Father, thank you for your grace and your mercy to us. Father, thank you for this privilege that we have to gather to worship you, to study your word. Father, thank you for the gift of your word, and I ask that you would work in our hearts and our souls by the power of your spirit, that you would give us wisdom and understanding, that you would bring change and transformation centered on the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, grow our knowledge of him and his glory, and let us live pleasing before his sight. And Father, if there be any here who have not come to know you, I ask that you would bring to them a conviction of their sin this morning and an understanding of their need of grace that they might come into a saving, redeeming knowledge of you through Jesus Christ. And it's in His name I pray. Amen. Well, this morning you can open your Bibles again to the third chapter of the book of Colossians, the third chapter of the book of Colossians. In honor of Brother Doug, the New Year's Eve sermon is titled, A Resolution for the New Year. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. We're going to be looking at Colossians chapter 3, verse 22 through chapter 4, verse 1. Two weeks ago, we saw the Apostle Paul addressing the home, addressing the family, where he was showing us what does it look like for Christ to bring transformation to the home? What does it look like for a husband to lead, for a wife to submit, for children to obey? You need the transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ to function in this way in the home and to live there for His glory. And now on the heels of that passage, we come to a relationship that initially sounds very foreign to us in the world of modern day America, doesn't it? Very foreign to us. That is servants and masters. or better put, the literal translation, slaves and masters. At an initial glance, as we look at this passage, we might ask the question, what could we possibly learn from passages of the Word of God dealing with slaves and masters in ancient world? What possible relevance could there be? Well, the reality that we're gonna see is that there are many truths packed for us in the Word of God that have great and rich application and understanding what it means to live for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in everything. The truth that all of our life belongs to Him, therefore we are to honor Jesus in everything and the grace that has been brought to us through Him is sufficient. In our day and age, we don't have legalized slavery in modern day America. That's a good thing. That's a good thing. However, in ancient Rome, this relationship of slavery, and this bears worth saying by way of introduction, it was at times brutal. Of course, slavery in ancient world was. But at other times, it would be similar to a working relationship, right? And I want us to understand that as we prepare to dive into this passage. Whenever you think of a slave, you think of somebody who's doing very hard labor, very menial labor, of course, that existed. Of course, there were relationships where masters abused their slaves. What Paul actually says would steer against that, as we're going to see. But the reality is that masters did not always mistreat their slaves. In fact, some of these slaves were highly educated individuals, such as doctors, right? There were actually slaves who were doctors in ancient Rome. And it was, in some cases, much more of that kind of a working relationship. The reality is, the closest one-to-one comparison that we have in modern day America is that of the employer and the employee to this relationship. Now that's not slavery, that's not a direct one-to-one correlation, but it is the closest application that we have to this. And the message to the slave in the ancient world This is the good news. The message to the slave in the ancient world, who had no power to free himself of his own ability, who was in bondage in the sight of earth, other human beings, the message to that slave was that his life and his work still mattered in the sight of God. and that he had much ability to bring glory before God, that no matter how small, no matter how trivial, no matter how unseen they might feel, what they did still mattered for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And of course, if that is true of slave men and women, there's much more application for free men and women as well. And it is a reminder to us that literally whatever we do, whatever it is the Lord sets before us, no matter how hidden, no matter how public, no matter how private, no matter how menial or mundane, we are to do it with all of our heart for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. not seeking the pleasure of men, but of our master in heaven. And so with that being said, let's read this text together. Colossians chapter three, verse 23, through chapter four, verse one. If you're able this morning, stand with me as we read this section of the word of God together. Colossians chapter three, verse 23, through chapter four, verse one. Bond servants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters. not by way of eye-service as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. You may be seated. So we open this text by seeing the Apostle Paul address bondservants or slaves. And he calls on them very directly, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters. This is an important reality. This is a foundational reality. The early church did not call for an instantaneous violent revolution of slaves against their masters. They did not call for immediate armed assault against all who held them in slavery. However, what you see over the course of church history is that it is the principles of Christianity that lead to the end and abolition of slavery in ancient Rome. It is the principles of Christianity that lead to the end of slavery everywhere where slavery existed. Why? Because scripture teaches that every human being is made in the image of God. And you look at passages like these where the Apostle Paul, he's actually addressing those who are in slavery, and you see it and you're realizing he's elevating the dignity of the person. How? He's treating them like a real person. Right? In ancient Rome, all that they were legally was property. but he's actually treating them like a person who has the capacity and the ability to bring glory and pleasure to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so the foundational call to them, the direct call to them, obey in everything. And of course, that's provided that their masters are not commanding them to sin. We talked about that two weeks ago with husbands and wives and earthly authorities. No earthly authority has the ability to command you to sin. Your ultimate authority is the Lord Jesus Christ. That's chapter four, verse one, which we're going to talk about later. Even masters are held accountable to the ultimate authority of Jesus. And so whenever we see this obedience, as I said, it's instructive for us, especially as we go out into the workplace. Christians, of all people, should be those who are eager and ready to fulfill the requests of their superiors and bosses, so long as those requests are not in violation to the teaching of Scripture. In other words, if your boss asks you to come into work on Monday and to do a certain job, come in and do it with all your heart. Come in and work at it with diligence. Do it with excellence. Put everything that you have into it. A Christian worker should not be known for laziness or dragging their feet or being unproductive in the workplace. The Christian should be the one who's trusted to do an excellent job even when the boss isn't even there. This is what Paul is talking about. And that's why he brings up the issue of eye service or people pleasing. I mean, we all know who these individuals are in the workplace, okay? Right? We all know, you're having people come to mind as I'm saying this, that you know. The people who it's like, if the boss is not there, nothing gets done. If the boss is not around, nothing gets accomplished. But when he shows up, It's amazing how they have a work ethic all of a sudden. And it's amazing how when he's not there, man, you hear everything wrong about your boss. But whenever the boss shows up, all you hear is praise and how wonderful they are and how they want to please them, right? We all know these individuals. And maybe if we're honest, some of us are these individuals. Some of us are these individuals. And so you see what he's saying here at the start of this passage, and he's getting to the heart that we are to be those as Christians who are diligent workers, who are faithful, not because a boss is setting our plate, but because we know the Lord Jesus Christ is sovereign even over what is set before us every day. He is in control of even our daily to-do list. Which by the way, as a side point, that's a note of sanctification in and of itself, because sometimes our plans get changed for His plans. Right? And so this understanding of having our eyes on Christ, being diligent to what it is that needs to be accomplished, He's directing our eyes to Him. And He's helping us to get to the heart of people pleasing. Notice the end of verse 22. not by way of eye service as people pleasers, but with sincerity of heart fearing the Lord. So two points on people pleasing. One is the idea of eye service. You don't want someone to see what's actually in your heart. That's what people pleasing is. Right? You don't want someone to actually see what's present in your soul, what's going on in your motivations. You want them to see a show. And so you do things in front of them that you think that will please them and that mask the reality of what is actually there. You don't want them to see it. You actually have a bitter heart against your boss because of what they said a while back, but you wouldn't actually address that with them in an honest conversation. Instead, you simply heap praise upon them. You really hate this manager over here who's asking you to do this task that you really don't think that they should be asking you to do, and you're really not thinking this is part of what you should be doing. But nonetheless, your own manager asks you to do it, and so you kind of have to do it anyway, but you're going to do it with a grumpy attitude, right? These are the kind of things that we're talking about. People-pleasing always shows itself in eye service, where you see one thing, but the reality of what is in the heart is different. Which, by the way, has a lot of application even outside of the workforce, doesn't it? In the call here, the opposite of this, the second point on people-pleasing, notice