Somebody’s Watching You!

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). The command for submission (vs 13a):

(2). The motive for submission (verse 13b)

(3). The extent of submission (verse 13c-14)

(4). The reason for submission (verse 15)

(5). The Attitude of Submission (verse 16)

(6). The application of submission (vs 17)

(7). The example for submission (vs 21-25)

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• Ok, let’s start with the easy ones!

• Cloud watchers look at the

• Stargazers look at...

• Meteorologists look at...the weather.

• Railway Buff look at…trains.

• Twitchers look at...birds.

• Photographers look at all sorts!

• A few harder ones.

• Herpetologists look for... reptiles.

• Geocaches look for...A geocache or ‘cache’ use GPS devise to find a small waterproof treasure box hidden outdoors.

• A curtain-twitcher looks at…

• (They are a person who typically watches neighbours through the window).

Ill:

• 25 Million CCTV Cameras:

• Globally it is estimated that there are approximately 25 million CCTV cameras,

• And Britain holds a high percentage of these with a recorded number of around 4 million.

• The UK has more CCTV activity than any other European country, per capita.

• TRANSITION: Todays sermon has been given the title, ‘Somebody’s Watching You!’

• From the above information, more people watch us than perhaps we will ever know.

• Now long before the days of CCTV,

• Long before the term, ‘A curtain-twitcher’ was thought up,

• The apostle Peter informs his readers they are being watched, so live carefully! (vs 12)

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may SEE your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

• Note: not here your great gospel message or listen to your great songs,

• But see your goods deeds.

• Actions really do speak louder than words!

Note: So far in our studies in 1 Peter, the teaching has been,

• Walk in hope (1:1-12)

• Walk in holiness (1:13-21)

• Walk in harmony/unity (1:22 to 2:12)

• Today, walk in humility/submission (2:13-21)

• That is the big idea in this section, the topic is submission!

• Now let’s be honest, submission is not a word to cheer you up!

• None of us want to submit to other people,

• In fact, if we are honest,

• We like it when other people want to submit to our ideas and preferences (or is that just me)!

• Now we are going to zoom through these verses,

• Because from this section I have seven points that I want to share with you!

• So timewise I make that 3 minutes a point!

(1). The command for submission (vs 13a):

“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority”.

• N.I.V: “Submit yourselves”.

• N.L.B: “Accept”.

• C.E.B: “Obey”.

The word “submission” means: “a bending to the authority or control of another.”

• Note: It doesn’t mean the one who is submitting is inferior,

• But rather it is an issue of function,

• If something is going to work well or be orderly in how it works,

• It will require a degree of submitting.

Ill:

• If you drive you practice that all the time.

• At a roundabout or T-Junction you ‘submit’ you ‘give way’

• To vehicles approaching from the right.

• As a result, the roads should run orderly and function well,

• If you refuse to ‘submit’ you ‘give way’ you will have problems.

• Note: Submission does not mean the one who is submitting is inferior,

• e.g., Christ submitted himself to the Father (John 6:38, 1 Corinthians 15:28),

• He was subject to the Father’s will, but that did not make him inferior to the Father.

• It rather shows us the unity, the order, the partnership of their relationship.

Now, in his letter, Peter will tell his readers to submit in 4 different areas of their lives:

• In society at large (chapter 2 verses 13-17).

• In the workplace (chapter 2 verses 18-20).

• In the home (chapter 3 verses 1-7).

• And within the Church family (chapter 5 verses 5).

Now I can tell what some of you are thinking!

• I can see the cogs going round and round in your heads.

• Some of you are saying…

• “Hold on……: You do not know what my authorities are like.

• You do not know what my work situation is like.

• You do not know what my home circumstances are like.

• You do not know what my Church family is like!”

• That is true, I don’t know all about your situation,

• But I can almost guarantee,

• That it will not be as unfair as the situation Peter’s readers were facing.