[0:00] Open your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 23. Thank you for being here tonight. And I love you and I love this church. And I thought about, you know, anytime I'm riding down the road, usually I have a baby drive and I work just because I find that to be fun.
[0:19] It's a lot more interesting than driving. And people are usually much more peaceable on the road because I'm not trying to kill them. Or my wife is not yelling so much.
[0:30] And, you know, I was praying and I said, Lord, you know, about tonight. And I realized that this is what I would have preached on Sunday morning. And I got to think about our children.
[0:42] And I would just like to really beg you to listen. If you're younger tonight, and by the way, this morning, I want you to know I was pretty young. About 60, 65 people there and I was feeling quite young.
[0:55] So this one guy walked up to me and he said, yeah, we're getting older. And I said, I know, I'm 66. He said, well, son, I'm 82. And another guy walks over and said he was 90.
[1:08] I was beginning to think, Lord, help me, Jesus. I am young. And then I told one of them, I said, well, the president, you know, the new president is like 78 years old. And he said, yeah, he's too old. But anyway, so you're 82.
[1:20] Let me figure that one out. But anyway, look at Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 23. Before we go into this passage of Scripture, it's a great promise. And this is a fantastic passage of Scripture.
[1:34] I know they all are, but this is just great. And I think of our children and I think of some of the things that some of you may be going through. And I'm not wanting you to listen to mom and daddy right now. I want you to listen to the Holy Spirit of God as he uses the word of God as his sword.
[1:48] Verse 23 says, turn you at my reproof. Turn you at my reproof. That's a reproof from wisdom we're going to look at.
[1:59] Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you. I will make known my words unto you. The Holy Spirit of God wisdom says, hey, if you'll listen, I'll pour out the Holy Spirit on you and I'll help you to know the words.
[2:15] And so I want to ask you to listen tonight. I just wrote a note here. I'm in the process of preparing a message on Methuselah. You know, he's like one of the most well-known people in the Bible.
[2:30] You know what he's known for? Living a long time. What else did he do? Well, he lived a long time. And so I've been looking, you know, there's some interesting things about old Methuselah. His daddy was Enoch, the man that walked with God.
[2:43] Well, what did he do? Lived a long time. And hey, kids, lived a long time. That's it. His grandson was Noah. Well, Methuselah lived a long time. And either died in the flood or about the year of the flood, the best way I can calculate it out.
[3:01] Which I hope he didn't die in the flood. I hope he was saved. Who knows? But the Lord, he certainly wasn't mentioned with the eight. And I just want to hope that all of us will, we want to live lives that mean more than he lived a long time.
[3:14] Amen? We want to live a life, I'd rather live a full life than a long life. I'd rather accomplish something than just live. This is what this proverb's about.
[3:27] Now, I wish our young people would listen. I'm going to be looking at you, so I hope you'll listen. The first chapters, like five or six chapters, the father is teaching his sons lessons that prepare him for adulthood.
[3:41] You know what the first lesson is for you young people? That children should listen to their fathers and not their peers. If you read Proverbs 1, chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on, you'll find that kids ought to listen to your dad and not your buddies.
[4:05] You ought to listen to your dad and not television. You ought to listen to your dad and not the screen that you hold in your hand. I know you don't do television, but you live with that thing connected into your fingers.
[4:16] You ought to listen to your dad and not your peers. Your focus ought to be the word of God and not public opinion. You go to school or you listen to stuff and you decide that you're going to believe what everybody's telling you to believe.
[4:30] But your Bible ought to be where you find out what to believe. Second thing I think that we see here is the father warns his son to protect himself against wicked that are going to take advantage of him.
[4:42] You see, the son in this story, especially what we're going to read tonight, he's kind of dumb. He's kind of young and gullible. His dad's an old guy who's got a little bit of experience. And the dad's saying, now, buddy, you need to be real careful.
[4:54] I know they look like good friends and I know they look like they want to help you, but you're going to get hurt. Listen to your dad. Then the dad teaches the son that the son is responsible to learn and put into action truths that he's taught.
[5:12] You can have the best dad in the world. Your dad can give you the best teaching in the world, but every one of you kids need to get a hold of something. It ain't daddy's responsibility to put it into action. It's yours.
[5:23] And that dad will sit down with the Bible. I believe he will in this church. I believe this church has got some of the best dads I know. Well, your dad will sit down with the Word of God and look at you and tell you what the Word of God says.
[5:35] But you know who's got to make a decision to do it? It's you. I'm not on dad. You've got to obey. You've got to listen. The son should follow wisdom and understanding and get into the Bible and get into biblical truth that he's taught.
[5:50] By the way, once you're on the road and doing right, you've got to be real careful not to let anybody get you off the road. Your dad can kind of get you started down the right road.
[6:01] You're doing right, serving God, but everything is going to try to get you off the road. And preachers and deacons and pastors and missionaries and Sunday school teachers and quote-unquote good godly people get off the road and quit.
[6:21] So when you get on the road, and daddy helped you get on the road, and the Holy Spirit and wisdom taught you, stay on the road. Be careful. How about this one?
[6:31] This is all in these chapters that we'll be going through as the time goes by. Free sex is empty sex. It only brings pain and destruction.
[6:43] God's plan is marriage. I hear crazy and wild things almost every day of my life. I heard some this weekend.
[6:54] I heard that young people in public schools are into homosexual and lesbian sex as young as middle school. Even during school, they sneak off.
[7:06] You need to know something the book of Proverbs teaches. Sex outside of marriage is not going to hurt you. It's going to destroy you. It's going to break your heart. It's empty.
[7:17] God meant sex between a man and a woman fully committed to each other for their entire lives. That's God's sex.
[7:28] One man, one woman, one lifetime. Nothing up. Porn, that's free sex. It's going to hurt you. And dirty sexual jokes, going to hurt you.
[7:41] You should never allow yourself to be tempted into sexual sin. It'll only cause you pain and loss. You're going to meet people all your life that got off the track and did the wrong thing.
[7:54] But if you talk to them, if they're good Christians, they're going to tell you, boy, it hurt. And they're still trying to get over it. In the book of Proverbs, you're going to run into a wicked woman who is trying to call young men and to destroy them.
[8:09] But in these verses, we have a beautiful, good woman named Wisdom who is calling for you to rescue you and to bless you. But we see this as a dad to his son.
[8:21] All you girls need to understand this because daddy was talking to his boy. But the same thing he talks to dad was talking to his daughter. Every truth applies. If mom were talking to her daughter, every truth applies.
[8:33] There are wicked men who would love to destroy you. It's not really the man. You see, we wrestle not against flesh and blood. We wrestle against principalities and powers.
[8:45] We wrestle against the devil and nothing would please the devil more than to mess up everything God believes in. And God believes in marriage. And God believes in purity.
[8:57] And God believes in holiness. And God believes in loving him. So wisdom calls to us. Go with me to Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 20. The Bible says, Wisdom cries without.
[9:11] She utters her voice in the streets. She cries in the chief places of concourse. In the openings of the gates. In the city she utters her words. Wisdom is crying out to be heard.
[9:25] When Proverbs are being written, and this is like poetic stuff, it's trying to teach you a lesson through a poetic form of talking, but he says, hey, wisdom is crying out.
[9:37] You see, wisdom warns us of coming destruction and problems. That's what the book of Proverbs is going to be about. Just around the corner, there's going to be a wicked woman. Just around the corner, there's going to be other things that will destroy your life.
[9:50] And here's the truth of the book of Proverbs. You must get the word of God into you today. You must get the word of God into you today.
[10:01] Tomorrow just may be too late. You see, the best defense you have is the word of God. I really believe when the Bible talks about a shield of faith, it is faith in the word of God.
[10:15] It is believe in God. That's how it could be a shield of faith. So that's the word of God. And when it talks about a sword, it's talking about the word of God. And when it talks about shoes, with the gospel of Peter, word of God.
[10:28] It talks about hell and salvation. I hate to say it, but word of God. It's all, let's get the Bible into us. And that's what wisdom is crying out for us to do. In the middle of the storm, we don't have time to prepare.
[10:40] We got to prepare now. When I was laying in the bed with COVID, and I came out in those last days where I had some idea, a little bit of an idea of what I was thinking, I can tell you, the only thing that gave me comfort was preaching the Bible to myself.
