OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION A. The History Channel has a program called. The Crumbling of America. 1. It starts by pointing out that throughout history great civilizations have flourished when they could depend of their infrastructures. a. When roads, walls, bridges & levees were strong, & when aqueducts & sewer systems were working properly, the society advanced. b. But when those things grew weak through time & use, society began to crumble & fail. Why? c. Because rather than being able to dedicate time & human resources to economic growth & territorial expansion, the people were having to repair the systems that supported daily life. a. Actually, before we could ever blame our nation s deteriorating infrastructure on our lack of economic progress, we need to look internally to our moral infrastructure. 1) In fact, the lack of morality so evident in America may be the reason our infrastructure is in such dire need of repair. 2) We would rather dedicate tax dollars to entitlement programs, athletic facilities & civic centers, than we would to get to work NOW on our roads, bridges, water & sewer systems. 3) You see, if those things aren t working properly, then eventually no one will care about the things we want to have, but really don t need. B. What are we really talking about? 2. So the point of the program is to wake up Americans as to the great need we have to improve our infrastructures, or we may find ourselves crumbling & failing as a nation. 1. Aren t we talking about man s propensity or inclination for procrastination? 1
2. Webster defines procrastinate in this way to put off intentionally, habitually & reprehensibly the doing of something that should be done. [(Matthew 20:1-16). Jesus asked the question, Why do you stand idle all day? In this lesson, we will explore the Problem, Perils & Prescription for Procrastination.] a. In the context of procrastination, the word reprehensible means to put off doing something that is so important & vital to life that one deserves severe rebuke or censure. I. PROBLEM OF PROCRASTINATION A. Some procrastination is due to laziness. C. Do we as God s people ever intentionally put off something that should be done? 1. Beyond the obvious: daily Bible study, prayer & the worship of God, what about the strengthening of our personal relationships in the home & in the church? a. Do you know the first thing you can do to love your brethren in Christ or to love your neighbors as yourself? GREET (speak to) THEM. b. Then you can engage them in a conversation, get to know them, think of something positive to say that would encourage them. Procrastinator s Poem: I went for a drink, sharpened my pencils, & searched through my desk for forgotten utensils. I reset my watch, adjusted my chair, loosened my tie & straightened my hair. I filled my pen, tested my blotter & went out the door for a drink of water. I adjusted the calendar, raised the blinds, & I sorted erasers of all different kinds. NOW DOWN TO WORK I CAN FINALLY SIT. Oops, too late, it s time to quit. 1. Proverbs is full of warnings about the dangers of procrastination (Prov 6:6-11; 12:27; 13:4; 20:4). 2. Whatever pleasure he experienced from his rest & relaxation was nullified by the painful poverty that overcame him. 3. People can be overcome by sin & churches can die-out because of laziness in spiritual matters. 2
B. Some procrastination is due to busyness. 1. Busyness is defined as the state of being or appearing to be actively engaged in an activity. 2. Notice how close the spelling is between busyness & business busyness is when we get too wrapped up in our personal business to get around to doing what we ought to do for the LORD. C. Some procrastination is due to (self-satisfaction) coziness. 1. The idea here is the temptation we have to rest on our laurels, to be satisfied with past accomplishments in our service to the Lord (Mark 10:17-22). a. This type of person will always speak in the past tense, I used to once did have remember, 3. When Israel came back from Babylonian captivity, the Lord had to chasten the people for procrastinating (Haggai 1:4-8). a. They didn t have time to rebuild the Temple because they were too busy working for their own personal interests, they didn t have King David s attitude, which was to build the Lord s House before his own (2 Sam 7:1-2). 4. In the Parable of Soils, the seed sown in the thorny soil could not produce because the cares, riches & pleasures of life had choked out the life of the plant (Matt 13:22). II. b. rather than saying, I hope to plan to if the Lord wills can t wait to start (Phil 3:12-14). PERILS OF PROCRASTINATION A. Procrastination will rob us of time. 1. Greek mythology portrays time as being like a man with long hair in front & bald in the back. a. Time must be managed as it is coming toward you, because once it has passed there is nothing to hold on to, you can t get it back (Eph 5:15-16). 3
B. Procrastination will increase our burdens. A. Remember the price & purpose of redemption. 1. Every time we put something off, we get further behind don t we; the load of responsibility gets heavier & heavier. 2. And what usually happens when we get that far behind in our duties? We get very stressed-out, unhappy & discontent with our lives. a. This stress can get so bad that we just give up on life (Prov 24:30-34). C. Procrastination is will separate us from God. 1. The sin of procrastination IS the sin of omission (James 4:17). 1. The greatest motivation to avoid procrastination is to remember why Jesus gave His life (Titus 2:14). B. Remember to be urgent & diligent in serving Christ. 1. Immediate, continuously steady action is required in serving the Lord because we re rapidly approaching the time when we cannot (John 9:4). a. For many people, the greatest time wasted is the time it takes to get started. b. One man said, I d give half my life to know the Bible like you. The other man said, That s about what it will take. III. 2. In the judgment scene, the goats had procrastinated in their duties toward their brethren (Matt 25:31-46; cf. Ezek 16:46-50) PRESCRIPTION FOR PROCRASTINATION C. Remember the peace of preparation. Can You Sleep When the Wind Blows? A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows." This puzzled the farmer, but he liked the young man, & hired him. A few days later, the farmer & his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly 4
began to check the house to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters had been securely fastened, & a supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. The young man slept soundly. The farmer & his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, & the tractor had been moved into the barn. Even the animals were calm. All was well. Then the farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, "I can sleep when the wind blows." Because he did his work faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm. So when the wind blew, he was not afraid. He could sleep in peace. 1. How does this story apply to the life of a Christian? We can plan for the best, but we must prepare for the worst. GOD S PLAN FOR OUR SALVATION: Hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; read it in your Bible: Acts 2; 3; 13; 17; Rom 10:17 Believe Jesus to be Lord and Christ, the Son of God and Savior: Acts 2:36; John 3:16; 8:24; 20:30-31; Acts 4:12; Titus 1:4 Repent of your sins: Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 1 John 3:4 Confess your faith in Jesus Christ: Matt 10:32-33; Acts 8:37; Rom 10:9-10 Be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins: Acts 2:38; Rom 6:3-4; Gal 3:27; Acts 2:38; 1 Pet 3:21 Be obedient to the Lord, He will be your Judge: Titus 2:11-12; Heb 5:9; 2 John 9; Rev 2:10; John 12:48 a. Preparation doesn t require doing something extra-ordinary that nobody else can do, it just requires faithfully doing what we know the Lord would have us to do each day (2 Pet 1:5-8). b. If we ll do that, then we can have the peace of God that surpasses understanding even while enduring the storms of life (Phil 4:6-7). c. The wise man enjoyed the peace of preparation (Matt 7:24-27), as did the 5 wise virgins (25:1-13). 5