Christ Our Bishop

[0:00] Welcome. Thank you for choosing to listen to another faith-building message by Pastor David Inchie. Faith comes by hearing and by hearing the Word of God.

[0:12] May your knowledge of Jesus Christ increase as you listen. Be blessed. Let's get into the text. 1 Peter 2, verse 12.

[0:23] I'll read verse 12 and then from verse 20 to 25. So verse 12, 20 to 25. 1 Peter 2, verse 12. Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may, by your good works, which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

[0:46] In the day of visitation. Verse 20. For what glory is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently?

[0:58] But if, when you do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called.

[1:11] Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.

[1:24] Who, when he was reviled, reviled not. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.

[1:35] Who, his own self, bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes we were healed.

[1:50] For ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the shepherd and the bishop of your souls. Here ends the reading of God's holy word.

[2:03] Shall we please pray? Father, thank you. Thank you for bringing us together around your word. In you we live, in you we move, and in you we have our being. We pray that as your word is taught, as your word is expounded, as your word is explained, let Christ be revealed.

[2:21] Revealed. Holy Spirit, you who teach the word of God, you are a teacher. The anointing within us to teach. Teach us and reveal Christ to us in your word.

[2:34] Guide us through your word. Enlighten the eyes of our understanding that we will behold wondrous things in your word. Holy Spirit, put your word, the gracious words, in my mouth.

[2:46] Let gracious words proceed out of my mouth to the glorifying of your name, to the edifying of your people. Heal the sick, deliver the captives, save the lost.

[2:58] Turn situations round. Let people have a turn around encounter through the teaching of your word. I rebuke the power of the enemy, and I pray, let your glory be seen.

[3:09] Thank you, Lord, for the power of your word. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. We thank God for this morning.

[3:22] Now, the text I just read from verse 12, I told you in the previous teachings that 1 Peter, the first part, chapter 2, the first part was written, talking about our status, who we are.

[3:37] We are a chosen generation and all that, how we have been made living stones. But in the second part from verse 12, picking up from verse 11, talks about how, because we are so generous, because we are pilgrims, because we are a particular type of people, we are encouraged, admonished, charged to live a certain way.

[4:01] So, having your conversation, honest, all right? Our conversations are lifetime. Amongst the Gentiles. Now, then he begins to speak about that, whilst they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, all right?

[4:18] And which I explain from the verse 19, that this is charis. Your good works is charis. The grace, gracious works, this is grace, that you live a certain life that denies your opposers, your opponents, the adversary, denies them grounds, justification for the accusations they level against us.

[4:41] So, it says that this is charis. So, I told you in the previous teaching that verse 12 actually is kind of expounded.

[4:53] It's explained from verse 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, all the way to verse 25. It's an explanation of verse 12. So, big chunks. We get to how we should live.

[5:06] It says that we should, the Bible talks about how in the verse 15, we should submit, okay? Submission. So, we should learn how to submit for the purposes of God, to the glory of God.

[5:21] We should, verse 13 talks about we should submit that. This is our freedom in Christ. The freedom is for submission. And then, that's the verse 15. It talks about how, for, it's the will of God that, well, do you put to silence the foolishness of men.

[5:37] Through our submission, we silence them. So, our submission is the first aspect of the life of grace, the life of charis. The second life of grace is to be an example.

[5:48] Or, the life of charis is to live a certain life. Not just our submission to authority. But, the lifestyle we live depicts something that only God can produce through people.

[6:00] All right. Now, so, the verse 19 talks about how we should live a certain life. And, verse 20 says that it is the will of God that, verse 20 says that when you live in that way, and you suffer for that living, you bring glory to God.

[6:17] Now, look at verse 21. Verse 21 picks it up from the end. For, even unto this where you called. It says that you can just put it that.

[6:27] For, to this end where you were called. Because Christ also suffered for us. Watch this. This is important. This is the key of what I want to explain to verse 25.

[6:38] Leaving us an example. Someone can type example. Example. You can use bold letters. Example. Or, capital letters.

[6:49] Example. He died. For this you are called. Because Christ suffered for us. This is very important. Now, the word translated, the Greek word translated for us.

[7:02] The phrase is also for our sins. But, before I throw a bit more light into that. Look at the verse 12 again. The verse 12 says that. That by our good works.

[7:14] Good works. We should. That which they behold. They will by our good works. Which they will glorify God. Now, watch this. In the day of visitation.

[7:28] Aha. What is this day they are talking about? The Bible is talking about. What is the day of visitation? The Greek word translated visitation is episkopi.

[7:41] Episkopi. Take notice of that because I am going to explain something. Episkopi. Which means visitation. It is the same Greek word that was translated in Luke chapter 1 verse 68 and verse 78.

[8:01] And chapter 7 verse 16. Look at verse 68 said, Blessed is the Lord God of Israel for he has visited. This is the day of visitation. He has visited and redeemed his people.

[8:14] Verse 78. It says that through the tender messes of our God with which the day springs from on high has visited us.

[8:27] That same. So, this could know something positive. That God has visited his people. So, it is not visitation to judge. That God is bringing judgment. What does this episkopi connote?

[8:40] Look at Luke chapter 7 verse 16. The same word appears again. Luke 7 verse 16. And there came a fear on them. And on all.

[8:50] And they glorified. This is the chapter for today. Luke chapter 7. And they glorified God saying. That a great prophet is risen amongst us.

[9:02] And that God has. So, God has the attitude. God has the propensity of visiting his people.

[9:13] Visiting his people. In Exodus chapter 6. Chapter 3 verse 16. The Bible talks about how I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt.

[9:26] Chapter 4 verse 31. Exodus chapter 4 verse 31. So, the people believed. And when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel. And that he had looked on.

[9:39] Watch this. This is a very important. Important phrase in the explanation of visitation. He has visited the people of Israel. And has looked on their affliction. He has visited and looked upon their affliction.

[9:51] Now, the Greek word episcope means to actually examine. To look upon. Alright. To look upon.

[10:02] To examine. To check out. It's actually. The Greek word actually means to inspect. To. It's like an observation. To make an observation.

[10:14] It's the same. Episcope also. The visitation or visit. It's also. It's like. Visitation. Alright. So, in your day of visitation.

[10:24] The day when God looks upon you. I'm explaining. The day when God observes you. The day. So, your day of visitation is your day of inspection. Your day of observation.

[10:35] Your day of investigation. Your day of. This is a very important word I'm about to use. Oversight. So, God tends to have an oversight on you.

[10:46] What does that mean? To visit in this term. In this sense. Means to look out for. Examine and check out. Watch this.

[10:57] Not to punish. But to. Employ. To. Promote. To. Command.

[11:08] So, like. When. The. In an examination. Or. You work in a company. And they are. Just. They put you on.

[11:19] Or let me even. Put this. The doctor comes. Is examining you. Checking. Your. The state of your development. So, as to discharge you. He actually wants to discharge you. But he can't discharge you.

[11:30] Unless he has visited you. The doctor cannot discharge you. Unless he has visited you. So, he visits you. He comes to observe you. He comes to examine you. To say that.

[11:41] Good. Now, I want to. I'm happy to do what I've been waiting to do. The doctor has been waiting to discharge you. But. It is. It must be until a certain time. Before.

[11:51] He determined that. Okay. I think you are now free to go. You are now free to be promoted. The same way. To look upon. To examine. To investigate. God keeps an eye.

[12:02] Watch this. Watch this. God is keeping an eye on you. He's examining you. And watching you. Because. He's observing what is going. There's a certain.

[12:12] He's trying to see. What is the appropriate time. To elevate you. To glorify his name in your life. So. Bible. I think in Acts chapter. Six.

[12:23] Verse three. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's the word. In Acts chapter three. Six. Verse three. The apostles told the. The congregation. Look out from amongst you.

[12:34] Oh. Look at. Watch that. Look out from among. It's the same word. Visit your people. Look out from amongst you. Seven men of good reputation.

[12:45] See. That's what. Examine them. Check them out. Of good reputation. Full of the Holy Spirit. And wisdom. Whom. Watch this. So the purpose for looking out. Is for promotion. The purpose for looking out.

[12:56] Is for glorification. The purpose for looking out. Is to show how. You are fit. For a certain. Right. A certain lifting. You are fit. For your next stage.

[13:07] I believe. That God. Is waiting. He's just. Observing you. And he's training you. He's preparing you. To. On earth. To glorify his name.

[13:19] In your life. That unbelievers. As. The gentiles. As they accuse you. As an evildoer. They look at. What. In your day of elevation.

[13:30] In your day of visitation. God has examined. And lifted you so much. That. They look at you. They don't have any choice. But to say. Indeed. This guy. We want to be like him.

[13:40] We want. I'm talking about you. So. When you are going through suffering. God is also. Also visiting you. In your day of visitation. Is when God has observed you. Absorbed you. And he has. He's waiting for the appropriate time.

[13:52] He's checking you out. He's checking the way you are treating your husband. He's checking the way you are treating your wife. In spite of the. Injustice that is meted out to you. He's checking the way you are treating your employers.

[14:04] He's checking the way you are treating your. Treating your mother. Your father. Your brother. You are. You are treating the people. Who have not been treating you well. Who you live amongst. God is checking it. And he's not just.

[14:15] Observing you. To punish you. Or to judge you. No. No. He's. There is. Because. There is a strength. Oh. Oh. That's where he's going. There is a strength from within. And so.

[14:26] He's like a bishop. The job. Oh. My goodness. Thank you. Lord. The job. Of a bishop. Is to. Watch out. Oversee. To. Over.

[14:36] So. Watch this. Visit. The root word for visitation. Greek word. The Greek root word for visitation. Is the same as the Greek root word for bishop.

[14:50] So. The day of your visitation. The day of. In fact. In Acts chapter 1 verse. 20. The. That word has been used.

[15:02] In a very interesting way. He says. He's bishopric. Okay. He's bishopric. Talking about. Judas. He's bishopric.

[15:13] He's bishop. He's bishopric office. That is the same word as his visitation. So. The job of a bishop. Is to visit the people. In other words.

[15:23] Not just going home. Going. From home to home. Observe. The people. One of the things I like. I'm grateful to God. About. The position he has put me in. As a pastor.

[15:34] Of a local church. Is. I observe people. To give them. Promotions. And when I say promotion. In. What I mean is. Give them opportunity. For development.

[15:46] Opportunity to shine. So. We observe people. That's the job. Of a bishop. The job of a doctor. Observe the development. Of your patients. And God. He's actually. Jesus is the bishop.

[15:57] Guess what. He can't wait to promotion. Promote you. Not when we die. On earth. People must see that. Oh. Gentiles will not be in heaven. Unbelievers will not be in heaven. So. On earth. The unbelievers.

[16:07] Will see. So. When. In your day of visitation. When God has. Carried out his examination. And it has come to the point. The period. Where he wants to.

[16:18] Bring you up. Uh. Where he. Where he wants to. Show you forth. On that day. They will see when God is showing you forth. Yes. They will see it. And what. Bible says that. And they will glorify God.

[16:30] Because when God is showing you forth. Bible says that. That. As they. Even as they speak of you. As evil doers. They may. By your good works. Their charis. There is charis. Behind your lifting. There is gracious.

[16:42] Behavior. As I thought the other time. The charis. Can be possible. The gracious behavior. The behavior. Based on grace. Can be possible. Only. When you look.

[16:52] When you look. On to Jesus. When you have the Jesus. Inside you. And you. You are conscious. Or. By the. Conscience of God. Or by the. Consciousness of Christ. You are.

[17:02] Elevated. So. As you are conscious. Of him. He is also. Guess what. He is also acting as a bishop. Overseeing you. Overseeing you. I can't wait. I see your promotion coming.

[17:12] Oh sister. Don't worry about what you are going through. Don't worry about what they are saying about you. Brother. Don't worry about. Just be concerned that. As God is examining you.

[17:23] He is going to find you. Fit. For that lifting. Because there is a lifting. He has prepared for you ahead. And he is going to elevate you. To prove a point. That there are people on earth.

[17:34] Who walk with God. Who God elevates for his glory. I see that happening for you. So having. Bearing that in mind. The day of your visitation. The day of your bishopric. Okay.

[17:45] The day. The season. The time. The day of visitation. Is the appropriate. The opportune time. Where God.

[17:55] Comes to manifest. His favor. Upon your life. His goodness. Upon your life. When we talk about. The day of visitation. He is talking about. The timing.

[18:07] Okay. The period. For God. To now. Show you forth. After. He has observed. Your smooth development. I see you developing. I see you moving. From grace.

[18:18] To grace. From glory. To glory. Now watch this. I like quoting this scripture a lot. But permit me to do that. In the book of. Second Corinthians chapter. Three. Verse 16.

[18:29] He said. But when. When he. Return. When one turns. To the Lord. The veil. Shall be taken away. When one turns. To the Lord. Then verse 17. Says that.

[18:40] And the Lord. Is the spirit. Now the Lord. Is the spirit. Then where the spirit of the Lord. Is the spirit. So the Lord. Is the spirit. Right. Then. So you can connect. Verse 16. To verse 18. Look at verse 16.

[18:50] Look at verse 16. When one turns to the Lord. The veil. Is taken away. Verse 18. The veil. Is taken away. Verse 18. But we all. With. See. With unveiled faces.

[19:01] The veil. Is taken away. You can. The veil. That covers our face. From living the way. We should live. Doesn't. We. It blinds us. From seeing things. From God's perspective. Seeing things.

[19:12] In God's perspective. From seeing things. From God's perspective. The veil. We don't see clearly. You see. But not clearly. You see. But as in a dark mirror. You see.

[19:23] So. It says that. When you turn to the Lord. Your veil is taken. Now. When the veil is. We all. Those of us. With unveiled faces. We behold us in the mirror. The glory of the Lord.

[19:33] Watch this. Are being transformed. Into the same image. Guess what. From glory to glory. That is. That's God's job. Of bishop. Request Christ. Is a bishop. Over your life. He is just. He is just.

[19:45] Encouraging. I will show you. How he is a shepherd. To encourage us. To look unto him. And as we look unto him. We receive the strength. To watch. Watch this. The strength. To replicate him.

[19:55] The strength. The internal fortitude. The internal ability. Christianity. Is not lived from the outside. Last week. I quoted. Philippians chapter 2.

[20:07] Verse 12. It says that. Work out your salvation. With fear. And trembling. Work out your salvation. Work out your salvation. With fear.

[20:17] And trembling. Look at the next verse. For it is. It is God. Who works in you. Both. You see. God must be. At work in you. To produce.

[20:28] The doing. Of his good pleasure. For it is God. Who works. In you. Both. To will. So the desire to do. Comes from God. One.

[20:38] And then. Not only. The desire to do. But. The ability to do. So. The willingness. To do. And the ability. To do. Another translation. Puts it this way. For it is God.

[20:49] Who works. In you. Who. Who works. In you. To produce. The willing. And the doing. Of his good pleasure. There is no way. Any human being. By themselves.

[21:00] Can please God. So. It brings. Verse 20. And 21. Into a very interesting question. First Peter chapter 2. Verse 20 and 21. It says that. What glory is it.

[21:11] When you suffer for your bad doing. But if you suffer for doing good. It's commendable with God. Before God. Look at verse 21. Verse 21 says that. For. For. For.

[21:21] To this way you called. Watch this. You've been called to something. Because Christ also suffered for us. Watch this. Leaving us an example. That we should follow.

[21:33] His steps. What is the example. Christ left. We should follow his steps. What example is that. That you as a human being can do. In the first place. It must be God. Who works in you. To produce the.

[21:44] Doing and the. The. The willing and the doing. Of his good pleasure. But now. Look at the next verse. Verse 22. Who. This is talking about Christ. Christ examples. Please. Christ example.

[21:55] Who committed no sin. Nor was deceit. Found in his mouth. Huh. Who. When he was reviled. Did not revile. In return.

[22:07] When he suffered. He did not threaten. But committed himself. To God. Him. God. Who judges. Righteously. Ah. The next verse is. Even getting worried.

[22:17] Is this saying. We should imitate this one. Whom. Himself. Bore our sins. Huh. In his. Own body. On the tree. That we.

[22:29] Having. Died to sin. Since. Might live. Right. By whose stripes. Ah. How can you heal people. By your stripes. Is this what. We are. I mean. How can you.

[22:40] In yourself. Imite this thing. How can this be. An example. For you to. Okay. You are looking. So you. Are you also going to. Down the tree. For somebody. Oh. No boy. No.

[22:50] No. No. No. No. No. No. No. It will be. Matta. Or it will be. A foolish death. Because it will not save anybody. His death was a redemptive death. You can't die a redemptive death.

[23:00] Because no one. Your blood cannot save any human beings. My blood cannot save him. So. In what way is he saying that. Christ suffered and left us an example to follow. How can you follow this example by being.

[23:13] Look at verse 20. 20. 23 again. 23. Who. No. Let's start with verse 22. Verse 22.

[23:23] I'm sorry. Who committed no sin. Hey. Nor was deceit found in his mouth. The way he spoke. Perfect. In Luke chapter 4. Verse 22.

[23:34] Bible says that. Gracious word proceeded out of his mouth. He he he he he. They marveled at it. This one is amazing. That kind of thing this man is speaking. Gracious words proceeded out of his mouth.

[23:48] How about us? And in Isaiah chapter 53 verse 7. 53 verse 7. He was oppressed and he was afflicted.

[23:59] Yet he opened not his mouth. He didn't say anything negative. He opened. Sometimes you get upset and you may say something. He said oh I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have said that.

[24:10] Sometimes even a pastor. In your preaching. Sometimes you see something. And in congregation you may say something. You see something. And say something that you are not supposed to say. Or later on you say oh maybe I shouldn't have said that. We. Sometimes.

[24:21] The Bible says that he. James chapter 3. He who does not sin in his words. Is a perfect man. It's a very interesting. Your words. You are perfect. There's two or so. Your perfect.

