ARE YOU STAGNANT?
INTRODUCTION: Stagnant means sluggish, motionless and inactive. This might be an accurate description of some people’s Christian walk. Line in a movie: “I just want to live mindlessly from day to day.” Some people are doing just that. They’re not living; they’re simply existing. They’re not engaging; they’re not bettering themselves or anyone else around them. They’re not doing anything with the new life that God gave them. If that describes any of us here today we need to move beyond stagnation and into stimulation.
1) What causes stagnation?
• Laziness (I don’t want to do it). We have been conditioned to be lazy these days. All the modern conveniences that make our life easier have also afforded us the opportunity to develop laziness. We don’t have to get up to change the channel anymore. We get to stay in our La-Z-Boy recliners and push a button. Everything’s automatic and we don’t have to exert ourselves as much anymore, giving us more time to relax and take it easy. All of this can make it easier to slip into stagnation. Mind you, there’s a difference between being tired and being lazy. We need to have balance in our life. We need to take time and rest. But we can also use it as an excuse and get too comfortable, spending more time resting than we should. Someone once said, “The person that can distinguish between being tired and being lazy will go far.” Laziness causes us to become stagnate.
• Apathy (I don’t care to do it). When I’m lazy I can care about something but not put forth the effort to get it done; it’s not a priority. When I’m apathetic, I could care less whether something gets done or not; it’s not important. Nothing inspires me; I’m not enthusiastic about the things of the Spirit. There’s no excitement, there’s no passion. I’m not affected by my lack of motivation to get up and do something. I’m indifferent, complacent; I’m slothful. Apathy causes stagnation.
• Doubt (I can’t do it). We can become stagnant through being in the grip of defeatism. We become entangled in the lies of Satan and we are too afraid to try; lest we fail. We don’t dare venture out of our comfort zone because we’re haunted by the times we’ve tried and failed. It’s best to give up trying to accomplish anything for God since I’m just doomed to fail anyway. When we fall into the trap of debilitating doubt we’ve fallen into the trap of stagnation.
• Sin. 1st Cor. 3:1-3. When we’re giving ourselves over to sin, we stunt our spiritual growth. When we are still worldly we prohibit our progression. Paul had set up the Corinthian church a few years prior to this. But, unfortunately, they had not progressed as they should have. They were stuck in the mud of sin. One of the ways we can tell if we’re in stagnation mode is when we’re comfortable with the sin in our life. When sin starts to bother us less and less we’re in trouble. Instead of feeling conviction we feel apathy. The progression of sin stagnates our life.
2) What will happen?
• We will be ineffective and unproductive. 2nd Pet. 1:3-11. Stagnation will not pursue any of these qualities. In my stagnate state I’m not pursuing goodness. I’m not trying to increase my knowledge. I’m not exhibiting self-control. I’m not trying to persevere; none of these things. Therefore, since I’m not in hot pursuit of these qualities I will be ineffective and unproductive. And if I’m this way Peter calls me nearsighted and blind to the fact that I’ve been cleansed from my sins; otherwise if that was my focus instead of myself (which is what stagnation is wrapped in) I would be striving to acquire these precious gems of God. Titus 3:14, “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.” If I’m stagnated I’m not devoting myself to doing good; I’m devoting myself to ineffectiveness and being non productive.
• We will waste away. Stagnate-rust, rot, decay, decline. When we’re doing nothing, something is happening; and it’s not good. There really is no stop and stay; we’re either moving forward or we’re moving backward. We’re either becoming stronger or we’re becoming weaker. Being inactive will cause me to spiritually rot and decay. And in that process I open myself up to Satan. Matt. 12:43-45. The man had been swept clean; this is a picture of forgiveness where the slate has been wiped clean by Jesus. However, the man didn’t do anything with it and because he didn’t progress, he regressed and the evil spirits came rushing back, more than before, making his final condition worse than in the beginning. Notice something: it wasn’t the sin in his life that invited the evil spirits back in, it was the lack of action he took to replace the old with the new. We might think we’re doing okay just because we don’t sin like we used to. But if we aren’t adamant about replacing the old ways with new ones we are in danger. Ecc. 10:18, “If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.” Just as a house will fall apart if it gets neglected so it is with us. If we are lazy in the faith we will deteriorate and waste away. If we think we can do nothing and be okay we’re badly mistaken. Think about it: a marriage doesn’t always come to an end because of abuse or infidelity. Often times it’s a slow process where a spouse doesn’t put anything into the relationship and it declines to the point of divorce. Or what about our health? A person can be sick without doing destructive things to their bodies like abusing drugs or alcohol. I can get sick because I’ve neglected to take care of my body and that neglect catches up to me and I have a heart attack. Staying stagnate will cause me to waste away.
• We will lose what we have. Matt. 25:14-30 (summarize but read vs. 26-30). You’ve heard the phrase, ‘use it or lose it’. If we don’t want to put to good use the gifts and talents God gives us then we risk them being taken away. God calls us to use what he’s given us and if we choose to bury those talents we are in jeopardy of losing them. John 15:5-8. We are called to bear fruit. Stagnation is not a fruit bearer. No dead branches will remain on the vine of Christ. If we’re not bearing fruit then we’re not showing ourselves to be his disciples and we risk being cut off. Persisting in our stagnation will cause us to lose what we have.
3) Going from stagnated to stimulated.
• We need to be woken up. Rev. 3:1-3. The church in Sardis had become stagnant. They looked alive but the fact was they were dead. Jesus was there to motivate them with a wake-up call to repentance. In order to be stimulated we need to have our eyes opened to our condition. We need to be aware of how deteriorated we’ve allowed ourselves to become. We need a dose of reality. We need to have a sense of urgency inside of us that sees things as they are and also where things could be if we don’t do something about it. When the doctor says stop smoking or die that might wake us up and we will be motivated to quit. Someone once said, “The most motivated person in the world is a 5 foot 10 inch non-swimmer in 6 feet of water”. If need be, God will use discipline to wake us up and get our attention. Heb. 12:9-13. Verse 12-I have feeble arms and weak knees because I’ve been stagnate, they haven’t been used. Through the discipline of God I can gain strength. I need to stop being lame and disabled and be healed so I can get busy. Who among us today has feeble arms and weak knees? Who is spiritually lame and disabled? Respond to God’s Spirit who is trying to wake you up through discipline so that you can be healed and productive. Sometimes God will use others to wake us up. Heb. 10:24, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Getting spurred would wake me up and get me moving like it would a horse. When God is using someone to highlight and address my stagnation I need to take heart and respond to what I’m hearing. If I am going to go from stagnation to stimulation I first need to be woken up.
• We need to be renewed. Psalm 51:10-12. David wanted his heart purified and his spirit renewed. He wanted to be steadfast, he wanted to be dedicated. He wanted the joy of salvation restored to him. Losing the joy of salvation will stagnate. But when we are renewed we are stimulated. Thomas Jefferson said, “When the heart is right, the feet are swift.” We need that renewed sense of purpose. We need to understand that God’s got a purpose for all his followers. God’s purpose for us isn’t to be comfortable. Our baptism wasn’t the fulfillment of a quest it was the beginning of a journey. We are called to be like Christ, something that will take the rest of our lives to do. Therefore, we will always be able to improve something. There will always be someone to help. There will always be work to do. With a renewed heart and a steadfast spirit I will be more motivated to get busy for Jesus. I can’t be stimulated if I’m not renewed.
• We need to be compelled. 2nd Cor. 5:14-21. To be compelled is to be bound by a sense of duty. We have a duty to be like Christ. Christ’s love compels, it obligates us to respond to that love by living for him instead of ourselves. The love that redeemed us should drive us to live the new way as a new creation. We need to be compelled to be a proper ambassador, a correct representative for Jesus. We need to be compelled to fulfill our calling as ministers of reconciliation. We need to be compelled to fulfill our calling as Christians. Matt. 9:35-38. Jesus saw all these people who needed salvation and he had compassion on them. His purpose was to show them the way to be healed. Sometimes our excuse to stay stagnant is, ‘someone else will do it’. Jesus, however, alerted us to the reality that there are millions of people who need Jesus. Millions who are harassed by Satan and helpless because they have not been shown the way. Millions who are sick and diseased by sin. Jesus is telling his disciples to pray that more are willing to go into the harvest field. That more see the sense of urgency that millions are dying in their sin. That more have the passion to get out of their comfort zones and spread the good news. Jesus gave us the great commission and that was to go and make disciples. Why do I think that doesn’t include me? I might need to ask myself, ‘why aren’t I compelled by the love of Christ to do what he is calling me to do?’ Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” We need to see that if we’re stagnant evil is winning. If we are going to move from stagnation to stimulation we need to be compelled.
CONCLUSION: Someone once said, “Some people stand on the promises; others just sit on the premises”. Let’s not be pew sitters. On God’s team there are no spectators, only players. We’re not to be on the sidelines but the front lines. Are we striving to live up to our potential in Christ? Are we out there rolling up our sleeves and bringing in the sheaves or are we sitting back watching the parade go by? Let’s get off the bench and get in the game. Let’s move beyond stagnation and become stimulated to make a difference.
