The Practice of Our Work

Monday nights are normally when I sit down to do my study of the next passage I’m going to be preaching on. And when I opened up my Bible software this week, I noticed that I already had some detailed notes written out on Colossians 1:15-20. That’s not unusual. Just means I’ve taught on it before.

But as I read through my previous notes, I found myself wondering, “When did I preach on this last?” And I’m kind of embarrassed, I gotta say, because it took me a minute before I remembered that the first book of the Bible we studied through when the church launched last year was Colossians. And this set of verses was week three for our church.

Once that clicked, it all came back to me, but I can’t believe I had blanked on that. So, if you were here when our church started in September 2025, then you might have heard me preach on Colossians 1:15-20. And if you’re here over the next 10 or so years, Lord willing you might hear me preach on it again.

Scripture doesn’t stop being useful just because we’ve covered something in it before. We continue to revisit and learn and apply. Last year, we did a straightforward exegesis of what the passage means and how Paul is exalting the centrality of Jesus in all things, and you can watch or listen to that message on our website. In that sermon, we looked at three key statements Paul’s making in these verses:

• Jesus is greater than all things.

• Jesus sustains all things.

• Jesus will reconcile all things.

This morning, we’re looking at this passage to understand how the centrality of Jesus shapes the way that we practice our work, from parenting to gardening to our careers. Every area where we work. During our first week of this series, we zoomed out to understand that the purpose of our work is rooted in being created in God’s image and called to cultivate and have dominion over the areas he’s placed us as we reflect his image to his creation.

But then in week 2 we discussed how sin—how our desire to make a name for ourselves rather than walk in the name and purpose God has given us—we talked about how that’s created a problem for our work. Now we work against the grain of God’s design, which creates toil and challenge and pain.

But there’s hope. Last week we looked at Jesus’ invitation for all those who labor and are heavy laden. He says, “Come to me… and I will give you rest.” The anxiety for our work rises when we feel like we’re not in control, but the peace of Christ brings rest when, even in the middle of the problems of our work, we fix our eyes on how Christ is in control of all things. We don’t have to rely on our own performance to find peace when we take on the yoke of Jesus who says his “yoke is easy, and [his] burden is light.”

But how does this shape the posture of our work? How does the good news of Jesus change the way we approach the actual practice of our jobs in our day-to-day? That’s what I want us to close out our series thinking about this morning. And the foundation for that here in Colossians 1:15-20 is exactly what we looked at a year ago:

• Since Jesus is greater than all things, we work because of him.

• Since Jesus sustains all things, we work for him.

• Since Jesus will reconcile all things, we work with him.

So, what does it mean to do our work because of Jesus? Let’s start with reading verses 15-16.

Colossians 1:15–16 ESV

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

The mandate God gave us to work in his creation back in Genesis 1—to fill the earth and subdue it—that purpose flowed immediately out of God saying he created us in his image. Now, Paul tells the church in Colossae that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Hebrews 1 tells us he is the exact imprint of God’s nature. John 1 tells us no one has ever seen God, but through Jesus he is now made known.

We were made in God’s image, but Jesus is God’s image. He’s fully God. So, while we were given the responsibility to fill and subdue God’s creation, it was by Christ that all things were created in the first place. It is because of his work that we exist, and it is because of his work that we have been given the cultural mandate to work in our various roles and responsibilities now as stewards of his creation.

That means a couple things. first, if our work flows out of Christ’s work, then he gets to define the purpose of your job, not you. If you were to start a job with a new company next week, and on your first day you got to sit down with the owner—would you go into that meeting letting him know what your job description was going to be?

Of course not. He gave you the job. It’s his company; not yours. So, it makes sense that you would look to him for what your job responsibilities are supposed to be, how you should go about doing your work, and even what success looks like in your role.

And yet, it’s really easy for us to do that with God in our vocations. You might have very good and sincere goals for your work. You might see your job as a way to benefit others. But have you asked God why he gave you this role and not another one? Have you looked to Scripture and talked with other believers in your industry to consider what a Christian job description looks like for your particular career? Not just the ethics of how you work, but the God-given role you serve within your work.

Whether you work inside or outside of the home, paid or unpaid: How does the job that God has you in right now fit into the work God gave all humanity to fill the earth and subdue it—to cultivate and steward over all his creation as his image bearers, so that his goodness and glory might be known everywhere his people are working?

Since our work flows out of Christ’s work, he gets to define the purpose of our jobs. But secondly—and wonderfully—that also means that our work will always have a purpose that’s bigger than ourselves. Yes, sin has distorted the way we work, the challenges we face with work, and even creates evils ways that people choose to work. But the idea of work, at it’s very core, is a gift—Genesis 1 describes it as a “blessing” from God.

Our calling to work out in the world was given because of what God had worked into us by creating us in his image. So now, whatever your job might be, as long as your role isn’t contrary to God, there is deep significance and purpose where you can use that job for the glory of God.

Not because that job is special or because you’re special—and that goes for the people who feel like their work is insignificant as much as for the people who have a bloated sense of how important their profession is—your work has a deep purpose because it flows directly out of God’s work when he chose to create you in his image.

For Adam and Eve, God created them in his image and then placed them in the garden as Genesis 2:15 says, “to work it and keep it.” Because of his work, where he placed them came with his purpose as they began their work. So, where has God placed you right now? You don’t have to create your own purpose in your job. You don’t have to maintain or manufacture your significance if you feel like your work is menial.

If that’s you this morning, my encouragement isn’t just to think about your work. It’s to think, and pray, and study Scripture, and talk with other believers about God’s work and how that connects to the work he’s given you in this season of life.

In the marketing job I’ve had for the past three years, I’m the only pastor on our team. And when I started working there, I wasn’t pastoring this church or anywhere else. My only job back then was working for a marketing company.

And, to be transparent with you guys, I struggled with finding significance in my work early on. I love the people I work with. I care about my boss. But when I wasn’t actively pastoring, it was hard to feel like selling a website to a business was very meaningful. If I was doing a project for another church or a nonprofit, then I felt more fulfilled. But a website for a law firm? Oh no.

My problem wasn’t that the work wasn’t good or worthwhile. My problem was that my heart had created this false divide between the sacred and the secular. I assumed that doing a website for a law firm wasn’t just less enjoyable than a website for a church—I assumed that is was less Godly. Less significant.

In my pride, I thought of my work as a pastor in a church as being more noble and God-glorifying than the work that I was now doing in the marketplace. But Adam and Eve weren’t pastors. They were gardeners. If my twisted heart was right, and somehow serving on staff at a church was more purposeful than working at an agency or a school or a tech company or a hospital or in a home, then that means that God’s withheld the riches of his blessing that he provided in Genesis 1:28 to only a select few rather than being offered to every man and woman created in his image.

But that’s not what we see here in Colossians 1:16. When we look at the work of Christ in creation, we don’t see a separation between the sacred and the secular. In him, they are all held together—“[things in] heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

So, if our work is because of his work, then there is no such thing as a “secular” job for the Christian. It was hard when I wasn’t pastoring or planting this church and only working in marketing. But by God’s grace, my greatest joy in my other job has been the reminder that comes from seeing my coworkers passionate with their jobs. We aren’t just selling designs. We’re telling people’s stories. We’re not just running ads. We’re bringing awareness to companies that offer services to others and allowing them to do their work better, more efficiently, and for more people.

You don’t have to be on staff in a church to treat your profession as a sacred calling. It’s from the Lord. And for however long he keeps you in the job you have right now, your work begins with him, so it will always have purpose in him. And, because of that, the work we do is ultimately for him. Let’s keep reading with verses 17-18.

Colossians 1:17–18 ESV

¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

When Paul says that Christ is “before” all things, you can think of that word as meaning “above” or “in front of”. Both in time and in rank, Christ is before. The start of the gospel of John that we’ve been studying much of this year as a church says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

Christ has always been. He’s preexistent. That means that following him isn’t just a new trend or simply what you’re doing in this season of life. No, he created you and gave you the purpose for your life. And in the same way that your parents coming before you means that they have a certain type of voice and authority over you, the one who created all things ranks above all things. Jesus is our supreme authority.

That’s why verse 18 doesn’t just describe him as the head of the church, but preeminent in everything. The church began in Christ just like creation began in Christ. He brought creation from nothing and now brings new creation from spiritual death. He’s not just the author of our beginning; he’s the source of our new beginning. He both creates and resurrects.

And because Christ conquered death, because he’s the firstborn from the dead, he’s preeminent over the powers of death or anything else like he mentioned back in verse 16—all thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities.

So, why does all this matter? If Christ is the head of the church and above all things, then every aspect of the life of the Christian should be in submission to him, and we don’t have to worry about being a slave to any other part of our lives because of him.

That’s particularly important for the way we approach our vocations, because if Christ is our master, then work becomes our servant, and not the other way around. We all answer to something or someone. Even when we’re our own boss, it’s all too easy to become slaves to our own goals or expectations. Something is going to be the source of motivation in your work and shape the way you accomplish your work.

When Adam and Eve rejected God’s rule for their lives in the garden, they fell under the oppression of their work now being broken and made difficult by sin. They exchanged one master for another. And the same happens to us today as well. Some industries might display this in more obvious ways than others, but if your heart isn’t ruled by Christ over your work, then you will be ruled by the toil and struggles of your work.

How do you know if that’s the case in your job right now? I think it comes down to where you look for the answers to our first three topics in this seres:

• Where do you look to define the purpose for your job?

• Where do you look to deal with the problems of your job?

• Where do you look to develop peace within your job?

Even in pastoring this church—a job where you might think it’s obvious to see Christ as my master instead of the work that I do—but I can try to find my purpose in my aspirations rather than seeing how my work fits into God’s design as part of filling and subduing his creation as his image bearer. I can deal with the problems I face as a pastor by trying to give more and act like our church’s savior rather than holding things more loosely as I cling to Christ as my Savior. And I can measure my peace in ministry by how much control it feels like I have rather than resting in Christ’s control over all things, good and bad.

Your work is going to be ruled by something. But the beautiful truth that we’ve come back to in each week of this series is that when you trust in the person and work of Jesus to forgive you of the ways you try to rule your own life and restore you to the joyful rule of the Father, then the work you do gets to be an expression of your identity rather than feeling like it has to be the source of your identity.

You can serve a better master, which means your work doesn’t have rule over your time and energy and sense of fulfillment. And because Jesus is a better master than our work, that means he should also be a greater desire for us than our work.

That word for “preeminence” at the end of verse 18 literally means to “hold the first place.” Hold the first place for who? Well, look at the subject of what Paul’s saying from the start of verse 18: “he is the head of the body, the church.” In everything we think, feel, and do, Christ should hold the first place. He should be preeminent.

And so, if you find yourself more interested in the things you get to do in your work than how you’re serving God through your work, then your job has become an idol in your life. And an idol doesn’t have to be something that’s inherently a bad thing on it’s own. It might be a good thing. Your job might be a great thing, and it’s wonderful for you to enjoy it and find the work you do as fulfilling.

But when good things become ultimate things, then Christ loses his preeminence in your life, and you’ll find yourself relating to him more out of how he can help you with the thing you most care about rather than first and foremost how you can glorify him.

God didn’t give us work so that we could be servants of our jobs. He gave us the gift of work so that we can serve him through our jobs. And the primary way we do that is by joining Christ’s work in the renewal of all things. Let’s look at our passage one more time with verses 19-20.

Colossians 1:19–20 ESV

¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Paul wrote this letter to the church in Colossae largely to combat the false beliefs and concerns for other spiritual powers that were trying to creep into the church. That’s why him using the word “fullness” to describe the deity of Christ was so intentionally worded here.

He’s saying that the full measure of God dwelled in Jesus. There was nothing lacking, nothing greater, nothing more powerful than what is found in Christ. In the face of every competing challenge and trial in our lives, he is enough.

But he’s not just enough for our lives in theory. Verse 20 goes on to say that, through his work on the cross, Jesus has brought all things—all of creation—back under his sovereign rule. The cross is how everything that’s been disordered by sin and rebellion against God is now able to be restored to God.

When our 3 year old disobeys, he gets a timeout. While the rest of our home might continue going on about our day, his life has been interrupted. It’s been broken, and it stays that way until one of his parents comes to him to talk it through and complete his punishment.

Ever since Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden, the daily life of creation has been interrupted. It’s been broken, and it’s waited for our heavenly Father to speak to us, forgive us, and complete our punishment. In Romans 8:20-21, Paul says,

Romans 8:20–21 ESV

²⁰ …the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

All things have been disordered and have been waiting for God to come near. In Christ, the fullness of God has. He’s completed our judgment by taking it upon himself. He’s secured the reconciliation of all things to the Father by paying the penalty for our sin on the cross. That’s why we can hold onto the promise of Revelation 21:5 where he says, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

And when we enter back into this restored life, when we repent of our self-rule and instead submit to God’s rule over our lives and rest in what he’s accomplished for us through Jesus—when we become Christians, we enter into Christ’s work of renewal.

If you’re a follower of Jesus this morning, then your job is your God-given means of participating in Christ’s work of reconciling all things to himself. Whatever your industry is, whether it’s vocational or in the home or the things you do after retiring from your career—you can join the work of Jesus wherever you work in making wrong things right, displaying his character as his image bearers, and seeing his kingdom come as we cultivate and steward wherever he’s placed us within his creation.

That’s a massive statement, and as we close this morning, I want to make sure that it feels practical for us. Because every one of us who consider ourselves Christians should spend time processing how our unique work is able to participate in Christ’s mission of renewal.

A couple week’s ago, I asked the question, “What would your job look like if it existed in heaven and wasn’t distorted by sin?” That’s a hard question to think through because we’ve never experienced anything that’s not impacted by sin. For some of us, the effects of sin like death, disease, and decay are the foundation for why our particular jobs even exist in the first place.

You might be in law enforcement or in medicine. We won’t need those professions in heaven, praise God. It’s hard to think about our work apart from the problems in our work. But if Christ came to reconcile all things to himself, then faithfully following Jesus in our jobs will mean that we are looking for ways to push back the effects of sin on our jobs.

How would God define the purpose of your job? How does it contribute to displaying his character and stewarding his creation? What aspects of your work don’t align with who God is, from the goals of your industry to the ethics of how it’s accomplished?

When you approach your job primarily thinking about revenue, then you’ll find yourself using it for your own selfish sense of flourishing. In the end, it becomes your master because you’ll do whatever it requires of you in order to grow your income or position.

But when you approach your job primarily thinking about renewal, then you’ll find yourself using it for the flourishing of those who work in it or are impacted by it. In the end, it becomes your servant and a tool to participate in the work of Christ as he grows you to be more like him.

In Jesus, we have the joyful privilege of being his peacemakers as we are shaped by his work, and our work is shaped in bringing the peace he offers to bear on every domain he has called us to in his creation.

Let’s pray.