Foolproof Reproof [Part 1]

Allen Wright, pastor, Bible teacher and author of his latest book, the power to bless when a be a good thing it is starting to Lord you know your word says regarding the heart vigilantly without a hard spring of life. Everything that's coming out of me is going to be coming out of my heart, Lord, help me to know my you wonder whether you should speak to someone on correct someone bring a reproof, for tell them that you been hurt or maybe just a little help me see my own. What is it that I hope that's pastor and welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. Excited for you to hear the teaching today.

In the series. Leakproof is presented and rebuild the church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program.

I will make sure you know how to get our special resource. Right now it can be yours for your donation this month to Allen Wright ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper for happiness to do today's special offer. Just contact us at pastor@1.org that's pastor out in.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 will have more on this special offer later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright are you ready for some good news will sometimes you can lovingly correct someone I point out something for them that could help them grow constructive criticism and they will thank you for it and they will receive it and they will grow as a result of iron sharpening iron and sometimes it doesn't work that way. But the good news.

The good news is that God by his Spirit in you and by what is done for you in the gospel can give you direction about this because relationships are complex on thing, and God can direct you as we continue and proverbs are Sears called foolproof want to show your four different Proverbs that are related today and that will address some of the complexities of this whole issue in human relationships, starting with Proverbs chapter 9 at verse eight. Proverbs 9 verse eight reads do not reprove a scoffer or he will hate you reprove a wise man and he will love you. And then if you're following along will cover into chapter 19 of the Proverbs 19 verse 11 good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense and this is glory to overlook an offense in the chapter next to chapter 20 verse 22. Do not say I will repay evil wait for the Lord and he will deliver you and then one more.

The most famous of these Proverbs on how we interact with one another when were not in perfect agreement is Proverbs 27 at verse 17, Proverbs 27 verse 17 iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another it literally means sharpens the face of another. This, play on words the face of a sharp blade in the face of another iron sharpening iron so for text that while there were quite interrelated and if you took any one of them alone would give you only a piece of the wisdom is what would you do it.

I am in my first big job and a big church in a big city and I'm a lowly seminary and turned my first week at the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta and I'm nervous and intimidated by this big staff and I want to make a good impression, I want to start out well and one of the experienced associate pastors is taking me out to lunch again bring me on board and I don't know him at all and he takes us down the street to a trendy local lunch spot on Peachtree Street out you need understand that there are two things about this associate pastor important for the story and the first is I didn't consider him to be sort of a warm and chatty type person and secondly he had a wiry beard and the reason this is important is because we sat down to lunch and he ordered a big salad that was smothered with bean sprouts.

Now these bean sprouts might've been healthy for his body, but they were not healthy for his beard and it started out with one or two bean sprouts, clinging to the beard but as lunch progressed that rather thin beard appears began to become quite full.

If you're not familiar with bean sprouts. They approximate the size and shape of a male facial whisker because they are so light. I suppose if you have a beard and they get in there.

You don't feel much of a tug of gravity and he just didn't have any clue that he was sitting there in this trendy Atlanta lunch spot with a beard filling up with bean sprouts. I asked again what would you do on the one hand, I could tell him brother I got you might have a but I knew if I pointed out a little bean sprouts that he's all look back at me wondering. Did I get it all. You know how people do like to get it now. Tell so I get some of their tooth and what would I get it If you said that you gotta get it. I was, I have to say well know it when Ayrton here there that there and I meet in order to be actually honest with this guy out. Had to say brother listen your whole face is full of the sprouts. I mean, you just use my logo to put your face on the salad bar.

Let people bring tongs over there. I couldn't help the brother without just telling the whole whole thing so I just decided to not say anything and I just tried throughout lives to look him in the rather than in the beaters.

We want liabilities leads me to go back to the administrative wing of First Presbyterian Church and I needed somebody that knew him better would be able to inform him of his little problem of the beard.

Now, what's interesting about this situation is that in that particular moment. I decided not to say anything but I was imagining one if it been the other way around. Wonder if I were the one with the wiry beard and bean sprouts filling up and I start thinking about different people.

If I were to have lunch with my 19-year-old daughter Abigail and I was one of the beard.

If a bean sprout one bean sprout died in that beard of mine with my daughter. She would've been telling me before it had become fully lives there would be no hesitation my daughter would be very eager to tell me less.

