Labor Day 2019
Please stand as we read our newest memory Scripture together …
John 14:23-24
“Jesus said, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him.
“He who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My own; they belong to the Father who sent Me.”
And our memory refresher verse(s) for today is(are) …
Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.
“Do not conform 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.”
Please open your Bibles to 1 John 4:7-21
According to the US Department of Labor:
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
A couple of interesting factoids about Labor Day:
1) President Grover Cleveland helped make Labor Day a national holiday
2) You are not supposed to wear white after Labor Day because “white indicated you were still in vacation mode at your summer cottage.” (We ALL have summer cottages, right???
3) Labor Day is the unofficial end of Hot Dog season. (I have never gotten a license to hunt hotdogs because I did not know there was a season!)
Anyway, in spite of that foolishness let’s prepare our hearts to look into God’s Holy Word on this Sunday before Labor Day.
Read: 1 John 4:7-21
(Prayer for help …)
Labor Day is one of my least favorite holidays for two reasons:
- 1) it signals the unofficial end of summer
- 2) the only reason the holiday exists is because people did NOT obey the Scriptures we just read in 1 John 4!
From ancient history we see trade and merchant unions in existence but at that time they were more often referred to as guilds.
But that is not why we have the holiday called Labor Day in America.
When the industrial revolution came from Europe to America in the early 1800’s the population began to shift from a farming economy to an industrial economy. People moved from the country to the city to work in the mills and factories and there were very few protections for the workers.
There was absolutely NO minimum wage
There was no limit on hours that could be worked
There were no child labor laws
There were no workplace safety regulations
There were no fire safety regulations
Workers could be forced to stay at the company through debt bondage
The companies were only looking out for their own profit and not for the workers …
OK. Let’s step back a bit.
1 John 4:7-8
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
It seems obvious to us that the owners of these factories and the company officers who enforced these conditions were not acting out of this kind of love, or, any real kind of love at all!
Is it possible that all of the company owners and their enforcers were non-believers?
Is it possible that none of them knew Jesus as their Lord and Savior?
Is it possible that many of them were pillars in their churches; making grand donations, sitting on the elder boards and praying lengthy public prayers?
And is it possible that all the time they were doing those things they were wringing every bit of life out of their employees that they could?
It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
Eventually the tide turned and the labor unions became strong, constantly demanding more and more from the companies wherever they were able to organize.
Then what happened when they became too strong for a company?
They made bigger and bigger demands; never satisfied
They would go on strikes when demands weren’t met hoping to choke the company into submission
Sometimes they would go so far as to force the very business that employed them to close or go bankrupt
OK. Let’s step back again …
1 John 4:7-8
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
It seems obvious to us that the unions were not acting out of this kind of love, or, any real kind of love at all toward the people who had employed the workers!
Is it possible that all of the union members and officers were non-believers?
Is it possible that none of the union members or officers knew Jesus as their Lord?
Is it possible that many of the union members and officers were pillars in their churches; making grand donations, sitting on the elder boards and praying lengthy public prayers?
And is it possible that all the time they were doing those things they were wringing every bit of life out of their employers that they could?
It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
Of course, an unintended consequence for the employees was that they now had two bosses to answer to; the company bosses and the union bosses, many of whom were answering to mob bosses.
Why?
Sin. A sin nature always exalts itself above others while Jesus says, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)
Imagine a company where the employees are grateful to have a job. A company full of employees who are eager to be at work whenever they are supposed to be there.
A company where the employees are efficiently doing their job for the greatest productivity.
A company where the employees are mindful of turning out a quality product so that the company will be successful in the market place and the welfare of all the people involved from the owners to the most humble position are benefited and secure in their jobs.
Imagine a company where the owners and officers are all concerned about the welfare of all of the employees. A company that shares its monetary success with all of the employees from the top to the bottom. A company that is grateful for the faithful workforce that makes the success of the company possible.
Is any such thing possible?
Perhaps not in this world but does that mean that we should not try?
What is the most adversarial employment situation that you can imagine?
That would probably be the master/slave relationship.
(This is of course, excluding such things as human trafficking which is from the pit if hell itself.)
But in Jesus’ day having a slave was just a matter of commerce.
A person might even sell themselves into a slave relationship if things got bad enough.
In Jesus’ day once a person was a slave they were basically just property like a horse or a piece of furniture.
Look with me if you will at Ephesians 6:5-9?
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and 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 as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
“And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. 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.”
Wow! Slave and masters are supposed to honor, respect one another and care for each other’s best interests?
Is that possible? According to God’s word it not only IS possible but it is also required!
How is it possible?
1 John 4:7-8
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
If slaves and masters can look out for the welfare of each other can’t employees and employers do the same?
In closing, let’s just look at a couple more Scriptures that can help us with these thoughts …
1 Timothy 6:6
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Do we pursue godliness or are we just hoping we have enough to get us through to heaven?
Are we content with what we have or are we always grasping for more?
Jesus said in Luke 16:13
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Is your master the Lord or the things of this world?
It doesn’t matter how much you love God, if you love money or anything of this world more than you love Christ, you lose!
1 Timothy 6:10
“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Are you eager for money or for God?
Are you in danger of wandering from the faith and piercing yourself through with many griefs?
Hebrews 13:5
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
We know that in this world money is necessary but it must always be in the position of a servant and not the position of a master.
Now … imagine … just imagine if people at the time of the industrial revolution had lived by the command of God to “love one another”.
Naturally, there would be no Labor Day holiday, but, it would be worth it, wouldn’t it?
Finally ….
Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
And …
Matthew 6:33
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (that you need for life) will be given to you as well.”
(Talk about God’s sacrificial love and use that to lead into communion.)
