Introduction
– If you are a Christian then you need to know that you have
been called to obedience even in the difficult things. More important than a slave gaining his
freedom and more important than you being treated fairly, is your calling to
endure unjust suffering without returning evil for evil and without harboring
bitterness. We must learn from Jesus why
He would dare to allow others to mistreat Him, and then we must learn to
imitate Him.
Submission Even When Harsh (vv18-20) –
This strong and important teaching is often overlooked because of its
politically incorrect context.
Slavery
(v18) – Our egalitarian, humanistic, unsubmissive culture proclaims that
slavery in and of itself is a wicked practice. However, the Bible permits Christians to own
slaves and requires slaves to act in a particular way towards their
masters. Whom do we follow?
And so, this
teaching is for slaves towards their masters, even if their masters are
unreasonable and abusive. How much more,
it should be argued, is this teaching for us in less harsh, less unreasonable
relationships in which we find ourselves?
“With
all fear” – Servants are to fear their masters because
they fear God (v13- “for the Lord’s sake”). Our submission to authority is not because of
who they are, but because of who God is.
To the Good and
To the Harsh – “Salute the uniform” some have said. Whether he is respectable or not, the one
whom God has placed in authority over you deserves your submission because God
has placed Him there.
Motivation (v19)
– We are not to roll over and submit out of fear of man, but ‘because of
conscience toward God’. It is
because of our faith in One who will justify us and
glorify Himself in the end. Notice, we
are to ‘endure’, so it is only for a time.
Is it a privilege to suffer for the sake of Christ? (Acts 5:41, Phil
Suffering
Wrongfully (vv19-20) – That is not to say every time you
suffer it is because you are being wrongfully mistreated. Make sure you don’t deserve it.
“This
is commendable” (vv19-20) – This translation does not
mean you have earned anything before God.
Literally, it could be translated, “this is
grace”. In other words, if you act
this way, when it is so unnatural to the flesh, then here is the evidence of
the Spirit of God working in you. God
sees this as a tribute to His grace.
Our Calling in Christ (vv21-23) – Every
time you are mistreated, you must remember that it is no random act of
chance. For Christians, this is your
calling.
To Follow His
Example (v 21) – Jesus is our example in suffering
unjustly. This verse is not teaching
that He is only an example. He really
took our sins upon Himself and bore the wrath of God for those sins on our
behalf. He is our substitute, our
propitiation, and in Him, full satisfaction to the Father’s justice is found. (Rom 5:8-10, 2 Cor
To Suffer Even
if not for Sin (v22) – Here is another important Christian
doctrine that is denied today. Christ
was sinless (2 Cor
To Commit
Ourselves to God’s Care (v23) – We are to imitate Christ in His
trust in the One who judges righteously.
Here is the secret to patient endurance.
You are not saying that justice doesn’t matter. You are not saying that vengeance is
wrong. You are saying that vengeance is God’s,
that He is the final judge, and that you trust Him to judge His enemies and
vindicate His children – just as He did for His Son.
Efficacious Suffering (vv24-25) – See what
Christ endured, what it accomplished, and consider your own participation in
unjust suffering.
He Bore our
Sins (v24) – Christ did not die to provide the
potential salvation of each and every person in the world. He secured the salvation of those for whom He
died. He bore their sins. He healed them. His suffering accomplished exactly what God
intended for it to accomplish.
How Do We Die
To Sin? – In the context of this passage, we die to sin
when we deny our natural tendency to pay back evil for evil, when we do not
demand ‘justice’ now on our terms for our suffering, when we suffer patiently
with our faith in God. “This is
commendable”. “This is grace”. We die to sin when we deny that unjust
suffering cannot effectually produce anything good. We see what God the Father did in Christ’s
suffering, and so we rejoice to share in the fellowship of those sufferings
that we might share in the efficacious work of those sufferings.
Our Shepherd
(v25) – Jesus is our Pastor, our Elder, and Bishop over our souls. This should strengthen our love for Psalm
23. Do you trust this Shepherd to use
His staff and rod appropriately? Do you
trust Him to prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies? Only then will you endure unjust suffering
and bring great glory to your Father.