Pilgrims in a Fallen World: Got
an Attitude?
I Peter 2:18-21
Introduction: I remember a scene that I am not proud of because it reveals
something about my character before I put my trust in Christ. I had worked at a
landfill doing various jobs since I was 17. They knew me in those years
before I trusted Christ. I left there for another “day job” for a couple of
years. After I got saved I wanted to work a steady shift so that I could start
taking college classes at night and I wanted to work fulltime at the dump. I went in and talked to the foreman and he said
he would talk to the boss. A couple of days later I dropped back in, to see if
I got the job, and the foreman said they had talked about it, but the boss said
“Steve’s got an attitude!” I answered, “You know, that is really true. I did
have an attitude problem. But you know, I’ve become a Christian, I can promise
that if you give me the job I’ll always give you my best.” And they did. And so
did I. I learned early in my Christian life that my work was an act of worship,
it was one more way to express my obedience to the Lord, and it was a testimony
to my employer and to the other men I worked with. I wasn’t a perfect employee,
but I was certainly different than I was before. God had given me an “attitude
adjustment”! I had been changed by the grace of God. This text invites us to
let God “adjust our attitude” at work.
We have to say something
about how passages like this one have been abused by some in Western History.
African Americans will read texts like this and ask about those who misused the
Bible to defend slavery in our history.
The Bible is clear that all humans, regardless of race or ethnicity, are
created equal, all of us bear the image of God.
The abusive and humiliating practice of slavery in American history is a
sad chapter in our history and a testimony to human depravity. Slavery in the first century, in the Roman
world of the New Testament, was essentially the working class, and could also
include teachers and tutors, accountants, doctors, and even ship captains. And
this is important: it had nothing to do with race. It was something that
most servants, by the age of 30 or so, could expect to be freed from (if they
desired it). If you want to know the
attitude of the apostles toward slavery consider what Paul meant when he said
that in Christ “...there is neither slave
nor free...” but we are all “one.”
Think about what he told his friend Philemon, to receive the runaway
Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ.
I don’t think we are stretching the
application too far to say that in our economy, and in our culture, the
question this text addresses concerns our attitude toward our employer, our supervisor,
or our foreman. The person or people that we answer to in our day to day
employment. It is a practical question: What
is your attitude?
The Maine Idea: Submit to the authorities God
has placed over you... including your employer, for the sake of the Gospel, for
the glory of God.
I. Be Respectful: As followers of Jesus we should respect the authority of our employer or
supervisor (18).
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the
good and gentle but also to the unjust.
Peter is talking about submitting to
authority of the sake of the Gospel in this section of his letter. As pilgrims
in a fallen world, our rights, or what we are “entitled to” are not our first
priority. Because we are in this world, on assignment, because we know God has
a sure future planned for us and a present mission that He has entrusted to us,
we want to keep the main thing the main thing. We want to prioritize lifting up
the name of Jesus and pointing the people to whom we are sent to Him. That is why we are here right? Think about
it, what is the one thing you can do now that you can’t do better in heaven? Worship?
The second after your get there you’ll be worshipping at the throne, with a
pure heart in His presence. Fellowship? We’ll be together, unaffected by
the flesh or by jealousy or sin. Our love for one another will be perfect and pure. Prayer? Our prayer will be with right
motives and a right heart. Study the Bible? We will know fully, even as
we are fully known. Witness
to the unsaved…? That is why He left us in the world! To bring the
message of his grace to the world! We can’t share the gospel with unsaved
people in heaven! That mission will have been completed. God was in Christ
reconciling sinners to himself. He has committed to us a ministry of
reconciliation.
So we respect government
authority, and pray for those who maintain order. And we respect those we work
for, and fulfill our obligations to them, cheerfully, and thankfully, so we can
feed our families, and also so we can be a witness in the workplace. Now I know
that quite a few of you are self-employed. If you have a problem with your
boss you’ve got even bigger problems!
But think about it this way, the jobs you do are guided by a contract,
either written or verbal. Are you striving, with a good attitude, to do a job
that honors your word, that gives your best?
Students, let’s apply it to our attitude to your teachers and administrators
at school (further down Peter will talk about our responsibilities in the
family). There is something here for each of us.
Peter
addresses “servants,” the word “oiketes” is
derived from the word oikos, “house”
or “household”. Though most English translations say “servants” or “slaves,” it
is probably better to translate “household servants” or “domestic helpers.” The
word only appears a few times in the New Testament, one being in Acts 10. After
Cornelius received the vision and a word from the angel, he sent two of his “household servants,” along with a devout
soldier, to get Peter. They were men who he trusted, who worked within his
“household.” Remember before Abraham had
a son, “Eliezer of Damascus,” a household
servant, was his heir? The idea is similar here.
The household servants are called to “be
subject” to their masters. It’s the same word that was used in v.13 for submitting
to every authority God has allowed over us, including government. It will be
used of wives submitting to their husbands (3:1) and of those who are younger
submitting to their elders (5:5). The
idea seems to be recognizing and respecting the authority of their position.
Remember in the military sense it speaks to falling in line behind our leader.
Peter speaks to the household servants,
and calls them to properly respect and submit to the authority of the head of
the house, “with all fear” (“respect”
in the ESV). It may be that he means respect for the “master,” that is
certainly implied in the context. It could be He is referring to the previous
verse, “...fear God...” The two ideas
seem to go together: our reverence for God should lead us to respect those that
He has allowed to have authority over us, including our boss. In fact, we see in the New Testament the idea
that whatever we do, we should do it “as unto the Lord.” That will help our attitude!
Do you
feel your job is important, or do you just think of it as a pay check? Bill
Hybels in his book, The Christian in the
Marketplace, says,
"Dignity is available to every person in
every legitimate profession. The farmer who plows the straight furrow, the
accountant whose books balance, the trucker who backs a 40’ rig into a narrow
loading dock, the teacher who delivers a well-prepared lesson, the carpenter
who crafts a piece of furniture, the secretary who types the paper accurately,
the mother who tends to her children faithfully... all experience dignity as
they commit themselves to their labors. A lot of our self-worth comes from our
jobs."
Whatever we do, we do our best, for the Lord. Remember
1 Peter 2:12, “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…” (cf. I Tim 6:1,2). The respect we show enhances our witness,
and cuts an excuse that someone might use not to believe. And so we honor Him by submitting
to the authorities He has placed over us... including our employer, for the
sake of the Gospel, for the glory of God. First, be respectful, secondly…
II. Be Gracious: We should model grace by respecting their authority not only when they
are kind and gentle, but even when we are treated unfairly (19,20).
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.
We see some literary devises, in
addition to the vocabulary used in the Bible, that serves to emphasize or
highlight aspects of what the biblical writers are saying. One of those is
repetition. In verses 19 and 20 the
writer begins and ends with the same phrase, “...this is a gracious thing...” We
could even translate the phrase more succinctly, “...this is grace...” Peter has
talked already about the gracious salvation we have received. We were not a
people, but now, by His election and grace, we are HIS people. That is
undeserved favor. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us! That is Grace: God’s Riches At Christ’s
Expense.
We live in an age where people feel
“entitled.” I remember the scene in one
of my favorite movies, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Charlie’s little sister is
dictating to him her “Christmas list.”
After a while she says, “Why don’t you make it easy on yourself and just
send cash. Tens and twenties would be nice.” When Charlie objects, she says “I
only want my fair share! I only want what I have coming to me!” That thinking seems to be pretty pervasive
today. [And so “go fund me” pages pop up for almost anything!] Do you want what you have coming to you?
Really? The wages of sin is death.
That is what we deserve. But Jesus died, he took our sins, so that we could get
what we don’t deserve, to live forever in relationship with God. That is what you have received if you know
Him!
Now think about this in relation to your
boss. You have contracted to work for someone. You should do your best to
cheerfully and respectfully carry out your job, regardless of what you think
of your boss. They may not be fair.
They may not be likeable. But you do your job, you do as unto the Lord. You are free to look for another job, if you
give proper notice. That is part of your contract. But while you are there, you
do your best, whether or not you feel your boss deserves respect, you show it.
That is not always easy. But it is gracious. And it may give someone an
opportunity to see in you the attitude of Jesus. Peter is saying here, that as recipients of
grace, we can and should be gracious. We respect our employer, because we
appreciate (or should!) having a job and being able to feed and care for our
family. And it allows us to live so that we can do our part in God’s mission in
the world. Peter says, “Submit to the authorities God has placed
over you... including your employer, for the sake of the Gospel, for the glory
of God.” So be respectful, be gracious, and thirdly…
III. Be Faithful: Because Jesus is our model, we seek to reflect the “mind of Christ” in
our work (21).
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.
There was a book that was written by
Charles Sheldon, originally published in 1896, that in various editions through
the years has sold over 30 million copies. It is entitled, “In His Steps,” with
the subtitle, “What would Jesus do?” In
the book a pastor challenged His congregation to ask themselves the question in
every situation and every decision in life, “What would Jesus Do?” (you can get
a kindle edition for free on Amazon). Do
you remember seeing the “WWJD?” bracelets? [For a while when we were in Brazil
I started driving very aggressively, like most of the people in the city. Finally I put on a little sticker in my car
in the corner of the windshield, HWJD, “How would Jesus Drive?” Then I thought,
no, that doesn’t work, if He lived in Sao Paulo he would probably take the
bus!”] This verse is calling us to
faithfulness, by following “In His Steps.” It starts in our heart, with our
attitude, because our attitude will guide our actions. Got an attitude? How about having the attitude of Jesus? Paul invited the Philippians to think like
Jesus in Philippians
2:5-8,
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in
Christ Jesus, 6 who, although
He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped, 7 but emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of
men. 8 And being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross.
Think
for a minute about what Peter said and about what Paul is saying in this
passage. Jesus suffered for us. He chose to come into this world as a suffering
servant. The next verses in I Peter will allude to Isaiah 53, the great
prophecy of a servant who, though without sin, would willing take our iniquity
and the wages of our sin upon himself, so that we could be reconciled to God.
Was Jesus treated fairly? Did He get what he was entitled to? He took the
punishment that we deserved so that we could be reconciled with the Creator of
the universe, the Holy and Just King, the Almighty and awesome God. Thank God we didn’t get what we deserve! He
is our example. Your willingness to do your best at your job is one way that
you are His witness where He has placed you. Your attitude can give an
opportunity to give a reason for the hope that is in you.
Remember the theme of I Peter as we
have considered it: “Pilgrim living in a Fallen World.” Because we live in a
fallen world, we can expect the effects of sin and human rebellion to impact us
all the time. God chose to leave us in the world for a purpose, to carry out
His mission, to proclaim the gospel to those to whom we are sent. Our attitude
is guided by our desire that God be glorified through the carrying out of His
mission in the world.
NT scholar I. Howard
Marshall said in his commentary on this passage that
“...our
conduct ought to be consistent with the obligations we assume in our
relationship to [our employer] and [our] job... Our conduct ought to be
determined by that relationship, not by what we think of the personal traits of
the employer. When we disregard our relational contract with its obligations,
we do disservice to the gospel... If we suffer as a result of our obligations,
such suffering is both commendable and Christian; it is not unchristian to
suffer!”
What is God saying to me in this
passage? Submit
to the authorities God has placed over you... including your employer, for the
sake of the Gospel, for the glory of God.
What would God have me to do in
response to this passage? We’ve talked a lot about becoming more
“outwardly focused” as a church. One key mission field is right where you work.
Along with your family, those are the people God has put on the “front burner”
of your life. Think of your job as a calling, for this moment in your life. You
are placed somewhere by God on purpose, for a purpose. The people that you work
with, the supervisor(s) that you answer to, are, at least for now, on a front
burner of your life. You interact with them for quite a few hours a day. [Mary Ann and I were married during my senior
year of Bible college. The last semester I took 21 credits (not a good idea!).
I had one professor for 14 of those hours!
He had my undivided attention for more hours during that last semester
than did my wife! Hopefully you will not make that mistake!
If you’re a student, your
teacher deserves your respect. If you are self employed you need to treat your
customers or clients with respect. If you have an employer, a foreman, or a
supervisor, regardless of their personality or temperament, for your part, you
give them the respect that their position merits. Do your job cheerfully. As a
recipient of grace, you are to extend grace, for the sake of the gospel, for
the glory of God.
For years
Gordon MacDonald rode the same bus daily from his home to his church in New
York City. One day the bus driver complained to MacDonald: “You’ve got it a lot
better than me. You have an interesting job and travel different places. I just
drive this bus up and down the same streets every day.” MacDonald told the bus
driver his job could be a Christian ministry too. “Every day, when you first
get on this bus, before anyone else gets on, dedicate this bus to God for that
day. Declare it to be a sanctuary for God for that day. Consecrate it to God’s
glory, and then act like it is a place where God dwells.” Several weeks later
MacDonald returned from a trip and saw the bus driver. “You’ve transformed my
life,” the man said. “I’ve been doing what you said every day, and it has made
me see my job in an entirely new perspective.”
Got an attitude? As a boy my dad would
give me an “attitude adjustment” from time to time. I needed it! In due
time, God adjusted my attitude. Be patient, He isn’t finished with me yet! If
you have experienced God’s grace in your life, if you have put your trust in
Jesus, allow him to renew your mind and adjust your attitude, for the sake of
the Gospel, and for the glory of God. AMEN.
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