These are the original teaching notes from this passage.
I Peter 2:11-25
Review …
- The FIRST section – the Grace of God and Salvation…
- In light of our – LIVING HOPE / INHERITANCE / and SALVATION…
- We must be HOLY / HOPEFUL / and LOVING…
- And also LAY ASIDE – the sin that would keep us from finishing our RACE!
- Like a NEWBORN – in our desire for the sincere milk of the Word…
- Like LIVING stones – being built into a spiritual house!
- Jesus is the CORNERSTONE – whoever believes on Jesus will NEVER be put to shame…
- But to those who REJECT Him – He is still the CORNERSTONE – men will STUMBLE at!
- Like the PEOPLE of God…
- We are a Chosen generation / a Royal priesthood / a Holy nation / a special people!
- SO THAT we can proclaim – what God has done for us!
Grace to submit…
- 1st – Submit to the Lord… vs. 11-12
- 1st – BELOVED…
- Having concluded the FIRST section – GRACE for Salvation…
- We come to the SECOND section of the book – Grace for SUBMISSION…
- Considering the DIFFICULT nature of the subject – we open with a warm greeting!
- BELOVED [ἀγαπητός] – from the root word [ἀγαπάω] those LOVED by God…
- I BEG you [παρακαλέω] – to come along side [often used as a title for the Holy Spirit]
- Peter wants us to know that we are LOVED by God – and NOT alone in our struggles!
- One of the hardest things to remember when things get tough is that we are LOVED…
- God has NOT abandoned us – NOT forgotten about us – we are His BELOVED…
- And He gives us Godly men and women – a church – to come along side of us…
- In Christ – we are NOT called to be an Island – we are called to be part of a FAMILY…
- So that we are able to STAND – reminding each other that He LOVES us!
- 2nd – Pilgrims… vs. 11
- As sojourners and pilgrims!
- Strangers [πάροικος] – to be NEAR our home – but not quite there yet…
- Pilgrims [παρεπίδημος] – a to be NEAR our people – but not quite there yet…
- The idea being we are so CLOSE – we can almost convince ourselves we are HOME…
- But we are NOT there yet!
- Hebrews 11:13 – “These all died in faith… and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims [παρεπίδημος] on the earth.”
- When we choose to follow Jesus – it means we walk away from this HOME…
- We follow Jesus wherever He wants us to go – we no longer belong to this world!
- And it often means having to walk away from the PEOPLE – we knew before Jesus…
- Walk away from the negative influence they have on our lives – start a fresh!
- Luke 14:33 – “Whoever does not [say goodbye] to all he has cannot be My disciple.”
- 3rd – At War… vs. 11
- Fleshly LUSTS…
- Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul!
- Abstain [ἀπέχομαι] – compound word – do NOT hold on – let go…
- We are NOT to hold onto fleshly LUSTS – that are contrary to our life in Jesus!
- I John 2:16 – “For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh – the lust of the eyes – and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.”
- Lust is a MONSTER – no matter how much we feed – it is never enough…
- ONE more drink – ONE more pornographic picture – ONE more peso…
- There is ONLY momentary satisfaction – then it needs ONE more!
- It is a LIAR – it lures us in with false hopes and promises of fulfillment…
- Then makes itself our MASTER – brings us into bondage to our LUST…
- No longer in control of our lives – we are SLAVES to our sinful desires!
- WAR with our soul…
- WAR [στρατεύω] – a MILITARY expedition intent on conquest!
- We are all made up of THREE parts – spirit – mind – and body…
- SPIRIT – the only part of us that is eternal…
- BODY – the flesh – the physical body we live in…
- MIND – where we make our choices and decisions – either the SPIRIT or the FLESH!
- Our MINDS are the battleground for the control of our ACTIONS…
- And our FLESH is at WAR with our SPIRIT to try and conquer our MIND!
- Defeated by the FLESH…
- It is easy to SAY that we want to LIVE for the LORD…
- But the reality is most people LIVE in constant DEFEAT – overcome by their FLESH!
- The PROBLEM is we do what we WANT – and we WANT to feed our FLESH…
- No one MAKES me take the DRINK – look at the PICTURE – buy the THING…
- My problem is my HEART – I am the PROBLEM – I give into LUST because I want to!
- Romans 7:15 – “I want to do what is right – but I do not… Instead – I do what I hate.”
