Today’s sermon is for the men of our congregation; being that we had a Men’s Breakfast this morning. I would like to begin our message with a short sermon illustration. Author John Trent, in an article entitled “A Father’s Heart,” states, “Not long ago, my family and I had the privilege of going on a cruise. As I sat on the deck drinking coffee, I overheard a heartbreaking conversation between a ten-year-old boy and his mother. ‘But why, Mom?’ the boy asked, oblivious to those around him. ‘Why did he even bother to come?’ I could see his mother struggling to frame her answer. ‘Well,’ she said, ‘he’s here, and he paid for all of us to go on this trip.’ ‘He’s not here!’ her son shouted. ‘He’s been on the phone or on his computer the whole time’!”(1)
How many of us get so caught up in work that we fail to spend time with our loved ones? Could it be that we see more value in our work than in our family, or perhaps we find more fulfillment in our work? It appears that making work our priority is a huge problem found among men: and Men, this can become a barrier in our relationship with God and with our family, and it can develop into a problem with our self-image should we ever experience difficulty in the workplace, or the loss of a job. Therefore, Men, the title of our message is presented in the form of a question that we should all consider, and that question is, “Are you defined by your job?” Let’s begin answering this question by first standing in honor of the reading of God’s Word, found in Genesis 47:1-3.
What Is Your Job? (Genesis 47:1-3)
1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen.” 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.”
Men, did you just hear the question that Pharaoh asked Joseph’s brothers? He inquired, “What is your occupation?” (v. 3) or “What is your job?” This seems like a rather direct question for a first introduction. We usually ask someone their name first, and then lead into those questions that request further detail about someone’s life; such as, what someone does for a living. However, it seems that we always get around to that question. Just watch America’s Got Talent, and one of the judges will normally ask a contestant, “And what do you do for a living?” – and then there’s that awkward moment when that thirty-year-old man says, “I don’t have a job. I live with my mom.”
It appears that one’s occupation was an important part of defining a person in Joseph’s time, just as it is today; and to ask about a person’s occupation was apparently part of ancient greetings and salutations. M. G. Easton says, “Eastern modes of salutation are not infrequently so prolonged as to become wearisome and a positive waste of time. The profusely polite Arab asks ‘so many’ questions after your health, your happiness, your welfare, your house, [your living] and other things.”(2)
Identity-Forming Employment
Our occupation, in some small sense, seems to define who we are. With men, however, one’s occupation seems to be everything about who we are. Tom Peterson tells us that “a job is an amazing thing. It not only has the incredible ability to pay your mortgage and to put your kids through college, it also can define your very identity.”(3)
In an article entitled, “Coping with Job Loss – Am I Meaningless,” it states, “It seems that much of our worth is wrapped up in the work we do. Our job becomes our identity . . . When we lose a job or are faced with a career change, we often feel we’ve lost our worth.”(4) “Men are taught that power, status and earning capacity are markers of masculinity. [A man’s] value is measured by economic and occupational success” (Linda Mantle).(5)
Men, all too often we allow our job to become our identity, and to become the ruler or standard by which we measure our life. So, what’s wrong with this picture? Well, I think we can see that we are letting something of this world become exalted above God, and – in a sense – to become an idol in our life. So, who is the measure by which we should compare ourselves, and in whom should we find our identity?
In Isaiah 59:19-20, we read, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression.” Commentator Matthew Henry says that Isaiah 59 “is generally thought to describe the coming of the Messiah,” so the “standard” that Isaiah spoke about is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the standard by which we should measure our life, and the one in whom we should find our identity.
If we base our identity on our job, then once we have difficulty on the job, or we lose our job, we suffer an identity crisis. We feel as though our world has come crashing down around us. One Christian man shares the following testimony:
I lost the career I had held for more than twenty-five years due to a serious injury. Because of my resulting limitations, I could not get another job. While employed in my field, I experienced such pride and satisfaction. I valued my education, my experience, the longevity of my career, and my capabilities. Now it was gone. Suddenly, all of those things that had been so important to me were meaningless. When I lost my career, I felt I had lost far more than just a job. I was distraught and suffered job loss depression. How could I earn a living? I was not really sure of who I was anymore, or if I had the capability to do anything at all. My self-worth plummeted. Of what value was my life now? It, too, seemed meaningless.(6)
Over time, this same man came to realize that he needed to base his identity in something much more than his job. He continues to testify, “I discovered that my worth was not to be found in me and what I was capable of doing, but in God and what He saw in me and what He wanted to do through me.”(7)
Our Identity in Christ
In Philippians chapter 3, verse 3, the apostle Paul declared, “Rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” He stated how we should find our identity in Christ and not in the things of the flesh, or of men – like our job, for example. He went on to declare in Philippians 3:4-6, “Though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”
Paul was telling us that he once gained all of his identity from the things of this world, especially in his accomplishments. When he spoke about being a Pharisee, he was emphasizing his occupation as a teacher of the law. He also spoke about how, as a part of his job, he persecuted the church. His job became a large part of his former identity. He also mentioned being a Hebrew of Hebrews, revealing his extensive education, which also played a part in developing his former identity.
