Sunday
Morning Bible Study
November
5, 2017
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Regular: 2900 words Communion:
2500 words Video=75wpm
Pray for Puerto Rico outreach
folks, Israel folks
Our landlords, the Lutheran
church known as Friends in Christ is going to be merging with another Lutheran
church known as Searchlight. The new entity will be called “Searchlight”, and
they will have their services at 8:30am and 10:00am.
This will take place on December 3.
There will be some impact on our usage of rooms, and on the parking lot,
but I want to encourage you to be flexible and welcome this new flock to the
property.
The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom.
Wisdom is not about knowing facts.
Wisdom is about knowing what to do with what you know.
Wisdom is knowing when to do it.
Wisdom is knowing how to do it.
We are now in a new section of the
book of Proverbs.
We’ve finished the “mini-lectures”
that Solomon gave to his son in the first nine chapters.
The rest of the book are what we
typically call the “proverbs”.
Proverbs are sayings, typically short, that give wisdom and insight into
everyday things.
They are intended to help you lead a better life.
They are not absolute promises, as in “if you do x,y, and z your life will
be perfect”.
They are general principles – that if you do them your life will be
generally better than if you didn’t do them.
I want to encourage you to have a
pencil or pen ready as we work through each chapter.
Though we will read the entire
chapter, I won’t be taking time to unpack every single proverb.
God may want to use one of the
proverbs that we simply pass over to speak to you, so be ready to mark up your
Bible or write down a verse.
It’s going to be a little like
drinking from a fire hydrant.
The Proverbs are Hebrew poetry…
Hebrew poetry is about ideas, not sounds.
Most of these proverbs are in two lines.
Sometimes the second line is a parallel of the first. It expresses the same
idea with different words.
Sometimes the second line is an opposite idea, still clarifying the first,
but by way of contrast.
Be careful that you don’t look at one phrase without looking at the other.
Proverbs 13
:1 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, But a scoffer does not
listen to rebuke.
:1 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction
Illustration
On his sixteenth birthday a son approached his father and said, “Dad, I’m
sixteen now. When I get my license, can I drive the family car?” His dad looked
at him and said, “Son, driving the car takes maturity, and first, you must
prove that you are responsible enough. And one way you must do that is to bring
up your grades. They are not acceptable. Second, you must read the Bible every
day. And finally, you must get that hair cut; it looks outrageous.” The son
began the task of fulfilling his father’s requirements, knowing that the last
one might be impossible. When his grades came out he went to his dad with a big
smile. “Look, Dad, all A’s and B’s on my report card. Now can I drive the
family car?” “Very good, son. You are one-third of the way there, but have you
been reading the Bible?” the father replied. “Yes, Dad, every day,” said the
son. “Very good son. You are two-thirds of the way there. Now when are you
going to get that hair cut?” The son, thinking that he could outsmart the
father, responded, “Well, I don’t see why I should get my hair cut to drive the
car. Jesus had long hair, didn’t he?” The father looked at his boy and said,
“That’s right, son and Jesus walked everywhere he went.”
:2 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, But the soul of
the unfaithful feeds on violence.
(Proverbs 13:2 The Message) The good
acquire a taste for helpful conversation; bullies
push and shove their way through life.
:3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide
his lips shall have destruction.
(Proverbs 13:3 NLT) Those who control
their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.
Or, as we’ve said before, “It’s
better to keep your mouth shut and let them think you’re a fool, than to open
it and dispel all doubt.”
:4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the
soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
:4 the soul of the diligent shall be made rich
(Proverbs 13:4 NLT) Lazy
people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.
There’s a difference between having big dreams for your life, and doing
something about it.
Lesson
Rewards of Diligence
Some Christians have the notion that if they pray and study hard enough,
God will automatically give them a good job and everything they’ve ever wanted.
Illustration
GOD WILL PROVIDE
One of the verses God used in my life to get me where He was leading was
this:
(Luke 16:10–12 NLT)
—10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in
large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with
greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust
you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should
you be trusted with things of your own?
