Follow The Leader

1 Pet 2:13-17

For the last few weeks, my sermons have been motivational in style. This week, it’s going to be a little dryer as I need to teach this passage rather than preach it.

A couple of years ago, I was watching the preschoolers go through the auditorium as they play follow the leader. Everything was going fine until one young girl went in a different direction than the other kids. When one of the teacher’s asked why she wasn’t following the others, she crossed her arms and said, I don’t want to go that way!

What a reality check. We are fine following someone as long as they are going in the direction we want them to. It’s when we don’t want to go where they are leading that we have problems.

Peter raises an interesting issue with this text. He tells the Christians that they were to follow the leaders of the land even when they didn’t want to. God had ordained those leaders. That leads to some disturbing thoughts. Do we obey then, everything our government tells us to do? This morning I want to look at 3 questions about submitting to authority.

PRAYER

I. What does Submit Mean?

A. Dictionary

1. Webster’s defines submit as; to defer to or consent to abide by the opinion or authority of another

2. It was often used in the military by an officer reminding the men they were to follow his orders.

3. lower ranks submitted to higher ranks.

B. Bible

1. Biblical use was much the same.

2. Scripture points out we are to follow the rules of government and church leaders unless they cause us to break God’s rules.

3. God’s authority is always higher than man’s.

II. Who Do I submit to?

A. Question of authority.

1. My brother and I have had a long standing, let’s say debate, about submitting to authority. I believe that since I am the oldest, I am therefore the leader. Jeff thinks that’s a bunch of junk. As teenagers our “discussions” became quite heated as I pounded into him the need to submit to my authority. Even today, just bring that subject up around Jeff and he will be quick to deny that I ever had any authority over him!

2. As Christians, that authority issue is a little more clear to us as we see it defined here and a couple of other passages.

B. To the government

1. In college, a friend of mine refused to pay taxes because he felt the government used those taxes for immoral things. I understood his conviction, but felt he was wrong according to scripture.

2. Peter lays out the reason we should submit to our government. This should give us something to really think about before we start opposing our government

a) by submitting to them, there can’t be an attack saying all we are trying to do is cause problems.

b) Do nothing that would diminish the cause of Christ within our community.

3. One commentator raised an interesting issue. He said you could disobey a law, but still submit to the institution of the government.

4. He used Daniel as an example. READ Dan. 1:5-8, 11-14

5. This would be like some of our forms of civil disobedience that as American we can practice here.

6. Something I have always struggled with is if I lived during the Revolutionary war, could I have in conscience supported the revolution?

C. Slaves to Master

1. Slavery is a deplorable institution, but even there, we need to remember that our main focus is to bring honor to God.

2. If that means submitting to a master, then we need to do it.

3. Jesus also suffered for wrongs he never committed.

4. I thank God our nation saw fit to end the practice of slavery.

D. Wives to husbands

1. I’ll talk about this more next week, but our text reminds us that wives are to submit to their husbands.

2. Very quickly, the idea is that when no consensus can be reached, she will accept is final decision.

III. Why Should I Submit?

A. For the Lord’s sake

1. As Peter writes this letter, he sets the reason we should submit to the various forms of authority.

2. If I were left to myself, I wouldn’t want to submit to anyone’s authority.

3. I want to be in charge of my life.

4. Peter reminds us that submission isn’t about us, but about God.

5. Christians are to be representatives of God’s virtues to society.

a) If I honor and respect those in authority, even when I disagree with them, that catches people’s attention.

b) During the Vietnam War it seemed as if every college campus was having anti-war demonstrations and provoking the police who tried to keep things under control. At Freed-Hardeman there was never a demonstration even though many students disagreed with the war. The local newspaper wrote about this and interviewed some the students and teachers. Both groups pointed to the scripture as to why they behaved the way they did. That left a very positive view of the school and the church within this small community.

c) We submit, not for our sake, or even for the sake of those over us, but for the Lord’s sake.

B. God’s will

1. Peter first tells us to do so voluntarily for the glory of God.

2. But, if we aren’t willing to do so for that reason, Peter tells us it’s God’s will that we do this.

3. Not just because God wants us to be weanies who don’t stick up for ourselves.

4. But by doing so, people wont believe accusations made by pagan critics.

C. Submitting today

1. I have had a struggle within myself about how involved to get in the political fight that is taking God further and further from out of our national life.

a) I finally realized something that swayed how I would deal with the political issues.

b) You cannot legislate morality or Christianity. You must teach them to effectively change society.

c) It has been tried in many countries and failed in every one.

d) You had countries that were religious politically, but the people themselves mostly gave lip service to their religion.

2. If we focus on bringing God to the individuals around us, we will slowly rebuild a nation that looks to God again.

3. It’s not the president or congress who should decide how much God means to us as a nation.

4. It’s our job!

5. Even today we must submit to authorities even when we really hate what they are doing.

a) As long as the laws they bring don’t conflict with God’s laws, so be it.

b) If you want our nation to be God friendly, make the people God friendly.

c) Work within the political frame to keep God in our focus, not against it where our actions can bring reproach on Christianity.

6. If Jesus can submit, so can we.