mayfield church of christ

A Life of Submission (1 Peter 3)

Posted by Pastor Mark on 20 July 2008 | 0 Comments

Tags: Submission

OK....who organized this teaching roster.....and put ME down to speak on SUBMISSION......good planning.....

Let me just give you a brief overview of where I'm at...... I've been a Christian now for 33 years......and I've been going long enough to KNOW that living as a Christian is not just a matter of DECIDING to and then CONSTANTLY TRYING to obey God.

Took me a while to understand.....that all the determination and effort that I can summons up will NOT bring about the sort of life that I want.....and the sort of relationship with God that I want

And then there is this whole OTHER dilemma.......I'm realistic enough to know that it's UNLIKELY that I'll EVER be perfect......but I LOVE God enough to.....at least perhaps to begin to SHOW signs that I'm growing in my Christ likeness. 

And so I come to the Scriptures that we've been looking at over the last few weeks..... from        1 Peter and there's a sense in which....as I read these passages.....I find myself asking......

 "Can I even DO what God asks....Can I ever BE who God wants me to be....?

Cause.....these passages in 1 Peter demand a pretty high standard......if you consider yourself a follower of Jesus ......I mean look at 1 Peter 2:11- 3:8  "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

And from THERE Peter begins to spell out just EXACTLY what it IS that Jesus expects of us ...and ultimately it boils down to this one thing......submission. He expects us to be Submissive.... we are to BE submissive.....

toward governing authorities, v13

toward masters/bosses and v18

toward our spouse.3:1

toward everyone 3:8

And you know....I understand WHAT it is that I'm supposed to do.....and I think I even understand the ATTITUDE that I'm meant to have WHEN I do it..... BUT can I actually do it.....and not just when I concentrate on it and FOCUS on being submissive.....BUT can that become the way I naturally act and react...ALL the time?

Well...If my REACTIONS when I'm in the car and the people around me do STUPID things is any gauge.....then I'm struggling....Like in Sydney on Tuesday....picking up the bus......with a gizillian catholics gathered at Darling Harbour....The roads were a ZOO...Try practicing submission in THAT situation......you go first....NO you go first...no I insist....

How do I get to the place in life where my natural reactions and actions are what God is describing here in 1 Peter......cause pretty obviously......DECIDING to.....and TRYING to.....are a good step....but they're obviously not enough.........

Because actually.....for the MOST part......I'm with Paul when he shares in Romans 7:21-24

 "When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind... What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

But HERE in this letter from Peter......we begin to get some LIGHT on this whole area of submission.....

Because here.....Peter uses Jesus as the ultimate example of patient....non-retaliational....submission.... even when he's abused...... 1 Peter 2:21-23

 "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly."

Jesus is the ultimate example of how we SHOULD behave toward others....and you begin to get a PICTURE of how Submission is meant to work.....whether it's towards government....your boss.....your spouse.....or ANYBODY.....

But you know.....I have seen these passages in 1 Peter....used and abused ...... as tools to manipulate and bind up people...to somehow DEMAND respect regardless of how they treat others....and as such....I think it's important to get a feel for who it was that Peter was writing these thoughts on submission....

 Peter is addressing some VERY real concerns to these new Christians scattered across Asia Minor.

These Christians were living in a world that was totally AGAINST their faith.....

It wasn't always full on physical persecution..... but they were living in circumstances that were HARD.......

• Some of them are servants and slaves with masters who are not Christians.
• Some of them are married to spouses who don't follow Jesus.
• They live in a society of people where being in a relationship with Jesus puts you very much in a minority.....and under government leaders that go out of their way to make it hard for them.
• And At the very least these followers of Jesus are persecuted regularly .....ridiculed....blamed for anything that happens......

And you can understand that living with this constant harassment because of their FAITH.........would begin to flow over and have an affect in their homes.....it would have an affect in their jobs and even in their community......And I think we really STRUGGLE to get a true concept of this......because it ISN'T the reality that WE live with.....but it was HARD for these people to maintain  their faith in light of all that was happening to them on a daily basis....and you get a sense....that they were starting to BITE back.....to retaliate against some of the stuff they had to put up with......and it's THIS temptation...this very NORMAL reaction....that Peter is addressing....

And what does He say?.....1 Peter 2:13-17

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."

Again....this concept of "submit."......Submit yourselves! ..... Be submissive in your attitude.....defer to others.......and I KNOW that these would have been hard words to hear......and I know that..... because they STILL are hard words for US to hear......because they run totally opposite to virtually every natural reaction we have!

And this PRINCIPLE of submission..... and a concern for others ahead of us......Peter is saying pretty much.....that THIS should be applied to "everyone".....

This is hard stuff.....because.....I can't think of anything that runs more against the grain of our human spirit than submission......it's ALL about striving to WIN....standing up for yourself.....do whatever it takes......tread on whoever gets in your way....but make SURE you come out on top......

You know......I think I've always struggled with GREED......and you know what I've found to be the greatest tool I have to fight against greed..... GENEROUSITY.....And you know....it REALLY works....the more generous I am.....the less the issue of greed affects me.......

And....in the same way....... the most effective tool against to SELF-CENTREDNESS is submission......

See Peter knew that in order to SURVIVE in the middle of such a DIFFICULT culture.....that was against you simply for what you believed.....Peter knows that these followers of Jesus had to learn to EMBRACE this attitude of submission to others.......and let me stress this....don't let anyone tell you that these passages are suggesting ABSOLUTE submission in all cases...where abuse and that sort of treatment is involved.......I don't have time to deal with that argument....but that's NOT the intent of these passages.......Instead this submission is a disposition.....it's an attitude......which is to affect every relationship we have.

What does it mean to submit to others?

Well.....have a Listen to some of the bible passages that give us a clue:

Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Mark 10:42-44

"Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all."

Romans 15:1-2

"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.  Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Bit different to what out NATURAL inclination is ehhh.......submission is high regard for others.....a respect for them.....and a willingness to be inconvenienced for their sake.....

And Why?.....  Why should we submit to others?

Well......Peter gives us two reasons:

First of all....V13....we submit to others "for the Lord's sake."

Jesus is the ULTIMATE reason we submit to others......Submission is first of all an attitude that we are showing to JESUS by showing it to others.

We are called to be like him.....it says in Philippians 2 ...."Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant..."

Submitting to others "for the Lords sake" means we will treat people as Jesus would.

This submission is the practical way that we show love for others....It is the way that the love that George spoke about last week is demonstrated.

See when you think about it.....how serious ARE we about this decision we make to follow Jesus.......cause when it comes down to this level....you begin to realize that that decision you might have made.....was a SIMPLE decision....but it certainly wasn't an EASY decision

Ultimately.....what Jesus was saying was....."Follow me, do what I do, in my way," .......and we decide to that....... or NOT.

BUT.....If we say we will follow him......than we can't pick and choose which BITS we will apply and which BITS are just too hard......and SUBMISSION is a non-negotiable......

You know.....I think we have this romantic notion.....that following Jesus is going to take us on some great cause....or involve us in some important work...... but most of what following Jesus means has to do with everyday choices...... in the mundane day to day aspects of life.

Sue went shopping a few weeks ago......and I thought to myself....what could I do for Sue while she was gone....to show her how much I loved her......

So I decided to sweep all the floors in the house.....took me a long time......and I felt very humble while I was doing it......there was no glory in this task....it was just for my  love of Sue.....

When I heard the car come down the drive.....I sat down and tried not to look too cocky.....and when she walked in....she looked at the floor and said....Oh....the floors clean.....thank you......and then she started putting the shopping away.....

Well..... that was NOT the reaction I was hoping for......I felt underappreciated......and it took me a while to get out of that....

NOW....several weeks down the track....as I look BACK on that selfless act on my part.....I can recognize.....that it wasn't selfless......and it wasn't submission....I was sweeping those floors to get something for ME.....praise......recognition.....kisses.....

So when we read that instruction to submit ourselves for the Lord's sake.....that's NOT what I was doing....I was submitting for MY sake......and if we are honest.....you know... THAT is the motive for so many of the supposed selfless acts that we do......it's ALL about US.....

But Peter also gives us another reason for submitting to others.....

1 Peter 2:15 "For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men."

And that's a lot like what Peter wrote just a couple of verses earlier in 1 Peter 2:12

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

The basic instruction here.....is do good to others.

But it's more than that......he says to do good even when.....it's to the very people who are ripping you off....making life hard....and persecuting you.......

See......Peter is writing to people whose government.....whose bosses and.....perhaps the most hurtful of all.....whose own family members see them as whacked.....and in some cases....as enemies.....because of the faith that they have in Jesus.....

And in their IGNORANCE of ANYTHING to do with Jesus.....they say and do all kinds of hurtful things AGAINST them.....

We certainly don't face what these people faced....BUT....I can at least BEGIN to identify with their situation.......

Man....I used to STRUGGLE with slander.....I couldn't bear it when I would hear a rumour or get wind that someone had said something about me.....  See...what we WANT to do in that situation....is to set the record straight.....to shut down the rumors..... and to let everyone know what really happened.

The time I have WASTED.....trying to chase down rumours.....every misrepresentation.... every LIE..... and try and GET to where it all started so I could let them have it........

But it rarely happens that way......you NEVER get back to the source.....and you waste your time chasing the tail of the rumour.....

And what's HARD to accept.....is that the FACTS have very little relevance once someone gives a false representation......What I learned.....is that the ONLY thing that changes peoples perceptions....is OBSERVATION.....seeing WHO I really am......

So here....in 1 Peter 2:15  it says...."For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone..."

Now Unfortunately.....this approach DOESN'T guarantee that our good treatment of others will get the results we would like as soon as we'd like......but it does say that THIS is what Christ wants us to do.......

You know the question.....that has changed my WHOLE perspective in life......It's a real simple question....that my WIFE keeps reminding me......when I go through a period where I am REALLY struggling with this stuff.....It's a very simple question that you ask in every encounter you have with PEOPLE.....

What is God's loving interest in this person right now?

Regardless of WHAT they are displaying to ME right now.....What can I do to show the love of Jesus.....to them now?

Because when you ASK that question......it CHANGES your REACTION to that person....in that situation.....and it changes THEIR reaction to YOU in that situation......

We are called to live a life of SUBMISSION......or as Oswald Chambers wrote...... "Identify yourselves with GOD'S interest in other people.....don't try to identify God with your interest (or disinterest) in other people."

Father God......

We really struggle with this area of submission in our lives. Help us father....to see others through your eyes.....Father.....help to grow in us....a heart of compassion..... a heart of grace.....and keep our eyes focused on Jesus....the maker and perfecter of our faith....

Amen.