WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.580 Good morning, everyone. My name is Steve. I'm Senior Pastor here at St. Paul's, and 00:00:03.580 --> 00:00:11.620 it's my delight this morning to work, to bring this message of work to you. For those of you 00:00:11.620 --> 00:00:19.059 who are new here today, this is the third of our series in work, and it's a delight to be able to 00:00:19.059 --> 00:00:22.559 stand here and do it, and yet to get to this point has been a source of great frustration 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:29.339 as well. So let's pray that'll come into clarity as we go through. Father God, we thank you 00:00:29.339 --> 00:00:37.159 for the security, the significance, the meaning, the hope that we have because of what you have 00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:44.539 done for us in the Lord Jesus and who we are, that we are your beloved called children. Father, we pray 00:00:44.539 --> 00:00:51.500 that that reality would shape all of our lives, that our vocation being called by you to put our 00:00:51.500 --> 00:00:57.359 trust in you would impact the vocation, the places that you put us day by day in this world to work 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:06.060 for you. Use your word today to shape us and to give us hope and to put our primary hope in you 00:01:06.060 --> 00:01:10.299 and not in anything else that you've called us to, and we ask it for your sake. Amen. 00:01:12.260 --> 00:01:20.920 Studs Terkel was an American author and historian and actor and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:30.620 Prize in 1985 for his book, The Good War. He also wrote a book on work, and in the introduction to that 00:01:30.620 --> 00:01:40.439 book, he wrote, work is about violence to the spirit and the body. It's about ulcers and accidents. 00:01:41.299 --> 00:01:48.920 It's about nervous breakdowns as well as kicking the dog. Above all, it's about daily humiliation. 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:57.540 To survive the day is a triumph, enough for those walking amongst the great many of us. 00:01:59.540 --> 00:02:01.240 Well, that's a bit pessimistic. 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:12.920 He expresses something of the incredible amount of frustration and pessimism there is about our 00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:21.259 working life. As I said last week, it doesn't matter what your frontline is, which is what in this series 00:02:21.259 --> 00:02:27.739 we're calling our vocation, our work, the place that God has put us. It doesn't matter if your frontline 00:02:27.739 --> 00:02:33.519 is in your home or in the classroom, it's on the factory floor, it's in a national park, it's in an office 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:43.939 cubicle. Work can be a source of purpose and dignity and also a source of enormous frustration. 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:52.080 Dealing with difficult customers and a demanding boss or inclement weather or a family's mountain of 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:57.840 laundry or a two-year-old or an elderly parent lingering unemployment, over-employment, 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:08.939 underemployment. It can rob your day of joy. Every day of joy. Of course, that's the flip side of the 00:03:08.939 --> 00:03:14.060 message that I preached two weeks ago about the dignity of work where we see right from the very 00:03:14.060 --> 00:03:20.879 start of the Bible, God is a God of work. We too, created in his image, were created to work. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:28.799 It's astounding to, against the pessimism that we have and the frustration, it's astounding to realize 00:03:28.799 --> 00:03:35.560 that in the Bible, that work is in fact part of God's blessing and not part of the curse. 00:03:37.300 --> 00:03:42.019 Each one of us has been assigned our vocation by God to work out his purpose in the world. 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:48.400 We were created to work, that is to exercise dominion or, if you like, rulership over God's 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:57.020 creation under him. Our experience, therefore, of work is both one of dignity and purpose, 00:03:57.340 --> 00:04:04.659 as well as difficulty and frustration and meaninglessness. That is, we flip and we flop 00:04:04.659 --> 00:04:10.759 between idealism and pessimism in our daily experience. The difficulty of work has its origin 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:16.579 in Genesis 3, that passage that Jimmy read out to us there, where Adam and Eve decide to reject 00:04:16.579 --> 00:04:25.579 the authority of God over their lives. In God's address to Adam, in his response to his part, 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:31.219 Adam's part of the rebellion, God says this about work. To Adam, he says, 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:35.379 because you listened to your wife and you ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 00:04:35.479 --> 00:04:43.259 must not eat of it. Cursed is the ground because of you. Through painful toil, you will eat of it all 00:04:43.259 --> 00:04:49.099 the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you and you will eat the plants of 00:04:49.099 --> 00:04:55.740 the field. So there's the positive and the negative. It's toil, it's hard work, it's thorns, 00:04:55.819 --> 00:05:02.939 it's thistles, but you will eat of the fruit. By the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food until 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:09.019 you return to the ground, since from it you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you will be 00:05:09.019 --> 00:05:14.919 returned. And that was my experience cutting the grass yesterday. It was great to cut it, it was 00:05:14.919 --> 00:05:21.439 great, it looked good afterwards, but man, it was hard and sweaty work and I just saw weeds everywhere. 00:05:22.500 --> 00:05:32.379 I sat back in the day and said, that looks good, but it was hard work. The word curse here is used to 00:05:32.379 --> 00:05:40.519 describe a new reality. It's the massive and devastating effect on work. The curse means that 00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:48.000 the very nature and the context of human work has now changed because of sin. Work is now toilsome, 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:56.240 it's difficult. Thorns and thistles will bring sweat of exertion to the forehead. The whole landscape of 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:02.819 human existence has now been altered. There is an intense groaning and a weariness and a burden 00:06:02.819 --> 00:06:10.300 upon human existence. Evil and sin and death enter the world and they have a ravaging effect 00:06:10.300 --> 00:06:17.319 on creation. We are broken people living now in a broken world. And there is a number of ways 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:28.180 that our work is impacted because of sin. The first, our work becomes fruitless. That is, we will be able to 00:06:28.180 --> 00:06:35.819 have a vision for far more of our work than we will ever be able to accomplish. 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:45.860 Both because of a lack of ability and because of resistance to the environment around us. 00:06:47.319 --> 00:06:53.659 The experience of work will include pain and conflict and envy and fatigue. And not all our 00:06:53.659 --> 00:07:00.420 goals will be met. In fact, a whole heap of them will be unmet. For example, you may have an inspiration 00:07:00.420 --> 00:07:09.259 to do a certain kind of work and perform a certain level of skill and quality, but you may never get the 00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:15.899 opportunity to do what you want. You may desire to be the number one tennis player in the world. 00:07:15.899 --> 00:07:23.299 And that will always be frustrated while there's a guy named Roger Federer and Nadal and, you know, 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:26.639 the other guy, the number one guy. 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:32.000 I could see him, but I can't. 00:07:33.039 --> 00:07:37.359 Darkovich, that's him. The other guy who I can't remember and pronounce. 00:07:38.239 --> 00:07:44.019 While ever they're there, there will be a frustration for your plan to be number one tennis player in the world. 00:07:44.019 --> 00:07:52.039 Your conflicts with others in the work environment will sap your confidence and undermine your productivity. 00:07:52.539 --> 00:07:58.019 You may hope to make a real contribution to your organization or to work with distinction, 00:07:58.339 --> 00:08:00.779 to be regarded as an expert in your field. 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:06.740 You may aspire to change the world, to make a major improvement in human society, 00:08:06.740 --> 00:08:08.759 to have a lasting impact on culture. 00:08:08.759 --> 00:08:21.340 And most people achieve none of that, if not very few of those goals in their lifetime. 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:32.620 And even those who do will sense that their true aspirations are thwarted as often as they are reached. 00:08:32.620 --> 00:08:38.799 The second impact of sin on our work is that it will become pointless. 00:08:39.019 --> 00:08:45.539 There's a haunting sense that our work really doesn't have much significance at all. 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:52.620 You see that expressed in Ecclesiastes 2, verses 17 to 18, 00:08:52.620 --> 00:08:54.580 where the writer says, 00:08:54.580 --> 00:09:01.600 So I hated life because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:03.299 All of it is meaningless. 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:04.960 It's a chasing after the wind. 00:09:05.259 --> 00:09:08.820 I hated all the things that I had toiled for under the sun 00:09:08.820 --> 00:09:13.340 because I must leave them to one who comes after me. 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:20.139 So the writer there is deeply disillusioned with his work. 00:09:20.139 --> 00:09:25.799 And as a consequence, disillusioned with his life. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:30.879 What's the point of all this work and this toil, 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:35.559 when in the end, I just hand it over to someone else? 00:09:37.779 --> 00:09:40.460 Someone else gets the fruit of my labour. 00:09:43.139 --> 00:09:45.659 I work hard, build it all up. 00:09:45.659 --> 00:09:49.019 And my son buys the Ferrari. 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:59.319 And all this causes many to have a very negative view of work. 00:09:59.480 --> 00:10:05.620 How do we get satisfaction in the light of all that's against us? 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:13.060 Well, the same writer says in chapter 3, the next chapter in Ecclesiastes, verse 13, 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:21.360 To find satisfaction in all their toil, this is the gift of God. 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:24.159 It's the gift of God. 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:30.620 The writer concedes that satisfaction in work in a sin-ravaged world 00:10:30.620 --> 00:10:36.919 is always and only the miraculous gift of God. 00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:42.419 And yet, strangely enough, this same writer says that we have a responsibility, 00:10:42.939 --> 00:10:48.100 in fact, to pursue the gift through a particular kind of balance. 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:52.440 He says this in chapter 4, verses 5 and 6 of Ecclesiastes, 00:10:52.659 --> 00:10:56.800 The fool folds his hands and he ruins himself. 00:10:58.659 --> 00:11:05.420 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. 00:11:05.419 --> 00:11:17.759 What he's saying there is that tranquility, rest, without toil, won't bring satisfaction. 00:11:20.659 --> 00:11:29.579 That is, to win the lotto and to not do anything with the rest of your life will not bring satisfaction. 00:11:29.580 --> 00:11:36.780 He says, neither will working really hard without any form of tranquility or rest. 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:42.680 He says, there needs to be both toil with tranquility. 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:49.540 That will result in purpose and satisfaction and meaning. 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:57.620 And how you get that balance in life is one of the main themes of the Bible. 00:11:57.620 --> 00:12:07.580 The New Testament reveals that the ultimate source of the tranquility that we seek is, in fact, Jesus Christ. 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:18.100 Who, because he toiled for us on the cross, can offer us the true rest and tranquility that our souls are longing for. 00:12:19.460 --> 00:12:21.279 Jesus said, Matthew chapter 11, 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:24.539 Come to me, all who are weary and burdened. 00:12:24.740 --> 00:12:25.759 We've just sang this. 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:27.519 Just sung it. 00:12:28.179 --> 00:12:29.960 Come to me, all who are weary and burdened. 00:12:29.980 --> 00:12:30.840 I'll give you rest. 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:32.960 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:37.299 For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:42.120 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 00:12:42.460 --> 00:12:44.960 I have found it so... 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:45.399 Oh, oh, oh. 00:12:45.399 --> 00:12:55.279 See, that passage is the deepest picture of what can happen to our work when we meet Jesus. 00:12:56.740 --> 00:13:06.240 When Jesus calls all people to himself, he says that he knows that we are weary, that we are burdened, and that we need rest. 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:18.060 But Jesus' cure for our weariness in Matthew chapter 11, verse 30, is a burden. 00:13:18.059 --> 00:13:19.059 And a yoke. 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:20.059 And a yoke. 00:13:20.059 --> 00:13:21.959 And a yoke. 00:13:22.739 --> 00:13:24.500 In verse 29. 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:31.539 It's not to escape all burdens and yokes. 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:34.440 It's not to have complete freedom and do whatever I want. 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:38.620 It is, in fact, a burden and a yoke. 00:13:39.040 --> 00:13:51.020 The yoke or the harness which was put on a bullock of burden, the beast which plowed a field, was a symbol of slavery and of grinding toil. 00:13:51.019 --> 00:13:57.600 How could this possibly be a solution to the problem of deep weariness? 00:13:59.819 --> 00:14:07.600 Jesus says that it is his yoke and his burden that is the only one that is light. 00:14:09.720 --> 00:14:11.340 It's the only easy one. 00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:12.939 Why? 00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:20.879 For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, verse 29. 00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:21.740 Matthew 11. 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:31.299 It's only light because of the one who gives it to us. 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:36.480 He is the only boss who will never drive you into the ground. 00:14:38.019 --> 00:14:48.120 He is the only audience that does not need your best performance in order to be satisfied with you. 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:51.299 Why is this? 00:14:53.299 --> 00:14:56.679 Because his work for you is finished. 00:14:57.679 --> 00:14:58.820 That's why. 00:14:59.960 --> 00:15:02.560 His work for you is finished. 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:27.759 In fact, the very definition of a Christian is someone who doesn't just admire Jesus, doesn't just respect Jesus, doesn't just desire to emulate Jesus, doesn't just obey Jesus, but someone who rests in the finished work of Jesus. 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:29.840 That's a Christian. 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:36.039 Do you remember that God was able to rest in Genesis chapter 2, verses 1 to 3? 00:15:36.179 --> 00:15:39.159 I said this last week, maybe the week before. 00:15:40.319 --> 00:15:43.819 He was able to rest because his work was finished. 00:15:43.820 --> 00:15:46.860 His creative work was done. 00:15:46.860 --> 00:15:56.320 And a Christian is able to find rest from toil only because God's redemptive work is likewise finished in Jesus. 00:15:57.379 --> 00:16:05.140 When our attempt to find satisfaction and significance and meaning has been satisfied by the Lord Jesus, 00:16:05.139 --> 00:16:12.819 all that's left for us to do is to serve the work that we're being given by the Father. 00:16:12.820 --> 00:16:22.200 You see, far too many people in our world, and maybe it's even you sitting in here today, 00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:27.320 you're not just doing the work that draws the salary. 00:16:28.760 --> 00:16:31.840 You're not just doing the work that raises the child. 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:37.160 You're not just doing the work that cares for a family member. 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:47.559 But you're also doing the work under that work, which is attempting to chase away the feeling of insignificance 00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:50.019 and purposelessness and meaninglessness. 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:56.000 Through that work, you're trying to solve that job down there. 00:16:58.600 --> 00:17:01.799 That's why that is our identities attached to it. 00:17:01.799 --> 00:17:07.559 That's why we introduce ourselves with, I'm Stephen, I'm a minister. 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:12.700 I'm Bill, and I'm a this. 00:17:12.839 --> 00:17:14.539 I'm Jackie, and I'm a that. 00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:20.819 That is, what we're doing, we're doing the work under the work. 00:17:21.259 --> 00:17:23.940 You're attempting to work for something more, 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:30.220 for something more that is more meaningful and deeper than just the work that you're doing. 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:36.940 You're working for hope and security and identity and significance through the vocation. 00:17:38.639 --> 00:17:41.960 But it will never give you the rest that you need. 00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:51.740 In Jesus, we find rest for our souls, and without it, all other work will be unsatisfying. 00:17:51.740 --> 00:18:00.259 Never be able to relax, even when you're supposed to be resting. 00:18:01.779 --> 00:18:07.160 You won't ever be able to walk away from your work, even for an evening. 00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:16.340 Won't be able to enjoy the satisfaction that God intended when he called us to the work that he prayed for us to do. 00:18:17.540 --> 00:18:22.500 Because we're hoping that that work will give us what only God himself can give us. 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:31.180 A classic example of how this might look like in reality, in practice, 00:18:32.339 --> 00:18:37.500 is in the film Chariots of Fire, which is a real-life story. 00:18:39.660 --> 00:18:42.180 One man, there's about two main characters. 00:18:42.180 --> 00:18:48.279 One of those characters ran in the Olympics, and I quote, 00:18:48.860 --> 00:18:51.500 to justify my existence. 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:58.120 While the other man had such a deep rest in Christ, 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:05.620 that he could miss, likely miss, a gold medal by not running on a Sunday, 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:09.500 because his commitment to Jesus meant that he had rest already. 00:19:09.500 --> 00:19:12.500 He didn't need the gold medal to find that. 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:19.240 The first man had to get a medal because he was running to find satisfaction. 00:19:19.779 --> 00:19:23.700 The second man, devoted Christian, Eric Liddell, 00:19:24.180 --> 00:19:28.559 did not care in the same way whether he won the Olympic medal or not, 00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:30.400 because he had rest. 00:19:31.579 --> 00:19:32.859 He had his satisfaction. 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:34.000 He had his meaning. 00:19:34.099 --> 00:19:34.880 He had his purpose. 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:39.700 He told his sister that God had made him fast. 00:19:41.080 --> 00:19:47.320 And when I run, when I run, I feel his pleasure. 00:19:49.840 --> 00:19:51.840 It doesn't matter whether I win or not. 00:19:54.180 --> 00:19:57.240 He ran for the joy of running itself, 00:19:58.020 --> 00:20:01.840 and to delight the one who gave him the gift of running. 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:05.779 The gold medal was inconsequential to him. 00:20:08.019 --> 00:20:10.199 You see, when we have rest, we have significance, 00:20:10.699 --> 00:20:12.419 and we have acceptance and security, 00:20:12.939 --> 00:20:19.059 in Jesus, we are set free to work well. 00:20:19.500 --> 00:20:24.379 Jesus' finished work of salvation is the work that catapults us 00:20:24.380 --> 00:20:27.440 to work well with dignity, 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:31.680 even when it is hard, 00:20:32.920 --> 00:20:37.480 as it was for those who were receiving Colossians 3, 00:20:37.620 --> 00:20:38.940 verses 22 onwards. 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:45.000 This is revolutionary teaching in Colossians 3, 00:20:45.560 --> 00:20:47.220 to slaves. 00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:55.079 The dehumanizing nature of slavery was vast in the Roman Empire. 00:20:55.079 --> 00:21:00.079 Ancient historians estimate that there were some 60 million slaves 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:01.720 in the Roman Empire. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:04.220 Half of the population. 00:21:05.259 --> 00:21:06.600 Half of the population. 00:21:08.740 --> 00:21:13.180 Work was considered below the dignity of slave owners, 00:21:13.180 --> 00:21:19.519 and it was below the dignity of the Roman culture. 00:21:20.980 --> 00:21:24.360 Practically everything was done by slaves, 00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:28.900 including doctoring and teaching. 00:21:28.900 --> 00:21:33.900 Now, while there were some good relationships 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:36.360 between slaves and slave owners, 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:41.380 on the most part, that was not the case. 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:45.660 Ancient tradition, dating back to Aristotle, 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:48.900 classified slaves as things. 00:21:48.900 --> 00:21:54.140 They were regarded as tools. 00:21:55.060 --> 00:21:55.820 Not as people. 00:21:56.759 --> 00:21:57.160 Tools. 00:21:58.780 --> 00:22:01.720 The Romans classified farm implements 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:03.580 into three categories. 00:22:05.080 --> 00:22:05.780 The articulate, 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:07.880 the inarticulate, 00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:09.300 and the mute. 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:12.880 And the articulate were the slaves. 00:22:13.360 --> 00:22:15.180 They were regarded as tools, 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:16.460 farm implements. 00:22:16.460 --> 00:22:18.900 A later Roman writer 00:22:18.900 --> 00:22:21.579 recommended quite a grim action 00:22:21.579 --> 00:22:24.440 when a Roman landowner 00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:25.880 bought a new farm. 00:22:26.360 --> 00:22:27.700 His suggestion was 00:22:27.700 --> 00:22:31.000 that you tossed out the old slaves to die 00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:33.640 because they were broken tools. 00:22:35.240 --> 00:22:36.400 And so most did. 00:22:39.840 --> 00:22:43.299 So the situation of slaves in general was not good. 00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:45.740 It was terrible. 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:46.819 Hardship. 00:22:47.399 --> 00:22:48.159 Hopelessness. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:51.339 Hopelessness blanketed the lives 00:22:51.339 --> 00:22:52.839 of millions, 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:54.960 tens of millions 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:57.079 in the ancient world. 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:59.319 And Christianity's preaching 00:22:59.319 --> 00:23:00.879 of the British work 00:23:00.879 --> 00:23:02.399 of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:23:02.399 --> 00:23:04.500 with his explicit doctrine 00:23:04.500 --> 00:23:07.159 of the equality of all people 00:23:07.159 --> 00:23:08.680 raised the hope. 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:12.500 and also created 00:23:12.500 --> 00:23:14.620 an awful lot of society tension. 00:23:17.140 --> 00:23:19.080 Particularly between slaves and masters. 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:21.140 The advice of the Apostle Paul here 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:24.259 was revolutionary. 00:23:25.259 --> 00:23:26.779 Because in time, 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:28.360 it actually brought down 00:23:28.360 --> 00:23:30.700 slavery as an institution. 00:23:30.700 --> 00:23:34.720 But it was immediately revolutionary 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:37.779 that it actually brought fullness 00:23:37.779 --> 00:23:39.940 to the Christian life 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:41.759 of whether you were a slave 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:42.660 or a master. 00:23:42.819 --> 00:23:44.480 And if you go a couple of verses before, 00:23:44.900 --> 00:23:45.400 parents, 00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:45.960 wives, 00:23:46.100 --> 00:23:46.500 children. 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:49.539 It's all in the same context. 00:23:50.759 --> 00:23:52.360 Look at the revolutionary teaching. 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:52.900 Firstly, 00:23:52.900 --> 00:23:55.120 because of the finished work of Jesus 00:23:55.120 --> 00:23:57.940 that gives us satisfaction, 00:23:58.320 --> 00:23:58.780 security, 00:23:58.980 --> 00:23:59.360 fulfillment, 00:23:59.640 --> 00:24:00.040 rest, 00:24:00.500 --> 00:24:01.080 slaves 00:24:01.080 --> 00:24:02.380 and us 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:04.560 are set free 00:24:04.560 --> 00:24:05.519 from people pleasing. 00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:06.280 Verse 22, 00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:06.800 slaves, 00:24:06.940 --> 00:24:08.160 obey your earthly masters 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:09.160 in everything 00:24:09.160 --> 00:24:11.120 and do it not only 00:24:11.120 --> 00:24:12.640 when their eye is on you 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:13.620 to win their favor. 00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:15.040 Now, of course, 00:24:15.100 --> 00:24:16.800 Paul's not encouraging submission 00:24:16.800 --> 00:24:18.019 to immoral and hurtful 00:24:18.019 --> 00:24:19.240 commands. 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:20.460 And yet everything, 00:24:21.060 --> 00:24:22.160 the word everything, 00:24:22.160 --> 00:24:24.340 is so encompassing here. 00:24:25.360 --> 00:24:26.840 Slaves were very often 00:24:26.840 --> 00:24:28.019 asked to do 00:24:28.019 --> 00:24:29.860 the most debased 00:24:29.860 --> 00:24:31.540 and demeaning things. 00:24:32.040 --> 00:24:33.620 And so this is a tough command, 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:36.900 especially when it's linked 00:24:36.900 --> 00:24:38.180 with the very next phrase 00:24:38.180 --> 00:24:38.740 which says, 00:24:39.380 --> 00:24:40.940 not only when their eye 00:24:40.940 --> 00:24:42.080 is on you 00:24:42.080 --> 00:24:43.380 and to win their favor. 00:24:44.140 --> 00:24:45.560 It literally means 00:24:45.560 --> 00:24:47.040 eye service. 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:48.600 Eye service. 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:49.900 It's working 00:24:49.900 --> 00:24:52.160 that is only done 00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:53.019 when the boss 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:53.580 is looking. 00:24:57.320 --> 00:24:57.980 We all know 00:24:57.980 --> 00:24:58.720 what that's like. 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:01.840 You know, 00:25:02.019 --> 00:25:03.019 you're at the gym 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:05.080 and you're, 00:25:05.080 --> 00:25:05.420 you know, 00:25:05.460 --> 00:25:06.220 you're in a gym class 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:06.660 and you're hiding 00:25:06.660 --> 00:25:07.400 down the back 00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:08.880 and the instructor 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:09.700 comes near you, 00:25:09.780 --> 00:25:10.420 you're doing push-ups 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:11.019 and all of a sudden 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:12.240 you can do 10 of the best. 00:25:12.660 --> 00:25:13.060 And when they, 00:25:13.059 --> 00:25:15.919 when they got, 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:16.179 you know, 00:25:16.220 --> 00:25:16.740 the feeling, 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:18.039 you know, 00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:18.519 when you think 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:19.299 you're getting scored 00:25:19.299 --> 00:25:20.079 in some way, 00:25:20.399 --> 00:25:21.700 you can produce the best. 00:25:25.379 --> 00:25:26.179 Eye service 00:25:26.179 --> 00:25:27.440 results in 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:28.980 half-heartedness. 00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:31.000 I'm trying to please 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:31.899 someone out here. 00:25:32.899 --> 00:25:34.019 The room is swept 00:25:34.019 --> 00:25:34.599 but the dirt 00:25:34.599 --> 00:25:35.839 is brushed under the carpet. 00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:36.740 Work breaks 00:25:36.740 --> 00:25:37.740 get extended 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:38.599 until the boss 00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:39.679 returns. 00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:41.220 The finished work 00:25:41.220 --> 00:25:41.700 of Jesus 00:25:41.700 --> 00:25:42.920 motivates us, 00:25:43.320 --> 00:25:44.180 enables us 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:44.799 to work 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:45.440 with sincerity 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:46.000 of heart 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:46.980 with all 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:47.759 of your heart 00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:51.060 and this high call 00:25:51.060 --> 00:25:51.600 here makes 00:25:51.600 --> 00:25:52.380 no distinction 00:25:52.380 --> 00:25:53.500 between the pleasant 00:25:53.500 --> 00:25:54.380 and the unpleasant 00:25:54.380 --> 00:25:55.060 tasks, 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:56.100 the dull 00:25:56.100 --> 00:25:57.160 or the challenging, 00:25:57.360 --> 00:25:57.940 the menial 00:25:57.940 --> 00:25:58.980 or the interesting. 00:25:59.820 --> 00:26:01.060 It simply states 00:26:01.060 --> 00:26:01.700 that everything 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:02.640 must be done 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:03.740 energetically 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:05.200 from the heart 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:06.240 whether the boss 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:07.180 is present or not 00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:07.840 because the boss 00:26:07.840 --> 00:26:08.640 is always present. 00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:11.039 do it 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:12.140 as working 00:26:12.140 --> 00:26:13.120 for the Lord. 00:26:17.220 --> 00:26:18.920 And if that high call 00:26:18.920 --> 00:26:20.680 stood by itself 00:26:20.680 --> 00:26:22.200 it would be 00:26:22.200 --> 00:26:23.620 supremely, 00:26:23.700 --> 00:26:25.000 supremely 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:25.799 debilitating 00:26:25.799 --> 00:26:26.420 and impossible. 00:26:27.500 --> 00:26:28.539 But it's accompanied 00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:29.519 by an enabling 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:30.060 rationale 00:26:30.060 --> 00:26:31.480 so secondly 00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:32.279 because of the 00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:32.880 finished work 00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:33.420 of Jesus 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:34.500 that gives us 00:26:34.500 --> 00:26:35.120 satisfaction 00:26:35.120 --> 00:26:35.940 and security 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:36.720 and fulfillment 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:37.299 and rest 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:38.200 slaves 00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:39.740 and us 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:41.579 are set free 00:26:41.579 --> 00:26:41.980 to work 00:26:41.980 --> 00:26:42.879 wholeheartedly 00:26:42.879 --> 00:26:43.839 because the work 00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:44.319 that we're doing 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:44.819 is in fact 00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:45.720 spiritual work. 00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:47.000 Verse 22 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:47.940 work 00:26:47.940 --> 00:26:49.700 sincerity of heart 00:26:49.700 --> 00:26:50.740 reverence for the Lord 00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:51.399 whatever you do 00:26:51.399 --> 00:26:51.919 work at it 00:26:51.919 --> 00:26:52.700 with all your heart 00:26:52.700 --> 00:26:53.359 as working 00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:54.279 for the Lord 00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:55.500 not for men. 00:26:56.279 --> 00:26:57.019 Some of us 00:26:57.019 --> 00:26:57.480 shuffle 00:26:57.480 --> 00:26:58.319 meaningless 00:26:58.319 --> 00:26:59.339 mounds 00:26:59.339 --> 00:27:00.019 of paper 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:00.539 around 00:27:00.539 --> 00:27:02.399 some dig holes 00:27:02.399 --> 00:27:03.399 and fill them 00:27:03.399 --> 00:27:04.099 back in again. 00:27:04.099 --> 00:27:05.719 some can see 00:27:05.719 --> 00:27:06.599 nothing noble 00:27:06.599 --> 00:27:07.480 in the task 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:07.859 that you're 00:27:07.859 --> 00:27:08.419 performing 00:27:08.419 --> 00:27:10.039 they are 00:27:10.039 --> 00:27:10.740 nevertheless 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:12.439 serving God 00:27:12.439 --> 00:27:14.480 as you work. 00:27:15.379 --> 00:27:16.480 This truth 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:17.539 transformed 00:27:17.539 --> 00:27:18.480 the work 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:19.099 of the Christian 00:27:19.099 --> 00:27:19.619 slave 00:27:19.619 --> 00:27:21.219 in the ancient 00:27:21.219 --> 00:27:21.779 world. 00:27:22.379 --> 00:27:22.859 His 00:27:22.859 --> 00:27:23.980 nothing 00:27:23.980 --> 00:27:25.079 tasks 00:27:25.079 --> 00:27:26.679 were actually 00:27:26.679 --> 00:27:27.399 noble 00:27:27.399 --> 00:27:28.619 in a culture 00:27:28.619 --> 00:27:29.779 that disregarded 00:27:29.779 --> 00:27:29.959 them. 00:27:30.059 --> 00:27:30.319 They were 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:31.439 actually noble 00:27:31.439 --> 00:27:32.299 when done 00:27:32.299 --> 00:27:33.039 for Christ 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:33.879 because he 00:27:33.879 --> 00:27:34.299 has been 00:27:34.299 --> 00:27:35.000 set free 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:35.919 by Christ. 00:27:36.639 --> 00:27:37.419 It's interesting 00:27:37.419 --> 00:27:37.940 that Christian 00:27:37.940 --> 00:27:38.559 slaves 00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:39.680 invariably 00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:40.159 brought 00:27:40.159 --> 00:27:41.379 higher price 00:27:41.379 --> 00:27:41.919 at slave 00:27:41.919 --> 00:27:42.339 auctions. 00:27:43.799 --> 00:27:44.899 This radical 00:27:44.899 --> 00:27:45.579 preaching of 00:27:45.579 --> 00:27:45.980 Paul 00:27:45.980 --> 00:27:47.359 so transformed 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:47.759 Christian 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:48.379 slaves 00:27:48.379 --> 00:27:48.960 that the 00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:49.460 higher price 00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:49.919 was paid 00:27:49.919 --> 00:27:50.440 for them. 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:53.740 The pagan 00:27:53.740 --> 00:27:54.519 slave 00:27:54.519 --> 00:27:55.700 served his 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:56.259 master 00:27:56.259 --> 00:27:57.059 because he 00:27:57.059 --> 00:27:57.859 was bound 00:27:57.859 --> 00:27:58.819 by fear. 00:28:00.519 --> 00:28:01.059 He never 00:28:01.059 --> 00:28:01.539 knew when 00:28:01.539 --> 00:28:01.799 he was going 00:28:01.799 --> 00:28:02.500 to be executed 00:28:02.500 --> 00:28:03.119 because he 00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:03.720 displeased 00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:04.339 his master. 00:28:04.659 --> 00:28:05.119 The Christian 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:05.940 slave served 00:28:05.940 --> 00:28:06.680 his master 00:28:06.680 --> 00:28:07.799 better than 00:28:07.799 --> 00:28:08.859 anyone because 00:28:08.859 --> 00:28:09.879 he was bound 00:28:09.879 --> 00:28:11.019 by the love 00:28:11.019 --> 00:28:11.839 and the acceptance 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:12.460 and the freedom 00:28:12.460 --> 00:28:13.079 of Christ. 