The Wise Son
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 8 viewsNotes
Transcript
Text: Proverbs 28:7-14
No Backbone
There was a test conducted by a university where 10 students were placed in a room. 3 lines of varying length were drawn on a card. The students were told to raise their hands when the instructor pointed to the longest line. But 9 of the students had been instructed beforehand to raise their hands when the instructor pointed to the second longest line. 1 student was the stooge. The usual reaction of the stooge was to put his hand up, look around, and realizing he was all alone, pull it back down. This happened 75% of the time, with students from grade school through high school. The researchers concluded that many would rather be president than be right.
Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. Eddie Rickenbacker,
Evil Men calling the Shots
The Question We’re Asking
How did we get Here?
Heart problems that a Father should be maneuvering. And young people you should be producing this in your own life. Let me go a step further. You should be looking out for this in your own future spouse. If you see these characteristics you should flee. Dad’s I would encourage you to filter these potential suitors from you daughters potential mates.
The Heartless (8)
He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance,
He shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
Solomon warns that those who take advantage of the poor will find a judgment themselves.
From the beginning of man there has been a responsibility of the blessed to be a blessing to those in its society. We find this continually through the writing of Solomon.
It was expected for the Jews to care for the hurting Jews of their family. In fact otherwise was considered to be worse than an infidel. It would be better to walk away from God than to walk away from the care of the elderly, widow or poor.
The church recognized this in the book of Acts when they “had all things in common. This was not some sort of communal lifestyle this was the reprioritizing expressing itself in generosity.
Why because they took seriously the words of Jesus...
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
He hath shewed 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?
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
It is always a degradation when (1) The lazy get a free ride, or (2) the poor go uncared for. For a nation or a church.
However, there is a certain disgusting behavior of oppressing the poor. This is the way of extortion, elevating the usury, or Lottery.
Let us be people of mercy. No man can follow the savior and be less that merciful. I’m grateful that Jesus was full of Mercy and truth.
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
The Heedless (9)
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law,
Even his prayer shall be abomination.
The benefit of mankind is not our technology, education, or medicine. The greatest things that we have going is that the God that made us is willing to communicate with us.
He didn’t leave us wallowing in in sin and in darkness. When John likens Jesus to the life that comes from God’s Word he is right. Because without the Word there is no understanding of things present or things to come.
Then to turn our mind from it as if we have it all together without him. Does not make us silly it makes us Proud. And in pride what do we have to talk to God about. We won’t listen HE won’t talk.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
The Heinous (10)
Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way,
He shall fall himself into his own pit:
But the upright shall have good things in possession.
Notice that Solomon points out that it is a trap for the wicked to tempt the righteous. But if a righteous man will endure then the trap comes back on the wicked. It has been said that Sin wants company this is why when something wicked is going on there will be a group of people involved and they want you to be apart.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
The Materialistic (11)
11 The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.
Solomon is literally saying that if we would recognize the important things in this life we would see material wealth is not enough to make a good man. We are not promised this by our society. We are told the same marketing schemes. Happy men are men with lots of stuff. It is the same line that what you own make you who you are.
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
The Hypocritical (13)
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper:
But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
This is a passage that needs to be close to the heart of every believer. Because frankly we all sin. But that does not mean we are owned by sin. Many times the sin that we think has us trapped is not so much a sin that has us but us that has the sin. It is our pride that keeps us connected.
This is what makes hypocrisy so destructive. We think that we can cover the outside in a nice wrapper and the inside gets better this, however is a lie. Jesus said of the Pharisees that they were whitened sepulchers they were white washed but on the inside they were full of dead men’s bones. This is the state of a large part of Christianity.
We will never impact a world if we are simply wrapping our sarcophaguses in marble, but never having life. Life comes when we are transformed from death to life.
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
The Hard (14)
Happy is the man that feareth alway:
But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
Each of us have the potential of being this guy right here. That is to say we can harden our heart. Someone may say well I have a sweet spirit when things are going my way.
No, no, no we won’t say it that way. We will say I will have a Christian attitude unless. This is a man that chooses not to have this spirit always. If there is a time when we won’t surrender our spirit to the Lord then we can have a hardened spirit.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Application – Their problem is not that they have failed to know the law of God but when they knew His law they didn’t believe it as God’s law. – They Forgot God.
Christ has given us the way out through the cross.
We need a heart transplant.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.