Laborers Together With God
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
2026 Church theme is: “Laborers Together With God”
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
Last year our theme was “A Mind to Work” from Nehemiah...
Throughout the year we saw the vision of Nehemiah...
And God uses different people in different ways to fulfill different purposes...
I want to preach to you on those 4 words:
“Laborers”
“Together”
“With God”
1. Laborers
1. Laborers
Laborers: (Soon-er-gos) which means “Co-laborer; helper; companion; exertion)
The problem is not a lack of work...
The problem is not a lack of materials...
The problem is not a lack of instruction...
The problem is a lack of laborers
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
The problem is a lack of someone who is willing to exert themselves in the cause of Christ...
In light of the context of this passage being a disunified church, Paul is calling for laborers!
13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
A great deal of drama, complaining and gossiping could be resolved if people would just get busy laboring...
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
**Notice a theme throughout the new testament how the Jews who rejected Jesus were so focused on the physical over the spiritual...
We take verses like:
10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
And we die on that mountain saying how lazy people should not have the benefits of the hard working!
That is truth, but the problem is we have so many Christians abusing the spiritual welfare.
Unfortunately, spiritual unemployment is up!
Defining “welfare abuse”: Being perfectly capable to work, but doing no work and expecting the benefit as if you worked
We have Christians who want the same benefits as laboring Christians without doing any work
>>>If you’re saved, it’s not a matter of not having the right foundation
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
>>>> it’s not a matter of the right materials
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
The issue is a lack of laborers...
**Did you know that our building project has already begun?
Jesus Christ already laid the foundation for the church...
He’s already provided the materials we need...
He just needs the laborers to pick up the hammer and get to work
This year I’m calling everyone of every age and state of life to pick up the hammer with me and get to laboring...
Laborers
2. Laborers Together
2. Laborers Together
The word “Together” means more than just side by side, but it means “in union with”…
A church is called not just to labor, but labor in union
A marriage is not just called to reside within the same home, but to dwell in union together
A mother and father are not called to simply babysit their children, but dwell in proper union with their children
The way that God designed it is that we don’t have to labor alone but we get to labor together...
Throughout the year we will be emphasizing the togetherness of ministry...
When Jesus called His apostles, He sent them out to the work “two by two”
It was “Paul and Barnabas”
and “Paul and Silas”
It was “Priscilla and Acquilla”
17 Iron sharpeneth iron;
So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
The Apostle Paul calls this disunified church to solve their problem by:
Laboring
Not just laboring, but doing it together...
Paul’s instruction:
Labor
Labor Together
3. Labor Together With God
3. Labor Together With God
Paul’s instruction to a divided church was to remember the who behind the why of what they were doing...
a.) Jesus’ response to His disciple’s question of “Who then can be saved?” was:
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
b.) The angel spoke to Mary when he told her she was pregnant with the Messiah and he stated,
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
c.) I think it was important to Joseph when he was sold into slavery and the Bible says:
9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
Joshua wouldn’t have been able to lead Israel into the Promised Land if God was not with them
He wouldn’t have been able to have victory over larger, more fortified, more experienced armies if God was not with them
Gideon wouldn’t have been able to have victory over a much larger Midianite army if God wasn’t with them
Daniel would have been eaten by lions but God was with him
The remnant that was scattered abroad in Acts 11, would not have been able to see “a great number believe and turn unto the Lord” except because God was with them
When Paul went to Corinth, the Lord spoke to him in a vision and told him to not be afraid, but speak for Him… Then God said, “For I am with thee...”
It’s not because we labor...
Or because we even labor together...
But the true success comes when we labor together with God...
With God I can speak out for Him in ways I never thought I would have the courage too otherwise
With God VBC can see a great number believe and turn to the Lord
With God the mouths of lions can be stopped, imbalanced victories can be won and we can be lead to where God wants us to be
WHY IS PAUL INSTRUCTING THIS CHURCH TO LABOR TOGETHER WITH GOD?
Isn’t it a given that what happens through the church should be with God?
We can be busy laboring in the ministry and do it without the power of God...
We can labor and do it without the presence of God...
We can labor and do it without considering the pleasure of God...
The church of Ephesus had:
works
labour
and patience
and God said that they, “...for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.”
But the problem was that they “left their first love” which shouldn’t been the one they were laboring for in the first place...
The church of Laodicea had:
works
wealth
But Jesus was left standing on the outside knocking to get in...
We stand in danger of being like Samson who went out as at other times when God was with him, but he “...wist not that the Lord had departed from him.”
And now you have Paul rebuking the Corinthians… saying:
You’re a church, but you’re a carnal church, not a spiritual one...
I’m here to feed you, but all I can give you is milk and not meat...
You’re supposed to be unified, but instead you are envying, striving and dividing
They took something good: Paul, Apollos, Peter....
And turned it into being something that divided them instead of unified them...
And now Paul calls this church to:
Labor
Labor Together
Labor Together With God
I am calling our church to:
Labor: get involved if you’re not already… ask...
Labor Together: have fun being in the ministry and working hard for the Lord together
Labor Together With God: Let’s make sure we keep God center place in everything we do
