Posted on 07/27/2021 1:19:25 AM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“Open rebuke is better than secret love” (Proverbs 27:5).
A lot of times we seal things off that we do not want to deal with and when the preacher approaches this subject, we wall that up and lock it in so that we do not have to deal with. Well, the fact of the matter is that the more you allow the Lord access to things, the more you are willing to voluntarily deal with stuff, the more success, and the more maturity you'll have spiritually. Right? Why? Because the Lord has chosen this method. He says, “open rebuke is better than secret love.”
“He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee” (Proverbs 9:7-8).
Something that is worthy to us ask ourselves is, “Am I a wise man, or a wicked man, or a scorner?” A wise man receives rebuke and loves the rebuker. Right? If you get rebuked, and it is a legitimately rebuke, are a wise man or a scorner or a wicked man, because we now live in a day where people do not like to hear something that goes against their flesh and their spirit. It’s so bad that it makes me wonder if we become a nation of scorners and a nation of evil men. just BY the way people handle the truth these days.
I probably do not have as lofty and glamorous spiritual goals as others might verbalize; but there are just some simple things that I kind of operate on. I am trying to do what I do for the Lord knowing that I will answer to him for what I do. That should be the same for any Christian as an ambassador and a witness for Christ; but also I want to make sure that when the Holy Spirit deals with me either by your mouth or the preacher's mouth or by the Bible that I respond as a wise man and not as a scorner, and not as an evil man.
In "The Five Great Affirmations of the Bible," W. A. Criswell wrote:
The sublime, exalted and constantly recurring theme of the whole Bible is this: “He is coming.”
In the garden of Eden, the divine promise is made of Him who is to crush the serpent's head: “He is coming.”
All the types of the Old Testament declare: “He is coming.” “As it was in the days of Noe”; “As it was in the days of Lot”: “He is coming.”
The life and psalms of David declare, “He is coming.”
The exalted voices of the prophets declare the golden, millennial age of the Messiah. “And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Micah 4:3).
Our Lord illustrates the glorious promise in His parables— “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom . . . Occupy till I come.”
Our Lord speaks of the blessedness of this hope in His words of comfort to the disciples: “Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again” (John 14:1-3).
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