Have you ever received a gift certificate from someone? They are wonderful aren't they? Take an ordinary piece of paper and exchange it for valuable merchandise. One problem with all of that. Most of them have an expiration date. That means that we have to use it within the alloted time or it becomes worthless. Have you ever put one aside and then realized that the certificate had expired?
Life is like a gift certificate from God. We can use if for the Lord, or we can waste it. The choice is ours. The challenge tonight is to choose to be productive rather than lazy. An attitude of laziness (the Bible refers to this as slothfulness) results in wasting the gifts that God has given to us.
I. Does the Bible Promise Riches?
A. False teaching.
1. Here are some books to consider:
a. "How to Write Your Own Ticket with God" by Kenneth Hagin
b. "God's Will is Prosperity" by Kenneth Copeland.
c. "How I Learned I was Not Poor" by Oral Roberts
d. Much of this is 'Name-it and Claim-it"
2. Consider the nearly constant barrage of teaching on Radio and TV.
a. Let God know what you need from Him:
1) New Car?
2) New Job?
3) Health?
4) New House?
5) Finances?
b. Give God your best gift. (that means money)
c. Pray the prayer of agreement.
1) This is generally some claim to the items above.
2) This is also connected with laying your hand on a photograph or the picture tube.
d. Mail your prayer request and your faith gift back to them right away.
1) There are con men who masquerade as men of God.
2) The only way for us to discern whether they are of God or not is to evaluate them in light of the Scriptures.
B. Bible Teaching.
1. Consider the following verses.
(PROV 3:9-10) "HONOUR THE LORD WITH THY SUBSTANCE, AND WITH THE FIRSTFRUITS OF ALL THINE INCREASE: {10} SO SHALL THY BARNS BE FILLED WITH PLENTY, AND THY PRESSES SHALL BURST OUT WITH NEW WINE."
(PROV 10:22) "THE BLESSING OF THE LORD, IT MAKETH RICH, AND HE ADDETH NO SORROW WITH IT."
(PROV 15:6) "IN THE HOUSE OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS MUCH TREASURE: BUT IN THE REVENUES OF THE WICKED IS TROUBLE."
2. At first glance these may seem to indicate that if we are righteous, faithful, and true to the Lord then He is obligated to give us riches.
3. Note also that among N.T. believers it seems that riches were the exception, not the rule.
(1 COR 1:26) "FOR YE SEE YOUR CALLING, BRETHREN, HOW THAT NOT MANY WISE MEN AFTER THE FLESH, NOT MANY MIGHTY, NOT MANY NOBLE, ARE CALLED:"
4. How many millionaires are there here tonight? Is God angry with all of us?
5. The truth is that God does bless His children, but it is not always in the realm of the material things.
C. So what's the point?
1. Although God does not call all of us to a life of riches: He does call all of us to a life of productivity.
2. Productivity is an attitude that views our resources as gifts from God to be used to greatest extent possible.
3. Consider priorities.
a. When asked most Christian people will list them as follows:
1) My Relationship with God
2) My Relationship with Family
3) My Relationship with Others
4) My Relationship with my Job
b. Realistically, and honestly what happens is that our relationship with God is pushed back and He gets whatever time is left over.
4. Choosing productivity means using what God has given us to serve and honor Him.
II. The Opposite of Productivity.
A. Let's take a field trip.
1. Read: Prov. 24:30-34
2. The writer observes his neighbor's yard and rather than being irritated by the neglect, he chooses to learn from it.
3. God includes this observation in His Word that we might also learn from it.
B. Slothfulness or the Sluggard.
1. The person who wastes his life and the gifts that God has given is represented as being 'slothful' or a 'sluggard'.
2. Sometimes he is referred to as a 'fool'.
3. He is not a freak of nature, just an ordinary man who has made too many excuses, too many refusals, and too many postponements.
C. How to recognize a Sluggard.
1. He refuses to begin a job.
(PROV 26:13-14) "THE SLOTHFUL MAN SAITH, THERE IS A LION IN THE WAY; A LION IS IN THE STREETS. {14} AS THE DOOR TURNETH UPON HIS HINGES, SO DOTH THE SLOTHFUL UPON HIS BED."
a. Some try to excuse this by saying that they work better under pressure.
b. Procrastination presumes upon God that we will have a tomorrow.
c. James tells us clearly that we have no such promise.
(JAMES 4:13-14) "GO TO NOW, YE THAT SAY, TO DAY OR TO MORROW WE WILL GO INTO SUCH A CITY, AND CONTINUE THERE A YEAR, AND BUY AND SELL, AND GET GAIN: {14} WHEREAS YE KNOW NOT WHAT SHALL BE ON THE MORROW. FOR WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? IT IS EVEN A VAPOUR, THAT APPEARETH FOR A LITTLE TIME, AND THEN VANISHETH AWAY."
(ECCL 9:10) "WHATSOEVER THY HAND FINDETH TO DO, DO IT WITH THY MIGHT; FOR THERE IS NO WORK, NOR DEVICE, NOR KNOWLEDGE, NOR WISDOM, IN THE GRAVE, WHITHER THOU GOEST."
d. These verses make it clear that we are to live life in the present, not in the future.
2. The sluggard doesn't complete the work that he starts.
(PROV 12:27) "THE SLOTHFUL MAN ROASTETH NOT THAT WHICH HE TOOK IN HUNTING: BUT THE SUBSTANCE OF A DILIGENT MAN IS PRECIOUS."
(PROV 19:24) "A SLOTHFUL MAN HIDETH HIS HAND IN HIS BOSOM, AND WILL NOT SO MUCH AS BRING IT TO HIS MOUTH AGAIN."
a. Here we see that the sluggard, even if he begins a task, falls short of completion.
b. Good intentions...how many times have we said of someone, "They mean well" or some other similar thought.
c. John F. Kennedy said, "Success hinges on a passion for excellence."
d. 'Excellence' is not in the sluggard's vocabulary.
e. Anything that he might finally accomplish is mediocre at best, and he believes it to be just fine.
3. The sluggard ignores opportunities.
a. The problem with the sluggard was not that he slept, because we all need sleep.
b. The real problem was that he slept at the wrong time.
c. He should have been preparing his field for the sowing seed, but he was asleep.
d. Consequently when harvest time came there was nothing. cf Prov. 24:34
4. The sluggard craves riches.
a. He will play the powerball or lottery before he will pay his bills.
b. He wants the blessings of prosperity without putting forth the effort to be productive.
(PROV 14:23) "IN ALL LABOUR THERE IS PROFIT: BUT THE TALK OF THE LIPS TENDETH ONLY TO PENURY." (PROV 28:19) "HE THAT TILLETH HIS LAND SHALL HAVE PLENTY OF BREAD: BUT HE THAT FOLLOWETH AFTER VAIN PERSONS SHALL HAVE POVERTY ENOUGH."
5. The spirit of slothfulness will extend into every area of their lives.
III. Becoming Productive.
A. Remember, we need a clearly defined purpose.
1. Without it, there is little motivation to use what God has given us to glorify Him.
2. Complacency is a bitter enemy to productivity.
B. Manage time effectively.
1. Every minute of our life is a precious gift from God.
2. We need to make the best use of it.
(EPH 5:14-16) "WHEREFORE HE SAITH, AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST, AND ARISE FROM THE DEAD, AND CHRIST SHALL GIVE THEE LIGHT. {15} SEE THEN THAT YE WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY, NOT AS FOOLS, BUT AS WISE, {16} REDEEMING THE TIME, BECAUSE THE DAYS ARE EVIL."
(PSA 90:12) "SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS, THAT WE MAY APPLY OUR HEARTS UNTO WISDOM."
3. Use 'to-do' lists, prioritize activities.
C. Follow God's principles of finance.
1. Often slothfulness and poverty go hand in hand.
2. Ignoring Biblical principles about money will result in financial bondage.
3. Disobedience to God's commands will bring chastisement.
D. Choose to be productive.
(1 COR 9:27) "BUT I KEEP UNDER MY BODY, AND BRING IT INTO SUBJECTION: LEST THAT BY ANY MEANS, WHEN I HAVE PREACHED TO OTHERS, I MYSELF SHOULD BE A CASTAWAY."
1. Define productive correctly.
2. To have a truly productive life, we must invest our efforts in those areas that will have the greatest returns.
3. Since this earth and everything on it will pass away, our attention needs to be on those things that are of eternal significance.
Tonight the challenge is to choose to be productive. A person can be busy without being productive. Let's purpose to invest our lives into those things that will last for an eternity. Let's determine that we will replace the spirit of sloth with the spirit with a diligence.
Only one life and soon 'twill be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.