1 Peter 2:18-25
First Christian Church, Owensville, IN
May 31, 2020
Below is only a skeleton outline of main points, Scriptures and quotations of the message presented via Facebook Live on May 31, 2020.
(Abbreviations for Bible translations that may be quoted: ESV = English Standard Version; NLT = New Living Translation; CSB = Christian Standard Bible; GW = God’s Word; Amplified Bible = AMP; KJV = King James Version; New King James Version = NKJV; The Message = MSG; KNT = Kingdom New Testament)
• Have you every suffered unjustly for doing what is right in God’s eyes? Maybe you were asked/told to do something unethical or even illegal by your boss or by someone with authority over you but you chose to do the right thing you knew God wanted you to do. And then you suffered for it. You didn’t lose your job, but you also didn’t get that promotion or maybe you were demoted or received a cut in pay. How did you respond? How should you respond?
• Peter tells us to do the gracious thing. What is that? Well, let’s see.
• To set the context, let’s read verses 11-25, realizing that we’ve already studied verses 11-17.
1 Peter 2:11-25:
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (ESV)
Prayer
• Everything God calls us to do in 1 Peter flows out of the hope of our eternal salvation (1:3-13) and our identity as God’s children (2:4-10)
• It’s important for us to remember that when Peter emphasizes the importance of our conduct (behavior) he does it on the basis of who we are in Christ—our identity—and the hope of eternal salvation.
• Peter isn’t being legalistic; he’s not promoting salvation by good works.
• No, it’s a matter of honoring God by showing Him gratitude for our new identities, benefiting the church universal, and being faithful witness to the lost world for which Christ died and rose from the grave.
• We do good because we’ve received God’s mercy and become God’s people.
How do we live good lives among unbelievers when it comes to relating to governing authorities, work superiors, and marriage?
• Back in late March or early April, we studied verses 13-17.
We learned:
• Christians are to submit to the governing authorities in order to seek the common good because that is pleasing to Jesus (vv. 13-17).
• But remember, God wants Christians to submit to human rulers insofar as they do not demand disobedience to his will. However, we must not cross any line that compromises our obedience to God’s will. And even if we must go against the State, we mustn’t promote rebellion and violence. We must bear faithful witness to Christ.
• When Christians conduct ourselves responsibly as citizens in our nation, there are three positive results.
• First, we silence ignorant talk (v. 15)
• Second, we demonstrate the proper use of freedom (v. 16)
• Third, we establish a healthy climate for relationships with others (v. 17)
• Appropriate submission within the marriage relationship (3:1-7)
• Today, we’re going to focus on 2:18-25, submission to authorities in our work (employers, bosses, supervisors, etc.)
• And even within the boss/worker relationship, there are things we can apply to all relationships.
• So let’s begin looking at verses 18-25.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
• Servants is a reference to household servants or household slaves which made up a large portion of the Roman Empire population of Peter’s day.
• Apparently, there was a significant number of them who converted to Christianity; Peter gives them these specific instructions.
• And even though they were the property of their masters, they were still members of God’s royal and holy priesthood, still members of God’s holy nation and chosen race, and were not just the property of their earthly masters, they were people of God’s own possession!
• Their loyalty to God was to outrank their loyalty to their masters which was not necessarily easy because many of them were not treated well by their masters.
• In fact, verse 20 indicates that some of them were beaten by their masters on a regular basis.
• Even so, Peter tells them to be subject to their masters, even if they are not good and gentle towards them.
• However, their submission to their masters is to done “with all respect” or “with all reverence,” meaning not just toward their masters, but especially to God.
• Remember that in verse 17, Christians are to honor everyone, while at the same time have a reverential fear of God.
• And if they do that, it will mean that they will choose to do good—to do what is right—even if it is against their master’s wishes.
• “The Christian slaves are to carry out their role in such a way that their primary allegiance [to God] is not compromised.” –Gareth L. Reese, Peter and Jude, p. 57
• So, Peter’s emphasis has to do with suffering for doing absolutely nothing wrong and even more so, choosing to do what is right in God’s eyes against the master’s wishes because God has authority even over the master.
• Colossians 3:22-24: 22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (ESV)
• Let’s pause here for a moment to make application to today’s work environment in the U.S.
• Gratefully, we no longer have slavery in the United States. All of us are created equal in God’s sight regardless of color and ethnicity. We are all equally loved by God and bear His image, though all of us have sinned.
• But we do have the institution of work. We have employers and employees, business owners over managers, supervisors over workers.
• And these relationships are not always harmonious and sometimes employers and supervisors don’t like it when a Christian employee chooses to do what is good and right and honest against the employers’/supervisors’ wishes.
• How are Christians to respond when our employer, supervisor, or board of directors or anyone for that matter, treats us unjustly, especially if there seems to not be the option of finding another job right away? How does God view the situation?
19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
• mindful of God =aware of His presence and His will.
• V. 19, GW: God is pleased if a person is aware of him while enduring the pains of unjust suffering.
• “unjustly” means the servant/employee had done nothing to deserve the bad treatment.
• “Every Christian who is wronged has a wonderful opportunity to show a spirit which will honor the gospel.” –Gareth L. Reese, Jude & Peter, p. 58.
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?
…But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
• Did you notice that two times, once in verse 19 and once in verse 20, Peter says that to suffer unjustly for doing what pleases God is a “gracious thing”?
• At the same time we’re mindful of God as we choose to do right even though we suffer for it (v. 19), God is watching us make that choice and suffer for it!
• And God says that our loyalty to Him, even if it means suffering for doing good, is a gracious thing!
• It is gracious because it reflects the attitude and choice Christ demonstrated during the crucifixion ordeal:
21 For to this you have been called,…
• When we entered into a saving relationship with God the Father through faith in Christ the Son, we also received our calling to obey God’s will even if it means suffering like Jesus suffered—unjustly.
So how do we fulfill this calling?
…because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
• Jesus suffered unjustly, not only to pay for our sins, but leave us an example, a pattern, to follow.
• Example = means like a pattern to copy, such as an alphabet.
• Remember in school, the alphabet in either print/manuscript or cursive above the chalk (white board) that we would try to copy?
• Fulfilling the call to be holy may very well involve suffering unjustly at the hands of unbelievers.
• Christ suffered for us; we suffer for Him by following in His steps.
• Remember Charles Sheldon’s classic book In His Steps (WWJD)? It was inspired by this very verse. And the book is what inspired WWJD—”What would Jesus do?”
• 2 Timothy 3:12: Those who try to live a godly life because they believe in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (GW)
• Christians often say, and rightly so, that we want to become more like Jesus. We want to experience transformation into His likeness. We want to progress in our sanctification. And we want to lead people to Christ.
• Well, if we’re going to become more like Him, we’re going to be called to experience some of what He experienced.
• We cannot die to pay for ours or anyone else’s sins. Jesus was the only one who could do that because He was sinless. Besides, His death was sufficient to pay for our sins and satisfied God’s wrath.
• But we can suffer at the hands of sinful people for doing the will of the Father! And we can patiently endure suffering so that we might eventually bring those who cause us unjust suffering to Christ so their lives will be changed as ours have been changed!
• “We will never find the full freedom promised in the gospel if all we want from Jesus is relief.”—James Wilhoit, Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered
• By the gift of the Holy Spirit, the direction of His Word, the fellowship of the Church, and our free will, Jesus has enabled us to handle unfair treatment the way He handled it.
• Maybe you’re going through something right now at work.
• Maybe it has nothing to do with work, maybe it’s another sphere of your life in which others are treating you unjustly, falsely accusing and slandering you, spreading unfounded gossip about you.
• What do we do? Follow the example of the sinless Jesus:
22 He committed no sin,…
• Not one time did Jesus ever disobey God’s law. Not one time did Jesus fail to do what was right; not one time did He choose to do what was wrong.
• We are not sinless, but through Jesus our lives no longer are to be sinful.
• 1 John 1:7: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (ESV)
• 1 John 2:3-6: 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (ESV)
… neither was deceit found in his mouth.
• Jesus was always truthful; He never lied or tricked anyone.
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; …
• V. 23a, GW: Christ never verbally abused those who verbally abused him.
• Jesus was called many bad things and falsely accused of bad things, but He never threatened retaliation even when He spoke.
• Prophesying about the actual trial and crucifixion event, we find….
• Isaiah 53:7: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
…when he suffered, he did not threaten…
• Jesus was struck in the face, crowned with thorns, beaten with a reed, scourged, and nailed to a tree/cross.
• And how did He respond? “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”
• How was Jesus able to do that?
…but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
• Jesus never stopped trusting and obeying His Father’s will.
• Remember that God knows, God cares, and He’s the final judge.
• Romans 12:19-20: 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.” (NLT)
It isn’t the conduct of others that is to determine our conduct, but the example of our Lord to whom we belong!
• Remember, just as our primary identity is being a child of God; so our primary allegiance is to Him who gave us our identity through faith in Christ.
• So by patiently enduring unjust suffering, we might just win others to Christ by our example!
• When Jesus was setting the example of how to bare up under unjust treatment for doing God’s will, what else was He doing?
• Peter now shares what he saw with his own eyes:
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
• Isaiah 53:4-5: 4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows…
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities…
6band the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
12... he bore the sin of many,
• Why, simply that we might be forgiven our sins? That and much, much more:
…that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
• V. 24a, GW: Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so that freed from our sins, we could live a life that has God’s approval.
• Romans 6:11-12: 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. 12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires (NLT)
24bBy his wounds you have been healed.
• Isaiah 53:5b…upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
• We are not only healed from our wrongs, but from wrongs done to us. It may take some time for the scars to heal, but the wounds are healed.
25 For you were straying like sheep,…
• Isaiah 53:6a: All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way
…but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
• Overseer = guardian, protector, guide, director.
• Jesus is here to help us endure unjust suffering that comes from doing what is good and right in or Father’s eyes.
Reread and meditate on 1 Peter 2:18-25. Based upon the passage, please write down your answers to these questions which make up the acrostic SPECK. Is there a(n)…
• Sin to confess?
• Prayer, promise or praise to hold onto?
• Example to follow?
• Command to obey?
• Knowledge to retain?