8 of a 12 part series.
#6 REMOVE THE WEIGHTS ... LAZINESS
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
Hebrews 12: 1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, LET US LAY ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT AND SIN WHICH DOTH SO EASILY BESET US, AND LET SO RUN WITH PATIENCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US...
Heb.6:12 That you be not lazy and slow, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Laziness is a weight that even hinders achieving God’s promises.
1 Timothy 5:13 And withal they ...LEARN TO BE IDLE, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also BUSYBODIES speaking things which they ought not.
2 Thes. 3:11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you DISORDERLY, WORKING NOT AT ALL, but are busybodies.
Let us ponder Laying aside weight to attain victory.
This is the 6th in series of Weight to remove, text, Heb. 12:1
I. Remove the weight: Introduction
II. REMOVE THE WEIGHT OF SIN.
III. Remove the weight of no evaluation.
IV. Remove the weight: Blame Game.
V. Remove the weight of GREED.
VI. Remove the weight of JEALOUSY.
VII. Remove the weight of Judgmentalism.
VIII. Remove the weight of LAZINESS.
I am wearing a backpack with 40 pounds of rock,
the first rock was labeled SIN. This rock is labeled Laziness.
I have a friend remove the one rock from my backpack,
I have painted the word Laziness on the rock.
I have SIN the biggest rock, it is a little larger than three fist,
the rest are little bigger than soft ball size.
I note my load is getting lighter as I remove the weights.
Today the 8th rock is removed.
I wear the back pack for the whole service, the load sure gets heavy.
VII. Remove the weight of laziness/slothfulness.
Heb.6:12 That you be not lazy and slow,
but followers of them who through faith
and patience inherit the promises.
Laziness is a weight that even hinders achieving God’s promises.
A. DEFINE LAZINESS.
1.Lazy--disinclined to activity,
not willing to apply exertion,
move slow, not strict, lax. love of easy things.
Never able to achieve an aim, goal, purpose.
2. Slothful -- spiritual apathy and inactivity,
slow moving, indisposition to lack effort,
slow to respond, slow growth.
B. LAZINESS IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR.
Many things in life are instinctive behavior,...
natural, inherent impulses.
Instinct takes no conscious effort, you just do.
Many of our behavior patterns and action processes are learned ...
we watch examples, or we pick up ideas and attitudes
from daily choices and lifestyles.
1 Timothy 5:13 And withal they ...LEARN TO BE IDLE, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also BUSYBODIES speaking things which they ought not.
1. Many fail to see what a terrible spiritual weight LAZINESS can be,
many are weak and become a hindrance to the growth process
because they look for the easy, and expect to put forth no effort.
Easy come, easy go?
2. Laziness breeds many other weights more than just unfinished, unaccomplished ministry ...
long tongues of judgment
and busybodies causing ministry to be ineffective.
A person that butts into other peoples’ business not only meddles,
and stirs up trouble.
C. BUSY PEOPLE HELP, LAZY PEOPLE WATCH AND TALK.
Laziness is a cousin to a wasting spirit,
we waste opportunities and resources.
As pastor, if I ask lazy people to help accomplish ministry at church it goes undone, they offer many excuses.
If I ask workers, it is always accomplished.
Lazy people, like ARMCHAIR QUARTERBACKS,
watch the game and want to make suggestions,
but they sit back in chairs and grow FAT!
D. ALL WORK AT SOMETHING,
SOME WORK TO GET OUT OF WORK.
It is possible to spend more time and effort to avoid work than to do it.
2 Thes. 3:11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you DISORDERLY, WORKING NOT AT ALL, but are busybodies.
Why not be busy for the goal?
E. WEIGHT OF BEING A HEARER ONLY.
James 1 has an interesting lesson, study.
Will you study it?
I will do it later?
James 1:22 But be ye DOERS OF THE WORD, and NOT HEARERS ONLY, deceiving your own self.
23. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a DOER, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror.
There are 3 kinds of Christians....
1.Those that will listen very closely, they take notes, they love the word, but the word gets lost in DO NOTHING and laziness.
2. Those that will DO BUT ARE NOT WILLING TO LISTEN to anyone. these are bullheaded and will not work on a team, they want to be a "star."
3. Those that love to listen, apply the word and then to do.
We need these active today.
F. LAZY PEOPLE NEVER PLAN.
People do not plan to fail, they fail to plan.
If you do not plan and set goals, you will develop lazy attitudes, and what will be will be?
I feel many marriages fail because the spouses never make plans.
When they dated, there were all kinds of plans.
We get married and wear bag dresses and ease up on the efforts?
G. SHORT TERM LAZINESS HAS LONG TERM AFFECTS.
Ecc. 10:18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of hands the house dropped through.
What happened to Solomon’s temple? Neglect?
The price tag of laziness is very expensive.
A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE.
H. WE WAIT FOR A MORE CONVENIENT TIME.
IT IS TOO HOT.
IT IS TOO COLD.
IT IS TOO JUST RIGHT, so I have to do something else.
I will go to another seminar, listen to another tape, read another book?
If not you, then who?
If not now, then when?
If not here, then where?
What kind of church, would your church be if every member were just like me?
It is not by book, it is not by tape, IT IS BY GOD’S SPIRIT!
I. WE BURY OUR TALENTS.
Luke 19:20, how sad?
A singer that does not sing?
A musician that never applies self to talent?
Christians that don’t know/read the word of God?
How many people that don’t GO TO CHURCH COULD BE THE GREAT HELPER TO SPUR THE PREACHER AND BEAR REVIVAL.
I get ask: Do I have to go to church?
Why not ask: Do I have to breathe?
Someone counts on your faithfulness. Are you letting them down?
J. WE KNOW GOD’S JUDGMENT SEAT IS COMING....
The lazy servant with a buried talent, knew better.
Mat. 25:26 You lazy servant, you knew...
No sadder words of pen or tongue, ... than the words,
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN???
What might have been?
We must teach our children and their children, there is more to life than rest and relaxation.
We distort the Sabbath Day as a day of rest, read the verse...
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it HOLY, worship and praise...
then the rest is meaningful.
We live in a lazy day, no homework please!
No chores!
The government owes me, send the check.
I will sue you....
LAY ASIDE THE WEIGHT OF LAZINESS.
God is not lazy, nor should His people be!
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
Enlarge my hands and send this to others?
This is Part 8 of a 12 part series, if you have a missing part, email.
