‘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.
He who kidnaps a man & sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death. And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
If men contend with each other, & one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, & he does not die but is confined to his bed, if he rises again & walks about outside with his staff, then he who struck him shall be acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, & shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.
And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his property.
If men fight, & hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; & he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, & destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.”
Physical/Political enslavement here ‘may,’ but probably would not, involve actual chains—as Americans may imagine—because the “servant” in our text is a ‘household slave[oikethv].’ These would more-than-likely have lived under the same roof as their master being charged with certain aspects of the familial workings within that household.
“Although slavery has existed in most societies from as far back as records have been found, there have been only five genuine slave-societies, two of them” being “classical Greece & Rome.”—ISBE--‘Slave’
It is estimated of the larger Roman cities(Rome, Ephesus, Antioch, Corinth, etc.), that as much as 1/3 of the population consisted of slaves. And another 1/3 were former slaves who had been freed. Slaves were legally recognized as ‘people’ & were thus protected by law from cruelty.—ISBE--‘Slave’
One’s outward identification as a “servant” may have involved tattoos, ear piercings, &/or other identifiers on the extremities such as the head, neck, arm, hand, &/or leg.
People generally became enslaved by being captured in war, kidnapped, born into a slave household, or thru indebtedness.
Many slaves lived in great mental, emotional, & physical misery.
In the 1st century A.D. under Roman rule, “A slave(doulov) could not contract a legal marriage, represent himself in court, or inherit, as they were regarded as having no kinship.
“Servants” were expected to accept their position as expendable(fodder) possessions of men.
Aristotle states that “a slave is a living tool, & a tool is an inanimate slave.”—MNTC
Some slaves(chiefly urban) could legally purchase their freedom “with the help of their masters,” however the vast majority of slaves had no hope of such...—NAC
...Though under 1st century Roman law, slaves could generally count on being legally freed by the age of thirty. “Slave revolts & armies of runaway slaves...did not exist in the 1st century AD.”
On the other hand, Free people who had to look for day-to-day work, were considered to be at the lowest end of the social & economic scale, which would have been below that of slaves.—ISBE--‘Slave’ & ’Servant’
Some “slaves”...“served as doctors, teachers, managers, musicians, artisans, &” “could own property—including other slaves!” “It would NOT be unusual for a slave to be better educated than the master.” “Freeborn persons & slaves worked side-by-side” at all manner of tasks.—NAC/ISBE--‘Slave’ & ’Servant’
In Greco-Roman households slaves served...as cooks, cleaners, ...personal attendants, tutors of persons of all ages, physicians, nurses, close companions, managers of households,. In business—they served as janitors, delivery boys, & as managers of estates, shops, & ships. They served as salesmen & contracting agents. They comprised street-paving crews & sewer-cleaning crews. Some were administrators & executives with decision-making powers.—ISBE--‘Slave’
“Servants”—oikethv—Noun Masc.—1) One who lives in the same house as another, spoken of all who are under the authority of one & the same householder—1a) A servant, a domestic. Oikethv designates a slave, sometimes being practically equivalent to doulov. Usually, however, as the etymology of the term indicates, it means a slave as a member of the household, not emphasizing the servile idea, but rather the relation which would tend to mitigate the severity of his condition. Strong—A fellow resident, i.e. Menial domestic. Used 5X(?).
From—oikew—To occupy a house, i.e. Reside(figuratively--Inhabit, remain, inhere); by implication--To cohabit.
Lk. 16:13—“No servant-(oikethv)- can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one & love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one & despise the other. You cannot serve God & mammon.”
Acts 10:7, 8—“And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants-(oikethv)- & a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.”
Rom. 14:4—“Who are you to judge another’s servant-(oikethv)-? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”
“Servants, be submissive to your masters...”
“Servants” as well as freemen, were to be “submissive” to those who were ‘over’ them as their superiors. They are to voluntarily recognize their place in hierarchical arrangements, & act appropriately.
The term “servants” also speaks to the fact that we(Christians) are to consider others as better than ourselves(Php. 2:3).
Php. 2:2-4—“fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Christians are part of the ‘household’ of faith, as servants of God:
Gal. 6:9-10—“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
*“Submissive/Subject”(See :13)—upotassw—Verb—1) To arrange under, to subordinate; 2) To subject, put in subjection; 3) To subject one's self, obey; 4) To submit to one's control; 5) To yield to one's admonition or advice; 6) To obey, be subject. Upotassw is a Greek military term meaning “to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader.” In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, & carrying a burden.” Strong—To subordinate; reflexively--To obey.
From—upo—Preposition—1)By, under. Strong—a primary preposition; Under, i.e. (with the genitive case)of place--Beneath, or (with verbs)the agency or means--Through; (with the accusative case)of place--(whither--Underneath, or where--Below, or time when--At).—&—tassw—a prolonged form of a primary verb(which latter appears only in certain tenses); To arrange in an orderly manner, i.e. Assign or dispose(to a certain position or lot).
*“Masters”—despothv—Noun Masc.—1)A master, lord. Despothv relates only to a slave & denotes absolute ownership & uncontrolled power. Strong—perhaps from dew-to bind- & posiv(a husband); An absolute ruler(“despot”). Used 10X.
English=‘Despot’
“...With all fear...”
“Servants” are to approach their “masters” as anyone approaches an authority figure. The role must be recognized & accepted by both parties.
Servants must present themselves to their “masters” as fully employable & useable by them.
They are to operate & work with a ‘reverent’ “fear” regarding their “masters” as their superiors they are.
The “master’s” voice is to be the true servant’s voice, simply because he is their “master”!
“Fear/Respect”[See :17]—fobov—Noun Masc.—1) Fear, dread, terror—1a) That which strikes terror; 2) Reverence for one's husband. Strong—from a primary febomai(to be put in fear); Alarm or fright.
”...Not only to the good & gentle, but also to the harsh.”
Indentured(formally & legally binding) servants are to be submissive to their “masters” regardless of the attitude/demeanor(gentle or harsh) of that “master.”
Though slaves were considered property, they were also recognized as human beings. Thus 1st century Roman law sought to prevent the abuse of slaves.
“The extent of the lord’s or owner’s control over the life, the family, the production, & potential freedom of the enslaved person varied greatly.”—ISBE--‘Servant’
This relationship of “servant” to “master” also pictures the Christian’s relationship to Christ!...That is, if our servitude is heartfelt & willing. Christian servitude can ‘never’ be forced & be real servitude. Though it can & will be disciplined, it is never forced.
Mat. 11:27-30—“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, & no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, & the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you & learn from Me, for I am gentle & lowly in heart, & you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy & My burden is light.””
A soldier’s service pictures this servility as well, though he is paid.
2Tim. 2:3-4—“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
*By the Holy Spirit Peter is not telling us to revolt against slavery as an institution...None of the NT writers do that...He is telling us that we must approach our status with God’s power, direction, character! “Only”—monon—Adverb Neuter—1) Only, alone, but. Strong—neuter of monov as adverb; Merely.
“Good”—agayov—Adj.—1) Of good constitution or nature; 2) Useful, salutary; 3) Good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy; 4) Excellent, distinguished; 5) Upright, honorable. Strong—a primary word; “Good”(in any sense, often as noun).
“Gentle”—epieikhv—Adj.—Seeming, suitable; 2) Equitable, fair, mild, gentle. Strong—Appropriate, i.e. by implication--Mild. Used 5X.
From—epi—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) Of position—On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against—&—eikw—1) To be like. Strong—through the idea of faintness as a copy; To resemble.
*“Harsh/Froward/Unreasonable”—skoliov—Adj.—1) Crooked, curved; 2) metaph.—2a) Perverse, wicked, 2b) Unfair, surly, froward. Strong—Warped, i.e. Winding; figuratively--Perverse. Used 4X.
English=‘Scoliosis’
Argumentation:
Ps. 101:1-8—A Psalm of David—“I will sing of mercy & justice; To You, O LORD, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness. Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look & a proud heart, Him I will not endure. My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, He shall serve me. He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.”
In this Psalm, David properly takes responsibility for the things of God & his decisions & actions on earth, which properly mimic God’s decisions & actions in heaven. God is clearly David’s Superior.
Eph. 6:5-8—“Bondservants[doulov], be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear & trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, & not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”
This makes if plain that to make oneself a slave of men is not God’s desire...
Yet such a legally binding contractual obligation as enslavement, also pictures one’s total commitment to God.
Such obligation also speaks to the reality of our being ‘once saved always saved.’ It speaks to the maintenance of that enslavement by the owner, not by the slave—God! it is God’s decision to accept or let us go, & His parameters for doing so are eternally settled, unchanging, & openly revealed in Christ Jesus.
**Rom. 6:13-23—“And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, & your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, & of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, & having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, & the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Gal. 1:21--2:5—“Afterward I went into the regions of Syria & Cilicia. And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God in me. Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, & also took Titus with me. And I went up by revelation, & communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”
**1Cor. 7:20-24—“Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.”
Heb. 13:17—“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
1Pet. 2:25—“For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
1Pet. 5:2-3—“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;”
Php. 4:8-13—“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue & if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. The things which you learned & received & heard & saw in me, these do, & the God of peace will be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, & I know how to abound. Everywhere & in all things I have learned both to be full & to be hungry, both to abound & to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Illustration:
?What do these things tell you about your commitment to the person who -hires- you in good faith?
You commit to the boss—owner &/or manager. You agree to the structure. You agree to the procedures. You agree to the wage. You agree to the attitude.
I have been told of a receptionist which most every customer tolerated but who was often on the ‘rude’ side/A new receptionist came on board for the same company, & the whole experience for the customer changed dramatically!/Now the customer is the most important focus of the company/The receptionist has those who are superiors in charge of her actions in general...BUT her attitude..her deportment totally changed the manner in which the company is perceived & received!/She does not give eye-service—she doesn’t just have a job—She has a mission/She knows the customer is their #1 priority & that she is the first contact for the customer/Submission to SUPERIORS
Application:
?Does Submission to your SUPERIORS reveal ‘Christian Governance’ or fleshly governance?
?Is Christian Governance at Work in you?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Business graduate's Rejected Rejection!
Action:
Christian governance is at WORK thru submission to...
1. SUPERIORS(:18)
Pt. 1-only! presented 03/12/2017am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
