Longview Heights Sermons

As we wrap up our WISDOM series in Proverbs. We take a deep dive into chapter 9. We see ourselves confronted with a choice to make. The passage portrays two houses. One stands open with an elegant lady named, Wisdom, inviting us in. The other stands open, with a seductive lady named, Folly, inviting in. So we see that there is a tug of war for our hearts – we must choose wisely.

Proverbs 9

1. Invitation to a Feast (vv. 1-12)

• Wisdom Warns (v.7)

• Wisdom Instructs (vv. 8-10)

1) Do not reprove or rebuke a mocker, someoen who is unteachable and filled with pride. (v.8)

2) Rebuke only the wise (v.8)

3) Instruct the wise and they will become wiser (v.9)

4) Know the beginning point of wisdom: it is the fear of the LORD, trusting and knowing the Holy One (v.10)

• Wisdom Rewards (vv. 11-12)

Each person must bear the consequences of the choices he or she makes in life. On one hand, wise choices produce good fruit. On the other hand, foolish choices result in decay and death.

New Testament Application:

• Wisdom – the Lord Jesus Christ – is building a house for all those who accept Him

• Wisdom's house is large, spacious enough for all who accept Christ's invitation

• The Lord extends an invitation for all to attend a great supper, a great marriage feast, a spectacular celebration. He is planning at the end of the world.

• The Lord Jesus Christ, the embodiment of wisdom, has prepared a great spiritual feast for all who accept His invitation, and He himself serves them

• Every believer is a messenger and is commissioned to deliver the Lord's invitation to the world.

• Believers can expect to be rejected and persecuted by others when they faithfully fulfill their responsibility to the Lord

2. Invitation to a Funeral (vv. 13-18)

• Folly Distracts (vv. 14-17)

• Folly Deceives (vv. 17)

• Folly Dooms (vv. 18)

3. Two Destinations – You Must Choose (v. 12)

Two suitors – Wisdom and Folly – are in a tug of war for your heart

The key: "The Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10

"A Searching Father Luke 15"

Repentance exposes God’s heart

• God’s love searches

• God’s love celebrates

• God’s love is constant

Repentance uncovers my deepest need

• Shows my worth in God’s sight

• Shows the destruction of sin

• Shows the nearness of the Father

• Shows the insanity of self-righteousness

Personal Responses

• The first son rejected the father in his rebellion

• The second son rejected the father in his religion

• The third Son was rejected by the Father, so I can be accepted"

You are searching for something; when you prize, pursue, and embrace wisdom, you will find it!

If you could be granted one wish with no strings attached what would your wish be? What does your wish say about your desires? Why did you make the choice you made? What was your motivation?

As we look at Proverbs 8 we will consider and examine our most profound desires.

In this passage, we see 3 personal responses to Wisdom's Worth:

1. Prize Wisdom (Prov. 8:1-11)

Wisdom says: "Listen! My words will tell you truth, truth more valuable than anything else you could ever seek."

2. Pursue Wisdom (Prov. 8:12-21)

We will not come up empty-handed if we pursue with a diligent heart.

See Prov. 8:17 "I love those who love me, and those who search for me find me."

3. Embrace Wisdom (Prov. 8:32-36)

Wisdom is not so much a matter of mastering a bunch of rules (behavior modification); it is embracing the wisdom you need. That wisdom is found in the person of Jesus Christ.

What does this look like as we live out our lives?

- Jesus is the wisdom of God to us

Jesus is our mediator that reflects and points to the Father.

- Jesus is the wisdom of God for us

When Jesus says, “My yoke is the only one that’s easy, my yoke is the only one that’s light,” here’s what he’s saying:

Our burden because of our sin is a heavy one, it’s death separated from Christ and life. Jesus died a death that I deserved to die and offers to you a life we don’t deserve.

To rest is to put your burdens in God’s hands and enjoy His provision of forgiveness and eternal life.

- Jesus is wisdom with us

Jesus didn’t say you would no longer have burdens if you hitched to him. He said their weight would decrease. His presence is with you.

Jesus Christ says, “Do you want rest?”

Embrace the cross, the gospel, Jesus Christ, is the only wisdom that will give you rest.

Take your next step with Christ! Please visit us at LHBC.me/Journey to find out more about taking your next step with Christ.

Successful failure happens when ….

I. My Weakness drives me to His Strength

II. My Limitations drives me to His Sovereignty

III. My Humility drives me to His Sufficiency

As we look at Proverbs 7 we see that the father changes his approach toward the son regarding sexual sinfulness. He moves from concrete to abstract as the wayward woman becomes a symbolic representation. She becomes Foolishness personified. She is the opposite of "Lady Wisdom".

Sticky Statement: Keep Wisdom Close; Seduction Awaits

What Do We See?

1. WRONG PRIORITIES (Prov. 7:1-7)

•Practical Instruction: Don't get casual; Treasure God's Words (Psalm 119)

- Value the Scriptures - (v. 2)

- Dwell on the Scriptures (v. 3)

•Challenge: Establish a God Time - Neglect of God's Word is devastating.

