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🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 All right. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Verity Baptist Church and take out your bulletins here today. And let's go through some announcements real quickly. First, let's count up any salvations or unreported salvations for a bulletin. First, in this section, any salvations to report? Two? Anybody else? How about this section over here? Four? Two? One? Oh, sixteen? Okay, got you. Okay, you're trying to trick me up. It was eight plus six, twenty-four. Okay, we're good so far. All right. Anybody else? Thirty-one. All right, fifty-five. All right, I still got it in my head. All right, great work everybody. Anybody else that I missed? All right. You guys are trying to make it hard on me, right? You're holding up one. All right, fifty... What did I just say? Fifty-five? I got the math down. My memory's not so good, right? Fifty-five? All right. Anyways, some announcements. This Thursday, we do have school preaching and we also have it this Friday. We'll mention it in the group chat. Also, I didn't realize it was that obvious, but several people told me. They saw me. I kept looking outside like, you know, what was going on. There was some crazy guy outside and he's gone now. We scared him off, so don't worry. But he's just walking back and forth the whole time. He's staring at me half the time. And so I kept looking up because I was like, should I announce this? But I don't want to scare the ladies that are here. The guy's gone now. Okay, don't worry about that. A bunch of us men, we went out and he just looked and smiled and he just kept walking. So, I don't know. But you've got to get used to everything when you're preaching. You never know there will be some crazy guy walking back and forth or whatever. But anyways, I believe that is it for announcements and never a dull moment. We'll have Brother Martin lead us in another song. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right, we're here in Ephesians chapter 6. The name of the sermon is How to Be a Great Employee. How to Be a Great Employee. Now, when you preach very specific sermons, there can be a tendency from certain people to say, well, that doesn't work for me because I'm not in the workforce. Maybe you're a stay-at-home mom. Maybe you're a child. Maybe you're a parent. But any time, or maybe you're retired, but any time the Word of God is preached, we can be edified and we can learn. What I will say is as we're looking at how to be a great employee, we're looking at a boss and employee relationship. And I would say that even if you're not an employee, even if you don't have a job, you're still in situations of life of having an authority above you, and you can learn a lot of the same principles from this. But of course, I'm specifically talking about how to be a great employee. Now, in Ephesians 6, we're going to have all four of our points here today. This is not the exact same thing as a boss and an employee. This is a master and a servant. And this is something that's a bit harder for us to understand in today's world because of the fact we don't really have servants in this part of the world like the Bible's teaching here, where basically someone is legally bound to someone and they cannot quit. It's not like having a job where you can quit and get a new job. But legally, they're required to be a servant because they either were not born free or because they have some debt that they cannot pay, and they've got to pay it off via three years of service or something like that. But it is probably the best example we can look at in the Bible to teach us about how to be a great employee. So point number one, how to be a great employee. Point number one is obey. Point number one is obey. The Bible says here in verse 5, Ephesians 6, verse 5, Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ. And the Bible says here that if you are a servant, you need to obey what your master says, and of course the same is true if you have a boss. Your boss tells you to do something, you obey. You do what your boss says. Now go to Luke 17. Luke 17. Now I hope if you're here today, your goal is not to be an okay employee. I hope your goal is not to be even a good employee. I hope your goal is to be the best employee at your job, the best possible employee you can be. Whatsoever thy hand fineth to do, do it with thy might. Look, as Christians, we should strive for excellence in all areas of our lives. And I think it's great that you love God, you're going soul winning, you're reading the Bible, but you know what? You ought to be a better worker than your coworkers that are not saved. You ought to be a better worker than your coworkers that are Catholic. You ought to strive not to be an okay employee or just at the level you won't get fired, but say, hey, I want to be a great employee. I want to be a blessing to this company. We ought to strive for excellence as Christians. Now I think part of the problem is a lot of us, we don't think about what does it mean to be a great employee? What does it mean to be a good employee? What does it mean to be an okay employee? And I'm going to show you in Luke 17 that of all the verses I've seen in the Bible and I've heard preached before, I remember my old pastor preached on this in West Virginia in Luke 17. It was like the most humbling verse I've ever seen in my life. And I was like, man, I've got a lot of work to do. Notice what it says in Luke 17 verse 7. But which of you having a servant plowing or feeding cattle will say unto him by and by when he has come from the field, go and sit down to meet, and will not rather say unto him, make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken, and afterward thou shalt eat and drink. The Bible's saying if you are a master and you have a servant and you get done working, your servant gets done, you don't feed your servant, the servant feeds you. Right? Because you're the master and they are the servant. Verse 9. Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I tro not. So the question is this. If you are a master and your servant does what you tell them to do, it's like, do you thank them? And it says, I tro not. Meaning, I'm not unsure about this answer. I don't hold back. But just like immediately a God, I answer this. It says here in verse 10, so likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants. We have done that which is our duty to do. God is using an earthly example to explain the spiritual and he's saying if you are a servant and you do absolutely everything that you are commanded, you're an unprofitable servant. What does that mean? It means you're an okay servant. You're an okay employee. You say, why? Because if you're hired to do assignments and you do all of them, that's what you were hired to do. You're not adding profit to the company. That's what you were paid for. That's what you're hired to do. If you do absolutely everything your boss says, it makes you an okay employee. It doesn't make you a good employee. It doesn't make you a great employee. Now, here's the thing with God. If we live a perfect life, the Bible is saying we're an unprofitable servant. You say, why? Because it's our duty to do everything God says, right? So I remember hearing this verse preached and it was used in the context of our spiritual walk and at the time I thought, hey, I read the Bible. I go soul winning. I'm doing more than other people. I felt very good about myself. And I heard that sermon and it's like, oh, wretched man, I am. I wonder have I done my best for Jesus. So many hours I have wasted. Now, this is used in an earthly example to explain the spiritual, but what I'm doing is going to the earthly example to talk about how to be a great employee. And what the Bible is saying is if you do absolutely everything your boss says, you're an okay employee. That does not make you a good employee. If you do not do everything your boss says, it means you're a bad employee. You're not okay. You're below the level of being unprofitable. Turn your Bible to 2 Corinthians 10. Now, there is a difference between God and man. And here's the thing. No matter how much you do for God, you cannot outthink God. You cannot come up with stuff that he never wanted you to do. You can always do more for God. But when it comes in an earthly sense, you can pass the line of being an okay employee and actually become good, yea, even greater excellent. I'm going to show you the steps for that. But just starting with obedience, the first thing mentioned, if you do every single thing that you're asked, does not make you a good employee according to the Bible. Not my opinion. This is what it says in Luke chapter 17. And the reason why this is important for us to understand is because you might think, man, I'm a really great employee because I'm doing more than my co-workers. That doesn't make you a great employee. Quite honestly, in today's world, I mean, I've worked at an office with hundreds of employees and quite honestly, it's like most people don't work very hard in today's world. Most people are not good employees in today's world. And if you are trying to compare yourself to the average person, you might look amazing, but that doesn't mean that God looks down and thinks the same way. As Christians, if you are a soul winner, you could retire right now and have accomplished more than most people do in their entire lives. But does that mean that there's nothing left to do? Does that mean that you're living your life perfectly? I mean, no, there's a lot that we need to accomplish. And when it comes to being an employee at a company, it starts with obedience. And step one, you do every single thing that you are asked. And if you do everything you're asked that does not make you a good employee, it makes you okay. That's what the Bible says in Luke 17. 