The following are sermon notes from Proverbs: The Sluggard. This is an eight week topical study of the book of Proverbs. To read more about this series, including the introduction, resources and listen to audio content click here.

Laziness…

On January 5th in 2011 Jeff Miller clinched his third consecutive Ultimate Couch Potato Title. Miller sat for 72 straight hours without sleeping and without leaving the chair (except for three daily bathroom breaks and hourly five-minute stretch breaks). Read the article form the Chicago Tribune here.

Not only has laziness become a competition, but apparently it’s also a debilitating medical condition:

The British Medical Journal reported on findings Australianscientists discovered in their studies.

“Extreme laziness may have a medical basis, say a group of high profile Australian scientists, describing a new condition called motivational deficiency disorder (MoDeD).

The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe.” Read the article here.

This is actually good news. This means pharmaceutical companies can now manufacture drugs to help you overcome your laziness. They would obviously make a killing since most Americans spend more time sitting than anything else: “In 2008 the US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) found that 59% of respondents never participated in vigorous physical activity lasting more than 10 minutes per week” (Read the report here).

LAZINESS IN THE SCRIPTURES:

The word “sluggard” is used 14 times in the book of Proverbs and is used only in Proverbs. Furthermore, there are eight references referring to the importance of work in the book of Proverbs. That’s a significant amount of references on this subject in the book of proverbs.

So to the dude who loves his video games, to the gal who loves her “reality” TV and to all who spend precious hours of the day wasting away in laziness. Proverbs has much to say to you.

THEOLOGY OF WORK:

If laziness is basically the opposite of work, it is helpful for us to build a theology of work in order to help us fight laziness. There are two aspects to our theology of work 1) God’s Work and 2) Our Work.

God’s Work

God’s work is the revelation of His Glory through three primary means:

1. His Son Jesus’ death, burial and Resurrection.
2. The redemption and sanctification of His Children through the Gospel.
3. The advancement of the Gospel through His Bride the Church.

Our Work

Those who are saved by Jesus and are Christians have work to do. To clear, we are not saved through or by any work that we do. We are saved to work not by works. Yet, there are things we are to be doing. First and foremost we are to be doing the work of attacking our sin and putting it to death. Secondly, we work for the Lord by obeying his commandments, in particular the Great Commandment to love and the Great Commission to make disciples. Lastly, we are to work unto the Lord. This is done by committing all our work to the Lord as if we were working for Jesus.

This means that if you are a student, then you study as though the Lord is asking you to study. This means that if you work a job you hate for a boss you don’t like, you work as though Jesus Himself is asking you to work. Christians should be the hardest working people on the face of the planet because we work for and unto the Lord.

THE SLUGGARD IN PROVERBS:

• The Sluggard is always sleepy (Proverbs 6:9; 26:14).
• Lazy people are irritating “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes” (Proverbs 10:26).
• “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth” (Proverbs 19:24; 26:15).
• Laziness can kill (Proverbs 21:25).
• Lazy people make up stupid excuses, “The sluggard says there is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the street!” (Proverbs 26:13).

GODLY REST VS. LAZINESS:

Some would ask at this point, “what about Sabbath rest? Can’t I just take a break?”. Yes, you can take a break, but there is a point when your rest can become laziness. Rest is done for the glory of God so that you can continue in the work you’ve been called to. Rest enables work and does not hinder it. You may have to stop working so that you can rest, but it will allow more productivity, strength and endurance in the long run. Laziness is not rest, it’s simply refusing to do the work you’ve been called to do. Sabbath rest is worshipful, laziness is selfish disobedience.

CONSLUSION:

This is super easy. Repent of your laziness. Turn off the video game or the Jersey Shore and get to work. There is too much to be done for you to waste your time. Get moving! Go!