Latest / Finding God at Work / Episode 10: King

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Episode 10: King · Finding God at Work

• 0:06
  (Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Hi, I'm Chris.
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  This is Finding God at Work.
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  In our current series, Imagining Work, we're asking
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  a question.
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  What story about work am I living in?
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  Because we want to live out the story
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  that God is telling about work on the
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  pages of the Bible.
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  And so we're looking at specific images from
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  Scripture, and today's image is king.
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  What does it mean for us to be
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  kings in our work?
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  And what does it mean for Jesus to
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  be our king?
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  We're going to look at king in this
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  episode and servant in the next episode.
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  If by any chance you're a super detailed
• 0:45
  listener, you might remember that the original way
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  I announced the list of images ended with
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  king, friend, servant, emissary.
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  But we're going to flip-flop it into
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  king, servant, and then friend and emissary, because
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  I realized king and servant really are two
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  parts of a single whole in the way
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  we look at the ministry of Jesus.
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  So, yeah, when I listen to podcasts, I
• 1:05
  don't listen that carefully to the order of
• 1:07
  episodes.
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  But just in case, that was going to
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  throw anybody off.
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  So today we're talking about kingship.
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  What does it mean to be kings?
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  We don't have kings here in the United
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  States.
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  This can be a little bit of a
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  foreign concept.
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  But we do have bosses, and there's something
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  about the influence of a boss that actually
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  is resonant with some of what Scripture describes
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  in relation to kingship.
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  I always think of this goofy, made-for
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  -TV Disney movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, called A
• 1:34
  Night in Camelot.
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  I looked it up.
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  It's got like 45% on Rotten Tomatoes,
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  but as a kid, I just loved this
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  movie.
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  Whoopi Goldberg travels back in time from the
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  present, ends up at King Arthur's table, and
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  she becomes known as a knight, and she
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  takes on the name Sir Boss.
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  Even though she's back in a context where
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  there's a literal king, she still wants to
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  be known as a boss, because that's the
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  thing that's resonant for her in her context.
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  That's somebody who has power.
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  That's somebody who has influence, is the boss.
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  And so that's what she's known as for
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  the rest of the story.
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  And that captures how we feel at a
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  gut level.
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  Man, my boss has so much sway, and
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  this is similar to the way that Scripture
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  describes a king.
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  So Proverbs 19, 12 says, a king's anger
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  is like the growling of a lion, but
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  his favor is like dew on the grass.
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  And you could just substitute the word boss,
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  and that's true to our experience, right?
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  A boss's anger is like the growling of
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  a lion, but their favor is like dew
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  on the grass.
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  When your boss is happy and is good
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  at their job and carries it out in
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  a way that's helpful for you, it makes
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  a world of difference.
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  And when they're not, you really feel it.
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  Now, the deeper thing that's in common between
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  our category of boss and this biblical category
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  of kingship is authority.
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  When you've been given authority, when you've been
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  vested with authority, your influence is more potent
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  and more pervasive than it otherwise would be.
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  And there's studies about how this can have
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  negative effects that are even unintended by the
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  people who have authority.
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  So there's a Stanford scholar named Robert Sutton.
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  He shares a story of a CEO who
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  was at a breakfast once at his company,
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  and there were no blueberry muffins.
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  And he just sort of made an offhand
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  comment without even meaning to make a point
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  of it.
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  He's like, oh, there's no blueberry muffins while
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  he grabbed a different muffin and somebody overheard
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  him and then made a note to always
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  have blueberry muffins that catered event in the
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  future.
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  And so that's an example of how this
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  authority, this influence can even have an unintended
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  consequence of wasting staff members' time worrying about
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  blueberry muffins when that wasn't even what the
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  CEO intended.
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  But because he was vested with authority, his
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  influence was more potent than even intended it
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  to be in that situation.
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  This can develop in other ways that we
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  know, like, you know, people laughing at their
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  boss's jokes, even when they're not funny, you
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  know, that sense of having to work around
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  the boss's personality.
