[0:00] We'll turn your Bibles to Proverbs chapter number 12. That's Proverbs chapter number 12. We'll read that in a minute. But this is Proverbs, and especially this part of Proverbs, is aphorisms.
[0:11] They're succinct statements, each explaining their principle of conventional wisdom. So the principles of Proverbs are written for us to know how to live. And so we have this. God has given this for us to know how to live.
[0:22] They teach us about the system God has put in place of sowing and reaping. And the actions that produce blessing and benefit contrasting with those that do not. It's such a blessing to have the Word of God.
[0:33] It's such a blessing to know things. You know, many times we ask the questions, well, how do I live in this way or that way? But we can come to the Word of God, and we can have these different things that God gives us so that we might know how to live.
[0:45] We know that sin has disrupted this system. So, you know, you put these principles in place. And the idea is that if you sow these principles, then you'll reap what it says that you'll reap.
[0:56] But the fact of the matter is sin has disrupted the whole system. You know, when Adam and Eve, they took the fruit and they did what God said. They brought sin into the world, and so that disrupted it.
[1:07] We see that in Ecclesiastes, we read that. In the book of Job, we read that. You know, Job was an upright man. He followed these principles. And yet, because there was something, the enemy came in and disrupted the system.
[1:19] And so we see that he suffered many things. But the rule here, the principles are that if you obey these principles, that you will reap what they say. You sow to these principles that you will reap to them.
[1:31] It's kind of like if a farmer, he plants corn. You know, he plants seed corn. He expects that that corn will come from that. He puts the seed in the ground, and he waits for it to come. And if nothing disrupts that system, then that's what will happen.
[1:43] Corn will come from that. But, you know, there could be natural disasters. There could come different things. And that's what's happening in our world. There are things that do disrupt that. But if we follow these principles from the Word, we will reap the concept.
[1:57] You know, the same thing, the farmer, if he plants thistle, but he thinks, I am going to reap corn from planting thistle, unless something comes into that system as well, it's not going to plant corn.
[2:08] I mean, corn is not going to come up. Thistle is going to come up. And so the Bible talks about this in Proverbs. And that's where we're going to look at several different Proverbs tonight. How that if you do this one thing, this is what will become of it.
[2:19] But also, if you do what is wicked, if you do these things, then don't expect good things to happen, because they will not happen. So, like, this goes for both saved and unsaved people alike.
[2:35] If unsaved people follow the principles of Scripture, I mean, how many of us know someone that's living very much a moral life? They're following what the Bible says in so many ways, but they've never put their faith in Christ.
[2:47] But they reap the same thing, because God is a just God. And he sets these things out, and he says, if you will do these things, this is what the consequences. So we see that happening. I know many people that aren't Christians, but because they're following the principles of Scriptures, I mean, how many of us have read many of the books that are out there?
[3:04] They're actually even written by secular people, but they're taken from the Bible because these principles will work. And so we see from this passage here that that is what is before us.
[3:15] You know, our country, as they follow these principles from the founding fathers on, we have reaped the benefits of that. In other countries, you look, and they don't follow these principles.
[3:26] They follow the antithesis to the wicked part of that, and they've also reaped the same thing. And so we see that if you follow these principles, that you will benefit from that.
[3:38] Or if you don't follow these principles, even if you are a saved person, if you do the thing that it says that a wicked person does, then you will also reap that. God is no respecter of persons, the Bible tells us.
[3:51] And so as we look at that, consider those different things as you hear the Scriptures. We'll start in verse number one. So it says, Verse number one.
[4:51] He that is despised and hath a servant is better than he that honoreth himself and lacketh bread. A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
[5:03] He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding. The wicked desireth the net of evil men, but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.
[5:16] The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips, but the just shall come out of trouble. A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the recompense of a man's hand shall be rendered unto him.
[5:30] The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. A fool's wrath is presently known, but a prudent man covereth shame.
[5:41] He that speaketh truth showeth forth righteousness, but a false witness deceit. There is that speaketh like the piercings of his sword, but the tongue of the wise is health.
[5:52] The lip of truth shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil, but to the counselors of peace is joy.
[6:03] There shall no evil happen to the just, but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but they that deal truly are his delight. A prudent man concealeth knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.
[6:19] The hand of the diligent shall bear rule, but the slothful shall be under tribute. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop, but a good word maketh it glad.
[6:30] The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor, but the way of the wicked seduceth them. The slothful man roasteth not that which is took in hunting, but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
[6:42] In the way of righteousness is life, and in the pathway thereof there is death. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for the privilege and the opportunity to open your word. And I pray, Father, that you would teach us, Lord, help us to see the value, Lord, of these principles.
[6:56] Lord, help us to apply them to our life, Lord, as we'll see here from the very first one. Lord, help us to love instruction. Help us to allow the word of God to correct us, to reprove us, and to help us to mature in you.
[7:10] Lord, help us to be those that do love instruction and not hate reproof, Lord. We do not want to be that way, Lord. And I pray that everyone here tonight would love instruction, love your word, and be willing to be corrected by it, Lord.
[7:22] Be willing to be instructed by it, corrected and reproved and grown in it, trained in it, Lord. That we might have that knowledge that you talk about, that maturity, that growth.
[7:35] And we thank you, Lord, for this opportunity. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. So we see here in the very first verse, we're going to look at proper, different proper ways of looking at these principles.
[7:46] And I've kind of grouped them in several different groupings. And the first one is the proper attitude towards instruction. Starting out from the very beginning, it's a great way for it to start because it says that if you love instruction, and that instruction is not just any kind of instruction, not just information, but it's an instruction that trains, that may reprove you, that may correct you.
[8:07] And if you love that, then you will love knowledge. Because that knowledge is not just any kind of knowledge. It's a knowledge that matures you and grows you. And so we see from this that instruction is more than just being taught.
[8:20] It is that you love and you're willing to be taught by the instruction that you receive. And so as you open the Bible in your quiet times and as you spend time or you come and hear the preaching of God words, our attitude should always be, what is the word telling me?
[8:37] Am I, is it affirming that I'm doing the things that God would have me to do? Or is it correcting? Am I doing something that I shouldn't do? And if you will love that instruction, that reproof, that correction, then you will also love knowledge.
[8:50] You will grow in the Lord because that word for that knowledge there is such that it's like you're growing in the Lord. So if you love it, if you come, so our attitude towards the word of God and our attitude towards anybody that would take the time to correct us is, are we willing to listen?
[9:08] The Proverbs are full of those that scorn if someone comes. But we should not be that way. We should be those that love instruction, love being taught, love being corrected so that we might grow therein.
[9:20] You know, one of the things I love about this church is that when we got here, the men and the ladies around here, they were always wanting to grow and learn. And I love that about this church, always trying to grow and learn more about how they can serve the Lord, wanting to do more that they can do in this community and around the world.
[9:37] And that's the way we should be. And that's what this first verse is talking about. If we love that type of instruction. But the opposite is also the case.
[9:47] It says, But he that hateth reproof is brutish. So if the word of God nails you on something, if it gets you and corrects you on some behavior that you have or some action or some thought, and you say, I hate that.
[10:04] I don't want to listen to that. Or maybe someone comes to you and challenges you on something. You know, not that they're always right. We know that the word of God is always right. But maybe someone might correct you on something or bring a passage to you and say, you know, your life just doesn't match up to that.
[10:18] We have a choice. We can either love that instruction and be willing to be changed by it. Or we can say, I hate that reproof. And it says that you are brutish. Now, I know that's not a word that we use very often.
[10:29] But just so you know, it's not a nice word. It is not one that you want to be. I mean, the 1828 Webster Dictionary says it basically means stupid. That's what it means.
[10:40] I'll use a different word because it sounds a little better. It's insensible is what it means. You lack sense is what it says. So if you hate reproof, if as you hear the preaching of God's word and you come here and you are not willing to be changed by it, then you, for that moment, you are a brutish person.
[10:57] You lack sense. You're not willing to be, you're not willing to grow. And so this very first, so our proper attitude towards instruction, should be one of loving it. Loving what God, even though it's not very comfortable.
[11:09] I know when I get corrected, I don't feel very comfortable about that. It doesn't feel good to me, but I know that it's for my good and I can learn from that. And we see as we go on here, you know, in James, you know, it says that we are to be doers of the word, not hearers only.
[11:24] In James 1, 22 through 25, it says, but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholden his natural face in the glass.
[11:38] For he beholdeth himself and goeth his way and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whosoever looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continue it therein, he be not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his word.
[11:53] Jesus said it this way in Matthew 7, 24 and 27, therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock.
[12:04] And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not for it was found upon the rock. So Proverbs is saying here that if you love instruction, then you'll love knowledge, you'll grow thereby and you'll have a strong foundation.
[12:20] But it's also saying the second part of what Jesus is saying, it's saying that you will be insensible if you be foolish. He says, and everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand.
[12:33] And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon the house and it fell and great was the fall. I don't know about you, but I want to love instruction. I want to grow. I want to mature in the Lord.
[12:44] And how we do it is by allowing the word to instruct us and to grow us and mature us. Proverbs 12, 15 says this way, it says, the way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearketh unto counsel is wise.
[12:59] You know, if when you read the word of God, you say, you know, I don't really need to do that. God doesn't know what he's talking about there. Then the Bible says that that's foolish. That's not what you want to be. But if you read the word of God and say, it allows you to change you.
[13:12] If you don't be conformed to this world, but you allow it to transform your thinking and have the mind of Christ, then you are not a foolish one. You are wise. You're following the counsel of the wise.
[13:24] You're following the word of God. A fool thinks they're doing just fine, that they don't need any correction. But those that love instruction and read the word of God and do what it says, they are wise.
[13:36] Proverbs 12, 8 says it this way, a man shall be commended according to his wisdom, but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised. If we listen and learn from the word of God, then we'll be commended by others.
[13:49] You know, many times, when you, as you're, you know, even, you know, the Bible says that Paul said, told Timothy, you know, don't let them despise your youth and how was, they're not going to do that. They don't despise your youth when you follow the word of God because they'll say, this person is very wise.
[14:05] I mean, look how young they are. Timothy was a young man, but he was, he could be wise because if he followed the word of God, then, then he would be considered wise. So you'll be commended for that wisdom as you follow the word of God, but you'll be despised if you, if you go down the way because you'll lead to a way of destruction.
[14:20] And so we see here that we need to have a proper attitude towards instruction. We see that in various verses here in Proverbs number 12, but not only do we need to have a proper attitude towards instruction, we need to have proper conduct, morally good in our lifestyle.
[14:34] Proverbs 12, two says, a good man obtained favor of the Lord, but a man of wicked devices will he condemn. We see here that this is one who gets up every day by the God's grace and tries to do what is right.
[14:47] And God will bless him for that. God will pour down favor. I know that's been true in my life and I'm sure you can testify that God has been good to you as you follow what his word says. I mean, he's blessed you.
[14:57] I know that I was living a life of destruction before I got saved. I mean, everything that I did, my choices, led to all kinds of bad things. But once I started putting God's principles in place, once I started obeying what the word of God said, then my life, I started obtaining favor from the Lord.
[15:13] And you can as well. And I know you know that that's why you're here, that's why you're learning, but this is what we're studying tonight, that we can obtain favor and we can teach, we can have confidence when we take the word of God and share that with you.
[15:25] This is how you can live your life. If you live your life this way, then you'll obtain favor from the Lord. But if you don't, then you will not. If you live a life of wickedness, one that's against God's word, then you won't at all.
[15:36] In fact, it says that a man of wicked devices will he condemn. I mean, so instead, things will go very bad for you. When I was trying to walk with the Lord when I first got saved, as I started doing what was right, God was giving me favor.
[15:50] One of my friends, he just always had, he always did well. I mean, he made himself do well as far as having things and different things like that.
[16:01] But it seemed like things always went wrong for him. And it's because his attitude was one that he wanted to do what he wanted to do and it was against what the Lord wanted him to do. He wasn't a Christian, but even that, I saw all the time, one day I commented, I said, you know, it just seems like a lot of bad things happened to you.
[16:16] And I was trying to tell him, I said, well, maybe you should try to live life a little bit differently because he, it just is like, he always was running into walls of, and problems all the time.
[16:26] It's because of his lifestyle, the way that he lived. And so we see that, that a good man obtained favor from the Lord. And so if we live according to the principle of God's word, God will bless us.
[16:38] Proverbs 12, three says, a man shall not be established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous shall not be moved. You know, one thing that those that live in wickedness, they may seem that they're doing fine for a while, but they will never be established.
[16:50] If you follow their story for any length of time, you will find out that things don't go well for them. You know, they may be on top for a while, but things will, they will never be established. But on the contrary, the root of the righteous, they shall not be moved.
[17:03] If we, we follow the word of God and we do what it says, then we will not be moved. We will stand strong because our foundation is on the rock that Jesus talked about. And so we can stand on that rock.
[17:16] In Proverbs 12, 12, it also mentions the root of righteousness. It said, the wicked desireth the net of evil men, but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit. What is this root of righteousness?
[17:27] I believe it has to do like with Proverbs 4, 23 says, it says, keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Jesus said in Matthew 12, 35, a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
[17:45] How do we get this root of righteousness? It's by, well, first of all, if we're saved then we have the Holy Spirit within us, but then as we read the word of God, as we do what it says, as we obey it, as we have a close relationship with Jesus, as we are in church being provoked by love and good works with one another, encouraging one another, and as we're givers and not takers, we give our time and resources, we will have that root of righteousness.
[18:08] Those are nutrients that we're putting into our roots. What are roots? They're what go down and hold the tree strong in the ground. And as we bury our root steed, as we do these different things, our root will be strong.
[18:25] In Proverbs 12, 4, it goes on to say, this is another part of conduct. In 12, 4, it says, a virtuous woman is a crown to her husband, but she that maketh ashamed is his rottenness in his bones.
[18:38] We should add value to our marriage and not shame. Wives, are you here tonight? Are you adding value to your husband? Are you being a crown to him? How are you living your life? Are you benefiting the marriage with what you're doing?
[18:50] Are you working to be a blessing and working hard in your role in the home? Are you building the home or tearing it down? In other places, it says that a woman who doesn't build her home is tearing it down and wives want to make sure they're building up their home.
[19:05] But you know, husbands, you're not off the hook there because you're the leader of your home. The Bible teaches us that we're supposed to love our wives as Christ loved the church. In Ephesians 5, 25, it says, Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the words.
[19:24] You know, leadership, it all falls on leadership. If your wife is struggling, if she's struggling and being virtuous, it's because maybe you're not washing her with the word, maybe you're not leading her in such a way that she's not able to do that.
[19:35] And so, that's our responsibility. Wife, it's your responsibility to work on doing that, get in the word of God, trust God, and be that virtuous woman. But also, as leaders of the home, you know, notice how it says that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle.
[19:56] So Jesus, he's the one that is going to present the church back to himself as he grows in us and that's our job as husbands as well is to help our wives love them and encourage them and feed them the word of God and direct and lead in what is right and good.
[20:12] Proverbs 12 says, the wicked are overthrown and are not, but the house of the righteous shall stand. Again, the wicked may get away and look like they are prospering for a while, but they will not last.
