Seeing Your Work As A Mission
20/20 Vision
OKAY – welcome to week five in our series, ‘20/20 Vision’
A series about have visual acuity, about seeing things clearly in regards to 6 extremely important areas of your life and mine.
Jesus, The Church, Ourselves, Our Relationships, Our Work and Our Assets.
NOW – so far we have talked about…
• Seeing Jesus For Who He Is
• Seeing The Church As The Hope Of The World
• Seeing Yourself Through His Eyes (through the love of the Father, making your make your mirror)
• Seeing your relationships as an opportunity (to experience community, to develop to attitude of Jesus… being a humble servant, grow in the fruit of the Spirit and show the world that you really are His disciples)
OKAY – we’ve been talking about 20/20 Vision since January the 19th…
SO – how is your visual acuity?
ARE YOU - seeing things any clearer?
UNDERSTAND MGCC – seeing the 4 things that we have talked about so far in this series more clearly (improving your vision in regards to each of them)
WILL HAVE - a dramatic and positive impact on your life.
QUESTION…
DO YOU – believe that?
DO YOU - have eyes to see?
OR ARE YOU – blind to the importance of these things like the guy in Bethsaida?
OR ARE YOU – you still living in just the first step of the seeing miracle?
HEY – do you know what I am afraid of…
AND LISTEN – my fear is not just for you it is for me as well…
That some of us may sit here in this room and still settle and be content with just seeing a bunch of blurry trees walking around.
NOW – this morning I want to talk about seeing your work as a mission. Seeing not merely
• As a place to make a living and provide for your family
• As a steppingstone to something bigger, better and greater
•
I like to show a video clip of a guy who has a pretty great job.
Now, he has not had this job for long only 2 years…
But in that time this job has made him pretty well known and made him a lot of money…
And no doubt much more fame and money are heading his way.
When I came across this video clip, I was like… ‘Okay, this guy is pretty hard not to like…’
Patrick Mahomes Video
I love it…
Patrick Mahomes most definitely sees his work as a mission.
As a mission to bring glory to God.
NOW – I am not a Chiefs fan but… Mahomes and the CEO Clark Hunt of the Chiefs kind of make we want to root for them.
“My identity is in my faith in Christ”
AND - Because fans at Arrowhead Stadium may miss their normal Sunday worship opportunities by attending Chiefs games, a service is held in a pavilion at the stadium and features a message and worship starting at 10 a.m.
UNDERSTAND MGCC – that is the kind of visual acuity that God wants us to have when it comes to our work.
A eyes wide open 20/20 Vision, not just a ‘a see people walking around looking like trees kind of vision.
There are just 2 point in yours notes this morning…
It Matters
It’s Possible
B/S LISTEN…
It matters that you see your work as a mission, and
It’s possible to live out your work life on mission
OKAY, point #1…
I. It Matters
It matters that you see your work as a mission.
Regardless of what the work may be.
Michelle VanFossen Video
UNDERSTAND - the workplace is one of the few places where believers and non-believers spend a great deal of time together and get to know each other deeply.
Many people, form some of their closest friendships at work.
Over a lifetime, people will spend about 100,000 hours at work, where they often bond with others over shared tasks and interests. This gives many opportunities to talk about meaningful topics such as God.
If we are open-hearted, we grow to love and care about our co-workers. If we are trustworthy and respectful, co-workers may respond to our compassion with curiosity.
They may ask us about the source of our compassion and integrity, and naturally we will talk about Jesus as we respond.
They may find this kind of conversation less intimidating, and more relational, open-minded, and authentic than if they were talking with a stranger or going into a church.
AND LISTEN – work is a place where we can live out the three great calls that God has placed on our lives as people not only made in His image but as people who have chosen to follow Jesus.
AGAIN – God has placed three callings on our lives and work is one of the best places for us to live out those calling out.
AND LISTEN - a more complete understanding of the MISSION of work can be visualized (as an article I found on an excellent website about work suggested, theologyorfwork.org) by this….
Anyone know what this is?
It’s a 3 legged stool.
Each of the legs represents one of the three great callings we read about in the Bible…
The Great Commission
18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20
The Great Commandment
When the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him:36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” - Matthew 22:34-40
And the third leg of the stool… (and remember all three legs are important).
And this final leg is actually the first calling that God ever placed on mankind.
LIKE – it came long before the fall and before there ever was a need for the great commission…
The Creation Mandate
(sometimes referred to as the cultural mandate)
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground…. Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. – Genesis 1:27,28; 2:15
The Great Commission emphasizes the importance of Christians being involved in sharing their faith and making disciples.
