Do you live to work, or work to live? This sermon offers a third answer, taking us to the first letter of Peter (1 Peter 2), written in the days of Nero to slaves and their masters: we work to give glory to God, whether we have a good boss or a real despot. We also hear where obedience to superiors ends and obedience to God begins, and why the attitude of the heart can turn ordinary stone-breaking into building a cathedral. Listen and look at your Monday with completely new eyes.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In 1 Peter 2:18-20 slaves are told to submit not only to good masters but also to "harsh" ones, literally crooked despots. What might this call have meant to the first readers living under Nero?
- How does the example of Christ in 1 Peter 2:21-25, who did not retaliate when insulted but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly, change the way you see undeserved suffering?
- The speaker rejects the choice between "living to work" and "working to live" and talks about working for God's glory. What practical difference does it make to see Jesus as your real boss?
- According to the sermon, where does our submission to those in authority at work end, and how do you tell a merely difficult boss from a situation where you must refuse or defend your rights?
- Three men in a quarry were doing the same work, but only one said he was building a cathedral to honor God. Which of them is most like you in your current work, and why?
- Who in your workplace or school could see the beauty of your good deeds this week, as 1 Peter 2:12 describes, and what specifically do you want to do?
