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welcome to everyone you can take your Bibles and turn to Psalm 143 for our scripture reading or our opening Psalm Psalm 143 I'll begin reading in verse 1 a psalm of David hear my prayer O Lord give here to my supplications in your faithfulness answer me and in your righteousness do not enter into judgment with your servant for in your sight no one living is righteous for the enemy has persecuted my soul he has crushed my life to the ground he has made me dwell in darkness like those who have long been dead therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me my heart within me is distressed I remember the days of old I meditate on all your works my muse on the work of your hands I spread out my hands to you my soul longs for you like a thirsty land say law answer me speedily Oh Lord my spirit fails do not hide your face from me lest I be like those who go down into the pit cause me to hear your loving-kindness in the morning for in you do I trust cause me to know the way in which I should walk for I lift up my soul to you deliver me O Lord from my enemies in you I take shelter teach me to do your will for you are my god your spirit is good lead me in the land of uprightness revive me O Lord for your name's sake for your righteousness sake bring my soul out of trouble in your mercy cut off my enemies and destroy all those who afflict my soul for I am your servant Amen well please take your Trinity hymnal and turn to number three hymn number three the second tune will stand as we sing together [Music] amen let us go to prayer our Father we thank you again for this blessed day we thank you that you are the Lord God Most High that you are from everlasting to everlasting that you are the God who made this world and all things in it by the by the word of his power in the space of six days and all very good we acknowledge your sovereign government your Providence the fact that you are over all things that you are in the heavens and you do whatever you please and on the sabbath day in a special way we remember the god of redemption how we praise you for the life and the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ how we praise you that you made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him and as we are reminded each and every lord's day he is risen he rose the third day he ascended on high he's enthroned at the right hand of the Majesty on high and he rules and he governs and he reigns over all things for the church may these things continually encourage our hearts may you strengthen us with might in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in our hearts richly through faith we pray that we would be those who strive to bring glory to you in this lower world and may these Sunday's may these Lord's days be a via help in that regard may you continually conform us under the image of your beloved son but we know this is your plan not only your glory but our conformity unto the Savior this is the reason in the foreknowledge of God you predestined us to be conformed unto the image of your son and in time you called us you justify us and we look forward to that time when you glorify us in the in the world to come god help us to live in light of these gospel truths help us to live in light of your absolute holiness and sovereignty and supremacy and grant us grace to walk before you in the fear of the lord and with great joy in our hearts that god almighty has say does that you have not dealt with us as we are worthy you have not held our transgressions against us to have forgiven us in and through the person in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and in this we greatly rejoice we ask tonight that you would grant us grace as we gather together help us as we pray help us as we sing help us as we direct our attention to the word of the Living God and may you truly be enthroned upon the praises of your people hear and may you be exalted and glorified we confess our sins to you asking that you would forgive us we ask that you would cleanse us in that fountain that is open for sin and uncleanness those blessed words prophesied by Zechariah and fulfilled through the through the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ may you indeed give us that cleansing now and may you indeed fit us for service to our great and holy God we ask that you would look with favor upon this congregation we again remember a brother dawn and we just commit him to you and to the word of your grace and as he continues in the hospital we pray that he would get the care that he needs that you would give him physical health and strength and restore him Lord God and enable him to return home soon we pray for our dear brother Shane and asked that you would watch over this young man we know that this is a trying time in his life and these afflictions are serious and we ask that you would just comfort him that you would surround him with your grace with your mercy she would encourage his heart even as he goes through such times to continually look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and to find his hope his comfort his encouragement there we pray for all of the Brethren in our church that have physical trials and difficulties and hardships we ask Lord God that you would watch over each and every one she would strengthen them that you would bless them that you would continue to provide for them as they have need and we thank you as well for the good gifts that you give in terms of babies we know that children are a gift from Yahweh and would be with those mothers who are expectant that you had bless these babies in the womb and that father and your timing they would be brought forth physically and we do pray one day they'd be brought forth spiritually and we asked that for our children and young people as a whole we know that this is indeed a wicked world we know God because of our connection to Adam our children stand in great need of the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ so we pray for them that you would move their hearts to believe the gospel that they would call on the name of the Lord and they would be saved and that you would indeed protect them from the sorts of evils and wickedness and godless Ness that is so so prevalent in our own day and generation we ask also that you would look with favor upon all of us in terms of our spiritual needs the Lord taught us to pray not only that you would give us each day our daily bread and thus highlighting our dependence upon you in the temporal realm but he taught us to pray that you would forgive us of our sins and that you would lead us not into temptation God we have we stand in need of spiritual help each and every day we ask that you would indeed guide us and direct us by the Holy Spirit that you would enable us to press onward to press through the various trials that we do face to resist sin and temptation and to seek by grace to bring glory unto you we ask thee would be gracious to other churches Lord we thank you that we're not alone in this city we pray for those who are engaged in the true worship of God those who are preaching the gospel we ask that you would bless and prosper them caused them to be in places where sinners get saved and where the Saints are made more holy we ask this for all of the churches in Canada for those that are faithful we pray God that you would revive your people in this land that you would cause us to be zealous for your glory and for your honor we ask that those that are not true churches would be shot down that father they would quit wasting time that you would raise up more and more places of worship where God is glorified where Christ is proclaimed and where the Holy Spirit is evident we also pray that you would have mercy upon the governing authorities the Apostle tells us that no authority exists except from God we acknowledge your hand we acknowledge Christ speaking his wisdom in Proverbs saying that by him Kings reign and yet father we know and see that these men do not conform to your holy law we pray that you'd put the fear of God in their hearts we pray that you would cause them to govern according to righteousness and and and long and in justice and those things which the scripture declares are necessary for those in such places we honestly would be merciful unto them and that you would save and if they are not saved we pray you would restrain them from further acts of wickedness and lawlessness and God we do pray for a day when the sorts of things that we have grown accustomed to in our society would no longer be the case we also pray for the persecuted Church thanking you for your work in other parts of the world it is an encouragement to us to hear of the gospel going forth it is a discouragement to see how your people are treated but we know father that you are with them that you uphold them that you strengthen and bless them even in the midst of these fires of affliction cause your word to go from sea to sea cause your glory to be seen throughout all the earth and cause us to reflect upon that blessed statement of the songs that we are to be still and know that you are God that you will be exalted among the nation's and that you will be exalted in the earth may these things encourage our hearts may they encourage the hearts of our brothers and sisters that are suffering for the cause of Jesus Christ our Lord and we pray these things in his most blessed name amen well please turn with me in your Psalter your red Trinity Salter to Psalm 146 Psalm 146 again will stand as we sing together [Music] well you can turn in your Bibles to the prophet Jonah we find ourselves in Jonah chapter 3 remember his flight from God is recorded in chapter one his rescue by God in Chapter two and here we see his mission for God in Chapter three I'll begin reading in verse 1 now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time saying arise go to Nineveh that great city and preached to it the message that I tell you said Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city a three-day journey in extent and Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk then he cried out and said yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown so the people of Nineveh believed God proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them then word came to the king of Nineveh and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes and he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his noble saying let neither man nor beast heard nor flock taste anything do not let them eat or drink water but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily to god yes let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands who can tell if God will turn and relent and turn away from his fierce anger so that we may not perish then God saw their works that they turned from their evil way and God relented from the disaster that he had said would that he said he would bring upon them and he did not do it amen well as we see here the Bible of tributes to God human characteristic it says that God relented from the disaster that he said he would bring upon we ought to understand this as what's called an anthro pope atthe izi you've all heard of an anthropomorphism and an anthropomorphism ascribes human characteristics to God we saw one this morning speaking about the right hand of God well God is spirit and he does not have a body like men so there's no hand that God has the Bible speaks of the eyes of Yahweh running to and fro throughout the earth the Bible speaks of the mighty right arm of God those are anthropomorphic statements ascribing to God something true of man so that we'll understand truth about God well the Bible does that as well with emotions anthro Papa fake language is stuff that is said properly about man that's expired improperly to God now the point is to teach us something true about God and this in fact is what it teaches us he's a God of mercy he's a God of goodness he's a God of kindness and a God of great graciousness so he uses this language spoken in the manner of men telling us that God relented to display for us the goodness and the kindness of God now if you think about it for just a moment God is a perfect being so it could not be the case that he repents or that he relents or that he increases or that he diminishes the doctrine of immutability tells us that God is unchangeable the doctrine of impassibility tells us that God is without passions and when we speak of God without passions it's not to be taken as this that God is inert or a static or he's just some sort of lifeless Rock God's perfections are to the utmost God is most gracious God is most loving he cannot increase he cannot diminish because the fullness of graciousness for instance or the fullness of love is true of God there is no change there is no shadow of turning there is no variation in God so when you read these statements throughout scripture concerning God relented or God repenting this is a means by which God speaks to us in our language to teach us something that is true concerning him but not that he actually changes from one state to another it rather is expressive of the goodness of God in not reducing Nineveh to rubble and in preserving them at least for the time being through the preaching of the prophet Jonah well let us pray our Father we thank you for your word and we thank you that it comes to us clothed in our clothes in a manner that is that is simple for us to receive it and how we thank you for your grace and your goodness and your kindness as displayed in passages like these every act we're in you don't destroy a sinner or sinners it's truly a great demonstration of your graciousness and certainly as we reflect upon such things in our own life god help us to sing with joy and Thanksgiving concerning your Amazing Grace and may that that sound always be sweet to our ears because we weren't dead and you caused us to live we were we were lost and you found us we were blind and now we see certainly God Most High is gracious and kind to his people and we pray that you would continue with us now and we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen well for our final him before the preaching you can turn to number 60 hymn number 6-0 will stand as we sing together [Music] well please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs proverbs chapter 3 we may bounce around from place to place rather than just moving from chapter 1 all the way to chapter 31 it's a bit difficult to sort of take the book of Proverbs that way and so this will be more of a thematic approach as we look at this particular book and tonight I want to consider the believers commitment to the Lord and proverbs 3:5 and 6 a very familiar section of Holy Scripture and one that I hope will be encouraging for our hearts as we consider who God is and as we consider our dependence upon him notice in proverbs 3 verses 5 & 6 we're told that trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths amen let us ask God's help as we look at this passage in more detail father thank you for this word thank you for this blessed command and give us the grace the ears the hearts to receive it and give us the grace by the power of the Holy Spirit to heed it to obey and to glorify and honor you and to live lives of dependence upon you to live lives of commitment unto you and our God and Father we confess how far short we fall in this area we confess that as believers we have so much remaining corruption that as believers we do lean on our own understanding we don't always acknowledge you in all of our ways so we confess that sin and we pray for your Holy Spirit to help us to get to guide us to to sustain us and give us grace now as we ponder this text give us grace now as we ponder its application in our lives for this coming week and the coming months and years in our lives may this indeed be a great help to us and may we receive with Thanksgiving your written word and may you fill us now with the Holy Spirit for we acknowledge or darkness we acknowledge our tendency toward that which is evil we acknowledge that even by nature and even in a state of grace we have that remaining corruption that remaining tendency to run from you we pray your Holy Spirit would illumine our minds and our hearts now they would shine the light upon the pages of Holy Scripture that you would cause us to receive it joyfully and we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord amen well last week we considered proverbs 28:13 whoever covers his sins will not prosper but he who confesses and forsakes it will find mercy and I highlighted there the confession isn't simply just going through the motions of actually voicing or giving vent to the particular sins that one has engaged in it involves faith it involves looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ and involves trust in Christ and so I thought it would be good tonight to consider this passage that is about trusting in Yahweh says trust in the Lord with all your heart lean not on your own understanding and all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your steps and I would suggest that there are three things that we ought to observe here there is first a command secondly a prohibition and then thirdly and exhortation note in the first place the command he says trust that is a command it's an imperative it's not a suggestion it's not a recommendation it's not something that might make your life a little bit better if you choose to enact it but we are commanded to trust in the Lord with all our heart and I would suggest that this assumes that the Lord is trustworthy in other words Father Son and Holy Spirit is worthy of our trust our great God is a God who can be taken at his word our great God is the God of absolute truth our great God is the God who never lies our Great God is in fact the one that is immutable that is impassable that when he enters into covenant with a sinner he saves that sinner he owns that sinner and he keeps that sinner and that sinner will never be lost because of who God is so we are to trust in the Lord with all our heart with reference to salvation other words what we are to do in terms of our approach to God is not to try and work it out it's not to try to perform well it's not to be more or less but we need to trust in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we need to call upon the name of the Lord and thus we shall be saved the Bible is very clear salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone so in the first place this idea of trust in the Lord with all your heart has to mean for salvation there's no other way of acceptance with God but through Jesus Christ he said I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through me it's if we go or we try or we attempt to gain God by our works or by our morality we are saying that what Christ got a price did on the cross wasn't necessary if it is the case that righteousness comes through the law Paul says that Christ died in vain rather we need to look we need to look and live the way that Moses lifted up that wilderness in the that serpent rather in the wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up that everyone who looks to him will in fact lift so we need to trust in the Lord for our salvation but as well the book of Proverbs highlights we are to trust in the Lord for all of life God the Lord is the object of our trust not only for our salvation not only for Sunday but God the Lord is the object of our trust in every area of life the Bible is sufficient for all matters of faith and practice the Bible is God's authoritative Word and it speaks to every area religious practice ethics history science doctrine whatever it may be God's Word comes to us as the authority as the source as the guide as that which should direct us for all of life so trust in the Lord with all your heart Matthew Poole says his wisdom following his counsels his power and goodness in expecting success from him his sovereignty in managing all the affair so as to please and glorify Him Charles bridges comments on this particular verse he says this is the PolarStar of a child of God faith and his father's Providence promises and grace he is truth itself therefore he would have us take him at his word and prove his word to the utmost extent of his power so the Lord is trustworthy but as well go back to chapter 2 to see that the Lord is in fact the source of wisdom and knowledge in other words trust in the Lord with all your heart because he is the source of wisdom and knowledge he's not only the object that is trustworthy he is the object that is the source of wisdom and knowledge notice in proverbs chapter 2 at verse 6 for the Lord gives wisdom from his mouth come knowledge and understanding he stores up sound wisdom for the upright he is a shield to those who walk uprightly he guards the paths of justice and preserves the way of his Saints then you will understand righteousness and justice equity and every good path you see God is trustworthy to be sure God is also the source of wisdom and knowledge and the fact is is that God gives it notice that in verse 6 the Lord gives wisdom we saw that in our study in the book of James what does James say to those of you who lack wisdom go enroll in the local college buy a book on wisdom through amazon.com go ahead and fast and pray and spend you know the hours up in the mountains trying to attain that wisdom oh yeah he says ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach might not be wrong to read a book on wisdom might not be wrong to enroll in a local ocol college the Brethren would go to the source of wisdom and he gives to all liberally and without reproach in other words he doesn't upbraid us he doesn't mock us he doesn't say wow you're coming back again asking for wisdom God is not like that he is generous he is kind he is good and he is in fact a giver of knowledge but if you go back to proverbs 3 with reference to this command notice not only the object of our trust it's trust in the Lord but the entire of our trust he says trust in the Lord with all your heart in other words we're not supposed to be a divided people we're not supposed to have one foot in Zion in one foot in the devil's parlor we're not supposed to have one foot in Zion and one foot in the world we're not supposed to be a people that are mixed and mingled we are a people that are to be given wholly to our God we are to trust in the Lord with all our heart in other words it is to be entire this reminds one of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4 hear o Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength the man of God is not only supposed to love God with all his heart but he is to trust in God with all his heart there's not to be division there's not to be that that sort of mingling Gill says the phrase denotes not so much the