We are nearing the end of our study through the book of James. As I encouraged you with Philippians, take some time over the next few days or weeks to read through the entire book in one setting. It will probably only take you 15 to 20 minutes. Sit down, and watch the flow of the things we have been studying and learning together unfold as you read this letter.
Today’s passage from the book of James is one of those where you gain great assistance in your understanding of it by looking for that magic word I have so often pointed you towards. Turn with me to James 4:13, and take out your message outline with something to write with.
Now, before I read you this passage let me ask you to do something. A dangerous something. As they come to your mind, on the blanks on your message outline, list out every sin you can think of. I know this won’t be a pretty list, but take 30 seconds, and as they come to mind, list out every sin you can think of. Ready? Go!
Okay. Set that aside for a moment, and let’s look at James 4:13 (read through verse 17). Now, let’s see who has been paying attention over the past few months of 2005. When looking at a passage like this, and trying to determine what the writer is saying to us, what word can give us a real good clue? (Therefore.)
Right. Therefore points us to the conclusion of the thought. The reason for the writing. The meaning to the passage. It is James saying, “Based on this stuff I have just been telling you. . .therefore. . .” So what is the therefore James gives us in this passage? Verse 17 (read).
The heart of what James is getting at in these few verses is what I would refer to as the forgotten sin. You see we remember all the obvious sins. Just check your lists. Many of them probably contain adultery, murder, stealing, idolatry.
Then to that list, we have through the years managed to add all kinds of others. You may have some of them on your list. They are things that were probably just wise ways to live, but sure seemed to carry more punch when we labeled them sins. Smoking, drinking, using certain swear words. Any of those on your list? Could probably make an indirect argument for them as sins, but won’t necessarily find them listed directly as a sin in the Bible.
If you were raised in a church tradition like I was the list got even longer, and eventually included such things as dancing, rock music, body piercing, tattoos, going to movies, women wearing pants, and even a thing called mixed bathing. . .somehow derived from co-ed swimming. Again, pretty tough to find listed as a sin in the word of God.
But through the decades we have managed to make the list of sins longer and longer, and yet there is still a forgotten sin, and it is the sin of forgetting. Or as we like to refer to it in more theological terms, the sin of omission. Not those wrong things we do, sins of commission, but those things we don’t do, that we know we should.
Now, I’m guessing that most of you are going to be a lot more uncomfortable with these sins, sins of omission, than you are with many of the others.
“Pastor, you want to label murder a sin, I’m on board with you there.” But what about failing to pray with that neighbor going through a hard time? “Pastor, you want to label sleeping around, and shacking up together a sin, you’ve got my vote.” But what about walking by the homeless man without a word of encouragement, or offer for assistance? “Pastor, you want to label stealing things from my neighbor’s garage a sin, I’m right there with you. In fact, I wish they would return my stuff or God is going to get them.” But what about not sharing the gospel with that co-worker when you felt the Spirit’s nudging?
Most of us will not be very comfortable with the labeling of omissions, things we knew we should have done. . .things we know we ought to be doing. . .things we know God has called us to do. . .labeling those things as sin. But they are.
It’s a whole lot easier to teach people to “Just say no” than it is to help them understand what they need to say “yes” to. Consequently, over the years much of preaching, and a whole lot of what the Church is known for in our culture, has been what we are against rather than what we are for. The church has often been guilty of being so concerned about moral purity that we have ignored the command of Christ to get our hands dirty helping others. Avoiding sin doesn’t just mean learning how to say no, it also means learning when to say yes.
(read verse 17) Now, the reality of the Bible is that God has placed a big emphasis on what we should avoid. There are a lot of “Thou shalt nots” in the Bible. But it is interesting that when God came to earth, He spent very little time preaching and teaching against the sins of the flesh. Jesus spent more of His life involved in a ministry of grace and mercy toward sinners.
It was Jesus who was criticized for eating and drinking with the tax collectors. It was Jesus who was ostracized for hanging out with the lepers and outcasts. It was Jesus who would sit down with the women who had a bad reputation and show them that somebody cared about them as more than a piece of meat. It was Jesus who was caring for the insane, the diseased and the desperate of His society.
As a matter of fact, when Jesus did preach a “hellfire and damnation” sermon, it was usually directed at the most religious people in His society. People who said, “You want to be holy, here is the list. 613 things from the sacred scrolls that you must do. From keeping your hands clean by ritual hand washing, to praying, fasting, and tithing on everything.” In many churches today, we would label these dudes as completely devoted to God. They followed all 613 rules. They were like those Wesleyans that you are more likely to find carrying a Discipline, than a Bible. Know the Discipline cover to cover. But look at what Jesus says to them.
