Discernment for the Ages: Proverbs 2:1-15

Scripture

• Proverbs 2:1–15

About this sermon

Introduction: There are enormous things happening in our world at the moment, gaining enormous attention, raising enormous questions, and prompting enormous conversation. And, as much as we might wish that we could avoid it all, we can’t. First, we are all dealing with a virus that was supposed to wipe out close to 2 million American citizens unless we took drastic measures. We were told that we must all stay indoors, practice social distancing, or else we didn’t love our neighbor. There was a weird rush on toilet paper, that we are still trying to get our minds around. Hand sanitizer was more valuable than gold. And, because of the fearful way (we were told) this virus could be transmitted (which varied from one report to another… see masks) NO EXCEPTIONS would be made for these restrictions. Not a hospital visit. Not a funeral. Not anything. NOW, there WERE essential places. Places where we could go and risk infection because we must. We could still congregate at Walmart and, in some states, liquor stores. And as we’ve recently seen, the virus is apparently not to be feared at protests. The major question about all of this was not whether we would comply with the directives given by our governing officials. Romans 13 gives Christians clear guidance about how to respond to government, unless we are commanded to disobey Scripture. We would submit. We would support. The question was how we thought about all this. The question for the church, and for individual believers, was how would we process this? Then, of course, in recent days we have all been familiar with the tragic death of George Floyd while in police custody. We are now witnessing the aftermath of it all. And, a part of that aftermath, is a national conversation (indeed, a global conversation) about our history, our present condition, and what the future should look like. Conversations about race, about privilege, about how society is structured. Once again, the major issue facing believers is “how we are thinking about these things?”. How do we see this? How do we process it? NONE OF THIS IS ENTIRELY NEW. THIS IS JUST THE LATEST IN A WORLD FULL OF CHAOS AND OPINIONS. In our lifetimes, we have seen MUCH change — a seismic shift in culture. We have seen a redefinition of marriage — something (to my knowledge) unprecedented in the history of the world. We have lived to see society embrace homosexuality as, not only tolerable, but good. We have lived to see restroom facilities rearranged to accommodate people who insist that their gender is something separate from their biological sexual reality, and we have seen an avalanche of activity intended to convince us all, including the youngest of us all, that all of this is perfectly acceptable and normal. Just note the public children’s book readings that are given by men dressed up like women. WHAT HAS BEEN APPALLING AND INDICTING, THROUGH ALL OF THIS, IS HOW OFTEN THE CHURCH HAS BEEN FOUND TRYING TO FIT INTO THE WORLD’S GARMENTS, WHILE INSISTING THAT SHE IS HOLDING ON TO HER HISTORIC IDENTITY. Trying to squeeze her way into a set of clothes that she was never intended to wear, but claiming, all the while, that these were really her own brand of clothes. “I know it looks and sounds the same as the current cultural narrative, with some Christianize thrown in, but actually, these are gospel issues and we are all about ‘gospel issues.’” How often the church of our time is found speaking in the same language, using the same jargon, spouting the same perspectives, as a world that is in darkness! How often the evangelical church of our time, has been willing to reevaluate what she has long believed, because of the social consciousness, the moral outrage, of a world that has already demonstrated that it has no conscience, and has no respect for what is truly moral according to Scripture. ARE WE TO BELIEVE THAT A WORLD LOST IN SIN, IMMERSED IN SPIRITUAL DARKNESS, ALIENATED FROM GOD, AND SO DEMONSTRABLY WRONG ON SO MANY FRONTS, IS SUDDENLY OUR GUIDE ON HOW TO LIVE IN THE WORLD? ON HOW TO THINK ABOUT OTHER HUMAN BEINGS? IF THE CHURCH WERE TO CHOOSE A COUNSELOR, SHE COULDN’T HAVE CHOSEN A WORSE ONE. SHE HAS CHOSEN THE MOST UNKNOWLEDGEABLE AND UNREASONABLE ONE. SHE HAS CHOSEN THE ONE WITH A 100% TRACK RECORD OF FAILURE. SHE HAS CHOSEN THE ONE WHO HAS NO FEAR OF GOD AND IS HOPELESSLY SELFISH. SHE HAS CHOSEN ONE WHO IS BLIND, AND DEAF, AND ENSLAVED, AND DEAD IN SINS. SHE HAS CHOSEN THE ONE WHO IS NOT HER FRIEND. THIS COUNSELOR WILL APPLAUD HER UNTIL IT NO LONGER NEEDS HER AND THEN WILL TURN ON HER. THE TRUE CHURCH WILL NEVER WIN THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD. And if she tries, she is siding with God’s enemies. ESV James 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Topics

• Bible Study
• Wisdom