Note: Developed from message by MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER on Labor Day: Take Christ With You
TITLE: Be not weary in well doing
Theme: To show the importance of living a godly life in our work force.
TEXT: Galatians 6:2 - 10 Ephesians 6:5-6; Daniel 6:20
Galatians 6:2-10 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (3) For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (4) But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. (5) For each one shall bear his own load. (6) Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. (7) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (8) For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (9) And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (10) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Introduction
How many of you enjoy your job?
Now if you answered "Yes" to any of those questions, then you’re in the minority. Surveys reveal that 65% of American workers are unhappy with their jobs. Many of them go to work simply because they have no other choice. "I owe, I owe, so it’s off to work I go."
Secular & Sacred
One of our problems in life is that we divide everything into secular & sacred categories.
We say, "We’d really like to serve God, but we have to spend so much time on our secular job."
You can see that sacred & secular pattern in the O.T., but not in the N.T. The O.T. says, "Over here is the sacred with its temple & priests, & everything else is secular." But the N.T. teaches that we’re all priests, & our body is a temple, & that God’s Holy Spirit lives in us, & every day is holy.
1 Peter_2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
The N.T. tells us that we can take God with us wherever we go, & that He can be a part of everything we do.
With this in mind, I want you to see three things this morning. First of all, I want you to see your everyday work as a service for God.
I. SEE YOUR EVERYDAY WORK AS A SERVICE FOR GOD
1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
This is what Paul meant in Romans 12:1, "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy & pleasing to God - which is your spiritual service or worship."
We can serve God in the way we work & where we work every day!
II. YOU CAN SERVE GOD WHERE YOU WORK
Let me share a scripture with you. In Ephesians 6, beginning in vs. 5, is a passage that I think is very appropriate today. It is addressed to slaves, but the closest thing to them today are workers like you & me. So let’s substitute the word, "worker," for "slave" & listen to what God has to say.
"Workers, obey your earthly masters with respect & fear, & with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart." [5-6]
Daniel & Joseph
B. I want to take you back to the O.T. for a moment & remind you of Daniel. You've heard about him ever since you were children in Sunday School. Daniel was carried away captive to Babylon, taken from Jerusalem where he was surrounded by people who believed what he believed, who believed in one God.
But now he is in a totally pagan environment in Babylon. As time passed, King Nebuchadnezzar appointed him a government official. He became a government bureaucrat.
Now if a lot of what we hear is true, if you want to get as far away from God as you can, become a government bureaucrat. Serve in that kind of environment & you’ll be about as far away from God as you can possibly be.
But as Daniel worked in his government office, sitting behind his government desk, doing all his duties as a government bureaucrat, he was able to serve God. And King Nebuchadnezzar respected his faithfulness to God as Daniel rose higher & higher among the leaders of the country.
But when King Nebuchadnezzar died, the Babylonian Empire began to disintegrate, & finally it was conquered by King Darius. Once again Daniel’s outstanding qualities were recognized, & he was soon appointed one of the highest officials in all the land.
But there came a time when pressures were put on him to do things that were against God. So Daniel said, "That’s enough. That’s as far as I can go." And King Darius, who had become his friend, was forced to have Daniel thrown into the lion’s den.
You know the story. God shut the mouths of the lions, & Daniel was unharmed. The next morning, Darius came rushing to the lion’s den, expecting to find the mangled bones of Daniel.
Listen to what Darius says in vs. 20 of the 6th chapter of Daniel. It says, "When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, `Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’"
C. Isn’t that interesting? Daniel worked in a pagan environment. He worked in a pagan office. He worked for a pagan king. And yet, the one thing that that pagan king knew about Daniel was that Daniel served God continually.
Also I think of Joseph: Talking about making lemonade out of lemons
When he was sold into slavery he worked for his master and the Lord blessed the house. Joseph worked hard and made sure the house was in order.
When he was in prison Joseph worked hard and the prison was blessed. The jailer never worried about the prison. This may not make sense to have a blessed misprision but Joseph didn't care where he was at he was giving his best to the Lord.
III. ALL OF US ARE MINISTERS
1 Peter_2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
This brings us to our last lesson in how not to become weary in well doing. We need to understand that we all are ministers.
ILL. Daniel was a victim of circumstances, too. Let me ask you, "Why was Daniel in Babylon?" And of course, the answer is that the Babylonian army took him to Babylon. But notice, in Jeremiah 29:7 God says, "I have carried you into exile." "I have carried you from Jerusalem to Babylon."
Here is Daniel in a pagan place, surrounded by pagan people, but the Bible says that that is exactly where God wanted him to be.
ILL. We've heard the old adage that "one bad apple can spoil the whole barrel" so long that we think that bad always wins, & good never does. But the Bible teaches that we can overcome evil with good.
C. If you’re in a secular workplace, working next to a pagan, then see that as a God-given opportunity to influence that person for good.
That person whom you work with every day, whose eyes you look into, whose voice you hear, who’s shared hopes & dreams with you, who’s told you about the new car they've bought & about their kids & family, doesn’t it make sense that that person is the one God would like to see you leading to the Lord?
SUM. That’s lifestyle evangelism - when you go to work & see that place & those people as your God-given opportunity for service.
Application Don’t
1. First of all, don’t brag. Don’t go to work & brag about how wonderful your Christian life is. Don’t brag about how righteous you are & how much sin you have overcome, & how you used to drink & carouse & be unfaithful, but now you are a model husband or wife & you don’t drink anymore. Don’t brag. That will only turn them off.
Self-righteousness has always been repulsive. It simply won’t work. Don’t brag.
2. Secondly, don’t nag. Don’t carry a big Bible under your arm, & every time somebody cusses pull it out & say, "Look here. It says, `Thou shalt not swear.’" Every time they brag about what a hangover they have, don’t pull it out & say, "Look, it says, `All drunkards are going to hell.’" Don’t do that.
Because all you’re going to do is turn them away. You may think that you are being bold. No, you’re not being bold. You’re simply turning them away.
3. So don’t brag, & don’t nag, & don’t lag. As a Christian it is important for you to do your work & do it well, to set an example for others, to be there on time, maybe even early, to do your job & maybe a little bit of their job if they’re falling behind, to help them out in any way you possibly can.
If you’re lazy, if you’re slothful on the job, then that’s a poor testimony for the Lord. So do your job & do it well, as if you are doing it for Christ.
4. Fourthly, don’t sag. Be really careful not to go back to your old way of life. Be really careful not to listen to their language & start to use it yourself. Be really careful not to see the bright lights of a far country & be enticed. Make sure you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.
D. Back in that 29th chapter of Jeremiah, God gave instructions to the children of Israel as to how they should behave in a pagan environment when they were taken from Jerusalem to Babylon. He said, "Now here is how I want you to live as my children." Listen to these very plain & practical words beginning in vs. 5.
He said, I want you to "Build houses & settle down; plant gardens & eat what they produce. Marry & have sons & daughters; find wives for your sons & give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons & daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace & prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." [5-7]
Those are very practical instructions, & very up to date as Jeremiah passed on the thoughts of God to a people in exile.
Conclusion.
You carry it in your heart this morning. So carry it to the workplace next Tuesday. Someone desperately needs to hear that message. I hope that in some way you can see your workplace as a sacred place, where you can serve the Lord, where you can witness your faith with those who don’t know Jesus.
1 Corinthians 9:19-22 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; (20) and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; (21) to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ+), that I might win those who are without law; (22) to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
