Christocentric Work

Christocentric = “Christ at the Center”

We are Focusing on How to Make Jesus the Center of Our Lives

Being Christocentric Transforms Every Aspect of Our Lives

Colossians 3:17 (NLT)

17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

It Transforms What We Believe and Teach

How We Worship

How We Interact with Each Other in the Christian Community

How We Interact with Our Spouses

How We Behave as a Family in the Privacy of Our Homes

And it Also Transforms the Way We Behave in Another Large and Important Part of Our Lives

Our Work

This Morning We’re Looking at Christocentric Work

Being in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Means…

We Work Differently Than the World

We Treat Our Employers, Employees, and Coworkers Differently than the World

If Our Behavior at Work is No Different Than the Behavior of Our Non-Christian Neighbors…

Then that Says a Lot About Our Relationship with Jesus

Again, We are Going to Be Looking at What Paul had to Say About this Topic…

In His Letters to the Churches in Colossae and Ephesus

That Means We are Not Going to Cover Everything the Bible Says About Work

One Important Thing to Take Note of is:

Paul was Writing in a Very Different Time, Place, and Culture than Us

As He Approaches this Topic, He’s Addressing Household Relationships

He is Writing to Slaves and Masters

This Wasn’t Like Pre-Civil War Era American Slavery

It Wasn’t Based Upon Race

Anyone Could Be a Slave

And There Were a Number of Reasons and Ways a Person Could Become a Slave

Despite What Some Unbelievers Might Say…

The OT Nor Jesus Nor the NT Writers Ever Condoned Slavery

But They Often Set Parameters for How People Ought to Behave…

Within the Worldly Institution of Slavery

Such Principles, When Taken to Their Ultimate Conclusion…

Would Lead to the Abolition of Humans Owning Other Humans

In the Kingdom of Christ, the Ways of the World are Turned Upside Down

Colossians 3:11 (NIV)

11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

In Jesus’ Kingdom, Racial, Cultural, Economic, and Social Differences No Longer Mattered

Everyone is Equal in His Kingdom

This New Way of Thinking Would Eventually Lead…

To the Abolition of Slavery Amongst Christians

Though We Live in a Very Different Time, Place, and Culture…

We can Still Learn Some Valuable Lessons From Paul’s Commands to Slaves and Masters

Though He wasn’t Directly Referring to Modern Work and Employee/Employer Relationships…

The Principles and Commands He Gives Still Apply Perfectly to Today

Let’s Begin in Colossians 3:22

The NASB Translators Made Some Odd Decisions with this Text…

So I’ll Be Using Some Different Translations Throughout this Text

Colossians 3:22 (LEB)

22 Slaves, obey your human masters in everything, not while being watched, as people pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

Slaves Were Commanded, Like Children to Their Parents, …

To Obey Their Masters Always and in Everything

The Obvious Application for Us Would Be:

“Christian Employees, Do Whatever Your Employers Tell You to Do”

Obviously, Anytime the Scriptures Tell Us to Obey Another Human…

That Refers to Commands that Don’t Inherently Contradict God’s Commands

If My Boss Tells Me to Do Something Sinful or Un-Christlike…

I Must Choose to Disobey Them, Whatever the Consequences

God is Always Our Ultimate Authority

But, that Being Said, God Commands Us to Obey Our Human Authorities

Paul Puts it this Way in His Letter to the Ephesians

Ephesians 6:5–6 (NASB95)

5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;6 not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.

In Paul’s Day, Christian Slaves Needed to Remember Who Their Ultimate Master was

They Were to Obey Him From the Heart

We Today are Slaves of Christ

And Our Ultimate/Heavenly Master Wants Us to Obey Our Fleshly “Masters”

We Shouldn’t Work “By Way of Eye-Service” or “While Being Watched”

We’ve All Worked with that Person Who Only Works When the Boss is Watching

Hopefully You Weren’t/Aren’t that Person

That Type of Work is Lazy, Dishonest, Hypocritical, and Shameful

It’s Trying to Do as Little as Possible, While Maintaining the Image of a Good Worker

That is Not a Christocentric Way of Working

It is Direct Disobedience to Lord Jesus

Christocentric People Work with “Sincerity of Heart”

They are Genuine and Sincere in Their Work

They Work Hard Regardless if Anyone is Looking or Not

They aren’t Lazy, Dishonest, or Hypocrites

Christocentric People Respect Their Employers…

Because They Respect Their Master

Colossians 3:23 (CSB)

23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people,

“Heart” = “Soul”

Do Your Work with Everything You’ve Got

Do it From the Bottom of Your Heart

Do it From the Very Core of Your Being

Christians are to View Our Work as Something Done Directly for Jesus, Instead of Our Boss

Can You Imagine a Business Where Every Worker…

Did Their Job as if They Were Doing it for Jesus Himself?

Of Course You Can

You’ve Heard of Chick-Fil-A, Haven’t You?

You May Be a Person Who Loves Your Job

When You Love Your Job, it’s Easy to Give Everything You’ve Got to it

But You May Be a Person Who Absolutely Hates Your Job

You Dread Mondays Because it Means Having to Go Back to Work

You Drag Yourself Through Each Workday Just Counting the Minutes Until You Get to Leave

Maybe Your Like Many People Who Do Something Called “Quiet Quitting”

This is Not Actually Quitting Your Job

This is Where You Choose to Do the Absolute Bare Minimum

You Do the Least Amount of Work Required of You and You Go Home

Paul is Telling Us that Isn’t the Christocentric Way to Work

Christians are to Work as if We are Working Directly for Jesus

How Would that Change the Way We Do Our Jobs?

If Jesus Came to Work with Us Tomorrow, What Would Change?

We’d Respect and Obey Our Employers, Wouldn’t We?

We’d Joyfully Work Alongside Our Coworkers, Wouldn’t We?

We’d Be Kind, Patient, and Hard-Working, Wouldn’t We?

Well Guess What, Christians…

Jesus is Coming in to Work with Us Tomorrow

We Don’t Get to Put Jesus in a Box Labelled “Sunday Only”

We Don’t Get to Compartmentalize Our Lives Like that

We Don’t Get to Have a “Work” Box, “Leisure” Box, “Home” Box, and “Jesus” Box

If We are Christians, Jesus is Involved in Every Part of Our Lives

When We Work, We Ought to Work as an Act of Service/Worship to Jesus

Because, in a Very Real Sense, it is

We Worship Jesus Whenever We Do Things for His Honor and Glory

And the Way We Do Our Work Ought to Bring Him Honor and Glory

Whether Our Work is…

Flipping Burgers, Washing Dishes, Managing a Store, Or Running Our Own Business…

If it is Done for King Jesus and to Bring Him Honor and Glory…

It is an Act of Service and Worship to Him

Not Only Does Christocentric Work Glorify Jesus…

But it Will Also Help Us to Succeed in Our Jobs

When Christians Work in a Christ-Centered Way…

They Respect and Obey Their Authorities

And They Always Work Hard

Any Employer Would Love to Hire that Type of Worker

Being a Christocentric Worker Will Generally Help You:

Move Up the Ladder, Make More Money, and Get New Opportunities

But Even When that Isn’t the Case…

Even When Our Employers Don’t Notice Our Respect and Hard Work…

It Shouldn’t Change the Way We Do Our Jobs

Because, First and Foremost, We Work for Jesus

And He Will Not Only Notice Our Efforts, But He Will Reward Us Richly

Colossians 3:24 (LEB)

24 because you know that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ.

Our Eternal Inheritance Depends on How We Conduct Ourselves at Work

Paul was Speaking to Slaves Here

Slaves had No Hope of Receiving Any Inheritance From Their Human Masters

But They Could Rest Assured that Their Heavenly Master…

Would Reward Their Hard Work with a Wonderful, Everlasting Inheritance

And We can Rest Assured of the Same Thing

In Our Work We are Commanded to Serve Our True Master, the Messiah

If Jesus Will Reward Us Based Upon Our Christ-Like Conduct at Work…

Then What is the Flip-Side to that?

He Will Also Judge Us Based Upon Our Un-Christ-Like Conduct at Work

Colossians 3:25 (LEB)

25 For the one who does wrong will receive back whatever wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Any Worker Who Does Not Obey Their Employers…

Who Only Works When the Boss is Looking…

Who Quiet Quits, Only Doing the Bare Minimum…

Will Be Judged for Doing Such

God is Not Going to Show Favoritism to Anyone on that Day

Either You Worked in a Christocentric Way or You Didn’t

God Expects His People to Be Good Employees

But He Also Expects His People to Be Good Employers

Colossians 4:1 (CSB)

1 Masters, deal with your slaves justly and fairly, since you know that you too have a Master in heaven.

In Paul’s Day, Christian Masters Were to Treat Their Slaves with Justice and “Equality”

This Concept Still Applies Today

Christian Business Owners, Employers, Managers, etc.:

You are Commanded By King Jesus to Treat Your Workers Justly and Fairly

Treat Them Well, Pay Them Well, Treat Them as Human Beings

Why?

Because You are a Slave/Worker Yourself

You Hope to Be Treated Justly and Fairly By Your Master

You Ought to Do the Same as the Master of Others

Ephesians 6:9 (NASB95)

9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Christian Business Owners, Employers, and Managers…

Should Treat Their Employees with Respect, Kindness, and Compassion

Because They Will Be Judged By How They Treat Their Employees

Application

As Christocentric People, Jesus Should Be the Center of Our Work

Employees are to Do Their Work as if Jesus is Their Boss

Employers are to Treat Their Employees the Way They Want Jesus to Treat Them

Whatever Our Work Consists of, it Should Be Done for the Glory of the Lord

Whenever We Treat Our Work as Worship to Jesus, Our Work:

Becomes Exciting Instead of Boring

Becomes Purpose-Driven Instead of Money-Driven

Becomes Something We Look Forward to Instead of Something We Dread

Becomes an Evangelistic Outreach for the Gospel

Becomes Glorifying to Jesus

You May Hate Your Job, But Maybe God has You There for a Purpose/His Glory

Who Knows What Opportunities Having a Christocentric Outlook Toward Your Work Might Bring

Something that Seems so Ordinary…

Can Become Extraordinary When it’s Done for Jesus

In Genesis 1:28, We Learn that God Created Us to “Subdue” the Earth

To Conquer and Control it

To Us it for Our Own Purposes

This is Work

What is the Purpose of a Job?

To Take the Earth’s Resources and Make Them Useful to Humanity

To Take the Raw Materials of Creation…

And Make Something Wonderful and Beneficial

God Created Us for the Purpose of Working

And Our Work was Always Meant to Be to the Glory of Our Creator

Our Purpose has Not Changed

So Don’t Look at Work as a Disappointing Means to an End

Don’t Look at Work as Something You Hate

Look at Work as a God-Given Responsibility

An Opportunity that Gives Our Day to Day Lives Meaning and Purpose

An Opportunity to Glorify God and Imitate Jesus