Sermon Tone Analysis

Rapport

In the celebration of Labor Day tomorrow, I would like to share with you a message I have entitled, Our Labor’s Way.

Most of us at some point have had or will have a job with a boss and co-workers.

And if you are like most people you will love your boss and your job or you will hate them.

It reminds me of a story of a man in a hot air balloon who realized he was lost.

He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below.

He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me?

I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am."

The woman below replied, "You’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground.

You’re between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.

I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?" \\ \\ "Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically correct, but I’ve no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I’m still lost.

Frankly, you’ve not been much help at all.

If anything, you’ve delayed my trip."

\\ The woman below responded, "You must be in Management." \\ "I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?" \\ \\ "Well," said the woman, "you don’t know where you are or where you’re going.

You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.

You made a promise, which you’ve no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems.

The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it’s my fault."

Each day across the USA 50,000 people quit their jobs.

In a recent survey of workers across the USA, nearly 85% said that they *could* work harder at their job.

More than half claimed they could double their effectiveness "*if (they) wanted to*."

Workers are bombarded with e-mail, cell phone calls, and voice mails.

Recently, the average time spent on a computer was almost 16 hours a week  vs.

9.5 hours a decade ago.

46 e-mails a day is now typical.

In ‘94, 82% of workers accomplished at least half their daily planned work; now only 50% do so.

Then 40% of workers called themselves successful vs. just 28% today.

(Reuters 2~/22~/06) \\ \\ Work today isn’t what it used to be.

\\ \\ Most people go to work and tolerate it.

Many go to work and hate it!

Wouldn’t you like to go to work and love it?

You can and Paul teaches us some wonderful truths about that in chapter 3 of the book of Colossians.

Review

 

Paul the author of Colossians is addressing the new believers in Christ whom are from a Jewish and Gentile background.

Since they are being attacked with the heresy of Gnosticism, Paul wants them to see that Christ is Supreme above all creation and He is Sufficient for all salvation.

In Chapter 1, Paul addresses the deity of Christ as Lord of all things including creation and the church.

In chapter 2, Paul addresses the sufficiency of Christ alone for Salvation above all world philosophy, false worship and legalism.

As we join Paul in Colossians chapter 3, we see he is challenging the Colossians to “put off” their old nature of sin and to “put on” their new life in Christ as a new creature, within a new community, and with a new character and commitment.

He concludes his thought here with v. 17, “and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Then Paul turns his attention in vs. 18 to Christ as Lord of Relationships.

I would imagine that in Paul’s mind, he is asking the Colossians, “if Christ is your Lord, is he Lord in your relationships?”

He narrows his attention to three specific groups and I imagine his questions would be, “Is Christ the Lord of your marriage?

Is Christ the Lord of your Family?

Is Christ Lord of your Work?

It is this last subject that we will focus on today by asking, Is Christ the Lord of your Work?

 

Reading

Let’s read Colossians 3:22-25

 

Relevance

Work is something we all do.

Since the ripe age of 16 years old or even younger, we began to draw a paycheck from the “bossman.”

As of July 2008, over 154 million American make up the employed civilians in our country.

83 million of those employed are men and 71 million of those employed are women.

But work is really more than where we are employed, work is any action that we do for ourselves or for someone else’s benefit.

It is true that the verses we just read have to do with our relationships as Christians to our jobs.

But in verse 17, Paul is addressing the Christian’s character in general when he says, “/and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

/So as we discuss the truths of this passage today, do not assign these traits to just paid work.

Instead, all our work should be motivated by the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives.

*So if Christ is our Lord, we should see these 7 qualities in our work…*

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*Our Work in Christ should be…* \\ \\

*1.     **Submissive v. 22           */Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth/

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*Obey in all things- *Paul tells us to demonstrate our submission by obeying our bosses.

He even broadens our obedience to “in all things” or in every area.

This is an attitude that Paul is addressing to all three groups as he tells

·        wives “to be subject to their husbands”,

·        children to be “obedient to their parents”

·        slaves to “obey in all things.”

It is an attitude that any true Christian has adopted into their lives, for Paul refers to us as slaves of Christ.

If we are slaves to Christ, we understand submission and we should model it with the world daily as we live.

What else does God’s word say about submission to our employers.

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*Submission Deters the Blasphemy of God **1 Tim.

6:1* \\ /1 //All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.//

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Having a submissive attitude at work gives the people around us a clear picture of who Christ is and how we submit to Him.

We are showing people Christ so we do not give them a reason to attack our Lord and King.

*Submission Leads Others to God* *Titus 2:9-10* \\ /9 Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect./

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*Submission Honors Fellow Believers** 1 Tim.

6:2*

/2 //Those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved.

Teach and preach these principles./

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*Submission Pleases God** 1 Peter 2:18,20 (NASB95)*

/18 //Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable… But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God./

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*Example of Submission-David’s submission*

David was to be king.

*B*ut for the moment, David was under King Saul.

And Saul became jealous and enraged because Israel became more fond of David than their king.

So he sought out to kill David and instead of fighting back, David fled.

But in one instance in a cave, David could have taken the life of Saul but instead, he just cut off the corner of his robe.

As Saul was leaving, David called out to Saul and humbly confessed, 

“/Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you’?

Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’

Now, my father, see!

Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand!

For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to take it./

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Having an attitude of submission is being like Christ.

Christ modeled submission like no other and we should strive to model it in our working lives as well.

Do you have that attitude of submission?

The second quality is that our work in the Lord should be

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**Properly Motivated*/ v. 22  not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord./

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There are two motivations for our work in Christ.

Paul wants us to see a wrong motivation for work and a right motivation.

*Wrong motivation- Superficiality v. 22b*

The wrong motivation for our work is to work with impure motives and a wrong focus.