Your Labor is Not in Vain (1 Corinthians 15:51-58 )
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Intro)
1.King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 2, “ Then I looked on all the works that my hands had
wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was
vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.”
Many people these days live demanding and arduous lives. Very few work
comfortably into their 60s until retirement. People in their early 50s go to
work in fear and uncertainty of their job position, without the promise of
retirement.
Farmers work hard without the promise of a fruitful bounty. The weather, temperature, climate, and money can ruin a whole season’s crops. Students work hard without the promise of a job. Actors and even extras work for hours, filming take after take for just 1 minute of screen-time. We need to remember that despite what see, there is always an immense amount of time and effort that was invested behind the scenes.
Even the Bible tells us that simply living on this Earth can be repetitive loop of labor, sadness, and disappointment. Putting in the time and effort does not guarantee one will see the fruits of their labor. Psalm 39:6 says, “Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.”
2. Todays scripture tells, “58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
There are two things that are in vain:
1. It is vain for humanity to live against God’s law and walk down their own path.
2. It is vain for humanity to ignore their everlasting spirits and dedicate their lives to temporary material wealth.
What, then, can we do to ensure our lives are not lived in vanity?
Body)
A. First, stand steadfast in faith.
The last verse of today’s scripture starts with, ““58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable…” We need to be steadfast in faith to remain steadfast in this world.
Our society is full of sin and temptation. Money, honor, power, and pleasure lure people into its dark depths every day. But if stand firm in the Lord and His word we can defeat the evils that come our way. If not, we will fall victim to the path of the sinful and the wicked.
B. Second, work harder and genuinely for the Lord.
The second half of the last verse says, “…always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” If we do not want our lives to have been lived in vain, we need to work even harder for God. Everything we do must be for Him in some way, whether it is saving His people, upholding His laws, or enforcing His justice.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” All that we do must be for the Lord, in righteousness and love, no matter what we do or who we are.
If we serve the church but our motives are not for God and rather for our own glory, then we are not working for the Lord. What pleases God is what counts as truly working for Him.
C. Third, volunteer and serve God’s
church.
The Apostle Paul made an astounding confession: “[I] now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.”
We must love the church. The church is the body of Christ. We must sacrifice our time and selves to fulfill the calling of our church. We must evangelize, reach out to our community, and worship. Serving for these matters is what it means to serve God’s church.
D. Fourth, we need to spread the Gospel.
Dedicating our lives to spreading Jesus’ Gospel will never be in vain. The Apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:19, “I travail in birth.” He did not spare himself when it came to this mission. The most difficult but most important and rewarding task for a Christian is carryout their duty of evangelism.
Proverbs 10:16 tells us, “The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.” What kind of fruit do you want to reap? Jesus came to this earth to give us salvation. He sacrificed himself so we could fulfill God’s work.
Our lives need to be focused on spreading God’s truth and saving our neighbors. Hence todays scripture tell us to be “always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
But if so many things in this world are sacrificed in vain, why is labor for God never so? There are three reasons why:
First, the Lord’s work always bears wonderful fruit.
All seeds planted for God grows bountiful fruit. But if we spend our lives focused on other worldly gains, imagine how pitiful we will look when we finally meet God. We would look back at our lives and see there are no fruit for us to reap and bring before the Lord. If we want to prevent such shame from falling upon us, all we need to do is do God’s work, for all of the effort dedicated to God’s work will bear fruit. We can stand tall before the Lord knowing the bountiful fruit we have to bring Him.
Second, God’s work is
forever.
Galatians 6:8 says, “For
he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” This means that people live their lives according to categories:
Some people live looking above, investing and sacrificing for what will be everlasting. Others keep their eyes on ground and place all their efforts in the physical, rather than the spiritual, and invest everything into what will only be temporary in this world.
Those who dedicate their lives to material wealth will rot and fade away with it. No one can bring their riches on earth to Heaven. The life they dedicated to wealth will only drag them down to Hell. But those who dedicate their lives to Holy Spirit will gain everlasting life. The reward for our labors for God on this earth is one that will never fade.
Revelation 14:13 says, “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”
Con)
Finally, how do we have to live in order to work for God? Be filled with the
Holy Spirit and the Word. Those who are filled with the Spirit and God’s Word gain sight as to what pleases God. They are shown the path to
God’s will and strive to bring Him joy.
It says in Romans 8:8, “8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:5 also said, “ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Seek God and seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let the Spirit guide you down God’s path and live a life where you labor will never be in vain.
070118 Ik Sun Ahn
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