Tonight, we continue our study of 1 Peter, the text being 1 Peter 2, verses 13 through 16, which talks about submission to rulers and masters, in connection with that, as the bulletin says, we'll read Romans 13, 1 to 7, Romans 13, 1 to 7. As you keep your fingers in those two places, I would ask that you also turn in the back the Psalter hymnal to the Belgic Confession, Article 36. Article 36, as at this point in our study of 1 Peter, this is what Belgic Confession, Article 36, talks about. So we're going to jump ahead in our consideration of the Belgic Confession at the same time. In fact, I would like to read that article before we turn to the Word of God. Article 36, The Magistry, Civil Government, page 88 in the back of the Psalter hymnal. We believe that our gracious God, because of the depravity of mankind, has appointed kings, princes, and magistrates, willing that the world should be governed by certain laws and policies, to the end that the dissoluteness of men might be restrained and all things carried on among them with good order and decency. For this purpose he has invested the magistracy with a sword for the punishment of evildoers and for the protection of them that do well. Their office is not only to have regard unto and watch for the welfare of the civil state, but also to protect the sacred ministry that the kingdom of Christ may thus be promoted. They must therefore countenance the preaching of the word of the gospel everywhere that God may be honored and worshiped by everyone as He commands in His Word. Moreover, it is the bounden duty of everyone of whatever state, quality, or condition he may be to subject himself to the magistrates, to pay tribute, to show due honor and respect to them and to obey them in all things which are not repugnant to the Word of God, to supplicate for them in their prayers, that God may rule and guide them in all their ways and that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity. Wherefore, we detest the Anabaptists and other seditious people and in general all those who reject the higher powers and magistrates and would subvert justice, introduce community of goods, and confound that decency and good order which God has established among men. And we turn to Romans chapter 13, the first seven verses. Hear now the Word of God. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and He will commend you. For He is God's servant to do you good, but if you do wrong, be afraid. For He does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant and agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe Him. If you owe taxes, pay taxes. If revenue, then revenue. If respect, then respect. If honor, then honor. The text, 1 Peter 2, verses 13 through 16. You recall in verse 12, Peter had just said, 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 then he continues, 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. He continues in verse 17, which we'll consider another time. Show proper respect to everyone. Love the brotherhood of believers. Fear God. Honor the King. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Peter's preaching, as we have seen, seems to revolve around one particular theme, and that is that as Christians, we are to actively be who and what God called us and made us to be. We are to be the people of God. We are to be those whom God has called out of darkness and brought into His wonderful light. We are to be His people in the entirety of our lives, in our obedience, through our thoughts, and words, and deeds, which is only possible, we know, in the strength of the Holy Spirit, for Jesus' sake. We are to be God's people right where we are at in this life, at any given moment. But then here is where we are faced with one of those divine ironies, especially as we consider this text tonight, and our scripture reading, as well as Belgic Confession, article 36. As God's people, we confess, don't we, that He is the supreme ruler over all. He is the highest authority there is. He is the one and only King, as we consider this morning. And we confess, too, that we as believers are heirs of the kingdom of heaven through our Lord Jesus Christ. We are citizens of heaven. But don't forget, Peter also has reminded us that we live on this earth. Even though we are in the midst of a pilgrimage, We are earth dwellers. Our physical citizenship is here on this earth for many, if not all of us, we are citizens of the United States of America. Closer to home, for most of us, California. And then our towns and communities. And while on this earth, we are faced with earthly authority and earthly authority figures. Now again, Peter has already instructed the church in a general way as to how we are to live out this pilgrimage. We are to be holy because God is holy. We are to set our hope fully on the glory of our salvation through Jesus Christ. We are to crave the pure milk of the Word of God. We are to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against the soul. We are to live such good lives among the pagans. All of this characterizes that life of thankfulness to which you and I are called. So then how is all of this played out in the practical sense in this life? Submission. The excellent, the good behavior that is commanded of God's people is displayed by the act of submission. Again, this text, our scripture reading and article 36 teaches us about submission in relation to authority. Christian citizens submit to earthly authority. Now, of course, in our day, as we look at the godlessness of our country and of many of its leaders, we might ask, we might question if this is still relevant for us today. Does it still mean what the writers, what Peter meant it to be? But then we remember what he said in chapter 1, verse 25, But the word of the Lord stands forever. This submission is a command of God. It is the will of God. And it is serving God. Peter begins verse 13, Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men, whether to the king as the supreme authority or to the governors. I believe that Peter is talking here about the authoritative or governmental bodies, that he's not necessarily talking here about parental authority or authority in the classroom. That's included in other places in Scripture. but those bodies of law and order which have authority and have been created for the well-being of society. These institutions have been created or established by God and are designed for the order and indeed the well-being of humans and to restrain the wickedness, or as Article 36 says, the dissoluteness of man. But this makes sense, doesn't it? Because our God is a God of order. He is not a God of chaos. as the creation account in Genesis proves. And we do not tell a lie when we say that human authority or government is established by God. That's what Scripture says. Paul says in Romans 13, verse 1, For there is no authority except that which God has established. And therefore, he can go on in verse 2 of that chapter to say that he who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted. We are not to resist. We are not to fight against earthly authority. Instead, we are commanded to submit to it. Submission is not an option. It's required as if by submitting to earthly authority, you and I are submitting to God because, in fact, we are submitting to God. To submit means to place oneself under, to follow the orders and the directives of someone else. And the way that Peter says it, as Christians, we are to willingly, willingly put ourselves in this position of submission and obedience to governing authorities. And what is the Christian's motivation for submission? He says, for the Lord's sake. For the Lord's sake. The Greek says literally, on account of the Lord. Because God has established authority and God has established earthly rulers. And as we'll look at in a few moments, because this is the will of God. Remember Moses, the nation-state of Israel and Moses, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, what happened to them when they spoke out against Moses and Aaron? God caused the earth to open up and close over them, swallow them right up. And even when Aaron and Miriam spoke out against Moses, God too punished them. You see, when you submit to earthly authority, then you are being obedient to God. But when you don't submit, then you are being disobedient to God, at least in most situations. Submission to earthly authority shows respect for that which God has established. It is characteristic of the Christian life, of those who belong to Him. And submission also flows from the two great commandments. To love God above all and your neighbor as yourself. And to do this, beloved, follows the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who bought us. He submitted to earthly authority completely and perfectly all the way to death. And when we as God's people follow the example of our Lord, His example of submission to those in authority, then we commend Him to the world. We display Jesus Christ, in effect, saying to the world, because He is my Savior, because He is my Lord, I respect and I submit to the authority that He has placed over me. I submit for Jesus' sake. And in this way, we offer Jesus Christ to the world. And our Lord is also the one who said, Give to Caesar what is Caesar's. And to God what is God's. This means obey the laws of the land. Pay your taxes. Willingly and faithfully. That doesn't mean that you will think that Caesar or Uncle Sam is fair in what he is demanding of you. But that's not the point. Peter specifically mentions being submissive to kings and to governors. The king, or in his day, the emperor, was the highest earthly authority. He was the head of public administration. He was supreme over all else. But he was not deity. He was not God, although the people falsely and foolishly often considered him to be a God. And the governors were appointed by the emperor to rule the different Roman provinces. And therefore, to obey the governor was to obey the king, to obey the emperor who put him in office. To obey our governing authorities is to obey our God, the king, who has put them in office. Now listen for what purpose earthly authority has been established. To punish those who do wrong and to commend, to praise those who do right. Paul says again in Romans chapter 13, 3-5, For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and He will commend you. For He is God's servant to do you good, but if you do wrong, be afraid. For He does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant and agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience. Now that's quite a job description of those who lead the public, isn't it? And if they do their job correctly, then the people of God ought always be commended or be praised when they do right. But the wicked ought always be punished when they do not do well. And the Belgic Confession also says that the task of governing authority is to protect and to open the way for the preaching of the Gospel. Very simply because this is God's command to preach it to all, And also, it is His command to all to repent. But of course, we know from experience that what we have just read, what the task of earthly authority is all about, is not always the case, is it? The standard of right and wrong has changed. It's messed up. It seems that in our day, things have gotten terribly twisted around. We hear a lot about the separation of church and state, which has become terribly corrupt. So often the bad guys seem to finish first. And instead of being motivated by righteousness, many are motivated by the almighty dollar. If you have the money, then you can afford the best criminal defense attorney. Why would I say that I'm guilty if I can possibly get off? When it comes to lawmaking in our country, the lobbyists with the largest suitcases full of money end up ruling those who are supposed to be in authority. And often those who are in Christ, who try to do what is right, are made to feel as if they are really doing what is bad. And what is bad for society. And they are even sometimes punished for doing right. Yet as Christians, we are still called to submit to earthly governing authority. And when those in position of earthly authority fail to praise those who do good, and when they fail to punish those who do evil, they sin against the ultimate authority of God. but we do not take matters into our own hands because God will make things right. Paul says in Romans 12, verse 19, do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written, it is mine to avenge, I will repay, says the Lord. Every now and then we hear about a militia group within our borders, an anti-government group, a group that has armed themselves with weapons, and they're out to protect themselves at all costs and to fight against the government. Very simply, that's wrong. That's not the proper way to handle things. As we consider all of this, we might be tempted to think that Peter and Paul, well, you know, they had no idea what kind of corruption that we face today with regard to many of our authoritative bodies. But remember, Peter wrote this letter most likely when the wicked Nero was emperor of Rome. A man who did not, we would say, deserve the position that he had. And both Peter and Paul were put to death by the earthly authorities to whom they themselves submitted. And we must keep in mind that submission, although it means to obey when it comes to earthly authority, it does not necessarily mean to obey absolutely. Boys and girls, it does not necessarily mean to obey them no matter what. We are to be absolutely obedient to God in all things, the one with ultimate authority, but not necessarily to earthly authority. We have an example in Scripture. In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John are warned by the rulers, the elders, and the scribes to not speak any longer in the name of Jesus. And they responded, whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge. For we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard. And they went on preaching more boldly than ever in Jesus' name. They disobeyed the rulers, the elders, and the scribes. But later on when they were arrested, when they were put in prison, they didn't fight back. They didn't resist arrest. They willingly submitted to the authorities. In Acts chapter 5, Peter and the apostles said, we must obey God rather than men. You see, by preaching boldly in the name of Jesus, they disobeyed earthly authorities, but they obeyed God. And by willingly submitting to the harassment and the false charges of the lawmakers, they also obeyed God. As Christians, we are commanded to be submissive to earthly authority. That means that we must obey them in all things lawful. Drive safe speeds. Pay your taxes. Heed the laws enforcing public safety, seatbelts, helmets, child safety seats. Get the necessary construction permits. And when earthly authority tries to force you to do something unlawful according to the Word of God, and you must disobey, then you must submit to their punishment, no matter how sinful, because it is for the Lord to avenge, and in the end you will receive the crown of life. In the second place, submission to earthly authorities as Christian citizens is also the will of God. This is our motivation. Our love for God and our desire to do His holy will is to be our motivation for submitting to those who are in those positions of earthly authority. Peter says in verse 15, For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Now God's will, we know, is characterized by righteousness and holiness. And this is what God's people are called to. Righteousness and holiness. These things are marks of that good life, of that excellent behavior that Peter talked about in verse 12, that we strive for in the strength of the Spirit. But the world is ignorant and foolish when it comes to the life of a Christian. The wicked simply cannot understand how we operate. They cannot understand who or what it is that guides our life and our obedience. See, the world, especially in Peter's day, couldn't understand how a Christian could be submissive to earthly authority on the one hand, and on the other hand, acknowledge Jesus Christ as King Supreme. It didn't make sense. In the mind's eye of the world, these things were incompatible. It was a contradiction. And many Christians of that day were forced to make a public choice between Caesar and Christ. The earthly authorities would make Christ and Caesar equal. And those Christians then who confessed Christ as king, well, they could not possibly submit to Caesar. But they did. So the rulers would push even harder. And believers were forced to choose one at the exclusion of the other. to