WEBVTT 00:00:01.699 --> 00:00:06.166 Well, it's great to gather back together again after a great time of celebrating Easter. 00:00:06.166 --> 00:00:09.833 And we're going to continue in our study now of the Book of Proverbs. 00:00:09.833 --> 00:00:16.300 We're working through the Book of Proverbs a little bit at a time, chapters one through nine, each kind of stand alone. 00:00:16.300 --> 00:00:19.466 So we'll take those one at a time, and then chapters ten through 30. 00:00:19.466 --> 00:00:21.765 We'll just view through the lens of a topic. 00:00:21.765 --> 00:00:26.800 Ten different topics that slice through across all those chapters. 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:42.066 Today we will be in chapter six and in chapter six, in particular, we see this plea for wisdom as the whole book of Proverbs is about, but in particular around the realm of making sure we're going about things the way that God intends. 00:00:43.365 --> 00:00:55.399 I remember in high school and into college, I worked at a local grocery store over on Flintlock Avenue, Melton Food Mart, and I actually really liked working there. 00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:57.133 I thought the work was fun. 00:00:57.133 --> 00:00:59.500 The people, I learned a lot from the people. 00:00:59.500 --> 00:01:06.066 The managers taught me a lot about life and growing up, sometimes in ways that I didn't really want. 00:01:06.066 --> 00:01:10.000 They taught me about how to grow up as a young man. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:19.365 One thing, though, I did not like at all about that job was that first day I came home with my first paycheck, and that $3.35 an hour didn't go very far. 00:01:19.365 --> 00:01:24.733 I think I had about a $12 paycheck that first time, and I thought, there's got to be an easier way to make money than this. 00:01:26.066 --> 00:01:28.066 And so I remember sitting around thinking, you know what I'm going to do? 00:01:28.066 --> 00:01:33.700 I'm going to come up with an idea where I can make money without doing anything. 00:01:33.700 --> 00:01:34.832 That's what I'm going to figure out. 00:01:34.832 --> 00:01:38.865 And so I sat there and thought, and that day I couldn't come up with anything. 00:01:38.865 --> 00:01:41.400 And so the next day I thought, you know, this needs a little more thought. 00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:43.865 Yesterday wasn't enough. How can I? 00:01:43.865 --> 00:01:51.799 Of course, every time I tried to think about it, everything I thought of required a lot of effort to make more money than that. 00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:55.365 What I wanted was the easy way out. 00:01:56.365 --> 00:01:57.465 I wanted the easy way. 00:01:57.465 --> 00:02:00.465 I wanted the lazy way, we might say. 00:02:01.099 --> 00:02:10.165 And there are times where we need to approach the easy way, but sometimes we want that so bad and we don't realize most of life is not easy. 00:02:10.165 --> 00:02:16.066 In fact, the things that matter like wisdom, they don't come easy. 00:02:16.066 --> 00:02:19.066 There's a hard road to gain true wisdom. 00:02:19.900 --> 00:02:25.466 What we're going to see in Proverbs six today is the father giving a warning to his son. 00:02:25.466 --> 00:02:30.900 There are many ways that people want to take the easy way out, the lazy way. 00:02:30.900 --> 00:02:37.199 We're going to see three ways, in particular, those who want to be lazy when it comes to loans or their money. 00:02:37.665 --> 00:02:46.532 Those who want to be lazy around labor might relate to me at times in life, and then those who want to be lazy around love. 00:02:47.366 --> 00:02:50.633 We want the easy way out in some of these key areas of life. 00:02:50.633 --> 00:02:53.099 Here's what's interesting about Proverbs chapter six. 00:02:54.800 --> 00:03:02.233 What he shows here is a progression how each one of those build on the other, leading to a pretty dangerous path. 00:03:02.900 --> 00:03:06.566 So turn to Proverbs chapter six and we'll look at this first one here. 00:03:06.566 --> 00:03:10.400 What about those who want to be lazy with their loans? 00:03:10.432 --> 00:03:11.900 Lazy with their money? 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:13.265 Proverbs chapter six. 00:03:13.265 --> 00:03:17.366 If you turn there, the page number should be on the screen for that. 00:03:17.366 --> 00:03:23.733 If you don't have a church Bible which the page numbers on the screen, tie into our church Bibles which are out in the connection corner. 00:03:23.733 --> 00:03:25.599 You can slip at any time and grab one. 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:26.900 Those are free for you. 00:03:26.900 --> 00:03:30.765 We want you to have a copy of God's Word to be able to read from it on your own. 00:03:30.765 --> 00:03:35.733 I'm going to start by reading just these first five verses of Proverbs chapter six. 00:03:36.765 --> 00:03:44.133 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger. 00:03:44.532 --> 00:03:57.733 If you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor. 00:03:57.733 --> 00:03:59.466 Go hasten. 00:03:59.466 --> 00:04:01.265 Plead urgently with your neighbor. 00:04:01.265 --> 00:04:02.733 Give your eyes no sleep. 00:04:02.733 --> 00:04:04.633 Give your eyelids no slumber. 