Work Ethic | You Asked For It | Destination Church

Work Ethic | You Asked For It

Destination Church - September 24, 2022

Work Ethic…

Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Soul Tattoo: Work is not about the grind, work is about our God.

Ecclesiastes 2:17-19 (NIV) 17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.

80% of workers feel stressed on the job.
25% of workers feel like screaming or shouting because of job stress.
10% of workers are concerned about an individual at work they fear could become violent.
14% of workers felt like striking a coworker in the past year.
18% of workers experienced some sort of threat or verbal intimidation in the past year.

Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV) Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

3 Work thoughts…Every day.

1.) I am created to make a difference today.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Acts 20:23-24 (NIV) 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

2.) My vocation is my ministry location.

Acts 18:1-4 (ESV) After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

3.) I work for God and not for people.

Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT) 23Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ.

The 5 W’s of work +2…

Work Defined:

Noun…activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result…mental or physical activity as a means of earning income; employment.

Verb…be engaged in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a purpose or result, esp. in one’s job; do work.

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV) 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

1.) What is WORK?

History of work…

Work Ethic: a belief in work as a moral good; a set of values centered on the importance of doing work and reflected especially in a desire or determination to work hard. the principle that hard work is intrinsically virtuous or worthy of reward.

Work Ethic Traits:

Self-Discipline
Responsibility
Dependability
Cooperation
Dedication
Initiative
Focus
Goal-Oriented

2.) Laziness is not an option.

Romans 12:9-11 (NLT) 9Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-18 (TMSG) 1One more thing, friends: Pray for us. Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response, just as it did among you. 2And pray that we’ll be rescued from these scoundrels who are trying to do us in. I’m finding that not all “believers” are believers. 3But the Master never lets us down. He’ll stick by you and protect you from evil. 4Because of the Master, we have great confidence in you. We know you’re doing everything we told you and will continue doing it. 5May the Master take you by the hand and lead you along the path of God’s love and Christ’s endurance. 6Our orders—backed up by the Master, Jesus—are to refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we taught you. Don’t permit them to freeload on the rest. 7We showed you how to pull your weight when we were with you, so get on with it. 8We didn’t sit around on our hands expecting others to take care of us. In fact, we worked our fingers to the bone, up half the night moonlighting so you wouldn’t be burdened with taking care of us. 9And it wasn’t because we didn’t have a right to your support; we did. We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious. 10Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” 11And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. 12This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately—no excuses, no arguments—and earn their own keep. 13Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty. 14If anyone refuses to obey our clear command written in this letter, don’t let him get by with it. Point out such a person and refuse to subsidize his freeloading. Maybe then he’ll think twice. 15But don’t treat him as an enemy. Sit him down and talk about the problem as someone who cares. 16May the Master of Peace himself give you the gift of getting along with each other at all times, in all ways. May the Master be truly among you! 17I, Paul, bid you good-bye in my own handwriting. I do this in all my letters, so examine my signature as proof that the letter is genuine. 18The incredible grace of our Master, Jesus Christ, be with all of you!

3.) Why am I working?

Genesis 2:15 (NIV) The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 3:17-19 (TMSG) 17He told the Man: “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree That I commanded you not to eat from, ‘Don’t eat from this tree,’ The very ground is cursed because of you; getting food from the ground Will be as painful as having babies is for your wife; you’ll be working in pain all your life long. 18The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you’ll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting, 19sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you’ll end up dirt.”

4.) When and where am I working?

Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT) 19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-8 (NLT) 4“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 5And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. 7Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. 8Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. 9Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

5.) Who am I working for?

Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT) 23Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

6.) How am I working?

WORK and REST go hand in hand…

Genesis 2:1-3 (ESV) 1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV) “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

7. What are your working on?

James 3:18 (MSG) You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

Nehemiah 4:6 (NIV) So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

Nehemiah 4:6 (TMSG) We kept at it, repairing and rebuilding the wall. The whole wall was soon joined together and halfway to its intended height because the people had a heart for the work.

Honor lies in honest toil. Grover Cleveland

Soul Tattoo: Work is not about the grind, work is about our God.