This morning we begin with a pop quiz. As soon as you think you know the answer, I want you to write the answer down and then quickly raise your hand and lower it. I want to see at what point you get the answer. You will have to grade your own quiz. The category is pop music. Ready? This song came out in 1937 but Bing Crosby did not sing it and Tommy Dorsey did not play it. Although this song did not make the top 40 for that year, it is arguably the most memorable tune from that year. The singers in this song sang about their job. The first four notes in order are these. This is for the benefit of our musician types who can sing it in their mind. C, F, E, D. Alright, let me play it for you on the piano. First four notes, ready? Nobody. One. Two. In Walt Disney's first full-length animated film, Snow White, there were these seven dwarves who sang I hope, I hope, it's off to work we go. Alright, for those of you who did not do so well on this test so far, you have one more opportunity. Write down your answer, raise your hand if you think you know it. What was the job of these seven dwarves? Half an arm right here, all right. They were miners for precious gemstones, specifically diamonds and rubies. All right. Did any of you get it right? sort of, part of it, okay. I don't know how you get part of it right. Such work, including this song, came about as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Now the Industrial Revolution began to take place in the 17th century. In the 18th century it was an item on the map. Let me back up. It started in the 18th century. It really built steam in the 19th century, my apologies. With inventions like electricity and the cotton gin, it took off. And then with the advances in transportation, specifically the transcontinental railway, it really took off. The Industrial Revolution was a radical change and transformation of society where people moved from farms into cities. And the place of work was no longer the field and the home, but more and more it was the factory and the mill and the mine. A lot of people think that those societal changes were good and positive and profitable, but it came at a price. It was the common laborer that shouldered the pain of the Industrial Revolution. And your common laborer had to work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, just to eke out a living. It was the poor, the recently immigrated, and children who took the brunt of that price tag. Tomorrow is a national holiday. It dates back 130 years. In 1894, Congress, which is always slow to get to the party, enacted a law that set aside the first Monday of every September as a national holiday to honor the working man. We call it Labor Day. Statisticians inform us that the average person will spend some 90,000 hours of their lifetime working. And upon hearing such a report many might ask, why would anybody want to work that much or that hard? 90,000 hours constitutes a third of your earthly existence. Why is it that we work? Well there's a very good reason for that and we find it in the Bible. Matter of fact, we find it in the very first page of the Bible in the book of Genesis. Genesis is the book of beginnings, that's what Genesis means, and we find here in the very first chapters, why do we need a Savior? What's the problem between God and man? What is justice? What is mercy? Why do we wear clothing? It's all there in the first chapters of Genesis, including why is it that we work? I thought it appropriate this morning to deviate from our study in the book of Ephesians and explore what does the Bible say about our work. We spend so much time doing it, but why? Genesis chapter 1 verse 27, God created man in his own image In the image of God, he created them, him. Male and female, he created them. God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth. We're not done. Chapter 2, verse 15. The Lord God took the man, put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. As rockets are meant to fly and fish are meant to swim, so men and women are made to work. We work because that's how God built us. That's how we are made. That is God's intended purpose for us. We need to talk about that so that it becomes meaningful work. Mark Twain once quipped, let us be grateful to Adam. He cut us out of the blessing of idleness and won for us the curse of labor. Humor aside, there is some truth to that, but there's only truth in that after Genesis chapter 3. After the fall, after sin came into the world and poisoned everything, not just poisoned apples. You get the reference Snow White. You did so poorly on the quiz this morning I'm trying to redeem you a little bit. No, I forgot what I was saying. There is truth in the fact that labor is a curse, but only after Genesis chapter 3. Sin has so marred, stained, polluted everything in our existence that work can be a drudgery. but God has given us meaningful work. He's wired us that way and we will be engaged in meaningful work right up until the time that eternity ends. This morning I'm I'm focusing our attention on Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3 verses 22 through 24. I invite you to turn there with me. Colossians 3 verse 22 reads this way, New American Standard Translation, slaves in all things Obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. it is the Lord Christ whom you serve. I divided this message into three points. The motivation for my labor, the manner of my labor, and for lack of another M that I couldn't fit in and couldn't shoehorn it in, the result results of my labor. Point number one, verse 22 sets us up in this discussion of work in the context of slavery. Slaves in all things obey those who are your masters on earth and Let me make a couple comments about that. Because it is germane, it is important in terms of understanding the