Wisdom Directs Our Path Through Life
Proverbs 3; 4
To direct is to point out a course of proceeding.
What is life?
Most people will say life is not being dead but that is only partially true.
The truth is that there is no real life without Jesus Christ!
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
True life then is a life that has no end!
Only those that know how to obtain true life will ever know real life!
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
True life then comes only by Jesus Christ!
While we walk in this life on this earth then we will need some direction.
That direction comes from the same place that real life comes from, the "Wisdom of God".
*****Pro 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Pro 3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
What is the most important thing for us to do in this life we now have?
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
God designed a purpose into each of us, our life has purpose!
So many today commit suicide because they feel they no longer have a purpose to live.
If they knew the Lord Jesus Christ, they would know just how wrong they are but even the saints of God are vulnerable to these thoughts.
God is the architect of life and God designs each of us to answer a specific purpose!
God had some end in view in making this cosmos where all life abides and in making each of us what we are!
The first thing we must all do when the Holy Ghost calls, is to get into the right relationship with God!
There is no one, God will not attempt to call before their physical death!
It is then that we must take the opportunity to learn the doctrine of God to a point where we can also teach others!
The heart is not only the seat of life in each human being but also the seat of affections, emotions, and passions but the heart is also the seat of our understanding!
In order to worship the Lord, we must cause our heart and our understanding to be in harmony with the Word of God!
We can immediately see the benefits of understanding the Word of God.
1) The length of days, not our existence but the time and purpose of our life.
2) A life of peace rather than commotion and turmoil.
3) A long life, the years we can serve the Lord that will extend into eternity.
*****Pro 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Pro 3:4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
As the Word of God is filled with mercy and truth, then we are to exercise mercy and truth in every part of our relationships with all those that cross our paths.
And again since our heart is the seat of our understanding, we are required to write God's law of kindness onto the tables of our heart.
God is well pleased with these things because these are the traits of Christ Jesus and we are to walk in His ways!
There is no other way to find favor in the eyes of God and others like us, will also notice these things!
Favor is like a friendly disposition!
Pro 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Understanding simply means grasping a hold onto the truth!
Rom 14:16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Rom 14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
*****Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Pro 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
To trust in the Lord is to depend on Him!
The Old Testament uses "trust" as the New Testament uses "faith"!
This dependence on the Lord must be actual and factual, being persuaded that God is the only, all-sufficient object of our confidence and His faithfulness to do what He promises!
We must not make our own understanding a dart into our hearts!
The promise of God's divine guidance in our life choices is conditioned on that complete trust in God's "wisdom" as revealed to us all in His Word!
But we must also acknowledge Him before all men telling them of this trust we have!
God will direct us by the Holy Ghost who will never lead us astray!
God will bind Himself to us by His own covenant which He will never break when we honor His Words!
The truth is, as unforgiven sinners we simply have no means of choosing the right path for our life!
To repent is a complete change in direction and a complete change of mind, when we are wise in our own eyes then we are headed in the wrong direction.
The spirit of self-dependence is the opposite of "the fear of the Lord" and can only lead to evil!
When we were all babes within the womb of our mothers, the umbilical cord was the center of our strength.
In life, when we have that reverent fear of the Lord, He has become our umbilical and the center of our strength.
The marrow is the nourisher and the strengthener of our bones and it is said to moisten the bones making them less brittle.
Psa 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
Again God is promising physical well-being to all those that follow the Word of God, which will bring us all eternal spiritual health!
We must know that a broken spirit will dry up our bones!
Pro 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
And then God will meet all our needs.
*****Pro 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Pro 3:10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Our substance is the things that God has provided for us to live and since God provided it, then it all really belongs to God!
To tithe is to give back a tenth of what God has provided for our own living!
To tithe is a sign of faith that God will continue to provide our every need!
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
By "Faith" Abel offered the firstfruits of his flock.
Jacob also realized that all of our substance is provided by the Lord and set the standard for the tithe.
Gen 28:22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Our earthly substance is necessary for us to live but we are called to make no use of that substance till we have set apart of our substance for the service of God!
We are to honor the Lord by our "Faith" in everything we do and in everything that God provides!
The Lord expects and He certainly deserves the best and the first that we have, not the leftovers.
The tithe should not only include our substance but also our time, and our talent, and any other thing that God has given to us!
You can only give an offering after you have already given your tithe!
How does God reward the cheerful and faithful tither?
No one can out give God!
Very few people understand, that it is by giving back to God that will bring an increase in our own substance!
The barns of that day were storehouses for grain and God says those that had "faith" that He would provide for those that gave of their firstfruits those barns would be filled with plenty.
Plenty always means more than enough!
New wine from the wine press is fresh grape juice, still non-fermented.
God will never go against His Word and God said, to not even look upon fermented wine!
Pro 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Pro 23:30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Pro 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
Pro 23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Pro 23:33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
Pro 23:34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
Pro 23:35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again
*****Pro 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
Pro 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Though most people see chastening as punishment, to the child of God it is for instruction!
God's chastening is always for the purpose instruction even if it is painful at times!
God's chastening should never be ignored nor should it be resented.
Remember God only chastens those He loves!
And God chastens only as a loving Father!
God has already condemned those who reject Him as their Father to an eternal life of torment!
Those that are chastened should then be happy they are no longer condemned!
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
*****Pro 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Pro 3:14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
Pro 3:15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Pro 3:16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Pro 3:17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
Pro 3:18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
The truth is that all the treasures of wisdom are hidden in Christ Jesus!
That being true, then the greatness of wisdom appears in those gifts of the Lord beginning with His "Grace"!
We already know that wisdom brings with it a long and happy life.
The advantages of wisdom is that we will miss out on much of the chastening of the Lord.
The advantages of wisdom is that we will certainly miss out on the wrath of God!
The glories of Heaven are much more valuable than silver and gold.
The wisdom of God is much more precious than rubies.
There is nothing on this earth that can compare to the wisdom that comes only by the Lord Jesus Christ who is the author of true life!
Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Wisdom is knowing our Creator!
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
*****Pro 3:19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
Pro 3:20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
Since Christ Jesus was the one by whom God founded this earth it should be clear that in this Book of Proverbs "Wisdom" is actually the person of Christ!
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
That word "depths" is the same word as "deep" in the Book of Genesis.
Following "Creation" the next great physical event in the history of this world was the great worldwide flood in the day of Noah.
This is the time when all the fountains of the great deep were broken up!
Gen 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Gen 7:12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
These are things that are facts and therefore require our understanding!
*****Pro 3:21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
Pro 3:22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
Pro 3:23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
The title of our lesson is that "Wisdom Directs Our Path Through Life" and this is the theme of the Book of Proverbs.
Since the wisdom of the Lord is so powerful, then this wisdom should be retained and guarded and never allowed to depart from our view!
Since the wisdom of the Lord designed and created our world, surely by knowing that wisdom, we can use it to live in His created world!
Since the wisdom of the Lord is life, and the way of life, then He is also our spiritual life and our eternal life of the soul of all those that look upon Him in "Faith"!
Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Joh 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
When we look away from Christ we look away from true "wisdom"!
Since the soul and the neck stand for the complete man in our sin nature and our eternal soul, eternal life is given to the soul rather than to sin!
When the soul is saved then there will be less sin, and this will be noticeable to those that cross our path thus an ornament of "Grace" about our neck!
Only then can we walk safely not veering to the right or to the left, but avoiding the pitfalls that could cause us to stumble in our walk of "Grace"!
Then comes peace.
*****Pro 3:24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
Pro 3:25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
Pro 3:26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
When our walk with the Lord is right, then we can rest in the safety of the His presence!
Confidence is a trusting reliance in the truth of God, an assurance of the mind in the facts of Christ Jesus!
The peace that the wisdom of God gives is surely pass all understanding!
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Jesus said this is the peace that I will give to each of you.
Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
We should remember that shortly after Jesus said these words He was beaten, bruised, and crucified for our sins, because He had no sin of His own.
Because He is the all knowing God, He knew all these things were about to happen but the Lord Jesus was at peace with Himself for what He was about to do!
Jesus tells all His disciples that this is the peace that I leave with you.
No matter what we are about to go through or what we are already going through, we can have the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ!
When we lie down in order to take sleep and have committed ourselves into the hands of the Lord we do not have to be afraid of anything.
The worst thing that can happen, our death, is the best thing that could happen as we will wake up in Heaven, our sleep will be sweet!
