Amen. Thank you, Pastor Andy. Isn't our God great? What a great, great song. Thank you to our musicians. And I do want to say congratulations to our students from GCCS. And we're so thankful for the teachers and others who helped them through a very long process, through many, many long hours of practice. and we congratulate them, they did very well, and we're really proud of them. If you would go with me this morning to 1 Timothy 6, I wanna continue our study in the pastoral epistles. 1 Timothy 6, and I've made this title very general, honoring those in authority. We may no longer have an employer because some of us may be retired or for some other reason, but all of us have authority figures in our lives. And so these lessons apply to all of us, but in particular, they do apply to those of us who have an employer. How are we to act at work? And so Paul gives us some spirit inspired instruction and encouragement in this important topic because we spend much of our lives at work. And even if you own your own business, you are around other people, you have obligations that you have. So there are so many ways that we can apply this passage. And of course, we always need the grace of God to do these things. My sin nature in and of itself is not capable of doing what pleases God. I must have the power of God's Spirit in order to fulfill these things. So, 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 1, the Bible says, 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. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. Then we end on this note of divine authority. These things teach and exhort. This comes through God's divine authority to his church, to each of us this morning. Let's pray. Father, we come to you this morning and we acknowledge your greatness. We thank you for your innumerable blessings. And we pray that as we go into your word today, that your spirit would guide us and teach us, help us to be obedient to your divine word. We pray that you would transform our minds, grow us in grace, help us to live in light of eternity, especially in this matter of work and our relationships with others and our vocation. We thank you, Lord, for this time. We thank you for your word. And we pray now for your power and your anointing as we go through this passage. In Jesus' name, amen. These verses are addressed to Christians who were under the yoke. Now, a yoke, refers to a piece of wood that bound two oxen together so that they could plow a field. And it became an image, a symbol, if you will, of forced servitude. You're doing something and you really have no choice but to do it. You know, that describes all of us in a way who are working. We have to go to work. in order to live and in order to pay the expenses of life. But here, what it is referring to are those who were slaves or we might also say bond servants. So back in this time, many, many people were slaves. In fact, as many as one in three of the population in Italy. And then one in five across the empire, the Roman empire were slaves. And it was upon this foundation of forced labor that the entire edifice of the Roman state was built. So it was constructed on the foundation of forced labor. Robert J. Hutchinson says this, What we know of as the golden age of Greece and Rome was not so golden for everyone because it was built almost entirely by slave labor. By some estimates, fully one third of Roman society, one third was made up of slaves. And their masters had the power of life and death over them. Many of these early Christians were slaves. And I need to say something at this point. There are some who attempt to debunk the Bible, and they will tell you, if they find out that you're a Christian, they'll say, well, how about the Bible when it condones slavery? And the implication is, is that the Bible is an outdated book that it encourages this practice that has no place in modern society, and therefore, we do not have to listen to it. Now, let me say to you very, very clearly, that is not true. That is a falsehood and a deception. Slavery, like so many other features of a fallen world, was not a part of God's original plan. All people are made in His image. And there's one verse in particular that demonstrates the freedom that God intended for all people to have. Unfortunately, it will be only for those who trust Christ as Savior. And I hope that that's you today. But nonetheless, it says in Galatians 3 and verse 28, speaking of God's people, there is neither Jew nor Greek, There is neither bond nor free." In other words, neither slaves nor free. There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. So what we find in Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, are laws that regulated a practice that unfortunately was part of this fallen world. The Bible never encouraged any kind of violent or seditious overthrow of the social order. It never encouraged slave rebellions. But what it did do was to plant the seeds, the gospel planted the seeds that would eventually result in the eradication of slavery throughout the Roman Empire later on. Now, we do need to be sensitive to this topic because slavery has never completely died out. And that's a revelation to some people. Now, some people have said, and I've never confirmed this, but they say there are more slaves on earth today than at any other time in human history. More people are enslaved today than have ever been. We do know this, it's been estimated that there are 49.6 million people who live in modern slavery. And I'm talking about abject slavery. In forced labor, forced marriage, roughly a quarter of all victims of modern slavery are children. Here in America, we have our own history with slavery. which has been a stain on our national conscience from the very beginning. I wish it had never happened. What a scourge and an evil it has been. And I would like to explore this topic more in the future, maybe in a Sunday school class, because we don't really have time to go in detail here. But there are many verses in the Bible that we could go to. The slavery that was practiced in the Bible is not exactly the same. It was similar in some ways and very different in others than what we know from our American experience. But