Prosperous, Comfortable and Spiritually Bored
The church is suffering from spiritual complacency, caused by comfort, wealth, and a lack of commitment to God's treasure.
A.W. Tozer addresses the spiritual stagnation within the church, emphasizing that while evangelical Christians hold sound beliefs rooted in scripture and the teachings of the church fathers, they have become too comfortable and complacent. This comfort leads to a lack of commitment to the faith, resulting in a form of religious myopia where eternal purposes are overshadowed by immediate concerns. Tozer warns that this state of being spiritually bored and content with mediocrity prevents believers from fully engaging with God and pursuing a deeper relationship with Him. He calls for a renewed focus on the eternal and a rejection of the trivial distractions that hinder spiritual growth.
Text
The evangelical Christian need make no apology for his beliefs. They are in direct lineal descent from those of the apostles. He can check the tenets of his total creed against the life giving, transforming beliefs of church fathers both East and West, reformers, mystics, missionaries, saints and evangelists, and they will check out one by one. Then let him check them all with the Holy Scriptures and again they will prove to be sound. What then is the trouble? Why the inertia, the torpor that lies over the church? The answer is that we are too comfortable, too rich, too contented. We hold the faith of our fathers, but it does not hold us.
We are suffering from judicial blindness visited upon us because of our sins.
To us has been committed the most precious of all treasures, but we are not committed to it. We insist upon making our religion a form of amusement and will have fun whether or not. We are afflicted with religious myopia and see only things near at hand. God has set eternity in our hearts and we have chosen time instead. He is trying to interest us in a glorious tomorrow and we are settling for an inglorious today. We are bogged down in local interests and have lost sight of eternal purposes. We improvise and muddle along, hoping for heaven at last but showing no eagerness to get there, correct in doctrine but weary of prayer and bored with God.
Sermon Outline
- The Christian's Beliefs are Sound
- The Trouble with the Church
- The Church's Spiritual Condition
- 'Myopia: focusing on earthly things'
- Choosing time over eternity
- Settling for an inglorious today
Key Quotes
“We hold the faith of our fathers, but it does not hold us.” — A.W. Tozer
“God has set eternity in our hearts and we have chosen time instead.” — A.W. Tozer
“He is trying to interest us in a glorious tomorrow and we are settling for an inglorious today.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Christians must prioritize their relationship with God over earthly comforts and pursuits.
- The church must focus on eternal purposes rather than local interests.
- Individuals must choose eternity over time and seek a glorious tomorrow rather than settling for an inglorious today.