HOW TO SERVE GOD AND COUNTRY
Real Hope In Real Times - Part 11
Text - 1 Peter 2:13-17
Introduction
This morning we are going to continue with our series called “Real Hope in Real Times” from the book of First Peter and the title of my message is, “How To Serve God and Country” and our text is found in 1 Peter 2:13-17.
Peter is speaking to us about a very timely topic. This last week, we watched on TV the Inauguration of our 42nd President. Maybe you don’t agree with the political philosophy of the Democratic party or of the President of the United States. That doesn’t exempt us from being submissive to the authority God has set over us.
I asked some people this last week if they were going to watch the Inauguration and they told me they weren’t going to waste their time on it because they didn’t like Bill Clinton. I felt this event was so important that I even took my portable TV to my seminary class and took time out of our class so my students could watch it on TV. I believe that part of our history, culture and government is very important. And as a citizen of the United States, I believe it was a privilege to watch our President being inaugurated and taking the oath for office.
I couldn’t have planned this message to fall on this week even if my life depended on it. I don’t remember when I started this series in First Peter, but when I decided to do this study, I never even gave it a thought about what day the Inauguration was going to happen and what Sunday I would be preaching this message. To me, it is just another indication of how God works things out and how perfect his timing is in our lives.
I believe this message is very timely because of all the circumstances that have occurred in our government and country over the past few months. Not only that, but it seems like the relationship between the church and state are very much in the public eye these days.
As we turn our attention now to First Peter, we need to remember how that in chapter 1 Peter gave hope by speaking about our salvation. Basically it has been about the citizenship of God’s people in His Kingdom, his Nation. Now in chapters 2 and 3 Peter deals with our citizenship in world government and how we are our submission as believers to some of the major institutions that God set up on earth.
• In chapter 2:13-17 he talks about our submission to government.
• In chapter 2:18-25 he talks about our submission in business.
• In chapter 3:1-7 he talks about our submission in marriage.
• Then lastly, in chapter 3:8-12 he talks about our submission in the church.
I’d like us to think about the topic of submission to authority because all of us are in some way or another under the authority of someone else. All of us must give an account to someone, and ultimately, we are all under the authority of God and will one day give an account to him.
When it comes to being submissive to authority, we have a tendency as human beings to rebel against it. I was in the Navy and learned very quickly that it was not good if I rebelled against authority. If I did, I paid for it. Any of you who have ever been in the military know the importance of being submissive to authority.
An Army officer approached a soldier and asked him if he had change for a dollar. The soldier replied, “Sure good buddy.” The officer got a little ruffled over the way the soldier addressed him and said, “That’s no way to answer a superior officer. Let’s try that again. Soldier, do you have change for a dollar?” The soldier immediately jumped to attention and replied, “Sir, No sir!”
How does the Church and State go together? What voice should the church have? Is it possible to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, and a citizen of the United States of America? Here in our text today Peter explains to us how our American citizenship must be shaped by our heavenly citizenship. And for Peter that shaping begins with the way we respond to the government God has set in place.
As we examine our text this morning, there are five principles Peter gives to us for how we are to serve God and Country. The first way Peter tells us to do this is...