The Promises of Wisdom

Well, good morning and welcome to Grace Church. We are glad that you're here to worship with us this morning. If you are with us for the first time or the first time in a while and you'd like to have some information about our church, our ushers have a packet of information. If you just slip your hand up, one of our ushers will see that. you receive a packet of information about who we are.

Just a few announcements as we begin this morning, tonight. I encourage you to be back at 6 o'clock tonight. Mark James will be with us again to share a message from Numbers chapter 5. It's called Accusation, Action, and Abortion.

So looking forward to his treatment of that passage from Numbers tonight. Also, this is the first Wednesday coming up, and we will have our fellowship meal on Wednesday night at 6 o'clock.

So if you'll prepare some food for your family and a little to share and come and be a part of that at 6 o'clock and then at 7 we'll have our time of men's and ladies prayer and Bible study. The men's prayer breakfast will be this month on the 15th at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning. If you'd like to be a part of that, plan to come, be sure to sign up in the FOIA so we'll make sure we have enough food prepared for everyone. Important event this summer.

Vacation Bible School. We had a wonderful school last year and we're working toward doing that again this year. Our schedule is for July the 7th through the 11th. from 9 a.m. till noon each day.

We need some additional teachers and workers for that time. We need lead teachers for the upper elementary school. Grades and for kindergarten and pre-K. We also need assistant teachers for some of the classes and need some floaters. Those who are willing to come and just be available to help out wherever there's a need.

There's always something to do. When it comes to Vacation Bible School.

So be sure to put that on your calendars and be a part of that this summer.

Now, because we are partners with Ligonier Ministries, we can receive discounted rates for tickets. For their national conference this spring. If five people from Grace want to attend, we get four additional tickets for free. And so if you're interested in being a part of this and attending that conference, if you'll see Dan Nicholas, he can help you get lined up for that. One final announcement, our fish fry raised $4,410.

for the Alaska trip. We're excited about that. Let's now prepare our minds and hearts for worship. Stand with me now for the call to worship. Psalm 30, verses 4 and 5.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment. and his favour is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy comes with the morning. Let us pray.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit. We greet you in this time of worship. We rejoice in the promise of your presence, Lord. When we are gathered in your name, you are among us. Holy Spirit, we pray for You're good.

power in us. your comfort, your Yeah. work in us. enabling us to worship in spirit and in truth. May you be glorified, Father, in All that is said and done.

even in our thought as we worship together today. May Christ be exalted. The truth proclaimed in power. May your people be built up in the faith. We ask in Jesus' name.

Amen. We are weak. God is powerful. We are ignorant. God is the God of all truth.

We are sinners. God is gracious. He is and has everything we need. And we've gathered to make much of him and worship him this morning. Lift our voices in praise as we sing to Him.

Praise my soul, the King of heaven to his feet or tribute bring. Ransom he'll restore for heaven, you I be his praise shall sing. Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise He everlasting King. Praise Him for His principal to our fathers in distress, praise Him still. You must stay forever, slow to child and swift to bless.

Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, hold us in His faithfulness. Father like He tends and spends us while our feeble frame knows in His bent he bears us, rescues us from all our foes. Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, on He does His mercy goes. Thrill as the reign and wind is gone. But mortals rise and perish, God endures unchanging all.

Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise the high eternal Lord. Angels help us to adore Him. You behold Him face to face, sorrow. But come before Him, dwellers all in time and space. Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, God's God, God of praise.

God is worthy of our praise, but our praise falls short of what He's worthy of, and it is good and right in our worship of this praiseworthy God to. run to him. for mercy. For grace. For forgiveness.

Let's do that as we bow in his presence this morning. Morning and confess together our sin. Would you pray with me? Almighty God, we are unworthy. to come into your presence because of our many sins.

We do not deserve any grace or mercy from you. if you dealt with us as we deserve. We have sinned against you, O Lord. And we have offended you. And yet, O Lord, as we acknowledge our sins and offenses.

So also do we acknowledge you to be a merciful God. a loving and favorable father. to all who turn to you. And so we humbly ask you for the sake of Christ your Son. to show mercy to us and forgive us all our offences.

Forgive the sins of our youth and and the sins of our old age. By your spirits, O God. take possession of our hearts.

So that not only the actions of our life but also the words of our mouths and the smallest thought of our minds may be guided and governed by you. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. to whom with you and the Holy Spirit. Be all honor and glory both now and forever. Amen.

Take a few moments now to silently confess your particular sins to the Lord.

Now, listen to these wonderful words that remind us that God is a merciful God. Lamentations 3 says, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end. They are new every Morning. Great. is your faithfulness.

God is so merciful. Part of His mercy is giving us His Word. And we come this morning to our New Testament. Reading from 2 Corinthians chapter 3. We'll begin at verse 12 and read through chapter 4, verse 2.

This is a passage in Paul's letter to Corinth that reminds us of the superiority of Christ. And of the effectiveness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians chapter 3. Beginning at verse Yeah. Since we have such a hope.

We are very bold. Not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted. Because only through Christ is it taken away.

Yes, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but when one turns to the Lord, The veil is removed.

Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord. are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes From the Lord who is the Spirit. Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.

But we have renounced disgraceful underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth. we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience. In the sight of God. The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God. We're thinking about the trustworthiness of the Lord this morning, and we come to Psalm 14. Let's stand as we sing this psalm. It's a psalm of confidence. It's a psalm of trust in the Lord.

The tune we'll use is O'Sacred Head Now Wounded. Um Within his heart a fold has said there is no God destructive in their vile deeds, not one of them does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the human race. Has anyone shown wisdom? Does any seek God's face?

Who gathered and art and they all have turned aside Not one good has faken, not even one has tried Have all of them known God whose teams are so uncore like brethren might be people and call upon the Lord There they will be in terror, for God is with the just. Though you would shape the reception, the Lord remains his trust from thy honest and salvation and out to his rail bring the Lord restores his captives and shake the Israel sing. Morning, congregation. I hope you all had a good week. Let us pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, God Almighty, Creator of all is, Lord, we thank you for this church. A place where we can come together to worship you. Confess our sins and recharge With the Holy Spirit. As we prepare to give our offering this morning, Let us remember that all we have It's provided by you. Only by your grace do we enjoy the things we have and the blessings you bestowed upon us.

Let us now give back.

Some of those blessings for the glorification of your name. and your church. Let this also be used to support our ministry. And all missionaries. And let's keep our mission in And uh Congo in our mind this morning.

locally and around the world. Lord, bless our pastor this morning. As he brings your message. And the truth to us sinners. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We pray. Amen. Worthy of worship, worthy of praise, worthy of honor and glory, worthy of all that songs we can sing, worthy of all the offerings we bring to the world, God created. You are worthy, sing using a worthy worthy and more merciful, worthy of worship and praise Worthy of reverence, worthy of fear, worthy of love and evil shine, worthy of ring and decease, worthy of allness. Almighty Father, Master and Lord, King of Kings and Green on earth all council comfort and savior and towards all our life with our hands you are worthy, the Lord Creator, you are worthy, Savior, so Satan, you are worthy.

Worthy are girthful, worthy of worship and praise You are worthy, Father Creator, you are worthy, Savior, Savior, you are worthy Worthy of God worship and praise You are worthy. We will praise the city of the Prime Minister of the World of Warcraft.

Well, we are back in the book of Proverbs this morning. As we come to chapter 3, we'll be considering the first 12 verses, Proverbs 3, verses 1. through 12. And as we read this text, I want you to notice. That these verses contain a series of six statements that begin with an exhortation, a command.

A requirement, a condition, and then end with a promise of blessing or a reward. Do this thing. And this good thing will occur as a result. It's the promises of wisdom. Let's read God's word: Proverbs 3, verses 1 through 12.

My son, do not forget my teaching. But let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life, and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him. And he will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce. Then your barns will be filled with plenty. and your vats will be bursting with wine.