[10:57] And I laid in the bed, and I started in Genesis 1-1, and I went through the entire Bible, and it was the word of God that gave me confidence. I laid there, and I wrote it out in my head. No pencil, no paper, no computer, but I just had the Bible.
[11:11] And that's what your Sunday school teacher is doing with you, and that's what your parents are doing with you in family devotions, and that's what whoever's discipling you is doing with you is filling you up with the word of God.
[11:22] So you'll be ready. Wisdom is everywhere in this story, making a plea for all to come. Look, if you would, at the verse. In verse 20, it says, she cries without.
[11:35] It says that she's in the street. It says that she's in the concourse. She's like, that's like in the mall. That's like where everybody's doing business, and she's in the openings of the gates. That's in D.C.
[11:46] or the city hall. She's in the city, and she's crying. But sin doesn't do that. Sin hides. Sin hides, and sin lurks.
[11:57] Sin has to trick you. Sin has to invite you to come over and listen in quiet and peace while it tries to destroy your life because it's ashamed of what it's even got to say.
[12:09] Wisdom's out in the open. Wisdom wants to heal you. That's wisdom's call. Human wisdom may be everywhere, but true wisdom's found only in the pages of the Word of God.
[12:21] Now, you can listen to what I'm about to tell you. This will make you mad at me, but it's okay. But scientists don't know anything if they don't know God. They may understand how to make a light bulb run, but that'll only last so long.
[12:37] They may know how to put a man on the moon, but they don't know how to keep a soul for eternity. Only God knows how to do that. They don't know how to deal with everything, and they may try to logically talk you out of believing what the Bible says.
[12:50] They don't want you to believe in creation. They don't want you to believe in the biblical teaching about sex or marriage. They want to destroy all of that, but the truth is, all wisdom is one thing, believing God.
[13:06] Every kid ought to listen to me. I know the adults all know all this. Truism is fearing, respecting, seeking, and obeying God. Look, if you would, at Psalm 111.10.
[13:19] The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That's where we start. You know what the first thing you do in life is say, man, what's God think? And you want to know how you know what God thinks?
[13:31] You know it from the Word of God. You get in the Bible, and you study the Bible, and you find out what the Word of God has to say. It says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
[13:44] A good understanding have all they that do His commandments. But it's not just fearing God. You need to underline in that verse, or put a circle around, do. You fear, you believe, you hear, you understand, but you've got to practice it.
[13:59] Can I get an amen right there? Look at what it says. It says, do His commandments. Look at verse 22. Proverbs 1.22. Wisdom calls on you to stop and listen.
[14:11] How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? And the scorners will delight in their scorning, and fools will hate knowledge. Look who wisdom calls.
[14:24] We've already talked about that before, but you've got to underline, I hope, in verse 22. Simple ones, scorners, and fools. The simple ones are the gullible, the naive, those that are open to temptation.
[14:40] Let me just tell you that almost everybody who explains this passage of Scripture would tell you that simple ones, now listen to me, simple ones are little kids, that are still willing to listen.
[14:52] Simple ones can be big people, that got a mind of a child, but simple ones are, they're still gullible, the world can have them, or God can have them, they're still at least there. But it's kind of a move goes on in this passage of Scripture.
[15:06] If you notice, you go from being simple, to being a scorner, to being a fool, you don't even believe in God. You go from being a simple one who's gullible, and doesn't know yet, to a guy who's laughing at, and making fun of the things of God, to a guy who doesn't even believe in the things of God.
[15:22] Look at the passage of Scripture. Look at the passage of Scripture. Simple ones, gullible, naive. They're easily attracted to wrong. They're immature.
[15:34] They believe anything. They're weak-willed, and easily seduced. Easily tricked. I'd like to say something to parents.
[15:46] Maybe we ought to cut down a little bit of screen time, when you know they're seeing things, they ought not see. They're easily deceived. They're easily tricked.
[15:59] They're easily messed with. Boy, we've got to be careful who they're hanging around. That's why they ought to be at church things. We've got to be careful what they're looking at, careful what they're listening to, careful what they're reading.
[16:11] These young people can be taught. They're simple, and they'll listen. Do you have family devotions? Do you have them in church, and Bible-related studies, every chance you can?
