God of Labor

INTRODUCTION: Series / Sermon Context 2 minutes

As you may already know — we have been on the series titled the Book of Psalms

Today we will look at Psalm 90 — The oldest Psalm — accredited to Moses - “A prayer of Moses the Man of God”

A psalm of lament - 59/150 are Psalms of Lament - more than any other genre

God used Moses to deliver Israel from bondage / slave labor

Although they were free — they were never truly satisfied at the end — as en entire generation died in the desert

Psalms 90 laments that reality

THE SOLUTION: Transition into objective of sermon 1 minute

We are going look at Psalms 90 from a unique perspective — one that relates to labor

By looking at Psalms 90 — we will examine some truths about work and labor — that hopefully will lead us to an understanding of what it means to find satisfaction in our everyday labor

Illustration: A significant and often overlooked way that we serve God is in our everyday tasks.

A quote that has been attributed to Martin Luther says, "The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays -- not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps but because God loves clean floors.

The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship."

What do think? Does God see our everyday work as serving Him?

1. The origin of labor 8 minutes

Psalm 90:1-2 “1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Moses acknowledges who God is

A. Work is a big part of God’s nature 3 min

Here Moses connects God’s eternal nature with that of a worker, a creator.

Moses also wrote the Book of Genesis — in the very first verse we read that God is a creator

When we look at creation — The vastness of it — it’s infinitely detailed design — it tells us a lot about the creator

Psalm 19:1 “1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

David looked at the infinite universe and saw God’s glory, God’s magnificent work

B. Work is what we were created for 3 min

Gen 1:27-28 “27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

When you are working — you are doing something that is part of God’s nature — You are made in his image

Gen 2:15 “15 The Lord God took the man and puts him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

It’s important to understand that work was part of God’s original design

Eden was one of mankind’s first assignment

Not only that, but “God blessed them” — which means that work is a blessing

C. Work was meant to be good and satisfying 2 min

“And God saw that it was good” — God repeated after each day of creation

How many of you look at your work and say, “it was good”

In his book, “Every Good Endeavor,” Tim Keller reminds us how delighted God was after completing the work of creation

“God finds what he has done beautiful.  He stands back, takes in ‘all that he has made,’ and says, in effect, ‘That’s good!’ Like all good and satisfying work, the worker sees himself in it.”

When we look back into the first 2 chapter of Genesis — we can see that God is a worker by nature and he also created us to work — and more importantly, that work was meant to be blessing.

Transition to next point: But things take a turn in chapter 3 — as well as verse 3 of Psalms 90.

Psalm 90:3-11 “3 You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” 4 A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. 5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death— they are like the new grass of the morning: 6 In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered. 7 We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. 8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. 9 All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. 10 Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. 11 If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.”

Now we begin to see why this Psalm is considered a lament

We went from “God you are our dwelling place” to “you turn people back to dust”

Moses begins to lament the judgment of God

He laments his sins and the sins of his people

He laments his mortality and human suffering

Something happened between verse 2 and 3 — just as something happened between chapter 2 and 3 in Genesis

2. The curse of hard labor 8 minutes

Gen 3:17-19 “17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.””

A. Cursed is the ground because of you 3 min

Sin caused the very thing Adam and Eve were created for — to become a curse in their life

What was meant to be a fruitful and abundant endeavor — became a painful and arduous burden

Work in itself is not a curse — even hard work

Instead of joy and satisfaction — sin caused frustration / exasperation to enter our labor

Illustration: 83% of US workers suffer from work-related stress, with 25% saying their job is the number one stressor in their lives.

80% of them stated a change in leadership / management to be the top cause of the stress — We all saw what happened with Twitter

Sin shakes up the management of our hearts

B. Casted out 2 min

Gen 3:23 “23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.”

