Part 7 1 Peter 2:13-25

1 Peter 2:13–25 NIV

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Though we are running through this passage quite quickly this evening, being a short service after our time of fellowship, it does not mean that we should not take away some crucial lessons into the coming week.

Peter wants us to live good lives before other people and shows us what that looks like. In fact, this whole passage can be summarised in one word: Submit!

This kind of speak does not go down well for who wants to be submissive to others? Yet, Peter says, that is is our work to submit and it is honourable and pleasing to God. And herein is the motive - submission means that we are being like our Saviour. We serve God above all. And God put people over us in authority and to them we must submit even, Peter makes clear, civil authorities.

We have to remember the context of when this letter was written. Nero was on the throne. Yes, that’s right. The one who truly persecuted Christians, used Christians as torches and when he set fire to Rome blamed the Christians. And, indeed, it was under this emperor that Peter was martyred. Others were still in power in Peter’s day was Pilate, that same one that washed his hands off Jesus, and Felix who only sought favours of those above him rather than justice. All three were against Christians. Yet we are, and Peter was, to submit to such as these. Wow! What!?

This is God’s will and it will silence the detractors. The accusations of others is that Christians are up to no good. Prove them wrong by obeying the civil law! Good works silences them. And in so doing exalts the gospel.

Of course there are some basic reasons for obeying authorities too.

1 Peter–Jude (King James Version) H. Submit to the State, 2:13–17

without law and the keeping of the law society would be in utter chaos.

⇒ Lawlessness would run wild.

⇒ No one would be safe to walk the streets.

⇒ People would have to live behind closed doors.

⇒ Abuse, attacks, murder, and war would be a constant threat.

⇒ No property would be safe.

⇒ There would be no public roads, transportation, water, sewage, or electrical systems, for there would be no law to collect taxes. And even if there was, no one would honor it.

1 Peter–Jude (King James Version) H. Submit to the State, 2:13–17

Without law and the keeping of the law there can be no society and no community, no life together, no bond to tie people together. Law, rulers, and their authority are an utter necessity to keep people from becoming wild beasts in a jungle of unrestrained selfishness and lawlessness.

This is clear in Newport where there are no traffic wardens. You’d think this great but people are parking everywhere, blocking roads, parking on double lines and so on without impunity. So, there is a civil outcry for traffic wardens! Who’d have thought it! And who thought that freedom of traffic wardens would be so unpopular?

We are to live lives of freedom. It is to this we have been called. But it is only in Christ that we can be truly free. We know Him who is The Truth

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

And when we know The Truth He makes us free

John 8:32 NKJV

32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

But, we are cautioned, do not use this freedom to do whatsoever you like. We are not to use this freedom as an excuse to sin. Freedom is ours only when we walk in the Spirit according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. Only when Jesus is truly Lord in our lives can we be free. The freedom we have then, is to serve.

What follows from this is that we are free to be the people God wants us to be. Indeed He has honoured us and loved us. And we are to honour everyone and love them and never use people as things to be used. This is especially to be true of us in our relationships with one another here in the fellowship. And it causes outsiders to sit up and take notice:

John 13:35 NKJV

35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

And then we are also to fear God. This is about reverence and awe. The same kind of fear that arose in the disciples when the storm arose, and they were afraid of the waves, but they were even more afraid after Jesus calmed the storm. Many Christians know nothing of this. They are all too cosy with God and familiar. There is a nearness to God but also an otherness about God. He is the One whom Isaiah saw sitting...

Isaiah 6:1–3 NKJV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

He is the One who can throw body and soul into hell. Fear Him, Jesus says.

And then Peter comes back to honouring those in authority even those who are tyrants or whose politics we do not agree with or who would like to do Christians in.

18-21

Peter gets even more practical in relation to employers. Most here are no longer employed but in whatever way we can we are to serve. Following Jesus is not optional for the Christian. In serving Christ we also serve others and that is not just serve Christians but others too.

For those who work we are to do so as if serving Christ Himself and if we know we are serving Him then we do it properly. Serving easy going people is one thing but those who are not good and gentle and fair is another but submission is the order given here as we can see clearly in verse 18.

Of course, this is not easy, well, actually it is impossible without God’s help but this is the life of the Spirit who lives in us. We are to do all things for His glory and honour. It goes over and above what is expected of us whether by employers or others and this behaviour is actually pleasing to God. To work good and suffer or not get paid properly and to take it without complaint is something commendable before God.

Remember, this was written to slaves and servants of Peter’s day whose work would have been a whole much tougher than we experience at the hands of others now because we have all these human rights and employment rights. So, if in Peter’s day they were to suck it up, today we are being asked to do the same. Of course, a slave could look for other employment if they wished or find a benefactor for this was quite possible in Peter’s day for many.

We are not asked to do anything that is not expected of Himself and was willing to do Himself and that is why we need to come back to the cross:

22-25

Very clearly here Peter is quoting from Isaiah 53, the passage about the Messiah’s sufferings. He loved us, He loved His enemies, but still He went to the cross and suffered. Who here has ever suffered like Jesus? It maybe that we have had a small taste of it. Indeed I can quote Martin Luther here who wrote:

“When I consider my crosses, tribulations, and temptations, I shame myself almost to death thinking what are they in comparison to the sufferings of my blessed Saviour Christ Jesus.”

Christ lived and died for us and we, too, then are to live and die for others. And because we endure, because we love, others will ask ask why we have such hope and love, why we can love those who are unlovely, why do you love someone like me? And we will be able to tell them about the One whose loves exceeds our own; we will tell them about Jesus who when reviled then not revile in return.

Let us be patient in what God has given us to do. We have a good shepherd, He us the overseer of our souls, He looks after us, and it is to Him we bring our worship.

Benediction

Hebrews 13:20–21 NKJV

20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Bibliography

Helm, D. R. (2008). 1 & 2 Peter and Jude: sharing christ’s sufferings. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). 1 Peter–Jude. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

Cedar, P. A., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1984). James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude (Vol. 34). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 15:49 26 January 2019.