The Spiritual Discipline Of Christian Submission
I Peter 2:13-20
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Roger Staubach, led the Dallas Cowboys to the World Championship in 1971. But he faced a great struggle that year. Staubach said that his position as a quarterback who didn’t call his own signals was a source of trial for him. Coach Tom Landry sent in every play. He told Roger when to pass, when to run, and only in emergency situations could he change the play (and he had better be right!). Even though Roger considered coach Landry to have a “genius mind” when it came to football strategy, pride said that he should be able to run his own team. Roger later said, “I faced up to the issue of obedience. Once I learned to obey there was harmony, fulfillment, and victory.” (Source unknown)
Sometimes...in fact most of the time we think that we know best! We want to lead instead of follow. We want control of our lives. But like Roger Staubach we will find that submission is the way to achieve harmony, fulfillment and victory.
In every area if life there will be times when we are required to submit to authority. This is the theme of I Peter 2:13-20. Peter tells us that we are to submit when it comes easy and submit when it is very difficult. We are even instructed to submit when it brings pain and suffering. - I Peter 2:19 For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment
Submission requires a great deal of spiritual discipline. That is the thought that I would like to consider today.... "The Spiritual Disciple Of Christian Submission" In these few verses we will see that: 1. As Foreigners We Are To Submit To Governmental Authority. 2. As Children We Are To Submit To The Father's Authority. 3. As Servants We Are To Submit To Human Authority
This idea of respect for authority is found in the 10 Commandments. Exodus 20:12 ¶Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God gives thee. - In fact this is where submission begins. Submission starts in the home! The reason we see so many people today who have ZERO respect for authority is because many parents fail to teach, train and demand respect from their children!! These children grow up and they do not respect their parents, they do not respect their school teachers, they do not respect the leaders in the church, they do not respect their elders, they do not respect the law and they do not respect those who enforce the law. They don't respect anyone they encounter and they refuse to submit to authority.
Sadly, we encounter this same problem among many in the church. And this should not be the case! It is the Father's will for us to be decent, respectful and submissive to the authorities in all areas of our lives. Listen to what Paul says in - Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
In our selected text Peter echoes that very point. As we consider "The Spiritual Discipline Of Christian Submission" Let's begin with the fact that:
I. As Foreigners We Are To Submit To Governmental Authority v13 ¶Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
If someone visits America from Japan, China, Canada or any other country in the world they are expected to follow and obey our laws as long as they are in this country. There may be things that are legal in Japan that are against the law in America, this does not exempt a Japanese visitor from having to abide by American law.
In the previous verses peter makes it clear that this world is not our home. Christians are traveling through this world as "Pilgrims & Strangers". Though our real home is in Heaven, we have some responsibilities while we are here on earth. God intends for us to be submissive and obedient to those in authority. The word submit means to accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person. We are subject to civil law and authority. We are to obey local, state and national laws. We are to submit to anyone who possesses authority over us.
This is not easy!!! Let me show you how difficult it really is. According to what we read in these verses we are to submit to: President Barak Obama, The U.S States House of Representatives, The U.S States Senate, The U.S Supreme Court, The Federal and State Judiciary systems, Governor Robert Bentley, The Alabama, State Legislature, The State Police, The local Police, The County Sheriff and many others.
On and on it goes, there are many people in places of authority that we are called by God to respect and submit to. I didn't say it would be easy and neither did the Apostle Peter. As long as we live in this world there will be Leaders we don’t trust, Laws we don’t like and taxes we don’t want to pay. But God says we are to SUBMIT!!
At this time in our country we have some leaders who have some very immoral beliefs. Our current president has views on marriage, abortion, the homosexual agenda and many others topics that I am directly opposed to. The same is true for those in the legislative and judicial branches of government. But according to scripture I am to respect and submit to these leaders. WHY? Because God ordained it that way - v13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him
We are not required to agree with our leaders. We are not required to condone their actions. But we are called to submit to their authority! There are many laws that I don't like. There are countless bills that are passed by congress that I despise. I am not thrilled with the lax immigration situation in this country. I despise OBAMACARE!! Every April I get furious about the tax rate.... But I am required BY GOD to pay my taxes. I could give you many more examples, but the fact if the matter is we are called to submit to governmental authorities.
