Proverbs 22- How Should We Then Live

And I want to talk to you on the topic of how should we then live? How should we then live? And if you're over 40 years old, does this title sound familiar? Francis Schaeffer wrote a very popular book 1975-76. Oh, I have it in my notes. I should look.

First published in 1976. How should we then live? And what he was doing in the 70s is showing how Christians should live in a culture that's going away from God. Do you realize that nothing has changed? The call for Christians to come out from among them and be separate has never been greater.

And if you weren't here last week, I would encourage you to go home, watch the message last week on the price of pleasure. And how our nation and more specifically the media and Hollywood has been pulling us away. You might say, Shane, are you one of those guys that's way out there? And well, no, I'm trying to be balanced.

But we have to understand that what is influencing the culture more often than not is influencing Christians. Because what we're putting in, what we're enjoying, what's entertaining us is drawing us away. So how that how does that apply to this message? Well, very simply.

How then should we live? How we should live according to God's Word and what society promotes and pushes is our polar opposites. They're not even close. What the world calls good, God calls evil.

What the world calls evil, God calls good. So you're going to see what you call what the culture wars or culture clash or countercultural. That's what's happening is Christians trying to live and be the light of the world and the salt.

You're going against a culture. So there's a, we have a dilemma as Christians because we want to be liked, right? We want to influence. We don't want to upset.

But the message of the gospel upsets. So I've got this message that upsets, but I'm not supposed to upset. How does that work? See, that's why love is so important.

If you undergird everything with love and gentleness and kindness and goodness and self-control, you can proclaim God's Word with the power of the Holy Spirit to see lives changed. It's not about throwing scripture at people. Wake up.

We're back there. Didn't you tell this, this the guy next to you that's not living right. He's not supposed to be living right.

He's not a Christian. So this call is to us. God's Word is to us.

So on this topic of how should we then live, I want to unpack Proverbs 22. I'm hoping to get all the way through it because as you see we've got communion up here and I want to just briefly talk about the power of communion if I get to that. But let's open your Bibles turn to Proverbs 22, Proverbs 22 verse 1. Seems like all the negative criticism is done now from my gun sermon.

So yeah, oh boy. Note to self, turn off your email for a week on major major sermons that upset a lot of people. How should we then live? Verse 1. Man, I would encourage you to memorize this one.

It's helped me many many times. A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches. A good name, a good reputation is to be chosen far more than great riches and wealth.

Loving favor rather than silver and gold. See what what happens a lot of times too in Christians and I sometimes joke about this, but it's true. I'm sometimes a little leery if people have a nice little fish on their business card because sometimes that doesn't represent who they are.

So our reputation, who we are, how people view us, our character carries weight and that should be sought after more than silver and gold. What that means is sometimes we will take less or we will get trampled on or we will be taken advantage of. Sometimes, not all the time, and I'm not saying it's okay not okay to take somebody to court now and then.

It all depends on the circumstances. But as we're pursuing our career and as we're pursuing wealth at work or making, you know, trying to provide for our families, we have to remember that our reputation comes before the pursuit of wealth. What happens when this comes first? The pursuit of wealth comes first, then our character is tarnished and our reputation gets ruined because we're chasing that almighty dollar, the American dream.

I've got to chase that dollar. I don't care who I crawl over. I don't care who I smoosh down.

I don't care. I've got to have that and the Bible says, no, listen, I'll give you that but represent the name of Christ correctly. I mean that goes from anything to business dealings and writing contracts, disclosures and being up front with people to construction and not doing this and doing that until you're owning your own business and not lying and manipulating to working for major corporations, not cooking the books and and altering things and manipulating.

Our reputation has to be, and it's not our reputation per se, it's who we are as Christians. So how am I going to be perceived? What are people going to think of this? Is the name of Christ going to be tarnished? That has to come first and then the wealth and riches follow. And we have to remember that it's the love of money that breaks people down, not money itself.

It's that love of it. I've got to have it. Greed, we know we see it everywhere now.

And this verse does not oppose wealth, it challenges the means used to acquire it. Verse two, the rich and the poor have this in common. The Lord is the maker of them all.

And sometimes you'll see the rich and the poor often contrasted throughout the Bible, especially in Proverbs. But here he's saying the rich and the poor, they both have this in common. The Lord is the maker of them all.

They are equal in God's eyes. See in our society sometimes we think, oh wealth and affluence and this guy over there on the corner asking for money. And it struck me the other day that we're all beggars.

The only difference from the guy on the corner asking people is I'm here asking God. Think about that. Lord, if you do not provide for me, if you do not sustain me, if you do not feed and clothe me, can I? Lord, can I? I need something.

I'm a poor beggar. Daniel rebuked the king and said, you king, God holds your very breath in his hands. He owns all your ways.

Acknowledge him. If we think about that, God owns everything. So we are beggars too.

You'll look at a homeless person a little bit different next time. Because that's me. That's me.

I'm destitute. I'm without. Unless he gives me provision, unless he provides for me, there's no difference there.

We're all beggars. We're all asking. Think about that.

Every dime you have, every piece of clothing that you have, everything you possess is because of God. Everything, every breath. Who teaches you how to breathe? Nobody.

To me that goes against evolution right there, but that's a whole nother topic. I mean, we just evolved from a little tadpole and cosmic ooze and now we learn to breathe and, you know, in a skeletal system and, you know, it doesn't make any sense. Nothing.

But I'm getting off on a rabbit trail again. So let's get back. Just remember that, that we're all beggars before God.

It puts things in perspective. Because the minute you think you're not, he'll show you that you are. And he'll begin to take those things away.

Sometimes he takes that job from you. So you say, now you'll follow me. Now you'll trust me.

Now, now, now I'll, I'll, I'll, you'll call on me. Because I'm taking away some of these things that you hold so dear. Jesus actually challenged the wealthy not to trust in riches.

Wealth doesn't always equal favor or salvation. See in the new testament primarily is they thought if a person was wealthy, well, they were in right standing with God. And Jesus, Jesus said no, no, no, no.

It's hard for a rich man even to enter heaven. Why? Because that those riches contend for the relationship with God. They contend with our heart.

And what people don't understand on this topic of money or wealth is that it's actually a God if we're not careful. Yeah. And there's a one true and living God and there's the God of this world.

Jesus said you cannot serve God and the God of this world. You cannot serve two masters. You'll love the one and hate the other.

Or you'll love the one and hate that one. You'll despise one and be loyal to the other. You cannot serve both God and his world.

So some people that that I could probably stop right here and that'd be a message for tonight for some of you. You're trying to juggle both. You're trying to serve two masters.

I've got to pursue and I've got to gain. I've got to serve this master because I'm so fearful. I want to serve God, but it's one or the other.

We can't serve both because one has to be on the throne, the others below our feet. We can't have both of those sitting on the throne. Verse three, a prudent man, a prudent man foresees evil.

And what does prudent mean? Well, it means planning for the future. They plan ahead. A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself.

And this could be a laundry list of things. It's not just evil, you know. Oh, I see there's something evil down there.

I've got to avoid it. Well, you can see how this isn't going to work. You can see if you take make that choice, it's going to lead to destruction.

You see if you pursue that relationship, it's not going to work out. A prudent man looks down the road and says, ah, yeah, I see that's not good. That's not good.

I just heard of another, I think, divorce happening this week because of Facebook. And if I hear of another fourth because of that darn thing, it's ridiculous. Oh, I haven't seen them in 12 years.

Wow, I wonder what they're doing. A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself. As soon as you're thinking that, delete.

We talked about last week, delete, delete. I mean, you've got to be very careful on this stuff because even though some of this can be good, it can also be bad in the hands of the enemy. Because none of this is just purely neutral.

It's however we use it. You've got pornography on Facebook. We've got people that are, some of those are enticing men.

Women are enticed by relationship. What's he going to tell? Who is that? I wonder. Prudent, be prudent and foresee where these things are leading.

It's not that I beat up on all these things. Facebook can be good. TV can be good.

Movies can be good. You see? It's all what we would do with it and what we allow to enter our mind and what we do with those things. And again, it goes to balance and moderation too.

I know people that spend three, four, five hours on social media a day. And that becomes idolatry. And I wonder why they're not, you know, why they're not looking ahead of being prudent because it's leading them astray.

So a prudent man or woman, they foresee evil. They can see. And how can they foresee it? They're not some, you know, prophet.

They just, oh, I can see where this is going. How can I see where this is going? Right here. From adultery to mismanagement of funds to raising our kids to departing from the Lord, whatever it is.

Even though every situation isn't in the Bible, every truth is. And that's all you need to know is the truth because those can guide in every situation. So if you're prudent, what the Bible calls wise, you will foresee evil and you will hide yourself from it.

It actually just happened this week on Facebook. Somebody sent me a picture. Hey, you should recommend this friend's person with their clothes off going like this.

And Morgan, who's this person? Hello. This is not, you know, so we share this transparency there. I foresee where this is going if you're not careful.

I mean, he's wanting to take out everybody. The enemy wants to come in and just he'll just keep trying. He'll stop for a while.

He'll stop. You're loving God right now. You're worshiping.

That's wonderful. And then he'll wait for an opportune time. Remember, he tempted Jesus at all points in the wilderness and then the devil left for an opportune time.

He waits. He just sits back and waits. He waits to where there's fractures in your marriage.

And then he'll come in and against it. He's not going to do anything right now. You're worshiping together.

You're holding hands. But give it a few months. That agitation sits in.

You're not loving each other. And why did I even marry this person? I hate. Why? What? What? Why? What? And then he comes in there.

Comes in there. Then you're grocery shopping. You're like, what was that? Wonder what that? Well, I'm not happy in my marriage, right? This is okay.

See, opportune time, opportune time. Drugs, alcohol. He'll just relax for a while and then opportune time.

You'll run into an old buddy you haven't seen in three years. And he'll use that person to take you down. Opportune time.

So a prudent man, a prudent woman sees this. Hey, I see where, and you know what we know, don't we? It's the inner alarm clock of the Holy Spirit. Hello, do not answer that door.

Do not answer that door. We don't just, well, I have no idea, guys. No idea if this is good or bad.

I know because my heart starts racing. Right? You say, oh, I shouldn't. Oh, gosh.

You know, we know. Thank God for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. That's God's way of saying, listen, don't go there.

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.

The problem is the more you silence that voice, remember we talked about, be quiet. Be quiet, Holy Spirit. Stop convicting me.

The more we do that, we become deaf. What was that? What was that conviction? What was that conviction? I don't understand. That's why you see people progress.

They don't just immediately go out and have an affair. I know I'm pinpointing this subject because it's fresh in my mind from this week dealing with hearing about this stuff. But then it just doesn't wake up in the morning.

Let's go do this. The enemy takes him down one step at a time. One wrong choice at a time.

One compromise at a time. One opportune time at a time. And then he has you.

Well, how did I get here? Well, it started way back there because a prudent man foresees evil. You did not foresee evil. You went along with it.

And this is the price we're paying. And that's how the enemy works, usually. He doesn't just push somebody off the cliff because you'll go, oh, I'm not going close to that edge.

He'll just take you down the back way. Let's go down this side road here. Hey, here's another.

See, that wasn't too hard, was it? Let's go down this road over here. That was gentle. Gentle, easy.

C.S. Lewis said something like, the road to hell is gentle under your foot. It's soft. There's no milestones.

There's no signs. There's no warnings. It's a slow descent.

That's how it works. And that's what we're seeing. You know, there's a big fear frenzy in our nation right now with the direction it's going.

How did all this happen? Folks, it started decades ago. Decades ago. And so now we're reaping the whirlwind from what started decades ago.

Let's remove God from everything. Let's just take him out of this and that. A nation that used to fear God used to, I don't care if there's 10 commandments in the courthouse.

We're not trying to be politically correct to everybody. We're acknowledging the sovereign hand of God. I mean, I don't know what happened.

Christians just, it doesn't affect me. It doesn't matter to me. The silent majority is being ran over by the small minority that's very loud and very vocal.

Think about that. Now the statement I'm going to make right now, I've had people get up and walk out at other places. That's not going to happen here.

But I'm saying this in love. I'm saying this in love. So if you have to go to the restroom, hold it.

But you remember this. I called and said, there's people walking out. They're confronting me.

I'm speaking in this large auditorium, 600 Baptists. And people are leaving. They're walking up.

I said, what happened? You know what I said? If the homosexual agenda, I'm saying this with love, would have tried what they're doing now 50 years ago, they would have been laughed out of the courtroom. Today, it's welcome and accepted. That's all I said.

And that's the truth. This is a sin that the church can call sin from the pulpits. That's our job in love.

I'll call homosexuality and adultery and fornication. I'll call pornography. Anything that's outside of God's context for marriage is called sin and perversion.

We don't lift it up and say, oh, how could you? We say that I'm on the same ship. I'm on the sin ship. It's going down unless I put my trust in Christ.

I'm in the same boat. No one will struggle with that issue. We'll struggle with something else.

So that's all I said. And, oh man, people got upset because it's the truth and the truth hurts a little bit. Well, times change.

Times change, but truth does not. See, your times will change. Oh, brother, come on.

That was old-fashioned. This is that. We've got a new age now, a new culture.

No, times change, but truth does not. God's truth, what was true 2,000 years ago is true today. We're saying truth is relative depending on the situation, depending on circumstances.

If that's the case, why are you even in church? How do you know Jesus is true? Why even come to church? Why even worship? We have to have a concrete truth. And on that, let's keep reading verse 4. By humility, you know, this is why I talk about brokenness and humility all the time, because it's the key to the Christian life. If you want to be Spirit-filled and truly serve God and be filled with the Spirit of God, joy, peace, long-suffering, you've got to humble yourself.

There's not a prideful, Spirit-filled Christian. I've never met a prideful, Spirit-filled Christian. I've met Spirit-filled Christians that struggle with pride.

Hello? But we say, Lord, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. My attitude stinks.

I come to you again. I repent of this wrong attitude. That's the difference.

So verse 4 says, by humility, and I'm going to say something else that upsets a lot of people nowadays. I've actually been asked to speak at different places until they hear my messages. Well, you're not quite what we're looking for.

We need to look. You remember that too, huh? I was going to speak down in San Diego at this big men's conference and I said, man, brother, that's not what we're looking for. We need somebody to encourage and lift up our guys.

I'm like, well, that's the end result. Help me get there first. But it's this topic right here, and the fear of the Lord.

If you have humility and the fear of the Lord, you have riches and honor and life. That's a combination, humility and the fear of the Lord. If our nation had more fear of the Lord, you wouldn't see all this posturing and jockeying position and all this ridiculous stuff happening.

They've lost the fear of the Lord. And I want to read briefly the article that's in the Animal Valley Press today. You'll see it's in your bulletins.

I actually had it copied and put in your bulletins. The fear of the Lord. Have we lost the fear of the Lord? Yes, we have.

It's in the religion section today. If you want to go grab it and send it to somebody who needs to hear this. Let me read a few portions from it.

The fear of the Lord is mentioned frequently throughout the Bible as the beginning of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Many feel that we should avoid mentioning the fear of the Lord because it makes people feel uncomfortable. Well, just writing that sentence makes me feel very uncomfortable.

I mean, think about that. Don't mention the fear of the Lord makes me feel uncomfortable. Who are we serving? The guy right there that I don't want upset or the Lord Jesus Christ? Amen.

Jesus in his ministry said fear God. Fear him who can cast both your body and soul in hell. That's who you should fear.

Jesus said it, but we're not going to say it. Because all they hear is turn the other cheek Jesus. Dormant Jesus.

Love everybody Jesus. Hug sin and just cuddle it and play with it. That kind of Jesus.

It's not that kind of Jesus of the Bible. He said fear God. Fear the Lord.

Psalms 147. The Lord takes pleasure in those who avoid fearing him. No, the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him.

Joshua encouraged the people to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully. It's clear from Genesis to Revelation that we are to serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Jesus spoke more on the fears of hell than on the glories of heaven.

If you go through the entire New Testament, try this. Do a word search. He spoke about the fears of hell more than the glories of heaven.

Yet as a pastor, I'm not supposed to talk about the fear of the Lord and hell and judgment because it's going to upset people. I have a biblical mandate to preach the totality of God's word. If somebody's not in right relationship with God, I have to say listen, if you do not turn from that destructive lifestyle, the Bible paints a very, very, very, very scary story for you.

It does. And if people aren't proclaiming it, I wonder if they even believe it. I told somebody this tonight.

Vivian, I think it was you. I've been getting so many emails from all over now on this whole gun thing and the government's buying ammunition and all this stuff. And I'm getting paranoid.

It's like, what do you want me to do? What are we supposed to do? Vote people in, protest, sign petitions, move, whatever you want. But the greatest weapon you will ever possess is the fear of God and spending time in the prayer closet. That's how you move the hand of God.

You don't move the hand of God by signing a whole bunch of petitions to get somebody out of office. You move the hand of God by praying and petitioning and repenting and saying, Lord, I fear you. Our nation needs you again.

Would you bring revival to us, Lord? I'm not going to eat all week this and that until you do. I'm going to fast. I'm going to pray.

I'm going to petition. That's the answer. And you know when I tell people that, what they say, but Shane, but we got to prepare.

No, no, no, no buts. There's no buts. I'm tired of buts.

Either we bow to the Lord Jesus Christ and we repent and we humble ourselves. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will heal their lands. I'm not going to heal their land with a bunch of petitions, a bunch of whiny Christians, scared of everything and afraid of everything.

Let me take you to the life of Paul, who Caesar wanted to kill him. He was in jail more than he was out. He was glorifying God.

They would burn Christians as candles on the streets. So we're going to get upset that they're going to take buying all the ammunition and going to be paralyzed. Be concerned.

Yes, but don't be paralyzed because the enemy wants to paralyze you. I was talking with a guy the other day, can't even sleep at night, who has to sleep with a loaded gun next to him. All the time they might be coming.

What are you watching all day? Guess what? Guess what he's watching all day. The news, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, everything. Everything.

He's paralyzed. How do you think his wife feels? She's fractured. She's broken.

She's destitute. How do you think his daughter feels? She doesn't want to come over the house anymore. So don't tell me but, but, but, but, because when you say but, you don't like what I'm saying.

You need the prayer closet. I'm saying you need to repent. You need to humble yourself.

Get in the prayer closet. Stop feeding into the fear frenzy. But Shane, but no buts.

No buts. The buts need to end. There's no buts.

We need to say yes, that's right. Repentance and humility and brokenness before God. That is our only hope.

Man, why are you getting so fired up, Shane? Why are you getting so fired up? Because people, it's not getting easier. It's getting more difficult and I'm concerned that some loose redneck is going to blow his gasket and take somebody out and now we're going to have more reason to start doing this and I can say it because I was a redneck. All that was is your shirt was down, you were hard working and you had red from the sunburn.

It's not a bad thing. That's all it was. Think about that.

And it drives me crazy when you say, but we need to pray, we need to seek God. Yeah, but Shane, we need to be prepared. That but means you don't want to do what I'm telling you to do, what God's word says.

That's all but means. They're listening for me to finish the conversation so they can inject but. I don't have to apply the prayer closet and brokenness humility because but I need to be prepared.

I need to go on Drudge Report every 45 minutes and know what's going on. I need to get congregational emails and congressional emails and know what's going on. I need the fear frenzy.

How much ammo have they bought this? 14 billion, 1 billion, how much? What's the government doing? They're taking away this. We've got helicopters flying over the valley. What's going on in the military? It's all the scare.

It's like holy cow. How can you live? I've got to raise four little kids and lead a church. I can't be worried about those things.

Amen. See somebody's going to try to read me line between lines say, Shane, you're not prepared. I'm very prepared.

I'm very concerned. But I'm not going to let that ruin my calling or ruin ministry or ruin being filled with the Spirit of God. See when you have the fear of God, you don't fear man.

Many people are fearing man more than they're fearing God and that's what's paralyzing the nation right now. Everybody's on the brink of panic attacks. They're walking on eggshells.

We're just waiting for something to happen. Fear God. And be thankful that we live in such a blessed place as we do right now.

The Bible tells me to thank God, to be joyful, to be filled with the Spirit, to appreciate what He's given us. Not to be so captivated by fear. But let me finish this.

We must lovingly proclaim the fear of the Lord again in our pulpits if we are to experience genuine change. Fear often motivates a person to repent. The fear of the Lord will cause an adulterer to seek forgiveness.

It will motivate the prodigal son to return. It will cause pastors to spend extended time in prayer and it will curb the wave of violence that we are experiencing today. When the fear of the Lord is preached, the world will repent.

Falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you. The church as a whole may have forgotten the fear of the Lord, but it does not follow that we should. See, it always goes back to individually.

Individually. And here comes my favorite line. If you don't like what I'm saying right now, yeah, you need to hear what I'm saying.

If this message is upsetting you and it's frustrating you and you're getting ready to get walk out or I can't believe that guy, you need to hear exactly what I'm saying. Because it's that conviction of the spirit and the flesh saying, get the heck out of there. Who's that guy I think he is? So think about that as a word of encouragement as well.

If you are the prodigal son or the wayward daughter or things haven't been going good, God always calls us back. See, there's good news. The whole point of my sermon isn't to get everyone upset and say, good luck.

Oh, you're all in trouble now. It's to get you to turn back to him. To get you to just break and say, Lord, that's what I need.

I need you again. I need to humble myself and seek you again. I'm turning back to you tonight, Lord.

I'm done with all this stuff. But Shane, you don't know what I've done. Oh, it doesn't matter what you've done.

Because God doesn't write sins up here and some down here. He said we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us have inside of us that sin nature.

And he just calls us to repent from it and turn back to him. But the fear of the Lord is pivotal to that. Verse five.

Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse. He who guards his soul will be far from them. Basically, what does this mean? Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse.

Perverse is when you're something's perverted, you're taking something good and perverting it and twisting it. So thorns and what he's saying is difficulties. Thorns and snares are in the way of those who are perverted.

If you're taking the wrong path, the thorns and the snares, you're going to come against those things. Actually today, my little three-year-old went right running in between a whole bunch of rose busters that have just been pruned. And all I could see was a thousand thorns all in there.

Stop right there. I can't even reach in there. Back up a little bit.

Come out this way. Okay, let's go. Holy cow.

But that's what life is like for the perverse person who doesn't walk according to God's word. Ouch, ooh, ee, ah, everywhere they go. There's thorns, there's thistles, there's difficulties everywhere.

Because God says I called you to walk this way, walk the narrow way. It'll be difficult, but I'll be with you. I'll hold you.

I'll guide you. I'll restore you. I'll be with you.

But we say no, I don't want that. I'm going to go this way. I'm perverting what's good.

I'm perverting the right path and I'm walking this way. So all the thorns, thistles, everything is hurting. It's ouch, ouch, ouch, because the perversion of our lifestyle is causing that.

That's what that's all about right here. He's saying, listen, thorns and snares, they're right in the way of the perverse person, the way they're walking. Verse six.

You guys have this part? Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Now I put a sermon in there I did back in December on parenting. So Proverbs and parenting, if you have time, any help in this area, go back and look at that.

That message was dedicated just to parenting. But it's interesting. Train up a child in the way he should go.

When he's old, he will not depart from it. Well, commentators mainly are divided on this issue. One is train up a child in the way they should go.

Meaning, what is their bent? What is their predisposition? Type A, type B, type C, type D, type E, type F, whatever. How are they bent? How did God create them? Now what you're going to do is train that child in the way they should go according to their bent and disposition. Okay, that's definitely biblical.

But the other side says, and what I would probably tend to agree with, even though I like that definition as well too, is train up a child the way they should go. Right is right, wrong from wrong. How should they act? How should they... One of the things I'm trying to teach my five-year-old right now is you do not talk to women that way.

You will not talk to your mom that way ever again. Do you understand? Wow, yeah, because as you shape them at five, it's okay now, but at 15, that's dangerous. You're training that child and you're shaping them.

Because it's been proven. Ask psychologists, secular psychologists. You can begin to conform that child from as little as when they're wanting food.

I mean, you just begin to conform and shape. And they're almost a product of their environment a lot of times. You're shaping them.

And I saw this the other day. I'm helping a coach. It's coaching two of our kids in in Court Sale Little League.

And so yeah, I'm helping. You think it's funny. So I'm at the practices and I'm at the games.

And you know, I've got my hat on so nobody can tell in case I get upset at somebody. Pastor, I can't. You didn't know pastors can't be in bad moods? We can't get upset in traffic.

We can't say anything coarse. We have to be in, you know. So people come out.

Oh, hi. I'm incognito. Don't tell anybody.

So I'm out there and we're at JetHawk Stadium. We've got all these teams out there. And my job is to try to keep 12 little kids try to keep them good for an hour and a half.

In line, in line. No, no. And I can see the parents in the kids.

I can see I've got these kids bumping and grinding all the sex dancing and I'm like, you're six years old. It's sad. What are you watching? Oh, I'm too sexy for my shirt.

No, you're not sexy. You're six. What is this? Think about what is this? They're exactly the music videos they were watching.

That's what they're acting out. There's no restraint of the parents training them. You know what they do to me? They stick out their tongue and tell me I'm stupid.

I don't have to listen to you. And I'm looking back. Where's that parent at? I mean, that's how I feel.

I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do it.

I'm just saying. So I go, listen, and I won't say his name in case you know who. I said, listen, you cannot talk like that.

Yes, I can. You're not the police. Wow.

I mean, look, look at what? Look at how far we've drifted. I remember a story Chuck Swindoll told a few years back. It was about a teacher who left in 1975.

She left the school district. She actually left and had a family, raised four or five kids for 25, 30 years. And then she went back into the school system 25, 30 years later.

Listen, this is important. She said it was unbelievable. When she started, it was hello, Mrs. Jones.

Now it's shut up, B-I-T-C-H. We went from hello, Mrs. Jones to shut up. You put in the blank in 25, 30 years.

I mean, I want to weep at these kids. They're acting so sexual that it's sickening. It's six.

Where do you learn that from? Where do you think they learn that from? MTV, BET, they're doing all the things they see. They got the little rap signals down, their little moves. They got it all down at six.

We can laugh, but we should be crying. That's the next generation. And afterwards, you meet the parents.

I wasn't surprised. I could pick them out. I could pick them out because they're not training the children the way they should go.

They're allowing perversion to train them. They're doing it six years old, but you shouldn't even be doing it 26. I'm like, is anybody watching this? Can they see this? Train up a child in the way they should go, and they will not depart from it.

Parents, be encouraged. They might backslide. They might go back and forth, but I remember the prayers my mama used to pray.

Oh, man. I would say, don't pray for me. I want to have fun tonight.

Yeah. She put the Bible on those ACDCs. Well, they didn't have CDs back then, but ACDC and Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.

You guys know. I'm dating myself. I can get relevant with Passion Pit and Finish It and all that stuff out there.

I mean, wow. These guys, it's perversion. Let's be honest.

Let's be honest. Talking about killing cops and doing this to this girl. This is perversion.

That stuff should be outlawed, not glorified. I mean, the lyrics, I'm like, is this a porn movie or is this a video that people are watching? What in the world? How far have we drifted, folks? Where's the wake-up call? I wasn't joking last week when I said we went from Leave It to Beaver and I Love Lucy to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and dating shows and reality shows that are a stench in the nostrils of a righteous, holy, pure God. There's no other way to say it.

There's no other way to say it. Where does it end? That's what worries me. Recent statistics, 80-85% of all guys getting married now are addicted to porn.

That's really good. Three daughters, little girls. I like to hear those statistics.

I mean, come on. Let's wake up. When is the church going to wake up and break? The problem is we're so self-absorbed.

We're trying to jock you for position, get our agenda pushed through, earn a lot of money, and have just enough of God to keep him in my pocket. I don't want enough of God to destroy my life. I just want enough of Him to pull out just for emergencies.

So then you have a lukewarm church. It has no power of the Holy Spirit. You read the book of Acts.

You say, well, I sure don't see that anymore. Of course, you don't see that anymore. Fill with the Spirit of God.

What does that mean? That should be resonating with you. Be filled with the Spirit. Jesus said, if you believe on me, as the Scriptures say, out of your belly will flow rivers of living water.

If we took a survey, most people leaving churches say, I don't know what he's talking about. The reason you don't know what he's talking about is because you haven't experienced it. That's why the church looks like the culture.

There's no distinction. There's no difference. Well, last week's sermon, we didn't lose too many people, so I felt liberty there.

Verse 6, we just talked about. Verse 7, I'm never going to get through this. Verse 7, the rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Now, he's not promoting wealth here. He's saying, he's contrasting why stewardship. You know, Crown Financial, Dave Ramsey, all these guys like to use this verse because it's true.

If you're tied to or held by credit cards and debt, you will be a servant all of your life. That's why people are working 50 hours a week. My spouse has to go get another job because we are servant to the lender.

So he's saying, wake up. Live like Y. Stewart. You know, we did a whole teaching on that.

I don't remember the message, but something about just search the website for money and it'll come up. Because money is a wonderful servant. It's a terrible master.

That's where the distinction, the difference is. And that's what he's saying here. Verse 8, he who sows iniquity, picture digging up some dirt, planting seeds.

He who sows sin, they will reap sorrow. See, as a pastor, that's sometimes difficult when I'm talking to people sometimes. Sometimes what you're experiencing is a result of sin.

We can't just pop psychology everything away. Well, this and that and this. I don't know.

I mean, no, sometimes it's because of sin in our lives. When we reap or when we sow that, we're going to reap the whirlwind, reap sorrow. Verse 9, he who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives his bread to the poor.

This again is reinforcing the truly blessed life. And I know a lot of this is repetitive, but we have to go through it. And what I glean from this is giving is a reflection of the heart.

Where you give, if you give somewhere, if you give to those in need, you give to the poor, you give, you give here, you give wherever, it's a reflection of your heart. Somebody feels the Spirit of God has to give. They have to.

What? Yeah. If you feel the Spirit of God, you want to give. The problem is we have our bills right here.

Where does our lifestyle go? Right here. Matches it. So I can't give.

We can't help those in need because we have to have bigger and better and more and abundant and more and more and more. So he's saying real clear here, if you have a generous eye, if you give, you will be blessed. And at least in my own life, giving is probably down because fear is up.

I'm not going to, I'm not going to give that much. Wow. God, you won't be able to see me through.

I'm not going to make it. My ship's going to sink. Well, I know I've got the plasma payment and I did, I bought some jet skis the other last year and that bass boat, you know, I've got, I know, but, you know, I can't give those things up.

You know, and so we wonder why aren't we so blessed? If all these things are so great, why is America so depressed? Just go online. Has antidepressants went up recently or have their prescriptions went down? You'll see words like epidemic, but ballistic. I mean, because if we're so blessed and all these things when what's happening, because we need the fear of the Lord, how then should we live? The fear of the Lord, humbling ourselves, living by biblical principles.

See what you have to remember about biblical principles is they do hurt initially. The pain of discipline over the pain of regret. That's why a lot of what I'm talking about, you say, oh, amen, sounds good, but it doesn't feel good to put in place.

Love those who have wronged you. Oh, no way. It sounds good, but I'm not going to do it.

Give, give cheerful. God loves a cheerful giver. These things, they sound good, but it's in the application.

It's the power. That's where really the God blesses us and when we actually do it. Verse 11, oh, verse 10, cast out the scoffer and contention will leave.

I love this verse. Cast out the scoffer and contention will leave. It's almost reminds me of like right now if I had somebody, you know, just popping off back there.

I'll let go for a few minutes. Okay, sir. Thank you.

And then I say, you know what? Bye-bye. Out of here. You're done.

I'm done with you. I'm done with you. You need to go.

I'm not going to stop. Well, then I'm going to stop and I'll just pick up next week. So you need to go right now.

Get out of this room. Can you do that Shane? I could do it easily because they're coming in to disrupt God's service. But this also applies in our own life.

Remove that person. Remove that destructive person from your life. You know who they are because we all have a few of them.

Get them out the door. See, it's one thing to ministry and you have patience, but at some point you got to say, you got to go. Don't call me again.

I'll call you. Don't email me all the stuff. Don't do this.

You need to go. You're scoffing. You're putting me down.

You're putting my relation with God down. You're teasing. You're belittling.

I've had enough and I don't need to stand for this. Harmony comes in when you remove the scoffer. It's okay to do that.

I recommend doing inventory on the scoffers every quarter. I do it. You know, I've been ministering to this person or I've been this for a while and they are not getting better and they're putting me down to my family.

They're teasing and they're belittling and they're, you know what? Yeah. That's what he's saying here. Cast them out and then contention will leave.

Strife and reproach will cease. So that the lesson learned is removing destructive relationships adds harmony to our lives. Do you want to add harmony to your lives? Get rid of those scoffers and the destructive relationships that are pulling you down.

And you know who, because you can, you know right now as I'm talking. Names come to mind right now. Bill, Trish, Mike, Chris, Don.

Not me. I'm just saying you guys. I've, you know, you just fill in the blank.

They're going. Luckily I don't have anybody I'm thinking of right now. I've either eliminated them or I'm ministering to them.

That's the thing. So don't come here to scoff because I have, that one lady I told that confronted me at the Baptist conference. She was up here telling me to stop.

You know, I'm going to condemn you right now for speaking out homosexuality. And I said, listen, I'll talk to you after the service. I'm not going to talk to you right now.

You need to go and sit down. And she just kept at me. So I just, well, you don't have a mic.

Sorry. So I'm going to keep preaching. And I just kept preaching, kept preaching.

People were clapping. And she just finally went and sat down. But you can't, because the enemy will use that sometimes to come at you.

I told Matt, I just got in today. I've got three letters that came in the mail. They're like, Pastor Shane, urgent, read this.

I'm like, well, that'll be this week sometime. I'm like, I know what that means. No name on there.

No, come on, people. I wasn't born yesterday. I didn't graduate from seminary 19 and, you know, never go.

I know these, these things come against you. It's always people with weird ideas that, you know, well, I don't want to get into it, but it's, it's scoffers. They're trying to, basically, it's like Nehemiah.

Why should I come down and stop working? Why should the work cease for us to meet? Scoffers want to pull you away from God's work. Let's meet. Let's talk.

Let's, let me pull you down. Why are you doing that? Why are you going back to church? Why are you? They just want to pull your relationship down. And young adults, let me talk to you for a minute.

If there's people in your life right now who are not, who are not helping you grow in your relationship with Christ, but they're pulling you down, I would seriously encourage you to reconsider those relationships. At my age or a little younger, we can deal with those kinds of things because we've learned, okay, keep a healthy distance. But a young adult, they will pull you away.

There isn't that foundation there yet. You're being pulled astray by that, that ungodly influence. So just be careful.

So how do I know, Shane? What direction are they leading you? What direction are they leading you? Hey, let's stay after and see if we can worship a little longer. Let's hit schooners at seven and get a good seat. I mean, that's how it works.

That's how, because I used to do that. I know. I probably was a scoffer.

Verse, verse 11, he who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend. Favor is a byproduct of purity in a grace-filled life. So listen to the message I gave last week when you get home on purity, on holiness, on what we're allowing into our mind, and God's favor will rest upon your life.

When you make a commitment to purity, saying, Lord, I want to be as pure as I can be. I'm filled with sin, but I want to be as pure as I can be and glorify you. He will bless that.

It's what I call extreme Christianity. You're desperate for more. Do you have that? Do you have that? Think about that.

This is extreme. This is extreme. Either you're desperate for more of God or you're not.

There's not a little happy medium where I can find a nice little comfortable spot where I don't get way off that. That Shane guy is really weird. He's a Jesus freak.

I don't want that, but I sure don't like that other stuff. I just want, he's going to, he's going to affiliate the Spirit and you're going to do what he's called you to do. You're not going to be up here doing this.

Most people. So you have to worry about being like me. It's not going to happen for most people.

And I'm not going to have to do certain things that I'm not called to do. It's different callings. Not that one's better or worse.

It's all the same. We're serving God. Next verse.

Verse 12. The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the faithless. Verse 13.

The lazy man says, there's a lion outside. I shall be slain in the streets. You know what they're saying today? A lazy man says, I don't get paid enough.

I'm not taking that job. I don't want to do that. I'm not taking that job.

That line of work stinks. I'm injured. I can't work.

I need to spend time with my family. There's, there's something, there's something. That's all he's saying here.

That's why he says a lazy man. A lazy man says there's a lion outside. I can't go out and work.

It's not a true story. He's a lazy man. His excuse for not working is there's a lion outside, so I can't go out.

Yeah. It's raining too hard. It's this, it's that.

That's, I mean, we use the same excuses. And in our culture, that's another thing I'm concerned about is we're creating this, this, this, this, this mentality where we don't work hard anymore. It's what am I entitled to? Cradle to grave.

What am I entitled to? Give me what I'm entitled to. No, the Bible says go out and work hard and then God will bless you. Shit, I can't.

I'm not coming against everything. I'm just saying as a general statement, don't take my, my statements as absolutes. Of course, those people, there's people who need our help.

Absolutely. I'm not arguing with that, but the majority of people can work and work hard. But what do they say? I don't get paid enough.

I don't want to do that. That's not, I don't want to, you know, I want weekends off. I want 25 hours of dollars an hour.

I'm not doing that. A hardworking man or woman will do whatever God's called them to do, even if the pay is minimal because you're working unto the Lord and He blesses you later. We want blessing now and then we'll act.

God says you act, then I'll bless you. David even had this concept in the Old Testament. He said, I'm not going to offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing.

That's what he says today too. It's going to cost us something. Hard work costs us.

Turn off the video games and fill out applications. Get out there and do something. Work hard.

Ask to serve in certain areas. God will bless that and He'll open doors. I've seen so many people hired by volunteering at churches and they say, that's a really good worker.

We'll hire you. Well, we wouldn't have hired them if it wouldn't have started working. Not here necessarily, but other churches that have full-time staffs and different things.

I just saw this new story. It's in your bulletin. Restaurant owner finds dedicated teen walking 10 snowy miles for a job interview.

Guess where he's working now? At this restaurant, the guy who picked him up because he saw that young adult being hardworking and industrious. And that's what God blessed. 14, the mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit.

He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there. Basically, immorality never pays off. Never pays off.

I don't think I'm going to get through everything, so I might have to finish next week. But I wanted to, let me just get to the closing. The notes are there.

You can go through at home at your own convenience. But I did want to give you guys a word of encouragement as well, because I know it's kind of a heavy sermon. But I find this interesting what Jesus said in Matthew 21, 28.

He's giving a story and Jesus says, what do you think? He's asking people, what do you think? A man had two sons and he went to the first and he said, son, go and work in the vineyard today. And the boy answered, I will not. Defied his father.

I will not. But later he went and did it. The Bible says he had a change of heart and went.

Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, I will, sir. But then he did not go.

So Jesus presents the question, which of the two did the father's will? Isn't that interesting? The boy was rebellious. He said, I'm not going to do that. But conviction got to him and then he went and did it.

So he actually did the will of the father, not without error, but he did the will of the father. And the same thing applies to us. I was thinking of this proverb study.

Some of you right now, even if you're your first time or second or third, you've been listening. God is saying theoretically what you're saying, I know I need to be doing that. I know I need to make these changes.

I know I'm convicted. I know, I know, I know. But now, now's the time to go and do it.

See, we forget. We think I'm out of the will of God now. I'm gone.

I'm toast. I'm out of the will of God. Shane, you don't know my lifestyle.

I'm out of God's will right now. You might be, but you know, you can jump back in. I'm not teaching license for sin.

I'm saying if you're outside God's will, you're saying, Shane, I'm so messed up. I've been making so many mistakes. All he says is turn, turn back to me.

Come back to me. Let me restore you. Who does the will of his father? I don't want to hear that.

Well, the exact words are, I will not. I will not do that. I'm not doing what you're talking about, Shane.

I will not do that. But you leave here, you leave and you go, you know what? I need to repent. I need to turn back to God.

I'm going to do that. Then you're doing the will of the father. See, we miss that part.

We think, oh man, he can't take me now. Shane, I've drifted so far. God's word isn't, isn't, isn't, isn't sparking like it used to.

I've made some bad decisions financially, emotionally, relationally, even spiritually. Shane, I know that I'm just too far. All he says is, listen, go and do what you know to do.

Repent and turn back to me. Then you're back in my will again. That's very encouraging because it's no matter how far we've drifted, what has God always calls to do.

If you seek me with all of your heart, you will find me. If you turn back to me, you will be found by me. If you commit yourself to me, I will restore you.

And if you obey me, I will rebuild you. It's all about turning back. Why do we have to do that? Because the sinful heart is bent on this direction.

God says, turn back around. I'm bent on this, turn back around. That's why I want to preach the difficult truths because that's the only way people get to turn back around.

I've joked about this before, but I'll speak at men's conferences sometimes and guys will be weeping and on the altar and this, and you talk to him, go, I don't hear that in my church. They're never convicted. They're sleeping around.

They're addicted to porn and they're coming and saying, blessed be the name of the, hallelujah, hallelujah. And the pastor says, God, just be encouraged. And it's Joelstein approach and nothing ever changes.

There's no conviction of sin ever. So that's the point of the conviction is to turn that heart back. If you turn back to me, you will find me.

So what perfect time for communion. This is a perfect time for communion, but I don't want to just jump right into it. I want to read what communion is for some of you.

Let me read this. Let's think about what communion is for a minute. This is Paul saying, for I received from the Lord that which I've also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the same night, which he was portrayed, he took bread.

And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink of this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Well, what's proclaimed? You remember the Lord's death until he comes again. What happens is we get side railed, we get derailed, we get sidetracked.

And God says, come back when you meet. What did Christ do on the cross? What was the blood that was shed? Remember, proclaim it. Now here's where it gets interesting.

Therefore, whoever eats his bread or drinks his cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man or a woman, context here, let them examine themselves. And so eat of the bread and drink of the cup, for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself.

That's powerful. He's saying, listen, if you come to communion and you take it in an unworthy manner and you drink judgment, you'll drink judgment to yourself. You're not discerning the Lord's body for this reason.

Here's what I want to get to. For this reason, many of you are weak and sick and many of you have died. For if you would judge yourselves, you would not be judged.

Now, let's just unpack that for one minute. Unworthy, not befitting someone's good reputation. Or it's not fitting a good reputation.

So what these Corinthian believers were doing, they were coming up almost mocking, taking communion, but not living right. Blatant sin, blatant disregard for people coming up and just taking it in an unworthy manner. I'm coming up as a Christian, but my lifestyle does not reflect it.

Let me interject here. Not perfection, not perfection ever, but a heart that's falling hard after God. So they're coming up taking the communion in an unworthy manner.

They've got besetting sin. They've got all this junk. I don't care.

I'm going to take the blood, the blood of everything, the body of Christ, the blood. I'm going to drink. I'm going to remember what Christ did.

No, don't remember yet what Christ did. Go and get your life right. Don't take it in an unworthy manner.

He brings judgment to Himself. What's that mean? Judgment, man's response to the revealed will of God. So we have God's revealed will.

If we act accordingly, there is no judgment. If we reject His will, there's judgment. So we're coming in an unworthy manner.

We're not living according to God's will. So we're bringing that judgment of God upon our life in that regard. And he says here, you can look at any commentary.

They're divided on a few little things from John MacArthur to R.C. Sproul to Jack Hayford. I mean, you get a different, whole different group there. But people are actually weak spiritually and sick and dying because they're doing this.

It's crystal clear. And how it made me think how much of our sickness and our disease and early death has resulted in that unconfessed sin. Are you? No, I'm not saying every time somebody's sick.

I'm not saying that. I have to clarify because people leave here with impressions that I didn't give. I'm just saying he's saying sometimes some of you are sick.

Some of you are dying early. Some of you are not experiencing the power of God because you're taking an unworthy manner. You're bringing shame, open shame on the cross of Christ.

You're bringing judgment on your soul. Look what else he says at the end. For if you would judge yourself, you would not be judged.

So he said, listen, before I come up there, Lord, I've got some things I need to do business with you. I've been this. I've been that.

Lord, I don't want to take it in an unworthy manner. I'm judging myself. I'm looking within.

So I'm saying, OK, Lord, I see. I repent of these things. Now I can go up and take it in a worthy manner because I judge myself.

Think about that. If there's people, if there's guys and say he's addicted to porn, he's leaving his wife, he's this, he's cheating and all this, and he comes up here and he takes the blood of Christ and the bread as if he's remembering what Christ did on the cross and living in that blatant sin, he could bring judgment upon himself. That could result in sickness and disease.

That's what it says. Sin is a disease that grows and consumes and it must be confessed and dealt with. Now you'll see unworthy manner.

Some will say, well, it's because they weren't being nice to each other and they're taking the hog, you know, and feeding themselves and not giving to people and drinking too much and getting drunk. Yeah, of course. Unworthy manner.

So as Gabe comes up and the worship team, we conclude with worship, I want to ask that question. How then should we live in light of everything I just talked about? Let's go back to the title of the sermon. How should we then live? Very simple.

Examine ourselves, myself included. Is there pride coming up? Is there a root of bitterness? Is there this? Is there, is there what's going up inside? What's going on inside of our hearts? It's healthy to examine ourselves, recognize our errors, repent of those wrong attitudes, and then come up and take communion. That's how it should be taken.

So Paul's saying, hold on church. Don't go up there in an unworthy manner. Look at your heart, bring, judge yourself first.

Paul said, examine yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Christ is in you? So that's what I want to do. You can get the lights back there, Bernie, and we can all stand and Gabe's going to do another song.

But I want to ask you to, you can begin coming up and take communion at your leisure. You can, you'll have prayer team members will be on the side. There's not much room up here, but on the side in the back, we want to pray for you during this time.

But do business with God, repent, seek him again, and then come up and take communion. Or if you've been doing good and you know, Lord, I just want to glorify you tonight, and I want to remember you, then begin coming up and take communion at your leisure throughout this song and then go back and just remember what he did and take the elements. Then you don't need to wait for us.

I'm not going to give a time to do that. You take it back to your convenience, pray with your spouse and remember what Christ did on the cross. Lord, I praise we go into this time of communion that you would move powerfully.

Lord, I hope it's not beyond the scope of asking, but would you begin to heal people tonight? Lord, I don't think I have this gifting, but you do. I pray that you begin to heal bodies tonight, Lord, of anxiety and depression. Lord, as they take this communion in a worthy manner, you begin to restore marriages, break the hardest hearts, Lord.

Lord, I pray even cancer would have to bow at the foot of the cross, Lord. Pain and injury, Lord, begin to heal your people, Lord, of these things. Begin to bring just, Lord, unclog arteries and cholesterol and LDL, HDL levels, all that stuff, Lord.

Begin to heal those areas, Lord, as we seek you. We know you are the God that can heal as we get our lives back in right relationship with you. Lord, I pray for healing of the mind tonight, Lord, that people will be broken out of fear and anxiety and depression, Lord.

Begin to just rebuild and restore those areas in their lives that they've been struggling with. You are the great Redeemer and the Healer, Lord. We seek you tonight.

Will you move among your people? And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.