The Redeemed Household -Pt4

that Rachel was playing that
always gets me. Jesus sought me while a stranger,
wandering from the folds of God. What a merciful Savior we have. They are not paying me what I’m
worth. If I’ve heard that complaint
once, I’ve heard it a hundred times. It’s the perennial gripe
of the worker that they deserve to be paid so much more than
their current employer is paying them. I heard it so often as a middle
manager that I came up with a rather direct reply to those thoughts. I would say, no, you can’t say
that. You can’t say that they’re not
paying you what you’re worth unless and until you find some
other company to pay you more. Until then, you’re being paid
exactly what you’re worth. There’s nothing against looking
to advance, looking to pursue a promotion that enables you
to make more money. There’s nothing wrong with that.
But many times a person’s current job provides the motivation to
find something new and better, something that pays more. But
until you land that position, Your current employer is paying
you what you’re worth. There’s also something else to
consider in that formula. We’ve already noted from our
study last week that as Christians, we have two masters, an earthly
master and a heavenly master, the Lord Jesus. And in our frustration
with how our earthly master is paying us, we tend to forget
completely that our heavenly master has promised us a payday
as well. We find ourselves here in Colossians
chapter three again, if you would begin turning there. We’re in
the very midst of Paul’s address regarding building and strengthening
relationships. He’s addressing each of the members
of the household, at least the first century household, slaves
or servants included. So that the very fact that Paul
would include remarks to slaves of the first century household
would have almost been expected to them. The system of slavery
was very prevalent in that day. Household servants were very
common. Since nearly one-third of the
population were slaves or servants, Paul’s remarks would have been
completely expected. Last week, We only got a start
on our consideration of his thoughts for the workers of a household. Paul has much more to say. This
four verse section is the longest portion of Paul’s directives
to members of the household. But note this. Wives, husbands,
children, fathers, they get one sentence each, masters as well. But here to the slaves, the servants
of a household, Paul devotes four full verses. We noted the
reason for Paul’s address to slaves and the reason why it
was so lengthy was probably brought about by a runaway slave named
Onesimus. He was that slave who had escaped
and run away all the way to Rome. But in Rome, more than 1,200
miles from Colossae, he could not outrun the Lord. The Lord
found him and saved him, drawing him to himself through repentance
and faith. But that did not erase his violation
against his master, a man named Philemon. Paul could not ignore
that. Paul’s mission was indeed to
preach the gospel, not to wage war, even against evil social
institutions such as slavery. But he knew that the behavior
of believers, especially in that society, would eventually reflect
not only upon Christianity, but Christ, his church, and even
the gospel. And so the behavior even of Christian
slaves must be addressed. So in the course of writing,
to the Colossian church where Philemon was a member, he also
pens a letter to Philemon himself, as you know. And so it’s only
natural here in his letter to Colossae that Paul should take
some extra time to discuss the roles of Christian slaves and
masters. Last week, we only considered
the first point in Paul’s comments to slaves. the slave’s attitude
or his demeanor. And what Paul issues is a call
to godly obedience. And Paul described godly obedience
in four different ways. First, he pointed to the scope
of that obedience. It is to be in all things. We don’t just pick and choose
what orders we follow from our superiors, not only the scope
of our obedience, but the realm of obedience. It is limited. It is only rendered to earthly
masters. There may be, these earthly masters
may be in a superior position here, but it won’t be so in heaven. Thirdly, not only the scope and
the realm of that obedience, but the integrity of this obedience,
godly obedience. It is not an external service
performed in order to please men, earthly masters. And then fourthly, the servant’s
obedience is to be genuine. In the sincerity of your heart,
Paul urges, born out of a wholesome fear of the Lord, reverence for
our Lord. But Paul is not only concerned
with a servant’s demeanor, his attitude. He also knows that
he has to address their productivity as well, their work, their labor. And in verse 23, it is to the
slaves’ work that Paul now turns to address. If you would, if
you’re in Colossians chapter three, I just want to pick up
those three verses, 323 through 25. And in fact, let’s go back
to 22. We’ll take a running start at
it. Slaves, in all things, obey those who are your masters on
earth. not with external service as
those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart,
fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work
heartily as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from
the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It
is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive
the consequences of the wrong which he has done. and that without
partiality. And if you’ve been here for several
weeks, you know that we’re almost in a habit, but there’s a reason
for this habit. If you would flip back two books
to Ephesians chapter six, Ephesians chapter six. I just want to review
two verses there, verses that parallel what we’ve just read
in 23 through 25 of Colossians 3. Ephesians 6 verses 7 and 8. With goodwill, render service
as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing
each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord. whether slave
or free. And now, if you would, back to
Colossians 3. I’ll recite a few. I don’t know
that I’ll take you back to Ephesians 6, but I do want to import some
of those thoughts into our consideration today. Well, the obvious question
emerges, doesn’t it? Almost immediately. What does
a Christ-honoring work ethic look like in practical terms? We know that’s what Paul desires.
That’s what Paul wishes to present here in these verses. Just as
he presented the characteristics of godly obedience in verse 22,
now here in verses 23 through 25, Paul addresses the characteristics
of godly service. And I will just remind you as
you settle back into Colossians, I would just remind you that
while we are not under the system of slavery, at least not currently. Some of us might feel differently.
We’re not under the slave system, but as employees of various companies,
we can indeed observe some principles and make application of these
principles in these particular verses. And I hope to do that
this morning. We’re looking at a servant’s
work. We’re identifying characteristics of godly service. And the first
thing that I would point out is that the sincerity of godly
service, would you look at verse 23, where Paul says, whatever
you do, do your work heartily. Paul begins his exhortation about
the slaves’ work here with that familiar clause, whatever you
do. We came across those same words
in Colossians 317. Just glance back there if you
would. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus. We already know that whatever
it is we do as workers, as employees, even as slaves, we know that
we’re supposed to glorify God, honor Christ in that. But here,
Paul uses this same comprehensive, all-encompassing introduction
to address the work that these servants have. Here, instead
of referring to the breadth of options available to us, he points
to the wide range of possible tasks that a servant might be
asked to do. And so Paul issues this broad
disclaimer, whatever you do. And he rounds it out with a command,
do this heartily. That thought is echoed in Ephesians
6, as we just read there, he says that a servant’s work is
to be done from the heart, doing the will of God from the heart. It’s interesting that our translators
have translated these two parallel statements so differently. In
both passages, Colossians 3.23 and Ephesians 6.6, the wording
in the Greek is exactly the same. ek suke, if you want the technical
version. Ek is from, out of, and suke
is the word for soul. So literally he says from the
soul, from your innermost. The word psuche has as its primary
meaning soul, but it’s variously translated in the New Testament
as soul, life, also even as mind, or very infrequently as here
in our passages as heart. So the same sentence, it’s exactly
the same in the Greek in both places, but that same phrase
is translated slightly differently in these passages. And all three
of our major translators, King James, ESB, New American Standard,
doesn’t matter, they translate these words the exact same way.
Here in Colossians, I have it as, all three have it as heartily. And there in Ephesians, all three
translate it from the heart. That at least opens the door
to a discussion, a consideration regarding the meaning of Paul’s
point here. What’s he trying to tell us?
