you
when thou goest it shall lead thee
when thou sleepest it shall keep thee
and when thou wakest it shall talk with thee
for the commandment is a lamp
and the law is light
and reproofs of instruction are the way
of life
to keep thee from the evil woman
from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman
lest not after her beauty in thine heart
neither let her take thee with her eyelids
for by means of a whorish woman a man is
brought to a piece of bread
the adulterous will hunt for the precious life
can a man take fire in his
bosom and his clothes not be burned
can one go upon hot coals and his feet
not be burned so he that goeth into
his neighbor's wife whosoever touched her
shall not be innocent
men do not despise a thief if he steal
to satisfy his soul when he is hungry
but if he be found
he shall restore sevenfold
he shall give all the substance of his house
but whoso committed adultery
with a woman like it understanding
he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul
a wound and dishonor shall he get
and his reproach shall not be wiped away
for jealousy is the rage of a man
therefore he will not
spare in the day of vengeance
he will not regard any ransom
neither will he rest content
though that would give us many gifts
bless the root of God's word let us pray
Lord God in heaven we thank you Lord for the
stage given to us a privilege to bless the Lord for this day
please bless the preaching of your word Lord and the
preacher of your day and we thank you Lord for the
stage given to us in your name we pray Amen
Alright we are here in Proverbs chapter 6
and this is going to be a Labor Day themed
sermon since it is Labor Day weekend
and the name of this sermon is
Labor vs. Laziness
So I want to make a comparison between
two types of people the person
who is a hard worker, my CPOG
a laborer versus someone who is lazy
who just doesn't do anything
okay we're going to look at just
three basic points not so complicated
but the first point is this
people that are hard workers
people that are laborers they are
successful at the things
they do in life
people that are lazy they are failures
notice what it says in Proverbs 6 verse 4
give not sleep to thine eyes
nor slumber to thine eyelids
deliver thyself as a rove from the hand of the hunter
and as a bird from the hand of the fowler
go to the ant thou sluggard consider her ways
and be wise and so the Bible tells us
to be like the ant
and it says be wise don't be
lazy don't be a sluggard
be like the ant why?
because ants are always working very hard
you're never going to see an ant
on the ground just kind of relaxing
unless it's injured or something like that
it's always moving around
now one thing to note which I always talk about in this verse
it says consider her ways
because the worker ants
are actually female so the Bible is actually
ahead in terms of that sort of
scientific knowledge long before
the Bible was long before science
caught up with it
but the worker ants are actually female
but what you see is that they're always working
the Bible says that ant is given to us
as an example of what we should do
verse number 7
which having no guide overseer or ruler
provided her meat in the summer
and gathered her food in the harvest
so here you've got the hard worker
and what you're seeing is success
they have food
they provide for themselves
they're good to go
verse 9
the Bible says the person who's lazy
is poor
he's in poverty
it says he's traveling because of the fact
he can never hold down a job
he's bouncing from location to location
begging people for money
and that's what you see with people that are lazy
bouncing around, traveling around
they can't figure things out in life
so you've got two types of people
the hard worker is successful
and the lazy person is a failure
and you know what, it highlights that the lazy person
when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep
it's like 9 in the morning
hit the snooze button
930 hit the snooze button
oh man, it's 1 pm
man, I missed my job interview
it started at 8, I'll just
apply for a different job, right?
Proverbs 13
now look, our natural tendency
in our flesh is we want to be lazy
we don't want to be hard workers naturally
we want the easy way in life
right?
but success is found via hard work
there is no easy way if you want to be successful
you don't get good at something if you don't put in
any effort or time
people that work hard are successful
people that are lazy are failures at whatever they do
Proverbs 13
verse 11
wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished
and so wealth
gotten by vanity would be something like
you know, winning the lottery
or something like that, something that didn't
require hard work and it says
shall be diminished, shall be brought down
you're going to lose that money
but he that gathereth by labor shall
increase and when you work hard
and you make money, it's something that's going to stick
with you, but if you're a lazy person
and it happens to make money such as the lottery
or something, it's going to be diminished
I remember in my old job, you know, there was co-workers
that were talking about people that win the lottery
because on the front page of the newspaper
so and so wins the lottery
bankrupt in two years
and they're like, how is that possible?
you know, I didn't often say things at
work because, you know what, I'm just getting
paid to work and everything like that, but I just
quoted that verse and just kind of went about
my job and everyone looked around dumbfounded
and someone said, that's like the most profound
thing I've ever heard
I said, well that's the Bible, right?
and the Bible shows you that people that get money
by vain methods and vain ways
it's actually going to be diminished
they're not going to hold on to it
go to Proverbs 14
Proverbs 14
you say, why is that?
because if you work hard for something, you realize
the value of it
if you don't work hard for something, you don't realize
the value for it
those in this world that just get everything
from their parents and they don't have to work hard
for anything, they don't see the value in anything
right, they think it's nothing
no big deal, it's like, hey, it's only
you know, 10,000 pesos, dad
it's like, that's a lot of money
but since they didn't work for it
they don't understand what that means
but see, if you work really hard
you have a tendency to be kind of very strict
and stingy with your money, you say, why?
because you work very hard for that
right, those that gather
by labor shall increase
the Bible says, they're going to be wise with their money
and not just blow it and lose it
Proverbs 14 verse 23
in all labor there is profit
if you work hard at something
you're going to find success
profit there is not necessarily referring
to money, although that's a good
application, but basically
anytime you labor at something
or work hard, you're going to
get better at it, you're going to have success
the Bible's saying, but
the talk of the lips tendeth only
to penury, penury is someone who's just very
very poor, and you say, what is that saying
the talk of the lips, it's referring to
someone who talks about
how hard of a worker they are
they talk about all the things
they're going to do, but they never do
anything, now by default
we tend to believe people when they say things
so if somebody says, I'm going to do this
in six months and do this and this and this
you just kind of tend to believe them
right, you want to give people the benefit of the doubt
but then you see these same people that are always
talking about how great they are
and yet it's like, why do you have no success
in anything in life
right, but this is exactly what the Bible's saying
there's people that actually work hard and there's
people that talk about all these things that they're going to
accomplish, and the person that's working hard
is not always going to brag about all the stuff they're
going to do, they're just going to do it
they're just going to work hard
and try to get successful, but the person who's lazy
they will talk about all
these things they're going to accomplish
and yet they don't accomplish anything
right, go to Genesis 47
Genesis 47
when you meet people like that
it's kind of like at the beginning
you tend to believe them, as time goes by
you start to realize, oh this person
is just making excuses for everything
right, they're just always talking
about what they're going to do, they're never actually going to do anything
right, Genesis 47
verse 6
and this is the story of
Jacob and Joseph and everything
after Joseph's been turned in by his brothers
and they've come back and they're in Egypt
notice what it says in Genesis 47 verse 6
the land of Egypt is before thee
and the best of the land make thy father and brethren
to dwell, and the land of Goshen
let them dwell, and
if thou knowest any
men of intelligence
is that what the Bible says there?
any men of skill?
is that what the Bible says?
it says any men of activity
among them
then make them rulers over my cattle
right, the Bible says that if you want someone
to be a ruler, pick someone who works hard
above being intelligent
above being skilled
but someone that actually works hard
look, you meet people in life that are very
intelligent and they just fail
at everything, why?
because they're lazy
I know many people from my hometown that were very
intelligent people, very lazy
and they failed
I knew someone from my high school
he failed out of college because of video games
right, failure
very smart person, failed
someone else who was probably the smartest person
from my hometown, everybody would have said he's the smartest
guy, he's a loser in life
right, he refused to work
he became a drug addict, why?
because he's lazy, because his parents
had lots of money, he had everything in life
never learned how to work hard, right
it doesn't matter how skilled you are
if you never actually developed that skill
look, if you're the most naturally skilled
basketball player in the world but you've never
practiced dribbling a ball
you've never practiced doing a jump shot
you're not going to be very good
you say, why? you've got to actually work to develop that skill
even if you have a natural ability
if that's all you have and you never develop it
you're just not going to be any good at it
you have to actually work hard
go to Joshua chapter 1
Joshua 1
what's interesting is
in other versions they change
to chapter 47 verse 6
and instead of saying men of activity
it says men of special ability
not just men of ability, but special
ability, right
and that's exactly the opposite of what the Bible's teaching
the Bible's teaching, you want to put someone in charge
pick someone who's a hard worker
even if they don't have
special ability
okay, if they work hard
they're going to be successful
Joshua 1 verse 8
this book of the law
thou shalt not depart out of thy mouth
but thou shalt meditate therein day and night
now look, meditating on God's word
day and night takes a lot of work
it takes a lot of effort
right, when you read the Bible
it actually takes a lot of effort
to pay attention and really focus
on what you're seeing, write down
notes, I mean, because you can read
you know, a bunch of chapters really quickly
and learn nothing, if you want
but if you actually want to learn, you have to put aside
distractions, sit down
slowly read, take notes
if you're confused, stop and think
about things, it actually takes a lot of time
and meditating on God's word day and night
it's mentally actually draining to focus
and think about God's word, you know, when you're trying
to study a topic out in the Bible that's kind of
complicated, you've got to really meditate
and meditate and think about it
I've got a topic right now I'm studying out that I'm a bit
confused on and it's like, it's
it's tiring, right, all day long
I'm thinking about like, what is the answer to this?
right, and when you meditate on God's word
that is implying hard work
that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is
written therein, for then thou shalt make
thy way prosperous and then thou shalt
have good success
as I said, the person who works hard
is going to be
successful, the lazy person
is going to be a failure, go to Matthew chapter
9 in your New Testament, Matthew 9
Matthew chapter 9
I mean, I'd say everybody
in life would say they want to be successful
but most people
are not willing to put in the work
and effort to actually be successful
right, Matthew chapter 9
verse 36
Matthew 9 verse 36
but when he saw the multitudes
this is Jesus speaking, you know, he sees all these
multitudes, he was moved with compassion on
them because they fainted and were scattered
sheep having no shepherd
then saith the unto his disciples
the harvest truly is plenteous
but the labors
are few
we mention labors, labor versus laziness
because labor is the word for basically being a hard
worker and what Jesus said is
the labors are few
there's a lot of work to do
there's just few people actually doing it
I mean, our church does a lot of
soul winning but it's really just a small drop
in the bucket when you consider all the unsaved
people in Metro Manila
and there's what, 13 million, am I correct
in that, 13 million people in Metro Manila
it's just like as many people as we get saved
it's a really small percentage
and it took a lot of work to get to that point
and the reality is
we could look out in 2022 and say
hey, there's great multitudes but
the labors are actually few
there's just not enough people to reach
all of these unsaved people
and unfortunately it will always be
that way, we're never going to have
enough soul winners to reach all of this world
because we need more people doing the work
and most saved people refuse
but the Bible's showing you
that if you want success and want to get a lot of
people saved, what do you need?
You need labor. Now here's the thing
if you're a soul winner
you would say that soul winning is labor
it's hard work
it's not easy, right?
Now, here in the Philippines
it's a little bit different than where I'm from
growing up and I was thinking about this recently because
here in the Philippines to me it's more
you know, tiring just mentally
because you're preaching the gospel a lot
in America you don't really preach the gospel a lot
when you're going soul winning, right?
Here, you know, if you go soul winning for a couple of hours
you might preach the gospel three or four times
just one right after another
if you're going to a park or something like that
it's not really like that in the United States
at least not where I'm from in West Virginia
in West Virginia, you know, you think of that verse
you know, upon the mountains, you know, preaching the gospel
because it's literally the mountain state
and you're literally walking and walking and walking
and you know, when you do soul winning marathons
when you get done
your feet have blisters all the time
because you're not doing a lot of talking
you're doing a lot of walking
this is why, you know, if you live there
you have to have shoes like this for your dress shoes
that are comfortable
because you're doing a lot of walking and if you don't
you're going to destroy your feet, it's just the way it is, right?
but either way, whether you're doing a lot of talking
or walking, it's tiring
soul winning is not an easy thing to do
verse 38
pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest
that he will send forth labors into his harvest
and this ought to be our prayer request
in 2022
praying that God will send us more labors
to reach this area with the gospel
turn in your Bible to 1 Corinthians 15
1 Corinthians chapter 15
1 Corinthians 15
1 Corinthians chapter 15
1 Corinthians 15
you know what, honestly, I think a sermon like this
is more important in today's world
than it was thousands of years ago
the reason why is because we have a lot of
modern day conveniences
I mean, thousands of years ago, if you were lazy
you're just going to starve to death or die of
you know, dehydration
because for most people, they're working
just to get water from a well
right, you think of the stories in the Bible
and we live, honestly, like kings
in 2022
you can go to the grocery store and get anything you want
it didn't used to be that way
in the Bible, they're trading salt and various things
it's like, you have everything
at your fingertips in 2022
in today's world, like none of us
are really starving when you look at the history
of the world and how things work
but thousands of years ago, maybe
this isn't as much needed because of the fact
you have to work hard to survive
and yet the Bible still focuses on this topic a lot
how much more in 2022
when it is very easy
to be lazy
it is very easy in 2022
to be lazy and not be a hard worker
that wasn't even possible really
thousands of years ago for most people
notice what it says in 1 Corinthians 15
this is Paul the Apostle speaking
in verse 10, 1 Corinthians 15, verse 10
for I am the least
of the apostles that am not me
to be called an apostle
he's saying I'm not worthy of being called an apostle
because, actually verse 9, not 10
verse 9, because I
persecuted the church of God
and Paul said I don't feel worthy
to be an apostle because of how I lived my life
before, verse 10
but by the grace of God I am what I am
and his grace which was bestowed
upon me was not in vain
but I labor more
abundantly than they all, yet not
I but the grace of God which was with me
I mean if you think of preeminent characters
in the New Testament, you've got obviously
Jesus Christ, perhaps
John the Baptist, and
other than John the Baptist
you've got Paul the Apostle
there's no one else that you would put above him
in terms of what he accomplished
and what he did and everything
I mean he wrote half the New Testament
half the books of the New Testament were written by Paul the Apostle
we would say he started more churches
did more soul winning, was it because he was intelligent?
because here's the thing
I think Paul actually was the most intelligent
out of all the apostles and disciples
when you're looking at him
he was a very smart guy, very educated
it wasn't his intelligence
what he said is, I labored more abundantly
he said when I came to people
I didn't use wise words
because I wanted their faith to stand in the things of God
and not the wisdom of men
it wasn't his intelligence
it was the fact that he worked hard
turn your Bible to Proverbs 12
by the way, Paul said his grace
bestowed upon me was not in vain
he's not referring to the fact that he got saved
see when we preach the gospel to someone
if they don't get saved, biblically speaking
you could say that you know what
the grace that was bestowed upon them was in vain
because they didn't receive the gospel
but if they get saved and don't do something with it
it was actually in vain as well
according to the Bible
Paul said the reason it wasn't in vain
is not just because I got saved
but I labored
I worked hard
because when you think about all the work we do
we get saved, we try to bring them to church
and then they never actually do anything with it
no, praise the Lord if they get saved
we're happy, we're excited
but you kind of think
man, couldn't you actually do something?
couldn't you come to church?
I mean, we took our time to come to you
preach the gospel to you
we try to bring you to church
and teach you the word of God
and then you just don't want to do anything with it
right? Why? Because the opposite of being a laborer
being a hard worker
is being lazy, that's what the Bible says
no, of course we understand some people get saved
maybe they have exceptions, they can't come to church
we understand those things
but a lot of people can come to church
they just choose not to
Proverbs 12 verse 27, let us look at the lazy person
now we looked at the laborer
what about the opposite, the lazy person?
Proverbs 12 verse 27
the slothful man, which is the lazy person
like a sloth
roasteth not that which he took in hunting
but the substance of a diligent man is precious
see the Bible says
if you're a diligent man or a hard worker
and you have something
it's very precious to you
you take it very seriously, you don't want to lose it
I mean, if you kill an animal
you're going to eat it
you're going to cook it, you're going to eat it
you're not going to waste it
but the lazy person, it says even if he gets something
he's not even going to cook it
he's just going to let it go to waste
now look, I don't believe the Bible
just saying this, I think this is literal
and this goes back to the idea
if you don't work hard for something, you waste it
right?
now turn your Bible to Proverbs 15
I'll give you a couple stories from my life
of just someone, you know, from the US
I knew that, you know, you think of this verse
okay
you know, when you go to college
in America, you generally have roommates
and you basically will split the rent
while you're in college, so
I had various roommates when I was in college
one year I had these two guys as roommates
and one of my roommates was like
the laziest person
ever
and look, living with someone who's lazy is a nightmare
it is awful
right?
and so when you're signing a lease
at least at WVU
basically when all of you sign the lease
if one person doesn't pay their portion
then you have to cover them
otherwise you'll get fined a lot of money
so one of my roommates just
wasn't paying because
you know, he didn't have the money, he wasn't working
he's just sitting around on his computer all day
so you know, he owed me like
what would be the equivalent of like a hundred thousand pesos
and I was just a college student
you know, I didn't have like a lot of money at the time
so basically all my money is to support my friend
because he's not paying
right? and he just wasn't getting a job
just being very lazy and everything like that
and just a couple examples
one time, here's a guy who owes me money
and his parents are sending him money now
for a month to pay the rent
but there's a due date to pay your rent
you basically have to pay it the first day
and if you're late by a day
it was a fifty dollar fine
two thousand five hundred pesos to be one day late
and so you know
we would all put in our portion of the payment
and so I asked my friend
you know, hey did you pay your rent
it was just around lunch time
he's like, not yet
I was like, but you're gonna do it, right?
and he's like, yeah
and it was a fifteen minute walk
fifteen minutes, okay
he said, yeah, I don't really feel like it
I was like, there's a fifty dollar fine
if you don't pay it
he's like, yeah, I'm just gonna do it tomorrow
now look, if it was just his own money, fine
but he owes me money
it's like, pay it and give me fifty bucks
so you start paying off if you have that extra money
I told him, hey, write the check
I will walk down
and drop it off for you
he refused to do it
and he did it the next day
and he had to pay fifty extra dollars
I'm like, what is wrong with you?
and it's just exactly like this
verse that we read where it's like
he roasteth not that which he took in hunting
hey, fifty extra bucks, I'll just waste it
to do what that was so important
be on your computer and just
goof off, right?
another story I have rooming with him
is, you know, he would never clean anything
out, you know, we had the garbage can right outside
of our house, never took out the trash
never did the dishes
so there'd be like dried spaghetti sauce
on plates and things such as that
and me, I'm a bit of a neat freak
I can't stand to have like, you know
dirty dishes and everything like that
and it used to frustrate me
but it's also because of the fact, if you have roommates
the agreement is, I wash my dishes, you wash yours
that's just, the way it works
that was agreed upon
it's common sense and everything
he just wasn't doing it, he's like, I'll just do it later
and it's like, weeks go by and there's like this blue mold
that's coming on the plates, it's like
and so my other roommate
got so frustrated with him
he came to me and said, you know what
I'm gonna take a stand
if he's not doing the dishes, I'm not gonna do them either
I'm just like
I'm gonna be arrested for murder
I'm gonna murder my two roommates, right?
as I literally, for the rest of the several months
I was rooming, I pretty much did all the dishes
because it's just like, I'm not gonna have all this mold
going on all the plates, it's like, you gotta be kidding me
right? but look
these, this, I'm talking about someone who's actually
a saved person
I mean, you can be a saved person
and be lazy
getting saved does not automatically make you
a hard worker, you can be a saved person
have the Holy Spirit inside of you
and just be lazy as
can be
Proverbs 15
Proverbs 15 verse 19
the Bible says
the way of the slothful man
is as an hedge of horns
but the way of the righteous is made plain
the idea is
that if you're a lazy person
you always find these obstacles to stop you
oh, it's too difficult
it's too hard
I mean, if you're a hard worker, things just kinda line up and work out for you
now part of it is just the fact
that you're working hard, but the other aspect is
I do believe that God's gonna bless you
if you work hard, right?
Turn your Bible to Proverbs
18 verse 9, we'll look at a few more places here
Proverbs 18 verse 9 for the first point
Proverbs 18 verse 9
and the Bible says in Proverbs 18 verse 9
he also that is slothful
in his work
so this is someone who's lazy to work
his brother
to him that is a great waster
and what it's saying is
the same type of person
is the same type of person
that wastes things
and that goes back to the idea
if you don't work hard for something
you don't see the value of it
look, we get reminded of this sometimes when we go soul winning
when you go to some of these poor areas
and sometimes there's people that don't have much
but they have money to buy alcohol
they have money to buy cigarettes
and if they're smoking
they're drinking and here's the reality
I don't smoke, I don't drink
but the reality is, if I did
think about how expensive is this
and if I'm paying 100 pesos today
times by 365
it's like wow, that's a lot of money
36,500 pesos on cigarettes and alcohol
to me I'd be like
that's a lot
to me that's a lot of money
and yet there's people that
don't have a lot
and to them it's just like no big deal
spending 25% of my money on alcohol
no big deal
25% of my money on cigarettes, no big deal
don't you see the value in the dollar?
but here's the thing
if you're a lazy person, you don't see the value in the dollar
because he's brother to him
that is a great waster
turn your Bible to Proverbs 26
Proverbs 26
when you meet people that are lazy
they are also going to waste stuff
if they actually have it
this is why, by the way, I'm not
trying to go on too big of rabbit trails
and it's a little bit different here in the Philippines
but in the US, you know
you don't have to work a day in your life
the government will pay you not to work
and they'll give you a place to live
they'll give you money to buy food every month
you literally do not have to work a day in your life
right?
but what's interesting is the same people
that don't work and the government pays
for their housing and they just get
money from the government to pay for their food
it's funny because we had somebody who fixed our locks
at Verity Baptist in Sacramento
and he told me, he's like yeah you know what
all of our business at the homeless areas
the people that are the government housing
because they just destroy everything
in those houses
and he told me
it's kind of strange to me, they get a free house
and then they just destroy it, but doesn't that just prove the Bible right?
they didn't work for it
they got it for free and then they just
destroyed it because they see no value in it
because the government is just going to give them another house
now if you're working
it's like it doesn't work that way
if I break a window, I've got to pay for it
so I'm going to take
value in that and not just get mad
and break a window at my house
but the idea is that someone
who doesn't work hard is also someone
who wastes, that's what the Bible teaches
Proverbs 26 verse 13
the slothful man saith
there is a lion in the way
a lion in the streets
so here's one of those great excuses
by a lazy person, there's a lion
this is like
I don't know, the Jungle Book or the Wizard of Oz
lions and tigers and bears oh my
if I go out I might get killed
by a lion
there's a million things that might happen to you
I mean it is
possible that you can walk
out after church and a lion's going to get you
it is possible
when we go summoning that a dog's going to attack you
it's not likely, but it's
happened before, I don't think it's happened at our church
I know of people, it's happened in the US
there's things that can take place
in life, but are you going to let all those
things stop you from succeeding?
and the lazy person though
the idea is they have a lot of excuses
for why they cannot do anything
their way is as a hedge of thorns
but if you're a hard worker
you don't look at the obstacles, you just work
you just do it
turn your Bible
to Ephesians 4
Ephesians 4
you're turning there
I'll also read you from Proverbs 26 where it said
the sluggard is wiser in his own conceit
than seven men that can render a reason
what the Bible's saying is
the lazy person has
a lot of excuses
and look, when you meet lazy people
in life, you're going to hear a lot of
excuses why they fail
what's interesting is if somebody's a hard
worker, they don't usually make
excuses for when they fail
they just say, yeah, I've got to do a better
job, right?
if I fail at something, my attitude's
going to be like, I've got to do a better job
I've got to get better, got to get smarter
got to get stronger, whatever it is
but the lazy person
when they fail, wow, you don't
understand my situation
there's a lion in the streets
right? I mean, how can I
succeed? I might get attacked
well, I mean, other people are succeeding
right? A modern day example
and it's been two years at this point
but excuse, a year after it happened
what's coronavirus season?
so how can I succeed? It's coronavirus
it's like, yeah, but you can't
use that excuse forever
and there's other people that figure it out
it wasn't a convenient situation
for any of us, but
you just got to figure it out
you got to just adjust
you got to do something differently, you can't just use that
as an excuse, because someone who's hard working
would say, they wouldn't use that as an excuse
they'd say, you know what, I've got to figure something out
right? they would put the
responsibility on themselves rather
than making an excuse
for why they're failing
right? look, I'm not saying you can't
have valid excuses in life, but here's the thing
excuses don't fix anything
instead of just making
excuses, just figure it out
that's just the way it is
go to Ephesians 4
Ephesians chapter 4
point number one, laborers are successful
hard workers are successful
lazy people are failures
you say, brother Stuckey
okay, that might be true
that's what the Bible teaches
but, why is it that you're preaching against
lazy people? I mean, they're not doing anything to you
well, number one, because the Bible talks about it
a lot
number two, it is Labor Day weekend
okay
number three
is this, point number two
hard workers are concerned about
other people, lazy people
are concerned about themselves
see, here's the thing, lazy people
do affect me
and they do affect you
I wouldn't really care
if all they affected is themselves
right, the example I gave in America
where they get everything for free
and the government just pays, well why do you care
they're just destroying the house
well, here's the thing, nothing's free
except salvation
and even that wasn't really free
because it was paid for by Jesus Christ
just free for us
right, paid for by the blood of Christ
but here's the thing, nothing
is free in life
they don't have to pay for it
it comes out of tax dollars of people that are
working
it's not free
somebody's paying for it
right, and here's the thing, when people that are
lazy, the Bible teaches they're concerned
only about themselves
not about other people
and as a result of not being concerned about other people
they actually do affect other people
Ephesians 4 verse 28
let him that stole
steal no more
now, when you're reading this verse
I mean obviously there's many ways to steal
but the main context is not really stealing by like
ripping it out of somebody's hand
it's more basically
just getting freebies from everybody
basically you're just bumming off people
getting other people to pay your rent
just always getting free meals and free food
the Bible says, let him that stole
steal no more
but rather let him
let him labor
working with his hands the thing which is good
that he may have to give to him that needeth
what the Bible says is
the person that's lazy, that's not laboring
that's stealing
if you're stealing from others, you're not concerned
about other people
instead, work hard that you may have
to give to him that needeth
so if you do have money
you're going to have money to help others if they need it
meaning you're concerned about
other people
hard workers are concerned about other people
lazy people are concerned about themselves
that's what the Bible teaches
go to 1 Timothy chapter 5
1 Timothy chapter 5
1 Timothy 5
1 Timothy chapter 5
1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8
1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 8
the Bible reads
but if any provide not for his own
and especially for those of his own house
he hath denied the faith and is worsened in infidel
this is a reference to a man providing for his family
verse 9
let not a widow be taken to the number under three score years old
three score meaning 60 years
60 years old
having been the wife of one man
well reported up for good works if she had brought up children
if she had bled strangers if she had washed the saints fee
if she had relieved the afflicted
if she had diligently followed every good work
speaking towards helping people out
that are basically past the point of being able to
provide for themselves
and there are requirements though
it's not just anybody who asks for money
it's someone who is actually a godly person who has proven themselves
right we have people that come to our church all the time
they don't come for the service
they just knock on the door afterwards
can I have some money
now here's the thing if you ever answer the door
and I'm not there I'll just tell you what the answer is
no
you say brother Stuckey that's harsh
they're not a member of our church
it's like
ask from your own church
it's like well I don't go to church we'll start going to church
and then maybe this verse could apply to you
if you're a godly and helpful person at that church
because like our church has helped people out
at our church that we're in need
but some random person I don't know
and look sometimes they have the greatest
story in the world
I mean it sounds amazing
that doesn't mean it's true
it could be they've told that story
thousands and thousands of times
you say brother Stuckey you're being too harsh
no you're being too naive
and let me tell you something
I used to be naive about people that asked for money as well
okay I'm not saying there's never anybody in time of need
what I'm saying is
the Bible gives us a guideline that we help
those that are actually at our church
that you actually know about the situation
not a random person
or a family member because the first by default
is the family would help that person according to the Bible
then the church if they're actually a proven
and godly person
but I remember I was in college
and there was this guy who was a homeless guy
and he was asking me for money
and I felt bad for him
right because I thought to myself
I've got clothing and a place to stay
and there's this homeless guy
doesn't have anything
I felt really bad and I just reached into my wallet
I can't remember if I gave him 10 or 20 dollars
but I gave him a lot of money
I felt bad for him I mean he had a nice story
and where I grew up there weren't really homeless people
because I grew up in a small town
so this was kind of my first experience but I gave him money
got out of class
I saw the same guy just two hours after I talked to him
bottle of booze in his hands
I helped get a guy drunk
and here's the reality
if you're giving money to people that are actually unworthy
you're actually making a problem
you're not helping
I mean
I harmed that person
by giving him money to keep up
and look obviously I did it being naive
I was ignorant about it
but it's like you know what I wised up
and I learned after that situation
you can't just trust people when they ask for something
you've got to actually know about the situation
right and this is what the Bible teaches
now the Bible is saying here though
a woman who's a godly person who's of a certain age
and can no longer take care of herself
is what the Bible is talking about
verse 11
but the younger widows refuse
for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ
they will marry
because they have cast off their first faith
and with all they learn to be idle
wandering about from house to house
and not only idle but toddlers also
and busybodies speaking things which they ought not
I will therefore that the younger women
marry, bear children, guide the house
give none occasion to the adversary
to speak reproachfully
what the Bible says is if a woman's of a certain age
she's probably not going to be able to provide
for herself
especially if she's been married
and you know now she's like 60 plus years old
I mean it's going to be very difficult for her
but the Bible says the younger widows
on the other hand it's saying they should just
work and provide for themselves
and if they don't then they're going to be
sitting around gossiping
being a busybody
meaning not concerned about other people
you say hey brother Secchi what exactly do you mean?
How about Ruth? We're talking about widows
Ruth in the Bible
had a tragic situation
where her husband died and we don't know
how old she was but she seems to be pretty young
so what did she have to do?
Well she had to work
there's no alternative
that's what she needed to do
and you say well I don't think she should have done that
she's the only woman called virtuous in the Bible
the only woman ever called virtuous
we got a chapter on the virtuous woman
but the only woman that's ever called virtuous
in the Bible was a woman who was
working and providing for herself
she was in that situation
that's what she had to do
and so what the Bible's saying is
that you know what
if someone has too much free time
whether it's men or women they're going to be a problem
she has free time
this example in 1st Timothy 5 she's gossiping
being a busybody
and Paul says they need to get married
bear children and guide the house
why is that?
because if you have kids it takes time and effort
you don't have time to get into trouble
and look it's true for men and women
about being busy
for example men later on in the sermon
but whether you're a man or a woman you got to be busy
and if you have too much free time on your hands
you will get into trouble
it's just what will take place
turn your Bible to 1st Thessalonians 2
1st Thessalonians 2
look I'm not against people going on vacations
and having free time
I think that's good for all of us but you need a proper
balance on all things
sitting around on your phone for 10 hours a day
that's not a proper balance
that's called too much free time
it's called being lazy
and here's the thing
in 2022 instead of going
house to house to gossip
it's just like
group message
it's only in a couple seconds you can gossip
to 100 people at one time
and the Bible is saying the cure
is to actually be busy
if you're busy you stay out of trouble
if you're busy
you do get concerned about other people
whereas lazy people
look at what she's doing she's gossiping
she's only concerned about herself rather than the people
that she's actually harming
1st Thessalonians 2 verse 9
and it says
for you remember brethren
this is Paul the Apostle speaking
our labor or hard work and travail
for laboring night and day
because we would not be chargeable
unto any of you
we preached unto you the gospel of God
and Paul said you know what
we worked hard because we didn't want to be
chargeable unto any of you
and what he's saying is we didn't want to ask people for money
right
we wanted to provide our own way
now this is pretty much the exact opposite
of like a modern day missionary
because literally all they do is go from church to church
and beg for money
right
and Paul said I mean Paul had the exact opposite attitude
he's like I don't want to be chargeable unto anyone
I'd rather work and provide my own way
for money all the time
in our modern day you've got what's known as a deputation system
and the modern system for sending out missionaries
is you go around for two years
and you beg people to give you money
and you preach at various churches
and you beg for money
that's the exact opposite of Paul the Apostle
now just think about this logically
if you're trying to get money
from somebody
you're probably going to say something
that they want to hear
right
you're not going to say anything that offends them
so it takes place if somebody
goes on deputation for two years
begging for money and they get
used to being like Joe Osteen for two years
nothing negative
is it a shock when they get done
from their deputation they preach and act
like a non-denominational church
because that's what they've been like for two years
all positive
no negative
now when it comes to preaching most of the Bible
is actually negative
the Bible is actually laws and commandments
and do this
right there's the sermons like patience
there's the sermons on love and things like that
but honestly it's mainly negative
two-thirds rebuking
one-thirds exhorting
is basically the principle taught in the Bible
and Paul said I don't want to be chargeable onto anybody
we're not even just missionaries
just think of churches in general
with their firstfruits offering
and all these other offerings
at these Baptist churches and everything like that
this is like the number one thing I hear at this church
people start coming here
and they're shocked that we're not
charging them for things
it's like man at my old church
when we did events we had to
pay for the food
the pastor's like we love to have events
but you've got to be willing to pay for it
I mean literally this is the number one thing I hear
people are shocked that we're not always asking
for money and look I was just raised that
I would feel guilty about asking for money
for stuff
if there's one thing I don't like preaching on
I don't really like preaching on tithing and offering
because I just don't like asking for stuff
now I preach it from time to time
because the Bible talks about it
but we're never going to be a church that's just
begging and begging and begging
and yet isn't that like
most Baptist churches
and almost all churches here in the Philippines
in 2022
but yet Paul said
we worked hard so we wouldn't be chargeable
to any of you
verse 10
and what we're seeing here is Paul the apostle said
you know what we worked hard
why? because we're concerned about
other people
and not ourselves
right? turn to Proverbs 21
Proverbs 21
now look there can be exceptions to stuff
and look if you fall on hard times
at our church and everything our church has provided
and helped for people before in the past
but you know what I've noticed is when there's
people at our church that actually need something
they're in a difficult situation
usually if they're a hard worker
and they have good character they're very shy
to ask for anything
they feel uncomfortable
about it and usually when I hear it's actually
somebody else at church lets me know like hey I think
that person really needs help they're just really
shy to ask for you know we've helped people before
but what I've found is people that are actually lazy
they have no problem asking for stuff
as I said you know there can be exceptions
and if you're in a really difficult situation
and you're a hard worker and a godly person
we're not against helping you out I'm not saying you can
never ask for anything but I'm just saying
the natural tendency is if you work hard
you feel embarrassed
right? you know to beg I am ashamed
sort of attitude
right? that's the way I would feel
I feel like I'll just figure it out on my own
if I don't have money to buy food
I'll just find a way to get money tomorrow
right? I'll just go without eating
that's the normal attitude if you're a hard worker
but that's not the attitude
of everybody because not everybody
is a hard worker
okay? turn in your Bible
to Proverbs 21 verse 25
Proverbs 21 verse 25
the desire of the soft will
the slothful killeth him for his hands
refuse to labor he coveteth
greedily all the day long but the righteous
giveth and spareth not so we're seeing the
same thing the lazy person
the slothful his desire
kills or destroys
him he covets he covets
he covets he covets
but the hard worker
he giveth and spareth not he's not always
desiring all these different things
this goes back to the idea
of when you work hard you understand how expensive
things are
you know there's things in life where I think that would be really nice
but I would never pay that much money
right?
it's like maybe you look at a vacation
like man that would be like the most beautiful vacation
you know for me personally I think like the
coolest thing to do on vacation
even though I hate cold weather
would actually go to Antarctica like on a cruise
but that is so
expensive I would
never do that it's like
you know what I'll just watch that on YouTube
they say why I'm not paying 500,000 pesos
for a cruise like save up
for 10 years to go it's like I would never
waste that much money right?
I'm not against vacation but that's just a lot of money
if you go to the whole family it's
just like I'm gonna have to rob a bank or something
right? but see the
person who's a hard worker you know they're just happy
just with basic things generally
I mean there's nothing wrong with going on vacation and having
some nice things but what's interesting is
somebody who's lazy wants
like the nicest things in life
and it's just like
how are you ever gonna afford that?
and I think to myself
you know and sometimes you meet people that are lazy
and they'll go to expensive restaurants and you
think to yourself man I would just
eat at Mangy Nassal
I like
Mangy Nassal, Mangy Nassal is great but I'm just
thinking yeah that restaurant would be nice but
I'm not gonna pay like 500 pesos
to eat I mean it's not
that good right?
maybe it was 200 pesos but you know honestly
if you work hard you understand the value of a dollar
you don't want to just part with that money
but you know if you're lazy
you don't understand what a dollar
means you don't understand what a peso means
you just think money grows on trees
right? that's just the reality and that's what the Bible
is teaching over and over again
notice turn your Bible to
2 Samuel 12 and I want to
give you an example of this of the
lazy person being only concerned
about themselves and the hard worker
the laborer being concerned about other people
2 Samuel chapter 12
now I don't want you to misunderstand this because
you know you can be a hard worker
and yet that doesn't mean that
every single second of your life you're working hard
right? we all strive
to be hard workers or we should but
you know what there's times that I'm sitting around being lazy
right? which is a bad
thing because you end up getting into trouble
you just waste your day and things like that
but in the Bible we have a guy who I believe was a very
hard worker named King David
right? I think everyone would agree he's a hard worker
but he did kind of have a lapse
in his hard work at one point and it got
him into a lot of trouble in his life
2 Samuel 12 verse 1
this is the chapter after you know he's been with
Bathsheba and she's gotten pregnant
and he's killed Uriah and all those events
2 Samuel 12 verse 1
and the Lord sent Nathan unto David and he came
unto him and said unto him there are two men
in one city the one rich and the other
poor now in this parable
that he's telling him the rich
is King David the poor is Uriah
okay
verse 2 the rich man had exceeding
many flocks and herds
King David was rich he had a lot
right? verse 3
but the poor man had nothing save one
little Eulam now the Eulam here in this
parable is referring to Bathsheba
okay this is the one thing
the parable is saying that
Uriah really had you know he had a wife
right? which he had bought
up and nourished brought up and nourished
and it grew up together with him and with his children
it did eat of his own meat and drank of his own cup
and lay in his bosom and was unto him as a daughter
now look obviously this is a parable
you don't want to take things too literally it's just an example
okay verse 4
and there came a traveler onto the rich man
the Bible is saying here
in this parable there's the poor man Uriah
there's the rich man King David and a traveler
comes around and he spared to
take of his own flock and of his own herd
to dress for the wayfaring man that was
come unto him but took the poor man's lamb
and dressed it for the man that was come to him
so the Bible is saying here is
in the parable there's this rich guy who has
everything somebody comes from out of
town he could easily give up
one of his own lambs
but he doesn't do it he takes
from somebody else because he has the power
to do that and what Nathan
is rebuking David about is saying you know what
you had everything in life
and instead of being happy with what you had
you take the one thing that this one man
has so what you're seeing is that
King David when he's doing this over this year
he's only concerned about
himself
right he's not concerned about other people
this was not common for King David
because King David was a hard worker
he did a lot of great things
but in this story he's only concerned about
himself and this is what you see
when people are lazy they are not
concerned about other people you say brother Stuckey
why are you saying King David was
lazy go to 2 Samuel 11
I'll prove it to you 2 Samuel 11
2 Samuel chapter 11
actually laziness
is the root cause
of David ended up committing
adultery with Bathsheba and I'll prove it to you
and honestly this should
kind of scare us because we're looking at a safe person
so realize that you know
laziness can be a very dangerous thing
take him to a sermon
like this so you don't become a lazy
person and allow bigger problems to
happen in your life 2 Samuel 11
verse 1
and it came to pass after the year was
expired at the time when kings go
forth to battle the Bible's saying
there's a time when kings will go
and fight battles now this is
hard for us to understand in 2022
because you're never going to have the leader of a country
leading the charge in battle
right but what the Bible's saying
is that there was a time this is what they
did where if you went off to war
the king actually went
it would probably stop a lot of the wars that get started
if the leader has to actually go and fight in the battle
right but at the time when kings
go forth to battle
it says that David sent
Joab and his servants with him and all Israel
and destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged
Reba but
David tarried still
at Jerusalem so instead of
going to battle like he was supposed to
David just kind of was around
Jerusalem not doing anything
verse 2 and it came to pass
in an evening tide that David
rose from off his bed and walked upon the
roof of the king's house now David
is walking on a roof in the middle of the night
David can't sleep
that's why he's arising from off his bed
what's the reason generally when you're
having trouble sleeping it's when you
haven't been doing much right I mean if you
play video games for hours and go to bed
you're probably going to have trouble sleeping
right that's just kind of the way it works
David was not doing anything
he was being lazy and
he can't sleep the Bible says the sleep of a
neighboring man is sweet
you know if you work really hard in a day
and you're like tired
like man I'm exhausted I need some sleep
when your head hits the pillow you are out
your head goes and you're like
immediately
right but if you're being lazy
it's hard to sleep that's the way it works
David is walking around on a roof
why because he doesn't have anything to do
during the day just sitting around on Twitter
or Facebook or whatever they did in his day
right and from the
roof he saw a woman washing herself
and the woman was very beautiful to look upon
and the story keeps going from that but my point
is this that laziness
was actually the root cause
of why David went down that
road and committed those sins
now turn to Proverbs 6 we'll look at two more places
Proverbs 6
and that leads to our last point point number one
was this hard workers
laborers are successful lazy
people are failures number two
hard workers are concerned about other people
lazy people are concerned about themselves
number three hard workers
or laborers are a blessing
because they're concerned about other people
lazy people
are a problem and this is
what you're going to see in life
Proverbs 6 verse 11
so shall thy poverty come as one that
travelth and I want as an armored man
now we talked about this earlier
but when it talks about traveling around you know
and honestly I never really thought about this verse
too much until I met people in real life and I'm like
oh I get fully what the Bible is saying now
right traveling around
where you're just bouncing from job to job
you're moving from place to place
you always have these new plans that you're going to do
and everything like that traveling around
cause you can't figure anything out
and then it says thy want as an armored man
thy want or thy desire
what you covet as an armored man
when you're looking at an armored man in the Bible
we're talking about taking up arms for battle
what it's talking about is
having a weapon in your hand
and what the Bible is saying
thy want as an armored man
you're basically robbing or stealing people
stealing from people with a weapon
that can end up being the result because
if you don't have anything you can't make it
you're want as an armored man
like a person robbing a 7-11
who desires to have that but they're not willing
to work a job to actually be able to pay for that
they just rob, they just steal
thy want as an armored man
cause the lazy person is a problem
right, verse 12
a naughty person, a wicked man
walketh with a froward mouth
he winketh with his eyes, he speaks with his feet
he teaches with his fingers
frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually
he soweth discord
therefore shall his calamity come suddenly
suddenly shall he be broken without remedy
these things, six things, doth the Lord
hey, a seven are an abomination
unto him, and if you
paid attention during the scripture reading
throughout this chapter
it's just talking about all these problems and sins
the root cause is laziness
that's what we're seeing
all these things can be the result
what are you seeing?
lazy people are a problem
they cause problems in other people's lives
cause they're only concerned about themselves
and if you're only concerned about yourself
and you're too lazy
to actually provide for yourself
what are you going to do?
what are you going to steal?
just not care about anybody else
go to one last place, 2 Thessalonians 3
2 Thessalonians 3
and Paul the Apostle, he speaks about this a lot
but he talks about this in the book of Thessalonica
and he kind of lets you know
that even in a church setting
if someone is a lazy person
they will cause a lot of problems
inside of church
and let me just say this
everyone we've had a problem with at our church
and look, as far as I know, we don't have any problems
with anybody at our church
I don't have anything against any members of our church now
but we have had people at our church that were a problem
and people that had to get kicked out
and if you want to think of one word that describes all of them
lazy
that would be the word I'd say
they weren't hard workers
people that have been in our church for a couple years
you would say, you know what, that's true
I thought they worked hard
and then it turned out, it's like, no, they actually never worked
they just talked about how hard they worked
but that really is the big thing you'd say
the people that were a problem
they were lazy
that's the big word you would use to describe them
it says in 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 6
now we command you
brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
that you withdraw yourself
from every brother
notice that walketh disorderly
that causes problems
and not after the tradition
which he received of us
and what the Bible says is
I'm just going to talk about hard work here in this passage
you know, what I found is someone who's a hard worker
who's just busy with their life
they never cause problems at our church
I mean, they're just working hard
they're happy to be here at church
they're part of the church
they're part of Soul Winning
they never cause problems with other members at church
they're just happy to be here, providing for their families
I never have any problems with them
but the people that do cause problems
have all the free time in the world
and what do we see?
well you get into trouble when you have too much free time
you're never going to have problems with people that are hard workers though
that is what you see in the Bible
verse 7
for yourselves know how you ought to follow us
for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you
neither did we eat any man's bread for naught
but wrought with labor and travail
night and day that we might not be chargeable
to any of you
and Paul's saying, you know what?
we worked because we didn't want to take other people's food
and feed ourselves
we worked and provided for ourselves
verse 9
not because we have not power
but to make ourselves an
example or example unto you to follow us
now look, Paul's saying in verse 9
you know there would be nothing wrong
for us to actually get money
you say why?
because Paul was starting all these churches
he brought many people to that church
he taught them the word of God
there's nothing wrong with somebody being full time
and I've never been against somebody being full time
in the ministry or being paid to be full time
Paul's not against that
Paul's saying there's nothing wrong with that
there wouldn't be anything against that
he's just said that's not what we did
we worked and provided for ourselves
then it says in verse 10
for even when we were with you
this we commanded you that if any would not work
neither should he
you say brother Stuckey, I think you're being too harsh with this sermon
well, if you're a hard worker
you're probably not offended right now
number 1
number 2
here's what he says in verse 10
and tell me I'm being too harsh
Paul the Apostle says this
this we commanded you
that if you don't work you should starve to death
isn't that what he says?
right?
isn't that neither should we eat?
you should not be allowed to eat if you're not working?
isn't that what he says?
you should starve to death
I'm being too harsh
it's not like I've ever mentioned that until just now
as I'm showing what Paul says
that's what the Bible says
look, obviously we understand if you've got one household
one family, you're together
we understand that
but the Bible's saying, you know what, instead of taking from other people
you've got to provide for yourself
and Paul's talking about this
like this is a terrible thing
it's like we've heard that there are people among you that are doing this
and they're refusing to work
and he's saying it's a major sin
now, I'll be honest with you
and honestly, this really resonated with me
not here in the Philippines
but in the people that cause problems at Verity Baptist in Sacramento
guess what the one word is you'd use to describe them?
lazy
right?
I mean, the people that got kicked out of our church in Sacramento before
you know, through the years that I was there
you know, not a lot of people
but some people were kicked out
I mean, almost all of them didn't have any jobs
right?
and here's the thing, it's not like there's a lack of jobs in America
in 2022
or 2018 or whatever the year was
right?
but here's the thing, lazy people just sitting around all the time
getting into trouble
here's the thing
I do believe that one reason
you can be kicked out of church
is if you're refusing to work
and taking from other people
the Bible actually is saying this here
because you're supposed to withdraw from these people
it's kind of hard to withdraw
if they're among you all the time
now, here's the thing
this sin ties into the sin
of extortion
because extortion is not just stealing via a gun
or stealing by force
but you can steal by guilt
that is biblical as well
so this ties together with that sin of extortion
but Paul letting you know
and here's the thing, it's good wisdom
because these are people that cause problems
the people in our church that have caused problems
lazy is the word that you would use to describe them
and if you've been with us at the beginning
you know that's the case
laziness is the big thing that you would use to describe them
verse 11
we hear
that there are some which walk among you disorderly
Paul's saying, you know, we've heard this
it's a stain to the church
we've heard there are people
and look, the Thessalonians were a godly church
and a good church
but there are still some bad apples at the church
and I'm not saying that they were reprobate
that's not what I'm saying
but I'm saying they cause problems, right?
he said we hear that there's some which walk among you
disorderly
working not at all
imagine that
you don't work and you're a busy body
isn't that what we saw in 1 Timothy 5?
if you're not working
you're concerned about yourself
and you end up causing problems
that's what the Bible teaches
and look, in this example
Paul's addressing them like they are saved people
because he said in verse 6
withdraw yourself from every brother
so he's saying these are people that we would say are saved
we think they're saved
but if they're unwilling to work
and they're stealing from other people
withdraw yourselves
he's letting them know they've got to make a decision
either decide to start providing for yourself
quit stealing from other people at church
is what he's saying
and look, I'm just explaining to you these verses
if you have a different interpretation
then I'm very curious
because I don't know what other interpretation you could have
I mean, it's pretty plain and simple
but this is what Paul the Apostle was saying
you say, why is that?
because lazy people are a problem
it's actually good wisdom mentioned in the Bible
so look, being a hard worker
I mean, we're at Labor Day weekend here
look, being a hard worker
it's going to make you successful in life
by default, I don't think any of us want to work hard
in our natural flesh
we want to be lazy
we want the easy way
I would love it if after the service
you know, 10 million pesos rain down from the sky
everybody would love that
but you know, honestly
that would probably be a terrible thing
for any one of us
because you'd end up being lazy
you'd end up getting in trouble
you'd probably end up wasting all of that money too
based on what we see in the Bible
the key to success in life
when whatever area, whether it's money
whether it's soul winning
whatever it is, you want to get good at something
it's hard work
there are no shortcuts in life
thank you for allowing us to be here today
and getting to see your word on this topic
and asking to help all of us, including myself and my family
help us to be hard workers
and not to be lazy, but actually do something with our lives
and accomplish something, and not just sit around
and ask you to just continue to bless our church, God
we pray this in Jesus' name, Amen
On first
Heart is the shepherd's voice
I hear
Out in the desert
dark and clear
Calling the sheep
who've got a string
far from the shepherd's
pull away
bring them in
from the fields of sin
bring them in
bring the
one who wants to
eat us
who'll go
and have this
shepherd going
out in the desert
one day
tomorrow
glory, the last ones
look to the Lord
for He will
serve all of the poor
bring them in
from the fields of sin
bring them in
bring the one
who wants to
eat us
out in the desert
in the desert
now
all the last things
love and love
are in the
desert
to me
oh, find it
where they may be
to bring them in
bring them in
from the fields of sin
bring them in
bring the one
who wants to
eat us
from the Bronx
Amen