being a type a personality. I'm very driven. I like to do stuff. I love to build and create along with that personality sometimes becomes the difficulty of being told what to do, like to do things my way how I want to. And so that's why I started a church so I can just do everything. No, I'm just kidding. It's not exactly why I started a church, but of course you left a little too hard at that one. Okay. Because you know me too well. But I don't think I'm the only one though that struggles being told what to do. And so let me just by show of hands how many of you have a hard time being told what to do. Okay. What I like about that question is that some people know it and their hands went like this, but my favorite and the ones who, you know is true are the ones who hesitated or didn't raise their hand because when I said how many of you raise your hand? You're like, I'm not raising my hand. That's when you know you're in the group with me. Well this morning we're gonna talk about a topic and that is both timely and timeless. But I don't necessarily love, I'm just being transparent with you is that it's it's not an easy topic to talk about, but I've come to realize that even though something is not easy, doesn't mean it's not worth it. And that actually it's where I believe many of us are living and sitting in right now. You see we live in a time that can be described as already, but not yet, meaning that jesus has already come and died on the cross for our sins. Our sins can be forgiven. His kingdom is here in the sense that we can experience the presence of God, We can gather freely as a church body and worship him. We can see answers to prayer, we can see lives change, we can experience God's kingdom now as we love other people, the way that jesus has loved us. And so in some ways it's already here, but the reality is it's not yet because when you pray to receive christ, there's this longing for heaven. And so what I found is a gap in our faith, a gap in our church discussion is that we tend to focus on the past of what jesus did for us, and we tend to focus on the future of what God will do in his return and ultimately are reuniting with him in heaven. But we live and we gather in a space that is right now where yes, God has already come, he has victory at the cross. But we still live in a broken world, which means that we struggle with sin, that I struggle, that you struggle, that that our culture faces persecution, our culture faces issues and people suffer and we're gonna talk about the difficult topics of submission and suffering and when I say that we're talking about submission and suffering, that doesn't exactly jazz everyone up. Like you don't necessarily see plates like you see faith, hope, love or on quilts and plates and homes. You don't typically see submission and suffering. If you did like, let's say you went over to a neighbor's house and you walked in and there you just saw we will all suffer. You're like, well, it's been nice meeting you. Thank you so much. I'm gonna head out the door. But the reality is this is where we live. And so it's timely because I could talk to every single person in this room and I guarantee that you have something that you're facing something that maybe you just came out of something that you're fearful about your your about to walk into. And if it's not personal, maybe it's relational and it's a family member that you're worried about. Maybe it's a job situation, Maybe it is a health situation or relational situation or a personal struggle of sin, whatever it is, this is the reality and the battles that we face. But yet too often we enter a church scene and someone says, how are you doing great? How are you? Great? And we have this mask. And then we just move forward when the reality is we battle suffering every day. And so this morning we're gonna dive into a timely message, but also a timeless one because Peter gives us recommendations on how to persevere and how to have endurance in difficult circumstances. And he's writing in some extreme circumstances. He's writing to people who are christian. They're they're believers, but they've been persecuted for their faith. They're described as exiles there in five different providence. Providence is um now in modern day Turkey Rome has all the power Nero is this guy that's literally blaming christians for everything and burning them alive. And so they're experiencing extreme persecution. And so rather than ignore that, Peter actually leans into that and he offers hope and he offers living home dr paul trip puts it this way is that when we go through difficult times, we actually receive grace in three ways. We c we receive grace that releases us from the situation. We've all experienced that where you've been in a difficult circumstance, or you had a lot of questions and then God releases you from the situation, or you get the answer and you're like, praise God. Now, we've also been in situations where Grace, this unmerited favor from God, this gift of God comes in and brings relief in the situation. Release means you're letting go of the situation. Relief means it's like, okay, I can breathe, but there's a third level of grace that we don't necessarily love to admit. But I think you would agree with me by the end of This morning's message and that is the grace of refinement that God uses difficult situations, people and circumstances to refine our faith Already in Chapter one. Peter compared our faith to gold that's being purified. And I believe this is true that if you think back on your life some of the most pivotal moments, some of the most giant leaps forward I'm guessing came either in or just after a very difficult circumstance