Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Please open your Bibles to have title my message “How to Live the Good Life.”

What would you say is a good life?

The ancient Greeks reflected on this question.

Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all believed that the good life was the pursuit of virtue through philosophy.

Epicurus and his followers believed that the good life was the pursuit of pleasure.

Do anything that maximizes pleasures and minimizes pain.

Eastern religions like Buddhism believes that the good life is a denial of pleasures and self-interest so one can attain nirvana, the state of enlightenment where one ceases from personal desires.

The modern American believes that the good life is the pursuit of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness which is taken from our declaration of Independence.

The modern secular person’s view of happiness is do whatever makes you happy as long as you are not hurting anyone and you are a good moral and upright person.

With this vision of life, each person determines his own happiness.

You may think that a good life is having a good family.

A wife that loves you and children who respect you.

A good job to provide for your family.

You may think that a good life is having financial security.

If you can live debt free, save lots of money, pay off a house and have a huge retirement account, you consider this a good life.

Others will say you need to do what you are passionate about and love.

Follow your dreams.

Work hard and you can achieve anything.

This is the good life.

If the author of Proverbs were to give a commencement speech on how to have the good life, I wonder what wisdom would tell us.

If I were to ask you what is the good life and you fill in the blank?

What would you say?

I have the good life when.......spouse?

bank account?

debt free?

better job?

family?

physically healthy?

The problem with all these answers is that it leaves out God.

Well, what does the Bible say about a good life?

The author of Proverbs gives us answers for how to live the good life.

I want to argue this morning that the good life, the happy life, is the God-centered life.

What is the chief end of man?

To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Or as Piper puts it “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him”.

The good life according to the Bible is one that finds its ultimate joy in glorifying God.

Glorifying God and enjoying Him are not opposed to one another, but have the same end: the glory of God.

Wisdom will teach us how to live a God-centered life.

In , we will see that a God-centered life provides many benefits and rewards:

wisdom is the skill of living.

It is a practical knowledge that helps one know how to act and how to speak in different situations.

Wisdom entails the ability to avoid problems, and the skill to handle them when they present themselves.

Wisdom also includes the ability to interpret other people’s speech and writing in order to react correctly to what they are saying to us.

What does the Bible think say about what makes a good life?

Wisdom has the formula for the good life which includes many benefits like:

The rewards include longevity and prosperity (v. 2), favor with God and people (v.

4), fewer problems (v.

6), health (v.

8), prosperity (v.

10), and awareness of God’s love (v.

12).

What makes a good life?

Main Proposition: In proverbs 3:1-12, we will look at 5 keys to living a God-centered life, so that you and I would live long and good lives on this earth.

Scripture:

In this passage, the author gives us five keys to living a good and successful life.

And with each command, there is a following benefit or reason that accompanies each command.

I. Keep the Commandments (vv.

1-2)

The first key to living the good life is to keep the commandments.

Solomon tells his son not to forget the teaching (torah/law).

Again, the fifth commandment tells us to honor our parents and here Solomon gives another lecture to his son that in listening he will be blessed.

Proverbs

Solomon may have been familiar with the teaching of where parents are instructed to diligently teach their children the fear of God.

Parental instruction was teaching God’s ways to the child.

Guard (yiṣṣōr; see 2:8) implies living out the probably memorized commandments (see 1:8; 2:8)

To ‘keep’ something means to guard or watch over it.

In this case, it is one’s heart that is protected (cf.

Prov.

4:23).

The heart is the center and seat of one’s inner life, including mind, emotions, and will.

Notice the benefit of listening and obeying Solomon’s teaching.

It would lead to long life and peace.

God’s commands and his instruction through our parents our good for us.

The noun שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) here means “welfare, health, prosperity” (BDB 1022 s.v.

3).

It can be used of physical health and personal well-being.

It is the experience of positive blessing and freedom from negative harm and catastrophe.

Listening, remembering, and obeying instruction would:

Listening, remembering, and obeying instruction would:

It refers to well-being, prosperity, bodily health, and the internal condition of being at rest, contented or fulfilled.

It is, in short, the state of blessedness one can expect when he lives his life within God’s created design.

Biblical History

When we read the story of the kings, those who did not keep the teaching and forsook God were often punished when God raised up foreign enemies to oppress Israel, and some even died in battle or through their foolish actions because they did not listen to Solomon’s instructions.

Christ

Long Life

As mentioned previously, even Christ in his humanity learned obedience and submission as a young child under Mary and Joseph’s care.

Young Member

Peace

Don’t forget the the teaching passed down to you.

Don’t just be a hearer of the word.

The Bible often repeats phrases and themes because we don’t often get it the first time.

We need to remember what we have been taught and be constantly reminded of what we have been thought.

Treasure these words for they are not just for memorization or knowledge, but understand that commands and parental instructions our for life.

Older Members

One of the best things you can do is to pass down the teaching or the law down to the next generation.

Paul had this idea in mind:

He had four generations in mind: himself to timothy, timothy to faithful men, faithful men who teach others.

Church

We gather to remember what God has told us.

We hear things repeatedly because we far too easily forget what we heard and we fail to practice what we hear.

Children

Obey mom and dad.

Trust me.