The Work of Your Hands
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You want to hear a crazy statistic?
Peter Pan never wanted to grow up - when you grow up you have to work.
its also somewhat depressing… over your their life the average person spends 33 years in bed.
People tend to want to escape work and
26 years sleeping
7 years trying to fall asleep
13 years and 2 months working
and if you are a home keeper, chances are this number is much much higher.
11 years of screen time
TV, phone, computer etc.
1.7 years in grade school and high school
4.5 years eating
1yr and 3 days socializing
115 days laughing
Getting ready
women 136 days
Men 46 days
Its interesting how out of all of these statistics the only one we really try and get out of is working.
We spend a lot of time figure out way to work less, to retire early, get more vacation time and so on.
A huge strategy in advertising is escaping work
Kids are taught by Peter Pan that its better not grow up, because grownups have to work.
yet, what we find in the bible is that work is good. Work is glorious. and work is one of the main ways we participate the mission of God.
To understand the mission of God we must understand God himself. After all, it is his mission.
To understand the mission of God we must understand God himself. After all, it is his mission.
We are first introduced to God in
And what do we see in Genesis one?
We see that God is a God who works.
He rolls up his sleeves and works
He plans, he executes, and he completes his work.
We see in the creation story that God establishes the work week for us, he works six days and then takes a sabbath day of rest.
When we take time to ponder God’s work in Genesis one we see three things come to light
wisdom in his planning
power in his execution
goodness in his completion
Wisdom in his planing
science is still trying to figure out the wisdom of God
The fine tuning of the universe baffles scientists
How is it possible for the universe to exist? There are so many things that have to be just right in order to sustain life and order in the universe.
To put it into perspective
According to some scientists the world is 4.5 billion years old
Do you know how many seconds that is?
10 to the 18th power seconds in the (4.5 billion years)
Roger Penrose of Oxford University has estimated that the odds of the universe happening by chance are 1:10 to the 10 power to the 123rd power
Truly the wisdom of God to stretch out the heaven and establish the earth is mind blowing.
12 It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
1:10 to the 10 power to the 123rd power
gravity
Power in execution
We serve a God who spoke all things into existence
Consider the power of God in creation
Even the unbelieving world recognizes the power of creation, though they try to make sense of it by calling it the “big bang” - a massive explosion that resulted in the the universe
Goodness in completion
At the end of each day God declares that his creation is good.
Through the work of God’s creation he reveals himself to his people.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Creation itself demonstrates the goodness, and glory of God’s work.
And the crowing glory of his handiwork was the creation of man and women.
Man and women were the crowning glory of God’s creation because they were created in his image. No other aspect of creation was created in God’s image. This was a glory that was designated for mankind alone.
What does it mean to be made in the Image of God?
Image bearers reflect
We do what God does
God named his creation
Adam named the animals
Look with me at genesis 1:26-27
The Sociology of The Church 3. THE SOCIOLOGY OF THE CHURCH: A BIBLICO-HISTORICAL APPROACH
When God created Adam, He made him out of the dust of the ground. When Adam sinned, a curse spread from him to that dust. The curse also spread to all men. Thus, the entire "world," whether considered as a cosmos (dust, etc.) or as a society (humanity), became estranged from God. Cherubim were placed to bar the way back into Eden.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
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.”
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
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.”
29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
What does it mean to be made in the Image of God?
In short, in all that we do we are to reflect or image God.
so in Genesis one we see that God is a God who works, therefore to image him well we are to be men and women who likewise work.
As we work we are to work toward the same ends that God works.
Image bearers represent and reflect God on earth.
In the ancient near east, kings would set up outposts throughout the land, and these outposts would be ruled by viceroys.
a viceroy, or vice-regent, was one who ruled that outpost and land with the authority of the king.
And what these kings would do is set up images of themselves in these outposts so everyone who would come would know who rules this land because of the image of the king was there.
In the same way, we are God’s viceroys here on earth, we have been given his image and we are to be about his purpose and mission on earth.
So How does the idea of work tie into the mission of God and us being image bearers of God. ?
So to be faithful image bearers, we are to be doing what we see God doing.
What God is doing in heaven, we are to be doing on earth
This is why Jesus teaches us to pray by saying, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
We are the hands and feat God uses to bring about his purposes on earth.
So what are the purposes of God? Or what is the mission of God?
We do what God does
God named his creation
Adam named the animals
Look again back 1:26
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Here God actually gives a purpose statement for why he has created man and women in his image… however the english translation of the ESV makes this purpose statement a little foggy.
Look at how NIV translates this verse
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
God made mankind in his image for a reason, and the reason is so that they may rule…
Or as the ESV says, so that they may have dominion.
This is the main reason we are created in the image of God, so that we may have dominion over the whole earth.
This purpose of the image of God is then fleshed out more in verse 28
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.”
There are 5 imperatives here, commands…
Be fruitful and multiply
Fill the earth
Gen 3.28
Subdue the earth
Have dominion
Be fruitful and multiply
Be fruitful and multiply
God created Adam and Eve in his image - he gave them life, he formed Adam out of the dust, and eve out of Adam. Now, he is calling Adam and Eve to image him well, by being fruitful and multiplying.
He wants Adam and eve to have kids who will likewise be not only made in God’s image, but also made in their image.
As God brought forth life, so now he wants us to bring forth life.
God called Adam and Eve to have kids, to be fruitful and multiply.
And he tells them to Fill the Earth
Fill the earth
Fill the earth
We see in creation that the first three days God creates spaces
day 1 light and darkness
day 2 he separates the waters making space for the sky above and the waters below
day 3 he separates the waters and make land
The following three days God fills those spaces
day 4 sun moon stars
day 5 birds and fish
day 6 beasts of the fields and man.
And now God is calling Adam and Eve to image him by filling the earth with more image bearers.
You see, God’s design and purpose for creating man was not to keep them in the garden for all time, but it was to fill the earth with the image and glory of God!
He then tells them to subdue the earth
Subdue and Have Dominion of the Earth
Subdue and Have Dominion of the Earth
What does it mean to be made in the Image of God?
WE do what God does
God named his creation
Adam named the animals
What does it mean to Subdue the earth?
The Sociology of The Church The Original Design of the World
Man was to "subdue" the earth (1:28). Was the earth in revolt? No. Then what does "subdue" mean? In context it means that man is to take the good world and work with it, bringing it gradually into a condition of glory
The word subdue means to take control or be master over
Adam and Eve, and their offspring were to take control of the earth and then rule it as viceroys - God’s image bearing kings and queens on earth.
It has the idea of a march of royalty. They were to face everything that was not yet glorified as the garden was and they were to bring it into subjection.
So when God’s mission for his image bearers is to take dominion, we do so as viceroys, as those who rule and reign as Men and women under the sovereign rule and reign of God.
The Sociology of The Church The Original Design of the World
With his eyes on the glorious heaven as a model, man is to raise the world to glory. This glorification of the earth was man's original task. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
With his eyes on the glorious heaven as a model, man is to raise the world to glory. This glorification of the earth was man's original task. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
This task was started in the garden, but they were to go out from the garden into the whole world to subdue it and bring it into the same glorified state as the garden.
This glorification of the earth was man's original task. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
You see, Genesis one gives us three worlds. The garden, Eden, and the world
The Garden
The garden is set up very much like the holy of holies.
This is where God dwells, this is his sanctuary
After the fall it was guarded by two cherubim, in the same way The holy of Holies was guarded by to Cherubim
And when Adam and Eve were created they were like priests who were given the responsibility to work the garden
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground,
This words for work and keep are the same words used for the priests in the temple who were to serve and guard the temple.
but as the priests of the garden Adam was to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty
You see, God took Adam, and put him in the garden to work the ground.
Adam was to make sure nothing came into the garden that was not supposed to come in.
He was to go to the boarder of the garden and work the ground so that all of Eden would be transformed into the garden.
Thus the sanctuary or dwelling place of God would grow form the size of the garden to the size of Eden.
And once the Eden was subdued Adam and his offspring were to go beyond the boarders of Eden into the whole world and subdue every square inch of creation bringing the whole world into subjection to God.
However, Adam and Eve became distracted from their mission, from their work, and instead of listening to God, they listened to the serpent.
Its interesting how after the fall God spoke to Adam and Eve and told them, not that their mission had changed, but now it would be very difficult
there would be pain in childbirth - so the being fruitful and multiplying and filling the earth would not happen through the pain of child birth
And God told Adam that the ground would no longer willing yield to him, for it is now cursed.
and now its through the sweat of his brow that he is to work the land and subdue the earth.
The curse of sin caused creation to lean away from God, and now its a toilsome task to redirect all creation back toward the creator.
But this was their mission, and this is our mission. We are to work to restore ALL THINGS to God.
And this mission injects meaning and purpose into everything we do, from building airplanes to changing diapers.
This is the work God has given us to do.
You and I are to continue the work of subduing the whole world, bring everything under subjection to Christ.
Through the commission of Christ and through the power of the Spirit we are to be about the work of restoring all things to God.
And we see Adam doing this through working the ground.
There is not a square inch of this earth,
When Adam picked up a rake, or a shovel to work the ground he was not just doing work, he was subduing it to the glory of God.
not a single department of industry,
every weed that was pulled, every rock turned over was done to the glory of God.
nor a single employee
nor task
nor delivery
nor product
that is somehow outside the realm of God’s mission to restore all things to himself.
for we are to subdue and have dominion over all things, not some things, but all things.
This was his mission, and this is our mission.
Think about this, when you go to work tomorrow you have been given the mission and authority as God’s viceroys to bring everything in your workplace into subjection to Christ.
What does this look like?
3 things
what you say
how you act
what you do
Subduing the world through speech
Subduing the world through speech
Through the spoken word the world came into existence - we serve a God who is not silent, but rather we serve a God who speaks, and he speaks with power
Sharing the gospel with your coworkers
As image bearers we like wise are to speak and there is likewise power through our speech.
For the life changing power of the gospel goes forth through speech.
Paul knew the power of the spoken word when he wrote in
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
How will the lost be saved? only through the proclamation of the gospel.
So we bring the world into submission to Christ by preaching the good news of the gospel to those who are in rebellion to the true king.
This looks like sharing the gospel with your coworkers
Perhaps starting a bible study with men and women at your work
It can be sharing with neighbors or coworkers the hope you have in the midst of pain, struggles and uncertainties.
CS Lewis says that pain is God’s megaphone to arouse a deaf world.
So when you speak the truth of the gospel, the spirit of God works to till the ground of hard hearts so that those who are far away would be brought into subjection to Christ.
We also subdue the world by the way we act.
Subduing the world through actions
Subduing the world through actions
As image bearers of God we are to demonstrate who God is by our actions
When God sent Jesus into the world he didn’t come just preaching about the kingdom of God, but he also demonstrated the kingdom of God through his works.
8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
And the works of Christ, the mircals, the healings, the exocisims, his obedience, his death and resurrection all pointed to rule and reign of God.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
As God sent Jesus into the world to accomplish the mission of God, so Jesus sends us into the world as his hands and feet to continue this mission.
;
Our works should corresponds with the the mission of God, which is to bring all things into subjection to Christ.
Our work ought to facilitate transformation so that it corresponds with the coming new creation
A supervisor should easily discern if there is a shift that is disproportionately composed of Christian employees who work as to the Lord.
And co-workers should be drawn to that crew because when the people of God are present the whole environment is glorified.
for God glorifies everything that is brought into submission to him.
Jesus says, in matthew 5
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
matt 5 14-16
Through your good works, God is glorified. And they are a light that cannot be hidden.
English Standard Version Chapter 5
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The works we have been given to do should never be compared to the great heroes of the faith
missionaries who move into the deepest parts of the jungle to plant a church
Or great scholars who spend their whole lives learning and studying in order to write volumes and volumes of books to edify the church.
