Working for God's Glory

INTRODUCTION:

Interest:

We live in an affluent society, filled with successful men and women. And yet, that does not prevent many of these same men and women from experiencing a condition called the mid-life crisis. As I’m sure you know, the mid-life crisis is so named because it is rather common for people when they hit mid-life, generally the 40s to early 50s, that they begin to ask, “What am I doing here?” At least half of the person’s life has likely passed by this point, and when they start to look back on the first half of their life they realize that much of it was spent working in whatever job they have held. They got up in the morning, went to work, came home, slept, and then repeated the next day. People think about this and begin to wonder if their life matters. They wonder if they are making any difference in the grand scheme of things with their efforts. Sure, they might by helping a company make money, but will that really matter when they have passed from this life? They might be providing for their family, but is that all that their life is meant to be?

Involvement:

It is not at all unreasonable to ask such questions. God has planted within us a desire for our lives to matter. He has also, as we will see this evening, provided us with insight into how we should go about answering such questions. Work is a part of life; God designed life that way. God instructs us, though, as to how we should approach our work so that we can answer the “What am I doing here?” question.

Context:

We are going to look at the two verses that lead out chapter 6 of 1 Timothy. Paul has been dealing with specific issues that Timothy faced in the church in Ephesus. The false teachers and their teachings had created specific problems. Toward the end of this letter, Paul is advising Timothy on how to address some of these specific problems.

Preview:

This evening the problem that Paul addresses is unique to the socio-economic conditions of the Roman world of Paul’s day: the relationship between slaves and masters. Of course, we do not have such relationships within the church in 21st century America. Yet, the principles that Paul gives for governing the relationship between the slaves and their masters are, in general, transferable to relationships between employees and employers. The overall principle that transfers is that God’s glory should bring our work into focus. God’s glory should bring our work into focus.

Remember, the church in Ephesus had a severe problem with their ministry being out of focus. Paul has been guiding Timothy to address various areas where it needed to be refocused so that the Gospel would shine forth. In these verses he is going to deal with life outside the church; what we would call our work-life. Here, God’s glory should bring our work into focus.

Please hear me—I know that this is being recorded so I have no idea what background someone listening to me might bring with them to this topic—I am NOT saying that the relationship between employee and employer is the same as the relationship between slave and master; they are not the same kinds of relationships. What I am saying is that the principles that Paul gives for the one relationship are generally transferable to the other relationship. The principles transfer, not the socio-economic condition.

Transition from introduction to body:

As we prepare to think about the principle that God’s glory should bring our work into focus, let’s go ahead and read our verses…<read 1 Tim 6:1–2>.

BODY:

Obviously Paul is addressing slaves here. Being “under the yoke as slaves” likens slavery to the bar of wood that joins two draft animals together so that they may pull something, a bar that binds them to their task. Paul is addressing slaves in these verses who are bound to their condition of slavery.

We need to realize that a large part of the Roman empire was composed of slaves. At the same time, we cannot read the American experience of slavery back into the Roman world. In America slavery was tied to ethnicity and has generated much of the sordid history of racism in our country. In the Roman world slavery was not connected to race at all; it was tied to economics. There were slaves who were taken as captives in war. There were others who sold themselves into slavery to pay a debt. By this time in Roman history, there were many who were simply born into slavery. Slaves were a large segment of the population. Slaves were also a significant segment of the church. As such, Paul addresses them directly.

Now, without getting distracted by the topic of slavery, I will take a moment to note that the Bible never excuses slavery. I had a person walk out on a sermon one time when I was covering one of the NT passages on slavery because he said that I kept talking about slavery without condemning it. Well, the NT simply acknowledges slavery as part of the world it inhabited; it never pushes for its overthrow. The Bible simple acknowledges that it is a condition in which many people found themselves.

At the same time, it is true that the principles found in Scripture expressing the equality of all believers within the church implicitly undermine the system of slavery. Paul even tells believing slaves in 1 Cor 7 that they should go ahead and gain their freedom if possible. Historically, wherever the Gospel message has deeply penetrated a society, slavery has eventually been eliminated. But that is never laid out as an explicit goal in Scripture.

