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When I announced my title, most of you immediately thought of statues and graven images that people worship. Unfortunately, idol worship is not just something of the past, but through various religions that have tried to merge idolatry and Christianity, more people are bowing before images than ever before. The Bible prohibits worshipping or praying to a statue or image of any kind -- even of something that represents something in heaven -- therefore to pray or kneel to a statue of Jesus or Mary is something that according to His Word, God despises vehemently. We, as Christians, should definitely flee idol worship, because of God's strong stance against any sort of image worship.

But as much as not worshipping idols is important, that's not my subject today. I'm here to preach about another sin that is sweeping America and Christianity even greater than the numbers bowing to statutes. In fact, my subject today is probably the greatest committed sin in America. It's probably the most often sin committed in our area. I'm not here to preach about idol worship: i-d-o-l, but "idle" worship: i-d-l-e. To be "idle" means "to do nothing; to take no action; to rest." The greatest sin of today is not idol worship in that people worship Mary, but "idle worship" where people who claim to serve God, never serve. They don't do anything for God. They claim to be a part of the kingdom of God but you wouldn't know it by their actions. They claim to worship, but most often it is in idleness. They do nothing.

We live in a spectator sport society. Most people don't want to be in the game, but would just rather watch from the sidelines. They'll buy the tickets to watch the show, but would rather not be truly involved. I listen to talk radio sometimes, and I'm amazed at some people who call in mad at this athlete or that athlete for missing a shot or making a poor decision, and this person is a fat, beer-bellied slob who couldn't bend over to tie his shoes without getting out of breath, and he wants to criticize an athlete who has trained hard and yet under pressure made a mistake. Mr. Caller doesn't want to make the sacrifice to be in the game, but he certainly wants to be known as a master spectator and wants everyone -- including those who are in the game -- to listen to his opinion.

Unfortunately, often times that spectator mentality comes over into the church. There are any number of people in this area that -- despite they hardly never go to church, have never been committed to a church, and have never tried to help grow a church day to day -- yet will expound on length at what they think is wrong with churches today and expect you to listen. And I must tell you, as somebody who is in the game and who has never been not in the game, it's hard to listen sometimes to people's lame excuses as to why they think that the concept of church is broke and that church is not relevant. I'll agree that many churches are just religions, but that's because many denominations do not run their church as it was originally devised. It was Jesus, Himself, who first came up with the idea of a "church" and if you run a church teaching the Apostolic doctrines as His original church did and build it upon the revelation of who He is as He instructed, then you will find that church is not broke! Jesus' idea of church works because His Spirit and Word moves freely and works together to make it a life-changing experience! Religion doesn't work, but Holy Ghost church does!

As a pastor, I have often noticed that is usually the unfaithful who complain the most. It's the one who hasn't lifted a finger in worship in two months that is the most critical of other saints. It's always the one who has never lifted a finger to help build the church that is always trying to tear it down. You don't shoot holes in a boat that you are on board! And I'll be honest with you: when people come to me with complaints or gripes about church and it's coming from someone who I only see every once in a while and from someone who has never won a soul or taught a Bible Study or prayed someone through to the Holy Ghost or bothered to help with a day of outreach, then I take their suggestions with a grain of salt and let it slide from one ear and out of the other. No offence, but you aren't in the game! When you are willing to make the commitment to get in the game, then I'll listen with regard to your opinion.

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The "sin of idle worship" -- sounds harsh -- but it's a scriptural fact. If you are saved, then you are in the kingdom of God and not just sitting on the sidelines. If you are truly saved, then you are a child of the king and regularly in His presence not someone who thinks that they might know Him. If you are truly saved, then you are commissioned to work to reach this lost world. If you are saved, then you are in the Lord's army waging a spiritual war for His will in this world. If you are saved, then you are a key ingredient of the local body of Christ and without your action, it will be handicapped!

Listen to this preacher, we are not saved BY works, but we are saved TO works. If you are really "serving Jesus" then there will be action in your life! This world is full of people who claim to be saved and to worship God and to be a believer, and yet they are idle for Him. They are doing nothing. They are involved in idle worship!

