Work for the Lord

Intro

(TO-DO)

Illustration: When I was young, I had a problem with reading instructions.

In middle school and high school I was a good student

But I often went too fast and skimmed over key parts of questions

Vocabulary quizzes

I was a pretty good student, but I was to careless to be the best

I wanted to finish first so that everyone around me could see how smart I was

Flipping pages loudly, walk to the front proudly

I was a pretty good student, but I let my ego get the best of me and I was too careless to be the best

If I had just let go of what other people and thought harder about the answers, I would have gotten 100% more often

The Christian life is a lot like my vocabulary quizzes

Transition

Reason to Listen

If you are only focused on what other people think, you will not be be able to please God in your work.

Preaching Point

Text:

Background

Colossians was written by Paul while he was in prison

He talks earlier about who Christ is (power and role as the head of the church)

The verse of the book we will focus on is found in a set of practical instructions

English Standard Version Chapter 3

22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

These include instructions for wives, husbands, fathers, and children

He then moves on to give instructions for servants, one of them being verse 23

I am going to read it for us (ESV)

I will also read verse 22 and 24, so that we can understand what Paul is saying before and after 23

English Standard Version Chapter 3

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men

English Standard Version Chapter 3

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

English Standard Version Chapter 3

22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Though Paul originally wrote this verse to servants, it is still important for us today, because...

English Standard Version Chapter 3

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Not only did the word from God apply then, it applies to us now as well

English Standard Version Chapter 4

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Transition

There is a core truth that verse 23 is getting at, and this applies to those who have been saved.

Preaching Point: Your work should genuinely glorify God.

I. Evaluate Your Heart (v.23b)

You may not be a servant, or even have a job, but you have people in charge of you too! (examples)

Teachers (Assign homework, Teach students)

Parents (Give chores, Make you go to bed, Discipline you)

Leaders (Authority to teach, Set game rules [Trampoline Dodgeball])

Illustration: Circustrix Event (Dodgeball)

In this verse, think of the work that you do for the people who are in charge of you RIGHT NOW (think of these things as the work that we are called to do heartily)

The Text:

ii. Prove

iii. Apply

Let’s focus on the main command, work heartily

This is a phrase that we do not often use today

Could also be translated “work from the soul” or “work at it with all your heart”

When we do work for our teachers, parents, or leaders, our desire to work hard should be real

Not only does our work need to come from a desire in our hearts, but that desire should be pure

Not for man but for the Lord

For the Lord

For the Lord

When we work, whether it be finishing homework, doing chores, or helping at church, your reason to work hard should be to give glory to God

The temptation is to work hard in front of people so they can see us, but verse 22 says

English Standard Version Chapter 3

22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

The word eye-service literally means you are serving the eyes of others, and caring more about what they see

Many people in the Bible have struggled with this, and Jesus talks about it in

English Standard Version Chapter 6

6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

English Standard Version Chapter 6

6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

He goes on to talk about the different ways that people in his day would seek approval from man rather than God

Giving

Prayer

Fasting

God looks at the heart, and he values the work of those who don’t work to be seen by others

Now I want to look at someone in the Bible who wasn’t perfect, but is a great example of how to work heart with a pure heart: King David.

says that David was a man after God’s own heart

Looking back to the time of the kings, we know that Saul was the first

He was chosen for his looks and physical strength

I

However, as he reigned, he disobeyed the Lord and was eventually rejected as king by God

God asked Samuel to find a new king

Among seven of Jesse’s sons, though they looked good, the Lord did not choose them

David was out in the fields

He was a hard worker who worked alone in the fields faithfully for the Lord

David’s hard work was motivated by his love for the Lord, he would sing and worship

David was anointed as king, and was patient to take the throne

Later he faithfully worked for King Saul even though he faced hatred and violence

David’s hard work was motivated by his love for the Lord

We can look to David to see how to work hard for the Lord in whatever position we are in

It is clear that we need to make sure our intentions are pure when we work, but how can we evaluate our hearts?

Two Steps:

Pray

Bring these concepts into your prayer

English Standard Version Psalm 51

10  Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

Ask for God to reveal weak areas in your work

Ask for God to renew your spirit

Read the Bible

Be ready for God to open up your heart as you read

English Standard Version Chapter 4

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Be ready for God to open up your heart as you read

Take action when you are convicted

These two steps are connected and they create a cycle

II. Strive For Integrity (v.23a)

Whatever you do

III. Consider the Reward (v.23b)

(TO-DO)

Conclusion

Tie back to introductory story

Imagine what could be if you do this

Imagine what could be if you do this

Your work needs to genuinely glorify God.