INTRO.- Quips, quotes and notes
- It was not the apple on the tree but the pair on the ground that caused the trouble in the garden.
That’s like a gun. There is nothing wrong with a gun. It’s what people do with the gun that makes it bad. The problem was the disobedience of Adam and Eve. And that’s always a problem for mankind. God is trying to keep us out of trouble, but we don’t listen very well. However, no one is perfect in their obedience. No one. And no one has a perfect faith.
Ps. 103:8-11 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.”
We are saved in spite of our disobedience and it’s because God is so gracious.
- Beauty is skin deep; ugly goes right to the bone.
ILL.- An ad appeared in a newspaper that read: "Farmer wants to marry woman, 35, with tractor. Send picture of tractor."
ILL.- Lincoln said, “The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is the reason he made so many of them.”
We do know that God looks on the heart and that’s the most important thing about us. He knows the very stuff we’re made of, who we are, how we are and what we are.
- It’s too bad a shower of rain can’t freshen up people like it does flowers and grass.
There is something that can freshen up people? It’s the Lord and His Spirit.
Gal. 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
The most spiritual people in the world are not necessarily those who talk about spiritual matters, but rather those whose lives demonstrate the Spirit at work. We need to pray, “Fill me with the Spirit. Fill me with love, joy, etc.”
- It’s difficult for a man to have much faith in God if he has too much in himself.
I think this is a problem that many people have today, and especially, the rich, the powerful and the famous. Many of them are so sold on themselves that they can’t be sold on God or Christ. They are so full of themselves that they will never be full of God.
I Pet. 5:6 “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”
- Giving good advice does not qualify as charity.
Interesting thought. It may be that we think we are doing people a lot of good when we go around dishing our information and advice. In reality, we may not be helping people at all.
I have thought a lot about this in regard to my preaching. Just what I am preaching? I am truly helping people? Do I preach sermons that are helpful or am I just preaching?
James 1:26-27 “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
God wants us to help hurting people and we don’t always do it by what we say.
- Many people are not exactly stingy. They’re just economical in a very obnoxious way.
God is not stingy with us. He is a giver and He wants us to be givers as well. In fact, I’ve heard it said that we are most like God when we give. That may be true. Of course, we can give in various ways: money, time, attention, affection, service, etc.
II Cor. 9:6-7 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Cheerful giving can apply to all forms of giving, money, service, etc. If we give grudgingly, there will be no blessing in it. But if we give because we want to, we will be blessed.
- Nursing a grudge is like arguing with a policeman, the more you do, the worse things get.
ILL.- A visitor from across the mountain leaned on the rail fence, watching his old friend plow. “I don’t like to butt in,” he finally said, “but you could save yourself a lot of work by saying ‘gee’ and ‘haw’ to that mule instead of just tuggin’ on them lines.”
The old timer pulled a big handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his brow. “Yep, I know that,” he agreed, “but this mule kicked me six years ago, and I ain’t spoke to him since.”
I don’t know about mules, but I do know about people. And we do tend to hold grudges a very long time. However, it doesn’t hurt the person we don’t like one bit. It only hurts us. Still, it’s hard to let go. I would say it’s our human nature to not let go, but it’s probably more like our sin nature that won’t let go.
Now a few quick quips and quotes.
- Retirement can be a great joy if you can figure out how to spend time without spending money.
- Etc. is a sign used to make people think you know more than you do. That’s me.
- In covering the subject, don’t smother it. That’s a good one for long-winded preachers.
- Save yourself trouble by not borrowing any. What does this mean? Mind our own business.
- It’s all right to be dumb, but it’s stupid to make a career out of it. We all do dumb things.
- Often our mistakes serve a useful purpose. Our friends find much pleasure in pointing them out to us.
Now to the book of Proverbs.
I. COMPANIONSHIP (or peer pressure)
13:20 “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
ILL.- Near the Kingsport Press in Tennessee a southbound bus makes a scheduled midday stop of twenty minutes so that passengers may freshen up and get a bite to eat.
One driver said, as he brought his bus to a stop: “Folks, we’ll be stopping here for twenty minutes. This line makes it a strict policy never to recommend an eating place by name, but if anybody wants me while we’re here, I’ll be eating a wonderful T-bone steak with french fries at Tony’s first-class, spotlessly clean diner across the street.”
He who walks with the wise grows wise. He may grow wise about where to eat but also how to live.
I appreciate it very much when people recommend a good restaurant, but I appreciate it even more when their life recommends a good way to live.
Right relationships can make a difference in our lives. Wrong relationships can bring us to ruin. For most of us, it’s called peer pressure and it’s everywhere.
ILL.- I was born in Joplin, MO, and raised in Webb City, which is right next door. And Kansas is not far from either of those towns. So what? Here’s the what. Back then an 18 year-old could go to Kansas and buy beer, 3.2 percent beer. So it was a big temptation for young people to go to Kansas since the legal drinking law was 21 years of age in Missouri.
I remember some of my high school friends saying, “Come on, Steve, let’s go to Kansas and get some beer.” Since I was raised in a drinking home and not a strong Christian home, I eventually gave in to the temptation and started making regular trips to Nina’s Green Parrot in Galena, KS. And I can’t say those trips did me any good. Drinking and getting drunk is not a good habit to get into.
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Relationships make a difference. Also, I have discovered there are leaders and there are followers. Some people have strong personalities and tend to take control, give commands and lead people. Whereas others are more laid back and they tend to follow others.
ILL.- Someone said, “He who lies down with dogs gets up with fleas.” Or something worse.
ILL.- When I was running to Kansas I was employed at Safeway Stores in Joplin. One of my fellow worker friends was Tom who worked in the produce department. I don’t remember how it got started, but I encouraged Tom to go with me to Kansas. Prior to that time he had not been a drinker or much of a drinker. We went together a few times and then Tom went by himself.
One morning when I came to work I could hardly believe my eyes. My friend Tom had a black eye and had obviously been in a fight. He told me what happened. Apparently, he went to Nina’s Green Parrot by himself the night before, got drunk on beer and challenged some guy to a fight and Tom got knocked across a pool table.
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Tom suffered harm and it apparently started with me. Peer pressure today seems to be even worse, even though it’s always been with us.
Most parents fear for their children, because of all the evil stuff and junk that’s going on in our world today.
When I was a teen the biggest temptations were beer, cigarettes and chasing girls. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TODAY. Or so it seems.
ILL.- Even though Jonesboro is in a dry county I’ve been told that this area is the Methamphetamine capitol of Arkansas. Could be. If so, it’s a problem for people of all ages.
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that can be injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested orally. Methamphetamine users feel a short yet intense "rush" when the drug is initially administered. The effects of methamphetamine include increased activity, decreased appetite, and a sense of well-being that can last from 20 minutes to 12 hours. YOU CAN SEE WHY PARENTS ARE WORRIED.
The truth is: life is full of all kinds of temptations and many of them come from so-called friends. And this is why we must encourage our youth and all people to choose their friends wisely.
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
ILL.- I have seen it illustrated this way and used it myself. A person can stand on a chair and try to lift a person of any size to their height. It’s not easily done, but the person on the floor can easily pull the person off the chair to their level. And so it is with those who live a lower life than the person who desires to follow Christ.
It is harder for us to pull someone “up” to our level of higher living than it is for them to pull us “down” to their level of lower living. This is why we must choose our friends wisely.
And this is why we parents must do all we can to guard our children in this area.
There are times when parents must say “no” to their children’s desires and wishes. And then tell them the dangers of our world.
We adults tend to think that we are immune to peer pressure, but we are not. I’ve seen people get caught in all kinds of things, sports, hobbies, etc. and forsake the Lord’s Day and eventually even leave the church. WE ARE NOT IMMUNE TO THE PRESSURES OF THIS WORLD.
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
II. TEMPER
14:17 “A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated.”
ILL.- Someone said, “A person who is angry on the right grounds, against the right persons, in the right manner, at the right moment, and for the right length of time deserves great praise.” I would say this is true, but it doesn’t happen very often. Generally, we blow our stack at the wrong time, with the wrong person, and perhaps for the wrong reason.
We know that Jesus demonstrated what we call “righteous indignation” or “righteous anger” when he cleansed the temple of the moneychangers. While we may think we are right in our anger, many times we are only selfish in our anger. We are only angry because things didn’t go our way.
ILL.- A woman told preacher Billy Sunday that she had a bad temper, but that it was all over in a minute. He replied, “So is a shotgun, but it blows everything to pieces.” Anger blows relationships to pieces. It is a destroyer.
ILL.- Someone said, “When I was working in the credit department of a jewelry store, an irate customer replied to a payment reminder with this line: ‘You have made me so think, I can’t mad straight.’” Anger dulls the thinking.
ILL.- The story is told in the spring (May 15th) of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles came to Boston to play a routine baseball game. But what happened that day was anything but routine. The Orioles’ John McGraw got into a fight with the Boston third baseman. Within minutes all the players from both teams had joined in the brawl. The fight quickly spread to the grandstands. Among the fans the conflict went from bad to worse. Someone set fire to the stands and the entire ballpark burned to the ground. Not only that, but the fire spread to 170 other Boston buildings as well.
If this story is true (and it is, baseballlibrary.com), it just shows how anger infects others, it spreads, breeds and destroys.
Prov. 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath (or anger), but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Few of us know how to answer an angry person. Few of us have the self-control, but this is what we need. The natural human response to anger is anger. It’s like fighting fire with fire. But fire doesn’t put out fire. Water or some other non-combustible puts out fire. So gentleness is a better way to put out the fire of anger. Responding with anger only makes it worse.
ILL.- At the end of one of his sermons, preacher Larimore opened the floor for discussion. (Something that I don’t do and probably won’t do) An angry man jumped to his feet and began to challenge him on some point in his sermon. He stood and spoke (wrangled, argued) for over 15 minutes.
If you had been in that preacher’s place what would you have done? Our natural human response is to defend ourselves. Most of us would do this or at least try. BUT NOT PREACHER LARIMORE.
At the end of that man’s angry tirade Larimore spoke. He said, “Thank you, sir. Does anyone else have anything to say?” When no one in the stunned audience said anything, Larimore turned back to the man and said, “Sir, would you lead us now in a closing prayer?” Wow! What self control that preach exhibited! Far better than most.
It takes tremendous self-control to be able to respond to those kinds of angry words. And where do we get this self-control? It can only come from God’s Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:52 “And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”
I have often prayed, “Lord, fill me with joy and your Holy Spirit.” I think there are times in the fire of anger when we all need to pray, “Lord, fill me with self control and your Holy Spirit.”
A quick-tempered man does foolish things. Like what? What foolish things? Swear, cuss, rant, rave, hit, fight, kick, throw things, bust things, and sometimes it even kills!
ILL.- Again, we are reminded of that July 5, 2000, story when Thomas Junta, 6’ 1’’, 275 lbs. beat to death Michael Costin, 6’, 156 lbs. because both were angered over the roughness of the ice hockey practice in which their sons were playing. ANGER KILLS. Anger does many foolish things.
What’s the remedy for anger? The only true remedy for all ailments and sins is the Lord! We all must allow the Lord to infiltrate our lives, our very souls! Here is the answer:
James 1:19-21 Accept the word, which saves.
