Timothy: We’re still talking about how to become wise or rather how to allow God to make us a people of wisdom. This is part three.
Intro: Welcome to the Consider Podcast where we turn our minds to consider wisdom, madness and folly. Join the host Timothy and Jacob on a quest to have God enlighten the mind according to verse 25 of Ecclesiastes chapter 7. So, I turned my mind to understand. To investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. Ecclesiastes 7:25. The Consider Podcast examining today’s events and Paulorrow’s realities at www.consider.info.
Timothy: When you start talking or discussing about responding to God’s rebukes or God working rebukes and purity within the church, a lot of people will whine, complain, and grumble that Jesus was love. Everything we’re looking at is Jesus. It is love. Our minds are just not transformed and of course we haven’t picked up a cross that really welcomes and allows the crucifixion and the weakening of self in order that we might get to the resurrected life. As we look at the Things again first Corinthians 13:4 says that, “Love is patient.” So, when Jesus sighs, he’s being patient. “Love is kind.” When he calls an old woman a dog, he’s being kind. “It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight.”
Now here it is. This is what see most people define all the rest of that how they want to define it. The world talks about love. The church talks about love but it’s not the love of Jesus Christ. It goes on to say, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” The reason the churches are so full of sin, compromise, blindness, impurity, just lazy lives, and excuses, flattery, false justifications. The list goes on and on. Whitewashed the books that you buy. I can Guarantee you from experience I know all the books are edited so that the offense of the cross is removed otherwise they wouldn’t sell. So, everything’s been watered down and taken down to a very base sinful level and God is calling us to repent to truly love. Love does not allow somebody to remain in sin. Love for God does not allow a church that is filthy.
The church that I pastor the last one anyway for a long period of time, sin was at bay. The church was kept pure was a lot of work. There was a lot of rebukes. There was a lot of fire and heat. There was also patience. There was also kindness. All of that’s built into that. It failed but it failed not because of some impurity or massive gross sin. It’s a different topic for a different day. The point is no one who’s really full of the love of Jesus Christ or walking as Jesus walked will allow people to remain in sin. They will say whatever is necessary out of love. Whenever I preached a sermon, I always approached it from this is my last sermon. I will be fired after this sermon. Didn’t care. Had to get to the cross. Had to not be concerned whatever anybody thought and just preached the truth. And because of that God was able to work to refine. Of course, you make a lot of enemies. A lot of people come and visit and leave.
I’ll get into a sidetrack that we don’t have time for today because we’re still continuing to look at how we get wisdom. But Jacob, he’s watched me grow from, well not quite day one because he wasn’t around when I was baptized, but he seen the churches. He’s filmed the videos. He listened to the sermons. All those things went on. He can testify that what I just told you is more than true.
Jacob: Oh yeah, absolutely. I think that again like you said, it’s hard to put into words really the amount of love that was there. But again, it’s the love is the same love for, if you love Jesus. I mean if you love Jesus, you would not tolerate sin. So, even in a particular church, if there is sin somebody’s committed sin or you see something wrong, you’re going to go to that person in love. And it’s not like you go all-out full-on rebuke-rebuke although there’s times for that. Even the scriptures give an outline, right? “You go to your brother once if he’s not going to repent, you keep going, you keep going, you keep going.”
So, the underline, not even underline the above line the whole entire purpose is love. And it sounds cheesy to even throw up the like what would Jesus do. Oh really? Let’s talk about what Jesus would do, because as we just talked about in the last episode, he called people dogs. He sighed deeply. I mean those are the things Jesus did so absolutely I’m on board for what would Jesus do because those are the things that he did.
Timothy: And obviously, you either reformed, repented, came to God, got filled with his love, or you left, grumbled, and complained and went on with your religious life.
Jacob: The only other thing I want to throw out there because what it makes me think of is everybody says, they want to be like David. And we talk about this a lot right, about the extremes up and downs of David. Really, so David called themselves a worm. When’s the last time anybody called themselves a worm, or when’s the last time? The whole point of rebuke is that someone comes to you and they point something out, and when’s the last time you know what? I want to be like, even if you didn’t fully believe it or fully even see it. You should be like; the response should be you know what? Great, you want to be like David? Call yourself a worm and take whatever that person is saying and take it before the Lord and grow and repent and move forward but no one does that. No one wants that part of David, right?