Turn over to the book of Luke. Luke 11:37 (read through verse 46). You may do everything that you think is right and religious, but you won’t even lift a finger to help those around you.
Those suffering with difficult burdens. Those in need. James says that is sin. You know to do good and you do not do it. That is sin.
So Christians rail against abortion, but don’t do anything to help moms in crisis pregnancies. I’ve been so proud of your response to the AA Pregnancy Help Center bottles. We will collect the bottles again on Labor Day weekend. We want to give you plenty of time to collect your change. If you don’t have a bottle, see Debbie today, and she’ll get you one. We have collected more than $500 in the first half of this year to help the center address crisis pregnancies in our area. That is awesome, but most Christians just protest without doing anything good.
Think about this question, if no abortions had been performed in the last 20+ years, would we the church be standing at the front of the lines to adopt one or two of those 50 million unwanted children, some of them born with severe birth defects? We know to do good, but do we do it?
What about alcohol or drug abuse? It is not difficult to be against those addictions, but it is tough to help those who turn to those substances to escape from the horrible realities of their life. It takes courage and patience to find ways to give them hope. So I’m proud of our partnership with LifeBridge church to provide a location, a facility where a “Celebrate Recovery” group can meet every Sunday afternoon and help those recovering from substance dependency. Or our partnership with the area Alcoholics Anonymous where the directors can meet once a month at our facility to organize and plan their ministry. We know to do good, but do we do it?
One more example. You have heard me speak before about my struggle with Christians who emit venomous hate from their mouths against the homosexual community. Christians who can’t wait to shout out God’s wrath and judgment. So I was so proud to have more than 10% of our adult congregation attend the “Love Won Out” Conference in Louisville, and try to learn how we can know the good to do. . .and do it.
Remember what Chopper spoke of last week? You can’t be a judge and a participant. You can’t be a referee in the chair at Wimbledon, and still be an athlete on the court. And rather than knowing the good we can do, and doing it, the church of today has become a judge and that eliminates us from being able to participate in the ministry of love, the ministry of healing, the ministry of “good” that James says we are called to do. . .and when we don’t do it. . .it is sin.
Let me give you some groupings, some categories of these sins of omission that we fall into the trap of forgetting about. I believe it is sin. . .
1. TO KNOW OF NEEDS WITHOUT HELPING.
Now, I understand, there is so much need in the world that there is no way you can be involved in every area of relief. But how many of you have ever sat there and said, “The need is just too great”, and so you did nothing? You can’t help everywhere, but you can help somewhere.
I have moments of great political frustration when the religious right will argue that the government needs to get its nose out of various social needs because it is the churches job to minister in those areas. Meanwhile, more times than not, the church isn’t doing it.
There is a Lexington build being planned for this fall with Habitat for Humanity. A home build that will be coordinated and conducted and financed just by congregations from across Lexington. God’s Pantry Food bank has continuous needs for sorting, organizing, collecting, and distributing food. You have heard about the AA Crisis Pregnancy Help Center. How many people are more concerned about getting $2 for that baby outfit or toy at a yard sale, than donating it to an organization that can help those in need? The Salvation Army. The Hope Center. Goodwill. Tutoring programs at Jessie Clark or Stonewall Elementary. I could go on and on and still miss dozens of agencies that you can think of. We don’t lack opportunity, we just lack doing.
At our last Local Board of Administration meeting the issue came up of our need to connect in ministry with a marginalized people group here in our community. Migrant Hispanic workers, teenage moms, homeless families, people lacking basic job skills and education. We don’t know which one it will be yet or how we will do it, and if you have a passion for this area and thoughts or ideas we are open to them. But we know that it is a sin to know of needs and stay so inward focused that we forget the needs are even out there.
I believe it is a sin of omission to know of needs without helping. Another category of sins of omission that I believe exists in the church is. . .
2. TO BE GIFTED WITHOUT SERVING.
We talk about this in Network Discovery, but let me give you a snapshot today. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul talks about the fact that we all have been given gifts, abilities to do things for the kingdom of God. He makes this statement, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”
If you are a believer, no matter what gender, age, education level or economic situation, the Spirit has given you at least one spiritual gift. . .at least one. . .and it is has been given to you for the common good. So if you know to do good with your gift, you know from God’s Word in I Corinthians 12 that is the reason you have been given it, and you do not do it. . .it is sin.
Make no mistake about it. If you sit here today, and are not using your spiritual gifts for the common good of the body of Christ, you are sinning. Little harder to swallow than murder or adultery, but God did not give you your abilities, your gifts and talents simply to satisfy your own needs. God gave you those gifts for the good of everyone. If you have an ability to do something and you don’t do it, you are committing the sin of omission.
