Matthew C. Mitchell's Blog, page 87

Third Sunday of Advent: A Candle of Courage

LEFC Family Advent Readings: Take Heart!
John 16:33 :: December 13, 2015
Week #3: A Candle of Courage

“Advent” means “coming.” Christmas is coming. Jesus has come and is coming again.

During this year’s Advent season, we are contemplating together our Lord Jesus’ promise from the Gospel of John, chapter 16, verse 33.

[READ JOHN 16:33 AND RE-LIGHT FIRST CANDLE]

Our first candle was a candle of lament. It told us that our world has been full of trouble ever since the garden of Eden and that it is good and right to express grief, sadness, and longing for our broken world to be fixed.

[RE-LIGHT SECOND CANDLE]

Our second candle was a candle of hope. It reminded us of the promise of the Prince of Peace. His peace is unlike anything the world offers and will never end. And that gives us something to hope in.

[LIGHT THIRD CANDLE]

Our third candle is a candle of courage. Because our hope is in Jesus, we can take heart and be courageous right now. Even though our broken world is full of danger and trouble on every side, we do not have to live in fear.

We can be bold for Christ. We can take risks for Christ. We can tell others about Christ. We can obey Jesus and do the hard things He wants us to do in our needy world. The angel told the shepherds "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

We also do not need to be afraid. Christians know already how our story ends and that changes how we live in the here and now.

Be courageous and take heart!

Our readings this year correspond with the EFCA Advent Devotional by Greg Strand.

Raindrops on Rose Leaves

[Matt's Messages] "Faithful Work"

“Faithful Work”
Working for the Lord - Fall 2015
December 6, 2015 :: Matthew 25:13-30 

I want for us to recognize and celebrate one last group of workers on this last Sunday of our sermon series on work, “Working for the Lord.”

This last group of workers is one that I’ve mentioned every week in this series but haven’t yet asked for them to stand.

This is the group of workers who are not employed. That is to say those who work but don’t do their work for compensation. They don’t have a “job’ with a capital “J.”

So, this is all of the students. We’ve said that the second, third, and fourth graders all are workers and should do their work for the Lord. So, I want all of you students to stand.

And this is all of the retired people. If you haven’t stood already for a field of work, this is your time. You continue to work. I remember Blair Murray used to say that he was so busy, he didn’t have time to have a job!

And this is for all of the folks who are unemployed right now. You are looking for work and that is your work.

And this is also for those who are disabled and unable to work for compensation right now.

You might not even be able to stand today, but we recognize you anyway.

Because when it comes to our work, contribution is much more important than compensation!

So all of you workers who are not compensated, I’d like you to stand now and be recognized and celebrated.

Thank you! Thank you for your contribution our community and to the common good.

Your work matters. God cares about it. I know that can be hard. Do your best.

Your work is worship. Your work is discipleship. You work matters to God.

All of you, thank you. Well done. Good job!

And that’s what today’s message is about. It’s about hearing that commendation, that “Job well done,” not from me or you, but from the Lord, when He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Our key verse all Fall has been Colossians 3:23 and 24.

I hope we have it memorized. Let’s say it together one more time:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

And what do you want your Master Messiah, your Lord Christ, to say to you when your work is all over and done?

Today’s message is entitled “Faithful Work,” and it comes from Matthew chapter 25 verses 13-30 which is part of what Bible scholars commonly call “The Olivet Discourse,” that long teaching segment of Matthew chapters 24 and 25 where the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Olives taught His disciples about the end-times, about the end of the world and about His return, the second coming of Christ.

The theme that keeps repeating throughout this section is that Jesus’ disciples should live in constant expectation and readiness and watchfulness because we do not know when Jesus will return.

Jesus has said something like that in chapter 24, verse 36, verse 42, verse 44, and verse 50. And then in this chapter, he tells three stories to illustrate the principle.

Our story for today is the middle story of the three.

But the point of all of them is that we should be watchful and ready for the return of Jesus Christ.

The first story ends with verse 13 which serves as a bridge into our story for today:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

We are living in the last days.

We are closer than ever to the return of Jesus Christ.

Now, I’m NOT saying that we are living in the last of the last days. I don’t know that.

Sometimes it feels that way, doesn’t it? Especially with the headlines that we read in the newspaper?

Some of you have asked me recently to do more teaching on the End Times because  it feels like we might be in them.

But we know that Christians throughout history have felt the same way, that their generation may be living in the last of the last days.

And we also know that the Lord Jesus told us specifically to not be setting dates and that things like false messiahs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes and all kinds of bad things like that do not tell us that the end has arrived. Jesus made that very point in chapter 24. Those things must happen but the end is still to come. They are beginning of the birth pains, not the end.

V.13 again.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

But we do know that the Bible calls this time that we are now living in between the first advent of Christ and the second advent of Christ, “the last days” or the “last hour.”

Hebrews 1:2, James 5:3, 2 Peter 3:3, 1 John 2:18

We are living in the last days, the days between Jesus’ first coming (Christmas) and His second coming.

And just because of the passing of time, we know that we are closer now than we have ever been to the return of Christ.

And the question is, how are we supposed to live while we wait for His return? V.13 again.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Keep watch. That’s how we are supposed to live.

Ready for His return.
Ready and waiting.

Expectant, anticipatory, longing, leaning towards it, ready for Him to return.

Keeping watch.

But! This watchfulness is not at all supposed to be passive.

While we are waiting for the return of Christ, we are not supposed to just lean back and lay around. It’s not that kind of waiting.

It’s not like waiting at the bus stop or the airport terminal. Nothing’s happening. You just sitting there until your ride comes.

Some people in the Bible were like that. Some of the men at Thessalonika had quit their jobs and were just waiting around because they thought the return of Christ was right around the corner.

In the 19th century, some people thought they knew the day and the hour of Christ’s return, and they gave away their possessions and just waited around to be taken up. “Beam me up, Jesus!”

And then it didn’t happen like they expected, and they didn’t have anything left. How disorienting would that be?

What did Paul tell those men at Thessalonika?  Get a job!

Get to work.

This “being ready” or “keeping watch” is not a passive thing like waiting for the bus, but it’s an active thing. There are things to be doing while we are waiting.

Things like...work.

#1. WE ARE ENTRUSTED.

We are given a job to do. Verse 14.

“‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Again [another story to illustrate this point], it [the kingdom] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.”

Jesus is telling a parable.

And it’s not that hard to interpret, at least the main points.

The man going on a journey is who?  Jesus Himself.
And the servants are who?  They are us. They are people.

What are the “talents of money?”

It’s a little confusing because a “talent” in Greek is a unit of money measurement, not our gifts and special abilities like how we use the word “talent” in English.

It’s confusing because we actually get our word for “talent” from this word and this story, I believe.  Because we all have gifts that God has given us, we call them “talents” after these piles of money.

The 2011 NIV just calls them “bags of gold” which is actually very helpful for getting the picture of what’s going on here.

Because this was, in the story, a whole lot of money. One “talent” or one bag of gold was equivalent of 20 years wages for a day laborer.

I’m not sure how to translate that into today’s dollars. What would a day laborer make right now, multiple that times 20 years of days. That’s big chunk of change.

And, in this story, the master leaves 5 of those for one servant, 2 for another, and 1 in another why? “Each according to his ability.”

He had a good idea of what each one could handle.

And so he entrusted that amount to each one.

Now, what do the bags of gold in this story stand for in real life?

Well, I think that they’re everything and anything that the Lord has entrusted to us.

So they are what we call our “talents,” our gifts and abilities.
And they are our money which we are supposed to be stewards of, money managers for God.
And they are also our assignments in life...including our jobs, our callings.

These talents in the story are the gifts and assignments that the Lord has entrusted to us to manage and do while we wait for His return.

So, put your job in that word when you see it there.

You have been entrusted with your work.

It’s your assignment right now, and the Lord has put it in your hands to manage until He calls you to another job or until your work on earth is done or until He returns.

Now, a couple of things to notice about this.

First, notice that we are to expect some kind of delay. The master goes off on a journey and doesn’t come back right away.

Some people think that because the New Testament emphasizes expectancy, that nobody in the New Testament could have guessed that it would be some time until Jesus returned. Just because the Bible calls us to be ready at any time doesn’t mean that the apostles made a mistake in thinking that it was going to be soon.

Right here, the master goes on a long journey, and it will be long enough for the servants to get some work done investing his gold while he’s gone.

I don’t think we should be surprised that Jesus has not yet returned. Peter says that He’s being patient and giving more people more time to repent.

But on the other hand, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t coming back soon. We don’t know when, so we need to be ready. Which means staying busy with what he’s entrusted to us.

Second, we shouldn’t get jealous of other people’s gifts and assignments. Some get 5 bags of gold, some 2, some 1. But everyone gets something to do.

And it’s based on how He sees things working the best.

So, we shouldn’t be despising someone who has a different calling that we do.

Don’t look around the room and envy the people who stood a different week than you did. Or look down on the people who stood a different week than you did.

Just do what God calls you to do. Just be grateful to have been entrusted with what God has put in your hands to manage.

...And be faithful with it.

That’s the point of this story. V.16

“...Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.”

You can see where this story is going!

Two kinds of workers. Faithful and unfaithful.

How many faithful workers are there? Two.

How many unfaithful workers? One.

How many were entrusted?  Three. They all were, right?

Everybody has been given a job to do.

The question is not whether or not we have a job but whether or not we’re going to be faithful with it.

Now, I think that this applies directly to evangelism, with sharing the gospel.

It applies directly to missions, to spreading the gospel.

And it applies to all kinds of church work, building the church around the gospel.

The first application of this call to faithfulness is gospel ministry and disciple-making.

But what have we learned this Fall?

We’ve learned that it’s all ministry. That our work is discipleship. That our work is worship.

We’ve learned that our work is entrusted to us by our master. “It is the Lord Christ you are serving” when you are doing your “day job.”

So it’s all kingdom work in some way.

The question is whether or not we’re going to be faithful at doing it.

We are entrusted.

Do you feel that?  I hope that everyone is beginning to get that. God has entrusted you with a job to do.

And He cares whether or not you do it.

And How you do it. Do you do it in the way that He wants it done?

Everything that we’ve talked about all Fall.

It comes down to this, will we be faithful or not?

You know it’s funny. We tend to think that if this is the End Times then what we need to do is to freak out.

Vote a certain way.
Stock up on canned goods and dry foods.
Fill your basement with guns.

But Jesus said that when then end is drawing near, we should just stay busy about His business and faithfully do our jobs.

If the end is near, then we should be getting up and going to work.

How do you want your Master to find you when He returns?

I don’t know about you, but I want to be working at what He told me to do.

Because #2. WE WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. V.19

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.”

Those are sobering words, aren’t they?

There will be accountability for our performance with that which He has entrusted to us.

Do you have a performance review at work?

I have one every year done by the elders, and I do one for Marilynn every year.

But this is the ultimate performance review. Are you ready for it?

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.”

What did you do with what I left in your hands?

How did you invest your life? Your gifts and your assignments?

Were you faithful or not with your work? V.20

“The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' [An 100% on your investment. That’s awesome.] ‘His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' [Also 100% return on the investment.] ‘His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'”

#3. WE WILL BE REWARDED.

If we are faithful, we will be rewarded.

I love those words in verse 21 and again in verse 23.

And I long to hear them said to me.

“Well done, good and faithful servant!”

That would be reward enough.

To receive the commendation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But there is more than just commendation. There is, somehow, more responsibility.

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'”

I think that points to the way things will work in the future, in the kingdom and the new heavens and the new earth.

There will still be work in the consummation. Remember when we said that back in September?

It just will be work with out the curse. Work but not toil. Work with no groaning. All groaning with be gone.

But contribution will not. Work will still be there.

And if we are faithful now with the few things that the Lord has given us to do, then we will get more and better to do then.

Isn’t that a great incentive to faithfulness now?

God has an incentive program for our work, too!

You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” Let’s get going and party!

“Come and share your master's happiness!'”

Now, again, notice that the reward is the same for both the 5 talent guy and the 2 talent guy.

We should not assume that because someone has a big job to do here that they will experience more blessing in the life to come.

That’s up to God.

What we can expect based on just this parable is that if we are as faithful with our job as someone else is with their’s, we can both expect the same commendation and more responsibility and a hefty common portion of our Master’s joy!

No matter what your job is, if you are faithful with it, you can expect to share in the happiness of Jesus Christ!

And the opposite is true, as well. Those who are unbelievers, those who do not trust the Lord Jesus and do not show up for work can not expect to be rewarded. Quite the opposite. V.24

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'”

He almost seems mad at the master, doesn’t he?

“Why did you give me this job?

I don’t love you or trust you. I’m just sacred of you. So I disobeyed you.

Here’s your stuff back. I didn’t do what you asked.”  V.26

“His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? [You think that I exploit people, do you?] Well then [if you are so scared of me], you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers [at least!], so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.”

“What have you been doing?”

The master’s been gone a long time, and this guy has nothing to show for it.

Just an assignment that he didn’t lift a finger to do.

What a scary phrase to hear from the Lord Jesus, “you wicked, lazy servant!”  You sluggard, you slacker, you have been worthless.

He actually calls him “worthless” or “useless.” v.28

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The condemnation of the judgment.

Unbelievers will lose the life and talents and assignments and treasures and all kinds of other gifts that they have received in common grace if they will not trust the Lord Jesus and show that they trust the Lord Jesus by obeying the Lord Jesus.

But those who do believe Him and trust Him and put their faith in Him will show it by being faithful to Him.

“For everyone who has will be given more and he will have abundance.”

That’s what I want for all of us in this room.

Abundance. Now and forever.

And it comes as the fruit of faithfulness.

If we are faithful, we will be rewarded.

So are you being faithful to your callings?

If you died today, what would you expect your Master to say to you?

You have been entrusted.
You will be held accountable.

What would you hear?

What do you want to hear?

What do you need to change to know that you will hear it?

Whatever your job is, whatever your callings are in life, they are callings of the King, and He wants you to be faithful to do them in anticipation of His return.

That’s how we are to live in these last days.

Watchful, but not passive.

Actively busy with our business for the King.

Ready for Him to return and inspect the troops.

At any time.

Yesterday, my son Peter got a buck. His first deer, and our family’s first buck, and I’m pretty proud of him.

When the buck first appeared on the horizon, I was on my phone.

I was shopping for health insurance with my freezing little fingers. I wasn’t really hunting.

But Peter was. He was watching, watching, watching. He was ready.

But he wasn’t just sitting there. He was active. He had his eyes peeled, and he was scanning the horizon. He was busy doing what he was supposed to be doing.

And it paid off.

We didn’t know the day or the hour that that buck would come through, but Peter was ready.

And now I can say to him, “Well done, son. Good job!”

How much more should we watchful and ready and expect and busy doing our jobs so that we can hear our Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servants. Come and share you my happiness!”

I know that some of you are worried by today’s message.

Your heart longs to hear the master say, “Well done!”

But you know how much you have failed. You know that you have not been consistently faithful.

You have a tender conscience, and this message almost makes you feel crushed.

“I haven’t been faithful. I don’t want to be the wicked and lazy servant, but I know how far I’ve fallen short.”

There is good news at this table for you.

This table stands for the Cross of Jesus.

And at the Cross, Jesus took all of your failures and paid for them.

And at the Cross, Jesus was crushed so that you would not have to be.

And at the Cross, Jesus gave you His perfect track record of faithfulness.

There was nobody who embodied “good and faithful servant” like Jesus did.

But He died the death of a criminal. He died like a wicked and lazy servant deserves.

For you and for me.

He did His job faithfully, and He offers that gift to you and me.

That’s what this table represents.

Your sin on Him. His righteousness on you.

If you know Jesus in that way, then you are invited to eat and drink in celebration of Him.

If you do not know Jesus like that yet, then now’s the time to trust Him. I invite you to put your faith in Him now. Turn from your sin and receive the Savior.

Let the plates pass you by. Instead, use this time to place your life in the hands of Jesus and trust Him as your Lord and Savior.

Because One day soon He will return.

One day, we will definitely be in the last of the last days.

But we don’t know the day or the hour so for now, we trust God, we keep watch, and we stay faithful.


***

Messages in this Series

01. Working for the Lord
02. Is Work - Good Or Bad?
03. Why Work?
04. Working at Witnessing
05. Get to Work!
06. Work and Rest
07. Called to Work
08. Prayer at Work
09. Your Attitude at Work
11. Love at Work
12. Co-Workers
13. Faithful Work

Second Sunday of Advent: A Candle of Hope

LEFC Family Advent Readings: Take Heart!
John 16:33 :: December 6, 2015
Week #2: A Candle of Hope

“Advent” means “coming.” Christmas is coming. Jesus has come and is coming again.

During this year’s Advent season, we are meditating on our Lord Jesus’ promise from the Gospel of John, chapter 16, verse 33.

[READ JOHN 16:33 AND RE-LIGHT FIRST CANDLE]

Our first candle was a candle of lament. It reminded us that our world has been full of trouble ever since the garden of Eden and that it is good and right to express grief, sadness, and longing for our broken world to be fixed.

[LIGHT SECOND CANDLE]

Our second candle is a candle of hope. In the Old Testament, a messiah was promised–an anointed savior who would solve all of the world’s problems and usher in an eternal peace.

The prophet Isaiah predicted: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

The Old Testament believers waited many long years in expectant hope of the fulfillment of that promise.

We know now that Jesus is the Savior God promised to send, and He says that we will find our peace in Him. His peace is unlike anything the world offers and will never end.

Yet even though the Prince of Peace came that first Christmas, we are still waiting for the full realization of His promises. So as we wait for Jesus to come again, we continue to place our hope in Him.

Take heart!

Our readings this year correspond with the EFCA Advent Devotional by Greg Strand.

Wilted Morning Glory in the Rain

[Matt's Messages] "Co-Workers"

“Co-Workers”
Working for the Lord - Fall 2015
November 29, 2015 :: Philippians 1:1-11

This is our second-to-last sermon in our series called “Working for the Lord,” where we’ve been exploring what the Bible says about what we spend most of our time doing each week.

It’s been so good to hear from so many of you that this series has helped you at your work all Fall. And I hope that it continues to bear fruit.

Even though this series will end next Sunday, Lord-willing, I plan to not continue to bring applications to our work-lives just about every Sunday from now on. I’ve been convicted that there needs to be a closer connection in application between what we  read on Sunday mornings and what we live out Monday through Saturday.

So, listen each week, even after this series is over, for more direct applications of how the truths we discover in our Bibles on Sunday mornings get lived out at work on Monday mornings.

And I was serious when I said last week that I’d like to visit you at your workplace. I’ve come to understand that my job as your pastor is more than just shepherding in homes and hospitals but also in the marketplace.

I’d love to drop by your job and learn more about what you do and also to pray for you there. And to meet your co-workers.

Co-workers are the subject of today’s message. Last week, I said that many of you in the sermon surveys have asked for wisdom on relating to your teammates on the job.

So that’s what today’s message is all about, and we’re going to study the first eleven verses of Philippians chapter 1 to gain some wisdom on that.

But first, there is another group of workers that I’d like to recognize.

Every week in this series, we’ve been asking different kinds of workers to stand and be celebrated for your unique contribution to the common good and for your calling to work for the Lord and not for men.

Last week, we asked everyone who interacts directly with the public to stand.

Today, I want to do the opposite. I want to ask the folks who often work in the back room to stand.

And here I’m thinking of IT professionals. Information technology folks.  Tech folks. Office workers. And management people. Folks that often sit in a back room and have to make out schedules and balance the checkbook and make personnel decisions.  You may not be the face or voice of the company, but if you folks in the back rooms don’t do your job, then nothing works, and no one gets paid. You are often the unseen engine that empowers the company.

Would you back-room-type folks please stand and be recognized?

Thank you!  Thank you for your contribution.

And thank you for serving the Lord in your work. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Whether anybody else notices it or not, thank you for doing your job for Him and for His glory.

And thank you for putting up with your co-workers!

I know that’s not always easy.

Most of us have co-workers.

There are a few people whose work alone, completely alone, but most of us have some kind of a team that we do our work with.

Now, maybe our co-workers do a very different part of the job than we do. Some are front office and some are back office. Some are labor and some are management.

But most of us have other people that we do our work with. We work on some kind of a team.

And when that team is working well together, it can be terrific.

That was the apostle Paul’s experience with his gospel-sharing team, wasn’t it?

Verses 1 through 8 of our text for today reveal how deeply thankful Paul was for the team he was on.

When Paul sat down for Thanksgiving like we all did on Thursday and counted his blessings, his co-laborers in Christ were near the top of his list. V.1 again.

“Paul and Timothy, servants [together] of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons [the leadership there]:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy [why?] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I had a missionary friend send me these very verses this week to express his thanksgiving that we are in partnership with him in his gospel work.

Whenever Paul thought about his co-workers at Phillippi, he was thankful.

Whenever Paul thought about his partners in his work, he was filled not just with confidence that God would complete His work in them, but gratitude that they got to work together for the Lord.

Does that describe you and your situation?

Now, Paul was talking specifically about gospel work here. This is the work of the church. This is missions.

But the principle carries over into our vocations, as well, doesn’t it?  Because all of our work is ministry, right? At least it should be, because it is the same Lord Christ we are serving on all of our jobs.

So, it is possible to feel this way about our co-workers today.

And I know that many of you do. I see your posts on social media about how thankful you are to work with so many great people each day.

I see you celebrate the accomplishments of your teams at work, and my heart rejoices with you that you have something good to exult in and teammates to exult with.

Look at see how much Paul felt it. V.7

“It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

That last phrase in the Greek is literally, “with the entrails of Christ Jesus.”

“I love you guys with all of Jesus’ guts!”

And that’s how I feel about you all here. Because we are all co-workers in the gospel just like Paul and the Philippians.

So when that team is working well together, it can be terrific.

But it doesn’t always work that way, does it?

What about the times when it’s difficult to get along with your co-workers?

Last week, I joked that the sixth commandment was about dealing with co-workers, “Thou shall not murder.”

A number of you have asked for help with dealing with difficult co-workers in the survey sheets that we put out.

I got this email the other day, (mostly tongue-in-cheek, I hope), “How do we work for the Lord and maintain our level of compassion and Christianity when all we want to do is strangle our co-workers!? And now, you have a glimpse of my work week, too...”

I assume that many of you can relate to that question.

Sometimes it’s not the work that’s so hard, it’s who we have to work with.

So, what do you with a difficult co-worker?

The answer is, “It depends.”

Right?  I mean what kind of a difficult co-worker do you have?

What is the situation? What is your relationship with that co-worker? How often do they do what they do that is problematic?  Is it just annoying or is it sinful and wrong?

Is it unethical and immoral? Or is it just a way of doing things differently than how you would do it?

Is it how they dress or act? Is it how they act on the job or how they act when they are not on the job, but you have to deal with them there?

What drives their difficult behaviors? What is the root problem?

And what is your responsibility to them? What are you expected to do or not do?

You see how it depends?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to those questions.

I wish I could say, “Here’s how you deal with a difficult co-worker in six easy steps.”

But life is messier than that.

And the Bible’s wisdom is richer than that, as well.

It depends. So what you need is wisdom.

And the Bible says that there are two main ways to get wisdom.

One is to dig for it in God’s Word.
And two is to pray that God would give it to you.

And those are not mutually exclusive.

Dig for wisdom in God’s Word and pray that God would graciously grant it to you.

So, if you’re having trouble on the job with your co-workers, you should be ransacking your Bible for wisdom.

And let me recommend to you especially the book of Proverbs.

The book of Proverbs is chock full of wisdom for relating to difficult co-workers. The Proverbs have a word for folks like that. It calls them “the fool.”

And sometimes we act like the fool, and sometimes interact with others who are being foolish.

I highly recommend that you go through the book of Proverbs and underline every verse that says how to relate to a fool. You will find all kinds of wisdom for on the job. How to answer a fool, how not to answer a fool, how and when to send a fool on an mission or with a message. How to talk to a fool and how not to talk to one. What to share with them and what not to.

And how to not be a fool. Very important that we ourselves not become the difficult co-workers who are so hard to work with! Like the slacker/sluggard, right?

Don’t be that guy.

So, again, if you are struggling to work with a difficult co-worker, then the book of Proverbs is your friend.  “Dig-in, dig-in, dig-in like you’re searching for gold!”

But don’t just read your Bible. Talk with the Author, as well.

The second way the Bible says to get the wisdom we need is to ask God for it.

That’s what James says, right, in his first chapter?

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

And that’s also where Paul goes next in verses 9 through 11 of Philippians 1.

Paul explains what he regularly prays for the Philippian church, and somewhat surprisingly, it’s a prayer for wise love. Or what I’ve often called “smart love.”

Because even though Paul was experiencing gratitude and joy for his partnership  in ministry with the Philippians, the Philippians themselves were experiencing some level of conflict within their church.

We talked about this a few weeks ago when we read chapter 2 together and talked about our attitude at work. That we need to develop a servant attitude and not complain and a grumble.

It appears that two key lady leaders at Philippi were in a quarrel with one another. Chapter four gives us their names of Euodia and Syntyche. And there were probably others there who were struggling to get along with each other.

It was one of the reasons why Paul wrote this letter to them, to try to help them to work it out.

The Philippians needed God to give them wisdom for loving each other.

Let’s read verses 9 through 11.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.”

Point number one of three this morning:

#1. PRAY FOR A GROWING “SMART LOVE.”

In dealing with difficult co-workers, we need to be regularly praying to God that He would grant us a growing and wise kind of love.

You see that in verse 9. Paul says that he prays, “that your love may abound more and more”–so that’s where I get “growing.”

Paul prays that they would not have a small love but a big love and an increasingly larger love.

Do you pray that?

Do you pray that you would love your difficult co-workers?

We should.

Not just the ones that we enjoy. They are easy to love.

And not just the co-workers who are basically okay but annoying.

Our Lord Jesus said that we are to love our enemies.

And that’s not just ISIS.

That’s loving the co-worker who stabs you in the back when you aren’t watching.
That’s loving the co-worker who is vying for your job.
That’s loving the co-worker who took credit for your work.
That’s loving the co-worker who said those nasty things about you last week.

Our Lord Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:43-45a).

And it makes sense that we would pray for ourselves that we our love for them would grow.

One of our prayer requests should be that our love would be larger today than it was last year.

Do you love others on the job more today than you did a year ago?

The word for “abound” here in verse 9 is “periseuo.” That’s the root word that I once demonstrated by over-filling a cup of water up here on the stage.  It means to be full to overflowing.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may [overflow] more and more in knowledge and depth of insight...”

That’s what I call “smart love.”

We don’t tend to put those things together, smart and love, but they absolutely should go together.

The Greek word for love here is “agape,” and that’s the word that the New Testament writers go to the most to describe the kind of sacrificial love that God demonstrated for us in Christ and that we are to grow in for others.

1 Corinthians 13 love.

David Powlison calls it, “contra-conditional love.” Love that goes against all expectations and deserts.  He says that it’s better than un-conditional love! This is a love that shows commitment even though the person being loved not only does nothing to deserve it, the person being loved actually does things to deserve the opposite than love.

This is a love that is committed to what is best for the other person regardless of the personal cost.  Regardless of the sacrifice.

A love that goes beyond feelings (even in spite of feelings) to commitment.

And Paul prays that this growing love would be...smart.

That their love would “abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight...”

A growing, SMART kind of love.

Now, we don’t normally think about love being smart or dumb. We tend to think about it being either hot or cold or somewhere in between.

But Paul prays that the Philippians love would be SMART.  They would love in knowledge.  They would love (King James says,) “in all judgment.” In depth of insight. A SMART kind of love.

What’s that mean?

Well, think for a second about the opposite. Not just a sentimental kind of love, not just a dumb, bland love, not just a mushy love that doesn’t know what it’s trying to accomplish.

This is a love that has its head about it. This is a love that knows what it’s doing. This is a smart love, a wise love, a love that can really achieve its aim.

Do you see why that’s the kind of love that we need on the job?

Love that knows what it’s doing.

Have you ever struggled to know HOW to love someone?

I sure have. Lots of times.

I often say, “I don’t know where to start with so-and-so.”

I know that my job is to love the, but I don’t know how.

I maybe even feel love for them but I don’t know the best way to express it. What would really help them?  What would really hit the spot?

Paul says that we need to be praying for that.

This is a prayer that we would grow in our ability to know how to love intelligently.

To love wisely.  To love in knowledge and depth of insight.

So that (v.10) “you may be able to discern what is best.”

How often do we do that about our work?

How often do we do that about our relationships with our co-workers?

I think that most of the time, we pray that our co-workers would smarten up, but this is a prayer that we would smarten up and be better able to love them well.

Why is this smart-love so important?  Paul gives 2 main reasons, and they are our last two points.

One is super important for us and the other is ultimately important in the universe.

#2. SO THAT WE WOULD GROW IN CHRISTLIKENESS.  V.10

We should pray for a growing-smart love for our co-workers so that WE would grow in Christlikeness. V.10

“[And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,] so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.”

Notice the “so that” in v.10.  This smart-love makes us able to discern. Or literally to “prove and approve and choose” what is best. Not just what is good, but what is best.

Remember, the “good” is often the enemy of the “best.”

And this is a prayer that we would be able to smart-love in such a way as to recognize the best. What is excellent. What is the most suitable, the most favorable, the most God-pleasing, the wisest, the best thing to chose.

And then, to chose that in such a way that we live (v.10) “pure and blameless until [or  “in view of”] the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”

This is growing in Christlikeness.

Paul prays that the Philippians would grow in smart love so that they would more and more look like Jesus.

Jesus, more than anyone, has smart-love. He always knew what to say, what to feel, what to do, how to love in knowledge and depth of insight.

Jesus, more than anyone, was pure and blameless.  He was totally holy and perfect in every way.

Jesus, more than anyone, was filled with the fruit of righteousness.  His words, His actions, His choices, His behaviors, His fruit was perfectly characterized by righteousness.

So, this smart-love that we’re supposed to pray for produces Christlikeness.

And we’re supposed to pray that we would grow in that until (towards) the day of Christ. The day when Christ’s glory is fully revealed.

We should pray this way (for a growing smart love) so that we would grow in Christlikeness.

And what would that do on our jobs?

It would point people to Jesus, wouldn’t it?

If you and I, as servants, looked more and more like our Master, our co-workers would be more and more drawn to our Master.

What does He look like?

Well, take the fruit of the Spirit for one.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

That’s what we will look like if we are becoming like Christ. And if we follow the wisdom that God has given for us live out.

Often, the co-workers that have been given to us are for our sanctification.

God has providentially provided these particular co-workers so that we would pray for smart love and grow in that love so that we would become holy in new ways, ways that we weren’t before.

Pure and blameless.

Filled with the fruit of righteousness.

In ways that we never would have been if God hadn’t plunked us down with these particular co-workers.

Does that help at all?

It doesn’t mean that they aren’t difficult. They can be really bad.

But it does mean that God wants to use even them to refine you.

That’s what we ought to pray!

Let give you some good news before we look at point #3.

This work of producing Christlikeness in you is God’s work. And if you belong to God, He’s committed to doing it in you!

I love this little phrase that is easy to miss in v.11.  It’s this one, “filled with the fruit of righteousness THAT COMES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.”

The Lord is the one that is doing this work!  We are called to pray and to cooperate. But God is doing it.  Remember verse 6.

“...He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Who began the work?  God did.

Who carries it to completion?  God does!

When is the work done? Today?  “Until (or towards) the day of Christ Jesus.”

That’s the same day that our purity and blamelessness is aimed at.

That’s the same Christ who is producing in us the fruit of righteousness. It comes from Him and it is for Him.  And we can rest on Him to produce it in us.

V.11 again.  “...the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”

And notice how much!  “Filled.”

Normally, we’d say “bearing the fruit of righteousness.”

But Paul doesn’t just see one apple on the fruit tree. Paul sees God producing a bucket-full of fruit from the work of Jesus in our lives! An orchard-full of fruit. “Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”

You might be discouraged today that you haven’t grown on the job like you think you should. But I want to encourage you, if you belong to Jesus, He is busy completing His good work that He has begun in you.  He wants to fill you with good fruit for His day.

Why?

There is a more ultimate reason that we pray this way than to just grow in Christlikeness and spiritual maturity. It’s God’s glory.  V.11

“[And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ]–TO THE GLORY AND PRAISE OF GOD.”

#3. SO GOD WOULD GET THE GLORY AND PRAISE.

We should pray for this growing smart love for our co-workers in order that when all is said and done God would get the praise and the glory from our life and our work.

This is the ultimate reason for Jesus’ work in our life. And it should be the ultimate motive in our prayers and our growth in Christlikeness and our relationships with oru co-workers and our work.

That God would get the ultimate in praise and glory forever.

Is that why you go to work?

Is that why you relate to your co-workers?

It’s not just to pay the bills.

It’s not just to get things done.

It’s so that God gets the praise and glory that He deserves forever and ever.

That perspective changes everything doesn’t it?

So that difficult co-worker is not just there to give you trouble.

He or she is not even just there so that you could grow in Christlikeness while you relate to them in love.

They are there, ultimately, so that when you respond with smart-love and grow in your ability to discern what is best, and become like Jesus, God gets the glory for it all.

If that’s your every day goal in your working relationships, then you can’t go wrong.

You may not know how to fix things and things may not get better.

But God will get the glory, and that’s what counts the most for all eternity.


***

Messages in this Series

01. Working for the Lord
02. Is Work - Good Or Bad?
03. Why Work?
04. Working at Witnessing
05. Get to Work!
06. Work and Rest
07. Called to Work
08. Prayer at Work
09. Your Attitude at Work
11. Love at Work
12. Co-Workers

First Sunday of Advent: A Candle of Lament

LEFC Family Advent Readings: Take Heart!
John 16:33 :: November 29, 2015
Week #1: A Candle of Lament 

“Advent” means “coming.” Christmas is coming. Jesus has come and is coming again.

During this year’s Advent season, we will be reflecting on our Lord Jesus’ promise from the Gospel of John, chapter 16, verse 33.

[READ JOHN 16:33 AND LIGHT FIRST CANDLE]

Our first candle is a candle of lament. To lament is to express grief and sadness because things are not as they should be.

Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble. Our world is deeply broken because of sin. When our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God, our world went from “very good” to “cursed,” and now things are not as they should be. Terrorism, war, disasters, disease, pain, personal conflict, and persecution are just a few of the problems that we now confront in our broken world.

It is right and good and fitting for us to lament. The Bible encourages us to weep with those who weep. Our Lord Jesus Himself wept at the tomb of His friend Lazarus. Followers of Christ know that things are not as they should be and that it is wrong to pretend that they are.

Yet we also know that the world will not always be broken. Jesus has overcome the world, and our sorrow will be turned to joy. But until that day, our joy is mixed with sadness.

May this first candle remind us trust God as we cry and long for the day when the blessings of Jesus’ victory are known “as far as the curse is found.”

Take heart!

Our readings this year correspond with the EFCA Advent Devotional by Greg Strand

Parker Dam State Park, PA

[Matt's Messages] "Love at Work"

“Love at Work”
Working for the Lord - Fall 2015
November 22, 2015 :: Matthew 22:34-40

Our Fall sermon series is coming to and end. I only planned to have three more messages in this series. Today, next week, and then December 6th.

That doesn’t mean that I’ll have said everything the Bible says about our work. In fact, we won’t be anywhere close to that. But we will have hit some of the highlights:

Why we work.  We are working for the Lord.
Is work good or bad.
How to witness at work.
How to balance hard work and rest.
How to know what you are called to do for your work.
How to pray at work and what our attitude should be at work.
And, last week, how to
I think I’ve offered answers for just about all of the questions that you turned in on these surveys we passed out at the beginning of the series.

There are a couple that are more specific than a sermon will cover, and I hope to write an article or two for my blog on the answers to those.

But we’ve covered most of the ground or will by the end of the next few weeks.

Here was one though that I wanted to spend more time on. We’ve hit on it most of the weeks, but I wanted to address it squarely on the head this week.

“Conformity to the world–I really struggle with this.”

A number of you indicated that doing the right thing at work, the ethical thing, the moral things, righteous thing was an area that you thought was important for this series to cover.

And you’re right.

If we are supposed to be working for the Lord (and we are!), then a big part of doing our work the right way will be doing the right thing at work.

But what is that? What is the ethical standard we should be striving for in our workplaces?

In one word it is: LOVE.

Our sermon title this week is “Love at Work,” and I don’t mean office romances or even loving your work which I hope that many of you do.

What I intend for us to think about today is how God is calling us to the standard of love when we make our ethical choices on the job.

If we want to be righteous, we will need to be loving.

And I can think of no better place to see this than Matthew chapter 22 where Jesus summarizes the entire law into the two greatest commandments.

Do you have it in front of you?

This teaching take place during Jesus’ passion week just a few days before His crucifixion. He’s been teaching publically in the temple courts, and He’s been confounding his opponents.

They keep trying to catch Him or trick Him, but He outsmarts them every time.

This time, a Pharisee, an expert in the Mosaic Law steps up to the plate and tries to whiz a fast one by Jesus. V.34

“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’”

For some reason he thinks that’s a stumper.

Probably, being an expert, he thinks that if he can’t answer the question, nobody can.

Or maybe he thinks that Jesus will get Himself into trouble by emphasizing one commandment over another and losing supporters on one side of a debate or another.

Any way about it, this guy think he’s got Jesus stumped.

Before we read verse 37, how would you answer it?

There are a lot of commandments out there. What would you put at the absolute top of the list?

If you had one rule for those who work at your job to observe, what would it be?

V.37

“Jesus replied: ‘'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”

Our Lord Jesus was not stumped by this question.

He had an answer ready. He said that Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 5 would take the top of the list.

‘'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.”

You want to know what is always the right thing to do at work?

#1. LOVE YOUR GOD AT WORK.

That’s the first and greatest commandment. It’s the most important way to obey while you are doing anything, including doing your job.

Love your God at work.

That makes sense, doesn’t it?

Because when we do our jobs, we are doing them as working for the Lord not for men.

So it makes sense that we would be loving our Boss with a capital B.

Now that word “love” gets thrown around a lot in our culture. We say we “love” all kinds of stuff.

But the way that Jesus is using the word here is much more than affection or approval of something. This is not the “like” button on Facebook.

This is not “loving” something on Pinterest.

This is putting God first and foremost in our life. Valuing Him above everything else.

Turn with me to the book of Exodus, chapter 20.

Many many Bible students over the years have connected the Greatest Commandment, to love God supremely, with the first 4 commandments in the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments.

These first four have often been called “The First Tablet of the Law.”

Let’s look at them more closely and think about they would relate to our work.

Obviously, in this form, they were given to Israel as part of the Old Covenant, but we can learn from them ourselves now and think about how Jesus interpreted them and incorporated them into what we call the Law of Christ in the New Covenant of which we are a part. Exodus 20, verse 1.

“And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’”

Does that relate to our work lives?

I think so.

God wants us to love Him first and foremost.

Notice, that the Ten Commandments start with grace.  He reminds them Who He is. He is their rescuer.

They weren’t to keep the ten commandments to be saved. They were to keep them because they had been saved.

And because they had been saved for God. He wanted a special relationship with them. One that was exclusive.

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

I’ve really enjoyed reading this book by Tim Keller as we’ve gone through this series. Every Good Endeavor.

This week, I read chapter eight which is entitled, “Work Reveals Our Idols.” It’s a very insightful chapter that delineates the many ways in which we come up with what he calls “counterfeit gods” at work.

Greed. Workaholicism. Being driven for success or status. Or even comfort or honor or productivity or any other good thing that has risen to the level of the greatest thing.

God wants to be the greatest thing in our work lives.

And that’s God as He really is. The second commandment is about loving God and not customizing Him. V.4

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Do you see the love there?

Why does God oppose the manufacturing of idols?

Not just because they take the place of God Himself but because they are all poor substitutes for Him.

And if you make an idol, you think can control it, right?

If I make my god, then I can make my god how I want him, right?

But God is a jealous God. In a good way. He wants us to worship Him for who He really is not just how we want Him to be.

How does this relate to our work lives?

Have you heard anyone say, “My God would never do that?” And then they fill in the blank with what they want God to be like.

They want a God who is manageable and tame.

But our God is not manageable. He manages us.

He is not tame. He tames us.

And He wants us to love Him as He really is.

So if God asks you to do something at work that is different from how the rest of the world acts, don’t try to fit Him into the world’s mold. Break the mold and go with God.

You see how committed He is to His glory? Even if you send four generations of God-hating people against Him, you will not win. God is fully committed to His own glory and those who love Him will experience his faithful love forever.

Love your God at work.

And love Him reverently. The third commandment comes with a threat. V.7

"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”

God is holy.  And His name is holy.  It should be treated reverently.


This is more than just don’t swear with God’s name on the job. Don’t use God’s name as profanity. It does mean that. Don’t do that. Don’t say, “O my God” at work.

But it means more than that.

It means don’t wear that name and then smear mud on it.

I think one of the worst ways we can do our work as Christians is to be unethical on the job while telling the world that we are Christians.

We need to do our work with integrity.

There are “Christian businessmen” who put a fish symbol on their business cards but then turn around an rip off their customers.

Pat Morley said in his book A Man’s Guide to Work, “One thing that kept my own mother from true faith for so long was watching a man she worked with read his Bible every day at lunch, but then live like the Devil all afternoon” (pg. 48).

That’s misusing the name of the Lord.

And it’s not loving your God at your work.

Now, we already looked at verses 8-11 in the sermon on work and rest, but let’s read them one more time.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

One point about this.

We love our God at work by trusting Him even when He says that we should not work.

There are times to rest and let God take it from there.

Or as Keith Green famously sang, “Just keep doing your best and pray that it’s blessed, and He’ll take care of the rest.”

Part of loving God at work is leaving work at work.

And I am very guilty of failing at that.

The Lord has been dealing with me this Fall about my need to trust in Him and take a break and learn to rest.

Work hard when it’s time and rest well when it’s time.

Do you see what we’ve done here?  We’ve just thought a little bit about how the first four commandments of the ten commandments relate to our work life and help us to fulfill the Greatest Commandment at work.

“To love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

Turn back there to Matthew 22 and look at that verse again. It’s verse 37. Pew Bible page 980.

“Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

That word “all” is important, isn’t it?

The words “heart” and “soul” and “mind” are not so much distinctly different things but overlapping categories to cover all of the most important part of us.

So that we don’t just love God with our hearts but not our minds.

Or our minds but not our hearts.

But with all of us. Luke’s version of this commandment includes “with all of your strength.”

Every inch of our beings all of the time and including when we are at work should be bent to worshiping God alone.

Love your God at work.

How are you doing at that?

How are you doing at loving your God at work?

And, again, that’s not just warm fuzzy feelings about God.

But are you loving God first and foremost and saying no the idols that your work might offer?

Are you customizing God at work and not loving Him for Who He really is?

Are you taking His name in vain or misusing it in some other way?

Are you trusting Him and finding a balance between work and rest?

How are you doing at loving God at work?

I’ll bet you are failing.

Not 100% failing, I hope. But I’m guessing that you can see areas where you have failed.

The Ten Commandments, when we really understand them, show us our need of a Savior.

We have all failed at keeping the Greatest Commandment, but thankful Jesus didn’t.

And through His Cross, He offers us both forgiveness and His perfect record.

Isn’t that wonderful?

Have you come to trust Him as your Savior? He’s a wonderful Savior. All that we’ll ever need!

Trust in Him and ask Him to help you to love God supremely in your work.

Each week in this series, we’ve had a group of people stand and be recognized for their hard work and contribution to the common good.

Some of you have stood more than once, some haven’t yet.

If you think I’ve forgotten you or not noticed you, talk to me afterwards today. I want to get everybody by the end of this series which is in two more weeks!

And more than that, I’d like to visit more of you at your place of work.

I was impressed by the pastors I listened to this Summer at the national conference that it’s important for pastors like me to actually go to your place of work to understand better what you do all day every day and every week.

To not just make hospital visits and home visits but also work visits.

Now some of you won’t want me at your place of work, some of you can’t have me at your place of work. I don’t think the power plant where Lonnie is open to visitors most of the time.

But if you would like to have me visit your work, I’d love to come and see what you do and talk to your co-workers and maybe pray for you as you work. I promise not to get in the way!

I’ve done it with some of you over the years, but I see that now as a more important and permanent part of my job description as your pastor.

Today, I’d like to have everyone who interacts with the public stand and be recognized.

I’m thinking especially of those who work in retail or in reception. Maybe you man a welcome desk that people walk up to. Maybe you answer the phone at work. Or maybe you’re in public relations. Or you’re the face or voice of your company.

Would you folks who interact directly with the public stand and be recognized.

Thank you!

Thank you for your contribution to our society. And thank you for doing it as followers of Christ, loving God on the job. I’m sure it’s not always easy. I’m sure it’s not always easy to do the right thing, the loving thing in your jobs.

Thank for you for trying. For wanting to do the right thing. And for loving God and those around you.

Yes, and those around you. Your neighbors.

That’s where Jesus goes next, isn’t it?  In verse 39.

Loving God with everything us is the first and greatest commandment, but it’s not the whole enchilada. V.39

“And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”

You want to know what is always the right thing to do at work?

#2. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBORS AT WORK.

It’s not enough to say that we love God, we must also love our neighbors, the people around us.

Loving people is secondary to loving God but not optional in anyway.

And in fact, we can’t love people the way we should unless we love God.

But if we love God we will surely love people because they are made in His image and because we want to reflect that image by loving what He loves.

So what does that look like?

Turn back to Exodus 20 again, and let’s look at the “Second Tablet of the Law” the last 6 of the Ten Commandments.

These commandments are more focused on neighbors. What does it say there?  Pew Bible page 73. Exodus 20, verse 12.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Now, if your work is at home, perhaps you’re a young person, then this verse applies directly to your work. And of course, we continue to honor our parents as we get older.

I hope that I honor my father and mother in the way that I do my work day in and day out.

And many Christians have seen a deeper principle at work here, as well, that of honoring any proper authority over us.

So loving our neighbors in that sense could be honoring our bosses and treating them with respect.

Are you doing that?

Remember, this doesn’t say, “If they act honorably, honor your parents.” It just says to honor them. And the same is true at work. We don’t just show respect to the management when they are doing their job well.

How did Jesus say to love our neighbors? “As yourself.”

As you would want to be loved if you were the neighbor.

Are you treating your boss in the way you wish you were treated if you were the boss?

Verse 13 is about co-workers.  V.13

“You shall not murder.”

I thought you’d appreciate that one. Next week, the sermon is going to be about  relating to our co-workers, good and bad. A number of you have asked for that one.

But I’m also not kidding here about the 6th commandment.

What did Jesus say about the 6th commandment?

Where did our Lord go with that?

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:21-24).

Jesus goes to the heart of murder, and it’s just simply hate.

It’s devaluing a person and wishing them ill and refusing to forgive them.

Murdering them in your heart. V.14

"You shall not commit adultery.”

That means that you are faithful to your spouse when you are at work.

And it means that all of your co-workers and customers and everyone else you interact with at work are safe from you sexually. You won’t misuse them in any way including private fantasies.  V.15

“You shall not steal.”

You love your neighbors at work by not taking their things. By upholding their property and their rights.

And that’s more than just stuff, isn’t it?

You can steal a lot of different ways at work, can’t you?

Pat Morley has a short list in his chapter on integrity in A Man’s Guide to Work.

Ask yourself:

• Do I surf the Internet on company time when the boss is on vacation or in meetings?
• Do I make telephone calls on company time (instead of at lunch or during authorized breaks)?
• Do I mark sick time on my card when I want a day off or am out of vacation days?
• Do I report all of my income?
• Do I lie to make sales?
• Do I knock off early without permission?
• Do I fudge on expenses?
• Do I “borrow” company supplies?

When I do those things, I am failing to love my neighbor as I love myself.

Do you see how ethics is about love?

All of ethics is about loving our neighbors. V.16

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”

This is about lying at work.

The 9th commandment is about protecting the reputation of others.

This is how you talk about others on the job.

Do you tell the truth about them?

Do you talk about them as you would want to be talked about?

This is the commandment that rules out office gossip.

And one last one. V.17

“You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

His desk.
His tools.
His position.
His job.
His promotion.
His success at work.

Loving your neighbor means being content with what you have and not jealous of what your neighbor has.

This last and tenth commandment is the most internal one. You can’t always tell if someone is coveting or not.

But God cares about the heart.

That’s where you love or don’t love.

How are you doing at loving your neighbors at work?

My guess is that you are failing.

Not 100%, I hope.

But when I look at these commandments, I am painfully aware of my shortcomings.

I’m painfully aware of my sin.

And that’s right and good.

Because I need a savior and I need to know that I need a savior!

These commandments reveal how needy I really am.

And thankfully, I have a Savior who is everything that I need.

This is the week of Thanksgiving.

And the thing we should be most thankful for is our salvation.

Because we have all failed to love God supremely and neighbors sacrificially.

And it’s not good enough to just try harder.

We should try harder, but we will always fail to some great degree.

But Jesus did not fail. He won the victory, and He gives it to us if we believe in Him.

And more than that, He helps us to love others as He has loved us.

He kept the greatest commandment and the second one like it.

And He is working His love into us so that we can love, too.

And that’s love at work!


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Messages in this Series

01. Working for the Lord
02. Is Work - Good Or Bad?
03. Why Work?
04. Working at Witnessing
05. Get to Work!
06. Work and Rest
07. Called to Work
08. Prayer at Work
09. Your Attitude at Work

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