The Confrontation

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Last week, Pastor Mark told us of the controversial healing of the lame man on the Sabbath. 38 years the man lay beside the healing waters of the pool of Bethesda. When asked by Jesus if he wanted to be healed, the lame man told Him that someone else always managed to get to the pool before he did. Jesus told him to pick up his mat and healed him without entering the pool of water and then Jesus slipped away.

Confronted by the Jews, the lame man was not able to tell them who it was that made him well. Jesus sees the man at the temple and told him not to sin anymore and the man told the Jews it was Jesus that healed him. Jesus told the Jews, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” The Jews wanted to kill Jesus because He did work on the Sabbath and said that God was His Father making Him equal with God. This morning, the confrontation between the Jews and Jesus continues.

Take the time to read the short passage found in John 5:19-23.

Jesus has just healed the lame man that was that way for 38 years. There is an indication that the man is lame as a result of sin because Jesus told him to stop. But it seems just as likely this refers to some future judgment based on Jesus’ words, “Do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” (Jo. 5:14) It looks like there is a fate worse than being lame. In His response to the Jews, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you.” This is one of 25 times we see the phrase “truly, truly” in John. John uses this phrase to get you ready for what is to come and what is to come is very important to understanding the ministry of Christ. But this also represents a shift in the dynamic of the meeting between the Jews and Jesus. There was an accusation that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, told the lame man to pick up his pallet on the Sabbath, and that God was Jesus Father making Him equal with God. This is the accusation and now Jesus enters His defense that will take us to the end of the chapter over the next few weeks.

“Truly, truly.” It comes from the word that means a strong affirmation of what is declared. It is transliterated amen. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says, “The point of the Amen before Jesus’ own sayings is rather to show that as such they are reliable and true, and that they are so as and because Jesus Himself in His Amen acknowledges them to be His own sayings and thus makes them valid. These sayings are of varied individual content, but they all have to do with the history of the kingdom of God bound up with His person. . . The one who accepts His word as true and certain is also the one who acknowledges and affirms it in his own life and thus causes it, as fulfilled by him, to become a demand to others.” That’s a long explanation that we can boil down to, “so be it.”

Jesus is going to give us four statements that are set off by the word, “for.”

“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” You can count on this to be true. This is the absolute fact. Jesus declares He can’t do anything on His own. First and foremost, Jesus can only do what the Father tells Him to do. Jesus is so devoted to the will of the Father, that it is impossible for Him to act on His own. There is a sacred, eternal link in the relationship between the Father and the Son. Jo. 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It is impossible for Jesus to act on His own behalf. If Jesus healed, it was because God told Him to. If Jesus walked by someone sick and didn’t heal them, it was because God told Him to do so. Jesus is in constant communication and perfect fellowship with the Father and knows what must be accomplished in accordance with His will. Jesus accomplishes what God tells Him to do, but anything Jesus has seen God do is also allowed.

You’ve likely heard it said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The Father is the pattern for the Son. “For whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” Demonstration is a key aspect to learning that we see played out in all aspects of life. Coaches demonstrate how to perform a skill to the players. Teachers show students how to work out a math problem or diagram a sentence. Trade workers serve as apprentices and watch the master work and then put what they see into action. Cooks and bakers learn and then demonstrate their expertise to see how well they can execute what they learned. In the Navy’s nuclear power pipeline, I spent months learning the theory behind how nuclear fission actually works before I ever touched anything in a working power plant. This type of learning is often set off by the phrases, “Let me show you,” “Watch me,” “Do it like this.” Jesus watches the Father and emulates His actions. Paul said, “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.” (Phil. 3:17) He also said, “Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.” (1 Cor. 4:16) Again, “Be imitators of me, just as I am of Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1) The Father is the pattern for Christ and Christ is the pattern for us. If you follow the pattern, you’ll get it right.

The second “for” statement Jesus uses says, “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and all the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.” We should know that the Father has an unending love for His Son. John told us in 3:35 that, “The Father loves the Son.” In Matt. 3:17 we hear God saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” In Matt. 17:5 we hear God saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased: listen to Him.” Peter refers to Matt. 17:5 in his second letter. (2 Pe. 1:17) Don’t doubt the love the Father has for the Son. One of the most difficult things to comprehend is how God, who loved His only Son so much, was willing to sacrifice Him to reconcile mankind. People have attempted to explain Christ’s atonement by minimizing the love God had for His Son. If you take this approach to God’s love, then His love for humanity in Jo. 3:16 is not understood. What sacrifice is there in offering up something you don’t care for? Is that really a sacrifice? To show you how much I love God, I’m willing to give up olives for Him. That’s no sacrifice for me: it doesn’t show how much I love God. We typically offer up sacrifices to God that are not really sacrifices. We’re willing to give worn out clothes or broken toys to the church in the name of sacrifice. We’ll drop something off that has no value to us, but maybe the church can use it. God loves humanity with a perfect love, but He also loves Jesus with a perfect love and was still willing to make that sacrifice.

God, “shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.” Notice that the word “show” is used twice. There is a significant intimacy between God and the Son. This is an example of a perfect relationship between Father and Son. The Son knows what the Father desires before it’s shared. Think about all the times you have spent with your father working together. You’ve seen the meme that says some of you have never had to hold the flashlight for your dad and it shows. My son and I have done many projects together and it always brought me incredible joy when he did something before I asked him because he knew what I desired. We were on the same page. God loves Jesus and, “Shows Him all things that He Himself is doing.” God works through Jesus and that is difficult for us to understand. What Jesus did is what the Father wanted Him to do. You cannot separate the two desires. What is interesting is that, “The Father will show Him greater works than these.” What those specific works are is not known with certainty, but it could be the miraculous work of healing that we looked at last week. It could be point to the cross. One thing is for certain, the works that the Father will show Him will cause us to, “marvel.” It comes from the Greek work thaumazo where we get our English word amaze. The miraculous work of healing is just a precursor to what is to come.

The third “for” statement says, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.” This verse serves as an illustration to the previous verse. In the Old Testament, God is often seen as the life-giver. In Genesis, He formed Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed life into his nostrils. This is when man became a living being. (Gen. 2:7) In the old covenant, there were special ways to handle blood because life was in the blood. In 1 Ki. 17, when Elijah raised the child from the dead, he said, “O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him. The Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived.” (1 Ki. 17:21-22) God holds the power of life. In like manner, “The Son also gives life to whom He wishes.” Now don’t freak out of this one. We need to look at the whole counsel of God and not just a verse here and there. Jo. 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” It doesn’t say a few men, or chosen men. Jesus is the Light of mankind. 2 Pet. 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” As we saw in Jo. 3:16, all does mean all. God wishes that all will come to repentance through Jesus Christ.

The fourth “for” statement is, “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” The Father has granted the authority of judgment to the Son. It’s interesting that so many people see God as the judge of mankind, but that responsibility has been passed to Jesus. All judgment is by Jesus.

You’ve probably even had someone say to you that it’s wrong to judge anyone and even God doesn’t judge. Matt. 7:1 says, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” It seems the world knows this verse and people tend to bring it up when their wrongdoing is brought to light. It would be beneficial to look at the next verse that says, “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” If your measuring stick for judgment is the standard found in God’s Word, then you’re okay. But use caution because when you continue in that passage, we are issued this warning, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Many times, when wrong doing is brought up, the normal tendency is to point out the wrong doing in the life of the one that is speaking to you. God has given Jesus the authority to judge. This section started with Jesus saying ‘truly, truly” in verse 19 and it’s finished off here. This entire passage is so that, “All will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” If you honor the Son, you’ll honor the Father. The opposite is also true: if you don’t honor the Son, you don’t honor the Father. You cannot honor God the Father and not show honor to God the Son.

In our passage today, we looked at four statements that all began with for. We see that all authority is given by the Father to the Son. When it comes to the Father and the Son, we see the wills are the same, the desires are the same, the goals are the same. We saw the love the Father has for His Son. There are far greater works to be done than healing a lame man. We will be amazed at those works that God and Jesus hint at. Jo. 3:18 says, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe is judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” In that verse, belief in Jesus determines judgment. In our passage today, we see God as the life giver and in perfect union, we see the Son gives life to whomever He wishes. John is setting us up for what we’ll see next week.

Looking for a Fight

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The last time we were in Proverbs, we concluded our discussion of social drinking. While this issue can result in a draw as far as definitive direction, the question is not, “Can I drink socially, but why do I want to drink socially?” While you have the freedom to drink, it may not be profitable (1 Cor. 6:12) and may even contribute to the stumbling of others (Gal. 5:13). If you weren’t here for both parts, I encourage you to listen to the podcast or read my blog to catch up. This morning, we’ll see some rephrasing of principles we’ve already looked at and we’ll dive into the issue of trustworthiness.

Our passage today comes from Proverbs 20:2-8. I hope you’ll take time to read it as we start.

Solomon starts out with a very simple sentiment: don’t do this. Solomon says, “The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; he who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life.” We’ve seen this in Pro. 16:14 when Solomon said, “The fury of a king is like messengers of death.” In Pro. 19:12, “The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion.” Kings hold life and death in their hands so don’t make them mad.

Here is another principle you may not have known was biblical. “Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, but any fool will quarrel.” There are people that will argue about the dumbest things. It seems some people are always looking for a fight. Never talk politics or religion at a party. People immediately ramp up with those topics. As time has gone on, people seem to ramp up about a lot of topics.  Who has the better sports team or sports conference. Designated hitter or not. What’s the better truck, Ford or Chevy? What’s the best school to go to. Who has the best coffee or doughnuts. The list goes on and on. It’s honorable to stay away from strife. Strife is angry or bitter disagreement or conflict. Some people think that you have to fight for your rights, you have to stand up for what you believe in because it’s all about you. Of course there are times when you need to stand up for yourself, but Solomon is talking about someone that loves to fight. Someone like this Solomon says is a fool. You might be thinking of someone right now that falls into this category. Don’t be so quick to ramp up and be in total defensive mode. Have a little grace; show a little mercy; demonstrate some kindness. After all, who do you represent? Remember that you are a child of God and your behavior matters. Take the attitude of Abram when he, “said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.” (Gen. 13:8) This is the let’s all get along mentality.

What about when that strife is in the church? That’s a whole different animal. Thankfully, we haven’t really experienced anything like this here at C4, but there are people in the church that fall into this category. There are churches where there is infighting about things that don’t really matter. The common denominator in each of these situations is people. One person tries to exert pressure, influence, or control over another. It can be the pastor, an elder, a deacon, a leader, or someone that has been there a long time. There are churches where nothing new is ever done. There are churches that have always done the same thing. I hope that we have bred a culture at C4 where there is an openness to new ideas, a desire to be more effective, and a goal of getting people involved in the decision making process. Remember Paul’s instruction to, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Eph. 4:32) We need to have a balance of mercy, grace, patience, correction, encouragement, and all the other attributes Paul and others talk about in our Christian walk.

We’ve seen the following principles before. “The sluggard does not plow after the autumn, so he begs during the harvest and has nothing.” He’s too lazy to work so he must resort to the generosity of others. A good question to ponder is when do you cross the line from generosity to enabling?

“A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out.” This verse isn’t talking about plans apart from God. This has more to do with discerning the real intent of a plan. Solomon gives us a metaphor about water. You have to have the right gear to explore deep water properly. You can’t dive into the ocean with a snorkel and expect to understand what lies at the bottom. That’s what Solomon is saying. It may take some digging to get to the real purpose of a plan. Over the years, people have made suggestions about things we need to do or should do at C4. My typical response goes one of two ways. Let me think about it or would you be willing to head that up. What is on the surface of a plan may not be what’s at the bottom of it. It takes some investigating; it takes some understanding and the only way to get understanding is to dig. That’s what Solomon is saying here. It takes some time to draw out the real reasons behind plans. This leads to the next topic.

What about loyalty? “Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man?” There is a difference between a proclamation and reality. The true meaning of this verse doesn’t come across clearly, but there is a phrase that helps us out. It’s the phrase, “proclaims his own loyalty.” When you check out the cross references for this verse, it takes you to the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Matthew talks about the hypocrites who sound the trumpet when giving to the poor. (Matt. 6:2) Luke speaks of the Pharisee who prayed in the square thanking God that he wasn’t, “like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” (Lu. 18:11) There was a self-proclaimed loyalty to the things of God, but the reality was different.

True loyalty and character are very rare, especially these days. I can say all day long that I am loyal to something, but if there is no demonstration, am I really loyal? What are we loyal to these days? School, sports, extra-curricular activities, friends, recreation and the list goes on and on. I’ve gone over this before. It seems like we’re most loyal to the things that matter the least. This guy proclaims his own loyalty to God as is demonstrated by his activity, but when you really look at the life, there’s little evidence to support his claim. When Solomon asks the question, “Who can find a trustworthy man?”, I picture him saying the next verse in a nostalgic kind of way. It’s like he’s thinking back to a simpler time when a man’s word was his bond. “A righteous man who walks in his integrity – how blessed are his sons after him.” It’s a blessing to have a dad that is honorable, that demonstrates the character and qualities that honor God.

Let’s go back to the king. We have established quite easily I think, that Solomon was an incredibly wise man. How was he perceived by others? Was he respected by other world leaders? The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon and had to check him out for herself. While the exact location of Sheba is not known, it is believed to be the area of the southern Arabian Peninsula and the eastern part of Ethiopia. 1 Ki. 10:1 says, “Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with difficult questions.” Solomon’s reputation was not confined to the land of Israel. The queen was no slouch herself. She came with camels, spices, and a lot of gold and precious stones. The Bible says, “She spoke with him about all that was in her heart.” Solomon had a reputation for wisdom and after talking with him, she concluded, “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.” (1 Ki. 10:6) So when Solomon says, “A king who sits on the throne of justice dispenses all evil with his eyes,” he’s talking from personal experience. Isn’t that the kind of leader we want for our nation? Of course, we will not have perfect authority and leadership until Jesus take His rightful place. But it sure would be nice if we elected and sought leaders who hold to biblical values. It sure would be nice if we had believers that stood up and were vocal about biblical morality and truth, but that’s just not the way it works. We live in a world governed by sin and until the time comes when God says enough is enough, we live victoriously knowing the work God has done in us through the power of the Holy Spirit and the finished work of Christ. There’s more to being a good leader than sitting on a throne. No matter where you rule, or supervise, or manage, you need to learn to do so with grace, honor, and humility. The queen of Sheba concluded by saying, “Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” (1 Ki. 10:9)

The wise man stays away from strife, but the fool argues about things that don’t matter. Don’t allow yourself to be baited into an argument. There are fights to fight, but this isn’t what Solomon is talking about. He’s talking about nonsensical arguments where you’re wasting breath. Be mindful of the plans others have or present to you. They may not be what they appear. Spend the time to ask the right questions. Loyalty and trustworthiness are qualities that are diminishing as we move through time. You become the person that God wants you to be. Finally, we sat the value of a godly king and the Queen of Sheba recognized that quality in Solomon.

An Immovable Object

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Last week, Solomon gave us a principle we can all live by: think before you speak. There is rarely any issue that must be dealt with that doesn’t afford you the opportunity to think before speaking. If you’re a child of the King and you get sick or diagnosed with some disease, allow the Spirit of God to minister to you through the illness. When your spirit is broken, no one can bear that. Don’t allow defeat to enter your mind. Be willing to learn, no matter what state of life you’re in; that’s what biblically wise people do. Bring gifts when appropriate, but not with the hope that they’ll get you anywhere. Before drawing conclusions about an issue, make sure you get all the facts from everyone involved. If you don’t, you’ll find yourself in the folly of speaking without thought. This morning, we’re going to peek into God’s sovereignty as well as the difficulty of relationships.

Pro. 18:18-19 says, “The cast lot puts an end to strife and decides between the mighty ones. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a citadel.”

Don’t you just love games of chance at the fair? There really is no such thing as chance. The last time our little fair came to town, I had an opportunity to chat with some of the operators of those games. The games are next to impossible to win because they’re designed to give the operator the advantage. They hope you’ll keep playing so they can get more of your money. Solomon starts off by talking about chance: “The cast lot puts an end to strife and decides between the mighty ones.” Back in Pro. 16:33 Solomon told us, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” In Bible days, the lot was one of the methods used to determine God’s will and I provided several Scripture references where lots were cast to determine God’s will in that message. That’s not quite the same thing that Solomon is saying here. The strife here is a disagreement, “between the mighty ones.” Mighty ones are powerful people. We don’t know if Solomon is thinking about any one person in particular. When you are not a mighty one, this verse has no meaning for you. Your boss gives you an assignment that you don’t like and you have no recourse, but to accomplish it. That’s an application, but Solomon is talking about compromising when two people are trying to exert their will on each other. When no compromise is possible, the lot is cast to determine who wins. Think about it as playing rock, paper, scissors. Drawing straws, picking a number between one and ten. The outcome is left to chance. Sometimes settling by chance prevents an argument or disagreement from developing. When the lot is used, in essence, the outcome is considered to be a demonstration of God’s will. If the mighty had their way, everything would be settled by power.

In a spiritual sense, nothing is left to chance. Since God is sovereign, all things are controlled by Him. Let me give you a mind bending reality. here is a difference between God’s perfect will and His permissive will. There are people, even in Christian circles, that will try and tell you that since something happened, it is God’s will. God does allow things that are beyond our ability to understand and in the grand scheme of eternity, His will is accomplished. With our finite minds, we are unable to grasp that especially when we are on the receiving end of something that seems impossible to bare.

This next verse is a real eye opener. “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a citadel.” Brother here means a close friend and can also mean a sibling in Christ. I can’t tell you how many broken relationships I have seen in the church. It’s not that some people aren’t willing to reconcile, they won’t even talk to one another. It just goes to show you how damaging pride is when two people professing a relationship with Christ are unwilling to resolve an issue. Turn over to Eph. 4:1-6 and let’s look at one of Paul’s mandates to believers. I don’t know about you, but I for one am growing increasingly weary of people that say they are a believer in Christ, but are unwilling to walk in the Spirit. I want to point out a couple of key words in Paul’s passage. The first is walk which gives us the idea that our faith is who we are, it’s our way of life and we don’t turn it on and off. The second is humility which we have seen throughout Proverbs and gives us the idea that all of us need to be open to learning. The third is tolerance. We’ve gone way of the rails with this word. Tolerance is defined as the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with. Look at what Paul says in 4:14-24. What you were is not what you are because Christ imparted the power for transformation in your heart. Nowhere is tolerance defined as acceptance. The truth is the truth even when it doesn’t line up with your thoughts or behavior. The fourth word is all of v. 3: “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Diligent means careful and conscientious. Preserve means to maintain in the original state. Acts 4:32 says, “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” It takes consistent, intentional effort to maintain what Paul, Luke, and Solomon are talking about. And there really is no acceptable alternative than to work hard at working out differences.

Broken relationships are quite damaging. Too often when a relationship is broken, one half of the relationship has no idea what happened. There’s generally some hurt, sorrow, wrongdoing, or deception that has occurred and that brother becomes in the words of the Very Reverend Henry Donald Maurice Spence, “A potent and irreconcilable enemy.” Maybe you’ve been on the receiving end of it . . . I know I have. On my birthday in 2015, I got this message from someone that used to be here at C4: “Happy Birthday Brother, Pastor & Friend.” On June 19th, less than three months later I received this message from the same individual: “I can honestly say that everyone that you should strongly look at your choice of calling yourself a pastor because you really do **** when it comes to dealing with people.” This individual was unwilling to come and talk to me about whatever the issue was and instead chose to attack me in a message. I’ve messed up in my life. I’ve said the wrong thing at the wrong time, I’ve done things I regret, I haven’t done things I should have, but I hope I don’t make excuses about what a failure I am. I take responsibility for my actions, I’m willing to apologize, I’m willing to do what it takes to resolve issues when I know about them. As I said before, many times you don’t know there’s an issue until you get blasted. Other times I get blasted when I provide sound wisdom, but that wisdom is not followed and I still get a nasty email that I call a drive by. It’s a drive by because the person lacks the courage to say what they said in an email, message, or text to your face. Broken relationships in the church can impact the entire body. Contributing to this is the lack of acknowledgement that problems exist. Wherever there are people there will be issues, but we must be willing to work to resolve those issues. I’m reminded of the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery that’s told in John 8. Jesus told her to, “Go. From now on sin no more.” (Jo. 8:11) Jesus wanted her to live a life that represented the transformative power of grace and truth that He represents and sin is not part of that picture. 1 Jo. 1:8 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us,” so John recognized that we will sin, but God’s desire is that we live holy lives because He is holy. (1 Pet. 1:16) When sin is allowed to run unchecked and uncorrected, we fall into the apostasy that Jude warned us about in his short letter. Solomon is saying it’s easier to capture a strong city than it is to win a brother that is offended. I want you to really get that picture in your mind. Relationships between people of faith should be filled with love, grace, and mercy, but that doesn’t mean ignoring the unchanging standard of God’s Word. How easily are you offended? How thick is your skin? How readily are you willing to receive correction? It’s almost to the point where you don’t want to say anything to anyone because of what they might say back. It can be something as casual as missed you at church Sunday and the person gets all offended.

Solomon closes the comparison by saying, “And contentions are like bars of a citadel.” If you insert the pronoun “their” before contentions, you’ll get the idea. Contentions are the issue at hand. That’s the reason that person is offended, whatever it might be. Remember too, that the offense may only be perceived, not real. That’s the reality that we live in. We often operate based on what we think about something rather than what the actual issue is because we don’t want to confront anyone over anything because when we do we’re made out to be the one in the wrong. It’s quite a cycle. Those issues, “Are like bars on a citadel.” A citadel is a stronghold in a city. Really get this word picture. Contentions, issues, disagreements, strife are like bars in a prison. They keep you trapped, locked away like a prisoner with no hope of escape. When we allow those issues to control us, we fall into the schemes and traps of the devil. I will admit that I have a hard time letting go. I’m a guy that really desires to resolve issues, but what I am finding more and more is that people don’t want to resolve issues. They want to stay mad or they want to pretend something never happened, but the issue is there, lying dormant until something else happens and everything resurfaces.

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but it seems really strange that the only place where we allow disagreements or contentions to actually separate or break relationships is in the church. You’ve got someone at work that rides your case and causes you trouble at every turn . . . you get up and go to work every morning. You’ve got that bully at school that uses every opportunity to harass you . . . you go to school every day. You’ve got that neighbor that is always complaining to you about your kids or pets, but you don’t move away. But in the church? One wrong move, one wrong word, one failure, one misstep and that’s it; they’re gone. What’s odd is that many people are oblivious to the issues because they’re unwilling to address it. I do believe these type of people are in the minority, but the wake of destruction they leave behind is widespread and if it’s not resolved, they’ll take that destruction with them wherever they might go.

Don’t think there’s no hope. Prayer is always a key to seeing hearts changed, but the heart that is changed is not necessarily the offended one. Understand where we are in the scope of eternity. We’re in the last days where people are turning away from absolute truth. Everything that happens is part of God’s eternal plan, but we’re not briefed on the specifics of that plan. We saw some important qualities from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that we must put into practice on a regular basis. The screams for tolerance today is not the same tolerance Paul talks about in Scripture. Sometimes people are unwilling to acknowledge their sin choosing instead to blame others and sometimes even blame God. Contentions between people can give you the feeling that you’re trapped in a prison. Love God, love others, do what you can to spread the hope that is found in Christ and you might just find that the immovable object that was in your path will move out of the way by the power of God.

Can Wisdom be Bought?

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Last week Solomon gave us a great word picture about dealing with a fool. It’s better to deal with an angry momma bear than it is to deal with a fool. When you have the supernatural love of Christ, forgiveness should come easier and easier for us, but forgiveness does not mean that there won’t be consequences. Don’t repay evil for good. The best way to win an argument with a fool is to not start one. People that justify the actions of the wicked or condemn the actions of the righteous are both an abomination to the Lord. This morning, Solomon starts with a rhetorical question.

Here’s what Pro. 17:16-21 says, “Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, when he has no sense? A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. A man lacking in sense pledges and becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor. He who loves transgression loves strife; he who raises his door seeks destruction. He who has a crooked mind finds no good, and he who is perverted in his language falls into evil. He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.”

If you weren’t sure where Solomon stands, he makes it clear here. This verse is hilarious to me, “Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, when he has no sense?” I can hear Solomon’s voice go up when he asks this. This is just like a fool. If wisdom could be bought, which it can’t, would the fool be standing in line to get it? He’s too foolish to know that he lacks wisdom. The phrase “he has no sense” literally means there is no heart. The heart is the center of one’s being; it is the seat of emotion. In Lu. 24:25 Jesus said to His disciples, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” Jesus was saying the slow of heart don’t get what the prophets are saying. You’ve experienced this too, I am sure. You’ve heard the expression he has no heart or he’s heartless. That normally is attributed to someone that has no capacity for empathy or understanding. That’s what Solomon is saying. The fool has the money in his hand to buy wisdom, but lacks the capacity to actually obtain wisdom. While true biblical wisdom can only be found from God, biblical wisdom is available from godly parents, church leaders, pastors, as well as your common, garden variety, authentic believer. The only problem with that is the fool has no capacity for it and that’s what Solomon is saying. The very thing needed for a fool to become not a fool – wisdom – is unattainable because of his heart. So can one become biblically wise? Pro. 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” so if a fool decides to put down his foolish ways and follow God, yes it’s not only possible, it’s expected.

What exactly is unconditional love? You’ve heard me say often that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Solomon says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” The Beatles got by with a little help from their friends. The Rembrandts sang “I’ll be there for You” on a show called, “Friends.” Bette Midler told her BFF that she was, “The Wind beneath My Wings.” James Taylor said, “Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend.” Queen said, “You’re My Best friend.” Michael W. Smith said that, “Friends are Friends Forever.”

Solomon is talking about real friendship. How do you know you have real friends? Pro. 18:24 says, “A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” I think we often confuse acquaintances with friends. How do you define a real friend? You’ve heard the phrase a friend in need is a friend indeed. Real friends will stick by you no matter what. Real friends will tell you the truth and not just what you want to hear. Real friends are there and you don’t have to ask them to be. Real friends call you and don’t want anything. Real friends don’t have expectations. Real friends are generally not those listed as friends on Facebook. In my estimation, if you have one, two, or three real friends, you’re doing well. I think many people shy away from developing true friendships because that means opening up to one another.  It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to develop trust. Notice Solomon says, “A friend loves at all times.” Love here is a verb – it’s an action word. This love is a demonstration of the strong and lasting bonds of true friendship. When that occurs, Solomon concludes that, “A brother is born for adversity.” Adversity means difficulty or misfortune. When troubles come, the friend is there. When adversity strikes, the friend is there. When tragedy occurs, the friend is there. You can’t run off a real friend.

Here’s some more foolishness. “A man lacking sense pledges and becomes a guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.” In Pro. 6:1 Solomon warned against being surety for your neighbor. In Pro. 11:15 he warned against being surety for a stranger. Solomon just said that a real friend is born for adversity, but that doesn’t mean covering someone else’s debt. That’s the meaning here. It’s a third party – a friend of a friend. Realistically, the fool doesn’t know how to biblically use money and certainly doesn’t understand how monetary dealings between friends can complicate relationships. The wise person doesn’t allow himself to be trapped like that and the good friend doesn’t even bring it up. “He who loves transgression loves strife.” Transgression means sin, plain and simple. Strife means angry or bitter disagreement. I don’t know anyone with good sense that enjoys strife. I guess the caveat is good sense. Strife can result from disagreeing about the truth. There are some really hot topic issues out there that people get instantly insane about. Bathrooms, animal rights, global warming, school prayer, and politics immediately come to mind. There are folks that want to talk about these and other issues, but it’s not really a discussion, it’s a diatribe. Fewer and fewer people are actually willing to sit down and hear a biblical perspective on an issue and this is exacerbated by people that are unwilling to study something out for themselves preferring to pick up what is put out on social media or the most popular blogs. Still others make the point that they don’t want to rock the boat; they don’t want to stir up what they call trouble. I’ve been that guy pleading with other believers in the room to help me out in a discussion and take up the mantle of biblical truth only for those others to avert their eyes.

I’m not suggesting that we go around starting arguments with other people, but I am suggesting that we become secure in our faith in order to defend what we believe in and why when the opportunity presents itself. “He who loves transgression loves strife; he who raises his door seeks destruction.” That’s a strange combination isn’t it? “Raises his door” is a metaphor for opening the mouth. Transgression and strife generally go hand in hand. One of the problems with people that talk too much is they tend not to know when it’s best to remain silent. Strife can lead to a host of biblical problems. Anger, bitterness, doubt, resentment, discontentment. Solomon assumes this isn’t going on in the life of the believer, but it is happening in the life of a fool. We’ve seen some really anti-Christian behavior so far in this series and those behaviors shouldn’t be part of the life of the authentic believer. We’re not talking momentarily losing your mind and doing something that dishonors God; we’re talking this is the way it is in your life. We need to continuously be growing in the area of our behavior. It’s incomprehensible to the writers of Scripture for us not to become more and more like Jesus. It’s a process that occurs each and every day. Strife will come into our lives, but let’s not be the source of it.

One last one for today. “He who has a crooked mind finds no good, and he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.” This is another written for today. Crooked means bent or twisted. I’m sure you’ve talked with people like this. You wonder how in the world they can think the way they think. You ask yourself, “Where do they come up with this stuff?” Yes, this also happens in the church. People saying the Bible says something that it does not. People quoting things they’ve heard in church that have no biblical basis. You’ve heard hate the sin, love the sinner. More and more people are defining themselves by their sin. We should hate sin – God hates sin and has given us a list of things He hates along with numerous biblical principles regarding sin. What’s curious though is we seem to be ready to hate the sin in everyone else’s life, yet are not so quick to hate when it comes to our own life. Hating sin is falling out of favor in society today. Have you heard, this too shall pass? It likely has some beginning in Matt. 24:35 that says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” We generally say this during times of trouble or grief. Not everything in our lives passes. Sometimes heartache lasts a lifetime.  How about, God just wants me happy? He’s not against your happiness, but He’s more concerned with your holiness. What about cleanliness is next to godliness? I’m not even sure why we say this. Is it to try and get kids to wash their hands before they eat? I don’t know many kids that care about being godly so it’s kind of silly. Parents, just whoop your kids if they don’t obey. There are others and you might think, what’s the big deal. The only source of absolute truth is the Bible and God provided His word as a testimony of Him, as a manual for life, as the basis for all that we know about what really matters. Some of these sayings are paraphrases of biblical truth and others are total heresy. Even if a catchphrase is encouraging or edifying, if it isn’t in the Bible, we can’t guarantee it’s the Word of God. The only way we’ll know for sure is to study the Bible for ourselves.

In another obvious statement, Solomon says, “He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.” No one can pick what kind of child they have. When a child chooses to go his own way and ignore the teachings of his father, sorrow will follow. Remember that Solomon is speaking from his perspective – the perspective of a God fearing man. Lifelong sorrow in our life can come as a result of the decisions of our children. While all of our children can make foolish decisions, “The father of a fool has no joy.” None. Zero. Nada.

We began this morning saying that if wisdom could be bought, the fool doesn’t have enough sense to make the purchase. The fool has no capacity for wisdom. We talked about real friendship – don’t confuse friendship with acquaintances. Real friends are hard to come by; developing true friendship takes time and effort. Fools are also bad with money. They don’t understand how financial issues can come between people. Someone that loves sin loves to argue. Know when to remain silent and don’t start arguments for the sake of arguments. You can’t choose how your children will turn out so do the best to raise your kids in a godly home because no parent likes to have a fool for a child.

The Consequence of Evil

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Last week we learned that the best way to obtain peace is to get along with everyone. That may not be the easiest thing, but as much as it’s up to you, be at peace with people. Love keeps no record of wrong doing so if you are wronged or feel you’ve been wronged, it’s better to let love cover it than it is to go around blabbing about how you’ve been wronged by humanity. It’s a lot easier to deal with wise people than with fools. Somebody that has understanding will get what you’re saying, but no matter how much talking you do, a fool just won’t get it. Rebellious people seek evil, but rest assured, judgment is coming. This morning, we look at some very vivid word pictures.

In Pro. 17:12-15 Solomon says, “Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly. He who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so abandon the quarrel before it breaks out. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.”

This is how bad it is. “Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly.” Picture this in your mind. You’ve seen or heard about how protective a momma bear can be. Think of how protective you can be over your kids. There is a God given maternal instinct when it comes to their children. Someone messes with your kids, they have to deal with mom. That strong, intense, protective instinct comes from God. You take a cub away from momma bear and you’re liable to get your arm ripped off at the shoulder. Solomon is saying it’s better to go up against an angry momma bear than it is to deal with a fool. It’s better to put your life on the line than to engage in any type of discussion with a fool. Specifically, a “fool in his folly.” Folly means silliness. This verse does go hand in hand with v. 10. Solomon’s talking about dealing with the stubbornness and the wrongness of the fool. It is tiresome, burdensome, and draining to be around fools. A person that can take criticism and learn from it is much more approachable and can function significantly better in society. People that cannot take criticism or correction can cause chaos in society. You’ve probably dealt with them. The rules don’t apply to them whether it’s a no smoking area and they’re smoking or they’re parked in a no parking zone and you let them know. It’s better to deal with an angry bear than to deal with fools and if you’ve ever had opportunity to experience what I’m talking about; you’re nodding your head in affirmation.

Let’s talk about forgiveness. In verse 9, Solomon mentioned concealing a transgression is a demonstration of love. When you have that supernatural love in you because of your relationship with God through Christ, forgiveness should come easier and easier. Forgiveness does not have to be asked for to be given. “He who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.” This goes hand in hand with v. 9. You have to ask yourself, what kind of person would take vengeance against a good deed? David showed Nabal kindness that Nabal repaid with evil. In fact, Nabal’s wife Abigail described him as a, “worthless man . . . Nabal is his name and folly is with him” (1 Sam. 25:25) It’s one thing to repay evil with evil and we’re not supposed to do that, but to repay good with evil is totally anti-Jesus. This is difficult for us to grasp because it seems so ludicrous that someone would get mad over a good deed. Are you familiar with the phrase, “No good deed goes unpunished?” David said in Ps 35:12, “They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul.” Where forgiveness is supposed to abound, Solomon says there are those that actually take offense against those that are doing good. This person will not only have zero friends, but he will be most miserable. The phrase, “Evil will not depart from his house,” gives us the indication that the punishment or judgment or whatever penalty comes as a result of opposing good will continue from generation to generation.

Put this on a t-shirt. Solomon has given us many t-shirt or meme worthy quotes and this one is a doozy. “The beginning of strife is like letting water out, so abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.” Great advice and here’s what it means. Have you ever been in a no win argument? No matter what you say, it won’t make a difference? Your words aren’t heard or are dismissed immediately? The person talking to you won’t let you get a work in edge wise? There’s a reason or excuse for everything you say? No responsibility is taken? If you’ve lived for any length of time, you likely have been on the receiving end of such a conversation; perhaps you were the giver. Figure out who these people are. One wrong word, a sentence taken out of context, or a look is all it will take to set this person off and then you’re in it. It’s like you’re on a round-a-bout and you can’t get off. The best thing to do is avoid it all together. In theory, these people should not exist in the church. Once again, I want to point out the greatest hurts and pains in my life have come from the hands of professing believers. I would like to hold out hope that as believers, we want to learn and grow and when people talk to us about whatever an issue might be, that we’re willing to listen and receive the correction that comes as a result of the Holy Spirit working. But that’s not really what Solomon is talking about here.

Those words are like the levies in New Orleans that began to let go as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Once the water started flowing, there was no containing it and the levies gave out. That’s what Solomon is talking about. So his guidance is to avoid those arguments before they start. How do I do that Pastor Ian? Great question. There are some great and not so great ways to make this happen. First, you need to recognize who these people are and what makes them tick. Believe it or not, you may have people in your life that really live to make life terribly miserable for you. There are really no good reasons for this except they most likely are really miserable themselves and cannot understand how you can maintain a good attitude in the midst of adversity. Second, maintain an attitude of prayer for people that you will come into contact with today. Use the opportunities God gives you to share the truth that has taken residence in your heart. Trust that God will give you whatever you need at the time you need it. Third, be patient! God can help you grow in this area. Fourth, don’t give up. Finally, if you think that staying home will help you avoid these kind of people, they’ll come knocking on your door or call you on the phone. This is part of our walk of faith. Now, if you have to deal with these people in a church context, that’s a different animal all together.

We finish today with a quick warning. “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.” Is this a verse for today or what? We really are living in the day of the Judges: “Every man did what was right in his own eyes.” (Jud. 17:6) “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Is. 5:20) “Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.” (Ex. 23:7) It’s like Solomon wrote this today. Our world has been turned upside down in many ways. The righteous are deemed intolerant and judgmental and the biblically defined wicked are not only given free reign, they’re actually praised as being champions of humanity. Don’t get freaked out by this! Understand that this is all allowed by God to serve His greater purpose. We’re still on a mission to share the love of Christ especially in these last days. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” (Matt. 5:11-13)

I’m assuming that you don’t just throw your opinion out there. I’m assuming that when people attack you or say mean things to you it’s because the love of Christ oozes from every pore of your body. I’m assuming when you interject into a conversation that you are coming from the perspective that the person you’re talking to just might not know something is biblically wrong. You might just be talking to someone that has a secular worldview; someone that listens to the media bias of today: someone that follows the ever changing morals and values of society. You’ve got to remember your audience. Jesus is not telling us to go be a champion against every non-biblical thing going on, but he is telling us to share the truths of God when given the opportunity and if people attack because of that, don’t sweat it – they’re attacking Jesus. I think a lot of people don’t want to listen to us when we share biblical truth is because they don’t see us living a holy life; I think there are a lot of people in the church today that don’t look and act any different than the general public.   And I’ve got the reason for that. Church has become a social organization where it’s something you do. Transformation is not taught or emulated in the pulpits. Discipleship is nearly non-existent and there are little to no expectations for church members and that’s if the church has members. One local church has partners which provides an indication of equality. The pastor is the same as the teacher is the same as the nursery worker is the same as the person who occasionally participates. A church like that is not functioning as a church. There must be a chain of command, there must be structure, there must be procedures and policies or else we fall into the same mindset that was in the day of the Judges, “Every man did what was right in his own eyes.” (Jud. 17:6)

Solomon gave us a great word picture about dealing with a fool. It’s better to deal with an angry momma bear than it is to deal with a fool. When you have the supernatural love of Christ, forgiveness should come easier and easier for us. Forgiveness does not mean that there won’t be consequences. Don’t repay evil for good. The best way to win an argument with a fool is to not start one. People that justify the actions of the wicked or condemn the actions of the righteous are both an abomination to the Lord.

Tried and True

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Last week Solomon said destruction awaits those that are wicked. Followers of Christ have His righteousness and as a result have a refuge in Him. Wise people know when to demonstrate the wisdom they have obtained through knowledge in God, they don’t have to go around advertising it. A nation exalts God when it does what is right in God’s eyes. Be a good servant in the example of Christ. This morning, Solomon gives us some wisdom regarding the mouth

Here’s our passage for today found in Pro. 15:1-4: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.
A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit.

We start off with an incredible principle. All of the principles in the Bible are true and most can be applied to our everyday lives. Some principles though are so incredible they really stand out. Some principles are more important than others in the Bible too. Speaking to the religious crowd of the day, Jesus said in Matt. 23:23, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” Some principles are higher than others in Scripture. It doesn’t mean they’re not important. In sports you’ve heard the term most valuable player. All the players on a team are valuable. Some are more valuable. It’s the same principle here.

I think the first principle we look at today could be considered an MVP – most valuable principle. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Since gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit, every believer has the ability to put this principle into practice. Gentle means mild in temperament or behavior, not harsh or severe. This MVP can be applied in any situation where there is interaction between at least two people. When tensions rise for whatever reason, soft words can quell the strife. You’ve seen this first hand I am sure. It can be in interactions with your boss, your teacher, your coworker, your spouse, or the clerk at the store. You can diffuse the situation or you can exacerbate it. You can be a help to the situation or you can be a hindrance. Not only do you have that heavenly gift of gentleness, you also have self-control. That means you don’t have to respond the way you’re being talked to. It can be very difficult to respond gently when you’re being yelled at. Yell back and it will only get worse. I encourage you to put this into practice and watch how things change. Easy? No, but it’s definitely the best way to handle things. We have a natural way to handle things and that’s to fight back, to yell back, to respond the same, but we have something supernatural in us that gives us the ability to be different. Not only is this an MVP, it’s an excellent way to minimize the possibility of feeling horrible regret later. I know there have been times I have not responded with this principle. As I recall, it always led to conviction and deep regret. This led to doing something even harder – apologize for my ungodly behavior. It’s not always that I yelled. It’s that I used words that were not respectful or edifying. I would offer that if you can gain godly control over your tongue, your life would be incredibly transformed.

The second principle goes hand in hand with the first. “The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly.” The person who uses wisdom when speaking makes the truth more palatable. Do not misunderstand; I am in no way, shape, or form saying compromise the truth or water down the truth or give partial truth. Just because something is true does not mean you need to go out of your way to provide someone that truth. I often refer to social media because it has become such a big part of our lives. I’m not saying it’s good or bad, it just is. If you want to test what Solomon is saying, post something that is absolutely true in accordance with Scripture and watch the attacks start. Keep in mind that you put this on your own Facebook page and depending on your privacy settings, the hateful comments will start rolling in. Many of these comments come from your friends. So you have to ask yourself, who are you allowing in your life and why? Use wisdom when speaking the truth. There are appropriate times and places to share the truth. As a pastor and Chaplain, I’m often called into action in some of the most tragic situations. Suicides. Marital strife or domestic violence. Fatal accidents. Unruly children and cheating spouses. I have learned and continue to learn discretion when dealing with these events. I have learned that speaking the truth even while preaching can be hurtful to hear. I’m not going to not tell the truth, but I want to exercise wisdom in doing so. I want to be careful so that people will hear the truth that can set them free in order to change their lives. It is that serious. Fools just say whatever comes to mind. No filter, no discretion, no thought. That’s because what’s inside will come out.

Solomon shifts from the tongue to God’s eyes and in the next verse says you can run, but you can’t hide. There are some people that are convinced God doesn’t know what’s going on in the world or else He would do something about it. There is nowhere that God is not. There is nothing that God does not see. Solomon says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” There’s a song I remember from 1984 where the bridge lyrics are, “I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me and I have no privacy. Oh, I always feel like somebody’s watching me. Tell me is it just a dream?” God is always watching, but not in a creepy, voyeuristic way. I encourage you to read Ps. 139 which is a wonderful testimony of David regarding God’s omniscience and omnipresence. There is no where you can go where God is not there. He watches the good and the evil. The righteous will be rewarded while the wicked will be punished. In my study of Scriptures, I am filled with an overwhelming sense that the biblical writers expected people who have an authentic relationship with Christ will do good; they’ll behave in manners that are pleasing to God, that will seek to do His will, that will seek to further His Kingdom; they will seek to passionately walk the straight and narrow path – that’s what I see modeled over and over in Scripture.

It’s only been in recent times that we have taken on a lackadaisical attitude in our commitment to Christ. It’s only recently that we’re satisfied with mediocrity, where Christ has taken a back seat to the things of this world. It’s only recently that people have become satisfied in meeting with Jesus on occasion so we have to ask ourselves, what has changed? Heb. 13:8 reminds us that, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” God calls Himself, “I am” present tense.          Since God has not changed, we can only conclude that we have changed. The same Holy Spirit exists with the same power so how can we get to a place where His power is restored? I think a primary thing we can do is say no to ourselves and say yes to Jesus. I have grown weary of professing believers that ignore biblical wisdom, that have beliefs based on popular opinion and cultural feelings, that say one thing and do another. I would never suggest doing this, but I wonder how our marriages would be destroyed if we approached our spouse with the same casualness we approach God. God sees the evil and good in the world and He understands why people do what they do, He sees into the secret areas of your life, the places you don’t want anyone else to go. What totally amazes me when I think like this is that God still has an infinite, unconditional love for you and for me. He loves the righteous and the unrighteous.

And now it’s back to the tongue. Many of us are familiar with the tree of life in Gen. 2:9. Solomon has also spoken of a tree of life. He called wisdom a tree of life in 3:18. He said the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life in 11:30. He spoke of fulfilled desire as a tree of life in 13:12. And now, “A soothing tongue is a tree of life.” Like the heart, when Scripture speaks of the tongue, it’s rarely talking about what’s in your mouth. It’s about the words you say. Those words can bring comfort to a grieving soul. Those words can bring the Gospel that will revive a dead soul, can bring encouragement to a weary soul, can bring correction to a wayward soul; those words can bring reconciliation to a troubled soul. The contrast is that, “Perversion in it crushes the spirit.” Perverse here is used in the sense of perverting the truth. It means to twist or distort. These perversions have been used since the garden when Satan told Eve, “You surely will not die.” (Gen. 3:4) Satan is a twistilator. He has been and continues to be the greatest perverter of all time. He has perverted sexuality. In fact, he perverted it so bad that God had to include specific details as to what was forbidden when He gave the Law to Moses. Our speech is to be used to praise the Lord and build people up, but he perverted that so much that we have numerous passages directly referencing how we talk.  Paul said, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (Eph. 4:29) Satan also perverted justice. From the deceptive business practices we saw in Pro. 11:1 to the killing of innocent people mentioned in Ex. 23. Our attitude should be like that found in Is. 1:17, “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”

There are tried and true principles in Scripture. MVPs. Use them not as magical incantations, but as principles that God gave us to live by and glorify Him. There is nowhere out of God’s eye or beyond His reach. Use your speech to edify people and draw them to live passionately for Christ. Don’t be shocked that Satan wants to twist everything you say or do. Keep moving forward for Christ.

Handling Modern Day Controversy

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Over the past couple of weeks, there has been significant news about Phil Robertson, the patriarch of A & E’s Duck Dynasty series. If you don’t know, the reality series is about a family run business called Duck Commander that makes duck calls.

In Matt. 10:16 Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”

The controversy.

What is going on today is no different than what has been going on for centuries in this world. At its core is a fundamental attack on truth that began in the garden of Eden. The question that seems to be asked even if in not so clear terms is, “Is there absolute truth?” Can we take such a dogmatic stance on the hot button topics of the day? In an interview with GQ magazine, in response to the question, “What, in your mind is sinful?” Phil Robertson responded by saying, “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians [1 Cor. 6:9-10]: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.” Why are his comments so controversial?

The players.

As in all modern day issues, experts and non-experts begin throwing out their spin on the truth. With the ever increasing influence of social media, those opinions become more widely and more quickly known. People grow bolder and bolder, and more hateful and more hateful. Words like intolerant, judgmental, and bigot are used in the daily headlines. People that hold to a standard of morality and values are vilified. Christians are not immune from the ever increasing pressure to abandon their old fashioned ideals in favor of a more modern, relevant, more loving and accepting position. Nonsensical statements like you can’t judge, you’re intolerant, God isn’t like that are heard near and far in and out of the church.

What’s the real issue?

To answer that, let me pose for you several questions that we’ll answer. How can we have a position of unconditional love and say that certain behavior or lifestyles are radically intolerant? Is the Bible a book of hatred or outdated mandates that have little to nothing to do with today? Does the 2^nd Commandment to love your neighbor as yourself overshadow behavior, thinking, and lifestyles? Is it unloving to say that homosexuality, or any other sin for that matter, is wrong? Are we condemning someone if we say that their behavior is inconsistent with a standard? You want the truth? If we’re honest, we have reached this point in history just as predicted in Scripture. What is happening in our culture is not new. Attacks against whatsoever is pure and true and holy have been happening since the beginning. For humanity it started in the garden with Adam and Eve. But rebellion against God happened before that when Lucifer decided he wanted to be like God. Is.14:12-14 says, “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” This star of the morning wanted to be like God and there is just one God. We have done it to ourselves. We have arrived at this place of division because we fall into the trap that Adam and Eve fell into. We doubt.

The issue is not really about homosexuality or other sin label, it’s about the sin cleansing and transforming power of Jesus Christ. The truth is we all have a predisposition to sin. Rom. 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin was ushered into mankind because of Adam. Rom. 5:12 says, “Just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” I have a natural tendency, a natural disposition to be sarcastic, unkind, unbalanced, as well as a long list of other ungodly attributes. But through Christ’s continual transformation of me for the inside out, I am learning to resist, learning to trust, learning to push against the natural sinful tendencies I have. That’s the nature of Christ’s power. When you evaluate how Jesus interacted with people, the only people He seemed to take a really hard line against was the Pharisees and Sadducees. Religious people that talked the talk, but didn’t back it up in action. With others, He seemed extraordinarily compassionate. When He spoke with Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, even she was confused because a Jew would not have initiated a conversation. To the woman caught in adultery, He said to her, “From now on sin no more.” (Jo. 8:11) Jesus didn’t deviate from the truth and still demonstrated love and compassion.

On Friday (Dec. 27th), A & E lifted its suspension against Phil Robertson. One day after pulling all Duck Dynasty merchandise, Cracker Barrel put it all back. Why? Because a large segment of society let their views be known. Ben Shapiro, editor at large for Breitbart News said it this way: “You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate. We’ve bought the lie that disagreeing with someone’s lifestyle means you hate them and that to love someone is to agree with everything they believe or do. The media set up a dichotomy in which you are either pro-homosexuality or someone who wants to brutalize homosexuals. This is not the view of the Bible, which makes clear that sin is common and ought to be condemned, but that human beings have the capacity for repentance. The left masks its distaste for the Bible’s condemnation of homosexuality in a straw man argument that Bible believers are violent bigots. They are not. Citing the Bible doesn’t make you a bigot against human beings — it makes you a bigot against sin, which is a good thing.”

People have focused on what Phil said regarding Paul’s words in Corinthians. What they’ve failed to do is keep reading. Just a couple of paragraphs later, the article goes on to say, “As far as Phil is concerned, he was literally born again. Old Phil—the guy with the booze and the pills—died a long time ago, and New Phil sees no need to apologize for him: “We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ’em out later, you see what I’m saying?” We compassionately share the truth of God’s amazing grace and unconditional love that is able to set people free from the chains of sin that enslave them. The author of the article concluded by saying, “But now, I’m afraid, I must get out of the ATV and go back to where I belong, back to the godless part of America that Phil is determined to save.”

What if we in the church adapted that philosophy? Back to the Bible . . . Jesus commanded we do just that as the primary focus of the church in Matt. 28:19-20. Let’s get to it.

Ravi, Mormons, and Politics