I want to talk to you today. About your your workplace.
Okay. Um Billy Graham was asked before he died, they said, You've seen some major moves of God. in your lifetime. Where do you think the next move of God is going to take place? Billy Graham said, I believe the next move of God is going to take place in the marketplace, in the workplace.
When I was in college, studying for ministry, they allowed us to go preach at different churches. Different pastors would open their church and let us preach from their pulpit. And I went to one church, I think it was in Kannapolis. It was a small church led by a former truck driver. And we were in his office before I went out to preach.
And he asked me, He said, Jen, why do you want to be a pastor? I said, well, I want to lead people to Jesus. He said, if you want to lead people to Jesus, don't be a pastor. He said, I led more people to Jesus as a truck driver. that I did as a pastor.
Look, this idea that I'm clergy, so this is sacred. You're a lay person, so that's secular. Sacred, secular, sacred job, secular job. You don't understand, that's not biblical, right? Wherever you go, Wherever you work, is a sacred spot.
Cause you're there. representing Jesus Christ. This idea of clergy, I don't even look, I'm not into ordination. I'm not, don't call me reverend. I'm like, Charles Spurgeon, who was never ordained, said ordination is the last vestige of Roman Catholicism in the Protestant church.
This idea that I'm an elevated spiritual leader because I've got reverend in front of my name, that's not biblical. I have a different calling, a different task, but we are all, listen to me, we are all involved in a sacred task, and that's to point people to Jesus Christ. And so let's go back to 1 Peter. We've been studying 1 Peter. We're now at 1 Peter chapter 2.
And remember, here's what Peter's saying to the church. He's dealing with a church operating in a Roman culture that hates Christians. Has a lot of misconceptions or perceptions about Christians in his day. First of all, they thought they were incestuous because we call each other brother and sister and yet we're married to each other. We're a bunch of cannibals because we have this weird ceremony where we eat a man's flesh and drink his blood.
All kinds of weird ideas about Christians. And so Peter said, let's prove society wrong. In two ways. Number one, through our lifestyle, the way we live our lives, let's prove to society we're not the bad people they think we are. And then secondly, 1 Peter 3.15, let's always be ready to give an answer to our faith, why we believe what we believe, why we have the hope that we have, through our lifestyle and through our witness, through our talk.
Let's prove our society wrong. And he says when it comes to that lifestyle issue. We're also accused of being anarchists. We want to overthrow the government. Christians Let's show that they're wrong by submitting to, number one, the government.
Number two, there needs to be submission. When it comes to your employment. Number three, there is submission in the family relationship. And then later on in 1 Peter chapter 5, there's submission in the church relationship. But we are not rebels, we are submissive people.
And he says in 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 13. Therefore, submit yourselves to every ordinance, every institution of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king or president as supreme. Or the governors? As to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. But this is the will of God.
I want to know what is God's will for my life. He's just told you right there, you be submissive. This is God's will that by doing good, you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. As free Yet, not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants or as slaves of God. Honor all people.
Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants or slaves, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable.
If because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it? If when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently. But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you are called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow in his steps, who committed no sin.
Nor was deceit found in his mouth. Who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. Who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you are healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the shepherd and to the overseer of your souls.
So look at this. Peter tells us, you can follow Jesus, number one. You submit to government.
Now, we're not going to hit this real hard because I talked about this a couple weeks ago, but we see that in verses 13 through 17. Unless the government's telling you to violate scripture. You submit to government.
Do I have to keep telling you unless The government tells you to violate, because I keep saying that y'all are reasonably smart people. You understand that if the Bible says one thing and the government tells you to do something else, you go with the Bible.
Okay. Other than that. You submit to the government.
Well Chad, what if the government is wicked and evil?
Well, keep in mind when Peter writes this, there's a madman on the throne named Nero. Because we got kids in here, I won't tell you some of the perverted stuff. The guy was a major man. He was a pervert. He was a maniac.
He was a wicked man. He became Nero, Caesar, at age 16, 17, and then committed suicide at age 30. Wicked man. In fact, This man is the man that's going to have Peter. Killed.
He'll have a lot of Peter's church killed, and yet Peter still says God has placed him in authority. You submit to the government.
Would you listen to me? You did not put Biden in the White House. God put Biden in the White House. You did not put Trump in the White House. God put Trump in the White House.
Romans 13, 1 says, the authorities that exist are appointed by God. And in fact, in Exodus 9, 16, God says to Pharaoh, A wicked man. I am the one. That has put you in leadership.
Okay. The Bible has a big aversion to anarchy. In fact, the biblical view seems to be bad government is better than no government at all. Why submit to the government?
Well, it says in verse 14 that the government is here to punish evildoers, that is, to keep law and order. Paul says the same thing in Romans 13:4. The government is here to maintain order.
So I want you to listen to me. There's a kingdom of darkness that hates planet earth. Do you know that? Satan wants to destroy planet Earth. He wants to sweep planet earth with his evil and anarchy and rebellion and make this a chaotic place.
And God, in his grace, Has instituted four barriers that prevent evil and chaos from overtaking planet Earth. Jot this down. The first barrier is the conscience that God has put in our heart. We see this in Romans 2. God has given the human race an intrinsic sense of right and wrong.
That's the first barrier to prevent evil from overtaking the world. Incidentally, that barrier is crumbling before our very eyes. I was talking to a man that's been in the prison system most of his adult life, older man. He said, Chad, We older guys in the prison system, we are scared when we see these young guys coming in. The old guys at least had a sense of right or wrong.
These young guys don't have a sense of right or wrong. The Bible says the conscience has been seared. Second barrier. To prevent evil from sweeping the earth, taking over the world, is family. That's a structure God put in place to prevent chaos from taking over the world.
That structure. is breaking down before our very eyes. The third institution is what Peter mentions right here. The government. We are seeing, I believe, globally.
Governments collapsing before our very eyes. There is one more barrier to prevent evil from just sweeping over planet Earth and chaos taking over. You know what institution that is? It's the church. We are the last line of defense.
And in 2 Thessalonians 2, one day this church will be taken from planet earth, and at that point, there is no more barrier. There are no more lines of defense, and evil will sweep over planet earth.
So Peter says: government has been given by God. This is a gift from God. You submit to government.
Okay? And then he says this. He says, not only submit to the government. But employees Submit to your employers, and we see that in verses 18 through 25.
Now, he doesn't use the term employee-employer. He uses slave. and master. Do you have to understand? The institution of slavery was huge in Peter's day.
And so the best equivalent we have to the slave-master relationship is the employee-employer relationship.
So, what he says to slaves and masters goes for employees and employers. But this is a big institution. Listen to this. All right, forty percent of the Roman Empire was slaves. And it wasn't race-based slavery.
Like I was reading about Alexander the Great a couple weeks ago destroying the city of Thebes in Greece. He destroyed the city and put 20,000 people into slavery. And so, if you look at things like Romans 16, where Paul is greeting the church at Rome, there are slave names. And there are wealthy people names. Which tells me in the early church you had slaves worshiping Jesus right alongside.
owners And so, um Listen, you understand slaves had no rights. Aristotle said this. Slaves are just breathing tools. That's all they are. They didn't have Social Security in those days, and neither will we, probably, in a couple years, but they didn't have Social Security in those days.
And so, if you got to be an old slave that could contribute nothing, a lot of times they just kick you out of the house. Why should I pay for food for this 85-year-old man that can't work for me anymore? They would just cast him aside.
So, this is a very harsh relationship. Incidentally, people say, well, now, why did Peter? Why did Paul not tell the slaves to rise up and overthrow the institution of slavery in the Roman Empire?
Well, in essence they did. But they said, let's do it differently. They understood slavery was a matter of the heart, this slave system. And so they decided to try to bring the system down by changing hearts. And it's interesting.
In the first century, the gospel went out so powerfully, and so many lives were changed through the gospel of Jesus Christ that by the second century, slavery had begun to collapse. The system collapsed through the gospel. In fact, you got a book in your Bible, Philemon. Have you ever read that book before? Real short book.
Philemon is about Paul. writing to a slave owner and saying, hey, slave owner, that slave of yours. He ain't your slave. That is now your brother in Jesus Christ. You treat him like a brother in Jesus Christ.
And it was through that that slavery was brought down. And so Peter's now talking. Again, slaves and masters, but today it would be employees and employers. Peter is talking about the Christian view of work.
Now here I gotta correct something.
Some of y'all have been taught Well, work is part of the curse. It's part of the fall of man. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, part of the curse was God made them work. Just not biblical. In Genesis chapter 2, before the fall of man ever takes place, it says, God put man in the Garden of Eden and said, I want you to work this garden.
Work is not part of the curse. Thorns and thistles coming up and things coming against you as you work, that's part of the curse. But work is not part of the curse. In fact, in Revelation, when it's talking about heaven coming to earth, it says, in that day, When heaven comes to earth, His servants We'll serve him. We'll work for him.
We're going to work for all eternity. But it's godly work. It's good work without the thorns.
So don't get into this thing of that work is part of the curse. It's not part of the curse. And um Listen to this. If you live to be age 70. You will spend 20 years working.
Christians ought to stand out in the workplace. That insurance office, if it has a spirit-filled born-again believer who loves Jesus, that office should be transformed because there's a Christian in that office. You work as a cashier at Sheets? I mean this. Sheets ought to be transformed.
When there's a spirit-filled, Jesus-loving... Cashier at Sheets, because anywhere you go, you ought to be transforming your workplace for the Lord Jesus Christ. And Peter says this thing right here. He says, look at verse 18: servants, slaves, employees, be submissive to your masters, your employers, with all fear, not only to the good and gentle.
Okay. But also to the harsh. How many of y'all have harsh bosses? Raise your hand. Pastor Vic, put your hand down.
All right, all right, also to the horse. For this is commendable. If because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongly, for what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults you take it patiently, but when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
Now I want you to see this. Three traits. of Christian workers. Peter is saying we're going to prove them wrong. We're not a budget.
Incestuous cannibals. We are blood-bought sons and daughters of the Most High God. We live differently. We act differently. We are a different kind of employees.
Employees are different if they know Jesus Christ in three ways. Jot this down. Number one, Christian employees work hard. Verse 18, be submissive to your masters with all fear. That is.
You respect your boss. And you do what your boss tells you to do. You are a hard Marker. I saw this recently. They did a survey.
And they asked workers. What percentage of your time do you spend goofing off, not doing your job? Survey came back. About 20% of the average worker spends time goofing off and not doing their job. That's one workday a week.
Christians don't goof off. They don't waste time. They work hard. And interestingly... Did you know Jesus is the model of this?
You know, Jesus only taught for about two and a half, three years. Did you know that? The majority of Jesus' life, his first 30 years, he was.
Now, your Bible says he was a carpenter. The Greek word is tekton. It literally means a construction worker. Jesus was a blue-collar construction worker for the vast majority of his life. I don't think that's incidental.
I think God is trying to say something. I think God is trying to say: don't tell me you're not important because you just work at a factory. My son was a construction worker for 30 years and he changed the world. Don't tell me you're just an insurance agent. No, no, my son worked in the marketplace for 30 years and he changed his world.
And it's interesting as well. Tekton, that construction worker, it can mean they made stuff out of wood, like a carpenter. But if y'all go to Israel with me, you're going to be amazed at how few trees there are in Israel. Do you know what the primary building material was in Israel during Jesus' day? He was stone.
Jesus was a stonemason. He probably didn't look like most of the paintings you've seen of Jesus. Most of the paintings, he looks like the bearded lady in the circus or something. That's not Jesus. He was tough, gruff.
calloused hands, he was a strong worker.
Now, I'm trying to hunt this down. I can't get clarity on this.
So, I'm just going to repeat something to you that I've read. Oz Guinness, in his book, The Call. He quotes a guy named Justin Martyr.
Some people say this is a real quote, some say it's not. I don't know. But he quotes Justin Martyr, who lived about 100 years after Jesus. And Justin Martyr said, 100 years after Jesus, you could still walk through Palestine, you could still walk through Israel and find plows. And yolks that Jesus and his daddy Joseph made in the carpenter shop that were so well made that 100 years later they were still using them.
Now, if that is true, that shows that Jesus Christ lived this out. He was a hard worker. Christians ought to be the hardest worker in the factory. In fact, when I was in college for a short time, I worked for a trucking company. In fact, I just remember this last service.
I was actually part of the Teamsters Union. For a short time. Your pastor was a Teamster. I know exactly where Jimmy Hoffa's body is buried, incidentally. But I remember when I was there, there was a guy that went to college with me, and he was studying for ministry, and he was working, and he would spend his whole time.
At work! Talking about the inherency of scripture. Virgin birth of Christ, try to get in debates with people. We're all sweating. These non-Christian workers are trying to load the truck up.
And this guy wants to debate theology. And I'll never forget the boss. I was embarrassed, honestly, I was embarrassed at this guy. I'll never forget the boss coming to that guy and say, hey, I'm not paying you to defend the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. I'm paying you to take that box and put it in that truck right there.
And I believe in standing for Jesus and witnessing for Jesus, but you don't have the right to do that until you've proven yourself to be a hard worker first. In fact, John Maxwell, you ever heard of Maxwell? John Maxwell said that his nephew Was starting his first job. And they came to him and said, Uncle John, I want to change my workplace for Jesus. First job Want to transform it?
How do I do it? Thinking that he's going to give them a witnessing program. Here's how you witness to people at work. Hey, how do I change my workplace for Jesus Christ? John said, You really want to do that?
He said, Yeah. He said, what time do you start in the morning? He said, I start tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock. He said, no, you start tomorrow morning at 8.30. He said, What's your lunch hour?
He said, Well, we get 12 to 1. He said, Not you. You get 12 to 1245. Hey, so what time do you get off the clock? He said, 5 o'clock.
He said, not you. You get off at 5:15. You come in earlier, you work harder, you work later, and you tell your boss: if anybody here has a challenge getting their job done or you need me for any special project, I am here.
However, I can help you, boss. That's how you change your workplace for Jesus Christ. God honors hard work. In fact, I was yesterday, I was reading in um in my devotions. It was Genesis 24.
She said this yesterday. In Genesis 24, I think, is where it is. Abraham says to a servant, I got my son, Isaac, young. Good looking, rich, loaded. I want a good, godly wife for him.
And I don't want one of these pagan women around here. I want you to go back 500 miles to my homeland and find a godly woman for my homeland. And so it says in Genesis 24, I think it's verse 10. The servant took ten of his camels. went all that direction.
Goes to the hometown, and here's what the servant prays. He says, God, I don't know which woman I'm supposed to get for my. My master's son, Isaac.
So, Father, God, let's do this. If a young lady comes up and says, Sir, you thirsty? Yeah. And she gives me a drink. and offers to water my camels.
That's the woman.
So he goes to the town well, and he's sitting there, and this beautiful young lady comes up. And she says, sir, are you thirsty? He said, yeah? She said, let me give you something to drink. And then she said this, and let me water your camels.
Now that may not mean a lot to you. But physiologists tell us that when a camel is thirsty and needs to be watered, they drink anywhere from 20 to 20 to 40 gallons of water. And there are how many camels? 10 camels. That's 200 to 400 gallons of water.
And let's say it takes a minute each time she lowers that bucket into the well to draw it back up, pour out a gallon, lower it, draw back. That means this young lady spent at least two or three hours working hard, watering not just a man, but his camels. And as a result of this hard-working lady who works hard and sweats for two hours, God says, You will be the wife of this good-looking, rich young man, and you will be the great, great, great, great, great, great-grandmother of Jesus Christ. And, Rebecca, your name will be in that book, the Bible. Why?
Because God honors hard workers.
So, if you're going to be a Christian worker, Peter says, number one, Your card. Number two. You work for God. Look at verse 19. Peter talks about working, quote, with a conscience toward God.
Verse 20, this is commendable before God. Chad, I'm about to lose my job. Who's going to provide for me? God, because your income doesn't come from your boss, it comes from the boss, God. You work for him.
In fact, the Apostle Paul says the same thing in Colossians chapter 3. He says, Slaves, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as man-pleasers. But in sincerity of heart, fearing God, and whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord. Not to men. I've said it a hundred times, and I'm going to keep saying it till somebody gets it.
You're not just an insurance agent, you are God's representative in that insurance agency representing Jesus Christ, what Jesus would look like if Jesus was an insurance agent. You are not just a checkout person or a greeter at Walmart. You are God's greeter at Walmart, greeting people as if Jesus would greet them if Jesus Christ was a greeter at Walmart. Because your ultimate employer is not SaaS, it's not IBM, it's not Target, your ultimate employer is God.
So he's saying right there. You work as if you're working for God. He's your employer. In fact, um A couple years ago. Draw and I went to um To the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
You ever heard of the Sistine Chapel? It's this beautiful ceiling that Michelangelo laid on his back. with scaffolds. And he painted that whole thing on his back. And there's a story that he was at a faraway little tucked away corner.
at the Sistine Chapel just painting. The guy watched him in this little corner painting.
Next day, he came to the same spot. Michelangelo's in the same corner painting.
Next day, three days in a row. Michelangelo's at the same spot. Painting. The guy finally said, Michelangelo, why are you wasting all your time right there in this spot? This is so far out of the way.
Nobody will ever see it. And without looking down and stopping, Michelangelo said, God will see it. God will see it. Chad, my boss didn't see that extra mile I went at work. Yeah, your boss didn't see it, but God saw it.
Chad, when everybody else is griping and complaining about the work, and I wasn't griping and complaining, my boss didn't realize I didn't engage in that behavior. Yeah, your boss didn't see it, but God saw it. And you work for God. Peter says, work hard, and you work for God, not for man. Y'all with me on that?
In fact, I um I'm trying to get a little bit more classy. and cultured So I was listening to classic music. I try, but it puts me to sleep. I can't listen to classic music. You know, I'm trying to...
I even listened to an opera thing one time, and I can't understand opera. If you're gonna die, Die. Don't sing and bleed for 20 minutes, okay?
So, at any rate. I was listening to this uh This thing by Johann Sebastian Bach. Did you know he was a Christian? And you know, Bach, when he would do these great master pieces, he would always sign off. Uh S D G.
Solar Deo Gloria. For God's glory alone. S D G. Every day you punch your clock when you leave to go home, you ought to punch that clock and say, SDG, sola Deo Gloria. Everything I've done today has been for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's why I do what I do, not for a paycheck, but to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. Did you be a hard worker? That's great. You also better work for God. And then also Peter says, let me add one more thing.
Christian workers work hard. Christian workers work for God. And then, number three, Christian workers work without complaining. Um Verse 18, servants be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and the gentle, but also to the harsh. And then, so you hear that.
You you work for your boss. Even if he's harsh. And then all of a sudden, Peter just starts talking about Jesus being on trial right before he's crucified. And you're like, okay, Peter, do you have ADD? Because you're talking about working hard, working at, you know, working at your workplace, not complaining.
And then you talk about Jesus. Why do you go off on a tangent? Peter's not going off on a tangent. He's pointing to Jesus as an example. He said.
You've been treated unfairly at work. Jesus is treated unfairly. Yeah. People misunderstand you at work. Jesus was misunderstood.
You've been the victim of office politics and you've been stabbed in the back. Jesus was stabbed in the back by his friends. And how did Jesus Christ handle it when he was treated unfairly and stabbed in the back and people did him wrong? He says, Jesus, when he was reviled, verse 23, did not revile in return. When he suffered He didn't threaten.
I'm gonna get it. You watch your back. I'll get at you. He didn't do that. What did he do?
He committed himself to him who judges. Righteously. Jesus said, what's done to me is not right. This ain't fair. I've been done wrong.
But that God, He defends me. He's my warrior. He is my shield and my protector. I'll let God fight my battle. I'm not going to get revenge.
God, you do what you need to do. I'm not going to fight. I'm not going to take revenge because, God, you are my defender. And Peter says, you do the same thing at work. I need to warn you, I'm running out of time, but I need to warn you something right now.
One of the biggest traps I've seen Christians fall into at work Is griping and complaining just like everybody else. Because this is what happens. They all start griping your coworks about how bad the boss is, how horrible this place is, and you don't want to be left out, do you?
So you start griping. And you start complaining. You can't do that. My boss is bad. He's me.
I know. Your boss is bad. Ma'am, your boss is bad. I'm not. He's horrible, she's horrible, he's bad.
But as follows of Jesus Christ, we have to be careful about griping and complaining because I have seen people. The kindest, sweetest people in the world. They get into this gripe fess. and I see them five years later, I don't want to be around them. Chad, you're supposed to love everybody.
You're a pastor, okay? I love everybody, but I don't like everybody. There's a lot of people I don't want to be around, and I found that gripers, it just changes their whole personality. In fact, let me read something to you. Psalm 109.
I want to read. Look at this. Psalm 109, verses 17 through 18. The psalmist says this. I know this guy who loved cursing.
So it came back on him. And he did not delight in blessing, so blessing was far from him. But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment. And look at this, cursing, griping, complaining entered into his body like water and like oil into his bones. Do you see what he's saying?
I know this guy that he griped and complained, and it came back on him, and it changed him. Fundamentally, even down into his bones, he just became a different, bitter person. Like, have you ever heard of you know what arsenic is, that heavy metal.
Okay. You know, arsenic, just a little bit of arsenic at a time, your body can't get rid of it, and over time, it builds up in your body.
Okay. So that's a little hint for those of you who are wanting to poison somebody. Don't give them all the poison at once. Just let it take its effect slowly over time, and it builds up in the bones. And it builds up in the fingernail.
And builds up in the hair. In fact, I was reading about a body that was exhumed decades after the person died. They decomposed, and they could still find arsenic in their fingernails and in their hair. Because that stuff just built up over time. And Peter is saying, and the psalmist is saying, You gripe.
And whine and complain and threaten, and I'll get you, you better watch your back. And you get involved in these office politics. It changes you. Christian workers work hard. They work for the Lord, but they work without complaining.
Jesus Christ said, out of the overflow of the heart, what? The mouth speaks. You go to a doctor. You know, a doctor can tell a lot of what's going on when they said stick out your tongue and examining your tongue. Um if your tongue is coated You probably have a fever.
You go to the doctor and you stick out your tongue and it's yellowish. You probably have poor digestion. You stick out your tongue that's bright red. You've probably been drinking too much cherry Kool-Aid. You can tell a lot by licking your tongue.
In fact, here's what Justin Martyr said. By examining the tongue of a patient, physicians find out the diseases of the body, philosophers find out the diseases of the mind, and Christians find out the diseases of the soul. And so Peter said. This world is tearing you down. This world is lying about you.
This world thinks you're crazy. Prove them wrong. Be different. Work differently. Act differently.
Have a different work ethic. And prove this world wrong. I don't know if y'all remember this a couple years ago, you ever into Times Square before?
So you go to Times Square. And um I don't think this is even regulated. People can buy costumes and dress up like characters. Go to Times Square, you get your picture taken with them, and they say, Okay, that's great, $10. They'll shake you down.
And they had a problem a few years ago at Times Square. with unsavory people dressing up like this. Um Spider-Man. Was arrested for cussing out and punching a policeman. Cookie monster?
Got the S-bomb yelled and shoved a two-year-old to the ground. Super Mario said some filthy things to a woman and groped her. Elmo Was booked for shouting some anti-Semitic slurs. And we look at this, we say, this is incongruous. How can these happy characters?
Use that kind of language, push people down, have that kind of attitude. They're so happy, they're clothed. in these happy costumes And yet their lifestyle doesn't match up. I've just described some of y'all at the workplace. Clothed in the righteousness of Jesus, you are in Jesus Christ, and yet your lifestyle and the words coming out of your mouth and your work ethic are totally antithetical to the one that you are clothed in, Jesus Christ.
Let us Live right, walk right, serve right, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and let us show this world what a sanctified, born-again, spirit-filled worker looks like at your workplace.
Now All right, first service. I really mean this. I did this, I was at North Raleigh's second service. First service, I'm sitting right there. Holy Spirit spoke to my heart.
I said, Chad, you got some people in this place. They're fighting some work. Battles. I'm not trying to be cavalier with this.
Some of y'all, because you work. You're at work more than you are at the home. And your work stress is tearing you down. You have a work. Battle.
It's destroying you. It's a mean boss. It's a mean co-worker. You gotta work battle. In fact, it seemed to me right here.
Stand with me.
Some of y'all You got a cancer battle. Cancer has reared its head. And cancer is waking you up at night, telling you what he's going to do with you and how your family is going to survive once you're gone. You got a cancer battle. There's some people in this place you have a depression.
Battle. and anxiety. That was the problem. A marriage or family. Battle.
I felt that so strongly. It started with work battles and just kind of snowballed them there. And I don't know. I just feel like. We need to roll up our sleeves.
And fight The way they fought in the Old Testament.
So just a minute, here's what I'm going to ask you to do. If you have a battle, work battle, school battle, family battle, health battle, depression battle, anxiety battle. I want to ask you in just a second to come and stand right down here. And we're going to do two things. Number one, actually three things.
Yeah. I'm going to speak the word of God over you. How many of y'all believe that there is power in the word of God? We say, hey, sticks and stones will break my bones, words will never hurt me. That's not biblical.
In the Bible, they believe that power was released when it was spoken. I'm going to speak some words over you. Secondly, we're going to pray. And we're going to turn this battle over to God. And third, we're going to praise the Lord Jesus to the top of our lungs.
Have you seen this in the Old Testament? When God's people are about to go out to battle, and God would say this: Hey, AAA, before y'all go to battle? Judah will go first. Your Judah means Praise. Before you fight your battles, praise goes first.
We're going to fight the battle God's way. I'm going to speak the word of God over you. We're going to turn this over to God and we're going to praise the Lord Jesus Christ. And I just am crazy enough to believe that we're going to see some victories in this place today.
So if you're fighting a work battle, health battle, Emotional battle, family battle, school, you find a battle. Come and stand right down here, right now. You ready? Let's do this God's way. Come and stand right here.
Come, come, come, come, come. We're going to fight this God's way right now. Yeah, comments.
Now, I'll be honest, you can keep fighting it your way if you want.
Okay, you know, God's a gentleman. God's like, well, you want to fight it? I'll let you fight it. I'd prefer to fight it, but if you want to fight it, go ahead. And by coming down front, I think what you're saying is, I don't want to fight it.
I want you to fight my battles.
Now, I want you to raise your hands and receive these. These are not Chad's words. This is God right now. Y'all ready? Those of you who are fighting battles, Exodus 14:14.
Hey, the Lord will fight your battle while you remain silent. Stop whining, complaining, griping. You remain silent. God, the warrior, is going to fight for you. Exodus 14:14.
Deuteronomy 20 verse 4. For Jehovah. goes with you. To fight. For you.
against your enemies to give you victory. You do have an enemy of the office. That boss is out to get you. Cancer is an enemy. Hey, bankruptcy is an enemy.
You got some legitimate enemies, but this verse says right here: God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, and He's going to give you victory. Hey, here's another one. 2 Chronicles 20 verse 15. Y'all don't be afraid! Y'all don't be discouraged.
Because the battle doesn't belong to you, the battle belongs to God. Y'all keep telling me about your battle, my battle, my fight. It ain't your battle. It ain't your fight. It's his battle, his fight.
He fights for you. Let me give you one more. I was at a military base yesterday. Two days ago. And they actually still had banners.
Did you know that? They would hold these banners up, and this banner would say, such and such unit. And if you're in a battle, that's your unit. You rally to that flag. If you're in a battle and you belong to that unit, that's your unit battle flag.
You go to that unit. They still have battle flags, symbolic battle flags that they raised. Exodus 17, 15 says, Jehovah Nisi, God is my battle flag. In the middle of the battle, you run to him. You hide in him.
You take confidence in him. Jehovah Nisi, fight your battles.
Now, I've spoken that over you right now.
Now, I want you to do this: take your hands and go like that. And now say, Father, in the name of Jesus, I give you this battle. I want you to name it. I give you this office battle. This marriage battle, this health battle, this bankruptcy battle, this finance battle.
God, in the name of Jesus, I keep talking about my battles. It ain't my battle anymore. This is your battle. I give it to you now. In the name of Jesus.
Right now, divine transference takes place. Your battle leaves your hands right now in the name of Jesus. Your battles are handed over to the mighty warrior, the Lord of hosts, God Almighty. You give him your battles right now. Y'all doing it?
It's no longer yours, it's his. Exodus 14:14. God's going to fight your battle while you just remain silent because it's now his battle. Would I tell you goes first? Judah goes first.
Praise goes first. The word of God has been spoken over you. You turn your battle over to God.
Now there's one more step, and that's to lift your voice. Lift your hands and praise God for His goodness and His faithfulness. Stay right here, and let's praise the Lord right now. All the name, call the name, call the name Jehovah, all the praise, all the praise, all the praise belongs to him. Jehovah needs me, fight your battles, Jehovah Jireh, meet your knees, Jehovah, Raphael heal your body, Jehovah shall be your peace, Jehovah needs me, fight your battles, Jehovah Jireh, meet your knees, Jehovah Rapha, heal your body Jehovah shall be your king.
Call the name, call the name, call the name, Jehovah, all our praise, all our praise, all our praise belongs to him, call the name, Jehovah, all our praise, all our praise, yes, all our praise, all our praise belongs to him, amen.
So we love it, listen to them. Listen to me. This week. Is it living right? Devil's going to come against you.
If you hear me say, after this there will be no more bites, no, no, no, that's not what I'm saying. You live right? The devil's going to come against you. And when he comes against you this week. and cancer says what he's going to do to you.
or bankruptcy says, your ship is sunk. Or the enemy whispers in your ear, your family is over, your marriage is over. I want you to remember the same thing that God said to a warrior named Joshua several millennia ago. Joshua went out to fight Nephilim, demons. armies and God says to Joshua But I say to you right now, warrior.
Hazard! Bear mods. I die wrote the old ahead. Pre-American. Adonai?
Eleja? Behold a shared seller. Which means Bebold! Be strong. Y'all gonna be afraid?
And you don't be terrified of anything this week. Why? Because the Lord of hosts, the mighty warrior, will be with you everywhere you go this week. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Go fight your battles, and let's win this war for Jesus Christ.
God bless you, beloved. Uh Okay.