2. WRONG PLACE (Prov. 7:8-9)

•Practical Wisdom: Don't get close; Avoid the direction not just the destination

3. WRONG PERSON (Prov. 7:10-20)

• Practical Wisdom: Don't fight temptations; run from them

4. WRONG PRACTICE (Prov. 7:21-27)

• Practical Wisdom: Don't get crushed; There's a cost tied to impulsive fulfillment

What Do We Learn?

• The result of wrong priorities is being in the wrong place

• The result of being in the wrong place is meeting the wrong people

• The result of listening to wrong people is the wrong practice

YET, there is HOPE!

• Cost of Sin (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Jesus was charged as an adulterer. He was led to the slaughter like an ox on behalf of us. He was shot through like that deer instead of us. He was ambushed like that bird in place of us.

Here’s the good news: Jesus Christ—the Wisdom of God—went into Sheol for our sexual sin, and rose victorious three days later. Through his death and resurrection, we can be reconciled to God. In Christ, there is no condemnation for our sexual sin. And by the power of Christ’s Spirit and our new hearts, we can be transformed to live out God’s plan for our lives, including sexually. That is good news indeed!

• Cast Yourself Upon the Grace of Our Savior (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

You were like this, but you’ve been washed, you’ve been changed, you’ve been forgiven.

What hope! Cast yourself on the boundless love and mercy of God, receive forgiveness, and go and sin no more.

I Want To Be Happy

Matthew 5:1-12

4 Truths Concerning the Pursuit of Happiness

1. The Pursuit of True Happiness is Part of God’s Purpose for You and Me

2. The Pursuit of True Happiness is an Inward Journey

3. The Pursuit of True Happiness is Not the Goal but a By-Product

4. The Pursuit of True Happiness Will Lead You Ultimately to Jesus Christ

Wisdom will guard you from the way of hurt and guide you towards the way of Hope.

The book of Proverbs gives us wisdom before we need it by constantly reminding us of the wisdom of walking with God and the foolishness of rejecting God.

- Our modern thoughts about sex and sexuality have shifted from sex being an activity to sex being our identity.

Two things to be aware of:

First, you are far more than your sexuality.

Second, because God created us and our sexuality, he has the authority over it.

There are two simple truths we see in the passage from Proverbs 6:

1. The Way of Hope

• Instruction to Child

- When you walk, God's teaching in his word will be a light to your path.

- When you find that following God might put you at odds with following the word, you can trust God's comfort.

- When you're confused, trusting God's teaching brings us clarity

Where do these instructions come from?

• Influence of Family

- He is preparing his son for war

- The role of parenting in the gospel-centered home is to teach God's word to your kids, not out of obligation, but out of affection.

- God's word will guard us

- God's word will guide us

2. The Way of Hurt

• Simplicity of Access

• Sanctity of Marriage

• Severity of Adultery

- Certain

- Continual

What should I do?

• See the seriousness of sexual sin

• Celebrate that Christ has satisfied sin's punishment

Wisdom challenges me to be...

• Wise with my generosity

- My generosity should reflect grace

- My generosity should reflect prudence

• Wise with my time

- My use of time should reflect a sense of motivation

- My use of time should reflect a sense of purpose

• Wise with my interactions

- We are unified under one Gospel

- We are unified under one Savior

Wisdom calls us to be graciously prudent, live purposefully, and intentionally unite for the sake of the Kingdom.

"What if..."

Proverbs 5

As we have journeyed through the first 4 chapters of Proverbs we have been presented with two different paths.

- Path #1 is the way of the foolish

- Path #2 is the way of the wise

In this message we take a look at Proverbs 5 the father invites his on to imagine what it would be like to try the way of the foolish.

Main Idea: Wisdom will recognize and reject immorality

1. Recognize the Trap (vv. 1-6)

- See the words "honey" and "bitter" (vv. 3 & 4)

2. Reject the Temptation (vv. 7-24)

We've seen already the person who lets their untamed sexual desires lead the way is repeatedly shown by Solomon to be a fool who is walking to his own funeral. Yet, the temptations can be rejected. Solomon gives an action plan, a blueprint to reject the temptation.

- Remaining Sharp (vv. 7-8)

- Remaining Serious (vv. 9-14)

- Remaining Satisfied (vv. 15-20)

- Remaining Steadfast (vv. 21-23)

God created his world good and everything worked right, including relationships and sex. But sin broke our relationship with God and with each other, so nothing right now works as it was designed. Instead of intimacy and satisfaction in marriage, there is distrust, barriers, and unfaithfulness. Sex is still a good, God-given gift, but it is not used properly because we are sinners.

Because of human sin, our vertical relationship with the Lord is off; and as a result so are our horizontal relationships like marriage. We need to be brought back into right relationship with God in order for our marriages to work properly. That's the point of Proverbs. Your relationship with the Lord–fear Yahweh–is directly connected with your relationship with your spouse.

Here's the good news: Jesus Christ–the Wisdom of God–Paid the price for our sexual sin upon the cross, and he came back victorious three days later. Through his death and resurrection, we can be reconciled to God.

In Christ, there is no condemnation for our sexual sin. And by the power of Christ's Spirit and our new hearts, we can be transformed to live out God's plan for our lives, including sexually. That is good news indeed!