WEBVTT 00:00:02.665 --> 00:00:08.500 Well, I'm grateful for how Isaac responds to challenges. 00:00:08.666 --> 00:00:11.666 Yeah. 00:00:13.233 --> 00:00:16.533 Some would be so derailed by that; would be so distracted. 00:00:16.533 --> 00:00:20.966 And he just continued to lead us in joy and in worship. 00:00:20.966 --> 00:00:29.966 And I hope that's the atmosphere we're present in right now, is that we're expecting, in spite of whatever challenges, distractions with lighting. 00:00:29.966 --> 00:00:35.466 And I appreciate Isaac saying that. We're- we've become dependent on those things for worship. 00:00:35.466 --> 00:00:38.365 But we we shouldn't be. 00:00:38.365 --> 00:00:48.466 I hope our hearts are still in the atmosphere of longing to hear from the Lord, longing to know him better, being deep in his word, understanding what he's saying to us in His Word. 00:00:48.466 --> 00:00:49.600 And that's the hope today. 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:52.399 Last week we started a series in Proverbs. 00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:55.066 We're going to continue in that today. 00:00:55.066 --> 00:01:03.899 Proverbs is all about wisdom, something we all need, something our age desperately needs is wisdom. 00:01:04.066 --> 00:01:05.766 How do we get wisdom? 00:01:07.132 --> 00:01:13.566 If you've sought out wisdom in the financial realm, you've probably heard of the name Dave Ramsey over the years. 00:01:13.566 --> 00:01:18.200 He's well known, especially in Christian circles, for his advice. 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:22.533 If you asked him how he is, what does he say? 00:01:22.766 --> 00:01:23.865 Better than I deserve. 00:01:23.865 --> 00:01:25.132 That's his little tagline. 00:01:25.132 --> 00:01:27.066 He always says better than I deserve. 00:01:27.066 --> 00:01:37.233 One of the pieces of wisdom he gives for those who are seeking to get their hands around their finances, is he [says] you need to create, one of the first steps, you need to create an emergency fund. 00:01:37.233 --> 00:01:44.033 You need to have a little money set aside so that when rainy days come, you're ready for whatever may come. 00:01:44.033 --> 00:01:50.500 If you wait until the tragedy happens to go find the money, you're borrowing money at that point, right? 00:01:50.500 --> 00:01:54.799 If if at that moment you need it, you gotta go find it. It's too late. 00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:57.465 You gotta already have set it aside. 00:01:57.465 --> 00:01:59.566 You've gotta store it up for a rainy day. 00:02:00.632 --> 00:02:05.266 That's the idea we're going to see in today's passage how do you store up wisdom for a rainy day? 00:02:05.266 --> 00:02:09.500 How do you store up wisdom so that when you need it, you have it? 00:02:09.932 --> 00:02:16.400 We're going to see, especially in Proverbs chapter two, that we're going to look at today, wisdom for a rainy day. 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:19.400 How do you get wisdom for a rainy day? 00:02:19.966 --> 00:02:23.133 We're going to see four ways in particular in Proverbs chapter two. 00:02:23.133 --> 00:02:27.765 First is we're going to see a father to his son. 00:02:28.500 --> 00:02:32.099 Give a plea for wisdom, a plea, begging. 00:02:32.466 --> 00:02:34.699 Please seek out wisdom. 00:02:34.699 --> 00:02:38.466 Then we'll see in the passage a paradox around wisdom. 00:02:38.466 --> 00:02:42.966 Wisdom can be paradoxical at points. It can be hard to understand. 00:02:42.966 --> 00:02:46.300 We'll see the protection of wisdom that comes from storing up wisdom. 00:02:46.300 --> 00:02:55.265 And then lastly, the path of wisdom. A plea, the paradox, the protection, and the path of wisdom are what we're going to look at today in Proverbs chapter two. 00:02:55.265 --> 00:02:59.966 So if you have a Bible, Proverbs chapter two is where we want to turn. 00:02:59.966 --> 00:03:04.866 And if you have a church Bible, I think that's on page-- I don't remember actually. 00:03:04.866 --> 00:03:07.432 Does anybody have a church Bible and know what page that's on? 00:03:07.432 --> 00:03:08.900 We can shout it out to everyone. 00:03:10.099 --> 00:03:11.932 What? 00:03:11.932 --> 00:03:18.599 494 if you have a church Bible, if you don't have a Bible, we have Bibles out in the lobby in the Connection Corner. 00:03:18.599 --> 00:03:22.265 Slip out and grab one anytime those are free for you, you'll be able to read along. 00:03:22.265 --> 00:03:24.032 Follow along. You can keep that. 00:03:24.032 --> 00:03:29.400 That's for you to have so that you can read God's Word as often as you like. 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:40.300 But we'll be in Proverbs chapter two, and I'm going to start by reading just the first five verses of chapter two to set the stage for what we're going to see here in the entirety of the chapter today. 00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:41.532 Proverbs chapter two. 00:03:41.532 --> 00:04:17.466 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments within you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding, yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver, search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 00:04:17.966 --> 00:04:24.833 Last week, in introducing the idea of Proverbs as wisdom literature, we talked about what is a proverb? 00:04:24.966 --> 00:04:27.033 Oftentimes, a proverb. 00:04:27.033 --> 00:04:29.932 And we understand this even in modern languages. 00:04:29.932 --> 00:04:40.966 A pithy, witty, short statement meant to make you think, meant to catch you off guard, meant to kind of force you to think about something from a different angle. 00:04:40.966 --> 00:04:50.899 One you might hear, maybe your grandma said to you, better to remain silent and appear wise than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Right? 00:04:50.899 --> 00:04:53.165 That actually is at the end of Proverbs 17. 