 Proverbs chapter 15, let's begin reading at verse one. I'll read to verse six and we'll get into our study. Proverbs chapter 15, beginning at verse one, reading to verse six. Solomon writes a soft answer turns away wrath. That a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly. That the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. The eyes of the Lord are in every place keeping watch on the evil and the good. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father's instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent. In the house of the righteous there's much treasure. But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble. And so Solomon begins here by giving simple insights into how wisdom actually works. And notice he begins by giving instructions concerning confrontations. He begins by saying a soft answer turns away wrath. Now when it says a soft answer turns away wrath, this would be speaking of someone who has extreme anger at you, wrath, extreme anger. And so he's saying instead of pouring gasoline on the fire, attempt to calm down the situation. You see some people escalate the anger by escalating and elevating the situation. So if you're having a discussion with somebody who's very angry, well instead of raising your voice calmly lower it. I can tell you from personal experience that's very effective because on various occasions as a minister I've had to deal with these kinds of confrontations. I've had to deal with angry people. And if you begin to raise your voice because they're raising theirs it only escalates. It only gets worse. But I've discovered that if you lower your voice and have a calmness that it has a tendency of diffusing the problem. Anybody who's married knows that the minute you begin to raise your voice in an argument it's all over. And so it's very wise to be very careful in the way that you speak. Now the words that Solomon uses helps us to understand the situation he's describing. He says, and I'll read it to you again, a soft answer. The word soft is a word that can be translated gentle or tender. A gentle or tender answer turns away wrath. The word wrath speaks of rage, a burning anger or fury. Then he speaks of harsh words. The word harsh speaks of painful or offensive. And he says that those words stir up. They provoke or they cause to grow. So again the way we respond to people often determines their way that they respond to us. We should always speak with the gentleness. At least do the best that we can and a reasonableness. And we ought to speak especially in situations that are tense. We ought to speak in what has been called a conciliatory fashion. Speak with humility and do so because it can save a situation from escalating into something that is far worse. You'll see he says a similar thing in verse 18 by the way in the same chapter. He says a wrathful man stirs up strife but he who is slow to anger allays contention. And so basically if someone's getting in your face and everything be very careful that you don't answer in kind. Be very careful that you do your best in the Lord to speak with the gentleness. To speak with a kindness to the best of your ability. And if that doesn't work just hit him. Verse two. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. So a wise person isn't rash. A wise person will answer thoughtfully and he considers whom he is speaking to. And so this would encourage us not to rush into giving our opinions and not to rush into giving your advice to someone. It's always wise to wait and to think before you speak. He said the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. The word poor means gushes out. The mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. The foolishness gushes out like a water pipe that has been broken or like a geyser that just is exploding. He's saying that's how they speak. It just pours out of them. Remember Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. And in Proverbs 10 verse 19 it says in the multitude of words sin is not lacking but he who restrains his lips is wise. Verse three. The eyes of the Lord are in every place keeping watch on the evil and the good. So God sees everything. He can't hide anything from him. That's something that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden when the story is told of and it's not a story when the event is reported of Eve and Adam and the forbidden fruit and in their taking of that fruit as you know the book of Genesis describes. And how that they fashioned for themselves fig leaves and began to basically hide themselves from the presence of God. They actually seem to think that they could hide from God. But the eyes of the Lord go throughout the whole earth. God sees everything. Nothing's hidden from his view. He sees not only how we are on the outside but he also sees us on the inside. He knows us thoroughly. And so he's making it very clear that God sees everything and God knows everything. And it makes an interesting point here when it says the eyes of the Lord are in every place. Notice keeping watch on the evil and the good. So God sees everything both the good for reward and the evil for judgment. And armed with this knowledge seeing that we know that he does we should live properly. And Proverbs 5 21 it says the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he ponders all his paths. Hebrews 4 13 says there's no creature hidden from his sight but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. And so be aware of the fact that the Lord sees everything. He knows everything. We can't get away with anything. Not even a thought. He knows the words on our tongue before they even formed. He knows everything about us. And so instead of trying to hide from him we ought to be aware of the fact that he already knows. We're not fooling him and because we're aware that he knows all things that ought to encourage us to live in such a way that reward will be ours. Verse 4 a wholesome tongue is a tree of life but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. The word wholesome speaks of health. And so the point he's making here is be careful what you say because your words can hurt or your words can heal. You know when I grew up and still growing up let's say when I was in the process of being a youth and all of us have heard this before we would say when somebody was speaking to us or saying something to us we didn't like. We might say something like sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me. Anybody ever hear that? Or is that just ancient history? I think Washington said that I'm not sure. Yeah that's not true. Your spirit heals slower than your physical bones. Words that are spoken to you as a child can plague you as an adult. You know that don't you? Things that were said to you and of you can plague you for the rest of your life if you don't allow the Lord to heal you. If you don't begin to understand that though the words that were spoken to you by others were intended for hurt God can actually heal you and transform you make it brand new and he can make you in such a way that that you actually begin to see your value not in how men and women speak of you but how he speaks of you and and what he actually thinks of you. His thoughts concerning us are too numerous to be counted and he loves us and and he has called us his children and he has said I have forgiven you. He has said I've given you a new life. He has said your new creation all things are passed away behold all things are become new. He said your sins have been cast into the deepest part of the sea. He has said to me that that as far as the east is from the west so far has he separated my sins and he will remember them no more and so if my heart condemns me God is greater than my heart he knows all things and so be aware of that and be careful about what you receive from others when they're saying things that that may be untrue and demeaning but also be wise when a word of correction is being given especially when you know that's the spirit of the Lord speaking to your heart that things need to be changed so be careful what you say and be careful how you speak to others your words can hurt. In Proverbs 12 verse 18 there is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword but the tongue of the wise promotes health. Ephesians 429 says do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth so be aware of those things a wholesome tongue is a tree of life perverseness and it breaks the spirit. Verse 5 a fool despises his father's instruction but he who receives correction is prudent. A fool despises his father's instruction. A fool doesn't value doesn't obey his father's teachings so a fool despises his father's instructions but notice how it says he who receives reproof is prudent. Did you use that word today prudent? No it's not a word we normally use but the word prudent speaks of having discernment it speaks of being discerningly aware and so when a son listens to his father's counsel and begins to put in it to practice that son begins to develop discernment. The counsel of a godly father gives him the ability to know right from wrong. The counsel of a father can help a young person be able to discern truth from error. The counsel can help them to learn to follow instructions. Also you see when when when when somebody is raised in a home with a mom and a dad and dad has an active part in raising the child and because the father represents authority in the home the way the son or the daughter but the way the child responds to the instructions of the father actually are preparing them for life and so when a father is respected and his word is filled with integrity and his life is filled with faith he loves the Lord it would be a foolish son to disregard the things that that dad is teaching and and all you need to do is if you're a godly father is to point to your life and ask your son or your daughter if God has not blessed you I've done that in my life with my children I've said if you follow the Lord as I have see how God has blessed me and all I really want for you is blessings I I want your life to be filled with God's joy and his blessings and so follow my instructions from the time my children were born I can still remember I've said this before it comes to mind even as I'm sharing how that that my daughter Corinne was the toddler she was just learning to walk at all and and I pulled into the driveway at at home I had come home from work and as I was pulling into the driveway she was outside with her mama and as I pulled up the driveway she saw me and and Corinne we get very excited she came running to me to try and get my wallet and and as as I came pulling up the driveway I remember her getting real excited and and she came running and she tripped and she she tripped on on something and fell face first onto the sidewalk and and you know I I still remember slamming the brakes in the car jumping out and running over there and picking up my one and a half year old crying baby and holding her and I cried see I I know that surprises you but I have I have a deep a deep sense of love for my children and in my heart I from the beginning I wanted to save them from pain I didn't want them to go through it for some reason I just didn't want them to go through pain and when I saw them you know hurt I cried to this day and my children are not babies but to this day if they cry I cry with them I cry thinking about crying with them but it's true it's true how much more so your father how much more so our God desires us not to be in in a situation that is painful for us and he gave to us if you have when praise God for a godly father if you had a godly father that's a great gift to you and the son is a wise man if he regards the counsel of his father when my dad died I went to his home my mom had moved I we had just finished moving her I remember the truck filled with her few items that she owned pulling out of a driveway at the house that she and my father had lived together in as she moved off to Albuquerque, New Mexico and I remember just standing there watching the truck as it pulled out of the driveway for the last time and it's gone and our church began in that house so I had sentimental attachment to it and so I would go there for thanksgiving see my parents and Christmas and all and and I still remember walking into the den everybody was gone and it's just me and I sat down and I wept like a baby and I started speaking to myself and I started saying who am I gonna ask advice from now who am I gonna go to because I could do that with my dad I could ask dad what would you do pops what would you do and I still remember that so you know a godly father a man with wisdom is to be greatly valued greatly cherished and a son is wise if he listens to the father when that father gives counsel it helps the the son to develop discernment in life it it helps him to know that there is a right and that there is a wrong it helps him to know what is true and what is false and ultimately it helps him when he gets a job and against the work it helps him to understand a chain of authority and and why it's wise to listen to those we have proper authority over you you see how a person responds to correction reveals their character and it reveals their maturity and so Proverbs 19 20 says listen to counsel receive instruction that you may be wise in your latter days verse 6 in the house of the righteous there's much treasure but in the revenue of the wicked is trouble notice how he says in the house of the righteous there's much treasure prosperity in the Old Testament especially is very clearly presented as one reward for righteousness and and that's because prosperity can originate with God in Proverbs 10 we saw this at verse 22 the blessing of the Lord makes one rich he adds no sorrow with it yet when the wicked gathers wealth very often they gain it in ungodly ways so calamity can be the outcome outcome of gaining finances wrongly and we know there are wrong ways to gain finances you think just a couple basic obvious ones like organized crime or selling drugs or things of that nature you can gain finances that way but the outcome will be chaos if you will calamity Proverbs 13 11 says the wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished but he who gathers by labor will increase verse 7 the lips of the wise disperse knowledge at the heart of the fool does not do so wise people's words are profitable to listen to and it is wise to listen to someone who's wise to gain from their experience to learn from them is a wise thing to do and it says the lips of the wise disperse knowledge if you have somebody in your life that that has genuine godly wisdom I'm not talking about worldly wisdom there are quite a number of people who have plenty of that now I'm talking about godly wisdom I'm talking about somebody who knows the word really well somebody who's been in the word of God and been well taught for years and and you know this person it's always wise to be able to receive from them they are their words are profitable to listen to I have I have several friends of mine that I I consider to be just very wise and and I'm always willing to hear from them the things that they have to say men like Don McClure men like Joe Foch men like Mike McIntosh tremendous experience in the things of the Lord men like Raul Reese I love to tease about Raul but he's a very dear friend of mine and a very wise very wise man when this church first began I'll give you one example when this first church first began we needed we needed a place for the church because we were growing and so my assistant at that time and I began to think how can we how can we you know outfit a place for the church because the church needs a place to meet and so I called Raul and asked if I could come and see him for a little while and and so he said yeah and so my assistant and I went and I began to speak to him and I said Raul listen our church is growing we don't have a place to meet I'm thinking of taking a second out on my house my assistant is thinking of taking a second out on his and that way we can take the money out of our home and we can find a building somewhere outfit it and the church can meet there and and we sincerely wanted to do something so the church would have a place and I'll never forget Raul when he said don't do that and I said why he said because if you put all of your income into the church he said you will own it you need to have the church made aware that it's where they meet they ought to support that work that was wisdom from Raul I wonder who told him no that was wisdom oh it was me no so it's always profitable to listen to the wisdom of those who go before you but the full won't do so and we ought not to listen to those who are foolish so we should be those who dispense wisdom because we have knowledge we should never be ashamed to share the most profitable knowledge that we have the knowledge of the Lord and in Proverbs again in chapter 10 verse 21 it says the lips of the righteous feed many but fools die for lack of wisdom verse 8 the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight the way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but he loves him who follows righteousness sacrifices that are given by those not serving God are not acceptable to him and you say really in the answer is yes really remember all the way back in the Old Testament book of Genesis remember how that the scripture speaks about Adam and well actually speaks of two of sons the sons of Adam Cain and Abel and do you remember that both of them came and brought offerings to the Lord when you look at the story of Cain and Abel Abel brought the firstborn of his flock but Cain brought an offering of his produce Hebrews 11 verse 4 says it like this by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain through which he obtained witness that he was righteous God testifying of his gifts and through it he being dead still speaks what it is is both of those sacrifices under Mosaic law were acceptable offerings because God has grain offerings as well as blood offerings and sacrifices you see that in Scripture what was the difference the difference is represented by faith when Abel offered he did so in faith but when Cain offered he did so in flesh God regarded the offering of the one given in faith rejecting the one that was given by flesh so there are those who try and by God by doing good things or making offerings or sacrifices thinking that somehow God will honor that and Scripture says that's not what is going to happen as a matter of fact again it's the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination and the way of the wicked is an abomination no God doesn't receive those sacrifices verse 10 harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way and he who hates correction will die that's what I tell my kids the person who forsakes God has a life of harsh correction and if he refuses to repent his life will be miserable and will ultimately in the end be judged that's why Proverbs 3 11 and 12 says my son do not despise the chastening of the Lord nor detest his correction for whom the Lord loves he corrects just as a father the son in whom he delights and so do not be upset when God chastens you because he loves you verse 10 harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way and he who hates correction will die didn't I just read that yeah I did verse 11 I said what sounds familiar verse 11 I'm getting used to this I told you let me move this there we go I don't I know it's gonna take a while verse 11 howland destruction are before the Lord so how much more the hearts of the sons of men okay we've already noted that God knows everything and it's already been stated here in this chapter he judges right just leave Psalm 90 verse 8 says it like this you have set our iniquities before you our secret sins in the light of your count and it's interesting I like that scripture you're when it speaks concerning our secret sins anybody here well no I don't I shouldn't say that there are some men's sins Paul says that go before them and there are others whose sins follow after interesting phrase some people sins are obvious look at them if somebody is staggering drunk sins obvious even if he's trying to we used to use the term maintain even if he's trying to maintain you can still see that he's inebriated you can still see that he's strong there are some sins that are real obvious and they go before and then there are secret sins there are the kind of sins that we hide well we mask well those are the sins that I that I get the most concerned about because they're masked you know when I've spoken to people who are inebriated that's one thing because we can speak on an honest level it's difficult to speak to the one who won't admit that they are hiding things that's hard that's difficult because they won't admit they won't confess they they hide it there are people who have secret sins things that they do in the privacy of their home things they do and they think nobody's looking but God knows everything and if God knows something like Hal in destruction if God comprehends those kinds of things it's pretty simple for him to know a person's heart and Jeremiah chapter 17 verses 9 and 10 Jeremiah writes the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it I the Lord search the heart I test the mind even to give every man according to his ways according to the fruit of his doings you know I've had people say you can't judge me you don't know my heart and they're right I don't but God does and it's desperately evil that's what he says and it's true and so God comprehends all things so before the Lord are all of our ways he knows everything verse 12 a scoffer does not love one who corrects him nor will he go to the wise a scoffer is a person who is proud and arrogant he doesn't listen when corrected and and he will not seek advice from anyone and that's a dangerous place to be Proverbs 18 verse 1 says a man who isolates himself seeks his own desire he rages against all wise judgment it's always a good thing once again and you're seeing this as a theme by the way in chapter 15 it's a good thing to listen to godly correction it's a good thing to seek godly advice it's a good thing for these things because it helps you to become a person that is blessed by the Lord but if we continually resist and reject if if we will not take correction and we think we're already there we've already arrived there's really very little hope for us ever mature and if we don't ask for advice we isolate ourselves well basically what we do is we reject wise judgment and end up reaping what we've been sowing verse 13 a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance that's an interesting thing basically it's simply saying that if somebody if somebody has joy in their heart he usually makes its way that joy makes its way to the face so somebody who's got joy it's gonna be somebody that you'll know it it radiates I've known people who who it looks like they just you know drank lemon juice you know they if they're if they're joyful you know they hide it very well so he's me he's just basically saying that he's saying listen when you've got a great a merry heart when you're filled with joy then it has a way of affecting every bit of you it has a way of finding its way to your face view but by sorrow of the heart spirit is broken I want to have I want to have a joyful heart I want to be filled with the hope that God gives with the knowledge that that that that no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in or I find myself in that God is always God and you know when some of the lessons you learn are lessons you learn over time there are things that that that when you're going through them you think they'll never end you're raising your kids and your kids don't seem to be doing well or you're going through difficult times I'll be sharing on Sunday a little bit about a man named DL Moody and and basically I'll get ahead of myself from my notes on Sunday but DL Moody's father died when he was a little boy he basically was shipped off into having to work as a little boy his mother had nine children she was pregnant with twins when his father died and he had to go on he had to work and as a little boy he didn't want to do this and he ran away and tried to get his mother to take him home but she couldn't do it she couldn't afford it she didn't have any way and ultimately what he did is he grew up he became very hardened and very difficult ended up going to Boston his uncle owned a shoe store and well in shoe store he it was a requirement that the that his uncle had given and that is that he had to go to church he started going to church there in Boston at the age of 17 the Sunday School teacher Kimball was paying visits to the Sunday School members of his class and when saw him at the when saw him at the shoe store and led him to faith in Christ and I'll be quoting Kimball something he said I'll paraphrase but he said when I had DL Moody in my Sunday School class he had the darkest soul of anybody I'd ever seen if there was anybody that I could not believe would ever serve God know the gospel it was DL Moody and yet in history DL Moody is has been ranked as one of the greatest evangelists the United States ever had and it's recorded that over a million people came to faith in Christ through DL Moody God has a way of reaching into people's lives transforming them and giving them what they've never had before and that's the joy of salvation and that's something that causes us to have a merry a merry heart verse 14 the heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness learning is an ongoing quest especially learning about God and as you as a believer are growing you're going to discover the more that you learn of him the more you desire to know of him so learning of God is never satisfied here on earth in Proverbs 1 verse 5 we read a wise man will hear an increased learning a man of understanding will attain wise counsel Jesus and Matthew 5 verse 6 said blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness they shall be filled verse 15 all the days of the afflicted are evil but he was of a merry heart has a continual fees life can be a joy or sorrow depending on your perspective some 34 19 says and I want you to notice how verse 15 said the days of the afflicted are evil some 34 19 says many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers them out of them all isn't that interesting we can speak about that for a moment you get saved and you think you'll never have a bad day again and right I'm saved I'm saved I wonderfully saved praise God he washed me I'm cleansed I got a new life he's doing a wonderful work in me oh Lord you're so good and then the next day you wake up in your miserable I mean it comes quickly and and there's so much we can say about this again Sunday I'll be sharing about this concerning the perilous times that will come in the last days and all but one of the things that you will discover and this is something that requires some maturity to grasp is that that your faith is often fashioned in the furnace of affliction if you're not going through anything how are you going to be stretched and so what happens is the Lord refines your faith the various trials and and you're purified it's it's called refiner's fire even as gold and silver are heated so the impurities come out even so we go through various afflictions tribulations trials persecutions but they're not to destroy us if you've ever said God make me like you have you because if you have Jesus was the wounded healer he was aware of pain and he was aware as a matter of fact I'll say it like this the scripture says he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and rejected of men there Isaiah speaks of the fact that they ask him and where are those wounds where did you get those wounds he said these are the wounds I received in the house of my friends he had it a disciple a man by the name of Judas who who was so tight in the group that went when it was stated that one of you will betray me no one thought it was Judas and yet that night as we all know he was betrayed he knew loneliness in a level that no person could ever know he left more than anything will ever leave he left there's a soul song he left the splendors of heaven knowing that his destiny was a lonely hill called Galgotha where he laid down his life for me many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers them out of them all because through those afflictions through those tough times through those times of pain your character is shaped your faith is refined your matured and you become that woman or that man of God that you want it to be so if you've asked the Lord don't be surprised when it seems that quote-unquote all hell breaks loose don't be surprised don't be surprised when your friends don't want anything to do with you anymore when people mock you don't be surprised Jesus prayed he said now I'm alone and yet I'm not alone for you are with me you're never alone he's always with you though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will bear no evil or that aren't with me you're never alone God is fashioning you and God is working on you