Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz19990829.htm

HEBREWS: REPLACING MAN'S RITUALISM WITH CHRIST
"Part XX: Choosing And Functioning In One's Life Career By Faith"
(Hebrews 11:1, 24-29)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Often, people in our Church face unnerving career issues:

(1) This past week, a man in our body told me he was positioned by his overseer to function with subordinates, but that one subordinate whose computer skills were needed by the company refused to submit to his lead. Making his job unworkable, this Christi an went to his superior with the complaint, and the superior chose to terminate the job of the Christian rather than risk upsetting the computer "wiz". The superior admitted the "wiz" was a personality problem, but he needed his skills for the job the comp any had to do!

Well, what is a Christian who is seeking to do his job to do when he cannot get the proper support he needs from his overseer if he expects him to get the job DONE?!

(2) A Christian woman in our Church shared with me this week that her job and those of others working with her are under stress! The hospital who hires her is "downsizing" to meet budget to make business managers happy, but in ways that cause medi cal personnel to fear they may not be able to give their patients their best care. Employees are being given new jobs for which they feel they are not well-trained to perform, and are fearful of possibly being terminated for failure to perform well. That creates stress for their familys in turn!

What is a Christian to do when "downsizing" affects HIS job and makes him feel insecure about his performance? How is he supposed to 'rejoice evermore' as Paul commands for him?!"

(3) We pastors can face the same challenge. I have been working on a paper on election for thirty years, and my Dad and brother want me to send them a copy when I finish revising a chapter in it. Pastors they know who struggle with the subject ma y be helped by reading the work. My brother has talked about subsidizing its publication. However, my mother is worried that I may face troubles from believers with different views if it is printed!

What is a PASTOR to do when teaching God's TRUTH risks his facing persecution from other CHRISTIANS?!



What is a Christian to do in honoring God while yet trying to make a living when there is a RIFT between these two choices?!

