설교제목 : 그리스도인의 직장생활 (Key Rules for Work Relationships of Christians)

Sunday Worship Service Sermon (2-09-2025)

Key Rules for Work Relationships of Christians

(Colossians 3:22-4:1)

1.   

We spend so much time at work.  At work, we have relationships with people above us, below us, and alongside us. Among them are Christians and non-Christians. As Christians, what kind of mindset do you have when working with these people?

2.   

Today’s text teaches us how Christians should behave in the workplace. That is, it teaches us about the mindset Christians should have at work.

Today's text begins with words given to the servants.

The term ‘bondservant’ is the Greek word ‘Doulos,’ which means a servant or a slave. It's someone under the possession of another. It's someone who works for someone else. One historian estimated that there were approximately 60,000,000 slaves in the Roman Empire.  These people often became slaves through various avenues such as ‘birth, parental selling or abandonment, captivity in war, inability to pay debts, and voluntary attempts’ to better one's condition.

When we see that Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians and Ephesians, we can easily guess that many of them were slaves and some were masters. So, through today’s text, Paul taught how the Christian slaves and masters in the Colossian church should conduct their work lives. This is just like today.  In today’s churches, there are people who are CEOs of a company and people who are employees of a company. This is a word that teaches such believers what kind of mindset they are to have when they are working in the workplace.

First, is a word to the servants (=employees).

Let’s look at verse 22: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.”

The first thing God tells people (=employees) who work for others is to obey their masters (=the boss, the supervisor) in everything. The same verse is written in Ephesians 6:5, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.”

The word “obey” here is the same word used when it says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). God shows us that 'obedience' is a very important principle of life not only in the home but also in the workplace and in church. God said this is right. God said this pleases Him (and the master). How you truly obey Christ is revealed in your home, at work, and in church. Obey means ‘to do as you are told.’ It's the same word used in the gospels to describe the response of the wind and waves whenever Jesus rebuked them. When Jesus told the wind and waves to stop, they obeyed and stopped (Mark 4:39)

So, how should we obey our earthly masters?

God speaks to us through Paul who says, “Obey your earthly masters with respect and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ” (Eph. 6:5, Colossians 3:22). And “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Colossians 3:23).

But in reality, our reality is very far from these words of God. We live in a society where respect is a lost art. At times, we're willing to obey. But we're not always willing to obey respectfully. We may honor our boss with our actions, but not our heart. We may honor our boss to their face, but not behind their back.

However, God commands Christians: to have a ‘respectful heart’ for your boss at work, and to obey your earthly masters with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Also, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Remember this: Christians are to work in the workplace as they would work for the Lord. The way Christians treat their bosses is to treat them just as they would obey and respect Christ.

I wonder: Why did God tell Christians to live with this kind of mindset in the workplace? It is because we serve Christ as our Lord (Colossians 3:24).

Dear friends, our ultimate master is Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is our master, we do not work for our boss at work, but for the Lord. That is why He told us to do everything as for the Lord. Our entire motivation is to please God and to reveal the glory of Jesus. It is to show Jesus to the people in the world. Therefore, God, who sees and knows our hearts, thoughts, and everything, will reward you according to what you have done at work. Even if your boss does not know that you are working diligently with this kind of mindset at work, God, who sees and knows our hearts, thoughts, and everything, will reward you according to what you have done at work. This is because Christ is our master. So those 8-12 hours you spend at work, they are 8-12 hours you get to glorify God as much as our missionaries on the field.

Second, is a word to the boss of the workplace.

Let's look at Chapter 4, Verse 1: “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.”

As Christians, a boss (master) is to treat his/her employees rightly and fairly. That is, a master is to treat his employees fairly, pay them fair wages, treat them right, help them, and treat them as brothers in the Lord. God says, "Masters, you know that you also have a Master in heaven, and you are to provide your employees with what is right and fair." In Ephesians 6:9, it goes a step further. God says: “Masters, treat your slaves [employees] 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.”

And among these short commands that God gives to the owners of workplaces, is there an important word given to the owners as Christians? God told all masters ‘Know that you also have a Master in heaven.’

What does this mean? It means that you are to treat your employees the way Jesus treats his master. It means that you are to treat your employees the way Jesus, our Master in heaven, treats us.

A good master puts the people doing the work first, rather than the work itself. A good master is a loving, kind, and gentle master. So he/she has good relationships with them. He/she treats them right and fairly and does not show favoritism with employees. The Bible says that a good master takes good care of the people he leads. A good master does not treat people badly. He/she does not threaten them. Good masters know that their Master is in heaven. So good masters act according to the example of Jesus, the Master of themselves and their employees. Jesus is a good master who gives his whole self to serve, honor, care, provide comfort, and give grace to his people! Jesus loves his people consistently. Jesus does not discriminate against anyone. If we receive such love and grace from our Master Jesus, it is only right that we treat those who have been given to us this way. God will also reward the masters according to the good they have done to their employees. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

Third, how should we treat our coworkers?

It is the same way that an employee treats his master and the way that an owner treats his employees. We should treat others with respect as if we were serving the Lord. We should treat our coworkers as the Lord treats us, and we should treat our coworkers as we treat the Lord. In particular, Christians should be wise in the words they share with their colleagues at work. This is because words often hurt others at work. To help you have good relationships with your colleagues at work, I will read Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

3.     

God gave us a workplace. And God gave us the health and ability to work there. And God gave us colleagues to work with. And God taught us today what kind of mindset we should have as Christians in our work lives. All of these are great gifts from God. God is always with us where we work. God wants us to live in the clothes of Jesus Christ even at work. And He will expect changes in your work life as you start a new day with the words that God has given you. Work as if you are working for Jesus. Do your work as if you were doing it for Jesus.  Treat others in your workplace as you want Jesus to treat you. Amen!