[24:32] Your perfection is connected to. Your words. Your words. Your words are very important. Okay. If any man does not offend in word. The same is a perfect man.

[24:44] That's why we have to receive the grace. To live by a certain way. And speak. But coming back to Christ. The Bible says that in verse 22. Of 1 Peter. He says that.

[24:55] No disease was found in his mouth. How about you committed no sin. In Philly. In Hebrews chapter 4. Verse 15. The Bible talks about. How. He was tempted at all points like us.

[25:06] But he was without sin. Oh boy. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Verse 21. He said. God made him. Who knew no sin. He knew no sin. Christ was without sin. In the book of 1 John chapter 5.

[25:17] Verse. Verse. Chapter 3. I'm sorry. Verse 5. 1 John chapter 3. Verse 5. Look at what it is. You. And you know that. He was manifested to take away.

[25:27] Take away our sins. And he. And in him. There was no sin. There is no sin. So in Christ. There is no sin. No sin. This is a sin.

[25:38] Sinless person. In John chapter 8. Verse 46. He asked them. Which of you can convict me of sin? He said. Which of you can convict me of sin?

[25:49] There was no sin. In fact. His enemies. The highest judge. In those days. In those times. His time. Who brought him. Under examination. See. That examination.

[26:00] Was not a visitation. God. That examination. Was examining to convict. Examining to find fault with. Christ. Our shepherd. Doesn't examine us. Our bishop. Does not examine us.

[26:10] To find fault. But look at. In. In Luke. Chapter. 23. Verse. 4. In Luke chapter 23. Verse 4. The pilot.

[26:21] Examining. And he came. And he said that. Pilate the chief. He said. I find no fault in him. I've examined him. I've found no fault. Verse 14. I find no fault in him. Verse 14.

[26:32] He says that. You brought this man. That is misleading people. That. Having examined him. In your presence. I find no fault in him. This man. Is faultless.

[26:43] He said. I can't find any fault with. Verse 23. I find no fault in him. He said. I find no fault in him. So. He examined him. And he said that.

[26:53] I mean. Verse 23. Put the verse 23 on please. For me. Verse 20. Yeah. Verse 23. He said that. But they insisted. Demanding a voice that is. And then he. And the voices of the people.

[27:06] No. Verse 22. I'm sorry. Verse 22. Yeah. Um. Yes. He said. He said unto the third time. What. What evil has he done?

[27:16] I have found no reason for death in him. Jesus was perfect. Look at verse 41. Even the thieves on the cross. That one of the thieves said. Listen. We have received. We are suffering justly.

[27:27] But this man. Has done nothing wrong. Jesus was perfect. He. There was no sin in him. So in 1st Peter. Chapter 2. Verse 22. He says that.

[27:38] Who committed no sin? We are supposed to. Are we to. Imitate him. Because he says. An example for us. What. Imitate him. Yes.

[27:49] In what way. How can you. Imitate Jesus. For. In that sense. And be able. To die. For. How can you die for people? Bible said. He bore our sins.

[27:59] Verse 24. He himself. Bore our sins. In his body. He can bear. Even our. Your own sins. My own sins. I can't bear them in my body. Let alone to other people's sins.

[28:10] But. He himself. Bore our sins. In his body. Now. I'm trying to draw attention to something. Just to draw. Get you. As to understand. That. We cannot. Actually.

[28:22] Copy Jesus. I'm going to explain it. How can we copy. We look at what he's doing. So. WWJ. What would Jesus do? If this is how Jesus would do.

[28:32] Okay. Let me look at what he'd do. So I would do. Let me look at what he would do. Then I would do. Because. How can we imitate. Verse 21 again. Verse 21 again. For this. For.

[28:43] For to this. You were called. Because. Christ. Also suffered for us. Watch this. Living as an example. Now we should follow his step. So. What does this mean?

[28:54] That's what I want to explain. What does this mean? The Greek word. Translated. Living as an example. Is. Hopu. Gramos. Hopu. It sounds like something like this.

[29:04] Greek scholars. Don't pick me on it. But. Hopu. Hopu. Gramos. Hopu. Gramos. Very important word. Hopu. Gramos. Which is also translated. Example.

[29:15] So. It left us. An example. It's also translated. A pattern. It left us. A pattern. It's also translated. A model. So. Christ is our pattern.

[29:26] Christ is our model. Okay. He's our pattern. He's our model. Model. Not just. Example in a sense. Look at him and do it. He's our model. We fit into him.

[29:37] So. Christ. Hopu. Gramos. Means. Our model. In. John chapter 13. Verse 15. Look at. John 13. 15. It says. That. I've satanah.

[29:48] I have given you a model. Hopu. Gramos. That's the word. I've given you an example. A model. That you should do. As I have done to you. When he was serving.

[29:59] Washing the feet of the disciple. So. I've given you an example. So. Christ actually give us an example. You want to see. In Matthew chapter 11. Verse 29. We normally quote. 27. 28. Oh.

[30:09] Come unto me. All you who lay by and have a laden. And I'll give you. Take upon me my yoke. Take upon yourself my yoke. But look at. Verse 29. It says that. Take upon you. Take. Take. Take my yoke upon you.

[30:20] And. Guess what. The word there. Learn. Learn from me. Learn from me. Learn from me. Learn from me.

[30:31] Learn from me. So. When he says. Learn from me. He's sending a very strong signal to us. Send. Send it. A strong signal about. How we should. We have to.

[30:44] Model. There's a pattern. He has set for us. For us to follow. Ephesians chapter 4. Verse 20. Ephesians chapter 4. Verse 20. He said. But you have not so.

[30:55] Learned Christ. So. We are in. In Christ. To learn him. He's our textbook. He's our examination. Syllables. We learn him. How do we. Learn Christ.

[31:06] How do we. Learn Christ. We learn him. We can. Learn him. Now. When we say. Learn him. It's not talking about. The reproduction. Of. So. This is Christ.

[31:17] And you. Now go and make. Get another Christ. So. Christ. And then you are. Living as another Christ. Not that sense. When he said. We should learn him. Or. He should be our.

