Six Kinds Of Men In Every Church 2 Of 2

Illus: There is a small country church in Columbia, South Carolina that has around twenty in attendance. If you visit that church you will discover two things immediately.

(1) You had better not say anything about anyone because everyone is related.

(2) If you are not a member of this family, you are an outsider and you are not welcome.

They will not come and tell you that you are not welcome, but they make you feel unwelcome in other ways.

This church has been around for many years and has never grown because they have no desire to reach the lost for Christ.

Listen, God does not need churches like this. In Proverbs 18, we saw in three different kinds of men that the church does not need:

I. THE ANTI-SOCIAL MAN

II. THE SELF-CONFIDENT MAN

III. THE CONTENTIOUS MAN

But there are several more that God’s church does not need because they are more HURTFUL than they are HELPFUL to the Kingdom of God! WHO ARE THEY?

They are the -

IV. THE JUDGMENTAL MAN

Look at verse 13, we read, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.”

He is the JUDGE and the JURY in all situations.

Illus: Many of us have served on a jury before and the Judge cautioned us to listen to all the evidence very closely before rendering a verdict. Why? Because the only way we can render a just verdict is to know all the facts.

Some have the ability it seems to create the evidence.

Illus: A woman and a man are involved in a car accident on a snowy, cold Monday evening. It's a bad one. Both of their cars are totally demolished, but amazingly neither of them are hurt!

After they crawl out of their cars:

• The woman says, "So....you're a man.”

• The man says, “So…you’re a woman.”

• Woman said, “Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left, but we're unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days".

• Flattered, the man replies, "Oh yes, I agree with you completely, this must be a sign from God!"

• The woman continues, "And look at this, here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune!" Then she hands the bottle to the man.

• The man nods his head in agreement, opens it and drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman.

• The woman takes the bottle and immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man.

• The man asks, "Aren't you having any?"

• The woman replies, "No. I think I'll just wait ! for the police...."

Of course, when they went to court, the EVIDENCE was overwhelming against him and he lost the case for being a drunk driver.

Many of us have served on jury duty and we have heard the judge say, “DO NOT REACH A VERDICT UNTIL YOU HAVE HEARD ALL THE EVIDENCE.”

But notice, the Book of Proverbs says, in verse 13, there is a man that “…answereth a matter before he heareth it.” But also notice the same verse says this is FOOLISHNESS.

No matter what you talk about, some people will give you an answer BECAUSE IN THEIR ARROGANCE, THEY KNOW EVERYTHING AND KNOW HOW EVERYTHING IS TO BE DONE. They believe they have all the answers. They can tell you exactly what needs to be done in all situations!

Illus: These people remind me of A TEACHER'S INTERVIEW. After being interviewed by the school administration, he told this young teacher how everything was to be done because he knew it all.

The eager teaching prospect said: "Let me see if I've got this right . . .

• You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning, and I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior,

• Observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits.

• You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self esteem.

• You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, fair play, how to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job.

• I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of anti-social behavior, make sure all students pass the state exams, even those who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments.