God is our justifier, and He came not to condemn, but to save

Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

A person can justify the wrong person. And a person can condemn the wrong person. In both cases, these people are an abomination to the Lord.

First of all, God does not condemn even wicked people, and thus there is no need to justify them. Only God can actually do that. But, what’s being said here, is called corruption. When a person who knowingly seeks to justify a wicked person and their behavior, it’s abominable to God. That is, it’s a disgusting thing to God. He abhors this kind of thing. He detests it.

And, when a person condemns another person who is just, that is also loathed by the Lord.

It seems like we feel just like the Lord does. For when we see a wicked person get off the hook in a courtroom, it’s terrible to us. We don’t like it. And, when we see someone be falsely accused and betrayed, we don’t like it either. God has put His laws and ways into our very hearts and inner beings.

Finally, here’s another perspective. God will take someone who is wicked, and bring them face to face with His love and His forgiveness, and if they will receive Jesus Christ, then they will be justified and saved. And, that’s a blessing to God and to any other person.

And, God knows the truth about any and all men, and ultimately vindicates those who have been dealt with in a treacherous way.

Lord, You are great, and we are not. You are holy, and want us to be more like You. Please comfort the afflicted. We praise You in Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises

1. God is the loving justifier.

2. God is not the condemner.

3. God loves those who others condemn.

4. Let’s try to be more like God towards others.

5. There is a golden rule.

6. Let’s treat others the way we want to be treated.

What a man can dig up and sow......or build

Proverbs takes a bit of a turn around the 15th to 16th chapters.....that is, God’s wisdom and truth are not so much presented by way of contrast, but rather just more directly speaking the truth about life period.

Thus, as in these verses, you just have God’s truth given to us plainly and in a very straightforward manner. Here it is, and it’s dealing with one of the big big issues of life. Gossiping and spreading slander about others.

Proverbs 16:27 An ungodly man digs up evil, And it is on his lips like a burning fire.

Proverbs 16:28 A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends.

The ungodly man is pictured as digging up evil, and then spreading it around. Interestingly, the Bible tells us that Satanic wisdom, is from below, and thus it’s dug up as it were, from the depths of hell. Once it’s dug and found, then it’s spread around, much like a man would throw a shovel full of dirt from the shovel.

Going on, the perverse or crooked man, also sows strife, or plants contention, and it can wind up separating the best of friends.

Love always builds up and unites, rather then separating. You can always judge a tree by it’s fruit, and the same applies to what’s coming out of a man’s life.

God has not called us to be diggers and spreaders of evil. But, lovers of God, and lovers of other people’s souls. Because that’s what He is, and that’s what He has done towards us. He loved us, and proved it at the cross.

Thank You Lord. Keep us from evil, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises

1. We can look up to God, rather then dig up evil from below.

2. The tongue can cause alot of destruction.

3. The Holy Spirit can instruct our hearts to help our tongues.

4. We are going to sow something, let it be good and Godly.

5. Let’s be those who unite, not those who divide.

6. God’s wisdom is pure and peaceable.

7. God’s wisdom is full of mercy, just like God

He who is slow to anger, allays contention.

Proverbs 15:18 A wrathful man stirs up strife, But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

Again, the problem of anger and wrath are addressed. A man can do or act two different ways, and have two different outcomes or consequences.

A man can be wrathful and wind up stirring up strife. A man who is furious, raging, indignant, and has bottled up anger within himself, can be like poison and snake venom. It will bring nothing but strife, or contention, and discord.

But, when a man is slow to anger ( notice not a man who does not have anger ) but a man who is slow to anger, or who is exercising some self control, that man will allay the contention. That is, he will help to settle the matter, to appease the problem, to bring some peace, to help settle the disturbance, and bring quietness.

Proverbs really points out in a very direct way both God’s wisdom and man’s foolishness. And, continually reminds us that we cannot make it on our own. We need God’s help in our lives, in more ways then we even know.

It seems easier to find God’s help when we are face to face with our own problems and our own sins and weaknesses.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is our shepherd, and that He will lead us, and encourages us to follow. Following often starts with confession of our sins and turning in humility to God. He is there to receive us and to forgive us and to then lead us.

Father, what more can we say. How we need You. And, how thankful we are that we are not without hope in our lives, especially during times of sin, darkness and pain. We look to You.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises

1. It’s good to remember, God’s Word is true.

2. It’s helpful to ask for help from God.

3. The Holy Spirit is called our helper.

4. May we become peacemakers, not trouble makers.

5. God is always ready to help a person when they are down.

6. When we are down, we can look up.

7. When we are down, we don’t have to give up.

8. God looks down on us with love and mercy.

P.S. One of the great blessings we have in Christ, is that God not only forgives us of our sins as we confess them to Him, but, He also promises to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Patience, and impulsiveness....and their effect....

Proverbs 14:29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly.

The man who is slow to wrath, slow means, longsuffering, and longwinded, and patient, and wrath, means, anger, has great understanding. Understanding means, right, well, fitted, and good, to be level, and to be smooth, as opposed to rough spots.

And, then in contrast to the man who is slow to wrath we are told that the person who is impulsive exalts folly. To be impulsive is of course to do something quickly and without thinking, and it leads to foolishenss.

A patient man has understanding, and an impulsive man brings foolishness.

In context, it’s not just talking about being an impulsive person ( though that does lead to foolishness ), but it’s talking about not controlling yourself when your angry, and just letting your anger out. It will come to no good end.

Anger in and of itself is not sinful, but it can lead us to sin. What we need when we are angry is self control. To control oneself in those moments of anger is indeed to have understanding, because we know what lack of self control can do.

Galatians 5:23, speaks of the self control being something the Holy Spirit gives to us.

Perhaps one of the best things we can do in moments of anger is to stop and pray within ourselves to the Lord. Easier said then done, but nonetheless the best course of action.

Father, how many times we need You, and Your power to help us with ourselves and our sins, and our problems. Thank You that You do not forsake us or abandon us, but rather are here and can be found in our times of need. We love You.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises

1. Remember God does not condemn you for your failures.

2. He also forgives our sins when we confess them.

3. And, He wants to help us overcome our sins and failures.

4. He loves you.

5. He hears you when you call.

6. He will never leave you.

7. He is faithful to help us.

What makes the heart sick, or happy?

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

Here are told what can make the heart sick. If we are hoping for something, that is if we are waiting for it, if we are expecting it, and it is deferred, or dragged on, or prolonged, delayed, it can and will make us sick.

Sick here, means to become weak, wounded, sorry, and grieved.

When the thing we desire does not happen when we want it to, we can become filled with sorrow.

But, when the desire comes it is a tree of life. This is of course the other side of the proverbial coin. When the thing that we have been hoping for, and waiting for comes to pass, we are so blessed. This is the image the Lord gives us to describe what it's like within our hearts. It's like a tree of life within our souls and our minds.

This is one of those verses in the Bible, especially in Proverbs that just explains what really happens in life, and what can happen to us, both with sadness, and with gladness. It tells us what can make us sick and what can make us happy.

And, this verse also can help us to think through how we are dealing with the desires of our heart and life. And, what is the best way to deal with them, so as not to become sick and sad and grieved.

The Lord teaches us through His Word, to trust Him with our lives, our thoughts, our desires, hopes, etc, etc. To trust the Lord is to leave the outcome of all things with Him, in His hands, and to not try and force our way, but to let the Lord bring about His way in His time, and in His way.

There is certainly nothing wrong with having the desires have, but, we can avoid alot of heart sickness by surrendering those things to the Lord.

There is one desire that we have, and we will not be disappointed in. And, that is the fact that one day, we will see the Lord face to face, and be with Him forevermore.

Also, we can count on the fact, that the Lord in His wisdom and love, is indeed working all things together for our good. We often cannot see the good that is coming from what we call a bad situation. But, just because we can't see it, does not mean it isn't being worked for our good.

Lord, We thank You for the comfort we find in life through Your Word. It's so fitting for our lives, and our circumstances. Would You help us Lord to give ourselves to You, and do indeed surrender what we want, and trust Your wisdom, timing and plans.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/ Promises.

1. His ways are not our ways.

2. His ways are much better then our ways.

3. His ways are for our good, not our destruction.

4. His ways are explained to us in the Bible

5. His ways have to do with the right way.

6. His ways are shown to us through prayer.

7. His ways become our ways through grace.

8. His ways bless us more then our ways can.

2 truths about the righteous........

Proverbs 12:12 The wicked covet the catch of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields fruit.

Proverbs 12:13 The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will come through trouble.

The early chapters of Proverbs express God's wisdom by way of contrast's and comparisons.

These verses are a contrast between the wicked and the righteous. You will notice the word "but" is used 2 times to speak of contrast between the two.

There are two major differences in these verses. The wicked covet or lust for, delight in, the catch, or stronghold of evil men. In other words, they themselves being wicked, ( ungodly, criminal, hostile to God ) want what other evil men have, so they can be stronger. They are marked by wanting more of that which is evil and wicked.

But, and in contrast to the wicked, the root of the righteous yields fruit....Here's the 1st truth. A righteous person is not on their own, they are connected to God, and thus, will have God's fruit coming forth in their lives. They yield fruit.....

Finally, and here's where the 2nd truth is found. The righteous will come through trouble. The wicked will be ensnared by the transgression of his own lips, ( he will wind up being trapped by his own words ) But, notice this wonderful promise to the believer.

The righteous will come through trouble. For the child of God, though they will have trouble, and no doubt trouble because they are the children of God, and suffer living in this world of evil, they have this promise that they will come through the trouble. They may be in trouble at the moment, but they will not always be there, they will get through it.

God tells us in His Word, that nothing can separate us from His love. And that He who has begun a good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Trials and tribulations are designed by God to make us stronger in our faith, and to help us yield and partake of the peaceable fruit of righteousness, and to then be able to comfort others with the comfort we have received.

So, in summary........The righteous yield fruit......the fruit of the Spirit, the love of God.

And, the righteous are going to make it through the trouble they find. They will endure, and they will endure because of who they are in Christ. They are His people.

Lord, You have brought us to Yourself through faith in Jesus Christ, and declared us to be righteous in Your site. And, You have given us the Bible to explain not only who we are, but what life is about, and how to live our lives while we wait to go to heaven. Thank You for the fruit that is yielded in our lives, and thank You for the comfort of verses 13, that Your people do come through trouble. We love you, in Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/ promises

1. Be patient...fruit will come .

2. Be believing.....trust the Lord.

3. Don't worry, God will see you through the trouble.

4. Be thankful for His promises.

5. Act upon the Word of God He brings to you.

6. Think about the Lord not your troubles.

7. Pray for your enemies, that's what Jesus did.

8. Fruit and victory, 2 words that belong to the christian.