Proverbs 4 | Get Wisdom!

I'm going to turn now to a time of the preaching of God's word. As we begin, I'm going to begin with an illustration. Growing up in church as a pastor's kid, my youth group did all kinds of activities. The one that tends to stand out the most was our annual youth group backpacking trips. If you've never been backpacking, it's not hiking; hiking is nothing compared with backpacking. Backpacking is carrying everything you need for food and shelter on your back, and then hiking miles. In Pennsylvania, it was hiking through mountains. After going up and down mountains, setting up camp at night, cooking your meal, trying to get some sleep, hiding your food from the bears, you pack it all up again and do it again the next day.

My first trip was when I was 14. We did a 9-day, 90-mile loop, averaging about 10 miles a day, up and down the Appalachian Mountains. Our trip was in a Pennsylvania state park where the trails were marked with bright blazes on trees. Someone would slap paint on the trail on trees so that you could make sure that you were on the right path. And I remember that trip. We were supposed to be following the orange blazes. Now, at some point on this trip, as it often happened on every trip, we'd hit a stretch of path where the blazes became faded or even disappeared. Some state park worker had fallen asleep at his job. And as these blazes faded or even disappeared, the trail became hard to follow. And often our leader, whether distracted or not paying attention, or literally couldn't find the blazes, would at some point lead us off course. And we would all follow blindly, until we realized there were no more markers, or maybe even no more trail. And with a lot of complaining and finger-pointing, blame-shifting, we would have to backtrack, sometimes a few yards, sometimes even miles, to find the right path again.

Have you ever noticed that throughout the Bible, the Christian life is described as a path or a road that we walk on? The Christian life is one of walking in God's truth. And so, as the Apostle John puts it, we must be those who walk in the truth. And as we'll see today, this path in the book of Proverbs is called the way or the path of wisdom. The way or the path of wisdom.

Now, in our church, we spent a season studying Proverbs 1-9. We're going to be looking today at one of those sections of Proverbs 1-9. We're going to be looking at Proverbs chapter 4. And just for some context, the book of Proverbs is God's education course in true wisdom. The book of Proverbs is God's education course in true wisdom. And wisdom is the major theme, the major theme of the book of Proverbs. And a working definition for wisdom from the book of Proverbs is this: Wisdom is the ability to understand, discern, and apply God's truth to all of life. Wisdom is not just having knowledge or simply understanding what is right; it's actually doing it and living it out.

There are many things that the writer has been teaching about wisdom in the earlier chapters before we get to our section, chapter 4. He's already taught back in chapter 1 that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). Wisdom requires a posture of humility and teachability, for the fool is the one who rejects wisdom and thinks that he already knows it all. And the writer here has already said that wisdom is more valuable than any earthly treasure that you could acquire. This morning we'll be looking at Proverbs chapter 4, and in this passage, all of chapters 1-9, we're eavesdropping on a wise father giving his young son travel instructions. A wise father is giving his young son travel instructions regarding wisdom's path. And like an experienced guide, the father is telling his son about the need to both get on and stay on the path of wisdom. Why? Well, because this path leads to eternal life. So if you're taking notes, our main point from the text is this: Get on and stay on the path of wisdom, for it leads to eternal life. Get on and stay on the path of wisdom, for it leads to eternal life. We want to follow those blazes that have been marked out for us by wisdom because they will ultimately lead us to eternal life, and to abandon wisdom is to forsake the way to eternal life.

So we're going to have three sections this morning if you're taking notes. The first is verses 1-9, follow the father's footsteps. Verses 10-19, stay on the path of wisdom. And then 20-27, pay attention to your heart. I pray that this morning we would all have ears to hear the voice of wisdom and that we would have feet ready to follow wisdom all the way home. Let's begin with point number one, verses 1-9.

Following the Father's Footsteps (Proverbs 4:1-9)

I'm going to read the text as we begin before we dive into studying it. If you have your Bibles, Proverbs chapter 4, our first section is 1-9.

