Monthly Archives: September 2021

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. (Colossians 3:23)

Today, the first Monday in September, is Labor Day, a holiday that honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the United States. For the Christian, it is also a time to reflect on work as worship. I have said here before that work is a gift from God, given to mankind in the Garden of Eden before the fall of Adam and Eve. (If you’d like, you can click on this link to hear “The Gift Of Work” sermon, which I preached on May 2, 2021.)

Our first parent’s terrible act of cosmic treason in the Garden brought a curse upon work, but work is still a good gift given to us by our good God. To be sure, work is more difficult since man’s sinful rebellion, but I would emphasize that work is nonetheless a good gift that is to be used to expand the cause of God’s kingdom for His glory.

Principles for work proliferate throughout sacred Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. All work is to be seen as a gift from God. All work is good work. All work is to be done for the glory of God. And there is no such thing as sacred work, as opposed to secular work. Whether we are working as a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker, we are doing good work, as long as we are working for the glory of God.

Here are three things to reflect on regarding Labor in the Lord.  

Work is a GIFT from God.

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

This took place before the fall. Work is not a punishment from God, as some imagine; work is His good and gracious gift to us.

Work is for the GLORY of God.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23).

Yes, most of us work out of necessity, in order to earn money to pay for our food and shelter. But our hearts are to be fixed on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and we are to work for His glory, not ours.

Work is for the GOOD of others.

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Jesus said that the second greatest commandment, after first loving God, is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). When we put these two truths from Matthew’s gospel side by side, we understand that we are always to be working to bless others, that they may see the grace and glory of God reflected in our attitude and actions.

We have all been given gifts, talents, and abilities to do work that honors our Lord. Christians are to occupy every sphere of the work force, because all work is an act of worship when it is done for the glory of God to expand the cause of His Kingdom.

I’d like to raise one final point about your Labor in the Lord. We must always remember God’s formula for work:

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. (Exodus 20:8-10)

On this Labor Day, let us remember that work is a great gift from God . . . and so is rest. Make no mistake, our God can do much more with our six days of work than we could ever do by working all seven on our own. Work and rest are the rhythm of the Christian life of Labor in the Lord. When we see work as a gift from God for the glory of God, our work will be performed for the good of others, and human flourishing will be the great and glorious increase that God will provide.  

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” (John 15:5)

I have said here many times that deep down inside of every human being is the desire, whether we acknowledge it or not, to live a life that truly matters. Today’s verse tells us how this is to be accomplished: by staying connected to Jesus, the true Vine.

In the Old Testament, grapes symbolized the fruitfulness of God’s people Israel when they were following His plan and purpose for their lives. In building on this image, Jesus made it clear that He, as our Vine, is the One responsible for our fruitfulness, but we must remember to stay connected to Him. If you cut a branch that is loaded with fruit off from the vine, the fruit will wither and die in short order. Only when the branch stays connected to the vine, receiving its nourishing sap, will it remain fruitful.

So the question is, Are you receiving the nourishment you need to live a life that truly matters? We can answer that question by checking our fruit.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Make no mistake, every disciple of Christ is absolutely dependent on Jesus for producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Our source of life and spiritual fruit does not come from within ourselves. No matter how well we try to live and how hard we work, we simply cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit apart from staying connected to and receiving the sap from the Vine. Jesus laid blunt emphasis to this point, saying “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

This picture of the vine and the branches is as profound as it is personal. When the branch is separated from the vine, it dies; when it is connected to the vine, it lives. And all true branches bear good fruit, which is why Jesus says, “By their fruit you will know them” (Matthew 7:20).

Where have you been receiving your nourishment from lately? From the true Vine? Or from somewhere else? Only to the extent that you stay connected to Jesus will you live a life that will live on after you are gone — that is, a life that truly matters.

One final point: Pruning is necessary. Jesus said, “Every branch that does bear fruit [my Father] prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:2). To be sure, pruning is painful, but it is necessary. In order to maximize your potential in the service of your Lord, God, the great Gardner, must prune you, even if you are already fruitful, because He knows there is more you can produce.

If this finds you in a season of pruning, fear not! God is at work in you to make you more fruitful for His glory and for the good of others, including good for you!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

Throughout my years as a pastor, it has not been uncommon to hear people in the church, young and old alike, who have been saved by grace through faith, say, “I’m sure God is angry with me for what I have done!”

Allow me to clear this up right now: Jesus Christ received all the anger, wrath, and judgment for your sins while He hung on the cross, paying the penalty in full for your sins; because He did that, God can never be angry with you. Let me say that one more time: God can never be angry with you.

When Jesus cried out “It is finished!” from the cross (John 19:30), He meant what He said! God’s anger against your sins was fully exhausted on Jesus Christ. Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath and completely satisfied the justice of His Father in heaven. Because of what Jesus has done for fallen sinners who have trusted in Him, we are declared “Not guilty.” As Paul explained so well, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).

Because God condemned Jesus on the cross, He can never and will never condemn you for anything. Now, that does not mean that you will never be disciplined for the times you rebel against God. God disciplines His wayward children, just as any loving, responsible parent will do. But this discipline is delivered in love for God’s glory and your good.

All too often, we anxious sinners start listening to the devil’s accusations and we start believing them. “How could you possibly have done that?” the serpent hisses cruelly at us. “You really blew it that time! God must be FURIOUS with you. Why, you’re probably not even saved! What kind of a real Christian could do a thing like THAT?!” We’ve all heard those sly whispers; what we must remember is that the devil is a liar and has been since the beginning (John 8:44). We must listen to our Lord, not to the liar; when we do, we can rest assured in our redemption, knowing that the Almighty is not angry with us.

Perhaps there was a time in your life when you found yourself in a relationship where someone cast you aside, kicked you to the curb, and walked away from you. Hear me well when I say this, Christian: Jesus will never do that to you! When He hung on that cross, you were on His heart and your name was on His cracked lips. Jesus lived for you. Jesus died for you. Jesus rose from the dead for you. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for you at this very moment. And one day, Jesus will return to set the new heavens and the new earth in place, where all the saints of God will live together Coram Deo — before the face of God.  

You remember that Peter denied Jesus on the night He was betrayed — not once, but three times. Do you remember how Jesus responded after His resurrection? He restored Peter to his position as His disciple by asking a simple question — not once, but three times, “Peter, do you love me?” Each one of Peter’s replies — “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” (John 21:15) — was drawn from Peter to act as a divine eraser for each one of his cowardly denials. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound of our Lord’s forgiveness!

Christian, your standing with God does not depend on what you do for God; it depends on all that God in Christ has done for you! That is done; it is finished; God can never be angry with you!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!