WEBVTT 0 00:00:04.890 --> 00:00:07.354 Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons podcast. 1 00:00:07.482 --> 00:00:11.150 This is where you can find audio from Sunday morning messages and more. 2 00:00:11.300 --> 00:00:14.442 Make sure you're subscribed so that you don't miss future episodes. 3 00:00:14.506 --> 00:00:16.030 And thanks for listening. 4 00:00:20.450 --> 00:00:22.986 Well, I hope you guys are excited about going to Black Mountain. 5 00:00:23.018 --> 00:00:24.206 I'm excited for you. 6 00:00:24.308 --> 00:00:29.222 And anytime we're talking about deadly implements that you're going to use to do work, it's more exciting, right? 7 00:00:29.276 --> 00:00:31.942 So, again, some of you parents may be excited about that. 8 00:00:31.996 --> 00:00:33.730 My kids are going, I'm a little bit excited. 9 00:00:33.810 --> 00:00:37.240 Hopefully they'll make it back in one piece, but they'll serve either way. 10 00:00:37.850 --> 00:00:39.686 And there'll be a lot of joy going into it. 11 00:00:39.708 --> 00:00:41.190 There'll be a lot of excitement. 12 00:00:41.350 --> 00:00:48.314 And then it'll be hot about, I don't know, up there, like here about 09:00 in the morning, it already be hot. 13 00:00:48.512 --> 00:00:50.842 And then all the luster of, look what we're doing. 14 00:00:50.896 --> 00:00:52.010 Isn't this a great thing? 15 00:00:52.080 --> 00:00:54.542 That will all wear off real quickly, right? 16 00:00:54.676 --> 00:00:56.606 You already have not slept the night before. 17 00:00:56.708 --> 00:00:58.814 You all may be angry at each other, right? 18 00:00:58.852 --> 00:01:01.134 And it'll feel like arduous difficult work. 19 00:01:01.172 --> 00:01:02.240 Because guess what? 20 00:01:02.610 --> 00:01:03.600 It is. 21 00:01:04.770 --> 00:01:10.754 And the worst thing about that is you don't have a lot of breathing room to rethink the work, right? 22 00:01:10.792 --> 00:01:12.354 Because you're already primed and ready to think. 23 00:01:12.392 --> 00:01:13.490 Work is negative. 24 00:01:13.990 --> 00:01:15.220 Work's bad. 25 00:01:15.670 --> 00:01:16.898 I mean, think about it. 26 00:01:16.984 --> 00:01:20.678 Somebody asks you, hey, what you do for a living where you work? 27 00:01:20.844 --> 00:01:23.094 Hit a hard pause before you answer that question. 28 00:01:23.212 --> 00:01:26.214 Do you have positive notes in your mind? 29 00:01:26.252 --> 00:01:30.940 I don't mean you like the place you work or you like the people you work around or you may own your own business. 30 00:01:32.270 --> 00:01:36.780 Do you think joy and happiness when people bring up work? 31 00:01:37.310 --> 00:01:39.418 Is it the first thought in your mind? 32 00:01:39.584 --> 00:01:40.938 Of course it's not. 33 00:01:41.104 --> 00:01:45.680 And the reason it's not, because the Beatles told us it's a hard day's night, right? 34 00:01:47.490 --> 00:01:48.926 The Bengals don't like it. 35 00:01:48.948 --> 00:01:50.042 That it's a manic Monday. 36 00:01:50.106 --> 00:01:50.686 This is their day. 37 00:01:50.708 --> 00:01:51.274 It's Sunday. 38 00:01:51.322 --> 00:01:52.142 That's their fun day. 39 00:01:52.196 --> 00:02:01.780 I don't have to run so that or if you're a little bit more like dirt under your fingernails, like me, in terms of music, like Merle Haggard Working Man Blues, what do you do? 40 00:02:03.030 --> 00:02:04.820 You try to get through each day. 41 00:02:05.910 --> 00:02:13.640 And for that guy he portrays in that song, you drink a little bit at night and you sing the blues and you get up and you do it all over again. 42 00:02:15.450 --> 00:02:18.300 My question is, is that what work is supposed to be? 43 00:02:19.150 --> 00:02:20.810 Is that the intention of work? 44 00:02:20.880 --> 00:02:23.820 Is that how we should feel about work? 45 00:02:24.510 --> 00:02:45.780 Or should we reconsider the way we tend to think about work, to execute our work, to look on our work, and even by the time we get to retirement age, reflect back on our work, would there be a different way that the Lord want us to see the reality of what we spend a lion's share of our time doing? 46 00:02:46.630 --> 00:02:49.380 Whether you work in the home among your family. 47 00:02:49.830 --> 00:02:52.222 You work in the home because you're remote. 48 00:02:52.366 --> 00:02:56.200 You work in an office complex or on a job site or in a shop. 49 00:02:57.450 --> 00:03:02.440 Is there a way that we could re envision what work is about? 50 00:03:02.810 --> 00:03:03.974 I think we can. 51 00:03:04.092 --> 00:03:08.120 The difficulty is, we are where we are historically, right? 52 00:03:09.050 --> 00:03:15.146 This might shock you, but when God creates all things and he fashions the garden, he puts man and woman there. 53 00:03:15.328 --> 00:03:26.958 They worked pretty much all day, every day they worked, but they didn't have the notion of this is negative, this is bad. 54 00:03:27.044 --> 00:03:27.966 This is difficult. 55 00:03:28.068 --> 00:03:29.242 This is invasive. 56 00:03:29.306 --> 00:03:31.550 I want to go get on a lake. 57 00:03:32.130 --> 00:03:40.146 That wasn't a notion in their head, but as soon as they did the very thing God told them not to do, they ushered in. 58 00:03:40.248 --> 00:03:52.280 What you and I experience works hard, and it ain't made easier because you got to work with other human beings and you're difficult to get along with, and so are they. 59 00:03:52.730 --> 00:04:04.140 So now you compound just the difficulty of the work with the difficulty of the coworkers or the supervisor or the employees or the people you contract with in your business. 60 00:04:05.070 --> 00:04:11.260 That compounds the frustration and the difficulty and the stress and all the unknowns of having to navigate that. 61 00:04:11.870 --> 00:04:13.990 And you can't hit stop, can you? 62 00:04:14.160 --> 00:04:16.880 We're about to end vacation season, right? 63 00:04:17.330 --> 00:04:18.874 Some of you yet to go on vacation. 64 00:04:18.922 --> 00:04:21.760 Don't rub that in that you still got that out in front of you. 65 00:04:22.130 --> 00:04:24.222 For most of us, it's ending this week. 66 00:04:24.276 --> 00:04:27.554 Some of y'all are crazy enough you can go a mission trip with your vacation time. 67 00:04:27.672 --> 00:04:30.020 You're the people that need a badge of honor, right? 68 00:04:31.990 --> 00:04:34.980 How could we look at what we're doing? 69 00:04:35.670 --> 00:04:38.280 And I don't mean in a pie in the sky way. 70 00:04:39.610 --> 00:04:51.000 I mean in the gritty, real world and say, when that alarm clock goes off tomorrow morning, god, what do you want me to think of what I'm about to get out of bed and do? 71 00:04:51.930 --> 00:04:59.340 God, how do you want me to navigate this day beyond just suck it up and get through it? 72 00:05:00.110 --> 00:05:02.720 Could there be more that you want me to have? 73 00:05:03.250 --> 00:05:08.714 And that's exactly what Jesus has come to do to our work after the garden. 74 00:05:08.762 --> 00:05:10.960 There is hardship in our work. 75 00:05:11.650 --> 00:05:16.782 But Jesus came to give us life that seizes joy in everything we do. 76 00:05:16.916 --> 00:05:21.060 And part of that is he came to redeem our work in the way we think about it. 77 00:05:21.670 --> 00:05:24.702 He doesn't want us to look at that and think only hardship. 78 00:05:24.766 --> 00:05:26.180 And here's how we know that. 79 00:05:27.590 --> 00:05:31.480 Because all of our wrong notions about heaven are just that they're wrong. 80 00:05:32.490 --> 00:05:37.250 When he establishes ultimately it's the culmination of all his work a new heaven and a new Earth. 