Proverbs Ch4v1-27 - Wisdoms Voice

[0:00] Thank you all, and thank you Alex for leading us today. Let's turn in our Bibles please to Proverbs chapter 4.!

[0:22] Proverbs chapter 4, we're going to read it all. It's part of our series that we've been looking at together. As we think about wisdom and what it means and how we apply it to our lives.

[0:38] So Proverbs chapter 4, starting in at verse 1. Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction.

[0:56] Pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.

[1:08] For I too was a son to my father, still tender and cherished by my mother. Then he taught me, and he said to me, Take hold of my words with all your heart.

[1:24] Keep my commands, and you will live. Get wisdom. Get understanding. Do not forget my words or turn away from them.

[1:38] Do not forsake wisdom. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you. Love her, and she will watch over you.

[1:50] The beginning of wisdom is this. Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, Get understanding.

[2:00] Cherish her, and she will exalt you. Embrace her, and she will honour you. She will give you a garland to grace your head, And present you with a glorious crown.

[2:18] Listen, my son. Accept what I say, And the years of your life will be many. I instruct you in the way of wisdom, And lead you along straight paths.

[2:33] When you walk, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction.

[2:45] Do not let it go. Guard it well, For it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked, Or walk in the way of evildoers.

[2:59] Avoid it. Do not travel on it. Turn from it. And go on your way. For they cannot rest until they do evil.

[3:12] They are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble. They eat the bread of the wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, Shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

[3:31] But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble. My son, Pay attention to what I say.

[3:47] Turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight. Keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, And health to one's whole body.

[4:05] Above all else, Guard your heart, For everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free from perversity.

[4:16] Keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.

[4:29] Give careful thought to the paths for your feet. And be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or to the left.

[4:43] Keep your foot from evil. Well, let's pray together. The voice of the Lord is powerful.

[5:02] The voice of the Lord is majestic. Father, by your spirit and through your voice, Through these words that we have just read, May they cause a transformation of our hearts, And an eagerness to follow you, And an assurance of glory to come.

[5:34] Help us now, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, from the moment we waken in the morning, A hundred voices are vying for our attention.

[5:52] TikTok, Facebook, Instagram. Every ping is an effort to get our attention. Read this. Watch this. Hear this.

[6:03] TV adverts. Netflix series. Online influencers. The world is just one big megaphone of noise, Shouting, Stop!

[6:16] Listen to me! Podcasts and books and novels. All these voices, Clamming for our attention.

[6:27] Just recently, Just recently, I heard about a primary school teacher known to me, Who asked the boys in her class, Who would you like to be when you grow up?

[6:40] This is primary school. The first boy answered, Andrew Tate. The second said, Conor McGregor. Now, if you've never heard of these people, Brilliant.

[6:53] You've missed absolutely nothing. Both are millionaires with thousands of followers. Tate is facing charges of trafficking and prostitution.

[7:06] McGregor, Well, he was recently charged with rape. Tragically, The hearts and minds of two little primary school boys have been captured by listening to unhealthy voices.

[7:22] So the question is, Who are we listening to? What voice has captured our heart?

[7:34] Who do we listen to when we want comfort? What words fill our hearts today? Well, amidst all the noise in this world, We have another voice.

[7:50] The voice of a father to a son. Look at verse 1. Listen, my sons. Pay attention.

[8:04] Verse 10. Listen, my son. Accept what I say. Turn your ears to my words.

[8:22] Listen. Solomon, the author of Proverbs, Is saying loud and clear, Pay attention to what I have to say.

[8:34] But why should we listen? Well, first we must understand that Solomon's words are not his own words. They're actually part of a tradition that have been passed down through the generations.

[8:50] So look at verse 3. Solomon writes, For I too was a son to my father. Well, who was Solomon's father?

[9:03] Well, in case you don't know, Go back to chapter 1, verse 1. Chapter 1, verse 1. The Proverbs of Solomon, Son of David, Who was the king of Israel.

[9:19] Let's go back to chapter 4, verse 3. So Solomon says, So I too was a son to my father, That is, King David, Still tender and cherished by my mother.

[9:35] Then he, King David, Taught me, And he said to me, Take hold of my words with all your heart. Keep my commands, And you will live.

[9:48] So King David, King David, Passes on words to Solomon, And Solomon passes on those same words to his sons.

[9:59] So the question is, Well, where did David get his words of wisdom? Well, keep your finger in Proverbs, And go back to Deuteronomy, Chapter 17.

[10:14] Deuteronomy, chapter 17. So Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy, chapter 17.

[10:29] And here, We are told of instructions That God gives to the king. Let's pick it up in chapter 17, verse 18.

[10:46] Here is God's command to the king. Verse 18, When he takes the throne of his kingdom, He is to write for himself on a scroll, A copy of this law, Taken from that of the Levitical priests.

[11:03] That is God's law. Verse 19, It is to be with him, And he is to read it All the days of his life, So that he may learn to revere the Lord his God, And follow carefully All the words of this law, And these decrees.

[11:25] Let's go back to Proverbs. You see, David is passing on God's word to Solomon.

[11:40] And Solomon is passing on God's words to his son. And so it goes to the tradition down through the generations. And here we are today, Reading these same words, Because we are to listen to the voice of God.

[11:58] We are to be listening to his words, Words that are written down for us. Because in God's word is the wisdom that we all need for life.

[12:12] As we've been saying to summarise the book of Proverbs, Wisdom is God's word to live God's way in God's world.

[12:24] So what is God saying to us today? Well, those three headings of listen in verse 1 and 10 and 20, Divide the text up very well and cleanly for us.

[12:40] So first of all, God says, Get wisdom. Verse 5. Get wisdom.

[12:51] Get understanding. This has been the message all the way through from the very beginning. Just look back at chapter 2, verse 4. Chapter 2, verse 4.

[13:03] Look for it. That is, Look for wisdom as you do for silver. Search for it as for hidden treasure. Chapter 3, verse 13.

[13:19] Blessed are those who find wisdom, Those who gain understanding. For she is more profitable than silver And yields better returns than gold.

[13:30] Now in chapter 4, The pursuit of wisdom goes to another level altogether. Look at verse 7 of chapter 4.

[13:41] The beginning of wisdom is this. Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have. Though it cost all you have.

[13:55] Get wisdom. Do everything you can To get the wisdom of God's word Into your life.

[14:05] Whatever it costs you, There is no value On the worth and the treasure Of God's word. Getting wisdom Is like a young man Pursuing the love of his life.

[14:20] When I first met Kirsty, It was very clear That I wanted to marry her. Although Kirsty says She doesn't remember The first time that we met.

[14:32] Bit of an argument there. And in my efforts to woo her, I did the most generous And kindest of things I could possibly do. I gave her, Listen to this, My bank card.

[14:47] Kirsty was a student. I was working. So in an effort to Win her heart, I gave her All the treasures That I had. The problem was, When she gave me back The bank card, Well, it was all but gone.

[15:05] I had about four pounds left. She had cleaned me out. Was it worth it? Yes, it was. You see, wisdom Is the greatest treasure That we can have.

[15:20] And in verse 6, It's personified as a woman To be pursued With all our life. Verse 6, Do not forsake wisdom. And she Will protect you.

[15:34] Get wisdom. Do whatever it takes. If it costs all the treasures you own, Spend it and make sure You get wisdom. End of verse 6, Love her And she will watch over you.

[15:51] Verse 8, Cherish her And she will exalt you. Embrace her And she Will honour you. Make it your life's ambition, Your ultimate desire, Your one goal.

[16:07] Pursue the wisdom Of God's word And get it into your life. And here's why. Verse 9, She, Wisdom, Will give you a garland To grace your head And present you With a glorious crown.

[16:27] The garland was that Wreath that was presented To the athlete Who won the race Or won the fight. A champion's crown. The gold medal.

[16:37] Well, Get wisdom into your life And you will be like A successful champion. Get the word of God Into your life And it will go well for you.

[16:53] But you know what? There's a much better And greater reason Why we should get wisdom. Not just so that life Will go well for us.

[17:04] But because In getting wisdom It leads To Jesus. You see, Scripture tells us That Jesus is God's wisdom In person.

[17:23] 1 Corinthians Chapter 1 Verse 24 Tells us that Christ Is the power Of God. And he is the Wisdom Of God.

[17:36] Jesus Is God's wisdom In perfect Humanity. So we are to Listen To the words Of Jesus. God's wisdom Itself.

[17:50] Keep your finger In Proverbs And let's go to Mark's Gospel Chapter 8 Mark's Gospel Chapter 8 Mark's Gospel Chapter 8 And verse 34 Listen To Jesus Speak Listen To his Wisdom Verse 34 Then he Called the Crowd to him Along with his Disciples And said Whoever Wants to be My disciple Must deny Themselves Take up Their cross And follow me For whoever Wants to

[18:50] Save their Life Will lose It But whoever Loses Their life For me And for The gospel Will save It Jesus is Saying Surrender Your life To me And you Will save Your life Trust In me And I Will give You life In all Its fullness I will Forgive you Of all Your sins Lose Your life To me And you Will Gain Life Though it Cost All you Have Even if It should Cost All your Life Let Your life Go Surrender It Because in Doing so You will Gain the Greatest Treasure Of all Jesus Himself Let's go Back to Proverbs Jim

