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I have appreciated fellows who have come to me. And we've had those kind of dialogues.! And his life and ministry display wisdom inherent in being God.
So today we're going to talk a bit about work. And what the Proverbs has to say about that. But I'm going to pray first.
Father, I do thank you for being a part of the body of Christ. Where there is an opportunity for us to sharpen one another. And those blessings are so great.
That we can appreciate the gifts you have given to the body. So Father, today as we look at your word.
Make sure that you are the one that we focus on first and foremost. And may this be a blessing to you and to your people.
In Jesus name. Amen. So we're going to start not in the book of Proverbs. We're going to start in the book of Genesis.
Vamos a comenzar en el libro de Génesis. And so Genesis 3. 17 to 19. Genesis 3 del 17 al 19. So if you turn there, we'll look at that first.
Si van allí, vamos a ver esto primero. If someone would read that first in English.
Si alguien lo quiere leer primero en inglés. And then in Spanish. Y después en español. Okay, Jerry. If you would start in... Yes, 17.
Where it starts, cursed is the ground. Cursed is the ground because of you.
In pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Go ahead. Go ahead. Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.
And you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread. Till you return to the ground. For out of it you are taken.
For you are dust. And to dust you shall return. Okay. Is there someone that would like to read it in Spanish? Alguien que lo quiera leer en español. Desde donde comienza la mitad del versículo 17.
Que dice maldita. Ahí empieza. Hasta el 19. Maldita será la piedra por tu causa. Por dolor comerás de ella. Todo lo que ha destruido. Espinos y carlos te producirá y comerás plantas en el campo.
Con sudor de tu rostro comerás el pan. Hasta que vuelvas a la tierra. Porque ella. Porque de ella fuiste y tomado. El polvo eres. Y al polvo mejorás.
So my question to you is. Is this a good place for us to start with the idea of work? La pregunta que yo quiero hacer. ¿Ese es un buen lugar para nosotros comenzar a aprender acerca del trabajo?
And why or why not? Sí y por qué no. Go ahead. I mean. I mean. You can go even further back. When it was. When it was. They're good. Okay. God has given him.
Work to do it. So. Él dice que vayamos atrás para cuando se comenzó. Que Dios le había dado la orden a Adán a trabajarla. Y que todo era bueno. So.
The. The problem with starting here. Is that this is the popular idea. It fosters the popular idea of work. El problema de empezar aquí.
Es que esto. Distribuye una visión errada acerca del trabajo. So before we go back further. I want us to talk about. What are the popular ideas of work?
Yo quiero que veamos. Cuáles son las ideas populares. Concedientes al trabajo. Dave. Get it out of the way so you can enjoy your weekend.
Yep. Eso es. Quita el trabajo del medio para que puedas disfrutar ya tu fin de semana. Toil. Es difícil. Las dificultades. To get to the good part.
Para llegar a lo bueno. Quita lo del medio el problema. What else? ¿Qué más? Es un mal necesario.
Okay. And the reason it's necessary is because. La razón por la cual es necesario es porque. Go ahead and feel. It's necessary because people think.
Well we just have to do it. Pay the bills. Porque tenemos que hacerlo para poder pagar las cuentas. You know there is a. Um. Bumper sticker.
That says. I owe. I owe. Es como una carcomunia que tenemos en los carros pegada que dice yo debo. Yo debo. So off to work I go. Y yo siempre voy a estar reviendo.
Yep. Yep. Jerry. That work itself is not a joy. It's simply an end to. That it's the only way to prosper.
Right. Dice. Como que el trabajo no es algo para disfrutarlo. Sino que es la única forma por medio de la cual podemos prosperar. And if that supports what Phil said.
It's a necessary evil. Y esto apoya lo que dice Phil. Que es un mal necesario. Uh. I forget what I was going to write. Okay. Go ahead. Somebody else. Charlotte.
Monday. Yep. Day to day. Esto. Es mundano. And. We can think of the word drudgery.
Y que lo hacemos a regañadientes. Yeah. Jen. I don't know if this fits in too. But there's also the spectrum. Of entitlement. Of. Wanting to survive without work.
Versus. Workaholism. Okay. Good. Good. Okay. And we'll. Need to talk about that. Hay una contradicción. En algunos que pudieran. Tratar de evitar. A toda costa.
A toda costa. El trabajo. O otros que se vuelven. Adictos al trabajo. So we've got this idea. That I've got to work. I've got to work. I've got to work. Because. I think.
If I'm not right. Jen. Often. Why do people do this? Porque a menudo la persona. Dicen yo tengo que trabajar. Tengo que trabajar. O se vuelven. Adictos al trabajo. The workaholic.
Because. Financial. It could be financial. It could be financial. Trying to just get away from problems at home. Could be that. Tratar de. Quitar de en medio los problemas.
En la casa. Jen. Power and control. Power and control. I have influence. Yep. We tend to find. Our identity. And what we can accomplish. Yeah. I think a lot of it has to do with men particularly.
This is where my identity is. I'm sorry. I didn't hear. Oh she said. That's. Identity. Es para como tener una identidad. Yo super trabajo. Tengo. And so we get the idea that identity.
This is what I do. So that's who I am. Mi identidad. Eso es lo que yo hago. Eso es lo que yo soy. There is actually. Another website.
That if you go on. It is very interesting. It is called. Shouldbeworking.com Hay una forma. Una página en el internet. Que dice.
Shouldbeworking.com Debo estar trabajando.com Debo estar trabajando.com Is it an alias for Facebook? No.
No. When you go on to this website. It's for people who are at work. But they're not working. So why is the title here? Shouldbeworking.com But they're at work.
Should I be. Debo estar trabajando. Debo estar trabajando. Pero eso es para aquellos. Mientras están trabajando. Se distraigan con esa página de internet. So what it is.
It's a website. Es una página del web. And they can go on. And they know they should be working. They're at work. And what they're doing. Is there is a variety of games.
You can play. Y mientras están trabajando. Lo que hay ahí. Es una. Una. Un despliegue de juegos. Y otras distracciones. That they can play. Kind of on the slide. Que ellos supuestamente pueden estar haciendo.
Mientras supuestamente están trabajando. So that the boss doesn't know. Para que los jefes no se den cuenta. Great ideas. Una gran. Grandes ideas esas. No they're not. No. Esas no son buenas ideas.
Right David. That's exactly right. But it amplifies the idea that while I'm at work. I don't need to work. Esto es para ejemplificar la idea.
Que a pesar de que yo supuestamente estoy trabajando. No debo trabajar. Yo no quiero trabajar. When we get to the Proverbs. We end up with the two.
That actually Laura mentioned. We get the sluggard. Cuando vamos a los Proverbs. Vamos a encontrar dos cosas que mencionó Lara. Vamos a ver al peresoso. And we get the opposite.
Which is the worship of work. Y vemos al opuesto. Que es el que adora el trabajo. And we'll get there in just a minute. Vamos a llegar ahí unos minutos. Before we do that. We need to go back. To the beginning.
What passage do you want to go to. When you think of work. That gives us. I'm sorry. That gives us a good perspective on work.
And what we were made for. You mentioned Genesis. I'm asking the question. He's asking the question. A what passage should we go? So where are you going to go? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I always taught my kids in Proverbs. Much during our family devotions. See the man who is diligent about his work. He will serve for kings.
Not for meager men. Okay. Yo les introduí a mis hijos en el libro de los Proverbios. Cuando dice. Ves al hombre diligente. Él estará en los palacios de los reyes. And that is a true story.
We need to get there. Genesis 1.28. Genesis 1.28. Turn back a page. Vayan una página atrás. Ahí a Genesis. So I'm going to read this.
And then Genesis 1.28. Genesis 1.28. Él lo va a leer. And God blessed them. And God said to them. Be fruitful and multiply.
And fill the earth. And subdue it. And rule over the fish of the sea. And over the birds of the sky. And over every living thing that moves on the earth. 28.28.
28. So what are the key words.
That come out of that passage. That talk to us. About what work is. And how we were made for it. Go ahead.
It was a blessing. Okay. Dice que era una bendición. It was good. Era bueno. So we have. It was a blessing. To work.
It's a blessing to work. Es una bendición trabajar. And what do you say Dave? It's good. It was good. Es bueno. Yeah. It was not the toilets are frustrating.
Okay. We deal with this part. We deal with this part. What word in the passage.
Helps us think about. What does it mean to work? What word in the passage. and nos hace entender lo que significa trabajar. Phil. Dominion? Is that in your Bible? The word dominion?
Está en tu Biblia la palabra dominio? Read yours again. Be fruitful and multiply and build the earth and have dominion. Have dominion. Ten dominion sobre la tierra y todo árbol que está allí.
Edison, did you want, is that what you're going to say? To fill the earth and rule over it.