[16:26] All the years I've been in the ministry, which is quite a while, one of the punishments is, you can't go to youth meeting. You can't go with young people, and learn about the Bible, because that'd be terrible.
[16:38] Stay on and watch TV. You can't go to youth meeting, because I want to punish you. Stay in your room, and do something else. Don't do that.
[16:48] The other word is scorners, or mockers. You can tell by the frown, or scowl on their face. They're a smarlick.
[17:00] They know it all. If you've ever worked with teenagers, you know them. You can spot them a mile away. Man, when you're a preacher, buddy, you really get used to it all. You know, there's that guy sitting there like, first off, those people are from the land of Nod.
[17:15] Nod. They're always nodding. You know, you're preaching, and they're from the land of Nod. And then there's a teenager, leaned back, arms crossed, just everything that says, I don't want to hear it.
[17:30] No interest in spiritual things. No interest in what's right. Instead of believing the preached word, they laugh at it. They go behind the church, or meet with their friends in the parking lot.
[17:42] They have rejected knowledge. They've rejected truth, and they're on their way to becoming morally perverted. The scorner laughs at important things. Truth. Fools become morally perverted altogether now.
[18:01] They know about wisdom. They just hate it. They have decided God doesn't exist. It's like it's reached the full point. But wisdom offers every one of us what we need.
[18:12] In the story here, there's this woman named Wisdom, and she's crying out to simple, scorning fools. She's crying out to them, and she's saying to them, hey, listen to me.
[18:30] I have what you need. And look again at what it says in Proverbs 1.23. She says, turn at my reproof. I know I'm scolding you. I know I'm calling your hand, but turn and listen, and I will pour out my spirit upon you.
[18:46] I will make known my words to you. Change your mind. Reverse your course. Quit being so self-absorbed and arrogant. Turn as you hear wisdom's cry.
[18:58] It's a dad talking to his son. It's a dad talking to his son. He said, buddy, listen while you got a chance to listen. Before you mess up your life, this week I heard the story of a young man that attended one of our churches, and he got hooked up with the wrong group and just got arrested.
[19:21] Probably going to ruin his life for a long time. He doesn't go to vision. Everybody's looking around and figuring out who he is. He doesn't go here. Doesn't even speak English. You're all right. God wants to pour out his spirit. Wisdom wants to pour out his spirit.
[19:32] God will make you understand his word. Look at Proverbs 124. Kids, listen to me. You have this natural tendency when you're a teenager just want to rebel against your parents.
[19:47] But that's like the biggest mistake you could make. The one person, godly parents are trying to pour the word of God into you, trying to teach you how to live and serve God.
[19:58] You need to listen. But they refuse. The scorner, the simple, the fool, the depraved. Look at verse 24. I called and you refused.
[20:12] I stretched out my hand and no man regarded. What happened, listen to me young people, I need you to hear something. What you don't know about being a young person is this, you're just an old person, not quite formed yet.
[20:24] You're on your way. You know what old people are, don't you? Overgrown kids. I mean, that's just what we are. We're all the same. Let's just be honest. And so when your mom and dad are talking to you and you're getting angry and you're wanting to rebel at them and you're wanting to fight with them and you're wanting to be ugly to them, you need to understand that much more than mama talking to you is the Holy Spirit of God.
[20:47] And what probably has you mad is when they talk to you and you want to strike back with the ugly things and the harsh things and the mean things that your parents, because you got this rebellious streak going on, you need to understand you're not striking back at mama, you're not striking back at daddy, you're striking back at God, the Holy Spirit of God, the Word of God that's being spoken to you inside, you know it's true.
[21:12] That's why it makes you so mad. Isn't it amazing? You know, atheists aren't mad at fairy tales. They're mad at God because fairy tales don't exist and God doesn't exist.
[21:22] You know it's not true. Look, you won't listen. That's what it says in verse 24. And it says, I stretched out my hand. That's a pretty big thing in America.
[21:33] But one of the meanest things you can do to somebody in Peru is not shake their hand when they stick it out to you. You know, people here, they kind of avoid me maybe.
[21:44] It's like they see me coming, they figure out how to go down a different hallway. It's not quite as obvious. I walked up to Pablo Coa one time at church. He was the oldest man in the church and he often got angry about stuff because he didn't think we ought to pay the preacher.
