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Now, let's dive into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Would you turn in your Bibles please to 1 Peter chapter 2? I don't want to offend you if you're a country music fan. But you've heard the old joke: what do you get when you play country music backwards? You get your home back, your wife back, your car back, your dog back.
And that's because country music is sort of notorious for recounting. A lot of bad luck. Losing things, losing opportunities, losing jobs. There was a song years ago, a country song, very famous. Written by Johnny Paycheck, who incidentally went to prison.
It's called Take This Job and You Remember It, right? Shove it. And I'm calling this message: take this job and love it. Show of hands, how many of you love your job? That's it.
I was actually doing that to look at my staff to see if How they were faring. Years before Johnny Paycheck ever wrote his song. Peter. Wrote a letter. and gives Better lyrics.
than anything that Paycheck ever could have written. The song that he wrote, by the way, was a song about losing his love, losing his girlfriend, and then because of that, walking out on his job, because after all, as the lyrics say, I've lost my reason for working here.
Well We're going to begin in 1 Peter chapter 2, and we're going to look at four verses beginning in verse 18. But before we even get there, I just want you to remember that the theme that Peter is addressing. Is a theme of living your life in such a way as to leave before the world a compelling Christian testimony. In other words, the world is always watching to see why. We do what we do and believe what we believe, and why they might do something like that.
And so look at verse 12, where he says, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles. That's the theme of this. Here's how to live your life before an unbelieving world in an honorable way. And he talks about several ways to do this.
Societally, before the government, the relationship of the Christian to the government, as we saw last week, is to submit, to subject ourselves, to be good citizens. Number two, socially, that's what we're going to look at today. Between the employee and the employer, or in this case, the ancient slave and his master. And then finally. a wife to an unbelieving husband in chapter three.
But we're going to look at verse 18. It says in verse 18, servants. Be submissive. to your masters with all fear. not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
For this is commendable if, because of conscience toward God, one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us. An example.
that you should follow in his steps.
Next to your home, your job is where you spend most of your time. In fact, more than half of your waking hours will be spent on the job. It's estimated that by the time you are 70 years old, you will have spent 20.
Solid years working.
Now, don't mishear that. I didn't say by the time you're 70, you will have worked 20 years. You will have worked many more years than that, but you will have worked non-stop. Twenty Years in labor, in work.
Now because we spend so much time there, The workplace then becomes for us as believers a stage. That unfolds the grace of God before unbelievers. It's a chance to make an impact. As our Lord said, let your light so shine among men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven. And honestly, Some of my best years of ministry were in the secular workplace.
I was able to reach people that would never think about coming to church, never had any interest in God. They were agnostic or they were atheistic. Most all of them were antagonistic. And I had an opportunity to have conversations with them and to spend weeks and months and even years. With those people in secular settings.
In fact, I was often asked because I brought a Bible to work when I had some downtime, I'd read it, or I'd read a commentary, or I would share my faith, or invite people to an event like church. I remember a lot of people saying, Skip, do you think you'll ever go into full-time ministry? And I always said, I am. in full-time ministry. Talking to you right now, this is as good as it gets.
And sometimes we can make an impact far greater than any pastor or evangelist could because you're right there with them. Did you know, I read a study, did you know that 50% of Christians have never heard a sermon on work? When I read that, it sort of puzzled me because I thought. Fifty per cent.
Well, they don't come here because I've given several sermons on work. But in that study, 70% have never had a theology of work or of vocation. And I want to change that. I want to look in these verses that we just read at four principles that emerge.
Now, the verses that we just read tell us four things: a practical command. a potential complication. A powerful consideration. And a personal calling. That's how I've divided it.
I like to outline everything in solid, logical thought. And that's how it proceeds in those four swaths. They're written out for you in your worship folder. But you'll notice on your outline you have Principles. After that, principle number one, all the way down to number four, and then there's a blank afterwards.
That blank is not there to be left blank, it's there for you to write the principle in. And here's the promise I'm gonna make, and I believe this. If you learn these principles. And they become part of the fabric of your ethic, your work ethic, it will change. your work life, your job forever.
So let's begin with the practical command. Notice in verse 18: servants be submissive. To your masters with all Fear. You could translate the term servants, slaves. Because in the Roman Empire, when this letter was written, that was the workforce of the Roman Empire, and many of those in the audience to whom Peter is writing, Christians.
found themselves in that position as servants or slaves. But the word for servant here is not the typical word for servant.
Some of you know a little bit of Greek words just from being a Christian, and you know that the typical word for a servant or a slave is the word doulas. Or the plural doloi. That is not the word that is used here. But it's the word oikotai. Which means a household slave.
Now, let me explain. Household slaves could be anything from a doctor to a menial servant. They could be well educated. They were educators themselves. They could be managers of an estate.
They could be, as I mentioned, doctors all the way down to menial labors. It ran the gamut. The word master in our text Listen to it. Despotoi You've heard of a despot? An autocrat, a tyrant, that's the word that is used.
It simply describes somebody who has unlimited and absolute authority over another person.
So we're looking at the relationship between servants. And Masters. Slavery 2,000 years ago was an established institution. The Roman Empire had 60 million. People who were slaves.
Half of the Roman Empire were slaves.
Now to be fair, Some masters were great masters. They loved their servants. They were like family to them and treated them like family members. But others were not. Others were cruel, they were harsh.
And the slave had no rights, he had very little protection. And as a slave, he was considered a non-person. The Roman citizen looked at a slave as simply a piece of property. Did you know that?
Now that had been an ongoing Idea for many, many years, because slavery has been around for a long time. You're listening to Connect with Skiff Heitzig Weekend Edition. Every day, the generosity of friends like you helps make clear, verse-by-verse Bible teaching available to people searching for truth, purpose, and hope. And this month, we want to thank you with a pair of powerful resources to help you understand your identity in Christ and God's design for your life and relationships. When you give, you'll receive the Expound Ephesians 9 CD series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip's book, Beyond the Summer of Love.
Together, these resources explore the richness of the gospel, reveal your place in God's family, and show how biblical truth brings strength, restoration, and lasting hope to your relationships. We'll send both resources as our thanks when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heidzig. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com/slash offer.
Now, let's return to today's teaching. The great philosopher Aristotle, and it's amazing how people quote Aristotle and read Aristotle and think he was so cool. Listen to his view on human rights. A slave is a living tool and a tool is an inanimate slave. One of the Roman noblemen named Varro said, The only thing that distinguishes a slave from a beast or a cart is that a slave can talk.
And One author recommended that if you're going to buy a farm, That you should toss out the old slaves to die because they're just broken tools.
Okay, now get this something else. If you were a slave and you ran away and you got caught, They would brand the flesh of your forehead. Once you came back with a big F. Not for you get an F on the test. But Fujitivas.
Fugitive. This is a runaway slave. This is a fugitive. And he would be ill-treated the rest of his life. In fact, they could even be put to death.
Without any kind of trial whatsoever. That's how little rights they had in that culture.
So I wanted to paint that background.
Now What does Peter have to say to that group? If they're a believer. Servants Be submissive. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What?
You mean Peter doesn't say servants rebel? Servants go on strike. Servants hire lobbyists against the union. He says, servants. Be submissive.
Use your slavery. in such a manner That even that is going to compel somebody to listen to your message.
Now I have to state something very plainly to you. Slavery. is wrong on any account. It's wrong. And the Bible sees it as wrong.
In fact, slavery goes against the very grain of the New Testament idea of redemption, which means to set somebody free by paying a price. Redemption is to set a slave and captured free by paying their redemption price. Also, every year the Jews Celebrated and still do this. The yearly celebration of Passover, which celebrates their redemption. They were once slaves, Egyptian.
slaves under Pharaoh. Being set free, they still celebrate Passover.
Now having said that We find it a little bit interesting, in fact, puzzling, that none of the apostles, including Peter, ever campaigned against slavery. nor did he ever tell a slave to rebel. That bothers some people. Why is that? Why doesn't Peter say Peter slaves rebel?
You know, do something to get out of where you're at.
Well, I could actually preach on that for weeks, and we don't have the time.
So, let me just give you a couple of reasons. Number one, Because slavery was such a part of the social fabric. of these ancient cultures that predated Christianity for centuries. Not just the Roman culture, I quoted Aristotle back to the Greek culture, virtually every culture around the world. Slavery was a part of that social fabric.
Number two, because Christians were such a minority without any political power whatsoever that for them to lift a finger in that direction, they would be seen as more subversive than they were already known as. And so he says, submit. It's a very practical command. Servants, submit to your masters. But here's what you need to know.
What the New Testament did. is teach enough principles. That eventually slavery would become undermined in the Roman Empire. Started in the second century AD. By about the fourth century, there was no slavery.
And virtually every Resource I looked up to discover why, including Encyclopedia Britannica. Was that Enough people in the Roman Empire had now become Christians that they started looking at people differently.
So it served to eradicate slavery. They started looking at people with compassion in the image of God, not a piece of property, but a human being like they were. And so slavery was abolished. As time went on, slavery persisted. But There were anti-slavery movements, usually led by Christians.
In England, William Wilberforce is a notable example. Along with his friend, John Newton, who wrote the song Amazing Grace. In America, there were the abolitionists, mostly led by Christian believers.
So New Testament principles. That would say submit. to your harsh employer, your master, Also, gave enough information and inspiration that when a person adopted the Christian message, eventually it permeated his culture.
So that's the practical command. And I want to give you the principle to write down. Here's principle number one. Work hard. and work well.
Be a hard worker. Be the kind of worker. that any employer would want to hire. How's that for being a Christian? Just work hard and work well.
Many years ago when I was jobless, I had been trained in the medical profession. My field was radiology, and I needed a job. And so I went to a local hospital, to a department. I put in my resume, and I had an interview. They asked me questions, and at the end of the interview, they said this: it's the words everyone hates to hear.
Thank you, we'll call you. Don't call us. We'll call you. Which usually means Bye-bye, you don't get the job. And I knew that.
And I was turning around to leave. And I paused and I remembered this. This idea, this text. I turned it and I said, Hey, listen, I know you're going to interview a lot of people, but I just want you to know something. If you were to hire me.
I will be the best worker you have in your department. He sat up in his chair and he said, You got the job. Then I left going, oh dear.
Now I got to make good on that promise, right? But isn't that what it's all about? Christianity. In the workplace, this is a stage by which to prove that that is true. You want to be the kind of worker to an employer that they would want to hire and want to keep.
Work hard. Work well. Notice he says something in verse 18: that you are to be submissive to your masters with all what? Fear. It means respect.
Be respectful. Don't be a bitter employee. Don't be the kind of person who always has a negative disposition. Work hard. Work well.
That's a practical command. The second is a potential complication. For you'll notice as we go through verse 18, down in the words that follow, that not every boss is good, not every boss is gentle. He says, Be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the Harsh. Harsh is a word Scolios.
Ever heard of scoliosis? A twisted spine, it means a twisted person. Harsh. Twisted. Crooked.
Because of that.
Now, if a person is that way. The employee is going to suffer. And you'll notice the wording in verse 19. You endure grief, he says. You are suffering wrongfully, he says.
Verse 20, if you do good and yet you suffer. And why would they suffer? Because their boss, their master, is harsh. Ever had a boss like that? A harsh boss And you just think, great, I thought this job was so cool, and that's my boss.
And it gets worse. You might be having that boss right now. I might be just, you might be that boss. One job that I had, there was this supervisor that I had and She Didn't like me. One of the reasons she didn't like me is because I was a believer.
And she just thought that stuff was hokey. Pokey, hocus, pocus, weird stuff, but One of the reasons is that Monday mornings I would come in happy. And she just thought that is not possible. I came in like humming a tune, whistling, singing, and she She finally turned to me and she goes, would you stop that? I go what?
Stop singing. It's Monday. She just resented any happiness on Monday morning.
So it's very hard for me to do that, but I do remember that she would give me lots more work. and the kind of jobs nobody else in the department really wanted. And life wasn't easy because of that. Here's the second principle I want to give you, and I want you to write this one down. Life is a mix.
Of good? And bad. Use both to advertise. Life is a mix of good and bad. Use both good and bad.
To advertise. You're going to have good bosses. You're going to have bad bosses. You're going to have great jobs that they ask you to do. You're going to have jobs that are distasteful and that you hate.
But can I be as bold as to simply say, At least you have a job. I mean, can't we as believers just start right there and say, okay, you know, I really don't like what I'm doing here. I don't like this job. I don't like this situation, this work condition. I don't like, but you know what?
You know what? I have a job. I get a paycheck, I have employment, and then to say beyond that. I believe the Lord put me here. It elevates your position.
And it changes your attitude. You know, Harvard did a study, I was reading this week. Harvard did a study. that when people get hired You know what 85% of the time they get hired for? Their attitude.
Not their smarts. Only 15% of the time, people get hired because they're really smart and they know facts and figures. Eighty-five percent of the time, it's attitude. And for believers, it ought to be the attitude of gratitude. Gratitude.
Is the attitude that sets the altitude. for a living. Ants were working. Especially for work.
So life is a mix of good and bad, used both to advertise. Thanks for joining us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we go, remember. Your generosity helps share God's word with people around the world, offering truth, hope, and encouragement where it's needed most. And this month we'd love to thank you for your gift of $50 or more by sending you the Expound Ephesians 9 C D series with digital download, along with Pastor Skip's book Beyond the Summer of Love.
These resources will help you understand your identity in Christ and see how God's design brings strength and restoration to your relationships. Give today at connectwithskiff.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888. We'll see you next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip-Heitzik Weekend Edition. Make a connection. Shouldn't have a fool.
Of the crisis. A castle burn. Connect with Gif Heitzig is a presentation of connection communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
