Homily Pastor
Dan Neary
Sloth and
Fortitude
Series: Sin
and Virtue
Week #1:
Pride & Faith
Week #2: Envy
& Hope
Week #3:
Anger & Charity
This week:
Sloth & Fortitude
Sloth: “The desire
for ease, even at the expense of doing the known will of God.”
Fortitude: “Strength,
courage and endurance.” “Strength of mind that enables a person to encounter
danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.”
This pairing
gives us an opportunity to think through dimensions of a Theology of Work.
We could ask
all sorts of questions:
- Why is there work?
- Why are so averse to it?
- Will there be work in heaven?
- How does God use us in His work?
- Why does God use us in His work?
True story:
Washing the Explorer
- It wasn’t perfect… but it was marvelous
- The better father would have been at their side
So I’ll ask
again… Why does God use us in His work?
We, of
course, can’t handle a comprehensive Theology
of Work today… (maybe we’ll bring in a guest speaker for the Theology of
Rest) but I think a review of these two portions of Scripture will teach us
important lessons about work.
You Feed Them – Luke 9:10-17
Walks through a practical description of how Jesus
worked with and through His followers…
And, if we think about it, we’ll see that this isn’t
just how He did it once… it is a pattern He continues to repeat over and over
again
Problem
- A
real, practical need
- They
brought the problem to the right man
You give them something to eat
- Inside
the big picture
- I am
the Bread of Life (John 6)
- Feed
My sheep (John 21)
- So
many ways to go
- He
gave them power: Miracle
- He
gave them words: The Gospel
Take what we have
- He
asked for nothing more
Blessed it… and gave it back
- Remember,
He said… You give them something to eat
Full satisfaction
More work
- The
disciples picked up
- Miracles
are messy
Pattern for Us?
•
Identify the
Challenges
•
Face
Responsibility
•
Surrender What We
Have
•
Receive Blessing
•
Enjoy the
Increase
•
Do the Work
Nehemiah
4
7
¶ But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod
heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps
were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come
and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we
prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. 10
Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of
the labourers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild
the wall." 11 Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us,
we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the
work." 12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times
over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us." 13 Therefore I
stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the
exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials
and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome,
and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and
your homes." 15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot
and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own
work.
16 ¶ From that day on, half of my men did the
work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armour.
The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the
wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a
weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as
he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. 19 Then I said
to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is
extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the
wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God
will fight for us!" 21 So we continued the work with half the men holding
spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I
also said to the people, "Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so that they can
serve us as guards by night and workmen by day." 23 Neither I nor my
brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his
weapon, even when he went for water.
Life concept - Remember the Lord & Fight
Balance?
more &
less -vs- more & more
Pray Hard - Work Hard is not on a continuum
not either-or but
both-and
Remember what He has done
Acknowledge Him in the present circumstances
Expect Him to work in your future circumstances
Fight
- work - innovate
Theology of Work
•
We were created
for work
•
We will be
involved
•
The Spiritual
Life is work
Matthew 22
35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this
question: 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
37 Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest
commandment.
It’s about balance. The
mind isn’t more important than the emotions.
Feelings aren’t more important than thinking. Everything - heart, soul and mind - is vital.
And it’s about commitment.
About giving your all. It’s about
loving God with every ounce of brains, and character, and spirit, and strength
that you posses.
•
Anything worth
doing
is worth doing for God
Colossians 3
•
Good work
left undone is sin
•
Work is for
worship…
not righteousness