Listen, sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, for I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother, he taught me and said, “Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live. Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth. Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you; love her, and she will guard you. Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you. She will place a garland of favor on your head; she will give you a crown of beauty.” — Proverbs 4:1-9 (CSB)

Look at how the passage begins here: 'My sons, listen to me.' This father is calling his sons to follow in his footsteps, to go the way that he has gone before. What's amazing about this is that he, the writer here, followed in the footsteps of his own father. Look at verses 3 and 4: 'When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother, he taught me and said, “Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live.”' Notice here the writer is getting nostalgic. He remembers when he himself was a child, and he remembers, notice the relationship that he had with his father, but you notice he has his most sweet words to refer to the relationship that he had with his mother. Notice that the father there, he remembers being a son with his father, but he has the sweet words in verse 3, 'and I was tender and precious to my mother.' I love that. This father is looking back and remembering how his mother treated him with tenderness and treasured him as her son. And this stood out to him and caused him to want to listen to his parents as they were teaching him.

I want to pause for a moment, not only because it's Mother's Day, but because it is so apparent right here in the text that there is an important place that fathers and mothers, particularly mothers, have in the lives of their children. The Christian woman, in the lives of her children, or even in the lives of spiritual children that a Christian woman nurtures, allows her femaleness to display certain attributes of God, resulting in the people around her to flourish. And I love that this is a theme in Scripture. Both men and women were created in God's image, and yet in different ways we image God. And there are ways that we can do that together and separately that are unique. But it is the gospel, it is an understanding of what we were created for, that makes such motherhood work and make sense. Women are made in the image of God, and they are to, as Susan Hunt puts it, 'display God's strong, relational, nurturing, community-extending compassion.' And in doing this, they get to show something of what God is like, who does these things through them. I want to encourage you women in your work that while it may seem in your mothering that your work is often forgotten, it isn't forgotten to God. And it will not ultimately be forgotten by your children as they learn from you, even if they don't articulate all of the ways that you have been a blessing to them. Know that your labors are not in vain.

Notice here that the writer is getting nostalgic, remembering when he was a child. Notice that the rest of this section, verses 4-9, is the grandfather being quoted. So here's a man, a father, speaking with his sons about his father. And so we literally have three generations here, a generational legacy being passed down. And you notice the grandfather himself is being quoted for the second half of this section. You see that there's quotes there in the CSB starting in verse 4: 'Your heart must hold on to my words' is what he taught me and said, verse 4. Like a precious heirloom, this wisdom that he's sharing has been passed down from one generation to another. And now it's being passed down to these sons. Now, fun fact, this is the first time in Proverbs 1-9 where 'son' is plural. So far it's been 'my son,' 'my son' in the singular. Here, it opens up and includes 'sons.' Now, whether all of a sudden he had more children as he was writing this, or perhaps he's thinking generationally, that not only is he speaking to this son but to this son's son as this generational legacy is being passed down. That may be the reason why it expands to plural, likely to highlight this generational connection.

Children, I want you who are here, children, I'm speaking to you children. I want you to remember, have your parents ever given you a really good gift? Something you really wanted, something you really loved? Well, the Bible says that wisdom is the best gift that parents can give to their kids. So, kids, when your parents speak to you, when they teach you about God, about the Bible, about Jesus, remember to listen up. For they're giving you the best gift that they can. What this passage says is that wisdom from God's word is the best gift that they can give you. It's beautiful that the setting of this passage is that of a godly home. This is something that some of us can relate to firsthand. And for others, this was not our experience growing up. But do you notice here, it's always been God's plan and desire for there to be godly homes with wise parents who know God and who are diligent to instruct their children about him and hopefully start them on the path to wisdom which leads to eternal life.

For those of us who didn't grow up in a home where that happened, perhaps you entered into the path of wisdom later in life. Perhaps you didn't grow up in a home where you were put on this path from an early age. But I know if that's true, I know for you the church has been that home, and it should be. The church has been the place where we've been lovingly instructed in the way that we should go, where we've been given God's wisdom. Praise God for that. We should pray for more and more of that among churches, among the households of God. We should as Christians be concerned that the church be a good spiritual home and that we contribute to it by not only being concerned with our own families but being concerned with God's family. As the church is called the household of God, a spiritual family. I love that your church prays weekly not only for your own local church but for other churches here and around the world. We should as Christians want to have a heart to see all of God's churches to be places of wisdom. Places where people are called on to the path that leads to life and called to persevere on it. This path that leads to him.

