WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:02.720 I want to start by doing something kind of interactive, kind of fun. 00:00:02.799 --> 00:00:05.280 A few years ago, my father-in-law turned me on to this game. 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:07.839 I think he had like a mobile app, and it the game was really simple. 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:14.720 It was very common logos, but but like with the words removed, and you had to guess what the logo was from. 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:18.160 Which is easier than it, it's it's harder than it sounds. 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:19.120 It depends on the logo, right? 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:24.000 Like if I showed you all the Nike symbol, no one's gonna be like, oh my goodness, I can almost place it. 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:25.519 I've like I'm right there. 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:29.760 No, like some symbols, you don't need to see the the company name to know what it is. 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:32.000 Others, it's a little bit more difficult. 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:34.079 Now we didn't we didn't go for for difficulty. 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:39.520 We're just wanting to see, you know, this basically connects to the message in a very minor way, but just go with me. 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:39.920 It's fun. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:40.960 All right, so here's what I'm gonna do. 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:42.159 I'm gonna show you guys some logos. 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:43.520 Yell it out if you know the answer. 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:44.399 Yell it out if you know it. 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:45.359 Don't be don't be shy. 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:46.399 Let's participate together. 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:47.439 Let's start with the first one. 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:47.920 Here we go. 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:48.719 What's that? 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:49.759 Ford. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:51.119 All right, who knew that was Ford? 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:52.159 Go ahead and put it up. 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:54.960 Who was who did not instantly recognize that? 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:56.399 People who drive Chevies. 00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:57.600 Okay, so here we go. 00:00:57.679 --> 00:00:58.560 How about this one? 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:00.640 Hot Wheels. 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:01.359 You're right. 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:03.600 And not the skating rink in Cherokee County. 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:04.319 No, no, no. 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:05.439 No, no, the Hot Wheels. 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:13.599 If you have kids, hot Oh! First off, I was in the middle of a joke and they advanced the slide. 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:18.239 And that was one of my funnier jokes, but now you're not gonna get that one. 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:21.120 So uh no, no, no, no, no, no, we've we've moved past that. 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:22.480 That joke is gone. 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:24.079 So some of you said Lays. 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:29.120 I heard other people say Fritos, so you're in the same ballpark, but it is it is Lay's potato chips. 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:29.519 There you go. 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:30.799 Lays can't have just one. 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:31.760 Next one. 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:33.680 Ah. 00:01:34.560 --> 00:01:37.120 This is where the generations in the room break down. 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:38.079 Right? 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:39.840 Skype. 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:40.400 You got it. 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:42.560 That's the Skype logo right there. 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:44.079 It's a horrible logo. 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:45.120 I don't even know what it is. 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:46.159 It's just a blob. 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:47.519 As a cloud, maybe? 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:49.040 It's a kind of maybe. 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:49.439 I don't know. 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:50.319 I've never seen a cloud. 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:50.640 Whatever. 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:51.040 Okay. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:52.799 Um, let's go to one more. 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:55.200 Gotcha. 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:56.480 And I lied. 00:01:56.799 --> 00:01:57.359 One more. 00:01:57.519 --> 00:01:58.079 After that. 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:00.079 Let's see if you guys know this one. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:02.560 Yeah. 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:04.400 Blockbuster video. 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:07.040 Now here's what's really interesting. 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:08.800 And guys, keep this one up for just a second. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:10.639 Um, I want to talk about this one. 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:13.360 Because that one, first service was the same way. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:16.879 That was the most emphatic answer that we had was Blockbuster video. 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:22.479 Even though no one has walked into a Blockbuster in many, many years. 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:26.960 But back in the day, Blockbuster was like a staple of most of our lives. 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:28.960 How many of us had a blockbuster membership? 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:29.680 Yeah. 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:34.240 How many of us paid more in late fees than we'd like to admit at Blockbuster? 