8 March 2015
I. Introduction
-- turn in
Bibles to Ephesians 6:5-9
Ephesians 6:5-9 (NIV)
5 Slaves, obey your
earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you
would obey Christ.
6 Obey them not only
to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing
the will of God from your heart.
7 Serve
wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,
8 because you know
that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is
slave or free.
9 And masters, treat
your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who
is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with
him.
--
sometimes in my life, I have to question God -- I just have to ask Him why
things are so hard -- why is life so difficult -- why do I have to struggle so
much just to try and follow Him in this world
-- we read
in the Bible how God miraculously healed the sick -- how Jesus would just touch
the leper and they would instantly be clean -- or how He would touch the lame
and their twisted and paralyzed limbs would be made whole
-- and I
have to ask, why don't you do that to us? -- when we became Christians, why
didn't You just touch us and make us holy and remove from us all those things
that were so displeasing to You? -- why didn't you just heal our hearts and our
characters in a moment as you did for the sick and the lame?
-- I read a
story one time that I think speaks the reason why -- you see, there was this small
farmer whose farm was surrounded by larger and more successful farms -- this
farmer wasn't able to hire men to help him put in the crops and harvest them
when they got ready like the other farmers, so he made his three sons do the
work for him -- these boys would get up before school and help in the field --
and then when they got home, they would change clothes, and go back out again,
working until dark alongside their father to keep their farm going
-- one day,
several of the other farmers met with the father and told him that it wasn't
necessary to work the boys that hard in order to raise a crop -- the father
quietly responded, "I'm not just raising a crop -- I'm also raising
boys"
-- would it
have been easier for the farmer to hire men to help him work? -- sure, just as
it would be easier for parents to do the small chores around the home rather
than asking their children to help -- and just as it would be easier for God to
just make us holy as He is holy
-- but the
farmer is not interested in only raising a crop and parents are not just trying
to get the household work done -- in the same way, it seems to me that God is
not just interested in making us perfect without our participation
-- it is in
the daily grind of life -- it is in the doing -- that we truly learn and grow
and become who He has called us to be
-- as
Solomon pointed out in the Old Testament, to be given a fortune is not as
meaningful as to make a fortune on our own -- to be given a fortune does not
make you appreciate it as much as the one who made their fortune themselves
-- and, in
the same way, to be made holy without any effort on our part would not mean as
much to us as learning how to depend on God to help us live life in this world
today
-- this
morning we are continuing in our sermon series on the cardinal virtues of the
Christian life -- and we are going to be looking at the virtue of diligence --
a virtue that speaks of hard work -- of dedication -- of passion and of
perfection
-- as
Alexander Maclaren points out, "Diligence makes faith fruitful -- Diligence
makes God's gifts ours."1
-- so let's
take a few moments today to examine this concept of diligence and think about
how we can begin to apply this to all areas of our lives -- to work -- to
school -- to faith
II. What is Diligence?
-- let's
begin by answering the question, what is diligence?
-- Diligent
comes from the Latin diligere, which
means "to value highly -- to take delight in" -- in common use today,
diligent means to be a hard-worker -- to be conscientious -- to do your best
-- someone
who is diligent doesn't just do the job -- they do the best job in the best way
and with the best attitude
-- one of
the best examples I've ever heard of a diligent worker was at a Promise
Keeper's conference -- I don't remember who the speaker was, but he was telling
the story about his time working construction in Atlanta as a college student
-- he said it was hot and it was miserable and no one wanted to be out there
and everyone was grumbling and complaining and just trying to make it through
another day
-- while
they were out there a truck pulled up to clean out the site's portapotty -- it
had been about a week since the potty was cleaned -- and if you've ever been
inside one of those portapotties in the summer time, you know what they're like
-- they're hot -- they're smelly -- they're nasty -- you just don't want to
even touch them, much less be inside of them
-- so this
truck pulls up and the guy gets out of the truck to clean the portapotty -- and
as he starts pulling the hose off the truck and hooking it up, he's whistling
-- they can hear it all the way up where they're working on the high rise
apartment building -- this guy just acts happy -- and so they nudge each other
-- just wait -- just wait until he has to go inside that portapotty and suck
out all the waste that's accumulated in the July heat over the last week
-- you know
how it is when you're in a bad mood -- you just want to share it -- you just
want everyone to suffer like you're suffering -- and they just can't wait to
see this guy knocked down and just as miserable working as they are
-- so the
man opens the door and goes inside with the hose -- and he can't just leave it
-- he has to stand there and hold it as it sucks out the waste -- so every eye
is on him as he goes inside and closes the door -- and they wait -- and they
listen
-- they're
expecting him to start cussing -- to start complaining -- they're expecting him
to just run out of there retching -- and, sure enough, the man quits whistling
-- but, instead, he starts singing a hymn to himself right there inside that
portapotty
-- as he's
finishing up, the speaker said he went down to talk to him -- to ask him how he
could be so happy while having to do such a horrible task in the July heat --
and the man tells him, "My job isn't to suck out waste -- my job is to
make this world a better place for everyone else -- and if I do my job right,
then this portapotty will be clean and you won't mind going in and using it --
and if I do my job right, it makes Jesus happy -- and that's why I'm happy and
why I can sing when I work"
III. Scripture Lesson (Ephesians 6:5-9)
-- look
back if you would me at Ephesians 6:5-6
Ephesians 6:5-6 (NIV)
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear,
and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on
you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
-- Paul
addresses his comments in these verses to Roman slaves -- now in order to
really understand and appreciate what he's saying here, you have to understand
the position of a slave in Roman society
-- slaves
were the lowest of the low -- they were considered in-human -- they weren't
considered people -- in fact, you would get in more trouble for killing
someone's livestock than for killing their slave
-- some
Romans suggested that sick slaves not even be given food, because why waste
food on someone who wasn't productive -- they encouraged slave owners to just
get rid of their elderly slaves and not to take care of them any longer
-- slaves
were worked mercilessly and treated horribly by their owners -- they could be
beaten and maimed and killed without any recourse
-- but many
were coming to Christ at the preaching of Paul because of the freedom and the
promise of eternal life and a better future through Jesus
-- and so
Paul addresses how these slaves should relate to their masters now that they
have come to Christ
-- look
what he tells them here -- obey your masters with respect and fear -- obey them
with sincerity of heart -- do what's right, he says, no matter how they treat
you -- do what you're asked to do, because this is what Jesus would have you do
-- don't just
obey them when they're watching -- don't just do enough to get by -- but do a
good job in the right way, every time
-- what
Paul is asking them to do is to be diligent in their work -- not because their
masters deserve it -- but because that is what Christ asks of them
-- what
kind of witness do we give when we refuse to do our best for someone? -- when
we don't do a good job or when we have a lousy attitude? -- how does that
reflect on Christ?
-- over the
course of my career, I've had to hire a lot of people and a lot of contractors
to do work for me on the base -- and I can tell you, some of the worst people
I've ever hired were Christians
-- it's
reached the point that when someone tells me up front, "I'm a
Christian," it's a red flag -- because they never seem to do a good job --
there's a logger we have used from time-to-time on the base -- and he puts out
signs by the highway when he's working that says, "Love Jesus" and
"Praise the Lord" and then has his company name on the bottom -- and
I hate to have him get the bid on a job because he does such a bad job -- he's
absolutely the worst logger I've worked with -- and I shudder to consider what
others think about Jesus when they see the job he does
-- that's
what Paul's saying here -- slaves, even though your masters may treat you
horribly -- even though you may suffer the worst conditions -- you should
strive to do your best -- you should strive to be the best --
because Jesus demands it and your performance is a reflection of His grace and
mercy to this world
-- what we
do and how we do it matters
-- verse 7-8
Ephesians 6:7-8 (NIV)
7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not
men,
8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for
whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
-- serve
wholeheartedly -- give it your all -- do the best you can, in the best way you
can, with the best attitude you can -- serve your master as if you were serving
the Lord Himself, because you are
-- to serve
wholeheartedly is to instill meaning and purpose into life -- to serve
wholeheartedly helps us see the importance of what we are doing
-- I was
listening to a podcast this week about finding purpose and meaning in your work
-- and the guy was telling the story about his time working oversees in a
little hospital mission in Asia
-- he said
every morning he would set his watch for 5:30 am so he could get up and watch
the sun rise and remember why he was there -- he got to noticing that every
morning when he got up, the dirt path in front of the hospital had been swept
clean of leaves and litter -- there was an old guy there in his 80s -- and it
wasn't his job -- but every morning he would get up and sweep that path -- so
one day, the speaker asked him why he did it
--
"people come to this clinic to have babies and others come when they are
dying -- both those who are coming into this world for the first time and those
who are leaving this world deserve a clear path on which to do so"
-- "You
practice diligence by deciding what you can do and then giving it all you have
to give -- You treat each action as important and do things carefully, one step
at a time -- You don’t rush through things -- You give them your full attention"2
-- to be
diligent you must put meaning into life -- you must approach the tasks of the
day as opportunities to serve -- and with the attitude that you're doing this
for the Lord and, because of that, you're going to do it the best way you can,
regardless of what you're asked to do
-- Paul
counsels the slaves here in verse 8 and says, "Keep your focus -- remember
the promises you have in Christ -- do your best -- be diligent in your work --
and know that God will reward you for whatever good you do"
-- it
doesn't matter if your boss sees you do it or not -- it doesn't matter if your
teacher notices -- what matters is that Jesus sees it, and it brings Him glory
and pleasure
-- verse 9
Ephesians 6:9 (NIV)
9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not
threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in
heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
-- after
counseling the slaves on how they are to act, Paul now turns his attention to
their masters -- treat your slaves well -- don't be harsh to them -- don't
threaten them -- but treat them as you would Jesus
-- remember
that your position on earth is not reflective of your position in eternity --
God shows no favoritism -- God has no favorites -- and you are no better than
those beneath you -- you are no better than those God has given you the
authority to manage
-- treat
them fairly and trust they will respond in kind
-- as
supervisors or bosses -- as parents -- we need to remember the words of Jesus
-- that He came not to be served, but to serve -- that He came to be a slave to
the world -- just because we may be in a position of authority doesn't mean we
need to act as if we have been crowned king -- we are called to serve those who
work for us and to treat them as we would treat Christ
-- what
Paul is saying here is that diligence in the work of supervision has more to do
with the way you relate to the people who work for you than in just getting the
job done
IV. Closing
-- Dr.
Harry Ironsides, the noted preacher, once told the story of the time he worked
for a Scottish shoemaker named Dan Mackay -- Mr. Mackay was a very serious
Christian, and his shop reflected his faith -- Bible verses and pictures
decorated the walls -- and people were given Christian tracts and literature
when they came in to purchase shoes or have them repaired
--
Ironsides' job was to pound leather for shoe soles -- A piece of cowhide would
be cut to size and then soaked in water -- and Ironsides would pound the soles
until they were hard and dry -- it was hard work -- and Ironsides wrote that he
often tired of doing it
-- he
noticed the cobbler down the street didn't make shoes the same was as Mr.
Mackay -- rather than pounding the soles to make them hard and resistant, he
would take them straight from the water and nail them to the uppers while they
were still dripping wet -- Ironsides asked this cobbler why he did it this way,
and the cobbler replied with a smirk, "They come back all the quicker this
way, my boy!"
--
Ironsides thought that if Mr. Mackay started nailing his soles on while they
were wet, it would increase their business, so he excitedly went to share the
idea with his boss -- Mr. Mackay stopped his work and opened his Bible to the
passage that reads, "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
-- "Harry,"
he said, "I do not cobble shoes just for the [money] that I get from my
customers -- I am doing this for the glory of God -- I expect to see every shoe
I have ever repaired in a big pile at the judgment seat of Christ, and I do not
want the Lord to say to me in that day, ’Dan, this was a poor job. You did not
do your best here.’ I want Him to be able to say, ’Well done, good and faithful
servant.’"
-- Then he
went on to explain that just as some men are called to preach, so he was called
to fix shoes -- and that only as he did this well would his testimony count for
God -- Ironsides wrote, "It was a lesson I have never been able to forget
-- Often when I have been tempted to carelessness, and to slipshod effort, I
have thought of dear, devoted Dan Mackay, and it has stirred me up to seek to
do all as for Him who died to redeem me."3
--
diligence -- doing a good job in the right way and with the right attitude
reflects more on our relationship with Christ than perhaps anything else we do
-- for the world sees us -- not as we sit in our seats on Sunday mornings or as
we bow our heads in prayer or in the story of God's word -- no, the world sees
us as we walk and work -- and the world watches to see how our actions and our
attitudes reflect our faith
--
diligence is more than just a virtue to strive for in our lives -- it is a
reflection of who we are in Christ
-- so as I
close in prayer and we leave here to go back to our jobs and to our schools and
to our homes at the start of this new week, let's remember the message of this
passage and remember to serve wholeheartedly, as if serving the Lord and not
men
-- let us
pray
1 Alexander Maclaren -- http://biblehub.com/library/maclaren/expositions_of_holy_scripture_ephesians_peter/the_power_of_diligence.htm
2 http://hhes.ccs.k12.nc.us/files/2012/06/Diligence.pdf
3 H. A. Ironside, Illustrations of Bible Truth, Moody Press,
1945, pp. 37-39.
No comments:
Post a Comment