Revelation 3:1-6,14-22 — Is your church suffering through the perils and dangers of complacency and lukewarmness?
Notice two reasons in this passage for the Lord calling on His people to repent, essentially for having disregarded the dangers of complacency:
- Deadness toward God (Revelation 3:3)
- Lukewarmness toward God (Revelation 3:19)
That a church or an individual is weak and struggling spiritually is not a sign to give up and give in. Not at all!
Look at the church in Sardis. They were dead as a church. Only a few individuals had not contaminated themselves with the world. But all was not lost. They still had the opportunity to become overcomers. Jesus called on them to “strengthen the things which remain.” They needed to wake up and remember and hang on and repent.
The Lord rebuked the Laodiceans for their lukewarmness. Then He told them to be zealous and repent.
Lukewarmness and uncaring about the dangers of complacency
- A lukewarm person mixes religion with the world’s ways.
- A lukewarm person is satisfied to be halfhearted in his commitment to God.
- God will not accept halfhearted commitment.
Judgment on this church for succumbing to the dangers of complacency?
Few Christians consider their home congregation ripe for God’s judgment. Maybe that’s fine. Perhaps no congregations have judgment headed their way. Then again, it just may be that God does have reason to judge us as He had to judge Judah. In studying about Judah, let’s not downplay the possibility that their experience has a lesson and a warning for us. To that end, please think seriously about the following reasons why God might judge your home congregation.
Choosing legalism instead of loving God’s Law. Many people despise God’s law by holding it in total disregard. They do not respect it, they do not read it, they do not want anything to do with it. They know they despise His law and they don’t care. Others despise God’s law by having an improper view of it. They see it as a rule book that must be enforced in their lives and the lives of others. Their primary concern is for the specifics of the law, not its Spirit. In their legalistic approach to the Word, they end up trivializing it by not loving it. How do you and your congregation view and relate to the Word of God?
Overlooking obedience. I believe that many, many Christians sincerely love the Word of the Lord. They treasure it. They live by it as best they know. But they are satisfied with that level of obedience. I am that way far too often. None of us dare become complacent about our knowledge of and obedience to God’s will as He has revealed it in His Word. No, we do not need to live in fear and trembling that we are overlooking some unknown element of obedience and discipleship. Rather, we should live joyfully in the assurance that we are striving to live in obedience to what we know. While we should find satisfaction in that, we should also keep on searching the Scriptures and asking God for further knowledge of His will so that we might walk in that also. Does this describe you and your congregation?
Passively going after the previous generation. The people of Judah were judged in part because they erred after the same errors and sins of their fathers. We need to beware of falling into the same life pattern. As Christians with a godly heritage, our task isn’t to preserve the status quo because then we will repeat the errors of our forebearers. God demands that we actively pursue the faith! We must be discerning in taking up the faith of our fathers, building on that which is godly and Biblical as well as casting aside anything which might fall short of that holy standard. How are you and your congregation doing?
Judgment on this nation?
Though we are citizens of an heavenly country, we still live in earthly countries whose sins and shortcomings have a way of influencing us. So ask yourself if these national failings have affected your life in any subtle ways…
Read the full article here: Judgment on Judah and Israel
Search Your Heart for carelessness about the dangers of complacency
- What indicators of death might God see in me?
- What am I losing?
- What shall I do to be vigilant against my own carelessness or failure?
- Am I faithful, even amidst complacency and unfaithfulness?
- When does faithfulness and vigilance require me to relocate?
- How seriously do I listen?
- I want few drinks lukewarm; God wants nobody lukewarm. Am I?
- How accurate is my own evaluation of my own spiritual condition?
- Do I have an open-door relationship with Jesus?
- Do I live as though I were too perfect to repent?
Certain Faithful Ones guarded against the dangers of complacency
“There are certain Jews…these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:11).
“There are certain [Apostolics, Baptists, Methodists, Nazarenes, YourDenominationHere]…”
Not all of God’s people then stood against the sin and apostasy and lukewarmness and spiritual laziness of their day.
Only certain ones.
Not all of God’s people today stand against the sin and apostasy and lukewarmness and spiritual laziness of our day.
Only certain ones.
I want to be one of those Certain Ones who is alert and on guard, resisting the dangers of complacency.
I want to be a true and accurate example and sample of my sort (ie, those Certain Ones, those followers of Jesus, those Christians).
Excerpted and adapted from Certain Jews
