Sermon: Laziness, Sin & Ants

Apologia Studios iconApologia Studios

3 views

Be sure to like, share, and comment on this video. You can get more at http://apologiastudios.com : You can partner with us by signing up for All Access. When you do you make everything we do possible and you also get our TV show, After Show, and Apologia Academy, etc. You can also sign up for a free account to receive access to Bahnsen U. We are re-mastering all the audio and video from the Greg L. Bahnsen PH.D catalogue of resources. This is a seminary education at the highest level for free. #ApologiaStudios Follow us on social media here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApologiaStudios/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apologiastudios/?hl=en Check out our online store here: https://shop.apologiastudios.com/

0 comments

00:11
If you would open your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, chapter 6. Proverbs, chapter 6.
00:19
We actually only have one other section here of verses to do after this message.
00:25
And we're done with chapter 6. Because we did a huge section of chapter 6 as we were talking about another subject...
00:33
about the adulterous woman, the harlot, all those things. And so, we're in chapter 6 right now.
00:38
Starting in verse 6, talking about ants, sin and laziness. And so Proverbs, chapter 6.
00:47
Starting in verse 6. God, thank you,
01:30
Lord, that you've given us the gift of your word. Thank you, God, that you love us, despite us...
01:36
and all of our sin and rebellion. We thank you, Lord Jesus, for your righteousness...
01:41
that righteousness that comes from God through faith. We thank you that you speak to us,
01:47
God, through your word. We thank you that we get to hear together in this room...
01:52
your word, your truth, your wisdom from above. Please bless today the proclamation of your word.
01:58
Today, God, please bless by your Spirit. May it change us. May it renew us.
02:03
May it, Lord, challenge us. And I do pray for the gift today of repentance...
02:10
in this area of being a sluggard, being lazy, being idle. Give to us,
02:16
Lord, as men especially, Lord, a hatred for this sin... so that we would be productive and bring glory to you...
02:22
and find pleasure in you and the gifts that we have. And pray, God, for all of us...
02:28
that you, Lord, would set in our hearts a hatred for idleness. And I pray,
02:33
Lord, you get the speaker out of the way today, God. Use, Lord, the proclamation of your word by your
02:40
Spirit... to renew us and to transform our minds. In Jesus' name, amen.
02:46
I am so passionate about this one. I am. Actually, I was telling my son on the way in... in a way,
02:52
I've been praying today... like against this being simply like a motivational speech... because some of what is in the
03:00
Proverbs... sounds a lot like the popular trainers today...
03:08
like teaching you how to be disciplined and how to be productive. And so much of it can sound like a motivational speech.
03:14
And so some of this will be unavoidable... in terms of a kick in the pants and a motivational speech... and sort of something you might hear like from David Goggins...
03:22
coming up here to like challenge you... except without the profanity, right? There's no way around it.
03:28
And what's amazing is I was considering like... so many people today who are like talking heads...
03:34
and like influencers in the area of like training people... to be disciplined and to like create...
03:39
and to build and to do business. Like they're super successful... but if you really listen for just a short amount of time...
03:47
at what they're actually saying... to what they're actually saying... you'll recognize that all they're doing...
03:52
is they're reciting the truths that are in the book of Proverbs... that have been around for longer than they have. Like they've really keyed in upon biblical principles...
04:00
God's divine wisdom from above... on how we're supposed to live... and the fruit of living in the right way...
04:06
in God's way, the way that God actually built the world. And so a lot of it will sound like a motivational speech...
04:12
and that's unavoidable because so many motivational speakers... have really keyed in upon these things.
04:18
But today we're talking about ants... sluggardness, laziness, idleness and sin.
04:24
And I'm passionate about this... because I've seen so many people... have their lives wrecked...
04:32
by being a sluggard, by being lazy. And I've also seen so many people in Christ...
04:37
who've had their minds renewed and their hearts strengthened... and repentance set in. I've seen them have their lives totally transformed.
04:44
Men who have gone from being lazy men... people who don't provide for their families... to being men who are productive...
04:50
that build amazing things for God... that build businesses to the glory of God... that bless other people, bless their family...
04:57
with the fruit of their labor, of their plotting, of their working. And we have a lot of things working against us in a sermon like this.
05:04
Let's face it, there's a lot of things that work against us... when we consider being a sluggard, right?
05:09
Someone that's lazy. And what works against us is that we live right now in a time...
05:15
where it may seem like this is just the way things have always been... but if you go back not that long ago...
05:22
in the West, in this nation... being a sluggard, being lazy bones...
05:28
being that kind of person that doesn't work, that's useless and idle... was something that was frowned upon.
05:33
It was something that was seen as sinful and as bad and as wrong. You actually had a culture because it was so infected...
05:41
with Christian truth and the Christian world view... and a Puritan work ethic... the people who actually built this country...
05:48
that not very long ago you would have people... that looked at disdain upon somebody that was lazy... that loved to just simply rest all the time...
05:56
that didn't want to be productive, wasn't planning, did nothing. People looked at disdain upon that not very long ago.
06:03
It was seen as a very serious sin... as something that was lacking and not good. But let's be honest, we live in a time now...
06:10
this is the truth, I don't think we can dispute this... where the zeitgeist is, the spirit of the age, the popular thinking...
06:16
is that everybody owes me something, right? I mean it's popular, politicians use it in arguments...
06:23
as though it were a good thing. I remember seeing President Biden talking about this very thing.
06:30
He was using it as a platform. He was talking about rich people having all these things...
06:36
and it's not fair that they have all those things. They need to distribute that and share that... with the other ones that don't really have anything.
06:42
These people over here that worked hard, built something... they have something amazing, they're leaders now.
06:48
They didn't love rest, they were disciplined, they persevered. They worked late nights, they worked throughout the night.
06:54
They suffered, they struggled, they built something amazing... and now it's super successful, super profitable.
07:01
They're doing really well and blessing a lot of people... including all of us. And you know, it's not fair that they have that.
07:08
We got to give some to the people who didn't work. These people over here that didn't work and don't have... we got to take from these guys, give to them.
07:14
Just look at all that they have. And so we have this culture that feeds into the sin of covetousness.
07:22
Right? Not just like inspiration. There's nothing wrong with seeing somebody that's very successful... and saying,
07:28
I want to be like that. I want to be like that, that's inspiring. I want to do that sort of a thing and get to that place.
07:35
I love that. That's not sinful, that's good. Inspire others like that. But covetousness is not saying,
07:41
I want to be like that. It's saying, I want their stuff. I want their things.
07:47
And so what we have up against us with a message like this... on being lazy bones, sluggard, lazy, all those things...
07:53
we have a culture that has taught us that people have stuff... and they should just give it to you.
08:00
Right? You should be able to sit around, do nothing and get all that you want.
08:06
Every dream that you have, you should just be able to have it. Everyone just should have stuff, just give it away.
08:12
So we have that up against us and that's from the very top. That's being preached from platforms...
08:18
as something that will get you elected in the legislature. If you say, hey, you want their stuff,
08:23
I'll get you their stuff. And so you have a nation that we live in... where it's just common, like, you owe me.
08:31
I should be able to just have what you have and I don't want to work for it. I don't want to suffer. I don't want to sweat.
08:37
I don't want to bleed. I don't want to give anything up. I just want what you have because it looks delicious.
08:43
Right? It looks wonderful and so I want you just to give it to me. We have a culture that celebrates laziness.
08:50
And we honestly... this is the hard part. This is the kick in the pants for each and every one of us. I mentioned this recently.
08:56
This is such a strange moment for us in human history... because we are the first generation that has dealt with this much technology...
09:05
and this much information and this much entertainment... with so much easy access.
09:11
We're the first ones. No one in history... I mean, I could feel good about that if you want to...
09:16
but it comes with all kinds of consequences. We're the first generation in history... that has all of this right in the palm of our hands.
09:24
We have all the entertainment we want, righteous or sinful. We have all the access to information.
09:30
We have all the connectivity with all people around the globe. And nobody in human history has had what we have now.
09:37
It could be a blessing or a curse. You can use it to grow and learn and be renewed...
09:43
or you can use it to just be idle. To just sit there in front of a screen... that is just pouring into you entertainment...
09:51
while you just sit on your nothing... and do nothing, accomplish nothing, produce nothing.
09:57
And it's acceptable. It's acceptable today, just let's be honest... to just sit there in a room full of people...
10:03
while everyone has their face stuck in their phone. Nobody's talking to each other.
10:09
Nobody's getting to know each other. Nobody's even using it for growth or anything like that. I'm not saying the tool is wrong.
10:16
But we have that up against us. We have to fight against this new thing...
10:22
that no one's ever experienced before. That you can sit down all day, do nothing...
10:27
and just be fed, fed, fed, fed entertainment information. And you accomplish nothing.
10:33
You produce nothing. And so we live in a time, I think, where as Christians especially...
10:39
we need to be so aware of the path. And that's so much of what's been in here in wisdom literature, right?
10:44
In the book of Proverbs, staying on the path. Making sure that you're clear. This is the path of light.
10:50
This is the path of darkness. Here is where there's destruction. This is wisdom. This is righteousness. And to be reminded constantly, treasure this up.
10:58
Don't lose your sight on this. Stay fixed on this. I think it's a daily battle with us...
11:04
in terms of dealing with being a sluggard and lazy in this generation... to recognize when that thing has now taken ownership of you.
11:13
When that thing has now taken control of you. And now you're not being productive. You're accomplishing nothing for God.
11:20
You're not using your gifts. You've all of a sudden fallen into it and you got lost in it.
11:26
It's a daily act of repentance. It's a daily act of turning away. It's a daily act of staying back on the path.
11:32
Staying focused on God. Why does God have you here? What are your gifts? What does
11:37
He require of you? What is the bag of gold that He's delivered to you...
11:43
that He calls you not to bury? So it's very important. And as you can see, I'm very passionate about this message...
11:49
because I've seen how God has blessed so many men... and even myself in being a disciplined person.
11:55
A hard -working person. A person who has perseverance. A person who doesn't quit. Which are all things that are contrary to the sluggard in the book of Proverbs.
12:04
And so, if you start with me in verse 6... you'll see that we're told to do something unusual.
12:11
It might seem weird. And that's go to the aunt. Oh, sluggard.
12:17
Consider her ways and be wise. Go to the aunt. Lazy bones. You understand that's an insult, right?
12:25
Like this is wisdom literature. It's divine revelation. But it's supposed to jab you. It's supposed to open your eyes.
12:31
It's supposed to wake you up. Because we often need to be woken up. Because we fall into lack of discipline.
12:37
No perseverance. Being lazy. And so the point is, look in the mirror. Wake up.
12:43
And so the answer is, go to the aunt. Lazy bones. Go to the aunt.
12:48
Sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise. Studying animals. So it's kind of...
12:55
it's a display of the fall. It really is. That God is saying to image bearers... ...people are made in His image to be like God in all their ways.
13:03
He's saying, look at the creature. Right? The fact that it has to be said to image bearers is already a problem.
13:10
Hey, lazy bones. Look at the ants. Like the creatures, they're not made in God's image. Look what they do.
13:16
Study the ants. Look at the ants. It's interesting that we're being told to look at the animal kingdom...
13:22
...or to look at creatures to learn how not to be lazy... ...and to be idle. Because when you think about looking at the animals...
13:30
...and creatures, there's good and bad. There's definitely positive elements. We can look at the animal kingdom and say...
13:36
...that's a gift from God. Those are good things. And there's also some bad things. So here's my thinking on what are some good things...
13:43
...at looking at creatures and animals that humans have grown... ...and received benefits from. First thing I thought of was
13:49
Kung Fu styles. Kung Fu styles, right? Everyone knows the benefit of Daniel LaRusso's crane kick, right?
13:59
Where'd that come from? It's studying the crane and the crane's moves. And you think about Kung Fu styles like...
14:05
...crane Kung Fu, praying mantis, tiger claw Kung Fu... ...Kung
14:10
Flu. This is going to get dropped from YouTube because I said
14:17
Kung Flu. We're not talking about that, okay? Monkey Kung Fu, which
14:23
I think the only familiarity... ...any of us have, men, with Monkey Kung Fu...
14:28
...is that scene from Bloodsport with Van Damme, right? You know what I'm talking about, guys? Some of you are not men.
14:34
Okay, Bloodsport. Monkey Kung Fu, it was like the one, probably the only scene...
14:40
...in movie history where there's a guy doing Monkey Kung Fu. It's totally worthless, by the way. Don't study
14:45
Monkey Kung Fu. There's certain elements that make me laugh... ...about studying the animal kingdom to learn to fight. And the obvious portion is you do realize...
14:53
...that human beings are designed differently... ...than a praying mantis, right? The mantis only has so much that it can do, right?
15:01
We have a lot more that we can do in the image of God. So I always thought some of the animal styles...
15:07
...where these guys are sitting on a mountain... ...looking at a praying mantis all day, trying to see how he fights. It's like you're wasting your time.
15:13
You should probably practice fighting on another human being. Anyway, there's my martial arts input for today.
15:20
You can look at the animal kingdom and gain a lot... ...of good things, right? There's good and bad. But, like, chickens.
15:27
Good news. My chickens are still alive. Yeah. Praise God. The coyotes haven't gotten them yet.
15:33
But I'm learning. I'm not an expert. Like, I wasn't raised on a farm. And so I'm learning about chicken and chicken life and all that stuff...
15:40
...and, like, you know, how they work. And one of them now, we realize, is the rooster.
15:46
We've been waiting for the rooster to show himself. Like, which one's the rooster? You don't know when they're small. So you have to sort of wait.
15:52
And now we have a rooster. And he is a jerk. Which everyone seems to know about roosters.
15:58
It's like they're not very friendly and nice. But what we've already discovered is, like, you actually need that rooster.
16:05
As much as, like, he's super annoying... ...because he just started cockle -doodle -doing this week.
16:11
And I know my neighbors are going to hate my guts. But considering the egg shortage, I don't care.
16:17
But he just started doing that. So, like, all right, we've got this problem now. Every morning he's going to be making a bunch of noise. It sounds like kawaii.
16:25
But you need that rooster because it's funny. People know this in, like, the chicken world...
16:30
...is the hens, the female chickens... ...can tend to, like, bite and devour one another constantly...
16:35
...and constantly go at it. And that rooster, that male chicken, comes in and goes... ..."All right, ladies, calm down."
16:41
The rooster keeps the female hens in check, right? What's that sound like?
16:46
I'm just kidding. I'm totally... I'm joking.
16:51
You know I didn't mean that. I'm just seeing if you're still paying attention. But the rooster does.
16:57
He keeps the female hens in check. So you actually need that rooster... ...or they're going to be constantly fighting with each other.
17:03
So that's a good thing you can observe from the animal kingdom, I suppose. Or, like, you know the phrase, like, she's being a mama bear...
17:10
...like, very protective of her cubs. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The mom protecting the cubs.
17:15
And, you know, it can go bad places... ...if you're on your own in the woods... ...with a mama bear and her cubs.
17:21
Like, you might get destroyed because of that. But we understand, like, that's a good thing... ...a mom protecting her cubs.
17:27
She's being the mama bear. And so we sort of make that connection. Or even Jesus, he uses the connection from the animal kingdom...
17:34
...and you already know where I'm going... ...in that famous moment where Jesus is indicting...
17:39
...the covenant -breaking Jewish leadership in the first century... ...in Matthew chapter 23.
17:46
He says in verse 37... ..."O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets...
17:51
...and stones those who are sent to it... ...how often would I have gathered your children together...
17:58
...as a hen gathers her brood under her wings... ...and you, you, the leadership in Jerusalem...
18:04
...you were not willing, you're resisting it." But Jesus uses that, that very good example...
18:10
...from the animal kingdom of this hen and her chicks... ...and God says things in his word like... ...he'll
18:15
cover you in the shadow of his wings. And so God does that. He draws from the animal kingdom... ...symbols
18:21
and portrayals to show us... ...like, what he's like with his people. And in this instance he says, look to the ants.
18:28
Sluggard. Look at them, examine them, study them. But there's bad stuff, too, from the animal kingdom...
18:34
...that we don't want to look to. We don't want to say, we'll emphasize the creatures... ...as above the image of God... ...because, let's face it, animals eat each other.
18:43
Animals copulate out in the open. Animals oftentimes do that even without permission.
18:50
And so there's good and bad from the animal kingdom. But we're being told... ...in divinely inspired revelation...
18:57
...to look to the ants. Look at the ants. Study the ants. Examine them. And if you study ants...
19:03
...if you've ever looked at an ant hill... ...or just watched ants outside your door for a little bit... ...and watched how they work...
19:09
...and how they're disciplined and they persevere... ...you can study and learn things from them. Go look at an ant hill.
19:14
God says do it, so tonight your homework is to go home... ...and, well, it's going to be dark. Tomorrow morning, go home and look at ants.
19:21
Study them. Think about them and their work and their ethic. Their work ethic. What are ants when you look at them?
19:28
Well, they're disciplined. They're hard at work. They're always working.
19:33
They keep working. They're not stopping. They're not taking breaks. They're just disciplined.
19:39
They finish their work. They have a goal and they're going to accomplish it. They're disciplined. Ants are clearly consistent.
19:47
Ants are resolved. They're going to finish their work. They have perseverance.
19:53
Resolved and perseverance. So examine the ant. Go to the ant slugger. Look at the ant. Learn from them to not be a slugger.
20:01
To not be lazy. When you think about the ants and all that they build... ...they are clearly resolved.
20:07
They are clearly creatures that persevere. August. I take him out front a lot of times to play with him.
