Jun 4, 2023
Weird Flex Part 7: I Have No Ambition Or Anything Else (Proverbs 13:4)
Series: Weird Flex

Proverbs 13:4 says, “the soul of a sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Proverbs 1:32 says “the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them.” The book of Proverbs makes it apparent that fools are lazy and apathetic and because of that they have produce very little of value . A fool brags that they have no ambition or anything else. It is not wise to be lazy, apathetic, and unambitious. But, we can all relate a little right? I mean who doesn't want to take a break every now and then, lay back, and just chill? The problem is, without moderation and discipline, times of rest and relaxation can turn into days of rest and relaxation which can turn into weeks which can turn into months. Before you know it you've allowed a few moments of rest to become a habit of laziness and lethargy.  Take vacations for example. There is very little in this life better than working hard all year and then enjoying that week at the beach where you sit around and do nothing, right? But then comes that next week when you have to go back to work. I don't know about you, but I rarely feel ready to jump back into that week at full speed. In fact, I would much rather have another week of vacation. Laziness can become a habit very fast.  Or think back to Covid. We were basically told to stop working, stop going to the gym, stop living life, and nestle down in our homes and watch Netflix for a year. I dare say we have all recovered from the months upon months of sluggish living. It is possible many never will. And that is foolish.  Why is it foolish to live a lifestyle void of ambition, void of hard work and diligence? Because, laziness doesn't produce anything of true worth. Television watching doesn't produce anything of worth. Cheering for a team doesn't produce anything of worth. Playing a video game doesn't produce anything of worth. Sleeping all day produces nothing of worth. In other words, you cannot produce anything of value unless you do something productive.  This message is huge for our graduates and those who will be graduating in the upcoming years. At every turn you will be confronted with two options. Go make something of yourself where you contribute to society and produce things of value to humanity or indulge yourself in staying stagnant in habitual laziness. Go create a life of value or continue to be idle. Go add value to the world around you or turn into a leech mooching off of society. Be someone who is dependable or someone who is simply dependent. If you choose to reject the path of laziness you will find your life filled with meaning in serving others and serving Christ. But if you choose the path of no ambition what you will find out is that at some point it is unsustainable. It is sin, and it is foolishness. You cannot produce anything of value unless you do something productive.

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  • Jun 4, 2023Weird Flex Part 7: I Have No Ambition Or Anything Else (Proverbs 13:4)
    Jun 4, 2023
    Weird Flex Part 7: I Have No Ambition Or Anything Else (Proverbs 13:4)
    Series: Weird Flex

    Proverbs 13:4 says, “the soul of a sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Proverbs 1:32 says “the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them.” The book of Proverbs makes it apparent that fools are lazy and apathetic and because of that they have produce very little of value . A fool brags that they have no ambition or anything else. It is not wise to be lazy, apathetic, and unambitious. But, we can all relate a little right? I mean who doesn't want to take a break every now and then, lay back, and just chill? The problem is, without moderation and discipline, times of rest and relaxation can turn into days of rest and relaxation which can turn into weeks which can turn into months. Before you know it you've allowed a few moments of rest to become a habit of laziness and lethargy.  Take vacations for example. There is very little in this life better than working hard all year and then enjoying that week at the beach where you sit around and do nothing, right? But then comes that next week when you have to go back to work. I don't know about you, but I rarely feel ready to jump back into that week at full speed. In fact, I would much rather have another week of vacation. Laziness can become a habit very fast.  Or think back to Covid. We were basically told to stop working, stop going to the gym, stop living life, and nestle down in our homes and watch Netflix for a year. I dare say we have all recovered from the months upon months of sluggish living. It is possible many never will. And that is foolish.  Why is it foolish to live a lifestyle void of ambition, void of hard work and diligence? Because, laziness doesn't produce anything of true worth. Television watching doesn't produce anything of worth. Cheering for a team doesn't produce anything of worth. Playing a video game doesn't produce anything of worth. Sleeping all day produces nothing of worth. In other words, you cannot produce anything of value unless you do something productive.  This message is huge for our graduates and those who will be graduating in the upcoming years. At every turn you will be confronted with two options. Go make something of yourself where you contribute to society and produce things of value to humanity or indulge yourself in staying stagnant in habitual laziness. Go create a life of value or continue to be idle. Go add value to the world around you or turn into a leech mooching off of society. Be someone who is dependable or someone who is simply dependent. If you choose to reject the path of laziness you will find your life filled with meaning in serving others and serving Christ. But if you choose the path of no ambition what you will find out is that at some point it is unsustainable. It is sin, and it is foolishness. You cannot produce anything of value unless you do something productive.

