WORKING FOR OUR HIGHER BOSS

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on December 10, 2023 under 2023 |

Bethany Bible Church Sermon Message from December 10, 2023 from Ephesians 6:5-9

Theme: We must do our daily work as if unto the Lord Jesus … and not merely to human employers.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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One of the most valuable spiritual lessons I’ve ever learned was one that I learned in a dumpster.

You see; shortly after I graduated from high school, I got a job with a moving and storage company. I worked in the storage warehouse as a ‘warehouse maintenance technician’. Well … that was the title I gave myself, anyway. I basically swept the floors, stacked pallets, and did whatever needed to be done to tidy up the warehouse.

One day, the warehouse manager pointed to one of the big dumpsters just to the side of one of the loading docks. He wanted to save money on dumpster pick-ups; so he told me—whenever I saw the dumpster getting full—to take a garden hose, soak down all the trash inside, climb in, and jump up and down to compact all the trash tightly inside. Every few days, he’d point to the dumpster and signal for me to climb in and start jumping.

It was a rather humiliating thing to have to do. Pretty soon, I got the nickname ‘Dumpster King’. The truck drivers and warehousemen would often walk by and shout, “Good job, Dumpster King! Pack it down!”; and they’d do a little imitation dance of me jumping up and down on the garbage. And as I hosed the garbage down, jumped up and down on it, and listened to the ribbing I was getting from everyone else, I bitterly thought to myself, “Wouldn’t my parents be proud of me! I’ve sure come a long way!” It was my first job; and I was really growing to hate it. And I was particularly beginning to resent my boss.

There was one night in particular, though. I had to work late. It was cold. I was all alone and left to lock the place up when I was finished with my evening dumpster dance. Since it had been raining, I didn’t even need to hose the garbage own. I just climbed in—cold and wet—and started jumping. I was pretty miserable. But as I was complaining about it to myself, I remembered something that I had read in the Bible. I had become a believer only a couple of years before; and I had recently read the words of Ephesians 6:5-8. It’s the passage we’re going to be looking at this morning. It says,

Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free (Ephesians 6:5-8).

And I felt as if, at that moment, the Lord Jesus was teaching me that He would reward my work if I did it as unto Him—even if it was the work of jumping up and down in a soggy dumpster. I loved the Lord Jesus; and I’d gladly do anything He wanted me to. So; I jumped up and down as if I was working for the Lord Jesus Christ. And it really made a difference in my spirit.

I’ve had lots of other jobs since that one … all of them were better, of course, than jumping up and down in a wet dumpster—but some by not very much. And they all involved doing things—at times—that felt way beneath me to have to be doing. But in all of them, I kept on growing in the belief that whatever job I had was given to me by the sovereign providence of God my Father. And I learned, more and more, to do even the most menial and seemingly dishonorable aspects of those jobs—as well as the more honorable tasks—‘as to Christ’. And after a while, doing so made even those undesirable aspects of my job a joy to do.

I learned that, whoever my earthly, ‘fleshly’ boss might be at the time, I have an even greater, more wonderful Boss that I ultimately work for. And I loved Him; because He took on the humiliating and demeaning job of dying on the cross for my sins in order to save my soul.

And so; to this very day, I’m grateful for what the Lord taught me early on in that first job. As Ephesians 6 teaches us, we must do our daily work as if unto the Lord Jesus … and not merely to human employers.

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Now, this passage—Ephesians 6:5-8—is part of a larger theme. It was a theme that the apostle Paul began to present to his readers in 5:18; where he wrote,

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit … (5:18).

Paul went on to show that, if we are truly under the Holy Spirit’s rule and control over our lives—if we’re truly ‘filled with the Spirit’—then His rule over us will show itself in our behavior. And one of the characteristic ways in which His rule demonstrates itself in us will be a submissiveness in the various relationships in which God sovereignly places us. We’ll first be ultimately submissive to His rule; and then, in submission to Him, we’ll be submissive in the other relationships into which He has placed us. Paul went on to show us that we’ll exhibit humble, Holy Spirit-empowered submissiveness in such relationships as the one between a husband and a wife; or between children and their parents. And here, he takes up the whole matter of Holy Spirit-empowered submissiveness in the workplace.

