1/11/14

From Ben Fronczek... James (Part 12) Sin of Omission


James (Part 12) Sin of Omission

Read: Luke 10:25-37   (click on verse to read)  The story of the Good Samaritan
Here Jesus told a story about a man who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was robbed, beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. Before long a priest came along and saw him lying there. We don’t what exactly was going through his mind, if he had a specific destination or if he had an appointment to keep, but when he saw the injured man we know that he chose not to stop and help him. Besides, if he stopped to help the injured man, he would become ritually unclean and not be able to participate in a temple worship service until he was cleansed, so, he walked on by.

A Levite (probably a temple assistant) was the next to pass. When he saw the injured man he likewise moved over to the other side of the road and left him for dead.

The next individual to come by was a Samaritan. If Jesus were telling the story to us today, He might use a gang member or an illegal alien for the last one to walk past. To the Jews that Jesus was speaking to, a Samaritan was a nobody, somebody to be avoided. But to the injured man that Samaritan was a savior. He cleaned the crime victim up, took him to a local inn, paid for his room and came back to check on him. The point that Jesus was making when He told that story was that the person who was obedient to God wasn’t those guys who were in a hurry to get to a worship service. The one who was obedient to God was the one who understood the second greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and actually did something.

I can’t help but wonder if these first two men felt a little guilty after the passed by that man lying in the dirt all beat up and stripped of clothes. Have you ever felt those pains of guilt afterwards, when in your heart you know that you should have done something, but didn’t do it?  Depending on what it is, sometime we harbor guilt for years. The other day I heard someone say, “You should do the right thing even if you don’t feel like doing the right thing.” If we only did things when we felt like doing them not many things would get done.  And she also said, “There is such a feeling of release (or peace) when you do what is right.”

And why is this true? Because even though you may not feel like doing a certain task, if you know that task is right, if it is God’s will, and you do it anyway, you feel better afterwards and you won’t have to carry around a burden of guilt because you didn’t do it.

The puritans classified all sin into 2 categories. There are the sins of commission. The things that we do that we aren’t supposed to do. The ‘Thou shall nots…”  We are instructed not to lie, kill, covet, cheat, envy, lust with our eyes or with our flesh, or use the Lord’s name in vain and all those other ‘thou shall nots.’  When we choose to do something that is wrong, it is a sin of commission.

But they also recognized that there are also sins of omission. These are the good things that we know we should do, but don’t do them. When we decide not to do something that is right, we commit the sin of omission.

Our text in James 4:17 is an eye opener for many. “James wrote, “If anyone,  knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
This morning I would simply like to point out some specific sins of omission that we need to avoid.

#1. If you know of a need and choose not to help, that is a sin of omission. The story of the Good Samaritan that Jesus told is a challenge to us to help out when we recognize a special need. Now I certainly realize that in a world filled with needs, we can’t help everyone all the time. But I also know that we probably can do more. Often we excuse ourselves from helping because it’s not easy, or it takes time we think we don’t have. But if we know of needs and simply don’t want to help in any way, we find ourselves in the same position as the Priest and the Levite who walked past the injured man. Let’s be careful, not to make excuses for doing good.
If you were that person beat up and  injures, stripped naked and left for dead, wouldn’t you want someone to stop and help you?

Paul said in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” When your eyes become fixed on a need that God has set before you, don’t hesitate, if at all possible help. More than likely God has put you where you are and pointed you to that need for His purposes.

#2. God has blessed us all with specific talents and abilities. If God puts you in a particular situation where those talents could and should be used to help another, and then we walk away from that opportunity, we may be committing a sin of omission. 

In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul talks about the fact that we all have been given gifts, abilities to do things for the kingdom of God. As he discusses these abilities he makes a very important statement. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”   God did not give you your abilities, those gifts and talents simply to satisfy your own needs. God gave those gifts for the good of everyone.

