sometimes he lets us waller in the pig pen. And you had a very good statement, I think, last week. You know, sometimes you gotta wrestle with yourself, and sometimes God will be like, All right, you got you're in a place, you getting you got the time to put in the work.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

Yep. The problem is we have no margin in our life to put that work in. Well, that's true. So that's why most people never have that experience. Yeah. Not because I'm special, just because I literally took time.

SPEAKER_07 8:00

Yeah, I mean, in in this world of consumption.

SPEAKER_08 8:03

Well, that's true. My mom thinks so. And he's from West Virginia, so I made it out with all my teeth because it's full four GPA, thank you.

SPEAKER_07 8:12

Only because Jesus saved him. Let's put that out there. There you go. Yes, sir. But yeah, you know, it's just you have to get away from this world of consuming. Everybody's got their face in the screen, or they're consumed by something, or they're consuming something themselves. And so many of us, especially men, especially men, are afraid to get away and be silent. Or afraid to be honest. Well, honest is a good one too.

SPEAKER_06 8:40

And with what with emotions. We were not this week, though. What yeah, but uh we were not this week. We were not hiding up any of our emotions.

SPEAKER_07 8:51

Well, that's because we yeah, because we've been doing the work and struggling and and going to each other, which is what I've told so many people in our support groups like use the text messages, use the phone, call us, you know, say, hey, I'm in trouble, I need help, I need prayers, you know, and how many times have we sent prayers to each other? So, I mean, we have a support system. Use it.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

Exactly. We always think, and since I'm a you know, minister at Robson over, you go, Well, I don't want to bother you. Okay, I I don't have a problem telling you if you're bothering me, but chances like 99%, you're not gonna be bothering me. Right. Like you call and ask me to pray for you or text me, I'm certainly going to.

SPEAKER_03 9:32

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

It's literally an honor. Yep. But I also think another part of this, if I may, opine to this, is when we pray and you're talking about James says, you better believe what you pray and believe God's gonna do it if it's in his will, or you're double-minded. We also need to be honest in that moment that a lot of times we pray from a place of lying.

SPEAKER_03 9:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

Um, because we don't in our head we're like, God, I'm I'm gonna be good at this. I want to not have this desire to like say it's maybe lust or greed or whatever or something. But in the back of your brain, you're always like, and God, I so the the real change for me happened goes, and God, half of me is lying to you right now. And I ask you to move into the space that's in between and work that part out. Because I don't want to do these things, and it's not that I'm trying to hurt you, just this area, my flesh, is very much stronger than my will or my mind, or whatever your struggle might be at that time or your emotions. So don't be afraid to even just say God already knows that anyway. But like so many times we pray, God, I'll never do that again, knowing we're narrating, but he did it again. You know? Or I'm already planning on doing it again.

SPEAKER_06 10:46

And there it goes.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Yep, and and I think we ask God to speak into that part where we're lying to him. That's where freedom began to break through for me.

SPEAKER_04 10:55

I don't know, no, I I I completely agree with you. Um I I found myself doing the same as well, too.

SPEAKER_07 11:04

So uh God's calling. God is calling. God is calling. Um so and I like that you said you have to be honest with ourselves. That's something that I think that, yeah, you it's like you're not going to fool God. No matter how sneaky or tricky or whatever you say behind your breath or behind your back or whatever. God knows your heart and your intentions. So if you are honest with yourself, that's when the transformation comes. Say the things that you don't say in secret. Even there's things that you hold on to that you don't say in secret. I've got I had some of those things. You have to let go of those things. God already knows. But he wants you to say, Hey God, you know that thing. I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was doing. I was I was out of my head, I was out of my heart. You have to, and there are incidents in my life where I'm like, dude, what was I thinking? Why did I have those thoughts? Why did I think that? Why where did that come from? And again, it's probably embarrassing. Like we've seen a lot of situations where it's embarrassed to admit these things and these thoughts, but once we do and get them off our chest and give it to God, we can start healing and and getting moving forward.

SPEAKER_04 12:32

Sorry, uh I had I've had a lot of thoughts. So uh one of them was when we were talking about praying. I think sometimes we find ourselves uh praying with the expectation of seeing a miracle, right? So we're waiting for that to be the confirmation that we can then believe. And and that's that's not that's another way it's done. It's usually backwards. You believe wholeheartedly and then you see. And and you must be prepared for whatever it is that's going to happen. Because it might not be happening exactly how you had envisioned envisioned, so uh, but you will see it. Uh that I believe. Um I uh sorry, there was another point, but I've lost it. I brother, I'm major ADHD today, so you're fine. We'll try it.

SPEAKER_07 13:25

Uh and it's a good example. Like I I put out into the world what my plan was when I got my time in at work and could retire. And God said, Oh really? And he showed me all those things that I wanted to do when I retired. I didn't have to retire. I could do it right here in my hometown. I mean, granted, I was kind of thrown into the fire, but he also knows that I'm good on my feet. He's prepared me to be able to juke and move and and and make make what the decisions or the changes that I have to to get things done through him, of course. I mean, he's the one that made me that way. And once I embrace that like one of the things me and my ex-wife used to say all the time is like she would make the plan, and when the plan fell fell apart, that's when I would step in and juke and move and make the things happen, and it always turned out okay. I did not realize that that was a gift from God for me at the time, but once he got me down here and got me where I'm at now, it yeah. I mean, it's just so obvious now. It's almost old hat, you know. You know, so it's it's pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

I think that's part of prayer that we have to realize is that God always answers our prayer. You know, it may be no, it may be not right now, and it may be it depends. Or maybe yes. But there's never a not answer. Um not answer is an answer. Yeah, it's God protecting you, or maybe the thing you're praying for is gonna bring about, but it'll look drastically different than what you ever thought it would be.

SPEAKER_00 15:01

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Um because that's how we learn to trust God is letting him light our path step by step, right? He's just asking us to keep taking those steps. You know, and just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. And when we're not honest in prayer, that completely blocks you know, not that God not that you're like stopping God's like um love from happening or you're in living in like sin, but like you're not living honestly before the Lord, and until you correct that, which is only something I think that the Holy Spirit can do. I can look at everyone in the church and say do X, Y, and Z, and they'll be like, okay, and then maybe one or two of them will do it because they got convicted. But some people just aren't ready to unpack their emotional things they're fighting with because you have to face your perceived identity versus the one God created you to live. And so many of us want to push the perceived or the I want to be like this person or I want to do this with my life, and God's like, Cool, but no, it didn't make you to be that guy. Yeah, it's like I want to go follow Tom or I'll do what Tom does all day. God could be like, Cool, do that, but just remember you're not Tom. Tom has a place to teach you in your life, you have a place to teach others, Brian has a place to teach in your life. You iron sharpens iron, but you may end up going the same way, different ways to accomplish the same thing.

SPEAKER_07 16:22

Yeah, and that's kind of how this Tesh of a group started. Like we wanted to get together, we wanted to get we wanted to get prayed up, get studied up, and be ready to start more. Just accomplishing accountability. Yeah, and really we've done that. We went from the four guys in a Bible to five to seven to ten. Now it's the podcast and all kinds of other things going on, and it it's just how it works, you know. You just get out of God's way and let him lead. Where are you at, Brian? You alright?

