25-0810p Transcript

Preacher: Jim Lokenbauer

(0:43) Good evening everybody. (0:46) So this morning we had part three of the fatherly instruction lesson, (0:53) and tonight I will conclude that, part four.

This morning we established that it’s the fear of God (1:02) that is the foundation for learning, for knowledge. It’s the ground point. (1:12) When you think of fear, you think of discipline.

You think of correction. (1:20) If you go against the word being said, you can expect to be corrected. (1:28) And so there should be a fear there.

And this morning we looked at fear in the Old Testament (1:36) and the New Testament, and how necessary it is, at least certainly at the beginning of our faith, (1:44) to understand we must fear God. And then, not really a paradox, but a metamorphosis happens (1:56) in our walk of faith. As we grow older and we’re practicing our faith, and we’re responding to God (2:10) and His love by doing what He says and practicing what He says, pretty soon we’re understanding (2:19) God’s love, and then we end up doing things out of love for God.

And that replaces that fear (2:32) of punishment that we would have for doing wrong. And that’s a mature faith that develops (2:41) the agape love. But we ended this morning’s lesson talking about Proverbs, Solomon’s teaching, (2:53) in chapter 1, verses 1 through 6, and there were 13 points there that tell us about the purpose (3:05) of Proverbs.

And it’s from Proverbs, where we learn Proverbs 1-7, that was this morning’s (3:14) Scripture reading, that tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. (3:21) But fools despise wisdom and discipline. And so we’re going to look at (3:30) how God uses fear to both motivate and teach His people, and the fear of God, (3:38) and what He would do if we disobey Him.

At the beginning was the motivational means (3:45) in which He got His people to obey Him. We also looked at Exodus 20-20, where Israel is beholding (3:56) the Shekinah, and God is giving the law, and they see the black cloud over the mountain, (4:05) and the thunder, and the lightning, and the fire, and God’s booming voice making the ground shake. (4:15) And the Israelites were shaking in great fear, and Moses said, (4:20) do not fear, for God has come in order to teach you to fear Him so that you may not sin.

(4:34) So God uses fear to teach. And of course, that fear is the foundation (4:45) that we build upon to obtain knowledge that we can apply to any area of our life. (4:52) And we’re going to see in Proverbs 1, 1-6, again, where Solomon lists the benefits of the Proverbs.

(5:08) You know, we want to know how to please God and not to go about our lives ignorant of what He (5:15) expects from us. He wants us to be wise. He wants us to be knowledgeable.

He wants us to be able to (5:25) properly reason things out to come to proper conclusions so that we can make good choices (5:32) in our lives that glorify Him. Our obedience to Him is how we show our love to Him. So we left (5:43) off with Solomon giving the purposes for what a Proverbs for.

He said, the Proverbs of Solomon, (5:51) son of David, king of Israel, for attaining wisdom, discipline, and for understanding words of insight, (5:59) for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right, and just, and fair, (6:06) for giving prudence to the simple knowledge and discretion to the young. Let the wise listen and (6:13) add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance for understanding Proverbs and parables, (6:21) the sayings and riddles of the wise. So these 13 points here mentioned by Solomon (6:30) of what the purpose of a proverb is for, we’re going to look at those (6:34) to give us a better understanding about some of the Old Testament virtues, (6:40) like the aforementioned knowledge and the wisdom of God.

First on the list is (6:47) to attain wisdom. So Proverbs are to become, to make you wise. What is wisdom? (6:56) Well, wisdom is the accumulated and proper use of knowledge, experience, and understanding, (7:04) discernment, and virtue for doing the good works God planned for all His children to do.

(7:11) Like begets like. And if we are God’s children, and He is wise, you can see that we too are to be (7:22) like Him, wise. If you’re struggling to obtain wisdom, James tells us in chapter one of his (7:31) letter, if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding (7:40) fault, and it will be given to him.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, (7:49) because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. That man should (7:55) not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, (8:03) unstable in all he does.

So when asking God for anything, belief is the key. You must trust God (8:11) at His word by believing. You can expect to receive what you ask.

Without it, you will receive (8:19) nothing. And God will give it to you in abundance, it says, regardless of who you are, without (8:26) finding fault. He wants His children to be wise.

Proverbs are also good for attaining discipline. (8:36) So what is discipline? Discipline is teaching, instruction, and correction. (8:43) It’s adherence to the principles and approved practices.

It’s the control of self, (8:52) one of the fruits of the Spirit, passions and emotions, and control over actions. It’s also (9:00) the application of punishment to correct bad behavior. Another thing that Proverbs will do (9:10) for you is to understand words of insight.

When you understand something, it’s to know and (9:17) comprehend the idea or teaching presented to you. Insight, of course, is to see into something by (9:25) inspection. So circumspection is an overall examination, and introspection is looking at (9:35) something in detail, internally, so to speak.

So to understand words of insight is to consider (9:43) and adopt the words of someone who has already acquired insight and wisdom, because you will be (9:50) able to discern or figure out what they’re saying. Proverbs are also useful for acquiring (10:00) a disciplined life. God does not want you to lead a senseless, aimless life where you fly by the (10:09) seat of your pants.

He wants you to consider the path that you’re on and make good decisions (10:15) that benefit you and your family and glorify him. How you may ask? By following his words (10:25) and his commands. Jeremiah speaks to this when he said in Jeremiah 6.16, (10:32) this is what the Lord says, stand at the crossroads and look.

Ask for the ancient paths. (10:41) Ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. (10:48) Seeking God’s way and finding it is only half of the battle.

You must also walk in it. (10:57) When you walk in it, you are being an effectual doer of his word. And James states that later in (11:05) chapter one of his letter, and you won’t deceive yourselves either by being just a hearer of the (11:13) word only.

When you practice what he says as to discipline your life to conform to his will, (11:24) you will then make good decisions that are in accord with his teachings. Discipline is a virtue (11:31) to be practiced. Remember Paul saying, but I discipline my body and keep it under control, (11:40) lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Discipline is the ability to (11:48) restrain your tongue, your passions, your emotions, and your actions. So pursue and (12:01) practice discipline. Make it your life’s goal.

Next we have the requiring a prudent life. (12:13) Webster defines what it is to be prudent this way, cautious, circumspect, (12:22) practically wise, careful of the consequences of enterprises, measures, or actions, (12:31) cautious not to act when the end is of doubtful utility or probably (12:41) impracticable. So prudence is a form of wisdom that is more cautious and careful in regard to (12:52) oneself and is to be a lifelong pursuit in attaining it.

Next, proverbs are good for (13:04) doing righteousness. And what is doing righteousness? God bless Noah Webster because (13:11) you can tell his Christian worldview through his definitions of his words. I find it a delight (13:21) to actually look at his dictionary, as I’ve mentioned in the past.

So he defines righteousness (13:31) as purity of heart and rectitude of life, and rectitude is moral uprightness, conformity of (13:41) heart and life to the divine law. Righteousness as used in scripture and theology, he says, (13:47) in which it is cheaply used is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles (13:55) and affections of heart and conformity of life to the divine law. (14:03) Doesn’t that sound like how Jesus led his life? Amen? The apostle John gives it in simple terms (14:12) in 1 John 3 7. Let no one deceive you, my children.

Whoever does what is right is righteous, (14:21) just as Christ is righteous. Doing what is right is a conscious, moral choice. (14:31) When we believe in our Savior Jesus, having no righteousness of our own, he gives us (14:37) of his righteousness so that we ourselves can do righteous acts ourselves for his glory.

(14:46) What else does Proverbs do? Another point is for doing what is just. (14:53) Again, I defer to Noah Webster to define what it is to be just in a moral sense, upright, honest, (15:05) having principles of rectitude in social conduct, equitable in the distribution of justice (15:13) as a just judge. In an evangelical sense, righteousness, religious, influenced by (15:23) regard to the laws of God, or living in exact conformity to the divine will.

(15:31) Thank you, Noah Webster. You will not find definitions like that in the Cambridge Bible. (15:40) So far, I hope you see how important the Proverbs of Solomon are and the benefit of studying them.

(15:47) Next, Proverbs are good for doing what is fair. To be fair is to be honest in our dealings with (15:55) others, to be honorable, mild, opposed to underhanded practices, and it’s to be pleasing, (16:04) not harsh. A proverb also can give prudence to the simple.

Prudence can help those who (16:17) aren’t very smart. That’s what it is, to be simple. The simple-minded people tend to be gullible, (16:27) believing everything they hear, and Proverbs will teach them prudence.

(16:34) There is a proverb that speaks to this very point, Proverbs 14, 15, which says, (16:42) a simple man believes everything, but the prudent man carefully considers his ways. (16:51) Proverbs also will give knowledge to the young. The young haven’t lived long enough to accumulate (17:00) knowledge and understanding.

These things must be taught to them. The young don’t know about (17:07) the Proverbs in the Bible. They have to be told about them and taught them.

They contain practical (17:14) knowledge for life. I was impressed with Steve when he gave a sermon in his preamble. Before he (17:22) started his sermon, he mentioned some of his daily practices, and that was reading the Proverbs.

(17:33) I can remember as a child growing up, I remember going over a friend’s house, (17:39) and he was sitting at his dining room table, and his mother was there, (17:43) and they had the Bible open. I had no idea what a Bible was, and I asked what they were doing, (17:53) and my friend’s mom said, well, I’m teaching my son the Proverbs, which makes him become wise, (18:02) and I was clueless. I didn’t know anything about that, but I remember that example.

(18:08) That was another seed planted to a little heathen child, and so it was like, oh, there’s, (18:15) you know, there’s something to be taught other than what we learn at school, so kudos to her. (18:25) Anyhow, it’s so important to instill in our children the Word of God. From it, (18:33) they can gain knowledge, wisdom, understanding.

(18:40) They contain practical knowledge for life. Every parent should make teaching God’s Word part of (18:47) the child’s upbringing. When Ruth and I raised our kids, we made sure to do that.

In Deuteronomy 6, (18:58) 7-9, God tells the Israelites, impress, this is talking about His Word, the law, impress them on (19:07) your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, when you (19:14) lie down, and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands, and bind them on your foreheads.

(19:22) Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, so we are to surround our children (19:31) with the Word of God, so they can gain godly knowledge, especially through the Proverbs. (19:39) Isn’t there a proverb that says, train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, (19:44) he will not turn from it? Proverbs are also useful for giving discretion to the young. (19:54) A child’s mind is a blank slate, and they need to be taught nearly everything.

They need to (20:02) be taught that they need to evaluate everything from every angle, so to speak, circumspect. (20:10) Discretion is discernment, which aids a person to judge critically what is correct and proper, (20:18) and especially regarding one’s own behavior. Next, God shows that even the wise can benefit (20:27) from the Proverbs.

I hope we’re all humble enough to admit that we simply don’t know it all. (20:41) And God bless Steve for saying, I read the Proverbs as part of my daily routine of reading (20:50) God’s Word. So even at, what did he say he was, 84? So even at 84, I regard Steve a wise man.

(21:01) He’s still reading the Proverbs, so God bless him. Even those of us that have been around many years, (21:09) I can remember, man, Joe, how long ago was that? 25 years or so? We used to challenge each other (21:19) with Bible memorization, and we would often memorize the Proverbs, and when Sunday would (21:28) come around, we’d go up to each other and zing each other with the Proverbs, and it was very (21:35) joyful. And I’m sure Joe still reads, don’t you, Joe? The Proverbs.

Good man. So Proverbs, (21:45) in our senior years, is beneficial because our gray cells need to be exercised. Our brain is (21:54) like a muscle.

Reading Proverbs and pondering them is better than working the Sunday crossword puzzle. (22:04) God knows this about us, and that’s why He said it here. We never stop learning through life, (22:11) and even in our senior years, we gotta keep our minds sharp, and the Proverbs are one way to do (22:18) that.

God concludes that all of us can get this guidance as we discern His sayings. Solomon says (22:29) that the reason for learning Proverbs is to get guidance for understanding God’s ways of teaching, (22:38) so the discerning can get guidance for understanding Proverbs and parallels, (22:44) which are the sayings and riddles of the wise. Jesus taught that way, the sayings of the wise.

(22:52) He told parables all the time, and He often confounded those people with His parables, (23:03) and His disciples would even go up to Him and ask, why do you speak to them in parables? (23:11) And His answer was, the parables are for you to know, people who are interested in learning God’s (23:19) word, but for those who are just self-inflated, it’s to frustrate them. You know, they’re going (23:26) to have to really work extra hard, not having Holy Spirit in their life, to understand God’s words. (23:38) So those who believe in Jesus and obey Him, having the Spirit, Holy Spirit helps us in (23:45) our understanding.

Obedience to Him is key to our growth and development as a Christian. (23:53) Remember, Proverbs 7 says that the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. So fear is our (24:01) starting point for biblical understanding, and that was illustrated on Mount Sinai when Moses told (24:10) the people, do not fear God, but fear Him so that you may not sin.

Sounds contradictory, (24:24) but it’s really not, because our obedience and love for what God has done for us, (24:35) we’ll soon, we’ll be doing things out of love ourselves. You know, God first loved us (24:44) before we even knew about Him, and we, when we get to know Him, we’ll love Him back. (24:54) So we should always keep in mind that one day, we’re going to have to give an account of our (25:00) the Christ, the judge.

Does that send fear into you? Jesus said in John chapter 12, (25:10) 48, there is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words. That very word (25:18) which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. Again, belief, fear, obedience to God’s word (25:28) is key to our growth.

As we grow and mature in Christ, we can see a change in our behavior. (25:36) It’s marked by a willing love and obedience. John says again in John 14, 21, and then 23 through 24, (25:48) whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

He who loves me will be loved (25:55) by my father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. If anyone loves me, he will obey (26:01) my teaching. My father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

(26:08) He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own. They belong (26:15) to the Father who sent me.

So our obedience is how we show our love to God and how we express (26:26) our gratitude to God for what he’s done for us. When we first became believers and practiced our (26:34) Christianity, after time we start to realize the great depths of love that God has for not only (26:44) us but all of mankind. And so out of gratitude for him, we show love back.

Even when we sin, (26:56) God’s amazing grace covers us. And God knew that even though we’re believing, practicing (27:05) children of his, he covers us with his grace, which is further proof of his unmeasurable love. (27:16) In 1 John 1, 7 through 9, it says, but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have (27:25) fellowship with one another in the blood of Jesus.

His son purifies us from all sin. If we claim to (27:34) be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, (27:41) he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

(27:48) While we’re working out our salvation down here, practicing our Christianity, God knows that we (27:56) will still sin occasionally, and his grace through Jesus' blood covers us. We have to confess (28:05) those sins, and doesn’t that make you want to love him more, knowing that we’re forgiven? Doesn’t (28:12) that make you want to do better? To work out of our salvation, showing our love to him? (28:22) Doesn’t it hurt our conscience more when we sin, knowing the depth of God’s love for us? (28:30) Later in that first letter that John wrote, in chapter 2, verses 1 through 5, John says, (28:37) my dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, (28:45) we have one who speaks to the father in our defense, Jesus Christ, the righteous one.

He is (28:53) the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world. (29:02) We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says I know him, (29:08) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But if anyone obeys his (29:15) word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. Transforming our character to become like Jesus (29:25) is a process of trial and error. We work out our salvation.

We have to be persistent (29:36) at practicing our Christianity. We have to persevere, and to persevere suggests we’re (29:43) going to fail occasionally. But we get back up and we keep trying, and God is there cheering us on.

(29:52) You can do it. And during part of that process, when we learn to love and trust God, (29:59) the fear we have towards God is replaced with love for God. And John said in his first letter, (30:09) chapter 4, verse 18, there is no fear in love.

Perfect love drives out fear, because fear has (30:19) to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. So God uses fear as a tool (30:28) of instruction to mold us into his image as we learn of him and his ways.

And isn’t that the goal, (30:37) to become like him? And when we start to reflect his image, we’re letting his light shine through (30:44) us, and we spread that agape love of God to both God and those around us. And our fear of punishment (30:55) is replaced by love, knowing that we’re working out of salvation given to us by a gracious God. (31:06) Just as John illustrated, when Christ returns to receive his church up to heaven, (31:12) we should all be shouting for joy, trusting in his saving grace and promises.

Live such lives (31:21) that are always focused on heaven. John also said this in that letter, in chapter 2, verse 28, (31:29) and now, dear children, continue in him so that when he appears, we may be confident and unashamed (31:39) before him that is coming. When he returns, will you be confident when you see him, (31:48) or will your heart be fearful in fear of punishment at his appearance? Will you feel (31:56) shame then because of the sin in your life? If you’re wrestling with sin, unload that burden.

(32:06) We’ll be glad to pray for you. God will take you back and will restore you. So the invitation is (32:14) yours.

So come if it applies to you, and we’ll be glad to pray with you.