20:15
Just let him run around and get in the dirt. Rub dirt all over his face. All that stuff.
20:20
You need to do that as a kid, right? Where I'm at in Phoenix, right in my front...
20:25
...there's a ton of these ant colonies all over. When he first started walking around and going to the ants...
20:33
...I said, let's go look at the ants. I had to stop him because he would see the ants... ...building this amazing mound...
20:39
...and doing all the work. He would do what every two -year -old does... ...walk up to it and try to destroy it.
20:46
Wipe it away and destroy it. Oftentimes he'd run out. I would talk to him about God's creatures.
20:52
We don't just destroy their work. We're not going to do this. But he'd wipe it away. What was amazing is that he would annihilate this thing...
21:00
...that took them probably a week to build. For sure, as soon as he wiped it away... ...you can come back in an hour and what's happening?
21:08
They're right back at it. I didn't see him wipe it away... ...and then walk out an hour later...
21:14
...and there's union representatives from the ants... ...with little signs like, hey, this is unjust.
21:20
There's no complaining. There's not a bunch of ants sitting and sipping gin and juice... ...like, well, I guess we're just going to hang out.
21:27
What's the point? This kid keeps coming out every day and destroying stuff. Why am I going to bother?
21:33
No, they just keep rebuilding. They're disciplined. They persevere. They do not quit.
21:39
They're resolved. You can wipe away that whole anthill... ...and you turn around, come back an hour later...
21:45
...they're back at rebuilding and they're not mad about it. They're just, oh, let's get back to work. Right? That was some sort of act of God.
21:51
Let's get back to work. They're resolved. They persevere. And here's a key issue, too, with ants...
21:57
...in terms of sluggardness and ants... ...is that ants clearly are self -governing.
22:04
They have an element to themselves where they're self -governing. They're working together as a community... ...as a society.
22:10
But each of them has a role... ...and they are self -governing. They keep at it. They persevere.
22:16
They're self -governing. They're consistent. They're disciplined. They're resolved to finish their work.
22:23
And here's the thing. This needs to be put before us as Christians... ...first and foremost, as we think about sluggardness...
22:30
...being lazy. You think about looking at the ant and God says... ...go to the ant, examine the ant.
22:35
Watch how they work. Lazy bones. Sluggard. Watch it. We need to consider this problem of laziness...
22:43
...idleness. Being a sluggard is actually a sin. It's a sin.
22:50
Being a lazy person... ...either a man or a woman... ...or a child... ...being lazy is a sin against God.
22:57
So let's consider that. When we call laziness a sin... ...what we're actually saying is that it's something that Jesus died for.
23:04
That your and my laziness... ...is something that offends God. He created you as His image.
23:11
He's not like that. He created you in a way to not be like that. He created you in His image to beautify the world.
23:20
To take dominion. To grow a little garden. To make amazing things for God. To do things for His pleasure.
23:27
To find pleasure in doing those things... ...and to find pleasure in His pleasure in those things. He made you to bring glory to Him.
23:33
To enjoy Him. And that in your work. He didn't make the world in such a way...
23:39
...as His image would sit in the garden... ...and accomplish nothing while weeds grow.
23:45
Adam's vocation was actually to take dominion... ...and to tend to God's garden... ...and to grow it, expand it into the world.
23:52
It wasn't sit in the garden and do nothing. Accomplish nothing. Don't make anything beautiful. Don't create anything.
23:58
That's not the world's story as God's told it. And so we think about sluggardness.
24:04
Accomplishing nothing. Not being disciplined. Not being resolved. As a sin. And it's defined as a sin in scripture.
24:12
Couple things when you think about this. Think about sluggardness as sinful... ...and
24:18
an indicator of unbelief. Because there's a certain element right now... ...you could be thinking about the ant and saying...
24:24
...okay, all that sounds great. They're very disciplined. They're very resolved. They persevere. They're self -governing. I got all that.
24:30
But okay, so what? Well, here's the challenge to those who love God. Sluggardness, being lazy, being idle is a sin...
24:38
...and it's an indicator... ...a possible indicator of unbelief... ...that you don't actually know
24:44
God. Go to 1 Timothy chapter 5. 1
24:51
Timothy chapter 5. If we need motivation... ...to
24:57
put this sin of being lazy to death... 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 8.
25:08
Look at this word from the Apostle Paul. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 8. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives...
25:17
...and especially for members of his household... ...he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
25:28
That's a hard one. As a man, that ought to hit every one of us...
25:35
...between the eyes and challenge us constantly. If you don't provide for your family...
25:41
...if you don't care for your family, your relatives... ...especially for the members of your own household...
25:47
...you have denied the Christian faith... ...and you are worse than an unbeliever.
25:53
So there is an element to sluggardness, idleness, laziness... ...connected
25:59
to those consequences... ...where we're being told in scripture... ...hey, here's an indication that somebody is a false professor.
26:07
Here's an indication that someone doesn't actually know Jesus... ...is that they're so lazy, they're a sluggard...
26:13
...they don't provide for their family... ...they won't accomplish anything, they're not disciplined... ...they're worse than an unbeliever.
26:19
Christian men provide for their families. Christian men provide for their relatives. They're, of course...
26:25
...by the way, Paul here clearly has a law of God in his mind... ...and the obligation, the normative obligation...
26:30
...for children to care for their aging parents... ...to provide for their aging parents... ...it's supposed to go beginning of life, mom and dad care for me...
26:39
...end of life, I care for mom and dad. That's God's law. Now that's a normative. Some of us are in a fallen world...
26:45
...in situations where it's not possible... ...for us to care for our parents in that way. Providential hindrance is one thing...
26:51
...but it's normative that the child takes care of the parents. Paul clearly has that in mind, but here's what he says...
26:58
If you don't care for your family... ...then you are worse than an unbeliever.
27:04
So, we have to take this seriously and remember... ...that God didn't create you and I, men or women...
27:10
...to be unproductive and lazy. He created us in a garden as His image...
27:16
...and He created us in such a way as to use our gifts... ...to be creative, to grow
27:22
God's garden... ...to tend to it, to take dominion... ...in whatever area of your life
27:28
He's gifted you... ...and He's gifted us all in different ways. How? How has
27:33
God gifted you? Don't say He hasn't. That's a lie. He says He has. So, what are you passionate about?
27:39
You're like, I'm passionate about this, but I'm not doing it. Maybe that's the problem. Is it laziness that stops you from serving
27:44
God... ...with your passions and your gifts? You're just doing something else. You're not satisfied. You won't really do it well because...
27:51
...well, you know, this is what I'm passionate about... ...but I'm not really doing that. Well, then, what are your gifts?
27:57
Is it sluggardness and laziness that's stopping you... ...from using your gifts? Is that really what we're talking about?
28:02
Because God created you with gifts... ...and abilities and skills and passions... ...to be used for His glory and His kingdom.
28:10
Not to be lazy. Not to be bored all the time. I know
28:16
Jason was talking this weekend. I heard stories about, you know, Christians... ...should
28:21
never say, I'm bored. Right? I like that. I like that very much. Because it's true. This is God's world.
28:27
It's amazing. He's an amazing God. There is so much to do. So many dragons to slay. So many things to build.
28:32
So many ways to be creative. Don't tell me you're bored. You're idle. You're a sluggard.
28:38
Most likely. We can't be bored as Christians. This world's too great and God is too good. Amen? But it all connects to this problem that we have...
28:47
...in being a sluggard, being lazy. Now, look. Back at Proverbs 6.
28:53
The verse goes on. Verse 9. It says, how long will you lie there, oh sluggard?
29:00
When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep. A little slumber. A little folding of the hands to rest.
29:07
And poverty will come upon you like a robber. And want like an armed man. In other words, it's going to be surprising.
29:14
It'll be devastating. It's going to be instant. It's going to hurt. And the point is, it comes to a person...
29:22
...that is lazy and idle. They won't do anything. They're a sluggard. And you know what's clear?
29:29
Clearly, throughout the Bible... ...and especially through the Proverbs here... ...is that sluggards love...
29:37
...love... ...to sleep and rest. They love to sleep and rest.
29:43
Now, of course, I hate that you have to do this always. But you have to acknowledge at the front... ...because someone's going to say it.
29:48
Well, what's wrong with rest? Nothing's wrong with rest. But rest is supposed to be a punctuation. And feasting, resting, celebrating, partying...
29:58
...is supposed to be punctuated. Right? It's not supposed to be the whole thing. It's not supposed to be everything.
30:04
Rest is good. Feasting is good. God calls us to that. But that's punctuated. It's at points.
30:10
It's not supposed to be the entire story. The whole thing. Sluggards love to sleep.
30:17
They love to rest. So you see that here. How long will you lie there, oh sluggard?
30:22
When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber. A little folding of the hands to rest.
30:27
Like, oh, it's nice. Right? I'm just going to relax right here and enjoy this. But it's a lot of relaxing.
30:34
It's a lot of enjoying. It's a lot of sleeping. If you look, it's not just here. Proverbs chapter 19.
30:41
Move over. Proverbs 19. We have further description of the sluggard...
30:46
...who loves that rest and that sleep. 1915. It says, Slothfulness...
30:53
...casts into a deep sleep. And an idle person... ...will suffer hunger.
31:01
So in other words... ...clearly... ...being a sluggard... ...you'll love sleep.
31:07
You'll love to rest. But the consequences are... ...that that slothfulness... ...that consistent being a sluggard and slothful...
31:15
...casts you into a deep sleep. It's like a perpetual life... ...of just sleep and rest.
31:21
Like it just sets on you. Right? You have no energy. You have no drive. You won't pursue anything.
31:27
Why? Because you love sleep. You spend all your time sleeping. All your time resting.
31:33
And now it's just casting you into a deep sleep. Your whole life is rest, sleep, slumber, relax.
31:42
And that's the consequence of slothfulness. It's again... In other words, God has a lot to say about this.
31:48
Chapter 20, verse 13. One page over. The call of God's wisdom...
31:54
...to sinful people is this. Love not sleep...
32:00
...lest you come to poverty. What's that mean? Don't fall in love with sleep or you're going to be poor.
32:08
If you love sleep... ...if you want to pursue sleep... ...if your whole life is wrapped up in sleeping all the time...
32:14
...resting all the time... ...you need to repent of that or you're going to come to poverty. Poverty follows a life of loving sleep.
32:22
The call from God is, open your eyes... ...and you'll have plenty of bread. That's being said to people.
32:29
Don't fall in love with your sleep and all this restfulness... ...all the time in perpetuity. Get up!
32:35
Open your eyes! Get busy! Get to work! The promise of blessing is on the other end of...
32:43
...labor, work, diligence. Not sleep! If my life is filled with constant rest...
32:50
...constant sleep... ...if it's how you define me... ...rest, sleep, relaxation...
32:57
...then poverty follows... ...spiritually and physically. Poverty follows.
33:03
So the sluggard loves to sleep. They love rest. They don't want to or like to work.
33:13
Next. Aside from sluggards loving sleep and loving to rest...
33:19
...sluggards don't set goals or plan. In Proverbs 20, verse 4.
33:26
It says this. The sluggard does not plow in the autumn. He will seek at harvest and have nothing.
33:35
Right? Sluggard's not working for the future. He's not thinking about the future. He's not thinking about the consequences of not working.
33:43
He's just living in the moment. Living the dream. Eating Cheetos, playing
33:48
Xbox all day. Not thinking about the future... ...and the consequences of not working and not building up.
33:56
He just sits around and he's present. He's not laboring today for what he'll have in the future.
34:03
Sluggards don't set goals or plans. You see, the sluggard, ready? Clearly, is idle.
34:10
He's idle. What's idle? Well, when your car is in idle... ...the car is on, right?
34:17
It's present. You're present. But you aren't advancing. You're not going anywhere.
34:24
And so, the sluggard doesn't think about dreaming, laboring, working for the future.
34:30
He's not planning for the future. He's just present. He's just idle. He's sort of coasting.
34:37
But he's not considering his future, his family's future. He's just there.
34:43
He doesn't plan. He doesn't set goals. Sluggards rehearse their habits.
34:50
Now, some of this stuff, I love this so much... ...because it's kind of cartoonish... ...in how it portrays the lazy person, the sluggard.
34:58
Sluggards, and this is where we all need to listen... ...each and every one of us, all of us. I'm speaking to myself as much as I'm talking to the people of God.
35:06
Sluggards rehearse their habits. They rehearse their habits.
35:12
Their laziness is a tradition. It is a rehearsal. It's over and over.
35:18
It's practiced. In Proverbs, chapter 26. Proverbs 26, verse 14.
35:32
I love this. The sluggard... It says, as a door turns on its hinges...
35:41
...so does a sluggard on his bed. I love that. The door is just like, boom, boom.
35:47
Here's the hinge, back and forth, back and forth. And the sluggard loves his rest so much. Loves to relax so much.
35:53
And it's just this rehearsed over -flop, over -flop, over -flop... ...turning in his bed.
35:59
Just like a door hinge. Just over and over. He loves to sleep. He loves to lie down.
36:04
He loves to rest. He loves to accomplish nothing. It is just back and forth on the bed. Just like a door on its hinges.
36:11
That's supposed to make you giggle. That's funny. And that's us.
36:17
Many times. Lazy. Rehearsing. Laying down. Resting. Relaxing.
36:22
Accomplishing nothing. Not getting up. Not being disciplined. Not having perseverance in us.
36:28
The sluggard rehearses their habits. You see it in chapter 6. We were already there. They love their sleep.
36:35
Just a little folding of the hands. Just a little rest and relaxation. Turning over on the bed. They love to sleep.
36:41
They're always asleep. They're always resting. They rehearse it. How do we heal from this?
36:49
I mean, you could just get a motivational speech and like... ...attaboy. Attagirl. Get at it.
36:54
You can do it. I believe that after enough time... ...all the motivational speaking in the world...
36:59
...is going to fall flat. You can listen to a motivational speaker... ...who's actually impressive at times...
37:05
...like David Goggins. Ex -Navy SEAL. The guy runs a 100 mile marathon...
37:11
...with two days notice. His feet are bleeding. He's using the bathroom on himself while he's running.
37:17
And he's like, get at it! Get at it! You can listen to his book and it's actually... ...aside
37:22
from the foul language, it's like... ...this is very motivating. It's very encouraging. But after a while, if you're doing it just for yourself...
37:29
...all that motivational speech is going to go away. I believe that the only way to heal from being a sluggard... ...is to heal spiritually, deeply from the inside.
37:37
Which means, if we love our sleep... ...if we're not disciplined... ...if we don't make plans... ...we're not setting goals...
37:43
...we're not thinking about the future... ...the key is to repent. To turn from it as sin.
37:49
Like to recognize all this love of sleep... ...all this flipping around in my bed... ...all this accomplishing nothing...
37:55
...is something I have to repent toward God for. Where he comes to me and gives me grace... ...and forgiveness...
38:01
...and he picks me up... ...he wipes me off... ...he says, let's go! He's our God. He's our Father. We're his children.
38:07
He calls us to turn away from these things. He wants us to live in a wise way. To be productive.
38:13
To accomplish great things. To be creative. To be creative in whatever you are gifted to do.
38:19
What is it? Are you an artist? Are you a musician? Are you a business owner? Are you a chef?
38:25
Are you a mom making little heroes? Growing them? Like, what are you gifted at? What are you being called to do?
38:32
As a man? As a woman? As a child? What are your gifts? What are you setting goals for?
38:38
God is calling you... ...turn away from these ways... ...of constant restfulness...
38:44
...of loving your sleep... ...of accomplishing nothing. Turn away from that because he wants you to...
38:51
...number one, glorify him... ...but he also wants you to reap the rewards clearly...
38:58
...from being a disciplined person... ...a productive person... ...someone who's not slothful...
39:04
...someone who's not lazy. Repent. You see, as I was saying... ...someone like David Goggins...
39:10
...he'll say something as an unbeliever like... ...you need to look in the mirror? And this is one of my favorite parts of what he says...
39:17
...and I'm like, it's funny how... ...these people sort of like don't realize they're talking... ...in Christian terms when they are...
39:23
...and they've got a hold of something that's just biblical wisdom... ...but they won't acknowledge God. He'll say something like...
39:28
...you need to look in the mirror... ...and have a real honest talk with yourself. Right? Like look in the mirror and say...
39:34
...you're fat... ...because...
39:40
...you won't be disciplined to work out. You won't be disciplined with your diet. The reason you're like this is really mostly...
39:47
...it's you. Like to have that honest talk... ...and look at yourself and say... ...you haven't accomplished anything...
39:54
...because, let's be honest... ...you're not working at it. You'd rather spend six hours... ...watching
40:00
your phone... ...than six hours investing... ...and learning something... ...and being good at something. That's why you're not accomplishing anything.
40:07
Your business is suffering... ...let's be honest... ...because you're a terrible worker. Because you won't work hard.
40:13
Because you won't be disciplined. That's why your business is suffering. Your paycheck is what it is... ...because of the kind of worker you are.
40:20
Because you're not disciplined. Because you won't take risks. Like he'll say that as a motivational speaker...
40:25
...and I honestly think... ...that after a short period of time... ...if it's not connected to our relationship with God... ...even that'll fall away.
40:32
Do you know where there's real healing and hope in this? Is to actually not look in the mirror... ...at yourself...
40:38
...and simply have the real self -talk... ...and confront yourself... ...but to look in the mirror of God's Word. Like that's where you should place your face.
40:48
Look to that... ...and say, oh God confronts this here... ...and he wants this for me... ...and he loves me...
40:53
...and he's telling me to do this. Look in the mirror of God's Word. See where you're broken. Be honest about it. Say, yeah
40:59
I'm a sluggard. Yeah. My last week is defined by... ...a little bit of work...
41:04
...and a lot of slothfulness. A lot of idleness. Like just challenge yourself.
41:09
Look in the Word of God. Think about it. Did I just have a week of nothing but rest? Nothing but sleep?
41:15
No productivity? What did I do this last week? Was I a disciplined person? Was I planning?
41:20
Was I making goals? The sluggard doesn't. He's just present. He doesn't think about the harvest.
41:26
He doesn't think about what has to be in the ground... ...and what I have to do to make it to that point. Why was my week this way?
41:32
What do I need to repent of? I believe that the only answer is to truly repent. Just be honest with yourself...
41:38
...and look in the mirror of God's Word. Why? Here's what I believe. When you repent of being lazy...
41:46
...when you repent of being a sluggard... ...when you repent of all these ways... ...that the sluggard has defined...
41:53
...and you do it for God's pleasure... ...if you do it for what
41:58
He says is the reward... ...here's the reward on the other side... ...of not being a sluggard...
42:04
...of living in the way I've created you. I want you to have this reward... ...from that discipline, that work.
42:10
If you do it for God's pleasure... ...I think it's going to be permanent, fixed. It'll be something you always pursue.
42:17
Because if you are a child of God... ...admit it... ...the greatest longing in your heart is God... ...pleasing
42:22
Him, delighting in Him... ...finding pleasure in God... ...and that is the motivation from God's Word...
42:28
...that provides the anchor for all that fruit... ...for the rest of our lives. So... ...these
42:39
are challenges I want to throw out... ...as we think about putting to death being a sluggard. Build something.
42:46
Start a business. Learn a new skill. Be creative for the glory of God.
42:54
Sluggards are terrified of risks. And this is where it gets funny, too. Again, I love this from God's Word.
43:01
Proverbs is... I love it. Sluggards are terrified of risks. They make excuses over risks.
43:09
So you hear it in Proverbs, go to 22. More definition of the sluggard.
43:15
They're afraid of risks, they make excuses. Proverbs chapter 22... ...in verse 13.
43:23
The sluggard says... ...there's a lion outside. I'll be killed in the streets. Right?
43:30
I think that's how Solomon wrote it. There's a lion outside, I'll be killed in the streets.
43:36
Right? I can't do it. I can't go out. I can't accomplish anything. Why? There's a lion out there, it's going to eat me up.
43:44
Right? I can't be productive. I can't be disciplined. I can't work. Why? Because there's a risk out there.
43:50
Something's going to devour me. Something's going to hurt me. There's going to be something out there... ...that is painful to confront.
43:57
And so I can't do it. I've got to stay here and flip on my bed. I've just got to be present. I just want to be idle.
44:03
Why? It's just too much out there. It's too hard. It's too much risk. It says it again...
44:09
...in Proverbs 26 .13. Same thing. Proverbs 26 .13.
44:16
It says... The sluggard says... There's a lion in the road. There's a lion in the streets.
44:21
Everybody go back inside. Let's watch movies. Let's hang out.
44:28
Right? Because there's danger out there. There's danger in all that work out there. There's danger. It's better...
44:33
It's safer inside. It's safer inside. Something out there is going to devour me. Sluggards are terrified of risks.
44:41
They make excuses for their laziness. They won't do what they're passionate about.
44:52
And maybe you won't do what you're passionate about. Because it's too risky. It's going to hurt.
44:58
It'll be hard. It'll cost you. And what's the heart? What's the core behind all those excuses?
45:06
Like for example, let's say that you're a man in here... ...and your passion is to build a certain business. You've wanted it for years. Your whole dream was to build this business and to do this thing.
45:15
But you haven't done it. Well, what's the reason you haven't done it? Is it really because God just hasn't provided the opportunities?
45:22
Or is it honestly because you're afraid? Is it you're afraid to take risks? You're afraid of the pain.
45:28
You're afraid of the consequences. You're afraid of all the hard work. You're afraid of that moment where like...
45:34
...if you take the risk to build the business for the glory of God... ...to do what you're passionate about... ...you're afraid there's going to be a season.
45:40
Maybe one year. Maybe two years. Maybe three years where it'll be hard on your family. It's going to be difficult.
45:46
You're going to have to work mornings and evenings. You're going to have to work throughout the night. Maybe you'll have less time for free time.
45:54
Less time for sleep and rest. And maybe that scares you. See, it's not... The point is that's cartoonish.
46:00
There's a lion in the street. The point of that, the principle in that... ...is that the sluggard is always making excuses because of the risk.
46:08
I can't do that because there's going to be consequences. It's too painful.
46:14
I might get devoured. Lazy people always find some reason not to accomplish it.
46:20
Not to work. Not to be diligent. It's not just a lion. Right? Like a real creature out there.
46:27
Maybe it's financial distress. It's going to be financially difficult. Is that your excuse?
46:32
Is that why you haven't worked? Is that why you haven't built something for God? Because you're so afraid of what the consequence is...
46:39
...in terms of like, I'm really going to suffer through this. Maybe you're just getting the paycheck in the job that you hate.
46:47
Because it's actually quite comfortable. There's a whole lot less risk in this.
46:53
I can basically make ends meet. But man, I hate my job. I actually hate what I'm doing.
46:59
I don't like this. I never thought I'd be doing this. What I really want to do is this. Is the reason you're not actually doing that...
47:07
...because you're lazy? You're the sluggard who's making the excuses of like... ...there's going to be consequences.
47:13
Because that's what the sluggard does. He says, there's a lion in the streets. It's too dangerous to go out there and to be productive.
47:19
It's too dangerous to go out there and to use my gifts. That's what the sluggard says. So what are you passionate about?
47:27
What do you feel like you're called to do? Is it just being a sluggard that's actually stopped you? Because the sluggard says, it's too risky.
47:33
I can remember... ...you know, in my life... ...and I'm not the story here, but...
47:40
...in my own life, the Lord showed me this early on... ...in terms of discipline and hard work and taking risks.
47:46
When I first opened my own martial arts school... ...we opened it with sage and imogen.
47:52
They were very small. And we opened it with nothing. I mean,
47:58
I'm telling you the truth. You can ask my wife. It was a huge, huge risk.
48:04
If you would have said to me like... ...hey, how do you think you're going to feed your family next Friday? I would have said,
48:09
I have to get back to you on that. I have no idea. And so what I knew is every single day
48:15
I had to get up... ...and I had to find somebody to join karate. And that's how my family was going to eat that night.
48:23
I had to find somebody that was going to start karate. Now all I have is a small location... ...and
48:28
I have skills to teach... ...and now I need somebody to pay me... ...so I can feed my family and I can do this...
48:34
...which was my dream. And so what I did was I sat down and said, what's it going to take? And so what
48:40
I did was I got up early in the morning... ...and I went out into the neighborhoods around where I have my school...
48:45
...and I went to grocery stores. Now I have to confess as I tell you this... ...what I did here was kind of wrong...
48:51
...so I apologize to all the moms, okay? I would wear my karate uniform with my black belt...
48:57
...and I'd wait for a mom to come out of the store... ...and I'd say, little boy... ...this is kind of cold -blooded...
49:05
...but in terms of marketing and sales... ...right? And I would walk up to all these little boys...
49:10
...I'm like, hey, do you want to do karate? And the kid would be like, yeah! And I'd say, my school's right over there.
49:17
It's a free lesson. It'll cost you nothing. Come on over right now. We'll do a free lesson. He's like, mom, I do karate.
49:22
Mom's like, I hate you. Okay. And I would pull moms with little boys and girls...
49:30
...into my karate school by walking out... ...walking up to random people. And I'm going to tell you right now... ...in the middle of summer in Arizona...
49:36
...wearing a karate uniform, sun beating down on you... ...and being told, no, no, no, no, no, no.
49:43
And then finally, yes, it hurt. It was painful. But that's how I fed my family that night. They'd come in, they'd sign up, they'd pay a small fee...
49:51
...and that was, oh, I have money for bread tonight. I have money for groceries. And that process went throughout the day...
49:56
...where I taught into the evening... ...and then as soon as the school closed up for the day... ...I put my rollerblades on.
50:02
Yes, I did. I put my rollerblades on and I had little advertisements. And all I did, and this is the first six months to a year...
50:10
...at the karate school, is I went on my rollerblades... ...to all the neighborhoods I could... ...and I put flyers on doors and cars.
50:17
Jerry did it with me too sometimes. Yep. Yep. And we put flyers on houses and cars.
50:23
And I walked into, it was exhausting. I slept at the karate school. And in one year, in one year...
50:30
...I was spilling out at my martial arts school. I was more successful at the first year...
50:36
...than some guys that had their karate schools for 15 years. And it was a lot of risk and it was a lot of pain.
50:42
It was a lot of discipline. And let me just, I'm saying it for a reason. That moment in my life,
50:48
I saw that God blessed that. And here's the key. He blesses that because that's how I made the world.
50:53
That's how things work, is you work, you're disciplined... ...you persevere, you take risks...
50:59
...and the reward comes after that. There's no reward for not taking risks. There's no reward for not being disciplined.
51:07
Discipline, plotting, perseverance, risk -taking. That's where the blessing is.
51:12
That's where wisdom is. You have to hurt and bleed for all these things. Sluggards are terrible workers.
51:24
See, sluggards, lazy people, are terrible workers. Go to Proverbs.
51:31
God has much to say about this. Proverbs 10, verse 4.
51:41
Proverbs 10, verse 4. A slack hand causes poverty...
51:48
...but the hand of the diligent makes rich. So there's the principle, it's embedded in the world.
51:55
We have to face it. A slack hand causes poverty...
52:01
...but the hand of the diligent makes rich. If you want the reward, if you want the blessing...
52:08
...if you want the riches, you need to be a diligent person. You need to be a good worker, you need to be a hard worker.
52:14
A lazy person only ends in poverty. Sluggards are terrible workers.
52:21
Proverbs 10, verse 26. Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes...
52:29
...so is a sluggard to those who send him. Sluggards are terrible workers.
52:34
They embarrass their bosses. They don't work hard. They're a nuisance. They're a menace to the job.
52:42
I love the example here. Vinegar to the teeth. If you want to figure out what
52:47
God's saying there... ...go home, get some vinegar, swish it around, you'll feel. Or smoke to the eyes.
52:53
I really understand this after Friday. Smoke to the eyes, it's repulsive... ...like you're coughing and you can't see.
53:00
Well, that's what the sluggard is... ...to those who send him. So you've got somebody being sent by a boss...
53:08
...and it's just, oh, this person. They are not good for the job.
53:14
They're a nuisance. They're such a problem. And this is a key issue
53:19
I want to really talk about... I don't want to hear about how spiritual you are...
53:26
...or how gifted you are in ministry. If you have a reputation at your job...
53:34
...for being a terrible worker... ...for being irresponsible, not being trustworthy...
53:40
...I'm not buying the spiritual ministry stuff. Right? Like, anybody could put on a show behind a pulpit...
53:49
...and sound like they have authority... ...and they know what they're talking about. But I think I'll have a lot more respect for you...
53:56
...and actually respect your authority and your leadership... ...if you have a reputation with those who are not here...
54:02
...in the body of Christ... ...as being a diligent, hard worker, a trustworthy worker... ...a person who's passionate about their work.
54:11
Christians should not have a reputation in the church... ...for being a disciplined person, a godly person...
54:16
...and at their job, everyone says... ...that's the guy that can't be trusted with the job. He doesn't work hard.
54:22
He's not disciplined. He doesn't show up on time. You don't give the work to him because he won't accomplish it.
54:29
A lazy person behaves that way. They can't be trusted. They're a nuisance in the job.
54:36
More is said about this exact theme. Proverbs 12, 24.
54:43
The text says... The hand of the diligent will rule...
54:49
...while the slothful will be put to forced labor. The hand of the diligent will rule...
54:56
...while the slothful will be put to forced labor. What's that saying? If you're a diligent person...
55:03
...if you're a hard -working person... ...if you're a consistent, persevering person...
55:08
...then you're going to rule. And isn't that the case? When you find the people who have these big companies...
55:16
...successful companies... ...their business is booming, they're doing well... ...the people that you find at the top of those things...
55:22
...that built those things or even run those things... ...they're the diligent people. That's why they have the job. Or the business is successful...
55:30
...because they're the diligent person. So the diligent people, they rule. They become the leaders...
55:37
...while the slothful people... ...are the ones that always end up working for everybody.
55:43
They always end up working as slave labor. They've got the lowest job at the bottom.
55:48
Why? Because they're not diligent. That's all they're worthy of. They're going to be down here... ...in
55:54
terms of the hierarchy of success. God says, because the diligent people rule...
56:01
...and the slothful... ...are consigned to the like slave labor.
56:07
The hard work down here. And so listen. There's a part of this like...
56:15
...you get kind of like fearful... ...like you don't want to lose balance... ...where like God is literally promising blessing...
56:22
...by following his wisdom... ...in terms of not sinning in this way of slothfulness. If you're diligent, you're going to rule.
56:30
You're going to lead. It'll be successful. If you persevere, this is what you're going to get. But if you are slothful and lazy...
56:37
...here's the poverty, here's the slave labor... ...here's all the hard work down here... ...because that's all you're useful for.
56:44
It's the diligent that actually rule. Sluggards are terrible workers.
56:51
You can see more in Proverbs 13 .4 and 18 .9. And this one, this next one...
56:58
...definition from Proverbs of the sluggard. There's lots here. God clearly has a heart...
57:04
...for this area of not being a sluggard... ...because he talks a lot about it in the book of Proverbs. Sluggards...
57:12
...quit. Sluggards quit. Lazy people are quitters.
57:19
Lazy people have no perseverance. They quit.
57:25
It's not just that they don't plan. It's not just that they're not disciplined. It's not just that they rehearsed all this stuff.
57:31
They practiced it all. It's not just that they're terrified of risks... ...and they're terrible workers.
57:38
It's that they quit. They consistently quit. They rehearsed the quitting. They practiced the quitting.
57:44
They're so good at it, it's just part of their makeup. It's what they do. They start something. They get halfway.
57:50
And they quit. They don't finish. And I love these again. They're kind of cartoonish. In Proverbs 12...
57:59
...verse 27... ...it's put this way. Whoever is slothful...
58:06
...will not roast his game... ...but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
58:12
Do you get that? The slothful one will not roast his game. It gives you the idea of the guy... ...who, like, prepares himself, gets himself ready to go hunting.
58:20
I've never done this before... ...but I know some of you guys are real men. You have, okay? You hunt, you know, you go out there... ...and
58:25
I think I saw a picture of Jason, like, last week... ...like, out in 30 -degree -below -zero weather...
58:30
...hunting. Praise God, you're a diligent man. Okay, he's... You know, you go out there, you prep, you got the clothes for it...
58:37
...you got the gun for it. You go out there and you work hard... ...you wait for the game and you kill the game. And the definition of the sluggard here...
58:43
...is they do all of that... ...they get to the game... ...and they're so lazy...
58:49
...they're such a sluggard... ...that they don't even roast the meat... ...because they're too lazy to finish.
58:55
That's the point. Kind of cartoonish, right? Like, killed the game and now you're eating it raw. Gross. Why? Because you get halfway and you quit.
59:04
That's the point. The sluggard never sees it through. They give up.
59:09
Halfway. They get to the point where they maybe have what they have... ...and they won't even finish it. They give up. They don't get to the goal.
59:15
They don't get to the very end... ...because they're too lazy to finish. And another one. And this one...
59:21
We're going to do good with this one here, guys. We're going to make it a theme amongst us. Proverbs 26.
59:30
Verse 15. Proverbs 26, verse 15.
59:37
This one's truly my favorite. It says this. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish...
59:44
...it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. It's supposed to make you laugh.
59:49
It is. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish. He's like, ugh. And then he just leaves it there...
59:56
...because he's too tired to bring it back. Oh, I can't. I can't do it. I can't do it. Like, he's hungry.
01:00:01
He has, like, these desires. But he gets his hand out there... ...and he's like, oh, I'm so tired. I can't. He can't get it to his mouth.
01:00:09
We should say that to one another... ...when we don't actually finish. Follow through. Get to the end. Is your hand still in the dish?
01:00:16
Is it in the dish? Is that really what's wrong? Is that you put your hand in the dish... ...but you're just too tired to bring it back?
01:00:23
Too many excuses. Too lazy to bring your hand back to your mouth... ...to finish it? And that's the point.
01:00:29
He goes out to get game. He's too tired to finish. He eats it raw. He didn't get to the goal. Didn't finish the job.
01:00:35
Or the sluggard puts his hand in the dish... ...buries it. And he's like, oh, I can't do it. I'm too tired. I've worked too hard for this.
01:00:42
That's what the sluggard does. They bury their hand in the dish... ...or too tired to bring it back. So, think about that.
01:00:47
There's many applications, right? The principle is there. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish... ...too tired to bring it back.
01:00:53
Never sees it through. Won't get to the end. And they're rehearsed at this. It's what they do. Because they're described in...
01:01:00
...that way and in eating that way. So, it's clearly their makeup. That's exactly what they're like. They start something and they don't what?
01:01:09
They don't finish it. Right? For whatever reasons. Call it the risk. Call it the lack of discipline.
01:01:14
Whatever. Or just pure, unadulterated laziness. They don't want to finish.
01:01:21
Right? It's too hard to finish. So, they just bury the hand in the dish. And it sits there.