00:04:04.633 --> 00:04:10.233 Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter. 00:04:10.233 --> 00:04:13.532 Like a bird from the hand of the fowler. 00:04:15.665 --> 00:04:20.600 Verse one starts with that phrase we've seen over and over again in chapters one through nine. 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:22.065 My son. 00:04:22.065 --> 00:04:30.800 It's as a father pleading with his son to gain wisdom, to find wisdom, to listen to instruction all through chapters one through nine. 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:33.000 My son, my son, my son. 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:41.665 And the first way he does that today is he warns them about the attraction of wanting to take the lazy way when it comes to money. 00:04:43.100 --> 00:04:48.165 In particular, he's targeting in to the person who's kind of flippant with their money. 00:04:48.165 --> 00:04:53.766 I'll just hand it out to whomever, oh, you've got a good idea about how to make more money. 00:04:53.766 --> 00:04:55.466 Sure, I'll give it to you. 00:04:55.466 --> 00:04:58.399 Oh, you need some more? Sure. 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:01.932 And look, the Bible is clear that it's okay to be generous. 00:05:01.932 --> 00:05:14.733 We want to be generous people, but we also want to do that from a place of strength, from a place where it doesn't end up causing you to be in a really difficult place. 00:05:15.132 --> 00:05:18.565 I remember a guy coming to me, this was probably ten years ago now. 00:05:18.565 --> 00:05:19.966 He had moved from overseas. 00:05:19.966 --> 00:05:23.632 We had gotten to know him through a ministry at universities. 00:05:23.632 --> 00:05:25.132 Great guy. 00:05:25.132 --> 00:05:26.966 We think a lot of him. 00:05:26.966 --> 00:05:28.300 I really respect him. 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:30.065 I think he's a trustworthy person. 00:05:30.065 --> 00:05:34.500 He asked me, hey, can I borrow money from you to help pay for grad school? 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:36.266 I want to get started into grad school now. 00:05:36.266 --> 00:05:37.233 I've got college done. 00:05:39.165 --> 00:05:44.033 And I said, look, for me to lend you money, I'd have to borrow it from someone. 00:05:44.033 --> 00:05:45.800 So I'm not going to do that. 00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:47.899 I'm not going to risk my family's future. 00:05:47.899 --> 00:05:49.333 And I think you're a trustworthy person. 00:05:49.333 --> 00:05:50.600 I think you're a great guy. 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:54.399 But maybe you need to go work for a little bit to work up, to be able to do grad school. 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:55.500 Take take that route. 00:05:55.500 --> 00:06:01.932 I'm not going to risk our future for this, which is still a great thing. 00:06:02.233 --> 00:06:08.565 You know, part of it is we're called to use wisdom with our money, to be a good steward with our money. 00:06:08.632 --> 00:06:12.199 If you go to the bank and ask for a loan, they're going to do their due diligence. 00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:21.233 They're going to research all they can your credit score, your background, your job, your earning opportunities, your health like, and all the stuff you can imagine. 00:06:21.233 --> 00:06:21.800 Your hobbies. 00:06:21.800 --> 00:06:23.500 They want to know who are you? 00:06:23.500 --> 00:06:26.333 Will you be able to pay this off or not? 00:06:26.333 --> 00:06:34.500 And when they don't do that, by the way, when they didn't do that, when they got greedy back in the early 2000s, that led to a nationwide setback financially. 00:06:36.365 --> 00:06:39.865 Should have been a little bit of a hint when they called those loans Ninja loans. 00:06:39.865 --> 00:06:43.699 That's should be just a clue that maybe these aren't the best loans they hand out. 00:06:43.699 --> 00:06:46.365 No income, no job, no assets. 00:06:46.365 --> 00:06:52.600 We get greedy sometimes, and we think even the banks want at times the easy way out. 00:06:52.600 --> 00:06:54.665 Look, we can keep printing money. 00:06:54.665 --> 00:06:55.899 Look, it's great. 00:06:55.899 --> 00:07:03.800 There's this naivete that settles in, especially on the young, of saying there's an easy way out. 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:05.699 But the call is to be good stewards. 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:11.533 In fact, if you find yourself in that situation, maybe you've overextended yourself with someone. 00:07:11.533 --> 00:07:16.399 Maybe it's a relationship you've entered into too quickly, rashly, without wisdom. 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:16.699 Look. 00:07:16.699 --> 00:07:20.300 Look at what he says you're on what to do, on how to approach it. 00:07:21.932 --> 00:07:23.399 Do this then, my son. 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:25.565 Verse three, save yourself. 00:07:25.565 --> 00:07:35.300 In fact, twice in verse five he says, save yourself, save yourself, go into it and he uses some pretty intense words hasten, plead urgently. 00:07:35.300 --> 00:07:38.833 Give eyes no sleep, eyelids no slumber. 00:07:39.033 --> 00:07:42.766 There's a heavy sense of urgency in these words. Take this seriously. 00:07:42.766 --> 00:07:44.899 Take this like your life depends on it. 00:07:44.899 --> 00:07:48.533 Take this like someone is hunting you down. 00:07:49.399 --> 00:07:50.600 Don't treat it flippantly. 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:53.300 This is serious stuff. 00:07:53.300 --> 00:07:59.533 In fact, a couple of these words, the word hasten, it can also be translated humble yourself. 00:07:59.533 --> 00:08:02.533 It can also be translated lower yourself. 00:08:03.865 --> 00:08:04.966 When you're in this position. 00:08:04.966 --> 00:08:06.733 This isn't the time to get all puffed up. 00:08:06.733 --> 00:08:08.766 And I'm. I'm too good for that. 00:08:08.766 --> 00:08:09.632 I'm better than that. 00:08:09.632 --> 00:08:12.065 I don't go asking people for help and I. 00:08:12.065 --> 00:08:13.533 No, no, no, no. 00:08:13.533 --> 00:08:18.100 When you're in this situation, now's not the time to be all puffed up. 00:08:18.100 --> 00:08:20.100 Now's the time to lower yourself. 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:22.833 In fact, one of the other words you use here plead urgently. 00:08:22.833 --> 00:08:24.766 It has this idea of. 00:08:24.766 --> 00:08:32.899 In fact, one translator said it may be borders on the edge of bully, but press into this person. 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:37.066 Do whatever it takes to say, we got to get this arrangement changed. 00:08:37.066 --> 00:08:41.033 I backed myself in with the words of my mouth. 00:08:41.033 --> 00:08:46.500 In fact, it says twice in verse two, you snared yourself with the words of your mouth. 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:52.299 You said something too rashly, too quickly, and you didn't really have the ability to back it up. 00:08:52.299 --> 00:08:54.100 You didn't think it through. 00:08:54.100 --> 00:08:56.765 You backed yourself into that corner with the words of your mouth. 00:08:56.765 --> 00:09:02.633 So now use the words of your mouth to get out of this situation. 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:12.832 I've shared this before, but one day when I was a kid here at church, we walked over to a local gas station to get some snacks before church, and as we were walking there, some guy I could just see over in front of the apartments. 00:09:14.100 --> 00:09:21.299 I heard him yell out, nerds! Me and another guy, we're walking over there and you know what? 00:09:21.299 --> 00:09:23.299 To be fair, that was probably pretty accurate. 00:09:23.299 --> 00:09:27.566 Pretty accurate assessment of the situation. 00:09:27.566 --> 00:09:31.299 I in the moment thought, I think this deserves a response. 00:09:31.299 --> 00:09:36.432 I have no idea why I thought this, and I thought, here's what I said. 00:09:36.432 --> 00:09:38.899 Come over here and say it. 00:09:38.899 --> 00:09:40.200 Yeah. 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:44.000 As soon as the words left my mouth, I thought, what are you doing? 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:44.799 What's the phrase? 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:49.799 It's something like your mouth is writing checks your fists can't cash. 00:09:49.832 --> 00:09:54.732 And of course, he thought that was an excellent suggestion and took me up on it. 00:09:54.732 --> 00:10:01.332 He is running at incredible speed and he's getting much larger as he approaches, leaping over fences in single bounds. 00:10:01.332 --> 00:10:03.399 And here he is right in front of me saying, what did you say? 00:10:05.133 --> 00:10:12.466 And now I had the opportunity to use the words of my mouth that ensnared me to back out of the situation. 00:10:12.466 --> 00:10:24.899 This wasn't the time to be more puffed up, and I was able to, we won't say grovel, we won't go that far, but to, let's say, negotiate the situation and get out of it. 00:10:24.899 --> 00:10:32.299 Even though one of my cute classmates was walking past as this was going on, this wasn't the time to try to act tough and proud. 00:10:32.299 --> 00:10:35.265 This was at the time to say my bad. 00:10:35.265 --> 00:10:37.899 Oops, I didn't mean it. 00:10:37.899 --> 00:10:38.899 Good to meet you. 00:10:38.899 --> 00:10:40.299 Let's be friends. 00:10:40.299 --> 00:10:43.299 Let us go on our merry ways. 00:10:43.299 --> 00:10:47.100 There comes a time when you've backed yourself into a tough situation. 00:10:47.100 --> 00:10:50.700 Don't let pride get in the way of getting things right. 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:52.166 Lean on the wisdom of others. 00:10:52.166 --> 00:10:56.100 By the way, don't overreact and go I messed up and make another bigger mistake. 00:10:56.100 --> 00:10:58.133 Get on wisdom from others. 00:10:58.133 --> 00:11:00.799 Get insight but make it right. 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:05.033 Don't just continue down that road of being lazy with your money, with your stewardship. 00:11:05.033 --> 00:11:11.133 God has called us to be wise with the resources he's given us, even if they're just $3.35 an hour. 00:11:11.133 --> 00:11:15.765 Be wise with that little bit and honor him. 00:11:15.765 --> 00:11:19.966 So the temptation is to want to be lazy with our money, lazy with our loans. 00:11:19.966 --> 00:11:22.600 Now look at the second temptation here. 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:23.865 This starts in verse six. 00:11:23.865 --> 00:11:31.100 This is where the temptation, in fact, sometimes an overreaction to this first situation. 00:11:31.100 --> 00:11:32.033 Hey, I'm. 00:11:32.033 --> 00:11:33.299 I was too aggressive. 00:11:33.299 --> 00:11:34.666 I was too generous. 00:11:34.666 --> 00:11:36.332 I extended myself too far. 00:11:36.332 --> 00:11:44.000 We're going to see two overreactions to that in the arena of work, where we become lazy with our labor in response. 00:11:45.033 --> 00:11:46.732 Because what happens when you run out of money? 00:11:46.732 --> 00:11:48.500 You got to go get some more work in. 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:50.066 You got to go find some more money. 00:11:50.066 --> 00:11:53.432 Sometimes, though, the temptation even in that effort is to be lazy in our labor. 00:11:53.432 --> 00:11:54.765 So look at verse six. 00:11:54.765 --> 00:11:57.033 We see two examples of this in particular. 00:11:58.666 --> 00:12:08.899 Verse six, go to the ant, O sluggard, consider her ways and be wise without having any chief officer or ruler. 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:14.000 She prepares her bread in summer, gathers her food in harvest. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:17.000 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? 00:12:17.066 --> 00:12:20.000 When will you arise from your sleep? 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:25.365 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. 00:12:25.365 --> 00:12:32.765 And poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. 00:12:33.365 --> 00:12:40.332 So there's a couple of different lazy overreactions to this situation of being in a tight spot with money. 00:12:40.332 --> 00:12:45.633 One is, and some of us have this tendency, look, I got in trouble for messing up. 00:12:45.633 --> 00:12:49.100 So my response now, my overreaction is to do nothing. 00:12:49.100 --> 00:12:51.232 If I do nothing, I can't mess it up again. 00:12:51.232 --> 00:12:55.332 The sluggard says I better not try anything else. 00:12:55.332 --> 00:13:00.265 I better just lay here, play it safe, not mess anything up. 00:13:01.633 --> 00:13:14.232 Now we know from the New Testament Jesus was very critical of this kind of person in the parable of the talents, where money was given to those to be a good steward of it, and it's the one who did nothing with it, who received the greatest criticism. 00:13:14.232 --> 00:13:16.600 At least try something. 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:19.600 So the overreaction is to do nothing. 00:13:21.066 --> 00:13:24.033 And I love the encouragement that is given here. 00:13:24.033 --> 00:13:27.033 The example to look to is the ant. 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:32.100 You know, the point here is you don't have to look far. 00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:40.265 For a good example, you talk about the most prevalent insect on the face of the earth likely. Anywhere you turn you can see an ant. 00:13:40.265 --> 00:13:44.466 And there's two things in particular, he says, take note of what the ant does. 00:13:44.466 --> 00:13:46.865 First, it has initiative. 00:13:46.865 --> 00:13:50.265 It doesn't have to have somebody standing over it cracking a whip. 00:13:50.265 --> 00:13:52.200 The ants just all seem to who knows how they were. 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:57.765 I mean, I know it's a great mystery in science about how insects communicate, but you don't see couch potato ants. 00:13:59.166 --> 00:14:01.765 They're all doing something. 00:14:01.765 --> 00:14:04.265 Now, of course, you can be too busy toward no end. 00:14:04.265 --> 00:14:06.365 That could be a problem as well. 00:14:06.365 --> 00:14:08.832 But there's an initiative here that is praised. 00:14:08.832 --> 00:14:10.966 Get up and do something. 00:14:10.966 --> 00:14:14.899 Also, though, the other thing that's praised is forethought. 00:14:14.899 --> 00:14:19.033 The ant is thinking ahead to the time of year when food is not abundant. 00:14:19.033 --> 00:14:27.166 The ant is storing up food now, getting ready for a time where I can't just walk around and find it laying on the ground. 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:39.265 I read a study, years ago about the difference in economic success of certain countries, and they showed this pattern, this trend. 00:14:39.265 --> 00:14:48.533 It's not absolute, but in general, it was true that the most successful, successful, economically economically successful countries were those that had a in a colder climate. 00:14:50.600 --> 00:15:04.700 And they proposed that the reason why is because if you live in Sweden and you want to be warm in January, you better be stacking up wood in July, you better be thinking out ahead. 00:15:04.700 --> 00:15:07.600 And the colder it is, the further out ahead you have to think. 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:14.700 If you want to eat bread in February, you better be storing up your grain and harvesting it well in September. 00:15:14.700 --> 00:15:19.232 You learn early on if I want to survive the winter, I got to think out ahead. 00:15:19.232 --> 00:15:23.166 I got to be thinking about it six months beforehand. 00:15:23.166 --> 00:15:36.500 Contrast that with us when we lived in the South Pacific, this tropical island in Fiji, as we got to know some of the locals, one guy said to me, hey, tell me, how do you I've heard about this thing camping in the U.S. 00:15:36.500 --> 00:15:38.600 how do you go about camping? 00:15:38.600 --> 00:15:39.732 And so I tell him all about it. 00:15:39.732 --> 00:15:45.799 You get your tent, you get your sleeping bag, you get all your equipment, you get your gas stove. 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:49.000 You make sure maybe you have a comfortable air mattress pad. 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:52.932 You get a like list of equipment, equipment, equipment, get the proper boots, rain gear. 00:15:54.066 --> 00:15:57.633 And he's smiling the whole time I'm saying all this, he's laughing inside. 00:15:57.633 --> 00:16:00.832 And finally he says, let me tell you what I do when I go camping. 00:16:00.832 --> 00:16:06.500 And he reaches down and picks up a machete, which might make you nervous, but I knew what he meant. 00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:08.399 He said, this is all I need. 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:16.966 I just start walking and I'll cut down a coconut or a papaya or a mango, and if we don't find it there, we'll walk down to the ocean. 00:16:16.966 --> 00:16:20.200 And I got a little fishing line in my pocket. Grab a fish. 00:16:20.200 --> 00:16:22.265 I don't have to think ahead at all. 00:16:22.265 --> 00:16:23.265 There's no reason to. 00:16:23.265 --> 00:16:24.732 It's all there. It's an abundance for me. 00:16:24.732 --> 00:16:25.500 Any time I want. 00:16:25.500 --> 00:16:28.500 It's always on the trees. 00:16:29.033 --> 00:16:36.666 The encouragement here to the sluggard is think ahead a little bit, because if not, here's what will happen. 00:16:36.666 --> 00:16:43.932 Poverty will come upon you like a robber in verse 11, like an armed man. 00:16:46.166 --> 00:16:50.133 And the implication there is, I didn't see it coming. 00:16:50.133 --> 00:16:51.633 I don't know how it happened. 00:16:51.633 --> 00:16:55.533 All of a sudden, out of nowhere I was poor. 00:16:56.600 --> 00:16:57.732 Like an armed man. 00:16:57.732 --> 00:17:00.200 Like a robber that came out of nowhere. 00:17:00.200 --> 00:17:01.365 I thought everything was great. 00:17:01.365 --> 00:17:05.532 And then it seemed all of a sudden I had nothing. 00:17:05.532 --> 00:17:07.232 No, be wise. 00:17:07.232 --> 00:17:09.500 Think ahead. 00:17:09.500 --> 00:17:10.500 You know, it's interesting. 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:12.500 This isn’t...again, this isn’t absolutely true. 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:17.099 But in general, the robber, the armed man, don't go after the strong. 00:17:18.032 --> 00:17:20.066 They look for the weak to go after. 00:17:20.066 --> 00:17:23.066 They want it easy too. 00:17:23.566 --> 00:17:29.066 And if you've only laid around wanting just a little more sleep. Sleep’s not bad. 00:17:29.066 --> 00:17:31.000 Sleep is critical. Sleep is important. 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:32.932 If you cheat on sleep, it'll catch up to you. 00:17:32.932 --> 00:17:36.633 But we're talking about the person that only wants to sleep but can never get up. 00:17:36.633 --> 00:17:39.165 I'm not talking about chronic medical conditions either. 00:17:39.165 --> 00:17:40.099 You know what I'm saying. 00:17:43.099 --> 00:17:50.766 And if you just lay around, those muscles atrophy and you get weak and you're easy prey physically and financially. 00:17:50.766 --> 00:17:53.266 So one overreaction is to do nothing. 00:17:53.266 --> 00:17:56.000 The sluggard says, hey, I'm just going to play it safe. 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:58.400 I don't want to be in that situation again where I messed up. 00:17:58.400 --> 00:17:58.965 Well, no. 00:17:58.965 --> 00:18:03.032 Another overreaction then, that's one lazy way. 00:18:03.032 --> 00:18:05.700 This one's not as clear. 00:18:05.700 --> 00:18:09.099 But sometimes people go, okay, I messed up. 00:18:09.099 --> 00:18:12.833 I didn't use my money well. I overextended myself. 00:18:12.833 --> 00:18:13.932 Now I need more. 00:18:13.932 --> 00:18:18.799 Let me be lazy in how I go about it in a different way. 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:21.799 In fact, look at verse 12. 00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:39.465 A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger with perverted heart, devises evil continually sowing discord. 00:18:40.633 --> 00:18:46.266 Therefore, and look at the how it ends here. The same situation occurs. 00:18:46.266 --> 00:18:49.266 Calamity will come upon him suddenly. 00:18:49.333 --> 00:18:53.099 In a moment he will be broken beyond healing. 00:18:53.766 --> 00:18:55.833 So one overreaction is the sluggard. 00:18:55.833 --> 00:19:03.932 The other overreaction is the trickster, the person who, instead of figuring out how to make money in an honest, productive way, let me. 00:19:03.932 --> 00:19:09.133 Let me use deception and lies and trickery and charm and navigate. 00:19:09.133 --> 00:19:18.799 In fact, you know, you hear these stories sometimes about all the effort that goes into some crime and you go, why didn't they just use all that effort to make money in an honest way? 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:29.000 They put so much time and energy into tricking someone, because what happens is they end up loving the trickery even more. It's not. 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:31.500 It becomes not even about the money. 00:19:31.500 --> 00:19:33.099 I love the deception. 00:19:33.099 --> 00:19:37.965 I love the game more than even the outcome. 00:19:37.965 --> 00:19:40.965 This swings to the other extreme. 00:19:41.732 --> 00:19:46.099 But it ends up in the same place all of a sudden. 00:19:46.099 --> 00:19:51.200 Calamity, the end comes upon them and again, they didn't see it coming. 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:52.732 It comes out of nowhere. 00:19:52.732 --> 00:19:55.099 It all. Everything seems great. 00:19:55.099 --> 00:19:58.732 And then come the FBI and it all ends in a second. 00:19:59.665 --> 00:20:05.500 Both are people who are being lazy when it comes to their work. 00:20:05.500 --> 00:20:07.633 You know God has blessed work. 00:20:07.633 --> 00:20:10.200 Yes, there is difficulty with work. 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:13.200 There are thorns. 00:20:13.400 --> 00:20:15.032 But he's given us work to do. 00:20:15.032 --> 00:20:17.000 It should be a joy and delight. 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:29.500 We honor him in how we work and both extremes of just laying around doing nothing but using trickery and deception ultimately don't serve you well and don't honor God. 00:20:31.932 --> 00:20:37.400 So there's those who want to be lazy with their money, lazy with their work. 00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:40.032 Now, here's the progression that I want to point out. 00:20:40.032 --> 00:20:47.400 In all these situations-- and the warning here is because next we're going to see those who are lazy with love. 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:56.766 And the progression here is if you are lazy in these other areas of life, it's going to lead you to a more dangerous place. 00:20:57.232 --> 00:21:06.200 Part of the reason why you want to figure out how to be a good steward of your money and of your work, is because it's going to affect the other areas of life. 00:21:07.333 --> 00:21:10.099 Don't continue down this path because here's where it's going to end up. 00:21:10.099 --> 00:21:13.400 It's going to put you in a really dangerous place when you get lazy with love. 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:14.599 So look at this next section. 00:21:14.599 --> 00:21:16.532 In fact, we're going to jump down a few verses. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:19.532 Look at verse 25. 00:21:19.532 --> 00:21:25.465 He's talking about the prostitute, the harlot and the adulterous to watch out for them. 00:21:25.465 --> 00:21:31.099 And in verse 25 he says, do not desire her beauty in your heart. 00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:34.200 Do not let her capture you with her eyelashes. 00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:39.465 For the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread. 00:21:39.465 --> 00:21:44.099 But a married woman hunts down a precious life. 00:21:44.432 --> 00:21:49.400 Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? 00:21:49.400 --> 00:21:54.432 Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:57.200 So he is who goes into a neighbor's wife. 00:21:57.200 --> 00:21:59.900 No one who touches her will go unpunished. 00:21:59.900 --> 00:22:09.500 Look at verse 34 for jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge. 00:22:09.865 --> 00:22:23.932 If you have developed this pattern of laziness in your-- with your money, with your work, you've developed habits in your heart that are going to lead to laziness in other areas, and it's going to lead to laziness in love. 00:22:23.932 --> 00:22:26.333 And here is the implication. 00:22:26.333 --> 00:22:34.133 This person wants the easy way out in love, either to buy satisfaction, whether it's the price of a loaf of bread or not. 00:22:34.133 --> 00:22:40.599 Remember, Proverbs is meant to be strong contrast, to overstate, to get your attention. 00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:52.200 The contrast is, okay, yeah, maybe you can go buy love, take the easy way out there and you think that taking the easy way out by taking someone else's wife is the easy way out, but it's not. 00:22:52.732 --> 00:22:57.165 That is going to open the door to your destruction. 00:22:58.099 --> 00:23:06.932 What this highlights what has happened in the heart of the person that this is speaking to, is a person who no longer cares about outcomes. 00:23:08.066 --> 00:23:11.500 They no longer care about what happens to themselves. 00:23:11.500 --> 00:23:14.900 They no longer care about what happens to others. 00:23:14.900 --> 00:23:29.833 In fact, I think that the main thing that is criticized here is in this group of verses that highlight what's really at the core of what's going on in this person's heart. 00:23:29.833 --> 00:23:35.599 Look back at verse 16 and there's this interesting device Proverbs uses to highlight this. 