Respect II
(1 Peter 2:13-17)
1. What a week: last week’s sermon three thumbs down.
2. Tribune call: a man was fishing….took photo…shadows looked like Jesus; they called me for my comments.
3. Highland Park Christian (?) Church… a catch 22… We are just Highland Park Church, but if I see we are not Christian, how does that make us look? We are Christians in the Biblical sense, not the Campbellite sense. Some things you just have to leave alone.
4. But, if we are to make an impact in our world, we have to love people and participate in life and society, not as spectators or sideline critics, but players. We need to maximize our Christian influence.
5. Webster has a number of definitions for "influence," including: "an emanation of spiritual or moral force" and "the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways."
Main Idea: How can we get a hearing in lost society? How can we influence our world for Christ?
Peter shares God’s strategy for maximum influence. We can live out that strategy through several means.
In last week’s sermon, we tackled the first two means:
I. By Means of DEPTH (11)
A. A sincere faith begins on the INSIDE
B. We all have a WAR within.
II. By Means of LIFESTYLE (12)
A. Many Christians are worried about IMAGE.
B. But here, the image flows out of REALITY.
C. We do not WITHHOLD who we are.
D. We are simply OURSELVES.
START HERE
Peter shares a third means of influence, and this is where we want to pick up:
III. By Means of Being a TEAM Player (13-15)
A. SUBMIT to legitimate authority (13)
General principle, not without exceptions…
Frank Gabelein writes, "Peter is speaking of ordinary situations and not of persecutions…."
Nero was the emperor (64AD); two years later, he would start abducting Christians, tying them to poles, covering them with tar, and lighting them on fire to illumine the tracks for chariot racing at night…
B. Appreciate the PUNISHING of evil (14)
Proverbs 17:15, "Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the LORD detests them both."
C. Promote the RECOGNITION of good (14)
D. Good works: ACTIONS speak louder than words (15)
IV. Through BALANCED Living (16)
A. Gnostic DUALISM
B. Neither LEGALISM nor LICENTIOUSNESS
1. Legalism: adding rules and "spiritual disciplines" to God’s Word ---. Colossians 2 -- 16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
2. Jude 1:4 " For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."
3. We are free from man made rules, free from trying to gain brownie points with God for we have been accepted by faith in Christ, but we are not to abuse that freedom. We have a new nature that wants to please God, whereas lost people must only be restrained by fear.
C. Our own Personalities can drive us to imbalance and distortion
1. We tend to believe what we want to believe… it takes real conviction to overcome a natural bent … but that is the sort of wisdom Solomon advises
2. Man from his limited perspective has brought to us many error-filled ideas that one day will be exposed as foolishness.
At the turn of the century the world’s most distinguished astronomer was Sir Percival Lowell. He was esteemed for his study of the solar system and had a particular fascination with Mars.
He was certain that he had determined that there were CANALS on the surface of the Red Planet and that these canals were proof of intelligent life there.
The balance of his life was spent squinting though a giant telescope in Arizona mapping the channels and canals he saw. He was so esteemed his teachings gained wide acceptance.
Since that time our space probes have orbited mars and even landed on it’s surface. The entire planet has been mapped and no one has seen even one canal.
It is now assumed that Percival Lowell had a rare eye disease which is now called ‘Lowell’s syndrome’ which makes a person see the bulging blood vessels in their own eyeballs. (source: sermoncentral)
Peter shares a fifth means of influence:
V. Through LOVE (17)
Love is not just some sentiment, but rather requires us to be real troopers in the trench warfare of daily living. Love demands sacrifice, discipline, endurance, wisdom, and even confrontation. But Christian love is a potent force, like an atom ready to be split.
A. GOD ("fear God") = to fear displeasing Him because we love Him
Revelation 4 The Throne in Heaven
1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ?11"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
B. BELIEVERS = "the brotherhood"
John 13:5 "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Galatians 6:10, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
C. PEOPLE = "proper respect toward everyone"
1. Some people, including Christians, do not respect people they know
2. Jesus in Nazareth: A prophet is not without honor except….
3. Put down jokes, treat with contempt, do not appreciate their "human capital."
4. But respecting people runs very close to loving people
5. We should marvel at people; each individual is amazing …
6. You are in a restaurant. The waitress brings your order and is very considerate, but the food is lousy. Do you express you discontent kindly, realizing it is not her fault, or do you get nasty with her? Do you find fault when someone you do not like messes up, but have no problem when someone you do like messes up? It’s hard sometimes.
D. SOCIETY = "fear the King" (ordered society)
• As Americans, we have a choice as to who rules. And we should so respect to duly elected officials, whether they are of our party or ideology or not. As Truman said to MacArthur, you don’t have to respect me, but you had better respect my office.
• Ever since Richard Nixon, the way Americans speak of their presidents has been awful, and it get worse each succeeding year; argue their decisions or viewpoints, stand with or against their policies, but don’t stoop to mockery…
CONCLUSION
1. This world needs the influence of men, women, and youth of God. We need that influence in society, our families, and the church
2. Most of you probably haven’t heard of a woman named Henrietta Mears. Henrietta was a education director in a church in California. Through her influence many in her church, including two prominent Christian leaders were influenced for Christ.
Henrietta was faithful in many small ways to God and God blessed her work. One of the
men she influenced was Bill Bright. He was President and founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, which is responsible for over 2 billion people hearing the gospel message. Another man was none other than Billy Graham. Who knows how many people Henrietta influenced over the years by her impact on those who men alone.
(Story taken from In Touch Magazine, “Our Circle of Impact”, November 2003, pgs.8-9)
Jeff Simms, Sermon Central