00:28:16.440 --> 00:28:17.039 Working 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:17.799 hard at 00:28:17.799 --> 00:28:18.559 our tasks 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:19.000 from the 00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:19.899 heart brings 00:28:19.899 --> 00:28:21.039 glory to 00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:21.619 God. 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:23.879 Christians 00:28:23.879 --> 00:28:24.339 ought to be 00:28:24.339 --> 00:28:24.960 the best 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:25.779 in attitude, 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:27.359 the best 00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:28.419 in dependability, 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:29.859 the best 00:28:29.859 --> 00:28:30.700 in integrity. 00:28:31.799 --> 00:28:32.639 Thirdly, 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:34.259 because of the 00:28:34.259 --> 00:28:34.740 finished work 00:28:34.740 --> 00:28:35.259 of Christ 00:28:35.259 --> 00:28:36.139 that gives 00:28:36.139 --> 00:28:36.919 us satisfaction 00:28:36.919 --> 00:28:37.559 and security 00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:38.399 and fulfillment 00:28:38.399 --> 00:28:38.899 and rest, 00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:40.019 slaves and 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:41.139 us are now 00:28:41.139 --> 00:28:42.039 set free 00:28:42.039 --> 00:28:42.720 to work 00:28:42.720 --> 00:28:43.059 with the 00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:43.819 hope that 00:28:43.819 --> 00:28:44.480 our work 00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:45.759 will be 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:46.279 recognized 00:28:46.279 --> 00:28:47.319 and rewarded 00:28:47.319 --> 00:28:48.460 in the end. 00:28:48.879 --> 00:28:49.599 It's not 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:50.359 just about 00:28:50.359 --> 00:28:51.659 handing it 00:28:51.659 --> 00:28:52.299 over to the 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:53.000 next person. 00:28:55.460 --> 00:28:56.200 Work with 00:28:56.200 --> 00:28:56.819 all your heart 00:28:56.819 --> 00:28:57.200 because, 00:28:57.359 --> 00:28:57.980 verse 24, 00:28:58.180 --> 00:28:58.839 you know that 00:28:58.839 --> 00:28:59.539 you receive an 00:28:59.539 --> 00:29:00.200 inheritance from 00:29:00.200 --> 00:29:00.660 the Lord 00:29:00.660 --> 00:29:01.759 as reward. 00:29:02.080 --> 00:29:02.519 It is the 00:29:02.519 --> 00:29:03.200 Lord Christ 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:03.519 you are 00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:03.920 serving. 00:29:04.259 --> 00:29:04.759 It is the 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:05.900 Lord Christ 00:29:05.900 --> 00:29:07.000 you are 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:07.680 serving. 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:10.100 To the 00:29:10.100 --> 00:29:10.660 first century 00:29:10.660 --> 00:29:11.180 slave, 00:29:12.059 --> 00:29:13.220 that bit 00:29:13.220 --> 00:29:14.019 of news 00:29:14.019 --> 00:29:15.960 was fantastic 00:29:15.960 --> 00:29:17.519 because under 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:18.580 Roman law, 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:20.200 it was illegal 00:29:20.200 --> 00:29:21.420 for a slave 00:29:21.420 --> 00:29:22.160 to inherit 00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:22.880 anything. 00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:26.600 they were 00:29:26.600 --> 00:29:27.140 a tool 00:29:27.140 --> 00:29:27.580 that was 00:29:27.580 --> 00:29:28.200 disposed 00:29:28.200 --> 00:29:28.620 of. 00:29:29.120 --> 00:29:29.760 All their 00:29:29.760 --> 00:29:30.540 labor just 00:29:30.540 --> 00:29:31.160 came to an 00:29:31.160 --> 00:29:31.540 end and 00:29:31.540 --> 00:29:32.060 that's it. 00:29:33.260 --> 00:29:33.580 And yet 00:29:33.580 --> 00:29:34.080 here, 00:29:34.700 --> 00:29:35.680 they learn 00:29:35.680 --> 00:29:36.640 that they 00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:37.660 would receive 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:38.620 a reward. 00:29:39.500 --> 00:29:40.600 God rewards 00:29:40.600 --> 00:29:41.860 faithful workers 00:29:41.860 --> 00:29:42.580 forever. 00:29:43.320 --> 00:29:43.920 This ought to 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:44.460 be an 00:29:44.460 --> 00:29:45.120 encouragement 00:29:45.120 --> 00:29:45.880 to us 00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:46.440 as it is 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:46.760 to them. 00:29:46.860 --> 00:29:47.460 Whatever your 00:29:47.460 --> 00:29:48.260 lot in life 00:29:48.260 --> 00:29:48.560 is, 00:29:49.080 --> 00:29:50.560 God pays 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:51.419 you so 00:29:51.419 --> 00:29:51.940 well. 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:55.720 He pays 00:29:55.720 --> 00:29:56.379 you so 00:29:56.379 --> 00:29:57.039 well that 00:29:57.039 --> 00:29:57.759 when we 00:29:57.759 --> 00:29:58.279 get to 00:29:58.279 --> 00:29:58.599 heaven, 00:29:58.859 --> 00:29:59.480 we will 00:29:59.480 --> 00:30:00.079 wish that 00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:00.659 we just 00:30:00.659 --> 00:30:02.460 worked more 00:30:02.460 --> 00:30:02.819 and better 00:30:02.819 --> 00:30:03.279 for him. 00:30:07.279 --> 00:30:07.879 Now, 00:30:07.960 --> 00:30:08.460 notice that 00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:09.159 this instruction 00:30:09.159 --> 00:30:09.720 to these 00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:10.240 Colossian 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:11.259 slaves sits 00:30:11.259 --> 00:30:11.879 within a 00:30:11.879 --> 00:30:12.599 section of 00:30:12.599 --> 00:30:13.339 hard and 00:30:13.339 --> 00:30:14.019 controversial 00:30:14.019 --> 00:30:15.579 instruction to 00:30:15.579 --> 00:30:16.480 Christians living 00:30:16.480 --> 00:30:18.339 to wives and 00:30:18.339 --> 00:30:19.339 husbands and 00:30:19.339 --> 00:30:19.859 children and 00:30:19.859 --> 00:30:20.399 fathers and 00:30:20.399 --> 00:30:20.919 masters and 00:30:20.919 --> 00:30:21.319 slaves. 00:30:21.959 --> 00:30:22.419 In other 00:30:22.419 --> 00:30:22.719 words, 00:30:22.819 --> 00:30:23.179 in one way 00:30:23.179 --> 00:30:23.479 or another, 00:30:23.619 --> 00:30:24.119 all of this 00:30:24.119 --> 00:30:24.779 teaching will 00:30:24.779 --> 00:30:25.219 jar. 00:30:26.699 --> 00:30:27.099 But the 00:30:27.099 --> 00:30:28.000 empowerment and 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:28.879 the fuel and 00:30:28.879 --> 00:30:29.740 the energy and 00:30:29.740 --> 00:30:30.479 the motivation 00:30:30.479 --> 00:30:31.319 to live this 00:30:31.319 --> 00:30:32.859 life came from 00:30:32.859 --> 00:30:33.339 the rest of 00:30:33.339 --> 00:30:33.979 chapter 3. 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:34.859 This is coming 00:30:34.859 --> 00:30:35.759 at the end of 00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:36.359 what has 00:30:36.359 --> 00:30:36.959 happened before 00:30:36.959 --> 00:30:37.759 in chapter 3. 00:30:38.059 --> 00:30:38.659 Verse 1 of 00:30:38.659 --> 00:30:39.159 chapter 3, 00:30:39.240 --> 00:30:39.579 since you've 00:30:39.579 --> 00:30:40.019 been raised 00:30:40.019 --> 00:30:40.719 with Christ. 00:30:41.339 --> 00:30:43.359 Verse 3 of 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:43.839 chapter 3, 00:30:43.919 --> 00:30:44.500 your life is 00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:44.879 now hidden 00:30:44.879 --> 00:30:45.500 with Christ. 00:30:45.599 --> 00:30:46.299 Verse 4, 00:30:46.899 --> 00:30:47.619 when Christ, 00:30:47.699 --> 00:30:48.079 who is your 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:48.419 life, 00:30:48.479 --> 00:30:48.919 appears, 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:49.359 then you will 00:30:49.359 --> 00:30:49.839 also appear 00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:50.240 with him in 00:30:50.240 --> 00:30:50.500 glory. 00:30:50.619 --> 00:30:51.299 Verse 12, 00:30:51.579 --> 00:30:52.319 as God's 00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:53.079 chosen people, 00:30:53.259 --> 00:30:53.899 holy and 00:30:53.899 --> 00:30:54.539 dearly loved. 00:30:54.879 --> 00:30:55.179 And then 00:30:55.179 --> 00:30:57.119 verse 16, 00:30:57.479 --> 00:30:58.159 just before 00:30:58.159 --> 00:30:58.759 this section, 00:30:58.959 --> 00:30:59.399 let the 00:30:59.399 --> 00:31:00.019 word of 00:31:00.019 --> 00:31:00.839 Christ dwell 00:31:00.839 --> 00:31:01.479 in you 00:31:01.479 --> 00:31:02.079 richly. 00:31:03.439 --> 00:31:04.179 In other 00:31:04.179 --> 00:31:04.539 words, 00:31:04.659 --> 00:31:05.359 and more 00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:06.099 specifically, 00:31:06.899 --> 00:31:07.339 for that 00:31:07.339 --> 00:31:07.799 verse, 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:08.939 let the 00:31:08.939 --> 00:31:09.699 gospel, 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:12.579 let what 00:31:12.579 --> 00:31:13.399 Christ has 00:31:13.399 --> 00:31:14.219 achieved for 00:31:14.219 --> 00:31:14.459 you, 00:31:14.579 --> 00:31:15.319 his finished 00:31:15.319 --> 00:31:16.139 work on the 00:31:16.139 --> 00:31:16.699 cross for 00:31:16.699 --> 00:31:17.079 you, 00:31:17.079 --> 00:31:18.960 dwell in 00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:20.439 your heart. 00:31:21.639 --> 00:31:22.240 May your 00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:23.279 vision be 00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:23.939 the gospel. 00:31:27.179 --> 00:31:28.059 May it be 00:31:28.059 --> 00:31:28.740 your focus 00:31:28.740 --> 00:31:29.439 and your joy 00:31:29.439 --> 00:31:30.059 and your hope 00:31:30.059 --> 00:31:30.419 and your 00:31:30.419 --> 00:31:30.819 treasure. 00:31:31.019 --> 00:31:31.519 When your 00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:32.199 heart comes 00:31:32.199 --> 00:31:32.740 to know 00:31:32.740 --> 00:31:33.399 hope in 00:31:33.399 --> 00:31:34.279 Christ and 00:31:34.279 --> 00:31:34.879 the future 00:31:34.879 --> 00:31:35.339 that he has 00:31:35.339 --> 00:31:36.299 guaranteed for 00:31:36.299 --> 00:31:37.000 you because of 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:37.679 his furnished 00:31:37.679 --> 00:31:38.119 work, 00:31:39.559 --> 00:31:40.559 when you are 00:31:40.559 --> 00:31:41.519 carrying his 00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:42.539 easy yoke, 00:31:42.539 --> 00:31:44.240 you will 00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:45.259 finally have 00:31:45.259 --> 00:31:46.319 the power 00:31:46.319 --> 00:31:46.879 to work 00:31:46.879 --> 00:31:47.180 with a 00:31:47.180 --> 00:31:47.879 free heart. 00:31:48.539 --> 00:31:48.879 You can 00:31:48.879 --> 00:31:49.940 accept gladly 00:31:49.940 --> 00:31:51.220 whatever level 00:31:51.220 --> 00:31:52.059 of success 00:31:52.059 --> 00:31:53.399 and accomplishment 00:31:53.399 --> 00:31:54.000 that God 00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:54.480 gives you in 00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:55.279 your vocation 00:31:55.279 --> 00:31:57.240 because he's 00:31:57.240 --> 00:31:57.639 the one who 00:31:57.639 --> 00:31:58.039 has called 00:31:58.039 --> 00:31:58.639 you to it. 00:32:00.859 --> 00:32:01.659 You can 00:32:01.659 --> 00:32:02.299 work with a 00:32:02.299 --> 00:32:04.039 passion and 00:32:04.039 --> 00:32:04.740 rest, 00:32:05.379 --> 00:32:06.420 knowing that 00:32:06.420 --> 00:32:07.420 ultimately the 00:32:07.420 --> 00:32:08.639 deepest desires 00:32:08.639 --> 00:32:09.779 of your heart 00:32:09.779 --> 00:32:11.639 will only be 00:32:11.639 --> 00:32:12.180 fulfilled. 00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:13.460 when you 00:32:13.460 --> 00:32:14.099 reach your 00:32:14.099 --> 00:32:14.879 true home, 00:32:15.519 --> 00:32:16.659 your inheritance, 00:32:17.980 --> 00:32:18.440 the new 00:32:18.440 --> 00:32:18.940 heavens and 00:32:18.940 --> 00:32:19.259 the new 00:32:19.259 --> 00:32:19.700 earth. 00:32:21.480 --> 00:32:21.980 And so, 00:32:22.619 --> 00:32:23.180 brothers and 00:32:23.180 --> 00:32:23.539 sisters, 00:32:24.460 --> 00:32:25.119 whatever you 00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:26.460 do, whether 00:32:26.460 --> 00:32:27.519 in word or 00:32:27.519 --> 00:32:28.359 deed, do it 00:32:28.359 --> 00:32:29.240 all in the 00:32:29.240 --> 00:32:29.879 name of the 00:32:29.879 --> 00:32:30.420 Lord Jesus 00:32:30.420 --> 00:32:31.879 Christ, giving 00:32:31.879 --> 00:32:32.779 thanks to God 00:32:32.779 --> 00:32:33.259 the Father 00:32:33.259 --> 00:32:34.399 through him. 00:32:35.319 --> 00:32:35.680 Amen.