Sixteenth Sunday after Pentost

Work and Worth

Jesus tells us a short story about work and compensation to illustrate that the way we think and live through both work and satisfaction are skewed by sin. He tells us it’s different in the Kingdom of God. In the KOG God deals with us according to His merit, and His grace.

Working at Walgreens they incentivized us the one time with Walgreens Gift Cards as a bonus. “No prescriptions, No smokes, no alcohol, no tobacco and no dairy” -lactose free incentives lacked efficacy. Increased employee dissatisfaction.

The problem was that the true value was not in the compensation but in the work itself and the way our employer treated us.

As Jesus takes over our lives in His kingdom, we no longer work for money but our work takes on His worth.

Take stock briefly- how are you approaching your work?

Part 1- Work

Work is part of Creation

Often we believe work is the curse. - WE SHOULD

Genesis 3:17–19 ESV

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; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 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.”

Look at Genesis 2:15

Genesis 2:15 ESV

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

100% Employment- full employment. Before sin was in the world, mankind was working .

We are not experiencing the fullness of God’s gifts unless we are working.

Work is a BROAD word:

Job descriptions, career paths, vocational aptitude testing (a whole working industry on telling us what our work should be)

Covid has confused our work - we largely generate pixels and never see a person.

Work has been narrowed to what you accept a paycheck for. (Work is ONGOING)

God continues to call us to work

How many times does the master go out to find laborers? 4x

Early, 9, Noon, 3p, 4p (an hour or two before quits!)

There is no time too late to join in God’s mission.

RNM - Story of Christianity, Constantine was baptised on His deathbed.

We understand baptism as a uniting of the spirit to ours imbuing us with His gifts.

Part 2 - Worth

The Main Point:

Matthew: A Commentary, Volume 2: The Churchbook, Matthew 13–28 I. God’s Word to Spiritual Pride: The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, 20:1–16

God does not want to deal with us according to work, according to our deserving, but according to grace

The categorical error is that our main value is found in our work or in our reward for our work. Our worth is found in assuming our rightful position in the Kingdom- as servants of the most high God.

Isaiah 55:8–9 ESV

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Its an order too material to think of our worth only in money

Matthew 11:2–20:34 Pay Day: All Receive Equal Compensation by Grace Alone (20:8–16)

The wages are awarded to the workers, but the amount of the wage has nothing to do with the effort expended or the time spent, and all in the vineyard receive the same amount.

No God wants to deal with us according to GRACE.

Money and Repayment

Studies repeatedly show that life satisfaction in no way correlates with an income above the national median (~$64k)

What studies demonstrate is that purpose is more correlated with satisfaction and happiness.

Return to walgreens story, Walgreens had failed to communicate and share the value of our work.

Remember in the NT the primary story we hold onto has a significant character being paid in money for an evil act. Judas was paid, Jesus worked.

Purpose and Righteousness

Look at v. 6-7

Matthew 20:6–7 ESV

And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

The word here for idle is often used to mean ‘useless, ineffective, worthless’ You are not a group of worthless people.

The first purpose of human life in the creation story is having work to do. - D. Bruner

When we are hired to work in the vineyard the wrong idea is that we will receive money. Notice v 3-4

Matthew 20:3–4 ESV

And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’

The first were hired at a denarius but the rest were told that they would receive what was right.

The literal and rough translation in this text is ‘give whatever is righteous’!!!

Gods great work is giving us His righteous son and in turn, giving us His righteousness!

2 Corinthians 5:15 ESV

and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Purpose!

Our reformed family express God’s gracious payment it more acutely in their Heidelberg:

Historic Creeds and Confessions Question 60

Question 60

How are thou righteous before God?

Only by a true faith in Jesus Christ; so that, though my conscience accuse me, that I have grossly transgressed all the commandments of God, and kept none of them,b and am still inclined to all evil; notwithstanding, God, without any merit of mine,d but only of mere grace, grants and imputes to me,f the perfect satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ;h even so, as if I never had had, nor committed any sin: yea, as if I had fully accomplished all that obedience which Christ has accomplished for me

This is grace.

Church, you have been endowed with a purpose and rewarded with Grace. May you rest in the fact that your worth is not determined by your effort but in the work of His own hands.

May you serve others in the purpose that God has for you. Amen.