Bowman Community Church
2025-08-10
  • Blessed Be Your Name
  • Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing (Nettleton)
  • (When You) Enlarge My Heart
  • l Know That My Redeemer Lives
  • Knowing You

      • Matthew 17:1–13ESV

  • Text

    Proverbs 1:8–19 ESV
    8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, 9 for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; 12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; 13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; 14 throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”— 15 my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, 16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. 17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, 18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. 19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.

    Prayer

    Introduction

    This morning, we are continuing to move through the book of Proverbs.
    This is a majestic book filled with wisdom, from God himself, for all of life (work, family, culture, church, etc).
    The verse we ended with last time is the frame for the whole thing.
    Proverbs 1:7 ESV
    7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
    If Proverbs were a house, this verse would be its frame. Everything in it hangs on this key idea.
    If there are mistakes in the framing of a house, the consequences are disastrous down the road.
    If some contractors used the wrong type of wood when building the frame, it could collapse.
    Or it could warp over time until the house is shifted, filled with doors that don’t shut and a roof that is caving in.
    Likewise, if we seek wisdom from the mouth of the world rather than from God’s, our lives face the same risks.
    If our marriages are not planted in the soil of the Gospel or pruned by the Law of God, there will be problems.
    If the way we think is shaped more by the world’s so-called “wisdom” rather than God’s, there will be problems.
    Our Heavenly Father has given us this book to teach us what the wise and righteous life actually looks like.
    However, going back to the idea of the house, all this wisdom for life assumes two things: 1) that the person is a Christian, and 2) that the Christian is fearing and respecting their God. The fear of the Lord is the frame, but Christ is the foundation. He’s the only reason we can build anything in this life in the first place.
    Now, with the frame in mind, our text today gives us the first bit of drywall to put up.

    8-9

    Proverbs 1:8 ESV
    8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
    The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon, the wisest of Israel’s kings, who decided to shape what he wrote as a letter of instruction to his sons. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the written wisdom of Solomon is given to us as sons and daughters of the Living God.
    And, as children of God, we are to listen to our Father’s voice. We first hear the voice of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we’re saved, we don’t stop listening to our Savior’s voice—we keep seeking it. A good sheep follows the voice of its shepherd, and doesn’t wander away.
    Much like children, we are called to attention by this verse. God is saying, “Listen up.”
    Notice the possessive language, “my son.”
    This is actually an extremely comforting thing. Whatever it is God does with us, it will be done as to his own child.
    We are called to “hear” and to not “forsake” this teaching.
    This also should be soaked in for a moment.
    The command to hear tells us there are other things listen to, i.e., “Listen to this and not that.”
    Remember, “it’s not whether but which.” It’s not whether or not to listen — it’s what voice you will be listening to. Because we will listen to something. Will we live our life based off of how we feel, or what is true? Will we listen to the world’s instruction, or God’s?
    In John 6, Jesus says some things that offended a lot of people.
    John 6:66–68 ESV
    66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
    There is nowhere else, brothers and sisters. At the end of the day, the only voice that matters in your life is the voice of Jesus Christ.
    Colossians 2:3 ESV
    3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
    The command not to “forsake” his voice tells us that we will be tempted to do exactly that.
    This world is filled with temptation. Our flesh is like a drug addict constantly itching for a fix. The devil prowls around like a hungry lion, and sin is crouching at the door.
    This life is a battle. So much of spiritual warfare is staying the course and standing firm on the word and promises of God.
    “Standing on the promises that shall not fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God.”
    We are to stand firm and not forsake this Word.
    Moving ahead, we’ll see the first case study of Proverbs.

    10-14

    Proverbs 1:10 ESV
    10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
    Notice again the personal, possessive language used here. “My son, do not listen to and follow sinners.”
    As if to draw us closer, these words are repeated to emphasize the danger of this threat: the enticement of sinners.
    Sin itself is powerfully enticing, but it takes on a different quality when it is offered to us by other human beings.
    Verses 11-14 are a kind of sales pitch; we are invited to come along on an adventure that promises precious goods, full houses, and an endless supply.
    Now, the likelihood that any of us will be propositioned to join the Mafia, Cartels, or ISIS is pretty low. On one hand, it’s hard to imagine how this specific scenario applies to us.
    But what you will be tempted to do is to go along with the crowd as it rushes to sin. There are crowds and mobs everywhere—physical and digital—and most of them are rushing to do evil.
    The internet enables average people to say the craziest things—things they would (and should) never say are said without a second thought.
    Cliques at work, at the country club, or even in the church, form and become a breeding ground for bitterness, gossip, and slander. Cliques like this have destroyed churches as easily as they did companies.
    Notice the command is to “not consent.” This is actually very helpful for us. We need to be on the lookout for this moment, where we consent to following or supporting these kinds of things.
    Imagine you’re with a group of people somewhere, and conversation is flowing as it normally does. But at some point, a juicy tidbit of gossip is brought up. Like blood in the water, the piranhas go to town.
    “Come with us” — everyone in that conversation was invited to join together on an adventure.
    “Let us lie in wait for blood” — whether they were aware or not, the group was simply waiting for its prey to show up.
    “Let us ambush the innocent without reason” — once the morsel hit the water, it was game on.
    Proverbs 18:8 ESV
    8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.
    We probably don’t ever plan to do this—it just happens. But a great commentator on this section wrote:
    “Many a deluded sinner is thus hurried on by the influences of company to lengths of sin that he had never contemplated.” - Charles Bridges
    We will give an account on judgment day for every bit of consent we give to these matters.
    Matthew 12:36 ESV
    36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
    This should be enough for us to swear off all speech that even comes close to this kind of thing.
    But the issue is that sin is deceitful. It tries to woo us with promises.
    Proverbs 1:13–14 ESV
    13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; 14 throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”—
    The other thing we see here is how this evil group wants to expand. This is real thing; something about sin makes us want to spread it.
    When we feel guilty, we hunt it down in everyone else.
    When we act shamefully, we deflect to other shameful actions.
    When we are struggling with a sin, we will either hyper-focus on it in other people or be relaxed about it.
    In each of these situations, the size and impact of the sin grows.
    Ephesians 5:11 ESV
    11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
    As a side note, if you ever wondered if the Bible has anything to say about Socialism or Communism, I think this whole section is relevant. Verse 19 says that these people are “greedy for unjust gain,” and that they convince people to join them because they will “all have one purse.” Do with that what you will.