01:01:27
And they won't even move to their mouth. Now, we're supposed to see that as cartoonish... ...and hilarious.
01:01:33
The problem is, is in principle... ...that's what lazy people do. They get halfway. They don't finish the job.
01:01:40
And there's, again, a million applications of this. It could be ministry you're starting. You don't finish it.
01:01:46
Why? Too tired to get your hand to your mouth. You won't see it to the end. It could be with your family.
01:01:51
Goals you set for your family. Hand in the dish. Too tired to bring it back to the mouth. It could be in your pursuit of a spouse.
01:02:00
Some of you guys still have your hand in the dish. Right? Your hand's right in the dish.
01:02:07
Praying for a spouse. Wanting a spouse. Begging God for a spouse. But all the while, you're begging
01:02:13
God for a spouse. Hand still in the dish. Halfway. Like, the question should be asked... ...how
01:02:18
much time do you spend actively... ...and I'm saying this with humility to you... ...if it's the desire of your heart to be married...
01:02:24
...don't get offended, single people. I'm being your pastor here, okay? You guys, I felt the room get tense all of a sudden.
01:02:30
Okay? I'm trying to be your brother here and your pastor. I'm trying to challenge you. Is it that the spouse isn't out there?
01:02:38
Or is it that your hand's in the dish? Right? You're too distracted with a million other things. Like, you start to look for a spouse...
01:02:44
...and try to invest in time looking for a spouse... ...but sometimes you just get halfway. You get discouraged.
01:02:49
There's a lion outside. I don't want to get hurt. That, right? How many of you guys are sitting in my office...
01:02:56
...you're married now... ...you're sitting in my office years ago... ...and you're like crying tears... ...and we're praying for your spouse...
01:03:02
...and I'm like, you just got to get out there. You just got to try. You got to get through the ten heartbreaks...
01:03:07
...till you get to the one that God's been preparing you for. Right? Remember I told some of you guys that? Remember that?
01:03:14
I was telling you, you got to be willing to take the risk. Right? Go through the hurt. Do all those things.
01:03:20
Stop saying there's a lion in the streets. Like, I don't want to get hurt again. Well, get hurt ten times...
01:03:26
...till you get to her. God's preparing you for her. So get hurt ten times. But don't stick your hand on the dish and say...
01:03:32
...oh, I need the spouse... ...and go, I just can't get this in my mouth. Right? How much time do you invest...
01:03:37
...in looking for a spouse? Praying for... ...investing in yourself... ...preparing yourself for your spouse...
01:03:44
...physically, spiritually... ...all those things. How much time do you spend every week... ...actually investing to see it through...
01:03:51
...and not quit halfway? How much time? How much time is spent in other things...
01:03:56
...that are not the pursuit of the spouse? Right? How much time are you investing?
01:04:01
Not just... ...putting it out in petition before God... ...but investing in, Lord... ...give me the man...
01:04:07
...give me the woman... ...and saying, I'm going to... ...I'm going to trust you, Lord... ...and I'm going to keep working... ...and keep working. I'm not going to quit halfway.
01:04:14
I'm not going to bury my hand in the dish. I'm going to work all the way to the end of this. I'm going to see this through.
01:04:20
How about accomplishing your dreams...
01:04:26
...and your passions? Is it really... ...is it really that you weren't meant to?
01:04:35
Some of you guys are very gifted... ...in some extraordinary ways. You're passionate about things...
01:04:42
...that I couldn't even touch. You have gifts that go beyond... ...most people in certain areas.
01:04:48
Is it really that you're not doing that... ...because you weren't meant to?
01:04:55
Or is it that... ...you're a sluggard? And that you put your hand in the dish...
01:05:02
...you bury it there... ...and you're not willing to do the work... ...to get it the rest of the way to your mouth? You see, we can laugh about it here...
01:05:08
...like a sluggard burying his hand in the dish... ...and like just quitting... ...because it's too hard to get back. But the principle actually we find...
01:05:15
...operating in ourselves... ...when we're passionate about something... ...we want something... ...we feel called to something...
01:05:20
...but we don't actually have it... ...and we make excuses. We say it's too hard... ...it's too risky... ...or I can't accomplish it...
01:05:27
...because God just hasn't willed it. Well, sometimes... ...the will of God is in the work...
01:05:33
...that we do to get to those things... ...and the sacrificing... ...and the suffering. Is your hand in the dish?
01:05:40
Is it caught there? Are you too lazy to bring it back? Because that's the principle operating there.
01:05:46
Again, we can giggle at it... ...at the sight of a man... ...in a dish saying...
01:05:51
...I'm too tired to bring it back... ...but often that principle operates in us... ...in all the things that we desire to do for God...
01:05:58
...but never actually accomplish... ...or we only get halfway. And by the way... ...can I just challenge you with something here?
01:06:03
I believe I can prove this from the text... ...in terms of rehearsing... ...and all those things. If you are constantly quitting...
01:06:10
...if you are constantly starting things... ...and then giving up... ...if things get hard... ...and your practice is...
01:06:16
...it's hard now... ...and I'm quitting... ...then that's your training. You've trained yourself to quit.
01:06:23
You've rehearsed giving up. And what happens is... ...is because we've rehearsed that...
01:06:28
...that becomes a part of our makeup. We always quit. Why? Because that's what we do. Things get hard...
01:06:33
...things get risky... ...and we do what? We quit. Why? Because that's what we always do. As soon as it's hard...
01:06:39
...I give up. As soon as there's risk... ...I give up. As soon as it seems like things aren't working...
01:06:46
...I give up. And guess what? If you rehearse that... ...it's like the door on the hinges. It's the door... ...it's
01:06:51
just your rehearsal. That's what you always do. Because that's what sluggards do. They don't have perseverance.
01:06:57
They don't have discipline. They're not self -governing... ...like the ant. Right? You ever...
01:07:04
...and just go back to the ant for a second... ...because Proverbs says... ...go to the ant, sluggard. Okay? You ever see like...
01:07:10
...ants like in a line... ...doing like all their work... ...and like perfectly in unison... ...they're in the line... ...they got stuff on their backs...
01:07:16
...they're bringing stuff back to the... ...the ant hill or whatever. You ever do something mean... ...and like just put your foot...
01:07:22
...in front of that line? Right? Not that I do this. I was a kid once.
01:07:27
I did it before. Relax, okay? You ever like try to like... ...you know, stop the line... ...or drop like a stick...
01:07:33
...or a rock in front of the line? What do they... ...what do they do? Like they just go around it.
01:07:40
Go to the ant, sluggard. Right? An obstacle falls in front of the ant. God says go to the ant.
01:07:47
Examine the ant. Watch the ant. To not be lazy. As soon as the obstacle... ...gets in front of the ant...
01:07:52
...what do the ants do? They start freaking out. Oh no! Right? Screaming, crying... ...like putting up signs.
01:07:58
How dare you? They just simply... ...maneuver around it. They figure a new way.
01:08:05
Go to the ant, sluggard. Obstacle's in the way. Risk is in the way.
01:08:11
Whatever the case may be... ...don't bury your hand in the dish. Get around the obstacle. Train yourself not to quit.
01:08:17
God is telling you in his word... ...his wisdom from above... ...is that he rewards the diligent.
01:08:24
He rewards the risk taker. He does not reward the lazy.
01:08:31
And I'm going to prove it to you more... ...in just a moment. Laziness has an end.
01:08:37
According to scripture. I'll give you this one from Proverbs 21. Go to 21. In verse 25.
01:08:49
Laziness has an end. 21 to 25.
01:08:56
God's word says... ...the desire of the sluggard... ...kills him.
01:09:03
For his hands refuse to labor. All day long...
01:09:10
...he craves and craves. But the righteous gives... ...and does not hold back.
01:09:16
The point is... ...the desire of the sluggard... ...the end is death. The end is death.
01:09:22
He doesn't want to work. He will not work. He will not try to earn it. He won't try to work for it.
01:09:27
And so the end is death. It's only ending in one place. It's death. There are consequences in this world.
01:09:34
God made it. You can't go against the design. Right? Like you put a certain thing in cars...
01:09:39
...because that's what makes it go. You put sugar in the gas tank. It's not going to go anywhere. And the way the world works...
01:09:44
...the way God built it... ...is if you are lazy... ...it ends in consequences. If you're lazy... ...you are assured of death and poverty.
01:09:52
Guaranteed. It's how the world works. It is the diligent... ...the persevering... ...the risk -taking...
01:09:59
...the hard -working... ...the self -governing... ...that actually receive reward and blessing. And God is saying clearly in His Word...
01:10:06
...He's saying, I want you... ...to choose this path... ...where there is reward and riches and blessing...
01:10:13
...for the diligent... ...for the hard workers... ...for the risk -takers. Be like the ants.