Okay. Fill and rule. Okay. So we've got these two things. Phil. Llenarla y rule. Reinar o gobernar sobre ella.
And let me just check Phil because I think mine parece que esa traducción incluye esa palabra. Yes. In yours, Phil, when it says be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, what comes next?
And subdue it. Subdue it. Okay. It is there. En la traducción que tiene Phil dice subyugar la tierra. Subdue. Okay. Let's talk about subduing the world.
That's what you were called to and that's what I'm called to. So what does that mean practically? Yeah. Traer el orden en medio del caos.
I think this is important because we don't often think about this. A menudo no pensamos acerca de esto. Out of chaos.
Fuera del caos. Salir del caos. Where else do you see that in the creation story? ¿Dónde vemos esto en el orden de la creación? The world was out and without form.
Yeah. The earth was. Yeah. The world is without form. Without void. Was void and without form. And it was brought into order.
So what we're doing is we're following God's own creativity in bringing the world into order.
So practically what does that look like? Laura were you going to say something else? I was just going to comment the kids and I have learned so much in the last three years about how many of the first scientists were Christians and they discovered the things they did because they believed there was a God who created the world that got ordered and it's been fascinating to see how many of them were willing to search for order because of that world view and they wrote about it.
Right. So let's follow Laura's point and say what are you telling your children about how to order the world?
Let's follow the example of Laura and how we teach our children to get out of chaos order to get out of chaos the order Go ahead, Kurt.
Just continue making the world a better place Practically I want you to be very practical, Kurt. I want you to be practical What are you telling your kids? Huh?
Plant trees Plant trees Okay, plant trees That's important We planted trees Juan Juan To show morality and respect Okay Patience I want you to be more practical than that Go ahead, Anita Make your bed Okay Make your bed Put your clothes in the drawer Make sure that you know where things are If when they're done taking their clothes off at night and they throw their clothes on the floor What you have is chaos What's their job?
Bring order out of chaos So that's for children Go ahead, Juan Once you finish eating wash your dishes Okay Good, good So once you're done eating what do you do with your dishes?
I remember this is now I'm from a different era I know that We were brought up in the dinosaur age But when the first time when my parents took us to a restaurant We thought we had to take our dishes to the sink It was just part of the habit that we were taught that's what you do at the end of the meal Those are practical things that children need to understand Now bring it up a notch to us Oh, excuse me Seth, you want to say something before we bring it up Yes, sir Not just doing that but talking to them about why we do that Exactly No solamente decirles que los hagan sino decirles por qué It's not just to bless our own life and it is but it's because God made order out of chaos
He made order Exactly You have to talk to them about it Thank you, Seth You've been well taught The why The why question The why question is always the most important because if they only learn this is what we do La pregunta de por qué es muy importante porque solamente le decimos esto es lo que hay que hacer without the why there will be a generation of kids who grew up the same way I did Van a haber una generación de niños que van a crecer como yo crecí So that as an adult when the kids ask why do we do this Dad will say because I said so That's not good enough So that in my generation you know well maybe you don't know how old I am but the reason why the 60s happened with the hippies and free love and all of those things was the generation before that though they had godly influence in their past could not provide the reason why that we had to do things
Their only worry was do it because I said so and so kids in the 60s rebelled and that's where we are today Okay back to the story Let's bring it up a notch in terms of applying this truth to us in terms of work Let's look at the ant Proverbs 6 Proverbs 6 So we're going to find a lesson from a very tiny creature and 6 to 11 and I will read Go to the ant
O sluggard observe her ways and be wise which having no chief officer or ruler prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest How long will you lie down O sluggard When will you arise from your sleep A little sleep A little slumber A little folding of the hands to rest and your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man Okay Okay Okay So what I want us to do is what are the lessons we need to learn from the ant Start going through the passage
Go ahead Juan do you have something I'm not following the passage but I know the ends or help each other there are one after the other organized Okay So part of this work is a communal aspect It's communal in nature What else?
It's communal in nature Self-motivated It actually goes against that website that I was mentioning before Because at work if the boss isn't there That doesn't matter It doesn't matter You know Jerry did you say Yeah It encourages a long deal or preparation You know Gathers A good In the summer Gathers A good In the summer My work has a future orientation to it.
If you want a shade tree plant an acorn today. There is perspective that says the work I do today will have an effect going onward.
So what are some of those effects that I have by being faithful in my work day by day? John?
Okay. So there's a provision story here. I'm providing day to day. That's important. I'm providing for present need.
