This is the manuscript of the sermon preached at Christ Church the Sunday prior to Labor Day 2023.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24 NIV)
- Work is full of the dignity and glory of God.
- It is not a curse, but a reflection of God.
- God created us to serve Him through the works of our hands.
- If good comes out, it's because God shows up.
- We are laborers with God! We are not left alone to do his work; He is always with us.
Scripture
John 17:1-11 NIV After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
Introduction
Next week for Avarice or Greed.
Labor Day was first proposed in 1882 and celebrated with a demonstration and picnic on Tuesday, September 5. In 1884, the Knights of Labor held a large New York parade on the first Monday in September to celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday.” The group then passed a resolution to hold all future parades on the same day, calling the event Labor Day. Within a few years, other labor organizations began to lobby state legislatures for recognition of Labor Day as an official state holiday. In 1894, Congress passed a law recognizing Labor Day as an official national holiday.
Today, Labor Day has come to be recognized in the U.S. as the unofficial end of the summer season.
When we think about Labor Day many of us are thinking about rest. Whether it’s health issues, busy schedules, planning for big life events, or just the hustle of the regular normal week, many of us are eager for a day off. The Lord was intentional in giving a Sabbath in His creation of the world. He modeled rest to us. He also reminds us that He is the One in whom we find rest for our souls.
Exodus 20:8-11 NIV “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 male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 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.
Text:
Colossians 3:23-24 NIV. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
God welcomes all people no matter their status. He welcomes white collar, blue collar, or no collar workers. God welcomes those with multimillion dollar salaries and those earning minimum wage.
Galatians 3:28-29 NIV There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Just look at who were the first to receive the official announcement of the birth of Jesus.
Luke 2:8-11 NIV And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
In Palestine shepherds were poor and uneducated. They were often portrayed as being untrustworthy, still, the birth of Christ was officially announced to them first. Not the white-collared Herod or the Scribes.
Matthew 2:1-6 NIV After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
God considered the shepherd, the lowly working man, important enough to announce the greatest birth in history to them first. This was a sign that God didn’t reject them even if society did.
In fact, Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd.
John 10:11-16 NIV “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Who were Jesus' first recruits to work with Him in His ministry?
Matthew 4:18-22 NIV As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
The first recruits belonged to the blue-collared community of the day. Not CEOs or executives. The majority of Jesus’ original disciples were ordinary fishermen. He called them, trained them, empowered them, and sent them on the most important mission in history.
Matthew 10:1-4 NIV Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Matthew 28:16-20 NIV Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Today highly educated and qualified Theologians, Pastors, and Leaders study the lives and experiences of these uneducated men to learn the art of ministry and leadership.
Acts 4:13 NIV When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Jesus was from a Working-Class Family
The folk from Jesus' hometown of Nazareth knew that He wasn’t from a wealthy family and they rejected Him because they knew he was just a carpenter and His earthly His father, Joseph was just a carpenter.
Mark 6:1-3 NIV Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
Jesus is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords. But he chose to be born to the family of a lowly carpenter instead of a Nobleman or King. Because of this He was able to identify with those who had been rejected by the society of the day.
As I said last week.
Colossians 3:23-24 NIV Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
That means that nothing at all, not your circumstances, discomfort, or anything else, makes any difference. You do your best and work hard, because in all that you do, it’s the Lord Himself you are serving.
Most of us have memories of that one job that just wasn’t a happy time. It might have been the job itself, the supervisor, the conditions, the location, or something else entirely. Those of us still working may find this to be a good description of their current position.
Paul, who wrote the scripture that I just read from his letter to the church in Colossae, was writing during a time that slaves (or bondservants) served their earthly masters, and he calls them to do so as though they are working directly for God himself. He wrote something similar to the church in Ephesus.
Ephesians 6:5-9 NIV 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 for whatever good they do, whether they 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.
It can be difficult for us here in the United States to read these two scriptures in their appropriate context because we have a long, bitter history around slavery in our country that can cause us to have a much different perspective of the slave/master relationship, than that of Paul's day.
In this specific Biblical context, the slave working for their master would have been closer to our modern day understanding of an employee working for their employer. If Paul were writing to us today, he might phrase the passage as, “Whatever job you have, work at it with all your heart, as though you’re working for God himself, not for your supervisor, or CEO, or for the bottom dollar, or just to get a paycheck."
If we as Christians approach our roles with this mindset and attitude, we will truly be the “city on a hill” or that light that everybody sees
Matthew 5:14-16 NIV “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
People will notice our Christian values when we serve as co-workers in God’s service as it says in
1 Corinthians 3:7-9 NIV So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
I do want to point out that although Paul never publicly spoke out against slavery he never approved of it either. In fact, Paul warns Christians not to become enslaved and urges those who already are slaves to obtain their freedom if possible.
1 Corinthians 7:21-23 NIV Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.
In conclusion there are four things I want you to remember.
Work is full of the dignity and glory of God. It is not a curse, but a reflection of God.
God created us to serve Him through the works of our hands.
If good comes out, it's because God shows up.
We are Laborers with God! We are not left alone to do his work, He is always with us.
Remember what I read before.
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
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