Extreme Living In Your Work
TODAY – is our first message in our new series EXTREME living… AND – as we begin I want to give you our definition of Extreme. Extreme; ‘existing in a very high degree, going to great lengths, exceeding the ordinary, the usual or the expected…’ The apostle Paul wrote these words from a prison cell to the church in Philippi (by the way this Wednesday we begin a new study – A Prisoners Handbook For Joy);
“Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.”
CIRCLE - you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ…
YOU KNOW - I think that if Paul were here today he would probably word it this way… “Above all else you must LIVE EXTREME (you must exceed, the usual, ordinary and expected – in your church, home, work, walk & purity)… You must go to great lengths to work together - so that people will be so blown away by how you live… Believe the good news and turn to God.”
UNDERSTAND – we serve and follow an EXTREME God who sent His EXTREME Son to live an EXTREME life and die an EXTREME death… SO – it should not surprise us that HE calls us, to LIVE EXTREME for Him…
AND – since tomorrow is Labor Day, we are going to launch the series by talking about living extreme in your work…
UNDERSTAND - what you do 40+ hours every week, whether in the home the school room or the workforce - matters to God... LET’S – hit the pause button for a second. STUDENTS – as I talk about work today the principles apply to school. Your teacher is your boss… Other students are your co-workers.
QUESTION - do you feel, that what you do during the week matters to God? Listen - it is important that you do, because when you feel that your work matters to God YOU WILL - have a sense of dignity about your work, no matter what that work may be… YOU WILL - have a sense of destiny & purpose and you will have an inner motivation to be distinctive -- to excel - to rise above mediocrity and live extreme...
ON - the other hand; if you feel that your work does not matter to God - that He is not concerned with what you do - you will not have any motivation, to be distinctive; you’ll have no sense of purpose… AND – as a result you’ll find it much easier to make moral compromises during the week.... "Hey it really doesn’t matter if I lie, come in late or work hard it’s only a job, and hey they should pay be more anyway..."
TODAY - I want us to consider two reasons why your work (what you do 40+ hours every week) matters to God... AND - my goal in our time together is to convince you of this truth, and then send you out to your work place with a renewed vigor, passion and purpose....First of all your work matters to God – BECAUSE;
God Is A Worker
LISTEN - from the opening pages of God’s word - it is obvious that our God is a worker... THAT - he is a God who is busy, a God who is on the move.... The Psalmist writes; "...he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep..." - Ps 121:3
IN - the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The sky, water, land, trees, mountains, sun, moon, stars, fish, birds, animals, man -- NONE of what we see existed, THEN God spoke and it was.... (Think about that for a moment - what a mighty God we serve....) And in Gen 2:2; we read;
"By the 7th day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the 7th day He rested from all His work. And God blessed the 7th and made it Holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating he had done..."
AND - David writes; "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands..." - Ps 19:1
"How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.." - Ps 104:24
"Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them..." - Ps 111:2
OUR GOD - is a worker...and we, according to Genesis 1:26,27, are created in His own image... Therefore, we are to be workers... That is why God, after creating Adam (the first man), immediately put him to work in the garden;
"The Lord took the man and put him in the garden of Eden, to work and take care of it..."
BY THE WAY – God the Son was also a worker "My food," said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish His work..." - John 4:34
Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too, am working..." - John 5:17
NOW - before we leave here and move on to the next reason why your work matters to God - let’s note 2 important things about the work habits of the Father & the Son.
Number one; they finished their work;
"By the 7th day God had finished the work he had been doing..."
"My food," said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish His work..."
THEY - both finished their work. No car on the blocks & jobs half done for God and Jesus. They completed their work… AND - that is a good work ethic for us to apply to both our work in and out of the church.
Number 2 – They rested.....
God rested on what day? The 7th day.... AND – in so doing modeled for us the need for regular rest. THE FATHER – rested and so did the Son.
QUESTION - do you think Jesus was a busy guy? He and His disciples had about 3 years to get a lot done... I MEAN - Jesus day planner was constantly jammed packed, but listen to what he said in Mark 6:31;
Then because so many people were coming and going they didn’t even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest...."
Any work addicts out there? It’s an easy trap to fall in to. One more evening at the office. One more hour before we go home. One more shift of overtime. One more load of laundry. One more phone call. One more project - and it can get to the point where we begin to feel guilty if we relax - or we even forget HOW to relax.
LISTEN - when you burn the candle at both ends you are not as bright as you think you are… OKAY – your work matters to God because God is a worker… AND – a second reason your work matters to God (and this is really the heart of my message today) is because God wants to see your work as Ground Zero… FOR EXTREME LIVING… Work is where faith meet life…
UNDERSTAND – though vitally important and most definitely commanded & needed… EXTREME LIVING in the home, walk, church and purity which we will look at in the coming weeks - has a rather limited audience.. BUT – on the other hand our audience at work and at school each week is HUGE! AND – on top of that you will spend so much time there (from age 18 to age 65 you will spend 94,000 hours at work…) and in those same years ~ 2,500 hours in church… AND STUDENTS – each year you spend around 156 hours in church – and 1,440 hours at school. GOD - wants to use your work… what you do from Monday Friday as a ‘Ground Zero’ for Extreme living.
Work Is ‘Ground Zero’
There are 4 points in this section of your notes… AND – they are; the principle, the power, the practice and the purpose for living extreme in your work…
OKAY - the first point in your notes is, ‘The Principle’… BUT – before we go there I think we first… NEED – to ‘quickly’ answer another question… What is ordinary, usual and expected in the work place today?
It’s ordinary and usual for workers TO…
• show up late
• not call when they are sick
• not give 2 weeks notice
• not always tell the truth (Just in case your boss catches you asleep at your desk, be ready to blurt out one of these excuses: They told me at the blood bank that this might happen; Whew! I must have left the top off the whiteout; I was testing the keyboard for drool resistance; boy, that cold medicine I took last night just won’t wear off; I wasn’t sleeping. I was trying to pick up my contact lens without my hands, Amen!)
• complain and have a bad attitude
• not work as hard when the boss isn’t around
• use time on the clock for personal stuff (phone calls, e-mail, surfing on the net)
• put in just enough effort to get by
• to eat up the day small talking with other employees
OKAY – that’s a little taste of the ordinary and usual… NOW;
The Principle…
FOR - living extreme in your work… The LORD IS your ‘ultimate’ boss…
CHECKOUT – these two passages from BOTH the pen of Paul and the Spirit of God… NOW – Paul in these verses is specifically talking about the slave-master relationship… BUT – the principle here most definitely applies to the employee-employer relationship and I also think the teacher-student relationship.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. – Ephesians 6:5-7 (NLT)
You slaves must obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Obey them willingly because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. – Colossians 3:22,23
NOW - it may not matter to the people working with you - it may not even matter to the customers - but if anyone cares about your work and your performance, it is your boss... That is why workers straighten up and work harder, when the boss is around...or happens to pop in the room. Have you noticed that? Seen that? Done that?
LISTEN – the LORD is our true boss -- and since God is omni-present -- He is always around... YOU SEE - God, just doesn’t drop in occasionally… He’s always there. Always watching.
UNDERSTAND - whatever you do (manage an office, program computers, market software, construct homes, teach in a school, work in a doctors office, or you are a student a school) - you must; Serve them sincerely, Work with enthusiasm, Work hard and cheerfully… BECAUSE - in reality you are working for the Lord.. He’s your ‘ultimate’ boss!
It wasn’t the job he had wanted… It wasn’t the job that his family had planned for him. The environment was difficult. The location was far away from his home and from those he loved. AND - the people he worked with were difficult (they didn’t believe what he believed, they worshipped other God’s, lived different lives, had different priorities…) AND BESIDES – all of that, this job wasn’t exactly a career move that he had volunteered for.
YOU SEE - when Daniel was just a youth he was taken captive by the Babylonians. AND - since he was BOTH good looking and smart he was put into an intense training program. Daniel excelled in that program and in everything else that he did. He interpreted many of King Nebuchadnezzar dreams. Dreams that no one else in the empire could interpret. IN FACT - the king was so impressed with Daniel that he made him ruler of the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all the wise men…
Some years later Daniel had to make another ‘involuntary’ career change. YOU SEE – The Persians came in and conquered Babylon… (it was a very aggressive and hostile take over)… AND - when Darius The First, set up his new kingdom, Daniel was given a job as one of his administrators… Let’s pick up the reading at Daniel 6:3;
AGAIN – we have Daniel once more in a job that he did not want… QUESTION – what is Daniel going to do…? The ordinary, usual and expected… OR – is he going to live extreme in his work.
3Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and princes. Because of his great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. 4Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible. 5So they concluded, "Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the requirements of his religion."
6So the administrators and princes went to the king and said, "Long live King Darius! 7We administrators, prefects, princes, advisers, and other officials have unanimously agreed that Your Majesty should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human--except to Your Majesty--will be thrown to the lions. 8And let Your Majesty issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked." 9So King Darius signed the law.
10But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
11The officials went together to Daniel's house and found him praying and asking for God's help. 12So they went back to the king and reminded him about his law. "Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human--except to Your Majesty--will be thrown to the lions?" "Yes," the king replied, "that decision stands; it is a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked."
13Then they told the king, "That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is paying no attention to you or your law. He still prays to his God three times a day." 14Hearing this, the king was very angry with himself for signing the law, and he tried to find a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. 15In the evening the men went together to the king and said, "Your Majesty knows that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed." 16So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, "May your God, whom you worship continually, rescue you." 17A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel from the lions. 18Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn't sleep at all that night.
