Sermon Transcript
Open your Bible to the book of Ephesians, chapter 6. It was October the 17th that I told you for the first time to open your Bible to Ephesians chapter 1, and we are rounding the corner and heading toward the finish line in our study in Ephesians. And we are beginning the final series—a new series—as we finish the last three messages. This is message number 20 in our study in Ephesians.
We’re being joined in worship right now by our St. Joseph campus, and I’m sure you’ve got your Bibles open as well. It doesn’t matter where you are; it matters where the Lord is, and we believe He is here in Granger, He is there in St. Joseph, and we’re going to study what it means to engage the workplace this morning.
And so, we’ve entitled this series, Rules of Engagement. (Unfortunately, if you’re dating, you’re looking for a mate, this is not the theme of the message—it’s not that kind of engagement.) What we’re going to be learning is that we live in hostile territory. If you name the Name of Christ, if the gospel has impacted your life—your identity has been changed by Christ, your ultimate loyalty is to Christ—we gather on Sunday among the friendlies, and yet when I say “You are loved,” you realize—at the end of the service—that’s code language for, “Good luck out there!” Right? “We hope to see you next week. Hopefully you don’t get shot in the process!”—because the world is not friendly toward those of us that name the Name of Christ. So, we need some rules of engagement in the workplace, in our warfare (that’s next week), and then we’re going to have the final message, “How to Engage the World.” That’s how the book of Ephesians ends here in chapter 6.
I was reminded this week of my time over in Israel. There was a moment where our tour guide was telling us we got close to the Israeli Parliament—which is (as you can imagine) surrounded by security! It’s one of the places—it’s probably the most protected places on the planet! And our tour guide was telling us that he had a new bus driver a few tours ago that kind of wandered into restricted area near the Parliament. And the tour guide looked down in the bus and he saw a red dot on the bus driver’s forehead. Apparently, there was a sniper that found his laser right there. And so, they quickly put the thing in reverse and got out of there!
Well, as we’ve kind of come to the conclusion of Ephesians, what we have found is, these words are written to very specific, targeted groups. And a few weeks ago, we, targeted husbands. How many of you husbands remember your responsibility was to love and to lead like Christ? And then the red dot found its way to the wives. Remember that message? Wives, you were to respect and to support your husband.
And last week, where did we put the red dot? On the…yeah!…all the parents said “the kids,” and all the kids said “the parents,” right? It was kind of – that’s amazing how that works! You know? And so, children are to honor and obey the parents. The parents are to [he snaps his fingers]. Oh, we got to go back and do that again, apparently. What are we to provide? Discipline and instruction.
And so, guess where the red dot’s going today? Here we’re going to find you out! If you are employed, would you please stand? And the red dot has found its way to you this morning. If you have a job, if you have a boss, we’re going to talk to people who have jobs and have bosses and supervisors. Okay?
Now, by the way, if you don’t have a job (remain standing); if you don’t have a job, then here’s your job: spend the—spend forty hours this week looking for a job! That’s your job, okay? And that will pay dividends for you, okay?
Now, I want you to remain standing (or maybe you need to stand up) if you are a supervisor, if you have people that report to you. You are a boss in some sense. Remain standing. And, so, the red dot is also on you this morning, okay? And we’re going to read the Scripture here, because there are some rules of engagement for people who are supervisors, and there’s rules for engagement for people who have supervisors, and the gospel bears weight on Christians who are supervisors—or who have supervisors. That’s what we’re going to read.
You may be seated. Let’s begin reading in Ephesians chapter 6, beginning in verse 5. We’re going to read the whole passage, and then we’ll unpack it word-by-word here in a moment. Verse 5 [ESV]: “Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ…” So, how would you do that if your boss was Jesus? That’s a rule of engagement!
Verse 6: “…not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters [supervisors], do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.”
Now, we’re going to unpack that here, but I want to give you some preliminary statements as we get started, because this whole thing is about the workplace. This is how we’re to engage when we are not in church, but we’re actually doing that which provides a living for us, and here’s the first thing you need to know about the workplace: work is good! Does that seem like a counter-intuitive statement to you?
Work is good! Did you know that God created work? Work is not the result of the fall! Work is not the result of sin. In Genesis chapter 2, verse 15, the Bible says that God created man (Adam and Eve), He put them in a garden, and then He gave them this assignment: He said to “work it and keep it.” That was before sin. And so, work glorifies God.
Some people are allergic to work. Do you work with any people that are allergic to work? I heard a story about a young man who was seeking the permission of the father to marry his daughter. So, the father went off with the young man and had the dad talk, right? And the conversation went like this: “Tell me your career plans.” And the young man said, “Well, I am a biblical scholar!” Impressed with that, the father said, “Well, can you tell me, how are you going to provide an income?” He said, “I’m going to study real hard!” The father said, “How are you going to pay the bills. . .for the engagement ring. . .for the mortgage?” And he said, “I write blogs on biblical subject matter.” He said, “How are you going to provide for the children?” And with all of this, he just continued to say, “God will provide!”
Well, after that conversation the man went and talked to his wife, and the wife said, “How did the conversation go?” He said, “Well, he has no job, he has no plans…and he thinks I am God!” Some people are allergic to work. Get a job and learn the importance of work.
Here’s the second thing we need to understand: Every time a Christian goes to work, the gospel goes to work. Did you know that? If you have had the gospel bear weight on your life, then every time you go to work, the gospel goes to work. The gospel is not something that you engage when you come to church only. You take the gospel to work with you, and there’s two ways the gospel goes to work.
First of all, the gospel goes to work on you, because God uses my workplace to sanctify me. How many of you have some difficulty at work? There’s some resistance, there’s some attitudes, there’s some requirements that are less than fun. There’s some people there that are less than encouraging. Do you know that every one of those things, God wants to use as a tool to sanctify you?
You see, when you go to work, the gospel goes to work on you. That’s where your faith is really tested; that’s where the pressure and the trials and the difficulty – God uses those things to shape and to mold you into the conformity of Jesus Christ. And you might say it this way: The harder your job is, the more of an opportunity you have to be changed into the likeness of Jesus. Because God uses the pressure to refine you and shape you and change you in the process. If your job was easy, you wouldn’t need the gospel. And yet, the gospel gives you all the grace you’ll need to do anything your job demands of you. So, the gospel goes to work every time you go to work.
Not only does the gospel go to work on you, but—listen!—the gospel goes to work through you. God not only wants to use your workplace to sanctify you, God wants to use your workplace to send you. Do you understand that there are people in your workplace that you engage with, you have spheres of influence, that I will never come in contact with? They will never step foot in this church to hear me. And so your opportunity is to go into your workplace and tell them what you heard while you were here, and to tell them the good news of the gospel.
God not only wants to sanctify you, God wants to send you into the workplace. You’re a marketplace missionary, and God uses whatever, wherever you work—whether it’s a factory or a retail office or a government building, whatever you do—if you’re in sales, every contact is an opportunity for you to share and show the gospel in this community—that God is real to you. The Great Commission involves sharing the gospel as you go. And so, the gospel goes to work every time you go to work.
And here’s the last thing we’ll say, by introduction, is this: You should go to work for the same reason you go to church. As a matter of fact, if you go to work for a different reason than you go to church, you’re either going to work for the wrong reason, or you’re going to church for the wrong reason. So, the question is, “What is the reason I go to church?”
Now, listen, if you’ve been around Harvest anytime at all, you understand we’re real specific and we’re real simple about what we do around here, right? We have a mission statement: “Harvest Bible Chapel exists to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission.” It’s real simple, right? What’s the Great Commission? Boil it down to two words, what are they? “Make disciples.” And so, if you wanted to simplify that, so that you’ll never forget it—what do we do? “Glorify God and make disciples.” That’s why we come to church. Why do you go to work? “To glorify God and (what?) make disciples.” If you go to work for any other reason, you are going to work for the wrong reason. As Christians, who’ve been impacted to the gospel, we are sent into the workplace to glorify God and to make disciples.
And so, with all of that said, what we’re going to learn this morning are:
Five Qualities of a Marketplace Missionary
…that do that with incredible effectiveness. And we’ve already seen it here in the Scripture. The first thing that we’re going to see, here in verse 5, the first quality of a marketplace missionary is:
- Obedience [v.5]
Now, if you were here last week, that should sound like a familiar word, because as we talked about children, their responsibility was to obey their parents. And yet, we see it again here in verse 5: “Bondservants, obey your earthly masters…”—and the reason that’s so familiar is we’re learning that as the apostle Paul was writing this to the Ephesians, he was simply giving bullet points to expand upon the one thought that he started back in verse 21 of chapter 5.
Do you see it (we’ve looked back at it several times)? It says, “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” And then, he uses the examples of how, in the home, the wife is to submit to the husband, cheering him on and saying, “I don’t have to be in charge; I’m just glad to be on the team! We’re going to lock arms together; we’re going in the same direction; we’re going to win this together!” And then, the next example was simply children submitting to their parents. And now, we have the third example in the workplace of a servant submitting himself to a master.