What does it mean, do your work from the heart or from your very
soul? What it points to is effort that
is not externally motivated. motivated by threats, threats
of punishment, or even offers of reward. But that effort is
motivated by that which comes from within. It’s a wholehearted
effort. This is the kind of work that
is done, not to catch the master’s eye, but that which is done with
the highest goal, glorifying God. in the passage in Ephesians,
Paul makes another statement there that echoes this one. He adds there, with goodwill
render service. That communicates a lot, doesn’t
it? You see, much of our work at times, if we’re honest, is
done without goodwill. It’s done grudgingly, if at all. all the while grumbling, even
if not audibly, at least in our thoughts. I can’t believe I have
to work overtime. I can’t believe they just seated
me a table of six at 11 p.m. But Paul says that such effort
is really no effort at all, at least not the kind of effort
that pleases and glorifies God. To serve someone out of goodwill
is to place their needs and desires above your own. That you want
the very best for this other person. I’m often surprised,
I’m sure you are too, by the attitude and behavior of people
in so-called customer service. By their demeanor and their action, It’s as if their customers are
an inconvenience to them. They’re an irritation or at best
a necessary evil. And they’re indignant that you’ve
even come to their place of employment because now they have to work. Sometimes they let out an audible
huff. Sometimes there is a sullenness
to their care of you, as if they’re not even supposed to be scheduled
working that day. Sometimes they bicker, even with
a paying customer. Sometimes they cannot conceal
a disapproving roll of the eyes. But usually their attitude is
reflected just by the impossibly sluggish way they go about their
tasks. Christians, Paul says, should
be the very best at customer service because they have others
in mind. They have goodwill towards those
in their care. They want to help them. And so
for them, customer service comes naturally. And I have this encouragement
for us. If our efforts toward serving
a customer is not out of goodwill, please find something else to
do. You see, that kind of so-called
customer service, service work that is not done from goodwill,
not done from the heart or from the soul, is really oriented
in the ugly, depravity of our humanness. And so Paul urges
the Christian servant to a higher standard, is what he calls them
to, to a Christian work ethic, if you will, to do our work,
no matter what is asked or assigned, with joy, not grumbling. With energy, not sluggishness. With thoroughness, not slack. Paul provides the perfect help
to the kind of lifeless, slothful, gloomy work ethic that is so
often displayed. For whom are we doing our work? It brings us to point two, that
not only is godly service done sincerely, it is done devotionally. Would you look again at verse
23? Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord
rather than for men. Here again, Paul reverts back
to the contrast that he mentioned back in verse 22. That external
service produced by those who merely seek to please men. Let’s note at the outset that
the words are actually identical in our parallel passage. On the
face of it, they only sound different. Only in our English translations,
there is this slight difference. The little pronouns for and to. Here in Colossians, it’s for
the Lord. In the passage in Ephesians,
it’s to the Lord. But there’s really no difference.
Whether we speak of doing something for someone or to someone, that
individual is the recipient of our efforts. The problem is that
most people have no aim for their work. It is work. Maybe they
work for themselves in order that they might achieve some
promotion or money or some status. Maybe they work for some great
corporation and they’re completely bought in, in which, in this
company, they take great pride. Maybe they work for some great
cause. hoping to honor or rather to
conquer some great goal. Or more nobly, maybe they work
for someone else entirely, their family perhaps. But the truth is most people
have no idea why or for whom they’re working. They just get
up, press forward, punch in, and plod along through their
workday. The only way that such persons
ever get anything accomplished is if someone is standing over
them, monitoring them, threatening them, driving them. As long as a master, a boss,
a supervisor is watching, productivity is high. As soon as the boss
looks away, is distracted, departs, productivity plummets, doesn’t
it? But all of those reasons will leave us empty if our efforts
are not for or to our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says that for the
Christian servant, motivation for our work should be much different
than an unbeliever. Godly service produced by the
Christian should not require such external motivation, that
scrutinizing oversight, the threats of punishment and the like. In
reality, such a one is not even working for an earthly corporation
or master. He or she is in the Lord’s employment. And such workers do what they
do for or unto Christ, not for any earthly master. As we noted
last week, Ephesians 6, 5 says that our work as godly servants
is to be as to Christ. Our effort, our work, our service
is ultimately done unto Christ. And when you think about it,
Does any man on earth have a higher standard for work than God himself? Of course, as workers, slaves,
servants, employees, and such, we will have earthly masters.