What else? What else? Yeah, Phil? Developing habits and discipline. Yeah. Habits and discipline. Nancy, what were you going to say?
Just gaining proficiency for higher responsibility and deeper work. And where do you see that?
Besides in this he who is good with little will be given much.
Yeah, so I'm being faithful with little and I will get greater responsibility.
I will get greater responsibility. it goes back to what Jerry! Jerry was saying earlier. And that is you see a man who is faithful with his work, he will stand before kings.
Okay, Dave? You talked about planting an acorn today. Our children won't have trees. I'm not beating an acorn.
But our children will have trees in the yard if we don't work today. It's blesses beyond us. Yeah. Mencionando el acorn que es la semillita que uno siembra para sembrar una mata de roble pues si los hijos no se esfuerzan a trabajar hoy no va a haber resultado.
Good. Where you Jerry? Yeah, I was just going to say where it says providing for presently this verse is more focused on future need.
Yep. Right. Right. So practically what it means is I don't spend everything that I earn.
Because it doesn't have that perspective of what's coming next. coming next. Eli? Sabe que nos enseña de que no existe una lucha o una competencia entre ellas por una posición de liderazgo y eso lo lleva a que haya unidad y buscar el bien del mundo.
El habla en cuanto a las hormiguitas que ya no You need to translate it into English. He was saying that the ends there's not a competition to see I want to be the leader they're all working in a communal sense in community helping each other.
Okay. Good. So there's an aspect of when I go to work even if you work in a factory there is an end product that you only had part of. A buena factory when I work your part is for a final product that you want to obtain.
But your part is important. If you didn't do that there's going to be something missing in the end product. When you buy certain things that you have to put together they always put in more nuts and bolts than you need.
Do you say they put more? More. Yeah. He wants to teach.
Other things. From the ant. Stephanie. He who works is wise.
Good. Got one. When you work diligently focus you are becoming an example for generations.
That is huge because the ant is being an example to us but it's so that we will be an example to our children to their children to the next generation and on.
Yeah. Gracias. Something that said and I think it's the same point before a couple of times is when we do things so that it benefits the other person.
So essentially the fork was already used but now that it's back in its place someone else can now benefit from it being there. Tratando de hacer las cosas organizadamente para hacer ejemplo!
El tenedor se quita y se pone en su lugar pues el otro que viene sabe dónde encontrarlo. Yeah. So that could be another why that could be presented for our children so that they understand it.
It's not so much about me and why and all this other work and another chore. Something that could benefit someone me. Yeah. I've forgotten the quote but there is a fellow!
that! wrote! this and he said what would be different if the car mechanic went to work not thinking about the fact that I'm fixing cars but helping people get where they need to go in other words it's a mind shift from my work is this thing that I'm doing to!
as Christians that's going to get you out of bed because it changes the way that my work what it means to me I'm here to benefit others I'm helping someone good John one thing responsibility would fit into that category yes it's responsible because that's what was intended we were designed to work and every person regardless of their inability or their handicap is designed to work okay we've gotten farther and farther afield but let's go back to the Proverbs and let's look at some of the passages that talk about the sluggard so if you have your
Bible 19 chapter 19 verse 15 Proverbs 19 15 says this laziness casts into a deep sleep and an idle man will suffer hunger the sluggard already has an idea in his head what's important to him according to this Dave we could say sleep but leisure is a bigger time yeah yep yep some L-I-E L-E-I which is it leisure thanks
Dave so I live for the weekend okay that's that's the point to live for the weekend I live for the weekend to eat to eat yeah okay jump over to chapter 26 verse 14 yes still in proverbs 26 14 like the door turns on its hinges so does the sluggard on his bed so this guy knows that
I need to get up and go to work but he flips over and goes back to sleep and if his conscience pricks him or his alarm clock goes off again he puts the alarm off and he turns over again so that's a picture of a sluggard and if you move your hand down one verse to verse 15 the sluggard buries his hand in the dish he is weary of bringing it to his mouth again a little different idea what's what's implied in that passage it's too much work even if it's to his benefit if it's too much work he won't do it yeah John free ride yes somebody put it in my mouth please yeah
Jerry I think that verse previous is so interesting because it it's describing the character of a sluggard and the character of a door is that it's fastened to a the hinge fastens it to the frame and it can only swing it can't get up and go off and do something that's the only thing you can do is flip flop la la idea que dice en el versículo anterior acerca de la bisagra ok yeah that was good Jerry the lazy one is always finding an excuse like the verse before about the lion for not to do what he's supposed to do yes yes yeah if you go back to 13
Walter is saying there's a lion in the road and the lion is in the open square he has a reason why he can't do what he's doing so what is the American version of someone who loves sleep what is is what what!