You may feel at times that you are toiling unnoticed and
unappreciated.
Even though your boss or folks at church might not know
what you’re doing, God knows what you’re doing.
He rewards diligence.
:5 A righteous man hates lying, But a wicked man is loathsome
and comes to shame.
(Proverbs 13:5 The Message) A good
person hates false talk; a bad
person wallows in gibberish.
:6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, But wickedness
overthrows the sinner.
(Proverbs 13:6 The Message) A
God-loyal life keeps you on track; sin dumps
the wicked in the ditch.
:7 There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And
one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
(Proverbs 13:7 The Message) A
pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain
and simple life is a full life.
:8 The ransom of a man’s life is his riches, But the poor does not
hear rebuke.
:8 The ransom of a man’s life is his riches
Don’t think that being rich is without its problems.
A wealthy person has people trying to take their money from them.
The poor doesn’t have those kinds of troubles.
ransom – kopher
– price of a life, ransom, bribe
This word can be used to describe
anything from the penalty for a crime, a bribe to subvert justice, or the value
of a man’s life.
The wealthy have the means to be
taken to court and sued, but the poor man probably won’t find himself facing
too many civil lawsuits because he doesn’t have “deep pockets”.
Being rich may not be all you think
it is.
:9 The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked will be
put out.
:10 By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised is
wisdom.
pride – zadown
– pride, insolence, presumptuousness, arrogance
strife – matstsah
– strife, contention
well-advised – ya’ats
– (Niphal) to consult together, exchange counsel, deliberate, counsel
together
wisdom – chokmah
– wisdom
(Proverbs 13:10 NLT) Pride
leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.
Lesson
Pride & Advice
Sometimes it’s our pride that keeps
us from listening to advice.
I find that as a leader, there’s
something in me that wants to think that I’m the smartest person in the room,
and sometimes I react to protect that false assumption.
Even if you are smarter than the
person offering advice, or even if the person offering advice isn’t doing it in
a nice or respectful manner, you are a fool if you don’t pay attention.
:11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who
gathers by labor will increase.
:11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished
dishonesty – hebel
– vapor, breath; vanity (fig.)
Half of the times this word is
found is in the book of Ecclesiastes, where Solomon talks about “vanity”
(“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity”)
It describes things that have no
substance, just a lot of “hot air”.
will be diminished – ma’at
– to be or become small, be few, be diminished
(Proverbs 13:11
NLT) Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from
hard work grows over time.
Stay away from “get-rich-quick
schemes”.
I’m not sure there are too many verses that speak to the concept of playing
the Lottery, but I think this verse applies.
:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it
is a tree of life.
:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick
It’s hard when the thing you are looking forward to doesn’t happen.
Illustration
Snow White
Snow White received an old film camera as a gift. She happily took many
pictures of the Dwarves and their surroundings. When she finished her first
batch, she took the film to be developed. After a week or so, she went to get
the finished photos. The clerk said the photos were not back from the
processor. Snow White was so disappointed that she started to cry. The clerk,
trying to console her, said kindly, “Don’t worry, someday your prints will
come.”
Lesson
Desires
If you are a baseball fan, once again you’ve seen this principle in action
with the World Series
The Dodgers know what “heart sick” is all about.
The Astros know that “tree of life”.
Some of you know well the disappointment of something you were counting on
not happening.
Somebody else got that promotion you wanted.
Somebody you were counting on has disappointed you.
I want to focus our thoughts in a different direction with this principle.
Reality Check
For some of us, the challenge in this verse is to look at the things that
we are counting on happening in the first place.
While you can still experience disappointment when you’ve
had your hopes set on good things, others of us have made the mistake of
putting our hopes in the wrong things.
What are your greatest desires?
If your hopes have
been pinned on someone who has proven themselves untrustworthy, should you be
surprised when they fail you?
(Proverbs 25:19 NKJV) Confidence
in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.
Sometimes disappointment can become a good opportunity to reevaluate where
your hopes are being put.
