October 21, 2007
Scripture:
Let’s read one more verse in John 17; we started with those words,
“Draw near to me”; and the last verse of hymn 40 was about eternity.
Here we get some of that in v. 24: “Father, I will that they also, whom
thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my
glory, which thou hast given me.” Here we see the Lord’s desire. That
day will come when we will see Him face to face and give Him glory and
praise. These times right now can be a foretaste of home.
EG Hymn 367 – When He cometh, when He cometh,
Prayer
Last time we talked about Rahab; today, I’d like to begin talking about another woman: Esther. Let’s have a little quiz: who was the king in this story? Who was the bad guy? Who was Esther’s uncle? You already know a lot about this story, so why should we look at it again? I think we will be able to learn some lessons from it. Let’s read chapter 1. I want to focus our discussion on Vashti the queen. She had a disobedient and independent spirit. This was a serious thing, because wives are supposed to obey their husbands—how do I know that? Read Ephesians 5:22 & 23. These verses tell us that a wife should submit to her husband “as unto the Lord.” That means that if he asks her to do something wrong, she doesn’t have to obey. There is a distinct relationship between a husband and wife. It is the same thing with the Lord and the church; He is the church’s head. When my body does not do what my head tells it to, I have a problem. As Christians, we should do what our Head, the Lord, tells us to do. A wife should submit, but a husband needs to treat her as the Lord treats us; He gave His life for us. If he does this, it will be easier for the wife to submit. Vashti is a good example of what not to be like; as Christians we need to obey and honour the Lord. This is important because maybe one day some of you will get married and it will make your relationship better if you follow these principles. But also remember not to consider someone who is not a Christian; they will have a different way of thinking that will not make life easy. Vashti teaches us what not to do.
I Peter 2:13 – 18
What we see in Peter is somewhat of a continuation to what we were hearing about Vashti. It is important to recognize that a number of relationships are brought out in the Word of God. We could make two columns—Authority and Submission—and put one person from each relationship into each column. We had the husband and wife; there is also the parent/child relationship. Here we have the king and his subjects. For us that would be the different levels of government, each of whom has authority in his or her prescribed areas. We are required to submit to these authorities, although when they step out of their bounds, it poses a problem. There is also the relationship of Christ and Christians. Soon we will see the master and servant in our chapter. Today, that would be the employer and employee. With all these relationships, most of us find ourselves in either position at one time or another. And all these relationships are in levels. Even the Prime Minister—or any other top leader—will have to submit to a Higher Authority. For example, Hitler thought he was the highest authority there was during World War 2, but in reality he will have to account to God. Authority is like an onion; the top layer is the Highest Authority. When you peel it off, you find the one in the role of submission is also an authority, and so on. It is not always easy to submit, especially when the authorities are not right. But you will find that a popular indoor sport is criticizing the government. Submission would realize that “the powers that be are ordained of God.” They are there for a reason and we must submit … even to someone like Hitler. This is not always easy, but it is right. Read Romans 13:1 – 3. When there is no authority, there will be anarchy. If the authority is right, it will set laws and be a terror to evil, and not to good. The government is there to maintain peace, to punish evil and to praise good (v.15).
As we talk about government, it is important to say that it is not our place to be in the government. Many say that it is our duty as Christians; you can’t find that in the Bible. We are not of this world. We can pray for the government, and are exhorted to do so. We can be thankful that we have a reasonably good situation in our country; we don’t agree with them when they start stamping out Christianity, but we always pray for them.
Now we come to verse 16, which reminds us that even though we are free, we can’t run riot without the law. The fact that we are not of the world does not mean we should not follow the ordinances of men. The Lord Himself paid taxes when here; He said we should, *“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s.” *
Although we are set free, this verse mentions slaves; hopefully, we will be love-slaves to the One who, although free, took upon Himself the form of a servant.
EG Hymn 201 –When we walk with the Lord
Prayer