whole passage of scripture. Nowhere in Paul's letters does he denounce the practice of slavery. It is a horrible practice. It's been demonstrated over and over and over again. Every generation somewhere in the world has wrestled with this problem of one who has greater strength, power, ability conscripting someone else and owning them as property. But nowhere does Paul speak against it. He doesn't stump on an anti-slavery platform. Why not? I don't know. And we don't have the Apostle Paul to be here to tell us why he didn't. But I can tell you this. Paul was a one-platform man. He didn't stump on anti-slavery, he stumped on Jesus Christ and him crucified. He focused all of his efforts on other people knowing and walking with Christ. So that it didn't matter if you're a slave man, or if you're a free man, or if you're a man, or if you're a woman, or if you're a child, or if you're a parent. It doesn't matter to the Apostle Paul. You're only going to be here a handful of decades of life, at best. So use this time to know Christ and walk with him. So as we read in the opening verses of our text this morning when Paul's talking about slavery, he's not talking about slaves per se. He's talking about Christian slaves. He's talking about how do we work our work? How do we do what we do under Christ? With Jesus being our head, with Jesus being our Lord, with Him being our master, we are His slaves. We are here to do His bidding. Slaves, in all things, obey those who are your masters on earth. Let me back up into the earlier context to see that he's not just talking about slaves here. He's talking about all of God's people. He's talking about all Christian people. verse 18. Wives, be subject to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Verse 20. Children, be obedient to your parents in all things for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Notice the verbs. Verse 18, be subject. Verse 20, be obedient. Verse 22, obey and And here's the rationale, here's the reason why. Verse 18, as is fitting in the Lord. Verse 20, this is well pleasing to the Lord. God in his wisdom has so structured society that we all have sometimes multiple roles and responsibilities. Paul's not challenging that. He is simply acknowledging that and saying we have a responsibility here. Now there's many a man who has wrongly and incorrectly chastised his wife with this notion of you are to submit to me. The idea here of submission, the Greek word literally means to place oneself under, is similar to what we find in the next verb in verse 20 translated be obedient. It's the Greek word hupakou meaning to hear under. place yourself under, to hear under. This idea of submission, which includes the idea of obedience, but is bigger than that, is not just an action. It is first an attitude. Where I understand my role as being one of support for another person, in these cases, and I am supporting them in how I present myself. I come under another person's authority given to them by God. Now a person who is in submission, a person who obeys, is first, note again the rationale, I am to submit as is fitting in the Lord as is well-pleasing to the Lord, first and foremost for the Christian, Jesus is my master and I am here to obey him, period. Now Because of that, and because of the structure he has created in this world, I have those responsibilities to come under the authority of another person. Maybe for a man who is the patriarch of his family, he at least comes under the authority of the government. Well what happens if that person or that government violates their responsibility before the Lord and commands of that other individual or of their subjects, as would be the case in the government, to do something that is ungodly? Well it is fitting to the Lord, it is well pleasing to the Lord that I obey Him. Period. but I come under subjection to that other authority over me by submitting to whatever consequences there may be to follow Christ and not an ungodly leader. So this whole section here might be summed up if we back up yet just one more verse. Verse 17 of chapter 3 where Paul writes, whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks through him to God the Father. It doesn't matter if you're a father, a husband, a wife, a mother, a child, a parent, a slave, a master, an employer, an employee. It doesn't matter. For those of you that are Christians, whatever you do, do it all unto the Lord. That is what is fitting. That is what is pleasing to Him. We all have different roles and responsibilities in society, in church, in families. We serve the Lord by placing ourselves under those in authority. Now, this text, verses 22 through 24, specifically speaks to our responsibility to our employer, to those that we are responsible. This speaks of our work. And at the end of verse 22, middle of verse 22 really, and in verse 23 we find two motivations for how we are to carry ourselves in our work. Slaves, verse 22, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service. Literally it means with eye service. We don't work, Christians, don't work simply to please the boss. We've all had those experiences of people who are eye-pleasers, pleasing just to get the wink, the nod, the approval of the employer. How many break rooms are there that act like magnets for workers where people just congregate, but as soon as the boss, the supervisor shows up and darkens the doorway, the workers scatter. No, it's not. We don't live just to please those that are in positions above us. Listen to one translation. Slaves, obey your human masters in all things, not only when they are watching you because you want to gain their approval, but do it with a sincere heart because of your reverence for the Lord. We don't do what we do simply to have other people that are watching us look at us with kindness and favor. No, we do what we do because it's fitting. It is well pleasing to the Lord. We are motivated by an internal reverence for the Lord. Let me give you an illustration here. One of my seminary professors, Howard Hendricks, told the story a number of times. I heard it from him a number of times. But it's such an excellent illustration, it bears repeating yet again. He tells the story of a foul-mouthed passenger who boarded the commercial flight on which Hendricks was flying himself. As soon as he got on the plane it was obvious that he was angered and he was rushed. But sitting on the tarmac for an unknown reason was not something that calmed him down. It indeed made him more agitated. Wisely or foolishly, the flight staff decided to deal with the situation by offering passengers free alcohol on that particular flight. Well, this only made the man more drunk and he became more and more belligerent And everybody was so glad when that cross-country flight finally landed and they were able to get off the airplane. There was one flight attendant, a stewardess, who was always kind and gentle toward this particular man whose tea kettle was on boil. And after the flight, Hendricks found that woman and he approached her and asked for her name and employer identification number. He said, I'm a million mile flyer. I want to write the president of the airline. I've never seen such exemplary behavior before. And she responded by saying, oh, I don't work for United. Hendricks was caught off guard by that and waited for an explanation. She gave it. You see, I work for Jesus Christ full time. United just pays my salary. That's one working not for external service but working out of internal reverence. First Corinthians 1031, whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Second page of your notes. Point number two, the manner of my labor. Back to verse 22, slaves in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. That word, with sincerity, means with simplicity or with a single-minded focus. Let me take you to a couple places where Paul uses this particular Greek word elsewhere. In 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 3, Paul writes this, I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. Paul was concerned that because of the craftiness of the evil one, their single-minded focus would be distracted on something else. Turn with me to the book of Romans, chapter 12. Familiar passage of scripture. Romans chapter 12. I'll read part of verse 6 and then jump into verse 8. The word I'm looking for is in verse 8. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly. Dot dot dot. Let your eyes go down to verse 8. He who gives with, here's the word, with liberality. Well that's an interesting way to translate it. With sincerity meaning with simplicity or with a single-minded focus and here the word is translated with liberality. This is what Paul means. In your giving, as God has equipped you, give with a single-minded focus. Give with simplicity. Give with liberality. Meaning, don't give with the purposed hope that you're going to get a kickback. Simply give. Give with liberality. Give with a single-minded focus. Don't give hoping to get something back. All right, back to our text. Work with sincerity of heart. Single-minded focus. Verse 17, remember in the greater context, whatever you do, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. He is my master. I do what I do to please Him. I do what I do because it is the right thing to do. Why is it that you clean up at home? Is it to please your spouse, your children, or is it because it's the right thing to do? Why is it that you spend extra hours on a report that needs to be turned in to your employer? Do we do it because it's the right thing to do? Is that our single-minded focus? Secondly, verse 23, whatever you do, Paul writes, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men. That word heartily literally means from the soul. Listen to the amplified version of that particular verse. Whatever you do, whatever your task may be, work from the soul. That is, put in your very best effort as something done for the Lord, not for men. Let me give you a couple of negative and a couple of positive examples. First negative example is from the book of Jeremiah chapter 3. You will remember that Jeremiah prophesied in the southern kingdom of Judah about a century after the northern kingdom of Israel had been conquered, defeated, devastated, and dispersed by the Assyrians. So Jeremiah, as he was wont to do, continually pointed the people of Judah back to the example of the Israelites. They were spiritual adulterers, I could hear Jeremiah say. Don't follow them. Give yourself wholeheartedly to the Lord. Heart, mind, soul, strength. Work for him with sincerity. Work for him heartily. In Jeremiah chapter 3 verse 10 he says, in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart but rather in deception declares the Lord. In other words Judah, listening to Jeremiah and many of the other prophets, looked and remember what happened to the north, to the kingdom of Israel, and they said oh we don't want to be like that, so they put on airs. They all went to church, and they all gave money to the church. They gave their five dollar bills, they gave their twenty dollar bills, But what was evident was they were giving lip service to God. They were seeking to externally please God by their behavior, going to church and giving their little tuppence of money. Jeremiah writes, in spite of all you saw up there about this treacherous, spiritually adulterous nation of Israel, you have done the very same thing. You've not returned to me with all your heart, rather you are deceivers, posers, You're not the real deal. You are half-hearted at best. According to the Almanac of American People, the average American spends 32% of the workday goofing off, totaling approximately four months of extra vacation. My friends, for those who are called by Christ, for those who wear His name, that must not be. That cannot be. We are called to give God our undivided attention. We are here serving Him. Whatever we do, in word or deed, we do it all. unto the glory of God. A couple of positive examples. Second Chronicles chapter 31. Now this would be a verse that would be very close to the very end of the Hebrew Bible. we might look at it as an almost closing exclamation point. Ezra the scribe penned Chronicles, so we believe, chapter 31 verse 20. Thus Hezekiah, King Hezekiah, did throughout all Judah and he did what was good right and true before the Lord his God every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment seeking his God he did with all his heart and prospered the name Stradivarius is synonymous with fine violins This is true because Antonius Stradivarius insisted that no instrument leave his shop could not be sold until it was as near perfection as human care and skill could craft it. Stradivarius said, God needs violins to send his music into the world. And if any violins are defective, God's music will be spoiled. So he insisted that his workers give their very best. They serve heartily toward that enterprise of making the very best, the world's best violins. We Christians can do no less. An old hymn went this way, give of your best to the Master, not else is worthy his love. He gave himself for your ransom, gave up his glory above, laid down his life without murmur, you from sins ruined to save. give him your heart's adoration, give him the best that you have. Point number three, the results of my labor. I remind you again that Paul wrote to the this section specifically to slaves, that was the cross-section of believers in his mind at the time. Slaves have no inheritance by definition. They have no property, they own no property, because they are the property. Nevertheless, Christian slaves have an inheritance. Verse 24, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. We labor as we labor, we do as we do to please him as is fitting to who he is and what he has done and how he has arranged the world. Knowing all that, you, even slaves, will receive the reward of the inheritance. Now in one sense he refers to this inheritance as a reward It's not a reward on the basis of what we have done, it is a reward on the basis of what Christ has done on our behalf. This reward of which he is speaking is given to us as a gift. It's not something I own, I'm sorry, not something that I earn, it is something that I will possess. And part of that inheritance will be a resurrected body that will not decay, will not have strokes, will not need to have surgeries. We will inherit a new heaven and a new earth where we will have a long time to explore and discover and see God's creative handiwork. Part of this inheritance will be a life where there are no more tears of grief and disappointment. That's something that we inherit because of Christ. Listen to the teaching of scripture, Hebrews chapter 9. For this reason he, speaking of Jesus, is the mediator of a new covenant so that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 1 Peter chapter 1, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. It's a gift for all those who believe. However, there is also a part of this inheritance, a reward for that which we do unto the Lord. There is a reward coming for the manner in which we do what we do. How we work will be observed, watched, recorded by our Lord. It doesn't matter our skill level, our age, our energy level, our knowledge level. God takes all of that into account. And he will reward his people who serve him faithfully, with diligence, with a single-minded focus. Listen to scripture, 1 Corinthians 3. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident. For the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire. And the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. First Corinthians 15. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. Romans chapter 2, God will render to each person according to his deeds. The pastor of our church when we were in seminary in Texas had a refrigerator magnet that read, the pay is not great I think it was kind of a reference to his service as a pastor. The pay is not great, but the rewards are out of this world. Indeed they are for each of us. In conclusion, I want each of us to take careful note when we sing, hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go. Is your work single-minded? Is it focused? One last closing illustration. Samuel Johnson was the father of modern lexicography. I love words and I love the work of Samuel Johnson. He labored for nine years to build a dictionary. He spent his days searching for the etymology, the history of obscure English words. He explained at the beginning of his dictionary why he was so careful, so meticulous, so single-minded in his effort. And he said that his effort was dedicated to the glory of God. His work was an extension of his life with God. A work that either brought credit or dishonor to his Lord. Let's pray. Father I thank you for these kinds of times and days with Labor Day just hours away from us that remind us of who we are and why we are here and how we can best please you. Father in all of our labor, be that at home, be that in an office, be that out in the field, wherever it might be, Father I pray that you would remind us of the fact that as believers we are under your authority we are under your lordship we are here to serve you in all of our labor no matter what it is give us the right attitude the correct focus so that we would please you in all things it is for your glory that we pray this In Jesus' name, amen.