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Okay guys, Genesis chapter 3, I'd like to focus specifically on verses 17-19 here, so Genesis 3-17. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground, for out of it was thou taken, for dost thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And the title of my sermon today is, Hard Work is Good for Us, Hard Work is Good for Us. So, Genesis 3, one famous passage, one of the most well-known chapters of the Bible probably, and obviously Adam and Eve there have willfully, they've chosen to sin there, now they've tried to blame it on the serpent, they've blamed it, Adam's tried to blame it on his wife, but really they've chosen to sin, they've now got that knowledge of sin, the choice has been made. Now have a look at verse 17 again, and unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, that is, eat of the tree of which I command thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for thy sake, what does for thy sake mean, for your benefit, for your own good. Now why does it now benefit Adam, why does it benefit Adam, and why does it benefit mankind, that the ground is cursed, that he has to now bring forth out of the sweat of his brow. You know, we live in a society, we live in a society that does pretty much, I would say glorifies it, almost it doesn't in fact idolise the easy life, a lot of the time doesn't it, and we see, it's used a lot of the times in Daniel and Carol, we see that the advertisement or at least the encouragement of getting an easy job, an easy life, the 40 hours a week, nothing biblical about the 38 hours a week, working week, and I tell you what that works when two, when a pair of you work, when a husband and wife work, but 40 hours a week is pretty tough, that's pretty tough to provide for a family on, 40 hours a week, biblically there are 12 hour working days, 6 days a week, that's 72 hours a week, that's a lot different isn't it, the 38, 40 hour week. So the husband and wife working, now when the husband and wife work, a lot of the time they don't have to work quite so hard, when you've got your kids at school all day, and you're at a job, I tell you what, that's a lot easier than being at home, providing for a hard working man, and homeschooling however many children as well, raising young children. The free school really helps with that, before at the beginning the schools weren't free were they, and you had to pay for tuition for your kids, now they started bringing in the free schools, if I remember right in this country, it was for the factory workers wasn't it, they brought in the free schools so that people could work then, and both, husband and wives could work. Now the free school makes it easier, the after school clubs, now you've got both sides of this in this country I've noticed, you've got the more wealthy, you've got the more wealthy, where maybe the husband has a good job, and maybe he does work longer hours, and maybe the wives can afford not to, but a lot of the time it's the gym life for the wives, and you see at the school gate, the wives in the lycra, and a lot of the time they're probably not going to the gym, it's just to look like they are, but a lot of the time they are, and they have quite a life of leisure, kids drop off at school, six hours, seven hours, seven and a half hours, do what they want to do, up to them, put their feet up, coffee mornings, you name it. Obviously in this country you've got the constantly, the great holiday, and don't get me wrong, the Bible gives us days, weeks, especially in Old Testament, there was a precedent set for times to rest and relax, but it wasn't after your little 38 hour week where half of it's spent putting your feet up, doing not very much, oh we really need that holiday now, and then as well there's a promotion of the get rich quick so that you don't have too much early retirement, the national lottery, you get to find some family heirloom and the rest of that, and now you've also got the opposite side, so then you've got the flip side where you've got the opposite end, where you've got the poorer in this country, and very rarely see people in real extreme poverty, but the poorer where you've got the benefit system. Now the benefit system is a bit of a trap for many, because it encourages people to not really want to get a job, because a lot of the time they get in a council house trap, so they get a council house, and then if they start working, eventually they're going to lose a council house, they don't really want to lose a council house, they don't really want to get working, so then they need to justify why they can't work. Now there are some really easy ways, I've known people that do this, so the mental health one is a really big one that's an easy one, so what people do is they know the doctors say they're feeling depressed, and that's really, as we know, you can't physically test for that, I'm feeling depressed, or I'm suffering with this or that, then not only do they get job seekers and the free house, but then they also get disability benefit, and disability benefit is actually really good money for many people, so when you're at that opposite end, it might not be compared to the people that are really high flying and rolling, but you've got as well this trap where it's, well I'm receiving £250, whatever it is now, on top of a free place, as long as I don't work, so you've got this bizarre situation where people don't actually want to go to work, because then they're going to lose their disability payments, they're going to lose their free houses, and it makes me think a lot of Proverbs 22.30, don't worry about 20 there, the slothful man saying, there is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets, and the thing is, it becomes this kind of vicious circle, where because of the laziness, because it starts to set in the slothfulness, the excuses start coming out more and more, why you can't get out of the house, why you can't do things, and that's at the opposite end, and for sure, I think it's promoted, it's pushed, and we are all, we've all grown up in this society, many of us have only been saved for a certain amount of years, maybe even more recently than that, and it's something we have to break away from, this encouragement for laziness, and we've all been conditioned by it to some degree, now, how did God want things to work, because there are people that can't actually provide for themselves, for sure, there are widows, there are people that have had whatever circumstances, there are the sick, there are the infirm, there are people that do actually have real problems, well in Leviticus 23, in fact go to Leviticus 23, God's welfare system, Leviticus 23, and verse 22, and when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field, when thou wreath'st, neither shalt thou gather any deeding of thy harvest, thou shalt leave them unto the poor and to the stranger, I am the Lord your God. Now God's benefit system was that people with wealth, people with land, they would leave a certain amount, they wouldn't do that second, that second crop, that second gleaning, and they would leave that for the poor, but, but notice how they still have to go there and gather, it's not just sat, they're not just sat at home waiting, that's not how it works, now sure there are people that really need help, and in a, in a, what should be a Godly society like Old Testament Israel should have been, then sure true religion is to look after the fatherless and widows, and people that literally can't even make it there should be looked after, but still the majority of those should be able to go somewhere, still have to work to some degree for their food. Now like I said, there are, you