Heritage Southern Baptist Church

Last Lord's Day we looked at the scriptures concerning the coming wrath of God. In Proverbs 6:16-19, we find seven things that God hates. They are (1) a proud look, (2) a lying tongue, (3) hands that shed innocent blood, (4) a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, (5) feet that are swift in running to mischief, (6) a false witness that speaketh lies, and the seventh which God calls an abomination, (7) he that soweth discord among the brethren. Why would God look at the 7th any different from the other six? Because embodied in the seventh are all of the other six. Now we know that any sin against God is called 'missing the mark' or not hitting the target. The reason we miss the target is because we have not aimed correctly, other things caught our attention at the last minute, so we miss the mark. In the next verse the writer explains how not to miss the mark. V. 20-21, "My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck." Now, none of this is new to us, we've heard it many, many times before. But hearing is not enough. If it were, why aren't we any more spiritual than what we are? Because what we heard never got into our heart. King David prayed that he might hide the Word of God in his heart that he might not sin against God. What is hidden in our hearts?  We can know for sure what is hidden there because in Matt. 12:34, Jesus tells us "for of the abundance (the overflow) of the heart the mouth speaketh." What comes out of our mouth's is what was in our hearts.  May God give us grace to listen to our own speech.

In Job 11, Job's "friend" Zophar asks Job this question in verse 7, "Can you by searching find out God? Can you find out the Almighty unto perfection?" In verse 20 he gives his own answer according to the limited knowledge that he had: "But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up the ghost." How many times have we acted like Job's friend? We see something going on in someones life and we jump on the negative train and judge what is going on in their life without really knowing the real circumstances. Did Zophar really know or understand what God was doing in Job's life? Of course not, but he thought he did. This is why the scriptures insists that we pray for one another and help in bearing their burdens. Judging and criticism comes easy when we are not the one who is going through trials and troubles. Our job as believers is to help one another in their plight, not judge them. The scripture tells us that we will be judged by the same judgment that we have used on others. Now,that is a sobering thought. Zophar question was "can you find God by searching for him?" The answer is yes we can for we are told "to seek that Lord with all your heart, soul and mind", and he that seeks will find. I guess Zophar didn't know what he was talking about.