Want a good life?
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This is the life!
This is the life!
(insert picture; this is the life here; already saved on computer)
Do you want a good life? Do you consider yourself as to having a good life? God wants us to have a good life, though it may be different that what we envision. In our passage we see an appeal, an alternative and an answer.
When you think about having a good life what do you think of? What is your measure, your standard of a good life? We all want to have a good life, we want to live a good life, but it may be hard in this world since the world that wants to destroy, derail, detour, dismantle, detour the Christian from having a good life in the Lord.
Some of the ways the world, even some so called religious people try to take the good life, away from the Christian are pretty blatant (Gen3:3-4) or subtle and unnoticed (Jude4).
3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!
then there is the subtle
4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
When you think of blatant, or subtle ways can you give some examples?
We want to have a great life, a good life, and that is found in the Lord. We need to protect the good life that we have in Christ.
Because the appeal is out there that wants to take it away.
The Appeal
The Appeal
World view matters, the biblical world view or any other world view. The most apparent, visual, attracting world view is not from God but from the things of this world.
We have commercials, billboards, radio ad’s that tell us what we need for a good life
We have our own fleshly eyes that look around and see what our neighbors have and think “If I had that I would have a good life; or they must have a good life.”
Even in the church we can have the wrong view, thinking that we must have a big church with big building, big finances to really be a good church. Churches uses programs, ministries outside of the Bible to appeal to the masses but the message is minimized or compromised.
The Bible wards us about the wrong world view (1Jn2:15-17; Ecc8:15; Isa22:13)
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
The one who is caught up in these things, well there is a word for it Hedonism.
he·don·ism noun; the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence.
synonyms:self-indulgence, pleasure-seeking, self-gratification
Or it goes on further to say.
the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life.
Trivia question, do you know anyone in the Bible who had this world view?
15 So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.
Solomon was not alone, the nation of Isreal (in general) turned like that
12 And in that day the Lord God of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth. 13 But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
It lead them into captivity. Wrong view gets you to the wrong destination.
“If I only had . . . “
You can fill in the blank, the right job, the right house, the right friends, if only I won the lottery.
In this world it seems that hedonism (love of pleasure, self) is the order for the day and as a Christian we need to know there is an alternative and in the proverbs, in the wisdom literature for application we have some examples of things to avoid and things to do.
An Alternative
An Alternative
Hedonism has to be addressed has to be dealt with. Proverbs gives us some protections against it (Pro6:20-24) and reasons, warnings why (Pro6:25-35).
Some protections we can see in Pro6:20-24
20 My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; 21 Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you. 23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life
24 To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
Some warnings I want to touch on just for a second, I will elaborate more in a few, but first the passage.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids. 26 For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress hunts for the precious life.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom And his clothes not be burned? 28 Or can a man walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched?
29 So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; Whoever touches her will not go unpunished. 30 Men do not despise a thief if he steals To satisfy himself when he is hungry;
31 But when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; He must give all the substance of his house. 32 The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it.
33 Wounds and disgrace he will find, And his reproach will not be blotted out. 34 For jealousy enrages a man, And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not accept any ransom, Nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts.
In the Pro6 passage you can see
The foolishness of evil
The foolishness of adultery (Pro6:24-26, 29, 32)
Foolishness of immorality in general (Pro6:30-32)
and that hedonism is not the way to really living the good life (Pro6:26-28, 34-35)
Now, believe it or not that now brings us to our passage today, the answer!
The Answer
The Answer
Don’t you love the answer book, the instruction book? If we want to have a good life, a great life we have the ways and means to have it, when we read and apply the answer.
1 My son, keep my words And treasure my commandments within you. 2 Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” And call understanding your intimate friend;
Principle: Keep My Commands and live (Pro3:1; 4:4; 7:1 and 7:2)
Solomon in this writing uses that phrase “keep my commands” 4 times just here in Proverbs alone
Method: Keep the Word! Keep it as a treasure, something you can lay up (store up); something we protect.
Keep it, store it up for it is rational; it makes sense and is applicable.
So now let’s break this down
Jesus said keep my commands (Jn14:15)
15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Keeping the commands proves you love God (Jn14:21)
21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
Keep the commandments, keep the Word as
A man keeps his money (stores it up)
A man who protects the apple of his eye
But wait, God does more.
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God stores up wisdom (Pro2:7)
God wants us to store up treasures (Mt6:20)
God wants us to remember we are the apple of God’s eye (Zech2:8)
So, allow God to keep you and protect you (Psm17:8)
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God stores up wisdom (Pro2:7)
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
God stores up wisdom (Pro2:7)
God wants us to store up treasures (Mt6:20)
20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
God stores up wisdom (Pro2:7)
God wants us to store up treasures (Mt6:20)
God wants us to remember we are the apple of God’s eye (Zech2:8)
8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, “After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.
God stores up wisdom (Pro2:7)
God wants us to store up treasures (Mt6:20)
God wants us to remember we are the apple of God’s eye (Zech2:8)
So, allow God to keep you and protect you (Psm17:8)
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings
As the Priest in the O.T. bound the Word, you as a New Testament Priest need to bind God’s Word, but here is the O.T. passage
8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
So now if you want to a good life, and you need to protect the good life you have in Christ maybe we better look at the the worlds rational vs. God’s truth.
World’s rational vs. God’s truth
World’s rational vs. God’s truth
Remember we need to have the right view, the right standard for us to truly have a good life, a great life.
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The world says religion is restricting vs. God’s Word says there is freedom (Gal5:1; Isa6:1-3)
The world says what nobody knows won’t hurt you vs. God’s Word says there is nothing hidden (Mk4:22)
The world does not think about sin vs. God says watch out for sin (Gen4:7; 1Pt5:8) for it is crouching at the door and is like a roaring lion.
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The world says religion is restricting vs. God’s Word says there is freedom (Gal5:1; Isa6:1-3)
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
Freedom proclaim in Galatians; freedom (glory) prophesied in Isaiah
1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”
The whole earth full of His glory! How is that, it is the church, it is the ones who live the good life in Christ Jesus. The ones who know there is no condemnation (Rom8:1)
The world says religion is restricting vs. God’s Word says there is freedom (Gal5:1; Isa6:1-3)
The world says what nobody knows won’t hurt you vs. God’s Word says there is nothing hidden (Mk4:22)
22 “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.
Another passage you may mark in your notes is Psm139:7-12; you can look that up, read on that on your own.
The world says religion is restricting vs. God’s Word says there is freedom (Gal5:1; Isa6:1-3)
The world says what nobody knows won’t hurt you vs. God’s Word says there is nothing hidden (Mk4:22)
The world does not think about sin vs. God says watch out for sin (Gen4:7; 1Pt5:8) for it is crouching at the door and is like a roaring lion.
7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
and then there is
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
The world and its world view vs. God’s view is there wanting to get you. It wants to compromise with sin, or not to even think of sin at all or the consequences of it.
2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
So the answer to having a good life, is Jesus, being in Jesus for He wants to give you a good life and show you how to maintain, and protect the good life that He died for you to have.
(encouragement slide) prayer (exit slide)