I've heard people tell me "well I'm a good person and I believe in Jesus and I believe that the Bible is true, but I don't think you need to go to church, and I don't think you need to do this or that this is necessary." Let me remind such an idle person of what Jesus said:

If you are saved, then Jesus Christ is your "Lord." That means "master" or "ruler." If He is Lord, then His directions are not suggestions but commandments. If you believe in Jesus and the Bible, then why do you not act according to what Jesus and the Bible has commanded you to do? The truth is only those who obey truly believe and only those who truly believe obey. You can say that you are a follower of Christ, but there must be some action in your life if that is true, because Christ was always ministering and serving and doing!

It's almost like some people think "I'm saved so now I'm in a privileged position to do nothing!" "I'm the King of King's kid, so I can just 'veg out' as far as God is concerned." Let me remind you of two men in the Bible named Jude and James. If anyone was in a privileged position with the Master, they were it. They were Jesus' half brothers and grew up in the same house and at the same job with Him everyday. They woke up together with Jesus for over eighteen years. They worked with Jesus everyday for thirty years. They were "kinfolks." They knew Jesus closer than most everybody. And they became believers and became a part of the Early Apostolic church. If anybody had a right to "hang out" and "do nothing actively in the kingdom of God," and be in a privileged position, it was James and Jude.

Both of these half-brothers of Jesus wrote books of the Bible and listen to the first verse of each of their books which describe their opinion of their position in the kingdom of God:

Both introduced themselves as the "servant of Jesus!" A quick word study here reveals an even more startling fact. The word for "servant" in the Greek is doulos which is literally "a slave!" Their commitment to Jesus was so great, and their life had been so changed, that they both presented themselves as "a slave of Jesus Christ." A slave! Someone who obeys the commands of their master. Someone who does His every beck and call and faithfully fulfills his duties. Someone who has no authority except that which is given by his lord! Someone who could never think of being idle or doing nothing! "James, Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ!"

It's obvious that if you have really had a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ, then you attitude toward His Word will not be "do I have to do that? Your attitude toward church and the kingdom of God will not be that of a spectator, because a servant does not question his master's wishes and cannot choose to sit by and just watch! Simply put, you cannot truly be a servant of Christ and yet be involved in idle worship at the same time. You are either one or the other.

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Let me talk to you about the seriousness of doing nothing. Idle worship is just as much a sin as idol worship. It's not my philosophy that I'm preaching, but rather the Word of God. Listen to what James the "servant of Jesus" went on to say in his book:

If you know to do good, and you do nothing, then the Bible says that you have committed sin! There are sins of commission where you do something that is not right. But then there are sins of omission where you do nothing, and in doing nothing you disobey the commands of God's Word that instructed you to do something!

We could give a long list of things that we are commanded to do in God's Word. We are to flee sinful and youthful lusts. We are to live righteously in Christ Jesus. We are to be servants. We are commanded to win our world for Christ and preach His Gospel -- not just the pastor, but all of us! We are commanded to spiritually lead our families by example and obedience in truth. We are commanded to pray and fast. We are commanded to study God's Word that we might know how to "answer every man." We are in the Lord's army and as thus commanded to fight for what is right in our lives. We are commanded to "not forsake the assembling of ourselves together." We are commanded to clap our hands and lift up our hands and sing and shout and make a joyful noise and dance and praise God with every breath. We are to reach out to the unfortunate and down and out. We are to be vessels through which the Holy Ghost can flow through. We are to be ambassadors for Christ. We are to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. We are to repent. We are commanded to be baptized. We are commanded to receive the power of the Holy Ghost. We are directed to put the kingdom of God first in all areas and only worship Him! We are directed to serve and there are many areas to serve in the kingdom of God, but all require commitment and faithfulness and making God priority. You serve when you offer to clean the church. You serve when you sacrifice your time for Kidz praise or Sunday School or VBS. You serve when you mow the grass or trim the hedges. You serve when you come early to pray for the service and those who will be here and join with the pastor in believing God for great things for that day. You serve when you help with bread and food boxes. You serve when you pray and fast weekly for souls and for revival. You serve when you invite someone and even bring someone to church. You serve when you use your unique talents -- whether it be craft making, sewing, cooking, concrete, mechanic skill, painting, or whatever for the kingdom of God and His cause. You serve by action! And we are to be His servants!

And yet to know to do good, and not do it, is sin. If you never serve, if you never reach out to the lost world, if you never come to church, if you never pray, etc.... then it become sin to you because you know to do it and yet don't. Your doing nothing was evil.

In our first text, we read about the children of Israel moving toward the Promised Land. There were twelve tribes that were all committed to fighting for the land that God had promised to give them. In the 32nd chapter of Numbers, we find that the tribes of Gad and Reuben had decided that they liked the land that they had already captured and were camping on. They decided that it would be their inheritance, and then they decided that since they were already there, they could just sit down and let the rest of the tribes fight their own battles!

That was when Moses confronted them directly in our text and said:

"Shall your brothers go to war and you just sit here?" Are you going to just be idle? That's what Moses was asking. And he went on to say that "your idleness is discouraging the heart and faith of the other tribes!" The spectator in church likes to tell themselves that they are on the sidelines and neither helping or hindering the move of God, but nothing is further than the truth. Jesus said "if you are not for me, then you are against me!" If you are not on board, then you are fighting the cause. If you are not rowing the boat, then be aware that the dead weight of you sitting there is slowing the boat down! Doing nothing fights against faith in a church! Doing nothing fights against what God is wanting to do in a service. Church is not a spectator sport or a place where you can sit idly by with no effect. When you cross the threshold of the door, you either become one or two things: a help or a distraction! You either do something or nothing at all! You either respond to God or you resist. There is no in between in a true, Apostolic church service!

Moses urged them to get up and do what they were supposed to do:

"If you will act, then you will return to this land, guiltless before the Lord, and you will have this place for an inheritance." But if you just sit here, then Moses said "ye have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out." We often quote that verse, but don't realize what sin it is talking about. What would be the great sin here that they were so sure to reap the consequences? Not prostitution; not murder; not stealing; not lying; not cheating. What was this great sin? Doing nothing when they should have been doing something. Their great sin was "idleness."

And notice that Moses told them "you think that you have it made and that you are safe and have all the blessings that you want, and if you will go and fight rather than do nothing, then when you come back, all that you think you have right now will really be yours and you will really be safe and the land and blessings will be yours to keep." But if you do nothing and try to sit here on the blessings that you have received, then "be sure your sins will find you out." In other words, the opposite would be true, and if they did nothing and tried to sit in what they had, even what they had would be taken away. The only way to keep the blessings that they had already received was to do what they knew they were supposed to do. To do nothing was to lose everything that they had gained!

It has been said that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." While that's true, let me say that "doing nothing" will not only take you down the wrong road, but it will lead to the loss of what you had gained in God and lead you to even be cursed of God! Let me give you further scriptural proof, in the book of Judges chapter 5. If you will, turn there with me, quickly:

The 5th chapter is a song of victory sang by the Judge, Deborah, after God fought for Israel and gave a great victory to them. They had been hopelessly outnumbered by the Canaanite army. The enemy had iron chariots and horses and iron spears against the few foot soldiers carrying wooden weapons of Israel. It seemed hopeless until the prophetess Deborah rallied the people to call on God for help, and God came to their rescue! God went to war for the people of Israel! A terrific storm hit that bogged down the enemy in mire and made them easy targets for Israel's wooden arrows. Let's quickly go through the chapter and see what happened when God fought for Israel:

Vs 2 -- the leaders and the rulers willing decided to fight for Israel

Vs 4 -- the earth trembled; the clouds dropped water

Vs 5 -- the mountains shook

Vs 9 -- the governors offered themselves to enlist in God's army and fight; the common people volunteered.

Vs 12 -- Deborah wasn't much of a fighter, but she could sing, and so she said "what I can do, I'll do." I'll sing of God's praises while you fight so that we have God's favor.

Vs 14 -- the tribe of Ephraim came to fight; the tribe of Benjamin came to help; Zebulun weren't much fighters but they could command and write, and so they came to help coordinate messages and to record what was happening.

Vs 15 -- Barak led the way into the fight by example.

Everybody can't fight the same way or contribute the same way, but everybody listed here is doing something! They are all acting to help God fight their battle. But then we come to a changing point in the narrative and we find that in verse 16, the tribe of Reuben hesitated to come and fight. In verse 17 we find that the tribes of Gilead remained across the Jordan river. We find that Dan stayed with his shipping trade and did not bother to come and fight. These people made up the area of "Meroz" and so after all the lauding of heroes and rejoicing is over, we find this in verse 23:

It has been said that "all you need to do to go to hell is nothing." But notice that those who did nothing when God was moving not only missed out on the victory, but also were cursed by God, Himself! The Lord takes great offence if He is moving and yet we are not! As it was in the days of the wilderness wanderings, when the cloud of His Spirit is moving, it's time for us to move! The Lord curses those who do nothing when He is up to something! If God is moving in our services and wanting to bless, then not responding will not only cause you to miss out on the blessing that He wanted to give, but will cause Him to curse you because you did not move at His moving! To not move when His Majesty's presence is here is a high offense in God's book!

Remember the city of Sodom which along with it's twin city, Gomorrah was utterly annihilated by God with fire in Abraham's day? Remember that story? Have you ever asked yourself what was the sin of Sodom that was so great that caused God to destroy her? The obvious answer from scripture is homosexuality and it's true that God detests such a sin and that it was one of the contributing factors to God's decision of such extreme punishment, but according to the prophet Ezekiel, there was something else that brought it on:

One of the key sins of Sodom was her "abundance of idleness." Not only did she commit horrible sins, but what really brought the curse of God upon her was the areas in which she should have acted but yet she did nothing! Willful sins of commission will bring judgment eventually, but nothing brings the curse of God upon your life faster than doing nothing! And so not only is "idle" worship more rampant than "idol" worship, but it is in many ways worse! God takes great offense at those who do not respond to His moving and action!

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All you need to do to be cursed by God is to do nothing when He is moving! But that is a positive thing because if that is true, then the opposite is true! All you need to do to be blessed is to respond to His Spirit moving in your life! Respond to His commandments and the promises in His Word! Move, and you not only remove the curse of doing nothing, but you receive the blessings of God to boot! So when God is moving, whatever you do, don't just sit there, but do something! Maybe you cannot physically or mentally respond as someone else, but whatever you do, do something! Get your blessing! Be like the blind man on the road from Jericho and don't worry about what people think, but when Jesus is passing by, cry out, get His attention, let Him know that you need Him! If you do you can't help but be blessed!

Action is the key to receiving the blessings and promises of God. You can wish for it and believe in your mind all day long, but until you have faith -- that is, until you put action with your belief -- you will never receive anything from God.

In Acts chapter 1, we find Jesus had gathered His disciples together and had given them their last instructions that they were to go tarry in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Ghost. And that this Holy Ghost would be the power force that would enable them to do His will of spreading His Word. We pick up the story in Acts 1:8 with Jesus speaking:

The disciples are still there gazing up into the sky as if they were just going to stay there until He came back as He had promised. And so God had to send some angels to tell them "why are you just standing here, doing nothing, waiting for His return." "He will come back one day just like He promised, but in the meantime, there is some things that He had told you to do."

Some people say that the coming of the Lord seems like it will never come and that's it's been so long that it seems as if He isn't coming. It is a matter of perspective and when people say that, they reveal more of their spiritual walk than they intended. Have you ever waited for someone to come pick you up? There is two ways to do it. One way is to get busy working and then before you know it -- there they are! The second way is to sit and wait, staring at the road dully until they come. If you are doing nothing, then it seems that it takes forever for them to come. And your mind is constantly saying "will they ever come?" "Where are they?" "They said that they would be here!"

When people say it seems as if the Lord will never come back and that they doubt whether or not even if He will come, then what they are saying is "I'm doing nothing in the kingdom of God." It seems like forever to you because you are not busy with what He has told you to do. But if you are teaching a Sunday School class, praying for revival, leading your family in learning the Word and coming to church, developing your kid's knowledge of Jesus, trying to reach a lost soul, teaching a Bible Study, and involved in building His church, then it seems like His coming is too close! We need more time, Jesus! There's too many people that don't know you. There's still some things that we need your grace and Word to straighten out in our family! There's still one more lesson to be taught! You are coming quickly, Jesus, and it almost seems like it's too soon! It's a matter of your perspective, really.

