11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In settings of silver. 12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.
Catch the video of this teaching from the SHINE BRIGHT Church YouTube Channel (Address: 433 W. Lerdo Rd., Tucson, AZ)
Counsel given at the right time, the right place, with just the right words is a beautiful thing, served beautifully – like golden apples on a silver platter; but only so much as it has an obedient ear to listen to such counsel.
A wise rebuker won’t be overly harsh, but nor will they be extraordinarily soft either. A wise rebuker knows the balance between grace and truth. We think of a rebuke as something necessarily harsh, but the Bible makes the distinction between a rebuke (2 TIM 4:2) and a sharp rebuke (TITUS 1:13). Then there is an admonition (1 THESS 5:12), and exhortation (1 THESS 4:1).
1) A sharp rebuke – is a rebuke with emphasis, to tell one’s fault, to convict, to reprove.
2) Rebuke – to censure, a strong admonition, to charge, to rebuke, to forbid.
A rebuke is to bring correction, to steer in the right direction but with firmness, whereas a sharp rebuke is more like a heated scolding.
3) Admonition – to bring to mind, to offer caution, to reprove gently, a warning.
4) Exhortation – to call near, to beseech (a kind of pleading), to comfort.
PROVERBS 15:22-23
22 Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established. 23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!
ISAIAH 50:4The more of the Word you know, the greater the selection you have at your disposal in offering the appropriate words to speak, being based on biblical truth and counsel. You’re like the handy repairman whose tool chest is overflowing with all kinds of instruments and tools to address any job that requires your skills.
"The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned.
You’ll be able to offer counsel at the right time, the right place, with the right words, as well as with the right heart.
Of course, before we offer counsel of any kind, we want to check our own heart and seek GOD on the matter and deal with any issues that the LORD brings to mind (if restoration for the one counseled is needed; GAL 6:1).
PROVERBS 25:13
Like the cold of snow in time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters.
Just as there is a right time for an encouraging, faithful word from the lips of a saint led by and walking in the Spirit, so too there are seasons in our lives when the LORD is with us for the lives of others: a time of cultivating spiritual soil in their lives, a time of plowing, a time of planting, a time of prayerful waiting, and a time of harvest and seeing enjoyment of spiritual fruit.
Just as our LORD was sent by the Father and stepped down from His Holy Heavens and entered into this sin-cursed world to bring hope of redemption, the LORD sends us as well to bring the message of the Gospel to this lost and dying world (JOHN 20:21).
The LORD is pleased when He sees us continuing the Great Commission – in a sense, picking up where He left off, though really, as we labor in the Gospel, He is ever with us and we get to work alongside Him as His yokefellow.
It’s an awesome, beautiful thing that as we are yoked up with the LORD, working in His Kingdom, we learn of Him and His ways: He is meek and lowly of heart, and this is the one kind of labor anywhere where we can actually find rest (MATT 11:29-30).
ISAIAH 52:7-9An essential part of the armor of GOD are the shoes shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace (EPH 6:15). Shoes are foundational for everyone, they’re what we walk in; just so, the Gospel is foundational for the Christian. As you can readily observe, the first two letters in the word “Gospel” are “G-O”. So, we travel in life, we go where GOD sends us – to our family members, our neighborhoods, to our workplace, to friends, to strangers even, and prayerfully tell them the good news of Jesus Christ. ALWAYS prepare the way of the Gospel with prayer!
7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" 8 Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the LORD brings back Zion. 9 Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.
MARK 16:15-16PROVERBS 25:14
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
MATTHEW 28:18-19
Mt 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Whoever falsely boasts of giving Is like clouds and wind without rain.
PROVERBS 20:6Pastor Sonny celebrated his 45 birthday a couple weeks back and I wrote this reference found here in PROV 20 in a birthday card with a caption that said, “We found him!” Sonny, like any true saint of GOD is a humble soul who doesn’t boast, doesn’t exalt himself – he is only interested in exalting the Name of JESUS Who is worthy of all worship and praise and adoration and service.
Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man?
There are too, too many so-called pastors and televangelists (even that word has become a rather dirty one!) that talk about themselves, their plans, their successes, who have their names and pictures plastered all over the place, and how GOD couldn’t use anyone else the way that He uses them, etc., so forth.
I once was told of a pastor who was challenged on how he was doing things in their fellowship and in a fit of anger, this pastor said, “This is MY church and I’ll run things the way I SEE fit!”. Wrong – the church was purchased by the blood of Christ; she is HIS bride, and belongs to Him, no under-shepherd. Things need to be run the way that the Head of the Church sees fit, according to His Word.
Jude speaks of these last days false teachers and prophets in his little epistle jam-packed with all kinds of astounding revelation:
JUDE 1:11-13,18-19These are the sort that want to fleece the sheep, rather than feed the sheep, to prey upon the sheep, rather than pray for the sheep.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.18 …there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
I saw a one pane cartoon once that just made me weep.
What we truly need more of today are true pastors and loving shepherds who care for the church which is the Bride of Christ, with the heart of the LORD - the one He laid down His life for, such is His love!
JAMES 2:14-17False bragging about how much you give is not conducting oneself in faith at all. True faith gives out of a heart of compassion and for no other reason. Not at all like Ananias and Sapphira who sold some land, and claimed they gave the entire sale price to the church when in fact they gave only a portion (ACTS 5).
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
PROVERBS 25:15
By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded, And a gentle tongue breaks a bone.
Remember the parable of the unjust judge and the widow that petitioned for her case day after day after day? And what the judge’s response was?
LUKE 18:4b-5,7-8Perseverance and endurance are necessary in prayer to the King of kings, and with earthly rulers, these attributes are also, often necessary and useful!
4 “…Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 'yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me”.
7 "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
Is there anyone here who has never experienced an argument? Sometimes they can get quite heated, can’t they? And loud – and louder still. Arguments can even escalate to physical violence and sometimes even broken bones. But this proverb states that a soft word breaks bones?
In other words, quiet responses will often deescalate a heated argument. I tried it – it works!
PROVERBS 25:16
Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, Lest you be filled with it and vomit.
As the old saying goes, Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Very often true. Honey has marvelous uses: it’s an anti-inflammatory, a disinfectant, heart-healthy, good for stabilizing the metabolism, digestion and sleep. Too much of it can in fact, nauseate you, so take it in moderation.
In fact, this is what verse 16 is really saying: in everything let there be moderation, or temperance, not indulging excessively in anything, but in all things demonstrate self-control:
PHILIPPIANS 4:5Keeping our appetites under control, not allowing any excesses that could get out of control and overwhelm us, distract us, and disable us from being ready for the LORD’s return.
Let your moderation [gentleness, mildness] be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
“The cares and deceitfulness of riches [or fill in the blank with anything you can overindulge in] chokes out the Word and it becomes unfruitful” (MATT 13:22). Is there anyone here who wants to be unfruitful when the LORD returns? I didn’t think so!
PROVERBS 25:17
Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house, Lest he become weary of you and hate you.
There’s another old expression, this one came from England:
“House guests are like fish – after a few days they start to stink!”
Apostle Paul addresses this:
2 THESSALONIANS 3:10-12We ought to be hospitable to all; that is a trademark of Christian living, especially for elders of the church. At the same time, it’s unchristian to take advantage of such hospitality and stay longer than necessary.
10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.
This is why, especially during holiday seasons, or parties I always make a point of leaving at a reasonable hour. Hosts want to be as gracious as possible and agreeable to guests staying “as long as you want” but be courteous – as a general rule, no one should be staying as a holiday guest past 7-8pm.
PROVERBS 25:18
A man who bears false witness against his neighbor Is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.
Most of us here have probably been falsely accused of one thing or another. It hurts deepest when it’s done by someone close to us. Sometimes it feels like a club that knocks the wind out of us. Other times, it cuts deep like a sword thrust. Then there are those times when it comes out of nowhere and like an arrow it strikes suddenly with no warning.
For myself, whenever people have said things about me that were untrue, that maligned my reputation, that sought to tarnish my character – I am very tempted to rise up and defend myself, to clear the air and remove any suspicions about allegations made against me.
At times, some clarification is necessary and appropriate. At other times, we need to stand still and know that He is our GOD, our Refuge, our Shield as well as our advocate.
Certainly, there is the accuser of the brethren, who accuses GOD’s saints day and night (REV 12:10) is someone that our LORD defends us from:
ROMANS 8:33-34
33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
And there are times when Satan uses people as his puppets, and it can be devastating when those we have loved turn against us, and treat us cruelly by spreading gossip and false accusations against us.
I’ve known many pastors in my day who have poured into people faithfully, lovingly, but for one reason or another, people turn on them. In such times as these, I think the best response is prayer: praying for them, praying for ourselves that we respond in a Christ-like manner, for resolution and for the truth to be known by those who need to know (and that’s for GOD to decide).
MATTHEW 5:44This is perhaps one of the hardest tests we as Christians can endure; it takes a lot of dying to self to forgive those that are deserving of justice, but instead, are offered prayer and blessing according to GOD’s grace.
"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
How often has GOD blessed us, when we weren’t deserving, but He did so according to His grace, not according to what we deserved. So, while I hope none of you will have to endure such a struggle, if you do, ask the LORD to empower you by His grace to be like your heavenly Father.
MATTHEW 5:45-46PROVERBS 25:19
45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same.
Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.
You can’t depend on a bad tooth, or an injured foot; if you try to lean on that foot, or chew with that bad tooth in your mouth, you’re going to suffer for it. And it’s especially painful when you’re in an emergency situation and need help yesterday.
This is why we need to pray for wisdom and GOD’s direction in selecting our friends. You want to surround yourself with lovers of the truth, with people who are upright in their heart; those whose yes means yes and their no means no. People of integrity.
This is not to say we shouldn’t have dealings with the lost souls of this world. That’s where Gospel ministry happens, and we are heralders of the Gospel, and ambassadors for Christ.
But for those that we have true bonds of friendship and fellowship in Christ, we want to be sure of them, not in doubt of them. There are those among us who trust too easily and especially in today’s world – it’s unfortunate, but it’s unwise to trust everyone equally.
Trust everyone according to their worthiness. I’ve said it before: there are those that I may trust to save me a seat, but I wouldn’t trust them with my wallet. Then there are those I would trust with my wallet, but not with my life. Then there are those who I trust with my life – some of them are in this room! And as relationships develop among us, and we grow in Christ-likeness and in becoming familiar with one another, those levels of trust can increase (and some, unfortunately might decrease).
No one is 100% trustworthy; not the best among us – because we are still sinners saved by grace, who may have every good intention to remain faithful to us, but because of human frailty and limitations, sometimes they let us down.
The only One Who is 100% trustworthy is the LORD Himself, because He is Truth, He is Almighty, All-Knowing, and All-wise and All-loving.
No comments:
Post a Comment