THE AUDITORIUM SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS
MAY 20TH, 2007
LAZINESS AND POVERTY
Introduction: Solomon advises his son to be a dedicated laborer, and save up for the future.
I. The lesson of the ant. (6-8)
A. “Go to the ant.....” (6)
- Look around and find a colony of ants, and watch them work.
B. “thou sluggard.” (6)
1. A sluggard is a lazy person.
2. When you’re feeling lazy, watch the ants move about - working and building their colony.
C. “consider her ways, and be wise.” (6)
- If you want to overcome laziness, then watch the work ethic of the ant, and adopt it as your own.
D. Ants are not micro-managed. (7)
- They do their jobs for the colony’s benefit, and are dedicated to their work because they are dedicated to their colony.
E. Ants are long-term thinkers. (8)
1. Ants have food in the summertime (present-tense).
2. Ants save up food at harvest time (future tense).
3. Solomon is preparing his son to prepare in every area.
II. Solomon warns that laziness leads to poverty. (9-11)
A. Solomon is sarcastically calling out to the sluggard. (9)
- “How long wilt thou sleep.....when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?”
B. “A little sleep” and “a little slumber” describes the frame of mind that a sluggard is in.
1. “I’ll get to it sometime.”
2. “Wait until tomorrow, and see what happens.”
C. Procrastination leads to poverty. (11)
1. You’ll never have anything if you can’t save anything.
2. You can’t save anything if you’re not making anything.
3. Poverty that results from laziness will strip you of everything.
III. There are different types of poverty resulting from laziness.
A. Material Poverty - Already discussed in verses 6-11.
B. Mental Poverty - Bad childhood study habits have become a way of life.
C. Spiritual Poverty - No devotional life; no Bible reading; no prayer life.
D. Familial Poverty - Neglecting the spouse, the children, and the home.
Conclusion: A godly son must be taught to be diligent in his prevention of all types of poverty.