Working wisely in a wicked world

So while boys and girls are heading out to their classes and to Koresh,

those of us who are remaining here,

we can turn in our Bibles to the New Testament

and to Paul's letter, first letter of the Thessalonians.

We're going to read two sections,

two things that Paul says to this church.

On the subject of their attitude towards work, at least in part.

So 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, the first 12 verses,

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

and let's hear God's word together.

As for other matters, brothers and sisters,

we instructed you how to live in order to please God,

as in fact you are living.

Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

It is God's will that you should be sanctified,

that you should avoid sexual immorality,

that each of you should learn to control your own body

in a way that is holy and honorable,

not in passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God,

and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.

The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins,

as we told you and warned you before,

for God did not call us to be impure,

but to live a holy life.

Therefore anyone who rejects this instruction

does not reject a human being,

but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Now about your love for one another,

we do not need to write to you,

for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.

And in fact, you do love all of God's family throughout Macedonia.

Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters,

to do so more and more,

and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.

You should mind your own business,

and work with your hands just as we told you,

so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders,

and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

And then 2 Thessalonians chapter 3,

2 Thessalonians 3 · chapter mention

Paul writes another letter to them.

And at verse 6, we hear some more of his teaching there.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

we command you, brothers and sisters,

to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive,

and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.

We were not idle when we were with you,

nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it.

On the contrary, we worked night and day,

laboring and toiling,

so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

We did this not because we do not have the right to such help,

but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule,

the one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.

We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive.

They are not busy.

They are busybodies.

Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus to settle down

and earn the food they eat.

And as for you, brothers and sisters,

never tire of doing what is good.

Take special note,

if anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter,

do not associate with them,

in order that they may feel ashamed.

Yet do not regard them as an enemy,

but warn them,

as you would,

a fellow believer.

Amen.

And we will return to some of those thoughts

as we're thinking about Ecclesiastes in a few moments.

But before we get there,

we're going to sing.

As we're singing through our Psalms,

we come to Psalm 13.

And when we think of this Psalm,

think of how it relates to Jesus,

the true King,

who knew,

like David the Psalmist,

the sorrow of separation,

who knew trouble and loneliness,

who knew the attacks of his enemies,

and yet is one who trusted and had joy.

And as we think of Jesus,

think too of his church.

I pray for ourselves,

but also make it a prayer for God's suffering church in the world.

So let's stand and let's sing Psalm 13 together.

How long will you forget me, Lord?

Will you forget always?

How long, Lord,

will you hide your face?

and turn from me your gaze?

How long must I be sat each day

in deeper perplexity?

How long will my,

Opponents stand in triumph over me?

O Lord, my God,

consider me

and give me your reply.

Light up my eyes,

Or I will sleep,

The sleep of those who die.

Then would my enemy declare,

At last I've laid him low,

And so my foes would sing for joy,

To see my overthrow.

To see my overthrow.

But still I trust your constant love,

You save and set me free.

With joy I will extol the Lord,

Who has been good to me.

Now let's turn to pray together.

Lord, our God,

Our God, as we have sung of David's lament,

But also his trust,

We thank you that it reminds us of the reality of suffering,

So that we would take it to you in prayer.

Lord, once again,

We bring before you the nation of Ukraine,

With all the suffering that we see continuing to go on.

Lord, once again,

We bring before you our prayer for peace,

And our prayer for justice.

Lord, we remember the civilians who are caught up in the conflict,

The huge humanitarian crisis that is growing,

The uncertainty even of being able to find those safe corridors to pass through.

Lord, we pray for those who are in the midst of war,

And living with fear,

And where family are separated from one another.

Lord, we pray that you would hear our prayers,

And their prayers.

Lord, we ask that justice would be done,

That evil would be stopped.

And we pray wisdom for all the leaders of the world,

And indeed of businesses,

And of the financial world,

To know how to respond well,

In order to bring this to an end.

Lord, we ask that you would cause many people

To be praying,

In light of the difficulties,

In light of the suffering.

Lord, we pray for your church in the Ukraine,

Asking that you would strengthen them in their trust,

That you would give them the joy of the Lord Jesus,

In the midst of their sorrow.

Enable them to hold out the gospel of the Lord Jesus,

As a beacon of light in the midst of darkness.

Lord, we know that the church in Ukraine has a strong tradition,

It has a strong tradition of sending,

And supporting mission and missionaries around the world.

Lord, we pray that the strength of the church,

Would enable them to love and to serve,

And to bring help where it is needed,

And ultimately to continue bringing the hope,

The eternal hope of the Lord Jesus.

Lord, we remember that Ukraine is not on its own,

In being a place of war and suffering.

We remember friends and those we've heard of in Myanmar,

As they continue to suffer.

Lord, again, we ask that you would enable your people,

To endure in their faith,

To endure in their desire to love,

And to serve one another,

And to be a blessing to their communities,

Even when they have so little themselves.

Lord, we also remember your suffering church in South Sudan.

We remember some of us,

Patrick Jock, who came to visit a number of years ago.

We remember him and the churches that he is a part of,

As they look to serve those who are the victims of war,

And who have so little.

But Lord, we thank you for the gospel,

That gives the sure hope of eternal life.

That beyond suffering,

There is that eternal weight of glory.

And we pray that for people who are suffering,

And indeed for people in prosperity and security,

As we often find ourselves in,

That our hope would be fixed on what is eternal.

Lord, we don't just think of troubled places,

We think of troubled people we know.

Lord, we realize that the financial impact

Keeps on coming beyond pandemic,

And there are many who are fearful.

Lord, we pray for those whose health is struggling,

And who are worried for those who have ill health.

And we pray for those who are dealing with difficult news,

And difficult circumstances.

For those who are anticipating an uncertain future.

For those who are struggling to live as a Christian in the workplace,

Because of opposition and challenge.

For those who are finding the going hard spiritually,

And growing weaker in their faith.

Lord, we ask that you would draw near,

That you would comfort and renew and restore.

Lord, that you would keep our eyes looking up to Jesus,

The author and the perfecter of our faith.

And we pray that you would do that for us,

Even in this time that we gather together to worship.

We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Now let's turn in our Bibles once again.

And we're back in Ecclesiastes.

And we're going to read chapter 3,

Verse 16 down to chapter 4,

And to verse number 6.

And let's again hear God's word.

And I saw something else under the sun,

In the place of judgment, wickedness was there.

In the place of justice, wickedness was there.

I said to myself,

God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked,

For there will be a time for every activity,

A time to judge every deed.

I also said to myself,

As for humans,

God tests them,

So that they may see that they are like the animals.

Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals.

The same fate awaits them both.

As one dies, so dies the other.

All have the same breath.

Humans have no advantage over animals.

Everything is meaningless or vanity.

All go to the same place.

All come from dust,

And to dust all return.

Who knows if the human spirit rises upward,

And if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth.

So I saw that it is nothing better for a person

Than to enjoy their work,

Because that is their lot.

For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

Again, I looked and saw all the oppression

That was taking place under the sun.

I saw the tears of the oppressed,

And they have no comforter.

Power was on the side of their oppressors,

And they have no comforter.

And I declared that the dead who had already died

Are happier than the living who are still alive,

But better than both is the one who has never been born,

Who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

And I saw that all toil and all achievement

Spring from one person's envy of another.

This too is meaningless,

A chasing after the wind.

Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves.

Better one handful with tranquility

Than two handfuls with toil

And chasing after the wind.

Amen.

So our theme this morning

Is that of working wisely

In a wicked world.

Our attitude to work

Can be a complicated one.

Some people speak of work as

The rat race.

And we've probably heard that famous quip

The trouble with the rat race is

That even if you win,

You're still a rat.

We speak about work as

A dog-eat-dog environment.

Where people are doing whatever it takes

To get ahead,

Even if it means harming others.

We talk about the corporate jungle.

Where there's threat from all sides.

And how do we survive

In that context.

And so today's question is

How should we work wisely

Wisely,

As we acknowledge that we live

In a wicked world.

How do we enjoy the gift of work

In a broken world.

How as Christians do we live

And work well.

Now our teacher,

If you were here last week,

Chapter 3,

We were in his famous poem.

Thinking about all the times

That God sets for our lives.

Now we're considering this set time

That we have as people for work.

And that work that takes place

In the context of,

As he tells us,

Wickedness,

Oppression,

Envy,

And toil.

And I imagine few of us

Can doubt his conclusion.

We just need to turn on our televisions.

We see what's happening in Ukraine.

We see the power grab

And the drive for personal glory.

We are seeing civilian suffering

And a humanitarian crisis in Europe

That we haven't seen since World War II.

But we also see it in the world of business

In the workplace.

We talk about destroyer pricing.

Where large companies want to drive out of business,

Smaller companies.

We talk of hostile takeovers.

And we know that many folks

Who are doing incredibly valuable jobs

Have to do so with very difficult pay and conditions.

Think of the care sector struggles at the moment.

And then we go around the world

And we recognize the reality

That still exists of modern day slavery

And sweatshop labor.

And against this backdrop,

Our relationship to work

Can then begin to go wrong.

And we can struggle, on the one hand,

With our work-life balance.

Sometimes underworking,

Sometimes overworking.

We can struggle with our attitude towards work.

So we can take this negative view,

Well, work is a necessary evil

That I just need to do in order to pay the bills.

On the other hand,

Work can become an all-consuming God.

I am because I have this particular job.

So again, the question that the teacher in Ecclesiastes

Is bringing to us is,

What do we do when we recognize

And when we feel that the world is broken?

And here particularly,

How do we work

When the world is broken?

Just as a sidebar,

We're going to see that our author says,

In light of oppression and injustice,

We are to work quietly.

But we know when we read the Bible,

That's not all that the Bible has to say

About our response to oppression and injustice.

Read the Old Testament prophets,

Read Jesus,

And you discover,

Very clearly,

God believes that injustice and greed and oppression

Should be fought against.

It is right for us to support

Organizations that look to bring help

And to speak against injustice.

It's right for us to support organizations

That speak for the suffering church also.

Barnabas Fund,

Open Doors,

International Justice Mission,

It's right and proper.

Where possible,

The Christian church should work

To challenge and to end injustice.

We should be a voice for the voiceless.

But that's an important sermon for another day.

Today,

Our teacher makes a more narrow point

To say that because we live

In a wicked and broken world,

We should work quietly

Enjoying that work as a gift from God.

So let's begin

By joining him

In considering the reality

Of a wicked world.

So by now,

If you've been with us for a few weeks,

You'll know our teacher in Ecclesiastes,

He's not a cynic.

But he is a realist.

He is someone who is probing

The complexities of life deeply.

And he is doing it from that perspective

Of life under the sun.

Thinking about a world view

That by and large ignores God

And ignores the reality of eternity.

And we have three observations

That point to the reality

Of a wicked world in our text.

The first thing he observes

Is in chapter 3, verse 16,

I saw something else

Under the sun.

In the place of judgment,

Wickedness was there.

In the place of justice,

Wickedness was there.

You have perhaps seen

The iconic statue

Of Lady Justice

On the old Bailey High Court

Down in London.

Lady Justice

With her eyes blindfolded

With the scales of justice

In her hand

With the double-edged sword

Of justice in the other hand.

The imagery there

Intended to project the idea

That in this court

And in the world of justice

There should be no favoritism.

That there should be

True justice for all.

That's the ideal.

But sadly,

And our teacher is seeing it

All too often,

Justice turns a blind eye

To the needs of the weak

And the marginalized.

All too often,

Those responsible for justice

Have their eyes turned,

Perhaps because of bribery

And corruption,

To favor the powerful.

And so injustice continues.

And now as people,

Because we're made

In the image of God

And we are made

In the image of a God

Who is perfectly just,

We have that love of justice,

That longing for justice,

But we understand

That injustice continues.

And whether we're thinking

About the suffering in Ukraine

Or we're thinking about

The suffering in the global church,

We see wickedness and injustice.

That's not all our teacher sees.

Chapter 4,

Verse 1 to 3,

He also sees oppression

And isolation.

Again,

I looked and saw

All the oppression

That was taking place

Under the sun.

I saw the tears of the oppressed

And they have no comforter.

Power was on the side

Of their oppressors

And they have no comforter.

And notice again,

He's observing this life

Under the sun.

And in this life under the sun,

Where we're just thinking

About me and the moment

And not about eternity,

There is that drive

For getting everything

That we can now.

And so power-hungry people

Will always have that tendency

Towards oppression.

And so we're presented

With this sad picture

Of the tears

Of the oppressed

With no one

To provide comfort.

The powerless

Are victimized

And they are isolated

From any source of help.

Hasn't this been so painful

To see and to witness

This week

Are those pleas

For help

Coming out of Ukraine

Seeing children's hospitals

Having to move underground

Seeing those brutal war tactics

Day after day

And there is no way

To help.

Think about the personal stories

That we know in the workplace.

Perhaps you have suffered from

Or you know someone

Who suffered from

Workplace bullying.

Perhaps you have experienced

Horrible bosses

Or difficult colleagues.

And you've seen others suffer

And so often

We recognize the oppression

But we are powerless

To bring change.

Our teacher has a sliding scale

Of happiness

In verses 2 and 3

Where he says

Because of all the evil

That's happening in the world

The dead are better off

Than the living

Because they're done

With having to witness

All the oppression

But best off

Are the unborn

Because they haven't come

To discover

Just how much oppression

Goes on in the world.

The third observation

Third reality of life

In a wicked world

Chapter 4 verse 4

Envy and toil

I saw that all the toil

And all achievement

Spring from one person's

Envy of another

This too is meaningless

A chasing after the wind.

Now not everybody sees this

As a negative.

There's an economist

By the name of

Gregory Rodriguez

Who would argue that

Envy drives

Economic aspiration.

Envy drives

Economic activity.

So he writes papers

Arguing that it's beneficial

In a competitive society

That people and businesses

Have envy.

We're driven by

Well I see the position

Of that company

And I want my company

To get there

So I'm going to work hard

To level up.

Or I see what my colleague

Has achieved

And I see

The car that he's bought

And the house that he's bought

And the success that he's had

So I'm going to work

All the harder

Driven by envy

To get to that position.

Our teacher

Doesn't see it as a positive.

The Bible doesn't see

Envy as a positive.

Because the natural tendency

Isn't for us to level up

It's for us to want to tear

The other down.

To step on others

To get ahead.

Envy will always tend

To be self-seeking.

It will tend to compare

And compete.

Therefore not be content.

Our author says

This is not a positive way

To live.

He says it's vanity.

It's a chasing after the wind.

We can spend all of our time

Toiling for the latest toy.

But our teacher says

That's never going to satisfy.

Working and working and working

To try and keep up

Or to get ahead

Will not bring

Lasting ultimate joy

And gain.

Rather

It's working

For the wind.

Keeps pushing us

To reflect on

Ultimate things.

Our work will not save

And satisfy

Beyond

Death.

So our teacher

Gives us once again

A healthy dose of realism.

