1 Peter 2:13-25
13 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.
16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.
20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 "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.
25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1. Submit yourself to God's authority in your life

Submission is one of the harder teachings of Christ. We live in a land of freedom and we don't like submission! The kings were often atrocious leaders, but the Christians had to submit to them. Consider today our governors, police, parents, bosses and church leaders. Often we're only submissive when we agree with the direction, but submission doesn't depend on whether you agree or not. When your family group leader calls a meeting, you need to be there. It's right. You can say, "You can't make me." That's right; you have to decide to submit. Do it "for the Lord's sake". We have to follow the example of Christ. He said, "I always do what my father says." That's perfect submission. (Philippians 2) What's our motivation? Fear of men, or fear of God? Often lack of submission belies an underlying lack of trust in God.

2. No cover-ups

The word is used only twice in NT. It's used positively in Romans 4:7. We need to be sure we're not using our freedom to cover up sin. People react more to a cover-up than to the deed itself. Sometimes we use our freedom as an excuse not to be open. We're not striving for freedom at that point, but for protection.

3. Free to be slaves

1 Peter 2:16 "Live as servants of God." We are free to be God's slaves. We're not free to be independent or to indulge our self-centered nature. Do I live as a slave of Christ? Does he control me hour by hour? Faith isn't supposed to be just a part of my life or a hobby. It's my entire life. Slavery was ineffective because there was no motivation for the slave to obey. Am I a motivated slave? Am I a worthy slave of Christ? "Christian" was a derogatory term, a slave-owner's reference. Could I earn that title today? It's actually a compliment.

4. Respectful attitudes

"Show proper respect to everyone." That's a large group! We should respect our parents, the brotherhood, our God, everyone. Often those shown the least respect are in our family. It comes into the fellowship, too. It's not right at home, and it's not right here, either. We have to respect those we study with as well. Don't be self-righteous. Be respectful toward our relatives. This can be a challenge at holidays! Humility opens people's hearts so much more than arrogance. Respect those we disagree with. Don't be belligerent--that alienates people. Respect our elected ministers.

5. It's commendable to suffer unjustly

1 Peter 2:20 This is commendable, (or "gracious") before God. This is a very hard teaching, to be fired up about unjust suffering. This is not a verse to keep the oppressed down. Martin Luther King suffered unjustly but behaved in a Christian way. Gandhi, Mandela and Jesus Christ are all powerful examples of this. Jesus' submission softened even the centurion's hard heart. We glorify God incredibly by imitating Christ in this way. Am I making an impact as people see me living my life in this way?