WEBVTT 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:45.840 Well, we are continuing in our Kingdom Work series. 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:56.079 This is our last Sunday in Kingdom Work, where we have been talking about how do our everyday, ordinary lives reflect the kingdom of God. 00:00:56.640 --> 00:00:59.920 And really, you know, we've titled it Kingdom Work. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:05.200 So instantly you think, what I do with my hands, how I spend my time, those are things that we've been talking about. 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:17.599 But really, uh, through all the passages we've looked at, we've continued to see that it is more about who the Lord of your life is that determines the work that comes out of your life. 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:18.000 Right? 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:30.480 Continually, we we looked at Deuteronomy and how uh the very first thing that we get is the passing on of God's transformation in our own lives, the obedience He's called us to the next generation. 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:41.920 Then we looked at James and we looked at how the words we speak, uh, the things that come out of our kind of well of being uh reflects what's inside of us. 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:51.599 And then last week we looked at James and in the work that we do and how our very actions proclaim who we claim to serve and to love. 00:01:51.840 --> 00:02:01.120 And so all series, we've been looking at kingdom work, and you're just like, I thought you were gonna give me an ABC list, Pastor Ryan, that I could just follow and every day check a box. 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:02.959 Done, done, done, good. 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:05.760 I'm an obedient Christian, praise the Lord. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:08.560 If only it worked that way. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:24.560 Now there are things that are very tangible in the Word of God that we can follow, and some things are not, because we know as believers that people can say one thing and yet believe another, that people can declare something and yet not truly believe it. 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:27.120 Because belief creates transformation. 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:32.719 Belief allows us to then begin to live in a way as an outshoe of that belief. 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:35.680 And so we have just been diving into that. 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:45.599 And because the series has been so lighthearted, I decided we'll end the series with another light topic from Ephesians chapter six, uh, masters and slaves, right? 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:47.680 Not difficult at all. 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:52.400 Well, speaking of masters and slaves, it reminded me of my own time growing up in sports. 00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:56.560 Uh as I think of just a relevant modern example. 00:02:56.719 --> 00:03:05.120 Uh, you know, as a child in sports, uh, it often feels like slavery, in the sense that the coach is the master and what he says goes. 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:07.520 And if you do not obey, there's consequences. 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:14.159 And so unfortunately, I was on a lot of disobedient teams, and which meant a lot more running. 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:18.719 And growing up in Southern California, running in August uh is not fun. 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:26.159 Uh, there was a special week dedicated to football players in August, and we rightfully so called it Hell Week. 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:34.000 And Hell Week was basically that it was two to three day practices in a hundred-degree weather, and this is right when you got your pad. 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:37.120 So now it's not even like gym shorts and a t-shirt. 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:39.680 You've got the shoulder pads, the helmet, the pad. 00:03:39.919 --> 00:03:45.439 So you're just full-on running in this hundred-degree weather, um, and it is torturous. 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:48.639 And it's not bad enough that you just have to practice a lot. 00:03:48.800 --> 00:04:02.159 It's that this is the week coaches want to make sure you are in shape, you're ready for the season because once next week comes, you are in that rhythm of you have three days of practice, a day of rehearsal, and then game day on Friday. 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:04.639 And so it is consistent for the next 10 weeks. 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:05.919 This is how it's gonna go. 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:10.639 And so this is the last week to run you to you, the point of view you feel like you're gonna die. 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:16.399 And so, what happens is that we would be practicing, and then someone wouldn't listen, they'd disobey. 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:19.439 And so, of course, coach goes, That's it, line up. 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:21.360 And you hated those words. 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:26.399 Oh, because that meant everyone, the whole team, even though it was just one person, the whole team's gonna suffer. 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:30.000 We're on the line now, and we're gonna do what our coach called big threes. 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:33.040 You're going to sprint as fast as you can 100 yards. 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:36.480 Then you're going to crawl, crab crawl 100 yards. 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:39.920 Uh, then you're gonna backwards crab crawl 100 yards. 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:45.600 300 yards of this, and you're gonna do that until the coach believes you've learned your lesson. 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:58.319 Now, to make matters worse, because this is California hot, dry, dead practice field, not the beautiful field we're gonna play on on Fridays, which is well maintained and green and nice. 