How else would we have cause to obey their commands, as Paul
has made it clear? But the service that we render
is presented ultimately to our eternal Master and Lord, all
of it. Our punctuality, our diligence,
the quality of our work, the joy in our hearts with which
we labor, all of that is laid at Christ’s feet. Without a doubt,
our earthly masters will receive such service. They will benefit
from our work. They will see our deeds and they
may even acknowledge them. But the quality of our labor,
the point is, is enhanced and elevated by the fact that we
are doing what we are doing for our Savior. we would work very differently,
wouldn’t we? If Jesus were that boss, standing, looking over
our shoulder, evaluating our reports, monitoring our productivity. But if Jesus were our boss, or
if we even considered him for such, no burden would be too
great. No task would be unacceptable.
No job would be beneath us. All of the difficulties of our
earthly labors would diminish into nothing if we functioned
as if Jesus were our master. But that he is. And all of our
work from the most technical to the most mundane should be
unto Christ. If we would only remember that
Jesus is our heavenly master, our work ethic would be transformed. Poor, lifeless service then becomes
impossible to the servant who is only doing what he or she
is doing out of fear of punishment. It is a different kind of work
entirely, isn’t it? because ultimately it is Jesus
Christ that we’re serving. And once we assume that mindset,
we are doing what we are doing for Christ. We’re no longer slaves
of an earthly master. The work that we do is not for
any earthly boss, not even for some dear customers. Our work
is transformed into a glorious effort for the King of Kings. But remembering that, Remembering
that Jesus is our heavenly master is only part of a renewed mindset. There’s something else that we
must keep in mind if efforts are to reach the level of godly
service. We come to point three. Characteristics
of a godly service is not only that it’s sincere and devotional,
but thirdly, must be entered into confidently. Would you look
at verse 24? And I’ll take a running start
from verse 23. Whatever you do, do your work
heartily as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from
the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance. So Paul
admonishes his readers, including us, that we are to do our work
sincerely, that is, from the depths of our soul, devotionally,
that is, for the Savior himself, and he proceeds to inform us
of something that will make those efforts easier. The third characteristic
is that of a settled hope, a confidence in revealed truth. The Christian
servant is able to do his work with great confidence. It’s the
very first word of verse 24 that communicates the nature of this
third point. Paul says, knowing. This isn’t
just a wistfully hopeful sentiment. It isn’t wishful thinking, nor
is it some kind of vague optimism. The word knowing points to an
established principle, a settled hope, a divine truth based on
which a believer can confidently rest. Paul basically says that
if we were only able to keep this one thought before us in
our hearts and our minds, then doing our work sincerely and
devotionally would be made possible. even easy. Paul tells us the
principle, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the
reward of inheritance. Even on the face of it, this
is a great promise that the Lord himself is going to give his
people some kind of reward, an inheritance, Just the thought
of that would have arrested the slaves’ attention. A slave owned
nothing. They possessed nothing. So this
news that one day they were going to be cut in, included, and given
some kind of an inheritance, that would have made them sit
up and take notice. And I’ll tell you that reward here in
the New American Standard, it’s a funny way to translate the
word here. It’s the only time that this
word is used in the New Testament. And so we get no help on the
use, the meaning of it from elsewhere. But the idea of reward sounds
as if we have found something valuable, have returned it to
its rightful owner, who then in turn gives us some kind of
financial gift. That doesn’t seem to fit the
context here. It is a gift, no doubt. It’s
given to us as such. And so perhaps a better way to
translate this word would be repayment or requital. The Christian has no cause to
fret or fear because in time, God is going to restore to us
what is rightfully ours. Believing servant can have absolute
confidence in that. Whatever this is referring to,
it will surely be given because it is the Lord himself that has
made such a promise. He’s trustworthy. God cannot
lie. Read it again. From the Lord
you will receive the reward of inheritance. For the child of
God, no doubts can remain. We can take the Lord at his word. And Paul is obviously speaking
future here, a heavenly gift, and he speaks of it as an assured
possession. It’s already theirs. No one else
can show up to heaven and lay claim to it. There is a portion
