Friday, February 26, 2010

Your Work Matters to God, Part 35 of 45

TEXT: "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and with sincerity of heart just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one of you for whatever good you do, whether you are slave or free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him" (Ephesians 6:5-9).

IDEA: To understand that your job is where you do the will of God gives it dignity.

PURPOSE: To help listeners regard their jobs as sacred.

Have you ever seen the bumper sticker, "I owe, I owe / so it's off to work I go"?

Is there any truth in that bumper sticker?

Do you think it's enough to give people significance in their lives?

I. The apostle Paul wrote to men and women who were slaves and said to them, "You do the will of God" in your work, Ephesians 6:5-9 above.

Do you think that what we're doing in our conversations here is doing the will of God? Why?

Think about a conference that is being held in an office building in Chicago, dealing with profit and loss. Could some of the people sitting there be doing the will of God? How?

II. When we do the will of God, then it is the "perfect" will of God.

It is just as sacred to walk a mail route as it is to trudge through a jungle to reach a tribe and translate the Bible for them.

It is just as sacred to wipe a dirty nose or change a dirty diaper as it is to sit here and discuss the Bible on Discover the Word.

It is just as sacred to sit behind a desk at the office as it is to stand behind a pulpit at a church and preach a sermon.

III. Do you think most Christians really believe that?

If not, why not?