Proverbs 20 | Wine Is a Mocker

[Music] so let's begin looking here at proverbs I'll read verses 1 through 5 in chapter 20 but I will be spending several minutes looking at the first verse and you'll obviously know why as we can look at these verses together proverbs 20 beginning at verse 1 wine is a mocker strong drink is a brawler whoever is led astray by it is not wise the wrath of the King is like the roaring of a lion whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life it's honorable for a man to stop striving since any fool can start a quarrel the lazy man will not plow because of winter he will beg during harvest and have nothing counsel in the heart of man is like deep water but a man of understanding will draw it out so let's spend some time looking at verse 1 wine is a mocker strong drink is a brawler whoever is led astray by it is not wise this this subject of drinking is one of those heated subjects one of the most heated really subjects that that Christians argue about the most what's interesting about the argument as Christians are involved in arguing about this is in the past in my spiritual life in the past if I had a discussion that could have been called an argument about drinking it wouldn't have been with another Christian but today the argument seems to be amongst Christians I've shared I do share it at pastors conferences I over the years have been used by the Lord to teach pastors and we have conversations related to a variety of things and and I've said at more than one conference who would have ever thought that this subject would ever be debated amongst Calvary Chapel pastors but it is there are people who are saying drinking's fine recreational drinking is good and there are others who say no ought not to be done one of my first Facebook live broadcasts that I do now was on the subject of recreational drinking and it by far had the most views not just hits but views I know that we've had over 60,000 people watch that one particular Facebook post because this is a controversial subject this is a subject that a lot of people are debating on one hand you have those who are in favor of what we call today recreational drinking but on the other hand you have those who are strongly opposed to the use of alcohol some believe drinking comes under the umbrella of grace and because they say they were there experiencing the grace of God there they're free to drink and they do so but those who do so will say that those who oppose what they're doing well anybody who does that they'll say is a legalist and so on the one hand you have someone who says I have the grace of God I can drink whenever I want the Bible doesn't forbid me drinking and simply forbids me from being drunk and so if I want to drink a glass of wine I want to have some beer now who are you to judge me I experienced the grace of God and if you say that there's something wrong with what I'm doing while you were simply legalistic and so they drink they say drinking can be considered useful and doesn't the scriptures say that it's useful in dealing with sorrow or sometimes with anxiety they'll say the Bible uses wine as the symbol of joy and of course Jesus was a bartender because he made wine so they say the Bible forbids drunkenness but does not forbid a glass of wine others will argue that drinking reflects the values of the unsaved they say to drink is to disregard the dangers of alcohol and to drink without concern for others is to not love others they point out that drinking is a stumbling block and it can encourage and even lead to an unholy lifestyle you know Paul did write concerning drinking it's interesting how he began to broach that subject in Ephesians because in Ephesians 5 verses 14 through 17 this is what the Apostle wrote he said awake you who sleep arise from the dead in Christ will give you light see then that you walk circumspectly not as fool's but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil therefore do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is and so he said in this passage as he was leading up to a statement concerning alcohol he said you need to walk carefully you need to redeem the time he said do not be unwise he said understand the will of the Lord and then immediately after writing these words he went on to say and do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation but he said be filled with the spirit you see that in Ephesians 5:18 so all these commands that he just gave hinged on their understanding the times that they're living in they were living in days where the entire atmosphere was in hostile opposition to Christ and because the days are evil he said believers are instructed to live lives that honor Jesus Christ and so Paul contrasted the life of one with no self-control with the spirit controlled life so in contrast the dissipation which is a lack of self-control dissipation the believer was to evidence the fruit of the Spirit so when some are under the influence they do evidence a lack of self-control how many of you have ever seen I know everybody's hands gonna go well so I'll say it just because I feel like how many of you have ever seen someone drunk raise your hands come on now you have it some of you haven't you didn't know me I was a drunk for years and my friends were drunks and when somebody is under the influence of alcohol and I'm not saying somebody who who you know had a beer I'm saying somebody under the influence of alcohol they most definitely do not exhibit self-control they don't you know their their speech is slurred their vision is blurred they walk erratically they're not under control sometimes they just say what's on their mind sometimes they get pugnacious even as it says wine is a mocker but strong drink is a brawler they they they you know a guy who's five foot six a hundred and ten pounds when he's drunk suddenly is six five 250 you know he just becomes bigger than what he really is he's out of control and so when somebody is under the influence of alcohol that is called dissipation and they will lack self-control in contrast to that the Bible very clearly says believers are to live a life of self-control and the use of alcohol does undermine that as stated a moment ago there are Christians who have no problem drinking and they do argue in its favor I refer to them sometimes as alcohol evangelists because sometimes they even attempt to argue people into their position and yes I've had that experience with members of this church they want to argue you into their position sadly those who argue in favor of what they refer to as grace are very often more concerned with their wants they forget or intentionally ignore what Paul wrote concerning our liberties that we do have in Christ remember in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 12 Paul said all things are lawful for me but all things are not helpful all things are lawful for me but I will not be brought under the power or of any I may have grace but I don't abuse it I'm not going to be under it's under the power of any any anything other than the power of the Spirit and so obviously this is one of those issues that people have lots of questions about lots of arguments go on about it today there are those who have Liberty to drink you know and so for those who enjoy the Liberty to drink these questions might help to consider the pros and the cons of of drinking and let me ask you some questions this will help you to think through the issue there's some very basic ones it's nothing you know something so radical or something so new this is just something to think about let me ask you some questions about about drinking is it costly is it something that I should spend my money on is it habit for me if I become addicted how will it affect my life or the life of my family can I make poor decisions while under the influence of alcohol can my life and those I love be affected by it will it offend other Christians do I have to defend my drinking to others will it harm my Christian testimony can I share the gospel effectively while drinking is it right has it improved my testimony has it made me more like Jesus those are questions to think about would you're arguing the position of freedom to drink you know at this time there are over 16 million alcoholics in the United States 76 million Americans who do not drink have an immediate family member who is an alcoholic between 10 and 15 percent of all Americans are alcoholics it is the number one drug problem in the United States one website said that Americans spent around fifty seven billion dollars on alcohol yearly in the last 50 years more Americans have died due to alcohol than the deaths of World War one and World War two combined twenty five to forty percent of all hospital beds every day in the United States have people with alcohol problems fifty percent of all traffic fatalities are related to alcohol 65 a day 20 percent of all freezing deaths are related to alcohol 25% of all choking deaths are related to alcohol 50% of all falling deaths due to alcohol 52% of those who died in a fire is related to alcohol 60 percent of all suicides are related to alcohol 64 percent of all murders are related to alcohol 69 percent of drownings are related to alcohol 72 percent of robberies and assaults are related to alcohol 60 percent of all rapes are related to alcohol eighty percent of all criminal court cases in the United States are related to alcohol in one way or another up to 50 percent of teen driving deaths are related to alcohol and yet in the United States alcoholism is classified as a disease that's interesting because if you really think about it and I invite you to do so because I have people in this room who are young enough to have been raised in educational systems that told you that alcoholism is a disease you can see that on every it's interesting how this works but you'll see that alcohol is is pushed so much in commercials all the time that you you you never really ever see that that it's actually a habit that that occurs through choices that I've made and and it's been classified for many years a disease but the question has to be asked if it is simply a disease then why are there breweries and distilleries why are there liquor stores and and and bars that have to be licensed to sell it why do you have to be a certain age to get it and why do you pay taxes on it because if it's a disease that doesn't make any sense I'm not licensed you know to get a cold I don't have to be a certain age to get the flu I don't pay taxes on anything like that it's been said that if there were labs making and selling hepatitis or meningitis they would be closed down 77% of all high school students in the United States claim P abused alcohol or are presently using alcohol 44% of all eighth graders have used are presently using alcohol six point six million American children under 8 live in a home with at least one alcoholic parent in the United States there are 500,000 children between the ages of nine and twelve that are already alcohol dependent eleven thousand underage young people try alcohol for the first time every day in the United States and Solomon would no Solomon who wrote proverbs would know the foolishness of alcohol because in Ecclesiastes chapter five verse three he says that he had searched his heart how to gratify his flesh with wine and he ultimately said it's all simply vanity and that's what gives to us insight into why he wrote in verse one here wine is a mocker an intoxicating drink arouses brawlin you know anybody who is led astray by it he said isn't wise all through Proverbs up to this point he's been telling us how to be why's he just told us that you're not wise when you're led astray by something like that the use of alcohol he says can make you look like a fool and act like one wine mocks the word mocks when he speaks concerning wine being a mocker is literally saying wine makes you look foolish and he says hard liquor results in fights or can generally does in other words being a really drunk you can get loud and you can get mean now the New Testament reveals that we are children of the king we are a kingdom of priests and kings scripture says and proverbs 31 verse 4 says it's not for kings Oh LEM well it is not for Kings to drink wine nor for Prince's intoxicating drink and the New Testament drunkenness is one of the sins that is listed as the lifestyle of an unbeliever and in 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 10 Paul said that thieves nor the covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God in Galatians 5 he said in verse 21 listing the works of the flesh she said they were Envy murders drunkenness revelries and the like of which east as I tell you beforehand just as I also told you in time past that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God so an individual who has led astray by alcohol is simply not wise so pastor David are you saying that I can't have a beer no I'm not I'm not saying that I'm saying do you want to be wise I'm saying do you want to be free do you want to be capable or does it matter really when I think about it maybe it doesn't matter to some but but if it does matter do you want to be capable of at any given moment sharing the gospel of Jesus of God should give you the opportunity to do that does that matter to you if it doesn't then search your ask yourself why why doesn't that matter to you I've told this story too many times there's some we already have heard it and you're gonna say I've heard this before some of you haven't heard it so I'll say it those who've heard it you can say la la line hold your ears for a minute I was an alcoholic I was an alcoholic for many years I'm not I was not a drinker that's a polite way of talking he's a drink I wasn't a drinker I was a drunk I did not drink because I liked the taste I drank because I liked the effect and I drank until I was drunk I didn't stop drinking until I was drunk and then when I was drunk I drank more so that was my lifestyle I started out at the age of 17 my Friday nights at 17 my Friday nights started out with a quart of beer and a half gallon of wine that's how my Friday night started so I drank a lot I drank often I had people score alcohol for me I stole alcohol I I was I was a drunk and my alcohol of choice was either beer or wine I started experimenting with with the tequila's and the gins and and the whiskey's and all of that later but it was easier for me just to drink the wine and to drink the beer and so I know what it's like to wake up in a pool of your own vomit I know what it's like to be arrested for alcohol being drunk in public that happened to be more than once I I know what it's like to experience those things and so when the Holy Spirit when when when God saved me and I was filled with the spirit I had a new experience with God and and all I'm born again and for a couple of years you know I didn't even have I didn't drink I had a beer on a couple of occasions after first getting saved and then I had a friend I had four who was raised in the church and it wasn't a Calvary ministry he was raised in a denominational Church and and he had never been went to drinking and before you know what he's saying you know we ought to have a beer and I'm thinking you know I'm I was in my early 20s at that time I I can legally do this I'm not going to get drunk and I started wrestling with my grace and liberties and all in and so on occasion not often but I I had had a beer with him once or twice and I didn't feel good about it but I did drink it but then one day he and I were at a pizza parlor in Huntington Beach right off a Beach Boulevard and I was seated in this pizza parlor and my friend says to me you know what iíve heard you know it goes good with pizza he says this is beer he says I'm going to get a pitcher and he got a pitcher of beer between him and me and glasses were poured the beer was in front of me an older man at that time I saw him as an old man he was probably my age now is it old man he came walking in and he sat he was he was we were in our table he was in the next table is winner this banquet kind of table so he's right in front of me he's closer than the front row here closer than that and I had the beer in front of me I was looking right at him and I picked it up and they took a drink wondering I put it down and the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said go share my love with that man I remember it as a conversation I heard his voice speak to my heart I said I can't and I'll never fear they forget it's as a true story believe it or not true story I said I can't and the voice of the Lord I know was the voice of the Lord spoke to my heart and said why can't you and I said because he saw me drinking beer and he will think I'm a hypocrite to go and tell him about your love drinking he need to understand at that time was not a real acceptable thing it really wasn't then all the more so I knew he wouldn't listen to me and as God is my witness two young men walked into that pizza parlor this older man was by himself I still remember like it was yesterday one sat on one side of him the other sat on the other and what don't pulled out a Bible opened up the Bible and started explaining the gospel to this man I saw is right there not eight feet from me and the Spirit of the Lord spoke to my heart in a way I've never forgotten and said if I cannot use you I will use someone else I have never forgotten that you can argue with me if you'd like you can tell me how free you are to drink I'm not going to condemn you but I will ask you how effective are you in your ministry how effective are you in the things of the Lord and what really matters to you your freedoms are somebody's salvation and for me the question was easy I don't need beer I don't need wine I've got the Spirit of God and that's what matters that really is what matter because the fact is many of you grew up in homes where alcohol was abused my mother was not a drinker I would never want her memory to be tarnished by an unkind thing spoken by her own son but I will tell you my mom took medications because she was an epileptic and at a variety of diseases and at a certain point in her life when I was less than ten probably eight my mom on occasion would drink and when she'd drink a beer even just one beer mixing with the the medications set her off and from that Mama whoo-hooo was loving to me my mom got hateful and my mom got angry and my mom would yell loudly and my brother and I would be in our beds hearing my mom screaming and we would literally shake I was in a home that's and I saw what that did but you know sad thing is it didn't affect me to not drink because I thought well I won't be like my mom but that isn't true because when I began to drink all the anger and frustration that had been in my heart found a way of being released and I found myself using it as an excuse to cry or to use it as an excuse to be angry or to give my opinion or to do whatever I didn't feel comfortable doing when I wasn't drinking and so I abused alcohol and I saw how I my behavior changed because of it no I wasn't the person who drank one beer I was the person who drank that the alla beers and if you got up and walked away and left yours yours is mine too I was that guy oh and some of you new guys like me you get up and leave it unguarded yeah Finders Keepers losers weepers and I would drink yours and then I remember conversation hey wait where'd my weight my wangle somebody says to me how I know so do you want to be used by the Lord if you do don't get yourself involved in something that wastes your money and waste your life you may say and I'll close with one more thing about this you may say it's no big deal I know of a minister who his father was a man who never drank he never drank but this man went to a party at dinner party and this ministers father was introduced to alcohol he never drank before was introduced to it and in his case he like the taste and he liked the effect and he began to drink and began to drink a bit early he became an alcoholic he raged against his family and lost his wife lost his marriage broke the heart of his son and and the son was deeply affected by it and the son asked the question he said something to the effect of he said well you may be saying that it's okay to to drink you don't get drunk but have you ever asked yourself how your influence affects others because the man who offered my father a drink wasn't an alcoholic but in giving to my father his first drink he encouraged him down a path that caused my father to lose everything his family his dignity he said I wouldn't want to be the one who contributed to somebody's loss the way that man contributed to my father's loss through inviting him to have alcohol so if you're going to invite anybody to anything invite them to the wine of the spirit the new wine you know I've never had a Holy Ghost hangover and I've never gotten arrested for driving under the influence of the Spirit so just be aware of that moving on verse 2 the wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life in other words it's dangerous to get a king angry why well because he can have you killed in proverbs 16 verse 14 as messengers of death is the King's wrath a wise man will appease it verse 3 it is honorable for a man to stop striving since any fool can start a quarrel a dignified person finds ways to avoid angry confrontations it says in proverbs 17 14 the beginning of strife is like releasing water therefore stop contention before quarrel starts verse 4 the lazy man will not plow because of winter he will beg during harvest and have nothing the season for planting was cold and wet so he wouldn't put up with the discomfort discomfort of working when the conditions were like that but the problem is is when harvest time comes he's going to look at a field with nothing there we saw in Proverbs nineteen fifteen that lays in his cast went into deep sleep an idle person will suffer hunger verse five counseled in the heart of man is like deep water but a man of understanding will draw it out when it says counsel in the heart of man is like deep water the word counsel is also translated the purposes the purposes of the heart and so he's speaking of the purposes of the heart being compared to deep water that means a person's motives are not easy to discern so it often takes a wise counselor to help draw the motives out to clarify those things for a direction this speaks really about how a man of understanding could be as a counselor and there are times when you may have a friend who is sharing with you some things and and they're not even aware why they do it you might even ask him why did you do that and they'll go you know I really don't know and a wise counselor knows how to ask the questions that helps people to begin to be aware of why they do what they do there are good counselors who are able to ask the right kinds of questions maybe because I've had so many conversations that they see a pattern sometimes and so they'll be speaking to somebody and they'll say you did this can you tell me why because the guy says man I you know my wife's mad at me or my kids or my having problems on the job and so a friend will begin to speak to him and instead of just going along with them yeah yeah they're all against you yeah you're always right they might ask the questions that are necessary to be asked you don't feel good about that no well why don't you feel good about that well I just don't well why don't you I don't know I never really thought about it and that's how a wise counselor can begin to ask questions it helps a person to become aware of what's going on and that's what he's basically saying a man of understanding will draw it out counsel in the heart of man is like deep water it goes deep but somebody can help and speak to them and through the questions can help them to come to an answer to their problem verse six most men will proclaim each his own goodness but who can find a faithful man many people claim to be faithful hid in the United States we know that to be sure you know oh I'm a god-fearing God many people proclaim that many people say that they're that they're good they claim to be righteous well I go to church I go to funerals and I go to weddings I've been to baptisms and you know I went there on Easter and I'll go again next year you know they will proclaim their own goodness but there are really very few who actually are because the Bible says there's none good no not one and that's why we need a Savior because none of us is good and none of us can really proclaim our own goodness verse 7 the righteous man walks in his integrity as children are blessed after him your character very often not always not always so I say very often those of you those of us were parents your character is often revealed by the behavior of your children because our children have a tendency of learning their way of thinking through their parents we are the ones who help them to define certain things my when of my my kids was at our recent married couples retreat just a couple of weeks ago and they were speaking to me this week and they said that their mate said to them after hearing your father speak and give the study he gave now I understand you better and and my child said and I'm obviously not mentioning whether it's a boy or girl my kids said yeah I I knew that once you heard what my dad was saying you'd understand the way I think and that to me was a blessing to hear because of the influence a father can have on their child and very often the character of the child ultimately will reflect the parents influence so if we live a righteous life it will affect our children and the result is that they can be blessed the greatest legacy that we give to our children is the one of a genuine faith in God and when they follow such a path their lives will also be blessed verse 8 a king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his eyes that's an interesting phrase a righteous ruler discerns evil from good and is diligent to see and deal with evil because if you see something is wrong he deals with it and that's how it works now it's interesting how it says a king who sits on the throne that would speak of a government so just governments are intended to root out evil in society not to legalize it proverbs 29:2 when the righteous are in authority people rejoice when a wicked man rules that people groan which is why I'm glad we're going to have an election real soon verse 9 who can say I have made my heart clean I'm purer for my sin no one no one is pure in thought no one is pure in word and no one is purer in activities we're all sinners and we all need grace even as it says in Psalm 51 verse 5 behold I was brought forth in iniquity and sin my mother conceived me so no one can say I've made my heart clean I am pure from my sin see the way that our heart is cleansed in our is cleansed is through the blood of Christ and so no poor no person can proclaim their own goodness no person can say I've made my heart clean because we don't do that we cannot work our way into the kingdom of God there are every religious as a matter of fact every religion outside of true Christianity teaches that you're saved by your works every one if you look at every religion you can look at Islam you can look at Judaism you can look at aberrational quote/unquote Christian cults like Mormonism and they Jehovah's Witnesses and others like that and they will they will say that you're saved by your efforts that you have to do good things well the Bible doesn't teach that at all the Bible says that there's none good no not one and the Bible teaches there's only one who has ever been good that's Jesus Christ and that's why we sinners need a Savior because God's standard for entrance into the kingdom of God isn't that we tried our best because my best always falls short of the glory of God God's standard is perfection I don't have person perfection therefore I need to receive it that's what it's called imputation when you study your Bible you'll see a theological concept called imputation he imputes to us or gives to us something we don't possess and what he imputes to us is righteousness he has given to us his righteousness because all our righteousness Isaiah said is as filthy rags and so what God does is he clothes us with robes of righteousness he washes us with the blood of Jesus and he makes us righteous and so we need a Savior because no one can say I've made my heart clean I am pure from my sin verse 10 diverse weights and diverse measures they are both alike an abomination to the Lord God hates dishonesty and business were to have integrity in business verse 11 even a child is known by his deeds whether what he does is pure andhrite that's that's so basic isn't it it's true even a child is known by his deed there there it's easy for us to say oh I believe in Jesus I I love him with all of my heart and and and and and I and I hope we do I hope we love them of course but if somebody is telling me how much they love the Lord there's going to be a pattern of their life that demonstrates that what they're saying is true no I'm not saying and I start with myself I'm not saying that that they'll be perfect because of course again none of us is is is is is perfect we all need help and and to know I don't run around looking at people's lives just to say oh you're not towing the line you're not righteous you're going to hell I don't do that either except for amory but but the bottom line is is conduct does reveal character and a consistency of a life will reveal a genuine faith consistency again I'll fall short of the glory of God you don't wake up this morning more than likely you did not wake up this morning saying I'm gonna find several ways to blow it today and ruin my testimony you probably didn't maybe you did I don't think he did but on the way to work somebody wasn't going the speed limit or they ran through a stop sign or they waved at you with one finger and it wasn't a nice moment and something happened and you got angry or something frustrated you whatever it happens does that does that disqualify us from the kingdom no it simply shows our need for a savior but what if that's my lifestyle every day what if every day I blow it every day I and I don't care every day you know I lose my temper on the weekends or whenever I can I party a sleep around whatever and then I say no I'm a believer in Jesus Christ no even a child is known by his ways even a child can be seen by their conduct so parents can see traits and their children and when they see certain traits they can encourage them because they're great traits or they could redirect them so you watch your child and you see certain things about them and you encourage them to take the right path and so even a child again it's known by his deeds verse 12 the hearing ear in the scene I the Lord made them both hearing ears when he says the hearing ear that's a reference to hearing and obeying the seen eye is not just that we have the ability to visually see things it speaks of discernment so a an ear that is hearing is an ear that is willing to be taught and the eye is willing to be discerning take it what we are being taught and putting it into practice so God gives us hearing and our vision and we are accountable for how we use them verse 13 to not love sleep you love sleep do not love sleep unless you come to poverty open your eyes and you will be satisfied with bread another way of saying diligence produces prosperity but laziness ends up in poverty verse 14 it's good for nothing Christ the buyer but when he's gone his way he boasts people like to haggle and later on they do like to boast about the deal that they made I've seen that many times if you go to Israel there are places that you may go to we're haggling you know arguing over prices are really expected it's just part of what they expected this particular marketplace or whatever and there are some places we've been where they will handle with you and so they'll say oh for you I'll give you a special deal it's ten dollars and and then you'll say oh okay because Americans are good okay and they'll give them ten dollars and they'll just smile at you but the wise person in certain conditions why isn't the sense of understanding what's going on we'll say how you getting me $10 for that I can't I'll give you three and the goal you're insulting me how can you say that how am I going to feed my children and then you say I don't know I hope you can but I'm not going to give you $10 and then he'll say okay okay okay okay I've seen it I haven't done it I've seen it okay $8 $8 and you're breaking my heart and and then you go no no no no I can't give you eight but it is worth more than three I'll give you five five five you might as well leave but don't I'll tell you what let's meet at 7:00 you and your mind you're already thinking six and so you say I'll give you six for you only my friend right see I have some I have some people who've been with me in Israel you know what I'm saying is true don't you you know what I'm saying it's true it's not always true some places will say get out of here you know but most don't you know just depends on where you're going and then what do you do you take it to the tour with the Teutons and you say look what I got I only paid 6 bucks for this that's what he's talking about that's what he's saying here it's good for nothing cries the buyer but when he's gone his way he boasts the wood I got for 6 bucks man I should have bought two that's what they do okay it's true verse 15 there is gold and a multitude of rubies but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel it is more rare to find dispensers of knowledge than finding gold and precious stones and that's a true verse 16 take the garment of one who is sure it a cosigner surety for a stranger hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress what an interesting phrase taking a garment is one way of holding someone responsible to pay their debt and the point of this is people should be held to their obligations verse 17 bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel sometimes people will will rely to get what they want it's deceit they're lying to get what they want and for them it's a sweet thing they like it it's tasty they like what they're doing that's the point but he's saying things acquired by dishonest means never satisfied completely initially they may they may you may like it a lot but ultimately he says it will result in serious injury when he speaks about the mouth being filled with the gravel it's another way of saying the teeth will be broken by the gravel so it's injurious so somebody may like it but the end result of that is never good verse 18 plans are established by counsel by wise counsel wage war there are so many applications to this in practical daily living but if you want to be fruitful in your plans it is always wise to get the best advice you can get always wise an individual who doesn't ask other people's opinions and even ask advice of others or makes use of other people's experience is not a wise person if we think that we can make our decisions without the help of other people were making a big mistake it's always a good idea to ask now I'm not saying to follow what other people do without thinking things through but if you're making plans there may be something somebody else knows that you don't know and so it's just a good idea to ask questions and I'm telling you this is true in a variety of things in a variety of things I have people ask me questions and advice it's funny I don't know why they do I'm no expert in anything but sometimes they'll ask me advice about things that I don't even know I have no expert on that but they'll ask what would you think about and I think it's because they're just asking and getting advice just see if it kind of fits in with what they were thinking sometimes I I have thought I need to do a certain thing whatever it may be and and I have pastor friends who have gone before me who've done things and I'll say I'm thinking about doing this what do you think my own Pastor Chuck Smith when when he was alive I I learned how to communicate with him because if you walked up to Chuck Smith and you said to him I'll give you an example I did this I walked up to chuck on one occasion I said pastor I said I'm I was thinking of doing this and I was thinking of doing doing it this way and I was actually asking for advice but the way I said it I said yeah I'm planning on doing this so he looks at me I'll never forget he looks at man he's just smiles and it goes oh okay that was it so I walk away thinking I guess that's a good idea it wasn't so later on another time I walked up to Pastor my pastor and I said to him Chuck I've had I have this opportunity and this is what's in front of me what would you do his whole attitude changed whole attitude change what would I do I said yeah what would you do and I'll never forget he says oh if it was me that's how I learned to ask advice from my pastor if I walked up and told him I was going to do something he'd say go for it because I was telling him what I was going to do but when I walked up to him and learned to say what would you do that was an entirely different thing now I'm getting advice Chuck didn't like telling me what to do but he would tell me what he would do and when I heard what he would do I would mix that into the bag that I had and then I could have more information to make a decision it's always wise to ask opinions especially from those who've gone before you those who know more those who've been there and that I have to say is just is just a good advice so for a plan to be fruitful get good advice proverbs 15 22 says without counsel plans go awry but in the multitude of counselors they are established verse 19 he who goes about as a tail bearer reveal secrets therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips be careful with those who talk too much one of the most practical I'll use the word practical pieces of advice my mother gave to me was was this she said David I'll never forget that she said David she says be careful because if somebody comes and speaks to you about somebody else I always remember that they're talking about you to somebody else that's a fact that was good advice anybody who comes in gossips to you about somebody else is gossiping about you to somebody else so be very careful that you don't open up the treasures of your heart to people who really shouldn't have those treasures be very careful even Jesus himself did not disclose himself to all men for he knew what was in men and so be very careful when you run around giving your problems to somebody because you may see your problems on face book tomorrow verse 20 whoever curses his father or his mother his lamp will be put out in deep darkness when it says curses cursing speaks of disrespecting speaking poorly of and the lamp while the lamp often speaks of life in other words if you go around cursing and disrespect you speaking poorly of your family you will have a short life verse 21 and inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end you know and it says gained hastily at the beginning it may be like there's an evil child and the evil child basically drives away their parents or or makes plans or strives to get the inheritance that is promised them quickly and he says somebody who does something like that well in the end they're not going to be blessed and as I was reading this I couldn't help but think of the story of the prodigal son because the prodigal son you know the story it's found in the Gospel of Luke the prodigal son went to his father and said to his father give me my portion of my inheritance and though he could do that it wasn't something against the Mosaic law for a Jewish son to ask the father to give him his inheritance before the father died by asking the father to give him his inheritance before the father died that was a high a very high insult it was it was in essence it was saying the prodigal son was saying to his dad I can't wait until you die so give me what it's mine now and that's you know and then you know the story how that prodigal gets up he goes to a far country wastes everything with prodigal or wasteful living and the Bible speaks to us concerning the fact that that the the son is there wanting to eat the pods that would be feeding the swine and he's a Jewish boy he's he's with the unclean pigs in a foreign land and he says to himself you know my father has servants who are eating better than I am what should I do well this is what I'll do I'll go home and I'll speak to my father and I'll say father I've sinned against heaven and I've sinned against you I'm no longer worthy to be called your son make me as a servant because he's got a plan he's made a plan what is gonna get me back in the good graces of my father I'll tell him I've been unworthy my father's a merciful man and he'll welcome me back and and he won't treat me as a serpent he's going to make sure that I'm back in the house and that was a plan very often what we do when we study the story of the prodigal son is we think how it says he came to himself and said that that was a point of repentance but there's actually other application to that because if you look at it a little closer and you understand a little bit of the Middle Eastern culture of that day you'd see what the boy was really doing what he was really doing it was formulating a plan how can I get back into the good graces my father and get out of this pigsty is what he's really doing is he repenting no he's not now when you read that story the Bible speaks concerning the father seeing the Sun yet afar off and the father went running to the Sun if you know something again about Middle Eastern culture you will know that a man an older man never runs anywhere he walks the Sun if anybody should have been running just the son to the Father but you see the father running to the Sun why is that because at that time that son who had dishonored the father that son had been put on trial by proxy by the the town elders and they had declared him to be forbidden to enter into the city if they saw the son coming into the city they could chase him and maybe even harm him and in some cases even kill him and the father knew that that's why the father is waiting for the son because he knows that my son may one day appear with that horizon and I had better get to him before they do because they can ban him from the village for the rest of his life or harm him and that's why the father ran to the son when the son sees the father running that's what pierced the soul of the son he didn't even give his full speech father I have sinned against heaven and you I am no longer worthy to be your son that was his repentance when he saw the Grace and love and protective care of the father and that's how the prodigal was welcomed back in and that's where salvation is demonstrated in the story of the prodigal son and so this this particular proverb just simply kind of foretells that story that Jesus gave when it says basically that this inheritance gained hastily at the beginning isn't less than the end because that boy had he not a father who went to retrieve him would have had a wasted life because of how he did that verse 22 do not say I will recompense evil wait for the Lord he will save you in other words leave room for God to justly deal with the wrongs that have been done to you remember Romans 12:19 beloved do not avenge yourselves rather give place to wrath it's written vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord verse 23 diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord dishonest scales are not good we already saw that sentiment in verse 10 verse 24 a man steps are of the Lord how then can a man understand his own way when and this is interesting well it's all interesting really I shouldn't say it like that but this is interesting in this way I want you to notice something here you wouldn't notice I didn't notice it until I started studying and looked into a commentator was pointing this out and then I did some word researches and and he was right what he was saying this is interesting and a point out to you here when it says in verse 24 a man's steps the word man there the first time the word man a man steps is a word that speaks literally of a mighty man it's a Hebrew word that is usually spoke used to refer to the mighty man a man of power and strength a mighty man a man of Valor but the second time the word man is used how then can a man understand his own way the second time the word man is used is a different word it's what is called a generic word it speaks really of a human being so the word man is actually two different Hebrew words a mighty man steps are of the Lord how then can a human being understand his own weight now what's the thought the steps of a great and powerful man depend upon the Lord because God controls the results man is responsible for his own actions but God by grace directs the results of his plans so we need to trust in the Lord as he directs us by his Spirit and his word because according to psalm 37:23 the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way and so if you want to be a mighty person in the Lord you rely on the Lord to direct your footsteps instead of going out trying to do things because you think it's just a great idea you ask God Lord what would you have me to do and then the Lord will direct your footsteps and that is a very basic thing that a lot of people don't ever learn verse 25 it's a snare for a man did you vote rashly something as holy and afterward to reconsider his vows you know don't make rash agreements when you dedicate something to the Lord don't take it back in numbers 30 verse 2 if a man makes a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement he shall not break his word he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth there are people who will say you know Lord if you do this for me I'll give you and we try to bargain with the Lord we try I'll give you I did that winners for safe I was brand new and Lord and and I had heard somewhere about that they were supposed to give God an offering and they used to have I don't know if they still do on this particular radio station they they would if you were the third person to call or the fifth person to call you could win a hundred bucks I didn't have a job and I was the new Christian and God said if you ask anything I'll do it so I'm listening to the radio and I say God I want to be the third caller and if I'm the third caller I promise you I think it's ten percent I think I'll give you ten bucks so I dialed and I didn't win I'm telling you I stay there all day and I finally said Holly need is ten bucks god I'll give you $90 at the end of the day I was promising 90% rather than ten so sometimes we like to try and make rash promises to the Lord he says that's not a wise thing to do verse 26 a wise king sifts out the wicked and brings the threshing wheel over them a wise ruler will purge wickedness out of the kingdom because he judges properly verse 27 the spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord searching all the inner depths of his heart a person's conscience is what has been referred to and so the spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord it's a way of searching your heart a person's conscience can either accuse you or excuse you but remember this the conscience is not the Holy Spirit it is your conscience and sometimes it's accurate sometimes I have a reason to feel bad and then sometimes it's not accurate and and I'm feeling bad for no reason at all and so your conscience is not the Holy Spirit your conscience is a moral barometer and but sometimes your conscience will accuse you and sometimes your conscience will excuse you and so you need to be aware of that because what happens is your inner Demps can be searched but it's not you're not always a hundred percent right for feeling the way that you do because sometimes your heart is betraying you verse 28 mercy and truth preserved the king and by loving-kindness he upholds his throne in other words when a man pleases the Lord stability occurs verse 29 the glory of young men is their strength the splendor of old men is the gray-head unless you hate that gray then you wash it away right I'll say this quickly because we're almost through when I first started going to Calvary Chapel I was twenty years old and the pastor of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa was Chuck Smith he was he was an old man and I looked at him as an old man he was 43 it's an old man when you're 20 so I had a tendency of listening more closely to other young men and I did not for a while in my early days value the counsel of the older because I figured that those old people need to just get out of the way and let the younger ones roll on because we know what should be done and it took a while for me to realize that that pastor up there had forgotten more than I had ever learned and I began to realize that his experience was something that would benefit my life if I had the wisdom to listen you see one of the one of the mistakes that I have made in that young do still make is trying to get wisdom from those who have yet to experience life with any depth will ask people there their advice on raising children when their children are one or two years of age and and and let's face it man I mean when your kids 4 years old or five years old they're easy they're not hard you're a lot bigger than them go to bed go to bed when they're 16 18 go to bed go to bed I don't want to go to bed it changes right so over time you gain you gain experience and it's that experience that you're supposed to hand other people but sometimes younger people think that they're going to get better advice from people their own age and it doesn't work to kings Jeroboam and Rehoboam Rehoboam was a son of solomon and he was given advice he had asked for advice because a man named Jeroboam who was really appreciated by the ten northern tribes is real being divided into twelve the ten northern tribes they had rallied around the leadership of Jeroboam and because Solomon had been what they considered to be very strict they came and spoke to Solomon's son Rehoboam and they said listen your father was pretty rough on us and we're asking you if you want us to remain loyal to you as the king we're asking you to lighten up a bit and so if you do we'll follow you and so what happens is Rehoboam get some of the older counselors and he speaks to the older man and he says this is what has been brought to me what do you think and they said listen if you serve them one day they'll serve you the rest of their lives humble yourself and he listens to him and then he says okay he goes to his that he had growing up with and he says this is what has been presented to me what you wish should I do and they gave him advice so he went back and he spoke to Jeroboam and he says my father my father used quips I'm gonna use score scorpions my father was harsh I'm gonna be much more harsh and then Jeroboam says what do we have to do with you he said you know to your tent so Israel and they rebelled and that's when the twelve tribes ceased being twelve tribes the ten northern tribes followed the lead of Jeroboam and the two southern tribes remained with Rehoboam and how did that take place because because Rehoboam went to advice from the younger men and did not heed the counsel of those with experience it's always wise to listen to those with godly experience they've been there they've done that and that's the wisdom the glory of you young man's his strength the splendor of an old man gray head in proverbs 16 31 the silver haired head is a crown of glory if it's found in the way of righteousness and then finally verse 30 blows that hurt cleanse away evil as do stripes the inner depths of the heart in general physical punishment can be very effectiveness effective in proverbs 22:15 foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child the rod of Correction will drive it far from him so sometimes corporal punishment would properly administered chastens and produces the motivation for a changed life it's not always the answer because not all people respond well to corporate corporal punishment as I've said so many times on a close you know my kids were different each one responded differently when you get spanked and it didn't matter the other one you'd speak to and it did so the wise thing to do is make sure you discipline your child and find the way that's most effective

Channel: Calvary Chapel Chino Valley

Views: 2,659

Rating: 4.8545456 out of 5

Keywords: Bible, Pastor David Rosales, cccv, Church, Teaching, Worship, God, Christians, Bible Study, Jesus, A Jesus People Community, Calvary Chapel Chino Valley, David Rosales, Pastor, Calvary Chapel, Holy Spirit, Gods Word, Chuck Smith, Teacher, Pastor David, End Times, Rapture, Trinity, Antichrist, A Sure Foundation, Prayer, Pray

Id: YUN45BQn1ls

Length: 69min 17sec (4157 seconds)

Published: Fri May 18 2018