Well, tonight we're going to jump into Proverbs chapter 2, so if you would join me in Proverbs chapter number 2, and this is a 22 verse chapter, so if you didn't get to read a chapter today, we'll read it together, okay? Not literally you speaking out loud, but I'll just read it. It gets too confusing, we're just not coordinated enough to do that together, are we?
I get off. So Proverbs chapter 2 says, My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide or treasure could be translated my commandments with thee, so that thou incline thine ear into wisdom, apply thine heart to understanding. Yea, if thou Christ after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding, if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasure, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom, out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He lieth up sound wisdom for the righteous, he's a shield or a buckler to them that walk upright.
He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserves the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity, yea, every good path. When wisdom enterth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasing into thy soul, discretion or a common sense could also be the idea, shall preserve thee in understanding, shall keep thee to deliver thee from the evil man, from the man that speaketh forward or perverse things, who leave the path of uprightness to walk in the way of darkness, who rejoiced to do evil, and delight in the forwardness of the wicked, whose ways are crooked they forward in their path. And then verse 16 is someone else that you'll be delivered from, and to deliver thee from the strange woman, or the the sensuous woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words, which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclines unto death, and her path unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the pass of life, that thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the pass of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect, or the person of integrity, the blameless is the idea there, shall remain in it.
But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. Father, we ask as we look into this great great book of wisdom that you would grant us such, that we would be those who have ears to hear. We would be the man that is a pursuer of wisdom, that we might have the reward of wisdom, and also be protected by wisdom's guidance. We pray that if anyone today doesn't know Christ, that today would be the day of salvation. We give you praise for those who have trusted in your gospel, Lord, even recently. And we pray for the teens tonight, the kids tonight, and all those that are ministering in that arena, Lord, that you would bless them, that your word would accomplish all your desire in those hearts.
We ask this in Jesus' name, and God's people said, and you may be seated. Well, we have been examining the topic of wisdom, and wisdom is that element that is not simply knowledge or understanding, but it is to take knowledge and understanding and being able to use that in the most efficient way, and to live it out practically. Knowledge is the information, wisdom is the application, and so Proverbs is basically the skill of living successfully, successfully defined as living the way God would desire you to live.
And so we can read through Proverbs and gain insights into that, and the first nine or so chapters are really, you can kind of walk through those chapters, but then it turns into pithy comments after that and kind of breaks down different segments of ideas. And so when we look at this tonight, we're looking at the pursuit and reward of wisdom, which really is what chapter two is about. Pursuit in our life reveals value. If you just ask the question, what is that individual pursuing, you will find out what they value in life. And so the question would be asked, what do the pursuits of your life say about what you value in life?
What are you pursuing? This chapter is all about pursuing the right things and the incredible value that wisdom affords us and the reward that it gives. This compared to one who would pursue treasures or gold. I don't, years ago there was a, I don't know if it was like a gold rush show, but there was a show that I found intriguing and these guys would go down and they basically sold everything they had to put to risk the idea of getting a certain gold mine or a place where they thought there was gold. And the idea of that was so desirous of them that they went down and they put their entire, everything they owned on the line.
It was crazy. And they go down and this group of people and they get everything they need to, you know, sifts the gold and the big excavators and they're digging. And it's an amazing thing, you know, the weather's terrible, typically. They work incredible hours, probably 16 hours a day.
The food's not good. And they put themselves through in an incredible amount of toil. And I think at the end of several months of pouring all these hundreds of thousands of dollars into this event, they walked away making like $8,000 between like a dozen people.
And so you imagine working like several months and earning, you know, maybe a thousand or seven hundred fifty dollars. I mean just it was just very small amount when you look at that. The point being it's an incredible thing what human beings have done and the effort and energy and sacrifice and toil and physical abuse they put themselves through for the idea of gaining a treasure that they see to be so valuable that they would risk so much to achieve it. And the Bible likens the Word of God as that which is more valuable than gold. It is a treasure that is not, you know, and that's the thing with precious metals. They're not laying on the surface, you know. If they were it wouldn't be precious, right?
You have to mine them out. And the same is true with the Word of God. Sometimes you say well the Bible is just hard to understand. That's like walking on a piece of property and saying ah there's no gold laying around it's too hard to get to. And it's like well it's too hard to get to for those who don't really want it. But if you really want it it's there for the taking.
And that's really what this chapter is saying. If you really want wisdom it's there for the taking. And the reward is greater than what you would have imagined it to be. But you have to pursue it as though you were a gold miner seeking gold. But you're actually seeking something more than gold.
J.I. Packer said wisdom is the power to see. To see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal together with the surest means of attaining it. So wisdom can be found if a person searches for it diligently enough and once it's found it will save them from not only eternal destruction but from the devastation that the life without it has.
Friend if you dedicate yourself to this intense search you will find it. And so my heart is that the desire of all of us would be a pursuit for what's right. I think that that's what the preacher does each week is we try to change desire, affections, longings, tastes, wants. Like what I once loved I don't love as much anymore now because I found something more lovely.
Does that make sense? We set our affections on things above not on things of the earth. It's not that the the things of the earth don't have value because they definitely do it's just that we found something that's the most precious. Jesus likens it unto a pearl of great price that if you knew the value of Christ and the treasure of salvation you would be willing to sell everything immediately to have it. It's it's it's so valuable it's beyond understanding that's why only those who really know Christ recognize the value of it.
And and so tonight I just pray that we would begin to understand that once more. Proverbs 2 has 22 verses. Hebrews the alphabet you break alphabet has 22 letters in it.
There are two main sections in this chapter by giving you a brief overview. Part one is in verse 1 through 11 and it begins with three if clauses. One in verse 1, 3 and 4 we'll look at. He says my son if yea and if you cry after knowledge and if and so these three if clauses are followed up by two then clauses in verse 5 through 9 letting you know what what what you will receive by following through with these three if clauses. And the second section is in verse 12 through 22 it gives two more benefits that you will be given and it's the benefit of deliverance. Deliverance from wicked men and deliverance from wicked women. And so the section concludes with a contrasting fate of those who allow the right path to lead them in wisdom and so let's look at this tonight. This is a this is a tremendous chapter filled with verbs filled with application and the first thing we see here in chapter 1 that we looked at last week is the cry that wisdom makes of warning and and it's showing the disaster will come if a person ignores the cry of wisdom and wisdom is really personified it's in verse 20 of chapter 1 it cries out in the streets it's though it's longing it's it's crying out for people to come and listen to to to be directed in the right ways but the the foolish person does not listen they they rebel against that truth and as a result they are destroyed by their own foolishness and and so chapter 1 is this warning chapter 2 speaks about the blessing of finding wisdom when when you pursue it now verse 1 through 4 has these three if clauses and let's look at these three the first if clause is followed by four verbs four actions that Solomon is calling his son to take in verse 1 he says my son if if thou wilt receive my words and hide my commandments with thee so that thou incline thine ear to under wisdom and apply thy heart to understanding you could you could underline words like receive hide incline apply those are all verbs that are telling us that you need to to be active in this the word hide there is the word for treasure those who receive the glorious fruits of wisdom are those who treasure wisdom above all else it is it is verse 2 it says you'll incline your ear you apply your heart Proverbs 1 5 told us a wise man will hear and will increase in learning and so what you find in verse 1 & 2 the first if clause lets us know that you have to be someone who is an attentive listener you're you're someone who inclines who applies their ear you receive you hide it you treasure it in your heart and so again this is an elevation of the priority of attentiveness we all were told this when we were in elementary school by our teacher when they would say pay okay sounds like a lot more women paid attention to that question then men did they would tell us to pay attention anybody ever struggle with the flow attention span at times I I always had the problem of listening I don't know why I didn't have media much back then like we do now but I would always be the kid asking like what time did he say practice was when's that homework assignment do anybody else have that problem boy I always was the guy doing that that's a that's a shame my lack of attention the the father uses verb after verb urging his son to focus on wisdom he's telling him to welcome it accept it store it away a wise learner leans closer to here they they press into it this is alert listening it's it's why Jesus would say over and over again like you read through