SPEAKER_04 16:54

Yeah, no, no, a lot a lot of a lot of thoughts, brother. And like I said, I'm I'm having uh a difficulty uh focusing. I sometimes I have these these times, so uh and I I haven't been on medication since I was in in high school, so um uh sorry, thinking about uh things that you were saying as far as uh readiness to move and the spirit convicting you. Um I I was listening to a conversation and uh as I followed up on the on the the gentleman who I was listening to, it did it did sound like he was he had some very kind of Gnostic views. But up until that point it was really good. Um it was uh it was a conversation about uh chasing feelings and how uh he equated those uh chasing the feelings like I just want to go out and go to the nightclub and party and have have fun and stuff like that, just so I can chase that feeling. Or and then oh I want I want to go and and uh uh I want to go and sorry, what was the other? It was maybe like food or something like that. I just I want to go and eat a lot of food and and order a pizza and a bunch of sandwiches and just sit down and binge watch the the television show because you know that's uh I want to chase that feeling. I want to I want to have that feeling. And then he he then equated uh chasing the feeling to uh uh uh to essentially um being a fornicator, was what he had said. Uh and and it is it being adulterous in that uh uh that that manner from God. Because the I the idea was sharing those feelings and then coming back to God. And then going going to those feelings and then coming back into God. And that was something uh to be considered, I thought, was was really well. So uh sorry, uh that's that's all I have for right now.

SPEAKER_07 19:01

Well that's kind of like uh we see in the Old Testament a lot.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

That's polluted and yelling at it to clean itself up. Like it's it's not gonna do anything. It may sound like it. Yeah, it may seem like it, but if I want to clean it up, I'm gonna have to shut up and go out into the stream and clean it up. Yeah. I wish that would work for our room.

SPEAKER_07 19:16

Clean up. Room clean up.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

My kids. But like we don't we're not entitled to that anger, and that's why Paul says do not let the sun go down on it. He's not kidding. Like, don't like if you hold anger, like, sure, there might be a methodical like if you're a husband and wife and you know each other's reactions, you may, okay, it's gonna be better if I let this let her sleep on this and talk in the morning or vice versa. You know, but like but like you you you can't just hold on to it. Like, you don't like if Jesus makes a point that that disqualifies God accepting your worship. Like he says, if you're mad at any brother or sister, fix that before you start worshiping your own. Oh, yeah. Like you said, yeah, the sacrifices. Like lay your sacrifice down and come back. Stop singing praises about forgiveness and love and loving your brother when you overgrade somebody. Leave, pull them with you, get it straightened out, and then go back, and your gift will be accepted.

SPEAKER_03 20:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

But we don't like that, because we like to be right. Oh, dude, don't get me started on that. That's the thing, it's the folly of man, but I mean that's where we get, we should be righteously indignant. Okay, maybe, but like, what constructive things will come out of this?

SPEAKER_07 20:25

Does it edify God? Does it glorify God?

SPEAKER_01 20:27

But does it but but does it is is my anger going to produce maybe in myself it will anger me enough to make a change, like that I need to, if I'm flustered with my own behavior and then I'm by myself. But me being just angry and screaming at everyone and does this all the time all the time is not gonna help anything. It doesn't. No.

SPEAKER_07 20:48

And in fact, it makes things worse. Yeah. And that's what we've done a little bit of together. And people start getting heated, and we kind of talk to them very calmly. Brother, I love you, sister I love you, let's not do this here. Let's let's think about this, let's maybe you go outside for a little bit, cool off, and then you know, I don't want to have to make it worse by banning you or telling you you can't come back. You know that what they say in fifty cents will buy you a cup of coffee, so let's just let this settle down. We had to do it yesterday. I don't even know what it was about. We just had to separate them for a while. And how many times has just separating them for a while been able to you know come them back down? But the the going down, don't let the sun go down on your anger. I I I'm with you on that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to like stay awake until you solve the thing.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

Being a husband a couple times myself that takes an in depth relationship. Yes, I can know like oh, I need to leave Brian alone until next Tuesday because this, but I know I'm just using him as an example. But if I Something with you or you or you or you or even my wife uh that I am told I have to go address that now.

SPEAKER_07 22:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 22:07

Otherwise, anger becomes very much more hostile and it borders on hate and violence. Yeah, and do not go to sleep with that, man.

SPEAKER_04 22:16

Okay. That's just because you sit and stew on it when it's simply uh simply a matter of like, you know, I'm okay. And usually you're talking about the same thing from two different points.

SPEAKER_07 22:27

I've had so many conversations with people where we're just talking over top of each other. We're saying the same thing. We're saying the same thing, I'm just saying it in a different way. Yeah, and and and I've even seen that at the gathering where they're like, dude, do you realize you're saying the same thing to each other? You're just saying it in different ways. Or maybe not respond at all. Listen to listen. The the pericabies. Gotcha. The pericobies of this chapter. Wives. Wives and husbands.

SPEAKER_04 23:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 23:06

So it's perfect for us to kind of get into it from there. Truth.

SPEAKER_04 23:09

No, for I don't I I may have a unique I may in fact have a unique relationship with my wife. Uh that most other people don't have in their relationships. But if immediately, if if uh I am troubled by something she said, or whatever the an action or something. We say we say it right then. We say it right there. And likewise. So if I if I've stepped on her toe, whatever, she lets me know. That's that's what we do. So uh and and and it's immediately done, and it's immediately I didn't I obviously didn't mean to do that. My apologies.

SPEAKER_07 23:49

And I'm gonna say this kind of generically, and I'm glad you brought that up. I'm gonna say this very, very generically, and I I mean this with my whole heart. Coming from a man, a husband, a father, all those things. Please understand that we are very simple, and if we said something to upset you, I 100% guarantee that we did not mean to say something to upset you. We didn't do it to upset you, we didn't do it to make you mad. We didn't you if you take something we said out of our context, before you jump us, before you yell at us, like you said, ask me about it. Question. Like, well, what did you mean by that? Or okay, this is how that made me feel. Is that what you meant? Yeah, like the communication, absolutely key. But again, I can guarantee you a man has never said anything to you on purpose that you're in a relationship with or that you're married or whatever, to upset you. Wrongest has.

SPEAKER_04 24:58

I I I know I know wrong as Steve the Third, he has uh he'll do it intentionally to get her eyes out of you, but and you'll have those two.

SPEAKER_07 25:07

You'll have you'll have wrong as Steve III.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Yeah, sure. But we also are all wrong as Steve the Third at the end of the day. At some point or another.

SPEAKER_07 25:15

Yeah, exactly. Um so yeah, just and I know that there's that old cliche, happy wife, happy life, which I don't abide by. I abide by happy house, happy spouse, happy house. So it's both ways, agreed. You know what I'm saying? You you have to give and take, you have to compromise, you have to realize that the two of you together is going to make things better, not fussing and quarreling over silly stuff.

SPEAKER_04 25:46

But too, if you're if you're not fighting or vying for some supremacy in the relationship and you're actually joined for a unified goal, you're you're not really you don't find yourself in a position that you want to downgrade or or do anything to your your other.

SPEAKER_07 26:08

So my big thing is about you know, cussing. Don't do anything that would degrade or defile or lower somebody.

SPEAKER_02 26:18

Right.

SPEAKER_07 26:18

That's a cuss. Yeah. You build them up. Agree. You build them up in all the things that you say. So if you're having an issue with your language, take that into consideration. Like, does this build that person up or does this tear this person down? Because the sin is tearing that person down. Because they are a beloved child of God, because they are an image-bearer of God. So when you talk to one another, keep that in mind. You know, this is the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. Maybe I shouldn't say something like they snore or they fart smell or whatever, you know. Maybe don't Dutch oven your wife, is what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 26:59

That's part of like the initiation I'm just gonna go. I don't even mean to Dutch oven myself. Me, me and Christy seem to have like uh we're getting better at it, but like our spiritual love languages were apparently Italian Americans. So we like yell at each other without like being yelling in the sense of like screaming and like fighting, but we're very loud with each other, we've been very loud families, and um that can come across very argumentative sometimes, and then it's the it's not what you said, it's how you said it kind of situation.

SPEAKER_07 27:34

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:34

Okay, but but I'm always like, honey, have I ever in our marriage had a problem telling you that I'm mad at you or you're bothering me? You know, or I ask for that, vice versa, and we're like, no, in a way, then sometimes I'm just blown off steam, and I don't mean to pop off and hit a target, but you pop in my view and it just comes out. I was like, I am working on it, it's not acceptable. No. And I even go and apologize to my children and said, the way I did that, I was not thinking. That's not how you treat your spouse, that's not how you let anger control you, but also like me and her know when we're joking and when we're not. You know, and that's a key. That's very key. But if if not, one of us will immediately say, that really that kind of went a little too far.

SPEAKER_04 28:17

Yes, and that's that's very good. It's it's good to say those things right then. Yeah. So that went a little too far. So so that the other person knows that, okay, that was a line. I'm sorry. But uh for for me, though, my wife has actually come up with these the these same scenarios as well, too. Uh it's it's the way you said that thing, and I'm like, all right, well how else am I supposed to say that? You've you've known me for ten years. I mean, is that is that the way I meant it?

SPEAKER_07 28:42

It's you at the moment, it's probably but you're but but you come to that conclusion. It's not on. Like you know me, you know better, you know that I didn't mean that in a way.

SPEAKER_01 28:56

It's like if I felt that way that you just said, I would have left a long time ago. I wouldn't have stuck around or married into this or anything. Yeah, yeah. Like we're 20 years in. Yeah. Like I ain't going anywhere until Jesus takes me away. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 29:07

The problem is marriages are too temporary, then they're supposed to be permanent.

SPEAKER_01 29:11

Now, speaking of so many people don't have. Right.

SPEAKER_07 29:15

Uh, what are you getting at? But the way that I communicated in my marriages, and it's because of how they were, I think, for the most part, but to me, when the anger flares up, that's when the the filters go away. Yes. That's when you're really speaking to each other. Like I've had conversations with my wives, like, why are you yelling? Or I don't want to be yelling like this. It's like, well, now we're really talking. Now the real stuff's coming out. We're letting down all the guards and the filters. Now what you're really thinking or what you're really bothered by is going to come out because you're no longer in control of your tongue. And then I was never really upset or heated by the yelling. I just wanted to get to the truth of the matter, the root cause of the problem, and work on that. I'm not saying that's healthy. It's not.

SPEAKER_01 30:09

I mean was it like in Ted Lasso him and his wife had the like they'd say Omaha counseling and they had to say the exact honest thing, yeah, no matter how they felt, or in the middle of an argument, how agitated or how much they didn't want to say because they were afraid it was going to hurt the other person's feelings.

SPEAKER_03 30:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:25

Not because they were trying to, but they would say Omaha.

SPEAKER_03 30:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:29

And they would have to be brutally honest.

SPEAKER_03 30:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

And I think that's where I I come from. Like, anger gets in there because my job every day, like, and I guess it's not a job, it's a it's my vocation or whatever, but like it's it's from the time I wake up until like 5 p.m. is hey Scott, answer this, do this, do this, do that, and then that over stimulates me, and then when I go home, it's immediate the but the tragedy is the people that deserve the best of me get none of me because it's all poured out here, and my brain structure is just I don't want to talk to anybody for that. Like I'm mentally shot, and I'm like, and that's what I'm working through in prayer right now is that I gotta flip that somehow because if I can't succeed there, not that I'm not succeeding at home, but I have set some very crap examples with my anger and becoming the part of my father that I didn't want to be, that naturally happened, and my reaction is them. And by the time I get home, it's like anything that is just a question or somebody saying Scott, or even if somebody says stop, it's like somebody stabbing my brain because it's just so overstimulated. And I'm just you know, and it's just like then I fly off the hook and I'm like, why is there a clutter on the floor? Why can't we pick anything up? And I you know, I go to that and then I ruin everybody's day, and I'm like, what is the point of this? And then I apologize to everyone, but then I'm like, God, that's this is where God dropped me in the match with myself. He's like, okay, you've been praying about this for two years, now you got some time.

SPEAKER_03 32:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:02

And so, yeah, there was a night Friday, I totally lost it, but I'm starting to put pieces together, and as I journal and connect the dots of where my anger comes from, or why maybe it's not even anger, just pops out that way. You know, it could be just exhaustion or distraction, and it just comes out that way. You know, they're there are accused. Like I'm finding out, like, so if I take a late nap in any day, and I'm testing this, I'm a butt hat the rest of the night. Like, I'm a grump butt. Right? But I like to take naps because I don't sleep well, and there's nothing I can do to fix that. So it's like, whatever. So I've had to make the choice. I'm going to start pushing this further and getting up early on purpose because I'm not a morning person, and I'm going to intentionally manage my time better, and try to put together these things and realize when I take when I take this nap that sometimes I covet, especially like uh leaving the gathering, is uh it was so hot that day, and you know, just coming home, it was Thursday, and and then Wednesday was hot, and I was just so agitated, and the heat makes me angry and sick. And these are all fleshly external things that shouldn't matter, but they do. And if you start keeping track, God will allow you to pinpoint the thing that's causing. And so mine's not really being mad or annoying, it's just going from overstimulated to knock out to waking up to super overstimulation.

SPEAKER_07 33:25

Yeah, some people can nap, some people can't. I am a napper. I used to be. I love my naps. Yeah, I actually sleep probably better in a nap than I do like normally. Well, I think my naps are like sleep part two because they're like four or five hours long. Yeah, see, to me, a nap is two hours. If it ain't two hours, you can't. It ain't a nap. But a lot of people can nap for 20 minutes and move on with their life. No, I that just made me tired. Christy falls asleep as soon as her head is a pillow. I have been accused of that. You cannot do that. I have been accused of that. I don't feel that, but I haven't said that I'm partially narcoleptic. I just before my head's a pillow, I'm asleep.

SPEAKER_01 34:04

And you know. Well, and I prayed every night as part of like the the liturgy of the hours. It says I will fall asleep. Basically, it's from the Psalms, I will fall asleep when I the moment I lay upon my bed because you are with me, oh Lord. Amen. You know? But like also, God's like, yeah, but Scott, uh, you're gonna need a lot of time to pray. So nine times it. Yeah. I'm okay with that. I used to fight it. But you know, it's it's just being on it goes back full circle. No matter if it's a marriage relationship or anger or whatever, if you're not honest with God in prayer about it, he's not gonna leave you to your own devices till you come to your senses.

SPEAKER_03 34:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:42

You know, in a sense, and he's not gonna like reject you, but he's not gonna jump in there and be like, Yeah, but you're totally lying to me while you're praying this.

SPEAKER_07 34:50

You know, you're not ready to do this. You're not ready to do this.

SPEAKER_01 34:52

You're not ready for the transformation. You're not honest enough with yourself about yourself to move forward. Agreed.

SPEAKER_07 34:59

Alright, Brian, you want to start reading, or do you got something else to add to that? No, no, uh, I think that's really good. All right. The Pericabes, wives and husbands, first Peter chapter three.

SPEAKER_04 35:15

Sorry, this one starts in the same way you wives, so I I wanted to kind of go back and read again what we what we were what we were saying before.

SPEAKER_07 35:33

Go back to uh 1 Peter 2, verse 21.

