Proverbs 3, September 26, 2021

Introduction

One of the biggest things I worried about growing up was whether I would be able to make it as an adult. Whether I would be able to get a job that paid well enough to provide for my needs and that of my family. And so one of the things I did in order to provide for my family was to go to Indiana Wesleyan University and get a degree. And after attending Indiana Wesleyan and then spending five more years at Dallas seminary I was very fortunate to get a job here at cornerstone Bible church. And yet in my 9 years of education and in my nine years since I finished school I've seen many many many people either not finish their degrees or not use the degrees they spent so much money on.

What I'm driving at is we want our children to succeed we want to succeed ourselves and college is one of those things that we invest heavily in believing it will help us succeed in life. Perhaps as adults you and I invest in things that we think will help us succeed. A new book, a digital course, a new tool, we want to succeed at adulting :)

proverbs chapter one introduced us to the importance of pursuing wisdom. Proverbs chapter 2 told us how to pursue wisdom and some of the benefits of doing so. Proverbs chapter three is going to crack open the treasure chest to give us a look at the treasure trove that wisdom has to offer us.

This chapter has been called a crash course in success by some commentators. It's been said that in the book of proverbs and perhaps in this chapter in particular you can get a better education then you would receive at many universities for succeeding in life. And for those of you paying off student loans this excess that proverbs holds outcomes at a much cheaper price :)

A Crash Course in Success.

To fully teach out this chapter could fill an entire sermon series in itself. So what I hope to do today is to organize the chapter a little bit and walk through it to equip you and I to dwell on it and mine this chapter for the wealth of wisdom God holds out in it.

First of all the chapter begins as a father challenging his son again to pay attention.

Proverbs 3:1–4 ESV

1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, 2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. 3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Pay Attention

In these first four introductory versus we see the incredible value that wisdom ads to the lives of men and women. Favor and good success in the sight of God and man. What greater success could any of us hope for to live faithfully with favor and success in the eyes of God and man? If you and I will pay attention to the verses to come we will find this favor.

Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

I think these two verses are perhaps some of the most memorable versus in the book of proverbs. And yet they are challenging.

With all your heart...Entirely Trusting God.

How easy is it to trust God with all of your heart? it is so tempting to worship other things period to put your trust in your finances or your abilities. But God calls us to trust him entirely.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Mark 12:30 ESV

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

And do not lean on your own understanding...Exclusively Trusting God.

You know we are by nature inclined to rely on our perspective on the world. But the problem is our perspective and our mind is corrupted bye sin. Our culture preaches that we should make our choices by following our heart. And many people make decisions about family and finances and their future without consulting God but based on what they feel is right.

A humbling reality that the book of proverbs points out is that

We can't trust our feelings.

Proverbs 14:12 ESV

12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Proverbs 28:26 ESV

26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Someone might feel happier if they left their spouse for someone else. And mother or father might feel like not disciplining their kids. You might feel like taking a shortcut at work period you might not feel like spending time with God in the morning. Our feelings can be manipulated! Social media giants understand this and they are doing this all day long.

In all your ways acknowledge him... Extensively trusting God

God doesn't want us to just trust him with the kind of music we sing at church or how we act on Sunday. He wants us to trust him with our family, our finances, our work... every area of our life.

The person who trusts God entirely, exclusively, and extensively will enjoy success in life.—Jim Newheiser

Don't be self wise.

Proverbs 3:7–8 ESV

7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

fear of God leads to humility, refreshment, and hope. An education that excludes an awareness and fear of God will not lead to the hope that God offers.

Use your wealth to honor God.

Proverbs 3:9–10 ESV

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

And now I know many of you may react to this and say hold on, I don't have a lot of wealth. But what does this say? It says to give to God out of the first fruit of what you produce. Each of us who are working produce something. It's easy to wait to give to God until all the rest of the bills are paid. But when we give to God first that takes faith and trust. But when we give to God first it shows how much we want to honor him in our lives.

There was a lot of generosity will be gods blessing. And you know the incredible thing... This isn't prosperity theology. Even if you don't get a raise after you give to the church God is still blessing and working in your life. God's blessing encompases so many areas of our life.

God calls us to trust that he is more than able to meet all our needs.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

God calls us to store up heavenly treasure

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Embracing God's discipline.

Living out the proverbs doesn’t mean that following God will be smooth and without pains.

Proverbs 3:11–12 ESV

11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

God disciplines us because he loves us. And so some of the hard things we go through in our life will be the training discipline of God.

And even though discipline may hurt. Even though hard circumstances maybe something we don't want. We need to remember that God forges some of the greatest faith through some of the darkest pains. God creates people he uses greatly through hardship.

And besides didn't Jesus learn from suffering?

Hebrews 5:8 ESV

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

OK here we're going to skip forward and then loop back a little bit.

Three ways to live wisely with others.

Fulfill your obligations

Proverbs 3:27–28 ESV

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.

A wise individual fulfills the obligations he or she engages in.

Don’t harm your neighbor

Proverbs 3:29–30 ESV

29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm.

We are so easily offended today. We share our offense online so we can get sympathy and get cheered on. A wise person is not obsessed with their own rights but rather how they can serve Jesus.

Don’t envy a sinful neighbor

Proverbs 3:31–35 ESV

31 Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, 32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. 33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. 35 The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.

We must be people who take a long look in the world. We must remember that God will judge sin.

James 4:6 ESV

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

The blessings of success that come from living with wisdom towards God and man.

A long, healthy, happy life.

Proverbs 3:16 ESV

16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

Proverbs 3:17–18 ESV

17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.

The favor of God and Man

Proverbs 3:4 ESV

4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Material prosperity

Proverbs 3:10 ESV

10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Spiritual treasures

Proverbs 3:14–15 ESV

14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Protection from trouble and fear

Proverbs 3:22–26 ESV

22 and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. 23 Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. 24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, 26 for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

God will honor you

Proverbs 3:25 ESV

25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,

Overpromising proverbs.

Second OK let's slow down for a second. Let's remember again that sometimes wise people don't live a long life. Sometimes wise people don't enjoy material prosperity. Sometimes wise people don't enjoy the favor of God and man.

First of all we have to remember that proverbs are not promises they are maxims of how things work.

Secondly, sometimes God has a bigger prospective then we will ever have... God always has a bigger perspective than we will ever have and allows some things to happen.

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

I love this quote:

‘If God rewarded virtue immediately, the son would confound pleasure with piety, using piety and ethics to satisfy his prurient interests’ rather than living by faith.-Bruce Waltke

One more thing we also have to remember. The book of proverbs was written under the old covenant. And the old covenant that God made with the nation of Israel was packed with promises and curses. The literal country of Israel would suffer financial and governmental ruin if they disobeyed God. And if they obeyed God he promised financial blessing and blessing as a country. We are not under the old covenant but the new one. But this old covenant and the promises of it look ahead to Jesus Kingdom. And the truths of proverbs still hold true in our day.

Conclusion

have you pursued wisdom as much as you could have? Where could you pursue wisdom more this week?

As Christians we live because of what Jesus did for us. He came and lived a perfect life and yet God allowed painful things to happen to him through the cross so that we could receive salvation. Jesus entrusted himself to the father and thereby provided salvation for all mankind.

Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

[1] Jim Newheiser, Opening up Proverbs, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 61. [2] Jim Newheiser, Opening up Proverbs, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 68.