Timothy: No, of course not. What you’re really saying in condensing down is there’s no hunger or thirst for righteousness.
Jacob: Yeah.
Timothy: There’s a long for whitewashed and pastors who will keep their job by not telling the congregation what they don’t want to. Look, let me, as a pastor, nobody wants to hear what you’re saying. It’s against sinful nature. It’s against our flesh. It’s not what I want to hear. It’s not a cross that I just oh this is great. I get to deny myself and I get to be crucified to my pride. Oh sure. Anybody telling you from that attitude hasn’t they haven’t experienced it or they walked away from it. And again, we’re not talking about dealing with sin when it gets so big. That was a big problem that everybody can see and the whole controversy issues around because somebody falls into growth and morality and then everybody acts like, whoa, and they go running cover. We’re talking the word of God as alive and active dividing bone from marrow and soul and spirit.
So, the other people on the outside that don’t love Jesus Christ are enemies of the cross they think you’re being too picky. And they think you’re being too judgmental. But it’s not. It’s the word of God being alive and active. The time to deal with sin is when you’ve got that little tiny thought hidden in your heart. That’s the time to confess it, walk in the light, and get it taken care of. And we won’t look at it today but a lot of that comes with all the multitude of different levels and kinds of rebukes. When we talk about love and I’ll mention the scripture and then we got to actually get into the wisdom and the rebukes. It’s in Colossians 18 where Paul writes, he says, “You learn the gospel from Ephesus, our dear fellow servant who is also a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf.”
And verse 8 says, and he also told us of your love in the spirit. There’s the multitude of people claiming to be Christian churches they love but it’s not a love by the Holy Spirit. Remember it’s a Holy Spirit. So, the first thing is going to produce is holiness. Not just outward holiness. Certainly not a legalistic holiness, but a holiness that goes all the way down to bone and marrow, soul, and spirit. It’s going to penetrate the thoughts and the attitudes. You can have a correct thought about God but the attitude be wrong. The love of Jesus Christ manifested in a church where everybody is seeking at least for the Holy Spirit to do this work. And certainly, within leadership the smallest of things that most people are going to look around and go, what are they dealing with why is this being rebuked so harshly in their viewpoint. It’s because the love of Jesus Christ cannot for lots of love, love for God, love for the truth and a love for the other person tolerate and allow sin to grow in the church.
The church of Pastor is a safe place. In fact, they had to resort to false accusations and slander and make up lies in order to bring it down and to persecute it and that’s exactly what scripture says should happen. We should live such good lives among the pagans, and of course those pagans can call themselves Christian that though they accuse us of wrong, they’ll be ashamed of their conduct when God shows up to square everything out. Anything on that? Anything else Jacob before we kind of move on to looking at Jesus?
Jacob: No.
Timothy: Well, let’s look at Jesus. Matthew chapter 26 verse 45. Jesus is just getting ready to be crucified and that’s when you’d really expect some fellowship and some kindness in your brothers and sisters to be there for you and of course, they’re not there for Jesus. You also would understand all their excuses. They’re worn out. They’re tired. All those things go down but he still comes with a rebuke. Still comes with the truth. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting.” He wakes them up out of their slumber with a rebuke. He doesn’t come with some long-winded speech like, hey guys, Judas is coming my hours here. I know you really want to stand with me and you want to be with me and you guys have been with me from the beginning and you’ve really just you’ve stuck here with me and we’re out here in the garden and I know you had a long hard day. Jesus doesn’t do any of that. He comes out of the prayer closet. He turns them. He says, “Are still sleeping and resting.”
Now, it can be said in gentleness. It doesn’t really matter. It’s the clarity of what he’s saying. I often laugh when people say, I’ll say, what do you Pharisees or what are you Sadducees, and they’ll go, oh you need to say, it’s your tone. Your tone is bad. And I go, okay, try and say it with a good tone. If I sit down at church and said, in a nice tone which is very difficult to do, what do you Pharisees that I see around here? It doesn’t matter. It’s still going to have the same power to it. This is a rebuke. It’s coming with tenderness. It’s coming with love. It’s coming with gentleness but it’s coming very sharp as a double-edged sword.
Then we see in Matthew chapter 15 verse 15. Jesus has been teaching them. He’s a pastor and I’m using this just kind of in a local sense. He’s a pastor. He’s been teaching them. Taking them out on hillsides and teaching them all kinds of lessons and opening up the word of God to them. So, Peter comes to him and, hey, Jesus, “Would you explain this parable to us?” Most of us would turn and go, oh sure, sit down. Let me pull up my commentary and let me get my Greek and Hebrew lexicon over here and strongest concordance and let’s go back. Look at it. I’m so glad you asked. You’re such a seeker of God and I know these things are kind of difficult. It’ll come with time and you need to just pray about it and seek God and all this will get clear, but you really set a good example by coming and asking because nobody else came and asked but you came forward and asked. And so, is that what he says?
Jacob: No.
Timothy: Not even close. He turns, he says to him, “Are you still so dull?” Can you imagine I bring back the parenting because parenting can’t even do this. The kid comes and asks daddy, what about this? He go, what? Are you still that stupid? Are you still that dull? That’s what he’s saying. So, we come as little children and Jesus says to sometimes not always but sometimes to our questions like what is your problem? You should have been able to figure this out a long time ago. We’ll get to the scripture here in a little bit eventually as to why he’s doing all this. Right now, we’re kind of looking at this is not that Jesus is portrayed, it’s not that Jesus held up on our churches and the fruit of that is a church is full of all kind of wickedness and worldliness. In fact, the church looks like the world copies the world music’s like it the books are like it so on and so forth. “Are you still so dull.”
Now let’s go to Mark chapter 8 verse 33 and this one’s kind of a clincher if you say is, oh, I’m a pastor, my pastor’s full of the Holy Ghost and he really loves God and the Word of God is really alive in the church and we’re just all really seeking God and we preach the word and we just let the word do its work. Really. Alright. Feel free to leave me a message or a comment or point me to your church if anybody pastor and anybody, elder, deacon, you’ve ever turned had them turn to somebody in the church and call them Satan. Now, I can’t think of any worse rebuke than that one. They’re probably, there may be but I don’t know what it is.
In Mark chapter 8 verse 33, “But when Jesus turned and looked at the disciples, he rebuked Peter.” So, this is a rebuke. It’s right there, ink on paper. You can read it. Go ahead. If you want to hit pause and go look at your Greek and your Hebrew, go ahead. Do me a favor. If you do go look at the Greek in the Hebrew, please don’t come back. Just move on. He rebuked Peter and what he said to Peter is not just Satan, he said, “Get behind me, Satan.” Imagine if you were Peter and you’re trying to protect Jesus, you’re trying to love him, oh don’t go to the cross. You’re completely ignorant about what you’re saying. Jesus knows he’s ignorant. His mind just isn’t open. There’s too much self in there. But he doesn’t go, oh Peter. Now look guys everybody come here, sit down, we need to have a bible study. Paulas, you sit here and Peter you sit over here and let let’s all turn to, well, you couldn’t say Mark 8:33, but let’s just pretend.
Turn to Mark 833 and let’s just go around what do you think that means Thomas and what do think that means Peter? And John, what do you think that means? Oh, that’s pretty close, John. You’re doing a pretty good job. Really, you think that’s not what’s going on. Jesus is marching forward. Time is short. The days are evil. We got to pick up our cross. Sin has to be dealt with. You just don’t have that time for all those quotes, Bible studies. So, he gets to the point. It’s affecting other people and he says, “Get behind me, Satan.” And he goes on to explain, “You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men.”
Now, where have you heard that toward any ministry? Okay, I get it. There’re discernment groups and there’s cult busting groups that will call somebody else. They’re of Satan, they’re not of Goddess. Now, what I’m talking about, this is dealing with a real statement, a real heart that demands repentance. It’s very clear he needs to be transformed. In order for Peter and the apostles to get to a place where God can pour out his wisdom, because remember it’s how you respond to the rebuke and don’t think Peter got the answer right then he had to continue following Jesus after this embarrassment. Let’s just say for another year and a half, it could’ve been more, could’ve been less. Don’t know. Again, if you want to go look in the Greek and Hebrew, go for it. Just don’t come back.
So anyway, so it goes on for a period of time. So, he’s trudging along with Jesus. Would you stick around with the Jesus who called you Satan? So, you’re trying to tell me in your quiet times and in your walk with God there was never those point times when God has rebuked you in a very solid clear way. I venture to say some of us would have committed almost the imparable sin that if Jesus would have called us Satan we would have turned to Jesus or whoever sins and said, no that’s not of the Holy Ghost. It’s dangerous territory. When God comes to rebuke us and it comes in very clear fashion, you may not understand it for a period of time but keep marching on. Remember Jesus said by persevering you bear a crop. The kind of rebukes we’re talking here are not just a onetime deal. This requires perseverance.
Jacob: And I think because for all the people who would be like, oh, you just sound harsh or you sound judgy or the people that have whined in the past. You can see that God dealt Peter harshly and swiftly and quickly, and then because of that it’s when Peter is the rock that the church is built on. If Jesus had not done these kinds of rebukes, everyone says Jesus knows my heart. Yeah, he does know your heart.
Timothy: Yeah.
Jacob: So, when we were talking about…
Timothy: Everybody thinks that’s a good thing. Go ahead.
Jacob: Well, I mean I can even look at my own life growing up in Sound Doctrine Church. Like were there rebukes? Yes. It’s usually too like the amount of rebuking that someone gets is pretty much in level with how wicked or bad their heart is. And I know growing up there was many lessons that whether it was rebuke or an instruction or a no, that we’ve talked about briefly on this podcast or I have my little webpage there online too, where there was a point in my life where I left Jesus. I left the church. I turned my back on everybody and everything. And I said I’m out of here. I’m going to go do my own thing.
And that’s actually similar, trust me I don’t want to compare myself to Peter. But Peter actually did a similar thing only that Jesus died. And then he says well I’m going fishing. He says, I’m out of here. And it was only these kinds of rebukes, that let that not enabled but it would that Peter was able to come back. In the similar way, I know for myself like it’s only because of the instruction, the rebukes, the love that was given when I was younger. I then go out into the world, do whatever I want, live an extremely even by the world’s standards. avery worldly party lifestyle. And it was only because of the rebukes when I was younger that allowed me to wake up and be like oh okay, I need to repent and come back. Anyways, I just want to say that.
Well, it’s okay to compare yourself to Peter where if you fall into. In a lot of ways you were, because Peter stumbled away from the Lord because of persecution. You didn’t leave the church because the church was bad. You left the church because persecution came in that was extremely heavy and a sin God just pulled the carpet out from underneath you. That’s exactly what happened to Peter.
Jacob: Yeah.
Timothy: So, I can see why you really relate to this, and why you found it to be life giving at the end of the day.
Jacob: But and then that’s where as we’re talking about, no churches today do this kind of rebuking. Not only do they not do it but then most people aren’t even ready for it but I’m just pointing out the good that comes from these kinds of rebukes. I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you today if it wasn’t the rebukes when I was younger.
Timothy: Amen. That’s just God’s wisdom and love. Unfortunately, so many people never learn from that and they just literally do fall away.
Jacob: Yeah.
Mid Point
Timothy: We’re commanded anyway and the love of Jesus Christ should be compelling us in Luke chapter 17 verse 3. “So, watch yourselves.” People come to me and say, oh well, get the plank out of your own eye first so they don’t listen to anything I have to say. Let me make something clear to you. I have watched myself I continue to watch myself. I’ve gotten the plank on my eye. So, now I see clearly is that sound self-righteous to you? Tough. You just need to repent. Luke 17:3. So, watch yourselves. “If your brother sins.” Now look we’re commanded to do this. “If your brother sins rebuke him.” Were to walk as Jesus walked.
Now all of this of course has to be done by the new nature. Has to be done by the power of the Holy Spirit. The you want the purity. You don’t want self-righteousness. You don’t want pride. You don’t want arrogance. And there may be things when you go to somebody else that you have to repent of in the process but that doesn’t mean that the person that you’re going to shouldn’t respond to your rebuke. Or it’s possible if you’ve grown enough in the Lord or on this issue there is purity there. The is the love of Jesus Christ and you’ve got nothing to repent of and what you’re bringing to this brother or sister is a clear rebuke and they need to repent.
The key here though, look at this. “If your brother sins, rebuke him and if he repents, forgive him.” We all walk around with this attitude like, well, if he says he’s sorry or he says, well, if I made you upset or if I did something, we go, okay brother, everything’s fine. He has to repent. Once again, we don’t have time to get into repentance. That’s probably next up on two or three shows ahead of us but then you forgive them. If he doesn’t repent, what’s the implication? You don’t forgive and you don’t forgive out of love for them, out of love for Jesus Christ, out of love for the truth. So, watch yourselves. Keep the church clean long, long before I don’t know. The pastor is caught doing something or this or that but you got to live the basic gospel. I mean, the people just live the foundational things of exactly what Jesus Christ said to do, you wouldn’t find all these gross sins happening. You’d catch stuff a long time before it ever got to that point. Right, Jacob?
