Home Base 4: Freed to Serve Freely Part 2

Intro

This week I saw a video on YouTube in which a guy explained for like 15 minutes (I watched about 5 before I checked out) the concept of quiet quitting. This is apparently a new trend, in which people keep coming to their job but they just do the bare minimum because they hate it, but need the money.

This reminded me of the movie Office Space. In them movie, the main character Peter hates his job and one day he just stops caring until eventually he stops showing up on time, or even at all. What makes the movie funny is how inept management is, they hardly notice anything is wrong and keep paying the guy.

While humorous, this could not be further from the way we Christians are called by Christ to serve where we work. Contrary to pop thought and opinion, our work is not primarily about us. It is not primarily about our happiness, but rather is a channel God uses to grow us in holiness.

Tension

Most people today, particularly the intellectual heads floating around our country, advocate a self-focused work ethic. This leads to many problems both personally and culturally. When people don’t want to do the hard or inconvenient jobs, society suffers. When we refuse to stay in a hard place, we can miss out on the refining effect God intended that job to have on us. This is not to say that we should not see advancement or to have a better job if unhappy, just that we should not work so hard at avoiding the struggle. The Lord wants us to embrace difficulty, lean on him, and learn to be content no matter what situation we are in.

Where the world says do you, the Spirit says pursue Christ. If we are honest, we are tempted everyday to go with the world. It seems simpler in some mays and our hearts so easily go after Adam’s children and their ways rather than Christ. In fact, I would go as far as to say that we cannot pursue Christ over self without the Holy Spirit’s help and without Christ’s example.

Let’s look into our struggle to follow Christ through work this morning, and consider our motivation for embracing work as a spiritual discipline rather than a burden to avoid.

Truth

I. Our motivation for working hard for those over us is Christ.

Quick reminder of point I which we discussed last week.

II. We work hard so others can see the work ethic of Christ in us.

A Christian is to be an extraordinary worker.

We strive to do well, even when we are not being noticed because we know we work first for God, and then for people.

Our working for people is in the Lord’s name.

Consider Daniel, Elijah, Nehemiah, Joseph, and many others. They did not always serve righteous kings, but their integrity showed their masters the goodness of God.

Christian, when we serve our earthly masters well we are doing the same. They may see Christ in us and this could even lead to them coming to Jesus.

Nebuchadnezzar is an example of a king who was transformed through the integrity to a man of God who was committed to serving the world in God’s name.

1 Peter 2:18–19 ESV

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

1 Peter 3:13–17 ESV

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

III. We work hard because it is good for our souls.

We have a tendency to want to live for ourselves alone, to make life about us.

When we practice serving our masters sincerely and with enthusiasm for the sake of Christ, it helps us to stay humble and away from grumbles.

Philippians 2:12–16 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

We are also practicing trusting in God for our ultimate reward and for justice.

It is easy for us to become obsessed with lesser rewards in this earthly life and lose sight of what is coming to us in Christ.

It is easy for us to grow bitter, obsessing over wrongs done to us rather than the good Christ is doing in us.

We seek to be a people who are looking forward to a better future in Christ rather than sulking in the pain of our past. We trust that God will give us justice, and that he will give us everything he has promised.

Romans 12:19 ESV

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

There is power in a person who is not tethered to this world in the ways that most people are. When we have the extreme peace which comes from fully relying on God, we exude a sense of uncommon rest that is shocking to an anxious world.

IV. We treat those under us with grace because God treats us with grace.

Luke 22:24–27 ESV

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 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.

The word for justice here is δίκαιος, which in this context means to treat someone fairly, with equity, righteousness, impartiality, and innocence. A master is to be innocent in the way we treat those under us.

He follows the word justice with the word ἰσότης which means equality and fairness so we are getting a double emphasis of this concept of governing/leading with just fairness.

Paul appealed to Philemon to treat Onesimus, his rebellious slave, in this way. Onesimus had become a believe while he was with Paul and so Paul urged Philemon to treat him not as a slave, but as a brother in the Lord.

When we consider everyone to be an image-bearer of God it changes the way we view and treat them. Even if we cannot honor the person, we honor the image of God in them.

If you are an employer, you should treat all of your workers well but especially the fellow believers who work for you.

Application

Ephesians 6:5–9 ESV

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

He shows us the true character of a servants heart by the way he lived for others and died for us all.

We are followers of Christ, those who have been set free from slavery to sin through Christ’s subjection of himself to the Father and those under a sin nature.

Now, we are those who serve others as Christ has served us not because the world deserves it but because Christ is glorious and we aim to show his glory to everyone.

So, how has your heart, attitude, and work ethic been? Is Christ honored? What needs to change in you so that Christ may be glorified through the way you work for those over you?

See the Fruit to Root Using the 4 Questions Guide for further help. Myself or Pastor Dwight would be ready to help walk you through these things also.