what is the American of who likes to to sleep!! what do do do do! do!! do!
do you yes I was thinking more like what what do a lot of people do at the end of the day at the end of the week what words do we use to describe them when they go home their goal is to a couch potato they want to veg out is that is that right mean that's a current veg out veg out veg out satisfy me satisfy me yes if Spanish people have a better time okay in other words I worked hard today and at the end of the day I owe to myself the fact that now I can sit down and relax because
I've done my work meanwhile! the woman of the house is still working she is getting the next meal she is preparing for the evening she is doing on and on and on and on Kyle go ahead!
one time I saw a cover of a book and it was called Sex Begins in the Kitchen and I don't think it meant!
you know it was the first I did read the book but I think what it talked to me the woman is more likely to be accessible get some help cleaning up thank you we're almost out of time but I wanted to say out of these few verses we've looked at out of the whole thing what are the lessons we need to learn so that we live in the world rightly Phil yeah
I think what Phil said was really important being made in the image of God really what we're talking about is we're becoming more like God as we do that we understand more who he is yeah we're amazed at his character yeah I think that's a very important thing we need to get rid of all of these things in the way that we think and the way that we interact with our work and the way that we go about our work because they are anti christian and so as a result we need to be people who become more human by being what we were created to be as image bearers who love to work my best friend he said
I hope when we get to heaven that we can work that's how much he loved work that's what we were made for I don't think at that point if that is true and I don't know what God will have intended because there will be no more chaos but what will we be doing I don't know that but I don't think we're going to sit around on the clouds and play harps new heavens new earth something will be different but we're still humans Eli is to be good stewards of
God's resources yeah good one good good good good When we pray God to give us wisdom to be able to prosper in our works, we will set an example, as I mentioned before, for others.
Good. Kurt? Kurt? I guess we were saying finding joy in our work. And that's not finding our work to be our fulfillment necessarily, because we can swing through our hearts.
I've got to find something else. I've got to find something that fulfills me. Fulfills me. Fulfills me. Yes. But at the same time, there's the finding joy in whatever you're doing.
Yep. Poder encontrar gozo en hacer lo que debemos hacer. No necesariamente que tiene que satisfacerme a mí necesariamente, pero... Yeah, Jen. Oh, I'm sorry.
Jen. So there's also kind of like the tie-in to the stewardship in that God has given us each talent and abilities that working hard stewards those things well.
Yeah. Dios nos ha dado dones. Y usarlos sabiamente, con sabiduría, con buena mayordomía, pues nos ayuda a hacer lo que Dios nos ha puesto a hacer. Hacerlo bien.
Let me mention just a couple things and then we need to be done. Mis un par de cosas y con esto vamos a terminar. Obviously, God worked for how many days? ¿Por cuántos días trabajó Dios?
Six. That means there has to be... Por seis. There has to be a balance of life and work. Tiene que haber un balance entre trabajo... Work and rest.
Y descanso. And so, it is not inappropriate for us to rest... No es inapropiado para nosotros descansar. But the six days that I have to work...
Ought to be a great delight to me because I have the opportunity to go to work. Un gran delight para mí porque tuve la oportunidad de ir a trabajar. In that...
In esto. I am identifying what it says in 2 Corinthians 5.17. ¿Qué me estoy identificando en lo que habla en Corintios? Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature.
The old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5.17. De modo que si alguno está en Cristo, nueva criatura es. Las cosas viejas pasaron y aquí todas son hechas nuevas.
As Christians, these are the old things that need to pass away. Como cristiano, estas son las cosas que tienen que pasar. And we need to ask God to give us a new mind in every area of life.
And we need to ask God to give us a new mind in every area of our lives. Particularly today as we're talking about work. Do I delight in this opportunity?
As a retired man, I love to work. And I work every day. And it is great fun. We will have you come to my house and I'll show you what I'm doing.
Let me close in prayer. Father, we thank you for blessing us with work. With the opportunity to bring order out of chaos.
Help us. To not take in the culture's ideas. And instead work the way we were designed.
To not take in the ideas of the society. To not take in the ideas of the society. And instead work the way we were designed. For not to work the way we were designed. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. tant. Amen. Amen.