Oct. 05, 2025

Pastor Dave's sermon begins at 26:40 min into the video. The music "Our God", "Holy Forever", "How Great Is Our God" , "His Mercy Is More",  "Behold Our God", "I Exalt Thee", and "The Blessing" are licensed under CCLI Copyright #2723035 and Streaming Media #22024223 licenses.

Living in Harmony Part 1: ”In Society”

Pastor Dave opened with 1 Peter 2:13-17, focusing on what it means to live in submission to authority. His central theme was clear: "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake." He acknowledged upfront that this topic can be challenging, especially for independent-minded people, but framed it beautifully through the lens of harmony rather than oppression.

The Orchestra Illustration - Pastor Dave used an thought-provoking orchestra analogy to help us understand biblical submission. He painted a picture of 70-100 musicians, each playing their unique part under a conductor's direction. As he put it, "When you see all of that put together and each one doing their part in order, isn't it beautiful and harmonious?" He explained how God is like the composer, the Holy Spirit the conductor, and each of us has a specific part to play in His symphony. The beauty comes not from everyone doing the same thing, but from everyone doing their part in proper order.

Pastor Dave then contrasted this with chaos—imagine a drummer going on a five-minute solo in the middle of a symphony, or a one-man band trying to play everything at once. "It may be entertaining for one or two songs, but it is no symphony," he noted with humor.

God's Sovereignty as the Foundation - Pastor Dave dove into the theological foundation: God's sovereignty over all authority. He reminded us that God establishes authority at every level—even authorities we don't like. Drawing from passages like Daniel 4 and John 19, he emphasized that Jesus told Pilate, "You could have no authority over me unless it had been given to you from above."

He addressed legitimate exceptions to submission—when authority prohibits biblical obedience or commands us to violate Scripture. The examples of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego illustrated this principle, though Pastor Dave warned that legitimate disobedience often comes with consequences.

Personal Challenge and Modern Applications - Pastor Dave got personal, admitting how easily he can get disturbed by others not behaving properly while living in disobedience to areas God has commanded him. "Have you ever been living in disobedience to something you know God wants you to do while you're casting stones at those who may be exercising authority over you?" The auditorium grew quiet as many nodded in recognition.

He updated the biblical language for our context: presidents instead of kings, governors, police, principals, teachers, pastors, parents—all representing different spheres of authority in our lives. Pastor Dave emphasized that our resistance often stems from dissatisfaction with where God has placed us, not necessarily with the authority figure themselves.

Three Reasons for Submission - Pastor Dave outlined three clear reasons for biblical submission. First, it's God's will—plain and simple. Second, it silences critics by demonstrating the good conduct of believers. Third, it represents true freedom in Christ, though not freedom to use liberty as a cover for sin.

The message concluded with four commands from verse 17: honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, and honor the king. Pastor Dave challenged us that honoring "all people" means everyone—even those who rub us the wrong way—because they're image-bearers of God.

Pastor Dave wrapped up by asking two reflection questions: "What is God saying to me by His word and Holy Spirit? And how am I going to respond to that?" These question left us thinking deeply about our own areas of resistance to God's ordained structure and challenged us to find our proper place in His beautiful symphony of life.