Colossians 3:22-4:1 - At the center of our work

Next to your time at home, you spend most of your time at a workplace.

We spend about 1/3 of the day at work.

If you work until 70, you will have spent 20 years in work.

Work takes on the form of an identity.

There are stereotypical answers that you get from people when you ask them how they’re doing at work.

“Living the dream.” “I’m here.” “Is it time to go home yet?”

There is a dignity when we delight in our work.

When someone truly enjoys what they do, there is a craft and an excellence to it.

Paul is building a case for how a Jesus-centered household is supposed to work.

He has addressed marriage—How we live as husbands and wives

He’s addressed parenting—How we live as parents

Now he’s addressing us in our profession.

Big Idea: Jesus is at the center of our work

Stand to read

Colossians 3:22–4:1 ESV

22 Bondservants, 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. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. 1 Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Leader: This is God’s Word.

Everyone: Thanks be to God.

Context

The word Paul uses for bondservants is often translated to “slave.”

Paul does not condone slavery, he is simply speaking into a reality for his day.

This is not the type of slavery that we had here in America.

There were some grievous horrors with the transatlantic slave trade between the European colonies and the southern US.

There were documented instances of African Romans owning white slaves.

Sometimes it was prisoners of war after a military conquest

Others it was a result of economic suffering

You could sell yourself to do work for money or necessities.

If you owed someone a debt, you might serve as a bondservant until the debt was paid back.

This type of slavery was a relationship where a slave was bound to a master, but was likely provided for entirely.

The master would provide housing, food, and clothing.

Today, we would equate this on a professional level.

The average worker spends 5 or 6 days of the week dividing up days into at least 8 hours of work, maybe 8 hours of sleep, and 8 hours of free time to get other things done.

Our society has elevated our jobs to the point that people are defined by what they do.

If you meet someone new, the next question is usually, “what do you do for a living?”

I am a teacher/pilot/executive.

As Christians, we are not defined by what we do, but who we are in Christ.

Paul is building the argument that believers ought to live in light of a new identity.

Colossians 3:22 ESV

22 Bondservants, 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.

Christians work with joyful integrity.

Paul often refers to himself as a slave/bondservant of Christ.

We have been bought from our sins to live in God’s kingdom so we serve King Jesus, not out of obligation but out of thankful worship.

We were created to work.

In the garden of Eden, God had given Adam the task to work it and to keep it.

Work is not a bad thing—it’s a broken thing.

Paul is showing us what it looks like to work with a redeemed identity in Christ.

This is not the kind of work that only happens when the boss is looking.

At wrestling practice, it wasn’t uncommon for the knuckleheads to get everyone in trouble.

We spent a lot of time in push up position, holding it while coach chewed on everyone for that bonehead’s mistake.

Then when it was time to do the pushups, our coach demanded perfect pushups.

However, wrestling is a tough sport so I was already tired and I didn’t do the dumb thing.

8th graders have a sense of justice if they’re not the ones in trouble.

When coach wasn’t looking, I would let my knees drop.

Then when he’d turn around, I’d be in perfect form, acting like I was dying.

When we engage in eye-service, it results in half-done jobs.

This gives a reputation of poor product and lazyness.

Paul calls us to more than that.

Colossians 3:23–24 ESV

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

We are not to be people pleasers.

When we lend ourselves to not producing a good product, we’re not operating out of the skills and talents the Lord has given us.

When we settle to just meet the minimum requirements, we’re not meeting the potential the Lord had for us.

On the flip side, this is not a call to overwork or to workaholism.

He’s not calling us to make an idol out of our work.

The Lord is worth hard work.

Believers don’t want to merely please our bosses in hopes for a raise.

We offer ourselves to the Lord for the work we do.

The command is to not distinguish between pleasant/unpleasant tasks.

Regardless of what we do, Christians are to work hard as if they are serving Christ!

Church,

Jesus impacts the way we work

When we recognize that we are serving the Lord, we will work harder because we worship Christ.

Wherever He leads us, we want to be faithful servants of Christ that are able to say with a clear conscience, “Wherever your put me, I did it for you.”

As Christians, we should have the reputation of being the best workers. do you contribute to the overall value of your workplace?

I worked at a warehouse in Louisville my first year at Boyce College.

A lot of the seminarians would go there and work to help pay for school—Which is why I was there.

One of my bosses told me that he was skeptical of Christian employees because he had a guy that would always be standing around talking what he was learning in class—great conversation material!

He told me that he had gone into the bathroom for 20 minutes and came out and told him, “I just read three chapters of John in the john!”

This isn’t a good Christian witness.

People are basing their opinions on Jesus by how they see Jesus at work in our lives.

Christians ought to come to work with the best attitude, dependability, and integrity

We demonstrate a Kingdom work ethic.

We have to realize that our work is an offering to the Lord.

I want to better my workplace for the sake of King Jesus among the people I work with.

We are a people that have been redeemed.