[31:29] Hupo. Gramos. Okay. He should be our. Hupo. Gramos. He's not talking about. Okay. Look at what he's doing. And do it. You can't look at what he's doing. And do. That's the point I'm trying to make.

[31:41] Nobody can look at what Christ has done. And do same. You can't. So. If we are supposed to. He is supposed to be our model. How are we supposed to do it?

[31:52] How are we supposed. We are supposed to. Watch this. The. The original Greek word. Hupo. It means. It means. Like the way. When I used to draw a lot. Well.

[32:02] I used to draw a lot. And when I was. Sometimes. You are trying to draw something that's hard. And I stumble across. Tracing paper. A tracing paper. Is a paper. That is. Transparent enough.

[32:12] For you to see through. So. You put the tracing paper. On the. Objects you want to draw. The outline. And you trace the outline. Okay. So you are just tracing the outline.

[32:23] By the time you realize. You've gotten the same pattern. Hupo Gramos. Hupo Gramos. Christ is supposed to be our pattern. So. We put our lives on him. He lives our life. The. You see. When you turn.

[32:34] As I said. When we turn to Christ. So. As you turn to Christ. You actually begin to. Live out. The. The grace. Of God.

[32:45] In you. As I explained. That you are. This is carries. That through consciousness. Of God. By the grace of God. By this grace. In us. That has been worked. Into us. For it is God.

[32:55] Who is at work. In. Oh. Work out your salvation. Work out your salvation. With fear. And trembling. Why? For it is God. Who is at work. In you. So something is already.

[33:05] When you are born again. This is what I'm trying to say. When you are born again. Something. Is set in motion. That is called. The grace. Of God. Second Timothy chapter. Four verse 22. It talks about.

[33:17] The grace. Of God. Be. Christ. Be with you. It says. Second Timothy chapter. It said. The Lord Jesus Christ. Be with your spirit. Your spirit. Grace. Be with you. That same thing.

[33:27] Christ is grace with us. Christ with us. Is grace. So. He is inside us. He is with us. In our spirit. But I thought. Pastor. No. No. Hold on. Hold on. I thought Christ is seated in heaven.

[33:38] Yes. His physical body is seated in heaven. But when he died on the cross. I need you to listen to this very carefully. He lived a human life. And set an example for us. So he lived the life we should live.

[33:50] And now guess what. He suffered all these things. Died on the cross. And when he died on the cross. He. I will show you on the tree. He was crucifying sin. He was dealing with the power of sin in the flesh.

[34:02] And then when he finished. He resurrected. And watch this. He resurrected. And came into our lives. And we. By the life. The resurrection life. On the inside.

[34:13] Can now live. According to the example he has set for us. So. All I'm trying to say is. You don't have. I don't have it in myself. To live like Christ. But I have it inside me.

[34:24] To copy. Hupo gramos. Or to duplicate. Alright. So it's not. Just to. It's not about. Imitating him.

[34:36] But it's more about. Duplication of the original. The original. Oh. Listen. The original. Tamprint. The original nature of Christ.

[34:48] Watch this. Has been worked into you. When you're a believer. When you become a believer. The nature. The life of Christ. So he's in us. As our life. And that. So that we can live him out.

[35:00] He is in us. As our life. So. So that we can live him out. Based on the example he set for us. We see in scripture. So we live him out. That. When you do that. Then Bible says that.

[35:11] That Christ. Will be. In Romans chapter 8. Verse 29. We normally talk about 20. But look at 29. For whom he foreknew. He also. For whom he foreknew.

[35:22] He also predestined. Watch this. To be. Hallelujah. To be conformed. Watch this. To be conformed. To the image of Christ.

[35:32] Into his image. Now how do you get conformed? When you learn of him. You learn of him. And based on what has been worked out in you. That is what Paul meant when he said. Work out your salvation.

[35:43] Something has been worked into you. Which is the grace of God. Which is the. Which is Christ. And when you work out this grace. Your living becomes. An expression of this grace. Which to the world.

[35:54] Is charis. Which to the world. Is that this is grace. They look at your works. They see your good works. And they don't have a choice. But give God glory. But I want to establish the fact that.

[36:05] The source of that grace. The source of that kind of living. That kind of. Reproduction of Christ. Is not extra. No. It's not. It's not from. Outside of ourselves.

[36:16] Watching something. But it's already worked inside you. So don't try. Say I'm looking. I'm watching Christ to behave. But I'm living out the Christ. That's Christianity. Christian life is to live out.

[36:27] The Christ. The life of Christ. That has been worked into you. For it is God. Who is at work in you. God is working in you. God is working.

[36:38] My sister. You might not. Gotten there yet. But God is still working in you. Why is he working in you? He is working in you. And guess what? As a bishop. He is working in you.

[36:49] And observing you. He is working in you. And observing you. For your day of visitation. Where he is going to lift you. Where he is going to promote you. Where he is going to show to the world. That this is the kind of person.

[37:00] I have produced out of this lady. This lady. Who you never respected. You disdain. You said she is a sinner. She is dirty. This gentleman. Whom you said is a sinner. He is dirty. He is obnoxious.

[37:11] He is annoying. We can't stand him. God is working something out of your life. That is why no Christian has the right to give up on anybody. You can't be a Christian and give up on people.

[37:21] Why? Because it's not compatible with the Christian understanding of how God can be in a person. And work out the beauty of his glory. Out of the person.

[37:31] And the person becomes a copy. We are supposed to just follow Christ. Trace. Trace. So it's not by ourselves. Something is already there. The pattern is already there. The pattern is already there.

[37:43] Where is the pattern? Inside our spirits. As you read your word. As you read the word. It brings it out alive. And it strengthens you to be able to follow the pattern. Follow the pattern. Follow the pattern.

[37:55] Follow the pattern. In your marital relationship. Follow the pattern. In your relationship with your neighbors. Follow the pattern. In your employment. Follow the pattern. In your social life.

[38:05] Follow the pattern. Even when you are suffering, you are under pressure. Hey, follow the pattern. There is a pattern. There is a model. Hopogramus. Hopogramus. There is a model that has been set for us.

[38:17] This is what excites me most. Please permit me. I am getting overexcited. This is what excites me most. The fact that the model is not somewhere. It has been worked already inside you if you are born again.

[38:28] That is what it means for Christ to be in us. So he suffered to set the example. Who died on the cross, resurrected to come into us as life.

[38:39] To give us the life to live. Follow the example. Because it is an example. You can't follow it. You can't live it by yourself. He has to. We can live it in dependence on him.

[38:52] That is what Peter is saying. That who when he was reviled. Let's go back to the text. Hallelujah. I pray someone is learning something. Who when he was reviled did not revile in return.

[39:03] When he suffered. He did not threaten. But committed himself to him that judges faithfully. Or him that judges righteously.

[39:13] So he. Look at this. He committed. Can you imagine when Jesus was living on earth. When he was going through all the things he went through. He knew that God is a judge. You know.

[39:26] In. In the United Kingdom. And in many. Stable. Systems. Social system. Like. If someone does something to you. You do not have to do it.

[39:38] If it's going to break the law. But you have to. Leave them in the hands of the law. So the police can get involved. For instance. Someone. Comes to your house. And does some stuff.

[39:49] Or someone. You know. Does something that is wrong. You. Someone shoots your leg. You don't have to go and get a gun to shoot. You have to refer them to the police.

[40:00] And then. They take the person to court. Because. The law judges the person. And judge you properly. So. In the same way. Christ. When he was suffering. Can you imagine. He knew.

[40:11] This is how he went through. I know God is my judge. I know God will judge this case for me. I know God will acquit me. He will vindicate me. And he says. We should follow the same mindset. And when you are going through something.

[40:23] With your husband. With your wife. With your family. With your neighbors. With your loved ones. Or whatever you are going through. Employers. Because you are Christian. And you are being maltreated.

[40:33] He says that. Commit your. Your soul. To God. Who judges faithfully. He judges righteously. God is a judge. God is a judge.

[40:44] He will defend you. You are innocent. They are putting. They are putting a charge against you. Which is not true. God will defend you. God will judge the matter for you.

[40:55] My sister. God will judge the matter for you. But. You allow God to judge. When you imitate Jesus. Or. When you. Live out the Christ in you. That's how you allow God.

[41:06] So that. He's watching you. The bishop of our souls. Jesus is the bishop. Bishop Jesus. Is watching you. Is visiting you. Because. Your day of visitation. In other words. Your day of showing forth.

[41:17] Is just around the corner. Your day of showing forth. Is about to show. His glory over your life. God visits his people. To do them good. He examines them. To see. How he can move them. To the next stage.

[41:28] You are about. To move. To the next stage. In the mighty. Name of Jesus. So. He reviled not. He never opened his mouth. To attack. 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 8. He didn't revile. 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 8.

[41:40] Finally. All of you. Be of one mind. Having compassion. And love as brothers. Be. Verse 18. I'm sorry. Verse 18. Verse 18.

[41:50] Says that. Christ suffered once. For sins. The just. For the unjust. That he might bring us to God. Being put to death. In the flesh. And. Made alive. By the spirit.

[42:01] So. He suffered. Once. For us. He suffered for us. Now. This is very important. Christ. Christ. Also. Suffered once. For our sins. Not for his own problems. He actually suffered.

[42:13] For our sins. He died. For our sins. Why? That he might bring us to God. Now. When we are suffering. When Christ suffered. To bring us to God. We suffer.

[42:23] To bring. People to Christ. When we go through that. They will glorify God. We suffer. To bring people. To Christ. We live a certain life. In order.

[42:34] To bring people. To Christ. So. He suffered. For us. Now. Let me pick on there. His own body. Let's go to the verse 20. 24. 1 Peter chapter 2. Verse 24.

[42:44] It talks about how. Who himself. Bore our sins. In his own body. On the tree. I will leave the body. Colossians 1. 22. It talks about. A boy.

[42:56] A peter. A sins. In his body. But. On the tree. On the tree. Uh-huh. Pastor. You see. Jesus didn't die on the cross. He was hanged. On the tree. No. No. No. The tree. The cross.

[43:06] Is the product of the tree. So. In certain terms. It's referred to as a tree. This is so. So that. There's a scripture. In. What do we call it? The scripture. In.

[43:17] Deuteronomy 21. 23. Deuteronomy 21. 23. There was a prophecy. That anyone who dies on a tree. Is cursed. His body shall not remain overnight.

[43:28] On the tree. But he shall surely. You shall surely bury him that day. So that you do not defile the land. With the Lord. Your God is giving to you. For inheritance. For he who hangs. Hanged.

[43:39] Who is hanged. Is cursed. Of God. Now. The tree. The cross. Was the. Roman. The Roman. Their weapon. Their tool. For capital punishment.

[43:51] So this was actually pointing to Christ's death on the cross. So Galatians 3. 13. Says that. For. He. Says that. For it is written. Cursed is he.

[44:03] Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. The law. Having become a curse for us. Why? Because it's written. Cursed is everyone who hangs on the tree. So the tree that was prophesied. Is actually.

[44:14] Their cross. Which is the same as. The tree. Okay. So. You see. Being hanged on the tree. He hanged on it. Not by the neck. But by his. The nails in his.

[44:25] In his hands. And his feet. He hanged. He hanged on the cross. He hanged on the tree. So when he says that. In fact. When you read. The apostles. They preach. Acts chapter 5 verse 30.

[44:35] He spoke. They spoke about. How he. He died on the tree. Acts 5. 30. Look at. Acts 5. 30. And then. Acts chapter. 10. Acts chapter 5.

[44:47] Verse 30. It talks about. How. And God. Our fathers. Raised him up. Whom. He made it. Hanging. Hanging on the tree. Look at chapter 10. Acts 10.

[44:57] 39. Acts 10. 39. We normally talk about 38. But 39. And we are witnesses of all these. Which. He did. Both in the land of the Jews. And Jerusalem. Whom.

[45:07] They killed. By hanging. On the tree. You see. They hanged him. This is there. This is Peter preaching. Said they hanged Jesus on the tree. In Acts chapter. 13.

[45:19] Verse 29. Look up. This is Paul. Paul was preaching. He said. Now. They had fulfilled. All that was written. Now. When they had fulfilled. Now. When they had fulfilled. All that was written. Concerning him. They took him down.

[45:30] From the tree. So. When he said. He hung on the tree. It's not just. He was hung. Like the way Judas hung. This one. He actually died. On the cross. But the cross. Is another way of saying.

[45:41] The tree. So. Christ died on the tree. For us. So. First Peter. Chapter 2. Verse 24. He died on the tree for us. And. Watch this. This is important. I want to draw something here quickly. Having died.

[45:52] On the tree. That we. Having died to sin. So. He died. So that we will die. Now. He didn't say sin will die in us. But we will die to sin. That is a pattern.

[46:03] So. When you look at Jesus. You will die to sin. We will die. Romans chapter 6. Verse 8. Verse 11 and 10. And this. I think verse 17 and 18. Look at it. Now. Now.

[46:14] If we died with Christ. We believe that we shall. See. We shall live with him. If we died with Christ. So. What we are talking about. Dying with Christ. So. That we can live with him.

[46:25] Verse 11. And verse 10. Verse 10. Sorry. Verse 10. Let's look at verse 10. For the death that he died. He died to sin. Once for all. But.

[46:35] The life that he lives. He lives to God. Verse 11. Likewise. You also. Reckon yourself to be dead. Not. Not that kill yourself. But consider. This is how to imitate him. Consider yourself.

[46:47] Dead to sin. Sin. But not only. Dead to sin. You need to die to sin. So you can be alive to God. Many are trying to be alive to God. And still be living in sin. No.

[46:57] We have to die. We are. Look at verse 18. Verse 18 of Romans chapter 6. Verse 18 says. And having been set free from sin. You are free from sin.

[47:07] If you are in Christ. You become slaves to righteousness. So. We die to sin. So that. We are not dying. Dying. It is not sin that is dying.

[47:18] Sin is still alive in you. But we must be dead to sin. How can this be? By living the resurrection life. Turning to Christ. We will die to sin. Christ's model is. He died to sin.

[47:28] Not only died to sin. But it is two ways. Die to sin. Something in the natural. In our natural flesh. Terminated. So that. Another thing in our spirit. Can be germinated. So.

[47:39] Terminate something in the flesh. To germinate the life to God. So he said. We. That we. Having. Rome. First Peter chapter 2 again. We. Having died to sin. Will live.

[47:50] Did you see that? Having died to sin. Will live. We. Having died to sin. Might live. For righteousness. By whose stripes we are healed. Then. He brings in this. So this is all.

[48:01] The pattern of imitating Christ. But look at how it ends. In the verse 25. This is where I would like to end. Christ our bishop. You were like sheep going astray. Isaiah chapter 50. 53 verse 6.

[48:13] It said sheep going astray. Yeah. 56 verse 3. We are like sheep going astray. Did you see that? So we were like sheep going astray. Sheep going astray. Psalm 119 verse 176.

[48:25] This is another one. Talk about we like sheep going astray. I have gone astray like a lost sheep. I know. That's how we used to be before we came to Christ. And sometimes you are in Christ. But you can tell that you are going astray.

[48:36] Anyone who is going astray. Don't backslide. I call you back to the life of Christ. I call you back to the life of Christ. Don't go astray. We are all like that. We are all like sheep going astray.

[48:48] We are all like sheep going astray. In Jeremiah chapter 50 verse 6. Talks about sheep going astray. We the people of God. We are all like sheep.

[48:59] My people have been lost. I have been lost sheep. My people have been. We are lost sheep. But thank be to God. That he came to seek for us. He came to seek us.

[49:10] It takes a shepherd to seek us. Now look at 1 Peter. Let's go back to 1 Peter. I love this. We are all like sheep going astray. But now. Someone say now. Type now.

[49:21] You can say now. In the past. We were. We were a sheep. But now. Return unto. Watch this. The shepherd and the bishop of our soul.

[49:32] Christ is the shepherd. Christ is the shepherd. Christ is our shepherd. In John chapter 10 verse 11.

[49:43] John chapter 10 verse 11. He said I am the good shepherd. Hallelujah. Verse 14. Look at verse 14. He said it again. I am the good shepherd. Hallelujah. Look at verse 16.

[49:55] He said it again. That other sheep I have. That I said. They follow my voice. And they will be. And there will be one flock.

[50:05] And one shepherd. His. Jesus says. I am the good shepherd. I am the one shepherd. And in 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 4. It talks about he is the chief shepherd.

[50:15] And when the chief shepherd. You see capital. They are talking about Jesus. He is the chief shepherd. Chief. Chief. Sorry. Chief shepherd. Chief shepherd. You will receive the crown of glory.

[50:28] And in Hebrews after 13 verse 20. It talks about. The. May God. Who brought back from the dead. The great shepherd of the sheep. Jesus is the great shepherd.

[50:40] He is the chief shepherd. Now. We are gone astray. We are returning. We are returning to our shepherd. So he is the shepherd. What does it mean to be a shepherd? The job of a shepherd. Now. He is not a cowboy.

[50:51] He is a shepherd. There is a difference between a cowboy and a shepherd. A shepherd. Leads the flock. And the flock come after him. That is when you look. In. Real shepherds.

[51:02] They go. And the flock follow the shepherd. That is why Jesus said. My sheep know my voice. And another shepherd. They will not follow. So. They follow. Sheep follow shepherd. But a shepherd goes ahead.

[51:14] Says the example for sheep. He will tell. Shepherd will tell you. Do what he is not doing. Okay. Pastor. A shepherd will not tell you. Do what he is not doing. A shepherd will do. For he said. Imitate me.

[51:25] Paul said. Imitate. 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 1. Imitate me. As I imitate Christ. So. A shepherd does. For us to follow. Now. It is very interesting. Jesus Christ. Goes.

[51:35] He is a shepherd. So. That is why the Bible says. We are following him. All right. He set the model for us. He set the. The hoopo gramos. He set the example for us. For us to follow. He is the shepherd.

[51:46] Now. Watch this. So. A shepherd goes. And the sheep follows. How about a cowboy? No. A cowboy drives them from behind. Drive the cow. Come on. Hey. Hey. Keep on. Quick down. Go. Go. No. No. Jesus is not a cowboy.

[51:57] Jesus is a shepherd. Jesus is not a cowboy. He is a shepherd. He goes. And then. He leads the sheep. He leads the sheep. To. Shepherd means to lead the sheep. And number two.

[52:07] Is also to examine the sheep. And make sure they are fine. Provide for them. Loving care. So. When you are going through. All those difficulties. Remember. You are in the loving care. Of our shepherd.

[52:19] He cares for you. And guess what? He holds you. He holds you like this. And robs his hand on your head. And pats you on the back. Don't worry. I know you are going through some things. But I want you to know.

[52:29] You have a shepherd. He hasn't left you alone. He is your shepherd. But look at the next verse. The next statement. He is the shepherd. Not just the shepherd. But the key word here. The bishop. The bishop.

[52:40] Jesus is the bishop of our souls. The bishop. As I explained in chapter 12. The visitation. He is the one who visits us. The bishop. He is watching us. He oversees. So.

[52:51] Bishop. The Greek word for bishop. Is episkopos. And the Greek word for visitation. Is episkopos. So. The episkopos. Does the work. Or by episkopos.

[53:03] Alright. So the bishop. Episkopos. The episkopos. Episkopos. So. Jesus Christ. No. Put it back on the screen. I didn't see that.

[53:13] Put it back on the screen. I think that's amplified. I guess. I didn't see that. Yes. Amplified. Conduct yourself properly. Among the Gentiles. Alright. That glorify. God. In the day of inspection.

[53:25] When God. Shall look upon you. You see. You. Look upon you. Wondrous. As a pastor. Or. A shepherd. Looks over his flock. Did you see that?

[53:36] Did you. I didn't even know that. Amplified. Pussy. That like that. So. He actually. God. Looks upon you. The day when God. Is looking upon you. You. You. They will glorify. The Gentiles. Will glorify God. Now.

[53:46] That is the key point here. That Jesus. Is the shepherd. He is the bishop. He is not just. The bishop. He is a shepherd. He cares for us. But he is not just. Caring for us. He leads us. For us to follow.

[53:57] And helps us to follow. But he also. As we are following. It is like. He is observing us. Where we are going wrong. He gently shepherds us. In the right direction. And where we need.

[54:08] Appraiser. Where we need. He saw. Bishop is just over seen. To see how he glorifies. His name in your life. How he will bless you so much. He will bless you so much. That it cannot be hidden. He is watching you. He is observing you.

[54:19] He is observing. Brother. May I tell you. You are under observation. So be careful. What you are. How you handle your suffering. You are under observation. You are under. By the bishop. Not to judge you. But he is observing you.

[54:31] To appraise you. To promote you. To commend you. To lift you. To elevate you. Hallelujah. You are under observation. By the bishop himself. The bishop. Not of your actions.

[54:42] But the bishop. Of your soul. When we talk about our soul. Our soul. When he says. The bishop of our soul. Is the inner being. The real person. You may be serving. You may be around.

[54:52] They may not know your real you. Because they may judge you with. Some things you have done. Some things you have said. But they don't know. The real you. I feel like preaching. Brothers and sisters. But the bishop.

[55:03] He is the bishop. Of our souls. He knows the real you. He knows the real you. He knows the real you. You cannot explain yourself. Enough. Even to your husband.

[55:14] Even to your wife. Not even to your mother. They may know you a certain level. Not even to your twin brother. Or twin sister. They may know you to a certain level. But it takes Jesus. Who actually knows.

[55:24] The real you. Even us. Sometimes we don't know ourselves. We don't know ourselves. But thank God. The bishop. Of our souls. The bishop. He is the bishop.

[55:36] He is the shepherd. Of the real you. The bishop. Of the real you. He said. You know what? Take off the clothes. Take off the facade. Take it off. I love you. I want to be. I want to shepherd you.

[55:46] You. You. You. Your soul. Not just what you are doing. But your soul. The real you. Hallelujah. Christ. The bishop. Of our souls. Christ. The bishop. Christ. Our bishop.

[55:56] We have a bishop. Sir. We have a bishop. Madam. We have a bishop. And serve. Like someone who has a bishop. Go through all the things.

[56:07] You are going through. As a Christian. Like someone who has a shepherd. And a bishop. And the bishop is just observing you. You are under observation. He is looking out for you. The way companies can headhunt somebody.

[56:21] They headhunt you. So we want to employ you. The same way your bishop. The job of a bishop. Is to look out for you. To promote you. Look out for you. To employ you. They said. Look out amongst you.

[56:31] Men of honest report. Look out. Just look out. God is looking out. He is just observing you. Christ. The bishop. As we imitate him. I see your promotion is due.

[56:43] Just keep going through. Just keep standing in faith. Be faithful to the end. Because they that are faithful to the end. He that endures to the end. The saved shall be saved. If any man draws back.

[56:56] He says. My soul will not have pleasure in him. For we are not of them that draw back unto perdition. But we are them. That persevere unto salvation. He will be chapter 10. He says that.

[57:08] There is a great recompense. Verse 35. There is a great verse 35. Therefore there. Don't cast away your confidence. It has a great. Great reward. King James says. It has a great recompense.

[57:19] Of reward. It is compensation. Everything you have been through. The righteous judge will compensate you. Don't worry. Do it for Christ. Save him. Suffer for him.

[57:30] It is worth it. Because he is the bishop. He is the shepherd. And the bishop. Of ourselves. Amen. Thank you for listening. To hear more from David Entry.

[57:42] Follow him on Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. And LinkedIn. Why don't you subscribe to our YouTube channel. At Carish Church. And subscribe to our podcast.

[57:52] So you are always up to date. Be blessed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.