Sermon Title: A biblical foundation for work
Scripture: Genesis 1-3

I. Creation. Work is first and foremost an act of worship.

II. Fall.  Work is subject to futility and fruitlessness because of the curse.

Act 2. Scene 2.
One of the first pictures of work we’re given outside the Garden is the contrast between the descendants of Cain and the descendants of Seth, the son of Adam who replaced Abel, since Cain killed him. And what we see is that work builds culture. Cain’s descendants develop agriculture and music and metallurgy. And all of that is really good. But what the narrative also tells us is that the descendants of Cain are defined by their work; their identity comes from their work. In contrast, the descendants of Seth, the godly line, aren’t associated with work at all. Instead they are defined as those who “began to call on the name of the Lord.” The point isn’t that worshippers of God don’t work, but rather they aren’t defined by their work.

This idolatry of work comes into sharp focus as the story marches on. In Genesis 11 we read: “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick, instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’” (Gen 11:1-4)

Just like in Genesis 4 with the descendants of Cain, the work here is ultimately culture-building. They develop technology, they build a city. They’re pursuing human flourishing. That’s all good. But they want something else too. Identity. They want to make a name for themselves. And they want to do it apart from God, through their work. In fact, they want to do it in contradiction to God. God said to fill the earth; their desire is that they “not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

How far from the Garden we’ve come. What began as a means of saying “Look at God” in worship has become a means of saying “Look at me!” The image bearers have become curved in on themselves, as Augustine put it, seeking to reflect their own glory to themselves, rather than God’s glory back to Him.

And I want you to see that this idolatry has at least two different, and sometimes simultaneous expressions. On the one hand, some of us are tempted to define ourselves directly by our work, our accomplishments, our success. On the other hand, others are tempted to define themselves by their freedom from work, their leisure, their hobbies, their recreation. Many young adults move to NY/DC/Boston to make their money and their impact; to get wealthy or to change the world. At the same time, many move west (i.e. Portland) to escape work, the rat-race. The first is an example of idolatry in which work gives us our identity. The second is work-avoidance and freedom from work which is idolatry in the other direction. The two are really just the opposite sides of the same coin: an idolatry that defines our identity by our relationship to work, rather than to God.

The end of the Babel story is that God comes down and judges their idolatrous worship of work.

III. Redemption. People are redeemed, work is not. 

IV. Restoration. Work will be transformed from futile and frustrating to satisfying and fruitful.

Additional Notes: