The Cost Of Doing Nothing
Gtcotr/ss060604
Key Scripture: Proverbs 27:12 ¶ A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; The simple pass on and are punished.
Today, June 6, 2004, marks the 60th anniversary of ‘D-Day’, the mass Ally invasion of occupied Western Europe at Normandy Beach. This began the final march to the victory that broke Hitler‘s grip on Europe.
When I was 22 I took advantage of an opportunity to attend the University of Maryland at one of their European extension campuses just outside Kaiserslautern, West Germany, near the US Air Base where Brenda and I lived. My degree program demanded that I take, among other classes, a class in World History, 1865 to present.
Almost every weekend that semester found me traveling to some major WWI or WWII battle site. There impacted by the thousands of white grave markers, perfectly placed in honored rows, often guided by those who had lived through it, I received a life challenging education on the costs of doing nothing.
You may query me, “What do you mean Pastor, doing nothing?” “The allies staged the largest invasion in history, some 5,000 ships and landing craft, over 150,000 men, six full infantry divisions, paratroopers, commando units, tanks, gliders, battleships, bombers, fighter planes … what do you mean doing nothing?”
Well, in my educated opinion, doing nothing is precisely what cost America so many of her sons that day, not to mention the 12,000 Allied Airmen and the 19,000 civilians in Normandy who also died in the Allied bombing campaign immediately prior to and just after D-Day, all aimed at softening the enemy who had entrenched themselves in the French countryside. How soon we forget that war cost innocent lives.
These, along with the more than 400,000 other Allied deaths, the hundreds of thousands killed among our enemies and the families of the war torn countries of Western Europe on top of the more than 6,000,000 Jews who were tortured then murdered, could have been avoided if only we, the people, had understood the cost of doing nothing about something that was very wrong long before 1941.
In my Pastorate, I often see firsthand the cost of doing nothing when counseling families who have met a tragedy that could have been avoided if only they had acted sooner rather than later. People attempt to save the relatively small cost or discomfort of fixing something now, only to be faced with unbearable costs later.
Left to themselves, bad things do not get better, they get worse.
I. We Can See This Played Out In The Life Of Balaam, The Prophet
We learn about his ministry primarily from Numbers 22 - 25
His life can be encapsulated in Three Preaching Points
A. The Error Of Balaam
* Jude 1:11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
* He bought into a wrong principle in life - he was in error
B. The Way Of Balaam
* 2 Peter 2:15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
C. The Doctrine Of Balaam
* Revelation 2:14 "But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
Left to themselves, bad things do not get better, they get worse.
* From the computer which is connected to the internet without firewall and anti-virus protection - (you may save some time and money now, but just wait … it will cost you more later)
* To the community which fails to recognize and deal with its declining population trends … (it cost us now to secure our future)
* From the cries of the world’s current public opinion complaining about the cost of dealing with avowed terrorist organizations and renegade leaders of militant countries without consideration of what will happen in the future if we do nothing now,
* To the Christian who sees sin in their daily life and does nothing about it before it finally grows and consumes them …
Left to themselves, bad things do not get better, they get worse.
II. Let’s Leave The World Stage Without Further Political Address, and Focus More Personally On The Real Topic This Morning - Sin
A. What Is Sin
1. Definition: To miss the mark and not share the prize.
2. The mark; The bull’s-eye - To be like Jesus
B. Sin’s Power
1. Sin’s Damning Power
* Salvation by the Blood of Christ
> Belief In Jesus As God’s Son
> Confess Jesus as Lord
2. Sin’s Governing Power
Sin knows no boundaries
It will take you farther than you expect to go
It will keep you longer than you want to stay
It will cost you more than you can afford to pay
* Forgiveness through the Blood of Christ
> Acknowledge the sin
> Turn from it - forsake it Proverbs 28:13
Since, left to itself, sin does not get better but rather worse.
Since, doing nothing now can cost us everything later.
III. What Shall We Do About Our Sin
A. Examine Ourselves
1 Corinthians 11:28 But let a man examine himself …
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves …
1. Look down the road of life
2. Take a personal inventory
3. Where Do I Line Up Against God’s Word?
* without examination we may never know
B. Judge Ourselves
1 Corinthians 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
1. Don’t make excuses for sin - if you find it …
2. Judge yourself in sin and in need of salvation or forgiveness
C. Maintain A Constant Vigil
1 Peter 5:8 ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
IV. There Is A Cost In Doing Nothing
A. Somewhere Life Will Cost
We will pay for our future with our now, or we will pay for our now with our future.
* from credit cards to weight management
* from an oil change to fading paint
* from community growth to world economy
* from the beaches of 1944 Normandy to the Cities of 2004 Iraq
* It will cost more later to do nothing now.
B. Proverbs 22:3 ¶ A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.
C. It Can Cost Everything To Do Nothing
Pay attention before you no longer can afford it.
Deal with it!