2 Corinthians 10, you say, man, why can't we have the past sermon where you're preaching against the Catholics? You know, we preach everything in the Bible and we need sermons that are applicable and helpful for us. And let me say this, that if there was a sermon that would have been great for me as a young man in college and graduating college, it would probably be a sermon like this. Because in the world we live in today, kids are learning to be lazy at a young age. They are learning to set a low standard at a young age. And it's amazing, when I worked at a secular job, you'd see people that were fresh out of college, and when they come, it's like, man, they have not yet learned to work, have they? It's like, we need sermons like this to motivate us. You say, why? Because I'll say this. You know, if I were to compare myself to the average person, then maybe I would be a hard worker. But I look at myself and I think, man, I am often lazy and I need to work harder in my life. I need to become better at what I do. And everybody should strive to be the best employee they possibly can. 2 Corinthians 10, verse 12. For we dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. You say, pastor, but my co-workers, they're lazy. My co-workers take 30 extra minutes of a break. I only take 15. So you're stealing 15 minutes of work from the company is what you're saying. You're stealing less than them. Does that make you good? No. It doesn't matter if you're doing more than the average person. We should not compare ourselves to other people. We can look at God's standard and God says, hey, if you do everything, everything that your boss says, you're an unprofitable servant. It's not my opinion. That is what the Bible says, right? Turn your Bible to Ephesians 6. I got to warn you that yesterday when I preached this sermon, everyone's thinking, this is like the hardest sermon I've heard in a long time. It's only going to get worse from here. Just buckle up, buttercup, all right? But this is the sort of sermon that we need in our lives to become better. Because I'll tell you what, and I'll tell you this. For me, I had to learn to be self-motivated because, quite honestly, although I do have a boss, Pastor Menes, give me some assignments to do, and he's my boss, quite honestly, for most of what I do, it's kind of like I've got to just do it on my own. I've got to decide when nobody's looking that I read the Bible. I've got to decide when nobody is looking that I spend time and prepare on sermons. I've got to make sure that even if there is no overseer or no ruler that I just do it, why? Because it's the right thing to do, right? Point number one is obedience, and according to God's standard, if you do everything perfectly, you're still unprofitable because that's what you're getting paid for. You're paid to do A, B, C, all the way down to letter L. It's like if you only do some of those, you're below the level of okay, right? If you do everything, you are okay according to God's standard in Luke 17. So point number one, obedience. Point number two, the right attitude. Point number two, the right attitude. Ephesians 6 verse 6, not with eye service as men pleasers. And what that means is when the boss is looking, you're working hard. But when the cat's away, the mice will play. But as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. See, the Bible is saying, you know what? You need to learn to do stuff because you know it's the right thing to do, and in your heart, you want to do what's right. Not just I'm going to do it because I'm going to get in trouble if I don't, but just in my heart, I want to do what's right. I want God to look down and be pleased at the way I'm living my life. Not to please man, not to please my boss, but in my heart, I'm going to do what's right. Why? I want God to be happy with what I'm doing. You need to have the right attitude when you work. So don't just do what's said, but have the right attitude. You know, when you're raising kids, and if you're not yet a parent, then maybe you don't understand this, but if you're a parent in this room, then you know what I'm saying is true? That your kids are playing around, playing with toys, and maybe they make a mess and everything, and you ask them to clean up, and sometimes they will clean up, but they do it with a bad attitude. And it's like, no, no, no, obey right away with a smile on your face. And there are times that I see my kids, and look, I think my kids are great. I mean, my kids are well-behaved kids. Obviously, they're not perfect. They're sinners like everybody. But, you know, my kids are good kids. There are times when my kids will do what we say, but they don't have the right attitude, and I say, hey, one second, come back. Obey with a smile upon your face. I want to see that smile, right? They need to have the right attitude. And I would say that as a parent, you've got to check that at a young age, because it does not come naturally. It does not come naturally to just do everything that you're told with the right attitude, right? But the Bible's saying you need to do this from your heart, not just your actions. Your heart needs to be right. Go to Ecclesiastes chapter 10. Ecclesiastes chapter 10. Ecclesiastes chapter 10. What does it mean to have the right attitude? You speak with respect to your boss. You never back talk. You show up on time. Yeah, you show up early. You don't complain. You smile. You have a good mood and a good attitude. That's what it means. And look, you cannot do that if you don't, from your heart, want to do that. You've got to just decide in your heart, you know what? Look, I've worked plenty of secular jobs, and I have never had a single job where I always liked what I had to do. There have always been things in my jobs. Even now, there are things in my job. I love being a pastor, but there's plenty about my job that I'm not a big fan of. I mean, administration's not fun. Getting things organized and making the bulletins and things like that, it's not fun. I don't really enjoy it, but it's part of the job, right? There are things at every job you're not going to like. That's the way it is. But you obey with the right attitude. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 10, verse 20, Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought. Now, here the Bible's referring to if there's a king of the land or a high-level politician, and I would say that good advice is to never curse any high-level politician. It might not be the safest thing, okay? Especially here in the Philippines. And curse not the rich in thy bedchamber, for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. See, the Bible says that you should never curse the king. You should never curse the rich. You say, why? Because a bird of the air is going to take that message and deliver it. Right? You know, you could think in the Bible where the Bible talks about Esau in his heart said that he was going to kill his brother, but yet his mom knew that he said that he wanted to kill his brother. You say, why? Because the Bible's showing what's in your heart comes out of your mouth. And if in your heart—because the Bible says curse him not in thy thought. It's like inside of your head you're thinking, I hate my boss. It's like, that's eventually going to come out of your mouth. That's the way that it works. Eventually it's going to come out, and a bird of the air is going to tell the matter, and eventually it's going to come back to the boss. That is the way that it works. The Bible says not even in thy thought, meaning in your mind, in your heart, you should not have a bad attitude about your job or your boss. Go to Psalm 144. Psalm 144. Now here's the thing about this. This is different than a master and a servant having a boss and an employee. Because when it comes to a master and a servant, as I said, you can't get a different master. I mean, you are indebted to them. But there's a simple solution if you work at a job and you really don't like it and you complain and you don't want that job. Just get a different job. And here's the thing. If you can't get a better job, maybe you ought to be thankful for the job that you have. Every single one of us, if we could get a different job paying more money, less stress, less difficulty, we would take it in an instant. Right? But here's the thing about this. People don't knock on your door and say, Hey, I want to offer you $500,000 a year to do very little. It doesn't work that way. If you want to make money, you've got to work hard. And the thing is, if you can get a better job, then get a better job. If you cannot get a better job and you're at this job, whatever job you're at, have a good attitude. Never curse your boss. Never have a bad thought about your boss. You say, Why? Because you should be thankful for what God has given you. Whatever job that God has given you, whoever you are in this room, whatever job that God has blessed you with, whatever job is paying your bills. I seem to remember a man in prison by the name of Joseph. Here's a man who did nothing wrong. His life is being destroyed, and then he sees the other two men. He's like, Why are you sad? What are you down about? Joseph's thinking, I've got free room and board. I mean, they're giving me food. I've got a place to sleep. I mean, is that what he wanted? Of course not. But it's like, You know what? God is still there with me. I have nothing to complain about. And I would say that if you are saved, you are better than 99% of the world. And above that, if you are a member of this church, do you know how many saved people in this world would do anything to come to a church like this? Every saved person living in a Muslim country, every saved person living in North Korea, every saved person living in these countries where there's major persecution, they would love to be able to meet and hear the preaching of God's Word. So look, your life is already better than almost everybody in the world. Look, if the rest of my life is the worst life of anybody in the world, I still go to heaven. So here's the thing about this. Whatever job that you have that's paying your bills, you ought to say, You know what? I will obey right away with a smile on my face, have the right attitude, have the right heart about it. Psalm 144, Psalm 144, Psalm 144 verse 14, That our oxen may be strong to labor, that there be no breaking in nor going out, that there be no complaining in our streets. Now the Bible speaks about no complaining in Psalm 144. Notice the result of no complaining. Happy is that people that is in such a case, yea, happy is that people whose God is the Lord. Did you realize that complaining does not make you happy? Complaining just makes you dwell on what you don't like. If there's something you don't like, let me help you out. Here's the secret. Don't think about it. It's going to make you feel better. Look, I'm not trying to say this to be arrogant, but this is a great church. This church, and I'm not saying that because of me, I mean the soul winning at this church is amazing. People really love God at this church. But you know what, if you just sat around trying to think about everything you didn't like at this church, you could come up with things. Look, I'm not an idiot. I'm sure there's things that you don't like about me. I'm sure there's things you don't like about my wife. I'm sure there's things that you wish I did differently. I get that. You say, why? Because I've been a member of great churches, and yet there were things that maybe I wasn't crazy about. You know what the secret is to actually still being happy? Don't think about it. Don't complain about it. Does anybody like being around people that complain all the time? No. When you're around people that complain all the time, doesn't that just make you miserable? So what's the secret? Man, there's something I really don't like. Don't think about it. Don't complain about it. Right? Go to Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. And as I said, this is primarily referring to a boss and an employee situation. But you could apply this for young kids that are in this room. I want young boys that are in this room, and not even just young boys, because all of us need to learn to grow up and work really hard in our lives. But it's like when I look at my son Zeph, it's like in my goal and my desire for him, I want him to be a really hard worker. You know, one of the mistakes parents can make, and I get this, because as a parent, it's like you want to give your kids everything, but sometimes we might make life a little bit too easy for our kids. It's like I look back at my life, and I remember I took a job to be a math teacher one time, and I thought I was going to start the job immediately, but it turned out I needed, and I quit my old job thinking I'm starting. Then all of a sudden it turned out I had to wait eight weeks for a fingerprint clearance card, because they get your names to check if you're in the criminal records or whatever. And so I had eight weeks where I didn't have a job, and I was thinking, man, I just quit my job. I would have waited to quit the job. And so I picked up a job at a car wash. And, you know, I was in my 20s working at a car wash, and it's a minimum wage job. It's not much money. And, you know, I remember my boss was the biggest jerk in the world. I mean, he was not a nice boss whatsoever. And, you know, this was in Phoenix, Arizona, or near there, Mace, Arizona. And, you know, it was an outdoor job, and the boss had me 25 feet up in the air on a ladder painting, and it's more than 45 degrees outside. It's 45 to 50 degrees outside, and I have sweat just pouring down. And it's like I stopped to wipe the sweat, and then a few drops of the paint falls and hits the ground. He's down below just screaming at me, and I'm just thinking it's like a couple drops of paint. It's like it's 45 degrees. I'm dying up here. But, you know what, I look back, and I am very thankful that I had that job. You say, why? Because I have been thankful for every job I've had ever since then. Every job I've ever had has been much better than that one ever since then. You know, honestly, one of the best things for young kids, young men, when they grow up is probably to have a job where their boss is not that nice. Probably to have a job that is not that easy. Probably to have a job where you work by the sweat of your brow for not that much money. Why? It toughens you up. It hardens you up. And it makes you appreciative of the things that you do have. Philippians 4, the Bible says here in verse 4, Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. The Bible tells us to always rejoice. You know, this is, of course, a cool verse to say, but what's the practicality of this? Because, of course, we go through sadness. We go through depression. Life is not easy. It's not meant to be easy. Life is stressful. Life is tiring. And if you want to accomplish things, you've got to work really hard. It's not easy. So how can we just go about rejoicing all the time? Well, you say, what do you do? Pastor, my life has so many problems right now. It's like, I know I should be happy. I know I should rejoice. But I'm miserable because of this and this. Nothing's going my way. Verse 8, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. What's the Bible saying? Think on the positives in your life instead of thinking about the negatives. That's the secret. And, you know, you work hard, you think about the positives in your life, and then all of a sudden your problems just don't seem that bad. But, you know, if you just kind of sit home and have a pity party and just think about, you know, why your life is horrible, right? You know, where I'm from in West Virginia, the most popular type of music is country music, and country music is about just sitting around, getting drunk and wallowing in your depression. It's like, oh, my girlfriend left me. It's like, that was like 15 years ago, man. Get over it. But here's the thing. If you're sitting around and just thinking about it, you're going to be depressed. And so don't think on the negative. You say, well, what can I think on? How about anything that's true? Jesus Christ, anything that's godly and true. Think about Jesus Christ. Think about the Scriptures. Think about God's promises of eternal life that will never get old. Whatsoever things are honest. Whatsoever things are just. The Bible's saying, look, there's a multitude of things that you can think about. Think upon the good. Do the good. And then your life will not seem so bad. Turn to Ephesians 6. Ephesians 6. So, look, if you want to be an average or okay employee, obey everything your boss says. But, you know, I hope that aside from doing that, which is your obligation, because that's what you're getting paid for at whatever company you work for, I hope you have a goal to be better than okay. I hope you have a goal to be better than your coworkers. I hope you have a goal to set a high standard. And so not just doing what you're told, but having a good attitude. And here's the thing. Here's the thing. If you have a good attitude about it, you can find a way to do what you're told. Do what you're told and have a good attitude. But, point number three, work hard. Work hard. Ephesians 6, verse 7, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men. The Bible says doing service, doing work, accomplishing something. You say, well, wait a minute, I thought that that is tied up with obedience. Well, it's not quite the exact same thing. Now, look, I've worked as an employee for a long time, but at our churches God has blessed us with his building and our church has grown. We've had the ability to have a few employees. And so I know what it feels like to be a boss as well. And here's what I can say, that you don't want to micromanage every single thing that your employees do. Basically, you give a list of assignments. It doesn't mean I'm going to make sure I get it done by the very end of the week. You know what that should mean? Get it done as soon as you can. You say, why? Because then there's probably other things that your boss has for you. And then, of course, there's other things that come up that could get done. It's not just you do what you're told, you do it as quickly as you can. Get it done quickly, efficiently, effectively. And once you get that done, your boss might have more things for you. You say, well, why would I want to do that? Because that's what God says. Right? Because you want to be pleasing to God. Don't just do what your boss says. Don't just do what your company tells you to do. Do it as effectively and as efficiently and as quickly as possible, with good will doing service. Well, I don't want to do that. I don't like my boss. As to the Lord. As to the Lord. Doesn't matter who your boss is. I don't care if your boss is the leader of North Korea. The leader of North Korea. And I'm sure that that is not your boss. I'm sure your boss is nicer than that. No matter who your boss is, you know what? You just do it as efficiently and as effectively and as quickly as possible. You work hard. Turn to your Bible. To 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. And as you're turning there, I'm going to reread where it says, Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. You know, when you work at a company, there is always something that you can find to do. There is always something. I've worked at a lot of different jobs, and it could be something as simple as just throwing away trash, just cleaning something up. You've got a few free minutes. Like, what can I do? That is the attitude that we ought to have. How can I be a help? And honestly, it shouldn't even just be that at your company. That just should be who you are. We as Christians should be hardworking people. And I'll tell you, one of the biggest goals I have for my kids is to be a hard worker, meaning I need to set a good example for my kids. We need to be hardworking people. Look, what kinds of people are going to accomplish something in the Christian life? People that work hard. You say, why? It takes time to read the Bible. It takes time to go soul winning. It takes time to devote your life to God. I mean, look, I look in this room, and there's people that work a lot of hours, difficult jobs, you're tired, you're exhausted, and it takes energy and time to wake up an hour earlier to read your Bible, to put in the extra soul winning. That is not going to happen unless you learn to be a hard worker. Our kids will not just immediately just, oh, straight from the womb. They're just genetically a hard worker. No child is genetically a hard worker. You've got to rearrange those chemicals to cause them to be a hard worker because they will not be a hard worker. When they first start out, they're going to be lazy. That's the way kids are. This is true as a parent. It's like, hey, clean your room. You come back ten minutes later, and it's barely clean. It's like, wait a minute. It's like, well, no, we were cleaning. It's like, no, no, no. Do it as quickly as you can. Not just by the end of the day get this clean. No. When it's like clean your room, you do it as quickly as possible. You do it now, immediately, and as quickly as possible. That's what you want as a parent, and I can say that's what you want as a boss. If there's an assignment, you do it as quickly and as effectively and as efficiently as possible. Look, what I am preaching to you, even if it steps on your toes, even if it hurts, you know what? You ought to be thankful that you're hearing this message. You say, why? Number one, if this caused you to be a better employee, you might end up finding yourself getting a raise in the future. And number two, because your boss is not your boss that you see with your eyes, your boss is God Almighty. And whether or not your boss knows how hard you work, God knows. 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 6. The Bible says, 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 6, Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you. Neither did we eat any man's bread for naught, but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you. You know, Paul the Apostle started all of these churches, but you say, what was really the secret for Paul the Apostle? How was he able to accomplish more than other people? Well, the Bible shows us hard work. That's how he did it. Hard work. Look, if you want to really learn your Bible, it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort to read every day, every day. Read and memorize and study. If you want to get a lot of people saved, what's the secret? Put in a lot of time. Right? If you want to accomplish anything in life, the secret is putting in hard work. You say, Pastor, I'm really motivated to get in shape. I want to get in really good shape, but I don't want to start exercising. I don't want to change my diet. I don't want to put any work in, and I really want to be able to eat a lot of donuts and drink Coca-Cola. What's the secret? I mean, we were walking the other day. We were at the mall, and we walked by this thing, and it's like some electronic thing that they zap you and is supposed to get you in good shape, and it's like, do people really believe in this? It's like, no, I hate to hurt your feelings, if that's what you think, but look, being zapped full of electricity will not give you a six-pack. If that's the secret, the next time there's a thunderstorm, I'm going to have a long metal pole and just stand out in the middle and just wait. It's like, I'm just trying to get a six-pack here. It doesn't work that way. It takes a lot of energy. It takes a lot of effort. And look, lifting is not as much a part of my life as it used to be, but I remember when I was trying to get stronger, you've got to work really hard just to slowly. I mean, when you first start lifting weights, that first couple months, your power, your strength skyrockets. Right? I mean, it goes from you just lifting the bar with 145 on each side. All of a sudden, you go from 135 to 165 in three weeks, and you're thinking, I'm going to be benching 400 by the end of the year. And then you plateau. And then it's every single week, it's about the same. You're like, man, how do I get stronger? What's the secret? You've got to work really hard at it for years and years and years and years. And you know what? It's like that in any area of life. You've got to work at it. It says in verse 9, Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensemble unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. And the Bible says that if someone is not willing to work, they don't even deserve to get food. Now, in America, there's something known as the welfare system. And in America, with the welfare system, the government pays you to not work. Right? I mean, isn't that true? The government will pay you. And if you haven't heard that, it's kind of shocking. It's like, why would the government pay you to work? And I remember when my wife came to the US, and I explained the welfare system, because I said, we're going soul winning in this community. And I said, the government pays them. They pay for their housing. They'll give them food. And my wife's like, you know, what? And I said, well, the government's strategy is that if they give them all these free things, then once they get set on their feet, then they'll get a job. And my wife said, but what would be the motivation to ever start working if they're paying you to not work? And I said, exactly. What would be the motivation? See, the Bible says that, you know, honestly, this is the secret to solving the homeless problem around the world, is just, you know what, if you don't work, you don't need. And look, I understand here in the Philippines, it is a little bit different, because obviously it is not as rich of a country. Obviously it's a lot poorer. And there are people that work very hard, and they are struggling, and I get that. So don't misunderstand what I'm saying. In America, everyone is homeless pretty much as a drug addict. But I would say this, that there are a lot of people in the Philippines as well that just sit around and they just don't want to work. The Bible says here in verse 11, For we hear that there is so much walk among you disorderly, working not at all but our busy bodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And Paul is saying that, hey, this is the way that the world is. It should not be the way people are at church, though. Look, it's not just that we read the Bible more than the Catholics. It's not just we go soul winning and the Catholics don't. It also ought to be that you work harder than the Catholics at your secular job. You say, but all my Catholic co-workers are taking a break, so why can't I? Because you ought to be better than them. Because you ought to say, hey, I want to make God happy. I want to be pleasing in the eyes of God. I want to do what the Bible says. Because being okay, being average is not good enough for a Christian. We ought to be better. We ought to strive for excellence in our lives. And here's the thing, if you strive for excellence and you don't make it there, at least you're going to hit great. But if you strive for average in your life, you're probably not going to hit that. And you're probably not going to be a very good employee. Go to Proverbs 6. Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs chapter 6, the Bible says this in verse 4. Proverbs 6 verse 4. The Bible says that we ought to make sure we're not just people that just sit around sleeping our lives away. Now, I get it. We get tired and we need a break sometimes. But look, if when you wake up in the morning and your alarm goes off and you hit the snooze 25 times, there's something wrong. And I get it, when you wake up in the morning, it's like the gravity of the bed is sucking you down. It's like, stay here. It's like, no, when you're up, get up. Get up and do something. The Bible says, give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. And look, I get it, we all need a decent night of sleep. But I'll tell you this, the harder you work, you'll find that with less sleep that you're actually refreshed. You know, it's like when people are growing up, it's like young people today, they're addicted to video games, and then they just drink a bunch of pop and soda and eat candy till late at night, and then all of a sudden it's like they fall asleep, it's like midnight, they wake up, it's like 10 in the morning. It's like 10 hours of sleep. It's like it should be, you know, right when it's time to wake up, you wake up. Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. And if you're not an early riser, you know, that's fine. I mean, that's the way I am. That's kind of the way I live my life. Just wake up early. And when I was in high school, I would usually be awake by about 5 to 5.30 in the morning every day. And quite honestly, once you just start doing it, it just becomes who you are. You don't honestly really need an alarm. You just wake up. You say, well, what did you do at 5 in the morning? I went running. I played soccer, I wanted to be in shape, so I'd just wake up and just go running. Early in the morning, wake up early. And, you know, of course I wish, in hindsight, I could have read the Bible when I woke up first thing in the morning, but I keep the same pattern now. It's like you wake up, you do something. You don't just Facebook your life away. You don't just YouTube your life away. You don't just videos and whatever, just your life away. No, do something productive with your life. The Bible says, Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. Here's the thing about this. You do not deliver yourself as a roe after you've already been caught. You do not deliver yourself as a bird after you've already been caught. What you do is what's necessary so you never do get caught. And what the Bible's saying is, hey, be a hard worker and prepare yourself and get stuff done ahead of time. And I'll tell you, this sermon can be helpful to a lot of young people here that are not yet working. You want to accomplish something in life and be successful in your secular job when you get older? Work hard. Work harder than other people. You say, but all the other kids are just playing video games. Why not be better than them? Now, look, I get it. Young kids, they have a time to play and have fun, but let me tell you something. Playing and having fun with video games is extending until people are in their 20s and 30s. I know several people that failed out of college because of video games. There is something wrong with you if you are so addicted to a video game that you fail out of college. That you get fired from a job because you cannot stop playing a video game. And look, when I was a kid I played video games, but you become a man, you put away childish things. Do something with your life. The Bible says in verse 6, go to the ant thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise. The Bible gives us the example of an ant. Go to the ant thou sluggard. Now, when you look at an ant, are ants lazy or are they hard working? They're hard working, aren't they? Do you ever see an ant just sitting there doing nothing? I mean, pretty much the only time they're sitting there is when they're trying to pick up an object that is like 50 times their size. Because they're like the strongest animal in the world per, you know, size or whatever they say. It's like they're always moving around. Because other creatures are just kind of sitting there doing nothing and then once they see you they run away. But an ant is always moving, always trying to accomplish something. And look, the Bible is saying, you know what, we ought to look at the ant as an example and say, I want to accomplish something in my life. Now, when you think about this working hard, ants don't live very long lives. They live very short lives. And you have to understand, ants, as they are preparing and doing everything, they're not doing it for themselves. They're actually doing it for the next generation. Because they don't live long. And in our lives, it's kind of like, man, you know, if ants can do it for somebody else, surely we can work hard to prepare ourselves for the future, right? Because we don't live short lives. We don't live one year like the ant. No, we live 70, 80 years. We live a long life. So work hard now to prepare yourself for the future. Go to your Bible to Ephesians 6. Ephesians 6. Ephesians 6. Part number one is obedience. If you want to be an okay employee and that is it, obey every single thing that your boss tells you to do except when he tells you to sell drugs. Except if he asks you to sin. You obey and do every single thing that your boss says. And if you do 90%, that means you're a bad employee. If you do every single thing your boss says, that puts you at the line of being okay because that's what you're hired to do. What they say. Now with God, we cannot reach past the point of just being an unprofitable servant. That's what the Bible says. But we do have the ability to become a great employee and it's not just obedience but having the right attitude. Obeying from the heart. Having the right attitude and you can probably reach that level being a pretty decent employee. But not just obeying and having the right attitude but working hard. And what that means is it's not just that you do what you're told. You do it as effectively and as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Look, I've had plenty of bosses in my life and sometimes it's at the beginning of the week and my boss will say, Hey, I want you to finish this project. Here's the thing about this. I know from working at that company that, you know what, I could spend the entire week doing that and nothing's going to be said. Or I can get it done as quickly as possible and tell my boss, you know, I finished it. Is there anything else that you need me to do? That is the way that we ought to be. We ought to try to get things done as quickly and as effectively and as efficiently as possible. Not to do it in a slow way or in a lazy way but get it done as quickly as possible. And I would say that 99 times out of 100 your boss will have something new that he wants you to do if you finish the first thing that he gave you. But he might not give you a bunch of things at one time. Why? Because maybe he has an order. I want you to do this, then this, then this, then this. So if you finish this, I want you to go to this. I'm only going to give you this because I want you to do that first. Right? Do things as quickly as possible. And I'm telling you, if you apply this sermon to your life, it is going to help you out at your secular job. You want to get insurance at your job that you're going to be the last person fired? I mean, if you work harder than anybody else with the right attitude, it's like, you know what, that is some good job security you're going to have. But lastly, not just obeying and having a right attitude and working hard, but do above what you're being paid. The right Christian attitude is, I want to work above what I'm being paid, not at the level of what I'm being paid. So if this is what you're being paid, say, no, I don't want to work at the level where I earn it, I want to be underpaid. I want to work so hard that I'm doing more than is expected of me. The Bible says in Ephesians 6, verse 8, Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. You say, Pastor, what's in it for me to work above what I'm being paid? Because you're going to receive of the Lord. And here's the thing, it's harder to understand it here because this is with a master and a servant. This is when you're locked into a master for years and yet God says, you know what? I'm going to make sure that you are provided for if you are a good servant to your master. That's what God says. You obey, you have the right attitude, you work hard, you're going to receive of the Lord. Now look, maybe receiving of the Lord might mean you don't have any problems with your car. You don't have any medical expenses. Maybe it might mean a pay raise. Maybe it might mean a new job. You know, I don't know how it's going to be fulfilled in your life, but I know that God's promise is you will receive of the Lord. Your boss is not the one that you look at with your eyes. Your boss is God Almighty. Turn to Luke chapter 10, Luke 10. Look, obviously every sermon is easier said than done. I don't stand up here sitting here saying, I'm the hardest working person in the world. I never struggle with this. It's like, no, you know, I have a list of assignments that I do on a weekly basis for Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento. And you know what? Yeah, there's a temptation to just kind of go through it slowly and not work as hard. So look, a sermon like this is a good reminder for me to become better. And I'm not a perfect employee, but I did want to give you an example of, practically speaking, what does this mean? And I'm sure other people have other examples, but I'm just going to kind of get from my own life. But you know, working for Verity Baptist Church, one thing that I do on a weekly basis is I transcribe one of the sermons that Pastor Menace preaches. They have a prison ministry in the U.S. And basically they started a ministry there, and there's a lot of saved people in the prison. And the sermons are sent every single week to various prison inmates that are in prison, but they get to read the sermons. You know, a lot of people have gotten saved as a result and are hearing. And there's actually people that go to Verity Baptist Church, once they got out of prison, they joined the church. Because they had been reading Pastor Menace's sermons for years. And when I visited Sacramento the last time, I had no idea about that. Because I had been doing that for years, just transcribing sermons. And I was shocked when people came up and said, thank you so much for transcribing that sermon. And I'm like, what are you talking about? They're like, man, I was in prison. And I read them and I heard, you're the one that's been doing it. I was like, wow. It's amazing. I had no idea of that until I actually went and visited. You know, originally when Pastor Menace, what he asked me to do was not to transcribe the sermon, but he asked me to do a few things with it, and we were going to send it off to have it transcribed by somebody else. Transcribing, at least back then, on a per minute basis is $1.25 and on some companies $1.50 on the most reputable sites. Well, if a sermon is 60 minutes long and it is $1.25, that's $75. And I told Pastor Menace, no problem. I'll do that. But I said, I'm a pretty fast typer. So I said, I'd like to try to do this myself to see if I could save. Because $75 per week is also a lot of money in the U.S. After 50 weeks, that's $4,000 in a year. After four years, that's $16,000. And so I asked Pastor Menace, let me see if I can do it myself. And look, of course, whenever you do something new, it's not that easy. And so as I was trying to transcribe, the first couple of sermons took me a lot of time to do. And I didn't have my right strategy down, because Pastor Menace is a very quick preacher. He speaks very quickly, and you've got to slow down the speed quite a bit. Because otherwise, it's like, okay, pause, rewind, pause, rewind. And I realized, okay, I figured out the speed I can slow it down to, and then I can keep up with his preaching. And so it's something I do every week. And what I'm saying is, it's like, I thought, well, let me try it myself, and I do that every week now. You say, why? Because I just thought of something that can help save the company money. And here's what I'm saying. In your job that you have, it's not like God Almighty where you cannot outdo God. You can find ways. There is not a company in the world that operates 100% perfectly smoothly. Wouldn't you agree with that? Every company could get better. Every single company can improve. And as an employee, you ought to have the mindset, you know what, how can I make this better? How can I make it more efficient? How can I add profit to this company? The Bible says in Luke 10, the Bible says in verse 7, actually let me turn there myself, because printing this, it kind of came out wrong. Let me make sure that I'm quoting this correctly. Luke 10, verse 7. Luke 10, verse 7. Luke 10, verse 7. And it says in Luke 10, verse 7, In the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the labor is worthy of his hire, go not from house to house. Now the Bible says the labor is worthy of his hire, and this is an idea taught in the Bible that people should be paid what they deserve. That's what the Bible teaches. And I've worked jobs before where I felt I was underpaid, and it's kind of frustrating when you feel like, you know what, other people make more money that do the same thing, and I'm not getting paid more and everything. Now, once again, when you get that mindset, you need to reset and say, you know what, I ought to be thankful for what God has given me. Right? Let me just kind of give you my perspective as a boss. My philosophy as a boss is that people get paid what they deserve. I don't believe in underpaying people. Now, when it comes to our churches, you know, that we've hired people to work for church before, other churches pay people very, very low money. That's not true at our church. It's never been true at our church. You say, why? Because I believe that if you work a job and work really hard, you deserve a livable income that you can actually have where you're not starving to death. Now, working for a church, there are people at this church that have really good salaries, and of course we're never going to pay as much money as people that are making a lot of money in their secular jobs. But we do not pay just a very small amount, the very smallest possible. We don't do that here. You say, why? I don't agree with that philosophy because the Bible says, you know what, the laborer is worthy of his hire, and so my philosophy has always been, you know, if we hire someone, we're going to hire them for a fair amount. We're not going to try to starve them. We're going to give them a fair amount. But here's the thing. Since we pay more than other churches, what I expect is that our employees are better workers than any other church employees in Metro Manila. You say, why? Because you're getting paid more. Right? Whatever job you have, and look, at your secular job, if you have a good salary, you ought to say, you know what, I'm going to work really hard because, you know what, I am blessed to have this. Right? That is the attitude that we ought to have. Go to Proverbs 6. Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs chapter 6. You say, what does it matter for a church? Well, look, as a church, our goal is not to make a bunch of money. Our goal is to get people saved. Our goal is to get more churches started. Our goal is that one day, it's not just going to be when Pastor Jimenez's guest preaches here, but on a normal Sunday morning, we can't fit everybody on one floor. And yeah, you know, a small part of it is, yeah, we do want to increase donations that we get for our church, and I think a large part of that is just simply going soloing. God sees the work, God can provide, and God has provided our needs. But my goal as a pastor is that our church gets bigger, and we get more churches started. Now, quite honestly, when I look at the size of the crowd here today, if this is always going to be the size of our church for the rest of my life, I'm still preaching to plenty of people. I'm not preaching to an empty crowd. We're not a small church in 2025. I mean, we have grown as a church, and praise God for that. But look, we want more people. Why? We can get more people saved with more members. Have more soul winners. Accomplish more. Get more churches started. That's our goal. The more we grow, the more we can do. And profit for our church is to make things efficient and as effective. Why? So we can get more people saved, get more churches started, and do something big for God. Quite honestly, growing as a church in my personal life just adds stress. It's not really for my benefit. But here's the thing. I want our church to be successful. I want us to accomplish something. Man, I'll tell you what. I have loved our church since day one, but isn't it more exciting now that we come to church and we are packed? We've got a lot of people. That's great. We've got a lot more people. We've got other churches we've started. We've got ministries we're doing. It's exciting. It's like we've got missions trips every week. We've got things going on, and that is exciting to be a part of. Look, don't develop a small church mentality. In the early days, you get to say hello to everybody and say, Hey, how is it going this past week? Here's the reality. Sometimes we get back from soul winning and I realize I didn't even say hello to someone. Because there's a lot of people to talk to. And I strive to talk to everybody, and I think all of us should strive to get to know everybody. It's harder now. We're a lot bigger. And that is a good problem to have. And look, there's no guarantee we're going to keep growing, but I hope in five years that we double in size. That would be great. If we're running 150 people at church or whatever, that would be awesome. That would be great. And here's the thing about it. I would never want to grow in size and decrease the amount of work being done. We have a very high percentage of people that go soul winning, and I want us to grow and still have a lot of people that go soul winning. And I want to get more churches started, because some of you, you don't even live in Metro Manila. You don't even live around the area. You live in another province somewhere. It's like we want to get churches started in all of those areas. You say, why? So great works can be done in those locations as well. Our profit as a church is to grow numerically and get more people saved. And to do that, it requires a lot of hard work. And as the church grows, there's going to be more work to do. That's just the way that it is. Proverbs 6, verse 7. And going back to the ant, here's what it says in Proverbs 6, verse 7. Which having no guide, overseer or ruler. See, the Bible is saying about the ant, that the ant does not have a guide. The ant does not have an overseer. The ant does not have a ruler. The ant does not have an ant above them telling them what to do. The ant just does it on your own. See, let me explain something. This is what your boss wants from you at your job. He wants you to get stuff done without having to ask about everything. He wants you to figure it out on your own. I remember when I worked my job in Cumberland, Maryland for many years with CBIZ. And you get hired at a new company. And at that company, maybe it's different at other companies, but it's like every single person that's been working there for years was incredibly busy when we first got hired. And so it's like, you know, they're like, just read this manual. So you know, you read the entire manual in one day and it's like, so when you go and say, do you have anything for me to do? They just say, well, just read it again. So you know, just every day for the first week, I just read the manual, just read the manual. But that doesn't actually tell you how to do the job. You actually have to have someone that will actually show you how to do stuff. But I remember in the early days, it's like they would just give you something and hand it to you. And you're expected to figure it out. And it's kind of, nobody showed you how to do it. You don't have any experience. And something that could probably take you 15 minutes if you were just shown, they just honestly didn't show you at that company. So it's like I was going and looking at all these old Excel files, trying to look at the formulas and figure out why does it say this? Why is there a change here? And look, it makes you an expert at Microsoft Excel pretty quickly when you've got to just like self-learn all of that. But it's like, you know, they didn't show. And look, I think at a company, the best way is to actually show and to teach. But that just isn't the way that it was. But here's what I'm saying. That if what your boss wants is for you to get stuff done without having to micromanage you all the time. He wants you to just get stuff done and then figure out other stuff that you can do that he doesn't always have to stop every day. Okay, let me figure out new assignments for them to do. But that you can just figure it out on your own. Let me tell you something. When you work for a company, you can figure out stuff to do. There's always something to do. I worked a job before selling appliances. And, you know, I worked various jobs in college. And, you know, selling appliances, most of the time you're standing around doing nothing. There's nothing to do. And until somebody comes in to buy something, in the morning that doesn't happen. You're just kind of standing around. And, you know, I got kind of bored. Because, I don't know about you, but sitting around doing nothing is the most boring thing in the world. I'd rather have something to do. And I remember just talking to my boss because I had absolutely nothing to do. And I just said, you know, could I just clean the appliances? Is that all right? And, you know, it was a big store, a big company, and he looked at me like I was crazy. Because they weren't asking me to do that. But they just, you know, gave me the paper towels and gave me the liquid to spray. And I just went around cleaning. Now the problem with that is all my coworkers started to hate me. Because they're standing around doing nothing. And, of course, it makes them look bad when they're doing nothing. Right? But it's like I found something to do. I don't want to just sit around doing nothing. And, honestly, it's just a minimum wage job. I wasn't getting paid much money. But I was just like I want something to do. I want to try to be help. I want to do something. Rather than sitting around and doing nothing. And, look, what your boss wants from you at your job is that you figure it out on your own. That he does not have to micromanage every single detail. He puts you on the right line, gives you certain things, and then the things that he doesn't give you that are small, you just figure them out and do them on your own. The Bible says, having no guide, overseer, or ruler. Have you ever watched a video on YouTube that shows you these underground tunnels that ants dig? Has anybody ever seen that before? It is like the most in-depth and complicated thing. And nobody's telling the ant to do it. And they're not doing it for themselves. Because they live very short lives. And they just do it. Verse 8. Providedth her meat in the summer, and gatheredth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep with sluggard? When wilt thou rise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding in the hands of sleep. So shall thy poverty come as one that travelth, and thy want as an armored man. Go to Genesis 29. We'll look at two more stories. Genesis 29. We'll look at two more stories and go to Ephesians 6. Genesis 29. It's a rookie stake to assume that we're going to get done early because the first sermon is short. It's like, nope, it's shorter because the second sermon is longer. Genesis 29, verse 14. And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh, and he abode with him the space of a month. Now in this story, I don't have time to develop it, but what's taking place is that Jacob is living with Laban and their family for a month. And basically, he's not being asked to do anything. He can just sit there and he's going to be fed. I mean, their family. And so he can just kind of sit there and relax. He has like a vacation for a month. But notice what it says in the next verse. And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for naught? Laban says, You're working for nothing. I'm not paying you. I mean, I said you can stay here for free, and at five in the morning you're waking up and going out with the other farmers doing the work. It's like, I'm not paying you. I'm not giving you anything. You say, why would Jacob do that? Because he found something to do. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. And Jacob is just there serving for naught. You say, you know, what's in it for me, working hard above what I'm being paid? Well, notice the reaction. Tell me, what shall thy wages be? If you are a really hard worker, your boss is going to be impressed. And more than likely you're going to get a pay raise. Here's the thing. And if he doesn't, then God sees what you're doing. And God might say, hey, you know what? Let me give you another job where I'm going to give you what you deserve. Turn your Bible to 1 Samuel 18. By the way, this is how we should be in all areas of our life. Find something to do. If you have nothing to do, I'm sure you can find something. Right? I mean, you know, when I get done with work, it's like, I don't believe in the philosophy that men get home from work and then they just relax the rest of the night. No, life's meant to be busy. And men, you get home from work and you have to spend time with your kids, help your wife with various things. It's like, I think both men and women, husbands and wives should be very hardworking, whether the wife is working a secular job or a stay-at-home mom. I think we should all be hardworking. And I can say that when I get done with work and I have nothing to do, it's like, there's always something to do at home. There's always something you can find to do in your life. 1 Samuel 18, verse 22. And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee. Now therefore be the king's son-in-law. And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seameth it to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and lightly esteemed? And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. Now at this time, Saul's trying to get rid of David. So Saul, the boss of David, about the worst boss you could possibly have. He's trying to kill David. He's unreasonable. He does all of these things to David, and yet David kept a good attitude. And notice what it says in verse 25. And Saul said, Thus shall you say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but in hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. And what it says here is, what Saul wants David to do is kill one hundred of the Philistines. And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law, and the days were not expired. I mean, David doesn't have a bad attitude. He's being asked to do a difficult job. He's being asked to do a dangerous job. He's being asked to do something that nobody would want to do. And yet David gets the instructions. It's like, sure. He's happy to just do what Saul says. You say, why? Because Saul's his boss. And because David was a man after God's own heart. And if you want to be a man after God's own heart, you obey right away with a smile upon your face, you work hard, and you strive to work above what you're being paid. That is the Christian attitude. You say, well, how does this apply to David? Well, notice what it says in the next verse. What did Saul ask for? One hundred Philistines. Verse 27. Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men. David outdid what he was asked to do. You say, why? He's a man after God's own heart. He says, hey, this is what Saul wants, but if I can do it better, I'm going to do it better. And look, no matter who you are in this room, at whatever job that you have as an employee, seek to go above what you are being asked. Do not try to do the bare minimum. Do not try to do what's acceptable or okay. Try to become the best you can be. Strive to be not an okay employee or equal to everybody else, but to be a great employee. Go to Ephesians chapter 6. We'll close up. Ephesians 6. Ephesians 6. And look, you know what? Sermons like this step on everybody's toes because when you find out right out of the gate in Luke 17 that if you do everything your boss says, that you're only okay, it's like, man, that's a reality check, isn't it? God is high standards. God expects you to do everything that you're asked to do. And it's like if you say, yeah, you know what, I want to be a great employee. Okay, well, this is what it looks like. Do everything that you're asked to do with a good attitude. These are points all found in Ephesians 6 in this section in five verses with a good attitude. Do it as effectively and as quickly as possible. Be a hard worker and seek to go above what you're being paid. That is the Christian attitude that God is saying. And let me tell you something. This is impossible unless you figure out how to do it on the inside. In your heart, you've got to decide, you know what, I want to be pleasing to God. Well, what's in it for me? Verse 9, And ye masters do the same things unto them, forbearing, threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons with him. Look, even if you have a master that is a bad master or a bad boss, you know what, the ultimate master is up in heaven, and God sees every single thing that you're doing. I get it. I've worked jobs before where I work, I work, I work, and I'm just thinking, I'm underpaid. It's like I'm working really hard and other people get paid a lot more money that live in other locations and it doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel fair. You know, when I look back at my life, it's like, you know what, God has provided for me every step of the way. And even if at that job I didn't get a pay increase or get the amount of money that I thought I deserved, God has provided my needs. God has provided the needs of my family. And maybe another job will open up. Let me tell you something. Your ultimate boss is not your boss on earth. Your ultimate boss is up in heaven. And God sees each and every single thing we do. And if you want to be pleasing in God's eyes, you need to strive not to be an okay employee, not to be a good employee. You need to strive to be a great employee. Don't ever develop this attitude, Well, I'm doing more than other people. Don't compare yourself with other people. Because other people aren't trying to get approved of by God. You are, as a Christian. Make sure that you are the best worker at your company. You know what, God's going to look down, and God will bless your life. Let's close with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today. And I ask you to help all of us to apply this to our lives, God. Help us to be the hardest workers at our company. Help us to have a good attitude, God. Help us to get everything done quickly and efficiently. Help us to work above our pay grade, God. Help us just to learn to be obedient, and do everything that we're asked to do by our bosses, God. I ask you to help bless all the people in this room. I ask you to bless people with their secular jobs. I ask you to bless people with raises and new jobs, if that would be the case, God. But help us all to be thankful for the jobs we do have, and work as hard as we possibly can at those jobs. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.