Proverbs 24:23-26 RA Stand Firm For Truth In Love

Proverbs 24:23 These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good. 24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, 25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them. 26 Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips. Honesty is the best policy… Benjamin Franklin… You know, mans heart has not gotten better over the past few thousand years has it. Today many people still publicly agree with and support those who they want to benefit from even when they don’t actually agree with them in their heart. We do it when we are obsessed with getting ahead at work. Politicians do it do it with their constituents and vice versa even when they know they are wrong. Solomon is telling us not crumble before the wicked. Don't tell them they are right when they are wrong… but rather be a man… not a brown nose man… not a yes man… but a man who does not let wickedness get the last say… well be a man if you are a man that is… If you are a woman… still take a stand for truth! Wickedness is all around us, making claims of truth to our children at school… trying to be the teacher to all of us on TV… and so called political correctness is being enforced in the workplace. Wickedness pushes a morality as being supreme over the Bible… And in order to be accepted in a wicked world we are tempted to not stand up for truth. Unfortunately much of the time we don’t stand for truth because we do not know truth as we ought. We need to be a people who are tethered to Gods word… We must love it so much that we meditate on it day and night that and see its treasures and beauty of how it is supreme over the morality of the world so we don’t bow to their values. I do think we need to get a lot better at honestly rebuking wickedness in love instead of being honest as a kind of self-righteous judgmental executor of judgment. But even as we state truth in love we should ask the Lord for discernment in how to do it. Actually I think the book of Jude gives us some help on how to discern the best way to rebuke in love when wickedness is trying to get the last word in our lives. Jude 1:17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Did you notice the discernment in the varying ways Jude deals with sin… he uses words like hate… towards sin… mercy towards others, to snatch out of the fire as though we need to hurry… So no, we are not called to be casual comfort zone Christians… time is short… our lives are short and I myself feel like I have wasted way too much of it on the things of the world. And Jude also mentions fear… I think fear to be careful ourselves not to fall… Because we are all still works in progress. I think that is why he said we should build ourselves up in our most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit… Now instead of a prayer I think I will close by reading the last two verses in the book of Jude to see who this is all about… who is it for and who gives us such a great blessing in standing up against evil as our text in Proverbs says… ok, verses 24 and 25. 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.