Sermon Notes:
What is the Protestant Work Ethic:
1. God worked in the past and works today. (Genesis 2:1-2; John 5:17)
2. God created mankind to work as well. (Genesis 2:15; 1Thessalonians 4:9-12)
a. To provide for yourself and help others. (Ephesians 4:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)
b. To be a good witness. (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)
3. When we work, we work unto the Lord. (Colossians 3:23-24)
4. Debt is bad and we are to try and avoid it. (Proverbs 22:7)
5. We are to save and invest our wealth. (Matthew 25:14-30)
6. The Protestant Work ethic creates a foundation for wealthy people and nations.
Follow up questions from Sunday:
Icebreaker: What was your first job? What do you remember was the first thing you bought with your hard-earned money?
1. How would you define what a work ethic is and how do you think it affects people and societies?
2. Do you think everyone has a work ethic and how would you define yours? Who most influenced you in this?
3. What are the key words found in Colossians 3:23-24?
4. How do you think this verse should affect how we as Christians approach work?
5. It is estimated that the average American home in 2023 has $8,674 in credit card debt. What do you think most of this debt was spent on? Outside of essentials like food, if someone can’t afford something, do you think they should still buy it? Why or why not?
6. What does Proverbs 22:7 teach us about debt? How do you think this verse can be applied to our lives today?
7. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus teaches about investing. What principle can we learn from this parable about the importance of investing? How do you go about investing in physical and spiritual things?
8. What are your impressions of the Protestant Work Ethic and how do you think this would affect a person and society if they followed it?
9. How does the Protestant Work Ethic affect your life?
Something to think about this week…
Martin Luther taught that all people could serve God through their work. A person’s vocation was equated as their calling and “all callings were of equal spiritual dignity.”
Pray as a group for our country and that we as followers of Jesus will represent Him well in this season.