ResponsiveReiding

As we saw Sunday, this address of Solomon to his son is aimed at encouraging him to develop a Gospel Centered Mind. Why do we say Gospel centered all the way back in Proverbs? Because verses 3-6 camp on letting steadfast love and faithfulness dominate his thinking, while at the same time exhorting him to trust the Lord with his whole heart. The connection can’t be missed. It is the Lord we are to trust this absolutely – letting HIS steadfast love and faithfulness rule our entire thought process.

Only the one who has seen their sin and guilt before God, and His amazing provision for human sin in the person and work of Christ – especially at Calvary – can have such a deep, life encompassing assurance. We cannot over emphasize the need for this in the Believer’s life. Apart from it, life will overshadow Christ. In it, the Cross overshadows all of life. It is a “pre-echo” if you will of Jude 21 “keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”

So allow me to exhort you as well in this vital matter again today. Christian, Believer, Child of God  –  Never let the wonder, the mystery, and glory, the reality of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness toward you ever escape your consciousness.

When we imagine His love to be vacillating or indistinct – or when we doubt the absolute certainty of His commitment to see all of His promises to come to pass – faith suffers its most devastating blows. We must see our God as constitutionally incapable of the any of the defects of human love. In the darkest of hours, He cannot love you any more, nor can He love you any less. See Him as ontologically unable to fail to keep His word, or to break His promises. He does not merely carry out His promises faithfully, He IS faithful. This is the One with whom we have to do. This is our God. Loving and faithful beyond anything the human mind can imagine. This is the One in whom we place our trust.

Know this for yourself, and remind yourself often, of the steadfast love of the Lord, and of His faithfulness. That He cannot fail. And in that, become one of steadfast love and faithfulness yourself. And when that seems to wane, do everything in your power to restore it. Call out for it in prayer. Seek for it like buried treasure in His Word. Sing about it in your Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Talk about it with your fellow Believers. Find books rehearing and explicating it. Saturate your heart and mind with the wonder of His grace – with His inviolably steadfast love, and His absolute faithfulness. Above all – keep looking to the Cross, and see it carried out there and sealed in the very blood of the Savior. What more absolute guarantee can He grant?

As the 18^th century hymn writer put it:

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

We will close out our look at the 4 benefits Solomon told his son he could expect from following the 7 steps of vss. 1-4, with verse 20: “so you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous.”

What a wonderful and vast promise that is.

It is vitally important at this point that we realize Solomon’s concern is not that his son simply adopt a certain set of behaviors. Whenever we confuse mere behavior with true sanctification we open the door for legalism, Phariseeism and religiosity. It is a very dangerous place to go spiritually. Once one assumes that walking in righteousness is a matter of mere performance, they set themselves up to be either perpetually discouraged, or, measuring their performance against others – become prideful and trusting in their own performance more than trusting in grace alone.

Without reading too much into the word – Solomon’s use of the word “walk” is wonderfully instructive. For nothing is more natural, nor a better way to conceptualize true sanctification than the image of walking. It is a picture of every day movement. It is not a picture of formalized actions. When one walks, they do not give much thought to how they walk – the mechanics of it, as much as simply moving toward an object or a destination. And this is precisely what we want to get to. We want our walking in righteousness to be the natural way we continue to move toward the final destination of conformity to Christ’s image, and eternity in His presence. It is Bunyan’s Pilgrim on the way to the Celestial City.

Let me try to say it another way. When Jesus called the Disciples to Himself, He did not say “here’s my book of rules, read it, memorize it, and start doing these things. It was far more simple. “Follow me” is the repeated formula. Walk with me. I always do what the Father desires. I always say what He gives me to say. I am on my way to where He is by way of the Cross – so just walk with me. Follow me. And you can’t go wrong.

Why can He say that? Because (as Bunyan remarks in a different place) Jesus didn’t “do” righteousness as if obeying some law structure outside of Himself. He did what came naturally. He was righteous, and so He walked righteously. And this is what He wants to reproduce in us by virtue of the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Christ within us. A people who “walk” – who comport themselves in everyday life, as naturally in righteousness as it is natural for God Himself. Indeed, this is the promise of being conformed to the image of Christ.

One day Believer, you and I will just be able to do what comes naturally – because by virtue of the Spirit’s completed work in glorification, we’ll only WANT to do what is righteous. Not conforming to an external standard, but having been transformed in the inner man. The fullness of what Peter says we already taste now: 2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV) — “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

This is the process which has been begun in us by grace, and this is what we are to grow in continually – until He comes for us. And this is what He will complete in us. All this, in the searching out of the unsearchable riches of the person and work of Jesus Christ – actualized by His indwelling Spirit.

What a salvation! What a Savior!

Continuing on our current track, we’re once again looking little more closely at the 4 main benefits Solomon told his son could expect from following the 7 steps of vss. 1-4:

1 (5-8) “Then you will understand the Fear of The Lord”.

2. (9-15) “Then you will understand righteousness, and justice and equity, and every good work.”

3. (16-19) “So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman” (i.e. temptation).

4. (20) “So you will walk in righteousness.”

The third benefit he lists is “So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman.”

As a father speaking frankly to his own son, Solomon pulls no punches. He knows two things are true in regard to our fallen condition; a. Everyone is subject to temptation. The areas of temptation may differ from person to person – but no one is without them. b. Young men are especially prone to sexual temptation. There is no sense trying to dodge it, nor is it profitable to shift the blame to women. Every young man struggles with what to do with his burgeoning sexuality. Period. And every man – regardless of age is called to learn to manage his sexuality righteously. There is a pure and holy context (within monogamous, heterosexual marriage) and there is a defiling context – the “forbidden” woman. The woman who is not his wife. In person, in print, in pixels, on-line, on the phone or in the imagination. If she is not yours by marriage, she is forbidden.

Because Proverbs is primarily written from a father to his son, the metaphor for temptation is couched in terms of what will be most common to a young man. But it takes no imagination to see how that metaphor could be modified to the peculiar temptations of young ladies, older men or older women. The issue is temptation more than the particular kind of temptation. The text could just as easily used some different picture. But in this context, it is spot on.

Once again, it is the “fear of the Lord” – created through devoting oneself to seeking out, treasuring, inclining the heart to, pursuing God’s Word that is insisted upon.

The Word meets this need in a host of ways – only a few of which are:

It informs us we are made for higher things than to be given over to mere sexual lust – having been created in the image of God. (Gen. 1:27)

It shows us how sexual lust is the first sign of our fallen condition. (Rom. 1:18-25)

It instructs us in marriage and the right relationship between the sexes – where God blesses sexual love as a high and holy type of intimacy between Christ and the Church. (Heb. 13:4, Eph. 5:22-32)

The Word is replete with various ways to detect how our own hearts are drawn away and provides myriads of “techniques” or ways to overcome. (Rom. 6, Rom. 8:13, 2 Tim. 2:22, Gal. 5:16 – etc. )

The Bible is a mirror to show us what is really going on in our hearts so that we do walk in self-deception. (James 1:22-25)

It shows us how we are not alone in temptation and how God is on our side in facing it. (1 Cor. 10:13)

We are exposed to nature of God’s judgment upon sexual sin. (Eph. 5:3-5)

We are told how it defiles not just ourselves, but others. (1 Cor. 6:15-20)

And it tells us how to depend upon the indwelling Spirit of Christ in gaining the holy skill of dying to sin’s cries and arguments. (Rm. 8:13)

Because sexual temptation is so pervasive, and because it is one of the most glaring realities of our own age and culture – nothing can be more useful in discussing all temptation under this umbrella.

Would YOU be delivered from whatever the “forbidden woman” is in your life? Seek out the fear of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

As we did yesterday, we’re looking at little more closely at the 4 main benefits Solomon  emphasized his son could expect from following the steps outlined in vss. 1-4:

1 (5-8) “Then you will understand the Fear of The Lord”.

2. (9-15) “Then you will understand righteousness, and justice and equity, and every good work.”

3. (16-19) “So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman” (i.e. temptation).

4. (20) “So you will walk in righteousness.”

The 2^nd benefit of following his 7 steps in searching out God’s Word is he would “understand righteousness, and justice and equity, and every good work.” In this portion are Gospel centered realities that Solomon puts in front of his son, long before the Gospel as we know it had been fleshed out the way it is in the New Testament.

First then he mentions understanding “Righteousness”. What do we need to know about righteousness? A lot! What righteousness is from God’s viewpoint for one. We think of righteousness on the sliding scale of human imperfection. God sees righteousness on the scale of His own, eternal, absolute perfection. So we and Solomon’s son together need to understand that the righteousness which God demands of us is not the weak, sin-riddled righteousness which passes muster compared to other broken people – but righteousness compared to infinite holiness. And if that is God’s standard, then the second thing we NEED to know about righteousness is HOW TO GET THAT KIND OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Only the Word of God will tell us, it must come from the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us. In other words, when we search out God’s Word, we understand our real need as God knows it, and we come to understand His remedy for our need in Christ Jesus. This can be found nowhere else in all of human religion – but in God’s Word alone. Only in the Bible will we find this unpacked: Philippians 3:8–9 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— “

Second, Solomon says we can come to know “justice.” And we need to understand what justice really is, if we would understand what the Gospel really is. If God’s nature does not require justice in regard to our sin – then the cross is meaningless. Only when I know it would be justice for God to punish me eternally for my sin, can I understand both the need for and the wonder of the substitutionary atonement of Christ at Calvary.

See: Romans 3:21–26  and Romans 4:1-8. Christ died because righteousness demands sin be dealt with, and in the Cross, sin is punished to the full, so that those who trust in Christ’s substitution can go free – without violating God’s justice.

Third, God’s Word opens up “equity” to us – the true nature of fairness, and why grace is not contrary to it. Matthew 20:1-16 contains Jesus’ parable concerning the Kingdom where he talks about a man who contracts with some to work for him early in the day for a fair wage, then 3 subsequent times throughout the day. At the end, all are paid the same. When that is objected to we hear this stunning pronouncement regarding the Landowner’s freedom to give those who worked less the same wage, as what those who worked the whole day had agreed to: Matthew 20:13–15 “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” Only in God’s Word will come to understand equity on God’s terms.

Last, we will understand “Every good path” – how to live out righteousness, justice & equity in every day life. So we read in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

What an amazing provision God makes for us in His Word. All of which is ours – when we apply ourselves to gain it. Every aspect of which will apply to every area of life.

Solomon places a special emphasis on 4 main benefits his son can expect from following the steps he outlined in vss. 1-4:

1 (5-8) “Then you will understand the Fear of The Lord”.

2. (9-15) “Then you will understand righteousness, and justice and equity, and every good work.”

3. (16-19) “So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman” (i.e. temptation).

4. (20) “So you will walk in righteousness.”

Let’s just look for a few moments of some of what Solomon says about the 1^st benefit – understanding the fear of the Lord.

Notice 1^st in vs. 6 that is the Lord who gives this wisdom. It comes from God Himself. We do not get it from outside sources, or mere reasoning or even meditation by itself. We must get it from God Himself. This is why we spent so much time emphasizing the necessity of reading, studying, searching out, and exploring God’s Word. Because He has determined that He alone will be the source to teach us this wisdom. We must get it (as the old yarn puts it) right from the horse’s mouth.

No one comes to the fear of the Lord thru proxy, or ritual, detached experience, imagination or any other source. It comes from Him. And His means of communication is the Word itself. We come back to it over and over to hear His voice, and learn the “sound” of it.

But note that He DOES give it. He makes a gift of it. He wants us to have it. He is not withholding, stingy or playing games with us. He extends it to us in His Word, and we need only receive it.

2^nd, vs. 7 says He stores it up for us. He takes amazing, almost unimaginable pains to see to it first that it was written down, and then preserved, and then brought to us. How blessed we are! He has not scattered it like ashes on the water and left it to us to put back together like an infinitely complex cosmic jigsaw puzzle. Written over a span of 1500 years by more than 40 different authors most of whom did not know nor collaborate with one another –  and yet presenting one consistent theology and story line centering on the person and work of Jesus Christ in the redemption of fallen mankind and the fulfilling of God’s eternal purposes. We have it in our hands today in a myriad of translations and languages – preached in countless pulpits, on radio, TV, the internet and expounded in numberless books – because He has stored it up for us!

3^rd, vs. 7 also says He is a shield to those who walk in integrity. In other words, this wisdom which comes from Him and has been stored up for us, is a means whereby He exercises His power to protect us from the onslaught of bankrupt human philosophy, false religion, corrupt human imagination and the lies of the Enemy of our souls. What great provision He has made – if only we will run and hide behind His “shield” – in the safety of His protective care.

4^th, in vs. 8 we see that He guides us with it. Here is the roadmap for everlasting life. To navigate this life – in the light of the life to come. So see life from 40,000 feet. To know the beginning as He revealed it, clarifying the present through His lens, and projecting out to the sure future He has planned for those who love His appearing.

What a God! What a Savior!

Digging Deeper into Proverbs #4: Wisdom, Will and Courage

1 Corinthians 1:30  “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption”

Where is Christ Jesus in Proverbs? Everywhere. Just as our text above says, He “has become to us wisdom from God.” We cannot understand how the universe functions, its plan and purpose, without understanding the role of Jesus Christ at the center of it all. Everything depends upon this. Without Jesus in the central place, we may gather an infinite number of facts about life and the world and even God, etc. But we cannot know “the Truth”. That, is wrapped up in Him.

But just knowing truth isn’t sufficient either. One must act upon it. The epistle of James remind us that the devils know the orthodox truth of the Trinity is true, but they reject God nonetheless. Wisdom from God reveals our condition. Wisdom from God reveals the Savior – He who IS God’s wisdom – the sum of reality according to God – Christ. But wisdom also moves us to action – or it does us no good. The Book of Ecclesiastes bears unsparing record to Solomon’s own failure in this regard. The wisest man who ever lived, not acting upon that wisdom, brought him to ruin.

In the entire book of Proverbs, bear this in mind – all service to God requires these 3 things:

a. The WISDOM to KNOW what’s right.

b. The WILL to WANT what’s right.

c. The COURAGE to DO what’s right.

These are the product of the Word, and the Spirit together. Proverbs will reiterate these truths in a multitude of ways, showing us over and over how they must fit and work together if we would have the results of wisdom in our lives.