Sunday Morning, April 22, 2018 AM

The Blessing of Work and a Gospel View of the Workplace

Collar, white collar, green, pink, or no collar at all. We all have work to do. Work is a blessing and a biblical approach to work can have a very positive impact on the world and on families in particular.

By seeing things in the proper perspective, we can find fulfillment in our work, provide for the needs of our family from our work, and pass on a healthy work ethic to our children because of our work.

The things that go on in the workplace, in the marketplace, can have a profound effect on the family both in the short term and in the long run. And so, with all that being said, I want you to turn to 1st Peter, chapter 2, and we're continuing on in the series when I get a chance to preach through 1st Peter.

At the end of chapter 2, Peter writes to slaves about their relationship to their masters. Now the obvious parallel here is that of the employer and employee relationship, but there are some important differences between the master-slave relationship of the first century and the employee employer relationship of the 21st century.

For one, slaves were often regarded as possessions and tools. Now you may feel like that at your job, but it's certainly a far cry from what the situation would have been for those who were slaves in the first century.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle said, Master and slave have nothing in common. A slave is a living tool, just as a tool is an inanimate slave. Also, slaves couldn't just give their two-week notice and go find a different job.

They could be terminated in more ways than one. They could be sold. They could be demoted from the position that they had within the household to a lower position in the household, but they couldn't quit.

Another important difference is that of the methods of discipline employed. If a slave displeased his master in any way, he could be whipped, beaten, or even put to death. Now there are various ways of dealing with problems on the job today, but it's not going to involve any of that.

Slaves in the first century, in particular, had all kinds of jobs. We tend to think of them as being lowest of the low, but there were many slaves who had prominent positions, who served as physicians, who were well-known expert teachers.

So what slaves did within the society varied greatly, but it still remained that they were slaves. Well, despite the differences between the first century and today, some of the basics don't really change.

We still have people who are over us. We call them bosses, or managers, or CEOs, and we still at times face conflict in the workplace. Those are the basics that Peter wants us to see here this morning in the end of the second chapter of 1st Peter.

He speaks to us about how to handle authority and how to handle adversity in the workplace. Critical eyes are always watching you and me to see if we're going to live consistent lives as believers in Christ, and in no place is that more true than on the job, where we are called to live out a gospel-centered worldview in our work.

So the title of the message this morning is, The Gospel and Your Work. We're going to look at 1st Peter chapter 2, starting in verse 18, and we're going to read through the end of the chapter. Peter says, servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust.

For this is a gracious thing when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 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.

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. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 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. 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.

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Well, as Peter talks to us about the gospel and our work, he begins with a common scenario. In fact, it is the common scenario in work, and that is we are all under authority.

Even if you're self-employed, you're under authority. You have the authority of the customer that you are trying to please. And so Peter talks to us here about how to handle authority, how to relate to authority.

He says there are two kinds of authority that you have to learn to relate well to. There are those who are good and considerate, who are gentle. We all would like to work for someone like that. As Peter writes here, he's probably referring just to simple fairness and moderation, not necessarily to strict Christian virtues.

Many of us have worked in places where we worked for bosses, for managers who were over us, who are not Christians, but they were fair, they were kind, they held the line when they needed to hold the line on things.

For that we can be grateful. That's God's common grace, to provide managers, to provide bosses that are like that. You don't necessarily have to be a Christian in order to treat people rightly, but that being said, how much more if you call yourself a Christian ought you as one in charge should exemplify those virtues of being kind and considerate, of treating those under you with consideration, with kindness, with gentleness.

So Peter says some of you have the blessing of being under those who are good and gentle. Peter's a realist, he's worked in the world, he's been an independent businessman in his own fishing business.

He understands what it's like to deal with people and he says that there are those who indeed are harsh and unreasonable, who are unjust in their management of others. Peter uses an interesting word here, when he uses the word unjust, some of you have back problems from time to time.

My dad had back problems occasionally and one time he went to the doctor for issues that he was having with his back and come to find out he suffered from scoliosis. It wasn't exactly straight, it kind of, you forth in spots.

