In the Beginning... God Called (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15)

Here is last week’s message about how the gospel impacts our work. You can read the manuscript below or listen to the audio here.

We are a people of the Book, Karis. As Christians, we worship a God who speaks, who’s graciously revealed Himself to us. So rather than going our own way, or “following our heart,” we look for His - in Scripture.

But we’re also people of the Story. Of who God is - and what He’s doing - in this dark, but beautiful world. So rather than writing our own script, we see ourselves in His. He’s the main character - and the Hero. He’s made us a part of the cast. This great, true narrative - that makes sense of everything.

Now one thing this story helps us understand is our work. Now hearing that may be really tough for you. It’s something that’s barely tolerable. Something done only for the check. That you endure for the weekend - or that vacation down the road. Something that you slack at. Or have given up on. You just don’t see its significance at all.

Or, on the other hand, you might be giving it too much significance. It’s where you build your identity. And where you place your hope. Working long hours. Stockpiling money. Running after success and power. Never taking a break. Work, for you, has become something it was never intended to be. Your everything.

We’re walking slowly through the book of Genesis. At times we’ll look at big blocks of Scripture. But at certain points in the narrative, we’ll pause and slow down. We’ll zoom in on a few verses. We’ll drill down on key themes. And a big one in the beginning is this idea of vocation. In the beginning, God called Adam and Eve. For a purpose. To a task. And comprehending this could truly change your life - as well as the world around you. That’s how our great Book starts.

But back to this big Story. Often in Karis, we speak of the gospel in these four acts. Creation. Fall. Redemption. Restoration. Those words describe the plot line of Scripture. They also help us understand the themes we’ll see in Genesis. And certainly our vocation. Creation. Fall. Redemption. Restoration. That’ll serve as our outline during our time here today.

Creation

Let’s take creation. We’ve been made to work. That’s really our main point today. But there’s something even more foundational here. God is the first Worker. Have you thought about that before? He is a Creator and a Cultivator, we see in Genesis 1 and 2.

The first verse of our Bible tells us what’s to come: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” And we then see it play out in the rest of chapter one. He creates - as we’ve seen - by His word, out of nothing - everything we can see. And human beings, the pinnacle of that creation. He is the Creator. And then the Lord rests, we see in verses 1 through 3 of chapter two. Now, it’s not like He’s tired. No. This garden - and the world - are meant to be a place where He and His people dwell together in rest.

Now in those verses following in chapter 2, the writer zooms in more closely on what God has done. But He also lets us see another aspect of His work. God takes materials He’s already made. And He molds them into humans. He fashions them into this garden. The Lord also is the Cultivator. In the beginning, we see God work.

But we also learn that we are made to work. In verses 26 and 27, God makes man and woman in His image. And, with that, gives them a purpose, it says in verse 28. We’re “blessed,” it says, with this calling. What’s been called the “cultural mandate.” God says, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

The cultural mandate. There is this calling to have children. To multiply the human race. But there’s also this calling to rule under the Lord, over His creation. To take what God has made and control it and manage it. To develop it and expand it. So that this little kingdom - there in the garden - would fill the earth. “Subdue it.” What God had made still needed to be tamed. It still needed to be harnessed. And “have dominion.” Serve under me as kings, God said. Extending my kingdom.

This leads to the task we see in chapter 2. Look at verse 15. “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Adam and Eve are gardeners. They’re farmers. They’re entrusted with this work. They’re given this responsibility. To take care of God’s creation. To tend it. To steward it. To care for it. To even guard it. And we’ve been given that calling as well. To cultivate what He has made. As scientists. Chefs. Mechanics. Nurses. Architects. Builders. Teachers.   

We’re called to be cultivators. In other words, we’re made to make culture. Andy Crouch, in his book Culture Making, says that culture is “what we make of the world.” And then he goes on to say that we “make sense of the world by making something of the world.” In other words, we find meaning in our making. We were made to work. As cultivators. That’s this purpose God has given. And it also gives meaning to our lives. Without it, we struggle, we suffer.

Let’s go back up and look at verse 28. How does the verse start? “And God blessed them.” It’s then followed by this calling. Our work is meant to be a blessing to us. God took delight in His work, and so should we. It should bring joy. Our great Wellspring has overflowed in His creation. And especially over us, His people. And that grace is seen in this great purpose we’ve been given. And it’s meant to overflow in blessing to the world around us, as well.

But there’s something else I want us to think about, being made in God’s image. We’re also called to be creators, right? We don’t create ex nihilo, as the Lord does - “out of nothing.” But we still image Him as we are creative like Him. So as we think about work. It’s not just the gardeners and the builders - who image the Lord. But it’s the artists and the musicians, too. We’re cultivators - but also creators. God has made us not only to turn what He’s made into what’s useful. But what’s beautiful, too. How terrible the world would be without artists. Without poets and painters. Songwriters and graphic designers. And we’d miss out on something of our God, as well.

The Lord has made us to work. Let’s think about some ways we get confused on the topic. First, let’s stop prizing work that’s mental over the manual. The Greek philosophers liked to separate soul and mind from body and matter. The real work was what you did between your ears. Physical labor was demeaning. But our Book - and His Story - say no such thing. Here Adam and Eve are getting their hands dirty. They’re growing and building things.

Second, let’s drop this preference for the sacred over the secular. The medieval church said the real work was in ministry. Become a priest - or a monk - if you want to really serve God.

But the Protestant Reformation came along and cleared things up. Luther and Calvin and the other great Reformers reclaimed this concept of vocation - of the calling of God - for all people. For farmers and cabinet makers and sculptors and bakers.

Third, let’s discard this idea that good work can only come from Christians. This gift of vocation goes back to creation. Everyone - all around us - is made in God’s image. In addition, we believe in what’s called common grace. God has shown His favor to all people in so many ways. We shouldn’t feel bound to drive around only listening to worship music. We don’t have to make sure our landscaper’s a Christian. The Lord’s gifted all those He’s made - to cultivate and create.

Fourth, let’s remember work isn’t really about us - but God and His world. Now there is something interesting about those two words there - in verse 15 of chapter 2 - “work” and “keep.” They’re also used to describe the work of priests later in the tabernacle. Yes, we find meaning as we do the work God gives. But it’s first and foremost not about us. It’s about Him. Our work is meant to be an act of worship. Not just on that day of rest - that later is gifted to humans. But all seven days. For God’s glory.

But also in service to others. We’ve talked about God’s creation. But we also believe in His providence. Luther and the Reformers understood our work as a way God cares for all of us. How He provides for His children. And rules over what He’s made. The “fingers of God” through which God meets all of our needs. The “masks” God wears as He takes care of all of us. Do we think of work that way - of God serving others through us? Tim Keller, in his book Every Good Endeavor, calls work “rearranging the raw material of God’s creation in such a way that it helps the world in general, and people in particular, thrive and flourish.” It’s not just - or truly - about me and my self-fulfillment. But about Him - and those around us.

Karis, you and I were made for work. Hear also these works from the great D.A. Carson:

“Human beings enjoy a capacity to work. God is depicted as engaged in the work of creation week, which ends in ‘rest’ as he comes to the end of it. What he gives to the man and the woman is certain responsibilities to work in this world, to tend the garden. Work is teased out throughout all of Scripture as something intrinsically honorable. Christians should never descend to the place where working on the manufacturing floor or working as a secretary or working driving a bus or doing research chemistry is ‘secular,' somehow divorced from God. We are not to say, ‘I work as I must to pay the bills, and then Sunday is when I am supposed to be spiritual. Monday I go back to trying to develop a new chemical that will fight cancer. That is work, and it has nothing to do with God.’ Rather, if this is God's universe and we are made in his image, then as we work, our work too reflects him and is offered back up to him with integrity and gratitude. Work is significant because we are made in the image of God. Work carried out in this way changes our perspective about who we are.” (D. A. Carson)

In June of this year, we’re hosting a party for my wife - for her 50th birthday and for being 5 years cancer-free. She wanted to make an invitation, and instead of bugging Laura, as we’re always prone to do, she typed a few commands into ChatGPT. She plugged in the key details. Requested a 50s diner theme. And just in a matter of a few seconds, it popped out something that would have taken even the best designers hours to produce.

Now I think we’re all concerned about the prevalence of A.I. And wondering just how far things will actually go. What’ll it do to our economy - especially in a time that feels so unsteady already? But how will it end up impacting your hearts and mine? If we end up making less and less ourselves? If opportunities to create become few and far between? Karis, you and I were made to work.

Fall

But, sadly, things just aren’t that easy. Let’s move second to fall. Just ahead in our narrative, Adam and Eve will go the wrong way. They resist ruling under God. They want to be gods themselves. And, as a result, everything heads toward hell.

Let’s take a look first at the curse that results. When our ancestors sin, separation results. Between us and God. Adam and Eve run and hide. Try to cover up with leaves. They get kicked out of the garden. Separation also comes between us and one another. They start blaming each other for what just occurred. And suddenly, they’re no longer naked and unashamed together. Separation also enters between us and the creation.

And those twin commands we saw of that cultural mandate - they suddenly get tough. The calling to be fruitful? Now, verse 16 of chapter 3 says, childbirth will really get hard. And that relationship between husband and wife will now have lots of strife.

That calling to have dominion? Check out verses 17 and following:

Genesis 3:17  And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you,

‘You shall not eat of it,’

cursed is the ground because of you;

in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

Genesis 3:18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field.

Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread,

till you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.”

Suddenly that work of culture-making changed. The ground seems to fight back at us. And our bodies get tired. And eventually they wear down.

Second, let’s ponder then for a bit the effects of that curse. You might have heard the expression: “choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Newsflash: that is saying is complete trash. And it sets us all up to fail. Because pursuing our calling in a fallen world will never be easy.

Think about difficulty we find in our work. I remember my first steady job working at K-Mart. I was in the home improvement area. And stacked up a tower of paint cans for a display. Somehow the cans startled wobbling and falling and busting open. Imagine trying to clean up multiple gallons of paint on the showroom floor. Isn’t that often how our work feels today? We hit our thumbs with the hammer. That document suddenly disappears. We cook that chili for the party. And we begin to stumble and fall. And oh… it’s about as difficult to clean up as paint. Things just don’t seem to come easy.

Think about discouragement we feel in our work. The work never seems to get done. And when we wrap up, we often feel empty. Often, what we’re doing doesn’t feel that meaningful. It sounds like the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 2:11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

Think about the disunity we experience in work. Again, the breach isn’t just between us and the creation. It’s between us and each other. Bosses can be demeaning. Co-workers can be difficult. And the problem isn’t just them - right? It makes it even harder to get anything done.

Think about the dangers we face in our work. The curse mainly affects our relationship with God. The first we face is idleness. We don’t recognize the calling He gives. And we dishonor Him in not living out our mission. We get discouraged and give up. But we hurt ourselves. Our bodies and souls atrophy if we grow idle.

The second is idolatry. We try to make work into our god. Attempt to build our identity there. And make it about our glory, not His. And that never works. We feel as if we can never take a day off. As too much is at stake. As Keller has put it, when our work goes well, success goes to our heads. Pride results. But when we experience failure, it goes to our hearts. We experience despair. We can neither demonize or divinize our work. We were never meant to grow idle or make an idol of our work. But with rebellious hearts, we easily drift in those directions.

Redemption

So, if we’re made for work - and now work’s so hard - where’s our hope? We’ve gone from creation to fall. Let’s third hit on redemption. Jesus has come and will redeem our work. But to get there, we have to start with His work, not ours.

First, think about His work for us. You may have heard of Jesus growing up as a carpenter. But did you know that He did that kind of work - most of His life? It was good enough for God in the flesh. But, true - it wasn’t the main work He came to do.

The Lord didn’t give up on His creation. He sent His Son Jesus to earth. He lived a perfect life for us. He died a cruel death on our behalf. He brought us back into a relationship with God. He has forgiven us. And He’s made us family - with Him and His people.

Now we have a new identity. We don’t work for an identity. We’re gifted it by grace. And that gives us deep security. No one can take it away. We don’t work for acceptance with God. We work from that acceptance. We don’t have to get it from our work. He has saved us - He’s given us a new identity.    

Second, think about His work in us. The Lord is also making us new. He’s taken out that heart of stone. He’s replaced it with a heart of flesh. And little by little, He’s remaking us in His image. Through His word, by His Spirit - and even through trials - many of them at work - He’s not leaving us the way He found us. Growing us in love for Him and others. He is changing us - He’s given us a new power.

Third, think about His work through us. By His grace, and for His glory, He’s sending us out - into His world with a new purpose. Saved. Changed. Now called to serve Him. And yes, in our work. To do work that’s ethical. Where it’s not just about the bottom line. But about doing the right thing - by God and for others. For work that’s excellent. Not just showing up, but doing our jobs well. Honing our craft. Going deeper in our knowledge. Doing quality work. Imitating the Creator and Cultivator.

To do work with endurance. We can persevere - because of His power at work in us. Because of the great hope we have. Because we are confident enough in Him to take days off and go on a vacation. We can work hard with passion from Him. We can rest well in the security that’s ours.

For work that’s evangelistic. We often make that the only point of our work. But it’s sure a lot more than that. But definitely not less. As people see the Lord work in us and through us, we’ll have opportunities to share the hope we have. That they can have that new identity. And experience that new power, as well. Our brother, Kevin Graeler, leading a Bible study, sharing the gospel. But he wouldn’t have that voice if his vocation didn’t reflect Christ.

But let’s go back to that slogan I said was so terrible. “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” No, things are not that easy. But does that mean we have no hope for any joy? No! Not if we believe in a God who redeems. He also sends us out equipped. He gives us gifts and talents - that flow from His grace.

In Tim Keller’s article entitled “Vocation: Discerning Your Calling,” he says we should look for three things, as we try to determine our gifting, and what is God’s calling. First, affinity. What “people needs” do I resonate with? In the community around you. What are you drawn toward to help? Affinity. Look out.

Second, ability. “What are my abilities and deficiencies?” What are you good at? How have you been prepared to serve? What are your talents and skills? What makes sense in terms of a calling? Look in. Ability.

Third, opportunity. “Where does the community tell me I’m needed?” Ask your brothers and sisters around you. Ask your leaders. How do they see me gifted? How can I best be used? Look up. Opportunity.

Now again, we live in a fallen world. This won’t always come easy. And when we feel like we find a good fit, things will still be hard. But our God who redeems - has made us to work. He is sending us out - with a new purpose. And has given us gifts for His service. To push back the darkness. To spread His redemption ourselves.

Rodney Mast - and his family and church - in northeast Mississippi are an amazing example of this. A Christianity Story from this week told of how this third-generation farmer and his wife started out by hosting an orphan from Ukraine - and soon after adopting three boys. And then after the war broke out, they got involved in this program to help Ukrainian families flee that mess. They’ve now been a part of helping 150 families resettle in the U.S. Sadly, the program has been stopped. And their legal status is up in the air. But working around all his responsibilities on his farm, Mast has traveled back and forth to Washington to advocate for those he’s helped. I love the quote from Mast that ends the article:

“God has very unique plans in our lives. One thing I would express to other people that wonder, ‘How do we get involved in something like that?’ I don’t know. Just do the task that’s in front of you. Help the person that is nearby, and see what happens.” (Rodney Mast, CT)

Restoration

Let’s move to the last chapter of God’s story. Fourth, restoration. I mentioned at the beginning - that God’s creation ends at Sabbath. Later, God’s people are commanded to rest the seventh day of every week. But that rest reaches ahead to what Jesus comes and offers. Jesus says in Matthew 11, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” By faith, we can find deep, soul rest in Christ.

But in the book of Hebrews, it talks about a day of rest to come. That Israel’s Sabbath day and their time in the Promised Land pointed to. In chapter four, verse 9: the author writes, “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.”

And then encourages us in verse 11: “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest.” We now can experience rest in Jesus. But there is rest to come in this new world He’ll bring. Where the curse will be removed. When He stomps that serpent’s skull. The relationship between us and God, us and each other, and us and the creation - will be restored once again - something described in Isaiah 65. Hear just a snippet of it:

Isaiah 65:21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;

they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

Isaiah 65:22 They shall not build and another inhabit;

they shall not plant and another eat;

for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,

and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

Isaiah 65:23 They shall not labor in vain

or bear children for calamity,

for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD,

and their descendants with them

Jesus was raised and brought us into that rest. And one day, He’ll raise us, along with all of His creation. We won’t float around in some “heaven,” playing our harps. No, He’ll bring heaven down to earth. And we’ll live in a renewed, material world. With Him - forever. With bodies that won’t get tired and wear out. And there’s no reason to think that we won’t still work. In His restored creation. But with the curse removed. Living out our vocation - without sin. Work and rest - together - forever. In His presence. With each other. Can you imagine? What an amazing thought. Total restoration.

This is where the Story is going. And it dramatically changes the way we approach our work. As Courtney Reissig puts it, “Our work is preparing us to rule and reign with Christ in a new earth, where the curse is gone, and we will work for God’s glory.” Karis, the Lord has made us for work, and He’ll remake us, in Jesus, for that calling.

What does this mean for your work, your career? He has called you. He’s made you to work. It will be hard. But He will work in and through you.

What about our ministry, our community here? Let this continue to be a place where we encourage one another, remind each other, of these truths. And let’s continue to expand our vocational groups - to gather more and more callings together for encouragement and prayer.

Every Good Endeavor Matters Forever

In his book Every Good Endeavor, Tim Keller talks about a story written by J.R.R. Tolkien, as Britain was about to be bombed by Germany in WWII. He was hitting a wall in writing The Lord of the Rings, and he wondered if he’d ever actually finish. There was a tree down the road, in that day, near his house. And he walked by one day to find it chopped down. And he had a vision of himself as that tree.

Tolkien then penned a story about a painter. Who had a long journey to take, but didn’t want to go. And that journey he put off was a symbol for death. The man had a vision for a painting. Of what would become a full tree. But it just started as a leaf. On a massive piece of canvas. He spent too long on the leaf. And struggled to finish the work. Often distracted by stopping to help people struggling around him.

And then he was called to the journey. And that led to a breakdown. His work would never be finished! But after he left, people took the canvas and hung it up in the town museum.

On that journey to the afterlife, he hears two voices. One of justice - that condemns him for wasting so much time. But also one of mercy - that commends him for a loving, sacrificial life. And as he arrives at that other world, he gets off the train and sees before him a great tree. And he runs to it. It’s his tree! He looks. He rejoices. At this great gift. In the realest of worlds. It’s completely finished. Writes Keller:

“Everyone imagines accomplishing things, and everyone finds him - or herself largely incapable of producing them. Everyone wants to be successful rather than forgotten, and everyone wants to make a difference in life. But that is beyond the control of any of us. If this life is all there is, then everything will eventually burn up in the death of the sun and no one will even be around to remember anything that has ever happened. Everyone will be forgotten, nothing we do will make any difference, and all good endeavors, even the best, will come to naught. Unless there is God. If the God of the Bible exists, and there is a True Reality beneath and behind this one, and this life is not the only life, then every good endeavor, even the simplest ones, pursued in response to God’s calling, can matter forever…

Whatever your work, you need to know this: There really is a tree. Whatever you are seeking in your work—the city of justice and peace, the world of brilliance and beauty, the story, the order, the healing—it is there. There is a God, there is a future healed world that he will bring about, and your work is showing it (in part) to others. Your work will be only partially successful, on your best days, in bringing that world about. But inevitably the whole tree that you seek—the beauty, harmony, justice, comfort, joy, and community—will come to fruition. If you know all this, you won’t be despondent because you can get only a leaf or two out in this life. You will work with satisfaction and joy. You will not be puffed up by success or devastated by setbacks.” (Tim Keller)    

Karis, He has made us for work, and He’ll remake us, in Jesus, for that calling. And nothing done by Him - and for Him - will be in vain. Let’s pray.