Law and Order FBC

Awkward Moments

This morning we are continuing our study through the books of 1 and 2 Peter. Before we started this series, I read through 1 and second Peter and to be honest, I wasn’t looking forward tho this message. Not because there I feel convicted about something, and this message hits at the heart of it. Not because I had any one person in mind as I prepared for the message. This message just feels awkward.

I am a bi-vocational pastor. Thats the Christian way of saying I have two jobs. That’s not the awkward part mind you. I have had two jobs most of my life.

The awkward part is that most of the time my two jobs, Pastor of Freedom Biker Church and Captain in the Jonesboro Police Department, remain separate.

In this message, however, they merge. Thankfully and by the grace of God, they merge int he same direction, but understand I like them to be separate and when they aren’t it just feels awkward.

Awkward moments:

Like waving at someone you think you know and it turns out to be the wrong person.

Holding the door open for someone when they are a little too far, forcing them to have to hurry or run.

You just stunk up the bathroom and make eye contact with someone as the smell smacks them in the face.

1 Peter 2:13-

Rather than run away from awkwardness, we are just going to face it head on.

1 Peter 2:13–20 NASB95

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

Paul is setting a pattern of behavior of submissiveness for the sake of Christ and the benefit of others that we see woven through out his letters. Here we see the submission of citizens to the government and servants to their masters. If you think this is awkward for me and part of the government, next week we will study the submissiveness of wives to their husbands. Won’t that be fun.

It’s helpful that Peter gave us the reason first. We find it at the end of last weeks message in,

1 Peter 2:12 NASB95

12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

beautiful / attractive

1 Obey the Law

Submit yourself for the Lord’s sake to the government.

What that meant for the people of Peter’s time is different than what that means for us today.

Our government was set up with Christian values in mind. The Roman government wan’t. This passage has more serious consequences knowing that the Romans could come take all your property and press you into service just because.

Thomas Jefferson wrote:

"all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ...."  

But because we are a fallen and sinful people, even governments set up with Christian values can pass laws that seem unfair.

Read more: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2007/09/the_judeochristian_values_of_a.html#ixzz64swvWvX8 Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

The Burke-Wadsworth Act is passed by Congress on September 16, 1940.

Selective Service. Peace time registration

We always had a war time draft.

2,215,000 in vietnam.

Submission to the government can come at an extremely high price.

1 Peter 2:15 NASB95

15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

What about laws that contradict the Bible?

Daniel 6:9–10 NASB95

9 Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction. 10 Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.

Daniel 6:

Daniel knew he was breaking the law.

The law was in contradiction to God.

He didn’t change his behavior just to break the law.

He accepted the punishment.

His heart was pure.

Daniel 6:22 NASB95

22 “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.”

Daniel 6:

We are already seeing laws of permission that violate God’s commandments.

Abortion

Same Sex Marriage

We also see civil laws of prohibition.

Teacher let prayer in Schools.

Cake for gay wedding in Colorado.

We may see criminal laws of prohibition.

YOU WILL GO TO JAIL IF YOU DON’T......

I will no longer be bi-vocation at that point.

Are you breaking the law out of rebellion?

If it becomes illegal for you to read your bible in public, and you never read your bible in public now, don’t think you would be serving God by reading it then.

1 Peter 2:16 NASB95

16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.

Traffic Laws

Servant /Master relationship.

Not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.

God is not condoning or confirming slavery. You cannot justify enslaving an entire race of people with the Bible and attempts to do so by early Americans was a perversion of God’s word.

But for the Servant, He is showing us how to live our lives in such a way that honors God and expands His kingdom.

There aren’t many of us that could quit our job tomorrow and not have to ever work again.

If that is you, you are a servant. I am a servant.

Proverbs 22:7 NASB95

7 The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.

I am a servant to this church and to the citizens of Jonesboro.

My service to God should be modeled in how I serve others.

1 Peter 2:20 NASB95

20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

How Christ Suffered

1 Peter 2:21–25 NASB95

21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.