Submitting to Authority
Part 4 of A study through Peter
July 2nd 2023
We are in the book of 1 Peter, a letter to the church written by a fellow who was an uneducated fisherman, who was called by Jesus to be one of His closest followers, was well-known for speaking his mind, acting without thinking, being a bit stubborn, witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles, who (when push came to shove) denied that he even knew Jesus, but was restored and was willing to lay his own life down for the Lord, being crucified himself… quite a guy.
He struggled with authority it would seem – he wanted things his way, and had to be humbled before he really got it.
What about us? Do we struggle with authority, being quick to think or say things like, ‘You’re not the boss of me?’
As followers of Jesus friends, it is more than prudent to realize that we’re not the boss, are we? We may be someone else’s boss when it comes to being an employer, a local leader, maybe sitting on a community or church board, but when it really comes down to it, we are all under higher authorities in our lives.
Today we are going to explore what is written in the Word of God (talk about authority!) when it comes to submitting to authority.
1 PETER 2:13-25
13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution (every authority instituted among men – the NIV translates this as), 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.
• Here’s a Jewish guy living under Roman persecution, sitting in the centre of the Roman Empire (likely at the time of Nero’s rule, a guy who really had it out for Christians) saying that FOR THE LORD’S SAKE, submit to every HUMAN institution, every HUMAN authority.
• Whether it’s the emperor, the king, the prime minister, the president, the premier, the mayor, the police, the judge and the jury… submit, be there subject, obey them!
• Why? Most of them, as far as we know, are not disciples of Christ, they may not go to church, they may be ethical monsters, moral ogres, selfish, greedy, twisted, lying, back-room dealing, cheating, mixed up messed up morons…
• Yup – but submit anyway
• Why? Because GOD SAID SO. Vs 15 – this is the will of GOD!
• Do good. It might just shut up those who are ignorant of the truth
• Whoah, did I just read that in the bible? Yup!
• By doing good, we can silence the ignorance of people foolish enough not to listen to the Truth.
• But all that does not mean that Christians ought to be disobedient in any way when it comes to earthly authorities, thinking that because God is ULTIMATELY the highest authority, that we can do whatever we want
• Oh, we live as people who are free, even if we are imprisoned (literally like Paul, Peter to name a couple) or just living in this messed up world (like all of us are)
• Because we ARE FREE, the Son has set us free and we are free indeed! (John 8:36)
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
• This is an area of life where Christians ought to really stand out from the world.
• As we work in the world, serve in the world, or do anything under another person’s leadership, we are to respect that persons authority, whether they are nice or terribly unfair.
• When people suffer (or think they are suffering), and we all do to some extent, our gut reaction often is to complain, to whine, look for justice or possibly even revenge, right?
• We may think, ‘You hurt me, one day I’ll hurt you.’ Or, ‘When I’m the boss, I’ll treat people like I was treated.’
• But when we understand this concept that Peter is reminding us of, we learn that way of living is just selfish. It’s not serving, it’s seeking what’s in it for me.
• We are to treat those over us with respect – and it even emphasises all respect. Why? Because God put them in charge. Paul did the same in writing to the Romans. Check out ch 13:1-7 as a comparison for what is being said here. there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
• We are to be gracious in our service to others, and here he is specifically speaking to those who work under someone else, but the same would be true in any circumstance.
• I really appreciate what he says in verse 20 - what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? When we get what we deserve for cheating our boss, like being fired, is it to our credit to say, well I deserved that…no, it’s obvious that we were in the wrong.
• What IS gracious, is to be punished for doing no wrong, and not getting all whiny about it.
• Here’s an example. Two servants work for the same master. He is a stern but honest land-owner who raises crops. One of the servants, not liking the pay he gets for his work, has been taking a little of the harvest for himself for quite a while. Just a little, no one would notice. But nevertheless, he steals from his master. One day, while on his way out from the fields, the land-owner stops the servant and asks to look into his bag that he is carrying. The servant knows he has been caught as the master finds a few pieces of produce hidden in the servant’s belongings. The punishment for stealing is 10 lashes with a whip. The servant is lead around to the back of the property where the judgement will be carried out. He closes his eyes as he hears the whip being wound up and the anticipation of the first blow is almost too much to bear.
He then hears the whip crack against skin and bone, but he feels no pain. Why? Because it is not his back that has been lashed against. It is the other servant. He has stepped in front of the thief and taken his punishment on himself. Again and again the whip rips open the back of the innocent servant until the entire judgement of 10 lashes is complete. When it’s over, the confused servant looks into the face of his friend and simply asks, ‘Why?’ And the servant, in a weakened yet determined voice replies, ‘Because you are my friend.’
• Just because a person in authority treats us poorly does not give us the right to whine and complain about our circumstance – ANYONE can do that.
• Someone who knows what grace really is though, has in that situation, an opportunity to demonstrate that even though someone has the authority to do us poorly, we know the One Who is in ultimate control… do we get it?
• If not – Peter clarifies it in the following:
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
• WOW! Does this make us feel a little sheepish if we’ve ever complained about our position in this world?
• Jesus Christ, the Creator of all, with all the power in the universe at His Word, suffered at the hands of sinful humanity, not because He did anything, but for the sake of all humanity to have an opportunity to be forgiven because of HIS sacrifice!
• He did NOTHING wrong – and yet He was scorned
• He did NOTHING wrong – and yet He had His Name dragged through the mud, being called a blasphemer
• He did NOTHING wrong – and never lashed out at anyone for denying Him the respect HE deserved
• He bore OUR sins – He died so that we might live – 2 Cor 5:21 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
• Peter recalls the prophecy in Isaiah 53:’ By his wounds, we are healed’
• We WERE lost like sheep – but we have come home to the Shepherd
• So the question is simply this – since Christ suffered so greatly, so completely for us, in spite of doing NOTHING wrong, so that we could be saved, are we willing to suffer in this life for the sake of being a living example to those who ARE still lost sheep who need to be led to the Shepherd?
• Are we willing to obey the authorities that God has instituted in life, be they good or bad to us?
• Are we actually aware of the cost paid for our sin – not so that we can go about doing whatever WE want in life, being freed from sin, but so we may suffer in this life; actually being blessed to suffer for the sake of the cross that Jesus endured for us?
• And so we come to the Communion Table.
"Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
