Today, we’re diving deep into a critical topic: the danger of neglect in our spiritual lives, particularly how doing nothing can sometimes be more harmful than doing something wrong. We often fall into the trap of believing that remaining neutral or inactive is a safe choice, but as we explore today, this mindset is a deception that can lead to significant spiritual consequences. Drawing on the poignant words from James 4:17, we discuss how failing to act when we know we should is, in fact, a moral failure. The conversation takes us through the subtleties of sins of omission and the often-overlooked consequences of inaction, using relatable examples to illustrate how neglect can quietly erode our relationships and commitments, especially within our marriages. So, settle in as we unravel the profound impact of our choices, or lack thereof, in our walk with Christ and in our relationships with others.

Takeaways:

1. Inaction in the face of known good is not merely passive; it is a moral failure that can lead to spiritual decay.
2. The subtlety of neglect can be more damaging than overt sins, as it often operates quietly and without alarm.
3. Neglect in relationships, such as marriage, often manifests as a slow drift rather than explosive conflict, leading to deeper issues over time.
4. Scripture emphasizes that we are accountable for the good we know to do, and failing to act on that knowledge is viewed as sin.
5. Jesus teaches us that neglecting to care for others equates to neglecting Him, making our actions toward others deeply significant.
6. The remedy for neglect is not mere intention but decisive action; we must cultivate our relationships with consistent effort.

And good day to you and thank you for tuning into our study this morning.

I hope that what we are looking at this morning will be of benefit to you, be thought provoking and cause one to think seriously about their relationship to Jesus.

You know, one of the lies that Satan tells us is that it's safer if you just choose to do nothing.

Because after all, if you do something and it's wrong, well, you know, it'd been better off for you not to done anything at all.

Or you know, if you by chance do the right thing, but do it in the wrong way, you're just as bad off is another lie.

So just be better to straddle the fence and stay neutral, help others when asked.

Maybe when there's some advantage in it and when people will appreciate it if you give it.

These are all lies that Satan tells us when doing nothing becomes doing wrong is what we want to talk about today.

You know, there are sins that we commit with our hands.

That's sins of commission.

And then there are sins that we commit by withholding our hands, which we usually call those the sins of omission.

There are certainly many believers that are trained to recognize the first category.

We know that it's wrong to lie, and we know that it's wrong to cheat or it's wrong to lash out or betray another, to falsely accuse or even to gossip about others, to speak harshly, to act unjustly.

These are all visible things that we would deem to be sinful.

They leave marks behind and they can be pointed out.

They can be named and pointed to.

This is sin.

They create wounds that can be traced back to a decision that one makes.

But there's another category of sin that's far more subtle and it offers far more dangerous problems.

It's the sin of neglect.

It's not what we did, it's not what we said, but it's what we failed to do and what we failed to say.

The apostle James states it with startling clarity in James 4:17.

He says therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him, it is sin.

Now notice how unsettling that is.

I mean, James is not saying to him who commits evil to him who you know, hurts another or who lies, it says to him who knows to do good.

The failure is not rebellion here, friends.

The failure is just inactivity.

It's the choice to do nothing.

And Scripture does not treat that lightly.

We tend, I think, to elevate our lives by what we've avoided.

We may say to ourselves or even to others.

I've never done that before.

I never cheated.

I never cheated on a test in school, or I never stole, or I didn't explode when talking about maybe a certain situation.

I didn't commit some scandalous act.

They may be comparing it to others by saying, well, I'm not that bad.

I didn't do this.

But James shifts the entire moral framework here.

Did you do good when you knew you should do it?

Did you act when obedience required taking the initiative?

Did you move toward what was right?

Or did you just remain still?

Did you say what needed to be said?

Or were you silent?

Neglect is not something dramatic.

It doesn't come out with a shout, just a whisper.

It just says, it's not that serious.

Or it says, oh, it can wait.

I'm busy.

It says to you, someone else will handle it, or I'll deal with it later.

But you see, heaven never measures righteousness by the absence of something that's visibly evil or immoral.

Heaven measures obedience by what's done.

In fact, we're told in two different places, in the Roman letter and in the Corinthian letter, that we'll be judged by the things that we've done in the body.

That's the measuring stick.

Heaven measures obedience.

And obedience is something that.

It's not passive.

It acts.

But knowledge creates the responsibility.

If you'll notice, the text makes it quite clear.

James anchors this warning in knowledge.

To him who knows to do good and does not do it to him, it's sin.

So once you know something, that means that you've become accountable.

Ignorance is one category.

Awareness is another.

But there are moments in life when you know exactly what is required of you.

You know exactly that you should apologize, or you know that you should speak a word of encouragement and you just flatly rejected it, or for whatever reason, ignored it.

Or you just know that you should intervene.

You know that you should give to this need.

You know that you should lead.

You know that you need to forgive.

And yet you put it off.

You wait.

And that waiting is not neutral.

We think it is.

That's the first thing that comes to mind.

But it's a moral decision.

It's a.

It's a difference between weakness and neglect, too.

Weakness, you know, you stumbles while you.

While trying.

That's weakness.

But neglect is just sitting there on the sidelines, knowing all along to get up and walk, but refusing to do it.

So James isn't addressing unbelievers here.

He's talking to those who are Christians.

He's Speaking to those who have received the truth, those who understand the will of God.

And so when you know the good and you withhold it, just understand, friends, that's the lie of Satan needs to be corrected.

That's not being neutral.

There is no straddling the fence.

It's on the either one or the other.

And so you're making a choice.

Consider something very simple.

Illustration.

And imagine the quiet damage of the that's withheld by not doing good.

Imagine a husband who speaks sharply in a moment of irritation.

He comes home and he's irritated and he's upset, maybe he's a little hungry, whatever the case might be, and he lashes out.

Immediately afterward, he feels conviction for it.

He's hurt, maybe his wife or a child.

He knows his tone was wrong and he knows humility would heal the moment.

He knows he should just go to his wife and say, I'm sorry, honey, that wasn't right for me to do that.

Forgive me, please.

But he hesitates.

Now here's how Satan operates, and this is just characteristic of sin by its very nature.

As soon as he hesitates, just that quick hesitation, pride rises in his heart.

And he'll say, well, it wasn't that bad.

Or she did a lot worse, she overreacted.

Or she knows I didn't mean it.

And then an hour passes by, and then a day goes by, and then distance begins to form.

There's really no new sin has occurred, no shouting, no betrayal.

But reconciliation was withheld, and the good that could have been done when the deed was done was delayed.

Neglect begins not in hostility, friends, just in that little hesitation.

We often think damage comes from very aggressive behavior.

That's usually how we imagine it.

But in many relationships, the deeper wounds are caused by the sin of omission.

The encouragement that's not spoken, the affection that's not expressed, or the leadership that wasn't exercised, or the feeling of gratitude that was not voiced and expressed.

And so the absence becomes heavy and what could have been restored quickly becomes layered.

And over time it just.

It gets worse because we've established a pattern of response.

Consider another example in the New Testament with the rich man and Lazarus found over in Luke 16.

Jesus gives a very chilling illustration in this chapter of a man who lived sumptuously every day.

The King James Version, I think, says it.

He is clothed in fine linen.

He feasts every day, the best of everything.

His life is comfortable, insulated from the dregs of society, and refined to the hilt.

Here was a man, another man, that lied at his gate full of sores, desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table.

His name was Lazarus, and he was hungry, covered in sores, with the only comfort that he could find is the dogs that would lick his sores, desperate for some help.

The text doesn't describe the rich man as being a violent man.

There is nothing said about him being particularly immoral at all.

It doesn't describe him as being cruel.

It does not accuse him of direct oppression.

It just simply shows him living well while Lazarus suffers at his gate.

And you know, the interesting thing about this text is there's just not a whole lot said about what he did.

And that's the whole point of it, you see, friends, because it's not always a matter of what one does.

It's a matter of what one doesn't do.

Here's a man that could have made a difference.

He knew to do good, but he didn't do it.

And so the rich man's sin is not active abuse.

It's just simply indifference.

He walks past misery every day and grows accustomed to it.

He allows suffering to remain at the edge of his property, and yet he doesn't move toward filling a need.

Well, both of these men died.

And as separated as they were in life, they were equally separated in death.

Because the rich man lifted up his eyes in torment and saw that poor man that he had neglected in Abraham's bosom.

My friends, eternity reveals the truth, but it's a little late to do anything about it at that point.

Comfort had masked neglect.

Indifference had concealed moral failure.

And the rich man is not condemned here for what he stole or what he did just simply because of what he withheld.

What he did not do, he knew he saw, but he did nothing.

And, friends, that's a sobering thought, because neglect, rejection rarely feels violent.

Most often it just feels convenient.

Then there's another text, a scripture that comes to mind regarding this subject.

In Matthew 25, Jesus presses it even further when he describes the final judgment.

I was hungry, he said, and you gave me no food.

Thirsty, and you gave me no drink.

I was a stranger, and you did not take me in.

Now the response is almost defensive.

Well, he said, when did we see you hungry?

They say, when did we see you thirsty and did not minister to you?

