Ephesians Chapter number 2, the part that I want to focus on is there in verse 12 where the bible reads, "That at that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." The title of my sermon this morning is, Without God in the World. He said at the beginning of that verse, "That at the time ye were without Christ" that condition of being without Christ is described as, "Having no hope" and "without God in the world."
Now back up to the beginning of the chapter to verse number 1 and the Bible reads, "you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."
Not only did Christ save us from the punishment for our sins of going to hell one day, not only are we saved by grace through faith, but at the beginning of that there, he talked about the fact that before we were saved we walked "According to the power of the prince of the power of the air." It said, "The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom we all had our conversation in times past." The unsaved man, according to the Bible, fulfills the will of the devil. He fulfills the will of the prince of the power of the air, that spirit that is working in the children of disobedience. What the Bible is teaching here is that if we were not saved that's what we'd be doing. We'd be fulfilling the lusts of our flesh and the desires of our mind and we would actually be walking in the will of the devil as opposed to walking in the will of God.
Now go to Titus chapter number 3. Titus chapter number 3. What I want to show you this morning is that not only has God delivered us from an eternity in hell, he has also delivered us from living a life of destruction.
Congregation: Amen. Yeah.
Pastor: Even in this very present world, the life that we would be living, if we were not saved, if we did not have the word of God and the wisdom of God guiding us, would be a fullest life that would end up in destruction.
Congregation: Yeah. That's right.
Pastor: We would be walking according to the prince of the power of the air which is the devil. We would be guided by that spirit that is now working in the children of disobedience. We would be having our conversation on the loss of our flesh and we would be fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. We would be living a destructive life. Go to Titus chapter 3 verse 3 it says, "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." You see, if we today are living a godly life, a clean life, a life of wisdom and a life or honor, we really have nothing to glory of because the only reason that we're living a good life is because of the fact that God saved us, gave us his word to guide us, gave us that wisdom. Otherwise we would be living the same foolish and destructive life that everyone else is living.
Congregation: Right.
Pastor: That's why he talks about, here is this passage which the context has to do with looking down on other people or thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, he says look, we ourselves are also sometimes foolish. What's he saying? Before we were saved we were an idiot too. If we weren't saved, we would have all kinds of foolish ideas and we would be doing all kinds of stupid and wicked things if we weren't saved. Thank God that we're saved and not going to hell, but not only that, thank God that we're saved so that God has shown in us a more excellent way to live our lives.
Congregation: Amen. That's good.
Pastor: I mean, do you really want to live your life the way that this world lives?
Congregation: No Sir.
Pastor: Their life ends in destruction. Go, if you would, to Proverbs chapter 14. Proverbs chapter number 14. You see, I grew up as a Christian. I got saved when I was a 6 year old boy. From a child I knew the Holy Scriptures which are able to make me wise under salvation. I've also been sheltered from a lot of the wickedness and ungodliness of this world just because I was raised in that christian home. I already had those type of morals, even going into my teenage years and going into my young adult years. I can't really look down on someone else for having done a lot of wicked things in an unsafe condition because I can honestly stand here and tell you that as I look inside myself, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing."
Congregation: Amen.
Pastor: That's what the apostle Paul said, "In my flesh, dwelleth no good thing." I can assure you that if I did not grow up in that christian home, if I did not receive Christ as my savior as a 6 year old boy, just knowing what my flesh is like, I promise you that I would have gone out and lived the same wicked life that the average unsaved persons living. I'll tell you that right now. I would have gone out and committed fornication. I would have gone out and partied and lived that worldly sinful lifestyle. I than God that by the grace of God I got saved at a young age and was taught the word of God and was spared that but it's really nothing for me to glory of. I really should just be thankful that I got saved at such a young age because I had parents that bought me to church and preached me the Gospel and showed me how to be saved at that young age. It's all through the grace of God that I am what I am and you today, if you're living a clean and righteous life, it's only because of the fact y=that you're saved and it's only because of the wisdom that you got from the Bible.
Congregation: That's right.
Pastor: Without the Bible you wouldn't have got that wisdom, you would make all kinds of foolish decisions and people today who are not saved, they have no hope and are without God in the world and they're life reflects that. Look at Proverbs chapter 14 verse 12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Listen to the next verse, "Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness." You see, when I was a young man, when I was a teenager, I did not abstain form fornication because I thought that that was a wise way to live my life or because I had the wisdom to understand how the right way to live your life and the true path to happiness is going to be to remain pure and to get married and to stay faithful to your wife till death you do part. I wasn't smart enough to understand that as a young teenage boy.
The reason I abstained from fornication was simply the fear of God because I knew that God commanded me to abstain form fornication and that God judged people very harshly for committing that sin. By the fear of the Lord I said, well, even though my flesh would want to partake of that sin and even though I don't understand what would be the big deal, I abstained from it because of the fear of the Lord. Then, when I got older, I looked back and was thankful that I had made that decision but at the time you're not smart enough to know that. You have to just trust in the Lord and follow his commandments and he will save you from so much ruin and misfortune and heartache in your life. He will stop you from being a failure in your life. Look, if you live the way this world teaches you, and I hope every young person is listening this morning, if you go out and live the life that seems right and every bodies doing it and it's a partying lifestyle, it's drinking, it's fornicating, it's the pleasures of sinful season. Your life will end up a miserably wreck and a failure. You'll end up life as a loser.
Congregation: Amen.
Pastor: If you trust in the Lord and follow Gods rules and Gods commandments and let the wisdom of the book of Proverbs guide you, you will end up your life as a success. You will find real joy, unspeakable and full of glory. That you'll never find out in the world living the party lifestyle. He says in verse 13, "Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness." That way that seem right unto a man but the end are our ways of death. That way where you young teenager and young single adult, you look out at the unsaved and you see the laughing and the partying and the fun. Maybe you're driving down Mill Avenue and [inaudible 00:10:06] and you see all the partying going on. Maybe you're driving through downtown Phoenix on a Friday night and you see the partying and the fun. You look at that and you say, "That seems right. I mean that seems like a better life than what I'm living."
What you don't understand that even in laughter the heart is sorrowful. The unsaved that are out there living that life, it's not all that it's cracked up to be. They're not enjoying it as much as you think they are. You know where the true happiness is? It's in serving the Lord. It's in going to church. It's in having a family and having people that you love and that you're faithful to. It's in going to church and serving God and singing praises to God. The worlds pleasures of sin are hallow and empty and vain. Look, Solomon tried to enjoy all that stuff and he said, "It's all vanity." He even got to the point, when he had all the money and all the women and all the fun and all the music, he said, "I hated life." Imagine that? The guy who's got everything he says, "I hated life."
Look at the Hollywood stars. Look at the rock stars. How many of them hate life and are constantly having to go into rehab for this drug and rehab for being an alcoholic? Why? Their life is so distasteful to them that they have to drown their sorrows and they have to just waste their brain on drugs just to forget how miserable and worthless their existence is. It's depressing. You won't show me these Hollywood actors that have it all being happy and being faithful to their spouse. No, you see them constantly on the 3rd, 4th, 5th spouse. You see them constantly getting arrested from shoplifting and DUIs. You're just like ... Why would you do it? If you have millions of dollars, why are you shoplifting and getting a DUI? You're an idiot, that's why.
We would be the same way without Christ, without the word of God, without the wisdom of God. The only thing that will allow you to succeed and live a life that's worth living is the word of God. The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God and the wisdom of this world is going to take you down a dark path and ruin your life. Don't you ever, young people, be tempted when you see all the gleam and the lights and the partying and the laughing and the fun because you don't see that person when they go home and throw up the next morning and are miserable and say, "What am I doing with my life. I don't even know if it's worth it to live another day." That's the though that comes into their mind. "Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness." See? Even if you are partying and having fun and whoa! You're enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season, the end of it is heaviness. You end up in heaviness.
When you're young you see people ... and if you would flip over to Proverbs 3. When you're young you see people who seem to have the world by the tail. Don't they? You see that guy, who's a good looking guy and he's physically fit and he's athletic and he wears all the coolest clothes. He's making good money and he gets all the girls and he's partying and he's drinking. He doesn't care about the Bible, doesn't want to hear about church doesn't believe in Jesus Christ. Fast forward 20 years later that guy that was so cool and you look at him and he's a loser who's wasted his life. Other people are actually doing something with their life. Other people actually have a family or are living a godly life. They're involved in church. They have meaning in their life. You see him just a burned out drunk, burned out drug addict or filled with STDs or whatever. You don't envy that life anymore. The end of that mirth is heaviness. You see him when he's been divorced 3 times. You don't want to be him. You don't want to be that guy.
Look, I'm not down on you if you're that guy because if you've wised up and are now living for the Lord, praise God if you're that guy, if that's how you live. You know what? If you're that guy who has wised up and now you're living for the Lord and now you're in church, then you should mind this kind of preaching because you, if your heart is right with God, should want to warn young people. Hey, don't make the mistakes that I made.
Congregation: Right. Amen.
Pastor: Look, I'm not down on you if you have a rough past because I just said at the beginning of the sermon that I would have done the same thing. Were it not for the word of God guiding me, I would have done the same thing. I'm not down on you this morning. Let me say this though, I'm preaching to those who have not yet made these mistakes. They need to hear this because all that glitters is not gold. People easily are sucked into what the world shows them as a lifestyle that seems right. I'm here to preach to you this morning and tell you that the end of, are of the ways of death. That the world has nothing to offer you today. Only the wisdom of God can protect you from a miserable worthless life on this planet. We talk a lot about being saved from hell. We talk a lot about the fact that Christ has redeemed us and purchased death with his own blood so that we can go to heaven and escape hell. You know? Christ has done so much more for us than that because he's actually given us the word of God which will give us a guideline whereby we might live a successful meaningful life.
So many people, they want to shy away from talking about the commandments of God. They say, "Hey, it's not a religion it's a relationship." They say, "Hey, let's get away from the do's and the don'ts. Let's focus on the relationship man." Let me say this, the do's and the don'ts are one of the best things that God has ever done for us in our lives. We ought to be thankful for the rules. Thank God for his commandments. Why? His commandments are not grievous.
Congregation: That's right.
Pastor: "The way of transgressors is hard" the Bible says. You ever see someone and you say, Wow! They look they've lived a hard life? Why? The way of transgressors is hard, that's why. God dint give you all these rules in the Bible because he's just trying to spoil your fun or because he's just trying to test you and make sure that you can suffer enough, no, no ,no. He's giving you the rules, in many cases, for your own good.
Congregation: Amen. That's good.
Pastor: The bible says, in Hebrews chapter 12, about how we "Had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure." Watch this, "but he for our profit" he for our profit "that we might be partakers of his holiness." It's for our benefit if we obey the word of God. He said, "This is your life. This is for your benefit" because of the fact that he's a loving father that cares about us. He's saying look, even fathers of our flesh they corrected us for their own pleasure, in the sneeze that the parents discipline their kids because they don't want to live with kids who are swinging from the chandeliers and putting muddy footprints all over the ceiling. Obviously, the human parent disciplines their child so that they can have peace in their home and sanity. Think about, I have 8 kids, can you imagine if my 8 kids were just undisciplined. It would be a mad house. Now obviously, I love my children and I discipline them for their benefit but a lot of the reason why I discipline them is also for my own benefit, for my own sanity and for the sanity of my wife.
God, the Bible says, he disciplines us for our profit, for our benefit. Say, well why would it be to my benefit? Look, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." See, in the end, we end up in the place hat we want to be because God disciplined us and game us his rules and we made the right decisions. Look at Proverbs chapter 3 verse 1, "My son, forget not my law but let thine heart keep my commandments" because I said so, because I want you to do it for my benefit. No, look what he says here, son, don't forget my law keep my commandments, why? "For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee." I mean, who's getting the benefit when you obey the Lord? Who benefits in this verse? You benefit. Do you want to have long life?
Congregation: Yes.
Pastor: Do you want to have peace. Do you want to have length of days? God says look, these commandments are there to give you these things. If you remember them and obey them, you will receive these things. "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee, bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thine heart, so shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man."
Congregation: Amen.
Pastor: "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." That's why this verse is up here, it's one of my favorite versus. I think about this verse all the time, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding" and "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." If I would've chosen my own path in life, if I would've leaned on on my own understanding, this is not the path I would have chosen. I would not have chosen to abstain from fornication. I would not have chosen to get married at age 19 and to have children with the wife of my youth. I dead sure would not have chosen to have 8 children. If I were just leaning upon my own understanding and taking lessons from the world around me and said, "Hey, well that seems right, the way they do it." No, I trust in the Lord and I said, "Well, this is the way God says to do it." At the time it didn't seem necessarily like the best path but, honestly, I'm glad that I'm here.
Congregation: Amen.
Pastor: I'm glad I have 8 children. I praise God for very single one of them. I'm looking forward to number 9. See, children are inherited to the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Congregation: Amen.
Pastor: Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them but see the world says, "I don't know if that would make me happy? I don't think that's happiness."
Congregation: They do.
Pastor: Isn't that what the world says today? They look at 8 children and say, "I don't think that's happiness" but what does the Bible say is happiness? The Bible said, "Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them." Who do we trust? Our own understanding, our own heart, the world around us, the way that seems right or do we trust what the bible said would make us happy? What did the Bible say? Is that, "Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Do you believe that this morning?
Congregation: Yep.
Pastor: Do you believe that if you just totally reject the counsel of this world, totally reject the way that this world tells you is right and say this is the way to live your life, you just reject that and say, "No, no. I'm going to meditate on this word day and night."
Congregation: Amen.
Pastor: Reject what they're telling me and go with what the bibles telling me, the wisdom of God. Will you prosper? You must prosper because the Bible says, "Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish."
Congregation: Yep. Amen.
Pastor: Think of Moses. He chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Why did he do that? Why did Moses give up being called Pharaoh's daughter ... the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Yeah. That would be weird. That would be like something in 2016. Just trying to make the story more relevant to the world we live in. Yeah. Why did Moses refuse to be the son of Pharaoh's daughter? Why did Moses refuse all the riches, all the treasures, why? The Bible tells us why in Hebrews 11. It said, "Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." He had had respect unto the recompense of the reward. What was the first thing the bible said? "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter." By faith.
That shows us that Moses wasn't leaning on his own understanding saying, you know what, this is not what Moses thought, I think that if I refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, I'm going to be able to perform all these miracles and I'm going to bring a whole nation out of captivity and I'm going to become the most famous man who ever lived, one of the top 5. Do you think that that was what was going through Moses mind when he first took Egypt? I'm going to be one of the greatest men who's ever lived. I'm going to be a household name thousands of years from now. Do you think that's what he was thinking? No. He didn't use his own human logic and human understanding. You know why he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter and chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God? He did it because it was the right thing to do. He did it because he was trusting in the Lord by faith. The bible says, he did it by faith, just by faith he obeyed God and he suffered with the pp of God instead of enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season. He did that by faith and he believed that he would be rewarded. He didn't understand how he would be rewarded. He didn't know what that reward was going to be. He, by faith, trusted God.
That's the same position that we're in today my fiend in 2016. We have a choice. Suffer affliction with the people of God or enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. That is the path that's set before every young person today. We have to choose to suffer with the people of God by faith, knowing that there's going to be some reward. Now, think about if Moses would've made the wrong choice. What if Moses would've just stayed in Egypt, enjoyed the pleasure of sin? We wouldn't even know who he is. He would've just been another forgotten Egyptian nobility. Even if he would've become the Pharaoh, can you mane all the stupid pharaohs from that time? The only pharaohs that we can name are the ones that are mentioned in the bible.
Congregation: Yeah. Right.
Pastor: Those are the ones that we can name. Well, King Tut or whatever. So what. The point is he would have just been a forgotten nobody. He would have just been another fool who pleasured his life away and enjoyed the emptiness of the pleasure and the mirth whose end is heaviness. Then he would just be burning in hell and just been a nobody and just whatever. You say, well but he could have believed in Christ and still lived the life of sin? Okay. Let's say he would've got saved but not forsook Egypt, then here's what would've happened. He would've failed because God doesn't allow his children to succeed in this world if they're saved. "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Either way he would have ended hs life as a failure. Now, he had to go through suffering and trials and tribulations but in the end, wouldn't you say Moses was a great success?
Congregation: Yes.
Pastor: He's someone you'd want to be. You would love to end your life as a Moses. I know I would. He trusted the Lord. He didn't do what was right in hos own understanding. The Bible says, in Proverbs 3, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
The next verse, verse 7, "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones." Who does it sound like is benefiting form you obeying the Lord here? It's health to your navel, it's marrow to your bones. "Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase, so shall thy barns be filled with plenty." Doesn't that sound terrible? "And thy presses shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of his correction, For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that retaineth her."
Ask yourself this question. Why is it that people go out and live a life of sin? They think sin is going to make them happy. What re they trying to find? Happiness in the pleasures of sin but does it really bring happiness? No. The end of it is heaviness. The end is sorrow. The end is shame, ignominy, reproach, Happy is the man that findeth wisdom. Happy is man whom the Lord correcteth. Happy is everyone that retaineth wisdom. The Bible teaches that we're going to be happy if we actually follow the Lord with our lives.
There are 2 main lessons to get from this sermon. Flip over to Proverbs chapter 4 verse 18. There are 2 main things to take from this sermon. Number 1 is, we should never look down our noses at worldly unsaved people because of it were not for Gods word, we would be doing the exact same thing. I'm not just saying that just to be dramatic up her or just blowing hot air at you. I'm telling you that as the apostle Paul said, I can say that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. I delight in the law of God after the inward man. Christ made me a new creature as a 6 year old boy. Old things are passed away beyond all things that become new. So, the new Steven Anderson is a person who Christ has redeemed from all inequity. The new Steven Anderson is one that walks in holiness and righteousness. The old Steven Anderson is still there, the flesh. I can tell you right now that if that new Steven Anderson weren't there, if it were just the flesh Steven Anderson, I'd be out living the same wicked life that you see others living. I have nothing to glory off. It's all because of the fact that we've been washed.
The Bible says, "We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Look at Proverbs chapter 4 verse 18. Number 1 lesson is, don't look down your nose on the unsaved when they live a wicked life, forgive them, they know not what they do. You'd be doing the same stupid thing if it were not for the grace of God and for the word of God. It's not because, yeah I was so smart. I was so smart that I know that this is the path to take in life. No I wasn't. I would have picked some other stupid path. It was only because I followed Gods path that I ended up at the right destination. See what I'm saying? It's not because we're so smart, it's because we ignored our own smarts and followed what the word of God said. Okay?
Number 2 lesson is that if you're a young person, I want you to know that if you take that path that seems right, if you go out and live a sinful worldly life, if you choose fornication, if you choose partying, if you choose drunkenness, if you choose these things, you will destroy your life. You will be a laughing stock to everyone around you.
Congregation: Yeah. Yep. Amen. Right.
Pastor: You will be someone that people look down at and disdain and you will look at yourself and be disgusted with yourself, someday. It's true.
Congregation: Right. Amen.
Pastor: You can get to the end of your life like a Paul and say, you know what, I fought a good fight.
Congregation: Amen.
Pastor: I finished my course. I kept the faith. Henceforth, there's laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. Not to me only but to all them also that love is appearing. You can be like Saul where you get to the end of your life and you say, I played the fool. Right? I played the fool. I mean, do you want to end the life that you have falling on your own sword saying, I'm an idiot and stabbing yourself like King Saul? That's where he ended up. Do you want to end up like the apostle Paul saying, I fought a good fight? You know what, Paul started out named Saul.
Congregation: Yeah. Right.
Pastor: By the grace of God he became Paul. He became someone who could end his life with joy and gladness. Joy unspeakable. Whereas other people in the Bible didn't end so well, did they? Let me tell you something, you christian young person, I'm talking to every child, every teenager that's in this church. You think that if you grew up hearing this kind of preaching God's going to go easy on you. No, "Unto much is given of him shall much be required." If you want to end your life a complete loser and a complete failure, then just don't obey this book, don't read it and go live the stupid life that the worlds living. It's the truth my friend.
Look down at your Bible, Proverbs 4:18, "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Isn't that a beautiful verse? "The way of the wicked is as darkness" and here's the key "they know not at what they stumble." They fail and they don't even know why. Why? Because we're not smart enough to make all the decisions of our life that need to be made. We need to lean on his understanding. Not, well let me think about what the best way to live. No, read the book of proverbs and let God tell you how to live your life. He's going to tell you, stay away from the strange woman. He's going to tell you, "Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." My son, bow thine ear into my word, listen to me son. Do you want to have length of days? Do you want to enjoy the wife of your youth? Do you want have joy or do you want to be a miserable failure?
Look at verse 20, "My son, attend to my words, incline thine ear unto my sayings. Go to chapter 5 verse 1, "My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding." I like how he says, "bow thine ear." What's he saying? Humble yourself. When you bow, you're getting humble. He's saying, don't think you know everything, bow your ear to my understanding not what you understand. The christian life, in the early days is all about obeying commands that you don't understand, in the early days. You know, when you first get saved and you don't know the bible that well, you can't expect to understand every commandment that God has in the Bible. Well. I'll obey as soon as I understand, why?
I remember hearing kids like this when I was a teenager. I remember being in a Bible class in a christian school and the teacher was talking about how you should not marry an unbeliever, don't marry someone who's not saved, "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." You need to marry a fellow christian. I remember kids saying, "Why not?" Literally asking the question. I can picture the guys face. I don't know where this guys at today but I'm sure a quick Facebook search will probably tell me. I can name the guy, I can picture his face and I wonder if he's living a failed life today. I don't know. I'll have to hit up Facebook when I get home. The bottom line is, this guy, I can picture him like yesterday saying, "Well, I don't see why it would so bad because if I'm a christian and I'm obeying the Bible, so what if I marry her and she doesn't believe in God or the Bible or Jesus. As long as we both respect each other, we can just both do our own thing." Now that's so foolish, everybody in here is thinking, wow that's ridiculous but when your a teenager that's the kind of stuff you come up with though. You don't have the life experience.
That kid isn't thinking about the fact that when his first kids born and he's unequally yoked with some atheist or some catholic or whatever it's going to cause all sorts of problems. He's not thinking about the fact that as soon as his first kids born, and he married a catholic, that there going to be like, okay let's go baptize our baby. You're like, Whoa! What are you talking about. Or, hey I'm going to bring my son to church. Oh no you're not, I'm an atheist, I don't want my son being raised with all that religious beep. That's the kind of junk that your not thinking about, are you? Your not thinking about the fact that you marry an unbeliever, they might think it's just fine to commit adultery as long as they're discreet about it.
You think that the world out there doesn't commit adultery on a regular basis. You don't think that 50% of people out there are out there probably committing adultery. A quarter of people ... it's insane, the world we live in, what's acceptable. Let me tell you something, when you're a teenager you think you know everything and when I was a teenager I thought I knew everything. It's just part of being a teenager. When you get older you start realizing that there's more to life than you think. That's why, instead of saying, okay I'm, 13, I'm 14, I'm 15, I've got to figure out all these things, the why behind it, you need to just trust in the Lord and stop leaning on your own understanding. You just need to say, you know what, God said not to fornicate, I'm just not going to do it, I'm just going to stay pure. You know God said not to drink, God said, "Not to look upon the wine when it's red, when it gives his color in the cup." Why? "At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder." At the last and by then it's too late.
"Bow thine ear to my understanding." What's he saying? Don't think you know everything. Be humble and listen to God's understanding and trust what he's saying rather than your own very limited experience in this world. "That thou mayest regard discretion" chapter 5 verse 2, "and that thy lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil, But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are movable, that thou canst not know them." You know what he's saying there? You think that you can play around with this woman and that you're smart enough not to get ruined. You think that you can still take the path of life with this woman but what you don't realize that her ways are movable. She's going to take you on a ride. Sin always takes you further than you want to go. It keeps you longer than you want to stay and it costs you more than you were willing to pay.
"Hear me now therefore, O ye children" verse 7, "and depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house, Lest thou give thine honor unto others, and thy years unto the cruel." See when you're young, your honor isn't really that important to you, you just like, so what just give me pizza, ice cream, a roller coaster, a party, you know? The right kids aren't really thinking about honor but as you get older honor matters to you. You want to have a life that's respectable, decent, honorable. You want to be able to respect yourself and be respected by the people around you. You want to have honor.
The Bible says, you go fooling around with the strange woman with the loose woman with the promiscuous woman, when your young, he says, you know what, "You're going to give your honor unto others." When his wife divorces him and some other dude is with his wife and some there dude is raising his children because he committed adultery with a strange woman and destroyed his marriage. "Strangers be filled with thy wealth." That's called child support. That's called alimony. Right. You go out and sow your wild oats as a single person or a married person and you go out and commit that sin and have some bastard child out of wedlock you know what's going to happen? Strangers are going to take your wealth directly out of your paycheck. It's called child support. It's called alimony.
"And thou mourn at the last." What's mourning? It's when you're crying. It's when you're weeping. It's when you're just feeling horrible about yourself and your decisions. You "Mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed." Why is your flesh and body consumed because of alcohol destroying your body. Cigarettes destroying your body. Drugs destroying your body. STDs destroying your body. Your flesh and your body are consumed and you start crying and weeping and the tears roll down your face and you say, how have I hated instruction and my heart despised reprove. I've not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor inclined my ear to them that instructed me. I was almost, in all evil, in the midst of the congregation and assembly. I was in church. Yet I dint listen. I was in church and I didn't listen. Now my whole body's consumed. now he tears roll down because I've given my honor unto others. I have nothing to live for because I'm a loser, because I destroyed my life and flushed it down the toilet.