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:35.039 Yeah. 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:39.199 Like a Blockbuster video, that's how you knew civilization had come to an area. 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:43.199 Like if you're driving somewhere and they don't have a blockbuster, you're like, no, keep going. 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:44.080 Keep going. 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:44.639 You know? 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:48.080 But if a blockbuster is being built, you're like, oh, this place is really on the up and up. 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:49.599 You know, they've got a blockbuster. 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:52.960 My first job ever was at Blockbuster Video. 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:55.199 And I have shared this before, but it's been a while. 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:56.560 Um, it's something that I'm proud of. 00:02:56.639 --> 00:02:58.000 I have a rare distinction. 00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:01.120 Very few people, very few people can say this. 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:07.039 I was fired from a Blockbuster video for poor performance. 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:10.080 It wasn't a layoff. 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:13.840 It wasn't when, you know, Blockbuster, not known for their business sense. 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:20.560 For example, Netflix approached Blockbuster in their early days and offered for Blockbuster to buy them for$50 million. 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:24.080 And that's a lot of money, but Blockbuster said, nah. 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:26.560 And uh we know how the story ends. 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:30.960 Netflix doing great, worth over$150 billion. 00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:37.759 Uh Blockbuster, it's in our memories, you know, fond memories of Blockbuster, if you can call them that. 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:41.120 But I I worked at a Blockbuster and I got I got fired. 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:42.240 16 years old. 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.879 I was told by Blockbuster Video, you don't meet our standards. 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:50.960 And uh if you worked at a Blockbuster, then I'm sure you'll agree with me. 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:53.919 Standards were not very high. 00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:58.639 It's like, can you put things on a shelf in semi-alphabetical order? 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:03.039 It wasn't even really perfectly alphabetical, just sort of alphabetical order. 00:04:03.199 --> 00:04:04.319 That's really all you had to do. 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:15.280 But I was young, I was 16 years old, and I was kind of cocky and I didn't work that hard, and I kind of joked around, and my friends would come in and I would hang out with them and laugh and talk, and I just didn't take it very seriously. 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:24.639 And so a few months in, the manager at Blockbuster calls me in and in between bites of nachos uh told me that it was time for me to go. 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:27.279 And I was like, Am I being fired? 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:29.600 I have my first job, I'm being fired. 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:31.759 And here's the deal that was good for me. 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:32.399 That was good. 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:35.680 Go ahead and let's take that symbol of failure in my life down. 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:38.720 Um no, it was actually really good for me. 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:41.439 Because I got fired, and then I had like a life crisis. 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:42.399 What am I gonna do with my life? 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:45.279 So I went and worked at Kohl's and I folded pants for a couple of years. 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:47.759 And when you fold pants, you have a lot of time to think. 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:53.360 There's a lot of, you know, in the midst of khaki folding, you're like, what am I doing with my life and where am I going and what's going on? 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.160 And uh, and it's okay, it worked out in the end. 00:04:56.240 --> 00:05:01.360 I ended up getting rehired by Blockbuster, but then they went under and life went on. 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:02.399 And now I'm a pastor. 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:03.439 That's the whole story. 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:16.160 So uh, but but it's funny how how much of my life, and I'm sure many of us can relate, those of us who've had jobs of any kind at any point in time, how much of my life has been shaped by my work experiences. 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:24.879 And how many of the moments that I've had either at work or or kind of attached to where I'm working have been pivotal moments in my life. 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:29.279 Our work lives tend to bleed over into all of our life. 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:32.560 Now, I know not all of us in the room are employed. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:39.040 Some of us, most of us, hopefully, that if we're seeking employment, we find that really fast, and we will pray for you by the way that that happens if that's where you're at. 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:40.720 Some of us aren't employed by choice. 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:48.079 We're in a stage of life where that's not something we need, or we have a spouse who's employed and we need to stay home to take care of kids or take care of the home. 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:55.839 There's a variety of us in the room as far as our experiences go, but I'm sure that almost all of us either are or at some point have been or will be employed. 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:57.839 That we will work for someone. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:04.720 In other words, we will be paid money to do something that we would not do unless someone was paying us to do it to some degree. 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:06.879 Have any of us had that experience? 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:08.959 We've had a job, we've worked somewhere, okay. 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:10.319 Very few of us, wow. 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:16.480 Um our work lives, it's a big part of life. 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:23.759 If you work a full-time job, the average American who works full-time will spend over 90,000 hours of their life at work. 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:28.160 It's about 25% of the hours you will be alive, you will spend at work. 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:31.439 This is a big part of life, and it really shapes so much of our lives. 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:39.120 And so the reality is God cares about our lives, and he cares about not just what happens on Sundays, not just what happens at home, but God cares about our work lives. 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:54.000 And we've been in this series for the last few months called In Relation to, where we're exploring these three relationships that the Apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians and the New Testament goes into detail about, these three relationships that at some point in time touch virtually every single person. 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:58.399 And Paul gives us God's perspective on those relationships and how to live them out. 00:06:58.480 --> 00:07:03.759 And the relationships are husbands and wives, children and parents, and then employees and employers. 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:08.079 And so today we're shifting into that third relationship: employees and employers. 00:07:08.160 --> 00:07:09.519 What does that relationship look like? 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:11.680 How should it be from God's perspective? 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:20.160 How can we go about living in that relationship in a way that's healthy and good and right, a way that pleases God and works in our lives? 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:25.759 And the reality is, this part of life, it just affects everything. 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:27.839 It affects everything. 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:32.800 I remember growing up, my dad was kind of climbing the corporate ladder, and he had some jobs at really big companies. 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:37.759 And when my dad was at a company that he enjoyed being at, it was different at home. 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:43.759 And when he was at a company where things were going rough and the environment wasn't good, you know, it it you could feel that. 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:45.519 You could tell that dad had not had a good day. 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:49.199 It's hard to like clock in and clock out and leave it all at work. 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:56.720 And throughout this entire series, we've been talking about the fact that our lives are much more enmeshed than we happen to think they are, even spiritually. 00:07:56.959 --> 00:08:02.160 You know, I might be able to clock in and clock out of a job, but I cannot clock in and clock out of being a Jesus follower. 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:03.600 That's every part of my life. 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:05.040 It's all connected, it's all together. 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:07.680 Jesus always connected, loving God and loving people. 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:12.720 So these earthly relationships that we have, they affect and impact our relationship with God the Father. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:15.920 And the employee-employer relationship is no different. 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:17.680 It's a tough one, though. 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:20.959 It's a tough one because a lot is riding on this relationship. 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:24.319 And sometimes it feels like a lot of it's not really in our control. 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:31.120 So what I want to do is I just want to open up Ephesians and jump into what God's word says about being an employee. 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:33.120 And that's what we're talking about today. 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:36.080 So if you if you have this, by the way, I'm just reading from our mobile app. 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:37.279 If you have that, you can read along. 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:39.120 Ephesians 6, 5 through 8. 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:42.639 Slaves obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:45.120 Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:47.759 Try to please them all the time, not just when they're watching you. 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:50.320 As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:53.759 Work with enthusiasm as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:58.240 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:00.480 Now, let's just address the elephant in the room. 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:06.799 I've been saying for months, employees and employers, and this says slaves and masters, what gives? 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:08.799 A few things we've got to talk about. 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:19.759 Number one, some people have taken scriptures like this and tried to use them as some type of evidence that the Bible condones slavery, could not be further from the truth. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:23.200 The Bible does not condone everything it records. 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:28.399 In fact, if you want to read the entire story of the Bible, so much of it is the story of freedom. 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:37.519 The Old Testament is very much defined by this major story where God frees this group of people called the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and teaches them how to live as free people. 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:43.600 And the New Testament is very much about Jesus freeing us from the slavery that we have to sin and to death. 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:45.519 So our God is a God of freedom. 00:09:45.600 --> 00:10:02.559 And if you study the history of the world and you look at the nations where at some point in their history, even if they've moved in a different direction, but at some point in their history, the message of Jesus has taken root in that culture and has become a major part of that culture's history, those just so happen to be the nations where the people are the most free. 