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00:00Releasing this fall, The Coming Golden Age,
00:03a new prophecy book by Dr. David Jeremiah.
00:06Inside, he reveals 31 fascinating biblical insights
00:09into the millennium, a future era of 1,000 years of peace
00:12on earth, which could be closer than you think.
00:14Pre-order The Coming Golden Age before its worldwide launch
00:17on October 1st when you give a gift of any amount
00:19to Turning Point.
00:20Plus, you'll receive early digital access to Dr. Jeremiah's
00:23entire The Coming Golden Age teaching series.
00:26Pre-order The Coming Golden Age today.
00:30There are more than 45,000 self-help books published
00:34each year, over 200,000 podcasts in the personal
00:38development category.
00:40But what if I told you all pale in comparison
00:43to the spiritual development one small book can have
00:46on your life and faith?
00:48Just six chapters, 2,000 words, and 20 minutes of your time,
00:52yet its impact lasts a lifetime.
00:56It succinctly and powerfully explains what it means
00:59to believe and how to discover God's calling for you,
01:03how to find purpose, overcome obstacles, connect with others,
01:07claim a life you love, endure difficulty, experience
01:12the fullness of life, love without limits,
01:15and ultimately be the follower of Christ
01:18you've always wanted to be.
01:20Join me in God's Word as we find the proven way
01:24to build a belief that thrives, impacts, and endures,
01:28a belief that behaves.
01:30It all starts with the book of Ephesians.
01:37announcer 2, coming up on Turning Point.
01:39You work hard even though he mistreats you.
01:42You work hard even though he doesn't treat you kindly.
01:45You work hard though you cannot ever remember one day
01:48when he ever complimented anything you've ever done,
01:51and you keep working hard.
01:52Why?
01:53Because you're not working for him.
01:54You're working for Jesus,
01:56and Jesus never misses anything you do.
02:01Discover a belief that restores, relates, rejoices, and behaves
02:05in Dr. David Jeremiah's new book,
02:07Belief That Behaves, The Book of Ephesians.
02:10In this rich study of Paul's beloved epistle,
02:12Dr. Jeremiah explores what it means to be a follower of Christ
02:15in practical terms and how we should act
02:18or behave as believers.
02:20Through 19 chapters,
02:21you'll discover God's how-to guide to the Christian life,
02:24including resolving conflict with others,
02:26successful marriage and parenting,
02:28finding purpose, overcoming spiritual attacks,
02:31and praying effectively.
02:32Ephesians has the power to change your life
02:35at home, at church, and at work.
02:37Request Belief That Behaves by Dr. Jeremiah
02:40when you give a gift of any amount
02:42in support of Turning Point.
02:43Or if you give a gift of $75 or more,
02:45Dr. Jeremiah will send you in appreciation
02:48the Belief That Behaves set,
02:50which contains his new book,
02:51his complete two-volume teaching series
02:53on your choice of CD or DVD,
02:55and two correlating study guides.
02:57From the first verse to the last,
02:59the truths contained in Ephesians
03:01will fill your heart with joy
03:02and strengthen your relationships with others.
03:04Request the Belief That Behaves book or study set,
03:07new from Dr. Jeremiah,
03:09when you contact Turning Point today.
03:14Thank you for watching Turning Point.
03:16And now, here is Dr. Jeremiah with his message,
03:24We've been learning about what it means
03:27to live the Spirit-filled life
03:29and how it affects every part of you.
03:31How it's not just what happens
03:33when you go to church on Sunday
03:35or when you're in your Bible study.
03:37We've been learning that the Spirit-filled life
03:39touches us in church,
03:40but it also touches our marriages,
03:42it touches our families,
03:45and today we're going to discover
03:46that the Holy Spirit goes to work with us.
03:49We're going to discover that Christianity
03:51does work in the stress and strain
03:53and grit and grind of the marketplace.
03:58The indwelling Spirit sits with us
04:00when we're sitting in front of our terminal at work.
04:03He's with us as we sit at the cash register
04:06interacting with customers.
04:08He walks with us on the roof of that apartment building
04:11under construction.
04:13He crawls with us under that old house
04:15to repair the plumbing.
04:17He cruises with us at night in that squad car.
04:21He makes a difference in the everyday experiences
04:24of life in the workplace.
04:26He's the nine-to-five Holy Spirit.
04:29That's who he is.
04:31And yet, even with the presence of the Holy Spirit,
04:34work can be really challenging and frustrating.
04:38Disappointments and drudgery
04:41are often a part of the conversation
04:43when people talk about their jobs.
04:46There are problems out there for all of us
04:48wherever we work,
04:50and the employees can be disillusioned
04:52because the circumstances of their job
04:55and the employers that they work for
04:57seem so unfair.
05:00But it's a two-sided problem.
05:03It's a problem of both employers and employees.
05:08And Paul, in the book of Ephesians,
05:10talks about this like he were living next door to us today
05:14and wanting us to understand,
05:16how do you deal with the workplace?
05:19How do you deal with the marketplace?
05:22He has a heart-to-heart talk with both labor and management
05:26in Ephesians chapter 6.
05:29He begins with the employee's manual.
05:33Now, the word bondservants that begins this section
05:36is a word that means slaves.
05:39The instruction was given in the days
05:41when Rome ruled most of the world,
05:44and in that day, we are told there may have been
05:46as many as 60 million slaves across the empire.
05:51The vast majority of businesses in the New Testament times
05:54were family-owned businesses,
05:56and the employment of these businesses
05:58The vast majority of businesses in the New Testament times
06:01were family-operated, and almost all of what we would today
06:05call the workforce could have been summarized
06:08under the heading of slaves or servants.
06:11Paul is not condoning this when he writes these words.
06:15He's simply recognizing that that's the way it was.
06:19And he has some things to say to those who were caught up in that
06:22that have application to all of us today.
06:26The slaves in Paul's day were farmers,
06:29sanitation people, educators.
06:31They were the nannies.
06:33They were the shopkeepers.
06:35They were everything in the culture.
06:37And Paul knew that many of these people
06:39were coming to Jesus Christ in faith.
06:43All across the empire, those Christian slaves
06:45would be experiencing every kind of treatment
06:48at the hands of every sort of master.
06:51And some of their masters would be cruel and heartless.
06:55Others would be kind, treating them like they were family.
06:59Some of their masters would be brother Christians.
07:03Other pagans or actually hostile to the faith.
07:06Paul's words in these few verses
07:09embrace all of these situations,
07:11and these words embrace our situations as well.
07:15Now, just in case you think this couldn't possibly be for us
07:19because it was written to the culture of Rome
07:22and 60 million slaves,
07:24Paul qualifies his comments in verse 8,
07:27and I want you to notice what he says.
07:30Knowing that whatever good anyone does,
07:32he will receive the same from the Lord
07:35whether he is a slave or free.
07:38So, this is for us in our day,
07:41translated into our culture,
07:43Paul wants us to know how do you do
07:45what you do in the marketplace.
07:47He weighs in here with instructions
07:49for anyone who is under authority to another in the market.
07:53How should he function?
07:55How should he live?
07:56How should he work?
07:58Paul sets out to answer these questions,
08:01and we're going to take some time
08:03to try to unpack what he says.
08:05First of all, his first instruction to employees
08:09has to do with the worker's action.
08:11In verse 5, he says,
08:14Now, in his letter to the Colossians,
08:16which is very similar to this letter,
08:19he puts the instruction in these terms.
08:21He says,
08:38It's interesting to note that the Bible clearly tells us
08:41that how we work, our attitude, our actions,
08:45are a witness to the people who watch us.
08:48For instance, Paul writes to Timothy
08:50that if we don't obey those who are over us,
08:52we can do great damage to the cause of Christ.
08:56Listen to these words from 1 Timothy.
08:59Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke
09:02count their own masters worthy of all honor
09:05so that the name of God and his doctrine
09:08may not be blasphemed.
