All of us have been around "troublers" from time to
time. They like to create situations to "stir us up" and
they willingly go out of their way to make us uncomfortable. They
are contentious and have a passion for causing strife. There are
various types and levels of troublers in this world. I am
immediately reminded of Dennis "The Menace" or that
terrible "old putty tat", Sylvester. I'm sure all of us
have had to deal with such characters you could think of many
others.
A cursory reading of the Bible will show clearly that trouble
is as old as troublers. The devil is one kind of troubler who we are
all very familiar with. He has been tempting mankind ever since the
Garden of Eden. Jacob had accused Simeon and Levi of being trouble
to him (Gen.34:30). Achar, the son of Carmi, is described as "the
troubler of Israel"(1 Chron.2:7). Jeroboam troubled Israel.
In fact, he "made Israel to sin." Solomon tells us
that "The merciful man does good for his own soul; but he
who is cruel troubles his own flesh" (Prov.11:17). In the
New Testament, Paul talks about those who were guilty of perverting
the gospel and causing trouble in the church (Acts 15:24;
Gal.1:6-7).
However, there is the flip side of the coin, which we need to
consider as well. Many times good people are the ones who are
accused of being the troublers. They are often mis-characterized,
unfairly judged, maligned and ridiculed while attempting to restore
souls. Gal.6:1 tells us that those who are spiritual have the
responsibility of restoring sinners. Yet, how many times have the
spiritual ones been made out to be the "bad guys" in the
process by there own brethren ? How many times has the "sinning
soul" turned the tables on the "spiritual" ones? Of
course, Jesus talks about how some call light darkness and darkness
light and some call good, evil - and evil, good. Unfortunately, just
as in society, there is a growing tendency in the church where sin
has become an obsolete word. Many will shift blame and avoid
responsibility when their sinful lives are exposed. They do not want
to hear about sin and all its destructiveness. They do not want the
pulpit to be a place where sin is preached against. When sin is
exposed for what it is many self-righteous charge that we are just
too judgmental and unloving. The world hates moral sanctions and
loathes doctrinal absolutes, yet many in the church are becoming
more like the world.
It is very difficult to find an "old-fashioned" sinner
these days. Sin is no longer called sin. Instead, one might refer to
sin as simply a problem or a mistake. Some will say that they suffer
from some "weakness" or that they are psychologically
disadvantaged. Seldom does anyone consider themselves to be a
sinner. We have heard for far too long just how to "feel good
about ourselves" and the gospel of self-esteem. We are relying
upon humanistic sociologists, psychologists, philosophers and
theologians who have turned away from Divine revelation to secular
philosophy.
In Leviticus 19:17 God said to Israel, "You shall not
hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your
neighbor, and not bear sin because of him." The meaning is
simply this; if you do not point out sin when it needs to be pointed
out, then you hate your brother! It is not unloving, rather, it is
loving to call sin what God has called it. We have many young people
who are walking away from the church and the Lord and are floating
away in a swirling cesspool of sin, all because parents and others
do not have enough courage to say, "We love you enough to say
what you are doing is wrong and not because we say it is but because
God has said it is."
There are things that are wrong. Adultery is wrong! Fornication
is wrong! Sodomy is wrong! Homosexuality is wrong! Drunkenness is
wrong! Taking drugs is wrong! Lying is wrong! Stealing is wrong!
Mistreating others is wrong! Gossip is wrong! Pride is wrong! Hatred
is wrong! Knowing to do right and doing it not is wrong! Having a
bad attitude toward authority is wrong! Cheating is wrong!
J.W. McGarvey once said, "I would esteem above every
other gift that could be bestowed upon me as a preacher the power to
adequately conceive what sin is and to adequately set it before the
people." How true that is!
God's people have always had to deal with these circumstances.
When truth exposes error, those in error will lash out and try to
make it appear that they are the ones who are right and we are the
ones in the wrong. Remember the story of Elijah and Ahab? Was it not
the corrupt Ahab who had accused the prophet Elijah of being a
troubler to Israel? After being exposed, Ahab tried to deflect the
power of the truth and turned the tables on Elijah by declaring
Elijah to be guilty before God. However, Elijah would go on to
respond by saying, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and
your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments
of the Lord, and you have followed the Baals" (1 Kings
18:17-18).
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul and Silas were captured in
the city of Philippi and were accused of troubling the city and were
said to be teaching "unlawful customs"(Acts 16:19-21).
Also, there were unbelieving Jews in the city of Thessalonica who
caused a riot among the people of that city. They had captured a
Christian convert named Jason and brought him to the rulers of the
city. The unbelieving Jews would go on to accuse Jason, Paul and
others of being troublers because they had been preaching the One,
Jesus. In fact, these unbelieving Jews said that Paul and his fellow
Christians had "turned the world upside down" (Acts
17:5-8).
The message of Paul was effective in disturbing and troubling the
world. Paul would make many enemies because he spoke of Christ and
Him Crucified. The great apostle to the Gentiles was set for the
defense of the gospel and went about the business of the Lord by
speaking the truth in love. After trying to destroy the church of
Christ at an earlier point in his life, the apostle Paul would go on
to live the rest of his life in full devotion to Jesus, and made it
his life's aim to imitate Him in every possible way.
Of course, our own Savior was treated unfairly, mis-characterized
and accused of being evil, all because He spoke the Will of His
Father. Jesus, knowing what the future held in store for Him, and
knowing how He would be treated by the people, would say "Do
you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at
all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be
divided; three against two, and two against three. Father will be
divided against son, and son against father, mother against
daughter, and daughter, and daughter against mother, mother-in-law
against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against
mother-in-law" (Luke 12:51-53).
Jesus would tell His apostles that the world would hate them because
of their message (Matt.10:22). Jesus also told them, "Remember
the word that I said to you, 'A servant is no greater than his
master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If
they kept my word, they will keep yours also" (John 15:20).
We are living in postmodern times when people do not want to hear
how bad and sinful they really are. To suggest such is tantamount to
the "unpardonable sin." Many want grace but with
absolutely no responsibility. They want love, joy and peace but they
do not ever want to deny themselves. Many have been duped into
believing in the Calvinistic doctrine of "once saved, always
saved," and crave nothing more than to be told just how good
they are when in fact they need to be told to repent. This
pseudo-Calvinism being advocated by some supplies nothing more than
a false hope. It creates a fantasy world far removed from their true
spiritual reality.
The apostle Peter spoke directly to this same issue in 1 Peter
5:12. Peter gives us a summary of his first epistle and states for
us the basic purpose of the narrative. Peter writes, "I have
written to you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the
true grace of God in which you stand." Implied in this
statement is the fact that there is a false grace – a false hope!
Earlier, in the same context, Peter writes that they ought to be
humble and submissive to the Will of God (5:5-6) and that they
should "stand fast" in the overall favor of God
because one can certainly fall from grace (Gal.5:4; Heb.12:15).
Why would Peter give these particular admonitions if it didn’t
really effect their salvation? Why would he say anything at all if
it didn’t matter? The apostle Paul had admonished his audience to
"continue in the grace of God" (Acts 13: 43).
Again, why would Paul admonish them to do so if they couldn’t help
but continue in the grace of God? This doctrine of pseudo-grace
extinguishes the role of responsibility in the life of an
individual. It is truly a damnable doctrine. However, contrary to
the doctrine of Calvin, we do have responsibility. The grace of God
instructs us to "live soberly, righteously and godly in this
present age" (Titus 2:14). When people live this way they
are appropriating God’s grace in their lives. The reason for
living this way is because Jesus tells us about our responsibility
to Him. He said, "If you love Me, keep my commandments
(John 14:15). The Hebrews writer tells us that Jesus is the "author
of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Heb.5:9). God demands
responsibility to Christ, to His word, to others and to one’s own
soul.
When people desire grace without understanding their spiritual
condition they are putting the "cart before the horse."
God wants us to know that sin debilitates and devastates. It
deceives and mocks and it condemns and destroys. Without the gospel
we stand condemned, dominated by our sinful lusts. Jesus wants us to
realize this. He wants us to recognize our sin for what it is –
sin! Why? Because it separates us from God (Isa.59:1-2) and because
He wants us to respond to him in a proper way - He wants us to
repent. According to Luke 13:3 it is "repent or perish."
One of the best ways for one to be motivated in responding to God
is by knowing the wrath of God. Yet, many today want to dispense
with any teaching on the wrath of God because it is too negative.
Paul tells us, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the
truth in unrighteousness" (Rom.1:18). God makes no qualms
about telling it like it is, so why should we? He tells us that we
are sinners in need of a Savior and that all have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), and the only thing we are
qualified to receive is His wrath.
Paul tells us in Romans 11:22 to, "Behold the goodness
and severity of God." Many just want to be told only of the
goodness of God and not about His wrath or His severity. The problem
with this approach, however, is that it eliminates a powerful
evangelistic tool. The severity of God is also a part of God’s
nature and must be taught as well. Otherwise, we are not teaching
about the proper view of God. The Bible describes Jesus as a Lamb
but it also describes Him as a Lion.
The cross of Christ demands that we preach about sin and its
destructive nature because that is what the cross is all about. The
cross is a symbol of sin and it is where all our sins are nailed to.
And, if we are going to preach about sin then we must ascertain then
what it is. This means we have the responsibility of identifying sin
and labeling it as such. Although this may trouble some people, it
still must be done.