Essential Truths for Men

“ FORE! Proverbial lessons from the golf course ”

Three Things have been an essential guiding filter for my life and ministry over tha past 22 years…

Loyalty of husband

Lead like a father

Proverbs is what led me to love reading Scripture.

Creativity in communication

Popcorn-sermon w/illustrations.

Proverbs 1:2–7 CSB

2 For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings; 3 for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity; 4 for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man— 5 let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance— 6 for understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.

I want to give you FORE! essential truths…

HUMILITY IS ESSENTIAL - YOU DON’T KNOW IT ALL.

Proverbs 16:17–19 “17 The highway of the upright avoids evil; the one who guards his way protects his life. 18 Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble than to divide plunder with the proud.”

before it ever shows up in your actions, and it will show up, pride begins in our hearts.

MOTOR MOUTHS

ARROGANCE WILL GET YOU, trapped in snobbery or tripped by sin.

Prv 11:2 - When arrogance comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.

Snobbery is real in golf. People get impatient with those playing slow. Especially when they see others learning the game and it takes forever. I have had the religious spirit and attitude creep in my heart from time to time (Why don’t people dress right, I wish they’d let me play through, go to the driving range)…in those times I remember where I started.

but for the grace of God…there I go too

HONESTY IS ESSENTIAL - YOU CAN’T PRETEND FOR LONG

Golf is a gentlemen’s game with defined rules.

Someone defines the rules of Golf. We don’t get to make up our own ruler. God makes the rules; *when we sin, we are acting lawlessly (which means they make it up themselves). 

Prov 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue, only a moment.

Prov 11:1 Dishonest scales are detestable to the Lord, but an accurate weight is his delight.

Prov 11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them.

Prov 14:5 An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness utters lies.

Prov 19:9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies perishes.

Prov 14:25 A truthful witness rescues lives, but one who utters lies is deceitful

Prov 19:1 Better a poor person who lives with integrity than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.

Prov 11:5 The righteousness of the blameless clears his path, but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness.

Prov 2:13 from those who abandon the right paths to walk in ways of darkness,

Prov 14:32 The wicked one is thrown down by his own sin, but the righteous one has a refuge in his death.

You can’t fake being good at golf…self-deception is not good.

illus: God didn’t have anything to do with that swing.

PRACTICE IS ESSENTIAL — YOU AREN’T A PRODIGY.

Prov 10:4 Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches.

Prov 18:9 The one who is lazy in his work is brother to a vandal.

Prov 13:4The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied.

Compounding interest from paying attention to the basics…

— this is diligence

 — Scottie on the range at masters “never gets bored; embraces monotony and it produces consistent results.

— Hitting the sweet spot of the club

I want to be consistent this year in the essentials. Consistency isn’t always sexy though.

Practice gives you proper perspective in life, not perfection.

being coached in life

receive instruction/correction - be teachable.

Prov 3:11 Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline;

It is essential to be a disciple of Jesus…you cannot be a disciple without discipline.

external correction establishes restraint/boundary/standards

internal conviction lives within restraint/boundary/standards

Prov 3:12 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

Prov 22:15 Foolishness is bound to the heart of a youth; a rod of discipline will separate it from him.

Prov 15:5 A fool despises his father’s discipline, but a person who accepts correction is sensible.

Prov 15:32 Anyone who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever listens to correction acquires good sense.

Discipline and Consistent are not INSTANT RESULTS.

Sometimes you hit a shot and you can’t see the results. Often you feel it’s terrible…but you don’t really “know” you just can’t see properly from your perspective…but when you get on the other side you realize how effective it really was.

illus: Golfing with Brannon, man, your game is looking so good.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE ESSENTIAL - YOU CAN’T SEE IT ALL.

The Lie: Loneliness is part of being a man.

The Truth: Friendship is a superpower.

“The real cure for loneliness is friendship—deep, enriching, beautiful, long-term friendship.

But many guys don’t have many friends.

Have you ever heard the joke that the reason men golf is because they are too afraid to ask each other to go on walks together? There’s some truth in that. Maybe another way to put it is they don’t know how to be a good friend.”

Celebration

with the right people, even bad golf is joyful

saying of encouragement

good shots…worse than hitting a hole in one on a re-tee? hitting a hole in one and no one being there.

Prov 19:13 A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a wife’s nagging is an endless dripping.

Prov 21:19 Better to live in a wilderness than with a nagging and hot-tempered spouse.

Prov 21:9 Better to live on the corner of a roof than to share a house with a nagging spouse.

Blind spots

OTHERS HELP YOU SEE YOU accurately

Helps you see ahead; illus: ball spotting/ yell FORE

Experience

You have experience to give…a gift/grace to bestow.

Grace…something you don’t earn, but receive. More grace is often required when playing with new players. They do their best, and yet get to come hit from my shot.

OTHERS EXPERIENCE to give you.

Water on the green often gives a guide for how the ball rolls…water of spirit moves shows us the way.

Rory sat with Jack Nicholas, talked how manage Augusta… every shot, where to be for best scoring opportunity…,we all need wise & mature believers 

Someone is always better. You can always learn. You are always a disciple.

illus: study by harvard, over the course of 90 years of data studying men have found 1 clear attribute that leads to a satisfied life…it’s not money, not sex, not social status, not IQ, not physical strength…it’s rich, deep, long-term friendships.

for men..Another set of research revealed the key ingredients that make friendships strong. There are three factors most researchers have agreed on:

Proximity

Unplanned interactions

Vulnerability

What does is profit to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul?

My goal was to give you proverbial wisdom and perspective on whats essential to be a god-honoring man — humility, honesty, disciplined practice, and deep relationships.

How are you doing in these areas?

______________________________________________________________________________

Talk it Over (being honest & open with friends, a spouse, or your Group)

The message was about FORE! essential truths that help us improve in our faith and life. What is one idea from Sunday’s message that impacted you?

Read Proverbs 1:2-7. What is the Holy Spirit saying through these verses?

What are the four essential truths the sermon emphasizes for living a god-honoring life?

In what ways can practicing humility help us avoid pride and its consequences in our daily relationships?

Can you think of a recent situation where being honest helped resolve a conflict? How did it align with what was shared in the sermon?

What biblical examples illustrate the importance of discipline in a believer's life as mentioned in the sermon?

How can understanding your own weaknesses lead to healthier relationships?

How does the idea of 'practice' connect to the concept of discipleship in the Christian faith?