Working for God
2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
September 6, 2015
When you hear the word, "job" what comes to mind? You might think, "I'm glad tomorrow's a holiday!" Others think — "I’m glad I have a job." Some will say, "I wish I had a job." Maybe you’re reminded of the Seven Dwarves as they sang as they headed off to work: "Hi Ho Hi Ho, it's off to work we go!" We have lots of songs we can sing about our jobs.
Do you remember your first job? I remember mine. I worked at a now extinct pharmacy called Dabs Pharmacy. I worked the register and in the good old days, we even delivered prescriptions. So, I was also a drug delivery boy, too. I think I got paid about $2 per hour.
I graduated from there and worked at a health club, a day camp and drove one of the buses, I even sold women’s shoes while in college. Those were some of my jobs and I have some good and not so good memories of them. Eventually, I went on to be an investment auditor for over 8 years before God called me into ministry.
I have to tell you, there were people who I look back on now, and they made an impression on me. Some because they worked hard, others, because they didn’t work hard. As a kid, you learn from watching others. And that’s how I learned from others.
Now, some of you are retired and you may think your day of working is long over, but hold on a little before you tune me out thinking about your lunch plans.
Let me ask you — What about work? Where does this thing called work fit into what it means to be a follower of Jesus? For many of us, work is something we do — we do it because we have to pay the bills, to feed our family, to live. What if we all decided we didn't want to work? Imagine what we would do all day! Yet, there are many people in this world who have simply stopped working.
Well, this is Labor Day weekend. Most people gain an extra day off of work. So, that’s a good reason to celebrate. Right? Labor Day has its roots all the way back to a national holiday proclaimed by Congress in 1894. So, we celebrate the worker. And that’s a good thing! The Bible also speaks about work. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible helps us to gain an understanding of God’s expectations for the follower of Christ.
This morning I want to look at words from Paul to the church in Thessalonica. I want us to be able to answer the question ~ "What does God want me to understand about work?” It’s really a pretty simple question — which has deep implications for us. So, let’s look at what Paul said ~
6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you,
8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.
9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.
10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.
12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
14 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.
15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
Paul is very clear – we are to work. We are not to be idle. Those who are idle, lazy, a slacker are in the wrong. As Paul starts telling them, notice he is giving a command. He said, "we command you” Those who are lazy are not living their lives by the way they have been taught. They are considered disorderly and unruly. Understand they are this way because they think Jesus is coming back very soon . . . and if Jesus is coming back next week, then they believed there was no reason to work. Have you ever heard the expression — "They are so heavenly minded they are of no earthly good." That's what some of these Thessalonian Christians were like — and we can be like them, too.
We are to work — and we are to be a good example to the world. Paul the church planter told these Christians that they were to follow his example. Not only was Paul a church planter, he was also a tentmaker. As a tentmaker, he made his living so that he could plant churches. He wasn't dependent upon others — although he had the right to do so, he didn't want to take advantage of his hosts — he didn't want to expect too much. He wanted to be a model, to show the church folks what it means to be a Christian and to be involved in ministry — and to work.
And this is true for contemporary pastors. We are to live our lives, do our work, so that others would be willing to imitate us, as we imitate Christ. When we are not doing this, we may also be considered unruly or disorderly or idle. So, every pastor in every church really needs to make sure they are being obedient to the call of Christ.
Paul is very direct and to the point when he wrote . . . "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." We are not to be a burden to the church simply because we choose not to work, simply because we choose not to work. I do understand there are mitigating circumstances in life, and sometimes there are issues which prevent working. I am not talking about these issues. Paul is not talking about your circumstances. He is referring to people who choose to be idle, disorderly and rebellious. These people were a constant draining source on the church. They didn't work. They didn't have an income. So they asked for and expected handouts from their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Jesus said in John 12:8, "You will always have the poor among you," and that's true. Jesus was not saying this to put down the poor. He was stating a fact, especially in light of the fact that Jesus said this after Mary anointed Him at Bethany and Judas complained. Jesus was reminding them, He was not going to be here much longer, but the poor would be, and they would be able to care for them.
Not only is Jesus' statement true, "the poor you will always have with you" but also, "the lazy, the slacker, the idle you will always have with you." There will be people who are idle, who don't work, and Paul reminds the people of Thessalonica, no work, not eat!
We need to believe that our work really matters to God. When we work we honor God by supporting our lives and by supporting the gospel. We honor God with the way in which we conduct ourselves. When people in the world, even people in the church see the way we conduct ourselves, they may be drawn closer to Christ, or they may run from Christ. So, how do you show who you are in Christ by the way you work. And that includes the way we volunteer.
I’ve seen some of the meanest volunteers in my day. In one church, not here, a woman scolded another woman for the way she turned on the water. I’ve seen it happen in kitchens, in meetings, in outside ministries, in schools. And it’s a major turn off from wanting to be involved in that organization. So, how we present ourselves to others is vitally important.
In Colossians 3, Paul reminds the people ~ 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord Jesus. . .
Can we do that? Can we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus? That’s a tall order, yet that’s exactly what we are supposed to do.
Paul’s words are tough on those who are idle. He tells the believers "keep away from them" (vs. 6) and "have nothing to do with them." (vs. 14)
Yet they are still to be considered a brother, not an enemy. The hope is by warning them, they will draw closer to who they are supposed to be in Christ. We are stewards of the gifts and abilities God has given us. If we are able, we are to work because God calls us to work. We find joy and passion in our work and we bring glory to God at the same time.
It really doesn’t matter what you do, we are to bring honor and glory to God in all we do. Whether it’s as an employee or a volunteer. We are to find the work we are called to do, then go do it, and do it with joy, as if we are working for Christ . . . and we are.
Sometimes the people around you may make work or volunteering difficult, but Paul tells us we are not to grow weary in doing good. Doing good is not always easy to do, but our focus has to be on making Christ known through everything we do. For many people we are Jesus. They base their view of Jesus, of Christians, of the church . . . on you and I. And that’s a tough call. Yet, in all we do, how can we seek to do never grow weary doing good?
We are to work, we are to volunteer, we are to provide for our families, we are to support the work of the church - - - AND we are to have the right Christ-like attitude to go along with it. We can’t leave our faith, our attitude, our passion out of the equation.
When we do what is right and good, we are encouraged and even though it may not always be easy to do, we are doing something which is part of a much larger picture. We don’t always know the impact we are making locally as well as globally.
We may fool ourselves to think that we are depending on God when we're really being lazy and idle. The idle thought that since they were Christians they could forget about work.
We can't have that excuse. Paul commands them — "If they won’t work, they won’t eat." (vs. 10). He commands them again writing — they are to "settle down and earn the bread they eat" (vs. 12). God places a high priority on work.
It’s a biblical concept, that when we work, we are doing good. The call is to honor God. I’ve seen that in so many of you who are here today. I’ve heard your stories about work, about dedication to the company you worked for. The blood, sweat and tears. The driving to work on poor roads in deep snow. There were no snow days! You worked, cared for your family, and gave sacrificially in money and time to the church. You lived your faith in the workplace and people were attracted to you. You inspire me!
Work may be a challenge, but through it we're supporting our families and we are given the opportunity to tell others about the love of Jesus Christ. We must be a living example of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We want others to be part of the "tradition" Paul refers to. Through our work we honor God and those who worship with us. Our work really matters to God: we are not to be busybodies but to be busy.
In the end, Paul commands us to work, not to be busybodies and gossip and talk about others and cause problems. When you have nothing to do with your time, we will always find something to do with our time, and often times, it’s not good. We end up getting tangled up in other people’s lives. We interfere with a healthy community, and we help it to become infected. We need to call Dr. Jesus and help bring healing. And often times, it takes awhile before healing comes, because people have been hurt, rumors have been spread, wrong information has been believed and the church kingdom suffers.
The cure . . . do the work you were called to do so that you bring glory to Christ. Again, as Paul said, do not become weary in doing good . . . in whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.
What's the sad result for those who don't work? What do they end up doing? We are not to be busybodies. A busybody gets tangled up into other people's lives. They interfere with healthy community life. They take rather than give. Idle, lazy, slacker types of people don't contribute to the community they clutter the community.
When we work we are doing good.
On Labor Day and every day you labor, whether for a paycheck or as a volunteer . . . remember –
glorify and honor our Lord Jesus, the Christ!!
Then you will receive the stamp approval from God
