DRAGGING YOUR FEET CAN WEAR OUT YOUR SOUL.

INTRO:.

1. Did you ever ride a bicycle that had no brakes?

2. I have had such experience in times past.

3. Do you know how to stop a bike that has no brakes?

4. Just drag your feet!

5. One boy had such a bike with no brakes.

A. He had a friend that always wanted to ride with him.

B. This friend would sit on the luggage carrier over the back fender.

C. The boy peddling would provide all the muscle power to get them from place to place.

D. The boy on the rear would drag his feet to stop them at their destination.

E. So, actually one of them was providing the "go power" and the other boy was just "dragging" his feet.

1) We will grant that in this case, the boy dragging his feet was supplying a needful service under the circumstances.

6. Do you know who wore out the soles of his shoes in this partnership? A. You guessed it, the boy who was dragging his feet.

B. For you see, dragging his feet wore out the soles of his shoes.

I. THE MORAL OF THIS STORY:

A. Some people in the church are trying to keep the church growing and moving forward.

B. Such people are peddling the bike or supplying the "go power" for the work.

1. They do the teaching in the classes.

2. They make personal visits to the homes of each and every student in their class and keep the parents informed about the progress of their child in the class.

3. They check up on those that are absent, each time they are absent.

4. Such people are interested in the souls of their fellowman.

5. They give out tracts.

6. They study the Word of God with their neighbors and friends.

7. They participate in every thing that they possibly can that will cause the church to grow.

8. They not only do all these things themselves, they encourage others to do the same.

9. They are always looking for some way to gain souls for Christ.

10. They are never critical of the efforts of others but are always there with a kind word and a helping hand.

C. But on the other hand, there are those in the church that are "dragging their feet."

1. They do not make any effort to teach their friends and neighbors.

2. They do not offer to teach classes.

3. They do not visit the sick or others that need visiting.

4. They are critical of every suggestion, or effort put forth by others.

5. They criticize any effort that is put forth to help brethren be closer to one another and enjoy one another's company.

6. By such criticism, they create fear and doubt among the brethren and create an aloofness toward one another.

7. Therefore, where brethren use to get together and enjoy one another's company and encourage one another, now they are afraid to do so because of criticism by the feet draggers.

a. Such criticism and nit-picking among brethren helps to bring about cliques, clans, special groups, and partyism in the church.

8. And when this is full grown, it will generate strife, division, and internal weakness in the church.

9. Such people, ;by their behind-the-back talk, and their critical actions, are "dragging their feet."

a. They get down on the preacher so they begin to talk around privately about how to get rid of him.

b. And in so doing they are wearing out their souls.

c. Not only theirs, but also those that will pay attention to them.

II. CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS. Eph. 2:10.

A. Yes, when we became Christians it was for the purpose of doing good works whereby we might safe our souls and the souls of others.

1. It should never cross our minds that we should "drag our feet" and thereby impede the progress and growth of the church.

2. The Lord says in His word, "it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing." Gal. 4:18; 2 Cor. 9:8 Col. 1:9,10; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:11,12.

a. Are you zealously affected as a Christian?

b. Are you engaged in good works?

c. Are you helping to provide the "go-power" for this congregation?

d. Or, are you "dragging your feet"?

e. Remember the moral of the story is: DRAGGING YOUR FEET CAN WEAR OUT YOUR SOUL!

III. WE ARE TRULY BLESSED:

A. Yes, we are truly blessed in this congregation with people, both old and young, that are willing to help provide the "go-power" for serving the Lord.

B. It is the obligation of the church to train its own leadership.

1. Therefore, it is wonderful to see so many taking an active part in the work.

C. But wherever you have activity going on, you are going to find some that want to be critical and want to "drag their feet."

1. Such are afraid to launch out and do more and better things for the cause of the Lord.

2. Therefore, they are critical of anything that others might suggest that would cause the work of the Lord to go forward.

3. They are also "worriers", always looking for the bottom to fall out and emergencies to arise.

a. Therefore, they want to build up a large bank account in the Lord's treasury and sit on it waiting for that "rainy day" to come along.

b. I know of congregations that have many thousands of dollars in the treasury but will not give any of it to help with the spreading of the gospel.

c. Brethren, the Lord's treasury is not a banking institution in which money is to be stored and increased.

d. It is only an interim place where money given by brethren can be received and then disbursed to the needs that arise. A growing church is a sowing church. The seed is not to be kept in the sack.

4. I am truly thankful that we have some brethren that have a desire to furnish the "go-power" to cause the gospel of the kingdom of the Lord to be spread among men.

a. Men that have a vision for the Lord's work and that lead on in the right direction.

CONCLUSION:

Let us not be "dragging our feet", thereby wearing out our souls, but let us be peddling to supply the "go-power" in the service of our Lord.

By Jim Sasser

Return to Jim Sasser's Outlines page

Return to the Sermon Outlines page

Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /