Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Work & Love Like Jesus

Bryan Schneider · June 12, 2021

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

sharonrpc.org/sermons/work-love-like-jesus

Summary

Every part of life, including ordinary labor, belongs to the calling to glorify God and love one's neighbor.
Jesus' active obedience displays sustained work motivated by love for his Father and for the people he came to serve.
Paul commands believers to pursue a quiet life, attend responsibly to their own affairs, and work with their hands.
Work is a creation blessing, but it becomes an idol when it defines identity, builds a private kingdom, harms others, or displaces sleep, devotion, and family.
Diligent and neighbor-loving work ordinarily produces a respectable witness and material provision, while the church cares for those in providential need.

How does my daily work concretely love a neighbor rather than merely advance my own interests?
Am I content with quiet faithfulness, or do I need recognition and attention?
Where am I neglecting my own responsibilities while monitoring or discussing someone else's?
Has work displaced sleep, worship, prayer, family care, or my identity in Christ?
When someone is in genuine need, how can the fruit of my work become provision for them?

Active obedience of Christ: Jesus' lifelong fulfillment of God's law, including faithful work and loving service, not only his final suffering on the cross.
Vocation: The ordinary work and responsibilities through which a person serves God and neighbor.
Quiet life: Contented faithfulness that does not seek constant attention or unnecessary involvement in others' affairs.
Work as an idol: Treating labor, achievement, income, or occupation as one's identity or ultimate purpose rather than a means of glorifying God.