because when you reach a point where jesus and your faith is all that you have, you come to realize that jesus and faith in jesus is really all that you need. And so you lean into it. And so that's the challenge today as we talk about suffering and we talk about submitting to those above us. And it's not it's not sexy, it's not bubbly, but it's real and it's truthful and it's meaningful and so I want God's word to reach us where we are today. And so here is the key here is what I believe. The key is that paul's are that Peter's gonna unpack for us this morning, Is that security in christ helps us submit and suffer. Well security in christ helps us submit and suffer. Well, I've never liked the word submission. Have already expressed that, but it might be due to the fact that when I was a kid, my my older brother who's sitting there in the room had a group of friends who got really into W. W. E. Wrestling and the characters. And so his friends would come over and they would hang out. And then his friends would take turns trying to put me in wrestling moves until I would tap out. And so part for me, the idea of submission center around my older brother's friends, I think specifically good buddy. He was a great guy, his name was luke, he would say lion tamer and he would like grab my legs and swing me around and and I would just battle until I would tap out or submit. And so that's my interpretation of what it means. But really submission, it becomes this object or this choice or this idea of placing yourself under authority. And so there's actually a healthy way to submit in a healthy way to battle through difficult circumstances and we're gonna dive into this. But I just want to offer one point of clarification that I think sometimes churches miss and I'm doing this ahead of the passage that we're going to read. So you can read it into the context and that is this, that in church culture, sometimes you hear this word submission and it becomes a submission at all in all cases at all times. And I want you to know that's not always the case that when you have an opportunity to stand up against evil to take it. And I say that because there are people who have experienced bad abusive relationships and then they hear this word submit and they just take it understand this that everyone in this room is a child of God. And so if there is something going on in a situation that needs to be dealt with at a deep, deep level that you need to pursue the safety and the relational protection that comes within that situation. So we're gonna talk about submission in terms of authority. But if if there is serious danger in place and you're in that relationship, I want you to understand this that seeking safety is not wrong, that you have value and you have worth and you are a child of God. And that when you see things out like in our culture like the Me Too movement that really Christianity and Faith is a liberating one. And when you look through most major movements in history, the freeing of slaves, civil rights movements and inequality. Those things are based in biblical principles that you are loved and you have value and that you should be treated as such. And so when we dive into this passage about submission and suffering, understand this. That if you have the opportunity to pursue that or to stand up, I want you to take that because the bible also says stand firm an example of that is peter the same guy who's writing this letter stands up in Acts chapter four and Acts Chapter five against people who are going against the very will of God. And so I we're gonna dive into this difficult passage, but I want to offer that point of clarification just in case someone in this room is hearing this? I want you to hear it through the correct lens that we can study together. So with that in mind, open up your bibles to the first Peter chapter two, We're jumping into verse 13, we're gonna be reading the verse 25. If you do not own a bible, I'd love for you to take one home today. We have them free for you at our guest services table. And otherwise you can open up your smart device or follow along on the screens here. Let's read together. Peter writes, be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme or to the governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good for this is the will of God. That by doing good, you should not be put to silence and ignorance of foolish. That you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. If you're gonna mark any verses in this passage, I would mark verse 16 and 17 because he says this, live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone love the brotherhood. Fear God honor the emperor, servants be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust for this is a gracious thing when mindful of God. One endures sorrows while suffering unjustly for what credit is it that when you sin and are beaten for you endure. In other words, you're saying you don't get credit and a testimony when you do dumb things and then you're punished for it. Like you can't say, oh God I'm being spiritually attacked. No, you just broke the law like, oh God I'm under attack. I'm just being oppressed. No, you didn't do that. I've interacted with students. I was a youth pastor for many years. And so so many times students would pray for their test right beforehand or pray for the work and and I and I get it. I'm not saying that's a bad prayer, but I always follow up. Okay, Did you study? No? Okay. So you didn't do any of the work and you're not taking any responsibility. And then if a teacher gives you a bad grade, I'm being oppressed. No. So how this works. Okay? And that that's why I love. He puts that verse in