Work Matters
Titus 2:6-10 (#8)
Dr. Larry Halsey

A woman who lives in Atlanta had been in the church her whole life and was feeling a bit isolated from non-believers. She became convinced that her life was too cloistered. She decided to go to school, to get a degree in counseling; she enrolled in a local secular university.

In one of her classes, the students were given this assignment:
“Go and hang out with people that you are most ‘afraid’ of.”

If you were given that assignment, whose name would you list? For her, the answer was “people who are homosexual.” That was the group that made her feel anxious, and she realized, “I can’t love people if I’m afraid of them, so I need to go and spend time with folks who are gay.”

Here’s the clincher: In that college class, the Number One answer to that question—the category that most people in the class said they were afraid to be around—was “Christians.” No kidding. Forty percent of the students, when they were asked, “Who are you most afraid to hang around with?” said, “People who are Christians.”
Now, wherever this idea comes from—however accurate or distorted it may be—there’s a pretty widespread notion in our day, outside the church, that Christians are a group of self-satisfied people who are kind of cloistered—people who live in a smug little cocoon, and who look down on everybody else.

Who is this “family”? (Picture) The enormously popular TV characters called “The Simpsons.” One of the characters is Ned Flanders, who is supposed to be a Christian. One time, when he had been gone for a couple of weeks, Homer asked him, “Where have you been?” Ned said, “I was at a Christian camp, learning how to be more judgmental.”
For many people, that’s their idea of what goes on inside churches.

…How are they going to learn the truth?
…How are they going to get past all the stereotypes, to see Jesus and be
exposed to His message?

That’s where you and I come in.

The starting place is to realize that out there during the week—at your job, at school, among your social contacts—like the Blues Brothers, you are on a mission for God.

Second, is to remember that people are watching.

John Debrine was chaplain to the Boston Red Sox. One of the players was a Christian, and he was really loud about it. He was forever quoting Scripture. Debrine said to him one day:

“Son, don’t quote Scripture till you hit homeruns.”

It’s the “people-are-watching” reality that prompted the Apostle Paul to write to five specific groups in the churches on Crete. He exhorts them in two areas (I called them ‘golden highways’ that run through the little book).

The first is sound doctrine… “Make sure you have a firm grip on truth.”
Greco-Roman society was based on a loosy-goosy, vague relativism that
promoted political correctness, and worshipped tolerance.

This caught my eye… A lady named Anne Back writes:

“A while ago, I overheard my sister, a travel agent, confirm her client’s
flight this way: ‘Your confirmation number code is F as in Foxtrot, R as in
Romeo, and I as in Native American.’”

In a society like ours, misconceptions are corrected and truth becomes attractive through good works…

The hub of the little letter is verse 10b, “that you may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” (Literally, “in every way.”)

The word translated “adorn” is kosmeo, from which we get our word “cosmetics.” There are two ideas.

The first is order.

You find it in the Parable of the Ten Virgins; the lamps of the wise virgins, who were ready to meet the bridegroom, are described as “trimmed”— Same word. That is, they were in working order. A life lived according to God’s principles is marked by order; sin produces disorder and chaos. (The Prodigal Son learned that the hard way.)

The second idea is beauty.

When we lived in south Florida, the Friday night ritual was a trip to the Town Center Mall, in Boca Raton. There were jewelry stores, the likes of which we had never seen in Beckley or in Gauley Bridge, where we moved from. Displayed in the window were jewel-laced necklaces priced at $250,000-$300,000 (25 years ago).

Invariably, they were placed against a black velvet background, that made them dazzle!

The gospel is an exquisite jewel; a consistent, salt-and-light believer is like the setting that compliments it, making it attractive.

There are three areas where learning to walk the talk is most important.

First and foremost, is the home…There is reference to marriage, children, growing up—relating to those in your family. If your Christianity doesn’t work there, it’s bogus!

Second is the church. He talks about what the older men, older women, and young men are to be. There is one word to young men: “Be sober-minded.” (Verse 6). It means “self-disciplined.” In verses 2 and 5, it’s translated “sensible.” It carries the broad meaning of having common sense, good judgment, and self-control.

Why would he say that to Titus? Because young men tend toward being impetuous, rash, vulnerable to a social and moral life out-of-control, marked by sensuality, impulse and recklessness.

Let’s read Galatians 6:7 Together:

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he
will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap
corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting
life.”

Among the young men in the church, was Titus himself. He was probably in his late 30s, early 40s. He was to be a “pattern.” The word—tupos— is the root of our English word “type.” It originally meant, “an impression made by a die.” It means stamping an image on something else, like minting a coin.