09:10Paul says that what happens to us in our work situation
09:14can have a devastating effect on the cause of Christ,
09:18especially if we claim to be Christians
09:21and act very unchristianly in the workplace.
09:25Oh, I know, Christianity's for Sunday.
09:27What you do Monday through Friday, that's your...
09:29No, it's not that way at all.
09:31The Holy Spirit doesn't take Monday through Friday off.
09:34He's with you every day.
09:36He goes with you in every situation.
09:38And in the workplace,
09:40he's still a resident in your being.
09:44In other words, we are called upon to guard our work ethic
09:48so that people won't say bad things about our Lord.
09:51The importance of how we relate to one another
09:54in the business environment is underlined again
09:57in Paul's letter to Titus.
09:59Listen to what he said to Titus.
10:01He said,
10:10I love this one.
10:12Don't steal the pencils.
10:22In this passage, we are confronted with this truth.
10:25The way you work for your employer
10:28can actually make the gospel of Jesus Christ
10:31attractive to people.
10:34The Bible says you can change the opinion of people
10:37by the way you, a Christ follower,
10:40go about your business.
10:43While preaching in Poland,
10:45Dr. Harold John Ockengay,
10:47the founder of Gordon-Conwell Seminary,
10:51was invited to visit Prince Carol Radsville
10:54on his 1,300-acre estate.
10:58Suddenly, the prince paused,
11:00pointed to an impressive young Christian standing by,
11:03and said,
11:05You see that guy over there, that young man?
11:07He's the best worker I have ever had in my estate.
11:11It was due to him that I invited you here
11:14so that I could listen to your message.
11:17The way we do our job, the way we work,
11:21the way we respond to the challenges that we face
11:24in every situation makes a difference.
11:29It can have either a wonderful, positive impact on people
11:34or be a devastating disappointment.
11:37So, the worker's action is to be obedient,
11:40to be under authority.
11:42His assignment is in verse 5,
11:46Be obedient to those who are your masters
11:48according to the flesh.
11:51The required action is obedience,
11:53and the assignment is to work for the men and women
11:55that God has placed over you.
11:57And this obedience isn't to be diminished
11:59because you and your employer both happen to be Christians.
12:03Sometimes Christian employees think that
12:05because their boss is a Christian
12:08that they can be cavalier in their attitude toward their work
12:11because they know their boss is their friend
12:13and he won't get in their face.
12:15But listen once again to what the Bible says.
12:181 Timothy 6 says,
12:20And those who have believing masters,
12:22let them not despise them because they are brethren,
12:25but rather serve them because those who are benefited
12:28are believers and beloved.
12:31In other words, if you have a Christian boss,
12:33it ought to make you want to work even harder
12:35because he's your brother
12:37and you want your brother to prosper.
12:39You want him to succeed.
12:40You're part of that process.
12:42So, if you work hard for somebody who's not a believer,
12:44you should work even harder for somebody who is.
12:47The Bible says that right here in 1 Timothy chapter 6.
12:51And then there's the worker's attitude.
12:54Here again, this is an HR manual,
12:56so we might as well cover all the material.
12:59Ephesians 6, 5 says,
13:01Do this with fear and trembling.
13:03And you say, Pastor, I got that one.
13:06Every day I go to work, it's with fear and trembling.
13:09But that's not what Paul means at all.
13:12He doesn't mean you should be afraid
13:14and go to work scared every day.
13:17This wonderful phrase in the New Testament
13:20doesn't speak of fright.
13:22It speaks of honor and respect.
13:24In other words, we should take these things very seriously.
13:28Our attitude should be,
13:30there is more at stake here than eight hours of work.
13:33There are eternal issues wrapped up in my attitudes
13:36and actions in the workplace.
13:39No matter where you work, no matter what you do,
13:42there is more than meets the eye going on in that workplace.
13:46Notice the worker's ambition, verse 5.
13:50Insincerity of heart.
13:53There it is. That's the secret.
13:55The ambition God rewards isn't that we just show up
13:57and punch the clock,
13:59but that we work at our jobs with all of our hearts.
14:02Twice in this context, Paul mentions the heart.