01:10:21
The promise is death and destruction for the sluggard. I'll give you another one. 2
01:10:28
Thessalonians 3. This is a theme that comes up over and over in Scripture.
01:10:37
2 Thessalonians... ...chapter 3...
01:10:48
...verse 10. 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 10.
01:10:54
The apostle Paul... ...to the church in Thessalonica... ...he says this. For even when we were with you...
01:11:03
...we would give you this command. This is something he's saying in the letter. And I told you this face to face.
01:11:10
Like, I've said this to you before. I've said this before. You've heard this before. He says, even when we were with you...
01:11:16
...we would give you this command. If anyone is not willing to work...
01:11:22
...let him not eat. We have the exact opposite today.
01:11:31
We live with rulers and people and a government today that says... ...if anyone's not willing to work, we'll take care of you.
01:11:37
If anyone's not willing to work, we totally get it, bro. Right? If anyone's not willing to work, we'll cut a check.
01:11:45
How are you going to do that? We're going to take it from this guy... ...who is working to pay for the guy that won't work. Scripture's clear.
01:11:51
Look. Like it or leave it, Scripture says this. If you don't work, you don't eat.
01:11:58
Right? Don't take care of a lazy person. That's what Paul is saying here. In the church, he's saying...
01:12:04
...don't be a bunch of sad saps over the guy that's not disciplined... ...and who is a sluggard. If he's not going to work, don't go providing for the guy...
01:12:12
...that's just idle and not working. If he doesn't want to work, let him feel the reward.
01:12:18
If you don't work, you will not eat. How's that for a Christian work ethic? Work to receive.
01:12:28
There are times providentially... ...you as a body have been so faithful in this...
01:12:33
...in all years as a church body. There are times we're in a fallen world. We're providentially hindered from being able to work.
01:12:40
There are times where there's catastrophic financial situations. That's what the body of Christ is here for. We take care of those things.
01:12:47
We pay for adoptions. We pay for houses. We pay for food. We buy fridges for people.
01:12:53
We take care of people's needs. We do that as a church body. But we don't do it for people who are just sluggards.
01:13:02
Because the command is this. If you're a person with that pattern of life... ...you refuse to work, you're worse than an unbeliever...
01:13:08
...and if you won't work, well then you don't eat. How's that? That's death to socialism too, by the way.
01:13:15
Just a word. But the final word here, and this is, I think...
01:13:20
I preached a sermon... I preached a sermon when we were in Matthew, on Matthew 25... ...and
01:13:25
God praised the Lord. He used those words from the Lord Jesus... ...to challenge many of you guys to new ways...
01:13:33
...that you can serve God with your lives. And that just blesses me to know that there were businesses started...
01:13:39
...after that that are successful now... ...even that are thriving now because you were challenged by... ...you've
01:13:44
been given a bag of gold, now use it for the glory of God. But in terms of this theme of being a sluggard...
01:13:51
...being lazy, being undisciplined... ...Jesus has something to say about it. And he says it in a famous parable.
01:13:58
In Matthew chapter 25, go there. And I want you to see how Jesus defines the unworthy servant.
01:14:05
Look what he says. Matthew 25. Now this is the parable section...
01:14:17
...where Jesus is talking about the talents. Now if you missed that message, I'm not going to re -give it now... ...but just consider the talents are essentially bags of gold.
01:14:26
Right? The master is giving away bags of gold... ...but he gives like a different amount to different servants...
01:14:32
...because some servants are worthy of more gold... ...because they can produce more. They have more skills, they're more diligent.
01:14:38
Whatever the reason, the master knows... ...what each servant can actually handle.
01:14:43
So he gives different amounts of gold to each servant. But the reason for the gold...
01:14:49
...is so that when he goes away and returns... ...he's going to come back...
01:14:56
...and he's going to receive reward... ...for the investment that he gave them.
01:15:01
And so Jesus, of course, tells this amazing story... ...of the master and the talents and these servants.
01:15:07
And when he comes back... ...he finds out that he's given to some servant... ...and it's been increased a bunch...
01:15:13
...and he says, well done, good and faithful servant. But then he comes to the wicked servant. In 25 -26.
01:15:24
Well, let me start in 24... ...so we can get the context of the lazy one. In 24 it says... ...he also who had received the one talent came forward.
01:15:31
So one talent. Saying, master, I knew you to be a hard man... ...reaping
01:15:37
where you did not sow... ...and gathering where you scattered no seed. So I was afraid. There's the sluggard.
01:15:44
What did we say about the sluggard from the Proverbs? What is he? He or she is afraid of what?
01:15:50
Risk. He's afraid of risk. He's always fearful. There's something out there. He can't do it.
01:15:57
It's safer over here. It's safer in the house. It's safer if I just bury this gold
01:16:02
God gave me. Don't risk it. Right? So I was afraid.
01:16:09
The sluggard is afraid. And I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have...
01:16:16
...what is yours? But as master answered him... ...you wicked and... ...what's the word?
01:16:23
Slothful. Lazy. Sluggard.
01:16:30
You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I have not sown... ...and
01:16:35
gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers... ...and at my coming
01:16:41
I should have received... ...what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him... ...and
01:16:46
give it to the one who has the ten talents... ...for to everyone who has... ...will be more will be given... ...and he will have an abundance...
01:16:53
...but from the one who has not... ...even what he has will be taken away... ...and these are terrifying words...
01:16:59
...and cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness... ...and in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. That's tough.
01:17:08
Jesus defines the problem... ...with the worthless servant. The problem is he was fearful...
01:17:15
...he was afraid of the risk... ...he was lazy... ...and so Jesus calls him...
01:17:23
...a wicked and sluggard... ...slothful servant. And what's amazing is that this slothful servant...
01:17:30
...thought that this was like an endearing quality. Like, hey, I knew that you were tough and hard... ...and
01:17:36
so I was afraid... ...and so what I thought was best... ...is I'll just take the gold that you gave me... ...and I just put it under the ground...
01:17:42
...so at least that was safe. And what God is saying there clearly... ...is that who's the master here?
01:17:48
Who's the master? Jesus. God's the master. He delivers to each of us...
01:17:55
...talents, gold... ...according to what we can handle... ...and he expects us to spend it.
01:18:02
He expects you and I to spend it. And what's clear here... ...is that he doesn't listen to the excuse of the slothful...
01:18:10
...who is afraid of the risk. He says, you're wicked and lazy. You're wicked and lazy.
01:18:15
I expected you to take what I gave you... ...and to bring me something out of it. So clearly we're called by God...
01:18:23
...not to be lazy, to be hard workers... ...to be diligent... ...and to listen. Here's the challenge.
01:18:29
Spend the gold God gave you. Spend it. Spend it.
01:18:35
Be diligent. Take risks. Be self -governing. Persevere.
01:18:41
Be resolved. Don't be afraid of what's in the streets. Serve God. Or that woman of God...
01:18:52
...who doesn't put your hand in the dish... ...have desires... ...and then be so lazy as to not see it through.
01:18:59
God calls us to see our work... ...and our gifts through to the ends. Are we providentially hindered at times?
01:19:06
Yes. But what we should never say as God's people... ...is I didn't finish it because I was a sluggard.
01:19:13
I didn't finish it because I was lazy. I didn't finish it because I lacked discipline. I didn't finish it because I loved to sleep.
01:19:22
I loved the rest. My hope is that God would challenge us... ...as
01:19:27
His people... ...to live in a way that glorifies Him... ...pleases Him...
01:19:32
...and we find pleasure in... ...because we put the sin of slothfulness... ...sluggardness...
01:19:39
...and laziness to death. Here's the good news. Are you ready? Not only will you find joy and delight in it...
01:19:46
...in God... ...but you will also, according to Scripture... ...reap the God -given rewards.
01:19:54
Work hard... ...for the glory of God. Amen? Let's pray.
01:20:00
Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your wisdom. God, I pray that You would use...
01:20:09
...the words from Your Scripture... ...to change us, challenge us...
01:20:16
...renew our minds... ...and Lord, I don't... ...I don't know half of what
01:20:22
You're doing... ...in the minds of Your people... ...right now in this room...
01:20:28
...but I do want to ask, Lord... ...a special prayer... ...that You would convict...
01:20:38
...us... ...over the things that we have not finished... ...or accomplished for You.
01:20:45
Convict us of those bags of gold... ...that we've buried. Allow us to...
01:20:52
...to have the discipline and perseverance... ...to see where we were lazy... ...and not hindered...
01:20:59
...providentially. To repent of that laziness... ...and Lord, I pray that You'd be glorified...
01:21:05
...in our delight in accomplishing... ...all these things for Your glory. Help us,
01:21:10
Lord, to know what that gold is... ...in each of our lives... ...and help us, Lord, to have the strength...
01:21:16
...and the discipline... ...to actually spend it... ...for Your glory. May You return...
01:21:23
...to an increase... ...from the talents that You've given... ...to each and every one of us. I pray this in Jesus' name.