How to Master Life

Introduction

Many of you know about a new Challenge my wife Ashton and I have taken on over the last couple of months. I want to thank all of you for your love and support for us in this season, and thank you for your generous gifts that allowed us to get the Renew House up and running. It’s been an amazing challenge, but also a huge blessing. We hope if you haven’t been over to use the space or hang out with us yet, that you get a chance to sometime this summer.

I really hope you get a chance to swim in the pool as well. Speaking of the pool, there is one thing that has been a huge challenge to me and has tested my patience. And yes, you guess it, it’s the pool. Now the pool is great, its beautiful, its luxurious, and refreshing and I know some people have already benefited from it, which is great. But man oh man, it’s been a lot of work and stress getting that bad boy up and running.

To be honest, all the work and stress has less to do with the condition of the pool and has more to do with my inexperience. I have never imagined myself owning a pool. I think pools are great, and I enjoy swimming in them, but if you were to tell me that, in order to swim in a pool, I need to be the one who maintains it, I would say back to you, “well, good think i prefer to be dry”. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely thankful for the pool, and once the pool is ready to be used regularly and is simply a maintenance project rather than I may change my mind, but it’s taken up a lot of time and caused a lot of stress.

Every time I’m out there working on the pool, I think to myself “you know what would be great? If I had a master pool buy right next to me answering any questions I had, telling me exactly what to do, how to do it, and why I should do it that way. “ I can do the work, that’s not a problem, it’s not knowing what to do, or how to do it that make me anxious.

Do you ever find yourself wishing you had a master, right beside you, every step of the way, telling you exactly what you need to do, how to do it perfectly, and why you ought to do it that way?

Maybe you’re starting out in the trades, you’re in your first year of an apprenticeship and you’re thinking to yourself “oh my goodness, there is so much to know, I’ll never learn it all, I can’t do this”! Your boss is just doing his thing, moving from task to task, and you’re sitting there paralyzed thinking “am I supposed to screw this in here? will is screw up the whole thing? Is he gonna come by and judge me cause i’ve got no idea what I’m doing.”

Or maybe you’re a new mom, you just brought this baby home 3 months ago, and she is crying. and you’re looking down at this beautiful living human being thinking “what in the world have I gotten myself into? I have no idea what this baby wants, what this baby needs, I can’t ask the baby, she’s not talking to me yet. How in the world is this child going to make it a year under my care, I can’t even care for myself” and you are thinking “If only Mrs. Duggard from 19 and counting was here right now, I would feel a lot more confident in doing this”

Or maybe you struggle with communication in your relationship. You’re in a conflict with your partner and the more you speak, the worse it’s getting. You are there, staring at your partner thinking “if only I had a master communicator, standing right beside me, translating everything this person is saying to me with perfect clarify, and explaining their exact motive so I can understand them completely. I could then have the master communicator take whats on my mind and heart, translate it into the perfect sentence that will help this person understand exactly how I feel.”

At Renew, we are going into a new series called Fool Proof, it’s a summer series in the book of Proverbs.

What I’d like to do this morning is explore what a proverb is, why proverbs are useful, and what they require to work. I want to explore how they benefit you and I, and what gives them the power to change us. I want us to see why we should apply them, and what it takes to apply them properly.

The Goal at the end of this series is that you have some of the tools required to live a fool proof life. So week to week I want you to think about the proverbs as being a master of life with you, along side you, at all times. I want you to think of the proverbs as your own personal master of life who’s goal is to tell you what to do in life, how to do it, and why you should do it that way so that you too can master life.

if you have a bible, please turn to . We’ll be reading out of the NIV today.

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The New International Version Chapter 1

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;

for understanding words of insight;

3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,

doing what is right and just and fair;

4 for giving prudence to those who are simple, d

knowledge and discretion to the young—

5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,

and let the discerning get guidance—

6 for understanding proverbs and parables,

the sayings and riddles of the wise. i

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

So what is a proverb?

A proverb is a wise saying for everyone, everywhere. It’s a short expression of truth that anyone can apply at any time to any circumstance.

The book of proverbs is a book of wise sayings that King Solomon, Son of King David, from around 3,000 year ago, compiled as a means to grow personally, as well as instruct young people with. These saying were used as a means to train younger men and women, but it wasn’t just for younger people. In verse 5 it says it’s for anyone willing to listen and add to their learning. Most of these proverbs weren’t written by King Solomon himself, they were wise sayings that he himself picked up from other places to add to his learning and to instruct the young.

