Question of the day: Can you share a time when you experienced freedom?
LIVE FREE
This morning we continue our study in the second chapter of 1 Peter.
READ: 1 Peter 2:13-25
13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,[b] whether it be to the emperor[c] as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants[d] of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
It is important to remember who Paul is writing to.
They are scattered and being persecuted for believing in Jesus. The are being treated unjustly.
What must it be like to hear submit to every human institution?
Verse 15 - How does doing good silence the ignorance of foolish people? What does this mean?
How is this applicable to you and me?
Doesn't this seem so important for us today. Doing good, can make such a difference.
This past week I had the opportunity to purchase some baseboard trim for our house. We have lived in our home for almost 21 years and have never had baseboards in our main living space. It has been a desire of mine, but many things have kept it from becoming a reality. This past week, we decided that we could move forward. Laura helped me measure the house, I went online and priced the trim, did the calculations and confirmed that we could afford to make the purchase. Chris and I swapped cars and then I was off to purchase trim! Right before leaving Chris said that he thought he had purchased it before at Lowes, so I decided to go there first. I walk in with a piece of baseboard scrap from our bedrooms so that I can make sure I purchase the same one. I was so excited!!!!! BASEBOARDS HERE I COME.
When I got back to the baseboard trim section, all I found was baseboard quite a bit more expensive than I had found on the Home Depot website. So I stopped and looked it up on my phone to make sure I was correct and sure enough, Home Depot was quite a bit cheaper, so I left. I was fighting disappointment, because I so wanted to get this done!
Arriving at Home Depot I was again excited, proud of myself for taking the time to go to the place where I could get it for less. When I arrived at the correct baseboard trim, I could only find it for almost exactly the same price as Lowes! I kept looking to see if it was somewhere else for less, or if I was mistaken, but all I could find was not the price I had found online.
I once again looked it up and it was so much cheaper online.
Now my attitude is digressing. I'm getting frustrated. So I try to calm down and find someone to help. I walked all the way to the front of the store and the lady at the cash register just told me to find someone in lumber. Um.... I had tried that. Now I'm more frustrated. Then back in lumber with NO ONE to help I end back at baseboards. I called Chris to discuss it and he couldn't talk. So I go find a spot and sit down to wait for him to call me back. All the while I'm getting discouraged. Finally Chris calls and I go back to baseboards where I stand trying to explain what my dilemma is. About that time, (while I'm on the phone) a man who works in lumber comes over to help some other men, who are needing help. I tell him that I would also like help when he is done helping them. It takes some time but then in a very phlegmatic way he walks over and asks how he can help. I show him my phone and explain what it is I am trying to find. He then goes and stands in front of the baseboards staring at the labels, like I HAVE BEEN DOING FOR SOME TIME NOW! He just STANDS THERE!!!!! By this time I'm not as calm as I was.... I'm loosing the battle! He then says I don't think we have that. This is what we have. You can order that online. Now while I had been sitting there waiting for Chris to call me, I had seen that I could have those delivered to my house, but it would take a couple weeks to get them.... That WAS NOT GOING TO WORK!!!! I have waited for 21 YEARS AND I WANT THEM NOW!
Then this very phlegmatic man says, let me go check and see if I can find them and he leaves. Chris and I continue talking, Chris is looking into ordering them on his computer and I'm SO FRUSTRATED! I then turn to leave and the man returns. So slowly, and quietly. He approaches me and asks what kind of vehicle I'm driving and how long a boards I was hoping to buy. I give him the information, and he starts to say that he will cut the boards that are there for me... I SNAP back, that it isn't the length it IS THE FACT THAT THEY ARE MORE EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!! I'm so FRUSTRATED! He stayed in his state of calm phlegmaticness gave me a tiny smile and said, "let me finish, I will cut these boards for you and then give them to you for the same price that you are seeing online, because I checked and there is no store in Charlotte that currently has what you are seeing."
Yep in this very long story, I'm the ignorant foolish one, and this sweet calm kind man was so Christ like, doing good! A little slow and phlegmatic for my liking but calm and sweet and kind for sure. It silenced me! Instantly silenced me! In that moment I was so ready to fight that I literally had to tell myself to "be quiet! Beth this man is helping you!"
We went to his counter in the back of the store after he had cut all my wood and as I paid for the wood I had a hard time keeping the tears from coming. Here I was, because of this kind man, not walking out of the store once again without trim. Instead my car was full and I was one step closer to getting this project done.
Doing good, quiets the foolish!!!!
Verse 16 - Freedom. We all need and want freedom. None of us are slaves in the sense that no one owns us. But all of us are slaves at times to someone or something.
Do you remember being a teenager and yearning for freedom to live your life outside of the restrictions put on by your parents. I can remember being thrilled to have "freedoms" in college that I had not had at MPA!
Back in 2011 I started a blog in an attempt to live free from crap! It was called MtC. Minus the Crap! I blogged for 365 days in a row. At the very beginning of this journey I heard a song by Mandisa that shook me to the core. I realized how desperate I was for freedom from so much that was keeping me in bondage. (I have included two of my favorite freedom songs at the end of this lesson.)
But this verse says so much more than just that we are to live free. To live as a people who are free, but he then adds "not as a cover up for evil."
For you and me today what is this saying?
What does this mean to us in our everyday lives?
I think the rest of the sentence is the answer. "but living as servants of God."
Christ paid the price for your sin! Christ gave you a get out of jail free card, and you can't earn your freedom, it has already been given to you, however now instead of living in captivity, with chains and sin killing you, you have the opportunity to live in service to God.
Now lest you think this is trading one chain for another, (a huge misconception or lie that the deceiver wants you to believe) this service or living as a servant of God is very different!
Think of it in modern terms.
You have been in prison, with abusive and corrupt guards and inmates. You fear for your life on a daily basis. Your abused, you have no rights and no hope. Then one day someone comes and says that you are free. You walk out of prison completely free. But that isn't the end of the good news. Next you find out that the person who freed you has now given you an opportunity to work for him. The job is with his company, and it meets all your needs, gives you opportunities that you could never have dared to dream could ever be yours. The salary is amazing and the benefits incredible. It isn't always easy work, but it is fulfilling.
So what would you choose. To go back to the life of crime that put you in prison in the first place, after all you are free, you can! Or will you choose to work for the one who set you free and is paying for your freedom by taking on your sentence. You don't have to! You are free to live in anyway you want.
So another perhaps more applicable way to talk about this right now is how do we as Christians live in a Covid -19 society?
I think we need to focus more on being servants of Christ, and serving Him, through how we are serving our community, than screaming for our rights! We are not being persecuted by not being able to have church, but even if it was persecution, perhaps we need to stop worrying about when we can get back to the sanctuary and worry more about what we are doing to be a servant of our Lord and Savior. Are we really doing ALL that we can do for our community? Are we (the collective Christian community) being seen as those who are risking our lives to serve those in need?
Are we "honoring everyone, honoring the brotherhood, fearing God, honoring the emperor?"
This chapter ends with Peter telling us to be willing to endure difficult times, even persecution because He endured it for us!
Back to my analogy. Peter is saying, look Jesus is the one in prison for you, he is paying for your life sentence, so working in Him company is hard work even unfair at times, are you not willing to do that for the man who paid it all for you and is serving your life sentence?
Okay, I know it isn't a perfect analogy, but here is the bottom line. We have been given freedom, we have been redeemed, are we willing to live for the one who gave that all to us?
LIVE FREE!!!
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