There is an exception... when a leader or a law contradicts the truth of God's Word, we have the right to refuse. But even then we should do so in humility and with respect! We have an example of this that comes from the very author of this Epistle - Acts 5:27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, 28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. 29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
There is an ongoing debate about Gay marriage in our country and in our state. There is an attempt to force clergy to perform wedding ceremonies for homosexual couples. I will NEVER do this! Even if they pass some law that would make it illegal form me to refuse I WILL NOT BOW TO THE GOVERNMENT!! We have seen businesses fined thousands of dollars for taking a stand against this immoral act. And there have been some who took a stand and it cost them their businesses. When you take a stand against an oppressive government there will be consequences. Someone asked me a while back... "what is your church going to do if the Government takes away your tax exempt status if you do not perform same sex ceremonies.?" I said ... we are going to start paying taxes!!! I say what Peter says "we ought to obey God rather than men!"
But when it is possible we are to do both! Jesus exemplified this when He said to "render unto Cesar what is Cesar's and render unto the Lord what is the Lord's!" Unless the ordinances of man are opposed to the law of God we are required to submit to them. We don’t live above the laws of the land. As Christians, we must submit to them just as everyone else does. There are some who do not abide by this principle and their rebellious conduct brings dishonor on Christ.We keep the laws of the land because God told us to. The authorities that exist have been "established by God.” If we do not submit to the authorities of our land we are disrespecting God who established them. This should be our supreme motivation for submission to government authority. This leads us to our next thought:
II. As Children We Are To Submit To The Father's Authority - v15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
Our motivation for submitting to authority is not because Peter & Paul said we should. The reason for our submission is because "it is the will of God". He is our Heavenly Father, we are His children! He desires, demands and deserves our obedience!!! Obedience is doing what God says, how He says, and when He says to do it. Even when it is tough we must obey. Even when there is much uncertainty we must obey. Even when we fear the consequences we must obey. Even when we suffer for following Him we still must obey!
God has promised to guide us and protect us.... because of this, we have nothing to fear. Remember also what Peter said earlier in this letter - 1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
When we as "obedient children" it will silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. Let's see what Peter says is "the will of God for us" - v15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
1) Honor all men - God commands us to value all people. He created each person in his own image. Regardless of circumstance or situation we are to value them. The believer is our brother or sister in Christ. The unbeliever is a lost soul in need of salvation. Jesus said that we are to even love those who are our enemies. - Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Peter also says to:
2) Love the Brotherhood - We are to love the brethren... our fellow Christians. The Jews treated Christians them with indifference, neglect, and contempt. Peter says that these Christians were not to act this way. We are to honor all men, but there is a special love that is only possible between those who are of the household of faith. - 1 John 4:7 ¶Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
We also see that we are to
3) Fear God - Fearing God speaks of reverence for Him. When we fear God we will respect Him. When we fear God we will submit to Him. When we fear God we will obey Him
Peter also says that we should:
4) Honor the King - When Peter wrote this Epistle “the king,” was Nero. Nero was one of the worst emperors ever to rule the Roman Empire. He was a cruel, wicked, vile, immoral, sadistic man. Nero did not just kill Christians, he wanted to make them suffer first. He would dip Christians in wax, and impale them on poles around his palace he would then light them on fire, and yell: "Now you truly are the light of the world." He would also kill Christians in front of large crowds of spectators. He would wrap Christians up in animal skins and throw them to lions. The lions would then tear these men and women apart in front of thousands of entertained spectators. At other times he would crucify them, and after the crowd would get bored, he would set the Christians on fire.
Even knowing all of this... Peter says, “Honor the king.” - We may not like this, we may not agree with it, but the Father says that we are to submit to authority. Even when your boss is a pain! Even when your teacher is mean! Even when your politicians are crooked! Even when your President is immoral. God says submit to authority, and as children we must submit to the Father's authority! Moving on we see that:
III. As Servants We Are To Submit To Human Authority - v18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
Peter's readers knew first hand what suffering as slaves was all about. At this point in history there were millions of slaves that belonged to the Roman government. In Roman law a slave was not a person but a thing. The slave had no legal rights whatsoever. And there was no such thing as justice where a slave was concerned. Even though these early Christians may have been abused this was not excuse for sin. In fact the proper response is the direct opposite. Peter says that when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
On January 9, 1985, a pastor in Bulgaria named Christo Kuleczef, was arrested and put in jail. His crime was preaching in his church. He immediately began to share Christ while he was in prison. He had a trial. It was a mockery of justice, and he was sentenced to eight months. He did his eight months, got out, and wrote these words: “Both prisoners and jailers asked many questions, and we had a more fruitful ministry there than we could have expected in church. God was better served by our presence in prison than if we had been free. (“Spreading Power through Persecution” by John Piper, senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota).
There are millions of Christians all over the world right now who are being persecuted for their faith. Since the death of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago, 43 million Christians have become martyrs. Over 50% of these were in the last century alone. More than 200 million Christians face persecution each day. - Though we may not suffer physically for the cause of Christ we are no less obligated to submit to human authority.
God has commanded us to submit to human authority on many different levels.
1) We are to submit to Human Government (v13-17)
2) Wives are to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24)
3) Children are to submit to their parents - (Ephesians 6:1-4)
4) The church is to submit to the Elders - (1 Peter 5:1-5)
5) We are to submit to our employers - (Ephesians 6:5-9)
We will not always like doing this, but we must do it anyway! Suppose you are the model employee: You get to work early each day. You never call in. You take short lunches and sometimes skip your breaks. You stay late if need be. You go in on your off days. You give it your all. You work hard and are very productive for the company. Then one day you look at the bulletin board and someone with less seniority than you ...who calls in sick on a regular basis...who takes 15 smoke breaks a day and always leaves early gets the promotion. How should you respond? Are you to bust into the office, cuss out the supervisor, threaten to quit, and start a revolt among the other employees? This may be the natural response of the flesh, but it is not the proper response. God says that you are to be submissive! Do you want to know how you should respond? Keep on working and do it with a smile on your face. Continue to give it 110%. Go up to that individual who is now your boss and congratulate them. And take a moment and pray for them. It may not be fair, but it is what it is! Submission may not be easy but it is commanded!
In this life there are some people who will be in positions of authority that will be difficult to deal with. But if the early Christians could honor Nero we can Honor President Obama. If the early church could endure suffering at the hands of abusive slave owners we can put up with unjust employers.
The Discipline Of Christian Submission requires humbleness and obedience! There is no greater example of this than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Consider what Peter said in - 1 Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: - Consider what Paul said in - Philippians 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Jesus did not want to face the pain and agony of the Cross. He cried out to the Father to "let the cup pass from Him". But He was also submissive enough to say “Not what I will, but Your will be done.” Throughout the ages people have looked at the cross and said "surely there must have been another way". But there wasn't... and the Father knew best!! We look at these verses today and we may not like what they say. We may feel justified in rebelling against authority... BUT WE ARE NOT!! We must resist the urge to rebel, submit to God’s plan…and trust HIM!
i. As Foreigners We Are To Submit To Governmental Authority
ii. As Children We Are To Submit To The Father's Authority
iii. As Servants We Are To Submit To Human Authority
Dr. Stephen Olford make a profound statement: "If Jesus is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all."
We are called to submit to the Lord...The Lord has called us to submit in various areas of our lives. If we refuse to submit to authority in other areas of our lives then we are not submitting to the Lord. We are saved because Jesus was submissive. When we submit to Him, and allow Him to work in, through, and around us the Father will be glorified. And our submissive actions may point others to Him! Will you sacrifice your desires in order for God to use you?
Do you possess "The Spiritual Discipline Of Christian Submission"? If not, then the answer for you is to submit to the Lord right here, right now!
