Work With A Sincere Heart

Intro:

What are we saved for?

Do you ever think about that? Sometimes it seems that we might think about what we are saved from - (just judgement, God’s justice, etc). We don’t think about that enough. But do we think about what we are saved for?

Are we simply content living our lives however we can because in our minds we have an insurance policy of faith. In other words, we have our ducks in a row. We are in Christ and forgiven - check! - so now we can just do other things that interest us because that part is nicely tucked away in the insurance folder for a rainy day.

Is this what the Bible calls us to? As we have seen in Ephesians, the answer is profoundly no.

Listen how Paul exalts the calling of believers who are now “in Christ”.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

And this new life “in Christ” has a calling. There are things to do. In other words, we are not only saved FROM God’s justice on our sin, but we are also saved FOR a reason by God’s mercy. You were made for a reason. You were made for a holy calling. Check out these verses...

English Standard Version Chapter 4

4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2

English Standard Version Chapter 4

24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

English Standard Version Chapter 6

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Do you see it? Whether it is parenting, or marriage, or being an obedient son or daughter, we are to model Christ in all things. Think about it for a second. You are made in the image of God. When people see you they are to see a little bit of what the character of God is like. In a broken and hurting world, Christians are to be light that pierces the darkness. That light has a name, and it is Jesus Christ. But if we are to show that light, then we must live like the light. And to do that, we must be defined by love and submission.

Let’s look at how that radiant light shines in our work.

(ESV)

Bondservants and Masters

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, 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.

The first thing I want us to notice are all the words that describe right motivation.

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, 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.

God is not after simple behavior modification. He is after us - to make us into new people with new hearts.

He doesn’t want to take the tree that is producing bad fruit and cut all the branches off; he wants to make a whole new tree.

God is after you. He loves you.

Before we move on, I want to comment about the culture that Paul is speaking into.

Roman slavery

Different from biblical parameters on slavery in OT.

So what does the gospel do to a culture like this? How does the gospel affect a culture like ours?

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,

Working as to Christ. This goes beyond the golden rule of treating others like ourselves and calls us to treat others as you would Christ.

6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man

We don’t work hard only when the boss’s eye is upon us. We work as if we were slaves to Christ to do His will.

We don’t work for men. Imagine hearing this if you were a slave...

You work for God. He is your ruler. This undermines slavery.

As one commentator put it: “Slave owners may have been pleased with the service they would get, but in the process they lost control, for slaves now had a higher allegiance than to their owners. Slaves no longer belonged to their owners, did not really serve them, did not merely do their will, did not seek to please them, and were no different from them. They were slaves of Christ, served him, and did God’s will, and the slave owners were to treat them the same way as slaves were to treat owners. The idea that in dealing with human beings they were really dealing with Christ is reminiscent of : “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” [Snodgrass]

8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

There’s a phrase that says, “no good deed goes unpunished.” --- In Christ that becomes, “no good deed goes unrewarded”.

9 Masters, 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.

There is no hierarchy with God.

Listen how the gospel logic works its way out in culture. It’s captured well in this song that we all know:

O Holy Night

Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is Love and His gospel is Peace; Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother, And in his name all oppression shall cease, Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we; Let all within us praise his Holy name!

(ESV)

24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

Closing Application:

24 qA dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 rAnd he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles sexercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 tBut not so with you. Rather, let sthe greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, uone who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But vI am among you as the one who serves.

English Standard Version Chapter 22

Who Is the Greatest?

24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

English Standard Version Chapter 10

42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

On the one hand, the directions given to slaves removes any suggestion that this new faith upset the cultural order; on the other hand, these verses are still extremely subversive. Slave owners may have been pleased with the service they would get, but in the process they lost control, for slaves now had a higher allegiance than to their owners. Slaves no longer belonged to their owners, did not really serve them, did not merely do their will, did not seek to please them, and were no different from them. They were slaves of Christ, served him, and did God’s will, and the slave owners were to treat them the same way as slaves were to treat owners. The idea that in dealing with human beings they were really dealing with Christ is reminiscent of : “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

[Also Snodgrass]

This ethic moves beyond the Golden Rule, that is, beyond treating others as we want to be treated; it instructs us to treat others as we would treat our Lord.

For the early church to advocate revolt would have been the death of the Christian movement. Slavery and other social issues were not their focus; the gospel and its description of life were [Snodgrass]

English Standard Version Chapter 6

19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

What does full-time Christian work look like?

Architecture, Waste Management, Accounting, School, etc.

God is after us. He desires that we glorify him from the heart.

In what ways would our obedience change the culture around us?

Praise be to Christ for being the faithful worker and obedient servant of God who bore the cross for our sins and is raised to life as King of kings.