And it's helpful for us

Because

Here we are reminded

And maybe especially

For us in the church

We're not expected

To say

Everything is okay

Because clearly

Everything is not okay

With our teacher

We are invited

To grieve

What is lost

And what is broken

We're invited

To reflect

And to see

That sometimes

The reality of wickedness

And injustice

In our world

Can become almost

Unbearable for us

I wonder

If

With all the

Media coverage

Of the war

You felt the need

To switch off

Because it's just

Felt too much

To distract ourselves

Just for a little

Because it's almost

Overwhelming us

We feel that

As Christians

What we should do

I guess as Christians

Is to

If we're going to

Turn away

We turn away

To take it

To God

In prayer

That's our

Best response

When we feel

Overwhelmed

Is to take it

To the God

Who's on the throne

But to look

At our news

To look at

Our circumstances

And to look at

Ecclesiastes

Is to be reminded

As well

The reality

That the heart

Of the problem

Is the problem

Of the human heart

That's true

That's true

That's true

In our warfare

And that's true

In our workplaces

As well

So he presents us

With the reality

Of a wicked world

But he also

Speaks to us

About how we can

Learn to work

Wisely

In that reality

So let's move there

Let's think about

Learning to work

Wisely

And again

To recognise

The time

That we find

Ourselves in

Because these

Last two years

For the first time

In a long time

I suppose

Have disrupted

All of our

Normal work

Practices

Now most of us

Will find

That we have

A new relation

To our office

Spaces

To our colleagues

And to our homes

Because of

Hybrid working

Many of the

Places where we

Work will be

Dealing with

Ongoing human

Resource issues

Because of

Pandemic

And perhaps

These last two

Years

The effect of that

In part has been

To change our

View of working

To change our

Understanding of

Our role

And how to

Perform that role

Or even

Why to bother

And then

You put on top

Of that

What we've been

Watching in the

Last two weeks

As we've watched

This horror

Unfold

And it's been

Both distressing

And distracting

Perhaps we find

Ourselves just

Throwing our hands

At what is

Happening

Why bother

With my

Little piece of

Work

In light of

What's going

On in

The world

Well

Into that

Reality

Speaks our

Teacher

And in this

Text we can

Identify four

Pieces of

Wisdom

To help us

To walk and

Work wisely

In our

Present times

For us as

Christians to

Know how to

Work wisely

Under God

In light of

The times we

Find ourselves

In

The first

Piece of

Wisdom

We find in

Verse 17

Take heart

God is

Just

What does the

Teacher do

When he sees

Wickedness

When there

Should be

Justice

I said

To myself

God will

Bring into

Judgment

Both the

Righteous

And the

Wicked

For there

Will be a

Time for

Every activity

A time to

Judge

Every deed

When we

Think about

War

When we

Think about

Injustice

Whether that's

On a global

Scale or a

Personal scale

What we

Find ourselves

Longing for

Is a

Strongman

Someone who

Can come

And right

Those wrongs

Someone who

Is going to

Come and

Deal with

The evil

And you

Know the

Bible reminds

Us over

And over

Again this

Strongman

Is coming

And his

Name is

Jesus

Acts 17

Acts 17:31

Verse 31

For God

Has set a

Day when he

Will judge

The world

With justice

By the

Man he

Has appointed

He has

Given proof

Of this

To everyone

By raising

Him from

The dead

Jesus