Now let me get personal. Sometimes serving is a hard, maybe even painful. There are all kinds of excuses, but as you offer them I want you to listen to your words and ask yourself if you are not using your gifts or special abilities because you just don’t feel like it, or because you simply what to avoid the added work. Or maybe you simply just don’t feel like doing what God has set before you or who you have to do it for. If so, you may need to ask yourself am I guilty of committing a sin of omission here? James wrote; “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do, but doesn’t do it, sins.”

#3. What about if you know the truth but with hold it harming another .
What if you heard that someone was being accused of a crime but you knew that the person was innocent and you had proof, would you step up to the plate and provide the information to set that person free if you could? What if you didn’t, if you refused? You would be guilty of a sin of omission because you did not provide that information needed to save that person.

What if you know someone who needs to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior but you never say anything? Or maybe you are you aware of someone who used to be active in church but doesn’t go anymore, yet you socialize with then but never encourage them to do the right thing?
Often the Holy Spirit nudges us to speak to people about our faith and we ignore Him because we don’t want to, or we are afraid we don’t know how to share that information, or we are afraid of rejection. Recognize that the principle of sins of omission means that when we don’t respond to those promptings to tell other people the message of Jesus, we just may be sinning.

Often fear is there because we fail to recognize that God has been working in that other person’s life to prepare them for hearing what we are about to say. If you believe that the Spirit is prompting you to say something to someone about Jesus don’t commit the sin of omission failing to speak up.

Closing:

As I think about the truth that James points us to here in 4:17, I am overwhelmed with my own sin at times. Some people might think themselves so self-righteous that they can avoid sin, but when you come to recognize that sin includes knowing good things to do and not doing them, that can be disheartening . The weight of that guilt could destroy a person, or at least make one feel like it is impossible to ever be right with God. If sin separates us from God, and every time I don’t do the best thing possible I sin, then what hope is there?

The good news of Jesus Christ is that there is a hope. Jesus died to save us from the eternal consequences of our sin. When Jesus shed His blood on the cross, it was for the purpose of saving us from every sin we’ve committed. Instead of being paralyzing by our weakness and imperfections, understanding the complete nature of sin helps us to love God all the more for freeing us from the burden of sin.

However, once you’ve heard the good news about Jesus dying on the cross, we do have a responsibility to respond. The ultimate sin of omission is to know the good news about Jesus and to refuse to obey.

As the author of Hebrews wrote “ how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” The obvious answer to that question is “We can’t.” Don’t commit the ultimate sin of omission by refusing to respond to the grace of Jesus Christ.

And if you realize that you are still weak  and continue to sin Ask God to help you do better. Ask God to help you become wiser. Ask God to prune you. Jesus said in John 15:1-2,  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Ask God to prune you so you can grow and mature as a healthy Christian and bear much good fruit.
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

From Jim McGuiggan... Randomness and bad luck

Randomness and bad luck

Numbers chosen "at random" are chosen without pattern or principle; sheer chance is the only "principle" operating. No one purposed or arranged for that sequence of numbers to be chosen.

When we call an event "random" we mean it happened without purpose or aim or principle. It was a raw event, isolated, a simple link in a chain of causes and effects, devoid of purpose or aim, it wasn’t "meant" and therefore it’s meaningless.

We might be able to trace many of the links, the causes and the effects that in turn became causes of other effects. But since these causes and effects are usually simple physical forces and since we can find no evidence that there is a purposing or choosing agent involved we call the events "random". An animal high above the snowline is startled, cries out, dislodges some snow, which dislodges some more and we have an avalanche. No purpose, no choosing agent—it’s all mere "chance". Some skiers and people in the valley below die but no one holds anyone responsible. To look for "meaning" within the series of physical causes/effects is a waste of time. We may grieve deeply over loss of life but we regard this isolated event as meaningless.

A building, old electric wiring, wear and tear, a spark, a fire and the building’s destroyed. Random! A building, a man with match, a purpose and the building’s destroyed. Arson! A child near a cliff edge, a strong gust of wind, a dead child. Tragic. Random. A child near a cliff edge, a vicious bully, a deliberate push, a dead child. Tragic. Murder.

As soon as we uncover purpose and conscious involvement, the event we formerly saw as "random" is not the same event. The wind and the bully may both make the child fall but everyone knows that "fall" doesn’t mean the same thing in both cases.

When we say an event is chance or random we don’t mean it defies "natural law". Mindless forces remain mindless even in the hands of someone that consciously uses them. But when a conscious mind uses the mindless forces then the mindless forces must not be abstracted from the event and made to stand in isolation. They become part of the conscious purpose of a choosing being.

The wind blows according to strict physical laws and it’s entirely mindless and without purpose. A man in a sailing boat adjusts his sails and arrives at the harbour he wants. He doesn’t control or obliterate the wind nor does he give the wind a mind or purposing ability. He uses the mindless force to gain his purpose and we praise him for his skill.

An observer perceives an event as sheer chance but the discovery of a motive can change the quality and nature of the event for the observer. A court case, what looks like a sheer accident begins to look sinister when vested interests and/or feelings of rage or revenge are uncovered. A court case, what looks like the brutal murder of someone inoffensive begins to look like plain self-defence when evidence of past criminal abuse and a clear threat to the life of the accused emerges.

Sometimes when the whole story is pieced together the "sheer accident" is cruelly and carefully planned murder. Without the motive, without knowledge of certain objectives to be gained we’d be happy to say "accident, chance, bad luck" or whatever. Now that we know the bigger story the heart attack (which remains a heart attack) is no longer just a heart attack—it was induced and it’s murder. The heart attack no longer functions in the narrative in the way it did earlier.

Imagine some sort of volcanic eruption (you remember the history of Krakatoa?). Think of the blind forces that go to generating one of these awful eruptions. There’s randomness everywhere! But what if it is in the biblical record and Genesis says it is God at work in judgement on Sodom?
Imagine that in the judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah out of 60,000 inhabitants fifty or sixty people survived. One child, for example, got trapped in a cellar and others were thrown deep into a cave by a ground tremor and it happened that the cellar and cave protected them from the fires that raged above and around them. It makes sense to say that it was simply "good luck" (chance, random occurrences) that occasioned their survival. But the same ground tremor that trapped the child in the cellar and threw some into the cave brought the roof of a building down on others, killing them. It makes sense to say that it was simply "bad luck" (chance, random occurrences) that brought their death. We say those things because the same mindless ground tremor resulted in two different fates—one is "bad" and the other is "good". The tremor didn’t purpose or choose to save or kill the people.

Within this purposed judgement of God it would be easy to find what we might call "random" events. (The ash and salt filled air overwhelmed Lot’s wife but not Lot or any other family member.) To isolate specific incidents as if they stood alone and to use them to prove that God did not purpose the event as a whole, as a judgement on Sodom, is shoddy thinking and undermines our credibility.

We might say the child in the cellar and the people in the cave were "lucky" to be alive. We might say the people on whom the roof fell were "unlucky" to die. But speech like that makes sense only when we isolate some parts from the whole. When we isolate some parts from the whole, the parts are no longer what they were when seen as a part of the whole.

If indeed we believe that the cataclysm was a purposed act of God then it makes more sense to say that those that died died at God’s hand. And it wouldn’t matter how, precisely, they met death at that moment—a falling rock, a collapsing house or a river of lava. And it would make more sense to say that God spared some people than to think that they luckily escaped his judgement. In fact, their friends would almost certainly thank God for protecting them. They’re not likely to call it "good luck".

(Jesus spoke of God’s judgement on Israel via the invading Roman armies and spoke of some being taken and others left as survivors, people in the same families and close friends. Compare Matthew 24:22,40-41 and Luke 17:26-37.)

Yes, but why would this person rather than that one survive? How is it that the stone missed that person and hit the one beside her? How is it that a Roman arrow ricocheted off a wall and killed a child hidden under a blanket? These are interesting questions but they’re completely beside the point! If indeed the invading army is God’s instrument of judgement no difficult question alters that truth. To say, "You can’t explain why in the battle that this person died and the one next to her didn’t" is no doubt true. But it doesn’t change the fact that the entire proceeding was God acting in judgement.

To call a famine in Amos 4 or the flood in Genesis 6 or the plagues on Egypt random because they were "nature" calamities with rigid cause and effect links is silly. Might as well call the sailor’s arrival in the harbour "random". If these were indeed (as the Bible claims them to be) God acting in judgement the case is closed for a believer.

For believers, it is enough for the Bible to affirm that an event was purposed. Whatever we call "random" within that event cannot be used to offset the biblical witness that the event is purposed.

If God purposes to use mindless forces randomly then "random" takes on a different complexion. It doesn’t matter that he could make it "rain" out of a clear blue and cloudless sky; if he chooses to use winds and temperatures, sunlight and whatever to bring rain to a specific locality (Elijah story here) it’s no surprise to us and it’s what he normally does. He says he brings the rain, and it doesn’t matter that we can "prove" that every step in the development and delivery of rainfall is the result of a chain of physical causes and effects that "could have gone either way". The arrival of rain is the work of God! He says so and the psalmists and prophets praise him for it.

"But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor...and that evening he died." (1 Kings 22:34-35) Imagine a bored soldier, minding the horses, wanting to get in on it, shoots an arrow in the direction of the battle and hits Ahab. He didn’t purpose to kill the king. The arrow could have hit anyone or no one. If we’re consistent we say it was all "bad luck". But when you read the whole story of God and Ahab...

What if we discovered that the hurt and loss, the tragedies and catastrophes experienced by the human family were not just bad luck but the redeeming work of a gracious God who is working to bring the human family to glory and righteousness beyond our imagining?

If you had a choice between that and "it’s just bad luck" which would you choose?

Something needs to be said about "randomness" and "good luck".


©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... The Care Of Widows (1 Timothy 5:3-16)

                     "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY"

                      The Care Of Widows (5:3-16)

INTRODUCTION

1. In the New Testament church, the care of widows was an important
   concern...
   a. The church at Jerusalem made sure none were neglected - cf. Ac 6:
      1-7
   b. James described caring for widows as "pure and undefiled religion"
      - Jm 1:27
   c. Paul charged Timothy to "Honor widows who are really widows"
      - 1Ti 5:3

2. Yet it was not a responsibility simply to be thrust upon the
   church...
   a. The local church has its limitations
   b. Family members have their obligations
   c. Even widows themselves bear some responsibility

[In the text for this study, 1Ti 5:3-16, the apostle Paul instructs
Timothy regarding "The Care Of Widows."  We first note the care to be
given widows...]

I. BY THEIR FAMILIES

   A. TO SHOW PIETY AT HOME...
      1. "...let them first learn to show piety at home" - 1Ti 5:4
      2. "The word is commonly used to denote piety toward God, but it
         is also used to denote proper reverence and respect for a
         parent." - Robinson
      3. This is one way that children "honor" their parents - cf. Ep 6:
         1-2

   B. TO REPAY THEIR PARENTS...
      1. "and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable
         before God" - 1Ti 5:4
      2. Think of the care and sacrifice parents make for their children
      3. "This debt can never be wholly repaid, but still a child should
         feel it a matter of sacred obligation to do as much toward it
         as possible." - Barnes

   C. TO PROFESS TRUE FAITH...
      1. Refusal to provide for one's own family is a denial of true
         religion - 1Ti 5:8; cf. Jm 1:27
      2. Even unbelievers care for their own:  "Every man should take
         care of his own family" - Cicero
      3. Dare we do any less?

