The Problem of Unworthy Authorities | Part 2

Authority and submission have a surprising connection. God has established authority everywhere, and God is behind all authority. So when you're submitting, you're not submitting to some human being, you're submitting really ultimately to Almighty God. And when you do that, God begins to invest in you kingdom authority. In the first passage, Pastor Rogers explained that submission is simply getting under the authority that God has established. Not for that authority's sake, but for God's sake. Being submissive does not demean us, it exalts us.

It makes us like Jesus Christ. How can we submit to godless government, bad bosses and mean mates? As you have your Bible, turn to 1 Peter chapter 2, we'll begin in verse 11 as Adrian Rogers gives further insight on the problem of unworthy authorities. How do you submit to an ungodly government, godless government? How do you submit to a bad boss? How do you submit to a mean mate? What if they ask us to do something wrong, ungodly?

What do we do? How can we live this principle of submission in a wicked, lascivious age? Good question.

Alright, now let's look at it. Let's just take the Word of God and look at it. Look at the very principle of submission. Again I remind you verse 13 says submit yourselves. Verse 18 says servants be subject.

Chapter 3 verse 1 says wives be in subjection. What is submission? Submission is one equal, one equal voluntarily placing himself under another equal that God may therefore be glorified. Submission is simply getting under the authority that God has established not for that authority's sake but for God himself's sake who established the authority. Verse 13, submit yourself to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. When you submit yourself to some governmental authority, you're not doing it for his sake. You're doing it for Jesus' sake and that makes a difference. You see, God has established authority everywhere and God is behind all authority.

So when you're submitting, you're not submitting to some human being. You're submitting really ultimately to Almighty God and when you do that, God begins to invest in you kingdom authority. Now, you want kingdom authority.

I do too. I want to live victoriously. I want power over the world, the flesh and the devil.

Come up close and I want to tell you something. Authority and submission are heads and tails of the same coin. Authority flows out of submission. That's a principle that we need to understand and being submissive does not demean you, it exalts you.

It makes you like the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that is the principle of submission. Now let's talk about some places of submission.

We've already mentioned them but Peter picks out three very hard places. Number one, he's talking about being submissive to a godless government. Now you say, well, when Peter wrote this, he didn't know who was in the White House. Let me tell you who was on the throne of Rome.

His name was Nero. Well, first of all, let's read verse 13. And submit yourself to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or unto governors as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free.

We're free and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God, honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Well, you say if they had a good king, I can understand that. Well, let me tell you who was the king. His name was Nero.

He was the first of the persecuting Caesars of Rome. That's the one. That's the one that Peter says, honor the king. Honor the king.

That's incredible. Well, why is this? Because verse 14 teaches us that authority is necessary.

C.S. Lewis said this about democracy. He said that he was in favor of democracy not because everybody is equally intelligent or equally qualified to have an equal say, but because everybody is equally sinful and we all need to keep an eye on each other.

That's why he said we're in favor of democracy. Well, whatever it is, whether it is a king or democracy, an oligarchy, whatever it is, there can be no civilization without government. We are to have a submissive spirit to the government. If there's one thing that we need in America today, it is to bring back the fear of Almighty God, for the Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and America has lost that. But then he says finally in our political life, not only in our social life, our church life, our spiritual life, but in our political life, we are to honor the king.

Whether that government is led by king or president, the principle is the same. Put in your margin 1 Timothy chapter 2, verses 1 through 3, I exhort therefore that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. And so we are to submit to godless government. Now, second thing, not only should we submit to a godless government, but to a bad boss. Look, if you will, in verses 18 and 19. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

For this is think worthy if a man for conscience toward God endured grief, suffering wrongfully. Now the word servant here literally means household slave. It's not talking about a domestic servant like we have today who is paid. But it's talking about a person who is a slave. These slaves were not inferior people. In that day a man would have a doctor slave to take care of him.

He would have a teacher slave to educate his children. But Aristotle, his philosophy had come to full flower and he said, Master and slave have nothing in common. A slave is a living tool just as a tool is an inanimate slave. Slaves were not treated as persons, they were treated as things. And yet Peter says, slaves, be in submission to your master as unto the Lord. You say, well now wait a minute, shouldn't we be against slavery with all of our heart? And what Peter taught here brought slavery crashing down. He was speaking of reality. We're going to say more about that later on.

They found themselves in a situation over which they had no control. But he said, now guard your spirit. Have a submissive spirit. Maybe some of you today are not a slave in that sense, but you work for what you call a slave driver.

Let me tell you something. There is no better place for you to demonstrate the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ if you have an unfair or an ungodly boss. Any pagan can gripe and rebel when things are wrong.

But notice what he says in verse 19. For this is think worthy if a man for conscience toward God endured grief, suffering wrongfully. Now he mentions a third case of an unworthy authority. How do you react toward unworthy authorities? Godless government.

Bad bosses. Mean mates. Look in chapter 3, verse 1, likewise ye wives. Be in subjection to your own husbands that if any obey not the word. This is not talking about a Christian husband. It's talking about an ungodly husband who will not obey the word of God. They may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.

That is, while they behold your chaste or pure behavior joined or coupled with fear. Whose adorning, let it not be the outward adorning of the plaiting of the hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of apparel. Now, ladies, he's not saying it's wrong to fix your hair or to wear gold. If it is, it's wrong for you to wear clothes.

He's not saying that. He's saying that is not your adornment. But let it be the hidden man of the heart and that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and a quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price. This is so contrary to the wisdom of this world that a wife is to be submissive even to an ungodly husband. But the Bible teaches that a home cannot function without the head. Is a man and a woman, are they co-equal?

Of course. She is not inferior to him. Submission is one equal, placing himself or herself voluntarily under another equal, that God thereby may be glorified. Galatians 3 verse 28 says, There's neither Jew nor Greek, neither is there bond nor free, neither is there male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

That is settled. But God teaches authority. And what should a wife do if she has an ungodly, unworthy husband? She's not to lecture him, according to the Scripture. She's not to leave him. She is to love him. Mrs. Billy Graham said, It is your job to love your husband.

It is God's job to make him good. Now let's move on quickly. We've talked about the principle of submission. That is that we will never be over those things that God has put under us until we get under those things that God has put over us. We've talked about the places of submission. And Peter mentions three of them, the government, the job, and the home. Now let's talk about the problems of submission.

Because there's some real problems. Suppose you work for a man and he asks you to do something dishonest. He asks you to cook the books, to juggle things, to steal for him, and you try to be in submission. Suppose you are in a government and the government enforces upon you an unjust law and asks you to do something that is contrary to the will of God.

Suppose the government were to tell me that I could not preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let me say this and I want you to listen carefully. Submission is not always the same as obedience. Submission is not always the same as obedience. Your ultimate loyalty belongs to God. Your ultimate loyalty belongs to God. You're to render unto Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and unto God the things that belong to God, but never give to Caesar the things that belong to God. Never give to Caesar the things that belong to God. Let me give you an illustration of that. The apostles were preaching the Lord Jesus Christ and the high mucky mucks, the magistrates, said, Be quiet!

You're upsetting the status quo. Don't preach anymore. Put this verse down in your margin, Acts chapter 5 verses 28 and 29. They caught them there and they told them not to preach and I'm beginning in verse 28 saying, Did not we strictly command you that ye should not teach in this name? And behold, you filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Do you have that? We ought to obey God rather than men. Now, for their disobedience, they were thrown into jail. They submitted as far as they could, and as far as I can tell, they did not resist when they were thrown into jail.

But they did not stop preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. All human authority is limited. There are some commands that are qualified and there are some commands that are not qualified.

Let me give you an example of a command that is qualified. Now, the Bible says we're to live in peace, but Romans 12 verse 18 says, If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Now, the reason that sometimes it's impossible is we can't control other men. And so we must be submissive if possible, as much as lieth in us. But if there comes a time when somebody commands us to do something that is antithetical to the Word of God, the truth of God, then we obey God rather than men. You see, the greatest principle is that of obedience to God, and it always takes priority over the lesser principle of obedience to men. You can find examples of this all in the Bible. I was just thinking of something that jumped in my mind there when they cut off the head of John the Baptist for preaching the gospel and brought John the Baptist's head in there on a platter.

Remember that? I believe that mouth was still preaching. Repent, repent. Listen, folks, if they told me not to preach anymore, I'm just going to keep on preaching. They may take off my head, but I'm going to keep on preaching because God has told me to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if that's disobedience, so be it.

So be it. You find this in the Pharaoh. In Moses' day, he said, all the little boy babies are to be killed. Well, the godly midwives would not kill the little boy babies.

That was disobedience. And if you work in a hospital and they're performing an abortion, you just say, I'm out of here. I'm out of here. I am not going to participate in the killing of a baby. Fire me if you will. If it ever gets to be a law, arrest me if you will. But I am not going to do it.

If you're a medical doctor here in a hospital, just say, no, count me out. I am not going to do it. Now, it was the law in Herod's day, but they did not do it. They told Daniel, Daniel, you cannot pray. But Daniel prayed. Daniel prayed. Now, we must have a spirit of submission.

But my friend, let me tell you this. Submission is not always obedience. There was a pastor in Hitler's day, Martin Neimoller. And Martin Neimoller saw what Hitler was doing and they tried to shut him up and they said, you can't preach this anymore. Hitler doesn't like it. And Martin Neimoller said, God is my Fuhrer. God is my Fuhrer.

They put him in a concentration camp. All human authority is limited. We render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. We render unto God the things that are God's, but we will not render unto Caesar the things that are God's. Government is here to restrain evil. And God's plan is a free church in a free state and when the government does what it alone can do, that is restrain evil, the church is free to do what she alone can do and that is to preach the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. There are problems with submission, but we need to understand that we must obey God.

What if a wife has a husband who is physically abusing her? And the Bible says, be in submission. The Bible says also, if it be possible as much as lieth in, you live peaceably with all men.

If I had a daughter who was physically abused and battered, I'd get her out of that situation. I wouldn't say, well, now the Bible says, submit. Yes, she is to have a submissive spirit, but there is a time when there is a higher law that takes precedent. And so remember that our ultimate allegiance is to Almighty God. A man was praying for a politician. A politician said, oh, I'm so glad you've learned to pray for those who are in authority. He said, that wasn't the verse I had in mind.

I was praying for those who persecute you. Now, folks, listen, I've talked to you about the principle. I have talked to you about the places. I've talked to you about the problems. Let me talk to you about the price of submission.

You think this is easy? This is the hardest thing we're asked to do. Look, if you will, in verse 19 and through 21. He says, for this is think worthy, if a man for conscience toward God endured grief, suffering wrongfully, for what glory is it if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye take it patiently? But if ye, when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. That is, he appealed to the supreme court of the universe, and the word means he just handed himself over to God. He had undeserved suffering, unretaliating suffering, unfrustrated suffering, because he was counting on God to even the score.

Well, you say, pastor, that doesn't sound fair. Well, let's look at verse 24, speaking of Jesus, who his own self bare our sins and his own body on the tree that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness. That is, he bore our sins, he took our sins.

Think of a doctor who makes himself sick in order to make the patient well, and then turns around and pays the hospital bill. That's King Jesus. Now, that wasn't fair, but thank God he did it, amen? And he left us an example that we should follow in his steps. And because of that, God had highly exalted him and given him a name that is above every name. And I'm telling you, folks, God will do the same thing for us when we begin to obey Almighty God. You see, it was the spirit of these early Christians that brought the Roman Empire crashing down, because God gave them kingdom authority, and they turned that world upside down, because they learned the strength of submission. They did not give in to evil. They overcame evil. Submission does not embolden tyranny.

It destroys it. They were just honeycombing that entire Roman Empire, that mountain of evil with gospel dynamite, and it brought the whole thing crashing down. God gives authority to those who understand submission. We will never be over those things that God has put under us until we get under those things that God has put over us, the lordship of Christ, the Word of God, those institutions that God has put in place. They were killing the Christians up in the Colosseum.

It would seat 50,000 people. I've stood there many times. Underneath the ground in the catacombs were the Christians worshiping God and praying to God. Up here, Caesar was Lord. Down here, Jesus was Lord. But Caesar's gone, friend, and Jesus is still Lord.

He's King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We have victory in Jesus. Hallelujah. Let's pray together. Father God, seal the message to our hearts, and help us, O God, help us to be men and women of God.

Thank you, Lord, that you give to us kingdom authority. And today, if you have questions regarding your faith in Jesus Christ, we'd love to offer you an insightful resource. It's at our website, and it's called our Discover Jesus page. There you'll find answers you may need about your faith.

There's a response section as well. You can share how this message or others have made a difference in your life. Go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus.

Let us hear from you today. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message, you can call us at 1-877-LOVEGOD and mention the title, The Problem of Unworthy Authorities. This message is also part of the insightful series, The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority, where the complete collection, all nine powerful messages, call that number 1-877-LOVEGOD or go online to order at lwf.org slash radio.

Or you can write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Do you have a spirit of submission? Remember, we will never be over those things that God has put under us until we get under those things that God has put over us. Submit to the Lordship of Christ, the Word of God, and the institutions God has put in place. And join us next time for more from Adrienne Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding. A listener wrote not long ago with a powerful testimony. She said, Dr. Rogers' messages are simple enough for the new person in Christ, and yet there is enough for those who are further along in their spiritual growth.

Anyone would be blessed by listening to him. We are honored to share these profound yet practical messages and resources to help you grow in your spiritual walk. That's why when you donate to the ministry this month, we want to send you the book, The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority. The Bible reveals that kingdom authority is the most awesome power of all. It is the power unleashed when God raised Jesus from the dead 2,000 years ago. It's available to every believer every day. But what exactly is kingdom authority? What is its source? Request this remarkable book when you call with a gift at 1-877-LOVEGOD. And thank you for your generous support of love worth finding.