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I want you to turn with me this morning to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3.

2 Thessalonians 3 · chapter mention

2 Thessalonians chapter 3.

2 Thessalonians 3 · chapter mention

Now, next Sunday is going to be a historical marker in our church.

Because we're going to do something we've never done before.

We're going to have a drive-in church service on Easter Sunday morning.

And I know many of you already are excited.

I've had several of you ask me this past week.

What about a drive-in service?

What about a drive-in service?

And absolutely it could not be more timing or more timely than right now on Easter Sunday morning.

So next Sunday, you make plans right now.

Get excited about it.

Hey, hey, I know you may think I'm crazy.

Can I help you?

I am.

But hey, dress up.

You say, but nobody's going to see me.

Oh, yeah, your family, I see you.

You know, everybody loves Easter.

They like to get a dress or a nice coat or whatever.

I've got me a blue sports coat I'm going to be wearing next Sunday.

I'm ready for Easter.

I'm excited.

May even put on a bow tie.

Well, now that's taking a little far, but uh it's going to be exciting.

It really is here.

So you make plans right now.

Come on out here.

Stay in your car.

I know we're doing exactly what the governor said we could do.

We're not trying to break laws, not trying to get anybody in trouble.

But bless God, I want the critics to know that my Jesus is still alive.

Listen to me, the grave couldn't hold him, and the coronavirus is not going to stop him.

Can I get an amen?

So next Sunday, we're going to have our first ever historical drive-in service right here at CCW.

I'd love to have this parking lot right out here and the grass full to the point we have to send some down into the uh uh where the soccer field is around, like we do with Trunk or Treat when we surround the whole pavilion down there and just let people know that we're here.

The church is here.

Well, hey, hey, upon this rock I'll build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

This virus is not going to stop the church.

And so next Sunday, be a part of a historical service right here at your church.

All our members, we'll we'll be giving you uh Facebook notices, but hey, right now, everyone listening, all our church members, you know who they are.

Call everybody and say, next Sunday morning, Easter morning, let's get in our cars and let us go to our church, CCW, and worship the King of Kings and to worship the risen Savior.

Amen.

I'm excited.

You can tell I'm excited.

Somebody asked me the other day, how can you be excited?

Because I've read the last chapter.

We win.

Amen.

And nothing's impossible with my God.

Luke 1.37.

Nothing.

With men it is impossible, but not with God.

For with God all things are possible.

Mark 10, 27.

I know the book.

And the book says that we're victorious and we're going to the other side.

Next week, we're going to look at the miracle in the storm.

We're going to look at what we're to do in the midst of this storm and watch God perform another miracle, which He's going to do.

I promise you.

But today we're finishing our series on everyday Christianity lived out in the marketplace.

Boy, it's been a great series.

It really has.

And today we're going to be looking at our everyday Christianity lived out in the workplace or the marketplace.

And in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, what a powerful, unbelievable passage of scripture.

2 Thessalonians 3 · chapter mention

And by the way, one that's not preached very often because it deals with a principle that was ordained by God from the very beginning of creation.

And you know what it's called?

It's called work.

God created work.

Let me read this passage and listen to what he says.

But let me give you a little bit of the context.

The church at Thessalonica had just been started.

People had been saved.

And with the group of people, you always have different classes of people.

And we're going to look at three classes of people here in a moment that are involved in every church.

But especially some of the idlers and some of the gossipers.

And we do believe they were brothers, the saved people, because it says brothers.

But here's the context.

The context is Paul's talking about salvation, but then he's talking about the resurrection.

He's talking about Christ coming back.

And so a lot of people just decide they're not going to work anymore and wait for the resurrection.

I meant for the return of Christ to come back and get them.

So why work?

And Paul then realizes this and he says to himself and to the church, I've got to explain to you what work is.

Work is God ordained, and God, hey, hey, God made work for us for a purpose.

So with that said, listen to what he said beginning in verse 6.

And he says, but we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly, or another synonym there, idly, and not according to the traditions which he receives from us.

And that tradition is that Christians are dynamic workers.

They work as unto the Lord and not unto their boss.

They're working unto the Lord.

And then he says in verse 7, for you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly or idle among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked, there's that word, with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, even though being, hey, in full-time ministry, they were able to receive, you know, the love offerings or hospitality from the church.

They, because Paul knew what was going on, there were some idlers going on and not working, he says, We don't want you to give to us.

We are working for our hay, for our own bread and for our own hospitality.

Now, again, they should have been able to receive, but he was tremendously giving them a principle here.

He says, not because we do not have the authority, in other words, that we're what?

We're we qualify, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

In other words, he says, we're working because work is good, not bad.

Work is an example for how God has blessed us and God blesses you through your work so you can bless others.

Not because we do not have the authority, but to make ourselves an example.

Verse 10, for even when we were with you, we commanded you this.

If anyone would not work, there's that word again, neither shall he eat.

That's why a lot of people don't preach here.

For we hear, now watch, there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner or idle manner, not working at all.

Ugh.

But are, uh-oh, busybodies.

See, work keeps you out of trouble.

Can I get an amen?

It keeps you out of trouble, but our busybodies, he tells us.

Verse 12, now those who are such were commanded and exhorted through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

In other words, work hard, mind your own business, and provide for your family.

That's exactly what he means.

And then verse 13, but as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.

Do not grow weary in working.

So here we see man was created for work.

And I really believe perhaps the fullest and clearest statement on the desirability and the responsibility of work is given by Paul in this passage before us.

It really is.

In fact, as soon as Paul heard of these Christians not working anymore, boy, he took steps to relate Christianity.

And hey, after you're getting saved, that Christianity has a direct relationship with work among the many important factors which he then goes into detail in these verses.

But we're going to look at three things that drives home the importance of work.

But one thing right up front, I want you to understand, and we're going to see this in a minute.

God ordained work.

Not as a sin.

Now we know he cursed the ground, but the cursing of the ground there in Genesis had nothing to do with work, but of the man's nature and the sin.

So you got to understand that.

God ordained work way before Adam sinned.

And we'll see that.

So first of all, fill in your blank.

Here we go.

And I love this, what Paul talks about here.

Three points.

We're going to look at, first of all, the dignity of work.

Then we're going to look at the desirability of work.

And then thirdly, we're going to look at the duty of work in this passage.

It's powerful.

Number one, we see, brethren, verse 13, exhorts Paul, be not weary.

Now watch what he says in well-doing.

With these words, the apostle Paul lifts man's daily work and business out of the smog of confused thinking and gives them the purpose for work.

It's God's plan for us.

And no one can study the Word of God without observing that man's daily work gives him dignity.

That's why our president, right now, we need to be praying for our president, our governors, everyone in major leadership, our first responders.

Oh my goodness.

I was the first responder for years before God called me to preach.

And we would be the first in when anything happened, regardless of how serious, how how really sick or whether it was a tornado, where it was a major flood, or where there was a fire or whatever, we were the first ones there.

Disease, it didn't matter.

We were there.

So we need to be praying for them.

That God give, pray that God would give them wisdom and protection to make the right cause.

But one of the things the presidents, you know, you have the people criticizing him, saying that, you know, he's wanting people to get back to work to put their lives in jeopardy.

No, no.

He understands the concept of dignity and the purpose of work.

He understands this.

The people need to work.

They need to work.

That's God's design plan for them.

We all want the safety of our.

We don't want anybody to die.

But at the same time, after a while, you can't just stay cooped up in four walls.

You can go crazy.

There's a dignity here.

And look at what he says.

I want to give you three things under that.

First of all, and I really believe this.

As we study, we see three things about this dignity.

Number one, it's divine imitation.

Look at verse 10.

If any should not work, neither should he eat.

See, before men, or should I say, before man fell in the garden, we find him at work in all the strength of his perfect manhand.

Look what, hey, his employer was God, and look what it says in Genesis 2.15.

This is a powerful verse.

Listen to what he said.

And the Lord God took the man, Adam, first Adam, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

There he is, folks, before the fall of man.

He's in the garden, working, taking care of God's garden.

It is important to notice, moreover, that God's vocational purpose for man was not altered because of sin.

For even though man had fallen, listen to what else God says.

God clearly stated, now watch, here's another verse, Genesis 3.19, that's vitally important.

He said, in the sweat of thy face shall thy eat bread till thou return into the ground.

In other words, as long as you're living, you're going to be working.

You're going to be working to provide for your family.

There's a dignity, there's a calling to work.

Folks, there really is.

And we see that so clearly.

Every responsible son of the first Adam, right here, since the point of history, has continued to work for his own bread.

That's what he said.

When God, hey, hey, wrote his laws for man through his servant Moses.

Listen, listen to what he said.

Another important verse.

Exodus 20, verse 9.

Exodus 20:9

Six days, he said, thou shalt labor and do all thy work.

And then he says in the next verse, and then on the Sabbath, thou shalt rest.

So again, the work of God was divinely initiated.

Divinely initiated.

Work is God.

Hey, work is God's necessary purpose and plan for our well-being.

It really is.

It is a God-ordained part of life.

I love what he says in Colossians 3.23.

Whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord and not man.

And then he says in Ecclesiastes 9.10, whatsoever your hands find to do, do it with all your might.

Do it with everything you have.

And then secondly, not only do we see that it's divinely initiated, but look at the second thing: the divine association.

Look at verse 12.

We command and exhort.

I love that.

In other words, it says, not only we command you, we encourage you to do this by our Lord Jesus Christ that what?

With quietness, in other words, you work and eat your own bread.

In order to demonstrate the close association right here of God's purpose, and I love this, with the law of labor, God sent what?

Forth his son into this world.

And as a youth, you remember what Jesus said?

Jesus was not idle, and Jesus was not unemployed.

He could say, look at Luke 2.49.

Here's what he said.

I must be about my father's business.

Wow.

In other words, I must be about my father's work.

And then notice what he said in John chapter 9, verse 4.

John 9:4

I must work the works, oh, I love that, of him that sent me.

And then he says, while it is stayed, the night cometh when no man can work.

Folks, we're only here for a short time.

And we ought to be working for God with everything we have, with our whole heart, with every gift and every talent, with everything God has created us with and for.

It's to work for Him.

That's exactly what He is saying.

And then, as we are celebrating this Sunday, Palm Sunday, and we look at this beautiful old rugged cross.

When he hung on that cross in John 19, 30, he said, It is finished to telesti.

He finished his work.

He finished his work.

He didn't quit on God's purpose for his life.

God purposed his son.

God had a purpose, a work for his son to do and to accomplish.

And he finished it completely.

I can't help but think about David, a man after God's own heart.

In Acts 13, verse 22.

Acts 13:22

He said, A man after my own heart.

Now listen to what he said.

Who fulfilled all my will.

Wow.

Who fulfilled all my will.

And then verse 36 in Acts 13 says, David, after he served his own generation.

Now listen.

After he served, now in other words, after he worked and fulfilled God's purpose and mission, his plan for his life in his own generation, he died.

I pray that consistently and constantly.

Lord, please.

I want to have a heart after you.

I really do.

And then, Lord, I really want to fulfill your will in my life.

Your will.

I want to complete it.

And then, Lord, I want to go be with you.

And I really believe that.

I really believe that with all my heart.

I really believe if we're faithful to God, He's got a plan for our life.

And if we do it with all our diligence, with all our heart, and once we finish that job, then it's time to go home.

And to be rewarded for what God has for us in heaven.

Folks, that gets me excited.

This is not the end.

Trust me, listen, listen, I understand death is all around us right now.

I understand that.

But let me remind you, and as it is appointed unto man wants to die, and after this, the judgment, we're all gonna die.

We're all gonna die.

But here's the answer about death.

Where are you gonna go?

Are you going to heaven or are you going to hell?

And I pray that you're going to heaven.

Because, see, if you're going to heaven, it's a joy.

There's a peace.

In thy presence, there's the fullness of joy, God says, in his presence.

So if you don't know Jesus today, now would be a time.

And I believe when the storms of life come, it's a time of reckoning.

It's a time to evaluate.

It's a time to search your hearts.

So during this time, do you know him?

Do you know Jesus as Lord and Savior?

If you don't, come to him today.

Today, behold, now's the time.

Today's the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6.2.

Oh, my friends, today would be the day.

A beautiful day to accept Christ as Lord and Savior.

Well, but not only do we see this divine association, and not only do we see this unbelievable divine initiation.

But the third thing, the divine administration.

Look at it, verse 11.

We hear that there are some which walk among you, uh-oh, watch, disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

Ooh.

Ooh, ooh.

Now, what does that mean?

First of all, the word busybodies means to bustle about uselessly asking about other affairs.

What it means is they're not doing anything but sticking the nose in everybody else's business.

That's exactly what it means.

That's it.

They don't have anything to do, they're not working, they're idle.

So they don't have anything to do, so they want to just put their nose into everybody else's business.

And the Bible says they end up becoming busybodies.

And these words obviously show that disorganized working or living are not in accordance with divine administration of God.

God did not plan that.

God has a plan for every life, and we are not pleasing him if we don't find, follow, and finish his purpose for our life.

Find, follow, and finish.

I love those three F's.

God's purpose for our life and finish it as Jesus did.

When discussing vocational gifts, and uh Dave, our ministrated pastor, just went through the gifts and gave gift tests in 1 Corinthians 12.

I love what Paul said.

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 4, and then verse 11, he says he gives them out as he wills.

God's plan for every life is that the Holy Spirit should guide and control men in the use of their talents, hey, their gifts and their vocational abilities where God has given what God has given them for his to be used for his glory and his use.

I really believe that.

In fact, the question is Is our work initiated by God?

Secondly, is it associated with Christ?

And then thirdly, is it a Ministered by the Holy Spirit.

And this new series, I'm going to be starting here in a few weeks.

But the fruit of the Spirit, fruit that remains, we're going to be talking about how we're working, but when we're working, we're working in the Spirit and be in control by the Spirit.

Oh, that's going to be a tremendous, unbelievable series.

So, if we are fulfilling God's redemptive purpose in the realm of our vocation is the answer we say yes or no to.

And that's the key.

If not, we're falling short of God's best for our lives.

I love what he says in Acts 20, 24.

Listen to what Paul said.

But none of these things move me.

What he's talking about is this: nothing's going to keep me from doing what God's called me to do, the work that God's given me to do.

Nothing's going to prevent that.

And then notice what he said.

And why?

Neither count I my life dear unto myself, that I might finish my course with joy.

And the ministry I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Do you realize, and that's Acts 20, 24, do you realize that our work is a living testimony, a living example of our Christianity in all that we are, in all that we do, all the gifts we have, all the talents.

When Benji and Shane and the praise team or singing, or I know last week the children's church, my by the way, Anita, I want you to know the little children's church or the Bible study you gave on patience last week.

My grandchildren wants that and loved it.

And my daughter texts me and said, Thank you for that.

Thank you, thank you.

But what I'm saying is, all those gifts and all those occupations are used for one purpose, one platform, and that's to exemplify Christ.

Can I get an amen?

I know I will's out there.

Say amen, I will.

That's good preaching, preacher.

Amen.

But that's it.

And that's what we see.

The divine administration.

God has ordained us to work for his glory.

Whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

He says in 1 Corinthians 10, 31.

So, the dignity of work.

Notice the second thing this morning in this passage.

Hey, the desirability.

Woo! We ought to desire work.

Now somebody says, uh oh, I don't desire work.

Well, you don't understand it.

You do.

Hey, let me give you a great verse.

Most people quote verse 8 and 9 without verse 10 in Ephesians 2.

For by grace are you saved through faith and not of yourself.

It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

Okay?

You should never quote verse 8 and 9, which most people do, without verse 10.

Verse 10 says, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.

Now watch, unto good works, which God has before ordained, that we should walk in them.

In other words, that's his plan.

He's ordained it, he's commanded it, he's written it in the law.

That we're to work.

We're to work because that's what God's created us to do, to work.

And every occupation that you've had or you do is a platform to exemplify Christ-likeness, Christ's spirit-filledness, so that people can see Jesus exalted.

Oh, I'm about to have a spell.

And when he is lifted up, John 12, 32, he'll draw all men unto himself.

Wow.

Which brings me to the second point.

Because of that, then we ought to desire the work.

Look at verse 10.

If any would not work, neither should he eat.

In these blunt, and they are blunt and honest but necessary words, Paul sums up the desirability, look at it, of work for every man.

From the text and other related scriptures, it is very clear that daily work.

Now don't miss this.

Whew, this is good.

Let me take a sip of water.

I want you to, this is so good, church.

Oh boy, is this so good.

What Paul is saying right here is it is very clear that daily work, now watch, please don't miss this.

Safeguards us from some things.

Number one, fill in your blank.

It safeguards us in our physical life.

Look at what he says in verse 10 again.

If any would not work, neither should he eat.

Such a statement hardly really requires any explanation.

But in case it has not registered in your mind, in my mind, and in my heart and conscience, let it be asked another way.

How do you expect to live if you don't work?

Oh, the government! Uh-oh.

Now, some of you are gonna get mad at me.

God did not ordain the government to take care of you.

Now, retirement's different.

Social Security is different.

By the way, can I help you?

I know I'm fixing to step on some toes, probably get some emails.

Social Security is not the government taking care of you.

Social Security is you paying in, hey, to the government so that you'll have money to be able to live after you do retire.

Can I say something?

Social Security's money is your money.

You work for it.

Don't let anybody else tell you differently.

And I thank God for Medicare, and I thank God there's there's times when monies like that are used for people that can't work.

I understand that.

And I'm not preaching against that.

But again, let me also put a plus mark that if the church, if everybody was a member of a CCW and you love God, you love people, and you're part of a community church, the church is supposed to help take care of its people.

Can I get an amen?

And praise God, we do, I think we do as well of job as anybody.

And we that's why we're here, loving God and loving people.

But I'm here to tell you, right here, it protects us in our physical life.

Now, watch what, let's go back from the very beginning.

Look at Genesis 3.19.

I think I have the verse up there.

Listen to what it says.

Powerful.

And here, here's, let it be asked, how do you expect to live if you don't work?

Now, God has ordained that in the, watch what he says in verse 19, the sweat of his face, that means the effort, man should eat bread.

And when you go to Proverbs 16, 26, he says, He that laboreth for himself for his, hey, hungry mouth, hey, it's what drives him on.

So, an empty stomach drives people on.

You don't work, you don't eat.

You've got to work, so it protects you physically.

Listen to what he says in Proverbs 21, verse 25.

Proverbs 21:25

The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hand refuses to labor.

That's pretty plain, isn't it?

Wow.

And then, hey, listen to what he says in Proverbs 23, 21.

Laziness shall clothe a man in rags.

And then listen to what he says in Proverbs 18, 9.

A lazy person is a great waster.

Wow.

So work protects us physically.

Secondly, what about our social life?

Man, this is good.

If any provide not, look at what he says in 1 Timothy 5.8.

If any provide not for his own, his own family, or for a church, the church family, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.

Whoa! Whoa! Folks, I'm telling you, that's serious business.

That's serious truth.

God expects every responsible person to work for the support of his dependents.

Now, what's this?

Paul puts it plainly.

What's this in 2 Corinthians 12, 14?

He says the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

We as parents have a responsibility to take care of our children and train them up in the ways of the Lord.

And let me, parents, listen, listen, listen.

One of the things we train them, train up a child in the ways to go and not depart from it.

Proverb 22 says, listen to me.

We're to train them to work.

When Eric came along, we didn't have a, we weren't making a whole lot.

I started a church and they couldn't pay me much because it was a small church.

Open door Baptist Church.

You've heard me talk of it.

Great church.

Unbelievable church, really.

Very similar to CCW.

But now watch, watch.

I couldn't.

So you know what?

Eric started working.

Listen to me.

When he was 12 years old, Frog Garner, I don't know if Frog's watching, Frog Garner had a lawn business.

He started working at the age of 12.

Cutting grass.

He'd get up at 6 o'clock.

Frog would pick him up at about 6 o'clock, a little after 6 every morning, have him a biscuit from Hardy's.

And they'd go and they'd cut grass to six, seven at night.

12 years old, Eric Benji was bringing home$225 a week at 12 years old.

We taught him to work.

When he got ready to buy his first car, I told him, I said, son, I tell you what I'll do.

For every dollar you save toward a car, I'll match it.

You know what?

He saved up$3,500.

So that meant I had to come up with$3,500.

And we did.

And guess what?

He bought a brand new little sports car.

I'm trying to remember what it was.

It blew.

I can see it.

Five-speed uh.

Thank you, Benji.

Eclipse.

Yeah, Benji wrote in it.

An eclipse.

Oh.

And he he put 200,000 miles on it, took it to Liberty when he was a freshman, Liberty University.

And you know what he did?

You know what he did?

With that car.

His friend at Liberty.

Didn't have a vehicle, had no way of getting around or go home.

And he was being blessed.

Eric was being blessed.

He was a campus pastor out.

God was blessing his singing and worshipability, making extra money in churches, giving back to him.

You know what he did?

He gave his car to his buddy.

Gave it to him.

That's what I'm talking about, folks.

That's what I'm talking about.

And then my girls, when they grew up, guess what?

Susan and I were making a little better and paying bills off.

We really had money that we could have given them about anything they wanted, but you know what?

We wouldn't do it.

Now I'd have to admit, I did get them a car.

I did do that.

But you know what I said?

I've got the car.

Here's the keys.

You got to put the gas in it.

You gotta work.

Hey, I didn't make them pay the insurance, but you gotta work.

You can't go anywhere if you don't put gas in the vehicle.

So they had to work.

They'd cut grass.

And by the way, when they were small, we had a list upon the refrigerator of each job they did and what it was worth.

Cutting the grass was worth five dollars.

That's pretty big.

That's a pretty big deal.

We had an acre and a half.

Carrying out the garbage was a dollar.

But what uh washing dish, I mean, we we put a price tag on everything and they would check them off.

Mom and uh and I would check them off, and at the end of the week, they got paid by what they did.

We taught them to work.

Let me tell you what, on Friday, they're getting ready to go somewhere and they hadn't done the chores.

It's amazing Friday or Saturday morning, how those chores got done because Saturday afternoon was payday.

Amen.

Amen.

So, social life.

Thirdly, how about our moral life?

Look at what he says in Ephesians 4.28.

Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor.

Now, watch this.

This is awesome.

Let him work, working with his hands the thing which is good.

Why?

By the way, look what he says here, just like he said in Genesis.

Work is good.

Work it.

Say that with me, church.

You out there.

Wherever you are, say it with me.

Work is good.

Come on.

Work is good.

And we see that, and then notice what he says: that he can give to them in need.

Wow.

That's why we work.

Not just to get all our wants, no.

Do we work for necessities, but we also work to help those people that need help?

That's why you go, that's why church is so important.

Man, that's good.

That's what we do.

Paul puts working over against stealing and implies that stealing is the logical outcome of refusing to do an honest day's work.

That's why people steal, they're not working.

So that's tremendously important.

Really.

And then number four, how about our commercial life?

Look at it.

Romans 12, 17.

Look at what it says.

Recompense to no man, evil for evil.

Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

By the way, I want to go back about that working children.

And I know he's gonna get mad at me for using him.

Benji back there.

God's blessed he and his brother Brady.

I love them.

They're like my they really are my sons.

We grew up together.

David took Benji and Brady and started them working in Surpro.

How old, Benji?

15.

You know what it where he started?

Now he now he is the owner, he and his brother, of a multimillion dollar company.

Did you hear me?

Multi-million.

But you know where he started?

I used to watch him.

Sweeping the warehouse.

Sweeping the warehouse.

Doing the grunt jobs.

And then he moved them from there to sales, to every part of the business they learned it.

And I look back, and there's one of the greatest examples of work.

David, his dad had the same philosophy that we had.

His dad worked for everything.

I started working when I was 12 years old.

In my grandmother's uh shoe shop called the Pixie Shoe Store.

I did my own paper route.

I worked for everything.

Because my parents didn't have it to give to.

But they taught us the most valuable thing they could teach us.

Hard, honest day work.

Work.

And boy, I'm so thankful.

But again, recompense to no man evil for evil.

Now watch.

Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

All the moral and cruel tricks of the trade would soon be abandoned if men and women worked honestly before God and man.

All these scams that you try to get scammed on Facebook, all deceitfulness, stealing, all that could be obliterated if we understood hard work.

And helping each other because of that hard work.

So let's look at some very important words here in this verse.

In 2 Thessalonians 3, 11.

There's three types of people who hinder the outworking of true business life.

Watch it.

Here it is.

And they are referred to in this third chapter right here as idlers, idlers, those who don't work.

And then notice meddlers or busybodies, those who meddle in other people's business instead of minding their own.

And then there's grumblers, those who disturb others by their discontent and troublemaking.

So here's the question: Are you an idler?

Are you a meddler?

A grumbler?

Or a worker?

That's what he's saying.

That's what Paul's addressing in the church here.

He says, You're one of the four.

And his heart's desire is to be a worker.

And we've seen something of the desirability of work.

God has ordained that physical, social, moral, and commercial life, and it should be maintained by means of a rightly organized business life.

And really, to what extent are you fulfilling God's purpose in your life?

Are you really a worker for God?

There's nothing more fulfilling in my life for the last 40 plus years than every week of my life to open the Word of God, to study it with all my heart, to memorize it, and then to live it out in front of people every day.

Every day.

That's what I do here.

I study for hours, then I hit the marketplace.

Can you imagine how I'm feeling right now?

I'm like a lion in a cage.

I love the studying part all morning, and I do that every day.

And I hope you can tell by what I preach.

But I miss you.

I want to knock on your door.

I want to hug your neck.

I want to go visiting.

I want to go to a hospital.

I want to be around people.

My wife tells me to go out and walk the dog.

Do something.

But there's a reason for that.

That's what God's called me to do.

That's what God's gifted me to do.

Which brings me to my last point.

The dignity of work.

The desirability of work.

And then we have the duty of work.

Look at it.

Verse 12 in 2 Thessalonians.

We command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, says Paul, that with quietness you work and eat your own bread.

Now, with quietness you work.

That phrase is vibrant with significance.

It really is.

And it implies two things.

It implies harmony together and tranquility.

It really does.

It really does.

And it is seen in a threefold duty that we should do, and here they are.

Our duty toward God, number one.

There is a duty Godward with our work.

Paul commands and exhorts, verse 12, by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness, in other words, they, the idlers, work.

They work.

So we see that to work in quietness fashion, that's pretty important, is to be rightly related to God's vocational purpose in your life.

You know what?

I'm convinced.

Grumblers, most of the time, are out of the will of God.

That's why they grumble.

There's no fulfillment.

There's no joy.

There's no comfort.

There's no happiness.

There's no fulfillment of seeing something done that honors God.

Now there are grumblers that are saved.

They're just walking in the flesh.

And we'll see the difference in that in a couple of weeks.

But most of the time, I'm convinced they're just out of the will of God.

They're out of the will of God.

You can be in the will of God and still be in the flesh, so when you're a grumbler.

But most, I think, aren't fulfilling God's purpose.

They're not using their gifts and their talents to fulfill the vocation that God really wants them to do.

I really believe that with all my heart.

That's my opinion.

So we see that to work in quiet fashion.

Ephesians 2.10, we said that.

We're his workmanship created in Christ Jesus.

It is not so much what we do, now watch this.

It is not so much what we do, but how we do our work that determines whether we please God or disappoint him.

Even the kitchen chores can be an act of worship.

I was reading an article and examples, and one godly mother was training her children to wash dishes.

And here's what she said, and I put a star by it.

She put a sign over the sink, and here's what it said.

Divine service held here three times a day.

Divine service held here three times a day.

I thought that was cute, but so true.

So, the duty is Godward.

Secondly, there's a duty manward toward our brothers and sisters.

We just read as we started this message.

We look at verses 8 through 9, where Paul says, hey, follow me.

I'm being an example, I'm showing you how to work.

And in Galatians 5.13, you remember Paul said this: By love serve one another.

In other words, our Christianity is seen through our servitude.

Oh, Jesus said, He that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Wow.

Is that not beautiful?

And then number three, there's a duty southward toward me and you, toward yourself.

Look at verse 13.

Brethren, be not weary in well-doing.

Ooh, I love that.

Considering work in terms of personal gain, we think inevitably of recompense.

We do.

I'm at the age now at 66.

I've been working all my life, been working since I was 12 years old.

And you know, when you start getting in your late 60s, 70s, you start thinking retirement, and you start looking back of how well you did, how well you saved, invested, and all that.

And I got to thinking about that as I was working on this duty of self-word.

And that material wages, here's what I came up with.

Listen to this.

This is me.

That material wage relates to time, and then the spiritual wage relates to eternity.

Hey, material wage, the time that you and I spent, what?

Accumulating, working hard, accomplishing all the things that we've accomplished in those 40, 50 years.

Okay?

And then spiritually speaking, same thing.

All the work we've done for God.

One day we're going to stand before an awesome God and give an account of what we did for him with what he gave us.

I got to thinking about that.

When you stand before the Lord, God woke me up.

It's been years ago one night.

I was frightened to death.

Standing at the beam of judgment seat.

I literally, consciously, not personally, but subconsciously, heard the Holy Spirit ask me three questions when I stood before the Lord at the beam of judgment seat.

I'll never forget it as long as I live.

Number one, here was the first question.

What did you do with my Savior?

What did you do with Jesus?

Did you receive him or did you reject him?

Second question.

What did you do with the abilities I gave you?

Did you use them for my glory?

And I'm talking about time, talents, treasures, all of it.

Testimony.

Those four things.

Your time, your treasures, hey, your testimony.

All of it.

What did you do with what I gave you?

That's the second question.

What did you do with my son?

First question.

Secondly, what did you do with the abilities, the gifts that I gave you?

And then number three, you ready for this one?

Oh, this is powerful.

Did you come alone?

Did you come alone?

Or did you bring somebody with you?

Did you bring your family with you?

Did you lead your children to Christ?

Did you lead your wife or your husband to Christ?

Your parents, your grandparents, your friends, your co-workers, your students.

Wow.

There is a duty self-worth.

There really is.

And then one day, when we stand before him, Matthew 25, 23.

We'll hear him say, Well done.

Thou good and faithful servant.

Enter into the joy of the Lord.

This morning, church.

Be a worker.

Realize that everything God has given you is through the by the grace of God.

For by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourself.

Even all your accomplishments, all your wealth, all your position.

You know, God allowed me in my profession to go all the way to the top, being a president of a university, vice president of Liberty University.

I mean, you know, if I look back, but that's not where, you know, all that's good and okay, but that's not where it, that didn't mean a whole lot.

You know what really means the most?

God gave me those abilities to climb that ladder.

You think you did it.

No, you didn't do it.

God gave you those abilities.

God gave you that leadership ability.

God gave you those talents.

God gave you the ability to sing and play.

You didn't do it.

So here's the question.

Did you do it for your glory?

Or did you do it for his glory?

I've been thinking about that all week.

How much of what God's allowed me to accomplish in my life, my family?

Did I do it for Danny?

Or did I do it for God?

Wholeheartedly.

Because see, I'm I'm a driven person.

And I came from a broken hole.

My mother was an alcoholic, kicked me out of my home when I was 11 years old.

That's why I moved in with my grandparents, godly people.

But early in my teen years, I went through hell.

And I made a determination: God, if you ever give me a family, I'm gonna be a family man more than what I had.

So there's a lot of self-driven, self-drivenness there.

But then when God got a hold of my heart and I understood Romans 12, 1 and 2, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you can prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12, 1 and 2.

Then I knew I wanted everything I did to honor Him.

Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that built it.

Except the Lord build the church, they labor in vain that built it.

Except the Lord build the business, they labor in vain.

So today, work is good if you're working for Christ.

Whatsoever your hands finds to do, do it with all your might for Him.

Ecclesiastes name.