[Families should care for their widows, for "widows indeed" are those
who are left alone and trust in God through prayers night and day (1 Ti
5:5).  They are certainly not ones who "live in pleasure" (1Ti 5:6-7),
of which Paul will say more later.  Next Paul writes of the care given
to "widows indeed"...]

II. BY THE CHURCH

   A. THEY MAY BE TAKEN "INTO THE NUMBER"...
      1. I.e., included on a list of those cared for by the church
         - 1Ti 5:9; cf. Ac 6:1-7
      2. From the qualifications (see below), some conclude these widows
         would be given special duties to fulfill for the church
      3. Since it was not uncommon for the church to provide for its own
         on special occasions (cf. Ac 4:34-35), this appears to be list
         for those given long-term care by the church

   B. PROVIDED QUALIFICATIONS WERE MET...
      1. Over sixty years old, the reasons for which given later - 1 Ti 5:9
      2. The wife of one man - 1Ti 5:9
         a. Assumed by many to mean one husband at a time
         b. Otherwise Paul would later tell younger widows to do that
            which disqualify them for any help in the future - cf. 1 Ti 5:14
      3. Well reported for good works - 1Ti 5:10; cf. Dorcas, Ac 9:
         36-39
         a. Brought up children
         b. Lodged strangers
         c. Washed the saints' feet
         d. Relieved the afflicted
         e. Diligently followed every good work

[Such qualifications were required because the church does not have the
ability to help everyone (cf. 1Ti 5:16).  For younger widows
especially, Paul writes of the care given to widows...]

III. BY THEMSELVES

   A. YOUNGER WIDOWS ARE TO BE REFUSED...
      1. The church is not take younger widows "into the number" - 1 Ti 5:11; cf. 5:9
         a. That is, into long term care by the church
         b. Though short term care might be provided along with others
      2. Reasons to refuse younger widow
         a. They will want to remarry, forsaking the commitment expected
            of those taken into the number - 1Ti 5:11-12
         b. They will become idle gossips and busybodies, saying and
            doing things they should not - 1Ti 5:13; cf. 2Th 3:11;
            1Pe 4:15

   B. YOUNGER WIDOWS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REMARRY...
      1. This is what Paul "desires", it is his opinion or counsel
         - 1Ti 5:14
      2. For younger widows to marry, bear children, manage the
         household - cf. Tit 2:4-5
      3. To give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully
         - cf. Tit 2:5,8
      4. For some have already turned aside to Satan - 1Ti 5:15; cf. Ph
         3:18-19

CONCLUSION

1. "The Care Of Widows" should be an important concern for us today...
   a. Such care is a mark of pure religion
   b. Such care is an expression of due respect toward those who have
      done so much

2. Yet the church has many obligations, it cannot afford to become
   burdened by this one - 1Ti 5:16
   a. For this reason families must accept their responsibilities
   b. Younger widows must accept their own responsibility
   c. Today, even governmental assistance is often available

For those who are "really widows", left alone, trusting in God, and who
meet the qualifications listed in our text, then "The Care Of Widows" is
a duty not to be neglected by the Lord's church...

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary... The Dash



This simple poem speaks volumes as to the importance of how we live our lives.  This world can be a difficult place to live; there can be many obstacles, but with God's help we can enjoy our time here. Two passages of Scripture came to mind that I consider important...

 Matthew, Chapter 7

  24  “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.   25  The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock.   26  Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand.  27  The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”


Ephesians, Chapter 5

 15  Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise;  16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  17 Therefore don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.


At the end of the day, how you live your life is how you live YOUR LIFE.  Make it worthwhile, make every second count!!!  Ask yourself this question: Would my life be better if I followed Jesus or not? I think in the affirmative; why?

Matthew, Chapter 17

 1 After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves.  2 He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light.  3 Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him. 

  4  Peter answered, and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let’s make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 

  5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

Who you listen to really does make a difference as to what your "DASH" is composed of.  Listen to God, listen to Jesus.  You will never be sorry, never!!!