Sermon on 1 Peter 2:11-20, for the 4th Sunday of Easter (1 Yr lectionary), "Honor Those in Authority"

·         Special focus of our reading on the 4^th (& also 8^th) commandment(s). Subject to every human institution—emperor, governors…honor everyone…honor the emperor.

·         Honor your father and your mother. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

·         You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

·         Our reading takes the intersection of these two commandments to describe our Christian conduct with the outside world of society, government, and politics. Note: Other passages deal with the responsibility of those who are in authority and their deep accountability toward God. This is not today’s focus, but rather for us under authority.

·         Challenge today—controversy and distrust in government seems “baked in” to our nation. How far back can you recall the presidents that you lived through? 4(6). Every new controversy seems worse than the last. People freely insult and criticize every president in living memory (and plenty of other politicians as well). People love or hate this or that president, politician, or human institution. But notice the reading doesn’t ask our “feelings” or command us to “trust the emperor” or “trust every human institution.” The motto “In God we trust” still holds. The reading doesn’t ask if we agree or disagree with policies. Instead, it says, “be subject to”  and “honor”. The shape of our Christian duty in this regard is not whether you liked or disliked President Trump or Obama, or any of those before them—or whether you voted or didn’t vote for them. The shape of our duty is whether we honor the office and those who are put in a position of authority; whether we pray for them, as God commands, whether we pay our taxes and live peaceably with others, as far as it is up to us.

·         Think back to several examples in the Bible, of people honoring authority, and being subject to the authorities they were under. Joseph honored Potiphar and his wife, even though Joseph was unjustly made a slave, and falsely accused and thrown into prison. Later he honored and served the Pharaoh, and was raised to the position of 2^nd in authority. David honored and served King Saul without any treachery, even though Saul sought to kill him. And eventually David became king. Daniel and three friends honored and served the wicked King Nebuchadnezzar, but drew the line where loyalty and obedience to God was threatened, because they, and all the other heroes of the faith bowed down to God alone. Queen Esther honored and served the arrogant and temperamental King Xerxes, and so doing, rescued her people. Jesus subjected Himself to and obeyed the governor Pontius Pilate, and the other authorities, even though He reminded them of the higher authority of God, and as His innocence was obvious to Pilate, Herod, and many others. Paul also honored and submitted himself to many Roman authorities during his many trials and hearings. The wicked emperor Nero was probably the one in power when Peter wrote these words: “Honor the emperor”.

·         I think it’s safe to say that in almost all of those situations, the saints and believers had numerous objections to the actions, character, and policies of the human leaders in authority over them. Sometimes they suffered directly at the hands of those rulers. Often they  were virtually powerless—but in all situations they spoke the truth with humility, they advocated for what was good and right, they resisted doing what was evil, and they obeyed the earthly authorities as far as they could do so, without disobeying God or harming others. They even suffered unjustly, rather than trying to get revenge—as the last verses of our reading say, and leading into the reading we heard last week.

·         And in every situation, God worked it out to good. God actually has a remarkable track record, going back thousands of years, of accomplishing the deliverance of His people, the raising up of the lowly and afflicted, and the fall of the proud and mighty. All with good and bad kings, emperors, statesmen, presidents, governors, congressman, and the like. It’s almost as if God has a plan, that even their human plans cannot derail, defeat, or circumvent! Wait! It’s not “as if”…it really is so! God does have a plan, and they factor into it, even despite themselves! Even, in almost all the examples, despite the fact that the earthly leaders did not believe in God. Psalm 146 reminds us that a man’s plans, especially a ruler’s—end with their death. But God is the one who gives justice, who feeds the hungry, who sets free the prisoners and lifts up those who are bowed down. God has appointed governing authorities. Romans 13:1 says, “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Why has God put them in power? Our reading says it’s to punish those who do evil, and to praise those who do good. And what’s our part in that? To keep our words and conduct pure and clean so that unbelievers will have no grounds to accuse us for any evil.

·         God has put governing authorities and human institutions into authority to maintain peace and justice. How do they do on that score? They wander closer to and further from God’s mandate. God deals with them according to His own wisdom—no doubt also punishing those who do evil, and rewarding those who do good. Partly we need to surrender our doubts that God is really in control, and will achieve justice, despite our frustrations and the success or failure of our leaders. And we need to hear that call to honor not just emperors and governors, presidents and mayors, police or judges or whomever is in authority—but the call actually is to: Honor everyone, love the brotherhood. Fear God.

