Apathetic Christianity (Pastor John Franklin)

Now, I want you to pay attention. It wasn't anything in Israel, it wasn't their military size, it wasn't the type of people they were going to be.

Good morning, Wynton. I didn't get a chance to say good morning. Pastor Jeff and I kind of swapped roles today, so in light of that, if you're from Mississippi or Redneck and don't know anything, my wife can't cook, what else?

Go Vols. Is there anything else I'm missing, Gwen? Hacking it ain't shacking it.

Yeah, much more gooder. We're going to be much more gooder today.

You guys will notice you didn't get handouts today either. That kind of actually goes along with the topic today, but I promise you

I am going to have those posted this week and there's a reason I didn't give you handouts. I'm going to be all over scripture today.

We're not doing the normal expository we've been doing. This one's going to be more topical, and I got this directly from the survey we did because one of the comments we got during the survey was about what do you do when you're apathetic?

So today we're going to be talking about spiritual apathy. What does it look like?

What do I do about it? How come I am apathetic? For those of you who don't know what apathy means, the definition of apathy by dictionary is a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.

Medically, apathy is a lack of a goal -directed activity. So those times, and I don't know if any of you guys have ever felt like this, when you just don't feel much like being a

Christian, right? You're going through the motions, but man, you just don't feel it.

You're here, but you'd rather be anywhere else, right? I don't know if any of you guys,

I've felt like that. Even after becoming a pastor, a licensed orator, I still have felt like that, right?

My worship is boring because I'm more focused on it entertaining me than actually truly worshiping.

All worship is done, all going to church is done has become a task to do on my to -do list.

Just one more checkbox during the week. Guys, God does not want just another task to do during your week.

Isaiah 110 says, Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. Give ear to the teaching of our

God, you people of Gomorrah. What to me is your multitude of your sacrifices, says the

Lord? I've had enough of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well -fed beasts.

I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who has required this of you?

The trampling of my courts. Bring no more vain offerings, incense is an abomination to me.

The new moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations, I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

Your new moons and your appointed feasts, my soul hates. They have become a burden to me.

I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you.

Even though you make my many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood.

Christian, God does not want you here if you don't truly want to worship him.

Because it means nothing to go through the motions. And I'm speaking this to myself too.

And I'm speaking to Christians today because that's what this assembly is for. It's for, it's great if you're not a believer and you're here today, it's great that you're here today.

I'm welcome, I'm glad that you're in the house of God. But this assembly is for the believers. This assembly is for us to worship our

God. And a lot of times it's hard. A lot of times we choose to do other things than to participate in worship.

We let other outside distractions get in the way of why we're truly here. And it becomes an outward disobedience to be here rather than an obedience.

Rather than obeying God, we're serving self. You see, God has dictated the works he wants us to do, the good works.

It tells us that in Galatians, right? He has prepared good works ahead of time that we should walk in them.

But we choose not to do it. Proverbs 18, 9 says, whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.

God has prepared good works for you to do, but Scripture says if you're slack in doing those works, you're a brother to him who destroys.

If you're not serving God, who are you serving? So we choose not to participate.

James 4, 17 says, so whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Christian, you know what you're supposed to do. And I'm not saying that it's easy every day.

Most of the time for me, it's harder to serve God than to serve myself.

I don't know if any of you guys have ever felt like that. But sometimes it's hard for me to deny myself and actually serve

God. And guys, this is a very dangerous place we find ourselves in when we become apathetic spiritually.

Because at the best case scenario, you're stagnating your spiritual growth. That sanctification process, that process of being made more

Christ -like, you're stagnating that. You're sluggish in that. And you're at a plateau.

That's at the worst case, or the best case. The worst case is, as it said in Revelation chapter 3 to the church of Laodicea, I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot.

Would that you were either hot or cold. So because you're lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Or as King James says, I will vomit you out of my mouth. So when you allow yourself to remain apathetic, at the best case, your sanctification is being stagnated.

At the worst case, you're at risk of being vomited out of his mouth. Because you just don't care. And guys,

I'm here telling you, I've been there. I've been there recently. Right? I actually was speaking to somebody this morning when they asked me what my topic was.

I told them what it was. I said, I thought I was the only one who felt like that. Guys, every single

Christian has gone through this at some point in their life. You're not alone. So why are you like this?

And what can you do about it? I got three things

I want to talk about why you're like this and what to do about it. The first reason why you may be spiritually apathetic is you've forgotten who it is that you serve.

You've become comfortable with God. Oh, Jesus is my friend.

No, Jesus is your Lord. He says that we can call him friend, but we need to remember he's still our

Lord. And he will never be your Savior if he is not your Lord first. Right?

I'm already saved. What do I have to worry about? Right? I can go live my life how I want.

The hard part's already done. A lot of times we tell ourselves that. Well, Paul mentioned about that, didn't he?

He said that very thing. Or he addressed that very thing. In Romans 6, verse 15, it says,

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means.

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Guys, you are serving somebody every day other than yourself, whether you think it's yourself or not. You're either serving your sinful desires, which is, in essence, serving the principalities of the air or Satan, or you are serving

God. There's only two sides in this war. And you don't get to sit on the fence.

That's why he said to pick up your cross daily and follow him. Now, the good news is you get to pick up your cross daily.

So if you've messed up today, you can still do it tomorrow. I'm already saved.

I don't have to worry about it. Guys, remember, he is your Lord first and foremost. Don't forget who it is that you serve.

All things were made through him. And without him, not anything was made that was made. All things.

He is the creator. Out of nothing, he spoke, and it was. He's not your friend.

He's the creator of the universe. Go back and look at what he told

Job when Job asked him. Job 38 .4

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding.

Who determined the measurement? Surely you know. Or who stretched the line upon it?

On what were the bases sunk, or the lay of the cornerstone? When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.

Were you shut in the sea with the doors that burst out from the womb? When I made the clouds, its garments, the thick darkness swaddling the band.

I presented limits for it, and set bars and doors. And it stayed. And it said,

Thus far shall you come, and no farther. Heal shall your proud waves be stayed. Have you commanded the morning since your days began?

And caused the dawn to know its place? That it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it.

In other words, where were you, Christian, when I did all this? Who do you think you are that you can't serve me?

And I'm not to be worshipped and adored. God, because without him we are nothing.

Everybody can quote that John 3 .16, for God so loved the world. And it's great, but remember what 3 .18

says. That without Jesus we already stood condemned before a mighty God. Because of our sin before him.

So the first reason you may be apathetic today is because you've forgotten who it is that you serve. And what he's done for you.

While you were yet sinners, Christ died for us, right? While you were spitting in my face,

I took the cross for you. That's what he's done for you.

God, I know the sins that I have in my past. And they don't deserve his mercy.

Let alone his grace. But he loved us anyway that he did it.

So if you think you're in this vote, what do you do about it? Well first thing you need to do is check whether you're saved or not. Right?

Because there may be a chance that you're just in church and not part of the church. You might just be sitting here because this is where your grandma always brought you.

And you just do it every Sunday and it's routine. Which is another reason why you're apathetic. Because it's just a routine, remember?

So you might want to check first to make sure you're saved. Make sure you are a child of God. Make sure you have surrendered to him.

I'm going to thank Pastor Josiah for this, for his message at Briarcrest recently. A lot of these come straight from him.

I'm going to be a little bit more brief than he was on this. Oh, last thing and I'm done, right? So how do you check to see if you're saved?

1 John 5 .13 says, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know you have eternal life.

So Christian, it is possible for you to have assurance that you are saved.

So how do you do that? Well first, have you given up your past life?

2 Corinthians 5 .17, Therefore if any was in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold the new has come.

Does your daily routine, does your daily walk look different now that you have accepted

Christ as your Lord? Is it different now than it was before?

Are you truly that new creation? Or are you still lying with the same people?

Are you still serving the same self? Do you still find joy in the same sins?

Or are you truly following God? Has your heart changed?

Have your desires changed? Have your priorities changed?

Am I a new creature? That's your first test. The second one, if I say yes,

I have seen the change in me and I know that I'm, am I being obedient? 1 John 2, 3 -6

And by this we know we have come to know Him. Again, you can be sure. If we keep

His commandments. Whoever says I know Him but does not keep His commandments is a liar.

And the truth is not in him. I didn't call you a liar, Scripture did. Right? If you say that you love

God and you disobey Him intentionally, Scripture says you're a liar.

That doesn't mean if I've messed up and I've fallen and I've sinned that I can't get right.

Where's your track record? Do I strive to be obedient to my

Father? Or do I strive to serve myself? It's not a minute by minute, it's a, look at your day.

Where's your focus? Do I want to obey God and I've just messed up?

Or do I want to obey self and forget what God said? So you say, yes, there's,

I've been a new creation. Yes, I'm trying to be obedient. What are your fruits of that?

What's the evidence of that? Galatians 5 .19, now the works of the flesh are evident.

It means they're obvious. It means it doesn't take much to realize if you're serving the flesh or you're serving God. Right?

What does it say? Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

I warn you as I've warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. So you can say, yes,

I've surrendered to God. Yes, I'm a new creation. Yes, I'm trying to obey, but I'm still living in my sexual immorality.

I'm still living and being angry at everything. I'm still living my old life.

Or I've just changed some sins for another one. Right? Oh, well,

I stopped smoking weed, but I started drinking. Right? But the fruits of the

Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self -controlled, against such things there is no law.

What fruit are you bearing? Jeremiah said, an orange tree is not going to bear apples.

A sinful, self -serving person is not going to bear the fruit of the Spirit. They might fake it for a little bit, but the true fruit is going to come out in the end.

So if you have forgotten whom it is you serve, first make sure you're serving

Him. And not serving yourself. Your focus has gone off of God and onto self.

James 3 .16 says, For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder in every vile practice.

You want to know why you're discontent with worship and with your love of God and your Christian...

Where jealousy and selfish ambition...

Am I trying to serve me? Am I trying to make me better?

Ephesians 5 .15 says, Look carefully then how you walk, not the unwise but the wise, making the best use of your time because the days are evil.

Guys, this world is going to get harder and harder and harder for us to follow God. The world

I grew up in is totally different than the one Pastor Josiah grew up in. And his son that he's holding in his arms right now is going to live in a whole different world.

Each one of them progressively more depraved than the last. And Scripture says that's going to happen.

So who am I going to follow? The world or God? Who am I going to serve, myself or God?

Because I promise if I serve myself, I'm going to fail every time. I'm going to feel discontent because I'm going to make mistakes.

But if I'm truly following God and obedient to Him, He doesn't change. His standard remains the same.

Right? My focus is to come off myself and onto myself and off of God.

Proverbs 18 .1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desires. He breaks out against all sound judgment.

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in expressing his opinion. When wickedness comes, contempt also comes.

And with dishonor comes disgrace. My focus is to come off self. Oh, it's so nice out.

I want to go sit out at the lake, right? I can worship God at the lake just like I can here, right? Well, you can but you don't.

If you're like me, you go out on the lake, you throw that line in the water, you're waiting for that fish to bite, and I'm not worried about worshiping

God. I'm worried about the fish coming, right? Because my own selfish desire isn't to come in and worship

God. It's to go out and serve myself. Oh, it's raining. I don't want to get out in the rain. I might get wet. So I'm not going to come to church when it's sunshiny and pretty out.

I'm not going to come to church when it's wet and rainy out. Oh, it's too cold and snowing. I can't come then. And I continue to make excuse after excuse after excuse not to be in the house of God.

And then I wonder why I don't feel joy in my salvation.

Because I've forsaken the assembly just like Hebrews tells us not to, right? Guys, there's a recharge that I get from being here.

I am very much an introverted person. I love sitting in my office with the door closed.

But I love being with God's people more. It doesn't make sense to me because my whole life, my recharge has been from isolating myself and withdrawing into myself.

But when I'm focused on God, my recharge comes from God's people and His Word. That I would rather be in a...

I love, especially... I've had the pleasure of being here during the week some days now.

And I've actually spent... And I really truly love, not the char, but when the little kids are up here.

And they'll come into my office. And that's the decoration... You haven't been to my office yet,

Pastor. The decorations in my office are the drawings from the little kids, from May -May, from Ava, from Jazzy.

And I look up and I get joy every time I see them. Because I know that they're being raised in the admonition of the

Lord. I am part and parcel of helping to raise them in the admonition of the

Lord. They are my family. I said something to Evan Wisner last week when

I was holding little baby Colleen. About how much joy that gives me when she'll reach for me from her own dad's arms.

And it's the instant love you feel being among people of God. I don't get that from the world.

I've been to foreign countries where I cannot speak to the people. But if I know they truly are following God and love

God, there's an instant connection there. And I need to serve them rather than self.

I find more joy in seeking after their needs than my needs. So what do

I do if my focus has come off of God and onto me? I go to work. I quit focusing on me.

And start focusing on somebody else. I seek after God. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied.

You feel empty inside when you're working? Seek after. Hunger and thirst for it.

Get into His Word even if you don't think you're going to get anything from it. Do it anyway.

Pray to Him even if you think your prayers are only getting as far as this. Do it anyway. Because He does hear you.

He may not listen to you, but He does hear you. Seek after Him.

Colossians 3 .1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things of this earth. You want to get rid of that apathy?

You want to get rid of that just feeling worthless, feeling tired? Seek the things that are of God. And you're going to be amazed how much your problems don't matter anymore.

Focus on serving someone other than yourself. Spend time with His people.

Show up to the events. Rather than spending time with the worldly friends that you shouldn't be hanging with anyway, find some people in here.

Hey, I'm struggling. Can we go do something together? Fellowship with believers.

Out show each one another in doing honor. Christian, you know somebody who is drunk.

Ask them over. Just being among you people can lift my spirits.

And being away from you too long can cause depression of it.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another. 1

Peter 4 .10 says. Everybody in here has received a gift from God.

Use it to serve somebody else. Use it to put the focus off of you and onto them.

And watch how your attitude changes in worship.

So you're feeling apathetic, go to work. And when it gets hard, and when you get tired, do it anyway.

Galatians 6 .9. And let us not grow weary of doing good. For in due season we will reap if we do not give up.

So then when we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone and especially to those of the household of faith.

Christian, when you get tired of serving, keep serving. When you don't feel like serving, do it anyway.

And you're going to be amazed at the change in you.

You're going to be amazed at how your problems don't mean anything anymore.

And this is the last thing. I told you I had three things. You said that you were saved even though you had gotten comfortable with your salvation.

You've gone to work. But that third thing, that third reason, you may be apathetic.

There's an unrepentant sin in your life. Because ultimately if you think about it, the first two are the same thing.

That's really what all this boils down to. You want to know why your worship isn't as joyful as it used to be.

Because some sin is separating you from God. Unconfessed sin, lost faith.

Leads us to feeling guilty. Now, guilt isn't from God. Guilt's from us. But when

I know that I'm doing something I'm not supposed to do, I feel guilty about it. And that guilt leads to shame.

And that shame's going to lead to unworthiness. Well, who am I to even talk to God anymore?

David said in Psalms 32, For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hands was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up by the heat of the summer.

When I kept silent. Confess your faults one to another so you may be healed.

Guys, you're feeling apathetic? Confess it. But don't just confess it.

Confess it to God. You have an unrepentant sin in your life because apathy itself is a sin.

Right? You know what to do. And I just don't feel like worshiping God. Well, that's a very selfish position to be standing in.

I don't care whether you feel like it or not. You don't do what the rocks will. He doesn't need us to serve him.

But man, we should want to. And one day we will.

Whether we admit it or not. This side of heaven or not, one day we will acknowledge him as Lord.

Let's hope it's on this side of heaven. Because otherwise you're not going to see it. Unrepentant sin breeds other sin.

Galatians 6, 7, and 8. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For what one sows, that will he also reap.

If I'm sowing sin, guess what's going to come into my life? More sin. I'm actually getting ready to plant some stuff at the house.

I'm going to try to do a garden this year. But I can't plant tomatoes and expect to get potatoes.

Right? If you're sitting there living in your sin.

And I promise you, if you're doing it every day, you're not struggling with it, Christian. You're wallowing in it. If you're sitting there every day living in your sin.

Then all you're going to get in return is more sin. If you're sitting there living in your misery.

All you're going to get in return is more misery. So repent.

You're like, but brother John, I don't even know what it is that I'm doing wrong. Repent anyway.

I promise you, even if you can't name the sin, God knows what it is. He's all knowing, right?

If nothing else, your apathy itself, as I just said, is a sin. Repent of that.

Our laziness. That really leads to my apathy sometimes.

I'm tired. I don't want to read this week. So I don't.

Wow, I wonder why God's not talking to me. Because I didn't get in His Word, that's why He's not talking to me. That's how

He has that conversation with us. I pray to Him, He speaks to me through His Word. If I neglect either one of those, it's just one of us talking.

It's not a conversation. Because I'm sorry,

I'm not one of those super Christians that actually hears the voice of God when I pray. But man,

I can see it when I read His Word. So ultimately, your apathy,

Christian, is due to an unrepentant sin. And we need to repent of that sin.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4 says. Cleanse your hands, you sinner, and purify your hearts, you double -minded people.

Draw near to God. You don't feel close to God? Draw near to Him. You say, well,

I can't identify my sin. 1 John says, if we say we don't have sin, we're deceiving ourselves and we're a liar.

Let me read it. 1 John 1 .8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us. So Christian, each and every one of us in this room today have something we need to repent for.

Each and every one of us should quit worrying about what people are thinking about us and come down this aisle and get on our knees and thank

God that He has saved us. And cry out in repentance for our apathy, for our selfishness, for our laziness.

Each and every one of us need to be on our knees before an

Almighty God and remembering who we served. When God wrote to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2, 2 -5,

He said, I know your works, your toil, your patience, endurance, and how you cannot bear those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.

I know you have endured patiently and bearing up for My name's sake that you have not grown weary, but I have this against you.

You have abandoned the love you have at first. Remember, therefore, where you have fallen.

Repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come and remove the lampstand from this place unless you repent.

Guys, I've been at a church that was dying. Luckily, right now, Whitten's not one.

But if we continue to allow apathy to rule and laziness to rule, God says

He'll take away our lampstand. I want each of you to search where you are right now.

Are you serving yourself today? Are you here just because today? Are you here just so someone can see you today or to see someone?

If you're here for any reason other than to worship the mighty God, you need to come repent. If you've been lax in your devotion to Him, you need to come repent.

And if you just want to draw near to Him, come and ask Him today. You come as God leads.