Matthew 13 and really just repeatedly through the Bible if you have ears to hear hear blessed are your ears for they hear in your eyes for they see this is alert listening so the first if clause calls for attentive listening what's the opposite of being attentive it's really being passive listening or not paying attention not not focusing and not giving value to what's being said this is this is important for us to all consider so the second if clauses in verse 3 he says this now now we see a progression here and you'll notice this this is a focus on alertness in verse 1 and 2 now it transitions you'll notice there's a transition from the ear to the mouth in verse number 3 he says yea if thou cryest again verb after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding now the first condition is attentive listening the second condition is verbally pursuing it you cry after it this is an earnest passion to get the knowledge and understanding that's being voiced now why would you be speaking you can't do both effectively right so let this this lets us know that after you've listened effectively and your heart has treasured it you're not content with what only you've heard you want more right this is a difference between learning and like reading the Bible and understand in studying the Bible I always tell you that the difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible is questions people who study ask questions if you never ask questions how can you study because you don't know it all right we don't know it all so we'd have to come up with some questions like what is it what do you say that what does that mean what came before that who's the audience what's the background what's the you begin to dig into that so people who are crying and and asking here this is like this is like Peter always asking sometimes dumb questions but he was always asking wasn't he he was assertive he was longing for truth no wonder God could use his life because because sometimes you'll you'll you'll speak and maybe you say things that are somewhat foolish but but at least he's asking at least he's pursuing didn't Jesus say ask and you'll receive seek and you'll find knock and it will be opened so so he's a God who says pursue it ask it you uh sometimes I read the Psalms and I'm embarrassed for the psalmist just just read through the Psalms when he says Lord how long will you not answer me Lord hear me like like really you're gonna say that to God could you imagine saying that to somebody else you better listen you paying attention to what I'm saying listen up now I mean that's literally like how they're talking to God like like I really want you to know what I'm asking here don't miss this and you think God would be like you know just silence and and but but it shows you that they're longing and desiring their burden they're hurting they're going through some difficulty and usually it's that difficulty that also produces the seeking but they're crying after this they're longing for this when's the last time that you studied the Bible and were pursuing questions to find out and you dug in till you found out the answer when you're like I I don't understand what that means does that cause you to close your Bible or does that cause you to open it more there should be a hunger a thirst a longing a desire a pursuit I remember years ago I was memorizing through Romans chapter 5 and I had memorized some passages and I did not understand what they meant Romans 512 were for as by one man centered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned for until the law sin was in the world but sin is not imputed when there is no law and then it says this nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression summarizing what that saying is this sin is only imputed to people if they break that law there is no sin the Bible says if there is no law so until the law sin was in the world but sin is not imputed when there is no law when did the law come it came with Moses right Ten Commandments right nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that did not sin after the same kind of sin that Adam did so I'm running these verses through my mind while I'm driving one day and I'm like why did the people die there's only one real sin that they could have committed in the garden it's taking the fruit what is sin it's breaking God's law first John 3 4 does that make sense so if you break God's laws that's a sin so why did they die from Adam to Moses and I'm running this in my mind like how how could God impute to them sin when the Bible says sin is not imputed when there is no law nevertheless death reigned from Adam till the time of Moses and you know what the answer is it's inherited sin they inherit the sin of Adam that's what the whole chapter 5 is about right I could continue on through 5 but that's what he's talking about it's Adam all died Christ is all made alive and and judgment came by one and the death and obedience the righteousness through Christ and it just runs through the rest of the to verse 21 and so but but I was I was dwelling on that hurts for for a long time I'm like Lord I have I have gone through this chapter I don't know what this verse is talking about and I remember driving down the road like Lord would you please give this to me and he turned the light on and it's immediately I was like that's what it means it's inherited sin why didn't I know that why didn't I know that and who taught me that the Lord helped me understand it but I I'm telling you I was longing to find out what that answer was in my life I remember when I was in high school there was a girl who came up to me and I'll never forget this and she said she I don't know if she was agnostic atheist or what but she was so bitter against the idea of God and I didn't understand it and I asked her why and she said if there is a God and you say he's so good like like everybody says he is he said how could and she begins to go into all these terrible things that happened to her and her family and and how could God be good I had never had anybody ask me that before I don't know if I was 17 or something and and I remember that I was in the gym at Clint Massey High School and this girl is lighting into me and I she's taken out on me the anger she had toward God and I'm just standing there and I'm thinking I don't know and I usually can come up with something even if it's wrong like I'd say something I I was so stumped I don't know if anybody else has been stumped like that where you're just like dumbfounded like you hear something for some reason you've just never heard it that way before and and I found myself embarrassed in silence and I was like I don't know I had no I had no answer for the last I don't know how many 25 years ago I've never let that happen to me again with that situation I was driven to know the answer I will not be silent for God again I have to know somebody came up to me and said why did this happen I would be glad to sit down and have that conversation I may not know the details of why that certain situation happened I can give you a biblical answer and and and we we should not be silenced again and again and again on things right we should be able that's why the Bible says be ready to give an answer is this right be ready to give an answer to every man who asks with the reason of hope that's in you with meekness and fear we have to study is the Bible says to show ourself approved unto God we have to be ready to give an answer I got a no like like that if I if I say I'm a follower of Christ and I don't know some basic truths when I do a funeral I ask the question preemptively every funeral I do I ask this question why does God let bad things happen to good people why is there a Children's Hospital why are there kids dying with leukemia why is there cancer ridden in 50% of people why I asked the interrogating question and people that come in and sit in funerals who may not want to do nothing with God every one of them are laser focused about what I'm going to say after that you think they are yeah there are because they're like oh he asked a question I was one to ask him so let's just throw it out there on the table right and and then you can bring them to the truth and walk them through that so wherever you're at in life you're not going to know all the answers I don't know all the answers far from it but I know where to find the answers and we have to be those who pursue that so so do it with a longing with a priority with a value James 1 5 says if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God he gives gifts to all men freely or liberally this is the idea of Proverbs 3 6 if you acknowledge God in all your ways he'll direct your path you you come to him and so that's the first two clauses the third if clause is a commitment of oneself to searching for the truth it's a level of commitment notice what verse 4 says if thou seekest her as silver and searches for her as for hid treasure if you you see the value of wisdom as being like that of hidden treasure that you would you would you would long for it with that kind of demand and dedication the three clauses start with attentive listening then verbal pursuit for more and finally a committed life to seek it as a treasure I just want to pause for a moment ask the question does your life and does my life evidence that kind of a value of God's Word what does it say when the gold miner makes the incredible sacrifices they make for the chance a low chance of being rewarded and we have a sure chance of being rewarded by God with a valuable possession that's greater than that of some earthly mineral what you treasure you will pursue some people do this with sports entertainment relaxation media hobbies let it be for us that we pursue wisdom that way Solomon teaches his son here to view this what a great dad to have to tell a person my son and and then he launches into this this this this focus this thing he's setting before his son how blessed is the child that has a dad that sets the right pursuits in front of him Joe believes to be the oldest book mentions mining in it this was a common thing but it's such a temporary benefit these precious metals are to people and so two other notes I would like to add to this first pursuit for something such as wisdom is evidence that you're humble enough to recognize you don't have it all I have learned in my life humble people ask questions prideful people never do think about the think about the people in your life who are the ones who ask the questions some of the people that I know that are probably the most intelligent wise people in this church I have found to be the ones who seem to keep asking the most questions it's not because they can't come up with an answer it's just because they keep digging they keep valuing treasuring longing second this is a father this is Solomon getting his son instruction from the Lord these are truths from the Lord but Solomon claims they are his own by calling them my words he's he has made his faith his own and again this is before Solomon had fallen into some of the sinful things that he'd given himself to and what you see here is wisdom is not hypocrisy at this time Solomon is being faithful and you see that he is passing on what he possessed he had wisdom and he's giving it to his son I think about Deuteronomy 6 the Jewish Shema they call it hero Israel the Lord our God is one Lord he says and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul with all thy mind faithful Jews still say this three times a day it is their confession verse 6 he says and these words which I command thee this day shall be where and thine heart now once they get in your heart notice what you can do with them in verse 7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children talk of them when you sit in your house walk by the way right lie down and rise up but you can't pass on what you don't possess so once I have it in my heart then I can teach others also so so we must be those who possess wisdom and this is true for friends this is true for all relationships now know that that's the pursuit for wisdom and that's the invitation verse 1 through 4 the opportunity for that then we see in verse 5 down to verse number 11 the reward of wisdom the three if clauses are now followed by two then clauses verse 5 says then shalt thou verse 9 then shout thou so if you do the if pursuits you get the then rewards and the first reward is the blessing of knowing God in verse number 6 or 5 then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord or the reverential all of the Lord and find the knowledge of God when you set out for wisdom and you pursue it you will find God to be waiting for you he is your reward the pursuit brings you to him he is wisdom that's why the Bible tells us in Colossians 2 verse 3 that in Christ all the wisdom and knowledge of God are capsulated in Christ Proverbs 2 5 then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord in the and you'll find the knowledge of God this brings us back to Proverbs 1 6 the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge that there is a a right understanding of who God is that you are brought to and why is the knowledge of God of such importance I've preached on that for a couple weeks on Sundays John 17 3 this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God in Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent salvation is knowing him first John 5 20 we know that the Son of God has come and hath given us an understanding that we might know him that is true do you notice what he says in verse 20 we know that the Son of God has come and hath given us an understanding we know him because he gave us the ability to know him he turns the light on he reveals that to us and when you understand it you understand the great value that's again why Paul said what he said in Philippians 3 8 that everything in life is counted but dung that I may know and win Christ Thomas the campus said he is truly wise who looks upon all earthly things is folly that he may gain Christ he's right and as you come to know God you will continue to grow in wisdom verse 6 says for the Lord gives wisdom out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding he lays up sound wisdom for the righteous that is what happens when you treasure God's Word you get instructed by God himself you ever read the Bible you're like whoa something just jumps out to you who do you think taught you that he thinks revealing that to you I've had people say this through the years you know when you go to God in prayer and in and you're praying and talking you need to stop and listen and let God talk to you that's that's not true if you want God to talk to you read the Bible we're not looking for a still small voice this is this is an illusion God has never verbally talked to your pastor he has laid things on my heart but he has spoken to me through his Word it has turned the light on and transformed my life I can tell you how you go down the road of mysticism is when you say well I know God told me that how do you know God told you that that's objective that's totally subjective and now we can't validate that how do you validate that maybe just had a strong feeling and the Bible says don't follow your own heart because your own heart can lead you down a wrong path right I don't need a vision when I have a verse so we build it on the truth of God's Word so just be careful if you ever hear somebody say that you know where in the Bible do you ever hear somebody say that statement stop talking to God in prayer and let him talk to you and they'll say well he spoke to me with a still small voice that's still small voice that Moses speaks about was external to him not internal to him right God came in a whirlwind God gave him in a fire and then he spoke in a still small voice it wasn't inside of his head that he was speaking it was God speaking outside of him to Moses does that make sense so this is important I grew up in that world of charismatic ideology and and it can lead down a very very dangerous path of mysticism that we don't want to ever go down we want to stay in the truth of God's Word and his known revealed truth right and not what people feel that God has told them so when you go to God in prayer you need to be the one talking it doesn't mean you have to speak the whole time you can sit in silence and just meditate on God meditate on his truths and what I find oftentimes is when I am silent before God truths of his word begin to lay on my heart or people that I need to pray for or lay on my heart or lost souls begin to come to my heart and I begin to pray for them and so so as you come to God he will speak to your life in Babylon Daniel we find in 1 verse 7 where God gave knowledge to them he gave wisdom to Daniel and his three friends it says as for these four children God gave them knowledge and skill and learning he filled them up with that we think about John 6 45 it is written in the prophets and they shall all be taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father comes to me when you think about John chapter 10 verse 25 through 20 27 and 28 it says you you're the sheep he's the shepherd and he says the sheep hear his voice and they follow him that's why a lot of times when people come to churches that preach the Word of God their heart is set like it's opened up and drawn to the truth it grips them it draws them to it I remember when we we grew up in churches all through our life that would talk about the Bible and long song services and emotionalism would stir up and then we got to a church that preached the word and it transformed our family like nothing I have ever experienced ever it was so dynamic that it's it's affected us to this day and it set our family on a different path and I thought you know we've heard sermons all through our life but why is it so impactful it was because a man just stood up read the text preach the text and it just was so clear it's like God turned the light on and that's what happens he uses the clear preaching and teaching of his word it's not the talent of the preacher it's the power of the scripture verse 7 he says the Lord will be your buckler he'll be your shield he protects those that are his I don't know about you but I want God to protect me I think about Philippians 4 it's one of my favorite chapters in the Bible it says be anxious for nothing boy that's easy to do isn't it never anxious yeah some people sometimes you know if you what would you do with your life if you were never anxious you know like I don't know I would have all 168 hours in the week to live so so the Bible says be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God so what happens when I take the scriptures apply that truth to the anxieties of life instead of just simply ibuprofen or Tylenol and stress medicine and etc but I but I take my anxieties I pray for them but I don't just pray for them I thank God for them what happens when you're thankful for what should be causing you anxiety people say well how can I be thankful for something that's causing me anxiety is God sovereign if God sovereign then does he want that in your life can he not use the good and the bad can he not use blessings and burdens can he not give and also take away but blessed be his name so so when you can begin to thank God for anxieties that's when you begin to understand he is sovereign the people who don't understand the sovereignty of God struggle with thankfulness and they live with control in life which is an illusion and therefore they lose their peace and joy because they give it up for the illusion of control and so they live with anxiety and anger that's the price we pay for it so listen what happens in verse the next verse verse 7 it says and the peace of God which passes all understanding shall it's a Greek word here translated keep in this version but it's it in my opinion would be better translated as guard it's a military term for a soldier who guards you he shall guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus so when I bring these these burdens to God and trust in him and do what he calls me to do and thank him even for the hardships and anxieties of my life he will send peace like a soldier to guard my mind does anybody want God's peace like a soldier to guard your heart from anxiety does that sound like good news that that happens when we apply those truths I heard one one individual who was sharing how they were dealing with anxiety attacks that were debilitating to the point they they were struggling to function in life they begin to memorize Philippians 4 and as the anxiety attacks begin to because they could feel it coming and it caused them to be totally debilitated they begin to read that text and within a few weeks they said they completely got rid of their anxiety attacks and they've been good from them since it doesn't mean it's not going to be a battle right but it means that we use the right armor you take the truth and you apply it to things that are not true and we're set free from that and you know what verse 8 says lovers say people say well you will you just pray and then the anxieties go away you kidding me that's not what it's saying you pray with Thanksgiving and then verse 8 says fine it goes on to say finally brethren whatsoever things are what's the next word most of the stuff we worry about it's not really true it's a what-if isn't it it's like an insurance agent in our mind you know what if this happens you're gonna have to get insurance for that you ever talked an insurance agent I hope there's no insurance agents tonight I talked to a guy a few years ago he's like yeah you know Church has enough insurance about other things and and he and he's going down a list of this and that and the other and you talk these personal interests by the end of you're like you so you're telling me if I'm driving down the road and there happens to be a cat in the tree that fell out and hit a branch and it felt that could happen it could break my windshield and my car got on fire and it wouldn't be covered I mean you go down these roads of insanity I'm like no I don't need that coverage I don't know if I'm a risk-taker I think I know I am but there's those guys drive me crazy anybody else feel that way this is a total rabbit trail doesn't really have anything to do with the message but that's what our mind does you have to think on things that are true 92% of things people worry about will never come to pass or they will not have the ability to change the outcome of that so whatever is true honest just pure lovely think on these things you dwell on the right things you continue to dwell on the right things that's why some people who say well you know I don't go out and cuss anymore and drink anymore and party anymore and do all these other sins but they fill their mind with worry and they think they're okay with God that's a sin worry is as sinful as covetousness or lust and it's got to be cast out can it destroy a person as bad as covetousness or lust and 80% of people in hospitals today are there because of stress related illness at some level we have to see it that way second reward is not in that great that God will preserve you he'll guard you he wants to do that he preserves the way of his saints he says in verse 8 and then the secondary word is you will know God's wisdom for your life in verse 9 through 11 he says here in verse 9 then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity a every good path these are four fruits that come this is actually from verse 1 through Proverbs 1 verse 3 you can write that in the margins I would encourage you to write in your Bibles use them like a study book verse 9 ties back into chapter 1 verse 3 but righteousness judgment or justice equity in every good path righteousness is conforming to God's laws he will conform you to that he will help you know that path he will show you what the right judgment or justice this is a legal term that speaks of right behavior equity speaks about dealing fairly with people and in every good path and then verse 10 through 11 you will be preserved and kept from evil verse 11 discretion shall preserve you understanding shall keep the discretion here is the outward manifestation of wisdom it tests what is uncertain and it avoids that danger anybody when you're younger gave in to silly sinful things at some point in your life that you look back and like why was I so naive why was I so naive why would I have said that done that gone there been a part of that and because it's the naivety isn't it but we look back we're like I'm never gonna go there again I wouldn't do that over again I would not subject myself to that kind of a situation you know discretion is a big deal it's important it's something that youth typically don't have because they don't have the experience of life to teach them that that's why in life you either listen to the truth or the only other option is pain becomes the instructor right and that's not fun so so truth is a preservative it's a preservative of the book of the believer it keeps you from evil sin will keep you from the Bible or the Bible will keep you from sin as it's been said and so the this is the this is the reward of that let me wrap this up with the deliverance wisdom gives there's two two people wisdom will keep you from two types of people two types of enticements one is covetousness the other is lust one is desire for material things the other is desire for sex wisdom is seen here as a deliverer of one who would keep these truths if they would seek after wisdom and receive it they would be kept from these things and the first is in verse 12 through 15 wisdom will deliver you from the evil man verse 12 notice to deliver thee and then verse 16 to deliver thee and in the first deliverance here is of from the way of the evil man the man who speaks it says forward things better perverse things is the idea here perverse language I grew up working construction everybody spoke moral no cut yeah right yeah yeah you learn you learn every four-letter word and it's cousins right I mean you get them all it's it's a it's a it's a field of work and really most places in the world today have just kind of gone downhill in that area but perverse language is something that that is common among the worldliness that we we live around Proverbs 10 32 says the lips of the righteous know what is acceptable but the mouth of the wicked speak could just translate that perversities scripture I want to mention this warns against using conversation and partaking in conversation about sinful things you could just be repeating it in the Bible says you shouldn't do that Ephesians 5 3 says fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness and let it not once be named among you has become a Saints and it goes on it says neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which is not convenient jesting here is the idea this is what a lot of times guys can do in work environments where they just turn everything into a foolish jest like a foolish kind of perverted twist to it like like they corrupt it they just bend it into something that's just slanted immoral anybody ever been around that environment it's like they always have something witty and and depraved to say no matter what you say they're gonna use it the other way so that's the Bible says never let it once be named among you has become a Saints Ephesians 5 12 says for it is a shame to even speak of those things which are done of them in secret I'll never forget when I learned that verse I was rebuked by my brother