[21:57] He didn't think we ought to give all the money to missions. He just, he thought he was over sex and needed more and I was against that. And just all that stuff aggravated him. And I walked up to him in front of about 20 people.
[22:07] I stuck my hand out to shake his hand and he went and turned his back and walked away. And when he did that, every young person went, you know what you're doing to wisdom? Look at the verse.
[22:19] I stretched out my hand and you refused to even pay attention. Wisdom's calling on you young people. Wisdom is calling on you. This is a dad talking to his children.
[22:31] Look at 25. You have said it not. That means zero. You have said it. In fact, in the old days, a lot of people called zero not. I know it's kind of dumb sounding to you today.
[22:43] But you have said it zero all my counsel. You've said, Dad and wisdom. I don't care what you say. I don't agree with it.
[22:53] This is what I think. This is what I believe and this is who I am. And then when you were none of my reproof. No matter how many times I spoke to you, you won't listen. You've been offered an opportunity but you decided not to take it and that was your choice.
[23:09] Now, I'm going to take you to a passage of Scripture in the New Testament. I really hope you look it up in your Bible. Romans chapter 1 and verse 18. We're going to read quite a bit of it because it's like a parallel passage in my mind to what's going on in Proverbs chapter 1.
[23:26] You see, God's calling out to us. By the way, you young people, it's at the age you're alive right now that God would save you. It's the age you are right now that God will help you make decisions that will change your life forever.
[23:40] about staying pure sexually, about marrying the right person, about what you're going to do with your life, about being surrendered to God. And it's like God's got all of this for you and you ought not refuse it.
[23:53] You ought not look at this and the Holy Spirit of God is worthless. You are responsible but you don't believe you are. Look at Romans chapter 1 and verse 18.
[24:06] These are harsh and ugly words. I am basically going to read the Bible. A couple of comments to help you see it but this is what the Word of God says. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth and unrighteousness.
[24:23] I need you to underline wrath of God. And you say, what in the world is wrath of God? It's like super angry, burning, fire hot heat. Anger mad. God says, I am angry with those who want to do wrong.
[24:41] Those who want to be against God, against right. Why do they want to be like that? Verse 19. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them.
[24:56] God showed it to them. That's a wild and crazy verse. You know what? Lost people, no matter where they are in the world, know enough to know there's a God. Wait a minute. And you know, young person.
[25:09] And mama might say to you, now we need to stay pure. And we need to be careful who our friends are. And we need to be careful what we listen to. We need to be careful where we go. And inside, on the inside, you know they're right.
[25:22] But you strike out with a venomous, devil, snake mouth to do what you want to do. Fuss at your parents and fuss at other people. that you know in your heart.
[25:37] Verse 20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things which are made, even the eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
[25:50] You should underline clearly seen. That means it's pretty obvious. And it says that you are without excuse. Verse 21. This is the whole race of humans.
[26:02] Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God and neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened.
[26:15] I want to listen. Please listen. Young people. Young people. You see, they knew. God, you know what's right.
[26:25] But you choose not to glorify God. You choose to glorify yourself. You say, well, I like these people, these things, this, I personally, I personally believe that sex is okay without being married.
[26:38] I personally believe that homosexuality or being a lesbian that might be okay. And you come up with the dumbest things that you say. Mm-hmm. You come up with the dumbest things that you say.
[26:52] You don't want to glorify God. God. You're glorifying a culture that taught you garbage. You're not thankful. And then you need another verse.
[27:03] Are you ready? Vain in their imagination. Who do you stinking think you are to think that you know more than God? Ready for this one?
[27:14] Because I am talking to young people. To think you know more than your parents. To think that you look at your parents and say, oh, you don't know. Because this is Solomon talking to his son.
[27:29] And they became vain. They started thinking what they thought was right. And their foolish heart was darkened. Foolish heart got dark. The lights went out.
[27:40] Truth stepped away. Verse 23, 22, professing themselves to be wise. They decided they had a degree in being smart. They became fools.
[27:56] They changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like animals and birds. Verse 24, and God gave them up to uncleanness.
[28:09] You see, God looked and said, if you're going to be that dumb and you won't listen and you become vain and you pick what you're going to do, then I'll let you. In verse 25, they changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped the creature more than the creator.