You see, when you’re starting out a six month internship as a trades worker, you know there is a lot to learn and grow in. And the guys who make it through and succeed are the ones who are willing to drink out of the firehose of wisdom and insight that the masters are sharing with them. That’s kind of what it feels like when you dive into the book of proverbs for the first time as a young person. But for those have been successful for 35 years of service in their specialized trade, know that there is always something more to learn and wisdom to be gained.

This is true in life too isn’t it? No matter how many years we have been living on this earth, there is always wisdom to be gained in life. We never truly master life. So the proverbs then is a collection of wise sayings for everyone, everywhere. But what are they for?

So the proverbs then is a collection of wise sayings for everyone, everywhere. But what are they for?

Simply put, the proverbs are a guide to help you master life. They exist for your benefit, they teach you, grow you, help you in all areas of life.

Simply put, the wise sayings are a guide to help you master life. They exist for your benefit, they teach you, grow you, help you in all areas of life.

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The New International Version Chapter 1

2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;

for understanding words of insight;

3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,

doing what is right and just and fair;

Solomon highlights three benefits to applying the proverbs.

The first is that applying the proverbs helps us master communication. Applying the proverbs helps you understand wise language, words of wisdom and instruction and insight and communicate with it. Some would call this common sense. But common sense isn’t common sense unless it’s common sense. It takes understanding what is true and wise and insightful and intelligent to be sense, and it takes lots of people agreeing on it, to make it common. Applying the proverbs helps you understand what others are saying and helps you communicate to them with wisdom, insight, understanding, and truth.

The proverbs have proven to help people communicate in their relationships. Have you ever experienced a silly fight with your partner, then hours later read a helpful tip on communication and thought “Dangit! I wish I thought of that earlier!”, or, “Ahhhh where was my master communicator when I needed them?” With wisdom, you would have had a different outcome in your communication. You would have spoken and listened intelligently and insightfully. The Proverbs help you master your communication.

Applying the proverbs helps us master our lifestyles. In 1:3a it says the proverbs exits for prudent behaviour. They help you live a good life, a life you were meant to live. They promote healthy lifestyles emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. They will help you master your lifestyle and behaviour.

Think back to the new mom, standing there, holding her 3 month old as he cries, thinking “I have to do this for the next 18 years? I can’t handle this now, I don’t know what to do now, I’m terrified of the 18 years of my life where I’m responsible to raise this child well.” The proverbs help you promote health and well being in your family. They will be your Mrs. Duggard from 19 and counting, except way less cheesy and annoying! Somebody who has been there, done that, seen it through. Who can say “it’s going to be ok, just trust me here, try this, do that, and everything is going to be ok.”

The proverbs help us live well and master our lifestyle and behaviour. This leads us to...

Applying the proverbs help us master our morality. saying that these wise sayings not only help us know what is right and wrong, but help us DO what is right and fair and just. They help us do the right thing.

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There are times in our workplaces where we are faced with an opportunity to lie, take a shortcut, cover something up, say something behind someones back. The proverbs are like a master standing next to you at work saying, “Hey, i know you’re contemplating doing taking that short cut, but its unethical. Do the right thing and it’ll be better for you in the long run.” or when we’re in the lunch room talking about our co-workers, the wise sayings are like a master sitting next to us saying, “this isn’t the kind of talk that should be coming from you, you’re better than this, and you serve a God who you’re reflecting to these people, be slow to speak here.”

The Proverbs help us master our communication, our lifestyles, and morality.

So what are the proverbs? They are wise sayings for everyone, everywhere, and when we apply the wise sayings to our circumstances, they help us master our lives.

However, the most essential truth about the Proverbs is this… and you need to forget everything I said if you don’t get this.

Mastering our lives requires a relationship with the one true master. To become a master of your life you must have a strong relationship with the true master of your life. There are no wise sayings, insight, truth apart from the sole truth giver. There is no life to apply wisdom to outside of a life in relationship with the master.

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The New International Version Chapter 1

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Building a reverent, devoted, loving, worshipful relationship with the LORD is the foundation for all wisdom in the proverbs. That’s why solomon starts with it, he needs you to get it. There is no wisdom outside of the Master. If God is the creator God, and he created you, and knows you, and understands you, and loves you, and understands everyone around you and loves everyone around you and made life work the way it works and allows it to keep working the way it works by his providence, and if all things are for him and come from him and stand before him and are made in him, then there is nothing, no life, no wisdom, no truth, no common sense, no insight, no meaning, no nothing, apart from him. It’s a relationship with the true master that gives power to the wise sayings, who gives reason, and meaning, and purpose and strength to the Proverbs. Without the master, it’s all gibberish. Mastering your life requires a relationship with the true master. Any life mastery apart from a relationship with the true master is Folly.

I’m going to leave you with three things that a relationship with the master requires. The first is that a relationship with the master requires a listening ear. A relationship with the master requires an ear that wants to hear and learn. It requires a person who is open to hearing and understanding.

Introduction

Tell the story about the pool and my lack of experience with it.I just want a master that is right beside me and tells me exactly what to do, how to do it, and why I should do it that way.Do you ever wish you had a master right beside you, the entire time, step by step telling you exactly what you need to do and how to do it perfectly?Maybe you’re starting a new skill or trade and it feels like you’ll never understand it all. Maybe you’re a first time mom, and you are just hoping and praying you’re able to care for and raise your child well.Maybe you struggle with communication in a relationship and you wish there was a master communicator, standing right next to you, clarifying everything. We are going to open up a new series called fool proof, It’s a summer series in the book of Proverbs.This morning we’re going to explore what a proverb is, why they would be useful to us, and where the proverbs get their power from.Throughout the series I want you to consider the proverbs as having a master of life, right beside you, at all times. (Trans) Ask yourself the question: How do I master life? (Rhetorical Question)Can turn in your bibles to (Read)I. A Proverb is a wise saying for everyoneRead 1:1King Solomon is known as one of the wisest men to ever live; he compiled the book of proverbs (1:1). You could call him a Master of Wisdom.These wise sayings were known as a means of training for all people who were willing to learn; not just the young. (1:4-5)Whether you’re starting a 6 month apprenticeship as a trades worker, or you’ve been working in your field for 35 years, there is always someone for you to look up to and learn from. The same is true in life. II. Applying these wise sayings helps you master life (1:2-6)Read 1:2-3Applying wise sayings result in Intelligent speech (1:2)They help you communicate in your relationships with more insight (A)Applying wise sayings results in well living (1:3a)They help you raise your children with better emotional, physical, spiritual health. (A)Applying wise sayings results in morally good lifestyles (1:3b)They help you discern right and wrong behaviour in your workplace (A)III. Mastering life requires a relationship with the master (1:7a) THT*Read 1:7Building a reverent, devoted, loving, worshipful, relationship to the Lord is the foundation for all wisdom in the book of proverbs.a relationship with the master requires a listening earCan you imagine being a veteran mom trying to help a new mom, and all she does is talk about her ideas rather than listen to yours?Requires a trust that the master knows better and wants whats best for youCan you imagine trying to coach somebody in their communication but they keep insisting “but what about this” as if they know better.Requires practicing the way of the masterYou can be shown over and over how to putty dry-wall, but it’s practicing the ways of the master that helps you become proficient. Conclusion: In life, our master is the Lord God, creator of all life and sustainer of all life. God is the one who made all things exactly as God wanted to, and therefore understand everything far greater and deeper than we ever could.By God’s Grace, we have wisdom revealed for us in the Proverbs on how to master the life he created for us.

Can you imagine being a veteran mom trying to help a new mom and all the new mom can do is talk talk talk about her ideas and what she thinks and what she thinks she read somewhere, and what she feels is the right thing to do. If you want to master motherhood, you need to listen to the master. The master’s of motherhood. The same is true in life, stop insisting in your ways, and listen to the masters ways. Stop insisting that you should just follow your heart when raising your child, and look to the ultimate master and see what he says about raising your family and what your family needs.

A relationship with the master requires a listening ear.

Second, a relationship with the master requires trust that the master knows better. You don’t have a master/mentee relationship if you don’t trust that the master knows better than you. A relationship with the master requires you trust that the master knows whats best for you and wants what’s best for you.

Picture a couple, sitting on couch across from a marriage counsellor. Every time the marriage counsellor addresses the husband with a piece of advice on how to communicate with his wife better, the husband responds with, “well that sounds good and all, but you don’t know my situation.” or “ok, but do you have any idea what she did to me?” or “I don’t think that’ll work in our relationship, that’ll make me look week and give her control.” You need to trust that the master knows better than you and wants what’s best for you to maintain a relationship with them, the kind of relationship that lends to gaining wisdom and mastering your life. We do this to God all the time don’t we? God knows you better than you know you, and God loves you more than you love you (I know, sounds impossible right?) In order to master your life, you need to trust that the master knows better than you.

Tell the story about the pool and my lack of experience with it.I just want a master that is right beside me and tells me exactly what to do, how to do it, and why I should do it that way.Do you ever wish you had a master right beside you, the entire time, step by step telling you exactly what you need to do and how to do it perfectly?Maybe you’re starting a new skill or trade and it feels like you’ll never understand it all. Maybe you’re a first time mom, and you are just hoping and praying you’re able to care for and raise your child well.Maybe you struggle with communication in a relationship and you wish there was a master communicator, standing right next to you, clarifying everything. We are going to open up a new series called fool proof, It’s a summer series in the book of Proverbs.This morning we’re going to explore what a proverb is, why they would be useful to us, and where the proverbs get their power from.Throughout the series I want you to consider the proverbs as having a master of life, right beside you, at all times. (Trans) Ask yourself the question: How do I master life? (Rhetorical Question)Can turn in your bibles to Proverbs 1:1-7 (Read)I. A Proverb is a wise saying for everyoneRead 1:1King Solomon is known as one of the wisest men to ever live; he compiled the book of proverbs (1:1). You could call him a Master of Wisdom.These wise sayings were known as a means of training for all people who were willing to learn; not just the young. (1:4-5)Whether you’re starting a 6 month apprenticeship as a trades worker, or you’ve been working in your field for 35 years, there is always someone for you to look up to and learn from. The same is true in life. II. Applying these wise sayings helps you master life (1:2-6)Read 1:2-3Applying wise sayings result in Intelligent speech (1:2)They help you communicate in your relationships with more insight (A)Applying wise sayings results in well living (1:3a)They help you raise your children with better emotional, physical, spiritual health. (A)Applying wise sayings results in morally good lifestyles (1:3b)They help you discern right and wrong behaviour in your workplace (A)III. Mastering life requires a relationship with the master (1:7a) THT*Read 1:7Building a reverent, devoted, loving, worshipful, relationship to the Lord is the foundation for all wisdom in the book of proverbs.a relationship with the master requires a listening earCan you imagine being a veteran mom trying to help a new mom, and all she does is talk about her ideas rather than listen to yours?Requires a trust that the master knows better and wants whats best for youCan you imagine trying to coach somebody in their communication but they keep insisting “but what about this” as if they know better.Requires practicing the way of the masterYou can be shown over and over how to putty dry-wall, but it’s practicing the ways of the master that helps you become proficient. Conclusion: In life, our master is the Lord God, creator of all life and sustainer of all life. God is the one who made all things exactly as God wanted to, and therefore understand everything far greater and deeper than we ever could.By God’s Grace, we have wisdom revealed for us in the Proverbs on how to master the life he created for us.

To have a relationship with the master, you need to have a listening ear, you need to trust that the master knows better than you and wants what’s best for you, and...

You need to practice the way of the master. You need to apply what the master is telling you. You need to live according to what you hear from the master. And you need to keep practicing it, and practicing it, and practicing it.

You see, the young apprentice can watch youtube videos on how to putty and paint new drywall. He can even be shown how to do it by the master. The master can walk him through it step by step telling him everything he needs to know about puttying and painting drywall. But the apprentice still needs to try it for himself. He needs to do it over and over and over. He needs to make mistakes, and be shown again how to do it. But with enough practice of the ways of the master, eventually the apprentice will master the skill.

The same is true for and apprentice of wise sayings. The apprentice of wise sayings needs to be told what is right, and shown why it’s right, but needs to practice wisdom over and over in many circumstances in order to master the wisdom.

Conclusion

In life, our master is the Lord God, the creator of all life and sustainer of all life. God is the one who made all things exactly as He wanted, and therefore understands all things far greater and deeper than we, his apprentices ever can.

By God’s grace, we have some of God’s wisdom revealed to us in the book of Proverbs. We have been given the chance to know how to master the life God created for us. And like I said earlier, we all agree we can never totally master this life, but we have a master who gives us more and more wisdom as we grow in him, and practice his wisdom in our lives. We can know how to live a fool proof life, and we have been invited by the master to practice this fool proof life for his glory, for our benefit, and for the benefit of the world around us.