The New Man at Work – Colossians 3:22

Colossians verse by verse – Lesson # 25. This lesson looks at the relationship between servants and masters. Application is made to the workplace (employees & employers). The Word of God reveals that our whole lives are to be lived for God’s glory, in every sphere of life we find ourselves in.

1. This section of chapter 3 covers what we could call “The Relationships of the New Man.” We see how the new man is to behave in the 3 main areas of his life:
   • Church Life (Vs. 15-17)
   • Family Life (Vs. 18-21)
   • Work Life (Vs. 22 – 4:1)
2. All of these commands are achieved through the sufficiency of Christ in our lives (2:9-10)
3. The importance of maintaining a Christian testimony at work. “You are the only Bible some people will read”

Instruction for Servants (Vs. 22-25)

The Servant’s Mandate (Vs. 22)

1. Complete Obedience (22a)
   1. ‘obey’ = same word used to instruct children in Vs. 20
   2. “all things” = all things within the scope of their authority
   3. 1 Peter 2:18-20 “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the forward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.”
2. Quality Obedience (22b) (not just the what but the how)
   1. ‘eyeservice’ = service performed under the master’s eyes. Refers to a person who only works properly when he is watched. This individual will do what is inspected, not what is expected.
   2. ‘menpleasers’ = motivated by human approval. “If the principle of his conduct is the pleasing of men, he will neglect his duty where this motive cannot operate.” (Wuest)
   3. ‘singleness’ = undivided, sincere and simple service

The Servant’s Motive (Vs. 23)

1. Fearing God (22b)
   1. ‘fear’ = respect and reverence (not terror as when someone is afraid of someone evil).
   2. The word ‘fear’ is used in Scripture of holy and perfectly happy reverence (Moule)
2. Focusing on God (23)
   1. From the heart (23a)
      1. “whatsoever ye do” = all assigned responsibilities
      2. ‘heartily’ = literally means “out of soul”. Work that is done with enthusiasm and diligence
   2. To the Lord (23b)
      1. Service rendered exclusively to Christ. Note emphasis upon “the Lord” in this passage (e.g. 3:18, 20, 23, 24)
      2. Work is regarded as a sacred duty A.W. Tozer on the Sacred & Secular: 1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” One of the greatest hindrances to internal peace which the Christian encounters is the common habit of dividing our lives into two areas – the sacred and the secular. As these areas are conceived to exist apart from each other and to be morally and spiritually incompatible, and as we are compelled by the necessities of living to be always crossing back and forth from the one to the other, our inner lives tend to break up so that we live a divided instead of a unified life. Our trouble springs from the fact that we who follow Christ inhabit at once two worlds – the spiritual and the natural. As children of Adam we live our lives on earth subject to the limitations of the flesh and the weaknesses and ills to which human nature is heir. Merely to live among men requires of us years of hard toil and much care and attention to the things of this world. In sharp contrast to this is our life in the Spirit. There we enjoy another and higher kind of life – we are children of God; we possess heavenly status and enjoy intimate fellowship with Christ. This tends to divide our total life into two departments. We come unconsciously to recognise two sets of actions. The first are performed with a feeling of satisfaction and a firm assurance that they are pleasing to God. These are the sacred acts and they are usually thought to be prayer, Bible reading, hymn singing, church attendance and such other acts as spring directly from faith…Over against these sacred acts are the secular ones. They include all of the ordinary activities of life which we share with the sons and daughters of Adam: eating, sleeping, working, looking after the needs of the body and performing our dull and prosaic (routine) duties here on earth. These we often do reluctantly and with many misgivings, often apologising to God for what we consider a waste of time and strength…We go about our common tasks with a feeling of deep frustration, telling ourselves pensively that there’s a better day coming when we shall slough off this earthly shell and be bothered no more with the affairs of this world. This is the old sacred-secular antithesis…The sacred-secular antithesis has no foundation in the New Testament. Without a doubt, a more perfect understanding of Christian truth will deliver us from it. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our perfect example, and He knew no divided life. In the presence of His Father He lived on earth without strain from babyhood to His death on the cross. God accepted the offering of His total life, and made no distinction between act and act…Paul’s exhortation to “do all to the glory of God” is more than pious idealism. It is an integral part of the sacred revelation and is to be accepted as the very word of truth. It opens before us the possibility of making every act of our lives contribute to the glory of God. Lest we should be too timid to include everything, Paul mentions specifically eating and drinking. This humble privilege we share with the beasts that perish. If these lowly animal acts can be so performed as to honour God, then it becomes difficult to conceive of one that cannot.” Pg. 109-111 (The Pursuit of God)

The Servant’s Mindset (Vs. 24-25)

1. The Principle of Rewards (Vs. 24)
   1. God rewards believers for faithful service in whatever calling He has for their lives.
   2. Matthew 10:42 – Even a cup of cold water given is noted by God and rewarded.
2. The Principle of Rebukes (Vs. 25)

Instruction for Masters (Vs. 4:1)

The Master’s Charter (1a)

1. “give unto” = provide for. Greek suggests deliberate care (Moule)
2. ‘just’ = that which is righteous
3. ‘equal’ = that which is fair
4. James 5:1-4 “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”

The Master’s Conscience (1b)

1. ‘knowing’ = he is possessed with a consciousness of His Heavenly Master
2. Note: No human authority is autonomous and independent from God’s supreme authority.
3. This truth affects the way he treats those under him

Conclusion

1. Is the Lord our primary focus in all these areas of life (church, home & work)?
2. Do we live our lives with a consciousness of His presence and oversight over our lives?
3. Servants (employees): How is your testimony at work? Can people see you are a new man/woman in Christ?
4. Masters (employers): Do you have a consciousness of God’s authority in your life that affects the way you treat those under your care?
5. Remember, “You are the only Bible some people will read!”

Sermon 25 of 28 in Colossians Series

Sermon Audio Id: 121172121453