Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Introduction:

1.    Work - getting stuff done - a part of who God is!
Genesis 1:31-2:3 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the sixth day. “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” NIV
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” NIV
Philippians 1:6 “I am confident of this, that God who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” NIV
2.    We were created in the image of God.  Thus, work “getting stuff done” is an inherent part of who we are.
Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”" NIV
Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”"
Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” NIV
John Calvin
“All men were created to busy themselves with labor…for the common good.”
Pope John Paul II
“Man is made to be in the visible universe an image and likeness of God Himself, and he is placed in it in order to subdue the earth. From the beginning therefore he is called to work.”
We spend about half of our conscious hours of life doing work.
For better or worse, work defines us.  Part to being “in his image” means that we are workers just like God Himself.
God designed work to be meaningful!  To give us hope and purpose.
Two stories:
1.    Chuck Colson’s visit to Perm 35, the Siberian Outpost
Perm is the capital of Oblensk, a city of 1.5 million.
Perm 29 is a traditional prison housing ordinary offenders
Perm 35 - man’s inhumanity to man
Conference room.  Several prisoners, 3 chairs for Soviet Officials, Colson.  Didn’t think the prisoners would tell us anything.  But they did.
Trumped up charges, denied rights, privileges canceled. Etc.
Visited 3 more prisons in Moscow.
Quote: page 11
Retell story on pp Xi and Xii
Russian novelist, Dostoevsky, in The House of the Dead,  “If you want to utterly crush a man just give him work of a completely senseless, irrational nature.”
Without meaningful work we lose our reason for existence.
THERE IS MEANINGLESS WORK!  This story from Nazi Germany is an illustration.  So often in life we  too live in less than ideal circumstances and are faced with the need to FIND MEANING IN OUR WORK like those in the prisons of the former Soviet Union.
1 Corinthians 7:21-23 “Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you-although if you can gain your freedom, do so. “For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave. “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” NIV
The question is how?  -  We all need to think God’s thoughts after Him.
3.    From God’s viewpoint, work is a part of who we are!
Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”" NIV
Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”"
Manual labor
Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” NIV
Mental labor
Genesis 2:19-20 “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. “So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.” NIV
Neither manual or mental labor was set above the other.
Just reward and private property flowed out of this work:
Exodus 20:8-11 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” NIV
Exodus 20:15 “”You shall not steal.” NIV
Exodus 20:17 “”You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”" NIV
No victim mentality.
No negative connotations to working hard and being well rewarded for hard work.
Ecclesiastes 3:22 “So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?” NIV
Radical worldview!
Greeks - work was called “ponos” from Latin “poena” meaning punishment!
Slavery itself was partially based on loathing of work.
Artisans and craftsmen weren’t viewed as much better than slaves.
Philosophers - Plato and Aristotle had a two story view of work.
The majority should do the heavy lifting so that
The minority like them could engage in higher pursuits of art, philosophy and politics.
But Christianity ran counter to this
Neither manual or mental labor was set above the other.
Jesus was a carpenter, the son of a carpenter. - worked with his hands.
Jesus called men who were fishermen - 4 am, fishing, cleaning nets and fish and smelling like them.
Paul was a scholar educated at the feet of one of the most prestigious intellectuals of his day but he worked with his hands making tents.
Wm Tyndale “If we look externally there is a difference between the washing of dishes and preaching the Word of God; but as regarding the pleasing of God, in relation to his call, none at all.”
2 Thessalonians 3:10 “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”" NIV
Ecclesiastes 5:12 “The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.” NIV
Proverbs 14:23 “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” NIV
Augustine said, “To work is to pray”
When Western society fell apart in the late 4th century many Christians retreated into cloistered societies.  The monks valued hard work, learning and scholarship.  They drained swamps, built bridges and roads and they copied sacred writings and created works of art.
4.    From God’s viewpoint, work is a calling (a vocation) not merely an occupation.
Ephesians 6:5-6 “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. “Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.” NIV
Colossians 3:22-24 “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it enthusiastically 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 reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” NIV
As Os Guinnus says, God is our “audience of one”
Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the letteres “SDG” at the bottom of his compositions,  = “to the glory of God alone
John Wesley, “Make all you can.  Save all you can.  Give away all you can.”

Ephesians 6:8-9 “you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.  And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”
Colossians 4:1 “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” NIV
Story!  The story of Mortaon Thoikol!
One of the greatest needs today is for Christians to be truly Christian.
To work hard.
To work enthusiastically and with excellence.
To treat workers, bosses, owners and each other with respect, fairness and dignity!
To have a sense of calling from God is one of the greatest needs we have as Christians in our world of work.
Romans 12:1-3 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” NIV