14:06It's from the heart that we live and serve Jesus Christ.
14:10Once again, let me show you how Paul says this
14:13to the Colossians.
14:15Whatever you do, he says, do it heartily,
14:17as to the Lord and not to men.
14:20Martyred missionary Jim Elliot used to say this
14:24quite often when he would speak.
14:27Wherever you are, be all there.
14:30Live to the hilt every situation
14:32you believe to be in the will of God.
14:34Isn't that a great thought?
14:36Wherever you are, be all there.
14:38Don't be here but over here somewhere else in your mind.
14:41Be all here.
14:44Let me ask you today,
14:46are you all there when you are at work?
14:49The biblical phrase that's rendered here,
14:51and sincerity of heart is really better translated,
14:54in singleness of heart.
14:56In other words, a Christian employee
14:59is to devote full attention to the job
15:01in singleness of heart.
15:03Solomon put it this way in the book of Ecclesiastes,
15:06whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,
15:11for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom
15:14in the grave where you're going.
15:17Work hard in your life.
15:20Give everything you have to what you do.
15:22You say, well, I don't particularly like this present job.
15:25Well, then work hard until you get yourself
15:27in a position to get one you like.
15:29But you're not gonna get a better job
15:31if you don't do the job you're doing right now
15:33with all your heart.
15:35The work ethic in our culture today
15:37has suffered a great deal over recent years.
15:39Talk to employers and they'll tell you that.
15:42But we as Christians should not allow the conditions
15:45in which we find ourselves in our culture
15:48to affect how we go about the tasks that we do.
15:52Some of you hear me say these things
15:54and the only thing you can think is right now is,
15:57Jeremiah, if you knew who my boss was
15:59and what he or she is like, you'd just shut up about all this
16:02and I'd be talking about this today.
16:05Once again, I wanna tell you,
16:07I'd do that if it weren't for the Bible.
16:09Here's what Peter says.
16:11Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear,
16:14not only to the good and gentle,
16:17but also to the harsh.
16:19For this is commendable if because of conscience toward God
16:22one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
16:27Peter said, you don't get off the hook
16:29just because you got a mean-spirited boss.
16:32No, that's God putting you in a situation
16:34where you can show the difference that it means
16:38to have Christ in your heart and the Holy Spirit in control
16:41because he's mean.
16:43You don't have to be mean.
16:45Because he's unkind, you don't have to be unkind.
16:47Because he's harsh, unfair, you don't have to be that way.
16:51You be who God made you to be and be all there
16:54and serve with all your heart.
16:57And when you do that, as people watch what you do,
17:00you will be such a testimony to them.
17:02They'll come up to you one day and say,
17:04why are you the way you are?
17:07And the Bible says when that happens,
17:09you always have an answer ready
17:11so you can tell them what the difference is.
17:14And then there's the worker's aim.
17:16Ephesians 6, 5 through 7 says,
17:19do this, this work ethic, as to Christ,
17:22not with eye service as men-pleasers,
17:25but as bondservants of Christ,
17:27doing the will of God from the heart,
17:29with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men.
17:35In the middle of all of this discussion
17:37about labor and management, employers and employees,
17:41don't forget that in the middle of it is the Lord,
17:44and everything we do is to be done as to him.
17:47You say, I don't like my boss.
17:49Well, don't work for him, work for Jesus.
17:51I can promise you he's always fair, he's always kind,
17:54and in the end, he will reward you, as we shall see.
17:58But we don't get off the hook
18:00because people are not acting like Christians
18:03when they aren't even Christians.
18:05You can't expect an ungodly employer to act as a Christian.
18:10How would he ever know how to do that?
18:12He's acting like he knows how to do.
18:14He was probably brought up that way.
18:16And you are something unusual for him.
18:19You work hard even though he mistreats you.
18:22You work hard even though he doesn't treat you kindly.
18:25You work hard though you cannot ever remember
18:27one day when he ever complimented
18:29anything you've ever done, and you keep working hard.
18:31Why?
18:32Because you're not working for him,
18:34you're working for Jesus.
18:36And Jesus never misses anything you do.
18:38He always sees it, and the Bible says,
18:40don't be weary in well-doing, for in due season
18:44you shall reap if you don't faint,
18:46if you don't give up.
18:48Paul is making the point in almost every word he writes
18:52that what we do is for Christ.
18:54We are not to be men-pleasers.
18:56What a word that is.
18:58What is a man-pleaser?
18:59A man-pleaser is a guy who has somebody on lookout
19:01to tell you when the boss is coming
19:03so he can get up and act like he's working.
19:07And when the boss goes away,
19:08he goes and sits back on the box again.
19:10He's a man-pleaser.
19:12How many of you know God watches all you do all the time,
19:15everywhere, no matter what?
19:17Serve him.
19:19And then there's the worker's award in verse 8.
19:22Knowing that whatever good anyone does,
19:25he will receive the same from the Lord
19:28whether he's a slave or free.
19:31So hard to remember this principle.
19:33When we work hard and no one seems to notice,
19:36and we get discouraged and forget
19:38that we're not working for the boss we can see
19:40but for the one we cannot see,
19:42one whom cannot see but who sees all that we do,
19:46and it is this unseen boss
19:48who will one day give out the rewards for service.
19:51The book of Galatians has that verse I just mentioned to you.
19:55Let us not grow weary while doing good,
19:57for in due season we will reap if we do not lose heart.
20:03So that's it for employees.
20:06If you're an employee, you can take a deep breath
20:09and watch how I get after your bosses.
20:14Paul has three specific instructions
20:16he wants to get into the hearts of people
20:19who are employers, the bosses.
20:22First thing he says is in verse 9,
20:24and it goes under the heading of,
20:26respect your employees.
20:29After plowing through four verses
20:31that are for employees,
20:33and then coming to this particular verse
20:36and realizing there's only one verse
20:38devoted to the employers,
20:40you might think that if you're a boss,
20:42you're getting off easy,
20:44or you might even think that all the problems
20:46in the marketplace have to do with the workers
20:48and not the bosses, but that's not true.
20:51And here's how I know that, because in verse 9,
20:53Paul says to the Ephesians,
20:55and you masters, do the same things to them.
20:58What does that mean?
21:00It means all the things I just told you
21:02about employees and how they're responding,
21:04all those things, which of those should you do?
21:06And the answer is everything above.
21:09The employers are responsible to have the same spirit,
21:12the same attitude, as he's just instructed
21:15the employees to have.
21:17Here's what he says in verse 9,
21:19and you employers, you do the same thing,
21:21the same thing I just told them to do.
21:23You be kind, you be all in,
21:25you be there, all there, wherever you are.
21:28Do what is unto the Lord, do it heartily.
21:30All of that, that's your responsibility too.
21:33So, we say unto the bosses,
21:35I want you to know you're responsible
21:37for everything I've already said,
21:38but you're even more responsible
21:39because I've got some more things to say to you.
21:41Number one, respect your employees.
21:46And number two, refrain from abusive treatment.
21:50Notice he says in verse 9, giving up threatening.
21:54Giving up threatening.
21:57The term giving up threatening suggests the idea
21:59of loosening up or releasing.
22:02The godly employer uses his authority and power
22:05as little as possible and does not throw his weight around
22:09or lord it over those under him.
22:12He is never abusive, he is never inconsiderate.
22:16If you are a boss and you're in charge of people,
22:20you are their shepherd.
22:23You are the person who's responsible to help them
22:26and be, not only guide them and direct them
22:29and give them instructions and orders,
22:32but it's to be done in a way that's not fear-driven.
22:37Christian employers do not run their businesses with fear.
22:43Their employees are not always afraid
22:45they're going to get fired.
22:47Christian employers do the same things that employees do.
22:52They have the right heart.
22:54They know that this is all being reviewed in heaven
22:57and that they serve a master
22:59and that they themselves are under authority.
23:02And so, just as God deals with them,
23:04they're to deal with their employees.
23:07And then finally, remember to whom you report.
23:11This is interesting.
23:13Verse 9, knowing that your own master also is in heaven
23:17and there is no partiality with him.
23:21What does that mean?
23:23It means what I said before, everybody reports to someone.
23:26People report to you, you're the boss,
23:28but you are, well, I don't have anybody over me.
23:30Well, you do.
23:31Well, I don't report to the board.
23:33No, you report to the chairman of the board.
23:36And that's way more important.
23:38Amen?
23:40And that's the way you should enter every day.
23:43When I first came here years ago,
23:45we had some well-meaning people in the other church downtown
23:48that used to love to come up to me
23:50when I would go down there on Sunday night to preach
23:52and tell me that I worked for them.
23:55There was one lady who did that many times.
23:57You just need to know, son, you work for me.
24:00And I took it for a little bit, and one day I said,
24:02you know what, I don't work for you.
24:04I don't even work for this church, I work for the Lord.
24:06Now, I know the church is part of this
24:08and it's my responsibility,
24:10but that's the thing we have to understand here.
24:12If we get past the initial things that we see
24:15to what we don't see,
24:17we will have so much more fun and joy doing what we do.
24:23We don't ultimately serve them.
24:25We serve the Lord.
24:29And the Bible says, because of that,
24:31one day we shall receive an award,
24:34and the Lord is not partial in doing that.
24:37That means he's fair.
24:39One day you will be rewarded for your faithfulness in your work.
24:44So, that touches us all.
24:46And all of us feel some twinge of conviction
24:48when we think through all of these things,
24:50no matter who we are.
24:53Oh, what a joy it is to see God at work in this way.
24:59How you go about your work influences the people around you.
25:03And the Bible tells us what a great thing it is
25:06when we all understand that what we do,
25:08no matter what it is, it's to the Lord.
25:11Say that with me.
25:12To the Lord.
25:14That's how we live our lives.
25:16And may God drill that into our hearts
25:18so that no matter what situation we face,
25:23we see that coming out in the way we live our lives.
25:30Amen.
25:31♪♪♪
25:39Thank you for watching Turning Point.
25:41When you give a gift of any amount
25:43in support of this program,
25:44Dr. Jeremiah will send you, in appreciation,
25:47his new book,
25:48Belief That Behaves, The Book of Ephesians.
25:51And if you give a gift of $75 or more,
25:54Dr. Jeremiah will send you
25:56the Belief That Behaves set,
25:57which contains his new book,
25:59his complete two-volume teaching series on CD or DVD,
26:03and two correlating study guides.
26:05Thank you for your support.
26:07Request these resources
26:08when you contact Turning Point today.
26:12Thank you for joining us on Turning Point
26:14as Dr. Jeremiah taught from the Book of Ephesians
26:17and shared the many blessings
26:18that believers have through Christ.
26:20But if you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ before,
26:23Dr. Jeremiah would like to help you take your first steps
26:27by sending you two resources.
26:29The first is a booklet called Your Greatest Turning Point,
26:32which will help you begin your relationship with Christ.
26:35And the second is our monthly devotional magazine,
26:38Turning Points,
26:39to give you encouragement and inspiration
26:41throughout the year.
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27:01Plus, for the young ones in your life,
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27:09that explores the life of Jesus.
27:11Available now on the App Store.
27:18Next time on Turning Point.
27:20Your mind is important.
27:22My mind is important.
27:23I need to make sure that I fill my mind
27:25with the right sort of things
27:26so that evil has no place to exist
27:28when it knocks on the door.
27:30You don't get rid of evil in your mind
27:32by bucking up and saying,
27:34I will not let that happen to me.
27:36No, you take care of that
27:37by making sure you're constantly having
27:39an inflow of truth into your mind
27:42and truth will dispense the evil for you.
27:46Thank you for being with us today.
27:48Join Dr. Jeremiah next time
27:50for his message,
27:52Spiritual Warfare.
27:55Here on Turning Point.
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28:01is delivering the unchanging Word of God
28:03every month to more than half a million homes
28:05through Turning Point's magazine and devotional.
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