A Biblical Theology of Work

Welcome again to our Sunday evening Lifestream service very much appreciate your tuning in and being a part of our worship time and are hearing the word of God and receiving the word of God. I'm a mindful that all day stay is a day to worship the Lord. So thank you for not only tuning in this morning and scheduling your life around the gathering of the church, but also doing that again this evening. Genesis chapter 1 verse, beginning at verse 26 is then God said, let us make man in our own image, according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the year and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him male and female he created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the year, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And God said, see, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth and every tree fruit yields seed to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the year and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food and it was so, then God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and morning were the sixth day that in Genesis chapter 2 verse eight, the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden.

There he put the man whom he had formed. Verse 15 then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of the to attend and keep it in the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die in the Lord God said it is not good that man should be alone I will make him a helper comparable to him.

The reading at that point we will consider this evening.

The subject the theology of work.

The theology of work before we get to that.

Let me pray and then Rob McDormand is at the sound board and he will queue up for us a video update from herb and Wanda Taylor on their ministry. This is what we been doing in lieu of having live missionaries here. The month of November and reporting on their work. This is her fourth Sunday in November. Let me remind you of what we have heard of the first Sunday in November. We had a video update from Tom and Connie Chapman from Chile and then the next week. Paul Snyder from Papua, New Guinea give us an update. And then last week I and Melody Webster from France tonight on the Taylor and then Lord willing. Next week from the bunions out in Montana. Let me pray and then will see this update from herb and Wanda Taylor father would bow in your presence, with humility of heart and gratitude for for all you have been to us or revealing yourself to us for redeeming us and making us your own or left to ourselves, we would be astray. We would be wandering in the wilderness, we would be on the broad and the broad way that leads to destruction, but how grateful we are that in grace, you came and redeemed us and set our feet upon the solid rock of Christ Jesus and set us on the straight and narrow way that leads to life, father, thank you that we have this privilege of gathering is the people of God in this way on this Sunday evening.

Lord we lift our our hearts to you with gratitude and we look to you in hope and anticipation of that which you yet will do for us. Not only this evening, but in the days and weeks and months and years to come, Lord. Thank you that you are ordering all things after the counsel of your own.

We thank you tonight and we can intercede for others. We thank you for bringing Stuart walk through yet another surgery this week serious aneurysm surgery. The very delicate thank you for giving skills to the doctors to perform this implanting of the stent strengthen this brother and renew them in the inner man in father. If you would please you to honor their plans for him to be well enough to return to Zimbabwe on December 10. We ask that you be with those who have contracted Cove in recent days, we think of Kayden Hammond. We think of Terry and majors Jonathan right. Pray that there but with this infection would be minimal and you would return them to full measure of health.

Thank you for bringing Don Burns through pretty serious foot surgery help her as she is got to be off of her feet for six weeks or so. Thank you for the the improvement that Nellie Hunter is known from the serious elbow surgery in the report that she's not having very much pain and is exercising in is making very good progress.

Thank you for John Spencer being in our service this morning after having a total knee replacement, or we marvel at your healing power in our lives. We pray for Drew Guthrie. She battles cancer. We pray for Alice Marley as she is it why don't wait up and are now. We ask you to help her to Renate read regain her strength for Marseilles counseling was facing eye surgery. This in the next week or so. Father, we again look to you for all of our needs. Thanking you that you're able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think Lord use our time tonight to fan the flames of our affection, increase our love for you. Increase our dedication and our commitment to Christ and his kingdom help us father to be good stewards of life and of the resources that you've entrusted to us. We would commit our faith promise program to you and thank you for this harvest day and thank you for those who have responded already and we pray for others who are praying and contemplating skittering what it is that they will trust you for this coming year or do know the needs that we have in the commitments that we made to our missionary family. We pray that the response would be sufficient to meet the needs that we have engaged in. Again, we commit the remainder of the service in this video update from herb and Wanda Taylor thank you for their lives. Thank you for the way you have blessed them, and equip them and and gifted them. Again, thank you for these things in Jesus name ministries with Baptist church planters.

