Living a Christian Life and Church Life under the Government of God for the Economy of God - 2

Message Title: Living a Christian Life under the Government of God

in the realm of God's kingdom, there is the matter of the government of God, which involves the matter of judgement to deal with all the negative things, all that does not match the nature of God. 

I. The Epistles of 1 and 2 Peter are on the universal government of God

the subject of 1 Peter is the Christian life under the government of God, showing us the government of God especially in His dealings with His chosen people. 

the subject of 2 Peter is the divine provision and the divine government, showing us that as God is governing us, He supplies us with whatever we need. 

God governs by judging; the judgement of God is for the carrying out of His government. we do not like judgement, and we do not like sufferings. why do we have to go through certain sufferings, or the apostle Peter use the word "trials" in his epistles. we pass through these trials so that we, His chosen people, can be approved. 

1 Peter 1:17 And if you call as Father the One who without respect of persons judges according to each one’s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear,

the judgement Peter is talking here is not about the future judgement when the Lord comes back, but the present, dayly judgment of God's governmental dealings with His children. this matter can be seen in the picture of the tabernacle, or the temple, the Israle people built in the wilderness, and also later in Jerusalem. that time, God's glory, His presence is within the Holy of Holies. in order to enter into the Holy of Holies, they need to pass through the bronze lever, then pass through a whole process, which typfies the judgment, to deal with all the negative things of fallen human being, anything that does not match God's holiness, righteousness and glory. so for us today also, what is of us, our sinful flesh, our fallen nature, needs to be judged, so that what is of Christ can be brought forth, which ushers into the real of God's righteousness. God wants to use His judgement to clean up all the negative, sinful, unrighteous and unholy elements within our being. because we still have so many unholy things hanging on our being, our holy Father has to judge these things so that we can match His holy nature and become His holy children to constitute His holy family. but we need to remember that the purpose of God's daily judgement is that we will live according to God in the spirit, and to walk in a holy manner of life.

we need to remember that we are only sojourners on this earth. we need to pass this time of sojouning in fear, which is, in a healthy, sirious caution that leads us to be holy in all our manner of life.