Everyday all across the world people are working. In many ways work can be a fascinating responsibility. Now each of you here either has a job or is looking for a job. Even my son Kamden has a job. He has to clean his room and do all of his homework. And everyone would agree that work is essential to surviving in this crazy world.
Now there are some people who really enjoy every aspect of their job and there are even others that wish they never had to go back to the jobs that they have.
But when you examine work and look at all the intricacy that go in to work and employment you begin to see in some ways how complicated we have made working. And how some people find ways out of work.
Let me share with you all some of the fascinating things that studies have show us in recent year concerning work.
Forty-three percent of men have changed employers at least once within the last five years.
Sixty-one percent of Americans confess to having regularly lied to their bosses.
Over a life span, the average American worker will spend 76,900 hours on the job.
Fifty percent of Americans will procrastinated at work and do absolutely nothing about one full day in five.
Absenteeism at work accounts for $10 billion a year in losses.
On average, jobs in this country last only about 3.6 years.
Fifty to 80 percent of Americans are in the wrong job.
In some degree those are some freighting statistics. In some ways it makes you wonder what people are doing really when they go to work.
It is even scary to think we have logged all those hours of work and some feel like we have nothing to show for it.
I know that there are many days I go home after being here in the office or busy going here and there and I feel, as the day comes to a close that I have done nothing. And on others days I feel like I have accomplish a lot.
But there is always on thing that a stand out to me is knowing that I have done something for the Lord. That even in a tangible way I have accomplish something even if to a degree it is only bring home a pay check to provide for my family and the needs of my family that I have praise God by the work I have done for the day.
And really that is why we work to accomplish something to provide for our family and give the glory to God.
Webster’s defines work like this: exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil, productive.
In many regards there are many different types of workers here in this room. But what kind of worker is our Lord. What productive and exertion does are Lord do? Let us see what masterpieces the Lord has done and our responsibility.
Open your Bibles with me this morning to Ephesians 2:10 as we continue our series looking at The Church.
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)
Listen also to the Good News Translation of verse 10.
Ephesians 2:10 “God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.” (GN)
When we look at verse 10 of Ephesians 2 there are two defining things that stand out.
1. God’s Action 2. Our Reaction.
Let begin with what God Did!
1. God created a masterpiece anchored in Jesus Christ We are His Masterpiece. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (NIV) “God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus.” (GN)
• We are God’s Workmanship.
• The Greek word for workmanship is poiema and it is where we get our word for poem. It literally means—a beautiful hand tooled masterpiece.
When you read a well-written poem it can move you to tears and bring joy to your heart.
Because in examining a poem you soon discover no two poems are the same, each and every poem in the world is unique and different. And God has designed each and everyone of in His mold and His design and we are that Masterpiece.
For God is the master craftsman of our salvation.
Isaiah 29:16 “You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing”?” (NIV)
What is critical to see is everything is a direct result of what God has done. Not what we have done or accomplished but God.
Kamden illustration. Bring up some of Kamden’s masterpieces. Then bring up Katy’s painting.
Now Kamden’s artwork here cannot say to Kamden I am like this you make me this way. No. It is by Kamden’s design he fashioned this picture. The same way my sister fashion her painting.
The same is true of our relationship with God our salvation is brought about by God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (NIV)
See for the one who created the masterpiece it was all what that person did. It is the same with God. He created each and every one of us and He also made a masterpiece complete in our salvation.
We are completely dependent upon the Lord.
Philippians 1:4-6 “I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion (perfect it) until the day of Christ Jesus.” (NIV)
God’s promise to us is this: I will be the one to the start the work in your life and He will continue to work it out in you until it is perfected.
2 Timothy 2:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NIV)
Understand folks God is equipping us for employment with Him. See God has begun the building project in each of our lives now it is time to go along with our master craftsmen.
And that leads us to our part found here in Ephesians 2:10
2. We were created for Employment! “To do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (NIV)
“Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.” (GN)
We were created to do Good work for God.
John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (NIV)
The employment we have is to bear fruit.
In the New Testament good works occurs many times. So much so that it is identified as a general and comprehensive expression for godly behavior.
When I think of work I think of a work ethic as well. Not only are we design to reveal the fullness of God in Christ Jesus we are also designed to live our belief in Christ and it will be evident to all.
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (NIV)
Illustration: working with my Dad doing lawn care. The Job I was supposed to do and do it well.
In doing so you begin to prove you are the Lord’s disciples. I demonstrated that I am my Dad’s son by how I worked.
What kind of employment are you demonstrating? Do you reflect the image of Jesus?
Does your fruit display Christ like character.
Every single one of us has a job to do in the kingdom of God. What type of an employee are you for the Lord.
1 Corinthians 12:12-20 and 27 “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (NIV)
Every one of us is called to minister. We are called to go out and serve the world. Are you doing your job of employment?
Are you bearing the fruit of God?
