Submission to Authority

Introduction

Let me get the Worldly UGLY words out of the way up FRONT

Submission

subject to

Slaves

Servant

God’s Will

Obedient

take a moment to look at them

What do you feel? What are your thoughts?

Those type of words can really get the hair up on our neck.

I want you to hear them up front.

Okay that’s done.. Lets get into the lesson

open you Bible and your Notes to.....

1 peter 2:13 “13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,”

BE SUBJECT FOR THE LORD’S Sake

not to be over obvious but it says for the LORD’S Sake

not for our sake

the translation here is that God doesn’t care about your opinion if it doesn’t agree with HIS

Then he says “every human institution”

This is tough stuff

but the commandment is pretty simple

we don’t get to pick and chose

we obey the laws of the world, as long as they don’t contradict GOD’s Word

we are picker and choosers

Living as a Stranger

Submission

We do understand it, but only like it conditionally

you have all heard some of these

Not my job

i thought you said you were doing that

You have to talk to my boss

not my call

So the result is our battle is NOT submission in General

BUT submission when it is against our WILL

Study close what Peter is saying here:

1 peter 2:13-14 “13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”

God, HIS SON, HIS WORD is our LORD and over ALL THINGS

so we are called to obey but NOT when it is against HIS WILL - WHICH IS GOOD

this is our normal every day BATTLE

not simply choosing what is right, but WHAT IS RIGHT with GOD

We need to learn what God says is Good.

Be a Do-Gooder

1 Peter 2:15–16 (ESV)

15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

being a doer of good can be a challenge ---

but oh boy since this is God’s Word we should believe what it says

“by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people”

come on now.. you like that verse HUH

hurry up and highlight that one

we all have the struggle with foolish people — but the Lord tells us to silence them by doing good.

Doing good for others is attractive to them — it may lead them to answer that Call from Christ to become your Brother or Sister

that is the whole point of our commission to GO — make disciples

as we go we do good.

Live Free

The word live is also translated as submit in other versions of the bible

so yes.. .we should live as people who are FREE, but the truer translation would be

we are to submit as people that are free.

We must make that choice to serve to know we are

At the same time less than and more than..

The Blood of Christ made us Free, and we are no longer subject to the futile lifestyle characteristic of the world.

1. We don’t surrender out of weakness --- THIS IS KEY --- we are not the defeated but the Victors in Christ.

2. We are NOT to use our Freedom to indulge in evil

This is a tough one that presents itself daily ---- we often think that we can stick our toe in a pool of sin that is of interest to our selfish desire, knowing that GOD will forgive

GENUINE Freedom frees us TO DO what is GOOD

When we “stick our toe in that sin” we reveal to ourself that we are not truly free and are subjecting or submitting to the EVILNESS OF the WORLD

1 John 2:15 “15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

1 john 2:16 “16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”

1 john 1:6 “6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

one of the biggest struggle in our WORLD TODAY is the News

and the SCRIPTURE has an answer to that.....

Honor the Government, but Honor All

We are not slaves to this world

we are not of this world

We must live as Holy Chosen People in this world

We must be Example Setters

We don’t submit to the worldly authorities out of weakness but from strength - because of our Freedom.

when we react in a negative way we empower that negative news in others

When we react emotionally to the news we show other Christians that we are buying in we are allowing it to effect us

Friends our only answer to that type of thing should be to HONOR GOD

GOD must have a purpose in that

GOD must have a plan to allow that

GOD — i am yours and it is a shame what is going on in this world, but i am a citizen of Heaven

Our true citizenship is in Heaven — we are just visiting on Spaceship Earth

We are here for HIS PURPOSE

Its like the example i used last week.

I can go and visit Germany for a month

I obey there laws out of respect, and because GOOD CHRISTIANS obey the LAWS

i can obey their laws, and obey GOD’s laws for my conduct

i submit to the laws of Germany, out of the need to do good — to GLORIFY and HONOR GOD.

Believers are called upon to live under God’s Lordship, obeying the government as God’s Servants.

The next time you press that accelerator passed the speed limit

The next time you tell a white lie

the next time you defend yourself, before taking responsibility

think about this.

What you do to others, you do to GOD.

For God is the God of all things

An unbeliever is a possible future BROTHER OR SISTER

A hurtful person is a person that needs more CHRIST

A sexual sinner is a person that needs Freedom in Christ

A drunk or Druggie needs to find their peace and joy in the LORD

We must be DO-GOODERS

We must be examples of and modelers of JESUS.

We don’t submit to the GOVERNMENT with out Restriction

We submit to honor order

But we cannot be part of things that GOD is AGAINST

Four Commands

Honor Everyone

Love the Brotherhood

Fear God

Honor the Emperor - show proper respect

These are our Four point commands of Christian Citizenship.

Honor --- show respect — every person is different — uniquely created

learn to look for the difference, and not only the similarities

Love --- we are to do things of Love to our CHURCH --- we are family, we are children of God

We are to love each other

Fear --- not is terror, but in AWE and REVERENCE — this leads to a willing OBEDIENCE to GOD

Peter lays out our need to be GOOD CITIZENS in this WORLD, and to DO GOOD to Others

Peter reminds us that we are FREE from this WORLD and have the power to rise above but we are to BE GOOD as GOD is GOOD

Peter concludes this chapter (though not a chapter in the original letter) with a call to US

the servants of CHRIST

Living as a Servant of Christ

Be subject to your masters

be a good employee

be a good spouse

be a good shopper

be a good person in all that you do

be good to ALL people no matter what

Peters instructions are to be servants to the good and gentle and to the unjust.

Wow that goes against our will doesn’t it

But look at verse 19

1 peter 2:19 “19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.”

obeying God is a good thing even if it causes sorrow or suffering

the truth of it is that all human philosophy can be summed up with this statement

“people at the very core with simply seek pleasure, and avoid pain — and between the two they will chose to avoid pain over gaining pleasure”

That is our way or human nature

but our Godly nature must be transformed to:

“ no matter what i will obey the Lord, in result of joy or the experience of pain. For the Lord my God is who i obey no matter the cost.”

Friends CHRIST suffered and we will suffer

if you haven’t experienced suffering at this point in your walk, then you are either being blessed or placing it safe.

Speaking God’s Truth in a Evil world will bring you challenge, it will bring you pain

Who do you FEAR more?

The Lord your GOD or the judgment of MAN

Friends the end of this section

confirms a few truth to help us understand the FOUNDATION on which we STAND

We have been CALLED to serve HIM

We will suffer as CHRIST Suffered

Christ gave us the example so that we know where to GO

Christ never sinned BUT gave His life for the SINS of ALL

Christ did not get defensive, but spoke TRUTH

Christ spoke TRUTH, used the TRUTH as HIS Sword

He was hated, hurt, abused — but never did any of that back on others

Christ served GOD — meaning HE was a servant

I opened this message this morning with these words:

Submission

subject to

Slaves

Servant

God’s Will

Obedient

I pray that our study this morning showed you a deeper meaning of those words

that you started today with resistance to those words

but leave here today with a desire to LIVE those WORDS

BECAUSE JESUS our Lord and SAVIOR LIVED THEM TO THE POINT OF DEATH.