Sermon Tone Analysis

Alien Submission

OPENING ILLUSTRATION

Curious how Hollywood plays with history but not surprising ... James Cameron’s 1997 box-office hit TITANIC is a case in point .. well you have to do something different when everyone knows the ending!

What’s portrayed in the movie .. as TITANIC comes to it’s final end .. is we see a lot of wealthy 1st class male passengers behaving like 3rd class humans .. the rule when there’s a shortage of lifeboats to people?

.. Yep .. WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST!

James Cameron gives us vision of hardened sailors needing guns to warn off blokes who are trying to push their way forward .. some who are bribing sailors to put them on boats .. some who are dressing as women to get a seat .. and of course the snivelling cowardly villain Cal who sweeps up a crying child to rush onto a lifeboat pretending to be her father

Truth is ... especially among the wealthy gentry .. that eye-witness accounts state there was little of that SELFISHNESS ... it was an established principle and strictly adhered to .. WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST!

Some men .. Mr Astor .. did push forward to get his wife a seat on a lifeboat .. but stepped back and perished with the other 1600 people

So why does Cameron not stick to the facts entirely here?

Well ... no one would believe it in our day and age .. this is the day of SELF .. me-first-ism .. it is so normal we find it difficult to think any other way ... SELF DENIAL seems abnormal .. almost immoral for some

Of course SELF-CENTREDNESS is the very core of our rebellious hearts .. sin is defined as that disobedience where we don’t want to submit to anyone else ... authority is a dirty word

This morning Peter is going to FLESH OUT what it means to be STRANGERS and ALIENS in this world

Peter last time reminded us of our responsibilities and privileges as the chosen people of God and how we are to function as a royal priesthood .. offering spiritual sacrifices .. declaring His praise ..We are to proclaim Christ and practice that proclamation.. but HOW?

As we push along in the letter .. this next section .. which really goes through to 3:12 .. outlines a principle .. and outlines some applications ... and gives us the undergirding example

The Principle

Living the Christian life in a cynical world .. pagan world .. hostile world .. is very relevant now that the “Christian” world of the past is getting more agitated against Christian principles .. values etc ..

The issues for so many people today is not even the question .. “Is Christianity TRUE?” but “Does Christianity WORK” .. the meme is .. THEY DON’T CARE WHAT YOU BELIEVE, UNTIL THEY BELIEVE THAT YOU CARE

Mission takes up both the words and the works – it’s LIFESTYLE .. and vv.11-12 are a bit of an INTRO .. and reminds us of the MAJOR THEME …I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world,

.. and reminds us of the MAJOR THEME …I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world,

Let’s press PAUSE for a minute and dig a bit deeper .. what does it mean to be an ALIEN .. STRANGER?

Well .. This is not our true country .. this world is not the place of our CITIZENSHIP .. we are citizens of HEAVEN! … ie WE LIVE ON THIS EARTH WITH THE POLITICS OF HEAVEN …

City state = city/nation .. like Paul who was a Roman citizen eg can’t be imprisoned without trial .. Paul used this get out of gaol free card because he’s a roman citizen

So .. at conversion your citizenship is transferred .. to heaven .. the rights and privileges .. rights of ACCESS .. PROTECTION etc .. there is NOW a change in status .. there is no MIDDLE GROUND

Y’see .. you are a Christian or not a Christian .. yes you can be seeking but as a seeker you are still not in the Kingdom .. there comes some point where you say .. Yes .. I repent and believe ..

MARRIAGE is the same .. you’re unmarried .. and then “I pronounce you man and wife” .. married

Y’see .. this is what happens .. when we stop thinking that my morality .. my good works .. my “righteousness” makes me a Christian and pleasing to God .. no no no .. I’m a Christian because of the righteousness that is Christ’s .. given to me .. then my citizenship is TRANSFERRED from this world to HEAVEN .. and I’m an ALIEN here on earth .. living the politics of heaven

Genuine believers are never vague about this .. they don’t say “I’m doing my best .. I’m pretty sure I’m a Christian .. who knows? … maybe not a good one but I’m plodding on….

I’m hoping I am”

That’s trying to take the non existent middle ground.

I hope it works out in the end

Your confidence is not arrogance .. the Father wants you to know and feel His assurance ..

You are HIS .. and in the Kingdom .. for me that was 2am 3 Dec 1972 .. once I was dead but now alive

I’m not saying that you will be able to pinpoint an exact time .. I’m saying you’ll know you have one, even if it took a while ..

Can I stress .. you need to be sure here .. do you know your STATUS?

Made that decision?

.. Can I help you?

.. coz it’s not good works and morality that gets you the status of being a citizen of heaven

We live in a world that doesn’t like making commitments .. we want pre nuptials with the wedding agreement

As Jesus said .. we are In the world but not of the world ()

Trouble is we find that a hard area to define and I think what we see is a lot of Christians retreating to one of two extremes

Christians who are trying so hard to assimilate and blend in to the world .. you know “all things to all men” that you can’t really tell them apart from the world they live in .. seems like they are driven by the same values and goals as the world around us

AND

Other Christians build this safe holy huddle .. retreat into the fortress/castle .. and then lob a grenade over the wall every now and then and call it WITNESS

Now Peter won’t let us fall to one side or the other ... we need to engage the world and live CHRISTIANLY amongst others .. to be the SALT of the world and be the influence and witness we should be .. the salt has to touch the food

Flick back to verse 12 .. Peter introduced the PRINCIPLE Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

There is a VISIBLE BEAUTY to relationships that have been RE-ORIENTATED and IMPACTED by the CROSS ... and it will affect those around us

We are a COUNTERCULTURAL example to the pagans (Gentiles) around us i.e. those that are not Christians (including the Jews)

There will be opposition … there will be those that slander us.

Y’see we won’t harmonise with the world around us .. not necessarily fitting in .. different values .. motivation etc A lot of non-Christians watch us – they really want to see if the life matches the confession .. but they don’t necessarily understand what drives us

Added to that .. when Christians .. esp Christian leaders fall .. behave badly .. the outsider wants to say “See .. these Christians .. they are up to no good .. bunch of whackos ... wowsers and do-gooders who are just like everyone else!”

So how do you silence false accusations?

What’s the PRINCIPLE ?

Peter says .. GOOD WORKS! (v.15) ... what is the OBJECTIVE GOOD .. these GOOD DEEDS that will draw our neighbours friends workmates relatives to see the glory of God?

What is it that GOD SAYS IS GOOD?

Kindness?

Compassion?

Friendliness?

Forgiveness?

Well .. we see a far bit of that around us in people that are not Christian .. just good humanitarians ..

Peter focuses on something very profound

Peter weaves together 3 ideas ... that relate to our relationships in life .. that display the VISIBLE BEAUTY of being God’s person .. a witness to the work of Jesus in our lives .. they are: SUBMISSION ..... AUTHORITY .... HONOUR

Now .. we need to be clear .. is Peter saying that the sum and substance of Christian faith .. esp before a watching world .. is a blind adherence to this principle of SUBMISSION? no no no

SUBMISSION defines the Christian way because we are being like our Saviour .. Christlike .. Jesus is known for his MEEKNESS and His SUBMISSION … flick down to vv.21-24

21-24 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.”

and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

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That’s our calling … How then do we act so that people will see the glory of God?

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.”

Unique assertive submission

How then do we act so that people will see the glory of God?

What follows are examples in relation to our response to government .. workplace .. and then family (ch.3)

The New International Version.

(2011).

().

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Alien Citizens vv.13-17

God is a God of order .. we see that everywhere in the Bible .. there are structures / institutions that God has established ..

He is opposed to anarchy He is a God of order .. there’s heaps of examples .. govt.

; family ; work ; marriage

The problem is not the idea of having AUTHORITY structures .. it’s the ABUSE of the power .. lack of servant leadership

For these 1st cent.

Christians they knew they were outlawed .. they were the illegals .. their religion was strange .. they were a danger and the governing authorities didn’t quite know what to do with them

The Emperor in Peter’s day is Nero ... and there’s governors like Pontius Pilate and Felix .. we know they weren’t entirely sympathetic to the gospel!

Feathering their own nest might be the best description!

The question is: How do these resident aliens live under a government that is often hostile?

vv.13-14

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

Peter’s encouragement .. Christ like response?

SUBMIT .. which is response of respect and obedience to all institutions that have been ordained by God .. NB the important words here are for the Lord's sake in being Christian and wanting to be godly we want to submit to the Lord .. we seek to be pleasing to someone .. not something

AND ... to stress it again .. SUBMISSION defines a Christian’s ways as being like the SAVIOUR

Notice that the govt.

at the time was pretty corrupt some Emperors were tyrants greedy with exorbitant taxation set themselves up as gods BUT… Submission is not conditional .. Submit even to this government whether you agree with the policies or not

REMEMBER Jesus saying "Render to Caesar the things of Caesar"

Of course there is no authority to obey laws that are blatantly unbiblical Peter and John , "We must obey God rather than men." ( they were told to stop preaching the gospel)

ILLUSTRATION

During the Vietnam war the govt.