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Our Undercover Boss

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Our Undercover Boss

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Our Undercover Boss

MP4 Video - 1080p (1.57 GB)
MP4 Video - 720p (970.94 MB)
MP3 Audio (29.71 MB)
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Do we behave differently when we know when we are being watched? We'll consider a story where Jesus Christ became an "Undercover Boss" and what we can learn to help us as we all appear in our own daily “reality” program.

Transcript

[Chris Rowland] I love to take road trips. I like to, you know, set the cruise control in the car, and just enjoy the highway and the various things that I can see out the windows. I do watch the speed limit and I set my speed accordingly. So that usually means that over half of the other drivers pass me by like I'm standing still. That is, of course, unless they notice a police car parked alongside the road up ahead, then those drivers who normally don't hesitate to drive 10 or 15 miles above the speed limit, will all of a sudden drive 5 miles per hour under the speed limit. And that drives me crazy. Why can't they just maintain their speed? You know, I do. And when they slow down, now I have to pass them after they've just passed me. It's kind of ridiculous.

So what causes this strange behavior and why do these other drivers begin to drive so slowly? It's because they know they're being watched, and they know that they can get into trouble. They might get pulled over to the side of the road, maybe they'd get a citation for speeding. So they drive excessively slow, trying to be on their very best behavior, while someone in authority is watching what they're doing. That type of behavior is common. It's not just on the highway. The same thing can happen on the job. I remember a video game from about 25 years ago, that you could play on the computer and there was a special button that you could press when the boss was coming. And when you did so, it brought up what looked like a very generic spreadsheet program so that you looked busy if someone would see the screen.

There's actually an entry on Wikipedia for this feature under the subject “boss key.” The site describes it this way. The purpose of the boss key was to make it appear to supervisors and co-workers, that employees are doing their job when actually they're playing games or using the internet for non-work-related tasks. It was a fairly common feature in early video games for personal computers. So these days, having a boss key is not as common. Some of you young people probably have never seen that since now, applications can be switched to the background very easily. It just takes a little keypress to go back to the actual spreadsheet, not just a fake spreadsheet. So why would a software designer even think of creating a boss key in their software? Well, it's because people often want to appear more productive than they really are when the boss might be watching. A boss has the power to make decisions about hiring or about firing. What would he or she think to see someone playing around when they really should be working? Even an employee who isn't playing a game, you know, maybe it's an employee who is actually working, they'll work at their test just a little bit harder or maybe just a little bit faster to impress their boss when he comes by, whether they consciously know that they're doing that or not. This typical human behavior is what drew people to watch a television program that the CBS network began to air in 2010 based on a show that had become popular in the United Kingdom. That program was called Undercover Boss.

The premise was that someone who ran a corporation, normally the owner, maybe a chief executive or some other high ranking employee, would then go on an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their own company. Obviously, if the executive were to walk up beside an employee in their role as the President or the CEO of the company, they probably wouldn't get a realistic idea of how things were going. Employees would be on their best behavior and they would present situations differently when they know that it's their boss right there watching them. So to get impulse of the true states of their companies, the executive would go undercover.

It's for a similar reason that police, they often will have unmarked police cars, so that they can observe the traffic so that they can do their job without drawing attention to the fact that there's a police officer right there. So on this television program, the executive would disguise themselves usually as an entry-level employee or sometimes even as a customer. They might change their hair color. They might change their facial hair. They might wear a wig or make other changes to their appearance so that the other employees would not recognize them. Then while working alongside these unsuspecting employees, it was much easier to see how their work was or what was not getting done, and how employees treated one another. How did our employees treat our customers? So by getting an accurate picture of how these employees did or did not get work done, these executives could see both the good and the bad.

They could see the unsung heroes who helped everything to run smoothly and they could also see the rude and dishonest employees who hurt the company's reputation. But the key to discovering this information was simply for the executive to fit in and to be unobtrusive by not appearing in their normal role as an executive or a decision-maker at that company. And since the employees had no idea that that person working side by side with them was their boss, they would be more candid than they would be otherwise. Since they were candid, the boss was able to see their character, their goodness, and their ugliness, and all the stages in between. And they had insights into the flaws and strengths of the company from the eyes of those in the trenches.

But today, I wanted to talk about my favorite Undercover Boss story. It's one that predates the program on CBS by a couple of thousand years. In my favorite iteration, we have a high ranking executive. We have the one who built everything from the ground up, who took on the nature of a servant. Let's turn to Philippians 2:5 because this is where you can find the plot summary for this particular story. Philippians 2:5. We read here in Philippians 2:5, it says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men." He looked like a man. "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross."

Jesus Christ, our Undercover Boss, our King in disguise, came to this earth as a human being, not in the form of a King, not in the form of a noble, but as someone with no reputation, just an average person, an entry-level position. And while He was here, He didn't claim executive privilege. He did the same type of work that we all do. He followed the same rules that we have to follow in our positions. We see from this passage that Jesus had all of those perks of being God, so much that He didn't consider it robbery to be equal with God. That's pretty high. That's who He was, truly at the top over all of His creation. But what did He do? He made Himself of no reputation. So that reputation that He had, He made Himself of no reputation. He put himself into a situation where He would not be acknowledged as who He was and treated differently because of that position. He came to earth in such a way that people wouldn't immediately figure out that He was in any way more special than anyone else.

When verse 7 says that He took the form of a bondservant, the Greek word is doulos, meaning not just a servant or an employee that enters into some sort of employment agreement for their services, but He's talking about a slave. He's talking about a bondservant, someone who is bound or subservient to someone else. This would be considered the very bottom level of advancement in society. Now think about that contrast between the ultimate power and the glory that Jesus Christ had before His coming and how He placed himself in the absolute opposite position where you would never look for Him.

He came in the likeness of men. He was just like one of the guys, truly setting up the same premise that is used in that Undercover Boss program. And while there are many various episodes throughout the Gospels of Christ's work while He was undercover, in today's sermon, we'll focus on one particular episode. In this episode, Jesus Christ goes undercover to talk with some of His disciples after His death and resurrection. It's a passage of Scripture commonly called the Road to Emmaus. This particular episode is found in the Gospel of Luke 24. We'll spend a lot of time going through this story today because I want to draw some parallels to Jesus Christ as an undercover boss in this story, and what lessons we might draw from looking at this passage from that perspective.

Let's tune in to Luke 24, where we can see this episode unfold. Now at the beginning of the chapter, we have what is likely a familiar story to almost all of us, how on the Sunday morning after the crucifixion, that the women who went to Jesus's tomb discovered that He was gone. The other disciples, they didn't believe the women's report. And we can read in verse 12, that Peter went away wondering to himself, what had happened? Christ's disciples weren't really quite sure what to make of the situation at that point. If we turn to verse 13, Luke 24:13, we see an incident recorded that occurred later on that same day. Luke 24:13, says, "Now behold, two of them," these is two of the disciples, "were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things, which had happened."

So at the beginning of this episode, we have two disciples walking along a road. They're heading away from Jerusalem, they're leaving the place where so many things had happened just a few days earlier. I mean, Jesus Christ had been handed over to the authorities who sentenced Him to death and they crucified Him. But now these disciples were headed to Emmaus, this is seven miles from Jerusalem. Now a journey like that probably took at least two hours. It's not clear whether they were just going to stop there for the night or whether they lived in that village. So these two disciples were talking with one another about all of these events that had just occurred. They had heard about the women's report, and they also didn't know what to think.

Continuing in verse 15. "So it was while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them." I really wish we knew the content of that conversation those two disciples had been having. The verse says that they conversed and reasoned. Were they in agreement with one another? Were they on different sides of the issue and maybe each was trying to convince the other of what this all meant? We don't know. But what is interesting is the very one who they were talking about, came up to them and joined them on their journey. Who did our boss go to be with after He was resurrected? Did He go to talk to the chief scribes and Pharisees? Did He show up there and explained things to them? Now what an effect Jesus could have had on the Jewish institutions of His day if He had approached the leaders of the Jewish people, and shown them by many miracles who He was and how He had been resurrected, but that wasn't His plan.

Just like an undercover boss doesn't try to infiltrate the management team when he goes undercover, Jesus didn't approach those who had political or religious power. Instead, He went to blend in with a couple of disciples, probably people of no great reputation. If we read on to verse 16, it says something rather interesting, it says, "But their eyes were restrained so that they did not know Him." So these disciples were walking along on their journey with no idea that the subject of their conversation was right there listening to them. This is, again, one of the key elements of being undercover.