How’s that for pastoral toe stepping? Surely pastor wouldn’t be suggesting that if I’m not involved in ministry within the body that I am sinning. He didn’t say that did he? James does.
With knowledge comes responsibility. Maybe you don’t know your spiritual gifts, and don’t want to know because you know that to know will require you to do something with that knowledge. There are all kinds of excuses, but as you offer them I want you to listen to your words and simply ask yourself if you are avoiding using your giftedness for service. Then read James words, “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do, but doesn’t do it, sins.”
A third category of these sins of omission is. . .
3. TO KNOW THE TRUTH WITHOUT TELLING IT.
Imagine you are at work. Someone approaches you and says, they just took Joan into the office. I think they are going to fire her. You say, “What are you talking about? Fire Joan? Why would they fire Joan? She is one of the best workers. On what grounds could they possibly fire her?”
And the person looks at you and says, “Well, they think she stole from the company. There are some supplies missing from the store room, and they think she took them. But she didn’t, I did. But I can’t loose this job. I have a family to feed. If they find out it was me, I’ll be fired, and my life will be over.”
Who wouldn’t say the behavior of this individual is wrong? Sinful. First he stole, and now someone is going to get fired due to his lack of honesty and integrity. That must be sin.
And most of us would also agree that it would be wrong, even sinful for you not to tell the truth now that you know. Could you look at Joan as she left the building? Knowing she had been fired unjustly. Knowing the truth, but doing nothing about it?
Well, something much worse is happening every day. People are walking by you, breathing their last breaths, entering into an eternity separated from God, an eternity in hell. . .and yet the truth just doesn’t come out of our mouths. How many non-Christian friends, neighbors or family members have you invited to church this year? In the last two years? The last 10 years?
Do you know someone who needs to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior but doesn’t? Are you aware of somebody who used to be active in church but now never darkens the door? Is there someone that you know you need to talk to about their relationship with Jesus, but you’ve been avoiding the subject?
You see, 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. This principle, this idea of sins of omission means that when we don’t respond to those promptings to tell other people the message of Jesus, we are sinning.
One more. . .I believe it is a sin of omission. . .
4. TO HEAR THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS WITHOUT RESPONDING.
Once you’ve heard the good news about Jesus dying on the cross, you 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.” It’s the ultimate sin of omission.
I have known of people who won’t become a Christian because they can’t answer the question of what God does with those who never hear the gospel. I can’t accept a God who might let innocent children who have never heard go to hell. Meanwhile, what has their response to the Gospel been? What have they done with what they have heard?
To know the good news about Jesus dying for your sins, and not to respond. If you have not given your heart to Him, hoping you can just play by the rules good enough to slip into heaven by not sinning in other more common ways, don’t be deceived. To know the good that you are to do, receiving Christ as your personal savior, and not to do it. . .is the ultimate sin of omission.
So that is the conclusion of the matter, but not the sermon (read verse 17). What of the rest of this passage? What brings James to this conclusion?
Hang in there a few minutes longer with me, because I want to suggest to you something that may cause you to look at these verses a bit differently than you might otherwise have. Knowing the conclusion of the matter, maybe a bit different light can be shed on these preceding statements and verses, and maybe it can give us some practical guidance on how to avoid further sins of omission.
Verse 13 (read through verse 14). You can see this picture. The person that has it all planned out. “Today or tomorrow I’m going to go to this place, spend some time there, do some business there, make some money there. Yea, that’s my plan.” One problem. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Who says you will go tomorrow? Who says that opportunity to buy and sell will be there? Who says you will make a profit? How do you know what will take place tomorrow?
Now, it would be easy for the less visionary minded people in the crowd to say, “See, you aren’t supposed to come up with these big plans, these lofty goals, these high hopes for accomplishment. Just take it one day at a time and see what happens.” But I want you to see this in the context of the passage.
If the conclusion of the matter is that it is a sin when we know to do good and don’t do it. Is it possible that the inference here is that if you allow all your grand plans, all your fine scheming, all your individual hopes for achievement to get in the way of doing what is right in front of you today that you know you should do. . .that is the problem? That is the sin. Do you see that with me? Can you see what James might be saying here?
Not a problem of planning or dreaming big, but a problem of allowing planning and dreaming and scheming to cloud your vision of what is already right in front of you today. An example.
Steve Willingham and I have spoken extensively about the evolution of the seminarian over the past 10 to 20 years. Steve directs the Wesleyan Seminary Foundation down in Wilmore, and has been connected to the seminary for decades. We have both noticed some things. First, the average age of the seminary population is declining. When I arrived at Asbury 14 years ago, I was only 22, but the majority of my classmates had some years on me. Many were in their 30s, 40s, even 50s. But demographically, the average age of the seminary population is going down.
But another thing we have noticed is the ministry “readiness” of the population. We are both amazed at the number of individuals who are within years, some within months, some within weeks of pastoring a church, leading a congregation, being the point person for a church body. . .individuals with great visions, great plans, great ambitions about their tomorrow. . .but they can’t get out of bed and get to Sunday School or church regularly. Can’t commit regularly to being a vibrant part of a church body. They say they are ready to minister, but they aren’t even ready to wake up. The good they know to do today, blocked by the dreams of tomorrow.
Another thing we have noticed is the ministry “willingness” of the population. Again, great young ministerial talent. People with innovation, inspiration, and dreams for their ministry. Yet they feel like this is their time to sit back and observe. They are going to do their ministry later, so this is their time to catch their breath, check out of ministry, be fed rather than do any feeding.
James would not have related well to that mentality. He would have said, “Who do you think you are? Yea, those are great dreams, great plans. That will be a great church and great opportunity some day, but who says that day will even come? Who says you will even have the opportunity to experience that? In the mean time, look at the good that you know you could be doing. . .and aren’t.
And this can take place everywhere along the spectrum. Older adults dream and envision a grand retirement, free from church obligations and commitments. People that say they have already done their service, put in their time. (Example of Gina’s parents)
Or what about people who are in transition? Not exactly sure what the future holds. Working on the dreams and visions for the future. In the meantime, life is too up in the air to be tied down to ministry commitments and responsibilities. We can all get caught in it as life unfolds.
I remember a saying growing up in the church. It referred to those people who were constantly talking about heaven. Couldn’t wait to die and go to heaven. The saying was that they were so heavenly minded that they weren’t any earthly good. Your plans for tomorrow can even be very wholesome, kingdom building plans, but if they get in the way of what God would call you to do today. . .James says that is presumptuous. You are a vapor, and you will vanish away. So what are you doing with today?
Practical Step #1 – Don’t live so much for tomorrow that you miss the life
God has for you today.
Verse 15 (read through verse 16). James has told us how not to live, and then he shows us a mentality for how to live. “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” Instead, we get all boasting and bragging about what we are going to do.
This isn’t pick on seminarians day, but nobody leaves seminary hoping to pastor a church of 40 with zero growth, zero conversions, and struggling to pay its bills. But that is where most will end up in their first call, whether it fits your vision and dreams or not. What does the Lord will?
When you pastor a church and travel on vacation, people ask you how the church is going. You know what they are usually asking. Same thing other pastors are asking at pastoral get togethers. . .how many are you running? How fast are you growing? How much money is coming in?
I don’t know if you have noticed this, but we have kind of avoided that talk around here. Our vision is not wrapped around a Sunday morning attendance number. . .”We envision breaking the 150 barrier in 5 years.” Our vision is not wrapped around a conversion number. . .”I want to lead 25 people to the Lord in the next 2 years.” Our vision is not wrapped around a financial goal, or facility design. . .”We will be debt free with a new parking lot, and renovated Christian Education department in 10 years.”
I’m not knocking that. If you know anything about me at all, you know that I am goal oriented. Each week I fill out a compass with goals for each of the different areas of my life. And if God puts any of those numbers or goals on the heart of a pastor or on my heart, I’d be the first to share it. But for right now, I just resonate with James. No boasting. “If God wills, we will become a healthy body of people who are engaged in Serving. . .Worshiping. . .and Connecting.” In the mean time, we will learn to do the good today that is before us.
Practical Step #2 – Don’t talk about what you will do tomorrow. . .
talk about what God is doing today.
And it is my prayer, my hope, my petition that the Lord will will great things for us to talk about. I am believing Him for a 40 Days of Prayer during which His presence, His power, His mighty hands are alive and working in our midst so that when people ask how the church is doing we can say, “I don’t know about the numbers or what you might be really asking, but God is working. He’s healing. Last week God delivered someone from chains that had bound them for years. Just yesterday God restored a marriage, a father-son relationship, a friendship in our midst. It isn’t us, but if the Lord wills, we will continue to move forward and fulfill His plan.”
Don’t talk about what you will do tomorrow. . .talk about what God is doing today. And I believe He is going to give us plenty to talk about.
The forgotten sin. . .the sin of forgetting. I kind of like our mission statement. . .Stonewall Wesleyan Church. . .Serving, Worshiping, Connecting. But if we needed a new one, I wouldn’t mind it being “The church that knows the good that needs to be done, and does it.”
As we grow together, as we vision God’s future for us, as we seek what He wills to happen among us. . .let’s strive to be a body that knows the good that needs to be done, sees the needs around us, and answers the call.
Let’s pray.
