Proverbs 14:25-35 (KJV)
A true witness
delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.
In the fear of the LORD
is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
The fear of the LORD is
a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
In the multitude of
people is the king's honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of
the prince.
He that is slow to wrath
is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
A sound heart is the
life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
He that oppresseth the
poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
The wicked is driven
away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
Wisdom resteth in the
heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools
is made known.
Righteousness exalteth a
nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
The king's favour is
toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.
On the surface the
proverbs seems to be random.
They are, after all, for
the most part a series of short phrases of wisdom assembled and preserved
together.
It would be something
like a book of poetry by the same author.
Those poems may or may
not have some connection with one another.
Because the author is
one, there would be some similarities in style and perhaps even some familiar
phrases between poems.
But each poem is a
stand-alone body of work.
The Proverbs are like
that with this exception – they are inspired by the Holy Spirit of God.
While they appear to be
random, it doesn’t take much contemplation, especially if we are led of the
Holy Spirit, to recognize patterns of thought and lessons of a continuous
nature.
This message began with
just nine words.
· A true witness
· A sound heart and
· A wise servant
I saw a pattern there.
It might not seem like a
lot, but it stood out to me and it was with those nine words I began to
concentrate and ask God for help to bring to you this message.
There is in each phrase:
The indefinite article – that gives these phrases liberty.
Anyone can be a true
witness, a sound heart and a wise servant. It’s not restricted to certain
individuals with special privileges.
· You can be a true witness
· You can be a sound heart
· You can be a wise servant
The particular noun-
· Witness,
· Heart and
· Servant
The defining adjective-
· Not just a witness but a true witness
· Not just a heart but a sound heart and
· Not just a servant but a wise servant
As I studied I looked
for that one thing that might pull these nine words, these three phrases
together and what I discovered is that,
These three phrases
describe what is the Christian life.
There is first,
I. A TRUE WITNESS
Proverbs 14:25 (KJV)
A true witness delivereth
souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.
The word witness speaks
for itself and reminds me of the great commission.
Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)
And Jesus came and spake
unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jesus gave a modified
version of that Great Commission in
Acts 1:8 (KJV)
But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.
The Greek word for
witness is the word from which we get “martyr.”
It doesn’t necessarily
mean you have to die to be a witness, but
A. There is a price to pay.
· If you witness an accident, there is a price to stick around
and tell the police what you saw.
· Lisa was a witness to a crime a few years back. A couple of
years later she was called to testify what she witnessed. There is a price to
pay to do that.
Jesus said we are to be
witnesses.
· It’s going to cost you to go out to others and tell them how
to be saved
· It’s going to cost you give a promised amount by faith so
missionaries can take the gospel to other nations
Did you notice that
Jesus said, “Ye
shall be witnesses…”?
It’s not an option.
· We are not all witnesses in the same places and
· We don’t all witness in the same manner.
Each of us has our own
calling and our own spiritual gifts but
· We are all commanded to be witnesses
Now remember, we have an
adjective. We are to be true witnesses. In this case it means that we are
B. Witnesses of Jesus
Ye shall be witnesses
unto me…
A true witness would
typically mean that we “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the
truth.”
I am reminded that Jesus
said, John 14:6 (KJV)
… I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The truth that delivereth
souls is the Lord Jesus Christ.
· We don’t need missionaries to dig wells in Africa
· We don’t need missionaries to establish medical clinics war
torn countries
· We don’t need missionaries to teach children to read and to
write
I am not saying that any
of those things are wrong, nor am I say that a missionary can’t do those things
as aids to being a witness for Jesus.
But a true witness won’t
do those instead witnessing for Jesus.
There is secondly
II. A SOUND HEART
Proverbs 14:30 (KJV)
A sound heart is the
life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
The heart is the place
of our emotions.
Matthew 6:21 (KJV)
For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.
It has to do, I think,
with our worship.
John 4:19-24 (KJV)
The woman saith unto
him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Our fathers worshipped
in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to
worship.
Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor
yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Ye worship ye know not
what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
But the hour cometh, and
now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in
truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and
they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The word sound has to do
with health or fitness.
Jesus said that those
who worship God do so
· In spirit and
· In truth
Our world is so messed
up in this regard today.
People have this idea
that they can worship God any way that suits them and God is pleased with that.
One church near my house
advertises
· Many venues
· Same church
So you can go to the
service that suit your style.
· Do you like a cowboy church setting? Come to the 9:00
service for that
· Are you more into contemporary, rock n roll? That’s the
10:00 service.
· If you still prefer the old fashioned hymns of the faith,
come on down at 11:00[1]
I’m not sure we do much
better in our own family of churches.
We now have guys trying
to do
· A cowboy church type focus or
· A contemporary type service or
· A reformed church type style
What we need to do is
stop trying to do church in some way we think will make people feel more
welcome and work at doing church in a way that makes God know we love Him in
spirit and in truth.
Looking through the New
Testament I find references to
· Sound doctrine[2]
· Sound mind[3]
· Sound words[4]
· Sound in faith[5] and
· Sound speech[6]
Jesus said, Matthew
12:35 (KJV)
A good man out of the
good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of
the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
May I suggest that a
sound heart would
· Embrace sound doctrine
· Exhibit sound faith and practice which in turn would
· Lead to speaking only sound words
The Christian life
· Witnesses for Jesus Christ
· Worships from a healthy heart and in spirit and truth
The third descriptor of
the Christian life is
III. A WISE
SERVANT
Proverbs 14:35 (KJV)
The king's favour is
toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.
The word that
immediately comes to mind when I hear “servant” is work.
Christians don’t work to
go to heaven.
We don’t work to earn
our salvation.
But to claim that
Christians don’t work is to misunderstand the New Testament.
A. James 2:18 (KJV)
Yea, a man may say, Thou
hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will
shew thee my faith by my works.
In other words, a
Christian whose faith doesn’t work, doesn’t have faith.
B. Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV)
For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any
man should boast.
For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.
We are saved through
faith and not of works, but we are also created in Christ Jesus unto good
works.
This passage goes even
farther and says God has before ordained, elected, chosen, called us to walk in
or do these good works.
C. Titus 3:1 (KJV)
Put them in mind to be
subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every
good work,
As a preacher I am
expected to remind you and prepare you to do “every good work.”
It’s my job not only to
teach and equip you, but to motivate you to work for and serve Jesus.
D. Luke 17:7-10 (KJV)
But which of you, having
a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is
come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
And will not rather say
unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till
I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Doth he thank that
servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
So likewise ye, when ye
shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are
unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
When you think of what
it cost Christ to give you salvation, and that it is yours
· Freely
· Graciously and
· Without reservation
When you think that your
sins are forgiven
· Those you have done
· Those you are doing
· Those you will do in the future
When you think that you
are saved
· eternally and
· without fear of losing that salvation due to a failure on
your part
· There is no job God could ask you to do that is too much.
· There is no hardship you might endure that is unfair
There is no response you
can give to God but praise.
Conclusion
Here is the Christian
life wrapped up in just
· Ten verses,
· Three phrases and in
· Nine words
A true witness
A sound heart and
A wise servant
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