Sermon – God sets pleasant boundaries for the freedom of people (Proverbs 23:1 – 10:35)

Proverbs - Wisdom For Troubled Times

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God sets pleasant boundaries for the freedom of people

Pete Woodcock, Proverbs 23:1 - 10:35, 7 August 2022

Pete picks up our series in the book of Proverbs and preaches from Proverbs 23:10. The boundaries which God has set are for our good and in which we flourish.

Proverbs 23:1 - 10:35

10:1 The proverbs of Solomon.

  A wise son makes a glad father,
    but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
2   Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
3   The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry,
    but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4   A slack hand causes poverty,
    but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5   He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
6   Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7   The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
    but the name of the wicked will rot.
8   The wise of heart will receive commandments,
    but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9   Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
10   Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
    and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11   The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12   Hatred stirs up strife,
    but love covers all offenses.
13   On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
    but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.
14   The wise lay up knowledge,
    but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
15   A rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
    the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
16   The wage of the righteous leads to life,
    the gain of the wicked to sin.
17   Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
    but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
18   The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
    and whoever utters slander is a fool.
19   When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
    but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
20   The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
    the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21   The lips of the righteous feed many,
    but fools die for lack of sense.
22   The blessing of the LORD makes rich,
    and he adds no sorrow with it.
23   Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
    but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
24   What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
    but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25   When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
    but the righteous is established forever.
26   Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
    so is the sluggard to those who send him.
27   The fear of the LORD prolongs life,
    but the years of the wicked will be short.
28   The hope of the righteous brings joy,
    but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
29   The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the blameless,
    but destruction to evildoers.
30   The righteous will never be removed,
    but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31   The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
    but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32   The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
    but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.
11:1   A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,
    but a just weight is his delight.
2   When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with the humble is wisdom.
3   The integrity of the upright guides them,
    but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
4   Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
5   The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
    but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6   The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
    but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
7   When the wicked dies, his hope will perish,
    and the expectation of wealth perishes too.
8   The righteous is delivered from trouble,
    and the wicked walks into it instead.
9   With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
    but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
10   When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
    and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
11   By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
    but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
12   Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
    but a man of understanding remains silent.
13   Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
    but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
14   Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
    but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
15   Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,
    but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.
16   A gracious woman gets honor,
    and violent men get riches.
17   A man who is kind benefits himself,
    but a cruel man hurts himself.
18   The wicked earns deceptive wages,
    but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.
19   Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,
    but he who pursues evil will die.
20   Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD,
    but those of blameless ways are his delight.
21   Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,
    but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
22   Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
    is a beautiful woman without discretion.
23   The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
    the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
24   One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
    another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25   Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
    and one who waters will himself be watered.
26   The people curse him who holds back grain,
    but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.
27   Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,
    but evil comes to him who searches for it.
28   Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
    but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
29   Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,
    and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30   The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
    and whoever captures souls is wise.
31   If the righteous is repaid on earth,
    how much more the wicked and the sinner!
12:1   Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
    but he who hates reproof is stupid.
2   A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
    but a man of evil devices he condemns.
3   No one is established by wickedness,
    but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
4   An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
    but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
5   The thoughts of the righteous are just;
    the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6   The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
    but the mouth of the upright delivers them.
7   The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
    but the house of the righteous will stand.
8   A man is commended according to his good sense,
    but one of twisted mind is despised.
9   Better to be lowly and have a servant
    than to play the great man and lack bread.
10   Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
    but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
11   Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
    but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
12   Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers,
    but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
13   An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
    but the righteous escapes from trouble.
14   From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,
    and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
15   The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
    but a wise man listens to advice.
16   The vexation of a fool is known at once,
    but the prudent ignores an insult.
17   Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
    but a false witness utters deceit.
18   There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19   Truthful lips endure forever,
    but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20   Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
    but those who plan peace have joy.
21   No ill befalls the righteous,
    but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22   Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,
    but those who act faithfully are his delight.
23   A prudent man conceals knowledge,
    but the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24   The hand of the diligent will rule,
    while the slothful will be put to forced labor.
25   Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
    but a good word makes him glad.
26   One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
    but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27   Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
    but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
28   In the path of righteousness is life,
    and in its pathway there is no death.
13:1   A wise son hears his father’s instruction,
    but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2   From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,
    but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
3   Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
    he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
4   The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
    while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
5   The righteous hates falsehood,
    but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
6   Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
    but sin overthrows the wicked.
7   One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
    another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8   The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,
    but a poor man hears no threat.
9   The light of the righteous rejoices,
    but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10   By insolence comes nothing but strife,
    but with those who take advice is wisdom.
11   Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
    but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
12   Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13   Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,
    but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
14   The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
    that one may turn away from the snares of death.
15   Good sense wins favor,
    but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.
16   Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
    but a fool flaunts his folly.
17   A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
    but a faithful envoy brings healing.
18   Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,
    but whoever heeds reproof is honored.
19   A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
    but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.
20   Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
    but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
21   Disaster pursues sinners,
    but the righteous are rewarded with good.
22   A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
    but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
23   The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,
    but it is swept away through injustice.
24   Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
    but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
25   The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
    but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
14:1   The wisest of women builds her house,
    but folly with her own hands tears it down.
2   Whoever walks in uprightness fears the LORD,
    but he who is devious in his ways despises him.
3   By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back,
    but the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4   Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
    but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