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:07.519 Where the people are the most free regardless of their race, regardless of their gender, their socioeconomic status. 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:10.799 Freedom follows Jesus always. 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:12.960 And our God is a God of freedom. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:20.000 But you have to understand that when Paul wrote this, he's writing to the people of his day. 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:25.120 And he's writing to them, trying to help them live out their faith in Jesus in their everyday lives. 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:31.840 And in that part of the world, in Paul's time, slavery was as commonplace, more so than we could even possibly imagine. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:39.279 But it worked very, very differently than it works in our nation's history, or worked in our nation's history. 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:41.120 Not the same thing. 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:44.879 Now let me just say this right off the bat: slavery is horrific and awful. 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:48.320 Completely, one of the most horrific aspects of human history. 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:51.200 Not just American history, but all of human history. 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:54.799 Slavery has existed in some form or another in virtually every part of the world. 00:10:55.679 --> 00:11:02.879 And in Paul's day, the time the New Testament was written in the Roman Empire, slavery was like the bedrock of their civilization. 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:12.639 In the entire history of our nation's time with slavery being part of what was going on here, about 200 years or so of that, we had a little over 10 million slaves. 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:17.279 When Paul wrote this, 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire. 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:22.480 Over a third of the entire population lived as slaves. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:27.840 But it wasn't the kind of slavery that we might think of because of our history. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:31.679 Number one, slavery was not based on race whatsoever in the Roman Empire. 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:34.000 People were slaves no matter their race. 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:37.519 Slavery was was even something that many people opted into. 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:40.080 Which sounds crazy to us, right? 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:42.240 Like, what do you mean people opted into slavery? 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:46.720 Well, there's this word that we don't really have in our vernacular, but it's called bondservant. 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:50.399 And oftentimes that word gets translated in the New Testament as slave. 00:11:50.480 --> 00:12:00.799 So, for example, in Romans chapter 1, verse 1, Paul says this letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach the good news. 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:03.840 Some translations will say bondservant. 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:08.720 And the reality is, in the Roman Empire, for all intents and purposes, they were basically the same thing. 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:10.799 If you were a bondservant, you were a slave. 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:13.279 Your master had rights over your life. 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:16.480 But the idea of a bondservant is someone who has chosen this. 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:25.440 That they have decided willingly to step into this slave master relationship for a time and for a purpose. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:28.720 And so in the Roman Empire, there were no banks. 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:29.840 There wasn't a thing. 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:30.879 There's no such thing as a bank. 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:38.399 So if you wanted to do something, to start a business, to take care of a debt, there was no way to go get a loan and then pay that back incrementally. 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:40.080 Everything was private. 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:50.159 And so the only option you had would be to find someone who would take on your debt, who would pay it off, find someone who would take you in and teach you a trade. 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:55.679 And that always ended up being what was considered a bondservant master relationship. 00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:58.080 People didn't really have employees. 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:00.480 That wasn't like a thing in the Roman Empire. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:01.519 There were no corporations. 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:02.960 It was pretty much all private. 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:06.000 And so you wouldn't have an employee, you would have bondservants. 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:17.200 And these would be people who've said, I am choosing, and choosing because of their options being limited, but choosing to become a bondservant of this person for a time. 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:24.559 Now in the Roman Empire, people who were who were bondservants or slaves, they held high positions in public office. 00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:27.600 They were doctors, they held high positions. 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:30.080 It was just a normal part of their culture. 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:33.120 You were almost always a bondservant for a small period of time. 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:39.519 In fact, over 50% of all the slaves in the Roman Empire were freed before they were 30 years old. 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:41.120 It was a very different situation. 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:46.159 Now, again, I'm not saying, hey, being a slave in the Roman Empire was like, hey, okay, it wasn't that bad. 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:47.039 No, it was. 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:51.039 Our God is a God of freedom, and it's good that that's gone. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:59.039 But the reason I'm talking about this is because it's very easy for us to read something like Ephesians 6, 5 through 8, which was written over 2,000 years ago to a completely different culture. 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:03.279 And as soon as we read that whole slaves masters thing, we just check out. 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:06.000 We're like, that doesn't apply to us, that's not our world today. 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:16.320 But what we have to understand is the dynamic between slaves and their masters in the Roman Empire has a lot of similarities to dynamics between employers and employees today. 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:24.399 It really does, because an employee is someone who, like a bondservant in the Roman Empire, chooses to give up some freedom. 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:28.000 Like how many of us are less free because we have a job, right? 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:28.720 Yes. 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:29.519 You're less free. 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:33.679 You gotta be somewhere at a certain time, you gotta do, you have to follow someone's lead that you may not follow otherwise. 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:38.960 You give up some of your freedom willingly because of the benefits that it will provide you. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:47.039 And in your mind, this is a short-term thing, this isn't the rest of my life, this is for a season of life, and the hope is that when it's all done, you're in a very different position in life. 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:48.639 And that is the way it worked in the Roman Empire. 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:51.519 In fact, one of the biggest deals in the Roman world was to be a citizen. 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:53.600 You were not automatically a citizen of Rome. 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:59.519 Citizens had very, very different privileges, different legal status, and there were a few ways to become a citizen. 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:03.440 Number one, be in the military, fight a war, survive. 00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:06.480 And eventually, soldiers would become citizens. 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:12.000 But another way was to become the bondservant of a citizen. 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:19.600 And if you were the bondservant of a Roman citizen and you fulfilled your agreement with that person and they freed you, you became a citizen yourself. 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:21.919 And so this was a path to citizenship. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:32.559 So it's kind of like being an employee in a way that you're saying, hey, I'm stepping into this, I may not like it, it may not be great all the time, but I'm doing this for a purpose, for a benefit, for ultimately life change. 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:35.840 So again, slavery, horrific, awful, horrible. 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:38.879 And Paul did not condone slavery whatsoever. 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:46.080 But when he wrote this, he was writing this to help people in their everyday lives live out their yes to Jesus in a way that worked. 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:49.840 And the truth is, the message of Jesus spread first among the poorest of the poor. 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:54.320 And so the majority of the early church would have been slaves. 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:56.720 And he's writing them saying, hey, this is your situation. 00:15:56.799 --> 00:15:59.759 Well, how can you live in your situation in a way that honors God? 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:04.799 And so, with that in mind, let's read this one more time and understand that this actually applies to us. 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:09.919 That we can kind of sub out in our minds the word slave for employee and master for employer. 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:14.159 And I'm not saying it's it's apples to apples, but the principles really relate. 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:19.919 So here's what he says: slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. 00:16:20.159 --> 00:16:22.480 Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:25.279 Try to please them all the time, not just when they're watching you. 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:28.000 As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all of your heart. 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:31.679 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:37.360 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:58.960 Now, in this section, we have these two really obvious principles that if we could, could each of us who who work a job, each of us who have a job, we we have someone that we work for, if that's your situation, if if each of us could master these two things, success would would probably find us pretty quickly. 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:04.880 Neither of these are earth-shattering, neither of these are gonna be like, whoa, you're the first person that's ever thought of that. 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:07.599 And I'm not, because it's it's here. 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:13.920 But these these two principles are more rare than they they maybe ought to be in combination. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:26.319 And here's what they are if you want to find success, if you want to be blessed in your job, in your work life, do a really good job and be a joy to work with. 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:31.039 Do a really good job and be a joy to work with. 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:36.480 That that's essentially what Paul is saying to the bondservants that he was he was writing to. 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:38.799 Remember, in the Roman Empire, there's no such thing as an employee. 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:41.279 If you're a person doing work, you are a bondservant. 00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:41.839 You're a slave. 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:43.519 That's the way their whole culture worked. 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:56.640 So he's saying, hey, if you want to succeed, if you want to earn your freedom faster, if you want to be be blessed and released and set out into the world, if you want to be blessed, whatever our goals might be in our work lives, do a really good job and be a joy to work with. 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:00.559 And it's it's kind of hard to do that sometimes. 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:04.799 It's hard to do a really good job when you don't always love your job. 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:08.000 Like, I I I love my job here. 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:08.640 I really do. 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:10.400 I'm I'm uniquely blessed. 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:16.400 I don't love all the aspects of my job, but I do love this job. 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:21.359 And there are certain things about this job that I love like a lot, and I'm like, yes, let's do this. 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:22.160 I can't wait for this. 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:26.079 There's other aspects of the job that I'm like, is there anyone else who would like to do this at all? 00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:26.480 No? 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:26.960 Okay. 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:29.279 I have to do, okay, I guess I have to. 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:34.400 So it's hard sometimes to do a really good job when there's things about your job you don't you don't like. 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:37.279 And some of us maybe have jobs that we just don't like the whole thing. 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:43.759 It's hard to do a really good job in that situation, and it's hard to be a joy to work with when you don't always enjoy working, right? 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:55.680 But what he's telling us here is that if if we could A, do a really good job on a consistent basis and B, be a joy to work with, then we will find that to be blessed by God Himself. 00:18:56.079 --> 00:18:57.680 So let's talk about this really, really quickly. 00:18:57.759 --> 00:18:59.920 What does it mean to do a really good job? 00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:06.240 One of the things that that Paul writes here is to serve with sincerity. 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:10.960 To serve with sincerity as you would work for Christ. 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:16.000 So number one, he says, if you want to do a really good job, just pretend like Jesus is your boss. 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:17.920 Now, how many of us have bosses? 00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:21.519 We would say, Man, this person reminds me so much of Jesus all the time. 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:22.799 Some at least one person? 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:25.519 Is there not one person who has a Christ-like boss in the room? 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:26.960 Some of you work here. 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:28.400 Come on. 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:34.079 Elon didn't raise her hand, and I took note of that. 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:35.599 So it's fine. 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:36.880 It's all good. 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:41.839 Like just imagine that your boss is Jesus. 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:45.519 Now, some of us are like, oh man, I don't think my imagination is that good. 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:51.519 My imagination is not sharp enough to picture my job, my boss is Jesus, right? 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:59.200 But he says, hey, if you want to do a really good job, just pretend like your boss is Jesus himself and you work for Jesus. 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:01.519 So let's say you're an accountant. 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:08.799 That just picture that you work for Holy Messiah Accounting Services, and Jesus Christ, He's the one who owns your company. 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:13.359 So when you're working, you're working directly for the Messiah himself, for Jesus. 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:20.559 And the thing is, if we really believe that, then we would understand that the work that we do will reflect ultimately on Jesus himself. 00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:26.960 Because when you do a job, the job you do and the way you do it, it reflects on the organization you work for, right? 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:28.880 That's the way it works. 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:32.880 That is why, just to be honest with you, I'm not sure if it's a good idea for us to have. 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:35.039 This happens, but people ask about this from time to time. 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:40.640 And I want you to know we're considering it, but people will say, hey, you know how some churches have their logo as a bumper sticker on the car? 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:42.240 And some churches do. 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:46.640 If you see an R or a W as you drive around, that's those are church logos. 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:49.200 And we've got a great logo with the tree and the hands and all that. 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:50.640 And people are like, this would be a great bumper sticker. 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:59.279 And I'm like, I know, I just don't know if I want all of our people driving around with our, you know, I don't know if I want that pressure on the back of my car. 00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:03.200 Because I'm not always like, I'm not always driving as a Jesus follower, you know. 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:05.519 I'm driving in a different mindset. 00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:13.519 And I don't know about you, and I just don't, I don't, I don't know, I don't know if we're ready for that as a church for there yet, maybe one day. 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:20.559 But the reality is, like, our reputation, the way we do things, it affects the reputation of whatever we're part of, right? 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:33.279 And so if you work for an organization and you do a poor job and you cut corners and you don't do well and you're wearing that uniform, or or people know you work there, they're gonna associate your the way you work with that place. 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:42.079 And what Paul is saying is that you should work as if you work directly for Jesus, and the kind of job you do reflects on Jesus' reputation. 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:45.519 And that's not just like a stretch of the imagination to say that. 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:47.440 That's not me trying to connect dots that aren't there. 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:50.000 In 2 Corinthians 5 20. 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:52.400 We are Christ's ambassadors. 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:54.319 God is making his appeal through us. 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:56.960 We speak for Christ when we plead, come back to God. 00:21:57.039 --> 00:21:59.519 He's saying that we as Jesus followers, we are Christ's ambassadors. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:13.039 Those of you who are Jesus followers, I know not all of us have made that decision, but if you are, please understand that when you go to work, the person you work alongside, you work next to, you work under or over, you might be the clearest picture of Jesus they ever get. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:15.839 That's a big deal. 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:21.599 And so what he's saying is, hey, if you love the Lord, if you love Jesus, then pretend like he's your boss and work like that. 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:22.240 What does that mean? 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:24.079 It means that you'll work honest. 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:26.319 You will work honestly. 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:29.599 Proverbs chapter 11, verse 1. 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:34.880 The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights. 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:36.799 The Lord loves honesty. 00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:40.799 And so if you're gonna work as if you work for Jesus, then you're gonna be honest in your work. 00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:45.119 Honest with your expense reports, honest with the kind of job that you're doing. 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:48.400 You're not gonna, you're not gonna like tell half truths. 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:55.680 I'm sure we've all had those times where we're tempted to tell a half-truth, which is also just called a lie, you know? 00:22:56.079 --> 00:23:00.480 I remember once um I had a MacBook Pro, which is a really nice computer. 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:01.759 It's a nice laptop. 00:23:01.920 --> 00:23:04.640 And this was a company-issued computer. 00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:12.079 And I was working at home on this computer, and Megan and I got in an argument because we're married, and that happens. 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:20.079 And uh, and I got frustrated with something, and so I sh I slammed the laptop shut like very forcefully to make a point to Megan, like, well, fine. 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:24.799 And then I walked upstairs, and when I opened the laptop back up, the whole screen was like shattered. 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:26.880 And I was like, I have been working out. 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:27.279 That's good. 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:29.039 And then I was like, oh no, what am I gonna do? 00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:37.279 You know, like I didn't know I slammed it that hard, and I gotta figure out what am I gonna say to my boss, because this is not mine, and this was expensive. 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:40.559 And so I had like Satan's really good in those moments, right? 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:41.039 He's quick. 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:47.039 He shows up, he's talking to you, like, just tell your boss you dropped it, you know, because that's actually believable. 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:47.680 What happened? 00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:48.880 You're gonna be-I I dropped it. 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:51.119 Oh, well, accidents happened, you know. 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:53.039 We'll get you another one, but be careful with this. 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:55.119 Okay, boss, I'll do that, you know. 00:23:55.359 --> 00:23:55.920 Nope. 00:23:56.079 --> 00:23:56.880 What happened? 00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:00.240 Uh, well, my wife made me real mad. 00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:02.640 You know how wives can be. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:10.319 And uh, and so, you know, I just went ahead and said, forget it, and broke the computer that you bought me. 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:11.200 Can I have another one? 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:12.480 Like, that's a different conversation. 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:16.720 And I didn't want to say that, but I had to, and it was humiliating and it was shameful. 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:21.279 And my boss was like, Okay, well, don't do that. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:22.880 And I said, Yes, sir. 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:26.000 And it was humiliating, but at least it was honest. 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:31.759 And so the reality is, if you're gonna work as if Jesus is your boss, you're gonna be honest. 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:34.799 You're just gonna be honest in everything you do. 00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:40.720 And it can be challenging sometimes to really ask yourself, am I completely honest in the way that I work? 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:42.559 Am I really honest? 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:45.039 Am I working when I say I'm working? 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:46.960 Like little things like that. 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:48.319 You're gonna work honestly. 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:51.599 If you work as if Jesus is your boss, you're gonna do the little things. 00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:53.440 So often we want to be given more. 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:57.440 We want more responsibility, we want more recognition, we want more pay. 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:02.720 But if we want more, we better be willing to do the little things to get more, because that's how God works. 00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:10.559