Trust and Obey

Amen. As we take our seats, please open to Proverbs chapter two. Proverbs chapter two finally completed our time in the first chapter. We've come to this new section in Proverbs chapter two as we continue in our series, the Gospel according to Proverbs, and the text reads, my son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding. Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. If you'll recall, we're operating from the working definition of wisdom, and our working definition is that wisdom is the righteous application of true knowledge, the righteous application of true knowledge. We've talked about the fact that there are these enemies of wisdom, these two main enemies, the enemies of legalism and moralism, and we'll say more about those as we continue. But on last week we looked at wisdom's sermon. We looked at what wisdom says when wisdom stands in the street and proclaims. This week we look at a father's plea, which is Solomon now responds and turns to his son in light of what wisdom has said, and makes this plea. When we see this plea, and when we look really at the tone and the tenor of the Book of Proverbs as a whole, this is not so much a father speaking to a son as a young child. This is a father speaking to a son as he reaches maturity. This is a father urging a son as it's time for decisions to be made. And here in this text in particular, I want you to think about some scenarios. I want you to think about a father speaking to a son. And again we've said before when we talk about father and son, the Book of Proverbs clearly is father Solomon's speaking to his sons, but it is also applicable to all parents speaking to their children. And it is applicable to all mature believers speaking to younger believers whom they seek to encourage and disciple. So when we talk about this fatherly instruction, understand it in that context. But here, as we think about the father son instruction, the parent child instruction, I want you to think about, for example, a wedding day or as a wedding day approaches. If you haven't had the experience of marrying off a child, then perhaps you've had the experience of being married and having a conversation from your parents as this day and as this moment approaches. Or imagine a son or daughter who is about to leave home and go off to university. Or imagine a father speaking to a son who is about to go off to war, or reverse it. Perhaps it's not the idea of a son or a daughter who is about to go off into some venture, but perhaps instead it is a parent on their deathbed who recognizes that this is the last and final opportunity, an opportunity to speak those last words of wisdom. What do you say? What do you share? You can't cover everything, but you have to cover something. So what do you say? What do you do? What do you share? In moments like that, and in moments like that, you get a glimpse, you get a picture of what is important. This is why I have such fondness for the last sections in the Gospel of John. When you get to the Gospel of John and you get there to the last chapters, especially chapters fourteen on, everything slows down and you have this picture of the Lord's Supper, and there it is this last night that Jesus has with his disciples, this last night where they share this meal together, and Jesus gives these final instructions. And it's amazing what you say when you realize that it's your last and final opportunity. And essentially that's what's happening in the Book of Proverbs. The Book of Proverbs is Solomon recognizing and understanding that he won't always be here, and that because he won't always be here, there are some important things that he needs to store up for his sons. Blessed in that these things have been preserved. Amen. And ultimately we recognize that the wise son of Proverbs is Jesus Christ himself, who is a son of Solomon and an heir to the throne. The king leaves instruction for his son who will rule, who will rule, so that his son will rule wisely, And here we see precisely that. But as he gives these instructions, I want you to recognize the pattern of it. And the pattern goes like this. Listen, receive love and treasure, and then you find listen, receive love and treasure and then and only then will you find Listen to the text again, my son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and declining your heart to understanding. Notice the pattern there. It happens twice. First, if you receive my words. That that's listening, and then secondly treasure up my commandments the ear and then the heart, making your ear attended to wisdom. There's the ear again, inclining your heart to understanding. Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver, raise your voice seek. How do you seek again? You're hearing? And then what do you do? Raise your voice to understanding? If you seek it like silver, if you search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of God. Listen, receive love, treasure, and you'll find. Here's how you respond to Wisdom's sermon. And so let's look at these first. If you listen, the father's plead to his son is first and foremost, that his son will listen, That his son will hear, My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding. Notice the contrast here if you go back to chapter one and look at verses twenty four to twenty seven. He says, or Wisdom, this is part of wisdom sermon. Because I have called, and you have refused to listen, stretched out my hand, and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and will have none of my reproof. Now what's the consequence for not having listened, for not having heard? I will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when terror strikes you. When terror strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind. When distress, I'm sorry, Yeah, when distress and anguish come upon you, Wisdom cries out in the street. And what is the problem. The problem is you haven't heard. You haven't heeded, you haven't listened. So after Wisdom's sermon, after this great warning, this call to repentance by Wisdom, the father then comes and says, listened to what you hear again. Remember the father is instructed his son, and he saying to his son, Wisdom is standing in the streets, and Wisdom is preaching, and here's Wisdom's sermon. Wisdom's sermon is repent. Wisdom sermon is there is coming judgment. Please listen, please hear, please heed, because the judgment comes because you don't listen, because you don't hear and you don't heed. The scoffer is experiencing the judgment of God. The fool is experiencing the judgment of God. Why because the scoffer and the fool did not hear, did not heed, did not listen. Don't be like them. Notice what he says here. He doesn't say don't be like them in doing what they do. Of course that's implied. But don't be like them in refusing to heed, in refusing to hear, and in refuting refuse, using to repent. This hearing and heeding is a theme in the Book of Proverbs. It occurs over and over again in Chapter four, verse twenty and Chapter five, verse one, identical statements. My son, be attentive to my words. Incline your ear to my sayings, Listen to me, hear me. If you're a parent, you've grow weary of saying this amen. Your child growing up in the home of parents you're weary of hearing it. Listen to me heed my words in chapter five and verse seven, And now O, sons, listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Chapter seven, verse twenty four. And now O sons, listen to me and be attentive to the words of my mouth. Chapter eight, verse thirty two, And now O sons, listen to me. Blessed are those who keep my ways. Chapter nineteen, verse twenty. Listen to advice and accept instruction that you may gain wisdom Chapter twenty two, verse seventeen. Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge. And then in chapter nineteen, verse twenty in chapter twenty three, verse twenty two, listen to your father, who gave you life. And do not despise your mother when she is old. Listen heed here, listen, heed here. We also find this in the New Testament. There is a principle. The principle is found in Romans chapter ten, verse seventeen. So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. How it does fa faith come through hearing, through hearing, through listening, and the idea there is hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing what the Word of Christ. Galatians chapter three, verses one through six. Let's turn there and look at that if we can. Galatians chapter three Paul is expounding on the same idea, and Galatians, the idea that we find here in Romans and Romans is just a clear, succinct statement. Faith comes through hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ. But listen to what he says, and remember, Galatians is a different kind of epistle even from the opening and Galatians. The greeting from the Apostle Paul in the Book of Galatians is not like the greeting in other letters. The Apostle Paul is upset with the Galatian Christians, and he makes it clear that he is upset with the Galatian Christians, and the reason that he is upset is because they are turning away from the truth. But listen to what he says in chapter three, Old foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Christ Jesus was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you, only this did you receive the spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the spirit? Are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain? If indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Same phrase, hearing with faith? Just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteous busness. Twice he contrasts the law or legalism with hearing with faith. Remember the two great enemies of the Gospel. Great Enemy number one is legalism, Great enemy number two is moralism. Here Paul is attacking great enemy number one, the enemy of legalism, and both times he attacks it head on with what the idea of hearing with faith faith comes by hearing and hearing of the Word of Christ. But here he makes it clear it is hearing with faith, not just listening, but listening with faith. Children, obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right. Honoring you, honor your father and your mother. This is the first commandment, with the promise that it may go well with you. And that you may live long in the land. What are you hearing? What are you doing here? Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. There's an exchange going on here. Father's parents who have an injunction from the Lord based on the fifth commandment, and that injunction is to teach the word to your children and children who have an injunction from the Lord. And the injunction is children, listen and obey. This is essential. This two way street is assumed. And here in Proverbs we basically see a fleshing out of this two way street. There is the law. The law very clearly says, listen, obey, children, obey your parents, Honor your mother and your father. But why why is this essential for you? And notice that this is not saying children, when you've come to understand everything, when you've come to evaluate everything and get to that point in your life where you can say, okay, fine, this is a good idea, go ahead, what do you have to teach me. That's not the way the commandment works, because the only way that the commandment could work that way is if children were first called to independently, go and investigate the world, find the truth somewhere out there apart from their parents, and then come back and say, Okay, mom, dad, now I have found the truth. I have verified your worthiness to teach me. What do you have to say? It can't work that way. It can't work that way. So what does this mean? Here's what this means for sons first, for children first, the younger believer first. This means number one, that you do this by faith. You do this by faith, that you trust the Lord, and that you demonstrate your trust in the Lord by hearing and heeding the words and the warning and the instruction of those under whose authority the Lord has placed you. Doing so by