“LIVE AS FREE PEOPLE!” 1 Peter 2:13-17
FBCF – 7/2/23
Jon Daniels
INTRO – On this 4th of July weekend, we celebrate the freedoms that we enjoy as citizens of the USA. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all those men & women who have served our nation’s armed forces to fight for & protect our freedom, some of whom we recognized this morning. We also owe a debt of gratitude to the governmental leaders who have served w/ honor & integrity. And, most importantly, we must continually pray for all our governmental leaders on every level, from local to national, whether we agree w/ them & support them or not.
- 1 Timothy 2:1-2 – “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”
EXPLANATION – 1 Peter 2:13-17
APPLICATION – Freedom comes by being set free from sin & death through trusting Jesus ALONE for your salvation!
Jesus sets you free permanently & eternally. Now you get to live free for His glory. And this is how you do that:
LIVE FREE BY:
SUBMITTING to authority – v. 13-14 – Not only should we pray for those in authority over us, as we said at beginning of message, but we should also submit to their leadership. They have been placed there as part of God’s plan for our lives.
- Romans 13:1 – “Everyone must obey state authorities, because no authority exists without God's permission, & the existing authorities have been put there by God.” (GNT)
Before you say, “Well, that’s easy for Peter to say b/c he didn’t have a President like ours,” you need to remember who the ruler to whom Peter was submitting. The emperor was Nero who “sexually corrupted little boys and murdered his mother, his wives, his lovers, and other men so he could molest their wives. He was a fornicator, a homosexual, a cross-dresser, and a [pedophile].” (https://earlychurchhistory.org/politics/emperor-nero-the-arsonist/). He burned down the city of Rome, blamed the Christians, instituted intense persecution of them, fed them to lions & burned them on poles to light the gardens of his palace, & eventually executed Peter.
We must submit to our leaders, but do not have to support government officials who are leading our communities & nation in directions that are in direct conflict w/ the Bible. The reason we submit even we don’t support is simple: We are commanded to submit. To NOT submit would mean we are disobeying God which is a LOT worse than disobeying a civil law that we don’t like or a government leader we don’t support or respect.
- We don’t just obey the law to avoid punishment. We obey the law b/c we are Christ-followers who want to obey & glorify God in all we do.
- We submit to follow the Lord’s instructions.
o Matthew 22:21 – “…give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.” (NLT)
- We submit to follow the Lord’s example – No record in any of the Gospels of Jesus organizing or participating in a political rally, mark, sit-in, protest, or rally.
Submitting to governmental authorities is a matter of simple obedience to God.
SERVING people – v. 15 – Talking a lot about witnessing right now – “Summer of Salvation” initiative. So important that we share the Gospel any time we are able to. Must speak the Gospel & defend the Gospel whenever the opportunity arises.
But our conduct & lifestyle is a way to defend the Gospel as well. Our “doing good” speaks volumes to those around us without us ever speaking a word. Understand that it’s not a substitute for verbally sharing the Gospel but goes hand-in-hand w/ our verbal evangelism efforts. Those who never read the Bible will read our lives. Question: What are they reading?
- It speaks volumes when we serve those with whom we disagree.
- It speaks volumes when we serve those who are different from us.
o Different lifestyle
o Different set of values & beliefs
o Different race
o Different socioeconomic status
o Different political views
o Different religious beliefs or no religious beliefs
Serving silences ignorant, foolish people, &, when their mouths are closed, our mouths need to open w/ the Good News about Jesus!
SLAVERY to God – v. 16 – The 1st point of message relates to our relationship w/ our leaders. The 2nd – Our relationship w/ others. This point – Our own relationship w/ God.
Different words to describe our relationship w/ God: child – son/daughter – disciple – follower – friend – worshiper. How about slave?
If we truly want to be free, we will live as a slave. May sound like a contradiction, but it is an absolutely foundational biblical principle for our lives as Christ-followers. Greek word – doulos – “one who is subservient to, & entirely at the disposal of his master.”
Slavery normally has a negative connotation. But when applied to our relationship to God, it is nothing but positive. It is a joy & privilege to be a slave of God! We are in good company, too! Paul, Timothy, James, Jude, & Peter all considered themselves to be slaves to Jesus.
- Being His slave not a burden but a joy – Jesus – “my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
- Being His slave has great benefits – Romans 6:22 – “Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
- Being His slave blesses you so that you can be a blessing to others.
Trusting God’s SOVEREIGNTY over every area of your life – v. 17 – In the middle of these final 4 imperatives, there are 2 words that are critical to everything else that has been said: “Fear God.” All these commands are important & should be obeyed.
- We should honor everyone.
- We should love the brotherhood – fellow believers
- We should honor the emperor, or the highest office in the land. Best way to do that is to pray for him. H.B. Charles – “Christians have more power in the prayer closet than we do at the voting booth.”
But heeding these 3 means nothing if we aren’t completely submitted to the sovereign control of God over all. To fear God means to be in total awe of who He is & His power & authority. It means that we fear His divine displeasure. To fear God is to live in reverence to His perfect holiness, His awesome power, His complete knowledge, & His amazing love.
Charles Stanley: "Our God is a planner. He's not a reactor. He didn't set the world in motion to be ruled by chance or wild, unchecked forces. And He didn't create you to live without hope & purpose." ("The Will of God" - YouVersion devotional)
CONCLUSION – We celebrate our freedom this week. Enjoy the fireworks, the hot dogs, the family time, etc. But our greatest freedom of all is the awesome freedom that we have in Christ. If you don’t know that freedom – if you’ve never trusted Him to save you & set you free from your sins, come to Him today & be saved & set free!
If you know Him but you’re still holding onto some sin that has you in chains, then come today & repent & step back into the freedom that is yours right now in Christ!
