(From a sermon delivered on Sunday August 31, 2025)
My name is Jason. You usually see me up here leading the music team as your associate pastor of worship. Pastor Chris has graciously invited me to preach today on the subject of faith and work, which is a fitting topic for this Labor Day weekend.
Since it is also college Sunday, I’ll mention that I am a graduate of Florida State University, where I studied History & Religion. My daughter Grace just started her first semester in college at IUS, studying Digital Art. It feels like I was in college just yesterday, and now my daughter is starting her college journey.
While you know me as your music leader, you may not know that I have a day job as well, just like the other pastors here. I recently celebrated 17 years at Humana, in the IT department. Yes, I am using my history degree to do computer work for an insurance company. This week I will work both from home and in our Louisville office. I will answer emails, host zoom meetings, revise spreadsheets, and advise leaders on technology goals. I am a husband, a father, a worship leader... And I am also a worker.
All of us here will spend on average between 90k and 100k hours of our lives working. 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, for 50 years or more. This amounts to one half of your waking life. Whether your current calling is paid or unpaid work, or you are a student or you’re retired, your work is a core part of your life and your personal identity.
One of the biggest questions of faith I've ever faced is whether this half of my life even matters to God and his kingdom. Am I just working to pay bills, pay my tithe, maybe support a missionary and then someday retire? Is my Monday to Friday life less valuable than the few hours I spend serving at church or volunteering for a nonprofit? Or is there some way that my for-profit job can matter to God's kingdom? Does God’s word speak to this topic of faith and work?
Before I dive into how Scripture answers these questions, let me share some data points that might help you see how important this topic is to the mission of the church.
In 2018, the Barna research group conducted a qualitative survey of over 1,500 young adults, ages 18 to 29. They interviewed each person to discover their church background, beliefs, and life experiences. As many other research studies have found, about half of young people stop attending church after high school – about 22% give up belief in God altogether, and 30% might hold on to belief but stop attending church. The other half of young people either continue going to church out of habit (38%) or they become committed to their faith in an even deeper and lasting way (10%). This last group was termed “Resilient Disciples.” While many churches have panicked about why half of young people are leaving, Barna wanted to ask the opposite question: Why did half of these young people decide to stay in church?
What they found are 5 characteristics that mark a resilient young disciple who stays in church and deepens their faith. Four of these five traits are things you might guess: Personal relationship to Jesus, Doctrinal knowledge, Social connections, and a strong sense of Mission. But the fifth trait was a bit surprising, what Barna called “Vocational Discipleship.” Young people who stay in church overwhelmingly have a strong understanding of how their career path connects to the kingdom of God. They answered yes to questions like “I want to use my unique talents and gifts to honor God” and “God designs each person with a unique calling for their life.”
So, if connecting faith and work is a core trait of resilient young disciples, we must ask: Are we equipping our young people with an understanding of how their future jobs matter to God and his kingdom?
Let’s turn now to what Scripture says on this subject. I'd like to share 4 reasons your work matters to God, tracing this topic from the beginning to the end of the Bible. I like to give away the answers at the beginning, so here are my four points:
1. Your work is God’s design
2. Your work is broken by sin
3. Your work is transformed by Christ
4. Your work will echo into eternity
Reason #1. Your Work is God's design
A.W. Tozer famously wrote, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." I'd like to challenge you this morning to imagine the Living God you know and love, with everything you know about him from Scripture, and make sure you see him also as a worker. Consider how the Bible pictures God from the very beginning....
Genesis 1:1, 2:7 NIV
[1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth....[7] Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
From the first page of Scripture, we discover that God is a worker. Genesis 1 describes the vast variety of things God created through merely speaking them into existence out of nothing. Light, Sun, moon, stars, land, sea, birds, fish....Genesis 2 then zooms in to picture God forming man from the dirt, crafting us with his own hands. Why is God pictured as a creative worker with his hands in the dirt? I believe the answer is that God created because of the overflow of his generous self-giving character. He did not need to create anything, but the creation of life and beauty flows from him naturally and eternally. He is a worker by nature, and good work flows from him.
So it should be no surprise that God designed us to be workers as well. Consider how Scripture describes God creating man and woman, and then giving them a work assignment...
Genesis 1:27-28, 2:15 NIV
[27] So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. [28] God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it..."
[15] The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
If God is a worker, and we are made to reflect his image, then it makes sense that God made us to be workers as well. And therefore, work is essential to what it means to be human. Most every form of work can be part of God's command to be fruitful and have dominion over the earth. We are his stewards, caring for his good creation through our various workplaces. One powerful quote that conveys this idea is from the German reformer Martin Luther:
"Our works are God’s masks, behind which He remains hidden, although He does all things."
Every ordinary task we do can be done to reflect God's care for creation. Our work on Monday could be the mask of God, reflecting his purposes for the world. Consider one more section of Genesis, verses 1:31, 2:2:
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
God made us to rest and rely on Him. Just as God rested on the seventh day and enjoyed his work, he commands us to have a work/life balance that includes labor and rest each week. While we are made in God's likeness to be workers like him, it's important to remember how we are also not like God. We are limited, he is unlimited. We are finite, he is infinite. We can only be in one place at a time. He is everywhere all at once. You can't do everything you can imagine needs to be done. That limitation is not evil, it is by design. We were designed to be dependent on God, not working independently from him.
So the first reason our work matters is because God is a worker, He made us to be workers, and he designed us to work, to rest, and to rely on him.
Reason #2. Your work is broken by sin
Let's not forget that Genesis 3 throws a big curve ball into God's good design for work. After Adam and Eve betrayed God's command and God's trust, he describes the impact of bringing evil into our working lives....
Genesis 3:17-19 NIV
[17] To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. [18] It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. [19] By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Work is good but it is also cursed, because Adam and Eve chose to rely on their own wisdom instead of relying on God and trusting his guidance. When they listened to the serpent's false promises, they took their eyes off their God given calling to reflect his generous love and steward his creation. By disobeying and distrusting God's direct command, they fell under a curse that impacted the workplace from then on. The ground now fights back at us, instead of being the
harmonious productive work life that was originally intended.
Your work is where you sin and suffer. This is the part of work that we see and feel so often. The part of work that makes us "live for the weekend" or say "Is it Friday yet?" Or maybe we sing along with Jimmy Buffett "It's 5 o'clock somewhere." We have to endure bad workplaces or bad bosses that make life miserable. We might be unemployed for a season, or have limited opportunities for many reasons outside our control. And even when we are fully employed, the Enemy uses our workplace life for a variety of evils: Injustice, fraud, abuse, greed, laziness, idolatry, depression, fear, anxiety, loneliness, gossip, slander, lack of recognition, and burnout. God sees this suffering and he cares about the pain of our work life. And thankfully he does not sit back and leave us alone in that suffering.
Your work needs God’s wisdom. Throughout God's Word, He gives wisdom for our work, to counteract the effects of sin and evil....
One way the Old Testament gave wisdom for work was through the wide variety of true workplace stories. The Bible describes dozens of various occupations: Baker, craftsman, musician, builder, soldier, judge, governor, Farmer, fisherman, tentmaker and so on. Major heroes of the Bible used their workplace
position and influence to serve God and love their neighbors - think of Joseph the governor in Egypt, Deborah the judge, David the king, Daniel the royal advisor, Esther the queen...
Some of God’s wisdom for work is very practical, like the ethical and financial advice you might find throughout the book of Proverbs. But elsewhere, God’s wisdom simply acknowledges the pain and apparent meaninglessness of our daily work lives. Consider how the book of Ecclesiastes honestly admits this frustration we all experience:
Ecclesiastes 2:22-23
What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.
That’s not very inspiring, but it is an honest description of what we experience in our work life in this broken world. Elsewhere, the law of Moses gives direct wisdom from God on how to work with excellence and fairness in different situations. One quick example....
Deuteronomy 24:14 NIV
[14] Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.
Moses gave instructions for certain kinds of workers in specific situations, including how to treat the poor and vulnerable. He specifically tells us to avoid favoritism as well, regardless of what your employees look like or where they’re from. Working for God's glory means working excellently, but it must also include acting justly in our work.
Our work matters to God because sin has cursed our workplace, and he feels that pain as much as we do. And so, God gave wise guidance for our work in Scripture. But even this divine guidance was not enough to overcome the impact of evil in our hearts and in our workplace. God himself would have to step into human history to save us, not only from the moral guilt of sin, but to transform our work life as well.
Reason #3. Your work is transformed by Christ
Pastor Chris has often taught us about two big words: justification and sanctification. Justification describes the finished work of Christ on the cross, to take our sin and give us his righteousness. The second big word, Sanctification describes the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, making us more like Jesus in our daily life. These two realities are both part of the salvation we experience through the gospel. And of course, this sanctification transforms us not only on Sunday but on Monday through Friday as well. What does that look like in the Christian worklife? Consider these examples of workers who were changed by the gospel. First, remember the crowds who came to see John the Baptist....
Luke 3:12-14 NIV
[12] Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” [13] “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. [14] Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
Notice that John the Baptist did not tell the soldiers and tax collectors to quit their jobs. Rather, he told them that repentance and living for God's kingdom means doing your existing job in a new way.
Here's another example... Remember Zaccheus was a wee little man, he climbed up in a sycamore tree to see Jesus, and then Jesus invited himself over to his house for lunch. Look how Zaccheus responds...
Luke 19:8 NIV
[8] But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
What does it mean for a tax collector or a soldier to follow Jesus? Do they have to give up their jobs and become pastors or missionaries? While that sometimes happens, the majority will continue their work in a transformed way. They will start to see their jobs as the mission field. They will realize that Your work can be ministry. That might include evangelism at times, but it's much more than that. It is seeing the intrinsic opportunity in the actual work you do...Opportunities to love your neighbor, reflect the kindness and justice of God's character, and live out the Lord's prayer for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Illustration: William Wilberforce, tempted to resign his position in Parliament to become a pastor, but he stuck with it and lead the campaign to end the slave trade in 1807, after 20 years of patient campaigning.
Illustration: Church member making time to listen and care for all 200 employees. Another church member finding creative ways to use her hairdressing skills for people in need.
Next, consider how these familiar words from Jesus apply to your workplace:
Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
We are commanded to love God and to love our neighbor, and our jobs are the location where that happens day by day. Your work is where you love your neighbor. Start to think of how your daily tasks at work are a blessing to your customers and clients. God has designed your work and wants to redeem your work from the curse of sin. Through the power of Christ, and the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, you can see your work transformed into a ministry that displays the love of Jesus to the world.
Reason #4. Your work echoes into eternity
Finally, let’s consider how our work will impact eternity. Consider this passage in Colossians…
Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
[23] Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, [24] since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
"Whatever you do..." With very few exceptions, any job can be done for God's glory and for his pleasure. And he is the one watching and rewarding our work. Your work will be rewarded.
This passage is both challenging and liberating. This is challenging because it means I can't compartmentalize my job as separate from my Christian life. I can't act one way on Sunday and another way on Monday. But this is also liberating. It means the work I'm already doing has eternal value. I just need to change my perspective and optimize it for God's glory. My emails and zoom calls and spreadsheets, when done in love and with God's help, can actually bring God joy and glory.
In addition to our eternal rewards, this passage implies that your work can be worship. Paul says twice in this passage that we are really working for Jesus, and that he is pleased when our work is done for Him.
See this same idea at the end of the Parable of the Talents. Remember how Jesus describes a Master who entrusts his resources to three servants. The first two are good stewards and double the investment, while the third servant buries his talent and it never grows or impacts others. Consider how the master praises the first two workers...
Matthew 25:21 NIV
[21] “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
What gives God great joy in this passage? To see his children fully alive, investing their abilities in a way that multiplies blessing and love to others. Do you believe that a lifetime of serving others in your workplace will be answered with those precious words "Well done good and faithful servant... Enter into your Father's joy." Our work matters to God because he enjoys it, he receives our work as worship, and he will also reward that work one day.
But on top of that reward, I believe that you will have a job in heaven. This will be the most surprising point in my sermon, and some of you may actually disagree completely. God has a job for us to do in heaven. "But isn't heaven supposed to be our eternal rest? How can you say that we will have jobs in heaven? That is ridiculous." But I want to draw your attention to a description of heaven you may not have noticed. It is the description of the new heavens and new earth from the prophet Isaiah....
Isaiah 65:17, 21-23 NIV
[17] “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth...[21] They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit….my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. [23] They will not labor in vain.
Did you notice how Isaiah includes forms of work in his description of heaven? He says we will be building houses and planting vineyards. If work was God's original plan for us, and work predates the fall of Adam into sin, it should be no surprise that we have more work to do in the new heavens and new earth, where the curse is undone and all things are made new again. Isaiah 65 is a parallel story to Revelation 21 and 22 at the end of the Bible, where the new Jerusalem comes down and God's people are welcomed into his city for all eternity. Isaiah's version simply elaborates with vivid detail how we will forever enjoy the work of our hands - Work that we started here and work that will continue in the life to come.
What inventions and discoveries and research and explorations and projects and artistic creations are possible in an infinite world without sin or evil? Having a vision of heaven that includes some kind of work reminds us that our labors here also matter to God. When we do our work relying on him and for his glory, that work will echo into eternity. Work is not just a means to an end... It is what makes us fully human, fully transformed in Christ, reflecting God's generous nature as a worker, and will continue into all eternity.
In conclusion... once again, Scripture gives at least four reasons that our work matters to God:
1. Your work is God's design
2. Your work is broken by sin
3. Your work is transformed by Christ
4. Your work echoes into eternity
Having seen how our work matters to God, let me end with two practical homework assignments...
1. Bring God to work.
Pray at work. Invite God to work with you. This simple action will remind you that God cares about your tasks and your coworkers. Pray for ways to improve your work with excellence, innovation, and more fairness. Pray that your light would shine and others would notice. Talk with coworkers about what you're learning about God. Look for a chance to share your testimony. Bridge the gap between Sunday and Monday.
One way to apply this is a 30 day prayer challenge. Think about one problem you are facing at work right now. Do you believe that God can transform that problem? Commit the next 30 days to praying for the solution, and see how God might show up in unexpected ways.
2. Bring work to church.
Share your work life at church. Share with us what is going right and wrong at work. Find other church members with similar work. Find a mentor or be a mentor to those friends. Discipleship must include your work life. We will have a Wed night panel discussion in a couple weeks where you'll hear from fellow members how God is working in their weekday life.
Finally, we would like you to fill out a survey. No it's not printed on your receipt. It's not a customer satisfaction survey. This is a church survey called Scatter, developed by a national ministry called Made to Flourish. There is a QR code in the bulletin, and links are now posted on our website and Facebook group. Look for an email with the link as well. This survey takes 5 minutes and it will tell us about your work life and how the church can support your faith at work. We will share the data results with you on an upcoming Wed night in a couple weeks.
That's it. Bring God to work. Bring work to church. These are simple ways to see your work transformed and to use your work to impact God's kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment