WEBVTT 00:00:01.659 --> 00:00:07.080 Let's pray once more. Heavenly Father, we're 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:08.679 thankful to be your children. We're thankful 00:00:08.679 --> 00:00:11.660 to be under your care. We're thankful for the 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:13.919 confidence and the boldness that we have to enter 00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:16.179 into your very presence because of the finished 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:19.879 work of Jesus Christ. We come now to confess 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:23.460 our great need of you. Once again, we'd ask that 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:26.300 you would open your word to us, enable us to 00:00:26.300 --> 00:00:29.839 hear it, enable us to assimilate it into our 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:34.469 lives. Don't allow us to turn away, don't allow 00:00:34.469 --> 00:00:38.670 any stubbornness in us to hinder the work of 00:00:38.670 --> 00:00:40.990 your Holy Spirit, but may you have a free course 00:00:40.990 --> 00:00:43.670 in our lives to accomplish all your perfect will. 00:00:44.990 --> 00:00:46.950 We pray for the lost that they would be found 00:00:46.950 --> 00:00:50.329 of you this morning. I ask for myself that you 00:00:50.329 --> 00:00:53.649 help me as I present the word, that I would present 00:00:53.649 --> 00:00:56.250 all that you've given, that it would be honoring, 00:00:56.509 --> 00:00:59.929 glorifying unto you and helpful to all who hear. 00:01:00.409 --> 00:01:05.870 And we ask in Christ's name, amen. Amen. Okay, 00:01:06.010 --> 00:01:09.329 well, we're still in Proverbs. I don't know for 00:01:09.329 --> 00:01:12.310 how much longer we will be in Proverbs, but we're 00:01:12.310 --> 00:01:20.150 there this morning. And I only got about halfway 00:01:20.150 --> 00:01:22.989 through the verses that I wanted to cover last 00:01:22.989 --> 00:01:27.310 week. So we're going to continue on in this 16th 00:01:27.310 --> 00:01:30.760 chapter, but I'm going to... start reading this 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:36.040 morning at verse 16 once again so it says how 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:41.180 much better is it to get wisdom than gold and 00:01:41.180 --> 00:01:45.599 to get understanding rather than silver the highway 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.400 of the upright is to depart from evil he that 00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:53.480 keepeth his way preserve with his soul pride 00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:56.099 goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit 00:01:56.099 --> 00:02:00.359 before a fall Better it is to be of an humble 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:04.420 spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil 00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:08.599 with the proud. He that handleeth a matter wisely 00:02:08.599 --> 00:02:13.740 shall find good or shall prosper, and whoso trusts 00:02:13.740 --> 00:02:18.419 in the Lord happy is he. The wise in heart shall 00:02:18.419 --> 00:02:22.159 be called prudent, and the sweetness of the lips 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:27.250 increaseth learning. Understanding is a wellspring 00:02:27.250 --> 00:02:31.330 of life unto him that hath it, but the instruction 00:02:31.330 --> 00:02:40.550 of fools is folly. The heart of the wise teacheth 00:02:40.550 --> 00:02:45.750 his mouth and addeth learning to his lips. Pleasant 00:02:45.750 --> 00:02:51.129 words are as an honeycomb sweet to the soul and 00:02:51.129 --> 00:02:54.969 health to the bones. There is a way that seemeth 00:02:54.969 --> 00:02:57.930 right unto a man, but the end thereof are the 00:02:57.930 --> 00:03:02.590 ways of death. He that laboreth, laboreth for 00:03:02.590 --> 00:03:07.250 himself, for his mouth craveth it of him. An 00:03:07.250 --> 00:03:12.909 ungodly man diggeth up evil, and in his lips 00:03:12.909 --> 00:03:17.349 there is a burning fire. A foward man soweth 00:03:17.349 --> 00:03:21.110 strife, and a whisperer separateth chief friends. 00:03:21.740 --> 00:03:25.180 A violent man enticeth his neighbor and leadeth 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:29.060 him into the way that is not good. He shutteth 00:03:29.060 --> 00:03:32.699 his eyes to devise foward things, moving his 00:03:32.699 --> 00:03:36.979 lips he bringeth evil to pass. The gray head 00:03:36.979 --> 00:03:40.539 is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way 00:03:40.539 --> 00:03:44.340 of righteousness. He that is slow to anger is 00:03:44.340 --> 00:03:47.620 better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his 00:03:47.620 --> 00:03:52.009 spirit, then he that taketh the city. The lot 00:03:52.009 --> 00:03:56.349 is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing 00:03:56.349 --> 00:04:01.889 thereof is of the Lord." So it should be, I suppose, 00:04:02.009 --> 00:04:04.370 I think it is anyway, obvious to us that this 00:04:04.370 --> 00:04:09.349 particular portion of Proverbs really gives to 00:04:09.349 --> 00:04:13.030 us the Christian life. It doesn't speak to us 00:04:13.030 --> 00:04:15.930 of the way of salvation, but it does speak to 00:04:15.930 --> 00:04:19.810 us of the way of... sanctification or the way 00:04:19.810 --> 00:04:25.810 of conforming our lives to Christ. So last week, 00:04:25.990 --> 00:04:28.310 as I said, we covered the beginning of it and 00:04:28.310 --> 00:04:33.310 we saw there that wisdom is an understanding 00:04:33.310 --> 00:04:37.430 or the chief desires of men or of Christian men. 00:04:39.230 --> 00:04:41.769 And the question that we asked ourselves, was 00:04:41.769 --> 00:04:45.089 this true of us? What do we prize in our life? 00:04:46.089 --> 00:04:49.290 We were reminded that we have the mind of Christ 00:04:49.290 --> 00:04:51.930 according to the New Testament. In other words, 00:04:52.170 --> 00:04:55.769 we have wisdom and understanding because of Christ. 00:04:56.610 --> 00:05:01.730 Christ is wisdom and understanding. And in Christ 00:05:01.730 --> 00:05:06.110 we can order our lives right. We can cultivate 00:05:06.110 --> 00:05:09.230 this knowledge and wisdom and understanding because 00:05:09.230 --> 00:05:12.250 of the Spirit's work, the Spirit of Christ's 00:05:12.250 --> 00:05:16.839 work in us. We saw that we learn by using, we 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:21.459 improve in these areas by using what we know. 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:28.600 You don't use it, you lose it. If you don't apply 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:31.319 what you have knowledge of, you really don't 00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:35.500 know it. Then we saw that we're on the King's 00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:37.879 Highway, is the way I put it. We're on the road 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:42.600 to heaven. And we're on that road, there's no 00:05:42.600 --> 00:05:46.079 doubt. You stay on the road, and you get to heaven. 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:48.459 It leads straight to God. It's the King's Highway. 00:05:49.339 --> 00:05:51.839 While we're on there, we shun evil. We don't 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:54.819 go after evil. We don't love evil. We don't want 00:05:54.819 --> 00:06:00.240 anything to do with evil. So we don't go on the 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:05.060 Broadway. Those are two cities, or two streets 00:06:05.060 --> 00:06:08.480 in the city of Saint Louis. King's Highway and 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:11.079 Broadway. You want to be on the King's Highway, 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:13.120 but you don't want to be anywhere near the Broadway. 00:06:14.180 --> 00:06:17.120 It's funny, I laugh every time. I don't go by 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:19.040 there much anymore, but there's a Baptist Church 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:21.779 on Broadway. You know what the Baptist Church 00:06:21.779 --> 00:06:27.620 name is? Broadway Baptist Church. I can't explain 00:06:27.620 --> 00:06:34.980 it. So, we saw also that humility is a must. 00:06:35.500 --> 00:06:38.139 We have to be humble before God, and we have 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:40.600 to give place to our brothers and sisters in 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:43.199 Christ. Humility. Christians are all about humility. 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:49.939 Proud Christian is an oxymoron. We were told 00:06:49.939 --> 00:06:53.939 to listen to sound instructions. Sound instructions 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:57.819 from God through His Word. Sound instructions 00:06:57.819 --> 00:07:01.220 from God through His people. We should expect 00:07:01.220 --> 00:07:04.560 to hear from God from one another. That's what 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:10.199 we saw last week. So the way we speak matters, 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:14.889 right? The way we say something, that matters. 00:07:16.350 --> 00:07:20.649 So pleasant words, the scriptures say, profit 00:07:20.649 --> 00:07:27.050 very much. So we can expect to accomplish God's 00:07:27.050 --> 00:07:31.310 will when we speak pleasantly. We saw that doesn't 00:07:31.310 --> 00:07:33.709 have anything to do with not telling the truth. 00:07:33.850 --> 00:07:36.290 We are telling the truth. That's what we Christians 00:07:36.290 --> 00:07:39.790 are all about. But we're to put it as pleasant 00:07:39.790 --> 00:07:43.370 away as we possibly can. We don't, in other words, 00:07:43.649 --> 00:07:48.290 beat each other over the head. We make it as 00:07:48.290 --> 00:07:51.829 pleasant as we can when we have to give instruction 00:07:51.829 --> 00:07:56.149 or rebuke or whatever it is. Pleasant words are 00:07:56.149 --> 00:07:59.509 good words. You want to make it as clear as you 00:07:59.509 --> 00:08:03.810 possibly can. And you want to use as few words 00:08:03.810 --> 00:08:08.430 as possible. Many a sermon is great for the first 00:08:08.430 --> 00:08:11.850 20 minutes the second 20 minutes is nothing but 00:08:11.850 --> 00:08:15.189 putting people to sleep Because it's got to be 00:08:15.189 --> 00:08:20.569 a certain time Hopefully we don't ever hear that 00:08:20.569 --> 00:08:26.569 here You say what you have to say clearly But 00:08:26.569 --> 00:08:29.509 you don't go dragging it on and on and on and 00:08:29.509 --> 00:08:34.330 on and if you're teaching If you