Jacob: Right.
Timothy: Right. And it’s that people don’t like because it’s a bone from arrow, a soul from spirit. It’s a very fine cutting. Let’s go to Luke chapter 23 verse 40. Luke chapter 23 verse 40. This also addresses what we looked at a couple shows past where of just asking Jesus Christ in your heart to be saved the necessity and the importance the power behind water baptism, or really the complete gospel call which involves water spirit and blood all three. We’ll cover that also later on. We’re talking about the thief on the cross and usually when you mention water baptism or these things over here you got to count the cost, they’ll say what Jacob.
Jacob: They’ll say, what about the thief on the cross? I mean, Jesus said, he was going to be in paradise. So, he went to heaven.
Timothy: That’s right.
Jacob: So, he didn’t do any of those things.
Timothy: Not at the moment, he sure didn’t and you know what? If you find yourself on the cross and you’re being crucified and you can’t get down off that cross and you can’t be water baptized, not a problem but don’t come talk to me unless you’re in that situation. For us today, I want you to look at what he truly became a didn’t he Jacob?
Jacob: Yes, he did.
Timothy: And in this particular case he didn’t even ask Jesus’ heart. He wasn’t even asking for the salvation of Jesus. And what he did say is just remember me when you come into heaven. It wasn’t this he didn’t say the exactly believer’s prayer, did he?
Jacob: No.
Timothy: Alright. So, what was his first act of being a Christian? What was his first act of obedience.
Jacob: He rebuked somebody.
Timothy: That is correct. It’s an amazing story. “But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God.” he said.” The good criminal said, “Don’t you fear God.” he said, “since you are under same sentence, we are punished justly.” You see the humility, you see the meekness, you see the truth, you see the broken heart, and a broken and contrite spirit, God will never refuse. “For we are getting what our deeds deserve.” He admits that this is my character, this is who I am, this is what I’ve done, and it’s on the cross. It’s as we get to the cross, a lot of things come into focus.
“But this man has done nothing wrong.” Now he doesn’t just even say I deserve this. I want this. Forgive me. He goes on to say this person is holy. He has done nothing wrong. It’s only after he acknowledges in this fashion who Jesus is and what the truth is and you see all the elements of truth involved here. Then he said, “Jesus remember me when you come into my kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth today you will be with me in paradise.”
Jacob: For everybody that brings up, because everyone that uses the thief on the cross as some as I guess as an excuse to sin or that somehow. I mean if you really want to play that gamble, I mean what would you rather have? Well, which means anybody that’s bringing him up as an excuse, doesn’t truly love Jesus. Because if you truly love Jesus, then you would do what he says. You wouldn’t wait till the supposed last minute to like barely try to squeeze in. I’m sure this man recognizes. He’s there cross and he has true conviction that he just wasted his entire life he’s been a sinner. But if it’s like who, like really you want to choose that or you want to choose that for someone else? If we’re talking about rebukes really, you’re going to let your, you’re going to raise your kid the wrong way, you’re going to let them be a fleshly little worthless person. And then hopes that they’re going to barely get in, you haven’t you why, you know what I mean? I don’t know. It’s crazy.
Timothy: What’s total selfish you’re not going to get in with that attitude.
Jacob: No.
Timothy: What’s amazing with this thing is he’s do Doing righteous things or a righteous thing rebuking the bad criminal that won’t repent before he’s even saved. He hasn’t even taught this. He didn’t hang with Jesus. He didn’t want, well, okay. I didn’t mean that as a punt. He he’s crucified with Jesus. He hasn’t spent three and a half years following Jesus and taught anything. It’s natural for anybody who’s tasting the Holy Spirit to rebuke unholiness. The only people that don’t are not filled with the Holy Spirit. They’re they’ve got some spirit. They’re not walking in righteousness and not hungering and thirsting for it.
Goodness, you can’t tolerate and I don’t mean this super self-righteous. I want to be social. We got all that. But along with living that scripture, then you better be able to point to me all the scriptures about rebukes and how you’ve gone around putting yourself in a position where you’re going to be persecuted because you’ve rebuked somebody.