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:37.932 You see this in a couple of different places in Proverbs. 00:23:37.932 --> 00:23:41.500 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are abomination to him. 00:23:41.500 --> 00:23:44.732 Sometimes you'll see there are three, then there are four, there are six, then there are seven. 00:23:44.732 --> 00:23:46.165 You see this in a few different places. 00:23:46.165 --> 00:23:49.700 And I've often wondered what, what's the point of that? 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:53.432 Are you telling me there's only six things, or maybe only seven things the Lord hates? 00:23:53.432 --> 00:23:55.465 No, this isn't meant to be exhaustive. 00:23:55.465 --> 00:23:58.432 This is meant to group together a number of things. 00:23:58.432 --> 00:24:03.732 But then often the seventh, the last is being emphasized in the list. 00:24:04.032 --> 00:24:05.599 So there are six. 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:11.133 But the seventh is maybe one way you could say it is what we're really talking about. 00:24:11.133 --> 00:24:30.732 And if you notice these six things that are mentioned six and seven haughty eyes, lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, those are all descriptors of the man who was faulty in business. 00:24:31.732 --> 00:24:37.266 But notice what number seven says, one who sows discord among brothers. 00:24:38.500 --> 00:24:45.099 This was also the description of him in verse 14 one who sows discord, continually sowing discord. 00:24:45.099 --> 00:24:48.099 And here's the point of all that. 00:24:48.165 --> 00:24:53.532 It's one thing to go around like the naive fool messing up your own life. 00:24:53.532 --> 00:25:00.099 But where that leads over time is one who delights in seeing that happen in others lives. 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:02.665 I don't care anymore what happens to others around me. 00:25:02.665 --> 00:25:08.032 I'd rather see you torn down where our call is to build others up. 00:25:09.032 --> 00:25:15.500 Look, our call is to make sure that everyone we know is closer to Christ because they know us. 00:25:16.465 --> 00:25:34.900 I would hope that people would say because I know John, I am closer to Christ. Now, I know not everyone I've ever met would say that, but the hope is that's what we're striving for instead of tearing down, instead of sowing discord. 00:25:34.900 --> 00:25:57.232 And how can I be about building others up, drawing them to Christ, and not loving lazily, loving them well, loving them in a way that they go, I am loved by that person, not just taking, but giving. 00:25:57.232 --> 00:26:00.432 All of these examples are pointing to a deeper reality. 00:26:00.432 --> 00:26:02.299 Each of these people here's what they want. 00:26:02.299 --> 00:26:03.665 They want the easy way out. 00:26:03.665 --> 00:26:05.400 I want things handed to me. 00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:08.400 I think life should just be given to me. 00:26:08.932 --> 00:26:09.799 It should be easy. 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:14.099 But look, anything of significance has never come easy. 00:26:14.099 --> 00:26:17.299 Can anybody else acknowledge that reality? 00:26:17.299 --> 00:26:22.365 I mean, very few things in life that are of significance have come easily. 00:26:22.365 --> 00:26:24.032 Sometimes that happens. 00:26:24.032 --> 00:26:25.133 That's the exception. 00:26:27.865 --> 00:26:38.965 Even if, let's say today, you could gain the perfect body just in the snap of the fingers, in an instant you would look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, which for the I'm talking to the men here. 00:26:38.965 --> 00:26:41.400 The women may not want that. 00:26:41.400 --> 00:26:44.266 Who knows, maybe. 00:26:44.266 --> 00:26:52.099 Even if that could happen in an instant, you know how hard it is to maintain that body? 00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:59.165 A year from now, if you did nothing-- and you might look still decent-- but it doesn't take long. 00:26:59.165 --> 00:27:03.532 I mean, you saw when Arnold became governor, he got flabby pretty quick. 00:27:03.532 --> 00:27:12.766 It takes a lot of effort to even just keep the perfect body. 00:27:13.566 --> 00:27:15.900 The things of deep significance don't come easy. 00:27:15.900 --> 00:27:18.700 There's not an easy, lazy way out. 00:27:18.700 --> 00:27:23.599 But here in this passage, we're given how to approach righteousness. 00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:24.732 True love. 00:27:25.766 --> 00:27:30.299 Look at verse 20, my son, keep your father's commandment. 00:27:30.299 --> 00:27:33.299 Forsake not your mother's teaching. 00:27:33.465 --> 00:27:34.633 And I love this language here. 00:27:34.633 --> 00:27:36.500 I love this imagery. 00:27:36.500 --> 00:27:39.766 Bind them on your heart always. 00:27:39.766 --> 00:27:44.465 Take them into your very core of who you are to the center of your being. 00:27:44.465 --> 00:27:48.200 Bind them there. Tie them around your neck. 00:27:48.200 --> 00:27:49.965 And here's what happens if you do that. 00:27:49.965 --> 00:28:03.200 If you can hide God's Word in your heart continually, if you can meditate on His Word, if it can saturate in your mind, here's what will happen. When you walk, they will lead you. 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:07.700 When you lie down, they will watch over you. 00:28:07.700 --> 00:28:10.700 When you awake, they will talk with you. 00:28:11.833 --> 00:28:14.032 For the commandment is a lamp. 00:28:14.032 --> 00:28:25.000 The teaching, a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life to preserve you from the evil woman. 00:28:25.833 --> 00:28:27.165 I love these pictures. 00:28:27.165 --> 00:28:31.365 Having God's Word in your life will watch over you. 00:28:32.299 --> 00:28:33.532 It will lead you. 00:28:33.532 --> 00:28:36.200 Do you want to know how to make the right decision in life? 00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:38.432 Getting God's Word. 00:28:38.432 --> 00:28:41.500 It may not be obvious at first, but get in his word. 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:42.465 Search his word. 00:28:42.465 --> 00:28:44.566 Ask others for wisdom from His word. 00:28:44.566 --> 00:28:53.633 His word will lead you. Will guide you. When you sleep it will watch over you. 00:28:54.232 --> 00:28:56.432 I believe there's a lot of truth to this. 00:28:56.432 --> 00:28:59.599 I don't know about you, but there's times where I don't know what to do. 00:28:59.599 --> 00:29:04.766 And I think, let me study God's Word and sleep on it and see how I feel about it in the morning. 00:29:04.766 --> 00:29:10.900 I think his word goes to work in your mind in the night and through it he is watching over you. 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:13.099 He is guiding you. 00:29:13.099 --> 00:29:14.532 He's stirring in your heart. 00:29:14.532 --> 00:29:17.532 He's directing you even while you sleep. 00:29:18.599 --> 00:29:24.700 Of course, there's the other side of it that if you live a life that honors God, you're more likely to be safe at night. 00:29:26.465 --> 00:29:29.333 And then lastly, it says he will speak to you. 00:29:29.333 --> 00:29:30.633 It will talk to you. 00:29:30.633 --> 00:29:32.000 God's word will talk to you. 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:34.932 And you know how this works. 00:29:34.932 --> 00:29:37.799 We all have a narrative going on in our mind all day long. 00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:39.633 You're talking to yourself all day long. 00:29:39.633 --> 00:29:40.400 I've seen you do it. 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:42.066 Don't try to deny it. 00:29:42.066 --> 00:29:42.566 It's some of you. 00:29:42.566 --> 00:29:44.099 Do it quietly, some out loud. 00:29:44.099 --> 00:29:46.700 It's okay. 00:29:46.700 --> 00:29:49.665 You have this narrative going. Sometimes it's a good one. 00:29:49.665 --> 00:29:50.965 You're the best, John. 00:29:50.965 --> 00:29:53.633 You did that so well. Good for you. 00:29:54.799 --> 00:29:56.500 Other times it's the opposite. 00:29:56.500 --> 00:30:00.232 You are the worst person on the face of the earth to ever exist. 00:30:00.232 --> 00:30:02.833 How could you be so stupid? 00:30:02.833 --> 00:30:05.865 You see, you have these conversations with yourself all day long. 00:30:05.865 --> 00:30:11.965 What if instead of those, it was God's Word talking to you? 00:30:11.965 --> 00:30:14.965 You are a child of God. 00:30:15.266 --> 00:30:19.266 You were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. 00:30:19.266 --> 00:30:25.965 You were created as his workmanship, created for good works that you might walk in them. 00:30:25.965 --> 00:30:28.965 Perfect love casts out all fear. 00:30:29.732 --> 00:30:31.965 And then how about this section from Romans? 00:30:31.965 --> 00:30:34.766 Imagine talking to yourself from this all day long. 00:30:34.766 --> 00:30:36.833 We know that suffering produces endurance. 00:30:36.833 --> 00:30:38.365 Endurance produces character. 00:30:38.365 --> 00:30:43.232 Character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint. 00:30:43.232 --> 00:30:52.232 For the love of God has washed over us through His Spirit who has been given to us. 00:30:52.465 --> 00:30:57.200 It is His Spirit that will speak to us through His Word. 00:30:57.500 --> 00:30:59.465 But there's no shortcut. 00:30:59.465 --> 00:31:00.799 There's no easy way. 00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:04.165 If you want God's Word to talk to you, you've got to hide it in your heart. 00:31:04.165 --> 00:31:05.532 There is no shortcut. 00:31:05.532 --> 00:31:11.633 It takes being in His word, reading his word, memorizing his word, talking to others about His word. 00:31:12.599 --> 00:31:17.232 But thankfully, if you know Christ, he is in you, prompting you toward that end. 00:31:17.232 --> 00:31:21.333 He is increasing your hunger to follow him. 00:31:21.333 --> 00:31:30.566 And so today, my encouragement for you, in fact, what we're going to do now to remember his death and resurrection on our behalf is do communion. 00:31:30.566 --> 00:31:36.566 And if you're one of the men who's going to help hand out the elements, now would be the time to slip out and grab those. 00:31:36.566 --> 00:31:37.932 We're going to do communion. 00:31:37.932 --> 00:31:45.465 Then I'm going to tell you about our spring picnic and then I'm going to we're going to pray over a family who is facing a big transition. 00:31:45.465 --> 00:31:45.500 who is facing a big transition.