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/kəmˈpleɪs(ə)nt/
adjective ideal
Synonyms: smug, self-satisfied, pleased with oneself, self-approving, self-congratulatory, self-regarding, proud of oneself, proud, self-admiring, lax, lazy, apathetic. (judgmental)
Showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements. Another word with almost identical meaning is the word conceit.
The Prognosis
Complacency has connotations of laziness or apathy (lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern), which are both relatively negative words. Just by looking at these words and digesting them, it’s both shocking and sobering at the same time.
I searched, ‘another word for knowing something and not acting on it?’ Procrastination, delay, indifference, apathy, inaction, cognitive dissonance. These are strong words and there’s certainly no getting away from the serious of this sin.
What observations do you make about these words? It’s a bad inner attitude towards actioning Gods Word in our life, which will inevitably cause us to move in a direction where our hearts and attitudes becomes hardened, taking God and His grace for granted.
Whether this is done as an act of wilful omission or neglect, the end results are just as serious and damaging to our spiritual growth and relationship with the Lord, we’ll look at that later on.
So why is it so bad, it’s only a bit of laziness, isn’t it?
“Spiritual complacency is essentially rebellion, which is as the sin of witchcraft because we are worshiping selfs, not God. When applied to spiritual complacency, this takes on a far more sinister position, because it essentially implies the exclusion or disregard of responding to Gods word, traded for the believers own self reliance and self satisfaction.
An essential component of being a Christian is in direct relationship to our obedience to His word, no matter how large or small the Gods requests.
Ok breath, let’s look some Antonyms and map out the direction we want to go in: Dissatisfied, discontent, unpretentiousness, meekness, humble, modesty, this is where we want to ultimately move towards, a place of loss, death to self.
There are literally hundreds of scriptures that deal with mans complacent heart and give us warnings about it, lets look at a few
In the texts below can you identify where it reflects complacency, laziness and inaction?
Matthew 7:26
Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Matthew 22:5
But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business
Isaiah 43:22
“Yet you have not calledon Me, O Jacob;
But you have become weary of Me, O Israel.
Revelation 3:15-17
‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
(Apathy)
What do we recognise in the verses about where this is going on?
Lets read, Luke 12:47-48
And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
If you make an assessment of your life right now, which category do you think you fit into to regarding complacency?
- “Things are critical. I must change or die to self!”.
- “Things are serious – I face big challenges, and I will need to change a lot of things.”
- “Things are not critical – but they are changing and moving and I need to take a serious look at what I’m doing and how I’m doing things”
- “Things are okay but I may need to make a few minor changes.”
repentance
fruits of repentance
mutually exclusive faith and works
The apathetic person reasons things in his mind and makes conclusions
Instruction and commandment
Complacency
Part 2
In broader terms we could also include these words idle, neglect, pride, spiritual blindness, self righteous, indifference, carelessness
Lets read, Luke 12:35-48
35 Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?”And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
The Diagnosis
The Instruction- Be prepared and stay that way
Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning
The Example- Model your obedience on the example of other faithful people
Be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.
The Warning-Christ’s return is imminent and has consequences for the church as well as the world
You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
- What does the text say? Or What is the text saying?
- What does the text not say?