0:14
We're looking at 1 Peter chapter 2 18- 20 this morning. I'm going to read those and I've taken the liberty to do a re-ransation of a couple of the
0:25
words from the Greek. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear. Not only to those who are good and
0:36
gentle, but also to those who are crooked. For this finds favor, if for the sake of consciousness of God, a man bears up
0:48
under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what
1:00
is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. Let us pray.
1:11
Our father, again, we do ask that you would build your church by the the reading and preaching of your word, by the power of your holy spirit, that we might walk
1:23
again, as the scripture says, in a manner that is worthy of our calling, of being Christ ones, and to his honor and glory. We ask that we would walk in his
1:36
name we pray. Amen. Peter addresses servants or some of your translations may say slaves,
1:50
but as we talked about some last week, this is household servants or domestics, those who served in the households of
2:03
the Greco Roman world in which Peter and his readers lived. Matthew Henry in his commentary
2:13
uh writes what he calls the general rule of Christian conversation. The the conversation of the old word for how we conduct ourselves, the course of
2:26
action or habits, the manner in which we conduct ourselves in the word in the world, sorry. world, sorry. And he says that ought to involve
2:41
conscientiousness discharging all relative duties. The charges against Christians at this time in the world
2:52
was that Christians were not only reputed as innovators, one historian wrote, but disturbers of the state.
3:03
And so the general exhortations to good conduct that we see from Peter go go right through this section in chapter two. In verse 13 there is the
3:15
exhortation submit yourselves to the for the Lord's sake to every human institution. Um I miss one up above in
3:27
um verse 11 of chapter 2 to abstain from fleshly lust. And down in verse 16, act as free men. These are actions. These are things that we as believers ought to
3:40
do as our conversation in this world, as our conducting ourselves rightly in this world.
3:51
They were free, but they were not free from duty and obedience to God. They were to submit to the authorities as we saw in verse 13. And here they
4:06
were to submit to masters. So he seems to be saying to them, you you are free spiritually from sin and from the power of Satan,
4:17
but do not make your freedom, as he says in verse 16, that cloak or that covering for any kind of wickedness.
4:28
and do not neglect any duty towards God because you are a bondslave of God. And all believers are to think of
4:39
themselves that way. And again trying to to take these verses written to people in the early first century
4:50
and how it applied in their situation. I believe that as we of 21st Christians ought to consider ourselves slaves to
5:03
God, loyal and obedient slaves. Not only results to obedience to God, but obedience to our masters, perhaps
5:14
our bosses or your parents. And in that way we exemplify the role for Christians in the community. We have
5:25
a good conversation in the community. So here Peter addresses these household servants, these uh domestics
5:37
because the culture emphasizes as we said last week the the relationships in the household. If things in the household are going well and prospering,
5:49
then the state will go well and prosper. And so he addresses these lowest of the low, these domestics, these household
6:03
servants. But but who were they? Who did who is he speaking to? Some became slaves because they were captured in war. They were prisoners.
6:16
Some were kidnapped and forced into labor and some were born into a slave household. And in that day, if you were a person
6:29
born to slave parents, you were not part or owned by your parents. You did not belong to them. you belonged to the
6:43
master of the household. Other slaves were actually hired workers. Some were bought in the slave markets.
6:54
Others served as actually contract apprentices in the house and some served and I didn't realize
7:05
this and I had to do that culture adjustment. Some served as doctors, teachers, managers of the household, musicians or artisans in the
7:19
household. And some slaves actually owned other slaves. And some slaves actually had more education than their masters.
7:31
But in that day, and I think you could say it's a general definition of slavery, they had no independent existence.
7:42
They were under control of their masters. It's interesting that the Greek word for masters used by Peter here is despotize.
7:53
where we get the word desperate. But we understand that ancient slavery was no more humane than modern slavery.
8:07
Slaves had no legal rights. They could be abused physically and sexually. and sexually. They could be branded.
8:30
And the legal part of it was that slaves were not persons. Some of the phrases used at that time in the Greek philosophy writings of slaves
8:40
were a living possession, a talking tool, property with a soul.
8:55
But some Christians imagine that their liberty in Christ set them free from unbelieving and cruel masters. But Peter does not allow them to use
9:06
their freedom to rebel against their masters. Even though they might be treated harshly treated harshly and even though harsh treatment was socially acceptable at the time,
9:19
they must bear up under it. It is true that some of the philosophers wrote about wrote about changing the system that it was too much
9:32
over the top. The stoic philosopher Senica criticized the acceptance of what he called quote excessively hotty cruel insulting behavior toward the slaves.
9:51
But history teaches us that some of the calls for humane treatment were and the words of one author were articulated to strengthen the institution not to abolish it.
10:04
If you treat your slaves better, then you can keep on having slaves.
10:16
But Peter was subversive. was subversive. In verse 18, he gives the charge on the subject of servant and master.