00:04:53.165 --> 00:04:54.165 You can go look that up later. 00:04:54.165 --> 00:04:55.432 A different version of that. 00:04:55.432 --> 00:05:08.665 You get these little pithy statements, and much of the book of Proverbs, especially chapter ten and onwards, is just a seemingly random collection of these statements that don't seem to be closely connected or surrounded around the theme. 00:05:10.132 --> 00:05:16.065 But what's different about the front half of Proverbs, especially chapters one through nine, is it's less that way. 00:05:16.065 --> 00:05:26.966 There are parts of that, but there is more flow, more uniformity of thought, more structure in that section, especially today in chapter two. 00:05:26.966 --> 00:05:38.665 Chapter two is one of the more carefully structured chapters in the book of Proverbs, which is crazy because you're expecting it to just be random statement after random statement. 00:05:38.665 --> 00:05:51.800 But this is really helpful to know about this, because Proverbs chapter two through Proverbs chapter nine are one long speech basically from a father to his son. 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:57.932 If you just randomly flip through those first few chapters, usually the beginning of the chapter, you see it. 00:05:57.932 --> 00:05:59.865 Chapter three, my son. Over and over. 00:05:59.865 --> 00:06:06.199 As you pass through, you'll see over and over again my son, my son, my son 15 different times, my son or oh sons. 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:10.665 There's this long lecture from a father to a son. 00:06:10.665 --> 00:06:13.833 And by the way, parents, we love to give a good lecture, don't we? 00:06:13.833 --> 00:06:18.899 It just feels so good when I've delivered a solid, well thought, carefully crafted lecture. 00:06:18.899 --> 00:06:22.800 And I know my children adore receiving those lectures. 00:06:24.266 --> 00:06:26.533 No, nobody likes that, right? 00:06:26.533 --> 00:06:29.300 But we feel better about ourselves when we've laid it all out there. 00:06:29.300 --> 00:06:32.233 Now, here's what's great about this. 00:06:32.233 --> 00:06:33.565 Yes, the father is giving. 00:06:33.565 --> 00:06:36.500 In fact, chapter two is one long sentence. 00:06:36.500 --> 00:06:38.600 It's just one sentence. 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:47.865 But what's happening here that's so encouraging that there are no commands in chapter two, the father giving instruction to his son. 00:06:47.865 --> 00:06:53.766 But it's not a commanding you will do this and we know how that goes. 00:06:53.766 --> 00:06:56.399 No, it's a plea. 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:59.333 Let me appeal to your heart. 00:06:59.333 --> 00:07:02.333 This is the path you should go down. 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:09.065 If you have a boss, you know that at any time they can come and demand that you do this task. 00:07:09.065 --> 00:07:10.000 I want you to do this. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:11.199 I want you to do it now. 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:12.533 I don't want to debate about it. 00:07:12.533 --> 00:07:14.165 I don't want to hear talk back, go do it. 00:07:14.165 --> 00:07:14.865 Get it done. 00:07:16.033 --> 00:07:17.266 And yes, they can do that. 00:07:17.266 --> 00:07:19.699 They have every right to do that. 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:34.300 But what's way better in general is for them to appeal for you to work together, for you to be fully on board with the direction for you to be also convinced that this is the best thing for you, for the organization, for everyone. 00:07:34.300 --> 00:07:36.665 That's a better approach in the long term. 00:07:36.665 --> 00:07:41.165 Of course, there are times when you got to have the command issued and we just got to move on. 00:07:41.165 --> 00:07:48.833 But the father knows in his wisdom here that with a son a better tone, especially an older son. 00:07:48.833 --> 00:07:56.932 The assumption here is, is this that this is a young man entering into the prime of life, a better come with an appeal. 00:07:56.932 --> 00:07:58.533 Let me appeal to you. 00:07:58.533 --> 00:08:03.365 In fact, we're going to see here in these first few verses a plea for wisdom. 00:08:03.365 --> 00:08:08.865 Let me make a case for why the path of wisdom is better than everything else you'll see out there. 00:08:09.966 --> 00:08:13.833 And so look at some of the words he uses here. 00:08:13.865 --> 00:08:25.665 Look at verse one again, my son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments within you, I love that word treasure. 00:08:25.665 --> 00:08:29.665 It's also translated as store up my commandments within you. 00:08:29.665 --> 00:08:31.365 Psalm 119 nine through 11. 00:08:31.365 --> 00:08:33.799 In that section it says, I have hidden. 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:38.732 I have stored up God's Word in my heart, so that I might not sin against him. 00:08:39.066 --> 00:08:48.966 You know, it's interesting the things that you store up, in fact, what you store reveals some about what you adore, right? 00:08:48.966 --> 00:08:55.600 If I walk into your home and I see a large collection of something, I'm going to know that's important to you. 00:08:55.600 --> 00:09:01.265 If you come in our home, you'll see a couple of things that you may not see as much of in other people's homes. 00:09:02.299 --> 00:09:08.066 House plants, have a lot of house plants; books, lots of books. 00:09:08.432 --> 00:09:09.666 Here's an interesting one. 00:09:09.666 --> 00:09:13.166 I bet we have more of this than anybody else here. 00:09:13.166 --> 00:09:15.633 Salt. 00:09:15.633 --> 00:09:16.932 We have way more salt. 00:09:16.932 --> 00:09:18.566 Anyone? You're going? Why? 00:09:18.566 --> 00:09:19.332 I don't mean to. 00:09:19.332 --> 00:09:20.365 I'm wondering that as well. 00:09:20.365 --> 00:09:22.432 That's part of the conundrum. 