Sermon Tone Analysis

“*FOLLOWING THE SHEPHERD*”

(A Chosen People – Series in I Peter)

 

Westgate Chapel 11~/19~/00                                  I Peter 2:13-3:7

 

PROPOSITION:  As God’s chosen people were are not like lost sheep, wandering around doing as we please, but having returned to the Shepherd we follow the pathway of submission He prepared for us.

! I. introduction

!! -     THE apostle Peter is writing to brand new Christians, scattered in Asia Minor, trying to find out what it means to live like God’s Chosen People in the Roman Empire.

!! -     SOME of the Christians had been raised in Jewish families and had a solid understanding of God and the Old Testament.

!! -     OTHERS were Romans, Greeks, and Syrians from a rough pagan upbringing….mixed in with the hedonistic religions of the period.

!! -     IN any event these Christians hadn’t been Christians for very long….and

before they had come to Christ they had been just like the world around them….fiercely independent and doing what seemed right in their own eyes.

!! -     THE apostle Peter describes them in their pre-Christian condition in I Peter 2:25a,

!!!       “*For you were like sheep going astray…*”

!! -     EVER watched sheep that have been left to their own devices?

!! -     IF there is no shepherd and no fences the sheep end up all over the map.

!! -     THERE is no cohesion among them.

Each sheep seems determined to go their own way….

!!! ~*     Some out of blissful ignorance, nibbling what is directly in front of them with their heads down…

!!! ~*     Some out of stubbornness, refusing to go along with anyone else…

!!! ~*     And some out of pure stupidity, too dumb to be mindful of their surroundings.

!! -     THAT is a picture of the condition of the world without God….the

world you and I were a part of and maybe some of us still are part of that world.

!! -     LET’S go back to I Peter 2:25,

!!!       “*For you were like sheep going astray…but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls*.”

!! -     BUT the image of returning to the Shepherd of our souls is not just a nice safe cozy feeling.

!! -     WE have returned in order to FOLLOW!

!! -     FOLLOW where?

!! -     IN what way is Jesus leading us according to the apostle Peter in this text?

!! -     IN His submission to the will of the Father, even when He had to suffer unjustly.

!! -     VERSE 21 says that Christ left us an example.

How?

!! -     LOOK at verses 22-24,

!!!       “*’He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.*’

(23) *When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.

Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly*.

(24) *He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed*.”

!! -     WHAT do these verses teach us about Jesus?

!! -     THAT He was not a loose canon, using His authority as the Son of God to get His own way.

!! -     EVEN when He was unjustly insulted, spat upon, cursed, beaten and hung on a cross (and Peter was an eye-witness to every blow), He did not retaliate or threaten.

!! -     *HE submitted Himself to the One who judges justly…to God the Father*.

!! -     IN other words, Jesus submitted to what looked like a weak defenseless position because He would rather trust God.

!! -     AND this is the example, says verse 21, that we are to follow.

!! -     I KNOW it may seem odd to you to start a sermon with a verse tucked away in the middle of a lengthy passage,  but verse 25 holds the key to the whole passage (verses 2:13-3:7).

!! -     WHAT is the key?

!! -     JESUS is our shepherd.

!! -     WE are His sheep.

We are no longer wondering around doing our own thing.

!! -     AND the specific example of the shepherd we are to follow is entrusting ourselves to Him who judges justly.

!

ii.   following the shepherD in matters of state

!! -     FOLLOW the Shepherd in matters of state!

!! -     HOW?

!! -     LOOK at verse 13 with me.

This is the verse where Peter starts this whole theme of how we are to follow our Shepherd.

!!!       “*Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority*, (14) *or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right*.

(15) *For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men*.”

!! -     LET me summarize these three verses for you….follow the Shepherd be being submitted in matters of state.

!! -     MAN, this is a relevant lesson for the hour we find ourselves in!

!! -     THE Greek word for submission means to “rank yourself (come into line) under.”

!! -     YOU are not a loose canon, free to do your own thing out there in the United States of America.

!! -     THAT is how the sheep behave who are “going astray.”

(Verse 25).

!! -     NOT you and me.

!! -     WE have returned to Shepherd and Overseer of our souls, and because of that we do not…

!!! ~*     In blissful ignorance, nibble away at what is directly in front of us with their heads in the sand concerning our nation or city or county…

!!! ~*     Out of stubbornness, refuse to go along with anything pertaining to the state…

!!! ~*     Or out of pure stupidity, determine to do our own thing.

!! -     NO!

We submit to every authority, whether king, governor, tax collector, parent, employer, policeman, or president.

!! -     PAUL picks up the same theme in Romans 13:1-2, where the Holy Spirit writes through him,

!!!       “*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.* (2) *Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves*.”

!! -     THE spirit of rebellion against authority is the spirit of Satan.

Rebellion is his native language.

It is what got him cast out of heaven.

!! -     THAT is why rebellion is so pervasive in the world, in every aspect of life.

It is the spirit of Satan at work in the world.

!! -     AND the opposite spirit is the spirit demonstrated by Jesus, our example, and our Shepherd….the

spirit of submission, even in the face of unjust suffering.

!! -     IN Romans 13 Paul addresses the negative and says that rebellion brings judgment on the rebel.

!! -     IN I Peter 2, Peter addresses it from the positive.

He says that when you submit to the authorities of state you…* *“*silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.*” (verse 15)

!! -     NOW, whenever the matter of submission comes up I think  there needs to be a couple of disclaimers made very clear:

!!! 1.   Biblical submission does not mean that there cannot be healthy disagreement and dialogue.

In Acts 15 the church leaders had lengthy and heated debate on the matter of the Gentiles….but

emerged in unity (obviously some in the debate finally submitted to the leadership position.

!!! 2.   Biblical submission does not include mindless obedience to things illegal, immoral, or unbiblical.

In Acts 4 the Sanhedrin commands Peter and John to stop speaking in Jesus’ name and Peter said, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.” (Acts 4:19)

!

iii.

following the shepherd in matters of community

!! -     NEXT, Peter says that we are to follow the Shepherd of our souls in being submitted in matters of community.

!! -     LOOK with me at I Peter 2:16-21,

!!!       “*Live as free men…*”

!! -     JESUS did say that we would be free.

!! -     IN JOHN 8:36 He said,

!!!       “*So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed*.”

!! -     FREE from what?

In verse 33 Jesus said that the Son would set us free from slavery to sin.

!! -     IN Romans 6:22 Paul tells us that we have been set free from sin IN ORDER TO BECOME SLAVES TO GOD….and the benefit is eternal life.

!! -     WE are free from sin, free from trying to please God through our works, free from accusation of the devil, free from condemnation…

!! -     LET’S read on in I Peter 2:16,

!!! *      *“…*but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.*”