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SERMONIntercepting EntropyGod's will for the human spirit is that it would never suffer entropy.John Ortberg
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Text: The Book of Proverbs
Topic: The natural inclination to deteriorate, and God's will for us to take action
From the editor
John Ortberg is a master communicator, whether through preaching or through writing. Preaching Today is blessed to have him as an editorial advisor and regular contributor. As you read this newest sermon from John, look for a few things: his redemptive use of humor (he's one of the best at this), the great lengths to which he'll go for clarity's sake (notice how he is always careful to define things), and his mastery at application (when you notice the transition into application, you'll see that this sermon fits his audience in California like a glove).
Introduction
One of the wisest people I know is a man named Max Depree. For many years he was the CEO of an innovative Fortune 500 company called Herman Miller. Depree has written classic books on leadership and anchored the board of trustees at Fuller Seminary for 40 years. Max is asked to speak a lot about leadership, and at one session somebody asked him what the most difficult thing was that he personally had to work on. This was Max's response: "It's the interception of entropy."
Max's reply is where I got the title for this sermon. I now deeply regret the title, because all week long I've had people with advanced degrees in physics or mechanical engineering come up to me and ask, "Do you know what entropy is?" I believe entropy is a term from physics that has something to do with the second law of thermodynamics and the availability of energy. It speaks to the fact that the universe is winding down. If that's not technically correct in your field, I don't care. Some of you will have a burning passion after this message to help me be better informed about what entropy really is. I just want you to know: I don't care. For this message, here's the loose definition that we're using for entropy: everything that is left to itself has a tendency to deteriorate.
Entropy is a great enemy of the human spirit.
If you have ever bought a new car and driven it off the lot, you've witnessed entropy. You lose several thousand dollars as soon as it goes off the lot, because things have a way of deteriorating on their own. If you've ever seen a group of kids on summer vacation, you've noticed that by late August, when they're sitting around somebody's house and one of them says, "What do you want to do?" everybody else says, "I don't know; what do you want to do?" That's entropy. Everything when left on its own—when not given attention and energy—has a tendency to deteriorate. That's the way it works in human life. When you become apathetic or complacent or settle for the path of least resistance in some area of life, entropy sets in and dreams die and hopes fade. Then a terrible thing happens: you learn you can live with mediocrity. It's not a great life, but you can tolerate it.
Entropy is a great enemy of the human spirit, so the writers of the Book of Proverbs have a lot to say about it. One thing they say is that the wise person is always on the lookout for early signs that entropy is setting in. Proverbs 27:23–24 shows us the picture of someone who has livestock and how they need to monitor its condition. Though the words speak of livestock, they are true in any area of life: "Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations." Everyday you have to be on the lookout for entropy. Though things might have been okay yesterday, that doesn't mean they stay okay forever. Put any important area of your life on autopilot, and risk entropy that is both subtle and destructive.
Over the years Max Depree has made a list of the signs that entropy is advancing. I want to read a few of the signs to you:
- A tendency toward superficiality
- Unresolved tension in key relationships
- No longer having time for celebration and ritual
- Confusing heroes and celebrities
- A loss of gratitude
- A vague, chronic sense of guilt
Entropy can damage every area of life: our friendships, our work, our families, our characters, and our finances. Entropy can certainly damage a church. When a church first gets started, it's a little group of people whose dream is to be used by God to touch their community. They realize there are poor people who could be helped; there are children that need to learn about God; there are people who are a million miles away from God and need to be reached, prayed for, and brought into the community to meet Christ. Over time, though, a really bad thing happens: entropy sets in and the dream dies. Entropy takes over in the church and the focus shifts from "What's God calling us to do in this world?" to more internal things. People go from living as servants to being consumers. They start to argue over stuff that doesn't matter.
God calls everyone to action in life.
God's will for the human spirit—for individuals, families, workplaces, and churches—is that it would never suffer entropy. That's why much of the Book of Proverbs deals with this problem. Consider Proverbs 24:30–34. The writer says:
I went past the field of a sluggard,
past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw …
A little while ago, my wife kidnapped me and took me to Nappa Valley for a romantic, overnight getaway for just the two of us. I had never been to Nappa Valley before. It's lovely. What struck me as I was going past the vineyards was all of the thought and action that went into the rows of vines. A fruitful, productive vineyard is a thing of beauty. But here's the thing about vineyards: they don't just happen by themselves. Vineyards don't just spring up by accident. Someone is behind them.
The writer of Proverbs 24:30–34 says: I was going past a vineyard, and it was a mess. There were thorns all over the place, the grounds were covered with weeds, and the walls were falling down.
To understand the angst behind this proverb—to understand what we're dealing with today—you have to understand that in the ancient Middle East, a piece of land capable of growing crops was one of the most valuable things in the world. To be the owner of a vineyard was to be blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime.
Entropy, then, starts with the failure to comprehend that this is my one and only chance at existence on this planet. Everybody gets a vineyard. When you were born, you got a vineyard. You got your body, your mind, your will, and some relationships. You got financial resources and the chance to do some good work. You got a soul. Everybody gets a vineyard, and that vineyard is my one and only shot on this planet. It's the opportunity of a lifetime, and I don't even have to care for it on my own. God will partner with me.
Nonetheless, God never forces anybody to take action and care for their vineyard. The writer of this Proverb says, "I was walking past a vineyard, and I thought of what it might have been." He sees that the vineyard could have been a thing of beauty. It could have been a source of pride, joy, and income to the owner. It could have been a blessing to everybody around it, because in ancient cultures a place that grew things that people could eat or drink from was a blessing to everybody. But the vineyard the writer observed wasn't any of those things. It fell tragically short of what it might have been. The writer wonders why: Was there some catastrophe? Was there a drought, flood, fire, or some other disaster? No. It was just sheer negligence on the part of the owner of the vineyard. He had no idea what he had. He was throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime. That's the strange power of entropy. It's not even a thing. It's sheer neglect, and people throw their lives away because of it everyday.
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