We can safely say that throughout life we go through a strange cycle in estimating our parents' intelligence:

> When we are little, we ask lots of questions because we think our parents know everything

> When we become teenagers, we think our parents know little to nothing; they are "out of touch".

> When we're adults we finally realize that our parents were smarter than we gave them credit for.

The first nine chapters of Proverbs include the instruction of parents to their children, as well as a primer for parents. It could be viewed as an instruction manual on how to rear children. Parents who learn to apply the lessons in these chapters will see these life-shaping truths sown into the young, fertile hearts of their children.

"The person you will be in five years is determined by two things: the books you read and the people you surround yourself with." ~Dr. Howard Hendricks

Solomon's wisdom for us points to the things and people which influence us. The people who determine "how we think" will always determine "how we act.

Sooner or later everyone must choose which influence we will follow.

Proverbs 1:8-19

Notice 3 main points:

1. The Pleas by Parents (vv. 8-9)

God's plan is that parents are to be the primary teachers of wisdom. See Deuteronomy 6:6-9

> Their instructions will prosper you

- Listen to their knowledge

- Learn from their experiences

2. The Persuasion by Peers (vv. 10-14)

> Their pressure will destroy you

- Hide (v. 11)

- Hurt ( vv. 11-12)

- Have (vv. 13-14)

3. The Peer Pressure Response Plan

> Avoid the people

> Avoid the paths

Why? (vv. 16-19

Going along with peer pressure is self-destructive. Peer pressures ambush themselves. If you join them in their practices, you join them in their plight.

Jesus can rescue you from your foolishness. As he, a completely righteous and innocent man, hung on the cross between two robbers we see:

- He took the punishment that thieves deserve so that thieves like us could be forgiven

- He took the punishment for our greed, our cravings, our violent hearts, so that we could be set free

- He gives his Spirit to his followers to empower them to walk in his wisdom.

- He empowers us to avoid easy money, to be content, and to use our money to help others instead of using others to help us get more money.

- He gives us a new community–the church–a community that does not entice us to sin but spurs us on to love and good deeds.

The reward of wisdom is far greater than any allurement from peer pressure or ill-gotten riches that shimmer and fade and ultimately destroy you. They're not worth it.

Remember:

> Parental instruction will prosper you.

> Peer pressure will destroy you.

> Jesus will save you.

Movements of Worship

Isaiah 6:1-9

What is Worship?

- Worship is an encounter with God that results in lifestyle change

Movements of Worship:

1. Worship begins upward (vs. 1-4)

- We see God as Sovereign

- We see God as Majestic

- We see God as Holy

- We see God as Powerful

2. Worship continues inward (vs. 5)

- We see ourselves unclean (vs. 5)

- We see others unfit (vs. 5)

3. Worship always leads outward (vs. 6-8)

- We are prepared by the Gospel (vs. 6-7)

- We are propelled by the Great Commission (vs. 8)

"Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you." ~John C. Maxwell

Sometimes we face important choices in life that are incredibly important but may not have clear answers. Choices like:

- Where should I go to college?

- Should I look for a new job or stick with this one?

- How do I handle the coworker who drives me crazy?

- What should I do with my money?

- Is it time to break up with this boyfriend/girlfriend?

The Bible, God's Word should be our "go to" resource for seeking wisdom and application for the nitty-gritty, daily details of our lives.

Ephesians 5:15-16, “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”

As we begin this series on proverbs we will see how to walk wisely, to make the most of our time, and how to make the best decisions in a day filled with evil.

What is a Proverb? “a short saying that expresses a general truth for practical, godly living.” The purpose of a proverb is to present wisdom in a short, memorable format, think zingers/axioms. Proverbs are simple yet profound. Many deal with the commonplace yet clarify the deepest realities of life.

Why Proverbs?

1. Because of the Person (Prov. 1:1)

Solomon sought wisdom from God and it was pleasing to God that he asked for wisdom so God granted his request. (see 1 Kings 3:9-14; 4:29-31)

Even though Solomon was "wiser than anyone..." he himself made some very unwise and sinful decisions in his life. This does not change the credibility of the Proverbs but goes to show that it is easier to preach a sermon that to practice it.

Yet, the truth should still be taught and proclaimed.

2. Because of its Purpose (Prov. 1:2-4)

- Teaching wisdom, discipline, and understanding

- Building a wise and disciplined life

"A price has to be paid for anything of value, and nothing is more valuable in life than wisdom."

- Instructing the inexperienced in discernment and equipping the young in decision making (Prov. 1:4)

3. Because of the People (Prov. 1:5)

- Wise people have teachable spirits

- Wise people continue to grow and learn

- Wise people seek counsel when making decisions

Ask yourself:

1.) Do I have a teachable spirit?

2.) Do I pursue opportunities to grow and to continue to learn?

3.) Do I seek the counsel and advice of others?

4.) Do I actively seek to understand truth and those things that will increase my wisdom?

5.) Do I exercise my mental faculties and sharpen my ability to think? Do I stretch myself to understand new or difficult things?

6.) Do I ask questions and seek the help of others in learning and understanding truth?

4. Because of the focal Point

The right key to genuine wisdom or knowledge is: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge."

How do I gain this wisdom?

- Posture/Willingness

- Practice

- Priority

Take the Daily Proverbs challenge: Read a chapter of Proverbs each day corresponding with the day's date. Ex., June 6=Proverbs 6, June 7=Proverbs 7, etc.

1. Running From God (Jonah 1)

It is impossible to run from God. (Jonah 1)

What keeps us from following God? What happens when we don't follow God?

2. Running to God (Jonah 2)

We are never far from the presence of God; He always hears the prayers of His people.

3. Running with God (Jonah 3)

God is one of second chances, He forgives the repentant

4. Running Ahead of God (Jonah 4)

God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love

The greater Jonah: Jesus our substitute (Jonah 1:12-16)

- God's wrath (v. 12)

- Man's attempt (v. 13)

- Submission (v. 14)

- Obedience (v. 15)

- Peace (v. 15)

- Worship (v. 16)

"An enemy of faith is forgetfulness."

Why is it important to remember? Because a failure to remember results in an erosion of faith. Biblical remembering reminds us that the same God who acted back then is the same God who acts now. Remembering is not designed to transport you back into the past but to prepare and equip and encourage you for the future!

Scripture Text: Joshua 4:1-9

As Joshua led the children of Israel up to the banks of the Jordan river he commanded the people to keep their eyes fixed on the ark of the covenant, the place of God’s presence and power. In obedience to God, the priests stepped into the flood waters of the Jordan, it parted, much as did the Red Sea some 40 years earlier, allowing the people of Israel to enter the promised land on dry ground.

After they crossed on dry ground they placed 12 stones of remembrance as memorial to what God had done for them.

The purposes of these stones?

1. Public – vv. 23-24These stones stood as a testimony “so that all the peoples of the earth” might know that “the hand of the Lord is mighty” and so that Israel would continue to “fear the Lord your God forever.”

2. Personal – It was designed to serve as a reminder to their children and grandchildren of the power and faithfulness and goodness of God in fulfilling his promise to his people. Vv. 6-7, 20-22

It is important to remember the past because those who forget the past fall into thanklessness. An enemy of faith is forgetfulness.

Today we observe the Lord's Supper as a memorial. It does not falsely glorify the past. When we partake of the bread and cup we remember the broken body and blood of the Lord. Images of deceit, betrayal and cruelty impose themselves upon us. The memorial feast confronts us with the fact that we humans are all too capable of striking out against true holiness and supreme goodness and treating it as demonic if it does not work out to our advantage. That is not the kind of memory we hold dear. The Lord’s Supper does more. It reminds us of the sacrificial love of God. It speaks to us of a love that will not let us go but which reaches out to us, despite our evil. The Lord’s Supper points us not only to the past but toward the promised future as well.

The Purpose of the Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

– Remember the Presence of the Lord

The Lord’s Supper is not just about imagining something in our minds. It’s about remembering a real time in real history. It’s not about dreaming—it’s about deliberately directing our thoughts back 2,000 years to a body given and blood shed on a cross. It’s about remembering the past with such vividness that it affects us in the present. In the Lord’s Supper, we’re directing our minds toward the cross.

– Remember the Provision of the Lord

When we reflect on our sin, we also reflect on God's forgiveness. If you start thinking about what you’ve done this last week and where you’ve fallen short, at the Lord’s Supper Jesus reminds you, “I have covered it.” When you think about all your struggles with sin, in the Lord’s Supper Jesus reminds you, “I love you. I forgive you. As far as the east is from the west, I remove those sins. I remember them no more.” This is where this meal just comes alive, as we feast on Jesus’ forgiveness of us and His faithfulness to us.

– Remember the Passion of the Lord

The Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of Christ’s death until He comes. So first, there is a proclamation element in the Lord’s Supper. We’re not just eating and drinking, we’re proclaiming. That’s what mission is all about. When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we are proclaiming that Jesus has died on the cross, He’s risen from the grave, and we’re have our freedom from His sacrifice.

– Remember the Purpose of the Lord

In the Lord’s Supper, we’re not just looking back. We are also looking forward. Suffering brothers and sisters, amidst the hurts in your life, amidst your struggles with sin right now, amidst the sorrow and the pain you are walking through, amidst the challenges of this world, the Lord’s Supper is a reminder to you that one day all those hurts and struggles, all that sorrow and all that pain will be no more. Jesus is coming back. Every time we take the Lord’s Supper, we remember the challenges of this world will one day come to an end. That is reason to rejoice!

Looking at 1 Kings 19 we see that godly people do sometimes get discouraged and depressed. We see in this passage how God ministers to Elijah physically, spiritually, and psychologically.

1. Physically

Sometimes you don’t need prayer or a sermon; you need a nap, or a vacation, rest,

Someone once said, "Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.”

2. Psychologically

The Psalms are filled with people venting to God. Being godly does not mean pretending your emotions aren’t there.

Get godly people around you.

3. Spiritually

Sometimes our dissatisfaction, depression and discouragement is a combination of these things.

God’s voice in our lives doesn’t always come in the ways we expect him to, but that doesn’t means he’s not speaking. Just because God is not working like you expected him to doesn’t mean he is less at work.

Elijah thinks that God has let him down, but God has not let Elijah down. Elijah’s limited view of God and how God works has provided seemingly unmet expectations and that has Elijah down.

How can we make sense of this practically?

• Rest in the wisdom of God-

Have you ever gotten to a stage in your life when you looked back and you see a time when it looked like God was absent, but he was actually at work doing something good? If already, from your limited perspective, you can look back and see a purpose for some of the pain and struggle in your life, don’t you think that given enough time and perspective you’ll be able to look back and see a purpose for ALL of it?

• EMBRACE His grace-

God’s goodness toward me was forever demonstrated at the cross; he prayed for my forgiveness even when I was pounding nails into his hands; DO I NEED TO DOUBT his goodness toward me now? THE GREATEST INSULT... If he loved me when I was his enemy, will he not now also continue to give me good things?

When I’m discouraged or depressed, I may feel alone, but I am not.

• He went through Gethsemane. He prayed “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me” so that in my dark days I’d never have to question if God had forsaken me.

If a good, all-powerful, all-wise God was fully in charge at the cross, I can be sure he is in charge in my life even when he’s not doing those things that I expected him to do.

• Confront the lie

Twice in this passage God asks Elijah why he’s depressed. Twice Elijah responds with a mixture of truth and error.

• “I have been zealous for you.” True.

• “The Israelites have rejected you.” True.

• “They have killed your prophets.” True.

• “I’m the only one left.” False.

This is how despair/depression often works. The momentum of a few true things leads you to a dangerously false conclusion.

• “It’s all lost.” False.

• “God, it’s useless. My family will never change. My friends will never listen. My workplace will never change.” False.

• “It’s never going to get any better.” False.

• “There’s no one who cares about me.” False.

• I’ll never be happy. False”

Your depressed self is whispering these conclusions to you, and you must stop listening to them.

Your depressed self is whispering these conclusions to you, and you must stop listening to them.

Stop listening; start talking. Start preaching gospel over your life. Take hold of yourself and preach! And be long-winded if you have to. (I shouldn’t be the only long-winded preacher!)

• I am not alone. Gethsemane and the cross prove that.

• My future is not dim. The resurrection declares that.

• I will have joy again.”

Remind your depression and sadness that its days are numbered, and even if it should – God forbid – last till your dying breath, it will be vanquished for all eternity while you (your redeemed, glorified soul), will escape to everlasting joy in the Father’s presence, in whose presence is fullness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures

• GET BACK to it

Whatever you should be doing, no matter how despondent you feel doing it, you need to get back to doing it!

Do you find yourself in a deep well of discouragement and despair?

Conclusion:

The only thing that can overcome a deep well of despondency is an even deeper arm of God’s grace.

THE CROSS AND RESURRECTION SHOW YOU THAT THE LORD’S ARM IS NOT SO SHORT THAT IT CANNOT SAVE...

An Identity That Leads to Action

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

My identity in Christ leads me to be an ambassador for Christ.

1. We go because the fear of God compels us (Vv. 11-15)

- God's love is big enough for all people

- God's love is strong enough for you

2. We go because the grace of God transforms us (Vv. 16-17, 21)

- In Christ, God has transformed me inwardly

- In Christ, God has reconciled me to Himself

- In Christ, God has unified me with others

3. We go because the purpose of God captivates us (Vv. 18-20)

- We persuade others with the Gospel

- We plead with others with the Gospel

Where is God calling me to go?

- Into my church?

- Into my city?

- Across cultures?

Wisdom is not primarily making the right decision, but it is knowing and experiencing and being guided by Christ alone through the union that He purchased on the cross.

Outline:

1. What is wisdom?

- Wisdom must start and see God in all of His attributes

- As Creator - Proverbs 3:19-20

- As Sustainer - Proverbs 16:1, 33

- As Judge - Proverbs 16:11, Proverbs 11:21

- As one that shows steadfast love - Proverbs 3:3-6

2. How do you get wisdom?

- Recall the person of God humbly

- Retain the word of God consistently in your heart

- Recognize the purposes of God daily

3. Is wisdom enough?

- We desperately need something more than just tips and advice on how to live our lives. We are broken and we don't work right, even if we do have the right information.

- God not only gives us wisdom when we ask, but God guides us in wisdom

Daniel 6

In the midst of a hostile environment Daniel somehow managed to survive and thrive spiritually. Likewise, we as Christians live in a world of spiritual hostility where the temptation to compromise our faith is with us every day. The world doesn't want its conscience pricked and doesn't reward those who dare to stand up for what they believe. As we conclude this series in Daniel we can see here in God's Word how we can live for Him in a hostile environment.

Two facts to remember:

1.) Daniel came to Babylon as a teenager and has grown to be an old man, over 80 years old, spanning the service of a whole series of various pagan rulers.

2.) Here we find Daniel serving under a new king named Darius who is ruling over a new kingdom, the Medo-Persian empire. The names have changed but the spiritual challenge is the same.

Will he remain faithful when the pressure is on?

Outline:

1. A Faulty Deception (Vv. 1-9)

- Daniel was faithful in his duties

- Daniel was faultless in his character

- Daniel was fervent in his prayers

"Doing right is no guarantee that everything will go right."

2. A Faithful Devotion (Vv. 10-17)

The secret of Daniel's greatness can be seen in Daniel 6:10

"When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before."

The greater miracle than Daniel surviving a night with the lions may be that he was able to continue to pray when his life was on the line.

"Ever heard of the saying, 'Get the small stuff right and that will take care of the big stuff.'?" I believe the three boys in the fiery furnace had been daily living their faith. When threatened with death, they kept on keeping on. Dependence on God is practiced daily, so when the crisis comes, the reaction is almost a given." ~George Pollard

Daniel's three "Did Nots:"

- He did not try to escape the consequences of his decision to obey God.

- He did not know what would happen.

- He did not make a deal with God to save himself.

"When Christ calls a man, he bends him come and die." ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

3. A Fruitful Display (Vv. 19-28)

"When all is said and done, it is better to be a child of faith in a lion's den than to be a king without God in a palace."

5 Lessons for Modern-Day Daniels:

- It is possible to live a Godly life within a troubling pagan world

- Faithful Christians should expect opposition

- God can use you to reach the unlikeliest when we are faithful to him

- God is able to deliver his people from any danger they face

- God always delivers in his own time and in his own way

DOUBLE DARE:

Even though it will cost you, faithfully walk the path God set before you.

In His sovereignty, the Lord is able to humble those who walk in pride.

In Daniel 4 we see 4 parts pertaining to how God deals with pride.

1. The Lord Reveals Pride

a.) Nebuchadnezzar doesn't recognize that the Lord reigns

b.) The only way he will come to really and truly learn that lesson is if he sees pride for what it is. The Lord exposes this to him in his dream.

Unchecked pride, both in his life and in our lives, will always be a barrier to grasping God's greatness.

"The very danger of pride is that when we are consumed by it, we are consumed with ourselves instead of God." ~C.S. Lewis

"As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people. And of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you." ~C.S. Lewis

2. The Lord Rebukes Pride

Daniel is up front with Nebuchadnezzar and tells him that he needs to see his sin and pride as and offense before the holy God.

Pride puts us at the center of things and entices us into forming a god-like conception of ourselves.

3. The Lord Reduces Pride

So many personal pronouns come to Nebuchadnezzar's lips; “I have built,” “My mighty power”, “My majesty”. Nebuchadnezzar is vocalizing the musings of his heart without any restraints and just like that, the Lord acts in the most gracious way that he could. He humbles Nebuchadnezzar.

He learns the lesson that the Most High rules the kingdom of men.

He needed to refocus his focus

4. The Lord Restores Those Who Repent of Pride

When the Lord humbles us in our pride and we, by the grace of God, see the disgrace of our sin, our only hope for restoration and life with God is that we fix our eyes on repentance and faith on King Jesus.

Worship is the inevitable fruit that follows repentance.

DOUBLE DARE: "Be humble or stumble." ~Dwight L. Moody

Questions to consider:

1. Where has pride gripped your heart?

2. Have you trusted in Christ alone?

Want to talk with someone about your next step with Christ? We would love to connect with you. Please reach out to us at [email protected]