know, we've all come from different backgrounds, there have been mistakes made in life, um, you know, we've all come from situations, things which we can't even help, and we're all in different situations, so I'm not, I'm not, you know, shouting out at anyone in particular here, no one's on my mind when I'm preaching this either, but, oh just quickly as well, one other point, kids as well, have you heard this stuff where people try to, they've got to have their childhood, I don't know, we used to hear this a bit, we're talking about kids doing chores, oh let them, let them be a kid, let them be a child, let them have their childhood, what a load of nonsense, kids want to work, and again it gets beaten out of them, because from young, I mean my little two-year-old, he's just turned two, Charlie, he loves nothing more than to go and get you stuff than to help, and they're all the same aren't they, they love nothing more than as they get older, and it's not just in conditioning, it's Sid as well, that, that they start to want to do less, maybe they don't, you want to keep it where they do, because I tell you what, you're going to turn the switch when they're living on their own, you're going to turn the switch when they're old enough to need to help you out in the house, suddenly they want to do it, you want to encourage it, encourage it from young, because we have to work in life, God said that we will work, that we will toil, now number one, my first point about why hard work is good for us, hard work leaves less time for sin, hard work when you're busy it leaves less time for sin, okay what happens when you have too much time in your hands, turn to second Samuel in chapter 11, second Samuel chapter 11 and it came to pass after the year was expired at the time where kings go forth to battle that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabah but David tarried still at Jerusalem and it came to pass at an evening time that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house and from the roof he saw a woman woman washing herself and the woman was very beautiful to look upon and David sent and inquired off the woman and one said is not this Bathsheba the daughter of Elian the wife of Uriah the Hittite and David sent messengers and took her and she came in unto him and he lay with her as she was purified from her uncleanness as she returned unto her house okay verse one there verse one okay David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel to destroy the children of Ammon he should have been leading there he was a king of that nation he should have been there so number one David should have been leading his people in the battle this isn't when David's older and he's becoming a problem being out in the battle David's perfectly capable here okay verse two verse two look at verse two came across an evening time that David arose from off his bed this is the evening this is at night this is the evening that Dave is lounging around at home on his bed okay so it came to came to pass in an evening time that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house so he's bored and he's having a wander on the roof yeah he's just like not really got much on he'll be lounging around in bed maybe he can't sleep so he probably sleeping all day I'm assuming here but he's not doing much is he so he's walking around and he starts walking upon the roof now I'm going to talk about evenings and night times in a bit but a lot of the time that's what a lot of sin takes place isn't it evening time evening time where it works over okay so he's wondering about on the roof okay verse three and David uh sorry uh back in verse two and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself and a woman was very beautiful to look upon verse three and David said and inquired after the woman that said it is not this vashiva the daughter of the lion wife of Uriah the Hittite so it should have been the end of it shouldn't it the second he saw her that should have been the end of it but as James 1 says and again don't go we're actually turning there we're going to go through a lot of verses David verse 14 to 15 says but every man is sent when he's drawn away with his own lust and enticed then when lust have conceived it bringeth forth sin a sin when it is finished bringeth forth death it shouldn't have been conceived in the first place should it and you can see it becomes his chain chain of events okay verse four and David sent messages and took her and she came in under by the way he's just been told it's the wife of Uriah the Hittite David sent messages and took her and she came in after him and he lay with okay that was wicked that was absolutely wicked now David is a great man of God and we can sometimes read this stuff and almost give him a bit of you know he's written so many beautiful songs and and what an amazing person David was and we can look at that and just kind of gloss over it a bit but that is absolutely wicked he shouldn't have even entertained the idea he shouldn't have even been looking he was second he saw that woman and by the way what what she why is she washing in view of anyone maybe it was only the king's house why she and when i say washing i don't think she's washing fully clothed i doubt why is she why is she doing that she has some responsibility but what David did was absolutely wicked now like i said women do have a responsibility too notice there there wasn't and David brought her in and forced her there was no forcing and some people had tried to suggest it's not there was no forcing there's no recorded objection there either now Bathsheba i don't know i don't know what she was like but all i do know is that according to the bible she was out washing herself where she could be viewed by at least David maybe more so she's she's showing at least parts where she she she has some part to play but David that is absolutely wicked and it is a disc that is disgusting that's another man's wife okay that that is absolutely wicked now like i said that came from the laziness but let's just talk about this in for a second if you turn to Leviticus 20 now we love turning to and and sure you know maybe love is it the right word but we we are you know we know Leviticus 20 13 all of us pretty much here off my heart don't we and for good reason as well because there is a massive movement and a massive push of that disgusting filthy sin but how many of us talk about Leviticus 20 10 a lot look at Leviticus chapter 20 verse 10 and the man that committed adultery with another man's wife even he that committed adultery with his neighbor's wife the adulterer and the adulterer shall surely be put to death shall surely be put to death now yeah we don't live in in israel anymore we're not calling for people we're not saying we're going to be putting anyone to death but the righteous government would and it might sound oh my i think how many of this population would be put to death but i'll tell you what so many of them wouldn't be committing sins like this with that threat with that hanging over their heads and you know what it destroys families it destroys families it destroys people it destroys so many people destroy society and and it's another thing that got pushed on us for years through the holy through Hollywood through through people in the public eye and it's there's nothing you understand i'm sure it's it's been the case for forever since but i'll tell you what it is absolutely with it jesus expands on this doesn't he matthew 5 28 says where he says but essentially that who's whoever looketh on a woman to lust after her had committed adultery with her already in his heart we should not even be looking on a woman like that and when i'm talking