Proverbs 6:10-12 "How do you Work"

Proverbs 6:10-12

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

How do we go about our work? Does it matter to God? Do we enjoy our work? What about retirement? What about being mistreated or taken advantage of by our employer? Today we are going to consider work.

In Genesis 2:15 “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”   
Work was part of God’s plan for people right from the start. Even God worked and is still at work. And when the work was done God celebrated.
Genesis 2:3 “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” 

After the Fall in the garden work changes.
Genesis 3:17-19 “cursed is the ground because of you; in pain, you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,”

Work became work! Hard and difficult. But God said on the seventh day take time to celebrate all you have done.

The sluggard of Proverbs 6 rest before he works and as a result never works at all. God has only contempt for such people. All throughout Proverbs and Ecclesiastes God warns us of the rewards of slothfulness and the rewards of diligence in our work.

1 Timothy 5:8 “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.  For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.”

Just as God commands us to work He also commands that we receive reward from it.

2 Timothy 2:6 “The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.”

1 Corinthians 9:9 “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop”

1 Timothy 5:18 “The laborer deserves his wages.”

Work is ordained by God for us to do. And God has ordained that we should be paid fairly.

There are other Bible passages that tell us to work as unto the Lord Colossians 3:23-25. And there are passages that tell us to not mistreat our take advantage of those who work for us. Col 4:1

Retirement may be our biggest test of faith. What will we do with the time we have the resources we have. Retirement is a gift from God. What part of it will we give back to God? Will we be sluggards, idle busy bodies, Sloths for whom God has contempt? Or will we be diligent in the use of our time? Live as unto the Lord? Will you find a way to honor God through the time you have in retirement?

How do you work?

“The Shadow” Psalm 23

“The Shadow” Psalm 23

There's a step that we all take alone
An appointment we have with the great unknown
Like a vapor this life is just waiting to pass
Like the flowers that fade, like the withering grass

By and large people fear death. Scientist search for cures for it, explores have searched for a fountain of youth, and a cup of eternal life.

Total healthcare spending is projected to rise to 20% of GDP by 2025.
Average U.S. household spent nearly $4,300 on healthcare in 2014

 

In 2014, households ranked in the top 20 percent in annual income spent an average of $7,219 on healthcare. That was almost 4 times the amount spent by households in the lowest 20 percent ($1,868). The top 20 percent also spent more than the combined amount spent by households in the lowest 40 percent.

The more money we have the more we will spend to cheat death.

 

Waring: the surgeon general has determined the greatest cause of death is life.

Genesis 3:20
cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

James 4:14

What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

 

Psalm 103:15

As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,

 

 

Ecc 3:20

They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.   ²⁰All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.   ²¹Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?

Hebrews 9:27  “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” 

Rev 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Physical death is part of the judgement from Genesis 319 and it leads to the judgement of Revelation 20:11. Death without Jesus is something to be feared.

Rev 20:12 “Then another book was open, which is the book of life.”

John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 

 

1 John 5:12
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

 

But life seems so long and death so complete
And the grave an impossible potion to cheat
But there's One who has been there and still lives to tell
There is One who has been through both heaven and hell

And the grave will come up empty-handed that day
Jesus will come and steal us away

Where is the sting, tell me where is the bite?
When the grave robber comes like a thief in the night
Where is the victory, where is the prize?
When the grave robber comes and death finally dies

For those who have been saved by Jesus death is a shadow

Theologian Donald Barnhouse was on the way home from the funeral of his wife and he was trying to think of some way of comforting his children. Just then a huge moving van passed by their car and its shadow swept over them. Instantly, Mr. Barnouse asked, “Children, would you rather be run over by a truck or by its shadow?” The children instantly replied, “By its shadow daddy…its shadow!” To which Mr. Barnhouse replied, your mommy only had to pass through deaths shadow!”

In Jesus death has become a doorway, a mere shadow, even a blessing. Not to be forced or sought after, for Psalm 139 reminds us that all our days have been written before even one comes to pass. But because Jesus has taken the judgement out of death, our name is in the book of life, death for us who believe is no more to be feared than walking through the shadow of a tree or cloud. And even in the shadow our savior walks with us.

Physical Illness 2 Kings 5:1-14

Physical Illness
2 Kings 5:1-14

As a Christian one of the more difficult things to understand is physical illness and healing in the Bible. The Bible seems to send us mixed messages about illness, healing, faith, and even judgement, all connected to physical illness and healing. In our scientific and logical mind, we want to get a rule, a law, a formula, for healing that works all the time, do this and get that. But when it comes to healing or physical illness the more we try to grasp it the more it slips through our hands and our minds.

I will not try to give you everything the Bible says about healing, but I want us to see what we can learn from the experience of Naaman.

Naaman is a commander of the Syrian army who has leprosy. In his house is the servant woman from Israel who tells him of the prophet of God in Israel who can heal him. So Naaman sets out with silver, gold and fine cloths to offer in exchange for his healing. When he gets there the prophet does not want the money. Elisha tells him to go dip under the water in the Jorden river seven times to be healed.

Why does God heal this man who as part of the Syrian army, has inflicted harm on God’s people? Verse 8 tells us “That he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” Healing is not about physical comfort it is about knowledge.

This makes sense if just remember we all must die of something. So, if we are healed by God it must have a reason. In John 9 when the disciples ask Jesus why the man was born blind, his sin or his parents? Jesus says, “that the works of God might be displayed by his healing”. God heals us for His glory and that people might know Gods power, not just our comfort.

Second, Naaman asked. In James 4:2 it says, “you do not have because you do not ask”, and “you do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on yourself.” We often fail to receive healing because we do not ask, and when we do ask we seek it for our self and not for the glory of God.

Listen to what God says and do it. Naaman is asked to dip in the Jorden river seven times. The Jorden river is a dirty, muddy and filthy river. Naaman’s response is should I not wash in a clean river? Yet Naaman finely obeys and is healed.

Often, we are so busy asking that we forget to listen and obey. We want to do something that makes sense like pay some money or do some great charitable thing or great act of faith, all the while God is telling us to dip seven times in the dirty river. Will we listen and obey?

So how do you pray a healing prayer?

Lord Jesus this is my trouble, my illness. You know how I suffer and you know my desire to be healed. (be clear and ask)

Lord Jesus I believe in you and that you can heal me, I put my faith and trust in your knowledge and power. (have faith in God’s power and love)

Show me how I can bring glory to you and proclaim your power to the world. (ask that your healing bring glory to God not you)

Lord I await your answer and will obey you in all you command me. Amen (listen for and accept God’s answer, whatever it might be)

Will you ask, will you believe? Will you be willing to obey even when God tells you to submerse yourself in a dirty old river? Will the glory go to God or to you? Will people speak of your great faith and power or will they speak of the greatness of the Lord Jesus you serve?

Psalm 139 “Never Alone”

Psalm 139 “Never Alone”

Last week I talked about the importance of friendship, finding good friends and being a good friend. No matter how many people know or friends we have there are times we feel alone. Loneliness is a difficult thing to handle.

The survival group Outward Bound, as part of their training has an isolation day, 24 hours of being in the wild with nothing and completely alone. It is surprising how unnerving it is for people.

Loneliness comes to us in many ways, the children grow up and move out, your spouse dies, a friend dies, you retire, you are at home due to illness or physical limitations, or in a nursing home. There are also times in the middle of a crowd we can feel lonely.

In 1 Kings 19:14 Elijah just finished his battle with the prophets of Baal with all the people cheering him. Elijah ram into the mountains and this is what he tells God. “I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

In 2 Kings 6 Elisha and his servant find themselves surrounded by an army, the servant says to Elisha “Alas, my master! What shall we do” translated “we are all alone”.

Like these two great prophets of God, for whatever reason we feel alone. A song in “how the west was won” the singer cries “I’m so lost, so dog gone lost, that even God can’t find me.”

So, what do we do about loneliness?

Seek relationship with someone. Make an effort to go meet people. It is surprising that we are often afraid to connect with people. Join a club, volunteer, buy a puppy and walk it around town.

Know the truth that you are not alone.

Psalm 139 says that God knows when you get up or lie down. God knows what you say and what you think. God watched you being formed as a baby and still sees you today. The psalm tells us there is no place where we are hidden from God and His Spirit. Verse 17 says. “    How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!  If I would count them, they are more than the sand.      I awake, and I am still with you.”

1 Kings 19:18 God tells Elijah you are not alone; “there are seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal.” In 2 Kings Elisha prays for God to open his servant’s eyes; “So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha and his servant.”

We are not alone.

How can we help lonely people?

Be sensitive to what people are saying and what is going on in their life.

Give them your time.

Shut-ins and nursing homes, go visit people. I hear from people “they don’t know I am there” “they will forget I have been there before I am out the door.” “I don’t know what to do because they don’t talk.” Yet we often hear from caregivers that a person’s whole week was better because someone came and visited.

Just sit with them, read the Bible to them, read a book, watch tv with them, whatever. We do not know what they experience, but we do know our presence makes a difference.

While we all need alone time, we must fight loneliness by making better connections with people and with God. The Bible says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 
nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We are never alone!

Friendship Ecclesiates 4:9-12

Friends are a source of strength in our lives, supporting us through great difficulties. Friends also have the power to cause great pain and even ruin our lives. Therefore, it is imperative that we choose friends wisely. It is also important to know what a good friend looks like, and how to be one.

The friendship I am talking about is not the superficial stuff of Facebook or some club. Proverbs 18:24 says “a man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

I was watching a nature show about wolves. The key to a successful hunt was for them to get one deer cut off and alone. Satan is much smarter than a wolf, He knows if he can get you alone his chances of defeating you have greatly improved. One of the best ways to get you alone is trick you into thinking you are not. You have heard of being all alone in a crowd, that might very well describe people today.

 True friendship is going to take time. It takes purposeful investment, sharing and trust.  Our passage describes two people who are together. A cord of three strands twisted together. With our busy schedules, this seems impossible. Yet friendship easies the burden not adds to it.

Who do you choose as a friend?

1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “do not be deceived, bad company ruins good morals.” So, one of the questions you need to ask is; what kind of choices do you see this person making? Are they foolish choices? Are they choices that honor God?

Proverbs 17:9 says, “Whoever covers an offence seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates good friends. Luke 16:10 says, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”  Which brings a second question to be asked. What has this person done with what you have told them, or they already know about you?

Proverbs 16:28 “a whisper separates good friends” This is not about gossip but of steadfastness. Can someone whisper in a person’s ear and turn their friendship? If they can, the person is not much of a friend. Will they not talk to you or spend time with you because you voted for the wrong candidate?

How do you be a friend to someone?

Do you take the time to invest in them?
Are you making godly choices in your life? Are you good company?
Are you faithful in what a person trusts you with?
Will stand with them, by them? Even when you know they are making a mistake?
You don’t have to approve of what they do but you do not desert them.

Now I want to tell you about the greatest friend I have ever had, Jesus. The greatest friend you can ever have, Jesus.

In John 15:13 Jesus said, “no greater love has any man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends, and you are my friends.”

Romans 5:8 says “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Hebrews 13:5 God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

You can start a friendship with Jesus today.

“What To Do With Anger” James 1:19&20

“What To Do With Anger” James 1:19&20

 

Anger and hate is the number one problem facing our world and our nation. If you need convincing just look at the news from Charlottesville, Va. 3 dead and 35 injured in connection to a white nationalist rally. 1 dead and 19 injured when a car ran down people in the counter protest rally.

 

CNN

“The crash occurred approximately two hours after clashes in which hundreds of people screamed, chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other ahead of the scheduled noon demonstration.”

 

Donald Trump

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence, on many sides. On many sides. It's been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. This has been going on for a long, long time."

 

James 1:19&20 is so appropriate for our time and for today.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires”

 

The trouble with anger is that once the fuse is lit our brains and hearts stop working. It is not that we should not be angry or have a right to be angry, it’s what we do in our anger that is the problem.

Chris Rock

“Some people say there is no good reason to hit a woman, there are plenty of good reasons to hit a woman, but you’re not supposed to do it, there are good reasons to push an old man down a flight of stairs, but you’re not supposed to do it.”

 

It is not that we have reasons to be angry, it is what we do with that anger. This is why it is one of the top issues in the Bible. The very first sin is motivated by Satan’s anger toward God. The second sin is motivated by Cain’s anger toward God. Jesus makes anger one of His top issues.

 

Matthew 5:21-26

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

 

Matthew 18:15

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”

 

Paul also warns against the outcome of our anger.

 

Ephesians 4:26-31

26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

 

It is true that even Jesus got angry, He argued with the religious leaders of the people. Jesus chased the money changers from the temple. But we must remember that Jesus is God and we are not. Jesus had the ability to control these emotions, that most of us do not possess.

 

For most of us James statement is true. “human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires”. At least I know it’s true in my life. My biggest mistakes and actions I regret the most have taken place in anger.

 

How do we deal with our anger?

 

Listen:

Think before you speak:

Quickly: “don’t let the sun go down on it”

 

Go to them: “Matthew 18:15

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”

Matthew 5:23-24

So, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 

 

Change your motive:

Forgive generously: Matthew 5:44

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.

 

Matthew 6:14

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 
but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires”

Fear

Joshua 1:1-11

Joshua 1:1-11  After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 
“Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 
Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 
From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 
Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 
Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

If someone had a right to be fearful it is Joshua.
How do you follow someone who parted the red sea?

How was he going to deal with all these people?
Joshua knew just how frustrating they could be.
Oh, Moses you take the easy part and I’m stuck leading the battles.

Ask most leaders of any group and you will find their greatest fears are not about the battles ahead. Their greatest fears are from the people they are leading.

The single biggest battle the modern church faces are a failure to trust and believe in person God has sent to lead them.

 

Fear in our personal lives causes depression and anxiety, but it comes out in many other ways. Fear can cause anger, substance abuse, isolation bulling and even hoarding. Fear has fueled wars, attacks on countries and attacks on people. Fear also can become crippling compliancy. “It’s comfortable here and I am afraid I will not be comfortable over there.”

 

It is true the Bible talks about fear as a good thing. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 1:7 But the word there is connected to respect for the power of something. When is the last time you cowered near a power line running to your house? But you respect that power line, you don’t play with it or touch it. The healthy respect for the power of God is a good thing.

 

What can we do to overcome our fears?

1.      Recognize them for what they are.

a.      Why am I acting they way I do?

b.      Why do I feel the way I do?

c.       The school bully

2.      Be strong and courageous

a.      Three times God tells Joshua this

b.      Each time it is follow by a “You can do this”

c.       The Lord will do these things.

3.      What to do

a.      Vs 8 know and do what God commands

b.      “It is not by might and not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord” Zech 4:6

c.       Build a safe place.

d.      Your home

e.      Our church

When we face our fears honestly, focus on knowing and doing God’s word, we have taken a step toward living a life of courage. “It is not by might and not by power but by My spirit says the Lord” Be strong and Courageous.