5   A faithful witness does not lie,
    but a false witness breathes out lies.
6   A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,
    but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
7   Leave the presence of a fool,
    for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
8   The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,
    but the folly of fools is deceiving.
9   Fools mock at the guilt offering,
    but the upright enjoy acceptance.
10   The heart knows its own bitterness,
    and no stranger shares its joy.
11   The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
    but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12   There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.
13   Even in laughter the heart may ache,
    and the end of joy may be grief.
14   The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,
    and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.
15   The simple believes everything,
    but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
16   One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,
    but a fool is reckless and careless.
17   A man of quick temper acts foolishly,
    and a man of evil devices is hated.
18   The simple inherit folly,
    but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19   The evil bow down before the good,
    the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20   The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
    but the rich has many friends.
21   Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,
    but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
22   Do they not go astray who devise evil?
    Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.
23   In all toil there is profit,
    but mere talk tends only to poverty.
24   The crown of the wise is their wealth,
    but the folly of fools brings folly.
25   A truthful witness saves lives,
    but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.
26   In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence,
    and his children will have a refuge.
27   The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
    that one may turn away from the snares of death.
28   In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,
    but without people a prince is ruined.
29   Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
    but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
30   A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,
    but envy makes the bones rot.
31   Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
    but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
32   The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,
    but the righteous finds refuge in his death.
33   Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding,
    but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.
34   Righteousness exalts a nation,
    but sin is a reproach to any people.
35   A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,
    but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.
15:1   A soft answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2   The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
    but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
3   The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
    keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4   A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
    but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
5   A fool despises his father’s instruction,
    but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
6   In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
    but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
7   The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
    not so the hearts of fools.
8   The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
    but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
9   The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
    but he loves him who pursues righteousness.
10   There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way;
    whoever hates reproof will die.
11   Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD;
    how much more the hearts of the children of man!
12   A scoffer does not like to be reproved;
    he will not go to the wise.
13   A glad heart makes a cheerful face,
    but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
14   The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
    but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
15   All the days of the afflicted are evil,
    but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.
16   Better is a little with the fear of the LORD
    than great treasure and trouble with it.
17   Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
    than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
18   A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
    but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
19   The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns,
    but the path of the upright is a level highway.
20   A wise son makes a glad father,
    but a foolish man despises his mother.
21   Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,
    but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.
22   Without counsel plans fail,
    but with many advisers they succeed.
23   To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
    and a word in season, how good it is!
24   The path of life leads upward for the prudent,
    that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
25   The LORD tears down the house of the proud
    but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
26   The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD,
    but gracious words are pure.
27   Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household,
    but he who hates bribes will live.
28   The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
    but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29   The LORD is far from the wicked,
    but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
30   The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
    and good news refreshes the bones.
31   The ear that listens to life-giving reproof
    will dwell among the wise.
32   Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,
    but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
33   The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom,
    and humility comes before honor.
16:1   The plans of the heart belong to man,
    but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2   All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
    but the LORD weighs the spirit.
3   Commit your work to the LORD,
    and your plans will be established.
4   The LORD has made everything for its purpose,
    even the wicked for the day of trouble.
5   Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD;
    be assured, he will not go unpunished.
6   By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
    and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.
7   When a man’s ways please the LORD,
    he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8   Better is a little with righteousness
    than great revenues with injustice.
9   The heart of man plans his way,
    but the LORD establishes his steps.
10   An oracle is on the lips of a king;
    his mouth does not sin in judgment.
11   A just balance and scales are the LORD’s;
    all the weights in the bag are his work.
12   It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
    for the throne is established by righteousness.
13   Righteous lips are the delight of a king,
    and he loves him who speaks what is right.
14   A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
    and a wise man will appease it.
15   In the light of a king’s face there is life,
    and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
16   How much better to get wisdom than gold!
    To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17   The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;
    whoever guards his way preserves his life.
18   Pride goes before destruction,
    and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19   It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
    than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20   Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
    and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
21   The wise of heart is called discerning,
    and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
22   Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
    but the instruction of fools is folly.
23   The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
    and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24   Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
    sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
25   There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.
26   A worker’s appetite works for him;
    his mouth urges him on.
27   A worthless man plots evil,
    and his speech is like a scorching fire.
28   A dishonest man spreads strife,
    and a whisperer separates close friends.
29   A man of violence entices his neighbor
    and leads him in a way that is not good.
30   Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things;
    he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.
31   Gray hair is a crown of glory;
    it is gained in a righteous life.
32   Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
    and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33   The lot is cast into the lap,
    but its every decision is from the LORD.
17:1   Better is a dry morsel with quiet
    than a house full of feasting with strife.
2   A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully
    and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3   The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
    and the LORD tests hearts.
4   An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
    and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
5   Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;
    he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6   Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
    and the glory of children is their fathers.
7   Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
    still less is false speech to a prince.
8   A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;
    wherever he turns he prospers.
9   Whoever covers an offense seeks love,
    but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
10   A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
    than a hundred blows into a fool.
11   An evil man seeks only rebellion,
    and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12   Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs
    rather than a fool in his folly.
13   If anyone returns evil for good,
    evil will not depart from his house.
14   The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
    so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
15   He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous
    are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
16   Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom
    when he has no sense?
17   A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for adversity.
18   One who lacks sense gives a pledge
    and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
19   Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
    he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
20   A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
    and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
21   He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
    and the father of a fool has no joy.
22   A joyful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23   The wicked accepts a bribe in secret
    to pervert the ways of justice.
24   The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
    but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25   A foolish son is a grief to his father
    and bitterness to her who bore him.
26   To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
    nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27   Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
    and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28   Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
    when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
18:1   Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
    he breaks out against all sound judgment.
2   A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
    but only in expressing his opinion.
3   When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
