Pressing On Toward The Goal

Hebrews 11:8-10 (NKJV)
⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
⁹ By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;
¹⁰ for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 11:13-16 (NKJV)
¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
¹⁴ For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
¹⁵ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
¹⁶ But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

How should we live in this World?

·         The only way to be living in this world is:

·         As mature Christians and then

·         We must live for the next world

1 Peter 1:1 (NKJV)
¹ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

1 Peter 2:11 (NKJV)
¹¹ Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

What will happen to this World?

·         This world is passing away.

·         We being the salt of the earth can only delay the decaying process.

·         When God’s purposes are fulfilled, it’s gone

·         This world is temporary much like an old garment. 

·         Men think there is no end to this earth but the scripture say different

Psalms 102:25-26 (NKJV)
²⁵ Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
²⁶ They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed.

2 Peter 3:4-7 (NKJV)
⁴ and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."
⁵ For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
⁶ by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
⁷ But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

What are our responsibilities as Christians?

·         This world is under judgment: men must be warned to escape God’s wrath

John 3:36 (NKJV)
³⁶ He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

·         Noah a preacher of righteousness warned men of a coming judgment.

2 Peter 2:5 (NKJV)
⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

·         It will be fire this time and not water.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 (NKJV)
⁶ since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,
⁷ and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
⁸ in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁹ These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
¹⁰ when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

·         This world system is doomed

1 John 2:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

1 Corinthians 7:31 (NKJV)
³¹ and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.

This puts man in two classes

·         1. Those who live to fulfill their own desires and identify with the World

Matthew 25:46 (NKJV)
⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

·         2. Those who live to fulfill he will of God

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 (NKJV)
⁶ since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,
⁷ and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
⁸ in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁹ These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
¹⁰ when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

·         How will these affects our way of Life?

 2 Peter 3:11 (NKJV)
¹¹ Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

·         (In our reasoning and decision making) knowing the world is coming to a fiery end why live for the World.

·         (It is only reasonable) knowing we have a difference nature there should be a different in our life style.

·         With a different outlook on life, we should be looking forward to that day

2 Peter 3:12 (NKJV)
¹² looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

What exactly is Hope?

·         It’s our expectations for the future

·         How we order our lives.

·         The future plans we make.

·         What we consider important

·         What we spend our time and money on.

·         It’s really where our hearts is.

·         Our hope is not in this world so why should we hope in the world.

Titus 2:13 (NKJV)
¹³ looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

You might say I don’t have hope in this World

·         If you were summoned into court where the evidence is presented;  What would be the verdict; Innocent or not guilty?

·         Through our hope is not in this world we must not wait passively for the zero hour.

·         We haven’t the knowledge when it will come

·         We do have part in bring it to pass

2 Timothy 2:19 (NKJV)
¹⁹ Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

Psalms 2:8 (NKJV)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

John 6:37 (NKJV)
³⁷ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

According to the scriptures what is our status in the world?

·         We are a heavenly people.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

·         With a heavenly vision

Acts 22:11 (NKJV)
¹¹ And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

Philippians 3:7 (NKJV)
⁷ But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

Acts 26:19 (NKJV)
¹⁹ "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

·         We have a heavenly calling

·         Conversion is an about face

·         It is when we begin moving in a new direction toward a heavenly calling

Philippians 3:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

We are a heavenly People

·         We are strangers

·         You have a change of citizenship which sometimes alienates you from your family

·         This loss s nothing compared to what is waiting for you a better homeland and you are on your way.

John 1:10-11 (NKJV)
¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

Philippians 3:20 (NKJV)
²⁰ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Expect conflict

·         We are in conflict; everyone will not be happy with your decision

·         Your life style change will bring, to those who opposed a conviction of where they really are.

·         The world wants us to conform to their standards

·         It is uncomfortable for them because of your perpetual influence.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

John 16:33 (NKJV)
³³ These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (NKJV)
¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 (NKJV)
¹¹ This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him.
¹² If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
¹³ If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

Revelation 20:6 (NKJV)
⁶ Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

We have a contrast in character

When the God of Heaven appeared to Abraham and he caught the vision

That vision didn’t just sour Abraham for Ur but for the earth.

Acts 7:2 (NKJV)
² And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,

Hebrews 11:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰ for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 11:9 (NKJV)
⁹ By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;

Hebrews 13:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴ For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.

Romans 4:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

Isaiah 41:8 (NKJV)
⁸ "But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.

Genesis 18:17-19 (NKJV)
¹⁷ And the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
¹⁸ since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
¹⁹ For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him."

You must have your own vision

·         You can’t run and win with someone else’s vision!

·         And Lot went with him in the Key Lot wasn’t running with his vision.

Genesis 12:4 (NKJV)
⁴ So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Genesis 13:1 (NKJV)
¹ Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.

Examine Yourself

·         Do a self examination to see if you are really going for God

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)
⁵ Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.

·         Who was Lot hanging around with”?  Was it affecting his ability to serve God?

2 Peter 2:7 (NKJV)
⁷ and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked

·         Notice Abraham’s concern.  What was Abraham guarding?

Genesis 13:5-9 (NKJV)
⁵ Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
⁶ Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
⁷ And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
⁸ So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left."

To whom was Lot committed too?

Abraham ?

God ?

Success?

 Or things etc.?

Hebrews 11:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.

Genesis 13:10-12 (NKJV)
¹⁰ And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
¹¹ Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
¹² Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.

What were the results of his decision?

·         Was it profitable?

·         What happened to His family?

·         Is there any significance to Lot being in a place of leadership in Sodom?

Genesis 19:1 (NKJV)
¹ Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.

Proverbs 31:23 (NKJV)
²³ Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.

Psalms 49:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
Let’s consider Abraham, what was righteous about Abraham’s actions

Genesis 14:12 (NKJV)
¹² They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

·         He deeply cared for Lot even though they could no longer fellowship

·         His feelings for Lot were not dependant on decisions Lot Made.  When the time came that Lot needed help, Abraham was there.

Making your judgment sound what is your track record?

·         Do you have things that you are proud of and do you have things you wish you could forget?

·         Do you only want to forget the bad things or are some of the good things hindering you also?

·         What do we really have to forget that is hindering us?

·         What about Sin that we have repented of and for which God has forgiven for which we haven’t forgiven our selves

This is a new day for all of us.

·         New goals and clear vision will motivate us to accomplish them

·         What was Paul’s goal?

Philippians 3:12-14 (NKJV)
¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Are Your memories Strength or Weakness?

·         What about the memory of mistakes and failures?

·         Satan tells us we are disqualified because of them.

·         Look who God chooses to do his work.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (NKJV)
²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NKJV)
⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

2 Corinthians 4:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵ For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

Notice In mark’s gospel chapter 1:29-35 after having a great out pouring of the Spirit of God many souls were healed and delivered.  The bible slays the city came out to him after sunset (the law would not allow them to seek God for their needs on the Sabbath) and Jesus had a great victory yet, He could have depended on the anointing to carry him on but in v 35 early the next morning he was praying.  The memory of last night was not going to lull him into a life style that could later mean defeat.

Can memories of successes hinder you?

·         What about memories of success and accomplishments?

·         Can these cause us not to reach higher?

·         We can’t live on past blessings, we must press on.

Ephesians 2:20 (NKJV)
²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,

·         What are you to take hold of?

Philippians 3:12 (NKJV)
¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

·         After the Damascus road experience Paul was no longer free to pursue his own desires any longer, he was only free to do the will of God who took hold of him.

·         Some time we don’t understand fully the will of God for our lives until later, it is a progressive revelation.

·         It is all bound up in knowing Christ

Philippians 3:8 (NKJV)
⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Philippians 3:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

We have a decision to Make!

·         All of us who are maturing must take the same view of things.

Philippians 3:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.

Philippians 3:18-19 (NKJV)
¹⁸ For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things.

·         If you give your life entirely to God and his purposes what is the prize you can expect to win?

Philippians 3:8 (NKJV)
⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NKJV)
⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
⁸ Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

How To Act On Your Job

1 Peter 2:13-21 (NKJV)
¹³ Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
¹⁴ or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--
¹⁶ as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
¹⁷ Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
¹⁸ Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
¹⁹ For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
²¹ For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

Much of our lives are spent in secular employment.  For man their jobs are drudgery boring and strife over pay and working conditions.  What does the bible say about work ethic?

The Bible Opens With God At Work

Genesis 2:2 (NKJV)
² And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

·         God has given concept of work dignity, significance, and value. 

·         The first worker enjoyed job satisfaction.

Genesis 1:31 (NKJV)
³¹ Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

·         Man was not sentenced to work because he fell into sin

God Taught By Example.

·         A season of work and a season of rest.

Genesis 1:28 (NKJV)
²⁸ Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 2:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵ Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

Exodus 20:9-11 (NKJV)
⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
¹⁰ but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

·         The Father and Jesus continue to work.

John 5:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."

Have A Kingdom Attitude About Your Job.

·         Men and women are watching you at work.  You must have a kingdom attitude about your job.

1 Peter 2:12 (NKJV)
¹² having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

·         Your attitude toward the Boss

1 Timothy 6:1 (NKJV)
¹ Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.

Titus 2:9-10 (NKJV)
⁹ Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back,
¹⁰ not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
Society’s Attitude Toward Work

·         It is a necessary evil.

·         We work in order to get money to maintain a standard of living. 

·         We want more money for less work. 

·         The average worker is joyless and unfulfilled looking for the week end. 

·         The spirits of get not give prevails. 

·         One eye on the clock the other on the paycheck. 

·         The Christian’s motivation is to serve, that attitude makes for faithfulness, conscientious and hard working. 

·         When we talk about serving God that includes our work place also.

Colossians 3:24 (NKJV)
²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Like Everyone In Society, The Christian Must Work To Live.

·         The worker deserved his wages.

Luke 10:7 (NKJV)
⁷ And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.

·         He is responsible to support his dependants.

1 Timothy 5:8 (NKJV)
⁸ But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

·         He should look for a fair day’s pay for a day’s work 

·         However, money is not the primary motivation for working

The Get Rich Philosophy

·         The get rich philosophy of modern man should have no place in the heart of a believer.

1 Peter 5:2 (NKJV)
² Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

1 Timothy 6:9 (NKJV)
⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

·         If this happens, and God does prosper him, he is not to set his heart or put his hope in it

Psalms 62:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰ Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them.

1 Timothy 6:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

The Christian Attitude Is A Contented Spirit.

·         How envy works

Ecclesiastes 4:4 (NKJV)
⁴ Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

·         Be content with your pay

Luke 3:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴ Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."

·         Heart free of the love of money

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)
⁵ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

A Biblical Motive For Working

·         More blessed to give than to receive

·         That he may have something to give him who has need.

Acts 20:35 (NKJV)
³⁵ I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

Ephesians 4:28 (NKJV)
²⁸ Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Attitudes About Authority.

Romans 13:1-5 (NKJV)
¹ Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
² Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
³ For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
⁴ For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
⁵ Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake.

·         Employers (masters)

Titus 2:9 (NKJV)
⁹ Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back,

1 Peter 2:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.

·         We are called to obedience

Ephesians 6:5 (NKJV)
⁵ Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;

Not Just A Boss Who Is Good And Righteous But Also Some Who Are Harsh

·         What are benefits to unjust suffering?

Ephesians 6:19-21 (NKJV)
¹⁹ and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
²¹ But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you;

·         Example: Sarah and Hagar

Genesis 16:8-9 (NKJV)
⁸ And He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai."
⁹ The Angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand."

·         Fulfilling the command to obey your earthly master just as you would obey Christ

Ephesians 6:5 (NKJV)
⁵ Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;

Ephesians 6:7 (NKJV)
⁷ with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

·         Whatever your hands find to do!

Exodus 9:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰ Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast.

Colossians 3:23-24 (NKJV)
²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

·         By being trustworthy, you qualify to handle true riches.

Luke 16:10-11 (NKJV)
¹⁰ He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
¹¹ Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

Titus 2:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰ not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

·         Refraining from complaining and arguing is a tall order

Philippians 2:14-15 (NKJV)
¹⁴ Do all things without complaining and disputing,
¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Titus 2:9 (NKJV)
⁹ Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back,

·         Your heavenly Father will always notice unrighteousness

Colossians 3:25 (NKJV)
²⁵ But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

·         Our motivation to work should not be to gain promotion. 

·         We must be sincerely of heart not just when the boss is looking.

Colossians 3:22 (NKJV)
²² Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

Genesis 16:13 (NKJV)
¹³ Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?"

A Word To Employers

·         There is a judge who stands at the door to see if there is fair play

James 5:9 (NKJV)
⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

James 5:1-6 (NKJV)
¹ Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!
² Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
³ Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
⁴ Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
⁵ You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
⁶ You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

·         God said this of a King who was unfair to his workers.

Jeremiah 22:13 (NKJV)
¹³ "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor's service without wages And gives him nothing for his work,

Jeremiah 22:18-19 (NKJV)
¹⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: "They shall not lament for him, Saying, 'Alas, my brother!' or 'Alas, my sister!' They shall not lament for him, Saying, 'Alas, master!' or 'Alas, his glory!'
¹⁹ He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, Dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

·         The cries of the oppressed always reach the ears of God

James 5:3 (NKJV)
³ Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.

Have The Attitude Toward You Employees

·         Always do-good to those over whom you have charge.

Ephesians 6:8-9 (NKJV)
⁸ knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
⁹ And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Deuteronomy 15:12-15 (NKJV)
¹² "If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
¹³ And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed;
¹⁴ you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the Lord has blessed you with, you shall give to him.
¹⁵ You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today.

·         Don’t threaten them – a fair warning is justified.

Acts 4:21 (NKJV)
²¹ So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.

1 Peter 2:23 (NKJV)
²³ who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;

·         Always be fair with your workers

Colossians 4:1 (NKJV)
¹ Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

What God Says About The Lazy.

·         What about those who are lazy, they can work but won’t.

Proverbs 10:5 (NKJV)
⁵ He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

Proverbs 24:30-31 (NKJV)
³⁰ I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
³¹ And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down.

Proverbs 26:13 (NKJV)
¹³ The lazy man says, "There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!"

Proverbs 26:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can answer sensibly.

Matthew 25:24-25 (NKJV)
²⁴ Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.'

2 Thessalonians 3:6-8 (NKJV)
⁶ But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.
⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you;
⁸ nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you,

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 (NKJV)
¹¹ For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.
¹² Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.