The risen

From the

Dead

Savior

Is the

Judge

Who will

Bring

Justice

To the

Earth

There is

A promise

In the

Bible

That the

Judge

Of all

The

Earth

Will

Do

Right

Injustice

And evil

Will give

Way

And will

Be

Answered

For

But

That good

That justice

May not win

In our

Lifetime

And that's

A hard

Reality

But it

Will win

In the

End

At the

Return

Of the

Lord

Jesus

And that's

The hope

That we

Need

To hold

On to

Of course

That presents

A challenge

Why is there

Not justice

Now

Why is

Justice

The justice

Of God

Not

Immediate

And the

Bible has

Some responses

To that

While obviously

There's an

Element of

Mystery there

Also

We can think

About the

Patience

Of God

The Bible

Speaks

About God's

Patience

In holding

Back mercy

In order

To give

Us a

Chance

To repent

That God

Doesn't judge

Sin instantly

Is grace

For us

Because we

Too

Would

Deserve

Judgment

That we

Have an

Opportunity

To turn

And find

Salvation

Is a

Gift

Of God

That flows

From his

Mercy

And his

Patience

Another

Partial

Answer

To why

Justice

Isn't

Now

Is

God's

Providence

We can

Trust in

God's

Providence

We're

Thinking about

This

Tonight

We

Trust in

A God

Who is

Able

To bring

Good

From

Evil

And you

Know that's

Even been

The testimony

From the

Church in

Ukraine

That they're

Struggling

To keep up

With the

Demand

For

Bibles

The

People

That

Previously

Had no

Spiritual

Interest

Are now

Asking

Lots

Of

Questions

About

Jesus

And

Beginning

To

Pray

And

The

Church

Is

Finding

Strength

And

People

Are

Being

Saved

Even

In

A

War

Zone

What

Is

Evil

But

God

Is

Able

To

Bring

Saving

Good

Where

Do

We

See

That

Most

Clearly

We

See

It

Most

Clearly

At

The

Cross

Wicked

Men

Nailed

Jesus

To

The

Cross

But

That

Was

God's

Design

That

We

Would

Have

A

Savior

Why

Doesn't

God

Bring

Justice

Now

We

Need

To

Trust

In

God's

Perspective

Sometimes

We

Need

To

Just

Have

Humility

And

Understand

That

God

Sets

The

Time

Including

The

Time

For

Justice

And

We

Need

To

Wait

With

Hope

And

Trust

But

To

To

To

To

Work

We

We

Work

Wisely

We

Work

Quietly

Remembering

God

Is

On

His

Throne

So

We

Find

Trust

In

The

Middle

Of

Our

Fears

Next

Piece

Of

Wisdom

Take

Care

Don't

Just

Be

An

Animal

Verses

18

To

21

Begin

As

For

Humans

God

Tests

Them

So

That

They

May

See

That

They

Are

Like

The

Animals

And

The

Point

There

Is

About

That

Shared

Destiny

That

We

All

Have

We

Share

The

Fate

Of

The

Animals

Verse

19

Surely

The

Fate

Of

Human

Beings

Is

Like

The

Fate

Of

Animals

As

One

Dies

So

Dies

The

Other

All

Come

From

Dust

And

To

Dust

All

Return

How

Do

We

Live

In

The

Light

Of

Our

Death

Sadly

Some

People

Respond

By

Beastly

Activity

Think

About

What

We

Just

Been

Talking

About

Wickedness

Oppression

Living

Rooted

Out

Of

Envy

We're

Not

To

Become

Beastly

In

The

Way

That

We

Treat

One

Another

We're

Not

To

Forget

Even

Although

We

Share

The

Same

Destiny

We

Shouldn't

Forget

That

As

Image

Bearers

Of

God

We

Are

Made

To

Know

God

And

We

Are

Made

With

Eternal

Hope

The

Teacher

Asks

The

Question

In

Verse

21

Who

Knows

If

The

Human

Spirit

Rises

Upward

And

If

The

Spirit

Of

The

Animal

Goes

Down

Into

The

Earth

Who

Knows

Us

Living

On

This

Side

Of

The

Resurrection

Of

Jesus

We

Know

Believers