19Very early the next morning, the king hurried out to the lions' den. 20When he got there, he called out in anguish, "Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you worship continually, able to rescue you from the lions?" 21Daniel answered, "Long live the king! 22My God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty."
23The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him because he had trusted in his God. 24Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions' den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.
25Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: "Peace and prosperity to you!
26"I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God,
and he will endure forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
and his rule will never end.
He rescues and saves his people;
he performs miraculous signs and wonders
in the heavens and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions."
So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian
NOW – that’s what I call - living Extreme in your work! NO - it was NOT the job, the location, the environment OR the company that he would have chosen… AND YES - he had every reason to do the usual and the expected… YET – scripture says that Daniel…was faithful and honest and always responsible… and proved himself capable.
I MEAN – even the King knew who Daniel was really working for… Did you catch what the King said when he got up early to check and see if Daniel was okay? "Daniel, servant of the living God! (not Daniel my servant) Was your God, whom you worship continually, able to rescue you from the lions?"
MAN - that’s awesome! AND – it makes me wonder how did the King know that? How did he know that Daniel worshiped and served God continually? ANSWER – Daniel lived Extreme in his work… faithful and honest and always responsible
YOU KNOW – I’m sure that a few other employees said to Daniel, “Daniel you are just an exile, this isn’t your country, the king doesn’t believe the way you do.. Why do you work so hard all the time? Why do you care so much?” “Because, I’m really serving my God.. I’m doing my best for Him. He’s my boss… He is the one I look to please as I work here in Babylon…
LOOK UP - when you go to work this week – like Daniel you may feel like you are an exile in Babylon… YOU – don’t want to be there (the job, location, and environment is not what you would have chosen… I MEAN - there’s a million other places you’d rather be… BUT – just remember who your real boss is... the LORD! Who? The LORD!
OKAY – the principle for living Extreme in your work is – The Lord is your boss… NEXT…
The Power
For living Extreme in your work is… Focus
The word focus is defined this way…. ”Close or narrow attention; concentration; To converge on or toward a central point”
QUESTION – is there power in being focused….? YOU BET - focus the light of the sun through a magnifying glass, and you can set a leaf on fire. FOCUS - light even more and it becomes a laser that can cut through steel. YES - there is power in being focused. AND – not just with light… BUT – with people.
LISTEN - every athlete knows the power of focus… FOCUS - is the power that;
• drives that little white ball straight down the fairway
• puts the round ball through the rim and the pigskin through the uprights
• Focus is what keeps the feet of gymnasts like Shawn Johnson on the 4 inch wide balance beam
FOCUS – is also the power behind the success of business. Armies and nations. AND BECAUSE – there is so much power in being focused… Our enemies… those who oppose us always try to get us to loose our focus… (free throw & field goal… waves things… trying to get that kicker or guy standing on the line to loose their focus…)
Daniel lived Extreme in his work… AND – the power for that extreme living was his focus… (he never forget who he was and who he served) I MEAN – look at what he did when the opposing team tried to distract him by having the King – make it against the law for 30 days to pray to anyone but the king
10But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
LISTEN – no matter what happened Daniel kept his focus, he kept God at the center and served and worship him continuously even when working for a pagan king…
UNDERSTAND – when you go to work there are all kinds of (things, situations and people) that will try to get you to loose your focus and forget the principle for extreme living in the work place… that the LORD is your boss. THINGS LIKE:
• Unfair treatment, low pay
• No recognition
• Negative, back stabbing, complaining fellow workers
LISTEN – these and many other things will wave in the end zone – trying to get you off focus… AND GUYS – at those times we must hear the voice of our coach… “Forget about the distractions, forget about the unfair treatment and lack of recognition… AND FOCUS – on the fundamental truth that you really are working for me.. I’m your boss”
AND - let me give you our memory verse for the week… (memorize this verse; say it to yourself as you walked into the door where you work and when situations and people try to steal your focus)
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – Col 3:17
UNDERSTAND – that kind of focus will empower you to live extreme in your work…
The NEXT point in your notes is;
The Practice
For extreme living in your work… Just Do It!
“Now that you KNOW these things you will be blessed IF you do them.”
- John 13:17
OKAY – here are 5 things you just need to do…
Do what you’re told
Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters.
– Colossians 3:22 (Msg)
• If they say be there at 7 am ready to go – be there
• If they say I want you to do it this way – do it that way
• If they say don’t do that – then don’t do that
• If they say no personal calls, cell phones or personal computer use – do what your told…
Do your best
And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best
– Colossians 3:22 (Msg)
DO – your what?
YOU KNOW - I think that verse is pretty clear. AND – I also think that far too many workers… (even believers) live in direct opposition to it. AND INSTEAD - do the minimum, just enough to get by?