He then went on to declare in Philippians 3:7-9, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.” Paul said that all those things that used to form his identity were “rubbish” to him, which can also be translated as “garbage,” or “dung.”
Everything that once meant something to him, such as his occupation, he counted as loss. Why? Because he wanted to “gain Christ and be found in Him” (v. 9). He wanted his new identity as a believer to be based in Jesus.
Men, just like Paul, all of the worldly things we use to identify ourselves must be counted as loss, and we must base our identity in Jesus Christ. Tom Peterson says, “Paul’s words challenge us to not allow our parking space, salary, office location or any other [part] of work define us. We need to avoid letting the novelties of this life distract us from eternity. If we build our house on the sandy soil of titles, salary or even parking spaces, we will be like the foolish man who built his house – [or] his identity – on sand. When the rains fall, the floods come, and the business goes through a seasonal rightsizing, those things all fall away.”(8)
Bill McCartney, founder of the Promise Keepers, has made sure that what he does never becomes what defines him. When this former coach of the Colorado Buffaloes was initially interviewed for the head coaching job, he told the search committee that they needed to understand: “I am not a coach who happens to be a Christian. I’m a Christian who happens to be a coach.”(9)
A pastor friend of mine once told me, “You need to know your ‘who’ from your ‘do’.” He went on to explain how it’s important to make sure that our identity is not based on what we “do,” but in “whom” we worship; and Men I encourage you to know your “who” from your “do.” Make sure that your job does not define who you are; but be certain that your identity is found in Jesus Christ.
Time of Reflection
Men, if we ever hear complaints from our spouse or children that we don’t spend enough time with them, or if we are experiencing an identity crisis after the loss of a job, then we would do well to ask ourselves, “Have I allowed my job to define me?” and “Have I based my identity on my occupation?” If we ask ourselves such questions, we will probably realize that our problems stem from placing too much value in what we do and not enough in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our identity should never be based on our job, our hobbies, in sports, or in anything else for that matter; but our identity should be found in Christ alone.
When we come to realize that our identity is found in Jesus Christ, next we need to ask ourselves, “Who am I in Christ?” When we can answer this question, we will find fulfillment and peace. Whenever we search out this question in the Bible, we will learn that we are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17); we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21); we are the Lord’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10); we are a royal priesthood and God’s own special people (1 Peter 2:9); we are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20); and we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37).
Whenever we base our identity in the Lord, then we will come to find more fulfillment in Christ then we could ever find in our job. This fulfillment will bring us a sense of stability and security, and with it the freedom to open ourselves to the Lord and to our loved ones. This is a realization that all believers need to grasp, especially the Men who are gathered here today. The freedom that comes from finding one’s identity in Christ is something that everyone needs in their life; and it’s something that everyone can have – so long as you are willing to surrender your heart and life to Jesus by confessing Him as Lord and Savior of your life.
NOTES
(1) John Trent, “A Father's Heart,” Christian Parenting Today, November/December, 1999.
(2) “Salutation,” M. G. Easton, Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Oak Harbor, WA: 1996, taken from Logos 2.1E on CD-ROM.
(3) Tom Peterson, “Identity-Forming Employment,” September 1, 2005, taken from the Internet in December of 2005.
(4) “Coping with Job Loss – Am I Meaningless,” taken from the Internet in December of 2005.
(5) Linda Mintle, “How Does a Man Balance Work and Family,” taken from the Internet in December of 2005.
(6) “Coping with Job Loss.”
(7) Ibid.
(8) Peterson, “Identity-Forming Employment.”
(9) Max Lucado, “UpWords,” tape number T1197.
