Proverbs 23 (2)

Text: Prov 23:26-35

Intro:   And Can it Be – speaks of the freedom we have.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay, Fast bound in sin and nature’s night; Thine eye diffused a quickening ray— I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

In the book of Proverbs we find the letter of a man to his son.  A king to his heir.  It is in this chapter we find practical statements and statements that shock the system.  It is basic at one point, and complex in others.  But it is honest and raw.  It is a remind that just because we know something is right does not mean that we live to our fullest knowledge.

As dad's we know this feeling.  When a child is born we feel the weight of needing to be perfect.  The only problem is that one two year old will test any man's knowledge of what is good parenting.  SOlomon is this kind of parent.  You see him come to this understanding of what is needed.  THe knowledge for which target to shoot.  Sometimes knowing the target doesn't mean we hit it.

So this morning I wish to show you the two targets for which SOlomon was shooting.  These two targets:

1.  His child's Heart

2.  His child's Eyes

These two goals were the hope of Solomon other guys may want robots.  Solomon wanted his children.

I wish to make a preliminary remark here.  If you are going to have your child's heart you will earn it.  If you wish for your child's eyes, you must have life worth watching.  I know that it is masculine to talk about beating your children, or putting the fear of GOd in them.  It maybe tough guy thing to talk about how you use the rod.  But having the heart of your child starts long before discipline.  Scripture says, "train up a child in the way he should go..."  that word train is not spanking, many are ready to spank and forgot to train.  You wonder why your child has pushed against your correction?  It is not the presence of discipline it is lack of training.

I.  Foolish Fein

No Father is perfect.  I imagine that if you are dad here today you would agree with this statement.  I have regrets, times when my fuse was to short, careless words, or silly actions.  My prayer is that i will demonstrate enough Godliness in my life that they will understand that their dad made mistakes but God uses those that make mistakes.

Solomon understands this has an impact on children.  He points out how our actions affect our children.

A. Obvious Symptoms (29)

1. Woe

2. Sorrow

3. Contention

4. Babbling

5. Wounds without Cause

6. Redness of Eyes

B. Distracted Living

1. Solomon uses two words to describe the temptation setting in.

a. Tarry Long

Describing the hold that alcohol can have.  This is a man that should have walked away before the first drink but refused Scriptural admonishment "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly."

b. Seek

You probably recognize this word seek. As when Hebrews tells us that God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.  Christ said in Matthew that we are to "set your affections on things above on things on the earth." This is what he was referring to.  Alcohol holds no power but the love we give it."

C. Painfilled Deception (32)

1.  Bites like a serpent

2.  Stings like an adder

3.  At the last

It is always at the last.  You see the snake looks fine but when it strikes it is over when it is no longer play or warning you are finished.

D. Stumbling Sinfulness (33)

There are two sins with mentioning that you open yourself to with alcohol.

1.  Your eyes shall behold strange women

The word behold here is not referring to catching a glimpse.  This is not that moment when a man has a woman cross the path of his eyes.  See a man sins when he goes back for another look.  This is a warning that our mind will be more conditioned to lust under the control of alcohol.

2.  Your heart shall utter perverse things.

Jesus said it wasnt what man put in his body that corrupted him, but it was what come out of his heart that defiled a man.  Alcohol leads a man to corruption.

E. Willfull Instability (34)

1.  Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea

2.  He that lieth upon the top of a mast.

I cannot help but think of the man that is double minded a man that knows right but doesn't do right, he is unstable in all his ways.

Dad, if you wish to be that example to your children here are three very practical ways:

1.  Love their mom

2.  Love God and his house

3.  Work hard to support them

Here is what breaks my heart about this passage. Is what is lost when a father isn’t the example he should be.

F. Stubborn Addiction (35)

35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

4. Win Spiritually

This is the saddest part of the story of Rehoboam and Solomon. That is that Solomon stunk as an example. He would find that deep ditch, and train wreck his life because of it.

You may not have an alcohol problem here today, but each of us have to battle that sin that keeps us coming back. And if we want real victory let us give our children the gift of winning. Let us set the example of breaking molds of the flesh.

This is the great gift of Fatherhood – permission to your children to beat anything that would enslave them. You don’t have to be perfect. You have to be willing to let God bring you victory.

Illustration:photo

Noah as a father that let his bent to alcohol destroy his children.

Noah

Shem Ham Japheth

Cush

Nimrod