I'm just confessing this company I was a young man my brother was a little older than me and I was sharing with him a situation that I had found out about an immoral situation about somebody we had grown up with and and and I was in college at the time and and I was like man I can't believe you heard about this situation remember that guy we would school with and I began to go into detail about like the sinful thing that went on and he says I'm gonna have to stop I said what do you mean he says I don't even want to hear about that I was like what I said but you he's like he's like no he said he said it's a shame to even speak of those things he's like I don't want you talking about that because the moment you start describing that stuff it gets in my head that point of rebuke has changed my life from probably when I was 18 19 whenever I was talking to him about that to now I was like he's right I I didn't know that verse is in the Bible I didn't know that I was just repeating something like I wasn't rejoicing it I was like sad about it but you understand what I'm trying to say it's wrong to bring that stuff up because it puts it in their mind and I think that can happen among God's people at times did you hear about no don't I don't even talk about it because our minds don't have don't need much imaginative power right I mean it just we have all been overexposed so so protect each other and protect our lives from giving into those kind of conversations does that make sense verse 13 who leave the right to do the wrong wisdom will cause you to discern to forsake the wrong path to go down the right it says they'd rejoice in delight in forwardness or perversity they celebrate their sin in verse 15 whose ways are crooked and forward of their past the idea there is that they just can't stay on a straight road they're just weaving in and out they're going to crash their life is going to come to one great crash they are an out-of-control life that's the first deliverance the second deliverance is in verse number 16 to deliver thee from the strange woman this should better be translated immoral woman we don't use the word strange like like we think about strangers like she's strange weird it's it's the idea that she's immoral she is she is perverse really she's a seductress is the idea verse 16 even from the it should be translated seductress which flattereth with her words that gives us a better understanding of what he's trying to say here she entices unwise youth with her words now verse 17 says which forsaketh the guide of her youth that's actually talking about her husband and forgets the covenant of her God that's her married vows she's willing to commit adultery by leaving her husband and forgetting the covenant she made with her God verse 18 her house inclines into death her which means it sinks down into its descending to death her paths unto the dead none that go into her return again neither take they hold of the pass of life this is the road of destruction the first guy in verse that he's going to deliver you from is is perverse and and really would lead them in the way of probably more the idea of what chapter one was talking about financial gains sinful ways of achieving things this is somebody who's wanting to get you into some kind of sinful sexual fulfillment this is a destructive Proverbs 5 we'll talk about this Proverbs 7 we'll talk about this so much needed in our culture III heard this week that one of the senators in I think it was Oklahoma wants to put a ban in their state on pornography would that not be wonderful if they banned pornography in the nation with it would that not be you just wonderful like it's illegal like you would go to jail I'd be like praise God wouldn't that be just great we need to pray for that kind of stuff it is destroying I think it's destroying a culture of men in this country and I'm sure women verse 20 through 22 concludes this 22 verse chapter he says that thou mayest walk in the way of good men and keep the path of righteousness for the upright shall dwell in the land and the idea here of perfect is blameless people with integrity shall remain in it the wicked shall be cut off from the earth entering transgressors will be rooted out God will bring judgment and so in conclusion this is a glorious chapter of Scripture on the importance of pursuing God's Word at least eight action verbs are listed clearly challenging men to pursue wisdom not casually but diligently not passively but passionately and to those who fulfill the pursuit will get the rewards of the then wisdom if you do the if pursuit you get the then wisdom right pursuits will result in right rewards desire determines pursuit what you desire in life you will pursue in life what you value you will treasure those who listen attentively who ask questions and seek it will cry after it and will commit their path to that they will reap the reward of knowing God they will reap the reward of being protected by God from evil men and from evil women and so if you don't want to go down the path of destruction it starts with if if if and we get the then then then that's that's what's offered to us it's more valuable than anything in the world show me a man with a broken family broken life broken everything but has a handful of gold and y'all will show you a miserable person show me somebody who loves Jesus whose families put together and maybe they don't have all the fancy things in the world but they are blessed by God and that's a rich person amen let's all stand this evening
