Read 1 Peter 2:18-25

Idea:
Peter encourages slaves to submit to their masters, even when they are unjust, because they are called to be conscious of God, following in the suffering of Christ.

Purpose:
To encourage Christians in the workplace and in the world to receive unjust suffering in submission being conscious of God.

Introduction:
Are you a slave to your boss? Many of us feel that way. Our entire life can be summed up in following orders, keeping up with schedules, balancing the ledgers, and trying to keep the peace in an office that breeds contempt. Its all we can do to keep up with the demands as we slip into our desks first thing Monday morning. Often we try to get in a little early, earlier that is than the boss, so hopefully he will recognize how diligent and preoccupied we are. That way, when he is on the lookout to unload his usual dose of cheer it won’t fall on us, or will it?

(Enter into a first person narrative) You see, I never can tell what mood she will be in. One minute, we are good friends, we talk about our weekend plans and the kids at school. But then the next minute, she doesn’t seem to recognize who I am. I have always worked hard for the company and given her the respect she deserves. No, it can be difficult working for a person like that.

(Enter into a second first person narrative) Its hard to tell how he will react. And honestly I don’t like to be around to find out. I am constantly on the lookout when he enters the room. I know it's childish, I take every chance to avoid him. That way I won’t see him face to face and can avoid any confrontation. You would understand if you worked for him.

In the business world where Christians are few and far between and Christian values, ha, Christian values seem the outcast, its difficult to toe the line. Its difficult doing what is right, when often times what is right can almost seem wrong. There can be little room for Christ, and all that we can introduce is squeezed right out. Thus, the question seems to ring in our heads, am I a slave to my boss?

(The answer to that question is hidden in how we understand the word slave.)

I. As Christians and employees in the world, we should be willing to endure unjust suffering.

In the work place it might be defined as someone who is controlled by the environment or management of his or her company. Someone who is locked into feeling like a product rather than a person, where what they do is more important than who they are. Instead of being recognized for a job well done and ahead of schedule, you are greeted with another project and the expectation that it should be finished in the same manner. It can be frustrating, when you work hard and give all you can, but leave at the end of the day defeated and downcast. Your relationship to your boss sees little improvement from week to week, and any conversation about it results in a higher degree of tension.

As we turn to our text in 1 Peter chapter 2, we will see that the problems we face today in the workplace and in the world were common to Christians in the first century. Though 2000 years separate us from those to whom 1 Peter was written, relationships have not changed. Whether it's between a slave and his master or between an employee and his boss, the Christian’s responsibility in the work place and in the world remains the same, it's only the titles that are different.

1 Peter 2:18 - "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh."

Slaves, we tend not to like that word. In our daily conversation its rarely associated with positive things, for some work for "Slave wages" and others just "Slave over a stove". It also reminds us of our Nation's Greatest downfall, our Greatest Moral Tragedy. However, we can make a common error if we apply our knowledge of slavery in the United States to the slavery described here in the first century.

For people became slaves in the first century for different reasons. Some were born into slavery through parents that were slaves, others sold themselves into slavery to satisfy a debt or to find a means of employment, and occasionally as a result of a military conquest. Racism was not a factor. For many slaves held managerial positions and at times were even more educated than their masters. If you and I took a walk down to the local marketplace in the 1st century, and as we looked around, we one could not distinguish a slave out of a crowd of non-slaves, they just did not look any different.

That’s not to say that slaves had equal rights to those of an average citizen, for they were considered the property of their master, but in the eyes of society, the gap separating a free woman from a slave woman was not as wide as we might think.

Don’t get me wrong, the life of a slave was not always easy, but it was largely the result of the master you served, whether he was good or harsh. There were laws that protected slaves from extreme abuse, but as our text indicates, that abuse was not uncommon and many times unjustified.

However, in the first century, whether you were a Christian slave or a Christian master, you were not immune from suffering and abuse. For these Churches faced the constant criticism of their society and like slaves they were called to endure.

3:8 - "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."  3:9 - "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

These Churches existed lived in a climate where Christians were viewed as outcasts and strange. They were largely un-welcomed by the public and considered to be an odd group. There was no policy of persecution against Christians, but in the eyes of the people they were regarded as superstitious and largely narrow minded for not accepting the many gods of the nation. As a whole, the early Christians found themselves rejected for being an example of Christ, and as a result prime targets of abuse.

Thus, we can see that when Peter is addressing slaves, he is not just referring to those in servitude to a master, but symbolically to everyone living for Christ. In a world where Christ is an outcast, he is speaking to us.

As followers of Christ and also workers in the world, we can be viewed as outcasts because of the beliefs that we hold. In the workplace this can translate into people making false assumptions about us, or treating us differently because we live against the normal flow of society.

If we truly exemplify Christ to the world, you should expect persecution. It’s the mark of a disciple. And though not all of us might be experiencing it now, we certainly understand its force and how it can cause us to respond.

(But what is our proper response to unjust suffering, how is it that we should react?)

II. As Christians and employees in the world we should submit ourselves to our masters.

In verse 18, slaves are distinguished as being submissive to their masters.

How do you feel when you are persecuted for doing what is right? When you are overlooked or underestimated because of your link with Christianity?

Often the last thing I want to do is submit. For submission seems like such a passive word and in the midst of suffering passivity, it’s the last thing we want to do, we want action, we feel a need to respond. Its almost a natural feeling, when something has happened to you that you do not deserve it causes a tension, a tension that can swell up inside, a tension that must find relief.

God understands this need and as a result, He does not want us to be passive, but in the midst of suffering He does expects us to act. In submission, we are expected to continue to do what is right before God. The real danger for those of us who suffer workplace injustice or injustice in general is that we cease to do what is right, or that we do nothing at all, or that we do the wrong thing.

Suffering demands action, the action of submission, the action of doing what is right.

Our text is challenging, its challenging our usual response to unjust suffering, for holding to what is right.

3:20 - "But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God."  3:21- "For to this you were called."

There is one constant in the workplace that we can be assured of, you won’t find this teaching in your employee’s handbook or in a How To book on gaining power and confidence. For in an unstable world, we like to have a sense of control, we like to feel we can respond when times get tough. This passage can feel like a rope tying our hands and feet, leaving us in the path of ridicule and shame.

However, If you did find this teaching in a manual on office relationships, you would assume it was written by a manager or owner of the company, someone who does not understand or care what it is like to suffer unjustly. Or someone who would personally benefit when you suffer for doing right.

That’s the contrast between what we see at work and what God has called us to, for instead of inciting a revolt, we are called to endure. God is saying it’s our calling, our vocation to be misunderstood, to be criticized, ignored and hurt for doing what is right, and not return hurt for hurt.

This calling belongs to us, and we need to support each other in doing what is right. God knows this is not a simple path to follow, rather it’s a sign of acting in submission. For unjust suffering entreats us to act, to act with submission, the action of doing what is right.

(It’s hard to endure and endure, and because of that, God has not left you alone, alone to suffer without a sign of his presence. That sign is in the suffering of Christ.)

3:21- "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."  3:22 - "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."  3:23 - "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." 3:24 - "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."  3:25 - "For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

III. As Christians and employees in the world God has given us a sign of His presence in Christ.

Christ suffered for you. He was the object of unjust suffering because of His love for us. He who knew no sin, endured the penalty of sin on the cross. To His accusers, Jesus had done no wrong.

"When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats."

Christ exemplifies one who suffered unjustly. One who responded with submission, the action of doing what is right. And what was it that allowed Him to hold on? What allowed Him to endure and endure the unrelenting punishment he received without striking back, without opening his mouth and without making any threats. Peter tells us "He entrusted Himself to him who judges justly."

You see, Christ knew something his accusers didn’t. He knew that when it was all said and done, when the picket lines are brought down, when the lawsuit is completed and when the incident is a faded memory, he will return to the Father, the one who judges justly. He will return and enter into His presence receiving back the full glory of the Father.

In the midst of His trial, I know Christ was tempted to respond, to allow the energy of the moment to win Him over and fire off a verbal missile that would destroy the credibility of his accusers and bring to Himself the justice He was entitled to.

However, Jesus knew that it was not the time for justice and justice was not His role. Jesus came as a servant and a slave we might say of God. A slave in the sense that He did not follow His own desires, but he willingly surrendered his freedom over to Him who judges justly.

Jesus understood that suffering demands action, the action of submission, the action of doing what is right. Justice? Fair treatment? For Him it was not the time, this was not His role, His calling was the suffering servant (Isaiah 53).

"For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God."

Unjust suffering, we don’t like it. It hurts and it causes us pain. However, in the eyes of God those who endure and act out in submission to their masters this is commendable before God. Yet God is not pleased that we merely endure, but we endure being conscious of God. It’s the trusting awareness of knowing the one who judges justly. It’s knowing that justice is not our role, justice, its not the time. We, employees in the world and slaves before God, are called to be God Conscious Slaves, that’s our role and now is the time.

However, lest we be led astray, God is not saying endure foolishly. He is not saying that if our paycheck is withheld and as a result we are unable to support our family or meet our financial responsibilities that we should not respond. There will be moments that require careful action and a submissive spirit. But these moments should be the exception and not the rule.

Furthermore, not everything we suffer is unjust. A few weeks ago they did the traditional running of the bulls in Spain; an event in which men place themselves in front of a two-ton animal with horns. This year no one died, but nine woke up the next day in the hospital after being gored. Not everything we endure is unjust suffering.

Be a God Conscious Slave when your co-worker over reacts towards you because of a simple mistake in communication.

Be a God Conscious Slave when you are deliberately overlooked for a position because you stand for the principles of Christ.

Be a God Conscious Slave when you know that lying will keep you from rebuke for an error someone else made under your supervision.

Be a God Conscious Slave when they hurl insults at you and accuse you falsely.

Conclusion:
A skeptic once asked C.S. Lewis, "Why are the righteous called to suffer?" "Why not?" he replied. "They’re the only ones who can take it."

"For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

Are you a slave to your boss? Oftentimes we can feel that way. But if you know your role, recognize that justice, it’s not yours, and justice, it’s not the time. You can answer yes, yes, I am willing, use me, lead me by the example of Christ. I want to be a God Conscious Slave.

Jason Freeman is the assistant pastor at Winthrop Street Baptist Church in Taunton, Massachusetts.  sermoncentral.com.  Used by permission.  Content distributed by WorkLife.org > used for non-profit teaching purposes only.