strength of faith as the sincerity of it it signifies a faith unfeigned and I would suggest that even a weak faith could nevertheless be an entire faith the idea here is that we are not divided with reference to our allegiance to God you are to trust in the Lord with all your heart yes for salvation and then in all matters of life the Lord is in fact trustworthy and the Lord Himself is the source of wisdom and knowledge now note secondly the prohibition he moves from the command trust in the Lord with all your heart now he gives a prohibition and lean not on your own understanding lean not on your own understanding so look at the particular connection here our trust in Yahweh is to be entire with your whole heart but it's also supposed to be exclusive in other words Trust alone in Yahweh do not lean on your own understanding the trust that we express with reference to the true and living God is entire and it's also exclusive our trust Bridges says must not own entire but it must be exclusive then there is this tendency in the people of God excuse me and certainly a tendency among the non people of God to constantly lean on their own understanding now just a few passages to highlight that Solomon recognizes the depravity of man you can turn to proverbs chapter 10 proverbs chapter 10 we need to remind ourselves of the doctrine of total depravity as it pertains to the godless but as a corollary we need to understand the doctrine of remaining corruption as it pertains to the godly but notice just to see what Solomon thinks concerning sin proverbs 10 23 to do evil is like sport to a fool proverbs 11 3 b-but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them proverbs 20 at verse 9 we'll be moving through many of these passages tonight proverbs chapter 20 at verse 9 who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin that's the doctrine of depravity there is that tendency in man to reject and resist God and to lean on his own understanding notice in proverbs 21 for a haughty look a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked our sin in other words everything he does proverbs 20:1 10 the soul of the wicked desires evil his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes and then proverbs 30 11 to 14 often thought this really does characterize our own generation but it wasn't unique to our own generation but certainly look at proverbs 30 11 to 14 there is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother there is a generation that is pure in its own eyes yet is not washed from its filthiness there is a generation oh how lofty are their eyes and their eyelids are lifted up there is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose fangs are like knives to Bauer the poor from off the earth and the needy from among man so understanding this whole idea of total depravity with reference to the godless and remaining corruption with reference to the godly we need to appreciate that temptation to lean on our own understanding now I want to offer up three examples from Proverbs of how persons lean on their own understanding in the first place just an outright reliance on self just an outright reliance on self I think this is most the most narrow definition of lean not on your own understanding it is to rely on yourself it is to lean on your own understanding it is to fake that you are the measure of all things it is to think that you are the source of wisdom and knowledge not Yahweh he's not the one that gives these things but rather I know them and I know them better let's look at proverbs 14:12 proverbs 14:12 there is a way that seems right to a man but it's end is the way of death and proverbs 16:25 essentially it repeats that there is a way that seems right to a man but it's end is the way of death you see this is what man is when he leans on his own understanding there's a way that seems right unto him and that way that seems right unto him involves violating God's law lacking conformity under God's law doing those things that gratify his flesh doing those things that the father warns about in this particular book the father warns the son about sexual immorality the father warns the son about the harlot the father warns the son about the immoral woman and yet what will some inevitably do there's a way that seems right unto a man but the end is death as well notice in proverbs 11 proverbs 11 just to see this reliance on itself proverbs 11 specifically verses 3 & 6 the integrity of the upright will guide them but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them riches do not profit in the day of wrath but righteousness delivers from death the righteousness of the blameless will direct his way but the kid will fall by his own wickedness the righteousness of the upright will deliver them but the unfaithful will be caught by their lust you see the contrast the righteous does what God calls him to do the righteous trusts in Yahweh with his heart the righteous does not lean on his own understanding but the righteous the unrighteous rejects Yahweh he leads on his own understanding in the end therein is death that is what Solomon tells us he is warning his sons with reference to this notice in verses 19 to 21 in proverbs 11 as righteousness leads to life so he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord but the blameless in their ways are his delight though they joined forces the wicked will not go unpunished but the posterity of the righteous will be delivered and then verse 27 in that passage he who earnestly seek scoot finds favor but trouble will come to him who seeks evil you see the contrasting statements in terms of the righteous and the unrighteous will the righteous are trusting in God with their heart they're not leaning on their own understanding the unrighteous rejects are resist God and that person leans on his own understanding notice in proverbs 12:1 whoever loves instruction loves knowledge but he who hates correction is stupid notice proverbs 12 15 to 16 the way of a fool is right in his own eyes but he who heeds counsel is wise a fools wrath is known at once but a prudent man covers shame and then proverbs 14 verse 29 proverbs 14 and verse 29 he was slow to wrath has great understanding but he was impulsive exalts folly Jeremiah 17 is another passage we might mention curse it as the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength whose heart departs from the Lord I think bridges nails this this whole idea of lean not on your own understanding he says it is nothing less than self idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary man of the day without his counsel we just repeat that because I think it's so important bridges says it is nothing less than self idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without his counsel in other words bridges are saying we're messed up and we need help you know most often that's the place where repair begins admitting that you're messed up and that you need help I realize that sounds like a a but it's a biblical concept you need to realize you're messed up and that you need help that's the bottom line and bridges says to lean on your own understanding is nothing short of self idolatry he says be in the habit of going to him in the first place before self will self pleasing self wisdom human friends convenience expediency so in terms of this lean not on your own understanding there is this reliance on self secondly I think it evidences itself through the rejection of godly parents the rejection of godly parents turn back to proverbs chapter one many of the admonitions that caw many of the exhortations that come are directed by a father to his