Turning the Rat Race into a Pilgrimage | Part 2

Can you serve God in the workplace? Listen to Adrian Rogers.

You know, so many people say, oh, man, I wish I could get out of this rat race and serve God, bring that split-Level living. Don't get the idea that you have to get into the, quote, ministry to serve God. You'd have a great opportunity to serve the Lord. You see, so many people despise their job and can hardly wait to get here on Sundays so they can, quote, serve the Lord. And there's a bridge between their work life and their worship life. We need to put a little spiritual dynamite under that bridge. You are serving God full time wherever you work and no matter how mundane your job might be.

Welcome to Love. Worth Finding, featuring timeless messages from acclaimed pastor and Bible teacher Adrian Rogers. As believers in Christ, we had the chance to put joy, zest and dignity into the most mundane jobs.

Even the most unglamorous workplace can be a ministry opportunity. If we remember three principles from Athenians, Chapter six, if you have your Bible turned, they're now beginning in verse five, as we hear part two of turning the rat race into a pilgrimage again. Here's Adrian Rogers.

We're speaking today about turning the rat race into a pilgrimage. And this is especially needful not for those who have exotic jobs, but those who have what we would call very ordinary jobs. Now, the three principles I want to give you. But first of all, let's read the scripture here. Features chapter six beginning in verse five. Service. Be obedient to them that are your masters. According to the flesh. I am not talking about the church life. Now we says your masters according to the flesh. He's talking about what we would call today. Your boss in the secular occupation.

Be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in singleness of your heart. As to price, you serve your boss as if he were Jesus.

You say, Wait a minute, Pastor, do you know my boss? That two legged devil? That's what he's talking about here.

Your masters, according to the flesh, treat him as if he is Jesus and not with a service.

That is not just working when he's watching his men pleasers, not trying to butter him up to get a promotion.

But as the servants of Christ.

Watch this. Doing the will of God from the heart with goodwill. Doing service. As to the Lord and not to man.

You're not going to work tomorrow for your boss. You're going to work tomorrow for Jesus Christ. I don't care what you do. You do it. As to the Lord and not to man.

And then notice this. Here's the hidden paycheck.

Knowing that what's ever good any man do with the same, shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be born or free.

Are you ready for these three principles that can put a little grace in the rat race, that can turn the rat race into a pilgrimage? Principle number one. See your job as an opportunity and be grateful if you have a job.

Be grateful. It is a God given opportunity.

You see, for some people, the work is a necessary evil. For some people, it's a cruel master. For some people it is a demanding God.

But what you need to see your work is is an opportunity, a God given opportunity and be grateful.

It is a loving gift. He is my job.

If you have a job. Be grateful.

It is a gift from God and the Bible says in Proverbs. Chapter fourteen in verse twenty three.

In all labor there is profit.

Now here's the same principle. Not only see your job as an opportunity and be grateful, but see your job as a responsibility and be helpful. Look, if you will. And versus six and seven, do your job not with eye services man pleasers, but as the servants of God doing the will of God from the heart with goodwill.

Watch this. Doing service as to the Lord and not demand.

Did you know that your job is really a partnership with God, even if it's what we call a secular job? Did you know that? Don't you think that your job is not important, your job is a part of all of this.

You were to be helpful to others and you're to help yourself be helpful. If you're lazy, if you refuse to work, there's something bad wrong with you. I would say something else. If you don't have a job, go to somebody and say, Look.

Would you hire me? Said, no, I can't. All right. Would you let me work for you for nothing? Just let me work for you for nothing. You tell me what to do. I will work for you for nothing. Before long, you have a job anyway. But if nothing else, you will have the joy of work.

Get out and get busy doing something. The Bible says listen to this second Thessalonians chapter three versus ten following four.

Even when we were with you, we commanded you that if any, would not work.

It doesn't say. Could not work. It said would not work.

Neither should he. It is a sin to feed a person who refuses to work a sandwich.

If he will not work. No. Let him eat. By the way, you start working after a while. If you do that. But we hear that there are some which walk among you. Disorderly, working, not at all.

But are busy bodies now then that are such weak command and exhort by Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they work and eat their own bread.

But G bretheren be not weary and well doing. He's talking about your job. And then we're supposed to take care of our children, not somebody else.

First Timothy, chapter five, verse eight.

But if any provide not for his own, specially those for his own house. He has denied the faith is worse than an infidel.

And then over in Ephesians Chapter four, when Feagin in Chapter six. Paul says this concerning the man who's gotten right with God. Let him the stole deal no more, but rather let him labor working with his hands. He's not talking now about working in the devil. He's talking about what we call secular work, working with his hands.

The thing which is good that he may have to give to him that need.

If you don't work just to meet your needs, you work to meet the needs of other people, that you have enough not only for yourself, but you have enough to give to others who need you. Not talk about those who will not work. You don't about those who cannot work in there, plenty of them. And friend, when a person cannot work, it is our joy, our duty. It is our responsibility to do enough work for ourselves and to do enough work for them also to help those who need help.

Now, listen, you see your job as an opportunity and be grateful. You see your job as a responsibility and be helpful.

The Lord Jesus was a carpenter. He knew what it was to work.

Now, here's the third thing. I want you to see the three principles here, see your job as a ministry and be faithful. Yes, your job is an opportunity.

Yes, your job is a responsibility. But friend, your job is a ministry. Look at versus five to seven a game. Listen to it servants' be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart. Now to score this as under Christ, verse six, not with eye service has been pleasers, but as the servants of Christ underscore that nice talk about secular work during the will of God from the heart looking verse seven with goodwill doing service.

As to the Lord, could it be any more plain that ought to put dignity in what you do.

You are going to work tomorrow morning for Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ. You are serving God.

You know, so many people say, oh man, I wish I could get out of this rat race and serve God for that split-Level living.

Don't get the idea that you have to get into the, quote, ministry to serve God.

You have a great opportunity to serve the Lord. You see so many people come to church on Sunday like it's a weekend hobby. On the other hand, they are going to despise their job and can hardly wait to get here on Sunday so they can, quote, serve the Lord. And there's a bridge between their work life and and their worship life. We need to put a little spiritual dynamite under that bridge.

You are serving God full time wherever you work and no matter how mundane your job might be.

Let me ask you a question. Would you agree with this one tenth of your money and one seventh of all of your time belongs to God? Be careful. It's a trick question.

That's wrong, friend.

It's not one tenth of one, it belongs to God. All your money belongs to God.

It's not one seventh of your time that belongs to God. All of your time belongs to God.

Do you think your life is like a pie? And you say, well, slice it, you know, and all put all these slices. I'll take one tenth of my financial pie and I'll take that slice out and I give that to God. Now I've got nine.

Tends to do what I want with it. No.

Yes, I. Well, I will. I will give. Got a whole day on Sunday. That's the Lord's day then.

I've got six days of my own. No praying. Every day is a holy day. Every place is a sacred place. And that's wonderful. Doesn't that put some dignity into it and say, well, if it's drudgery, then that puts more dignity into it? Lord Jesus, I'm willing to endure drudgery for you.

And if you're getting a difficulty, say, Lord Jesus, look what I am doing for you.

And there is a a delight fullness in even doing that, which is undignified. Now, let me give you the classic example of this. There's a man named Daniel, and Daniel was taken to Babylon.

Not of his own free will. He did not go to some business council, said, what do you think I'd be good at doing? Nor did he choose after getting a degree from in business, from some university where you go. Daniel was what we would call a victim of circumstances, but it wasn't circumstances. Remember what I told you, that those Jews were carried away, captive into Babylon.

And God had caused it to God was over it. And so here's Daniel. He is there in Babylon and he has a job now.

He got into the government's service and he became a governmental employee, a functionary in the government. But he served God while he was working for a pagan ruler. And when they threw Daniel in the lion's den, Darius the king looked in the lion's den. He said there and Daniel six, verse 16.

Daniel, the god that you serve continually has delivered you.

Even this pagan king knew that Daniel and his alternate work was really serving God. Now, I know some of you feel like pastor. You just don't know what is out there. You don't know what I'm facing. You think Daniel lived in Babylon? Man, I live in Babylon. All around me. God's name is taken in vain all around it. Dirty jokes and sexual innuendos all around there. People are laughing and mocking at holy things. Is dog eat dog stepping on one another? Unfair business practices.

A pastor. You just don't know what it's like. Materialism and greed and all of that.

Well, I want to see a question. Do you think it's God's plan that you live in a monastery, that you just go off and get some hole somewhere and pluck a heart or something?

Listen to what Jesus prayed. John, chapter seventeen, verse fifteen for his saints, I pray not that that should take them out of the world, but that that should keep them from the evil.

Notice what Paul said in First Corinthians, Chapter five versus nine and 10. I wrote unto you in an apostle, not to company with fornicators, yet not all together with the fornicators of this world or with the covetous or extortions or with idolaters. But then you must needs go out of the world. Hey, hey, hey. You're going to live with fornicators covered this night. All of these people in this world, they're all around us. The Bible says there in Romans, chapter twelve, verse 21, be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

John tells us this is the victory that overcome the world. Even our faith, we've been saved out of the world, sent back into the world to witness to the world. And that's only biz's in the world we have to take in our world when Jesus comes. We're in this world, but not of this world.

And Jesus said in the sermon on the map, you are the light of the world. I won't ask your question if you're the light of the world. He don't say you're the light of the church. He said you're the light of world. I said, you you're the salt of the earth. You know what we do on Sunday? We come to church and we shine a flashlight on each other. And I'll salt him. And he'll salt me. We're salting each other.

Now, this is the church.

We are the light of the world. That's the reason you were in your job. Where you are. Where do you put a lighthouse?

Downtown Manhattan.

We're out on some barren coast. Where is your light to shine?

Listen to Philippians two verse fifteen that she may be blameless and harmless.

The Sons of God without rebuke in the midst in the middle of a crooked and perverse nation among whom you shine as lights in the world.

That is why you are there in that place that you called Babylon.

That is why Daniel was there.

You say, Well, I want to get out of there so I can serve God, stay there and serve God.

That's where the salt is needed.

You don't put the salt in one barrel and the fish in another. That's where the light is needed. Your job is an opportunity. Be grateful.

Your job is a responsibility. Be helpful. Your job is a ministry.

Be faithful.

I've told you before about four things that I want you to do it tomorrow morning when you go to work and they easier to remember but jot them on a slip of paper.

You would be a witness if you'd let your light shine. Here's what it is, number one.

Do not brag. Do not brag.

Jesus said, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father, which is in heaven.

Now, if you go around there showing how what a good boy you are. Your light is to glow, not to glare there. To see the light, not the lamp. Self-righteous people who the most obnoxious people on earth.

You go and then you start telling his behi you are not to go to those casinos.

Would you get out of here? No. Don't brag. Number two, don't nag. Don't don't always go around the wagging your finger. People's face.

They don't want to hear it. Nobody's ever wonder Jesus by being talked bound to the Bible, says and Colossians four versus five and six walk in wisdom toward them, which are without redeeming the time.

Now listen to this. Let your speech be always with grace. Season with salt that you may know how to answer.

Every man in that great isn't a great lesson.

Walking wisdom toward those without. They all had done all these bad things, preacher. Of course they are their centers.

As what centers do sin.

I'm going to try to teach. Billy goes not to, but that is what they do.

Don't you brag and don't you nag.

And don't you lag. L a g. You carry your part of the load at the job. As a matter of fact, you work just a little harder than anybody else. It's a sin for a Christian to do less than his best. Remember, ascription galoshes to reverse twenty three.

Whatever you do, do it hardly as under the law when a man goes down to the employment agency, he knows how to work. I mean, this isn't this. And by the way, if you have any Christian, send him over. Man, I don't understand these people. They are the hardest working people. They get here on time. They do what is required of them. They do more than is required of them. Do you know if if people start living like that on Monday, they start believe what I preach on Sunday. Did you know that? If we were to take watch in this place and just put it out into the community.

Don't brag. Don't nag. Don't lag.

And here's the last one. Don't sag though. SAG never let down in your Christian faith. Me. They will remember one little malfeasance more than so much good that you do. Don't know side. Don't let down. Don't look at that dirty, obscene joke.

Don't join in some sort of petty gossip. Don't let down. Don't sag in your Christian witness. Will you say? Well, Pastor, I am got what it takes. That's right.

You don't. There's only one person is ever live a Christian life. You know his name. Jesus. And if he's lived in that office where you work, it'll be Jesus in you. And that's the reason that you need to get up a little earlier tomorrow morning and have a quiet time with the Lord and load up on the Lord Jesus Christ and be so filled with him that when you walk into that office, God will be walking into that office because Christ will be in you.

And you'll see your job as an opportunity. You'll be thankful and you'll see your job as as a responsibility and you'll be helpful. And then you'll see your job as a ministry and you'll be faithful. And you know what'll happen.

I'll guarantee I'll just guarantee you they will come to you and say, hey, man, what makes you tick? How do you live this way? You're different.

They will see the difference. They'll see the reality. Jesus Christ.

And you folks, I won't say this much. Most people are not all that interested in going to heaven or hell.

They want to know how to hack it on Monday. That's right.

You just you just come into your job with victory with a..

And let them see the light, the love, the joy, the peace that Jesus Christ gives you. I'm not on that bragging.

I'm just talking about reality.

And I'm not saying that you never share Jesus. You do share Jesus with your share Jesus in the right way. Let the grace of Jesus come out of your life.

Share the Lord Jesus Christ. Those are the people that you work with at home and on the job. Who are your first responsibility?

And God bless you for tomorrow morning. Get up and say good morning, Lord. Good morning, Lord.

O Lord God, here I am. And the full time ministry.

And I'm going off to serve my Lord and my savior when I'd be wonderful.

Hey, you can do this without Jesus. You can't do this unless you're saved.

Remember I told you? No one is ever live the Christian life. His name is Jesus.

And if he's lived in your home or in your office or in your factory, in your place of business, it'll be Jesus Christ in you. And he will come into you, energize you, give you peace and purpose if you trust him. If you do not know Jesus, let me help you to be saved right now.

You can be saved right now. I mean right now, for all eternity, instantaneously and eternally today. Now if you will receive Jesus Christ, he died for you. He paid for your sin with his blood on the cross. He proved to be the son of God by the resurrection with many infallible proofs.

He died to save you. He promised to save you. He lives to save you. He will save you if you trust him.

I pray like this. Pray right now. Dear God. I know that you love me.

And I know that you want to save me. Jesus, you died to save me. You promised to save me if I would trust you. I do trust you. Jesus friend. Telling that right now. Right now. Do it for your sake. I do trust you, Jesus. With all of my heart. Forgive my sins. Cleanse me. Save me, save me, Lord Jesus. Did you ask him my faith, pray this way. Thank you for doing it. I receive it by faith. I don't look for feeling. I stand on your word. You're not my lord, my savior and my God.

Begin now to make me the person you want me to be and help me never, ever, Jesus, to be ashamed of you because you died for me. I will live for you. Not in order to be saved, but because I have been saved. I will live for you. I love you, Jesus gave me the courage to make it public in your name, I pray.

Amen.

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And as you enter the workplace today, remember these powerful words from Adrian Rogers, your lightest to glow. Not to glare. They are to see the light, not the lamp. Share the love of Jesus today. And be sure to tune in next time for more profound truth.

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