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:02.959 No, this is the field with weeds that have those little thorn thistles in them. 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:05.839 And so you'd be going and all of a sudden, pain. 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:10.319 And you're just like trying to go with one hand picking out thorns. 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:12.800 Hell week. 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:19.360 Now, coach had full authority, right? 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:20.480 He had the power. 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:23.920 I couldn't stand there and be like, no, coach, you run that. 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:25.600 It didn't work that way. 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:31.759 If I wanted to be on this team, I had to listen, I had to obey, I was under the authority of the coach. 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:38.079 Now, it's not a direct comparison, obviously, to what Paul is going to be addressing in Ephesians 6. 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:39.759 It just felt that way. 00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:50.959 In Ephesians 6, Paul is going to address one of the most unequal relationships in the ancient world, the relationship between slaves and masters. 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:54.800 And he's bringing both groups, both of them, under lordship of Jesus. 00:05:54.879 --> 00:06:00.160 So Paul is going to do something that's going to challenge the very social power of their time. 00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:10.160 And so what Paul is going to say is listen, despite this, this very clear separation of power and authority, you still belong to Christ. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:15.040 Your work still matters to Christ, and your faithfulness is seen by Christ. 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:20.079 Now, to the one with enormous social power, Paul says, you are not the final authority. 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:26.319 You also have a master, and you will also answer to Jesus for the way that you treat people. 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:30.560 So Paul is going to do something just so powerful that we're going to see in the text today. 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:39.680 Um, and it's going to challenge again how we perceive our working relationships today and how we use the authority and power that we've been given. 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:47.199 So if you're able this morning, would you please stand as we read from Ephesians chapter 6, verses 5 through 9? 00:06:48.560 --> 00:07:26.959 Paul says to the church of Ephesus, he says, Bond servants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart as you would Christ, not by the way of I 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 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. 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:27.600 Amen. 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:28.879 You may be seated. 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:43.759 So before we begin to apply this to our modern example and our lives today, it's important to kind of address uh what Paul is doing here and being responsible with the text. 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:49.839 So now, again, Paul's not writing to first century employees, he's writing to slaves. 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:54.399 These are people enslaved uh in a social system, they have masters. 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:58.720 Um, and in the first century, uh they were a part of the Roman household. 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:06.399 So when Paul's addressing the Church of Ephesus, this Roman colony, there were people who were a part of the household that were slaves. 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:12.720 So you would have your husband, your wife, you may have your parents, uh, children, but then you would have slaves. 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:17.120 You would also have other people that were a part of the household that lived with you. 00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:27.040 And so Paul is addressing this in his letter, and he's already addressed husbands and wives, children, and now he's going to address slaves and masters. 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:34.399 And he's speaking a very uh big truth to a painful social structure of his day. 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:40.000 Now, it's important for us to notice Paul doesn't call for the abolishment of slavery. 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:42.240 That wouldn't make sense in the first century. 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:44.960 Slavery has always existed, has been around. 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:50.559 Now, Roman slavery was different than the slavery that existed within the Judeo system. 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:53.120 Uh, and yet Paul is addressing it. 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:59.200 Now, he's not saying, hey, slavery needs to end, but what he does do is radical in its time. 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:04.240 And so oftentimes people look at the issue of slavery in the Bible and they go, I cannot be a Christian. 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:11.919 I cannot say that this is the authority of my life, while it also allows for a system like slavery to exist. 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:40.480 And yet, when you actually look at historical facts of what those cultures who had slavery, which was all of them at that time, and then you see what God's call is within that oppressive system, you see that God, throughout the Old Testament and New Testament, continues to reach out to the most vulnerable and elevate them, to give them value, to bring them to a place of humanity that other societies and cultures did not do within that structure. 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:47.440 So, slavery uh is not God's ideal design for human society, by the way. 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:52.960 When God created Adam and Eve, he didn't say, All right, Adam, you're the master, Eve, you're the slave. 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:54.240 That's not how he created him. 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:55.759 He said, You guys are equal. 00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:58.799 I created you to be partners in this world. 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:00.399 But what happens? 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:02.720 Sin, fall, death. 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:06.320 Now everything that God created is good and holy has been corrupted. 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:12.080 And so then unequal and broken power relationships spread across the earth. 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:15.519 And so here Paul is addressing this very system. 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:27.759 And this passage is not just about productivity and about, hey, how do you manage uh being in these positions of power or powerless? 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:34.320 Rather, it is about who is your Lord, no matter what role you find yourself within that power structure. 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:41.120 And so for the church, what Paul is saying, hey, Church of Ephesus, your Lord is not Caesar. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:49.919 Your Lord is not the wealthy householder, uh, your Lord is not the employer or the supervisor or the worker, your Lord is Jesus. 00:10:50.159 --> 00:10:54.960 And so we're gonna jump into this in our first point for the day, which is work for the Lord, not for eyes. 00:10:55.120 --> 00:11:03.679 So Paul begins in verse 5 saying, bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart as you would Christ. 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:08.720 Now we have to pause and look at this first word, the English word bondservant. 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:30.080 Many of us hear that and we think of the Old Testament, Exodus 21, um 2 through 6 in Deuteronomy 15, where this idea of bondservant in the Hebrew is a servant who was enslaved to a master, and he loves that master so much that he says, I'm gonna commit my life to being in your service. 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:31.120 And so they would. 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:39.519 They would get their ear pierced, and it would signify to everyone that this person has indebted their entire life to their master. 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:43.600 So within the Jewish system, slaves would be freed. 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:48.320 And so on certain years, the slaves would be freed and they would be able to be let go. 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:52.080 So it was this indebted servitude within the Jewish system. 00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:59.120 But some slaves would say, I love you, I love this house, I love this home, I love this family, I want to give my whole life. 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:00.399 I don't ever want to leave. 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:02.799 I want to continue to be a servant in that. 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:06.559 And so they had this word bondservant that represented that. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:16.240 Here in the English, uh, the Greek gets translated into bondservant, but really the Greek word is doulos, and doulos means slave. 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:19.200 So that is the word that Paul is using here. 00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:27.519 So we don't want to conserve it with the Old Testament Hebrew word for bondservant, uh, which was one who chose that indentured servitude. 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:29.519 Uh no, this is the Roman world. 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:35.840 This is the Roman uh slave that again was not a great system for slaves. 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:42.159 So within the Roman structure, slaves, man, they they would face persecution, harsh treatment. 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:52.000 Uh, masters could threaten to sell them and all these things, and they had no uh they had no real freedoms and no a chance at freedom. 00:12:52.240 --> 00:13:02.480 So some slaves in that time could work off, but most were just locked in and could never out uh get out of that system of oppression. 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:09.440 So here Paul is addressing this, and so he's saying, hey, slaves, bondservants is how he translates it. 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:12.320 He says, Obey your earthly masters. 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:14.799 Now, to us, that just seems harsh. 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:20.080 Right, oh, there's that Bible again you go following, obey your earthly masters. 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:24.879 Gosh, not only is it not trying to abolish it, it's condoning it. 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:28.000 But what Paul does here is something so important. 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:34.080 Literally, this phrase can be translated, obey your masters according to the flesh. 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:39.279 What Paul is saying is there's a limit to the master's authority. 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:43.519 So we read that and we're like, ooh, you're telling them to obey their earthly masters. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:45.440 What Paul is saying is, hey, guess what? 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:49.679 I'm putting a limit on their authority over you. 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:55.440 They are an earthly master, meaning that there is another master greater than them. 00:13:55.840 --> 00:14:02.559 So Paul, out of the gate, does something radical and puts a limitation on the authority of a master. 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:05.200 And he says, they are not ultimate. 