faith, by faith, that's the only way this works. By the way, if you say this and you be hearing, you may say wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, time out. That doesn't make any sense to me. You're saying to me that I'm just obligated to listen and believe to these people without first going out and discerning for myself. How are you going to go out and discern for yourself by placing your faith in someone else? Are you following the only way that you can verify whether or not you should be placing your faith in your parents is by going and placing your faith somewhere else, so that you can then come back having verified that you are able to place your faith in your parents. There are two problems with that. Number One, it's assuming that you understand enough to know where to go get the verification. Newsflash, you don't. But here's number two. The only way that you can do and trust that process is if you disobey and disregard the commands of God himself, who says, children, obey your parents, and the Lord honor your father and your mother. We must do this by faith, obay the authority that God has placed in your life. Yes, but what happens if they are wrong? What happens if they are sinful? What happens if they are back it up? There is no what happens if all parents are sinful? Amen? Somebody Amen? All parents are sinful and all parents will be wrong? Amen? Belongs right there. You can say amen to that. I know some of the people are right to it. They're like, you know, I want to say amen to that, but my parents are here, so I feel like I said, just look straight ahead and not all parents are sinful, and all parents will be wrong. Here's a newsflash. Every authority to which your called to submit, outside of the direct authority of God himself, is a frail, flawed, sinful authority. That's the only kind there is, because all have sinned and falls short of the glory of God. But the question is this, does your heart trust the Lord or not? And so by faith we hear and we heed. Secondly, in addition to obeying the authority, by faith that God is placed in your life, persevere in hearing the word of God. Persevere in hearing the word of God, because that's our only hope. Your parents are sinful, Your parents are flawed. All of us have sinful parents. All of us have flawed parents. All of us who are parents are sinful parents and flawed parents. Amen. So what must we do? How do we guard against that? Persist in hearing God's word? Persevere in hearing God's word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. Hear the word, listen to the word. Take every opportunity to hear and heed Gods. Listen to the preaching of the Word of God. Read the Word of God for yourself. Persist in prayerful consideration of the word of God. James one five says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generally generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. Seek the Lord in his word. Seek the Lord for wisdom to hear his word rightly. What about the other side of this? What does this mean for us as parents, as teachers, as instructors in the word of God. And by the way, if you are a parent, you are a teacher and an instructor in the word of God. Amen. There's no way to get around that. Ephesians chapter six does not give you an option. No parent has an option as to whether or not they will instruct their children in the ways of the Lord. You will either do it rightly or you will do it wrongly. You will either obey or you will disobey. But it is not optional. So what do we do in light of this and light of the fact that the father's plea is for the son to listen to wisdom. First of all, we must teach God's wisdom to our sons. It must be a priority. This means that we must know that wisdom for ourselves because we can't teach what we don't know. We must also believe that this wisdom is the most important thing that we can give to our children. We must also model a commitment to hearing God's word ourselves. Here we don't have the option of saying do as I say, not as I do. Amen, model that commitment ourselves. Why Because whether we like it or not, this is the relationship that God has established. Children come into this world not knowing anything, and they have to be taught. As Christian parents, we recognize that our children have come into our home and that we have an obligation to give them God's truth, God's wisdom, God's word. They have an obligation to hear and to heed, to listen to the words of wisdom. And so we start with that plea, my son, if you receive my words, treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding. But not only is there this hearing, but there is a seeking. There is a seeking if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding. This is more active. Call out for insight, raise your voice for understanding. Don't just sit there. Don't just listen it, but cry out, ask for insight, seek understanding, call out for it. Like a child who calls out in the only way that they know how, saying I'm hungry. They'll scream and cry at the top of their lungs until they're fed. This is the way that the father says to his son. You ought to call out and cry out for wisdom. Don't just sit and passively listen, but seek it. Cry out for it, call out for it literally in the Hebrew, make it like an invited guest. Elsewhere in Proverbs we see this eight seventeen. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Do you believe that that's what wisdom says. That's what the wisdom of God says. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. The prophets said this to Israel Isaiah fifty five, verse six. Seek the Lord while he may be found, Call upon him while he is near. This is an active process of seeking God. Jeremiah twenty nine thirteen. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. This is a passionate desire and plea. Jesus speaks of this in Matthew chapter seven. Ask and it will be given. You, Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and the one who knocks it reopened. Do we believe this? Are we seeking this wisdom and seeking this knowledge? Or are we just sitting passively and idly by. There are some common errors that we commit as it relates to this seeking of the wisdom of God. Two of them were already familiar with. One is the legalism fallacy, the legalism fallacy, and I won't go into that because we've talked about that. The second one is the moralism fallacy. Again in each of these messages, we've talked about legalism and moralism. Legalism believes that we please God by keeping the law. It is an enemy of the Gospel. Why because it renders the death of Christ null and void, completely unnecessary. If I can keep the law and please God, Jesus died for nothing. Moralism says Jesus merely as an example for us to follow. Just be more like Jesus. That's all that's required. And both of them ignore the fact that we are ruined sinners in need of a savior. That Christ died for sin, once for all, the just, for the unjust, in order that he might bring us back to God. Both of these errors keep us from seeking the wisdom of God because we're seeking legalism and morality. But there are a couple of other errors that I want us to look at. First is the later in life fallacy. The later in life fallacy. I remember, as a new Christian, I actually had a conversation with a friend of mine. He was actually a teammate of mine college football team, and he grew up in the church. He was the son of a pastor. I was a brand new Christian, never heard the gospel till I got to university. Hear the gospel. Come to faith. My whole life is turned upside down. And I would go to him and ask him questions because again, he grew up at a pastor's home. He played in church, he played the piano in church. He just knew all these things that I didn't know. And at one point he looked at me and he said, listen, I'm happy for you, but I need you to stop coming to me with these questions, and I said why, and he literally said to me, I know when I start getting into that, I'll become accountable to it. Wait what he was the only one who's ever been so honest with me. But how many of us had that later in life fallacy? That later in life fallacy that says, I have this religion, and I understand this religion, and I know Jesus is there. I know he calls me to repentance and faith. However, I know that when I do that, there are certain parts of my life that will be over. So what I'm going to do is pursue all of those parts of my life, keep Jesus kind of right here, really close. But then when I'm old and I've gotten all of that out of my system, then I'll get serious about my religion. If you can't say a man, you ought to say ouch, the later in life fallacy, I've got time for that. But right now I'm young and I want to enjoy it. I've got time for that. But right now there are opportunities for me, and I want to enjoy them, and so I don't want to be too serious about that the later in life fallacy. There are a number of problems with the later in life fallacy. Number one, it keeps us from obeying the one who tells us to seek Him, seek the Lord while they may be found. Number two, it assumes that you have tomorrow, Amen later tomorrow. Tomorrow is not promised to you. There's a third problem here, and the third problem here is that it is a complete misrepresentation of God. The idea here is that God is the one who comes to steal and kill and destroy. But the enemy has come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. You completely turned reality on its head, and you believe that all the joy is found outside of Christ, and none of the joy is found in Christ. You were deceived, and you have the world exactly upside down. True and lasting joy is found in Christ and in Christ alone. There is another fallacy, and this is what I like to call the election fallacy. That we hear this a lot, especially in reformed circles. We run into this all the time. This fallacy plagues those who first learn about the doctrine of election, and the fallacy goes something like this. Number one, I just found out that God chooses those who will be saved. Number two, I don't know or believe that I am one of them. Therefore, number three, whatever I do is meaningless. Whatever I do is probably disingenuous because it's just out of fear. Right, I don't like or want to worship this kind of God. And all of this comes from I'm misguided understanding of the doctrine of election and ultimately what we do. Here's what people do, because I have conversations all the time, especially with young Christians. They've run into the doctrine of election, and all of a sudden, their assurance has gone out of the window. I just I just I just I just I just I just you just wan, Well, I just don't know. What is it that you don't know. I just don't know if he's chosen me. I just don't know if I'm the elect. Well, you don't have to know. Well, but of course I have to know. Why do you have to know? Do you know what his word says? Do you know that his word says to you to seek the Lord while he may be found? While well, yes, I do, Well, then seek the Lord while he may be found? Well, how do I know that that's not just my flesh? You don't so seek the Lord while he may be found. How do I know? That's not just my fear? You don't seek the Lord while he may be found. Because here's what's interesting, and this is what always happens. We choose to believe certain verses of scripture while clearly ignoring others. Because here's what I've become convinced of. People who hold on to the election fallacy, enjoy being miserable, and refuse to allow you to guide them out of their misery. Well, why because there's certain things in the scripture that they just won't receive. Anything that gives them doubt. They will cling to and cherish it and hold it to their bosom. Oh, sweet doubt, I might not be saved. I will hold this verse and never let it go. But then you bring them you know, I don't know Hebrews eleven six. Without faith, it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Ah that verse. AH, not too sure about that verse. I just can't you know, because you know, how do I know that I'm actually seeking him? Rightly? You love misery, You want to be miserable and literally you cling to anything in scripture that helps you stay miserable, and you run away from anything in scripture that could alleviate that misery. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Believe that he is, Believe that he exists. Believe that God rewards those who diligently seek him. Do you believe that The answer no, No, I don't believe that, because if I believe that verse right there, I can't hold onto my misery and fear and continue to ask questions over and over and over again about whether or not I'm one of the elect And that's what I really want to do. Is election and true absolutely all day, every day, twice on Sunday. It's true, Amen. But is it true that God rewards those who diligently seek him? Yes? Well, wait a minute, how can it be true if he saves people according to his own will and simultaneously be true that he rewards those who seek him? Do you ever consider the fact that you can't seek Him apart from him? Huh? Did you ever consider that you can't seek God apart from God? Here's what's not happening. In heaven. God is not saying here, here are the elect here's the ones that after Wait a minute, what is that person doing? Wait a minute, Wait a minute, Michael Gabriel, stop that person. They're seeking me and I never intended for them too. Do you see how ridiculous that is? God is enthroned into heavens, he does whatever pleases him. As Abraham Cuyper says, there is not one random, a rogue molecule in all of the universe, not one. There is not one square inch in all of creation over which Christ does not declare mine. And that includes you, and it includes your will. Do you seriously believe God placed you in a family where you would hear the word of God. God placed you in a church where you would hear the word of God. God convicted you of your sin when you heard the word of God. God make you care about whether or not you are his. God makes you spend time thinking about your repentance all oh that you could merely what die in your misery. You have a couple of choices. Either spend the rest of your life trying to answer questions that you will never be able to answer, or do what he says. Seek him, seek him. Believe wholeheartedly in the sovereignty of God, and seek him, because the sovereign God says to seek him, search for him. Finally, if you hear listen, if you seek, and lastly, if you treasure verse four, if you seek like silver, and search for it like hidden treasure. Seek it like silver, search for it like hidden treasure. Notice the contrast in chapter one, verse twenty two, How long o scoffers, will you delight in scoffing? Remember I said this word delight means literally to treasure. They treasure scoffing like the doubter treasures their doubt. They love it. They love it. It's like Gullum with the ring, my precious. But the father says to his son, who has just heard Wisdom's sermon, treasure it, listen, don't just listen, don't just listen, sink go after it, pursue it. And don't just seek it and go after it and pursue it, but treasure it, delight in it. In the other Wisdom literature, we find this in Job twenty two, twenty three to twenty six. If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up. If you removing justice far from your tents. If you lay gold in the dust and gold of over among the stones of the torrent bed, then the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver. For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. You'll be like gold and silver. Psalm one, nineteen seventy two. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces Elsewhere in Proverbs eight ten, take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold. In eight nineteen, my fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. We find this in the Gospels. Matthew thirteen forty four. The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field. It's more precious than anything else that you have. Treasure it, Treasure it. Matthew nineteen twenty one. Jesus said to him, if you would be perfect gold, sell what you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come follow me. Treasure here's the great Remember I told you. The way that we often look at the Book of Proverbs is we rip the Book of Proverbs out of its context. We don't see Christ as the wise son of Proverbs, and we use the Book of Proverbs as a means to an end. If you follow these things, if you use this for your business principles, then your business will succeed. In other words, if you rip the Book of Proverbs out of the context of the overall message of Scripture, and you use the Book of Proverbs for its principles, then the wisdom of Proverbs will bring you the treasure of riches. Whereas Proverbs teaches that wisdom itself is to be sought like a treasure, not as a tool to get you to other things. Do you see the folly in that treasure wisdom? Value wisdom more than anything else. Fight for the pleasure of wisdom, and fight against all of those things that compete with it. What's the result of this? If you hear, if you seek, and you treasure, what does he say finally in verse five, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Again, what was the point that we just made. The way we misuse Proverbs. Is we say, okay, if you take the principles from Proverbs, you will be successful and you will get rich, as though the goal of these proverbs is success and wealth. But notice the goal, will hear, here's the father's goal for his son verse five. You will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God, because there's nothing more valuable than the knowledge of God. Bruce Walkee puts it this way. Plato and Aristotle employed theology in the sense of the science of divine things. Quite differently, the Hebraic expression of theology or knowledge of God points to a reality which at once includes the transcendent intellectual questions, designates the involvement of man's total personality in the presence of Yahweh through prophetic word, through worship, celebration, and through the