I have spent most of the day (Saturday) here at home studying for a message on “The Duty of Work” that I am going to share tomorrow morning in Spanish with the Latino missionaries that work under our ministry.
I am struggling with the issue of work. Far too many of us missionaries forget about the hard-working example that the Apostle Paul often left for us and have a tendency to be lazy. I think “tent-making” missionaries should be much more the norm than they are. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is being an example to those whom we are leading to Christ, so that they don’t learn to be lazy like us!
The following is part of a sermon transcript that I have taken and slightly edited (i took out one sentence that had been transcribed wrong and didn’t make any sense). The original sermon, titled “Work: A Noble Christian Duty” was preached by John MacArthur in the early 1990’s:
First, work is a command from God. Six days shall you labor. God commands us to work.
Secondly, work is a model established by God for it was God who worked for six days and then rested on the seventh and God, of course, is the worker who continually sustains the universe. Man being created in the image of God then is created as a worker.
Thirdly, work is a part of the creation mandate. In other words, what I mean by that is it is the role of man. Stars shine, suns shine, moons shine, on the earth plants grow, animals do what they’re supposed to do, rocks do what they’re to do, mountains do what they’re to do, water does what it’s to do, clouds do what they’re to do and we do what we’re to do. As Psalm 104 says, “All of creation moves in a normal course and part of it is man rises, goes to work until the setting of the sun.” It is creation mandate, it is how we contribute to the processes of life in God’s wondrous creation. Work is a command. Work is established as a model by God. Work is part of the natural creation.
Fourthly, work is a gift from God. It is a gift from God. It is a gift through which we glorify Him and the wonder of His creation as we produce things, putting on display the genius of God who created us in all of our abilities. It is a means by which we can glorify our Creator. Just as the beast of the field gives me honor, as Isaiah said, and just as the heavens declare the glory of God by what they do and we sit in awe of them, so man declares the glory of God, the wonder of His creative genius by doing what he has been given the ability to do.
Work is a gift from God not only to glorify Him but to give meaning to life. Work is a gift from God to give us something to do which avoids the idleness that leads to sin. And I’ll tell you right now, the culture that we’re living in is a classic illustration. The more and more people demand recreation and idle time, the more corrupt they will become. The two go hand in hand. And we fill up all that time with things that feed the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
Work is a gift from God also to provide for needs. Work is a gift from God so that we can serve each other.
And lastly, in the Christian work ethic, work is to be done as if the boss was the Lord Himself. It says in Colossians chapter 3 and Ephesians 6 that we’re to work as unto the Lord and not men.