The everlasting God — created mankind — blessed them with purpose — gave them a dwelling place in his fruitful garden and rejoiced at his creation

But because of sin they were casted out — to work a cursed ground — a ground producing thorns and thistles

We live in fallen world filled with thorns and thistles

C. Thorns and thistles 3 min

The Parable of the Sower teaches how much the condition of the ground matters

Luke 8:14 “14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.”

The saddest of all the grounds — The farmer waters it, waits for it, it even grows, but never reaps the benefit — because the thorns choke it

What if the reason we are not satisfied in our labor is not because of the work we are doing — but rather the condition of our heart

Could it be that the reason you are not finding fulfillment in your labor — or satisfaction in your work — is because:

Your life is filled with worries — no matter how much God provides for you, you remain faithless and fearful of tomorrow

The people of Israel in the wilderness

Or perhaps it’s greed, vanity, and the deceit of riches — robing you of your contentment

John Rockefeller, the 1st billionaire in the U.S. when asked, “How much money is enough?” calmly replied, “Just a little bit more”

Or maybe it’s all the temptations brought by the endless pleasures of this world

Transition to next point: Until we address the condition and management of our heart — no matter what we do, we will struggle in finding satisfaction

Going back to our passage, let’s see how Moses ends this Psalm

Psalm 90:12-17 “12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 13 Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. 16 May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. 17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.”

Moses prayed

3. The redemption of labor 8 minutes

A. Moses prayed 3 min

After acknowledging who God is

After lamenting sin and judgment

And accepting the frailty and limitations of mankind

Moses understood that the only way to address all these matter was to pray and ask God to change his heart

Moses prayed and asked God for wisdom —

He prayed for God’s mercy and compassion —

He prayed for God to satisfy his people with His unfailing love and joy —

He prayed that God would redeem all the day of their struggles

And for God’s favor to establish the work of their hands

Moses looked to God for help

B. Ask for help 3 min

Keily loves to pray — I’m more pragmatic

We have to stop making God our last resort

The wisest thing any human being can do is to ask God for help

When we reverence God, and acknowledge that we need Him, we gain a heart of wisdom

Proverbs 9:10 “10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Wisdom open the door for us to see our life / our labor in a whole new perspective

God should not just be the God of your spiritual life — He should be the God of your career — the God of everything you do

Invited God into your conference room

Colossians 3:23-24 “23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Is Jesus Christ truly the Lord of your life?

If he is your Lord, then he is your master — you are to report to him — about everything!

Thankfully, the Lord our God is a good God

C. Learn from God 2 min

Mt 11:28-30 “28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.””

Moses said, “Teach us” and Jesus says, “learn from me” — There is something we need to learn about work that only God can teach us

Go ahead and get the Certification / MBA / PhD — But if you want rest and satisfaction for your soul — That can only come from God

God created work — and God created rest — and only He knows how to perfectly balance the two

Transition to end: Call the worship team up

REVIEW: Objective and rationale 1 minute

Work is part of God’s nature — And we’re created in His image

Work is what we are created for — but —

We have to remove the thorns and thistles from our hearts — and —

Realign ourselves under God as our master

APPLICATION: God wants to redeem all of your hard labor today 2 minutes

If you have been struggling with sin — God wants to be merciful to you and show you compassion

If you have been unappreciated and devalued — God wants to satisfy you with his unfailing love

If you have seen nothing but hard times and are struggling to keep your head above water — God wants to know today that he sees you, he loves you and wants to give you rest

If have been putting in work, faithfully serving your family, your church, your company — God wants you to know that His favor rests on you — and HE WILL ESTABLISH the work of your hands

PRAYER: Lets us pray and ask God to teach us and give us a heart of wisdom

There is one work that we will never have to do on our own — that’s the work of Salvation

Jesus finished that work on the cross

Salvation call

Dear God,

I admit that I’m a sinner,

and I ask for your forgiveness.

I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son.

I believe that He died for my sin

and that you raised Him to life.

From this day forward.

I want to trust Him as my Savior

and follow Him as Lord,

I pray this in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

If you prayed that prayer for the first time: Text LIVING to 94000