Every preacher knows what I mean when I say, sometimes you just can’t get a message out of your head. Long after the benediction is over, the wheels in your mind are still turning. That’s what I’ve been going through all morning. Ever since my message yesterday morning I just keep thinking about the fault-finders and critics. I’m talking about people who had a glorious opportunity and blew it– men who were in the very presence of Christ, yet focused on the faults of a woman caught in the very act of adultery, rather than the perfections of Christ! While most of us would give just about anything to hear Christ preach, His preaching meant nothing to those men. They were so self-righteous that they saw no need of Christ. They were so full of hate they couldn’t love anybody else. They were so selfish that they cared nothing about their neighbor. They were so intent on justifying their views they would rather see a woman die rather than be delivered. It is sad to think that anyone could be in such a wretched condition, yet we see people like this all the time.
There are many instances where the worst people think they are the best people. They feel superior to others in the church and as a result they become hyper-critical. Unless things go their way they are going the wrong way, in their mind, and they are quick to voice their disapproval. Unless they are getting the attention they crave they are never happy. And if they can’t get it in one place they go to another. They create conflict in churches, ruin relationships, forsake friends, and make a mess of their marriage. While it is easy to get angry with these folks, due to the great harm they cause, they are to be pitied. In pursuit of their selfish desires they make themselves and everyone around them miserable. There is more hope for the guilty soul caught in the very act of sin, who dares not deny it, than the person who is so self-righteous that they see everyone’s sin but their own. Be wise and heed the warning given in Ex. 23:1-2 ” Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil—“. Such people are a danger to everyone around them. Rather than waste your energy fighting against them and becoming bitter, remain vigilant lest you believe their lies, succumb to their influence and become like them. It is better to be accused by them than to join in affinity with them.