QUESTION – you do your best at work? LISTEN – it doesn’t matter what your job is you have to do your best… AND – when you will be living EXTREME in the work place. (and you’re true boss will be pumped up and proud of you)
Have a positive attitude
…work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God (there’s that focus point again). – Ephesians 6:7 (Msg)
Do everything without complaining or arguing… - Phil 2:14
NOW – from my experience – complaining, arguing and not smiling are the usual attitudes of many workers today… LET ME – ask you a question… IF - a person; did what they were told; did their best and had a positive attitude would their boss notice? Would other workers/fellow students/and teachers? THAT’S – living Extreme.
Be A Servant
“For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others” - Mt 20:28
LOOK – for ways to serve others at work… (your boss, fellow employees, customers)… AND LIKE – Jesus (who washed dirty feet) be willing to do whatever it takes to serve someone else. THIS WEEK - at your work just don’t look out for your interests but look out and serve the interests of others.
Show Respect
Servants, you must obey your masters and always show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel. 19God will bless you, even if others treat you unfairly for being loyal to him. - 1 Peter 2:18,19 (CEV)
QUESTION – do you show respect to your boss? Does he or she feel respected by you? NOW – you may be THINKING, “they don’t deserve my respect, they are idiots..” YEAH – that may be true… BUT – God says, show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel.
The PRACTICE – for extreme living in the work place is JUST DO IT!
AND AGAIN – Daniel is an awesome example of just doing it’s… he did what he was told,,, he did his best… had a positive attitude.. served others and showed respect (even though his boss was a pagan king who worshiped idols)
The Purpose
FOR – Extreme living is; To Be God’s Light
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16
UNDERSTAND - there are countless people in our society who will never consider going to church on a Sunday morning… I MEAN – Sunday is the day to go to the lake, work on the yard, wash the car, clean the house… sleep in. AND - besides most people in our world think that church is - boring, uptight and irrelevant....
SO HOW THEN – is the message of God’s love & redemption - EVER going to reach them? WELL - God has a plan. It’s an awesome plan, an old plan… IN FACT – it’s been around for 1,000 of years… WE – saw it in the passage I read as we opened up this morning from Isaiah 6…
REMEMBER…?
• THE NATION – is going through a difficult and uncertain time..
• God is still on His throne and He is seated (he has everything under control)
• He sees the pain, the hurt and the needs of His people… and
• He wants them to know that He is still there, that he still loves them and is still is in absolute and total control.
• SO - God the (Father, Son & Spirit) say who will go for us, who can we send?
• Isaiah – ‘send me’
QUESTION – how are the people in our world who are; lost, confused, lonely, doubting & hurting… PEOPLE – whose lives are like those in Judah when King Uzziah died (hard, hurting – not knowing where to turn..) HOW ARE - people who will more than likely NEVER walk into a church building, going to hear the awesome news of renewal, refreshing and restoration in Christ…?
WELL – God has a plan… YOU SEE - 5 days a week - 8+ hours a day, God has His people (those who know Him, Love Him, Been saved by Him) - God has His people going out to them - working beside them, working for them, going to school with them - being taught by them... YES - God has His personal representatives going out to nearly every place in this world.... AND – when those people… WHEN – you and I live EXTREME in our work look out… BECAUSE - some amazing (some God things) are going to happen…
AGAIN – consider our man Daniel. He lived EXTREME as an exile in a foreign country… AND - the results were incredible… LISTEN AGAIN - to those words that King Darius spoke (as Daniel was lifted out of the lions den)…
26"I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end.
He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."
LISTEN – if you are a Christian your number one purpose at work is NOT to get a pay check… BUT RATHER – to be a light for Christ. YOU – are a missionary 40+ hours every week. DON’T ALLOW – yourself to be distracted or loose this focus.
NO – you may not like your job… AND - I’m not saying that you can’t get a new one… BUT – while you are there you are on a mission from God… God knows where you are and he has SENT – you there to reach people for Him.
UNDERSTAND – you do not have to go to Tiawan or Kenya to be a misisoanry (as awesome as that is) ALL – you have to is live EXTREME at your work…
JUST – think about all the contacts that are made each week; by those in this room… I MEAN… we work with them, we work for them… we go to school with them, we are taught by them…
MAN – when I think of the hundreds of touches that you all make each week
• With lost and hurting people
• With people who so desperately need to experience the love of God
• With people who need to know that even in a world FULL of chaos there is a KING on the throne
• With people who are facing a Christ-less eternity…
I get pumped and fired up!!!!! BECAUSE – I know THAT IF we will allow ourselves to be seized by the truth that God calls us to LIVE EXTREME at work (in order to be His light… ground zero) some amazing things will happen!
A BUNCH – of people will have their name written in the book of life… because fo you!
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
