Proverbs 31

This is the last bit of advice to be given to the son’s of Solomon. We have finished this book of teachings and sayings that were meant to prepare a boy for manhood. Proverbs 31 stands as a mark that woman should strive for and it is a guide for a man in seeking a wife. This passage starts with the old joke “A wife of noble character who can find?” ___ Then it says she is more valuable than rubies. This kind of Godly woman is rare and valuable to the life of her husband. She stands in contrast to the other women of proverbs.

 

1.THE EASY TO FIND WOMAN

            A. the adulteress and wayward wife. 2:16  5:3

            B. prostitute 6:24-29

            c. the immoral woman 6:24

            d. The gossip

            e. the disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones 12:4

            f. the quarrelsome wife 19:13 21:9 21:19

 

2. the noble wife

            a. of great value 12:4, 31:10

            b. gives her husband confidence 11-12

            c. she is industrious a business woman 13-19

            d. kind and giving to the poor 20

            e. takes care of her family 21-22

            f. brings respect to her husband when he sits with other men

            g. She teaches her children well

            h. She watches over her family

 

3. what to do with this

            A. Women

                        a. your character and conduct shape your family

                        b. the limits of what you would do are limitless

                        c. Your actions greatly affect your husband, you have the power to encourage him, or defeat him.

            B. Men

                        a. before you marry, evaluate and choose wisely

                        b. treasure your wife, give her, her rightful praise

                        c. encourage her to be the woman of God

                        d. do not dismiss her council lightly

 

Being a woman of noble character can make or break your family. Will they rise up and call you blessed , or wish they were living in a leaky house or even a desert. A wife of noble character is a treasure beyond all measure, husbands treat her that way.

May of 1607 214 settlers land in Jamestown at it becomes the first settlement in the United States. By 1609 only 60 were left alive. They were found by a supply ship, starving to death. In 2 years they had cleared very little land, failed to build houses, plant crops or any of the industrious things you picture they would do. They even had don’t work you don’t eat laws, and the people still failed to get to work. Jamestown was not an example of the courage, ingenuity, determination and strength that came to define the “American Spirit” but it was a good example of Proverbs 24:30-34

 

One of the favorite characters found in Proverbs is the Sluggard. This lazy and unprosperous man is found throughout the book. The sluggard is always looking for the easy way out, the get rich scheme, using others to get ahead. The generous spirit of the first Christians ran afoul of the sluggards to the point where Paul mentions it often, Eph 4:28 “no longer steal, but get to work” Col 3:23 Work with all your heart at whatever you do” 2 Tim 3:10 “if a man will not work he shall not eat.” 1 Tim 5:8 a person who fails to provide for his family has denied the faith.

 

Sluggards are found unemployed and in board rooms of companies.  Some Gut companies as they jump from job to job sacrificing long range sustainability for good bottom line and bonus, then they move on before anyone realizes what has been done.

 

But enough of economics. What happens when we apply this to the church and to our spiritual life.

 

A.GOD HAS GIVEN WHAT WE NEED

            a. A FIELD

            b. SEED

            c. EVEN A WALL OF PROTECTION

 

B. ALL WORK IS EVALUATED

            a. THE SLUGGARDS FIELD

            b. 1 COR 3:12-15

            C. Matthew 3:8-10

            D. Matthew  7:19

 

C.  GETTING TO WORK

            a. PHIL 1:6

            B. PHIL 2:12

            c. COL 1:10 LIVE THE LIFE

            d. 2 TIM 2:21 CLEANES YOUR SELF

            e. 2 TIM 3:16 STUDY THE SCRIPTURES

 

CONCLUSION: As we have done in the past we must continue to do. Mend the protective wall, pull the weeds, plant the crop so we can have the time of harvest. This is the work of every one of us and it is the work of the church. When Jesus comes let Him not find us sleeping.

 

^{1Co 3:13} his work will be shown for what it is, ^f  because the Day ^g  will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. ^h  

 

^{Phil 2:12} Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ^o   

^{Phil 2:13} for it is God who works in you ^p  to will and to act according to his good purpose.

 

 

^{Phil 1:6} being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion ^k  until the day of Christ Jesus. ^l  

 

^{Col 1:10} And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy ^u  of the Lord and may please him ^v  in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ^w  

 

^{2Ti 2:21} If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. ^b  

 

 

^{2Ti 3:16} All Scripture is God-breathed ^m  and is useful for teaching, ⁿ  rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ^o   

^{2Ti 3:17} so that the man of God ^p  may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ^q  

 

 

^{Mt 7:24} “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice ⁱ  is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  

^{Mt 7:25} The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  

^{Mt 7:26} But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  

^{Mt 7:27} The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

 

 

 

^{Mt 3:8} Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁱ   

^{Mt 3:9} And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ ^j  I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 

^{Mt 3:10} The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. ^k  

^{Mt 3:11} “I baptize you with ¹³ water for repentance. ^l  But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit ^m  and with fire. ⁿ   

^{Mt 3:12} His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c^{ol 3:23} Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 

^{Col 3:24} since you know that you will receive an inheritance ^l  from the Lord as a reward. ^m  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

 

^{Eph 4:28} He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, ^y  doing something useful with his own hands, ^z  that he may have something to share with those in need.

 

 

^{2Th 3:10} For even when we were with you, ^g  we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, ^h  he shall not eat.”

 

^{1Ti 5:8} If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied ^r  the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

.

 

 

Proverbs 19:1-8

Bessy Smiths 1927 song “No Body Knows You When Your Down and Out” could have been lifted from the pages of Proverbs.

 

Once I lived the life of a millionaire,
Spent all my money, I just did not care.
Took all my friends out for a good time,
Bought bootleg whiskey, champagne and wine.

Then I began to fall so low,
Lost all my good friends, I did not have nowhere to go.
I get my hands on a dollar again,
I'm gonna hang on to it till that eagle grins.

Cause no, no, nobody knows you
When you're down and out.
In your pocket, not one penny,
And as for friends, you don't have any.

When you finally get back up on your feet again,
Everybody wants to be your old long-lost friend.
Said it's mighty strange, without a doubt,
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.

 

This passage in Proverbs is not talking about any poor man it is talking about the blameless poor man. The rest of the passage is a list of the things men will do for wealth.

 

1. What will we do for friends and money

            a. perverse lips

            b. zeal and go for it without thought

            c. vs 5 false witness and pouring out lies

            d. vs 6 curry favor, giving gifts

            e. the end result is ruin, punishment, and they will blame God

 

2. No Body Knows You

            a. shunned by relatives vs 7

            b. friends deserts him vs 4

            c. Jobs wife 2:9

 

3. Better the Poor Man

            a. 18:24 “a man who sticks closer than a brother

            b. despite the worlds opinion God will bless you in the end.

            c. Look at what Jesus says about the Down and Out Matthew 5:3-10

            d. Jesus reflects the message of Proverbs 19 in Matthew 6:19-24

           

Conclusion: There is one who sticks closer than a brother. There is one who gave His life for you, Not because of your wealth, fame, power, or your vote. When you were sinful He loved you. When you were powerless He died for you. Jesus is the one who sticks with you closer than a brother, because your down and out.

Proverbs 8

We have come to the book of Proverbs to start our walk through the Bible. The Old Testament is broken up into sections, The Books of Law, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets, History, and Wisdom. Books of Wisdom are Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Proverbs is a group of sayings, meant to be taught and memorized by young people. There is a lot of parent child sayings and a number of teachers to student sayings. This book uses different devices to teach. Some sayings are set to the alphabet, some are set in rhyme, at times they use sarcasm, and comparison. The book starts as a collection of sayings from Solomon, but later others included. There is a repetitive way about the book much like psalms. There are common caricatures in the book, the Adulteress, the sluggard, the fool, the prostitute, the woman without discretion, the neighbor, sinners, scoffers, rulers, Kings, and a whole host of others. Proverbs is not only an interesting book it can be funny at times so I encourage to read along each day and collect some of your favorites to put on the refrigerator door.

 

Proverbs 11:22 (NIV2011)
²² Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

Proverbs 26:14 (NIV2011)
¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.