psychological mode of communion in faith. In other words, there are those who seek just theological knowledge and information with God, but this Hebrew term is far different than that. This Hebrew term encompasses seeking theological information about God, but it also moves to the application of that both in the corporate worship of God and in personal intimate communion with God. The Father's passionate plea. Here is this. Listen to wisdom, hear what wisdom is saying. Don't just hear what wisdom is saying, but seek out what wisdom is saying. Search it, Search it diligently. Don't just sit there and let it go in one ear and out the other. Listen carefully, mullet over, find it, and then treasure it. Treasure it more than anything else. Why because when you hear, and when you seek, and then when you treasure, ultimately what you will find is God himself. Find God because God is the goal. God is the goal. Are there other things that you absolutely there are other things that you will find. It is true that Godliness will impact every aspect of your life, and we praise God for that. Amen that every area and avenue of our life is impacted. And by the way, here's one of the ways that you can know when these things have been sought wrongly, because how many times do we do this? We we listen to the word, and we hear the word, and then we and then we seek the word, and we study the word, and then we treasure the word. Right. We do all of these things, and then we begin to live our lives in accordance with this word that we found. And then all of a sudden something happens. We lose a job, a loved one dies, a marriage ends, some tragedy strikes, and immediately here's our response, why would God do this to me? Do you know why we asked that question, because here's what we really believe. I listened to the wisdom of God. I sought the wisdom of God, and I treasured the wisdom of God because I believed it would give me my job, my children, my spouse, my friends. That was my end goal. So when one of those things was taken away, I shake my fist at God because I did not seek wisdom so that I could find God. I sought wisdom so that I could find those things. And when He took away those things, he revealed the fact that they were chief in my heart, not him. And how many times did people then run away from the faith? Why? Because I tried God and he gave me the stuff I wanted, and then some of it was taken away. Therefore, I'm done trying God, because ultimately I don't want God. I want things, and I'm using God as a means to an end to give me things, which means that those things are your God, and you are an idolater, and you are still lost in your sin. Because the Gospel, according to Proverbs is this, we hear, and we heed, and we seek and we treasure, why so that we might find God. And everything else is extra Because here's the reality. Everything else will be stripped away from you, everything everything. What's the old saying, You never see a hearst carrying a moving van, right amen. At the end, they're not going to put you in your casket in a vehicle and then attach all of your stuff to it. Everything else will be gone, everything else will be lost. And so if what you are pursuing is everything else, then at the end you are lost. But if your greatest desire is God himself, then even when everything else is stripped away from you, ultimately you've lost nothing, because nothing matters more to you than knowing God. I've said many times, what a beautiful providence it is that in our scripture reading, we're reading the book of Job right now, because ultimately, ultimately what happens there everything is stripped away. His friends come, and the only way they can interpret the reality of what's happening with Job is legalism and moralism. The first part of the Book of Job disabuses us of that notion. He's a righteous man, he's a righteous man. I know, when you see what happens to him, you're going to be tempted to believe that he wasn't a righteous man and he's being punished. He's a righteous man, and he's not being punished. He's a righteous man, and everything is stripped away from him even though he's a righteous man. Why because being a righteous man doesn't guarantee you that everything won't be stripped away from you. And everything being stripped away from you does not mean that God doesn't love you, or that God's not aware he is still seated on his throne. Because here's the other thing. When everything is stripped away from you, if what you are left with is self in Christ, you want amen, because there is nothing, nothing more significant than that. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? The answer to both questions nothing. Hear God's word. Hear the wisdom of God and the word of God. Seek the wisdom of God and the word of God. Treasure the wisdom of God in the Word of God, because when you seek it and hear it and treasure it, you find God. Seek ye first the Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you. In other words, all these other things will be extra God is enough. God is enough. May He grant us grace to see that, to know that, and to cling to him because we believe that. Let's pray, Oh, good and gracious God, the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the God of all mercy, the God who is to be treasured above all, Grant by your grace that we might have ears to hear, and that we might have eyes to see your goodness and your glory and your majesty. Grant that we might rejoice in you above all else, that we might seek you above all else, that we might treasure you above all else, that we might see you through the person and work of Jesus Christ, and that we might treasure the gift of your son above any and every other gift that we might receive. Grant that we might recognize that every good and perfect gift comes from You, and that we might be appropriately thankful grant that we might hear your word, and seek your word, and treasure your wisdom in your word, and that through your word, God, we might find you. This is our prayer, and we ask it in Jesus name,