The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying the book of 1 Peter.
The thing that separates Christianity from other religions is grace. It is simply God doing something for you with no strings attached. God’s grace is solely motivated by love: deep, abiding, unconditional, sacrificial love.
Peter wrote this letter to Christians who were going through various trials. The apostle knew that a severe “fiery trial” was just around the corner, and he wanted to prepare believers for it. God’s message to us is, “Be hopeful! Suffering leads to glory! God can give you all the grace you need to honor Him when the going gets tough! The future is still as bright as the promises of God, so—be hopeful!
Unity does not eliminate diversity. The absence of diversity is not unity; it is uniformity, and uniformity is dull. St. Augustine said it perfectly: “In essentials, unity. In nonessentials, liberty. In all things, charity. (love)”
If the church is to be an example of how people are to live together as God wants then we need to do it God’s way under His authority. In other words we need to submit to God’s authority and do it God’s way.
We need to fo it for the sake of the lost, the Lord’s sake meaning that we are representatives of Jesus and it’s our responsibility to show the character of God, and for our own sakes.
We are using for our study "Be Hopeful (1 Peter): How to Make the Best of Times Out of Your Worst of Times" by Warren W. Wiersbe.
The last couple of weeks we talked about Christian togetherness and why there should be spiritual togetherness in the church.
We are all in the same family
We are stones in the same building
We are priests in the same temple
We are citizens of the same nation
1 Peter 2:1-10 NLT [1] So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. [2] Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, [3] now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. [4] You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. [5] And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. [6] As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” [7] Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” [8] And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. [9] But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. [10] “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
If the church is to be an example of how people are to live together as God wants then we need to do it God’s way under His authority. In other words we need to submit to God’s authority and do it God’s way.
We need to fo it for the sake of the lost, the Lord’s sake meaning that we are representatives of Jesus and it’s our responsibility to show the character of God, and for our own sakes.
1 Peter 2:11-17 NLT [11] Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. [12] Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. [13] For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, [14] or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. [15] It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. [16] For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. [17] Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.
As Christians, we must constantly remind ourselves who we are;
Verse 11 says we are “temporary residents and foreigners”
Philippians 3:20-21 NIV [20] But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
We are also God’s children and loved by God because of our faith in Jesus.
Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV [3] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. [4] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
We are temporary residents and foreigners, we are beloved children and we are soldiers involved in a spiritual battle.
[11] Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.
There are sinful desires that war against us and want to defeat us.
Galatians 5:16-26 NLT [16] So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. [17] The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. [18] But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. [19] When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, [21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. [22] But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. [25] Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. [26] Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
Most of all, we are witnesses to the lost around us. Unsaved people are watching us, speaking against us , and looking for excuses to reject the gospel, so we must do it God’s way.
1 Peter 3:16 NLT [16] But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.
1 Peter 4:4 NLT [4] Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you.
If we are going to witness to the lost people around us, we must live “honest” lives. We do not witness only with our lips; we must back up our “talk” with our “walk.” There should be nothing in our conduct that will give the unsaved ammunition to attack Christ and the gospel. Our good works must back up our good words.
In the summer of 1805, a number of Native American chiefs and warriors met in council at Buffalo Creek, New York, to hear a presentation of the Christian message by a Mr. Cram from the Boston Missionary Society. After the sermon, a response was given by Red Jacket, one of the leading chiefs. Among other things, the chief said, “Brother, you say that there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can all read the Book?
“Brother, we are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We are acquainted with them. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Native Americans, we will then consider again of what you have said.”
The church also needs to exhibit spiritual unity because of the Lord’s sake and I described that as believers being representatives of Jesus and it’s our responsibility to show the character of God.
1 Peter 2:13-17 NLT [13] For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, [14] or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. [15] It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. [16] For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. [17] Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.
As Christian citizens, we should submit to the authority vested in human government. The word translated “ordinance” in the King James Version simply means “creation or institution.” It does not refer to each individual law, but to the institutions that make and enforce the laws. It is possible to submit to the institutions and still disobey the laws.
For example, when Daniel and his three friends refused to obey the king’s dietary regulations, they disobeyed the law, but the way that they did it proved that they honored the king and respected the authorities.
Daniel 1:8-14 NLT [8] But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. [9] Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. [10] But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.” [11] Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. [12] “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. [13] “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” [14] The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.
They were not rebels; they were careful not to embarrass the official in charge or get him into trouble; and yet they stood their ground. They glorified God and, at the same time, honored the authority of the king.
Peter and the other apostles faced a similar challenge shortly after Pentecost (Acts 4—5). The Jewish council commanded them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus, but Peter and his associates refused to obey
Acts of the Apostles 4:16-20 NLT [16] “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. [17] But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” [18] So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. [19] But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? [20] We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
Acts of the Apostles 5:26-32 NLT [26] The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them. [27] Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. [28] “We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!” [29] But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. [30] The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. [31] Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. [32] We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”
They did not cause a rebellion or in any way question or deny the authority of the council. They submitted to the institution, but they refused to stop preaching. They showed respect to their leaders even though these men were opposed to the gospel.
It is important that we respect the office even though we cannot respect the man or woman in the office. As much as possible, we should seek to cooperate with the government and obey the law, but we must never allow the law to make us violate our conscience or disobey God’s Word.
Unfortunately, some zealous but ignorant Christians use these differences as opportunities for conflict and loud sermons about “freedom” and “separation of church and state.”
For example, when a local church constructs and furnishes a building, there is a local code that must be obeyed.
The government has no right to control the pulpit or the business meeting, but it has every right to control matters that relate to safety and operation. If the law requires a certain number of exits, or fire extinguishers, or emergency lights, the church must comply. The state is not persecuting when it sets up the code, nor is the church compromising when it obeys the code.
Some overly zealous saints who have disgraced the name of the Lord by their attitudes and actions relating to these matters. This happened during the pandemic with regard to social distancing, masks, and in-person services.
Peter named the offices we are to respect.
1 Peter 2:13-14 NLT [13] For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, [14] or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.
In democratic nations, we have a president or premier. Peter did not criticize the Roman government or suggest that it be overthrown. God’s church has been able to live and grow in all kinds of political systems. Those appointed by the leader have the authority to administer the laws and execute justice. Ideally, they should punish those who do evil and praise those who do good. Now we know that’s not always done but it has never been. Again, we must remind ourselves to respect the office even if we cannot respect the officer.
Two things to remember the will of God and servants of God
1 Peter 2:15-16 NLT [15] It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. [16] For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.
When we do something in the will of God and as the servants of God, then we are doing it “for the Lord’s sake.”
It’s God's will that we silence the critics by doing good, not by opposing the authority. That way we can silence, literally, “muzzle,” the critics.
A true Christian submits himself to authority because he is first of all submitted to Christ. He uses his freedom as a tool to build with and not as a weapon to fight with.
Christians are free people in Christ. We are no longer subject to the Old Testament Law, and our true purpose and future are not determined by any human government.
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