Well that's the root word that Paul uses here for those who are unjust, they are crooked, they are twisted. Some translations translate that word as perverse and sadly there are people who work for bosses that are like that, who are twisted, who are crooked, who are perverse, who are harsh and unjust.

They are always finding fault, never giving praise, always looking out for what you have done wrong, not for what you have done well. When we consider how hard it is to work in that kind of environment, think of how much more harsh it would have been for a slave whose mistreatment could go beyond just words to actions.

So Peter says, how do you handle authority? Well be thankful if you have one who is kind and gentle, but what if they're of the second kind? One who is harsh, who is unjust, who is twisted and crooked.

Well Peter says there there's really only one way to respond, whether you have a kind boss or a harsh boss. He says submit, be subject to those who are over you, be subject to those who are in authority.

In fact that is the key word for this whole section here in 2nd Peter in verse 13 of chapter 2. Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution as he talks about our relationship to the state, to government.

Here in verse 18 to Masters chapter 3 verse 1, likewise wives be subject to your own husbands. And then again in verse 5, for this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by submitting to their own husbands.

It's the word that guides this whole passage from Peter. Submit, be subject. It's a word that's primarily a military term. It means to rank under. So who does a private rank under? Everybody, right? He's under the corporal, he's under the sergeant, he's under the lieutenant, everybody from there on up, he is under them.

But the corporal, though he's over the private, he's still under the sergeant and everybody else above him. And all the way up the ladder of rank, everyone has someone to whom they are accountable. Everyone has someone to whom they must answer.

Think of the example when the centurion came to Jesus and asked him to heal his servant and he said, Lord just speak the word, recognizing Jesus' authority. He says, for I to him a man under authority.

Though he was ruler over a hundred men, there were people that he was accountable to. That's the point that Peter makes here. We all are under authority. To place yourself under someone else's authority, to recognize their authority over you, has nothing to do with a person's worth or their lack of worth.

It is merely to recognize and respect their authority. And Peter says, let this not be something that has to happen because someone is twisting your arm to do it. Let it not be a forced submission, but may it be done willingly.

Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters. It's interesting as we think about this whole dynamic of the master-slave relationship, particularly in the setting of the first century, Paul looks at it very similarly to Peter, not surprisingly since the Bible is written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you have one author, God himself.

And so as Paul talks to slaves in 1st Corinthians chapter 7, he wants them to see their work as a calling, as a vocation from God. Keep your finger there in 1st Peter chapter 2 and just turn back real quickly to 1st Corinthians chapter 7.

I just want to read verse 17, 1st Corinthians 7 17, there Paul says, only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

Then he goes on to kind of show the the implications of that, particularly for slaves. What he's saying here is, when you come to Christ, don't see that as a escape hatch for your current situation. Don't see that as a justification for fleeing.

Read Paul's letter to Philemon, okay, and that whole story. Paul says, lead the life that the Lord has assigned to you and to which God has called you. Paul uses similar language elsewhere. Elsewhere Paul has spoken about God calling people into a saving relationship with him and assigning them spiritual gifts so they might do ministry and build up the Christian community.

Paul uses the same two words here in 1st Corinthians chapter 7. And here Paul is, as he talks to slaves, he's not referring to Christian ministries. I mean, he talks about God assigning and calling, but he's talking about common social and economic tasks to so-called secular work.

And he names them callings and assignments from God. That's why, going back to Peter, he says, respond rightly to authority because they are in authority. You have a higher allegiance here, and that is the Lord himself.

He says, be subject to your masters, how? With all respect. Respect for the one that's in authority. That there should be no backbiting, no sarcastic remarks, no talking behind their back, no seeking to undermine their authority.

And this respect is secondary to and reflective of respect for God himself. That should be our primary focus and concern, even in the workplace. Paul echoes that idea in Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6, verses 5 through 8.

There Paul says, slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a seer heart as you would Christ. Not by the way of eye service as people pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

So what's the motivation for showing respect? Because ultimately the respect you show is not just for the person that's in front of you as your boss, but it's the Lord who stands behind him. That your service is unto the Lord, your respect, your honor is to the Lord and serves to glorify him.

