Extreme Living In Your Work Series

Extreme Living In Your Work

TODAY – is our first message in our new series EXTREME living… AND – as we begin I want to give you our definition of Extreme. Extreme; ‘existing in a very high degree, going to great lengths, exceeding the ordinary, the usual or the expected…’ The apostle Paul wrote these words from a prison cell to the church in Philippi (by the way this Wednesday we begin a new study – A Prisoners Handbook For Joy);

“Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.”

CIRCLE - you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ…

YOU KNOW - I think that if Paul were here today he would probably word it this way… “Above all else you must LIVE EXTREME (you must exceed, the usual, ordinary and expected – in your church, home, work, walk & purity)… You must go to great lengths to work together - so that people will be so blown away by how you live… Believe the good news and turn to God.”

UNDERSTAND – we serve and follow an EXTREME God who sent His EXTREME Son to live an EXTREME life and die an EXTREME death… SO – it should not surprise us that HE calls us, to LIVE EXTREME for Him…

AND – since tomorrow is Labor Day, we are going to launch the series by talking about living extreme in your work…

UNDERSTAND - what you do 40+ hours every week, whether in the home the school room or the workforce - matters to God... LET’S – hit the pause button for a second. STUDENTS – as I talk about work today the principles apply to school. Your teacher is your boss… Other students are your co-workers.

QUESTION - do you feel, that what you do during the week matters to God? Listen - it is important that you do, because when you feel that your work matters to God YOU WILL - have a sense of dignity about your work, no matter what that work may be… YOU WILL - have a sense of destiny & purpose and you will have an inner motivation to be distinctive -- to excel - to rise above mediocrity and live extreme...

ON - the other hand; if you feel that your work does not matter to God - that He is not concerned with what you do - you will not have any motivation, to be distinctive; you’ll have no sense of purpose… AND – as a result you’ll find it much easier to make moral compromises during the week.... "Hey it really doesn’t matter if I lie, come in late or work hard it’s only a job, and hey they should pay be more anyway..."

TODAY - I want us to consider two reasons why your work (what you do 40+ hours every week) matters to God... AND - my goal in our time together is to convince you of this truth, and then send you out to your work place with a renewed vigor, passion and purpose....First of all your work matters to God – BECAUSE;

God Is A Worker

LISTEN - from the opening pages of God’s word - it is obvious that our God is a worker... THAT - he is a God who is busy, a God who is on the move.... The Psalmist writes; "...he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep..." - Ps 121:3

IN - the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The sky, water, land, trees, mountains, sun, moon, stars, fish, birds, animals, man -- NONE of what we see existed, THEN God spoke and it was.... (Think about that for a moment - what a mighty God we serve....) And in Gen 2:2; we read;

"By the 7th day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the 7th day He rested from all His work. And God blessed the 7th and made it Holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating he had done..."

AND - David writes; "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands..." - Ps 19:1

"How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.." - Ps 104:24

"Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them..." - Ps 111:2