 Here we go, Proverbs chapter 23. I'll begin with verse one, I'll read to verse three, give you some insight into those first few verses and move on through and go through the chapter today. Proverbs chapter 23, beginning at verse one, reading to verse three. When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you. Put a knife to your throat, if you're a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. These three Proverbs that really tie into one have various layers of application. Let me give you some of the layers of application. The first thing that we would see here when it says, when you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you, put a knife to your throat. The first thing he would be saying to us is don't get too close to a ruler. They have great power. Consider carefully not only what, but whom you are dining with. Because if you carelessly insult them, it can result in serious consequences to you. A second thing that they'd be saying that we could apply that he'd be saying is, there are times when they might, these rulers, these people of position, might have ulterior motives. So don't think too highly of yourself because you've been invited. You might simply be a pawn in their game. This can be true in a practical way for pastors. When pastors begin to be enticed by political power, when pastors begin to feel that they are important and their influence is usable, it can be a dangerous thing to succumb to. You know, my own Pastor Chuck Smith when he was passering as a younger man and the Lord was moving mightily in his ministry in Costa Mesa, had invitations from the White House to come and to have various conversations with those in political power and all. And Pastor Chuck never really got involved in that because he was wise. He knew that if you become somebody that is known for your political connections, that those who have the power, those in authority may very well use you and your influence for them. It's interesting how during election years, there are times when politicians will come to the church and those who are running for office and that's happened here. It happened all the way back when our church was fairly young. There was a someone running for a political office and somebody approached me after a Sunday morning service and introduced this person to me and all. And I knew what they wanted. They wanted our endorsement. They wanted me to stand up in front of the church and say, this is a great guy. This has happened more than once. You know, in our recent elections, somebody was here wanted, actually I got more than one email asking if this person could, you know, wanted to speak to me and really wanted an endorsement. I'm not one who does that. I just don't feel that that was something I'm supposed to do. Not that this was a bad guy or not that any of them have been bad. I'm not saying that. I'm saying you need to be careful. You need to be careful that you don't get enticed by some things because you may be being used by somebody as a pawn in order for them to be able to move further on and further in using you and your influence for themselves. And then there's a third thing that he could be saying and that would be don't overindulge in the ruler's food. It may ruin your chance for advancement. In other words, control your appetite. He may be setting a trap for you. There are times that they may be using food and this is coming out of an area you probably wouldn't think but it's true in the history of Israel. There have been times when the children of Israel have been tempted to partake in foods that were delicacies for the king but were intended to ensnare. You say really and where would we find something like that? You'd find it in Daniel. In the book of Daniel in chapter one, let me read to you verses five through eight in the book of Daniel. It says, the king instructed Ashfinaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand who had the ability to serve in the king's palace and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies and of the wine which he drank and three years of training for them so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. Now, from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Misha Al, and Azariah. To them, the chief of the eunuchs gave names. He gave Daniel the name Balthashezar, to Hananiah, Shadrach, to Misha Al, Misha, and to Azariah, Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the king's delicacies nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore, he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now, when you read that, you might not understand what was taking place. What was taking place was the king of Babylon was trying to make Daniel and his companions into Babylonians. They're also referred to as Chaldeans. And the way he was intending to do it was to use the foods and the delicacies of his nation because the Jews had dietary laws and one of the ways that he wanted to influence them and to make them into Babylonians was through the diet, through the delicacies, through the pleasures that he would give to them and afford them at his table. And so Daniel refused because he was a young man who was set apart for the Lord and his three friends also refused. And they rather than taken of the king's delicacies actually ate simply vegetables. And they said, just test us to see whether or not we're healthy and bright-eyed and all of that. And so they allowed them to eat just vegetables. And over a period of time, and ultimately what happened is they tested them, they looked at them, they were in great shape, they were mentally quick and all of that. And so Daniel was able to not take of the king's delicacies and still become a great influence in the kingdom of Babylon. And so there are various practical applications to this and one of them would be to be careful that you're not brought into an improper lifestyle by the things that are offered to you by the world. Verse four and five, do not overwork to be rich because of your own understanding cease. Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly away like an eagle toward heaven. It's foolish to be a slave to money because money disappears quickly. I believe it does, does it not? It does. Jesus made it clear. Remember in Luke chapter 12 verse 15 how Jesus said, take heed and beware of covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. A person is greater than the things that they wear, they drive or the place that they live in. Your life isn't made up of, it does not consist of material possessions. Jesus made that very clear to us. So he said, take heed of covetousness because a lot of times people do and especially in this hour day believe that possessions make the person. And so Solomon is saying, listen, don't overwork to become rich. Don't have the gaining of finances as your final goal. Don't make it that way because you're gonna be disappointed because you can spend a lifetime accumulating things only to lose them very quickly. We've seen that when the stock market has crashed. We've seen that when people have put so much of their money into a stock and it just goes belly up. And so that's an absolute truth. The apostle Paul warned against the deceitfulness of riches and he called it the deceitfulness of riches because riches make false promises. Riches will basically say I can make you happy when in fact they cannot. So Solomon is saying keep your priorities in proper alignment. Jesus would say seek the kingdom first. Paul would say learn to be content with what you have. And so the practical application arrange your work schedule around what best profits your spiritual priorities. Be careful that you don't, how can I say this? Be careful that you don't put your job ahead of God. Be careful. I'm trying to think about how to say something. It's very practical what I wanna say. Just have to figure out how I'm gonna say it. I have a friend of mine, very successful, very successful. We were speaking recently and he had been active in his church and his business began to grow. And as his business began to grow and he was gaining more success, he was gaining more clients. And as his business and his clientele began to grow, he began to not be in church. He stopped serving. I've known him for a while. He's very dear to me, his wife, very dear. So I had seen this take place. We've had conversations in the past. And my encouragement obviously has been seek the kingdom first, put all your priorities behind the kingdom of God. So we're having a conversation. And in our conversation, he was saying, I wanna go to church again, but my clients are in front of me and I have to meet with them. And he says, in order for me to be able to be in church like on a midweek at my church, I have to lose some clients. And so he says, and I love them. Over the years, they've become very dear to me. I love them very much. And I believe that they have, I do. And so as we're speaking, actually I was listening. I said, let me give you something. It'll only take a minute. And he says, okay, I said, I said, you know something we have in common? You and I, we both love our wives very much. Cause he tells me about his wife and he loves her two pieces. He loves her very much. So we both love our wives very much. He goes, yeah, we do. I said, you know how I would make the decision that you are wrestling with? And he goes, how? I said, whatever is gonna bless my wife, that's the person that I'm going to please. And if my wife needs to be in the word of God, then my clients are gonna come behind her needs. The way it works is put your wife first cause your wife needs fellowship. I know your wife, she needs fellowship. And she's being deprived of it because of your growing riches. That's a bottom line thing. He started crying and he kisses me. He says, you know, you're more than just a pastor. You're my friend. He said, no, I just love you, man. And I just want God to bless your life. You have to be very careful. Arrange your schedule around what best profits your spiritual priorities. Arrange your schedule around your fellowship with God. Be careful. Be careful that you don't pursue things to your own hurt. To finally make it, to be able to have a little extra. You know, I discovered a long time ago that my girlfriend, who became my wife, really didn't need a lot of money to make her happy. So she was very fortunate to marry me. She never was difficult to please. You know, the only time I've said this before, some of you haven't heard it, so I'll say it to those who haven't heard it. She only got mad at me one time on a date because I only spent $10. But that's all she had. And if she'd have had more, I'd have spent more. So, you know, so we learned a long time ago that, that our spiritual priorities, please make your spiritual priorities number one. Because out of the relationship you have with the Lord, everything else flows. And so be very careful. Do not overwork to be rich because of your own understanding sees. Will you set your eyes on that, which is not. Riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly away like an eagle toward heaven. Verse six. Do not eat the bread of a miser nor desire his delicacies. For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Eat and drink, he says to you, but his heart's not with you. The more so you have eaten, you will vomit up and waste your pleasant words. Now, this is an interesting portion of scripture. Verse, I'll give you what it means, but I want you to notice something in verse seven. This verse here in verse seven, Proverbs 23, verse seven is one of the most misapplied and misquoted scriptures in the Bible. As he thinks in his heart, so is he. How many of you have ever heard someone just quote that verse? I'm interested. Some of you have, a lot of you haven't. And in a good way that's good because there's so much bad teaching related to it that I don't really have to unteach you. But that concerns me. You must not be reading your Bible. But anyway, this is a verse that is often misquoted. Many have used verse seven to bolster their teaching that you can create your own reality. And as an example, I went to a website today and I just copied and pasted just to give you an example. And this is what I copied and pasted. Verse seven, for as he thinks in his heart, so is he. And this is what I found on the website, just cut and paste. The key word in this verse is the word thinks. The word thinks is telling you that God is targeting your thought process, what you think about on a daily basis. So the proper interpretation, you are what you think. You can become what you think. He went on to say, the Bible is very clearly telling us in the above verse that we can all choose what to think about and dwell on. We cannot blame anyone else, including God himself, if we have chosen with our own free wills to constantly dwell on the negative and darker side of this life. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Now, he says as a man or as he thinks in his heart, it's usually quoted as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Is this what Solomon is saying? Is Solomon saying that we create our own reality? You need to read your Bible in its context. Let's read it again and let me show you what he's saying. He says in verse six, do not eat the bread of a miser nor desire his delicacies for as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Eat and drink, he says to you, but his heart is not with you. The more so you've eaten, you will vomit up and waste your pleasant words. He is not saying that I create with my mind in the way that I think what is real. He's saying a greedy man invites you to eat, seeking to take advantage of you in order to increase his wealth. He is not really friendly nor is he generous and he's begrudging every bit that you eat. He's upset when you eat too much and is calculating how much the meal is costing him. His heart is not with you. In other words, he has no real kindness towards you and he resents feeding you. That's what it's saying. And instead of him saying, well, you are what you think as he thinks in his heart, so is he. He's speaking about the miser. The context is speaking about this miser, this greedy person. And so he's saying, be careful not to eat with this kind of guy, why? Because even though he's saying eat and drink, his heart's not with you. He's getting upset at you because you're eating his food. He doesn't even want you to do that. And he's basically simply saying to you that that's something you should avoid. He doesn't like you. He's not showing real kindness to you. He resents feeding you. So don't be going over there and eating with somebody who doesn't even watch you there in the first place. In other words, leave your parents alone. And no, you don't create your own reality. Verse nine, do not speak in the hearing of a fool. He will despise the wisdom of your words. Fools reject teaching. And sometimes they'll even mock those who are teaching them. And so because of this, don't waste your time explaining things to someone who has no ears to hear. When you're speaking to somebody and sharing with them and they have no interest, don't waste your time any further. And this is not necessarily speaking concerning a mom and a dad having a conversation with a wayward child. This is you having a conversation with somebody about things that matter. And they're just not interested. This is you sharing the gospel with somebody, a friend, maybe a family member in, and you begin to share because the Lord has placed it on your heart to share with them how good God is. And they're just looking at you and they're thinking, and you can tell that they're thinking, this is a waste of time. Well, he's saying, don't be wasting your time giving to them what they don't want. It's like what Jesus said in Matthew chapter seven, verse six, do not give what is holy to the dogs nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you in pieces. On occasion when I've had conversations with people about the Lord and all, if they're interested, I'll continue speaking to them. If they're not interested, I leave it alone. And that's what you do. And when I was working, by the way, on a job, in a job, I did not take company time to preach the gospel. Somebody who was writing on Facebook recently how that they had taken two hours and were preaching the gospel to somebody, one of the coworkers. I'll be honest with you, if I was the boss and somebody took two hours that I was paying them for to do that, I would not be a happy camper. Because I didn't hire them to be an evangelist. I hired them to do their job. When I was working jobs, regular jobs and all, I would take my breaks. I would take my lunch, time that I had that was mine. And if God gave me an opportunity at that time, I'd share, but I didn't do it while I was working and getting paid when I was on the clock. So be careful about that. Verse 10, do not remove the ancient landmark, nor enter the fields of the fatherless, for the Redeemer is mighty, he will plead their cause against you. So this speaks of taking away possessions or taking away their land. It reminds me of what we've seen in chapter 22 when it says in verse 28 that you're not to move an ancient boundary stone that's been set up by ancestors. And so don't take away their possessions and don't take away their land. It says in verse 11, for the Redeemer is mighty and he will plead their cause against you. God, in other words, has a protective love for the weakest in society. God will take up their cause and God will deal with you. In Deuteronomy 10, 18, it reads that he administers justice for the fatherless and the widow. He loves the stranger giving him food and clothing. Verse 12, apply your heart to instruction, your ears to words of knowledge. This is something real important for us to take a moment to look at. Spiritual maturity and depth of understanding doesn't come in some overtly mystical way. You can't go to bed and have a CD playing of the Bible all night and you just lay there and then wake up memorizing the book of Deuteronomy. It just doesn't work that way. And if you're asking the Lord for wisdom and understanding, he's not going to unscrew the top of your head off and then just dump it in. It doesn't work that way either. What he says how this happens is you apply your heart to instruction, you incline your ear to words of knowledge. In other words, spiritual growth takes time. It takes effort, it takes discipline. And he's saying if you apply your heart, if you apply your heart to instruction, if you listen, listen to those who can give you the best advice. Listen to those who can instruct you in the ways of the Lord. If you have godly parents, listen to them. If you're going to church and receiving Bible studies then receive the word through the teacher and understand that it is God's word. It's implanted within you. James 1 21 says, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you. So may your heart be like that receptive soil. So when the word, the seed of the word is imparted, it might find through faith a reception and produce fruit. Verse 13, do not withhold correction from a child. If you beat him with a rod, you will not die. You shall beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell. This is one of those verses in scripture that people say that God is in favor of us harming our children. Nothing is further from the truth. We need to understand that even as I begin to apply this. He's saying that you need to be careful to discipline your children, to chasing your children, to encourage them through discipline and chastisement. He's saying don't withhold correction from a child. Why? Because if you withhold correction from a child, the child grows up without boundaries. The child grows up without a moral code. He grows up, she grows up without knowing the right from the wrong. Have you ever been in a restaurant I have where somebody's kid is going crazy and the parents just kind of sit there just smiling and if you show any kind of irritation, you're a bad person because you don't love kids. There's a lot of young people in this room. Let me share with you something, some of the older ones will remember. There was a time when you'd go to a restaurant and it was quiet. I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. There was a time when you would go into a restaurant and people whispered across the table because they didn't want to disturb their neighbors. You could go to a movie, when there were movies you wanted to see, you could go to a movie and nobody would be talking. You wouldn't have somebody adding dialogue to the movie thinking that they are funnier than the person on the screen. You didn't have that. People actually sat quietly. They used to have something called an usher and if you were making any noise, they would walk up, they had a flashlight, they'd put it on you and either you would shut up or they would escort you out of the theater. That's weird, isn't it? But that's true. And what it was, it was that the society that we grew up in was polite. It was courteous. It was actually built on biblical principles. You may or may not realize this. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you was a code in our society. That's why you showed courtesy. That's why a man would stand up, a gentleman would stand up when a lady entered the room. That's why men would open doors for others. They were showing courtesy. They were showing respect. That's the things that we used to do that unfortunately many in the younger generation just have not learned or been taught. There's a lack of discipline that many parents, many parents have been guilty of. And so I have seen it where I was actually with a group of people one time. And the kid, he was six years old, really unruly. And he got up and he walked up to some strangers, some strangers table and started taking food off their plate and eating it. Yeah, amazing. And I still remember looking at the people where this kid was just looking at them just eating their food. And they were like, what are you doing? And I've seen that more than once. So he's speaking concerning disciplining your children. He's not saying beat them all up and this and that. He's not saying he's using an illustration of what it means to discipline. In Proverbs 13, 24, he who spares his rod hates his son. He who loves him disciplines him promptly. Proverbs 29, 15, the rod and rebuke give wisdom. A child left to himself brings shame to his mother. That's true. I was one of those kids who were left to myself. I was the one who my mom was working. My dad was working. I was alone and in our neighborhood at that time that was unusual. So when you're by yourself and you're 10, 11, 12 years old you can get into a lot of mischief. You can do a lot of things nobody's watching. And you can get into bad habits and a bad lifestyle. So this is an encouragement to us as parents, those of us who are parents to discipline our children and to do so promptly. He says in verse 14, you shall beat him with a rod, deliver his soul from hell. What are you saying? I just thought of something. I don't think he's saying you'll beat the hell out of him. I don't, and I'm not cussing either. That's what it seems like he said that. No, in correcting him and instructing him in righteousness he will be saved from judgment. Hebrews 12, 11 says now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present but painful. Nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Verse 15, my son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice. Indeed, I myself, yes, my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things. Parents rejoice when their children make wise choices. And we rejoice when our children speak with wisdom. Like it says in Proverbs 15, 20, a wise son makes a father glad. Verse 17, do not let your heart and be sinners. Be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day. For surely there is a hereafter and your hope will not be cut off. Sometimes, and notice this in verse 17, when he says, do not let your heart and be sinners. Sometimes it seems that others will get ahead, they get all the breaks and you don't. Have you ever noticed that? Sometimes it feels that way, doesn't it? Or am I the only person who's ever felt that? You do your best to raise your kids in the Lord and bring them to church. You give them devotions, you pray for them, you dedicate them to the Lord. And at a certain point in their life, they seem to be going in a direction that you, well, it breaks your heart. And then you know somebody down the road, parents who basically neglect their child and never go to church and that kid's doing well and never gets in any trouble. He's a high school president. She's a valedictorian. And you did the best you could for your kid and he's top of the class in reform school. And you can look out there and you can say, it's not worth it. It's not worth it. I'm doing the best that I can. And it doesn't seem to be paying off in any way. It seems that others get all the breaks and I don't get any. I don't get any. You know, the guy across the street, I know he's stealing from the company and he just drove up in a nice car. And you go out and try and start your car and it didn't wanna start. And when it finally does, it sends smoke signals to everybody in the neighborhood. It's not in a good car. Well, in Psalm 73 verse three, the Psalmist said it like this. He said, I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. In Psalm 73, 12 and 13, he said, this is what the wicked are like. Always carefree. They increase in wealth. Then he says, surely in vain have I kept my heart pure. In vain have I washed my hands in innocence. It's paying off for them and it doesn't pay off for me. That's easy to do when you're struggling with life and others don't seem to be. We can say, why do things happen to me? And not to them. One of my favorite portions of scriptures found in the gospel of John, when Jesus is speaking to the apostle Peter paraphrasing, he says to the apostle, he says, when you were young, you would dress yourself and go where you want. When you're older, somebody else is gonna dress you and take you where you don't want to go. And John says that Jesus was speaking to the apostle concerning the death that he would die for the glory of God. He was speaking to him of his martyrdom. And the apostle Peter got it. And so as Jesus is saying, just letting you know, you're gonna die. That's not cheery words to hear. And so when Jesus says that to the apostle, John's over here and the apostle Peter sees him and he says, well, what about him? You know, you're gonna let me die. Can he die with me? Two for the price of what? What about him? And you know what Jesus says to him? You remember, he says, what has he got to do with you? You follow me. Listen, this is very basic, but it's very helpful. Keep your eye on your own responsibilities and let God take care of somebody else's. I'm telling you, you can waste a whole life wondering why others don't get what they deserve. You can waste your whole life thinking. They don't deserve that. Why don't they get what they deserve? Eventually the Lord is gonna say, guess what, you're not getting what you deserve. You know what you deserve. And it isn't a new car and a better job. You know that. You deserve judgment, but I gave you grace. What has he got to do with you? Why are you so caught up wanting to know why I don't do certain things to him? And it seems like you can't do anything without getting caught. Have you ever thought that maybe I love you so much, I don't want you to go the wrong way and that one doesn't belong to me? You ever thought that? And then I'm working in your life. Didn't you pray one day you wanted to be like me? But how do you think that's gonna happen? How did you think that's gonna happen? You know how it's gonna happen? I'm gonna break you. I'm gonna break you. I'm gonna, you're gonna be hurt. You're gonna be down. Then I'm gonna remake you. And at the end, you're gonna say, I wouldn't give up anything. I wouldn't have it done any other way because the result has been my ability to love and praise the Lord for so many things. And that's basically what we need to understand. We need to understand that Lord has His way in our life and we must trust Him for that. What are we to do? What are we supposed to do? Well, he says in verse 18, surely there is a hereafter your hope will not be cut off. Be zealous, trust the Lord. Rejoice that you're saved. You see in Psalm 73 verses 21 through 26, the psalmist goes on to say, when my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant. I was a brute beast before you, yet I am always with you. You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel. Afterwards, you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. He in that same Psalm says that I used to envy them until I considered their end. I realized that they're enjoying life right now, but what they have right now is the best it'll ever be. What I have right now is the worst it'll ever be. Because I have something waiting for me that is so great. Keep your eyes on the Lord. Verse 19, hear my son, be wise, guide your heart in the way. Do not mix with wine bibbers or with gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty. Drowsiness will clothe the man with rags. Drunkenness and gluttony. When he speaks of gluttony, that's obviously overeating. It would also be speaking of how they would do it at certain festivals and all. They would eat and eat in excess. So what he's speaking about here is something that reveals a lack of spiritual desire because you're constantly yielding to the flesh. In Romans 13 verse 13, Paul said it like this, let us behave decently as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. And so he's saying, if you have a life of overindulging, they're gonna end up in poverty. Verse 22, listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. When he says, listen to your father who begot you and don't despise your mom. A godly parent has experience. A godly parent should be listened to. At a certain point, as a father or you as a mother, at a certain point, you have to step back and allow the child who's really growing to be an adult to learn to make decisions for themselves. But it's a very wise thing for a child to realize that if they have a godly mom or a godly dad, it just makes sense that they ought to be willing to listen to what they have to say. Because if they listen, if the child will listen to the parent, they can be saved a lot of heartache. I used to tell that to my children, I don't have any small children anymore. They only act like they are. I don't have any small ones. But I used to say that to my children. I'd say, listen, you don't wanna have my testimony. You don't want my testimony. The way I'm trying to raise you is to keep you away from my testimony. I don't want you to know the things that I know. I don't want you to experience the things I've experienced. I want you saved from those things. I don't want you to know those things. And yet sometimes I'd hear them saying one form or another, well, I have to make my own testimony. You know, the testimony of a pure life is a beautiful testimony. You ought to strive for that. If you have a godly mom, a godly dad, listen to their counsel because they have experience and they can help you. In verse 23, by the truth, do not sell it. Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice. He who begets a wise child will delight in him. Let your father and your mother be glad. Let her who bore you rejoice. So again, the father and the mother are the ones who are wise and of the one who is wise will delight in that one. And truth and wisdom, instruction and understanding. Well, these are things that are valuable, not just for the moment, these are things that are valuable for a lifetime. That's why he says in verse 23, buy the truth and do not sell it. There are some things that you buy that you keep for the rest of your life. And that is one of the things that he speaks about is buying the truth and not selling it. And wisdom, instruction and understanding. These are things that you should have and that you should keep over a lifetime. In verse 26, my son, give me your heart. Let your eyes observe my ways. For a harlot is a deep pit. A seductress is a narrow well. She also lies in wait as for a victim and increases the unfaithful among men. My son, give me your heart. Let your eyes observe my ways. My father never gave me a lecture about being a husband. I don't know how many men in this room had a dad who sat you down and instructed you how to be a good man, how to be a good husband. Maybe you did. If you did, that's unusual. Most of us didn't. My father never said, Dave, I'm gonna take you through husband 101 classes. It's gonna take you 16 weeks. I got these books. We're gonna have some lectures, some tapes. My father, my dad didn't even talk to me, let alone lecture me. That's a fact. My dad was quiet. He never gave me a lecture, never said anything to me related to how I should treat a woman, how I should be a husband. So I understand this verse. Give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways. I loved my father with all of my heart and I observed his ways. He never had to tell me this is how you love a woman. He just loved my mom. I watched my father love my mom. I watched my father spoil my mom. He used to get mad sometimes. She was so spoiled. My mom was so spoiled. And my dad loved spoiling her. He loved it. And I think she doesn't deserve that. She's so mean. But my dad loved it. Anything she wanted, he would break his back to get her. That was a fact. He wasn't an overtly affectionate man, but I knew he loved that woman. He one day said to me, son, before there was a David, there was your mom. And when David leaves, your mom stays. I choose your mom. That's how my dad would teach me. My dad went to work at the same time every Monday through Friday and he'd return right on time every day Monday through Friday. He was faithful to his job, faithful to his family, faithful to his wife. And I observed his ways and I watched. He never lectured me, but he showed me by the way he loved. So son, I hope you have a father that loved your mama. I hope you do. Hope you did. I did. And I learned. People will say, you know, people know that you love your wife. Yeah, but my dad never taught me with a lecture. My dad never, no, he just did it. I watched this man. I watched him and I gave him my heart. I watched him and I watched the way he would show her affection. I watched how she would kind of flirt with him when she thought we weren't looking and how my dad would get all that silly little smile in his face at her. She would baby talk him. He never, he never called her by her name. He never did. If you're speaking to me, it was always your mom. When he was speaking of her, it was always mama. That's how my dad spoke to her. I called Marie mama from the beginning. I didn't even know why. I didn't even know why. We had our first baby and suddenly her name is no longer Marie. It's mama. Hey mama. It was mama. I never knew where that came from. I really never did. I never, until one day it hit me. That's what my dad called my mom. And do you know, as I've shared with you before, the last words that I know my father ever spoke before he went home to be with Jesus, the last word that he spoke was when my mom walked in the room before he died and he looked at her and said mama, his last word, mama. So watch and learn. Watch and learn. I was blessed. I was blessed. Marie, my wife was blessed with a mom and a dad that loved each other and were married well over 50 years. Showed us, you know, they came from that generation that if it's broken, you don't throw it away. You fix it. That was my mom. That was my dad. See today, it's broken, I'll throw it away. We do that with marriage. We do that with disappointments. It's broken, we'll throw it away. They came from that depression era where you better fix it because you may not get something else like this. My dad fixed everything. He worked on everything and he worked on his marriage. And so as you look at this, I understand from a deep way my son, give me your heart. Let your eyes observe my ways. Learn from me is what he's saying. And then he gives his advice again when it comes to relationships. He speaks of a harlot in verse 27. A harlot is a deep pit. Then he uses the word seductress. A seductress is a narrow well. Well, many times in the Old Testament, the word harlot, it will speak of an immoral woman, but she's an unmarried woman. So a harlot is a deep pit. In other words, she's like a pit that's easy to fall into but is very difficult to escape from. You fall into it, but you have a hard, if not almost impossible task of trying to get out of it. A seductress can speak of someone who is married, but these are both what are referred to as sexual temptations. And we think of Hebrews 13, verse four, where the writer said, marriage is honorable among all and the bed undefiled. But fornicators and adulterers, God will judge. So he's saying, remain faithful by application. Remain faithful to the one that you marry and realize that sexual temptation is out there. But if you are seduced, if you fall into it, it's extremely destructive. Verse 28 says, she lies and wait as for a victim and increases the unfaithful among men. She seduces and seduces and continues multiplying the unfaithful men in society. Remember that sexual intimacy is intended for marriage and no other place. And then finally, verse 29, who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Then he gives the answer. Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine, do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly. At the last, it bites like a serpent. It stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things. Your heart will utter perverse things. You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea or like one who lies at the top of the mass saying, hey, they struck me, I wasn't hurt. They've beaten me, I didn't feel it. When shall I awake that I may seek another drink? Is that descriptive? It really is. There's some in this room who have never been drunk. I understand. Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Have you ever been around somebody who's drinking and they're getting drunk? And before you know it, you have to hear their sob story? And she left me, man, she left me. That was good to her. Who has contentions? You looking at me? You looking at me? And he's looking in the mirror. He's so drunk. That's right. Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? They're drunk, they're stumbling around. They hit their head on the side of the door or they trip and bang their head on a rock. I've seen that. Wounds without cause. They wake up the next day and they're all bruised and they don't know how that happened. Who has redness of eyes? And the answer, those who linger along at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine, those people who are lingering, that means that they're drinking and over-drinking and getting drunk. And then you get your warning. Don't look on the wine when it's red, when it sparkles in the cup. In other words, it's alluring. It swirls around smoothly. I mean, how many commercials do you see where these people say, oh, it's nothing like having a nice glass of wine at the end of the day? That's the kind of thing he's talking about. He's saying you're getting some kind of comfort from it and it is alluring to you. It's drawing you. He says at last, verse 32, at the last, it bites like a serpent. It stings like a viper. That's true. Your eyes will see strange things. You'll be so drunk that you're cross-eyed. You close your eyes to try and make sure that you're going in the right way. Your heart will utter perverse things. There's some guys who get really filthy when they're a little drunk. I remember one time we told somebody that what they were taking was gonna get them really high in this and that. And the fact is, is they weren't taking something that would get them high. We're just telling them that it would. And before you know what they're saying, all kinds of stuff, all kinds of bad things, they weren't drunk. There was no alcohol in what they were taking, but they were using it as an excuse to do that. They were uttering perverse things. Verse 34, very descriptive. You'll be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea. When you're very drunk, you feel like that. You feel like everything's moving beneath you or one who lies on the top of the mast, going back and forth, kind of like that. And then they say, they struck me, I wasn't hurt. There are guys who weigh 100 pounds, but when they're drunk, they suddenly weigh 300. Struck me, I wasn't hurt. Then that kind of attitude. They beat me, but I didn't feel it. Of course you didn't. You were numb. And then, when shall I awake that I may seek another drink? There's hardly anything that is as sad. As somebody who is an alcoholic. Families are destroyed. Marriages are destroyed. Families are destroyed. Lives are destroyed. I was speaking to a friend of mine just today who was sharing with me about somebody he knows that he's tried to help who's an abuse. He abuses drugs and alcohol. And he says, you know, he lives out on the street by choice. He said his mom and his dad are Christians, godly people. But from the time this guy was young, he liked his alcohol. He says, I've helped him. I