Sermon notes

November 17th, 2024

1 Peter 2:12-25

12   having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

13   Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 

14   or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of thosewho do good.

1. The next five verses deal with the Christian’s relation toward government. The key word here is submit. In fact, the injunction to submit is found four times in this letter, Epistle.

1. Citizens are to submit to the government (2:13).
2. Slaves are to submit to their masters (2:18).
3. Wives are to submit to their husbands (3:1).
4. Younger believers are to submit to the elders (5:5).

2. The ultimate Christian answer to persecution, faultfinders and critics, is that of a blameless life, conduct beyond reproach and good citizenship. In particular … submission is a supremely Christlike virtue.
3. Human governments are instituted by God. Rulers are God’s servants. Even if the rulers are not believers, they are still God’s men officially. I know you’re struggling with this, so let’s look at it:

Romans 13:1-5: New King James Version

1   Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 

2   Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

3   For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 

4    For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 

5   Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake

1 Peter 2:15-16

15   For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 

16   as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.

1. Liberty does not mean license. Freedom does not include lawlessness. So, we must never use our freedom as a pretext for evil. Sinful disobedience should never be justified by some pseudo-spiritual excuse. The cause of Christ is never advanced by evil masquerading in religious clothes.
2. Not only must we exercise discipline in the area of fleshly indulgence, but we must also maintain our conduct honorable among all people.
3. We must not pattern our lives after the world. We should be marching to the beat of a different drummer. 
4. Almost inevitably we will be criticized. At the time Peter wrote this Letter the Christians were being slandered as irreligious because of not worshiping the heathen gods and, as disloyal to the government because of claiming allegiance to a heavenly King.

 

5. The day of visitation is any time the Lord draws near, either in grace or in judgment. The expression is used in Luke 19:41–44. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because it did not know the time of His visitation, that is, Jerusalem did not realize that the Messiah had come in love and mercy. 

When we exercise discipline, it’s not by the eloquence of our speech, but by the radiance of our behavior. By the imposing grace of noble living we are to “put to silence the ignorance of foolish men,” and that silence will be for them, the first stage in a life of realizing they too need a Savior.

1 Peter 2:17

17   Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

1. No relationship of life can be left outside the sphere of Christian responsibility. So, Peter here runs the bases with four crisp commands.

1. Honor all people. We cannot always honor their words or their behavior, but we can remember that every single life is of more value than all the world. We can recognize that every person was made in the image and likeness of God. We must never forget that the Lord Jesus bled and died for even the most unworthy.

2. Love the brotherhood. We are to love all men, but we are especially obligated to love the members of our spiritual family.                       This is a love like God’s love for us. It is utterly undeserved, it goes out to the loveless, it looks for no reward, and it is stronger than death.

 

3. Fear God. We fear Him when we reverence Him as the supreme Lord. Glorifying Him then becomes our number one priority. We fear doing anything that would displease Him and we fear misrepresenting Him before men.

 

4. Honor the king. Peter returns to the subject of human rulers for a final reminder. We are to respect our rulers as officials appointed by God for the maintenance of an ordered society. This means we must pay “taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear” (Rom. 13:7). Generally speaking, the Christian can live under any form of government. The only time he should disobey is when he is ordered to compromise his loyalty or obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s look again at how the Apostle Paul said it:

Romans 13:7: New King James Version

7   Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

 

1 Peter 2:18-20

18   Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 

19   For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 

20   For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.

1. There is no virtue in patiently suffering for our own misdeeds. Certainly, there is no glory for God in it. Such suffering will never mark us out as Christians, or make others want to become Christians. But suffering patiently for well-doing is the thing that counts. It is so unnatural, so other-worldly that it shocks people into conviction of sin and, hopefully, into salvation.

1 Peter 2:21-25

21    For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

22    “Who committed no sin,  Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

23    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;

24   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. 

25   For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1. When we are saved, we return to the Shepherd—the good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:11); the great Shepherd who “tends with sweet, unwearied care the flock for which He bled,” and the Chief Shepherd who will soon appear to lead His sheep into the green pastures above—from which they will never stray.

1. 1.Peter 3

1 Peter 3: New King James Version

1   Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 

1. Every wife is to be submissive to her husband, whether he is a believer or not. God has given to the man the place of headship, and it is His will that the woman should acknowledge the authority of the man. The relationship between husband and wife is a picture of that between Christ and the church. The woman should obey her husband just as the church should obey Christ.

2   when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.   (reminds me of a story)

1. George Müller told of a wealthy German whose wife was a devout believer. This man was a heavy drinker, spending late nights in the tavern. She would send the servants to bed, stay up till he returned, receive him kindly, and never scold him or complain. At times she would even have to undress him and put him to bed.
2. One night in the tavern he said to his cronies, “I bet if we go to my house, my wife will be sitting up, waiting for me. She’ll come to the door, give us a royal welcome, and even make supper for us, if I ask her.”
3. They were skeptical at first but decided to go along and see. Sure enough, she came to the door, received them courteously, and willingly agreed to make supper for them without the slightest trace of resentment. After serving them, she went off to her room.  As soon as she had left, one of the men began to condemn the husband.          “What kind of a man are you to treat such a good woman so miserably?” 
4. The accuser got up without finishing his supper and left the house. Another did the same and another till they had all departed without eating the meal.
5. Within a half hour, the husband became deeply convicted of his wickedness, and especially of his heartless treatment of his wife. He went to his wife’s room, asked her to pray for him, repented of his sins, and surrendered to Christ. From that time on, he became a devoted disciple of the Lord Jesus. Won without a word!

1. George Müller advised:

Don’t be discouraged if you have to suffer from unconverted relatives. Perhaps very shortly the Lord may give you the desire of your heart, and answer your prayer for them. But in the meantime, seek to commend the truth, not by reproaching them on account of their behavior toward you, but by manifesting toward them the meekness, gentleness and kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ

1 Peter 3:3-6

Peter is still talking to the women:

3   Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 

4   rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 

1. Men think jewels are precious; God considers precious the jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit.

5   For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 

6   as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

1. They should do good and let nothing terrify them. This means that a Christian wife should fill her God-appointed role as an obedient helpmate, and not be terrified even if she must suffer the unreasonable conduct of an unbelieving husband, except, of course, when it becomes violent or life-threatening.

1 Peter 3:7-9

Husbands:

7   Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

8   Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 

9   not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 

In verses 10–12, Peter quotes Psalm 34:12–16a to confirm that God’s blessing rests on the one who refrains from evil deeds and evil speech, and practices righteousness.

1 Peter 3:10-12

10   For “He who would love life And see good days,

Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.

11   Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.

12   For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers;

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

1 Peter 3:13

13   And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 

1. Peter resumes his argument with a question: “And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?” The answer implied is “No one.” And yet the history of the martyrs seems to prove that enemies of the gospel do harm faithful disciples.

There are at least two possible explanations of this paradox:

1. Generally speaking, those who follow a path of righteousness are not harmed. A policy of nonresistance disarms the opposition. There may be exceptions, but as a rule, the one who is eager for the right is protected from harm by his very goodness.
2. The worst that the foe can do to a Christian does not give eternal harm. The enemy can injure his body, but he cannot damage his soul.

During World War II a Christian boy of twelve refused to join a certain movement in Europe. “Don’t you know that we have power to kill you?” they said. 

“Don’t you know,” he replied quietly, “that I have power to die for Christ!” He had the conviction that no one was able to harm him.

1 Peter 3:14-15

14   But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 

15   But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 

16   having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 

17   For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

18   For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 

19   by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 

20   who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 

21   There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 

22   who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.