Psa 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
When we are safe in the arms of Wisdom, we are under the watchful eyes of our Creator!
We have no reason to fear what this world can do to us!
Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
As we sit here today, there is a group called ISIS by most of us, who actually fit this verse as the wicked who bring desolation to many people of this earth.
We do not have to be afraid of terrorist when it comes to our shores, for the Lord shall be our confidence!
That confidence is that nothing can happen to us unless the Lord allows it and if the Lord allows it, we will be made better because of it!
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Satan has many snares:
2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
But the Lord will not allow our foot to step in any of them!
We can no longer be captured at the will of Satan when we possess the "wisdom" of God!
And we can be of a help to others!
*****Pro 3:28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
Pro 3:29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
Pro 3:30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
Pro 3:31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Pro 3:32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
Pro 3:33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
The wisdom of God will teach us the royal commandments of King Jesus to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
If we owe our neighbor a debt then pay it, if we have it.
If they are poor and in need, help them if we are able.
We honestly never know what the next day will bring!
Every child of God should devise ways to show the goodness of God and certainly not evil things!
If we have been the Christian we have said we are, then our neighbor will have no need to suspect us of evil, and that we will help them rather that cause any harm to them!
We should never be envious of anyone but especially someone who is an oppressor to others.
An oppressor is a man of mischief and we must avoid them and their ways!
Those that are froward are perverse and obey only their own laws and so are an abomination to the Lord!
It is only those that walk the right path of "wisdom" that know the secrets of the Lord!
The truth is that the curse of the Lord has been removed from every believer but we are all still exposed to the curse on this world!
The truth is, that the curse of the Lord is a real thing and will be fulfilled by the power of God!
On the house of the wicked lies the curse of God.
On the house of those justified lies the blessings of God.
These are both facts!
*****Pro 3:34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
Pro 3:35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
A scorner is someone who scoffs at Christianity!
They hate the Word of God!
They mock sin as non-existent and claim their will be no judgment for sin.
They claim there is no Heaven nor a place called Hell!
God will be a scorner to those who are scorners to the Church!
Psa 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Those that have the "wisdom" of God shall inherit glory!
Psa 73:24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
On one side of the Christian is salvation and justification, on the other side is the hope of glory yet to come!
Shame is the painful sensation excited by the consciousness of guilt!
Those that reject the Lord will one day feel their own guilt knowing that Christ Jesus had paid their sin debt and they refused to accept that fact!
What does the Lord do? He begs us all to hear what He says!
*****Pro 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
Godly parents are a true blessing to any family.
God our Father in Heaven clearly wants us to understand that He will never give us bad instructions!
Since we are the children of God once we believe, then we need receive those instructions and act on them!
We can just imagine, that it was in this manner that the Lord Jesus trained His disciples.
It is the "Gospel" that is called the "good doctrine"!
1Ti 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
The "Doctrine" of the Lord Jesus Christ is the God-given "wisdom" that we need and that this world needs!
We know not to forsake the law, but this is the law of Mount Calvary and not the law of Mount Sinai, we are not to forsake the royal law of King Jesus!
*****Pro 4:3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
Pro 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
We know that Solomon's father was King David, and David's father was Jesse.
We also know that the Father of Jesus was God the Holy Spirit the only begotten Son of God!
We also know that Jesus was also 100% human and truly beloved in the sight of his mother Mary.
Luk 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Our Savior came to this earth to be obedient to His Father in Heaven.
Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Joh 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
It is because Jesus was obedient to His Father that we can be saved!
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Obedience will bring perfection to all those who trust in the Lord!
Obedience begins with "wisdom" and "wisdom" begins with the fear of the Lord!
*****Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
The reverent fear of the Lord is something that we must possess and not willing to give up!
We must have moral wisdom which is lacking in society today.
We must have political wisdom of our civil government.
Much more important than either of these, we must have the wisdom that comes by Jesus Christ and the knowledge of Him!
Understanding these things is to take a firm hold on the real state of the truth of God!
Understanding is the only means we can obtain our knowledge of the Lord and the hope of His calling!
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
How do we forsake true wisdom?
One way we forsake true wisdom is in our lack of gathering to worship the Lord!
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Psa 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
Another way is when we forsake the Word of God!
Psa 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
After all "wisdom" is the principle thing.
The word "principle" means "the source", "the beginning", and that beginning is the "fear of the Lord"!
The power to use knowledge must come from something outside the knowledge itself!
It is only the wisdom that comes from Heaven that can allow us to use our knowledge in this life.
Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
*****Pro 4:8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
Pro 4:9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
Pro 4:10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
True godly wisdom will allow us to choose what is best for us and will also cause us to select the best possible means of obtaining those things!
Many men exalt worldly wisdom as a means to improve the condition of humanity but these things begin outside.
God always begins inside with the heart!
Christianity is not just following the commandments of God, Christianity is a life here on earth and knowing the truth of eternal life!
Christianity is knowing the peace of God and showing that peace of God in the way we live!
It is the wisdom of God that brings honor to the Christian!
The wisdom of God will bring with it the honors of Heaven.
2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
It is a fact that a sinful life can impair the health and shorten the days of all those that follow in it!
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
It is also a fact that the wisdom of God promotes a healthy life!
It is the Word of God that teaches us in the ways of God's wisdom.
*****Pro 4:11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
Pro 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
Pro 4:13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Pro 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Pro 4:15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
The object of every parent is to have their children fixed and established on the right path of life.
This is instilled in us because this is the way God works!
The difference being the ways of the world will not build a godly character, only the wisdom of God can do this thing!
The godly parent will lead by example.
The godly parent will lead by prayer.
The godly parent will keep their children under the influence of a godly church!
As we know, a path represents our walk in this life. We go through this life one step at a time, this is how we learn to walk.
The path of wisdom is the walk of Christ Jesus.
Col 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Once we are on that path before we take the next step we need to confer with God to know that next step.
Running in most cases is escaping from danger! God says:
Joh 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
When God provides the way to escape, He certainly will not place a stumble stone in that path!
"Faith" means we have taken hold of God's instructions and are relying on them to keep us safe until the Lord returns!
The truest of all wisdom is the revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ and then the saving truths which God has set before us in His Word! Amen!
This is the wisdom of life!
This is the wisdom to avoid the path of the wicked!
This is the wisdom to avoid the ways of evil men!
To avoid means "pass not by it", "turn from it", and "pass away from it"!
This does not mean we are to be separatist, we are to avoid the ways of those that walk the way that this world walks.
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Some of the reasons we are to avoid the ways of the lost are these.
*****Pro 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
Pro 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Pro 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
Those that God calls wicked, do not sin because of weakness, their sin arises from premeditation and a great desire to do evil!
The truth is, that when evil men have made a plan and put it into action, they will not sleep until they have accomplished what they set out to do.
This is the truth also of the terrorist!
As Christians eat the bread of life, the Word of God, provided by the Lord, wicked men eat the things they have obtained them selves, they make their own law.
As Christians are washed in the blood Jesus who took all our violence at the cross, wicked men drink of the wine of those that are innocent as they take their lives from them.
The light that shines on the path of those justified is the light of Jesus Christ!
2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
That light shines through the Word of God!
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
This is the only light that will lead us to the land of the "perfect day" where there is no more night!
Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
It is the way of the wicked that leads to darkness and there will be no darkness in Heaven!
It is foolish to reject the Word of God. To stumble in the darkness will always lead to death!
*****Pro 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Pro 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
Pro 4:22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Pro 4:24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Pro 4:25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Pro 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Pro 4:27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
We must attend to the Word of God which means to have it in our presence!
We must keep the Word of God constantly in view.
We must cherish the Word of God.
It is the Word of God where we learn of the way of life!
It is the Word of God where we learn how to extend our days.
In Scripture, the heart is not only the physical organ of our circulatory system but it is also the seat of our emotions and our intellect.
The health of our heart and our circulatory system are essential to our earthly life and a heart that is right with God is essential to our Christian life!
Perverse lips is deceitful speech, which twists and distorts the truth of God!
We must fix our eyes on the truth of righteousness and not deflect to the left or to the right!
We must remove every obstacle that may impede our Christian walk!
To ponder is to consider and compare the right from the wrong and choose right!
If our gaze is not to deflect to the left nor to the right, then our hands and our feet will not turn to the left or to the right and if we depart from evil the Lord will make our paths straight!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
Proverbs 3; 4
To direct is to point out a course of proceeding.
