Living in Submission

Living in Submission Peter teaches us all to be submissive to every authority and in every relationship. What does it mean to live in submission? How are we to live? And what benefits does submission bring? Listen to 1 Peter 3:8-12: Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 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. For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 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." Peter begins with a list of how we should live. The first three items tell us to live in the church in Christian unity, to live in harmony with one another. This means to be of one mind, united in purpose as we serve Jesus together. It does not require total agreement on every detail but a united focus on our common faith in Jesus and a commitment to a common purpose and mission in serving Him. Next, we are to be sympathetic. Kelly calls this a "readiness to enter into and share the feelings of others." In Romans 12:15, Paul says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." We are to be quick to feel the hurt or the joy of another and slow to criticize them. Third, we are to love as brothers. Kelly calls this philadelphos "the special love that should knit believers in Christ together." Paul puts it in Romans 12:10, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love." True love will produce servant behavior which in turn results in unity. Peter then adds two ways in which we are to express the nature of Christ which is being formed in us. First, we are to be compassionate, to genuinely care about people and act upon it. Jesus cared for the crowds and then taught and fed them. Jesus cared for the despised leper and then touched and healed him. Jesus cared for the grieving widow mother and then comforted her and raised her son. Jesus cared about people and acted on it. We are to be compassionate like Jesus. And we are be humble, to willingly be a servant to others. The world of Jesus' day saw humility as a weakness. But Jesus was humble and strong. Though He possessed all power as God, He humbled Himself to become a man, and as a man set our example of living and dying to serve others. Humility is the servant attitude Jesus modeled for us to copy. To be the church as it should be, we must humble ourselves and serve one another. In verse 9, Peter moves on to living in submission in a hostile world. 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. This is a hard saying. We want to get even. We want to retaliate. We do not want to turn the other cheek. But instead of talking back in kind, we are to respond by blessing others. You have been called to receive God's blessing. But this is also a call to bless others, including those who insult and do evil to you. To live in God's blessing, you must share it with others. None of us is deserving! Peter expounds on God's blessing by quoting Psalm 34:12-16: "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 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." Peter is not telling us to earn God's blessing. God's blessings are of grace. No one can deserve them. We only receive them through His grace by faith. But He then expects much from those who receive His grace. God's blessings are great, summarized here by the ability to love life and to see good days. Do you want to love life, not just enduring each day but enjoying God's presence, not fearing the future but having a secure hope for eternity? Do you desire to see good days? If you do, then you must submit to God's rule over your life as you receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. God's ongoing blessings are great but conditional. David and now Peter list several things we are to do if we are to love life and see good days. First, keep your tongue from evil, from gossip, slander, profanity, and even dirty jokes. Then, keep your lips from deceitful speech. Be honest with no lying. Third, turn from evil in both thought and behavior. Reject greed for money, things, or pleasure. Flee lust for power or for immoral sexual gratification. Deny self by rejecting your pride, selfishness, and self-seeking. Fourth, do good. Replace evil with good behavior. Be a servant helping others. Finally, seek peace and pursue it. Receive peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Pursue peace with man through humility and love. Since none of us are yet perfected in the image of Christ, we all must continue to rely on His grace. If we are live in His grace, we will progress in all these areas. God is ready and waiting to reward His children. Verse 12 says that His eyes are on the righteous. He sees your needs before you do. His ears are attentive to the prayer of the righteous ready to meet our needs. But His face is against all who do evil! Let me summarize: In ourselves, we all fall short ... In harmony, in sympathy, and in brotherly love In compassionate action and humble service In blessing others instead of retaliating In controlling our tongues and in turning from evil In doing good and in seeking peace We need ... To confess our weakness, faults, and sin To receive God's grace for forgiveness To rely on our risen Lord for new life To depend on the transforming power of the Holy Spirit To choose to turn to Jesus and submit ourselves to Him In Jesus ... We find forgiveness for our sins We find power for harmony, sympathy, love, compassion, and humility We find strength to turn from evil and to do good We find the blessing of God and the strength to bless our enemies Let us submit our lives to Jesus! Let us live in submission to God!