this. The opposite of people-pleasing, according to verse 22, is what? Sincerity of heart fearing the Lord. Sincerity of heart fearing the Lord. Which means that a lack of true sincerity, a lack of genuineness, this is involved in driving your people pleasing and my people pleasing. that whenever you and I people please, what we're doing is we're putting a mask over what's actually present instead of pursuing true transformation, true heart change by the power of the gospel so that then we move forward having dealt with our sin with a sincere and genuine heart for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the root issue. That's the root issue. As Brother Votie Bauckham used to say, if you can't say amen, say ouch, right? It's a failure to care genuinely about what the Lord Jesus Christ thinks and about his pleasure and his glory. In other words, at root issue, people-pleasing is hypocrisy. But for you and I as Christians, going back to what we saw in chapter 3, the thing that we're to put off is people-pleasing. But what are we to put on? Sincerity before the Lord, walking in the fear of God. This is what we are to pursue that we might not fall prey to this. Because what we see in verse 22 is actually very helpful, that we're being anchored not in the approval of men, not in the applause of men as bringing dignity and value to our work and what we do, but in walking in the fear of the Lord and in sincerity and genuineness seeking his glory, noting that even the most mundane tasks, even the ones that you don't like when you get up in the morning, Even doing those well with heart of a devotion for His glory, this matters to His praise. And so this is an encouragement for us to set our gaze on the Lord Jesus Christ. And in terms of the workplace, putting it very practically, this means you have a good work ethic whether your superior's there or not. This means you have a good work ethic whether your co-worker's there or not. This means in the home, even whenever your spouse doesn't applaud what you did because they're human and they missed it, right? You still do what needs to be done around the home because you're seeking the pleasure of the Lord Jesus Christ. and your heart rests content in His approval. Because you realize you're working for someone much, much greater than some human authority or human being. You're seeking the pleasure of the Lord who reigns on high, and you're serving Him. And that leads right into verse 22, 23, sorry. Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men. Whatever you do, just think about that for a second. Think about everything that you do, okay? Let's get practical here. Cleaning the toilets. Fixing the car. Taking food to your neighbor. Sharing the gospel. Setting down for a meal with somebody who's a part of your church who needs encouragement. Fixing the flat tire of that person who needs help. Right? Doing the mundane tasks. Washing the dishes. All of your to-dos at your job. It's a blanket statement. Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord, not for men. Not for men. Whatever it is, whatever it is that you find, whatever it is, not that you want, not that you desire, but that Christ has placed before you today, do it with your whole heart. Do it with full investment, seeking His praise and His glory. Talk about something that brings rich meaning to life. You talk about something that brings rich purpose. You talk about the transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ and the grace of the gospel hitting in the practical details of our life. What we're seeing here. is that the Lordship of Christ, the reality that we belong to Him, the reality that we have been changed by the work of the gospel, it impacts even our daily activities where we are able and empowered by the Spirit of God to bring Him pleasure there. Brothers and sisters, if you get a hold of this, this will change your life. This will change our lives. Because we see that everything belongs to Jesus. That there is no aspect of our lives, there is no task, there is nothing on our daily agenda that does not belong to Him and that is not devoted to His praise and His worship. And if there is, there needs to be repentance. Genuine repentance, realizing I'm holding on to this in my sinful flesh, and I need to come in a heart of submission and do everything for the value of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I love this word in verse 23, heartily, heartily. You ever seen somebody go to work or maybe they're doing something and it's like, brother, your heart just ain't in it, right? Your heart just ain't in it. Like right now it's not so much your superior mind and understanding of this job, I just need your effort right now. Like I just need you to get immersed in this. I need your heart. That should not be said of us as believers. That should not be said of us as Christians. that we should be those who work and who go about life with great heart, because we know it matters before the sight of God. So I ask you, and I ask myself this morning, do we seek the glory of Christ in this way? Do we seek the glory of Christ in this way? Are we driven to His honor? Are we driven to His praise? Are we driven to His pleasure in this kind of a way every single day? Now, I know in a room this size, if we're just honest, every single one of us are sitting here and you're thinking, even that thing? Right? Even that task? Yes. Even that nitty gritty one where it's like, man, I'm tempted in my flesh to drift off here. I'm tempted in my flesh to say, would you do that, please? Right? Do it with all of your heart to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I want to challenge it and press in here, because this text, it's not just about looking at your to-do list and saying, OK, I need to invest more. I need to work harder. It's about realizing what's underneath that. What's driving this? What's driving this is the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and everything. And how is it that you come to know the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ? Through the gospel, through the gospel. And so maybe you're here this morning, you're being convicted because you're realizing that even in all the nitty gritty details of your life, you might profess to honor Christ, but then when it comes to how you actually live, you're not really seeking his pleasure. You're not really seeking his glory. You're not really seeking his honor. You're not devoted to his service. And maybe it is that you actually need to come to know Him through the power of the gospel that you would be set free from your sin, set free from making everything about yourself and come to Him in faith and repentance, be born again by the power of the Spirit of God so that you would see the glory of Christ and in seeing the glory of Christ be devoted to Him in this way. And if that's the case, I urge you, come to Jesus, repent of your sins, be saved and transformed by the good news of the gospel message. But for us as Christians, let's take this as an encouragement, right? Let's take this as a heart check to be invested in what the Lord sets before us. But there's also further encouragement here. Because we're doing this, not even looking to an earthly reward, not even looking to what is set before us in this world, but notice verse 24 here. Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. What I love about how Paul says this is that it's not a question mark. Do you notice that? Knowing that from the Lord If you do good enough, you might receive. If you work hard enough, you might receive. No. Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. This is a certainty. We as Christians, we labor with the certain expectation of the promise of eternal life, of the promise of an eternal kingdom, of the promise of an everlasting new creation, of the lavish blessing of God towards us in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a certainty, right? You think about human rewards. You think about working for earthly bosses, earthly superiors. You don't know what you're going to get, right? You don't know what you're going to get. Like, you're going to get a bonus this year or are you not? You're going to get, we don't know. But when it comes to seeking the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, we diligently labor for his praise, having already received that which we do not deserve. Let me say that one more time. We diligently labor for his praise, having already been recipients of that which we do not deserve. We already have a relationship with him by the good news of the gospel. And so because of that fact, we look forward to the last day when we will receive the fullness of that inheritance. And that frees us to seek the pleasure of the Lord now. And so we know this reward is a certainty and the calling of the Christian is in light of the fact that we will be rewarded to be good stewards of what we have been given to maximize that reward for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at me in Matthew chapter 25. I love Matthew 25 in the parable of talents. You have these different servants who are given different amounts of talents. And what is the expectation of the Lord? What is the expectation of the master? You're gonna go out and you're gonna use what you've been given, right? You're gonna use what you've been given for the further development as a good steward for the praise of your master. And so you're not being judged on the basis of how many talents you've been given. You're being judged on how you use what you've been given. Look at Matthew 25 verses 20 through 28. Matthew 25, verses 20 through 28. I want to read this whole section. And he who had received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents. Here, I have made five talents more. His master said to him, notice this, this is an important refrain, okay? Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. And he also, who had the two talents, came forward, saying, Master, you delivered to me two talents. Here I have made two talents more. His master said to him, Important, notice. Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. He also, who had received the one talent, came forward, saying, Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours. But his master answered him, you wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap what I have not sown, and I gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own of interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the 10 talents. The principle here is not works-based salvation. Amen. The principle here is not works-based salvation. We as Christians are forgiven and redeemed by the power of the gospel. True salvation comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ. But true saving faith, truly being born again, leads to a desire to use your life for the glory of God. Which is why, notice this, the person who buries their talents, do you notice that the fundamental issue is they don't know the master? They don't know him in truth. I think he's a harsh man. They don't know his character. They don't know the truth about the Lord. They don't know him in truth. That's why they receive judgment. That's why they receive judgment. They were never truly saved to begin with. That's what that's illustrating. But the good news for the Christian Whether you've received five talents or two talents, it doesn't matter. It's well done, good and faithful servant, because you're seeking the glory of your King, the Lord Jesus Christ, who knows what it is that he wanted to give to you and where he wants you, and therefore it's all about his glory and where he places you. And it's the eternal glory of His name that's driving you. And that's good news for us. But what if you're sitting here today and you're a Christian and you're sitting here and you're looking at your life and you're like, man, I kind of wish I would have done better on this. Welcome to the club. Welcome to the club. that all of us as believers, all of us who have been saved by grace, look over the course of our lives and we realize, I wish I would have done better there. I realize that I could have been more faithful there. I realize that I should have been more diligent for the glory of God in this way. And yet we look at that and we're brought to our knees to see the glory of the grace that has been brought to us. So that we don't wallow in the pit of despair, but instead we look to the Lord Jesus and we say, let me learn from that and use the rest of my days faithfully for your praise. This is what this passage is encouraging us to. Now look at the end of verse 24 here in Colossians chapter three. Paul tells them this very bluntly. The end of verse 24 here, you are serving the Lord Christ. You are serving the Lord Christ. So you look at the start of verse 23, whatever you do, work hardly for the Lord, as for the Lord, not for men. You come to the end of verse 24, you are serving the Lord Christ. He wants to emphasize the point. He wants us to make sure that this is driven home. And I love how he specifically, he doesn't say you're serving the Lord, he doesn't say you're serving Jesus Savior, he says specifically you're serving the Lord, Christ. What does that word Lord mean? We've talked about this through Colossians. The one who is in the position of absolute authority. the one to whom complete and total allegiance is due, right? This means that in everything, whatever your position, whatever your station in life, you submit to the authority of the Lord Jesus as the sovereign, as the king, as the one in total authority. Yes, that means the Christian banker should seek to be a Christian in his job and should seek to honor Jesus as Lord in his job. Yes, it means the Christian business owner should be a Christian business owner. And by that, it means that they submit to the Lord, come to the pages of scripture and submit to what it is for the will of God as revealed for us to work in our business dealings. Yes, it means the Christian who is placed in a station of politics should seek to govern and to rule according to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in His Word. It means Jesus is Lord and we honor Him as Lord. working in our homes, working in our jobs, working in our lives, we submit to him as the Lord in everything. And the current question for us, as you look into your own soul, as you look into your own life, where are the areas where you're trying to maintain that control? Where are the areas where you're not coming to the scripture and allowing it to refine you, allowing it to refine what it is that you're doing, what you're laboring after in your home, in your workplace, in your life. And instead, for us to realize by the power of the gospel, we are obligated to submit to Jesus Christ as a Lord in absolutely everything. And this also frees us. It frees us from the bitterness and resentment that sometimes comes through these working relationships. Look at verse 25. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. Oftentimes these slaves in the Roman world would have no legal recourse if their masters mistreated them. You don't have an ability to actually rectify that in this world through governmental means sometimes. Perhaps nobody else even knows about it. Obviously, if you have the opportunity in some of these relationships to alleviate that situation, somebody's mistreating you, you can find a better job, do it. That can be glorifying to the Lord. But if in some of these situations you've been mistreated and there's no way for you to have justice on the surface. The promise for the Christian is eternal judgment and eternal justice. And why is that important? Because it frees you from bitterness, it frees you from a vengeful spirit, it frees you from despair, it frees you from being absolutely eaten up whenever you're going about your life and some of these relationships go in that way. Because you know that there is a Lord who reigns on high and who will bring judgment on the last day, and there's not gonna be any partiality. There's not gonna be any tipping of the scales. There's gonna be complete and total righteous judgment. Every evil thought, every evil deed, every sinful action that was never punished on this earth will be set right on the last day. And this frees us. Romans 12, 19. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And so the application here is not, hey, if you're in a job where your boss is mistreating you, don't worry about that. No. Right? We live in a society and age where you have, thankfully, a justice system that's been largely influenced by Christian values. And so there are oftentimes many ways to rectify those situations, and we thank God for that. But we also know those justice systems on this side of eternity do not always act in a righteous way. And there is no way that you can right every single wrong on this planet. And to that, we are freed from vengeance by looking to the final judgment of the Lord Jesus Christ. You don't have to be held down by somebody else's wrong against you forever. you can know the joy of the Lord because of the freedom of the last day judgment. But, this brings us to our final verse. This truth about the last day judgment not only frees those who have been sinned against, it also provides accountability for those who are in positions of authority. Look at chapter four, verse one. Masters, Treat your bond servants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. So the servant, the slave, ultimately has their eyes not on their master, but on Christ. The master here has their eyes not just on their own prophet, not just on their own advancement, but on the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing what standard of justice are gonna be judged by on that day. What they thought was right, what they thought was fair, no. What's revealed in the pages of the word of the living God. And it is according to that standard that they are to treat others justly and fairly. No matter how much authority one has, no matter how much power one has, no matter how much influence one has, nobody escapes this. Nobody escapes this judgment. All are accountable before the Lord Jesus Christ. And he directs this to masters and servants, but be assured, this has relevance to everyone in a position of authority, where that's authority in the home, authority in the church, authority in the workforce, authority in the government, whatever it is, all will be held to account before the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you're in a position of authority, This directs your gaze much higher than your superiors. This directs your gaze much higher than those who are underneath you. This directs your gaze to the all-seeing eyes of the perfect, righteous, spotless Lord before whom you will stand. And this means that the way we treat others, by the way, even those who were slaves in ancient Rome, So whether you're talking about treating others in positions of authority or you're talking about treating others who have no standing whatsoever in terms of human authority or power, how we treat them matters because we will be held accountable by the Lord Jesus. Therefore, we should seek to treat every single person in our lives according to His holy standard. Seeking the pleasure of our master. Everybody has a master. Everybody has a master. If you don't know Christ, your master is the desires of your own sinful flesh that holds you bondage. But if you know Christ, He is your master. And the service to Him His yoke is easy, and his burden is light, and it is one of joy, and it is one of sufficient grace to equip you in every relationship, in every role, in every task to live pleasing before his sight. And I pray that as we see this passage, that we as Christians would have our eyes opened to see that Jesus has shown us a wonderful mercy. Jesus has shown us a wonderful grace in bringing us to know him as Lord, and now we seek to serve him in all things as our Lord. And we seek his praise. And there is no task too small. no deed too private, no relationship unhidden before his sight, and before which we will not be held to account, and before which we cannot bring him much glory and honor. If there's anything that you need to talk about this morning, if there's anything that you need prayer for, it would be my privilege to pray for you or to visit with you about anything that you may have on your heart or your soul here this morning. I'm gonna ask Brother Doug, if he would, to come lead us in our closing hymn today. Let's bow together and we're gonna pray. Father, I thank you for your grace to us in the gospel. Father, I thank you for changing us, for bringing us redemption, for allowing us to know Jesus Christ. And Father, as we look at this passage and we see the call to honor you in all things, to treat others justly and fairly according to the standard of your word, to be submissive to those you've placed an authority over us so long as they are not leading us to sin. Father, I ask that you would work in our hearts and work in our souls that every single task we go to do, we would do it heartily, not looking to please mere men, but looking to please and honor the Lord Jesus Christ. And that, Father, we would be freed from this trap of pleasing people and freed to look to the glory of our eternal master, Jesus. And I ask that you would bring this change into our lives. It's in the name of Christ I pray, amen.