10:27
And in 19 and 20, he's going to give the reasons behind that. and reasons really with his readers and us about it.
10:39
But why? because it seems so unreasonable even to our modern ears,
10:53
especially to those of us who are free in Christ to hear Peter say, "Domestics, be submissive to your masters in all
11:04
fear. Not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are
11:19
Peter orders them. It's an imperative, be submissive to your masters, whatever their character might be. Do your work faithfully. Do your work
11:30
honestly, even perhaps with reverence. even with perhaps some affection, even submitting patiently to hardships
11:41
and inconveniences. and inconveniences. As he says, not only to those who are good and gentle. The good and gentle would be the kind.
11:51
You you would like a gentle master, would you not? One who was indulgent toward your mistakes. One who was considerate and and yielding. who who would be as as Paul
12:04
says, be subject to one another, who would be receptive of ideas
12:16
and one who did not exact all of which justice might demand in your particular Those, he says, submit with all fear.
12:29
But also he says to those who are unreasonable is the new American standard. The the word is scolios which we get the word scoliosis which is a
12:41
curvature of the spine. He's talking about crooked people, the cruel, the unreasonable, the ones who were perverse and harsh.
12:54
And it speaks of a moral bankruptcy in these masters.
13:07
So what is Peter getting at here? Again, it's a it's a hard message, but sin on the part of the master can never justify sin on the part of the
13:24
Andrew Faucett, who was an Irish Anglican preacher, wrote, "Those bound to obey must not make the disposition and behavior of the superior the measure of the fulfillment of their obligations.
13:42
We can escalate matters when we have a an angry boss or someone who who treats us harshly or in in the case that I encountered quite often in in industry just a supervisor a boss who who was
14:02
we escalate the matter if we return anger for anger or harsh words for harsh words or again profanity for profanity.
14:13
We must obey if we can. Doing so humbly and bearing the And the Greek, and I don't mean to be so
14:26
heavy into nuts and bolts of the Greek this morning, but it it's what's called the middle voice. It it it turns it to ourselves. We act on ourselves. Peter
14:37
says, "Be being submissive to your masters." We tell ourselves to submit. We we do it voluntarily.
14:56
Daniel Doriani in his commentary writes somewhat about vocations in the 21st century in relation to our view of work. And he says the root of discontent
15:07
with people meaning the our masters, our bosses, supervisors bosses, supervisors is a concept of work that is grounded in our culture,
15:18
our culture, not in scripture. We come usually many of us out out of college and you think I'm going into this job. I'm I'm
15:30
I'm gonna grow intellectually. I I'm going to discover who I am and what I'm I'm good at. I'm gonna make a difference. I'm gonna do some things
15:41
that will fulfill me and make me stand out. But we may be stuck in a workplace in an
15:52
environment with those around us, our supervisors, bosses supervisors, bosses who are harsh, who come with a baggage of flaws,
16:06
who are the right words of one writer, totally bombastic. totally bombastic. And Peter And Peter echoes, I think, words from Paul from
16:17
Colossians 3. Whatever you do, Paul says, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men.
16:34
The modern workplace can be a grind. It can be grunt work. It can be days where you think these people are impossible.
16:46
are impossible. And yet And yet we ought to remember Peter's words are something that we should react to voluntarily. Be submissive to your
17:15
suffering unjust punishment and continuing to do your duty toward those in authority. This is acceptable to God, he says, and
17:26
God will reward you. We must learn to live conscientiously in the situation in which we find ourselves
17:37
and glorify God in it. And you will find, I think it's true, as one writer says, that most conscientious people are often the most to suffer.
17:51
If you raise a conscientious objection to how your business is run or the office is run or what the boss wants to
18:03
do, you'll find you'll find that you will be ostracized sometimes. But Peter says, "Don't leave any room for the masters to
18:14
revile the name of Jesus Christ because of you." of you." As Faucet writes, "A course out of the
18:25
common is what Peter demands and especially praiseworthy in the eyes of God." That's one possible course of action.
18:37
The other he names is suffering because you have sinned and you receive harsh treatment for it, then you should not expect any reward. You have no grounds
18:49
for commendation at all. You don't deserve it. deserve it. Christians who suffer because they neglect their duties
18:59
or you're rude to those in charge or you're insubordinate and refuse. You will not please God or receive the praise of your bosses.
19:17
Peter's point, believers cannot opt out of obeying their masters even if the masters are wicked. However, Christians should resist
19:28
participating in evil. He doesn't condone evil. He doesn't say this is just what you have to accept. He
19:43
you do not need to follow your master in evil conduct. But you ought to know, as many before us have done, the consequences of disobeying
19:54
and resisting to do something that is wicked or evil could be very severe.
20:09
language, the language in verse 18 where he says, "Be submissive to your masters with all respect."
20:20
Again, the word is fobbas. It's fear. In all fear, all fear, be subject to your masters. It's qualified by that phrase in all fear.
20:30
And some take this as as fear of their despotic masters. despotic masters. But that fear and goes back to the writings of Aristotle. He says there there are two kinds of fear here. And
20:43
that kind of fear is fear associated with a a hostility. There's there's kind of that that inner burning that ulceratic burning in your
20:55
your heart when you face those types of things. It's a fear of host that associated with hostility and hatred. But here that's that's not what Peter
21:06
has in mind here. The object of fear is God. It's a feeling of reverence and modesty, but it's also that which the scriptures
21:18
call with awe and obedience. Their obedience is based on their relationship with God. Slavery was a
21:28
human institution. human institution. It was never instituted by God. But the way to live with that in that
21:39
and deal with that is to understand that our first loyalty and our first hope is in God. Ultimately,
22:00
But why should submission be practiced? Why should we not just rebel and criticize and try to point out the issues? Peter is focused on a future reward.
22:14
This submission brings favor. Literally the word carus or grace translated favor with God.
22:31
The principle is that God rewards those who suffer unjustly, enduring pain while suffering unfairly. The suffering be comes many times
22:43
because of their faith in Christ, because of your relationship with God. And so the slaves are commended if they suffer pain because of that relationship
22:56
to God, which may cause them to resist the master's desire to do wrong or participate in sin.
23:06
And so some ask, well, okay, but when when is it time to rebel? Calvin wrote that if we must stand
23:16
against corruption, against corruption, let it not be as individuals, but through the authority structure that God has appointed to deal with these
23:26
things, to restrain the wrongdoing, as we've already learned in chapter 2, and to reward those who do good.
23:38
turning to the courts, the magistrates, the officials. But Peter adds this, qualifying this
23:50
qualifying this in all fear with verse 19, for this finds favor if for the sake, and it reads in the New American Standard, for the sake of
24:01
conscience toward God. I believe a better translation is for the sake of consciousness of God.
24:11
The reward is future inheritance. That's in 1 Peter 1:4. An inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled. It
24:22
will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. That's what's in view here. But the action, the action of the servant, the action of the servant of
24:35
Christ is an enlightened consciousness that judges your actions in connection with God. with God. Peter states the the positive in verse
24:47
19. This finds favor. If a person bears the grief because he is following the consciousness of God's
24:58
will, he finds favor with God. But the negative is instead of keeping conscious of God, of God, in other words, understanding
25:23
He does not give his best to his master. And Peter says, "And he gets cuffed for it. He gets punished for it."
25:36
What kind of reputation are you portraying in reference to the God that you claim to follow?
25:47
to follow? How is God glorified by this kind of behavior?
25:58
The structure of the if clauses in 19 and 20 is for our brother here kayastic. It has the for this finds favor if for
26:11
the sake of consciousness of God and it ends with if you patiently endure it in verse 20 this finds favor with God.
26:22
But the emphasis in this section is not on the punishment. It's not on the endurance. It's on the conscience.
26:40
Our choice lies between resentment, lying against what my conscience tells me of God's will, or doing good for my master or boss, and possibly suffering anyway.
26:51
But I continue in God's favor. Your boss may not ever show you any favor favor. In fact, you may only
27:14
or even spiritually. But God will show you favor if you keep a true consciousness of him and do good work with a right spirit regardless of how
27:26
you are treated. And again, notice that that Peter nor any of the other New Testament writers protests against the social structures
27:37
of the day such as we see here as Some people call Peter's approach to this um and I'll give you the long-
27:49
winded version. Someone wrote an example of differentiated acceptance and rejection of surrounding culture. I like the a different phrase selective
28:04
acculturation. Peter is not condoning slavery but what he is he is most concerned about is our behavior in this world. Our behavior as believers.
28:22
And he doesn't leave us hanging there. So how do I do this? What does he really mean? Because the summons is coming in verses 21- 25 to follow the Messiah.
28:35
the true model of how we ought to live a dignified life of freedom in a world that's hostile to God,
28:46
hostile to his son, and yes, hostile to those who follow the son.
28:59
The writer Karen Job in her commentary writes, "This dignity flows from the inner strength and freedom to respond to circumstances in a way that glorifies God. The consciousness of God, the
29:13
consciousness of his will, the consciousness of knowing how his only
29:28
faced all of these things that we face and yet glorified the father. Let us pray as Peter writes that we would become people who follow in his
29:40
steps. Let us pray. Our father, we thank you for the word. We thank you for the writings of Peter and his love for the brethren and love
29:54
even of those who would come after him. That we would walk in a manner that pleases you. in a manner that shows our
30:07
belief, our faith is not vain and it's not in vain, but that we follow a master who loves us, who instructs us, who disciplines us
30:20
for our good and for the good of those around us and for your glory. We pray again that we would walk in a manner
30:31
that truly pleases you. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Would you please rise for the
30:46
this from our opening psalm in Psalm 121. The Lord will protect you from all evil. He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and
30:59
your coming in from this time forth and forever. Amen.