Now, if you look at that word “bondservant”—and some of you may have a different word in a different translation—almost all of the English translations have a little footnote there. Do you see the little number out beside the word “bondservant” there? Which means your eyes should go down to the bottom of the page or over in the column – and it lists for you in the tiny lettering (in the fine print) – what is the actual word in the fine print that is behind the word “bondservant?” Say it together; what is it? “Slave.” Why do you think our English translators used a less offensive word than slave? It’s because you can’t handle the truth! The reality is, these words were written to slaves and slave owners in ancient Ephesus. It was estimated that about a third of the population in ancient Ephesus were slaves. And so, for us to read that—in our American understanding and thinking about nineteenth-century American slavery—it’s real hard for us to understand why in the world would the Bible be talking about slavery. . .and not immediately just come out and condemn it?
Now listen, here’s what we need to understand: first of all, slaves in ancient Ephesus were different than what we think of in, like, nineteenth-century American slavery. Many of them were slaves because they needed to pay off a debt and they could actually work toward purchasing their own freedom. As a matter of fact, these slaves actually had limited rights. They could be property owners and they were kind of treated as part of the family.
And so, a little different than what we think of in the brutality of American slavery. But please understand, God’s Word does not condone slavery. As a matter of fact, it was the influence of the Bible that actually ended slavery in Great Britain and in America—through men like William Wilberforce, that as a Christian, understood that all men are created equal and stamped with the image of God. And we understand that there is dignity, worth and value in every human soul. So it was the teaching of the Bible that actually ended slavery.
And, God’s Word doesn’t speak to hypotheticals. What you can understand when you read this is understanding there were actual slaves who were getting saved in Ephesus and there were actual slave owners who were getting saved in Ephesus! And so, they would come to church on Sunday—and then go right back Monday into this slave and slave owner relationship. And the ultimate question is: How does the gospel impact that work environment? And the question for us, in twenty-first century America, is this: If these slaves and slave owners could work out the gospel in that difficult work environment, what do you have to complain about – with all the rights and privileges that you have? Minimum wage laws, and children labor laws, and all the things that we enjoy in America to protect the dignity of work.
And so, the gospel has implications on those even in the most difficult work environments, even if you would say, “I’m treated like a slave!” Well, probably not, but these were actual slaves. And into that context the Apostle Paul says the gospel requires something distinctive of a Christian slave.
So, as we work through this in our context, we’re going to use words like: employee, employer, supervisor, subordinate, boss, servant. Apply it to the context that you’re in, but the first quality of a marketplace missionary is this: obedience. You’re simply to do what you’re told to do, when you’re told to do it, with the right heart attitude. Mm-hhm! [snap fingers] Got that? See, obedience is not just for children is it? As a matter of fact, those of you that are children are maybe thinking about getting out from under the oppression of your parents. You might want to understand—if you’ve had a hard time obeying our parents, you’re going to have a real hard time keeping a job.
There was a young man I was talking to about a year ago, and he had actually joined a particular ministry and said, “I’m going to give this a try”—and he placed himself under the authority of this ministry, and he found out it was really hard to be under the authority of this ministry—and he was kind of complaining—he didn’t like it. And we was telling me how hard and oppressive his supervisors were—and how they were telling him what time he had to get up in the morning and when he could eat, and what kind of clothes he could wear and the way he had to cut his hair. And he was just fed up, and he quit!
And he says, “This authoritarian structure there—and just all this stuff!” I said, “Well, what are you going to do now?” He was like, “Well, I’m going to join the Air Force.” No joke! He was totally serious. I was like, “Really! We’ll see how that goes!” [Young man]: “But if that doesn’t work out, I’ll just get a job!” You will always be under someone else’s authority. You will always be required to stay in your lane, to live within the boundaries, and to do what you’re told to do, when you’re told to do it, with the right heart attitude.
Verse 5 says bondservants are to obey their earthly masters. And then, notice it says, “with fear and trembling.” Does that mean you’re supposed to cower before your supervisor and be afraid? Mmm, probably not, but really what it should be is that there should be a healthy sense of fear of losing your job if you don’t obey! And if you live with an entitlement mentality, that somehow your boss owes you your job, you’re not working with fear and trembling under his authority. And so, you should live with a healthy sense of fear that somebody else could do your job better than you’re doing it—and you better stay ahead of them! That’s what it means to have that kind of attitude. And so, obedience is the first quality.
Here’s the second one:
- Sincerity (v.5-6)
It goes on here in verse 5 and it says, “…obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ…” Now, this is amazing. As Christians, we cannot just be concerned with our heads and our hands in our workplace. God wants your heart! That means that we can’t just be concerned with what we do—we have to be concerned with why we do it.
So, why do you go to work? If you ask the average person on the street, non-Christian, “Why do you work?” “Gotta pay the bills, gotta put food on the table! Gotta make a living, gotta put the kids through college!” And basically what they’re saying is, “I’ve got to generate money; I’ve got to generate income!” And so, we look for the job that’s going to pay the highest income, and we change jobs because we want more income. Now, listen, that’s not a bad motive; it’s just not the best motive.
Why do you go to work? The Scripture actually supplies two external motivations that are wrong motivations for doing your work well. The first one is found here in verse 6; it says, “…not by the way of eye-service…” What is eye-service? Eye-service means you work really great when the boss is watching, but not so great when the boss leaves the room. As a Christian, the gospel requires you to do your job, not because the boss is watching, but because God is watching, and He sees how well—and what motivates—your work. He sees into your heart! Is there anything in your heart that is motivating you to do your job sincerely? Not because of the external pressure of your boss, but because of the internal pressure of the gospel that requires you to do your best.
Here’s the second motivation. He says, in verse 6, “…not by way of eye-service, [but secondly] as people-pleasers…” People pleasers. Listen, if your highest motivation is to please your boss, you still don’t have the best motivation. Now, listen, you should please your boss—but be careful, because pleasing your boss can become an idol. And if you try to find your identity, your significance and your worth by getting a pat on the back or a raise or a promotion—living for the pleasure of man—you’re going to be sadly disappointed because there’s no amount of money, there’s no status and there’s no significance you’re going to find at the workplace that’s ultimately going to fulfill your soul.
We’re not to be man-pleasers – we’re to be, what? God-pleasers! At the end of the day, at the end of every workday, do you know what you should pray on the way home? “Lord, were You pleased with my job performance today?” And if God is pleased, it doesn’t matter who is displeased. And if God is displeased, it doesn’t matter who is pleased. We’re to be God-pleasers, not man-pleasers.
So, what are the two primary motivations I should have for work? What is the sincere motive that should come from my heart? It’s the two things we’ve already talked about. My motive for going to work should be the same as my motive for going to church: Number one, to glorify God. In that workplace I will either display or I will distort the glory of God radiating from my life. My attitude, my language, my performance is either going to display or distort the glory of God!
And if my performance and my work and my creativity and my energy reflects that creativity and that energy and the holiness of the Lord, the people in my workplace are going to get a little glimpse of the glory of God! 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 31—a familiar, very general verse, just says this: “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I don’t know what you spent your week doing, but what you did either displayed or distorted the glory of God.
And so, not only the glory of God—here’s the second sincere motivation (the glory of God), and secondly, the good of others. The good of others! Jeremiah chapter 29 tells us about a time in the history of Israel when God’s people were actually enslaved. They were carried off into Babylonian exile and they were forced to work as slaves in Babylonian captivity.
It was into that workplace that the prophet Jeremiah wrote these words. He said [v. 4-5, 7]: “To all…exiles whom I…sent into exile…: Build houses [so, there’s construction]…live in them; plant gardens [so we have agriculture] and eat their produce…” [we have food service]—and he says, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
For a lot of us as Christians, we complain about our work, and it’s like we feel like we’re living in exile, and “this city and this place is so dark!” Do you know what our job is? Our job is to shine the light of the gospel in the dark place, even when you feel like, “This world is not my home; I don’t belong here!” And so, in building our houses and living in them and planting gardens and eating them, we’re serving the community around us, and in the welfare—the good of that city—we will find our welfare and our good.
Here’s the third quality:
- Verticality (v.6)
Now, I was accused of making up that word this week. I did not make up that word. That word is in the dictionary. “Verticality”—what does that mean? Well, let’s find it here in verse 6, again (and we’ve already referenced it). It says at the end of verse 6, “…as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man…”
And so, we’ve seen all through chapter 5 and into chapter 6 that: a husband is to lay down his life “as Christ laid down His life for the church;” a woman, a wife is to submit to her husband “as to the Lord;” children are to obey their parents “in the Lord.” All of it has this aspect of getting my eyes off the horizontal relationship, and getting them on my vertical relationship with the Lord. And, if I understand that my service to my employer in the workplace is actually service to the Lord, it changes my whole attitude about my work and about my employer.
Notice it says at the end of verse 6, “…doing the will of God from the heart…” What would change, if you understood on Monday, “I’m not just going into work to do my job. I’m going into my workplace to do the will of God”? That’s what we understand in verse 6: Doing the will of God from the heart. I’m not just going to work; I’m being sent to work. And those that live with a sense of being sent live with an understanding of purpose and mission. “I’m not just here to make a paycheck; I am here to do the will of God!” How would that change your workplace?
Gene Edward Veith said this about the workplace. He said, “A Christian and a non-Christian may labor side-by-side at the same job—and on the surface they’re doing exactly the same thing. But work that is done in faith has a different significance than work that is done in unbelief.” Are you doing your work in faith, or are you doing your work in unbelief?
One of the most famous Christians who modeled for all of us how we should work in the workplace is a man affectionately known as “Brother Lawrence.” He was a 17th-century layperson. He was not a trained in theology, and yet, in order to make a living, he worked in a monastery. So, he worked in and among those that had given their lives completely to the study of Scripture, completely to devotion in God. And in this communal setting, Brother Lawrence did two things: he worked in the kitchen to peel potatoes and wash dishes. And he did it for fifteen years. At the end of his lifetime, some of his writings were found, and they were compiled and published into a book that we know today as The Practice the Presence of God.
And it turns out that Brother Lawrence may have been the most spiritually-minded dude in the monastery – because while he was peeling the potatoes and while he was washing the dishes, he found a way to do it all out of an affection for Christ. And this is what he said. He says, “We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, Who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.”
He went on to say this, “It is not needful that we should have great things to do. We can do little things for God. I turn the cake that is in the frying pan for the love of Him, and that done, if there’s nothing else to call me, I prostate myself in worship before Him Who has given me the grace to work! Afterwards, I rise happier than a king! It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God.” And he found as much affection for God in his workplace as he did in the place of worship, because he understood the presence of God goes with him into the workplace. What a great example that he set for us.
And so, cooking can be done for the glory of God. I have long known that making a pancake can be done for the glory of God. Eating a pancake is a glorious experience, and so it can be done to the glory of God! Managing finances can be done to the glory of God. Running a business, starting a business, serving a community, building roads, building houses – all of it can be done out of love for Christ. It’s something that theologians refer to as “common grace.” In doing our jobs well, the community around us—even believers—get to experience just a touch of the grace of God. It’s not a saving grace, but it is grace—the goodness of God—in even eating a pancake, if it’s done well can be a glorious thing.
And so, sincerity and verticality. And now:
- Service (v.7)
Look at verse 7; he mentions that word: “…rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to [men]…” Other translations say, “service with good attitude,” “service with enthusiasm.” Listen, the gospel turns selfish people into servant-hearted people. The gospel reminds us that we have been well-served by Christ.
We go to work in view of the work of Christ on the cross, in our place, on our behalf. When we were undeserving, Christ worked to forgive sin, to atone for sin, and we cannot escape Christ on the cross serving us. And so, from the cross, we go into the workplace to work on His behalf, to serve those around us. We adopt, as our own, the wishes and goals of those that we’re serving. That’s why Christians should be the best employees. Because we should go beyond what’s on the job description, even picking up a towel and taking responsibility to beautify the workplace is a way that we show the glory of God.
And, then the final thing here is:
- Hope (v.8)
We work with a view to the future. Look at verse 8. He says, “…knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive…from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.” Notice “this he will receive back.” There’s a future tense there.
I don’t know what you’ve given to your workplace. Whatever you’ve given will be given back by the Lord. Whatever you give that you think is above and beyond. “I’m not even getting paid for this. It’s not my job!” You will receive back from the Lord if it is done from a servant’s heart. God sees what you do. Your boss may not see what you do, but God sees what you do, and there is a day coming where you will receive back.
It’s a great word on Mother’s Day, isn’t it—moms? All those things that you do that never get appreciated and never get thanked? The Lord sees it! And you will receive back from the Lord whatever you have given. And that is a promise only for Christians. And so, you can report to work tomorrow with a sense of hope. “There is a better day coming, where I will no longer have to work, because Christ has done all the work!” The Bible calls Heaven a place of “Sabbath rest.” This is the time to work, but we work with the hope that the rest is coming—because all of the work has been accomplished by Christ.
Now, listen, to this point we have only been speaking to servants, to employees, but God has one verse here for supervisors—for the masters. And notice what it says in verse 9: “Masters [so, are you a supervisor, are you a boss? Here’s what God has to say to you]—Masters, do the same to them…” “them,” servants; “them,” employees. Do the same what? Do the same five things in the workplace as a supervisor, “and stop your threatening…”
So let’s go back up the list here. We’ll go in reverse order: Bosses, masters, supervisors: you should have hope because you will receive back whatever you’ve given to your employees. Do you go to work with the understanding that you are building something that is going to outlast your business? Do you understand that you’re building something bigger than your business? That you’re going to receive rewards that are more profitable than your business – if as a Christian you live out the gospel in that workplace?
Listen, the success of your company is not measured by how profitable your company is to you. The success of your company is measured by how profitable your business is to God! How would it change you as an employer if you saw your business as something that should be profitable to God? Do you live with that hope, that there’s going to be something that is going to outlast your company?
How about service? Listen, bosses are not exempt from service. Bosses model service, and bosses serve their teams in the same way that a husband loves his wife and serves, not…He has the head, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t serve. He serves like Christ. In the same way that parents – they have the authority, but they serve their children. A master, a boss, has the authority—but he serves those under him.
A servant-hearted boss understands: “I’m not better; I’m not more important; I’m not smarter—I just have more responsibility to set the tone around here as a servant-leader.” And that’s why he says in verse 9, “Stop you’re threatening!” Is there a more direct command in Scripture than that? “Stop your threatening!” You know what he’s saying here? When you have lost the heart of your employees, you resort to threatening them. “I’ll fire you! I’ll dock your pay! I’ll demote you!” Not a good strategy. And so, he needs to have a servant’s heart.
And then, verticality. “Remember,” he says this at the end. He says, “Knowing that Who is both their master and yours” is in Heaven. And He’s watching. And so, we understand that my purpose for my company should be the same as what we’ve been talking about: to glorify God and to make disciples.
We’ve got a great friend that is a part of our church, and he’s got his own business and he’s got several employees, and the business has done well. And when they hire and interview for their business, he says, “The people that apply for positions around here are really shocked because we’re real up front in the interview about the purpose of our business. And our mission statement in our business that makes lightbulbs – the purpose of our business is not to make lightbulbs. The purpose of our business is to glorify God by making lightbulbs. And when we tell that to potential employees, they kind of scratch their heads like, ‘Wow! That’s a little different than the manufacturing company I came from before. I think I’d like to be a part of a business that actually has some integrity and some understanding that God is kind of watching what’s going on around here.’”
Is the purpose of your business to simply make money, or is it to glorify God and to make disciples in the context? Those employees don’t just need to be made into better employees. They need to be introduced to Jesus. They have lives and family and sin and they need a Savior! And so, use your workplace for the same purpose as this church.
And then, sincerity. Interestingly, at the end of this he says, “There is no partiality with Him.” Do you understand what a shocking statement that was? He was talking to slaves and slave owners. In the cultural setting, huge gap. In God’s eyes, equal. And as an owner or a supervisor, you should treat them with the understanding – God sees them as equal to you, maybe just in a different position.
And then, finally, obedience. The gospel will not allow a boss, a supervisor or a business owner to cut corners, to steal, to cheat customers. The gospel compels you to pay a fair wage, to charge a fair price, to pay taxes according to the law because we are to obey the authorities that we have, even in the workplace.
I see a lot of “red dots” on everybody’s forehead right now, because I think God is kind of working right now. Has God said some things to you about your assignment here? In about eighteen hours or so, you’re going to step into a workplace. And let me just invite you, maybe, to change your whole attitude toward your workplace and to go to work tomorrow—not just to make money—but to glorify God and make disciples.
Why don’t we stand together, let’s bow our heads, and I want to pray that God will put that in your heart.
Father we want to go on record that it is Your work—and Your work alone—that makes payment for sin. And it is only because You have opened our hearts to the reality of the gospel that we have any hope of living beyond just a career or status or climbing the ladder or making a living. God, we’re living for a day when there will be Sabbath rest, and yet—until that day—there is work to be done.
And so I pray for my friends here, and Lord I pray that we would understand the simple truth that’s listed; the prerequisite for understanding all of this is just a simple truth. We are bondservants of Christ. We have no rights. You are the Master—it is at Your command that we move. And so, God, would You remind us of these principles as we go to work?
And I pray that in marketplaces and factories and schoolrooms and retail stores and government buildings—all across this community—these would shine as lights for the gospel and display the glory of God to those that need to know that there is a Savior Who that done all the work. It’s in His Name we pray, Amen.