    and with dishonor comes disgrace.
4   The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
    the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5   It is not good to be partial to the wicked
    or to deprive the righteous of justice.
6   A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
    and his mouth invites a beating.
7   A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
    and his lips are a snare to his soul.
8   The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into the inner parts of the body.
9   Whoever is slack in his work
    is a brother to him who destroys.
10   The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
    the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
11   A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
    and like a high wall in his imagination.
12   Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.
13   If one gives an answer before he hears,
    it is his folly and shame.
14   A man’s spirit will endure sickness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15   An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
    and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16   A man’s gift makes room for him
    and brings him before the great.
17   The one who states his case first seems right,
    until the other comes and examines him.
18   The lot puts an end to quarrels
    and decides between powerful contenders.
19   A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
    and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
20   From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;
    he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
21   Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
    and those who love it will eat its fruits.
22   He who finds a wife finds a good thing
    and obtains favor from the LORD.
23   The poor use entreaties,
    but the rich answer roughly.
24   A man of many companions may come to ruin,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
19:1   Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
    than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
2   Desire without knowledge is not good,
    and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
3   When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,
    his heart rages against the LORD.
4   Wealth brings many new friends,
    but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5   A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
6   Many seek the favor of a generous man,
    and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
7   All a poor man’s brothers hate him;
    how much more do his friends go far from him!
  He pursues them with words, but does not have them.
8   Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
    he who keeps understanding will discover good.
9   A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and he who breathes out lies will perish.
10   It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
    much less for a slave to rule over princes.
11   Good sense makes one slow to anger,
    and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
12   A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion,
    but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13   A foolish son is ruin to his father,
    and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
14   House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
    but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
15   Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
    and an idle person will suffer hunger.
16   Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life;
    he who despises his ways will die.
17   Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD,
    and he will repay him for his deed.
18   Discipline your son, for there is hope;
    do not set your heart on putting him to death.
19   A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
    for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
20   Listen to advice and accept instruction,
    that you may gain wisdom in the future.
21   Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.
22   What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
    and a poor man is better than a liar.
23   The fear of the LORD leads to life,
    and whoever has it rests satisfied;
    he will not be visited by harm.
24   The sluggard buries his hand in the dish
    and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25   Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
    reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
26   He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
    is a son who brings shame and reproach.
27   Cease to hear instruction, my son,
    and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28   A worthless witness mocks at justice,
    and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
29   Condemnation is ready for scoffers,
    and beating for the backs of fools.
20:1   Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
    and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
2   The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
    whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
3   It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,
    but every fool will be quarreling.
4   The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
    he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
5   The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water,
    but a man of understanding will draw it out.
6   Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,
    but a faithful man who can find?
7   The righteous who walks in his integrity—
    blessed are his children after him!
8   A king who sits on the throne of judgment
    winnows all evil with his eyes.
9   Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;
    I am clean from my sin”?
10   Unequal weights and unequal measures
    are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
11   Even a child makes himself known by his acts,
    by whether his conduct is pure and upright.
12   The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
    the LORD has made them both.
13   Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty;
    open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.
14   “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
    but when he goes away, then he boasts.
15   There is gold and abundance of costly stones,
    but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
16   Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,
    and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.
17   Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
    but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.
18   Plans are established by counsel;
    by wise guidance wage war.
19   Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets;
    therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.
20   If one curses his father or his mother,
    his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
21   An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning
    will not be blessed in the end.
22   Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
    wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
23   Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD,
    and false scales are not good.
24   A man’s steps are from the LORD;
    how then can man understand his way?
25   It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
    and to reflect only after making vows.
26   A wise king winnows the wicked
    and drives the wheel over them.
27   The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD,
    searching all his innermost parts.
28   Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,
    and by steadfast love his throne is upheld.
29   The glory of young men is their strength,
    but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
30   Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
    strokes make clean the innermost parts.
21:1   The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
    he turns it wherever he will.
2   Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
    but the LORD weighs the heart.
3   To do righteousness and justice
    is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4   Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
    the lamp of the wicked, are sin.
5   The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
    but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
6   The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
    is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
7   The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
    because they refuse to do what is just.
8   The way of the guilty is crooked,
    but the conduct of the pure is upright.
9   It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
10   The soul of the wicked desires evil;
    his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
11   When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
    when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
12   The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
    he throws the wicked down to ruin.
13   Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
    will himself call out and not be answered.
14   A gift in secret averts anger,
    and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.
15   When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
    but terror to evildoers.
16   One who wanders from the way of good sense
    will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17   Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
    he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18   The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
    and the traitor for the upright.
19   It is better to live in a desert land
    than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
20   Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
    but a foolish man devours it.
21   Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
    will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22   A wise man scales the city of the mighty
    and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23   Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
    keeps himself out of trouble.
24   “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
    who acts with arrogant pride.
25   The desire of the sluggard kills him,
    for his hands refuse to labor.
26   All day long he craves and craves,
    but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
27   The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
    how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
28   A false witness will perish,
    but the word of a man who hears will endure.
29   A wicked man puts on a bold face,
    but the upright gives thought to his ways.
30   No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
    can avail against the LORD.
31   The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
    but the victory belongs to the LORD.
22:1   A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
    and favor is better than silver or gold.
2   The rich and the poor meet together;
    the LORD is the Maker of them all.
3   The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
    but the simple go on and suffer for it.
4   The reward for humility and fear of the LORD
    is riches and honor and life.
5   Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
    whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
6   Train up a child in the way he should go;
    even when he is old he will not depart from it.
7   The rich rules over the poor,
    and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
8   Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
    and the rod of his fury will fail.
9   Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
    for he shares his bread with the poor.
10   Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,
    and quarreling and abuse will cease.
11   He who loves purity of heart,
    and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
12   The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge,
    but he overthrows the words of the traitor.
13   The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
    I shall be killed in the streets!”
14   The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit;
    he with whom the LORD is angry will fall into it.
15   Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
    but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
16   Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
    or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.