·         We have privileges (as Americans) that Peter, Daniel, Esther, and Joseph never had. We can vote, we can run for office, we have unprecedented access to communicate and express our ideas and opinions to all our leaders, and we can petition the government. Under our constitution, we are even free to say whatever we like about our rulers. But as Christians, we have a higher calling and higher standard about how we use our speech. It must be under the framework of honor. For leaders, as for everyone else. Our respect and honor for others is an expression of the knowledge that we are made by God, humans of equal value, worth, and dignity—and that we do not have the right to strip away a person’s dignity by insults, hatred, dishonor, slander, or otherwise damaging their reputation. That is where the 8^th commandment comes in. We are to treat our neighbors (and leaders!) in this way: We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

·         Again, this never requires that we sacrifice the truth or integrity, or obedience to God. It is not about blind obedience to authority. The heroes of faith I mentioned before, all stood against injustice, against dishonor to God, and against the harm of their own people. They kept their integrity in the face of lies. But they did it all with honor—respecting authorities that God had placed over them. We are called to do no less. Even if we need to take a vigorous stand against an evil that is being done by a government, we must do it with honor.

·         It’s actually an exciting prospect to face the same challenges as saints of old, but to be given the new responsibility in this day and age, to live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. All authority is under God—from our parents, teachers, principals, pastors, police, council members, all the way up to our president. And God will hold each accountable to their duty—us included. But the way we honor God is by honoring everyone, and doing our duty in our place. And God can work His plan and purpose in that, even when people actively are striving against Him. Psalm 33:10–11 “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.” God’s plans endure—the plans of the wicked are frustrated and come to nothing. That is the inevitable outcome—do we intend to align ourselves with God’s plans, or against them? The choice seems obvious.

·         But all of this ultimately goes back to the most surprising of all the examples I gave you before—the example of Jesus. Who came from the position of highest authority, as the Son of God in heaven, the creator of the universe, and became a helpless baby, traveling to and fro at the leading of Mary and Joseph—submitting to the authority of God, of Caesar Augustus, fleeing from King Herod, and again being led by God. Then Jesus grew to an adult, and publicly taught, a prophet teaching of God’s Kingdom, God’s authority, and how it was entering the world in Jesus’ own ministry. And of course that mission was misunderstood and it was opposed. But Jesus managed to both “speak truth to power” and also to humbly bow His head and quiet His voice at the worst mistreatment, received at the hands of wicked tyrants and religious hypocrites. Even when He could have escaped the horrors of the cross, He endured it steadfastly, suffering unjustly, which was a gracious thing in the sight of God. He left us this example of how to suffer graciously, that we might follow in His steps, as we heard last week.

·         And what did He accomplish, by refusing to speak with evil or malice against those in authority? What did He accomplish by honoring them, and submitting to their authority? He accomplished the counsel of the Lord, the plans of God’s heart. He won our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus defeated the power of injustice, by rising above it—rising above the violent return of evil for evil, or hate for hate. Jesus buried the power of sin in His grave, and rose from the dead with authority over life and death. He proved the truth of those Psalms quoted above, that man’s evil plans are finished at death, and that they are frustrated and reversed by God. He proved that justice, life, and goodness will prevail, even against the plans of those who plot evil against the innocent, or the powerless or the oppressed. Because the Lord reigns forever, and He is the hope of all who trust in Him (Psalm 146). Injustice will meet its final end one day, at God’s final judgment—but until then we live as free servants of God—honoring everyone, loving the brotherhood, fearing God, and honoring our leaders. Rejoice that God has set you His servants free by the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Sermon Talking Points

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1. Read 1 Peter 2:11-20. The 4^th & 8^th Commandments, and their explanations, from the Small Catechism, are as follows:

            Honor your father and your mother. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

            You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

How do these two commands relate to the 1 Peter reading, and our duty?

2. What does it mean for our Christian conduct to be honorable? In word? In deed? What effect does this have? 1 Peter 2:12, 15-16; Matthew 5:16.
3. Why is respect for authority, whether it is good or unjust, God’s command to us? What does it create when citizens obey the government and authority that God has established, vs. what it creates when we disobey and dishonor it?
4. God has His own separate demands and accountability for leaders and those in authority, that is explained elsewhere in the Bible. But what are the specific challenges we face, in our responsibility to honor everyone, even our leaders? What is one of God’s purposes in establishing government? 1 Peter 2:14.
5. What would be a misuse or abuse of our God-given freedom? 1 Peter 2:16; Galatians 5:1, 13.
6. How did Christ use His freedom? How did He subject Himself to “earthly powers”, and what did He accomplish for us by it?