And I want to impress upon you that if the disciples would have just stayed there waiting for His return, and neglected to obey His commandment and walk to Jerusalem and receive the Holy Ghost, then they would not have been ready even if they stood there until He returned! The action was what led them to the power to be ready for His return! If they had never taken the steps to obey His command, then they would have received nothing from Him!

Be careful that you do not divorce action from true Christianity. You do have to do something to be saved. You are not saved by works in that you try to earn your way into heaven by volunteering for the local shelter or in just being a good person, but you are saved by actions. You are saved by actions that are in obedience to the commandments of God. We are saved by Grace just as Noah found, but like Noah, we must act upon that grace by doing what God has commanded us to do! And so when the Holy Ghost was poured out in Acts chapter 2, and a crowd gathered to hear these men speak of Christ, remember that only one question was asked at Pentecost and it's found in Acts 2:37: "what shall we do?" That was the question of the hour and it still is! What shall I do? The question is still the same, and the answer is still the same. Peter's answer was thus:

You repent, and you get baptized, and then receive the gift that God has for you in receiving the Holy Ghost. You move first, and then God will move in response! Action is still the key to getting God to move in your life! Like the lepers in 2 Kings 7, you can either do nothing and die in your condition, or you can begin to move and let God get involved in your life! Need I to remind you of the scripture:

God will move and hear and forgive and heal, if the people humble themselves and pray and seek His face, and cease sinning! Their action is the key to God's action! Their action is the key to receiving the blessings from God. If you want to see God do something in your life, then move! Move!

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I could end this message in many ways. I could tell you about the man in the 19th chapter of Luke who was given only one talent and yet was cursed because he did absolutely "nothing."

But I would like to end with the words of Jesus in the other parable that was our text. Jesus said that the kingdom of God was like a man with a vineyard who was looking for people to work in His vineyard. The Jews kept time from sunrise on, and the Bible says that He went out at the first, third, sixth, and ninth hour of the day and hired laborers and then he returned at the 11th hour -- just one hour before quitting time and said this to those who are standing there:

"Why are you doing nothing?" is what He asked. There is a spiritual parallel in the times of this story that is hard to ignore. The 120 disciples on the day of Pentecost received the Holy Ghost early in the morning at about the first hour. The 3,000 heard Peter's message about the Holy Ghost and responded, the Bible says "about the third hour" (Acts 2:15). Later in Acts chapter 8, when the Samaritans -- half Jews and half Gentiles -- received the Holy Ghost, they did so as a result of the seed of faith planted in a Samaritan women's life in John 4 at a well by Jesus. The scriptures record that Jesus talked with this Samaritan about the "sixth hour" (John 4:6). In Acts chapter 10, the first Gentiles -- non Jews -- received the Holy Ghost in the house of a man named Cornelius after he sent for Peter when an angel had appeared and directed him to do so. The angel appeared to Cornelius, according to scripture, about the "ninth hour of the day" (Acts 10:3).

And so it's obvious that in the story the first hour laborers represent the first 120 disciples who received the Holy Ghost. The third hour laborers represent the first harvest of Jews on the Day of Pentecost that received the Holy Ghost. The sixth hour laborers represent the Samaritans who received the Holy Ghost, and the ninth hour laborers represented the first Gentiles to receive the Holy Ghost. If that is true, then who is represented by the 11th hour laborers, who were called just before the day ended? It must be us! It is we who have receive the Holy Ghost and call of God in the last days of God's Grace! It is we who have been beckoned to come on board the Apostolic church and work at the last. It is you and I who have been born into the kingdom for "such a time is this."

It's almost quitting time, and you and I are the 11th hour generation! And so here what the words of Jesus are to this last hour generation:

It's time to do something for God and see His blessings enacted in our life. It's time to get rid of the sin of idle worship!