Sermon Series: Ephesians–the Believer's Bank

Winners at Work

Ephesians 6:5-9

PSBC 10/22/00 PM

In a nutshell: The way for both employees and employers to "win" at work is to know and apply God's teaching to their work day. First, know your function. Second, adjust your attitude. Third, remember you motivation.

I. Introduction

A. 2 Stories

1. Man applying for a job

A man was applying for a job. And the manager who was reviewing his application said, "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't hire you right now. There just isn't enough work to keep you busy." To which the applicant replied, "You'd be surprised at how little work it would take to keep me busy."

What's your attitude toward work? Do you know God's perspective on your work–whether you're retired and volunteering your time, or staying at home as a domestic engineer, or self-employed, or working for a large or a small company? Could you articulate what God expects of you in any situation where you are asked to answer to your family, a boss, or to customers for what you do?

2. Wisdom of the ages

Zig Ziglar tells the story of how the wisdom of the ages was discovered. Many years ago, a wise old king called his wise men together and give them an assignment. He said, "I want you to compile the wisdom of the ages. Put it in book form, so it can be left for posterity." The wisemen left the king and worked for a long period of time. They finally returned with twelve volumes and proudly proclaimed that this truly was "the wisdom of the ages." The king looked at the twelve volumes and said, "Gentlemen, I'm certain this is the wisdom of the ages and that it contains the knowledge we should leave to mankind. However, it's too long, and I fear that people will not read it. So, your job now is to condense it."

Again, the wise men worked long and hard before they returned with just a single volume. The king, however, knew that it was still too lengthy so he commanded them to further condense their work. The wise men went back and reduced the single volume to a single chapter. Yet again, the king sent them back, and they reduced the single chapter to a single page. Still not satisfied the king asked them to reduce it again. And again, they reduced it, but this time to a single paragraph. Finally the king sent them back to reduce the wisdom of the ages to a single sentence. After much hard work, the wisemen returned and handed the king the piece of paper that had just one sentence on it.

When the king read it, he said, "This is truly the wisdom of the ages, and as soon as all men everywhere learn this truth, then most of the problems in our world will be solved." The sentence simply said this...THERE AIN'T NO FREE LUNCH.

B. Transition

Well, tonight, through the section of Ephesians 6 that we're going to be looking at, we are going to see that God reduces all our work efforts–paid or unpaid; self-employed or employed by someone else; in the office or at home... to three simple concepts:

-First, know your function.
-Second, adjust your attitude.
-Third, remember you motivation.

Now, what you're going to notice as we get into this passage, is that Paul addresses the issue of work in the context of what was common in his day–the context of slaves and masters. More than half the people living in the Roman Empire at this time were slaves. That was the labor force.

So, as believers gathered in the early church–especially in the larger cities, it is very likely that half of the congregation was made up of slaves, and the other half of masters. And as both the slaves and the masters would go back to their daily routine after having worshiped with each other and each other's families, I can guarantee you that they were asking themselves similar questions, like, "How do we behave now?" and "What should my relationship be to my master or my slave?"

Illustration: It reminds me of a story my dad used to tell my brothers and me when we complained about the hard work we were having to do on the farm, compared to our friends who lived in town. He said that there was a certain farmer who had three boys. He worked the boys extremely hard around the farm. One day a neighbor made a comment that it wasn't really necessary to work the boys that hard in order to raise and harvest a crop. To which the farmer firmly replied, "I'm not just raising a crop for harvest. I'm also raising my boys to be men."

So, don't be confused as we get into this section of Scripture. The real issue is not slavery vs. slave owners. The real issue is something much, much bigger. The issue is work ethic.

II. Know your function

Paul spends most of his time talking to employees. So, let's look at the function of employees, first...

Ephesians 6:5
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters...

Now, stop right there. Because there is the function of employees to employers. We could put it in more modern terms by saying, "Do what the boss tells you to do."

Now, its interesting that even in dealing in the context of something so unjust as slavery, Paul doesn't say one word about how a person should respond to unfair practices or unfair treatment by an employer. He says nothing about organizing to put pressure on management for higher wages or better benefits. He just says, "do what the boss tells you to do."

But you might be thinking, "Yeah, but the situation is so different and more complicated today, than it was in Paul's day. Back then they didn't have the kind of labor and management problems that we have today." And you'd be right. They had it far worse than any of us have it.

Paul was speaking to a culture with one of the most unjust and inhuman systems ever to curse humankind–a culture based on slavery–where human beings were considered property or a living tools. And if you study it, nowhere in the New Testament does Jesus or any of the New Testament writers encourage slaves to rise up and revolt against their masters. Nowhere does it teach about rebellion or revolt. Nothing is said about organizing to overthrow injustice. NO appeal is made for masters to sit down at the peace table and negotiate a settlement with the slaves.

