God’s Word For
The Overworked
January 12, 2003
"You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the Good News of Peace through Jesus Christ."
Acts 10:37
Are you tired, overworked, run down? Is the pace of your life getting you down?
No, this is not a Geritol commercial. But, if you feel like you are overworked. If you feel like you can’t keep up. God has a Word for you.
His Word is "Peace!" Peter gave this Word to Cornelius’ family in his sermon, "You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the Good News of Peace through Jesus Christ." Acts 10:37
His word is in Luke ???, come unto me all you that travail,…"
His Word is, "Do not call impure something I have already made clean…"
Many of us live hectic, frenetic, driven lives because we are trying to prove our value and quiet our guilty conscience. We work hard trying to earn what the Bible calls righteousness. Righteousness is Bible shorthand to simply say that we know how we’re doing with God.
Overworked is relative…
Illustration…, my friend sitting on a bucket at Parker’s ferry, NC, complaining about being overworked…, too many cars.., had to go over that creek 6 times yesterday…
He felt OVERWORKED
Point: Not the amount, not the purpose.., not the importance, not even if it is part of your spiritual gifts..,
It is WHY you’re doing it..
Not always doing things that zing your heart, your passion, your call.
But must do it "as to the Lord" or "As for Jesus’
have done it for me…
The Length to which you will go in your work is no longer than the extent of your love for Jesus.
Jesus told us that in Luke 7:44..,
Love for God is not based on the height of our righteousness…,
but the awareness of forgiveness that you have in your life…
Overworked is not necessarily the amount of work, activity that you are doing…
It is not even completely that you are working within your spiritual gifts and passion…
IT IS WHY you are doing it.
A BIG statement: unless you are doing it, no matter what, out of reverence, love for your savior.., it will deplete you.., suck you dry…
Compensation
And then you will seek compensation..
Yes, compensation is your pay.., but it is how you reward yourself…., and when you are trying to compensate for the spiritual shallowness of your work…, you will always reward the flesh….
Galatians 5:16, ‘live by the Spirit, and you will not reward the desires of the Flesh.’ Paraphrase.
How are you compensating yourself right now?
Does your compensation reveal a problem…?
All in the quest to feel better about yourself…, to feel valuable… to feel PEACE…
A Quest for RIGHTEOUSNESS
Rigteousness…
There are two types of righteousness -- God’s righteousness and self-righteousness.
Basically our IDENTITY…
Self-righteousness is earned in the caldron of work, work, and more work. Trying to please yourself… oh, I know, the way you describe it is that you are trying to please others…,
Please your wife, please your boss, please your family, please your friend…, even please your God…
but in reality you know, deep down, that you are only trying to please yourself, that is earn their favor, earn that fleeting compliment.., earn that one quick, "you’re so good…, so loving, so capable…, so ….
God’s righteousness is received
Philippians 3:9, "not having a righteousness of my own that comes through law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith"
God’s Righteousness is received only in the loving arms of conversion.
Torn from Self-righteousness by Conversion…,
because we are all self-righteous, believing that we deserve what we have, and therefore we must be converted, or literally torn from the claws of our hard earned self-righteousness.
Conversion
When you have been told something all your life by someone with authority in your life, it is life changing to hear otherwise.
President John Kennedy…, Youthful president…, learned later of many indiscretions..,
attitude changed..
A son told all his life that he was worthless is converted when that same parent says, "I was wrong. You are so valuable to me." Attitude changed.., not just towards Dad…, towards himself…
That is what we call a conversion moment.
Conversion comes when we learn that an idea, an opinion, or a belief is, in fact, different than we had previously believed.
In Acts chapter 10 we read of several conversion moments.
Peter
Peter’s sermon begins, "I now realize (I was wrong) it is true God does not show favoritism (on account of race, gender, social status, even religious zeal) but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." Acts 10:34
What brings the Conversion in Peter’s thinking?
At verse 15, Peter hears in a fresh way God’s Good News that he has been cleansed by the Blood of Christ, therefore made righteous in God’s eyes and that he, Peter, need no longer seek righteousness in the kosher dietary laws.
God said, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." Acts 10:15
This news converts Peter’s long standing beliefs that he can obtain his righteousness, his satisfaction by rigerously adhereing to the Kosher dietary laws…
He also rightly translates God’s statement to him that God has also made Gentiles clean, by the Blood of Christ…
Cornelius
Needs conversion too…He is a busy man.., Roman Centurion, Italian Regiment.., Home Force.. elite
Also a God fearer.., Gentile following Judaic practices..
Cornelius’ belives that he must earn his righteousness through the busy-ness of being religious, that is "devout and God-fearing, giving generously to those in need, and praying to God regularly."Acts 10:
Trying to keep two groups happy…., Sound Familiar…
Later, Cornelius hears the Good News from Peter that he too has already been made clean by the cleansing blood of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. Hears Peter’s witness…, It isn’t by kosher dietary laws…, its because of Jesus…,
Cornelius is converted…
Holy Spirit comes.., witnesses…
With that Peter can’t refuse them the water of Baptism.
What about you…?
Are you here today overworked, overstressed, overtired, and over being told that if you work a little harder you’ll feel better about yourself?
Every message – other than the Gospel – will only give you one more thing to do…
Dr. Phil will tell you what to do…
Dr. Laura will tell you what you haven’t done..
Your momma will tell you – you weren’t raised that way – when probably, you were…
Most preachers will tell you – what you’re doing wrong…
Well, today I’m telling you God’s Word for you. His Word initially is not what you have to do..
His Word is what he has already done…
"Do not call anything impure that He has made clean…"
God has made you clean – cleansed by the Blood of Christ voluntarily shed on the Cross…
Aren’t you tired of trying to earn favor from everyone?
Aren’t you tired of seeing yourself through the eyes and the demands of everyone around you?
Then you need to hear God’s Word for the Oveworked…
Do not call anything impure that I have already cleansed..
"You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the Good News of Peace through Jesus Christ."
When we hear that Word, God’s Word, we see that something is different than we initially thought..
That brings conversion…,
Conversion from thinking we are condemned…
Conversion from working to earn our righteousness
Conversion from trying to earn our satisfaction
Conversion from our overworked, driven life to being Spirit led..
Because Jesus Christ voluntarily shed his blood on the Cross for you, that you have been cleansed from all impurity. And through that God has put himself right with you.
Arthur
Eph. 6:19