[28:29] Verse 26, God gave them up to vile affections, which is popular everywhere you turn and everywhere you look, but it's a vile affection. What is? Their women did change the natural use of that which is against nature.
[28:43] What's that mean? Well, it means men did the same thing. They left the natural use of the woman and they burned in their lusts one toward another. Men with men working that which is unseemly, which we don't want to talk about, we don't want to think about, we don't want to see it, and they will get the recompense of their error, which is meat or fit or worthy.
[29:06] you're rejecting truth that's taught to you in Sunday school.
[29:21] You're rejecting truth that's taught to you in discipleship. You're rejecting truth that your mom and dad are saying to you at the breakfast table, at the supper table, or in family devotions, and you're making your own decision and it's leading you to a filthy lifestyle which God hates.
[29:41] It's homosexuality and lesbianism here. Verse 28 said they didn't want to keep God in their knowledge and God gave them over to reprobate mine and said that's it. Now what's really bad is that means hell.
[29:56] They've gone so far, God says that's it. You've chosen, walk your path, pay your price. You get the recompense. Go back with me to Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 24.
[30:12] We have to be honest about why the lost will suffer. You know why lost people go to hell, don't you? Do you know why our kids mess up their lives? You know why we mess up our lives?
[30:26] You know why things go wrong? We know why the Bible says, Proverbs 124, I called, you refused. I stretched out my hand and you wouldn't regard it.
[30:40] You sat at naught, at zero, at nothing, all my counsel. You wouldn't listen to what I had to say. Everybody needs to understand something.
[30:50] I do feel like a little ranger now, but I think the parents are with me. Pornography, homosexuality, lesbianism, sex outside of marriage, whether it's with, even if it's a boy with a girl, if they're not married, it ain't right.
[31:14] God hates it. I can get an amen right there. God only likes sex one place. That's in a marriage bed. Two people committed to each other for a lifetime. We refused to listen.
[31:29] These people ignored the truth that had been set before them. They said God's truth was worthless. They have no interest in what God has to say. They choose to do what they're doing.
[31:42] But here's the truth of Proverbs 1. Wisdom has called. Wisdom has stretched out her hand. Wisdom has given counsel. And wisdom has been reproved and has reproved only to be rejected.
[31:59] So, Proverbs 1.26. Please, it's the Word of God. I'm just reading the Bible. Watch wisdom's reaction to being rejected.
[32:12] It's too late when the consequences come. That little girl wants to go back to purity, but it's too late.
[32:26] That little boy wants to get his life back on track, but it's too late. The Bible says in Proverbs 1.26, I also will laugh at your calamity.
[32:40] I will mock when your fear comes. Those are some of the most horrendous words. But Daddy was telling his son, listen, buddy, don't be, don't be a fool.
[32:52] Don't be a scorn or don't make fun of what I'm telling you. Listen to me. Stop being so gullible with your friends. because when you mess up bad enough, wisdom laughs and makes fun of you.
[33:10] I didn't write that verse. Heavy, heavy. Verse 27. When your fear comes as desolation, underline desolation, you're all alone.
[33:27] It's all gone. You're by yourself. It's falling apart. You know, you snuck around and played your homosexual games or played with pornography or sex sin or cubicle couple.
[33:44] You did all your messing around. You thought it was going to be okay. But finally, you knew in your heart in verse 27, you had a fear in your heart. There was a fear in your heart that said, uh-uh, you ain't getting away with this.
[33:58] You ain't getting away with this. You're going to get caught. It made you nervous. I'm just reading the Bible. Would an adult agree that this is what the Bible says? It said your fear is there.
[34:11] When your fear comes as desolation, you're desolate, you're left alone, and your destruction comes. As a hurricane, as a tornado, whirlwind.
[34:23] When distress and anguish comes upon you. Verse 28, Then shall they call upon me, and I will not answer.
[34:36] They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. wisdom said, I'm warning you, but you can play with sin long enough that you're not coming back, and you're going to get messed up, and you're going to get hurt, and you won't find help, so you better get right now.
[35:11] Why? Verse 29, they hated knowledge. I don't want to hear that, Dad. I don't want to listen to you, Mama. I don't want to hear what the Bible's got to say.
[35:22] I'd like to skip church. I don't want to hear that stuff. I'm tired of all that stuff. I did not choose the fear of God. But I'll circle around the word choose.
[35:33] You weren't predestined to reject God. You chose. You had this choice and this choice, and you chose the wrong one. Verse 30, they would none of my counsel.
[35:45] They despised all my reproof. They hated knowledge, chose not to fear God, refused the word of God. 31, oh, I'm sorry.
[35:59] I don't want to read this to you, but we need it. Therefore, because of that, because you rejected, because you mocked your mama behind her back, you mocked your daddy, you mocked the Bible, you mocked truth, you mocked God, you will eat of the fruit of your own way, and you get full of what you wanted to do, your own devices.
[36:23] You will get what you chose. verse 32, the turning away the simple shall slay them, the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
[36:38] It's like, you better listen while you can. Now, let me tell you something. In this very room, our people that have experienced hurt from sin, they've been down the wrong road, they messed up, they didn't listen when they could, and they got hurt, they got hurt real bad, and they still deal with those hurts, though they got their life right with God.
[37:11] And Solomon is saying to his boy, you need to listen to me, son, don't mess up. And he ends the passage of scripture with one of the most wonderful verses possible. I mean, I don't know if you understand, this family devotion was a dark one today, as daddy told his son.
[37:27] You better listen, son. If you don't, it's going to be really bad, son. But then he ended up with verse 33. Whoso hearkeneth shall dwell safely.
[37:41] Let me change words that, let's get it to modern day Tennessee hillbilly. Whoso listens, whoever will listen, it's going to be okay. And you will be quiet from the fear of evil.
[37:56] So wisdom ends up saying, you better listen. If you don't listen, you don't pay a severe consequence. But if you do listen, boy, you get to enjoy the blessings, safety, and security, and you avoid the consequences of sin.
[38:18] I love you. I just tell you the Bible, honestly, I just tell you the Bible, and I more than welcome all the men to come to the office and show me where I didn't tell you what the Bible said. I don't think they will.
[38:33] And I think this has been a hard message, and I didn't want it to be hard. A man has been visiting the church on Sunday mornings, he said to me, I've been going to one of the churches always got good stuff, you have any bad stuff?
[38:45] I said, oh, I just preach the Bible, so it gets bad sometimes. He said, really? I said, oh, don't come Sunday morning. I thought I was going to preach this, because I already knew what I was going to preach. I said, it's going to be about rejecting wisdom.
[38:57] Don't reject wisdom. I love you kids. And I say a couple more things, I'm going to give you an invitation. I want you kids to respond. I hope parents will respond. I know your parents, they love you.
[39:12] They're godly people. They have prayed for you. They have brought you to church. It's a Sunday night after Thanksgiving and you're here. Your parents care about you.
[39:26] They want you to do right. Why don't you say to God, I'm going to start really listening, paying attention to mom and dad and Sunday school teacher and disciple makers and all the preaching.
[39:39] I'm going to start listening to the word of God. Here's what I know. I know the Holy Spirit of God has been dealing with your heart. You could come and confess whatever sin it is and get it right tonight. You could go tell your mama with a hug, mama I've been kind of smirly and rude.
[39:55] Dad I haven't been treating you like it'd be a good thing. Boy in Peru they'd do it. I preach something like this. they'd be crying all over the place. Moms and dads getting hugs from their kids.
[40:06] You all do that tonight. First come get it right with God. I'll let the invitation go as long as it needs to. This is a powerful passage of scripture. scripture. Will you listen?
[40:18] Not to me. I'm nobody. I'm nothing. But the word of God spoke tonight and the Holy Spirit spoke in your heart and you know he did. Would you listen? This prayer is for prayer.
[40:30] Father God in heaven I pray that you would deal with people's hearts and show them their need to do the right thing. There's some that aren't saved and they need to know that and they need to turn and believe you and be saved.
[40:44] And there's some of us that have been living in sin and doing the wrong thing and we're teenagers we're children we're young people and we got a bad attitude. The old man doesn't know what he's talking about and the old woman doesn't know what she's talking about and we've developed some attitudes.
[41:00] God I'm asking you to deal with hearts. Holy Spirit would you work and move? God would you show your power?