Emphasis Preaching Journal

The Rebuke We Need To Hear
by Chris Keating
Mark 8:27-38, Proverbs 1:20-33

Once more, wisdom’s voice is drowned out by the sounds of gunfire.

The lessons consistently send that message that what transpires is only by the hrace of God.

Proverbs 1:20-33

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire” (vv. 5-6)

A professional football game in the United States includes many rituals. Fans who arrive early watch the players take the field in more casual athletic gear, so they can stretch, jog, throw and catch pass, and otherwise perform their various rituals.

In a previous incarnation (as it were!) I used to work as a physiotherapist in a NHS hospital. Much of my time was spent working with stroke victims. All long-term illnesses are cruel, but a severe stroke really does seem to be one of the cruellest.

Some people have a stroke which is so minor that they don't even realise anything is wrong. Perhaps they just feel a bit wobbly or under the weather for a while. Others have a stroke and recover within about a week. Yet others have a stroke which affects only their balance,

Proverbs 1:20-33
How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
-- Proverbs 1:22

Proverbs is right: Having a good name is a terribly important thing. It is important in business, it is important in society, it is important at home, in a family. When we lose our good name, we have lost our trustworthiness. Sometimes it cannot be replaced.

A popular series of movies has been the Lethal Weapon series. You might remember that in the series Mel Gibson plays a semi-unbalanced police officer named Riggs. Riggs is a capable detective but occasionally he goes berserk and mentally flips out. He's called a lethal weapon because you never know when he's going to go off.

You have heard that it has been said in old times, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach." But I say unto you this morning, "Those who are taught, can do." As one who has been taught, I say this unto you as to those who have been taught by God, "Having been taught, we can."

All this is pertinent to us all because as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes wrote, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Are we aware of what time it is? There is a time to be taught and a time to do.