have the opportunity 00:08:34.330 --> 00:08:36.610 to teach, and this goes for teaching your kids 00:08:36.610 --> 00:08:38.549 or a Sunday school class or when you're here, 00:08:38.889 --> 00:08:44.250 you should never ever be boring. There is nothing 00:08:44.250 --> 00:08:48.529 boring about the Lord. He's not pleased with 00:08:48.529 --> 00:08:55.850 boring words. It's just imperative. There should 00:08:55.850 --> 00:09:00.309 never be a boring worship service. We're all 00:09:00.309 --> 00:09:05.279 responsible for that. You come here and you contribute 00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:08.419 to the worship service, you have a testimony, 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:13.299 you have a hymn, you have a psalm, and it's never 00:09:13.299 --> 00:09:22.179 boring. Okay, so that's what we, well, understanding 00:09:22.179 --> 00:09:27.659 we saw is life abundance. That's what the abundant 00:09:27.659 --> 00:09:31.960 life consists in. and the best understanding. 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:35.500 So we're going to continue on then today and 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:39.799 we're going to pick it up in verse 25 where it 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:42.659 says, there is a way that seemeth right unto 00:09:42.659 --> 00:09:46.639 a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 00:09:48.220 --> 00:09:57.200 So there is no right way apart from God's. You 00:09:57.200 --> 00:10:01.460 can only be going the right way if you're going 00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:06.419 according to God and His Word. It may seem perfectly 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:10.299 right to you. You may have devised and planned 00:10:10.299 --> 00:10:13.740 and purposed the whole thing. But if it's not 00:10:13.740 --> 00:10:18.899 done in God, through Jesus Christ, through His 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:21.820 Word, then you shouldn't have any confidence 00:10:21.820 --> 00:10:24.820 in what you're doing. If you haven't sought the 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:28.210 Lord for it, and you haven't consulted the Word, 00:10:28.549 --> 00:10:31.850 you haven't prayed, there's no confidence in 00:10:31.850 --> 00:10:35.269 going forward. It may seem right, it may seem 00:10:35.269 --> 00:10:38.789 good, but if it's not according to the Word, 00:10:38.889 --> 00:10:42.269 it's not. And so it's not going to lead to your 00:10:42.269 --> 00:10:44.389 death if you're a Christian, but it is going 00:10:44.389 --> 00:10:47.909 to lead to heartache. It is going to lead to 00:10:47.909 --> 00:10:52.110 trouble. You don't want that. You don't want 00:10:52.110 --> 00:10:56.419 to be at cross purposes with God. And there is 00:10:56.419 --> 00:11:00.139 a way that God has for us to go. And that's what 00:11:00.139 --> 00:11:03.279 we should be seeking out. That's what we should 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:07.379 want. We have to acknowledge God is smarter than 00:11:07.379 --> 00:11:11.220 us. He does know what he's doing. He will lead, 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:16.659 guide, and direct you. But if you don't want 00:11:16.659 --> 00:11:20.320 it, you won't have it. You can go your own way. 00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:23.279 And then you'll be subject to discipline and 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:26.779 repentance. sorrow and problems and heartaches, 00:11:26.779 --> 00:11:29.059 but you will be brought back onto the King's 00:11:29.059 --> 00:11:36.139 Highway. So remember that. Don't make it a second 00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:39.639 clause or don't make it a second option. Make 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:42.159 it the first option of your life when you come 00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:45.419 to a crossroads or you come to a decision. Seek 00:11:45.419 --> 00:11:51.549 the Lord. Seek him first. Before you even consult 00:11:51.549 --> 00:11:53.509 with anybody else there's nothing wrong with 00:11:53.509 --> 00:11:55.610 seeking advice from other people and so on and 00:11:55.610 --> 00:12:00.129 so forth but first the Lord Relying on him trusting 00:12:00.129 --> 00:12:03.690 him To do what he's promised to do and that is 00:12:03.690 --> 00:12:08.809 to lead and guide and direct your way In 26 he 00:12:08.809 --> 00:12:11.870 that laboreth laboreth for himself or his mouth 00:12:11.870 --> 00:12:15.830 craved of him I'm sure you've got a better translation 00:12:15.830 --> 00:12:18.330 than that, or at least a more understandable 00:12:18.330 --> 00:12:21.570 translation, but it's all the same. This is King 00:12:21.570 --> 00:12:24.309 James English that I read it in. But an appetite 00:12:24.309 --> 00:12:28.730 is good. Guess what it's saying? An appetite 00:12:28.730 --> 00:12:34.710 is a good thing. So physically, for a physical 00:12:34.710 --> 00:12:40.480 person, an appetite is good. I went through some 00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:42.379 sicknesses and some treatments and said, I don't 00:12:42.379 --> 00:12:44.919 have any appetite. And it was real easy to lose 00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:47.279 weight. I didn't even have any desire to eat. 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:53.620 But I needed to eat. And that's what your appetite 00:12:53.620 --> 00:12:56.419 is telling you. You need some food. You need 00:12:56.419 --> 00:13:01.279 some nourishment. And so the proverb here is 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:05.379 that because of that, you're laboring for yourself. 00:13:05.659 --> 00:13:09.500 You labor. You've got to get some money. till 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:13.240 the garden or however you obtain your food, you've 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:18.220 got to work. And that's another good thing. But 00:13:18.220 --> 00:13:21.139 that's all physical, and it's all good. But like 00:13:21.139 --> 00:13:23.559 we said last week, if you don't have a spiritual 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:25.759 understanding here in the Proverbs, you're missing 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:29.899 all of the really important things in life. So 00:13:29.899 --> 00:13:34.259 a spiritual appetite is a good thing. This is 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:38.059 a physical appetite. What's the temperature or 00:13:38.059 --> 00:13:43.460 what's the gauge? How do you view your spiritual 00:13:43.460 --> 00:13:49.580 appetite? Well, do you have a good appetite? 00:13:51.700 --> 00:13:54.600 An appetite, in the physical sense, drives you 00:13:54.600 --> 00:13:57.539 to food. In the spiritual sense, it drives you 00:13:57.539 --> 00:14:04.179 to God. You need to gauge your spiritual appetite. 00:14:05.710 --> 00:14:09.330 There's nobody else that can do it for you. Nobody 00:14:09.330 --> 00:14:12.529 else can really see what's inside of you. Of 00:14:12.529 --> 00:14:16.470 course, God knows, and you know. Do you have 00:14:16.470 --> 00:14:19.870 any care, any appetite? Are you interested in 00:14:19.870 --> 00:14:23.250 learning? Are you interested in growing in the 00:14:23.250 --> 00:14:27.110 nurture and admonition of the Lord? Are you interested 00:14:27.110 --> 00:14:31.350 in becoming a better example of Christ to your 00:14:31.350 --> 00:14:35.450 children and to your neighbors? That's an appetite. 00:14:36.149 --> 00:14:44.429 I want to learn. I want to grow. So, you know, 00:14:44.769 --> 00:14:46.929 hopefully you have that, at least some measure 00:14:46.929 --> 00:14:50.669 of it. And the more that you learn, as we've 00:14:50.669 --> 00:14:54.450 said many times, the more it increases. And if 00:14:54.450 --> 00:14:59.669 you never learn, there's a real problem. If you 00:14:59.669 --> 00:15:02.110 never grow, there's a real problem. Things that 00:15:02.110 --> 00:15:07.149 are alive grow. They increase. I've got plants 00:15:07.149 --> 00:15:12.029 at home that I started that ginormous They're 00:15:12.029 --> 00:15:16.669 alive That's what we should expect for ourselves 00:15:16.669 --> 00:15:20.570 because that's what God says he's going to do 00:15:20.570 --> 00:15:24.529 Draw near to me. What does it what what comes 00:15:24.529 --> 00:15:31.730 next? I will draw near to you You get you getting 00:15:31.730 --> 00:15:35.600 anything out of your devotions You hearing from 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:41.639 God in your word? Is it just letters on the page? 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:47.080 Well, why aren't you getting anything? Because 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:49.440 you're not drawn near to God. All you're sitting 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:53.039 there is reading the book. You're not reading 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:55.279 it for understanding. You're not reading it for 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:57.299 knowledge. You're not reading it for the love 00:15:57.299 --> 00:16:00.399 of God. You're not reading it to experience God. 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:05.690 And because of that, God's not interested. You're 00:16:05.690 --> 00:16:08.509 wearing out God he's tired of your sacrifices 00:16:08.509 --> 00:16:17.049 as they used to say in the Old Testament So It's 00:16:17.049 --> 00:16:20.490 a true statement if you do draw near to God he 00:16:20.490 --> 00:16:25.509 will draw near to you think of that What does 00:16:25.509 --> 00:16:28.870 that mean is that is that is that the most wonderful 00:16:28.870 --> 00:16:34.519 statement that you ever heard or water is God 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:37.460 of the universe is going to draw near to you 00:16:37.460 --> 00:16:40.340 simply because you are attempting to draw near 00:16:40.340 --> 00:16:45.100 to him It doesn't get any better than that folks 00:16:45.100 --> 00:16:47.240 it does not another there's not a better promise 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:54.639 in the Word of God than that Your spiritual appetite 00:16:54.639 --> 00:17:00.799 think about it What do we got next we've got 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:06.829 here we've got a series of uh warnings and i'm 00:17:06.829 --> 00:17:10.750 not going to reread them but bad company corrupts 00:17:10.750 --> 00:17:14.529 good morals that's the that's a private not here 00:17:14.529 --> 00:17:18.890 but that's true you want to you want you want 00:17:18.890 --> 00:17:22.549 to go down into into grief and sin and sorrow 00:17:22.549 --> 00:17:25.150 just hang around hang around the wrong people 00:17:25.150 --> 00:17:30.000 that's all you want to stay away from Bad people. 00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:32.740 In any way that you can. The most difficult thing 00:17:32.740 --> 00:17:35.740 to do is to stay, if you work, is stay away from 00:17:35.740 --> 00:17:40.559 the bad people when you work. I work in a factory 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:43.480 with 500 people and there's plenty of bad people 00:17:43.480 --> 00:17:46.799 all over the place. And they just love to drag 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:51.559 you down. And they will. We got the, we got the 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:54.599 scoundrel. We got the perverse person. We've 00:17:54.599 --> 00:17:57.930 got the gossip. We've got the violent man. And 00:17:57.930 --> 00:18:02.190 we've got the deceiver. I think that just about 00:18:02.190 --> 00:18:05.849 covers everything. And there's some of these 00:18:05.849 --> 00:18:10.890 people everywhere. I had a whole bunch of friends 00:18:10.890 --> 00:18:16.289 when I was converted. And I was just the same 00:18:16.289 --> 00:18:20.490 way, with the same characteristics. Well, obviously, 00:18:20.609 --> 00:18:24.630 I couldn't hang around with them anymore. And 00:18:24.630 --> 00:18:27.190 we became bitter enemies for a while because 00:18:27.190 --> 00:18:29.769 they resented the fact that I wouldn't hang around 00:18:29.769 --> 00:18:33.589 with them anymore. There wasn't any going over 00:18:33.589 --> 00:18:36.230 to the tavern or anything else with these people. 00:18:39.670 --> 00:18:45.430 So, you must choose your friends wisely. Choose 00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:49.009 your company wisely. We shouldn't try to avoid 00:18:49.009 --> 00:18:51.529 every unconverted person. I'm not saying that. 00:18:52.619 --> 00:18:55.539 We want to have opportunities to share the gospel. 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:58.960 But that's why we should want to associate with 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:03.279 some unconverted folks. So that we do share the 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:08.680 gospel. So I had all manner of... When I was 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:11.339 working in the factory, I could share the gospel 00:19:11.339 --> 00:19:14.740 every day. Every day of the week. No problems. 00:19:14.779 --> 00:19:17.700 I didn't have to look for people. They were all 00:19:17.700 --> 00:19:24.390 around me. It was the greatest time. I grew a 00:19:24.390 --> 00:19:29.990 lot during those years. Hopefully you'll experience 00:19:29.990 --> 00:19:36.609 some of that. So then we go on then to verse 00:19:36.609 --> 00:19:43.509 31. And it says, gray hair is a crown of glory, 00:19:45.269 --> 00:19:48.470 if it be found in the way of righteousness. So 00:19:48.470 --> 00:19:50.470 just because you're old, that doesn't mean anything. 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:54.900 It's all kinds of old wicked people. There's 00:19:54.900 --> 00:19:58.880 all kinds of old people that maybe they're probably, 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:01.440 I'm sure there's some old people that are Christians 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:06.119 that never grew, you know, or grew slightly, 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:09.259 let's put it that way. And so they don't have 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:12.140 any wisdom just because they have gray hair. 00:20:12.940 --> 00:20:15.880 The Bible's not saying anything like that. The 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:18.359 Bible's saying that a person who has attained 00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:23.380 an age that has gray hair associated with it 00:20:23.380 --> 00:20:27.740 and has lived his life in the Lord seeking the 00:20:27.740 --> 00:20:31.019 kingdom first and his righteousness that person 00:20:31.019 --> 00:20:38.519 there that has they have some wisdom so those 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:40.740 are the people that you want to look out for 00:20:40.740 --> 00:20:43.799 those are the people that you can that safely 00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:51.920 hear what they have to say and so The Bible is 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:54.660 also telling us here that you don't have to spend 00:20:54.660 --> 00:21:00.799 a lot of money on hair coloring. It's okay to 00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:05.240 have great hair. It's fine. It's a glory. It's 00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:09.460 a mark of age and wisdom and experience. And 00:21:09.460 --> 00:21:12.839 that's how you should view it. God doesn't care 00:21:12.839 --> 00:21:18.460 about your hair color. But that's what we should 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:23.650 all be striving for. We should be striving and 00:21:23.650 --> 00:21:27.849 desiring to be helpful to others, to put some 00:21:27.849 --> 00:21:31.950 of our experiences to use, to be able to help 00:21:31.950 --> 00:21:38.130 the younger generation. We've been through it. 00:21:39.190 --> 00:21:44.890 There is wisdom there. And then he says in verse 00:21:44.890 --> 00:21:49.230 32, he that is slow to anger is better than the 00:21:49.230 --> 00:21:53.099 mighty. and he that ruleth his spirit than he 00:21:53.099 --> 00:21:57.180 that taketh the city." So you've got these two 00:21:57.180 --> 00:22:01.140 contrasts. You've got slow to anger and ruleth 00:22:01.140 --> 00:22:05.420 his spirit on one side. We've got the mighty 00:22:05.420 --> 00:22:08.480 and he that taketh the city on the other side. 00:22:09.779 --> 00:22:13.740 Now which is stronger? Which would you think 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:17.200 is stronger? Do you think it takes more strength 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:22.990 to take a city? or to control yourself? Well, 00:22:23.210 --> 00:22:26.529 again, the Proverbs doesn't ask us our opinion, 00:22:26.690 --> 00:22:30.069 he just tells us it takes more strength to control 00:22:30.069 --> 00:22:34.650 yourself. He's mightier than the mighty man that 00:22:34.650 --> 00:22:41.410 takes the city. So, are you willing? Are you 00:22:41.410 --> 00:22:46.269 willing to put this to the test? Patient man, 00:22:47.509 --> 00:22:58.359 slow to angry. able to control your spirit. God's 00:22:58.359 --> 00:23:06.019 saying, you can do that. He has the power to 00:23:06.019 --> 00:23:10.000 enable you to do that. There's nothing more important 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.039 in your life, in your marriage, than this, I 00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:18.839 think. I don't think I'm over speaking. The person 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:21.440 you're the closest to is going to irritate you 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:28.500 the most. That's all. It's inevitable. You're 00:23:28.500 --> 00:23:30.779 going to have irritation in your life if you're 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:34.240 married and if you care, if you're in love with 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:40.660 this person. You can't just shrug off. It has 00:23:40.660 --> 00:23:44.140 an effect upon us. Words, actions, they have 00:23:44.140 --> 00:23:50.450 effect upon us. It's true. It takes a great deal 00:23:50.450 --> 00:23:55.529 of grace in our life, the power of the Spirit 00:23:55.529 --> 00:24:00.829 in our life to control our anger and our spirit 00:24:00.829 --> 00:24:19.000 to be patient. Put it to the test. So I know, 00:24:19.420 --> 00:24:22.299 I know this. I've got gray hair. I know this. 00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:24.779 I've lived a long time and I've lived a long 00:24:24.779 --> 00:24:27.660 time with the same woman. I know what I'm talking 00:24:27.660 --> 00:24:31.720 about. And she can get up here and testify to 00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:36.599 the same thing. We can get under each other's 00:24:36.599 --> 00:24:38.980 skin really anytime we want to because we know 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:44.519 how to do it. Right Karen? And you just have 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:48.319 to be on guard. You have to realize what's going 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:53.660 on. And sometimes we're so free and easy that 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:58.259 it's like an accident that the irritation happens. 00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:03.079 But it does happen. It doesn't mean that I don't 00:25:03.079 --> 00:25:05.880 love her or she doesn't love me or life's coming 00:25:05.880 --> 00:25:10.000 to an end. But it's not a pleasant experience 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:13.869 to go through that. Control yourself. Count on 00:25:13.869 --> 00:25:17.849 the Lord in the power of the Spirit to make you 00:25:17.849 --> 00:25:21.490 patient and keep you under self -control. Anger 00:25:21.490 --> 00:25:25.789 very seldom accomplishes anything good. Anger 00:25:25.789 --> 00:25:30.509 is the enemy. That's all. Yeah, I know the Bible 00:25:30.509 --> 00:25:33.630 says be angry and sin not. And that's true. I'm 00:25:33.630 --> 00:25:39.190 not denying that. But that's the exception that 00:25:39.190 --> 00:25:45.259 proves the rule to me. To get angry is no good. 00:25:50.660 --> 00:25:55.279 So then we've got the summation here in verse 00:25:55.279 --> 00:25:59.339 33. The lot is cast into the lap but the whole 00:25:59.339 --> 00:26:06.119 disposing thereof is of the Lord. Evidently in 00:26:06.119 --> 00:26:11.289 Israel they cast a lot of lots. It was a decision 00:26:11.289 --> 00:26:15.670 -making process. They would cast lots. I guess 00:26:15.670 --> 00:26:18.450 maybe there's some cultures today that cast out 00:26:18.450 --> 00:26:22.049 bones or colored stones. I don't know what, you 00:26:22.049 --> 00:26:27.730 know, but obviously we don't do that. Well, maybe, 00:26:27.990 --> 00:26:31.230 I guess, right? Maybe we do. Maybe there's some 00:26:31.230 --> 00:26:37.220 of you that do, or know people that do. But we 00:26:37.220 --> 00:26:40.880 do have to make decisions in life. Somehow or 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:46.940 another, we've got to make a decision. Now, cast 00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:51.500 and loss is not the way to do it. And I guess 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:54.160 I should say also that there's no such thing 00:26:54.160 --> 00:26:58.299 as luck or chance. And a Christian should never 00:26:58.299 --> 00:27:02.039 be using those words. Oh, I was lucky. No, you 00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:06.910 weren't. Right? Right. We shouldn't talk like 00:27:06.910 --> 00:27:12.250 that. That's not a Christian way of speech. Well, 00:27:12.269 --> 00:27:16.769 I got a chance. I got a chance to do this. No. 00:27:18.369 --> 00:27:21.509 That's not how we talk. What's the overall point 00:27:21.509 --> 00:27:24.369 of the passage? The overall point of the passage 00:27:24.369 --> 00:27:28.589 is that God is sovereign and controls all providence 00:27:28.589 --> 00:27:33.170 according to His will. That's the point of the 00:27:33.170 --> 00:27:37.230 passage. Nothing happens apart from the will 00:27:37.230 --> 00:27:45.130 of God. Nothing. All providences are produced 00:27:45.130 --> 00:27:51.589 to accomplish God's will and purposes. That's 00:27:51.589 --> 00:27:59.410 a big truth to grab hold of and to believe. When 00:27:59.410 --> 00:28:02.710 I was first converted, I had an old Presbyterian 00:28:02.710 --> 00:28:07.480 pastor. That he said that he thought and he believed 00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:12.380 that God controlled the color of his socks Every 00:28:12.380 --> 00:28:16.220 morning He went to his sock drawer and I guess 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:19.759 he had multiple colors But he believed that he 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:22.420 picked out the exact color of socks that God 00:28:22.420 --> 00:28:25.079 wanted him to wear that day That's how he was 00:28:25.079 --> 00:28:30.500 teaching sovereignty Providence He's probably 00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:35.630 right, but I mean that I would have never considered, 00:28:37.049 --> 00:28:40.849 but he's probably right. So what does it mean 00:28:40.849 --> 00:28:45.230 for us? How are we going to make decisions? How 00:28:45.230 --> 00:28:48.789 are we going to live under the providence of 00:28:48.789 --> 00:28:52.930 God and the sovereignty of God? What does he 00:28:52.930 --> 00:28:56.190 want us to know? Well, he wants us to know that 00:28:56.190 --> 00:28:58.529 all of these things that we've been talking about, 00:28:59.880 --> 00:29:03.019 They're all part of God's plan and purposes and 00:29:03.019 --> 00:29:08.579 providences He wants us to live in this manner 00:29:08.579 --> 00:29:15.740 Now I'm not saying perfectly So you the the foundation 00:29:15.740 --> 00:29:19.940 of our life is the sovereignty of God and His 00:29:19.940 --> 00:29:23.920 controlling Providence, that's foundational So 00:29:23.920 --> 00:29:28.420 on that foundation you live You don't you're 00:29:28.420 --> 00:29:34.690 not afraid You're not hesitant. A foundation 00:29:34.690 --> 00:29:40.109 makes for solid footing. We want to walk on solid 00:29:40.109 --> 00:29:43.730 ground. And we walk on solid ground by having 00:29:43.730 --> 00:29:47.349 a firm conviction and trust in the Lord and His 00:29:47.349 --> 00:29:53.349 sovereignty. How does it work? Well, it works 00:29:53.349 --> 00:29:58.660 by you living your life as far as you can. determine 00:29:58.660 --> 00:30:04.099 and practice according to the Word of God, led 00:30:04.099 --> 00:30:09.460 by the Holy Spirit. And you can trust then that 00:30:09.460 --> 00:30:14.079 you are on the firm foundation of God's sovereignty 00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:19.680 and His providences. That's how you do it. You 00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:22.579 got to get up in the morning. You got to work. 00:30:23.369 --> 00:30:26.029 Is there some doubt in your mind that God would 00:30:26.029 --> 00:30:30.609 have you go to work in the morning? Well, that'd 00:30:30.609 --> 00:30:34.170 be silly, wouldn't it? You can have total confidence. 00:30:36.150 --> 00:30:40.730 Are you confident that God's gonna safely deliver 00:30:40.730 --> 00:30:44.410 you to work? Or are you terrified of the highway? 00:30:46.529 --> 00:30:50.609 Are you terrified of anything that cripples you? 00:30:51.849 --> 00:30:54.579 Again, that's not... That's not pleasing and 00:30:54.579 --> 00:30:58.240 that's not honoring, but it is honoring to courageously 00:30:58.240 --> 00:31:00.819 and confidently get in your car and go to work. 00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:04.500 You're relying on the sovereignty of God, the 00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:09.819 providence of God. Is there any doubt in the 00:31:09.819 --> 00:31:11.700 morning when you get up that if you got kids 00:31:11.700 --> 00:31:14.119 you got to take care of them? You got to do your 00:31:14.119 --> 00:31:17.279 best for your kids? You stay at home mom, you 00:31:17.279 --> 00:31:20.759 got to take care of your kids. There's no doubt 00:31:20.759 --> 00:31:23.329 about it. God gave you the children, He expects 00:31:23.329 --> 00:31:26.769 you to take care of them. He expects you to be 00:31:26.769 --> 00:31:30.029 His steward over these children whose He's entrusted 00:31:30.029 --> 00:31:35.150 to your care. These eternal souls that are going 00:31:35.150 --> 00:31:38.029 to live forever are entrusted into your care. 00:31:39.450 --> 00:31:41.490 There's no doubt about that, that's the truth. 