WORKING FOR THE LORD

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Key Verse 3:23

WORKING FOR THE LORD

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Key Verse 3:23

This passage teaches us the way for us to conduct ourselves as we Christians are related to one another in different positions. The key to success is to remember the Lord who put us in one relationship or another and relate ourselves with others accordingly. 

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WORKING FOR THE LORD

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Key Verse 3:23

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Today we would like to think about the blessed work in our blessed relationship with our blessed Lord. Please note that there is a link between the first two concepts: “work” and “relationship.” While it is not necessarily a bad thing per se for a man or woman to work alone, by him or herself, it is a far better thing if each person learns to work together with others. That is to say, working together is a necessity in relationships. Just as fish cannot survive without water so neither can we live without relationship; thus, there is a reason why the Lord God put us into different relationships. If we learn how to relate to others, then we can work harmoniously with others, giving thanks to God and bearing good fruit that renders all the glory to God.  

In today’s passage Paul describes three relationships in which we are to work for the Lord. And in considering these relationships, let us also remember what makes the blessedness of work truly blessed.  

First, the relationship between a husband and a wife

(1) The things a wife must remember

“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Not all of us are women. Some of us are men and some are women. And not all women are married; some are married, some are yet to marry. But even if you are not a woman, and even if you are not yet married, do not think that this message is irrelevant for you. Why not? It is indeed relevant for every believer because all the members of Christ’s body are called his bride. Now, Paul says that wives must submit to their husbands. Why? The reason is because it is fitting in the Lord. 

In what respect is it fitting? We can find the answer to this question in what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:3, “Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” This passage portrays to us three beautiful pictures one after the other: the first is of Christ voluntarily submitting himself to God the Father; the second is of a husband willingly submitting himself to Christ; and the third is of a wife joyfully submitting herself to her husband. 

To further illustrate the same truth, Paul says that Christ is the head of the body. The body wills, thinks, and feels as the head wills, thinks, and feels; the body acts as the head instructs it to act. Likewise, God the Father who is “the head” of Jesus wills, thinks, and feels through Jesus, so that as Jesus wills, thinks, and feels as God the Father does, God’s love and power become fully manifested in his life. The same is true of a husband. Jesus is the head of a husband. So as a husband is yielded to Christ, who in turn is yielded to God the father, God’s blessings can overflow into the life of the husband who is fully yielded to Christ. Now a wife is married to her husband. Since the two are no longer two but one, it is only fitting that the wife must be submissive to her husband. If the wife is not submissive to her husband, the couple’s “oneness” or unity will be broken and, further, the chain of blessing will remain broken. If she decides not to submit herself to the husband, then she renders herself unfit to be his helper.

However, let me make something clear. Submitting is not a matter of superiority or inferiority, or of doing or refusing to do whatever your husband wants (what your husband wants or does not want is not necessarily the point). It is instead a matter of being fit or unfit to the Lord. A wife is fit or unfit to the Lord before she is fit or unfit to her husband. In other words it is her relationship with the Lord that is of first importance, and if she is fit to the Lord then she will be fit to her husband. 

“Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for it is fitting in the Lord.” When we remember that a Christian is a bride to Christ our bridegroom, Paul’s charge here has universal application for all Christians – male Christians, female Christians, married Christians, and single Christians. All must submit to Christ Jesus. 

At first glance, the word “submit” sounds anachronistic, a throwback to a male-dominated, patriarchal society. So we are apt to say, “What? I’ll live my own life however I please. Why should I submit myself to anyone?” In this way, many find it really difficult to obey Paul’s exhortation. But when we think about who Jesus is, we can easily overcome these humanistic thoughts and joyfully and willingly submit ourselves to Christ. For example, in Isaiah 9:6 the Prophet Isaiah says that Jesus Christ is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, and Everlasting Father. As we submit ourselves to Christ, Jesus our Wonderful Counselor helps us to be as wise as he is. Through his help we can gain wisdom and knowledge. He gives us the Spirit of understanding and the Spirit of revelation. Through his wisdom and knowledge we can make the right decisions on different issues of our life. In addition, when we run into one difficulty or another, we may feel overwhelmed at first. But as we submit ourselves to Christ, fully trusting him, and asking for his help, he whose name is the Mighty God provides us with enough strength to overcome the difficulty we face. Furthermore, worrisome thoughts may hit us, causing us to lose our peace of mind. But as we come to him whose name is the Prince of Peace for help, strangely, our worrisome thoughts disappear. In their place, his peace rules in our heart and we can remain cool and calm despite the pressures and circumstances around us. In this way, as we continue to remain submissive to his rule, he whose name is the Everlasting Father provides us with his provision and protection. And therefore we can live as a source of blessing to others, even in times of trouble. 

Viewed this way, we conclude that submitting ourselves to Christ is different from “non-action.” Submission to Christ could in fact involve either action or non-action; the action or non-action is not the essential thing, but the consequence of a person who is obedient to Christ. All it means, then, is to do everything, be it doing or not doing “something,” in and through Jesus Christ. Submission means that we are to fully obey Christ by fully obeying the Bible, even if (and especially if) it goes against our own will.

(2) The things a husband must remember

Look at v.19. “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”  At first glance this command sounds simple, but when we compare this passage with other passages in the Bible such as Ephesians 5:25-33b, it has a lot deeper meaning than one might expect. Most surprisingly, we discover that the love required of a husband to his wife is as high as the love which Christ has for his church. Specifically, Paul says in Ephesians 5:25-32, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- for we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself.” In Ephesians 5:25, we find the expression “just as.” What does “just as” mean? Paul answers the question in Ephesians 5:28, “In this same way…” Characteristically, the purpose of Christ’s love for his church is to turn what is imperfect into what is perfect. Perfection is Christ’s aim in loving his church. And perfection is not perfection in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. Before marriage, you may find your wife physically perfect or at least near perfect. But soon after marriage, especially after children start coming out, you may soon find that she is not as physically attractive as you had originally remembered. But what Paul means is spiritual perfection, especially in holiness. So we have this: the purpose of love is holiness. 

Thus, the more we study the Bible, the more we find that at the heart of perfection is holiness. For this very reason the Bible calls God the Father “holy, holy, holy.” For example in Isaiah 6:3, we see the seraphs calling to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." Why does this passage talk about glory right after describing the name of the Lord as “holy, holy, and holy”? The answer is obvious. The whole earth, which is full of his glory, stems from God’s holiness. This may sound strange. But in view of what the Bible says, we can easily understand why the seraphs say what they say about God. For example, in Romans 3:23, we see Paul saying, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Here the expression “fall short of” already implies that man has become imperfect. Man was created to be perfect. He was created to be worthy of being called the crown of creation. But man fell. Man sinned. And it is this sin that turns an otherwise noble man into a very ignoble creature. The same is true of woman. I am not sure how beautiful Eve was, I mean, Eve before the Fall. Personally, it is my own belief that both Adam and Eve were saved. And I think I am saved as well. So when Jesus comes again, I am certain I will meet Adam and Eve. However, I would prefer to meet Eve before I meet Adam. The first question I want to ask her is, “Do you have a belly button?” Don’t get me wrong. Nowadays a lot of sisters go around showing their belly button. I don’t know exactly why. But this is not my point. My point is that, like Adam, Eve is God’s direct creation: she did not come into being by virtue of being born from a mother’s womb. She is not the product of a marriage, but she was the first to give birth. But even this is not the point of my inquiry. The point of my inquiry is that I wonder how beautiful she was when she was originally created. I think she was created “perfect” in every conceivable way. Maybe it is of no use to talk about this further at this moment. As Paul says, now we know in part, but soon we shall fully know. 

This little observation on the meaning of love, especially in its purpose of holiness, reminds us of one important task: all brothers must repent of their carnality. Just as the Apostle Paul strove hard to know Christ, so too must we all pray that brothers would struggle to know Jesus Christ better. Then we can pray that sisters too would be restored to their original beauty as God’s daughters. Each time I visit Chicago, I meet two beautiful women of God: Mother Barry and Missionary Grace A. Lee. Mother Barry is 74. But still she is very vigorous, as vigorous as a teenage girl. While attending last Friday’s membership meeting, Missionary Matthew Kim and I arrived at the Chicago UBF Center around 5 p.m. We visited Mother Barry at her apartment. In her apartment, Dr. Paul Hong, Missionary Jacob Lee, and a few others were already there, eating beef jerky. I know that Mother Barry had recently made a long journey to and from Brazil. She also visited Argentina. So I figured that she would need some rest to recover from her jet lag. I said, “Mother Barry, you must be exhausted from your trip. We had better leave now so that you can get some rest.” But she was very upset and said, “No, no, no. I am okay. Please stay here, so we can talk some more.” I learned one thing new: never tell Mother Barry, “You need to rest.” Instead, from now on, each time I see her I am going to say, “Mother Barry, you need to work more.” 

“Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”  Paul added here “and do not be harsh with them.” This is because marriage comes with a mission from God. God created marriage in order to fulfill his desire to bless all peoples on earth. In view of the verses concerning married couples (e.g., 1 Timothy 3:15, where Paul calls a married couple God’s household, which God uses as the pillar and foundation of God’s truth; or 1 Corinthians 16:19, where Paul talks about a church that meets at the house of a couple called Priscilla and Aquila; or Ephesians 5:32, where Paul uses the relationship between Jesus and his church as a model for a marriage between a husband and a bride), we can call a married couple a “house church.” In addition, King David saw in Psalm 110:1-3 that, although the church represents the kingdom of God here on earth, it is still beset by tons of enemies – enemies inside and enemies outside. So, as the Lord’s church fights the Lord’s battle to expand God’s kingdom, it is possible that a married couple is subject to intense and continuous stresses and hardships. After all, what soldier is on the battlefield to have a good time? What solider does not go through one hardship after another? And didn’t Paul say to Timothy, a Christian solider, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier” (2Ti 2:3)? Now here is the point: in fighting the Lord’s battle, it is very conceivable that one’s stress might go up, so that, as the going gets tough, the husband and wife might become harsh to one another, and more often than not it’s the husband to his wife. Why the husband to wife? The answer is obvious. God established the husband as the leader of the household. I understand Missionary Joseph Kang used to serve as the head of a platoon consisting of about 100 soldiers. So he knows what it is to be the head of a military unit. This indicates that just as it is easy for a lieutenant to treat the soldiers under him harshly, so too it is easy for a husband to treat his wife, a fellow soldier in the Lord’s army, harshly. But Paul says, “Don’t be harsh to your wife.” Why does he say this? It is because she is a fellow soldier (Christ is the true Leader). And soldiers need to rely on one another, especially in hard times.  

Similarly, Paul’s instruction not to be harsh is applicable to all who are in leadership positions, such as fellowship leaders. 

Second, the relationship between parents and children

(1) The things children must remember

Look at v. 20. “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” In Jewish tradition, when a boy reaches the age of 13, he is considered “of age,” i.e., he is no longer considered a boy but a man. For this reason, at the age of 13, the Jewish boy undergoes a ceremony called “the bar mitzvah” (“bar” means “son” and “mitzvah” means “commandment,” so “bar mitzvah” means “son of the commandment,” referring to the fact that he is now fully responsible for obeying the Lord’s commandments). Girls mature more rapidly than boys, so while boys must wait until the age of 13, girls are considered capable of understanding – and thus of responsibility – a year before boys at the age of 12. Jewish girls undergo a ceremony called “the bat mitzvah” (“bat” means “daughter”) at this age. 

So when Paul says “Children, obey your parents in everything,” Paul possibly had in mind those who had not yet fully become “of age,” and become a bar or bat mitzvah, and thus deemed to have developed inside of them the capacity to know what is right and what is wrong. For example, they may think homosexuality might be okay. But the Bible says that it is one of the sins which God hates the most (in fact, it is an abomination, in many respects worse than a sin). Children might also think that premarital sex is alright. But the Bible says that fornication is a sin. In this way, children are those who are immature in making the right choices in all different aspects of life. And this is true of children who are in the Lord. As we know, Paul is talking to both parents who are in the church and to their children who are also in the church. But regardless of their church membership, until children reach a certain level of maturity, they must be under the supervision of their parents. For this reason, Paul says, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” 

The little addition “for this pleases the Lord” requires only a little elucidation: that is, the purpose of this command is to please the Lord. 

“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” By this time, you may think that you are an adult, and that this verse is no longer applicable to you. But we must remember this: in our society, there are a lot of “adult babies.” Physically, they may even be in their fifties or sixties, but spiritually they remain teenagers at best. Their sense of right and wrong never fully developed. Why is this? It is because they never studied God’s word. No one taught them God’s word correctly. Another interesting thing I noticed is that, on many cases, their children are a lot more mature than their parents, that is, their children end up parenting their human parents. This sounds funny, but it is really true. In the Bible we also see this. For example, Samuel was but a young boy when the Lord God used Samuel to teach all of Israel (even using Samuel to teach Eli). 

In a broader sense, however, all of us are all “children.” For this reason, Jesus often called his disciples “children” (some of whom I believe may have been a lot older than Jesus in terms of physical age). For example, in John 13:33, Jesus looked at the disciples and said, "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.” So as a bunch of kids, what should we do? We must all strive to please Jesus, the parent of all parents!

(3) The things parents must remember

Look at V. 21. “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” Let us think about three words: “fathers,” “embitter,” and “discouraged.” As used here the word “fathers” can also be translated to read “parents” (cf. Heb 11:23). In reality, it is very likely that it is not only a father but also a mother who can make their children bitter. Do you remember all the foul language used by the rap “artist” Eminem? When the movie “8 Mile” first came out, it generated so much controversy. I was interested in what all the controversy was about and thus watched it. But it made me feel sick to my stomach; I felt nauseated. Sadly, a lot of his foul language was directed against his mother. We know what “embitter” means. It means “to make one bitter.” The word “bitter” has many different meanings such as: “having or being a taste that is sharp, acrid, and unpleasant”; “causing sharp pain to the body or discomfort to the mind”; “difficult or distasteful to accept, admit, or bear”; “exhibiting or proceeding from strong animosity”; “resulting from or expressive of severe grief, anguish or disappointment”; and “marked by anguished resentfulness or rancor.” The word “discourage” likewise has several meanings including: “to deprive of confidence, hope, or spirit”; “to dissuade or to deter”; “to hamper or hinder”; and “to try to prevent by expressing disapproval or raising objections.” Overall, when we look at the meanings of these words, we can easily draw a picture of what Paul is getting at, that is, legalism disrupts growth. Children need lots of grace. For this reason the Apostle Peter says in 2 Peter 3:18, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ.” Grow in what and what? Yes. “Grace and knowledge.” But grace first and knowledge second. We know how the Apostle Peter became the Apostle Peter, the rock and foundation of God’s church: by erring a lot (after all, mistakes are only mistakes if we do not learn from them). Like all of us, Peter had many weaknesses and character flaws. Yet, our Lord Jesus was not legalistic. He was graceful. And eventually Peter overcame his sin problems. He grew to be a powerful servant of God. Likewise, parents (including those who are put in a “parenting position,” e.g., shepherds, shepherdesses, and fellowship leaders) must be graceful. They must struggle to know Jesus personally. Only then can they strengthen the hearts of those whom they are “parenting,” helping them to grow up as healthy and strong children of God who know how to take their stand against all of the devil’s schemes.

Third, the relationship between a master and a servant

Paul now takes us out of the context of a family into the context of a society.  In Paul’s day, the master-servant (or slave) relationship was crucial to the economic health of the entire Roman Empire. In fact, under Roman rule, historians say that there were far more slaves than free citizens. Thus, the economy largely depended upon healthy relationships between masters and their servants. That is partially why Paul too addresses this issue. Although we no longer have slavery today, the employer-employee relationship in our capitalistic society plays a similar role. So a lot can still be learned from what Paul says in this passage.  

(1) The things a servant (or employee) must remember

Look at vs. 22-25a. “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.” We can classify Paul’s instructions into seven categories: 

“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 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.” 

Each category deserves several hours of study. Nevertheless, through these seven categories, we find one emergent theme: we must work for the Lord who is invisible, not for people who are visible. The other day, as I mentioned earlier, we had a membership meeting in Chicago. About 50-plus people gathered in a small room. Dr. Joseph Chung and Mother Barry and other elders of this ministry put us through numerous business agendas like the election of elders, the nomination of officers, the approval of revenues and expenses, the revision of bye-laws, etc. As I was seated there in the room, I felt bored. The food was alright but the meeting was too long. Then worldly thoughts arose in my heart, “Oh, man. This meeting is too long. Why do I have to sit here? What am I doing here? I really want to go back to Los Angeles and do my own thing.” But I was reminded of what Paul says in today’s passage, especially in v. 23. “[Slaves!] Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Yes. I am an unworthy servant. And I must even do these “administrative things” as if I were doing them for the Lord. After all, who am I serving? Who established the ministry? Is it not the Lord? With this verse in mind, I could serve the meeting joyfully and willingly. 

(2) The things a master (or employer) must remember

Lastly, let us read v. 25b. “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” Here, “a Master in heaven” refers to Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 6:9, Paul says that Jesus is the Master of all masters, the Lord of all lords. At the same time, Jesus is the Master of all servants. In Jesus’ dictionary, a master is held to a stricter set of responsibilities than is a servant. Either way, be it as a servant or as a master, as each person serves the Lord in his or her own position, the Lord blesses each person according to what he or she has done while in the body (2 Co. 5:10). There is one important thing for us to remember then, that is, it is Jesus who evaluates your work performance, and either promotes you to an exalted position or demotes you to a lower position. So no matter what level of responsibility we are called to serve, we are all serving the Lord. This is a very blessed thought for us to remember, and to always remember: we all serve the Lord, regardless of our job titles. 

One word: working for the Lord.

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