series: Love Incorruptible
title: Working
date: July 16, 2017
teacher: Jacob Bender
scriptures: Ephesians 6:5-9, Exodus 8:1, Genesis 3
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.”
Exodus 8:1
There is a very key word in this famous passage between God and Moses and what Moses must say to Pharaoh in order that the Israelites be released from SLAVERY… which is all that they have ever known.
God tells Moses to say: Let MY people. the ones who you have BOUND… who you have dehumanized and convinced yourself that it is okay to own… all 2 million of them… let them go, so that they can make a conscientious, WILLFUL decision, to serve me.
The word “serve” is a fascinating one.
It is the (Hebrew) word “AVAD”
Because many of you who are familiar with this verse, may have grown up hearing it this way: “Let my people go, so they can WORSHIP me.”
They need to STOP working for Pharaoh, so THAT THEY CAN WORSHIP GOD.
See, in Hebrew,
the word for serve and for worship ARE THE SAME WORD.
Some translations say “so they can serve me” other translations say “so they can worship me” and both are completely accurate. AVAD. So when the original writers were looking for a word that described what it meant to worship God, they gave it this word: AVAD.
When they wanted to give a word that describes service… serving another person… serving God… they gave it THE EXACT SAME WORD… AVAD. Because when you are serving others, and sacrificing what is yours for others, that is worship! When you make someone a sandwich, and you hand it to them, and they get to eat because you fed them… it is worship.
and guess what…
when they had to pick a word that described “Work” - do you know what word they chose?
AVAD.
In Hebrew,
the word for worship, working, and serving IS THE SAME WORD. AVAD!
Some people find it hard to find biblical significance to their role in society throughout the week, when they should be approaching every day as worship to Jesus.
But what if you realized that the easiest and most sensible way to live a consistent life is to consistently make your life about worship. You are worshipping when you work. You are worshipping something. You don’t have to work at the church full time to make a full time impact for the gospel.
So here is the big question…
Most of us try and separate worship from working. Ministry is what we do on Sunday's, and everything else is "life" - but it doesn't work.