17   Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,
    and apply your heart to my knowledge,
18   for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
    if all of them are ready on your lips.
19   That your trust may be in the LORD,
    I have made them known to you today, even to you.
20   Have I not written for you thirty sayings
    of counsel and knowledge,
21   to make you know what is right and true,
    that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
22   Do not rob the poor, because he is poor,
    or crush the afflicted at the gate,
23   for the LORD will plead their cause
    and rob of life those who rob them.
24   Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
    nor go with a wrathful man,
25   lest you learn his ways
    and entangle yourself in a snare.
26   Be not one of those who give pledges,
    who put up security for debts.
27   If you have nothing with which to pay,
    why should your bed be taken from under you?
28   Do not move the ancient landmark
    that your fathers have set.
29   Do you see a man skillful in his work?
    He will stand before kings;
    he will not stand before obscure men.
23:1   When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
    observe carefully what is before you,

(ESV)

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Please sit down. My name's Pete Woodcock. I'm 1 of the pastors of the church. I when I heard that we had a Tommy in the church, so I'm old enough to know Tommy. And so's Rose.

Anybody else know what I'm talking about? Yes. Tommy can you hear me? That's what I was singing all the time. Then he's a pinball.

Where's he's got such a supple wrist. Anyway, brilliant. So welcome, Tommy. You can go on to Spotify turn to the who, which you should know about, and listen to Tommy, although there's some very dodgy songs on that rock opera. Yeah.

And don't watch the film either. Yeah. I'm careful what you what you recommend. But pinball wizard's good. You could listen to Elton John's version of it.

Pinball wizard. Yeah? Alright. You don't know what I'm talking about. Father help us now as we look into the Word of God in Jesus name we pray, amen.

Couple of weeks ago or a week ago, Anna myself, went to beachy head. Beautiful place. If you've never been there, I really recommend it. But be careful because beachy head on the south coast is great big cliffs. They're 500 feet, hundred and 60 meters high, and it drops straight down beautiful chalk chalk cliffs that drop straight down into the sea.

And so it's quite a dangerous place, and there are boundary lines just before saying be careful because the cliffs crumble and you can fall off. And of course, you know that beachy head is 1 of the main places that people actually go to commit suicide on because if you jump over that, you really got not much hope. So there are these boundary signs everywhere. Now, I remember Andy Bruins who used to be a pastor of this church telling me the story about his sister. His sister and brother-in-law decided to take the dog for a walk to beachy head.

You can probably guess what's gonna happen, but hold on. And they were stuck in traffic. The dog was irritated, hot, panting, wanted out, wanted freedom. They finally got to the little car park on the side of the road and they opened up the boot and freedom freedom. In fact, there's a song on Tommy, by the way, called I'm free.

Yeah. That's a that's a good song. Do you know that song? I'm free. Anyway, Anyway with a dog was presumably listening to the who and thinking about Tommy and singing I'm free and off it goes, the thing is, dogs can't read.

So the boundary line doesn't really mean anything to it, and you can guess what happened. 500 feet, end a dog. Now, I was I was at a dinner party where Andy Brewer's sister told me that, and I I had something in my mouth and burst out laughing, and she was not amused at all, but I couldn't help laughing. And I'm so I'm really sorry, but it is funny. No, it's not.

Anyway, went on like that. Life is full of boundaries. That's the point I'm trying to think. Through. Boundary lines that really are not meant to be crossed.

Some are good. Some are very helpful and they'll help us us to live. Some are just ridiculous, human boundary lines, you wonder what who made them up and really we should campaign to change them. But there are good boundary lines, and that's what I want to think about. Road lines, white lines on a road are a good boundary line because it tells you where you should drive and where you shouldn't drive.

And people that cross those boundary lines cause mayhem. Sports. You can't really have a sport. Without boundaries. You can't really have 1, can you?

So the, you know, if the ball crosses that line, it's you're out. If your foot crosses that line, you're out. So boundary lines really make sports. We talk about people that have crossed the line. We talk about people that have gone over the top.

We talk about people that reveal more than you want to We talk about people that have gone too far. If a river breaks its banks, its boundary lines, you get a flood. So life is full of boundary lines. They can feel restrictive like to the dog, but actually therefore our freedom and to break boundary lines can cause disaster and not freedom. So listen to these proverbs.

Proverbs 22 verse 28 and Proverbs 23 10 and 11. Listen carefully. Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors. They've put that there for a reason. The boundary lines of that that that your ancestors haven't just shoved them up.

These are serious boundary lines well thought through and over history they've been proved to be helping in freedom. So don't move them. Be very careful. You're gonna move a boundary line. And then look at verse 10 and 11 of 23.