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  But it can also manifest in a powerful
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  and good way.
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  When somebody's using the authority they've been vested
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  with to do something good, then their influence
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  for that good thing is also more potent
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  and more pervasive than it otherwise would be.
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  And we see this contrast on the pages
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  of scripture.
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  And one story that I want to go
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  to might be a little bit of a
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  deep cut, but this is from 1 Kings
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  12, the story of King Jeroboam.
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  So King Jeroboam was the king after Solomon,
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  and he was actually the first king in
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  what's called the divided kingdom.
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  So there used to be a single kingdom
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  of Israel, then it was divided into Israel
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  and Judah.
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  And Jeroboam's the one who was right there
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  when that split happened.
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  And he was actually vested with authority by
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  God.
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  It was a prophet of the Lord that
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  came to him and told him that he
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  was going to inherit 10 of the tribes
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  of Israel and rule over them.
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  So that was a God-given authority.
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  But something happened to Jeroboam.
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  Once he had that authority, once he had
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  those tribes with him, he realized, oh, the
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  temple's still in Judah, the temple's still where
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  the other king is.
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  And if people are going to keep going
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  to that temple, I'm going to lose my
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  hold on power.
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  So let me just read a couple of
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  verses here.
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  1 Kings 12, verses 27 to 28.
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  This is Jeroboam speaking.
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  If these people go up to offer sacrifices
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  at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem,
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  they will again give their allegiance to their
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  Lord, Rehoboam, King of Judah.
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  They will kill me and return to King
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  Rehoboam.
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  After seeking advice, the king made two golden
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  calves.
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  He said to the people, it is too
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  much for you to go up to Jerusalem.
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  Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought
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  you up out of Egypt.
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  One he set up in Bethel and the
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  other in Dan.
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  And this thing became a sin.
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  The people went even as far as Dan
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  to worship the one there.
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  Okay, so what's happening in Jeroboam's heart here?
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  Well, he's given something from the Lord.
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  He's vested with authority.
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  And then he becomes so attached to that
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  authority that he's not willing to give it
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  up.
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  He comes to hold on to his authority
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  more closely than he's holding on to God
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  himself.
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  And so he's willing to turn away from
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  God, turn away from the worship of God,
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  worship idols, and cause the entire nation of
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  Israel to worship idols as well.
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  It's not just about his own private life.
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  Because he's been vested with authority, his influence
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  is pervasive.
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  He leads the whole nation of Israel into
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  sin.
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  And so they also turn away from the
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  Lord.
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  And that starts a trajectory that ultimately culminates
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  in the nation of Israel facing judgment and
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  exile because their heart has been turned away
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  from the Lord.
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  So what we see here in this biblical
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  paradigm of kingship is that this influence, which
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  is potent and pervasive, it turns on the
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  hinge of the heart.
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  It turns on the hinge of the king's
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  character.
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  Is his heart faithful to the Lord or
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  not?
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  That's what's going to determine whether his potent
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  and pervasive influence is good or evil, whether
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  it turns people toward God or away from
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  God.
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  So then as we turn towards our experience
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  at work, when we think about authority, we're
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  not necessarily kings in our workplaces, but we
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  still have authority.
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  Each of us has some measure of authority
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  in our work.
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  We have our own little kingdoms that we're
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  in charge of.
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  Now, maybe your kingdom doesn't go any further
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  than the edges of your cubicle.
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  You might be only responsible for your own
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  work performance and what you do, but you're
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  still responsible for that.
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  You still rule over that little area.
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  Or maybe you have responsibility for many other
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  people's work and you have authority that directly
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  impacts many other workers' lives.
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  Either way, you've got a kingdom and there's
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  limits to that kingdom.
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  And within that kingdom, your influence is what
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  makes the difference.
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  Well, just like for the kings of scripture,
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  the hinge of your influence is your heart.
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  Your influence will turn on the hinge of
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  your heart.
