How to love the work God has given us small group
Notes
Transcript
How does your cultural view work? Is it viewed positively or is it viewed as a unfortunate necessity?
What is your personal attitude towards your work?
1.Made to work
1.Made to work
Adam given work
Adam given work
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
中文当代译本修订版圣经（简体） 第2章
15 耶和华上帝把那人安置在伊甸的园子里，让他在那里耕种、看管园子。
Genesis 1:28 (ESV)
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
中文当代译本修订版圣经（简体） 第1章
28 上帝赐福给他们，对他们说：“你们要生养众多，遍布地面，治理大地，管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟以及地上的各种动物。”
What was the command God gave to Adam regarding work in Genesis 1:28?
The fall made work much harder for us though.
The fall made work much harder for us though.
17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
中文当代译本修订版圣经（简体） 第3章
17 耶和华上帝又对亚当说：
“因为你听从妻子的话，
吃了我吩咐你不可吃的果子，
地必因你而受咒诅。
你必终生艰辛劳苦，才能吃到地里出产的食物。
18 地必给你长出荆棘和蒺藜，
你要吃田间长出来的菜蔬。
19 你必汗流满面，才有饭吃，
一直到你归回尘土。
因为你是尘土造的，也必归回尘土。”
2. God also seen as a worker.
2. God also seen as a worker.
The Bible’s positive outlook on work is rooted in its teaching about God.
Unlike other ancient religious writings which regarded creation as something beneath the dignity of the Supreme Being, Scripture unashamedly describes God as a worker.
Like a manual laborer, he made the universe as “the work of his fingers” (Ps 8:3).
He worked with his raw material just as a potter works with the clay (Is 45:9).
The almighty Creator even had his rest day (Gn 2:2, 3) and enjoyed job satisfaction when surveying his achievements at the end of the week (Gn 1:31).
Do Chinese/Japanese traditional religions have a high or low view of work?
Do the spirits or gods in these religions work?
How do you think this effects the overall culture’s view of work?
How can the concept of God as a worker influence your view of work and labor?
3. The Bible condemns idleness.
3. The Bible condemns idleness.
With this firm emphasis on the dignity and normality of labor, it is no surprise to find that Scripture strongly condemns idleness.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
中文当代译本修订版圣经（简体） 第6章
6 懒惰的人啊，去看看蚂蚁，
观察它的生活，就会有智慧。
7 蚂蚁没有元帅，没有官长，
也没有君王，
8 却在夏季储备粮食，
在收割时积聚食物。
9 懒惰的人啊，你要躺到何时？
要睡到何时才起床？
10 再睡一会儿，再打个盹儿，
抱着手躺一会儿，
11 贫穷要像盗贼一样攻击你，
缺乏要像武士一样扑向你。
Paul is very blunt in 2nd Thes 3:10-12
10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.
12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
中文当代译本修订版圣经（简体） 第3章
10 我们在你们那里的时候，曾吩咐过你们：不肯工作的人没有资格吃饭。11 我们听说在你们当中有些人游手好闲，无所事事，却专管闲事。12 我们奉主耶稣基督的名吩咐并劝诫这些人要安分守己，自食其力。
How can we avoid falling into the trap of idleness in our work and daily lives?
So now that we have set the scene of what the Bible says about work, how do we ensure that we love our work.
We are taught growing up that we must work hard to get good jobs, or else we will not have good lives.
A teacher once said that if you don’t study hard, you may end up a janitor, cleaning toilets.
I highly disagree with such a mentality, because it insinuates that there is less dignity in being a janitor.
A janitor is a needed work and one can have joy in this line of work.
1. Our work is to support our family.
1. Our work is to support our family.
2. Our work is to be a reflection of God and for His glory
2. Our work is to be a reflection of God and for His glory
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
中文当代译本修订版圣经（简体） 第3章
17 你们无论做什么事、说什么话，都要奉主耶稣的名而行，并借着祂感谢父上帝。
“Christians should be the hardest workers on a job”-Uncle Dale Rodgers
how can you strive to be the hardest worker in your job or daily tasks as a reflection of your Christian faith?
3. Our work should be a witness to others.
3. Our work should be a witness to others.
How can we use our work as a means to be a witness to others according to the teachings in the sermon?
What are some things, outside of your control, that make it hard to have joy in your work?
How can we work to overcome that?
In what practical ways can you show appreciation and respect for all types of work, understanding their significance in God's eyes as highlighted in the sermon?