And Jesus answers with words that should arrest us all.

As you did it to one of the least of these, you did it not.

As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.

Failure to act toward others then becomes a failure toward Christ.

Neglect toward people is interpreted in this text as neglect toward him.

Very similarly, you'll remember when Saul was approached on the road toward Damascus, and the Lord came to him and said, saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

This shifts everything.

What do you mean?

I'm not persecuting you, Lord.

Of course he didn't say that, but I'm sure he was wondering, what in the world are you talking about?

And so who are you, Lord?

I am Jesus, whom you persecute.

You understand that he was persecuting Jesus by persecuting those the way the disciples of Christ.

And so it seems to me that we should take this very seriously.

Failure to act toward others becomes failure toward Christ.

Neglect toward people is interpreted as neglect toward him.

And that shifts everything.

Because you say, well, I love you, Lord.

You may tell another, I love Jesus Christ.

I believe in him.

Well, how do you treat your neighbor?

How do you treat the person in front of you?

You see, people claim devotion to Jesus quite often, but they don't move toward meeting anyone's needs.

Neglect is not a private flaw, friends.

It's.

Well, it reveals what we truly value.

And if love does not move us to act, if that's not the great motivator behind the push behind our activity, then the words that we say, it's just sentiment.

It's kind of like James gives the illustration of the man that needs to be fed.

And he says, be thou warmed and filled and not giving the needs that for the body, what does it profit?

And he's illustrating the value of activity to display one's faith.

Action works, in this case, as he describes it.

And so if love doesn't move us, if it doesn't motivate us, or faith doesn't call us to act, then it's just mere sentiment and it means nothing.

Now, I want to use these same principles and apply them to marriage.

I find it interesting that in our.

In our.

I guess you'd say our aim and our desire to grow as we live from day to day and seek to please our Lord.

It seems that marriage is oftentimes the.

The venue for learning and growing because our spouse we see every day, constantly.

They know our weaknesses and our strengths.

There's not going to be too much hiding in the way of our faults.

Very often, as we grow more and more with them or live longer with them, they're going to see all those flaws.

They're going to know the hidden secrets.

They're going to know the reasons behind our actions, and.

And it becomes the stage upon which we really are put to the test about whether or not we're renewing our minds and being thus transformed from glory to glory, or whether we're just become lackadaisical and lazy in our service to the Lord.

I call this neglect in marriage the slow drift.

Because it's not something that is a choice overnight, that we just choose to abandon our spouse and go our separate ways.

Most marriages don't collapse because of that.

It's not over some explosive event, though there are some cases where that happens, no doubt, especially in the event of some affair that's going on or some adulterous relationship that one has begun.

But usually they weaken over what I call again, this slow drift.

It's just a slow erosion.

When we neglect the needs of our spouse, it's not through betrayal, it's just neglect.

Not through shouting and getting angry, it's through silence, the very opposite.

It's not through hatred, it's just not showing any interest.

A husband, he may never commit adultery, but he fails to pursue his wife.

He fails to give, cherish her, and to nourish, as the Ephesians 5 teaches.

A wife may never lash out to her husband, but she may withdraw affection.

You see, they just coexist.

They function, they survive, and they tolerate one another, but they don't nourish.

Marriage, my friends, is a living covenant.

And living things require cultivation.

Imagine a garden, if you can think about what it is required for a garden to be well kept.

It requires attention and care and nourishment.

And usually that is seen as a.

The gentle care.

You don't just rip something out of the ground and hopes to replant it somewhere.

It's done with care is what my point is.

And it seems that if we would look at our spouse, the way we treat that tender plant, perhaps things would be different.

We would give.

As we give attention and cultivate the needs of our spouse, things may be different.

You see, you don't need to plant weeds for weeds to grow.

You just simply stop tending.

And neglect is that way.

It's not neutral because of what it causes.

The same way in a marriage.

And it can produce decay.

And so love has to be something cultivated.

It has to be practiced.

It has to be put into practice and repeated over and over again.

Respect has to be expressed.

Initiative must be repeated.

And so if you get into this practice of just ignoring and being silent, you're developing a practice.

It may not be the same event, may not be the same scenario, but.

But you've learned to respond in silence or just ignore the situation, maybe it'll go away type of attitude.

And so if you assume that the covenant will sustain itself, chances are your marriage is already drifting.

And drift feels mild at first.

It feels a bit tolerable.

Until one day, two people look at each other and realize they don't really know one another anymore.

We didn't intend to grow apart.

We didn't intentionally do that.

But we did not intentionally grow together either.

See, that's just it.

And so neglect is that deceptive thing because it's quiet again.

It's not something that's overt and loud and obvious.

It's something that is deceptive because it is quiet.

It doesn't set off any alarms.

There's no dramatic moment to point to, no clear villain to point the finger to.

No postponement.

Actually, there's a lot of postponement.

There's a lot of neglect.

Someone says, well, I'm just too tired, or I don't feel good.

It's not that urgent.

We've done this before.

Let's just forget about it.

You see, spiritual hardness is formed through that.

It's because of repetition.

We just do it over and again.

It's kind of like you get a callus on your hand or anything that you're doing a lot of.

And over time, you can develop that hardness because of repeated practice.

The Hebrew letter warns about that, talks about the hardening of the hearts by the deceitfulness of sin.

So hardness rarely forms in a crisis situation.

It's not in a moment of some terrible disaster that affects relationships from their own.

Now, that can happen, like I said earlier, but rarely is that the most common problem.

But in this case, it forms in gradual indifference.

The same thing can be said of prayer.

You can neglect prayer, you can neglect confessing your sins, you can neglect showing generosity and leadership.

You can neglect showing tenderness.

And eventually the heart just grows dull.

It's not rebellious, it's just inactive.

And so the root of neglect, at the very root of neglect is the fact that we have misplaced priorities.

We really need to rethink our value system.

It says, my comfort matters more than obedience.

It's really saying, if I don't feel the urgency, then it can wait.

But love in the Scriptures is not governed by our feelings, nor is it governed by what I want to do.

It's always governed by pleasing another.

It's governed by will.

And that means we have a choice to act.

You know, Christ didn't Wait for some emotional moment before acting.

He came to this world with a determined agenda and purpose, and that was to do his Father's will.

That was clear all the way through.

Now, it's true.

He went to Gethsemane with great pain and sorrow of heart, trying to prepare for what he must do, realizing the difficulty of the task.

But as soon as he was encouraged and strengthened, he got up and found his disciples and said, let's get up.

Let's be going.

They're here.

In other words, let's.

And the action of the verb stated is, let's get this thing on the road.

Let's get moving in the direction that I have come to accomplish.

He didn't wait for some emotion before he acted.

He moved toward us while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:8 says, he didn't delay obedience because the moment was inconvenient.

See, love is always acting.

It's initiating, it's moving.

And it doesn't have to be in big ways necessarily.

It's just showing that preferential treatment.

It initiates neglect, postpones love moves, neglect hesitates.

Love will sacrifice, but neglect protects itself.

Well, what's the remedy?

The remedy is always a deliberate action.

And then practicing it, putting it into practice to make it a pattern of living.

The remedy for neglect is not more intention.

It's action.

James doesn't call us to feel guilty here in this passage in James 4:7, he calls us to do good.

If you know to encourage, then encourage.

Just do it.

Practice it.

If you know to be reconciled, then go be reconciled.

If you know to give to that need, then give it.

If you know to lead, then lead.

If you know to pray, then pray.

Not when it feels dramatic, not when you just don't have anywhere else to go, but when it's known.

And as soon as it's known.

If I've sinned and the guilt of that burden weighs heavy on my heart, I don't wait till I kneel beside my bed in the evening to ask God to forgive me.

If that's a practice for some, I'm just illustrating the fact that you've already hesitated.

I mean, as soon as it's known, you do something about it.

And that's true with sin, or it's true with any need that exists.

When it's known, you act.

See, obedience is not something that's emotional, it's volitional.

And renewal begins the moment we stop excusing, delay.

And the moment we know to do good.

When the opportunity presents itself, when the need exists Then act and you'll develop a pattern.

My closing thoughts then, for this morning.

The rich man didn't wake up planning eternal separation.

He simply neglected the suffering at his gate.

And the people in Matthew 25 didn't curse Christ, they just overlooked him.

James does not warn about outrageous wickedness.

He warns us about withheld good.

And you may not be committing scandalous sin again.

You may be thinking about all the things you don't do that are sinful.

But are you withholding obedience?

Are you waiting for change while neglecting to be renewed?

You know Romans chapter 12 and verse 2?

Paul talks about being transformed by the renewing of the mind.

Are you waiting for just something to happen, some change to take place outside of yourself, some miraculous thing that you're waiting the Lord to do?

Or are you acting when you know to do good?

Which is it?

Are you maybe asking for miracles when what's required is just you taking some initiative?

And so, my friend, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

That's not harsh.

That's just clarifying.

Do Doing nothing is never nothing.

It's never neutral.

And in the kingdom of God, delayed obedience is still disobedience.

Think about it.

I trust you have a good day today and a very pleasant week.

Until we meet again.