18 November 2007
U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris
Ord Military Chapel
Seaside CA
BIG IDEA: During this Thanksgiving Season, Christians (everywhere) should recall the blessings which stem from working diligently.
REFERENCES: Genesis 2:15; (Proverbs 20:11 KJV (Even a child is known by his doing whether his work be pure, and whether it be right); 1 Thessalonians Chapters 1-5; 1 Thessalonians 5:14 MSG (Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs); Proverbs 6:6 (Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise); Proverbs 30:24-26:(There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks); Proverbs 18:9 KJV (He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster); 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 NIV; 2 Thessalonians 3:10 NIV (For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “if a man will not work, he shall not eat.”); Matthews 25:14-30 (The Lord continues to warn the saints about the dangers of spiritual sluggardness in the parable of the talents);
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 (NIV)
II. READ THE PERICOPE: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 (NIV)
III. READ THE TEXT: 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV) For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers, during this Thanksgiving Season, to remember the blessings which come from working their fingers to the bones.
V. SERMONIC THEME: “Rule of Thumb: No Work, No Food”
VI. INTRODUCTION:
Most of you are aware that I’m an only child from Jacksonville, Florida. But, what you might not know is the fact that my parents reared me with a strong working morality.
As a result, I’ve been working and earning wages since I was 10 years of age. I have done everything from cutting lawns to throwing newspapers.
Therefore, I am a real advocate of teenagers working and learning responsibilities. Now, their job doesn’t have to be outside the home; they could have chores inside the home that earn them wages. But the bottom-line is: work is healthy for our children.
Proverbs 20:11 (KJV) says, “Even a child is known by his doing ; whether his work be pure, and whether it be right”.
Parents, unfortunately I have Good News and Bad News for you today. The Good News is God sees your faithful efforts in shaping your children into productive and future hardworking Christian citizens of society. The Bad News – Laziness is NOT a sin.
So you have to STOP telling your children that “they’re going to hell if they don’t stop being so lazy”.
Although laziness IS a behavior flaw and characteristic which promises not to serve them (or us) well in the future. I could not find (although I tried) any biblical proof that laziness (in and of itself) is damnable or sinful.
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MOVE 1: Now, it’s true that in some Christian circles, one might stumble across a phrase dubbed, “The Seven Deadly Sins”
a. (and the seventh being “sloth” or laziness) …
b. … and attribute those sins as being Biblical – but it isn’t.
c. There is no scriptural proof of “The Seven Deadly Sins”.
d. For God has made it clear throughout the Bible … that all sins are deadly …
e. … because all sins are transgression of God’s Law and will result in our damnation.
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MOVE 2: For don’t you remember, the Bible says in Romans 6:23, …
a. …“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”.
b. There is Good News on the horizon.
c. The Bible (in both the Old and New Testament) does highly discourage “Slothfulness and Laziness” .
d. In fact, man is highly encourage to work or don’t eat; that in and of itself should motivate some of our teens.
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MOVE 3: For who can ever forget the Jewish Proverbs ( such as Proverbs 6:6; and Proverbs 30:24-26) which discourage laziness and encourage all to examine the lifestyle of the ant and become ANT-LIGENT.
a. In 1 Corinthians 3:8, Paul says “a man is to receive according to his labor” and in 1 Timothy 5:18 he says to his young understudy – Timotheus - that “a laborer is worthy of his wages”, which implies that the sluggard isn’t entitled to be fed or rewarded.
b. It has been said – by Mortimer Caplan - that Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.
c. Someone else (Mark Kennedy) has said , “All of the biggest technological inventions created by man - the airplane, the automobile, the computer - says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness”.
d. Yet another has said, “Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness pays off now.”
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MOVE 4: In Chapter 25 of the fairy tale story of “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi,”
a. Pinocchio (as you may recall was a MARIONETTE – a puppet controlled by strings) was having a conversation with his FAIRY …
b. when he makes it emphatically clear that he DESIRES to be human AND NOT WORK BECAUSE WORK WEARIES HIM … his FAIRY responds:
c. "My dear boy," said the Fairy, "people who speak as you do usually end their days either in a prison or in a hospital. A man, remember, whether rich or poor, should do something in this world.
d. No one can find happiness without work. Woe betide the lazy fellow! Laziness is a serious illness and one must cure it immediately; yes, even from early childhood.
e. If not, it will kill you in the end."
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MOVE 5: These words touched Pinocchio’s heart. He lifted his eyes to his Fairy and said seriously: "I’ll work; I’ll study; I’ll do all you tell me.
a. Likewise, in my studying, I came across a joke entitled “CHRONIC LAZINESS” where a … man told his doctor that he wasn’t able to do all the things around the house that he used to do.
b. When the examination was complete, he said, “Now, Doc, I can take it.
c. Tell me in plain English what is wrong with me?”
d. ”Well, in plain English,” the doctor replied, “you’re just lazy.”
e. ”Okay,” said the man. “Now give me the medical term so I can tell my wife.”
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MOVE 6: In our scriptural reading, this morning, due to the serious disturbances that have occurred because the believers have strayed away from their instructional teachings - Pastor Paul reminds the believers in Thessalonica of three things:
a. First, in verses 6-9, he reminds them to follow the examples set by Timothy, Silvanus and himself.
b. For when they were in Thessalonica they labored day and night in order that they might not burden anyone.
c. Although they could have burden the church because they were preaching the gospel. But they choose not to in order to be a good example for all.
d. Second, in verses 10-12, he reminds them to work for their own bread. In other words, don’t become freeloaders.
e. … and Third, in verses 13-16, Paul encourages them to mark and identify men, in their midst, who won’t work.
f. Paul, here, has no issues with men who can’t work because of disabilities or other unfortunate situations;
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MOVE 7: But … he clearly has issues with those who can work;
a. … but chooses NOT TO WORK.
b. For work is valuable. Work is God’s gift to us.
c. It’s our method of outwardly demonstrating our cultivating care for what God has given us and one another.
d. It’s not just a result of the CURSE of eating the forbidden fruit; but WORK was ordained by God before the fall.
e. For don’t you remember, before God ever gave man woman – he gave the brother a job.
f. For Genesis 2:15 reads: And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
g. In our scripture, today, Pastor Paul remind us all of the importance of work and cultivating that which God has given us.
h. He even directs the Thessalonians to avoid any brother who is lying in idleness and refuses to work.
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CELEBRATION:
Paul was quite aware of the fact that many Thessalonians were awaiting the coming of The Lord;
and as a result had quit their jobs and moved in with other Christians who were still working.
So, he encouraged them all to work and eat the bread which they themselves have earned by their own toil.
