Submit Yourselves to Every Ordinance of Man for the Lord’s Sake (1 Peter 2:13)-Appealing Versus Rebelling

First Peter 2:13-14 commands, "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good." Pastor Scott explained why the elders feel led to submit to government and appeal to officials during the Coronavirus lockdown (Covid-19), versus rebel against the command for churches to remain closed. He also discusses at what point the elders would disobey authority. https://youtu.be/Z7Rmo3XMSAY "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake," (1 Peter 2:13). Why WCC elders feel led to submit to government & appeal. Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Submit Yourselves to Every Ordinance of Man for the Lord’s Sake Family Worship Guide for Submit Yourselves to Every Ordinance of Man for the Lord’s Sake Sermon Notes for Submit Yourselves to Every Ordinance of Man for the Lord’s SakeLesson 1: we don’t submit (part 1) to sin.Lesson 2: build theology with imperatives supported by narratives.Lesson 1: we don’t submit (part 2) kicking and screaming.Lesson 3: we do submit to ungodly people. Sermon Lessons for Submit Yourselves to Every Ordinance of Man for the Lord’s Sake Lesson 1: We don’t submit:(Part I) ____ ______ (Dan 6:6-10; Jer 27:8-12; Acts 5:29-31, 40-42; 1 Pet 2:13-17).(Part II) ______________ and __________________ (1 Pet 2:21-23). Lesson 2: Build theology with ______________________ supported by ____________________. Lesson 3: We do submit to ______________ ____________ (1 Pet 2:18, 3:1; Jer 27:8-12). Family Worship Guide for Submit Yourselves to Every Ordinance of Man for the Lord’s Sake Day 1: Read Dan 6:6-10; Jer 27:8-12; Acts 5:29-31, 40-42; 1 Pet 2:13-17, and discuss: Do you think submission is harder for Americans? Why or why not? Why does God call Christians to submit to authority? Can you think of other individuals in Scripture who didn’t submit to sin when ordered by the authority over them? Day 2: Read Dan 6:6-10; Jer 27:8-12; Acts 5:29-31, 40-42; 1 Pet 2:13-17 and discuss: What does it mean to build theology with imperatives and support it with narratives? How does this lesson apply to the current situation? Can you think of some imperatives in the epistles that have supporting narratives in the Old Testament, Gospels, or Acts? What’s wrong with building theology with narratives versus imperatives? Day 3: Read 1 Pet 2:18, 3:1; Jer 27:8-12, and discuss: Describe Jesus’ submission since Peter says it serves as an example for us. What does it look like submitting kicking and screaming? What does it look like to submit without kicking and screaming? Why does God command us to submit to ungodly people? Why is it important to remember that we’re submitting “for the Lord’s sake”? Sermon Notes for Submit Yourselves to Every Ordinance of Man for the Lord’s Sake I’ve had many interactions w/ people in the church over the last few weeks, most of them wonderful, and I want to share about three of them… A few weeks ago a couple in the church reached out to me w/ some questions. They wanted to have a Zoom call and understand what the leadership was thinking and where we’re coming from: I appreciated their attitudesThey wanted to understand, and they asked questions and listened The second interaction took place this past week. A man reached out to me, disagreeing w/ something I said on Wednesday night. I appreciated this communication as well: He expressed his respect and appreciation for the leadershipAnd he took the time to put his thoughts in a document for the leadership to read. I’m also thankful for this communication, b/c it revealed something I wanted to clarify… On Wednesday night I shared the three principles that have been governing us from the beginning. I said… “Principle 1: Submission to Government” He said, “How could you say your first principle is submission to government, versus submission to God!” I thought, “I’m thankful this person shared this w/ me in case it sounded this way to anyone else.” So let me clarify… The question we, as elders, are wrestling w/ is, “What does God want us to do?” In that sense, there’s only one principle for us, and that’s submission to God. When I said we had three principles: I meant these were the three principles that were helping us determine God’s will…or helping us determine what it means to submit to God in these circumstances.I didn’t mean submitting to government is our main principle. The only reason we care about submitting to government is b/c God commands it. The third interaction took place on Friday… A couple disagreed w/ something I said in the sermon: I appreciated this communication as well.They reached out to me, asked if we could meet, and then they took the time to drive to the church, sit-down w/ Pastor Nathan and I, and share their hearts w/ us. One thing