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April 27, 2021 2:00 am
To abdicate our will to another, even for the sake of order and peace, is extremely tough. But in the message "The World's Hardest Activity," Skip shows you there are higher goals and loftier purposes for believers to live submissive lives.
This teaching is from the series Rock Solid.
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Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for what it is for the Lord's sake.
In other words, you do it to honor God. God's order representatives are seen as stabilizers and there's an is this the highest reason to visit this the greatest motivation to do it because God said I teases that if you love me you will keep my commandments. Which means if you constantly break his commandments must mean you don't love them.
One of the posterior characteristics of the teen years is rebellion, but it's actually a posterior characteristic of the human race today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares how you can experience complete freedom by living in submission to Christ.
First want to tell you about a special resource that will help you break free from anxiety and experience the peace.
Jesus offers questions can be ambushed by surprise, struggles how that feels. I think anxiety is the problem it's a problem all human beings. At some point have to deal with understanding and overcoming anxiety if possible and we want to help you move from feeling paralyzed by anxiety finding lasting peace with three powerful resources, overcoming an anxious mind, a new booklet by Skip Heitzig six teaching worship any uncertainty on CD plus the war is over worship sure we can replace your anxiety. This resource bundle is $35 or more today to help connect more people to the Prince of peace connectwithskip.com/offered to give online securely or call 819 to 1888 first Peter chapter 2. As we get into the message with Skip Heitzig when Peter wrote this letter is about one, maybe even two years away from what's called the great commission in Rome happened in 64 A.D., a fire broke out in Rome most all of the Roman citizens and it destroyed a great portion of the city. Most of the Roman citizens believed in many historians to this day believe the fire was started by Caesar Nero. It was so controversial and so widely believed that their own. Caesar started the fire that Caesar, Nero needed a scapegoat. Guess who he chose the Christian population of the city of Rome. He accuse them of larceny and he started persecuting them and mass.
There's just one story about halfway through his reign, Caesar, Nero started fancying himself as a racecar driver submitted that racecars and chariots, a chariot race he just thought it was the coolest thing, race chariots, he had a track built for himself in Rome so that he could race chariots during the day and he started getting into it so much he wanted to do it not just during the day but also at night. The only problem is nobody better electricity so his six solution was to have his soldiers round up during the daytime Christians and bring them to his palace, and while they were still alive cover them in tar and pitch tie them to polls so that at sunset, he could light those torches around his track that he could spin his little racecar at night. While Christians were burning after he accuse them of setting fire to Rome. Can you see by this. The obvious problem that the early Christians had an even we have today that the world is filled with Caesar Nero's an adult Hitler's and Bosch are all sides, which makes us ask this question. Is there ever a time when a Christian can or should defy and not obey and not submit to the government. Is there yes there is. But here is the rule. The general rule is submit until submitting to earthly authority makes you not submit to heavenly authority, you will pay until your obedience makes you disobey God. At that point all whole another set of rules comes into play, and there are many examples to show you. Example number one is back in the Old Testament when Pharaoh of Egypt commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill all the boys that were born among the Hebrews was a law that was passed, kill the baby boys.
They refuse to do it. Exodus chapter 1 tells us, but the midwives feared God and did not do as the king commanded flat disobedience later on.
There was a guy named NetView could measure the king of Babylon, who when the captives came in. Daniel and his buddies made them eat a certain diet that was against kosher Old Testament law, the delicacies of the king's table.
They refuse to do it. Daniel chapter 1 tells us, but Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the Kings delicacies.
I'm not obey you because it would mean I would have to disobey the covenant of my God. Another example is later on when Nebuchadnezzar built a huge image of himself a golden image, and commanded everybody to bow down and worship that image and there were three men, Shadrach me shack and Abednego said were not going to do it. Their reply in Daniel chapter 3, we will not serve your gods, nor will we worship the golden image. Another example also in the book of Daniel, King Darius, the prevailing king of the time, the median king Medo Persian king made a law that for one month.
30 solid days, nobody could pray to any other deity except to himself. You want to pray. You pray to me, I am your new God what it Daniel do did he say okay I'm gonna submit to that know the Bible says in Daniel six. He opened his windows toward Jerusalem knelt down on the ground and three times that day. He prayed and gave thanks before his God. Another example is in the New Testament when the Jewish Sanhedrin passed a religious law that the name of Jesus Christ could not be preached any longer. You can't say that name you can't preach that name you are forbidden to preach the gospel what it Peter and John do the dates fold over and rollover know they refuse to obey it.
Standing before the government authorities. They said we must obey God rather than man. That's the principle obey man until obeying man makes you disobey God and then you must obey God rather than man. You can look in the modern history the Nazi regime under out-of-favor pass all sorts of crazy loss, it was law. Many Christians defied, including one pastor named Dietrich Bonhoeffer and that isn't just a matter of history. I think it's going to confront us. In fact, I think it already does. As our government passes its own laws.
Abortion laws same-sex marriage laws and were to be confronted in my can of obey God or my can do what they say back to our text verse 14. Notice what it says that these governors this police force even are sent by him. The king, for the punishment of what evildoers for the punishment of evildoers seat.
You never need to fear the police unless you're breaking the law. If you are breaking the law that you should be afraid. It's funny because of my earlier altercations with the law. Even to this day it's his condition response whenever I see a police officer. I just sort of Skip a beat white knuckle the steering wheel and immediately my eyes instinctively looked down at the speedometer to see how fast I'm going. If I look down at the speedometer and it says 75 miles an hour as I pass the police officer I got no Lord, please help me find the goddesses 45 miles an hour in a 45 I go I just bless you and I thank you for those police officers bless their day it set for the punishment of evildoers, so that's the principle and the particulars of submission. When there's a purpose for submission is the third there's a purpose for submission and you notice what it is. In verse 13.
Therefore, submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for what what is for the Lord's sake. In other words, you do it to honor God.
God is honored when his earthly representatives are seen as stabilizers in their society. And isn't this the highest reason to do it.
Isn't this the greatest motivation to do it because God said to do right. Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments. Which means if you constantly break his commandments, it must mean you don't love them the highest motivation is because it honors him. You know what it's like parents you love it when your children obey when you give them a direction to go steady sure mommy you love that okay but have you ever had a child not do that. Okay, all of you.
So what you say if your child overcomes you and you you give a directive and they don't want to do and they say why should I have to do that and you say because I said so right that should be enough. What I just said to you as your parents should be enough for you to obey. It's no different with God.
God why should I obey my authorities because I said so because if you love me you'll keep my commandments. Now Peter augments that thought in verse 15 notice for this is the will of God are very few places in the New Testament were something is called the will of God, and he spells it out this is God's will.
So when people come to you. I'm just struggling with knowing God's will, what is God's will for my life go the speed limit that start their quit texting while you're driving go there.
It is the will of God.
He says that by doing good. You may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free and not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God.
Central issue is simply this a good Christian should be a good citizen and a good Christian who is a good citizen because he or she wants to honor God has a clear conscience. It's great to have a clear conscience. One man wrote a very honest letter to the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS that stated dear Sirs, I cannot sleep. Last year when I file my income tax return. I deliberately misrepresented my income.
Now I can't sleep encloses a check for hundred and $50 if I still can't sleep. I'll send the rest have a problem with that windowing. He's not really being honest is not really being highly motivated, just buying off his own ill conscience. It was an honest letter but listen to another letter. Paul's letter to the Romans obey the government for God is the one who put it there.
All governments have been placed in power by God. So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God. God is the ultimate authority and if God is the ultimate authority has the right to say to you, and I obey the intermediate authorities right after the/service and became a principal hard message for you to tell us to like our government.
I said I never said a like your government. I said to honor your government to obey your government to submit to your government, you have the right to voice dissent and to not enjoy certain things, but this is a different issue.
The highest reason. The purpose then is to honor God. That's the upward purpose. There's an outward purpose.
Notice verse 15 he says to silence by doing good. You may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
People are always looking at you and I to find the dirt on us.
The reason why they shouldn't trust in the God we say we believe in.
So one of the best witnesses is to be a good citizen because the way people will often view God is by looking at God's representatives to Santa Christian really what what are those five traffic tickets doing your fronts can are going to court again over that issue. One of the greatest if not the greatest apologetic for the gospel of Jesus Christ is a good life, a righteous life because what is the central message of the gospel redemption. We talk about how God can take any life and redeem a life so you know what the best apologetic is a redeemed life. Verse 16 says something that just I never saw it before as free, but not using your liberty as a cloak for vice a way way way we were.
He just said submit to higher authorities and in this case over tyrannical government submit.
But then he says you're free you have liberty at this sort of makes sense does it because most people think of freedom and submission as opposites.
If you submit your giving up your freedom actually you're gaining a greater freedom. William Barclay said Christian freedom does not mean being free to do as you like. It means being free to do as you ought to give you little example here say there's a young girl who shows promising athletic ability and ice-skating. Her parents cough up the big box and they got her a world-class coach and the coach says to the young lady.
I will coach you under one condition I own you. I own your time for the next several years.
You will work out when I tell you to work out, you will keep the regiment and discipline of exercise that I set out for you. No exceptions. If you agree that all coach so she does so, hours and days and weeks and months are eaten up and spent on practicing and pretty soon all of her free time disappears.
She's lost her freedom to do what she wanted her friends start complaining whenever see her anymore.
She's always working out even her parents are a little bit miffed at this new schedule, but years later that day comes when she competes in the Olympics was all that work work that was at loss of liberty and personal freedom worth it. She would say it sure is all. But sweetheart you lost your freedoms, but I gained other freedoms that I didn't have before.
I now have the freedom to represent my country before the world athletes.
I now competed a different level that I've never competed before and because of that notoriety that will probably even bring later on.
Financial freedom. So when restricting certain freedoms you gain others so the purpose of submission. It honors God and it gives a good witness. You have the freedom to live your life in the open before men and let it be on display and let them look at you because you've got nothing to be ashamed of whatever accusation won't stick leads us to the fourth and final slice of this and that is the practice of submission. I take it in verse 17 will be close to summary statement this verse. It's a summation.
It really is a doctrine of theology of submission for short statements that show submission in four areas honor all people love the brotherhood feared God honor the king take the first one honor all people every single human being deserves a certain amount of respect whether they hate you or they hate your God or they practice a certain lifestyle that you disagree with their still made in the image of God and you are to honor all people. When Peter wrote this in the first century, he voted against the backdrop were slaves were not even considered human beings.
They were considered persons and were considered people that know rights and women had hardly any rights at all, but the Christian church. He would say is not to discriminate. I don't. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I'm not saying that we are to mindlessly tolerate any behavior that is aberrant and unscriptural and sinful. Not at all, but every single person deserves to be honored, made in the image of God. Second, he says love the brotherhood is the brotherhood where it its believers loving each other. Jesus said by this shall all men know that you are my disciples by the love you have one for another.
Since an interesting statement. We all know it, but I think we know it means essentially Jesus gives the world outside permission to judge us to look at our lives to see if the gospel of love that we preach really works among us. He didn't say that they will know that you are my disciples, by the fact that you love them, they'll know you're my disciples, by the fact that you love each other and maybe about now you're thinking, how was loving each other to make an impact on them and how is loving one another in the silence of them as they accuse us easy.
Here's how when I was a little kid that I have good parents. They they stay together but but we had some difficult times in our family whenever we had some real difficult seasons whenever I was around families that were stable and filled with love and grace and acceptance. I was invited over for dinner.
I just wanted to live there and want to go home. I thought of my head I want to be a part of this family that's out works. You want to have a family of love so compelling here that when people visit they got. I want to be in that family.
Love the brotherhood, fear God, is the third fear doesn't mean a crouching fear is not is not like the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz kind of fear. This is a reverential respect and all of God that culminates in submissive obedience to the will of God. And because we submit to him and his well in part of his will is to obey intermediate authority. We do it because he said it's very God in the number four we close. Honor the king, so he ends full-circle from where he begins.
He says submit to human authority, even the king and then he says at the end. Honor the king, however, this is different in verse 13 he was dealing with the action. In this verse is dealing with the attitude is very different. You can do something and have a rotten attitude. You can be like a little kid's dad said sit down funny. The little kids sat down but with a sneer on his face and he said I may be sitting down on the outside but I'm still standing up on the inside that's not honor disobedience but is not honor is the right action for this wrong attitude.
Honor the king of the kings Nero Caesar Nero honor the king, let me displace it in our lab. Be careful how you talk about your governing authorities. Be careful of sending those back of the hand things that do not complement, but rather deprecate political figures you disagree with you disagree with them. You cannot like them, but whether it's your president or your governor or the police force.
They are to be prayed for and they are to be honored as they are in a place according to the Bible if I'm reading it right that God allowed them to be in. So I honor them so close with. Let's make beautiful music together.
How are we going to get along and perform all of this and do all of this when we have so many differences in personalities and ideas by making our ideas and our biases subservient to the conductor, our Lord, we submit to his Lordship and in submitting to his Lordship. We marched together in lockstep in the unity on feel like don't have to feel like it. Just do it and you'll discover as you just do it. Eventually the emotions will catch up with your obedience. You find yourself honoring.
Here's a start gone this afternoon. Make a prayer list president, vice president, United States governor, your mayor, police officers especially want to give you maybe a ticket lately discovering form find that hate cannot well up in the heart. Praise prayer of honor to a loving God that concludes give hi six message from the series rocks to speak to tell you about how you can keep encouraging messages like this coming your way to help connect others to God's truth for all the wisdom that the Bible does contain it's worthless if you don't apply it to your life.
Our desire is that every single listener like you wouldn't just hear God's word but be transformed by and you can help make that possible. By giving today to keep this program going strong.
Here's how you can do that now you can get online and connectwithskip.com/donate. That's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 800-922-1888, 800-922-1888.
Thank you. Come back tomorrow is Skip hi six shares how you can experience more joy and satisfaction at your job by living out your faith in the workplace, however, did a study that when people get hired you know what 85% of the time to get hired for their attitude not very smart. Only 15% of the time people get hired because a really smart and they know facts and here's 85% of the time it's added to for believers to be the attitude of gratitude so presentation of connection communications through