and amen. We're turning to James chapter 4. Thank you for joining with us in the house of God those who are in the church car park and those who join with us online. James chapter 4 and we'll begin and we'll only read one verse this evening and it is the final verse of the chapter James chapter 4 and the verse number 17. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Amen and may God bless even the reading of this single verse this evening. Subject of sin is a vast subject matter indeed and there are many ways that we can look at sin and especially our own sin. I would hazard a guess and say that the most common way that we look at our own sin is with regard to those sins that we commit in our lives. Theologians call those sins the sins of commission. Those sins that we personally commit ourselves in our own personal lives. Humanity's first sin was a sin of commission. those God forbade the eating of the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil there in Genesis chapter 2 but in Genesis chapter 3 Adam and Eve knowing God's command concerning that tree, they chose to willfully and knowingly disregard that commandment and thereby they committed a sin of commission. Our first parents knowingly took action to commit a willful, sinful act against God. And so the first sin was a sin of commission. However, there is another category of sin that I would suggest we feel to think about when we think about the matter of sin. And it is that category of sin that James deals with in this single verse at the end of James Chapter 4. The category of sin I'm referring to are those sins that theologians call the sins of omission. The sins of commission, those sins that we do, and then the sins of omission. The sins of omission are simply not doing what God requires us to do. not doing what God requires us to do. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, James says to him, it is sin. Now what are the reasons? What are the reasons why we fail to focus more on the sins of commission than the sins of omission? Well, firstly, the sins of commission are easily detected by us. We all know when we lie. We all know when a person commits adultery. We all know when a murder takes place. These are sins of commission. doing those things that God forbids a person to do. However, the sins of omission are less easily detected. And so whilst the sins of commission are often blatant and deliberate, the transgressing of a known law or a command of God, the sins of omission can be subtle, almost undetectable to ourselves and to others. I don't know whether you husbands loved your wife as Christ loved the church today, but that is a command. I don't know if you wives today submitted yourselves to your husbands, but that's a command of God. I don't know if you children or young people here today honored or obeyed your parents, but that is a command of God. I don't know if you employee or employers, you're basically the employees. I don't know if you obeyed your masters in the Lord and just served your master as you would serve the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't know that, but that's a command of God. And in knowing those commands and in feeling to obey those commands, Those are just as much sins as the sin of lying, of the sin of adultery and the sin of murder. Failing to do what God wants us to do is as much a sin as doing those things that God tells us not to do. And so that's the first reason. They are often hard to detect. The second reason is that I believe that the sins of Omission are greater in number than the sins of commission. And we like to gloss over our sins. We like to think of ourselves better than others. And so we look at the liar and we look at the adulterer and we look at the murderer and we say, what great sinners they are. But what about the sins of omission? Do we not place ourselves in a similar grouping with those individuals? When we commit sin, are we not great sinners, failing to do what God commands us to do? You think of that command of remembering the Lord's death till they come. That is a command. It's not optional. This do. remembrance of me and yet there are believers and they rise from their pews and they commit sin when they feel to obey this command of Christ it is a sin of omission a sin of omission when people feel to join a church I believe that that again is a failure that is a sin of omission When people feel together for public worship, again, it is a failure. It is a sin of omission. And so what we often like to do is we like to feel good, do we not, when it comes to the matter of our sin? And we often think, well, I didn't lie today, or I didn't cheat on my wife today, or I didn't take the name of God in vain today. But what about the things that God wanted you to do? What about the Great Commission? Going into all the world and preaching the gospel, did you do that today? Loving your wife and many examples that I've just said. Now the Westminster Shorter Catechism defines and gives us a good definition of sin. The definition given at the end of question 14 is that sin is any want of conformity onto or transgression of the law of God. Now, as a definition, it combines both kinds of sin. the sins of omission and the sins of commission. But notice which of the two kinds of sin the Westminster divines put first when they came to define what sin is. It wasn't the sins of commission, i.e. the transgression of the law of God, doing that which God forbids us to do, but rather the first part of the definition, placing I believe the primary focus, what they believed was most important was that it was any want of conformity or a lack of conformity to the law of God. In other words, to not do what the law of God commands. In other words, the sin of omission. not the sin of commission. And so they placed there the law, or they placed there a lack of conformity to God's law, failing to do God's commands. They saw it as grievous to God, as actively transgressing what God commands. James reminds us here that sin is not just the doing of wrong things, but it also includes not doing right things. It's not just the doing of wrong things, that's what we often think sin is, but sin in God's sight and according to God's word is not doing the right things. And how many of us find ourselves very much guilty on that end of the spectrum of sin? But we need to be honest with God with regard to it. Now, as you know, the sins, let me say, sorry, that the sins of omission are as real and as serious as the sins of commission. Now, as you know, the verse does not sit in isolation. It relates to what comes before. The word, therefore, at the beginning of verse 17 indicates that to be the case. And James is warning these people that to resist God's will, because we spoke of that a number of weeks ago, he was speaking about the will of God. For ye ought to say, if the Lord will. And so it is within the context God's will that these words are spoken therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it is a sin. To know what God has revealed to us in his word and in our lives and our refusal our refusal to do that is deemed by God as sin. What the person is really saying to God is I know what you want me to do I understand it, I read of it in your word, but I know better. And I'm just going to do my own thing. I'm choosing not to obey God in these matters. And for that individual, they are committing sin. They are committing sin. Such people think that God's will is either a take it or leave it kind of thing. They view the will of God as an option, not as an obligation. But brethren and sisters, it's folly for a Christian to know the will of God, to know what they ought to do, but fail to do it. It really is insanity of the highest order to deliberately disobey the known will of God and God calls it out for what it is, it's sin, it's sin. To take the attitude that I can know God's will but choose to disregard it will really set us on a collision course with God and God will chase in you God will chasten you for your disobedience, because all sin must be chastened. The father loveth, he chasteneth, and if chastening is never forthcoming, then your sonship or your daughtership needs to be questioned. God cannot allow sin, habitual sin, to reign and to live in the life of his child. James speaks in our text about people who have a knowledge of that which is good and yet they fail to perform that good within their lives and such were guilty of committing sin. Now what could we say here practically I suppose we can look at this text then in a number of ways we can look at it very much generally and then contextually generally we could focus on this thought of doing good therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it is sin to do good that's what we are to do Christ himself went about doing good. And if the master went about doing good, so his servants and his children ought to do the same. I suppose if I was to summarize the good that we are to do as Christians, we could summarize it in really two general statements. We are to flee sin and we are to follow after righteousness and holiness. flee sin, and to follow after holiness and righteousness. And if we do those two basic things, then we'll cover much of the good that we are to do as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the question arises, to whom are we to do this good to? To him that doeth good, and doeth it not to him it is sin. Well, that question finds a threefold answer. First of all, we are obliged to do good to God. We are obliged to do good to God. There are juries in worship and service that we owe to God, and the performance of those juries sees to us that we are doing good to our God. Just a few examples of what I mean. When we draw nigh to God, we are doing good. Asaph said in Psalm 73, verse 28, but it is good for me to draw near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord God that I may declare all thy works." Drawing near to God in prayer and in praise and in thoughtful meditation and in Bible reading and study, drawing near to God in worship was good for the psalmist, no doubt. It was good for the psalmist. But it was also good for God. In what way, preacher? Well it was good for God because he is worthy of the believers worship and praise. God was exalted and glorified as the psalmist drew near to God, as the psalmist by drawing near to God was evidencing and declaring to the ungodly world around that he was depending on his God for his day to day living. That was good for God, for God's glory and for God's honor. And so drawing near to God is not only good for us, but we could say it's good for God, for God's fear, for God's glory, for God's honor. It's good for God. When we offer ourselves entirely and completely to God, we're doing good because this is what God expects of us. We are to give our lives as a sacrifice, a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. I've mentioned it, but we think of the communion supper. We do good there because we're obeying Christ's command to remember his death until he come. When we give to the work of God, we're doing good to God. Because we're obeying the commandments of God. When we choose to love God, we're doing, again, good to God. Again, displaying to an ungodly world around us that we believe in God, that we're followers of Him, that we want to serve Him, that we want to love Him, that He is the chief desire of our hearts. There's none that we love, there's none that we desire to serve more than Him. In actual fact, the performance of any scriptural command or precept sees to it that we're doing good to God because He demands our obedience. And then such reflects on His good name when others see His children living lives that comply to His word. Secondly, we are obliged to do good to our brethren. Galatians 6.10, as we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially to them that are of the household of faith. Paul here teaches that charity begins at home, within the family of God, and then into society at large. I thought about the good that we ought to do within the family of God, my mind was taken to the teaching of Christ. Matthew chapter 25, remember there the parable of Cain and how God expects goodness and kindness be happening among the family of God. Matthew 25, 35 and 36. I was a hungered and you gave me meat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came on to me. Really the Savior's words are then taken by James, in James 2, in the verse 15, if you want to just look back there. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and while if you say unto them, depart in peace and be warned, and fill not with standing you give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Here was the practical goodness that was to be explained, was to be explained. explored and also to be done by the children of God. Those daily necessities helping our brethren and sisters when they find themselves in need and therefore to him that knoweth to do good and to turn a blind eye and not to do it, it's sin. It's sin. Helping our fellow believers in spiritual ways is vital, but we must not miss the practical assistance that they need at times in their lives too. We can do good to our brethren and sisters in many ways. What about doing good to your brother, your sister this week? What about doing good by encouraging them? That's a good thing to do. To encourage one another in the Lord. What about the doing of good, as it were, to pray for them? Pray for your brethren and sisters. That's why we're here, to pray for one another, for the work of God, to support them, to comfort them, to go to them in their time of need and sorrow, and be there for them, to provoke them to good works. There's another good thing to do. What about promoting respect and unity and harmony within the family of God? What about refusing to participate in those activities that would become a stumbling block to a weaker brother or sister? that would be doing good. And for us not to do it, for us not to bear one another's burdens, that's a command. For us not to do it, brethren and sisters, it's sin. For us not to pray one for another, command of Scripture, it is sin. To draw near and to help and to comfort and console This is a command of scripture. Not to do it is sin. Well, we find ourselves very much guilty, guilty before God with regard to our sin. Is this the reason why John says in 1 John 1, he says over there in 1 John, let me, I find it, in case I misquote it, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Oh, we can plead maybe innocence with regard to the sins of commission. The things that God has told us not to do. We could maybe tick off every sin and say, I've never committed that sin today. Ah, but what about the sins of omission? What about all the things that God has told us in his word to do and we haven't done them? and maybe our thinking about sin in our own personal lives, maybe, no, not maybe, most definitely needs to be brought into line with the scripture. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar. and his word is not in us. Yes, and thirdly, we are obliged to do good, not only to our God, our brethren, but also to our fellow man. And I would know that you know that the great illustration of that is found in Luke chapter 10, the story of the good Samaritan, the priest and the Levi. They see the man wounded and bruised and battered, but they walk by on the other side and yet the Samaritan He makes his way to the wounded victim. Yes, and he helps, and he does good. Oh yes, the Levite and the priest, they knew the great commandments of the law. To love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, with all thy might, and to love thy neighbor as thyself. They knew it, but they didn't do it. They didn't love the Samaritan man. and in failing to love their neighbors themselves, they committed us the sin of omission. And so we're to do good to our fellow men. And brethren and sisters, what is the greatest good that we could do for our fellow men, country men and women? What's the greatest good? Sharing the gospel. Sharing with them the gospel. Oh, to be busy doing that. Are we doing that? And yet, with all that said, this verse really, contextually, it really must be considered in that context, and I'll be very quick. Because, as I've said, it deals primarily with the will of God, if the Lord will, knowing the will of God and doing it. And James states here, to him that knoweth to do good, to him that knoweth to do the good will of God, end your life and not to do it, it is sin. That may be very practical. God may have revealed to you his will with regard to your future, with regard to Bible college, with regard to future ministry, maybe with regard to helping out in the Sunday school or in some ministry. And failure to do that is sin. For God to reveal his will to you and for you not to do it, it is sin. Now I know that you know a good example of this in the scriptures is found in the life of Jonah. God clearly revealed to God's servant where he was to go. He was to go to Nineveh to preach on to that great city. to preach repentance. But knowing that, Jonah went the other way. To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. And sin always has consequences. And you know the consequences with regard to Jonah's willful disobedience to the will of God. the storm that he had to go through, and the heartache that he had to endure. What do we learn from this? Well, we learn that the safest and wisest course of action in our lives is for us to seek and then to do the will of God. When we feel to do God's will, whether that is generally, and you'll know that the scripture speaks about the general will of God for every child of God, this is the will of God, even your sanctification, There, with regard to sanctification, the spirit-filled life, wherefore be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is, and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the spirit. Many are the exhortations, the precepts, the commandments with regard to the general will of God, but we're thinking about the specific will of God. Failure to do that. will add to our sin account. And sin will always hamper, and sin will always stifle our walk with God. You know, we need to learn the lesson that isn't taught very much from the pulpits today, and it's this lesson. God holds us just as accountable for what we do not do. as for what we do do. God will hold us accountable just as much as what we do not do and for what we do. We pride ourselves in the things that we do. We come to church, we pray, we give to God's work, we read our Bibles, we witness, What about the things that we fail to do? Will our guilt, brethren and sisters, with the knowledge that we have of Scripture, will our guilt not be greater on this side of things, what we fail to do whenever we knew that we ought to have done them? Will that be the greater guilt? on our side when we come to stand before God in the judgment. Thank God there is cleansing for sin. The cross, we mustn't end in some kind of defeat. You've maybe come here and thought tonight, why did I come to God's house? Hard message to hear. But maybe we need to hear it. We do need to hear it. But there's cleansing for our sin. There's a way whereby our sin, the sins of omission, can be as much cleansed by the blood of Christ as the sins of commission. Because the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanseth us from all sin, all kinds of sin. The sins of omission, the sins of commission. And so, brother, sister, tonight, if there was something that you feel to do today, confess it. Repent of it. Seek cleansing in the blood of Christ for it. And then live to the glory of God and let us do those things that God expects us to do. When the opportunity to do good arises, then do it. but you don't want to be charged with the sin of not doing it. May God use his word to search your heart. And then, brethren and sisters, as we come to the close of every day, let us not only think of the things that we did, and there are sins that we do, and there are sins that we commit, but let's also think about what we didn't do, and ask God to forgive us for those things. Well, may God Search my heart. First of all, the preacher, may he search my heart and search your heart. May God give us, as Luther said, the life of the Christian was to be a life of repentance. And I believe that if we look at sin this way, I believe we understand maybe a little what Luther meant, because we understand that we feel in both the sins of commission and the sins of omission. May God help us. May God help me. And may God bring us to that place where we seek cleansing for our sin and then walk in the victory of the cross for Christ's sake. Amen. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Loving Father, we thank thee for thy word and what a challenge to think of those things that we have left undone We think of those lepers outside Samaria, the good news that they had to tell that the Midianite army had left, they had fled, and they came to the realization, we do not wail. There's something that we should be doing, and we're not. And they understood that God would come and chasing them, and judged them. And so they ran to the gate of Samaria and told the good news. And Lord, there's many a thing, and we realize we should be doing it. And we haven't done it as yet. Give us grace to follow through. Give us grace to obey your word, thy word. And may we be those who sin less, And may, dear Father, we then know the blessing and favor of God upon our lives for Christ's sake. Amen and amen.