Covenant Reformed Church of Elk Grove

What does Peter mean by "the end of all things?" In the first part of the message, Carlsen backs up his assertion that "the end of all things" does not refer to the 2nd coming of Christ but rather the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Peter is encouraging his readers no to panic as things in Jerusalem fall apart but to control their minds and remain clear-headed. They should not let fear dominate their prayers but be watchful, trusting God's sovereignty. In the remainder of the message, Carlsen explains the importance of love as the key to the church's effectiveness and survival. They need to overlook offenses to preserve the unity of the body. Though written for people two thousand years ago, we can learn much from these verses.

In this sermon, Derek Carlsen focuses on the best way to translate 1 Peter 4:1. The original Greek has only four words in the first phrase which when directly translated to English read, “Christ, therefore since, has suffered, flesh.” He would translate this “Christ, then, has suffered for our flesh. Indeed, arm yourselves with the same insight.” He then says “for he who has suffered in the flesh” refers to Christ. In the Greek, the tense of the word suffering refers to a singular, completed act, not an ongoing process. So Peter is saying we should arm ourselves with this insight: Christ suffered in the flesh for our flesh so we might live in this life free to do the will of God. We are not just marking time until we are freed from this life. Christ suffered, not merely to redeem our souls, but to redeem our whole being from the guilt and bondage of sin so we can fulfill his original purpose for the earth of discipling all nations, of having dominion over all things for the glory of his kingdom here and now. His death stopped sin. This is our weapon: the power and bondage of sin have been stopped. Because we were united with Christ when he suffered in the flesh, we have the power to defeat sin in our flesh.

we need sermons like this and preachers with this caliber! highly recommended

Very helpful sermon. This subject has been misunderstood by so many. Thank you.

This was so very helpful for me as it has explained what happened to a family member of mine. I struggled with "why" but now I have the answer.

Such a blessed comfort, to be part of the Zion denoted in Scripture!

The scriptures regarding Zion in both Old and New Testaments are seldom ever heard about at length or taught about in today's churches. Instead today Zionism is only brought up regarding an articially created political state in the Middle East. The sermon proves that this is not what's Zion refers to in Scripture.

The sermon is highly relevant to the MLK50 conference involving SBC. Because they have thrown away exegetical faithfulness to passages like this on slavery the racial division in churches will only continue to increase along with religious, political, and social turmoil. The Leaven of false teaching and abolitionism started it all. A major division regarding race and MLK within Christianity is currently being tweeted and blogged about vigorously. This message is biblically faithful but heretical to a Democratic Socialist worldview. Divisions are therefore necessary as evidenced by Romans 16 verses 17 + 18 to Mark and avoid those contrary to the doctrine of scripture.

Scripture tells us that God used slavery as a punishment when a nation's collective sins became too gross. But some of the enslaved would be God's own eg Daniel, so within slavery, restraint needed to be shown by slave masters. Humans are born free and that's what God intended. I am a British citizen with Nigerian ancestry and for the past 3 years am doing development work in Nigeria. The culture there is cruel and consists of daily HUMAN SACRIFICE even among those who claim Christianity, and the version of Christianity among Nigerians would be unrecognizable to those in the West. When you see how Nigerians lack respect for Black life, you may understand why God would use enslavement to punish such a people. Human sacrifice is worse than horrific (aka "ritual killing" in Nigeria). Please google it and pray for Nigeria (and Africa) that human sacrifice and sorcery, prevalent EVERYWHERE would stop. I have not met a true Christian in Nigeria, neither have I heard the true Gospel there. Everyone though describes himself as "born again", yet the level of malice greed and envy is unprecedented. Please kindly pray that God would send His Gospel to this Dark land, and that human sacrifice and sorcery will be STOPPED, once and for all. Thank you.

Should we promote polygamy because it has been practiced and the bible does not specifically condemn it? So with slavery. 'Husband of one wife' and 'being free in Christ' point to basic principles of hermeneutics. Should we advocate to deprive individuals from freedom of procreation because of Christ's acknowledgement of an evident practice in place? ".. there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake" One of the main themes of the gospel is freedom. "The Spirit of the Lord ... has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound". We do not mirror the order and object of Creation and redemption later while bonding a man under another; instead we should rather bring any person into subjection to Christ only. "Submit yourselves to *every ordinance of man* for the Lord's sake". All hues of servitude are ordinance *of men*, which we are to told to respect, but not necessarily to perpetuate.

Up until the 1950s it was Universal for women to wear hats in church. They still do in all the Presbyterian churches in Scotland . I was surprised at this interpretation which seems largely based on one selective phrase Calvin uses (About men) which is then extrapolated much farther. For Calvin continues, "Paul now maintains from other considerations, that it is unseemly for women to have their heads bare. Nature itself, says he, abhors it. To see a woman shaven is a spectacle that is disgusting and monstrous... Should any one now object, that her hair is enough, as being a natural covering, Paul says that it is not, for it is such a covering as requires another thing to be made use of for covering it." Society and culture today only confuses us because it revolutionizes to raise up women to equality and even superiority over men by dress and appearance. Only a Biblical norm and example will guide us against the rebellious and twisted culture, which Paul is defining to remove contentions. Christians will appear different when Society is out of order.

Another faithful message by a faithful man. Pastor Carlsen silences some of his critics by proving the context of 1 Peter 2:18. The pastor proves that the context is truly slaves and masters, not free employees and their employers. The scriptures no where say that slave holding is sinful. We hope neo-abolitionists and neo-calvinists will listen and submit to God's word.

How can one ask any to listen to part 2 of a sermon which comes entrenched in defective hermeneutics of part one? Surely, there is a list of valid concepts about free market and historical, or present wrongs stringed together that may make some partial sense, but the fact that they anchor from desfigured interpretations of biblical text, will not always contribute to valid conclusions. If the foundation is wrong, how can the following up be right?

This also contrasts Free Market Economics & Slavery verses Modern Welfare & Communism. The sermon is a breath of fresh air in sharp contrast to most preaching on the passages regarding slavery.

Don't miss listening to part 2 about slavery in the next sermon entitled, "Context Explains the Rule." Great practical insights there. Most pastors and teachers use passages on slavery to teach us rules about employers and employees. This is incorrect since it is contrary to and different from the relationship in slavery. The pastor straightens that out.