Happy Labor Day Weekend to all of you. We continue our sermon series on the Seven Deadly Sins of the Family. Our fourth deadly sin for families is apathy. But I don’t care what you call it. (Yes, I thought we would honor hard workers everywhere by talking about laziness on Labor Day weekend!)
This deadly sin is classically referred to as slothfulness. Nowadays when you say, “sloth,” people just think of really cute animals that we make memes about, or the sloth that works at the DMV in Zootopia (which is hilarious). But, there’s nothing humorous about the deadly sin of apathy.
Find your way to 2 Thessalonians in your Bible. We’ll land there in the moments to come.
1. The Camouflage of “I Couldn’t Care Less”
Beware of the camouflage of the attitude of “I Couldn’t Care Less.”
1.1 The Difficult Diagnosis of Apathy
Apathy sneaks up on us live a Navy Seal approaching his target with tremendous stealth. Indifference and apathy will have arrived before we even know it’s near. I was dead before I was ever aware there was an enemy lurking. Such is the work of apathy.
Now, apathy is elusive. Like a doctor working to identify a mysterious illness in her patient, apathy hides itself from plain sight. The doctor may speculate a dozen other illnesses before the illness of indifference and apathy becomes apparent. Beware of the camouflage of the attitude of “I Couldn’t Care Less.”
1.2 Get a JOB!
One of the reasons apathy is so elusive is the supposed “quick” remedy to fix it. We scream like an old man at the next generation, “Get a job!” But screaming at apathy doesn’t make it go away. And simply “getting a job” may hide apathy for a season, but it often reemerges.
Now, the Bible loves for us to work. Even the model “Proverbs 31” woman is commended for her willingness to work: “She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness” (Proverbs 31:27). But hard work alone isn’t the answer. Why? Because busyness can also camouflage the sin of sloth.
1.3 The Reasons Behind Our Work
You may work exceptionally hard because you feel someone else is getting ahead of you - ENVY. You may work exceptionally hard because you want to prove yourself - PRIDE. Or, you may work exceptionally hard because you want more - GREED. You see, your hard work can be motivated by sin. You have to understand the motivation behind your work.
1.4 Biblical Survey of Apathy
When you’re trying to figure out apathy, think of Caleb of the Old Testament. He was the antonym of apathy for his day. The old man, Caleb gave a minority report among the spies of Israel, if you’ll remember. Caleb encouraged the nation of Israel to take the land despite the size of the enemy (Numbers 14:24-38). And 45 years later, he was still zealous take the land when he says, “Give me this hill for the Lord” (Joshua 14:6-12).
Complacency, apathy, and indifference are when you don’t care enough to start anything: “The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing” (Proverbs 20:4). It was affluent apathy when the everyone was building their houses better and nicer than the temple during Haggai’s day. Years later, Jesus pictured a complacent person talking to himself: “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry’” (Luke 12:19). Jesus said that man’s soul will be required of him immediately. It was apathy that made God want to puke when the church at Laodicea had a lukewarm love for their Savior (Revelation 3:16).
1.5 Finding My Purpose
Now the man who writes 2 Thessalonians was anything but idle. When he was younger, he was the chief of sinners, and after seeing Jesus, he was the chief of saints. If Paul were anything, he was a man on the move.
According to Acts, Paul established the church in Thessalonica on his Second Missionary Journey - his second lap around the Roman Empire starting churches and helping them grow. Paul has left them to start churches in other places, but he still has friends back in Thessalonica. In an age before FaceTime, he sits down to write a letter to encourage this new church in Thessalonica - and to address some of the issues going on there.
Look what he prayers to believers in verse 11: “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12).
Pastor Paul is praying for believers to be worthy of their calling. You have a calling on your life. If you and I were walking down the street and were stopped by stranger who asks, “What’s your calling in life?” I would immediately respond with a story from my youth camp days as a teenager. Or, I would tell of the time would God turned my life around in a dorm room at the University of Kentucky. But what would you say? How would you respond?
You see, apathy happens when we’ve lost our purpose in life. You may have responded to someone with “Whatever?” The shrug of the shoulders seems to be the logo of our day. We live in a “whatever” time in history. Yet, the calling of God on our lives is powerful.
Look back at verses 11 and 12 with me again. In verse 12, Paul identifies the primary calling of every person alive.
No matter your race, political party, or gender you are called to this one thing: “the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him…” (2 Thessalonians 1:12b).
Jesus tells us to: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
No matter if you’re lazy or busy, this is your calling.
Again, Jesus raises our eyes to His purpose in our lives when He says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37b–40).
It seems we’ve lost our purpose and we don’t know where to go to find it. But in order to avoid this sin, you must find your purpose and keep your purpose in front of you constantly.
1.6 The Set Up Punch of Apathy
One of the reasons apathy is so elusive is that it usually works in tandem with some other toxic habit. Apathy seems to want to work as the set-up punch to other sins. Apathy strikes only to leave me open to the sins of envy and greed.
Apathy works like a crow bar in Satan’s hand. He opens your heart with the crow bar of apathy only to let a half dozen others sins that normally would have been stopped by the firewall of your heart. The firewall of my heart may resist envy, pride, and anger, but when apathy, malaise, and boredom take their collective crowbars to my heart, I have little chance. Beware of the deadly sin of apathy, my friend.
Remember to avoid this sin, you must find your purpose and keep your purpose in front of you constantly.
1.7 Generation Z
Only 30% of Generation Z (born between 1997-2012) says that religion is important to them – this is the lowest in US History. But 78% of this generation finds a “self-fulfilled life is very important to them.”
We’ve lost our purpose and we don’t know where to go to find it. Until you find something bigger than yourself, you will always do one of these deadly sins. Here the word of the Lord: “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11).
Seek first Christ the kingdom. Love God and love others. The moment you couldn’t care less for Christ and His kingdom is the moment Satan has you in his grip.
2. DEA: A Directive, an Example, and an Aim
To fight the sin of apathy, Paul enlists them in the DEA: A Directive, an Example, and an Aim:
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. 14 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother” (2 Thessalonians 3:6–15).
A report had traveled from Thessalonica to Paul in verse 11. Some people are sitting back and taking it easy expecting others to pick up their slack. In place of working, these folks were only busy doing one thing, meddling in other people’s business.
2.1 The Directive
The Directive comes in verse 6 to stay away from people who live an undisciplined life: “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us” (2 Thessalonians 3:6).
And note the word “brothers” in the beginning of verse 6.
There’s a different standard for those who call themselves a believer.
So, if you see someone who calls himself or herself a Christian AND they are idle, first warn them in love: “Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother” (2 Thessalonians 3:15)… and then steer clear of them.
A lazy believer is like a humble Texan – there’s no such thing! A lazy believer is a square circle, jumbo shrimp, and a glass hammer! There’s a different standard for a believer.
2.2 The Example
Next, we see an Example in 7, our friend Paul. Paul says to believers, imitate me. Act like me and have discipline in your life. Follow my Example: “because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you” (2 Thessalonians 3:7b-8).
Many teachers at the time would receive payment from their students. Here Paul says, we could have taken payment from you and been well within our rights in doing so. But Paul knew the skeptics would be watching. As the church began to grow and people were receiving this new hope and joy that comes with following Christ, skeptics would say, “Well, just follow the money.” Surely, they believed, “Paul and his co-workers must be getting rich off all these people. This is like a little cult and there’s one guy at the top getting rich.”
So in order to keep the message of Jesus crystal clear, Paul decided that he and his co-workers would work in addition to their teaching. Paul did this in order to be able to say that they had paid their own way and no one was thinking they were profiting from the ministry.
2.3 Fired for Doing Nothing
Did you hear about the employer who fired a man who worked for him? He said, “You’re fired.”
The man said, “Why? I didn’t do anything.”
And the boss said, “Exactly.”
2.4 The Aim
Then he offers us an Aim: “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). Never tire for doing what is right. Don’t be discouraged! Never lack in your zeal for praying for others. Never lack in your passion for serving others. Never lack in your sharing the gospel with others.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
Get up in the morning praying for the kingdom, thinking about the kingdom and working for the kingdom. Live with a purpose that prays continually, “Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done.”
2.5 Buried Talents
A lazy Christian is a humble Texan – they just don’t exist.
Jesus pictures a man who had been given a talent.
He tells a parable about our end-time judgment when He said to a group that will not see Heaven: “But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?’” (Matthew 25:26)
This man didn’t steal the talent nor did he lose the talent. No, he simply buried his talent. Jesus said to such a man you are wick and slothful! To whom much is given, much shall be required, Jesus says (Luke 12:48). Live with the purpose of loving Christ and advancing His kingdom.
2.6 General Patton
One of America’s military heroes was General Patton of WWII fame. General Patton told his troops this—he said, “I don’t ever want to hear anybody say or get any message from anybody who says, ‘We are holding our position.’” He said, “The only thing we’re going to hold is the enemy.” He said, “We are to be advancing.”
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Remember your aim in life: “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13).
2.7 Beware of the Camouflage of Busyness
In our day, it’s very rare that you meet a genuinely lazy person. Busyness is what makes us feel important and needed. So if you’re interning somewhere, working part-time, or right in the middle of your career - we would all say that we are as busy as we have ever been in our lives! Why is that? Over time, we begin to care so much about our careers and our work, it creates our view of ourselves and our self-worth.
We’re all busy. But, are we busy about the right things or apathetic towards the things that really matter? Jesus said on one occasion, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul” (Matthew 16:26)? Remember your aim in life: “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13).
2.8 Superhero Movies
Have you ever noticed in an action movie how one superhero will take on a gaggle of bad guys? The bad guys have our hero completely surrounded but they will wait their “turn” to fight the superhero? Instead of ganging up on him all at once, they wait as if in a line one after another. Apathy will not do this. It will attack you from the left while envy and greed assault you from the right. Apathy will attack up high while envy and pride cut your legs from underneath of you. Beware of the deadly sin of apathy.
Conclusion
A man recently told me that he was living well – really well, in fact. His business was flourishing and he was attending church. But he began to think about a sinful time in his younger years and the craving for that particular sin became stronger and stronger over time. In no time, this man of wealth and respect and prestige had wasted four to five years of his life on alcohol, sex, and pursuing a good time.
I wish you could have sat with me and watched his grief. I wish you could have watched how hard it was for him to repent. I wish you could have listened alongside of me when he told me about the lawyer’s fees for the divorce and the DUI’s. Money wasted.
Apathy will not sit quietly among the gaggle of bad guys waiting for envy to get through with you. Apathy will not sit quietly among the gaggle of bad guys waiting for anger to get through with you. Apathy will not sit quietly among the gaggle of bad guys waiting for pride to get through with you! It will hit you from up high so that the toxic vice of greed can tackle your legs down low.
