Harbor Presbyterian - Uptown
Bringing Heaven To Work
Heaven at Work
Bringing Heaven to Work
Romans 5:12-21
INTRODUCTION
Before we look at our text today, I want to introduce this entire Faith and Work Series. Some people object to this whole series. Faith and Work? Faith has nothing to do with work. It’s like separation of church and state.
Not everyone is Christian, but everyone wishes that work was more like their image of heaven, right? What if heaven came down and invaded your job? Your company? Your industry? Your profession? What if you felt like going to work was a little like going to heaven?
My hope is that this month, every single one of you will experience a conversion—a Faith and Work conversion. I want to convince you that your faith is supremely important to you work—no matter what work you do. Whether you work in an office, at a site, from home or at home. If you run a company or a home, God cares about what you do. Your work matters to God and your faith can make your work significant and satisfying.
If you’re unemployed, or retired, or an unpaid volunteer, please realize that work is any effort to shape and influence the world around us, including other people. So don’t tune out, this series is for everyone.
As we get started, first we ought to assess ourselves to see where we are. I’m going to give you six levels and ask you where you are on the faith and work scale. If we look at it in terms of positions in a company, each level represents a promotion in the Faith and Work corporate ladder. I want to give out lots of promotions this month.
QUESTION: How do you integrate your faith and work?
Basement Level: Unemployed in integrating F&W. No integration. Faith is a private matter, separate from my work. Work is the grind. Work is the curse. Heaven and work don’t go together because heaven will be the end of work!
If you’re here, I want to employ you in the business of Faith and Work, and I want this series to lift you out of the basement and think more biblically about work. There are five more levels.
First Level: A worker in the business of Faith and Work.
PROVIDER. Work keeps you out of trouble, teaches you character lessons. Enables you to earn money to fulfill your God-given responsibilities to provide for your needs and your family’s. On this first level, you become a peer leader when you also realize that your work enables you to support the church.
Second Level: A manager in the business of Faith and Work.
EXCELLENCE. You are respected for excellence in your work. You do it well. You are known for your integrity. This is important because for you your work is a reflection on your God.
Third Level: A director in the business of Faith and Work
RELATIONSHIPS. You are gracious, forgiving, you serve others. You are trusted professionally and personally by co-workers and colleagues. People come to you. You are wise in sharing your faith with others, and share it so that people can understand and be blessed by your faith. You do all this without becoming annoying/obnoxious in the eyes of your co-workers.
Fourth Level: A Vice President in the business of Faith and Work
IMAGE OF GOD. You image God at work as creator, maintainer, or restorer. Your work helps you know God better because he does what you do at work. Your work begins to make the world today the way it will be in the restored and healed New Heaven and Earth. You see how your work contributes to the health of the city, and how your work serves the people of your community.
Fifth Level: A CEO in the business of Faith and Work
REDEEMER. You want to help others fix and restore the problems in your job/profession/company/
Where are you on the scale? Like I said, this month I want all of you to get promotions. I want you to think and act differently tomorrow, and for the rest of your career.
But how? How can things really change? It seems like such a daunting task. Well, it is. You can’t do it on your own. The way that you start is by BRINGING HEAVEN TO WORK. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. This is what our text is describing.
READ ROMANS 5:12-21
We’re going to see three points from our text today:
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- Two Kingdoms at Work
- What Keeps Heaven Out of work?
- What Brings Heaven Into work?
- Two Kingdoms at Work
There is theology rich enough to spend years studying it, but today, I just want you to notice the two kingdoms. The focus is on two men: Adam and Jesus. They are leaders and the work that each did started a kingdom that has affected everything.
Adam’s work broke the world. God is the source of all that is good. All happiness, satisfaction, productivity comes from God. When Adam and Eve sinned, they turned away from God, and turned away from God’s goodness. This affected everything, especially work.
We learned yesterday that we have a mouse in the house. We don’t know where it’s living, but we know it’s been under our sink. How do we know? It leaves droppings everywhere it goes. It’s really interesting that it does this. You always know if you have mice, because they can’t not leave droppings. It’s the same with this kingdom of Adam. It leaves its droppings everywhere. It affects everything.
Sin—11 times. This is falling short, missing the target, the goal.
Tresspass. 6 times, this is breaking the law.
Death. 5 times—Things that tear down, destroy life: bad relationships, back biting, gossip.
Judgment and condemnation—3 times. This is seen as an ethos of failure. This is depressing, when no matter what you do, it won’t be good enough.
It’s a kingdom. V21 says “sin reigned,” v14 says “death reigned.” We see this kingdom a lot at work. It’s more than isolated incidents, it’s a culture. It’s not fair, but don’t we see this at work? How often are you affected by the action of others?
Now, before you cry foul too quickly we need to recognize that that we too contribute to this ourselves. We’re not guiltless a work.
Jesus’ kingdom is different. His work is fixing what’s wrong with the world.
Gift—5 times. This is a present. Getting something for nothing. You don’t earn it, but Jesus brings you heaven as a gift.
Grace—5 times. Isn’t this wonderful at work? Undeserved favor. Acceptance and approval even when you fail. Forgiveness when you need it. Not making you pay for every mistake.
Righteousness—4 times. Not laws here, but this word means life as it should be. Harmony, peace, joy, good relationships, predictability, understandability. Doing the right thing. Getting things done.
Life—3 times. This is the good life. Eternal life—meaning that it lasts forever. Death brings an end to things. Life is the right way to do things. Things that will last.
Justification—forgiveness, transformation. Assurance, security.
This also is a kingdom. V21 “Grace reigns through righteousness to eternal life.”
These kingdoms are what affect the work place. Kingdom might be too foreign a word: think culture, an ethos, a vibe. A way of thinking that affects our lives.
What airline is best known for its customer service? Southwest Airlines. Southwest has the reputation for being fun. Why? Because they have the nicest staff. People love to work for Southwest. Why? Because Herb Kelleher, the owner, set it up that way. He set the tone, built the culture, and it shows from the executive leadership team all the way down to flight attendants. Southwest reflects the joy and fun of work that is a reflection of the kingdom of Jesus. From top to bottom.
We’ll talk more about these competing kingdoms and cultures in our next two points:
- What Keeps Heaven Out of Work
Simply put: participating in the kingdom/culture of Adam. This passage describes Adam’s kingdom and building and propogating this culture keeps heaven out of our work.
What hinders you? What keeps heaven out of your work?
Existing ruts
Already have a pattern
Never thought about that before
Fear
Being too different. Don’t want to stand out. Don’t want to lose relationships. Afraid you’d be taken advantage of. Performance Review—what might happen?
Industry/Profession Sins
What’s broken outside of you that pressures you the wrong ways at work?
So what do we do? How do fix this?
In this passage, we see these two kingdoms. They exist side by side. Like begets like. But that’s depressing if you’re stuck where you don’t want to be. If you’re on Adam’s side, what do you do?
The answer is right in the center of this passage. In the middle. This is the place where the two kingdoms come together. v16
What happens when the kingdom of Jesus collides with the kingdom of Adam? When the sin, death, and condemnation of Adam meet the abundant grace and righteousness of Jesus—Jesus’ kingdom wins out. But see how Jesus achieves this victory: he doesn’t stomp Adam and his kingdom into the dust of the ground. He takes the sins of Adam’s kingdom and he dies for them. He takes our many trespasses, and he takes them onto himself, suffering the condemnation for them, so that we can be forgiven—justified.
When the two kingdoms comes together, there is Jesus, the doorway that leads out from death and into life. It only takes one trespass to bring condemnation. But Jesus brings forgiveness, he brings the gift of salvation, he brings justification after many trespasses. This is what the text says.
If you are living in the Adam kingdom, you can bring all your sins, all your guilt and condemnation, bring your many trespasses to Jesus, and he’ll give you the gift of salvation. He’ll bring you into his kingdom. It’s the forgiveness, the justification that comes from his death and resurrection that makes you leave Adam’s kingdom and join his. So bring your many trespasses to Jesus. Where you sins abound, Jesus’ grace superabounds. It covers anything that you’ve ever done.
EXERCISE
We’re going to do an exercise. I’d like you to spend some time writing down the sins that you personally commit in your work. This is a private exercise, you don’t have to share this with anyone.
I’d also like you to write down where things are broken in your profession, your company, or your industry. The point here isn’t to throw rocks at others, but it’s to try to be clear regarding what keeps heaven out of your work.
In this passage, we see these two kingdoms. They exist side by side. Like begets like. But that’s depressing if you’re stuck where you don’t want to be. If you’re on Adam’s side, what do you do?
The answer is right in the center of this passage. In the middle, v16—There is something different about the work of Jesus. It can rescue people. It only takes one trespass to bring condemnation. But Jesus brings forgiveness, he brings the gift of salvation, he brings justification after many trespasses. This is what the text says.
If you are living in the Adam kingdom, you can bring all your sins, all your guilt and condemnation, bring your many trespasses to Jesus, and he’ll give you the gift of salvation. He’ll bring you into his kingdom. It’s the forgiveness, the justification that comes from his death and resurrection that makes you leave Adam’s kingdom and join his. So bring your many trespasses to Jesus.
I’d like you to look in your bulletin on page 5, we’re going to do an exercise. On that page I’d like you to spend some time writing down the sins that you personally commit in your work. This is a private exercise, you don’t have to share this with anyone.
I’d also like you to write down where things are broken in your profession, your company, or your industry. The point here isn’t to throw rocks at others, but it’s to try to be clear regarding what keeps heaven out of your work.
Personal List:
Profession/Company/Industry List:
Now we’re going to spend some time in prayer, confessing our sins to God. There is a prayer of confession printed in the bulletin to help you. In this prayer of confession, we are going to confess our own sins, and also the sins of our profession, company, and industry. This is a biblical practice. In Scripture Daniel, Job, Nehemiah, and Jesus confessed the sins of others as a way to ask God to bring his healing touch upon their world.
Prayer is the best place where Christians stand in the gap between the powerful love of God and the pain and brokenness of the workplace. When we bring these two realities together, they are like the two lenses of a pair of binoculars. The brokenness of our work brought together with the gracious love of God—and when it comes into focus, we find Christians on their knees.
If you’re not a Christian today, please don’t feel any pressure to pray. But please notice, these are the kinds of Christians we want to be here at Harbor. Not the kind that point fingers, or throw rocks, or who think we’re holier than everyone else. We want to do all we can to take responsibility for being part of the solution. Isn’t this what you hope Christians are doing when they’re not at work?
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
King Jesus, I confess that I haven’t thought enough about how your kingdom should influence my work. And when I’ve thought about what is wrong at my work, I’ve blamed everyone and everything else.
But now I want to start fresh. There are sins I commit at work, and I want to confess those to you.
Please forgive me for: [confess the things on your personal list].
And Jesus, the problem is bigger than me. There are sins that characterize my profession, my company, and my industry. I want to confess these to you, not to throw rocks at others, but because I want to see your kingdom change my profession, my company, and my industry.
Please forgive us for: [confess the things on your Profession/Company/Industry list].
Please let your kingdom come, and your will be done at work as it is in heaven.
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Romans 5:16-17
16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
- What Brings Heaven Into Work
You just began: Leading in repentance, owning responsibility.
It’s Jesus’ work that brings heaven. It comes to you in the Spirit. Spirit of Heaven.
The Holy Spirit is the outpouring of heaven into your heart. If you have the Spirit, you have heaven in you—the way that life will be in heaven has come to you already in the Holy Spirit. The holy spirit brings everything that characterizes Jesus’ kingdom to you. It is the downpayment of heaven today.
So bringing heaven to work is living out the blessings God has given you.
Your attitude: Will you be a jerk in heaven? Then don’t be a jerk at work!
This isn’t just pull yourself up by your bootstraps—because I’m not telling you to cause non-jerkness to raise up in your hearts on your own. Heaven has invaded your life. Heaven has been poured out into your hearts. You’ve been possessed by heaven itself. This is why there’s no place for you to be a jerk at work.
Your actions: Excellence in work, faithfulness, a good employee, a good boss—these things communicate heaven to others. You promote that ethos of the life and grace of Jesus’ kingdom.
So you go to work to serve, help others to taste heaven from you. Your attitude, your actions, your speech, let it all be characterized by heaven.
A beautiful illustration of this “Spirit of heaven manifested at work”:
From Paul Marshall’s Heaven is Not My Home, p71ff Cal Seerveld:
My father is a seller of fish. He has a small store, and it smells like fish. [At the end of a bargaining session with a customer over a particularly splendid fish] she said, “My you certainly didn’t miss your calling.”
She spoke the truth. My father is in full-time service for the Lord in the fish business. And customers who come to the store sense it. Not that we always have the cheapest fish in town! Not that there is no sin! But this: that little Fish Market is not only a clean honest place where you can buy quality fish at a reasonable price with a smile, but there is a spirit in the store, a spirit of laughter, of fun, of joy inside the buying and selling that strikes an observer pleasantly…
When I watch my dad’s hands, big beefy hands with broad stubby fingers, they could never play the piano; when I watch those hands delicately split the back of a mackerel; when I know that those hands cut and sold fish year after year for over 50 years without a vacation, through fire and sickness, thieves and disaster, without complaining, past temptation, struggling day in and day out to fix a just price, in weakness often but always in faith cutting up fish before the face of the Lord: when I see that, I know [that any work, even cutting fish, can be a sacred task, pleasing to God].
One Harbor person I’ve spoken with had someone pay him the greatest compliment: “we need you here. When you’re in the office, everything is better.”
You might have the authority to foster this at your company. Or maybe you only have the authority to foster it in your office. Or maybe you only have the authority to foster it at your desk. Take the opportunities you have now before you to bring this kingdom of Jesus further into your work. Let it fill you.
And if you’re at the point where you want to start thinking about wider-scale restoration of your profession or your industry, then start thinking and praying of developing a theology and a vision for what your profession or industry might be. Then look for a leader and begin to do something that would be an example of what it might grow into.
May God bless us all as we see to be part of his transforming power, and we bring heaven to work… even tomorrow.
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