How Faith Transforms Our Work
Subjects to talk about
- Work as an Identiy
- Work Good or Bad?
- Work PreFall, During Fall, Millinium Reign, Heaven
- Is there a best work?
- Is all work the same?
- Is some work elevated above others? Should it be?
- Faith gives you an inner ballast without which work could destroy you.
- Faith gives you a concept of the dignity and worth of all work, even simple work, without which work could bore you. a) All work is good work (except for a few outliers, of course). b) The way to do work as a Christian is to do it well.
- Faith gives you a moral compass without which work could corrupt you.
- Faith gives you a world and life view that shapes the character of your work without which work could master and use you.
Primary Text: Colossians 3:23–24
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."
Introduction
Work occupies a tremendous portion of our lives. Most people will spend somewhere around a third of their adult life working. Yet when Christians think about serving God, we often think about church, prayer, evangelism, or Bible study. Rarely do we think about Monday morning.
But the Bible doesn't separate our faith from our work.
God isn't interested in us living for Him only on Sunday. He wants to transform the way we work on Monday.
The Christian shouldn't merely do different things.
The Christian should do ordinary things for different reasons.
Today I want to show four ways faith completely changes our work.
Without Christ...
- work can destroy us.
- work can bore us.
- work can corrupt us.
- work can control us.
With Christ...
work becomes worship.
I. Faith Gives You an Inner Ballast
Work was never designed to carry your identity.
Many people don't work because they need food.
They work because they need significance.
Ask someone,
"What do you do?"
Notice we don't usually answer with where we live or what we enjoy.
We answer with our occupation.
"I'm an engineer."
"I'm a teacher."
"I'm retired."
"I'm a mechanic."
Our identity slowly becomes attached to our profession.
That's dangerous.
Because if your identity comes from your work...
then losing your job means losing yourself.
Failure at work becomes failure as a person.
Criticism at work feels like criticism of your value.
Promotion becomes the measure of your worth.
Faith changes all of that.
Our identity is in Christ.
Before God ever gave Israel work...
He made them His people.
Before Jesus ever sent His disciples...
He called them to Himself.
God always establishes identity before assignment.
The Christian doesn't work to become valuable.
The Christian works because he already is valuable to Christ.
Paul could be imprisoned...
beaten...
shipwrecked...
poor...
and still rejoice.
Why?
Because none of those things defined him.
Christ did.
That's why Paul could say,
"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."
Faith becomes the ballast that keeps us upright when work becomes difficult.
Application
Lose your job...
you still belong to Christ.
Retire...
you still belong to Christ.
Become disabled...
you still belong to Christ.
Success never makes you more valuable.
Failure never makes you less valuable.
Your value was settled at Calvary.
II. Faith Gives Dignity to Every Kind of Work
One of the greatest lies our culture teaches is that some jobs matter...
and other jobs don't.
The Bible teaches something entirely different.
God Himself worked.
Genesis begins with God creating.
Then He places Adam into the garden.
Not to relax.
To work.
Work existed before sin.
The curse made work difficult.
The curse did not invent work.
Work is part of God's good creation.
Jesus spent most of His earthly life working.
We often think about His three-year ministry.
But before that...
He spent nearly thirty years living an ordinary working life.
He was known as
"The carpenter."
The Son of God spent the overwhelming majority of His earthly life doing ordinary work.
That tells us something.
Ordinary work matters to God.
There is no insignificant work.
The janitor who cleans the church...
The mother changing diapers...
The farmer planting seed...
The programmer writing software...
The nurse caring for patients...
The truck driver delivering food...
The cashier greeting customers...
None of those jobs are beneath God's attention.
If done for Christ...
they become acts of worship.
Christians should pursue excellence.
Because our audience isn't our employer.
It's Christ.
When nobody notices...
He notices.
When nobody thanks us...
He knows.
When nobody appreciates the effort...
He sees every detail.
That's why Colossians says,
"Do it heartily, as unto the Lord."
Not because your boss deserves it.
Because Jesus does.
III. Faith Gives a Moral Compass
Work creates opportunities.
It also creates temptations.
Money.
Recognition.
Power.
Advancement.
Every profession offers opportunities to compromise.
Faith asks a different question.
The world asks,
"What can I get away with?"
Faith asks,
"What honors God?"
The world asks,
"Will anyone find out?"
Faith asks,
"What does God already know?"
Joseph
Joseph could have justified sin.
Nobody would have known.
His brothers had betrayed him.
He had suffered unfairly.
Yet he refused.
Why?
Because he feared God more than he desired pleasure.
His faith shaped his ethics.
Daniel
Daniel served pagan kings.
He worked in a corrupt government.
Yet he never compromised his convictions.
He served faithfully.
Worked diligently.
Obeyed authority.
But when authority contradicted God...
he remained loyal to God.
Faith gave him a moral compass.
Integrity is expensive.
Sometimes honesty costs promotions.
Sometimes righteousness costs money.
Sometimes doing what's right makes life harder.
But Christians understand something the world doesn't.
Character is worth more than career.
No promotion is worth damaging your testimony.
IV. Faith Shapes How We Work
Eventually...
your work shapes you...
or Christ shapes your work.
Nobody remains unchanged.
Romans 12 says,
"Be not conformed to this world..."
Every workplace has its culture.
Its language.
Its values.
Its priorities.
Without realizing it...
we slowly begin thinking like everyone else.
Faith continually renews our minds.
Christians should be known by their character.
Not merely by talent.
Anybody can be talented.
Not everybody is trustworthy.
Honesty
Tell the truth.
Even when it costs.
Even when nobody would know.
Truth reflects the God of truth.
Reliability
Be the person others depend upon.
Finish what you begin.
Arrive when you say you will.
Faithfulness often speaks louder than giftedness.
Humility
Take correction.
Give credit.
Serve others.
The greatest worker isn't the one constantly seeking recognition.
It's the one trying to glorify Christ.
Excellence
Never confuse excellence with perfection.
Perfection belongs to God.
Excellence is simply offering God your very best.
Sloppy work says,
"This wasn't important."
Excellent work says,
"God deserves my best."
Patience
Every job involves difficult people.
Customers.
Employees.
Managers.
Clients.
Faith reminds us how patient Christ has been toward us.
Therefore we become patient with others.
Mercy
People make mistakes.
Christians should be the first to correct...
and the first to forgive.
Justice matters.
Grace matters too.
Truthfulness
Not merely avoiding lies.
Rejecting manipulation.
Rejecting deception.
Rejecting hidden motives.
Living transparently.
Because our God delights in truth.
These aren't simply good business principles.
They're evidence that Christ is transforming us.
V. Faith Keeps Work From Becoming Your Master
Here's the danger.
Work is a wonderful servant.
It is a terrible master.
Some people worship leisure.
Others worship careers.
Either one can become an idol.
Jesus spoke about a rich man who built bigger barns.
His entire identity became his success.
God called him
"Thou fool."
Not because he was wealthy.
Because wealth had become his god.
Your job is a gift.
It is not your savior.
Only Christ deserves that place.
If work becomes your master...
you'll sacrifice family.
Health.
Church.
Integrity.
Peace.
Everything eventually gets placed on the altar of success.
Faith refuses to bow before that idol.
Conclusion
Faith transforms every part of work.
It gives us stability because our identity is found in Christ.
It gives dignity to every honest occupation because all work can be offered to God.
It gives us a moral compass so success never comes at the expense of righteousness.
It shapes our character so we become more like Christ while doing our jobs.
And it keeps work in its proper place—a gift from God, never a substitute for God.
The Christian should be the most dependable employee.
The most trustworthy employer.
The most honest contractor.
The most compassionate nurse.
The most diligent student.
The most faithful mechanic.
Not because Christians are naturally better people.
But because every task, every conversation, every project, and every responsibility is ultimately done before the Lord.
One day, your employer may never remember your name.
Your coworkers may forget everything you accomplished.
The world will move on.
But there is One who has watched every unseen act of faithfulness.
Every honest decision.
Every extra effort.
Every temptation resisted.
Every task done "as unto the Lord."
And on that day, the only words that will matter are these:
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21)
That is the Christian's motivation for work—not merely to earn a paycheck, build a career, or gain recognition, but to glorify Christ in every task He places before us.