7 Deadly Sins 05 & 06
October 30, 2022

7 Deadly Sins - #5 Gluttony & #6 Sloth

Genesis 25:30-34 & Matthew 25:14-15, 18-19, 24-29 (NKJV)

7 Deadly Sins 05 | Debbye Turner Bell | Leadership & Discipleship Pastor | first aired on 10.30.2022

Read Scripture
Gen. 25:30-34 “30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called [Edom. 31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” 32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” 33 Then Jacob said, [h]“Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” (NKJV)
Matt 25:14-15, 18-19, 24-29 14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. …
18But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them….
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” (NKJV)

I. Sin isn’t just bad or immoral behavior, it is an issue of the heart and its end is always death.

A. Romans 6:23

II. According to Merriam Webster: gluttony is an excessive and ongoing eating of food or drink.

A. A biblical definition of gluttony is the habitual giving in to a greedy appetite by overindulging in eating and drinking. Gluttony includes an excessive desire for the pleasure that food and drink give to a person.

B. Gluttony is a sin that many Christians find easy to laugh about and accept has harmless. But the stark truth is gluttony is not funny and it is not harmless.

III. What bible says about gluttony

A. Gluttons are rebellious (Deuteronomy 21:20)

B. Gluttons are to be avoided (Proverbs 23:20, Proverbs 28:7)

C. Doomed to poverty (Proverbs 23:21)

D. Gluttony is often associated with other sins like drunkenness, idolatry, lavishness, rebellion, disobedience, laziness (Titus 1:12), and wastefulness

IV. The sin of gluttony is idolatry. It is a choice to self-love, comfort, and control through food.

A. Phil 3:18-19 “18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.”

B. When the desire for food and drink becomes too important to us, it’s a sign that it has become an idol in our lives.

V. Consequences of gluttony

A. The consequence of gluttony in the Old Testament was estrangement from God, His wrath and judgment and even death

  1. Isaiah 22:12-14

B. Poverty

  1. Proverbs 23:21

C. Open to other attacks from the enemy

  1. Proverbs 25:28

VI. What gluttony is not

A. Occasional overeating is not gluttony

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:7 “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works.”

B. The bible is exceedingly positive about food. In the old testament, numerous feasts are instituted by God

C. Jesus was accused of gluttony by the Pharisees in Matthew 11:19

D. Romans 14:2-4 “2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

E. A person’s weight or physical appearance may have nothing to do with the sin of gluttony.

F. Gluttony is a spiritual issue, a matter of the heart. Simply put, gluttony is idolatry.

VII. Answer/antidote to gluttony

A. The antidote to gluttony is learning to desire what the Lord desires.

  1. Matthew 5:6 says “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” This describes people whose hearts reflect God’s heart.

B. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

VIII. Sloth is an excessive laziness or the failure to act and utilize one’s talents, a disinclination to action or labor, spiritual apathy, and inactivity

A. Sloth leads to poverty

  1. Proverbs 10:4
  2. Proverbs 20:13

B. Sloth robs you of what should be yours

  1. Proverbs 12:27
  2. Proverbs 20:4
  3. Proverbs 24:33-34

C. Sloth causes hunger

  1. Proverbs 19:15

D. Sloth brings ruin and vulnerability

  1. Proverbs 21:25
  2. Ecclesiastes 10:18

E. Life is harder for the slothful person

  1. Proverbs 12:24

F. The slothful person does nothing to help others, doesn’t sleep well, can’t benefit from what he already has, and is arrogant.

  1. Proverbs 26:13-16 “13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the [b]streets!” 14 As a door turns on its hinges, So does the lazy man on his bed. 15 The lazy man buries his hand in the [c]bowl; It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
    16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can answer sensibly.”

G. The most frightening result of sloth is an empty soul; being listless, unsatisfied, hollow, and unfulfilled.

  1. These things easily lead to abuse of substances, food, and relationships. The emptiness keeps the slothful looking for something or someone to fill the void but nothing does.
  2. Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

IX. The antidote to sloth

A. Diligence or zeal for God’s will cures slothfulness by placing the interest of others above a life of ease and relaxation.

  1. Proverbs 6:6
  2. 2 Thessalonians 3:7-13

B. Faithfulness combats sloth

C. Important note: We must keep in balance. We shouldn’t be idle and never do anything but also mustn’t work compulsively without rest and self-care. Remember, Sabbath is a commandment

X. The Good News is we can have victory over gluttony and sloth (and any other sin)!

A. Romans 6:3-7, 12-14

B. Romans 7:21-25

C. The sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit can help us overcome these sins and all others.

Call to Action:

1) Acknowledge that you have struggled with the sins of gluttony and/or sloth. Repent and ask God for forgiveness.

2) Surrender to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to rid your mind, spirit, and body of these sins and the deadly effects of these sins.

3) Ask God to show you how to change your behaviors, habits, and lifestyle to overcome the tendency toward gluttony and sloth.

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