• a. well what is apathy = lacking passion; blah
  • b. in a word -- lukewarm
  • C. How apathy can destroy us
  • 1. Causes us to be lukewarm about the church
  • 2. Causes us to be lukewarm about reaching the lost
  • 3. Causes us to be lukewarm about righteousness
  • 4. Causes us to be lukewarm about practicing the fruit of the Spirit
IV. THE ENEMY OF SIN
  • A. This may be the most obvious enemy, but sin happens to people who don't know, don't believe and/or don't care
  • 1. Ignorance, Unbelief, Apathy -- all lead to sin
  • 2. If the church practices sin, how can we remain the church?
  • B. Consider just a few verses
  • 1. Heb 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (NKJ)
  • a. a runner does not run a race hampered by weights
  • b. neither can we run the race of life hampered and weighted down by sin
  • 2. Heb 3:12-13 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ""Today,'' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (NKJ)
  • a. one of the reasons we need each other is that we can help help each other avoid having our hearts hardened by sin
  • b. if that happens, sin can cause us to leave God
  • 3. James 5:19-20 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. (NKJ)
  • a. the error of sin can kill the soul
  • b. again, we need each other to help stay on the right track
CONCLUSION
  • A. For the church to move forward, we must recognize and defeat our enemies
  • 1. Long time ago, Pogo, the comic strip character said it: "We have seen the enemy, and he is us."
  • 2. Other people, the government, economics, religious prejudice, and a host of others may work against the church, but the most dangerous enemy of all lies within ourselves
  • B. The four enemies are:
  • 1. Ignorance
  • 2. Unbelief
  • 3. Apathy
  • 4. Sin
  • C. All of these are enemies that we can do something about