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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
"I Promise . . . I Didn't Do It!"
Do those words sound familiar? It’s almost like watching the news, or a lawyer movie. We heard O. J. say it, and Michael, and some other famous people who were charged with a crime – “I didn’t do it. I’m not guilty, I promise. I didn’t do it!”
In a court of law, the prosecution is obligated to prove the guilt of the accused “beyond a reasonable doubt.” The accused stands before the judge and pleads “not guilty,” and then the prosecution must prove otherwise. If he cannot, the accused will likely be acquitted. Proving guilt is not always easy, for evidence is often hard to find and juries hard to convince.
A Dallas man was arrested and tried for something he “didn’t do.” He did not plead, “I didn’t do it,” for that was the exact charge against him. He had been involved in an automobile accident, but he failed to “stop and render aid.” He should have, but he didn’t.
An Austin woman was recently charged for NOT doing something. She failed to protect her child from her boyfriend’s brutal attacks. She should have, but she didn’t.
What about the person who failed to pay his/her taxes? Or the one who just doesn’t show up for jury duty? Or one who did not pay her speeding ticket? Or one who refused to pull over when a policeman turned on his red light and siren. I would suggest you NOT fail to do any of those things, for then you might be in big, big trouble.
The Bible has something to say about this subject. Sometimes when a person “didn’t do it” they are guilty of SIN. That’s right – failure to do what God says we must do is sin. In James 4:17 we read: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
Yes, there are times when failure to do something is just as wrong as doing something wrong. I grew up hearing preachers talk about “sins of omission” and “sins of commission.” In other words, we sin by DOING that which God forbids, and we also sin by NOT doing something He demands.
As Jesus prepared His disciples for their work when He went back to the Father, He told three parables, all of which deal with this subject.
In verses 1-13 He spoke of five wise and five foolish maidens. Five were prepared for the bridegroom’s coming – five were not. Five did what they should, the other five did not.
In verses 14-30, the parable of the talents teaches that the servant who failed to do as he should was called an “unprofitable servant,” and was “cast into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For something he did not do.
In verses 31-46, Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats informs us that “everlasting punishment” awaits those who fail to DO what God demands His people to DO. Those so accused had not spoken words of blasphemy. They had not committed an overt crime. They had not murdered the innocent, stolen from the poor or assaulted their neighbor’s wife. They had neglected the poor, the sick, the unfortunate. That is a sobering thought!
What if you never beat your wife, poisoned your husband, abandoned your children, cheated on your taxes, planted a bomb in your mother-in-law’s car or shot your neighbor’s dog. You might be real proud of yourself, but there is far more to being a Christian than that.
Yes, several passages in the Bible spell out some actions that are sinful in their doing. Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:3-5, Romans 1:21-32 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 reveal what God forbids. And the penalty for those sins is severe.
However, the following are obligations every Christian has to the degree of his/her opportunity. Consider these questions:
- When was the last time you helped the poor? See 1 John 3:14-18.
- Have you done your part in taking the Gospel of Christ to your friends and neighbors? See Matthew 28:18-20.
- Are you giving as you have been prospered – or just enough not to look bad to those who count the contribution? See 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.
- Have you been diligent in studying your Bible, thereby enabling yourself to “handle aright the word of truth,” 2 Timothy 2:15?
- Have you given comfort and strength to others who need it? Or, are you “all take and no give”? See Hebrews 10:24.
- Are you looking for ways to serve God, being “ready unto every good work,” 1 Timothy 6:6-19?
Someone asked me once, “What on earth are you doing for heaven’s sake?” That’s a question we all need to consider.
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“He who waits to do a great deal of good all at once will never do anything.”
“What I gave, I have; what I spent, I had; what I kept, I lost.”
“If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone,”
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Learning to Listen
In the first chapter of James, God’s servant addressed Christians who blamed God for temptation and their subsequent failures to overcome it. In response to this error James reminded them that God gave only good gifts (James 1:17), and that one example of this is the word He gave so that we could understand His will (James 1:18), concluding that by making God’s Word the model for life we can be saved (James 1:21). Between verses eighteen and twenty-one sits a familiar admonition that rarely receives treatment in its context. James told his readers to “be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:19b-20). His point? God has provided the answer for overcoming temptation and understanding life properly within His Word, but it will do us no good if we do not listen to it.
James said, “Take heed therefore how ye hear” (Luke 8:18a). It is not enough to sit through some sermons and classes. This, by itself, is not really listening. We must open ourselves up to absorb God’s Word and the practical applications that stem from it (James 1:22). The Bereans were noble because they listened with purpose (Acts 17:11). They did not listen blindly, but they were listening to learn. Some people’s listening skills are designed after the rapid reply model of people who listen just enough to respond but never listen long enough to realize how much they do not know.
Some Christians take pride in their ability to avoid letting the word of God affect them greatly. This is foolish and prideful (Proverbs 16:18). A Christian must be ready to listen to what comes from God’s Word – ready to apply it, ready to relay it, ready to live it. But this will never happen if a Christian is not willing to listen. Paul contrasted Timothy’s attitude toward the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15) with the attitude of some whom he knew Timothy would find “in the pew” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Timothy learned because he listened. There is no other way (Romans 10:17).
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