Col. 3:22-4:1, The power of the Gospel in society <Scripture and …

Col. 3:22-4:1, The power of the Gospel in society  <Scripture and Sermon summary>
3:22-4:1, 22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,
24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
4:1Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

<Sermon Summary>
  Jesus Christ died (Suffering) and rose again for us(Resurrection). These are the core ministry of Jesus, the gospel. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus and live. How should believers in Jesus live in society? How will the power of the gospel appear in society? Let's listen to what the text gives us today.

1. Obey the Lord with a sincere heart (22-23)
 22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Ephe.6:6-7, Rom. 14:7-9.
    Saints who are in Christ must live a life distinguished from others with conscience and sincerity. The Lord alone is our true Master. So we should do everything as if we were working for Him.

  1) Be obedient. Servants must obey the commands of God, the Master of Heaven.
  2) Be sincere only for the Lord. Do not blindly blind, but fear the Lord, and do it with a sincere heart, with a heart that pleases the Lord. Have a priority relationship with Christ, the Lord of all times and all things. Acknowledge God's sovereignty and work with the heart that the Lord has called you to that place, no matter how unfair and harsh it may be.  3) Do as to the Lord. Whatever you do, do it faithfully with the motive of serving God. It is right to act without deceit, in accordance with the will of God, who sees in our hearts and in all secrets. Society is the place where God has sent people to the missionary realm where they can establish his kingdom and carry out the history of redemption. With the missionary spirit of preaching the gospel and the spirit of stewardship in charge of the Lord's work, wherever you are, do it as if you were doing it for the Lord. This is the duty of the saints.

2. Serve the Lord well and receive a corporate reward
 24.since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.   
  What is the reason why, as a servant, you must obey your master and act with a sincere heart as you treat the Lord? It is because we are the people who serve Christ, and we have the privilege of occupying the heavenly inheritance, the kingdom of heaven. Also, since the Lord will repay you for good or evil, you must be careful not to lose your inheritance through hypocrisy and blindfolding. Because of our actions, the Lord is not to be slandered, but the lessons of Christ are to shine through us. Titus 2:8-10, 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. 9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10 and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. 1) The Lord, who is the owner of all workplaces, gives the prize of inheritance (24) At that time, slaves were not rewarded no matter how hard they worked. However, it says that if we acknowledge that the owner of the workplace is Christ under the sovereignty of God, and if we work diligently as if we were dealing with Christ, no matter how tough our boss is, Christ will give us the reward of our inheritance, the reward of heaven. Rev. 22:12, “I have a reward to give to each one according to what he has done.” Compared to Roman law, where slaves could not receive any inheritance at the time, the talk about inheritance rewards is surprising.
  We must understand that every place where we live is a missionary field dispatched by the Lord for the sake of redemptive history. Always serve, pray, and strive for the ministry of salvation. I am moved by the image of a young Israelite girl who was brought captive to the house of General Naaman of Syria and worked as a servant. He introduces the master to meet Elisha, saying that when the master general suffers from leprosy, he can be healed through Elisha of Israel. Naaman, who suffered from leprosy, obeyed Elisha's command to wash seven times in the Jordan River and was healed. This girl was to do a precious work of salvation(2 Kings 5:2-4). 2) Since God is fair, those who do injustice will receive unrighteous retribution (25). When servants do harmful and unrighteous things to their masters or fellows, they will surely receive unrighteous retribution from the Lord. It means that no matter how sincere they pretend to be, if they do injustice, they will not be able to escape the judgment that is the retribution for their injustice. The Lord does not take people by appearances. In the judgments of the Lord, He is infallible, impartial, accurate and just.

3. Know that you have a Master in heaven, and practice righteousness and justice
(4:1, Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven). 1) Know that there is a master in heaven. We must always live a life of faith knowing that there is a master in heaven. Among the 42 kings of Israel, the king God set as the standard was King David. He was a powerful king, but he always recognized and praised God as the king, acknowledging that there was an invisible Almighty God above him. Psalm 145:1, “My God, the King, I will exalt you and bless your name forever.” Amen. David's greatness is that he always humbled himself before God and lived as a worshiper. He repented of his sins with his tears and lived in a right relationship with God.
2) Give righteousness and fairness. This is the basis of social ethics. ‘Righteousness’ is a right relationship with God as an attribute of God. “Fair” is to act fairly. Amos 5:24, “But let justice flow like water, and righteousness like a river that never runs dry.” When we do righteousness to our neighbors, we have respect without resentment, and when we are fair, there is no resentment. You have to pay for your hard work then and there. Servants should know that they are given the right to appeal to God. Know that there is God, the owner of heaven, and always live in a humble attitude. There is an owner in the world, but we must remember that there is God who is the true owner in heaven. The workplace is primarily the Lord's, not mine or yours. It is a holy scene where His Lordship is revealed. The role has been entrusted to us centered on Christ. If you have been entrusted with the roles of superiors and subordinates, you must also fulfill your role well in your relationship with the Lord, the owner. Be humble knowing that God is the owner and that God makes it possible through His grace. The Bible says that everyone is the noble image of God. If you are faithful to the given task, Christ, the Lord of all things, grants you a reward. Therefore, when you do it with righteousness and fairness, that is, with fair treatment and honest reward, the righteous God rewards you.  2 Tim.4:8, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” Amen.

    Gospel’s witnesses who believe in the resurrection of Jesus, all of us obey the Lord with a sincere heart, serve the Lord well, believe that there is a Master in heaven, and live righteously and fairly. I congratulate you on receiving the award that lives forever in heaven. Amen.