Godly View of Work

I. God created humans to work

A. God’s set an example in His work of Creation, Genesis 2:1-3:

B. Adam and Eve

1. Genesis 2:5 – no man to work the ground
2. Genesis 2:15 – Man was given work in the Garden of Eden
3. Genesis 3:17-19, 23 – When man was sent out of the Garden he still had to work but it would be harder

C. The Sabbath

1. A reward for work and a time to honor God, Exodus 20:8-11
2. Exodus 23:12-13 – Time of refreshing
3. Deuteronomy 5:13-15 – A time of rest for all and to remember their freedom from Egyptian slavery
4. He did not intend for us to work all of the time but to take rest as well.

II. Purpose of work

A. Provide for our needs and that of our family

1. Proverbs 12:11 and 14: Work of a man benefits him
2. Proverbs 16:26 – Our hunger is motivation
3. Proverbs 28:19 – “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.”
4. Worthy woman of Proverbs 31

III. 13 – works with wool and flax

• 14-15 – works to find and prepare food for her family

IV. 16 – invests in a field to make a vineyard

V. 18 – works late and has pride in her work

• 19 – making garments for her family and to sell (v. 24)

VI. 27 – she does not eat the bread of idleness

• She is praised by her husband, children, the Lord, and those who see her for her faith and works

A. Be generous to others

1. Labor to give
   • Worthy woman, Proverbs 31:20 – gives to the needy
   • In the Old Testament the farmers were to leave the edges and anything that was dropped for the poor to come gather (the gleanings).
   • Ephesians 4:28 – Not steal but work to give to others in need
   • 1 Timothy 6:17-19 – rich are to be rich in good works and generous
   • Acts 4:32-37 – generosity of the early church
   • Judean famine

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 – Generosity out of poverty

2 Corinthians 8:11-15 – Abundance supplying the lack of others

B. To honor God with our possessions

1. Firstfruits and tithes of the Old Law
   • Deuteronomy 26:1-19

The first and the best is brought to God; it is trust that more is to come

Generosity to those who are in need or who are dedicated in service to the Lord’s temple

Actions are done with complete heart and soul recognizing God as the giver of all things

• Proverbs 3:9-10: “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

1. Freewill offering and generosity of the New Law
   • Already demonstrated how God wants us to be generous with what He has given us.
   • As the offerings paid the expenses for the upkeep of the tabernacle, and later temple, and met the physical needs of the priests dedicated to its service, so our offerings today help us to maintain a place of worship, provide financial support for those dedicated to preaching the gospel, purchasing materials for our Bible classes, and helping our brethren in a time of need.

VII. Reward of work

A. There is a “good tired” for the laborer who keeps work in its proper place

1. Ecclesiastes 5:12 – sweet sleep of the content laborer
2. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 – God gives the content satisfaction with their work because it is not the center of their life and they are able to enjoy what they have without it becoming their master.
3. Ecclesiastes 2:24 – “here is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,”
4. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 – God’s gift to man

B. Good example of diligence and responsibility

1. Proverbs: 22:29 – “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”
2. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12
   • Diligent work is an example of godly behavior and responsibility
   • Paul rebukes the lazy and urges the brethren to let them suffer the consequences of their choices.
   • We are to be generous with those who have needs that are unable to work but not support those who could work but will not.

VIII. Perversion of Work

A. Unsatisfied craving for money and the things it will buy causes creates an unhealthy obsession with work

1. Rich fool of Luke 12:13-21 is a warning to not work to feed the desires of a heart that cannot be satisfied because “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
2. Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 – Not satisfied and always working but expenses grow
3. Ecclesiastes 2:18-23 – One who works to accumulate wealth by tiresome work is vexed by the thought that someone else will enjoy the fruit of his labor; his descendants may squander the wealth he has earned with unenjoyable work. He won’t even have good sleep from his labor.

B. Ecclesiastes 4:4 – Some men labor hard because they envy their neighbor

C. We should not look to a career for meaning in our lives or to show that we have worth

1. Our work should support our true life’s work: being a child of God
2. We will lose everything at death and all will be destroyed eventually, we must focus on heavenly treasure and use the profit of our work to take care of our needs and to serve others to God’s glory.
   • Matthew 6:19-21 – treasures in heaven
   • Matthew 6:32-33 – Focus on God’s kingdom, not earthly needs like the nations

D. Do not sacrifice the spiritual for physical accumulation

1. If we are spending so much time at work in order to accumulate a lot of earthly possessions we will find that we have no time or energy for God’s work.
2. Don’t try to excuse it by giving more in the collection plate. We NEED to be doing God’s work for our own spiritual maturity; it cannot be outsourced

IX. Retirement

A. When we retire from our careers we still have God’s work to do.

B. Retirement may create more opportunities to glorify God through service to others and teaching.

C. Titus 2:11-14; 3:8, 14 – this is our real job