00:31:42.930 --> 00:31:44.910 So you've got to put your best effort, you've 00:31:44.910 --> 00:31:48.150 got to pour yourself into those kids. And I don't 00:31:48.150 --> 00:31:51.279 mean spoiling them. There's nothing worse than 00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:54.480 that, but you've got a poor year strength and 00:31:54.480 --> 00:32:01.259 knowledge and love into your children That's 00:32:01.259 --> 00:32:03.740 that's that's the sovereignty of God at work 00:32:03.740 --> 00:32:07.640 and his faithful providence in your life I Got 00:32:07.640 --> 00:32:09.960 to make a decision. I got it. I'm gonna change 00:32:09.960 --> 00:32:14.319 jobs. I Think I need to change jobs. I want more 00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:19.700 money or I want a better job There you have it 00:32:19.559 --> 00:32:22.960 What are you going to do? You're going to sit 00:32:22.960 --> 00:32:25.920 around and wait for God to be sovereign in your 00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:28.960 life and take you by the hand and show you where 00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:30.779 you're supposed to work and that is not how it 00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:36.299 works, is it? You go exploring. You go looking 00:32:36.299 --> 00:32:42.160 for whatever the job is that you want. The question 00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:46.339 that you have to ask is why do you want it? Do 00:32:46.339 --> 00:32:48.240 you want it just for the fact that you're going 00:32:48.240 --> 00:32:53.599 to have more money? Well, do you need more money? 00:32:55.619 --> 00:32:57.980 If you need more money than you're currently 00:32:57.980 --> 00:33:00.299 earning, that's a very good reason to change 00:33:00.299 --> 00:33:05.380 jobs. And God will honor that. He wants you to 00:33:05.380 --> 00:33:10.339 be taken care of. You can trust God then to provide 00:33:10.339 --> 00:33:14.930 for that job. Well, the job's going to take me 00:33:14.930 --> 00:33:18.710 50 miles away from the church. Whoa, hold on 00:33:18.710 --> 00:33:23.369 now. What's the primary purpose and priority 00:33:23.369 --> 00:33:28.549 in your life? Serving God, worshiping God, loving 00:33:28.549 --> 00:33:33.910 your brothers and sisters in Christ? You might 00:33:33.910 --> 00:33:37.390 not be getting the right signals. In other words, 00:33:37.390 --> 00:33:39.849 there's a whole bunch of stuff. Well, maybe not 00:33:39.849 --> 00:33:42.920 a whole bunch, but there's several... Characteristics 00:33:42.920 --> 00:33:45.200 are there several things that have to be met 00:33:45.200 --> 00:33:48.960 if you're going to take a job Same with school 00:33:48.960 --> 00:33:52.799 same with buying a house Whatever whatever it 00:33:52.799 --> 00:33:55.759 is if it's not something that's going to improve 00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:59.160 your relationship to the Lord and his people 00:33:59.160 --> 00:34:02.880 Enable you to give more perhaps enable you to 00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:10.139 spend more time Then stop that's a red flag God 00:34:10.139 --> 00:34:14.579 will provide all of those things for you. He'll 00:34:14.579 --> 00:34:18.000 provide you a good job that enables you to serve 00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:22.860 Him and worship Him in a good church with your 00:34:22.860 --> 00:34:25.460 brothers and sisters in Christ. You'd be useful 00:34:25.460 --> 00:34:28.840 in the church and in the family. All of that 00:34:28.840 --> 00:34:32.139 will work out. And if you want to know, I'll 00:34:32.139 --> 00:34:34.619 give you a testimony. I'm not going to spend 00:34:34.619 --> 00:34:36.800 time here, but if you want to talk to me about 00:34:36.800 --> 00:34:38.980 it, I'll be glad to talk to you about it and 00:34:38.980 --> 00:34:44.630 tell you all about it. I've lived it. I got gray 00:34:44.630 --> 00:34:49.130 hair. But I'll share it with you anytime you 00:34:49.130 --> 00:34:53.329 want to know. So that's it. That's the foundation 00:34:53.329 --> 00:34:57.469 of my life and every Christian's life. The sovereignty 00:34:57.469 --> 00:35:00.610 of God and the providential leading of God. It 00:35:00.610 --> 00:35:04.949 doesn't paralyze us. It invigorates us. It enables 00:35:04.949 --> 00:35:11.820 us to live confidently. Desiring the... The glory 00:35:11.820 --> 00:35:18.159 of God to enjoy Him always. That's what He wants. 00:35:18.760 --> 00:35:21.780 That's what He wants for us. That's what He calls 00:35:21.780 --> 00:35:28.360 abundant life. Do you thank God for life? Or 00:35:28.360 --> 00:35:32.159 do you thank God for true life in Christ? There 00:35:32.159 --> 00:35:36.699 is a big difference. Everybody's here. Everybody's 00:35:36.699 --> 00:35:42.480 got life. Not everybody has abundant life true 00:35:42.480 --> 00:35:47.199 life in Christ We're in Christ we do have it 00:35:47.199 --> 00:35:51.559 and we should be attempting to live it out in 00:35:51.559 --> 00:35:55.360 total confidence and trust in the Lord so hopefully 00:35:55.360 --> 00:35:58.139 it's been somewhat helpful these this section 00:35:58.139 --> 00:36:01.480 of Proverbs and Hopefully we'll be able to apply 00:36:01.480 --> 00:36:05.719 it to ourselves and live it out all of our days 00:36:06.349 --> 00:36:08.809 until we get to the end of the King's Highway 00:36:08.809 --> 00:36:11.929 and see him face to face. Amen.