Rev. David Holwick W
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
July 21, 2002
Colossians 3:22 - 4:1
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I. Slaving away.
A. Alabama leads the nation.
In 1995, Alabama officially outlawed slavery.
That same year they reinstituted chain gangs.
It was a popular move and got attention from around the world.
Convicts were chained together to dig ditches & break rocks.
A LIFE magazine article said the chains were "strangely
beautiful."
A year later, following a lawsuit, the gangs were dropped.
Work crews still continue but inmates are shackled
individually.
But what humanitarian reason, you ask, did the state of Alabama
invoke for doing away with the chain gangs?
The reason, according to a state official, was that shackling
inmates individually "allows more productive and efficient
management of inmates."
As Wayne Grytting comments, it's good to know that even in our
prisons, "Productivity is job #1."
What other American value could we use to justify the end of
such a fine tradition?
#17942
B. New Jersey hasn't had chain gangs for a long time, if ever.
1) Instead, we use rush hour traffic to oppress workers.
2) Our faltering economy should give us pause to reflect.
a) What do we think concerning what we do for a living?
b) Is it fulfilling to us?
c) Is our attitude honoring to God?
II. Back when half the world was enslaved.
A. The Roman and Greek empires depended on slavery.
1) The wonderful city of Athens had 30,000 citizens - and
200,000 slaves.
2) Many Christians, if not most, were drawn from the slave
class.
B. Is Paul "retro" or revolutionary?
1) Paul's advice seems to support the status quo.
a) Slaves are told to obey totally - just like children.
1> One distinction - kids get to grow up someday.
b) Slaves are told to work hard and accept lot in life.
2) But he was being helped at this time by a runaway slave
named Onesimus, who had become a Christian.
a) The short letter of Philemon records Paul's effort to
free Onesimus.
b) This attitude later turned all Christians against
slavery.
3) Paul's advice goes against the expectations of the world.
a) Not so much "accept your circumstances," as "your
circumstances don't matter any more."
4) He speaks of a special kind of freedom, one we need today.
III. Four principles of work in Colossians.
A. Work all-out and wholeheartedly. #1560, mod
1) Obey in everything.
a) Don't act like you are doing them a favor by showing up.
b) Lousy work ethic in America.
1> Do you remember "PK's Bagels" down the street?
Overnight, they went out of business.
No warning, no hint, they just locked the door.
Even their baker wasn't told.
Reason they closed: workers handed out too many
free bagels to friends.
2) Work when they're not watching.
a) Literally, avoid "eye-pleasing."
Years ago, a missionary to Africa was responsible for
getting the nationals in his area to do certain jobs.
He discovered that they were all rather lazy and would only
perform while he was actually watching them.
When he left they would stop work and do nothing until he
returned.
This man had a glass eye, and one day when his eye was
irritating him, he took it out and put it on a stump.
When he returned he found that everybody was still working
because the "eye," as they thought, was watching them the
whole time he was away.
That is what the apostle means here: eye-service!
Working only when the boss is watching.
This man thought he had found a great way to free himself,
until one day he returned to discover that one of the
workers had sneaked around from behind and put his hat
over the eye.
Everyone was lounging around, enjoying themselves.
That is eye-service!
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Americans are much more sophisticated, aren't we?
In one factory a suggestion box was installed for
people to contribute ideas designed to improve
working conditions.
The first suggestion requested that the foreman no
longer wear rubber heels on his shoes.
They wanted to hear him coming.
#17944
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b) Rev. H. A. Ironside was a famous pastor and teacher at
Moody Bible College in Chicago.
He used to tell his students of the maid who was asked
how she knew she had really become a Christian.
She replied, "I know I'm a Christian because I sweep
under the rugs now!"
#17943
3) Consider your work to be a prayer.
a) Everything we do should make us aware of God.
1> Every job is a "calling," not just us preachers.
2> When you work, you are honoring your Creator.
300 years ago, a monk named Brother Lawrence wrote
a fascinating book called "Practicing the
Presence of God."
In it he talked about how he sought to honor God
while he was washing dishes.
Brother Lawrence understood that we will not serve
well in the big areas of life if we do not serve
well in the everyday areas of life.
b) Our work ethic should be a witness, too.
1> If your co-workers don't respect your work habits,
they won't respect your Jesus.
2> Your work reflects on your Christian character.
B. You are employed by Christ, not by your company.
1) Paul says we are not serving men at all, but God.
2) In a sense, we don't care what the boss thinks.
a) This is good, because bosses can be pretty dumb...