In Deuteronomy 6, not only were the Israelites called to love God themselves, they were also called to diligently teach their children and future generations the same. Sadly, the Israelites as a whole didn't do this. This actually didn't happen as Moses called them to be faithful in their generation by teaching the next generation. We notice that they just assumed that first generation that entered the land, they just assumed that their children would pick up on these things and so they slacked off on diligently and explicitly teaching the things of God to their kids. They abandoned their duty, and their kids suffered the consequences. Judges chapter 2 verses 8-10 says that Joshua dies and it says this:

Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel. — Judges 2:8-10 (CSB)

They did what was evil in the Lord's sight, and they worshiped idols and abandoned the Lord. Now, how did this happen? By that first generation worshipping idols? No. By that first generation failing to teach their children about God.

I'm going to pause here and give some application to parents since this seems to be primary application here. Parents, are you being faithful in your duty to teach your children about God? Or have you perhaps abandoned your duty to proactively teach your children about God and what he's done? Do you assume they'll just catch on at some point? Or do you assume that it's the church's responsibility to teach your kids? Some of us too often are in the habit of parenting through reaction, telling our kids only what not to do as things come up. But, parents, have you considered what it is that you are called to proactively and positively teach your children and desire to teach them from God's word? It is your God-given responsibility. God has commanded us to teach our children about himself and to pass on the treasure that is the knowledge of him. If we're honest, I'm sure some of us have given more thought and planning to how we're going to leave our earthly possessions to our kids than to be concerned with what it is that we're going to pass down to our children in terms of God's wisdom. And friends, it shouldn't be this way for Christians. Christian parents, don't abdicate your spiritual responsibilities in the busyness of physical and practical responsibilities. So, sit down with your spouse and talk about spiritual priorities that you want to teach your children in the coming year and be specific. Perhaps even make a list for each child, the things that they need to learn because it does vary for each child. Have conversations, make a plan, make lists. Put it on the fridge or somewhere that you can both see it and pray over it and not forget. And, parents, let me encourage you, let your kids hear you pray for them about these things. Hear them speaking to God about them and hear you praying for them.

Not only does this apply to parents and children. I want to open this up and say that this applies to our spiritual families. In 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul called Timothy a true son in a common faith. And you see that Paul, who was single and didn't have physical children, yet has spiritual children. He calls Timothy and Titus his sons in the faith. And in 2 Timothy, some of his final writing, Paul tells his spiritual son to pass on this legacy of gospel wisdom. He tells Timothy that whatever he learned from him should now be entrusted to faithful men who will be able to pass it on to others, to the next generation. You see, as Christians, we're not simply called to believe the right things ourselves and to do the right things ourselves, but to actually be concerned with passing these things on, entrusting them to another generation. That's what we do with the truth and wisdom of the gospel. We guard and protect it, and then we hand it down to others who will do the same. Not just pastors and teachers, but all of us. In the Great Commission, Jesus made it clear that this is the calling for all Christians, for all of his disciples, that we are called to follow him ourselves, but also help others follow Jesus too, teaching them to obey all that he commanded. It's not whatever we think is wisest, but it's what Jesus has taught that we're to be passing down. This passing on of wisdom must happen in the church. Not just life hacks that we've learned along the way, but truth from Jesus, from his word. We've been commanded by our Savior to pass on truth to others like the father in Proverbs is doing with his sons.

Now, I want to say this and be honest. Some of us, myself included, get way more excited about passing down other kinds of wisdom to our kids: hobbies, interests, life hacks, diets, entertainment, sports, investments, career advice, real estate plans, than we are about giving wisdom found in God's word. I say this as someone who spent three hours yesterday with my son at the ballpark as he was playing Little League. I am excited to pass down baseball to my son, but I should be even more excited to pass down God's wisdom because that's so much more precious than America's national pastime, as precious as that is. Do you know that what excites you the most, parents, are the things that your kids are going to remember you talking about? D.A. Carson said, as a professor, that his students forgot most of what he taught them. But he noticed through decades of teaching in the classroom that his students remembered the things that he was most excited and most animated about. Those were the things that the students tended to remember. And it's true. So I want to ask today, friends, what gets you talking? What gets you raving? What gets you posting on social media? What is it that if I were to ask those around you, your friends, your family, your children, what would they say you really love? My kids would probably say baseball or books. My dad passed baseball on to me. I'm passing baseball on to my children. My dad and mom loved books, and I love books, and my kids are learning to love books too. But are those things the biggest things that people are going to remember me about? I hope not. I hope First Baptist Artesia that above all else you are known for delighting in Christ, delighting in God, and helping others to do the same.

Now, look at verses 5-7. Look at the content of the grandfather's words in 5-7. Here's an older man teaching a younger man about the world. He says, 'Get wisdom.' What a fun two-word sentence. A beautiful command, 'get wisdom.' Remember the definition we're using: wisdom is the ability to understand, discern, and apply God's truth to all of life. Well, notice if as the rest of the chapter goes, we're called to stay on the path of wisdom, you notice here that it begins with actually getting onto the path. And getting onto the path of wisdom means getting wisdom in the first place, and this starts with knowing the truth and coming to know God in salvation by faith. Get wisdom in the gospel. If you're here and you're not a Christian, you can apply this command, 'get wisdom,' by coming to God in humility and by faith and actually obeying the gospel call. You can get wisdom by simply turning to Christ and obeying the gospel call. The Bible tells us that all of us are sinners, that we were created in God's image by a good and loving and holy God. The Bible tells us that we, all of us, rebelled against him and we can read about this in Genesis chapter 3. All of us have turned away from this good and loving God and have sought to rebel against him and to be gods in our own lives. And the Bible tells us that this world is the way it is because we've made a mess of it with our rebellion. But the Bible also tells us that this holy God who will by no means let the guilty go unpunished is the same God of love who sent his own Son, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, to enter time and space and to take upon himself our humanity in order that he might live a perfect life, die a sacrificial death for sins as the perfect sacrifice on the cross, and be raised from the dead in power and glory demonstrating his victory over sin and death. And he is now ascended to heaven offering salvation to any that would turn to him in faith and turn away from their sins, entrust in him and him alone for their salvation. If you're here and you're not a Christian, if you turn to Christ by faith, you will be getting wisdom, for the New Testament tells us that Jesus is the wisdom from God. He is the one that is wisdom that we are to embrace. If you are here and you're not a Christian, I'd love to talk with you more today about how you could become a Christian, or perhaps talk to the person who invited you. I'm sure they would love to help you be sure today that you know Christ and are known by him and will be with him forever.

But look also at verses 8 and 9. Wisdom is spoken of as something to not only get, but also to embrace and love. In the same way a man would cherish a good life, a good wife, and a good life. Like a godly woman, wisdom blesses those who have a relationship with her. Wisdom brings blessing and goodness to one's life. Wisdom is described as a godly woman in these first nine chapters of Proverbs, and that image continues. It's a metaphor to understand what wisdom is like. I benefit from being married to a godly woman. As I cherish her and I love her, I am blessed, she blesses me. And is a blessing to our children. You see that in verse 6, 'she will watch over you, she will guard you.' Verse 8, 'she will exalt you, she will honor you.' She will place on your head, verse 9, 'a graceful garland.' She will bestow on you 'a beautiful crown.' Wisdom gotten, embraced, loved, and treasured will bring unparalleled blessings, blessings now and blessings that will stretch to eternity. So, what does it mean to follow in the Proverbs father's footsteps? This father's gone down this path before and his father before him. They're trusted guides and navigators and they're setting those blazes or flags for the next generation to follow. They're giving good instructions (verse 2). Well, it means we should get wisdom, the wisdom that comes from God. We should embrace it in our lives, receive it from wise people who've walked faithfully with God for a long time. And then pass God's wisdom onto others. This is the intended cycle for all of God's people. That's point number one: follow the father's footsteps.

Staying on the Path of Wisdom (Proverbs 4:10-19)

Point number two, stay on the path of wisdom. And this is verses 10-19. Let me read these verses quickly.

Listen, my son. Accept my words, and you will live many years. I am teaching you the way of wisdom; I am guiding you on straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction; don’t let go. Guard it, for it is your life. Keep off the path of the wicked; don’t proceed on the way of evil ones. Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass it by. For they can’t sleep unless they have done what is evil; they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don’t know what makes them stumble. — Proverbs 4:10-19 (CSB)

Notice wisdom is the path that God's children are called to walk on (verses 10-12). Do you see the words for it there, 'the way,' 'straight paths,' 'walk,' 'steps,' 'run,' 'not stumble'? 'Way' is an old word for a road, like our highways in California. It's clear here that wisdom is a path, and the instruction for these sons is to stay on the path and not stray from it (verses 13-17). Other paths are then introduced, verse 14: 'Keep off the path of the wicked. Don’t proceed on the way of evil ones. Don’t travel on it. Avoid it.' The dad's warnings here are like railroad crossings that we have throughout Southern California. Have you ever been stopped at a light as a train is coming through? Are these subtle warnings that you see? No. The warnings are pretty extreme. There's lights flashing, there's bells sounding, there's guard rails going down so you can't pass, there's stoplights on red. Don't even get close to the path of the wicked. Don't even mess around or play near that path. He's saying stay on the path that's already been marked for you and let the wise be your companions in your travels.

Our, in Matthew chapter 13, Jesus gives the parable of the soils, the parable of the seeds and the sower. And in that passage Jesus talks about four different kinds of soils and four different kinds of hearts that they represent. And if you'll remember that passage, there are four types of people that Jesus describes initially who respond to the message of the gospel with joy. They think, all of them, 'this is good news' at first. Salvation from sin, eternal life with God, 'sign me up.' But of those four soils, only one of the four, only one type of heart soil, perseveres in holding on to the truth. And who are the ones who don't stay on this path that leads to life? The kinds of men and women who only follow for a time or for a season. They all begin on the path, excited initially about this wisdom that God offers, about the gospel offer of eternal life. And while they follow on the path for a little while, at some point they exit off. At some point they get off and never get back on. At some point they begin following other paths: the path of a desire for riches, the path of a desire to avoid difficulty and persecution, and we can name many more paths. And little by little, those who seem to be on the right path show all along that they were never truly God's people. They were never truly Christians. These people are not losing their salvation; they're proving that their initial excitement was not genuine saving faith. Each of us face different temptations and are attracted to different things that can lead us astray. It's important for us to know what those things are and to be honest with ourselves and others about what they are.

Now here, the father is warning about a particular kind of person that he has in mind that are going to be dangerous to his young son, particularly evil and violent people. These are people who can't sleep unless they've made others stumble, meaning they're energized by leading others away from God. Wickedness and violence are their food and drink. These people live to sin. They're excited by it. When I was young, I looked up to the guys who seemed stronger and more powerful. Sometimes those guys would flex that power and strength over others with violence. And if I'm being honest, we thought it was cool. Our culture still reveres such men, such bad boys. Think about how the world exalts and praises those who get away with evil. Entertainers who boast in their immorality, people who take pride in doing harm to others and who literally make money off of corrupting others. The father doesn't say, 'hey buddy, you're strong enough to withstand temptation.' No, instead he's communicating, 'you're weak, son, we all are, so do whatever you can to avoid the people and the places where the temptation to sin will be the strongest for you.' That's how you avoid the path of the wicked. That's the wisest and best thing that you can do. Sometimes I hear Christians talk about their battle with sin and they say phrases like, 'well, I don't want to be legalistic about this.' As if the solution to legalism is flirting with sin. Let me be clear, it's not legalistic to have a plan in place to kill sin. It is wise and godly to put up a fight against sin. And it is good and wise to have a plan in place to put up the best fight you can against your strongest temptations. This isn't just for the most vulnerable sheep or those who are struggling. This is for all of us. And leaders are without exception. I take time in our elders' meetings where we as elders share, confess, sin, ask each other for accountability. Open up our hearts and lives, share where we are weak, share where we need to grow, ask for accountability. It is right and good for all of us Christians to put things in place that would help us to resist sin and draw near to God in real time.

Have you ever heard the phrase, 'it's easier to get forgiveness than permission,' meaning I'd rather get what I want and face the consequences later than to have to slow down and consider what's right and good. We need to do what the Father is instructing and avoid any path that would lead you to need forgiveness. Friends, forgiveness isn't cheap. It cost our Savior his life. Let me encourage us to get in a rhythm of telling people what we're thinking about before we do it. Rather than simply coming and confessing to our Christian friends like priests after we've done it. Another way we can stay on the path is to be in God's word, to sit at God's feet and listen to his wisdom. Do you make time for this? Do you encourage others to do this? What does Psalm 119:105 say?