SPEAKER_04 35:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 35:38

I think so, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:42

Okay. For to this you have been called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps, who did no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth, who being reviled, was not reviling in return. While suffering, he was uttering no threats, but kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously, who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that having died to sin we might live to righteousness. But his wounds by his wounds you were healed, for you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

SPEAKER_07 36:48

Okay. Chapter three.

SPEAKER_04 36:49

Now I will begin. In the same way you wives be subject to your own husbands, so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be one without a word, by the conduct of their own wives.

SPEAKER_07 37:07

I'm gonna stop you right there. I want to touch on that for a minute. Um, in the same way, you wives be subject to your own husbands. Now, I know there's going to be a lot of controversy there, but this is the part that I'm taking from it. So that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be one without a word by the conduct of their wives. So if they mess up, if they fall short, you are a reminder to them of the word of God and to be obedient to God, and you could win them back to God. Correct? I mean, do we all agree on that? I mean, you can, yeah. I mean, that's the i i i again it says, you know, in the same way, you wives be subject to your own husbands and stay the course even if they mess up. Or let's be honest, when they mess up, when they fall down. So that they see that you are being obedient to God, and they will follow suit. I'm a firm believer that a lot of the men are in church because of their wives.

SPEAKER_01 38:18

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 38:19

I mean, let's be honest. Yeah, I mean we we need I mean, God gave us that because he knows we need that. We need that structure to keep us on the straight and narrow, to keep our eye on the prize. And I I I want to make sure that the men hear this and understand that.

SPEAKER_01 38:40

But also contextually, because there's another part that Paul talks about that's a little bit different than this, that has a very different ending. Peter here is specifically talking about functional Christian marriages.

SPEAKER_07 38:51

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 38:51

Paul is talking about oftentimes a mixture of both or the ideal, because he's dealing with Jewish and Gentile believers. Peter's specifically talking to Christians because in the Paul thing is well, if your unbelieving spouse just leaves you, then you're free to remarry. Like you're not bound to that person. Right. You know, because they didn't follow after Christ. But here it's I think what you're saying is true that sometimes our reactions and conduct can point back to what happens with Jesus and us and it changes us.

SPEAKER_07 39:26

Yeah. Okay. All right. Continue. Verse two.

SPEAKER_04 39:34

They may be one without a word by the conduct of their wives. As they observe and pure sorry, as they observe your pure conduct with fear. Your adornment must not be merely external, braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, and putting on garments, but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible quality of a lowly and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way, in former times, the holy woman also who hoped in God used to adorn themselves being subject to their own husbands, just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. You have become her children if you do good, not fearing any intimidation. You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman, and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

SPEAKER_07 40:57

Alright, Brian, I want you to read that verse again. Which one on seven? And I want the men to really listen to that.

SPEAKER_04 41:04

You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman, and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

SPEAKER_07 41:26

Show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life. We are all co-heirs to Jesus. Jesus is our brother. And I I just love how this is telling the husbands, you've got a role to play too, guys. Well, and he said it in the beginning. Well, I know that, but I know a lot of times we leave out that part where people focus on parts that are not very under submission.

SPEAKER_04 41:57

Yeah, and obedience and those things. They don't understand love, love, uh love her like Jesus loved the church. Like if you don't understand that, then go go back and read it again.

SPEAKER_07 42:09

And that's the thing, it's like it does. It says, love your wife like Jesus loved the church. And Jesus died for the church. So you better be willing to die for your spouse, your wife. That's what that is about. It's not about her obeying you and being obedient to you.

SPEAKER_04 42:30

Because that even might be easy.

SPEAKER_00 42:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:33

Yeah, the the the thing I take away out of this is there are several roles in marriage that both men and women have, but at different times come about. So um, like I believe Adam was supposed to be the priest of his his wife, in a sense, you know, and I think as Christ is our high priest, and and we use that word priest nowadays, but we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. So in a marriage sense, we are the biblically we are the priest of God to our families, but they to us as well. Agreed. Um, and we each know that husbands and wives have different roles in that marriage, and sometimes they'll overlap, but there are some things men can do that women can, and women can do that men can't, and depending on the person, you might it might be flip-flop, right? Right. Like in my house, Chrissy's the sports person, I don't like it. Yeah. But she'll watch anything. But like, at the same time, like the idea here is such a misunderstanding of what submission is and obedience, and then also Peter here is the only like apostle that we for sure know of that was married. Correct. Um so you know, he's he knows what he's talking about. Yes. Right? Like, um no coincidence he's the one telling this message. Right, and and and so it's it's the idea that you are both fellow recipients of the Grace of. God, like he says, but sometimes you have to to remind each other of that. Like, hey, we're not on any disingenuous, like a lot of people come and have done marriage counseling and they say, Well, I don't like I've even been asked and specifically told to not use these verses in Christian weddings because women who have been abused by husbands who've beat them while saying, You must submit to me. So I understand that, but I still try and walk them through. I'd be like, that was not what this means.

SPEAKER_07 44:31

And that's what I was wanted to point all that out. That's what I wanted to point out.

SPEAKER_01 44:34

But Peter here calls for mutual submission. Yes. Not just lopsided. It's not the wife is just, oh, I'm gonna do whatever my husband's if your husband tells you to go, you know, wreck a bus of kids, you shouldn't do that. No. You know, or jump off a bridge. That but some people will think that.

SPEAKER_07 44:50

Yeah, and and again, that's exactly why I wanted to kind of hit hard on this part here is because it is a mutual uh it's a mutual life that you're living together. Each complements the other. And they're it it's not about like you said, submitting and being beaten by your husband saying that you have to submit, you have to obey. Because the man needs to play his part in a role too, which would be to protect her. He's not protecting her. He's not protecting her.

SPEAKER_04 45:19

No, you you're right, they're not following along. But at the same time, too, I I won't I brother I Christ is is our example. You should follow in his steps, who did no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth, who being reviled, was not reviling in return while suffering. He was uttering no threat, but kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously. So that does speak of uh a certain situation which I don't think we like to talk about. Um but husbands have a responsibility as well.

SPEAKER_07 46:14

So agree. And I I like that we went back to chapter two and read that because chapter said chapter three starts out in the same way. As in in the same way as Christ, agreed, as the same way as our Father in Heaven. So yeah, I I that it's very important chapters here in in particular, especially um coming from our Proverbs uh sessions that we had about you know the roles that we're supposed to take, which just means that this started way before the New Testament. You know, so I think that is very, very important. Um so with number eight, you can kind of keep reading there, Brian.

SPEAKER_04 47:00

Now to sum up, all of you be like-minded, sympathetic, brotherly, tender-hearted, and humble in spirit, not returning evil for evil, or reviling for reviling, but giving a blessing instead, for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. For the one who desires life to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil, and do good, he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears attend to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

SPEAKER_07 48:01

I like how uh in the LSB, in my particular one, this part is like all capital. From verse 10 through verse 12, it's all capital letters, you know, emphasizing you know that how important this thing is, you know, how important it is for these. But you know, and I'm gonna kinda go kind of silly here for a minute. It's too much, let me sum up. Indigo Montoya from Princess Bride. So as soon as it said now to sum up, the first thing that popped in my head was that's too much, let me sum up. Anyway, I thought that was fine. Too long didn't read. Um, but right there it is. All of you be like-minded, sympathetic, brotherly, tender-hearted, and humble in spirit. Uh, I I I want to make sure that we understand brotherly is I know it sounds like the masculine word, or it's taking on the masculine or whatever, but brotherly is all of us, men and women. You know what I'm saying? I I I I just don't want to m mistake that it's only talking about men here.

SPEAKER_01 49:08

Also, you're using a translation that up until the NIV revised itself in 2011, or revised itself. It was always just brothers, but literally the word is brothers and sisters. Yeah. But that word is Phylos, which means Philadelphia, the brotherly love. Yes. Four types of love.

SPEAKER_07 49:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 49:25

But yeah, so usually it is, it's never a unless it's a male specific, which you can tell, but in this case it is brotherly, sisterly love would also be an equal translation.

SPEAKER_07 49:35

Yeah, I just I see too many people using that as a weapon going back into the being obedient and all those other things, you know.

SPEAKER_01 49:43

So brotherly, I'm a woman, or you're a man, or we can't.

SPEAKER_07 49:48

Yeah. So I I just I just want to say that, but and how important that is. And we even talked about it and just kind of before we started reading it, you know, not returning evil for evil and not reviling for reviling. You know, we were talking about earlier that the Omaha thing, you know, we have to be brutally honest, but you also we know how heated conversations can get. Um and it talks about blessing instead, you are called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. But yeah, that's that's just gold right there.

unknown 50:21

Hmm.

SPEAKER_01 50:22

Because that comes straight out of the Sermon on the Mountains. Yeah. And Paul also says it. And Abigail and David, when David's gonna go kill the entire village because of Nabal, she basically says, What's the story you want to tell here? And that's very New Testament. Abigail is one of the most New Testament, Old Testament characters there is. Because she's like, Do you really want to repay evil for evil or insult with insult?

SPEAKER_07 50:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:46

It's not gonna work out the way you think.

SPEAKER_07 50:47

Yeah, and we've said that at the gathering to everybody that we've kind of had to de-escalate things. You really think this is gonna get better or worse? You really think you're gonna win in this exchange? There is no winner in the exchange. Right. You know. Evil is evil is evil. Alright, our next parakees is suffering for righteousness. Verse 13.

SPEAKER_04 51:14

And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good. But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear their fear, and do not be troubled. But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear, having a good conscience, so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. For it's better if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing good rather than for doing wrong. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that he might bring you to God. Having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, and which also he went and made proclamation of the spirit now in prison, who once were disobedient when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah. What do you think that means of God kept waiting in the days of Noah during the construction of the Ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water, corresponding to that baptism now saves you. Not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal of a good conscience to God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who uh who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to him.

SPEAKER_07 53:50

I think what you were talking about, Brian, is 19, in which also he went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison. That was after the crucifixion. And we know that he went into hell. Who once were disobedient with the patience of God kept waiting. I honestly had not read this part before. Or maybe I just didn't understand what I was reading at the time. No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_04 54:18

Like no, I I remember reading okay, so I I have once read a Bible cover to cover, and now I'm trying to piece it together because a lot of it is just like, okay, yeah, that's intangible. I don't I don't know what that means exactly. But I'm reading it. I'm reading it. This is lightning is gonna hit my brain, and and I'm gonna I'm gonna remember all these things. So yeah, no, uh no, that's that's very cool, very cool.

SPEAKER_07 54:43

Yeah, the the the imagery that we've used in our own kind of words and our own vernacular stuff that he went down there, kicked open the gates, took the keys and all that stuff, and here Peter says it.

SPEAKER_01 54:55

You know, and it's just It's the old original doctrine that the church doesn't well the Catholic and the Orthodox Church do, but it's called the harrowing of hell or Christus Victor, where Jesus descends into hell, does this, takes the keys, and then resurrection happens. Yeah. He leads these people out. So he's preaching to people who were condemned and now they're not. I can tell you, here's how you can tell, and this is just me as a minister speaking, if you go to a church and they skip this verse, you don't need to go to that church because they're shying away from a difficult text. Yeah. This is not an easy text. Yeah. Because it kind of smashes against the grain of a whole lot of preconceived notions.

SPEAKER_00 55:44

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:44

But this is actually the passage that convinced me that baptism was important.

SPEAKER_00 55:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:49

Well, right there, so the baptism now saves. But there are caveats because we can't make it like a supernatural like magician or ritual thing, because he says it's not the water removing the dirt. That's what I was going to say. It says right there. But just like Noah had to sit through the the days of flooding and water from all directions. Because if you read the account, it wasn't just like a hard rain that eventually flooded. It said it burst forth in the sky for the first time, the sky was opened. So you've got water, you know, it's forced to rain insideways. But like, it's one of those situations where just like that, that's how God now saves us. That's also, Paul used the exact same illustration talking about as Israel walked through the Red Sea, they were baptized into God.

SPEAKER_03 56:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:37

You know, so but baptism is a part of this and it's important, and you have to do that. Jesus says so, but also this interesting part about Jesus going into these places and preaching to these condemned souls and God setting them free. Do you know what comes from that that we rail against? It's a doctrine, it's called Purgatory. But I'm not saying that's what this is saying, but I'm saying this is where it's pulled from.

SPEAKER_07 57:05

Yeah, I mean, yeah, it's just I'm gonna say it, this these verses were metal. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 57:13

I'm wondering if these are the people, like the start of this is when Jesus dies, we see all these dead people get up and go back to Jerusalem. It says then all these holy people rose from the dead and went back into Jerusalem.

SPEAKER_07 57:25

I'm a firm, I'm a firm believer that that's when heaven started to have people. I'm a firm believer that heaven, its doors were open and people were allowed in after that moment. Like, I'm a firm believer that you are asleep until you're awake. I think you never go to sleep.

SPEAKER_08 57:48

I think you go to sleep. The physical body does, but you don't. I I would agree with that too. I would have to do it.

SPEAKER_07 57:57

Well, okay, so and this is where we get hung up, I think, and we talked about this. Like, time doesn't mean the same thing. Right. Stop thinking about linear time. You go to sleep, and when you wake up, you're in heaven. Okay? It doesn't matter that there's been 2,000 years. You know, like I I had a big problem when I first got baptized. That I was like, you know what, if if no one's in heaven yet until Jesus comes back again, then I want him to come back right now so that my grandpa is in heaven. Because he was a pastor and he did everything he could and he deserves to be in heaven. That's why I was like, bring it on now. I don't care if I'm ready to go.

SPEAKER_01 58:36

Theologically, is heaven or hell even open at this point? That's the other question. Because the revelation does otherwise. Agreed. And I'm on the the pre, like the Hadean realm, Sheol, and the Paradise and Tartarus scenario that the thief on the cross talks about, right? So something happens here where Jesus enters into the realm of the dead, and I don't think it's necessarily hell, because in Revelation it's very specific that Hades has to be thrown into the lake of fire first before hell is open. No. Hades? Okay. Yeah. Um and so it's and it this is such a weird theol weird thing because the Hebrew theology and the Jewish theology doesn't really talk about Hades, but it talks about a Sheol, but then we see the guy on the cross, and then we see the parable of the rich man of Lazarus. And while that is a parable, we can't take it literally, it does give credence to what they believe. So there is a holding place. So Paul says to be absent from the body is to be present from the Lord. So I believe the moment you die, you are with God. I would agree with you. I do not think you go to sleep.

SPEAKER_07 59:44

I would agree with that's how it feels.

SPEAKER_01 59:46

It might, I mean, I haven't experienced it, but look at and reading as much as I have on people. Um I think the moment like you never stop living. Like you don't ever cease to be cognizant. I don't believe that.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:01

Okay. And I I wouldn't argue that.

SPEAKER_08 1:00:03

Because I would say the body goes to sleep. Your cognitive No, the body doesn't go to sleep. The body dies.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:09

Well, yeah, okay, yeah. Because it has to die to be resurrected. Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:13

So your soul goes to be with the Lord and then is put back in your body at the second coming. That's when judgment day happens. Right. Right? And that's Scott's understanding, whether that's right or wrong. That's just where I'm at. One of the things that made it sleep for thousands, your body does, it rots and decays. Well, agreed, and and that's but like that you're not there. Yeah, yeah. So your body is not sleeping, it's dead.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:34

Yeah, yeah, I I yeah, I agree with that. And and what kind of made me start thinking about that is mom told me that when her dad passed away, he looked back at them and smiled real big and went into the room. And that was it. Like I he think he knew. I think he was completely aware, completely ready that this is what was gonna happen. He knew that he was gonna go in there and his body was gonna die and he was gonna be in heaven. But as far as the time frame period, I I I I don't want people to be hung up on that. Don't be hung up on how long it's been.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:08

There's something to be hung up on. I mean, you die and you're with God. Just like you are now. Oh, it's real your faith, you don't need faith or hope anymore because you're realized in that moment, right? Right. Um that's why the greatest is love. And again, these are things that get debated since Christianity has been a thing in before.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:26

But you know, um your body dies, you're immediately with God. What does that look like? I don't know, but it's gonna be awesome. And then the resurrection happens, and you either rise to eternal life one way or rise to condemnation the other. But either way, you're resurrected. And that means the final destination, that's a good point, if you want to call it that, is a physical, tangible place in which your actual body goes. Okay. But Jesus shows us the glorified state uh of that body because when they came back, they they can see him, like the the nails and the scars and all that. He never changes appearance at all. Um, you know, there were moments where he masked himself like on the road to Emmaus, but I'm pretty sure he probably just had a cloak on, you know, and then took his own. That's yeah, yeah. I mean, I never thought about it. Because those people, or else there was a supernatural thing where Jesus did temporarily blind them that he may explain the word to them.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:23

Do you ever see you ever seen like a comedy uh film where where uh somebody is kind of distraught and they're not paying attention? Oh yeah. Because especially with everything going on, yeah, he has died. They're they are they're look they're uh their entire world is shattered. It's shattered, yeah. So again, and and then in the in the comedy film when the when the you know the person comes up and is like, no, no, I'm st I'm thinking about uh wrongest, you know, he's he's he's uh you know it's and then look Rongus? That was you're just like you're you're speaking to him the entire time of an adult dialogue, and it's just like yeah Why do you guys say it?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:09

Yeah, or like Mary and the Gardener. She's like, she spoke to the gardener and said Mary, but it's like obviously she was so greedy, but it was also dark, and you know the sun was coming up, so there's a whole lot in play when you're not paying attention, you're just assuming.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:23

Yeah, that was actually a question posted this week in our our group chat. Uh Jacob was asking about it. And I didn't think about the fact that what you said, like he could have just been wearing like how many times you just see guys put on a hoodie or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:37

You know, specifically when they did like Jupiter shawls or phylactery.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:41

Yeah, it's not like he's about their whistling through his holes in his in his wrist or nothing. Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:46

You know.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:50

Like a gym carrying everyone. Right, yeah. But we also see a lot in that particular time where he is doing things that are more above the human abilities. Only when called for. Agreed. He's not like walking on water.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:06

But he could have done that anytime through lockdoors. Yeah.

unknown 1:04:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:11

You know, like that kind of thing. But also so could Philip that the Holy Spirit enabled him to teleport to Gaza and then into Samaria. Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:27

Yeah. He had those powers all along, but it wasn't the right time.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:32

Well, in Philippians 2, uh, five through seven, I believe, or five through eleven, is what's called the Christ hymn. It's the earliest hymn of the Christian church. Like, let your mind be the same as that of Christ Jesus who humbled himself. You know, Jesus did empty himself of some of his abilities to become human. Well, agree. Otherwise, he could not. That's what I was trying to say in the group chat. Like, read Hebrews. Right. Like it literally tells you step by step how Jesus never loses his humanity or divinity. Yeah. Because that's what makes him the intercessor, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:04

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:04

Um there's one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ the righteous. That's what Paul says. But here it's so neat to see Jesus descending into the realm of the people who totally thought they were gone forever. And Jesus leads a train of captives out of Hades or whatever thing. He doesn't care. He's like, I don't care about your little theology box. Oh, you think this is too Catholic or too Lutheran or too wrong as the third church of Nazareth grows, you know. Um you think that, but it says it. And if an apostle writes this, it is true. He lived with Jesus. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:43

Yeah. His credibility is unknown.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:46

But he also rejected Jesus. Like I said in the Sermon today, like that Josiah Queen song, Judas. Oh, yeah. Peter did it for free. We get on Judas who had a bad result, but Peter's heart was different because he repented, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:57

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:57

But Peter did the same thing Judas did before. For free. Yeah. And that's why I think Jesus has this moment where he's got to like look Peter in the eye so many times, like at that moment, the rooster crows, or feed my sheep three times. I know you love me. And Peter's like, oh, but in this moment, Jesus goes to the realm of the dead and pulls out the condemned and leads them out.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:21

And how much on par is that with his life, his living thing? It's exactly what he did in the end.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:26

He walks into the synagogue and reads from Isaiah, and you know, as Luke records that the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, to release the captives, to lead a train out of prisoner, to give sight to the blind. And he then he looks up in the synagogue and goes, In your hearing today, now, this scripture is fulfilled. Yeah. Then the scene about them wanting to take him to the brow of the town and stone, you realize what he's like, he does not care. Like he's here to tell you the truth.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:58

Yeah. And uh and we have found out that sometimes the truth is strange.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:03

Stranger than fiction. Well, it also hurts. Boy, that, yeah, but also like, what in the world it goes to? This is up there with Psalm 81 where God has a divine counsel.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:12

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:13

And it's like, what? And that goes right into this whole. Like, there are things in the Bible you're this gave me so much trouble. I was trying to focus on baptism writing this paper and disproving it, and I kept wanting to get dragged into this. Like, what do you mean?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:28

People he went down and like did the thing that he's not supposed to be able to do.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:33

Well, was there anything they're not supposed to be able to do? Well, in in in our nice doctrinal theologies and you know, systems of beliefs, and what does A.W. Toeser call them, our little departments of theology.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:43

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:44

We have made it so God can only do X, Y, and Z. Yeah, never mind. But it's like Jesus looks at your box and blows it up.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:52

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. What was it? We were we were at the Renew thing, and that was one of the things that it talked about. It's uh hills to die on. Yep. And the other one was I think the guy said that uh our brain crashes and breaks up on the shores of the eternal life that we are promised. Like our brain no our he said it last night, it was so funny. Um uh that Bobby guy at uh gathering celebrated said last night, our brains, what's it made out of? Dirt. You know, and technically he's right. We were all you know started from dust, you know. And what is this four-pound gray matter or gray pile of goop actually know or understand? But not really. But it has to be tempered.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:40

Yeah, like it it's but how did how did we come to to learn these things?

SPEAKER_01 1:08:47

I think they already existed in there, and then God sent people to reinforce the things in which the world tried to erase.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:53

I've heard that theory too, that the reason that we can't communicate as children is because we know everything already.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:01

I just think it's more simple. That's why Jesus says we've got to be that way. Like, why is it so hard for you to believe that what Jesus said was true? Yeah. That's like, and I'm gonna talk like a sermon preview for next week. What percentage would you be okay with knowing that God loved you? Like, would 90% be enough to know that you're saved? Would 70%? Would a hundred even be enough? Oh, that was something somebody actually asked why was wrong. It doesn't matter my percentage. Jesus says I am. Therefore, I am. And nothing will take that away.

