Work as Worship, Part 2

Today on Summit life with Jeannie Greer worshiping work seeks to advance Jesus mission work and worshiping work seek to advance Jesus mission were examples of the great commission is the last marching order.

Jesus gave us the work done by disciples of Jesus is always done with a view toward the great commission life events have ever woken up, especially on Mondays. Like today and wondered why you go to work every do you just bide your time until the weekends of these can stay home again is just earn a paycheck to get the next promotion or is there higher purpose for your work today. Pastor Jenny explains how God wants us to think about our careers and challenges us to view them through the lens of the gospel. Let's jump right into today's message titled work as worship leader, not the Bible actually has a lot to say about all back in Genesis 2.

The very first mention of work in the Bible were that God used for workers will abide which shares the same root word as worship.

So in other words, Adam was to worship God in the garden, not just by reading his Bible and praying and staying away from a few bad apples. He was to worship God by doing the things of the garden.

I got a put in there to do.

Surely it is not coincidental that of all the parables of Jesus told the majority of them take place in the workplace and of the miracles that the apostles doing the book of acts 39/40 of them take place outside of the church. What these things are showing you is that the God of the Bible is as concerned with displaying his power outside of the church as he is displaying it inside the church so I want to suggest to you five ways that you can worship God while you work in Genesis chapter 2 is where I'm to be first, and then Colossians 3, number one worshipful work fulfills God's purposes in creation work that is worship fulfills God's purposes in creation of Genesis 215 God placed Adam in the garden of Eden with the assignment to work the ground, and to keep it.

This was before the curse.

So this work was not a punishment.

God gave the man after he said what like the original plan for man was that he was set around the garden. The bonbons and have your angels massage his feet and then after he sin many years. I got an eye getting a job know this is part of the original creation.

The word that God used for work literally means in Hebrew to prepare or to develop, see, there are some of you who in your work feel this almost divine satisfaction.

Maybe you're not even a Christian, you knowing sure what to call it but you just know that there is something when you are working where you feel like you're doing what you're born to do the word vocation comes from the Latin word folk, which means to call calling is not something that just applies to those of us who were in ministry calling is something of vocation is what God put into you. No make you like me for God.

He made you go to what he did or the mass that he wears to serve the world and to create for you. Number two. Worshipful work pursues the highest standards of excellence. Worshipful work pursues the high standards of excellence.

If we do our work on to God. That means we do actually listen to this for God regardless of the reward we get from it. Regardless of the recognition. Paul says this, Colossians 323 whatever you do whatever you do work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord, you will receive the inheritance as your reward because you he says. First and foremost you're serving the Lord Christ you have a higher boss. He says that your employer you work for a greater reward been recognition or salary number three worshipful work reflects the highest standards of ethics. The idea of a lack of integrity in the workplace.

That's nothing new, but work that worships God will conform to the highest standards of ethics because that work seeks to demonstrate and to reflect the justice and the integrity of the God that we work for business ethics really matter to the believer, because our work is done first and foremost unto God and our ethical practices reflect on God, so God says this in Proverbs 11 one. Listen to this false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but it just waits is his delight, a false balance for us means fudging the mileage report means patting the business expense. Those things God says are and abomination to him abomination.

That's a varsity word. It's only used a handful of times in the Old Testament and you would not like the other things are goggles and abomination number four worshipful work makes blessing others. Its bottom line to follow Jesus means that you think about your life the way that Jesus thought about his and the thing that characterize Jesus life was leveraging his position of strength and power not to build his own kingdom, but to serve others. So Paul would say. Second Corinthians 89 a bursae quote to you all the time. Paul says remember the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich. We had a position of power that he was influential though it was massive promotions were in his future right though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty would become rich and Paul.

The application is that's all you want to think about your life, God is made you rich in various places megarich and money leveraging talent by the written position.

He says take those things and leverage them to bless others and serve others the way that Jesus leverages to serve you and we talk about calling for a businessman. I think the clearest parable that I could give you, Jesus told a lot of that the parables almost make you know that there are different people are going like the mission field, and the servant ministry in the Gothic is one that I think is classic for businessperson identity before but will walk you through a quick I'm Jesus is Jesus is not a party and you will draw the party party stung by rich man enters a bunch of other rich people there. You know Jesus was rich but you could raise the dead, walk on water so they got them in places like rich people, parties, and so Jesus looks around at all these rich people and returns his disciples and he says when you thought party don't beat us.

Don't invite a bunch of the rich people who can pay you back. Instead, you do your party ought invite the poor, the lame, the blind people without jobs people.

I can never pay you back in this life, and then you'll be rewarded in the resurrection of the just now to get the scandalous nature of what Jesus is saying you gotta realize listen that business parties in those days were how business was done. But what Jesus is counseling here is economic suicide because what happened is as if I'm a rich man I buy all my rich friends and they'll get to get to know each other right in the business together. But then, the payoff is my rich friend I might've my party to get to know my friends down by previous party. Get to know your circle of friends and I do business with all of them. That's all business… What Jesus is telling them to do is economic suicide.

Listen, he is not giving you rules for how you put together your birthday list is commanding you to think about your life, to a certain filter and that is listen.

If your life or party if your life. Think of it in the metaphor of a party. If your life or party who would you be throwing your party for the party of your job is its wrongful are you throwing a party for those who can benefit you back so that your life is about building this kingdom or have you leveraged your party's exhibit a way for people who may never be able to pay you back in this life, because Jesus said that's what it means to follow me. What is that actually look like in business will start with just her attitude and your attitude. You had the sense that I'm serving other people to give you a certain joy. It's good to give you a certain spirit that you serve with it's going to look like it's a joy to do what you do for other people because you're doing it as a way of washing their feet you get to be like Jesus and that is very likely might mean that you begin to look for places within your job, you can extend the grace and immersing the beauty of the gospel for those of you who own businesses. It means that you think about more than merely personal profit. In your bottom line you start ask questions like this. I know we might make a profit from this, but is a genuinely helpful people I know that I can make money. For example, if your medical professional. You might say I know we can make money off this.

I know it's legal is a genuinely helpful people a lot of things in that field that you know to make money that aren't really in the patient's best interest resort ask questions like how can I use this business not just to enrich myself how I use the bless other people. Now I'm not trying to listen. This, I'm not trying to draw a dichotomy between making money and blessing others.

There is a silly little notion out is popular among especially people that are in our data younger and then is a like all will businesses bad profits bad.

That's just not right is "a good business actually blesses the community elsewhere in this article that was showing how there are several good businesses have been the greatest antipoverty campaigns in the world: more effective than NGOs not got your government, nongovernment organizations that are just giving away charity good business, makes the water in our garage so that all the boats rise not drawn a dichotomy. There, but I'm just saying that if you are in business and you are in control the business, you think not just about personal profits you think about blessing everybody involved. For example, certain kinds of development might be good for a few people might be profitable but are harmful for the majority of people to think through the lens of the gospel with me also that you give away a lot of the personal profit that you make for business.

Why so it really is a non-because you remember the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he was rich for my sake became poor, so you start to say yes God is given me a lot of money through this I'm not in use.

That increase my standard of living.

I'm to use it to increase my standard of giving because I want to do what Jesus did and he gave me this large amount of money so that I can leverage it not to build my own kingdom, but the bill is now before I go on to our last one that I got a quick word of warning for you. Let me point something out. I many people wonder how to be an effective witness for Jesus in the workplace. I'm telling you, just doing these four things are going to set you apart and create all kinds of venues for you to share Christ. Peter said this first Peter 315 in your hearts honor Christ the Lord is always always being prepared to make a defense to anybody to ask you for a reason for the hope is in you peers contact that he's writing into first Peter is a lot like ours, a hostile environment for the gospel. You can go in with your Jesus bracelet and you know just tell everybody hey look, Lynam appreciate he knew you couldn't do that. So what he said is in your heart.

Honor Christ for his holy which we do everything for him like I've been explained to you and what could happen for people to come up you to say I got to know why you do what you do you want to live. Conductor business in such a way that it makes people ask questions. I don't get it.

Why you have such joy in the way that you serve. Why is it that you work so actually even when the boss reward somebody else for what you did, why is it that you forgive. Why don't you hold grudges, why don't you talk about people. Why do you leverage what you have, what you give away so much money. What about this.

Hope it is inside you is a question for you that are business when is the last time somebody came up to you at your work and asked you that question because Peter thinks that it should be happening almost all the time you get that you are to be living in such a way that people see there is got to be a hope motivating them that I cannot understand and I cannot see and I got a know what it is. Otherwise you wouldn't have such joy he would have such forgiveness and you wouldn't be so generous. Are you living in such a way that people are asking a question that leads me to number five and I say lastly but I got a word of warning.

After this, because I know it takes off and I say in conclusion, the do that once, so here's your word, I'm giving you two conclusions. Conclusion I like worshipful work seeks to advance Jesus mission where it can worship the work seeks to advance Jesus mission where it can become the great commission is the last marching order. Jesus gave us the work done by disciples of Jesus is always done with a view toward the great commission.

I believe that the next wave of missions international missions is going to happen on the wings of business. You see, most listen to this. Most of the countries in the world that are in greatest need of a gospel witness. Also those in greatest need of business development if it's fascinating if you lay a map of world evangelization over top of a map of world poverty. You will find that the areas that are least evangelized and also least developed or nearly identical. What that means. It means that you business people have an extraordinary opportunity for guys like me do not have. We call the 1040 window. That name really comes from the fact it's attempts to parallel the 40 parallel. That's it for most of the lost people never heard about Jesus in the world with right window implies, hard to get into and that's you know the description as it is hard to get into you business people. It's not a window it's a door because they are giving you an invitation same.

Please bring your profitable business into here help empower our people and you what you can carry the gospel with you as you go and I want to help you understand is you that are impositions for you actually do something like this. I want to help you understand how your life can count for the great commission.

Maybe everything by this.

Maybe God made you good at that skill. So you could take it take him to places where he is not known. And here's the question. What if God made you good at that skill to open up whole nation of the gospel.

Did you an inheritance that was greater than a bonus at the end of the year he gave you an eternal kingdom, not every Christian I realize you cannot be led to perform their business in unreached people group, but I just wanted asked the question to Seattle this when I was in college I the wrong view of the how God told people I was like okay got him into going along and got if you want me to do some of my life for you, then just let me know.

I was expecting to be like another that writing in the sky or the Virgin Mary appearing in foam of my caramel macchiato with a little message you know do this in and it just never happened.

Then I learned something about the will of God that absolutely change how I look at life and it should change how you look at life and that is you should not be waiting around on Jesus to tell you he wants you to leverage a life of the great commission Yorty did that that call was in the original call to follow Jesus.

That's not a secondary call.

That's the first call he said follow me and I will make you a fisher of men. Which means that it is your responsibility to ask the question how your life can best be leveraged for the purpose of the great commission.

The question is no longer if you're called to be a part of the great commission question is simply where and how the most effective license so quit asking Jesus questions that he's already answered and you start saying Jesus guide me and showing me where I'm supposed to leverage my skill for the purposes of your kingdom. Here's what we said to our college graduates. Whatever you do, do it well for the glory of God do it somewhere strategic for the mission of God.

Whatever you do, not all of you are called to be pastors would be like me. Thank God, right, you're called invocation. Whatever you do, Dennis lawyer doing well for the glory of God do it somewhere.

Strategic why is it that the major factors behind where we get jobs where we make the most money where we want to live or where our family is understood throughout you that there's probably on the kingdom's biggest priorities. I met Cindy can't be considered at all I'm saying. Why don't you make the main priorities where you can be involved in the mission of God. Why not choose the city you pursue employment and based on where you can be effective for the mission.

My Dragon rallied on this woman. Strategic cities in the world.

My opinion for reaching people because of just the way the city make a bit so it might be right here, praise God. Maybe you just need to ask that question. Do what you do well for the glory of God do it somewhere strategic for the mission of God that is a national vision. I think all of us should adopt one more thing for you visibly what you see a man. Proverbs 2229 BC, a man skillful in his work. He will stand the 14 C will not stand for spearmint. In other words, do you work well do you work well and you will stand before the lost kings of the world. And when you do you tell them about the Jesus that gave you the ability to do what you do now is my word of warning, word of warning is this worship God not your work work that is worship. Worship God, not his work.

See when Adam and Eve fell was in this relationship to work fundamentally changed what God had given us to be something that we enjoyed to be something about him glory, and to be something that serve other people retain instead for us. Our primary source of identity and idolatry. You see that others fascinating in Adam and Eve's descendents Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain killed Abel Seth tentatively saved. Cain was the ungodly line Abel Seth was the godly line in Genesis 4 you see their descendents, and you see the most subtle fascinating distinction when it list out the descendents of Cain.

It list out other jobs is these guys are good with with with farms discovered that a billion cities and is never good with music, just write what was happening. Listen, is they were becoming defined by their work that culminates in Genesis 11 of the Tower of Babel when the descendents of Cain, have built this massive tower, the Tower of Babel is a declaration about how awesome they are what God gave them their work to be something that they were supposed to do for the benefit of humans to say look at how awesome God is instead became something that they used to say look how awesome we are. In contrast to that are the descendents of Seth Wilson who were not defined by their work in Genesis 4 look at it. They were defined. Instead, as Genesis 425 those who began to call upon the name of the Lord. The point is not, of course, the worshipers of God don't work or that they work less.

The point is that worshipers of God are not primarily defined by the work. Instead, they are defined by the name of the Lord when they worship because of the fall.

Many of us worship our work and that we make in our identity right is like the second question you asked me what your name would you do many of us are defined and I know many people were defined by the fact that they will have to work anymore. I'm individually wealthy work. Most right we define ourselves by our work on our relationship to work. Work is our primary source of security, which is why you are so paranoid about losing your job, it's writers are discouraged about not having gotten ahead farther is why the thought of neck is like bitwise because it displays God as your primary Social Security your identity mutated do not worship your work. Work is a terrible master God is a much better master God is much better. God gobbled them much more in the give you an identity because you are a son or a daughter of the king. Regardless of your position is also a much better security giver than work ever could be. Because what he says he was this listen, I'm the one who took care of your primary problem which was not lack of education is not a lack of talent and was not lack of money your primary problem is that you are cursing dead in your sin, and I love you so much.

I came in I took that penalty into myself and I gave you new life. Don't you think that if I took care of your primary problem. I'm going to take care of your day-to-day needs. Also, God is a much better God than work is to give your soul to God and then work right and not did your soul were communication we serve God is always saying Jesus is your life. You can actually enjoy the rest of your life. When Jesus is your security and your identity and you don't look to work for that you start ensuring work but when work is your identity and your security becomes toilsome minute become something that causes you a great deal of fear Summit. Listen, I did not want us to ignore this part of your lives, because just timewise is the major party your life is reason 85% your week work matters to God and God matters. You were in your relating that there is so much freedom in getting our soul to God so that we simply enjoy what we do instead of finding our security unit you're listening to Senate life with pastor JD Greer in a message from our series titled God in the rest of the week.

If you miss any part of this study. You can listen free of charge@jdgreer.com. Well I think it's safe to say will all be happy to see the year 2020. In our rearview meet her soon. Right that were not finished with these uncertain times are we. Janie, yeah, that's some quite an understatement back. I was really looking forward to 2020 for a number reasons and I know that that uncertainty.

Yeah, there's no guarantee of when it's going to end and for some of us the there was uncertainty our life before lockdown encoded and and all these things at that took place. You know coming in God's providence he had me write a book called searching for Christmas in which you really just explore what was really behind the promises that God gave about the birth of this baby young people kind of instinctively know that there's something more to Christmas think you little manger scenes and candy canes and Christmas trees. We always know what it is right there sometimes is a meaning longing for meaning or longing for fulfillment family, love, hope this book searching for Christmas shows you how to the birth of the Messiah God gave to a people in a time of uncertainty Messiah that he called wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace. In these names. There are no more relevant names to us in a time of uncertainty than those for names of the Messiah.

I would love to be able to give just one, but a couple copies of this book to you, one for you also want you to give away to somebody else that needs that encouragement during this time to go to Jager.com you can find out all that information and have one extra copy Internet you have the option of getting five or 10 copies for special donation amount. When you request@jdgreer.com you know the most unlikely part in human history the birth the heart of the first Christmas is a sign from God that he has real and he really get involved here on earth really cares all searching for something to hold on to call 866-335-5228 665-5224. You can find and replace the online JD Greer that I'm only benefits sure to join us again next time we were looking at a topic that is relevant all dizziness. Learn how the gospel transforms our schedules listen Tuesday to Senate life dictating