  • May 28, 2023Weird Flex Part 6: I’m Wasted (Proverbs 20:1)
    May 28, 2023
    Weird Flex Part 6: I’m Wasted (Proverbs 20:1)
    Series: Weird Flex

    Proverbs 20:1 says, “wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” Simply put, it is foolish to be led astray by alcohol. It is unwise to drink too much, to wander into substance abuse, and to blatantly sin by becoming drunk. Like it or not, alcohol is a huge part of our society, and a huge problem in our culture and it must be addressed. And, I know that this may be a sensitive subject but Proverbs has a few things to say about the foolishness of alcohol consumption and substance abuse and I think it would be negligent of me as your pastor if we didn't at least give it a look.   I've also noticed that it is not just a problem, but that this problem is celebrated. It is not uncommon for someone to brag about how much they drink and how often they are drunk. Even when I was in high-school kids would come to school flaunting how wasted they were. Like some badge of honor many people unashamedly admit that their weekend plans are to get wasted. In no small part our society lives for the weekend and many weekends involve binging on alcohol or drugs. The Bible says that this is foolish. It's not godly, its not God honoring, and it clearly shows a lack of fear in God. It's also not uncommon to see substance abuse celebrated on social media. Look at some of these tweets. The point is simple, a fool brags about being high, being drunk, being wasted... they may think it's cool but it is a weird flex.   So, for those struggling with substance abuse or addiction, there is hope in the wisdom of Christ. For those who socially drink but often find they take it too far and get drunk, it's time to repent and find wisdom in the Word of God. And for those who like to use recreational drugs like Marijuana, it's time to turn from your foolishness and return to the wisdom found in God.  But you may say, it's not a sin to drink. And you would be right. But is it always wise? This morning I want us to focus on the dangers of alcohol and drugs while also wrestling with the fact that alcohol isn't forbidden for believers and is in some case prescribed. When it comes to this particular subject we must find a balance of staying within God's will and if choosing to partake doing so with moderation. Wisdom is often finding that middle ground. But, let's be honest. That is hard. That is difficult. And if it can't be done, then it should be done away with. The main point is simple, When alcohol or drugs can not be handled with wisdom, the wise thing to do would be to not handle them at all!

  • May 21, 2023Weird Flex Part 5: I Always Say What’s On My Mind (Proverbs 29:11)
    May 21, 2023
    Weird Flex Part 5: I Always Say What’s On My Mind (Proverbs 29:11)
    Series: Weird Flex

    I have preached in over a dozen funerals and been to at least that many more. And over the course of these funerals I've heard on more than a handful of occasions this phrase, “one thing I can tell you is that they always spoke their mind.” It's a very interesting phrase is it not? “They always spoke their mind.” They say it like it's a virtue; like it's something to be proud of.  I assure you, it's not.  Ii've known people like this who always spoke their mind, and I must say that I've never really felt that it was a good quality. My grandmother was one of those people who always spoke her mind. “That haircuts dumb. You kids these days need to learn respect. You call that music.” Never a kind word, just matter of fact opinions spouted off without filter or thought of others feelings.  Instead, I would think that it would be more wise to think about what you are going to say or if it even needs to be said, be a little bit more diplomatic about how to say it, and then gently in a one on one conversation deliver your words with love. But, just rattling off every thought as if your opinion is the final word is not wise; it's careless and foolish. Saying, “I always say what's on my mind” is a weird flex, but okay... let's see what the word of God has to say about it.  This morning it is our hope that when you see the wisdom found in the Bible you will rethink how you go about delivering your words. Yes we should always speak the truth, but we must also speak the truth in love. Your opinions aren't always truth and your delivery isn't always loving. So take a step back and filter your opinions and delivery through the wisdom of the word of God found in the book of Proverbs. The main point this morning is that When you say anything, remember It's better to be righteous than right.

