070216 sunday message outline

2
7/25/2019 070216 Sunday Message Outline http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/070216-sunday-message-outline 1/2 e rnai\: [email protected] GODLINESS IN THE PLACE OF WORK Matthew 5: 13-16; .John 8: 12 The necessity of living a holy life wherever we are, and in whatever we do, cannot be over-emphasized. A lot of people in the place of work engage in ungodly, unholy and dishonest practices. Ungodliness, dishonesty, unethical business decisions, scandalous business conduct, unhealthy competition and rivalry characterise many places of work. Even though we live and work in the same world, if we know the Lord, if we love the Lord, we must be different in the way we work and do our business. There is a difference ~tween those who are born again and those who are not. It is not the badge we wear, the label we put on, the Bible we carry that shows we are born again but the way we live in the place of work. Our conduct in the factory where we are working, in the school where we are teaching, in the business we are doing or in the market where we are selling or buying will show whether we are born again Christians or not. Many so-called Christians separate their secular work from their spiritual worship. They have a different lifestyle on Sunday and another on other days of the week. On Sunday, they are religious but on weekdays they relapse into bad ways of sinners in the world. But God wants His children to be full-time believers, that is, believers at home and in the place of work. He wants us to be saints in the church and saints in the place of work. He wants us to be true Christians every day of the week. We do not live in the church. We live in the world. Jesus said let our light so shine before men men that are working with us, schooling with us or selling and buying with us that they will see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. If we are truly born again, it will be evident not only when we are in the church but more importantly when we are outside it. Many people engage in various works of darkness on their jobs or in their businesses. A real child of God will not follow them. Rather, others should know us by the things we believe and the things we do. In our places of work, we should aim at demonstrating daily the life of holiness, godliness and righteousness by the way we work. 07 02 2016 1. CROOKED CHARACTERISTICS OF WORKERS. Prov.18:9;26:14; 21:6 7 10; Deuteronomy 25:13-1 6; Amos 5:12; Thess. 4:5 6; Jer.22:13. Workers here would include the self-employed like the carpenters, builders, welders, masons, plumbers, petty traders, workers employed by one-man business qperators or by board of directors of a jointly-owned business outfit. They would also include civil servants in state corporations, federal institutions, educational institutions, etc. Whatever job you are doing, there are people in the world doing the same kind of job as well. But the difference between the born again Christian and an unbeliever is that the unbeliever, whether self-employed or working for public corporation, manifests some crooked characteristics in the place of work. There is so much crookedness, dishonesty in places of work. Social vices go on in all places and at all levels, among the lowly and among the highly placed. In every place of work, people carry on wicked practices. Sinners manifest greed, covetousness, dishonesty, injustice, deceits. They practise fraud, oppressions, wickedness. They cheat, steal, give and take bribes. They are lazy. They are idle. They are habitual latecomers to the place of work and oftentimes they try to cover their lateness with lying. They are paid for the work they do not do. They are late to work and where they come to work at all, they don't do their work on time. All these vices and sin will bring judgement on those who do them. They are the evidence of an unconverted heart and unregenerate mind. If you are telling lies at the place of work to cover your acts, you are not yet a child of God. You are not born again. You bring reproach to the name of God when you live by lies and deceptions. If we say we are born again, if we say we are Christians we should live a different lifestyle from the unbelievers'.

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Page 1: 070216 Sunday Message Outline

7/25/2019 070216 Sunday Message Outline

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/070216-sunday-message-outline 1/2

e rnai\: [email protected]

GODLINESS IN THE PLACEOF WORK

Matthew

5: 13-16; .John 8: 12

The necessity

of

living a holy

life

wherever

we are,

and in whatever

we do,

cannot

be

over-emphasized.

A

lot

of

people in the place

of

work engage in ungodly, unholy and

dishonest practices. Ungodliness, dishonesty, unethical business decisions, scandalous

business conduct, unhealthy competition and rivalry characterise many places

of

work.

Even though

we live

and work in the same

world, if we

know the

Lord, if we love

the

Lord,

we

must

be

different in the way

we

work and

do

our business. There is a difference

~tween those who are born again and those

who

are not.

It

is not the badge

we wear,

the

label

we

put on, the Bible

we

carry that shows

we

are born again but the way

we live in

the place

of

work. Our conduct in the factory where

we

are working, in the school where

we

are teaching, in the business

we

are doing or in the market where

we

are selling or

buying

will

show whether

we

are born again Christians or not.

Many so-called Christians separate their secular work from their spiritual worship.

They have a different lifestyle on Sunday and another on other days

of

the

week.

On

Sunday, they are religious but on weekdays they relapse into bad ways

of

sinners in the

world. But

God

wants His children

to be

full-time believers, that

is,

believers at home and

in the place

of

work.

He

wants us

to

be saints in the church and saints in the place

of

work.

He

wants us to be true Christians

every

day

of

the

week. We do

not

live

in the

church.

We live

in the world. Jesus said let our light so shine before men men that

are working with us, schooling with us

or

selling and buying with us that they

will

see

our

good

works and

glorify

our Father

who

is in heaven.

If we

are truly born again, it

will

be evident not only when

we

are in the church but more importantly when

we

are outside

it.

Many people engage in various works

of

darkness

on

their jobs or in their businesses.

A

real child

of God will

not

follow

them. Rather, others should know us by the things

we

believe

and the things

we do.

In our places

of work, we

should aim at demonstrating daily

the

life of

holiness, godliness and righteousness

by

the way

we

work.

07 02 2016

1.

CROOKED CHARACTERISTICS OF WORKERS.

Prov.18:9;26:14; 21:6 7 10; Deuteronomy 25:13-16;

Amos

5:12;

Thess.

4:5 6; Jer.22:13.

Workers here would include the self-employed

like

the carpenters, builders, welders,

masons, plumbers, petty traders, workers employed

by

one-man business qperators

or

by

board

of

directors

of

a jointly-owned business

outfit.

They would also include

civil

servants in state corporations, federal institutions, educational institutions,

etc.

Whatever

job you are doing, there are people in the

world

doing the same kind

of

job as

well.

But the

difference between the born again Christian and an unbeliever is that the unbeliever,

whether self-employed or working for public corporation, manifests some crooked

characteristics in the place

of

work.

There

is so

much crookedness, dishonesty in places

of work.

Social vices

go

on in

all

places and at

all

levels, among the

lowly

and among the highly placed. In

every

place

of

work, people carry on wicked practices. Sinners manifest greed, covetousness, dishonesty,

injustice, deceits. They practise fraud, oppressions, wickedness. They cheat, steal,

give

and take bribes. They are

lazy.

They are

idle. They

are habitual latecomers

to

the place

of

work and oftentimes they try

to

cover their lateness with

lying.

They are paid

for

the work

they

do

not

do.

They are late

to

work and where they come

to

work at

all,

they don't

do

their work on time.

All

these vices and sin

will

bring judgement on those

who do

them.

They are the evidence

of

an unconverted heart and unregenerate mind.

If

you are telling

lies at the place

of

work

to

cover your acts, you are not yet a child

of God. You

are not

born again.

You

bring reproach

to

the name

of God

when you

live

by lies and deceptions.

If we

say

we

are born again, if

we

say

we

are Christians

we

should

live

a different lifestyle

from the unbelievers'.

Page 2: 070216 Sunday Message Outline

7/25/2019 070216 Sunday Message Outline

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/070216-sunday-message-outline 2/2

2. CHRISTIAN CONDUCT AT WORK.

2 Thessalonians 3: 10-12 14; Thess. 4: 11 12; Peter 2: 11-19; Rom 12: 11; Daniel 6: 1-4.

Every tree is known by its fruit. Real born again Christians, pilgrims on the highway to

heaven are known by their lifestyle

of

honesty, industry, diligence, obedience, promptness,

faithfulness, commitment and contentment in the place

of work.

They never associate with

the characters that mark out the unbeliever

greed,

covetousness and dishonesty. They

have the mind

of

Christ and they

love

the

Lord. If we will

please

t J : ; i e Lord

in our places

of

work, we must be contented or satisfied with what we have. We must not be unjust to

anybody.

We

must not oppress people that are not as fortunate

is we

are in the same

place

of work. In

conduct and in conversation,

we

must accord

to

the sweeper

on

the

street, the guard at the gate, the gardener at the lawn and the messenger in the

office

the

same respect and dignity we would like to see others accord us.

Many

people today mistake laziness

for

christianity.

They look

forward

to

having their

needs met

by

prayer and miraculous supplies.

Real

christianity,

while

it does not

downplay

divine

provisions, abhors laziness in

all

its ramifications. There

is

nothing

to

lory

about in laziness or idleness. The church may help you. But that is not an excuse to

remain

idle. We

should not shift our responsibility

on

other people. Ifwe have children,

we

are not going to depend on others to feed them. Many people do not want to do menial

jobs. But

we

are commanded

to do

our

own

business,

to

work with our

own

hands.

Whatever our hands find doing,

we

are

to do it

with

all

our mind and with

all

our might.

Whatever work

we

are doing

we

should manifest Christian character and conduct. There

should

be no

cheating,

lying,

stealing, taking

or giving of

bribe. Christian conduct

demands that we should not be lazy or habitual latecomers to work. We should answer

queries truthfully and honestly.

We

should not

falsify

accounts.

Our Christian conduct should

be

characterised

by

honesty in everything

we do.

Honesty demands that

we

abhor false claims

on all

transactions

or

expenses made on

behalf of our employers.

e

should be obedient and submissive to our superiors. e

should abide

by

the rules and regulations

or

the ethics governing our professions.

We

should keep deadlines in submission ofworks. Without compromising our Christian faith,

we

should

love,

respect and honour our boss in the place

of

work, whether he

is

born

again

or

not.

e

should

do

our work

joyfully,

fervently and

ffeith all

our hearts.

People

should

glorify God

by our

good

conduct and Christian

lifestyle in

our place

of work.

3. CHRIST'S COMMENDATION OF THE WORTHY.

Revelation 3:4; Ephesians 4: 1; Philippians :27; Colossians 4:5;

Ephesians 6:5-8; 2 Peter 3: 11 14.

If we will

walk worthy

of

our calling as Christians

in

our places

of work, if we will

avoid

the

ways of

the people

of

the world,

God will

promote us above our colleagues.

In

our vocation, occupation, place

of

work,

we

need

to

walk worthy.

If we

are faithful, dutiful,

fervent, honest, diligent, industrious, prompt, punctual, obedient and submissive in our

place of work God will answer us when wepray for promotion. He will grant us favour

before our employers and

give

us commendation and recommendation.

We

should

therefore

do

our work as

to

win Christ's commendation and recommendation.

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be

found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

GHS

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