Pew2You 5-15-16
Faith and Work
Pastor Tom Weaver
1. Highlights
A. Why Work?
– To work is part of the nature of God. God delights in work.
– Work is worship (avodah)
B. The problem with work
– Because of the fall, work is difficult
– We make work about us and about money. The curse of Babel.
– We make work out identity.
C. Redeemed Work
– As a Christian, my boss is God.
– All work is a calling to serve God.
– Our work is the mask of God through which He does His work and remains concelaed.
– Our work is our unique privilege to Glorify God.
2. Discussion Questions
A. Share together some of the eternal purposes of your work.
B. How has and how is God using your work to shape you into more of a reflection of the image of God?
C. What does it mean to you to consider your work as worship to God?
3. Key Scriptures and Quotes
-For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV
-Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening.
Psalm 104:23 NIV
– Avodah a word used in the definition of both work and worship.
-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. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 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.”
Genesis 3:17-19 NIV
-Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
Genesis 11:4 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.
Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
-The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
Psalm 145:15 NIV
-“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:28-29 NIV