WHEN WORK BECOMES WORSHIP

Ephesians 6:5–9 NKJV

5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. 9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

For the past several weeks, we have been looking at the relationships within the life of the believer.

First, Paul spoke to wives.

Next, he spoke to husbands.

Then we examined the relationship between parents and children.

Now Paul turns to the relationship between servants and masters.

There are some who have condemned Paul because he does not directly condemn slavery in this passage.

But Paul is not giving his approval to slavery.

The Bible clearly teaches the dignity and value of every human being.

Every person is created in the image of God, every person stands in need of the same Savior, and earthly distinctions do not determine our value before God.

But Paul is not primarily dealing with the rights of man in this passage.

[SLOW DOWN]

He is dealing with the duties of man.

[PAUSE]

He is teaching believers how to live faithfully within circumstances they could not always control.

And the principle is still relevant.

We cannot always dictate our circumstances.

We cannot always control who is over us.

We cannot always control who works beside us.

We cannot always control who works for us.

We cannot control every customer, employee, employer, teacher, student, family member, or church member.

We cannot control the economy, rising costs of inflation, government regulations, or whether everybody shows up on Monday morning.

[SMILE]

Some business owners just felt a disturbance in their spirit.

[PAUSE FOR RESPONSE]

We cannot always control our circumstances.

But we can control how we respond.

We can choose honesty.

We can choose diligence.

We can choose fairness.

We can choose faithfulness.

We can choose whether we will work merely for the approval of people or whether we will serve Jesus Christ.

And Paul speaks to both sides.

The servant has responsibilities.

The master has responsibilities.

The employee has responsibilities.

The owner has responsibilities.

Both answer to the same Lord.

Paul says we are to serve:

“As to the Lord, and not to men.”

That is when work becomes worship.

I. WORK BECOMES WORSHIP WHEN WE RECOGNIZE OUR TRUE MASTER

Paul tells servants to obey their masters “according to the flesh.”

That phrase reminds us that earthly authority is limited and temporary.

Their human masters had authority over their labor, but they did not own their souls.

Above every earthly master stood their true Master in heaven.

Then Paul turns to the masters and reminds them:

“Your own Master also is in heaven.”

The servant has a Master. The master has a Master. The employee has a Master. The owner has a Master. The pastor has a Master. The homemaker has a Master. The student has a Master. Even the person who says, “I am self-employed,” has a Master.

You may not have a supervisor checking your time, but heaven still sees your work.

You may own the company, but you are not ultimately in charge.

You may sign the checks, but you are still a steward.

You may be the highest-ranking person in the building, but you are not the highest authority in the room.

[PAUSE]

Every boss has a Boss.

And this is where work becomes worship.

Worship is not confined to what we do inside a church building. Worship is the offering of our lives to God. It is recognizing His worth, submitting to His authority, and seeking to please Him in everything we do.

When Christ becomes the One for whom we are working, the workplace becomes an altar.

The desk can become an altar. The classroom can become an altar. The kitchen can become an altar. The construction site can become an altar. The office can become an altar. The home can become an altar.

The work itself may be ordinary, but the One receiving it is worthy of our very best.

You are not merely completing a task. You are presenting an offering.

You are not merely serving a customer. You are serving Christ.

You are not merely answering to a supervisor. You are honoring your Master in heaven.

That is what transforms work into worship.

Illustration: The Borrowed Keys

Imagine that someone hands you the keys to a valuable vehicle.

They tell you, “Use it. Take care of it. Accomplish what needs to be accomplished.”

You possess the keys. You can drive it. You can benefit from it.

But holding the keys does not make you the owner.

You are a steward.

One day, the owner will ask for the keys back.

That is your life. That is your health. That is your ability. That is your business. That is your home. That is your education. That is your ministry.

God has placed the keys in your hand, but He has never surrendered ownership.

Therefore, the way you use what He has entrusted to you reveals what you believe about His worth.

Careless work says, “What God has given me does not deserve my best.”

Dishonest work says, “My advancement matters more than God’s approval.”

Self-centered work says, “This belongs to me, and I will use it for myself.”

But faithful work says, “Lord, everything I have came from You, belongs to You, and is offered back to You.”

That is worship.

One day, the Owner will ask for the keys back, and we will give an account of what we did with what belonged to Him.

Until we recognize our true Master, work will remain nothing more than a task, a paycheck, a burden, or a means of personal advancement.

But when we recognize Christ as our Master, we no longer work merely for wages or recognition. We work to honor Him.

And when our work is offered to Christ with obedience, gratitude, and excellence, even the most ordinary labor becomes an act of worship.

II. WORK BECOMES WORSHIP WHEN WE SERVE WITH INTEGRITY

Paul says:

“In sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers.”

Eyeservice is work performed only when someone is watching.

The supervisor walks into the room, and suddenly everyone becomes productive.

The owner’s truck pulls onto the job site, and people discover a level of speed they did not know they possessed.

The pastor comes by and the liquor goes in the cabinet and the bible comes out of it. wza

[SMILE — PAUSE FOR LAUGHTER]

Eyeservice says:

“I will work when someone is watching.”

Integrity says:

“I will work because Christ is Lord.”

Christ knows whether we worked honestly.

Christ knows whether we wasted time.

Christ knows whether we exaggerated our hours.

Christ knows whether we hid the mistake.

Christ knows whether we cut corners.

Christ knows whether we treated people one way publicly and another way privately.

Illustration: The Final House

The story is told of a skilled carpenter who was ready to retire.

He was hired by an unknown client, and was tasked with building a home.

The carpenter agreed, but his heart was no longer in the work.

He used cheaper materials.

He rushed through important details.

He cut corners wherever he could.

When the house was finished, the carpenter met with the agent and was surprised to see his longtime business partner there.

It was then that he was proudly handed the keys to his new home that was purchased for him in his retirement.

His partner said, “This house is my gift to you for all your years of service.”

The carpenter was devastated.

Had he known he was building his own house, he would have built it differently.

[PAUSE]

Every day, we are building the life we must live with.

We are building our character.

We are building our reputation.

We are building our testimony.

The corner we cut today may become the weakness that collapses tomorrow.

Broad Application

To the employee:

Can your employer trust your word?

Do you give an honest day’s work?

Do you need constant supervision?

To the self-employed:

Do you display character in your business?

Do you stand behind your work?

To the student:

Is the work actually yours?

Do you bring honor to yourself and your teacher?

Copy and paste is not one of the gifts of the Spirit.

To the homemaker:

The daily work may be repetitive and unseen, but it is not insignificant.

You are not merely preparing meals and washing clothes.

You are caring for people, creating stability, and shaping a home.

And yes, laundry seems to possess the gift of multiplication.

You finish it, turn around, and there is more.

[PAUSE FOR LAUGHTER]

To the person serving in church:

Would you still serve if no one announced your name?

Would you still teach, sing, clean, visit, give, or volunteer if no one applauded?

Christian service does not automatically become worship because it happens in a church building.

It becomes worship when it is done sincerely for Christ.

The true test is not what we do when people are watching.

The true test is what we do when only God is watching.

III. WORK BECOMES WORSHIP WHEN IT COMES FROM THE HEART

Paul says:

“Doing the will of God from the heart.”

Then he says:

“With goodwill doing service.”

God does not want only the work of our hands.

He wants the devotion of our hearts.

It is possible to do the right thing with the wrong spirit.

It is possible to obey outwardly while rebelling inwardly.

It is possible to complete the assignment while complaining through the entire process.

Some people do the work, but they poison the atmosphere while doing it.

They complain about everything.

They criticize everyone.

They resist every change.

They spread bitterness into every room they enter.

Paul says we are to serve with goodwill.

That means we approach our responsibilities with a desire to contribute, help, strengthen, and accomplish what is good.

The employee should not constantly ask:

“What is the least I can do and keep my job?”

The Christian should ask:

“How can I faithfully use what God has placed in my hands?”

The owner should not ask only:

“How much production can I get from these people?”

The owner should also ask:

“How can I build an organization where people are treated with dignity?”

The homemaker is not merely completing chores.

The student is not merely completing assignments.

The Sunday school teacher is not merely filling forty-five minutes.

The nursery worker is not merely watching children.

The person cleaning the church is not merely emptying trash cans.

The deacon making a visit is not merely fulfilling an obligation.

When these responsibilities are offered to Christ, the ordinary becomes sacred.

[PAUSE]

Worship is not determined merely by what is in your hand.

Worship is determined by what is in your heart.

IV. WORK BECOMES WORSHIP WHEN AUTHORITY IS USED AS A STEWARDSHIP

Paul does not speak only to servants.

Verse 9 says:

“And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening.”

Masters possessed enormous authority in the Roman world.

Yet Paul tells them that they also have responsibilities.

They must also act with sincerity.

They must also demonstrate goodwill.

They must also remember that heaven is watching.

Authority does not eliminate accountability.

Ownership does not exempt anyone from obedience.

Some of you own companies.

Some supervise crews.

Some lead departments.

Some make decisions that affect the livelihoods of many families.

You set expectations.

You determine schedules.

You evaluate performance.

You decide who receives opportunities.

That is a significant responsibility before God.

Employees do not always understand the burdens owners carry.

They may see money coming into the company without seeing payroll, insurance, taxes, equipment, utilities, debt, and repairs.

The employee sees a full parking lot and assumes the owner is doing well.

The owner sees the insurance renewal and develops a deeper prayer life.

[PAUSE FOR LAUGHTER]

The HVAC industry is a cut-throat business.

Often an employee will see the ticket and began to think, “WOW, The owner is getting rich.

I could charge half of these prices, take all of their customers, and get rich.”

Yet, typically they will start out on their own, work one summer and before winter is over, they are back looking for a new job.

Why? Because they didn’t see all of the extra cost of running a business.

They never put back for taxes.

And they never accounted for the fall and spring, when business is slow.

Owners carry risks and pressures employees may never see.

But pressure does not excuse ungodly behavior.

I remember one of the worst places I ever worked.

I loved the owner and went to church with him. Yet, it was the most toxic work environment I had ever seen.

I worked for ungodly men who lived like hell itself, that created a better work environment.

I remember one day the owner came out to the shop where all of the guys were preparing to work for the day, and he cussed everyone out, yelled, and through things around the shop.

He then walked back into the office and laughed about what he had just done.

Brother and sisters, this should not be the testimony of the believer.

Paul says:

“Giving up threatening.”

That does not mean leaders cannot correct poor performance.

It does not mean businesses cannot establish standards.

Compassion and accountability are not enemies.

But correction does not require humiliation.

Accountability does not require cruelty.

Leadership does not require intimidation.

A Christian leader should be able to say hard things without becoming a harsh person.

Now I understand that to some, any accountability is threatening, but we must led with love.

Owners and leaders must ask:

Do I keep my promises?

Do the people who work for me know what is expected?

Do I listen before making a judgment?

Do I correct privately when possible?

Do I reward faithfulness?

Do I pay and treat people fairly?

If your approach is how much work can I get out of an employee with the least amount of pay, you are probably not building a business that honors God.

Do I see employees as people created in the image of God, or merely as expenses?

A Christian business should not merely display a Bible verse on the wall.

It should demonstrate biblical character in the way it treats people.

The owner may evaluate the employee’s productivity.

But God evaluates the owner’s leadership.

The supervisor may conduct the annual review.

But the Lord will conduct the final review.

[SLOW DOWN]

Every boss has a Boss.

And there is no partiality with Him.

CONCLUSION: THE MASTER WHO BECAME A SERVANT

Verse 8 says:

“Whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord.”

God does not overlook faithfulness.

People may overlook it.

Employers may overlook it.

Employees may overlook it.

Family members may overlook it.

Church members may overlook it.

But God sees.

God sees the employee who remains honest.

God sees the owner who sacrifices for his employees.

God sees the homemaker who serves while exhausted.

God sees the student who refuses to cheat.

God sees the volunteer who serves without recognition.

Nothing done in obedience to Christ is wasted.

But the greatest example of service is Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:5–7 NKJV

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

Mark 10:45 NKJV

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Jesus possessed every right.

He was worthy of honor, glory, and worship.

Yet He took the form of a bondservant.

He said that He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

The Master became a servant.

The righteous One died for the unrighteous.

The One who owed us nothing gave us everything.

Jesus did not merely tell us how to serve.

He showed us.

And because He completed the work the Father gave Him, forgiveness and eternal life are available to everyone who repents and believes.

The greatest question is not whether you are an employee or employer.

It is not whether you are blue-collar or white-collar.

It is not whether you own a company, manage a home, attend school, or serve in the church.

The greatest question is:

Is Jesus Christ your Master?

[PAUSE]

So tomorrow, do not merely go to work.

Go to worship.

When you step onto the job site, worship.

When you sit down at the desk, worship.

When you open the business, worship.

When you prepare the meal, worship.

When you enter the classroom, worship.

When you serve the church, worship.

When you are under authority, serve like Christ.

When you possess authority, lead like Christ.

Whatever you do, do it from the heart.

Do it with goodwill.

Do it with integrity.

Do it as to the Lord and not to men.

[SLOWLY]

Because when Christ becomes the Master of our work—

our work becomes worship.

[LONG PAUSE]