renounce the other. And those who ultimately chose Jesus Christ were considered to be revolutionaries. Certainly they would revolt and they would cause trouble because if they followed the law of God, certainly they would never follow the laws of Caesar. But they did. The author of the Belgic Confession. It's one of the reasons he wrote the Belgic Confession. You can turn, if you want, on page 69 at the little historical introduction to the Confession, where we read in that first paragraph, the oldest of the doctrinal standards of the Christian Reformed Church in this book is the Confession of Faith. It is usually called the Belgic Confession because it originated in the southern Netherlands, now known as Belgium. Its chief author was Guido de Bray, a preacher of the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands who died a martyr to the faith in the year 1567. During the 16th century, the churches in this country were exposed to the most terrible persecution by the Roman Catholic government to protest against this cruel oppression and to prove to the persecutors that the adherents of the Reformed faith were no rebels, as was laid to their charge, but law-abiding citizens who professed the true Christian doctrine according to the Holy Scriptures. Debray prepared this confession in the year 1561. In the following year, a copy was sent to King Philip II together with an address in which the petitioners declared that they were ready to obey the government in all lawful things, but that they would offer their backs to stripes, their tongues to knives, their mouths to gags, and their whole bodies to the fire rather than deny the truth expressed in this confession. You see, believers were not rebels. Christians were law-abiding citizens. Christians didn't act the way that the world expected them to act. And therefore, what more could the world say? They were silenced. You and I know as well from experience that if you've ever moved into a neighborhood and you got to know your neighbors, maybe they weren't believers, maybe they were not church-going people, but they found out that you were a believer and you went to church. Maybe they weren't crazy about you talking to them about Jesus Christ, but they sure were appreciative of the fact that you were a Christian because they knew that you would be a better neighbor, hopefully, that you wouldn't be trying to take things from them to damage their property. Christians do have a good reputation often in that sense. But the word for silence here means literally to muzzle something. And the idea is to muzzle a wild animal so that it cannot do any harm. You see, Peter describes unbelievers as ignorant and foolish. He means ignorant here in the sense that they willfully and disobediently close their minds to the revealed Word of God. They purposely close their minds to the truth as preached and the truth as demonstrated in a Christian's life. Sometimes we say ignorance is bliss. What we don't know won't hurt us. No, beloved. Spiritual ignorance is death. And because the world is ignorant to the truth and will not hear it, they are foolish and they slander God and His people. But doing right, demonstrating that good behavior that is to be characteristic of a Christian will put a muzzle on spiritually ignorant and foolish men. It may not silence them. It may not keep them from speaking, but their words will be seen for what they truly are. Beloved as Christian citizens, we are to be submissive to earthly authority because God commands it, because this is in accordance with His will, and then finally, because this serves Him. It serves Him. Verse 16 says, Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil. Live as servants of God. Live as free men. Live as servants of God. As Christians, we are servants of God. We are owned by God. But even the boys and girls, no doubt, can hear something a little bit strange here in this verse. Peter is talking about being free and being a servant at the very same time. How is that possible? It's possible only for those who are in Christ Jesus. We were slaves of sin. We were held tight in the clutches of sin. But through the perfect work of our Savior, He has broken the chains. And we have been set free from the dominion and the power of sin. But now in Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are servants of righteousness. We are now free to be all that God made us to be. But Peter's warning here is that freedom is not given so that it may be used as a screen for doing wrong. Freedom from sin does not mean that we have the right to disobey the laws of the land or to say that we do not have to submit to wicked men who hold positions of authority. we've already seen that it is God's will that we submit to earthly authority. We might not always be able to obey them, but we are commanded to respect their positions of authority. But as Christians, we are free in order to serve God by serving our fellow man. The Christian is free from the enslavement that promotes evil, and instead he uses his freedom to serve God and to love his neighbor. See, Christian freedom does not mean that we escape service. It means that we have a change in masters. We have a change in masters and we now delight in our master, in our God, and in our King for Jesus' sake. But again, Christians are not free to do whatever they want. They are not free to determine which of society's laws or God's laws they will or will not follow. They are not free to be laws unto themselves. We may not use freedom as a cover-up for evil. For example, we wholeheartedly believe that abortion is wrong. It violates the law and the will of God. It is sin. But you see, in this country and in many other countries, it's a right. It's a law that people may have abortions if they want. And we're not being forced as believers to have them. You see, this does not mean, because of all this, this does not mean that we may bomb abortion clinics or kill doctors who perform them. We've been given liberty and freedom in Christ to do that which is good and pleasing and acceptable to God. But these kinds of things are not good and pleasing and acceptable. These kinds of actions are also sin. And to do these kinds of things makes one no different than those who are being attacked. It's wrong to avoid paying taxes with the excuse that the government is wicked and sinful and it's the Lord's money and therefore the government shouldn't get it. To make up false excuses to get out of jury duty is sin against God. We could go on and on. The point is, beloved, that as God's people we have been given freedom in Christ Jesus to willingly obey the earthly authority that has been placed over us. This is, again, unless the laws of the land cause us or try to force us to violate the law of God. Christians are not to be a rebellious people. Christians are not to be a people who are hard to rule. Our good behavior is to be demonstrated in the world and seen by the world, the very same world that accuses us of doing wrong when we are doing what is right in the sight of God. And this calls for respect for those in authority, both national, local government leaders, as well as civil authority like law enforcement. Sometimes we laugh at our leaders, we make a mockery of them, we degrade them behind their backs, but shouldn't we be praying for them, as Article 36 says? And instead of violating the laws of the land that promote and allow disobedience to God, we must work to change them. We are given the right to vote. Christians are called to flavor their surroundings to be the salt of the earth. But this means, too, that Christians, for example, must get involved in politics and in government. Not the church. The church's call, the church's task is to preach the gospel. But individual believers are called to get involved with politics and in government in so far as we are able. A Christian politician should never be a contradiction in terms. But a Christian's involvement in these things must be different from the world's involvement. Our goal is to be to advance God's kingdom and to do His will. And we must seek to bring about a difference for the sake of the Lord. Again, as Christian citizens, we are to be submissive to earthly authority because God commands this, because this is His will, and by serving earthly authority, we are serving God. Beloved, we are called to be model citizens before a watching world. That is evidence of belonging to God. That is evidence of being the recipients of His saving grace. And obviously this text calls for self-examination. If you demonstrate behavior that does not submit to the governing authorities established by God, then that is evidence that your ultimate governing principle of life is not the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. And you are not free, but you are still bound. And if that's the case, you too must heed the word of the Lord when He says, it is mine to avenge, I will repay. Repent and believe and submit. A submission is not easy. In fact, it goes against our sinful human natures. And that's why you and I cannot submit in our own strength. Only those who have been born again by God's grace and are daily being sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God will submit to God. And these will then be a testimony to the world of God's grace and mercy and truth. And they will be used of God, used by God to muzzle the ignorance and the foolishness of sinful men. You see, this is in giving thanks to God through our Lord Jesus Christ for His saving grace. And even though earthly authority may still be oppressive, yet we know, we know beyond a doubt that Jesus Christ has redeemed us from that oppressive rule. Oh, it may sting, but it will never destroy. He is in charge, our King. He rules our earthly rulers, and only His kingdom is forever. And therefore, in good conscience and out of thankfulness to God, we strive to obey earthly authority as an expression of obedience to God. And therefore, beloved, may we take delight in Him who rules over all righteously and faithfully and for the good of those He has redeemed. And in this way, too, may we worship and serve the Lord with gladness. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we must admit that there are times when we see things that seem to contradict each other as well. Even what we have considered tonight is we are faced with so many ruling bodies and those who are wicked, those who do not believe in you, those who do not give evidence of knowing Jesus Christ and His salvation. Yet, Father, we trust You. You call us to be obedient to those whom You have placed over us. And we pray that, again, for the earthly authorities, those governing bodies that You have placed over us, that they would indeed be used by You for the good order and the decency of society, to restrain evil and even, O Lord, without them knowing it, that they would be used of You to promote and to open the way for the preaching of the Holy Gospel. Heavenly Father, we praise You for You are our King. We worship You. And may we find all of our joy and gladness in You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.