The Silent Killer

Jeremiah 10:21

For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the Lord; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered.

Intro:

In the medical world the number one silent killer is High Blood Pressure. If it goes unchecked, and untreated it will eventually cause heart attack stroke other serious medical problems & even death.

In the church there is a silent killer. That silent killer is called complacency. Complacency will cause serious problems, even death of a church.

Complacency- A self-satisfied state of negligence or carelessness, especially in relation to one’s personal situation.

Complacency Causes Us To Loose Focus

We don’t need to lose focus. It will cause us to loose touch with God, rely on our own strength and forget about what He wants.

“If we lose focus, we lose the vision, and without the vision, we are destroyed.”

Proverbs 1:27-33

When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. 29Because they hated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of the Lord, 30They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. 31Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies. 32For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; 33But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.”

Complacency Causes Us To Make It About Us & What We Have

If we aren’t careful complacency will cause us to focus on what we have rather than the one who gave it to us.

Luke 12:16-21

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Complacency Effects Your Faith

The disciples had it made with Jesus. They had lost sight of their source. It effected their faith.

Matthew 17:14-21

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

20So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Hebrews 6:12

that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Conclusion

Complacency will cause us to lose focus, rely on ourselves, and damage our faith. We cannot afford to become complacent.

Stay focused on the things of The Lord and obey His instruction.