Series: Experience the Spirit
Theme: The Body of Christ needs to learn to experience the Spirit in their everyday lives so that they grow spiritually. We can learn to experience true spirituality as we see the Spirit at work in our daily lives and activities.
As we learn to recognize the Spirit and embrace His Spirit spiritual growth will take place in our lives.
Over the next few weeks we will be seeking to learn how to experience the Spirit in various dimensions of our life. The intent or focus of this series is to encourage all of us to be intentional about our spiritual growth.
Many Christians cannot define or have a very hard time defining what Christian Spiritual Maturity is or even looks like. Yet, many will say that they want to grow into spiritually mature Christians.
Scripture Text: Romans 12
Living Sacrifices
1Therefore, 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.
2Do 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.
3For 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.
4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Love
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
13Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
20On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Sermon: Experience the Spirit “In work.”
Thesis: We not only need to experience the Spirit through God’s word but in a secular place like your work place. Yes, we can experience the Spirit through your place of work.
Scripture Text: Romans 12:1-3:
Living Sacrifices
1Therefore, 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.
2Do 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.
3For 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.
Video Illustration: From “Everyone is fine” about how proud this man was of his work. He was proud of what he did and in a sense he saw how his work benefited others.
Introduction:
The first three verses of this text on spiritual maturity tells us how we are to act at work, behave at work and how hard we should work for those who employee us.
Work is not a bad word even though it has 4 letters in it. It is a requirement to make ends meet in life. Therefore we need to allow the Spirit to flow at work through our lives because this will make a difference in our spiritually and it will impact those who are around us at work.
John Ortberg states: Once there was a man who loved to work. He loved creating value. He loved the way his work made him grow. He didn’t always like the problem he ran into, but he felt joy when he came up with a solution that…well, worked. He loved being a part of a team. He managed people and felt it was what he was born to do. He liked getting to know his co-workers: he asked about their lives and families and interests. He loved when a team got inspired about an idea. He loved watching people gain new skills and confidence. He valued the chance to spot each person’s abilities and help them move toward becoming the best version of themselves. He even enjoyed getting ready for work. Sometimes in the shower he would yell, ”Focus!” to himself just to get psyched up. He liked looking ahead at what each day would hold. He enjoyed feeling at the end of the day when he could look back on how he had been productive. He didn’t tell people at his church this, but secretly he felt the presence of God more at work than he did at church services (The Me I Want to Be, page 217).
If you read and study the Bible everyone worked:
He adds: In the Bible, everyone works. Dennis Bakke, in a wonderful book called “Joy at Work”, notes that most of the heroes in the Bible and what we would think of as secular vocations. Isaac developed real estate, Jacob was a rancher, and Joseph was a government official (in charge of agriculture, the economy, and immigration policy) who served a pharaoh in a foreign land that did not honor Israel’s God. Joseph did not decide he could serve God best by leaving his well paying government job and starting a non-profit, faith-based organization to do charity work. Moses spent forty years as a sheepherder, Esther won a beauty pageant and went into government service, and Daniel was an immigrant who attended Babylon’s version of Oxford and became prime minister. Lydia was a successful business woman in textiles. Paul was a tent maker. Perhaps the ultimate expression of how much God values work is Jesus the carpenter. Jesus spent more than three-quarters of his working life in the building profession, fashioning benches and tables and probably involved in construction. The word we translate carpenter comes from the Greek “tekton” -from which we get our word technology-and would include the ability to do stone or masonry work. The Bible is a book written by workers about workers for workers, but too often in discussion about spiritual life our work gets ignored…most adults spend half their waking lives at work. Your work is a huge part of God’s plan for your life, and God intends the Spirit to fill and energize work places (Pages 217-219).
The first person mentioned in Scripture who was filled with the Spirit of God was Bezalel. He was a craftsman skilled in design and when it was time to build a Tabernacle for God he was placed in charge of the construction project. Check out Exodus 31!
T.S. - The Spirit of God desires all of us to work because even at work or in the context of us working the Holy Spirit is there using us to impact others for the Lord. The Spirit is with us in whatever we are doing as a career.
I. We need to realize that the Spirit of the Lord is at work with us.
a. One of the Ten Commandments is that we work 6 days and rest the 7th day. But it is clear the Spirit of the Lord is with us all seven days and nights.
i. Exodus 23:12: “12“Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.”
1. God’s plan from the beginning was that we all work!
2. God expects us to work for 6 days – yes you heard me right – work is of God!
a. He expects us to work 6 days a week! The 40 hour myth is set up by this nation not by the Bible.
ii. Work is not a place where the Spirit of the Lord departs us or we tell the Holy Spirit you stay in the parking lot while I go put my 8 hours in at work.
1. Psalm 139: 7: Where can I go from your Spirit...?” To work – “NO!”
2. God’s Spirit is with us even in the trenches of the work place.
3. Genesis 2:15: 15The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
a. We are placed in our position to work for God and to care for our little world of work!
b. Have you really thought about this: God placed you at your job to work for His kingdom and to care for your work place.
b. Proverbs sheds a heavenly light on this concept of work or working:
i. Proverbs 14:23: 23All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
1. We need work not talk so that we are blessed with the finances to meet our physical needs.
2. When we work at work we will be rewarded.
ii. Proverbs 21: 25: 25The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.
1. Those who are lazy and do not work will destroy themselves.
2. They will not be able to meet their physical needs!
iii. Proverbs 22:29: 29Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.
1. Those who work hard will receive a reward even before Kings.
a. Examples from Scripture:
i. Joseph did!
ii. Daniel did!
iv. Work is also done in the home front according to Proverbs 31:17: 17She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
1. A woman of noble character is a hard worker!
2. If you read through this Proverb you discover a hard working wife, mother and women of God.
3. Women who work at home wholeheartedly are called noble and honorable!
v. Proverbs 31:27: She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
1. Once again a wife of noble character, godly character is a hard worker who helps to provide for her family and also cares for her family.
c. Paul in the New Testament warned the Thessalonians this about there quitting their jobs:
i. 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-15: “Warning against idleness or laziness.”
6In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you,
8nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
9We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.
10For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
11We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies.
12Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
13And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.
14If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed.
15Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
1. The Bible is clear that we must all be diligent workers at work so that the Spirit has an opportunity to use us in the work place for God.
2. Paul told these followers of Jesus to get to work – because their laziness was not from the Spirit of the Lord.
d. Where do the most satisfying moments in life come from:
i. John Ortberg notes: Amazingly enough, research shows that the best moments of our lives don’t come from leisure or pleasure. They don’t involve sex or chocolate. They come when we are totally immersed in a significant task that is challenging, yet matches up well to our highest abilities…All skill is God-given, and we are invited to live in conscious interaction with the Spirit as we work, so that he can develop the skills he gives us. Work is a form of love. We cannot be fully human without creating value. We do not work mainly for money, recognition, promotion, applause, or fame. We work for flow. We live for flow 9 (in the Spirit) (Page 222).
e. We need to let our work honor God.
T.S. – We need to realize that the Spirit of the Lord is with us at work and we need to understand that we must work wholeheartedly at work to honor God with our work.
II. To experience the Spirit at work I need to work wholeheartedly at it.
a. Put a sign on your desk to remind you “For God’s sake do your best!”
i. Colossians 3:22-25: “22 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. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.”
1. Our reward for working at work is not money but instead an inheritance from the Lord.
2. Yes, we get a bonus check from Jesus! If we honor Him at our place of work!
3. If we do wrong at work than we get paid appropriately with a penalty from the Lord.
b. The truth is we never know ahead of time the significance of our work. We may think we are not impacting anyone when in reality we are.
i. Do you ever pray to ask the Lord to make your work successful?
1. Share about “Jim” from New Life - who worked for the county as a truck driver.
a. He lowered the fatality rate on his stretches of Highway.
b. He prayed that His work would make a difference in people’s lives.
c. And it did!
d. He beamed when he found out that he made a difference plowing snow, salting and sanding in those lonely moments in the snow storms and in the middle of the night.
2. I believe we will all be held accountable for the quality of our work at work – it does matter what we do or don’t do at work.
c. I need to understand that my work is a calling of God. God has a higher purpose for what I am doing. It’s not all about me!
i. John Ortberg in his book “The Me I Want To Be” the following about work on page 228: In his book Habits of the Heart, sociologist Robert Bellah describes three orientations people take toward work:
1. The first is to treat your work as a job. When you do this, you focus on it as a way to get money and pay bills. When asked, most people list money as the primary reason why they work. In the words of that old bumper sticker, ‘I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.’ But if your focus is mainly on what you receive from your work, you will most likely come to resent it.
2. A second orientation is to approach your work as a career. Here your motivation will be higher, but your focus is on advancement and prestige. I a career orientation, your feelings about your work are based on how much success it is creating for you. If your career is not going well, it may feel to you as if your worth in on the line.
3. The third orientation is to look at your work as a calling. The language of vocation or calling is widespread, but it is rooted in the life of faith. If there is a “calling” then there is someone making the call. That someone is God. That is why you cannot do just anything you want. You are not the call-er, you are the call-ee.
ii. The point is that any work has meaning and can be a blessing to someone and therefore all good honest work is a calling from God.
T.S. – We need to serve wholeheartedly at our jobs and be faithful there because we are right were God wants us to be. We need to serve sacrificially at work and remember this is part of God’s calling for our life.
III. We need to view work as service to God’s Kingdom as a divine calling.
a. Illustration: Guinness Discovers God’s Call
i. In the early days of his Christian life, Os Guinness believed that he had to prove his commitment to Christ by becoming a minister or missionary. So, urged on by his spiritual mentors, he worked for a well-known church, but he was miserable. God changed his heart and refined his calling through a random encounter at a gas station. Here’s how Guinness described it: [In the days before self-service gas stations], I had just had my car filled up with gas and enjoyed a marvelously rich conversation with the pump attendant. As I turned on the key and the engine to [my car] roared to life, a thought suddenly hit me with the force of an avalanche: This man was the first person I had spoken to in a week who was not a church member. I was in danger of being drawn in a religious ghetto … . Ten minutes of conversation with a friendly gas pump attendant on a beautiful spring evening in [England], and I knew once and for all I was not cut out to [work full-time in a church]. Instead, as Guinness continued to pray and seek God’s guidance, he discovered that God was calling him to work in the world so he could use his gifts and build relationships with people who didn’t know Christ. After God released Guinness from what he was not supposed to do, Guinness found the freedom to pursue God’s true calling for his life. Os Guinness, The Call (W Publishing Group, 1988), pp. 5-6
b. We are at our jobs to serve the Lord – to fulfill His calling on our life - not working for an employer – see Colossians again.
i. Jesus said the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and we are to do the same even at our jobs.
1. When we are were God wants us we then become a beacon of light for the world to see.
2. Therefore we need to look and discover what the Spirit is doing at work and jump aboard with His plan and purpose for that workplace calling.
3. Sometimes God may interrupt you at work not to give you a chance to show how good your work is --- but instead to serve someone else at work.
a. So who can you serve tomorrow at work?
b. Who is god calling you to minister to at work?
c. I have many personal stories of working for the Lord at a secular work place:
i. Butler Square as a union carpenter:
1. Bear and I ministered to our Supervisor about Jesus working at this job site.
a. The supervisor one day asked us to stay late to work then when everyone left called us into his office and shared with us how he did not understand why His wife got saved.
i. Remember our work is a part of our calling for God and we were there to share our testimonies to this man.
ii. We made a difference that day for the Lord and for this man and his family.
ii. Urban Coalition: My time working with Marlo as a Carpenter and how it has impacted his life and his family.
1. When he became paranoid that we were out to get him fired and I choose that day to do the worst job to show him we cared for him.
2. When we worked in the hookers house and his comment to me. I trust you to work in here not the others because I have watched how you live your life.
3. The God moment when his Lutheran pastor ran off with the secretary and I pointed him to another church and he got saved then so did his family.
4. The grew spiritually working at this job site. I matured in my walk with Jesus and learned many valuable spiritual lessons while working at this job for the Lord.
iii. Kloster Madson
1. My environment.
2. My antagonize Adolph and his response to me.
3. Remember - I always read my Bible in the morning, at break, lunch and after work.
4. His comment: “You should become a preacher!’
5. It resonated in my heart that day!
iv. My time teaching in the public school sector as a Special Education teacher.
1. I was placed in a school as a teacher to do God’s work and to be a witness for the Lord as well as my responsibility of teaching the special education students.
a. Questions and answers with other teachers about my faith.
b. My High School replacement and her search for God.
c. My behavior at work and at school gatherings made a statement about the Lord I served.
d. Discussions with students about the Lord as they asked me questions.
i. The 911 situation and the scenario at school that helped me write my sermon “Hope beyond Terrorism”.
e. The surprise moment with Jeremiah one of my students not his real name and a certain website.
2. I was called to work all these jobs and they became tools that the Lord used to help me to mature as a Christian and to grow.
Conclusion:
John Ortberg states: The day is coming when God will look at his faithful servants and say, “Well done.” He will say it to faithful employees who give themselves diligently to work that never earns much human recognition. He will say it to workers who know they could have climbed higher if they had cut corners or manipulated others. He will say it to the single parents who cared for kids-bathing them, feeding them, cleaning up after them-when they were tired and thought nobody was looking. Somebody is looking. Someone is keeping track. It is worth it (page 231).
The Lord is watching all of us and he sees our living sacrifices!
How to be in tune to the Spirit at work each day:
1. Pray and ask God to use your work to make a difference today.
2. Pray for your fellow co-workers.
3. Focus on your God given gifts at work today.
4. Identify what makes your work a calling each day.
5. Look for the God moments in your day.
6. Ask God to help you identify where the Spirit is moving at work today.
7. Periodically review your attitude.
8. Solicit feedback from others on how you are growing spiritually.
9. Make friends with the people you work with.
10. Be a witness for Jesus – but don’t embarrass God.
Tony Campolo’s quotes from his book: Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God
The reference to the clip from the movie “Oh, God” with John Denver and the confronting of an evangelist…”God wants you to shut up because you’re embarrassing him!” … All of us have said and done things that must have embarrassed God while we were supposedly following God’s son Jesus. We’ve been pompous. We’ve said things that probably made God shudder. Sometimes we make Christianity seem ridiculous to those outside the faith (page 3).
Some insightful ways to do this are included in his book under the following chapters:
• Exhibit a Christian lifestyle without moving into a commune.
• Protect yourself from technology without becoming Amish
• Have a devotional life without becoming a monk.
• Figure out the will of God without hearing voices from Heaven.
• Be an environmentalist without becoming a tree-hugger.
• Be positive about women without being negative about men.
• Get ready to die without pretending that it’s no problem.
Tony Campolo states, “God calls us to struggle because only in and through it can we mature into the kinds of persons God wants us to be. Not to enter into this struggle is to remain spiritually infantile” (Page 6).
I Corinthians 3:1-3: 1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
Altar Call: Ask people to come forward to pray for their work place and people at work.
