It’s Off to Work I Go (I)
2Thes. 3:6-15
1-05-03
The holidays are coming to a conclusion. Some people are glad. They are looking forward to letting their children go back to school. Some are sad. They are not looking forward to going back to work. The reality is that almost everyone here will report to either school or a job or some responsibility tomorrow morning. I ask you, “Are you looking forward to going to work tomorrow morning?”
Work is a big part of our lives. Statistics indicate that the average worker who retires will have worked 90,000 hours of his or her life. That’s 45 years of 40-hour weeks(1). And that doesn’t include volunteer work at the church or chores around the house. Work is a colossal fact of life.
The way you and I view work will significantly impact our personal happiness, our performance on the job, our success in life. What is your attitude toward work? Where did that attitude come from? A whole lot of people view work as a necessary evil. They see work as the only way to finance pleasure(2). They see work as something in the way of their personal happiness. Therefore, they arrive late and leave early, and in between those two events very little happens. One man was applying for a job. The manager reviewing the application said, “I’m sorry I can’t hire you, but there isn’t enough work to keep you busy.” The applicant quickly responded, “You’d be surprised how little it takes(3).”
This morning I want to talk about nurturing a biblical attitude toward work. What does the Bible teach about work? If I am to see my work the way God wants me to see it, how will I view it?
1st Work is a Gift or Present from the Lord.
Eccl 5:18-20 “Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him-for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.” NIV
In Ecclesiastes Solomon is trying to figure out what life is all about. He is viewing life from a human perspective. He tries out every pleasure and endeavor imaginable. He does it all on a bigger scale than anybody else. And here is a conclusion he comes to:
You had better find some satisfaction in your work. You had better find some enjoyment in its results. You had better accept your lot in life and the necessity of work. Find some way to be happy in your work. Take all that—wrap it up—and realize it is a gift from God. That is a wonderful present from the Lord.
Why does Solomon say this is a gift from God? Because it keeps a person from going crazy thinking about his own mortality. Being occupied with the joys of work and accomplishment, he is not always dwelling on the deep, philosophical issue of death. That is an issue we must face. We must all address that fact. Moses prays in Ps 90:12 “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” NIV
It is essential that we address the issues concerning our own mortality, the brevity of life, the priorities of life. But it is a gift from God that we don’t just sit on a mountain
24 hours a day and think about that. It is a gift from God that we can be occupied with productive things.
God, the Creator, has made us in His image. It is a gift from God that we have the capacity to create results. Only God can create something from nothing. But He has given us the capacity to shape and mold things into beauty and utility. He has given us the satisfaction that comes through doing that. We’ll talk about that more in a few minutes.
The Greeks had a warped view of work. They believed work to be demeaning. The famous poet, Homer, said that “the gods hated men and the way they demonstrated their hatred was to invent work and punish men by making them work(4).” That philosophy has subtly crept into many Christian’s thinking. Is it Biblical? No! “But, didn’t God punish Adam by making him work? Wasn’t that God’s curse on Adam for his disobedience?” No! The curse was the thorns and thistles(5). The curse is the painful toil required to produce from the ground. The curse is the second law of thermodynamics—things run down, deteriorate if not diligently attended. But the curse is not work. As a gift to Adam, God gave man work to do long before the fall. Gen 2:15 “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” NIV
In God’s great plan of redemption work is redeemed, recovered, sanctified along with creation. In heaven, we will not sit idle on a cloud strumming a harp. Eternity could get real, real boring if that’s all we were to do. But God has work for us to do. There’s not much revelation as to exactly what it will be. But work without the curse is clearly in God’s plans for us forever. So, it’s a good idea to get a healthy attitude toward work. In heaven work will be an utter delight. But even now we as God’s people can enjoy the earnest of that inheritance. There is even NOW for the child of God, a sanctification of work.
2nd Work is a Protection from Temptation.
I’ve already mentioned from Eccl. 5:20 that it’s a protection from depression. Some people, certainly not all but some people, are depressed simply because they are not working enough and have too much time to think about themselves. There is a lot of wholesome therapy that can be found in old fashion work.
But work is also a protection from temptation. Have you noticed how much more corrupt our society has become as the emphasis on work has decreased and the pursuit of pleasure and entertainment has increased? Charles Colson and Jack Eckerd (who leads the Eckerd Drug store chain) wrote a book entitled Why America Doesn’t Work. They talk about how the decline of the work ethic is hurting your family and future(6). We are a generation who is borrowing from the past and borrowing from the future when we should be earning our way. And the result of that is--all kinds of social ills. In the early 1800’s farmers didn’t have time for pornography. They were too exhausted to riot. Their work kept them from all kinds of iniquity. That’s part of the problem in our inner cities, not all of it but part of it. Work is a protection. Most of us can’t handle very much idleness without getting ourselves into trouble. When I was growing up there was a common saying that I heard often: “Idleness is the devil’s workshop.” I heard it so much I thought it was a quote from the Bible. Its not a quote from the Bible, but the concept is there.
Remember David’s failure with Bethsheba? What was the set up? He was idle. He was not doing his job as the leader. He should have been out leading the armies of Israel. Instead he let others do his job while he lounged around in the palace. He was not about his Father’s business so he got into the devil’s business.
In the church at Thessalonica there were people not working. How did they fill the vacuum of time? As busy bodies getting into other people’s business, gossiping, stirring up trouble. Paul gave those people a cure for their problem—Go to Work!
3rd Work is a Means of Provision.
2 Thes. 3:6-15 “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."
11We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.
14If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. 15Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.” NIV
Paul gave these people an example and a command. He had gone way past the call of duty in his work. They may have thought he was a workaholic. But he was trying to set an example for them to follow. He also gave this rule, verse 10 “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” Work is God’s normal channel of provision. He can send ravens to feed us. He can miraculously multiply fish and loaves. But usually he gives us a job.
It is presumption to reject that provision and then claim, “I’m trusting the Lord.” Most of the time those people are really just trusting other people to take care of them.
Prov 19:15 “Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.” NIV
Prov 28:19 “He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.” NIV
Robert Frost once wrote, “The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.” Here are a few things said about lazy people:
“He always does an honest day’s work—of course, it usually takes him a week to do it.”
“He’s so lazy they named a shoe after him—the loafer.”
“He’s so lazy, if he woke up with nothing to do today, he’d go to bed with it only half done(7).”
Work is the honorable way to get our needs met. That’s what Jesus did the first thirty years of his life. If he didn’t consider himself to good, too important to work, God forbid any of us would. As a general statement, work is God’s design for man in the rhythm of life. In Psalms 104 David talks about how God has designed creation and how it all functions. In the middle of all that (verse 23) he says, “Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening.” NIV It’s a full day’s work and it happens in the normal course of life.
Ex 20:9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither…” NIV
My subject this morning is not the Sabbath. But I might just point out—it is to be a day “…to the Lord your God.” A Biblical Sabbath is not a day shopping at the mall; it’s not a day at the movies. It’s a day set aside to the Lord. That’s a whole sermon in itself.
But what does the first half of Ex. 20:9 say? “Six days you shall” what? “labor” That’s part of the command. Are you setting aside a Sabbath day to the Lord each week? Are you laboring six days? The labor is not just work done on your secular job. It includes work done at home. It includes work done at the church. There are many Christians violating the principle of the Sabbath and suffering the consequences of doing so. There are also many Americans violating the first half of that command, not working their six days, and suffering the moral consequences of that(8). I personally believe people ought to work half a day. Whatever they want to do with the other 12 hours is up to them(9).
4th Work is a Partnership with God.
1 Cor 3:9 “For we are labourers together with God…” KJV
Work is an opportunity to partner with God. It is not something we are to do independent of God. “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain…” ( Ps 127:1 NIV)
This is a privilege God grants to us: to participate in what He is doing. Jesus said, (John 15:17)
"My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." NIV
For God to be working does not mean I then am not working. He has designed it so that we do it together with Him. A farmer clears the land, plows the field, waters the crops. That’s his God-given part to do. He does that in faith. Only God can cause the crops to grow. God won’t do it without the farmer’s participation. Man can’t do it without God’s participation. It will even happen in proportion to the farmer’s exercise of faith by doing his part.
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Cor 9:6 NIV)
The mark of a leader is he sees the work God wants done and it doesn’t scare him! A follower must be told to do it—sometimes even forced to do it. But a leader asks permission to do it. The leader initiates action based upon what he sees. Nehemiah was a leader. He saw the walls around Jerusalem that needed to be rebuilt. He could have closed his eyes to that job. He was the king’s cupbearer. He had it made. He could have taken his ease and played it safe. But real leaders never do that.
Nehemiah did not see a job. He saw an opportunity to partner with God in what God was about to do. I preached last week on making the most of the opportunities God will give us in 2003. But when God shows them to us, what will we see? Will we see a terribly hard task to be avoided? Will we see a lion in the way(10)? Or will we see an opportunity?
Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work(11).”
The people in Nehemiah’s day did not miss their opportunity. Why, because they decided to work. They were not trying to get out of work. They were trying to get something done.
Neh 4:6 “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.” KJV
Walls don’t get built unless somebody has a mind to work. God could do it without us. But He knows the surpassing benefits for us to be a part of the process.
We will continue with this message next week. Do you have a mind to work? Are you ready to go to work tomorrow morning? Can you do that with thanksgiving for God’s gift to you? Here at the beginning of a new year is a good time to embrace a fresh Biblical attitude toward the job God has given to you.
Prayer & Invitation
Biblical View of Work Series Outline
1. A Present from God (Eccl. 5:18-20)
2. A Protection from Temptation (2 Sam.11:1-3) (1 Tim. 5:13)
3. A Provision for my Needs (2 Thes. 3:6-15)
4. A Partnership with God (1 Cor. 3:9) (Jn.5:17)
5. A Portion to Others (Matt. 20:28) (Eph. 4:28)
6. A Purpose fulfilled (Prov. 13:4)
7. A Proclamation of Christ (1 Thes. 4:11-12)
Take the High Road to Work Tomorrow
Notes:
(1)Melvin Newland sermon entitled “The Joy of Work Completed” (Central Christian in Brownsville, Texas.
(2)Ray Stedman sermon entitled “Work: A Noble Christian Duty—Part 2” (Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, CA
(3)Jeffery Anselmi, sermon entitled “The Right Way to Work” preached June 1997 at Auburn Christian Church in Auburn, IL
(4)Ray Stedman sermon entitled “Work: A Noble Christian Duty—Part 3”
(5)Melvin Newland sermon entitled “The Joy of Work Completed”
(6)Ray Stedman sermon entitled “Work: A Noble Christian Duty—Part 3”
(7) http://www.insultmonger.com/insults/witty_insults/insults_about_lazy_and_useless_people.htm
(8)The congregation knows through previous teachings that we are referring to a principle designed by God for our own well-being and not a legalistic requirement. (Mark 2:27-28) (1Cor.10:23)
(9)A lighthearted statement of humor.
(10)Proverbs 26:13
(11)http://www.insultmonger.com/insults/witty_insults/insults_about_lazy_and_useless_people.htm
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