We are not to compare our works with those who have gone to the stake to burn for their faith.
But the bible says even a single cup of water given to someone in need will not go unnoticed by God.
We are not to compare our works with others, rather we are to aspire to faithfully walk and live out the gospel as God has called us.
paul says,
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We are to faithfully pursue Christ, and faithfully walk in the good works he has prepared you to walk in.
The work God has given you to do, is different than the work god has given me to do.
Eden
The world
God has give you a job, good works that advance the mission of God, and I will never have the opportunities you have.
He has given each of us work to do, and it all works together for the advancement of God’s mission.
So we have seen that we are to work to continue the mission of God by subduing all things through our speech and our actions.
However, we must also recognize that we advance the mission of God by that actual work we do.
The work of our hands advances the mission of God.
The Work of Our Hands
The Work of Our Hands
God put Adam in the garden to work it and keep it.
And he was to work it and keep it for the glory of God, and by working and keeping the ground he was to advance the mission of God of bringing all things into subjection to God.
that means
Ever hole he dug, every flower he planted, ever pull of the rake was part of advancing the mission of God.
The mission of God is not just spiritual in nature, but it is holistic, we are to bring ALL THINGS into submission to Christ.
This means that every
diaper you change
every dinner you cook
every conversation you have
and every nail you drive matters in the building of Christ’s kingdom.
EXAMPLE**
Throughout Europe there are amazing ancient castles.
the stone work on some of these castles are just amazing, ornate, detailed, and chiseled to perfection.
There would be many many masons working on the stonework of these castles
when building the castles the master builder would give the masons the dimensions of the block they were to form out of stone
the masons would work sometimes for weeks to make sure that the block they were forming would be faithful to the the builders plans
The mason would often not know where the block fit in the castle, it could be on the west wall, it may be part of the tower.
He didn’t have to know, he only had to be faithful to do the work he was given.
And when the time came, the master builder would take the masons block and fit it into just the right spot in order to complete the castle.
Now, this mason could have shared the gospel with every other worker, he could have had a great attitude, showed up on time for work, and been a hard worker and those things would have brought glory to God.
The masons job was not to know how the castle was being built, he just needed to be faithful in his part trusting in the mission and plan of the master builder
However, he also advances the mission of God by actually building the block that is used to build the castle.
We must be faithful masons
we trust in the plans of the master builder who created a universe with a wisdom we cannot begin to fathom.
You don’t have to know how your job in sales or engineering or whatever advances the mission of God.
But know that when you go to work tomorrow the work you are doing is part of God’s mission to bring all things in subjection to Christ.
Because, we subdue the world not only by our speech, and our actions, but also by what we do.
For this is how we glorify God by bringing glory to the earth.
therefore work faithfully as unto the Lord
by building,
whether its...art, music, laundry, crunching numbers, cleaning teeth, delivering the mail, cooking dinner, changing diapers, teaching students...
all work is an expression of the image of God. For we work because God works.
So be faithful in everything you do, and do all things to the glory of God.
And one stone at a time the mission of God advances.
Let’s pray.
Gen
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
To take dominion is a kingly term. Kings are the ones who take dominion.
Sharing the gospel with your coworkers
starting bible studies
Discipleship
on going witnessing to co workers
English Standard Version Chapter 5
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Demonstrating who God is by your actions
Our work ought to facilitate transformation so that it corresponds with the coming new creation
A supervisor should easily discern if there is a shift that is disproportionately composed of Christian employees who work as to the Lord. And co-workers should be drawn to that crew because when the people of God are present the whole environment is enriched.
English Standard Version Chapter 5
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The mission of God is not just about the spiritual life, but it is about all creation being brought into subjection to Christ.
Work apart from the mission of God never truly satisfies.
When God created Adam, He made him out of the dust of the ground. When Adam sinned, a curse spread from him to that dust. The curse also spread to all men. Thus, the entire "world," whether considered as a cosmos (dust, etc.) or as a society (humanity), became estranged from God. Cherubim were placed to bar the way back into Eden. - JBJ