Austin Brownlee: If you have your Bible, we're going to be in Romans 13. Romans chapter number 13. And I know I'm the only thing standing between you and your lunch.

So I'll try to be short, but there's some folks from my church in the back and they'll keep me honest. I don't go short much. So we'll see.

We go till 1215, a little bit later lunch. But Romans chapter 13, this session is about rising above apathy. And I think Romans 13 is a great passage just to see that.

And it's a passage that God used in my life very powerfully over the last couple of years. And we're going to start reading in Romans 13, verse number 11. And the Apostle Paul pens this, he says, And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than we believed.

The night is far spent and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.

Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill it in the lust thereof. Lord we do thank you for this passage of Scripture. Lord I just pray that you would bless this time.

Lord would you hide me behind your cross. When I say nothing more than you would have me to say. And Lord I just pray that you would communicate your message here to us in this hour.

In Jesus name Amen. December 7th 1941 was just any normal Sunday in Hawaii when it began. The sun rose and people weren't their duty stations, just doing the same old, same old.

Their daily routine. About 702, there were a couple privates in a radio tower, a radar tower that detected planes coming in. They reported up to their commander, their lieutenant, and they gave him all the information he needed.

He was the intel officer in the information center. That man's name was Kermit Tyler. He was a lieutenant in the United States Army.

And that lieutenant took that information and he started to think about what that could be. And that lieutenant knew that there was a pack of B-17 bombers that were going to fly in, but they were scheduled for later in the day. So he just kind of thought in his own mind that maybe this was those bombers coming in early.

And so he didn't really do anything about it. He didn't sound an alarm to anyone else. He just took the info and didn't go anywhere with it.

That was at 7.02 a.m., and at 7.55, Pearl Harbor came under attack. That day, 2,400 American soldiers and sailors would lose their lives. It was a Sunday morning, and some of them, no doubt, were preparing for their church service.

Some of them were on duty, maybe on maintenance on one of the ships. They tried to get to their battle stations, but many were trapped in their ships. Some ships rolled over, others caught fire.

And you've probably seen that famous picture of the ship burning, the flag there, it's the USS West Virginia, and that ship was damaged beyond what they thought it would be. The USS Arizona is still in the bottom of the ocean today, and the Japanese won a decisive victory over the Americans. And it could be traced back to this lieutenant who had information, and yet he didn't act on it.

He was a man who he knew there was something out there, but who knows why he didn't go investigate. Maybe it was early in the morning and his coffee hadn't kicked in yet. Maybe it was at the end of a night shift.

I don't know. But for whatever reason that this lieutenant did not act on his information, and historians would go back and look at this man and say that he acted in apathy.

That's what he's known for today and yet apathy if it's in our Christian lives it can be a silent killer it can take a youth group that's on fire for God and slowly pull it away it can take a believer that had a mountaintop experience and got on fire for God and pulled them away from Jesus it can take a youth pastor a pastor pull them away from where they need to be In Romans 13, it gives us this picture of apathy.

And I have three points here this morning and we'll be done. Number one, I want to see what is apathy. Number two, I want to look at what causes apathy.

But number three, what is the answer for apathy? So number one, what is apathy? Romans 13 gives us a picture here in verse number 11.

Verse number 11 says, And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep. Now, I don't know about you, but I love sleep.

In college, man, I really loved my sleep. And some people loved it enough that they did it in class. They did it in chapel.

They did it in church. And I got to be honest with you. Some of the best pictures on my camera roll on my phone are pictures of guys sleeping in class.

For you freshmen, there's a pro tip right there. If you want to get a good picture, just wait until someone falls asleep in class. But I was actually looking earlier.

I have pictures of some people in this room sleeping in class, and I thought about pulling them up, but I thought I better just let them remain anonymous.

But I remember one time I was sitting in Roman's class just upstairs, and Dr. David Zempel, he was teaching the class, and that was in the middle of Christmas. And for those of you BCM students, you know Christmas is the busiest time of year for us.

And so late nights, really early mornings, hard quizzes, and it's all great. But in the middle of Romans, I had a classmate who will remain unnamed, who was sitting in the very front row. And I just remember this guy was struggling.

He finally succumbed to sleep. Well, Dr. Zempel walked up to that table.

He kind of had his head like that and walked up to the table, stopped teaching and just looked at him for about 15 seconds. And all of us started looking around at each other like, what is he going to do? Well, he walked up to that table and he got right under where that guy was and kicked the table right under his elbow.

And that guy jerked awake. I mean, he was up and I don't think he fell asleep for the rest of that class. Well, that sent a message to all the rest of us.

Do not fall asleep in Dr. Zempel’s class. But yet sleep is a good thing.

I love sleep, so do you. But yet spiritual sleep isn't a good thing. Here in this verse, God says, it is high time to awake out of sleep.

Ephesians chapter number 5 says, Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. That's the Bible picture of apathy. But what is apathy?

It can be called spiritual sleep. Webster's Dictionary, actually dictionary.com, not Webster's Dictionary. Dictionary.com, that's a great place.

I guess if it's dictionary.com, they ought to know what they're doing. You know what I'm saying? They would define it as absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.

That's how they would describe apathy. You ever been there in your Christian life? I have.

Where you can maybe come to a youth conference. Maybe you can go to a week of camp. Maybe there's a particular sermon that your youth pastor or your pastor preaches that God just uses in your life.

And you get on fire for God, but slowly that fire fades. That passion is no more. And the Christian life just seems mundane.

Maybe you slip back into areas of defeat. But yet, we've all been there probably at some point in our life. But God gives us an answer here.

So that's what apathy is. That's the definition of apathy if you're taking notes. Then the biblical picture of apathy.

But how does apathy practically work out in our lives? One scholar, he wrote a commentary on this passage of Romans. And he said this.

He said that sleeping Christians can do many things. You ever been around someone who sleepwalks or sleep talks? There's a guy on my team right now.

He's not here. I won't tell you which one of them it is because some of you know who's on that team, who the other night when I was getting ready to fly here, I guess that would have been, what, Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, this guy got up out of bed. We got to bed around 11 o'clock, and about midnight this guy gets out of bed.

And he walks over to the light, and he clicks the light on. And I'm thinking, dude, it's midnight. What are you doing clicking the light on?

And he just strolls right back to bed and gets under his blanket like nothing ever happened. And I'm thinking, dude, I got it. My alarm set for 2.30 a.m.

What are you doing? I get up. I poke the light.

And I was like, he's probably sleepwalking, whatever. And I go back to bed. What about 1 a.m.?

Yes, bless his heart. He stands up, goes to the other light switch, flips that one on, and goes back to bed.

And I'm thinking, okay, whatever. I just left that one on and said, maybe, who knows what's going to happen. I don't want this to happen again.

So I just, I tried to go back to sleep as best that I could.

But that same guy about four o'clock one morning. I wasn't awake. But I heard about this from the third guy on our team just randomly in the middle of the night.

Just engine failure. That's what he said. It's like what in the world.

Like he's dreaming about something good I guess. But I've been there. When I was younger I used to sleepwalk too.

I could tell you stories about that. But did you know people can walk in their sleep. People can talk in their sleep.

And this commentator makes that point. Sometimes someone who is spiritually asleep. He says they can do nothing at all.

Some people who are spiritually apathetic won't be serving Jesus. They might come to church they might sit under preaching they might come to a youth conference. But yet spiritually speaking they're not there.

They're sleeping. When the Bible's opened it seems like God's never speaking to them. Which by the way God says His word will never return void.

And not every single sermon needs to be a life changing sermon but you can hear from God in every sermon. God has something for you in every sermon.

And you know sometimes someone who's spiritually asleep can do nothing at all. Sometimes, this commentator pointed out, someone that is spiritually asleep just goes through the motions. I've been there.

Sometimes someone can go soul winning just to check their box. Sometimes you can get up in the morning and open your Bible just to check your box to say that you did your devotions. But that ought not to be our driving goal in our Christian life, to check the box, just to go through our motions and be a quote-unquote good Christian.

God doesn't want you to have your devotions just to do it. He wants you to have your devotions and get in this book because He wants to meet with you. God doesn't want you to go to church just to sit there like a bump on a log.

He wants to speak to you. God doesn't want you to go soul winning just so you can say you went. He wants you to go soul winning to win people to Jesus.

But yet sometimes we can just go through the motions. Sometimes we can get caught in a routine.

Just doing the same thing over and over. Sometimes it just looks like losing your fervor for Jesus Christ. There's a church in Revelation chapter 3 that lost that.

It's the church of Laodicea. And Jesus came to them and said, You've got a problem. You think you're okay.

You think you're rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. But you don't know that you are poor and wretched and blind and naked. Jesus said, I counsel of you to buy of me gold tried in the fire.

You need to come to me and you need to get to me. And yet sometimes we can lose our spiritual fervor. And we can fall into a spiritual sleep.

You know, some of you are college students. I'll be honest with you. Sometimes Bible college is a good place to spiritually fall asleep.

I've been there. You hear preaching almost every day at Bible college. You are sitting in classes about this book that you have in your hands.

You go soul winning. You have a report you have to fill out on Friday night about how many days did you have your devotions this week. And you can get in that checking the box mentality.

You can get in that mentality of just hiding in the background. You can get in that mentality of going to chapel and not hearing from God. Some of you might go to a Christian school.

And it's the same thing. Christian schools are a good place to fall into apathy. Hey, homeschool is a good place to fall into spiritual apathy.

The devil wants to get you and he wants to get me into apathy wherever we are because it's the silent killer of the Christian life.

Let me ask you this question. Are you more concerned about your comfort or reaching people for Jesus? Hey, listen, we all have our own comfort zone.

We all have our own area of life that we're just comfortable in. But sometimes when God tells us to get out of our comfort zone, we're not willing to take that step. Sometimes when you're at the gas station and God says, go talk to that person about Jesus, we don't do it.

Sometimes when you're out door knocking, you don't really want to be there. I've been there. Where I was out door knocking and I'm standing there thinking, I hope nobody answers this door.

Maybe I can just leave a tract and move on so I don't have to talk to anybody.

And apathy can take so many forms. Hey, let me ask you this question. Does your social media mean more to you than Jesus?

How much time do you spend scrolling on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube? Do you spend more time on Instagram or do you spend more time with Jesus?

Because it's so easy to get on there and doom scroll for hours on end. But let me tell you something. If that is taking the place of Jesus in your life, you have a problem.

Hey, how about your grades? Does your GPA mean more to you than Jesus does? Hey, college student, when you get up on a Wednesday morning, are you more concerned about your Greek quiz or meeting with God?

Because sometimes you generally don't have time to study. Sometimes, maybe you're not this way, but sometimes I would get up in the morning and I would skip my Bible reading and say, I'll do it later, I've got to study.

Maybe you're that way, young person. You know you have a test or a quiz that day and you're more concerned about your GPA than meeting with Jesus.

How about this one? Are you more concerned with a talent or skill that you're trying to develop or Jesus? Hey, basketball is a good thing.

But if basketball takes the place of Jesus, you've got a problem. You've got an idol in your life. Playing an instrument is a good thing.

God can really use that. But if it takes the place of Jesus in your heart and life, you've got a problem.

Many things, many skills that we try to develop in our life, we can elevate them above the very God that gave us the talent.

Basketball is a great outreach tool. Sports are a great outreach tool. Music is a great outreach tool.

But when our tools become more important than the God that gave us the tools, we've got a problem. God wants you to develop your tools. God has gifted each and every single one of you in this room.

Paul told Timothy to stir up the gift that is in you. Hey, listen, if you're under the sound of my voice this morning, the Holy Spirit has given you a spiritual gifting.

And yet you ought to try to learn about that gifting. You ought to develop that gifting. You ought to allow God to reveal that to you.

But yet your gifting is no place for the power of God. Your gifting will not have the power of God if you're not walking with God.

Whatever that might be. We all have different talents that God has given us. It's not only a spiritual gift thing, but a talent.

Talents are great. God wants to use your talents. But yet, we shouldn't elevate that above God.

How about this one? Are you more concerned with making money? Or going to church?

So oftentimes, young people, I've seen it, miss a service in church because they're working a job. They miss their soul winning times because they're sleeping because they have to work later that day.

It's not good. Now maybe it can happen once or twice, but let me tell you something.

Making money ought not take the place of God in your life. I get it. Money is necessary for this life.

But the love of money is the root of all evil. College students, you've got bills to pay. Teenagers, I don't think you probably have many bills to pay, but maybe you do.

I don't know. You've got to save for that future. But money is no substitute for God.

Are you more concerned with your reputation? Or going to an altar. Sometimes I've not gone to an altar because I thought, what will someone think of me?

Moving back, if I needed to go talk to somebody, go talk to a counselor.

I didn't want people to think ill of me. I didn't want people to look at me and think, why is he going forward? Thought he was a pretty good person.

If your reputation means more than Jesus does, There's a possibility you have apathy in your Christian life.

That is what apathy is in some ways that apathy can be fleshed out. But what are some things that can cause apathy? Number two, the causes of apathy, if you're taking notes.

I think there are two things that can cause apathy. We're going to move through this kind of quickly for sake of time. The first thing is, I would say, an internal cause.

The causes of apathy sometimes can be from the inside. What can that look like? Hey, sometimes if you and I live our Christian lives in apathy, it's because we have known sin in our life.

Matthew 24, verse number 12 says, And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Maybe you're dealing with spiritual apathy. Maybe you're harboring sin.

And if iniquity is abounding in your heart and you're holding on to sin, maybe you're not willing to get that sin right with your parents. Maybe you're not willing to go to your pastor that needs to know. Maybe you're not willing to go get right with the dean's office.

But let me tell you something, if you have known sin in your life, maybe it's an issue of moral impurity. Maybe it's an issue of bitterness to someone that you're just not willing to let that go. And yet sometimes those issues of hidden sin, moral impurity and bitterness can be some of the three biggest issues that hinder young people in the Christian life.

Right now I'm on the team with Dr. Jim, War of Special Forces, and just about every week people are coming forward dealing with the moral arena. Most of the time someone's struggling in that arena, it's because they're deeply bitter.

They've been wounded. They've not accessed the grace of God. One person to look at is Joseph in the Old Testament.

I didn't plan on going here, but I'm going to. Joseph in the Old Testament, just think about him. He was wronged by so many people in his life.

He dreamed a dream and his brothers didn't want to hear it his father dismissed it his brothers sold him into slavery potiphar's wife lied about him and got him thrown in prison the butler and the baker completely forgot about him but yet joseph never got bitter genesis chapter 50 he was able to look his brothers in the face and say you meant it for evil but God could use it for good And young person, get this.

If you're struggling with bitterness here this morning, God can work your situation to good. Romans 8, 28.

Hey, listen, young person, maybe you're here and there is filth in your heart. God can clean you up. You can never get clean on your own, but God can get you there.

Heard that message last night. He wants to give you that lift. And known sin in your heart and in your life where iniquity abounds, the love of many shall wax cold.

How about this one. Not only are there internal causes but there can be external causes of apathy. Often times when a believer falls into apathy it could be caused by something external.

It's a slow pulling away of the love for Jesus. John chapter 2 says love not the world neither the things that are in the world for if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him. Hey young person if you're pulled by the world you've got a problem.

And. The world will do whatever it can to pull you away from God the world will do anything it can to make you ineffective for Jesus. Satan wants to use any tool that he possibly can to make sure that you're not a soul winner to make sure that the hand of God is not on your life.

Because the world can draw you away. The Bible says that if we love the world we'll put ourselves at enmity with God. And Satan wants to use the world and the things of this world to draw you away.

Worldly music will draw you away from Jesus. Worldly entertainment will make you more like the world. Young person you ought not want to fit in with this world.

You ought to want to stand different. You're the light. God called you to be a light.

But how brightly are you shining in a world that's lost. For sake of time I'm going to move on. How about this one 2 Timothy chapter number 4.

Paul is talking to Timothy. And he says for Demas hath forsaken me loving this present world. And I think that Demas not only loved the world system but he loved the things of the world.

Young person We live in a materialistic society, and if you buy into that, it'll draw you away.

Hey, listen, there's nothing wrong with an iPhone, but if your life revolves around the latest iPhone, maybe you ought to check that. This world will do anything it possibly can to make you want more.

And materialism can easily set in your heart. 1 Timothy chapter 6 says that the love of money will drown many in destruction and perdition.

Don't go there. Philippians chapter number 2 says for all seek their own not the things which are Jesus Christ's. You know sometimes our own self ambitions our own selfishness will be something that pulls us away from God.

And our own desires our own goals and hopes and dreams and plans and what we want for our life and what we want here in the now will pull us from the place of the blessing of God materialism, worldliness, selfishness. And sometimes it's just a lack of meeting with God. And yet sometimes we value our sleep more than meeting with God.

So apathy could come from an external a sin that we're harboring or maybe an internal sin that we're harboring or an external something trying to pull us away.

But what's the answer? What is the answer to apathy? I see three things here that is the answer to apathy.

You ever grown cold? I have. You ever been in a place where God just seems a million miles away?

I have. He gives us an answer. Let's read this passage one more time.

In verse number 11, And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep. For now is our salvation nearer than we believe. Verse number 12.

The night is far spent and the day is at hand. Number one, the answer for apathy is understand the time. Understand the time.

Hey, young people, we live in a wicked age. We live in an age where the politicians are pushing wicked agendas.

We live in an age where sin is elevated and righteousness is thrown in the dirt. We live in an age that is evil and wicked and ungodly. The night is far spent.

But yet, we're closer to the rapture than we've ever been. Jesus is coming again. We don't know when, but He's coming.

And he's going to rapture us out of here. But yet, we don't know how long we have left. Hey, you don't know how long you have left to live.

I don't. I could hop on a plane tomorrow to California and that plane could crash and I could die. I don't know how long I have left.

And so we need to recognize the times. We need to understand, verse number 11, that it is high time to awake out of sleep. We need to understand the fact that there are people who are lost and they're going to spend an eternity in hell Maybe if we don't tell them.

We need to understand that this age that we live in is the best age in which we can serve Jesus. God has put you on this planet at this time for a purpose. He has people He wants you to reach.

He has steps of faith He wants you to take. And it is high time. It is high time.

Now is the best time to serve Jesus. You don't need to wait until you're 25 to serve Jesus. You can serve Jesus at 13.

11, 15, 19, 20. Young person, God wants to use you where you are. College student, God wants to use you to reach this community.

Hey, young person, God wants to use you in your youth group to be an influence for Jesus Christ. He wants to use you in your community that you come from to reach people with the gospel.

But do you let him? It's high time to wake up. It's high time to see souls that are lost and dying and going to hell and get compassion.

It stirs me a lot when I read the passage where Jesus would look out on a crowd and He would be moved with compassion. Yet how many times do I walk in Walmart and I'm not moved? And there could be 150, 250, 350 people in that store that if they were to get in a car accident, they'd go to hell.

Do I care? Do you care? The night is far spent.

We need to recognize the time.

Jesus wants you to serve Him today and you know what?

Hey let me tell you this serving Jesus is the best thing you'll ever do serving Jesus will bring you joy untold there is joy in serving Jesus the songwriter said and let me tell you when you say yes to Jesus it's always joyful but I've been in the spot where I've said no to Jesus and my life has been miserable when I've done that I've been in the darkness of depression I've been in the darkness of having suicidal thoughts you know where that started?

I said no to God I did I was some of y'all's age I wasn't planning on sharing this either but I believe the Lord wants me to I was some of y'all's age when I said no to God in a step that He told me to take and that spiraled me down I allowed bitterness into my heart when I allowed bitterness in my heart I was bound by sin and just like the prodigal son, I ended up in the far country.

I sat in the parking lot of a grocery store with a.38 revolver in my hand.

I didn't pull the trigger. God was good. But you know where that started?

I said no to God. I allowed the apathy to creep into my life. Oh, I was serving God.

I was going soul winning. I was. But I wasn't meeting with God.

I was checking my boxes. I had gotten in my routine and I had gotten far from God.

Saying no to Jesus will put you like the prodigal son in the far country. But yet when you say yes to Jesus, just think of the prodigal son. He came running home and the father saw him afar off and ran and kissed him.

And young person, maybe you're far from God this morning. When you start coming home, God will run and he'll kiss you. He'll kill the fatty calf.

He'll put a ring on your finger. Put a new robe on you. He'll restore you.

And He wants to use you. You need to understand your times. But number two, you need to cast off the works of darkness.

Verse number 12, The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.

That sin that's been binding you, it doesn't have to bind you anymore. Romans 6 says you're free from sin. You don't have to serve sin.

You have a choice to yield to sin or yield to Jesus. Romans 6, verse 13, I believe.

And yet, the works of darkness can seemingly bind us. But just like we heard last night, there's a law of lift. When we get it God's way, when we do it God's way, we can cast off those works of darkness.

And by the way, you can't do it in your own strength. You need God to do it for you.

But yet God can set you free. He set me free. Not because I'm something special, because believe me, I'm not.

I'm nothing special. Just ask some of these people in this room that know me, I'm nothing special.

But yet God can set you free. I was, I think you've heard this story before, maybe on Wednesday. Dr. Jim used it, but I'm going to say it again.

I was in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, Sunday, Monday. I was there for about a week.

I was at Benny Rubio's church. He's here this morning. And we were conducting the War of Special Forces.

God showed up that week. I mean, we saw God do some great things. And I will never forget, I was in the kitchen after our last war night on Monday night.

And now there's something that to me is really special about last war nights. Normally the church gets pizza. And normally that's really special for me.

Because after the war night, I'm starving to death. And normally they put a pizza in the oven for us. And this youth pastor went above and beyond, let me tell you.

He was out on the bus route, and he swung by Little Caesars, and he got two freshly made pizzas for our team. And he came in, and he brought those, set them down. And I was loving it.

It was a three-meat pizza. I mean, it was great. Stuffed crust.

I mean, the works. It was great. And then we found some chocolate ice cream in the freezer at church, and they told us we could eat it.

And I'm sitting there eating my pizza and had this cup of ice cream in my hand. And one of the team captains, Joe [surname unclear], he calls me.

I'm thinking, dude, I don't want to answer the phone. I got my pizza. I got my ice cream.

And I almost didn't pick up the phone because I was busy doing very important things, as you well know.

But I did answer the phone, and he said, he just got on the phone. He said, Dr. Jim wants you to come to the equipment trailer, like, right now.

You need to hurry. I'm thinking, who broke something? I mean, who broke the trailer?

Like, what's going on? And so the other team captain and I, Stephen Gillmore, we walked out there to the equipment trailer. And there was a prayer meeting.

And I'm thinking, oh, something bad might have happened. And I kind of walk up behind the prayer meeting and they were in a circle.

And Benny's dad was there. He's the pastor of that church. And Benny's brother was there.

And another guy from their church was there. I don't remember his name off the top of my head.

But they were all standing there. Dr. Jim was there.

And they were praying. Once they got done praying, the one guy, he opened up his backpack and he pulled out a PlayStation. And he looked at us and he said, this PlayStation has been pulling me away from Jesus.

He said, my PlayStation has been taking time away from God. And he took that PlayStation, put it above his head, and he smashed it on the concrete.

And broke it. He couldn't turn back. The next day, I walk into chapel on Tuesday morning, this last Tuesday morning, and Benny's brother, his name is Nata, he's on my team, and he walks up to me and he shows me he's got his Xbox in his backpack.

And he said, God led me to break this thing, it's pulling me away from God. Hey, that might seem crazy to you, but hey, listen, I'd rather do something crazy that God led me to do than be not right with God. That's casting off the works of darkness.

Hey young person maybe you need to have a conversation with a parent. Maybe you need to tell them all the junk you've been doing behind their back. Maybe you a college student need to get to the dean's office and get some things right there.

But let me tell you something you'll never never regret casting off the works of darkness. I was at a large ministry in in the state of California. And we've been out there in California and Arizona.

We've done I think five or six weeks. And we were out there doing the War of Special Forces. And there was a kid on my team named Eddie.

Eddie responded on Wednesday on the invitation. I was talking to Eddie and he was dealing with some things that he needed to get right with his parents. I won't go into everything, but there was just a lot there.

And God had broken him over his sin. And I looked at Eddie and I said, Eddie, you know, you need to go talk to your parents. He's like, yeah, I know.

I said, you need to do that today. He looked at me like I was nuts.

And I said, yeah, Eddie, you should do that tonight. Before the war tonight, I want you to talk to your parents.

He was thinking. He looked at me and said, man, I don't want to do that. I said, you want to follow God?

And he said, yeah, sure, I'll do it. And so I didn't get a chance to talk to him that night. The next day was a testimony chapel.

And he got up in front of that whole student body, and he said, you know what? Last night I got some things right with my parents. I told them the junk I've been sneaking behind their back.

And he said, you know what? It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

You know, your parents aren't going to shoot you. I promise that. I thought mine might, but they didn't.

Right? I've been there. I've done that.

I've had to get things right with my parents. Let me tell you something. If you go to your parents, God will meet you there.

And if you have to take some hard steps of faith to get right with God or somebody else, he'll meet you where you are. And he will give you the grace to do what you need to do. The Bible says that God gives grace to the humble.

James 4.8 talks about this. It says draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. But first cleanse your hands ye sinners.

And purify your hearts ye double minded. Be afflicted and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness.

Hey listen you need to get broken about your sin. You need to let God break you about your sin. It's not an emotion you can work up.

But you need to let God afflict you a little bit. If you're here in sin you need to get desperate to get right with God. Number one, we need to realize the time if we're going to have an answer for apathy.

Number two, we need to cast off the works of darkness. But look at the very last verse of this chapter. This is probably the biggest key.

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. That word put on is the same word that means to change your clothes.

And now all of you have pretty much the same t-shirt on here. Most of you do. And you didn't have much of a choice of what you were supposed to wear today.

And so you just put on what you were supposed to. Good job. Sometimes I'll go to my suitcase in the morning because I'm on the road and I don't have much of a choice of what I'm going to wear.

I've got a polo for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. But sometimes when I do have a choice, I make some wrong choices. You know what I'm saying?

I was walking down the hallway over at church one time and I knew I was trying something a little risky with my combo between my shirt, my tie. I had khakis on and I knew it was risky. And Pastor Van Gelderen was walking down the hallway and he said, oh, you're trying something new today, are you?

And I was like, yes, sir, I am. But sometimes we make some bad choices when we decide what to wear in the morning. It might not match.

But yet, let me tell you something. Every morning you better decide to put on Jesus Christ. But put ye on Jesus Christ.

Hey, let me ask you, young person, do you have an active walk with God? When was the last time that you spent time in prayer? And I'm talking more than five minutes.

Psalm chapter 84, the psalmist says that he longs to be in the house of God. He says how pleasant, he uses the word amiable, how amiable, that means pleasant, are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. The tabernacle was where God was.

And that psalmist wanted to be in the very presence of Almighty God. When was the last time that you were in a prayer meeting and knew God was there? When was the last time you opened your Bible and you heard from God?

God promises His Word won't return void. When was the last time you opened your Bible and said, God, would you speak to me today?

When was the last time you read your Bible and it wasn't a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night?

How was your walk with God? Young person, if you're going to get free from apathy, If you're going to get free from besetting sin, you have to have a walk with God. You need to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

With this, and I'm done. Jesus said, he talked about the harvest fields. What did he say about the harvest fields?

He says, the fields are white in the harvest. Would you agree with me that the fields out there, there are people that are ready to get saved. Would you agree with me?

Amen. I want to read you a verse from the book of Proverbs. We know the fields are white.

We know it's harvest time. And God has called us to go into the harvest. Hey, God might not call you to be a preacher, but you ought to be a laborer in the harvest of Jesus Christ.

You ought to be. If you're not, it's actually sin. But Proverbs chapter number 10, verse 5.

This struck me a couple minutes ago. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son. But get this.

But he that sleepeth and harvest is a son that bringeth shame. Teenager, are you bringing shame to Jesus? College student?

Pastor? Are you bringing shame to Jesus? Am I bringing shame to Jesus?

Let me tell you, if you sleep in harvest, You're a son that bringeth shame.

I don't think any of us want to be a son that brings shame. I could guarantee you that there would be nobody in this room that would say, that is my heart's desire, to be a son that bringeth shame. But let me tell you something.

Sometimes I've been a son that has brought shame to my heavenly Father. How about you?