Better Way Apostolic Church- Bible Class

Better Way Apostolic Church- Bible Class

Subject: The Wicked: Proverbs 1:7

There is no one specific way to get the truth out.In the Book of Acts, well over a dozen times salvation is taught with no one set way of proclaiming that precious truth. Hence, the so-calledRomans RoadorFour Spiritual Lawswere never used in the New Testament by the earliest Christians (and are not very sound).

General knowledge of the Bible is very important, but start with what you have.With experience, you will grow in knowledge and in your ability to present the gospel. If you get asked a question you can't answer on the spot, ask for the person's address or phone number, hunt up the Biblical answer and tell them. No person knows everything about every subject.

Some people are abusively obstinate to the gospel truth. Don't waste time with them or even speak to them once you find this out.To violate this could open yourself up toneedless persecution and danger:

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn andtear you to pieces.(Mat 7:6)

The Lord's redemptive death on Calvary won't benefit anyone who doesn't find out about it.Furthermore, there are massive misunderstandings regarding the Biblical terms related to salvation.All of these problems can be corrected to some degree by the soul winner, as he goes forth sowing gospel seeds:

For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? Andhow can they hear without someone preaching to them?And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Rom 10:13-15

Starting out wrong doesn’t lead us to ending up right.

Solomon disobeyed God's Word. (1 Kings 11:1-8)

Going back to Egypt may have been Solomon's first step in turning away from the Lord. He secured a bride from Egypt (v. 1; 3:1; 9:24) and he purchased horses and chariots there (4:26-28; 10:26-29). Both of these actions revealed Solomon's unbelief. He married the Egyptian princess in order to establish a peace treaty with her father, and he wanted horses and chariots because he didn't really believe that Jehovah could protect the land. What his father David had written was not in Solomon's creed: "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God" (Psalms 20:7, NKJV). His marriages and his procuring of horses and chariots were in direct disobedience to the

Lord's clear commands (Deuteronomy 17:16; 7:1-6; Exodus 1:1-40:38; 23:31-34; 34:15-16; Joshua 23:1213). Solomon's bad example in choosing wives from pagan nations created problems for Ezra and Nehemiah over four centuries later (Ezra 9:2; 10:2-3; Nehemiah 13:23-27).

In terms of "biblical geography," Egypt represents the bondage of the world. The wilderness pictures the unbelief of God's people today as, like Israel, they wander and fail to lay hold of their inheritance in Christ. The Promised Land represents the rest God gives to those who trust Christ, submit to Him, and go forth to conquer by faith. All believers have been delivered from the world system that is contrary to God (Galatians 1:4), and all believers are exhorted to claim their inheritance in Christ now and not to wander aimlessly through life. No Christian believer has to trust the world for anything, because we have received in Christ every blessing that we need (Ephesians 1:3; 2 Peter 1:1-4). We are in the world physically but not of the world spiritually (John 17:14:19), and all our needs come to us from the Father in heaven (Matthew 6:11; Philippians 4:19).

The danger of marrying pagan unbelievers is spelled out in v. 2, NKJV, which is a quotation from

Deuteronomy 7:4: "they will turn away your heart after their gods." That's exactly what happened to

Solomon (vv. 3, 4, 9). The Ammonites and Moabites were descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot (Genesis 19:30 ff). The Ammonites worshiped the hideous god Molech and sacrificed their infants on his altars (Leviticus 18:21; 20:1-5; and see Jeremiah 7:29-34; Ezekiel 16:20-22). Chemosh was the chief god of the Moabites, and Ashtereth (Astarte) was the goddess of the people of Tyre and Sidon. As the goddess of fertility, her worship included "legalized prostitution" involving both male and female temple prostitutes, and that worship was unspeakably filthy. (See Deuteronomy 23:1-8; 1 Kings 14:24; 15:12; 22:46.) The Babylonians also worshiped this goddess and called her Ishtar.

Solomon had exhorted the people to have hearts that were "perfect with the Lord" (8:61, KJV), that is, undivided and totally yielded to Him alone; yet his own heart wasn't perfect with God (v. 4). Solomon didn't totally abandon Jehovah but made Him one of the many gods that he worshiped (9:25). This was a direct violation of the first two commandments given at Sinai (Exodus 20:1-6). The Lord Jehovah is the only God, the true and living God, and He will not be put on the same level as the false idols of the nations. "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me" (Isaiah 46:9, NKJV).

Solomon's compromise wasn't a sudden thing, for he gradually descended into his idolatry (Psalms 1:1). First he permitted his wives to worship their own gods; then he tolerated their idolatry and even built shrines for them. Eventually he began to participate in pagan practices with his wives. His sensual love for his many wives was more compelling than his spiritual love for the Lord, the God of Israel. He was a

man with a divided and disobedient heart, and people who are double-minded and unstable are dangerous (James 1:8). How could Israel be a light to the Gentile nations when their king was openly worshiping and supporting the idols of those nations? He used to offer sacrifices and burn incense only to the Lord Jehovah, but when he got older, he started to include the false gods his wives worshiped (8:25; 11:8).

When you read the Book of Ecclesiastes, you discover that when Solomon's heart began to turn from the Lord, he went through a period of cynicism and despair. He even questioned whether his life was worth living. Without a close walk with the Lord, his heart was empty, so he pursued pleasure, became involved in commercial ventures with many foreign nations, and engaged in vast building programs.

However, he still found no enjoyment in life. At least thirty-eight times in Ecclesiastes, Solomon wrote, "Vanity of vanities."

His love for spiritual values was replaced by a love for physical pleasures and material wealth, and gradually his heart turned from the Lord. First he was friendly with the world (James 4:4), then spotted by the world (James 1:27), and then he came to love the world (1 John 2:15-17) and be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2). Unfortunately, the result of this decline can lead to being condemned with the world and losing everything (1 Corinthians 11:32). That's what happened to Lot (Genesis 13:10-13; 14:11-12; 19:1 ff), and it can happen to believers today.

The English words "fool" and "folly" come from the Latin follis, which means "bellows." It also described a person's puffed-up cheeks. Follis indicates that a fool is a windbag, somebody full of air but lacking in substance. Fools may look like giants, but when the wind is taken out of them, they shrink dramatically and reveal what they really are — pygmies.

In Proverbs, three different Hebrew words are translated "fool": kesyl, the dull, stupid fool who is stubborn; ewiyl, the corrupt fool who is morally perverted and unreasonable; and nabal , the fool who is like a stubborn animal, the brutish fool. (See 1 Samuel 25.) In this summary of the characteristics of the fool, we'll combine the verses and not distinguish the three different types. After all, fools are fools, no matter what name we give them!

Fools won't learn from God's Word. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning [controlling principle] of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (1:7). The problem with fools isn't low IQ or deficient education. Their big problem is their heart: They won't acknowledge the Lord and submit to Him. "There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Romans 3:18).

A fool's own father can't instruct him (Proverbs 15:5), and if you try to debate with him, it will only lead to trouble (29:9). Why? Because fools actually enjoy their folly and think they're really living! "Folly is a joy to him who is destitute of discernment" (15:21, NKJV; see 1:22; 12:15; 18:2). Warn them about sin and they laugh at you (14:9).

One reason fools don't learn wisdom is because they can't keep their eyes focused on what's important.

"A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth" (17:24, NIV).

Instead of dealing with reality, the fool lives in a faraway fantasy world. God's Word helps people keep their feet on the ground and make wise decisions in this difficult world in which we live.

Fools can't control their speech. "The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness" (15:2, NKJV; see 13:16). The fool's speech is proud and know-it-all (14:3), and fools have a tendency to speak before they know what they're saying or what's being discussed (18:13). "Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (29:20, NKJV). "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise" (12:15, NKJV). You can't warn fools or tell them anything they need to know because they already know everything!

Fools do a lot of talking, but they never accomplish what they've talked about. "The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall" (10:8; see v. 10). The word translated "prating" means "to babble and talk excessively," and is related to the word "prattle." It's much easier to talk about things than to hear God's Word and obey it.

Lies and slander are what fools specialize in (10:18), and the wise person won't stay around to listen (14:7-8). "The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the fool does not do so" (15:7, NKJV).

"Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool" (17:7, NKJV). All of us must be careful what kind of conversation we listen to, because Jesus said, "Take heed what you hear" (Mark 4:24). Furthermore, when fools are speaking, what they say could start a fight! (18:6-7)

The Wicked

The wicked and their wickedness are mentioned at least 100 times in Proverbs, usually in contrast to the good and the righteous. Proverbs 6:12-19 is somewhat of a summary statement that describes the evil person and the hateful sins that he commits.

The wicked are "naughty," that is, worth nothing (naught), without profit. It's the Hebrew word

belial (beli without; yaal, profit), used to describe worthless people (Deuteronomy 13:13; Judges 19:22; 1 Samuel 25:25; 1 Kings 21:10,13). Sin is not only destructive, it's also unproductive.

Every part of the wicked person's anatomy is devoted to evil and his "body language" communicates evil (see Romans 3:10-18). His mouth is perverse ("froward," KJV) a word that means "crooked, twisted." He can't be trusted. When he wants to signal his confederates that it's time to do evil, he winks his eye, shuffles his feet, and motions with his fingers; they get the message. The cause of all this evil is the perversity of his inner person, for it is out of the heart that evil comes (Mark 7:14-23; Jeremiah 17:9). He's skillful at plotting evil and the result is dissension. He's a troublemaker who sows discord, but judgment is certain and will come when he least expects it. How much better it is when the whole body is yielded to God (Romans 12:12) and controlled by His Word (Proverbs 4:20-27)!

You see these sinful characteristics manifested in the specific sins described in Proverbs 6:16-19, sins that God hates.

First on the list is pride, because pride is usually the basic motivation for all other sins. It was pride that turned Lucifer into Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14) and that led Eve to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:1-6; note "you shall be as God"). "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate" (Proverbs 8:13).

God also hates a lying tongue, for God is a God of truth (Deuteronomy 32:4; John 14:6; 1 John 5:6), and His Law says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness" (Exodus 20:16). God sees a lie, not as an act of speech but as a deadly force that goes to work in society and divides and destroys. When we lie, we open the door for Satan to work, for he is a liar (John 8:44); when we speak truth, we give opportunity for the Spirit to work (Ephesians 4:14-25). There is a place reserved in hell for liars (Revelation 21:8,27; see 2 Thessalonians 2:10).

The third sin God hates is murder, "hands that shed innocent blood." His commandment is, "Thou shalt not kill [murder]" (Exodus 20:13). God permits the government to exercise capital punishment and strengthen justice in the land (Genesis 9:5-6; Romans 13:1-7), but the shed-ding of innocent blood pollutes the land (Numbers 35:30-34). Murderers have their part in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8; 22:15).

A heart that devises wicked schemes (NIV) is hateful to God because it's a misuse of the great gift of imagination that He has given us. (See Genesis 6:5; 8:21; Jeremiah 23:17; Romans 1:21.) The imagination is the "womb" out of which either evil or good is born. People who can plan evil things that hurt others can also plan good things that will help others. The imagination needs to be cleansed and kept pure before God so He can use it in His service. Only God can change the sinful heart (Jeremiah 31:33-34; Hebrews 10:14-18; Psalms 51:10), and God's people must take care to guard their hearts against evil (Proverbs 4:23).

Sinners have feet that are swift in running to mischief [evil] because they want to fulfill their schemes quickly and enjoy their pleasures immediately. God's people should have cleansed feet (John 13:1-17; 1 John 1:9), beautiful feet (Romans 10:14-15), prepared feet (Ephesians 6:15), and obedient feet (Genesis 13:17; Joshua 1:3; 3:15). If we do, we'll bring blessing. But the wicked use their feet to get involved in sin: meddling as busybodies (2 Thessalonians 3:11; 1 Timothy 5:13), tempting others into sin (Proverbs 5:5 and 7:11), and breaking God's laws (1:10-16). If the saints were "on their feet" and as eager to obey the Lord as sinners are to disobey, the lost world would soon be evangelized!

Proverbs 7:10-20- God has called His people to be witnesses to the truth (Acts 1:8), but the wicked person is a false witness who speaks lies. Bearing false witness is a violation of the Ninth Commandment (Exodus 20:16). Without truth, things start to fall apart; when people "lie officially," the foundations of society begin to crumble. Whether it's a statement from a government official, a clause in a contract, a deposition in court, or a promise at the marriage altar, truth cannot be violated without society ultimately suffering. The British poet John Dryden wrote, "Truth is the foundation of all knowledge and the cement of all societies."

The last of the seven sins that God hates is sowing discord among brethren. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Psalms 133:1). The wicked person destroys that unity by sowing "seeds" that produce a bitter and divisive harvest. Some of these seeds are: pride (Proverbs 13:10; see 3 John 9-10), gossip (Proverbs 16:28; 17:9; 18:8; 26:20), anger and hatred (10:12;

15:18; 29:22), a quarrelsome spirit (17:14,19; 25:8; 26:21), and foolish questions (1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:14,23).

The truly godly person sows seeds of unity and peace, not seeds of division (James 3:17-18). Discord and division in the church are terrible sins because they are contrary to the spiritual unity that Jesus prayed for (John 17:21) and that the Spirit was given to produce in the body (Ephesians 4:1-6). How can lost sinners ever believe that God loves them when God's children don't even love one another?

All it takes is one stubborn trouble-maker to wreck the unity in a family, a Bible study group, or a church. "Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended" (Proverbs 22:10, NIV). In one of the churches I pastored, we had such a man. When the Lord finally removed him, the new atmosphere in the fellowship was exhilarating. Official meetings that used to consume hours were considerably shortened, and there was a new freedom in discussion and decision.