Being Godly In An Ungodly Workplace
Labor Day Sermon
(Key Thoughts taken from Melvin Newland’s Sermon, "Taking Christ With You")
Daniel 1 August 31, 2008Chester FBC, Chester, Illinois
Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
A Labor day is said by some to be the most hypocritical of all our holidays.
1 We celebrate as working men/women of this country our rights & freedoms we have, blessing of having a job while some don’t.
a So we celebrate our ability to have and go to work by taking a holiday.
b We don’t like it that much, do we?
2 A recent survey suggested that 65% of American workers are unhappy with their jobs.
a They go to work simply to pay the bills. (I owe, I owe, so of to work I go.)
b We struggle to be content, happy as Christians when we go to work.
B Daniel 1.1-9
1 In 597 AD, Jerusalem was beseiged by Babylon and eleven years later the temple was destroyed.
a A century before, Isaiah prophesied the fall.
b Michah, Isaiah, his contemporary shared the burden.
c Habakuk couldn’t understand how could use godless Babylonions to correct his own people.
d Jeremiah lived to see these prophecies come true and his own come true as well.
2 God allowed Babylon to take his people captive.
a He would rather have his people in shameful captivity in a pagan land than living like pagans in the Holy Land & disgracing his name.
b Nebuchadnezzar would take the best, brightest and school them to come to work for him.
3 Daniel 1.1-9
a Daniel was forced to leave a place he loved, people who believed like him to go to work in an ungodly work environment, demonic & cult activity, . . . & you think your place of work is bad.
b There are some lessons here that we’re going to pick up.
C Let’s look at two lessons that can help us be godly in ungodly work places.
I Little things matter @ Work
A Many of the sons of Israel (Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah among them) found themselves having to make some tough decisions of faith at their pagan job site.
1 For three years these young men (15-16 yrs) were to be taught Babylonian history, culture, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, & military strategy.
a The purpose behind the schooling was to make these Jews Babylonians, working in the king’s court.
aa I’ve heard it said that if you want to work in a godless place of employment, apply for a state job! (That was Daniel & the boys!)
bb These men were actually going through a lengthy orientation to go to work for the government.
cc Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah were like our Christian students going to study at a secular school and have to study material that contradicts what they believe.
dd The wise student/person/worker knows how to learn from the wisdom of other people without being overcome by it.
b Part of their orientation was to eat the food that the king had provided for them.
aa Choice cuts of meat, sweetest wine were given to the new recruits.
bb The meat had been offered to the pagan gods of Babylonian days (Aku, Bel, Nebo)
cc Many of the Hebrews got their feed on, but not the four in text.
2 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah politely refused the meat for many possible reasons.
a Offered to idols, not cleaned & killed according to their strict Jewish dietary laws, festival food, etc.
b I believe they refused the food because they didn’t want to be mistaken for someone who had been assimilated into Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom.
aa Don’t think for a minute this is the kingdom I belong to.
bb I’m here, studying hard, working hard .. . but my heart is already taken & belongs to the God of Israel.
c I’ll take your classes, let you know I know what you want me to know, but this is a line I will not cross. (There was a commitment that had been made)
B When it comes to the little things at work, it matters!
1 We don’t want to mistaken for being apart of any other kingdom than the kingdom of God.
a We do not have to sample/swallow everything the enemy puts in front of us.
b There will be times, situations that you simply will stick out like a sore thumb.
c You don’t have to be mad, get mad about it. . . just do those little things that need to be done.
2 There are 4 things that can help you avoid blowing the little things in big ways.
a Don’t Brag: Rom.12.3 (Pharisitical) Self-righteousness has never been anything than repulsive.
b Don’t Nag: Cuss/Drink, Thou Shalt Not Swear, Drunks go to Hell! (Love’em)
c Don’t Slag: Work harder, better, longer, earlier than others.
Eph. 6.5-6 (replace "slave" with "workers", show orig. first then insert workers)
d Don’t Sag: Drug down into the language, drunkedness, off-color jokes (Rom.12.2; 1 Cor. 15.33)
C IL.
II Every Believers Is Minister @ Work
A At the tail end of our text we read were the men’s named were changed but I noticed they didn’t through a fit.
1 Daniel God is my Judge, (Belteshazzar: Bel protects his life), Hananiah, The Lord Shows Grace, (Shadrach: Command of Aku), Mishael Who is like Elohim? (Meshack: Who is like Aku), Azariah The Lord Is My Help (Abednego: Servant of Nebo)
a Showed ownership, change their destiny.
b They received new names by the enemy but it didn’t faze them, bother them.
c They knew who they were in the Lord and nothing the enemy could do, say, or call them would change who they were in God.
aa They didn’t trust in Nebo, Bel, Aku . . .
bb I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that he is able . . . .You can call me "Earl, Betty, or Tom", but I know who I am.
2 They just kept living for God no matter what they were called.
a Christian, your pagan boss, co-workers can not take away who you are in Christ!
B "Pastor, You don’t know where I work, my boss, the language, flirtations, power struggles, dirty stories, pornography that is passed around."
1 Although I’ve been in full time ministry for YEARS, I worked for Wal-Mart going through HS, College, Auto Plant, NAPA, Dillard’s, & a telemarketer for 4 hours.
a I know a bit about the language and the things that go one in a secular workplace.
b I am telling you that I was no more a servant of the Lord than I am as Pastor of FBC.
c We are all "ministers of reconciliation."
aa We’re all in the ministry.
bb Cake Mix, Corrections, Teacher, Farmer, Nurse, Doctor, Secretary, Housewife, State. . . Unto The Lord.
2 Preacher, you don’t understand, I’m at my job now because I didn’t get the one I really wanted.
a Do you remember how Daniel got his job? (An army came and took him hostage! He was in exile!)
b Jeremiah 29.7 , " ’Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, . . ."
aa Daniel was working in a pagan place, surrounded by pagan people, but the Bible says that that is exactly where God wanted him.
bb God would give him opportunity to minster, prophesy, pray, and be the light in a kingdom that otherwise knew only darkness.
c Christian, don’t let the devil discourage you if you are where God has put you to work.
aa There to be light, salt, love, peace, . . . make a difference for the Kingdom of God.
C IL.
Conclusion:
A We’ve looked at two ways to be godly in an ungodly workplace.
1 Know that little things matter @ work
2 Every Believer Is A Minister @ work
B UNSUNG HEROINES In Tom Brokaw’s book "The Greatest Generation Speaks," Veronica Mackey Hulick tells of her service during World War II. Veronica was 20 when she joined the Navy WAVES [Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service]. She and about 1500 other bright young women worked for hours at the monotonous job of wiring red, yellow, green, and blue wire to small wheels. Later, they discovered they had helped build a set of Navy computers referred to as "the Bombe," even though the word "computer" had not been introduced into the American vocabulary. Later the group was transferred to Washington D.C. They were all sworn to secrecy with the consequence of being shot if they leaked any information about their project. It took about 500 women each shift to run the 120 computers that they had helped to build. When they got a printout from a computer, they couldn’t read it. But rather, they ripped off the printout, knocked on a door at the end of the room, and gave it to a hand that came out only long enough to grab the paper. When the war was over, each young lady was taken into an office and had to swear on the Bible that they would never talk about their work. They were each given a letter instructing future employers not to ask about their activities during the war. It took 50 years for these women to learn of their noble efforts to end the war. In 1994, 80 of these women gathered in Dayton, Ohio for a reunion. It was then that a Navy historian told them about the fruits of their labor. They had been responsible for sinking between 750 and 800 German U-boats. They had helped to shorten the war by one, or maybe even two years and had saved countless lives. Veronica was thrilled to at last be able to tell of her work during the war, but grieved for those ladies who died never knowing the huge role they had played in the war effort. Veronica writes: "...It was a different time in our history. We were patriotic, disciplined, caring, and just so thrilled to know we were doing something special to help end the war. We never sought recognition. I always thought of us as the unsung heroines of WWII." SOURCE: Tom Brokaw, "The Greatest Generation Speaks." pp. 39-41. New York: Random House, 1999.
1 We’ll never know what kind of impact we’re making until we see from eternities perspective.
2 Would you commit to the little things & to be a minister @ where you work.
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Mike Fogerson