Yet the interesting thing is that if you look back over the twenty centuries of history that have passed since Jesus walked the earth, you see that where Christianity gained a foothold, slavery was largely eliminated.

Edward Gibbons wrote the book, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Some of you have read that book. In it he says... "While that great body (the Roman Empire) was invaded by open violence or undermined by slow decay, a pure and humble religion gently insinuated itself into the minds of men, grew up in silence and obscurity, derived new vigor from opposition, and finally erected the triumphant banner of the cross on the ruins of the capital."

That's how slavery was thrown out of the Roman Empire, and the world was changed. It wasn't by a direct command given by God, but it was by Christian men and women, slave and free, following the direct commands of God for everyday living.

And understand this first simple point, coming to work with an attitude of obedience to your employer is one of those commands. Being obedient to your employer is to be your overall function as a Christian employee. And it will be one of the ways you will be able to be a force used by God to affect godly change in society.

III. Adjust Your Attitude

Secondly, if obedience is your overall function as a Christian employee, you are going to have to adjust your attitude to make obedience happen. Paul tells us four attitude adjustments that are necessary to us becoming obedient employees.

A. Obey respectfully

Ephesians 6:5
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect... STOP

When you obey your employer with respect, you are demonstrating a right and a wise attitude. It is right because God is commanding it here. God never tells us to do something that isn't right. And it is wise because it hurts us to do otherwise. In fact, we not only become known as insubordinate, disrespectful employees, but we also bring reproach on the name of Jesus Christ when we show disrespect to our employers.

1 Timothy 6:1
1 All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered.

B. Obey cautiously

The second attitude to have to be an obedient employee is found in the next words in verse 5...

Ephesians 6:5
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear..., STOP

The fear Paul is talking about is not a cowering fear toward your boss. This is a cautious fear that when you do obey that you don't violate God's laws. Ray Stedman said in a message on this passage..., "This is a healthy recognition of the danger of a Christian going along with the philosophy of those around him and acting as they do, thus destroying the possibility of God working through him and the power of God being released in that situation. We must be cautious that in everything we remember that God is our primary source of supply, and our primary source of truth."

Stuart Briscoe, the pastor of Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin, and someone who greatly influenced me in my early years of ministry tells the story of when he was a banker in England, before God called into the pastorate. One day a client came in to see Stuart's boss. The boss did not want to see the man, so he asked Stuart to go and tell the man that he was out of the office. Stuart very respectfully said that he could not lie. The boss became fairly forceful, to the point of threatening, but Stuart would not tell the lie. But this was what he told his boss, "Sir, you may fire me if you wish, but let me explain my reasons for refusing to lie for you. If I could lie for you, then I could just as well lie to you. Is that the kind of employee you can trust?" Stuart wound up getting a promotion for his honesty.

You see, friends, obeying our employers with cautious fear is something we should do so we don't shame our Lord and compromise our faith in our obedience.

C. Obey with Sincerity

Ephesians 6:5
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart... STOP

The third attitude adjustment needed to be obedient employees is that we must obey with sincerity of heart. The Greek word is APLOTATI. It literally means with an open heart or a singleness of heart. In other words there must be no hidden agendas in our obedience to our employers.

Illustration: It reminds me of the little boy who refused to obey his mother's order to make his bed, and in defiance, promptly threw himself down on the floor. But when mom went to get the paddle, he had a change of heart and quickly got up off the floor and went to his room to make his bed. But his mom heard him muttering as he walked into his room, "I may be standing up on the outside, but I'm still siting down on the inside."

What Paul is saying is that when we serve our employer with obedience, there must be a total willingness to give obedience without hypocrisy or a hidden agenda to get recognized. That's why he expands this point in the next verse...

Ephesians 6:5b-6
5b ...with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

There is a story about a foreman in Africa who had several African nationals under him. He found that they were afflicted with the disease of eye-service; they only worked when he watched them. But this particular foreman was the proud possessor of a glass eye and he found that he could take his eye out of the socket and lay it on a stump where it could "watch" the men and they would go right on working, whether he was there or not. But one day he came back to find them all lounging around. He had placed the eye on the stump, but one of the men had found a way to sneak around behind and had come up behind the eye and put his hat over it so that it no longer would see them.

Let's be honest. I was an employer. I used to have over 30 people spread out all over the Phoenix area working for me, cleaning buildings at night. Often, if I made a surprise visit, I'd find an individual pick up his or her pace when the boss arrived on the scene. The natural human tendency is to sluff-off when the boss isn't watching. But if you're a Christian this is absolutely forbidden if you want to be faithful to the Lord. Don't be dense. The eye that watches you isn't a human eye. God never leaves the job site or the office.

D. Obey Wholeheartedly

Look at the final attitude necessary to obey our employers...

Ephesians 6:7
7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,

We need to understand, no matter what job you're working at–at home, at the office, at a job site, for pay or not for pay, we are ultimately working for God, not men. This is consistently taught throughout the New Testament...

Colossians 3:23 says...
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

1 Corinthians 10:31 says...
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Sometimes we have to do a job that just isn't pleasant–changing a diaper, doing something demeaning, attending something that we don't want to attend. And the only way you can do your work–paid or not–in a wholehearted manner, is to view it as if we are doing it for God, Himself– because we are. We must view whatever our work is, as a service of gratitude to God for the salvation He has provided through His Son, Jesus Christ.

IV. Motivation for Obedience

Now, let's take a look at our motivation for obeying our employers...

Ephesians 6:8
8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

When Christian men and women obey their employers, with the right attitude, God promises to reward us.

I'm going to quote Ray Stedman one more time... "It does not make any difference what your status in life is. When work is done unto Christ, he undertakes to correct the conditions that make for unhappiness, or else to make recompense on another level. Notice that he does not promise always to correct the condition, because God's will is that Christians must sometimes live as his son lived, under very difficult and contrary conditions, and manifest his grace anyhow. ...I know there is a need for elementary supplies of food and shelter, and Christian compassion can do none else but seek to supply these to all. But granted these, material gain does not contribute at all to happiness, one way or another. Our happiness is built on other ground entirely. Therefore, remember that even though God calls you to live on a lesser income than someone else, he is quite prepared to make this up in other ways that will make you the envy of those who have nothing but wealth."

The bottom line is that God will take care of those who are obedient employees, in abundance... in the things that count the most in making life worthwhile, enjoyable, and meaningful.

V. Employers

Now, Paul changes the focus to employers or supervisors...

Ephesians 6:9
9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Look at what he is saying... basically, employ the Golden Rule in your employing. The same way that Christian employees are to treat their employers, so Christian employers are to treat their employees... God doesn't like Employers any more than He likes Employees. God doesn't have favorites. Just act Christ-like... What is that? Just the same as employees...

A. First, know your function. You too, are supposed to obey. But you are to obey your Master–God Himself. So if you are a Christian employer, you had better make sure your company, or your household , or your sphere of influence is handling things God's way–not making up your own values, but valuing the things God values and putting them into practice, daily. And the number one thing that God values is people–exactly what your employees are!

B. Second, adjust your attitude. Just like employees, that requires an attitude adjustment in four areas...

1. Treat your employees with respect. Every single one of them was created in the image of God. Every single one of them was valuable enough to have God die for them on the cross.

2. Do this with caution –don't do anything that will violate the laws of God. God's laws must always must be foremost in your thinking. That means things like: not showing favoritism, not avoiding taxes which you rightfully should pay, not violating company policy when you make decisions, being fair to everyone, not discriminating for any reason, and so on.

3. Be single-hearted in your devotion. If your business doesn't first and foremost honor God in what it does, you have no business, as a believer, running it. John Calvin coined the phrase, based on Scripture, in the midst of the Reformation, The Priesthood of All Believers. That simply means you can't compartmentalize your life. You are called to be a representative of God with the pulpit of your company, in the midst of a pagan culture. You are a minister of Jesus Christ, through the pulpit of your business.

4. Be wholehearted –this piggy-backs right on single-hearted devotion. It means, put God number one in your life and your business. Don't deviate from the path that says... in every decision I make, in every conflict I referee, with every dollar I pay out or invest, in how I treat every person in my company, I will do it ALL for the glory of God.

C. Finally, just like employees, remember you motivation. There is no promise of getting rich. But, just as with employees, the bottom line promise from God is that God will take care of those who are obedient employers, in an abundant way in the things that count the most to make life worthwhile, enjoyable, and meaningful.

VI. Conclusion

Let me quote from the author Dorothy Sayers...

In nothing has the Church so lost her hold on reality as in her failure to understand and respect the secular vocation. She has allowed work and religion to become separate departments, and is astonished to find that, as a result, the secular work of the world is turned to purely selfish and destructive ends, and that the greater part of the world's intelligent workers have become irreligious, or, at least, uninterested in religion. (Dorothy L. Sayers, Essays Presented To Charles Williams)

Friends, its about time we regain our hold on reality and understand and respect our vocations God's way. If we do what Paul is telling us to do in Ephesians 6, then I guarantee you something. You will be given more opportunities to do Great Commission work in the Coachella Valley and the world, than you ever thought imaginable.

Amen.