  • May 14, 2023Weird Flex Part 4: I Make My Momma Cry All The Time (Proverbs 10:1)
    May 14, 2023
    Weird Flex Part 4: I Make My Momma Cry All The Time (Proverbs 10:1)
    Series: Weird Flex

    Proverbs 10:1 says, “a wise son makes a glad father but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.” A wise son, a son who fears God and receives wise counsel makes his parents proud. As a father I completely understand. Before kids the only person I really was concerned about, to some degree, was myself. What could I achieve. What success could I become. What was my legacy going to be. But then you have kids... and more kids... and more kids... and before you know it you have 5 little Shevis and Lisas running about and I'll level with you; the thing that makes me happiest in this entire world is when my kids have success and when my kids overcome their obstacles in life. Now I care about their legacy more than my own.  And when they make me proud it has it's benefits. I try my hardest to motivate my kids to do well in their studies so I bribe them with money and prizes and whatever I can. One of my tricks is that if they can get straight A's on a report card then the next 6 weeks they get one skip day from school and I'll take em out to eat, take em to a movie, or whatever they want. Just recently me and Hudson took the day off, went to Greensboro and watched Super Mario and it was a great day. The point is I am proud of my kids and a wise son wants to make his parents proud because it often comes with fringe benefits.  On the other hand, a foolish son will bring sorrow to his parents. In particular here in this verse it mentions moms. Now, I don't have to tell you but you know. If my kids make me mad, its one thing. And as a rule of thumb in my house, you don't want to make dad mad. But if you talk back to mom, or treat her without respect, or heaven forbid make her cry... well that's just dumb cause now Dad is mad and mom is sad and... let's just say that no one is going to escape the groundings that are about to get dished out. When you dishonor your parents it comes with very harsh consequences. It is foolish, foolish, foolish to bring sorrow to your mom.  Why do kids do this? Why do daughters and sons in our society today find it amusing, even liberating, to dishonor their parents and bring sorrow to their mothers, and then they go on Dr. Phil or twitter and bad mouth them and act like its a good thing? I remember seeing one post on facebook where a woman was bragging about the fact that she makes her momma cry all the time. I thought, that's a weird flex... and it ain't okay. That's not cool. That's not good. That's not Godly. It's flat out dumb, so don't do it. When you dishonor your mom, you destroy your own legacy. Today we are going to look at three reasons why loving your mother and honoring your parents is wise and dishonoring them is foolish and destroys your legacy.

  • May 7, 2023Weird Flex Part 3: I Don’t Listen To Anyone I Should (Proverbs 12:15)
    May 7, 2023
    Weird Flex Part 3: I Don’t Listen To Anyone I Should (Proverbs 12:15)
    Series: Weird Flex

