SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

PETER 2:18-25

LIVING UNDER STRESS

What are some areas in your life that cause you stress?
How do you deal with that stress now?
In this weeks study, Peter addresses the problem of stress in life
situations. He knew that dealing with stress could have an incredible
impact on our lives, so he wanted to make sure that his fellow Christians
understood how to rely on God when stress arose.
Some stress in our lives could be so intense that they could break our
spirits. Im sure that due to the age we are in this class we have faced
that kind of stress in the past and we are quite likely to face it again. The
key is, knowing how to handle stress properly, that is, from a biblical
standpoint.
I. SHOW PROPER RESPECT, 1 Peter 2:18-20.
Last week we studied about our relationships with governing officials.
Today, we shift from that to relationships with employers.
Slavery was a way of life in the Roman Empire. I once read that there
was an estimated sixty million slaves in the known world at that time.
They were employed in every occupation, ranging from menial manual
labor to professionals such as doctors and teachers. Slavery at that time
was looked upon as a social arrangement. So Peter directs the Christian
who finds himself in this situation to fill his place in active submission.
This verse 18 advises the Christian slave how their attitude is to be,
whether or not their master is good to them. It would be easy to submit
to an honorable master, but what about the one who had no concern for
his slaves and was very difficult to please?
Well, Peters admonition is the same---subject yourselves to your
masters authority.
Why should the servant submit? Because obedience to a harsh
master is a grace.
In other words, such action is evidence of grace in the life of the
individual. Let me take you back to verse 12: Live such good lives
among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they
may see your good deeds and glorify God. So Peter is telling us that
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this is just another way the Christian can demonstrate his good deeds
before unbelievers.
How many of you have worked for a harsh employer?
How were you able to show respect?
Verse 19-20. There is a lot of grief associated to working for a harsh
employer. So the servant or employee who submits to a harsh boss is
bearing up under grief, but he is nod enduring for the sake of grief. That
employee or servant endures because of his conscience toward God, for
he is aware that Gods presence is with him even in this situation---so
they serve out of reverence for God. Although they were to respect the
harsh boss as another human being, they knew that, ultimately, God was
the one evaluating their work. The servant who suffers for no wrong
-doing follows in the steps of the Lord Jesus, who suffered undeservedly.
I think that what we can take away from this is that God is at work in the
believers life and will use situations that appear unjust in order to build
character in the Christian.
I also believe that the phrase, conscious of God means we must
deliberately trust that God is in control even in the midst of unfairness
and turmoil.
According to verse 20, if the punishment that you suffer has no
justification, and yet you bear it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
Very few people living today are slaves. But these principles apply also
to employer-employee relationships. The employee is to be submissive
to his employer, even if that employer is harsh. A believer may change
jobs if he has a harsh employer. But as long as he is employed by that
harsh employer, the employee should obey the directives of the
employer unless they violate his responsibilities to God. Obedience to
ones employer is demanded, and such obedience is a testimony to the
Christian employee.
II. FOLLOW CHRISTS EXAMPLE, 1 Peter 2:21-23
Verse 21. The idea of suffering unjustly leads Peter to this discussion of
the sufferings or our Lord. We see in Christ the greatest example of one
who suffered unjustly without striking back. Christ left an example for us
to follow. He has gone before us and we are called to follow in His path.
We are to mirror Him in our lives.
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Verse 22. Peter was an eyewitness of our Lords death, but he does not
describe the Lords sufferings in his own words. Instead, he uses the
words found in Scripture---Isaiah 53:9. He reminds us that our Saviour
was sinless, for He committed no sin.
There was no deceit in Him, for no deceit was found in his mouth.
Our Lord did not fail in either word or deed, therefore, He did not deserve
to suffer.
When our Lord was unjustly attacked, He did not retaliate.
When His life was threatened, He did not invoke the judgment of God
upon His captors.
Instead, He said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Verse 23. Christ committed no offense and yet He suffered for us. So,
how did He behave in this situation? Well, He endured all the shame and
indignities to which He was subjected to and He left it to His Father to
vindicate Him, in His own good time.
The Son, in complete obedience to the Father, simply handed Himself
over to His Father. He had already prayed for the Fathers will to be
accomplished and if that involved suffering and death, He knew He was
in the Fathers hands.
III. ACCEPT GODS GIFT, 1 Peter 2:24-25
I want you to notice the contrast between what Jesus did and what we
receive.
Jesus suffered for our sins on the cross so that we can be healed and be
made righteous. When we invite Him into our lives, He doesnt just
forgive our sins, He takes control of every aspect of our lives. So we
Christians are able to deal with stressful situations because Jesus Christ
lives within us. His gift of salvation means we are secure in Him. We
may deal with physical stresses, but He provides a peace that passes all
understanding. This verse 24 says that by his wounds you have been
healed.
Verse 25. This verse says we were all like straying sheep, but through
Gods grace we now are part of Gods family. Jesus is now our Shepherd;
He is feeding us and sustaining us. He is our Overseer who guides us
and directs us as we travel through this world. We have a guide, an
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Overseer, and a purpose. We now follow our Shepherd who tends to all
His sheep.
This relationship has eternal consequences. Nothing can shake our
security in Him---and that means we can always have hope in the middle
of the most stressful times of our lives.
CLOSE
Having experienced His saving grace, we should not expect to receive
better treatment here in this world than what our Lord received. We
should not be surprised that our testimony is turned down by the
majority of this world. Neither should we be surprised that we and that
which we stand for is not held in very high esteem.
We must always be aware that we are here as a light to shine for the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. When our Lord returns, He will put right all those
things done against us for His sake, and we will be rewarded accordingly.
In the meantime, it is better to have the Lords approval that the
approval of those in this world who would crucify Him all over again.