Who's Your Boss...1 Peter 2:18-20

What would you think if you were an employee at this company...

...a Detroit business office found the following important notice on the bulletin board: “The management regrets that it has come to their attention that workers dying on the job are failing to fall down. This practice must stop, as it becomes impossible to distinguish between death and the natural movement of the staff. Any employee found dead in an upright position will be dropped from the payroll.”

You might look at that notice on your company bulletin board and develop some specific thoughts about your employer that ought not be verbalized. Your thoughts about the management in your company leads you to conclude they are a few fries short of a happy meal!

or as my dad would say “their elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top”.

Perhaps you are here this morning and your boss is someone you’ve considered for a long time as one unqualified to be in their position…maybe they demand things of you, that in your mind, are meaningless and unproductive…or maybe they’ve taken credit for a good job YOU did or blamed you for something that went wrong when you simply did what they asked...

What should the Christian worker do in the workplace when the people around you are less than perfect, when your boss is “unreasonable”?

What should the believer do when the boss asks you do something you don’t agree with?

Just because you don’t agree with what they want that does not automatically make it sinful.

Pastor Matthew instructed us very well regarding the criteria for obedience…God first…so if what is being asked of you doesn’t violate Scripture, either directly or indirectly, the believer is still to obey.

What if your boss treats you poorly and your workplace is a den of unfairness?

Your boss shows obvious favoritism…especially when that favoritism is directed towards someone who is lazy and unproductive…or worse nepotism.

That is where we find ourselves today in 1 Peter…1 Pet 2:18-20.

Peter provides us with very pointed principles to stand in grace while living in an imperfect world that is hostile to Christ.

He gave us some great doctrinal truth regarding our identity and the purpose for that identity is so we can have an impact on the world around us.

Last week, Pastor Matthew took us through how that identity impacts our relationship to an imperfect and perhaps even corrupt government.

There is an expectation for God’s children to live differently…especially when our government lets us down.

I understand that where we are in our present culture with the government in the shape it is in that some of what we studied in the last section can get folks a little upset.

Today’s text is another one of those texts…I’ve already taken a dose of Pepto Bismol to prepare me for the barrage of arrows that are going to be flung at me.

Because now Peter turns towards our attention to how we respond to imperfect bosses who treat us unfairly.

I want to encourage you to think right now about your boss…if you are the boss this passage will still apply to you so please don’t tune me out…even if you are self-employed there are some principles you can glean from this text…retired…same thing…general yet specific principles.

Think right now about your work situation.

And the good news is: this is a really short passage.

The challenging news is: this is really hard to follow.

And wouldn’t you want a God who challenges you to do hard things and then gives you the power and the strength to make that happen?

And wouldn’t you want a pastor to love you enough to be a little or a lot of irritating you with truth we all need to hear?

Although your body language shouts don’t go there, I know deep down in your hearts you are really saying “Bring it on…I really want to be irritated this morning”

Let’s get a good dose of irritation shall we…Let’s seek to understand this from the text...

Main Point: When Work Turns Ugly, Believers Continue Doing Right.

Read 1 Peter 2:18-20.

This morning we want to examine how to stand firm in grace at work, especially when your boss treats you unfairly.

Four directives to help us be God’s kind of employee

The first directive is ...

Recognize that Being a Believer Means We Must Exemplify a Life of Submission.

As we get started here, it is very important to remember that we understand the Bible from its own historical context...

Depending on what translation you have, you might see the word slave somewhere in here...

The danger we must avoid here is reading an American historical context of slavery into the text instead of interpreting the Bible in light of its historical context.

Slavery in ancient times was different than slavery in America…that certainly does not ever make it right, but it does make it different.

Time does not permit us to examine the various ways slavery was different between ancient cultures and American culture…I am in no way condoning slavery ever. Ever.

Servants (‎oiketai‎) is from the root meaning "house," and is the basic term for household servants (cf. Acts 10:7).

This is a different word than the common word for slave.

Most of those servants served in a home or under an estate owner with duties from being farmers who plowed the owner's field to doctors who cared for his family's medical needs.

A person often became a slave through their nation being conquered or they were born into a slave’s.

Masters = the ‎despotai ‎(from which the English word despots derives), who had absolute ownership of and complete control over them (cf. 1 Tim 6:1-2; Titus 2:9).

And yes there were slave owners who were cruel and the common mentality among slave owners were that they were just property…never right but it adds power to what Peter is saying here.

We can use this particular passage to discuss employee/employer relations today because slavery in Bible times was, in many ways, closer to our working relationships than it would be to slavery in America historically.

Peter's basic command to them is be submissive

The command in this text is “servants be submissive”…it is a present participle implying it is something you presently do and must continue to do.

There is no question about what the Bible is saying here, God calls for the Christian employee to be submissive.

As you read through 1 Peter you see this theme emerging

Being a Christian means we must live a life that is submissive because our Savior was a submissive Savior and He called us to follow Him.

Remember the word submission is a military term which means “to line up and rank under the commander.”

It has nothing to do with intelligence; it has nothing to do with intrinsic value, worth, importance.

It simply acknowledges that in every relationship, somebody has to have the final say, somebody has to have the axe over his neck.

Now I recognize that we live in a culture where people don’t like to even talk about submission let alone do it.

Sadly, these same people have infiltrated the church.

There are believers who don’t like it in the home…they don’t like it with their government…they don’t like it with their workplace…they don’t like it in the church...and, frankly, they’re not going to do it.

And I would just say to you, because I love you, that if that is your heart, and ultimately if that’s the way you live, you have every reason to question whether you’re truly a follower of Christ because when you choose to follow Christ, you are saying he is now the Lord…your real boss.

Do you know what that means?

Submitting to Jesus as our Lord means that He is in charge; and it means you submit what you think to what He thinks; and if what you think is different than what He thinks, you’re wrong and you need to repent and change.

As we apply this to your current work situation, some of you might be thinking... “I don’t need to submit because those in authority over me are just too stupid to be in authority…I know more about the job than they do…I work harder than anyone else and no one is going to tell me what I should do…when they start treating me fairly then I will submit…”

Stop and consider that submission exists even within the Godhead.

Every member of the Trinity is perfect and is entirely equal with the others and yet there is submission…Father sent the Son and he went. And the Son sent the Spirit and he went…there was no question…

Just think about what the Father asked Jesus to do…is being treated with fairness where we really want to go?

God told Jesus to be your redeemer…to pay the price for your sin…to take upon Himself the punishment you deserved…that wasn’t fair…He deserved none of it…yet He willingly submitted to the Father’s plan…

Do we really want God to deal with us in terms of fairness?

We also need to remember that God never gives any one institution absolute authority…meaning the ultimate judge of what needs to be done is God.

Acts 5:29 “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

Unless an employer is asking us to do something that would be a violation of the Scripture; where our actions are sinful, either directly or indirectly, we must joyfully choose to be submissive to that authority in our life.

Some people have the habit of thinking, “I’ll submit to authority in my life as long as they’re already asking me to do something I would’ve done anyway.”

That is not submission. That is agreement.

Submission starts with an authority in your life asking you to do something, often in a way that you don’t like, or asking you to do something that you do not agree with.

How about you?...How are you doing when it comes to following this command at work?

Would your boss say that you’re a submissive person? (Kids & Teens this applies to you too…your “job” right now is to be submissive to those in authority over you…your parents, your teachers, etc.)

Think about that: do you take direction well…are you easy to manage…do you work hard even when the boss is not around…do you speak honorably about your boss even when he or she is not present…

Now, I realize you might say, “Pastor this is hard.”

Well, if we are going to be honest with this text, we haven’t gotten to the hard part yet.

I mean, really, we haven’t because let’s talk now about the extent of our submission...

Second directive is to

Realize Our Submission Extends to Even Those Bosses Who Are “Twisted”.

It says “not only to those who are good and gentle.”

Good (‎agathois‎) means "one who is upright, beneficial, and satisfactory for another's need."

Gentle (‎epieikesin‎) refers to "one who is considerate, reasonable, and fair."

Therefore good and gentle describes a kind and gracious person, the kind of employer to whom it is easy to submit…wouldn’t we all want a boss like that…if you are a boss then let that be a challenge to you...

But this text could not make it any clearer: Peter is not issuing this command only for those who make this submission business easy.

“Not only to the good and gentle, but also to those who are,” what? “Unreasonable.”

unreasonable…the Greek word there is skolios.

We get our English word Scoliosis from this word…what is scoliosis?... A curvature or a twisting of the spine.

dishonest, unscrupulous…in contrast to the good boss..,

Put that back into this text.

We’re talking about a person whose authority is twisted, is bent and often misused.

That’s why some versions of the Bible translate this as being “perverse.”

The way they treat you or others is not right; it’s not fair; it’s not just.

Again, they’re not asking you to act in a sinful way, but their treatment of you is obviously displeasing to God and the Scripture could not be any clearer that God’s people are commanded to be submissive even in that environment.

By now if you’re like me, you want to wiggle out from under this…it’s not fair…it’s crooked…you serve under a twisted boss and you continually seek to do what is right and then you suffer for that.

There are times when it may be appropriate for you to sit down with your boss at a time of their choosing and actually speak with them about the concerns that you have, even about the way they’re treating you...you make a respectful appeal.

You may work in a company that provides mediation in situations like this and it’s not rebellion to participate in mediation if that’s available.

It may even come to the point where you have to or you choose to seek employment in another place,

The argument of the text is undeniably clear. Look again carefully at verse 20.

Peter asks a rhetorical question and the anticipated answer to that question is: there is no credit.

If you did something wrong, Peter even uses the word for sin…“missed the mark”… meaning you failed to do what the boss asked you to do...and you were harshly treated (literal translation = beaten) for it... and you endure (bear up under) that punishment, there is nothing good about that, you should have been penalized for it.

Even if all the other workers around you agree that the boss’s directives are stupid...There is no “taking one for the team” in defying the boss’s directives.

Your sinful actions brought consequences…you don’t deserve a pat on the back.

The text says, “But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.”

Is “taking one for the team” really worth incurring the displeasure of God?

Let’s be honest here…what God commands here is hard, hard, hard, hard.

Knowing the right thing to do, and then doing it knowing you will experience unfair and unjust treatment from others, is one of the hardest things God calls us to do. However, we need to understand that God never calls us to do a hard thing without also offering the strength and enablement to get that hard thing done.

What this text does for us is it reveals a radical transformation that needs to take place in our life.

There is no way any of us could ever live out this text without the radical change that results in our heart when we trust Christ.

Without a saving relationship in Christ alone it’s impossible for a person to live like this in a way that would honor God.

Without faith, it is impossible to please him and the challenge of this text may be what God would use in the life of some person here or maybe more, to say, “I need a Savior and I need a Lord.

I need someone to pay for my sin, to free me from the sinful habits that I have at work and to submit to a Lord who can take charge of my life and actually direct me into living in a way that is entirely different.”

What we are talking about today I have seen from both sides of the aisle; as a boss/employee and as a pastor.

I’ve watched a lot of people in their work places and other places.

I’ve seen my share of good Christian workers who are a delight and joy to have as employees...But I have also seen my share of stubborn, rebellious Christian workers who frankly ought to be ashamed to name the name of Christ.

Rebellion makes you ugly...Rebellion makes you miserable.

Sadly, those rebellious Christian workers aren’t just rebellious at work…they carry that same ugly rebellious attitude into their homes and into their church

They refuse to recognize any authority structure God has placed in their life and will not submit unless they agree with that authority.

Those people are ugly and miserable.

They make everyone else around them miserable

Let’s consider our third directive.

Respond Respectfully Because You Are Motivated by Your Reverence for God.

There is a very important point in verse 18.

with all respect...“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect,”

We have to ask the question...with all respect toward whom?

Some of you might say, “Well, toward my boss, I suppose.”

