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Preached February 17, 2008
Introduction
God… hate? Doesn’t seem to go together. Yet God does hate some things.
V. 16
6, no 7– indicates this is not an exhaustive list (no mention of sexual sin, stealing, idol worship, etc.)
Hate, abomination– strong language. Hard to imagine a more definitive way to express God’s displeasure.
These things provoke loathing from God.
Seven items listed.
1st five are connected to body parts
last 2 are lifestyle practices
So, we are talking about how we live– a way of life God hates.
1. Haughty Eyes
a. A proud look that betrays an arrogant heart.
b. Lit– “High Eyes.” Refuses to bow in reverence or recognize someone else as superior.
c. Willful defiance and disrespect.
d. Looking at others with contempt
2. Lying Tongue
a. A person with no regard for the truth.
b. By lying, this person seeks to rearrange the facts to give him an advantage.
c. Trying to redefine the world to gain an advantage and not have to live by the normal rules of life.
d. Distorts reality for selfish gain.
3. Hands that shed innocent blood
a. Violent person
b. Temper and anger problem
c. Profound lack of respect for human life.
d. Not just limited to murder, but a contempt for people in general.
4. Heart that devises wicked schemes
a. A con artist who is trying to take advantage of others.
b. Just wanting to get ahead, no matter the cost, or hurt to other people.
5. Feet that make haste to run to evil
a. Enthusiasm for doing wrong
b. Heart– inner man plotting
c. Feet– Outer man executing plans
6. False witness who breaths out lies
a. Different than verse 17– That was a distortion of the fact.
b. This is complete and total fabrication
c. This is the subversion of justice
d. Slander and malicious gossip
e. A wicked person lies as easily as he breathes.
7. One who sows discord among brothers
a. Do the other 6 things, no question your will have chaotic relationships
b. Trouble maker. This is a problem person.
Summary
We call the person doing these things: Self-centered
So what does God love?
Humility, honest, respect for life, pure thoughts, eagerness to do good, truthfulness, and peaceful harmony
IE– Loving others
How can we keep from becoming a Proverbs 6:16-19 kind of person?
1. It begins with the work of Christ– the new life we have in Him.
2. We focus on Him and grow in our relationship with him.
3. We systematically destroy the works of the flesh with the aid of the Holy Spirit. (ie– Struggle with lying, start working on it.)
4. Instead we cultivate Godly virtues, remembering that our character comes from Christ and his work in us.
Notice everything in Chapter 3 takes us back to Christ (v. 1-4, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16).
5. We must especially let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.
SO… God works in us and we cooperate with God by strengthening the good and tearing out the bad.
Proverbs 3:19-35 • February 10, 2008
Introduction
This week, the Tennessean (Nashville newspaper) reported that the Georgia State Legislature has a resolution in the works to attempt to extend the Georgia boarder with Tennessee and annex part of Tennessee. The resolution, which has passed early hurdles but has not received final passage, claims that the boundary was erroneously surveyed in 1818 and that Georgia has never accepted it. The resolution calls for the creation of a “Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission” that would perform joint surveys and change the line to the “definite and true” boundary line: exactly following the 35th parallel.
What is the drive for this move? Georgia desperately needs water. By moving the boarder by a little over a mile, the state would gain access to the Tennessee River and Nickajack Reservoir.
Tennesseans are mildly amused, and have offered to settle it with a football game or a wrestling match. One Tennessee state politician suggested floating an armada of University of Tennessee fans down the Tennessee River to defend the state’s honor. Others see it as a serious issue and should this move by Georgia gain momentum, things could turn ugly.
Whether it is states or individuals, there are certain boundaries that should not be crossed. If they are, if certain lines are ignored, serious problems could develop between people. Certain lines should not be crossed.
Proverbs is a book that not only addresses our relationship with God and provides guidance for navigating life, but it helps us learn to live with one another.
● God is the creator of everything. He is the manufacturer. He knows how life works. We need to listen to him. We need to plug into his wisdom.
● Having wisdom means we are connected to God. This in turn gives us:
○ Stability– we will not stumble.
○ Security– we will be safe.
● Make sure your relationship with God is what it is supposed to be so that you will not be negatively influenced by those around you.
6 Boundaries (Negatively Stated)
1. 3:25-26 – Do not abandon your walk with God.
a. No matter what else may happen, or what relationships you may or may not have, your relationship with God must be the top priority.
b. He is to be your source of confidence and strength.
c. Others are good, and it is nice to have someone with skin on. But ultimately, if we have not established our confidence in the Lord, we will have unhealthy relationships with other people
i. We invest too much in them.
ii. We expect too much from them.
2. 3:27 – Do not withhold good.
a. “Due” means owed. We owe a debt of goodness to those around us. We must pay it.
b. When you have the ability to do good, do it.
c. When we owe a debt, any debt, it must be paid. In the New Testament, we find the one debt we will never be able to fully pay is the debt of love to others.
3. 3:28 – Do not delay paying your debts.
a. Do not delay paying your debts, especially your debts of kindness, until some later time.
b. Tomorrow very rarely comes.
4. 3:29– Do not deal treacherously with others.
a. Attacking an unsuspecting neighbor.
b. Plan is same word as plow– carefully plotting your course.
c. ILL– Ahab & Jezebel’s theft of Naboth’s vineyard (2 Kings 21:1-29)
5. 3:30– Do not quarrel with your neighbor.
a. Don’t pick an unnecessary fight.
b. ILL– Frivolous lawsuits.
6. 3:31-32 – Do not envy the wicked.
a. Too tempting to fall in love with the lifestyles of the wicked and ungodly.
b. The violent man is one who exercises power over others– physically or verbally abusing others to get their way.
c. They are not to be envied because God detests them. Their way of life leads away from God.
APPLICATION – Let’s condense and restate these in a positive way…
1. Be Generous– Give what is good to those around us.
a. Romans 13:7-8 (ESV) Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. [8] Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
b. Give quickly.
2. Be Peaceable– live peaceable with all people.
a. Romans 12:16-18 (ESV) Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. [17] Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. [18] If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
3. Be Content– Contentment with what we are and have is the way to avoid the sin of envy.
4. Be generous toward others, be peaceable toward others, and be content.
Conclusion
Proverbs 3:33-35– Compare the wise and the foolish.
The way we treat others is an indication of how we are related to God. If we are mean spirited and wicked toward those around us, God will be displeased. They are under his curse, are scorned, and disgraced.
Those who love the Lord and love their neighbors are blessed, receive favor, and inherit honor.
Preached January 27, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
Last summer, Sarah and I went to Marion, Arkansas to visit our friends Mike and Debbie Prince. Mike gave me instructions of the phone. At first, I thought “No problem.” Then he kept going. And going. And going with the directions. Pretty soon, I had no idea where I was going, but that’s OK. Surely if I pretend like I know where I am going, I’ll get there eventually. I mean, Arkansas isn’t that big of a state is it?
After driving 3 times as long as Mike told me it would take to get to his house, Sarah insisted that I call. So I called. Did I write the instructions down? No. Instead we drive around for another 20 minutes.
Sarah, irritated with me finally calls herself and writes the instructions down. In my defense, we drove through some lovely country side and actually the housing division where the Princes live, just not the right street.
Navigating life can be an adventure to say the least. When mariners set out to explore the vast oceans, they depended on the stars for navigation. But with the development of the compass, they were able to navigate even when the sky was overcast or when it was too foggy to see the stars.
The Bible provides a compass for us to help us get our bearings and find the direction we need to take in life.
The father calls on his son to hold on to his teaching for two reasons: 1) They give long life and 2) They give prosperity or success in life.
The wise person will listen for these reasons. A wise person will never stop learning and listening to the wise. Woodrow Wilson: “I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow.”
The father then gives his son a Golden Compass in verses 5-12. I heard Charles Stanley refer to 5-12 as a compass more than 15 years ago, and it has stuck with me ever since.
We often want to know God’s will for our lives. We want to know what God wants us to do and his purpose for us. We want to know his “perfect, divine” will for each and every thing we do.
God has two aspects to his will– The secret aspect that we cannot know and the revealed aspect that we can know. God has revealed his will in Scripture. When we are sensitive to what God has revealed to us, we will remain in the center of his will.
If you follow the four principles in 5-12, you will find yourself exactly where God wants you to be. You do these four things, then when it comes time to make a decision, you won’t have to look for a flashing neon sign in the heavens, or wait for an angel appearing from heaven. You will know what you ought to do.
Like the four points of a compass, here are the four principles:
1. Trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6)
a. If you try to figure life out on your own, you will get helplessly lost.
b. It is the way of guidance. We don’t always have all the answers, and we certainly don’t know everything. But God does. Trusting in him means getting direction from him.
c. It is the way of humility. To say we don’t know what to do or where to go take humility on our part. We don’t understand, but He understands everything.
d. It is the way of submission. We can’t control circumstances, but God is always in control.
e. “Lean” means to put all your faith and confidence in something. Think of a cane or a walker that helps a person stay on his or her feet. When we lean on our own wisdom, understanding and insight, we will fall. When we lean on God we lean on a solid rock and will never fall.
f. REASON: The result of trusting in the Lord is that he makes our paths straight. In other words, he gives us direction and makes the path passable.
g. Self-dependance is foolishness, rebellion, and ruin. But trusting the Lord leads to wisdom, blessing, and peace.
2. Fear the Lord (Proverbs 3:7-8)
a. We have a humble view of ourselves. We are not wise in our own eyes. We don’t pretend like we have it all figured out.
i. Abigail is learning to be independent. “Let me do it!” But if she can’t, she gets very angry, yet sill refuses to let us help.
ii. Fools say, “Just let me think! I can figure this out on my own if you will give me the time.” The wise have a right view of themselves.
iii. God honors and helps the one who admits he does not have the wisdom he needs and who seeks it from the Lord.
b. The opposite of having an exalted view of ourselves is having an exalted view of God. So instead, We have a reverent view of God.
c. When we see ourselves in a humble light, and exalt God the way he should be exalted, we will develop a hatred of evil.
Charles Bridges said: “Where God is honored, sin is hated, loathed and resisted.”
d. When we fear the Lord and turn away from sin and evil, we are well on our way to doing what God wants us to do.
e. REASON: The promise here is that we will have health. It is well documented that there is a correlation between physical health and mental health. The Bible talks about Spiritual health having a bearing on physical health as well.
i. See Psalm 32:1-5 “…when I kept silent, my bones wasted away…”
ii. 3 John 2 (ESV) Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
iii. This is pretty common sense. You avoid sinful actions and habits, you will generally be healthier. How healthy can it be to be a drug dealer? Or to be an embezzler?
3. Honor the Lord (Proverbs 3:9-10)
a. In Proverbs, money and material possessions are seen as a double edged sword.
i. On one hand, it is a blessing to have money and possessions.
ii. On the other hand, they can be a great curse.
b. The key is to honor God with all we have so that our possessions do not possess us.
c. When we honor God with our possessions, we give him the first fruits. “We honor God when he gets the first check written after the deposit is made. We honor God when we calculate our giving off the gross rather than the net.”
d. Giving is an act of faith.
i. When we give, we begin to see that it all belongs to God.
ii. We live as stewards. It’s not ours. It is God’s. We’ve simply been charged to care for it.
iii. We start putting his kingdom first.
e. RESULT: The Lord blesses us even more.
4. Listen to the Lord (Proverbs 3:11-12)
a. Discipline is not no fun, but it is a loving action, not a sign of divine displeasure. The Lord disciplines his children! If you are not his child, he won’t discipline you. The goal of discipline is to get us to live God’s way.
b. How not to react to the Lord’s discipline:
i. Under-react– Viewing the Lord’s discipline as no big deal and not worth worrying about.
ii. Over-reacting– Getting angry and resenting the Lord.
c. How to react– by learning the lesson he is trying to teach us.
d. RESULT: We realize God loves us when he disciplines us. He is our Father.
Conclusion
When we hold all four of these principles in balance, we will find the center of God’s will for our lives. If you do these things, you will not go wrong in life.
Preached January 20, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
Introduction
James Wilson Marshall was born to Philip and Sarah Wilson Marshall in Hopewell, New Jersey on October 8, 1810. He was the oldest of four children, and the only male.
When Philip Marshall died from diabetes in 1834, James left New Jersey and headed west. After spending time in Indiana and Illinois, he settled in Missouri in 1844, and began farming along the Missouri River. It was there that he contracted malaria, a common affliction in the area. On the advice of his doctor, Marshall left Missouri in the hopes of improving his health. He joined an emigrant train heading west to Oregon but eventually settled at Sutter’s Fort, California.
It was here Marshall met John Sutter, the founder of Sutter’s Fort, an agricultural settlement. Sutter hired Marshall to assist with work around the fort (carpentry, primarily). He fought in the Mexican–American War in May 1846. Marshall volunteered and served under Captain John C. Frémont’s California Battalion during the Bear Flag Revolt. When he left the battalion and returned home in early 1847.
Marshall soon entered into a partnership with Sutter for the construction of a sawmill. Marshall was to oversee the construction and operation of the mill, and would in return receive a portion of the lumber. After scouting nearby areas for a suitable location, he eventually decided upon Coloma, located roughly 40 miles upstream of Sutter’s Fort. He proposed his plan to Sutter, and construction began in late August.
Construction continued into January 1848. On the morning of January 24], Marshall was examining the channel below the mill when he noticed some shiny flecks in the channel bed.
The California Gold Rush began. In 1849, 90,000 treasure hunters arrived in California. Eventually, that number would swell to 300,000 souls longing for a new and better life. The rough and rugged, danger filled lifestyle of prospecting was alluring to many who longed for a way to get ahead in the world.
What would you do for a prospective treasure? One thing more precious, more valuable than gold is wisdom. What are you willing to go to get wisdom?
1. Gaining Wisdom must be a priority. (Proverbs 2:1-5)
a. You must be receptive to gaining wisdom. (1)
i. You must have a teachable spirit. One reason many are not wise is they think they know it all.
b. You must value (treasure) wisdom. (1)
i. We need to search for wisdom like we search for treasure.
c. You must listen for wisdom. (2)
i. Passive listening is not enough either. A wise learner leans close in to hear and pays attention.
ii. Listen to those who are wise!
d. You must ask for wisdom. (3)
i. The word here implies a loud, insistent plea for help.
ii. Luke 18:2-7 (ESV)– Parable of persistent widow.
iii. Like the woman in the parable, we need to keep on asking for wisdom until we get it.
iv. We must ask God for wisdom.
e. You must search for wisdom. (4)
i. People go to incredible lengths to find treasure. The search for wisdom demands even more tenacity.
ii. Where do we search? Scripture. We need to search the Scriptures to find wisdom.
Charles Bridges: “To read instead of searching the Scriptures is to just skim the surface and collect a few superficial ideas. The secret of success in finding hidden treasure is to dig the entire field. If we do not find anything, we must dig again. We need to daily search the length and breadth and depth of our fruitful storehouse until we are filled with God’s fullness.
“This habit of living in the element of Scripture is invaluable. To be filled from this divine treasury, to have large sections of the Word passing through out mind, enables us to grasp it more firmly and apply it to our lives. To benefit fully from this we must feed on our own. We may read the Scriptures with other people, but in order to search the Scriptures, we must be alone with God.” (Proverbs, Crossway, p. 22)
f. Wisdom is something we must strive for. It doesn’t just fall into our laps.
g. Those who really want wisdom will find it because…
2. Wisdom is a gift from God. (Proverbs 2:6-8)
a. Paradox– Wisdom is something we vigorously strive for, yet it remains a gift from God.
b. Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. [9] Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? [11] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
c. God is the source of all wisdom. (V. 6)
i. Want wisdom– must know God.
ii. Don’t know God– can’t have wisdom.
d. God gives it to his saints (comes from the Heb hesed– those who are loyally faithful to God).
i. Those who are upright.
ii. Those who walk in integrity.
iii. Those who are just.
3. Wisdom keeps us from sin and the influence of sinners which in turn multiplies wisdom. (Proverbs 2:9-22)
a. Wisdom gives us understanding of the right path to take in life (v. 9).
i. Wisdom may not necessarily make sense at first. It may go against natural instincts.
ii. Yet verse 10 tells us that wisdom is really pleasant. Wisdom is an acquired taste.
b. Wisdom helps us recognize those who influence us to sin.
i. The wicked man (12-15)
ii. The adulterous woman (16-19)
iii. Sometimes, wisdom may not tell you what to do, but it will tell you what not to do, and who not to be around.
c. Wisdom establishes us in righteousness. (20-22)
i. The more wisdom you have the more you will get.
ii. Luke 8:18 (ESV) Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”
Conclusion– Listen to how this chapter began– Receive, treasure up, make your ear attentive, incline your heart, call out, raise your voice, seek, search! There is an earnestness here. We have a duty to seek wisdom. But ultimately it is a gift from God. So pursue wisdom with all the life and vitality you have. And then thank God for it.
Proverbs: This Is Wisdom
Proverbs 1:1-7 (preached at LMBC on January 6, 2008)
An angel appears at a faculty meeting and tells the dean that in return for his unselfish and exemplary behavior, the Lord will reward him with his choice of infinite wealth, wisdom or beauty. Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom.
“Done!” says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turn toward the dean, who sits surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispers, “Say something.”
The dean looks at them and says, “I should have taken the money.”
Solomon would disagree. The Lord appeared to him in a dream and offered him anything he wanted. He chose wisdom. The Lord blessed and gave him much more in addition to wisdom.
We live in a day where wisdom is desperately needed– School boards, insurance companies, congress, our own homes all need wisdom.
Haddon Robinson wrote:
“In our society wise men are easily confused with wise guys. We give high marks to knowledge, but low marks to wisdom.
If knowledge could save us, we would have more than we could handle. Since 1955 knowledge has doubled every five years; libraries groan with the weight of new books. New systems must be devised to store what old systems no longer have room for. In fact, our generation possesses more data about the universe and human personality than all pervious generations put together. High school graduates today have been exposed to more information about the world than Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, or Benjamin Franklin. In terms of facts alone, neither Moses nor Paul could pass a college entrance exam today.
Yet by everyone’s standards, even with all our knowledge, the world is a mess. Brilliant scientific thinking has produced machines and weapons that threaten to blow us off the planet.
With all our knowledge, society today is people with a bumper crop of brilliant failures… Men and women educated to earn a living often don’t know anything about handling life itself. Alumni from noted universities have mastered information about a narrow slice of life but couldn’t make it out of the first grade when it comes to living successfully with family and friends.
Let’s face it. Knowledge is not enough to meet life’s problems. We need wisdom, the ability to handle life with skill.”
The source of wisdom is God. And he has not kept it to himself. He has given us wisdom and shares it throughout Scirpture. One OT book devoted to wisdom is Proverbs.
Proverbs 1:1-7
I. The Title of the Book – v. 1
A. Ascribed to Solomon (1:1; 10:1; 25:1)
1. Bulk of work came from him. He may have even complied most of it.
2. Other contributors (Agur– 30:1 and Lemuel 31:1)
3. Some material may have come from other sources.
4. 25:1– Men of Hezekiah complied parts of the book. It was edited and put together in its present form for us.
B. It is a book of PROVERBS.
1. Proverbs (MASHAL) means comparison; suggests idea of likeness.
2. A proverb is an object lesson based on or using some comparison or analogy. (ie– 6:6 “Go to the ant you sluggard.”)
3. More generally though– Proverbs are ethical teachings
II. The Invitation of the Book – Verses 4, 5
A. Increase in learning and obtain guidance.
B. “By this book, one can learn the principles that determine success or failure in the major arenas of human activity– including business, personal relationships, family life, and community life.”
C. Picture in proverbs of 2 women preparing a banquet and inviting us to come and dine:
1. Lady wisdom
2. Dame Folly
D. Who needs this book?
1. V. 4– The Simple– one who is naive, gullible and easily enticed and falls into traps.
2. V. 4– The Youth– Those who have little experience
3. V. 5– The wise and the one who understands– those with discernment. You can’t have too much wisdom.
4. You don’t need to be listed in “Who’s who” to know “what’s what.”
III. The Purpose of the Book – vv. 2, 3, 4, 6
A. V. 2– to give moral skill and mental discernment
B. V. 3– KEY VERSE as to purpose
1. Righteousness– RIGHT– “Conformity to the standard.” – What is right according to God’s standard. ILL– Weights and measures
2. Justice– Just– Legal term for Making judgments and decision. Making the right ones
3. Equity– FAIR– well pleasing and acceptable to all
4. Wise dealing and wise living comes from doing what is right and just and fair.
C. V 4– prudence– shrewdness. Ability to make workable plans
D. V 6– Mental comprehension
E. So the purpose is to instruct those who need wisdom and equip them for wise living.
1. Wisdom is practical– common sense to deal with daily problems.
2. Wisdom is intellectual– implied by “understanding” and “knowledge.” Grow mentally.
3. Wisdom is moral– How we should live.
4. Wisdom is a way to understand the mysteries of life. Seeks to resolve or adjust to the ambiguities of life. It seeks the reality behind the appearances. ILL– People saying “I just don’t understand…”
IV. The Foundation of the Book – v. 7
A. Reverential fear of the Lord is the prerequisite of knowledge.
B. It is the controlling principle. It puts everything together. ILL– TV without bunny ears– Fuzzy reception
C. Fear of the Lord is neither a trembling dread that paralyzes action nor is it a mere polite reverence.
D. It is reverential submission to the Lord’s will and thus characterizes a true worshipper.
E. For those who fear the Lord, it is important to realize you will be surrounded by those going the opposite direction (FOOLS).
F. In fact, fools will invite and encourage you to join them.
Conclusion
Proverbs deals extensively with daily life, it reminds us that EVERYTHING falls under our relationship with God.
Preached January 6, 2008 at Longview Missionary Baptist Church
An angel appears at a faculty meeting and tells the dean that in return for his unselfish and exemplary behavior, the Lord will reward him with his choice of infinite wealth, wisdom or beauty. Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom.
“Done!” says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turn toward the dean, who sits surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispers, “Say something.”
The dean looks at them and says, “I should have taken the money.”
Solomon would disagree. The Lord appeared to him in a dream and offered him anything he wanted. He chose wisdom. The Lord blessed and gave him much more in addition to wisdom.
We live in a day where wisdom is desperately needed– School boards, insurance companies, congress, our own homes all need wisdom.
Haddon Robinson wrote:
“In our society wise men are easily confused with wise guys. We give high marks to knowledge, but low marks to wisdom.
If knowledge could save us, we would have more than we could handle. Since 1955 knowledge has doubled every five years; libraries groan with the weight of new books. New systems must be devised to store what old systems no longer have room for. In fact, our generation possesses more data about the universe and human personality than all pervious generations put together. High school graduates today have been exposed to more information about the world than Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, or Benjamin Franklin. In terms of facts alone, neither Moses nor Paul could pass a college entrance exam today.
Yet by everyone’s standards, even with all our knowledge, the world is a mess. Brilliant scientific thinking has produced machines and weapons that threaten to blow us off the planet.
With all our knowledge, society today is people with a bumper crop of brilliant failures… Men and women educated to earn a living often don’t know anything about handling life itself. Alumni from noted universities have mastered information about a narrow slice of life but couldn’t make it out of the first grade when it comes to living successfully with family and friends.
Let’s face it. Knowledge is not enough to meet life’s problems. We need wisdom, the ability to handle life with skill.”
The source of wisdom is God. And he has not kept it to himself. He has given us wisdom and shares it throughout Scirpture. One OT book devoted to wisdom is Proverbs.
I. The Title of the Book – v. 1
A. Ascribed to Solomon (1:1; 10:1; 25:1)
1. Bulk of work came from him. He may have even complied most of it.
2. Other contributors (Agur– 30:1 and Lemuel 31:1)
3. Some material may have come from other sources.
4. 25:1– Men of Hezekiah complied parts of the book. It was edited and put together in its present form for us.
B. It is a book of PROVERBS.
1. Proverbs (MASHAL) means comparison; suggests idea of likeness.
2. A proverb is an object lesson based on or using some comparison or analogy. (ie– 6:6 “Go to the ant you sluggard.”)
3. More generally though– Proverbs are ethical teachings
II. The Invitation of the Book – Verses 4, 5
A. Increase in learning and obtain guidance.
B. “By this book, one can learn the principles that determine success or failure in the major arenas of human activity– including business, personal relationships, family life, and community life.”
C. Picture in proverbs of 2 women preparing a banquet and inviting us to come and dine:
1. Lady wisdom
2. Dame Folly
D. Who needs this book?
1. V. 4– The Simple– one who is naive, gullible and easily enticed and falls into traps.
2. V. 4– The Youth– Those who have little experience
3. V. 5– The wise and the one who understands– those with discernment. You can’t have too much wisdom.
4. You don’t need to be listed in “Who’s who” to know “what’s what.”
III. The Purpose of the Book – vv. 2, 3, 4, 6
A. V. 2– to give moral skill and mental discernment
B. V. 3– KEY VERSE as to purpose
1. Righteousness– RIGHT– “Conformity to the standard.” – What is right according to God’s standard. ILL– Weights and measures
2. Justice– Just– Legal term for Making judgments and decision. Making the right ones
3. Equity– FAIR– well pleasing and acceptable to all
4. Wise dealing and wise living comes from doing what is right and just and fair.
C. V 4– prudence– shrewdness. Ability to make workable plans
D. V 6– Mental comprehension
E. So the purpose is to instruct those who need wisdom and equip them for wise living.
1. Wisdom is practical– common sense to deal with daily problems.
2. Wisdom is intellectual– implied by “understanding” and “knowledge.” Grow mentally.
3. Wisdom is moral– How we should live.
4. Wisdom is a way to understand the mysteries of life. Seeks to resolve or adjust to the ambiguities of life. It seeks the reality behind the appearances. ILL– People saying “I just don’t understand…”
IV. The Foundation of the Book – v. 7
A. Reverential fear of the Lord is the prerequisite of knowledge.
B. It is the controlling principle. It puts everything together. ILL– TV without bunny ears– Fuzzy reception
C. Fear of the Lord is neither a trembling dread that paralyzes action nor is it a mere polite reverence.
D. It is reverential submission to the Lord’s will and thus characterizes a true worshipper.
E. For those who fear the Lord, it is important to realize you will be surrounded by those going the opposite direction (FOOLS).
F. In fact, fools will invite and encourage you to join them.
Conclusion
Proverbs deals extensively with daily life, it reminds us that EVERYTHING falls under our relationship with God.
Preached at LMBC on January 13, 2008
Introduction
Temptation is often portrayed as an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil sitting on the other shoulder whispering in your ears trying to convince you to follow their competing advice.
In a secular culture, the angel’s way is always dull, boring, and uninteresting.
The devil’s way is fun, enjoyable, and beneficial.
But it is not cute when we succumb to the allure of wickedness and folly.
There are always competing voices, competing values, competing approaches to life that are vying for your allegiance. If we want to make it through life, we need to listen to the right voices.
1. The Reward for Receiving Instruction
1:8-9, 20-23, 33
a. Godly influence
i. Father and Mother– parents
(1) Idealized parents (perfect parents)
(2) Godly parents
ii. Lady Wisdom
(1) Wisdom is offered to everyone!
iii. “The Teacher”– context of book, court teacher or discipler
b. The responsibility of the child/ student is to hear instruction, hold on to the teaching, and heed wisdom.
i. The gift of wisdom is a precious treasure.
ii. Don’t abandon it.
c. When you hear, hold, and heed wisdom, you will receive great reward.
i. V. 9– Garland and pendants
(1) Garland– worn by victorious general. Symbol of victory in life.
(2) Pendants– worn by kings. Symbol of power
(3) Also these are beautiful decorations that add value or celebrate the value of the person wearing them.
ii. V. 33– All who cling to wisdom dwell secure and are at ease. They are safe and sound.
d. When we receive instruction, teaching, and wisdom, we gain the ability to make the right choices that result in a blessed, prosperous and secure life.
2. The Result of Following Sinners
1:10-19
a. Who are the “sinners?”
All are sinners. In this context, though, sinners refers to those who make sin their habit and lifestyle.
b. Their enticement
Entice is derived from the Hebrew word for “Simple.” They give a very simple and attractive offer for those who will listen to them. Throw your lot in with us and experience the good life.
Namely, they entice others to assault other people unexpectedly.
Think of a street gang.
c. Their Methods
i. They make it sound easy. (V. 11)
ii. They make it very exciting. (V. 12)
iii. They offer power. (V. 12)– Power over others
iv. They promise easy money (v. 13)
v. They offer a sense of belonging (v. 14)
d. Power, wealthy, acceptance, excitement– all can be yours very easily if you will just join in with us!
e. The Consequences of joining with them (16-19)
i. You go further than you intended. (Mugging to murder)
ii. It is ultimately self-destructive (17-18)
iii. You will be ultimately caught and exposed (18)
iv. Ultimately lose everything (19)
3. The Real Choice you have to make
a. Will you listen to wisdom or embrace foolishness?
b. Vv. 20-23– Wisdom calls! It is available to all.
i. If you are simple, you can become wise.
ii. A scoffer is one who mocks wisdom. But the scoffer can repent.
iii. The fool is one who has rejected knowledge and wisdom.
iv. Wisdom comes and asks “How long will you persist in this way?” Choose wisdom!
c. The wrong course in life may be prosperous for a time. But eventually calaminty comes. Then what are the consequences?
i. V. 24-25… because, because, because
ii. Wisdom will laugh.
iii. V. 28– Wisdom will not answer. It is unavailable!
iv. V. 31 – You will reap what you sow.
v. V. 32– You bring destruction on yourself!
d. So what should you do?
i. V. 33– Listen to wisdom NOW!
ii. Pursue wisdom.
iii. Turn your back on those who will lead you to destruction!
Conclusion
Passage set up as a teenagers being seduced by a street gang.
Application is that we are all influenced by those who would lead us away from The Lord’s will and way.
It is not just teens that struggle in this area. Adults do as well.
How can we know what the wise choice is?
For those who are wise, it is evident. For the simple, the question is more complicated. Ultimately, we know truth as revealed in Scripture and in Jesus Christ. The more you know Jesus and the Bible, the more you will be able to discern right from wrong.
What do the 10 Commandments say?
What are the “one another” commands?
What are the “all things” Jesus taught us?
The as we continue in Proverbs, we will be exposed to more wisdom, instruction, and teaching for life. But for now, we are warned not to listen to the wrong
