Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro

Mr. Flared Nostrils and His Unfortunate End - Proverbs 29:22

12/09/2012

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An angry man stirs up strife, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression. Proverbs 29:22

A man who flares his nostrils and who is easily filled with passionate anger about things is not going to be a godly or wise man. That is what today's proverb teaches us. Let's look at how anger that is not controlled by the Spirit of God can be a very dangerous thing in our lives.

The "angry man" in this proverb is one who often flares his nostrils. That picture to the Hebrew was a picture of a man who often became angry. We read that this is not wise because such a man often stirs up strife. His easily angered temperment will be the source of much fighting. He will not be long suffering and patient. He will grumble and complain thereby stirring up strife and anger in others. This will lead to a situaiton where he seems to be constantly surrounded by others who are angry - or who have grievances against the ones he is angry with as well. There will be a controversy swirling about him that never seems to die down. Problems and broken relationships will be all around him as the proverbial pot is always being stirred.

This man is likened to a "hot-tempered" man. His temperment is set so that it will boil over very easily. He becomes angry quickly - and that anger will lead to arguments and problems often. Contrary to this is the man surrendered to the Holy Spirit whose fruit is peace, patience, gentleness - and - self-control. Slights and problems roll off the Spirit filled man like water off a duck's back. He is a peacemaker and as such is known as one of the sons of God.

King Saul had these bad traits in his life. He perceived a slight when the women sang that He had slain thousands and David ten thousands. Jealousy and envy bred anger in King Saul that boiled over in many angry and hot-tempered acts. He was well known for dealing with his anger not by patience and long-suffering, but by throwing spears. He threw them at David because of his jealousy. He threw them because he did not want to deal with his own sin - and came to hate David for how God was with him. He eventually threw them at his own son because he dared love and protect David. His hot-tempered ways led him to kill all the priests in the city of Nob becasue he raged against the priest seeking The Lord on David's behalf. His uncontrolled anger led him away from God and into abounding levels of transgression and sin. That is what our proverb warns against today. We are warned that an uncontrolled temper let loose in fits of anger will land us in an abundance of sin. If we are not careful we will wind up like Saul whom God would not answer - and whom God removed because of his sin.

Patience is a virtue. It is a godly thing to be able to handle a slight - an insult - a perceived put down - and act graciously and godly - without a descent into a fit of anger. A wise man knows that it is not the estimation of men that matters - but the Word of God. Be careful therefore to learn graciousness, kindness, and the ability to be slow to anger. That is the heart of our God - and when we are filled with His Spirit and instructed by His Word - our's as well.
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Noah, Increasing Wickedness, Destruction . . . and the Only Cure - Proverbs 29:16

11/24/2012

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When the wicked increase, transgression increases; but the righteous will see their fall. Proverbs 29:16

There is a principle at work here - and one that has been seen again and again in the world. The more the wicked increase in a society, the more that the society will turn toward wickedness. This is not a recent phenomenon - it has been happening ever since the fall of man. In fact, one of the most powerful examples of it was not long after man fell into sin.

We read in Geneis chapter 6 of this kind of situation. "Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose." The progression here is fascinating to see. First the wicked began to multiply. You might wonder why I think the wicked multiplied - and not the godly. The reason for this is because man is sinful - and will always orient himself toward his sin and ungodliness unless God intervenes by His grace to change things. The next step was that the wicked began to modify - and they modified God's intention for marriage. They married at will - based on something other than God's plan. This led to the wicked multipliying even more. The god-desired role of the family was perverted and rather than pass on godliness - men began to pass on and even grow in his wickedness.

We read in verse 5 of that same chapter of Genesis, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Two more things began to happen. The wicked began to magnify their wickedness. God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth. The original intent for creation was to magnify the Creator, God. Now it was filled with men who magnified the creation, man. The second thing that happened was the the Wicked began to meditate on their wickedness. Every intent of the thoughts of their heart became evil continually. God's desire was for men to meditate on Him and His Word - instead, they meditated on their godless desires - which led to even worse conditions.

The wicked then turned to mayhem and murder in their wickedness. God said the following to Noah about this in verse 13 of chapter 6 of Genesis. “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth." James warns us in chapter 4 of his letter that the cause of our fighting is our lusts that wage war within us. This leads us to even kill so that we can fulfill our lusts that rage for more within us. The sad ending of all this is that the choices of the wicked led to the condemnation of the wicked. God destroyed that generation.

As we turn our attention back to our proverb - we see just what Solomon is communicating to his sons - and to all who would read these words. When the wicked increase, transgression among men increases as well. But in the end the righteous will see their fall. Wickedness cannot reign long in a land - it consumes it to a point of catastrophe. It did so in Noah's day - and we read that as it was in the days of Noah, so also it shall be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man. The ungodly will always be ungodly - and the wicked will seek to multiply their wickedness. But what is there for us to learn from this - just don't be wicked? No, there is a message for us today - one that will magnify the grace of God in the gospel.

How can we keep the wicked from increasing? Every time a child is born - another ungodly heart enters the human race. We are fallen - and we multiply into more fallen men and women over time. The answer lies in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the ONLY way that we can stem the tide of the wicked multiplying on the earth. We must multiply! We must be about sharing Jesus Christ with all who are around us. We must take the one thing that can take a wicked heart and transform it into a godly one. That one thing is the gospel of Jesus Christ! Jesus sent us into the world to make disciples of all the nations. As the early church took that mandate seriously they multiplied disciples - leading them to Christ - baptizing them as they identified with Christ - teaching them to obey all Jesus commands - and then doing it in each and every generation until the end of the age. This, and only this, can stand against the wicked and their wickedness multiplying in a society! May God give us grace to accept no substitutes in this matter - no political or social or military option which in the end will only fail. May we see that the glorious mandate to minister the gospel - and make disciples IS God's only answer for our world!
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Are You a Concealer or a Confessor?  Proverbs 28:13

10/24/2012

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He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Proverbs 28:13

Here is a proverb that agrees perfectly with what is said in the New Testament. We read in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is the truth of 1 John 1:9 stated in another way.  Whereas the 1 John passage states this truth in the positive only, this proverb also warns us of the consequences and danger of not dealing with our sins.

The Concealer . . . First we are told about the fate of the one who conceals his transgressions. The word "conceal" means to cover - and has the idea of a cover up. This man is hiding his transgressions (word meaning a sin or rebellion - here against God and His Law and His way).  Thus the concealer is not willing to bring his sin to light before God. He therefore hides his rebellion thinking that God does not see him.  This same word was used to describe how Joseph's brothers tried to hide their sin when they dipped his coat in goat's blood and brought to Jacob.  There was an attempted cover up by Joseph's brothers which eventually came to light.  In the same way, we are warned against covering up our sins.  They will come to light - and the way this happens in by a loss of the blessing of God.

Psalm 32:5 also speaks of his particular sin of hiding and trying to cover up our sin. The Psalmist says, "I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah." When he was trying to hide his sin from God, the Psalmist had nothing but grief and pain.  When he faced his sin before God he received forgiveness. Hiding our sins is not only counterproductive - it is also ridiculously foolish.  We serve a God Who is omniscient.  He knows all things.  When Adam and Eve tried to hide in the garden - it was out of shame and rebellion.  The problem for them was that God could still see them - and did even as they committed the first sin.  Cain answered God rebelliously when God asked where his brother Abel was.  Cain must have thought God did not see - but he did - and Abel's blood was crying out to God from the ground.  Moses thought he could kill the Egyptian and hide him in the piles of grain - but God saw - as well as some other Hebrews.  HEre is a fact you should always remember.  We can never hide our sin from a holy, omniscient God. He truly sees all!  He warns his people, "Be sure that your sins will find you out!"

Proverbs tells us that this man who is trying to conceal his sin will not prosper.  Prosper is the Hebrew word "tsalach" which means to succeed or to be victorious.  This word has the idea of breaking out or breaking through - and has a military aspect to it.  It spoke of how an army would break through their enemies - which was a sure sign that they were about to win the battle and defeat them.  Proverbs says to us is that concealing our sins is way to ensure we will NOT PROSPER.   God wants us to confess and forsake our sin. When we choose rebellion and sin against God, we are in serious trouble.  We are facing judgment if we do not know Christ - or discipline if we do.  What we need is grace - we need God's compassion.  That is exactly what Proverbs is wanting to teach us.  God wants us to know how to obtain His compassion when we sin?

How do we obtain God's compassion and restoration?  First, we confess our sins and rebellion. What is fascinating here is the word that God uses to describe confession.   The Hebrew word is "yadah." This word means to throw towards - to cast something towards.  Here it means to throw off our sin and cast it towards God.   It means that we are throwing all our sin and rebellion to God - with a desire for Him to show us forgiveness and compassion.  What is wild is that this same word is used for praising God - meaning that we are casting our hands up into the air and casting our praises toward God.  God does not want us to try to hold our sins close to us - He wants us to cast those sins away from us and toward Him for His compassion and grace!

There is a second thing that puts us in line for God's compassion and forgiveness.  Some teach that all we need to do is to confess our sins and everything is fine with God.  That is partially true.  There is suppose to be a second attitude present.  If it is not - I do not believe the Bible says that we will receive forgiveness.  That attitude or action is to forsake our sins.  This word means to abandon, desert, leave behind, completely neglect and STOP.  When we come to God seeking His compassion and forgiveness - we need to come with a heart that says, "Please forgive me God . . . and I also want to forsake and abandon my sin."  This is the kind of heart that finds compassion and forgiveness before God.  

This verse is vital in us knowing the fellowship and grace of God.  It is so important for us to grasp the call of God to deal with our sins and rebellion.  I honestly believe that just as 1 John 1:9 is such a blessed verse - this verse in Proverbs 28:13 is as well.  Oh that we would hear this and heed it as well.  It would throw open to us the door to God's grace, mercy, and compassion that we need every day of our lives.
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Getting Attention All the Wrong Ways - Proverbs 17:19

06/17/2011

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He who loves transgression loves strife; He who raises his door seeks destruction.
Proverbs 17:19

There are those in this world who love rebellion - whether against God or against "the man."  These people, because of this rebellious bent, also love strife.  Theiy love a good fight where they can quarrel with others and contend with anyone who holds an opinion other than theirs.  This kind of insolent, arrogant attitude brings such a one into multiple situations where they fight and where violence is almost certainly to break out eventually.  I remember a friend of my youth - who just loved to fight, whether it was with words or fists.  This happened weekend after weekend as he would drink and party.  One weekend he went too far and was shot a couple of times at a bar where he had previously picked another fight.  Fortunately for him he was not killed in the incident.  But this is what the proverb is trying to get us to see. 

The second part of the proverb here is a Hebraism.  It speaks of the one who "raises his door."  The habit of the Jews was to make the front door of their compound very low to the ground so that no one could get in without permission.  They also would intentionally not make their doors ornate - so as to draw attention to themselves - and unintentionally draw the attention of thieves or those who would seek to plunder their homes and compounds.  Over time this practice eventually came to speak of someone who was ostentatious and filled with pride.  Those to "raise their door" came to mean those who act with excessive pride and arrogance.  We are warned that doing this is dangerous and destructive.  When we live with such excessive pride and arrogance - even one that fights with everyone - and that loves sin - we are setting ourselves up for destruction.

The wise man is a peace-maker, not a fighter.  He is one who loves righteousness, peace, and humility.  True, these things will not make him stick out - won't make him noticed by the standards of men.  Yet, for the believer, this is not a good thing - to try to be noticed by men.  We want God to be the One who promotes and gives us favor with others.  The favor we crave and desire is not that of men (which often means we will have to love sinning as they do).  We crave with an ever-increasing intensity the favor of God!  And that kind of promotion does not draw the attention of men unduly - as does arrogant self-promotion does.

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Laying Traps for Ourselves With Our Words - Proverbs 12:13

04/12/2011

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An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will escape from trouble. Proverbs 12:13

Be careful what you say . . . you may being laying a trap for yourself with your words.  That is the truth that today's proverb is trying to get us to understand.  The Hebrew phrase used here paints an interesting picture for us.  The original Hebrew reads, "In the transgression of the lips is an evil snare."  What is even more fascinating about this phrase is that the snare is actually a baited trap.  Of course we know that a trap is baited so that the animal that we desire to capture is lured to it.  The animal is captured when it focuses on the bait rather than the surroundings of that bait.  Some animals can even sense the danger of the trap, but ignore it because they become so fixated on the bait in it. 

What captures this fool is the fact that he does not watch what he is saying.  The transgression of his lips is his unwillingness to submit how he speaks to God and God's law.  The word here meant a rebellious act - here meaning the rebellious speech of this man's mouth.  His rebellion is against God and against God's warnings to be careful what he says.  This man ignores God's cautions to those who say too much - and who see no need to put a guard over their mouths.  The bait in their trap is actually their desire to have no one or no law govern what they can say.  The undeniable truth of life is that we can say whatever we want, whenever we want, to whomever we want . . . once.  The ability to repeat those words - or to be able to speak effectively again may be severely damaged by that absolute freedom to say what you want. 

Some may read this and protest that our founders fought for the freedom of speech.  I would agree with you wholeheartedly on that matter.  But our founders also knew that a wise man thinks before he speaks.  He thinks because although he has freedom to speak - it is wisdom that governs us in such a way that we can speak again and again without reprecussion.  We are told in the second half of this proverb that the righteous will escape from touble.  This word "trouble" means something that causes distress and anguish.  It refers to a situation of extreme discomfort and affliction.  When we say something truly stupid, we can find ourselves quickly in a situation where we are uncomfortable.  We all remember the times when a public figure said something they wished they had never said.  You could almost hear a collective gasp from those around as the statement was made.  The firestorm that ensued for the one who said it was predictable.  Some of these public statements resulted in someone losing their job before it was all over.  Did they have the freedom to speak - yes.  Did their misuse of that freedom cost them dearly - absolutely. 

The wise man will escape from these afflictions because of the wisdom with which he chooses his words.  He will know that there are times when he needs to speak - and other times when it would be wise for him to be quiet.  Because he has chosen to surrender his right to say anything he wants to the Lordship of Jesus Christ - he is resuced from many situations where his freedom of speech would create great difficulty for him.  Wisdom means knowing when to speak, how to speak, and often when to hold your peace.
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