[19:52] Elliot You may Have heard Of him Back in The 1950s A young Married Man Set out With Four other Missionaries To reach The Yauka Indians In the Forests Of Ecuador And instead Of being Welcomed By those People They were All killed Why did Jim Do it Why did He go He knew It was Dangerous He knew It would Cost his Life Or could Cost his Life But an Entry Into his Diary Helps us Explain Why he Was willing To He wrote These words He is No fool Who gives What he Cannot Keep To gain What he Cannot Lose He is No fool Who gives What he Cannot Keep

[20:52] To gain What he Cannot Lose You see As a Young man Jim Had surrendered His life To Jesus He couldn't Keep his Life But he Gave Of his Life Because he Knew That without Jesus He had Nothing Though it Cost him His Very Life Through it All he Saved His Life And that's What Jesus Is saying To us Today Entrust Your Life To me Though it Might cost You Friendships Though it Might cost You a Career Path Though it Might cost You your Dreams Though it Might cost You your Life It is Worth it All Because you Gain The greatest Person Ever The God Man Jesus Christ With you

[21:53] Forever Get Wisdom Get the Word of God into Your life Because God's Word will Lead you To Jesus So get Wisdom Second Follow Wisdom Verse 10 Listen My son Accept What I Say Verse 11 I Instruct You In the Way Of Wisdom And lead You Along Straight Paths Wisdom Is the Path That is Going To Lead Us Through Life In Fact Verse 13 Hold On To Instruction Hold On To Wisdom Don't Let It Go Guard It Well For It Is Your Life Follow The Path Of Wisdom And

[22:53] You Will Have Life But Let's Be Very Clear At The Same Time We Need To Be So So Careful That We Don't Walk The Wrong Path There Is The Path Of Wisdom But Verse 14 Do Not Set Foot On The Path Of The Wicked Or Walk In The Way Of Evil Doers Those Who Have No Time For God's Word Avoid It Do Not Travel On It Turn From It And Go On Your Way Don't Loiter Don't Loiter Hanging Around Tiptoeing Around The Edges Get Away From It Go On Your Way You See We All Have A Choice To Make Every Day We're All Hearing Voices That Promise Us Life And Happiness And Joy Voices That Say

[23:53] Follow Me Have Me So What Path Are We Going To Walk Will We Follow The Path Of God's Wisdom Or Are We Going To Follow The Path Of The Wicked The Voices That We Listen To Will Determine Which Path We Are On And Which Direction We Will Go Verse 18 The Path Of The Righteous Is Like The Morning Sun Shining Ever Brighter Till The Full Light Of Day But The Way Of The Wicked Is Like Deep Darkness They Do Not Know What Makes Them Stumble Listen To God's Word And It Will Be Verse 18 Full Light To Your Life You Will Walk

[24:53] A Path Where You Will Not Stumble And Fall God's Word Will Enable You To Walk Rightly But Reject The Voice Of God And It Will Be Like Verse 19 Deep Darkness We Will Walk A Path That Is Full Of Danger But There's Another And Better Greater Reason Why We Should Follow Wisdom Because It Leads To Glory Jesus As We Have Seen Is God's Wisdom He Is The One That We Listen To Go With Me Please Again To John's Gospel Chapter 8 You Can Keep Your Finger In Proverbs John Chapter 8 And Again Here

[25:53] We Listen To The Voice Of Wisdom John Chapter 8 Verse 12 When Jesus Spoke Again To The People He Said I Am The Light Of The World Whoever Follows Me Will Never Walk In Darkness But Will Have The Light Of Life Let's Go Back to Proverbs You See Follow Jesus And We Leave The Path Of Darkness And We Walk A Path Of Light!

[27:15] You Go On In Your Hike The Sun Rises Higher And The Path Becomes Clearer Brighter And Brighter The Sun Blazes Till At Last You Arrive At Your Destination The Light The Light Of The Sun Shining Down On Your Path Enabling You To Reach Your Destination Well Jesus Is Saying To Us Today Follow Me I Am The Path I Am The Light That You Need For This Dark World I Have Overcome The Darkness I Have Overcome Sin And Death I Have Defeated It All Walk With Me And The Darkness In Your Life Will Be Dispelled But Don't Delay Don't Wait Until It Is Too Late Don't Wait Until The Light

[28:15] Goes Off Jesus Reminds Us In The Same Gospel Of John He Says You Are Going To Have The Light Just A Little While Longer Walk While You Have The Light Before Darkness Overtakes You Jesus Is Warning Us His Voice Of Wisdom A Day Is Coming When The Light Will Turn To Darkness Dawn Will Become Dusk Day Will Become Night A Day Of Deep Darkness Awaits Us If We Do Not Keep To The Path Judgment And Death And Separation From The God Of Light For All Eternity

