Sunday
Morning Bible Study
September
24, 2017
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
Disaster Relief
On your behalf, we have sent $10,000 to Samaritan’s Purse.
If you are interested in going to help at one of the disaster locations, go
to Calvary Chapel La Habra’s website, click
on “Disaster Relief”, then “Interest List”, and sign up. Manuel Castro is talking with them about going
to possibly Chiapas Mexico for earthquake relief.
Introduction
The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom.
Wisdom is not about knowing facts.
Wisdom is about knowing what to do with what you know.
Wisdom is knowing when to do it.
Wisdom is knowing how to do it.
The first nine chapters of Proverbs are small “mini-lectures” that Solomon
gives to his son.
7:1-5 Dear Son
:1 My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you.
:2 Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye.
:2 as the apple of your eye
apple – ‘iyshown
– pupil of the eye
(Proverbs 7:2 NKJV) Keep my
commands and live, And my law
as the apple of your eye.
:3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.
:3 Write them on the tablet of
your heart
tablet – luwach
– board, slab, tablet, plank
This is the same word that’s used
to describe the two “tablets” of stone that God wrote the Ten Commandments on.
The Psalmist wrote,
(Psalm 119:11 NKJV) Your word
I have hidden in my heart, That I
might not sin against You.
The New Covenant was to be marked
by God writing His laws on our hearts instead of on stone tablets:
(Jeremiah 31:33 NKJV) But this is
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says
the Lord: I will put My law in
their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people.
:4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” And call understanding your
nearest kin,
:4 Say to wisdom, “You are
my sister,”
We’ve talked about how Solomon
personifies “Wisdom” as a woman.
:5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who
flatters with her words.
:5 keep you from the immoral woman
immoral – zuwr
– to be strange, be a stranger
; strange woman, prostitute, harlot
(meton)
seductress – nokriy
– foreign, alien; harlot
I’ve said this before and will repeat it again.
Women aren’t the only ones who are “immoral”, and men aren’t the only ones
who are tempted.
Those of you gals who struggle with sexual temptations are not some sort of
obscure aberration.
Many women struggle just like you do.
Solomon does not want his son’s life ruined with immorality.
We’ve defined “immorality” as any kind of sex outside the boundary of
marriage.
God created sex to be a wonderful thing to be enjoyed, as long as it is
inside the boundary of a marriage between a man and a woman.
:1 My son, keep my words
Lesson
Parental Warnings
Solomon’s family had a history of sexual sin.
Solomon’s father (David) had committed adultery.
Bathsheba was the
wife of one of David’s “Mighty Men”, a man named Uriah the Hittite.
To cover up the
sin, David made arrangements to have Uriah killed in battle.
Solomon was the son of that relationship.
David confessed his sin to God, and God forgave him, but
the example of sexual sin got passed down from David.
David’s oldest son Amnon would commit incest with his half-sister Tamar
(2Sam. 13).
When David found out about it, he got angry, but there is no record of him
doing or saying anything to Amnon about the sin. (2Sam. 13:21)
(2 Samuel 13:21 NKJV) —21 But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.
Perhaps David was too ashamed of his own sin to feel like
he had the credibility of confronting Amnon.
David’s next son Absalom would eventually plot to overthrow David.
When Absalom marched his troops into Jerusalem, he took over David’s
palace, and raped David’s concubines in a tent he had pitched on the palace
roof, so everyone could see.
Even Solomon himself was not innocent when it came to sexual sin.
(1 Kings 11:1 NKJV)
But
King Solomon loved many foreign women…
The word “foreign” (nokriy)
is the same word translated “seductress” in verse 5.
These “foreign” wives would turn Solomon’s heart away from
a whole-hearted worship of Yahweh.
Whether Solomon wrote
these warnings in Proverbs before or after 1Kings 11 is not certain.
But Solomon has the courage to raise the issue with his
own son.
“Don’t do what I’ve done”.
Solomon’s son Rehoboam had problems, but there is no record of him having a
problem with sexual sin.
It sounds as if he took his dad’s warnings to heart.
Parents, don’t be reluctant to discuss your past failings with your kids.
You may be thinking, “I don’t want to give them any ideas and inspire them
to do the same thing.”
You won’t inspire them to sin if you’re honest about the
consequences of what you did.
You may be thinking, “I’m too ashamed of what I did to tell my kids”.
Then I would council you to do two things.
First – You need to receive God’s forgiveness.
Jesus didn’t die on a cross to leave you wallowing in
guilt and shame. He died to forgive you.
(1
John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Is this the truth or not?
Learn to receive it.
Second – Warn them anyway.
Do you want them experiencing the same shame you carry?
7:6-27 Temptation
There’s a reason Kitten why the Water Bowl is forbidden.
We are going to be talking about “forbidden things today”.
Though Solomon will be talking about sexual temptation, the case study
before us is a picture of all sorts of temptations.
:6 For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice,
:7 And saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, A young man
devoid of understanding,
simple – pethiy
– simple, foolish, open-minded
youths – ben –
son, grandson, child, member of a group
young man – na’ar
– a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer
devoid – chacer
– in need of, lacking, needy, in want of
:7 A young man devoid of
understanding
understanding – leb –
inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding
He lacks “heart”
:8 Passing along the street near her corner; And he took the path to her
house
:8 he took the path to her house
Lesson
That first step
The naïve young man’s first mistake was making that turn that led him down
this street.
James gives us a similar picture.
(James 1:14–15
NKJV) —14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires
and enticed. 15 Then, when
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
brings forth death.
It starts with desires (lust) and lust leads to dangerous
actions, which results in death.
My lusts may not be for the things that you lust for, but
we all have a sin nature, and our sin natures long to do the wrong things.
One of the steps of overcoming sin in our lives is to recognize
what “tempts” us, and then don’t go down that “path”.
Illustration
There was once a man on a diet who prayed, “Lord, if you
don’t want me to go get donuts, then let all the parking spots be taken at
Krispy Kreme.” But he had to give in to the donuts because sure enough, when he
got there, there was a parking spot right in front of the door … after his
twentieth time around the block.
You’ll miss all the fighting over donuts if you just go
down another path.
Don’t be looking for trouble, or you’ll find it.
Lesson
Behind the Scenes
What got him going down her street in the first place?
Some of us need to take the time to recognize that there can be certain
things that “trigger” us into turning down that street.
For example – Resentment can creep into my heart when I
don’t like the way things are going in my life.
Maybe somebody said something cruel, or someone doesn’t do something the
way I want it to be done.
Will I “self-medicate” to make myself feel better by
resorting to my sin?
You might self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, but others
of us will resort to pornography or a trip to Baskin-Robbins.
You can’t always control the temptations around you, and you can’t always
control the things that will trigger you.
You CAN control how you will respond to those things.
Illustration
The Five Chapter Book: (Heard on Focus on the
Family)
Chapter One: A man was walking down the street. He fell
into a hole. He groped his way in the darkness. After a long time, he made his
way out of the hole.
Chapter Two: A man was walking down the same street. He
pretended not to see the hole. He fell in. After a long time, he made his way
out of the hole.
Chapter Three: A man was walking down the same street. He
sees the hole. He falls in. He says it’s not his fault. After a long time, he
made his way out of the hole.
Chapter Four: A man walks down the same street. He sees
the hole. He knows it’s there. He tries to walk around it. He falls in. He
knows it’s his fault. He quickly gets out.
Chapter Five: A man takes another street.
Taking another “path” might be as simple as turning your head, or it may
mean physically leaving a room.
Sometimes you can’t avoid that
place of temptation.
You didn’t go down that street on
purpose, but there you are.
Joseph had that kind of experience.
(Genesis 39:6–12 NKJV) —6 …Now
Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife
cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master
does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all
that he has to my hand. 9 There is
no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but
you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness,
and sin against God?” 10 So it was,
as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or
to be with her. 11 But it happened about
this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men
of the house was inside, 12 that she
caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in
her hand, and fled and ran outside.
The foolish man
went into the street where the woman lived to see what would happen.
Joseph was just
going to work.
When the
temptation was just ideas, Joseph responded appropriately. He knew why he shouldn’t do it.
When the
temptation got a hold of him, he fled.
:9 In the twilight, in the evening, In the black and dark night.
:10 And there a woman met him, With the attire of a harlot, and a
crafty heart.
:10 And there a woman met him
He was looking for this woman, and there she was.
:10 With the attire of a harlot
You could say she was “dressed to kill”.
Literally.
I’m all for dressing nicely and
fashionably.
Just be careful what your choice of
attire is saying.
Some men and women have so little
self-respect that they dress in a way to draw attention to their body instead
of their soul.
Healthy relationships go way beyond
physical attraction.
:10 and a crafty heart
The word for “heart” is the same
one used to describe the young man who lacked “understanding”.
While he lacks a heart, her heart
has a “hidden agenda”
attire – shiyth
– garment
harlot – zanah
– to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot
crafty – natsar
– to guard, watch, watch over, keep
HCSB – “hidden agenda”
heart – leb –
inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding
While the foolish youth is
“lacking” in “heart”, she has a crafty or “hidden” heart.
:11 She was loud and rebellious, Her feet would not stay at home.
loud – hamah
– to murmur, growl, roar, cry aloud, mourn, rage, sound, make noise,
tumult, be clamorous, be disquieted, be loud, be moved, be troubled, be in an
uproar
rebellious – carar
– to rebel, be stubborn, be rebellious
:12 At times she was outside, at times in the open square, Lurking
at every corner.
:13 So she caught him and kissed him; With an impudent face she said to
him:
impudent – ‘azaz
– to be strong; (Hiphil) to make
firm, strengthen
She knows what she’s doing.
You may not know what you’re doing
when you wander into temptation, but temptation knows what it’s doing.
It’s out to capture you.
:14 “I have peace offerings with me; Today I have paid my vows.
:14 I have peace offerings with me
Peace offerings were sacrifices performed as a way of celebrating something
with God.
These were unique because the whole family got to eat part of the
sacrifice, like having Christmas dinner with God.
A peace offering might be made because you were thankful for something God
did (Lev. 7:12)
(Leviticus 7:12 NKJV) If he
offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of
thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with
oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil.
A peace offering might be made because you made a promise (vow) to God, He
fulfilled His part, and you now celebrate with a sacrifice. (Lev. 7:16)
(Leviticus 7:16 NKJV) But if the
sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be
eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice; but on the next day the
remainder of it also may be eaten;
That seems to be the case here. The
woman made a promise to God, and now she’s presented a sacrifice to God.
This particular peace offering came with a special rule, that the meat left
over from the sacrifice had to be eaten either the same day as the sacrifice,
or the next day.
It had an expiration date.
She made the sacrifice “today”, and there’s only one day
left to eat all that leftover meat.
And eating meat was not a daily thing in those days. You don’t want to waste those steaks.
Lesson
Temptation Surprises
There are two aspects of temptation that can catch us off guard here.
Religion
Sometimes temptation can hit us in the most unexpected places – such as at
church, or with other believers.
This woman sounds a little “religious”, so what could be wrong with that?
Haste
This woman only has a day left to eat all that meat. You wouldn’t want to waste that would
you? Come on over!
Temptation likes to tell you that you need to do this certain thing, and
you need to do it NOW.
No you don’t.
:15 So I came out to meet you, Diligently to seek your face, And I have found
you.
:16 I have spread my bed with tapestry, Colored coverings of Egyptian
linen.
tapestry – marbad
– spread, coverlet
Colored coverings – chatubah
– colored fabric, dark-hued stuffs
:17 I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
cinnamon – qinnamown
– cinnamon
:17 myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon
The ultimate in sensual experience
:18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; Let us delight
ourselves with love.
take our fill – ravah
– to be satiated or saturated, have or drink one’s fill
delight – ‘alac
– to rejoice; (Hithpael) to delight oneself
love – ‘ohab
– loved object; love
:19 For my husband is not at home; He has gone on a long journey;
:20 He has taken a bag of money with him, And will come home on the
appointed day.”
:18 let us take our fill of love until morning
We use similar words. We call sexual intercourse “making love”.
love – dowd
– beloved, love;
It’s used 39 times in the Song of
Solomon (out of 61 times in the OT) and translated “beloved” or “love”
Here it carries the sense of sexual
intercourse between two people
From a word meaning to “boil”
Lesson
Best Love
The young fool shows us what the world teaches about love.
