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00:00:01 good morning brothers and sisters today's scripture reading um is from the book of Ephesians chapter 6 verse 5-9 and also from 1 Thessalonians chapter 49 uh verse 9 to 12 Ephesians chapter 6 verse 5 slaves obey your Earthly masters with respect and fear and with sincerity of heart just as you would obey Christ obey them not only to win the favor when the eyes on you but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from your heart serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the lord not people because you know that the Lord
00:00:46 will reward each one for whatever good they do whether they are slave or free and Masters Treach us slaves in the same way do not threaten them since you know that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven and there is no favoritism with him now from um the book of 1 Thessalonian chap 4:9 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
00:01:28 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 this is the word of the Lord thank you thank you sister uh Clementine for the exceptional reading good morning brother and sisters thank you for responding what about a bank can you hear me great all right uh before we get down to the sermon proper
00:02:11 I ask that you bow your heads and pray with me for today the sermon title is what has Faith got to do with our work or work life so ABA father we commit this moment to you Lord there are many Among Us who are struggling at work and those who are not working for money voluntary is also struggling Lord so we pray that you prepare our hearts and mind to receive your truth this morning you know what has Jesus sacrifice on the cross has to do with our work life Lord I also ask that you anoint my leaves as
00:02:45 I bring forth your word because father without you you know I cannot say or do anything of any significance at all so father I ask that your spirit come on here come on me right here right now father so that your name will be glorified and you will be magnified among the congregation in Jesus name I ask amen uhoh it's not working all right well I want to uh start this morning by asking you a very simple but very profound questions yeah feel free if you want to raise your hand how many of you are looking forward to
00:03:25 go back to work tomorrow show your hands yeah this must be a send from Heaven yeah Angels brother know yeah yeah I don't see many hands yeah now I remember a time when my heart would raise with excitement you know uh as the work week approached and that was my very first job after my graduation yeah eons ago of course yeah now I was beaming with excitement when I landed on this job after all all these years studying with empty Pockets yeah no money at all and dream of a brighter future the corporate
00:03:58 world seems like a hope whole new world to me you know and the trail of earning my own cash money yeah buying a new set of wheels you know having the freedom to go anywhere I want to you know stepping into a world of endless possibility smelt and felt like freedom and last I was free to do what I want to do and I'm able to put what I study into good practice you know that's what I hope now you but as the years go by you know something changed brothers and sisters instead of looking forward to Monday I found myself dragging my
00:04:32 feet out of bed you and at workplace once a canvas of dream became a red race you with endless stress politics and also stress relationships and the excitement faded into frustration and the Very job they were supposed to take me out of the drudgery of life you know begin to feel like a Daily Grind and so what happened you now why did the vision of work that once was so inspiring turn into a source of stress and disappointments now to understand this yeah this morning I want to teleport you back to the very very beginning in the
00:05:13 Book of Genesis you know God created the world imperfection absolute Beauty and perfect you and Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden where work was intended to be a source of joy and fulfillment and remember Adam and Eve uh weren't uh you know working for food now in that paradise uh what was a blessing filled with peace and joy and purpose and yet with the fall everything changed yeah and what was once a divine blessing now became tainted by sin and unlike before God told Adam and Eve now you have to work
00:05:53 and toy and sweat for your food and the idelic blessing was disrupted at work turned into a struggle marked by hardships and frustrations now brothers and sisters and friends yeah this morning if your experiences mirror those of mine then this morning I ask that you lean in with me and as we explore the relationship between faith and work life between the work that Jesus has done on the cross and your work environment and your work you know in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 5 to: 5 to9 and fast Thessalonians 4: 9-12
00:06:32 we find a transformative truth on world and this truth challenges us not to see our daily work as a r race or just a mean to make ends meet but as an opportunity to glorify God and to Magnify Him and to find true purpose true meaning yeah and to reflect our faith and love to the people around us in every as of our work I hope you got your I got your attention yeah sorry I was supposed to turn the slide and I forgot if you want to follow my lecture in a great uh in in my sermon in a uh what you call Greater Clarity
00:07:13 you can take a photo of this I give you three seconds because I'm given a very limited time okay so if you use this to follow it will be um a lot more uh clearer to you all right I'm going to turn the page h my apology for that I was supposed to show you this but I forgot so we go to slides four so first we look at um you know work as a Divine calling not because you and I love to work yeah God calls us to work now Paul begins you know by citing a command it says in um uh Ephesians 6:5 he says slaves obey
00:07:51 your Earthly masters with respect and fear and with sincerity of your heart just as you would obey Christ now while ancient slave y might seems like a distant memory to you and me brother and sister but do you not find the resemblance of slavery in our workplaces today do you yeah how many of you in our midst this morning can relate to the feeling of being sheered by the invisible chains of your work can you now the truth is even in our if our job were burdensome and they were frustrating or UNF fulfilling yeah we often find
00:08:31 ourselves not able to leave our job due to the demand of life such as bills to pay um uh family to support and also education to pay for now I remember a time in my own career when I felt utterly trapped and my boss was a mean you know temperamental and a micromanager critical and demanding you and I remember putting in 12 hours a day and 60 hours work a week but no matter how hard I work you know it was never good enough I was often undermined and unappreciated you know and I couldn't help feeling frustrated and depressed
00:09:11 and it wasn't the long hour that wore me down it was the Relentless mental and emotional strain which was driving me crazy it was absolutely driving me nuts yeah yet despite my unhappiness I couldn't find the courage you know to walk away before I can find another job why because I was the so braid winner of my family and my loved ones yeah and um those people that I careful depend on me now did I strike the CT in your heart but the underlying reason of not be able to enjoy our work are more complex and
00:09:51 Beyond just the bills to pay so in order to illustrate that to you I want to explore two underlying secular perspective on work which uh previews you know now the first perspective is work is a burden rather than a blessing yeah now in this perspective brother and sister work is seen as a necessary burden yeah it is merely a mean to an end and we do it solely for the purpose of the hardcore cash the money and those who adopted this view often find themselves counting down to the days until they have
00:10:29 accumulated enough so that they can truly enjoy life Leisure becomes yeah the ultimate goal the Pinnacle of existence and the dream of traveling the world or indulging in international culinary Delights and sipping pina colada on the beach becomes the driving force behind the world does this describe you I take it that you are shy but it's all right yeah now conversely the there are also people who leave to work yeah now um sorry um for them work is a defining source of meaning and identity in life you know how often do you find
00:11:13 yourself introduce yourself that I'm so and so and I'm the CEO of this company first thing that you say yeah now I used to be like this I'm not judging you know and their lives revolve around their careers and they find their identity from their professional Tighter and their achievement at good however I want to tell you that this Obsession can become a negative consequences yeah individual who become workaholic to the extent of sacrificing their personal lives and also the well-being of their
00:11:46 family and hence the terms of absent father and absent mother and over time this can lead to burnout and can lead to undue stress and work when work becomes the only source of identity and meaning of life losing the work can be devastating isn't it now how many Among Us this morning felt lost when you first retired from work show me I'm showing you my hand isn't it you don't know what to do you lose your you lose your purpose and identity without a work and in addition if you adopt this will to work you may
00:12:27 impose unrealistic expectations on your colleagues and also your subordinate demanding un voring commitment at all cost do it my way or the highway now this can create a toxic work environment and harm relationships both from within and outside of the workplace now can you relate to this thank you for being honors yeah those who raise your hands I appreciate it so much now if your approach to work falls under one of this perspective or the mix of both then I want to tell you that you will either find work a
00:13:08 necessary evil or an ID in your life or both which would often more often than not no ends in misery but it doesn't have to be this way brothers and sisters you the Bible offers you and I a clear lifechanging and fulfilling approach to work instead of see seeing it as a necessary evil or burden or an obsession we are CAU you and I are called to embrace work as a blessing and a calling to serve God just like Adam and Eve now Paul's teaching yeah in Ephesians uh 6 verse5 provide further insight into this life-changing
00:13:49 perspectives he says slaves obey your Earthly Master with respect and fear with sincerity of heart just as you would obey Jesus Christ yeah now this words signifies the truth that while we are working for human bosses our work is ultimately a service to God now most of us if not all of us you know think that we go to work every day thinking that we are either working for ourselves or working for our bosses don't we yeah or the or the company or the board of directors you know no regardless if you are running your own
00:14:28 businesses or you are employee just like me you work for God brothers and sister period yeah now the grace of Jesus Christ has rendered you and I a slave of God and therefore you are to compel to reflect the values of God his kingdom in your workplaces you know and Paul continues yeah in Ephesians verse 7 you know 6 verse 7 he says serve wholeheartedly not half-heartedly you know yeah wholeheartedly if you were serving the the Lord not people so simply put because you work for God you are to approach your work yeah with
00:15:05 wholehearted sincerity yeah with respect and obedience yeah don't live a double life you know brothers and sisters you know you are not to be Dr Jackal and Mr high and you're Pious Christian you know on weekends and on Sunday but a monster at work from Monday to Friday and ultimately you are to work for you are working for Jesus Christ yeah now let us circumvent back to verse six yeah now Paul says obey them not only to earn their favor yeah uh in their eyes H sorry when their eyes is on you but as slave of Christ doing the
00:15:42 will of God from your heart Point Blank yeah Paul is saying that we are not to work wholeheartedly only only when the boss's eyes are watching us okay have you ever found yourself short changing your employee uh employeer your boss uh or Cutting Corner at Works No Hands great workers all Godly yeah I know I had yeah when you are absorbed in the work and the day seems to be endless it is easy to slip into the habits of falling short of your commitments and you could easily extend your lunch break or your pantry break or
00:16:25 your cigarette braks you know now when I was smoking you know I take maybe 10 to 20 cigarettes a day and imagine each one take 10 minutes that's 200 minutes I short change my bosses on a daily basis yeah now osness yeah in his book um the call puts it this ways I want you to listen very carefully he say our primary calling as Christians as the disciple of Jesus Christ is by him to him and for him sounds familiar yeah our secondary calling brother and sister is that everyone everywhere in everything that
00:17:04 we think and speak and live and act entirely for him and who is him the Lord Jesus Christ now God's calling gives our work meaning and dignity you know and spiritual significance that drones the supremacy of half-heartedness and idess in other words work is biblical now as Believers once we understood that we are called to serve Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives our work or our vocation I would like to call it immediately take on a new meaning work becomes an act of worship not just on Sunday you and I
00:17:49 feel good standing in the church you know Hallelujah everything that we do is an act of worship and God's reflecting God's virtues to the people around us to the world around us believing or non-believing otherwise but the practicality is difficult right how do you and I find meaning if you are caught in a mundane boring and also a day end job you know are you you know in such a job now I want to ask you to consider a farmer who is tased with plowing the Pharaohs yeah in a field the lines you know now when
00:18:27 you looked at this picture the word appear to be repetitive you know putting the plow through the soy so boring so mundane you know so meaningless right yet these Farmers his eyes is fixed on the distance you know uh in the distance to ensure that when he plow through the lines you know it is straight imperfection now he is not perfect but he's trying to plow it imperfection why why does he take the trouble to do so well the only reason he is able to do so is because he takes pride in his world
00:19:07 he finds it meaningful even though it's mundane and boring you know and at the core of his heart like you and me brother and sister he sees these as a calling from God he do this for God not for his human Masters you know his boss yeah now he see this as a vocation uh which is an opportunity for him to reflect the beauty and the Perfection of our God who created this beauty and perfected World in even what we call boring mandane and de and Jo and so similarly brothers and sisters and friends you know in our midst this
00:19:44 morning you and I are to view our work as a calling even the simplest task takes on a Divine meaning when we adopt that perspective instead of being work is a curse or work is the meaning of life when we are that call that God calls us to wholeheartedly and diligently our works become an act of worship and we find fulfillment in knowing that we are magnifying God through our efforts so I want to pause for a moment and ask you know brothers and sisters and friends when you wake up tomorrow this Monday morning ask yourself do you
00:20:25 see your work as a path to self glorification or you see it as an opportunity to demonstrate the Perfection of our Lord Jesus Christ now can you see if you are caught in a dead end job not as a burden but as a Divine calling God calls you there for a reason and a way to worship and honor him now in The Quiet Moments in your office in your workplace the factory floor when no one is watching do you still work wholeheartedly and deligently as if Jesus is beside you supervising you and how would your attitude change
00:21:09 you know if you believe that everything that you do you are doing it for God because it's part of his Divine calling and plans for you but you might be asking me this question so Brandon no my current job uh my boss is a ungrateful and a pain in the neck you know why should I obey him you know and I want to be real yeah because this is real for for me at least you know according to my you know experiences yeah 30 or years in the corporate environment difficult bosses are more often a norm than an exception
00:21:48 in our workplaces isn't it yeah even in religious organization more so somebody tell me well 1 Peter chapter 2:8 says this yeah what did he say Paul says you slaves in reverence fear of God submit yourself to your master not only to those who are good and considerate but also to those who are harsh can you stomach this this is hard to stomach isn't it yeah your boss is mean and a slave driver and yet I have to cow to him you know but if your perspective has changed from the two that I mentioned to you
00:22:32 this morning thus far when you embrace the person of Jesus Christ and his word as the absolute truth and nothing but a truth did Jesus say that he say that I am the truth the way and the life he didn't say I am a truth the truth yeah these words Peter second Peter Verse 18 yeah takes on life becomes a life transforming source of comfort and assurance when you and I face difficult and painful bosses at work now this words clearly deats that our faith instruction that our faith must guide our behavior and work
00:23:10 and not the other way around you know yeah not the behavior guide the faith yeah and even when we Face difficult painful and otherwise ungrateful bosses Now by demonstrating our submission to our bosses even when they are painful we are reflecting Jesus Christ's characters we we are showing that we trust in God's sovereignty and his Justice yeah every wrong will have to be paid you know and that we are willing to endure the hardship for his sake now we every day pray know I pray this for Jesus's sake you know this is
00:23:45 one way yeah to do it for his sake you know this is not only a powerful testimony to our faith but an act of sacrifice yeah to glorify God and to Magnify Him in the eyes of the believer in or non-believing were otherwise especially to your colleagues and your bosses and your subordinates now I'm not saying that you should blindly accept these abuses or mistreatment indefinitely especially if you are asked to betray God you know for example how how can you betray God if your boss ask you to do Creative
00:24:21 Accounting so that you pay L less taxes to evade tax leave the job by all me yeah if your bosses is um what you call this physically abusing you leave the job by all means you know but otherwise naked quitting the term naked quitting the new generation they quit without a job yeah because they can always go home right I couldn't yeah and and and quiet quitting is also not an option know what's quiet quitting quiet quitting means that you go to work every day but you open the newspaper you read you know yeah and you chatchat with
00:24:56 your colleagues you know instead of working yeah and you give your boss not 30% of what he pays you to do not an option at all the biblical approach when you are in a difficult job difficult bosses is to seek God yeah you go to your knees you know you pray yeah that God either take you uh give you peace at your current work and he can I've experienced it numerous time you know in my work and ask that he takes you to another opportunity but but there's a caveat here yeah according to his will not your will or my will No period yeah
00:25:33 let me put it very plainly to you yeah when God wants you in your job uh wants you to leave your job yeah that means he your your period has ended there yeah his his Divine calling for you end and he wants you to leave the work you cannot stay if you if you want to stay either you'll be fired or whatever it will happen yeah but when he wants you to stay you have a choice he give you you and I free will doesn't he yeah and either to obey or to disobey like Jonah when he was called by God to do what to
00:26:05 preach salvation to the very people who killed his family and his friends you know he country his countrymen and of course he ran you know like you and I but what happened he rebelled but he end up exactly where God wants him to be in N way n Now by Disobedience brothers and sisters you know you may missed out on the blessings that he instored for you and ended up right exactly where you were the only difference is you in different office different chair same situations any experiences okay I'm talking to
00:26:49 myself uh now in verse eight yeah Paul reiterates this he says that because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do whether they are slaves or free and this is another reasons brother and sister you and I to work diligently and wholeheartedly regardless of your boss's behavior and these words reminds you and me that God sees all our effort no matter how big or how small no matter how unnoticed you know how unap appreciative our bosses are and then Paul after saying all this
00:27:23 he turn his gun to all the bosses yeah he turn his gun to the Masters you know he says this yeah and Masters and by extension also CEO in our mid this morning managing directors presidents vice presidents you know head of Department executive directors you know line managers etc etc you know who you are you treat your workers in the same way he says you know do not threaten them since you know that he who is both their masters and yours is in heaven and there is no favoritism with him now in other words yeah BOS this is not a
00:28:01 oneway stet you know while you can expect wholehearted and diligent work from your employees yeah you are to do the same to them same thing you are to treat them wholeheartedly you are to treat them sincerely you to treat them you know with respect and love and Paul says don't threaten them yeah let me share with you yeah the mechanism of men and women of of power deployed to to threaten their employees now one is they make you walk the high tension wire no one mistake you're done you're fired yeah okay isn't
00:28:44 it secondly yeah you use abusive powerful intimidating language on them you berate them or you can also talk to them in a very soft way but because your word is so critical you reduce them to this big when they come to work and the Third Way is to withold opportunity yeah silence not very obvious but sorry know you know that the promotion is never coming to you yeah and the bonus you will get the least yeah and last but not least you adopt a passive aggressive behavior yeah you show your attitude in certain way that
00:29:24 you know that the person know that you are despising him or her yeah it can be a silent Street as well yeah what you do is you just exclude the person you know from lunches they used to go to or exclude the person from important meetings just to tell you a look you know either you toore your line or you're done yeah now bosses men and women of power in our midst this morning can you relate to any of this no hands yeah I'm very very thankful that you are all great godly workers Godly bosses yeah
00:29:59 a moment of light-heartedness yeah okay now I want to share with you a moment that still Reco shates in my heart and this is real story I didn't make it out yeah it's my experience a lesson that shape my understanding of what Biblical leadership is all about and the weight of our words that come from our mouth I was with a multinational hygiene company know reviewing an annual uh business plan with my staff yeah and the brand manager presenting was my direct report and she pour her heart into the plan I
00:30:30 know it because I walked through with her know in the preparation but before she could even get to the end end of page two my boss a perfectionist you started to berate her know and tearing her apart in front of everyone and her her her abusive word reduces the manager to tears yeah with rap bloodshot eyes you know filled with a mix of humiliation and despair can you imagine yourself in that shoe and I was watching from the sideline I was a covered you know I was feeling timid and helpless and I stayed silent not sure
00:31:08 how to react but deep down you know what the Holy Spirit the conscience is working on me and I felt terrible absolutely you know now in the aftermath yeah I went to her and I consult this manager and I and I went home that night you know I went home to pray and somehow I found a the Courage the next day to confront my boss you know and I spoke very calmly you know as soft as I can yeah respectfully realizing you know that I'm putting my neck on the line yeah The Chopping board you know and despite that brother and
00:31:42 sister guess what it cost me dearly yeah I was put in Cold Storage yeah a staff performer become nobody you know and our relationship became strain how tragic is it for the next 24 months you know life was absolute hell for me but you know what God is faithful yeah and I wouldn't imagine this can happen you know he did not abandon me in the situation eventually my boss was transferred and guess what my boss my CEO put me on her chair you know yeah praise the lord it's not planned for yeah I've never imagine actually
00:32:25 every day I was looking for a way to get out you know I was looking you know calling Hunters you know but that's not the right thing to do because when you obey God and you honor him of his calling he takes care of you now the experience taught me the weight of Ephesians chapter 6 verse 9 is that is Christian leaders are not to abuse their power yeah yeah through abusive word the minimum that you and I can do because word really hurts you know knowing that we all serve a higher Master Christ Jesus who is Holy and he's righteous and
00:32:56 I want you to listen to this very very very carefully yeah he will not biasly dispense Grace to You and I in the expans of his Holiness and his righteousness never God and God is first and foremost holy and righteous yeah so brothers and sisters you know and friends who are here this morning as a boss of your own rights yeah how are your actions reflecting the grace and the fairness and Justice know that God has shown to you now when things don't go your way do you respond with Godly Behavior or do you let your frustration
00:33:40 takes the better of you someone cut in front of you you know immediately Christian or not the middle finger goes up you know yeah or you you you berak the person in front of your wife to sit beside you yeah because you take her for granted you it's okay yeah now how might you change your approach you know knowing that every word that you speak bosses you can either build up or you destroy those God who are entrusted under your care and remember your employees are people that God has sent to you you can't do nothing without him
00:34:16 yeah everything that you do is by him those that are entrusted to you are you kind in words to them so with this we arrive with the first truth this morning yeah then God calls Believers to reflect Faith which FS our wholehearted work and treatment yeah again yeah God calls Believers to reflect Faith which FS wholehearted work and fair treatment on our own we cannot yeah we cannot be kind we cannot be wholehearted you we will Short change our bosses we also Short change our employees brothers and
00:34:56 sisters we are called to leave leave out our faith every moment of our day in the even in the most mundane and most challenging situation in our work life not just limited today but because today I'm talking about work life so please consider this as you head back head back to work uh tomorrow ask yourself how can you start your day you know dedicating it to to to God by committing your work to him asking him for his guidance and blessing before you do anything when you reach your office the first thing you do
00:35:32 if you're in privacy go to your knees if you're in front of your staff you know quietly bow your heads and pray and in what ways can you show your faith through obedience humility and excellent I'm not talking about paid work even in church yeah if your leaders are are less than kind to you know how can you submit how can you be obedient how can you be excellence in your job even though you are not paid you know even when your bosses are harsh your leaders are harsh knowing that you ultimately working for who our Lord
00:36:09 Jesus Christ yeah ultimately now we go to the third Point yeah work is an expression of work yeah work is just not a reflection of Faith only it is but work is also expressional uh love yeah now this is where Paul's word to the Thessalonians yeah provides some powerful CL it and he um sorry and he says yeah in verse 9 Paul praised the Thessalonians for their love for each other and subsequently if you look at verse 10 that highlight Paul urges them to love more and more and in verse 11 there seemingly two different verses but
00:36:47 actually it's not yeah it's a continuation of that persuasion from from Paul to love more and he instructed yeah the word I'm using is instructed them to make it their ambition to lead a quiet life and to mind their own business and work with their hands just as they were told now if you read it the first time this is the second time it seems like a strange metaphor that Paul is employing here isn't it yeah what has acquired life and minding your own business has got to do with loving other people well the pun is intended Paul is
00:37:24 telling the Thessalonian that unless you are working you are not loving others and simply put yeah it says working is the way you love isn't it true brother and sister yeah he says that I want you to love more and more how by getting back to work he says and stop being a busy body Kochi in our terms you know now strive for quietness he say strive for rest now Paul's admonition here is sounding like a oxymoron but I assure you it is not because Paul in this context was addressing the Thessalonian Christians who chose not to
00:38:03 work even though they bodily mentally physically able and because of that they were experiencing a disqui a lack of ease a sense of restlessness and a borom in their life so Paul instructed them go back to work he say you know to counter their restlessness and boredom and I want to make it clear to you that Paul is not condemning those who wants to work but cannot get work you know unemployed because of no choice no all the retired brothers and sisters will contribute so much to the society no he is admonishing
00:38:38 those who choose to be ID those who subscribe to the Greek philosophy the idess is the Pinnacle of their existence yeah in other words the highest man is the one who man who doesn't have the work like other people work you know and he enjoy all the benefits all the common B but practically how can you and I love others by working brothers and sisters you well there are many ways to skin the cat yeah for example the worship team that sacrifice their week night they come to FBC and practice you know the worship song so
00:39:15 that our Sunday worship will be no blips yeah perfect they are loving you and I brother and sister and they amen they are yeah now the teachers if you are a teacher can I have a show hand teachers otherwise you paid or not voluntary or paid teachers when you do your work you go above and beyond your work to help your student to excel you are loving your children you are loving the parents of the children aren't you yeah and an office worker who is working in the office yeah I believe many yeah an
00:39:50 office worker who lovingly offers a assistance you know to his coworker who is struggling with a project yeah that is an expression of love a housewife I make sure I don't forget because a lot of people downplay the role of house right even though she's not paid she's working yeah if she she does a duty of homem making diligently is loving her husband loving her children and loving the society at large why because when you raise Godly kids the society at large is benefited so much and if you are a
00:40:28 street sweeper a labor in the factory floor who takes pride in his work and does it thoroughly you know keeping the community clean and safe is loving and caring for all of us in this room this morning he loves his community whether he realize it or not you know and the Leist can go on Yeah by only a very short time you know yeah so in short just by being dedicated and wholehearted doing your job you are leaving in the light of loving other people know through your work yeah work or vocation is not just confined to your
00:41:06 professional work it also involves all works yeah in church in organization voluntary or paid otherwise now as as I was contemplating on this issue it broughts me to another thought which I want to share with you this morning important question you know how do you view the chosen work of those closest to you yeah I'm talking to father-in-law mother-in-law father mother yeah everybody in the midst especially to our children have you ever felt a pain of disappointment when one of your kid come to you and disclose a desire to pursue a
00:41:48 career that is not aligned with your expectations perhaps you know you envision them to be a prestigious uh lawyers or doctors you know but their heart yearn for something that is only this big in your heart yeah now I know I have it is a common human tendency that we hold certain profession in Greater regard than others for example we often associate you know uh Architects yeah like brother Anna here andong medicines you know Dr Peter yeah law or engineering you know yet if you look around you the world that God has
00:42:27 created with great diversities you know and each person each Talent is as important as the next and Paul reminds you and I of his this profound truth yeah in verse 11b you know he says work with your hands just as we were told we told you it say now this words if you read carefully deats the significance of working with hands one's hands showing that all kind of work whether it is intellectual all manual are honorable now this imp instruction challenges the notion that you and I Harbor that some profession
00:43:05 are more honorable than others think about it yeah Jesus our Messiah Incarnation who was heer Carpenter yeah he works with his hands he's not a doctor yeah he's not a lawyer but he's better the apostles were made up of fisherm and who was Paul T maker yeah he didn't even uh you know uh uh uh take any offering from the church yeah now even the great prophet Isaiah and Moses who were there there were shepherds who work with their hands you now if he still not satisfied let me ask you a question yeah
00:43:52 from creation to consumation to Incarnation and Resurrection what do they have in common God's hands in the dirt years ago yeah my Elder Sons revealed to me and some of you know my sons yeah and his dream of becoming a Performing Artist and I tell you I struggle big time I struggle to reconcile his ambition you know we my preconceived notion of success couldn't help to shake the belief that most artists if not all are destined for a life of poverty and struggles however as I go to my knee and I contemplate on the word of God I
00:44:42 realize that God calls each of us to a unique path still painful yeah today and that path may not always sing well with the expectation of our Society but I want you to know that biblically we are to use our god-given talents and passion for the vocation that he has caught you and I too so that because our talents and our skills fit with that calling when we do it passionately God is glorified God is magnified you know now we renew perspective my wife and I submitted to God you know and we supported our son 110 10% and today I
00:45:29 have to tell you he's working he's facing challenges just like any other profession but I can tell you this he is also living a life filled with purpose and fulfillment he has never grumbled to me a day you know how difficult it is to go to audition after audition after audition after audition and he get rejected you know never and he feels God's pleasures and he's performing on stage and over the years I noticed that his talent uh for his chosen profession shines true and I want to make it publicly today that I'm immensely proud
00:46:09 of the man that he has become praise the Lord so remember brothers and sisters yeah the world needs doctors the world needs Architects the work needs lawyers and engineer as much as it needs pastors you know volunteers uh missionaries you know artists you know musician teachers and counters of other you know low life uh profession in our eyes you know who contribute to society in their own unique way and don't forget know I preached this before at the foot of the cross we all stand shoulder Tosh
00:46:47 shoulder I don't care how tall how short you are Jesus do not see yeah biasness in the Believers he treats everyone the same so you and I should do the same yeah so I want to ask the moms and dads in our midst this morning grandfathers and grandmothers um boys and girls yeah what step can you take today to challenge your own biases about different professions and how can you support and encourage your loved ones or yourself or your children or your grandchildren and the children of other peop yeah be
00:47:27 careful with your words yeah children are other people's in their calling regardless of societal expectations you know because you are Christian you are saved by God so you are compelled a slave to him and you are to carry his virtues and reflected to the rest of the world including those who are closest to you and bosses yeah with all due respects men and women of power in the room this morning in what ways can you contribute to a more more inclusive and Equitable workplace that values the diversities of all
00:48:05 labors can you consider that Ephesian chapter 2: 10 reminds us that God has uniquely equip each of us for specific works and when we find works that resonate with our natural abilities and desire we experience a sense of fulfillment and inner peace you know it yeah I can't tell you how but you know it yeah you can sleep well you can eat well yeah you can do everything with a smiling face and I want you to pay attention to the word works that are underlined here which is written in plurality therefore suffice to say that
00:48:43 God has called you and I to a variety of works not just a single work yeah your Divine Purpose may be found in your family in your church and in your community you know as well as in your professional Life all at the same time yeah now for example you could be a father or a mother or a singer or you can be a alpha or gamma volunteer you know or or Sunday school teachers you know in church and you can be a PTA commune in the schools of your children or School of other people's children and an executive or office worker in your
00:49:14 workplace whatever it is professionally I also want to encourage you that if you find yourself your current job doesn't perfectly match with the talent that has been given to you I want you to take heart don't be despaired don't give up you can find ways God wants you there in the first place you know then you can find ways to live out more of your given talents or skills if you care to do it this might involve taking on an additional responsibility at work or you volunteer in your church your community
00:49:47 that you're supposed to love or pursuing a side projects when you have the free time over the weekends you know in your week nights what do you do in your week nights watch TV you can watch TV I'm not saying that you cannot you but you can use that time too to do something that you are passionate about when your job don't fulfill for the time being yeah now the key is this yeah brother and sister as Christian we are to obey Christ to the tea you are to obey his Divine calling doesn't matter where he
00:50:16 calls you to you have to obey and trust that God will guide your steps that's what we call faithful living so we then it comes to the second truth yeah God calls each Believers to a unique range of work to express love to others and to glorify him and therefore in what areas of your life do you sense that God is calling you to do the good works beyond your profession are there ways you can serve more intentionally in your family in your community or in FBC or your church you know not single vocation multile
00:50:57 vocation God calls you to how can you show genuine care compassion love to your colleagues even in a very small ways interactions you know ask yourself when you go to work in the morning are you attentive or you're walking this way or you're walking this way are you attentive to the needs and struggles and troubles that your colleagues are facing if you see a person normally very chatty that they super quiet you know something is wrong be observant you know let me share with you you a recent research
00:51:34 between the relationship of income and happiness because I know a lot of you in your mind hey you know I work for money right which job pay me more I just go no published in January 20123 this study conducted in China reveal a very interesting Insight you know it says while it is generally accepted that a certain level of income is necessary to meet basic needs and Elevate stress the research suggested that relationship is not always linear in other words more money doesn't always equate to more
00:52:05 happiness and there will come a point where happiness level starts to Plateau like in the uh graph yeah even decline despite incremental income now this finding resonates with the message found in 1 Timothy 6: 6 to7 it says that but godliness with contentment is great gain and what is contentment here brother and sister Timothy say this if if we have food and clothing we will be content with that shocking isn't it yeah we want not only one Tesla know yeah we are hoping we have a SUV a Tesla you know a sports car know everything
00:52:44 yeah one house not enough we need multiple yeah now this this true fulfillment brother and sister come solely from worldly Mater not solely from worldly material gain yeah so don't go chasing your next job solely based on monetary reward respectfully you know to the young um um congregation Among Us this morning the Bible reminds you and me that containment plus leaving aive in line with God's calling brings far Greater Joy fulfillment than the pursue of wealth even if you find yourself in a job there's less an
00:53:21 ideal amen very soft not so agreeable now when we use our gift and talents you know to serve others and glorify God we discover a deeper much deeper sense of purpose and Lasting happiness give it a try yeah pray now uh the only reason I'm showing you this and not to distract you is to um show you a real example of what it means to express your faith and to love other people and to glorify God at the same time in your work yeah now this is true Katy yeah the founders of shik FILA anybody heard of
00:53:56 it chick V yeah thank you chick V is a fast food chain in the United States in this 21st century where businesses were driven solely by greet and consumerism what did ky say he say we will close our restaurant on Sunday you know and why would he do such a foolish thing it's senseless yeah from business point of view from consumer reason and from greed you know that's because K he sees his business as a calling from God and by doing so he's manifesting his faith his love to all his employees and to all his
00:54:28 customers as well now he was willing to forgo one of the most lucrative day of the week and close his business so that his employee can rest and if they are Christian they can go and worship God you and in addition I want you to know that his distribution is also limited yeah because you cannot open in Shopping Center yeah which operates seven days a week you know now despite all this odd he stand firm he stood firm yeah he trusted God's provision Providence and Justice and what happened shik fil
00:55:00 became one of the most successful fast food chain in the United States can you affirm that brother yeah yeah he's noing yeah and they were rewarded with Incredible growth and through Kathy's story is a powerful testimony to you and me that when we prioritize God and his kingdom in a sacrificial way he will take care of the rest sick first his kingdom and the rest shall be given now this is a great Testament yeah the joy and the blessing that comes from leaving alive honoring magnifying and glorifying
00:55:36 God so in closing yeah in closing Brothers this is how the Gospel of Jesus Christ intersects with our work life as te Keller put it so eloquently I want you to um um take a moment to appreciate it it's not easy but the three dimension of gospel wisdom firstly is the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ when Jesus's Incarnation calls you and me to a life of service yeah he didn't come to be served you know he didn't come here to ask you to put food in front of him no he comes here to serve you and
00:56:10 I and therefore we we are called to humbly serve yeah ourselves to put the needs of other people before us tough to do right but this selfless approach brother and sister if you can adopt it is the equation that I'm giving you this morning sorry not me but God is giving you yeah this morning that so that your work no matter how difficult will be filled with great joy and fulfillment and secondly Jesus's atonment reminds us of God's unconditional love and forgiveness and the atonement yeah his atonement on the
00:56:45 cross frees you and I from the guilt and the shame and enable you and me to work with Integrity it enables you and me to work with compassion without thinking about compensation even though you are compensated to love others freely and abundantly without this atonement you will not be able to do so because Jesus has atoned your sin and my sin you know we are able to do so and finally you know Jesus's resurrections offer you and me endless hope and strength yeah without the cross without the resurrection there's no hope for you and
00:57:20 me today no matter what situation we are going through at our work when we look at the cross we have hope amen we have hope and we have strength you know we can persevere knowing that the Victory Is Ours why because Jesus has won the victory we are not fighting for victory don't get me wrong we are fighting in Jesus Christ Victory we are Victors we will win you know so by embracing this three dimension you'll find true Joy purpose and fulfillment in your vocation so this morning as the musicians the worship team play the
00:58:00 song yeah I want you to know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ compels you and I to re-evaluate our perspective towards our work I know that it is hard I'm the first to admit and I dare say this that I know your struggle because I was I been in a long time in your shoe for over 30 years in the corporate world and trust me you have have no power over the struggles and disappointment at work unless and until you let go completely of your desires and your Ambitions and surrender your work to Jesus Christ wholeheartedly I
00:58:42 don't mean half surrendering wholeheartedly and put it at the feet of his cross you know so remember yeah if you don't remember anything I've said you know this morning remember this you work is not just a mean to earn a living or to Define our identity B is a Divine calling brother and sister through which we love others and we glorify God we Magnify Him yeah and this is the calling of God do I hear an amen yeah amen amen thank you so much shall we bow our heads and pray father ABA father we thank you for
00:59:23 this lifegiving transformative words that come off your mouth this morning you and I commit all my brothers and sisters you know the women of power and the man of power in your hand and the workers you know in your hands this morning Father that we with this perspective with your truth as we embrace it it will change our perspective to work you know we'll find our our job fulfilling purposeful you know because it is a calling from you and not a curse or a necessary evil or not a mean that we find the meaning of
00:59:54 life but finding it in you so we ask that you humble our hearts Lord you know to be able to live up this truth and as we go back to our home we kneel on our knees and we give it to you ask that you take over our word completely and wholeheartedly we thank you Lord you know and uh we as usual father know we um men of men and women of desperation we can't do anything without you so we ask that you help us your spirit come on us lead us Lord you know so that you will change our life for good in Jesus
01:00:26 name we ask amen amen yeah this morning we have chosen a song called U build my life build my life yeah and I want you to sing and enjoy and enjoy the lyrics that has been written you know synonymous to Our God's calling this morning faith and B thank you so much thank you thank you brother Ben shall we all rise and sing a song of response together [Music] worthy of every song we could ever sing worthy of all the praise we could ever pray worthy of every bread we could ever break the live for you oh will live for
01:01:39 you Jesus the name above every other Jesus the only one who could ever worthy of every pray we could ever live for you oh live for you holy there is no one like you there is none beside you open up my eyes in Wonder and show me who you are and fill me with your heart and Lead Me in your love to those around [Music] me Jesus the name above every [Music] other Jesus the only one who could ever [Music] sa worthy of every breath we could ever live for [Music] you holy there is no one like you there is
01:03:10 none beside you open up my eyes in Wonder and show me who you are and fill me with your heart and Lead Me in your love to those around [Music] me I will build my [Music] life your love it is a found I will put my trust in you alone and I will not be Shen I will build my life upon your love it is the foundation I will will put my trust in you alone and I will not be Shen only there is no Li you there is none beside you open up my eyes wonder and show me who you are and build me with your heart and Lead Me In Your Love
01:05:01 To Go suround me and I will build my life upon your love it is the foundation I will put my trust in you alone and and I will not be Shen I will build my life upon your love it is a foundation I will put my trust in you alone and I will not be Shen Colossians Colossians chap 3: 23- 24 and 1 Corinthians 15: 58 now receive the benediction whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord not for human Masters sin you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward it is the Lord
01:06:25 Jesus Christ that you are serving and therefore my dear brothers and sisters stand firm let nothing move you always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord Jesus Christ is not in vain so may you go forth this morning with the benediction yeah with hearts full of Faith reflecting work that you do and serve wholeheartedly brother and sister glorify him Magnify Him in your labor and be steadfast in the UN calling God has placed upon you and all God's people
01:06:59 say amen so brothers and sisters with a moment of silence meditation the service is over but I urge you if you have any needs uh a burden of your heart regarding your work you know whether it's voluntary or paid job yeah please come forward so that the elders and the pastors can pay uh pray for you yeah and I obviously cannot cover everything in my lecture uh in my sermon no that you have any needs that you want me to clarify yeah please come and see me at the connect coners I will try to do my
01:07:28 best thank you so much and have a wonderful week yeah change your work life thank you so much