[29:16] Hell It So Walk With Me Says Jesus Follow Me And You Will Enjoy The Light Of Glory Verse 18 The Path Of The Righteous Is Like The Morning Sun Shining Ever Brighter Till The Full Light Of Day If You Are Trusting In Jesus Then One Day The Full Light Of God In All Its Glorious Beauty Will Shine Across Your Path Darkness And Death Will Be No More Our Journey Will End And We Will Enjoy God For All Eternity Follow Wisdom Walk Its Path Because

[30:16] It Leads To Glory So Let Us Get Wisdom Let Us Follow Wisdom And Third Let Us Keep Wisdom Wisdom Is So So Precious Greater Than Silver Or Gold God's Word Wisdom Itself Leads Us To The Person Of Jesus Who In Turn Leads Us To Glory Wisdom Is Our Life So Therefore It Makes Sense Doesn't It That We Keep Wisdom That We Don't Let It Go And How Are We Going To Keep Wisdom Well It's Going To Take A Whole Life Commitment It'll Take Our Whole Bodies To Keep Wisdom Look

[31:16] At Verse 20 Look At The Parts Of The Body How We Are To Engage The Ear Verse 20 My Son Pay Attention To What I Say Turn Your Ear To My Words The Heart Verse 21 Keep Them Within Your Heart The Mouth Verse 24 Keep Your Mouth Free From Perversity The Eyes Verse 25 Fix Your Eyes Fix Your Gaze The Feet Verse 26 Give Careful Thought To The Paths For Your Feet The Members Of Our Body Are Like An Army Of Body Guards Every Part Of Us Our Ears What We Listen To Our Eyes What We're Watching Our Mouths What We're Talking About Our Hearts What We Desire Our Feet Where We Walk Are All To Be Engaged As Bodyguards Guarding

[32:17] And Keeping Wisdom You See Keeping Wisdom Guarding Wisdom Will Lead To Protection Of Your Life Look At Verse 23 With Me Above All Else Guard Your Heart For Everything You Do Flows From It Well Is There A Difference About Keeping Wisdom Guarding Wisdom No He's Not Talking About Different Things Because Guarding Our Heart Is The Ultimate Way In Which We Keep And Guard Wisdom as you follow Jesus and wait for glory.

[34:06] Think of your heart as a great big turbocharged engine. An engine that has power to drive you and push you on.

[34:19] Well, it needs diesel. It needs petrol. Well, in the same way, we are to pour into our hearts, into the engine of our life, the fuel of God's word, so that it will keep you motoring on the right path.

[34:39] Fill up with God's word, and it will keep you from going off the wrong path. You see, fueling and filling our hearts with God's word will enable us to follow Jesus as we wait for glory.

[34:58] It will help us to make wise and right choices. Keeping wisdom in your heart will protect your life.

[35:12] So how are we going to get God's word, this book that you're looking at and reading and we're listening to, how are we going to get this word into our hearts?

[35:26] Well, as we've already seen, it will take our whole bodies to be engaged. Practically, five simple and quick things that we can do together as we walk with Jesus and wait for glory.

[35:45] Here's the first one. Listen to God's word. Verse 20. My son, pay attention to what I say.

[35:56] Turn your ear to my words. Simple. We've got to be people of the book, regularly listening to what God's word has to say.

[36:12] Second, store up God's word. Verse 21. Do not let them, the words of God's wisdom, out of your sight.

[36:24] Keep them within your heart. Store up God's word. Fill it and fill it and fill it so that in every circumstances, in every stage of your life, God's word will be instructing you.

[36:39] Verse 24. Talk about God's word. Instead of using your mouth for perversity, talk about God's word with one another, how it encourages you and how it will help them.

[36:58] Verse 25. Reflect or gaze on God's word. Let your eyes look straight ahead.

[37:09] Fix your gaze directly before you. Meditate on God's word. And then verse 27. Walk in God's word.

[37:22] Do not turn to the right or to the left. Keep your foot from evil. Listen to what it says and obey it.

[37:33] God's word. This is God's wisdom. It is precious. Greater than any treasure, than silver or gold.

[37:44] Whatever it costs you in your life, give it all to get God's word in your heart. Why? Because it leads you to Jesus who will lead you to glory.

[37:58] Keep wisdom in your heart and it will protect you. Let's pray.

[38:09] Let's pray. Father, two things we want to say to you.

[38:30] sorry for ignoring your word, for not listening, for not storing it up as we should, for not talking about it to others, and for not obeying it.

[38:52] for not knowing your word, for not knowing your word, for not knowing your word, for not knowing your word, and secondly, we ask that you would give us a hunger and a thirst for your word because we long to know Jesus, to follow in his path, that we may go to glory.

[39:17] Father, protect our hearts by your word and by your spirit, we pray and help us.

[39:30] In Jesus' name, we all pray. Amen. Well, we're going to sing.

[39:41] God's word leads us to Jesus who in turn leads us to glory.

[39:54] And so the song we finish with today is we're almost home. It is God's word and we're going to sing.