Dave Nunn Talk
Work "As to the Lord"
Ephesians 6:5-9
Introduction
Eph 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
At the moment work seems unrelated to church. The next few years will see the church invade the workplace.
1) Work: God's plan for humanity
Work is part of God's plan for us prior to the fall.Gen 1:27-28So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; 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 of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."Gen 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
2) Work is not easy
a) Our rebellion has created a harder world. God’s Curse Gen 3:17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.Although this is given in the context of agriculture, it applies to all work. Life here is not as god desires.
b) A world without suffering and pain is yet to come, that is part of our hope for the future.
3) Work is about attitude
Colossians 3:22-25 22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favouritism.
a) Obey, you are at work
i) If it does not contradict your faith
b) Honesty and integrity, not just when the boss’s eye is on you.
c) In reverence for God, who are you working for?
d) V23 whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.
e) Vs 22,23,24 You are working for God not
f) Vs24 you will receive an inheritance from The Lord.
g) V26 Manangers watch for you have a master in heaven.
4) What is the purpose of work?
a) To provide for your needs. Titus 3:14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.
b) To provide for your family. 1 Tim 5:8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
c) To have something to share. Ephesians 4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
d) Provide treasure in heaven Luke 3 32-34 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
e) There is no point in moaning. Ecclesiastes 3:22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? Ecclesiastes 2:21-24 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,