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof. For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Let's pray together. Lord, if we are ignorant of your truth this morning, we ask that you would teach us. If we know your truth but are not obeying it, Convict us.

If you have convicted us, but we've not repented, then humble us, Lord. And when you have humbled us and caused us to turn again to you in love and faith and obedience, would you reward us with the rich promises? of grace. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, this is now the third speech of the Father to his son that we've encountered in the book of Proverbs. In the first speech, the Father emphasized the necessity of wise behavior, doing the right thing, the wise thing. In the second speech, the Father emphasized the importance of wise affections, loving the right things.

Well, today, in this third speech, the emphasis is on giving motivation. for doing and loving the right thing. And these motivations are presented in the form of a series of causes and effects. If you do X, you will get Y. In fact, there are six of these cause and effects statements, or we might call them six statements of condition and promise.

If you meet the condition, you will receive the promise.

Now we should just pause for a moment and note the fact that most of the book of Proverbs is comprised of these cause and effect or condition and promise statements. And so in a sense, our text today sets the tone and the sort of method of teaching for the bulk of the rest of the book. This is how Proverbs work. They dangle some desirable outcome in front of the reader as a motivation to get the reader to do or know or be what is right and good and wise. We do this as parents, don't we?

If you clean your room, I'll give you a snack. If you go to bed without fussing, I won't discipline you. We use conditional promises, outcomes, cause and effect statements to motivate righteousness in those we love.

Well, since this is going to be the pattern for much of what follows in the book of Proverbs, I want to take up a question here at the outset that might plague us with some doubts or questions if we don't address it now. The question is this: Do the Proverbs promise too much? Do these proverbs that we see in this book promise more than they can deliver? Maybe you've wondered this yourself. You're reading a proverb, you come to a statement, for example, like, train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

And you wonder to yourself, is that always the case? Because we know a lot of good parents who have taught their children well only to have their children grow up and rebel or walk away from the faith. Do the proverbs promise too much? How do we rectify the apparent discrepancies that we see between what the proverbs promise and what seems to actually be happening in the real world? And this is an important question.

Because if the promises of Proverbs are given to motivate us in our pursuit of wisdom, but we're not sure if we can even count on these promises, then we're not going to be very motivated, are we, to pursue wisdom.

Now we're not the first ones to ask this question. It's actually a question that many theologians and scholars have given significant thought to. Let's consider briefly some of the answers that have been given. Why do the promised blessings of wisdom sometimes not seem to happen? One explanation blames it on human depravity.

The promised blessings of wisdom, they say, don't come about because nobody is perfectly wise. Nobody meets the conditions. We're depraved, and so even if we successfully pursue wisdom in some arena of life, we do so only imperfectly. God's standard is absolute righteousness, perfect wisdom, and none of us live up to that standard. Therefore, none of us deserve the promised rewards of a life.

Lived wisely. This was essentially Eliphaz's answer to Job's trouble, wasn't it? If you go back to the book of Job, Eliphaz was saying to Job: If you really are innocent, if you really are righteous like you claim to be, then these bad things wouldn't be happening to you. God is a perfectly fair God who only ever gives man what he deserves. And to be sure, this is sometimes the answer as to why man's condition is so miserable.

It's miserable because sin is miserable, and we are all sinners. But this answer cannot be the only explanation for wisdom's delayed promises because that would overlook the grace. of God. God does not only ever give man what he deserves. God sometimes gives sinners grace and forgiveness.

God sometimes treats wicked people, depraved people, like his sons, like his children. God sometimes loves and blesses people whose actions don't deserve that love and blessing. And so while we cannot accuse God of injustice when he leaves us to the consequences of our own sin. We ought to take His gracious promises seriously. They're not empty promises.

His promise of blessing is not empty, empty words that are somehow canceled out by our depravity. Remember that even God affirmed the righteousness of Job. Others have said, well, the writers of Proverbs are just kind of seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. They're incurable optimists.

So take these promises as nothing more than wishful thinking, idealistic sentiment. That's just not the right answer. That undermines the inspiration, the inerrancy of the Bible. But probably the most popular answer, at least in evangelical circles, is that the Proverbs are not promises so much as they are merely probabilities. They're likelihoods.

And there is a nugget of truth in this answer. God made the world to work a certain way. Sin has distorted things so much that really devastating exceptions to the way things ought to be are regular occurrences in this fallen world. A mother, for example, ought to love her child, but in this sin-distorted world, sometimes mothers abandon their children. Children ought to honor their parents, but sometimes in this sin-distorted world they hate their parents.

The world is broken, and so even the wisest among us don't always make it to the finish line. But again, if the promised rewards of wisdom are given to motivate us to pursue wisdom and righteousness and virtue, what kind of motivation is there in the guarantee that God will most likely keep his promises? There's a strong possibility that you'll get what you think you'll get if you pursue obedience to God's will. That's not much of a promise, is it? At least it's certainly not a very motivating promise.

So I think there's a better answer to this apparent problem. And this answer has two parts. First, we need to understand exactly what is being promised in each Proverb.

Sometimes the problem is not that a proverb is promising too much, but rather that we are reading too much into the promise. We need to recognize that proverbial statements are not exhaustive treatises on ethics and morality. They're short little snippets. They don't give the whole picture. They're not trying to give the whole picture.

And so there's often more to the story. There are unspoken qualifications to what may appear to be an absolute promise. And so we need to remember that as we read through this book. But secondly, and most importantly, we need to recognize that. While the promises of Proverbs are always fulfilled, they're not always fulfilled in this lifetime.

We need to read these promised rewards in light of the big picture of God's plan of redemption. In fact, let me just step outside of the book of Proverbs for a moment and illustrate what I'm talking about. Psalm 103 makes a beautiful statement. It says to the redeemed that God heals all your diseases. Does this mean that Christians will never get sick, will never acquire a terminal disease, will never die from physical illness?

Well, experience tells us no. It doesn't mean that. Psalm 103 cannot mean that Christians never get sick.

So what does it mean? What it does mean is that while God can and often does heal Christians of physical disease, he will ultimately heal all of his people for all eternity in glory. It's an absolute promise, but a promise that will only find its fulfillment not in this life, but in the next. And the promised rewards of Proverbs work the same way. They are so true that they often find fulfillment even in this fallen world, but the absolute ultimate fulfillment of God's promises are reserved for glory.

for the new heavens and the new earth. We get frequent tastes of that glorious future now, but the perfect fulfillment of wisdom's promises awaits us. In glory. And this means that there will always be an element of faith required in the promised rewards of wisdom. There's a delay oftentimes between wise actions and the rich rewards of those actions.

I don't pursue righteous living as if it's just a coin that I put in the cosmic vending machine in order to get a good life. No, I pursue wisdom because it will bring ultimate fulfillment in eternity. When my faith becomes sight, Even though for now those rewards are often muted or hidden or delayed.

Now we might ask, why would God set up his world this way? Why not just make the reward immediate? Wouldn't a lot more people be likely to pursue virtue and wisdom if the rewards were immediate?

Well, of course they would. But think about it. If God were to be automatic and immediate in fulfilling the promises of righteousness. In other words, if faith were removed from the equation, then God would not be honored so much as invested in. Love for God would not be the driving motive, but rather love for the reward.

God has established a delay. To the ultimate rewards of righteousness, so that we would learn that there are better prizes than prosperity. There are richer rewards than mere temporal success. We will get tastes of prosperity and success in the here and now, and we will enjoy ultimate and eternal prosperity and success in glory. But the real reward in all of this is communion with the Heavenly Father.

That's where the real joy lies. A truth that we would not learn if the benefits of wisdom were always immediate. And so God sometimes withholds or delays the blessing so that we will learn to love the giver of the blessing. more than the blessing. And in fact, our lasting joy depends on getting that motivation right.

So our text today. And this will be true of every conditional promise in the book of Proverbs, is calling us to think about the rewards of wisdom because doing wise things will yield the benefits of having done wise things. And as we've already noted, these benefits are often granted in this life. but will always and absolutely be granted in the next.

So there's a now and a then perspective on these promises. To borrow the language from Ecclesiastes, there's an above-the-son and a below-the-son perspective. You'll notice that our text begins with a description of the father-son relationship under the sun, earthly fathers, in the here and now. And it ends with the father-son relationship above the son, in glory with God. Our interaction with an earthly Father is a picture or shadow of our interaction with the Heavenly Father.

First, then, we are exhorted to heed our earthly Father in verses 1 through 4. And these verses contain two of the six conditional promises in our text. Verse 1. My son, do not forget my teaching. But let your heart keep my commandments.

So that's the condition. Remember what your mother and father teach you. The word teaching in verse 1 is the Hebrew word Torah. It means law. It most often refers to God's law, but in this instance it refers to the parents' law.

Parental law is to be a reflection of God's law. The parental relationship with a child is the training ground for a life of obeying God. And so the command is for the son or the daughter to listen to the parents' Torah and understand it and remember it in order to heed it, to obey it. The attached promise then is in verse 2. for length of days and years of life and peace They will add to you.

So does this mean that every child who obeys his parents will live to be a hundred? It might. It can mean that. But ultimately, it means that when we honor God by honoring our God ordained authorities, we are demonstrating a right posture toward, a right relationship with God. And a right relationship with God will culminate in a long, peaceful life.

In fact, it will culminate in an eternal life of peace. Remember how Proverbs works. These verses in isolation are not presenting to us the whole story. They're not saying that we're saved for all eternity by obeying our parents. We're saved by faith in Christ, right?

But one who is saved by faith in Christ will honor the law, the Torah of Christ, which includes instruction to obey the Torah of one's parents. There's a very obvious reference here to the fifth commandment, honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land. The second conditional promise begins in verse 3. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you. Bind them around your neck.

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

That's the condition. It requires that we learn the character qualities of steadfast love and faithfulness. In other words, that we reject selfishness and unfaithfulness. And then the promise, verse 4: So you will find favor and good success. in the sight of God and man.

And there's that dual perspective again, above the sun, below the sun. The favor and good success that we gain from learning to love and be faithful is a favor and good success that we have both with God and with man.

So, these first two conditional promises pertain primarily to our relationship to earthly authorities, to our father and our mother. And our relationship with earthly God-given authorities is a reflection of our relationship to our Heavenly Father and is the training ground for that higher, more significant authority. Relationship.

So, this brings us then to the next section of our text in which we are exhorted to worship. Our Heavenly Father. Verses five and six. contain the third conditional promise. And this promise is perhaps among the most well-known proverbs in the whole book.

You could probably all quote it. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him. And that's the condition.

It involves three explicit commands: to trust, to do not lean, and to acknowledge. First, we are to trust the Lord.

Now, one of the features of Hebrew poetry, and one that we'll see over and over again in the book of Proverbs, is what is called parallelism. A parallelism is a structure in which an initial statement is made, and then the next statement explains or elaborates on the first statement. In verse 5, we have a parallelism. Trust the Lord with all your heart. That's the first statement.

And then the second explanatory statement is this, do not lean on your own understanding.

So in this case, the parallel statements are opposite. The opposite of trusting in the Lord is leaning on your own understanding. Trusting and leaning are synonyms. We could paraphrase verse 5 like this, lean on the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust your own understanding.

So to trust God means to lean on Him, to rely on Him, to depend on Him. It's so much easier, isn't it, to trust our own understanding, to rely on what we think we know, to depend on our own personal analysis of any given situation. Verse 5 is saying don't do that. It may feel dependable, it may feel right, but it will be misleading because your perspective is limited and often inaccurate.

So don't depend on what you think you know or what you think you see, particularly when it contradicts what God says is so. Trust in the Lord. He won't mislead you. Verse 6 expounds this condition further. In all your ways, acknowledge the Lord.

Now, to acknowledge the Lord goes beyond merely recognizing Him in the way you might acknowledge that so-and-so is standing over there. No, it includes not only an awareness of His presence, but a genuine desire for His counsel, for His influence, for His fellowship, for His favor. It's the Hebrew word no. To know someone in this sense is like the way in which a husband and wife know each other. It involves intimate personal knowledge and interaction.

This isn't just a casual acknowledgement of God for one hour on a Sunday morning. It isn't an occasional nod towards God when life gets difficult or you need a little extra encouragement. No, it's a zealous conversation. Constant reliance on God. It's getting and staying as close to God as I can because I cannot bear to live life without.

His wisdom and his guidance and his protection and his encouragement. That's what it means to acknowledge God in all your ways. Maybe we should stop and contemplate our own posture towards God for a moment. How personal is your interaction with God? Is your interaction with him just a theological hobby that you engage in once in a while?

You read about him in a book, maybe even the Bible. You talk to him on occasion in prayer, but he is held safely at arm's length. When it's time to make a decision, About your finances or education or relationship. When the trajectories of your life are out of whack, when you're discouraged, or confused, or angry, or disappointed, you run to friends or distraction, entertainment, busyness, leisure, work, but God is not your go-to. You know he's there, but you're not acknowledging him, seeking him in order to know his counsel in everything.

You know, we are masters at finding. counselors who will tell us what we want to hear. We're experts at finding ways to assure ourselves that the path we want to be on is the path we ought to be on. The story of King Saul. him offering sacrifices on his own.

Against God's will comes to mind. You remember, God had told Saul to wait for Samuel to arrive, but Saul got impatient. He started panicking because the people who were with him were starting to leave him. It was a bad look. It was a vulnerable spot.

So he took matters into his own hands and intentionally disobeyed God. He failed to acknowledge God in all his ways. The king of Israel is not supposed to openly disobey God, so what did Saul do? He lied to himself and to Samuel in order to pretend that he had no other choice but to disobey what God had said. King Saul's defense of himself is almost laughable.

When Samuel asked Saul why he disobeyed God's express command, Saul said, Well, the people were leaving. And that's the pragmatic answer that we so often give. I don't need to acknowledge God in this situation because God's way is just not working.

Next, Saul said, I waited and waited for you, Samuel, but you weren't coming. That's to blame someone else answer. I don't need to acknowledge the Lord because everyone around me is making it too difficult. And next, Saul said, the Philistines are coming. And that's the panicked, anxious answer.

I cannot acknowledge God because my particular circumstances are too dire. And finally, Saul said, I needed to seek God's favor.

So I forced myself to offer sacrifices. And this is just pathetic. It's the twisted, self-deceived, religious answer that tells itself, I'd love to obey God right now. I really want his approval, but my circumstances are exceptional.

So I'll just have to go against my will and do what I know God would want me to do, even though it contradicts what God told me to do. And we, like Saul, are masters at ignoring God in such a way that we can reasonably convince ourselves that we're actually trusting God with all our hearts. That's a frightening reality, isn't it? That we can be that self- Deceived. How then can we know if we are sincerely trusting God and acknowledging Him in all our ways?

Well church, let me put it as bluntly as I know how. Trusting the Lord with all your heart. And acknowledging him in all your ways. looks like obedience to God's Word. It is really that simple.

obedience to what God says in His Word. And look at what the promised reward is. Verse 6: He will make straight. Your paths. A straight path is a navigable path, a path that leads easily to the desired goal.

If Saul had just stayed on the path, on God's path, things would have worked out exactly like he'd wanted to. The Philistines would have been defeated, Israel would have followed him as their king, and all would have ended happily ever after. If he had just acknowledged the Lord, his path would have been straight. How many straight paths have we ruined because we thought we knew better than God? The remaining conditional promises highlight specific ways in which we can demonstrate a posture of trusting the Lord with all our hearts.

First, we demonstrate a heart that's trusting God in the way we think about ourselves. Verse 7. Be not wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Stop thinking that you're the seed of all wisdom and start fearing, obeying, revering God.

Be more concerned with turning away from what God says is evil than by proving your intelligence or your wise grasp of life situations. And the promise, verse 8: it will be healing to your flesh. and refreshment to your bones. We demonstrate a trusting heart. by thinking rightly about ourselves.

Secondly, we demonstrate a trusting heart by acknowledging God in how we use our wealth. Verses 9 and 10. Honor the Lord with your wealth. and with the first fruits of all your produce. And the book of Proverbs will have much more to say about what honoring God with our wealth looks like.

But as we submit our material possessions to the Lord in gratitude, look at the reward. Verse 10, then your barns will be filled with plenty. and your vats will be bursting. With wine. God blesses us so that we can be a blessing.

to others. Thirdly, we demonstrate that our heart is trusting in the Lord when we acknowledge God in the midst of difficult providences. Verse 11. My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, or be weary of his reproof.

Sometimes the Lord has to wean us from some sinful attachment.

Sometimes the Lord has to spank His children. But if we trust the Lord, we know that even His firm, painful providences are motivated from love and faithfulness. In fact, his stormy providences are proof. Of his fatherly love for us. And here's the reward of this.

Final conditional promise in our text, verse 12: for the Lord reproves him. Whom he loves. As a father, the son, In whom he delights. If the Lord is disciplining you, it is because he loves you. The child then who is trusting in And acknowledging the Lord with all his heart is the child who can endure not only the good times, but also the hard times without accusing God of unfaithfulness or injustice or neglect.

He knows that God's motivation is one of love, not malice, that his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Church, these six promises are. real promises. That will be frequently fulfilled in this life, ultimately fulfilled for the children of God in glory.

And we are to meditate on these rich rewards and allow them to increase our motivation in the pursuit of the virtuous conditions that they demand of us. But as we close, I want to point out a potential danger. You see, it's quite a Possibility that as we meditate on these commands and their associated promises, we forget about grace. It's possible that we fall into a trap of thinking that the quality of our obedience is so stellar that God owes us these rewards. And while I want us to take these conditional promises to heart and truly believe that God will make good on them, I want us to equally understand that if and when our obedience meets the condition of the reward, it has only met the condition because God in His grace has granted me the will and the desire to obey.

It's all of grace. I'll often thumb wrestle with my younger children. You know the game where you're trying to pin down the opponent's thumb for three seconds.

Now my hands are much bigger than theirs, and if I wanted to, I could beat them every time we play. But out of magnanimous grace to them, I will on occasion let them win. Not because they're so good at thumb wrestling. I'm probably destroying my kids' innocence right now. But in order to keep them encouraged, in order to reward them when they play the game well, I'm training them to play well by letting them win when they do it right.

I'm training them to play with good sportsmanship by letting them win when they play with a good attitude.

Sometimes I even let them lose, not because they played poorly. But so that they will learn the humility of rejoicing when others rejoice. If we are experiencing the blessings of wisdom, It's not because we're exceptionally wise of our own accord. But because God is graciously blessing us with good things to train us in the way we should go. You see both the rewards of wisdom And the delays of those rewards are all of grace.

And come from a Heavenly Father who is driven by an unswerving love for and faithfulness to. His children.

So trust him with all of your heart. and it will go well with you. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for the precious promises of your word. Help us to believe them.

and find in them Motivation to pursue wisdom and virtue and truth, always in faith, believing and trusting that. You know exactly what you're doing in our lives. Lord, you are good. And you are wise. You are incredibly gracious towards us, and we thank you.

In Jesus' name. Amen. We come now to the Lord's table. A special precious time of communing with Christ, the head of the church. As our elders come forward to help serve this sacramental meal.

We have the privilege of standing together and affirming our faith. We're going to use the Nicene Creed this morning. If you would stand with me as the elders come forward, Christian, what do you believe? We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, light of light. Very God of very God. Begotten, not made. being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again according to the scriptures. and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit. the Lord and Giver of life. who proceedeth from the Father and the Son. Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. Praise God, from whom all blessings go. Praise Him, all creatures here below, praise Him, Almighty Heavenly host, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

You may be seated. This meal is not man's idea. It's not a novelty. It's something that Christ, the head of the church, has given. For the spiritual nourishment of his bride, his church.