What is life?
Most people will say life is not being dead but that is only partially true.
The truth is that there is no real life without Jesus Christ!
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
True life then is a life that has no end!
Only those that know how to obtain true life will ever know real life!
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
True life then comes only by Jesus Christ!
While we walk in this life on this earth then we will need some direction.
That direction comes from the same place that real life comes from, the "Wisdom of God".
*****Pro 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Pro 3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
What is the most important thing for us to do in this life we now have?
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
God designed a purpose into each of us, our life has purpose!
So many today commit suicide because they feel they no longer have a purpose to live.
If they knew the Lord Jesus Christ, they would know just how wrong they are but even the saints of God are vulnerable to these thoughts.
God is the architect of life and God designs each of us to answer a specific purpose!
God had some end in view in making this cosmos where all life abides and in making each of us what we are!
The first thing we must all do when the Holy Ghost calls, is to get into the right relationship with God!
There is no one, God will not attempt to call before their physical death!
It is then that we must take the opportunity to learn the doctrine of God to a point where we can also teach others!
The heart is not only the seat of life in each human being but also the seat of affections, emotions, and passions but the heart is also the seat of our understanding!
In order to worship the Lord, we must cause our heart and our understanding to be in harmony with the Word of God!
We can immediately see the benefits of understanding the Word of God.
1) The length of days, not our existence but the time and purpose of our life.
2) A life of peace rather than commotion and turmoil.
3) A long life, the years we can serve the Lord that will extend into eternity.
*****Pro 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Pro 3:4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
As the Word of God is filled with mercy and truth, then we are to exercise mercy and truth in every part of our relationships with all those that cross our paths.
And again since our heart is the seat of our understanding, we are required to write God's law of kindness onto the tables of our heart.
God is well pleased with these things because these are the traits of Christ Jesus and we are to walk in His ways!
There is no other way to find favor in the eyes of God and others like us, will also notice these things!
Favor is like a friendly disposition!
Pro 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Understanding simply means grasping a hold onto the truth!
Rom 14:16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Rom 14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
*****Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Pro 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
To trust in the Lord is to depend on Him!
The Old Testament uses "trust" as the New Testament uses "faith"!
This dependence on the Lord must be actual and factual, being persuaded that God is the only, all-sufficient object of our confidence and His faithfulness to do what He promises!
We must not make our own understanding a dart into our hearts!
The promise of God's divine guidance in our life choices is conditioned on that complete trust in God's "wisdom" as revealed to us all in His Word!
But we must also acknowledge Him before all men telling them of this trust we have!
God will direct us by the Holy Ghost who will never lead us astray!
God will bind Himself to us by His own covenant which He will never break when we honor His Words!
The truth is, as unforgiven sinners we simply have no means of choosing the right path for our life!
To repent is a complete change in direction and a complete change of mind, when we are wise in our own eyes then we are headed in the wrong direction.
The spirit of self-dependence is the opposite of "the fear of the Lord" and can only lead to evil!
When we were all babes within the womb of our mothers, the umbilical cord was the center of our strength.
In life, when we have that reverent fear of the Lord, He has become our umbilical and the center of our strength.
The marrow is the nourisher and the strengthener of our bones and it is said to moisten the bones making them less brittle.
Psa 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
Again God is promising physical well-being to all those that follow the Word of God, which will bring us all eternal spiritual health!
We must know that a broken spirit will dry up our bones!
Pro 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
And then God will meet all our needs.
*****Pro 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Pro 3:10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Our substance is the things that God has provided for us to live and since God provided it, then it all really belongs to God!
To tithe is to give back a tenth of what God has provided for our own living!
To tithe is a sign of faith that God will continue to provide our every need!
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
By "Faith" Abel offered the firstfruits of his flock.
Jacob also realized that all of our substance is provided by the Lord and set the standard for the tithe.
Gen 28:22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Our earthly substance is necessary for us to live but we are called to make no use of that substance till we have set apart of our substance for the service of God!
We are to honor the Lord by our "Faith" in everything we do and in everything that God provides!
The Lord expects and He certainly deserves the best and the first that we have, not the leftovers.
The tithe should not only include our substance but also our time, and our talent, and any other thing that God has given to us!
You can only give an offering after you have already given your tithe!
How does God reward the cheerful and faithful tither?
No one can out give God!
Very few people understand, that it is by giving back to God that will bring an increase in our own substance!
The barns of that day were storehouses for grain and God says those that had "faith" that He would provide for those that gave of their firstfruits those barns would be filled with plenty.
Plenty always means more than enough!
New wine from the wine press is fresh grape juice, still non-fermented.
God will never go against His Word and God said, to not even look upon fermented wine!
Pro 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Pro 23:30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Pro 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
Pro 23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Pro 23:33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
Pro 23:34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
Pro 23:35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again
*****Pro 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
Pro 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Though most people see chastening as punishment, to the child of God it is for instruction!
God's chastening is always for the purpose instruction even if it is painful at times!
God's chastening should never be ignored nor should it be resented.
Remember God only chastens those He loves!
And God chastens only as a loving Father!
God has already condemned those who reject Him as their Father to an eternal life of torment!
Those that are chastened should then be happy they are no longer condemned!
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
*****Pro 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Pro 3:14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
Pro 3:15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Pro 3:16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Pro 3:17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
Pro 3:18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
The truth is that all the treasures of wisdom are hidden in Christ Jesus!
That being true, then the greatness of wisdom appears in those gifts of the Lord beginning with His "Grace"!
We already know that wisdom brings with it a long and happy life.
The advantages of wisdom is that we will miss out on much of the chastening of the Lord.
The advantages of wisdom is that we will certainly miss out on the wrath of God!
The glories of Heaven are much more valuable than silver and gold.
The wisdom of God is much more precious than rubies.
There is nothing on this earth that can compare to the wisdom that comes only by the Lord Jesus Christ who is the author of true life!
Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Wisdom is knowing our Creator!
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
*****Pro 3:19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
Pro 3:20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
Since Christ Jesus was the one by whom God founded this earth it should be clear that in this Book of Proverbs "Wisdom" is actually the person of Christ!
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
That word "depths" is the same word as "deep" in the Book of Genesis.
Following "Creation" the next great physical event in the history of this world was the great worldwide flood in the day of Noah.
This is the time when all the fountains of the great deep were broken up!
Gen 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Gen 7:12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
These are things that are facts and therefore require our understanding!
*****Pro 3:21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
Pro 3:22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
Pro 3:23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
The title of our lesson is that "Wisdom Directs Our Path Through Life" and this is the theme of the Book of Proverbs.
Since the wisdom of the Lord is so powerful, then this wisdom should be retained and guarded and never allowed to depart from our view!
Since the wisdom of the Lord designed and created our world, surely by knowing that wisdom, we can use it to live in His created world!
Since the wisdom of the Lord is life, and the way of life, then He is also our spiritual life and our eternal life of the soul of all those that look upon Him in "Faith"!
Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Joh 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
When we look away from Christ we look away from true "wisdom"!
Since the soul and the neck stand for the complete man in our sin nature and our eternal soul, eternal life is given to the soul rather than to sin!
When the soul is saved then there will be less sin, and this will be noticeable to those that cross our path thus an ornament of "Grace" about our neck!
Only then can we walk safely not veering to the right or to the left, but avoiding the pitfalls that could cause us to stumble in our walk of "Grace"!
Then comes peace.
*****Pro 3:24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
Pro 3:25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
Pro 3:26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
When our walk with the Lord is right, then we can rest in the safety of the His presence!
Confidence is a trusting reliance in the truth of God, an assurance of the mind in the facts of Christ Jesus!
The peace that the wisdom of God gives is surely pass all understanding!
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Jesus said this is the peace that I will give to each of you.
Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
We should remember that shortly after Jesus said these words He was beaten, bruised, and crucified for our sins, because He had no sin of His own.
Because He is the all knowing God, He knew all these things were about to happen but the Lord Jesus was at peace with Himself for what He was about to do!
Jesus tells all His disciples that this is the peace that I leave with you.
No matter what we are about to go through or what we are already going through, we can have the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ!
When we lie down in order to take sleep and have committed ourselves into the hands of the Lord we do not have to be afraid of anything.
The worst thing that can happen, our death, is the best thing that could happen as we will wake up in Heaven, our sleep will be sweet!
Psa 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
When we are safe in the arms of Wisdom, we are under the watchful eyes of our Creator!
We have no reason to fear what this world can do to us!
Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
As we sit here today, there is a group called ISIS by most of us, who actually fit this verse as the wicked who bring desolation to many people of this earth.
We do not have to be afraid of terrorist when it comes to our shores, for the Lord shall be our confidence!
That confidence is that nothing can happen to us unless the Lord allows it and if the Lord allows it, we will be made better because of it!
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Satan has many snares:
2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
But the Lord will not allow our foot to step in any of them!
We can no longer be captured at the will of Satan when we possess the "wisdom" of God!
And we can be of a help to others!
*****Pro 3:28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
Pro 3:29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
Pro 3:30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
Pro 3:31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Pro 3:32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
Pro 3:33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
The wisdom of God will teach us the royal commandments of King Jesus to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
If we owe our neighbor a debt then pay it, if we have it.
If they are poor and in need, help them if we are able.
We honestly never know what the next day will bring!
Every child of God should devise ways to show the goodness of God and certainly not evil things!
If we have been the Christian we have said we are, then our neighbor will have no need to suspect us of evil, and that we will help them rather that cause any harm to them!
We should never be envious of anyone but especially someone who is an oppressor to others.
An oppressor is a man of mischief and we must avoid them and their ways!
Those that are froward are perverse and obey only their own laws and so are an abomination to the Lord!
It is only those that walk the right path of "wisdom" that know the secrets of the Lord!
The truth is that the curse of the Lord has been removed from every believer but we are all still exposed to the curse on this world!
The truth is, that the curse of the Lord is a real thing and will be fulfilled by the power of God!
On the house of the wicked lies the curse of God.
On the house of those justified lies the blessings of God.
These are both facts!
*****Pro 3:34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
Pro 3:35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
A scorner is someone who scoffs at Christianity!
They hate the Word of God!
They mock sin as non-existent and claim their will be no judgment for sin.
They claim there is no Heaven nor a place called Hell!
God will be a scorner to those who are scorners to the Church!
Psa 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Those that have the "wisdom" of God shall inherit glory!
Psa 73:24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
On one side of the Christian is salvation and justification, on the other side is the hope of glory yet to come!
Shame is the painful sensation excited by the consciousness of guilt!
Those that reject the Lord will one day feel their own guilt knowing that Christ Jesus had paid their sin debt and they refused to accept that fact!
What does the Lord do? He begs us all to hear what He says!
*****Pro 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
Godly parents are a true blessing to any family.
God our Father in Heaven clearly wants us to understand that He will never give us bad instructions!
Since we are the children of God once we believe, then we need receive those instructions and act on them!
We can just imagine, that it was in this manner that the Lord Jesus trained His disciples.
It is the "Gospel" that is called the "good doctrine"!
1Ti 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
The "Doctrine" of the Lord Jesus Christ is the God-given "wisdom" that we need and that this world needs!
We know not to forsake the law, but this is the law of Mount Calvary and not the law of Mount Sinai, we are not to forsake the royal law of King Jesus!
*****Pro 4:3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
Pro 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
We know that Solomon's father was King David, and David's father was Jesse.
We also know that the Father of Jesus was God the Holy Spirit the only begotten Son of God!
We also know that Jesus was also 100% human and truly beloved in the sight of his mother Mary.
Luk 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Our Savior came to this earth to be obedient to His Father in Heaven.
Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Joh 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
It is because Jesus was obedient to His Father that we can be saved!
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Obedience will bring perfection to all those who trust in the Lord!
Obedience begins with "wisdom" and "wisdom" begins with the fear of the Lord!
*****Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
The reverent fear of the Lord is something that we must possess and not willing to give up!
We must have moral wisdom which is lacking in society today.
We must have political wisdom of our civil government.
Much more important than either of these, we must have the wisdom that comes by Jesus Christ and the knowledge of Him!
Understanding these things is to take a firm hold on the real state of the truth of God!
Understanding is the only means we can obtain our knowledge of the Lord and the hope of His calling!
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
How do we forsake true wisdom?
One way we forsake true wisdom is in our lack of gathering to worship the Lord!
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Psa 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
Another way is when we forsake the Word of God!
Psa 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
After all "wisdom" is the principle thing.
The word "principle" means "the source", "the beginning", and that beginning is the "fear of the Lord"!
The power to use knowledge must come from something outside the knowledge itself!
It is only the wisdom that comes from Heaven that can allow us to use our knowledge in this life.
Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
*****Pro 4:8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
Pro 4:9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
Pro 4:10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
True godly wisdom will allow us to choose what is best for us and will also cause us to select the best possible means of obtaining those things!
Many men exalt worldly wisdom as a means to improve the condition of humanity but these things begin outside.
God always begins inside with the heart!
Christianity is not just following the commandments of God, Christianity is a life here on earth and knowing the truth of eternal life!
Christianity is knowing the peace of God and showing that peace of God in the way we live!
It is the wisdom of God that brings honor to the Christian!
The wisdom of God will bring with it the honors of Heaven.
2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
It is a fact that a sinful life can impair the health and shorten the days of all those that follow in it!
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
It is also a fact that the wisdom of God promotes a healthy life!
It is the Word of God that teaches us in the ways of God's wisdom.
*****Pro 4:11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
Pro 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
Pro 4:13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Pro 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Pro 4:15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
The object of every parent is to have their children fixed and established on the right path of life.
This is instilled in us because this is the way God works!
The difference being the ways of the world will not build a godly character, only the wisdom of God can do this thing!
The godly parent will lead by example.
The godly parent will lead by prayer.
The godly parent will keep their children under the influence of a godly church!
As we know, a path represents our walk in this life. We go through this life one step at a time, this is how we learn to walk.
The path of wisdom is the walk of Christ Jesus.
Col 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Once we are on that path before we take the next step we need to confer with God to know that next step.
Running in most cases is escaping from danger! God says:
Joh 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
When God provides the way to escape, He certainly will not place a stumble stone in that path!
"Faith" means we have taken hold of God's instructions and are relying on them to keep us safe until the Lord returns!
The truest of all wisdom is the revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ and then the saving truths which God has set before us in His Word! Amen!
This is the wisdom of life!
This is the wisdom to avoid the path of the wicked!
This is the wisdom to avoid the ways of evil men!
To avoid means "pass not by it", "turn from it", and "pass away from it"!
This does not mean we are to be separatist, we are to avoid the ways of those that walk the way that this world walks.
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Some of the reasons we are to avoid the ways of the lost are these.
*****Pro 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
Pro 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Pro 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
Those that God calls wicked, do not sin because of weakness, their sin arises from premeditation and a great desire to do evil!
The truth is, that when evil men have made a plan and put it into action, they will not sleep until they have accomplished what they set out to do.
This is the truth also of the terrorist!
As Christians eat the bread of life, the Word of God, provided by the Lord, wicked men eat the things they have obtained them selves, they make their own law.
As Christians are washed in the blood Jesus who took all our violence at the cross, wicked men drink of the wine of those that are innocent as they take their lives from them.
The light that shines on the path of those justified is the light of Jesus Christ!
2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
That light shines through the Word of God!
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
This is the only light that will lead us to the land of the "perfect day" where there is no more night!
Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
It is the way of the wicked that leads to darkness and there will be no darkness in Heaven!
It is foolish to reject the Word of God. To stumble in the darkness will always lead to death!
*****Pro 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Pro 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
Pro 4:22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Pro 4:24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Pro 4:25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Pro 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Pro 4:27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
We must attend to the Word of God which means to have it in our presence!
We must keep the Word of God constantly in view.
We must cherish the Word of God.
It is the Word of God where we learn of the way of life!
It is the Word of God where we learn how to extend our days.
In Scripture, the heart is not only the physical organ of our circulatory system but it is also the seat of our emotions and our intellect.
The health of our heart and our circulatory system are essential to our earthly life and a heart that is right with God is essential to our Christian life!
Perverse lips is deceitful speech, which twists and distorts the truth of God!
We must fix our eyes on the truth of righteousness and not deflect to the left or to the right!
We must remove every obstacle that may impede our Christian walk!
To ponder is to consider and compare the right from the wrong and choose right!
If our gaze is not to deflect to the left nor to the right, then our hands and our feet will not turn to the left or to the right and if we depart from evil the Lord will make our paths straight!
Questions?
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