that belongs to them and only to them. The Apostle Peter speaks
of this same truth when he says in 1 Peter 1,4 that believers
will obtain an inheritance, an inheritance undefiled and will
not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. What an incredible promise. What a fantastic thought that
is for believers in Christ. Even a believing slave. Writing
to the Ephesian believers about this same spiritual inheritance,
Paul says that the Holy Spirit is given as a pledge of our inheritance. The Holy Spirit is God’s down
payment for this promise. And as sure as we possess the
Holy Spirit here, we will receive the inheritance there. A faithful
servant of God may well feel slighted here on earth, unnoticed,
unappreciated, underpaid, but God will balance everything out
in glory, won’t he? An earthly master may be miserly,
paying his servants only what he must, not God. An earthly master may even be
cruel, withholding entirely what rightfully belongs to his servants. Not God. When we begin to try
to ascertain what it is that the Lord has promised here, we
notice a difference in the way that Paul describes it in our
parallel passage. Here in Colossians, he refers
to it as the reward of the inheritance. In Ephesians 6.8, Paul says that
this promise has reference to whatever good thing each one
does. Kind of a return based on performance. The two descriptions are not
contradictory. The statement in Colossians makes
it sound as if this reward repayment is automatic. The statement in
Ephesians makes it sound like it’s earned. Both aspects are
true. Already for a Christian, there
is the hope of an inheritance, but in this life, we already
know that we’ve been forgiven, but we are promised eternal blessings
in heaven, whatever they may be. We know that we still have
a place there. We know that we will be forever
with our Savior. But there is also what we might
call here a just recompense, a repayment from God according
to our deeds. How faithful were we? How dutiful
were we? How diligent were we in our respective
work? Jesus is not only our Savior,
we must remember, He is also our Judge. If As in the case
of the Christian servant, we have provided good service from
sincerity, particular blessings will be bestowed. And if that
slave has been rebellious and indolent, it will be reflected
in the kind of blessing he receives. So the Christian, regardless
of the system under which they operate, even slavery, they’re
to keep this principle always before them. They are not working
to please an earthly master, but a heavenly one. He is the
one who will ultimately reward them according to their labors. No good effort expended, no hard
work, no faithful service will go unseen and unrewarded. Do
you realize that? Even though earthly masters may
fail to notice or may be stingy, God has an inheritance for all
of his children and will repay. Paul has already told his readers
that they are to obey their masters and that the scope of this command
encompasses all things, but that these earthly masters are not
the only ones observing them. The Lord too is watching, remember?
And because of this, the servant ought to work accordingly, doing
his or her best as to Christ. He or she is to fear the Lord
in this regard for the very reason that Paul unfolds here, that
both parties, slave and master, will be judged. They will be
evaluated and repaid according to how they have conducted themselves
on earth. This is the promised inheritance
with which God will bestow on every believer. Paul makes one
final observation of the nature of godly service. We find it
at the end of verse 24. Godly service is that which is
done not only sincerely and devotionally, confidently, but fourthly, assuredly. Would you look at the very last
sentence of verse 24? It is the Lord Christ whom you
serve, for he who does wrong will receive the consequences
of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. There’s a longstanding question
regarding this final sentence, verse 24. It’s a mere, is it
a mere bland statement? Or is it an imperative, a command?
Based on the form of the verb, it could go either way. Paul
could be summarizing verses 23 and 24 and capping it at the
very end with a straightforward statement. Much like it’s translated
in our New American Standard, it is the Lord Christ whom you
serve. The ESV says it’s similar, you are serving the Lord Christ. The perfectly reasonable alternative
to that, however, is to state it as an imperative, a command. In that case, these few verses
could read like this. I’ll take it from the beginning.
Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord, rather
than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the
reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ. It would be inappropriate to
be too dogmatic either way here. I told you either option is legitimate. But given the context, I would
lean in the direction of recognizing this indeed as an imperative,
a command. If we consider verse 25, we notice
that Paul is appending an explanation to this statement in verse 24.
And based on the tone of verse 25, it seems far better to take
this sentence as an imperative. Would you listen once again? Serve the Lord Christ, for he
who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which
he has done, and that without partiality. Those words of warning
are very strong words. Too strong to explain a blander
version of that statement. Here servants are commanded in
the strongest possible terms to serve their risen Savior,
because He also is their righteous judge, and He will evaluate and
recompense as is appropriate. Just reminding themselves of
that would be a powerful motivator to all to serve their masters,
to keep in view that their true master is Jesus Christ. It isn’t an earthly boss. It’s
no other than the Lord Jesus who stands as our ultimate supervisor. Would you glance at verse 25
once again? For he who does wrong will receive
the consequences of the wrong which he has done. and that without
partiality. It’s difficult to determine exactly
who is being cautioned in this verse. Is Paul looking to comfort
earthly slaves with the reminder that their earthly masters will
one day be judged? Entirely possible. It’s certainly
true. Sometimes that’s what gets us
through the day, right? Or the work week. The knowledge
that enables us to endure harsh treatment
from our earthly masters. The simple knowledge that God
sees all and will make everything right one day. But it’s equally true that servants also will be judged.
And based purely on this passage, it is conceivable, after all,
that the master is a Christian. That’s what 4.1 will tell us.
Slaves themselves can sin in both their demeanor and in their
lack of productivity. The very thing that Paul is addressing
here. But even with a wicked man for
a master, the slave is not justified in deceit or laziness. One day
slaves, servants, employees will give an answer to how they conducted
themselves on earth. Both slaves and masters will
one day stand before God, not for the determination of their
standing with regard to salvation, but for the evaluation and the
rendering back of their just rewards. They may not lose their
salvation. They will not lose their salvation.
But if they have wronged another, they will be penalized for that
wrong. In the immediately preceding verse, Paul focused on the positive
aspect of the Lord’s judgment. And that sounded very pleasant
to our ears, didn’t it? From the Lord you will receive
the reward of the inheritance. What a wonderful encouragement. The reminder in Ephesians 6,
8 is positive as well. Whatever good thing each one
has done, this he will receive back from the Lord. God sees
everything and will bless us accordingly. But here in verse
25, the word that Paul uses has a sobering aspect to it. And
we hear it translated as recompense. That word, which is translated
as receive in Colossians, Ephesians 6, 8 as receive back, it suggests
these things. There’s something good or bad
that we deserve. This recompense is something
good or bad that is rightfully ours. It’s something good or
bad that we have earned. We get a full sense of this from
Paul’s use of the same word in 2 Corinthians 5.10. Would you
just listen? We must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ so that each one may be recompensed for
his deeds in the body according to what he has done. whether
good or bad. One day, every person, master
or slave, will stand before God and he will repay. He will recompense
every believer according to what they have done in exact measure. And this, Paul adds in closing,
will be repaid without partiality, whether slave or free, Everyone
will receive back. It won’t matter what position
they held here on earth, or what their title was, or who they
worked for, or how bad their boss was. The only standard will
be, have we honored the Lord Jesus Christ in our deeds? Would you humble yourself before
him? Our merciful King, we bow before you sobered and
humbled by these passages. And Lord, what we may have been
inclined to brush aside this discussion about slaves as irrelevant,
unimportant, not applicable to us, Lord, we see distilled through
here principles that absolutely may and must be applied to our
own work. Lord, we do pray that you would
grant us the grace to evaluate our hearts with regard to the
sincerity of our work. Is it really done from within,
from our soul? Is it really done as to Christ? Is it done from a deep foundational
knowledge that one day you will grant us immeasurable blessings? And is it done from a heart that
knows full well that you will render to each according to what
is due? Lord, grant us the grace to examine
our hearts. And Father, if there are any
here who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, it is not by our
efforts that we can ever be saved. Jesus Christ has paid it all.
Ours is to come in repentance and faith for our sin. And not by our deeds are we saved. Father, we thank you. We ask
your blessing as we evaluate our own hearts. Grant us the
grace to serve you here. Bless our work. no matter what
the particulars are of it, that you would bless us and so use
us that we might be enabled to point others in the direction
of our Savior. Lord, we thank you and we praise
you in Jesus’ name. Amen.