Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayer for attention to 1 Peter chapter 2, and we will read our text from verse 13 through to 20. We're continuing in the series in the epistles of Peter. This is number 12, a Christian submission to authority. From verse 13.

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or unto governors as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, as free and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the King. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

For this is thankworthy, if a man, full conscience toward God, endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, This is acceptable with God.

So verses 13 through to 20, 1 Peter chapter 2. The apostle Peter had been told by the Lord the manner of his death, that when he was old that he would stretch forth his hands and he would be carried, whether he would not He knew that he would be crucified. He knew that he would suffer for his faith and suffer at the hands of the authorities or those that had authority to do these things. The Apostle Paul, we read in Romans 13, of the same teaching regarding the powers that be being ordained of God, the Apostle was under Nero, he was well aware of the tyrants and the things that were done unto the Christians, and of course he was to suffer under him and lose his life as well. And yet, both Paul and Peter, they treat to the need for God's people to be submissive to the powers that be or to those that are in authority.

God's plan for a world, for a fallen world, is not anarchy. Anarchy is just where there is utter confusion. I suppose Israel came close to it in the days of the judges when every man did what was right. in his own eyes. But if we have a situation where there's disorder, lawlessness, where there's lynchings, there's hangings, there's people taking the law into their own hands, there's no regulation whatsoever, even a bad ruler, even one that is a wicked ruler, is better than that. when they do maintain some sense of order.

And it's good for us to remember that this is God's appointment and God's plan. It's implied here that there will be those that are even foolish. And verse 15, put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. And we know that in our governments, there are those that make foolish laws or wrong laws. But we know that God is over all. He has appointed them. He raises up one. He puts down another. And though a person might not personally know the Lord as a ruler, a governor, yet the Lord overrules what they do.

We've only got to think about the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When he came into this world, it was foretold that he should be born in Bethlehem, but he was conceived in Nazareth, and it was a law on taxing or a census of a secular power, a power by a king that eventually was to try and killed the Lord Jesus and did kill all the young children in Bethlehem. And yet that law was the means of bringing them to Joseph and Mary, to Bethlehem where our Lord was born. If they had not regarded it, not obeyed it, then the scriptures would not have been fulfilled. We think then also with our Lord, and his sufferings. Again, it relied on there being the Jewish rulers, the Roman rulers, Pilate, Herod, and them making decrees, laws, as to be the means of bringing about the crucifixion of our Lord. In the midst of it, we are told that he was delivered by the determinate counsel and full knowledge of God.

The wickedness is laid to their charge. Ye have taken and by wicked hands crucified and slain. But our Lord was submissive to them. He was silent before them. He could have called for those 12 legion of angels. He could have had his servants fined, but he was submissive to the powers that be at that time. And so we see in those two instances how God is using those in authority over God's people to fulfil His will. They cannot go beyond what He has determined should be done.

In our text we have first the pointing to the king as supreme, and then onto governors. And reminded of the whole hierarchy, you might say, of government, how that we have a king, we have our parliaments, we have our borough councils, we have our parish councils, we have the high court, supreme court, We have the barrister's courts, the courts that go below. We have the police in schools. We have a headmaster. We have teachers. At home, we have parents exercising that authority over their children.

In the Church of God also, there is the order that God has put in place. And so right through society, God has put a structure that brings accountability, order, into society, into a world that is not perfect, and made by men and women that are not perfect, and who make decisions that are not good decisions sometimes, but they are all under God's appointment and God's plan. And it's good for us to really realize that this is not just something that evolved, not something that man has designed, but that God has designed and put in place. And the fact that it is shown so much in scripture, and so much taught by Paul, by Peter, Paul, when he writes to Timothy, as we have read, how that he bids us to pray for those that are in authority over us. Supplications, prayers, intercessions for all men, for kings and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. We read it in 1 Timothy chapter 2, those first seven verses.

The decisions made by those in authority have a great impact upon our lives. When our government makes laws regarding taxation, when they make laws regarding children, how much it affects our lives when they make laws regarding pensions in everything in our lives it has a influence upon us and we do well to remember that these are not just men in control God is in control and they are under God's hand and we have the ability to pray to God that he would overrule and he would guide these things. Sometimes it's very humbling to consider.

I know that when we, in God's providence, moved from Australia to this land, afterwards I had graphs of the exchange rate between this country and Australia. Of course, if you bring a life savings from one country to another, the exchange rate makes a big difference.

Dutch friend moved back from New Zealand to Holland. It worked the other way for him. Just before he was to transfer his money across the government in New Zealand, made the decision they devalued their dollar 20%, just overnight, with no warning whatsoever. Took 20% of all that he'd saved.

And we see the effect that that has. For us, we saw it working. for our good, the best rate for a long while before and afterwards as well. And then a graph with the house prices as well that we were able to buy at the lowest possible price. And you think that these things that greatly affected our lives, they were the result of government policy, they were the result of laws made by governments.

It is good to notice these things to help us then when things don't go our way to be submissive to the Lord. Before coming into some points, remember what we desire to see through Peter is that he's either feeding the people of God or he is strengthening them. And we can only view that this teaching regarding the powers that be and those that are over us and making the ordinances of man, that this is for our strength and comfort and help. Right the way through this, the Apostle is teaching of a Christian attitude or how we should act. And it reminds us of what a privilege it is to be one of the Lord's people in the midst of this world.

To be, like he describes in the first chapter, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, is a blessed thing. to be begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." Big contrast to this world, isn't it? We should always think, when we look at the corruption or the defilement and things that so change here below, to remind ourselves by calling, by the Lord Jesus Christ, by his sufferings, by his submission to the authorities of his day, we are brought to have that hope beyond this world. And we have that which those of this world don't have. And we should prize and value the blessings that have been got to us through redemption, through the precious blood, of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and to honour the Lord in everything that we do.

And this is very evident through these verses here, that Peter desires the people of God to act as the people of God, to act in a different way than what the world and those that know not the Lord would walk in. the word at the very end of our passage in verse 20, this is acceptable unto God.

There is an acceptable way of living and responding to government and to authority over us and there is a way that is not acceptable. In verse 13 at the very start, there is a way of submitting not for our sakes but for the Lord's sake. And so all the time Peter is looking at the people of God glorifying the Lord and doing those things that are pleasing to him and to his praise.

We need then to remember that how we act is either acceptable to God or not acceptable to God, and may our prayer be that whatever others do, or those in authority over us do, that may our actions and words be acceptable unto God. So on to the Lord's help. Firstly, how God commands us to respond to the ordinances of man. how God commands us to respond to the ordinances of man. And then secondly, maintaining a character acceptable to God. And then lastly, scriptural examples of maintaining that acceptance or acceptable course to God. We have those in scripture that point us how to act. But firstly, how God commands us to respond.

Really, the default position should be that a Christian obeys those in authority over him. That the scriptures put that disobedience to those in authority is very rare and that there's an encouragement to seek out ways wherever possible to respect and to foster that obedience by others. and respect the laws that are made in the land. But there are those times that a Christian needs to disobey that which is set before them by the authorities.

If they are required to violate a clear command of God, then we are not to obey that which is required of us by the authorities. If we are caused to commit or asked to commit an immoral act or unethical act, we are not to walk in that way. If the authorities command us not to do things that God commands us to do, then we are to obey God rather than men.

And also we are not to go against Christian conscience. The Apostle Paul especially guards a tender conscience in the people of God. He warns the people of God between themselves not to injure or cause one to go way over their conscience. Some people, Paul says, can eat meats, others cannot. Sometimes, perhaps, in our churches, we might have one church member that really doesn't feel it is right at all to do a particular thing. And their conscience would be really injured to do it. Whereas the others might feel it is all right. It needs to be very careful that we don't just ignore and ride roughshod over the consciences.

Remember years ago, one of our chapels And they had one church member that didn't like tape recording services at all. And they had members that were at home that could, this was days before the internet, that would have loved to hear their pastor. But the church, the rest of the church, they acknowledged the fact that if they forced the issue, that one member would have been defiling their conscience, so they didn't do it for many years.

And then that member allowed it, and they were able to have the services taped. I remember being in Bethesda Home, Harpenton, with one of their members the night before he died, and sitting at the table eating with him. And he said to me, they've just made the decision. I can have a tape. I can hear my pastor again. Well, the Lord took him that night. He was brought safely home. So it didn't in a way affect him. But I remember the incidents because of that.

But it always struck me how the church members were very careful not to injure that one's conscience, and Paul right through, he speaks it in several different ways, and so also with regarding obeying or not obeying, if our conscience is saying, and our conscience, we must make this point, is governed by the Word of God, that is a foundation for why our conscience is like it is, it's based upon the Word of God. That we shouldn't just do something when our conscience is saying, no, no, don't do it.

It's God's voice to us. So there is a principle here then. We are to submit right up to the point where to go further would entail disobedience to God. We need then, like we sung in our middle hymn, really that wisdom and direction, a knowledge of the Lord, a knowledge of the Word of God, and a tender conscience. And we might say an overriding desire that if it be possible, we might obey and uphold the Lord. of the land. But if we haven't, if we can't, or even if we are obeying, it needs to be in a right spirit.

So I want to look secondly at maintaining a character acceptable to God. And I want to base very much on the verses that are before us here, to go through the verses and see how Peter is highlighting our attitude, our character. The first one in verse 13 is submission, submit yourselves. That is yielding, willing to obey, willing to bow before that authority of control of another. Sometimes we can submit to something without a submissive spirit. We can actually do the thing, but in a rebellious spirit. And so where Peter says submit, he's speaking of our own attitude and character. not just the fact that we do what is commanded, obey what is commanded, but to have a submissive spirit.

Then in verse 15, That is virtuous behaviour or beneficial actions. Walking in a positive, virtuous and good way. Then in verse 16 is put in a negative way here, as free and not using your liberty as for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."

So not being malicious, that is our words or actions or intentions cause pain or harm, embarrassment, out of spite to someone else. We can again do something that is even right, but it might be done in a malicious way. Or if we are refusing to obey a particular law or direction, we can then do it in a malicious way, which we were wanting to get back at the ruler or those who are making the law and hurt them in some way, embarrass them in some way. And this is what Peter is warning about, a cloak of maliciousness.

In other words, using the fact that we are the Lord's people, that we are under the Lord, and that therefore gives us license to act in a different way than perhaps other people would act. We're not taking the position we have in Christ to willingly do things that are going to harm another. And especially we're thinking here for the most part of a Christian acting before an unbeliever. They are seeing Christianity in action. They're seeing how God's people react.

So we have in verse 17, first the honour this comes up later on as well, to honour all men, that is respect or esteem for the position or for the person. I remember seeing years ago a clip, I think it was captured, perhaps Russian soldiers by the English, And one of the English officers or one of the English soldiers didn't salute the Russian general. And his superior reproved him. He says, you salute the rank, not the person. So even though it was an enemy captive, they were acknowledging his rank. in that way, I think I've got that right, and it is acknowledging the position that a person is holding, not seeking to undermine that position, so it's honouring.

Then we have in the same verse a love of the brotherhood, affection of mutual care, This can be a case where it may be we've known a brother in faith for many years and in a church situation we're quite familiar with them. But then we might go and work for them in a secular way. They're our boss and the scriptures speak about esteeming those who are brethren and not treating them less because we're familiar with them, we know them as brethren, so we pull down their authority because we think we can take licenses with them. We still need to, and I've been in this situation, they need to look upon them and treat them with that respect and honour and love as brethren, that doesn't undermine the position that they have over us in a secular employment.

Then we have in verse 18, servants be subject to your masters with all fear. That's not a fear that has torment, but it is like the fear of the Lord that we realize though the Lord loves his people, he does have the ability to judge and to act upon them. It's like with the child's filial fear of a parent. The child knows the father and the parents love them, they care for them, they want the best for them, but they know as well if they overstep the mark. if they are arrogant, if they answer back, if they're disobedient, that loving parent will chasten them, that will correct them. And so the apostle will say this regarding where we are servants, where we have a master, that we are to recognize they are in a position to sack us, to reprove us to apply discipline. And it's mentioned here not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. So not just to those that are good masters, but to those that are not, we still have the same reverence and fear.

In verse 19, we have the characteristic, the virtue of enduring grief. And this is where we have conscience. If we're acting according to our conscience before God, and in doing that, we endure grief, suffering wrongfully. That enduring of it, that's noticed by those that see us and see how we act. How are we enduring that which comes upon us because we won't obey, we won't follow on and do what is required, or perhaps we lose our job and maybe we really suffer for the stand that we've taken How do we respond? How do we act to that? Are we angry? Are we malicious? Are we antagonistic? Do we try to harm our employer? Do we react in some way that shows that really we are very angry and not submissive to it at all?

Well, the character that Peter sets before us here is that we endure grief, suffering wrongfully. Then we have in verse 20, buffeting. When we're buffeted, not for our faults, but when we do well, when we do something well and suffer for it, if we take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

And right the way through this passage, the Apostle is putting as the most important point, more important even for standing for what is right, for refusing to do what is wrong, is for our own attitude. How many times someone has done great harm to their cause by how they have stood for that cause, what their spirit has been in the matter. Sometimes it's very hard for those looking on to judge the right or wrong of a thing, because they may say, we fully agree with what that person is standing for, but they're not discerned that the problem is not what they're standing for, it's their attitude. And the other way, it's very hard when the Lord's people see one that is suffering for what they have stood for, but they're acting in such a way that they cannot uphold it, they cannot join with it at all.

And I'm thinking of a current case in Ireland. It's gone on for four years with the Berks. sacked because he wouldn't call a child by the name they and he refused to do which was his right to do but then he was sacked but ever since he and his his family have not respected the courts or authority and the things that they've said and they've done to the church and and to those in authority, has caused many, or the church and the Christian organisations, to stand completely back from them. And it's been very sad to see. And they have not, I believe, walked in this way, in the way that they've done.

If we make a stand and we lose our job, or the courts say, you keep away from that place, you don't then make further transgressions by your own actions, trespassing, showing contempt of court, walking in an abusive way. Then we're adding sin, we're putting our own sins in our actions, in what we're actually doing. Instead of taking the punishment, realising that it's unjust, it's affected our lives, it's hurt us, but we've got a clear conscience and we've stood for the truth and we can then write to and lobby the government and ask them. You know we don't, just because we don't agree, It doesn't mean to say that if we are to submit to every ordinance of man, our Lord, He even called Herod that fox, and He reproved the lawyers, He reproved the Pharisees, and we are allowed to, as long as it is within this character, and within the law of the land to reprove those that have done wrong and walked wrong. It is right to set forth the truth in the right way, but to do it in a Christian spirit and as far as the law of the land, to do it within the law of the land, not constantly crossing that line and then being further punished because we've broken another law and another law and another law by our actual actions.

We might have an employer say, look, you're not allowed to preach. And you say, what right is he to do that? Well, actually, if he's paying for your time for working, he doesn't want you preaching instead of doing his work. If it's in your lunch hour, then you can use your lunch hours you like.

If we want to go and preach outside, but we decide that we're going to do it with loud music and loud halos and we're going to stand in the middle of the road, then we're going to expect that we're going to be reproved and removed, not for preaching, but for how it is done, the situation that we've made ourselves in. So we need to be careful sometimes whether what we're being stopped to do or what we've been persecuted for is actually in a just way, because we're not doing it in a right way. I want to look at the scriptures and those passages that clearly show a real example We think of the apostles when they were brought before the Jewish council in Acts chapter 5 and verse 27 to 29.

And they were told not to preach anymore in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when they continued to preach, and they were brought before them again, saying, Did not we straightly command you that you should not preach in this name? Behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

And he uses that occasion to set forth our Lord Jesus Christ. The way that he responded was in a gracious way, but a firm way, and clearly setting that what they're required to do was contrary to God's word. Then we have in the book of Daniel, there are several cases there.

The first one was with Daniel in chapter one, as a young man, they were required to eat the provision of the king's meat. And at the end of three years, they were going to stand before the king. But Daniel and his friends, they purposed, or Daniel purposed in his heart, that he would not defile himself with a portion of the king's meat. Now, when he spoke to the prince of the eunuchs about it, the prince of the eunuchs was fearful that if he gave Daniel his request, then at the end of three years, they wouldn't look very healthy and strong and the prince of the eunuchs would get into trouble for it. And he said, endanger my head to the king. So Daniel, very graciously, he said, prove thy servants.

Just give us 10 days. Just give us pulse to eat, water to drink. And then after that, look on our countenances. And after that 10 days, then they look better and fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's mane.

And you see how Daniel dealt with the matter that he did not want to do what was commanded, But he didn't want to put the chief of the eunuchs in a bad situation. And he sought a way around that so that he could assure the prince of the eunuchs he wasn't going to be in danger of his own head. And he could let them do this thing.

And you see the wisdom and the spirit that Daniel had. Then if you go to chapter 3. Then we have the case with Daniel's friends. They are commanded to do something. Nebuchadnezzar, he raises up the great big image, and then he required everyone at the sound of the music to bow down and worship the golden image. Well, the three of Daniel's friends, they refused to do that rightly. They couldn't bow down to an image.

And so they testified to the king and clearly said before him in verse 17, 16, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace And he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King, as whether it be by death or other ways. But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

And we know how the Lord wonderfully delivered them. When they were thrown into the burning, fiery furnace, the Lord himself was in there. Nebuchadnezzar saw the form of the fourth, like the Son of God. They came out, not even the smell of fire upon them. And Lord wonderfully delivered them. But they had testified that even if God hadn't made the miracle no delivered, they would be delivered out of his hand.

Our Lord said, fear not them that kill the body. And after that, there's nothing more that they can do. And so really for all time, there's a beautiful example for us that we're required to do something against the Word of God, against our conscience, to calmly, firmly, set before those who require it, why we cannot do it, and leave the issue with the Lord. And then going on to Chapter 6, the well-known account where the princes devised a way to get at Daniel, And so they asked the king to make a decree that if anyone was to call on any god but the king in 30 days, that then they would be thrown into the lion's den. And Daniel knew that that decree was signed, that he was going to be prevented from worshipping, prevented from praying, what he'd always done.

He'd made up this pattern. Now come persecution. All he does is to continue what he did always. He didn't go out of his way to do something different. It was a direct, you might say, provocation. But it wasn't doing anything different than he'd always done.

He went and opened his window. before, toward Jerusalem, verse 10, windows open, being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as aforetime. Again, it's a beautiful example.

With his three friends, they were commanded to worship in a way that was forbidden by God. With Daniel, he is demanded to stop worshipping his God. And each of them, we're given this how to act. And the issue, Daniel didn't fight the lion's den. They didn't resist. They didn't have a horrible spirit, a horrible way. they were submissive to what was going to happen as a consequence of their refusal to do what had been required of them. And so what Peter is wanting, the spirit, the attitude, the character to be, Daniel was, his friends were in that way.

Another one, going now to Exodus, when Pharaoh was trying to get, and he commanded the midwives to kill the male children when they were being born. But the midwives, they feared God, and they didn't do it. And when Pharaoh asked them why, they said, well, the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptians, they're very quick, they're delivered before we get there. You can read this in Exodus 1 and verses 15 to 20.

The Lord blessed those midwives because they acted in that way. Again, it's required to do something that is immoral, it was murder, and they refused to do it. They took, you might say, a passive resistance. They tried as much to get out from under the King's command, and you might say lying, but whether that was true or no, the Lord blessed them because they didn't take life like they were being required to.

We have the case with Queen Esther. In Esther's day, there was the decree that no one could come in before the king unless he called them. But there had been this decree that was made by Haman, or the king had signed it, that all the Jews were to be killed on a certain day. And Mordecai, Esther's uncle, or cousin, he said to Esther that it may be she was brought to the kingdom for such a time as this. Esther was fearful for her own life in going before the king.

But Mordecai warned her that she was not safe in the palace any more than those throughout the land. You can read to this at the end. chapter four. And so Esa said that she was going to disobey that commandment of the king and she was going to venture in doing something that was not allowed, no provision for, or the only provision was except he held out the golden scepter. And so she asked that they fast and that she would fast as well And those Jews in Shushan would fast for three days, night or day.

And then, so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law. And if I perish, I perish." And there's his venturing to do something that was against the law. We know, really, the whole book, it hangs on this very venturing. The hearts of all men are in God's hand and the king's heart was in God's hand. He held out the golden scepter and then eventually the decree was reversed and life was given to the people of God. We are sure that these things will be repeated.

There will be things in our land that It may be it's against the law for us to do something or to make a petition or to go and ask life even. Or maybe we are commanded to worship in a way that we cannot do or to cease worshipping in the way that we are commanded to by God. And not only how it was dealt with by those of the Lord's people that have gone before us, but also their attitude, their character, how they perform that which they did in disobeying what was required of them. And of course, that attitude is as much needed when we obey as when we disobey.

And so really, Peter would strengthen Believers, strengthen the people of God in this world to live in a way that glorified God for the Lord's sake and to do those things that were acceptable to God. And may that be our prayer that in all that we do might be acceptable to God and even be used to bring others to Him in the way that we react to laws and to those that deal with us, you might say, unjustly, when we submit ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. May the Lord add His blessing. Amen.