Let me ask you, how do you respect a boss who is behaving in a "crooked” fashion?

And I realize your answer back to that might be, “Well, sometimes you have to respect the office even if you can’t respect the person in the office,”

Although that is true…but I don’t think that’s the point of the verse.

We always interpret the Bible in its context and the exact same word that is translated “respect”in verse 18 is used in verse 17.

Go up to verse 17 and circle the word “fear,” then draw a line or arrow to the word respect...in the original language that’s the same word.

It’s the word phobos.

Submit yourself to your master with all phobos

and since it was just spoken of fear toward God…I think that’s the point here.

The motivation for us to submit ourselves even to unjust treatment at work is our reverence for God.

We need to understand what it means to have a good “Christian work ethic”… I draw your attention to what Paul says in Colossians 3:22.

Colossians 3:22 NASB95

Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

Fearing the Lord means that our state of mind is that our own attitudes, our own will, our own feelings, deeds and goals are exchanged for God’s.

See, why would you be willing to be submissive to a twisted, imperfect authority at work?

Believers understand that God is our real boss and while on this side of heaven our earthly work is really for Him.

That’s what Peter is saying when he says “for the sake of conscience toward God”… the believer has a God-directed mindset that impacts their work because they want to please Him more than anything else…and so if that means suffering unjustly to a twisted boss is what comes from obeying God, then that is what we will do.

You need to think of your boss as a gift from God to aid you in the sanctification process...God wants to use your boss in your life to help you live more consistently for Him.

Here’s what I would encourage you to do: picture your boss. Have you got the person in mind right now?

And then picture him/her with a big red bow wrapped around him/her. In fact, you might want to take some big, fat, red ribbon to work tomorrow and just ask your boss, “Would you mind wearing this for a while. It just helps me to think more biblically about you and this whole relationship.”

There’s also a little card and it says this about your boss to you: Here is a gift for you to help you grow, to help you demonstrate your love for me, to aid you in your sanctification process, to provide an opportunity to show the difference Jesus can make in your life. I give you your boss. Signed, The God of heaven and earth who loves you and wants what’s best for you.”

Now, can I ask you this morning: have you been thinking about your boss in that way?

And does your submission to your authority at work demonstrate a fear of God on your part and a clear conscience toward him?

I wonder how many people are going to hear this message today and need to ask God’s forgiveness? They’ve not been working for Him...

If so, let’s get it done. “He who covers his sin shall not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes his sin shall have mercy.”

I wonder how many people who are going to hear this message today need to set up an appointment with their boss and ask that person for forgiveness in this particular area.

I wonder how many may have to go with their co-workers because your boss doesn’t know how un-submissive you are, but the other people you work around do…perhaps you need to seek the forgiveness of your co-workers for not setting the right example of how a believer ought to work.

Are you serious about your growth…your life before others? What steps is God telling you to make...

Our fourth directive is this...

Rest in Knowing God Blesses the Life of Submission.

Where does this text end?

verse 20 “When you do what is right, and suffer for it you patiently endure it,” what happens?

The submissive lifestyle at the work place “finds favor with God.”

That word “favor” is the word “grace”… this is not a reference to grace in the salvific sense… it is an unusual usage of “grace” that carries the idea of divine blessing...

And I have no idea when God will choose to bless you...

I have no idea how God will choose to bless you...

Rest in knowing that it is a promise the Lord makes to you and me and God never makes a promise He doesn’t intend to keep.

When your boss turns ugly and you are tempted to retaliate to the unfair and unjust treatment you receive in spite of doing good, remember you work for God and you can rest in knowing that He will somehow bless you for choosing to please Him.

Life Step – Be God’s Kind of Employee

Work for God’s pleasure knowing He is looking.

Allow room for God to exalt you in his time, in His way.

Out of your reverence for God, treat others respectfully regardless of how they treat you.

Be an example to your coworkers of what it means to work for God.

Choose submission even when your imperfect authority is unreasonable, because your responses to unjust treatment may be exactly what they need to see to know the difference Christ can make in their life!