There’s a delight to his eyes with colorful tapestries.
There’s a delight to his nose with all kinds of spices.
There’s no fear of getting caught or paying any consequences because the
husband is gone for awhile.
In the world, love is all about “me”
With God’s idea of love, it’s all about “you”.
Did you notice how one guy seems more oriented in what he gets out of
things while the other guy is thinking about his wife?
Paul wrote,
(1
Corinthians 13:4–7 NLT) —4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or
boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and
it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth
wins out. 7 Love never
gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every
circumstance.
God’s idea of love is learning to put the other person first.
In marriage, loving your spouse
involves sex, but if you want to learn how to have great sex, stop focusing on
what you are going to get out of it, and learn to focus on the other person.
For those of you who are single –
Do you build your relationships on what you’re going to get out of it, or do
you focus on what you put into it?
:21 With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, With her flattering
lips she seduced him.
flattering – cheleq
– smoothness, seductiveness, flattery; excessive or insincere praise
Temptation says to you, “this looks
good on you…”
seduced – nadach
– (Hiphil) to thrust, move, impel; turning someone away from what is right
:21 With her flattering lips she seduced him
Flattery is like chewing gum—enjoy it briefly, but don’t swallow it!
:22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a
fool to the correction of the stocks,
:22 as a fool to the correction
of the stocks
There is some question as to how to
translate the last phrase because some of the ancient versions have slightly
different words.
(Proverbs 7:22 NASB95) Suddenly
he follows her As an ox goes to the
slaughter, Or as one in
fetters to the discipline of a fool,
(Proverbs 7:22 ESV) All at
once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught
fast
:23 Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did
not know it would cost his life.
liver – kabed
– the liver
:23 He did not know it would cost his life
Lesson
Sin’s Cost
The foolish youth didn’t think of the consequences until it was over.
Last week we read:
(Proverbs 6:32 NKJV) Whoever
commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He who does so destroys his own soul.
Last week we started a list of the consequences of sexual sin. A friend lovingly informed me I missed a few
things.
Guilt
Depression
Diminished capacity to trust
Paranoia
Unhappiness
Low self esteem
Substance abuse
Vengeance – somebody is going to want to get even.
Death (suicide)
Illustration
Ball Marker
A Golfer walks into the pro shop at the local course and asks the golf pro
if they sell ball markers. The golf pro says, “Yes, they are just $1.00 each.”
The guy gives the golf pro a dollar and says he’ll take one. The golf pro opens
the register, puts the dollar in the tray and with a big smile hands the guy a
quarter.
That’s the way it is with sin – you get back far less than
you put into it.
Ultimately, the greatest cost of sin is how it separates us from God.
(Romans 6:23 NKJV) For the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
While sin wants to kill you, Jesus wants to give you life.
He paid for your sins in order to bring us back to God if
we will only trust Him.
:24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the
words of my mouth:
children – ben –
son, grandson, child, member of a group
:25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her
paths;
:26 For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by her were
strong men.
:27 Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers of
death.
:25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways
Lesson
Help with sin
God does not want you helpless in the face of temptation. There are several things God has provided for
us to help in our struggle with sin.
Resurrection
(Romans 6:8–11 NLT)
—8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure
of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again.
Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that
he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of
sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Our connection with Jesus gives us a connection of death –
dying to the power of sin.
Our connection to Jesus also gives us life – resurrection
– so we can live for God.
The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to help you
conquer sin.
(Romans 8:11 NLT) The
Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God
raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by
this same Spirit living within you.
This may sound like a difficult concept to grasp, but it’s truth.
We need to realize the power that’s available to us in
Jesus.
Holy Spirit
When you believed in Jesus, the Holy Spirit came to live inside of you.
The Spirit also gives us power over sin.
(Galatians
5:16 NKJV) I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust
of the flesh.
We need to learn to yield more and more to what the Holy
Spirit is wanting to do in our lives.
We’re going to talk more about this on Thursday night.
Others
(James 5:16 NKJV) Confess your
trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Some of you have resisted this idea
You have thought each week that you are probably going to
be able to handle this on your own.
Ask for help.
How many of you have found that the missing key to
overcoming your sin was to finally admit it to someone else and ask for help?