It'll be no surprise to you that we're reading in Peter again.
We've been studying that for the last few Sunday mornings.
And today it's 1 Peter 2 verses 18 to 25.
And I guess you'll be able to follow it on the screen or on your smart screen, or Bibles can be provided if you put your hand up.
So let's do the reading then.
Slave, submit yourself to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.
But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it?
But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
To this you were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.
He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth.
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate when he suffered.
He made no threats.
Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed.
For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.
Have you ever questioned an instruction or directive from someone in authority?
Have you gone as far as to disobey what they asked you to do?
If you have, you're in good company.
The Bible records a number of God servants who chose to make a stand against demands that they considered unacceptable.
Even when doing so, it was at the risk of endangering their own life.
The writer to the Hebrews describes the faith of Moses' parents, who, undaunted by the king's command, which was for all male children to be destroyed at birth, hid their child for three months.
There's also Esther, who agreed to Mordecai's request to plead the cause of the condemned Jews, although challenging the king's edict meant risking her own life.
Then there's the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused Nebuchadnezzar's injunction to worship the gold image that he had set up, and were told that if they didn't do that, they were going to be toast.
And not long afterwards, Daniel was unwilling to compromise his faith, and he too defied the king's dictat, which led to him becoming the main attraction in more ways than one.
Moving to the New Testament, we read about the wise men who disobeyed Herod when they refused his summons to return to him once they had presented their gifts to the baby Jesus.
And crucially, bearing in mind our reading this morning, when Peter in Acts 5 stood before the council and high priest, charged with preaching in the name of Jesus, he said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
All this demonstrates that there are occasions when it would be right to question people in authority, whoever they might be, a government official, an employer, or even a religious leader.
And to refuse to do anything that conflicts with God's will and purpose.
Loyalty to God always takes priority over all human authority.
Peter, like those before him, had learned that lesson.
He knew that obedience to God surpassed earthly decrees and, like many others, down through the ages, since that time, was willing to sacrifice his own life rather than deny faith in God's power to deliver him.
Now this was an emboldened Peter, not the one who denied ever knowing Jesus.
Compromise was not an option.
If something was against the will of God, then he would stand against it.
So when we come to today's reading, we might find it a little strange that Peter, like Paul in fact, doesn't challenge a system that countenances slavery, but instead says that slaves are to be submissive to their masters.
Well, before we try to understand why that might be the case, let us first look at what Peter is actually saying in this passage from his letter.
In 1 Peter 2, verse 18, Peter is focusing on one particular relationship, that between household servants or domestic slaves in the Roman world, who he says should submit to their masters with respect, even if those masters are harsh or unreasonable, not just when they're kind.
Peter says that in being submissive, they're not validating their master's abuse, which is clearly wrong, but they're showing reverence to God.
The phrase with all fear or respect refers to reverential awe of God.
This follows on from the preceding passage that Dave was leading us through a couple of weeks ago, which calls on Christians to live differently under difficult circumstances, trusting that God is the ultimate judge.
It's the same advice that Peter, that Paul gives in Ephesians chapter 5, chapter 6.
Paul issued to bondservants another word used to denote slaves, saying that they should obey their masters with respect, fear, and sincerity of heart, and even to harsh masters, to be well pleasing and honest, because in doing so they were witnessing to their faith, not simply working for human approval.
Well, in verse 21, Peter points to Jesus as our example.
He says that just as Jesus suffered, so as his followers, we will be subjected to suffering.
But when insulted, the godly person returns good for evil.
He goes on to say in verse 23 that we should refuse to retaliate against those who attack us, never threaten those who cause us suffering, instead, going into the next section of his letter, we should bless those who insult us.
That's into chapter 3, verse 9, and then on into chapter 3, verse 15, always being prepared to explain the difference that Jesus has made in our life.
Well, this is very much Jesus' teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, isn't it?
Where Jesus said we should renounce any form of retaliation.
In fact, if you are slapped on the right cheek, then turn the other to him also.
We should love our enemies and bless those who curse us.
Even though Peter is describing a master-slave relationship, one that we no longer countenance.
Nevertheless, there are lessons that we can draw from this.
