The Blessings Of Submission Series

Introduction:

A. Recently there was a remake of the movie The Karate Kid.

1. But how many of you remember the original movie?

2. The original movie began with Daniel, a skinny boy who was used to being bullied, asking for a neighbor named Mister Miagi to teach him karate.

3. Mr. Miagi agreed under one condition: Daniel must submit totally to his instruction and never question his methods.

a. So Daniel agreed and showed up the next day eager to learn.

4. To his chagrin, Mister Miagi had him paint a fence. Miagi demonstrated the precise motion for the job: up and down, up and down.

a. It took Daniel days to finish the job.

5. Next, Miagi told Daniel to wash and wax three weather-beaten cars and again prescribed the motion – “wax on, wax off.”

a. Daniel wondered, What does this have to do with karate? But he said nothing.

6. Finally, Mr. Miagi had him sand the deck using a prescribed stroke.

7. At the end of the day, Daniel had reached his limit, and he said to Mr. Miagi: “I thought you were going to teach me karate, but all you have done is have me do your unwanted chores!”

8. Daniel had broken Miagi’s one condition, and the old man’s face pulsed with anger.

a. “I have been teaching you karate! Defend yourself!”

9. Mr. Miagi threw a punch toward Daniel, who instinctively defended himself with an arm motion exactly like that used in one of his chores.

10. Next Mr. Miagi unleashed a vicious kick, and again Daniel averted the blow with a motion used in his chores.

11. After Daniel successfully defended himself from several more blows, Mr. Miagi simply walked away, leaving Daniel to discover what the master had known all along: skill comes from repeating the correct but seemingly mundane motion.

B. Daniel learned the blessing of submission to his master, and so must we.

1. We may not always understand God’s instructions, but submission demands that we obey our master anyway.

2. The word “submission” is the key to today’s section from First Peter.

3. And the keys to submission are humility and trust.

4. As you know, we are living in a culture of pride and rebellion.

5. That rebellion can be clearly seen in children, teenagers and young adults, but they certainly aren’t the only ones who find it hard to submit.

6. At times, most of us find it hard to submit to those in authority.

7. Who are the ones in authority that people despise the most? Government officials, employers, teachers, parents and police officers.

8. Interestingly enough, in our Scripture section today, Peter is going to address submission to several of those authority figures.

C. Let’s spend some time discovering some of the blessings that come from learning to be submissive.

1. As we read this section of 1 Peter, we might be surprised that Peter doesn’t give us advice on how to reduce stress or to make our problems go away.

2. Rather, if things are difficult and it looks like they are going to get worse, Peter’s advice is to submit.

3. The word “submit” is a compound verb that means “to order under.”

4. It is a military expression literally meaning “to arrange in formation under the commander.”

5. Submission is simply the recognition of God’s authority in our lives and ordering ourselves under God.

6. God is our Creator, and God has established the home, and human government, and the church, and therefore, God has the right to tell us how these institutions should be run.

7. Let’s look at some of the areas of our lives where Peter calls for submission.

I. Submit to God’s Commands for Righteous Living

A. Peter began this section: 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 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. (1 Pet. 2:11-12)

B. Notice, first of all, that Peter began by reminding us about our identity – “Dear Friends.”

1. The word is actually “beloved.”

2. We are beloved children of God and beloved brothers and sisters in Christ.

3. We are dearest of friends – we must not forget who we are and whose we are!

C. Next, we notice that Peter spoke with conviction and authority – this is not a passing suggestion.

1. “I urge you” comes across with seriousness and urgency.

D. What is it that Peter wanted to make very clear? Our need to live as foreigners by abstaining from sinful desires.

1. We aren’t going to spend a lot of time on this, because it is a theme we have been addressing in almost every sermon in this series.