Transcript

You’ve probably never heard of Wilbert Williams. He wasn’t famous or rich. Still, Williams received an honor normally reserved for the connected, powerful, and wealthy. The City of Chicago designated an honorary street as Wilbert Williams Way on December 2, 2004. The honor was in celebration of his retirement.

What did someone as unknown as Williams do to deserve such a tribute? The question becomes even more compelling when you realize that for nearly 40 years, Wilbert Williams worked at the Woman’s Athletic Club as a doorman.

Normally, an honorary street sign goes to people who get the door held open for them—not to the one holding the door.

What set Williams apart? He carried out his duties in an exemplary fashion. Police Officer Paul O’Donnell said, “In all these years, I never heard him speak a harsh word about anyone. He was a gentleman.”

Through his kindness and service to others, Williams made an impact on those whom he met at the corner of Michigan and Ontario.

Commenting on why he always helped tourists, pointing them in the right direction, Williams said, “If I was in a different city, I’d like someone to help me.”

Having a street named in your honor is impressive. But how much greater the honor that God promises to give to those who serve Him well, even in their daily employment, promising an eternal inheritance that will never spoil or fade away.

Colossians 3:22-23: “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”

The word “servants” in verse 22 refers to a slave. When Paul wrote this letter, slavery was widespread in the Roman Empire. It’s said that up to half of the population at that time were slaves.

There are differences between the institutions of ancient slavery and modern employment. However, the practical principles given by Paul for servants and masters here can be applied to the workplace and the employee-employer relationship in our day.

Much of our lives is given to work. For the majority of us, most weeks and most days are given to a job or some kind of work. Work is a significant part of who we are and what we give ourselves to day in and day out, year in and year out.

Work is God’s idea. Work was included as a part of God’s original plan for man. It existed BEFORE the fall of mankind and the curse of sin. In Genesis 2:15 we read that “the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”

God gave man work to do. Adam was given a job by God to be the gardener in Eden. Work was an important and dignified part of representing the image of God and serving Him.

Adam’s responsibility was to make sure that the trees and plants were tended and had appropriate care. He was a guardian and steward of the garden’s wonders and resources.

Working is an important part of being “godly,” or God-like. Because God Himself is a Worker. He is never idle. He never slumbers or sleeps (Psa. 121:4). He is always active.

He continually works and sustains His creation “upholding all things by the Word of His power” (Heb. 1:3). He works in us “both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

In John 5:17, Christ told those who challenged Him about healing on the sabbath, “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” “Worketh hitherto” means that the Father has been working until now and has never ceased working.

So when we work and work faithfully in our employment, it manifests godliness in our lives and being like the Creator.

In verses 22-23, Paul gives instruction for the believer who is under authority to another in the workplace. And he answers the question, What should the believer’s work life look like?

For many believers, God has called for the workplace to be their primary mission field. It is where we spend the most time and often where we are around the most people.

The way we work is a testimony to a watching world and it is where we can be a strong witness to Christ and to God’s grace.

Our relationship to work should be and can be radically different from the world’s because of Christ. Paul starts off this chapter in Colossians 3:1 with, “If ye then be risen with Christ,” and then he demonstrates how the believer’s life can be lived on a different and higher plane now.

A man came home from work one day and told his wife, “I got let go from my job today.”

She asked, “What happened?”

He replied, “Well, the boss called me in for a meeting, and said, ‘You’re in charge of safety here. What steps would you take in the event of a fire?’ And I replied, ‘Really big ones.’” Paul speaks here of the believer’s response to his boss at work.

And the first thing that the believer’s work life should be characterized by is obedience. Paul had just written a couple verses earlier, “Children, OBEY your parents IN ALL THINGS…” Here in verse 22, he wrote, “Servants OBEY IN ALL THINGS…”

The obedience the child learns from their parents in the home is important for the rest of their lives and it is carry into the workplace.

And for the employee there is to be obedience “in all things” to our “masters according to the flesh,” or our earthly masters.

There is a gentle reminder here by the apostle that these masters are ONLY masters according to the flesh, meaning the believer has another Master Who is far above all.

As Paul wrote earlier in Colossians of the Lord Jesus Christ, “And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.

“And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:17-18).

Paul did not write here, “Obey your earthly masters, when they’re being fair and reasonable.” Rather it is, obey your bosses, no matter what they’re like, in everything. In doing so, obedience in the workplace is ultimately obedience to God.

Of course, this instruction by Paul is not expecting the believer to compromise their faith, do something contrary to God’s Word, or break the law, but the thrust is that God expects us to respect and cooperate with the people we work for and to do as we’re instructed.

Before God, believing employees owe submission and obedience to their employers or supervisors.

The second thing that the believer’s work life should be characterized by is “not with eyeservice, as menpleasers.”

“Eyeservice” is easy to understand, referring to one who just works hard when he or she knows somebody’s watching, and therefore being a “menpleaser” seeking to gain the praise and favor of men.

But a person that works only “with eyeservice,” when they know they aren’t being watched anymore, the quality, effort, and thoroughness of their work drops off.

The type of work Paul expects from a believing employee has nothing to do with whether we are being watched or not, or whether we will get credit or not.

Christ expects His Church to be people of integrity and to work diligently all the time, even when no earthly master is watching.

We do so knowing that the Lord, our Master in heaven, sees all we do at all times. As Proverbs 5:21 says, “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He pondereth all his goings.”

The third thing that the believer’s work life should be characterized by is “in singleness of heart, fearing God.”

The word “singleness” means “sincerity, without duplicity, the virtue of one who is free from pretence and hypocrisy.” This is a sincerity that comes from one’s heart, or man’s deepest innermost being.

God grace reaches for the heart, and Christ desires to change our hearts.

God doesn’t want us to keep an eye only on the clock or keep an eye out for others and only work when they are watching. He wants us to keep your eyes on Christ. And He can transform how we work when we realize that we are ultimately serving Him in our job.

There’s more to work for the believer than just punching the clock, doing the job we’re paid to do, and punching out. We’re called to do it with a godly attitude, industrious spirit, as a testimony for Christ, and “fearing God,” Paul adds.

That’s an interesting addition to this verse. Fearing God, speaks of reverence to Him. You might be thinking, “I thought we were talking about work, not church.”

How do we make copies on a copy machine, or design software, or drive a bus, or flip a hamburger, “fearing God”? Your job, no matter what it is, can be and is to be an act of worship. God desires our work to be done in faith and reverence to Him.

Jerry DeLuca wrote, “As believers we sometimes exalt ‘spiritual’ work and downplay simple labor. However, any work, no matter how mundane, that is done for God is spiritual work.” Every believer can serve the Lord in their job, whatever job that is. And thus, any work or job becomes a ministry.

Often, man gets it backwards and looks to their jobs or career to PROVIDE them with meaning and BRING significance to their lives. But for the believer, Christ is the One Who gives meaning and significance to our lives.

Thus, we do not look for meaning to our life by our work or career, we bring meaning TO it as we work in an attitude of worship to God, fearing God.

As we involve Him in every area of our lives, including our work, in our job and by the way we work, we seek to bring honor and glory to Him by it.

The fourth thing that the believer’s work life should be characterized by is, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily.”

“Whatsoever ye do” is a comprehensive statement. All of us belongs to God: body, soul, and spirit. All of life is Christian. All we do is to be set apart to Him and for His glory.

And whatever we do, in our daily employment, we are to “do it heartily,” or putting our heart and soul into what we do, doing it wholeheartedly to the best of our ability.

The Lord told Israel in His earthly ministry, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength…” (Mark 12:30). This is the language of worship of God, giving all of ourselves to Him.

And in the workplace, in whatever we do, we are called to work with the intensity and devotion of our love and service toward God, doing what we do “heartily.”

The fifth thing that the believer’s work life should be characterized by is that it is done “as to the Lord, and not unto men.”

Henry Giles said this, “Men and women must work. That is as certain as the sun. But we may work grudgingly or we may work gratefully. We may work as people or machines.

