HAVE WE HAD THE HEARTS OF SERVANTS?
By Pastor Paulus Budiono
Lemahputro, Sunday, June 2, 2019
Shalom,
We must believe that God has the power to heal and restore; so, if we come to worship full of problems with faces clouded over, we will walk out of the church revived, smiling from ear to ear. Let’s not make our corporate worship only as a religious ritual, which makes us fail to believe in God's promises contained in the Bible.
What’s the message and the promise from God’s Word for us this time? Colossians 3: 22-25; 4:1 write, “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.”
Let’s be honest, if we live by the verses we just read, I can guarantee that there will be no labor day when the workers in all corners of the world pack the streets to channel their aspirations, and sometimes even claim rights relating to wage increases etc. Evidently the verses concerning husband and wife, father and children are rewritten (1 Corinthians 7: 2-5,10-11; Ephesians 5: 22-25,28-29,31; 6: 1-4; Titus 2 : 2-10; 1 Peter 3: 1,7) and read thousands of times to prove that there are still husbands, wives, fathers, children who do not play their roles properly. Every one of us still needs God's help to be able to do His commands.
Note this: the entire Word of God written in the Bible has definite direction and purpose. God's Word is not just a human philosophy written by great famous philosophers. The Apostle Paul, a Jew, was born in Tarsus but was raised in Jerusalem and educated by highly respected teacher Gamaliel (Acts 22: 3; 5:34). Was he influenced by the philosophy of Jews or Greeks so that he dared to write letters addressed to the churches in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Timothy and others?
The speaker at the pulpit should not preach philosophical evangelism to attract and entertain listeners in the church. As Christians, followers of Christ, we must be living testimonies that can be seen by people around us. We are different because we live out the Word of God. For example: the husband does not commit domestic violence in the household but loves his wife, the wife submits to her husband and the children honor their parents.
Speaking of world philosophy, there are many philosophers who are timeless, among others: Confucius from China (551-479 BC), Socrates from Greek (470-399 BC), Plato (427-347 BC) or the like. Nowadays, many Confucian institutions are opened and young people from overseas enroll to study Confucian philosophy. When was Moses born? He lived in 1527 BC - 1407 BC, long before any philosophers appeared. And he wrote five books. Sadly, there are still many Christians who are less interested in spiritual philosophy that is second to none, the Word of God.
As a matter of fact, at the beginning of the creation, God did not impose laws on marriage which stated that the husband must love his wife and wife must submit to the husband. That’s because both were created in His image and likeness. However, after the Israelites left the Egyptian slavery and were at the foot of Mount Sinai, God gave 10 laws of love. “You shall not commit adultery” is number seven (Exodus 20: 1-17). Had the act of adultery been carried out by man at that time so that God issued a law "Don't commit adultery"? The Word of God is eternal. And it exists before the creation of the universe and its contents. But God knew in advance that man would fall into sin - Adam would blame his wife, Eve, and his wife would rebel against her husband. Much different from the man-made world philosophy that emerged after the author saw something not good then he wrote the advices that many people would later admire. The truth is, there is no ideal figure (husband, wife, father, mother, children) that we can really look up to. Today we admire, or even idolize, someone but soon we get disappointed, and even hate that person when we see his shortcomings and weaknesses. Note this! The Word of God is never wrong or lying, but rather we are the ones who are wrong and lying and even vengeful.
To this day no world philosopher has acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God. They only consider Jesus a historian and revolutionary thinker. Unlike Paul, after meeting the Lord, he repented and believed that Jesus was the Son of God (Acts 9: 20).
Who is Jesus whom we believe? Pay attention to this! At the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (v. 14). Jesus is the Word that became flesh. If we do not admire the Word of God, our faith will collapse.
In addition to writing advice to husbands, wives and children, the Apostle Paul also reminded the servants to obey their masters in all things, not with external service, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Servants are to do their work as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord they will receive the reward. In fact, dissatisfied employees who strike for a raise are misled. They work for their masters on earth, but their rewards are from the Lord. I know this is hard to swallow but this is a truth.
As it happens, earning high salaries are a lure for some employees. They buckle down to move up the ranks and receive higher salaries. Conversely, they do not pull their weight if the salaries are low. Remember, Christ is the Lord and we are His servants. If Christ is the Lord of the secular servants/employees even more so for us, servants of truth. Doesn’t the Lord, as our Employer/Master, care about rewarding His servants? So, why do pastors grumble regarding insufficient tithes?
God wants us to change our mindset. How much does the Lord, as Master/Employer, care about us, His servants? If a servant makes a mistake, he must receive the consequences of his mistake, and that without partiality (Colossians 3:25). It is very natural that the master/employer is angry when the servant/employee makes a mistake. And the employer is given the right, by the Lord, to determine the reward or punishment. Still, the employer/master must be fair and not act arbitrarily while the employee/servant must not act incoherently because both have the same Lord, namely Christ. In other words, we are all the Lord’s slaves; do not become slaves of men (cf. 1 Corinthians 7: 20-24).
The Bible gives a number of servant figures whom we can look up to, including: Joseph. He was his father's, Jacob, favorite son (Genesis 37: 3). Out of jealousy, his brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites to become slaves (v. 27). Joseph worked for Potiphar, Pharaoh's court official (v. 36). The Lord was with Joseph so that he always succeeded in his work (Genesis 39: 2). Potiphar loved him very much (v. 4) but he was slandered by Potiphar's wife who seduced him but Joseph turned her down (vv. 10-14). Then Joseph was put in prison (v.20) but the Lord was with him, making him loved by the warden (vv. 21). (Servant) Joseph ended up being the second ruler in Egypt (Genesis 41: 40-44). That’s because God was always with him. He knew Joseph had a God-fearing heart. After all, Joseph was not a perfect servant figure.
The Lord sees the lowest/simplest employee who works earnestly and is loyal to his master, and the Lord is able to move the master/employer to promote him (cf. Prov. 22:29).
Who is the perfect servant figure? Philippians 2: 5-8 write, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
What are the examples from Jesus that we need to imitate?
- Jesus and the Father are one (John 10:30) but He positioned Himself as a Servant. He acknowledged the Father as His Lord.
- In living together (as husband and wife), we have this attitude in ourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. For this reason, a humility is needed regardless of our position and rank. The Person Jesus becomes our benchmark, not any man no matter how great he is, such as: Joseph who was used by God to save his family and preserve the life of a great nation (Genesis 50: 20-21); Daniel was enslaved and appointed repeatedly by several governors in Babylon but ended in death (Daniel 1: 5; 2:48; 5:13; 6: 2-3; 12:13). The newly-restored Onesimus came to his employer, Philemon, with a letter of recommendation from the Apostle Paul (Philemon 1: 9-19). All those Biblical figures were used by the Lord but need not be praised because they all died after carrying out their duties.
- Only Jesus, God's holy and anointed Servant (Acts 3: 11-13; 4:27) becomes a perfect example. And He was exalted by His servants, the apostles (Acts 4: 29-31), including the Apostle Paul. They conveyed the gospel of truth boldly (because the Holy Spirit anointed them) and even willing to be imprisoned for Jesus Christ.
Regrettably, the Israelites insulted and rejected Jesus, God’s holy and anointed Servant. The irony is that we often find servants of God who want to be praised and honored.
- The Bible writes about the men of faith who, apart from us, would not be made perfect (Hebews 11). They were indeed faithful servants but only Christ the perfect Servant. He is the Lord who became a Servant. Proof? Before the Passover began, Jesus took off His robe, took a linen cloth and tied it to His waist. He began to wash the feet of His disciples including Judas Iscariot (John 13: 1-5). He exemplified a Servant even though He was the Teacher and the Lord (vv. 13-17). He served not by compulsion but because He knew it was the only way to save us who are not worthy. Jesus is the Lord willing to be a Servant.
In summary, the Bible displays faithful figures of faith but the perfect example is only found in the Person Jesus who is worthy of our imitation. He not only reveals Himself but is also present in our lives. We must have servant hearts that serve without expecting praise. Just as Jesus was lifted up after experiencing death, we will also receive the reward of being glorified after willing to suffer for Christ's sake. Amen.
Video ibadah ini dapat Anda lihat di sini Ibadah Umum Persekutuan GKGA - 02 Juni 2019 - Pdt. Paulus Budiono.