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  Who you most deeply are is what's going
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  to affect the people that you lead.
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  And there's no way around that.
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  There's no way to sidestep your character flaws
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  and always be a good leader, even though
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  you've got some unresolved issues in your heart.
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  Whatever is there in your heart, who you
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  are, that's going to come out in the
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  way that you lead for better or for
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  worse.
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  And so just kind of a side note
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  here, not directly related to scripture, but this
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  is actually the dilemma that led to our
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  current constitutional structure in the United States.
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  So in the 1700s, when in the United
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  States and elsewhere, people were beginning to think
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  about how do we form a government without
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  a king?
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  Their concern was that basically human beings do
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  not have good enough hearts to be kings.
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  There had been many historical examples of how
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  kings go bad.
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  And so the question is, how do we
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  come up with a different way to govern?
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  And part of the genius of the structures
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  that emerged was this idea of separation of
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  powers.
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  Rather than having a single person who has
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  the power of justice and the judiciary and
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  the power of decision and agenda, the power
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  of the executive, and the power to set
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  what the law is, the power of the
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  legislation, how about we separate those powers so
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  that even if we've got a bad apple
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  in the judiciary, maybe they'll be restrained by
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  the agenda of the executive or vice versa,
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  right?
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  By dividing up the powers, even if everybody's
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  bad, they might work at cross purposes to
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  each other, and so their badness will be
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  restrained.
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  So that's really what our democratic structures evolved
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  out of, was this sense of how do
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  we get human beings whose hearts are so
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  pervasively bad to govern themselves in a way
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  that's not always bad?
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  This is really insightful.
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  It's something to be grateful for.
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  But it leads us to ask the question,
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  okay, so how do we deal with the
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  darkness of our heart in as much as
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  we do have influence?
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  Like maybe we've solved the problem of one
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  person having influence in a bad way for
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  everybody, but we still have our own little
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  kingdom.
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  And so what does that mean for us?
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  What's a healthy response to the way that
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  our influence turns on our heart, on our
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  character?
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  Well, one response should be, we should not
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  be too fast to embrace a leadership role.
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  Not many of us should presume to be
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  leaders, to have authority over others.
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  I've got a quote from J.R.R.
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  Tolkien here.
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  It's from one of his letters.
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  He says, the most improper job of any
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  man, even saints, who at any rate were
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  at least unwilling to take it on, is
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  bossing other men.
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  Not one in a million is fit for
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  it, and least of all those who seek
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  the opportunity.
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  Now you might think, whoa, Tolkien, he must
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  just be a real cynic about leadership.
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  But of course, we know from Tolkien's works
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  of fiction that he's not, right?
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  The culminating section of Lord of the Rings
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  is the return of the king.
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  There's these beautiful images and passages about the
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  glory of good kingship.
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  So J.R.R. Tolkien was not a
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  cynic about the idea of authority, even in
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  human terms.
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  He's just being honest that out of all
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  the jobs we could have, that's the most
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  improper job for us.
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  Bossing other human beings is not what we
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  should aspire to.
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  And if we acutely aspire to it, we're
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  probably less qualified to do it than someone
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  who's more hesitant about it.
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  So this is not cynical.
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  This is just honest about the human heart
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  and how it works.
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  Not many of us should presume to take
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  authority over others.
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  At the same time, like I said, we
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  all have a kingdom.
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  And you might find yourself in a position
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  of authority over others.
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  It might be that you need to step
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  into a position of authority because that really
• 11:18
  is the right thing, even though it may
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  be the most improper.
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  It may be the proper thing in that
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  moment.
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  And so if you find yourself in a
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  role of authority, then the first question you
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  need to ask is not how do I
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  get the job done, which is the urgency
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  you may feel, but how do I keep
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  my heart fixed on Jesus?
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  How do I not fall into the Jeroboam
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  problem of clinging to my authority more closely
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  than I cling to the Lord?
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  And thankfully, Jesus is the true King.
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  We know that Jesus is the one who
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  is qualified to carry the burden of authority
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  and to carry it well.
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  And even the title that we associated with
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  Jesus' name of Messiah, that means anointed one,
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  like a king was anointed in ancient Israel.
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  Oil was poured on the head.
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  And so I want to just take a
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  moment here for us to focus our hearts
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  on the image of Jesus as King.
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  And I want to do this using the
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  Psalms.
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  So you might think that, oh, that's not
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  the first place you would necessarily go to
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  to talk about Jesus.
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  But because Jesus was Messiah, there are many
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  Psalms that are essentially forms of messianic imagery,
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  even prophecy about the Messiah who is to
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  come.
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  And the writer of the letter to the
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  Hebrews in chapter one, verse eight, points to
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  Psalm 45 specifically as one of these Psalms.
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  And this is a Psalm that's a wedding
• 12:44
  song for the King and the bride of
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  the King.
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  So its original context was the kingship of
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  ancient Israel.
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  The writer of Hebrews says, that's fulfilled fully
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  in Jesus, the anointed one.
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  And he points specifically to the verse that
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  describes the oil of joy that the King
• 13:00
  is anointed with.
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  And he says, that's true of Jesus.
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  Jesus was anointed by God with the oil
• 13:05
  of joy.
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  So I just want to end by reading
• 13:08
  the entirety of Psalm 45 and just take
• 13:12
  time as I read to let your imagination
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  soak in this image of Jesus, the anointed
• 13:18
  one, Jesus, the true King.
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  Psalm 45.
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  For the director of music to the tune
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  of lilies of the sons of Korah, a
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  maskle, a wedding song.
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  My heart is stirred by a noble theme
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  as I recite my verses for the King.
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  My tongue is the pen of a skillful
• 13:39
  writer.
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  You are the most excellent of men and
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  your lips have been anointed with grace since
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  God has blessed you forever.
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  Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty
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  one, clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
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  In your majesty, ride forth victoriously in behalf
• 13:56
  of truth, humility, and righteousness.
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  Let your right hand display awesome deeds.
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  Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of
• 14:05
  the King's enemies.
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  Let the nations fall beneath your feet.
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  Your throne, O God, will last forever and
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  ever.
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  A scepter of justice will be the scepter
• 14:14
  of your kingdom.
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  You love righteousness and hate wickedness.
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  Therefore, God, your God, has set you above
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  your companions by anointing you with the oil
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  of joy.
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  All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and
• 14:27
  aloes and cassia.
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  From palaces adorned with ivory, the music of
• 14:31
  the strings makes you glad.
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  Daughters of the kings are among your honored
• 14:35
  women.
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  At your right hand is the royal bride
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  and gold of Ofer.
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  Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear.
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  Forget your people and your father's house.
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  The king is enthralled by your beauty.
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  Honor him, for he is your Lord.
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  The daughter of Tyre will come with a
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  gift.
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  Men of wealth will seek your favor.
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  All glorious is the princess within her chamber.
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  Her gown is interwoven with gold.
• 14:59
  In embroidered garments, she is led to the
• 15:01
  king.
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  Her virgin companions follow her and are brought
• 15:03
  to you.
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  They are led in with joy and gladness.
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  They enter the palace of the king.
• 15:09
  Your sons will take the place of your
• 15:11
  fathers.
• 15:11
  You will make them princes throughout the land.
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  I will perpetuate your memory through all generations.
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  Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and
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  ever.
• 15:23
  Lord Jesus, we want to see you as
• 15:25
  look for your king.
• 15:27
  We want to share in your anointing of
• 15:28
  that oil of joy.
• 15:29
  We ask that you would do that work
• 15:31
  in us as we do our work with
• 15:33
  you.
• 15:40
  Thanks for listening.
• 15:42
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• 15:44
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• 15:46
  dedicated to forming Christians for mission in everyday
• 15:49
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• 15:50
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• 15:54
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