Laboring in the Lord
“Therefore, my brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” - I Corinthians 15:58
Sometimes in life, we have a hard time getting others to understand our message!
A group of clergies were discussing the raising of Lazarus in the Gospel of John, chapter 11. One pastor asked, "Why did Jesus ask the people to push away the stone, when He could perform miracles?" Another pastor hastily replied, "Involvement of the work of your labor, of course!"
But God always gets His message to His peoples!! Since the beginning of time, God has had a way of getting His message to everyone.
1) In the Garden He spoke personally with Adam.
2) He used a dove to deliver a message of faithfulness to Noah
3) He used a donkey to deliver a message of rebuke to Balaam
4) He used Ravens to deliver a message of provision to Elijah
5) He used a great fish to deliver a message of chastisement to Jonah
6) He used a rooster to deliver a message of repentance to Simon Peter
In the Old Testament, God used prophets to communicate His message to His people. In the New Testament, John the Baptist came preaching repentance. Jesus then came with that same message of repentance and so much more! When Jesus was about to ascend heaven, He commissioned the Apostles to go and teach the good news to all the ends of the earth. And by teachers, preachers, and faithful Christians throughout the ages, the message of salvation through Jesus was handed down all the way to you and to me. Then on top of that, we have the Holy Spirit to speak to us as well! God has always had a message for His people and that is still true today. God has a message for each person here:
Somewhere between 53 and 55 A.D, God sent a message to His people in the church at Corinth. He used the Apostle Paul to deliver this message to them. And this message that was delivered to the Corinthian believers, still applies to us today. The Lord used Paul to teach many subjects in his 1st Epistle to the Corinthians. Let's meditate in the message that is found in 1 Corinthians 15:58. “Therefore, my brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
I. It is an Urgent Message - "Therefore, My Beloved Brethren "
Usually when we send a mail or post to others with an important mail, we would stamp it with red letters that read "TIME SENSITIVE... DELIVER IMMEDIATELY!!!". That was the case for Paul as well. This was a time sensitive message! To understand the urgency of this message, we must consider the context of the verse. Notice that this verse begins with "therefore". This refers us back to the previous section of this chapter. In the previous verses, Paul reveals the return of the Lord Jesus at hand. I Corinthians 15 is one of the most detailed account of "the Rapture of the church"
Look with me to verse 51-52, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
When Paul wrote these words. He did not know when the rapture would happen, however he just knew THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN! Though the letter was written 2,000 years ago, we still also don't know WHEN this will happen. But if you believe in the sureness of the scriptures, you know THAT it will happen!
Why is this an urgent message?
1) Because of The Suddenness of This Event
- "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52) - This event could take place at any moment! Jesus will come for His people and He will come unannounced. His people will be here one moment and the next, they will be gone! There is no time to prepare. You will not have time to fix your mistakes.
2) Because of The Selectiveness of This Event
- When Jesus comes, there will be millions who are left behind. It would be a selective event. The Bible says, in Matthew 25:33, “And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” Jesus is coming for His bride and His bride alone! He is only coming for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ with their whole heart. Others will have to endure the horrors of the Great Tribulation.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! When the time comes for the rapture, take a moment, and consider those who are lost and without Jesus. If Jesus were to come today and your spouse is an unbeliever, they will be left behind, and you will never see them again! If Jesus comes today and your mother or father does not know Him, then you do not have a hope of being reunited with them in Heaven! If Jesus were to come today and you children are lost, they will be lost forever, and you will not see them again! Yes, this will be a sad event! But it also illustrates the urgency of the message that God has for today's church.
- The message is urgent because Jesus is coming. The message is urgent because we may have family, friends, co-workers, or classmates who are lost. The message is urgent because time is short. We must live each and every day living a Godly life, because we will not have time to fix our mistakes when Jesus comes back. We must constantly try to reach out to His lost sheep, because we will not have time to save them when Christ returns.
II. It is a Clear Message - "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord"
The US election is remarkably close. We are being overwhelmed with political coverage. We have already seen some candidates make statements that were controversial. However, when faced with public backlash, candidates are quick to take back their previous statements. It seems that in the political community, most people will go whichever way the wind blows. Unfortunately, there are many Christians that are the same way. But this verse is directed to the believers to be steady, constant, and devoted to the task at hand. We see through this verse that we are to be focused, faithful, firm and dedicated.
A. We must be Focused - "Be steadfast"
Paul uses the word "Steadfast". We have already seen the fact that the return of the Lord is at hand. In Romans 13:11-12 “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent; the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.” We must be focused on the task at hand. Is it a priority in your life to reach out to those who are lost for Jesus? Our responsibility does not end with evangelism! We are also told to "make disciples". Are you making disciples? Do you take the time to invest in the new converts? These are areas of labor that are required of each and every born-again Christian. Each saved Christian has been blessed and given certain gifts and talents. Therefore, we have been called to specific areas of service for the Lord. Are you using those gifts and talents? Are you serving faithfully in those areas in which you have been called to serve? Are you focused on the task at hand? If not, you should be!!
B. We must be Firm: "Immovable"
In the context this word "immovable" means "do not let anything or anyone shake your faith". Look back to 1 Corinthians 15:12 “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
There are some people who preach that there was no resurrection. And there are some people who are fooled by this false teaching. In our day, there are many false teachers preaching through our TV, radio, and internet. And many people are being deceived as a result. This illustrates the importance of actually getting into your Bible and studying for yourself. Don't trust some movie or mini-series put together by some atheist in Hollywood to tell you what God says!
But we must look to the Word of God and be steadfast and immovable. Say as Paul did, "Let God be true and every man a liar”!!! Consider what Paul said in Ephesians 4:14 “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” God doesn't want His children to be wavering or "tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine". His message to the Church today is to be "steadfast and immovable!!!"
C. We must be Fearful: "in the work of the Lord"
God has a plan, a purpose, and a calling for each of His children. If you have been called to a specific task, you know what you are supposed to be doing. Are you steadfast and immovable in your service to the Lord? Are you steadfast and immovable in your service in His church? Or have you started a work and walked away from it? Do not forget the context of this chapter.... Time is short! As of today, you have one less day to accomplish what you have been called to do. You have one less day to reach that lost loved one. You have one less day to mentor and disciple that fellow Christian... You have one less day to encourage the brethren...
My dear brothers and sisters, you will be held accountable for your service to the Lord. In Romans 14:10-12, “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: “As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”
- Dear Church, one day you will stand before Christ, who died for you. What will you say when He looks at you and says, "I gave you this talent and this gift to use for me and you wasted it". What will you do when He says, "I gave you 50 years to serve me, and you always had something better to do"... brothers and sisters, we must be faithful in our service to the Lord!
D. We must be Dedicated - "always abounding"
“Abounding” means to be in excess, or to excel. It speaks of abundance and still having more in store. Maybe you are serving the Lord, but perhaps you are just doing enough to get by. Dear brothers and sisters when we come to serving the Lord... just enough is not enough!!! Our one true God does not just satisfy our needs. He satisfies our needs and continues to abundantly bless us with His love and mercies.
Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” If God exceedingly works for us, shall we not call each other to work exceedingly for God? Time is short and we are to spend our time in service to the Lord. And we must give it all we have. Abounding in the work of the Lord does not speak of success. The success is up to the Lord.
What will He find you doing when He returns? Will He find you steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord?
III. It is an Encouraging Message - "knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord"
Paul instructed the Corinthian believers that they should work. Here he uses the word "labor". This speaks to toil and work with all of your strength. The Greek word literally means "pains". But notice he is not just speaking of working, but "laboring in the Lord". This means what we do is...under His direction and guidance...according to His will...for His glory. And it will be accomplished through Him, for without him you can do nothing. When we labor the correct way, "it will not be in vain". In fact, it cannot be in vain.
On the other hand, if we labor...according to our will ...without His direction ...and for our glory, it is all in vain. But there can be times, when even though we labor the right way, we may feel that it is in vain. Discouragement can come. In fact, discouragement it is a tool that the enemy uses with great success
Many servants of the Lord have given up their service as a result of discouragement. And you may be ready to give up as we speak. Remember what the Bible says in - Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good: for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” What a great encouragement! And we find that same encouragement here in our selected text! Through this verse we have an assurance that "our labor for the Lord is not in vain"
CONCLUSION
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the message God gave for the church of Corinth still applies to churches and Christians today in our generation. “Therefore, my brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” - I Corinthians 15:58
It Is an Urgent Message because time is short. Paul did not know when the rapture will happen, nor do we. Only God knows. Therefore, as Christians, we must live every day for the glory of God. Do not make mistakes you will regret, for you will not have time to fix it. Do not forget your loved ones, for you will not have time to save them. Do not save for another, what you can do today.
It Is A Clear Message - Be steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord! Be steadfast and allow God and His work to be the number one priority in your life. God has blessed you with gifts; let them glorify God. There is no need to be shy for the kingdom of God. Be immovable in the word of God. For media and the world can come against you, but, if you are firm and knowledgeable in the word of God, nothing can move you from His grace. And always be abounding in the work of the Lord. Just as God exceedingly blesses you, shall we all not exceedingly work to increase His kingdom as well?
It Is an Encouraging Message, for knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord! There will be times when we may feel discouraged after working hard for God, but the Lord says, “labor is not in vain.” All your work is written in the eyes of the Lord. And He will bless you abundantly when you enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Are you going to apply this message into your lives today? Will you labor for the kingdom of God? Amen.
