Bad Men Do It All Again
When Skilful Men Do Nothing
by Wayne Greeson
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that expert men do zero." (Edmund Shush)
Then much of the history of the struggle between good and evil can exist explained by Edmund Burke'due south observation. Time and over again those who profess to be skillful seem to clearly outnumber those who are evil, yet those who are evil seem to prevail far likewise frequently. Seldom is it the numbers that decide the upshot, but whether those who claim to be practiced men are willing to stand up and fight for what they know to be right. There are numerous examples of this sad and atrocious scenario existence played out over and over once again in the scriptures.
They Become Nil Good Washed
When good men do nothing, they get nothing skillful done. To be good, 1 must practise good. The Lord commands his people to benefit (Luke half dozen:35; Eph. two:10). Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem the states from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of expert works" (Titus two:14).
In the parable of the talents, Jesus described a human being who did zip. When he received his Lord's money, he "went and digged in the earth, and hid his Lord'due south money" (Matt. 25:18). When his Lord returned, he returned to the Lord just what he had been given (Matt. 25:25). Detect, the retainer did not practice any outright evil, such every bit stealing the money, but then neither did he do annihilation good. He did zero and he got nothing proficient achieved. Jesus said he was a "wicked and slothful retainer" (Matt. 25:26).
Jesus rebuked the church at Laodicea for doing nothing. "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because chiliad art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my oral fissure. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with appurtenances, and have need of aught; and knowest not that m art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:xv-17).
Too many Christians and too many churches do nothing. They are continuing idly by, they are mere spectators. They sit on the sidelines instead of actively participating and working for the practiced. If expert wins, they bring together in the celebration though they did nothing to produce the victory. If evil wins, they volition complain long and loud though their ain apathy helped produce the undesirable effect.
When Jesus found a fig tree with "nothing thereon, but leaves simply" He cursed the tree and "presently the fig tree withered away" (Matt. 21:nineteen). What will He do with those who merits to be good and nevertheless who practise nada? John the baptist warned, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire" (Matt. 3:ten; John fifteen:ii).
They Help Evil To Triumph
When good men practice nix, evil triumphs. Evil, sin and sinful men must be opposed. God commands those who are adept, not only to avoid evil only actively oppose it.
Christians are to non only to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but (also) reprove them" (Eph. 5:xi). Those who do naught about sin and evil, help the sin and evil to prevail. One who is silent when at that place are those around him in sin becomes a partaker with them (Eph. 5:7).
In the days of Elijah, the silence of many had allowed the evil of Ahab and Jezebel to prevail throughout the land of Israel. "And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord exist God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word" (1 Kings xviii:21). The silence of the people spoke volumes of their indecisiveness and inaction. Their failure to stand up, speak up and speak out permitted wicked and evil men to run rampant.
Jesus told of a traveler who was robbed, beaten and left him half dead. The men who did this were wicked and did a very wicked matter. But the Levite and priest allowed this evil to continue unanswered by doing nothing every bit they each "passed by on the other side" (Luke 10:31-32). Fortunately for the traveler there was ane man, a Samaritan, who was willing to stand up for what was right (Luke 10:33-36).
Jesus warned "He that is not with me is confronting me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad" (Matt. 12:thirty). In the fight confronting evil at that place is no middle basis, no gray area, no neutrality. Those who are not actively and vigorously fighting against evil are helping evil to triumph.
They Are No Longer Good
When expert men do cipher, they are no longer practiced. Many accept the mistaken notion that good is simply the absence of doing that which is wrong. Not so! One is good not simply because he does no evil, but because he is actively working for what is skillful. "Let him eschew evil, and practice adept" (ane Pet. 3:eleven). James explained, "Therefore to him that knoweth to practice good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).
The eldest of Israel, Reuben, knew his brothers' murderous plot against their younger brother Joseph was wrong. He started an endeavor to deliver Joseph, simply as he hesitated and vacillated, the other brothers sold Joseph into slavery. When Reuben heard what they had washed, he realized his failure to act had helped to bring about this evil result.
Instead of correcting his error, Reuben sought to cover his guilt by agreeing with his brothers to lie to their father about Joseph's disappearance (Gen. 37:18-35). Reuben had "good intentions" and he was not fifty-fifty present when Joseph was sold into slavery, merely he knew his inaction and absence made him only as guilty equally the residuum of his wicked brothers. This guilt connected to haunt him through the years (Gen. 42:21-22).
The prophet Obadiah severely condemned the Edomites for doing nil when evil was befalling their brethren, the Jews. When Jerusalem was invaded by her enemies, the Edomites "stood on the other side" doing cypher merely watching the slaughter as spectators. God said by their failure to act and to help their brethren "even thou wast equally ane of them" (Obad. 11).
Today, there are preachers and Christians who fail and refuse to meet the real foe, refute error and fight the enemy. Instead, they have turned to viciously savaging their own brethren. They are filled with bitterness and hatred and they maliciously attack, slander and misrepresent other Christians and gospel preachers.
Paul warned nigh such men and behavior amidst those professing to be Christians, "Just if ye bite and devour one some other, take heed that ye exist non consumed i of some other" (Gal. 5:15). Those who engage in such behavior are spiritual cannibals.
While the conduct of these so-chosen Christians is shameful, what virtually those supposedly "good" men who practice nothing? Those stand on the other side and do nothing but spotter every bit their brothers are being slandered, slaughtered and devoured, they finish being innocent bystanders and idle spectators. Their failure to act not only allows evil to triumph, but makes them just as guilty as the spiritual cannibals they decline to reprove and rebuke. In God's words, "even thou wast every bit one of them" (Obad. xi).
Conclusion
"Be non deceived; God is not mocked; for any a human soweth, that shall he as well reap" (Gal. 6:7). Those who neglect or refuse to do good in the face of evil are sowing some unsafe seeds. They are doing zippo proficient as Jesus allowable them to do; they are helping evil to win and have ceased beingness good and have get partakers of the evil they did nothing to cease.
Do non permit evil to triumph. Exercise non sit down by and practice goose egg. Stand upward and be counted, speak up against evil and speak out confronting evil men and their sinful deeds.
- Sowing The Seed, Vol. 3, by Wayne Greeson. Twenty full sermon outlines which are ready to preach. Topics include "Wise Advise," "The Abundant Life," "Lilliputian Foxes," "Giants and Grasshoppers," "God's Law Of Harvest," and "Take I Become Your Enemy?" (107 pages) (PDF file size: 648k).
- Wedding And Funeral Sermons, a collection of wedding and funeral sermons past David Padfield, Wayne Greeson, Harry Lewis, Brian Sullivan, Wayne Walker, Gene Taylor, and Robert Welch (PDF file size: 149k).
Source: https://www.padfield.com/1997/goodmen.html
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