81 00:05:37.330 --> 00:05:38.730 Guess what we're going to do again? 82 00:05:38.880 --> 00:05:39.580 Work. 83 00:05:40.590 --> 00:05:43.398 There's work in heaven. 84 00:05:43.574 --> 00:05:45.590 There's work in the new earth. 85 00:05:45.750 --> 00:05:46.694 We will labor. 86 00:05:46.742 --> 00:05:51.740 The difference is, he came that we might have rest in our work. 87 00:05:52.670 --> 00:05:54.414 So how could that break in a little bit? 88 00:05:54.452 --> 00:05:58.270 Tomorrow morning when you don't feel rested, the alarm clock goes off. 89 00:05:58.420 --> 00:06:09.774 How could that reality break in a little bit to the day after day grind that we're all in trying to be faithful to the work that we have in front of us, we could go a lot of different places. 90 00:06:09.902 --> 00:06:14.114 We're going to look at Colossians 322 through four one. 91 00:06:14.312 --> 00:06:16.078 There's going to be a similar text in Ephesians. 92 00:06:16.094 --> 00:06:30.140 I won't go there, but I may reference it a couple of times and I think that this passage helps us to get at the reality of our lives and how we can see work, perhaps the way God envisions us seeing it. 93 00:06:31.310 --> 00:06:33.900 Colossians three, verse 22. 94 00:06:35.070 --> 00:06:48.590 Bond servants obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye service as people pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 95 00:06:49.410 --> 00:07:01.650 Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. 96 00:07:02.390 --> 00:07:16.514 You are serving the Lord Christ for the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done and there is no partiality masters. 97 00:07:16.562 --> 00:07:26.170 Treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. 98 00:07:27.950 --> 00:07:40.698 Now, I want to give a couple of cautions before we launch into this because some of your translations don't use the word bond servant, they use the word slave and those terms are interchangeable. 99 00:07:40.794 --> 00:07:43.890 That's not a bad translation of the term. 100 00:07:44.390 --> 00:07:48.660 The difficulty for us is we are also historically where we are. 101 00:07:49.030 --> 00:08:06.040 So the second I say the word slave to you, there are connotations that it makes sense, are in our mind and rattle our hearts a little bit, make us kind of recoil and step back and go, should we even be reading this? 102 00:08:07.290 --> 00:08:10.410 Is there anything even applicable to us here? 103 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:11.782 Here are my cautions. 104 00:08:11.846 --> 00:08:12.922 For us, for me. 105 00:08:12.976 --> 00:08:13.820 For you. 106 00:08:15.870 --> 00:08:27.754 This idea of slavery in this time in the first century is not one to one identical with 18th and 19th century transatlantic slave trade. 107 00:08:27.802 --> 00:08:38.130 It's not identical to that at this point in time in history, throughout most of the world, there were exceptions to this by and large, and particularly where he's writing to this church. 108 00:08:39.510 --> 00:08:49.080 These people were not property in the way that you and I would think about slavery, that we had to endure as a nation and other nations have endured, some still do. 109 00:08:50.090 --> 00:08:57.240 These people were largely well educated people, many times bond servants in this household like this. 110 00:08:57.790 --> 00:09:04.330 They would have been the mentors and educators of the children of their master, supervisor, boss. 111 00:09:06.030 --> 00:09:09.900 And they were not transferable property one generation to another. 112 00:09:11.390 --> 00:09:19.470 Instead, they were in this situation either because they were part of a group or a nation that had been conquered. 113 00:09:19.890 --> 00:09:32.980 And so in order to make a living, they came into this arrangement, or if they owed outstanding debt and couldn't repay it, they would put themselves in an enslavement or bond servant position to try to pay that off over time. 114 00:09:34.390 --> 00:09:39.542 So it's not identical to what happened there, and we can't think of it quite in that way. 115 00:09:39.596 --> 00:09:42.040 Now, here's the caution on the other side. 116 00:09:43.210 --> 00:09:46.262 You also can't directly relate this to your job. 117 00:09:46.316 --> 00:09:47.160 My job? 118 00:09:47.690 --> 00:09:52.570 You as a supervisor, me as a supervisor, you as an employee, me as an employee. 119 00:09:53.390 --> 00:09:55.980 It's not one to one correlation there either. 120 00:09:56.670 --> 00:10:05.920 This is written in a setting and a time where there was bond servanthood, there was slavery of this type. 121 00:10:07.250 --> 00:10:16.766 And so the reality is that they were, in a sense, belonging to under the possession of their masters. 122 00:10:16.958 --> 00:10:19.620 They didn't have freedom to punch a clock and go home. 123 00:10:20.230 --> 00:10:26.840 This was their charge, not just during the workday, but during their lives until they were released from this service. 124 00:10:29.050 --> 00:10:39.240 Also, there were times that they were mistreated that wasn't as widespread as it was during slavery that we're more familiar with, but it happened. 125 00:10:40.170 --> 00:10:41.734 They were not given what they were owed. 126 00:10:41.782 --> 00:10:46.730 They were not released from this contract when they were supposed to be released. 127 00:10:47.230 --> 00:10:55.070 They were taken advantage of in other ways at times, and ultimately, at the end of the day, a bond servant, slave. 128 00:10:55.650 --> 00:10:59.150 They were human tools for you to reach your economic goals. 129 00:11:01.090 --> 00:11:09.220 But that begins to touch on why I think it's important for us to still read this passage of scripture and look to the Lord and say, what would you teach us? 130 00:11:10.070 --> 00:11:20.310 Because particularly for those of you who own your own businesses or you're an upper management or executive level, are the employees human tools for your economic goals? 131 00:11:21.290 --> 00:11:23.320 Is that how you see them every day? 132 00:11:23.690 --> 00:11:28.200 Is that how you see deals with other contracted parties that serve your business? 133 00:11:29.610 --> 00:11:35.500 Is that how you see other employees at the same level as you and your company, your corporation on the job site? 134 00:11:37.550 --> 00:11:41.740 The reason I think this is important is because of what Paul does here. 135 00:11:42.510 --> 00:11:44.478 This is usually called a household code. 136 00:11:44.564 --> 00:11:46.814 This is very common in the ancient world. 137 00:11:46.932 --> 00:11:52.590 Again, you see one in Ephesians, probably more familiar with that in five and six of his letter to Ephesus. 138 00:11:53.490 --> 00:12:00.206 But in this and as in there, he does something that's unthinkable, usually in his household codes. 139 00:12:00.238 --> 00:12:17.030 What you would have is you'd have instruction of how the official masters of the household, right, the parents and the children were supposed to relate and then how the servants or anybody contracted or employed or owned in the house had to relate to the master of the estate, the house or the network of houses. 140 00:12:17.630 --> 00:12:30.800 And it was very clear the guys at the top, the woman better not violate what the guy wants, the children better not think to violate what either one of them want. 141 00:12:31.810 --> 00:12:44.638 And you better sure understand that your position as a bond servant is to execute your charge you don't ask questions, you don't entertain notions of whether or not it's right for you to do your job. 142 00:12:44.804 --> 00:12:51.220 You better be scared to death of the master and do what he says because he got no love for you. 143 00:12:51.590 --> 00:12:53.330 That's normally how they would read. 144 00:12:53.400 --> 00:12:55.302 I've updated the language slightly, okay? 145 00:12:55.356 --> 00:12:57.800 But that's essentially the spirit of them. 146 00:12:59.050 --> 00:13:00.614 What does Paul do here? 147 00:13:00.732 --> 00:13:07.510 He's going to here, in just a moment, elevate servants to be spiritual equals with the master. 148 00:13:08.570 --> 00:13:09.690 You are the same. 149 00:13:09.760 --> 00:13:11.450 God has no partiality. 150 00:13:12.110 --> 00:13:13.958 He's going to judge rightly. 151 00:13:14.054 --> 00:13:20.010 And it's not going to matter if you're a C suite executive or you mop the floor. 152 00:13:20.850 --> 00:13:28.240 He's going to judge without partiality based on how you act and how you treat one another in this arrangement and in this relationship. 153 00:13:29.890 --> 00:13:43.970 But also, too, he does lower the masters to help them understand that you may have those in your charge and in your responsibility, but you also have a master. 154 00:13:45.210 --> 00:13:55.430 Not only does that master judge fairly and rightly, he does it in such a way that the care for all will be his concern. 155 00:13:57.210 --> 00:14:16.254 And the reason that this is so incredible is because now, whether we're employed or we are the employer, we are equally needy of whatever God's going to tell us about this work relationship and what he's going to tell us really about the nature of what we do in our jobs and any work that we do. 156 00:14:16.292 --> 00:14:24.980 And so first I want us to see work is meant to be worship because we exalt Jesus through our work. 157 00:14:25.350 --> 00:14:27.620 That's what it's designed to do. 158 00:14:28.310 --> 00:14:31.300 And so let's look at verse 22 quickly again. 159 00:14:31.910 --> 00:14:53.706 Bond servants obey in everything those who are your earthly masters that do your work how not by way of eye service as people pleasers, but instead with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord sincerity of heart, singularity of heart, if you want to say it that way. 160 00:14:53.728 --> 00:14:55.050 It just means be faithful. 161 00:14:56.030 --> 00:15:01.150 Like whatever your job is, do your job and do it faithfully and fully. 162 00:15:01.890 --> 00:15:03.520 Don't shortchange it. 163 00:15:04.610 --> 00:15:10.366 Don't check Facebook or Tweet ten times when you're supposed to be working on a brief to somebody. 164 00:15:10.548 --> 00:15:15.566 You're supposed to be slinging a hammer and getting this thing framed out, then frame it out. 165 00:15:15.588 --> 00:15:20.194 And don't take an extra 45 minutes for lunch just because the foreman ain't around. 166 00:15:20.392 --> 00:15:29.240 Like, actually do your job, but do it in such a way that you understand that in the Lord's care, he's given you this today. 167 00:15:30.090 --> 00:15:33.480 This is not outside of what he wills for you. 168 00:15:34.330 --> 00:15:42.220 He wills for you to labor and through that to actually exalt Christ, not simply grin and bear it. 169 00:15:44.110 --> 00:15:49.370 But also the way that we do that really has a lot of implications. 170 00:15:51.150 --> 00:15:58.430 For some of us, it's easier to do our job than it is for others because we agree with the direction that the company is headed. 171 00:16:00.450 --> 00:16:02.080 For others, you don't agree. 172 00:16:03.170 --> 00:16:08.126 You don't like what's going on there's been a new hire that oversees your area, your region, or your department. 173 00:16:08.158 --> 00:16:11.730 You don't like it, you got a new manager, and you're trying to just get your job done. 174 00:16:11.800 --> 00:16:13.410 They're breathing down your neck. 175 00:16:15.030 --> 00:16:33.180 It's interesting that Paul doesn't really start to draw out all those contingencies and keep in mind that he's talking to someone that isn't with the entirety and the completeness of freedom that you and I have, in most cases, where it is real bad, then quit and go get another job. 176 00:16:34.270 --> 00:16:37.020 They didn't have that release valve to hit. 177 00:16:37.630 --> 00:16:44.720 They were in a contractual obligation where they had to complete the work day in, day out. 178 00:16:45.730 --> 00:16:55.102 And he's telling them, the best thing you can do is with sincerity of heart, be faithful, because ultimately you're serving the Lord. 179 00:16:55.166 --> 00:16:57.474 And then he kind of puts the exclamation point on it. 180 00:16:57.512 --> 00:17:01.410 How would you do this, fearing the Lord? 181 00:17:02.630 --> 00:17:08.254 Sometimes people will say, and it's inaccurate, they'll say, well, the fear of God, we're supposed to be without fear. 182 00:17:08.302 --> 00:17:09.138 Now the fear of God's. 183 00:17:09.154 --> 00:17:10.710 An Old Testament notion. 184 00:17:11.050 --> 00:17:13.206 Well, I mean, this is exhibit A here. 185 00:17:13.228 --> 00:17:16.082 It is square in the center of the New Testament. 186 00:17:16.226 --> 00:17:18.950 What should you be doing fearing the Lord? 187 00:17:19.610 --> 00:17:24.442 Jesus is adamant, don't fear man, but you should fear God, right? 188 00:17:24.496 --> 00:17:28.810 It's very clear that even Revelation Twelve and 19, we will continue to fear the Lord. 189 00:17:29.230 --> 00:17:31.898 So the big question is not should we fear the Lord? 190 00:17:31.994 --> 00:17:36.800 We're called and mandated to fear the Lord as New Testament believing people. 191 00:17:37.570 --> 00:17:39.902 The more important question is, what does that mean? 192 00:17:39.956 --> 00:17:41.120 How do we do that? 193 00:17:41.970 --> 00:17:44.142 There's two types of fear the Bible talks about. 194 00:17:44.196 --> 00:17:46.660 One is the one that we commonly think about. 195 00:17:47.510 --> 00:17:48.446 We call it church. 196 00:17:48.478 --> 00:17:50.014 Historians call it servile fear. 197 00:17:50.062 --> 00:17:52.194 That's usually how we term that. 198 00:17:52.232 --> 00:17:56.600 But the whole notion is when you and I are scared of something, we want to run away. 199 00:17:57.370 --> 00:17:58.950 That's the bad fear. 200 00:18:00.250 --> 00:18:01.560 Don't fear, man. 201 00:18:02.090 --> 00:18:03.240 Don't run away. 202 00:18:03.850 --> 00:18:05.190 Don't cower. 203 00:18:05.850 --> 00:18:08.120 Don't not speak up when you're asked to. 204 00:18:08.570 --> 00:18:14.058 Don't not stand on conviction when you know you should, by the work of the Spirit in and through your heart and life. 205 00:18:14.224 --> 00:18:15.338 Don't do that. 206 00:18:15.504 --> 00:18:17.260 That's fear that runs away. 207 00:18:17.790 --> 00:18:19.910 God's not calling you to run away from him. 208 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:20.494 Right. 209 00:18:20.612 --> 00:18:25.434 In union with Jesus by faith, he says, you're here forever. 210 00:18:25.562 --> 00:18:28.350 So it can't mean that that we fear the Lord. 211 00:18:29.410 --> 00:18:55.480 What it instead means is if you and I are drowning because of the rip current in myrtle beach and we're being taken out and somebody comes out there and they're strong enough and powerful enough to grab us by the neck and hold us above the water, I'm going to be scared to death to let go of them. 212 00:18:56.410 --> 00:18:58.760 I'm not going to try to swim away from them. 213 00:18:59.550 --> 00:19:00.394 Why? 214 00:19:00.592 --> 00:19:05.818 Because I recognize in that moment they can rescue me, they can save me. 215 00:19:05.904 --> 00:19:07.402 They're here for my good. 216 00:19:07.536 --> 00:19:10.140 You ain't gonna pull my hands off of them. 217 00:19:11.550 --> 00:19:20.670 The fear of the Lord means being in awe of his greatness and goodness that he would rescue us, that he is our God and we are his people by faith in Jesus. 218 00:19:21.090 --> 00:19:23.214 So we want to follow Him. 219 00:19:23.332 --> 00:19:26.946 We want to do what pleases Him, not because he's going to make us his. 220 00:19:27.048 --> 00:19:33.380 We're already his, and as his sons and daughters, we act like it. 221 00:19:33.830 --> 00:19:39.160 We love being near to Him, close to Him, repenting when we're not, and draw near to Him again. 222 00:19:40.570 --> 00:19:43.746 And so the charge here is to fear the Lord. 223 00:19:43.778 --> 00:19:47.910 The interesting thing again is most of the time these household codes, they would say the opposite. 224 00:19:48.810 --> 00:19:58.806 This whole section wouldn't even speak to a bond servant at all except to say, hey, for you Masters, make sure you scare these people to death. 225 00:19:58.918 --> 00:20:06.560 Make sure they know and are intimidated by your presence, and make sure they don't think for a minute they shouldn't do everything you tell them to do day in and day out. 226 00:20:07.970 --> 00:20:17.246 Paul here shifts the attention to say, your principal concern is, yes, faithfulness, because you fear and want to honor and cling to the Lord. 227 00:20:17.438 --> 00:20:18.500 That's why. 228 00:20:19.270 --> 00:20:24.820 Not because you fear punishment, but because you've been drawn into relationship with God. 229 00:20:28.010 --> 00:20:47.410 I think it's interesting that if you look at what we're being called to do, think for a minute about what we've been given by faith in Jesus, you are completely forgiven and drawn in as his children forever. 230 00:20:47.570 --> 00:20:51.920 That will never change, ever. 231 00:20:53.490 --> 00:21:01.230 So guess what that means compared to your coworkers, your employees, your supervisors that don't know the Lord. 232 00:21:03.490 --> 00:21:16.180 If you and I think about what we're trying to achieve in life and with work outside of Jesus, like if we don't know Him, we're usually trying to get some sense of stability and peace, right? 233 00:21:17.190 --> 00:21:21.270 We have friends that they're finding some degree, although it's not complete. 234 00:21:21.340 --> 00:21:36.934 They want to try to find some contentment and concrete nature of their self worth, so they find it in their work or their work relationship or who they know or who that provides connection with the idea that if I work hard enough, I have a clear conscience. 235 00:21:36.982 --> 00:21:38.378 At least I didn't mail it in today. 236 00:21:38.464 --> 00:21:39.846 At least my kids aren't going to starve. 237 00:21:39.878 --> 00:21:41.520 I got a clear conscience now. 238 00:21:42.450 --> 00:21:44.720 Yeah, but you just told me you can't stand your kids. 239 00:21:46.530 --> 00:21:56.580 Like, you hate that they're even born, but you have a clear conscience because you made paycheck this week, so you can pay for their stuff, but in your heart, you detest them. 240 00:21:58.390 --> 00:22:00.754 You see how incomplete all that is? 241 00:22:00.952 --> 00:22:07.400 Man, if I can just work hard enough, I'll be financially stable enough, I'll be secure enough, insulated enough, then I'll be content. 242 00:22:08.570 --> 00:22:14.280 If I climb high enough, quickly enough, advance my career, I'll have a sense of worth. 243 00:22:16.010 --> 00:22:27.340 If I can just do the right things and enough people pat me on the back and finally hand me a goal, watch at the end of this thing in 30 years, then I'll feel like at least I've done something. 244 00:22:30.270 --> 00:22:37.406 And in the place of those pursuits, we are given glory and joy in Jesus presence without end. 245 00:22:37.588 --> 00:22:42.778 So all those pursuits we don't have to pursue, we don't have to do that. 246 00:22:42.964 --> 00:22:44.430 We've been given peace. 247 00:22:44.510 --> 00:22:45.140 Absolutely. 248 00:22:46.070 --> 00:22:49.102 We have been given joy and identity in Jesus. 249 00:22:49.166 --> 00:22:50.450 That's unshakable. 250 00:22:51.270 --> 00:22:57.750 We've been given a clear conscience because the Lord has granted us his righteousness. 251 00:22:58.330 --> 00:23:04.230 And again, that's not at risk of being downsized or force terminated. 252 00:23:05.610 --> 00:23:09.450 Christ is our all in all and will be forever. 253 00:23:09.870 --> 00:23:11.340 That will never change. 254 00:23:12.270 --> 00:23:18.460 So how much does that alter the way we can show up and think about our work and do our work? 255 00:23:19.310 --> 00:23:28.638 I'm not trying to make sure that the supervisor thinks the best of me, because everything's hanging on this career notch up one, notch up one, notch up one. 256 00:23:28.724 --> 00:23:30.234 You should want to advance in your career. 257 00:23:30.282 --> 00:23:31.760 I'm not knocking that at all. 258 00:23:32.450 --> 00:23:44.130 But I talk to people all the time, and there's a distinct difference between a desire to exalt Christ, worship Him, have their joy stirred because they can serve more people, provide more leadership. 259 00:23:44.710 --> 00:23:53.270 I just got to get this thing done, because I am incomplete, in and of myself, and if I don't make it above middle management, I feel like I'm going to rot. 260 00:23:54.570 --> 00:23:59.154 That's a completely different conversation, and it's based on a different perspective. 261 00:23:59.202 --> 00:24:01.302 They're not looking at work as worship. 262 00:24:01.446 --> 00:24:04.954 They're not trying to think, how can I exalt Jesus through this? 263 00:24:04.992 --> 00:24:16.960 So how do we think about faithfulness and work, sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord, making sure that we're doing this in such a way that we're actually trying to serve Christ and know that we're doing that? 264 00:24:18.210 --> 00:24:22.686 Paul writes to Titus and he actually gives this statement to him. 265 00:24:22.708 --> 00:24:23.586 He says, you know what? 266 00:24:23.608 --> 00:24:29.986 When you do your work, understand this and help bond servants understand this. 267 00:24:30.088 --> 00:24:32.450 They should be submissive to their own masters. 268 00:24:32.950 --> 00:24:35.738 They should be well pleasing, not argumentative. 269 00:24:35.934 --> 00:24:41.190 They shouldn't pilfer, take things, steal, but they should show good faith. 270 00:24:41.530 --> 00:24:42.230 Why? 271 00:24:42.380 --> 00:24:43.880 Why should they do that? 272 00:24:44.410 --> 00:24:51.110 I mean, if you're in a job that you hate, if you're in a job that people are nice to you. 273 00:24:51.180 --> 00:24:56.714 So when you say, this is what I do for a living, they don't make eye contact because they realize that's a job nobody wants. 274 00:24:56.912 --> 00:24:58.540 If you're in that kind of job. 275 00:24:59.950 --> 00:25:03.040 This is the kind of job these people were in most of the time. 276 00:25:03.650 --> 00:25:05.630 They weren't looked upon favorably. 277 00:25:07.090 --> 00:25:08.590 They didn't have status. 278 00:25:10.130 --> 00:25:11.454 What are you supposed to do? 279 00:25:11.572 --> 00:25:13.360 Do this in an honorable way? 280 00:25:14.050 --> 00:25:16.770 Do it in a way that's devoted and dedicated. 281 00:25:18.550 --> 00:25:23.300 I don't care if you're slinging freight on a trucking dock that did that for years. 282 00:25:23.670 --> 00:25:25.518 I don't care if you're flipping burgers. 283 00:25:25.614 --> 00:25:29.398 I don't care if you're signing invoices for a multibillion dollar company. 284 00:25:29.484 --> 00:25:33.026 I don't actually care what you're doing here's. 285 00:25:33.058 --> 00:25:39.482 What I want to do, and I hope you will hold me accountable to do in my job do this. 286 00:25:39.536 --> 00:25:42.890 That they may adorn the doctrine of God, our savior. 287 00:25:44.030 --> 00:25:46.026 You're like, what does that mean? 288 00:25:46.128 --> 00:25:48.220 We don't use that kind of language, right? 289 00:25:48.910 --> 00:25:52.750 We don't talk about adorning something, but we do it all the time. 290 00:25:52.820 --> 00:26:03.946 So I'm in two different cosmetic stores yesterday because I have a 14 year old daughter, and my children have varied talents. 291 00:26:04.058 --> 00:26:07.874 I could focus on, like, one thing when I was their age, and I wasn't even good at that right? 292 00:26:07.912 --> 00:26:08.530 At a time. 293 00:26:08.600 --> 00:26:12.274 But they have, like, ten different things they're concerned with. 294 00:26:12.312 --> 00:26:15.726 But my daughter, she knows about skincare and cosmetics. 295 00:26:15.838 --> 00:26:23.560 I mean, she knows she knows stuff that I'm not sure even needs to exist, but they make money off people with it, so they sell it, right? 296 00:26:24.250 --> 00:26:30.214 So we're walking through there, and I'm always the consummate dad of a 14 year old daughter, right? 297 00:26:30.252 --> 00:26:39.494 I don't know what any of this stuff is, and I'm walking through, looking at it, and it's all got weird names, and I can't tell lipstick from eyeshadow from I mean, the boxes all look the same even, right? 298 00:26:39.532 --> 00:26:41.194 So it through there, and she knows. 299 00:26:41.242 --> 00:26:42.254 She knows where everything is. 300 00:26:42.292 --> 00:26:43.182 She knows what it does. 301 00:26:43.236 --> 00:26:45.758 She knows the spectrum of, well, this is higher quality than this is. 302 00:26:45.764 --> 00:26:48.366 So this is a good deal because this is on sale and all that. 303 00:26:48.548 --> 00:26:50.174 You know what I've never thought to do? 304 00:26:50.212 --> 00:26:58.370 When she puts the makeup on, it's never occurred to me to go, that makeup is incredible. 305 00:26:59.030 --> 00:27:00.814 Can you show me the container of makeup? 306 00:27:00.862 --> 00:27:02.322 Like, I just want to look at the contain good. 307 00:27:02.376 --> 00:27:03.234 This is amazing. 308 00:27:03.352 --> 00:27:05.810 Look at this container of lipstick. 309 00:27:06.310 --> 00:27:07.394 Look at this eyeshadow. 310 00:27:07.442 --> 00:27:10.118 I've never seen it's so incredible looking. 311 00:27:10.284 --> 00:27:12.280 That's not what it's made to do. 312 00:27:13.610 --> 00:27:19.580 It is made for her to put it on and for us to do what you look really pretty. 313 00:27:20.510 --> 00:27:23.606 It draws attention to her beauty. 314 00:27:23.718 --> 00:27:25.146 That's what cosmetics do. 315 00:27:25.168 --> 00:27:26.458 That's what jewelry does. 316 00:27:26.544 --> 00:27:28.700 That's what adornment does. 317 00:27:29.710 --> 00:27:33.166 It doesn't change the nature of something. 318 00:27:33.348 --> 00:27:39.440 It draws our attention to the features and the beauty and the brilliance of that person or that thing. 319 00:27:41.090 --> 00:27:56.338 When you and I are faithful to our jobs, when you and I show up and give it everything we got, when you and I are honest and respectful people enough to say, I didn't today. 320 00:27:56.504 --> 00:28:01.480 I didn't give it everything I got, I need to put in some extra time over the weekend to make up for that. 321 00:28:02.010 --> 00:28:02.790 We're honest. 322 00:28:02.860 --> 00:28:04.390 We're people of integrity. 323 00:28:04.730 --> 00:28:06.120 You know what that does? 324 00:28:06.970 --> 00:28:12.620 It accentuates the features of the gospel that we say we believe. 325 00:28:14.270 --> 00:28:32.438 That's why I'm saying to us, to me, preaching to myself, my work is designed to be worship and for the exaltation of Christ, there are a lot of things that are achieved by it income, stability, a sense of achievement. 326 00:28:32.554 --> 00:28:33.810 None of those things are bad. 327 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:40.100 They're all good, but it will revolutionize pursuing those things. 328 00:28:40.630 --> 00:28:49.958 If ultimately I'm doing out of fear of the Lord and adoration of Jesus because I'm going to just shoot straight with you. 329 00:28:50.124 --> 00:28:54.280 If you cuss less than the other guys you work around, big deal. 330 00:28:55.370 --> 00:28:56.982 Like, I appreciate that you do that. 331 00:28:57.036 --> 00:29:00.506 I think it's an undignified way to talk personally, but that's fine. 332 00:29:00.688 --> 00:29:13.920 But I also live in the real world and I'm just going to tell you in 2023, your lower percentage of profanity does not draw a straight line to the gospel for people. 333 00:29:15.090 --> 00:29:17.130 They just think, well, you're a little prudish. 334 00:29:17.290 --> 00:29:18.800 You don't cuss like we do. 335 00:29:20.370 --> 00:29:30.846 There is not a connection made there when they ask you about that and you say, you know what, I just want to treat you with dignity and our customers with dignity. 336 00:29:31.038 --> 00:29:39.378 And you can use a lot of words like, I'm not judging you on that, but I will say, like, I think it's probably a little better that I speak to you in an honorable way. 337 00:29:39.464 --> 00:29:41.138 I'm going to call you names. 338 00:29:41.314 --> 00:29:45.142 I'm not going to be a coward and call somebody else names while they're not around to you. 339 00:29:45.276 --> 00:29:46.710 I'm just not going to do that, man. 340 00:29:46.780 --> 00:29:47.826 That doesn't honor the Lord. 341 00:29:47.858 --> 00:29:49.266 It doesn't honor other human beings. 342 00:29:49.298 --> 00:29:51.850 And I think that we're called to love God and love our neighbor. 343 00:29:52.350 --> 00:29:54.074 So I'm loving you by that. 344 00:29:54.112 --> 00:30:02.526 I'm loving our customers by that I'm loving our company and the people it represents and the families it feeds and provides health care for and all that. 345 00:30:02.548 --> 00:30:04.974 Like I'm doing that through doing that. 346 00:30:05.172 --> 00:30:06.640 Okay, now we're talking. 347 00:30:07.490 --> 00:30:14.014 Now we've been able to demonstrate something that people are curious about and they want to know why is this a difference maker? 348 00:30:14.062 --> 00:30:28.742 Not just in certain moral choices you make, which are important, but in the core of the engine that drives you forward in life, that Christ is our life and because of that I want to see attention brought to him. 349 00:30:28.796 --> 00:30:31.574 So work is worship, right? 350 00:30:31.612 --> 00:30:40.810 So we exalt Christ through our work, but it's also important whether employee, supervisor Christ is our master. 351 00:30:41.230 --> 00:30:45.180 So we serve Jesus through our work. 352 00:30:45.630 --> 00:30:48.042 Let's read 23 through four, one really quickly. 353 00:30:48.096 --> 00:30:57.390 Again, whatever you do, work heartily it's for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. 354 00:30:58.290 --> 00:31:06.434 You are serving the Lord Christ for the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done. 355 00:31:06.472 --> 00:31:08.766 And there is no partiality masters. 356 00:31:08.798 --> 00:31:17.430 Treat your slaves or bond servants justly and fairly knowing that you also have a master in heaven. 357 00:31:19.210 --> 00:31:31.340 This would have been particularly shocking when read at the church in Colosse when the people who owned households, right, or managed them, oversaw them. 358 00:31:32.190 --> 00:31:40.720 Are there hearing this read aloud with people who were under the care of that household, these bond servants that were there. 359 00:31:41.650 --> 00:31:45.760 And the statement is, you're serving Christ. 360 00:31:47.730 --> 00:31:48.446 He's going to. 361 00:31:48.468 --> 00:31:51.946 Give you an inheritance bond. 362 00:31:51.978 --> 00:31:53.466 Servants didn't have an inheritance. 363 00:31:53.578 --> 00:31:55.314 There was nothing coming to them. 364 00:31:55.512 --> 00:31:57.570 The children would get an inheritance. 365 00:31:58.870 --> 00:32:05.006 They got whatever agreement and the end of the agreement that was there, and then they better manufacture some more stuff somewhere. 366 00:32:05.198 --> 00:32:07.174 They better find something to do. 367 00:32:07.372 --> 00:32:09.480 There was nothing given to them. 368 00:32:10.890 --> 00:32:14.050 And Paul says, this is not pie in the sky. 369 00:32:14.210 --> 00:32:16.614 This is not for end of life. 370 00:32:16.652 --> 00:32:18.758 So you feel better about meeting your death. 371 00:32:18.854 --> 00:32:22.746 This is real time right now, day in, day out. 372 00:32:22.848 --> 00:32:25.686 You're not working for your master principally. 373 00:32:25.798 --> 00:32:28.278 You're working for the master principally. 374 00:32:28.374 --> 00:32:29.820 That's who you're working for. 375 00:32:31.070 --> 00:32:42.990 And if you're going to compare the earning power and potential, the prowess of someone to how they're going to be able to provide an inheritance for you, I think he's got it covered. 376 00:32:43.830 --> 00:32:53.330 I think he can grant you the inheritance that your soul longs for, even when it doesn't realize it, and it's yours by faith in Jesus. 377 00:32:54.150 --> 00:33:13.274 So when you're having to sweat it out day in, day out, when you're having to labor in a role that you wish you weren't in, when you're having to show up because your family depends on you, there is a greater reward than whatever Christmas bonus you get. 378 00:33:13.312 --> 00:33:20.570 There's a greater reward than whatever relative or diminished fanfare you get at the retirement ceremony. 379 00:33:22.050 --> 00:33:34.994 And God is literally saying to us in the whole of Scripture, but particularly right here, that's the inheritance you work for and everything else will actually be amplified by that. 380 00:33:35.032 --> 00:33:43.650 If that's the reward, you work for the goodness and greatness of the Lord established in your life and my life forever. 381 00:33:45.590 --> 00:33:46.418 It's interesting. 382 00:33:46.504 --> 00:33:53.382 Sometimes people will look at texts like these, and I hear them read sometimes, and people will say, I want to do this. 383 00:33:53.436 --> 00:33:59.910 I want to serve the Lord Christ, not just as an employee, but as a leader, a manager, a supervisor, business owner. 384 00:34:00.970 --> 00:34:01.906 But I want to do that. 385 00:34:01.948 --> 00:34:04.070 What I really want to do is be a servant leader. 386 00:34:04.230 --> 00:34:07.370 Let me give you a little bit of just armchair trivia. 387 00:34:08.190 --> 00:34:11.782 Servant leadership, not initially coined as a Christian concept. 388 00:34:11.926 --> 00:34:27.940 1970, Robert Greenleaf wrote a book called Servant Leadership, and his intention behind that book was to create an environment where leadership would be taken on differently, so you would be a little bit more benevolent and grant dignity to the people who worked within your department, your area, your company. 389 00:34:28.630 --> 00:34:30.610 There's a lot of people who study leadership. 390 00:34:30.950 --> 00:34:32.418 That's a bad word to them. 391 00:34:32.504 --> 00:34:33.934 They think it's manipulative. 392 00:34:34.062 --> 00:34:35.714 You're not really serving those people. 393 00:34:35.832 --> 00:34:38.730 That just makes you feel better because you say you're a servant leader. 394 00:34:38.910 --> 00:34:43.080 Well, I'm okay with all that theoretical stuff, but here's the practical side that grates on me a little bit. 395 00:34:44.330 --> 00:34:47.250 I interact with all kinds of leaders all the time. 396 00:34:47.420 --> 00:34:52.330 Most of them are believers, and they'll say, I'm a servant leader. 397 00:34:53.950 --> 00:34:55.446 Man, that's fantastic. 398 00:34:55.558 --> 00:34:57.660 So describe that to me. 399 00:34:58.350 --> 00:35:02.270 Well, I don't have certain conversations around my employees. 400 00:35:03.250 --> 00:35:11.760 I make sure that they're paid adequately, given what industry we're in, and I make sure that I show up as much as they show up. 401 00:35:14.390 --> 00:35:16.180 That's just called having a job. 402 00:35:18.470 --> 00:35:23.140 That's just being a competent person to show up to work and be a leader or a business. 403 00:35:23.510 --> 00:35:25.974 There's nothing exceptional about what was just said. 404 00:35:26.092 --> 00:35:26.760 Nothing. 405 00:35:29.050 --> 00:35:30.274 Here's what's exceptional. 406 00:35:30.322 --> 00:35:40.570 You start digging in here where Paul is describing how we ought to show up if we're in those types of roles where people are depending on us for leadership or direction or management. 407 00:35:41.710 --> 00:35:45.862 And he does point to, again, these servants. 408 00:35:45.926 --> 00:35:56.046 But it's interesting in verse 25, it's almost like a hinge point, because four, one is just about the master, the earthly master, it's just targeted toward them. 409 00:35:56.068 --> 00:35:59.114 But 25, I think, applies to both parties. 410 00:35:59.242 --> 00:36:02.990 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done. 411 00:36:03.060 --> 00:36:04.858 And there is no partiality. 412 00:36:05.034 --> 00:36:11.090 So if you withhold from your job, if you don't do your job fully, if you kind of mail it in, that's wrongdoing. 413 00:36:11.750 --> 00:36:14.100 And God's going to judge that, that's not okay. 414 00:36:14.870 --> 00:36:21.160 And if you mistreat your employees, you don't care for them and you don't treat them with dignity, that's not okay. 415 00:36:21.530 --> 00:36:23.350 Both of those are wrongdoing. 416 00:36:24.090 --> 00:36:28.886 And the point here by Paul is God's not going to be partial and go, well, you had a lot on you. 417 00:36:28.908 --> 00:36:30.022 I mean, you own your own business. 418 00:36:30.076 --> 00:36:31.446 That was mean. 419 00:36:31.468 --> 00:36:33.560 This person just had to show up and do what you told them. 420 00:36:34.170 --> 00:36:36.230 That's not going to be the get out of jail free card. 421 00:36:36.380 --> 00:36:40.042 And hey, you were under a lot of stress because look at what you were having to endure. 422 00:36:40.226 --> 00:36:41.598 So you get a pass. 423 00:36:41.764 --> 00:36:42.480 No. 424 00:36:43.010 --> 00:36:43.566 Why? 425 00:36:43.668 --> 00:36:47.726 Because work is designed for the good of our souls and for the glory of God. 426 00:36:47.908 --> 00:36:51.594 So we can't mail it in, we can't treat it like an irritant. 427 00:36:51.722 --> 00:36:53.534 It's actually what he means for us to do. 428 00:36:53.572 --> 00:36:57.540 So how we navigate it is something we have to think through. 429 00:36:58.310 --> 00:37:00.340 So then I wonder about this. 430 00:37:00.870 --> 00:37:02.910 Can we think from both perspectives? 431 00:37:02.990 --> 00:37:05.986 A lot of us may wear some version of both hats, right? 432 00:37:06.088 --> 00:37:09.462 We're employees, but we have people that work with us or for us. 433 00:37:09.516 --> 00:37:12.742 And some of us, you oversee your own business, so you oversee everybody. 434 00:37:12.796 --> 00:37:15.800 You contract with people who are kind of at your same level. 435 00:37:16.970 --> 00:37:19.098 But here's what I would say. 436 00:37:19.264 --> 00:37:30.054 If the desire here is to walk with honor, dignity, trust, I think, first of all, you don't want to be like the guy another music reference. 437 00:37:30.102 --> 00:37:30.522 I'm sorry. 438 00:37:30.576 --> 00:37:31.942 I like thinking music categories. 439 00:37:32.006 --> 00:37:37.150 All right, so you don't want to be the guy in the Oni song by Johnny Cash, right? 440 00:37:37.220 --> 00:37:48.050 You don't want to work for 29 years in the shop and quitting times at 430 and you're about to get off and oni's, been bringing down your neck, getting more out of you, than he ought to take. 441 00:37:48.120 --> 00:37:50.354 And he's been doing it day in, day out. 442 00:37:50.392 --> 00:37:55.794 And 430, they're going to give you that goal watch, and you're going to give Oni something he ain't counting on, right? 443 00:37:55.832 --> 00:38:00.120 I mean, he's going to lay him out at 430 that day because he's sick and tired of it. 444 00:38:00.810 --> 00:38:01.270 Why? 445 00:38:01.340 --> 00:38:07.526 Because Oni has not treated him in a way that pushed him. 446 00:38:07.548 --> 00:38:08.214 That's fine. 447 00:38:08.332 --> 00:38:09.890 That expected great things of him. 448 00:38:09.900 --> 00:38:10.746 That's fine. 449 00:38:10.928 --> 00:38:12.746 You don't dehumanize somebody. 450 00:38:12.928 --> 00:38:14.202 That's a coward's way. 451 00:38:14.256 --> 00:38:16.634 It's not a courageous way to treat a human being. 452 00:38:16.832 --> 00:38:18.154 You don't do that. 453 00:38:18.352 --> 00:38:23.118 What you also don't do is take vengeance into your own hands. 454 00:38:23.284 --> 00:38:27.470 You don't store up wrath to unleash at the retirement ceremony. 455 00:38:28.210 --> 00:38:29.834 Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. 456 00:38:29.882 --> 00:38:30.910 I'll repay. 457 00:38:31.650 --> 00:38:37.874 He's storing up wrath against every injustice and wrong, and he will pour it out. 458 00:38:38.072 --> 00:38:40.082 He is even now demonstrating it. 459 00:38:40.136 --> 00:38:49.700 And the only ones sheltered from that are those who are in Christ, because in his righteousness, they won't endure it because he already did endure it for them. 460 00:38:50.390 --> 00:38:54.646 So we don't want to be like the guy getting ready to give the knuckle sandwich to Oni, all right? 461 00:38:54.668 --> 00:39:03.994 You don't want to be like that as an employee, but in a positive way, I think you want to be like old fezzywig, all right? 462 00:39:04.032 --> 00:39:09.642 So I have many character flaws, and since we're all friends here, I'm going to confess one to you, okay? 463 00:39:09.776 --> 00:39:13.462 This year, I'm somewhere around the 30th year of reading A Christmas Carol. 464 00:39:13.526 --> 00:39:15.174 Between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 465 00:39:15.302 --> 00:39:15.882 You're like? 466 00:39:15.936 --> 00:39:16.926 I knew I didn't like you. 467 00:39:16.948 --> 00:39:18.382 Now you really don't like me, right? 468 00:39:18.516 --> 00:39:19.726 But every year I do that. 469 00:39:19.748 --> 00:39:21.322 That's just like my personal tradition. 470 00:39:21.386 --> 00:39:22.974 My kids make fun of me because of it. 471 00:39:23.012 --> 00:39:24.046 And that's just it. 472 00:39:24.068 --> 00:39:26.174 That's one of many character flaws, all right? 473 00:39:26.292 --> 00:39:29.662 So I just about have the story memorized, even down to some of the lines. 474 00:39:29.726 --> 00:39:31.074 I'm not going to recite it for you. 475 00:39:31.112 --> 00:39:32.114 It's okay, all right? 476 00:39:32.152 --> 00:39:33.326 It's not Christmas in July. 477 00:39:33.358 --> 00:39:34.740 I'm not going to do that to you. 478 00:39:35.350 --> 00:39:43.362 But it is interesting when I read that book every year, there are different elements that kind of stick with me, and I think you read good literature. 479 00:39:43.426 --> 00:39:47.894 I think the Lord uses even good stories outside of the Bible to emphasize some things to you. 480 00:39:47.932 --> 00:39:57.046 And man, one of the most pressing moments is when the if you don't know about A Christmas Carol, spoiler alert, I hope everybody knows. 481 00:39:57.078 --> 00:39:57.418 Anyway. 482 00:39:57.504 --> 00:39:59.882 So ghost of Christmas past, right? 483 00:39:59.936 --> 00:40:04.062 He goes back fezziwig was his supervisor when he was an apprentice, right? 484 00:40:04.116 --> 00:40:06.302 Before scrooge turns into, like, Mr. 485 00:40:06.356 --> 00:40:08.174 Evil miser, right? 486 00:40:08.292 --> 00:40:18.402 So he's there and his Budy's there, and he's looking onto the scene, and all these people coming up to Fezziwig at the Christmas party going, thank you so much. 487 00:40:18.536 --> 00:40:19.682 You're such a great man. 488 00:40:19.736 --> 00:40:22.494 Thank you for everything you've done for us, this lavish party. 489 00:40:22.542 --> 00:40:24.340 Oh, we're so grateful for you. 490 00:40:24.790 --> 00:40:29.860 And the spirit looks at Scrooge and says, why are people making a big deal out of this? 491 00:40:30.310 --> 00:40:32.822 It's a few pounds of your money. 492 00:40:32.876 --> 00:40:35.240 It's a handful of dollars for this guy especially. 493 00:40:36.010 --> 00:40:38.666 I mean, why are they going on and on about this? 494 00:40:38.768 --> 00:40:40.620 This is what Scrooge says to him. 495 00:40:41.630 --> 00:40:42.860 It isn't that. 496 00:40:43.630 --> 00:40:44.742 And he's mad. 497 00:40:44.806 --> 00:40:51.982 Scrooge is mad that the spirit would even question this, speaking unconsciously like his former and not his latter self. 498 00:40:52.036 --> 00:40:54.586 So speaking almost like he's the younger version of himself. 499 00:40:54.778 --> 00:40:56.350 It isn't that spirit. 500 00:40:58.370 --> 00:41:14.354 He has the power to render us happy or unhappy, to make our service light or burdensome a pleasure or a toil say that his power lies in words and looks and things so slight and insignificant that it's impossible to add and count them up. 501 00:41:14.392 --> 00:41:15.220 What then? 502 00:41:15.750 --> 00:41:20.950 The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it cost a fortune. 503 00:41:21.690 --> 00:41:25.094 And then his spirit looks at him because he starts to kind of look off. 504 00:41:25.292 --> 00:41:27.142 He says, what is it? 505 00:41:27.196 --> 00:41:27.974 Scrooge's like nothing. 506 00:41:28.012 --> 00:41:28.600 Nothing. 507 00:41:28.970 --> 00:41:31.242 And his spirit is a spirit, right? 508 00:41:31.296 --> 00:41:32.202 It's fiction, right? 509 00:41:32.256 --> 00:41:43.600 So the spirit's like, no, there's something what is just I'd like to say a few things to my clerk right now. 510 00:41:44.850 --> 00:41:47.390 See, this is the hammer coming down on Scrooge. 511 00:41:48.690 --> 00:41:52.720 And I've seen this happen in my own life and in the lives of others. 512 00:41:53.590 --> 00:42:02.530 Scrooge had this amazing experience where the guy who kind of commanded his career was in charge of him, made his life joyful. 513 00:42:03.510 --> 00:42:04.642 He worked hard. 514 00:42:04.776 --> 00:42:13.414 He was going to make him work hard, but he didn't add burden on top of that, he cared about him, cared about the people that worked for him. 515 00:42:13.452 --> 00:42:14.360 That was obvious. 516 00:42:15.530 --> 00:42:27.420 But when Scrooge got to that point in his own life, and this is what I'm talking about, I've seen over and over again, he became the very thing he didn't want to be, the very things he didn't like in the person that supervised him. 517 00:42:28.110 --> 00:42:30.774 He emulated those and the things that he took for granted. 518 00:42:30.822 --> 00:42:33.390 He just said, well, you can't do that when you supervise people. 519 00:42:33.540 --> 00:42:35.280 You can't do that when you own a business. 520 00:42:36.690 --> 00:42:40.560 And Scrooge's realizing that moment, you can you can care for people. 521 00:42:41.170 --> 00:42:44.400 The real charge in verse one there is exactly that. 522 00:42:45.650 --> 00:42:48.530 You got to treat these people justly and fairly. 523 00:42:49.190 --> 00:42:53.570 You got to treat them like they're human beings because we're called to love God and love our neighbor. 524 00:42:54.310 --> 00:42:59.000 The people that work for you, they're your neighbors in a biblical sense. 525 00:42:59.450 --> 00:43:05.560 They're people that desire and require your investment in them, your care for them. 526 00:43:06.090 --> 00:43:11.660 You're working alongside them as well as employing them to whatever degree you can do that in your field. 527 00:43:13.070 --> 00:43:14.566 Treat them justly and fairly. 528 00:43:14.598 --> 00:43:15.542 Treat them with dignity. 529 00:43:15.606 --> 00:43:16.780 Why would we do that? 530 00:43:17.710 --> 00:43:22.110 He makes the point that all of us have a master in heaven. 531 00:43:22.450 --> 00:43:26.046 And it's very clear the authority here is Christ. 532 00:43:26.228 --> 00:43:28.334 We serve him, we exalt him. 533 00:43:28.452 --> 00:43:30.030 We're under his authority. 534 00:43:30.370 --> 00:43:36.542 So any authority you and I have or think we have it's under his authority. 535 00:43:36.606 --> 00:43:43.890 And I think that's important because Jesus even addresses himself as servant and master. 536 00:43:45.290 --> 00:43:46.920 Mark Ten is very clear. 537 00:43:47.610 --> 00:43:53.170 I didn't come to serve to be served, but to serve and give my life as a ransom. 538 00:43:53.330 --> 00:43:57.234 For many he served. 539 00:43:57.282 --> 00:43:58.700 He's given his life. 540 00:43:59.390 --> 00:44:00.570 So what do we do? 541 00:44:00.640 --> 00:44:05.500 We work in service to Him because he's already done the work. 542 00:44:06.350 --> 00:44:13.870 He's established the work that matters most, securing you and me by faith so we can know Him forever. 543 00:44:15.010 --> 00:44:19.374 So that's the basis of every sphere of life you and I experience. 544 00:44:19.572 --> 00:44:25.460 We didn't read the whole passage, but again, every significant and central relationship is right here. 545 00:44:26.550 --> 00:44:44.182 Parents, one to another in marriage, parents to the children, children to the parents, fathers in particular, in the way you care for and are humble toward your children, those who oversee, those in the household who aren't blood related, how do you care for with humility, grant dignity to them and truly honor them. 546 00:44:44.236 --> 00:44:49.820 All those relationships are there, and they're all rooted in Christ, who gains glory through that. 547 00:44:51.470 --> 00:45:00.294 So regardless of your title, your job position, when you get up tomorrow morning, if you're going to work, if you're on vacation again, don't make eye contact. 548 00:45:00.352 --> 00:45:01.790 You'll make the rest of us envious. 549 00:45:02.530 --> 00:45:07.790 But if you go into work tomorrow, god means it as worship. 550 00:45:08.210 --> 00:45:10.000 Means it as worship, absolutely. 551 00:45:10.450 --> 00:45:15.886 And that's a fight to worship Him through it most days, but it means that. 552 00:45:15.908 --> 00:45:17.990 So we would adorn the gospel. 553 00:45:18.090 --> 00:45:23.170 We would draw attention to the beauty of the gospel for the sake of our own souls, for the people around us. 554 00:45:23.320 --> 00:45:28.180 We treat with dignity the people who work for us or with us or among us, or we contract with. 555 00:45:28.490 --> 00:45:28.902 Why? 556 00:45:28.956 --> 00:45:31.960 Because it honors and brings glory to God when we do that. 557 00:45:33.370 --> 00:45:39.926 So it'll be a little cheesy if you said it out loud when people ask you, but I'm going to tell you personally, here's what I do. 558 00:45:39.948 --> 00:45:44.554 When somebody asks me, who do you work for and what do you do? 559 00:45:44.752 --> 00:45:48.214 I don't say it out loud because it sounds cheesy, and then I got to give an explanation. 560 00:45:48.262 --> 00:45:56.060 But internally, I honestly think to myself, I work for Jesus and I worship Him. 561 00:45:56.830 --> 00:45:58.238 Because you know what that helps me do? 562 00:45:58.324 --> 00:46:03.280 It helps me get the notions of work is negative and only negative out of my mind before I answer that question. 563 00:46:03.970 --> 00:46:16.094 And it reframes my thinking to go, whatever I do in my job, it needs to honor Him because it's intended to be a means to honor Him, because my work will do that forever and ever by faith. 564 00:46:16.222 --> 00:46:22.374 So I want to pray for us that the Lord will grant us grace to be countercultural in that way. 565 00:46:22.412 --> 00:46:24.742 We talk about being countercultural in all kinds of ways. 566 00:46:24.796 --> 00:46:29.160 You want to get people's attention for the sake of God's glory and not your own. 567 00:46:29.690 --> 00:46:32.460 Think about and execute your work like this. 568 00:46:33.150 --> 00:46:39.740 Think about it, and do it in a way that's utterly different than anybody else you work with among or works for you. 569 00:46:40.270 --> 00:46:43.142 You do that in that way, and Jesus will be pleased. 570 00:46:43.286 --> 00:46:45.406 And we'll pray that he'd bring more people to faith than Him. 571 00:46:45.428 --> 00:46:46.480 So let's pray together. 572 00:46:47.570 --> 00:46:59.234 God, we do thank you that at what's coming to be the end of summer, pretty quickly, You've given our students and parents and volunteers the opportunity to work and to work hard this week. 573 00:46:59.272 --> 00:47:00.722 So we do pray again for them. 574 00:47:00.776 --> 00:47:11.542 And we trust You, Lord, in Your faithfulness and goodness that you would bring some of them to faith in Christ as they're working, as they know that the difficulty in work. 575 00:47:11.596 --> 00:47:13.000 You want to grant rest. 576 00:47:13.610 --> 00:47:15.702 The charge to work will always be there. 577 00:47:15.756 --> 00:47:22.522 But even the things that are most difficult in our lives, Lord, you provide peace by Your presence, so I pray you'd be with them. 578 00:47:22.656 --> 00:47:27.354 I pray you would animate them, give them strength and energy to bring you glory as they work. 579 00:47:27.392 --> 00:47:33.502 I pray that for every one of us, please grant us hope in You, God. 580 00:47:33.556 --> 00:47:45.854 Please grant us the opportunity to serve you and worship you and in through our work that we would work for Jesus and that we would worship and bring honor to Him. 581 00:47:45.892 --> 00:47:48.560 And we pray these things in Jesus name. 582 00:47:49.330 --> 00:47:50.270 Amen. 583 00:47:54.210 --> 00:47:58.674 Thanks again for listening, and be sure to check back next week for another episode. 584 00:47:58.802 --> 00:48:06.450 In the meantime, you can visit us@willowridgechurch.org or by searching for Willowridge Church on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.