when we're saying looking on a woman yes it is majority more of a man problem this and we are all wired different but but that just the surface part the looking on a woman's beauty men generally will suffer with this mob but women do do have to there are women that suffer with this as well and either way it's absolutely wicked and you shouldn't even be looking you shouldn't even be entertaining the idea it is a horrible horrible sin it like i said it destroys families it's wicked and many who have families even worse and yeah this society accepts it well not here not in this church not not amongst bible believing christians should it even should there even be the idea of tolerating anything like that any sign of it now the world's version isn't it the world's version of christians is some effeminate sissy who who is just going to kind of plead with his wife and sit down and discuss terms with the man who's basically thieving trying to thieve his wife off him or vice versa um or or sorry or people trying to women trying to thieve husbands like it's just going to be discussed and everything else well i don't see that so so i see if the genesis to it says that we become one flesh then it's physical assault isn't it is it physical assault when someone's trying to steal your wife or someone's trying to steal your husband and by the way i'm not preaching because anything's going on here but you know what it goes on at so many churches stuff like this it is a problem and we see it in the world it's massive it is massive it is a big problem and if it's physical assault which it is if you're one fledged it's a violation of yourself and it requires self-defense isn't it i see it requires self-defense now at least they're trying to thieve off you i don't know they're trying to theme off you anyone who thinks about that sort of thing is a thief as well and what does it say next there's 22 22 2 if the thief be found breaking up and be smitten that you die there's no i'm not saying everyone here right make sure you kill me but i'm saying you know that you you defend your property and you defend yourselves and you're one flesh and this isn't the sort of place where where we're just going to put up with that sort of thing and any sign of it as well any sign of it as well nip it in the bud and you know how to deal with that is to have to have good boundaries in place have good boundaries in place from the beginning and we should have that at this church there shouldn't be private times shouldn't be times where men are on their own with women and and and and stuff like that going on because because you know what it's such a problem in the world the great man david committed adultery so don't everyone think you know you know take heed take heed that he who think he stand is less he fall because you know we're at the end of the day we're we're men and they're with women around as well now adultery isn't the only sin that is committed when people have too much time in their hands with david it was in the evening wasn't it and now now i'm assuming no one here is is thinking about adultery in the evening i don't know because you know i know a lot of stuff goes on when people aren't at work when they have their downtime and that this is the thing isn't it people say you've got to have a chance to be you what about a time i was talking to someone recently who's asked me about bible reading and stuff and and study and things like that he said someone who i'm i've been working for a while someone i've been coaching he's a friend i'm trying to get him safe and and you know he's trying to for him he's thinking well if i do i'm gonna have to then look like him and i'm not you know he's just asking he's disinterested in what i do in the evening and stuff and well what about time when you're you when you now we should delight in the evening shouldn't we that that's the time when i am me when i get a chance to read my bible to meditate on scripture and study the word of god that's amazing that's a great time for me now i'm not saying that has to be either work or study because there are other good things but those good things to do those times when we relax and we enjoy the time of our family good food fellowship etc that doesn't have to be sinful for many people when they talk about that time your downtime or being you it revolves around some sort of sin for example the junk movies watching movies watching series how much time does that rubbish take how much poison does that put in your mind you're sitting there watching one after another and everything's addictive aren't they when you watch one suddenly you've watched six and it's whatever time in the morning and i remember that from when i watched stuff like that many years ago that stuff is junk worldly music people sit at home listening to worldly music start listening to more and more worldly music now by the way the bible says that people not only do the same as well but have pleasure in them that do it don't they and you're listening to these sodomites to these god haters and everything else with your music watching them on the on the screen watching them in their series what you do you're having pleasure in these people youtube now people might think well nothing wrong with it i pick and choose what you do half the time they're just scrolling through all this junk video all this unclean stuff wicked things before your eyes again when you have your downtime when you have your time when you're not busy conspiracy nothing wrong with being aware nothing wrong with looking into things but how many people are going to the point when they're then in fear where they're now sinning because they're just spending all night looking all these conspiracies all these things they're not good for you they're not that's not what we should be spending our time meditating on the latest conspiracy the latest thing that's going to go wrong alcohol and drugs evenings night times in general you know people have a real problem when it's daytime as well but they have a problem anyway but but how often how many people are right it's just in my evening i like to smoke a joint or whatever it is whatever it is and again i hope no one is like that but but the world's like that and there are christians like that oh they haven't they only have a glass one evening every evening you know oh well that's my evening that's okay smoking a lot of people oh i won't smoke throughout oh i can get by with that smoking as soon as they have time on their own in the evening suddenly they they've changed my five cigarettes six cigarettes they've got nothing to do they're wandering about on the roof finding something to do gluttony what about gluttony in the evenings how many people can eat well throughout the day gets to the evening and they're stuffing their faces with junk and it is it's that time they've got nothing to do that biscuit cupboard looks empty bad isn't it and you know we've all we've all suffered from some of these i'm sure we've all we've all dealt with some of these gambling gambling as well a lot of people will sit down when it comes to the evening when they're playing a bit of online whatever it is relax something else it's just things that popped into my mind thinking about the the downtime being you relaxing sin and that's what it is it's sin isn't it all this stuff is sinful as well maybe you think that maybe you're doing none of that maybe you're sitting there just alone with your thoughts but what are your thoughts are your thoughts about how you you can uplift yourself you can be this certain person you're gonna you know you're gonna show everyone how good you are whatever else because a lot of a lot of sin comes from your thoughts the thoughts of foolishness how many people are sitting there just thinking foolishness in their downtime now turn to first timothy five will i read ecclesiastes 5 12. now ecclesiastes 5 12 says the sleep of a labouring man is sweet whether he eat little or much but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep so the sleep of a labouring man is sweet when you work hard when you graft and that's you know that's saying when you have busy days women here mums dads men when you're out grafting hard is it is it really that hard to get to sleep now i know you know maybe maybe maybe it is for some maybe you need to look at maybe those those of you that are drinking coffees all night and everything else but really when you graft on i don't see that problem a lot of people that i just can't sleep at night oh i just end up sleeping today they're people that are doing nothing all day they're doing nothing all day and then they can't oh they're sitting at home staring at the tv screen just can't get to sleep well their eyes are like this but the the sleep of a labouring man is sweet whether he little or much but the abundance of the rich are not suffering to see these rich people that are doing doing hardly anything all day it's hard for them to sleep and they find it hard to sleep the lazy man finds it hard okay look at first timothy five and verse nine let not a widow be taken into the number under three score years old having been a wife of one man well reported of for good works if she had brought up children if she if she had lodged strangers if she had washed the saint's feet if she had relieved the afflicted if she was diligently followed every good work but the younger widows refused for when they had begun to wax wanton against christ they were married having damnation because they had cast off their first fate and with all they learned to be idle wandering about from house to house and not only idle but tattlers also busybodies speaking things of today or not i will therefore that the younger women marry their children guide the house give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproach for them okay look at verse 10 then okay well reported so this is talking here about about widows being take being either taken on by the church and basically supported by the church or whether or not they should marry and continue to be working hard in other things and back to back to working hard for their husband for their families uh or new families there so it's a little widow be taken into the number under three score score is 20 years another 60 years old having been a wife one man now these are ones which are taken taken off well reported of for good works if she had brought up children if she lodged strangers if she washed the saint's feet she relieved the afflicted if she diligently followed every good work so she qualifies she's able to be taken on as a widow and to continue being busy for the church if she showed a pattern of busyness she showed a pattern of hard work okay then she's able then she's able to be taken on by the church and not just end up being a busybody like it says further down doing nothing being idle verse 11 it says here but the younger widows refuse for when they have begun to wax wanted so basically they become become carnal against christ they will then marry because eventually they they haven't shown that pattern they haven't been busy because being busy actually takes some training that's why i was talking about the kids as well you've got to start people young at hard work because you're not just going to flick a switch to be able to do it and all of us have to train to be hard working because the flesh doesn't want to the flesh doesn't want to in the world encourages you not to we have to train in it we have to make sure we're hard working because it is for our benefit as sinful people it's for our benefit to work hard okay having damnation because they've cast off their first face so so obviously there they they basically are going to get damnation they're going to get and that's not talking about going to hell these are saved people but they're going to get chastisement because they basically they just cast away god because they become lazy because now they're starting to think about husbands again okay verse 13 and with all they learn to be idle wondering about from house to house and not only idle but tackler's also busy body speak you see things which they all not right they learn to be idle they learn to be idle by being idle by not doing much by doing less and less they then learn to be idle in the same way you can learn to be busy you can learn to be idle tackler okay tackler is a tale bearer so they're going around gossiping busybody so they're meddling in the affairs of others and this is now this is more now we've been talking about some sins of men this is stuff which is especially affects women a lot more doesn't it again you you get across home with both of these but that that that kind of started in gossip a lot more you know getting involved in other people's business telling people that other people's trying to finance i wonder what they're doing now what this is things are completely none of your business at all and that happens when you're not busy when you're not busy what you what you're doing what what are you doing what what what are ladies doing when they're not busy i hope they're doing godly things i hope when they've got the time it seems that productive and sure this there is a time to relax you know there's a time to enjoy the labor of what you do and let's just go to that quickly and ecclesiastes too i don't want to go everyone to think right that's it i've got to work literally until i go to sleep every night have maybe my one day off if i'm lucky there is a time to enjoy your labor ecclesiastes chapter 2 verse 22 well what had man of all his labor and of the vexation of his heart wherein he had laid under sun but all his days of sorrows and his travail grief yea his heart taketh not rest in the night this is also vanity there is nothing better for a man and that he should eat and drink and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor this also i saw the hand of god now there are many people that and again a lot of times focusing on money they literally work themselves to the bone because they just want to get richer and richer get more and more but they never actually get a chance to enjoy it eventually they're just going to die with a big bank account and and leave a load of money for their kids it probably isn't going to do them any good anyway because they can probably learn not to have to work and not to have to go off either so there is there is i know when they want to think right that's it i've just got to graph work work work and there's a balance to it but on the flip side when you have too much time on your hands we see here we we we see back to first timothy first timothy five they learn to be idling in verse 14 i will therefore that the younger women marry bear children guide the house give none occasion to the adversary speaker reproachfully now that's a busy job but if you're not busy doing that and there are times there are times when it's busier than others if there's a lady you're not busy doing that well what did it say what did it say back in verse 10 well reported for good works if you've brought up children if you've lodged strangers if you've washed the saint's feet if you've relieved the afflicted if you've diligently followed every good work there are other things you can add to your plate if you're not busy enough at home if you're not busy enough with what you've got on if your children maybe are older or whatever it is there's many other things you can do that to make you busy but not wondering about trying to find things to fill your day with because if you're at that point the sin is going to creep in because that's what happens the sin creeps in when we're not busy okay so my first point was hard work leaves less time for sin and there's many places we could go for that but for sake of time away number two hard work benefits but it benefits you as well not just not just about sin it benefits you and those around you hard work benefits you and those around you look at second thessalonians chapter three and verse seven second thessalonians just before timothy there chapter three verse seven for yourselves know how you ought to follow us for we behave not ourselves disorderly among you neither did we eat any man's bread for naught but walked with labor and travail night and day that we might not be chargeable to any of you not because we have not power but to make ourselves an ensemble under you to follow us but even when we were with you this we commanded you that if we that if any would not work neither should he eat for we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly working not at all but are busybodies now then that as such we command you exhort by lord jesus christ that with quietness they work and eat their own bread okay now like i said i don't know my situation here i don't know you know what what you know what i don't know most people's lives you know what what what they're doing away from church and i i appreciate as well this isn't israel three thousand years ago but the bible does say by the way that wasn't three thousand years ago but talking about when we're talking about israel's their their benefit system there how that worked but the bible says if any would not work neither should he eat so if you're not working as a man you should be eating it's not further for the government i.e everyone else who's working to provide your food for you that's not how it works if you're not now there are times there might be hard times and lead times there's times when people are out of work etc but you should be trying your hardest you should not be relying on other people to provide for you so and by the way let's talk about men neither should he if he doesn't work but let's talk about women as well in terms of what do we have going out into the workplace because you know what you know i believe what the bible says what we just read that women should should marry guide the house yeah that that for me is a biblical relation there but like i said there are many different situations now if you're a woman that that maybe things have happened in your life you're like hey i'm not saying you have to go out to work necessarily and we don't have necessarily the situation in israel or with the church where the church can then provide for you as a widow or something similar but on the flip side you need to be grafting hard whether it's for paid work or not you need to be busy and women wives especially if you're not if you're not working you're not working at home you're not really doing much sending your kids off to work maybe you're getting in the cleaner because you've got a bit of money maybe you're not really doing much maybe your husband's getting takeaways a lot maybe they're doing the cooking as well maybe you're doing very little if you're doing very little neither should you eat if you're not working you're not grafting you shouldn't be eating and of course we're talking about adults mainly here but i would say kids as you get older as well if you're not working around the house you're not grafting why are you why should you eat either if you're able to do stuff you should be doing stuff that's life that it's for our own good it's for thy sake it's not a hardship we have to train ourselves to enjoy work to want to work to want to grow it's not a bad thing we should be working um in second thessalonians see verse eight here he said but walk with labor and travail night and day night and day get men especially here get away i just can't provide for it you know my wife's gonna have to start earning extra money at home we're gonna have to do this work more work more get a night job if you if you can't do yours at your work work more it's 38 40 hours just set up to have two people working and we're able we're perfectly capable of working more work longer hours work now there are if you're able if you're earning well in that time in that other time work with other things help your church help yourself help your family spiritually work at the scriptures work at raising your family work at these things but don't just use that time to do to do sinful things don't use that time to do nothing yeah have have some relaxing time but have some relaxing time doing good things righteous things fruitful things things spend time with your wives with your kids not just sitting around lazing around doing nothing and by the way when we're talking about women working hard how can you if you do a cushy job if you even do a job or or you do a job where you come home you do your 38 48 your feet are up you're doing absolutely nothing how can you then say to your wife you need to work if you want to eat well you're doing nothing all day and i don't think there's many like that but there's a there's a temptation because it is throughout the world there are guys who've got their wives doing everything and they're doing absolutely nothing but on the other hand there are women as well whose men are going and working working hard for them and they're coming home and they're seeing them as a help they're seeing the man as their help meat for them and what did genesis is it genesis one or two he said he says he says that that for the woman he's made that it's not good for a man to be on his own so he's made woman he's made a help and meat is suitable fitting for him okay it's not a bit of meat that's helpful and some people like phrase it like that they call them a help meat but but it's not it's a help meat for them okay and and that was why women were made and now helping us to raise our kids is helping us so i'm not saying they literally need to be following you around at work you know past you the screwdriver whatever it is you're doing but on the other hand women at their ultimate their primary role is a help for men and that's a help looking after the house the family and and if we if men are working hard then you should be able to expect your wife it's not you know that has to come from love as well because really you want them to be busy for their own good it's for their own good it's for the good of your family it's for the good of you it's for the good of themselves but you need to be busy as well because you need to lead by example um night and day now work also includes helping your parents kids work includes helping your parents you know it's a hard job being a parent and and for the men working and coming home and helping out of parental jobs as well for the for a lot of mums and women all day kids you need to help if you're not grafting you're not helping you're not doing your bit around the house you should be ashamed of yourselves and it's not good for you in the long run because you're going to have a hard life laziness causes a hard life look at verse 11 of second Thessalonians therefore we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly working not at all but are busybodies so the idol end up disorderly busybodies that's what happens that's what happens when you're not doing much okay turn back to first timothy five well i read proverbs 12 11 okay proverbs 12 says he that timothy's land shall be satisfied with bread but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding so if you tell your land if you work you'll be satisfied with bread so god wants you to work to be able to eat yeah okay like we said that includes women doing their bit as well to help you to be able to work okay so the bible says that if we work we'll have enough food for ourselves now look at first timothy 5a but if any provide not for his own especially for those of his own house he denied the faith and is worse than an infidel if you're not providing for your family providing for there it's talked about for example widows adult children adult young men who who's made maybe god forbid your your your mother ends up widowed you should be providing for them okay well you are capable of providing for them when you work as a man i don't care if you're minimum wage in this country you work 72 hours a week you can provide for more than yourself you can downsize you might not be able to drive a very nice car you might not have the nicest clothes but you can still provide for your house you can provide for your family if you don't you're worse than an infidel and for men if you're not providing for your families then you're worse than an infidel the bible says now first timothy 5a where it says that it's talking about working men you know but those in his own house your children your kids if your kids if you're fobbing your kids off with junk food that's cheap as chips and you're eating the good stuff maybe you're not then again you're worse than an infidel you're not providing for them there aren't like just because it says food in the shops just because it's in the supermarket doesn't mean it's actually food so if you're getting the the the literal junk the filth and giving it to your kids so that you can have this or do that so you don't have to do as much work so you can just get by on your 38 hour or whatever it is you're worse than an infidel you're not providing for them you're not providing their needs they need healthy food i'm not saying you have to buy everything organic and everything the most expensive rate but get something that at least is going to be good for them yeah and if that means you have to work more then so be it now as men it says also that we should be providing for others now what about men that have wives maybe don't have wives single men you're working what are you doing with your money now you can provide for the church can't you the church is the church should be doing good for society look at look at acts 20 acts chapter 20 and verse 33 this is paul talking here he's talking to the elders at emphasis before he's leaving he says i've coveted no man silver or gold or apparel yeah you yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities and to them that were with me i've showed you all things how that's so laboring he ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the lord jesus how he said it is more blessed to give than to receive so paul was leading by example showing him to support the week so if you've got an abundance of money you're working hard help out the week help the week and do things for him if that you know and i'm not saying you've got to literally just any spare money you have just throw it out and by the way that doesn't mean going to visiting some some drug addict or you know or alcoholic on the street who a lot of the time sadly is choosing that and the world oh we just want to help these people give more money for drugs and alcohol i'm not talking about that firstly i need the gospel anyway those people but regardless regardless a lot of them a lot of them i know i've thought about this a while and you know when i was first saved i was a little bit by the world and trying to try to go out to these homeless people a lot of them are reprobates by the way a lot of them are a lot of them don't even have a family or friend to stay with a lot of the time because they're reprobates and because they've done some wicked stuff they've been in jail for some wicked crimes as well and not all but a lot of them are drug addicts alcoholics and other things a lot of them have flats and things like that and they come out to this professional job and i've seen that and i've known people that have done that i know of them through other people that come and sit in places asking for money and then they go back to their free free house or flat in the evening a lot of the time they're out of that place because they've been either selling or messing up the whole place with drug drug dealers coming in selling and then they get evicted by the council then they're on the streets and they all they want them i've tried to offer these people food before and they don't want it they want the cash they want the hard cash because they want to go and get the next fix so you ain't helping no one when you're just shoving money for them but we should be looking to help people help people around us help our family help friends help people through the church um and that's something we should be looking at doing that's a bit different in this society because we have a benefit system here so it's a little bit different but still there are still people that you can help um so Paul's leading by example now it's not just men like i said wives and older children too now wives need to help their children not just like i said not just raising the kids they need to help if if uh so they need to help their husbands if their husbands are going out and you want them to work and you want to be you want to have some things in life they need to work and they need to be able to work harder and it's not so easy to work hard when they're coming back and then like i said becoming the help of the wife when they come home i'm not saying that necessarily goes on but i know that that can go on and again i'm not saying men have no parental responsibility to do it we talked about that last week they do they should be instructing they should be helping raise their children but remember get that priorities right and maybe wives as well if there is a problem without wives if you really make an effort to love and support and help your husband a lot of the time your husband is probably more likely to try and help you and do things and want to take the burden off you if they see that you have a heavy burden it's not a competition and you should all just be looking to work hard work hard um okay men working day and night like i said it can include spiritual things can't it as well so when when if you're you're getting paid well at work no actually i don't need to work 72 hours i don't need to work a second job i don't need extra money and we shouldn't be chasing money and things are going well then spend that time studying the word of god that's a help to the church that's a help to the people that you're going out to try and say that's a help to your family that's a help to those around you that's a help to all those people you come in contact with that you can give the counsel of god to so men spend that time doing that that's work that is work as well it's good work but it's work um okay turn to proverbs 14 proverbs chapter 14 just after the book of psalms near the middle of your bible proverbs chapter 14 and verse 23 in all labor there is profit but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury okay so all labor and that includes wives children not necessarily receiving cash or money straight into your bank from the work but there's profit in all labor all work all labor spiritual labor everything there's profit in it now the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury penury is extreme poverty destitution people are just talking talking talking they're not outgrafting they're talking maybe a good game maybe they're talking maybe they're just nattering maybe they're gossiping but that tends only to poverty destitution um which is scarcity dearth inadequacy insufficiency okay so if you want to be successful women if you're spending your days gossiping maybe it's whatsapp messages all day or chatting on the phone all day your husband's coming home the face is a hellhole now he's having to pay for a cleaner the food he's got he's having to buy food out for lunch he's getting the same thing every day because and i'm not saying sometimes they're busy season but sometimes it's because the women aren't really grafting they're not really working they're not actually trying to help his day by better now he's he's having to buy takeaways to get some varieties he's getting sick of the ham sandwich every day or whatever it is or or maybe like i said it's getting the cleaner in or maybe it's because she's not doing anything with the kids now he on the weekend as well he's maybe got a day maybe he does it he's at church he's now trying to find time to go and entertain the kids because they're so sick and tired of all of it because mum's sitting at home all day whatsapp messaging or mum's sitting at home all day just looking at videos on youtube or whatever it is and it and all hard work in all labor where were we 14 23 in in in all labor there is profit there is profit in all labor okay um okay like i said that's no good that angle if the man's just lounging around with that if you just got your feet up if every time you come back for work that's it that's my time i do nothing no that ain't that's not biblical that's there's no good in that at all no like i said there is there is a time to relax enjoy the fruit of your labor but but if you want your wives to work hard you need to set an example as well like paul did he set an example okay um okay turn to proverbs six or in proverbs proverbs chapter six and verse six go to the ant thou sluggard from verse six chapter six six go to the ant thou sluggard consider her ways and be wise which having no guide overseer or moolah provided her meat in the summer and gathered her food in the harvest how long wilt thou sleep oh sluggard when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep yet a little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep so shall poverty come as one that traveler and my want as an armed man you ever notice how lazy people always so tired i don't know always so tired so tired they don't actually do anything but here's the thing when you get up early and you get in a routine you get up and do stuff you actually have a lot more energy and when you're lying around when you sleep too long you're just tired all day it's like you're just in sleep mode you don't end up wanting to do anything so you have a day off i'm going to get so much done i'm not going to set my alarm next thing you know you get nothing done yes look and notice here as well in problem six the ad she she has no guide overseer or ruler okay she just gets on with the graph without her husband cracking the whip coming back going didn't you do this couldn't you have done that she she goes she just gets on and does it and that's how we want to be that sounds women especially want to be interesting point by the way or that i because i'm raising someone who claims to believe in science yeah you know that um you know that they've only recently apparently found out that all worker ants are female i don't know if anyone heard this this interesting fact before obviously this was written what three and a half thousand years ago or something book of problems um and it's only in the last 50 odd whatever it is it's quite a recent discovery that that all worker ants are female and obviously god as usually way way ahead of our time uh i told this to somebody claims to believe in well i'm too much for scientists i believe in science and and i said so that's quite interesting is it considering the book of proverbs has written you know x amount of time okay or was it he said so it's really good what's it you know and clearly i don't think there's any doubt the book of problems written over three thousand years ago or was it so he's suggesting this is written in the last 50 years change of subjects it's annoying because you've got to think oh i've got something to show you they just they're not interested it's this spiritual thing it's a rejection isn't it but you still get caught doing the thinking you're going to sum up a slater with a scientific fact all right so um okay turn to proverbs 12 and there's loads of problems on this i only selected a few will i will i read proverbs 10 4 proverbs 10 4 says he becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand but the hand of the diligent maketh rich so he becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand that's a lazy hand isn't it but the hand of the diligent the hard working person who's who's uh he's putting importance in working properly make it rich so it's a team effort so if you want to have money and of course your motivation shouldn't be rich it's probably 23 says labor not to be rich but if you want to have things in life you want to have some luxuries then then you you all need to work hard like i said it's it's a team effort with families especially here but anyone um and we can add heavenly rewards to that can't we heavenly rewards you want to be rich when you go to heaven you need to work hard in this life and you need to train yourself like i said to work hard um and everyone needs to work hard that includes kids as well um and by the way kids we don't know a lot of people you might have overheard there's a lot of talk isn't there of well we're getting pretty close aren't we i mean things are suddenly taking a massive leap towards one world governments and cashless societies and everything else that looks like we're getting close you want some really rewards you better get a move on because you might not even get a chance to get to the ripe old age that some of us have got to already to be able to earn those rewards you better get get earning some rewards quickly we talked about that last week in in uh in the book of corinthians if you want to know more about that haven't actually you're going to have to listen to some echo though because the sound is pretty bad wasn't it on the last last server but um regardless deal with it and listen to it because there are many ways you can earn rewards um okay so provost 12 i've got you to turn to didn't i verse 24 the hand of the diligent verse 24 the hand of the diligent shall bear rule but the slothful shall be under tribute now you know let me think well how slothful how can you be under tribute what about through loans what about being under tribute through loans because you can't see getting loans and credit cards and things because you're not working on nothing they're they're a trap aren't they i mean i remember when i was 18 it's like the day i turned 18 i just started getting all this mail through going we'd like to give you a credit card we'd like to give you a loan we'd like to give you a credit card and that stuff is wicked because again you just see code as well just get this i'll pay it back soon you just kind of next year next year whatever else and people just end up becoming lazy and slothful and not doing stuff um loans or tribute what about you'll be under tribute so when you're lazy maybe you're more likely to live for the rest of your life with the bosses taking that cut of what you earn you'll never get to that point where you're the boss or where maybe you can run your own business or whatever else you're constantly having to pay a cup to your to your employer hard work makes you progress in a company doesn't it and you know what i've employed people before in my small business and and some of you that have that have been bosses or being supervisor anything else wow isn't it terrible when you have a lazy person working for you it like like like program says i think it says it's smoke to is it vinegar to the teeth and i think smoke to the eyes or something along those lines it so is a slugger to him that sent him or the sloth well it's one of the two there is it's it just great so you doesn't it i've had people who you literally have to give an instruction every five minutes or they'll just stand there and you've just given them a list of things you want them to do in a garden for example you're doing a big landscaping job and five minutes later they're like this what are you doing i did that bit okay now it's like and it's just laziness it's inherently it's they they need it trained out of it and it's terrible we don't want people but when you don't when you're not like that people see that people love employing you people want you they want you to progress in their company um i was talking to someone yesterday my brother-in-law who's telling me about the boss in their company and everyone's responding one of the supervisors who is just lazy does nothing nothing happened to have had two months off with covid but long before that and long after and he just doesn't do anything and and for them for the whole job their morale's low people don't want it then other people who say half the workforce are lazy because they watch this guy and it just it catches doesn't it you can see other people doing nothing they start doing oh well if he can get away with it but it's not good for us we should be like that okay so if one other thing if you get promoted you get to a higher point you're earning more money well it's not just about the stuff because the stuff isn't really that important again you get more time to spend on reading meditating on the word helping you you know be part of your family raise your children okay last point there so number one was hard work needs less time for sin number two hard work benefits you and those around you number three hard work pleases god okay turn to ephesians six ephesians chapter six verse five servants be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling in singleness of your heart as under christ not with eye services men pleasers but as the servants of christ doing the will of god from the heart with good will doing service as to the lord and not to men no no whatsoever good thing any man do it the same shall you receive of the lord whether he be bond or free we should be working as unto christ in everything shouldn't we so that's kids with your schoolwork kids with your chores wives at home they you know uh young ladies are at home for whatever reasons those at work men at work we should all be working as unto the lord as unto the lord um colossians 3 23 says and whatsoever you do do it hardly as to the lord and not to bed now just imagine the lord jesus christ walked into our church now he walked in here and by the way don't worry i'm not saying about it some sort of weird rapture where he comes quickly and he's not anyway but just saying just just imagine for whatever reason he came into our church now yeah and he asked one of the men to fix something maybe looked at something would you just do a slack job but you would do your best job wouldn't you it's jesus or maybe ask one of your ladies to make him a cup of tea or something else would you just would you start sending a message in the middle and it comes out tepid or maybe you get distracted or maybe maybe maybe ah just put it in i'm putting a little bit too much milk never mind he can deal with it no you would make the best cup of tea that he asked for wouldn't you or maybe ask me or one of the other men to preach a message would you just would we just write it just thinking well you know i just just kind of end quickly now i'm running out of time now i've got things to do haven't got yeah i don't want to stay up late finishing this off i know i need a few more verses in there but hang on no you would do your utmost you preach the best message you could wouldn't you and that's how we should be in everything everything we do we should be working as unto god that's what the bible says not as many pleasers not not not so that people see your work you're thinking oh yeah that shouldn't be that shouldn't be our motivation and it will be of many things when you're at work and other things you won't be able to see that it's not about that work has unto god turn to second tivity two romans 12 11 says not slothful in business fermented spirit serving the lord fervently is evil we should be eager with everything we do but second tivity too okay verse 15 study to show thyself approved unto god a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth okay studying studying the word of god as a workman should and can be and is regularly hard work okay when you're when you're really trying to you you don't just go i don't know that move on you try and get the bottom you meditate on it you try and look at different scripture you're trying to go to verses that are going to help you understand something it's hard work i'll tell you what study for some of these the these sermons over the last few months and stuff a lot of time that is that's some hard graph to tell you and it's at the end of the day in the evening and you're tired and your eyes are going and you're studying and it's hard it's hard work and it's great work and it's so rewarding but it's but we should be studying show ourselves approved we want to be approved unto god we all need to look at us and go now good and faithful servant and saying and and when it should just be a skim read oh well i've done my 10 minutes in the morning or whatever it is i've done my 50 i've done my half hour i've done my whatever you're reading you skimmed over your mind's been wondering and everything else that's not studying to show ourselves approved study means study comparing scripture with scripture here a little very little line upon line precept upon precept that's studying the word of god and we should study to show ourselves approved that pleases god someone too says that the the blessed man's delight is in the law of the lord and in his lord does he meditate day and night okay and meditating day and night it's work it's good work it's enjoyable work but day and night that's something you need to be pushing yourself to do training yourself to do with that then we're happy then we're blessed then we're blessed and and it's for our own good all this work all this hard work hard work with the verses with the scriptures with the study hard work in our workplace hard work at home hard work in life it's all fact for thy sake it's good for us and praise god there's so much that we can delight in so much that we can delight in certain but but all of it all of it is for our own good so number one hard work leaves less time for sin number two hard work benefits you and those around you and number three hard work pleases god that's great heavenly father we thank you for your word we thank you for your example and we thank you that we we have the ability to be busy to be hard at work because we need to be we need to be grafting for you we need to be just putting the putting the hours in putting the timing and whatever we do we should be doing it as unto you we thank you that you you made it so clear in your word how we should be living that not how the world encourages us to live but how you want us to live how you command us to live help us to do that going forward help us do that this week help us to be busy busy but fruitful lord to have you at the center of everything in jesus name