Rather, the emphasis in scripture is always on how each person should live out their life as a believer in whatever circumstance God has placed him or her. Whether a person is a slave or not is irrelevant to the expectation that all believers will live righteously. Scripture is most concerned with teaching us how to do that, not how to change the society overall. As one commentator has stated it, “Christianity's emphasis has always been on the transformation of the individuals who will in turn influence society, not the transformation of society which will then transform individuals.”

We need to make sure we keep this straight or we will lose our ministry focus. God changes society by transforming one person at a time through the power of Jesus Christ. And He works through us to do that wondrous work; we have the mission of displaying His glory in our lives and communicating the Gospel to those we interact with daily.

The workplace is one of those primary places where we can make real progress in our mission. We are fortunate enough, by God’s providence, to all work as free men and women. None of us are slaves. Yet the principles Paul gives to slaves readily translate to any of us who work as employees under the authority of someone else.

Transition:

God’s glory should bring our work into focus. In each verse we can see one main idea that guides our focused work. In verse1, the idea is that…

I. We must show honor to our employers

Slaves are to regard “their own masters as worthy of all honor.” The word for “honor” means to respect or to consider as valued or esteemed. Peter uses the same word in 1 Pet 3:7 to describe the proper attitude that husbands should show toward their wives. Timothy is to instruct those believers who are in the church in Ephesus and who are also slaves to show honor toward their individual masters, to hold them in esteem.

Transition:

I think it will help us see how the principle Paul is laying out here translates to our world if we ask two questions of this verse, what and why. First what is it that Paul is saying that the believing slaves should do?

A. What? Esteem their position

Esteem their position. This is the advice to the slaves regarding their own masters.

Now, there is nothing in verse 1 to indicate that the masters in question are believers. In fact, since verse 2 specifically calls out believing masters, it seems as if verse 1 is general; it doesn’t matter if their masters are believers are not, in either case the slaves are to show them honor.

The other thing that is noticeably lacking is any conditional element to this instruction. There is no condition that requires the master to be honorable before the Christian slave is to show him honor. Remember, I said that slavery in the Roman empire was different than American slavery in that it did not have any racial component. At the same time, it was similar in that the Roman slave was considered as property of the master rather than as a person with individual rights. Masters could essentially treat their Roman slaves however they wanted. The means that many masters were far from honorable. It was not unusual for slaves to be abused or mistreated. Yet, Paul doesn’t put any condition upon his command. The command to honor one’s own master applied just as much to the mistreated Christian slave as to the well-treated Christian slave.

The issue is clearly one of position, rather than person. The slave was to honor his or her master because of the position of master. It did not matter whether the person in the position was worthy of that honor or not. The simple fact that he was in the position was enough. The position was one that warranted esteem.

Illustration

It is becoming increasingly hard for us to understand this concept, I believe. Even the highest position in our country, the Office of the President of the United States, has increasingly been held in low-esteem. There was a day that people would respect the man in the presidency because of the office alone. And lest we think that it has only changed over the last four years, we need to refresh our memory a bit…Republican fans spoke disparagingly of President Obama with similar scorn as Democrat fans has spoken of President Trump. Our society has lost the ideal of honor an office.

Application

Yet, as believers this is an idea that we cannot allow ourselves to lose. We are commanded to honor certain people because of their position. The Christian slave was to honor his or her master because God had placed that individual into the position of master—the authority over their life. In an analogous fashion, we should honor anyone that God has placed into an authority position in our lives, specifically our employer if we have one. It doesn’t matter if the person is honorable; it only matters that God has placed him or her into a position that warrants our esteem. Due to God’s providential arrangement of things, we are to honor them.

Transition:

We must show honor to our employers. What does that mean? Esteem their position.

Now, let’s ask why?

B. Why? Because reflects on God

While Paul does not include any condition that must be met before the slaves are required to honor their own masters, Paul does give clear reasons why they are to do so. The last half of the verse is a purpose clause, why this instruction is to be followed, “so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.” They are to show honor so that Christianity will not be covered with disgrace by their actions.

The impression that we get from this verse is that these slaves were clearly known in the community as Christians. They attended the Christian church. They identified with Jesus Christ. They proclaimed the gospel message, passing on the teaching of the church—the doctrine. So if, at the same time, they rebelled against the expected socio-economic behavior of their day the unbelievers of the cities would attribute their rebellion to their Christianity. Christianity would become disgraced. The church’s reputation in the community would be demeaned. And most significantly, God’s name would be defamed.

I have got to believe that Paul clearly understood that he was calling on some of the believers—some of the slaves in the church—to endure real hardship. They might be beaten. They might be used for sexual pleasure. They might be whipped. Paul is not one who was blind to the hardships of life. What Paul saw, though, was that something so much more significant was at stake—the fame of God—that he was willing to call the slaves to set their own desires aside and serve God by honoring their masters.

Application

Do you have a similar concern for God’s reputation above all else? Again, you are not a slave. You have no fear of beatings or whippings or any other abuse in your job. Yet your concern for how your attitude and actions reflect on God should be just as central. How you actions reflect on God should focus your life in the workplace.

Now, I am assuming that the people you work with know that you are a Christian. That should be a safe assumption. If it isn’t, then you need to fall on your face in repentance before God; you really are a very poor Christian if your boss and your coworkers do not know that you associate with your Savior. Christianity is not intended to be a secret organization. Historically, even in the midst of persecution members of the church are expected to associate with the name of Christ; we certainly should expect that in 21st century America. So, I assume that people know you are a Christian.

But, assuming that people know you are a Christian, are you focused on that fact that you reflect God to the world by your actions in the workplace? For that reason, you should honor your boss, hold that position in esteem. That doesn’t mean that you agree with every decision, but it does mean that you are now working to undermine him or her. You are not spending your breaktime talking down or gossiping about your boss. You are not spending your worktime trying to get by doing as little actual work as possible for your boss. You are a faithful, diligent worker. If you disagree with something, you discuss it with your boss. In every way possible, you are known for esteeming your boss because God has providentially made that person your boss and you know that your actions toward your boss reflect on God.

Transition:

We must show honor to our employers. What does that mean? Esteem the position? Why? Because doing so reflects on God. We can use Paul’s instructions to slaves in verse 1 to instruct us in this way.

God’s glory should bring our work into focus. That is the principle that we can apply to our circumstances. From verse 2, we can express the idea for us as,…

II. We must show Christian love to our Christian employers.

Whereas verse 1 applied to masters in general, Christian and non-Christian; verse 2 takes on the unique case in which both the slave and his or her master were believers. Think about how strange that situation would be. Through Christ two people were now brothers in Christ, but from a socio-economic standpoint, one was considered to be the property of the other. This is much more complicated than the case of where both employer and employee are Christians and members of the church.

Transition:

In this case, what is it that the slave is to do?...

A. What? Serve with enthusiasm

It is likely that there was a problem within the church in this area because the form of the instruction that Paul gives in verse 2 indicates to stop an action that was already in progress. It suggests that there were some Christian slaves who were despising their masters rather than honoring them. Furthermore, it seems that the reason might have been because their masters were Christians.

We can probably begin to imagine how the thinking might go. A Christian master is harsh toward his Christian slave. Now, the master might have been wrong in this or he might have been disappointed in something that the slave did. In any case, the slave begins to think that he deserves better treatment from a Christian brother. He begins to think that his brother is wrong; in fact, he is not a very good Christian at all. He should show love to me rather than harshness. He should forgive my mistake rather than rebuking me. He should give me a break rather than a reprimand. And so forth. Pretty soon, such thinking begins to come out of the slave’s lips. It isn’t’ long before there is open grumbling about the master underway. Yet, what the community begins to see is one Christian grumbling about another Christian.

Illustration

I remember a time where I was the grumbler. As I have mentioned before, I and two other guys from my home church worked for a Christian man during the summer as a custom harvest crew. We were paid a flat salary per week. There was one summer in which we had worked a few very long 80- and 90-hour weeks…which was fine, that was part of the job. Then we hit a rainy stretch…you can’t harvest when it rains. Our boss gave us a couple of days off, but then he decided that since he was paying us he needed to find something for us to do. So, one afternoon when the rain stopped and the sun came out he had us go out to the field and wash and wax the combines and trucks. Mind you, we thought that we had earned several days off to make up for the long weeks when were working extra hours. Furthermore, none of us had ever heard of waxing a farm implement; it was clear made-up work with no real value. And it was hot—90-plus degrees with high humidity because of wet ground. Our boss dropped us off out in the field with some bottles of wax and drove back to town, telling us that he would pick us up for supper—we were farmers, so it was supper, not dinner that came at the end of the day. Well, it wasn’t too long before there were three grumblers in the field. We didn’t care that our boss was a Christian who didn’t make us work Sunday like every other custom harvest crew we knew of. We only cared that we were hot and disgusted with the make-work job we had been given. We were far from enthusiastic about our job that day.

Yet, look at what Paul tells the Christian slaves regarding their Christian masters: “serve them all the more.” This phrase means to not mean to serve them better. It is assumed that as slaves they are serving properly. Rather, the idea of this phrase is to serve them with more enthusiasm; with gusto, if you will. Not only with honor as a master, but with diligence because he was a Christian master.

Application

Again, the closest parallel for us would be an employer. Do you have Christian employer? If so, are you serving with enthusiasm. Notice, once again Paul doesn’t give any conditional element to the instruction that he passes along, a Christian is to be served with greater enthusiasm.

Transition:

So, once again, let’s ask why?

B. Why? Because loved by God

We are to recognize that a fellow-Christian is loved by God. Look at the explanatory clause there in verse 2, “because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved.” The Christian slave was to recognize that God had providentially arranged it so that his or her labors would be benefiting a fellow-believer. As a slave, his or her life would be spent benefiting his or her master, there was no getting around that fact. But in the case of an unbeliever, the benefit that accumulated through the slave’s efforts might be directed toward ungodly ends.

Illustration

For example, the slave with a pagan master might prepare a meal that would then be offered as part of a feast to an idol. By contrast, the efforts for the Christian master might flow back into the benefit of the church as the master reflects praise and glory to God through how he lives his life.

Furthermore, the Christian slave should recognize that his or her master is loved by God. The fact that Jesus died for the master proves that the master is one of God’s beloved. How could the slave not love the same person that God loved enough to have His Son die for? Failure to reflect that love really reveals a failure to understand one’s own salvation.

Application

Do you have a Christian master? A Christian employer? If so, do you recognize how blessed you are? Your life-efforts are going toward one who is loved by God, one who should have as his or her own life goals to reflect glory back to God. Your own love for God, your own joy in your salvation, should be reflected in the way you view your employer who is likewise clearly loved by God. Christian love for a brother or sister in Christ should be your natural response.

Transition from body to conclusion:

We must show Christian love to our Christian employers. What does that look like? Serving with enthusiasm. Why? Because our Christian employer is loved by God. God’s glory should bring our work into focus.

CONCLUSION

Let’s loop back to the questions we began with tonight, those surrounding a mid-life crisis. How do we avoid falling to the emotions and distress that are called a mid-life crisis? By bringing our work into focus. A midlife crisis comes because people start to wonder whether their life has any relevance, whether it matters in the grand scheme of things. When our life is spent reflecting God’s glory, we have the assurance of God’s word that it matters. In fact, it is the very reason that God created us.

What we have seen this evening is that our particular job really doesn’t matter. Even slaves mattered when they allowed God’s glory to focus their work. What matters is how we approach the job that God has providentially placed us into; that we allow God’s glory to bring our work into focus.

Two specific things that we must do in order to have that focus: 1) we must show honor to our employers and two, if we happen to have a Christian employer, we must show Christian love to our Christian employers. Such actions will bring our work into focus. Reflecting God’s glory brings meaning to our lives.

God’s glory should bring our work into focus.