God is the Potter and you are the clay and there are times that you as the clay may feel that the hands of the Potter are no longer present in your life no longer on you but you need to remember that there are times when the Potter removes his hand from the clay in order to damp them with water so he may continue the work in the process because when the Lord seems to remove his hands from you he never has his attention remains on you and he's just going to anoint you for more the water the spirit I hope somebody's hearing me right now because I think you need to hear this God is working in God it's going to do it and so verse 16 better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with trouble very simply put for a believer spiritual blessings are always more satisfying than the material verse 17 better is dinner with herbs where love is than a fatted calf with hatred so somebody's reading this and says I better get a lot of friends name herb no these are herbs we'll have dinner herbs and me no no it's not a nickname and that's not a man's name but that's true when you look at this a dinner with herbs why does he use that well herbs and fatted calf are placed in what is called juxtaposition they're placed in a for comparison because the dinner of herbs represents the food that the poor would eat they couldn't afford meat so they were vegetable eating vegetables vegetarians if you will not vegans but they would that that's all they had to eat a fatted calf is a literally is what is called a stall fed calf and that's cruel we know but it's a calf that was kept in a stall and fed and fed so it became a delicacy something similar today would be Kobe beef it's it's just a very expensive cut of meat and so there's that's the that's the comparison so the dinner of vegetables is a meal for the poor the fatted calf is the meal for a rich person and the bottom line is it's it's better just the heat you know poorly and then they have to put up with a bunch of mean people at a dinner table he's kind of speaking of Thanksgiving for us verse 18 a wrathful man stirs up strife but he was slow to anger L.A.'s contention there are angry people who stir up anger and discord they start fights so it's more blessed to be a peacemaker than a troublemaker verse 19 the way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns but the way of the upright is a highway that's an interesting way to put it lazy people he's saying the lazy person makes excuses for not producing by saying they're just too many obstacles but the person of faith sees obstacles as opportunities that's a good word it's something we need to remember in pastoral ministry one of the things my staff can tell you I will ask on occasion is if I say I think we ought to do this and and the response is it's gonna be tough my my standard responses why why not why can't we do that what's keeping us from doing that why what's impossible about this is this impossible I don't think it is because you got with God all things are possible if the Holy Spirit is moving flow with him now if it's your flesh that's something else but if the Holy Spirit is saying no I'm placing something on your heart oh just it's Pastor Chuck said I want to be under the spout where the glory comes out there's just this there's this sense that of exhilaration when you see God move and people say I wow how bad it's all the Lord he gets all the glory all we did is just go with the flow of what the Spirit said but the lazy person on there there on there's just too many obstacles just to be too hard to do I get and and in this particular case he says that's a lazy person he makes excuses I and I just won't do it I can't it's too difficult so no we need to see obstacles as opportunities in verse 20 a wise son makes a father glad but a foolish man despises his mother that speaks for itself when a father sees his son doing well it causes that causes him great joy and we know that children can be blessings but we also know that when they're not doing well they are incredible sources of sorrow verse 21 folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment man of understanding walks up rightly the fool not only lives sinfully but he actually finds joy in living sinfully on the other hand a wise man marks the steps properly because he follows the Lord verse 22 without counsel plans go awry but in the multitude of counselors they are established there's just a basic thing here do not seek counsel that only always agrees with your plans because you can end up failing there's nothing wrong with hearing various sides especially when you're seeking wisdom you want to hear somebody else's comments in the event that maybe you just didn't see that but if you always have people who are agreeing with you then you're not necessarily going to make the best decisions verse 23 a man has joy by the answer of his mouth and a word spoken in due season how good is it in other words when you give good advice you can have a sense of joy have you discovered that somebody comes and says you know I'm thinking you say and holy spirit sometimes the holy spirit will prompt you to say something and you'll be thinking as they're sharing you're thinking this is good I had to write this down right above this is amazing but there are times when the advice that's flowing from you the Lord just connects and you walk away with the joy say I spoke for the Lord today I know I know I know that God is doing something it's exciting when that happens verse 24 the way of life winds upward for the wise that he may turn away from hell below but when you're when your ways please the Lord it's an upward rising blessed life second Corinthians 3 18 says we who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory which comes from the Lord who is the spirit so as an increasing the way of life winds upward verse 25 the Lord will destroy the house of the proud but he will establish the boundary of the widow God is concerned with the poor with the widow but the proud often takes advantage of them Psalm 146 verse 9 the Lord watches over the strangers he relieves the fatherless and widow at the way of the wicked he turns upside down verse 26 the thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord the words of the pure are pleasant when it says the thoughts is it's not simply their thinking process thoughts speak of their intentions or their plans he is saying God opposes the plans of the evil and they will plan and very often may succeed but it's always temporary because those plans are not blessed by God and finally moving on in verse 27 to the conclusion he who is greedy for gain troubles his own house he who hates bribes will live when it says he who is greedy for gain troubles his own house but hates bribes that would be speaking of a judge receiving bribes in order to give unfair judgments Proverbs 17 23 says a wicked man accepts a bribe and secret to pervert the courts of justice so the result is that they ruin their own home and they destroy their own families he destroys that in verse 28 the heart of the righteous studies how to answer at the mouth of the wicked horseforth evil here's something for you it's very practical don't answer quickly don't be quick with an answer be the kind of person who listens to what's being said and considers what's being said before you speak take time to respond because when it says the heart of the righteous studies how to answer he also says the mouth of the wicked horseforth evil there are times when somebody will say something to you that perhaps is hurtful and and the first thing you want to do is you want to respond in kind you want to they they say something to you and you want to respond in the same tone and say the same kind of thing that they said and the result of that is only provoking more anger it's I don't I've tried to learn to do this and it's really this is a scripture that gives support to that the heart of the righteous studies how to answer the mouth of the wicked horseforth evil one of the things I've tried to learn to do guys and you know it's taken a long time to do this but I think I have to some degree gotten to the part where I can say I try hard and succeed often I try to listen to what people say even when I disagree a hundred percent with them even when because they're saying what they're saying for a reason and what I'm really more concerned with is what's that reason why are you saying that because sometimes people will walk up and they'll say things that that are well they just don't they just don't realize what they're saying can be hurtful and if you respond quickly you may be misunderstanding their whole point I still remember I've had people approach me when I've been gone and I brought some great teachers in that that I walked up and said when you're gonna be gone again you bring in good teachers now I I appreciate that you love the teachers but they're probably better ways to say you appreciated them without diminishing me so it's always wise to wait to hear to consider before you respond it's wiser to do that it saves a lot of grief later on and a lot of misunderstanding and if they have something that they're saying to you that you you really disagree with and really get angry over it's wiser to just consider what they're saying and think about it for a while because there may be truth in it you just don't like how it's being said right now and it makes you mad because you're being insulted and you're being heard and and right away you want to you want to defend yourself and you want to let them know you don't know me who are you when in fact it may be the Holy Spirit speaking to you through a voice you're not familiar with and so you can hear something being said through a different source because you've learned to shut everybody out and this person speaking to you so consider what they're saying and listen if they're right change but if they're not leave it alone now Proverbs 29 11 says a full vents all his feelings but a wise man holds them back so we need to learn to be wise verse 29 the Lord is far from the wicked he hears the prayer of the righteous the wicked person is not close to the Lord so his prayers will also be distant and so how are you gonna pray according to the will of the Lord if you're not walking with him verse 30 the light of the eyes rejoices the heart and a good report makes the bones healthy when it says the light of the eyes that's a synonym for a cheerful look good news uplifts the spirit and by the way that's what the gospel does it uplifts the spirit verse 31 and 32 the ear that here's the rebukes of life will abide among the wise he who disdains instruction despises his own soul he who heeds the rebuke gets understanding we just looked at that so listen to experience and you can grow reject counsel you'll remain immature and finally the fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom and before honor is humility humble faithful submission receives honor from Jesus himself humble faithful submission put you in the place to hear him say well done my good and my faithful what servant keep that in mind he doesn't say my humble and faithful leader he says my servant that's important to understand that the kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom the lords of this world are on the top and they lord it over everybody not so with you he who is great in the kingdom will be serving the ball even he said you call me Lord and you call me master you say well for so I am if I then being your lord and master of washed your feet how much more so should you wash the feet of one another so what is the greatness in the kingdom a servant of all a servant of all humility is the key to service keep that in mind