It’s used in the Resurrection account: Thomas said, “Unless I put my finger in the print of the nail, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)

The motivation is a disciplined life is “God our Savior” in verse 10.

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) was 11 years old when she learned that she stood next in line to the British throne. Her governess showed her a list of the kings and queens of England with her own name added after those of George IV and William IV. As the implications of this news sank into her little mind, Victoria burst into tears. She finally gained control of herself and said solemnly, “I will be good.”

When the implications of God’s saving grace dawns upon your mind and heart, you rush to enthrone in every aspect of your life!

Each of us is giving an impression of Jesus and the faith…We all have influence.

Family
Church

A third area where your faith is lived out and opinions are formed is your work.

The wheels of the Roman economy turned on the labor of 50 million slaves. It’s true that slaves did menial tasks, but they were also accountants, physicians, engineers, artisans, teachers and philosophers. Often they were better educated than their masters.

In the best of conditions, the fact remained that they were not free, they were owned by someone. They were under the control of another. See the term “masters,” in verse 9? it’s the root of our word “despot.” It denotes a person with absolute authority and power.

A Christian slave was confronted with two possible pitfalls, as the Christian employee is today:

…It involved work—Which, since the Fall, has had its innate challenges.
…It involved placing oneself under the authority of another person, to carry
out their agenda and priorities.

If the “master” was a non-believer, the Christian slave would be tempted to look down on him. If he was despicable and cruel, the inclination would be to resist him, to militate against him.

If he was a believer, the temptation would be to trade on the relationship.

A Christian businessman told me about hiring a young lady from his church. She couldn’t understand why he had a problem with her taking the first half hour of each day (on the clock) to have devotions.

No matter what your vocation, career or responsibilities: Your work matters to God! It’s his means to provide your needs, and a marvelous opportunity to work closely with people, to show them Jesus..

…by the excellence with which you work
…by the attitude you demonstrate, especially under pressure and
even mistreatment.

One guy says to the other, “Thanks to wireless technology, I can hate my job
almost anywhere.” (Cartoon)

Paul reminded the Colossians that their work was “unto the Lord,” and will be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ; he goes on to say, “Whatsoever you do in word and deed, do all to the glory of God.”

There are five questions that beg to be answered.

1. Are you submissive to your superior?

The term “be obedient” is a strong phrase, found in verse 5, in describing the wife’s role. The original word (huppotasso) means, “to arrange under.” It denotes “submitting, placing oneself under another’s authority or control; to yield to someone else’ choices, desires or preferences.

It was a military term describing a soldier’s relationship to his superior officers.

This doesn’t not exclude the right to appeal when something is unjust or wrong, but a recognition that your job is a sacred trust.

A theatrical company in London was scheduled to perform on a cold, windy winter night, when everyone knew no one would be in the audience. The director was trying to find a way to rally the troops, so he said to them,

“The king is going to be in the audience tonight.”

They knew he was lying but it did the trick. With the vision of the king sitting out there, they gave the performance of the season. Guess what? They found out later that King George was in the sparse audience that night.

We need to approach our work everyday with the knowledge that the King is in the audience!

Your job is a sacred trust to serve; worthy of your 100 percent, no matter the rotten attitudes others have.

Are you a salary maker or a salary taker?

2. Do you seek to please your superior?

He says, “to be well pleasing in all things.” (Verse 9b)

That means “all things” big and small. It means attention to detail. It includes not only the task, but the attitude with which one does the task.

Do you want a raise? Do you want to be recognized for your hard work? Do it with a “your wish is my command” spirit. Colossians says, “do it heartily.”

I saw a bumper sticker that said, “I’m not in a hurry, I’m on my way to work.”
On the other side was a stick that said, “Support the UMWA.” I feel sorry for the person who has to supervise that guy!

Some reports seeing a tee-shirt that read, “I used all my sick days so I phoned in dead.”

3. Do you give respect to your superior?—V9c

“…not answering back.”— The term means, “to speak again.” (antilego). It has the idea of an argumentative attitude, “mouthing off”, resisting (to his face) and “back-stabbing” behind his back.

One writer says,

“Those who have little freedom of choice often express a measure of
independence through verbal strikes. The student in the classroom may
mutter sarcastic remarks at the teacher; the secretary may whisper
defiance as she carries out a request she dislikes; the wife may degrade
her husband while obeying his decision. In each case, rebellion bubbles
beneath the surface and leaks out through caustic remarks or challenging
words.” (Holman, 364).

Folks, let’s call it what it is: wickedness!

No wonder one manager said: “I’ve hired my last Christian.”

4. Do you steal from your superior?

“…not purloining…” (KJV- “not purloining.”). That sounds like a disease.

The word means, “to separate something for oneself; to embezzle.” A household slave had access to his master’s stuff. It would be easy to steal little items, sell them, and when the item was discovered missing, claim it had been misplaced or broken. All the while gritting his teeth, saying, “I deserve it.”

The quick response to this question is, “Of course not. I wouldn’t do that!”

Pilfering includes anything from taking pens, paper and postage, to the unauthorized use of equipment. It includes unapproved use of the phone and computer.

A book written back in the ‘90s titled, “The Day America Told The Truth.” By… An extensive opinion survey was taken with the promise of anonymity. Since no one had to give her name or his name, they were free to just speak the truth. The results are shocking. Just a few…

…Only 13 percent see all ten commandments as binding and relevant.
…No less than 91 percent lie regularly, both at work and in their homes.
…In answer to “Whom Have You Regularly Lied To?” statistics include—

…86 percent said “parents.”
…75 percent to their friends.

Most American workers admitted to goofing off an average of seven hours (that’s almost an entire day’s work) a week.

And half of our work force admits that they regularly call in sick and they feel perfectly well.

There was one particular question in the survey that put a chill down my back. “What are you willing to do for $10 million?” 25 percent would abandon their families. 23 would become a prostitute for a week. 7 percent would murder a stranger. (That’s 7 in every 100.)

”Pastor, we’re Christians. That’s not a Christian book.” You’re right. Two Christians wrote a book on the same subject. It’s called “Keeping Your Ethical Edge Sharp.”

Doug Sherman and William Hendricks. They built an embarrassing case on hard evidence. They came to the conclusion, “that the general ethical conduct of Christians varies only slightly from non-Christians.” With grand exceptions, of course, admittedly. Sadly, believers (according to this book) are almost as likely as unbelievers to

.,..falsify their income tax return
…commit plagiarism
…bribe to obtain a building permit
…ignore construction specifications
…shift blame onto someone
…illegally copy a computer program
…steal from the workplace
…selectively obey the law.

You do any of those? As a fellow believer, I urge you to stop. Please. I plead with you remember that your life is on display. I’m just trying to get you to a clear conscience. You are preaching a sermon each hour you live, but they don’t know you as a preacher, they know you as a Christian.

So the principle woven throughout this is: The most effective presentation begins with a Christ-like life. The only difference between Christ and us is that he was perfect and we are not. And when we aren’t, we need simply to acknowledge it. Admit it correctly.

5. Are you loyal to your superior?

The next phrase of verse 10 is a summary exhortation, “…but showing all good fidelity…”

“Showing” means “to show forth with the purpose of proving something.”

“Fidelity” is “pistos” the common NT word for ‘faith.’ It describes the virtue of
loyalty and faithfulness.

The famous Christian psychiatrist Karl Menninger said:

“Loyalty means not that I am you, or that I agree with everything you say or
that I believe you are always right. Loyalty means that I share a common
ideal with you and that regardless of minor differences we fight for it,
shoulder to shoulder, confidence in one another’s good faith, trust,
constancy, and affection.”

In the Parable of the Talents, the master took a trip and left the business in the hands of three of his employees. Would your boss do that?

Thomas Jefferson said that in hiring men, he always asked three questions:

1. Is he honest?
2. Will he work?
3. Is he loyal?

Warren Wiersbe notes:

“…Loyalty [means] caring about the interests of others. If I’m determined to
protect and promote only my small corner of the field, I am bound to create
problems.” (Being a Servant, ww).

Justin Martyr was a early church leader who lived from 100-165 AD. He wrote about Joseph and Jesus’ carpenter shop. He says that the father and Son specialized in making wooden yokes and plows. They were of such excellent quality, Justin wrote, that some were still in use in the mid-second century—more than a 100 years after they were made! (“Is The Bible True?” Sheler, 202)

Our Lord knew the challenges of being an employee, and the stress related to working with people, yet His work was a act of worship.

Howard Hendricks has a delightful story about observing an airline flight attendant who performed admirably during a stressful series of encounters with a disgruntled, obstinate passenger.

When the flight had ended, Dr. Hendricks sought the young woman out and affirmed her for her gracious spirit and asked for her name and employee number so that he could write to the airline and convey a commendation.

“Sir,” she responded, “I don’t work for (so-and-so) airlines: I work for Jesus Christ.”

Forty percent of the students, when they were asked, “Who are you most afraid to hang around with?” said, “People who are Christians.”
Let’s set out this week, by the grace of God, to change that!

This God is “God our Savior.” Is He your Savior. He can be. If you will call upon Him, inviting Him into your life.