Posts Tagged ‘wickedness’

Proverbs 1:16 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: August 1, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 01, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 1:16 For their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.

Fools cannot quit folly. Sinners cannot stop sinning. They run with haste to more wickedness rather than walk. They greedily rush to satisfy their evil lusts (Eph 4:17-19). Because of this trait, young men should stay as far from fools and sinners as possible.

After introducing the book of Proverbs (Pr 1:1-9), Solomon wrote a parable warning his son about the grave danger of evil associations (Pr 1:10-19). Foolish friends destroy more young men than any other factor. The parable describes a band of cutthroats seeking to entice a young man to join them, and Solomon told his son where such fools are headed.

Being asked to join a band of cutthroats is extreme, but consider the temptation for young men to join gangs in high schools or city ghettos, immoral college fraternities, subversive military or political organizations, the KKK, the Masonic Lodge, the Communist Party, labor unions, and other societies of men pursuing a wide variety of equally evil goals.

The danger of association with wicked men is their mad rush to more and more evil. No matter your desire to avoid sin and wickedness, their enticing invitations and the power of peer pressure will be too much to resist. You will go down with them, and go down they certainly will. Solomon made this clear before ending the parable (Pr 1:17-19).

Sin does not know contentment. One sin is not enough. After breaking a commandment of God and tasting the fruit of forbidden pleasures, it must have more. The heart becomes hardened, the conscience is seared, the lusts are inflamed, and the mind cannot forget the stolen thrills. The downhill rush to destruction has begun. What will stop the sinners?

You cannot reform wicked friends. Instead, the wicked friends will corrupt your good manners (I Cor 15:33). The safety of wisdom is simple: do not even start friendships with fools (Pr 1:10; 4:14-17; Ps 1:1-3). If you have foolish friends, forsake them immediately (Pr 9:6; 13:20; 14:7). This rule is crucial for survival and success (Pr 2:10-22).

Only God can change fools, which he did gloriously in the case of Saul of Tarsus (Titus 3:3-5). If you think you can change them, you are gravely mistaken. Be not deceived (I Cor 15:33)! Another proverb concludes, “Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him” (Pr 27:22). Even Paul avoided those without faith and the fear of God (II Thess 3:1-2; II Tim 3:1-5).

The lesson is simple and weighty. Foolish friends will destroy any man. Therefore, reject all worldly friends for the friends of the king of Zion (Ps 101:1-8; 119:63,79; 144:11-15; Tit 1:8). You can find them in a local church that exalts apostolic doctrine and practice, where you can exhort and help each other to greater faith and obedience to Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 26:26 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: March 26, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 26, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 26:26 His malice may be conceal by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

Hateful people lie to cover their wickedness (Pr 26:24-26). But God promised to expose them. It is terrible there are such people, but it is worse that they get into churches.

Wicked men get into most churches. It is a terrible evil, but it happens. Though filled with arrogance, hatred, and selfishness, they creep into churches with false professions of religion. Even the world knows this fact, for many reject Christianity for its hypocrisy. But though such sinners cover their hatred by lies, their evil souls will be fully exposed.

What a great God! What a helpful proverb! God teaches you how to discern liars, and He promises to take care of them for you. Bible wisdom can help you perceive a person with hateful and wicked motives, and faith in God can comfort you that He will fully expose the lying monster. Faith and learning have their rewards. Love such truth and wisdom!

This proverb has a rare context to help its interpretation. Solomon had been describing the dangerous evil of talebearers (Pr 26:20-23). These wicked persons love to spread harmful facts, rumors, tales, and insinuations about others. They hurt others deeply, and they cause contention and strife among the members of any group. They do not know the way of peace themselves, and they also keep others from finding full peace and security.

They play the hypocrite with their mouths by claiming to be Christians, while their hearts plan games of pretence and revenge (Pr 26:24). Wise men do not believe their fair words, for they know many evil imaginations are in their hearts (Pr 26:25). Wisdom is the power of right judgment, the ability to discern and know things that deceive most other people.

What identifies these wicked imposters? They speak derogatorily about others and spread harmful facts or slanderous innuendos (Pr 26:20-25). Just listen to their speech about others, and you can discover them. They can hardly stop criticizing and sowing discord by negative information. They are backbiters, slanderers, talebearers, and whisperers.

When a person hates others, the Bible says it proves him a child of the devil (Jn 8:44; I Jn 2:9,11; 3:10,15; 4:8,20). When you detect the critical, hateful, and snide spirit of some toward others, you have likely found a child of the devil. Is this judgment too harsh? Remember Jesus and “the apostle of love” provided the cross-references! God is love, and those truly the children of God will show God is in them by their love (I Jn 4:7-16).

Though these haters lie and pretend to be loving Christians, God will expose them to save His true saints. David begged God to save his kingdom from such strange children – hypocrites that use vain speech and false handshakes to pretend love and piety (Ps 144:7-11). There are great benefits for a church to get rid of such false persons (Ps 144:12-15)!

Paul told the Corinthian church that God would send heresies into His churches to discover these lying frauds and confirm the identity of His true children (I Cor 11:19). So while heresies are a painful matter to deal with in a church, they are often used to expose the lying hypocrites that cause dissension and strife. The end result is well worth the pain.

God’s distillation process is precious. Distillation is a method used to separate a mixture into its component parts, where the desired component will be at a much higher strength than diluted in the mixture. The God of heaven is constantly at work distilling His faithful churches by removing the impure elements to refine and improve the remainder.

Absalom was Solomon’s brother and David’s son. He lied to Israel about how much he cared for them to steal the throne (II Sa 15:1-6). But God exposed his hatred and left him hanging by his hair in a tree for Joab’s darts (II Sa 18:9-15)! Judas conspired in hatred with the Jews against Jesus, and the other apostles had no idea (John 13:21-30). But God exposed his hatred and dashed his bowels over a field (Matt 27:1-10; Acts 1:18-20)!

How can you help your church? Never speak negatively about anyone, unless absolutely necessary for those in authority or for scriptural duty! If you cannot say something kind or commending, do not say anything. Make it your goal to promote the reputations of all men, even your personal enemies. This is true Christianity (Matt 5:43-48; Phil 2:1-4).

How can you help your church? If you hear someone criticizing, backbiting, gossiping, or slandering others, stop them by an angry face or warning rebuke (Pr 25:23; Ps 101:5; I Thess 5:14). God hates this sin, and so should you (Pr 6:16-19). A wife may do this even to a foolish husband, if she is discrete and respectful like Abigail (I Sam 25:3,19,36-37).

Jesus Christ is the Head of His churches, and He constantly walks among them, visible to the eye of faith (Rev 3:1). He exposed the lie of Ananias and his wife Sapphira in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 5:1-11). He cut down many selfish and profane souls in the church at Corinth (I Cor 11:30). He promised death to Jezebel and her followers in the church at Thyatira (Rev 2:20-23), and He comforted and exhorted the rest (Rev 2:24-27).

This God you can trust no matter what. Hateful liars claiming to love God and be your friends can be frightening and worrisome. But He has promised to take care of them by exposing them, and He has promised to take care of you by protecting you. He has sent His glorious Son, the King of heaven, to guard and protect you and every true church. Have you committed your life and church entirely to Him? You will never regret it.

Spiritual Training 04 February 2013

Posted: February 4, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 04, Romans, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

 Dead to sin, Alive in Christ

Romans 6:16-19 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?  I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves.  Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever –increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 

It is impossible to be neutral.  Every person has a Master-either God or sin.  A Christian is not someone who cannot sin, but someone who is no longer a slave to sin.  He or she belongs to God.

Lets Bring it Home:  Who is your Master?

Spiritual Training 28 January 2013

Posted: January 28, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

 Dead to sin, Alive in Christ

Romans 6:13-14 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (14) For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. 

The phrase “instruments of wickedness” referred to a tool or a weapon.  Our skills, capabilities, and bodies can serve many purposes, good or bad.  In sin, every part of our bodies are vulnerable.  In Christ, every part can be an instrument for service.  It is the one to whom we offer our service that makes the difference.  We are like lasers that can burn destructive holes in steel places or do delicate cataract surgery.