    Proverbs 12:15 says, “the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” Fools brag about the fact that they don't listen to anyone that they should. That's a weird flex, but okay. Why? Because wise people listen to wise counsel. For example; when I was 17 me and all of my best friends, Chuck, Timmy, Forest, Steven, were all on our church's youth softball team. And we had a game that night and I really wanted to go, but the problem was I had to work. I worked for Lifeway Christian Bookstore and it was a good job that I really enjoyed. I had worked there for almost two years and hadn't taken many sick days. I remember it like it was yesterday. Timmy and Forest were like little devils on one shoulder telling me to call in sick and come play the softball game. On the other shoulder was my manager telling me that you shouldn't do that that cause it might come back to bite you. In the end, I listened to the two little devils, I listened to foolish advice from my not so wise friends and it did not go well. I called in sick and went to the softball game. When I got to the game my youth pastor, who got me the job because he was friends with my manager, told me that he just so happened to talk with my manager over the phone for something completely unrelated and she happened to mention that I called in sick. My youth pastor responded with, “well that's funny, I'm expecting him at our softball game in a couple hours.” So when I showed up at the softball game, my youth pastor told me what happened, benched me for the game, and the next day I got fired from my job. I learned that day to be careful who's advice I took.

    Now, over the years I have been blessed to have some very wise counsel over my life, much of it coming from the leadership of our church and other Christians. Perhaps the best advice I receive comes from Lisa. In all honesty she is the wisest person I know and never steers me in the wrong direction. When I take her counsel, things turn out good. When I ignore it... not so much.

    As a pastor, over the years, I have given what I think is very wise counsel to many people. Some take it, some ignore it. But you know what frustrates me the most. Those who reject good advice because it's not the advice they want and so they go and find others who will tell them what they want to hear. I don't think that ever turns out for the best. The Bible calls those people foolish. Today, it is our hope that if you are struggling to listen to wise counsel, if you are listening to your own heart or the counsel of non-believers, you would find wisdom here and change course. The point this morning is simple, when you ignore those who listen to God and listen to those who ignore God you can't blame God for the mess you make.

  • Apr 30, 2023Weird Flex Part 2: I Always Do The Wrong Thing (Proverbs 14:9)
    Apr 30, 2023
    Weird Flex Part 2: I Always Do The Wrong Thing (Proverbs 14:9)
    Series: Weird Flex

    Proverbs 14:9 tells us that fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. The guilt offering comes from Leviticus 6:1-7 where God made a way for someone to seek forgiveness for some sin that they had “gotten away with” but later felt guilty for it and wanted to repent. In essence, the guilt offering is repentance. Proverbs 14:9 tells us that fools mock at repentance, and by extension they mock sin. They are bragging about not taking sin seriously or caring much about their sinful actions. They take pride in doing the wrong thing.  It's interesting but we truly live in a world now where most people see what was once evil as good and what was once good as evil. We live in culture where almost everyone brags, “I always do the wrong thing.” That's not just a weird flex, that's an evil flex and it needs to be corrected. You may not see yourself or your actions as evil but that doesn't mean you are doing the right thing either. Regardless of how you define evil, evil reveals itself in how it destroys your soul! And it does so in three ways; it deadens your caution so that your actions are evil, it dishes out consequences when you words are evil, and it destroys your conscience so that your mind becomes evil.

  • Apr 23, 2023Weird Flex Part 1: I May Be A Fool But Wisdom Is Dumb (Proverbs 1:7)
    Apr 23, 2023
    Weird Flex Part 1: I May Be A Fool But Wisdom Is Dumb (Proverbs 1:7)
    Series: Weird Flex

    Proverbs 1:7 which says, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” That's a really weird flex, but okay. “I may be a fool but wisdom is dumb.” No, you're dumb. Why would anyone despise wisdom? Why would anyone say that they would rather be a fool and ignore in instruction? Why would anyone be known among others as unteachable? That's not okay, thats foolish. That's not just a weird flex, thats a dumb flex. Wisdom is power. The ability to learn is invaluable. Proverbs 8:11 says that “wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. Proverbs 16:16 says that it is better than gold and silver. Why would you not want wisdom when this is what wisdom can give you? Rejecting wisdom is perhaps the most foolish thing you could ever do and hopefully lead you back to wisdom. When wisdom is found in God, when wisdom affords you gold, when wisdom finds you growing, don't be a fool, embrace it!