In

The

Lord

Jesus

We

Know

That

We

Are

Better

Off

Than

The

Animals

Because

We

Have

Eternal

Hope

Verse

22

Who

Can

Bring

Them

To

See

What

Will

Happen

After

Them

That

There's

That

Question

What

Happens

After

This

We

Know

Our

Perspective

Is

So

Much

Clearer

Than

Our

Teacher

Here

Because

We

Are

Living

After

The

Death

And

Resurrection

Of

The

Lord

Jesus

Our

Eternity

Is

Different

Why

Because

Jesus

Said

To

His

Followers

I'm

Going

Back

To

My

Father

And

I'm

Preparing

A

Home

For

You

And

I'm

Going

To

Come

Back

And

Take

You

To

Be

With

Me

That

You

May

Be

With

Me

In

A

World

Of

Perfect

Love

Forever

How

Do

We

Know

That

Eternal

Future

Is

Different

We

Can

Think

About

What

Jesus

Said

To

The

Thief

Down

Beside

Him

On

The

Cross

Who

Turned

To

Put

His

Trust

In

Jesus

Today

You'll

Be

With

Me

Not

In

The

Dust

But

In

Paradise

We

Know

Because

Of

The

Words

Of

Jesus

And

We

Know

Because

Of

The

Resurrection

Of

Jesus

That

If

Our

Faith

Is

In

Him

Our

Hope

Is

Better

Our

Future

Is

Better

Than

Simply

Dust

To

Dust

Like

The

Animals

So

Wisdom

Takes

A

Long

Term

View

Of

God's

Justice

And

Our

Eternal

Destiny

And

That

Shapes

Then

Our

Approach

To

Life

And

To

Work

There

Is

Meaning

And

There

Is

Purpose

To

Our

Lives

But

If

Those

Are

The

Long

Term

Pieces

Of

Advice

There's

More

Immediate

Advice

In

Our

Text

As

Well

Chapter

3

Verse

22

Where

We're

Told

Take

Joy

In

The

Gift

Of

Work

Now

We've

Heard

This

Before

But

We

Need

To

Hear

It

Again

So

I

Saw

That

There

Is

Nothing

Better

For

A

Person

Than

To

Enjoy

Their

Work

Because

That

Is

Their

Lot

There

Is

A

Quote

You

May

Have

Heard

That's

Attributed

To

Martin

Luther

The

Reformer

That

Goes

Like

This

Even

If

I

Knew

That

Tomorrow

The

World

Would

Go

To

Pieces

I

Would

Still

Plant

My

Apple

Tree

Death

Is

Real

So

Are

Apple

Trees

So

Is

The

Joy

Of

Work

So

Is

The

Reality

Of

God's

Everyday

Grace

And

Kindness

To

Us

And

So

Once

Again

We

Hear

This

Call

From

Our

Teacher

To

Enjoy

Our

Work

As

A

Gift

From

God

To

Do

With

Our

Time

What

God

Values

With

Our

Time

To

Enjoy

Our

Lot

In

Life

As

God's

Gift

To

Us

Not

Trying

To

Take

From

Our

Work

More

Than

It

Was

Ever

Designed

To

Give

To

Us

Not

Looking

For

Ultimate

identity

And

Significance

And

Purpose

In

Our

Work

But

Enjoying

It

As

A

Today

How

Do

I

Have

A

Chance

In

My

Workplace

To

Represent

God

And

His

Values

Today

How

Has

God

In

His

Kindness

Allowed

Me

To

Use

His

Gifts

In

This

Place

Among

These

People

It's

A

Call

To

Be

And

To

Pursue

Thankfulness

But

To

Do

That

Within

That

Context

Of

Recognizing

The

Day

Of

Death

Is

Always

Approaching

So

That

We

Don't

Start

Chasing

After

Our

Ultimate

Purpose

In

Work

That

Comes

To

An

End

Rather

We

Find

Our

Hope

And

Purpose

And

Identity

In

The

Lord

Jesus

Last

Piece

Of

Advice

Related

To

Work

Verses

5

And

6

Of

Chapter

4

Take

One

Handful

Practice

Contentment

There

Are

Three

Approaches

To

Work

In A

Wicked

World

That

Are

Laid

Out

In

These

Verses

The

First

Is

That

Of

The

Fool

With

The

Folded

Hands

Fools

Fold

Their

Hands

And

Ruin

Themselves

It's

A

Picture

Of

Laziness

It's

A

Picture

Of

Opting

Out

Of

Work

In