Money and the Wisdom of Work

Good morning! Welcome to the Vineyard. If this is your first time, my name is Kevin and I’m the pastor here. Our vision at the Vineyard is simple - we want to embody Jesus to our neighbors. This happens by growing in three ways, through what we call our pillars.

First, is Presence. We want everyone to experience the presence of God. This is what transforms us to love him and others. God’s presence is where we become fully alive. We want you to know the Father.

Then, Formation. God doesn’t just love us; he is forming us to be his people who can carry his life and love to those around us. Formation is where we learn to embody the Jesus way of life. We want you to imitate the Son.

Finally, Mission. Being on mission is how we join God in the work he is doing to bring his reconciliation, justice, and mercy to earth. This is how he is bringing healing and renewal to the world. We want you to partner with the Spirit.

Presence. Formation. Mission. Be thinking about your next step. Where is God calling you to go deeper with him?

Pray...

Intro

Intro series...

One of the topics that Proverbs touches on the most is money. This makes sense, doesn’t it? Think how much today we interact with money - either about how to earn it, spend it, save it, or give it. Then, and today, it is important that we have wisdom in how we relate to our money.

In John Wesley’s famous sermon, The Use of Money, he uses the following outline: Gain all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can. This is a helpful outline for us to talk about money and possessions and how we should relate to them wisely. Today’s message will cover the first part of this quote - gain, or earn, all you can.

A quick explanation about earning money. Wesley did not mean earn all you can…at the expense of your health, at the expense of your family, at the expense of your conscience, at the expense of your neighbor, or at the expense of your soul. He did not mean earn all you can by any means available. He is not advocating unregulated capitalism or uncontrolled accumulation. Money is never to become our idol, which it too often is in American, and unfortunately even among those who call themselves “Christians”.

Money is a tool. The point of any tool is not about acquiring them but about how you use them. A mechanic does not acquire tools just for the sake of having a full toolbox. They acquire the tools so that they may do something with them – fix cars. Likewise, while the wisdom of the Bible says a lot about making money, it must always be kept in submission to why we are making money – to provide for ourselves, our family, our future, and for others.

This morning I want to share what God says about the first part of Wesley’s quote – gain all you can. If we want to live “the good life” – a life according to God’s wisdom – we must first learn to be diligent workers.

Work is God’s idea

Prov 3:9-10 “Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

The immediate context of this proverb is about giving - we honor God with our wealth by giving to him and his causes. But I think honoring God with our wealth can also have a broader meaning. One way we honor God with our wealth is in our capacity for work.

Anyone who has ever faced the alarm clock on Monday morning will question if work is really God’s idea. In the book of Genesis, God is seen as a worker. He creates for six days, and then on the seventh he “rests” from his work - setting a pattern for the Hebrew people of both work and rest. Before sin entered the world, God gave Adam and Eve the work of tending and keeping the garden. When sin entered, work didn’t become cursed, it became difficult. But work itself is still good and intended to be a blessing – even if the alarm clock goes off earlier than we’d like.

Perhaps the first correction we need to make regarding money is the way we honor God by our work. Our jobs are intended to be a blessing, and we should learn to give thanks to God we have a job and are able to work.

We are to be diligent in our work

Prov 10:4 “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

The proverbs are full of wisdom regarding diligent work. We are to be hard workers, not wasting our time - or our employers time - with idleness. Prov 14:23 “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

We are to be conscientious workers. Prov 12:11 “Those who till their land will have plenty of food, but those who follow worthless pursuits have no sense.” We need to be faithful to doing our jobs well and with the right priority. As the old saying goes, “Make hay while the sun shines”.

We should also be faithful workers. Prov 13:11 “Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but those who gather little by little will increase it.” Get-rich-quick schemes are not part of God’s wisdom when it comes to work and money.

There is a flip-side to being a diligent worker - Proverbs calls this person a sluggard.

Proverbs 24:30–34 (NRSV)

I passed by the field of one who was lazy, by the vineyard of a stupid person; and see, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want, like an armed warrior.

There is at work all through the wisdom literature of scripture this idea of sowing and reaping. Those who faithfully sow through diligent work will reap benefits. That doesn’t mean there won’t ever be financial setbacks, but overall and over time the diligent will see the rewards of their hard work. On the other hand, those who put off work, who treat it casually, or who choose to satisfy immediate gratification buying what they can’t afford will experience a curse of their own making.

What about those who can’t work or are retired? There’s other kinds of work than work that earns a check. I could list off several people in this church that for one reason or another no longer work for a check, but I see them busting their tails working for the church in various capacities. So don’t hear this teaching as being only about those who work a traditional job. We have a diverse group, and you may be one of those people who, through no fault of your own, can no longer work a regular job. Yet you can still be a diligent worker. Ask God and he will point you to a need.

The point is whether we work for a check or not, we need to do our work as for the Lord. Col 3:23 “Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters,”

We should enjoy the fruit of our work

Eccl 2:24 “There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God;”

There is nothing wrong with enjoying the byproduct of hard work. What farmer doesn’t enjoy eating what he grows? Earning money to buy the occasional want or desire isn’t evil – it is the expected payoff of hard work. Being able to work and save up for a vacation is a blessing from God for diligence in your work.

I said earlier that God is a worker and that after working six days, he rested on the seventh. The word “rested” in Hebrew is interesting. While it can mean simply to “rest” like we normally think about it, it also can carry the idea of reigning over something. When a king has subdued his enemies, he “rests” by ascending to his throne to rule over them. This is the better understanding of “rest” in Genesis - God doesn’t get tired, rather he subdued the forces of chaos and now sits enthroned over his creation. In this moment he is enjoying the fruit of his labor.

This is why God made keeping the Sabbath such an important principle for Israel. Today, most Christians would agree that the 10 Commandments are still valid. We shouldn’t kill or steal or lie or commit adultery. But I think a lot of the time we look at the commandment to “Honor the Sabbath” and scratch our heads. We don’t know what to do with it. Does this mean going to church?

The way we honor the Sabbath is that we stop our normal work. We step away and trust that for one day God can handle our workplace, business, and home. We need at least one day where we “rest” in a reigning sense over the hard work we’ve put in during the week. Honestly, we should participate in a weekly Sabbath, a monthly Sabbath, and an annual Sabbath. This, too, is honoring God with our wealth.

We can also enjoy our work by providing enjoyment to others. Sometimes maybe the best enjoyment would be to provide a vacation for someone who can’t afford it.

Jesus the worker

Jesus gives us the ultimate example of what it means to be a good worker and to enjoy the fruit of our work. Jesus himself describes his ministry as the work the Father had given him. Jesus’ work includes inaugurating God’s rule. He welcomes the poor and vulnerable into the kingdom. He forgives, delivers from sin, and conquers evil, Satan, and death. He brings God’s peace, God’s shalom. He offers himself as a sacrifice for sin. He creates the community of the new covenant. Jesus’ ultimate work is to reign as Lord.

The author of Hebrew writes, Heb 1:3 “When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Jesus good work includes everything he has done, up to and including atoning for our sin. And now he sits enthroned at God’s right hand enjoying the fruit of his labor as the Holy Spirit continues to apply it to individual hearts. This is a work we must all accept...

Because Jesus worked - both as a construction worker with his earthly father, and in the work of redemption with his heavenly Father - he sanctifies our work. Your work is holy to God. It is important. What he has assigned for you - whether you get a check or not - is a holy vocation. To say it simply, your work matters to God, so it should matter to you. Look up, for God is doing something good in your work!

I hope when your alarm goes off in the morning it won’t hurt quite as much. Amen.