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "In selecting and working in a career, I see a chasm exists between doing what is ETERNALLY valuable and getting along well with a godless world system to make a good living! Any ideas?!"
  1. The author of Hebrews urged Jewish Christians to worship Christ rather than using the temple rituals under godless peer pressure, Heb. 9:7-10, 11-14 (sermon XII); Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, p. 1729.
  2. Thus, these believers were to LIVE by FAITH in Scripture's revelation versus yielding to godless peer pressure, Hebrews 11:1.
  3. In an APPLICATION of this, they were to heed Moses' example of choosing and working well in their careers by faith, Heb. 11:24-28:
    1. The readers of Hebrews faced great persecutions for their Christian faith (Heb. 10:32-33) which would have adversely affected their jobs.
    2. Thus, the author of Hebrews instructed them via similar trials Moses faced in his selection and functioning in his life's career in the exodus:
      1. By faith Moses selected what the world would have judged to be the lesser career when he came of age, Hebrews 11:24-26:
        1. In Moses' era, the loftiest career one could have would have been that of becoming an Egyptian Pharaoh.
        2. Being adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, a member of the royal family, Moses had a bright future and possibly stood in line to become Pharaoh. He was educated in all the learning of such upper classed men Heb. 11:24; Acts 7:22 in light of Ex. 2:10.
        3. Thus, when Moses chose to abdicate his royal heritage and instead suffer affliction with the Hebrews, slaves in Egypt, he made a big career choice blunder from the world's perspective!
        4. However, Moses trusted God to reward his career choice eternally more than what Pharaoh's clan could offer him with riches and pleasures of a temporary life of ease, Heb. 11:25!
      2. By faith Moses functioned opposite what the world would judge to be the more promising way to function in his career, 11:27-29:
        1. Moses chose to heed God in standing against the powerful Pharaoh and his wrath, a foolish choice in man's view, 11:27a.
        2. Nevertheless, he saw his accountability to God as taking precedence over his accountability to Pharaoh, Heb. 11:27b.
        3. Moses kept the Passover with the sprinkling of the lamb's blood in honor of God's will, something the Egyptians would never do as they loathed anything to do with sheep, Heb. 11:28 with Gen. 46:34! Yet, he did so out of respect for God Who had said it was a necessary ritual to preserve Israel's firstborn sons.
        4. Moses refused to be afraid of Pharaoh's intimidating military pursuit when leaving Egypt: in faith, he refused to surrender to Pharaoh, but stretched out his rod at God's bidding to see the sea part and create an escape route, Heb. 11:29; Ex. 14:12-16.
      3. Yet, because God blessed Moses' obedience regarding these career moves, Moses had a great career from all viewpoints of TODAY:
        1. In his day, God gave Moses influence so that he was like a head even to Pharaoh, the king whom he had to confront, Exodus 7:1.
        2. The Egyptian people came to respect Moses because of God's work in and through his career before Pharaoh, Ex. 11:3.
        3. According to Rahab's testimony in Jericho, even Gentile nations around Egypt came to respect what Moses had achieved in God's power in his career at the Red Sea crossing, Jos. 2:9-10a.
        4. God also gave Moses respect from the people of Israel for what he had achieved in God's provision at the Red Sea, Ex. 14:31.
        5. Today, Moses' giving of the Law in his career is seen as a huge world influence: historian Ed Burns, in Western Civilizations, p. 100 asserts, "Hebrew conceptions of morality and political theory have . . . profoundly influenced modern nations . . . "
Application: For the BEST fulfillment in career choices and actions, we must submit every choice we make regarding our careers to the will of the GOD of the BIBLE. THAT means (1) believing in Christ as Savior from sin, Acts 17:30; John 3:16. (2) As a believer, that includes in GENERAL (a) confession of personal sins in living (1 Jn. 1:9), (b) depending on the Spirit of God for the behavior control (Gal. 5:16-23) to (c) obey Scripture, 1 Jn. 3:2-6. (3) More specifically, we must (a) SUBJECT the WORLD'S aims for high salary, high position, and ease in relationships (Heb. 11:24-25) to GOD'S WILL in career SELECTION. (b) It also means opting for God's WAYS and MEANS in the career that may even "rub" against these ideas of the world's ways and means on the job! (4) As a result, all the job security we need to DO God's will is supplied, AND we are given ETERNALLY LASTING effectiveness in our works!

Lesson: BECAUSE Moses CHOSE the career GOD wanted for him, and FUNCTIONED in it the WAY GOD willed, though it often OPPOSED what the WORLD would view as "effective" choices, GOD gave Moses greatness, fame and lastin g value through his career ANYWAY!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 The Christian man I mentioned in our sermon intruduction who was terminated from his workplace job unfairly has shared with me the struggle he faced and later won in the situation with God's help.

He said he was tempted to "lose his cool" with the company overseer, but knew that God would want him to keep up a good testimony. To keep his testimony, he stayed cool and accepted the unfair job termination, looking for another route to take!

The Lord has honored that choice! This businessman shared that he learned some invaluable technical information on that job, and now has another job with much higher pay where he gets to oversee the development of a whole web site!

Thus, God has honored him while providing income security to the point that he now feels SORRY for the employer who let him go! He wonders how the employer is going to find anyone worth his salt who can work with the insubordinate computer "wiz"!



This Christian businessman in our Church has found out that doing what MOSES did is WORTH it! Always submit to God's will in job SELECTION, and in job FUNCTIONING, no matter WHAT we face! That way, God provides all the security and freedom we need to DO His will. On top of it, GOD makes us come out with ETERNALLY worthwhile benefits!



What must be ESPECIALLY rewarding to this Christian businessman right now is his seeing his workplace lesson reach out to help his CHURCH! He did not know the direction I was going to take with this section of Hebrews 11 when he related his job experience to me on Monday! Then, through his testimony to me, and me in turn to YOU today, he can see that GOD arranged to set up another eternally worthwhile outcome of his difficult job experience -- it can now aid in the discipling of the Church family!



Always submit to God in all aspects of our career -- only God can make the career experience so unbelievably worthwhile!