We continue to see the great need reaching his nanny for our neighbors here in the US. From the beginning. I think all purpose to assist implanting Hispanic Baptist churches partnering with churches to reach its meaning, and for caring ministry leaders since the US is the second largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. We sense the unique urgency of this ministry, we often find our Thanksgiving counseled English-speaking pastors who want to know how to reach Hispanics in their community. Often we direct them to our reaching website for ideas on how to start an ESL minutes questions to ask before starting Spanish ministry where to locate Spanish materials and much more recently we counseled young people in a Christian school in Indiana to learn Spanish to prepare to serve the Lord and ministry this past fall, many college young people gathered around the campfire, we urge them to use their bilingual life. One of our summer sons delete me for two is now married and has helped us with filming and life screaming, and they both are now assisting us with that site also participated in a weekend ministry in Brookfield was constant speaking Spanish group connecting the Spanish pastor over.

Yes, yet another, in addition, we seek to guide Spanish ministry such as Iglesia Bautista de la Leavitt.Gainesville, Georgia well over 50 people meeting in a small house there are a few video clips from that day is gone. Baptist church planters going to say this about these and is not as new as you know is so. One final evening of the start of the new E. Longoria, English. By the middle day spinal master Pena explained that they have a piece of property. The house and $55,000, say but need an architect or builder in order to have the room they need on the same day we ministered in Iglesia Bautista Limited I see it, Pastor Vona and his family have been seeking to gain the residential status since 2001, but after $25,000 in lawyers, they face the possibility of having to return to Argentina a place they have been for over 20 years and their children have never visited Knoxville national conference in outreach ministry.

We need to encourage and manic ministry leaders continues to grow in October 2019.

We had 110 attending displays from 14 ministries for main session and three workshops in our conference in Greenville, South Carolina. We gave away Spanish copies of theology of the family. Copies of Juanita Purcell study and Jane book, like John Bunyan and counseling booklets from editorial Bautista independent herb open the date of the session entitled what is not.

The little lettuce session on church planting by a good Q&A time participant in each of the sessions were also lasting approximately 800 additional we want to share a brief video overview of the day followed by a video from Steve this way for Christ ministry also think to lead this thing in the planting Baptist churches a few reflections on the graduation of the BCP church weekly pay in Arizona in 2013 several years ago, we suggested hiring Spanish speaking pastor and I am about to move to Arizona to help brother Mark and they did and now preaching regularly back brother object was part of him not to committee and their son Aaron is now a student at Bob Jones University last fall to BCP church planter Carlos Vasquez to the Waters conference in Los Angeles where they were encouraged on the 2500 others from the word sadly though Iglesia Bautista biblical liberal and he would California recently voted to close the ministry the death of Carlos by several church challenges sprockets change. However, Carlos is presently ministering in another local minutes and is asked to come and visit that ministry in June.

BCP church planters Niguel and ironically, serving in southern Florida continued a fully disciple number of ministry leaders on a lease there when Miguel also serves as the chaplain at the Pinellas County jail were on the third day. Their son Jonathan was married on January 3 and he and his bride (February 18 in Miguel and also participated in several of our natural alignment. Finally, BCP in the church agreement with Iglesia about the Lafayette Grover Beach, after years of mentoring. Several men in the leadership of the air, there is one finding a way Vasquez became the pastor with the help of Ruth McLean, together with the need.

Making a budget and working to get pastor in ways family here to the states from Mexico.

We hope to see this ministry graduated from missionary status and finally a few personal notes. We are grateful to visit recently with those who first came to know the Lord years ago ministry in Virginia grateful to minister to Hispanic pastors around the country now grateful to be doing premarital counseling for some of our neighbors grateful for our coworkers, and most of all, grateful for the Lord's faithfulness over these years and I'm in that number are number of Christian am also convinced that have we had a better, clearer biblical understanding of theology that we would find more people satisfied in God is called to do so tonight I'd like to focus our attention on that we need a theology of work to give meaning and purpose to what occupy so much of our time. When you think about general terms, starting work at say 16 or 18 years of age and working on in your mid 60s that that consists of 50 years of work. So much of our life is taken up with working and it's not a menial thing is not a useless thing. It's something that is at the core of what God is made us as image bearers. I read from Genesis chapter 1 God created man in his own image and in the context of that instruction and that God-given is that Revelation. God worked for six days and created the universe as we know it. Part of being made in the image of God is that we are a worker and because of that that's what gives meaning to work were God's representative were an image bearer. We are to work as unto the Lord. I don't often use children's stories is an illustration, but I want to do that beginning of this message. Rumpelstiltskin is a German fairytale from the early 1800s it tells a story of a Miller from a village who wanted to make himself appear important.

So he boasted to the king that he had a beautiful daughter who could spin straw into gold. Well, the king called his bluff ordered her to come. He put her in the palace in a tower in order to spin straw into gold by morning, RL's face death. There she was, is the is the fairytale goes frustrated not knowing what to do and suddenly a an elf.

The only way I could describe it, a dwarf appears and offers to do this magical deed for her. He had the power to spin the straw into gold, but in order for him to do this she had to agree to give him her firstborn child, USA will what does that have to do with work. Let me connect. Apart from faith in Christ, our deeds, our works are said to be nothing more than wood, hay and straw. According to first Corinthians chapter and verse 12 when they are tested on Judgment Day for their quality. They will burn up and we will suffer. However, anything done by faith in Christ for the glory of God will survive the fire of Judgment Day and will last for eternity. So in this way, faith transforms straw and makes it gold. That's what we need. We need like I say a biblical theology of work. The story of Rumpelstiltskin is a parable concerning the power of human labor.

The term something worthless in the something of immense value in Ephesians chapter 5 in verse 16. Paul says that we must be redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Redeeming the time in 50+ years of work represents an awful lot of time that need to redeem every minute that God gives to us comes to us as straw worthless fit only for burning. Apart from the Spirit empowered labor those minutes, hours and days will be wasted. But by the spirit we can actually transform the straw of earthly minutes into the gold of deeds done for Christ. They will last. As I said earlier for eternity rewarded on Judgment Day. You see, if we lack a biblical theology of work we will be part of that 75% that are dissatisfied with what were doing. We will suffer loss because we don't understand how what we're giving ourselves to has any redeeming value. Polity and we will be no better than those around us who are grumbling and complaining and enduring their work so to be a better representative of Christ for our own benefit and for the benefit of others. We need a biblical theology of work. How critical this can be how valuable this can be how fruitful this can be to be able to speak in the lives of people in the workplace and bring a biblical understanding of work.

So I looked mature Christian seeks to glorify God and whatever work is hand finds to do, no matter how insignificant that task may seem to be.

It matters not what it is that were doing, making photocopies taking the car to the shop stopping by the grocery store to buy groceries, picking up a friend take him to the do a doctor's visit, what would it whatever it is that were doing can be done. As unto the Lord. Colossians chapter 3 verses 23 and 24 says, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will sit receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.

It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Whatever you do, whatever it is that you find yourself doing tomorrow and the rest of next week, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a it is the Lord Christ you are serving to see if were going to spin straw into gold by following the spirit, moment by moment. We need to live in the reality of these truths by the spirit led labors of our hands and of our minds. We are given the wonderful opportunity and privilege of storing up treasure that will last forever. Those were thinking about this theology of work begin by saying this we were created for work and work is a gift of God. Too many people misunderstand and think work as a result of the fall that it is part of the curse of sin work was created and given demand to do before the fall. Work predates the fall of Adam's, why read from Genesis chapter 1. It presents the incredible labor of God creating the heavens and the earth. God labored for six days and crafted an immense universe filled with the works of his hands in human beings created in his image were created to do work after this pattern. Genesis 215. The Lord took the man and put him in the garden of Eden, what to work at the keep at the till it take care of it to protect it so work is not the result of the curse of sin, the curse is placed on Adam. As a result of his sin was that his work would be cursed and ultimately futile because of a cursed earth, and his own inevitable death. Genesis 3 verse 17 to Adam he said, because you listen to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, you must not eat of it.

Curse it is the ground because of you, through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life, it will produce thorns and thistles for you and you will eat the plants of the field by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken for dust you are and to dust you will return from that day until this day. Men have labored under this curse. Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verses two and three.

Solomon writes meaningless, meaningless, utterly meaningless.

Everything is meaningless. What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun, and that is a perspective that lacks a vertical orientation.

The dozen bring God into the equation. It just simply looking at life and work on a horizontal plane and if we do that we are going to be of that number that finds work very unsatisfactory very on filling pretty much a useless waste of time.

The Bible tells us that there is a day coming that God is going to destroy this present world to make way for a new heaven and a new earth until he does our work whatever it is that God has led us to do should be pursued with diligence with integrity and with focus because second Peter chapter 3 and verse 10 says the heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire in the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. But that does not mean that our labors are worthless. Not at all. On the contrary are works will remain in the record book of God, and they will, and if they are done by faith for his glory we will receive a reward in that day as were thinking about the theology of work.

It's good to consider two examples could look at many examples, but I want to look at the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and then the life of the apostle Paul is to examples or patterns for us to follow. So this is just a collection of verses that speak of the work that the Lord Jesus Christ engaged in when he was on the earth and the work that God directed the apostle Paul to give himself to while he was on the earth.

Listen to what Jesus said in John chapter 4 verse 34. My work or my food said Jesus is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work. John five verse 17 Jesus said to them, my father is always at his work to this very day and I to am working. John 536. I have testimony weightier than that of John for the very work that the father has given me to finish, and which I am doing testifies that the father has sent me.

John nine verse four as long Eddie as it is today.

We must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work.

John 17 four Jesus said, I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do and we could look at many many many more scriptures, but in those ones that I've cited for you. We see an incredible focus. In Jesus, there was no time to waste, and at every moment. He was focused on doing the work that God had assigned him to do whatever you are doing right now is the work that God has assigned you to do. You are to do it with focus and with diligence and with integrity. We see a similar dedication in the apostle Paul who frequently spoke of his work for Christ again. Notice these scriptural sightings. Acts chapter 20 verse 34 and 35 Paul says you yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions and everything I did. I showed you that by this kind of hard work. We must help the week remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

First Corinthians 4 verse 11 and 12 to this very hour we go hungry and thirsty. We are in rags. We are brutally treated. We are homeless we work hard with our own hands. Second Corinthians 6 verse five in beatings, imprisonments and riots in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger. He's talking about that which he endured for the sake of God's elect. Second Corinthians 11 verse 23. Are they servants of Christ. I am out of my mind to talk like this. I am more, I have worked much harder Bennion prison more frequently been logged more severely and been exposed to death again and again falls boasting about his work ethic. I have worked much harder in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 29 he says to this end I labor, struggling with all of his energy, which so powerfully works in me and then second Thessalonians chapter 3 verses seven and eight for you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we need 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 again. Second Thessalonians 3 verses seven and eight, the apostle Paul.

His labors's work, a mixture of practical work for money tent making and spiritual work in the gospel. So what we have here Jesus and Paul set very clear examples before us joyful labor unto the Lord, and no task was beneath them pulled in view tent making as inferior to planting churches. It was all part of God's calling upon his life.

In John chapter 13 Jesus shows us he was willing to do the lowliest of tasks. What was that to wash the disciples feet and as Christians we should never refuse to do some work because we think it is too demeaning.

Christ is removed that excuse from us forever. The straw back to Rumpelstiltskin the straw.

Every moment serving God and others can be spun into gold. So whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do it all for the glory of God so Christian with a biblical theology of work and wash dishes and mow the lawn contain a fence can make a bad could do laundry can change a diaper can cook a meal can rake leaves, take out the trash, and a full floor of other things, to the glory of God. Romans 14 verse 23 says anything that does not come from faith is sin and therefore whatever it is that we find ourselves engaged in to do. If we can have this theology of work that we're doing this, as unto the Lord for his honor and glory.

It will redeem it.

It will make it worth our investment of time and summer of the opinion that when we leave this earth that our work will be done.

Revelation chapter 22 in verse three says this no longer will there be any curse the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in that city and his servants will serve him. His servants will serve him see the removal of the curse is not an end to work, but rather a promise that the work we do in service to God will be richly blessed.

We need to honor God in our work by viewing it as sacred, mature Christian views. His work on that basis. He begins with the premise that Christ is Lord of all and thus he can be willful, glorified in all things early in the church history, there came in on biblical dichotomy between the sacred and the secular, but in those days it was between the secular and what they called the profane sacred.

It was claimed had to do with spiritual work done by professional clergy, priests, and their service to Christ, profane had to do with secular work done by Lehman in the process, in their pursuit of their trades and unfortunately from this false dichotomy.

There became this hierarchy of spirituality that was the class of the professional clerics the popes the Cardinals the bishops the monks the priests and nuns, all of whom gave full time gave their full time spiritual service to God and below them were the less spiritual people who were tradesmen and farmers and housewives and serfs and everyone else. Again, this is a false dichotomy and then never changed until the time of the Reformation. With the coming of the Protestant Reformation. This changed at least among those who embraced Reformation doctrine.

Martin Luther emphasized the priesthood of all believers and he worked out a consistent doctrine of labor listen to a couple of quotations from Martin Luther quote when the maid cooks and cleans and does other housework because God's command is there even such a small work must be praised as a service of God, far surpassing the holiness and asceticism of all monks and nuns." "Seemingly secular works are a worship of God and in obedience well pleasing to God and quote one more quote. Your work is a very sacred matter God delights in it and threw it.

He wants to bestow his blessing on you."

William Tyndale and the English Puritans who followed him worked out.

This doctrine of the sacredness of all honorable work. He said quote the action of a shepherd and keeping sheep is as good a work before God as is the action of a judge and giving sentence or a magistrate in ruling or a minister in preaching and of quote. The Puritans developed this doctrine of a Christians vocation and believe that it was a calling. It was their sacred offering to a sovereign God who sanctifies all of life with his holy presence and blessing. Listen to what one of the Puritans said quote I vocation or calling is a certain kind of life ordained and imposed on man by God for the common good. Every person of every degree state sex or condition without exception must have some personal, in particular calling to walk in.

I wonder how many of you view what you're doing is a calling or is that a new idea. Do you have you isolated that sense of calling to the sacred. All preachers and missionaries are called but those who are not given to those tasks are not called. See, that's a false dichotomy. God calls housewives to be mothers in the home.

God calls men to work in IT work.

God calls Amanda be a mechanic. God has a calling on all of our lives, so worse that where's the biblical precedent for that Ephesians chapter 2 in verse 10 says for we are his workmanship, created under Christ Jesus unto good works, which God have foreordained that we should walk in them is workmanship. God has worked for us to do. He's preordained that we would do that.

That elevates all work to a sacred level. Listen what cotton Mathur said, quote all let every Christian walk with God when he works at his calling act in his occupation with an eye to God. Act as under the online of God." Another words were to work and act like God is our boss. We do our work as unto the Lord God will reward us for our faithful work.

Someday your work matters to God.

Again, I'm convinced that we need clarity in this matter. Talk to so when not so many.

But I I've talked to quite a few men who are frustrated in that which they're doing feel like their life could be more meaningful, more useful than they have this One Life to live and feel understand that where they are at is according to God's calling and having a biblical theology of work they can work there, as unto the Lord, and have wonderful influence and impact and bear fruit unto the glory of God. We need this. We need this desperately mature Christian seeks to glorify God with all of his labor, whether in menial daily chores or in or in a Christian career mature Christian will feel the pleasure of God in all of his tasks. Whether a scientist or working for a pharmaceutical company or janitor or journalist or working as a secretary or missionary learning a language or pastor preparing a sermon or college student studying for an exam or housewife cleaning the dishes all godly work is sacred. What makes a godly what makes it godly is big is that God is assigned to us that were doing our work. As unto the Lord. Whether you eat or drink are whatsoever you do, do it, to the glory of God is what makes it sacred. That's what makes it pleasing to the Lord. Listen to the words of this hymn give of your best give of your best to the master give him first place in your heart, give him first place in your service fully surrender each part give and to you shall be given God's beloved son gave gratefully, seeking to serve him.

Give him the best that you have given your best to the master give of the strength of your youth.

Armed with the sword of salvation join in the battle for truth. Jesus has set the example his life for others. He gave give him your loyal devotion give him the best that you have give of your best to the master. Give him your silver and gold.

Give him your time for the gospel gathering sheep to his fold. Give him your gifts and your talents. All he so graciously gave make him your hearts.

Meditation give him the best that you have give of your best to the master, not else is worthy his love, he gave himself for your ransom, gave up his glory above laid down his life without murmur you from sins ruin to save give him your heart's adoration. Give him the best that you have, shall we pray father, thank you for your kind providence that directs our lives. Thank you for redeeming us us and made it making us sons and daughters of yours. Thank you that you have left us on this earth that you have purposes for our lives, whatever it is we find ourselves doing we can do it as under your glory. Help us father to have a biblical theology of work and may transform the way we engage ourselves and that which you've called us to forgive us for having a secular view of work in joining the crowd that are murmuring and complaining and unsatisfied with what you've called them to do. Thank you for the word of God that speaks so practically to this area of our life Lord redeem these these careers of work whatever it is you've called us to do. Make us fruitful abounding in the things of the Lord, give us opportunity to speak in the lives of others who do not have what you are giving to us.

This biblical theology of work.

Thank you for loving us for saving us for giving us meaningful things to do Lord for working in the home. Help us Lord to view this as a calling from you. We are thinking of missions in our minds immediately go to worldwide mission Lord you've called us to make disciples of the children that you've given to us in our very homes with greater mission work. Could we give ourselves to a greater mission field is there, then working and laboring to see our children become devoted followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bless our efforts in that way. And again thank you for your word that corrects us and instructs us in righteousness now blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God ever and ever