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:09.120 So the enslaved Christian has an earthly master, but guess what? 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:11.679 You also have another master, and that master is Jesus. 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:13.039 He is your Lord. 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:18.159 And then he continues on with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart as you would for Christ. 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:24.639 Now, that phrase fear and trembling, it sounds again troubling, especially in a passage about slavery. 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:28.799 But Paul is not blessing the abuse of enslaved people. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:32.159 He's not he's not making it light. 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:37.360 What he's addressing here is a serious reverence in a sincere integrity before the Lord. 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:40.240 So the phrase that follows helps us understand that. 00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:42.000 He says, with a sincere heart. 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:44.480 So fear and trembling with a sincere heart. 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:55.600 What Paul is saying is, hey, listen, what your outward behavior needs to be is a reflection of your heart, who you are as someone who's been redeemed by Christ. 00:14:55.919 --> 00:15:00.320 So what kind of person are you becoming while you work and serve? 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:01.919 Are you a divided person? 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:03.360 Are you just performing? 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:08.399 So what Paul is addressing to the slave is, are you only working hard when the master's in the room? 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:10.639 So when he's there, you're like, okay, doing it all. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:11.759 Yep, doing good. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:15.279 But then when he walks away, you're like, forget that guy. 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:22.639 Paul's like, as a believer, it doesn't matter if they're there or not there, because who you are is not determined by their authority. 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:24.879 It's determined by the authority of Christ in your life. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:28.399 And if Christ is your Lord, you're going to have a good work ethic. 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:32.879 You're just going to serve faithfully from the integrity of your heart. 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:41.519 So Paul is saying, no matter what our circumstance or status, our goal is no longer about us, but how we reflect Jesus in our lives. 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:43.840 That's a powerful truth. 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:51.360 Because some of us, what happens is we get discouraged and we feel like we're in a position that's beneath us. 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:57.440 And so then we're like, how many of us have had that moment where our attitude is just shot? 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:02.480 Fine, I'll do it because I don't want to get fired. 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:04.559 But I'm not going to be happy about it. 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:10.720 Fine, I'll I'll do this, but uh, you know, as long as they're there, I'm just gonna sit and waste time. 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:14.399 And Paul is saying that is not how the believer responds. 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:18.960 Because your Lord is not whoever your boss is, it's not your master. 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:23.519 Your Lord is Jesus, and everything you do is a reflection of Jesus. 00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:33.360 He continues in verse six and says, Not by the way of eye service, as people pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:44.159 Now, this word for eye service is actually two Greek words put together, and and so he's using one word for eyes and another word for service or slavery. 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:53.039 And so he puts these words together as a compound Greek word, and he says, Listen, don't just perform when people are physically looking at you. 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:56.399 He says, that doesn't help shape who we are. 00:16:56.559 --> 00:17:05.519 If we're only working hard when the person in charge is there, then what good is that if we're just doing the right thing uh when people are looking? 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:16.559 So it's like this if you've ever been at work and you're on a computer and you're just like, oh my gosh, this is taking forever, this is tedious, and then you see that little app down there, you're like, mind sweep, okay. 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:30.880 Oh, little games, you know, you're like computers are great because one screen could be my work, but then instantly another screen can be this game crossword puzzle, solving this, sudoku, whatever it is. 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:32.880 I don't know what people play anymore. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:42.160 And so you have it up, and you're just getting lost in your game, and all of a sudden you hear footsteps coming through the office, and you're like, click, click, you know, back at work. 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:48.960 And Paul's saying you can't be that, you can't have one screen open, and then the boss walks in and you pop up another screen. 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:57.759 He says it's not about looking busy when someone important is watching, it's not about serving in the church as long as you're being recognized. 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:00.079 And that happens even here in this place. 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:03.759 Some people will serve, or some people will say, Oh, I don't want to serve there. 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:05.039 It's like, well, why not? 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:07.200 Well, I don't know, no one's gonna see. 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:12.079 Like, I'll serve on Sunday, but I'm not gonna serve through when it means I have to come in during the week. 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:19.680 And so oftentimes uh we get caught up in how we're gonna be perceived or what accolades we're gonna get. 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:23.920 And Paul's saying, we are doing it for Jesus, not for anyone else. 00:18:24.319 --> 00:18:28.880 Kingdom people who follow Jesus don't live for eye service. 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:29.440 Why? 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:34.480 Because as Christians, we have a different audience, we recognize that Jesus is there. 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:36.640 I mean, listen to the last part of verse six. 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:43.279 He says, we do this as bondservants of Christ, so slaves to Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:47.599 Man, what a game changer when we begin to understand this. 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:56.079 Paul speaks about people who are literal slaves in the Roman world, and he says, at the core of who you are, you are actually servants of Jesus. 00:18:57.839 --> 00:18:58.960 Imagine that. 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:03.599 Paul understood a truth that's still relevant for us today. 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:06.799 Who you believe you are will dictate how you live. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:14.880 If you believe that you are a beloved child of a holy, perfect God who's redeemed you, you will live that way. 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:16.640 You will begin to live that way. 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:32.720 But if you believe that you're oppressed, that you are passed up, that you are just no good, no one ever sees your value, if you believe that about yourself, guess what your life is going to reflect that, our identities are so important. 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:42.160 And all throughout scripture, God is trying to remind his people and all people who they are, that they are created, sons and daughters. 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:47.440 The only part of creation, by the way, that was created in his image. 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:53.440 And so he's saying, Let me make you a new creation through Christ. 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:55.440 Let me bring you into this fold. 00:19:55.599 --> 00:20:05.119 I want you to know who you are so that no matter what your circumstance, no matter what your title, no matter what your role, no matter who's watching you, you know who you are. 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:09.599 And because you know who you are, how you live will not change. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:15.839 Meaning that you can live, you could be working at the worst environment, and you're just like, I'm gonna give it my best. 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:18.240 I'm going to do all that I can to be a good worker. 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:24.480 And it may not be acknowledged, recognized, rewarded, but you're not doing it for them. 00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:26.400 You're not doing it for those things. 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:27.920 Now, is it great? 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:30.720 Is it just when your work is rewarded? 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:31.839 Absolutely. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:33.759 Oh, doesn't it feel good? 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:38.480 I'm not gonna ask you to raise your hands, but some of you were the employee of the month. 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:46.720 Some of you became CEOs, some of you became business owners, some of you became the top person in your field. 00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:48.319 And it feels good. 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:50.000 That's right. 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:51.920 I worked hard. 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:54.640 I sacrificed a lot and I got there. 00:20:56.400 --> 00:21:03.119 But if your reward is those things, just the things you got from it, or what people said about you, then we've missed it. 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:06.240 As believers, that's not what we're striving for. 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:15.359 Now it doesn't make those things bad, but it means that no matter our circumstance, whether we are the powerful or the powerless, we strive to serve our Lord Jesus. 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:20.559 We we do everything out of that identity, and that's what Paul is getting at here. 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:23.279 He's saying your deepest identity belongs to Jesus. 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:24.720 You are not just a slave. 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:29.440 So you see how liberating this message is that Paul's declaring. 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:34.319 And by the way, this is a letter written to the Church of Ephesus. 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:42.079 Now, the Church of Ephesus wasn't in a building like this, it was probably in someone's home, a wealthy person's home in Ephesus. 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:46.400 Meaning that when they got the letter, do you know how they shared the letter? 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:49.680 They didn't all read it because most of them couldn't read. 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:59.599 It meant that the person who could read would open up that scroll and be like, Hey everybody, the apostle Paul wrote us a letter, gather, get everyone in the household to gather. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.079 Bring in other people of the church. 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:04.720 Bring them here so we can read Paul's letter to us. 00:22:04.880 --> 00:22:08.640 So you can imagine as they're reading through Ephesus, and everyone's there. 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:09.759 Masters are there. 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:10.720 Slaves are there. 00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:11.599 Children are there. 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:13.119 Husbands and wives are there. 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:16.240 They're all in attendance as this person is reading it. 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:19.279 And then all of a sudden, he addresses who? 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:21.440 Slaves. 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:22.480 What? 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:27.119 He addresses the slaves specifically. 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:31.119 He just addressed the masters. 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:32.240 Imagine that. 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:33.440 That elevation. 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:35.680 Imagine that pride you're feeling. 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:38.400 The apostle Paul sees us. 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:42.319 He doesn't treat us like everybody else. 00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:45.359 He doesn't treat us like the Romans treat us. 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:54.160 He's writing to us, instructing us, reminding us of our identity in Christ. 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:57.279 That's right. 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:59.759 We belong to Jesus. 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:05.039 And because we belong to Jesus, integrity does not depend on who's watching. 00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:08.480 It applies to far more than paid work, right? 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:16.079 It applies to school, to ministry, to volunteering, family responsibilities, chores, leadership. 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:19.359 And it doesn't matter if someone says good job or not. 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:21.759 So so youth in the room. 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:27.759 If your identity is in Jesus, that means you're going to serve your family as you were serving Jesus. 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:30.240 So when your parents say, hey, can you take out the trash? 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:33.279 Oh, it's not my turn. 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:37.200 It's my brother's turn, sister's turn. 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:39.039 I didn't fill up the can. 00:23:39.839 --> 00:23:41.119 And I was you. 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:43.200 I was the oldest son in the family. 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:46.960 So guess whose responsibility it was to take out the trash? 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:51.680 And as a father, man, as a husband, guess whose it was again when I got married? 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:52.640 Mine. 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:55.200 Until I had a son of my own. 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:56.960 And guess whose it is now? 00:23:57.839 --> 00:23:59.359 It's just character building. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:11.920 But again, youth, what an opportunity to remind yourselves that in your home you get to serve the Lord, and that is a practical way to serve the Lord. 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:20.240 And here's what's even crazier all of a sudden you'll begin to see things because we all do, where you're just like, oh, that doesn't belong there, and you just put it away. 00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:26.079 Mom and dad didn't even have to ask because you just knew in our house this is how we do things. 00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:28.000 And it was just an overflow. 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:31.119 And all of a sudden your parents come home and you're like, wait, whoa, whoa. 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:33.519 Who did the dishes? 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:35.119 We were at work. 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:38.000 And you're just like, oh yeah, I took care of them. 00:24:38.319 --> 00:24:40.240 There was no reward promised. 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:43.759 There was no blessing because no one was there to see it. 00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:44.960 You just did it. 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:47.599 That is what Paul is calling us to. 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:49.839 We don't do it because people are watching. 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:52.960 Kingdom of Work asks, Who am I serving? 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:56.000 And as believers, we are serving Jesus. 00:24:56.319 --> 00:25:01.200 Integrity is what remains when the person you want to impress leaves the room. 00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:11.759 So when the people that have the power, have the authority, have the means to bless and acknowledge and promote, when they're not in the room, are we giving our best? 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:14.400 Paul continues in verse 7. 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:19.440 He says, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man. 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:24.079 Now, so Paul's saying, you're doing this as if you're doing it to the Lord. 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:26.559 Your work is as to the Lord, not to man. 00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:32.000 What he is not saying is that every human authority is good, because he knows it's not. 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:35.839 Does not mean every employer is healthy, because they're not. 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:38.400 Every workplace is not safe. 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:44.799 That does not mean that every instruction from an authority figure should be obeyed, by the way. 00:25:45.119 --> 00:25:49.759 Because sometimes you hear a message like this, and you're like, okay, I'm just a slave to my work. 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:55.680 And I'm a slave for Jesus, so I'm just gonna do whatever they tell me to do because I'm the employee, they're the boss. 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:57.599 No, that is not what Paul is saying. 00:25:57.839 --> 00:26:00.160 He is just saying you're gonna work as if to the Lord. 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:06.319 But Acts 5.29 says, but Peter and the apostles answered, we must obey God rather than men. 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:09.839 So we do have a hierarchy in our relationship. 00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:11.519 God is above all. 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:22.240 And so if someone commands us to lie, cheat, abuse, exploit, conceal, uh, to commit evil, to commit fraud, to violate God's word, our allegiance first is to who? 00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:24.559 You can say the right word. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:26.559 It's it's Jesus. 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:34.640 If ever in doubt a pastor asks you to say something, even if it's complete off, Jesus, 99.99% of the time is going to be the right answer. 00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:38.559 And even if it's not, no one's gonna correct you because Jesus is always still the right answer. 00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:40.720 So, Jesus, right? 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:44.079 And so we are obedient to God. 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:49.200 Jesus is our highest authority, and God's also a good answer because he is, you know, Trinity one. 00:26:50.319 --> 00:27:03.359 So if God is our ultimate authority, we recognize that human authority is real, but it's limited because Jesus is our Lord, and that means that we're going to be obedient to the way that God has called us to live. 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:16.480 So when someone calls us to do something that is unethical, something that goes against the instruction God has given us, we know that our bigger authority is to follow what God has instructed us to do. 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:20.000 And so we'll disobey, and that may come at a cost. 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:25.519 So we can respect authority without making the authority our ultimate God. 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:32.480 We can seek excellence without making achievement our identity, and we can serve people without needing the approval to define our worth. 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:37.680 Colossians 3.23 says, Whatever you do, work heartily is for the Lord and not for men. 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:42.720 So we can be hard workers, great workers, and still not make the work our God. 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:48.480 Because we know that there is only one Lord, one God in our life, and that is Jesus. 00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:54.160 So serving the Lord, again, does not mean giving your employer everything that belongs to God. 00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:56.400 Because some of us, we've done that. 00:27:56.559 --> 00:27:58.799 We've given our jobs everything. 00:27:59.039 --> 00:28:01.279 Oh, I put in for a family vacation. 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:04.400 I haven't taken a vacation in two years, but this is an important one. 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:08.799 And they say, Well, we got a big project that's due that week, so I'm sorry, you're gonna have to reschedule. 00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:10.640 What do we do? 00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:16.720 Hey, listen, I'm gonna need you to come in on Sunday and work on this. 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:18.240 What do we do? 00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:22.319 Hey, I'm gonna need you to uh work do an all-nighter. 00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:23.759 I need you to don't leave the office. 00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:24.640 This has to get finished. 00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:25.359 What do we do? 00:28:25.519 --> 00:28:30.480 Do we sacrifice our health, our church, our soul, our family on the altar of work? 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:37.759 That's hard, hard questions, hard situations that some of you have probably been in before. 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:46.079 But what it does mean is that legitimate work for God has that God has placed before you can be offered to Jesus with integrity. 00:28:46.720 --> 00:28:52.400 So we can take whatever role God has placed you in, and you can say, God, use this. 00:28:52.559 --> 00:28:56.480 If it's a barista, man, make the best coffee for people. 00:28:56.720 --> 00:28:58.000 Serve with joy. 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:03.680 If someone orders the most ridiculous drink, don't sit there going, oh my gosh, I hate this person. 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:09.839 Be like, I'm gonna make this the best version of this drink they've ever had. 00:29:10.400 --> 00:29:13.839 If you're in the service industry, serve with joy and love. 00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:22.400 And again, if you are in a position of authority, and we'll get to you in just a moment, uh, do so out of recognition that Jesus is your Lord. 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:25.279 We all get to be a light for those around us. 00:29:25.440 --> 00:29:29.200 And so uh our positions of work are not just random, by the way. 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:35.519 God calls us on this journey, has placed you in a time such as this to be a light to the world. 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:38.079 You are saying, like, what's my mission field? 00:29:38.160 --> 00:29:40.720 It's where you work, it's where you're around people. 00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:45.440 But again, kingdom people work for the Lord, not for the eyes that see them. 00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:48.319 Then we have to trust the Lord who does see. 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:55.119 So verse 8 says, Knowing that whatever good anyone does, this will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or free. 00:29:55.279 --> 00:29:57.440 So Paul starts off by saying, knowing. 00:29:57.599 --> 00:30:01.759 So he grounds Christian faithfulness in a theological conviction. 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:09.119 The enslaved believer knows something, the unnoticed believer knows something, the overlooked person, they know something. 00:30:09.279 --> 00:30:10.319 What do they know? 00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:12.480 They know that the Lord sees them. 00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:15.039 Do you know that the Lord sees you? 00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:15.839 Right? 00:30:15.920 --> 00:30:18.319 I think sometimes we know, but we forget. 00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:19.359 Right? 00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:23.920 Because people can oversee us, people can overlook our faithfulness. 00:30:24.079 --> 00:30:24.960 Jesus does not. 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:28.799 People may reward others unfairly over you. 00:30:29.039 --> 00:30:29.920 Jesus does not. 00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:36.880 People may deny you recognition, but your worth is not defined by your position, your paycheck, or your 401k. 00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:39.359 Your worth is defined by Jesus. 00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:52.799 And here's what Paul says: whatever good anyone does, what I love that is he says, anyone, not only the CEO, not only the owner, not only the master, not only the employee of the month, not only the person with the title, anyone. 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:55.200 Anyone who does good work, the Lord sees. 00:30:55.359 --> 00:31:04.720 And Paul says, whether he is a bondservant or free, Paul is speaking to a Roman society that has very clear distinction. 00:31:04.960 --> 00:31:08.240 These people have status, power, and authority, these people do not. 00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:10.240 And Paul just says, doesn't matter. 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:14.480 Doesn't matter if you're a slave or master, free or a slave. 00:31:15.279 --> 00:31:27.519 So he just covers the lines that have been clearly drawn and says that, man, when Jesus is the Lord, when Jesus is the center, when we work for him, that's what's most important. 00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:30.799 Not your status, your legal standing or public honor. 00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:33.440 Jesus is the one that we live for. 00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:36.079 He is the one we're called to be faithful to for. 00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:41.440 And who you are in Jesus is a new creation, a believer. 00:31:41.599 --> 00:31:43.920 So now your life is shaped from that. 00:31:44.079 --> 00:32:01.359 And then he gives us an example from Matthew 6, 3 and 4, when he says, But when you give, this is Jesus' teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, but when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret, and your father who sees in secret will reward you. 00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:07.359 So Jesus in his sermon was introducing his followers to this new way of serving. 00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:13.839 Like, hey, when when the with the religious leaders, when they're doing something, they're doing it bold, they're doing it broad. 00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:17.680 They want everyone to see what they're doing so they can be praised. 00:32:17.759 --> 00:32:20.240 And Jesus is saying, Not so with you. 00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:22.640 And he gives this example of giving. 00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:25.839 He's like, hey, when you give, don't give loud and boisterous. 00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:29.200 Do it in secret so your left hand doesn't know what your right hand is doing. 00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:35.839 So that way the Father who's in heaven who sees will be the one to reward you when he sees what's done. 00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:47.119 And so what Paul is doing here in Ephesians is he's clarifying this point where he's saying, Hey, listen, God sees everything you're doing. 00:32:47.200 --> 00:32:52.720 It's not just about the praise or the promotion or better treatment or earthly recognition. 00:32:52.880 --> 00:32:55.200 Like God knows what is happening. 00:32:55.359 --> 00:33:01.119 And so do what is right at all times, knowing that God sees everything that's happening. 00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:05.599 And so for some of us, I think we get caught up in this worldly standard, right? 00:33:05.680 --> 00:33:07.680 Where it's like we haven't gotten the praise. 00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:12.559 And I, husbands, I know as men we struggle with this. 00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:18.880 If we do something and we feel like, hey, we did something outside our normal rhythm here, I want some acknowledgement. 00:33:19.200 --> 00:33:22.240 Like you I mean, and we can't help ourselves, right? 00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:34.319 Like if we clean the whole house, the whole house, and we're just like, hey, that's not our normal rhythm, where we have some chores, but not all the torch, and we came home one day and we're like, we're gonna surprise our wives, and we clean it's it's I mean, clean, clean, right? 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:38.160 The corners dusted, everything, laundry folded and put away. 00:33:38.319 --> 00:33:43.039 I mean, dishes done and put away, everything is just to the complete measure. 00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:46.799 Do you think husbands are just gonna sit there and say nothing? 00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:51.039