[0:00] Thanks. Such amazing stories about faith heroes all throughout the Bible. It wonders me, what did they touch on which caused them to do such amazing things?
[0:12] Today I'm going to be talking about working for the Lord. Before I begin, I want us to go into two things. The first is that God died for you. It's something that's told to us again and again, especially if we've grown up in church families or communities.
[0:26] But I think because we are told it again and again, it begins to lose its meaning. I mean, just think, the God that was in heaven came to earth, experienced all sorts of temptation, and died so that you could know him.
[0:43] For some... Oh, he said that, sorry. I want you to imagine this is the first time you have ever heard that the God of the world wants a personal relationship with you.
[0:55] And he knows everything about you. It should invoke something in us that makes us want to run for him, not so we can earn his love, he offers it freely, but instead to learn to experience all of God as our will aligns with his.
[1:12] I think the people mentioned in this passage we have just been reading knew this, and it gave them a zeal, a love so great that they would go down in history as true faith heroes.
[1:27] The second thing I want to touch on before we begin is when we were on our weekend away a couple weeks ago today, I was sitting at lunch with a man called Wyatt from the group called YWAM, that youth with a mission, a missions group that were visiting us.
[1:46] Me and Wyatt talked over our lunch, and one of the things we discussed was that me, as a 15-year-old boy, is just as cool as all of these faith heroes and the different speakers we hear.
[2:02] And it's something I feel like I know, but it really hit me of those people we just heard about, Paul, David, Abraham, or any of the other apostles.
[2:15] They were all called to different things, and we're just as cool to our calling as they were. So those are the two things I want you to remember.
[2:27] God loves you and died for you, and we are called just as much as one another. So what does it actually mean to work for the Lord? Well, for one, I think it starts with knowing that it is not in our timing.
[2:43] David was appointed to become king before Goliath, and when Goliath came around, there was a promise that whoever killed Goliath would become king.
[2:54] But when David killed Goliath, he didn't go to Saul and claim his throne. Instead, he went back to his job. I think David knew that he wasn't in charge and that when he was meant to become king, it would happen.
[3:12] But there was a time before that that he had to go through to reach his calling. We all have these callings that we are all called to, but there was a time before that that we must work for the Lord before we can reach it.
[3:34] This can sound terrifying or like it's too much to do, but it's okay, because honestly, it is too much for us alone. The people in these passages, they didn't have to do it alone.
[3:48] They had a God in heaven who now walks with us on earth to help them. It says in the Bible, in this world, you will have trouble.
[4:06] And that is true. As Christians, we live our lives daily and we have troubles that face us. But then it says, to take heart for he has overcome the world. Let's look at a story in the Bible where we see this.
[4:20] In the Old Testament, a king made a statue and he commanded everyone to bow down and they ordered the whole nation on their knees to this false god. And there were three men out of everyone in a whole country standing to, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego.
[4:37] They end up with being thrown into a furnace for doing this. And at this point, if they were alone, they would surely die. But instead, they were seen walking around the fire with a fourth man described as looking like a son of the gods.
[4:55] They knew they didn't have to do it alone. They did it with an all-powerful God that protected them when they needed it. I doubt we are going to face trials like they did.
[5:07] But day in and day out, we have a responsibility to reflect the love we have been given on this earth by God. Let's look at Adam. That's Adam from the Old Testament, not me. What did he do in the garden before him and Eve made the mistake of eating the apple?
[5:23] The fruit. It doesn't actually say apple. In the perfect paradise, there was a form of work. He tended to the garden. Adam showed us the role in working for the Lord is to develop and take care of what which we have been given by the Lord and to do it with a joy that's rooted in him.
[5:43] And that sounds so simply put like that. So why can it be such a struggle sometimes? I think it's because it's easy. We've been given free will and that means we can choose to follow God or to not.
[5:59] And I think so often the easiest choice in the moment is to not and we will get it wrong. But luckily, even when we do get it wrong, we will because none of us can live that perfect life that Jesus came down to live for us, God will still call you a son and daughter and he will still call you to this amazing life that he's got prepared for you.
[6:24] if you're sitting here wondering, I want to work for the Lord but I don't know where or how to start, I challenge you to get stuck into your Bible and prayer life.
[6:36] Over time, you will begin to fall in love with God and it will invoke you to do so much more from a fascination of this amazing love we've been given and a determination to earn it because nothing you do will ever be enough to earn it, unfortunately.
[6:51] But that's okay because he gave it to you. When Jesus gave his life up on that cross, he said, it is finished. Just sit on that. Yes, it is finished.
[7:06] Our debt is paid and that means we can have this relationship with God. The sweetest thing that we can ever be offered and this work I have talked about will very quickly become a part of this relationship because it is so worth it.
[7:23] So if you're to remember one thing from today, I'd say this. God died for you. You are called and you don't have to walk this earth alone. God has given us each other to help us thrive with him and I want you to consider it all.
[7:38] The God who made the stars, the earth, and other planets billions of light years away, he looked at you and he said, I have a plan for this one who I'm very glad with.
[7:52] And he is calling you to something so much greater. Thank you. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you created each and everyone in your perfect plan, your perfect purpose.
[8:08] and we just pray now, Lord Jesus, that in whatever context we're going into this week, whether that be in school, in college, at work, in our own homes, Lord Jesus, we just pray that you would help us to do everything as if we are working for the Lord.
[8:28] As those great heroes of faith did, just like Adam talked to us about. Lord, would we work not for our own glory but for yours.
[8:41] And would you give us opportunities and eyes to see those opportunities for what they are, to take you into the places that we're going into this week.
[8:54] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.