Keep Your Head Down

Good morning and welcome in. Today I wanted to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.

Many years ago I had heard a story about a drill sergeant who at times was very demanding when he was training the soldiers.  There was one soldier in basic training who didn’t care for him very much at all and felt that he was too strict and overbearing because he was constantly yelling at him to learn to keep his head down.  At times as he was crawling through a muddy obstacle course in the rain, the sergeant would step on his helmet and yell at him to keep his head down.  The constant rebukes and barrage of warnings from the sergeant were completely wearing him down, being pounded into his brain each and every day.  Although he didn’t like it at the time, the things that the sergeant taught him would eventually save his life one day during a battle.  

Early one morning as he was walking through a field with his platoon, he heard the sounds of bullets whizzing by as a firefight began.  He heard the voice of the sergeant screaming at him in the back of his mind, ” keep your head down!!!”  Immediately he dived deep inside a foxhole that prevented him from getting hit by an incoming mortar.  His friends weren’t so lucky because they were all killed in the blast.  It was only then that he finally realized how much the sergeant had truly cared about him.

James 5:20 – Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Many times in life a rebuke is not well received.   A parent needs to correct you periodically when you do something wrong or make poor decisions.   Some people are tenderhearted and only need a gentle admonishment to move them in the right direction, but there are others who require much more; they need a spiritual hammer to the heart.  Converting a sinner from the error of their way can be a daunting task as we learn in our story today but this process is done out of love for the soul of the other person.  There are many people who don’t enjoy correction or discipline, and in some cases it can require even stronger measures to get your point across.

John 2:13-17  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:  And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Rebuke and correction are a part of learning and growing in the Christian faith.  A dad who watches over his household has been placed in charge of his family by God to rebuke his wife or children as needed.  God knew that Abraham would command his own family.

Genesis 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him,

Correcting others doesn’t mean that you don’t love and care about them, but the exact opposite.  I believe it takes more love to rebuke others so they can correct the error of their way.  

Revelation 3:19 – As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Many people don’t like being corrected because they never had a dad in their own home as they grew up.  This is the one of the purposes that God created a dad for, to discipline his family properly each day as needed.

Heb 12:5-11

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

The Apostle Paul was a man who was like a spiritual dad to the church.  He loved them dearly and thought about them often in his prayers.  He wanted to come and see them and enjoy their company. What Dad is there among you who likes to come home from work on a Friday afternoon only to find out that all the children have been misbehaving and in need of correction.  It’s much more enjoyable to hear a good report so that you can have a great weekend together with the family. The Apostle felt the same way towards the church.

1 Cor 4:21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

He speaks about this same thing in the following passage.

2 Cor 2:1-3  But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?  And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

Paul was handing down his spiritual leadership to Timothy, and helping him to learn the qualities of being a spiritual dad to the church.  He was instructing him to walk in charity, grace, meekness and faith but also to rebuke and correct others with authority,  just as a dad would in his own home.

Titus 2:15 – These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

The apostle was trusting in Timothy to re-prove or rebuke and exhort the church members so that they wouldn’t be led astray. Paul wanted somebody to love them as much as he did, but to love them with the truth.

2 Tim 4:1-4

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Even though the response is usually not well received, real love tells people what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear.  If you truly want other people to convert from their sins, you must tell them the truth.  

Do you want to keep somebody from getting killed? Do you want to save a soul from death? Would you be strong enough to tell somebody……

…..Keep Your Head Down!

Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.

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