00:09:22.432 --> 00:09:26.265 Julie knows quite the variety of salts there. 00:09:26.265 --> 00:09:29.033 I had no idea there was any more than one kind of salt when we married. 00:09:29.033 --> 00:09:34.500 But there is, and it affects the flavor of the food you're cooking. She’s a great cook and loves to test out. 00:09:34.500 --> 00:09:37.299 And we have a lot of it as a result. 00:09:37.299 --> 00:09:43.466 The point is, what you store shows some of what you adore. 00:09:43.666 --> 00:09:48.332 If I came in your home, we can have a conversation about, oh really? Tell me more about that. 00:09:48.332 --> 00:09:49.432 You obviously love that. 00:09:49.432 --> 00:09:50.500 You have a lot of it. 00:09:52.799 --> 00:09:54.500 Here's the interesting thing, I said we have a lot of books. 00:09:54.500 --> 00:09:56.200 Here's the interesting thing about books. 00:09:56.200 --> 00:10:00.732 You can collect a lot of books but not collect wisdom. 00:10:00.732 --> 00:10:05.100 You can have a lot of books on your shelves and actually have never read them. 00:10:05.100 --> 00:10:06.765 It doesn't make you any wiser. 00:10:06.765 --> 00:10:08.100 Some book collectors are like that. 00:10:08.100 --> 00:10:09.566 They don't care what's inside the book. 00:10:09.566 --> 00:10:11.600 All they care is what's the price tag on this book? 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:13.133 How much can I make off of it? 00:10:13.133 --> 00:10:14.500 How can I trade off and on? 00:10:14.500 --> 00:10:17.500 But here. 00:10:17.666 --> 00:10:18.533 The challenge. 00:10:18.533 --> 00:10:21.533 The call is to treasure up God's word. 00:10:21.832 --> 00:10:22.500 Not. 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:30.600 Not just to collect it, to treasure, to adore it, to cherish it. 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:33.100 He has some other words to describe what that looks like. 00:10:33.100 --> 00:10:34.399 Making your ear. 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:42.200 This is verse two, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding. 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:43.865 Make your ear attentive. 00:10:43.865 --> 00:10:47.432 Incline your heart to understanding the the word picture thereof. 00:10:47.432 --> 00:10:53.466 Inclining your heart has this idea of bending down to it, leaning in toward it. 00:10:54.500 --> 00:10:55.500 And you all know how this is. 00:10:55.500 --> 00:11:01.765 If you're in a conversation with someone and you say, look, I've got something I want to share with you. 00:11:01.765 --> 00:11:06.466 And if they lean in right as you're about to share it, you know you've got them. 00:11:06.466 --> 00:11:07.899 You know they're listening. 00:11:07.899 --> 00:11:09.666 You know they care. 00:11:09.666 --> 00:11:13.533 They really want to hear what you have to say. 00:11:13.533 --> 00:11:17.700 It's not just words that pass over and they forget immediately. 00:11:17.700 --> 00:11:22.633 You've inclined your heart to wisdom. 00:11:22.633 --> 00:11:51.765 This needs to be mine. 00:11:51.765 --> 00:11:56.732 Lady wisdom was seen out, crying out for the naive. 00:11:56.732 --> 00:11:59.399 Come all who want wisdom, come in to me. 00:11:59.399 --> 00:12:00.666 I've got it to offer. 00:12:00.666 --> 00:12:03.500 She was the one crying out in chapter one. And now here. 00:12:04.466 --> 00:12:09.332 The difference is here we are called to cry out for wisdom. 00:12:09.633 --> 00:12:17.100 We are to be the ones who are so desperate for wisdom that we're yelling, please come. 00:12:17.299 --> 00:12:18.666 Come into me. 00:12:18.666 --> 00:12:21.666 I need wisdom so badly. 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.000 There's a desperation that is seen here. 00:12:26.633 --> 00:12:36.700 And when you're desperate for wisdom, man, that's the time when you're most likely to actually gain some, to soak it up, to receive it. 00:12:36.932 --> 00:12:41.033 You know, I never just randomly sit around watching videos of how to repair appliances. 00:12:41.033 --> 00:12:43.265 Never. 00:12:43.265 --> 00:12:52.899 But when an appliance breaks and I want to save a little bit of money, I'll watch hours and endless hours of videos on how to fix this one little thing. 00:12:52.899 --> 00:12:56.332 Because I'm hungry for knowledge in that moment, I'm desperate for wisdom. 00:12:57.365 --> 00:13:01.200 Part of me goes, you should have just spent the money to call someone. 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:03.533 Was it worth all that time? 00:13:03.533 --> 00:13:08.666 But when you're hungry, that's when your heart is attentive. 00:13:08.666 --> 00:13:10.633 That's when it leans in. 00:13:10.633 --> 00:13:13.200 That's when you're desperate for wisdom. 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:20.799 And that's the plea of the father here. Have that kind of desperation for wisdom. 00:13:21.299 --> 00:13:23.832 But there's a paradox here about wisdom. 00:13:23.832 --> 00:13:27.432 So the father is saying, you need to be hungry. 00:13:27.432 --> 00:13:29.432 You need to long for wisdom. 00:13:29.432 --> 00:13:31.332 But there's an there's a paradox, he points out. 00:13:31.332 --> 00:13:34.332 Here's the crazy thing about wisdom. 00:13:34.533 --> 00:13:37.533 Look with me in verse six. 00:13:38.765 --> 00:13:41.765 For the Lord gives wisdom. 00:13:41.765 --> 00:13:44.466 From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 00:13:44.466 --> 00:13:47.399 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:57.033 He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the ways of his saints. 00:13:57.966 --> 00:13:59.633 So here's the paradox of wisdom. 00:13:59.633 --> 00:14:03.299 We're called to cry out for it, to seek for it. 00:14:03.299 --> 00:14:07.533 In fact, he said, search for it like silver, like a hidden treasure. 00:14:08.566 --> 00:14:15.533 And you know, if there's a hidden treasure in your house, something you forgot about, you're going to tear it apart trying to find it, have that kind of attitude towards wisdom. 