Jacob: Yeah.
Timothy: The blessing of this whole thing is because of this good thief and by the way both thieves asked for salvation. There are bad unrepentant members of the church the bad criminal. He asked, he told Jesus, save us. The other criminal did the same thing but the hearts were completely different. So, there’s two different salvation calls out there coming from two different individuals. Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth today you will be with me in paradise.” Amen. It’s just a blessing.
Let’s go to Luke chapter 9 verse 54. You see Jesus is he’s teaching the disciples. He’s again not teaching them in a Bible college type situation. You just get yourself in line with Jesus and start walking. That’s how all of this is learned. And it’s a rough school. The reason people don’t want to follow Jesus who would rather go to say Bible College or study online or talk is because you don’t have to suffer. You don’t have to be embarrassed. Pride doesn’t have to be dealt with. So, the disciples turn to Jesus. They go, “When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”” Clearly says, “But Jesus turned and rebuked them.”
Doesn’t go through this long-witted explanation about what love is and what love is not and how they’re trying to do the best but their misunderstanding. It’s just a rebuke. He just cuts it off, gets to the point and makes you deal with it. That’s the kind of thing especially as people are growing in the Lord and first coming to God and really just all along, you just accepting and rejoicing the rebukes and just keep growing in holiness one day after another.
Let’s go to Mark chapter 16 verse 14. Again, we see Jesus’ rebuking. It’s not, this is in the context of a meal. And it’s not very meal friendly. It wouldn’t be what you would call the loving thing to do. It says, later on, Jesus had been resurrected. They’d gone through all the sufferings. “Later, Jesus appeared to the eleven as they were eating;” What’s he do? What does he do. They’re sitting at the meal. They’re all depressed. They’re emotionally drained. They’ve been persecuted. They’ve watched Jesus be crucified. They haven’t yet really come to terms and understood the resurrected life. They’re kind of hiding out. They’re emotionally overwrought and beyond themselves. That’s a little hint, “beyond themselves”.
And so, he appeared to the eleven as they were eating; and I all know is probably a very quiet meal. But would you imagine if I showed up on the scenes and I just walk in I don’t say hello I don’t say how’s everybody doing or the food smells good or let’s clap and thank the ladies for cooking. It says, “He rebuked them.” So, from beginning to end at least for this section we’re looking at for 3 & 1/2 years he is rebuking them.
“Later Jesus appeared to the eleventies.” Let him stew in all of these rebukes and all of this humility, “And as they’re eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.” Now not only does he rebuke them. He rebukes them for what? Their lack of faith. You’re just not believing guys. He’s telling that to twelve apostles or to the eleven apostles and one who will become one later. So, he’s rebuking them for their lack of faith and most of us, most people would leave if they even showed up this far and go, well, I’m doing the best I can and I have faith and everything. I’m just doing what I can. You don’t know how hard I try to believe. “And then he continues to rebuke them for their stubborn refusal to believe.” In other words, they had a major of faith. They knew in their heart of hearts what was true but they were fighting against it. They were refusing to believe even what belief They did have. They were putting out that belief. “And he embarrasses him in front of everybody else. He says, “Refusal to believe those who he had seen after he was risen.”
So, they’d have to go back quote unquote and tell everybody yeah, Jesus held you guys up an example. We didn’t set a very good example. See, they’re beyond pity parties at this point. They realize these are life giving rebukes. And so compared to everybody else they didn’t believe. There will be some rebukes that Jesus come and goes why don’t you have faith like them? Or why don’t you faith like that person over there. Jesus appears. You may be sitting down eating your meal. You may even have your Bible open reading scripture. I kind of do that when I read and all of a sudden, the spirit of Lord goes what’s going on here? You got a problem. Why are you not believing this or why are you not doing this over here or this lack of faith over here and follow this example over here or remember this person over here. Not always.
He also comes with encouragement. We’re talking about rebukes. If you can’t accept the rebukes, don’t expect to hear all the blessings. If you’re hearing just the blessings, you’re not following Jesus Christ, that’s for sure.
We’re going to kind of pause here and just shift focus just a little bit that it’s our attitude that stinks. And people will often I’ve been told so many times. You need to be more kind, you need to be more gentle, you just need to be filled with a man of kindness and our pastor isn’t like yours and he doesn’t come in with all these things. So, you want me to be more kind. Alright? Not a problem. I don’t mind being more kind.
Let’s go to Psalms chapter 141 verse 5. This is the kindness of the Holy Spirit. This is the kindness love of God. Psalms 141 verse 5, “Let a righteous man strike me- it is a kindness.” Now let me ask you. How come you don’t have that attitude? If you hunger and thirst for righteousness like you say you do. If you say you’re following Jesus Christ then, and by the way I’ve never actually struck anybody. They might have wished I did compared to the rebukes that cut through but let a righteous man strike me. It is a kindness to the hungry heart to the man or the woman that really wants to follow Jesus Christ rebukes our kindness.
He goes on to say, “Let him rebuke me.” Let him rebuke me. Bring it on. “It’s a kindness. It is oil on my head.” It keeps things smooth. It renews. it heals the skin. It protects the wounds. It allows God to work the glowing nature of his Holy Spirit. My head will not refuse it. You can look at this as a pop on the back of the head if you want to. Nobody kind of likes that. “My head will not refuse it.” Is this the attitude that you see Jacob in the church, in the community, out on the web, anywhere. You see anybody saying, hey, Timothy, strike me. It’s a kindness. I want it. Rebuke me. I need it. I want it. I desire it.
Jacob: No.
Timothy: Not even close. Usually if you even go there, you’re going to face persecution. “It is oil on my head.” You’re going to need this oil from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s often compared to that because when you get a church or let’s get down to say you got four brothers and sisters that really want to live this because finding a whole church that would like to do this. I’m not going to say it’s impossible but it’s highly difficult. You probably to start this you probably lose most of the congregation if not all. So, let’s say you four brothers and sisters that agree we want the message of the cross. We hunger for God. We’re going to separate ourselves from these hypocrites and we’re going to begin to let God work through us to deal with sin and we’re going to wrestle through even when we’re right or wrong or half wrong and all those things and it’s going to take the oil of the Holy Spirit to keep the love and the unity there.
Jacob and I have gone through lots of emotional ups and downs as we’ve wrestled sin not only in our own life but in each other and keeping each other sharp. There’re times when you’re tired or you’re worn out. There’s a real, there’s a love that covers it all, but it’s not a love that comes from us. It doesn’t come from me. It doesn’t come from preaching. It doesn’t come from Bible study. It literally is the oil of the Holy Spirit that smooths things over. Because rebukes can get hot.
They can be direct clearly as we’ve seen they can cut hard. You’re going to need the healing oil of the Holy Spirit upon your head. In order to survive these kinds of moments in this kind of fellowship.
So, you desperately if you’re going to get this as a church. You’re going to pray for this and certainly as a small group, you need to ask God to bring the oil of Holy Spirit. Because there will be rough days and moments. And in fact, you might lose a lot of people turn their back on Jesus Christ. And in order to carry on, you’re going to need this oil on your head to smooth things over to heal and to keep you going to gain the perseverance of Christ.
Let’s go back now and read all of verse five of Psalms 141. “Let a righteous man me- it is a kindness”. By the way, can you buy any of those kind of T-shirts at the local Christian bookstore?
Jacob: No.
Timothy: I didn’t think so. “Let him rebuke me.” Think you can buy that hat that goes on everybody’s head?
Jacob: No.
Timothy: No. “It is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.” Look at the fruit that this produces, the good fruit. She’s saying, deal with my sin, let me be struck, it’s a kindness, rebuke me, and then see what he says, “Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of the evildoers.” Why is the church on unclean? Because our prayers are not against evildoers. Why is there so much unholiness in Christian music, Christian bookstores, and within the church as a whole? Because we’re not praying against the deeds of evildoers. We don’t want to be rebuked so we don’t rebuke anybody else and things are a mess.
Outro: This has been the Consider Podcast at www.consider.info where yesterday’s folly is today’s madness. In the beginning, the unrepentant sinners words are folly. At the end, they are wicked madness. Ecclesiastes 10:13. Judgement begins with the house of God. Therefore, let everyone who loves the Lord with an undying love pick up their cross and walk the talk. As Peter the wrote. “Therefore, prepare your minds for action. Be self-controlled”. First Peter 1:13-14. The Considered Podcast, examining today’s events and Paulorrow’s realities. www.consider.info.
End
The Consider Podcast
Examining today’s wisdom, folly and madness with the whole gospel
www.consider.info
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