Lets Bring it Home:  Will you give yourself completely to God, asking him to put you to good use for his glory?

Proverbs 9:13-18 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 9, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 09, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 9:13-18 The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.  She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way.  “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment.  “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.  

 Something is hypnotic and intoxicating about wickedness.  One sin leads us to want more; sinful behavior seems more exciting than the Christian life.  That is why many people put aside all thought of Wisdom’s spectacular banquet in order to eat the stolen food of Folly. Don’t be deceived, sin is dangerous.  Before reaching for forbidden frit, take a long look at what happens to those who eat it.

Proverbs 19:26 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 19, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 19, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 19:26  He who robs his father and drives out his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace. 

Child! The great God will make you pay for the pain and shame your folly has cost your parents. Your ungrateful treatment of them will come down on your own head. Get ready for it. Your return of evil for their kindness and love has the God of parents sending His hungry ravens and young eagles in your direction (Pr 20:20; 30:17). They see you now!

Child! Your parents gave you life. They fed, clothed, and protected you. Your father delighted in you and saved for your future; your mother doted on you and pampered you. And now you despise them by word and deed. You waste their time and assets. You have no time for the woman who loves you most. Your wickedness has come up to heaven!

This proverb is only an observation, unless you find its hidden lesson. Proverbs are dark sayings, not sound bites (Pr 1:6). If we weigh the pain this wicked child caused his parents, we should see the fire of divine justice burning against him. If God’s words, “Be sure your sin will find you out,” are true in general, they are certainly true in this case!

A son wastes his father by spending his money in riotous living (Pr 28:7,24; 29:3; Luke 15:13). He also wastes his spirit, burdens his heart, harms his health, and sends him to the grave with sorrow (Gen 44:29). This grief is a calamity to a father (Pr 17:21,25; 19:13). What should have been for his glory and success becomes the source of his latter pain.

He chases away his mother by ignoring her warnings, fighting in her home, chasing whores, living a life she cannot abide, and alienating her affection (Pr 10:1; 17:25). In the end, when he has spent all, or whether he has much, he denies her desires and needs. How can a mother’s tenderness be repaid by such cold and crushing cruelty?

Such a son brings shame and reproach on his father, his mother, his siblings, the family name, and upon himself. But he is so in love with himself that he does not care. He tramples all under foot without regard for the feelings of his own flesh and blood or the opinions of God and men. These rebels deserve all that God shall bring upon them.

Child! Tremble before this proverb and its words. God is not mocked! Whatever you sow, you shall reap (Gal 6:7). If God ordained death for disrespectful speech or looks (Pr 20:20; 30:17; Deut 27:16), how great is His fury for these actions? If He required capital punishment for cursing or hitting, what will He do to this brute (Ex 21:15)? If honoring parents brings long life, what will the base violence of this wretch deserve (Eph 6:2-3)?

Child! Mistreating those who have loved and cared for you the most is an aggravated and perverse sin and exceedingly wicked in God’s sight. Your pride and selfishness are so great that you are without natural affection (Rom 1:30-31). You have altogether denied the Christian religion, and you are worse than an infidel (I Tim 5:8).

Child! Humble yourself now. Repent for your rebellion and self-will. Beg God and your parents for mercy. It is never too late, if you can still feel even a little conviction in your conscience about your folly. Break off your sins by righteousness and show some mercy to your parents, for it may be a lengthening of your tranquility (Dan 4:27).

Parent of a fool! Take comfort. There are no perfect parents, and the great God never justifies a child’s wickedness by parental faults or failures. He is the God of parents, and as a heavenly Father, He will remember every bit of your investment and pain for comfort here and hereafter. Beg Him for wisdom in light of your troubles (Jas 1:2-5).

Reader, how well do you honor your heavenly Father? Have you wasted any of the precious grace He has bestowed on you (II Cor 6:1; Heb 12:15)? Have you brought any shame or reproach on His glorious name (Ezek 20:39; I Tim 6:1)? Are you living like a child of God, bringing delight to your Father (Matt 5:43-48; II Cor 6:14-18; Eph 5:1)?


Spiritual Training 26 November 2012

Posted: November 29, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Romans 1:28-32 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done, they have become filed with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.  They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.  They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. 

How were these people aware of God’s death penalty?  Human beings, created in God’s image, have a basis moral nature and conscience.  This truth is understood beyond religious circles.  Psychologists, for example, say that the rare person who has no conscience has a serious personality disorder that is extremely difficult to treat.  Most people instinctively know when they do wrong-but they may not care.  Some people will even risk an early death for the freedom to indulge their desires now.  “I know it’s wrong, but I really want it,” they say; or, “I know it’s dangerous, but it’s’ worth the risk.” For such people, part of the “fun” is going against God’s law, the community’s moral standards, common sense, or their own sense of right and wrong.  But deep down inside they know that sin deserves the punishment of death (6:23).

Lets Bring it Home:  In which way do we play with fire?  Let’s asks ourselves, do we fit into any of these areas?  How do we handle our sinful desires, verses deep down inside knowing that sin deserves the punishment of death? No ifs, ands or buts about it.  Does God really hand us over to our foolish ways after numerous attempts to get our attention? Why is there so much hell in my life we say?

 

Spiritual Training 16 November 2012

Posted: November 16, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

 Romans 1:21-23 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Romans: 1:24-25 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator who is forever praised.  Amen.   

When Paul says that men exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of birds, animals, and reptiles, he seems to deliberately state man’s wickedness in the terms used in the Genesis narrative of Adam’s fall (Genesis 1:20-26).

People tend to believe lies that reinforce their own selfish, personal beliefs.  Today, more than ever, we need to be carful about the input we allow to form our beliefs.  With TV, music, movies, and the rest of the media often presenting sinful lifestyles and unwholesome values, we find ourselves constantly bombarded by attitudes and beliefs that are totally opposed to the Bible.

Lets Bring it Home: When we worship the creature instead of the Creator, we lose sight of our own identity as those who are higher than the animals-made in the image of God.  Be carful about what you allow to form your opinions.  The Bible is the only standard of truth.  Evaluate all other opinions in light of its teachings.

Spiritual Training 16 July 2012

Posted: July 16, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
The Death of Abimelech

Judges 9:56-57 Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers.  God also made the men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness.  The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.

Gideon, Abimelech’s father, succeeded in military battles, but sometimes failed in his personal struggles.  Gideon was not condemned for taking a concubine (8:31), but the family problems that resulted from this relationship are clearly stated.  In the end, Abimelech killed 69 of his 70 half brothers, tore apart a nation, and then was killed himself.

Lets Bring it home: From Gideon’s life we learn that no matter how much good we do for God’s kingdom, sin in our lives will still produce powerful, damaging consequences.

Proverbs 26:18-19 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: June 26, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 26:18-19  Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!” 

Deceiving those who trust you is a horrible crime. Neighbors, employers, and others trust your integrity. You are close enough to take advantage of them, so they must trust you to not use that nearness against them. It is your duty as a Christian to live honestly with all men, but especially those nearest to you.

Jesting (Joking) is not convenient – appropriate, proper, or suitable. It causes confusion, pain, and trouble. It destroys confidence and security. This is especially true when you joke with those who trust you. Truth is a wonderful thing, and it should not be mocked. Your neighbor trusts you – be worthy of it. King Solomon had no use for profane individuals who play tricks on others for profit or pleasure and excuse their wickedness by calling it a game or a joke.

Deceiving those who trust you is a horrible crime. Neighbors, employers, and others trust your integrity. You are close enough to take advantage of them, so they must trust you to not use that nearness against them. It is your duty as a Christian to live honestly with all men, but especially those nearest to you.

Covering and excusing sin by lightly claiming it was just a joke reveals a very profane character. Such persons have no conscience; they laugh at sin; they do not comprehend the pain their deception causes others. We oppose this folly by keeping and requiring a sober and serious approach to all relationships.

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