IDLE = I DULL!
Thesis: The disease of idleness creates a life that is dull, lifeless, and unproductive. Usually idle people are the ones who have allowed everything around them to go to hell.
Main Texts:
Ecclesiastes 10:18 18 If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.
2 Thessalonians 3:5-15 5May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
6In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching£ you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
11We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.
14If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. 15Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
2 Thessalonians 3:5-15 The Message Because of the Master, we have great confidence in you. We know you’re doing everything we told you and will continue doing it. May the Master take you by the hand and lead you along the path of God’s love and Christ’s endurance.
Our orders—backed up by the Master, Jesus—are to refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we taught you. Don’t permit them to freeload on the rest. We showed you how to pull your weight when we were with you, so get on with it. We didn’t sit around on our hands expecting others to take care of us. In fact, we worked our fingers to the bone, up half the night moonlighting so you wouldn’t be burdened with taking care of us. And it wasn’t because we didn’t have a right to your support; we did. We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious.
Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately—no excuses, no arguments—and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty.
If anyone refuses to obey our clear command written in this letter, don’t let him get by with it. Point out such a person and refuse to subsidize his freeloading. Maybe then he’ll think twice. But don’t treat him as an enemy. Sit him down and talk about the problem as someone who cares.
Hebrews 6:10-12 10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised (NIV).
Hebrews 6:10-12 The Message I’m sure that won’t happen to you, friends. I have better things in mind for you—salvation things! God doesn’t miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you’ve shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don’t drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them.
Introduction:
Tonight I want to give you some thoughts on idleness a disease of ones motivation for life. This sermon is not deep theologically but practical because it addresses the importance of motivation for life and for the Lord.
Have you ever heard the phrase before , “drag your feet”? It reminds me of a golf story, “Wife: Henry you promised you’d be home by five o’clock. Now it’s nine o’clock. Husband: Honey, listen to me. Poor ol’ Roger is dead. He just dropped over on the seventh green. Wife: Oh, that’s terrible! Husband: It really was. For the rest of the game it was hit the ball, drag Roger, hit the ball, drag Roger…! ( From An Encyclopedia of Humor).
People who are idle in the Body of Christ are doing themselves a disservice and those around them. The Bible makes it clear that we are to be diligent in this life this means in working, and in service to the Kingdom.
Some would say that the worst thing you could with your life is to actively pursue wickedness, hatred and evil things. But doing things that don’t matter is nearly as bad. For example:
In Chicago, a woman jumps into the river and another woman asks for a mans help. He responds that he would but he just bought his new suit and he does not want to ruin it.
In Dayton, Ohio, A dozen people see a woman drive her car into the Miami River. They watch idly as the woman climbs on the car’s roof and screams that she cannot swim. They all idly watch as the woman drowns right in front of their eyes.
Keith Green use to sing about this disease of idleness. Listen to what he says: Play Song
Those who are idle are described by the following acrostic:
I = idiot – only idiots sit back and let life pass them buy!
D= dumb – a person who lacks initiative in life to live is one who is dumb and deserves to wear a dunce cap.
L= lifeless – a person who never does anything is not a person living. They are lifeless.
E=empty – A person with no ambition to live or succeed is one who is empty.
N=nothing – A person who is idle is one who has nothing is nothing and will never be anything
E=evil –Yes being idle is considered to be evil according to the Bible. Idleness is not to be a Christian virtue it’s an evil character trait.
S=senseless – An idle person is one with no common sense, therefore they are senseless!
S=slothful – This means nothing ever gets completed or accomplished. They never reach out to help others.
Illustration: Indifference for the Lost
The following is a dialogue from the once popular sitcom, Seinfield, between Elaine and her boyfriend.
Elaine asks, “Do you believe in God?”
“Yes,” her boyfriend replies.
Elaine asks, “Is it a problem that I’m not religious?”
“Not for me, “ her boyfriend answers.
“How’s that?” she asks.
Her boyfriend says, “I’m not the one going to Hell.”
T.S. - This is a funny scenario but the truth of the matter is idle people are affected by their idleness. His lack of care or concern for Elaine spiritual health and destiny does effect his relationship with the Lord.
I. Idleness does affect the one who is idle.
a. There are no benefits to being idle as a Christian. Listen to the consequences of one who is idle and lacks care or concern for others or even for God.
i. Ecclesiastes 10:18 18 If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.
1. Idleness brings the house of God to the point of falling apart. Because no one wants to so anything to keep it up.
2. There is a church in Revelation who was addressed about their apathy.
a. Revelation 3:14-21
b. This is an example of an apathetic, idle church. Jesus rebuked this church and told them to repent before he spits them out of his mouth.
c. This lack of concern for the things of God has been aiding in destroying the churches effectiveness in this world.
i. Proverbs 18:9 9One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.
ii. Notice the comparison here! One who is apathetic, slack is a brother to one who destroys because they do nothing to stop the destruction. Even though it is happening all around them to the church and the lost.
1. They just stand by and do nothing!
iii. They are in God’s mind set about to be spit out of the kingdom because they make him sick to his stomach.
iv. They are not sweet to his lips or beautiful but foul tasting!
v. George Whitefield said, “There is not a thing on the face of the earth that I abhor so much as idleness or idle people.
ii. Proverbs 14:23 23All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
1. A person who is idle is also reported by Scripture to be on his way to poverty or even engulfed in poverty.
2. Many Christian are bankrupt because of their idleness in the Kingdom of God.
3. Illustration- The Litany of the Apathetic (read and have the congregation respond))
4. But the Bible tells us not to withhold any good thing from others when it is in our power to bless them.
a. Proverbs 3:27,28 27Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”— when you now have it with you.
T.S. – The truth is idleness is of no benefit to a Christian it is a liability that jeopardizes your position in Christ. Here is some more evidence to reiterate the detriment of idleness.
II. Idle people face more temptations then those who are busy in the Lord.
a. Spurgeon stated, “Some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations attack the idle.”
b. Idleness opens one up to the attacks of the enemy because they are not busy guarding their hearts and lives.
i. I Thessalonians 3:5-15 addresses this disease.
c. Gossip is born from those who are idle.
i. Gossip emerges from those who are idle and have nothing better to do.
ii. Their minds get filled with distorted thoughts. These thought surface because of their idleness.
d. Idleness leads to poverty-which then directs people to steal so they can live.
i. Proverbs 14:23
ii. Sir M. Hale states, “Laziness grows on people; it begins in cobwebs and ends in iron chains. The more business a man has to do the more he is able to accomplish, for he learns to economize his time”(Buxton).
iii. The jails are full of idle people lead astray by their laziness.
iv. Many who are idle get into drugs and other addictions far more than those who stay busy
1. Case study of a student.
v. An idle mind is the playground of the devil.
1. Students who are more active are less likely to get into trouble according to surveys done of High School Students..
e. Idleness leads people to lie and cheat so they can get money. Because if you don’t work you don’t have money.
T.S.- Idleness brings on more temptations and idleness also produces a life with no purpose or meaning.
III. Idleness leads to a life with no purpose or no meaning.
a. Idle people never achieve anything in their life.
i. One teacher in school asked her students to write a paper on the effects of laziness one young man turn in a blank sheet of paper.
1. The student received an A!
2. Truth those who are idle never accomplish anything.
b. Idle people have no joy or happiness in life because they never succeed at anything.
i. Indolence is a delightful but distressing state; we must be doing something to be happy” (William Hazlitt).
T.S.- We have discovered the danger of idleness so you ask, “How do you overcome this disease?” Lets explore how.
IV. The three steps to overcoming idleness – the “I dull syndrome”.
a. The first is get to know God’s heart, God’s love and His passion for hurting people.
i. When you get in tune with God’s heart it changes your heart.
b. The second step is get to know Christ’s attribute of perseverance and endurance.
i. He did not live with rocks in his pockets so he could throw stones at others.
1. So many idle people blame others for their position in life and in Christ. They are blamers and rock throwers!
2. They where never wrong it was always those others.
a. It’s everyone else’s fault that they are idle.
3. But Jesus never pointed the finger at others. As a matter of fact he confronted those who where rock throwers severely Matthew 23.
ii. He did not let fear dictate his direction in life.
1. He chose to defeat fear head on by letting love lead, guide and direct His life.
2. Love helped him to overcome his fears. These fears would have left him idle and apathetic if he would have let them.
3. Perfect love casts out fear.
4. Love made him a success.
iii. He did not let anger distort his view of the work of the Kingdom.
1. He did not allow the anger to push him into apathy.
2. Thigpen states, “Anger is like a grain of sand that gets into our spiritual eyes, blurring our vision of God, others, ourselves, and our circumstances. At the same time, the object of our anger tends to fill our field of vision and monopolize our attention. The more we allow sources of offense to preoccupy us, the less time and emotional energy we have left over to run the race” (54).
iv. Jesus was ambitious and he refused to sit around and do nothing.
1. He got up and walked around-While he walked- He taught, he healed those who needed healing, he feed the multitudes and eventually he gave his life.
a. He could have chosen to stand idly by and do nothing!
b. But instead he chose to become involved in a lost world.
v. Jesus did not allow time to go by without it being used to effect the growth of the kingdom of God.
1. His time was always centered on the Fathers business- the Great Commission.
2. How about you, “What gets the most of you time, energy, attention? Is it worth it? Does it have eternal value?
3. Is time passing you by daily?
a. Is time passing you by as you sit idle in your lazy boy chair doing nothing.
b. Don’t you care? If you don’t then you do not now the Father’s love.
c. Do you have goodwill to your neighbor? Or is it ill will?
vi. Jesus did not allow his mistreatment to hinder and distort his purpose in life. He determined to press through the difficult things in life and pursue the goal of the Father’s.
1. What past hurts do you need to let go of?
2. We can’t endure to the end if we keep going back and retracing the steps of how we were hurt by others.
3. what ghosts of the past are still haunting you in your idleness.
a. The “If she had-or he had”
b. I cannot forgive your mind says but here is a reality check then God cannot forgive you!
i. Matthew 6:14,15 “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
vii. Jesus endured to the end and finished the race. He was never idle but instead he was determined to seek and save the lost.
1. Do you want to finish the race with the same perseverance that Jesus modeled?
2. Or do you want to idly sit back and reap the consequences of idleness?
c. If you want to get up and do something then get up – do the 1% method for change.
i. Start changing your life’s patterns one percent a week and in about 2 years your life will be richer and more meaningful.
Conclusion:
The sin of idleness surrounds us on all sides today. It’s a disease affecting the church and the world. It’s hindering the mission of the church. The idle Christians are actually helping the father of lies to destroy more by their apathetic attitudes.
We must closely examine our lives tonight. Are you idle? Are you slothful? Are you lazy? Do you have a passion for lost people? Do you have goals for your life? Do you have direction in your life? If your answer is “no” to these questions then understand you are part of the problem in the church. Also remember Scripture says, your aiding your brother in destroying the church of Jesus Christ.
I don’t know about your thoughts on this subject tonight but my determination is to never be idle in my life. I want my life to make a difference in this world. I want to continue to build the kingdom of God. I want to be used by God. I want to continue serving Him in his mission. Not because I have to but because I want to. I do not want to wake up some day and say I wasted my life away!
I never want to be weary for doing the right things. I never want to be so dead and idle that I drag my feet everywhere I go. I do not want to become a liability to the Gospel.
I don’t want people dragging my lifeless body from hole to hole on the golf course of life. Rather I want to play each hole myself and even get a few birdies and eagles and maybe even a few hole in ones. How about you?
Let’s pray!
