Summary: <p>1. Wasted Discipleship<br>Matthew 7:6 NLT 6 "Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don't throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.<br><br>Matthew 15:26 Jesus responded, "It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs." <br>Proverbs 23:9 Don't waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice. <br>2 Peter 2:22 They prove the truth of this proverb: "A dog returns to its vomit." And another says, "A washed pig returns to the mud." <br>Proverbs 9:7 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. <br>Proverbs 9:8 So don't bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. <br>Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. <br>Revelation 22:15 Outside the city are the dogs the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. <br><br>Proverbs 11:22 A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout. <br><br>Proverbs 26:4–5 Don't answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. <br>5 Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.<br><br>Matthew 10:14 If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. <br><br>The point here is we can waste our time on people who have already decided.<br>Stubborness vs. humility<br>The fool has said in his heart, There is no God.<br>The natural man <br>1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3 NLT 14 But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.<br><br> 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren't ready for anything stronger. And you still aren't ready,<br> 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature.<br><br><br><br><br>2. Money<br><br>Psalm 37:21 NLT 21 The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.<br>Proverbs 22:7 NLT 7 Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.<br>Proverbs 27:23 NLT 23 Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds,<br>1 Timothy 6:10 NLT 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.<br><br>2 Corinthians 9:6-11 NLT 6 Remember this-- a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.<br> 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully."<br> 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.<br> 9 As the Scriptures say, "They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever."<br> 10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.<br> 11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.<br><br>Get out of Debt<br>Giving to the poor is lending to the Lord<br>You will never get poor by being generous<br>God supplies to the generous.<br><br>2 ILLUSTRATIONS<br>Friend paid when I didn’t know how I was going to<br>Money showed up in my account<br><br>3. Anger<br>We get angry about the wrong things so that we get angry where we should be patient, and passive when we should get angry.<br><br>James 1:19-20 NLT 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.<br><br>Ephesians 4:26-27 NLT 26 Be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.<br><br>Psalm 4:4-5 NLT 4 Don't sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. 5 Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the LORD.<br><br><br><br>4. Motives<br>Jeremiah 17:10 NLT 10 But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."<br><br>Can we get in the habit of asking “why”?<br>We often only go as far as the “what” and the “where” but forget about the “why” and the “how”.<br><br>So what are our underlying deeper motives?<br>Here is a sampling:<br>Pleasure, Freedom/Autonomy, Love/Intimacy, Significance/Reputation, Respect/Admiration, Control, Power, Peace, Happiness, Comfort, Meaning, and Success.<br><br>The man who is always late and unavailable when there is work to be done might be motivated by comfort, laziness, or perhaps he is motivated by success and respect and is afraid of failure.<br>The wife who is mortified that a surprise visitor saw her messy house might be motivated by reputation.<br>The father whose children are fearful and whose wife is cautious might be motivated by power.<br>The teen who rebels against any curfew might be motivated by freedom.<br>The mother who never lets her children stay with a babysitter might be motivated by control.<br><br>We need to ask ourselves questions like:<br>Why does life not seem like its worth living?<br>Why are these goals so important to me?<br>Why do I feel I need this particular thing so badly?<br>Why do I define success and failure in this particular way?<br>Why was I so angry with my spouse or my child?<br>Why am I feeling depressed?<br>Why am I feeling bitterness or jealousy?<br>Why am I wasting my time and being lazy?<br><br>We want to indulge our desires over and against God and this is where good things become god things and we step into idolatry.<br><br>When we realize that our evil desires are incapable of being satisfied ultimately outside of God then we can repent and turn to God who will satisfy our deepest longings.<br><br><br>So the idea is feel the feeling.<br>So I challenge us to get in the habit of asking the “why” question to help get good at interpreting our motives so we can apply the Gospel to our hearts.<br><br><br>5. Time<br>NLT Ephesians 5:16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.<br>Exhaust the possibilities available.<br>Believers act wisely by snapping up every opportunity.<br><br>This goes back to the previous verse:<br>Ephesians 5:15 NLT 15 So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise.<br>Those who are wise make the most of every opportunity to conduct themselves in a way that is pleasing to God.<br>Psalm 90:12 NLT 12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.<br><br><br><br>6. Laziness/Sloth<br>Proverbs 6:6-11 NLT 6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!<br> 7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work,<br> 8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.<br> 9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?<br> 10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--<br> 11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.<br><br><br><br>So we can waste our time, getting angry at things that don’t matter, being motivated by things that can never satisfy, spending out time being lazy and selfish.</p>