The Great Commandment emphasizes the importance of Christians actively demonstrating their love for others.
The Creation Mandate emphasizes that God calls and commands us to fill the earth with His image - and to work, cultivate and create things that are both good and glorify Him.
UNDERSTAND - in the beginning, God’s creation was formless, empty and dark before He said, “Let there be light.”
In other words, God chose to create the universe by bringing order out of chaos.
IN LIKE MANNER - all human creative activity mirrors this process. WHETHER – it is… Designing a new building, cleaning and arranging a room for beauty and comfort, making bread from grain, developing a medicine, writing a computer program, painting a picture –
all of it involves bringing structure and order to raw, “chaotic” materials for human benefit and enjoyment.
NOW - Unlike God, humans don’t create out of nothing.
Instead, we use the knowledge and talents He’s given to rearrange the materials He’s provided.
Nevertheless, the principle remains the same: order from chaos.
Nancy Pearcey in her book, Total Truth:
In Genesis, God gives what we might call the first job description: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.” The first phrase, “be fruitful and multiply” means to develop the social world: build families, churches, schools, cities, governments, laws.
The second phrase, “subdue the earth,” means to harness the natural world: plant crops, build bridges, design computers, compose music. This passage is sometimes called the Cultural Mandate because it tells us that our original purpose was to create cultures, build civilizations – nothing less.
The great commission, the great command and the creation mandate can and must be lived out in our work if we are to have 20/20 Vision.
AND LISTEN – that work can be as a - NFL QB, NFL Owner/CEO, as a hairdresser or…
As the next short video clip will show as an Intelligence Analyst for the Government.
Steve Bailey Video
II. It’s Possible
Not only to see your work as a mission, but to actually live out that out 3 legged mission in your workplace…
NOW – as we wrap up I want briefly share 5 truths that help make that living out a reality, by using a the life of guy from Scripture who really excelled in this area.
I am sure that most of us have heard of him.
He is most famous for an encounter he had with some hungry lions when he was in his 80’s.
Now, from the time that He was a teenager, Daniel worked for the leaders of foreign nations.
His first employer, was the King of Babylon
UNDERSTAND - it wasn’t the job he had wanted…
It wasn’t the job that his family had planned for him.
The environment was difficult.
The location was far away from his home and from those he loved.
AND - the people he worked with were difficult (they didn’t believe what he believed, they worshipped other God’s, lived different lives, had different priorities…)
AND BESIDES – all of that, this job wasn’t exactly a career move that he had volunteered for.
YOU SEE - when Daniel was just a youth when he was taken captive by the Babylonians.
AND - since he was BOTH good looking and smart he was put into an intense training program.
Daniel chose to excel in that program and in everything else that he did. He interpreted many of King Nebuchadnezzar dreams. Dreams that no one else in the empire could interpret.
IN FACT - the king was so impressed with Daniel that he made him ruler of the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all the wise men…
Some years later Daniel had to make another ‘involuntary’ career change…
AS THE - Persians came in and conquered Babylon… (it was a very aggressive and hostile take over)…
AND - when Darius The First, set up his new kingdom, Daniel was given a job as one of his administrators.
Daniel worked and lived in such a way they 2 pagan kings came to understand that Daniel’s God was the greatest God.
The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings…. – Daniel 2:47
Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,
for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth,
- Daniel 6:25-27
Pretty impressive…
NOW – I don’t know about you, but often times when I hear about things like this in Scripture…
I think… yeah, but how.
Yeah, I get it… that’s awesome, but how to I pull it off.
WELL – when living out your work as a mission…
All you need to do is be ‘nicer’
Turn to the person to your right and left and tell them
“Be N.I.C.E.R.”
NOW – this may seem a little strange but there is a key idea behind each letter of the word N.I.C.E.R.”
N – No compromise
OKAY – when Daniel arrived in Babylon, because…
• He was from a royal family
• He was intelligent, capable, good looking and had no physical defect
He was placed in an intense 3 year training program to learn the ways, wisdom and language of the Babylonians
This program also included the eating of food that Daniel as an Israelite was commanded not to eat.
Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself.
- Daniel 1:8
• The chief official is like… if I do this and you guys start to look unhealthy and thin, it could cost me my life.
NOW UNDERSTAND - no compromises at our work— is not about being rigid in our beliefs or inflexible in our way of working,
INSTEAD – it’s about combining a secure stance in our faith with an acceptable and smart way that allows us to still do our job.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to stand firm in my faith, even when I am tempted to stay silent or asked to just blend in. Grant me wisdom and insight to live like Daniel, so that I may both please my employer and glorify you each and every day. Amen.
I - Integrity
UNDERSTAND – like Daniel we too should strive for a track record of behavior at work, that nobody can find fault with.
Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize. – Daniel 6:4
UNDERSTAND – being a person of integrity in your workplace counts, it matters.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I thank you for my work and pray that my life may be one of compete integrity so that even my coworkers may see your presence in my life. Forgive me for any shortcomings and help me to overcome even the smallest of weaknesses. Amen.
C - Compassion for others
We see many examples of Daniel demonstrating compassion for others…
Do not execute the wisemen of Babylon… Daniel 2:24
AND Daniel had compassion for King Nebuchadnezzar when he had to interpret a dream for the king that was not a good one…
If only your dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries. – Daniel 4:19
UNDERSTAND – showing compassion to others at work even those who do not like you… is such a powerful way to live out the great commandment.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. – Matthew 9:36
UNDERSTAND – everyone you work with, go to school with has a story…
AND – they could probably use a little compassion.
PRAYER…
Lord, I know that you love me, so much that you gave your only son to die for me. Lord, help me to see my coworkers or classmates with your eyes and to show the compassion, especially when I get too busy or don’t feel like caring.
Thank you for your unstoppable love and compassion for me Amen.
E - Excellence In Work
UNDERSTAND – there is a common thread in every place that Daniel found himself working…
Whether it was working for the king of Babylon or for the king of Persia, Daniel always did his best and pursued excellence at work.
Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and princes. Because of his great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire… He was faithful and honest and always responsible. – Daniel 6:3,4
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. – Colossians 3:23,24
YOU KNOW - I think that verse is pretty clear.
AND – I also think that far too many workers… (even believers) live in direct opposition to it.
AND INSTEAD – they do the minimum, they do just enough to get by.
QUESTION – do you do your best at work/school?
LISTEN - it doesn’t matter what our job is (No job is too low or too high to escape this instruction!) we must do our best…
AND WHEN - we do, our true boss the one whose glory fills the earth will be pleased with and proud of you)
For some of us, giving our best comes easy.
We like our jobs, we’re good at what we do and it’s just all around enjoyable.
For others, work is drudgery.
We don’t like what we do, we’re not good at it and the pay is lousy too.
Doing our best seems almost impossible.
Regardless of our work situation, the instruction in the Bible remains the same – we must do our best, as if we were working for Jesus himself.
PRAYER
Lord, I long to do my best for you. I know that my true reward lies in heaven and that I am here as your representative, no matter where I find myself. Help me to do my best in every situation that I find myself, to your glory. Amen.
R - Remember Whose You Are
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. – Daniel 1:1,2
Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. – Daniel 2:19-21
When you remember whose you are, you will remember who you are.
UNDERSTAND - God has placed you at the workplace where you are for a specific reason.
Maybe it is to develop your character, your talent or to prepare you for your next assignment.
BUT LISTEN – one reason you can be sure is that God has where you are…
SO THAT – you will see and live out your work as a mission.
And the mission God has called you to in your workplace
- The Creation Mandate
- The Great Commandment
- The Great Commission
Like the legs on a 3 legged stool they all worked together.
OKAY – here’s the deal..
There are countless people in our society who will never consider going to church on a Sunday morning…
A game across a recent survey this week that found that…
54% of people in America seldom (24%) or never (30%) go to church. That’s ~ 146 million people age 15 and up.
SO HOW THEN – is the message of God’s love & redemption - EVER going to reach them? WELL - God has a plan.
YOU SEE - 5 days a week - 8+ hours a day, God has His people (those who know Him, Love Him, Been saved by Him) - God has His people going out to them - working beside them, working for them, going to school with them - being taught by them...
YES - God has His personal representatives going out to nearly every place in this world.... rubbing shoulders with people who need the Gospel.
AND LISTEN – when those people are N.I.C.E.R.
Look out…
BECAUSE - some amazing (some God things) are going to happen…
“Lord, I know you have me where I am for a reason. I know that there are lost and hurting people that I will encounter every week. Help me to not only see them, but help me to seize the opportunity this week to show your love, to share your Gospel and continue your creation mandate by putting good into the world you so love.
AMEN