We remind ourselves of this reality when we read Paul's letter to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 11. Paul said, For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, also, he took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it.

in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death. until he comes. We've thought a lot this morning about promises. God's word is full of rich, sweet promises for his children, and we don't deserve a single one of them, and yet God lavishes them on us in abundance.

How can he do that? How can he look at sinful, foolish people like us and say, I'm going to bless them? With all the benefits of wisdom and righteousness. I'm going to treat them as if they had never sinned. He can do this only because our sins have already been punished.

He can do this because his son Jesus Christ. took our sin upon him. And laid himself down, laid his life down on the altar of God's holy wrath. against us. And he attributes to us his righteousness in exchange.

That's the only reason. We can have any hope of grace or blessing. Not because we are anything, but because Christ is everything.

So Christian, if you're united to Christ this morning, come to this table and feast on him and enjoy the rich blessings that go with the righteousness that's been imputed to you. If you're here this morning and you don't know what I'm talking about. You're not united to Christ. You're not united to him by faith. Uh you're not a part of His church, the holy bride.

Then it is incumbent upon me as a minister of the gospel today to warn you not to take these elements because, in taking them, you'll be eating and drinking judgment to yourself. But as you see his bride, Christ's bride, take these elements and enjoy the forgiveness, the grace, the mercy that these things point us to. You can be pointed to that same mercy this morning. You can find that same forgiveness of sin through repenting of your sin and trusting in Christ alone, receiving and resting upon Him alone. for salvation.

Let's bow together as we give thanks for this. Precious meal. Lord, this meal is such a simple meal, but it points to such a profound reality. That sinners may be Welcomed by a holy God to the death of his son. Help us to understand that again this morning.

And may that realization silence the accusations of the enemy. May it render all the boasting that we might be tempted to indulge in just null and void, leaving us with nothing but gratitude and all that you are so gracious to save the likes of us. Father, thank you for your love to us.

Well, Jesus, thank you for... Your sacrifice in our place. And Holy Spirit, thank you for making the love of the Father and the sacrifice of the Son effectual to the saving of our souls. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Scripture tells us that on the night when Jesus was betrayed, he took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. The body of Christ, take an eat. In the same way, also, Jesus took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.

Do this as often as you drink it. in remembrance of me. The blood of Christ, take and drink. Let's pray. Lord R.

Confidence as we face another week is not in ourselves. Because we stumble so easily. We fall short of the conditions. That righteousness requires Lord, our confidence is not in us, but in you. Thank you that whatever Providences we face in the days ahead.

Your grace is sufficient. Your wisdom is trustworthy. And you make our paths Straight. Lord, keep us in your grace, that we might enjoy The benefits of that grace, and ever live to worship you. I pray in Jesus' name.

Amen. Let's stand together as we conclude this morning's worship with a hymn. It is Well, It Is Well with Maison. When peace like a river a tent with my main When so whatever my lot thou hast told me to say It is well, it is well with my soul It is well with my soul It is well, it is well with my soul. Though Satan should profit, the trial should come, and this must assured control that Christ hath rewarded my whole blessed state and shall his love for my soul in his well with my soul.

Is well, it is well with my soul. I see in all the bliss of this glorious Lord. I see not in heart, but the moral is filled to the cross, and I live with the Lord. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord of my soul, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul.

Oh, Lord haste the day when the face shall be sight, the clouds be hold as a soul, the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend. Even so is well with my soul. With my soul, it is mouth with my soul. I encourage you to come back tonight as we continue worshiping the Lord. on this.

The Lord's Day. Mark James will be preaching. Again, from the book of Numbers. Enjoying Fellowship and worship together.

So six o'clock tonight. Also remember this is the first Wednesday, so a fellowship meal at 6 o'clock. Followed by our times of discipleship, men and ladies, youth and children. seven. As we conclude, would you receive the Lord's benediction?

This is from Hebrews.

Now, may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, By the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with every good that you may do his will. working in us that which is pleasing in his sight. Through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. And all God's people said,