- Overcoming the FLESH…
- We constantly give into our LUSTS – because we bring a stick to a gunfight…
- When you bring a STICK to a GUNFIGHT – you are going to LOSE!
- Many people come to the BATTLE – woefully unprepared…
- They come depending on THEMSELVES – then are confused when they LOSE!
- How do we overcome our LUSTS – how do we change what we WANT…
- By SUBMITTING to the Lord – who can change our HEART!
- Here is our SECOND theme – SUBMIT to the LORD – to win the WAR with our FLESH!
- Galatians 5:16 – “Walk in the Spirit – and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
- 4th – Honorable conduct… vs. 12
- The RESULT…
- Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles!
- HONORABLE [καλός] almost always translated as GOOD…
- CONDUCT [ἀναστροφή] – how we live our lives – our words and actions
- GENTILES [ἔθνος] – used here to refer to a WORLD that does not believe in Jesus…
- The result of winning the WAR – will be we be defined by GOOD conduct!
- When we live our lives SUBMITTED to God – we will be VERY different from the WORLD…
- Which will bring about TWO results – REJECTION and SALVATION!
- REJECTION…
- They speak against you as evildoers!
- When we SUBMIT to God – we become an ENEMY of this world…
- The world HATES Jesus because He convicts the world of sin and righteousness…
- And when we REFLECT Jesus through our GOOD conduct – they HATE us!
- John 15:18 – “If the world hates you – you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”
- There was a recent school shooting in the US – 17 students and 2 teachers were killed…
- Some of the media coverage has begun to blame CHRISTIANS…
- Arguing that the Biblical principals are responsible for these violent crimes!
- Isaiah 5:20 – “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil…”
- We live in a world that is upside down – a world that does NOT know God…
- A world where all that is evil is good – and all that is good is evil…
- Therefore do not be SURPRISED when the world calls our GOOD conduct – EVIL!
- SALVATION…
- They may – by your good works which they observe – glorify God in the day of visitation!
- BEHOLD [ἐποπτεύω] to LOOK intently – examine thoroughly…
- There is a chance [subjunctive] those who BEHOLD our GOOD works will GLORIFY God…
- DAY of INSPECTION [visitation] – the DAY when God will judge the WORLD!
- As we SUBMIT to the Lord – our lives have a powerful IMPACT on everyone around us…
- SOME will GLORIFY God – because the SEE the GOOD works in our lives…
- They have been WATCHING us – and come to BELIEVE in Jesus…
- So they are saved before the DAY of visitation – and spared the JUDGEMENT to come!
- 1st – BELOVED…
- 2nd – Submit to government… vs. 13-17
- 1st – Obey the government… vs. 13-14
- PUNISHMENT…
- Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man – for the Lords sake…
- Whether to the king as supreme – or to governors – as to those who are sent by him…
- For the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good!
- Another result [therefore] of SUBMITTING to the Lord…
- Is that we will also SUBMIT [passive] to the ORDINANCE of men…
- ORDINANCE [κτίσις] – to CREATE – a nation – state – province – city…
- We are to SUBMIT to KING [president] as supreme…
- And to the GOVERNORS [leaders] the KING sends…
- Who punishes evildoers and bring praise for them who do well!
- If we BREAK the law – do BAD things – we have good reason to fear the GOVERNMENT…
- But if we OBEY the law – do what is GOOD – we will instead receive praise from them…
- Therefore – we should SUBMIT out of fear of consequence!
- NOTE – we ONLY submit to a government – so long as it does not CONTRADICT the WORD!
- For the LORD…
- SUBMIT – [ὑποτάσσω]– military term of complete subordination
- We do not SUBMIT for the sake of men – but for the LORD!
- All authority comes from God – so no government is there by accident – Romans 13:1
- When we look at the corruption – poor policies – the injustice all around us…
- We have a hard time with this concept – we might think – not our government…
- And what about evil governments – muslim – communist – Iran – North Korea…
- Surely God cannot approve of these governments – much less be responsible!
- Peter wrote this during the time Caesar Nero was the emperor of Rome…
- The ruler who clothed Christians in animal skins – then fed them alive to the dogs…
- Who rode his chariot down the road lined with burning Christians for light…
- This was his government – the one he commanded [imperative] believers to SUBMIT to!
- The salvation of men…
- If God wanted all men to have a rich and easy life – governments should be perfect…
- But if God wants people in heaven – bad governments work best!
- If governments were perfect – we would never learn to look to and trust in God…
- It is in the imperfections of our governments we see our need for the Lord…
- It is not that all the governments are good – God just uses them all for our good!
- 2nd – The Will of God… vs. 15
- This is the WILL of God…
- As believers we recognize – the WILL of God is what is BEST for our lives…
- We can find out His WILL – generally – by being living sacrifices – Romans 12:2
- But the WILL of God – is tied to FOUR specific definitions in the NT…
- It is the WILL of God – that we avoid sexual immorality – I Thessalonians 4:3
- It is the WILL of God – that we give thanks in all things – I Thessalonians 5:18
- It is the WILL of God – that to suffer for doing good – I Peter 3:17
- It is the WILL of God – that we put to silence ignorant men – I Peter 2:15
- SILENCE…
- By doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men!
- When we SUBMIT to God – HONORABLE conduct – and SUBMIT to the government…
- There is nothing anyone can accuse us of – because we are DOING GOOD…
- People can make ACCUSATIONS – but they will not be TRUE…
- SILENCING – [φιμόω] – to shut the mouth – make someone speechless…
- IGNORANT [ἀγνωσία] – to NOT know God – where we get the word agnostic…
- FOOLISH [ἄφρων] – those who CANNOT think – not reasonable!
- I was on a missions trip to Kazakhstan – I had a muslim roommate…
- His first words to me were – I do not want to hear about your God…
- God put on my heart – let him see you doing GOOD – be his Bible – II Corinthians 3:3
- FOUR weeks later he opened the conversation – accepted Jesus as his savior!
- Many people will refuse to read a Bible – but they do read us…
- Our life – our example – has the power to show them the Gospel of Jesus!
- 3rd – The Bondservant… vs. 16-17
- As FREE…
- As free – yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice – but as bondservants of God!
- We do not SUBMIT to God – SUBMIT to the government – because we HAVE to…
- FREE [ἐλεύθερος] – to be born free – not a SLAVE – not in BONDAGE…
- We do not HAVE to obey ANY rules – we are free in Christ to do what we want!
- John 8:36 – “Therefore if the Son makes you free – you shall be free indeed.”
- LIBERTY…
- But we are not to use our LIBERTY [noun from of FREE] as a CLOAK…
- CLOAK [ἐπικάλυμμα] – to cover or hide the true intentions…
- We have FREEDOM – but we must be careful not to us our freedom as an excuse to SIN…
- Sin is dangerous – and will harden our hearts towards God!
- Romans 6:1 – “What shall we say then. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound…”
- When a person first learns a guitar – fingers bled from pressing on the steel strings…
- But eventually with lots of use – they grow calluses and became tough!
- When we first commit a sin – we bleed with conviction from the Holy Spirit…
- But if we continue to sin – we can create a callous on our hearts – feel nothing…
- Sin is devastating – if we refuse to repent of our sin – it will harden our hearts…
- Not that God will not forgive us – His grace is always there…
- The danger is we end up rejecting God – prefer to live on in our sin!
- Hebrews 3:13 – “Lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
- BONDSERVANT…
- BONDSERVANT [δοῦλος] – someone who chooses to be a SLAVE…
- God defined the role of – a bondservant – Deuteronomy 15:17
- If a servant was to be set free – but CHOSE to stay – he had his ear pierced on a doorpost…
- He became a BONDSERVANT – someone who CHOSE to be a slave for His master!
- Jesus does not demand that we give our lives to Him – it is our CHOICE…
- We can choose to live for ourselves – live for this world – in BONDAGE to this world…
- But the irony is when we give our lives to Jesus – that is when we are truly FREE!
- IMPERATIVE…
- Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king!
- The RESULT of being a BONDSERVANT – is we must [imperative 4x] OBEY the LORD…
- HONOR all – both believers and unbelievers…
- LOVE [ἀγαπάω] the brethren – who are servants along with us of the Lord…
- FEAR God – SUBMITTING to Him so that we are HONORABLE in conduct…
- HONOR the King – so that we silence those who are ignorant!
- 1st – Obey the government… vs. 13-14
- 3rd – Submit to masters… vs. 18-25
- 1st – Obey employers… vs. 18-20
- SERVANTS…
- Servants – be submissive to your masters with all fear…
- Not only to the good and gentle – but also to the harsh!
- SERVANTS [οἰκέτης] – we would call them EMPLOYEES…
- SUBMISSIVE [ὑποτάσσω] – the same words used to describe being under a government…
- MASTERS [δεσπότη] – despots – we could call them EMPLOYERS…
- Not just the GOOD employers – but also the HARSH ones…
- HARSH [σκολιός] – to be CROOKED – to be unfair and wicked!
- Ever since Adam we have made a living from the sweat of our brow – Genesis 3:19
- And most of us have an employer – boss we have to answer to…
- Even if we do not agree – we need to listen to their instructions – and obey…
- Even our employer is a jerk – and treats us terribly – do what they say…
- Because it might just be our example that leads them to Jesus Christ!
- COMMENDABLE…
- For this is commendable – [since] because of conscience toward God…
- One endures grief – suffering wrongfully!
- COMMENDABLE [χάρις] – 156x in NT – this is GRACE!
- Because of conscience towards God – we endure [bear the burden] of suffering wrongly!
- If our boss tells us to scrub a toilet – scrub that toilet for Jesus…
- Not murmuring and complaining the whole time – cursing under our breath…
- Do it with joy – do it with the best possible effort – do the job right!
- This does NOT mean we let our BOSS tell us to do something IMMORAL or ILLEGAL…
- But if our BOSS is just being MEAN – then we SUBMIT – so they can see GRACE…
- We become the EXAMPLE to them – of Jesus – responding to suffering with LOVE!
- No CREDIT…
- For what credit is it – [since] when you are beaten for your faults – you take it patiently.
- When you do good and suffer [since] you take it patiently this is commendable before God!
- When we make a MISTAKE – and are PUNISHED – and take it PATIENTLY…
- Even those who are in the world do that – we are getting what we DESERVE!
- But if we DO WELL – which is the WILL of God for our lives – I Peter 2:15
- And we are punished – taking it PATIENTLY – this is COMMENDABLE!
- COMMENDABLE [χάρις] – there is our word GRACE again…
- How do we get the GRACE to be able to SUFFER for doing GOOD…
- PATIENCE [ὑπομένω] – compound word – [ὑπό] under – and [μένω] abide…
- ABIDE [μένω] – means to endure – stubbornly refuse to let go…
- We must ABIDE in Jesus [μένω] – because apart from Him we can do NOTHING – John 15:4
- When we are punished for doing GOOD – it teaches us to ABIDE in Jesus…
- And the WORLD gets to see something DIFFERENT – we do not get UPSET…
- We show them the GRACE of God – by the GOOD coming from our lives!
- 2nd – The EXAMPLE… vs. 21-23
- CHRIST…
- For to this you were called – because Christ also suffered for us…
- Leaving us an example – that you should follow His steps!
- EXAMPLE – [ὑπογραμμός] – only here NT – a written account – the GOSPEL…
- An example that we should [subjunctive] follow – walking in his footsteps…
- His EXAMPLE – He was punished [cross] having done NOTHING wrong!
- DEFENSE…
- Who committed no sin – nor was deceit found in His mouth – Isaiah 53:9
- Who – when He was reviled – did not revile in return. When He suffered…
- He did not threaten – but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously!
- People are going to say bad things about us – make false accusation to make us look bad…
- We always have TWO options – DEFEND ourselves – or let God DEFEND us…
- We can DEFEND ourselves – run around putting out all the little fires…
- Guaranteed God will always do a better job – better to let Him be our DEFENSE!
- Isaiah 53:7 – “He opened not His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter – and as a sheep before its shearers is silent – so He opened not His mouth.”
- 3rd – Sheep gone astray… vs. 24-25
- Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree – that we – having died to sins…
- Might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.
- For you were like sheep going astray – but have now returned…
- To the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls!
- Jesus bore our sins in his own body on the cross – so we – having died to sins…
- MIGHT [subjunctive] live for righteousness – by whose stripes we are [spiritually] healed!
- We were [imperfect] all like SHEEP going astray – but have now returned to the Shepherd!
- Why do we SUBMIT – to the LORD – to the GOVERNMENT – to our EMPLOYERS…
- Because Jesus saved us from our sins – lost SHEEP – healed us spiritually…
- Now we SUBMIT as an EXAMPLE – so other lost SHEEP can also return to THE Shepherd!
- 1st – Obey employers… vs. 18-20