son notice in proverbs chapter 1 verse 10 my son if sinners entice you do not consent it's the text I used to cite with my children when I dropped them off at school I would tell them if sinners entice you do not consent I always thought that was a good thing to sort of leave them with as they left my vehicle and went into the school but it's a Christian school yeah my son if sinners entice you do not consent that is absolutely imperative notice as well proverbs chapter 2 verse 1 my son if you receive my words and treasure my commands within you proverbs 3 verse 1 my son do not forget my but let your heart keep my commands proverbs 3 verse 11 my son do not despise the chastening of the Lord proverbs 4 verse 1 here my children the instruction of a father and give attention to know understanding proverbs 4 verse 10 here my son and receive my sayings proverbs 4 verse 20 my son give attention to my words incline your ear to my sayings proverbs 5 verse 1 my son pay attention to my wisdom lend your ear to my understanding proverbs 5 verse 7 therefore hear me now my children and do not depart from the words of my mouth there specifically the context with reference to sexual immorality you see God has put parents over you and reliance on self oftentimes includes a rejection of godly parents you need to fight against that tendency fight and resist that tendency to lean on your own understanding praise God you have Christian parents and praise God that they're telling you the right things to do and pray to God that he will give you hearing ears so that you'll obey what your parents say children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right so when we look at this whole idea of lean not on your own understanding certainly there is reliance on self certainly there is a rejection of godly parents but then thirdly there is a reception of ungodly influence the reception of ungodly influence notice in proverbs 13 proverbs 13 verse 20 there's a doctrine of bad company corrupting in the book of Proverbs and we need to appreciate that proverbs 13:20 who you walk he who walks with wise man will be wise but the companion of fools will be destroyed not just beautifully simple why don't you want me hanging out with that person because they're fools and you'll be destroyed it just doesn't get any easier does it you see this whole idea of this ting or rejecting rather godly parents relying on oneself oftentimes ends with persons relying as well on ungodly influence and Solomon highlights that notice in proverbs 23 at verse 17 proverbs 23 17 do not do not let your heart envy sinners but 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 you see the gist of this passage don't envy sinners don't look around and see what they've got and say wow I'd like to have that too no you need to fear God you need to 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 in other words do not be obsessed with immediate gratification oh they're having fun right now I've got to jump on that bandwagon and do whatever it is they do no you need me zealous for the law fear the Lord everyday or it all the day because there is a hereafter serving God does pay off not in a you know weird Benny Hinn sorta way but there is a blessing to be had with the people of God and it's oftentimes caught up in a future orientation in other words we're like Moses we would rather suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin this is Solomon's point do not let your heart envy sinners don't be caught up with jealousy on what they've got don't look at them and be a lord into that specific situation but rather resist it fear God always notice in Proverbs 23 19 to 21 hear my song and be wise and guide your heart in the way do not mix with wine bitters or with gluttonous eaters of meat for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty and drowsiness will clothe the man with rides it's good counsel isn't it don't hang out with that group of people lean not on your own understanding you don't have the wherewithal to choose the best people that you ought to spend the most time with notice proverbs 24 verses 1 & 2 do not be envious of evil men nor desire to be with them for their heart devises violence in their lips talk of trouble making so we need to understand the reception of ungodly influences is a kid too leaning on our own understanding you know what's ironic and you know what's sad and you know what's a bit pathetic is that Solomon's own son Rehoboam did not take this counsel Solomon's son Rehoboam in first Kings chapter 12 that the division of the kingdom Rehoboam was challenged by a man named Jeroboam the son of Nebat and Rehoboam says let me seek some counsel and he first appeals to the godly elders that had stood in the presence of the wisest man that had ever lived namely Solomon he hears their counsel and then he calls for his friends he calls for the youths he calls for his contemporaries and he says what would you have me to do and guess who he signs with he dust outside with the godly elders in terms of what he will speak to Israel and it was a mess it was terrible certainly it was consistent with God's plan and purpose to bring that division to bring that judgment upon the house of Israel but from a human standpoint what Rehoboam did was directly contrary to what Solomon had taught him to do so we see the command we see the prohibition now thirdly and finally let's look at the exhortation the exhortation in proverbs 3 he says in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths so notice we move from an entire commitment to God to an exclusive commitment to God and now an exhaustive commitment to God in all your ways acknowledge him not some of your ways not your Sunday ways not your religious life ways but in your business business ethics in your family in your responsibility to civil government in your job in your employer employer and play relationships in your society in your neighbourhood in all your ways acknowledge him we're not to be the sorts of people that pick and choose wherein we will show allegiance to God the Lord God is most high the Lord God has absolute authority over and it is both our responsibility and dare I say our great privilege to acknowledge him in all our ways trusting that he shall indeed direct our paths so all matters of faith and practice all require us to acknowledge God the word literally in all your ways know him be acquainted with him understand him it's the this the simple word no the way it's used so beautifully in Scripture let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the rich man boast of his riches but let him who boasts boast that he knows Yahweh and so what Solomon says in all your ways know him how do we know him it's not by direct revelation it's not by shimmying up mount sham eating locusts and wild honey and waiting for a sign it's through that thing that's open in your lap it's through the Word of God it's through Scripture it's through prayers through meditation we are to know God and this is what Solomon says Charles Bridges comments he says now if we be weaned from the idolatry of making our bosom our Oracle and our heart our counselor if in true poverty of spirit we go every morning to our Lord as knowing not how to guide ourselves for this day are I constantly looking upward for direction the light will come down love that our eye constantly looking upward for direction the light will come down those who seek me will find me God says bridges continues he shall direct thy paths he says we want no new revelations or visible tokens study the word with prayer you see this is achievable or attainable the command trust in the Lord with all your heart the prohibition lean not on your own understanding and then the exhortation in all your ways know him that's not esoteric that's not just for the few that are the enlightened that's not just for the doctors of the reverends of the whoever's in the church it's for all of us in all your ways know him we have a way we have an issue we have a situation we search the Scriptures to find God's Word we search the Scriptures with reference to explicit texts this is the way I think we ought to approach the Bible when we come to a particular situation we look for explicit text for instance should I go out and murder no there's an explicit text that forbids murder you see that's how you get your answers from the Word of God it's not sort of rolling the dice or trying to read tea leaves now there might be implicit answers should I drink and drive well you know in the Old Testament there was the case of the goring ox and if the master knew that the ox had the tendency to go out and Gore than the master of the arts or rather the owner of the ox was liable to the death penalty if his ox got out and gored that ought to inform my mind with reference to drinking and driving if I go out and operate a motor vehicle under and I'm not suggesting you know that we even think about this I'm trying to illustrate the point we move from explicit don't murder to implicit does the Bible comment on drunk driving no not necessarily and specifically but the goring art certainly shows a bit of sort of similarity and analogy and responsibility you see there's other things in life there might not be an explicit tax the implication might not be so readily obvious so then we look for various principles we look for what does God's Word say in terms of some general overarching branch of principles to a particular issue or to a particular situation you see president it's not magic it's not okis focus the Bible isn't a holy horseshoe the Bible isn't you know tea leaves the Bible isn't those lines on your hands that people read sometimes to tell you if you're live long the Bible is a book that is given to us by God and God's equipped us with a mind he's made us in His image one of the primary aspects of that image bearing is that we're rational humans were rational beings we take our minds or hearts or our souls our strengths to the scriptures and we ask God what should I do in this given situation now if you think that sounds like too much work then you know there'll be a Buddhist and just wear an orange robe and home I mean this just isn't a lot of work this is what we ought to do what is Paul saying in Romans chapter 12 he tells us where to present our bodies as a as a living sacrifice which is what there's many ways you could translate the word some translate it which is your spiritual service which is your rational service which is your reasonable service in other words the Apostles argument seems to go this way if what I've written in Romans one to eleven is true and of course Paul would say that it's true because he wrote it under inspiration the Holy Spirit if the gospel is true if you were guilty vile wretched hell deserving sinner for whom Jesus died whom God justified by grace through faith in Christ Jesus based on the federal headship of Christ according to Romans five if you've received the Holy Spirit if all of these things are true of you if it's all according to the electing purposes and predestinated plan of God then you present in your bodies as a living sacrifice that's reasonable do you follow the drift if God has done this then it's reasonable that you give him everything and so brethren when it comes to in all your ways acknowledge him don't whine don't sniffle don't cry and don't complain open your Bibles and read and then notice the incentive I mean God incentivizes us he doesn't have to just acknowledge me sufficient but notice what Solomon says in verse six and all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths he shall direct your paths and I want to just sketch or highlight or illustrate some of the ways that God highlights or rather directs our paths the way that God is present in our lives Solomon shows that he's a great theologian in first Kings chapter 8 when he dedicates the temple he gives in terms of his prayer a foundation and a foundation of his prayer is what's called theology proper or a doctrine of God and in that particular expression of his theology proper he highlights two things about God that we should always keep in mind God is transcendent that means God is removed from us God is holy other God is not like us you'll oftentimes hear pastor Porter and myself say he is not in the same sort of order of being that we are he is creator we are creature he is transcendent well Solomon upholds that in proverbs notice to create a creature distinction in proverbs 3:19 the Lord by wisdom founded the earth by understanding he established the heavens by his knowledge the decks were broken up and clouds dropped down the dew the Lord Solomon acknowledges that God made the world and all things in it by the word of his power in the space of six days and all very good Solomon acknowledges the transcendence of God but in first Kings 8 this theology proper and in the book of Proverbs Solomon also recognizes what's called the imminence of God and the imminence of God means that he's near to us he is present with us he is in the trenches there with us yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death thou art with me we always have our God present our God the Creator the blessed and Holy One of Israel is nevertheless present with his people in their various paths of life and the Book of Proverbs highlights that imminence of God it highlights specifically his goodness it highlights very particularly that he does direct paths notice proverbs 3 11 and 12 my son do not despise the chastening of the Lord nor detest his correction for whom the Lord loves he corrects just as the father the son in whom he delights one of the means by which he directs our paths isn't it we need our paths directed in this manner the same way that parental authority often directs the paths of inferiors with corporal punishment lords there are times when correction upon an erring son or an erring daughter is a blessing to keep them on the right path well Yahweh our God does that in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths notice in proverbs 30 I'm sorry 333 be well again the contrast verse 33 the curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked but he blesses notice the home of the just the Lord blesses the home of the giass do you want blessing on your home be just justified freely by grace obviously in our Lord Jesus price but be a man a woman a boy a girl who are seeking to honor God in all your ways notice his favor upon those who seek wisdom Christ speaking as wisdom in proverbs 8 verse 35 for whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord his temporal provision notice in proverbs 10 3 the Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish but he casts away the desire of the wicked and then again in verse 22 this is all expressions of or manifestations of or evidences to the fact that God directs the paths of his people in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths notice in proverbs 10 I'm sorry proverbs 10:22 the blessing of the Lord makes one rich and he adds no sorrow with it notice his favor toward the good proverbs 12 - a good man obtains favor from the Lord but a man of wicked intentions he will condemn notice his protection afforded to his people proverbs fort 26 and 27 in the fear of Yahweh there is strong confidence and his children will have a place of refuge the fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life to turn one away from the snares of death and of course in that vein this idea of protection notice in proverbs 18 proverbs 18:10 the name of Yahweh is a strong tower the righteous run to it and are safe note God's care for the widow back in proverbs 15 again just sketching how the paths of man are under the purview of God and how the Lord directs the paths of his people according to his will and this indeed incentivizes us to acknowledge him in all of our ways notice in 1525 he says the Lord will destroy the house of the proud but he will establish the boundary of the widow you see is a champion of the defenseless he's a champion of the widow and orphan he's a champion and defender of the most marginalized among us notice his provision of intellectual stability in proverbs 16:3 commit your works to the Lord and your what your thoughts will be established commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established notice his vindication of the poor proverbs 22 proverbs 22 22 and 23 do not rob the poor because he is poor nor oppress the afflicted at the gate for the Lord will plead their cause and plunder the soul of those who plunder them and then his provision of justice proverbs 25 21 and 22 if your enemy is hungry give him bread to eat and if he is thirsty give him water to drink for so you will heap coals of fire on his head and the Lord will reward you and again in proverbs 29 26 many seek the rulers favor but justice for man comes from the Lord you see in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths and this ultimately finally results in the blessedness of yeah in other words what's the path to true happiness in life it's not leaning on your own understanding it's not rejecting trust in Yahweh it's not you know surrounding yourself with fools you know wine bitters and gluttonous eaters of meat those aren't the pathway or those aren't the sort of stepping stones to a happy life true happiness for the creature is what it's the presence of his creator the true blessing of man is ultimately in his God you know the Westminster Shorter Catechism starts there what is the chief end of man man's chief end as to what it's to glorify God and to enjoy him forever you know the Catechism in the 21st century B what is the chief and a man well man's chief end is to go to this university it's to secure this particular position it's to have this minivan it's to have this wife it's to have this you know 2.3 children it's to have the dog it's to have the cat it's to have the one you know that's not the way it's supposed to be the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever that's the chief end of man and when we buy grace trust in the Lord with all our heart and do not lean on our own understanding in all our ways we acknowledge him we know the favor of God turn to proverbs 11 proverbs chapter 11 verse 20 those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord but the blameless in their ways are his delight it's not a great concept to be the delight of God what makes God happy and again it's speaking in the manner of men God is eternally always blessed in and of himself this is an expression to us to show us something true concerning God he is pleased with his people notice in proverbs 12:22 proverbs 12:22 lying lips are an abomination to the Lord but those who deal truthfully or what they're his delight it's not a beautiful concept you could actually be the delight of God it's a tough concept isn't it me I'm not delight to anybody why in the world would God delight in me because he's God he's good needs excellent proverbs 15:8 be proverbs 15:8 be don't read 8a because we're gonna come back to 8a but look at 1815 8b but the prayer of the upright is his delight I've always thought that this would be a great incentive to pray as well isn't that a great incentive to pray well why should I pretty god solver and he already knows what I want well he command you to pray it's an expression of your dependence upon God and it's his delight don't you like to please your spouse well you know not really again repent forsake your wickedness the whole idea of being married is seeking to please your spouse you're in communion with the Living God what ought to be your aim to glorify Him to please him to bring delight to him why would you rob him of prayer why if God says he loves it when his children pray you know pray why do you neglect the closet why do you neglect the corporate prayer meeting why neglect the family altar why is it that we are prayer less people when God delights in the prayer of the upright if this is a real tangible way we can make God happy then we certainly ought to be about it in other words we pray because God commands it we pray because it expresses our dependence upon God and we pray because he delights in it and you can kind of get it when you see the human analogy can't you don't you love it when your kids talk to you isn't that good again if that's not it's kind of overrated again repent forsake your said it's great you know the kids come home they're little they're bubbly they're happy they want to see you it's a good thing I love coming to church on Sunday the grandkids running over and give me a hug that's good that's a delight when they talk to me I don't say I don't want to hear it it's a drudgery no talk to me tell me about your rocks we went and found some gems yesterday I don't think they're real gems or gem just means that's where they were rocks that look nice and the grandkids a boy's got some and what'd you do with your eyes did you throw them in the Lord no no I put them on my dresser they're great they look good that I want to hear that it's a delight why would we rob god of something that we can actually do to please him we don't have a lot in our wheelhouse in terms of being able to please God do we she's not like this long list of options okay I can do this that in the other I can pray every single one of us can pray and yet we don't and then notice in 15 9 b-but he loves him who follows righteousness now I didn't want to read the contrasting parts in chapter 15 because not only do we see God's favor and hence the blessedness of man but we ought to see the contrast with the wicked God despises his sacrifice notice in 15 8a the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord the way of the wicked verse 9 9 a is an abomination to the Lord the thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord verse 26 a and the Lord is far from the wicked according to verse 29 now far from the wicked doesn't mean that God cuts off his omnipresence or his imminence with reference to the wicked he is present in terms of nearness but it has to do with communion it has to do with familiarity Yahweh is far from the wicked and then it goes on to say but he is there where he hears rather the prayer of the righteous well brethren that is the command the prohibition and the exhortation and I want to highlight again the emphasis in the text it demands entire commitment with all your heart there's to be no division of heart and our service to God again this is not natural for us and even in a state of grace with remaining corruption we need to pray God increase my entirety of Hartness with reference to trusting in Yahweh Matthew 12:30 the Lord Jesus Christ said he was not with me is against me first Kings 18 21 the prophet Elijah lays down the challenge of bail is God serve him if Yahweh is God serve him how long will you falter between two options in other words don't try to have a bit of bail in a bit of Yahweh rather give your heart fully to the Lord God Most High as well it's to be an exclusive commitment lean not on your own understanding we need to reject all rival objects of guidance and direction certainly wine-bibber Zand gluttonous eaters of meat certainly fools that will only lead us down a path of destruction certainly we embrace the good and godly counsel of our parents and certainly we are acknowledging Yahweh in all of our heart in all of our ways which it brings us to that exhaustive commitment in all your ways acknowledge him remember that all of life is lived before the eye of God as well we need to be encouraged by this particular text just again pondered the last statement there and he shall direct your paths isn't that good news you're not serving bail bill doesn't have eyes but he sees with he doesn't have ears that he hears with he doesn't have a mouth that he speaks with he has no nose with which to smell bail is a dumb dead Idol Yahweh is the true and living God he is in the heavens he does whatever he pleases and he pleases to direct the paths of his people who seek him on a regular basis and then the fact that Yahweh displays no I want to try and show you this the fact that Yahweh displays this same sort of commitment to his people in other words God's not asking us for entire exclusive exhaustive commitment while he himself is somewhat disinterested in us or while he himself just just de portions out a little to his people no the Lord our God is most glorious the Lord our God responds to his people entirely exclusively and exhaustively our confession of faith describes God in this way and I think it's most glorious it says that he's most holy most wise most free most absolute now if you think back to the scripture reading in Jonah chapter 3 and I may have alluded to it along the way in this sermon I said that God is immutable that means he does not change he cannot change I also said that God is impassable that God does not go through emotional change well the fact that he's immutable and impassable led to this formulation again he can't be most if he's subject to change most means get this it means most there's no growth there's no diminishment there's no increase there is no taking away the Lord our God is most holy most wise most free most absolute working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will for his own glory most loving gracious merciful long-suffering abundant in goodness and truth forgiving iniquity transgression and sin the reward of them that diligently seek Him now you may struggle with this idea that he's entirely and exclusively and exhaustively committed to us God's able to do that because he is a most pure spirit he is pure act he's not parceled out among the rabble he doesn't give you 33 and 1/3 percent in you 33 and 1/3 percent you 33 percent all that God is he is for each and every one of those people he's not a compound at being he's not put together in parts he's not spent at the end of the day he isn't weary he doesn't need rest he doesn't need sleep he doesn't need to go on vacation he never undergoes burn out he's never too tired to deal with his people when you pray to God you don't get a piece of his attention you get all of God all that is in God is God and that is all available for his people so it's not outlandish for me to suggest that God's commitment to you and I is entire it's exclusive it's exhaustive now if you say well that's a theological construction we need to see that in the Bible please turn to the Book of Jeremiah Jeremiah the Prophet Jeremiah 32 Jeremiah 32 is a promise of the New Covenant what God intends to do with reference to his people now it's spoken in an Old Covenant context so there's some language that is appropriate to that Old Covenant contact but the promises are with reference to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and his incarnation in his work of redemption to gather his people together in that glorious church notice in Jeremiah 32 36 now therefore thus excuse me says the Lord the God of Israel concerning this city of which you say it shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword by the famine and by the pestilence behold I will gather them out of all countries where I've driven them in my anger and my fury and in great wrath I will bring them back to this place and I will cause them to dwell safely they shall be my people and I will be their God then I will give them one heart in one way that they may fear me forever for the good of them and their children after them and I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from doing them good but I will put my fear in their heart so that they will not depart from me yes now notice this language I will rejoice over them to do them good and I will assuredly plant them in this land notice the language with all my heart and with all my soul brethren when you or I pray to God we don't get just a little bit it's not the case that he's answering calls in China we come to him here in North America and he says hang on I've got to deal with you know this lot over here and that all that God is he's it he is to all in all of us get it out of your head that he somehow divided get it out of your head that he's like us get it out of your head that he can't multitask get it out of your head that he can't always be all that he is to all of his people in the same way I got God on a good day Tuesdays are the best go to God on Tuesday you seem to get whatever it is you want that's not how we're supposed to think of God God is infinite eternal and unchangeable and as being wisdom power holiness justice goodness and truth he hasn't change he doesn't fluctuate he doesn't get better he doesn't get worse he is most and as most he gives himself to his people entirely exclusively and exhaustively now again that doesn't mean we exhaust him and it doesn't mean we you know somehow mess with him the point is he's not asking us to do something in proverbs 3:5 to 6 that he is not willing and able to do for us well brethren I hope this is an encouragement certainly proverbs 3:5 and 6 speaks to a whole world and life view we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ we are to see that all our ways are before God we ought to see the absolute necessity of trusting in him with all our heart leaning not on our own understanding but acknowledging him and thus knowing that he will direct our steps well let us pray father thank you for your word and thank you for your grace and thank you for the fact that you are all that our Bible says you are and help us to not approach you in a piecemeal fashion help us not to think that you are a divided or a compounded being or that you are made up of God parts help us to recognize that you are indeed pure Spirit and what you are you are for the of your people may this be an encouragement to us may it be means of of help to us and may we as well appreciate this text and may we by the power of the Holy Spirit seek to put it into practice and again forgive us that we so often fall short forgive us that we so often don't acknowledge you in all our ways help us Lord God to repent that helped us as well to rejoice in the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ kept all the demands of God's law that he died on our behalf that he rose again and may this not diminish our desire to do what you call us to do but may it empower it and you encourage us may the grace of the gospel be the impetus to pursue holiness in our lives go with us now we pray and grant us help and strength and grace and we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen you