Surprising Submission, Part 1

Servant be submissive to your masters with all respect. Now with that culture in mind.

The text is easy to apply to every one of in the 21st century.

In a free country because so many point out, this has to do with the relationship in a free country like the horrors of an employee to an employer which is really bad news because now we can talk about something happening way back there happening to you right now and has to do with your response in my today the gospel Jesus we are all one in Christ.

Still, God gives us leaders and he commands us to submit to the leaders he's placed over submission is hard and when we understand biblical submission.

It's surprising.

That's why Stevens calling this lesson.

Surprising submission were continuing through a series called above politics and parliaments today were beginning lesson three in that series. This is wisdom for the heart. And here's Stephen Devi with today's message from God's word was surprising things about the Bible is that nowhere does it promise you that God will settle the score in your favor sometime during your lifetime.

Nowhere does the Bible promise you that you will be vindicated. This side of heaven or that your culture around here will eventually wake up and begin supporting you and appreciating you for your values and your defense of what they know to be the truth same time it's surprising the Bible and give the believer the right to abandon culture and head for some mountaintop commune some desert monastery instead of the inspired letters of Christ through his apostles to the church literally commanded us to pack our lives right in the middle of our culture were told never to expect anything in return for a godly demeanor. Standards of excellence or of purity, but actually do expect fiery trials to see just in order to develop us and we shouldn't be surprised when they show up that eventually For what was surprising though obscure to the early church where the command of God through Peter to the New Testament believer in in how to act and how to respond in the midst of a pagan culture. I don't think anything would have been more surprising to the early church that first Peter chapter 2 where we were doing our studies are turned back there if you would we read it we think yeah I've read that early, then change all that much, but I believe it will even to this day, but it was certainly a revolutionary teaching then my friend, please read this text I sort of imagine the believers in the church is where this would be read at some point you covering her mouth with her hands and startling surprise maybe blinking hard once or twice or three times, maybe even hearing a gasp or two from the congregation. When you go to verse 13. We all had time to really review everything. But let's go back to that a while but he begins by saying, submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king is the one in authority, or to governors as said by him anything.

Wait a second, Jesus was crucified just a few decades earlier by the institution of government, along with the institution of the governing Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. They all betray the role to uphold justice that the last governor, the Jesus will see before he is brutally executed on the cross was a political weasel, compromiser, who washed his hands and a bowl of water as if to signify that he had nothing to do with the injustice that would not have happened had the Eddie not allowed. It was the last governor Jesus for his death. I got all that long after the church was birthed months later on the day of Pentecost when King Herod.

Later on, put one church leader to dad. He saw it. Please his constituents in other words, his approval rating is the only vow this is great and he arrested another one. Plan to kill him and that one was the one writing this letter Peter, did you forget about that. We barely get earlier surprising to get the first Peter chapter 2 verse 17 starts out understandably fear God or to the honor all people love the brotherhood, fear God like that. We like that we like that honor the king wait, what show respect to the one in authority over you and I going to obey his command to violate Scripture show respect to his office about what kind of teen years and this would be surprising, surprising submission as we studied in our last session of this text be possible earlier informed us of Kingston rulers have actually appointed by God.

In other words, God is surprised by the rise to power God. In fact, put them there. She Peter is elevating our perspective to an understanding that there is someone higher and greater than all of the politics and public and that someone happens to be a sovereign God who happens to be in charge of every election and every appointment and every job I did every governmental institution of authority on the planet. It is all directing this world to his final purpose. So, wherever you are, in whatever generation in whatever culture show every courtesy and respect and honor the can and honor and other passages like facilities to work.

Told appraiser that we get that you no longer praying they die earlier. Whatever your praying about your idea.

Praying ultimately for their salvation because that reminds us.

Frankly, that no matter what they do that I want to get away with the son-in-law wanted to stand before the judge of the universe.

That's a greater issue you care about you, pray for them gassy beyond politics and armaments. We want to have the right perspective in a world today. Now, stretch for the early church in the first country to realize and I don't really believe that God that God was indeed sovereign, while Neil was sitting on the throne that would be a start, means one thing the right verses 13 to 17, which we studied in the last sessions letting that submittal. We could governor Laurent for the really like you probably know, we are unable to Food Lion good, but another thing entirely for Peter to write what, next to get up for safety servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect away just will get further but just wait for a moment, this is this is really surprised that submission before we dive in here. Let's make a few observations of the we understand this text, you can imagine when Peter wrote this letter, there was an estimated 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire fact, they estimated as high as 70 to 75% of the population. Slaves were basically all the people who had neither purchased their citizenship and they would have an opportunity by the age of 30. Slavery was not for life or they had not had the privilege of being born a Roman citizen and was quite a privilege, not a participant to have actually been born citizen regular member Paul several times brought that fact out. In fact, one time he avoided beating as he reminded the jailer a Roman citizen. Roman slaves had nothing to do with race or ethnicity.

It had to do with their social and economic standing. Roman slaves were simply non-Roman citizens.

There were the lower working class and basically did everything I did all the work by one author wrote. They did all the work on the Roman citizens lived in pampered idleness. Which by the way was one more thing to bring about the demise of the Roman Empire studies during the days of Peter the 60 million slaves would have been everything the ditch diggers there were the minors. The field workers. The cooks they were also the teachers the musicians the actor politician with the doctor that you had surgery in the first century would've more than likely been performed by household trained in medicine when we hear the words or slave. We immediately travel back in our minds to the slave trade of the 1700s and 1800 to that horrible enterprise that had everything to do with that ethnicity and race finally outlawed in 1865 that through the efforts of Christianity, primarily if not exclusively, in Great Britain, and in this country, it would be the spread of and the preaching of and the application of the gospel and the seed of the gospel germinating which eventually brings about freedom by teaching among many other radical ideas that every human being is been has been created in the image of God, and even beyond that when you come into the church to discover there is equality in Christ, whether slave or free. Galatians 320.

Imagine Peter writing this letter to churches where the household slaves would be the pastor teacher and the master would be a member of the church that we know from history.

This occurred close to us. One of the early church leaders was a slave perpetual and aristocratic woman in the early church was still a household servant. She became a martyr for her faith about 100 years after Peter wrote this letter is going to be the gospel, by the way and the truth of the gospel that will create a brand new culture culture in here is different than the culture out there and it ought to be. We don't conform in here that out there. We don't get our excuse in here from that out there. This is a new culture, but by the way, that atheist or that Prof. who loves to tell you the Bible justifies slavery because of text like these doesn't understand slavery in first century Rome was different than the 18th century, the slavery or the servitude. Peter is addressing would not be the people who were bought abducted and bought and sold against their will. They were not kidnapped by their own countrymen many times and then sold to other nations. In fact, let me have you rethink this issue just a little bit as I got out of a jejunal sermon on the Bible been followed in Great Britain and America. The kind of horrific slavery.

We think of today if they had followed the law of Moses would have never ever taken place.

I glistened to attack. She might jot down the verse in the margin of your Bible you want to go back into the wall of Moses, it stated in Deuteronomy chapter 24 verse seven.

This, if a man is caught kidnapping any of his countrymen that he deals with him violently or sells him that man shall die, and you shall purge this evil from among according to the law. 11 God made it clear buying and selling of human being.

The kidnapping the abductor. Of human beings was an evil deserving of capital punishment. What about the New Testament what you look at the record, we discover Paul on one occasion as listing list on the Austin sinful buddy list sort of you know some really bad right in the middle of the lesson personally.

Chapter 1 verse 10 he mentions in the slavers. Those who kidnapped Oregon.against another human being will, for the purpose of enslaving so slavery or servitude as we think of it in 18th and 19th centuries existed. Love it.

It existed not because of the Bible.

But in spite of it will be Christians on both continents will take the Bible clearly teaches wherever the gospel, to this day because guess what's happening around the world today. Slavery in the form of abduction and kidnapping back in his book entitled how Christianity changed the world. Alvin Schmidt recorded how the transforming truth of the gospel in those countries where it is allowed to prosper ends this evil. He says the countries that will not accept it will continue or hide it. He summarizes that the African nation of Ethiopia in Ethiopia. Slavery was finally outlawed in 1942 in Saudi Arabia.

Slavery was finally outlawed in 1960, and slavery was finally outlawed in India in 1976. By the way, the greatest expense occurring in relation to this kind of slavery. This kind of kidnapping and abduction is taking place in the media won't report it happening in Sudan were already 3 million slaves have been killed. Why because they're Christians being sold to their countrymen who are Muslim. It will be the revolutionary transforming truth of the gospel that will change the presuppositions and the institutions of our world. Let me make one more important observation so that we can understand this, which does not defend that kind of chattel slavery Peter doesn't even use the normal word for slave here he uses the word found only three other times in the New Testament and it refers to household servants what we would call domestic servants while they did have the rights of Roman citizenship, depending on their household. They might receive an education could even purchase property. They might enter a profession such as music or teaching or medicine they could represent their household in a number of ways, depending on the benevolence of that housewarming think in your mind of a different kind of context and think in your mind of the household staff of Downton Abbey day where they do all the work in the family of the house spends all their time all day drinking tea and changing clothes notice at all. Later get that picture in your mind that wrong. This was in some ways, like Joseph, he was adopted. Yet he entered a culture where he rose to be the household administrator for part of her.

However, like Joseph in the first century of servant even a household domestic servant still had no legal standing his world could change at the whim of his master, whether brutal or benevolent and Peter is going to address the employees of both scenarios all right.

Let's go back to the basic command servants for safety. Be submissive to your masters with all respect. Now with that culture in mind. The text is easy to apply to everyone about in the 21st century. In a free country because so many point out, this has to do with the relationship in a free country like tires of an employee to an employer which is really bad news because now we can talk about something happening way back there happening to you right now and has to do with your response and mine today that the point can be made so I'll make it dinner for servant without personal rights or benefit packages in the first century was commanded to show deference and respect to his master.

What excuse do any of us have disregard or disrespect or disobey those in authority over our house with all of our benefit and freedom. Maybe you're saying is, like the direction this is going. All of a sudden I would be expecting this besides Stephen you obviously don't know anything about my ball or my supervisor, you know, more like or my teacher.

You have no idea how absolutely laterally unreasonable. They are Peter need be thinking verse 18, be submissive to your masters with all respect.only to those who are good and gentle but also to those who are unreasonable. He closes the loophole word for unreasonable skill.

He asked which means crooked hard to deal with that like scoliosis. We use it of the spine hard to live with it can cause difficulty. That's what he thoughtwe naturally feel respect to the manager is easy to work for.

We naturally submit to the supervisor who seems to appreciate our worth. Like working for that we naturally submit to a boss who doesn't put on us more than that for which we volunteer commanded do that you don't need a command to love the loving to respect the respectful to to work hard out of appreciation for those who appreciate you. You don't need help with that, the right to any of us about that. What's not so easy is for you right now to know maybe you like me to know.

But you know and you see all like your tract, perhaps at this moment with going through your mind. That's how you feel about your job is no respect for you. You're constantly belittling fact you might be serving the bosses entire thinking patterns are just that mean you're wondering why in the world and here's your variety deposition.

It can't think right crooked. I read one author who now was a pastor, but he recounted the time when he was going to college and he served as an assistant in the hotel to the manager supervised all the food operations is named the boss was George. George was hard-working, but eight he was allowed to eat was critical. All he was abusive verbally played favorites. He divided everybody between either great friends or terrible enemies. There was no in between the Baker in this particular hotel was evidently one of his enemies.

He didn't know why. Probably she knew more about through the needed, but at any rate, she did nothing that they could ever please him. One day he writes he made Apple cinnamon pancakes and George said his assistant, this man is now pastor young to bring some better for him to taste approve taste some of it and said send it back. Not sweet enough so I ran back to the Baker and she added some swinger to it. I ran it back to George. He tasted it and then he thundered to sweetscented back the third time she stood there and fumed, and she knew what was going on. He said I watched her just shaken empty container over the batter and waved the spoon in the air over her head and handed to me and sure enough, I sent it back and George said now that your boss maybe I described him or her.

Hi hello beloved doesn't describe you know I speak to many who are employers but makes a mark for the gospel is living out this text with surprising submission to a man like George respecting the disrespectful big time.

In response to the unkind working hard for someone who will never slap you on the back is a man by glad you're on the team. Great job effectively.

Did you say this is surprising submission. This is the kind of work ethic. From the first century to the 21st century that will do more for the transformational power of the gospel to advance that a thousand gospel tracts you leave on your bosses desk or a thousand invitations to church you're working out there in the world. By the way, you know, treasures, independence and autonomy and the demand of personal rights and if you can find a lawyer's phone number quick universal script right they love to criticize the authority whoever happens to be on matter is that the authority rise against workforce. As you know is filled with complainers, commanders, people arguing over there assignments in the question Peter is not allowing any of us discard is are we.

One of you happen to know right now some reaching through this text. You know who it is in your workplace was always chasing the promotion is always asserting themselves, their idea of putting their best foot forward is taking you out of the way. You're always undercutting the other employees are always criticizing the management of the constantly self promoting, self applauding, the favorite topic of conversation is the deal they made a great day are the company how dead this place would be without them. Is it ever occur to you that we might be doing that with her children, setting them to grow up not know how to demonstrate submission respect those in authority, whether to coach or teacher, even if they might be on time or unreasonable or unfair. Practical. It's very easy to submit to someone who's telling you to do what you already wanted to do submission is somewhat easier when the person in authority is very kind and gentle with you but that's not always the case. So as believers we commit to submitting to those that God has placed in authority over us and teaching our children to do that as well. You're listening to wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi. Stephen is working his way through a series called above politics and parliaments. He's calling today's lesson surprising submission to break right here and resume this lesson.

Next time. In the meantime, we'd love to hear from you. One of the easiest ways that you can interact with us is the contact form on our website.

You'll find us online@wisdomonline.org you get to that page, there's a link at the bottom that you can use to send us a message. I'm Scott Wiley. Thanks for listening will be back to conclude this lesson next time and I hope you'll join us, right here on wisdom for the hearts