Proverbs 31:10 (NIV2011)
¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

 

Wisdom; if there is one thing our world needs it is wisdom. The world is filled with easy answers, ultimatums, and cliffs. 90% of people would not understand national economics if you drew a simple picture of it, yet 70% of people think they could easily solve our countries economic problems, and the other 30% say there is no solution. It seems that every word we say is being analyzed and judged. We watch the news and say “He, She, or they should have known better than that.” There seems to be a lack of common sense, basic morals, and civilized restraint. With all that is wrong in this world, God says that all the answers of life are in this one encyclopedia of life the Bible. 66 books with the answers to personal and global economics, social behavior, personal and world peace.

 

1. Wisdom and understanding are easy to find.

            A. the Gold rush.

            A.2  vs1-3

            B. There is no source of mystical, magical, or hidden knowledge.

            C. God is screaming at us here it is.

            D. Prov 9:10 The fear of

            E. Ecc 12:13&14 the end of the matter

            F. everything we need to know is in this Book

 

2. It is simple to understand

            A. Romans 1:19-20 (it has been made plain and put in your heart)

            B. 1 Cor 18-25 (it is simple to understand )

            C. Because we will not accept it we try to make it complicated.

            D. take a simple law “do not steal” then clearify that sentence with 5000 pages of legealeze. Translate, “I can steal from you but you can not steal from me.”

 

3. Gods’ word is the key to life

            A. worth more than Gold ($1655.00 an ounce)

            B. worth more than silver ($30.00 an ounce)

 

4. Seek it, pursue it, hunt it down

            A. vs 11 choose it over everything else

            B. listen to it 1:8

            C. seek it out, hunt it down

            D. follow it, do it, 8:32-36

            E. James 1:22-25

 

The answers to our worlds troubles are not new, or hidden, and not even expensive. They have all been gathered together by God into this one book The Bible. Wisdom is there and it is worth more than Gold, and it is simple to find.

 

Luke 2:8-20

Luke 2:8-20 Joy and Peace

It is difficult to talk about Joy and Peace and make sense of Sandy Hook. A town of 27,000, three times the size of Marinette. They did everything they could, with locked doors and a security system, and yet peace was taken from them. We live in a world of violence, violent games, violent shows, and music. Even our political parties have gone from disagreement to hate. In our stores we can buy weapons of war, and we can find bomb recipes on the internet. Yet the angels sang about Joy and Peace. I will try to make some sense of it all.

 

1. Violence, sin and evil are the norm.

            A. Genesis 3 tells us we live in a fallen world, Genesis 6:5-6 every inclination.

            B. Romans 1:29-31 filled with every kind of evil.

            C. Some even think we are living in the end times Rev 6:4

            D. The truth is, violence, sin, and evil are the norm, without God.

 

2. And the angel said Good News

            A. Good News of Great Joy for all the people

            B. a Savior is born

            C. who needs a savior? The lost, those in peril.

            d. to men, on whom his favor rest, or to men on whom his favor rest.

            e. yet the only pockets of peace found in the world are where people

 

3. Jesus did not come to bring peace to the earth but peace on earth.

            A.  John 14:27

            B. John 16:33

 

Conclusion:  The peace we receive from Jesus does not stop the tribulation of the world but it transcends it. In the midst of the tribulations of life both great and small, we can find peace, and Joy, because Jesus has overcome the world. We get glimpses and experience part of that peace now, on earth, but it will only truly be experienced in the place that Jesus has prepared for us, in heaven.

            So today, we thank God for the peace we do experience; it is a gift from God. We pray for those whom peace is shattered. Let each one of us examine our hearts and make sure we have ask Jesus for forgiveness, so we will have peace through the tribulation of this world and experience God’s perfect peace when we see Him face to face.

Isiaha 42

Isaiah 42:1-9

The Coming Servant

INTRODUCTION: I love Christmas, all the lights and decorations. Manger scenes with Baby Jesus. People seem a little more open to faith. I guess a Baby in a manger is more approachable than the all powerful King of heaven and earth. This is of course the Prophets Sunday of Advent. There are many prophecies about Jesus, when he would come, why he would come and what he would do. This prophesy was given 800 years before Jesus would be born. This plan of salvation was known about 800 years before Jesus was born to carry it out. And Jesus died on the cross 2000 years before you drew your first breath.

1. Gods Servant

            a. here is My servant- God’s servant

            b. Jesus did not come to serve you, he came to save you.

            c. Matthew 3:17 “Listen to Him”

            d. Jesus came because it was God’s desire, and purpose to save you.

            e. James and Dan were crossing a river, at twelve years old James had crossed this river many times and was an exhalant swimmer, Don, well not so much. Crossing the river it grew to be about chest high, with a good current moving them down stream with each step. Dan stepped into a hole and lost his feet. James went to the rescue. In his panic Dan grabbed at James and now both are in trouble. James starts beating on and wrestling with Dan until he got behind him grabbed his color and held his head above the water. James yells at a still struggling Dan. “I am trying to save you, would just cooperate”

            f. God only needs your cooperation.

 2. What is God’s servant doing

            a. To bring justice, right wrongs, judge sin,

            b. he will not stop.

            c. in terminator, kyle tells Sarah, he has been sent to kill you, programmed to kill you, he is a machine, he cannot be reasoned with, he cannot be bought, he will never stop searching for you he will never stop until you are dead.

            d. God declares His servant will never stop until justice is achieved.

 3. Part of Justice is grace

            While Jesus came to bring justice and to save people of faith, he came looking for five groups of people specifically.

            a. The smoldering wick (3)

            b. the bruised reed (3)

            c. the blind (7)

            d. captives from prison (7)

            e. those in dungeons of darkness (7)

 Conclusion: We all fall into one of these at some point; our faith is but a smoldering wick as we sit in a doctor’s office. We are a bruised reed as our job is downsized or we try to balance our checkbook, or learn of a nasty piece of gossip that is being spread about us. Blind to the love of God, seemingly a captive to our mistakes of the past, or our own limited ideas of what faith is all about. All alone in the cold darkness of life. This passage tells us that we are the people Jesus came looking for. This is God’s purpose, and He is God’s servant, and He will never stop trying to save you. Jesus is trying to save you, would you just cooperate?

psalm 136

Psalm 136:1-12

INTRODUCTION: We are nearing the end of psalms. This psalm is written for use in worship with a leaders singing the first part and then the congregation would sing the refrain.  It is divided into sections; vs. 1-4 are praise to God, vs. 5-9 tell of creation, vs. 10-15 tell of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, and vs. 16-22 tells of God’s giving the land to the Israelites, and the final vs. 23-26 speaks of what God is presently doing. All through it like an ancient praise song it repeats “His Love endures forever”.

 

1. GOD CREATED AND SUSTAINS US

            A. YOUR EYE

            a. IT TRANSFORMS LIGHT INTO IMAGES OF THE WORLD FOR YOUR BRAIN TO PROCESS

            B. THE WATER CYCLE, LAKE-RIVER-VAPOR-SNOW AND RAIN-FILTERING WATER

            c. GOD CREATED YOU

 

2. GOD DELIVERS US

            A. GOD DELIVERED ISRAEL

            B. WE LIVE IN BONDAGE, FROM RULER TO TASKMASTER,

            C. JESUS CAME TO DELIVER US

 

 

3. HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER

            A. A FOREVER PERSPECTIVE

            B. WHY THIS AND WHY NOT THAT

            C. OUR CHILDRENS ANSWERS “WHERE DID JIMMY COME FROM”

            D. GOD’S LOVE IS NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD UNTILL WE TAKE THE ETERANL

            E. JESUS DOES NOT JUST LOVE US TODAY

            F. JESUS DOES NOT JUST SAVE US TODAY

 

CONCLUSION: IN A WORLD FULL OF SOMETIMES JESUS LOVES US FOR ALL TIME

In a world of things that will last and people who will come and go in our lives Jesus is forever in your life. The Israelites repeated it over and over and never got it. His love endures forever. Do you want that forever love? Ask God for it, and then ask Him to show you how to live in it, experience it every day. You can know that “His love endures forever”.