AUTHENTIC PASSION 4
“Work”
TEXT: 1 Corinthians 3:1-13 Main: 5-13 Key Verse: 9
INTRO: This morning we are continuing our Series “Authentic Passion. This series is based on the 4 passions that a Christian should have in there lives. Authentic Passion4: Worship, Word, Work, & World. As a Christian we are marked by our passion… Our Passion for God. People are always looking and observing us. This morning we want to continue our series by looking at:
“Having Authentic Passion 4 Work”
I made a statement last week and I have since posted on Facebook and twitted it on Twitter: That is…
”If you are working for God then you tend to live and do things in your own strength, but if you are working with God (Partnering with), you are not-relying on your own strength but on His strength and resources.
Let me Explain:
I would rather work with God then for God.! Why in this world would I want to do, design, build, or create anything without consulting God in the planning and doing of not mine, not His, but OUR work together. I work with Him and he uses the creativity and innovation that He has given me before I was ever born to complete any work that needs to be done.
God gives us an example of us partnering with him in 1 Cor. 3: 1-13 but I want to major on vs. 5-13 We READ...
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
Our Key Verse if you don't get anything else this morning is vs. 9 We Are Gods Fellow Workers... We are His partners... We are to work with God not for Him.
Then in verse 13, Paul say's that every man’s WORK will become clear..or made Manifest... This word Work here means labor, something that is done with determination... A lot of times we start out to work for God and we fail because we do it in our own strength and so there is no determination to finish on our part.
The reason for this is because we labor or work for the wrong reason. John 6:27 Says, “Labor not for the meat which perisheth.” We work for personal gain… and often we get so consumed with making money that we don’t see the harm that working only for me, myself, and I causes.
This is we as Christians we don’t work for those things. Sure we have to work but we also know that God is our source.
(ILL) It amazes me that some people will work everyday of the week not because they have too but because there is fear they don't have enough, or that the company will suffer. Case in point… we got employees at Perdue who work all week from 7 or 8 in the morning and then go home late and still work from home on there laptops. This boggles my mind, and they wonder why there families are falling apart, or that the marriage is failing. I said to my boss Friday, have a great non-working for Perdue weekend. He said he would try.
The point is you have to know when to shut the machine down, turn it off and go home. I have said it before Ministry/Working is a never ending thing. You always have one more call to make, email to send, one more appointment…. But at sometime you have got to turn it off and STOP! Stop thinking about the machine. God said to the Hebrews you shall work for 6 days and on the 7th day you shall rest. Hello!!! Even God took a day of rest from work in Genesis when it says on the 7th day of creation God rested.
So in view of all of this how are we to work with God? And how we can work Effectively with Him?
I. WORK WITH ENTHUSIASM
Romans 12:11 “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” The message 11-13 says “Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality
Those who lack interest and fervor are ineffective in working with God.
They give the impression that the gospel is unimportant… People tend to say it’s the preachers Job to get them saved. NO it is not, its my Job to equip the saints (YOU) to do the work of the ministry. We are all in this together. We must work with enthusiasm, and zeal.
Bottom Line: If you are not enthusiastic about this church its mission or the work we are doing with God then we are being ineffective. In reaching the community and we are not showing our enthusiasm for the mission.
II. WORK WITH EARNESTNESS
Matt. 9:37 “the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.”
Many Christians are unconcerned for the lost and the community.
I don’t know when or where it started but its got to stop... We need to take the great commission seriously… its NOT “The Great Suggestion.” I mean this is the Work that God has partnered with us to do. We must recognize the importance of Matthew 28:19-20.
Bottom Line: We must realize that with out the work of the cross and the sacrifice for us we would be head for Hell. We must be passionate earnest about reaching and loving people.
III. WORK WITH EXPECTATION
(Mark 11:24) “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
You work all week expecting a pay check right? Or When a farmer plants corn he expects a harvest in 4 months of sweet corn. So why is it that some Christians lack faith when working with God?
Answer: They don’t expect results, and therefore they don’t receive them. Folks... We must work with confidence. It takes faith to receive Christ; it takes faith to bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ, it also takes faith to see Gods vision and mission take place here in our church.
Bottom Line: Rom 1:17 “…it begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, "But those who are right with God will live by faith”.
We will live by faith with an Expectancy just as the farmer expects to see his crop grow… we to expect to see Gods pan fulfilled in Salisbury as we work with Him not for Him.
IV. WORK WITH ENDURANCE
(I Tim. 4:10)“…You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we've thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We're banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers.”
Many Christians fail in God's work when endurance is required. To be effective we must persevere. We must endure difficulties and distresses without being overcome. (II Tim. 4:5)
You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant.”
Bottom Line: We are going to have hard times, we have gone through different seasons, Yes, even difficult season, but we will see our harvest if we faint not. Our best days and our most blessed days are still to come.
V. WORK WITH ENJOYMENT
Those who work grudgingly are ineffective. They fail to display the joy of the Lord. Neh. 8:10 “The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength” Working happily brings results. Many everyday people are seeking satisfaction that only comes from knowing and working with God. People are attracted to Christians who are full of joy & happiness.
Bottom Line: People are watching you, how you live, work, respond to pressures both at the office, church, publicly & privately.
CLOSING: We are all human, we fail, we are broken people… but its Gods grace that gives us the freedom to explore what a grace giving community is like… remember we are not perfect people, just people who have an authentic passion 4 God and for Work.
Lets PRAY...
