Your Direction Determines Destination

I am starting a new series once again / called, “The Path Traveled.” I believe it’s a question we all want the answer to: How to get from where you are to where you want to be / were going to look at what happens when you are off course / getting help along the way / other topics / but today we will begin with very simple thought / Your Direction Determines your Destination

All of us have dreams / goals / places in life they want to be / so we are going to dive into WOG / for some direction / wisdom

The books of Proverbs and its surrounding books—Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon—are books Scholars call “Wisdom Literature.”

Having intelligence means you know things / Having wisdom means you know what to do in various situations / So you can be smart without being wise / Wisdom literature was written to make us wise / to help us know what to do in specific situations

Proverbs 7:7–27 I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who had no sense. He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. (She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.)

She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said: “Today I fulfilled my vows, and I have food from my fellowship offering at home. So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you! I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love! My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.”

With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life. Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.

I. Basic Lessons About Paths

A. The road you’re on determines where you’ll end up

1. That’s true, isn’t it? / Yes? This is not rocket science....

If we get in a vehicle / head south out of Bloomfield on 550 / eventually, I will end up in Albuquerque

a. Whatever road, whatever highway, whatever path I’m on will determine where I end up.

I can WANT to end up somewhere else / I can pack my beach towel / my sunscreen, with every hope that I can spend a week in Cabo, but if I head south on 550 / I’ll end up in Albuquerque, not in Baja / We all know that very well, don’t we?

B. Your direction, not your intention, determines your destination

1. As obvious as that is in the world of geography / when it comes to the rest of our lives / same principle applies

a. Whether it be our family life / our financial life / our marriage or dating life / the way we raise our kids / our physical fitness/ professional life

i. This same principle applies / In every area of life / my direction / not my intention / determines where I will end up

2. How many times have you been in a conversation with someone who is describing how their life got shipwrecked...

Their marriage blew up / kids grew up rebellious or resentful? Students who didn’t get the grades they were hoping for / didn’t make the team they were hoping for / And as they’re describing what led up to their failure / you just thought to yourself / “Well, didn’t you see that coming?”

C. Road you are on determines where you will end up is so much a part of life / that it trumps almost everything else that you’ve got going for you

1. You can have the best of intentions / still end up in the worst of situations

You’ve probably heard saying / “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”

a. It can happen to you even if you’re the smartest person on the planet / or the best looking / or the biggest / or strongest

2. This principle is true no matter how strong-willed you are

a. No matter how pleasant you are / no matter how much your momma loves you / or how much your daddy leaves you in his will

3. When it comes to our lives / every area of it / YOUR DIRECTION—

a. Not your intentions / not your strengths / not your weaknesses / not your hopes / not your dreams— YOUR DIRECTION will determine your destination

i. The path you take / will determine where you end up

Lets examine our text / Solomon tells a story / he’s standing at a window / looking down at the street:

II. The Street View

6 At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice. 7 I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.

A. Can you see that something’s coming?

8 He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house 9 at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.

1. You don't have to be a Bible scholar to anticipate where this story is heading, do you?

a. A young guy cruising the streets at sunset / heading in the direction of a specific woman's home

i. As we will see in a second / he knew who this woman was / and he knew she was married

ii. And apparently, he knew that her husband was out of town / and that she would be prowling around the street corner, looking for…well, just looking.

iii. That alone should have stopped him in his tracks / But it didn't / In fact, that was the very reason he was headed in her direction

If we were able to get inside this kid's head / tap into the soundtrack he had chosen for this particular evening's activities / we might have heard "Born to Be Wild." We see he was confident that this was going to be a night to remember—and maybe one to brag to his friends about the next day

2. Meanwhile, back at the window / Solomon was watching this young man, and there was a soundtrack playing in his head as well

a. Slightly different soundtrack / Music from Jaws!

i. Why? Because there was a marked contrast between what this kid was expecting to experience and what Solomon knew was in his future.

ii. How Come? Because the older /wiser man understood from experience where this path would lead

b. The adolescent was preoccupied with what he believed would be an exciting event—a night of passion

i. A night disconnected from every other event in his life / But Solomon knew better

ii. This night was not an isolated event disconnected from all the other events in this young man's life

a. It’s literally where you go / it’s the conversation you begin / door you open / friend invite you know you should not accept!

iii. This night was a step down a path / A path, like all paths / that leads somewhere

iv. This particular path had a predictable destination ( But you don’t need to be the wisest man in the world to know that)

v. You could predict the outcome of this encounter with nothing to draw on but your own experience or the experience of someone you know.

a. Funny how it works / What's so obvious to those watching / often escapes us

B. The story continues:

10-12 Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. (She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.

1. Can you hear the music? / With the impending sound of fate knocking at his door: dun dun dun dun!

13-15 She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said: "I have fellowship offerings at home; today I fulfilled my vows. So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and I have found you!"

a. When this woman said she had fellowship offerings at home / she was essentially saying, "Look, I’m not a hooker / I have plenty of money at home / I'm not after your money—I want you!"

b. She was also implying that she had been to the temple and had everything squared away with God

i. Does sin always come this way? Wrapped in a pretty bow?

ii. Justifying the actions / regardless of what we know to be true / right

2. This young guy is either thinking.... If my friends could see me now! / or I’m glad it’s dark / no one will ever know

a. At that point, he pumped up the volume of his soundtrack to a ten / pinched himself to be sure this wasn't a dream!

i. Even if Solomon called down from the window and warned him / the kid wouldn't have heard him over the seductive words that came next:

16-18 "I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt. I have perfumed my body with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let's drink deep of love till morning; let's enjoy ourselves with love!"

b.If you’re over 30 say, “Wow!”

c. If you’re under 30 say, “Whoa!” And just in case he was wondering, she added:

19-20 "My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon"

i. Here is where we tell ourselves / no one will ever have to find out

3. With those words / it clinched it right there

a. Not only did he not have to worry about her husband catching them / but he could hang around for breakfast / Watch a little TV

i. Heck, he could spend the entire weekend / From his perspective / This just kept getting better

ii. But Solomon saw this situation in an entirely different light

C. Solomon’s Take

21-22 With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter

1. Wait! What? An ox heading where?

a. Come on Solomon! Don’t you mean "like a celebrity heading into a club?" But An ox to the slaughter?

i. It certainly doesn't look that way to the casual observer

ii. And it certainly didn’t look that way to our young friend

iii. But Solomon was not finished with his creative use of language

2. He had two more animal analogies for emphasis

22-23... like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life

a. Just In case you didn't get the ox to the slaughter / how about a deer stepping into a noose / with a bloodied arrow hanging from its bowels?

b. Or how about this: Solomon says this kid was like a clueless bird caught in a snare.

i. From his vantage point, Solomon knows that this young man was throwing away his future / Possibly his life

ii. If the young man was able to read Solomon’s mind, he would have shouted back, “You sound a lot like my dad!

iii. “Besides, what does an old man know about my situation? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity

iv. “I am wiser than an ox / a deer / or a bird..... Mind your own business.”

c. I can’t count how many times I have warned people / about path they are on / warning them of pending doom

i. Only to hear that my worst nightmare has come true

a. At this point in Solomon’s narrative, he turned a corner and addressed his broader audience

D. These next words are directed to you and me

24-25 Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths

1. There’s our word… Paths!

a. This was a path / not an event / It was a direction / Pay attention to this next observation

26. Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain area mighty throng

2. Not, “a few” Many !

a. Solomon debunks the notion that there was anything unique about what this kid was experiencing

b. It may have been unique for him, but this experience represents a well-worn path: a path that leads to death despite what the naïve kid may have wanted to argue

i. If Solomon could have called a time-out in the story // and got this kid's undivided attention / he might have said something along the lines of, "Listen, buddy. I hate to break it to you, but there's nothing unique or special or rare about this. You may have never felt this way before, but a lot of other people have. And if they were here to tell you their stories, you would think twice. You're part of a crowd. A herd. A flock. There is nothing new here. And the outcome is all too predictable. She's done more than capture your imagination. She's writing a script for your future. You are a dead man walking!"

3. Driving home the point, Solomon added:

27. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death

a. A highway? Yep. A five-lane freeway with several carpool lanes!

i. There's nothing new about this / Nothing special

ii. Just another young man who has chosen a path that will take him precisely to where he doesn't want or plan to be

E. There was a disconnect

1. The disconnect in Solomon's scenario is easy to see... at least for us

a. A young man who wanted his life to be relationally richer / But he chose a path linking hearts with people who would be his downfall

i. A young man who yearned for something the world called good / chose a path that led to something far from it

ii. A man striving to prove his independence / chose a well-worn path that had the potential to strip him of his independence

iii. There was a disconnect / Solomon saw it from his window / I've seen similar disconnects as I have watched peoples lives

F. Now, Let’s Talk About Us

1. We all have a propensity for choosing paths that lead us where we do not want to go

2. In upcoming weeks, I’ll give you my take on what causes this apparent lapse in reason

a. But for now / I want to focus on how this dynamic plays itself out in our world / Maybe in your world

G. For example:

A single woman says, "I want to meet, and one day marry a great Christian guy who's really got his act together"

... but then she dates whoever asks her out, as long as he's cute

A single guy says, "I want a great sex life once I'm married"

... so he "practices" with every girl he dates along the way / Or buys the lie of you have to test drive before you buy it!

A married woman says, "I want to have a great relationship with my husband"

... but she makes the children a priority over him

A husband says, "I want my kids to respect me as they grow up"

... and then he openly flirts with other women in the neighborhood

A young Christian says, "I want to develop a deep and lasting intimacy with God"

... so he gets up every morning and reads his newspaper / grabs his phone / checks his facebook instead

A working man says, "I want to grow old and invest the latter years of my life in my grandchildren"

... but then he neglects his health / does get any latter years

A regular guy says, “I want to get thin and lose some weight

… supersize that.”

A couple says "We'd like our children to develop a personal relationship with God and choose friends who have done the same

... but then they skip church every weekend and head to the beach / sleep in / watch football / play sports

Newlyweds determine to be financially secure by the time they reach their parents' age

... then adopt a lifestyle sustained by debt and leveraged assets

A high school freshman intends to graduate with a GPA that will afford him options as he selects a college

... but neglects his studies

1. The list could go on and on

a. The people this list represents have legitimate goals / oftentimes every good intention of reaching them

i. But like the naïve young man in Solomon's story / the paths they choose eventually bring them to a destination that is entirely different from the one they intended

2. This isn't rocket science / We shouldn’t need someone to connect these dots for us / Very Practical

a. If your goal is to drop two dress sizes, you don't eat lunch at a donut shop

b. If you desire to remain faithful to your spouse, you don't linger in an online chat rooms / engage in lengthy conversations with members of the opposite sex.

i. Those aren't pastimes / Those are pathways / They lead somewhere

3. As I’ve already said, it is much easier to see these dynamics at work in other people than it is in ourselves.

a. In fact, right now you’re probably thinking about several people who you wish had been here today to hear this

b. But before you start putting names to the faces in your mind, take a minute to think about your life and let me ask you this:

i. Are there disconnects in your life? Are there discrepancies between what you desire in your heart / and what you are doing with your life?

If you've ever gotten lost while driving (and who hasn't?), you know that if you backtrack far enough, you can usually get your bearings and be on your way. Worst case, you've wasted a few minutes or hours.

But when you get lost in life, you can't backtrack. When you get lost in life, you don't waste minutes or hours. You can waste an entire season of your life.

Choosing the wrong path in life will cost you precious years. Nobody wants that. Nobody wants to wake up in their fifties and wish they had taken a different path in their thirties. Nobody wants to arrive at the end of a marriage and wish she had taken a different path during her dating years. Think about it. You only get to be twenty once. You get one senior year. You get one first marriage.

c. The path we choose at those critical junctions doesn’t just determine our destination the following year, but for the following season of life

i. The principle of the path is operating in your life every minute of every day

a. You are currently on a financial path of some kind

b. You are on a relational path

c. You are continuing down a moral / ethical / entertainment path / These paths all have a destination

H. So How come man in our text doesn’t see what’s coming?”

1. Answer? He doesn’t think it’s a path / He thinks it’s an event / a one-time occurrence

a. Truth is / God says your life / and its destination isn’t about the immediate / it’s about the ultimate

b. You can’t trump the principle of the path with good intentions.

i. Some of you have ended up brokenhearted / in places / asking God “why did you let this happen to me?”

ii. He didn’t / He wanted to stop it / but he couldn’t stop you

2. This leads to two questions I want to ask

a. What direction are you headed in today? / What path are you on?

i. - Morally - Relationally (with your family, with friendships) - Financially - Spiritually (Only you know answer)

III. Choosing The Right Path?

1. Get wisdom: That’s what we’re going to be doing for the next several weeks

a. Getting wisdom from Solomon and wisdom from the book of Proverbs / Reading Proverbs will increase your wisdom-quotient

b. There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs / Read one chapter a day for the next 31 days / It’s what Billy Graham did every day!

2. Make/Have/ Maintain Christian Friendships –

a. What if this guy in the story had a friend looking out the window after him, instead of a man he had no relationship with?

b. What if his friend had run down the stairs / warned him and rescued him before he ever got to the woman’s house?

i. His whole life would have / could have been different

ii. Who do you have in your life who warns you from danger?

3. Make choices based on the long-term, not the ­short-term

a. See your life as a path / a series of steps / not a bunch of unrelated events

- Think about what will happen if you balance your checkbook / save money / tithe every month.... What will your life look like, step by step, if you do that every month? – Looks pretty good, doesn’t it?

- Think about what will happen if you pray each morning / and say nice things to your spouse before work every day

Make choices based on what will develop if you do something over a long period of time... because that’s the path you’re on every time you make a one-time decision.

Every decision we make is a new fork in the road, Every decision we make takes me down a new path, our prayer should be Lord, help us to choose the right path!

_______

Way that seems right unto man, but ends in death

broad is the way that leads to destruction / narrow & difficult is way that leads to life / few find it