Oct. 12, 2025

Pastor Dave's sermon begins at 26:40 min into the video. The music "Every Praise", "My Jesus",  "His Mercy Is More",  "Wonderful Merciful Savior", "Humble King", and "Change My Heart Oh God" are licensed under CCLI Copyright #2723035 and Streaming Media #22024223 licenses.

Pastor Dave continues his series on Living in Harmony in Part 2: Following Jesus in Suffering, focusing on 1 Peter 2:18-25 and workplace relationships. He teaches that God uses everything in our lives—including difficult circumstances and suffering—to conform us to Christ's image.

He opened with Colossians 3:23 and then proceeded to discuss 1 Peter 2:18-25. The central theme was clear: God uses everything in our lives—including difficult circumstances and suffering—to conform us to the image of Christ. Building on last week's foundation about living in harmony in society, he explained how this applies specifically to workplace relationships and our response to unfair treatment.

Everyone Has a Place of Submission

Pastor Dave reminded us that everyone is subordinate to someone, starting with our submission to Christ. Using the orchestra illustration from last week, he explained how each instrument has its part to play in creating beautiful harmony. "Everyone is subjected or in a subordinate position to someone. All of us are subordinate to Christ. All of us are under His umbrella of authority." He referenced Jesus' teaching in Mark 9 about greatness through service: if you want to be a leader, you become the servant of all.

The passage addresses servants and masters, which he applied to modern workplace relationships. Some early Christians apparently thought their freedom in Christ released them from previous obligations, but Scripture teaches otherwise. As Pastor Dave put it, "What we're not free to do is to disrupt the harmony of the position that God has placed us in."

God Is Working In You and Through You

Pastor Dave emphasized that God's goal is conforming all believers to Christ's image, referencing Romans 8:29 and other passages. Using a Play-Doh illustration, he explained how God uses everything to shape us—His word, discipline, blessings, trials, and even suffering. "Sometimes He has to turn up the heat a little bit to soften some things in my life. Does He ever have to turn up the heat in your life a little bit?"

He shared practical workplace examples of doing right even when it might cause trouble—refusing to lie for a boss, maintaining honest bookkeeping, or not covering up immorality. "You are serving as a billboard for God. So whatever environment, whatever place in society God has you... you are an advertisement to God's grace, God's mercy, and God's righteousness."

Christ Is Our Example

The passage repeatedly mentions "doing good" four times, making it a clear theme. Pastor Dave explained that Christ suffered innocently—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—yet never retaliated. "When He was reviled, He didn't revile in return. In other words, He didn't say, 'I'll get you on the way out the door.'" Instead, Christ trusted the Father who judges righteously, continually committing each injustice to God's hands.

He concluded with a grandparent illustration about his grandkids wanting to point out each other's wrongs, asking how much better our lives would be if we simply said, "Father, I know you're going to take care of it." The message challenged us to follow Christ's example of suffering with grace, trusting that God will handle the injustices we face.