SPEAKER_07 1:09:32

Yeah. Yeah, and I I don't I can't remember who we were talking to. Was talking about that. Like, you know, how how sure of you yourself that you are saved? And most people don't have the answer that they should.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:45

They say, I hope. I hope. No, you don't hope. John says, I write this to you, my beloved children, that you may know that you are saved.

SPEAKER_07 1:09:54

And I've actually fought with that myself. Like, I've had people that to me seemed overconfident that they were going to be in heaven. And I was like, I have no idea.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:04

If you were to be overconfident in anything, that's it.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:07

Like Paul said, boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yeah. That's it. Yeah. I am going to heaven. Not because of anything I did. No. Not because I deserved to be there. Yes. But because God Himself saved me.

SPEAKER_07 1:10:21

Listening to the radio this week at work, and I listened to that Christian station. And just so many of the songs that I listen to, I'm actually listening to the lyrics. I'm actually hearing them. And I'm and I'm kind of playing them through my head, and I'm like, I couldn't earn it.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:36

No.

SPEAKER_07 1:10:37

I don't deserve it. There's nothing more I can do. God, you even said it today. There's nothing that you can do that is going to make God love you more than he does right now. That's actually a song.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:49

You ever heard of Julian of Norwich? Probably not, because I don't know why you would be. You haven't gone. So anyway, there were these things in England, like in the in the right when the Catholic Church kind of began to get over into England towards the end of the Roman Empire, they were called. I forget what they were called, it just left my head. But anyway, these women would devote themselves to God by just basically they would build an underground box and on the side of the church and just enough air for them to see outside and converse with people. And they denied themselves most food and stuff like that. And kings and like the rulers and the people of the town will come and talk to these, like, I don't know if they were nuns or whatever, but they were very devoted holy women to God. And Julian of Norwich's most famous saying as a ruler came with great worry was, All is well, and all will be well because all is well.

SPEAKER_07 1:11:39

I've heard that before.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:41

In the context of that is because Jesus said, All will be well. Yeah. All will be well.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:46

Think about that for a minute. Like, what can I say to to undo the words of the one who weave together everything? Like my little words could just screw up everything. Like, I am not that power. Like, how arrogant do I have to be to think I could wreck God's plan? But that doesn't mean that doesn't but again, as a Christian, you learn that doesn't give me a license to just run amok doing whatever and I'm saved. You know, I have to bear fruit in keeping with repentance, but that's something that God does through me as a sanctification process.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:18

I've been wrestling with that idea a little bit, and we talked about it too, Brian. Um and we talked about it should I go on sinning to reconfirm my salvation, and that was a no, a big negative on that. You don't keep sinning so your salvation is stronger because you keep getting forgiven and forgiven over and over again. But I'm a firm believer in the fruits and stuff are because of the transformation. Only because you're again, we said earlier, you're not gonna fake out God. And you will be transformed, or you're just faking it. And I wasn't looking for fruit.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:02

I found them. Yeah. That that that's that's that's what it was. Yeah. I I had a situation where I by my uh normal standards, by my mind, I I was just to be angry, and I was just to hurt a man. That's what I would have done. And I didn't. Not only did I not do that, but I had peace and patience in that situation. And I was like, where did that come from?

SPEAKER_07 1:13:36

And that's that's the spirit, brother. That's that's what it is. And I want to say that because we talked about it at lunch today. Where did that come from? Yeah. Realize that if something like that, something profound. That isn't me. That's not you, that's the Holy Spirit. Don't deny the Holy Spirit. Don't take credit for anything the Holy Spirit did. Understand and realize that you were prepped and prepared and given that so that you can deal with those situations. I'm gonna recall recall back to when we came in today from lunch. Uh, we knew that we were gonna help Christy downstairs. And I walked in, and and and I don't mean this in a disrespectful or mean way. It's just because of my journey. I walked in, I seen the commotion, the chaos. I don't want anything to do with that. No, not at all. I smiled. I was happy, I was joyful. Not because there was chaos, but I'm gonna go to say that look what we have. Look at the life. Look at the life that we have. I watched the rack fall over. I watched it, and I smiled and laughed. Not because it was funny, because it was, but I knew that you were gonna be upset. I knew that you were gonna be like, I hate it here, and you were gonna walk away. But the truth is, what a blessing it is to have that. Agreed. I was so grateful to that we were working on stuff to be prepared for VBS. Yes, you know, it we take all these things for such granted. And now that I'm stepped back away from all those things, it's like what a blessing it is to be aggravated or upset about being blessed. You know, it's like I'm aggravated, I'm upset, like my job. Like I was it was a hard week, it was a hot week.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:26

Uh brother, no, sorry. It also just came to mind too uh the the tribe that you were you were with me at the gathering and I'm chasing that man around, he's cursing me up one side on the other, and I'm just like, I appreciate you, brother. That's what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:46

That's right, yeah. I appreciate you. And that's what I do now.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:50

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I could not be in that situation. I could not be there to serve or to help, or you know, my situation can be reversed. I could be in that situation, I could be the one cussing at you, Brian. Instead, I'm here to be able to see it, and and I said it in Facebook this week. I am so grateful that God has placed us in a position that I can be a part of what he's doing and understand that it is him doing it, it's not me. Because I definitely would not have chosen to do some of the things that I've done over the last couple years. It's just that I had a lesson to be learned, I learned it, and now God is in complete control. I stopped driving a car a long time ago. You know, and it's just been awesome that I can sit back and see the chaos. I used to like the chaos because it was fun.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:43

But then you also probably remember why it's chaos as a younger father. Yes. But I am ultimately grateful for it at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_07 1:16:54

Yeah, you know, we get flustered, and you said you you know you lost your cool the other night, and again, these things are gonna happen, and it's it's just a product of being human and dealing with human things. You know, but in the end, I know your heart, I know your heart, and I know that you're thankful and you're grateful for those things. I know where you've come from, I've known where you've come from, you know, and we see the transformation that's happening in our little town with the people that have had you know bad and runs, they've made bad decisions, but we've also seen where God has stepped in and they've allowed God to take their take take on them and and to grow them and to show them the right way. It's just such a blessing to have those things and to be a part of those things. And the fact that again this journey of life is just it's an amazing journey to be able to to see and experience uh to to be a dad, to be a husband, to be a brother, to be a uh an uncle for that matter, or a grandolf, or whatever it is, you know. Um it it's not a poop hall. A poop all, yeah. It's not a it's not a mistake, it's not bad design. It's it's it's all for a purpose. And it's that way so that we understand what the purpose is. Our father in heaven, and we become dads and husbands and brothers and broth and love one another. Yeah, it's just it I don't know. I just my my world has changed so much in the last five years and I am so grateful and thankful for it. I I really am. It's just been such an awesome experience. Even though there was bad times, even though there was troubles, even though there was rocky waters. Scott was there with me through 'em, you know? Um so yeah, it's just remember that if you're going through a hard season, there's a reason for it. And you need to be open and willing to learn for that reason and learn from those mistakes and look towards your father in heaven. That's the light, that's the sun, that's that's what you go towards. And as stubborn humans, we have to be beat on the head or broken shoulders in my case. Actually, it started with a broken foot for me, and then it went to a broken shoulder, and that's when I finally Alright, I'm done. You got it. I quit. Check.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:23