[20:23] The wicked will be overthrown, but the house of the righteous shall stand. Why shall it stand? Because we're following the word of God and the word of God is built on the rock and so our house will not stand like Jesus said there.
[20:36] Proverbs 12, 26 says, the righteous is more excellent than his neighbor. So what does that tell us? This is the excellent way. If we do what the Bible says, if we read the Bible and do what it says, it is the excellent way, but notice what it says there.
[20:51] It says that, but the way of the wicked seduceth them. Aha, be careful. How many times, right, when we're trying to do what is right, we're doing everything that God tells us to do, we may look over at our neighbor and it may look like things are going well for them.
[21:08] It may look like, hey, their life is going way better than us, but we need to trust the word of God and know that, no, that's not true. Doing what is right is what we're supposed to do. If we don't be deceived, don't be seduced into thinking that just, you know, their life may look glamorous on the outside, but you never know what's going on the inside, and so it's a warning for us that we want to stay doing what is right and having a proper conduct with our lives.
[21:35] It may not always look glamorous. It may always be the way it should, but don't be deceived by your neighbor. Don't be seduced into thinking, oh, you know, why am I even trying to do this? You know, didn't we read that in Psalm 73, right?
[21:47] It's one of my favorite Psalms. Psalm 73 is talking about the psalmist who he looks around and he thinks, you know, I don't even know why I'm a believer. Why am I even doing the things that I'm doing? Because it's clear that it's just not working out.
[21:59] Look, they don't even get sick. Everything is going well for them. Why am I even doing all this thing? And he goes on for most of the Psalm and just talks about how everything's going well for them, but not so well for him.
[22:09] But then he says, but then I went into the sanctuary of my God. And he realized, he said, then I remembered their end. We want to follow the word of God. It's not always going to look glamorous.
[22:20] It's not always going to feel like it's the great way to live, but don't be deceived. Know that it is, has a firm foundation that we are, it's more excellent than theirs, but their way may try to seduce us, but don't be fooled.
[22:35] The enemy will say, oh, look at them. Everything's going good for them, but that's not true. Read Psalm 73. It's a great Psalm. It teaches us much. But not only do we need to have a proper attitude and proper conduct, we need to have a proper judgment.
[22:48] Look at Proverbs 12, 5. It says, the thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceived. The thoughts of the righteous are right there means in judgment that the word there for right is the quality of being free from favoritism, self-interest, bias, or deception, especially conforming to established standards or rules.
[23:13] And you know, the reason why I isolate this one because, you know, if you read the word of God, you know that God is just. God is a just God. In Deuteronomy 32, 4, it says, He is the rock.
[23:24] His work is perfect for all His ways are judgment, a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He. Isaiah 45, 21, Tell ye and bring them near.
[23:35] Yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient times? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the Lord? And there is no God else beside me, a just God and a Savior.
[23:49] There is none beside me. We know that God is just. If you read the word for any length of time as you go through, you will see that God, He says, when He gives His attributes, often He says, I am a just God.
[24:01] I am going to do what is right. That's why when you look at this system that we see that He has put into place of sowing and reaping, that even those that are not saved, if they follow it, God will do what He says because He is a just God.
[24:16] And so He's telling us here in this passage that it is right for you to do the same thing, for you to be just and that you judge right. In Leviticus chapter 19, it says that we are to have just measurements, that we are to have the measurements that are right and good.
[24:33] Don't deceive others. In Micah 6, 8, He says, He has showed thee, O man, what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God.
[24:47] We are to judge rightly even when it goes against us. We must be free from favoritism and bias. You know, we read that in the book of James, right? The book of James says, if two people come into your sanctuary and one is poor and one is rich, you treat them exactly the same.
[25:02] You love both of them. You don't treat one better than the other. And so we are to have proper judgment. We are to judge righteously because we serve a just God.
[25:12] And I'm grateful that we serve a just God because that's why He can justify us even though our sin condemns us because He justifies us based on what Jesus Christ did and so then because He's just, we can receive that justification because of what Jesus Christ did.
[25:30] But not only we're also to have proper speech in Proverbs 12, 13. It says that the wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips but the just shall come out of trouble.
[25:41] Proverbs 12, 6 the words of the wicked are to lie and wait for blood but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them. We're to have proper speech. We gotta watch our mouth. We know that our mouth can get us into all kinds of trouble.
[25:54] I know that I've got, my mouth has gotten me in trouble before. I'm sure that it has you as well. But it drills down more specifically in Proverbs 12, 18. You know, we need to have speech that edifies.
[26:06] It says, There is that speaketh like the piercings of his sword but the tongue of the wise is health. Proverbs 12, 25. Heaviness is in the heart of man maketh it stoop but a good word maketh it glad.
[26:18] Does your speech edify? Does it lift people up or does it tear them down? That's a question that we should all ask ourselves. How do I talk to people? Do I encourage them and lift them up?
[26:29] The Bible tells us that's the way we should be. We should be encouragers. We should have mercy on people and show them that love but often times we can open our mouth and we can say things that don't edify, that don't encourage and we don't have healthful words.
[26:45] We should have healthful words that just like food, healthy food does healthy things for our body, healthy words do healthy things for people. You know, you've heard the old saying sticks and stones will break my bones, right?
[26:56] And words will never hurt me but we know that's not true. Words actually can encourage you. I mean, if someone that you really respect, do they say a kind word to you? Does that not encourage you? Does that not, you want to do better when someone does that?
[27:09] Someone you love? Well, we need to be that for others as well. We need to edify. We need to have words that encourage and lift up. So check your words. How is my words? Am I lifting the people I love up or the people around me?
[27:22] Do I lift them up or do I tear them down? And if you do, remember what the admonition from the very beginning is. Allow God, repent of that tonight and say, no, I'm going to stop doing that.
[27:33] I don't lift up with my words. I'm going to start tonight changing that right now because the Bible tells me I need to have healthful words. So, you know, we notice here that it says, but there is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword.
[27:48] I don't want to have piercing of sword words that hurt people or heaviness in the heart of a man. You know, when someone is having a rough day, have a good word that maketh them glad.
[28:01] You know, I know that oftentimes I don't have the best words and I want to do better at that and all of us should strive to do that. Lift up, encourage, have mercy on people. So the question for us tonight, how are we doing in that area to get it right?
[28:16] But not only should our words, our speech edify, but it should be truthful. Proverbs 12, 17 says, He that speaketh truth showeth forth righteousness, but a false witness is deceit.
[28:29] Do you want to be right and speak truth? Proverbs 12, 19 says, The lip of truth shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Proverbs 12, 22 says, Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but they that deal truly are His delight.
[28:48] I don't know about you, but I want to delight God. I want to please God. And you know, there is many passages in Scripture that talk about how we can delight God. You know, we should want to do that as His children.
[28:58] We should want to delight Him, encourage Him, and bless His name. And how we do that is speak words of truth. The Bible is very clear and not only is it one of the Ten Commandments that we shouldn't lie, it's one of the things that God says He hates elsewhere in Proverbs and then here it says that it's an abomination to the Lord.
[29:17] And again, that's something that if we do that, we need to make it right. We need to confess it before God and we need to go to the person that we lie to and say, I was wrong. I should not have done that.
[29:28] That's hard to do, but it's the right thing to do and it's what we need to do. It's what will help us to grow and mature. It's how we will love instruction. It's how we will love knowledge. And if we don't do that, we'll be brutish.
[29:42] Lying is something that, it's something that, sometimes we can open our mouth and it can just come out and we have all these cute little words for it, right? It's a white lie, different things like that, but it's an abomination to the Lord to lie.
[29:54] We need to not do that. I need to not do that. And so, we need to have proper speech. But we also need to have speech that is necessary. Proverbs 12, 20 says, Deceit in the heart of them that imagine evil, but to the counselors of peace is joy.
[30:10] So, we need to watch our heart and make sure that it's not imagining evil. And instead, when we speak to people that we are counselors of peace and that we give joy and we do things that bring peace and not bring discouragement or deceit into them.
[30:25] In Proverbs 12, 23, it says, A prudent man concealeth knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. We know from the book of James, Proverbs, and Psalms, the tongue can cause all kinds of trouble.
[30:40] We need to be wise with our speech and say what needs to be said. Fools proclaim everything. You know, we're not just supposed to spout off everything. You know, in Proverbs 10, 19, it says, In the multitudes of words, there wanteth not sin.
[30:57] You know, sometimes, when I get in trouble with my words sometimes it's because I'm just trying to make conversation. And I'll just start saying things, you know, because, you know, maybe it's an uncomfortable situation, awkward situation.
[31:08] I'm just trying to get conversation and I'll say something and oftentimes it's like, why did I just say that? It's not a useful word. That wasn't even an important word and it's just kind of saying things and so we should, you know, we should watch what our words are.
[31:20] Try to think of edifying words, encouraging words, and strengthening words and not just to be talking because we want to be wise and he that refraineth his lips is wise.
[31:31] Instead, we should pray like Psalm 19, 14 said, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 141, 3, Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth.
[31:43] Keep the door of my lips. To say, you know, we want God to keep a watch on our lips so that we say the right things, that we have proper speech and speech that edifies and that we're not just spouting off all kinds of things but that we say the things that are right.
[31:58] You know, just kind of thinking about this as well. Have you ever, my wife and I, Rebecca and I were talking about this the other day that how sometimes you just say things to just keep the conversation going and it's usually negative.
[32:13] Anybody else ever experienced that where you just, it seems like, like someone will walk in and you know, like I was sitting at a tire shop the other day and a guy walked in and he just said something really negative and I'm like, why did you say that to me?
[32:24] I mean, I'm just here, you know, and you're just, you know, like talking about something bad and what do we write, we jump to, we jump to the things that are negative in the politics and negative in this and negative in that or the customer service or whatever but you know, there's so many other things that we could talk about that would be more useful in Edify and that's the things that we need to be about but not only do we need to have proper, in those other areas but we need to have a proper work ethic.
[32:47] In verse Proverbs 20, 12, 11, it says, he that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread but he that followeth vain persons is empty and cannot produce, I'm sorry, vain persons is void of understanding.
[33:04] so if those that till their crops, they'll be satisfied with bread, those that work hard and get up each day and work, they're going to have food on their table but those that are just all about following different persons, empty persons and things like that are just out and about and I think that in our day to day we can easily follow vain persons, right?
[33:23] There's so many different media outlets to follow different things, we can watch videos or follow someone's blog or do all these different things but we should be working, we should be doing our work and be diligent at that and I will confess it is more difficult than to say when I used to work at home with my job, I used to be able to just constantly be just constantly without even looking up in my head just working, working, working, working but then all these different media started coming up, we started getting these different chat boxes at work and I mean there were so many different channels of communication it seemed like an hour would go by and all I did was deal with different channels of communication and really didn't get much work done, it's so easy to fall into that but we need to be work, we need to till our land and so that we'll be satisfied with bread, we need to provide for our families and not allow those distractions, it's a constant, I find it a constant battle if you have the different channels of communication available to you, now if you go off and all the media is not around you, maybe you can stay more focused but there's so many different channels, even in our group at VBM, we have so many different channels of communication like sometimes we're like okay
[34:32] I know someone sent me that but where? Where did they send that to me? It's got to be out there somewhere and you find yourself an hour goes by and you're like why didn't I get anything done is because I was trying to find that method of communication that's out there somewhere that someone sent to me so we got to be careful for that.
[34:52] Proverbs 12, 9 says it this way, he that is despised and hath a servant is better than he that honoreth himself and lacketh bread. I found that interesting because we heard earlier about how someone that's not wise is despised but even him if he works hard and provides for his family then he will be then he'll have bread and he'll be better than the person who makes much of himself but isn't working and lacketh bread.
[35:17] So he is working hard even though he's not maybe he's despised but he's working hard and providing for his family. We see that a worker will have satisfaction in verses 12, 14.
[35:29] A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth and the recompense of man's hands shall be rendered unto him. When you speak right and work hard you'll be satisfied you'll feel good about yourself and receive benefits.
[35:41] A worker will be a leader it says in Proverbs 12, 24 and a worker will have value as it says in Proverbs 12, 27. So we see here from Proverbs 12 that there's many different areas that if we live righteously and follow these different proper areas doing what the Bible says these principles that we will have benefit in our lives.
[36:03] However, it does not determine our eternity. We will close with the last verse in Proverbs 12 which is it says in the way of righteousness is life and in the pathway thereof there is no death.
[36:16] You know, the way of righteousness there's only one way to righteousness true righteousness. Every one of us the Bible says is all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
[36:28] The Bible says that there is none righteous no not one. We can do right things but we are not characterized by righteousness because the Bible teaches that if we have sinned in any one area in the book of James if we have sinned in any one area we are guilty of all sin.
[36:43] We are guilty of breaking all the commandments and so we are not righteous but Jesus came and died on the cross so that we could have righteousness that we could have his righteousness and that he would take he took the penalty for our sin and we can have that righteousness if we'll just trust in him.
[37:01] Now I know most of you in here and I believe that you have trust in the Lord but there may be someone here or online that has never put their faith in Jesus Christ. I would hate for us to leave this and think well if I just live a good life I'll be okay but that's not the case.
[37:13] It is not the case. We need to put our faith we need Jesus' righteousness. He is the way of righteousness. The Bible says in John 14 6 I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh to the Father but by me.
[37:25] It says it elsewhere in John 3 it says a man must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God. If you are not born again here tonight if you're not born again there online then you are not going to go to heaven.
[37:37] The Bible is very clear you don't know the way of righteousness notice how it says in the pathway there is no death you will live for eternity if you have Jesus' righteousness. But if you are trusting your own righteousness there is no way that you will have eternal life.
[37:50] You need to put your faith in Jesus Christ and you can do that simply by receiving the instruction that's in the Bible that if you will repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ you can be saved.
[38:01] If you will realize that your righteousness won't work you need the righteousness of Jesus Christ and believe in his death burial and resurrection you can be saved. And tonight you can have you can know that you are going in the way of righteousness that means life and your pathway will no longer be death.
[38:16] And so tonight I pray that there's anybody here that has never trusted in Christ that tonight you would put your faith in Jesus Christ because then you can have eternal life. But for Christians out there for all of us it doesn't matter if we're born again or not if we don't follow God's principles he says that he's no respecter of persons.
[38:36] All the consequences that it says for the wicked people if you're doing wicked acts then those consequences will come about to you. You will suffer if you sow to those things then you will face those consequences.
[38:50] But if you sow to the righteous principles the right and just ways then you will reap to that as well. And so tonight if the Lord worked in your life if he taught you in any of those areas if he put his thumb on something that one of those different areas that we talked about repent tonight and say God I've received that instruction I love your instruction and I will change tonight I will get it right get right with God and then get right with someone that maybe you've sinned against and do that tonight because you want to leave and you want to have the benefits and live in such a way that you're an example and a light to the world.
[39:27] Let's do that tonight let's pray. Father we thank you God for this evening I thank you for everyone that is here and I pray that you bless them mightily may you help us all to love your instruction may we open the Bible to learn and to grow from it and to obey what it says not open your Bible and say you know I'm going to read it but I really am not going to obey what it says we know that obedience is better than sacrifice Lord and I pray that each one of us would love that and do what you say.