Untitled Sermon (2)

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude (1) Submit to the Government (2:13–17)

Peter gave a command that represents a general truth, that is, he specified what Christians should do in most situations when confronting governing authorities. Believers should be inclined to obey and submit to rulers. We will see, however, that the authority of rulers is not absolute. They do not infringe upon God’s lordship, and hence they should be disobeyed if they command Christians to contravene God’s will.

I don’t know about you but the situation in our country for the past several years has made me tired.

Every direction I turn I having to consider questions that I never thought I would have to answer. And it’s made me tired.

I never thought I would have to give serious thought to biblical answers surrounding homosexual marriage.

I never thought I’d see a Christian business owner jailed for his faith.

I never thought I’d have to go to a voting booth and choose between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

I never thought I’d see numerous families no longer share a meal together because of who they voted for.

I also never thought I’d see that same election bring disunity and discord to churches.

I even talked to a pastor this week that told me his church of 700 split down the middle in February of 2017 down party lines. Those that voted for Trump stayed and those that voted for Hillary left and started another church.

I may never know who, but I am sure that even here at MVC there is some individuals in disunity over this very situation.

My news feeds make me tired. My social media feeds make me tired.

But you know what I’ve discovered? My weariness is my own fault.

It is….I did it to myself…

Somewhere slowly over time…My good ole boy politics blended with my Christianity and when situations arose that put those two in conflict I had to rethink things.

I found myself out of step with Scripture and the journey back to Biblical Christianity is long….hard… work. And hard work makes you tired.

I find myself in conflict with myself. Have you ever been there?

I find my gut reaction and thoughts to cultural changes are more political than biblical. More American than Christian.

I even find myself attempting to proof text my way into a justification or try and appease myself with a conversation about the lesser of two evils.

I find myself involved in insane circular arguments that justify behaviors and avoid personal responsibility.

You know the ones… they go like this

Donald Trump has played golf 50 times his first year in office. Oh yeah, well Barack Obama played 52 times his first year in office. As if one discounts the other. Which by the way I think Presidents deserve a day off like the rest of us.

I then ponder if things would be better if the lines were drawn between America and Christianity rather than Democrat and Republican. At least I wouldn’t find myself in conflict.

Hopefully.

There are two books of the bible that I think speak so clearly to our current situation that it is astounding. The first one is the book of Daniel and I hope in the spring I can preach a couple of messages from the book of Daniel.

The other is 1st Peter. And while we obviously don’t have time to look at the whole book this morning I want us to take a quick look at the end.

Turn to and while your turning there let’s set up a some context.

1st Peter opens with a greeting.

To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.

This letter is to those who have dispersed because of persecution. They have scattered in multiple directions fearing for their lives from government and cultural persecution. Why? Because they were followers of Christ.

Peter spends the rest of the book with instructions on how to act when faced with persecution.

We are told in 1st Peter Listen as I do a quick summary of some of the instructions Peter gives to those who are being persecuted

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

, if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

, and do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled.

, But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

, So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you

, If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed.

I had a moment this week while talking three seminary students from South Korea who had been in the US for 6 months.

We were sharing stories and discussing perspectives on life in America and American politics

I realized that the source of my conflict was fear. Some legitimate and some not. Fear of losing a way of life, fear of change, fear of watching what was once hidden immorality become public and celebrated.

But the problem was, my fear didn’t manifest itself in questions about how would this affect the cause of Christ, the church or the work of the Kingdom of God and the proclamation of the Gospel.

These fears manifested in how would it affect me. I don’t want change and I don’t want suffering. Which meant I found myself willing to justify or compromise in order to rationalize my fear.

But the choosing the path of obedience means by its very definition that we will not get things our way.

We are to be obedient to God’s way even if that means we may suffer for the cause of Christ.

I’m not talking about a martyr complex and I’m not talking about laying down like some pretend pacifist. I’m talking about obedience to Jesus Christ in whatever ever way shape or form that takes even if it disagrees with our politics.

says Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

But today I really have one distinct concern. That is the body at MVC.

You can take time this afternoon and contemplate what obedience looks like in your individual lives, but For the next few minutes let’s see what obedience looks like within the church.

8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,

“Whoever would love life

and see good days

must keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from deceitful speech.

11 He must turn from evil and do good;

he must seek peace and pursue it.

12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

and his ears are attentive to their prayer,

but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Holman New Testament Commentary: I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude B. Relationships in the Church (vv. 8–12)

These verses present an ideal picture of the life of a church.

These verses present an ideal picture of the life of the church.

Live in Harmony

Have you ever thought about what living in harmony means. In the Greek it literally means like minded, but like minded doesn’t mean the same.

That is why translators chose the word harmony. We usually think of harmony in terms of music.

For three people to sing in harmony it requires an authority that all parties submit themselves to. In music that authority is the key of the song.

When they sing the key determines the notes they sing. The have one mind and are submitted to that key. Although they will be singing different notes.

However, if one of them chooses to sing in a different key what do we have? We have discord. Disunity because that person didn’t want to humble themselves to the authority of the key. The reason doesn’t matter. What matters is that the three notes are in harmony. That is what sounds good.

A Harmony

B Sympathy

C Brotherly Love

B´ Compassion

A´ Humility

Schreiner, T. R. (2003). 1, 2 Peter, Jude (Vol. 37, p. 164). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.