Welcome to Wisdom Today with Bill Kelley. Today we will be going over Proverb 15. I will then key in on verses 31 & 32 - The ear that hears the rebukes of life Will abide among the wise. He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. Friends, God will chasten us if He sees us needing correction - whether it is through His word, our spouse, our boss, our kids, our parents, or anyone else who is in our inner circle. Be open to make changes in your life when you are rebuked. On today's podcast we will continue our study on the Gospel according to Luke. We will continue where we left on Monday's podcast. By the end of today's lesson there are three things that I ask that you consider:
1. Judge not, condemn not, forgive.
2. Can the blind lead the blind?
3. Every tree is known by its fruit.
Call to Action - Take a close look at yourself and ask yourself if you are in a habit of judging people? If so, the next time you are tempted to judge someone take a close look at your life and see if there are any issues in your life that you may need to make changes - prior to speaking your mind.
[00:00:06] and I'll be your host. In this podcast we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.
[00:00:21] Open and prayer. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today. Lord,
[00:00:27] I pray that you get everyone ears to hear and a heart to receive everything you have in store for them today.
[00:00:34] I ask this in Jesus name, amen. This is Proverbs 15, beginning in verse 1. A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
[00:00:49] The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
[00:00:57] The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
[00:01:11] A fool despises his father's instruction that he who receives correction is prudent. In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
[00:01:26] The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the fool does not do so. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
[00:01:42] The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who follows righteousness.
[00:02:20] The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
[00:02:30] The better is a little with the fear of the Lord, then great treasure with trouble. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, and a fattened calf with hatred.
[00:02:40] A raffle man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger a laze contention. The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, but the way of the devil is a
[00:03:10] way of the upright is a highway. A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.
[00:03:22] The way of the devil is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly. Without counsel plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.
[00:03:42] The way of life winds upward for the wise that he may turn away from hell below. The Lord will destroy the house of the proud, but he will establish the boundary of the widow.
[00:04:04] The thoughts of the wicked are in abomination to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasant. He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.
[00:04:25] The righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil. The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
[00:04:40] The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy. The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise, but he who heads rebukes gets understanding.
[00:04:58] The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.
[00:05:07] Friends today I'd like to take a look at two verses, and proper 15 verse 31 and 32 says this. The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise.
[00:05:25] He who distains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heads rebukes gets understanding.
[00:05:35] Friends we will take a closer look at those two verses prior to closing today, but what I'd like to do now is pick up where we left off on Monday's podcast.
[00:05:49] Now we are currently in a study of the Gospel according to Luke, and on Monday's podcast our last verse was verse 36 of chapter 2.
[00:06:02] Today we are going to begin in chapter 6 beginning in verse 37, and the first six verses that we will be going over are entitled do not judge.
[00:06:17] This is chapter 6 of Luke beginning in verse 37.
[00:06:47] In to your bosom, for with the same measure that you use it will be measured back to you.
[00:06:56] So friends my first point today is judge not condemn not and forgive, and friends I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible, and what I'd like to do is read the commentary for verse 37.
[00:07:17] Judge not condemn not forgive.
[00:07:23] The idea here is not that one should ignore sin or refuse to discuss its consequences, and it says, say chapter 11 verses 39 through 52.
[00:07:40] Now friends we are in chapter 6 that in chapter 11, Jesus has this long discourse with the despised Pharisees and he goes into great deal about what they are doing wrong with their life.
[00:08:00] Rather one should be gracious and quick to forgive. So on Monday's podcast I talked we could argue about the ten hardest verses in the Bible, and it was entitled love your enemies.
[00:08:19] This is not easy to do, and the lesson today is almost as difficult it's telling us not to judge.
[00:08:29] Let's go over these verses one more time. Verse 37, judge not and you shall not be judged.
[00:08:38] Condemn not and you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
[00:08:47] Now friends on Monday's podcast I brought up in the book of Galatians chapter 6, and Paul wrote this letter, but in chapter 6 verse 7 it says,
[00:09:00] and if we forgive people we are going to be forgiven.
[00:09:28] Likewise if we don't forgive people people will not forgive us.
[00:09:36] Give and it will be given to you. Good measure pressed down shaken together and running over will be put in to your bosom.
[00:09:51] Let's look at the commentary for verse 38, good measure. This illustration comes from the marketplace where grain was poured out shaken down and then filled to overflowing so that the buyer received the full amount purchased.
[00:10:16] Such is the full measure that will be returned to one who has been generous. Let's go to verse 39, and he spoke a parable to them, can the blind lead the blind?
[00:10:35] Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.
[00:10:50] So I would like to go over the commentary for verse 39. Here when Jesus is talking about the blind, he is not talking about people that cannot see. Here he is talking about the religious teachers who cannot see where they are going and are unable to lead others.
[00:11:17] Jesus was warning against self-righteousness and arrogance. Two things that can trap people even in our society today. A lot of people are self-righteous. They are a lot of people are arrogant. A lot of people think they have it all going on.
[00:11:44] And these people are the people who choose not to receive Jesus into their heart. They don't see any need for him. They don't feel they are totally reliant on who they are and the decisions that they make.
[00:12:00] Now it is debated whether Jesus was describing the Pharisees here or simply warning his disciples about dangerous attitudes. The focus on the disciples' attitudes suggests the latter, though the remark would also have applied to the teachers with whom Jesus was in conflict.
[00:12:27] Let's go on to verse 31. Why do you look at the spec in your brother's eye that do not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother?
[00:12:45] Let me remove the spec that is in your eye when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye.
[00:12:56] Now friends, when I first became a Christian, I really struggled with these two verses. I did not understand what they were talking about.
[00:13:08] But what we're talking about here is Jesus is talking about noticing that someone has a small problem in their life.
[00:13:21] But it's minor, it's not major. It's not hindering them. So what he's saying is, do not focus on the little things that people have going on in their life when you yourself have something major that is hindering you from being the person God wants you to be.
[00:13:51] So the whole thing here has to do with judging. It's so easy when we see anyone doing anything that we would not do to frown upon that and look down on people for doing something that you may disagree with or think is wrong.
[00:14:15] And then it says hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the spec that is in your own eye.
[00:14:29] Let's go to verse 43. For a good tree does not bear bad fruit. Nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.
[00:14:46] For men do not gather things from thorns. Nor do they gather grapes from a brimble bush, a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good.
[00:15:02] And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil for out of the abundance of the heart. His mouth speaks.
[00:15:17] So friends, the third point I would like to bring up today is that every tree is known by its fruit. Now what I'd like to do is go over the commentary for verse 45.
[00:16:02] To do this, to do this and then they will do the same thing that they are petaling people not to do. This is why Jesus had such a difficult time with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were notorious for telling people to do certain things and then they did it themselves.
[00:16:27] And that is why Jesus was such an issue for them. They were always at odds.
[00:16:36] Friends before we close today I'd like to go back to our two verses that I had mentioned today in proper 15 verses 31 and 32.
[00:16:47] The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise. He who distains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heads rebukes gets understanding.
[00:17:07] Now friends, I'd like to go over the commentary because this is really key for verses 31 and 32. He who distains instruction despises his own soul.
[00:17:23] The natural instinct for self preservation is dangerous when it is time to listen to a necessary rebukes.
[00:17:36] For the relationship between discipline and wisdom, say, provered one verse 7.
[00:17:44] And that verse says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. So friends, God is careful to review us when we made it.
[00:17:58] Now God is not going to speak to us in an audible voice, but he often will speak to us through scripture or through people in our lives.
[00:18:09] So if people who are close to us such as our spouse, our boss, our children, our parents, our loved ones, the ones closest to us,
[00:18:22] if they see something in your life that you are doing wrong for doing questionable things, if they bring it to your attention.
[00:18:36] We need to let our guard down and listen and hear what people are telling us and be open to rebukes.
[00:18:49] Because that is how you will become more and more like Jesus, and that should be our goal each and every day.
[00:19:02] Friends, the call to action today. Once again, I ask that you reflect upon your own life and ask yourself, do you judge other people.
[00:19:17] And the next time that you were tempted to do that, I ask that you consider these two verses when it says, why do you bring up the speck that is in someone else's life when you have a plank in your own life.
[00:19:37] Before you go ahead and shoot someone for something they're doing, take a good look at your life and make sure that everything in your life is in order before you do that.
[00:19:53] Friends, I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
[00:20:03] If there is anyone listening today and you've never taken that step, I invite you to repeat a simple prayer after me today.
[00:20:11] Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and in need of a Savior.
[00:20:18] I ask that you forgive me of all of my sins. I ask that you lead me and guide me from this point forward in my life. I make you my Lord and Savior.
[00:20:30] Friends, if any of you have repeated that prayer, do me a favor. Go on my webpage wisdom today, bek.com.
[00:20:40] If you would, click on the contact tab and or in your name write a brief description. Let me know that you said that prayer I want to rejoice with you.
[00:20:53] Now, may the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make us stay shined upon you and be gracious to you.
[00:21:01] The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Friends, please join me again tomorrow as we further explore wisdom today.