Adulting Week 1
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Introduction
Introduction
Opening Story/Illustration: Tonight we want to start a series we’re calling, “Adulting.”
Urban Dictionary defines adulting as: (v): to carry out one or more of the duties and responsibilities expected of fully developed individuals (paying off that credit card debt, settling beef without blasting social media, etc). Exclusively used by those who adult less than 50% of the time.
Over the next few weeks I want to talk about two ideas: balance and tension. This guitar works because of tension. You stretch these strings and put the right amount of tension on them and they make beautiful music. Too much tension and they break, too little tension and they flop.
Too much or too little tension and it gets out of tune. In fact, you have to tune this thing on a regular basis. Left to itself, it tends towards getting out of tune. You have to constantly evaluate the tension and make sure that it’s right.
You have to tune this thing on a regular basis because the tension changes not just because of your adjustments but because of your environment. Put this thing in a cold room and it shrinks causing the tension on the strings to loosen and making it start to go flat. Put it in a hot room and the wood begins to expand and the strings start to stretch. You have to adjust the tension based on it’s environment.
You have to balance the tension. Do this well and you end up with beautiful music. Do it wrong and you end up out of tune or with busted strings.
Most of us in this room are at some sort of transition in our lives. In the last 25-30yrs our culture has shifted and people are getting married at older and there’s this thing called prolong adolescence.
Over the next few weeks I want to talk about balancing the tension in our lives. Because this is what it means to adult: To balance the tension well so that our lives play beautiful music. Balance it wrong and you either break or flop. Balance it well and you end up with something wonderful.
Balancing these tensions look different for each of us because of the environment and season of our lives.
Life very rarely gives you a perfect environment or moment. You have to adjust yourself to what you’ve been given. There will be moments you need to tighten the strings of your life and moments to loosen them.
Setup: Over the next few weeks we’re going to talk about some areas of our lives where we need balance tension. Tonight we’re going to talk about the the balance of Work and Rest.
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Transition to the points: Let’s dive into this
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Work gives us a sense of meaning and purpose
Work is good
You were designed for work.
In and God creates human beings and he creates them with a job, a responsibility, a purpose.
15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” 27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” 29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened. 31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
The idea of “reigning over” actually is this idea that God had made this good creation, but it was still undeveloped. God left creation with untapped potential and people were to unlock it through their work and labor.
Work wasn’t part of the curse in - Work being unfruitful and difficult was part of the curse. Notice that the man is doing the same thing he was doing before - It’s just become more difficult.
“Work is as much a basic human need as food, beauty, rest, friendship, prayer, and sexuality; it is not simply medicine but food for our soul. Without meaningful work we sense significant inner los and emptiness. People who are cut off from work because of physical or other reasons quickly discover how much they need work to thrive emotionally, physically, and spiritually.” - Tim Keller (Every Good Endeavor)
Work is something we do because it’s something God does
17 And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. 19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
“In the beginning, then, God worked. Work was not a necessary evil that came into the picture later, or something human beings were created to do but that was beneath God himself. No, God worked for the sheer joy of it. Work could not have had a more exalted inauguration.” - Tim Keller (Every Good Endeavor)
God Created the world and is still at work sustaining it
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14 The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
10 You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains. 11 They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. 13 You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. 14 You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth— 15 wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength. 16 The trees of the Lord are well cared for— the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17 There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the cypresses. 18 High in the mountains live the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes. 19 You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. 20 You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about. 21 Then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God. 22 At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest.
The Dark side of Work: Your work can become your idol
When you start to look to your work and responsibilities for ultimate fulfillment, it has become your idol.
Your kids
“Work is not all there is to life. You will not have a meaningful life without work, but you cannot say work is the meaning of your life.”
Your relationship with God is the purpose of your life. When you make anything else your ultimate purpose, you have created an idol.
Your Job
Work is a good thing, but it must be kept in it’s proper place.
You’ve seen people: They work, work, work, work, work, and they neglect their families, their health, their relationships with God.
It’s so easy as a young professional to find your sole identity in your work
When you’re in college often the first question people ask of you - What’s your major? When you get out of college, often the first question that’s asked of you - What do you do?
We live in a world that values you based on what you do, but the truth is, while you were made for work, You are more than your work!
Sometimes, we think we have to work to prove ourselves. But Jesus shows us that in him we are already proven and secure! He loves us right where we are, not matter what we accomplish or don’t accomplish.
Rest gives us a new energy and perspective on life
You were designed for Rest
8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
Rest is a time to remember and reflect
It’s a time to remember what’s important in life
Remember what God has done for you.
Remember what God has done for you. (1)Illustration - Ask “What has God done for you?” (2)This is why we come together on Sundays as well - We focus on worshiping God and remembering what he has done for us as a body. (3)Sabbath is also about remembering what God has done for us as individuals. (4)If you never take time to reflect on what God has done for you, why would you expect your worship to be alive and vibrant?
Illustration - Ask “What has God done for you?”
This is why we come together on Sundays as well - We focus on worshiping God and remembering what he has done for us as a body.
Sabbath is also about remembering what God has done for us as individuals.
If you never take time to reflect on what God has done for you, why would you expect your worship to be alive and vibrant?
It’s a time to remember that you’re valuable, not just because of what you do, but because of who you are.
Notice that in this passage, everyone is to get rest.
God was saying, everyone needs a moment to rest and breathe and remember it’s not about what you do, but about who you are.
Rest is a time to reset
It’s so easy for us to get bogged down in our day-to-day grind.
Notice what God does here - he has the people interrupt their normal grind.
You need time throughout your week to interrupt the grind.
Illustration: The internet system here at the church sometimes, after being on for weeks at a time, gets bogged down and starts to have issues. When this starts, the first thing you try is a reset. This fixes 99% of the problems.
What about your life? You’ve been going and going and going - What if you could take some time to rest and reset? MAKE THE TIME!
Rest is a time to enjoy
Rest isn’t about simply getting back to work
Rest is good because it’s good!
Take some time to enjoy your kids. Enjoy the beauty around you. Enjoy a good movie, a good meal, a good cup of coffee, a good conversation.
We rest because it’s something God does
2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
God doesn’t need rest, but he chooses to rest. He didn’t need to recharged his batteries. This shows us that rest isn’t simply something you do so that you can get back to work, rest is good in and of itself.
Rest is a time to remember
It reminds us that we are not important simply because of what we contribute, we are important because we are
Rest is a time to reset
The Dark Side of Rest: Rest can become your downfall
The Bible says lack of work is a bad thing - Laziness ()
33 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 34 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
33 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
Many people struggle with depression and other issues simply because they’ve allowed themselves to get into a cycle where all they do is rest and they loose their purpose in life.
Many people struggle with depression and other issues simply because they’ve allowed themselves to get into a cycle where all they do is rest and they loose their purpose in life.
Too much rest is unhealthy
Rest and entertainment are not the same thing!
There’s research to support that
Your netflix binging may actually be harmful and not restful!
Your Social media scrolling may actually be harmful and not restful!
Be careful that your “restful” habits are actually creating more stress and anxiety in your life or causing addictions that take you away from meaningful rest and work!
The Balance:
Some of ya’ll need to hear - Rest. Relax. Breathe
Some of ya’ll need to hear - Rest. Relax. Breathe
Other’s of ya’ll need to hear - Get out of bed before noon. Stop binging Netflix every night. Get off of social media. Work. Get up and take responsibility for yourself. Working isn’t going to kill you - in fact, it might heal you.
Rest will not kill you, in fact, it might heal you.
Other’s of ya’ll need to hear - Get out of bed before noon at least once a week. Stop binging netflix every night. Get off of social media. Work. Get up and take responsibility for yourself. Working isn’t going to kill you - in fact, it might heal you.
Rest will not kill you, in fact, it might heal you. Work will not kill you, in fact, it might heal you. Learn to balance the two and find wholeness.
Work will not kill you, in fact, it might heal you.
Learn to balance the two and find wholeness.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Discussion: Do you feel like you have a good work/rest balance? If yes, what’s your secret? If no, what could you do to improve the balance in your life?