Sermon for 9/12/2010
HoHum:
There was a Canada goose flying across the farm land of Kansas on a fall day. For whatever reason it had gotten separated from the rest of its flock. But as the goose flew it spied the pond of Farmer Jones. Farmer Jones had Toulouse geese in his pond. If you know anything about Toulouse geese – they are heavy bread – so heavy that they don’t fly. The Canada goose – even though it was a different shape and color then the other geese on the pond soon found that it was soon accepted and became part of the flock. He stayed for a day, then a week, then a month, and then it turned into the entire winter. Farmer Jones was married to a kind and gentle wife. Every day she would take a bucket of cracked corn out to the pond and would feed the geese. The Canada goose enjoyed the lifestyle.
Finally spring was approaching and the wild geese were flying north again. The goose looked up – he could hear the honks of geese flying by and he was stirred with a strange thrill to join his old comrades in flight. But try as he might he could not get off the ground. He had become so soft and heavy that he could not rise to be with his old friends and family. So he dropped back to the pond again and said to himself, “Oh, well, my life is safe here and the food is good.” But every fall and every spring when he heard the wild geese honking overhead, his eyes would gleam for a moment and he would flap his wings. He did this for many years until one day he paid no attention to them.
WBTU:
A. Complacency is a smug satisfaction with an existing situation and/or condition.
B. I grew up on a small farm in Northern Indiana and I loved my childhood. I wasn’t that interested in the Lord when I became a teenager. I was complacent in spiritual matters. The Lord allowed the situation to change when we moved to Indianapolis.
E. My longest ministry was at a church in North Carolina and that was for about 6 years. I enjoyed getting to know the people and to be there during their highs and lows of life. I looked forward to spending time developing relationships with them and to making contacts with friends and family that they knew and sharing the gospel with them. At the end of that ministry the leadership came to me and said that I was too complacent and that I needed a change.
F. If there was any complacency in me, the past couple of years have changed my heart and my outlook. I don’t believe I am the only one that has had the smug satisfaction with the status quo knocked out of me. The times they are a changing.
G. I believe the Lord is taking us out of our comfort zones whether we like it or not. A comfort zone is like one office chair that I had. There was a rut in the carpet on which that chair rested. No matter how I shifted positions, it seemed that the chair gravitated back to the same old spot. It wasn’t an uncomfortable position. It was familiar. It was kind of aggravating to think that I always seemed to sink back into the same old rut in that carpet. Sounds like a lesson for life.
H. Jesus will not be satisfied with followers who yearn for the same old familiar, predictable, comfortable ruts of mediocre living. That mode of thinking and living were not the picture of the early church.
Thesis: Does the Bible give us a picture of complacency? And why should we not be complacent?
For instances:
I. A Biblical picture of complacency
Amos 6:1, 4-7
A. Amos ministered during a prosperous time in the life of the nations of Israel (north) and Judah (South). The long reign (41 years) of Jeroboam II was a time of wealth and expansion for the nation of Israel. Jeroboam the son of Joash was one of the better kings among the wicked kings - especially in a political and military sense - but he was still an ungodly man, committing the sins of his namesake Jeroboam.
B. King Uzziah (also Azariah) ruled over Judah for a long time (52 years). He was a godly king until later in his life when his pride got the best of him. He started building projects and organized the army. Under his leadership, the nation of Judah prospered greatly.
C. Overall this was a time of peace, prosperity and expansion for the Jews, God’s people.
D. Amos ministered in the northern nation of Israel. While many were doing well, the spiritual state of the nation was suffering terribly. One of the main problems was complacency. They had the best furniture and beds (lazy boys). They had the best food (great buffets). They had so much they were able to devote time to entertainment and music. They had the finest personal hygiene products and were able to put a lot of time and money into their appearance.
E. Does any of this sound familiar? Vs. 6 says that they did not care about the spiritual and moral decay around them.
F. We have what is being described by Amos but like vs. 7, it is beginning to be taken away. Think about the past 10 years. We began the new millennium with celebrations and a spirit of optimism. Things were going great. Then came 9/11. The ocean no longer separates us from those who seek to destroy us. We are not as secure as we once were. After this came wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military is a place of sacrifice, no longer an easy profession. Think about the economy. Some of us grew up in a day when a man went to work at one place and worked there until retirement, and a good retirement at that. Now we better not be complacent when it comes to our jobs because there is a good chance they will be gone soon. Many of our sons and daughters have to move away to find good paying jobs. Our great economy seems to be shrinking and not expanding. We have to tighten our belts. Our families are being destroyed by adultery, divorce, violence, and drugs. Churches seem more concerned with their own matters than the saving of souls. In the government we see massive changes with one party saying they are the answer but when they get into power we see that they are not. Things are changing at lightning speed.
G. This past Sunday night we heard about conditions in Zimbabwe. I can remember growing up hearing those words every child heard when we complained about not wanting to eat what was being served for dinner- “You need to eat your vegetables. There are children in Zimbabwe who are starving right now.” My first reaction was usually to think, “How is my eating this plate of food going to help them?” My second reaction was usually to think, “How about if we just stick this food in an envelope and ship it off to them?”
H. Unfortunately, being aware of others who are in need does not always make us more appreciative for what we have. Though it should, it doesn’t. Being aware of people in the world who are suffering famine doesn’t seem to make us appreciate that we have plenty of food. Being aware of Christians in the world who are being persecuted for their faith doesn’t seem to make us appreciate that we have freedom of religion. Being aware of people in the world who have no family or friends doesn’t seem to make us appreciate that we have both.
I. Sadly, it seems that often the only thing that makes us appreciate something is having it removed from our own lives for a while. Think about it. When do we most appreciate the fact that we enjoy electricity and running water? It’s after we have had one or the other unavailable for a while. It seems like we are on just the beginning of losing some of our wonderful conveniences and freedoms. We need to wake up. Don’t know what we have until it’s gone.
J. In the prophets, God rebuked his people for ignoring the needs of people around them. Because they did this, vs. 7 happened.
K. In this community, many of us have our families around us, we have all of the comforts that money can buy, and we are blessed. However, this could lead to complacency about many things. The worst kind is complacency about spiritual matters. If the Christian faith and morals are taken away, look out the foundations are crumbling. May we do what we can to make a difference in this area? May we not look back and lament the fact that we did so little.
II. Why should we not be complacent?
1. This is our temporary home.
A. Amos 3:15 I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished," declares the LORD.
B. 2 Peter 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
C. Carrie Underwood song- Old man, hospital bed The room is filled with people he loves he whispers don't cry for me I'll see you all someday He looks up and says "I can see God's face" This is my temporary Home It's not where I belong Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through This was just a stop, on the way To where I'm going I'm not afraid because I know this was My temporary home.
2. Everything we see is temporary.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
So what?
In our day we are beginning to see a lot of the comforts and prosperity leaving. We are seeing a lot of insecurity because of the conditions. This is not a bad thing. This will remove complacency and knock us out of our comfort zones. Two responses:
1. Upset with God
A. Jeremiah 5:12 They have lied about the LORD; they said, "He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.”
B. Hosea 6:1 Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us;
he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
2. Trust in God and do what we can.
A. Proverbs 14:26 He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.
B. Micah 6:8- And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
