The Not So Easy

Through our study of 1 Peter so far we have looked at FOUNDATIONAL ASPECTS that are now going to be PRACTICALLY APPLIED to the Life we live… We have looked at:

The Power of our salvation

The Plan and Purpose of this salvation we have

Peter has challenged us to live out this hope we have as living stones

From Chapter 2:13 to Chapter 4:11 Peter will be challenging his readers (YOU & I) in this life we live… Peter starts off with a practical application of these truth in our passage today. We will look at several things today as we learn from the scriptures…

The Point… God’s Will

The Practical… Living it Out

The Purpose… The Why & How

Life can be hard for a missionary abroad, far from home. There is a story that goes this way about a missionary couple who had dedicated over thirty years on the mission field. As they sailed back to the states for the first time since they left they noticed on the docks a band playing, streamers waving, crowds were all cheering! As they approached and watched events unfold they saw a certain dignitary on the ship disembark and the crowds and cheers followed him welcoming him home. The couple walked off the ship quiet. A little discouraged the husband stated how it was a little sad to not be met by anyone after all their hard work and effort for the gospel all these years. His wife held his arm tightly and whispered in his ear… but dear we are not home yet!

This life can be hard, the work is difficult, the praise seldom heard or seen, but God has called us to live this life for Him according to His plan and purpose. Consider with me this “NOT SO EASY TASK, OF SOMETHING EASY TO UNDERSTAND” 1 Peter 2:13-25

1 Peter 2:13–25 NASB95

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 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. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 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. 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, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 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; 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. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

The Point… God’s Will

This passage really needs very little clarification really. Peter is a fisherman. Straight to the point, no fuss kind of guy. He has put this instruction from the Lord in plain and simple to understand words!!!

Verse 15 states this is God’s Will… God’s will in scripture is seldom if every hard to know

Peter charges his readers to SUBMIT!!! = “to obey in obedience and submission, willingly”

“For the Lord’s sake”

Peter uses some very all encompassing verb-age and levels here too!

REMINDER: Peter is speaking to a church that is in persecution, hard times, suffering for their faith… under the rule of various authorities who do not regard God and some fully oppose Him!

Scattered

Mistreated by family

Employers and business rejecting them

Attacked by those who should be protecting them

AND… the emperor Nero, evil to the core, hating Christians and growing more insane each and every day is the ruler!

SUBMISSION: is not weakness, but strength… sledge hammer illustrates well

Rather than viewing submission as being crushed…

We view it as the hammer submitting itself into capable hands

The IMPACT that comes from this submission is powerful

We act and live free and live as slaves of God! What an amazing impact we can have! Romans 6:22

Romans 6:22 NASB95

But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

In line with our submission Peter fires off four powerful statements:

Honor all people… not just believers

Love the brotherhood… fellow believers “they will know you are my disciples if you LOVE one another”

Fear God… in all this keep Him in the right place of reverence and fear

Honor the king… who may hate us, hate people, hate God

we do not follow laws that contradict God’s law (Daniel 6, Acts 5:29 Peter is told not to preach Christ)

Acts 5:29 NASB95

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

Swindoll states it well when he says: Clearly, our responsibility to submit to human government and our responses to the evil of that same government are matters we must approach wisely, carefully, and prayerfully. Neither is the answer to follow the unholy agenda of a tyrant while waving our flags of patriotism. That would be dishonoring to God, the brethren, and the world. We are not to barricade ourselves in a barbed-wire compound and wage war against the corrupt government officials who come knocking with a tax bill or a search warrant. That would dishonor the king and bring reproach on Christ. But between these two extremes we live in the constant tension of Peter’s seemingly impossible commands… Only God-given wisdom can help us live appropriately in this tension.

Swindoll, C. R. (2014). Insights on James, 1 & 2 Peter (Vol. 13, p. 195). Tyndale House Publishers.

The Practical… Living it Out

Verses 18-20 are dealing with servants/slaves of the day. This is sometimes correlated to our employee/employer relationships today. This is done but lacks the understanding of what the situation was like.

Upwards of almost 40% of the people in Rome were slaves on all levels and areas of life

They were NOT free… an employee is still able to walk away

Slavery then looked different from the recent and awful slavery based on prejudice and racism of today or the trafficking slavery that plagues our world today.

Submission with Respect: not malice, anger, begrudging.

Peter even goes so far as to NOT distinguish between two types of masters

The believer is conscience of God in their life

God’s favor is on those who suffer justly… we demonstrate in our lives GRACE!

The Purpose… The Why & How

By now you may be asking WHY!!!!

I am sure you and I can come up with so many reasons to respond in the flesh...

You could even justify your response in the flesh to your heart and to others

We may blame others, seeking revenge on the wrong doers

Or we enter into a state of self pity, whining about our plight or situation

Sometimes we bury it deep within, seething on it allowing bitterness to fester in our hearts while remaining calm on the outside

Pride swells up in our hearts as we loo at the wrong done, the authority over us, and we feel entitled… FOR THIS REASON God has Peter write verses 21-25…

You and I are called to suffer in this life… for doing GOOD!

We are called to FOLLOW Christ!!! WHO SUFFERED UNJUSTLY

When you and I suffer unjustly by...

Our boss, or supervisor

Our rulers and leaders

We recall… Christ suffered for you and me

Christ suffered on our behalf and He calls us to suffer on behalf of those...

Who need to see the Gospel lived out in our everyday lives… even under suffering!

WE WERE… Lost sheep wandering like so many in or world

BUT NOW… we are His

As Shepherd He cares for us, comforts us, walks along side of us

As Guardian He protects our soul… man can only touch and hurt this body

Paul would write to the Philippians 3:20-21

Philippians 3:20–21 NLT

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.