Live Differently

Pastor: Peter challenges Christians to live differently than the world around them with these instructions:  

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority,

People: for this is the will of God.

Pastor: Live as people who are free, as servants of God. 

People: Show respect to everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the government.

Pastor: Confident in God’s grace, let us confess the ways we have fallen short of His will for us. 

Silence for personal confession

Pastor: Heavenly Father, we have not been the people You call us to be.  Hear our confession:

People: Almighty God, all authority in heaven and on earth comes from You.  We confess that we have failed to serve, honor and obey all those whom You have placed in authority over us, just as we have failed to serve, honor and obey You. We have abused our freedom, using it as a license to pursue our own way at the expense of others. Forgive our self-serving attitudes of selfishness, pride, and rebellion.  Renew us, and lead us, so that we would walk in Your ways and bring glory to You. Amen.

Pastor: The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness.  By his wounds we have been healed. Be at peace, your sins are forgiven!

People: Amen. Thanks be to God!

Pastor: For Christ has set us free from sin and death 

People: that we might live to God’s glory and praise.