Quote from a boss at Citrix Corporation:
"Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say."
A shipping executive at FTD Florists:
"My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled
for Monday.
When I told my boss, he said she died on purpose so
that I would have to miss work on the busiest day
of the year.
He then asked if we could change her burial to
Friday.
He said, 'That would be better for me.'"
#18816
3) We only care about what God thinks.
C. Your pay is not just in a check.
1) Most people are motivated by a paycheck...a bigger paycheck.
a) Celeste has to use calculator to figure out nighttime
differential, weekend differential, overtime,
401k benefits...
2) God rewards everyone who works for him.
a) He rewards even what bosses never see.
b) His rewards are more significant and lasting.
3) Paul hints it applies equally to masters.
D. Those with power will answer to God, like everyone else.
1) God doesn't have favorites.
a) The powerful and the weak are the same to him.
2) Bosses must be just and fair.
a) Harder teaching for them than for slaves.
3) Be worthy of workers' respect. 1 Tim 6:1-2
IV. Where is your focus?
A. Paul is more concerned with our relationship with God than men.
1) He has a vertical focus.
B. He is more concerned with the present than the future.
1) Paul has a pastoral heart and deals with realities.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 1560 "Book Review: The Christian Employee," by Robert Mattox,
Christianity Today Magazine, May 4, 1979, page 42.
#17942 "Working on the Chain Gang," by Wayne Grytting (his column is
called "Word Collisions"), in American Newspeak,
http:/www.scn.orgnewsnewspeakneander.html, New York Times,
June 21, 1996. Also see http:/www.prisonactivist.orgcrisis~
labor-of-doing-time.html, "The Labor of Doing Time: The New
Chain gang, by Julie Browne. Quote from Life: Brad Darrach,
"Chain Gangs," Life, October 1995, p. 65.
#17943 "I Sweep Under The Rugs Now," Studies In The Epistle To The
Colossians: Part Xi: The New Man In The Old Relationships,
by S. Lewis Johnson, Jr., in Bibliotheca Sacra, Volume 121,
April 1964, page 107. (Galaxie Software "Theological Journal
Library")
#17944 "Not Just When His Eye Is On You," from sermon by Rev. Ray C.
Stedman called "Living Christianly," Catalog No. 4029,
February 15, 1987; #5456 In Holwick Sermon Database.
Second story is from sermon "God and Your Job" by Rev. Bruce
Goettsche, October 11, 1998; #10151 in Holwick Sermon Database
#18816 "Not All Managers Are Stupid - But These Quotes Won't Prove It,"
email submitted by Sgt. Ross Corbett, February 21, 2001.
These and 20,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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Commentary:
R.C. Lucas
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I. How to preach Christian freedom in a society of inequality?
A. Liberation Theology in Latin America.
B. Many Christians embarrassed by submission teaching.
1) Paul seems too content with status quo.
2) (But we must consider letter of Philemon)
II. Paul and slavery.
A. He seems to fasten yoke more tightly, not loosen.
1) Slaves must obey totally, just like children.
2) But slaves have no hope of "growing up."
B. Whom are we serving?
1) Paul says they are not serving men at all, but God.
2) We are slaves of Christ.
C. Slave freedom.
1) We are set free from "men-pleasing."
a) We are set free to do what our masters ask.
b) We obey for different reasons.
2) We are set free to work wholeheartedly.
a) Even for unworthy masters.
3) We are set free from work without proper reward.
a) God rewards everyone who works for him.
b) Paul hints it applies equally to masters.
D. Paul and masters.
1) They must be just and fair.
a) Harder teaching for them than for slaves.
III. Top priorities.
A. Paul is more concerned with our relationship with God than men.
1) He has a vertical focus.
B. He is more concerned with the present than the future.
1) Paul has a pastoral heart and deals with realities.
________________________________________________________________________
Summary outline:
I. Slaves, obey. 3:22
A. Background on slavery.
1) In ancient world.
2) In Bible, Old and New Testaments.
3) Modern equivalents.
B. Earthly masters.
1) Their authority and power is limited.
C. Obey in everything.
1) Limitations?
D. Not just when they are looking.
1) Not to win brownie points.
2) With sincerity of heart.
3) Out of reverence for Lord.
II. Work with integrity.
A. Whatever you do.
B. Do it will all your heart.
C. Consider you are doing it for God, not men.
1) God will reward us with an inheritance.
2) We are serving Jesus when we work.
III. Work with honesty.
A. You will reap what you sow.
1) (allusion to stealing by slaves.)
B. God does not show favoritism.
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