Flattery's End

Division—I bet you've heard this before. Division is the divergence or the difference of vision. We've talked about it.

This world has a vision for your life. The enemy of your soul has a vision for your life. But the question that we're seeking to listen to and hear from Heaven and answer and know is the vision that God has for your life, for your family, for your church, for your community.

Do you know that vision?

I hope it's better than that one. Sometimes it feels that way. Amen.

Oh my goodness. We love our babies here at Pleasant Hill. We've got a lot of them, and we love every one of them. God forbid the day that we don't hear a crying baby in church. Amen?

I'm reminded—maybe you've heard this story before. I don't think it's a true story. You'll see.

There's a story that someone—you probably will figure out who wrote or what group of writers wrote—but there was a story that was written some time ago about a crow.

All right? Now, this particular crow was—oh, it was a beautiful bird. It was a beautiful bird. It had quite a voice. You could hear it call for miles around, and it knew this about itself.

But one day, this particular crow found a bit of cheese. Now, that crow was probably like me, and it likes cheese a little too much. But it found that bit of cheese, and that crow was, oh my goodness, it was ready to devour that cheese. It flew up on a limb in a big tree, and it was there, prepared to devour that cheese.

But along came the proverbial fox. Some of you need to read a little bit more. Some of you need to learn to read. But anyway...

And so the proverbial fox came along the way, and the crow was sitting high there up on the branch.

And oh, the fox had heard about this crow.

And the fox began to brag on this crow—how beautiful this crow's feathers were. Oh, how brightly they shined and glistened in the sunlight. Oh, it was a beautiful bird. The fox began to go on and on about how beautiful it was. And then the fox began to go on about how beautiful the voice of this crow was.

Have you ever heard a crow? I wouldn't exactly call theirs the most beautiful of voices. "Caw!" You know, it's bad. That was a bad call. But anyway...

And so the fox began to—oh, I mean, he was gifted with words. He waxed eloquent about how beautiful the voice was. And finally, he began to coax and began to ask and began to beg and began to plead with the crow just to sing him a few lines with that most majestic and beautiful of voices.

The crow, in its beautiful plumage, with its chest puffed out, had to oblige. And it opened its beak to sing, with which the cheese fell, and the fox got just what he wanted.

My friends, flattery has its end.

I want to jump back into the book of Daniel for just a few moments, and hang in there with me for just a second. I'm not going to try to go through all of this. You need to read the book of Daniel, study the book of Daniel, and when you get confused, let's get together and cry about what all Daniel means, okay? It's a challenge. All right? I understand that. I get that. But there's some powerful lessons that we must learn through God's revelation in this particular book.

Now, we had learned in Daniel chapter 2, and Nebuchadnezzar's dream and vision interpreted by Daniel of an image that was there.

You remember the head of gold. We learned very quickly in chapter 2 that that was Babylon. We also learned in chapter 2 there were three other kingdoms that were represented by that—well, really four other kingdoms, but three other kingdoms represented by that image.

We remember that there was the silver chest that was the Medo-Persian Empire. These kingdoms overlapped a little bit as they conquered one another. But the Medo-Persian Empire came next and conquered the Babylonian Empire.

And then there was this other empire, which was kind of the bronze—the stomach and the legs area of this image. And later on, we discovered that that empire was the Greek or the Grecian Empire that came along in the midst of and towards the end and conquered ultimately the Medo-Persian Empire.

Then later we discover and we see this other kingdom that wasn't yet fully mentioned yet, but this kingdom that had the ten heads or ten kings that at some point would come.

But also, we see later as he begins to describe these kingdoms, there was Babylon, the lion. There was the Medo-Persian kingdom, which was the bear. There was then coming after those the Grecian Empire, which was the leopard. And then there were these iron teeth that were too terrible to describe as they destroyed all others—the Roman Empire.

As we discover all this in chapters 2 and a little bit in chapter 4, and then again in chapter 7, we're reminded—and the great hope in the midst of all of that in Daniel chapter 2—that there was a stone that was cut not with human hands that struck, later on, right at the base, at the feet, which also represented the Roman Empire in that statue—those mixture of iron and clay feet. That struck right in the midst and destroyed the whole thing.

And that kingdom became a great mountain, that of the Ancient of Days, the eternal kingdom of God.

I wish we had time to go into all of those different elements of that and to show you how things progressed. But I want to speak to you very, very quickly this morning about what's recorded in Daniel 8 and is brought up again in Daniel 8 and then in Daniel chapter 11.

It began to narrow down on that leopard empire—that empire of the Greeks, the one that was conquered by Alexander the Great. Remember, he moved so swiftly. You study history. He moved so swiftly and conquered the lands around him. But he died prematurely at a young age, and he left his kingdom to four generals.

And those four generals began to rule the land. There was Ptolemy and Cassander and Lysimachus. Ptolemy being up the north. Seleucus was the other, kind of down towards the south, Saudi Arabia now, kind of the Egypt area.

Ptolemy was kind of up in the area of modern-day Iraq, Iran, and broader than that.

There were inklings during that time of some revolts up from your perspective, up to the north and to the east of all of that. Rome was finding its birth in this divided rule.

There was a period of time, kind of the kingdom up to the north, the Ptolemies, were—they wanted to be in charge. And their king began to be—he was a warlike guy, and he began to go down towards the south and try to conquer the lands. And he went to this little area that we know and we call the Promised Land, going back and forth and fighting against those peoples.

Some began to relate to him, and it's very likely this was Antiochus.

Antiochus was an interesting cat. And he raised a son later out of a relationship between the south and the north and trying to conquer them that way.

Antiochus, though, had a second name that he made for himself: Epiphanes.

Have you heard of Epiphany in some of the traditional worship of the church? Have you heard of that? It literally means the manifestation of God.

Antiochus thought himself to be God.

When he went through the area of Jerusalem, the Bible says that he went back and forth and he kind of went down to the south, and he got it handed to him, if you know what I mean.

Around these parts we say he got his hind end whipped.

And he was on his way back up through the north and feeling not too good about it all. And he ran across the Jews, and they were an easy target. They had been conquered many times, and he whipped up on them a bit.

The Bible says that he went into the temple and he changed worship. He put an image of Zeus in the temple. He believed himself to be that guy.

And then he changed the worship of the temple. And as he changed the worship of the temple, he began to sacrifice pigs.

I don't know if you know this or not, but that's not kosher.

He knew what he was doing. It was an offense to the God of Israel.

Not only did he sacrifice pigs, but he forced the Jewish people to eat pork. If they didn't eat pork, if they refused, he would torture them in ways that—well, there's young ears we can't mention here this morning.

What was he doing? He was taking care of his pride. He’d been whipped.

Later on, there was a revolt from all of this. Again, we won't get into the identity of his son and all of those things that came up, but all of this is recorded in Daniel 8 and 11 as it talks about a goat with the four generals, the four horns, and a splinter coming off of one, being possibly Antiochus or maybe his son.

But there was a revolt later on with a group called the Maccabees, and they reclaimed the temple of Israel.

There was a purification that went in the temple because during that time when it was destroyed in that way under Antiochus Epiphanes, that it was called, it was called “the desolation,” because worship—it was desolate. There was no worship there.

But there was a period of about three and a half years. Daniel mentions these 2,300 days of purification, and worship is restored.

Jews today still celebrate that. They still celebrate the feast that was wrapped around it, the Feast of Dedication. Maybe you've heard of it. It's called Hanukkah.

Daniel 11 records Daniel's prophecy regarding the transition there between the nations of Persia and Greece.

And as that nation began to rise, this young, deceitful one began to take lands not by war. That didn't work out. And the Romans were nipping at their heels. The Roman navy was beginning to challenge the navy, which was substantial, of the Ptolemaic Empire.

But the Bible says that one that rose up began to take the land by taxing the people and winning them by flattery.

I'm not sure if it was Seleucus Philopator. I'm not sure if he was the culprit or not. It's possible. But I want you to listen to this passage in Daniel chapter 11. Now, mind you, we're not getting into the full prophetic part. The feet with the ten toes has not come yet. The Bible tells us that the Roman Empire will, in some form, return with those ten kings that lays out ahead. We're not there yet. But listen to what Daniel 11 says of this Grecian rule.

Daniel 11:32 says, "He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant. But the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action" (believed maybe to be the revolt of the Maccabees).

Verse 33 says, "And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, (they were tortured) by captivity and plunder. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help, and many shall join themselves to them with flattery. And some of the wise shall stumble so that they may be refined, purified, made white until the end of time, for it awaits the appointed time."

Beware of flattery.

Beware of flattery. Don't trust the sweet words of people who want something from you.

I've got a team of people that check on me because, let me tell you, some of the worst flattery comes from the place I'm standing right now on Sunday mornings.

It happens in other places in our community and in our fellowship. People have kind words, but watch what they do.

Vanity, the Bible says, clouds judgment. Pride will make you forget your common sense. Be careful of those that stroke your pride.

I've heard it many, many times, reminded to me by somebody that is one of my faith partners, if you would: "Chris, you're about as half as good as those people who like you say you are. You're about as half as bad as the people who critique you say you are. Listen to them all. There may be elements of truth, but do what is right.”

I want you to look at a couple of passages very quickly this morning with me.

Proverbs 29:5 says this: "A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet."

Be careful of the entrapment.

Maybe you've heard of the fair-weathered commentary that is often displayed about this time of year from the experts—of whom, in this part of the world, it seems everyone is an expert—about a bunch of 19- to 22-year-old kids.

It's spread by the religious preachers of the land for the God of the South. It's called football.

The things that are said about these kids—it ought to be an indicator because I'm telling you this: Those of us that will talk about them will talk about each other.

And be careful, because the one patting you on the back is talking too.

Now, I don't want you to be cynical this morning. That's not the call.

