LABORING FOR MEAT OR THE MASTER?
John 6:27
INTRODUCTION:
A. For most Americans tomorrow is a holiday. Labor Day.
1. The idea was first posed by Matthew Maguire in 1882 while serving as the secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York, to celebrate the contribut- ions worker’s had made to the strength, prosperity & well-being of the country
2. The first Labor day was Tuesday, Sept 5, 1882 in New York City.
3. Soon Labor Unions around the nation began to celebrate it as the “workman’s holiday” and pushed for a national holiday.
4. States first began by creating ‘state holidays” – Oregon being first
5. And then on June 28, 1898, the Congress set the Labor Day Holiday as the first Sunday in September.
- Parades, speakers and picnics were a part of the holiday from the beginning.
B. With that in mind let me ask you a couple of questions, "Do you look forward to going to work on Monday mornings?” “Do you really like your job?"
1. Now if you answered "Yes" to either of those questions, then you’re in the minority.
2. Surveys reveal that 65% of American workers are unhappy with their jobs or with working, period.
3. Most go to work because they have no choice about it. "They owe so they work” or they are looking forward to retirement so they don’t have too.
4. And many would tell you that they’re unhappy because it is the same old routine day after day after day.
5. As a result, they often view their life as being an endless merry-go-round, or a rat race
6. A generation ago Tennessee Ernie Ford sang, "You load 16 tons, & what do you get, another day older & deeper in debt."
- How true a feeling today for many.
C. This morning, instead of considering our jobs to be drudgery, I want us to look at them as challenging opportunities.
1. Our Scripture passage is found in John 6:27 and it states, Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
2. What wonderful words – what liberating words if we will understand and follow their meaning. We will look at just two things this morning having to deal with work
a. The Proper Understanding of Work, and
b. The Possibilities of Work
May God bless us with a godly out look concerning our jobs and may we thus bring Him glory in all that we do.
PRAY
We begin this morning by looking at
I. THE PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF WORK
A. The First Work Assignment came as God brought life into the world: Genesis 2:8 & 15 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed…And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
1. Having created all that is, God put man in the garden – His place of paradise and there man sat around munching on fruit cake and drinking coconut juice all day long. NOT!
a. God immediately put man to WORK!
b. Man was to dress the garden – other translation use “cultivate”
c. And he was to keep it – watch over it
2. From the very beginning of creation God intended man to work
3. Before the fall, work was a joyous thing – ensuring things did not get out of control – over grown, or to thick
4. Man had purpose – his body received exercise and he slept good at night.
5. If God, who worked in bring creation into existence, gave Adam work to do, then I think we can say that work is not a necessary evil as many would relate but a God given task to be accomplished with joy.
B. But then something happened, man sinned -Work After the Fall
1. When Adam and Eve violated God’s law, His word, a number of things happened.
2. The one that relates to our discussion this morning is found in Genesis 3:17-19 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; [18] Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; [19] In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
a. Please note that it is not work that is cursed here, the curse was put on Adam’s labor
b. Where as it was relatively easy to dress and keep it before, now it would take strenuous labor – Adam would have to work harder.
3. Folks, the fall disrupted everything – even work is harder because of sin!
a. Think how much easier your present job would be if people were not so mean, jealous, mad, depressed, and unhealthy
b. You get the idea, don’t you?
4. Why do you think a loving God would do that to Adam?
a. I have a proposal for you (this is my idea – not found in scripture)
b. Could it be that God wanted Adam to remember, everyday of his life, that he was totally dependant on Him for life.
c. At one time he had it easy, but he disobeyed, and now God was reminding, everyday as he labored, that the Lord, He is God – and not him!
C. So, as we get ready to move to the next point, remember this:
1. God created work – it is good
2. Since the fall much of that labor is hard, one way or another
3. God wants us to rely on Him and trust him everyday as we work.
Now, lets move on to
II. THE POSSIBILITIES OF WORK
A. There are a lot of wonderful possibilities of work as we will see in just a moment, but I first want us to look at why we don’t often see them
1. Look at the first phrase of our verse for this morning - Labour not for the meat which perisheth,
a. Jesus, the day before He made this statement, had fed 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish
b. During the night he had walked on the water and he and His disciples had gone to the other side of the Sea
c. The next morning the people took boats and crossed looking for Him
d. In so doing they expended a lot of energy to seek after and find him
e. As Jesus speaks to these people he states, Labour not for the meat which perisheth,
2. How does this apply to you and I today?
a. Most people, at least 65%, if not much more, see their jobs, their employment, their labor, as a means to get!
b. They see it primarily as a necessary evil if they want to have food, clothing, housing and other necessities
c. Then they get caught up in the rat race so they can get more things – that they think will make them happy, yet in doing so they spend a greater portion of their day encompassed in the “work” they find no satisfaction or joy in.
d. This is to say nothing about what happens when the desire to get is not fulfilled because of someone or something on the “job”
- Things like frustration, anxiety, worry, anger, depression, ulcers, migraines, and the list could go on and on and on, make the job more miserable.
3. Why do you think Jesus made this statement in His sermon on the mount, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
a. What things shall be added: food, clothing, housing, the necessities of life – stop seeking these – don’t be working for them!
b. Add to this 1 Tim. 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain and you can probably see where I’m about to go with this.
B. There are some positive possibilities concerning our work, John said: work for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life; here are three:
1. You can Work to Serve God.
a. 1 Peter 2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
b. God gave you the job you have, and though it may “pay the bills” there is a greater possibility – even motivation to work and do a good job.
c. You can bring glory to God.
d. Now we can not do that if we are constantly whining, complaining, and gripping about the job - the job God gave us!
e. Stop looking at the job as a way to get and start looking at the job as a way to give and bring glory to God! Seek God’s righteousness first!
f. Every angry, cynical, judgmental, gossiping sinner and saint need to see and hear something different and YOU ARE IT
g. Live to glorify God!
2. Secondly, you can Work to Witness For God
a. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15:58
b. What was the work of the Lord? Jesus said He came to save sinners!
c. You and I are to be about presenting the gospel and leading folks to the Lord
d. Do you go to work each day with the expressed intent of being a witness for the Lord? Probably not.
e. Make it your personal ministry to win, by word and deed, every lost person at your place of employment – if you don’t, who will?
f. Don’t make excuses like, you don’t the sinners in my office – yes I do I was one of them and so were you!
g. Tomorrow, when you head to work, dreading that so-and –so, start asking god to give you a love for them and an opportunity to witness to them
- Understand, though, that it might take a while for you to get into a position to be a witness, especially if you have been mean, or nasty, or…
h. Stop going to work with the intent to get – give the gospel and be a witness for the Lord – your labor is not in vain.
3. Finally, Work to Give From God: remember, all we have comes from God.
a. Ephes. 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
b. Now I know this speaks to thieves, but it has a very good principle attached – don’t work to get and hold onto for yourselves, get to give
c. This can work on many levels
1) As you probably recognize this passage is saying that we should be able to help others – personally, who have needs; I think we would be surprise how much of our “extra” we spend on ourselves
- Is spending this extra on ourselves wrong – we should consider not if its right or wrong, but rather is it best.
2) It also works on the cooperative levels:
a) Giving to the church so they can reach out and minister to others both physically and spiritually
b) Giving to special offerings for the same reason
C. The Possibilities Concerning our work are numerous, we just need to set our minds on things above rather than on thing below
1. Our jobs can become a real joy when we decide that they are a gift of God for the purpose of serving, witnessing and giving.
2. What possibilities can you pray about concerning your work place?
CONCLUSION: In closing, let me say
A. Each of us today need to thank God we have a Job and that it is there to meet our needs.
1. This Labor Day take time to consider what God just might want to do with you where you work.
2. If you are working just to get, ask God to change your mind and heart concerning this matter.
B. Let’s make this holiday one in which we can glorify God: at home this weekend and then in our labors the following week.
ARE YOU LABORING FOR MEAT OR THE MASTER?