Do not move an entry ancient boundary stone or encroach on fields of the fatherless for their defender is strong, he will take up their cause against you. Now way back in the old testament part of the bible, the people of Israel, entered into the promised land. You may know that story. If you don't, you can pick it up. They they were given a land as a nation.

And that land was petitioned out to tribes and families and households by God. And those portions of land were supposed to stay in the families in in the households, and you weren't meant to move the boundaries that God had given you in that land. That's the sort of illustration that's going on here. You should not to move them or mix them. And it was a symbol that each person in the family had a stake hold in God's promise.

This this was part of God's promise. It was a picture of God's promises to you to have that portion of land. Now, they didn't do what we do. We put fences, which we're British around our land or very prickly bushes so the neighbors can't look over or gates or stuff like that. They didn't do that.

They had a stone. That was the land mark. That was the stone marking the land. But of course, you know what will happen when you put a stone there, trouble comes along, people want to increase their boundaries. And they'll move the boundary, they'll move the stone, perhaps only, you know, a few inches and then a few more inches next year and a few more inches, and then they're they're taking over and moving the boundary stones.

And that sort of thing went on, particularly among the fatherless, which really means the leader this that here's a home without a father, without a leader, or particularly amongst the poor because they can't argue. You can shut the poor up. You have power over them. You can convince them that they aren't right. So don't move the boundaries so.

Now we just saw in that story in 1 kings 21, Jezebel and Ahab that wanna move the boundary soaps. You saw what happened. And they're breaking boundaries all over the place. Poor little king Ahab crying his eyes though, okay, won't give it to me. And Neboath who owned it shouldn't have given it to him because it was God's boundary.

And then you see that she has him killed and they take the land. They crossed the boundaries. If we carried on reading, you'll see that God then intervenes sends a prophet to Ahab and Jezebel and says because you broke the boundary because you broke the boundary of what you are as a king and a leader, because you were more powerful than a poor man, nayboth, because you broke those rich and poor boundaries, the leadership boundaries, and the land boundaries, you will die and the gobs will lick your blood. A picture of saying, no, you will not be in God's kingdom. You've excluded yourself from the boundary of God.

So look at 23 and 10 to 11 again. In proverbs. Do not move an entry an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless for their defender is strong and he will take up the case against you. In other words, the principle here is if God has set a boundary, only God can change that. If God has set a boundary then don't you break it.

You've got to set a boundary. He'll even protect it with judgment and curse upon the person that breaks that. Like Ahab and Jezebel. So here's my first point then I want us to get into. God's boundaries.

God's landmarks. What is these ancient law? I mean, you're sitting here a lovely day. What on earth of these ancient laws of about a stone, marking out a field or marking out the lawn, some land, got to do with me in Britain in 20 22. Well, The thing about the bible is that the laws of Israel speak speak to us, and they continue to speak to us spiritually.

Morally. There's nothing in the whole of the old testament that is actually irrelevant to us here. This is why the bible is so alive. We don't dump the old testament. Paul actually says, in the new testament, 1 Corinthians 10, He says that Israel is a picture is an example to us in how to live and how not to live.

That the the whole of Israel is an example. Jesus says, I haven't come to change the law or abolish the law, but to fill it full, to fulfill it. So what we have here in this proverb is a fulfillment. We're not talking about land boundaries now, but there are spiritual sacred boundaries that God has placed, that for us to upset or move or destroy will actually bring a curse upon us. Will ruin us.

That's the principle that's going on here. There are moral spiritual boundaries, boundary stones. Boundaries that express God's holy character. But not only his holy character, his love. These are loving boundary lines.

He's not a mean God that puts up a boundary line and says that's what Satan would have us believe about God. These are all loving boundary lines so that within the boundaries, you'll know a freedom and life unlike the dog that crossed it. The 10 commandments are great boundary lines. They're wonderful things. And to our massive cost and our massive suffering.

We break those boundary lines. The trouble is we don't even know them. So we can be marching all over them and not even know we've crossed them. Amazing things to 10 commandments, but God of love has given to us. Do not steal.

What an amazing boundary line that is. Do not lie, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not covet. All the the conflicts in the world right now that are going on, Palestine Israel. I don't know whether that's the latest 1. Well, it's not latest to be going for ages, but it's really firing up, you know, China and Taiwan and Russia, and and then all of the other conflicts, the smaller conflicts that are going around the world.

All of them all of them would stop if we lived within the boundary lines of no stealing, no lying, no murder, no adultery, and no cover to All of them would stop if we lived in that boundary line. So these are beautiful beautiful boundaries. God's imagine a world with no stealing. You wouldn't have to worry about your bike on that fence and what that bloke's doing with his his big clipper thing. I don't know what he is doing there.

You wouldn't have to worry about that. You wouldn't have to worry about the cars. You wouldn't have to have passwords on all of your computer things and on your bank things and try and memorize all these passwords and codes and sentences and where were you born and what was it grandmother's, you know, middle and and who was Tommy? And all of these things that you've got to remember honor your father and mother, have no other gods than the real 1 God that that is the bible God. Don't bow down to silly little things that will take up your life.

Keep a whole day for refreshing worship. But right back to Adam and Eve, people have been tempted and persuaded by the evil 1 to challenge and move sacred boundary lines. Whether it's inch by inch or mile by mile or just totally destroy them. Satan, the evil 1, has always used arguments that boundaries limit our freedom. And our oppressive rules to keep us in a little place of subjection and slavery.

Satan has always argued that if we could get rid of God altogether, we would be free to be our own God and make our own boundaries and tear down any repressive God's boundaries. And many would believe. If if if actually not say that We don't want a holy transcendent loving God giving us boundaries. I mean, who does he think he is? God?

I'm God, aren't I? Or you have the sort of father Christmas idea of God. He's just there to give us what we want. Or you have the dayest idea of God. He's far away he made us and created us, but he doesn't care what we do and we can sort of make our own rulers up.

We talk about being or or or saying and and telling our kids that there are no there are no absolute true There are no absolute truths, no absolute standards, and we've been teaching our children that explicitly For decades, there are no absolute truths. There are no absolute morals. Everything can be questioned. Everything is movable. Nothing is said to be a boundary set up by a transcendent God.

Everything is relative. You've heard these things, situational ethics. Ethics right and wrong. Good and bad are to do with the situation. You may be in a situation and that's right for you and I'm in another situation and it's right for me.

And under the argument of freedom like the dog in the car would have been thinking, under the argument of freedom and under the the preaching of follow your dreams that is so preached. And under the gurus that say you can be anything you want, sacred boundary stones have been moved not just a few inches in our time but destroyed and it brings a curse. So let me give you a very very brief history of ancient boundaries in our country. Let me give you a very and then our sudden movement of them. Don't move the ancient boundary lines.

Those old blokes haven't just put them there for any reason. There's real thought behind them. Now let me say this and I hope you hear me here. I don't believe our country has ever been a Christian country. I don't believe that.

I actually don't believe in Christian I don't think it works like that. I absolutely believe that church and state should not be together. It's a horror when they come together. And I could give you demonstrations of that in in our land. So I don't believe in church and state being 1 thing.

They should be separate in the bible. But having said that, our country's laws and rules and boundaries and leaders have been rooted and founded and been influenced by the bible boundaries. Right back to Alfred the Great, in the second half of the ninth century. That's how far back you can go. And as a country, our our rule makers and our legislators have have actually blessed this country by being influenced by bible boundaries.

Even if they didn't believe them, themselves. Even if they didn't live them themselves, which many of them didn't. Even if those bible boundaries were badly applied and badly understood and misunderstood in some places and misinterpreted and badly communicated and legalistically given and hypocriticalally given. And just outwardly given without any heart of love and care within those rules. Nevertheless, for 1203 hundred years, this country had its boundaries, its laws formulated by bible thinking.

And therefore, as a nation, we've been blessed. So blessed that even now when we're denying these boundaries, I'll show you in a minute, people from the world wanna come to Britain. In fact, if you read back in those early days which I am doing at the moment, the Vikings were raping and pillaging Britain largely because we were very rich and prosperous back in Anglo Saxon times because we had these boundaries that were taken from the bible. We became rich and then we're pillaged by the vikings. You can that's a strange thing there going on there, isn't it?

Was it a blessing or not then? But it's it's it's interesting, isn't it? Now, today, no generation has been as arrogant in its claims to move ancient boundary stones morally than the 1 that we're living in and quickly without thought. Think of the ancient boundary line of being born a male and a female. Think of the ancient boundary line between a male and a female.

Think of that boundary line. God made them male and female. But if there's no god, we can change the boundary lines. Of course. Or if there is a god, she wouldn't like boundary lines anyway.

So in just a few years, those incredibly ancient boundary lines have been smashed down by organized nations like Tavistock clinic or Stonewall, They've been smashed down and we've rushed into changing those boundaries without any care of investigation about any scientific investigation, historical investigation, and psychological investigation of what those boundaries now broken will do. Boundaries that have been for years followed, removed, and thrown away by ideologies that are very new, only a few years old. And by people that make a lot of money out of promoting those ideologies, and that's true. Thankfully, the Tavastock clinic has been closed. And you can read about the disaster of the people that they've abused, which they have.

Without scientific evidence and without care. Now, if you don't know what I'm talking about, where you can go and read up on that later. Or let me give you another is illustration. Think of the pain of so many young girls who identified with the me too movement. Consequences of broken boundaries.

Now, we have to teach children boundaries again. Which is good. No means no. Or that's the world then. Let's come to the church.

What people try to do over years is shift boundary stones and it's just a few inches and you you can sort of compromise with it a little bit and then it's few more inches. And before you know it, it's been smashed down. You know, honesty become a, you know, a little little bit dodgy here or faith faithfulness. Now, I can change the meaning of faithfulness and and all of that sort of stuff. But not only morally, but But actually, think of the boundary stones of the spiritual thing, of the gospel.

We don't like the gospel here, change the what the Christian message is a little bit here. We're opening up a little bit more here and before you know it, you've got ministers that are preaching not a gospel. It's all about save the planet or or some some latest thing that's around. So churches need to be careful, moving boundary lines. Or what about personally?

Have you got used to to sins that when you first became a Christian, You'd never have tolerated. Have you put your foot over the boundary line? And and and you'd never have hovered it there, but now it's planted down moving boundary lines. That's my first point. And we could open that up in lots of ways.

But what I wanna do is what we've been doing in our Proverbs series, is to take that 1 proverb and then have a look at it. It's like propping you know, rock into the into the pool, and then it you get these ripples. I wanna see the ripples of boundaries within this chapter. So I've I've got about 7 things here. There's no way I'm gonna get through them.

The boundary of preaching that I have is annoying and I'll try and stick to it, but we'll we'll try and do a few. So here's a few boundary lines that you see that is helpful, that sort of takes us off in slightly different directions. Boundary lines. Don't move the ones that got us as laid down. They will free us.

