The Reign of Apathy

Amos 6:1–7 (NLT)

1 What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help.

2 But go over to Calneh and see what happened there. Then go to the great city of Hamath and down to the Philistine city of Gath. You are no better than they were, and look at how they were destroyed.

3 You push away every thought of coming disaster, but your actions only bring the day of judgment closer.

4 How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds and lounge on your couches, eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock and of choice calves fattened in the stall.

5 You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David.

6 You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions. You care nothing about the ruin of your nation.

7 Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your parties will end.

INTRODUCTION:

A- Illustration:

Several years ago, an "Apathy Club" was formed on a certain college campus. The officers announced a meeting of the membership.

Not one soul showed up.

Explanation: They were too apathetic to attend!

B- This is not a laughable attitude

when we consider that this attitude has descended upon many believers.

C- Definition (Webster):

Apathy- "Lack of feeling or emotion: impassiveness; lack of interest or concern."

D- Expressions of this attitude:

1- "I couldn't care less."

2- " I don't know." many times means, "I don't care".

3- Apathy in Evangelism:

a) Millions of believers will live their whole lives without attempting to lead one person to Jesus.

4-Apathy in service:

a} Less than 50%; of church members in the SBC are active.

b) Many of those who are active are not concerned about those who are not.

c) A large number of active believers do not have a daily quiet time with Christ

...and are not really concerned about it!

E- Amos addresses the problem of apathy in our text.

I- THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM (Amos 6:1).

Amos 6:1 (NLT)

1 What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help.

A- An attitude of apathy (Amos 6:1a)

Amos 6:1a (NLT)

1 What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help.

1- No zeal for God left.

a- They were “lounging in luxury"

1) All was going well for them personally.

2) Comfort bred an attitude of self-satisfaction.

3) Self-satisfaction led to self-centeredness

b- Apathy present today:

1) Lack of concern for lost souls.

* Baptism Statistics in North America:

2) Lack of concern for the Lord's work.

* 20% of the people do 80": of the work in most churches.

* 20 – 25%: of the people support 88% of the budget.

* Apathetic mentality by members of average church … hard to get folks to commit to helping with all types of ministry

3) Lack of concern for Spiritual growth.

* More concern with little league, and extra curricular activities than with the spiritual growth of children.

* More concern with recreation than personal spiritual growth.

B- Acceptance of false assurance (Amos 6:1b).

Amos 6:1b (NLT)

1 What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help.

1- False assurance in a place of worship.

a- The cardinal doctrine of the impregnability of Zion in the 7th and 8th centuries BC.

b- The cardinal doctrine of the undefeatable church.

1) God's promise is conditional just as it was with Israel.

2- False assurance in a position of promise.

a- The promises of God to any church are conditional (Matthew 28:18-20)

Matthew 28:18–20 (NLT)

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

* The Ephesian Church (Revelation 2:5)

Revelation 2:5 (NLT)

5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.

II- THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM (Amos 6:2-6)

A- Pursuit of personal convenience (Amos 6:4)

Amos 6:4 (NLT)

4 How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds and lounge on your couches, eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock and of choice calves fattened in the stall.

1- The wealthy in Amos' day:

a- The finest beds of ivory.

b- Reclined on couches during feasts.

c- Finest in food, in abundance, to dine on.

2- Today:

a- Pursue the finest in furnishings.

b- Purchase the best in china.

c- Finest and most convenient foods served at our tables.

B- Pursuit of entertainment (Amos 6:5)

Amos 6:5 (NLT)

5 You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David.

1- In Amos" day:

a- Music was a favorite form of amusement.

b- Other forms of amusement also used

2- In our day:

a- Music industry: CD's, streaming, radios, concerts, TV, etc.

b- Millions of dollars spent annually on amusement.

1) Amuse = “Not to think”

C- Pursuit of personal comfort (Amos 6:6a)

Amos 6:6a (NLT)

6 You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions. You care nothing about the ruin of your nation.

1- In Amos' day:

a- Finest in wines to drink out of large bowls.

b- The best in perfumes and oils for personal use.

2- Today:

a- We pursue all types of creature comforts and pleasures:

1) Boats, Spa's, etc.

b- We buy expensive cosmetics, and perfumes.

D- Pursuit of an appeased mind and heart (Amos 6:6)

Amos 6:6 (NLT)

6 You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions. You care nothing about the ruin of your nation.

1- In Amos' day:

a- Pursued only what was for self...no concern for others, and no desire for God.

2- Today:

a- A “Look out for #1, and let the world go to Hell" philosophy prevails.

b- No real concern by many for things of eternal consequence.

c- This attitude is lived out on the part of many church leaders of today.

E- Plumbed by God (Amos 7:7-9)

Amos 7:7–9 (NLT)

7 Then he showed me another vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight.

8 And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” I answered, “A plumb line.” And the Lord replied, “I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins.

9 The pagan shrines of your ancestors will be ruined, and the temples of Israel will be destroyed; I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to a sudden end.”

1- Israel was evaluated by God and found to be "out of plumb".

2- The church, and each of us as individual believers, are under continual evaluation by the Lord Jesus.

a- He is checking the plumb of our commitment to right attitudes

b- He is checking the plumb of our commitment to personal holiness

c- He is checking the plumb of our commitment to Christ and His Kingdom

d- He is checking the plumb of our commitment to reaching the lost

e- He is checking the plumb of our commitment to His church

(see Revelation 2-3)

III- THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

A-Remember

1- Remember the sacrifice of Calvary.

2- Remember what He saved you from.

3- Remember what He has saved you to.

4- Remember what He has saved you for.

(Ephesians 2:1-10)

Ephesians 2:1–10 (NLT)

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.

3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,

5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

B- Repent (Revelation 2:16)

Revelation 2:16 (NLT)

16 Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

1- Truly forsake the old paths.

2- Seek forgiveness for apathy.

3- Secure the fires of zeal.

CONCLUSION:

A- Hymn: "Set My Soul Afire" “Set my soul afire, Lord, for thy holy Word. Burn it deep within me, let thy voice be heard. Millions grope in darkness in this day and hour; I will be a witness, fill me with Thy power. Set my soul afire, Lord, for the lost in sin. Give to me passion as I seek to win; Help me not to falter, never let me fail. Fill me with Thy Spirit, let Thy will prevail. Set my soul afire, Lord, in my daily life. Far too long I’ve wandered in this day of strife. Nothing else will matter but to live for Thee; I will be a witness, for Christ lives in me. Chorus: Set my soul afire, Lord, set my soul afire. Make my life a witness of Thy saving power. Millions grope in darkness, waiting for Thy word. Set my soul afire, Lord, set my soul afire. Video: “Jesus to the World”