Christian Governance-&-Work-1 Series

‘For The LORD’S SAKE’—1Peter 2:13—3:12

A. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Government—1Peter 2:13-17

B. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Work—1Peter 2:18-25

C. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Marriage—1Peter 3:1-7

D. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Church—1Peter 3:8-12

Attention:

Marc Taylor, a fresh graduate from college with a business degree had been very prompt about getting his resumé to a firm for whom he was very interested in working. To his greatest joy, the company had interviewed him twice, along with many other candidates. After waiting for their response, he finally received the letter which politely gave him the news that they could not hire him. Undaunted, he sent them the following letter...

Re: Rejected Rejection

Dear Ms. Ezell:

Thank you for your letter of July 17. After careful consideration I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me employment with your firm. This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied & promising field of corporate candidates it is impossible for me to accept all refusals for employment.

Despite your company's outstanding qualifications & previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet with my needs at this time. Therefore, I will initiate employment with your firm immediately following graduation.

I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future candidates.

Sincerely, Marc Taylor

In our study of 1Peter we have examined the fact that

Christians are...CONSIDERED ALIEN(1:1-2)...

We’ve answered the question...WHAT’s So GREAT About GOD?(1:3-12)

We’ve discovered God’s means of...UNLEASHING Your SPIRITUAL VITALITY/Vigor(1:13-21)

We’ve also seen the importance of LOVING THE BRETHREN(1:22—2:12).

We have begun to see how those truths play into the overall scheme of Submission—the give-&-take of relationships within CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE.

We began by examining that GOVERNANCE in relation to GOVERN-MENT(1Peter 2:13-17).

Today we will continue by looking at CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE in relation to our WORK Obligations—

B. CHRISTIAN GOVERNANCE-&-Work—1Peter 2:18-25

Peter confirmed the role of Christian submission in relation to the obligations of servants.

Christian submission is crucial in or pertinent to our work obligations.

‘Pertinent’—“Having a clear decisive relevance to the matter at hand.”

How is Christian governance addressed thru our work obligations?

4 aspects of Christian governance that are addressed thru our Work obligations.--(or at work or in the workplace)

1—Christian governance is at WORK thru submission to...

SUPERIORS(:18)

Explanation:(:18)

:18—“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good & gentle, but also to the harsh.”

“Servants,...”

Regarding the above declarations to live submissively within secular government as God’s free men(:13-17), Peter now turns his attention to the many who are physically & politically(societal/cultural) enslaved.

This would appropriately appeal to many Christians, because slaves of various beliefs were very prominent among the Gentiles & would have been part of the Jew’s understanding & acceptance of their world.

“all evidence suggests that it was not uncommon for Jews to own slaves in the New Testament period.”—ISBE--‘Servant’

cf.—Ex. 21:2-27—“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; & in the seventh he shall go out free & pay nothing.

If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given him a wife, & she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife & her children shall be her master’s, & he shall go out by himself. But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, & my children; I will not go out free,’ “then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, & his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; & he shall serve him forever.

And if a man sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.

If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, & her marriage rights. And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.

He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die. And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.