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. — Psalm 119:105 (CSB)

Do you want to stay on the path of wisdom? It will only happen if God's word lights the way for you. To neglect God's word is to put ourselves in the path of danger. That's point number two: stay on the path of wisdom.

Guarding Your Heart (Proverbs 4:20-27)

Point number three, finally, verses 20-27, pay attention to your heart. I'm going to read verses 20-27.

My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings. Don’t lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to one’s whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don’t let your lips talk deviously. Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil. — Proverbs 4:20-27 (CSB)

Point number one, follow in the father's footsteps. Point number two, stay on the path of wisdom. Point number three, pay attention to your heart. This section is like the song that I sang in children's ministry as a kid: 'Oh, be careful little eyes what you see. Oh, be careful little feet where you go.' Look at all the imagery of body parts in this section. It's what a parent does with a child, teaching them who they are. I love each one of them. 'My son, pay attention to my words. Listen closely to my sayings. Don’t lose sight of them. Keep them within your heart, for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Guard your heart. Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly. Don’t let your lips talk deviously. Let your eyes look forward. Fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet.' It's like an anatomy course for kids, catechizing them for how to think about their whole body. It's what a parent should do with a child, teaching them who they are, teaching their children how they were made, teaching them what they were made for and what they were meant to do with every part of themselves. This reminds me of Justin Early's quote from *Habits of the Household* where he has a blessing for a child's body at night. Listen to this faithful application of such a passage, a catechism that he has written, a man-made catechism: 'Father, bless their feet. May they bring good news. Bless their legs. May they carry on in times of suffering. Bless their backs. May they be strong enough to bear the burdens of others. Bless their arms to hold the lonely and their hands to do good work. Bless their necks. May they turn their heads toward the poor. Bless their ears to discern truth. Their eyes to see beauty and their mouths to speak encouragement. Bless their minds. May they grow wise. And finally, bless their hearts. May they grow to love you and all that you have made in the right order. Amen.'

I love these ideas for practical teaching of children about what they were created for. Here in Proverbs 4:20-27, we see the wise father catechizing his children on the purpose of their lives: to stay on the path of wisdom that leads to eternal life. And on this path, we can please God with every part of us. If you have little children, parents, I love Abby Wedgeworth's little books teaching children. There's a whole little book on each body part—on hands and feet and mouths—helping little children think about what your mouth was made for. 'It wasn't made for saying those terrible things. It was made for speaking good things.' And let me encourage us to be talking with our kids. You know, I've learned to tell my children, particularly my boys, 'Why did God give you muscles? Was it to hurt people? Was it to hit? Was it to steal?' No. 'God gave you muscles to protect others, to help Mommy, to give hugs, to give handshakes, to play sports, to keep your friends safe, to worship God.' But what is the most important part of ourselves to watch, verse 23? Perhaps the verse that some of us even have memorized from this chapter. What are we to watch? Our hearts. Above all else, our hearts. For the heart is the source of life. All that we do, all that we are, flows from our hearts. Our hearts are the control centers of our lives. So watch what you love. Watch what you delight in and guard your heart.