00:14:15.533 --> 00:14:22.265 And yet at the same time, you can be the best hidden treasure seeker in the whole world. 00:14:22.265 --> 00:14:28.399 But unless God shows up and provides that wisdom, you won't ultimately gain it. 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:37.299 Ultimately, we are completely dependent on him to open our eyes to his wisdom without him opening our eyes. 00:14:37.299 --> 00:14:40.200 They're they're blind to true wisdom. 00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:41.232 Here's an example of this. 00:14:41.232 --> 00:14:47.966 If you've been reading through the church Bible reading plan recently, earlier in the month, you would have gone through the Book of Numbers. 00:14:47.966 --> 00:14:50.799 So turn with me to the Book of Numbers. 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:53.765 Numbers is the third or fourth book here into the beginning of the Bible. 00:14:53.765 --> 00:14:55.566 It's up near the front. 00:14:55.566 --> 00:15:03.765 We're going to look at numbers chapter 22 and just hearing that there's a book of the Bible called Numbers and we're turning there strikes fear in the hearts of some. 00:15:03.765 --> 00:15:05.166 We're just going to talk about numbers. 00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:09.533 But the writers were they had the wisdom enough to pepper in some stories. 00:15:09.533 --> 00:15:14.466 In the midst of talking about how many people were in each tribe and numbers chapter 22. 00:15:14.466 --> 00:15:18.799 There's this little story placed in there about a guy named Balaam. 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:24.566 A king comes to him and says, I want you to curse the people of Israel because they're coming into my land and I don't want them here. 00:15:24.566 --> 00:15:25.566 So you come and curse them. 00:15:25.566 --> 00:15:27.232 He goes, let me check with God first. 00:15:27.232 --> 00:15:29.466 God said, no, sorry, can't do that. 00:15:29.466 --> 00:15:30.799 And the king comes back to him. 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:33.299 Check again, please, because you obviously misheard your God. 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:37.100 He checks again and God says, well, go ahead and go on the journey with him. 00:15:37.100 --> 00:15:41.066 You can go on the journey, doesn't really give him approval to curse them, but go ahead. 00:15:41.066 --> 00:15:47.899 And while Balaam is going on this journey on his way to meet with the king, the king is hoping he'll curse Israel. 00:15:47.899 --> 00:15:55.700 God gets angry with him and he's riding his donkey, and the donkey starts diverging off the path. 00:15:55.700 --> 00:16:00.666 And three times this happens, and three times he beats the fire out of the donkey for doing this. 00:16:00.666 --> 00:16:02.232 And finally the donkey. 00:16:02.232 --> 00:16:04.066 If you've heard this story, you know what happens. 00:16:04.066 --> 00:16:08.666 The donkey speaks up for himself as donkeys are prone to do. 00:16:08.666 --> 00:16:19.365 And what's fascinating about the story, what happens is, in fact, if you look at numbers chapter 22, his response to the donkey, look at verse 28 and 29 then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey. 00:16:19.365 --> 00:16:23.200 She said to Balaam, what have I done to you that you have struck me these three times? 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:33.066 And Balaam said to the donkey, because you have made a fool of me, I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you. Now there's a couple of things really interesting about this. 00:16:33.066 --> 00:16:39.000 One is the fact that he doesn't even a miss a beat, that he's now in a conversation with his donkey. 00:16:39.299 --> 00:16:41.265 His first response isn't, woah what? 00:16:41.265 --> 00:16:42.865 You can talk. 00:16:42.865 --> 00:16:46.899 His first response is, how dare you make a fool of me? 00:16:46.899 --> 00:16:51.600 If you're ever having a conversation with an animal, you need to just pause. 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:53.966 That should be a red flag that something's not right. 00:16:53.966 --> 00:16:55.600 Don't just keep going with it. 00:16:55.600 --> 00:17:01.566 A pause, but here's what happens, that doesn't shock him. 00:17:01.566 --> 00:17:04.365 Here's what it takes to wake him up. 00:17:04.365 --> 00:17:06.400 Look at verse 31. 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:11.766 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam. 00:17:12.665 --> 00:17:15.665 Balaam couldn't see what was really going on. 00:17:15.665 --> 00:17:20.532 He opened his eyes and saw that there was an angel carrying a sword blocking the path, and. 00:17:20.532 --> 00:17:26.200 And if the donkey, who could see reality of what's going on, had continued forward, that would have been the end of Balaam. 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:31.365 His wisdom didn't come to the Lord opened his eyes. 00:17:32.165 --> 00:17:36.799 And so you can accumulate all the biblical knowledge you want in the world. 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:42.032 But until he opens your eyes to true wisdom, you won't have it. 00:17:42.032 --> 00:17:43.665 So that's the paradox of wisdom. 00:17:43.665 --> 00:17:44.732 Yes, seek it. 00:17:44.732 --> 00:17:46.500 Strive after it. 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:47.400 It's not either or. 00:17:47.400 --> 00:17:49.833 We don't just passively wait and hope that wisdom comes. 00:17:49.833 --> 00:17:55.599 Seek it. Strive after it, and pray that he'll provide it and trust that he will provide it. 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:58.266 In fact, it says he will provide. 00:17:58.266 --> 00:18:01.266 If you seek wisdom, he will. 00:18:01.266 --> 00:18:02.066 He will provide. 00:18:02.066 --> 00:18:05.066 He wants you to be wise. 00:18:05.633 --> 00:18:07.700 Now here's what's happening. 00:18:07.700 --> 00:18:11.500 As you accumulate wisdom, here's what the father says to the son. 00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:12.532 Here's what will happen. 00:18:12.532 --> 00:18:16.333 You will accumulate wisdom, and wisdom will protect you. 00:18:17.432 --> 00:18:25.200 And in fact, there's two types of people in particular, he points out that wisdom will protect you from. 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:26.965 Look back... 00:18:26.965 --> 00:18:33.232 look in particular at verse 12, verse 12 through 15, and then we'll see verses 16 through 19. 00:18:33.232 --> 00:18:37.232 Those are two different groupings addressing two different types of people. 00:18:37.232 --> 00:18:39.432 Both sections start with the word. 00:18:39.432 --> 00:18:42.432 You'll be delivered from them. 00:18:43.333 --> 00:18:46.700 Wisdom will deliver you from two types of people. 00:18:46.700 --> 00:18:49.266 First is the evil man. 00:18:49.266 --> 00:18:51.833 Look at verse 12. 00:18:51.833 --> 00:18:52.833 Let's start with verse 11. 00:18:52.833 --> 00:18:54.232 Discretion will watch over you. 00:18:54.232 --> 00:19:16.266 Understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. 00:19:17.566 --> 00:19:22.566 Here's how this man who is seeking to influence the young man. 00:19:22.566 --> 00:19:24.766 Here's some of the words that are used to describe them. 00:19:24.766 --> 00:19:27.766 Look at this man of perverted speech. 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:34.599 We're going to see that with the man who seeks to deceive the young man and the adulterous woman. 00:19:34.599 --> 00:19:37.599 Both use their words to do that. 00:19:38.099 --> 00:19:40.766 And it says, here is men of perverted speech. 00:19:40.766 --> 00:19:44.532 That word perverted at its core, meaning it means to flip upside down. 00:19:44.532 --> 00:19:45.465 In fact, it's used. 00:19:45.465 --> 00:19:49.400 You would use it to describe flipping over a pancake. 00:19:50.099 --> 00:19:54.900 In the realm of morals, it means to flip morality upside down. 00:19:54.932 --> 00:19:58.000 Scripture talks about those who call evil good and good evil. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:02.500 And if you go back to the garden, that's the first temptation. 00:20:02.500 --> 00:20:08.665 The serpent says to Eve, Did God really say not to eat from the tree? 00:20:08.665 --> 00:20:11.066 Did he really say that? 00:20:11.066 --> 00:20:13.266 I tell you what's really going on. 00:20:13.266 --> 00:20:15.700 He's afraid you'll be like him. 00:20:15.700 --> 00:20:19.032 He's afraid now you'll see things the right way. 00:20:19.032 --> 00:20:22.032 He's afraid you'll actually have wisdom. 00:20:24.299 --> 00:20:25.365 Using his words. 00:20:25.365 --> 00:20:28.365 Perverting, turning it upside down. 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:33.633 It also says of them that they rejoice in doing evil. 00:20:33.633 --> 00:20:36.700 Verse 14, and delight in the perverseness of evil. 00:20:36.700 --> 00:20:41.165 This isn't just a reluctant-- I didn't really want to do that, but I did. 00:20:41.165 --> 00:20:44.032 This is a rejoicing in evil. 00:20:44.032 --> 00:20:45.066 And I've shared this story before. 00:20:45.066 --> 00:20:46.066 It's a famous story. 00:20:46.066 --> 00:20:54.732 I'll just do it in brief from Saint Augustine, who's probably the most influential Christian writer outside of those who wrote scripture in the history of the church. 00:20:54.732 --> 00:20:57.133 This would have been three hundreds A.D. 00:20:57.133 --> 00:20:58.799 when he was alive. 00:20:59.965 --> 00:21:10.566 He wasn't always a Christian, and he talks about when he was a non-Christian as a young man, how he delighted in evil, even simple things like they would steal fruit off a neighbor's tree. 00:21:10.566 --> 00:21:13.932 And even though they knew it wasn't ripe, it wouldn't taste good. 00:21:13.932 --> 00:21:14.700 They stole it. 00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:19.465 Not because they would delight in eating it, but just because they delighted in doing evil. 00:21:19.465 --> 00:21:26.066 The taste of the forbidden was what he looks back on and his heart rejoiced in. 00:21:26.365 --> 00:21:36.932 This is the kind of person that is seeking to persuade a person who is also crooked and devious. 00:21:36.932 --> 00:21:42.165 And that word, devious, speaks to this idea of concealed hidden intent. 00:21:43.432 --> 00:21:48.766 And you've you've been around people like that who say one thing on the surface, but there's something else going on. 00:21:48.766 --> 00:21:50.133 They have a different intent. 00:21:50.133 --> 00:21:51.299 They have a different desire. 00:21:51.299 --> 00:21:54.500 They're seek, they're concealing their true desire from you. 00:21:56.700 --> 00:22:01.465 In order to get you to do something that you really shouldn't be doing. 00:22:02.965 --> 00:22:15.365 This is why I think it's so important that any church you are a part of, or any if you are like, you know, I have never heard of Christianity and I'm here today and I'm just comparing different religions. 00:22:15.365 --> 00:22:26.400 One thing to be mindful of those and to watch out for are those that have their hidden knowledge that you've got to work up to, to eventually get to it, to attain it, to find it. 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:27.400 And they keep it secret. 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:40.165 Maybe you've heard the Masons do that, or Christian Scientists or there's these different groups that say, maybe one day as you progress we’ll reveal it to you, but look here, it's it's all here for you to see. 00:22:40.165 --> 00:22:42.299 We don't hide anything here. Go. 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:43.432 We we tell you. 00:22:43.432 --> 00:22:45.200 Go get God's word. 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:46.599 It's out there in the hallway. 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:47.500 Go grab a copy. 00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:48.932 You can read it all for yourself. 00:22:48.932 --> 00:22:50.566 We'd love to talk to you about it. 00:22:50.566 --> 00:22:52.599 Everything we believe is on our website. 00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:54.299 We're not trying to hide anything. 00:22:55.932 --> 00:23:01.766 That's one of the reasons, by the way, that people have the privilege of calling Christians hypocrites. 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:07.066 You know, you can only call someone hypocrite if you know what they say they believe. 00:23:07.066 --> 00:23:11.766 I can't call you a hypocrite if I have no idea what you believe, but we've put it out there. 00:23:11.766 --> 00:23:13.266 Here's what we believe, by the way. 00:23:13.266 --> 00:23:18.599 Call us to account if we're not living up to it-- um, when we're not living up to it. 00:23:20.432 --> 00:23:23.000 Open, public, we're not concealing anything. 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:24.932 We're not being hidden in our beliefs. 00:23:24.932 --> 00:23:26.965 We want to be as forthright as possible. 00:23:26.965 --> 00:23:28.099 We won't always get it right. 00:23:28.099 --> 00:23:28.900 But that's our hope. 00:23:28.900 --> 00:23:30.333 That's our desire. 00:23:30.333 --> 00:23:32.965 In contrast to the evil man here. 00:23:32.965 --> 00:23:37.766 Now, there's a second category of people he's warned against in Proverbs chapter two. 00:23:37.766 --> 00:23:39.400 The first was the evil man. 00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:41.633 The second is the adulterous woman. 00:23:41.633 --> 00:23:57.299 Look at verse 16, so you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulterous with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. 00:23:57.500 --> 00:24:03.799 For her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed. 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:10.865 None who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life. 00:24:13.432 --> 00:24:15.232 This is the protection of wisdom. 00:24:15.232 --> 00:24:25.700 The protection of wisdom protects you from the adulterous woman, from the person who is seeking to draw you into the life of sin. 00:24:26.465 --> 00:24:44.633 And in particular, here it says of her that she uses her smooth words, her silky words, her words that just make the path toward sin smooth and easy, and that make the next step seem like no big deal. 00:24:47.932 --> 00:24:53.333 I wrote in the midweek update about a guy that passed on some wisdom to me when I served with him in ministry. 00:24:53.333 --> 00:24:56.465 His name is Dennis Rainey, and I put a bunch of different quotes in there. 00:24:56.465 --> 00:25:07.333 I'm going to do the second half of those this week, but one of them that has always stood out to me is he says life is full of temptations disguised as small choices. 00:25:10.633 --> 00:25:19.665 How many times is there that call to make that that small compromise, that smooth compromise? 00:25:19.865 --> 00:25:21.732 It's no big deal. 00:25:21.732 --> 00:25:24.000 No one will care. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:25.732 It's easy. 00:25:25.732 --> 00:25:28.732 It's silky smooth. 00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:38.932 But that is the temptation disguised as a small choice, and the wise is aware of it. 00:25:38.932 --> 00:25:41.665 Is not naive to it. 00:25:41.665 --> 00:25:47.266 It also describes her this way, that those who sink down to her house sink down to death. 00:25:49.465 --> 00:25:55.266 Don't be naive to this reality that this path, as smooth as it is, leads to death. 00:25:56.200 --> 00:26:02.333 And at this time that would have been a literal result of getting caught in adultery, would have been death. 00:26:02.333 --> 00:26:15.000 It would have been a capital offense, but yet also it reveals the reality of a spiritual deadness that is occurring, that you just continue down the path toward sin. 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:18.566 And he's pleading with his son, be aware, be mindful. 00:26:18.566 --> 00:26:21.400 Store up wisdom in your heart for a rainy day. 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:23.299 Be ready for when that time comes. 00:26:23.299 --> 00:26:25.532 Because here's the truth. 00:26:25.532 --> 00:26:27.865 First Corinthians ten says it this way. 00:26:27.865 --> 00:26:36.665 It starts out by saying, no temptation has overcome you except that is common by man, but God will provide a way out when it comes. 00:26:38.766 --> 00:26:51.665 I've shared the story before, too, about a pastor friend of mine who confronted one of his leaders who seemed to be having too close of a friendship with another woman, and the guy came back to him later and said, God used you as a way out. 00:26:51.665 --> 00:26:57.566 God brought you to me and gave me a way out through you, and I ignored it. 00:26:57.665 --> 00:27:03.400 Store up wisdom in your heart for a rainy day so that it's there when you need it. 00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:08.232 Because he'll give you a way out and you'll be ready to take it. 00:27:08.266 --> 00:27:09.932 Instead of closing off to it. 00:27:09.932 --> 00:27:12.400 You'll be ready. 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:18.432 In fact, the big contrast of the Book of Proverbs is that there are two paths to take. 00:27:18.432 --> 00:27:20.799 You see this so much in Scripture. 00:27:20.799 --> 00:27:21.700 Are you going to be hot? 00:27:21.700 --> 00:27:22.333 Are you going to be cold? 00:27:22.333 --> 00:27:23.133 There's no lukewarm. 00:27:24.299 --> 00:27:25.865 There are two paths to take. 00:27:25.865 --> 00:27:29.900 There's the way of wisdom and the way of the foolish. 00:27:29.900 --> 00:27:31.833 And this is how he ends this chapter. 00:27:31.833 --> 00:27:38.165 It's the contrast of the whole book of wisdom, and he ends it here in chapter two. 00:27:38.165 --> 00:27:39.365 Look at the last two verses. 00:27:39.365 --> 00:27:42.365 This is the path of wisdom. 00:27:42.566 --> 00:27:51.365 So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. 00:27:52.299 --> 00:27:56.865 For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it. 00:27:56.865 --> 00:28:05.365 But the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it. 00:28:05.365 --> 00:28:06.732 There are two paths to take. 00:28:06.732 --> 00:28:08.165 This is where it all lands. 00:28:08.165 --> 00:28:11.299 There's two ways to go which isn't going to be. 00:28:11.299 --> 00:28:14.532 Is it going to be the wicked or the righteous? 00:28:14.532 --> 00:28:17.400 And he says they will be rooted in the land. 00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:24.965 That is often used to be synonymous with the idea of being in God's presence. 00:28:24.965 --> 00:28:29.432 When you're in his land, you're in his presence. 00:28:29.432 --> 00:28:34.833 When in his land you are near him, you are close to him. 00:28:35.465 --> 00:28:46.500 And if you store up wisdom in your heart, it will guide you down the path toward righteousness and route you in his presence. 00:28:47.432 --> 00:28:50.732 In fact, this is what's at the very core of the book. 00:28:50.732 --> 00:28:53.532 And part of the structure of this book is it's split in half. 00:28:53.532 --> 00:29:00.599 Usually what's at the center reveals what the purpose of the section is about, the chapter, not the book, but the chapter in particular. 00:29:00.599 --> 00:29:01.799 Look at verses ten and 11. 00:29:04.266 --> 00:29:09.165 For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. 00:29:09.165 --> 00:29:12.965 Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard over you. 00:29:12.965 --> 00:29:15.432 This is the same thing we talked about last week. 00:29:15.432 --> 00:29:24.400 The imagery of wisdom coming into your heart that speaks to what happens when Christ comes in to our lives. 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:26.000 He is the one that guides us. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:34.133 The Holy Spirit guides us to His Word, and that's our dependance. 00:29:34.133 --> 00:29:36.465 How do we store up His Word? 00:29:36.465 --> 00:29:38.266 Treasure his word in our heart? 00:29:38.266 --> 00:29:42.066 I'm going to give you four practical points here to wrap it up four ways we do this. 00:29:42.066 --> 00:29:44.032 Here's the first one. 00:29:44.032 --> 00:29:45.799 Start by praying for wisdom. 00:29:45.799 --> 00:29:47.700 Just pray. 00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:51.232 James is often called the Proverbs of the New Testament. 00:29:51.232 --> 00:30:00.365 The book of James in James chapter one verse five says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask for it, because God gives generously to all who ask. 00:30:01.665 --> 00:30:05.865 So the first step is, if you lack wisdom, start by praying. 00:30:05.865 --> 00:30:07.900 Ask for it. God, give me wisdom. 00:30:07.900 --> 00:30:09.299 Please beg for it. 00:30:09.299 --> 00:30:12.099 He will graciously give. 00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:17.700 Second, confess. 00:30:17.900 --> 00:30:27.932 If you're being drawn away towards sin, if you have been drawn into sin, start today. 00:30:27.932 --> 00:30:29.833 Confess that. 00:30:29.833 --> 00:30:32.532 God, I know I've stepped away from you. 00:30:32.532 --> 00:30:36.299 I know I have chosen to sin against you. 00:30:37.633 --> 00:30:40.099 Please forgive me. 00:30:40.099 --> 00:30:41.032 Please. 00:30:41.032 --> 00:30:43.900 I don't want to continue down this path. 00:30:43.900 --> 00:30:46.066 I want to repent of the sin. 00:30:46.066 --> 00:30:49.700 I want to turn away from that sin and turn towards you. 00:30:49.700 --> 00:30:56.000 Pray for wisdom, confess when you've lacked wisdom. 00:30:56.099 --> 00:31:03.799 Number three think about how you develop rutted pathways. 00:31:03.799 --> 00:31:05.066 Rutted paths. 00:31:05.066 --> 00:31:06.465 And here's what I mean by that. 00:31:06.465 --> 00:31:10.299 Oftentimes you might say something like, man, I'm just stuck in a rut right now. 00:31:11.566 --> 00:31:14.865 Now, we almost always mean that negatively. 00:31:14.865 --> 00:31:16.266 Oh I'm stuck in a rut. 00:31:16.266 --> 00:31:17.032 I'm in a hard place. 00:31:17.032 --> 00:31:18.599 I keep going down this path. 00:31:18.599 --> 00:31:22.333 I don't mean to, but a rut is neither good nor bad. 00:31:22.333 --> 00:31:25.133 It's just a well-worn path it's easy to slip into. 00:31:25.133 --> 00:31:34.566 That can be good as well, by the way, if you've developed patterns that force you to go towards the good rut, the good thing that's what you want. 00:31:34.566 --> 00:31:36.232 I was going to show an image. 00:31:36.232 --> 00:31:52.165 In fact, if you've heard of the Oregon Trail, that early pathway that was developed for people to head west in the early times of our settling of our country, and there are still sections today on the Oregon Trail you can go to and see ruts in rock. 00:31:52.165 --> 00:31:58.500 So many people traveled over the same path over and over again, and if you were traveling that way, you would know where to go. 00:31:58.500 --> 00:32:00.133 This is the direction I go. 00:32:00.133 --> 00:32:11.266 Many people have gone before me down this path, positively in your life, develop rutted pathways, paths that make it so that the first thing you do is the right thing. 00:32:12.599 --> 00:32:27.965 Part of that is developing spiritual disciplines so that that start your morning with prayer and in God's Word, and you move towards the positive of following him rather than towards the path of the unrighteous. 00:32:28.266 --> 00:32:37.833 The last one I want to give you is the come straight from the first verse in chapter two-- store up God's Word in your heart. 00:32:39.599 --> 00:32:42.000 Store up God's Word in your heart. 00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:47.232 That's probably one of the most powerful ways you can develop rutted pathways in your life. 00:32:47.232 --> 00:32:49.732 Good ruts in your life. 00:32:49.732 --> 00:32:54.665 Store up God's Word in your heart, and there's no shortcut to doing that. 00:32:54.700 --> 00:32:57.266 Have a multilevel approach. 00:32:57.266 --> 00:32:58.932 Get a copy of our Bible reading plan. 00:32:58.932 --> 00:32:59.965 It's out in the lobby. 00:32:59.965 --> 00:33:01.266 Start reading his word. 00:33:01.266 --> 00:33:06.232 I know a number of you have told me I recommended this devotional book on Proverbs by Tim Keller, a number you've told me. 00:33:06.232 --> 00:33:08.299 I picked that up this week and it's been great. 00:33:08.299 --> 00:33:11.099 How many of you grabbed a copy of that and have enjoyed reading that? 00:33:12.066 --> 00:33:16.266 Yeah, so I saw about six hands-- more than that told me they had copies of that. 00:33:16.266 --> 00:33:18.766 I promise it's a great read. 00:33:18.766 --> 00:33:22.865 It's just another way to get the drip of God's Word into your heart. 00:33:22.865 --> 00:33:25.766 Find an accountability partner to memorize scripture with. 00:33:25.766 --> 00:33:28.865 We pick a monthly memory verse as a church. 00:33:28.865 --> 00:33:31.965 This month’s is in Romans 11, we make it easy for you. 00:33:31.965 --> 00:33:33.365 We keep it in front of you. 00:33:33.365 --> 00:33:34.932 Many of them have a song attached. 00:33:34.932 --> 00:33:35.900 Just play the song. 00:33:35.900 --> 00:33:39.633 You can't not memorize it when you play the song, it makes it super easy. 00:33:39.633 --> 00:33:44.566 Get God's Word in your heart and do it with a desperation. 00:33:45.900 --> 00:33:48.133 Because you're going to need it. 00:33:48.133 --> 00:33:50.599 You may not feel you need it today, but you're gonna need it. 00:33:52.700 --> 00:34:02.200 Mary Jones was eight years old in the year 1800 when she came to know Christ. 00:34:03.365 --> 00:34:09.365 And she was so moved by coming to know him, she just wanted to soak up his word. 00:34:09.833 --> 00:34:16.400 But the challenge was, first of all, Bibles were very expensive at that time and hard to come by in her native language. 00:34:16.400 --> 00:34:22.800 She was from Wales and they speak Welsh and that's what she spoke. 00:34:22.800 --> 00:34:24.632 And she didn't have access to a copy. 00:34:24.632 --> 00:34:26.500 And so she asked around, how can I get this? 00:34:26.500 --> 00:34:30.965 And people told her it's very expensive, hard to find. People far away have it. 00:34:32.199 --> 00:34:36.266 And so she started to save, eight years old, for six years. 00:34:36.266 --> 00:34:39.365 She saved and saved and saved. 00:34:40.400 --> 00:34:43.199 Think of the last thing you spent six years saving for. 00:34:44.666 --> 00:34:48.166 That would have been like a new air conditioner at our house. 00:34:48.400 --> 00:34:51.400 Our new car. 00:34:52.565 --> 00:34:54.865 She saved and the day finally came. 00:34:54.865 --> 00:34:58.166 I've got enough money to buy my own copy. 00:34:58.865 --> 00:35:01.500 Now where do I get it? 00:35:01.500 --> 00:35:04.932 The only guy we know that has one around is in this village. 00:35:04.932 --> 00:35:07.465 Way over there. 00:35:07.465 --> 00:35:15.632 And little Mary, now, after six years of saving, who is dirt poor, has no means of transportation. 00:35:15.632 --> 00:35:18.632 She does not even have shoes. 00:35:18.965 --> 00:35:21.500 She says, I know where that village is. 00:35:21.500 --> 00:35:24.365 I've got to have a copy of God's Word. 00:35:24.365 --> 00:35:26.565 I'm going to get there. 00:35:26.565 --> 00:35:34.233 And she takes off walking and she walks, not five miles barefoot, not ten miles barefoot. 00:35:34.266 --> 00:35:43.865 She walks 25 miles barefoot to get a copy of God's Word that she saved six years for. 00:35:44.932 --> 00:35:51.432 She was desperate to have his word in her life, in her home. 00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:58.065 Part of that reveals that what we store shows what we adore. 00:35:59.565 --> 00:36:03.733 Store up God's Word, have his wisdom ready for a rainy day. 00:36:03.733 --> 00:36:06.733 Store it up in your heart because we're going to need it. 00:36:06.733 --> 00:36:09.733 Let's pray. 00:36:12.199 --> 00:36:16.266 God, I think we all know here that your word is important. 00:36:16.266 --> 00:36:19.266 We wouldn't be here otherwise. 00:36:20.632 --> 00:36:24.032 And yet, I confess too there are times it's more important to me than others. 00:36:24.032 --> 00:36:27.565 There are times other things seem more interesting. 00:36:28.599 --> 00:36:31.166 And you know that you're not shocked by that. 00:36:31.166 --> 00:36:32.932 You're not caught off guard by that. 00:36:32.932 --> 00:36:52.900 My simple prayer today for myself, for everyone here, is that our desperation for your word would grow, that our ability to treasure your word would grow, and you would give us a hunger to seek it out and to store it up. 00:36:52.900 --> 00:36:57.065 And I thank you for how you have worked this morning. 00:36:57.065 --> 00:37:02.432 Thank you for so many who've worked hard behind the scenes to keep things going and to limit distractions. 00:37:02.432 --> 00:37:04.865 And. 00:37:04.865 --> 00:37:08.932 Thank you for all the ways you've provided for us at this church. 00:37:08.932 --> 00:37:11.733 I know we take many for granted week by week. 00:37:11.733 --> 00:37:13.699 I do as well. 00:37:13.699 --> 00:37:22.432 Thank you for the people who serve so diligently, who work so faithfully for the money that's given to keep the lights on and to provide the generators and computers. 00:37:22.432 --> 00:37:25.900 I thank you for the generosity of so many. 00:37:26.865 --> 00:37:31.300 Lord, may we feel your presence around us as we leave today. 00:37:31.300 --> 00:37:33.632 We love you. Amen.