But Psalm 12:1 says this: "Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone. For the faithful has vanished from among the children of man, and everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, 'With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are with us. Who is master over us?'"

What is the psalmist saying? They're saying they're just like that Greek king, that Greek warlike ruler, who flatters himself, who builds up images to himself, who thinks he is God.

That's what flattery is saying.

In Proverbs 26:28, the Bible says, "A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruins."

Romans 16:17 says, "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you've been taught. Avoid them, for such persons do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. And by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive."

Flattery happens all around us. It does. Flattery happens all the time. I've had recently people come up to me and say, "Pastor Chris, you've lost weight."

I know how much I weigh. I weigh… you don't need to know that.

I've lost—I know how much I haven't yet lost. Hadn't changed that much. Flattery.

"Pastor Chris, I had someone tell me the other day, you look so young."

Come on. I've got wrinkles that have it’s own family tree. My driver's license says my hair is brown. If that's the case, this shirt is brown. Come on now.

Flattery. I think they just wanted me to say something nice at their funeral.

Did you know that there are people that won't be nice to you, that won't be helpful to you, that won't encourage you, that won't do good to you unless someone else is watching?

I've seen it before. If you're not careful, be careful, folks—you can see it on Sunday morning.

I've been in there, and I've seen it when somebody walks in. I knew the backstory. Somebody walks in and somebody else sees them coming. Now, look, it can happen to any of us, so don't be judgmental here. But they see them coming, and I mean, the fists are clenched and there are things in the back of their head that won't pass for Sunday school. You know what I mean?

But then they smile real big and say the sweetest of things.

An hour later, they're having them for lunch, if not sooner.

Matthew 6 says this, Jesus speaking: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing, so that you may do your giving in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

Here's the problem.

You can't say good things and do good things to other people and tell other people about Jesus if the same tongue is talking about people behind their backs.

Let me give you four things, and we're done.

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The first is very simple.

Protect yourself and your family from the flattery of others.

Everyone that tells you how beautiful and amazing you are isn't necessarily looking to bless you.

There's some of us in the room—no matter what anyone else says—we can't sing. Amen?

We give a joyful noise on Sunday morning, but don't go running off to be on The Voice.

Do you know God the Father? Are you faithful to Jesus, His Son? Are you serving your church family and serving your community? Are you a blessing at home to your personal family?

Don't live for flattery. Live for Jesus.

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You need to also guard your community from those who demand flattery for themselves.

Some people will rob you of the resources and the time that God has given you, demanding that you give them flattery, that you say nice things about them.

I want to tell you something very quick that will set you free.

You can show love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control without being someone's doormat.

You can say no to stuff that's not God's will for your life.

And you can acknowledge the pride and arrogance in the lives of others who live for themselves.

My friends, we all have fallen short. Amen?

There's a God in this world who is above reproach, who is above sin. We're not Him.

How dare we request the praise of others?

Peter wrote to us in the Bible, "Humble yourselves before the Lord. He will lift you up."

You want to be lifted up in this life? Consider others more worthy than yourself, but refuse to flatter anyone more than God.

Don't live for flattery. Live for Jesus.

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The third thing is very simple.

Place your self-worth in the Father's hands.

You don't need me or your Sunday school teacher or your spouse or your parents or your kids or your boss or your family or your neighbors or your friends to tell you how wonderful and valuable that you are.

Now, if they're all telling you together that you're a stinker, you might want to work on something. Amen? Come on now. You might need to confess and ask God for some help.

But you don't need everyone to tell you that you're something special or worthy of God's love.

You know this passage, John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world (that’s you) that he gave his only Son, his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, should not die, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn you, but in order that you might be saved through Him."

God loved you before you ever wanted to be loved, and He loves you still if you'll trust Him.

Don't live for flattery. Live for Jesus.

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And there's this—we'll close.

Worship team, would you make your way?

Keep Jesus first.

He should always be number one in your life—before yourself, before your family, before your church. I know you can't believe this—even before your pastor. That was a funny ha-ha.

Keep Jesus first.

In Colossians 1, the Bible says that He is the image of the invisible God. Speaking of Jesus, the firstborn of all creation.

"For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together. He's the head of the body, the church. He's the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. He rose first—that in everything He might have preeminence."

You see, number one, that place is already taken. You don't have to fight for it. It's Jesus.

Don't live for flattery. Live for Jesus.

I don't know how God's Word may strike you this morning, but I know that it does. It strikes me.

Maybe there's some things you need to confess. Maybe there's some forgiveness that you need to give. Maybe there's a truth from the Father you need to believe.

Maybe you just need to give your soul to the only One who can save you, Jesus Christ.

However you need to respond to the Lord today, you respond to Him. And if you walk with Jesus, we'll do our very best to walk with you.

He loves you first and most. And by the grace of God, we'll love you the best we can. You respond to Him as He leads today.

Would you stand? Would you stand?

Come to Jesus, for the Father loves you.

Come to Him.