Sunday, November 18, 2018
am
NEGLECT
Recently, we presented a lesson from Hebrews 2:1-4 asking the question,
“How shall we escape”? It
warned that we shall not escape the judgment of God.
But that same verse also addressed why we would not escape –
neglecting our salvation.
Today we want to talk about the word neglect.
Neglect is an attitude that fails to properly take care of that which is
needed. To disregard or leave
something unattended to. OR it can be the product of that which we fail
to care for. Our English
word is based upon a Latin word that means, “to do nothing about”.
Thus, it is ignoring something rather than dealing with it.
a.
The building decays – Ecclesiastes 10:18. Anyone who knows anything about building realizes
the importance of maintaining whatever it is.
When we don’t take care of something, it begins to fall apart.
Proverbs 18:9 – the slothful is the brother of a great destroyer.
It is interesting to apply this to our point!
Think of one who destroys things, e.g. terrorism, etc.
His “brother” is the one who does nothing!
b.
We let down our guard – continually we are called upon to watch.
Jesus emphasized this continually.
Mark 13:33-36, and Mark 14:34-38 while in the garden.
3 times in this text they are told to watch.
1 Thessalonians 5:6, 1 Peter 4:7 – watch and be sober, even in your
prayers.
c.
We begin to drift
– Hebrews 2:1. When we fail to anchor a boat, it will gradually drift,
and in time be far from its intended location.
Drift far enough, and you’re lost.
Spiritually, through
neglect, we may find ourselves further from God.
NOTE: When God is far from us, it is NOT because He has moved
(cf. James 1:17)! He is
always in the same place. We
are the ones who move away.
d.
As we drift, we may be led away
– think of one captured and bound and led away to
confinement.
2 Timothy 3:6 – speaks of the ungodly and their influence on us, if we
are not careful. The false
teacher often takes advantage of the gullible and makes them captive,
leading them away into various lusts
2 Peter 3:17 warns about being led away with the error of the wicked.
e.
We forget God and where we came from – as we let down our guard and drift, it is not long
before we begin to take for granted our salvation and forget the
importance of keeping Him first.
This can lead to many other problems.
James 1:23-25 speaks of the one who fails to do what he hears.
Like looking in a mirror, he forgets what kind of man he was…
f.
We do not grow as we
ought to - 2
Peter 1:9 speaks of one who lack proper growth (adding to his faith), he
has forgotten that he was forgiven.
Hebrews 5:12-14 – they were not where they ought to be.
g.
Disaster may come – spiritual and physical.
Physical neglect can lead to disasters in life.
Spiritual neglect, based upon the points we have made thus far,
can lead to an even more devastating disaster with eternal consequences.
i.
We may be guilty of sin
– James 4:17 – to know to do good and not do it is sin.
Consider the wicked and lazy servant of Matthew 25:26
Consider again 2 Peter 3:17 – beware lest you fall from your own
steadfastness
ii.
We must face the
consequences of our neglect
–
cf. Exodus 21:28-29 – if an ox gores, and had a tendency, you are
responsible.
Luke 12:47 – a parable of Jesus of the faithful and unfaithful stewards
iii.
Ultimately, we will be
lost if we neglect to take care of our spiritual needs
–
Luke 9:62 – no one looking back is fit for the kingdom of God
1 Corinthians 9:27 - disqualified
a.
So great a salvation
– Hebrews 2:3 – so many lessons to learn from this passage.
Here we are reminded of just how great our salvation is.
Think about everything associated with our salvation – the better
sacrifice, better access to God, better hope, a better (and spiritual)
covenant, etc. Everything
about our salvation is great.
Do NOT neglect your salvation!
2 Corinthians 6:1 – as workers with Him, do not receive the grace of God
in vain.
2 Peter 2:20-22 – speaks of those who have escaped and are again
entangled in the world
Hebrews 10:26-29 – speaks of how God feels about one who dismisses what
he has received.
b.
The weightier matters of
the law –
Matthew 23:23. Spoken to the Pharisees and scribes who were skilled at
counting seeds and the technicalities of the law.
They were so focused on the details, they forgot the foundation
of those details.
The idea of weightier matters is the motivation behind what we do.
It is the genuine concern for others - described as justice,
mercy and faith. It is following
God from the heart – Matthew 22:37-39.
See the context Matthew 23:24-26.
NOTE: Jesus did not say we
should not be concerned about the fine details, but to NOT forget the
purpose behind them. Jesus has always demanded obedience (John 14:23-24,
Luke 6:46).
As one author stated, “They are
not weightier in the sense of coming first on some list of commandments
to keep. They are weightier
because all else depends on these.”[1]
Is it possible for us to become so caught up in details that we
forget our real purpose? It
is possible to simply go through the motions, thinking that with such we
EARN our salvation. Untrue!
c.
The gift that is in you – 1 Timothy 4:14. Spoken to young Timothy, Paul encourages
him to cultivate his abilities and use them to reach others.
In the end, he would save both himself and others.
We are again reminded that we all have abilities.
We have “talents” (Matthew 25:15ff).
1 Peter 4:10-11, Romans 12:6-8 – we all have abilities.
We must not neglect what we have.
That was part of Paul’s concern as he described us as a body in 1
Corinthians 12:12-27.
Be reminded, that when we face God in judgment, we will answer for how
we have used what we were entrusted with.
d.
To be reminded of the
truth – 2
Peter 1:12. Peter was writing what was probably one of his last letters.
He knows the time to “put off his tent” was coming shortly
(1:13-14).
Much of what is written in the New Testament was reminders of
what they had previously been taught orally.
We need to be continually reminded of the truth. This is why we must
continually study God’s word. 2
Timothy 2:15. Proverbs 23:12,
Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge.
Acts 17:11 – search the scriptures.
One of the downfalls of Israel was that they forgot God and His word –
Jeremiah 2:32, Can a virgin forget
her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me
days without number. Then
note Jeremiah 13:25, This is your
lot, The portion of your measures from Me,” says the Lord, “Because you
have forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood.
e.
Making light of the
invitation
– Matthew 22:5. Jesus tells a parable the week of His betrayal.
A parable of rejection.
A king arranged a marriage and sent out servants to call the
invited guests. But they
“made light of it” and dismissed the invitation.
As a result, the king invited others to His feast.
There are many lessons from this, but we note that those invited
NEGLECTED the invitation (same Greek word).
Equally tragic to neglecting so great a salvation as His children, would
be to refuse the invitation to become part of His kingdom.
Yet how many do just that.
a.
What can we do to ensure
that we are not neglectful?
b.
Frequent examination
– including awareness of what is happening, appreciation of what we
have, etc. 2 Corinthians 13:5.
Neglect can be caused by many things – ignorance, being overwhelmed (too
many commitments), not wanting to deal with the unpleasantness of some
task, routine (something becomes too familiar and we don’t think about
it), but often it is simply laziness or indifference.
As in so many things, we need to know WHY something is neglected if we
are to deal with it.
c.
Devise a plan –
good planning can be helpful in ensuring that we are not negligent.
When needed, it could even include contingencies when there are
setbacks.
d.
Renew our minds
– fortify the walls that are falling or leaking.
Ephesians 4:23.
e.
Diligence and zeal
– Hebrews 6:10-12 describes this work.
f.
The usual activities of a Christian – prayer, Bible study, association with brethren, etc.
When we stay busy, WITH a proper
focus, it can keep us from being negligent.
As Ephesians 4:1 says, “Walk
worthy of the calling with which you were called.”
We
have seen that we need to take measures to ensure that we are not
negligent in our lives as Christians.
So how are you doing in this?
Think about it.