Welcome to the InTouch podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, July 1st. Are you preoccupied with what you think is right? A self-centered focus undermines our effectiveness for the gospel. Take a moment to evaluate your perspective as we're cautioned against complacency. If you'll turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 4.
And Paul is talking about complacency in the life of the church or in the life of believers. And he begins by saying. You're already filled, you've already become rich, you've already become kings without us, and I would indeed that you'd become kings so that we also might reign with you, which is sort of a sarcastic way of saying it. For I think God has exhibited us apostles last of all as men condemned to death. because we've become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.
We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are distinguished, but we are without honor. At this present hour, you are both hungry and thirsty and are poorly clothed and are roughly treated and are homeless. We toil working with our own hands.
When we are reviled, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure. When we are slandered, we try to conciliate. We've become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now. The Corinthian church, in fact, was the church that Paul had more trouble with than all the other churches he ever went to.
They were boastful, they were proud, they were arrogant. One of the attitudes that was so evident among them was that they were very complacent. smug in their relationship to God.
So, when you and I begin to think about what is it that causes us to be complacent, what is it about us that having the great commission? And saying that we believe this book from cover to cover, how is it we can be so satisfied being so personally uninvolved in winning the world to Jesus Christ when God says it is hell-bound without Him? It's very simple. We're very complacent, and I think there are two primary reasons we get complacent. Number one, we take God's blessings for granted.
Now, watch this. We take God's blessings for granted. Secondly, because we take men's applause and recognition too seriously. And one is about as bad as the other, taking God's blessings. for granted and taking men's recognition and their applause too seriously.
Both of them cause complacency. And what happens is we become complacent, we become desensitized. and our relationships to others desensitized in our relationship to God, and we just sort of settle down in enjoying life. But you see, the one thing if you'll recall that Paul talked about in this first and second chapter, over and over and over again, he says, but you keep seeking the wisdom of the world. And what had happened to them was they had allowed the world to creep in until they were no longer a threat to the people of Corinth.
They were so much like the rest of the Corinthians that to be a Corinthian and to be a Christian wasn't really that too far separated. And so they had settled down in their complacency. They were accepted by the city, and they accepted the city. And after all, nobody's perfect. And they had begun to do what complacency always evolves into, and that is compromise.
Complacency always breeds compromise. That is, well, it isn't so bad after all. Before complacency comes, there is a sensitivity to things of God. We're sensitive to Him, sensitive to others, sensitive in our own heart, sensitive to sin. But you see, when we take the blessings of God for granted and too seriously the applause of men, we begin to get a little smug and satisfied.
And after all, listen. When we acknowledge the applause of men, what is the natural result? We don't want to hinder that. We don't want to break that up. We don't want to lose that.
We don't want to threaten that.
So we compromise our conviction to keep the applause coming. And nothing can so stifle or deaden the church. Than that kind of compromise. And so, this is exactly what was happening to them here.
Now, listen to what Paul says. First of all, he says: here's what's happened to you. In your prosperity and in your plenty, and in your position, your position of compromise. He says you're sitting smugly, but he says you are complacent about the things of God. Paul says, here's where you are, but verse 9, here is the contrast.
Now listen. He says, We're fools for Christ's sake, that is. From the world's point of view, they say, well, that's a bunch of fools. In fact, look at Paul. Educated as he was, statesman that he was.
And he says, I've thrown all that aside for one thing. I want my life poured out for Jesus Christ.
Well, that'd be foolish to some folks. When Paul was stoned in Lystra. You know what he did? He just got up and brushed it off. Got patched up, went back the next day preaching.
He says, we have become the scum of the world, the dregs, the scum. He says that's what we are. And Paul says, I'm not even complaining. You know why? Because he knew that all of this was the way the world saw him.
But Paul knew that he was a prophet of God, a child of God, committed to Jesus Christ, and the only thing that mattered to him was that Jesus Christ be seen in his life.
Now watch this. What a contrast. Plenty. Prosperity, position, Pleasure. On the other hand, fools.
Dead men walking around. Poorly clothed. Hungry. Thirsty. Reviled.
Criticized, persecuted. He says the scum of the earth The dregs the very bottom. What a contrast. That's what the Christian life and the ministry that God called Paul to required of him. And watch this.
And Paul submitted to whatever God required of him, and he lived that life victoriously. He says, I fought a good fight. I've kept the faith. I've finished the course. I'm ready to go home.
God is interested in our walking in absolute faith and obedience to Him. That's all He's interested in. He's not interested in the acclaim and the praise and all that stuff. That is all foolishness and froth. God is interested in men and women walking in faith and obedience to Jesus Christ.
Now, listen. We need to be obedient to God where He's put us with what He's given us. If God's made you rich, He's made you rich to give it away. It isn't how much you have, it's what you're doing with what you have. And what you're doing with what he keeps giving back, and if you keep giving it and he keeps giving and you keep giving, he keeps giving, you don't have to feel guilty about that.
Here's what complacency does. Really beginning to enjoy the things of God. And finally, complacency. begins to be concerned about its security. It closes its fist on the blessings of God.
only one day to open them and find out that what was there has become ashes. You want to keep the flow, then you have to keep your hand open. Because you see, you and I don't belong to us, and whatever's in your hand doesn't belong to you, it belongs to Almighty God. And as long as God's people keep their eyes upon Him and their heart upon others. If he amasses wealth in your life, If he blesses you financially, it is because he wants you to be a channel.
Let me ask you one question, my friend. What under God's name are you giving away? Did you know you can backslide and be absolutely totally out of God's will going to Bible studies? If the only thing you're doing is running the Bible says to get this knowledge and this knowledge and this knowledge and this knowledge and not allowing God to pour through your life into somebody else's life. What you're gaining.
You can get complacent sitting in the most fired-up church in the world. If your life isn't being poured out into somebody else's life.
Well now Paul says There are four things in the latter part of this chapter. I want to run through them briefly. Listen to this. And I think there are principles here all of us ought to catch on to. Look, if you will, beginning in verse 14.
He doesn't say, Therefore, you complacent Corinthians, I wish God would wipe you out. He says, I don't write these things to shame you. but to admonish you as my beloved children.
So, when you and I confront people who are complacent, we ought to confront them. Listen. And they ought to be confronted, but they ought to be confronted in compassionate love, not a wipeout. God's finished with you. He's not finished with any of us.
Second thing I want you to notice here. In verse 16 he says, I exhort you therefore be imitators of me. There's no legitimate scripture way for somebody to say, now, don't you do what I do, you do what I tell you. Listen to what Paul says. I exhort you, therefore, be imitators of me.
Paul said. If you're going to get somebody out of a problem, out of complacency, You give them a pattern to go by.
Now Paul wasn't bragging when he said, the imitators of me. He was simply saying, I've learned some things. And I want you to get out of that old complacent spirit. And he wasn't just talking about himself. But other godly men that they'd heard preach.
Heard teach. He's saying be imitators. That is, here's a pattern. And all of us have met people whose life challenged us. They go deeper.
And higher. Be more disciplined. More diligent, more prayerful, more in the word. And so Paul says: be imitators of me.
So when we confront people, He says, confront them in love and compassion. Give them a pattern to go by and then if you go back up to verse 14. He says here And at the same time, don't put them in the box. Preserve their liberty. He says, give them enough liberty for God to work in their lives in such a way He can get them out.
of whatever situation they find themselves in. And then if you'll notice, he says, In verse 19, 18. He says, Some have become arrogant as though I were not coming to you. And see, Paul as an authority in the church. They were arrogant, saying, Well, he's not coming.
He says, But I'm coming to you soon if the Lord wills, and I shall find out not the words of those who are arrogant, but their power. The kingdom of God doesn't consist in words, but in power. And here's what he's saying. He's saying, when you and I are confronting people who are complacent, confront them not with mere words, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. And loving compassion.
Don't box them in, give them liberty. Encourage them. But confront them honestly, seriously, and sincerely about their relationship to Jesus Christ. But don't you agree? that if there's something that needs to be done, And you belong to Jesus Christ, and He's living His life in you.
You at least Auto author to do something? Think about this for a moment. Can you honestly and truly B Content. With all that God has done in your life. when their needs that are not met.
And you have The ability The gift the talent or the resources. to meet them. If the need is there and you know it and you're capable and you don't yield yourself to be a part of the solution. I think you'd have to agree. That sounds like it has The smell of complacency, All about it.
You say, well, what's God's attitude about a complacent church or complacent Christian? Look, if you will, in. Revelation chapter 3, and I want to close this. Let me just remind you of who's doing the talking right here. I want you to think about this before we see what he said.
In the first chapter of Revelation, look there if you will. The Bible says that John Heard a voice. And he turned to see what was going on in verse 12 of Revelation chapter 1. Think about this for a moment. I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me.
And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. In the middle of the lampstand, one like a Son of Man. That is Christ. clothed in a robe reaching to his feet. Girded across his breast with a golden girdle, His head and his hair were white like wool.
like white wool. Like snow. and his eyes were a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rumbling many, many waters. In his right hand, he held seven stars.
Out of his mouth came a two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining at noonday in its strength.
So he couldn't look upon him. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as a dead man, and he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Don't be afraid. I'm the first and the last. The living one, I was dead and behold, I'm alive and forevermore. He says, I have the keys of death.
and of Hades. But that's Christ.
Now listen to what this same Jesus said. about complacency. Chapter 3. Verse 15. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.
You've compromised. I wish you were either cold, just totally out of the picture, or hot, fired up for me.
So because you're lukewarm, you compromise. Walking in the middle, straddling defense. You're not black or white, you're gray. Neither hot nor cold, he says, I will spit you out of my mouth. That is, it is detesting.
Because you say I'm rich. become wealthy, have need of nothing. That is, like the Corinthians. What else do I need? He says, what you don't realize is that you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind.
and naked. And then listen to what he says. Those whom I love, I reprove, rebuke, and discipline. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. Let me ask you something.
Let's just get real dead honest for a moment. Listen to me. I'm not talking about whether you go to church on Sunday morning or not. I'm talking about Real commitment to Jesus Christ. I mean that he's first.
That whatever he wants is what you want, that your heart is bent toward God. The most important person in your life is Jesus Christ. And the guiding principle in your life is to obey God. If that's hot, If the ruling desire of your heart is to obey God and to walk in faith, to know Him and to learn of Him and to serve Him, if that's hot, And living like the devil 24 hours a day is cold. Would you say that you're cold?
Hot. A lukewarm.
Now you know what he's saying? That fence straddling lukewarmness, shaped like the world. Acting like the world. courting the world's favor. pleased with the applause of the world.
Smug and satisfied and content with my little old thing going on. God says that is absolutely And totally. Foreign. To his purpose. And so he says, Therefore, I can't stand that I spit that out of my mouth.
You know what he's saying? Man, we can get so blind. in God's blessing and the world's acclaim. That even God Has a listen to what I'm going to say. Even God, in all of His grace, who accepts us just the way we are.
Loves us with all of his love. That's what he said right here. Those whom I love. Loves us just the way we are, accepts us just the way we are. that our actions and our attitude is totally distasteful to you.
Doesn't mean he rejects us. Doesn't mean he doesn't love us. But it means that our actions and our attitudes are foreign to his purpose. and his heart is grieved. And when he says, I'll spit them out of my mouth.
Doesn't mean he rejects us. That's his way of expressing. How grievous it is. to pour so much into us. and to get so little.
I want to tell you something, friend. If you're going to live a Christian life, you ought to do one of two things. You ought to close the Bible. Just forget the whole thing and call it quits. or submit your life to Jesus Christ to tell him.
Wherever You lead, I'll go. I'll follow my Christ who loves me so. Wherever he leads, I'll go. Because lukewarmness. is grievous to God.
Uh Thank you for listening to Cautions Against Complacency. For more inspirational messages like this one, visit our online 24-7 station. And if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
