Work and rest are both good and part of God’s created order. Rest is inseparably related to work, as is work to rest, and must be understood and enjoyed according to God’s design.

Work is often perceived negatively as a requirement, and not something good, desirable, or pleasant. This, of course, is the consequence of sin that caused work to become a burden and rest to be a snare. Likewise, though rest seems more desirable than work, it too is corrupted by sin. In sin, rest is often disconnected from work and purpose, and it becomes a sinfully lazy habit.

God resting after his labor on the seventh day and declaring it holy is a testimony both to the purpose and goodness of labor and the purpose and goodness of rest. Genesis 2:1-3 calls the church to honor God with both your work as unto the Lord and rest as a response of obedience.

Man’s nature and purpose are not according to the autonomous will of man but determined, ordained, and commanded by the sovereignty of God. A biblical worldview affirms the sovereignty of God over all of creation, including man, but the world claims that each person has total autonomy, independent of any authority.

Genesis 1:26-31 testifies to the creation of man and man’s nature and purpose.

In the sermon from Genesis 1:26-31, Pastor Ben explains that God’s creation of man demands that you honor every human life as God’s image bearer, be a good steward of God’s creation, and submit to God’s authority to create and command.

Genesis chapter one is the testimony of creation. By God's authority, out of His will, and according to His command, He created all things.

As with all of scripture, Genesis chapter one is a testimony of God that reveals His authority, will, and nature. It is not a story about men but a testimony to who God is and how He is working.

Genesis chapter one does not answer every detail you may wish were included. There are many questions about how God accomplished His work that are left unanswered. Not the least of which is how God created all that is from nothing. In His perfect providence, God has given us His word to declare that He is the author and creator of all things while leaving unanswered the mysteries that the mind of man cannot conceive.

Genesis chapter one is a foundational text for a Christian worldview and many of the most fundamental doctrines. From Genesis chapter one, Pastor Ben Smith preaches on how God's creation forms how Christians understand God and all that He has made.

The cost of faithful obedience does not negate the worthiness and value of Scripture’s commands. The difficulty or unpleasantness of a task does not mean that the task is unnecessary or a worthless pursuit.

Church discipline is hard, relationally taxing, and requires significant attention and energy from the church. This level of investment and cost was causing the Thessalonian church to grow weary, and some were surely tempted to give up or give in. In our day, many church members are weary from the excessive commitments they have made outside of the church. This leads them to be unprepared and with little tolerance or energy for the mental attention, emotional fortitude, and spiritual determination required for church discipline. Additionally, our culture places great importance on preserving the individual’s self-esteem, emotional stability, and autonomy. Any attempt to express judgment towards an individual is countercultural and generally rejected. The church is not immune to these cultural forces and is often tempted to compromise biblical fidelity for the sake of cultural acceptance.

In this passage, Paul pleads with the church to faithfully endure in church discipline, regardless of how difficult the task may be.

Sometimes all you have is a few minutes. With this in mind I am excited to announce that I am working on a new podcast channel called “Sermon Shorts”. I will be posting 5 min or less clips from recent sermons. I hope you will subscribe and listen. The channel is already available on Apple podcast and will be coming to Google podcast, and other podcast sites very soon.

The following is an example of what each sermon short will be like. It is from a sermon I preached from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 titled “Our Identity is in Christ alone.” I hope you enjoy.