Thesis
Drawing from Ecclesiastes 2, Pastor Hunter Jones argues that most people default to one of two broken views of work: either treating it as something evil to be avoided, or making it an idol that defines their identity and worth. Solomon's hard-won wisdom points to a third way — a gospel middle ground where work is neither despised nor worshiped, but received as a gift from God and offered back to Him as worship. When we work for God rather than for ourselves or others' approval, He gives us the ability to find genuine satisfaction and meaning in whatever we do.
Key points
- 1
Work is not evil — God gave Adam a job in a perfect paradise, showing that humans were created to work.
- 2
Work is not everything — making work the source of your identity, worth, and purpose is idolatry, and it will always demand more than you can give.
- 3
Work is meant to be enjoyed as a gift from the hand of God, not merely endured or worshiped.
- 4
When we work as though working for the Lord rather than for people, the same task becomes an entirely different experience.
- 5
Excellence in our craft — whatever it is — is itself a form of worship that glorifies God.
- 6
The ability to enjoy work is itself a gift from God; we can only experience work as a gift when we offer it back to the Giver.
Outline
Introduction — The Meaninglessness of Work
Pastor Hunter opens with a humorous personal story about accidentally working unpaid at Walmart during the pandemic, then connects that feeling of meaninglessness to the question King Solomon wrestles with in Ecclesiastes: what is the point of all our labor?
Big Idea Stated
Pastor Hunter introduces the sermon's central thesis: work is a gift when it's done for the Giver.
Reading the Text — Ecclesiastes 2:18-24
The passage is read, introducing Solomon's frustration with the meaninglessness of hard work and his conclusion that satisfaction in work is a gift from God's hand.
What Work Is Not #1 — Work Is Not Evil
Pastor Hunter addresses the default view that work is something to be avoided, arguing from Genesis that God gave humanity meaningful work even in a perfect world, and that laziness is called wickedness and sin in Scripture.
What Work Is Not #2 — Work Is Not Everything
Pastor Hunter warns against the opposite extreme — making work an idol and the source of identity, worth, and purpose — sharing a personal story from early marriage about how he gave more and more of himself to work because it made him feel successful.
The Gospel Middle — Work Is to Be Enjoyed
Returning to Ecclesiastes 2:24, Pastor Hunter presents the healthy middle: work is meant to be enjoyed as a gift from God, and the ability to enjoy it is itself something God gives.
How to Experience Work as a Gift — Work as Worship
Using Colossians 3:23 and the illustration of making Chick-fil-A chicken at home for his wife versus on the job, Pastor Hunter explains that the same work becomes a gift when we do it for God rather than for people, and that our excellence in any craft is an act of worship.
Personal Story and Call to Action
Pastor Hunter shares how his father's challenge — 'Why would God put you where you want to be if you're not glorifying Him where you're at?' — transformed his perspective while working in the church coffee shop, leading him to see his work as serving Jesus one cup at a time.
Closing Application and Prayer
Pastor Hunter calls the congregation to wake up Monday morning and worship God through their work, summarizing the two wrong defaults and the one right response: offer work as a gift to the Giver.
Memorable moments
work is a gift when it's done for the giver
He spent his life climbing this ladder of success, and he's climbing and he's climbing and he's climbing, and at the end of his life, he's looking down at you and I, and he's saying, guys, here's what I found at the top of the ladder. It's just more ladder. It just
Work is a horrible god because when you succeed, you always have to find another success or you're gonna feel empty inside
I decided when I go back to that job, I'm not serving coffee anymore. I'm serving Jesus. And it happens to be one cup of coffee at a time
why would God put you in the place that you wanna be if you're not willing to glorify him exactly where you're at
If you give work everything, you're gonna end up with nothing
Application
Pastor Hunter closes with two practical challenges — one for each default. If work feels like something to be avoided, find one area of your job where you can genuinely help someone and do it to the best of your ability. That's where meaning begins to grow, because that satisfaction comes from God's hand. If work has become your identity, start each morning by reminding yourself who you're actually working for and where your worth truly comes from. You're not going to work to earn something — you're going to work to express who God has already made you to be and to love the people around you. In both cases, the shift is the same: stop working for yourself or for others' approval, and start offering your work to God as an act of worship. That's how ordinary Monday-morning work becomes something sacred.
