Heads Up!!

In modern language these characteristics that Paul gives us are: Laziness, self-serving, vain, two-faced, hypocritical, and quick to condemn, and quick to hurt someone that gets in their way.

These types of people are foul-mouthed, and quick to judge others, and they do not delight in following God’s Word, or having God’s Word placed before them in the form of rebuke or correction and we must be on our guard constantly.

Selfishness

There is one thing that stands between a person and God, themselves. We are the biggest obstacle that we have to allow HIM to overcome before we can come to HIM. Paul tells us in:

Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly;

He tells us that those that don’t know God are only looking out for themselves. There is one reason that people first come to church:

GOD BROUGHT THEM…

Oh, we may tell ourselves that we came because of someone we know. Or, we may tell ourselves that we came because of the great SPEAKER! Or, we may tell ourselves that our children need to be in church. However, no matter what you tell yourself, GOD BROUGHT YOU TO THIS CHURCH!

But, what happened? What happened when you were brought? Well, now, there are two reasons people stay in church:

THEY EITHER YIELD TO GOD, AND HE SAVES THEM AND PUTS THEM TO WORK IN THE SAME CHURCH.

OR,

They simply continue to come until the other people stop coming, then they go away, or they continue to listen to the great speaker, or they just keep bringing their kids in. Which means, there’s never any surrendering to God, which means there’s no reconciliation, which means there’s no salvation, which means there’s only selfishness.

Paul is very clear in verse 18! Either you are serving Christ or you are serving your own belly. That may sound harsh, but that’s what Paul says.

Now, at the same time they are serving their own belly, they are puff talkers.

Puff Talkers

What’s a puff talker? Someone that only talks to either puff up themselves or someone else. They only want to make themselves or someone else sound good, or grab all the credit instead of God.

Paul says in the second half of verse 18:

by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

But they don’t stop there…Through their talk, through their actions, they practice deception.

What should we do with them? What should be our reaction?

Well, if they’re in the church, we need to take them aside and talk with them and point out just whom they seem to be serving, which is themselves. If they are not in the church or have just arrived and are seeking to divide the people and corrupt the church what do we do?

Mark (identify) them

That’s it. We simply identify them, before everyone.

And, we…

Resist them

By staying in the Word we will be able to identify and refute, rebuke and correct those things that may be said or done in error, or for the wrong reason.

By staying close to God and walking in the Spirit, He will enable you and guide you. He will give you the choice that needs to be made. He will give you the discernment in a situation. He will allow you to resist and be wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.