You might remember for the television program, the boss might change their hair color, their facial hair, or make other changes so that they wouldn't be recognized. Because if Jesus had been recognized right away by those disciples, well, their discussion would have ended. They would have had their answers immediately as to what everything meant. But Jesus didn't want to be recognized because He had joined them for a special assignment. Now, what type of disguise did He use so that He couldn't be recognized? Apparently, there may have been a couple of different factors at work here. We see in verse 16, that it says, "Their eyes were restrained." What does that mean? Whatever it means, it would appear to me that the disciples, in some way, had their minds blinded so that they couldn't fit the pieces together. It would appear that this restraining of their eyes wasn't something that was their own fault. It seems to be of a supernatural origin. So we shouldn't fault these disciples and say, "Why couldn't you recognize Him?" It really wasn't their fault.

This episode is also referred to briefly in Mark 16:12-13. Feel free to stay where we are in Luke 24. If you just want to briefly look at what it says in Mark 16:12, you're welcome to do that. Let me read to you what Mark's account says. It says, "He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country." So in Mark's account, Mark doesn't mention anything about their eyes being restrained, but instead, he says that Jesus appeared in another form. So what does that mean? Well, Maybe Jesus came up to these two disciples, He was somehow disguised. I've seen people wearing masks lately. So just thought about that this morning with this sermon.

We may have undercover people in our own congregation. So, perhaps Jesus came up to these two disciples in some type of a disguise or with a slightly different look. I'm sure that as a spirit being, it's not that hard for Jesus Christ to manifest Himself in any type of body that He would want to. And certainly, if someone were in a different form or disguised in some way, that's one way that someone's eyes could be restrained from making a proper identification. Now, however, this was accomplished, Jesus deliberately made sure that He wasn't recognized. And in doing so, He was truly able to go undercover and listen to an unbiased discussion between two of His disciples. Jesus wanted to hear that candid conversation with them. And as a result, He would be able to interact with them. He would be able to instruct them, not as the Master that they'd known. Right? So It's different. He'd be interacting with them as a stranger.

So the things He said would come across a little differently. Let's continue the story in Luke 24, moving on to verse 17. Luke 24:17, "He said to them, ‘What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?’" Well, it's not clear how much of these disciples conversation Jesus had heard up to this point. But He breaks into their conversation and asks them this question. What does He ask them about? He asked them, "Why are you so sad?" Well, it must have been clear from the way that they were talking or maybe from the looks that they had on their faces that something was wrong. Something was bothering these two men deeply.

This was a very non-threatening way for Him to break into their conversation. He had noticed their deep emotion, and He asked them a question so that He could hear them explain what they were talking about. But didn't Jesus already know what they were talking about? Well, of course, He did. He already knew why they were sad. But one of the keys to being successful when you're going undercover is not to give away the fact that you already know about that situation that you're placed into. Jesus asked the type of question that was designed to insert Himself into that conversation and to get them to confide in Him what they were going through. So, why were the disciples sad? Well, for one thing, they had just lost their beloved master. When we face the death of someone who we truly care about, it's natural to be sad. Here we have two disciples who had spent many months or maybe even years listening to Jesus and the things that He was teaching them and now He was gone.

It's a natural reaction to be sad. Another reason why they could have been sad was that they may have been disappointed. They might have been disappointed that they put so much confidence in Him. Had Jesus been a fraud? Had they been deceived? Had they followed a hoax? These disciples had an expectation for what they thought Jesus was going to do. But before those expectations could be fulfilled, now He was dead.

Let's see how they respond in verse 18. It says, "Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, 'Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened here in these days?’" We learn here that one of these two disciples walking on the road was named Cleopas. He marvels that Jesus didn't know what had just happened in Jerusalem. Cleopas speculates that Jesus is likely the only person in town who hasn't heard the news. This implies that that word of Jesus's crucifixion must have spread among the entire population of Jerusalem. Everybody must have known, otherwise, they wouldn't have marveled that someone didn't. It must have been the talk of the town at that time.

But Jesus continues to play the part of a stranger and He tries to draw out of them what happened. In verse 19, "He said to them, ‘What things?’" So what we see here is that Jesus came alongside these two disciples in their sadness and He wanted to listen. In one sense, it seems strange for Jesus to say, "What things?" Since the things that had happened were so fundamental and so important to His entire mission as the Savior of mankind. These things that it sounds like Jesus is almost lightly asking about were the bitterness, the sorrow, the pain that He had endured for all of us.

Continuing in verse 19. "So they said to Him, ‘The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty indeed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.’" These two disciples very briefly here summarize Christ's life and His character. They describe His greatness before God. They describe how great He was before the people. And what a contrast it presents that someone's so great and so mighty, someone who was loved by God, who was loved by the people would have been condemned to such a horrible death. So far, the disciples have explained the situation. But now they open up and they explain what it is that's troubling their heart.

Now, they explained the purpose of their conversation to the stranger, verse 21. It says, "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel." What a disappointment! These disciples had put their confidence, their hope in Jesus. They believed that He was going to deliver their nation. Everyone thought that Jesus was going to save Israel and deliver His people right then. But now, He was dead. Their hopes were dashed. They expected that this mighty Prophet was going to succeed. They trusted Him. But they go on to explain something unusual here, continuing in verse 21. They say, "Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things had happened." Okay. So now all of a sudden, they're showing concern because this happened three days ago. So what's so important about three days? I think we know. They don't explain the implication here to the stranger, but it's apparent that three days meant something important to them.

That that much of what Jesus had predicted about his death had gotten through to them. Verse 22, continue saying, "Yes, and certain women of our company who, arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had seen also a vision of angels who said He was alive." Okay. This story is starting to get a little bit strange. Now, not only are they explaining that their Master was condemned and killed, but now His body was also missing. They were astonished that Jesus was no longer in the grave. They certainly didn't expect that to happen in that way. And these women describe a vision of angels saying that Jesus was alive. Could these women be trusted? You know, what was going on?

Continuing in verse 24, "And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see." So the disciples had even sent some others to check out what these women had reported to confirm that Christ body was gone. But this vision that the women had about Christ being alive, there was no proof of that. These others, they couldn't find Him. They didn't see Him anywhere. Surely, Jesus would have showed Himself if He were alive. There was no reason to expect that He had risen just because His body was missing. You know, certainly, all of their hope was gone. So what does the stranger, what does Jesus Christ say to these disciples?

Let's continue in verse 25. "But then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!’”

What an interesting response this is. Here are these disciples have this stranger come up and join them, somebody who appeared to be out of touch, you know, somebody that had no idea what was going on so recently in Jerusalem, an outsider, and this stranger is calling them foolish in their grief. “What would this stranger know about anything? What would He know? He didn't even know what had happened in Jerusalem. He probably even never heard of Jesus. He wouldn't understand.” But Jesus was telling these disciples that they were weak in their faith. Even though they had the testimony of the prophets, they did not believe. Even though they had the evidence of an empty tomb, they did not believe. Even though they had the testimony of the women who had seen a vision of angels, they did not believe. Are we also sometimes slow of heart to believe what God has revealed to us in so many ways?

Jesus was able to reprove these disciples, or reprimand them, not speaking to them as their Master or someone who had authority to correct them, but as someone who came along beside them with no built-in importance. Have you ever been reprimanded on the job somewhere? Certainly, a reprimand from your boss comes across a little bit differently than a reprimand from a co-worker. One of the benefits of Jesus approaching these disciples as an undercover boss is that His words would affect them differently, and they would react differently than if He had revealed Himself right away and was correcting them as their Master. So Jesus continues speaking to these disciples in verse 26, He said, "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" For these disciples, the sufferings that Christ went through weren't expected. They were a stumbling block to them. The facts that Jesus had been condemned to death and that He had been crucified were reasons why they lost faith and confidence to believe that He would rise again. However, this stranger is pointing out to them that just the opposite of that was true.

The fact that Christ suffered these things, was really the appointed way to glory. He wouldn't have entered His glory any other way. What these disciples had interpreted somewhat is a failure of their Master, a failure of what they had hoped for, was, in fact, the only way that their hopes could ultimately be achieved. Was it not decreed through the words of the prophets that the promised Messiah must first suffer before He would redeem Israel? So we see in verse 27, that Jesus took the time to go back and show them that this was true. Verse 27, "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." Now that must have been some sermon. Here we have the Creator of the entire universe, having a one-on-one Bible study with two people. And what a Bible study that must have been. It would have been presented without any trace of doubt about the meaning of a particular passage. There would have been absolute clarity in His interpretation of the signs of the statements. What we wouldn't give to have Christ's words from this conversation written down for us today. While He was undercover, Jesus Christ went back to the beginning and He covered those basics. He explained things clearly. He showed them point by point what they needed to know. We can know things and we may have proved things, but sometimes don't things seem to get a little fuzzy?

Doubts can begin to creep in sometimes for things that we were sure of before. And we can become unsure about things. We can lose sight of the goal. We can lose confidence in what it is that God has revealed. That's what was happening with these disciples. In the same way, workers at a corporation might lose sight of the mission of their company or they're not able to connect with how maybe their particular small role, the job that they do fits into that larger scheme of things. But an executive working as an undercover boss, when he comes alongside his workers, one of the things he often does is to remind them of the company's mission, and remind them why they're there. Help them to connect those dots and realize the importance of what it is that they are doing and how they can contribute, and getting back to the basics.

Jesus was schooling these disciples in the elementary aspects of faith. He was helping to solidify those basic building blocks of belief that they would then be able to build upon, helping them to keep that big picture of Christ's mission, that corporate mission that we also have as members of the Body of Christ. To remain focused on the goal, we also have to have a good grasp of the fundamentals. We see that these disciples had lost sight of the big picture, maybe just for a little while. They knew the goal. They knew that Jesus Christ would redeem Israel, but they let a few unexpected setbacks shatter their faith, Christ was killed. Now three days had passed and His body was missing and He was nowhere to be found. Often situations arise in life that don't go the way that we'd expected, but we can't let those obstacles make us slow of heart to believe God's promises. Let's now move on to verse 28.

Luke 24:28. "Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther." So after this long discussion, Jesus was still unknown to them. He was just a stranger that explained quite a bit. He somehow indicated that He would still keep traveling that road beyond Emmaus, while they were stopping there and keeping up appearances that He was a stranger and wasn't here necessarily to see them. I'm sure He was interested in how they would respond when He pretended He was going to keep going.

Now that they've heard all that he had to say, would they be glad to get rid of Him? Verse 29, no, “But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for its toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to stay with them.” So these two disciples, they showed openness. They showed caring to this unknown stranger. They invited Him to stay with them and to join them in a meal and companionship. It seems to me that by this point, I'm sure that they started to move beyond that sadness that they had at the beginning of their journey. I would assume that they went into the place where they were staying, and they probably were still continuing their conversation. Verse 30, says, "Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them." Here we see that Jesus is beginning to become more than a stranger. This was not Jesus's home, right? And yet He took the bread, He blessed it, and He gave it to the disciples. He behaved like He was the master of the feast, instead of a guest.

But Jesus did this as a way to begin to shed that disguise. He'd likely done that same thing with His disciples many times in the past. And I'm sure there were particular mannerisms in the way that Jesus would bless and break bread. Continuing in verse 31, it says "Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight." Now for the supernatural, whatever it was that had restrained their eyes, that had kept them from making that recognition throughout that afternoon, it was now removed. And the disciples realized that their boss had been with them on that journey. And before they could ask Him any further about it, He vanished. He was gone. His work was complete. His undercover mission with those two disciples had been carried to its conclusion. He had learned what He wanted to learn about them. And He had taught what He wanted to teach them.

Luke has recorded the reaction of these disciples after Jesus vanishes. In verse 32, here in Luke 24, "And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’" These disciples reflected on their journey of that day and the conversations that they had had with this stranger. They truly experienced a change of heart along the way. At the beginning of the journey, their hearts were sad. They were slow of heart. But along the way, the sadness dissipated. Their hearts didn't stay slow and sad. They began to burn. Their faith was being stirred. Their sadness had given away to an enthusiasm that flooded their whole being. In fact, they couldn't keep it to themselves.

Verse 33, says, "So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together." So here we have two disciples, they just spent the entire afternoon making their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a journey of at least two hours. And now it was toward evening. The sunlight was beginning to fade. It was probably starting to get a little dark but what did they find themselves doing? Going all the way back where they came from. So all of a sudden, the pieces to the jigsaw puzzle just fell into place. They couldn't keep the good news just to themselves. They couldn't keep this encounter that they had had with the risen Christ a secret to themselves. So they undid all of their progress and journeyed all the way back to Jerusalem that late in the day. They just had to find the 11 and let them know what they'd experienced. That is excitement.

After traveling all day and having that evening meal, they were compelled to expend the additional energy to return to Jerusalem to share that good news. I'm sure that journey back to Jerusalem, probably felt a lot quicker. I'm sure it went quickly and it didn't take any effort whatsoever. These two disciples felt the need to encourage any other disciples who may have still felt sad, who might been struggling with their faith and trust, and what it was that God had promised. Jesus Christ as an undercover stranger had planted good news that would solidify the faith of His disciples. Well, they found the disciples at Jerusalem talking about how, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” it says. So they added their further testimony in verse 35. And they told about the things that had happened on the road and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

They told the other disciples about their undercover boss. Now on the television program, the undercover bosses are often moved emotionally by the things that they learn about their employees, as they're working there alongside them. They develop a new appreciation. They often develop a new sympathy for their workers. And as a result, the boss usually ends up using his position to help them in some way. When the same way, when Jesus Christ was on earth as a human being, the Bible explains how He was often moved. He was moved with compassion for those people who surrounded Him. We have episodes where He healed their sick, where He fed thousands of people, where He gave sight those who were blind, where He cleaned those with leprosy and even cases where He raised the dead. He didn't use His position to be able to help those people.

Now we might consider how lucky those people were. Those people were really lucky to have Jesus Christ interact with them and meet the needs that they had. How lucky those two disciples were that we just read about to have a personal conversation with Jesus. Wow, wish I could have that. But you know what? We do have the same opportunity. Hebrews 4:15 describes Jesus Christ as a High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses. And He uses that position to be an advocate for us with the Father. Just as Jesus was moved with compassion for those people who physically saw Him, He is also moved with compassion for you. He has moved with compassion for us. He sympathizes with the struggles that we have.

When the two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus were sad, Jesus cared. He cared that they were sad. He came alongside them to strengthen them, to cheer them. What about when we're sad? Does God care that you're sad? Is there any way that He can come alongside you and give you the support that you need when your faith is weak? Let's turn to John 14:15, and we'll see that what those disciples experienced on their journey, that's something that God wants us to experience on our journey too. John 14:15, He says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

This Helper is also called a Comforter, a Paraclete, an Advocate, that God promises will come alongside us and give us that help that we need. It says that God will dwell with us and that God will be in us so we don't have to imagine what it would be like for God to come alongside us on our daily journeys because He promises that He's already dwelling with us. And He's therefore already along for the journey. Verse 18, He says, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." God's Spirit will keep us from being stranded without faith as spiritual orphans. We have a connection to that ultimate power of this universe. And that power is interested in what? In accompanying us, and sympathizing with us, and encouraging us on our journey. How awesome is that?

For those familiar with the television show, you know what happens at the end of each episode, the boss is revealed to all the employees. Sometimes a big meeting is held and the boss reviews what he did, what he learned. The employees then become accountable for their behaviors, the way they acted. You know some get rewarded because of their loyal, dedicated, and exceptional service when they thought their boss wasn't around. Now others who might be less than ideal might be reprimanded, maybe they even get fired. Someday Jesus Christ is going to do the same thing for all of us.

We know that there is a day coming when we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due Him for things done while in the body, whether good or bad. That's 2 Corinthians 5:10. And as Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians, "Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it." That's 1 Corinthians 3:12-13.

So don't be surprised when that time comes. And to find out that God was aware of the work that you performed while you were on the earth. He is fully aware. There's been nothing undercover about it. I've told you, He's there. I've revealed that identity. What I want you to take away from this sermon today is that we are all in our own reality programs. Now, it's not something that's scripted. It doesn't have any sort of fake drama to, you know, raise the ratings. But your boss is beside you and He's beside you 24 hours a day and 7 days each week. He's not simply watching what you do, but He's there to lend a hand.

He's there as a Paraclete, a Helper, and a Comforter to provide that assistance that you need so that you can complete the mission that He's given to you. You know, it's a live episode, so mistakes will be made. But what is God looking for? He's looking for employees who are putting on the mind of Jesus Christ. He's looking for employees who are honest, employees who are committed, not hypocrites who only behave when they're afraid of getting caught. He's looking for employees who put other people's needs before their own. Our Undercover Boss is not simply a boss, He is an undercover King. Let's ask our King to open up the Scriptures to us, to open them up in the same way that He did to those two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Let's ask our king to take our hearts that may from time-to-time be slow or they might be sad, and to help them to burn within us. Let's be zealous about the work that we've been given to do and let's not lose faith and the confidence that God's purpose will be accomplished, and that He's chosen us to be a part of that work that He's doing.