But then we're hit with these verses that remind us something that this weird theological thing in this book is there and God did it, and we don't get to say, nah, God, that doesn't fit with what I believe. Yeah. And he's not gonna be like, oh, here's a different translation from you. You can feel better about yourself. You know, it's like Jesus will do what Jesus will do, and there's nothing I can do to stop that, nor anything I would like to do to stop that. So perhaps one of the greatest things, maybe full circle, of me becoming honest in prayer is just admitting that maybe when I pray I don't fully know what I'm praying. You know, I don't, I don't, and then knowing and leaning into the idea that God prays for me when I don't even know what to pray through the Holy Spirit in my heart. I mean, how wild is that? Like, that takes away all the if God truly was as wrathful as people seem to think he is, and yes, there is a a just and righteous part of God that he is entitled to. But like, if he was really as mean as people, do you think he's gonna pray for me while I'm actively hurting him? Why would he send his only son? Do you think he's gonna die for me when he knows? Like, like, do you think I'm gonna derail that by again, it's it's not that we should continue and send the grace may abound, but it's like stop viewing this as a system of credits and debits. It's been credited to you as righteousness. There is no debit for you. You did nothing. There's nothing you can do. And so walk in that. Have that clean conscience before God. You know, bring it to the Lord. Because he took the thing that is the worst-case scenario for human beings, which is death, and made it the door to eternal life. The thing that we're most afraid of. And even in Hebrews it says that Paul echoes this in the writer of Hebrews says that the Son of God came to destroy the work of the devil, which held men, or under the tyranny of the devil, which held men and women in captive for the fear of death. You know, and so Jesus got rid of that. How does he do it? He walks in and releases the people who are already up there from. Like, if you think you've had a bad day. You think Jesus is like, oh, I'm really glad for this three-day nap I get. No, he didn't nap. No, he didn't. What the hell? Yeah. Or whatever, where she hole and knocked people out, took the keys, kicked the door open, and said, Follow me. And they did. He said, No, brother.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:55

He looked at him. No, brother. No brother. No, brother.

SPEAKER_08 1:21:59

Ah, darn it.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:01

Serve brother.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:02

And then we look at this and we're like. And I think every Christian. Let me finish what I'm saying first before you jump down my theological throat. Good preface. I've been a preacher long enough to know that. Uh to say that. I think every Christian ultimately, if you truly love Jesus, and I'm not saying that in a here's a litmus test kind of situation of who's in and who's out, but if you truly give your heart to the Lord, you truly seek to him, I think every one of us is a hopeful universalist. Meaning, I hope everyone is saved. Okay. I'm not going to walk into heaven, you know, and be like, that guy's here? I'm out. I haven't actually said that. How can I say that? How can I be there's a whole parable about that. Now I understand there are people and there is other things Jesus teaches, but I'm not going to get to heaven and be mad if when John says Jesus saved the world from their sins, meaning all of humanity, that he literally meant that. I'm not going to be mad because I I'm not going to be the older brother and be like, well, I became a minister and I worked in the church and I'm better than this guy who came in in the 11th hour and he just gets to be here or be in the same room with this guy. It is a parable about that. Yeah, it's parable of the unmerciful servant. Yeah. But like, and then the parable of the 11th hour, but like, I'm not going to get mad. Like, people are like, how could you want to go to heaven with like Adolf Hitler or Jeffrey Dahmer?

SPEAKER_00 1:23:26

Because that means grace really does exist. What it's supposed to do. Brother, I'm going to be there with Ronga Steve. Yeah. My name may be changed to Ron Gustav.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:38

Because in Revelation it says God will give you a white stone with your true name written on it only he, and you will know. Maybe mine's going to be Ronus Stevens.

SPEAKER_07 1:23:46

Dude, that would wow. I would I'd probably come back to life after that.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:54

Only if Brian's still alive.

SPEAKER_07 1:23:55

Only if Brian's still alive.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:57

You believe this? Brian would be like, yes, brother.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:03

But it's just wild to think, like, we don't know anything of grace or holiness. No. We've only dipped the tip of our pinky toe into the sea. Yes. And when it overwhelms us at the point of death, of earthly death, and we transition into eternal life in its fullest measure, we will be drowned and overwhelmed by something we've never been capable of understanding.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:29

I think that's probably why God only lets us uh uh use 25% of our brain right now. The other 25% is or the other. I'm about to say 75% is West Virginian Maths. That's all West Virginia Maths is a blue screen of death when numbers are involved. Um my computer restarts, but you know, it's just God is going God's here to save, like to make better, to fix, not to damn, and he's not here to hate everyone. Sure, there is righteous judgment, and you can't offend God, and I have, and we have all been sinners, but I'm no longer a sinner. Sure, I fall prey to sin, but I'm working towards Jesus is working a sanctification in me and giving me grace more and more every day that I might grow in that and walk towards him. And all the asses that I keep getting back up.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:23

Yeah. Like I'm not really worried who's gonna be in heaven.

SPEAKER_07 1:25:27

Like, I'm just gonna be glad to get there. I'm not either anymore. I used to be angry anymore. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:31

I I used to say foolish things like that as well, too.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:34

I did.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:34

I did.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:35

Like if they're gonna be there, I don't want to be there. Well, Jesus says if you've ever said anything in anger to your brother or sister, you're actually also a murderer. Yeah. So everybody's a killer. I I mean, yeah. I mean, when you look at the way he said it, he kind of makes it clear cut, like, and that's what that's about. He goes, he says, You've heard it said, but I'm gonna tell you what was originally intended and how you misinterpreted over the years. Yeah, like if you don't have to kill someone with a knife to be a murderer, you can kill them with your words.

SPEAKER_07 1:26:00

Yeah, like if you lust for somebody, you might as well have done. You've had sex with them. Yeah, and we get I get it now.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:26:07

You know, it's it but it's not again, grace abounds. You were somewhere, where were you at?

SPEAKER_04 1:26:15

Well, no, it's it's that theory I was sharing with you earlier that I might share after.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:21

He doesn't want you to think he's unorthodox on the podcast. Not just true.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:27

I got a lot of those moments too, so that I get it. Yeah, yeah. All right, so I think that's a good one for us. Okay. We got a lot like that. Maybe next time we can pack unpack this and go into the going into prison gives us a week to think about. You're right, you're right, right. It's it's uh that's probably a good call.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:46

Yeah. All right. Um yeah, uh uh I'll apologize again for being a little scatterbrained.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:53

Uh but uh uh I do I do have my moments, unfortunately. So you're like me, you've got 63,000 browser tabs open, seven hamps are spinning, and you forgot which one you were supposed to focus on, then you found it again and found three more you really wanted to focus on and lost them too. It's true. My hamster's dead. I wish mine would be dumb.

SPEAKER_07 1:27:16

But I got like seven of them. It's just thumping every time we go to the top fall down.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:28

You alright? Okay, you want to praise South Scott. Sure. Our Father, we stand with the tax collector in the parable you tell Lord Jesus that all we can say is, have mercy on us, Lord Jesus, sinners. We're not even worthy to look up to you, but you have made us different. You have changed our name, you have called us your beloved, you have given us your grace. And Father, um I pray for your body, the church, to be restored to its full unity, that we would be the answer to Jesus' prayer the night before he died when he prayed that we may all be one as you and him and the spirit are one. Father, make us one. Help us to not have uniformity but unity. Help us to love one another. Help us to realize that sometimes you bring things in our life to work around and difficulties and chaos and frustration and anger to teach us how to respond and to teach us how to be better and to teach us to think about how we respond to things. Help us, Lord, to be slow uh to anger. Um help us to submit to one another in our relationships in marriage and in the church and to one another, and help us to outserve one another and outlove one another, not because it earns us points with you, but because your extravagant love gives us no other choice. Father, we love you, we give you glory, and we praise you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.