Well, here's 1. Here's the first 1 that I want us to have a look at. It stay in the boundaries of the heart of God when dealing with people. Stay in the boundaries of the heart of God when dealing with people. Look at verses 22 and 23 of chapter 22.

Do not exploit the poor because they're poor. Do not crush the needy in court for the lord will take up their case and will exact life for life. Now this is of course exactly what Ahab and Jezebel were doing, but do not exploit the poor. Why? Because the heart of God is for the poor and needy.

Don't don't break away from the heart of God. He hates exploitation. Don't be involved in exploitation, whoever it's with. Don't take advantage of those that's easy to take advantage of. God hates that.

Stay within the heart of God. If you break out from that heart of God, then he will extract life for life. Don't be an Ahab in a jezebel. Don't use your powers to cripple people. If you engage in injustice, God will be against you, and you will be against God.

God has set boundaries in how we treat people. Even poor and uninfluential people and people that we could just walk over. The Hebrew word for exploit there means to rob or snatch and actually can mean to pluck like you pluck a chicken. He's saying don't pluck the paw. Don't pluck the chicken.

Yeah? Don't pull the last feather out of say, behold a chicken. Don't do that. Here's a poor man. You meet him.

He has no influence over you, no power over you. You can tread on him easily. Don't pluck the poor. And there are people, aren't they in the world that will just do exactly that? Notice it says, don't pluck the paw because they're poor.

Well, they're easy targets, you see. Because they're poor. Because they're easy targets. Why do we have gambling shops in poor areas? To pluck the poor.

Why is it poor people that buy national lottery tickets so that we can open an opera house? For rich people in town. Why? Because we want to pluck the poor and make an opera house for the rich people. I mean, only rich people go to Opera and only stupid people as well, of course, because it's a disastrous bit of music unless it's a rock opera called Tommy, which is good.

All things come back to Tommy by the look of it. What where where are the loan sharks? Where do they set up shop? Where do they work? Where do the blokes who sell the drugs work?

Think about what's been in our news recently. I'm trying to trying to show you how the bible is just phenomenal. Think about what's been in our news recently. I don't know whether you follow these stories. But how poor people, largely poorer people or uninfluential people are just not listened to.

So I don't know whether you followed this story about a a neighborhood in Peckham, poor a neighborhood. They told the authorities they hadn't seen their neighbor for weeks. There was a dreadful smell coming from her flat. All the authorities ignored the poorer people You don't know what you're talking about. We're the authorities.

They even went to the police. No. No. No. No.

We're not listening to you neighbors because you have no powers or you're not significant. She was dead in that flat for 2 years. Or what about the pregnant women in Shropshire and other areas? That weren't listened to when they said something's gone wrong with my baby. I'm sure.

And the medics, the educated, The bullies said, how dare you? You know nothing. You're just a woman. This is your first child. Yes, but there's something feels differently.

Stop it. We're not listening to you. Hundreds of babies died. You see what happens in our culture? What aboutgrenfell?

The poor insignificant immigrants that weren't listened to when they said, this is a fire hazard. This is a fire hazard and complained many times aboutgrenfell Tower until 90 were burnt to death. We live in a world that doesn't care about the uninfluential people or the poor. But hold it. Let me come back here.

We live in a world that exploits the poor. Every mobile phone that we have in this room we've exploited 4 year old slave kids in the condo. We all exploit. We're living in a world who exploits the poor. Our clothes are often cheap because of sweatshops.

Now unfortunately, we can't do a lot of stuff about that. We just can't do that. Jesus said the poor will always be with you. But, hey, shouldn't there be something in us about come lord, Jesus? Us and sort these wrongs out.

Shouldn't there be a an uncomfortableness in living in a world that you just can't help living in without exploiting poor people. Should shouldn't there be uncomfortable? We can't do much about it. But that brings me to church. Come to church and you could can do something about it.

You can't in the world very often, but in church, you can make sure we're not exploiting the poor. That's why church is the alternative society. It's not just a bunch of religious people coming together. It's a new culture James in the book in the bible says, suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. Now there might be a lot of that going on.

When we come into winter. Suppo suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If 1 of you says to them, go in peace, keep warm and well fed, but does nothing for their physical needs, what good is that? He's actually saying you haven't got faith in Jesus in that book. If you have faith in Jesus, you can't change the world poor, but you in church, this new world, we can look out for each other and care for each other and love each other and give so that Paul says, make sure you give to the family of believers.

Look out. Here is where we can have an alternative society that says to the world, look at this church, all kinds of uninfluential people, not many rich, not many noble. Come together from different societies and cultures and love the Lord and look how they love 1 another because they love Jesus. Or what about personally? Do you try and underpay everyone?

Do you go around and what you want the cheapest? You try to undercut and here's a good worker and he will work hard but you want to underpay him. Or what about paying on time? If you don't pay on time to someone who's done some work for you, it might bring them under. Well, what about listening?

To people who have no influence or power but are poor. Love the lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. What a wonderful boundary to live in, isn't it? That's the church.

We love God and we love our name. That's a boundary of freedom. We're free. That's my first 1 of 7. All these preachers are looking at me.

Second 1, be careful who influences you. I try and whiz on along on this 1. 24 and 25. Be careful who influences you because they might take you over a boundary line. Look at verse 24.

Do not make friends with a hot tempered person. Do not a safe ate with 1 easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared. So be careful who influences you. In this case, it's a hot tempered man, but in other cases, it may not be a hot tempered man. It may be a gossip or a cynic or a a, you know, they're full of criticism and boastfulness their liars and their habits aren't very nice and it's infectious.

It says, don't don't be, you know, watch it because they'll pull you in the boundary line. Think of how this happens in the world. If you're in a crowd, be careful that they can you could suddenly be taken up with a crowd and do things you ain't gonna do. Think of a football crowd. Suddenly, you know, you're quite a nice bloke.

But suddenly, the bald headed referee you, and that bald head has got something to do with what his background was and that he didn't have a mother and father. It's amazing how you can be. Think a music that can take you up. This is quite amazing, but I saw the Who play Tommy. And it was an extraordinary event.

When Roger Daughtry swings his mic as he does, and I know a lot of you don't and he throws it in the air and he says, I'm free, and he always hangs like this. I'm free. We were all shouting. I'm free. It was the loudest rock concert up to them ever.

Yeah? I love it because my ears are perfect, and as who only ever listened to violin music as bad is. But there we go. And we were all taken up and shouting. Be careful of that music that takes you up and shouts.

You know? In the church, there could be very angry preachers, I hope not 1. Or campaigns that come from angry men. They want you to sign it. Be careful.

Or your your your influence by liberalism and lies about the gospel. Be careful who you associate with, Twitter accounts and woman haters and And I've met many Christians that because they haven't got a girl, they get into that in cell thing. And it's horrific how they treat women and talk about women. Sposedly a Christian man. Let me go on to another 1.

Sorry. Can I have 1 more? Oh, which 1 should I do? Nope. Well, just have a look at this and I'll wizz over this and then I'll go to the last 1.

Don't don't don't be a partner don't be a partner with someone who will bring you into debt. See verses 26 and 27, Do not be 1 who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debt if you lack means of payment your very bed will be snatched away from you. Be careful who you're shaking hands with. Yeah? Be careful who you're you're gonna come in to contact with.

And this does apply to churches. I I don't really wanna go to churches together in the area. A load of sort of religious blokes that don't believe the bible. I don't wanna be influenced by those blokes. You know, I don't want them to say, oh, you know, should we sort of water down judgment?

Shouldn't we water down the bible? Shouldn't we? No. I know. I'm not Be careful if you're gonna be influenced by those sort of people.

But let's go on to this last 1 because I think you might like this and and you're like this, Phil, and you'll forgive me because of this 1. It's verse it's 20 verse chapter 23, 1 to 5. I won't read it all. But be self controlled and aware Otherwise, your break boundaries. Be self controlled and aware.

Be self controlled what what's going on around you. Be aware of what's going on around you and be aware of your own weaknesses. Because if you're not aware of your weaknesses and temptations and what is happening around you, you'll cross a boundary. Let me just read it. Look.

When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you. It's food he's talking about. And put a knife to your throat if you've given to Gladity. Do not crave his delicacies for the food is deceptive. Here you are sitting at a table.

It's a rich table. Yeah? If you're prone to gluttony, put a knife to your throat. Lift it up and put it to your throat. And go like this.

He'll never invite you again, and that will be a good thing. Here's the platter coming around. Here's the menu before you look at the menu and it's a rich man paying, before you look and say, what's the most expensive thing on the menu? What is the thing that I would never buy myself or afford? It's it's eggs from Mongolia.

You know, picked by a single hand and brought on a flatter of ham that comes from China. That was raised by the Chinese president himself. And and oh, yeah. That's the most expensive. I'll go for that.

Don't do that because what's happening is he's getting you in his debt. He's there to manipulate you, it's tasty, it's gorgeous, it's rich, and you're being taken up with I could be part of this if I listen to him. Put a knife to your throat. Don't eat this stuff. It's a trap Be very careful of those things.

Let me land it then. Boundaries. They're good things. Know yourself. Know the world around you.

Know what's influencing you. Know what you are now believing that you didn't believe. That whole idea where you are now starting to say, Does the bible really say that when you always knew it did? Or I'm not sure if I like that part of the bible now. Know that you've changed, not the bible.

The sacred boundary is there. Or don't we believe this these days? Or hasn't this teaching and philosophy and ideology or whatever it is has come in, therapeutic treatment is it doesn't this change my mind on the bible? Who's bound who's moved? Be careful of those that influence you, be self controlled, be aware of your world.

Divine boundaries. Look at them regularly. Make sure you haven't kicked them over. Make sure you haven't wandered. Make sure you haven't moved them a few few meters.

Be careful. But if you have, and that's the thing about boundaries. If you're over the cliff and you feel it crumbling below you because you've moved over the boundary, and you're about to fall. Don't carry on walking. Repent.

Say, sorry. I never used to talk like this, but I've got into this habit. I never had a hot temper, but I am now. The influences of the world and the TV and the things I'm watching and my workplace, all these things now. I've crossed the boundary.

Repent and turn back to the Lord Jesus Christ and come into him and what he's done for you and see that he's died for you on the cross so that you can say that the boundary lines of God fall in pleasant places as it says in Psalm 16 and you know that true freedom is not to break a boundary but to stay in the love of a covenant God. Let's bow our heads and pray and I'll hand over to Phil.

Preached by Pete Woodcock

Pete is Senior Pastor of Cornerstone and lives in Chessington with his wife Anne who helps oversee the women’s ministry in the church.

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