Work as Worship

Janie Greer there are some of you in your work field is almost divine satisfaction. Maybe you're not even a Christian you're going through what to call it but you just know that there is something when you are working for you select doing what you're born to imagine ourselves doing ministry team in the church at a nonprofit organization great things to do. Those are the only places where we can glorify God with our service today on Senate life pastor Janie Greer explained how we can worship God and advance the gospel every day in our workplace. Whether you're working your dream job or whether you're dreaming of the day you can retire your job is way more important. So let's get started on this extremely important topic. Katie titled this message work as worship God, and the rest of the week of the big idea behind this series is that most Christians tend to think of worship or living for God has something to do inside of the church and so to get really committed to Jesus for most people means that you get busy in church registrar volunteering at the church nursery and start attending small group, you start going on a mission trip you serve the same key soup kitchen for a couple hours during the week. The church I grew up in how we handle statement called three to thrive. And it meant that if you're going to be a really committed Christian yet to come to church at least three times a week and I was at the sermon three times a week and in the attic, the other stuff you had to do. I think very wise of you Is busy enough, I wouldn't have time to set but in that line of thinking our jobs are secular jobs, I don't have a secular job that I told you I'm a professional Christian, which means I get paid to be good.

You all are good for him or nothing. So are secular jobs in this kind of thinking are necessities that need to be endured in order to put bread on the table and if God has any interest in our jobs.

It is primarily that we don't cheat and that we tied off of our salaries and when we think about people who do try to bring God into the workplace.

Well all kinds of disturbing images come divine. I point these out to you. You think that to be a Christian business person is to open up a coffee shop called Hebrews or holy grounds or something like that. Maybe for you it's defiantly saying Merry Christmas and that's what you did you say Merry Christmas and some I said happy holidays to you or maybe sneaking into a blessed day. Have a blessed day to somebody better way of the NIU, a Christian worker I'm giving away Jesus the gifts at Christmas. I like your pastor's books gospel in stop messages in your heart that's actually really good idea.

So I want to criticize you for that. But any of the things you like. I was not really sure what I get away with. I'm not. I'm not the I don't know how to be rude and bold. Is that what it really means is that the scope of serving God in your work will believe it or not. The Bible actually has a lot to say about our work back in Genesis 2. The very first mention of work in the Bible.

The Hebrew word that God used for workers. The word 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 in the garden. I got a put in there to do Shirley it is not coincidental that of all the parables that 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. Abraham Kuyper I give you a statement last week said there is not one square inch of the entire cosmos over which Jesus has not emphatically declared mine and I would surely include the places where you spend the majority of your time each week, so I want to suggest to you five ways that you can worship God while you work. Now it's a little unusual because I'm not have one central tax. The way that I usually do is work off of that.

I think I can limited down the two texts Genesis chapter 2 was wearing to be first, and then Colossians 3 minimus regular and other verses liberally along the way. Okay, number one worshipful work fulfills God's purposes in creation work that is worship fulfills God's purposes in creation in 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 it went 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 the night 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, she God made Adam a Gardner, a Gardner is not a park ranger just guards the garden a Gardner is somebody who actually develops the garden, God put Adam in the garden to develop he was to take the raw materials of the earth that the dirt that the plants the seed and he was to the development of the glory of God and for the benefit of the other humans that God would create God made man in his image and the first thing we find about God. In Genesis 1 as it was, that God is a creator. 12 times in Genesis 12.

It's as God created this so God made man in his image. He made him to be a cocreator you remember the word that God used over and over again for his creation. God saw it and it was good@a good is good, but it is not perfect. Perfect needs cannot be improved upon. Good needs of good but it's not being of the work is not the work is not totally finished the way I described that before his son when he gussied my wife on the weekend here at church. She is perfect right cannot be improved upon two beautiful hair, dress, makeup, perfect cannot be improved upon. When she wakes up in the morning to get out of bed. She's good right okay can I say that okay so she's good. You take the raw materials and you develop them a little bit and you get the perfect you get the perfect product why we are not park rangers that were given a perfect creation that we were to merely steward we were gardeners that were to develop that for the glory of God the benefit of humans alive heard it compared to the difference between a stockbroker and a security guard. If I give a security guard $10,000 and I come back in 20 years I should expect to get back from him $10,000. Not anymore. Not a penny less if I give it to a stockbroker than I expected 20 years and I come back that $10,000 to be much more God put Adam and Eve in the garden to be stockbrokers to be developers on. That means that contractors take the raw materials of sand and submit and use them to create buildings. Artists take the raw materials of color or music and arrange them into our lawyers take principles of justice and they codify them into laws that benefit society. These are ways that man and woman are gardeners of the creation God gave and this is key as we do this in a way God is himself at work creating through us.

The reformer Martin Luther took the verse Psalm 147 13, which says this in verse written to Jerusalem.

God strengthens the bars of your gates blesses your children within you makes peace in your borders.

He fills you with the finest of eat and we can Martin Luther ask how exactly does God do that. He said well he strengthened. How does he strengthen the bars of the city. He does that by city planners and architects. He does about politicians you pass good laws to protect the safe house.

You bless our children within our Mets. Well he does that by by teachers and pediatricians. How does he make peace in our borders. When is that by means of good lawyers and policemen.

How does he fill us with the finest of wheat is that by farmers and factory workers and restaurant owners are professions.

Martin Luther said are like the masks that God wears in caring for the world.

He said this when we pray the Lord's prayer we ask God to give us this day our daily bread. You know the Lord's prayer relays and give us is that our daily bread. And God does give us our daily bread, but he does so by means of the farmer who planted and harvested the grain, the baker who made the flower in the bread and the person who prepared our meal.

All these are in play when God answers that prayer for daily bread. She there are some of you who in your work field is almost divine satisfaction.

Maybe you're not even a Christian you really 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 vote, which means to call my like vocal rights of your vocation. The reason they chose that word for is because of like a calling that God put in you, whether you're a Christian or not, because it is the mask he wears to do what he wants to do in the world back there to Old Testament figures in Exodus 31 that are very important. Hardly anybody knows about. Their names are Basil Allen, a holy number their names more bezel and holy out you guys an exit 31. Thereto are the only people in the Old Testament who are referred to as men filled with the spirit of God. Now here's refinishing. How did they express their being filled with spirit which says they were filled with the spirit of God and spoke in tongues and they preach great sermons there were great music now feel the spirit of God, and they were expert craftsmen their expression of being filled with the spirit, was the quality with which they did their work reminds me of that seen in chariots of fire, which is the old movie late 1970s about the Scottish Olympian Eric little, who was was called a very committed Christian plan to be a missionary to China but was also very fast and so is recruiting for the Scottish Olympic team so his sister who had been several members of his family were already in China. His sister comes and says I do not understand. If you were called to go to China to be a missionary. With that being so important, why are you wasting time. You know, things like the Olympics and running and there's that. If you've seen the movie remember the scene where Eric little looks back at her and says yes I understand they got a call me to be a missionary to China. But God also made me fast and maybe fast for a purpose and when I run said I feel God's pleasure there. Some of you in business that resonate with that feeling really sure how to describe it, but there's a certain divine pleasure.

I feel when I'm doing the work that I I do this is what I was made for its like I feel even the spirit of God at work in me. In this not one word of clarification. One of the curses of the fall was that our work became toilsome God cursed the ground and said that thorns and thistles would frustrate our efforts to work at that point for many people became a compulsory act of survival for many of you your work is partially fulfilling but it is also toilsome and reigning insecticides that it is true for all of us. For others of you.

You hate your job entirely right in your plan is doing to survive if I can quit tomorrow. I would love the walking offices that I quit justly on the fill in any kind of divine satisfaction on what you talking about I those effects are part of the sad result of the curse and you may have to work for a while in that kind of conditioning that made your whole life. One guy I was reading, said that our generation, meaning the generation that is graduating from college right now our generation insist that work be fulfilling and fruitful that it fully fit our talents and our dreams and that we be paid exorbitantly for it right so you got college graduates are like. I really just love the colors that are in them only sentence on the art history major in Oxford, a $300,000 a year to know the difference in the two kind of like that are in the colors of the motor you like.

That's maybe not happen okay because his, that sounds great. It sounds great but that's not the world we live in any longer. It's the world. Adam and Eve used to live in.

So what you do if you're in that kind of job. Well, you can still do it faithfully as an act of service to other people is still helping somebody in there can be a certain pleasure in that and you have to wait until having to be fully fulfilled in your work and you might consider that there could be a distinction between your job and the pursuit of the calling that God has placed in you. For example, the apostle Paul's calling was to be an apostle to the Gentiles.

He was also a tent maker's of making tents was a part of Paul's calling, but it was not the heart of God's calling. There are some people who do other things to free them to do what they think of is the main thing in their life.

But what I wanted you to see from this first major point is simply this calling is not something that just applies to those of us who were in ministry calling is something vocation is what God put into you know make you like me think God made you go to what he digs or the mask 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 in everything you do. It's an offering unto him, and everything you do is to put on display the worthiness that he deserves to see somebody says to me, will my boss is terrible. She or he never reported to me properly.

I don't ever get the proper recognition never get the bonus if I got Morgan and Dana taken a credit for what I do this and I know that's hard and at least a lack of loss of motivation. But here's what you got understand you're not really doing it for him or for your doing a first for God. Interestingly, the people to whom Paul is writing this, many of them are in the worst possible job situation, you see that the person is that slaves, obey your masters. That's a bad job situation right simulant Mama boss totally owns me. For them it was literal. The balls actually own them right. Even they are, however, Paul says in those terrible, not rewarding circumstances there to do their work on to God is a statement of his worthiness pulse of this is one of things, especially separate Christians and set them apart is that they do the work for the glory of God to the weather. They eat or drink or mop floors or write contracts they're doing it to show how beautiful and how worthy God is on their very best offering.

That means for the Christian in everything they do.

They say this is a statement about your worthiness and your glory. Number three worshipful work reflects the highest standards of ethics were support reflect the high standards of ethics British politician and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle worked in the British government for years once played a practical joke on 12 other prominent politicians and business people in Britain Great Britain.

The cinema just a telegram anonymous but Odyssey from inside the government but to flee the country at once all has been discovered. The check back in six hours and all 12 were making plans to leave the country.

So the idea of 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. False balance you and that means when they're weighed out something and sleep a little extra. Lately I've some of looks like it's one way, but it's actually lowered its extra weight so you would get a false balance false balance for us means fudging the mileage report means patting a business expense means overcharging any skimping on a timecard calling in sick when you are not commandeering office supplies for personal use unreported income and so on those things God says are in 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 glasses. These kind of things. These are an abomination to me to worship God in your word means having standards higher than even the world does is going beyond the world standards. I cannot tell you how many questions I've heard say and I hate to say this summer, you were not Christian joy. This is exactly what I was hoping to get a church even here for me.

I don't like to do business with other Christians. They feckless in this. I saw an interview in a Christian publication with the CEO of one of the largest consulting groups for Microsoft software is an industry veteran and he's a solid believer in the interview he said he no longer likes to do work with professing Christian companies accountable like a fish in a business card, accounting he said because of your civil why is it because once the other business finds out that I'm also a Christian. They take what he calls extensions of grace not take the form of not paying on time not delivering work and promised asking for for your labor direct reductions when the really you know that there's no reason for them. I would refer to as the ministry discount like you love Jesus I love Jesus and I was going to slacken my work toward you.

He said I just really don't do it that way. I don't how many waitresses I've heard say I don't like the way non-Christians if they find that I'm a Christian and there can I go to because you know you want about sin is like that. She's letting them out of the tax if they had a paid like I go*instant told that, especially if you put down a summit your card. Do not.

I swear I will come to your house.

If we find you do that okay if you put down anything in some churches may Monica be at least 20% right.

I'm serious. If you put out a lesson that had been like figure from, but the atheist club or something like that in you and give it a skinny dip. But whatever you're doing.

See, it ought to be higher than what the world does. It ought not go less of more. Psalm 51 to give you this from the message translation. I hate the message. That's why never quote from it, and I hate it because of the first verse here because it's so cheesy every time am I asked for forgiveness among artisans. I get done reading this, but the second verse of this a lot was really clear God who gets invited to dinner at your place.

How do we get on your guest list. Cheers I want to vomit person. God says wasn't as big a part walk straight out right tell the truth or hurt your friend.

Don't blame your neighbor for things that you did deeper word even when it because you make an honest living and never take a broad unit to have fellowship with God in a day by day basis.

The gospel yes but you also walk according to these things. Number four worshipful work means makes blessing others is bottom-line worshipful work makes blessing others is 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 gradient 89 the verse I 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. All the implication is that all you want to think about your life God has made you rich in various places rich and money my written talent written position leases take those things and leverage them to bless others and serve others the way the Jesus leverage his sister. Her you're listening to some it like in a challenging message from Judy Greer join us late today or if you want to share this message with a friend visit us online@jeanniegreer.com J as we come to the end of this particular year. We know how it feels for everything we thought was certain to become suddenly uncertain. We now know the sensation of the ground shifting any thinking many yet you Molly, for a lot of people Christmases tough, even in normal years. This year, especially having a lot of us feel like almost a sense of uncertainty and effort. Some describe it is almost like darkness, what's what. What's can happen in the future, makes the first Christmas in the promises that go along with that that much more relevant. Isaiah said that that Christmas was about the people sitting in darkness seen a great light and I wrote a book called searching for Christmas and tries to get behind the manger scenes behind the holiday stuff to say, saying something profound here, something that we instinctively started know what Christmas and yearn for that is that sense of fulfillment and peace in family and joy and hope.

We love to give you a couple copies of this but one for you and one for you to give away what a great Christmas present I could make sure somebody the real meaning behind all this, it would love to have you as a partner here in our ministry God is doing through this ministry by partnering with that. This month the featured resources. Pastor Jenny's new book titled searching for Christmas ask for your copy when you become gospel partner, or when you make a one-time donation of $25 if you're searching for the perfect way to share Jesus neighbor our special offer for Galligan copies for gift of $100 K thanks 868335. Give online Jeannie and Molly benefits network on Friday so be sure to listen Monday and timing Monday on my