Strange People With Strange Ways

Transcript

Pastor Rickey Dixon 0:01

Good morning, everyone. So glad that you have joined me again for our Sunday conference line services. This being the first Sunday of the month of September. So glad. Each first Sunday, I try to pray that the Holy Ghost leads me and give me a pastoral type message that can feed the people of God in a special way. This morning, I just thank God. We're getting ready to receive the word. Get somewhere, sit down, be still so you can receive the word. Don't be about doing stuff just because I can't see you. God see you. Sit down somewhere and receive the word. Don't be walking around. Give God's word the same honor you will give Him. Because you just might miss something if you don't that you need to hear. This morning, our message. I'm going to talk about a group of people that is not of this, they're not of this world. They're in the world, but they're not of this world. I'm talking about you and I. But there's a certain specific area I want to launch off into concerning us. How it may appear that we are strange to the world, strange to others. And I'm going to point this out. The reason that may be is because now that we have become the children of God, the sons and daughters of God, we do things totally opposite, or we should do things totally opposite from the way the world does things, from the way the secular world does things, society does things, which is going to make us seem strange in their eyes, but not strange in the eyes of God. This morning, I'm going to try to cover as much of this material as I can. Speaking on strange people with strange ways. See, when it comes to us living and dwelling among people, we all have had incidents and situations of just how our lives have been altered and affected by the things that people have done towards us. And some of the things they've done done to us. Now I know that many of us have wondered why it is that some people we know treat us the way that they do. I'm okay. We have wondered as to why is that they have done us the way that they have done us, while we have done nothing but good towards them, or tried our best to do right by them and do good towards them. We as human beings, we want people to treat us right. That's that's part of human nature. Don't I want to just from with the right mind wants nobody to mistreat them? We want to be treated right. And we feel that if we are attempting to treat them right, then we deserve for them to do us right. Now, while that may sound fair enough, let me help you this morning. The reality is being treated right or being treated how we feel we should be treated, it may never come to us. Hallelujah. Not from other people, it may never come. We can live out our entire existence before the Lord calls us home or before we fall asleep, and may have never been treated how you feel you deserve to be treated, especially now that you have become a child of God. And I know that may be hard for a lot of people to grasp. You mean I can be untreated people right all my life, but none of that right treatment could come my way? Yes, that's possible. But we can't let that deter us from us doing what's right. It may never come, and it may never be realized in the lives of those who would be God's people. I'm telling you now, did I say we're talking more about strange people with strange ways? When the world sees things that's strange, they tend to do ugly things toward them because when something is strange to most people, they misunderstand it. Or they feel it necessary to come against it. Because you're strange, you don't act like the people in the world, you don't talk like us around here. See, God in his word never promises us that this world and its inhabitants would treat us with respect or do right by us. He ain't never promised us that. Matter of fact, he quite the contrary. We're gonna do some suffering, we're gonna be persecuted, we're gonna be talked about, we're gonna be humiliated, we're gonna be disrespected. I mean, and sometimes you keep living, sometimes that's gonna be harshly. But again, I say we cannot allow that to deter us from doing what's right. Because one thing I want to strive this morning is we who are people that are strange to the world, we're not doing right because of them. We do right because this is what our Father requires of us. Not because of them. Because a lot of people get it twisted. Well, I'm gonna do, I'm gonna treat you right as long as you treat me right, and that's why a lot of marriages come up with problems because we feel if they're holding back, treating me right, I can hold back from treating them right. But I'm here to tell you, you are wrong in the eyes of God. He never promised that nobody was gonna treat you right. If you're looking to be treated right, look to Jesus. He never promised that, but he has, however, instructed us in his word of how we should respond towards them as being children of the most high God. He do tell you how you should respond to it. We cannot dictate, we cannot program people and how they treat us. You can't make folks stop talking about you, you can't make folks respect you, but it's how we respond to all of that negative stuff that they try to spew our way. See, this is where our focus should be as the people of God. Because Jesus will show us that our focus should not be on them of who may never do rightly towards us, but on him who has instructed us in how to respond to the mistreatment and the disrespect. This is an area which we will need a lot of the Lord's strength. Trust me on this. You go, it's gonna take the Lord's strength for a lot of us to do that, especially us colored folks. We love getting folks told. We love tit for tat. We love arguing the point, we love demanding respect, and if we don't get it, we feel we are in the right to handle it how we see fit. This is an area we're gonna leave the Lord's strength to overcome. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I say it again. This is an area which we will need a lot of the Lord's strength to overcome and humble ourselves to the accepting. Because in this message this morning, Jesus is going to teach us that we are God's people, and we as God's people are yet obligated to do right towards the many that will treat us wrong and show contempt towards us. A lot of it's gonna come out of your own house, a lot of it's gonna come around your own people, but we see in that still doing what's right, Spirit, there's something within that you got to protect and you got to always be mindful of, and that is your witness. Hallelujah. See, in this place of obedience towards God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we will be seen by others as being a strange people with strange ways. We will come to know and accept the knowledge that we are here for the Lord's pleasure. See, a lot of people miss that and forgot all about that. You we are not here because of ourselves. God did not allow us to come into existence and place us here on this earth for us to be willing-nilling, doing how we want to do and living like we want to live. If he has allowed us to be born and come into this world, I guarantee you his plan and purpose was for his pleasure. You are you and I are here for his pleasure. What I'm talking about to do his will, to serve him. I tell, I'll give you some book, I'm gonna give you the book in a minute. We're here for the Lord's pleasure, and his pleasure is that we live our lives according to his will and his way. Let me give you some books because some people don't believe this. We're here for the Lord's thing. Paul had to tell the church in Philippi this. Now, whether they got it, I don't know. And whether you get this morning, I don't know. I hope you do. But this is what he says. I'm gonna give them two verses. But in that second chapter of Philippians verse 13 and 14, he says, For it is God, hallelujah, hallelujah. He tells you who it is, it is God who worketh in you. Hallelujah. What God doing in me working both to will and to do of his good pledge. Come on now. I'm getting you the book, and you need to receive the book, for it is God which worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pledge. Okay, when you grab that and accept that, then you can do verse 14. Do all things without murmuring and disproven. Now that you know you're here for the pleasure of God and you got to take some things, you got to be persecuted, you got to be mistreated, he wants you to do go through all of that without complaining, without murmuring, without arguing, without acting ugly, without you allowing the things that people do, pull you into and put you on their level. I see that so I see that so often. People get into one another, and you let somebody pull you and you lower yourself to get on their level. You ain't got to sit there and argue with nobody. You shut your mouth. Not because you're scared of them, but because you're mindful of who you serve and you want to stay obedient to God. Yeah, they arguing, cussing, and calling you out your name and talking to you rough. Okay. Very soon, hush. I tell you what, when you get time, see some of y'all give y'all a book because we need books. When you get time, read Proverbs, and you'll see what Solomon said. Where no wood is, the fire goes out. What are you talking about, Solomon? You keep putting wood on the fire, they don't know why. Stop putting wood on it, and center yourself, focus yourself that you are doing the will of God. And if this person ran his mouth at you, persecuting you verbally, you still must do right. Even when those words are hurting. I know that's another whole nother level for some people, but I'm telling you, this is what we got to get to. Yeah, they say hurt for faith. Yeah, we still got feelings, but focus on the Lord. Come on now. The Bible still says look to Jesus, keep looking at Jesus. I have been talked to so rough at times over the years, y'all. And before I let myself get pulled into something of the verbal ugliness, I will center myself and pray within myself that the Lord will give me strength to endure this. And I'm gonna tell you why we got to do it in a few minutes when I get to. But I want you to first, I want you to understand that while we're here, we're here for the Lord's pleasure. Strange people with strange ways are on this earth for the pleasure of God, for it is God which works in you. You've got to always be mindful of who it is working in you, who living in you. Now, some of us ain't got God in them. Come on now, let's be honest. Because some of the things we do and some of the way we act, stop lying on God because that ain't how God acts, and that ain't how Jesus acts. But