1 Peter series – “Holding onto Hope in a Hostile World”

1 Peter 2:18-25

¹⁸ You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect.^[a] Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. ¹⁹ For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. ²⁰ Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. ²¹ For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered^[b] for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. ²² He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. ²³ He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. ²⁴ He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. ²⁵ Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

As we continue with our responsibilities we need to remember that these flow out of resting in the Redeemer, and remembering our riches. When it comes to submission we will never be successful if we are not resting in Him and returning regularly to our riches. After calling us to submit to governing authorities Peter now talks about submission and our superiors, and what it looks like to walking out His Will at work. Again this passage may not be a very popular one, but it is a very pertinent one, considering most of our awake adult life is lived out at work

1. Position of a Servant – Vs 18-20

The vast majority of businesses in NT times were family operated and if you didn’t have your own small business or farm you worked for someone else as a servant, often as part of their extended household. The word slave meant holding a position of service. So with respect to your boss, we’re called to serve with a submissive heart. This is more than just conforming on the outside as we grumble on the inside. Obedience involves more than just a head nod it’s a heart kneeling. We’re called to obey on the inside and the outside. Christians should not only be the best citizens but also the best employees. But we will only be able to serve if we see God as our ultimate boss. The problem is that we have made work about our worth instead of God’s Will. Many of us are trying to gain self-worth from our jobs instead of from Jesus. Many of us are use money to measure up, but it’s not our cash that makes us kings it’s the cross. Are you resting in your riches or His? When we try to use work to gain our worth we stop serving because service would short circuit our success. But when we see work as a way to live out His Will we not only find God’s favor but we find freedom. The freedom to not have to measure up to man, freedom to live for the Father. Freedom to live for something more than temporary treasure and trinkets that will tarnish. Are you tired of participating in this performance drive culture, tired of trying to keep up and measure up? You don’t have to be trapped, you can make God your boss, and instead of chasing a buck you can be a blessing. When we submit to serve in order to honor God, we receive His reward. We gain God’s favor, unfortunately today prosperity preachers have equated God’s favor with wealth, health, and happiness. But God’s favor is extended even when we are sick, suffering and sad. Are you seeking man’s approval or the masters? One of the best ways to not lose focus in the workplace is to remember that we are working for the Father. You can’t have joy in your job apart from Jesus. Most of us today have made the almighty buck our boss instead of the Almighty. Are you working for the money or the Master? First we need to recognize who we work for and second we need to see that we can serve God wherever we are. Probably a large majority of those who read Peters letter were slaves and were probably looking at Christianity as a way to escape from slavery. But it is really interesting that Peter doesn’t call them to try and escape their circumstances, he calls them to cling to Christ. Peter points out a powerful truth, that we don’t have to put our energy into escaping, we can serve Jesus right where they are. Today there are many Christians who are spend their energy trying to change their circumstances, but what if God is using those circumstances to change us? As Americans we may see ourselves as tough but you know what the majority of us do when we are confronted with challenges at work, we change jobs. Peter is telling us that it’s not our circumstances that need changed its us. One of the best Biblical examples of living our God’s Will at work in the midst of challenging circumstances is found in the life of Daniel. He served under a number of ungodly kings, but he never tried to escape those circumstances. Instead, he committed to serving God right where he was. So it’s really not surprising to see how Darius addresses Daniel the morning after he was thrown into the lion’s den: When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel 6:20 (NIV). Isn’t it amazing that even the pagan king Darius recognized that Daniel had been serving God all along. Because Daniel understood who his boss was he stayed true and his life was a testimony to God. You think your job has challenges, Daniels came with dinner at the lion’s den. We may not get to pick the battles but we do get to pick our boss. And when the battle begins you better hope that your boss is the Lord of the lions and not the looser. Christianity doesn’t offer us an escape from our circumstances; it offers us conquest over our circumstances. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Labor shows that between the ages of 18 and 38 people change jobs and average of 10 times. Now there are certainly some good reasons for us to change jobs, but in general there is little evidence that changing jobs actually improves one’s job satisfaction. As followers of Jesus, I’m convinced that we need to really seriously consider whether we really ought to change our jobs or whether we just need to learn to serve God right where we are right now.