Pursuing Work in Christ
Colossians: A Letter from Jail
Pursuing Work in Christ
Colossians 3:22 – 4:1
Let’s turn to Colossians 3. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand, and one of the ushers will bring one to you. Colossians 3 is on page 984 in the Bibles we are passing out.
The Bible is like Weed ‘n Feed. You know how Weed ‘n Feed works: when a lawn is left to itself, it tends to be undernourished and full of weeds. But when you apply Weed ‘n Feed to an area of your lawn, the weeds get killed, the grass gets fed, and it ends up looking great.
And the Bible is like Weed ‘n Feed. Our lives are like a lawn, with different areas: friendships, thought life, marriage, job. And left to ourselves, because of our sin and separation from God, our lives are undernourished and full of the weeds of sin.
But then we hear God’s Word, that Jesus has died on the Cross to pay for the guilt of our sin and to free us from the power of our sin, and of all that Jesus promises to be for us and do for us. And when we hear God’s Word and trust God’s Word – it’s like applying Weed ‘n Feed to our lives. Our friendships are transformed. Our marriages are transformed. Our attitudes are transformed. Not that all our problems depart; but that even in the midst of problems we have peace and joy and hope in Jesus.
Now this morning Paul wants to apply the Weed ‘n Feed of God’s Word to our jobs, our work, our employment. This is huge, because whether you work in the home or outside the home, you spend at least 40 hours a week at your job. And if you have not applied the Weed ‘n Feed of God’s Word to your job, then that’s a huge part of your life that is sickly and full of weeds. But as we hear God’s Word and apply it to our jobs, our work, our employment, God’s Word will feed that part of your life, it will kill the sin in that part of your life, it will transform that part of your life. God wants to transform your work.
So let’s look at what Paul says, starting in v.22 --
22 Slaves, 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 slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Now before we dig into what Paul says to slaves, we’ve got to raise a crucial question: Does the Bible approve of slavery? This question is crucial because many people say the Bible does approve of slavery, and since we know slavery is wrong, therefore the Bible is wrong.
So does the Bible approve of slavery? To answer this, turn to Exodus 21:16 –
Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
God says very clearly that anyone who forcibly enslaves another person shall be put to death. And Paul himself refers to this verse in I Timothy 1:10 when he says that God’s Law speaks against “enslavers.”
It was because of verses like these that William Wilberforce, a Christian man who lived in England at around 1800, worked for 20 years as a member of parliament until he finally got parliament to outlaw slavery in England and its colonies. So don’t let anyone tell you that the Bible approves of slavery.
But now to understand what’s going on here in Colossae it’s important to understand that much of the slavery in Colossae was voluntary. Many of the slaves were like indentured servants who sold themselves to someone to work for a certain number of years in exchange for room and board and some pay. So the slavery in Colossae was not like the slavery practiced in this country before the Civil War.
Here’s a quote from Gordon Fee, who is a New Testament professor at Gordon-Conwell Seminary:
Slavery was the bottom rung on the social order, but it provided generally well for up to 1/3 of the population in a city like Corinth or Rome. The slave had considerable freedom and experienced mutual benefit along with the master. The owner received the benefit of the slave's services; and the slave had steady 'employment,' including having all his or her basic needs met -- indeed, for many to be a slave was preferable to being a freedman, whose securities were often tenuous at best. But the one thing that marked the slave was that in the final analysis, he did not belong to himself but to another. (edited, 1 Cor, p.319)
So as Paul writes his letter to the church in Colossae, he knows that many of them are slaves, and that some of them are masters who have slaves. So in v.22 through v.1 of ch.4 Paul spells out how Jesus wants slaves to relate to their masters, and how Jesus wants masters to relate to their slaves.
And I think what Paul says here to slaves and masters has implications for us today in our jobs, whether we are employees or we are employers. Here Paul tells us how Jesus wants us to work for employers and how Jesus wants us to manage employees.
So let’s start with what Paul says to slaves – how should slaves relate to their masters? Paul gives two commands.
First – slaves are to obey their masters in everything all the time. You can see that in v.22 --
Slaves, 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.
Think of what this would have meant for a slave. Anything your master called you to do, you were to obey, unless in involved obvious sin. So when your master tells you to groom the horses, you groom the horses. When he tells you to clean out the latrine, you clean it out.
And Paul especially mentions that the slave should not obey just when his master is watching, but even when the master is not watching. So it’s not that you are scrubbing the latrine when he’s there, but daydream and look out the window when he’s not. No. Slaves are to obey their masters in everything all the time.
So let’s apply this to us who are employees. Paul would say that we are to obey our employers in everything all the time. That unless it involves something illegal or clearly unbiblical, we are to obey in everything all the time.
So this means showing up on-time. This means taking no longer on my lunch break that he has asked me to take. This means following company policy on use of the phone and the internet. This means doing whatever he asks you do to.
And not just when he’s watching. If your boss is out for the day, we should work just as hard as if he was there. I should always work like I would work if he was right there watching.
Now if you think your boss is being unfair in some way, then there’s nothing wrong with talking to him about it. Don’t get back at him by lying on your time card or stealing office supplies or lying about being sick. Talk to him. Schedule an appointment and respectfully share your concerns. And then follow his conclusions.
But with that said, Paul calls us to obey our employers in everything all the time.
Then second, Paul says that slaves are do to everything heartily. You can see that in v.23 --
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men …
This word “heartily” means working as hard as you can, with purpose and passion. So Paul wants slaves to groom the horses heartily; clean the latrines heartily; run the errands heartily.
So let’s apply this to us who are employees. Paul would say that we are to do all our work heartily. Not just when the boss is watching, but all the time. So you flip hamburgers at In ‘n Out – heartily. You do the filing – heartily. You teach the swim lessons – heartily. You teach your class – heartily. You work on the bid – heartily. You do your homework – heartily.
Now why is this so hard? Let’s share some reasons why this is hard.
Because my boss is not fair.
Because the work is boring.
Because my boss is not qualified.
Because my boss plays favorites.
Because this job is a dead-end.
Because I’m not doing what I really want to be doing.
Because no one else is working very hard.
So if it’s that hard, then how is this possible? How is it possible to obey in everything all the time and do everything heartily? I found three answers in this passage.
First, by understanding that you are serving the Lord Christ. Read the end of v.24 – “You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Picture yourself as a slave, and your master has just told you to clean the latrine. Paul wants you to understand that for at least this time Jesus has called you to be a slave under this master, and that what your master calls you to do, as long as it’s not sin, is something Jesus calls you do to.
And that’s true for us with at our jobs. For at least this time Jesus has called you to work for this company, and that what your company calls you to do, as long as it’s not sin, it’s something Jesus calls you do to. So you are not just serving your company, you are actually serving Jesus.
So when your boss says “take a 30 minute lunch,” Jesus is saying “take a 30 minute lunch.” When your teacher gives you history homework, Jesus is giving you history homework. When the laundry is telling you it needs to be done, Jesus is telling you the laundry needs to be done.
Can you feel how this will transform your work? As you are doing that filing, you are not mostly thinking of your boss saying “do the filing.” You are mostly seeing Jesus – full of love for you, promising to satisfy you, promising to enable you – Jesus is saying to you “do the filing.” That’s what Paul means when he says “you are serving the Lord Christ.”
Second, by understanding that God will punish those who wrong their masters. You can see this in v.25 --
For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
This probably refers to slaves who wrong their masters by stealing money from their masters, slandering their masters, stealing time from their masters. And Paul wants the slaves in Colossae to understand that if they wrong their masters, they will be punished by God.
And the same is true for us. There’s lots of ways we can wrong our employers. We can steal time from them. We can pad the expense account. We can lie about being sick. So Paul wants to give us a stern warning, that God will punish those who wrong their employers.
Now let’s be clear on what this means. If you are trusting Jesus, then all your sins are forgiven and you will never be punished by God. Ever. But if the pattern of your life is to wrong your employer without remorse, without change, then you aren’t trusting Jesus. And if you aren’t trusting Jesus, then your sins are not forgiven and you will be punished by God -- for the wrong done to your master – and for every other wrong.
And then third, by understanding that Jesus will reward hard-workers with the inheritance. Look at v.24 --
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.
When Paul talks about the inheritance, he’s talking about everlasting life in the presence of Jesus Christ. If you’ve been saved, then you have tasted of this heart-filling joy. But what you’ve tasted is only a small taste of the full inheritance that Jesus promises to give us. That’s the inheritance. And that’s what Jesus gives those who are faithful in obeying Him.
Now you may be tempted to slack off in your work because you are getting paid too little, or because your benefits are lousy, or because the job is a dead-end. And pay is a good thing; if Jesus calls you to a higher paying job, then go for it.
But while you are at this job, don’t let low pay or lousy benefits keep you from working hard. Focus on the reward of the inheritance, and work hard. As you are doing the filing, think of the inheritance, and work hard. As you are swinging the hammer, think of the inheritance, and work hard. As you are washing the dishes, think of the inheritance, and work hard. As you are sitting in class, think of the inheritance, and work hard.
But now there’s one last question – how should masters treat their slaves? Some of you are managers, some of you are business owners. So how should you treat those who work under you? Look at what Paul says in ch.4 vs.1 –
Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
What are some ways we can be unjust or unfair? Playing favorites. Paying employees late. Changing pay structures. Manipulating employees. Lying. Misrepresenting. Dishonesty. Taking advantage of employees in any way.
But Paul calls you business owners and managers to be just and fair in all you do towards employees. Why? Because you have a Master in heaven. Jesus. And Jesus sees how you treat your employees and those you are managing.
Questions?
So let God’s Word transform your 40+ hours a week. Be conscious of the fact that during those 40 hours you are serving the Lord Christ, you will be punished if you continue to wrong your Master, you Jesus will reward hard-workers with the inheritance.
And obey your bosses in everything all the time. And do everything heartily.