Now, Christians in churches should want to build a healthy culture of giving and receiving wisdom. And part of us being able to persevere on the path that leads to life is not only by hearing wisdom from parents as children, but by hearing wisdom from faithful family members in the church. And there should be a kind of culture in which we are giving and receiving wisdom. And I pray that that would grow to be the case here at First Baptist Artesia. So, I want to pause for a moment and give some application for you, First Baptist Artesia, in the giving and receiving of wisdom. First thing I want to ask as an application question is, are you willing to receive wisdom? That is the foundation of a person who is wise, the willingness to receive wisdom. Or are you always wanting to be the one to give wisdom, but never willing to receive it? It should be both. We should be willing to receive course correction. And love that people are concerned enough to speak such words of course correction, knowing that we're all trying to help each other look like Christ and make it home to heaven. I get a lot of questions about this. What do you do when you get wisdom from others? What do you do when someone is trying to speak wisdom to you and perhaps you don't like what it is that they're telling you? What do you do? Well, one, consider whether this person loves you. And whether they want good for you. And if they are, be thankful for that. You should also ask, who is it that this person is pointing me to? Are they simply pointing me to themselves as the perfect example everyone should follow, or are they pointing me back to God, back to Jesus? All true wisdom should point back to God and his word. Are you willing to listen to the godly people in your life? Third, prayerfully ask God, why it is that you may be hardened to receive this wisdom. Are you more willing to listen to influencers on social media than you are godly Christians in your life? Then maybe you need to sort out your priorities and be willing to listen to godly people, even if you don't ultimately do everything that they encourage you to do. And fourthly, be willing to keep the conversation going, even if you disagree. And even if you decide not to do what they encourage you to do, don't be cold and withdraw from people who are trying to love you by speaking truth into your life. Draw near to them. And perhaps if you do disagree, you can be a sharpening influence in their life as well. Don't go off and fester in bitterness and withdraw and ghost the people who tried to love you and make them feel bad that they took the effort and even pursued the awkwardness of having a difficult conversation with you. Thank them for their concern. Let's be like Christ who moved toward people not like him always. We should be those who don't just find a community of people exactly like us and then withdraw from anyone different from us. No, let's have a community of people that are in many ways different and yet loving one another, even those that are different from us, as we all try to be more like Christ.

Conclusion

We should conclude. I want to point you to two verses in Proverbs 4, verses 18 and 19 in conclusion. As we remember our main point, 'get on, stay on the path of wisdom for it leads to eternal life.' Look at verses 18 and 19 again. I want to conclude here. 'The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom. They don't know what makes them stumble.' I want you to think of this explanation from the book of Proverbs about the life of the Christian and the life of the non-Christian. The life of those who are God's people and those that are not. And notice this positive vision for the righteous and the dark one for the wicked. And then I want you to think of Christ in Matthew chapter 7. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, he holds up for his people that there are ultimately two kinds of people who are on ultimately two kinds of paths. There is Matthew 7:13 and 14, two gates, two paths, two roads that you enter. One by the narrow gate, one that is broad. And he says:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.” — Matthew 7:13-14 (CSB)

You realize, friends, that there are ultimately two kinds of paths, only two. There is a path of wisdom. It's narrow. It's difficult in this life. But it leads to life eternal. And the path of wisdom only gets brighter and brighter until that full day when we will one day see Christ. But there is a broad path, a path that's easy to go down, the path that is like swimming downstream that everyone in this world naturally goes on. But that path, though it may seem pleasurable for a season, that path leads to death and darkness. As you look back at verses 18 and 19, this path of the righteous. Let me remind you that our Savior Jesus took the path of the righteous. He always listened to his earthly Father and even more his heavenly Father. And in obeying his heavenly Father, the path for him was a path that led to darkness. It was a path that led to taking upon himself all of the darkness and the wrath that our sins deserved. He took a path, a path that led him to death, a path that led him to suffering and pain on our behalf. And he took a path that led to suffering, punishment and death. The darkness of death so that we could follow him and in following him, follow on a path of righteousness that does not lead to death and darkness, but only leads to hope and light and life eternal. I'm going to encourage you if you're here and you're not a Christian. Jesus Christ, God become man, went to death so that you could have life. He went and embraced the darkness of your sin and death and faced the wrath that your sins deserved and mine too. On the cross so that you could live today in the light of dawn and in the light of full day forever one day in a relationship with him and with his Father for all eternity. I'm going to encourage you if you're here and you do not know Christ, run to him. Turn away from your sin, trust in him as your Savior and only hope for salvation. And find in him wisdom and light and hope both now and forever. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, thank you that you have revealed to us yourself and your word. We thank you that you've taught us about wisdom and that you've offered to us in your word the way, the path of wisdom. We pray that we would be a people who are not foolish but who are wise, a people who listen to you as the only voice that matters. And in listening to you, find life that extends from now through eternity. We pray that we would be a people that First Baptist Artesia would be a people that not only know wisdom for ourselves but speak wisdom to those around them, to those that will listen. Both children physically, children spiritually, and even those who do not yet know you. We pray that such wisdom would overflow to those around them for the good of your people and for your glory. It's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.