We both be embarrassed. I was thinking if I was at lunch with executive pastor Chris Lawson and I had a wiry beard and be his brows got it. What would he do realize he would let him stay there and follow me around all day just laughing at me behind my back is saying that Proverbs 9 verse eight is an example of how God's word for wisdom in our lives is not a static thing is not always black-and-white, but real wisdom. This skill for living in real life in a real world is more fluid than that do not reprove a scoffer or he will hate you reprove a wise man. He'll love you. In other words, God's word is saying there are times when it's best to correct somebody in their times what is best not to and so real wisdom, the more I study Proverbs I see is not getting a concrete set of guidelines that tell you what to do in every situation in life there is no Scripture that says if you see a man with bean sprouts and his beard, thou shalt tell him or not. Tell him and it gets even more complex. From the text that we read in chapter 19 in that good sense makes one slow to anger and was you really have wisdom flowing in your life you a quick to take offense and get angry over something and in fact it says it is his glory to overlook an offense challenge right will have more teaching moment from today's important series like something is holding you back if you can important see that could change everything. Is there someone you love to sing stack to help them out what's missing. Blessing on Basingstoke and over I learned you can learn how to embrace the practice of blessing to Pastor Ehrenreich's new book, it's a blast, which quickly became an enzyme number one bestseller after 370s until now the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales this month right ministries once send you the I thank you for your Denilson did this not only receive the best-selling but also receive a free session video place in which Pastor Alan teaches how to blast and covers content not the video course includes a detailed study guide perfect for personal growth or small group discussion.

Make your gift today and discovered the power to blast the gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you today's special offer.

We are happy to send this to you as I banks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor our and got work. Today's teaching now continues here once again is Alan Wright that if you were to take that Proverbs by itself.

You might think what God wants us is to always overlook every offense, but that's not entirely true because the famous Proverbs 2717 says iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another is talking about the fact that the this second thing is hard is how you can sharpen a knife you can sharpen a knife to get something softer just cuts it so there's a time in which are two things it seemed hard against each other. Actually helping one another. It says silly illustrations talk about bean sprouts, but I bring it because something like this will happen every day of your life and it leaves us with some important questions. How can I correct someone I love without it coming across wrong. How do I correct my children without exasperating them so that they start tuning me out or running away from me when I do when I been hurt by someone. Should I just try to forget about it. I do always let them know that it hurts if I tell everyone that I feel hurt every time that I do feel hurt, they just hire of me and what if I feel hurt, but my feelings are just an overreaction. What if I'm just too sensitive.

What if I don't say anything and I letting my boundaries be blurred in my becoming a doormat for someone else's insensitivity. How can I be that iron that sharpens iron without needlessly offending. If someone hurts me and I don't tell them what I end up just being bitter on the inside don't I need to get it out. You see the kinds of complex questions that we have in human interactions all the time and some Christians seem to feel like that they should always correct every body about everything and they are necessarily wrong in what they're seeking to correct, but they can come across pushy and self-righteous and their other Christians I have known who seem to feel they shouldn't correct anyone at any time. They are quite merciful and seldom ever offensive, but don't help people that much and can come across as mousey and too concerned about what others think of them and so I want to try to help us wrap our arms around one of these this Proverbs. There are, in many ways complex and yet become simplified when you understand some foundational principles from God's word and I want to point you to what Jesus has done for you.

That makes it possible for you to respond by the promptings of the holy spirit. Let's start with this. I think that in order to know whether you should correct somebody. It starts with no yourself which is to know where your own heart is discerning the intent of the heart is the beginning place of understanding yourself and as you can understand your heart then you will understand your motivations and it will help you be in step with the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Proverbs 423 tells us to keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flows the springs of life. The heart the deep core of one's being perhaps a connecting point between soul and spirit feelings that direction and deepest intuition and much of our connection with the truth of God comes blowing out of the heart and were instructed therefore to guard the heart to to to protect the heart because there's something deep within you that is like a well and what comes out of your mouth is being is like water that should be drawn out of that well and so I think you start with knowing your heart because if your heart is it pure toward someone. Meaning if you don't want it to go well for that person that you are in a good position to correct them if you don't want to go well for that person.

You're not in a good position to correct them because you're likely going to hurt them consciously or unconsciously, is if you don't want to go well for someone, then it means that some unconscious part of you is wanting it not to go well for them and it's nearly impossible to bring a type of godly reproof. That's actually helpful to someone when you are up for them, whether it's true at this point doesn't become the primary issue. The primary issue is whether you have the heart to be able to tell them all good instruction in our lives depends upon someone who cares about us who know something that we need to know there are a lot of people in your life that know things that you might need to know, but the ones that will really teach you are the ones that care about you. You'll be happy to know I continued this year my new tradition of not only being up in the mountains at Montreat conference and over 4 July, but have taken an arts and crafts class at the art center there last year. Some of you may remember as it made it into sermon that I learned to handcraft a bear out of clay glazed. It is beautiful and now entered it into the Dixie classic fair where I experience a travesty of justice. When my daughter Abigail's duckbill platypus of a bear won a ribbon and I want nothing. Some of you may remember. So this year I decided not to make anything out of clay as a kid I I did some painting medium was acrylic painting. They had a classical watercolor painting I've never tried it before and I thought I give it a try and went to the class and I was nervous and I have for good reason.

I was terrible and the teacher was very nice. She had been a professional watercolor painter for 25 years you just return from it, season of plein air painting and Italy and France and the but I realize early on she was going to be a good instructor because she she cared about helping the student can't you just tell right. Early on is somebody for you or are they just trying to show you how much they know there's a big difference between and every good instructor I've ever had in my life was like this.

They cared about you is the student I've had some professors over the years that they clearly didn't care at all they care about their research they had their tenure and the student was almost in the way and in that situation. It is no matter how much they know they're just an intellectual snob but a teacher cares about the student so no yourself going to be a good thing if you just you just start and say Lord you know your word says to guard the heart vigilantly because I the heart is the spring of life and everything that's coming out of me is going to become an enema hard.

So Lord help me to know my heart if you're wondering whether you should speak to someone on correct someone and bring a reproof work. Tell them that you've been hurt, you know, maybe to start below. Help me see my own heart.

What is it that I hope will happen. What is it that I will hope will happen is a wonderful thing to take self inventory and especially in our relationships and marriage relationships and parenting relationships in our dearest friendships, the things that are absolutely most valuable in all of life right the things that are most valuable in this world are not the physical things that we have, but it's our relationships and so wouldn't it be wise to heed. Proverbs well and before we speak for yourself what is the intent of my heart. Here, if you have a car that you love and you take care of it. You polish it you know your intent as you wanted to shine in you wanted to look good, and if it has something broken. You want to repair well you know your intent. You would. It would be folly to try to set out there with sandpaper on your car's hood if you said that you loved that car because the the hearts intent of wanting good for it is the things can instruct how you interact with it and God can show your heart in a matter and what happens if you find that your heart is not right towards a person that you're not in a position you're not spiritually qualified to really help that person.

So that's the time in which you would stop yourself and say what first needs to be dealt with as I need to diligently guard the heart. That's where ministry comes.

That's where the healing comes as we bring our heart before the law. Helen right in today's teaching in the series on full proof like this one foolproof reproof in Alice back in the studio. You're just a moment sharing his parting good news thought for the day like something is holding you back if you lack an important scene I could change everything. Is there someone you love hissing stack to help them out what's missing blessing on the faith filled vision spoken over you can learn how to embrace the practice a blessing to Pastor Ehrenreich's new book, it's a blast, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after 370s until now the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales this month right ministries once send you the I thank you for your donation is not only received the best-selling that also receive a free session video place in which Pastor Alan teaches how to blast and covers content not the video course includes a detailed study guide perfect for personal growth or small group discussion. Make your gift today and discovered the power to blast the gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website. Pastor our and got work in the studio.

Alan your party good news thought the days we pick up on this new teaching foolproof reproof Proverbs say do not say I will repay evil wait for the Lord will deliver you and that iron sharpens iron tying all this together annual in what might be for some listeners the most important she could ever hear that our lives we are shaped by the right kind of correction and we can shape others lives as well.

There's so much wisdom in the Proverbs about how in the world do you receive correction and how in the world do you offer correction it's rarely done right, but when it is it is God's grace at work. Today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries