We don't do what we do to please men. We don't do what we do to please the boss. We don't do what we do to get the big money. That's not the idea. The right diligence is this: as servants of Christ, we do the will of God from the inside.
And what is the will of God? That you work the way God wants you to. And you do it not because the boss is watching, but because the Lord is watching, right? Welcome to Grace to You, the Bible teaching ministry of John MacArthur. I'm your host, Phil Johnson.
From service industry workers demanding higher wages to teachers picketing City Hall to unions going on strike, it seems there is constant conflict between employees and employers. The question is, how can you honor Christ whether you are the employee or the boss? Consider that question as we continue John MacArthur's study titled Wisdom for the Workplace. Today you're going to see God's perspective on labor relations and how following his plan will produce the kind of benefits package, so to speak, that you can really appreciate.
So now here's John to show you a trait that's vital to both employees and their bosses. Let's see what God's terms are for this relationship of employees and employers. First, the submission of the servants in verses 5 to 8. The submission of the servants in verses 5 to 8. And here is the pattern for all employees, and we're going to go through pretty quickly.
This is for all from Paul's time till today. Let's see what it is. Servants. And here's the right behavior. That's where he starts.
Right behavior, be obedient. Be obedient. To them that are your masters. Same word used to speak of children. We are to respond to their commands and their direction.
A spirit-filled Christian, chapter 5:18 is where this all begins. Be filled with the Spirit. And if you're spirit-filled, you will respond. And it's a continuous present in the Greek. Keep on obeying.
Be an obedient employee. When you go to work, do what they tell you to do. Really important. You might say, oh, you don't know my employer. He's unjust and inequitable and all of this.
Well, the Bible has something to say about that. You say we have every right to protest, we have every right to walk out, we have every right to strike, and so forth, and so on, because our boss is so and so and so.
Well, 1 Peter says what you need to hear. 1 Peter 2.18. Servants And here he uses the word for household servants: be subject to your masters with all fear. Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the perverse. You mean I'm supposed to be submissive to some perverse boss?
Yes, because this is worthy of thanks. If a man for conscience toward God endures grief and suffer wrongfully, in other words, God says obey.
So you say, even if he's perverse, I'll obey. And even though you suffer, your conscience toward God is right, and God will reward that. Verse 20, for what glory is it if when you are buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently? But if when you do well, you suffer for it and take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. When you're working as hard as you can, and the guy's oppressing you, and you're doing it unto God, blessed are you.
The Bible says whether your employer is a perverse man or a godly man, you ought to be obeying him.
Now of course that Comes to the point where if he asks you to do something that is evil, immoral, against the word of God, that's when you have to stop right there and say, hey, we ought to obey God rather than men at this point. But anything short of a moral issue, you are to respond.
Now, imagine what this was like. Because in Paul's day and Peter's day, slaves became Christians. And all of a sudden, slaves becoming Christians were raised to a nobler standing before God. They now knew the beginning and the end of the universe. They had divine truth.
They were sons of the king. They had been lifted up and elevated and glorified. And their natural response would be to say, Man, I'm not taking orders from that guy anymore. I'm a believer. I'm a child of the king.
I'm a son of God. I am going to reign with him forever. I'm going to judge the earth. I'm not going to listen to this guy telling me this perverse. Master of mine.
Then you know what would have happened? They would have absolutely destroyed Christian testimony. And so the Apostle Paul says, no matter what your masters like, And Peter says it too: no matter what your master's like, you constantly obey that master. This is vital. This is vital.
Because we want the world to know that being a Christian doesn't make you disgruntled. Being a Christian doesn't make you better than everybody else. Being a Christian doesn't make you a lousy worker. Being a Christian doesn't spin your head off into some never-never land where all you're doing is thinking spiritual thoughts all the time and you can't stay at the job. But being a Christian would give you a new imperative and a new inspiration and a new commitment to an honest and faithful day's work.
Frankly, people at the office or at the job, they're not going to listen to anything you say about Christ if they don't see in your life. Real commitment. to work. and to be a good employee. You say, but I've been unjustly punished.
I don't get what I ought to get. They don't pay me enough. And so forth and so forth.
Well, change jobs. That's one option. I saw that back in the Old Testament. If a slave wasn't happy where he was, go where he's happy. But if you're there and you've made the commitment, then you need to give all you can.
All you can. You say, well What about if I work for a Christian? You know, this is another kind of a problem because some people work for a Christian, they think they can do less. They say, well, he's already a Christian. It doesn't matter what my testimony is, right?
Or, well, he's a Christian, and so we're just brothers in the Lord, and we discuss things together. No? No, even though you're a Christian and he's a Christian and your brother's in the Lord and you go to the same church, he's still the leader and you're still the follower and you do what he says.
So, whether you have a good master, an evil master, a Christian master, a non-Christian master, the principle is the same. You are to obey and to give a full day's work for a full day's wage with the right attitude. Titus 2:9, exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters and to please them well in all things. I like this, not answering back. Don't mouth off to your boss, just obey.
Not pilfering. Stay out of the petty cash. But show all good trustworthiness. Why? That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
You know what the issue is, people? How you work will affect what people think about God. That's right. How you work will will determine what people think about God. And even a Christian employee, you say, well, I have a Christian employer, I'm not concerned.
He already thinks right about God. But in 1 Timothy 6:1, let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. Same thought as in Titus. You better work hard for your master so that God's name isn't blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren.
But rather do them service because they're faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. In other words, if you would serve with all your heart for someone who's not your brother, for God's sake, you certainly would serve someone who is your brother, right?
So, whether you've got a Christian or a non-Christian, whether you've got a good guy or a bad guy or whatever, it's all the same. Servants, Obey your masters. That's the right behavior, the right perspective. Look at verse five again. According to the flesh.
according to the flesh. In other words, the perspective is this is a human-temporal relationship, and that is all. The employer has authority only in that area, not the spiritual. And I think Paul is regulating here what could have been an abuse in the early church, where the employer would run the employee and the servants and the slaves, and then when they got to the church, you see, he'd be doing it again. And that's where Paul says, cool it.
Galatians 3, 28, in Christ there's neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, bond nor free. We are all one. And so when we get into the assembly of believers, we don't do that anymore. That is only according to the flesh. That is only a temporal thing.
So, the right behavior is obedience. The right perspective is that it is only a temporal issue. That leads to the right attitude. He says the right attitude is with fear and trembling.
Now, some of you say, boy, that's the way I work. I'm afraid of that guy. I'm afraid. But it isn't that kind of thing. It's the fear and trembling that should be translated reverence and respect.
Reverence and respect. Why? Because God has ordained the authority submission principle. If you can't reverence and respect the individual for who he is, then or she is, then respect them for the place they have in the design of God. Because God has designed some in authority, some in submission.
And so it is a matter of Honor, respect, and reverence. We just read you 1 Timothy 6, where it says, honor your master. This is your attitude. You ought to realize that God has established authority and submission. God has allowed Him to be there and you to be where you are.
It isn't the fear and trembling of shaking in your boots every time he comes around, but it's the respect and the honor. Because God has ordained this. God has assigned you that task. Do you know something? Where you work is a mission field that God has placed you on.
And you have a responsibility there. And so, your service to your employer is an act of service to God. And so that is the perspective that is necessary. You must realize that you are only doing this temporally, but the attitude is that you are reverent toward it because it is a divine principle. It is a divine principle that you're responding to.
Now fourthly, he talks about the right commitment. If you have the right behavior, moving along the right perspective with the right attitude, you're going to have the right commitment. And this is really great. Verse 5 says, in singleness of your heart. In singleness of your heart.
What does singleness of your heart mean? It means undivided, honest, upright, loyal commitment. In other words, you have one thing in your mind, single-heartedly, you do your job. Loyalty. commitment to do your very best all the time.
People, this is so practical, it's just amazing. 1 Thessalonians 4:10, And indeed you do it toward all the brethren who are in Macedonia. We beseech you, brethren, increase more and more. Listen, study to be quiet, to do your own business, work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk honestly toward them that are outside and may lack nothing. In other words, do your job, keep your mouth shut, work with your hands, and you'll be an honor to God.
Do your job. Singleness of heart. 60 minutes of work for 60 minutes of pay. Give it all you've got. That's really important.
Boy, how practical this is. If we want to turn things around and see a difference, and if we're really filled with the Spirit of God, it'll be visible on the job because we'll have the right behavior, with the right perspective, with the right attitude, and the right level of commitment, and the right motive. Look at the end of verse 5. As under Christ. As under Christ, You mean You mean my boss is representative of Christ?
You ought to do your job as if Christ were there. Why? Because he is. And he is the ultimate paymaster, believe me. He is the ultimate paymaster.
We'll see that in a moment. The words show, and I want you to get this. That there is no difference, now get this, there is no difference between your Christian life and your job. There's no secular There's no secular thing. Your job is service rendered as unto Christ.
Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the what? Glory of God, 1 Corinthians 10:31. Present your bodies a living sacrifice. In other words, your very living is a sacrifice to God. Your very working is an offering given to Him.
Your job is service to Christ. That's a critical thing. And people talk all the time about full-time service. Every Christian's in full-time service. Every single one.
I don't know any part-time Christian living, do you? Today I'm a Christian. Tomorrow I don't know. Tuesday through Saturday, I don't know, but Sunday and Monday, I'm a real Christian. No, no.
It's a full-time thing. Full-time service. Everything you do. Is service to Christ. People say, Oh, you know, I just wish I could quit my lousy job.
I, you know, and they're a poor worker, or they're lazy, or they don't have any diligence, and they want to get out of it. They say, I want to go into the ministry. You know, the ministry does not need deadbeats.
Well, it really does. We got a lot of them anyway, but we don't need them. But there's a lot of them around. But you know, people say, oh, I want to get to me. Listen.
There's two reasons why you may not be in the ministry. Number one, it just isn't God's will, and that's okay too, because what I do is significant for me, and what you do is significant for you, and there's no sense in switching the two. There's nothing better than something else. We just want to be in God's will, right?
So, number one, you may not be in the ministry because that isn't where God wants you. But, number two, you may not be in the ministry because you haven't been faithful over little, and God isn't dumb enough to put you Lord over much. And if you can't do your service to Christ and your job, then who's to say you're ever going to do it in the church? Start where you are, faithful over little, Lord over much. In verse 6, he says the same thing.
Essentially, but he adds not only the right act or the right behavior, the right perspective, the right attitude, the right commitment, the right motive, and now the right diligence. Not with eye service. as men pleasers.
Now, what is he saying here? What is our right diligence? We are to be diligent all the time, not with eye service. That means not just working when the boss is looking. I service, you know what eye service is?
Well, you're just going like this all the time. See, you're rolling your head around to see who's checking on you. I gotta go in the office today because the boss is coming today. I gotta put my hours in. I gotta clock in, then I'll do the thing, you know.
Eye service, eye service. Salary evaluation time, you really start cranking it out.
Well, you know, they're talking about salary, boy, and you j you're frothing at the mouth and spinning wheels. Smoke coming out behind you. Yeah. This is eye service, but we are to have a steady pace of loyal commitment that shows diligence all the time, not with eye service, as men pleasers. We don't do what we do to please men.
We don't do what we do to get the approval of men. We don't do what we do to please the boss. We don't do what we do to get the big money, to get the raise. That's not the idea. What we do, the right diligence, is this: as servants of Christ, we do the will of God from the inside.
You see? And what is the will of God? That you work the way God wants you to. And you do it not because the boss is watching, but because the Lord is watching, right? The Lord is the ultimate paymaster.
The Lord is the one checking. The Lord is the one evaluating. And right diligence involves that kind of commitment. We serve Christ, verse 6 says, doing the will of God from the heart. Verse 7 repeats the same thing.
With a ready mind, doing service as to the Lord and not to men. It's the same thing. The end of verse five, as unto Christ. Verse six, as servants of Christ. Verse seven, doing service to the Lord.
It's all three verses are saying the same thing. We are not serving men. You are not serving your boss. You are not serving your company, your corporation. You're a foreman.
What you're doing is serving God. And every day's work and every task in that day should be an offering given to God to prove your devotion to Him. to prove the reality of a spirit-filled life. Why? That his nature may be adorned, his testimony may be enhanced, the credibility of his person may be uplifted.
And so when you get up in the morning, it's I'm going to serve the Lord today. Get out there and pump that gas and make those hamburgers Do it to the glory of Christ. But that isn't the way you usually go, Oh, I gotta go to work. Down to that crummy deal and Right. And you don't even have the right perspective.
It's an offering to God, and if you're faithful over that, who knows what the Lord might do for you. Who knows? Paul was a tent maker. But God had better things. Greater things.
And who knows if you're faithful. But even if you stay being a tent maker, that's okay if that's his will, because that's the best thing. For you. And so, as you approach each day, today is a day of service to the Lord. And today, I'm going to vow that whatever my hand finds to do will be done to the glory of God, that his truth may be adorned in my life, and that people seeing me may glorify him.
If you seek to please men, you corrupt your motive. If you seek to do what only the boss watches you do, you mess up your mind. You're serving Christ, and in case you don't think so, look at verse 8. Knowing that whatever good Thing any man does. Listen, whatever good work you do, you'd say, Well, the boss never knows it.
He doesn't see it. Everybody else gets a credit. They keep pushing people past me. They don't know that I'm really the one doing it. But listen, whatever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive from the Lord, whether he's bond slave or a free man.
God doesn't miss one thing that you deserve. And you know what? One of these days, it's all going to come cashing in on your account. The question is: Are you going to scratch and claw for it now, or are you going to be diligent and faithful and let God give it to you in the kingdom? Perhaps you heard the story of the old missionary returning home after many years of sacrificial service.
In Africa? He was on a ship, and on the same ship was President Theodore Roosevelt. And he had been big game hunting in Africa. The ship. docked at New York and there were tremendous crowds.
To greet the President. And the press was there to cover the story. And the old missionary and his wife walked off the ship, and nobody noticed.
Somebody pushed them out of the way and They took a taxi cab to a cheap hotel to spend the night before traveling. West. Just doesn't seem right, the missionary said to his wife in a rather bitter tone. We give our life to Jesus Christ to win souls in Africa. We arrive home and nobody's there to meet us and no reward, and the president goes and shoots some animals and he gets a royal welcome.
And as they were praying before retiring, It seemed that the Lord spoke to them and said, Do you know why you haven't received your reward yet, my children? It's because you're not home yet. And I think that's right. I don't think it's all going to come together until we get home. And that's why we better be working with a view to that.
World, not this world. And so God lays down the standard. of how we are to work. Let's turn the tables in closing. It's only one verse because we've already given all the principles.
They're just applied here to the other side. The submission of the master in verse 9. What is the employer's task? I love this. Ye masters, do the same things to them.
What can be said besides that? What are the same things? What do you mean the same things? First of all, the right goal. And what does the same things refer to?
I believe the antecedent to that is at the end of verse 6: doing the will of God from the heart. You do the same thing. You be spirit control and do God's will. And what is God's will? God's will is that you are reverent, that you are single-minded, that you be an employer who realizes that you are serving Jesus Christ.
That's it. You serve an employer's role like you expect them to serve you. Same standards. The same fairness, the same equity, the same diligence, the same hard work. The same godliness, the same Christ-likeness, the same adorning of the doctrine of God.
Listen, as an employer, you be sure that Christ is manifest in your life. You be sure that God is manifest in your decisions. You be sure that what you do is a single-minded commitment to the needs of those employees, to put out the very best product in the very best way without compromise, to not cheat or do what is wrong, but to do the will of God from deep in your heart. And realize as an employer that you're answerable to Christ, not a board and not the employees, but Jesus Christ Himself. Do the same thing.
With the right spirit, secondly. Verse 9 says, Forbearing threatening. Hold back from threats. Don't intimidate your employees by yelling at them. Don't use verbal abuse.
That was a temptation and still is. The spirit controlled employer is gentle. He's never divisive or derisive. He's never abusive. He's never threatening.
And he says You ought to have the right goal doing the same things. with the right attitude not being abusive. based on the right standard. I love this. knowing that your Master also is in heaven.
Who is the standard for masters? Who is the greatest master of all? The Lord Jesus Christ. You treat your employees like Christ treats you. See?
That's a way. And finally, the right equity. Play no favourites, neither is there respect of persons with him. You be fair, you be equitable. You do not be abusive or threatening, and you realize that you are called to do the will of God, to meet their needs with singleness of heart, to fulfill all God's will.
Listen, you get spirit-filled employees and spirit-filled employers working like this, and we can see something different than the confusion and chaos we see in our world today. Because we'll have people being unselfish doing the will of God. Let's pray. Father, we've touched on such a practical area. We ask that you'd give us.
Grace to fulfill what we know to be true. Help us to be diligent, hardworking, faithful, loyal. Loving, unselfish, sacrificial, spirit-filled people, whether we are employees or employers or both. God, help us to live to adorn the doctrine of God, to lift up your holy name.
so that the world around us will see in our diligence, in our commitment, in our service to Jesus Christ such distinction, such beauty, such wonder, such grace of life that they'll be drawn to Jesus Christ. God, make us the kind of spirit-filled people you want us to be in our marriages, in our families, at our jobs. For your glory, we pray. Amen. You're listening to Grace to You, the Bible teaching ministry of John MacArthur.
John's current study is called Wisdom for the Workplace.
Now, as we continue this series on what God expects from you on the job. I want to play a question that we received on our Q ⁇ A line some years ago. It's one that applies particularly to work, and it involves customer interaction. Here's the question, and then you'll hear how John responded to it. Good afternoon, John.
My name is Hyson. And I really need to get an answer from you. I am a Christian. And I do believe in doing to others what I would want them to do for me or to me. I wouldn't want them harming me, so I wouldn't harm anyone.
And the work I do. I have very angry people coming in to see me. from time to time and sometimes they actually blame me. you know, when they come in in a angry attitude. as if I did something to them.
It's very painful. And could you advise me how to deal with a person like that? Thank you.
Well, Hyacinth, thank you for that question. I can almost imagine your workplace. You're behind a counter somewhere where people are coming in irritated long before they ever arrive at you. You're a dear, sweet Christian lady just wanting to do your job, but you're in the position of having to be some kind of spiritual leader that can reach behind the people's superficial concern and work on their heart. Look, I think.
You know, this is the nature of the world in which we live. If you were to ask me what is the dominant attitude that I see in the culture of today, it could all be summed up in one word: anger. This is a really angry culture. Everybody is angry. You know, you see it everywhere.
Just absolutely everywhere. Parents are angry, kids are angry, people in the workplace are angry, politicians are angry, people are angry with politicians. There is an unleashing of anger in our culture. And it basically comes because for the last 25 years, there has been the constant promotion of self-esteem. The lie, the damage done by the lie of self-esteem, that you're the most important person in the world.
has created people who when they don't get what they want, they're just angry. You know, I grew up in a family, and I was told things like this. Others are more significant than you. Think not on your own things, but on the things of others. Consider others better than yourselves.
That's what builds patience, kindness. compassion I would go at the issue of anger, and in a kind and gracious way, if the opportunity presents it, I would just mention that this is anger and anger is a destructive thing. You don't want to give yourself into anger. And then, kindly, I would say, I'm here to help you, but I can't help you if we can't get past your anger. Be straightforward.
That's good advice.
Now, friend, if you have a Bible-related question, perhaps a question related to dealing with difficult people or how to study Scripture or how to pray, I encourage you to check out the thousands of free study tools on our website. There are so many resources there that can help answer your questions, so get in touch today. Our web address is gty.org. And there you will find the Grace to You blog with articles on the Christian life, plus thousands of John MacArthur's sermons in audio and transcript format. There's Grace to You television and much more.
Our website, one more time, gty.org. And if you want to go even deeper into God's Word, particularly the New Testament, I'd encourage you to get the MacArthur New Testament commentary. It's a 33-volume work and the product of more than four decades of John's preaching and teaching, and it gives you a verse-by-verse explanation of the entire New Testament. You can order the whole set at once and get a discount on each volume, or you can order an individual commentary to meet your study needs. To order the MacArthur New Testament commentary, call 855 GRACE.
or visit gty.org. Our phone number again, 800-55GRACE. and our website gty.org.
Now for the entire Grace DU staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Thanks for joining us today and be back tomorrow as John MacArthur continues to help give you a biblical perspective on work, a perspective that can bring joy to any vocation. It's another half hour of Unleashing God's Truth, one verse at a time, on grace to you.
