Truth That Changes Lives

JP Jones: When we made that transfer from being lost and dead in sin to crossing the line and new life in Jesus Christ, we changed masters. We were under the master of sin, now we’re under the master of Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us on Truth That Changes Lives. Pastor JP Jones is the senior pastor of Crossline Community Church in Laguna Hills, California, and a professor in Biblical Studies at Biola University. Today on Truth That Changes Lives, Pastor JP will be giving us a message from a series entitled, "All About Jesus." Let’s listen as JP gives us part two of "Husbands and Wives."

JP Jones: If you’re here as a seeker, as a guest, as someone who’s trying to figure out even if you buy into this message of the Gospel, you are more than welcome. We like to say this is a safe place to hear a life-changing message. But I don't want you to get the impression that these words are addressed to what you have to do in order to get in. No, this is addressed to those who are already in and how they’re supposed to live because they’re in.

This is a passage that is challenging us to take our Christianity to the marketplace, to live it out as real followers of Jesus. It's not only practical, it's pervasive because being a follower of Jesus touches on every area. There is a way to be a Christian boss and there is a way to be a Christian employee. It’s powerful because what changed society wasn't revolution but transformation.

In 1 Peter 3, Peter addresses this dynamic in a similar way. Many of us have heard 1 Peter 3:15, "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and reverence." It's a great verse on apologetics, how we're to have answers for people's questions, how we’re to make a defense for Christianity, and how we're to set forth the case of Christianity.

Many of us think about that as a very theological or intellectual type argument, how we can know apologetics and be able to answer people's questions. We can take that verse out of its context and miss what’s really being said there because verse 15 is preceded by verses one to 14. Verses one to 14 describe, first of all, the dynamic of marriage: what a Christian marriage looks like, what it means for a wife to be a follower of Christ, and what it means for a husband to be a follower of Christ.

Then it talks about social relationships and how we're to live as citizens, and how we’re to even be people who bless when other people curse. Rather than cursing in response, we bless in response. Then it talks about how we handle pressure and persecution and tough times, and the fact that when we live a distinctive Christian life, all of a sudden people take notice. That’s verses one to 14.

Verse 15 says, "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence." Why in the world would anybody ask me to give an account of my hope? Because they see the way I'm living. They see the way I'm living and then they say, "What is it about your life?" And then I make a defense with gentleness and reverence.

If no one's asking you to give an account, it's probably because you’re not living a life that would make them want to find out what you’ve got. That's why in Colossians 3, Paul talks about this new life. He applies it to marriage, he applies it to parenting, and now he applies it to the marketplace. Be someone in the marketplace, whether you’re a boss or whether you're an employee, but be that person as a follower of Jesus that your life is so distinct people want to ask you to give an account for the hope that you have. You may not be a master or slave, but you’re in social relationships and as such, live as a follower of Jesus.

Here's a second observation: Know who you’re working for. Verse 22 says, "out of reverence for the Lord." Verse 23, "working for the Lord and not for men." Verse 24, "since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward, it is the Lord Christ you are serving." Verse one of chapter four, "because you know that you have a master in heaven." Wow. Did you see how many times it says that? One, two, three, four, five times: "the Lord, the Lord, the Lord, the Lord."

Jesus Christ is our boss. That’s who we work for. Wherever we are on the strata of the workforce, Jesus is our boss. We need to understand that. Whether we're a blue-collar grunt or the richest CEO in Orange County, we all work for Jesus Christ as followers of Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus, Jesus is our boss. We're told to fear the Lord, to work for the Lord, to understand we’re going to receive a reward or a punishment from the Lord, and to understand we got a master in heaven.

This is reality, but is it our reality? Are we living that out? Are we experiencing that? It is true because that's what it's saying is true. Jesus is the boss. But are we experiencing that? I had a conversation this past week, guess where? At the jacuzzi. That’s right. I'd worked out and I’m sitting in the jacuzzi. I’m talking to this guy and I’ve talked to him several times and I've struck up a friendship with him and had the opportunity to share my faith.

We kind of have this ongoing dialogue, so we pick it up every time when I see him where we left it off. We’re having a dialogue and we start talking about truth, objective truth, subjective truth, and relativism. It’s amazing how deep you can go while you’re sitting there in the jacuzzi, right? This guy’s a really smart guy and he’s telling me about his view that he’s kind of come to this place in his life where he really doesn't really care that much about objective truth.

What really matters to him is what's true for him. He kind of said it like challenging me, like, "What’s your take on that?" And I said, "Well, to tell you the truth, since we’re talking about truth, I do believe that what’s true for you is true for you. I believe that. Of course, you believe certain things and to you they’re true, and you live in the light of those truths and you make your decisions based upon that. So what’s true for you is true for you."

"But I also believe there is truth independent of what you or I or other people think." He goes, "What do you mean?" I said, "Well, you may be one of those Holocaust deniers. You could be one of those people who says, 'I just don't believe the Holocaust happened.' That's your truth. You really don't believe it happened, and you feel certain things in light of the fact that you don't believe it happened, and you make decisions in light of the fact that you don't believe it happened."

"What's true for you is the Holocaust never happened. Only guess what? The Holocaust really happened. It did. It’s an objective fact verifiable by history and evidence. So what’s true for you may be that it didn't happen, but what is actually true is it did happen. Let me just tell you, I’ve come to a place in my life where I really believe part of maturity is aligning what’s true for me with what is actually true."

"In fact, I don't want to be a person who just lives by what’s true for me. I want what’s true for me to be what is actually true. That’s especially important for me as a follower of Jesus Christ because I don't want to believe in Jesus just because it’s true for me. If it’s not true, I don't want to believe it. No, I believe in Jesus Christ because He really lived, He really died, He really rose from the dead. It’s true. I believe it not because it’s just true for me, I believe it because it’s really true. I want my whole life to be like that."

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has authority over everything, who is our boss. Is it our truth? We gotta know who our boss is. Here's a third observation: We gotta know what’s at stake. Verse 24 says, "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." Reward and recompense.

It’s part of a larger New Testament teaching. We know as we read the Bible, and we take the Bible seriously, that there is an ultimate heaven and hell. But the Bible also teaches that as followers of Jesus Christ, there is a spiritual judgment. Heaven and hell is not at stake, but you know what is at stake according to the Bible? Reward. It’s an interesting teaching in the Bible that for some reason many people either have never explored or they somehow don't like.

We’ve wrongly held onto this notion that because we’re saved by grace—which we are, by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone—that really it doesn't matter how I live. Once I get to heaven, I’m going to have the same experience as everybody else in heaven because we’re in heaven. So whether someone really lived a committed, faithful, Christ-centered life or they were up and down or worldly or backslidden or did whatever they did, once we get to heaven it’s all going to be same for all of us because we’re in heaven.

That’s wrong and that’s not what the Bible teaches. It is true, if you believe in Jesus and you’re saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, you’re going to go to heaven. But your experience in heaven may not be the same experience as the person sitting next to you. Really. Because the Bible teaches rewards for faithfulness and obedience. That’s what Paul’s talking about here in Colossians chapter three.

You say, "JP, where do you get that?" I get it from a lot of places, but let me just take you to one place: 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, Paul says this in verses 10 to 15: "By the grace that God has given to me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds, for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."

"If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, straw, his work will be shown for what it is because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it’s burned up, he’ll suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."

Paul uses the imagery of building a building, and he’s very clear. You gotta have a foundation to build a building. You don't have a foundation, you can’t build that building. The foundation is critical, and he says the foundation is Jesus Christ. So he’s addressing Christians who have the foundation of Jesus Christ in their life. He’s not addressing heaven or hell, saved or unsaved. He’s addressing people who have the foundation of Jesus, but who build a building on that foundation.

The building is our lives. He says you can build with different building materials and you can build with different quality of work, and it all makes a different building. We within a 10-mile radius of our location right here could find super cheap homes and the most expensive homes in the country. They all have a foundation, but they’re built with different building materials and they are built with different craftsmanship.

Every Christian has the same foundation: Jesus Christ. But not every Christian lives the same kind of Christian life. Paul is saying there's coming a day when we will stand before God, who’s the ultimate judge, who knows the secrets of men’s hearts, who will look at everything about our lives, everything about our building. We’re there because we got the foundation. But he’s going to look at our building and he’s going to test it.

What passes the test is rewarded. So if you show up and your building is strong and built out of eternally significant building materials and built out of the craftsmanship of a spirit-filled life and a faithful dedication to Jesus Christ, the substantial part of your building will pass the test and you’ll be rewarded. But on the other hand, if you stand before God, you got the foundation of Jesus, but the building burns up, you’re saved because you got the foundation of Jesus.

But barely. I like to say you’re either going to receive "well done" or you’re going to be "well done." This is a biblical teaching, and the Bible then tells us, what are those rewards and what are the basis of those rewards? There are several passages in the New Testament that speak about reward, that speak about crowns, that speak about the hope of "well done" in heaven that will be part of our experience in heaven.

One of my favorite movies is *Gladiator* with Russell Crowe. In *Gladiator* in the beginning, he’s Maximus, he’s the general. They’re about ready to take on the hordes of Germania and they’re all lined up to fight. They got the infantrymen and they got the artillery, the guys with the arrows. He’s on his horseback and he’s ready to take the cavalry troops and march into them.

He looks over at his guys and he says, "If you find yourself riding all alone in green fields with the sun in your face, don't be afraid because you’re in Elysium and you’re already dead." And his troops go, "Yeah!" Then he looks over and said, "Men, what we do in this life echoes throughout eternity." That’s good theology. What we do in this life echoes throughout eternity.

As followers of Jesus Christ, what we do in this life echoes throughout eternity. In the passage that we’re looking at, Colossians 3, it says, "do your work heartily for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance." In this passage, God tells us one of those criteria that He’s going to look at on that judgment seat of Christ to test our building. He’s going to look at how we did our work.

Whether we’re a master or slave, whether we own the company or we’re an intern, how’d we do our work? And if we did our work heartily, we’re going to receive, "well done, my good and faithful servant." We need to know what’s at stake when we think about work, when we think about the marketplace, when we think about our job, when we think about punching in, when we think about punching out, when we think about what we do when we’re there. What’s at stake? We serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lastly, and this is just summarizing what this passage really is all about, and that's attitude. Everything that’s addressed here, whether it’s addressed to a slave or addressed to a master, is all about attitude. Verse 22 says, "slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything and do it not only when their eye is on you to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord."

Obey is *hupakouo*, which means to listen intently with an attitude of obedience. It means to harken to a command. In fact, this is the word *hupakouo* that's used in Romans chapter 6. Romans 6:16 and 19 talking about slaves and masters, but a completely different context talking about the spiritual reality of slavery. It says, "do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death or of obedience resulting in righteousness?"

"But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed." It’s talking about when we made that transfer from being lost and dead in sin to crossing the line and new life in Jesus Christ, we changed masters. We were under the master of sin, now we’re under the master of Jesus Christ, and we are to present ourselves as obedient to our new master, Jesus Christ.

That’s the same word that’s used in Colossians talking about on the job, obedience. It’s really a spiritual attitude and it’s to flow from the heart, not just when the eye is on us so that we can get the attaboy or the promotion or the raise, but just because it’s coming out of our heart. We’re to do it heartily. That’s the word *haplotes*, means singleness or simplicity or sincerity. It’s the virtue of being free from pretense or hypocrisy.

We're to do our work heartily, free from pretense or hypocrisy. This same word is used three times in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, where the whole context is talking about financial stewardship and giving. Paul makes this exhortation about giving to the Lord’s work, and he describes how we’re to give to the Lord’s work. He uses this word *haplotes* three times: sincerely, heartily, simply, with a singleness of devotion.

Here he describes it in Colossians chapter 3 to the way we ought to do our work, whether we’re masters or slaves. And it says, "whatever you do." It’s a comprehensive attitude adjustment. We’re to have an attitude as followers of Jesus Christ that is lived out so that others see the light of Christ in and through us. They see our good works and they glorify our Father who's in heaven. It’s all about attitude.

I used to joke with my son when he was in high school. He was a captain of his football team and whenever he’d talk about the morale of his team or the relationship of the players, I’d quote him this line from *Remember the Titans*. "You the captain? Yeah, I’m the captain." It’s a linebacker that gives you the context. It’s a conversation between this guy named Julius and Bertier, one black, one white.

The two teams come together to form one high school team back in the turbulent times of racial tension. They’re off in football camp and there's nothing but rivalry going on and on, so these two guys gotta come together and bring the team together. They’re having this argument with one another, and Randy Bertier, the white guy, is talking to Julius, the black guy, and he says, "Man, we gotta work together to make this thing work."

He challenges him on some of the play that he’s been making out on the football field. Julius says to Bertier, "You the captain?" He goes, "Yeah, I’m the captain." "Well, attitude reflects leadership, Captain." I used to quote that to my son. He hated it when I’d say that because basically I was saying, "You got a problem with the team, you need to correct it. You're the leader. You’re the captain. Attitude reflects leadership, Captain."

Got any bosses here? Got any entrepreneurs here? Got any managers here? Got any leaders here? Attitude. Attitude reflects leadership. All of us have an attitude and that attitude affects other people. There is a uniquely Christian attitude that is to be expressed whether we’re slaves or masters and it affects everybody around us.

So Paul addresses that, and rather than calling for an overthrow of the institution of slavery, he says, "If you’re a slave, have this attitude. If you’re a master, have this attitude. You be different. You be a transformed person, and you’ll create transformation all around you." Let me just close with this. You’ve heard me share this before, and maybe you know this yourself. I love this quote on a superior attitude.

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It's more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say, or do. It's more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It'll make or break a company, a school, a home, a church."

"The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is plan on the one thing we have, and that is our superior attitude."

"I’m convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. A superior attitude will produce superior results." God has called us as Christians who have new life in Jesus Christ to have a superior attitude. We're to take it to the marketplace, and whether you're a slave or a master, whether you dig ditches or you own the company that digs ditches, live like a real follower of Jesus Christ. Have a superior attitude that reflects Jesus Christ to others.

Guest (Male): What a great message for all of us today. Pastor JP provides us with great insight. That is why we’d like to make it available to you on CD. Just get in touch and mention today’s date. We’ll send it your way for just $5. Or if you’d like to support this ministry, you can write us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653, or give us a call at 949-916-0250. That’s 949-916-0250.

For your gift of $25 or more, we will send you a signed copy of JP’s new book, *Facing Goliath*. Please join us every Sunday at 9:00 or 11:00 AM at Crossline Church in Laguna Hills. The address is 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or check us out on the web at crosslinechurch.com.

We want to help you in your relationship with Christ. Please get in touch with us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653, or call us at 949-916-0250. On the internet, you will find us at crosslinechurch.com. We hope to see you at one of our services every Sunday at our new campus in Laguna Hills. For more information and directions, please go to crosslinechurch.com. Please join us next time on Truth That Changes Lives.