“There is no work so rude that we may not exalt it; no work so impassive that we may not breathe a soul into it; no work so dull that we may not enliven it if we understand that what we are doing is service for our Lord Jesus Christ.”

For every working believer, no matter what we do, no matter where we do it, no matter whom we do it for or with, the Lord is the One we are actually and ultimately working for.

Working just for the boss or just the paycheck often leads to doing just enough. This view of work, however, that we work for the Lord in whatever we do, is meant to transform a worker’s attitude and performance.

And because we are truly serving the Lord in our jobs, Paul wrote that the Lord is going to justly reward that one day.

Colossians 3:24-25: “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

We serve the Lord in our daily employment “knowing” something. We work knowing that we will be rewarded by our Master in heaven one day.

The Lord promises to reward those who work with the kind of heart and soul, integrity and obedience, mentioned in verses 22-23.

The word, “reward” means a proper recompence. It refers to a payment for the work that believers do, in “whatsoever” we do in the workplace.

This reward is called “the reward of the inheritance.” First off, we must define what our inheritance is.

Believing Israel has a future inheritance in the Promised Land during Christ’s earthly kingdom, and later on the new earth in the New Jerusalem.

But for the Body of Christ, we learn what our inheritance is from the message revealed to the Apostle Paul for the Church today.

And Paul referred to the believer’s inheritance earlier in this letter: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the INHERITANCE of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12).

When we trust Christ as our Savior, we are born again into the family of God. In Christ, the believer now enters a familial relationship that in turn legally issues us an inheritance called “the inheritance of the saints in light.”

Because we have redemption through Christ’s blood, the forgiveness of all our sins, we have been fitted and qualified by the Father to be partakers of this inheritance eternally.

This describes the believer’s position and standing before God in Christ in the light and glories of heaven. Our inheritance in Christ of eternity in heaven above cannot be gained by works or lost by bad behavior. It is all of grace and is a gift received by faith alone.

However, “the REWARD of the inheritance” is something different from our “the inheritance of the saints in light,” or our standing in Christ. The reward of the inheritance is something that CAN be won or lost based on our service to Christ.

Colossians 2:24 states that one who serves the Lord in the workplace, “shall RECEIVE the reward of the inheritance: for ye SERVE the Lord Christ.” So we see the receiving and gaining of reward by good and faithful service rendered to Christ in that verse.

Colossians 2:18 also warns the church of the possibility of losing rewards: “Let no man BEGUILE YOU [or cheat you] of your REWARD in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels…” Here we see the loss of reward due to the following of bad doctrine and improper worship of angels.

The reward of the inheritance refers to heavenly, spiritual, eternal rewards that will be given or withheld, won or lost, one day when we stand before the Lord.

Verse 24 states that “OF THE LORD ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance.” When we receive this reward “of the Lord” is at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Romans 14:10,12 tells us, “for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ…So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

It is at that day of the judgment seat of Christ, when each believer will individually stand before the Lord to give an account of himself, that believers who faithfully labor in their jobs and serve the Lord in them, will be given an eternal reward by the Lord.

Believers will be rewarded or recompensed for serving the Lord in the workplace.

We normally think we receive eternal rewards for spiritual duties like teaching the Bible, faithfully praying, sharing the gospel, doing mission work, helping those who are in need, and so on. And these things will be rewarded as they are done for Christ.

But here Paul teaches the Church that all work done to the honor and glory of Christ, including even in our daily employment, will result in an eternal reward.

A lot of people work for a “raise” in their jobs. But as believers we should keep our eye on the ultimate “raise” and eternal rewards that Christ will grant to those who serve Him in their employment.

Many think of their retirement and know exactly how many years they have left until they retire. They work looking forward to retirement and cashing in their IRA. They work hard and save for that day. And there’s nothing wrong with this.

For believers, however, we have a day future from one’s retirement to when we will stand before the Lord. Think of Christ rewarding your hard work. That’ll make any person’s IRA and long-awaited retirement plans and relaxation fade into nothingness.

Christ’s rewards are amazing to consider. They are something coming from Christ’s own hands to our hands. They are eternal and are our everlasting possession. The rewards will be glorious and they glorify Christ as service we did through Him and for His glory.

And most importantly, they will demonstrate and be a testimony forever that Christ was well-pleased with our service to Him. And that will mean everything.

Your daily work goes into eternity. Your job has eternal significance. You might feel as if your work doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

You get called out to a job for a sink that’s leaking and fix the pipes like you’ve done a thousand times before, and you wonder what difference it makes.

You go to your class day in and day out, and teach them the things you’ve been teaching for many years, and you wonder if it is making a difference.

Work often feels futile and pointless. This passage reminds you that it isn’t. What you do matters forever. The kids you taught might not care that you poured your heart out teaching them, and they might not ever realize how much it helped them in life.

The members of the house where you ably fixed its plumbing, caring that you did a good job, won’t remember you were there in a day or two, and won’t remember your name.

But Christ cares. He knows. He remembers and won’t forget. And He will reward you for it one day. And everything you did for the glory of Christ and as a godly testimony for Him will be remembered forever.

Verse 24 states that we will be rewarded because we “serve the Lord Christ.” It’s the only time in the whole Bible that Christ is called “the Lord Christ.”

This whole passage is about the Lord. Servants are to work “as to the Lord”; their reward will be received “of the Lord”; because they served “the Lord Christ.” And masters are reminded that they have a “Master in heaven.”

Regarding the receiving of the reward of the inheritance at the Judgment Seat of Christ, Paul further points out that at that day, “he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

The motives, attitudes, and conduct of the believing workman is the issue here. In the original Greek, “he that doeth wrong,” refers to one who has the habitual practice of wrongdoing.

And he that “doeth WRONG” is obviously one who does the opposite of what is right. And in this context, it means to do the opposite of everything Paul said the believer should do at the workplace.

It means to be stubborn, insubordinate, and disobedient to their masters. It means to be work only with eyeservice, seeking to please men and not God, having an attitude of superficial respect and cooperation, not giving a full effort, and not working as to the Lord.

A believing employee might deceive his earthly master with his eyeservice, and he might feign respect and it not be noticed, or give a half-hearted effort and get away with it, but these things cannot escape the notice of the believer’s true Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

What it means to “receive for the wrong which he hath done,” is that when one stands before the Lord at the Judgment Seat, they will receive for the wrong that they have done in the sense that they “receive” nothing.

The heavenly rewards of our inheritance that they could have received from the Lord’s hand, had they been a faithful laborer, will be withheld.

Thus, the believing worker who consistently did not do what was right will suffer loss of reward “for the wrong which he hath done.”

Man has respect of persons and shows partiality, but not God. “There is no respect of persons” with God. And at the Judgment Seat, without favoritism, the impartial Judge and Head of the Church will righteously judge the entire Body of Christ.

Colossians 4:1: “Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.”

Finally, Paul addresses believing masters or bosses. Paul tells them to treat their employees with justice and fairness.

The believing employer is to deal equitably, to be fair, and to do right by his employees and to not take advantage of them or to treat them poorly or unjustly. People are not to be used or mistreated; they are to be loved and respected.

And believing bosses are to do so knowing that they are accountable, responsible, and will have to answer to their Master in heaven one day, because again, as Romans 14:12 tells us, “Every one of us shall give account of himself to God” at the Judgment Seat.

And at that day, as believing employers are judged to have treated their workers with justice and equity, they will receive heavenly rewards of the inheritance from the Master in heaven.

However, if believing employers are cruel, abusive, disrespectful to their employees, and treat them unfairly, they will receive the consequences of their wrongdoing without partiality.

And just like with disobedient employees, these kind of masters “that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done,” and rewards will be withheld by Christ.

In the final assessment, the Lord is going to repay and compensate both labor and management, both employees and employers, for the good they have done and the wrongs they have committed.

Every believer in Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ can expect to receive a reward for good conduct or suffer loss of reward for misconduct in their daily employment.

As 2 Corinthians 5:10 reminds us, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”