Favorable Rebuke Prov. 28: 23 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Prov 28:23 shows you that flattery will give you favor right now whereas rebuke will give you favor later – and there will be more favor with rebuke than there will be with flattery.

We don’t often give counsel on how to get along with others on these broadcasts because the airwaves are generally full of that stuff – however, here we have a verse that gives us some advice that we just cannot pass up – it tells us exactly how we ought to handle ourselves and others in situations where the other fellow is just plain wrong.

Rebuke him, don’t flatter him

Rebuke him in doctrinal preaching – 2 Tim 4:2-4; Tit 2:1-15 – to get his soul right with God – he’s not going to hear it elsewhere.

Rebuke him with forgiveness – Lk 17:3 – to mend the trouble between you.

Rebuke him in his sin – 1 Tim 5:20 – to straighten him out and to protect others from doing the same sin [fear] – i.e., if he can get away with it so can I – Ananias and Sapphira.

Rebuke him in his hypocrisy – Gal 2:11-14 – to spare others who are affected by his hypocrisy – to keep him from acting different ways in different groups.

Rebuke him in his doctrinal error – Mk 8:33 – to make him sound in the faith and to keep others from following his error [Tit 1:13].

Whatever you do, don’t flatter him – you may be inclined to flatter him because you are afraid and don’t want to hurt his feelings or lose another opportunity later – however, you have to deal with him now.