Intro
We’re looking at sin #7 in our 7 Deadly Sins series today. Before we get into the specific sin of sloth, we recognize you might be feeling a little beat down by now. Maybe you’re recognized that you struggle with every sin we’ve covered in the series. I’d just remind you that conviction is good. Condemnation is not. Ask God to strengthen you in these areas where he has revealed sin in your life and come to him with humility and a genuine desire to go his way instead of your own way. His grace and forgiveness are bigger than mistakes we’ve made in these areas.
This sin of sloth is another that can sneak up on us, especially if we equate sloth with laziness. Laziness can be one of the symptoms of sloth, but it’s not the only one. So if you’re thinking you have a great work ethic, and you’re burning the candles at both ends, so there’s no way this could apply to you, think again.
In fact, since we’re speaking to men specifically on this podcast, I would say that the American church at large is full of slothful men. We’re full of dads who don’t take God’s calling to be the primary pastor in their homes seriously – dads who kill themselves to provide financially for their families, but are absent emotionally and spiritually when they walk in the door. We’re surroyunded b men who fail to engage in real relationships and the good and the bad that comes with them – men who would rather escape reality and engage in a fake world online or on a video game because they’ve given up.
Big Idea: The 7 deadly sins are not a list to keep us from getting the most out of life. The opposite is actually true and the sin of sloth proves it.
The book Tender Warrior early in my life as a parent and husband led to me being on purpose as a husband and father. Today I have a wife that is amazing and we enjoy a great marriage, we have kids who we talk with everyday and cannot wait to spend time with, and we are already planning how we can impact our kids.
Sloth is giving up on life and relationships; it looks like laziness, but in reality it’s apathy. Jesus hates it because he came for the exact opposite purpose: to give us a rich and satisfying life.
John 10:10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
- We long for purpose. It’s part of being created in the image of God. When we feel like we have not purpose we’re not living a rich and satisfying life”
- Story about Jewish concentration camp prisoners moving dirt in the camp.
- The devil wants us to be apathetic. He wants to rob us of the joy we experience when we’re engaged in the lives of others.
- There was a season where I became pretty disengaged with my siblings and their families. I still went to the family functions, but I wasn’t engaging. Patterns of sin that I had seen for years, consequences to decisions that had been made but blaming everyone else, just got wearisome to me. One of my sisters challenged me on it. It was a hard conversation. Eventually, I thanked her for having the courage to confront me, but that wasn’t my immediate reaction.
- Surrounded by driven people, Surround yourself with people who are driven for the Kingdom and in life. However, Type A’’s be careful that the driven people at work that you are surrounded by lead you away from or distract you from your primary purpose as leader of your home. 77th FS and 14 days and Sunday afternoons…left no to little time to lead my family.. Which led to the “7 dark years”
- Our “7 dark years” in our marriage where we had a sick child, keeping our niece and nephew, my career was skyrocketing and I was deployed a lot…I was not being the leader of my house and was misplacing my purpose…burnout?. The dark years ended when I showed the proper concern, enthusiasm and purpose for my marriage again.
The picture of genuine faith is not of monks hidden away in their monasteries, but rather of men and women engaged in their world.
- Sometimes our apathy is driven by a sense of pointlessness – “I’m just one guy. The world has gone down the tubes. What difference will it make?” I’m sure many of the men and women in scripture had some of those same thoughts. If we were engaging in our own strength and power that might be true. But as believers, we’ve been sent out under the power and authority of the King of all Kings.
- Gladiator line – “What we do here on earth echoes in eternity” .
- Hebrews 11:32-34 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.
- Do you see a need? Do you see an injustice? Do you see an area where God is calling you to step in or step up?
- Are we too heavenly minded to be any earthly good? Not saying we shouldn’t have an eternal perspective. We definitely should. Not saying we shouldn’t long for heaven. We should. But God has invited us to be a part of building his kingdom. Are we taking that invitation seriously? The Great Commission tells me it’s more than just an invitation; it’s a command.
- “Modern Monk” – Many in the Church spend their time “going deep” in the Scripture but never apply it or disciple others. They have become complacent or apathetic to the Great Commission.
- As a fighter pilot, in the flight brief before every flight, I brief: “Complacency Kills”. What we do is serious life or death business. We need our pilots to be focused and ready for the flight because one small error can kill you and/or others. The same can be said for how we see disciple making and the Gospel. Complacency/ Apathy Kills
- Burn out for me leads to apathy- antidote is grateful worship/heart and proper rest (not laziness…The laziness lie for me). Proper rest is a whole other podcast, and once again, the key was having a mentor speak life into me to point it out. That mentor had concern, love, and patience with me to invest in me. Gents, that is what we are called to do as leaders of our marriage, homes, kids, and those around us that God has placed in our lives.
The antidote to sloth is to purposefully engage in the world – and the payoff is joy. Jesus is our ultimate example of this kind of passionate purpose.
- Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;[c] then you won’t become weary and give up.
- How is this a life that is rich and satisfying? I see words like strip off, run with endurance – I’m not much of a runner. My rule is that I don’t run unless there is a ball involved or someone with a weapon is chasing me. But because of the joy waiting for us. For the author of Hebrews to address this, you can assume that people were getting weary. They were giving up. They were giving in to sloth.
- How do we engage the world? Start with your family. Engage with your wife and kids. Engage with siblings. If they’re believers, help them take their next step in their pursuit of God. If they’re unbelievers, introduce them to Jesus. First conversation we did on this men’s podcast was to introduce how to use the PursueGOD resources to engage with other men. So many topics to choose from that give you the ability to meet people where they are. There’s nothing more important that you can do with your life than to pursue God and help the next person pursue God. It brings ultimate fulfillment.
- In my role as a pastor, I feel like I spend most all of my time engaging. When I get home, it’s very tempting to feel like, “this is my refuge”. It’s really tempting for me to disengage. When that happens the people I love the most are being hurt by my slothfulness.
