Evil On All Sides!
(Proverbs 29:5-7)
1. Do you ever feel like you are surrounded by idiots? One web site collected stories…
I was signing the receipt for my credit card purchase when the clerk noticed that I had never signed my name on the back of the credit card. She informed me that she could not complete the transaction unless the card was signed.
When I asked why, she explained that it was necessary to compare the signature on the credit card with the signature I just signed on the receipt.
So I signed the credit card in front of her. She carefully compared that signature to the one I signed on the receipt. As luck would have it, they matched.
I live in a semi-rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road.
The reason: many deer were being hit by cars and he no longer wanted them to cross there.
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate, when the airport employee asked, 'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?'
I said, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?' He smiled and nodded knowingly, 'That's why we ask.' [jokesoftheday.net/joke].
2. Sometimes it feels like we are surrounded by evil, evil on all sides. And sometimes we are.
Main Idea: Evil is like a series of bombs scattered around our lives. If we are to diffuse them, it helps to understand them.
I. The Bomb of Flattery, Like BAIT for a Trap (5).
A. Beware of people who are TOO friendly and too generous with compliments.
B. The NET refers to something bad or harmful.
• Bernie Madoff with his $20 billion Ponzi scheme
• Steven Spielberg and Larry King were among his victims…
• He knew how to schmooze and flatter and gain the confidence of others…
C. Satan disguises himself as an angel of LIGHT (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
Mark 12:14 demonstrates this principle in action: “And they came and said to him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?’”
One thing pastors should learn (I learned this, others did not) is that you need to be suspicious of people who are especially nice to you when you begin a new ministry; they may have an agenda and trying to get an early start at influencing you their way.
When we came to HPC, a couple was really nice to us, so we were suspicious. But we were wrong. There are some genuinely kind and helpful people out there; other side of the coin.
II. The Bomb of Slavery to SIN in Contrast to the Joy of Righteousness (6).
A. Sin offers joy an escape, but does not DELIVER in the long run.
1. Judas Iscariot apparently loved money (dishonest treasurer who dipped into the moneybag, John 12:6), and he got his 30 pieces of silver; but he was miserable and hung himself.
2. I have known many trapped in drugs, alcohol, immorality, materialism, discontent
3. Aesop told the tale about two frogs: Two frogs dwelt in the same pool. When the pool dried up under the summer’s heat, they left it and set out together for another home. As they went along they chanced to pass a deep well, amply supplied with water, and when they saw it, one of the Frogs said to the other, “Let us descend and make our abode in this well: it will furnish us with shelter and food.” The other replied with greater caution, “But suppose the water should fail us. How can we get out again from so great a depth?’
4. Sinful habits can be like a well that satisfies for a while, dries up, and is so deep you don’t seem able to jump out.
5. Our choices have consequences, sometimes unintended ones. This is true with our choices to sin as well as with other choices we make.
B. It is the righteous who can SING and REJOICE.
The context here is not about something necessarily spiritual; singing and rejoicing are normal behaviors for people who are happy and free. The righteous may be inhibited when it comes to sin, but they are uninhibited when it comes to joy and enjoying the good things of life. The wicked are uninhibited when it comes to sin, abut are soon ensnared and miserable.
III. The Bomb of Only Considering Our KIND (Social Self-Centeredness) (7).
A. When the Bible talks about the “POOR,” what does it mean?
1. The poor are not people who have less than we do (relative deprivation vs. absolute poverty)
2. If some.one gets paid and spends their check on non-essentials and then are without money, are they poor?
3. In the Bible, poverty meant not having enough food, clothing, shelter.
B. There is a DIFFERENCE between first world poverty and third world poverty.
C. America is at a crossroads, determining what to do about those who have LESS.
1. We rarely have poverty in the third world sense in the U.S.
2. Critical race theory, a form of Marxism, helps nurture a victims’ attitudes; it assigns false guilt or victims status based upon one’s skin color. But, in many questionable plans, there are grains of truth. In some institutions or organizations, there are issues that need to be investigated and some changes made. Calling for fairness is a good thing.
3. Younger generations have a herd time with Jesus words, “The poor you will always have with you.”
4. The concern in Proverbs is not about bringing in some kind of socialism, but treating the poor respectfully and recognizing their rights. This includes being treated fairly in court & not suffering abuse because of relative defenselessness.
D. Those of us who are concerned about the kind of poverty Jesus is talking about need a STRATEGY.
A great book on the subject is called “Toxic Charity,” which demonstrates that many well-intended approaches to charity make the problem worse.
1. We do not want to create dependency (mission trips to paint churches).
2. We don’t want our primary concern to be about feeling good that we have helped others, but we want to actually help others.
3. We do not want to reward irresponsibility, nor negate the consequences of foolish choices.
4. We certainly want to help with disaster relief.
5. Our desire is to, along with loving others, bring the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.
6. We want to fight poverty by things like job training,, clean water, medical help, helping people take ownership of their lives, communities, and enterprises; we want to stop sex-trafficking, we want to help the persecuted, and we want to train leaders for the church, for the community, and for self-sustaining businesses.
E. The underlying principle: we need to take into account others NOT LIKE US who are part of our community/world.