So first thing Peter points us to is how to handle authority. Whether they are good or harsh, be subject to them with all respect. But again, as I said, Peter is a realist here and he understands that in our work that it's not always going to be a path strewn with roses.

There will be thorns and there will be difficulties. And one of those difficulties that often appears in the workplace is adversity. And so Peter gives some counsel here about how to handle adversity.

And again, think about it in the context of a first century slave. That's going to far exceed perhaps the adversity we may have to face in our own situation in the here and now. But the principles are still relevant for us.

So in verses 19 and 20 back in 1st Peter chapter 2, Peter tells us that there are two types of adversity. Just as there are two types of authority, there are two types of adversity. He says, this is a gracious thing when mindful of God one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

That's the first kind of adversity. Unjust suffering, being unfairly punished for something you didn't do. And Jesus said this is something that shouldn't surprise us. In fact, we ought to expect it. In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5 verses 11 and 12 or 10 through 12, Jesus talks about being persecuted for righteousness sake.

And then verse 11 he says, blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

As you seek to honor God in the workplace, it's very possible that you will encounter unjust suffering. But there's another kind of adversity that you might face, another kind of suffering that may come your way, and that is suffering for doing good.

He says, but if when you do good and suffer for it and you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. Suffering for doing good. We haven't gotten there yet, but eventually we will. Jeremiah chapter 37.

I'm not sure when that will be. That may be 2021 or something like that. But in Jeremiah chapter 37, Jeremiah is faithfully fulfilling God's call upon his life as a prophet. And as he does that, he has to say some things that are hard for people to hear.

And even when the king says, you know, what's God saying? And Jeremiah says, this is what the Lord says. He's being faithful to that call. He's doing the right thing. He's doing what God has called him to do.

And yet in the course of doing that, Jeremiah tells the truth and gets put in prison. And not only that, the next chapter says that after Jeremiah is brought up out of the prison, after he has an audience with the king and he says, look, what are you doing here?

What have I done to you? And the king relents from some of that and puts him out in the court of the guard rather than down in the deepest dungeon. But then along comes another situation. And some people have a grudge against Jeremiah for his preaching and teaching.

And they take him from being in the court of the guard. And the king says, look, there's nothing I can do. You do what you want to do with him. And what do they do with Jeremiah in chapter 38? They lower him down into the cistern, suffering for doing good, being mistreated for doing the right thing.

Doing the right thing on the job may get you into hot water with some people who don't share your ethical convictions. Some of you here have experienced that. And you've made hard choices because of your commitment to do what is right and to honor God.

And it's cost you a job, it's cost you promotion. I would venture to guess that if I were to ask you directly, was it the right thing? Even though it cost you, you would say yes. Think about Joseph, when he's served after having been sold as a slave by his brothers, and he ends up in Egypt.

And he's brought into the household of Potiphar. And there he's managing the household well. And Potiphar's wife comes along and seeks to seduce Joseph. And Joseph refuses her day after day after day.

And finally ends up fleeing. And then she brings false charges against him. And he ends up in prison. He did the right thing and yet suffered for it. David sought to be loyal to Saul, the king, and honor him and do the right thing.

And yet Saul became jealous and turned against him and tried to kill him time and time again and drove him away, suffering for doing the right thing. Daniel was faithful in his government position and yet some became jealous of him and finagled the king into passing a law that was meant to set up Daniel for death.

But Daniel continued to pray, continued to honor God, and though he ended up in the lion's den, God took care of him. There are times when doing the right thing means suffering for it. So two kinds of adversity, unjust suffering, being punished for something you didn't do, and suffering for doing good, being mistreated for doing the right thing.

How do you respond to that? Well, Peter says there is one way to respond. And that is to endure that suffering out of mindfulness of God, to keep a God-centered perspective on all of that. One of the great purposes of work is to give us a platform from which to share our faith in God and to bring glory to God.

And the Lord does that in unexpected ways and many times it's through the suffering that we face. When we face hardship, when we face suffering, whether it is unjust or as a consequence of doing the right thing, we have that opportunity to use our jobs as a place to show God's grace when we endure hardship and suffering, being mindful of God.

And it's interesting, twice Peter says this is a gracious thing when this happens. It is a gracious thing in the sight of God. Along with God's enabling grace comes his favor and his blessing. You might think, okay, I will try and do that.

And Peter says, you can't do it. You can't do this on your own. And so he brings us then to the gospel and to the great example, and that is Jesus Christ. He is the one who we are called to imitate and he is the one who gives us the power to be faithful in these situations of authority and adversity.

Peter says, follow Jesus' example. If ever anyone had the right to lash out after harsh and cruel treatment, it was Jesus. He had committed no sin and yet the just suffered for the unjust. What happened?

What did Jesus not do? Peter says, he did not retaliate and he did not make threats. How often in the workplace has that happened? That when things don't go someone's way, they either seek to get even or at the very least they make threats.

And Peter says, let that not characterize God's people. For Jesus himself, the holy and righteous one, he who knew no sin became sin for us. Peter says, he himself bore our sins in his body, on the tree, on the cross.

Jesus did not retaliate, he did not make threats, but what did he do? Peter says, he entrusted himself and continued entrusting himself to the one who judges justly. In all our work situations, many times there are things that are way outside of the realm of our control.

But who is in control? God is. And Jesus becomes the great example of what Paul talks about in Romans chapter 12. Starting in verse 17, he says, Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For by so doing you will keep burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

That's what Jesus did. So Peter says, follow Jesus' example and remember what he did for you, that he saved you. We have one of the clearest explanations of what substitutionary atonement is in this passage of Scripture.

Christ gave himself up for us. He redeemed us from our old way of life so that we might live a new life, a life that is a consistent, righteous reflection of Christ himself. Peter wants us to see even our work through the lens of the gospel.

You think about the main elements of redemptive history. Creation, fall, redemption, restoration. You can see that within the whole sphere of work. Who made work? God did. God created us for work, but because of the fall, what's happened to us with our work?

We don't look at it in the right way. We use it for our own means, for our glory, but Christ came to bring redemption to all areas of life, and one of those areas of life that is affected by our redemption in Christ is how we do our work, that it's no longer done for me but for God's glory, and in the end, when it's all said and done, as we do our work as unto the Lord, what are we doing?

We are laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven that will ultimately be given in praise to God. Because of the gospel, our relationship with God is different. Peter says we were straying like sheep, but now we have returned to the shepherd and overseer of our souls, and because of the gospel, our relationship to our work, whatever that work is, is different.

As followers of Christ, we work from a gospel worldview, seeing all of life through the lens of the gospel. I quoted Tim Keller at the beginning of the message and I want to quote him again here at the end.

He's written an excellent book on work entitled Every Good Endeavor, and in one passage in that book, he shows the stark difference a gospel worldview can make in our work as he applies it specifically in the arena of business, and he goes through several different types of work in education, and in medicine, and in the arts, but I think we can all identify with what he has to say here about applying a gospel worldview to business.

He says, it is probably fair to say that the implicit assumptions in the marketplace are that making money is the main thing in life, that business is fundamentally about accumulating and wielding power, and that maximizing profit within legal limits is an end in itself.

The reason is that sin runs through the heart of every worker and the culture of every enterprise. The result is polluted rivers, poor service, unjust compensation, entitlement attitudes, dead-end jobs, dehumanizing bureaucracy, backstabbing, and power grabs.

This is why it is so important for us to be intentional in applying the counter-narrative of the gospel. The gospel-centered business would have a discernible vision for serving the customer in some unique way, a lack of adversarial relationships and exploitation, an extremely strong emphasis on excellence and product quality, and an ethical environment that goes all the way down to the bottom of the organizational chart and to the realities of daily behavior.

Even when high ethics mean a loss of margin, in the business animated by the gospel worldview, profit is simply one of many important bottom lines. That process begins with you and me as we apply the redeeming power of the gospel in all of life.

Again, Peter says, servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust. 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.

Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for the blessing of work and we thank you, Father, for the opportunity that you've given us to make our work a means of worship. Lord, help us to view what we do day by day, wherever we are, through the lens of a gospel worldview.

Lord, may it be said of us that whatever we do, whether in word or drink, whatever we do, whether in word or deed, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, that we do it all to your glory. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus' name, amen.