(Psalm
37:4 NKJV) Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall
give you the desires of your heart.
When your delight is in the Lord, your desires will
change. God will be molding and shaping your heart to want more and more the
things of Him.
That doesn’t mean they will all come to pass, but when God
has given you a desire, your real focus is Him, not the thing.
:13 He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the
commandment will be rewarded.
This can apply to God’s Word.
:13 He who despises the word
This might be talking about the
wisdom of paying attention to the things people say to you, but I can’t help
but think about it’s application to God’s Word.
(Proverbs 13:13 The Message) Ignore the
Word and suffer; honor God’s commands
and grow rich.
:14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn one
away from the snares of death.
:15 Good understanding gains favor, But the way of the unfaithful is
hard.
(Proverbs 13:15 The Message) Sound
thinking makes for gracious living, but liars
walk a rough road.
:16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool lays open his
folly.
(Proverbs 13:16 NLT) Wise
people think before they act; fools don’t—and even brag about their
foolishness.
:17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble, But a faithful ambassador brings
health.
(Proverbs 13:17 NLT) An
unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble, but a reliable messenger brings
healing.
When someone is going to represent
you and/or speak for you, you want it to be someone who you can count on to
represent you for who you are.
:18 Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But
he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
:19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul, But it is an abomination
to fools to depart from evil.
(Proverbs 13:19
NLT) It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn
from evil to attain them.
:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of
fools will be destroyed.
(Proverbs 13:20 The Message) Become
wise by walking with the wise; hang out
with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.
The problem is that sometimes the
fools seem to have more “fun” in life.
Think about some of the things
we’ve learned about fools:
They don’t tell the truth.
They don’t pay attention to
correction.
They are not dependable.
They are lazy.
Does this characterize the people
you like to hang out with?
:21 Evil pursues sinners, But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.
:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But
the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
The benefit of being a “good man”
is that your life will affect your grandchildren.
Living a life in rebellion against
God will probably mean that your money will go to people you don’t want it to
go to.
:23 Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor, And for
lack of justice there is waste.
(Proverbs 13:23
NLT) A poor person’s farm may produce much food, but injustice sweeps it
all away.
Just like today, poor people don’t
often get justice in the courts.
A poor person’s farm might be able
to provide much income, but when a bad person comes along, they will take what
the poor person has.
:24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines
him promptly.
disciplines – muwcar
– discipline, chastening, correction
Somewhere along the way someone
paraphrased and rewrote the proverb to be, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”.
I understand that some smart aleck
kids thought this was a command instead of a warning.
In other words, “Parents you should
spare the rod and you should spoil your child!”
Not.
:24 he who loves him disciplines him promptly
Solomon is equating loving your
child with disciplining him.
This is the way God, the Ultimate
Parent, loves His kids.
(Proverbs 3:12 NLT) For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a
father corrects a child in whom he delights.
Lesson
Parenting
I think that appropriate disciplining your children is one of the hardest parts
of parenting.
Here are seven things I’ve found helpful:
1. Teaching
The goal of discipline is instruction
– you are disciplining them in order to teach them something.
I used to tell my boys something like, “I don’t want you
growing up to be a boy who always hurts others and no one likes. That’s why you
can’t keep acting like this.”
2. The Paddle
There are quite a few websites telling parents about how bad it is to use
corporal punishment on your children, but I think that’s because when it’s
done, it’s often done incorrectly.
When our boys were growing up, we used a “paddle” for discipline. It was a
big flat paddle that spread the sting of spanking evenly across their little bums.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that God designed our
bums with lots of padding.
Your goal is not to inflict damage on the child, but to
make their bum sting a little.
Personally, I prefer the paddle because things like belts,
hairbrushes, and spoons don’t spread the pain as evenly.
We preferred a paddle over spanking with a hand because we didn’t want our
children looking at our hands as something thing that caused them pain.
We kept the paddle out of view on top of our microwave, so the boys didn’t
have to stare at it all day. But when they were in trouble and we started to
walk toward the microwave, they knew we were serious about what had just
happened.
Sometimes all we needed was to start towards the
microwave.
We never paddled a child in front of the other children. Paddling was done
in a separate room, so the child is not embarrassed in front of others.
We didn’t paddle every day. I’m not
sure our boys were paddled more than a dozen times as they grew up.
Not every child responds to something physical like a paddle. As the kids
got older we found other methods of discipline. You as the parent are
responsible for finding what your kids will respond to.
3. Anger
Don’t spank when you’re angry. You don’t discipline because your child has
offended you by breaking your rules, you discipline them to instruct them.
Anger in you only breeds anger in the child.
When I was angry, I used to take the paddle and paddle myself to shake it
off.
Paddling a child when you’re angry can lead to physical abuse. If you can’t
stop being angry, you will need to find another method of discipline than a
paddle because physical abuse is never acceptable. If your paddling breaks the skin or results
in a bruise, you are spanking too hard.
4. Appropriate
Know what is appropriate – make the time fit the crime. Sometimes a paddle
is not appropriate.
Sometimes a time out or revoking video games is more appropriate.
We would give out 1, 2, or 3 swats depending on the severity of the
“crime”. No more than 3.
Again, we didn’t paddle all that often.
5. Age & Action
Your child must be old enough to tell you what they did was wrong.
An infant is too young to be disciplined.
But once they are old enough to talk to you, you need to take action –
don’t put it off.
Chinese Proverb – “Parents
who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on their
toes.”
Dr. Dobson – “The parent must convince himself that
discipline is not something he does to the
child; it is something he does for the
child.”
6. Authority
One of discipline’s goals is to teach your child respect for those in
authority.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you don’t deserve
respect.
If you allow your child to speak disrespectfully to you,
you are opening the door to them disrespecting others in authority over them
when they grow up.
A key to getting along in society is learning to respect
the proper authority.
When you’re married, stick up for your spouse – don’t
allow your children to be disrespectful towards your spouse.
It’s hardest when you have to be the one to teach them to
respect you – but you have a reason – you are teaching them to respect
authority, not just you. This is hardest on single moms.
7. Love
Discipline must be coupled with love
“I love you too
much to let you behave like that.” (James
C. Dobson)
After a child has received their discipline, understands what they did
wrong, can clearly tell you what they did wrong, and have made things right
with any other persons they’ve hurt…
Then you need to respond with forgiveness, comfort, and
love.
:25 The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul, But the stomach of
the wicked shall be in want.
:25 The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul
(Proverbs 13:25 The
Message) An appetite for good brings much satisfaction, but the
belly of the wicked always wants more.
Lesson
The Right Diet
One of the hardest things about going on a diet is dealing with your hunger
pains.
I’ve learned that a big part of the problem stems from the kinds of foods
you’re eating.
If your diet is too high in carbs and sugars, you’re going to be hungry all
the time.
That doesn’t just work for our stomachs, it works for our soul as well.
If you are feeding your soul with spiritual junk food, you will never feel
“satisfied”.
What you eat affects what you get hungry for.
Jesus and His disciples had been busy and were looking to take a break. They
headed off to the northeast coast of the Sea of Galilee near the town of
Bethsaida (Luke 9:10). But they didn’t get their alone time, instead 5,000
people showed up.
We often look at this miracle and think about how Jesus “multiplied” the
loaves and fish, try thinking about it like this–
Jesus fed the people with what seemed to be “very little”.
It’s kind of like that diet thing – when you settle into
your diet, it doesn’t take much to make you full because your stomach and body
have adjusted to your new diet.
The next day (after the walking on water event), Jesus and His disciples
were in the synagogue at Capernaum – and dealt again with this issue of people
being “fed”.
(John 6:35 NKJV) And Jesus
said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger,
and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
I think that sometimes we are eating too much “junk food
of the world”, and we find that we are constantly hungry for more and more.
My friends, we need to decrease our intake of the “world”,
and look more to Jesus.
He can satisfy that hunger inside of you.