Be Good Citizens (Part 2)

Introduction

Open Bible 1 Pet 2:13-17. We will read verses 13 - 17 of 1 Peter this morning, and then focus in on the exposition of verses 16 and 17.

Last time we examined the statement by Peter in verse 13.

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution” (1 Pe 2:13, ESV)

This forced the question, what is a human institution.

It is God who ordained the institutions that govern how humanity is to operated.

Marriage and family

The Church

The Government

These are the building blocks of a human society, they are human institutions in that they run human society.

They are in humanity

They made up of humans

They are administered by humans

They are ordained by God

Peter will discuss some of the other human institutions later on in the chapter and next Chapter, in this text he is is directly addressing the government.

We have to remember that the government Peter is writing about is not friendly.

Within just a few years of writing this letter the emperor will execute Peter and his wife.

The bottom line is that we are to respect the institutions that God has ordained, even when it’s not being respectable.

God also set the rules about how these institution are to run.

In verse 14 Peter said the Government is “to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” (1 Pe 2:14, ESV)

So when the government comes with orders that contradict God’s ordained commandments our answer is, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, respectfully, no.

It seems to me that with the LGBTQ and woke agenda’s tightening grip on our society its not long before the government says its hate speech to call for Biblical marriage, to not use a person preferred pronouns, or saying maybe we don't abuse children by giving them puberty blockers or killing them in the womb.

The government can say we’re not allowed to talk about these things, But our Answer must be respectfully no, we will speak for our .

God ordained marriage and it is between a man and a woman

God assigned a person gender, it is either male of female and he was not confused.

A baby is alive from the moment of conception and it is murder to end that life.

When Peter says submit to “every human institution” it is not a blind submission that place such an institution in the place only occupied by the one true king Jesus.

We submit Because it is the will of God, as Peter said in verse 15.

For God’s Glory

As God’s ambassadors

For the good of others and out of the Love for neighbor that we are called to.

Its not loving or being a good citizen to pretend there are not eternal consequences for living an unrepentant LGBTQ life style.

No boy or Girl can ever be all God made them to be by pretending to be of the opposite gender. And its not loving to encourage them in the delusion they they can change what God has decreed.

We are governed first in all our actions be what James called “the royal law” (James 2:8, ESV) The law of love, properly defined, biblically defined, love.

Lets Read 1 Peter 2:13-17 now as we get into what it means to live as a free subjects.

1 Peter 2:13–17 ESV

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

May God Bless the Reading of his Holy and Infallible Word

Lets Pray

Transition

We are free subjects. We are free slaves. The truth is that in Christ we are truly free. We have freedom in Christ. At the same Time we are the duolos, the slaves, of Christ.

These two realities exist at the same time in the life of the believer.

As we proceed into the verse 16 we see Peter tell the people that he just told to be subjects, that they are free.

Lets read verse 16.

Body

Main Body Division 1

Text

1 Peter 2:16 ESV

16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Exposition

Live as people who are free

Exposition

Its is freedom in Christ that makes service as subjects possible.

Imagine if you had to define the role of government?

You don't, you are free, God has already done that and in Christ, despite our sins, we are good citizens

We proceed from a place of freedom to our duties for the king. We are free subjects and thats one of the ways we represent God here. We live as free people subject to the laws of the Land.

It is God’s sovereignty that makes this possible.

When Peter was being crucified up side down by the honorable emperor. Peter is not wondering, God did you make a mistake?

No, God has appointed a evil ruler for his purposes and justice will be done in the end.

Application

This sovereignty of God, means comfort for the believer.

On October 11th, 1798, the then president John Adams wrote to the Massachusetts Militia, saying.

“While our Country remains untainted with the Principles and manners, which are now producing desolation in so many Parts of the World: while she continues Sincere and incapable of insidious and impious Policy: We shall have the Strongest Reason to rejoice in the local destination assigned Us by Providence. But should the People of America, once become capable of that deep simulation towards one another and towards foreign nations, which assumes the Language of Justice and moderation while it is practicing Iniquity and Extravagance; and displays in the most captivating manner the charming Pictures of Cando[]r frankness & sincerity while it is rioting in rapine and Insolence: this Country will be the most miserable Habitation in the World. Because We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition, Revenge or Gallantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other” [1]

We are the good citizens that Adams speaks of, that on bound by “morality and Religion” (notice he didn’t separate those two) without us this nation will be “most miserable Habitation in the World”

So we steps forward in freedom

Where God brought propriety before he may now bring judgment and to this we say amen

Transition

The purpose of freedom is not lusciousness. Theres a good KJV word for you. Peter goes on and says, “not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil” (1 Pe 2:16, ESV)

not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil

Exposition

The word evil means something.

Its what God says is Evil.

Last week we talked about the Decadent “Avarice [and] Ambition” to use John Adam’s words, that Nero’s parties were.

Peter is saying, our freedom to submit to these authorities, does not include pretending they are not evil, when they are.

Its not enough here to simply not do evil ourselves, we cannot cover over for any evil.

Application

Nero you are a murdering, drunken, reviler and that is evil.

America it is shameful and evil that for the last 40 years, nears 70 million innocent babies have been murdered legally.

These are not disrespectful things to say, and good citizens will be the first to say them, lets the consequence be what they may.

Illustration

A man once walked into a cobbler's shop to find a the owner standing behind the counter with knife and wearing a blood stained apron. The shop owner asked what cut of meat the man wanted. The man had a confused look on his face, and said I came in here to get my shoes fixed. Why would you do that the shop owner replied, the man said because your sign says cobbler.

The man is not being disrespectful to ask for what was advertised.

The Christian is not being disrespectful to say, the sign say government and that means you, government are “to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” (1 Pe 2:14 ESV)

That is your job now go do it and get your nose out of what doesn't belong to you.

Transition

All this action on the part of the believer is under the banner of “living as servants of God” as Peter says int he last part of verse 16.

living as servants of God

Exposition

This is the central point on which all this section, indeed all of Christian life, hangs.

Its all for the King

This is also why it very import that we are not obeying the speed-limit simply so we don’t get a ticket.

If we are obeying, submitting to the human institutions simply so we don’t have to deal with trouble then when the laws change so does our morality.

This is what happened to the Christians in the third 1930s and 40s Germany.

Bruce Shelley commenting on the rise of Nazism said, “The German churches’ resistance to Hitler was amazingly meager. They were exclusively concerned with individualistic personal faith, traditional submission to the state, and a conservative outlook that rejected all left-wing proposals for social and political reform and enabled them to accept the Nazis’ claim to be the only alternative to communism. [2]

They were driven be pragmatism rather then living "living as servants of God.”

It is exactly what John Adam’s called it, it is done with the pretence and “Language of Justice and moderation while it is practicing Iniquity and Extravagance.”

Yeah the Furirur has problems but at least he is not a communist.

Application

The formula is actually verse simple.

I am a servant of God, there for I am a good citizen, not I am a good citizen therefore I am a servant of God.

What is the measure of your service my believed family.

Make sure that it is the scripture.

The majority of Southern Baptist this week fully and unequivocally demonstrated the same pragmatic commitment that the 1930’s german church did.

Imagine having to call for a resolution to create a committee to investigate what a Pastor is, as if the Bible is not enough, as if the already fined statement of faith is not enough.

Yeah, saddle-back church has appointed unbiblical pastors, that violate our statement of faith, but that a secondary issue right? I mean at-least they aren’t satanist or something.

Pragmatism is death we are servants of God and God has said, end of debate.

Transition

There is much more to be said about the SBC but not today and not right now. We close out our section for today with verse 17.

Main Body Division 2

Text

1 Peter 2:17 ESV

17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Exposition

Honor everyone

Exposition

I wish the ESV rendered it more like the Greek. In Greek is a comma list.

This list is inclusive. Each statement is part of how one living as servants of God as a servant of God.

They are not separate standalone statements, they are all part of the same goal.

Honor everyone, what is this honor based on? What the culture says is honor or what God has said. For the believer its a rhetorical question.

God has said, these are made in my image and you will act like it.

Honor everyone, is that everyone or just those who are already born?

Again a rhetorical question for the believer.

Everyone includes, maybe especially, those that are in the womb who cannot speak for themselves.

Transition

Peter continues to Love the Brotherhood.

Love the brotherhood

Exposition

Obviously, loving the bothers is more then just honoring. Them as images of God.

If it were just honoring then it would have been cover in Honor everyone

This is something special

Romans 12:9–13 (ESV): Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

You are closer to the believers around you than a family member that is unsaved.

These are your eternal family

These love and server our king

The unsaved family member hates the king that died for you.

Transition

The importance of family in understanding the next statement cannot be over stated. Peter says fear God.

Fear God

Exposition

You remember the distinction between servial fear and familial fear that Pastor Gabe made a few weeks ago.

The brothers in our adopted and redeemed family are loved with familial love and our father God is revealed with familial fear.

“Matthew 6:9–13 (ESV): “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10  Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11  Give us this day our daily bread, 12  and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Some manuscripts add) For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.”

Transition

Peter comes full circle back the emperor. This one of those tasty biblical sandwiches the Pastor Gabe always points out.

Honor the emperor

Exposition

It started with submit to the emperor, and now we come back to the same piont.

The author is making the point that thy have not left the subject of submission behind.

Doing this is just as much a Christian thing as the others.

Application

A good citizen is not come complete without all of these things

Honor to all

Love for the family of God

Fear, awe, reverence for God the father

Proper submition within the God ordained human institutions within this world.

Conclusion

Friends we have some though desision to make about the direction of our church

We will face a more and more totalitarian state that wishes to be God and wants nothing to do with the Biblically mandated role for Government.

Still we are living servants of God. We have new Life, we are reborn, we are free.

When we go out these doors and into our week, lets live as free men and women, not using our freedom to cover up evil, but to make all of our lives point to the king.

Benediction

Galatians 6:18 ESV

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

References

[1] “From John Adams to Massachusetts Militia, 11 October 1798,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3102. [This is an Early Access document from The Adams Papers. It is not an authoritative final version.]

[2] Bruce L. Shelley, Church History in Plain Language, Updated 2nd ed. (Dallas, TX: Word Pub., 1995), 427.

Bibliography

Adams, John Q. “Founders Online: From John Adams to Massachusetts Militia, 11 October 1798.” National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed June 18, 2022. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3102.