have brought him to my house. I've had him living with me. I've tried to help him. And the minute he gets out from underneath a roof, whether it's a rehab center, he goes right back to what he was doing. It's the same attitude. When shall I awake that I may seek another drink? There are people who don't believe that you can be set free from alcoholism. That's just not true. That's just not true. I was taking a class at Cal Poly Pomona back in the 70s. And we had a guest lecturer, a guy who was a professor of sociology from UC Berkeley. And he came and spoke in our class. And it was a master's level sociology class. And he was lecturing our class. And he was like giving his testimony. And as I was looking at him, you could tell that this guy had lived a rough life. You could tell. But he's a PhD. But he just had that look like James Olmos. He looked like a guy in Zoot Suit. He had that look. And I remember that very well. And I'm looking at him. And he's got the starched shirt and the whole nine yards. And he's a, but he's a PhD. And as he's speaking to us, he says, I'll never forget it. This is a secular class. He says, believe it or not, and argue with me if you'd like. I've got the statistics and I can prove this. He says, with all of the different programs that are occurring today, that are supposed to help people to overcome alcohol and drugs. With all of these programs that you can take, that are supposed to help people overcome alcohol and drugs, he says, I can tell you this. This is a fact. He said that the only ones that are doing any good are the born again Christians who are saving and helping these people to overcome alcohol and drugs. This is in a secular class at Cal Poly Pomona in the late 70s. And there I am sitting there going, amen, amen. Why? Because I was an alcoholic because I loved my pot and I started experimenting with the LSD and the psilocybin and the various other THC and the various other hallucinogenics because I just telling my wife, my wife doesn't really, I don't talk to her about this stuff. But just the other day I said, we saw something that was a real kind of a psychedelic kind of thing. And I said, that's the stuff that drew me into acid because I liked those visual colors and sounds. And I liked it. And when you drop acid, it just, yeah, that's what happens. That's a fact. I'm not lying. I was, I loved it. See, forgive me. I don't want to overbuild this, you know? I got to go get a beer. No, I don't want to, I don't want to overbuild this. I really don't. It can almost sound like those are the good old days. They were the bad days. That's why I got saved. I want to make that clear. But they were so attractive to me and all of my friends were into it. The alcohol, the drugs and everything that went along with it. And people would say, you can't change. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. You've heard it, that's not true. The new wine of the spirit will set the captive free. Never forget that. Jesus Christ sets you free. There's no doubt about that. And I always say, you were just a lightweight. You were only 15. You stopped doing it when you're 20. You know, I spent 40 years in it. You can't say, no, no, no, no, no. The power of God is capable of setting any sinner free. If they simply say, God, be merciful to me. I am a sinner. I need your help. Forgive me, Lord. I can't do it on my own. I need your help. You see, to be saved, it isn't me just adding my efforts to something God is gonna do for me. It's me giving up completely saying, I can't do it. I was not one who could have a beer. I never had a beer. I had a six pack. I was never a beer. I didn't drink one beer. I didn't drink two beers. I drank six. And then I drank a half gallon of wine. I mean, that's what I did. And I was 17. I wasn't 20, 30, 40. I was 17. I was drinking like that at 16, 17, 18, 19 years old. And I would drink until I was drunk and continued drinking some more. That was me. You couldn't leave your beer near me. You couldn't leave your wine near me. I would drink it before you came back. That's a fact. That's the truth. And then I ruined people's lives. Then I broke my parents' heart. Then I brought shame to my family. Then I broke into a jewelry store and stole rings. Then I, one thing after another, got caught. My father had to mortgage our house to get a lawyer to keep me from going to jail because I was out of control. He sent me to a psychologist to try and help me to straighten out my thinking. It didn't work. Nothing worked until the gospel, until Jesus Christ reached down and said, I can save you. See, with the one last closing thought, there are so many Christians today who are arguing, well, the Bible doesn't say I can't drink. The Bible says that I shouldn't be drunk. Why would I do something that takes me away from the Lord? Why would I wanna exercise perceived freedoms in a way that stumbles a brother and takes God's money and uses it to continue the proliferation of that which destroys family? Why would I do that? And how, and I in good conscience, how could I support that? Be your legalist. No, I'm free in Christ and I want you free too. And I'm used by the Lord to reach people and I want you to be used by God to do the same. Instead of evangelizing alcohol, let's evangelize with the gospel of Jesus Christ because I don't need the old wine because I have the new wine, the wine of the Spirit and my life has been changed and I don't have woe and I don't have sorrow and I don't have complaints and I don't have contention and I don't feel like the waves are moving out underneath me anymore and I don't say you hit me and I don't feel it. I don't have any of that. What I have is the ability to put my head on a pillow at night and wake up the next morning saying, I don't have anything to regret. I lived for Jesus yesterday and I'm gonna live for him today. And that's called Christianity and that's what we need to wake up to once again. Amen. Amen.