1 Keepers of the Spring Ephesians 6:5-9 With long-term high unemployment in our country, it seems hard to believe but over two-thirds of American workers are disengaged and uninspired at work. According to Gallup's 2013 State of the American Workplace Report, 52% of all American workers have a perpetual case of the Mondays they're present, but not particularly excited about their job, while 18 percent are actively disengaged. As Gallup CEO Jim Clifton puts it, Nearly 1 in 5 workers roam the halls spreading discontent." Worse yet Gallup reports, those actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. up to $550 billion annually in lost productivity. Today, in fact, many companies look for ways to make workers happier. One trend that has taken off is cushy office perks, said management consultant Bob Nelson, author of 1,501 Ways to Reward Employees. For example, Google which has topped the 100 Best Companies to Work boasts a roller hockey rink and nap pods, among other amenities, at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters. Such benefits are attractive, particularly to younger workers. Attitudes about work have certainly changed. But the importance of doing one s work to the best of their ability hasn t changed one bit. A story I d like to share with you this morning was originally told by the late Rev. Peter Marshall when he was chaplain to the United States Senate a halfcentury ago. Once upon a time there was a quiet forest dweller who lived high above an Austrian village along the eastern slopes of the Alps. The old gentleman had been by the town council many years earlier to clear away the debris from the pools of water up in the mountains that fed the spring-fed brook flowing through their town. So, with faithful, silent regularity he patrolled the hills. And he removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise choke the fresh flow of water. By and by the village became a popular attraction. Graceful swans floated along the crystal clear spring-fed brook and pond. The millwheels of various businesses located along the water turned day and night. Farmlands were naturally irrigated. The view from the shops and inns was picturesque. The years passed. One summer evening the town council was meeting. As they reviewed the budget report, one man s eye caught the notation of a very modest sum having been given to a person who was simply called the keeper of the spring. The council member asked, Who is this person the keeper of the spring? What does he do? No one ever sees him. He isn t needed anymore! And so the council voted to dispense with the old man s services. For several weeks nothing changed. But in early autumn the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped and fell into the mountain pools hindering the rushing flow of fresh brook water. One afternoon in mid- September someone noticed a yellowish-brown tint in the spring-fed brook. A week later the water was much darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered sections along the banks and a foul odor was soon detected.
The millwheels moved slower and some ground to a halt. The swans left, as did the visitors staying at local resorts. The embarrassed town council called an emergency meeting. Realizing their error in judgment, they called back the old keeper of the spring. Within a few weeks the mountain pools and spring-fed brook and streams began to clear up. The millwheels started to turn and new life returned to this hamlet in the Alps. It s an interesting story. But it s more than a fanciful tale. It carries with it a message that s relevant for us today as are conclude our four-week Sunday worship series entitled, Our House, based on Paul s teaching in Ephesians. What the keeper of the spring meant to that village, you and I as Christ s witnesses mean to our families, workplaces and church. What that keeper of the spring meant to the village, we as a church family mean to our community. Now in one respect there is only one true Keeper of the Spring that being our Lord Himself. But he has called and commissioned us to be his servants until he returns. Aware of this Paul called Christians in his day, just as he calls us, to a new way of living under Christ, our true Lord and Master. One New Testament scholar, Dr. Klyne Snodgrass, notes that this section of Ephesians is commonly referred to as the house codes. Here we find instructions given to husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves. Ancient Greek and Jewish scholars had a great deal to say about these relationships setting down their own house codes. Yet the house codes taught by first century Christians, as we ve noted during the past three Sundays, were seen by many as subversive. These house codes on marriage, parenting and work were seen as overturning the established order. They were deemed dangerous because they threatened to overthrow traditional structures of power and authority by empowering the powerless. In fact, believers in the 1 st century were often accused of destroying society because of their focus on freedom, love, and following Christ as Lord. According to Dr. Snodgrass, Unlike other house codes, Christian house codes focused not only on wives, children, and slaves, but also on the responsibilities of the more powerful persons husbands, parents, and masters. And what was the most subversive matter of all? It s what Paul teaches as the foundational Scripture text of for all Christian house codes. Let s read aloud together: Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21). Yet, to apply mutual submission to slaves and slave owners was a startling redefinition of slavery. It s sometimes asked why early Christian leaders like Paul did not critique and condemn slavery. Yet these questions are often asked through 21 st century lens, without much consideration of a 1 st century cultural context. Strategically, Paul was wise not to confront slavery head-on for at several reasons. First, Christians were already viewed as suspect for refusing to worship the many local and regional pagan deities. Second, it s believed that there were up to 6 million slaves in the Roman Empire or one-third to one-half of the entire population so slavery was an economic necessity. 2
Third, slavery was not based on race, but on class and socio-economic status. People might enter slavery at birth, by being abandoned by parents, due to captivity in war, by being a debtor or even voluntarily to better a dire situation. For Paul and the early Christians to have challenged slavery head-on or to have championed an anti-slavery movement would have heightened and intensified the persecution of all Christians, and likely done irreparable harm to Paul s main mission which was sharing the life-changing Gospel of Christ. As we know, by preaching Christ the early believers put into motion the gradual process which ultimately led to the abolishment of slavery and the abolition of slaves in Europe and America and elsewhere. So, what did Paul do that was so subversive that it led to eventual systemic change? Let s read aloud together verse 5 from our text: Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ (Ephesians 6:5, NLT). Paul called slaves to obedience which assuaged the concerns of those in power. But he also gave a new, higher meaning to obedience obedience to Christ who is served by both slave and master. Paul raises the status of a slave to full personhood, not mere property and does this without calling for rebellion. He also reminds us that our rightful Lord and Master gave up his rights and suffered on Calvary s cross on our behalf. Dr. Manfred Brauch asks, Did Paul condone slavery? In a sense, yes, he did. But he also believed that all Christians are all equally slaves of Jesus Christ. Here again the subversive nature of these Christian house codes emerges. Brauch notes, One could say that Paul brings the masters down to the level of their slaves and makes them treat their slave as a brother or sister. This implication in Ephesians becomes quite explicit in Philemon. Paul s strategy, then, is to elevate the inferior and to abase the superior by pointing to their relationship to Jesus Christ as the context for all other relationships in their lives. In fact, Paul often called himself a slave of Christ. From Paul s 1 st century context what really matters is serving Christ by honoring God and helping one s neighbor. We can apply these principles to our work and relationships today. In honor of Labor Day which we ll celebrate next weekend, let s consider three principles found in today s Scripture and seek to apply these truths to our work. Follow along on your back-page bulletin outline, if you wish. Here s a first truth to note: We are to do our work to glorify God and to benefit our neighbors. 1. We are to do our work to glorify God and to benefit our neighbors How can we do our work in ways which honor Christ and bring glory to God? How can we do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God at work? Let s read aloud a few verses from Colossians 3: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24) Dr. Neil Plantinga reminds us of the diverse ways that we can serve to the glory of God and to benefit others. Your work, for example, might be taking highway tolls or exit polls. You might mend elbow-joints as a doctor or as a plumber. You might work in the home office or your office might be at home. 3
4 But whatever it is that you do, you can bring glory to God when you serve as a steward and caretaker in your part of His creation. Webster defines a steward as someone entrusted with another s wealth or property. A steward is charged with the responsibility of managing another s property in the owner s best interests. In his book The Grand Essentials Ben Patterson illustrates how we can be good stewards bringing glory to God and benefiting our neighbor. He tells about the Southern California supermarket chain known as Albertson s. This company once ran a series of television ads emphasizing the pride and investment each of their grocery employees has in his or her work. Patterson tells of one ad that features a man surrounded by tables of fresh vegetables. The man is singing, This is Joe Albertson s supermarket, but the produce department is mine. This man sees himself as a good steward. He was entrusted with a part of an Albertson s market and he manages and cares for it as though he were Joe Albertson himself. In a sense this is the kind of relationship each of us has with the Lord and His creation. All that we are and all that we have come from Him. God has given us a particular set of talents and spiritual gifts. We are SHAPED to serve Him! What we do and how we do it matters because all of life is to be lived in, unto and for the Lord. This is what it means to do our work to His glory and for the benefit of our neighbor. This leads us to a second truth to note in our Scripture study: We are to do our work as if serving Christ who is our audience of one. 2. We are to do our work as if serving Christ who is our audience of one Let s read together aloud the next two verses of our text. Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people (Ephesians 6:6-7, NLT). The question must be asked: To what audience do we seek to play? Who are we hoping to impress? Paul counseled the Ephesians and he calls us to engage our work with energy and enthusiasm which is the meaning of the phrase with all your heart. Dr. Warren Wiersbe offers two important insights: First, the best way to be a good witness for Christ on the job is to do a good day s work. Second, Christians will avoid what Paul calls eye service working only when the boss is watching or working only to give others a good impression. In his book Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis discusses this problem of living for Christ as an audience of one. He asks how it s possible to gain a character that will truly deny itself for others. He calls it humility. If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. The second step is to humble oneself before God. Peter writes, All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God s mighty hand (1 Peter 5:5 6). A third and final step involves having daily fellowship with Christ. Dr. James Boice notes, He is the source of our life, and we must stay close to the source if we are to realize the self-giving life he advocates. Without him we can
5 do nothing. On the other hand, says Paul, I can do everything through him, who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13). Dr. Boice goes on to relate a story told by Watchman Nee, the Chinese evangelist, of a Christian he once knew in China. He was a poor rice farmer, and his fields lay high on a mountain. Every day he pumped water into the paddies of new rice, and every morning he returned to find that a neighbor who lived down the hill had opened the dikes surrounding the Christian s field to let the water fill his own. For a while the Christian ignored the injustice, but at last he became desperate. He met and prayed with other Christians and gained this solution. The next day the Christian farmer rose early in the morning and first filled his neighbor s fields; then he attended to his own. Watchman Nee tells how the neighbor subsequently became a Christian, his unbelief overcome by a genuine demonstration of a Christian s humility and Christlike character. That s doing your work as unto the Lord and serving Christ as an audience of one. This leads us to a third and final truth to note: We are to do our work mindful that the Lord will reward the good we do. 3. We are to do our work mindful that the Lord will reward the good we do Let s read together aloud the next verse of our text: Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free (Ephesians 6:8, NLT). In saying this Paul is looking ahead to our inheritance as Christians our reward one day in heaven. Paul counts this as a worthy motivation to guide our service for Christ today. As he reminded the Corinthians, Paul reminds us: So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies (2 Cor. 5:9-10). You may recall that one year ago, in August 2012, Chick-fil-A was in the news because Dan Cathy, the son of founder Truett Cathy, affirmed the biblical view of marriage between one man and one woman for life. The Cathy family and Chick-fil-A were accused of outrageous things such as bigotry and hate speech simply because they expressed their Christian beliefs and convictions. What was not told in the media is that the Cathy family s faith and integrity has touched countless lives through the years doing good work which the Lord will one day recognize and reward in heaven. Most people know that Chick-fil-A restaurants have been closed on Sundays since the first one opened in1948. Some have said the Truett Cathy and his family have lost tens of millions of dollars in business by remaining closed on Sundays. But the Cathy s would rather honor the Lord and His day. Most people don t know that when Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant he hired folks like teenager Eddie J. White, an African-American, which was an unpopular choice during a time of segregation in the South. He hired an orphan teenager named Woody Faulk. Truett Cathy mentored these boys and many of them became leaders in the Chick-fil-A organization. Cathy also developed a successful foster home system called WinShape Homes. There are now eleven homes in the United States and one in Brazil. His daughter Trudy and son-in-law John were Southern Baptist missionaries at the
6 Brazil home for ten years. His Camp WinShape and the WinShape Foundation provide scholarships for kids and college students. One of Truett Cathy s favorite sayings is It s easier to build boys and girls than to mend men and women. And so, Chick-fil-A has made faith and family and character development among its highest priorities. Woody Faulk has said this about his mentor, Truett Cathy, He s the personification of James 1:22: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. I sincerely owe my life to that man. That s doing good work to the glory of God, in honor of Christ and to the benefit of others. That s what each of us are called to do with whatever the work God entrusts to us. This much we know: One day He will reward all who serve Him. And, we re all called to be keepers of the spring.... Let s pray. Keepers of the Spring Ephesians 6:5-9 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21). Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ (Ephesians 6:5, NLT). 1. We are to do our work to glorify God and to benefit our neighbors Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24). 2. We are to do our work as if serving Christ who is our audience of one Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people (Ephesians 6:6-7, NLT). All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God s mighty hand (1 Peter 5:5 6). I can do everything through him, who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13). 3. We are to do our work mindful that the Lord will reward the good we do Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free (Ephesians 6:8, NLT). So our aim is to please him [Christ] always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says (James 1:22).