Second Look: The Cross and My Career
[powerpress] Matthew 20:1-16 (NIV)
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5So they went.“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’7 “ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
What is the point of your work, and what is God's intended purpose behind it? It all commences with the reality that the world is His vineyard (Psalm 24:1,2). Your boss, the company or school for which you work, are ultimately stewards, and you have been placed in your place of work to cultivate that piece of God's creation. You ultimately work for Jesus, thus you want to do an excellent job in your workplace, recognizing proper motives for our work and the means through which you honor God through it.
The Scripture begins, as with all other truths, with God as creator and the proclamation that the world in which you live ultimately belongs to Him. God commissioned you to be a caretaker and cultivator of His creation. You do this through your career, in which you should have a sense of calling. The gospel reveals that it is when you are detached from your maker, life through His Son and your God-ordained purpose, that your life unravels.
"All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." - C.S. Lewis
Jesus is here indicating that it doesn't matter if you've grown up Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, atheist, agnostic, or Christian. There is a temptation and a pull to be culturally indoctrinated, never having put thought into why you actually believe what you believe. Truth becomes an emotional byproduct of your surroundings and upbringing rather than facts that have their foundation in both transcendent and physical realities. Our perception of the metaphysical is colored by our experiences, both positive and traumatic, to the extent that many never venture into objective analysis of why they do what they do.
When Jesus speaks of hiring people in the fields, it is clear that He is not speaking about people who are literally doing nothing. He called His first apostles from being fishermen, tax collectors, and revolutionaries. The issue at hand is a need for conversion. Jesus is speaking of your need to have your perspective about him, your life, and your work, reoriented to His purposes. The converted heart is not just talking about the new believer. It is ultimately a matter of identity, to whom you belong, what things upon which you feed, and what defines you.
“God is not an employer looking for employees. He is an Eagle looking for people who will take refuge under his wings. He is looking for people who will leave father and mother and homeland or anything else that may hold them back from a life of love under the wings of Jesus.”
― John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence: Sex, Race, and the Sovereignty of God
Our Need for Conversion
Merriam-Webster defines conversion in this way:
1a : to bring over from one belief, view, or party to another 2a : to alter the physical or chemical nature or properties of especially in manufacturing b (1) : to change from one form or function to another (2) : to alter for more effective utilization
Where is the conversion seen?
Conversion begins when you come to the cross of Jesus Christ. As you repent of your sin and put your trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, you are changed in your very nature. You are forgiven, and the Holy Spirit comes to live in you. This results in devotion to God that should be cultivated privately and felt publicly. In God's mind, there is no division between the sacred and the secular. Every endeavor of life is to be holy, set apart to him. This is why where you spend the majority of your life, in school or in the marketplace, is of great concern to God. Your faith grows in church settings, being strengthened by the affirmation of God's truth through the preaching of His Word. In consistent fellowship, you are comforted by the love of brothers and sisters. The confirmation of God's faithfulness through the testimony of others offers healing to you as you worship and the encouragement of the collective wisdom of His people equips you for your days. All of this is meant to be taken home and deepened daily through your giving, prayer, and sacrifice in the secret place. It is here that you find God's pleasure. These are the mechanisms through which He matures you. These are areas where you first and clearly display your faith in God.
How does the gospel of Jesus Christ cross over to my work life and daily experience?
Matthew 20:17-28 (NIV)
17Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” 22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. 23Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” 24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
We desire glory but don't want to pay the price to get it. Many times we don't know what we are asking for when we desire the success in business or in relationships that we see that others have.
We see the finished product of people's efforts but don't know the tedious process it took to get there. The same is true if someone is going to make a concerted impact for the Kingdom of God with their career.
"A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone." -Martin Luther, in his 1520 treatise On Christian Liberty (also known as On the Freedom of a Christian) http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/october/bonds-of-freedom.html
Jesus has called us to live and emulate the gospel. This generation thinks that they are impacting the world by liking or unliking something on their Facebook page, while doing nothing in reality. This is a deception. Low commitment, spotty contributions have relatively zero impact on the world in which we actually live. Giving online commentaries on the world does not mean that you are helping it. Engaging God and others for Jesus and the gospel, does (i.e. - mentoring children).
What, then, should be your Christian ambition in the workplace?
Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of all that was foreshadowed in the Old Testament and is our perfect king, high priest, prophet, teacher, and God. As a Christian, you are called to be part of a kingdom of priests. This means that you have both a kingly and priestly responsibility where you live and work. As a co-heir with Jesus Christ, a Christian is left in society to rule as God would.
You do this by lifting others and their performance around you so that every customer, employee, and employer receives an increase from your contribution.
You should worship God in your workplace. Work should be worship.
1) As a king or queen
“When you were made a leader you weren't given a crown, you were given the responsibility to bring out the best in others.” ― Jack Welch
You are to be a profitable, restorative agent of the Kingdom of God within your workplace through humble, diligent service to your customers, co-workers, and superiors. This is what it means to be a servant leader and it is your responsibility to bring character, integrity, ethics, and cultivation of the world around you through your work. People, communities, and the culture in which you live should benefit and reflect more of God's glory because of your involvement with them. It should be your daily prayer to find wisdom through which you can do this.
“For you,” God says, “the route to gaining influence is not taking power. Influence gained through power and control doesn’t really change society; it doesn’t change hearts. I’m calling you to a totally different approach. Be so sacrificially loving that the people around you, who don’t believe what you believe, will soon be unable to imagine the place without you. They’ll trust you because they see that you’re not only out for yourself, but out for them, too. When they voluntarily begin to look up to you because of the attractiveness of your service and love, you’ll have real influence.” — Tim Keller, King’s Cross
2) As a priest
Being high powered in business and industry does not mean that you have it together in your private life or home. Our detox centers are filled with those who have come to understand this through hitting rock bottom or the intervention of loved ones. You can not close your eyes to those who need Jesus around you and expect to be found innocent by God. No child of God is meant to remain an infant. However, if you look at the church in America, surrounded by comforts, this is where most of us remain. The individual who won't grow up and lives for selfish pleasures will eventually be judged.
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done? (Proverbs 24:11, 12 NIV)
“Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.” ― George Washington
Programs like AA have helped countless people, and we hope to have our own Christ-centered support groups in the church. As you are excellent in your responsibilities and live as a servant leader, work will also be your mission field through which you have opportunity to minister through the relationships built there. Wait for them, and God will open doors in the most unexpected places.
We need you who are already established in the faith to be the older brothers and sisters, that as we are crying out for this city, are helping to build the family of God through your giving, prayers, and sacrificial living. It is so that communities can be rebuilt, our city transformed, and your work life be a vehicle, through which all of this occurs. It is so that lives can be saved through meeting King Jesus, being transformed by the power of His love demonstrated on the cross.
Second City Church- Second Look Sermon Series 2013