lessons from proverbs

 

Lessons From Proverbs – What you need to Survive Bad Times

 

Intro:  First, thank you for your patience and allowing me to skip ahead and preach those two messages on Isaiah.  This morning I am going to share six short principles on what you need to survive in bad times.

 

1. Humility and fear of the Lord bring, wealth, honor and life.  Pr 22:4

    There is a song that says, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift

    you up.”  Humility is the opposite of pride.  Humility means to allow the needs wishes

    and desires of others to be your top priority.  Humbling oneself is one of the qualities

    that bring revival. 

    

a.  The statement the fear of the Lord is mentioned 14 times in Proverbs.  It is having a

     healthy respect for God.  To be in awe of.  It begins with seeking first the Kingdom of

     God as Jesus stated in Matt 6:33.  Then all things will be added unto you.    

b.  Solomon states that if you are humble and have a healthy respect for God, you will

     have wealth, honor and life.  Solomon learned that first hand at the beginning of his

     life.  This is a cornerstone truth for surviving bad times.

 

2.  He who pursues righteousness and love, finds life, prosperity and honor.  Solomon

     Is very clear in Prov 21;21, the person who runs after, chases with all their heart and

     Pursues righteousness.  (Right living, thinking, attitudes and speech) and love of the

     Agape type.  Love that gives with no strings attached or any thoughts of it

     Reciprocated, will find life, prosperity and honor. 

 

a.  John wrote in 3 John 2  that prosperity begins when your soul prospers.  You will

     survive abundantly when you read and live your bible, pray and obey God, when you

     make His house a priority as and share your life with others.     

b. Honor comes because people respect and trust.  These two virtues are earned not

    demanded. 

 

3.  A generous man will himself be blessed for he shares his food with the poor.  22:9 

     Solomon then counsels his readers that generous people will in turn be blessed

     Because they share their food with the poor.  It is the principle of sowing and reaping.

 

a.  Jesus calls this storing up treasures in heaven.  James pounded this truth home in

     James 1:27, & 2:1-7.  Jesus taught in the Mt 25:34-45 about this truth.  It is one of

     Things we will be judged upon.

b.  Solomon knew personally the incredible feeling of satisfaction and reward that comes

     when you help someone especially if they don’t know who their benefactor is.

 

4.   He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.  In today’s

      Words, Solomon simply says, engage brain before you open your mouth.  Think

      before you talk.  Simple but effective.  Pr 21:23

 

 

a.  So many situations could be avoided if we thought things through.  James calls the

     tongue a instruments capable of great evil.  With it we can praise God and mock or

     curse man created in His image.  We can tame horses with bits, drive large ships with

     a small rudder.  James says, but who can tame the tongue.  Only the Holy Spirit and

     conscious action on our part.

b.  David asks the Lord to put a watchman on the door of his mouth so he would not sin

     against God.  Solomon says a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of

     silver.  I have many blunders in my life.  But wisdom teaches us that we can reverse

     that too.  James writes the way to control this problem is be quick to hear, slow to

     speak and slow to anger.  James 1:19   

 

5. He who loves a pure heart and who speech is gracious will have the king for his

    Friend.  Pr 22:11  Solomon states his own view here.  He loves people of a pure

    Heart.  This gives them the ability to control and make their speech gracious.  Paul

    Wrote in 1 Cor 13:4-8, that loves is patient, kind, not envious, does not boast, or proud,

     Not rude, self seeking, or easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight

     In evil but rejoices in truth, always protects, trust, hopes and perseveres.  Love never

     Fails.

 

a.  Those who love purity and want a pure heart will watch their thoughts, attitudes,

     speech and actions.  They will guard it with constant prayer, reading of the word and

     attendance to God’s house. 

b.  Solomon says he whose speech is gracious will have his friendship.  Are those the

     type of friends you seek?

 

6.  Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.

     That is why I am so glad I got to do these baby dedications  You as parents get to

      Pass this advice on to your children.  That is why I am so glad I

      Got saved.  I stopped the ungodly heritage of my family and started a new heritage.

 

a.  We must pass this on to the next generation.  That is why Sunday School, youth, kids

      clubs is so important.  That is why we must get the children, 90% of all conversions

      come before the age of 18.  That is we must pray and work.  We must refuse to allow

      apathy, the so called times or video games to have our kids. 

b.  That is why I loved that word last week.  It is like Carmen’s song, “It’s our turn now.”

     Church are you going to allow the devil to have the kids of Hay River and the north or

     Are we going to start praying and working for them.  I have shared six principles

     About how to not only survive but prosper in bad times.  Now let us share them with

     The younger generations.  That is what Solomon wish was.