today, what I would like to do is to apply this passage to one of the most important relationships that we have, and that is the relationship that we have with our employer. How we treat others goes a long way in showing how we treat God and how we think of God. Long ago when I was a lad, an elderly gentleman in our church pulled me aside and reminded me that my conduct in public reflected upon my parents. Has anyone else had this talk given to you? Or maybe you've given it to someone else. The way I behaved, and by the way, this is true, whether or not it's fair, that's another question. But I will say it's true. And that is the way I behaved in relation to my authority could bring honor or dishonor to those who loved me most. And the very same is true of our relationship with God. Here's the point I want to get across, and that is honoring those in authority is a way of magnifying God and showing our concern for other people. Respectful obedience, that's the key, respectful obedience, not just outward, is one of the best ways we have of giving testimony to our Christian faith. Let me put it this way, don't check your Christianity at the door when you go to work. You can't do that. Because the Lordship of Christ extends to every area of life. But there are Christians who do that. They act in a totally different way when they're at work. And what they do when they come here at church. And by the way, that should never be true of us, whether we're at home, or at work, on vacation, or wherever. We need to be people of God under the Lordship of Christ in every situation. His dominion is not limited. He is Lord of all of our life. So that brings us to number one. If you have your outline there before you, give due honor to your employer. We might say the boss. Give due respect to your boss. Count him worthy, the Bible says, of all honor, verse one. Now, in other words, render with a good attitude. Boy, that's the key, isn't it? And that's where you need God's transforming grace. Do it with a good attitude. Everything that your employer's position deserves. and that is respect, respect for other people. Don't backbite against the boss. Don't make fun of him behind his back or her, whatever the case is. Give that person an honest day's labor for an honest day's wage. I will guarantee you that people are watching you. especially lost people. Now, Paul had already given this same church similar instructions. If you'll turn with me, keep your place there in 1 Timothy 6 and go to Ephesians 6. Paul's letter to the Ephesian church. Keep in mind that when Paul was writing to Timothy, that Timothy was the pastor at Ephesus. So this was, in some ways, like another letter to the Ephesians. But in Ephesians chapter 6, here are the instructions that Paul gives. Ephesians 6 and verse 5. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, that is, that you respect them, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ. not with eye service as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. You obey your employer and you do it with a good attitude. You don't just obey when he's around, but you work hard even when he's not around, even when he is not looking. By the way, kids, all of this could be applied to the relationship that we have with our parents. Don't make fun of your parents behind their backs. Respect and honor your parents. Do what they ask you to do with a good attitude. This is what is pleasing to God. And God can give you the power to do that. He doesn't ask you to do it without giving you the enablement. And that's what He'll do if you trust Him. But in Ephesians chapter 6, Paul is emphasizing two things. Number one, the value of labor. Boy, that's something that many people in today's society need to be reacquainted with. the value of labor and hard work. Now, we have in this country what is called the Protestant work ethic. And I am very, very thankful for that. It's one of the things that built our country into what it is today. But not all cultures have that. Not all American cultures have that. But if you look throughout history and today, not everyone has that. And especially in Greek and Roman society among the upper classes, work was considered to be something that was beneath you. I don't do windows. I don't do dishes. Well, you can extend this attitude over many things because the Greek and Roman elite, they would never stoop to do manual labor. Perish the thought. This was their attitude. God says hard work is valuable. In fact, Paul himself was a tent maker. He was an apostle. He was a missionary. He was a preacher, a church planter. But on the side, he worked and he worked hard. There were times when he was able to support himself with his craft. So God takes labor seriously. It was one of the things that he designed us to do. Now that work may be primarily physical or it may be mental, but we need to work hard and we need to work smart. We can do both, but we need to work as unto the Lord. And that's the second thing that he emphasizes, the importance of doing our work knowing that the Lord is our ultimate authority. He is our employer. So you may not like the person who is over you. I've been fortunate in my life, I've had a lot of employers. When I was a Christian school teacher, I was in a position where I had to go to work in the summer. And there were times when the economy was bad and jobs were hard to come by. I did whatever I could do. And I didn't have much choice, but I guess, largely speaking, overall, I had some really good employers, but not always. But what I was taught, and I'm glad that my parents drilled this into me, is that you always do a good job. You may not like the teacher in school, but you do a good job anyway. Ultimately, as Christians, we are working for Christ. And by the way, you may not like your employer, you need to love him and the Lord, and you need to work as though you are working for Christ, because you are. So do it for Christ. He may not treat you, your boss here on earth may not treat you the way that he should. Pray for him. And in the meantime, work as unto the Lord. Now here in 1 Timothy 6, there's a slightly different emphasis. In this passage, if you want to turn back to 1 Timothy 6, Paul is emphasizing our Christian testimony at work. And he says, we must work and serve in such a way that others would never speak against God or His truth. And that's the meaning of blasphemy here. Don't ever cause an unbeliever to revile or defame or slander God because of you. Because they look at your life and they make conclusions about God. If you're dishonest, if you are a dishonest businessman, that is one of the worst testimonies that you could ever have. And people will never forget that. Boy, is that what Christianity is all about? Or if you're lazy and you basically let others carry the load and you do as little as possible, people are going to pick up on that. And by the way, men, God made us to work and to work hard. That is a virtue. And we need to guard that carefully, because other people see that and they draw certain conclusions about God. If that's how Christians act, then I want nothing to do with it. Boy, look at those lazy, dishonest Christians. Is that their religion? You see, this is what we would call blaspheming God. They are speaking out against God. because of what you are doing. And so what we have to do is to give due honor to our employer. It includes more than respect, but it includes an honest day's work, doing our best. Make the boss look good. Do everything that you can to help him prosper and to succeed. That leads us to number two. Number one, give due honor to your employer. That is a general statement. But what about if your employer is a Christian? That brings us to number two. Give honor to them if they are fellow believers. So there's another matter here that Paul has to deal with. In chapter six, verse two, we deal with Christians who have believing masters. Now here was the situation. William MacDonald explains it this way. Doubtless, there would have been a very great temptation in Paul's day for such slaves to despise their masters. Why? Well, it's not at all unlikely that when the local church met together on the Lord's day for the breaking of bread, there would be Christian masters and Christian slaves all seated around the same table. all brethren in Christ. So they may get the idea that, yes, we are all one in Christ. So therefore, why should you be telling me what to do throughout the rest of the week? Slaves were not, Paul says on this account, to think that the social distinctions of life had been abolished because they weren't. And that's not what Paul was talking about, if you'll go with me again to Galatians 3 and verse 28. This is a great verse, but if you're not careful, you can twist this verse into something that it does not say. In Galatians 3, 28, there is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither bond nor free. There is neither male nor female. For ye are all one in Christ Jesus. That doesn't mean that all distinctions have disappeared. There's still male and female. Jesus tells us that. And there's still Jew and Greek. But the point of this passage is, is that the ground is level at the cross. We are all saved the same way. through one Savior, and we need to keep that in mind. I should never look down on someone else because they are different from me in some way, especially if they are a believer, if they are a believer. The fact is, all of us are made in God's image, and we're also in the same boat because all of us are sinners. Now, you may think that that person down the road is a worse sinner than you are. That's from your perspective. But the Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And what you need to keep in mind is that if God gave us what we deserve, that is all of us, then we would be in hell today. And yet he has saved us by his grace. And what is grace? Grace is something that we do not deserve. How can we look down on other people because of their skin color, because they're of a different ethnicity, because they come from a different country of origin? We are all one. We are brothers in Christ Jesus. There are people around this world, now it's in different time zones, so I don't know if they're meeting exactly the same time as we are, but they're different than we are in many ways, but they are the same because they are in Christ, and they're our brothers, and they are our sisters, and we must pray for them, and we must love them. And by the way, that includes all of our fellow human beings. We ought to do all that we can to bring others to Christ because God loves them. All people are made in God's image. So we are to have love for other people. So there is a sense, yes, that we are all one in Christ Jesus. But there are still distinctions in life. Wives must still submit to their husbands. Husbands must love their wives and must serve their wives. Children must obey their parents. And that means that we must obey our employers and those who are in authority. You know, a lot of people have this idea with people in government or in other places of authority. You have to be very careful with this. that because I am a Christian, therefore, I have special privileges and I don't have to obey other authorities. I actually had one person tell me once, this was back in South Carolina many years ago, but she told me, my authority is Christ and no one else. I don't listen to anyone else. Well, the truth is you don't listen to Christ either. You are your own authority, and that's the problem. Now, you can say all you want, and you can dress it up with all kinds of spiritual language, but when you don't obey those whom God has placed over you, you are disobeying God. Romans 13. A lot of people don't like that passage. I'm sorry, it's in the Bible. It's just as much in the Bible as salvation or any other passages. You may not always like it. There's a lot of things in this life that we don't like. But we do it because God tells us to do it. We live by faith. And we need to understand that. You may not like your employer, but you need to obey him. Maybe the Lord would If it doesn't work out, maybe the Lord would open the door that you could go to another job, that sometimes you just have to do that. But in other cases, you don't have a choice. And if that's the case, then you need to give honor and respect to your employer. There is still that distinction that is there. And yes, even if he's a Christian, And sometimes he may not act as he should in all cases, but you need to obey him. We give honor to our employer, to those that are fellow believers, and then number three, we give service to them. We give service to them. This is an expansion in chapter six and verse two. Paul says, do not despise them, don't belittle them. because they're your fellow Christians, because they're your brother or sister, but rather, here's the other side of this, do them service. The fact that the master was both a believer and a beloved brother should influence the slave to serve him faithfully. That's how we have to see one another. We are brothers in Christ. and we are here to love and to serve one another. So doing our work well is one of the best ways we have of loving God and loving others, especially those who were of the household of faith. Martin Luther says this, for the Christian work is no longer simply a job or an occupation. It is a calling. No matter what you do, it is a calling, if that's God's will for your life. It is a vocation, and that's where we get that term from, a vocation, a calling. It is a summons from God, Martin Luther says. Vocation is also where the Spirit sanctifies the Christian's life. Boy, this is so true. Oftentimes it's at work. When the pressure is on, when you're under deadlines and you have to get along with other people, that is the place where God grows you the most. Because it's the challenges that help you to grow in grace. Not when things are easy, but when things are hard. And so God uses that to grow us more into the image of our savior. And Luther continues, vocation then is where the spirit sanctifies the Christian's life, not in a self-centered quest for perfection, but rather in humble service to one's neighbor. It doesn't matter what vocation you have, use it as a means to glorify God. Christ must be Lord of every aspect of our lives. And honoring those in authority is a way of magnifying him and showing our concern for others. It may have an effect on some lost person that is there. God may use you as the light to bring others to himself. When I was in fourth grade, my teacher introduced to us the book that we would have to read for the year. Some of you may remember this. It was called The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. And being a little fourth grade boy and a very naughty one at that, I did not want to read a book about a girl. And I was very upset by this. But when I got into it, I really liked it. I read it over and over again, and I would have never admitted this to my friends, okay? But the statute of limitations is out now, okay? That's been a long time ago. But what this book describes is the winter, a very, very severe winter of 1880 to 1881 that hit the Dakota Territory. And during this time, blizzards would hit, and they would hit suddenly. I mean, it was just like that. And suddenly you could not see your hand in front of your face. It was called a whiteout. The sun would just disappear. All sense of direction was gone. And Wilder describes a blizzard that hit while the children, she and the other children were at school. And so they were forced to head for the town and many families were there spending the winter because of this severe stretch of weather. So Wilder is describing what's happening and she says, we could hardly walk in the beating, whirling wind. The schoolhouse had disappeared. We could see nothing but swirling whiteness and snow. But then it was out of the whirling whiteness that something hit her as they were traveling on their way. The hard blow crashed against her shoulder and all through her. It was a house on the very edge of town. Her shoulder brushed right up across the outside of it, the outside extreme of it. She said beyond it was nothing but the railroad track covered with snow, the lonely depot, and the wide open prairie. And so if she had only been a few steps beyond that, they all would have been lost on the endless prairie, and no doubt they would have frozen to death. As I thought of that, I thought of this. In your workplace, you could be the one lone outpost between a lost person and a Christless eternity. My father was saved in his early 20s. He was an alcoholic. He had, however, a great job. He had no interest in organized religion. He was not in church at the time. But there was a man there at work, a genuine believer, and my dad watched this person. He watched how respectful he was to his employer. My dad said I watched everything that he did. He said this man would witness to me and I didn't like it and I was so convicted and as a result I was looking for anything I could to say that this man's religion was vain. And I looked and I looked and I couldn't find anything. The man invited him to church and My father got saved. I might not be here today if it were not for that man. He was not a pastor. He was not a missionary. He was not a full-time Christian worker, but he was a man in his vocation serving God faithfully from the heart. He never took a break from his Christianity throughout the week. He was a Christian all the time, and my dad saw it. And my friends, God has put us in that situation in this world. Don't take it for granted. God has placed you exactly where he wants you to be. Matthew 5, 16, famous verse, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father, which is in heaven. Let's pray. Father, help us to be a testimony for you. Help us to be a light for our Savior. Help us never to forget that wherever we are, that Christ is our Lord and our Savior, that he is Lord of all of us. I pray that if there's one here who has not given his heart to Jesus, I pray that this would be the day that he or she would do so. Father, I pray that we as your people, those of us who have been saved by your grace would live faithfully for you, that we would show that in how we treat others, Lord, those who are over us. Father, we realize that these things are not easy because we still have a sinful flesh that resists this kind of thing. So help us to live through faith in our Lord's resurrection power. May your spirit give us the strength each day to reveal Christ to others. And we pray all of these