“When Good People Say The Wrong Things (Be Careful Who You’re Listening To! pt. 3)”

Pastor Jim Lowe III

Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream 05/07/23 (1st Sunday Message)

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All scriptures are NIV84 unless stated}

 

This message continues from last time. Be Careful Who You’re Listening To”

Proverbs 18:21

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

 

Words Are Powerful!

 

Genesis 3

 

Words were used to temp Eve to eat the fruit God told her not to.

 

She knew what God said. Don’t eat the fruit.

The serpent told her she could eat it. it would make her like God.

give her wisdom. All that was used were words. Those words planted a thought.

What happened with that thought?

 

Genesis 3:6

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

 

When she SAW that the fruit of the tree was good for food. good for food and could give her wisdom.

How long had the tree been there?

 

We don’t know…but the new information she had cause her to look at it different.

 

Words Can Plant Thoughts

 

The fruit of the tree was good for food. so were the other trees.

The fruit of the tree was pleasing to the eye… so were other trees.

But NOW we know this tree does something the others don’t. THIS TREE allowed you to be like God.

gaining wisdom.

 

What’s that like?

 

What’s it like to be “like God?”

 

There could be a ton of reasons that’d be desirable.

 

So the THOUGHT caused her to act.

 

Words -> Thoughts -> Actions

 

Can we act sometimes without thinking?

 

Are we not thinking…or are we not FULLY thinking?

thinking in the moment is “thinking in the moment” But since the THOUGHT came from a word,

We Have To Be Careful Who We Listen To!

 

People will always talk to you…

 

But you HAVE to pay attention to what you listen to.

 

Do they have any motives for anything?

 

Proverbs 2:1-2 (NCV)

My child, listen to what I say and remember what I command you. 2 Listen  carefully to wisdom; set your mind on understanding.

 

Listen carefully to wisdom.

 

So how do we know wisdom when we hear it?

 

{Listening To Others}:

• What Is The Character Of The Person?

• What Is The Motive Of The Person?

• Will This Help You Achieve God’s Purpose Or Will It Cause You To Doubt It?

 

People will come up to you with advice… A word from the Lord.

Something “God told them” that you’re supposed to do.

 

How Can You Tell If It’s A Good Or Bad Word For You?

Anything that suggests that you go against what God told you is a bad word. Bad advice.

Genesis - don’t eat the fruit. Serpent - eat the fruit

Bad advice.

 

Jesus in the wilderness - he was led into the desert to be tempted.

 

Satan - “turn the stones to bread.”

 

to a hungry person…might make sense.

 

but he was supposed to pass the temptation.

 

Bad advice.

 

But BOTH of these examples the CHARACTER was wrong.

 

Both situations the motive was off.

 

But what happens when the Character of the person isn’t so bad??

 

Even People With Good Character Can Say The Wrong Thing

 

Matthew 16:21-23

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

So why did Jesus go off? Called him Satan…

Peter was a disciple! Peter was one of the 3! Jesus had 12 Disciples Those were HIS group.

But out of HIS group, he had his “3.”

 

Many of us have a group of people we’re close to. some of us that group is small.

But even in that group…we have our “people.” our “ride or die” people.

When Jesus went through his transfiguration in Chap 17 he took his 3. Peter, James and John.

When you graduated you brought your closest people with you. Jesus was transfigured…

He was changed…

 

a major preparation for the cross he was going to have to endure.

 

And Peter was there to witness it! So Peter was special to him!

But WHY Did Jesus Go Off On Peter?

 

Why is he a "stumbling block”?

 

What were the 3 things in ref to listening to others?

 

{Listening To Others}:

• What Is The Character Of The Person?

• What Is The Motive Of The Person?

• Will This Help You Achieve God’s Purpose Or Will It Cause You To Doubt It?

 

Peter’s character was he was one of the Disciples.

 

One of the 3.

 

he loved Jesus as a brother.

 

His motive was to protect Jesus.

 

• the statement here was to “protect Jesus.”

 

“Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

 

• Peter is saying “let someone try and harm you.”

 

- Peter also cut off someone’s ear who was trying to arrest Jesus.

 

Those words could create thoughts in Jesus mind. and would those thoughts HELP Jesus…

or not.

We can NOT forget that Jesus was a man.

 

Jesus Knew What It Was Like To Be Hungry (Matt 21:18) {fig tree}

Jesus Knew What It Was Like To Be Thirsty (John 19:28) {on the cross}

Jesus Experienced Temptation (Matt 4:1) {wilderness}

Jesus Experienced Pain (Matt 16:21) {“suffer many things”}

Jesus Experienced Sorrow (Matt 26:36){“Soul is overwhelmed with sorrow”}

 

In that last passage:

 

Right before he would be arrested.

 

Matthew 26:36-38

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.  Stay here and keep watch with me.”

 

Jesus was greatly troubled.

 

In Luke he was sweating so intensely it was blood.

 

Matthew 26:39-40

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father,  if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

 

Jesus was asking if there were ANYWAY to do what needed to be done. without doing what needed to be done.

Jesus was a man…and had to PUSH himself through what needed to be done.

Listening to the wrong people could have made that decision even harder. This was God’s plan.

Peter didn’t know it…but he was giving advice that would CONFLICT with God’s plan. Making himself a “stumbling block.”

How Many Times Have We Had Loved Ones Slow Us Down From Doing What God Wants?

 

God has a plan and purpose for EACH of us.

 

Instead Of Living God’s Purpose, Many Of Us Are Living The Dreams Of Our Friends And Family

 

Because these people are loved ones… We listen to them before God.

“You’d be a great football player.” “You’d be a great lawyer.”

“You’d be a great contractor.” We’re living someone else’s great idea.

These words create thoughts…which CAN produce actions. Would those actions line up with what God said?

Anything That Gets In The Way Of What God Said Is A Distraction!

Many times people mean well!

 

But THEY didn’t tailor a plan for YOU. THEY don’t have it all worked out.

THEY can’t be there for you in your worst times. So what does God want?

What has he designed?

 

Does what you hear line up with what God said?

 

Or make you want to run from it?

 

Make Sure The Things You Hear Don’t Turn You From God’s Original Plan For You!

 

 

So what were the 3 ways to “check” the advice you receive?

 

{Listening To Others}:

• What Is The Character Of The Person?

• What Is The Motive Of The Person?

• Will This Help You Achieve God’s Purpose Or Will It Cause You To Doubt It?

 

THIS time it was Peter. A disciple…

a close friend…

 

Someone who cared about Jesus.

 

but what he was saying became a “stumbling block.” People will always suggest things.

People will always have something to say.

 

Sometimes it’s with a good heart… sometimes not.

But how do you know if you should listen or not?

 

{Listening To Others}:

• What Is The Character Of The Person?

• What Is The Motive Of The Person?

• Will This Help You Achieve God’s Purpose Or Will It Cause You To Doubt It?

 

Your friends can be wrong sometimes. Mama/Daddy can be wrong sometimes. If the disciples can be wrong…

Sometimes even the man/woman of God can say the wrong thing.

 

Be Careful What You Listen To, Because Even Good People Can Say Things That Can Become A Stumbling Block If You Aren’t Careful

 

This Week:

• Review This Message

• Ask God To Hear God’s Voice More Clearly {So we won’t be so easily distracted}

• Ask God For Discernment To Know What Is Helpful For Your Purpose, Or What Will Cause You To Stumble

 

- God has plans for us.

those plans are for US. Don’t let someone else mess that up.