At various times in our lives, all of us enter into contractual relationships, that's legally binding agreements.
The most obvious example is when an employer offers us a salary for our time and skills, or when we hire a tradesperson, say a plumber or builder, to carry out a particular job.
These are situations where either we place ourselves under someone else's authority, or they place themselves under our authority.
In both cases, as Christians, we should show ourselves to be exemplary, providing high quality in terms of work and behavior, being worthy of admiration and a model or a pattern for others to follow.
That's quite a challenge, isn't it?
Especially when we're faced with a difficult work situation, something I'm sure that many people here have actually experienced.
What do we do when an employer is unfair, or harsh even, or when a work situation is clearly unethical?
How as a Christian should we respond?
Well, all situations are different, and blanket advice is probably unhelpful, but first of all, we should be clear about the issue, to have evidence well documented.
Then, in order to achieve a quick resolution and maintain a positive relationship with one's employer, it's perhaps best to first raise the matter in an informal way.
Most employers do not want the hassle and cost, not just in terms of money, of going through a formal procedure.
Even then it's not easy.
Any form of confrontation is difficult.
And it is crucial to find the right approach.
And the people who do this best are those who are able to confront in a loving way, who, to again quote Paul in this letter to Ephesians chapter 4, speak the truth in love.
To use a golfing analogy, it is selecting the right club to use, especially when what is required is a delicate chip to the green.
We also need to remember that confrontation is not always the right course.
Not every wrong statement needs to be challenged, not every critic needs to be refuted.
Sometimes it's best to see if the situation resolves itself without us having to stir.
But what if we are the focus of the complaint?
Many of us work in stressful situations with strict deadlines.
We are all prone to make errors, errors of judgment perhaps.
There are occasions when any of us might say something or do something we later regret.
Even in these circumstances, if even if it means losing face, it is best to come clean and admit our error.
Good employers will understand an occasional lapse.
They too have feet of clay.
You may have heard of the boss who asked his employee, who's the stupid one?
You or me?
And the employee replying that everyone knew that he only never hired stupid people.
As Christian employees, as servants, to use Peter's description, which in a sense is what we all are, even in difficult circumstances, yea, even if we feel ourselves being treated unfairly or perhaps harshly, Peter urges us to keep a clear conscience by continuing to do our best, to take it patiently, because this is commendable before God.
In fact, the rest of the passage, verses 21 to 25, explains why this should be the case.
Godly living involves suffering.
Peter says we know this because Jesus suffered as our example.
As godly people, we should return good for evil.
When insulted, we should bless, and when caused to suffer, we should never threaten in return.
These are extreme situations, Peter describes.
And there are employment laws today that would necessitate action being taken if an employee was so denigrated.
But nonetheless, the underlying spirit of what Peter is saying is still true.
Whatever our employment, we are God's servants.
We should want to do our best in everything because we are doing it for him.
The attitude we should have is well described in George Herbert's poem The Elixir, which begins, Teach me, my God and King, in all things thee to see, and what I do in anything to do it as for thee.
And the poem goes on to say, a servant with this clause makes drudgery divine, who sweeps a room as for thy laws, makes that and the action fine.
I recall with a great sense of satisfaction the many Christian colleagues with whom over many years I had the good fortune to work.
What impressed me, as well as other staff and indeed pupils, was their dedication to the profession, their commitment to high standards of work and behavior, their reliability, and what is so important, their good humour, even during tough times, and there were plenty of those.
They weren't perfect, no one is, but they were well respected and provided good testimony of what it meant to be a Christian in the workplace.
I'm sure you can think of colleagues, Christian and non-Christian, with whom you too have had the pleasure of working.
But a word of caution here, you can do too good a job.
Employee of the month is a good example of how somebody can be both a winner and a loser at the same time.
But thinking of the work situation, it's important that you choose employment for which you are suited.
I tried lots of jobs over the years.
I got fired for my first job as a set designer.
I left without making a scene.
And I remember a lot of people were shocked when they found out what a bad electrician I was.
I can't believe I got fired from the calendar factory.
All I did was take a day off.
And despite removing all the stains, I still lost my job as a church window cleaner.
That's all the jokes.
There are no more.
Of course, living as we do in the 21st century, coming across a passage like this raises a lot of questions.
Why are Peter and Paul apparently accepting the status quo and not challenging a system that strips people of liberty is degrading and reduces human beings to chattel property that can be bought and sold.
And this is very much a live issue, isn't it?
We used to think that slavery was a thing of the past, something happening on far-flung shores.
But here in the UK, we are experiencing record levels of people trafficking, forced labour and sexual exploitation, with British boys and girls being targeted by criminals using grooming and blackmail.
We naturally balk at the idea that such slavery should be countenanced.
So, why didn't Peter and Paul speak out against a system that robbed people of personal dignity?
Well, we need to read this letter accredited to Peter and Paul's letters too, in the light of the fact that they believed Jesus' return was imminent.
In Romans 13,12, Paul wrote to the saints who constituted the churches of Rome, the night is nearly over, the day is almost here.
And this explains the urgency with which he kept travelling the Mediterranean, now planning a trip to Judea, now an expedition to Spain.
When he writes in his letters to the Thessalonians, may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It showed his enduring anxiety that the world was running out of time.
It's why Paul was traveling from city to city, warning that time was short.
His new converts needed to live each day expecting the Son of God's return.
Ironically, Paul and Peter were living at a time of someone who was parading himself as a son of God, the new young Caesar called Nero.
In fact, his coterie of dazzled admirers, flatterers really, went further and said that he was the Greek god Apollo, manifest on earth, which naturally pleased this young, new young ruler of the world who knew no bounds.
His extravagant street parties, to which the masses were invited, were also marked by extreme depravity.
The summons was to enjoy a fleeting taste of what it was like to be a Caesar.
But Paul, in his letter to the Romans, had something altogether more startling to offer the ordinary citizens of Rome.
He offered them a status that Nero would never have thought to share.
He said in Romans 8, verse 16, people such as they could be adopted by God.
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
But not only ordinary householders, but all those who are not free-born Romans and branded as inferior, such as slaves, and those forced into prostitution, the bargirls and the painted boys in brothels, the slaves used without compunction by their masters.
Paul was giving them a glimpse of salvation and a new status.
And this is what Peter is picking up on when he says in verses 21 to 24, to suffer as Christ had done, to be beaten and degraded and abused, was to follow in his steps so that having died to sins, they might live for righteousness and one day share in his glory.
This was a revolutionary message.
But as the historian Tom Holland in his book Dominion explains, it raised some pressing questions.
In the cramped workshops that were the meeting places for these early believers, where they met to commemorate the death of Christ with a communal meal, citizens rubbed shoulders with slaves, men with women.
If all were equally redeemed by Christ, if all were equally beloved of God, then what are the hierarchies on which the function of even in the homeless Roman household depended?
It was not an easy one to answer, and Paul shows some ambivalence.
He refuted any notion that a ranking system should operate amongst believers.
God, he declared firmly in Romans chapter 2, God does not show favoritism.
The master of a household was no more or less a son of God than his slaves.
Everyone then should be joined together by a common love.
Yet even as Paul, and I'm sure the same could be said of Peter, urged this, he did not push the radicalism of his message to its logical conclusion.
A slave might be loved by his master as a brother and renowned for his holiness.
He might even be blessed with the gift of prophecy, but he or she remained a slave.
And it's why I think earlier in the chapter, 1 Peter 2, verse 11, Peter addresses these Christians living in various parts of Asia Minor, who were suffering because of their faith, as sojourners and pilgrims.
He was reminding them that they were passing through earth as travelers.
Their true citizenship was in heaven.
Like Paul, he believed time was short.
Excuse me.
At the end of his letter, 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 7, he says, the end of all things is at hand.
Christ would return soon.
There was no time to weave the fabric, the entire fabric of society anew.
They had to work fast.
And what Peter makes abundantly clear in his letter is that the early church was a small and often persecuted minority.
Any attempt to subvert slavery, which was a deeply entrenched institution that was integral to the Roman economy and society, would have met with a swift and violent crackdown by the Roman Empire.
And despite their probable scorn for the pretensions of Nero, Paul in Romans 13 warned the churches of Rome not to offer open resistance.
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.
And there was some method in doing this, as it was Roman power that upheld the peace that enabled Paul and Peter and others to travel the world.
They didn't want to jeopardize their mission by urging their converts to rebel against it.
But since the time of the early church, the great cause of social reform has been Christian through and through.
Whenever I visit Lechlade Baptist Church, a plaque on the wall reminds me of the great Christian social reformer Robert Rakes, 1735 to 1811, the founder of the Sunday School Movement.
Then there is the MP, William Wilberforce, 1759 to 1833, who for 18 years spearheaded the abolitions movement, culminating in the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which finally freed enslaved people.
And then, of course, there is the famous Victorian politician and evangelical Christian Lord Sharesbury, 1801 to 1885, who dedicated his life to reforming harsh labor conditions, improving mental health care, and promoting education for poor children.
Of course, what Peter and Paul were saying is even more true today than it was then, if that's possible.
If Christ's return was imminent then, surely it's even more of an imperative today, 2,000 years later.
We therefore should have the same zeal for winning people for Christ.
At the start of this month, Rosalie and I, and nearly 6,000 people from across the globe, attended the leadership conference in the Royal Albert Hall.
It was immensely encouraging to hear Nicki Gumbel report that across the world, over 38 million people have now completed Alpha.
And although we hear in this country about many church closures, there are areas of the church where there is prolific growth.
Nicky Gumble recalled an article written by Jeremy Paxman that appeared in the Financial Times in 2017 about HDB's first church plant, St.
Peter's Church in Brighton.
Before the church plant in 2009, the nearly empty huge building was typical of so many traditional parish churches, many of which have been subsequently sold and used as cafes, community centres, theatres, carpet warehouses, and so on.
But St.
Peter's was saved.
In the article, Paxman described St.
Peter's having as having a relentlessly upbeat message, noting that you could hear the church before seeing its towering neo-Gothic stonework.
Now this is Jeremy Paxman, remember.
He goes on to say it would be hard not to be moved by the stories of the souls and lives saved in St.
Peter's church.
Remarkably, St.
Peter's is one of 200 church plants that have sprung from HTB alone.
And St.
Peter's is aptly named because it was Peter, the rock, on which Jesus said he would build his church.
How fortunate we are, as living stones, as Peter calls us in 1 Peter chapter 2, to have the privilege of building on that legacy.
Not as slaves, not as those experiencing the kind of suffering being endured by those to whom he was writing, but as free men and women.
Let us not spurn that opportunity.
In the summer of 64, a few weeks after Nero's notorious street party, a deadly fire broke out in Rome.
For days it raged.
Nero, looking around for culprits, fixed on the Christians.
Some of the condemned, dressed in animal skins, were torn to pieces by dogs.
Others, lashed to crosses, were smeared in pitch and used as torches to illumine the night.
Among those put to death, so later tradition was to record, were two famous names.
One was Paul, beheaded as befitted a Roman citizen.
The other was Peter, who, according to requests, to reports, requested to be crucified upside down, feeling unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.
Peter, he who at the risk of further punishment stood up to the religious police and said in Acts 5, we ought to obey God rather than men, had earned the right to follow Christ's example and endure similar suffering for the sake of the gospel.
It means that there are no more authentic words to be found in the Bible than when Peter writes, quoting verses 21 to 25 from the message Bible, this is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived.
He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done.
And also know how to do it step by step.
He never did one thing wrong, not once said anything amiss.
They called him every name in the book, and he said nothing back.
He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right.
So we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way.
His wounds became your healing.
You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going.
Now you're named and kept for good by the shepherd of your souls.
Amen.
Let us pray, shall we?
Father God, we thank you for your only Son, Jesus, who made himself of no reputation and took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.
We thank you that in order that we could be rid of sin, he used his servant body to carry our sins to the cross, so that through childlike faith we might enter his kingdom.
Where purpose and meaning are not found in satisfying our own appetites and desires, no more me time, but in giving ourselves in his service until his promised return.
As your adopted children, we ask that you'll give us the will and strength to step by step follow his example so that others too might come to know and trust in you, the one true God.
Amen.