Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20070812.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Colossians: Maturing Over False Beliefs By Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency
Part IX: Applying Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency To Godly Living
E. Using Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency For Godly Work Life
(Colossians 3:22-4:1)
  1. Introduction
    1. In today's secular workplace, with all of its godless politics, greed, deceit and instability, a believer can wonder what he should be doing to make a decent living, and how to be blessed of the Lord in the process.
    2. Paul revealed that focusing on the supreme all-sufficiency of Christ even in the secular workplace leads not only to a peaceful orientation, but even to blessings from the Lord in that environment (as follows):
  2. Using Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency For Godly Work Life, Colossians 3:22-4:1.
    1. Paul's theme in Colossians is the supremacy and all-sufficiency of Christ in Whom the believer is positionally dead, risen, enthroned and waiting for his experiential glorification with Him, Col. 3:1-4.
    2. How a believer relates to this position and hope deeply affects his workplace experience, Col. 3:22-4:1:
      1. Since the believer is positionally dead with Christ and risen and reigning in Him, and Christ is supreme and all-sufficient, for blessing in the workplace, the believer must do his best as unto Christ, 3:22-23:
        1. Paul revealed that even slaves in his era who knew the Lord were not to function deceptively so as to appear to be doing a good job to their masters as though they merely served men; rather, they were to work with sincerity from the heart out of reverence for Christ Himself, Colossians 3:22.
        2. Indeed, they were to work with all their inner man's ability and motivation as unto the Lord, Col. 3:23: (1) The word translated "heartily" (KJV, ESV) ["with all your heart" NIV] is from psuchays in the Greek Testament, and it refers to one's motivation level in this context of "doing the will of God" (T. D. N. T., vol. IX, p. 641, 649), Col. 3:22. (2) The verb "do" (KJV, NIV, ESV) is a strong one, being ergadzesthe that means to "do it diligently,'" J. B. Lightfoot, Colossians and Philemon, 1974, p. 228. (3) Thus, Paul called on servants (today's employees) to work diligently with all of their personal ability and inner motivation to do what their human overseers direct in reverence for God as though they were actually working for the Lord in that workplace setting! (Colossians 3:22)
        3. Paul's reason for this demanding directive becomes apparent in view of Christ's supremacy and all-sufficiency pictured in Colossians 3:24-25 (as follows): (1) A slave [or an employee] will receive from Christ "the promise of the inheritance," Col. 3:24a. (2) This phrase recalls the Old Testament where the Hebrew patriarchs were given God's promises of the land and a seed, and Israel promise of the land of Canaan, and applies here to temporal blessings in recompense for one's workmanship as a subordinate, cf. Eph. 6:8; Ps. 62:10-12. (3) The slave [or employee] is to recall that Christ's supremacy and all-sufficiency is so vast that he is actually the servant of Christ even if he works under a human overseer in the workplace, Col. 3:24b. As such, functioning only to look productive to an overseer versus working to one's full ability and motivation will be judged by God with a lack of blessings in material reward or job advances, for God does not favor anyone, Colossians 3:25.
      2. Christ's supremacy and all-sufficiency is applied to a believing master [or employers], Col. 4:1 (ESV, NIV): overseers are to render what is "just" and "fair" to subordinates, realizing they have a Supreme Lord in heaven to Whom they answer! If an overseer wished to be treated with justice and fairness by the Lord, he was to be just as considerate of his subordinates as he hoped God would be with him!
Lesson: Regardless of the lawlessness, deceit and unfairness of the secular marketplace, a BELIEVER has an absolutely supreme, all-sufficient Lord Who is SOVEREIGN over that environment, so he is obliged do his best in his effort there either as a subordinate or as an overseer. He knows GOD will accordingly DIRECTLY SOVEREIGNLY reward or punish HIM relative to such WORKMANSHIP!

Application: May we FOCUS on our position in the INFINITELY absolute supremacy and all-sufficiency of our exalted Lord Jesus Christ so as not to function in even the godless workplace as though we were pleasing men with man-impressive efforts; rather, may we diligently do our best to the peak of our abilities and motivation to please GOD that HE might reward us IN that work setting!