COMPLACENCY IN THE CHURCH
BACKGROUND: The people of the Northern kingdom (Israel), even while thinking themselves secure, stood doomed for their rejection of the Lord and His ways.
TEXT: Amos 6:1-14
INTRODUCTION:
Amos 6:1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
"Woe" is a word of lament. Amos is lamenting the wicked lifestyles of those in Zion, which will result in the captivity and destruction noted in the last part of this chapter.
"At ease" means they were complacent, or had a false sense of security.
"Zion" was the place the temple of God stood in Jerusalem.
"Samaria" was a fortress built on a mountain overlooking Jerusalem
1 Ki 16:24 And he(Omri) bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.
Verse one says they trusted in the mountain of Samaria.
1. Amos preached in a time, which was similar to ours in many ways.
2. The people of Israel felt that they were the greatest nation on earth; the same as many feel about America.
3. The people of Jerusalem felt secure, because of their temple and fortress of Samaria, but they were living to steal murder, commit adultery, oppress the helpless, and follow other gods.
4. In America today sin runs rampant; abortion (the killing of the unborn) has become a way of life. Alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse is out of control, and responsible for the killing of thousands of our people.
5. As a whole, our people are more concerned about material possessions, money, entertainment, the pursuit of pleasure, increased leisure time, etc. than they are anything about God or His church.
Realizing that we have been grafted into the vine, and are now part of the Body of Christ, the Church, I would like to re-word the verse slightly. "Woe to them who are at ease in the Church"
I. THE CHARGE IS COMPLACENCY.
Amos 6:4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;
Amos 6:5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David;
Amos 6:6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
There is a description of complacency here.
(1). Their homes, furnishings, and clothes were the best. v4a
(2). They ate the best of food, and as much as they desired. v4b
(3).Their attention was primarily on things of entertainment and pleasure.v5
(4). They drank intoxicants by the bowl full. v 6
This sounds to me like a description of America today; much of it could also be applied to the church.
(1) We must have the best in the way of homes and furniture, & clothes
(2) We eat the best of food, and to much of it.
(3) Our attention is primarily on entertainment and pleasure.
(4) There is much drunkenness and drug addition in our nation today.
II. THE CAUSE OF COMPLACENCY.
1. The people of Israel had enjoyed a time of great prosperity; they could have one of two reactions:
(1). They could react as most were doing; showing pride and boastfulness. They were living extravagantly, and took all the credit for their prosperity themselves.
(2). They could have reacted in humility, realizing that the blessings of God were the source of what they were enjoying.
2. Their trust was in their military might. v 1 (the mountain of Samaria)
3. They had no serious thoughts. v 3 (The evil day - the day of Judgement)
4. They made the pursuit of prosperity their primary objective. v 4
5. They were not grieved or concerned at all about the condition of their nation. v 6b (the affliction of Joseph - They were not grieved that Joseph was rejected and afflicted by his brethren.) Here, Joseph is a type of Christ, rejected and afflicted by the world.
6. And we are not grieved for a world that afflicted and then rejected Christ!
Note: The causes of complacency in the church are very well described here. We have been raised and live in the most affluent nation in the world. We are accustomed to a lifestyle that would be viewed as extravagant by most of the rest of the world.
1. We trust much in our military might, many in our country seem to have no serious thoughts about anything, least of all their relationship to God.
2. We pursue riches and things as if they will last forever. Most in our country, and in our churches, are not at all grieved over the sins of our nation or churches, or the ever-worsening condition of both.
3. Even in the church, we trust most in our wealth, our buildings, the strength of our denomination and our ability, rather than trusting God.
4. Many of us seldom stop to think about our relationship to God, and what He requires of us.
And we are not grieved for the lost!
III. THE CURSE OF COMPLACENCY.
1. In Amos’ day.
(1). Complacency led to the death of the nation vs 7-14
(2). Complacency caused the people to reject, and fail to carry out, their divine mission.
(3). Complacency denied them their destiny as a great nation.
2. In our day.
(1). Complacency may lead to the death of some local churchs. In Rev 1:20 Jesus said: The seven Lamp-stands are the seven Churches
In Rev 2:5 Jesus said to the church at Ephesus: Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy Lamp-stand out of his place, except thou repent.
(2). Complacency robs the church and God’s people of many energetic and consecrated servants.
(3). Complacency robs us of our joy here, and of our rewards after this life.
(4). Complacency on our part may prevent many people from knowing Christ and having the hope of eternal life. Why? Because we are not grieved about the rejection of Christ in our world.
(5). Jesus was so grieved, that he left heavens glory and died for us, and he sent us to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature". Mark 16:15
IV. THE CURE FOR COMPLACENCY.
1. The first step is to understand the LOVE and MERCY of God.
(1). He loved us enough to send Christ to die for us.
(2). He delights to show mercy to the repentant.
(3). His love and mercy are eternal.
2. We must then contemplate the issues and values of eternity.
(1). We must realize that the soul lives forever.
(2). We must think about where we will spend eternity.
(3). We must begin to live for eternity rather than for now.
(4). We must then act, not just think; it is necessary to accept Christ, and dedicate our lives to Him.
3. We must hear and obey the commands of our Master.
(1). We must seek His will, His command for each of us.
(2). We must learn to recognize Him when He talks to and with us.
(3). We must then obey His directions.
