How we Act (at Work)

Josh Sugg

Sunday, June 14, 2026

God's People: How We Act

Accountability Ethics Leadership Obedience Respect Sincerity Work

The passage of Scripture that we’re going to look at this morning is all about being God’s people in the workplace. There’s a classic trope that says preachers only work on Sundays. I’ve sat where you sit this morning and I’ve heard sermons about how we’re supposed to work hard. I’ve heard this from men who don’t look like they’ve ever broken a sweat in their life. Men who’ve never gotten a callous or had a sore back. It’s hard to take that message seriously and go to work tomorrow fueled up to work hard. Unfortunately, this example is true in some churches, but it certainly isn’t true in our church!

Austin and every other pastor that preaches from this stage are incredibly hard-working men who devote their strength to the glory of God in all areas of their lives. That being said, working in a church is admittedly a different type of work that very few of us will ever do. I’ve been a paid staff pastor before, so I understand this difference. Today, I work right up the road as a manager for a company that distributes industrial spare parts.

It’s my privilege to preach this passage today because I’m in the same position as every one of you here in Dallas, in Lincolnton, and watching online. I’m an employee at a company. I’m a manager at a company. So as you hear me speak to you, know that I’m in your shoes and that these truths apply to me too.

We continue in our series of Ephesians and today we hit the closing of a section that Paul started back in chapter 5.

“[15] Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, [16] making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. [17] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. [18] And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, [19] addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, [20] giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [21] submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

From here, Paul has been explaining how we submit to one another out of reverence for Christ in our marriages, our growing up as children, and our parenting. He has completely covered the family. Now, Paul takes us outside our homes and gives us instruction on how the family is meant to live out in the world. Today, we receive instruction on how God’s people are to act at work.

Paul wrote this letter to the early church in Ephesus around the year 60 AD. This is only 30 years after the death, burial, and crucifixion of Jesus. The city of Ephesus was at one time the capital of the Roman province of Asia. This would be in modern day Turkey. At this time, Ephesus was under the rule of the great Roman Empire.

Earlier in his letter, Paul indicated this church was primarily made up of Gentile converts, non-Jews who had converted to Christianity. These men and women would’ve been ingrained in the Roman culture. Therefore, their concept of work was quite different from ours today. Here in the US and specifically in North Carolina, you are likely employed according to “at-will employment.” This means your employer can fire you for any reason, no reason, or even an arbitrary reason, and you can quit at any time.

But in Ephesus, this “at-will” employment concept didn’t exist. Employment was much more like today’s military contracts. You sign up to work, and you don’t get the option to just quit. You’re contractually obligated in a much more rigid fashion with much more severe consequences.

This is why Paul uses the word “bondservants” in Ephesians 6 to address this next set of people. The Greek word Paul uses here is “doûlos.” This word is normally translated as “slaves.” But the context and the culture here is very different than what we would typically define as slavery. Our American view of slavery is informed by the atrocities that Africans endured for hundreds of years underneath the vile rule of white slaveowners throughout our country.

To be clear, this type of brutal enslavement was present in Ephesus, typically by the Roman soldiers on those they captured in war. But the bondservants or slaves that Paul is referring to were primarily not this type of captive.

Instead, John Stott gives us a better idea of the type of slave Paul speaks of. “In the Roman Empire there were 60 million slaves. They constituted the work force, and included not only domestic servants and manual labourers but educated people as well, like doctors, teachers and administrators. … Nobody queried or challenged the arrangement. The institution of slavery was a fact of Mediterranean economic life so completely accepted as a part of the labour structure of the time that one cannot correctly speak of the slave “problem” in antiquity.” ¹ Based on the widely accepted calculation of 60 million slaves, that would mean “about half of the population was enslaved to the other half.” ²

So, as we look at our text this morning, we are going to apply the context of slavery in the Ephesian church around 60 AD to the context of our modern workplace today. Therefore, we’re going to translate the relationship of slaves and masters to that of employees and employers. And this employee-employer relationship is going to be our focus this morning.

With this understanding, let’s read Ephesians 6:5-9.

[5] Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, [6] not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, [7] rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, [8] knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. [9] Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

In Ephesians 6:5-9 we see 2 realities about being God’s people at work.

The 1^st reality about being God’s people at work is

The Gospel empowers His people to work in a way that is rewarded by Christ. (5-8)

[5] Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, [6] not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, [7] rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, [8] knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.
We are first going to focus on the way in which an employee is to work. Paul gives us lots of really good, practical instruction this morning. However, you’ll see absent is any address to change the current situation of the bondservant.
Wherever we find ourselves, our aim should be transformation from within, not looking for a new job, a new company, a new situation. As Paul had no power or ability to transform the system of slavery already in place, so we often have no power to transform our current job situations.
As of this morning, whatever job you have, whatever relationship you have with your boss and your coworkers, this is the situation you need to focus on. Don’t start daydreaming about how much better your next job, your next boss, or your next set of workers will be. We must obey the will of God wherever we currently find ourselves today. Be present in your current role and ask God to show you how you can take these realities into your specific workplace the next time you show up.
For those of you who don’t have a job, maybe you’re between jobs or maybe you’re a stay-at-home mom, whatever your situation is, this first reality still applies to you. You might not have a boss that you are called to obey, but you certainly have all kinds of authorities you are to obey. And you can obey the authorities in your life in such a way that is rewarded by Christ as well.
So, whether employed or not, we are all given instructions on how to work and how to obey authority. These build upon each other, giving us a framework for how to be God’s people as employees. (5-7)
We are to work with obedience. “…obey your earthly masters”
We must obey our bosses. It is their job to determine what we are to do and, often, how we are to do it. It is our job to obey their instruction and direction.
This doesn’t mean we obey our employers to the point of disobeying God, but it does mean that we must obey in pretty much all other scenarios.

We are to work with respect. “…with fear and trembling”
We are to be respectful in our obedience. This “fear and trembling” isn’t cowering fear. It’s reverent. It’s properly understanding the role of the employee underneath the employer. It’s one thing to obey, it’s another to obey with respect.
“Yes sir. Yes ma’am.”
When you consistently have respect for your boss, he or she will be more open to your suggestions, feedback, or disagreements.

We are to work with sincerity. “…with a sincere heart”
The Greek language used here is literally “singleness of your heart.” The meaning here is that you will generously devote yourself to your obedience without wavering in your devotion. You will literally give yourself to the mission of your work.
Go the extra mile, don’t do the bare minimum.

We are to work with integrity. “…not by the way of eye-service”
C. Sproul – “All of us tend to perform more diligently when the eyes of our supervisors are upon us. But when there is no-one there to give oversight, we may slack off and shirk our responsibilities. Often, the only thing that keeps employees diligent and responsible in their work is the fact that somebody is watching them.”³
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. It’s also owning up to your mistakes, failures, and shortcomings. It’s confessing when you’ve done something wrong that no one saw. It is truthful and honest, at all times.

We are to work with good will. “…with a good will”
In summary, we are to work with kindness while having the best in mind for our employers.
We don’t clock out early. We don’t silently quit. We don’t slack off. We do the very best we can.
Will every day be your best day? No. But every day you give your best.
So, we work with obedience, respect, sincerity, integrity, and good will, and we do all this for our bosses. However, did you catch who we’re ultimately to do this work for?
John Stott – “In each of the four verses addressed to slaves Jesus Christ is mentioned. They are to be obedient as to Christ, to behave as servants of Christ (verse 6), to render service as to the Lord rather than men (verse 7), knowing that they will receive good from the Lord (verse 8).” ⁴
All is to be done unto the Lord because He is Lord of all. Because He is Lord of all, all rulers and authorities have been established by God. Your great boss was established by God. Your terrible boss was established by God.
Romans 13:1-2 – “[1] Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. [2] Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”
When you obey your boss, you are actually obeying God because you’re obeying the authority structure appointed by God. Therefore, if the person putting glass screens on your iPhone is working for John Ternus, the new CEO of Apple, then how much more are we working for Jesus when we do our job with obedience.
Hendriksen and Kistemaker – “In spirit people really cease to be slaves as soon as they begin to work for the Lord and are no longer working primarily for men. Beyond their master they see their Master.”⁵
There is an old Latin phrase that sums up this concept well: “Coram Deo.” This means we live before the face of God always in the presence of God. There is no ability to be beyond the eyes of God.
Psalm 139:7-12“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea
even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”
There is nowhere you can hide from God. You might think you can hide up in the corner of the arena in a company suite at a Cold Play concert with your affair partner, but you can’t. You might not get displayed on the jumbotron that night, but God sees you. All your works are on display to Him. He sees all that you do and all that you fail to do.
Moving on to verse 8, nowhere in Paul’s address to slaves and employees does he give conditions upon which our obedience depends. There is no, “only if your boss behaves like a reasonable human being, then be obedient.” Instead of conditions, Paul gives us the only motivation he finds appropriate: the reward of Christ.
[8] knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.
So, if you have a great boss, be obedient. If you have a terrible boss, be obedient. If you have a wise boss, be obedient. If you have a foolish boss, be obedient.
Why? Because you will be rewarded with:
The approval of Christ.
“Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:14-30)
In fact, I’ll go one step further. If you have a terrible boss or if you have a foolish boss, this is the BEST time to be obedient. Why? Because you have the privilege of representing Christ to the lost world and God promises to reward you with:
The fruit of your labors.

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Matthew 9:35-38)
We prayed over those going on the Guatemala mission trip this morning. Almost everyone in this room will never be a long-term missionary. Most of you won’t ever go on a short-term mission trip. But God has given you a permanent mission field.
When you fight Charlotte traffic to get to your job, you’re driving to your mission field. When your super sends you to the next jobsite, you’re going to your mission field. When you log on to that Teams call, you’re logging in to your mission field.
There are all kinds of math you could do, but roughly 1/2 of your waking life will be spent at work. That’s A LOT of time! And that’s a glorious opportunity to be a witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the worthiness of giving your life over to the Supreme Master of your life.
Flame is a Christian rapper and one of the forerunners of the current Christian rap scene. He speaks about the joy of this opportunity in his song “Go Buck.”
“This the type of feeling that I can't explain
All I really know is that I'm glad He came
Lived a perfect life then He died for FLAME
And everyone else putting trust in His name
Since the beginning men have been in the bind
Scripture renders us ignorant and considers us blind
So when the Unregenerate is giving His eyes
There's a party before God for the naughtiest guys
So when we stand to our feet and we're pounding the earth
Stomping the ground it's going down in the church
Cause He rose from the grave and left death in the dirt
And when He ascended He sent the Holy Spirit to work
When we see genuine repentance then we go berserk
It's real sweet like dessert
Him removing the curse
How He digs in the heart starts ruling the turf
He'll never STOP!”
Christ expects you to work that mission field. Go preach the Gospel. Go make disciples. Your efforts will be rewarded with fruit beyond measure. And if He so chooses, you will hopefully see the fruit of souls saved in your workplace because God used you to lead them to Jesus.

The 2^nd reality about being God’s people at work is

The Gospel clarifies those in authority will be held accountable by Christ. (9)
[9] Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

All the previous commands about the nature of the employees’ obedience also apply to employers and bosses. Very few people will solely hold a management position. Most of you employers and managers are middle management. You are both a master and a slave.
Therefore, you are to act in the same way to your employees as is commanded of employees to act towards you. They are to obey you, but you are to manage with respect, sincerity, integrity, and good will. And if you can’t do that, you honestly have no business being anyone’s boss.
However, just as you’ve been given additional responsibility in the workplace, so you have been given additional standards by God.
Luke 12:48 – “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.”
Those of us in management position have been given this privilege and:
We are to manage with equality.
We’ve all had that boss whose favorite person was who they saw in the mirror. Don’t be that guy. Just because you’re a “master” in this life doesn’t mean you have some sort of special standing before God. “The ground is level at the foot of the Cross.”

Don’t act like you’re not accountable to anyone. Don’t have double standards.

John Stott – “They were equal before God, because they had the same Lord and judge, who showed no partiality between them. … Paul reminded both slaves and masters of this fact. … Thus, it was their shared knowledge of the lordship and the judgment of Jesus Christ which made them equal. If they remembered that Jesus was their common Lord now and would one day be their common judge, their whole attitude to one another would change.” ⁶

Don’t have favorites. Don’t treat your top performers one way and your underperformers another way. Treat them equally.

We are to manage with justice.

Inequality leads to injustice. The boss who loves himself will never be able to manage with justice because he will be consumed with what he can gain, not what he can give.

John Stott – “The master’s duties became the slave’s rights, just as the slave’s duties were the master’s rights. … If it is the employee’s duty to give good work, it is the employer’s right to expect it. If it is the employer’s duty to pay a fair wage, it is the employee’s right to expect it. The major human problem in management-labour disputes is that each side concentrates on securing its own rights, and on inducing the other side to do its duty. Paul, however, reverses the emphasis. He urges each side to concentrate on its responsibilities, not on its rights.” ⁷

As a manager, it your job to fairly establish the best opportunity for your employees to succeed. Set them up for success, don’t condemn them to failure.

I like to tell my employees that is my job to make sure you can do your job.

We are to manage with brotherhood.

The manager who can see his employees as equals can manage with justice. And the manager that is able to do both will be fueled by the fact that in Christ, our primary relationship to each other is that of “brother.”

Galatians 3:27-28 – “[27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Should you ever have to terminate an employee, which I’ll admit is the absolute worst thing I sometimes have to do in my job, the goal is for that person to still feel like a human being. You can’t control what that person thinks of you and your company, but you can make every effort possible to treat him or her with equality, justice, and brotherhood.

Randall Wright, owner of Pelican’s SnoBalls and lay pastor here in Dallas, has some great stories of what this looks like. One of my favorites was when he had to fire someone and that guy gave Randall a great big hug afterwards because Randall had treated him and his family right, even in letting him go.

We are to manage with self-control.

I’ll tell you straight up, this is the area of managing others that is the most difficult for me. When I look at the idiocracy that spews forth from some of the people I’ve had the privilege to manage, man it’s tough to maintain my self-control.

Charles Hodge – “Paul carries this so far as to apply the principle not only to the acts, but to the temper of masters. They are not only to act towards their slaves on the principles of justice and equity, but are to avoid threatening. This includes all manifestations of contempt and ill-temper, or undue severity. All this is enforced by the consideration that masters have a master in heaven to whom they are responsible for their treatment of their slaves.” ⁸

But, just like employees are to work with obedience no matter how their bosses act, so I am to manage like Christ, no matter how my employees act.

We are to be the type of boss that represents Christ to those we manage.
R.C. Sproul – “Sometimes we think that if Jesus were the boss of a work project, he would be so kind, gentle, and gracious that he wouldn’t expect any work. But just a cursory glance at the New Testament, where Jesus is constantly urging his people to be productive and diligent in their labour, would show Jesus to be a demanding superintendent. He would expect those who were under his authority to give honest effort and a full day’s work. Yet at the same time, there would be no partiality, no injustice, no petty criticisms, and no demeaning attacks on people’s dignity. He is the perfect Master who treats all those under his authority with love, tenderness, gentleness, justice and righteousness. He is the model for anyone who is in a position of authority.”⁹
Our Creator created the fabric of our world with work woven in. It was God who commanded Adam to work in the garden.
Genesis 2:15 – “[15] The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
This command to “work and to keep” was given before the Fall, before our world became broken by sin. The soil you are called to work is different than the soil Adam worked, but the command remains the same.

KB – “You are not what you bring home Be rich in good works cause that’s what you bring home”

____________________________________

Challenge

Do you work as if Christ will reward you?
Do you manage as if Christ will hold you accountable?

What kind of employee do your boss and coworkers think you are? Do they see you as disobedient, disrespectful, insincere, deceitful, or combative? Or do they see you working for your heavenly reward?

What kind of manager do your employees think you are? Do they see you managing with favoritism, injustice, hostility, and anger? Or do they see you managing as one who is under the authority of God?

To be clear, you must be regenerated to accomplish what Paul has set forth. Naturally, we will be disobedient, disrespectful, insincere, deceitful, and combative employees. Naturally, we will manage with favoritism, injustice, hostility, and anger.

It is only the Gospel of Jesus Christ that redeems us from the bondage of sin and shame and frees us to live obedient and fruitful lives. The Gospel is this: Romans 6:23.

“For the wages of sin is death…”
“…but the free gift of God is eternal life…”
“…in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Over half the American workforce is comprised of men. So men, I’m challenging you step up and be the type of man that points people to Jesus.

Josh Smith – “The workplace is where a man displays to a lost world self-sacrificing, loving, and godly dominion. It is where a man shows the world God’s original intention. … No one should be a harder worker, a better employee, or a better boss than a man who follows Jesus. You should work harder, sacrifice more, and lead more honestly and graciously than anyone else.” ¹⁰

When I think about this type of man, I think about the amazing example we have in the pages of our Old Testament.

He was a worthy man who others could find favor with.

He obeyed God and had part of his harvest set aside to help the widow and the orphan, and so fulfilled the law.

He greeted his employees every day with a blessing. “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.”

He knew is employees and they knew him.

He was attentive to their needs, and he recognized when their needs changed.

His employees followed his lead and lived out the culture of care with hard work that he had created.

He was generous and gave to others beyond what was commanded by the law of God.

He welcomed in the sojourner and invited them to share meals with him.

He was pure in his actions and motives, choosing not to use his authority to take advantage of others.

He obeyed God and remained within the authority structures and procedures God established.

He took action immediately and didn’t procrastinate.

He was known in the town among the elders and he upheld the rules and regulations of his town.

He was honest and truthful in all his dealings.

He wasn’t concerned with making his name great, yet his great reputation preceded him before he arrived and it followed him after he left.

This man won the heart of his wife. He redeemed her and “the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to her mother, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!’”

Indeed, his name was recorded in history for Israel and for us to remember and to emulate. But his reward was far beyond the earthly riches of his life.

You see, this man’s name was Boaz. And this son, his name was Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse who was the father of the great King David. This line of David would eventually lead to Joseph, the husband of Mary, the earthly father of the ultimate King Jesus.

The next time you clock in at work, you are clocking in to eternity. What started as simple obedience for Boaz and what started as proper management for Boaz, eventually led to eternal significance for the entire Kingdom of Israel and for all God’s people!

Charles Hodge – “In this world some men are masters and some are slaves. In the next, these distinctions will cease. There the question will be, not, “Who is the master?” and “Who the slave?” but “Who has done the will of God?” … At the bar of Christ and from his hands every man shall receive according to his works, whether bond or free. … At his bar the question will be, ‘What was done?’ not ‘Who did it?’” ¹¹

Therefore, preach the Gospel when you sit at your desk. Preach the Gospel when you walk through your jobsite. Preach the Gospel when you lie down at night, exhausted from a good day’s work. Preach the Gospel when you rise, ready for another day of giving yourself for others. Preach the Gospel until you die.

Should the United States last another 250 years, the company you currently work for probably won’t. Entrepreneurs, your amazing, world-changing, life-altering idea won’t exist in 250 years. In 250 years, you, your children, and your grandchildren won’t exist on this earth anymore.

But you know who will? Christ. And only what you’ve done for Christ will remain on this earth.

There are basically no businesses around from 250 years ago, but there are churches filled this very morning with the souls of people worshiping and praising our Lord God because of saints who preached the Gospel in their homes and in their workplaces before they were buried in the dirt and forgotten by the earth.

Count Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf – “Preach the Gospel. Die. Be forgotten.”

Instead of focusing on how you can make your name great in this life, focus on making great the name of God for all eternity. And leave behind a legacy of faith that passes from generation to generation gathered around the throne of God to praise Him for all eternity.

____________________________________

DISCUSSION GUIDE

*Everyone needs to be somewhat discreet in these first few questions
-What’s the worst work scenario you’ve ever been in?
-What caused it to be so bad?
-How did you act/respond while in it?

In Ephesians 6:5-9 we see 2 realities about being God’s people at work.

1) The Gospel empowers His people to work in a way that is rewarded by Christ. (5-8)
What is your greatest responsibility in the specific job you have?
a) We are to work with obedience.
How do you struggle or excel in submission at work?
b) We are to work with respect.

Can someone share a scenario where they learned to respect their leaders, while in a bad
situation?
How did ‘respect’ differentiate from ‘submission’ in that context?
Which was more difficult?
c) We are to work with sincerity.

Does the mission of your work alter how you handle the bad at your work?
d) We are to work with integrity.
e) We are to work with good will.

Go back through Ephesians 6:6-8 and point out the overriding theme that defines how we are to work?
What are some things we have record of Christ doing in similar scenarios to verses 6-8?
Read Romans 13:1-2, What is something you could start adjusting immediately?
How could you accomplish your greatest responsibility at work even when in a tough environment?

The 2nd reality about being God’s people at work is
2) The Gospel clarifies those in authority will be held accountable by Christ. (9Think about whatever level of authority you may possess…
-Now, what do you think about that statement above related to Ephesians 6:9?
a) We are to manage with equality.
b) We are to manage with justice.
c) We are to manage with brotherhood.
d) We are to manage with self-control.
Which of these 4 do you struggle with in how you lead?
Which of these 4 have you had intentional growth in?
How could you help someone else in this group to grow in that area?

Challenge: Do you work as if Christ will reward you? Do you manage as if Christ will hold you
accountable?

What kind of employee do your boss and coworkers think you are? Do they see you as
disobedient, disrespectful, insincere, deceitful, or combative? Or do they see you working for
your heavenly reward?

What kind of manager do your employees think you are? Do they see you managing with
favoritism, injustice, hostility, and anger? Or do they see you managing as one who is under
the authority of God?

Review the Objective of the Month

How we Act (at Work)

Challenge

DISCUSSION GUIDE

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