He speaks of ‘bondservants’ and ‘masters’. And though this is speaking of a very specific kind of relationship, I’m assuming that his words can legitimately be extended to the broader idea of an ‘employer/employee’ work relationship.¹ He speaks of how this whole matter of Holy Spirit-empowered submissiveness is to be applied to the ‘employer’ in verse 9; and—if the Lord so permits—we’ll take that up next week. But the important thing to notice is that—with respect to both the employer and the employee—this is not something that is to be done in the power of our own efforts or strength. It’s to be done through the enabling of the Holy Spirit. Wherever we may be placed by God in life, we’re to seek to be either Spirit-filled workers or Spirit-filled managers and bosses—dependent upon and empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill our role in a way that pleases Him and that blesses one another.

And please note that this is not—by any means—a small matter. We’re living in a time right now when workplace relationships—and workplace commitments—are in a desperately broken condition. People are frequently being hired for jobs who then fail to even show up for work. Employers are increasingly finding it hard to find reliable, trustworthy workers—or even any kind of workers at all—because those who are hired don’t honor their employers’ authority or keep their promises to them. And those who are hired are often finding ways to cheat their employers, or to make demands and claim rights and privileges from them that can’t possibly be maintained. It is increasingly destroying the economy and devastating the workforce.

And so; for us—as followers of Jesus—to behave as faithful, reliable, Spirit-filled believers in the work environment is becoming crucial to testifying of our Lord and to stand out as a witness for Him in this world. In fact, it’s becoming very necessary in order for us to actually bless the world in a way that the world desperately needs to be blessed.

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So; what do these important words from Ephesians 6:5-8 teach us? First, they show us …

1. WHAT WE’RE TO DO.

Paul wrote in verse 5, “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh …” He distinguished those who are over us in a work relationship as ‘masters according to the flesh’ to remind us that we have an even greater Master at the right hand of the Father that we ultimately work for—the Lord Jesus Christ. And we’re to be obedient to our earthly boss as an act of primary submission and obedience to our heavenly Boss.

Now; it’s really rather surprising to see how often this instruction is given to us in the Bible. For example, the apostle Paul wrote a very similar command to his brothers and sisters in his letter to the Colossian church. In Colossians 3:22-25, he wrote;

Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality (Colossians 3:22-25).

In that passage, Paul reminded his brothers and sisters that—no matter how big or how little a paycheck they may receive from their earthly job—they work for the Lord Jesus. And He’s able to reward their faithfulness far more than their earthly boss ever could—or to punish their wrongdoing much more severely than any ‘master according to the flesh’ would do.

Paul also wrote similar words in 1 Timothy 6:1-2. He was writing instructions to Pastor Timothy concerning things that he was to teach the people of God in his church family; and Paul told him,

Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things (1 Timothy 6:1-2).

As these words teach us, doing a poor job bears a bad witness to the people of this world, and dishonors the gospel that we claim to believe. And don’t you also love the psychological insights that the Bible gives us? Paul knew that a Christian working for another Christian might be inclined to do a less-than-thorough job in their work—or even fail to honor their boss as they should—because they were working for a fellow believer. Such a worker may think that he or she can relax the standard, because they’re working for someone who must show grace. But the opposite should be the case. A Christian should work even harder for a fellow believer because it’s a brother or sister in the Lord who is being benefited—someone who is loved and valued by their true Boss. That’s what it would mean to live in a way that’s truly consistent with our faith.

A very similar thing is told to another pastor named Titus. In Titus 2:9-10, Paul wrote;

Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things (Titus 2:9-10).

You can see how important this instruction is by the fact that the apostle kept urging pastors to teach it to the church. And we even find the same kind of instruction being given in 1 Peter 2:18-25. The apostle Peter made it clear that we must be submitted to our earthly bosses and supervisors because it’s a part of how we show the world what Jesus is like. Peter wrote;

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

“Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (1 Peter 2:18-25).

So, you see; this isn’t an unimportant matter. It’s a significant part of how a believer bears a positive witness for Christ in this world. It’s one of the ways that we’re to show the world how our Lord Jesus Himself behaves. It blesses the world—and especially blesses others who are loved by the Lord Jesus. And most of all, it demonstrates to the world that—no matter who else we may work for—we ultimately work for the Lord Jesus!

No wonder the Bible urges us to make sure that we do our daily work as if we’re doing it for our Lord … and not just for human employers!

* * * * * * * * * * *

Now; the Bible is wonderfully practical. It not only tells us what it is that we must do; but it also goes on to tell us …

2. HOW WE’RE TO DO IT.

Notice first that we’re to do our work as unto the Lord seriously. In verse 5, Paul wrote that we’re to be obedient to our masters according to the flesh “with fear and trembling”.

You might read those words and think that that’s not a very positive thing at all. Someone might say, “I know that my boss can be a bear to work for at times; but am I really supposed to be characterized by a craven phobia? Am I really supposed to cower and shake in their presence?” And the answer is no. This isn’t speaking of a negative kind of ‘fear and trembling’; but rather of a reverential attitude that is properly directed—not toward our earthly boss—but toward the Lord Jesus for whom we ultimately work. We do our work with ‘fear and trembling’ over the seriousness of our responsibility to Him.

The apostle Paul used this same phrase in Philippians 2:12; where he wrote;

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling … (Philippians 2:12).

And what he meant by that was that we’re to live out the implications of our salvation with a sense of deep soberness and reverence. Considering what it cost our Lord to save us, we’re to treat the practical outworking of our salvation as the holy and awesome thing that it truly is. And that’s how we’re to demonstrate submissiveness in our earthly work relationships. We’re to treat our work with great seriousness—and obey our earthly boss with reverential ‘fear and trembling’—because we’re ultimately working for the Lord Jesus. He takes our faithfulness in the workplace to be a very serious thing.

Second, we’re to do our work sincerely. Paul went on to write in verse 5 that it’s to be done “in sincerity of heart, as to Christ”. We’re to be real and genuine in our obedience to Christ as we do our work.

Many years ago—when I was working as a graphic artist for a printing company—I made a small poster for myself and taped it next to my workstation. It had the big bold letters “PF” on it. My boss came by one day and asked what the poster meant. And I explained to him that it stood for “Pray First”. I told him that whenever he passed on a job or task on to me, I always did my best to stop, pray, and ask for the Lord’s help to do my work well. I told him that I prayed in this way because I was ultimately doing my work as unto Jesus—and not just for him. My boss looked at the poster for a moment; and then said, “Oh. ‘Pray First’. That’s what that stands for. I thought it stood for ‘Payday’s Friday’.”

I hope that I cleared up the confusion. But I also hope I communicated that I wanted to do my work sincerely—in a way that honored the Lord Jesus—and not just to get a paycheck.

A third way we’re to do our work unto the Lord is honestly. In verse 6, Paul wrote, “not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers …” I love how realistically the Bible speaks of things, don’t you?

Do you remember that moving and storage warehouse I used to work in? There was a main office in the warehouse building; and the dispatcher’s window faced the inside of the warehouse. And I remember some of the warehousemen walking around in front of the dispatcher’s window—pointing up to the storage racks with clipboards in hand—making it appear as if they were having a serious discussion about the inventory. But I could hear what they were really talking about. It wasn’t about the inventory. It wasn’t about work at all. It was about whatever game they had watched on television the night before. (I used to call what they were doing ‘false labor’.)

To work with “eyeservice” means to put on a phony display—working only when the boss is watching. In Titus 2:10, it’s given the name “pilfering”—that is, stealing from the employer by robbing him or her—not only of supplies and materials—but also of genuine labor during agreed-upon worktime. And to be mere ‘men-pleasers’ means that we forgot that the Lord Jesus—our true Boss—always has His eyes on us. We must work ‘honestly’.

A fourth way that Paul said we’re to work is earnestly. And I love how he puts this in verse 6. He said, that we’re to work—not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers—“but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart …” Literally, what Paul wrote was that it was to be ‘out of soul’—that is, from out of the deepest resources of our inner being.

The opposite of this would be to do our work ‘superficially’; that is, with a ‘that’s good enough’ kind of attitude. Such superficiality in our work doesn’t honor our true Boss. He gave His all for us. We’re told in Hebrews 12:2 that, “for the joy that was set before Him”—that is, for the joy He would ultimately have in saving us and uniting us to Himself forever—He “endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He did nothing for us ‘superficially’. And if we would do our work in a way that pleases Him, then we’ll do it with the kind of earnestness unto Him that He demonstrated in His work for us.

A fifth way we would do our work is cheerfully. In verse 7, Paul wrote, “with good will doing service …”

I’m ashamed to say that there have been times—in the work that I’ve done for others—that I have spoiled an otherwise good job by doing it with a grudging attitude in my inner spirit. I recognize that having a good attitude can be very hard at times. (Take it from the ‘Dumpster King’!) But even when it comes to unenjoyable tasks—or ‘taskmasters’ that are unenjoyable to work for—we can do it cheerfully if it’s truly done for the Lord Jesus.

Personally, I’ve found the key to genuine goodwill is to keep an ongoing attitude of prayer while doing our work—praying about the work we’re doing, and generously seasoning our prayer with sincere expressions of thanks to God. As it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18;

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

This isn’t a matter of mere ‘positive thinking’. Rather, it’s a matter of truly recognizing the sovereign goodness of God toward us—even over our work. The task itself may be unpleasant, and our earthly boss may be unreasonable; but our Lord—who is our true Boss—is always good and is always ready to help us if we ask. And you’ll find that you can’t remain bitter for very long while keeping in conversation with Him and truly thanking Him at the same time.

And finally, a sixth way that Paul urges us to do our work is sacredly—that is, with a genuine sense of devotion to the Lord Jesus. As Paul says at the end of verse 7, “doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.”

Our work is—in the truest sense—our calling from God. My ‘calling’ is that of a pastor and teaching elder. But your calling in the workplace is just as much from God—and is just as valid—as my calling. Your calling should be fulfilled by you with as much of a sense of devotion to the Lord as my calling. We should all treat our work sacredly, because it truly is God’s gift to us. We should do it “as to the Lord and not to men.”

* * * * * * * * * *

So then; that tells us what we’re to do. We’re to do our work as unto the Lord and not unto men. And that also tells us how we’re to do it. Because it’s from the Lord, we’re to do it seriously, sincerely, honestly, earnestly, cheerfully, and sacredly.

And that leads us to one more thing that Paul tells us in this passage …

3. WHY WE ARE TO DO IT THIS WAY.

In verse 8, Paul wrote, “knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.” This means that no matter what condition of life our Lord places us in—whether it’s in a position of service or a position of leadership—whether it’s in a position of labor or a position of management—whether it’s in a lower-level position or a higher-level position—even whether it’s as a slave or as someone who is free—our true Boss looks upon how we have done the work He has given us to do. He sees whether or not it was done as unto Him; and whether it was done faithfully. And because we know that He is able to reward us in ways that are far richer than we could ever be rewarded on earth, we must do our work as if unto the Lord … and not merely to human employers. As Paul put it in Galatians 6:7-10;

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:7-10).

* * * * * * * * * *

I know that not all of us are in the actual workforce anymore. And I know that several of us are not in the workforce yet. But we all—in one way or another—are under the responsibility of performing some kind of work under the authority of someone else. This has been given to us by our sovereign Lord.

So then; let’s do our work as unto Him. And may He get the glory!

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¹The specific word in the New Testament that is used for ‘hired workers’ is mithois; see Mark 1:20 and Luke 15:17.

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