there. It's like what credit is it? If you do unjust things and then you're punished for those things but he continues on he says, but what if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure. This is a gracious thing in the sight of the Lord 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. He committed no sin neither with the seat found in his mouth when he was reveled? He did not revel in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly he himself bore our sins on his body, on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness by his wounds. You have been healed for you were strained like sheep, but now have returned to the shepherd and the overseer of your souls. So this picture is what he's saying is that to this group of people who are being persecuted by an evil government, he's saying you must submit yourselves, humble yourselves before that to give a picture of God and before you fight back and say, no, don't do this. Think about the foundation of our faith, who is jesus, jesus himself suffered. He suffered so that we could ultimately be lifted up, Jesus died so that we could live. And so it's through that not only do we have salvation, but we also have the example. This is what's crazy to me when I think about the cross because in in colossians one it says that he sustained, he is before all things and he holds all things together, meaning that God has given you the very heartbeat in your life right now, God has given you the very breath that you use to breathe in right now, which means God was sustaining the very people that were beating him in the story. Have you ever gone through a situation, some been picked on someone said something to you and then you just kinda like ah and then you walked away and then you just replay that situation in your head and you think about all the different ways you could have responded and you get this one like next time Yeah, I got this comment, it's coming, okay, I'm ready for him. Next time you think about what jesus could have done, like people were mocking him and jesus could have looked and you're done and just like flung them off the earth. Like he had all right and all power, the ability to do what he wanted. But yet he remained silent because his mission was to offer sacrifice and ultimately salvation and grace to us. Eugene Peterson wrote this translation, that's really more of a paraphrase or commentary, so called the message. I wouldn't only read the message, but sometimes it helps us to understand this passage that was written in that context in modern day language. And so let me read the same passage to you out of the message. It says this way, this is the kind of life you've been invited into the kind of life christ lived, he suffered everything that came his way so that you would know that it could be done and also know how to do it. Step by step. He never did one thing wrong. Not once, never said anything amiss. He called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the cross so that he could be rid of sin free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were like lost sheep with no idea who you were and where you were going now you are named and you are kept for good by the shepherd of your souls. And there's phrases in this passage where it says, this is the will of God, that you've been called to this and that's where I struggle, you know, to walk in the ways of God, to walk in obedience. I get that to love people as jesus loved us. I get that. But I struggle in this idea or this picture. Maybe you have of someone getting cancer. Someone experiencing a loss, someone struggling and battling God. Is that is that really your will? That's where I'm reminded that we live in this already, but not yet tension that we have access to freedom and forgiveness in jesus, but we still live in a broken, sinful world with free will, that people make poor choices and and even creation itself is broken. And so our bodies are finite. Our bodies cannot last and are subject to awful things. And then that one day we will be resurrected with him and perfected bodies with no more sickness. No more pain, full love, no shame, no sin, no guilt. And so we see grace and salvation in the past. We long for salvation and hope of Heaven in the future. But how do we handle it right now? I think it's the security in christ that we have a savior that identifies with us, That when Lazarus died in John chapter 11, the first thing Jesus did was he wept with his friends That he himself could have taken revenge, but he did not because he was demonstrating for us away through psalm 23 says though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, see that phrase, that verb it through means that while we are in a difficult situation, we don't have to stay in that difficult situation. And that while we're walking through this valley, we are surrounded by darkness. God is right there, right next to us. If you've ever walked in a crowded public place with Children, oftentimes when they get scared, what do they do? They cling to the parent God is not often some far distant land saying good luck, he is right there. He is right here right now to give us the spirit of perseverance and of endurance. Angela Duck Worth puts it this way she gave a definition, wrote a book on grit and she defined grit as a secular study. And she said that grit is defined as the passion and sustained persistence applied towards long term achievements. It's a combination of passion and and really sustained perseverance and persistence. I would add one more thing to that is that as a christian we have hope and what is to come and the power of God of who is and the power of the holy spirit, so that our sustained perseverance comes not from our own desire for achievement, but for God's will working in our lives, it's that grace of refinement and that one of the closest things you can do to get to crisis actually to experience suffering and I know that's not very american and I know that's not very prosperity, God blessed us, you will be blessed, everyone will be healed. I just have not experienced that in my life. But knowing that that's not the expectation that that's a one day that today right now to know that I have a god right beside me, that I can take a deep breath and I'm not just praying for a situation with jesus, I'm praying through a situation and so being secure in christ, being anchored in christ, being anchored in his love, allows us to persevere. So how does it do this? How then does are we able to really submit to bad bosses to work in difficult circumstances, to go through tough situations and to submit and suffer well how do we do this where I think there's three ways or with reasons why We can do this number one because this life is reality and I know that sounds super obvious, but I want you to consider this for a moment. It's not like only people of faith suffer. Have you thought about that? It's just humanity. We go through difficult circumstances as humans, but it's people of faith, people with jesus that have the ability of the perseverance to walk through those circumstances differently. I honestly don't know how people go through difficult situations without faith in jesus. Mhm. Isn't it amazing that there are like strong outspoken atheists and a tragedy will happen and they say, hey, I'm praying for you, I always want to go who who are you praying to? Exactly. I mean, I'm grateful that you're gonna pray, but why is it that like when a tragedy happens naturally, everyone stops everybody, it's not just christians and the whole world stops and we reflect and we mourn and we realize it doesn't matter how much money you have, it doesn't matter how successful you are, this life is short and it is real and so I'm hurting, I don't know how to do. So I'm gonna I'm gonna pray for you, christians, We can pray not only to God who saves us but a God who has experienced it and who empathizes and connects and loves us and it's with us in every single moment, there's a story in the in the old testament, Shadrach meshach and Abednego were placed in a in persecution and they were gonna be burned in a fire. And when they were placed in the fire, they miraculously saved and healed. But as people were looking into the fire, they saw 1\/4 figure, a pre incarnate, jesus in there in the fire that God is in the fire, he is in the moment with you and with me right now and I can take comfort in that and strengthen them. You know, there's a viral video of a kid named David who went to the dentist and he had too much laughing gas or whatever it was and he's coming home and the parents, the loving parents that they were, took video and then posted it online. Some of you know, you know what the video I'm talking about and the little kid is just looking around all loopy goes, is this real life? And sometimes in a very serious sense, I find myself asking that question. It's like, is this real? Is this really happening? Yes, but when you acknowledge reality allows you to move forward, randy Alcorn puts it this way, is that suffering and evil exert a force that either pushes you away from God or pulls you towards him. You know when you suffer or when you battle a bad boss or you're going through a circumstance that you're struggling, you understand that you live in a broken world, but you also have a chance to enter that broken world just as jesus entered our broken world when jesus saw our suffering and he saw the struggles that we had in everyday life, he didn't sit, sit back. Oh man, that was tough. Who? Yeah, no, he actually entered the mess, he came and so we see that this is reality, but this is also the reality of jesus secondly we can walk through these situations and circumstances and and humble ourselves. Well because this life is temporary. Has anybody almost missed a connecting flight? Yeah, where you land and of course it's never right next the gates never right next to where it's supposed to be. It's like you're in gate A and it's like, oh we're in gate Q and like you have to sprint through and you know anytime you see somebody sprinting through the airport, I would just stop and say you can do it encourage them because you know, it's stressful, right? Sometimes life can feel that way, like you're sprinting through the airport, everyone else's walking and you're like, does no one else feel this? AM I the only 1? Okay? But you also understand if that temporary stop, that layover was on your way to an exotic location like Fiji or if you don't like, you know tropical think mountains or whatever your place would go whatever your place of choice would be okay if you're longing to get to some place and you have a bad layover location, like maybe you walk in and it's you have to use the bathroom and you walk in and the airport bathroom, it's just disgusting. You don't go into the airport bathroom. Oh this is gross, I hate Fiji like wait, that's not connected. Exactly if anything, if you're, if you're in a layover airport and the bathrooms discussing, you're like oh I just need to get there and it makes you long for it more, doesn't it? Have you ever traveled? Like I just wish I could get there in the same way when you're walking through difficult circumstances in this earth, you are reminded that this is only temporary that this is not the destination. If you are a believer in jesus, this is actually the closest to hell you're ever going to get. So we should not be surprised by Brokenness in a broken world. The problem though is when you do not believe in jesus, this is the closest thing to heaven that you're gonna find and that's where it doesn't make sense because if you think earth is heaven as it is right now when stuff goes wrong, you're like wait a second, this was supposed to be fulfilling, that's why so many celebrities obtain everything all their hopes and dreams and then there's still longing because like wait, that didn't fulfill, like I thought it would. So walking through a difficult situation reminds us that this is reality, but life is also temporary. James describes it as a mist in chapter James 4 14. But third, this life is an opportunity. His life is an opportunity. Very first phrase of the verse we read is for God's sake. Now, usually when people are saying that it's somewhat in wien but peter's literally say no for God's sake, for his purpose. This is why you can walk through the situation and then he's saying for other sake, you can actually win people to christ that when you actually sustain your existence and your security and your faith, that others will be one to him. It's one thing for someone to prosper and have faith. It's another thing for somebody to walk through a difficult circumstance to have faith. And it's those stories that change people's lives and the last thing, it's it's it's for your sake, it's for your own purpose that Jesus himself by his wounds, we are healed and as he entered our broken situation, we then have an opportunity to enter other people's situation. One of the best things you can do as a christian is to step into a broken situation in somebody else's life and offer encouragement just as jesus did for us. I just want to end with this side, as the band is coming up on stage is that jesus is our example in submission and in suffering. It says in Philippians two that Jesus humbled himself to death to dine on across but it's through that submission, through that suffering that he faced, that you and I can be free Tony Evans puts it this way as we head into this election season, because you're like, well, yeah, but they should who should have power? This person should have power and whatever it is that we're gonna face? He said, Jesus did not come to take aside, Jesus came to take over, and I can tell you, there's gonna be so much fighting over this next year in this election season one side's gonna win, and it's a it's gonna be the will of God, and the other side's gonna lose and saying we're being oppressed and it doesn't matter which side you're on. The reality is is that as a church, were called to be unified and that faith works in every context for all times, and that Jesus didn't come to take a side. If he takes all the views of your political party, you might be worshiping the political party and not jesus. I'm not saying I'm not saying you don't stand for what you believe in, but understand that it's bigger than that and that there's an opportunity for us as christians to submit ourselves under institutions, to submit ourselves under employment, were called to walk humbly, to love others. The way that God has loved us and to endure suffering for his name's sake, because Jesus has and will take over if you let them. And so with heads bowed and eyes closed, I just want to ask you this question. Okay, have you actually submitted your own life to jesus? Have you ever actually taken that step? Cause you know what God, I can't do this on my own. You created the world, you saved us God. And so I'm going to humble myself. So God, I cannot do this on my strength. I submit to your will. God forgive my sins, come in to my life God so that your spirit can guide me to give me the strength to persevere and ultimately to overcome May I love people the way that you have loved us God. And as we pray, dear Heavenly father, if there's somebody in this room that wants to take that step and submit their lives to you. I pray that we can receive you as Lord and savior, God, I pray that we can find security in who you are. So we can endure that we can have a healthy attitude in the workplace and in family and in our relationships so that we can love and that we can serve and I'll allow your will to be done. God, you love us and you have offered forgiveness that is found in the cross and you promised eternity in heaven. But God, we need you right now in this moment, God, we need you in our battle over cancer, we need you in the battle of our marriages, we need you as we parent our Children. We need you in our relationships in this community, in our schools, in the politics and everything that we need God. We do not need another elected official. We need you as Lord and savior and as king in our lives. And so God, collectively as a church. We submit before you. And we do not just need another program. God. We need you as our person and as our Lord and our savior, you suffered. But you endured and you overcame death. And if you conquered death, God, there is nothing that we can not overcome. So the person that is struggling this morning, I pray that we will find hope because you paid it all on the cross and that you offer us living hope meaning right now in our battle for health and our finances and our relationships here in this community, our struggles, our doubts. God, you gave us hope for this very moment right now. And so it's in that moment. God, I pray that we can trust you. We love you. God, help us to endure. Help us to persist, help us to overcome and to love people the way that you have loved us. God. We give this day, we give this battle, We give our struggles up to you God, it's in your son's name. We pray amen