Mar | 11 | Cut Loose

Dream Word – INTEGRITY


Luke 7:36-37 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. NKJV

Cut Loose

In his play, ‘The Phoenician Women,’ Euripides wrote that “A Man is known by the company he keeps.” This saying may be at least 2,500 years old but it has never the less, stood the test of time and is still as true today as it was then.

“A Man is known by the company he keeps.” Now our Jesus was known by the religious folk as, ‘A glutton and a drunkard! A friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Indeed, our Jesus was the friend of all harlots and ne’er do wells and openly showed this to the watching world by allotting to them, as one old commentator so delightfully puts it, ‘table fellowship, as the most emphatic way of declaring His unity with them.’ Yes, Jesus accepted the invitations of the most disreputable of folk, but He did so with the Divine intention of offering them an invitation to the Father’s table of forgiveness. The association of Jesus with the most disreputable of folk always led to their healing, their repentance and their transformation. Let me ask you tonight, does your association with openly disreputable folk lead to their same transformation? Or are they rather transforming you?

“A Man is known by the company he keeps.” Now, Jesus was rarely seen with the hypocrites. Not in table fellowship so much anyway, though our text for tonight is one notable exception. Yet even this table fellowship was for the sole purpose of revelation and demonstration. Revelation of hearts and demonstration of the Father’s forgiveness. Tell me again then, just why are you associating with hypocrites?

 
“A Man is known by the company he keeps.” Good books and good men are always good things to have around, good things to be associated with, good things to even let write on you. There are some wolves however, yes, there are some wandering stars that we need to disassociate ourselves from. There are some little mouths speaking great things, some fools that delight in grabbing dogs by the ears, some silly women and some men of not too good repute, that we had better steer clear of and even cut loose from! When you do, and do you must, be sure to tell them why. Who knows? It may even cause them to change their ways. Why not see it as your tip on leaving this kind of table fellowship. Leave a big one and never go back.

Listen: - These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Jude 12-13 NKJV

Pray:- Lord, give me a nose for wolves and from the corner of my open eyes, allow me to see their hidden teeth. Lord, give me an eye for big clouds that bear no moisture and an ear for crashing waves. Lord, give me a voice for fruitless trees and a wariness for un-tethered stars that streak across my sky, in Jesus name I cry and last of all, yes most of all I pray, give me an axe, a straight eye, courage and a big swing to cut away the creeping blackness. Amen!