for those of you whom God is working in, you need to understand He's trying to work His will in you for His good pleasure. God likes getting pleasure out of our lives when we live around. God gets pleasure out of people that live it righteously. God gets pleasure out of people that live it holy. That pleasures him. Because when you live in holy, when you live it righteously, when you walk in this obedience, when you follow his instructions and keeping his commandments, that pleases God. I'll tell you why. Because in that he sees you living like he wants you to live and not how you want to live. Do all things without murmuring and dispute. I ain't gonna complain. I don't fix my mind to complain. No, but I've been stopped there at Fuchin's years ago. Don't do no complain. I don't care how bad it gets. Ain't gonna be no complaining. Ain't gonna bring no penny parties and murmuring. Well, I ain't got to take that out of nobody. Well, I got to go there. Shut your mouth. Jesus is going to teach us this morning that we are required to treat everyone as we ourselves want people to treat us. He's gonna teach you this morning. Even if they never do. See, while we're waiting around for some people to come to themselves, come around, well, one day they're gonna they're gonna uh they're gonna treat me right. Well, don't I wouldn't bank on that. Yeah, it's good if they do, but I'm saying ain't no guarantees here. Except the one God promised. He is going to, Jesus this morning message, Jesus is going to teach us this morning that we must yet do unto others in a godly manner, showing in our behavior how we want them to do unto us. Other words, the way you want to be treated, here's the thing that's that makes us part of our lives strange. We ought to treat people like we want to be treated. Other words, you want to see yourself treated right? You first got to be seen in the eyes of God. Treating others like you want to be treated, talking to others like you want to be talked to. See, we got a problem with that. When the last time you talked to somebody in a manner like you want to be talked to? Hold on. You ever wonder why we being talked to the way we talked to? It could be that's the way we we projecting ourselves to others. And you just getting it back by reaping what you sow us. See, and for many of us, this will have to be done from a heart that's those of us who really are trying to do what's right, trying to live a whole life, we're gonna have to do this, what God has asked us to do, from a heart that is already hurting and broken. From the many years of being mistreated, you still got to do what's right, even without your heart hurting and your chest aching, from the many years of enduring the heart pain, hallelujah, hallelujah, caused by them that have shown themselves to hate us and show themselves to be our enemies. In so doing, we will appear strange to many. That's all right, let them think we're strange, and be totally misunderstood by all who lack the mind of Christ. They can't understand you, you strange, but you you strange according to the will of God. Let me get some books, let me get some more books. Peter said this, and then I hope this helps somebody in that fourth chapter of 1 Peter, verse 4, then I'm gonna skip to verse 12, then I'm gonna uh do verse 13. These three verses. This is what he said. He said, Wherein they think it's strange that you run not with them? See how people say because you don't do what they do, run around in the circles they run around in, engage in the gossiping groups like they. He said, Wherein they think it's strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot. And when they see you don't live like that, they're gonna speak, the Bible says, speaking evil of you. They're gonna speak wrong of you. There's something wrong with her. It's from wrong with him. They don't act like normal people. See, the world thinks sinning is normal. See, the world thinks unrighteousness is normal. And when they see someone in this world who don't engage in stuff like that, they're gonna think you're strange. People trying to help us. First, let's go skip to verse 12 and 13. He said, Beloved, thinking not strain. Now, don't you start thinking of yourself the way they think of you. Now, some people get caught up, well, you they say I'm stupid, maybe I am stupid. They say I'm ugly, maybe I am ugly. No, don't you grab a hope to the mindset of what they're trying to project on you. Loose him. Don't let the world, the sinners of this world, and the children of the enemy dictate to you who you is. Know who you are. Beloved, think it not. Peter, he's gonna help us. Think it not strange concerning the fiery trials, which is to try you. As though some strange things happen to you. It ain't strange because the Lord has already told us if we read the book. He said we're gonna be treated like this. Ain't that strange happening? This is what's supposed to happen. I know that sounds stupid. The still can tell y'all this is supposed to happen. Yes, I'm telling you. Because I'm strange, I'm already on this train. That's on strange cause of the word. What's happening to us is nothing strange when it comes to being a child or a son and daughter of God. This ain't strange why we're being treated. This is not strange how we're being talked about. This ain't strange how we're being misunderstood. No, it don't feel good, but it ain't strange. Verse 13. But instead Instead of you concerning yourself because the trial is fire, what you're going through is heated. Your faith got to be tried. I told you, I didn't mention one up three years ago. Our faith got to be tried in the fire, y'all. These are just tests. And we're gonna have to take some of these tests. Instead of being concerned about how hot the situation is, the fiery trial, the way Peter put it. He says this, but rejoice. Come on now. You worry about the wrong thing. If you get out of if we get out of focus on God and what's really happened for our lives and know it and accept that this got to happen and this for the Lord's pleasure, and we realize the reward that's waiting on us, you ain't just going through this for nothing. God got a reward waiting on us. And I told y'all, Jesus said he's gonna, when he comes, he's bringing it with him. When he busts through the cloud, he bringing the rewards with him. So don't think you're going through this for nothing. Which is why Peter and even James talked about it. Well, you can rejoice. If you got your mind on the right thing, he says, but rejoice. In as much as ye are partakers of Christ's suffering, you are we all be rejoicing, knowing that the Lord done counted us worthy to suffer with his only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You need to rejoice because we've taken part in what Jesus went through. That's what we mean by partaker of his suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed, I mean when he gets him, we may be glad also with exceeding joy. Because the reward we've been waiting on, the reward we've been suffering for, the persecution that we have to endure, we are now finna be blessed and rewarded for hanging in there. Now I'm finna lay a foundation. The next few scriptures, it's gonna be Jesus talking. Because he's trying to help us. To accept the fact that we are strange people with strange ways. I mean, when the world look at that, in his eyes, you ain't strange. We are never gonna be seen as strange in the eyes of God and in the eyes of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But we since we in this world but not of this world, the world is gonna see us as strange people with strange ways. Because simple fact is, because we ain't living like they live. We ain't doing like they doing. And when you ain't part of the clique, the clique gonna think you're strange. When you ain't part of the majority, the majority gonna think something wrong with the minority. But let them think what they want to say. You focus on doing right. And he who has called you to live this lifestyle. Let Jesus talk to us. In the book of Luke. Let's see what Jesus is talking about. In the book of Luke, that's six chapters. One, two, three, four, five verses. Chapter six, Luke. Verse 27, 28. Then I'm gonna skip to 31, 32, 33. Hallelujah. And when I get to 31, that's gonna be the crust of today's message. He says this in verse 21, Luke 6, 21, 27. I'm sorry. Luke 6, 27. He said, but I say, Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Unto you, which hear. Anybody on here want to hear this morning? You got ears to hear. Jesus said, I say unto you which hear. Now everybody can't hear this. Because everybody ain't ready to receive it. But for those of us who can hear the truth of Jesus and His word, he says, Love your enemies. Oh Lord. Jesus, come on now. Do good to them which hate you. The old folks used to use, I know some of them still say, two wrongs don't make no right. And just because you've been done wrong and you can categorize certain people in your lives as enemies, you still don't have the right in the eyesight of God to hate them. Did I tell y'all? One reason why we're strange, because we do the opposite. When we are hated, listen to me. When we are hated, then we are supposed to love as the opposite of hate. When our enemies hate us, when our wives and husbands hate us, when our children hate us and aunties and uncles them, we are to show love. Tell us to explain this in a few minutes, because we need to understand the love that Jesus is talking about. Ain't got nothing to do with your emotions. That ain't gonna get you nowhere. But I say unto you, which here, love your enemies. Do good, do right to them, which hate you. And you know they hate you. You know they enemy, but you still gotta do what's right. Let us understand the love which Jesus is speaking. Let's understand this first. This is not an emotional love. And that's one area I pray that, Lord, we as saints of God, we as children of God, I pray that we come out of that dilemma. In the thinking that our emotion is the same as the love of God, and it's not. God is not asking us to love with an emotional love. You can't trust emotions. You can't put your faith in your emotions. Because a lot of times when we're emotional, we ain't in our right mind. We ain't thinking completely rational or clearly because we done got caught up in our emotions. So this ain't the kind of love Jesus talking about when it comes to love your enemy. Because if we use emotional love when it comes to loving our enemies or anybody that hate us, our emotions are gonna kick in and say, I wish I would. And see, that's not gonna lead you to where God, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is trying to take you. So this ain't emotional love. This is godly love. You see, but it is a love of, and the godly love is a love of genuine concern for the good and the well-being of others. Let me try to cut this up and break this down. See, we as children of God must strive to see things and see people as God see them. When people hate us, and when people uh try to be our enemies, we got to see paths that and beyond that state that they in and see that they need help. They need saving. And just like God did us before we came in out of darkness, we needed somebody to show us love. And God showed us love. At a time we needed love the most, when we were his enemy. He could have destroyed us, but he saw past that and saw that we needed something more greater. And that was his love. And when people are persecuting you, when people are acting a fool with you, try to see beyond what they're doing and see that spirit that's in them. That that spirit just needs saving. And people who need saving, and people that are in darkness, they need love more than anybody. They don't realize it, no. But I'm telling you, when you got a spiritual eye, spiritual perception, and spiritual discernment, you see they need love more than anybody. Because they're in a state of confusion, a state of darkness, a state of blindness. And they need of, it could be God is about to use you because of the spirit of Christ of his son in you to draw them. But when you get on a level, you're not gonna be able to draw or reach them. The love of God, this godly love that God has placed in us, is a genuine concern for the good and well-being of others. We should want to see people saved. We should want to see people delivered. Yeah, they're acting a fool. Yeah, they're acting ugly. And at that moment, you may even think that they're not even lovable, but look past it and see that, see yourself loving them back. Because as long as they're in that state, you ain't finna get no love from them, no way. But you can give love the love of God. We should have a concern. Being, we should be concerning ourselves with their eternal salvation. Trying to draw them. You remember when Peter, I'm sorry, when Paul in the book of Acts, I believe what he said, I become all things for all people. What are you talking about? He said, Whatever level I have to put myself on to reach somebody for somebody to be saved. I'll do that. I'll let the Lord use me to draw a drunk, to draw a drug addict, to to draw a sex maniac, a foolish person to come out of their sand that I may be able to have an opportunity to shed some light of Christ in their life and let them know they ain't got to live like that no more. But if I get on their level, or I return hate for hate, or disrespect for disrespect, or ugliness for uglyness, we'll never reach them. We should have pity on them because we know if they do not change, their souls will be lost. And like God is not his will that anybody should perish, we shouldn't want to see nobody go to hell. You don't want to go, so we shouldn't we want nobody else to go, and we need to stop telling people to do that. They'll tell people go to Hades, but they'll use the other word. Our Lord and Savior want us to understand and think. How can they do right? And this now, come on now, we want something from somebody and that what you want them to give, they ain't got it to give. How can they do right towards us when he who is right is not in them? You expecting something from somebody that that's not in them? Because they ain't got need of them. See, this is why we are called to love them and to do good towards them, even if they may hate our goods. Verse 2 and 8, Jesus said, Bless them that curse you. See how you're doing the opposite? Because you're strange. You're strange people with strange ways. Bless them that curse you. They just got you cursed in your life, but you who are called by God, who are the sons and daughters of God, you bless instead of curse. He said, and pray for them, which despitefully use you. Anybody ever been used by anybody? Come on now. People use people all the time, and ain't no good feeling, nobody like me. You I can't stand people that use other people. But just because we have been used despitefully, Jesus is telling us right here, pray for. Don't focus. See, that's why we got to move our emotions out the way. Don't focus on how bad you've been hurt. Don't focus on how they made you feel, don't focus on that. I know I said when I said I already told you in the beginning, I said some of us are gonna need the strength of God to handle this because we ain't doing so well. Get out of our emotions and get into our spiritual man. If Jesus took it for us, you mean telling me you can't take folks mistreating you for him? See, we are not called to do evil for evil. Nor are we called to do tit for tact. We are called to do the very opposite of how we are treated. Bless them if they curse you. Pray for them after they have despitefully used you. Jesus ain't not teaching, and I ain't teaching that we should just let sit up and let people use us. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying if they do, now if you are well, somebody uses you. Now you don't just let them use you. But if they do get one in, pray for them. Because the people are deceptive. And a lot of times people doing dirt and it don't come out till later. You find out they got over on me. You didn't know it. But when you come to the knowledge of it, pray for them. See, this is where many of us need help. Because we have not learned through Christ that we are not to be led by our hearts' emotions, but by him who rules in the hearts of men. John said in 1 John, I John 3 and 20, he said this, for our for if our hearts condemn us. See if you come across something your heart can't say, this is what he listened with, John said. He said, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. God know what you're going through. And when your heart gets feel like your heart just heavy, heavy. Now, if you ain't never felt that keep living. You you can feel got your chest, something your chest heavy when you've done been done wrong by a lot of people. And John is saying, if your heart condemns you, he said, this is what he said. He gave you the answer. He said, God is greater than your heart. What are you talking about, John? I mean, God can come to comfort your heart. He can come lift that burden that's that's heavy on your heart. He can lift it. You got to trust him, though he can do it. Because he knows all things. That's what John said. Now Jesus said in Revelation. If you go to Revelation chapter 2, verse 23. Now Jesus said this. He said, I am. Whoop! Whoop! Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I am he which searches the reins and the hearts. And I will give unto every one of you according to your works. I know what your heart can take. I know what's going on inside of you. Yeah, he was Jesus saying. But know this, I will give unto every one of you according to your words. Whatever you have had to take, being partakers of my suffering. I got some I'm gonna give you. I'm gonna give you some, and it's gonna be worth it. Now, here's the crust of the day's message. Strange people with strange ways. He says, verse Jesus said in verse 31, and as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Now he didn't say do men the way they do you. He said, as you would have them that they would do to do to you. The way you want your husband to treat you, the way you want your wife to treat you, the way you want your children to treat you, the way you want your relatives to treat you, the way you want your co-workers to treat you. Do ye also to them like what you do it to them. How you see yourself being treated, do that to them. If you see yourself as being talked to with respect, talk to others with respect. But that's how you want to be talked to. If you don't want nobody backbiting on you, don't you be backbiting. If you don't want nobody scandalizing your name, you treat people in an unscandalizing manner. As ye would that men or mankind should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Now, Jesus got his reason for telling us this. And you we and you and I may not fully understand it, but if he said do it, we need to find ourselves in obedience. Now he added to this in that verse 32 and verse 33. He added to that. He said, For if you love them, see, we want to just love folks that we know love us. Oh, I love you back. I can love somebody who loves me. That ain't nothing. That ain't no test in that. It's easy to love somebody that loves you. That ain't no test. The test is to love somebody that hates you. He said, If you love them which love you, what thanks have you? Ain't no thanks in that. Sellers do that. He said, for sinners also love those that love them. You ain't done nothing great because you love somebody who loves you back. That ain't no test. He said, verse 30, and if you do good to them which do good to you, what thanks have you? Anybody? So what? It needs to do somebody good that do you good. But do good to that to that person that treated you rotten. Oh, it's gonna be a test because see, that's gonna pull on something in you. Not to do it. It's gonna pull on you, huh? Where they hated me and dogged me at. You know what God wants to do, what Jesus is trying to get us to do? Is to do things like he would do them. That's what he did. If you do good to them which do good to you, what thanks have you? For sinners also do even the same. See, to love someone that hates you is something sinners don't do and they can't do. What Jesus asking us to do is go beyond what we may have felt when we were sinners, and do the opposite. See, living for God is the opposite of living for the world. Our greatest test of love will be when it is hardest for us to love. I'm gonna say that again because I want y'all to get that. Our greatest, one of our greatest tests, because we got a lot of great tests, but this one of them will be when it is hardest for us to love. This test is a test of loving. Will be when we are being treated hatefully, and we will be challenged to maintain this love. It's gonna be a challenge in your faith, challenge in your spirit to maintain this love while being hated. They're hating you every day of the week. And that's challenging your faith. That's challenging you, your salvation to being saved. But it's a challenge through Christ that we can endure. See, in understanding why God requires this of us, we only need to look at how he has loved us. This always helped me. When I'm dealing with people, I'm sitting there, I go to thinking, well, how have I done God in the past? See, when we hated him, God, and was his enemy, go to thinking on that. Because if you have ever been a sinner, you have been God's enemy. See, this will help us to see spiritually that as he was toward us, so should we be toward others. Now he expects us to do the same toward others. Until the Lord saves them and bring them out of the darkness as he did for you and I. James added, see that if you ever read James, that fourth chapter, that fourth verse, he said, Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God. Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. We all have been God's Him at one time. Well, some people are still his enemy. And those of us who are saved and strange, we must put ourselves in the place of God using us to reach them. Just like somebody reached us. Just like God loved us when we couldn't help ourselves. If he showed us love when we were his enemy, you come to try and tell me that we can't show love to our people that's our enemy or those that mistreat us and hate us and talk about us, and you know they're talking about you. How do we want to be treated or loved? Do we feel as though people should treat us humanely and know that we are somebody? I want some you I'm somebody. I ain't I'm a brown man, I'm a brown one. I ain't got the how we got to be treated like this. Bad who we cannot forget that we no longer belong to ourselves. If you don't accept the Christ and one plan around with being saved, you've got to grasp the mindset of knowing that whatever God would have you go through, you're gonna have to go through. Because you don't belong to yourself. If God allows you to be mistreated and disrespected and hated for his glory, take it and check them out. I tell you what, you do. You do like Peter told you to do. Do we feel as though people should treat us humanely and know that we are somebody? Yeah, we would like that, but that ain't gonna be they ain't no guarantee, y'all. Well, the key to getting all this is to first do unto others as you want them to do unto you. God in a godly way. Without showing your ugliness. See, same people who are seized in the Lord, their hearts could be hurting and their hearts can be heavy, but they still reach down deep within themselves to do what's right, with a smile on their face, because they focus ain't on the hurt, they focus is not on the mistreatment, they focus is not on the heaviness of their heart and how many scars their heart got, but they focus is on him who has called them to be partakers of his suffering. The key to getting all this is to first do unto us, first, excuse me, be obedient to what God does say, what Jesus said. And then do unto others as you want them to do unto you, according to his word and his will. Simply because Jesus said so. And understand and accept that they may or may not treat you the same way ever. There are no guarantees, and there is nothing definite except the promises of God. Hallelujah. However, we must maintain an obedience to the Lord's word and his will, of which we can be sure at all times. You can always be sure of God's word. You can always be sure of God's promises. And while we are strangers in a strange land and strange people with strange ways, thank God and endure what He will have you endure. For as Christ has suffered us in flesh, arm ourselves likewise with the same mind. And keep a smile on your face and rejoice within your spirit. You ain't smiling and happy because you're hurting of people treating you wrong. People are gonna see you with a smile and face. That's why they think it's strange now. Because you you you got joy, and they know you ain't supposed to have no joy because what you done been through. Uh-uh. Because see, they don't see your spirit man focusing on the goodness of the Lord. See, they don't see your your spirit man inside you focusing on the reward that's waiting on you. You smiling because you know it's coming. Because that's a promise. You rejoicing because you know that's a guarantee. If I live right. And if I also oh for you saying that song, if I labor, God gonna give me a crown. And when he gets him, everything is gonna be alright. Don't be shaken, don't feel out of place, don't be embarrassed, don't be ashamed because you're strange, and you're among the strange people community with strange ways. Thank God that you are strange. Because if we were still acting like the world, that would also be proof that we had not come out of the world. Have we counted the cause? Are we ready to pay the price of what it's gonna take for us to get to heaven? No, we're trying to get somewhere. We ain't trying to stay here, we're trying to get somewhere, and it's too much we need to do in preparation to leave here. And what God is allowing to happen in your life and my life is to get rid of everything that he ain't gonna lie in heaven. And I told y'all in the message years ago that one sure way to get stuff out of us is for him to allow us to go through some suffering, it'll get at you, go through some persecution, go through some heartache, but in all of that, he sees your obedience and he knows how to comfort us. Even when the world thinks that you and I are strange, or any of God's people are strange, he sees and he knows. Didn't the script just tell you? He knows all things. So trust him. Keep your faith in him, be obedient, and do what's right in his sight. God bless you.