Chapter 8 – Endure
1) To whom does wisdom call out? (Verse 4)
2) What does it say about those who fear the Lord? (Verse 13)
3) What are we encouraged to listen to and do? (Verses 32-35)
4) What about those who miss or turn away? (Verse 36)
Cross References
How does the New Testament call for patient endurance in Hebrews 10:36-38 confirm and agree with what we habe read in Proverbs Chapter 8?
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
Romans 6:15-18 NKJV
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Galatians 5:1-5 NKJV
Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
John 8:34-36 NKJV
We naturally like the idea of being powerful and in control and in authority over our own lives. We naturally like our who to be inflated and proud, in fact, the world and modern society rewards and applauds those with inflated egos and envies them and puts them in high places of honor because they are usually very productive and successful from a worldly perspective.
I’m not saying that the humble cannot also be very productive and successful, but for the humble it is a byproduct of the Lord’s favor and blessing poured on them so they can help others – while for the proud, it is a heeping up of treasures for themselves. Yes, it truly is about the master of our heart and desires. You cannot say rich=favored/forsaken and poor=forsaken/favored anymore than you can say works=heaven and still=death. The Lord is not a respects of persons, stations, or titles and sets us each in our own position to be used according to His will and guidance, for His glory and honor.
Yes, if I’m seeking my own honor and glory, isn’t it clear which master I am serving? If I choose to live in evil and doubt over living in the righteousness of faith and godly love, isn’t it clear which master I am serving?
Do not fear, little ones, He corrects you in order to change you. He shows you what needs to be cast out of your life so that the enemy will not gain a foothold within your life. He tells you that there is a better master to free you, not just from the wages and consequences of death “some day” but to free you from a life of sin TODAY.
He who Christ sets free is free indeed. Are you on your way towards being set free? Are you longing for that day when sin and death and the darkness of this world will be long forgotten and you will walk in light? Then keep seeking Him diligently and remain steadfast in the faith, because many have fallen away, friend. And don’t rest in your own strength, which is weakness and imperfection. Our help comes from the Lord. Trust in Him and Him alone. Hunger for righteousness for His name’s sake, not so that you can appear righteous in the eyes of others. Become a slave, and in doing so, experience true freedom.
Slave to the master who frees slaves to an abundant life – or slave to the master who steals, kills, and destroys? We each choose. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
II John 1:5-9 NKJV
http://bible.com/114/2jn.1.5-9.NKJV
Do we realize that every commandment is meant to keep both ourselves and those around us from harm? There are no harsh commandments that God has laid down upon us as a task master, but all of His instruction is for good – in fact, it is for the best life for us. All of the commandments and all of the law have their source in loving God wholeheartedly and loving and serving others.
God’s instruction is not a set of rules that we begrudgingly try to obey in order to not suffer consequences. No, that perspective is empty and dead religious practice. When we believe, or perspective shifts to understanding that the Word of God is not a list of facts and rules and laws as much as it is divine instruction and assistance. B.I.B.L.E. “Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth” That is a pretty good perspective to maintain.
So if we believe, we will obey – not out of begrudgingly complying to a set of rules – but out of loving trust that our heavenly Father knows best. If we aren’t obeying, it is because we aren’t believing, we aren’t trusting. We cannot claim Him as Savior and dismiss Him as Lord, because it is about our belief, or faith, our heart, or desires. So I don’t ask “have you accepted Jesus” or “have you asked Him into your heart”. No, I ask “Do you love Him, obey Him, and seek His will in your life” – and I explain that these are not separable, but are one and the same – just as God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one and the same – just different point of views necessary to comprehend the whole truth.
Many are eager to claim Him as Savior, to grasp intellectually onto the concept of mercy and grace – but are loathe to offer the living sacrifice of making Him Lord and to truly exercise and apply repentance, holiness, and righteousness. And being a Christian isn’t about intellectual ascent – even if that is what contemporary American religion has seemed to grasped onto en masse. He calls us to “Follow me” not just to know about Him. He calls us to “Love God with our whole” not just in part. He calls for application of His teaching in our lives, a turn away from the ways of this world, to seek a life more and more, closer and closer, to His life example.
If He is just your spare tire and not the steering wheel of your vehicle, I have to ask, “Have you ever truly come to Christ on His terms?” I have to ask, “Are you surrendered today, trusting His guidance for your life as best?” I have to ask, “Do you truly know Christ, our do you just know about Him?”
He is here to be found. He has not left us, we have just turned away so often to chase after the world. Today, let’s seek His will – not begrudgingly as if following rules and regulations – but believing that Father truly does know best. Or if you do not believe that, if you still believe proudly that you are wiser and know better – then you are better off to admit that you are no Christian at all than to go into eternal damnation calling upon the name of a Jesus you neither know, nor love, nor are seeking.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV
http://bible.com/114/mat.7.21-23.NKJV
We are called to be followers, disciples, children of God, Christ’s body serving others in this earth doing His will. We are not called to learn about the narrow gate and then remain outside on the broad way -,we are called to not only enter the narrow gate but walk the narrow path, following His example as the one way, the one truth, the one life.
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV
http://bible.com/114/mat.7.13-14.NKJV
We are to walk in the Holy Spirit of Christ who lives in us. If you do not know that Christ lives in you, lost seeker, pray to your Heavenly Father that you receive this gift of His mercy, His grace, His redemption, His guidance, and His correction that keeps you on the path so that you might stand before Him one day, having run your race to the finish, to find salvation instead of judgement.
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Luke 11:9-13 NKJV
http://bible.com/114/luk.11.9-13.NKJV
And if you claim with your mouth that you have received this free but costly gift that was paid for by the sacrifice of our loving Lord and Savior – testify to your renewed heart and His presence as Lord of your life by trusting and following Him today. Open up all of the doors and compartments of your life and accept His redemption – as you gratefully follow His guidance and instructions, as you obey in both your heart and your actions, as you walk like Christ, whom you are being reconciled to be like, of whom we are His earthly ambassadors.
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
II Corinthians 5:14-21 NKJV
http://bible.com/114/2co.5.14-21.NKJV
Screenshots and notes/questions from tonight’s lesson:
Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.
Luke 1:1-4 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.1.1-4.NLT
Luke 1:1-4 Review
What was Luke’s purpose for writing this as described in verses 3&4?
The name Theophilus means “the one who loves God”. That is the commandment Christ gives us to fulfill, to love God. Do you think this book was just written to someone in history, or was it written to Christians?
Was it written to you? Are you the one who loves God?
Would people recognize that about you to describe you that way?
Disobedience? Compliance? Obedience? Grace?
Disobedience
Do we know what disobedience is these days? Isn’t it choosing to do our own will instead of the will of God? What does scripture tell us about disobedience?
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
John 8:34-36 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.8.34-36.NLT
John 14:15 ESV
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Luke 6:46 ESV
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
Continue reading “Disobedience? Compliance? Obedience? Grace?”
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.
Acts of the Apostles 4:32 NLT
http://bible.com/116/act.4.32.NLT
Imagine a body of believers united in heart and mind, dedicated to each other, not considering anything their own but God’s – sharing without a second thought when another is in need.
So what is the problem? What are our excuses?
And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”
John 3:36 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.3.36.NLT
Belief and obedience go hand in hand. True belief results in obedience. Faith results in our salvation because of God’s grace and mercy – that is available through belief and obedience.
Faith = Belief & Obedience
This is because God’s grace and mercy offers us forgiveness for our sins. Receiving this forgiveness of our sins with a heart of belief results in grattitude towards God for this free gift of grace that we do not deserve because our lives are not blameless. This spirit of grattitude opens our eyes to the truth about God’s loving and merciful nature – not as a prison warden holding a list of rules over our heads – but as a loving Father, teaching us through the law that we need Him, that we need to be like Him in order to grasp hold of the blessed life eternal that He has for us (a life of obedience).
Harold J. Ballinger 