Text: Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19)
Intro:
I. When did work begin?
Truth:
II. What changed?
Implication 1: All work is ministry
Compartmentalizing
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)
How to do this?
Question 1:
Question 2:
Question 3:
Implication 2: Our identity
The right question
Implication 3: Success
Better is a dish of vegetables where love is, Than a fattened ox and hatred with it. (Proverbs 15:17)
The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him, with those who wait for His lovingkindness. (Psalm 147:11)
The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep. (Ecclesiastes 5:12)
Arthur Brooks: Earned Success
Last Word: Disappointment
Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal. (John 6:27)