I appreciated about all the people in these situations is they came to me…and as far as I know they didn’t go to anyone else. One behalf of the elders I want to thank all of you who are handling things this way! And let me tell you why I’m sharing about these interactions… You might disagree w/ this sermon, and if you do, please handle it like the people I just discussed. And here’s why this is so important… We are already separated b/c of the social distancing, but I guarantee… This is not enough for Satan! He wants to take advantage of the current situation and: Turn us against each otherDivide usAnd destroy our unity We need to fight – not w/ each other – but against this happening. The third thing I want to share is that I have watched many webinars, and been part of many Zoom conference calls w/ pastors over the last few weeks. All the pastors: Are saying the same thingsThey’re experiencing the same challenges in their churchesTheir people are voicing the same struggles and concerns And they – or we – are all asking the same question… How long do we keep obeying the government’s restriction on assembling…or in other words, when do we reopen our churches…or in other words, when do we disobey the government? So you could imagine how much I was looking forward to a webinar on Friday called, “When Do We Disobey the Government?: Considering the Biblical and Constitutional Questions.” The webinar discussed various perspectives on when to disobey government orders that restrict church attendance. Scott Brown hosted and the panelists were Gavin Beers, Jason Dohm, Sam Waldron, Kevin Swanson, and John Snyder – who published Behold Your God, which I believe the Cash home fellowship watched, and maybe others have seen too. In last Sunday’s sermon I said something close to this: The good news is if you want to find information that agrees w/ you, you canThe bad news is if people want to find information that disagrees w/ you, they can This webinar was a good example of this: wherever you fall regarding churches reopening or remaining closed, you could find at least one person to agree with you. My suspicion is people said: “There were some really good points made”…regarding the points that agreed w/ their view.“And there were some really bad points made,”…regarding the points that disagreed w/ their view. I know I did this! Later in the sermon I’ll tell you why I’ve come to the conclusion I have. Much of the reason godly people disagree w/ each other is: This is a completely new situationIn our lifetimes, we’ve never went through something like this beforeWe are all figuring it out as we go So do you know what that means? We must be charitable toward each other: We – as elders – must be charitable to the wonderful flock God has given us…many of whom are struggling, confused, and missing fellowshipAnd we – as elders – are asking you to please be charitable w/ us May I share my heart w/ you? We’re doing our best: We’re trying to lead the congregations through this difficult season the best we can.We’re to make decisions that we believe most agree w/ God’s Word So we truly appreciate your grace and prayers for us Hebrews 13:17 says you – the congregation – should let [us – the elders – lead] with joy and not groaning. On behalf of the elders, I want to thank all of you who do this and make our positions a joy! When Pastor Nathan was candidating, I told him, “If you become a pastor here, you’ll find a wonderful congregation: they love the Lord, they love each other, and they’ll love you and your family.” So going back to the webinar, it wasn’t as convincing as I was hoping on either side. But if there is one thing I have become convinced of, it’s this… We are at a pivotal time in our nation…in our state…and in our church. I believe God wants me to preach on submission: What it is, and what it isn’tWhat it looks like to submit, and what it looks like to rebelWhen we should submit, and when we shouldn’t submit And I don’t think we should rush this! Please believe me when I say I’m very picky – and most importantly prayerful – w/ each sermon. If I thought something wasn’t important or necessary, I would remove it. But If I’m not clear and thorough now, I could be confusing…and that could be worse than not preaching on these topics at all. Please consider this: None of us have it all figured out…which is another reason we should be charitableNone of us have perfect theology…which is another reason we should be charitableWe all like to think we’re unbiased, impartial, and fair-minded…But the truth is that none of us areAll of us – myself included – came to service today w/ some number of assumptions, suppositions, and prejudices, My request for you as we begin these sermons is this… Be open to what God wants to say to you through His Word. My next request is this… ...