Neglect

Good Morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

Have you ever been asked on the phone to come in for a job interview? An employer has looked over your application, and now they would like to have a sit down visit with you. When you arrive that day, he asks you certain questions to get an idea of the kind of person that you are. He also explains the things that will be expected of you, if you become one of their employees. After the interview is complete, he expresses his interest in hiring you, and makes you an offer that you quickly accept. When you finally arrive for your first day of work, you are so grateful to have a source of income along with such wonderful benefits. But although you were given such a great opportunity, your excitement about your new place of employment slowly starts to fade away. Six months later, your work habits are not what they first used to be, and you begin missing days at work. It’s only a matter of time when the employer finally decides to replace you with somebody else, and you lose your job because of your own neglect.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

To neglect, is the failure to properly take care of something that you have been given. It is to disregard one’s duty, caused by one’s own carelessness and negligence. Scripture is clear that salvation can be lost due to neglect. This is why the disciples constantly warned the church to pay great attention to the things that they had been given, and make sure that they were continuing to walk in the true faith.

Hebrews 2 ¹ Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.  ² For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;  ³ How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

How many of you like to go fishing? Can you ever remember a time that you caught some fish and put them on a stringer? Although you were excited to eat them, when you finally got home, you left them on the picnic table and completely forgot about them. By the next day, they had sat out in the heat and weren’t good for anything anymore. This happened because of your own neglect. 

If you don’t check the oil regularly on your vehicle, it can get low over time, and you can eventually blow the motor. This too can happen because of neglect.

Eternal life is a precious gift, but sadly some people will lose it through neglect. This is because they never truly repented of their sins and became a new creature in Christ Jesus. They never took care of the new opportunity that God had given them. Instead of obediently abiding in their convictions, they caved into their own temptations, and fell away from the truth.

“They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” Luke 8:13

Even though people are saved from their past sins when they are baptized into the Christian faith, they must continue to walk in the faith if they want to obtain eternal life. If they continue to live in sin, they are neglecting the will of God, and just like Jews of old, will eventually be destroyed.

Jude 1 ⁵ I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.  ⁶ And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.  ⁷ Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

The Christian life is about becoming pleasing unto God, but some people will neglect His call to sanctification, and impenitently continue to abide in their sins.

1 Corinthians 10 ¹ Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; ² And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;  ³ And did all eat the same spiritual meat; ⁴ And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.  ⁵ But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.  ⁶ Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

We must never neglect the faith, but as obedient children, we must continue to maintain our humble servitude to the teachings of God’s Holy Word.

1 Timothy 4 ¹⁴ Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. ¹⁵ Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.  ¹⁶ Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Colossians 4 ¹⁶ And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.  ¹⁷ And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.

Here are some other passages spoken to the church, explaining that one’s salvation could be lost because of neglect. 

“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.  Romans 11:22

Hebrews 6 ⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,  ⁵ And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, ⁶ If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

⁷ For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: ⁸ But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

The Christian Life is the highest calling that one could ever strive for, and we must continue to walk each day in the truth of our faith. We have been given the greatest gift that anyone could ever receive, the opportunity to begin a new life in Christ Jesus. Love for God dictates daily maintenance in our lives. We must take heed, making sure that we are walking in the truth, and never allow our faith to suffer the consequences of…..

…..Neglect

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc  where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

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