Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20030928.htm

EPHESIANS: GOD'S SURE PLAN FOR INSECURE TIMES
Part VIII: Mutual Edification In The Church By God's Power
F. Relying On Scripture And The Holy Spirit For Blessing On The Job
(Ephesians 5:18, 21; 6:5-9)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Even for us Christians, the workplace where we earn a living or obtain an education for a career or minister for the Lord can be more of a challenge than a rich divine blessing:

(1) The last several Sundays following the morning worship service, at least four businessmen in our Church have told me about trials they or fellow believers have faced in their secular jobs: (a) one man spoke of the difficulties self-employed men like himself face in dealing with hard-to-please and/or slow-to-pay customers; (b) another told of a friend who struggled in wondering if he should take another job; (c) a third man spoke of the tension he faces in deciding how much time to spend at work versus functioning in key activities at home; (d) another believer shared how the job he is legally obligated to keep seems to be taking over his whole life, and how it concerns him.

(2) However, our workplace may not be a secular job but the workplace of a school where children are to work at getting an education or Christian ministry where one serves the Lord, and even there one can face a lack of blessing: (a) Two believers in our Church this past week have voiced either to my wife or me the trials Christian children they know have of trying to learn under stress in a Christian school setting. (b) One party who works in a Christian organization's ministry is stressed at having to work with a difficult overseer there.



Well, does GOD have directives regarding the job market or functioning on the job or at school or in an organization that more often than not is TRYING? CAN there be blessing in the workplace as an overseer or a subordinate? What if we are in a TOUGH but UNAVOIDABLE workplace situation where nothing else is available, and we NEED the income or education of the current, difficult institution or job -- WHAT THEN?



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "How may I handle a tough but unavoidable workplace?"
  1. When Paul wrote to SLAVES and their MASTERS in Ephesians 6:5-9, they functioned in TOUGH but UNAVOIDABLE roles.
  2. Yet, such TOUGH but UNAVOIDABLE WORKPLACE ROLES are yet PRODUCTIVELY WORKABLE by God's enabling:
    1. As we before noted, the participle, "submitting" in Ephesians 5:21 modifies the main verb, "be filled (with the Spirit)" in Ephesians 5:18.
    2. Paul then used this "submitting" participle to start an address on the subordinate-superior roles of Ephesians 5:22-6:9, including the roles of slaves and masters in Ephesians 6:5-9.
    3. As the roles of slaves and masters apply to the roles of overseers and subordinates in TODAY'S tough but unavoidable workplaces, we may perform well in the workplace by the Spirit's power Eph. 5:18!
  3. As such, we have the following ADVICE from GOD on gaining His BLESSING in TODAY'S tough but unavoidable WORKPLACES:
    1. By being filled with the Spirit, subordinates find God's blessing in even tough, unavoidable workplaces, Ephesians 6:5-8:
      1. By the Spirit's filling, God equips subordinates to obey overseers in hard but unavoidable workplaces, Eph. 6:5a with 5:18, 21.
      2. By the Spirit's filling, God equips subordinates to function well in tough, unavoidable workplaces, Eph. 6:5b-8 with 5:18, 21:
        1. In God's power, subordinates are not to view themselves as working for man, but for Christ, Ephesians 6:6b, c, 7b, 8b.
        2. As such they can function well in even tough workplaces: (a) they do not aim to look good to their colleagues or the overseer, but to do what is right before God, Eph. 6:6b; (b) they can perform in the workplace with zeal in all their inner man, knowing the Lord as their ultimate "Overseer" will alternately reward or fail to reward them for their workmanship, 6:6c-8.
    2. By being filled with the Spirit, overseers also find God's blessing in hard, unavoidable workplaces, Ephesians 6:9; 5:18, 21:
      1. Paul charged masters (overseers) to be filled with the Spirit and function toward slaves (subordinates) by doing the same kinds of things for their subordinates as Paul detailed for slaves, cf. Eph. 6:9a with 5:18, 21. We thus review Paul's Eph. 6:5-8 words to slaves to apply them to overseers in their relating to subordinates:
        1. Overseers under the Spirit's enabling are not to make it their goal to look good before either their subordinates or fellow overseers, but rather to do God's will, Ephesians 6:9a; 6b.
        2. Then, in the Spirit's power, overseers are not to work with a bad attitude, but with zeal as unto the Lord, Eph. 6:9a, 6c.
        3. Instead of overseeing subordinates in an irresponsible way, by the Spirit's power, Christian overseers are to recall their Overseer (God) in heaven will either reward or not reward them in keeping with how they fulfill their oversight roles, 6:9a, 8.
      2. Now, overseers face the temptation to use their roles to intimidate their subordinates, so Paul told overseers not to threaten their subordinates in the Spirit's enabling; their own heavenly Overseer, God, showed no favoritism, so He would hold them accountable to act with consideration toward their subordinates, 6:9b; 5:18, 21.
  4. There IS a BIBLICAL EXCEPTION to STAYING in a tough workplace: if GOD LEADS us to SWITCH to a less oppressive one, we should do so, 1 Cor. 7:21 NIV & James 4:13-17 with 1:16-18.
Application: If we face a TOUGH and UNAVOIDABLE job situation, (1) FIRST, we find God's BLESSING by (a) trusting in Christ as Savior to become indwelt by the Holy Spirit, John 3:16; Rom. 8:9b. (b) As a believer, we confess to God any unconfessed sins we have done after salvation for His forgiveness, 1 John 1:9; Psalm 66:18. (c) Then, relying on the indwelling Holy Spirit, we heed Ephesians 6:5-8, 9 re: job performance, and (d) God will supply all the inner and external resources we need to achieve what He wants us to do on that job, Acts 16:22-25 with 13:2-4. (2) SECOND, if GOD supplies an UPRIGHT opportunity to SWITCH from an oppressive job to a better one, we are to DO so, 1 Corinthians 7:21 NIV with James 4:13-17 and James 1:16-18.

Lesson: If facing a TOUGH and UNAVOIDABLE workplace, (1) we FIRST recall GOD is SOVEREIGN even THERE, so what events or people we face THERE is GOD'S permissive ASSIGNMENT; THAT being so, we must RELY on the indwelling HOLY SPIRIT to PLEASE GOD in THAT workplace for GOD'S REWARD in it! (2) THEN, if GOD opens the door for us RIGHTEOUSLY to do so, we should SWITCH from an oppressive, enslaving workplace to a freer, less taxing one, cf. 1 Cor. 7:21 NIV with James 4:13-17 and 1:16-18.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 When I was seventeen years old, a neighbor called my parents to hire me to help a contractor he had employed to build him a house. The pay sounded good, so I took the job and showed up ready to work and please the contractor who was my immediate superior on the job.

However, from the moment I approached the contractor to introduce myself to him, he gave me a very difficult time! Every single thing I tried to do he publicly criticized! Then, on the side, one of the contractor's hired men walked by me and muttered under his breath, "Hey kid, you can't do anything right by him!"

Confused, I mentioned the difficulty I was facing on the job to my parents, and they told me the neighbor had hired me to replace the contractor's son whom the neighbor had FIRED from that job! The contractor was clearly peeved over this matter, but didn't dare complain to our neighbor who had hired himself, so the contractor was set to make life so difficult for me or any other "kid" who was hired to replace his son that we would "quit" until his son was hired again!

Talk about a difficult workplace -- it was an horrendous two weeks that I spent there that seemed like two years! I finally got an opportunity to work on another job, and so I gave my resignation to the neighbor! He was upset to see me go, claiming he had liked my work in spite of the contractor's complaints. However, I had already taken the other job, and was in a hurry to get out of that place of oppression!

The neighbor eventually fired the contractor and his men and then called to ask if I would help him finish the house with much higher pay than he had first given me! Today, I would take the job, but, at the time, I was happy at the new job, and felt returning to my neighbor's construction site was just too oppressive a setting! Thus, gladly turned the neighbor down and stayed at the second job!



GOD has ASSIGNED us the workplace we HAVE, and He equips us to function in less-than-desirable conditions or PEOPLE there; HOWEVER, if HE opens up another less oppressive one, we should switch workplaces rather than suffer needlessly under the oppression of evil men!

May we yield to the Spirit's working IN us to see God's purpose in WHATEVER we face at work, and be blessed in the workplace He supplies us for His glory!