OPEN: (Asking the Crowd)
What is this weekend?
That’s right – it’s Labor Day Weekend. And our sermon today is the beginning of a series on “What Made America Great”.
This first sermon deals with the greatness that has been brought to our nation because of how and why our people have learned to work.
Back in the 1600’s those from Europe, who colonized America, had different visions of what kind of nation this was to be.
To the south, one of the first settlements by Europeans was in what is now known as Jamestown, Virginia. You can still visit that settlement today, and it is a beautiful and well kept memorial to the experience of those first few settlers.
But what few people know is that the settlement was failure for years. For 40 years the settlers there were almost entirely dependent upon England for their survival. And there were two very basic reasons for this:
1st - God wasn’t that important to them.
There was ONLY one church and it was rarely well attended.
And 2nd - work was considered beneath many of those settlers.
The Europe of that day held to the idea that work was degrading. The rich and powerful rarely stooped to dirtying their hands with common tasks because it just wasn’t done - those duties were reserved for the lower classes. In fact, this idea of a powerful and privileged class of individuals who didn't need to work was reinforced by the teachings of the church of that day.
Many of the original settlers at Jamestown were Aristocrats of the favored classes. Thus they were accustomed to expecting others to do work for them. That might have worked out, had their been enough “others” to do those common tasks, but as it was there weren’t enough workers to plant sufficient crops to support everyone who lived there. As a result, little got done… and food was scarce.
So, what did they do if there wasn’t enough food from what they planted? Where would these Europeans get enough to live on?
From the Indians.
The settlers at Jamestown would often steal from the Indians, and sometimes even kill to get what they needed.
As you can imagine, this didn’t make them real popular with the surrounding tribes.
Now to the North, there was another colony at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.
This colony was made up of pilgrims that had been forced out of Europe because they refused to accept the teachings of many of the churches there, and Initially the Pilgrim settlement there nearly failed as Jamestown did. The reason?
The first two years, their contract as a colony called for a socialist form of government.
· There was no private property.
· Everyone was required to work together for the common good.
· All goods and food were shared by everybody.
Because of the social makeup of Plymouth, many of these colonists began to realize they didn’t have to work very hard in order to be eligible for sharing from the common stocks… and so they didn’t work very hard. And sometimes they didn’t work at all.
After two years of socialism, their little community was on the verge of collapse.
Food was scarce, hunger was common, and moral was low.
Several years later, the Pilgrims began a custom that is still carried on to this day by their descendents (during the Thanksgiving holiday). They would put 5 kernels of corn on empty plates at the dinner table. This tradition was to remind the descendants of the Pilgrims that this was often all the early settlers had to eat for those first couple of years.
By the 3rd year, Governor Bradford began to realize things weren’t working, and so he ordered a change in the rules:
· Each colonist was given their own plot of land to work (private property)
· They could keep what they grew, or sell to others.
· And if a colonist didn’t work… they didn’t eat.
Almost immediately the Pilgrim colony began to prosper because, unlike the aristocrats at Jamestown to the south, the Pilgrims were willing to work.
But the Pilgrims had another advantage over Jamestown.
Unlike the citizens of Jamestown, God was at the center of Pilgrim society.
And because God was at the center of their theology so was the Bible.
And the Bible taught that labor was NOT “common.”
Work was a good thing… and something that honored and pleased God.
The Protestant Reformation – from which the Pilgrims came – had long before discovered that the Scriptures approved of manual labor. By just going back to the Bible and asking questions… they discovered that:
1. Work was ordained by God.
In fact, in Genesis chapters 1 & 2 they found that God Himself worked. He created the world in 6 days… and on the 7th He rested. And on the basis of this, God taught that His people should also work 6 days… and rest on the 7th. Thus, if God worked at creating the world then work had to be a good thing.
2. They also found that the Bible taught that work was not a punishment.
Granted, God brought punishment on Adam (and all mankind) by saying that – because of his sin - our work would often be harsh and fraught with difficulty. But Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 taught that
“There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.” KJV
Lesson: When God works in a person’s life, work can be/ and should be enjoyed!
3. God believed work was so important that He even instructed us HOW we could serve our employers so that we honored Him. They read passages like Ephesians 6:5-7 which said that God wanted us to do our “common” labor as if we were serving Him.
“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” KJV
Once the Biblical view of manual labor was put into practice by the Pilgrims they developed what became known as “The Protestant Work Ethic”.
The Protestant Work Ethic was a dedication to work that was based on their theology. And that Work Ethic – in turn – led to what we now call “Capitalism.”
It’s hard to understand now, but back in that day the concept of Capitalism was virtually unknown. Granted, there were those who could make money (as they do today), but it was a much rarer phenomenon. The middle class (such as it was) was a fledgling concept, and the poor rarely had the opportunity to dig their way out of their poverty.
But once capitalism took root, the middle class grew rapidly and wealth was easier for the lower classes to create wealth for themselves and their families.
ILLUS: Just to understand the distinctiveness of Capitalism, it’s helpful to compare it with other world concepts of dealing with money:
For example, there’s socialism. In Socialism you have 2 cows, the government takes 1 cow and gives it to your neighbor.
Then there’s Communism. In communism you have 2 cows, the government takes both and gives you part of the milk.
With Nazism (in Nazi Germany under Hitler) you have 2 cows, the government takes both of them… and then shoots you.
In a Bureaucracy you have 2 cows, the government takes both, shoots one, milks one and pours milk down the drain.
Capitalism: (Of course we understand this one) you have 2 cows, you sell one, and buy a bull.
Capitalism is one of the most efficient forms of generating wealth known to man. Nations who have endorsed and encouraged capitalism have become wealthy nations. And capitalism has been the most powerful influences in making America a great nation.
Once Capitalism took root with the Pilgrims–the American engine of industry was virtually assured.
A German sociologist named Max Weber concluded that:
“Societies having more Protestants are those that have a more developed capitalist economy.” That’s because the Christian concept of work is the foundation of capitalism. Capitalism, and the Protestant Work Ethic which spawned it, were instrumental in making America into a powerful industrial nation.
And capitalism started out being based in the Protestant view of the Biblical notion that the work of the common laborer was a noble thing.
WORK IS GOOD and WORK IS GODLY.
And that Protestant Work Ethic was based on the Bible teaching us that God loved Labor/ and laborers.
Now this important, because:
Pure Capitalism - that exists without a Christian influence - can become an empty shell.
When Christianity is taken out of the picture of Capitalism… greed and selfishness take over.
Capitalism without Christianity can result in all kinds or evils.
You can end up with crooks like Bernie Madoff who steal vast amounts of money from investors, because they believe in Capitalism… but not in Christ.
You end up with large companies who misuse their workers and the environment because money is more important than anything. Capitalism is their god… not Christ.
You can end up with labor unions that care more about money and power… than the workers they represent because they often believe in Capitalism rather than Christ.
You end up with workers who care nothing for whether their company they work for. They don’t care if it makes any money, or if it even survives - just so long as they get their large raises and better benefits they feel they deserve. They deserve the advantages of capitalism, but rarely want the restraints of Christ.
And you end up with politicians who see successful businesses, businessmen, and workers as a constant source of bigger and more intrusive taxes which in turn results in fewer jobs for the unemployed, because they feel government has a right to its share of capitalist pie.
You could go on and on and on complaining about the weaknesses of capitalism. But when you get right down to it, Capitalism’s greatest weaknesses are the same things that plague every aspect of our lives: Greed and selfishness.
That’s because greed and selfishness are powerful motivators.
If there’s money or power to be had someone will find a way to cheat, or steal, or sue to get at it.
That’s just the way it is in this world – because this world is filled with Sin.
But God says: I called you to be different.
I’ve called you to be salt and light in a world that is often foul tasting and dark.
God calls us out of selfishness and greed to be His people
And that means He calls us to live in such a way that these sins don’t control us.
Of course, the most obvious people to have problems with selfishness and greed would seem to be the rich. So God tells rich people “…not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19
What God tells the rich is this: Use your money for ME.
After all wealth comes from Him anyway… it’s His.
1 Chronicles 29:12 tells us that “Wealth and honor come from (God)…”
Use your money for ME (says God to the rich) and you can control your selfishness/greed.
Money isn’t the problem.
It’s the love of money.
So if money is causing you to stumble in greediness and selfishness: get rid of it! Give it away!
But dealing with selfishness and greed isn’t just a problem for the rich.
Ephesians 4:28 says:
“He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”
A thief is the ultimate example of greed.
If you have something valuable – he wants it
But then – that thief becomes a Christian. How can he change a lifetime of selfishness? How can he overcome the power of greed that has controlled him for so long?
Well… he should go out and get a job.
But why should he get a job? (pause) so he can SHARE.
The remedy is always the same.
Because the problem is always the same.
It doesn’t make any difference who you are… God calls you to live your life differently. And one of the most significant areas of your life you can do that in is where you work.
Are you an employee?
Then work for your employer like you were working for God.
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men” Ephesians 6:7
ILLUS: One minister told about a young man named John who had just become a new Christian. Shortly afterward, John went to work for a local department store and greatly enjoyed the opportunities he saw there.
In time, however, John shared with the minister that he was afraid that he would soon be fired. He couldn't understand it, but it seemed his boss was growing increasingly upset with him, and he thought it might be because of his Christian witness.
So the minister went to speak with the owner.
The owner however, gave an entirely different story. John had been an excellent worker to begin with, but after awhile he got too good at meeting with the customers - especially his friends. John was spending so much time with them that he was neglecting paying customers.
So the preacher went back to John, and wisely asked "John, if you were working for that department store and Jesus Christ himself were your employer, would you work any differently?"
"I sure would!" exclaimed John, "I'd work a lot harder."
What if I’m an employer?
You still work for God/
Ephesians 6:9 tells employers how to treat their employees:
“…. 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.”
But what if I’m neither an employee nor an employer?
Colossians 3:23 says: “WHATEVER YOU DO, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
The difference between Christians and non-Christian workers boils down to who they work for.
If you’re a Christian – you work for God, if not you’re working for yourself.
As a Christian you should be working for God.
· whether you’re an employer
· an employee
· or self-employed
· or you are retired
If you belong to Jesus Christ - you are called to do - whatever you do with all your heart working for the Lord.
Now, there are many good Christians who don’t understand this principle. They really don’t THINK about God as being their employer in the jobs they have and – as a result - their lives can become boring.
Have you ever heard of someone saying their job was boring? (Of course you have).
If you were to ask these same people WHY they work at the jobs that bore them - they would probably reply:
* To pay the bills.
* To keep a roof over their head.
* To earn enough from something they hate so that someday they can do what you really want to do
Of course they’re bored.
They have no higher reason for their work.
Their work has no little inherent value for them.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
The problem isn’t the job… it’s how they view why they work.
If they were change their focus, their jobs would suddenly take on greater value.
You have a boring repetitive job?
GREAT.
Now you have time to use that time to pray and talk with God.
The job is repetitive. It requires no thinking. So you can spend time focusing on God. You can spend more time talking to God every day than most preacher get done. And you get paid for it!
You have a mean-spirited boss? Difficult co-workers?
GREAT!
There’s a reason these people are difficult and mean-spirited.
They’re not Christians.
And you GET to witness to them.
You don’t have to go to South America, or Europe, or Africa, or Asia to be a missionary. You have a mission field right there at where you work. And you get paid to do it.
You have no job right now?
(pause) Well, that’s not so GREAT.
But while you’re looking for a job, you have extra time to serve your God.
Do whatever you do as if serving Christ… not man…
Jesus said “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
It’s His promise.
I know it’s hard, but try trusting Him on this.
CLOSE: My point is this: God made America great, and He made it great because Americans learned the value of Godly labor.
And God can do same thing in our lives IF we make HIM our employer - and IF we do everything we do FOR HIM.
When we do that… others pay attention because they realize God has done something powerful in our lives. And they may want that for themselves as well.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said
“If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or as Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry.
He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.”