We work for the glory of God because we have been changed by God.

We ought to live every moment as if we have been changed.

We live as if the good news of the gospel is true in our lives.

We spend at least 40 hours per week with people who get to see us in elements that people we don’t work with don’t get to see.

When you go to work, do you coworkers see you as a messenger of heaven?

Society has made it super easy for Christians.

The bar is set really low.

Be a joyful person, don’t be a jerk.

Do you stand out to other coworkers who do not have the joy that Jesus gives?Transition

Not only does the gospel offer eternal hope, it includes justice without favoritism.

Colossians 3:25 ESV

25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Paul uses this statement to turn his gaze toward the masters of the slaves.

Colossians 4:1 ESV

1 Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Explanation

Human masters are to do what is right and fair for those who work for them.

If you are an employer or supervisor of someone else, you are to treat them with honor and dignity, as they are an image bearer of God!

They are not lower than you in value, they simply do a job you oversee.

Being over someone vocationally does not give us the right to treat them as less than us.

Not only is justice required—do what’s right

But also kindness.

He gives them a message of humility, stating that they have a Master over them who is in heaven.

They will give an account for how they treat their employees.

If you’re an employer or lead other people, you will answer to the Lord for your conduct with your employees.

When you lead your employees the way that Christ leads you

You’ll be concerned about what happens to them

You’ll be concerned that they’re paid properly

You’ll be concerned when they get sick

You’ll be concerned about their lives

Their spouses, children, education.

So many more thing.

This is the kind of caring attitude that our heavenly Master, Jesus, approaches us with.

Church,

Jesus impacts the way we lead

Paul reminds them that although they may be over someone else, they are under another authority.

This is crucial for Christians to understand—We are not the ceiling—We submit to Christ.

If a man is given authority, then we must be men under-authority.

Some might see me as the head of this church.

I am a man under the authority of Christ.

Though I give leadership to this church, I am under the authority of the elders and under Christ.

I do not lead from over you—I lead from among you.

You and I share a mission through this church—We put Jesus first in our lives for our neighbors.

We live in such a way that makes the glory of Jesus known to those God has given us influence.

Paul is explaining to them what it looks like to live in the fullness of God through our renewed identity in Jesus Christ.

Gospel presentation

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Man, this is different. I need to reorient my life. I want to live a full life.”

You’ll never be able to if you don’t love Jesus.

Do you want to live in God’s design for your life?

God has designed marriage, parenting, and work in such a way that glorify Him and build up our lives for flourishing.

Do you want to follow Jesus?

At one time we were all slaves to sin.

We had given ourselves over to it.

We had turned against God and served another Master.

The eternal God of the universe did not leave us in our sins!

He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and then Jesus abolished death when He rose again from the dead!

The death of Jesus sets us free from our slavery to sin

He ransoms us and brings us under His care!

God has given us a promise that when we repent and believe in Jesus for eternal life, we are forgiven and given a new identity!

We get to live as if His Kingdom is already here, because it is!

When the Son of God took on flesh, He brought the Kingdom of God!

The kingdom of earth and the Kingdom of heaven met in the person of Jesus Christ.

And that Jesus has given us new life to live for His Kingdom now.

Do you want to live redeemed by faith in Jesus!?

Church, everyone you know needs this good news!

God has given us fullness of hope for the future!

Push to mission

Colossians and Philemon—The Supremacy of Christ A Full Life for Masters/Employers (4:1)

Jesus, who is the fullness of the universe, wants us to be full in our marital relationships, our family relationships, and our professional relationships. Moreover, he desires that this fullness overflow to the world

God wants the fullness of His glory to shine through your relationships, through your family, through you work.

Every aspect of your life as a believer should reflect the glory of God

Whether you work or lead, married/unmarried, have children or haven’t started yet—

We are to work hard for the Lord—not for men.

Men receive the benefits of our work, but God receives the glory.

We are ambassadors of Jesus everywhere we go.

We work with dual purposes.

We want to work hard and do a good job and show Jesus’s character through our work ethic, but also we want to build relationships that point to Jesus Christ.

David Wolf has been my dear friend for five years. I’ve never seen someone work as hard as him.

“I have served my country, my community, now I want to serve the kingdom.”

You have a unique opportunity to take the hope of Jesus Christ to people you work with, who may not have a Christian influence anywhere else.

Making disciples is not just for pastors and people who are willing to serve at church.

This is a biblical mandate for anyone who claims to follow Jesus Christ.

The Bible never talks about spectators in the church.

We work hard for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

The Lord has sovereignly put you in a place to work, not to simply make money, but He’s also given you people who need the message of the good news that Jesus died to save sinners!

Do we do this perfectly? No.

We do this faithfully.

We take one more step toward Jesus.

Take the Next Step

Resolve to display the glory of Jesus in everything you do.

Choose a person that you’re going to commit to pray for and invite.

In your conversations, seek opportunities to talk with them about the gospel.