Titus 2:9-10

Titus chapter 2, verses 9 and 10 for our text and study this evening. Exort servants to be obedient under their own masters and to please them well in all things. Not answering again, not purloining, but showing all good fidelity that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. May God bless to us his sacred and holy word this evening. Toward the end of his life, Ray Crock, who was the founder of McDonald’s, hamburgers, gave the New York Times an interview. And in that interview, he said, I speak of faith in McDonald’s as if it were a religion. I believe in God, family, and McDonald’s, and in the all of the old. office, the order is reversed. Often in the modern marketplace or workplace, there are pressures for people to do just that, to put the company before God and family. The company wants you to make it the all-important factor in its life. And you are encouraged for all intents and purposes to forget your moral principles and your faith in God in pursuit of profit and the advancement of the kingdom of the company. Like Ray Crock, many set aside their religious convictions in the workplace and simply follow the company directives, often dishonoring God and neglecting their family and the process. Sadly, it’s frequently true that the believers are one thing. in church, quite another thing, during the week, and the workplace. It’s a kind of Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde situation, has resulted. While one professes to believe certain biblical truth, it’s not what one practices at work on Monday through Friday. Titus is a book that wants to deal with the gap between what people profess to believe as Christians and what their lives are actually like. He is selling us that we have to have our doctrine worked out in our practical Christian life. Now, the apostle to that end has addressed five groups of people here in Chapter 2 about how they live and what the focus in particular should be on. We’ve talked about the aged men, the aged men, the age women, the young women, the young men, and now we come to the final group in verses 9 and 10, and that is servants. Now, it’s true that we live in somewhat different culture than the first century cretians. The principles, however, of scripture remain the same for all ages. And this must be clearly grasp in order to serve the Lord faithfully in the workplace. For the next couple of weeks, I hope to be looking at these two verses of scripture and talk about the Christian in the workplace. Now, we have previously in the book of Colossians in our morning study covered this aspect of servants, and so I’m not going to dwell on some of the issues that I covered more detail on Sunday morning here this evening. But let me begin by saying this. You are required to honor the Lord in the workplace. When he talks about servants, he’s saying this is how you are to conduct yourself as you work, as you go about your daily activities serving your master. Now, it’s true as we look at this text of scripture that slavery is in view. The is not actually speaking of workers per se in the sense of hired employees paid for their services rather those who are owned lock, stock, and barrel by someone, and therefore are slaves. The Greek word here for servant is douloves. The root word duo means to bind, and thus a bond servant is the idea. These individuals lived in a society in the Roman Empire where slavery was quite common. However, these people were without any rights and in many ways were mere property existing for the comfort, the pleasure, the convenience of their owners. Slaves were bought, sold, used, discarded as easily as you would a tool. They’re like a mere commodity. Caesar Augustus once crucified, a slave, a slave, who accidentally killed his pet quail. Polio threw a slave into a pond of deadly lamprey eels for breaking a crystal goblet. That’s how much their lives were worth. There’s no doubt that many of the early Christian churches had slaves in them and thus the need to address this issue here in the text. Now, it may surprise you to know that the Bible doesn’t denounce slavery, it doesn’t outright condemn it. The apostle here doesn’t condemn it either. People will argue that slavery is evil and sinful and wrong and that it violates the dignity of man. It’s not fair and therefore should be done away with completely. But the Bible doesn’t address that specifically. You remember Abraham, who is called the father of the faithful, and is like you and I in that he was justified. by faith in the coming Savior in Christ. He is repeatedly set forth as an example of New Testament believers in the scriptures. And Abraham owned hundreds of slaves. Two are named for us, Hagar, Aliezer. And when God made a covenant with Abraham, nothing negative was said to him about, well, you need to get rid of all your slaves or anything of that. this nature. In fact, if you read it carefully, you’ll notice the slaves were incorporated. They had to be circumcised along with Abraham and his immediate family. He was never told by God to give up your slaves, where it’s sinful for you to have them. Elie Azar even appears to be a converted man. You recall when he was set to find a wife for Isaac, he prays for God’s help. He prays to the God of Abraham. He gets an answer. And Abraham has never told, well, free your spiritual brother, and don’t retain him as a sleigh. If you go through the New Testament, you find the same thing as well. We did say, and I’ll say it again, because it’s worth repeating, the sincere application, however, of biblical principles, actually undermines slavery. Because one of the principles taught by Paul that ultimately destroyed slavery was the equality of the slave and master in the kingdom of God. And then you have principles such as love your neighbor as yourself, do under others, as you would have them do unto you, and so forth. These brought slavery to an end in many cases. The Apostles of praise. to slavery is that like the woodsman who strips off the bark of a tree and leaves it die. It’s the indirect approach. If you apply these principles, ultimately it undermines slavery and ends it. But what the Bible is doing here is teaching us how to live in a fallen world. And therefore, it directly deals with you as how to live as a slave without getting into the question of whether we should have slavery or not. God regulates slavery. He doesn’t address it straight up. But the broader concept is what we want to look at here, and that is of the Christian in the workplace. While Paul is specifically addressing slaves, the principles that he lays down here certainly apply to the hired serving as well. In other words, to you as an employee of a company. And so we have biblical labor relations here. You as an employee are a servant in some sense of your company. You have a master in the sense that you have a boss who is over you. So once this concept is grasp, then we begin to see the relevance of the text of Scripture before us for today. In fact, if all workers did as God commands here, it would revolutionize the workplace. So you are required to honor the Lord in the workplace. I think that’s a principal point that we must take the heart. The second thing that we need to look at here is this, how you may honor the Lord in the workplace. As a servant, you are to be a demonstrate a subjection to your employer. You’ll notice he says here in verse 9. not in verse 9, exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters. The word obedient means to be subordinate here. To place yourself under the authority of your master. Be subject to your master. And we see that this is an important teaching. And we see that this is an important teaching. And we see that this. and you are to obey him in all things. We’d be obedient to your master. Now, there’s no qualifications here. It doesn’t say if your master’s a good and nice guy, obey him. It doesn’t say if conditions are really good at the workplace, obey your master. Just because it’s a straightforward teaching in general, this is what, the scripture requires of you to obey your master. Remember, there’s nothing here about being reason, your boss being reasonable or compatible. You must be willing to do as you are told regardless of whether you feel like it or not. That doesn’t seem to make any difference in this situation. I remind you of the passage of 1. Peter 2. 18, servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and the gentle, but also to the froward. So it’s not just the nice guys, but even the ones that are difficult and give you a hard time. The true faith, the doctrine of the gospel, does not free you from any human, obligation. In fact, it rather commands obedience in those situations which you find yourself. Servants who are brought to salvation in Christ here are not freed from the commands of their servants, or from the command of their masters, but are told to be in subjection to them. This involves enduring the rebukes and corrections that you may receive, even if they are bitter or unjust. I remind you of Hagar in the Old Testament, who was Sarah’s servant. She was treated roughly and harshly by her mistress, and she decided she was going to run away. She said, I’m quitting. I’m done. And she tried to escape her obligation and what happened? The angel of the Lord comes to her and says, return to thy mistress and what? Submit thyself unto her. Genesis 16 and verse 9. That’s what you’re responsible to do. This principle of subjection to those in authority over us is constantly taught in the New Testament. For example, 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 may not blasphemed. So the apostle here is combating this rebellious spirit, which permeates the work of many people in the workforce. You’re to be someone who can take orders, someone who will do as they’re told, and that seems to be the teaching of scripture. Remember one day a Roman centurion came to our Lord, came to Capyrium, seeking out Jesus, in order for him to heal his sick servant. We find a story in Matthews. Matthew 8th. Jesus said, well, I’ll come and I’ll heal him. And then the centurion said it wasn’t necessary for Jesus to come. And here’s what he said. I am not worried that thou should have come under my roof, but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed. And then he gives an explanation, which was quite interesting. He says this, I’m a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this man, go and he goeth. And to another man come and he cometh. And to my servant, do this, and he doeth it. Now that’s the way we ought to be. As either we’re one of those servants or we’re one of those soldiers, we get the order, we carry it out. We do as we’re told. Just like the centurians, those who are servants of his or soldiers under him, they just carry out whatever he tells them. He expects them to do it. And they do it. Look with me at Matthew 21. if you would. Versus 28 to 31. We have a parable here of the two sons. I’d like to look at briefly here. Matthew 21, verses 28 to 31. Jesus here, speaking to the religious leaders here, the Jews. He said, what think ye? A certain man had two sons. And he came to the first and said, son, go work today. in my vineyard. And he answered and said, I will not. But after he’d repented, he went, and went. And he came to the second and said, likewise, and he answered and said, I go, sir, and went not. Whither of them twain did the will of his father. They say unto him the first. Jesus saith unto them, verily I say unto you, the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. They’re more like the first son who have repented, even though they’ve done wrong. They repent. The others say they’re going to do what the father says, the master says, but they don’t. Now, my point is this. Here is a man who had two sons. He wanted to employ them as workers in his vineyard. Both of his sons were disobedient to their father’s orders with regard to the work. One was openly defiant and said, I will not. not go. Later he repents and he actually does go. Now the other son was more subtle. He’s told his father, yes, I’ll go, but then he never shows up. He doesn’t go. Now this parable, I think, reveals two ways that workers can be disobedient unto their master or their boss, as the case may be. Wonder can be open defiance. I’m not going to do that. They refuse to do it. And the second would be, a sneaky disregard of the command, where basically they say, okay, boss, and then they don’t do it. As a Christian worker, you shouldn’t be guilty of either one of these things with regard to your work. So have the right attitude when you go to work. Don’t be stubborn, difficult employee. Refuses the follow orders. Of course, we’re talking about here lawful orders, not something it would cause you to violate any of the commands of God. So if the servant, you are to demonstrate. demonstrate subjection to your employer. As a servant, you are to seek to please your master. Now, he says here, not only are you to be obedient, but he tells us here about how we’re to be obedient. The way we’re to approach this matter is and please them well in all things. As usual in Scripture, whenever God gives us command, gets down to the disposition, the heart condition as well. It’s not enough just that we outwardly do what God commands. He would have us have our heart right in doing it as well. And so he’s saying here, not only should you obey your master, but you ought to have the right spirit. Don’t do it with a solid, grudging, grumbling attitude. The point is, he indicates, is you ought to be eager to please your boss, your boss. employer. Now, you might say, well, I thought the Apostle Paul said were not to be men-pleasers. In Ephesians 6-6, well, Paul actually said not with I service as men-pleasers. What this means, as we talked about previously in a Colossian study, is you’re not supposed to do your work hypocritically. As long as the boss is watching your busy little bee, you know, you’re keeping active, and as soon as he walks out the door, you’re lazy around, not doing anything. That’s being a men-pleaser. You’re just doing it to please the boss, just to keep it look like, make it look like you’re doing your work, to impress him. This kind of worker, whatever he may be doing, always has an eye on his boss, watching to see if the boss is coming. He’s only diligent when it’s necessary for him to be diligent. This is condemned by Paul. And as we mentioned in our previous study, Joseph is an example of what this text is teaching us here in Titus. He was so committed to his work in Potiphar’s house that Potterford eventually just didn’t even worry about it anymore. He wasn’t even paying any attention. He said, I just give it to Joseph. He takes care of it. He does it the way I want it done. Everything’s taken care of. And so that’s the way we ought to be. The boss can count on us. He gives us the job to do, and it’s done. and it’s done in a manner that’s pleasing. We ought to do our work in such a way as to please our boss. So when he reviews your work, he said, boy, that’s well done. That’s excellent work. Not, well, he got it done, but what a shoddy job he did. That’s not the way we should be. When I worked at Best Feeds on McKnight Road at one point in my life, Most People didn’t realize this, but the best feeds was actually on a piece of property owned by a woman who actually had her house right there on McKnight Road. It’s one of the few houses that were right on McKnight Road. And so one of the deals that was made with Best Feeds is that the workers would have to go up and cut her grass. And so we had to go a couple blocks, you know, maybe a block or so up the road and McKnight Road and then go into her yard and cut it. So, you know, I don’t know anything. You know, I was just hired and they send me up there to cut the grass. Well, I cut the grassless. You know, I tried to do the best job I could and got it done. Well, what happened was everybody else was doing a sloppy job because they didn’t want to do the job. So they didn’t want, they didn’t have to deal with her. So guess who got to do the job all the time? I want that guy. I want Jack to do the job. So that’s what happened. But it’s okay. Because the bottom line is we ought to be doing our work in a way that’s pleasing to the boss. And it’s the right thing to do. It’s the right way to do our work. And we’ll talk about the fact we’re to be doing it under the Lord and not on demand. So even when you’re given a most burdensome and difficult task, we should watch our disposition. We don’t get grumbly and bitter about it. Do our best to complete the task well. And how you react and how you do your work, and we’re going to see this, reflects. upon your Lord. And so he says, be careful how you do your work. Now I want you to look with me at Proverbs, chapter six. This verse of scripture came to mind when I was thinking about doing the work, pleasing the things that were pleasing to our master and so forth. Chapter 6 and verses 6 through 8, Solomon here tells us, go to the ant thou slugger. consider her ways and be wise, which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provided her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. Solomon says, I want you lazy workers to take note and learn something from the lowly ant. That ant is very busy all summer long, all the way into the fall harvest, gathering food for the winter. And notice. what he says here an ant doesn’t need an overseer or a ruler. I’ve seen many ants, but I’ve never seen one falling behind the other with a little whip in his hand. You know, keep in line. Keep them in line. They’re out there working diligently without anyone overseeing them. No boss is needed watching him to keep him busy. Now you’re commanded to be wise. You’re commanded, learn from the ant here. The common ant, this important lesson. A slugger needs someone to crack the whip over him to make him work. You should need that. The diligent person is always faithful because he seeks to please his boss, whether the boss is there or not. Even if your boss, it seems like no one can please him, and he’s very demanding and exacting, do your best to do your work in a manner which wins his approval, because this is what God commands you to do to do. I’ll mention Jacob again. Jacob served a hard boss in Laban for 21 years, who kept changing his wages, tried to cheat him constantly. But Jacob did his best, and God, in the end, rewarded him. And that despite the miserliness of Laban. Ray Croc, who was the founder of the McDonald’s hamburgers, forgot. All about his moral principles. and faith in God at the workplace. And sadly, I think some professing Christians act the same way when they go to the workplace. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Christianity. This passage is a reminder is when you go to work, you’re serving the Lord. Therefore, there is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. God demands your disposition and attitude be right regarding work. Let me conclude. with this thought. Notice here the advantage of hiring a Christian worker. What’s the advantage of hiring a Christian worker? One, his faith requires him to be an obedient employee. Right? Scripture teaches him to be submissive. Demands that he be respectful and honor his boss. Commands even his heart attitude to be right as well. Well, that sounds like an advantage to hire somebody like that. Also, my second point is this, his faith requires him to do excellent work. He is to do his work as unto the Lord as we’ll be looking at in a coming week. But he’s commanded to please his boss in all things, and he shouldn’t need constant oversight to be productive. So all these things ought to be, say, well, why I’d I hire the Christian worker? Because he’s the guy that’s going to work in such a manner that he’s going to be cost-effective, going to be productive. He’s going to be useful to me. And so this is the kind of worker we ought to be when we go to work. Well, let’s close.