Proverbial Wisdom—6:30-35

Excuses might be found for a thief who steals because he is starving. But if he is caught, he will be fined seven times as much as he stole, even if it means selling everything in his house to pay it back. But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys his own soul. Wounds and constant disgrace are his lot. His shame will never be erased. For the woman's husband will be furious in his jealousy, and he will have no mercy in his day of vengeance. There is no compensation or bribe that will satisfy him.

Proverbs 6:30-35 (NLT)

Oops…I discovered that I included the above verses in my last blog posting. Oh well, not to worry, because you can never get too much of God’s Words of wisdom.

Throughout the book of Proverbs is a cord of wisdom about the destructiveness of sampling the forbidden. Study Adam and Eve. Their act of rebellion set in motion a huge avalanche of negative consequences. Those negative consequences continue even unto our day, thousands of years later.

The sins of an adulterous man will also set in motion an avalanche of destruction. Once that avalanche begins, its snowball of hell can destroy everyone within its path…both the guilty and the innocent. Therefore, the wise man will think before he leaps into the arms of a harlot.

Society has blurred the lines between right and wrong…good and evil…until adultery is considered as common as a hiccup. Nevertheless, God’s Word has not changed.

God does not have blurred vision, nor does He accept the deceitfulness of man’s ideas. Furthermore, He says in Romans 1:18 that He shows His, “anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves” (NLT).

Those who deny God’s truth and accept the devil’s lies, begin a downward spiral into a corkscrew of moral corruption. Once the foolish man begins this downward spiral, vain imaginations attack his mind until he cannot recognize the difference between good and evil. His logic becomes perverted by his own wickedness. “…The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead” (Romans 1:21-22).

This downward spiral of moral corruption is rolling throughout our countries like an avalanche. One sin leads to greater sins. Then greater sins lead to even greater sins, until people are buried under an avalanche of their sins. Having settled for the devil’s hell, they can no longer perceive the difference between acceptable and unacceptable.

A quick look at news headlines confirms the downward spiral of mankind. Teachers are corrupting by having sex with students. Politicians are hiding their true agendas under a playwright of falsehoods. Children are acting out violent video games with Real guns and on Real people!

But it does not have to be this way. This moral decline can be stopped!

If we as individuals and as a nation would return to the knowledge and the fear of the Lord, we can be pulled out from harm’s way before this avalanche of wickedness destroys us, as it destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

There is hope of healing if we would heed God’s call to repentance. “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV).

Children of God, it is time that we fall upon our faces before the Lord and begin crying out for His mercy. We must confess and repent of all our wicked ways. All those wicked ways of rewriting God’s Word in order to satisfy our lusty desires must stop. And all those wicked ways of disguising lies under a veil of false flattery (intrigue), must be exposed by the sword of truth (the Word of God).

There is still time for us to be saved from the sword of destruction that is slashing through the wicked. But in order to be saved, we need to cry out to the Lord and repent of our sins. Perhaps God will hear our cries, forgive our sins, and begin healing our nation.

For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished. It is a devastating fire that destroys to hell.

Job 31:11-12 (NLT)

So if your eye—even if it is your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even if it is your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Matthew 5:29-30 (NLT)

Three Key Concepts:

1.  An act of rebellion can set off an avalanche of destruction.

2.  When people deny God’s truth, their minds can become dark and confused.

3.  It is time to humbly cry out, seek God’s face, and repent of our sins.

The Repentant Man

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Today, all around the world, we hear and see the devastating effect of civilization’s moral decline. People are sliding into sinful depravity, such as the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Unconcerned about their final destiny, wicked people rush headlong into the pit of sin, without looking back.

Unfortunately, this trend of moral decline has not only permeated individuals, families, and nations; it has also permeated many church members, ministers, and churches. All of these are lost souls who need a Savior. Jesus is that Savior.

Yes, I did include church members, ministers, and churches in my list of those who are in need of a Savior. They need a Saviour because true salvation requires a repentant heart, and that requirement is missing in many church messages.

I know this lesson may not sit well with some readers, because some people despise being told that they have to turn from their sins. Instead, they want to retain their sins and mix those sins with a head-knowledge of Jesus Christ; and at the same time, they claim to be saved. It will not work; therefore, I will teach God’s Word.

We are in the time of God’s grace and He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). However, do not mistake God’s grace as a license to sin (Jude 1:4).

Scriptures consistently throughout the Bible, stress that in order to be healed (salvation) there must be a repentant heart. Furthermore, true repentance is more than just dropping morsels of praise in an attempt to appease God and win His blessings. Rather, true repentance is a genuine sorrow evidenced by a complete change in attitude, which results in a turning from sin and a turning to God.

For example, prior to repentance, the sinful man is walking down a road in one direction. After repentance, that same man turns around and begins walking in the opposite direction. He does not just do a 45-degree turn and mix some sin with some holy, nor does he just do a 90-degree turn and mix half sin with half holy. Rather, the true repentant man does a 180-degree turn and he begins going in a complete opposite direction.

Quickly, everyone grab your Bible, turn to Luke 19:1-10, and read the story of Zacchaeus. After Zacchaeus had an encounter with Jesus, Zacchaeus repented. His repentance was more than just empty words. After he repented, Zacchaeus shared with the poor and returned that which he had stolen…he even gave back more than he had stolen. He felt a true sorrow for his sins that was evidenced by his actions.

Likewise, when a sinful man truly repents, his repentance will be evidenced by his actions. He will restore that which he had stolen (Ezekiel 33:14-16), and he will turn from sin that previously destroyed (Ezekiel 18:28). “…turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit…” (Ezekiel 18:30-31).

A godly sorrow, a broken spirit, a contrite heart, and a change in actions evidence a true repentant man (Psalms 51:17, Jonah 3:5-10, Joel 2: 13, James 4:4-10, 2 Corinthians 7:10, Matthew 21:28-32).

Moreover, when a true repentant man humbles himself before God and turns from his prior wicked ways, his sins are forgiven and his heart is healed (Isaiah 1:18-19, Jeremiah 18:8-9, Micah 7:5-9).

Compare the outcome of a repentant man with the outcome of an unrepentant man. Whereas the repentant man is forgiven and healed, the unrepentant man is cursed with pain, distress, sorrow, hardness, and destruction (Psalms 32:3-4, Romans 2:4-6, Lamentations 1:20, Isaiah 1:20).

While you are comparing the repentant man with the unrepentant man, open your Bibles to Matthew 27:3-5 and Matthew 26:75. What was the outcome of the unrepentant man, Judas, compared to the outcome of the repentant man, Peter?

Although we are still in the day of grace, we are also in the day of the itchy ear syndrome. Many churches have abandoned God’s requirement of a repentant man. Please do not make this mistake. If you discover that you have sinned, truly repent with a godly sorrow.

Additionally, have nothing to do with a rebellious man who has knowingly turned his back to God. “..Deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 5:5).

So you see, you can harbor a ship that is adrift on the open seas, you can harbor a man that is blinded since birth, but you had better not harbor the rebellious man (Titus 1:20, Ephesians 5:11, 2 Thessalonians 3:6 & 14).

If you harbor the rebellious man or if you, yourself, are a rebellious man, then on the judgment day, you just may hear a famous line from an old show of “I Love Lucy.” Ricky Ricardo would say, “Lucy, you got some splainin to do!”  

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:6-7

Three Key Concepts

1.  A repentant man is evidenced through his actions.

2.  God restores and heals the true repentant man.

3.  Turn the unrepentant man over to Satan.