    15-16

    Moving on, verses 15 and 16 are back in the voice of Solomon. The sales pitch has ended, and we’re told not follow along with these people and why.
    Proverbs 1:15–16 ESV
    15 my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, 16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
    The phrase “the way” shows up hundreds of times in the Bible. Sometimes, it refers to a literal road or path. However, it’s also used to describe the conduct of something.
    In 2 Peter, there’s a section about false teachers that uses similar language to our text in Proverbs.
    2 Peter 2:14–15 ESV
    14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
    This sense of “way” gets at the desire, conduct, and end goal of a person—over time.
    “No one becomes an [flagrant rebel] at once. The tender conscience becomes less sensitive by every compliance. Who can stop himself in the down-hill road? One sin prepares for another, pleads for it, nay, even makes it necessary for concealment.” - Charles Bridges
    Apart from the saving work of Christ, every human desires only to sin, leading to continuous sinful conduct, that leads directly to hell.
    The Gospel is precious to us because it redeems all three of those things.
    In Christ, we are a new creation. We are given a new heart that desires to know God, to love him more, and to obey him. This redeemed desire gives way to redeemed conduct—a holy people set apart for good works. And these people will be saved “to the uttermost,” which means they will be made perfect in the end and will spend eternity with their God.
    Proverbs 14:12 ESV
    12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
    Only death lies this way—the path of sinners.
    John 14:6 ESV
    6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
    Jesus is the way to true life. With his righteousness given to us by faith, we are justified before God—perfectly and forever given. With his voice, he speaks to us in the Word, which is like a lamp for us in the darkness.
    1 Corinthians 2:16 ESV
    16 … we have the mind of Christ.
    As we worship God together and seek him, day by day, the process of Romans 12 unfolds.
    Romans 12:2 ESV
    2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
    We are to learn this discernment from God, and then apply it to all of life. Our text today calls us to test and discern the company that we keep, the conversation that we share, and the end goal of both.

    17-19

    Finally, we have a lesson about where all of this leads.
    Proverbs 1:17–19 ESV
    17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, 18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. 19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.
    “Sin is self-delusive, self-destructive.
    Instinct directs the bird; reason the man. Yet such is the power of sin that man in his boasted wisdom will not do what the bird will do by her natural instinct. She shuns the net spread in her sight; man rushes into it.” - Charles Bridges
    This week, thoughts will pop into your head. You will interact with other people. You will speak words and listen to words spoken. You will probably use some kind of device with internet access. Whatever you do, you will need to consent to do something for some kind of purpose.
    Be on the lookout for snares. Try to discern who or what is being glorified. Be ready to take every thought captive to Christ.
    Perhaps, in the providence of God, sinners will invite you to join them. Be diligent and on the lookout, and “hold back your foot from their paths.”
    The final word, now, is to think about how to do this—how to avoid sin.
    We’ve already talked about how sin tries to sell itself to us. It tries to convince us of its value. It implies that we don’t have something we should.
    Notice verse 9:
    Proverbs 1:9 ESV
    9 for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
    What is this talking about? The wisdom of God. Why seek the corrupted jewelry of sin when we’ve got these?
    Proverbs 3:21–23 ESV
    21 My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. 23 Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.
    Here it is, in no uncertain terms: Our ability to fight sin and live wisely is directly connected to our intake of God’s wisdom.
    It goes back to the house we’re building. If Christ is the foundation, and the fear of the Lord is the frame, then wisdom is the material we use to finish it. Every day, you’re either putting up crooked walls with worldly thinking, or solid ones with God’s truth.
    Sin will come offering you shortcuts—cheap materials, flashy decorations, promises of quicker results. But they won’t hold. The roof will sag. The walls will crack. The house will fall.
    But if you keep sound wisdom and discretion—if you seek your Father’s instruction—you’re not just avoiding destruction. You’re building a life that stands. A life that honors God, blesses others, and endures to the end.
    So hold fast to the Word. Keep walking in the fear of the Lord. And trust the One who is both your Savior and Builder.
    Let’s pray.

      • Hebrews 11ESV

      • Mark 9:20–27ESV

      • Luke 2:25–32ESV

      • Luke 2:36–38ESV

      • Numbers 22:21–33ESV

      • Jeremiah 29:12ESV

      • Luke 18:1ESV

      • Romans 12:12ESV

      • James 5:12ESV

      • Esther 4:13–14ESV

      • Deuteronomy 31:8ESV

  • No Condemnation
Bowman Community Church
mclugg@gmail.com
5303476130
http://www.bowmanchurch.org
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