Turn, if you will, now to Proverbs chapter 9, Proverbs chapter 9, found on page 677 in your pew Bibles. Proverbs chapter 9, looking this evening at the first 12 verses. Wisdom has built her house. She has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. To him who lacks sense, she says, come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and live. and walk in the way of insight. Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you scoff, you alone will bear it. This evening, as we look at our passage, we'll look at this blessed invitation. We'll look at the differing responses to correction and help. And lastly, we are reminded again of The fear of the Lord being the beginning of wisdom. So as we again turn our attention back to this book of Proverbs, we have seen a great contrast that has been set forth by the Lord that you and I who are disciples of Christ may yearn for those things that are true and lasting. Not hollow and empty as are the promises of that wicked woman, that one who was put forth as faithless, that one whom the foolish young man was attracted to and who fell prey to her empty words, her empty promises. Here we see in stark contrast to that one who did nothing but lurk around in the shadows looking for those whom she might defeat, pounce upon, and see destroyed. We see held up in contrast to that once again wisdom. That the wisdom of God is shown to be effective, accomplishing much. And perhaps as we read through those first couple of verses, your minds may have been taken to how it is that Proverbs 31 concludes with that beautiful picture of a godly woman that is laid out before us in Proverbs 31. That one who does not allow moss to grow upon her feet, that one from the very beginning of the day and into the night is about her respective duties. That one who has shown herself faithful in the execution of her responsibilities to the glory of her husband, to the acclaim of her elders. And here we see in the first verse of chapter 9, wisdom is described as having built her house. That we are reminded again of the fruitfulness of God's wisdom, of what it can accomplish. Here he puts before us and gives to us a glimpse of what our Lord is presently building as he has gone forth to build his church. Wisdom has built her house as it is described here and we see that this is a great edifice that has been built requiring within it the support of seven great pillars. And throughout God's word this use of seven is a term used in order that we might see within it fullness or completeness. Here is one, the wisdom of God, that does not leave a task untended or unfulfilled. Sadly, I can't say the same about my honey-do list. I have many started projects that have not yet been completed. Not so with the wisdom of God. Not so this one who is faithful. This one who sets her mind to the task of building and will see it completed, will see it constructed wisely with all of the necessary supports in their place. As he describes this great house that requires seven pillars, it is intended for you and I to be a comfort that that place that he is constructing is capable and well suited for all those who believe. A home, a house well suited to us to dwell with him. We see that again pictured before us in Revelation where Christ is described as preparing a great house with many rooms that those who are his may dwell with him for all eternity. Here, within Proverbs, we see this has always been the plan of God. These things are consistent, just as our God is unchangeable, that we would have the confidence of knowing what He is preparing is well-suited and able for us to dwell with Him. As he goes on, we see he moves into the preparations for a great feast. And we read tonight from Matthew that example of a great feast that is put forth by the King, invitations sent forth, that we again are reminded that this is in keeping with God's plan. This speaks to that hope that he first laid out in Genesis 3.15 after Adam and Eve had sinned and death had entered into the world and the threat of condemnation was before them for their sin. God held out the promise of a deliverance. God held out the promise that that enemy, that they had now been in league combined would be defeated by one whom God would send in his most perfect time, one who would crush the head of the serpent, one who would deliver his pinnacle of creation, his creature from under the threat of death and establish them in his mercy and grace as those made new, redeemed of the Lord, those who would be co airs with Christ. And so here we see that picture of the preparations of a great feast are before us. She has slaughtered her beast and has mixed her wine. We looked this morning at those preparations for the Passover and that feast of unleavened bread, the many steps that were involved within it, the securing of the room. Here we see this wisdom preparing her house. We saw then that Jesus' disciples had to go to the temple that the lamb would be slain, a preparation made that they might feast upon it at the appropriate time. So too do we have here in the preparations for this feast. She has slaughtered her beast, she has mixed her wine, she has set her table. And it's at this point when the preparations have been made that the invitations go forth." And here we are reminded again of how it is that God has been pleased to build His church through the foolishness of the preaching of the Word and the free offer of the Gospel, the proclamation of His heralds, His servants going forth and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Invitations have been extended and we have seen the might of God's arm have we not as we have seen him build his church over these last two thousand years. The invitation extended and by the work of his spirit upon those who were perishing he has drawn men women and children to himself that they would hear and be enabled to respond. to heed that invitation and to come, to sit at the table in remembrance of His great sacrifice, celebrating the salvation that they now enjoy in Christ. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town. And we see here a recognition of the need. Those who go out and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ do so because they understand that apart from Christ, men, women, and children are perishing in their sin, are continuing as those who Solomon, through inspiration of the Spirit, has described here as simple, as fools. Those who continue to follow after the fancies and desires of this life, the empty promises of the world. These invitations go out to the simple. And if we stop and we think about That work that Christ has been pleased to do in our life, as we think back to our days prior to his having drawn us to himself, can we not see how we were simple? How we were fools to buy into the promises of the world, to follow after those empty things of this life, Those promises that were made to our satisfaction that left us hungry and empty and ever desirous of more. But here those who bear the good news of Jesus Christ cry out to the simple because they themselves remember they once before God's grace had been shown to them were counted amongst the simple. cry out to the simple, inviting them to come? What is it that motivates us to reach out to our loved ones, our neighbors, our co-workers, our fellow students, to extend to them an invitation to come and to be with us, that they too might come under the reading and preaching of the word? It's because we remember our life as the simple. And we are reveling each day in our new reality in Christ and the hope that we now have. And we want to see those around us enjoy that same hope, come into his glorious light, have the confidence of a future that cannot be frustrated, that cannot end apart from him. And so we go forth, crying out to the simple, turn in here. Come and dwell among us. Come and join with us as we would meditate upon his word. To him who lacks sense, she says, come, eat of my bread. Drink of the wine that I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and live. It is not enough that we would come and merely have our ears tickled. The Lord is not pleased that we would merely check a box and say, I attended to worship today, or I read my Bible this morning, or I've engaged with prayer. But rather, he says, you are to be transformed by it. You're to leave those things that once had defined your life as a lover of the world and instead be engaged in those things as a true witness of Christ that would give evidence that you are now under his reign and lordship in your life. that increasingly day by day as we are sanctified that our walk would be more and more consistent before him. Will it be so without interruption? Perhaps not. There may be seasons that we will face in which we will take two steps backwards and yet if we are in him that will not be where we end. But rather, after a season of drought like David experienced, a spiritual season of drought, where he got caught up in the pursuits of the things of the world, God is pleased to awaken us again to our sin, to our disobedience, that we would confess our sin before him and know his peace. As he speaks here and reminds us of this free offer of the gospel, of how it is that his servants go forth seeking those who would come and partake, he gives us some instruction here and reminds us that not everyone that we confront with that good news is going to respond positively. Those who continue in their sin, those who are steeped within it, those who continue under the mastery of our former master, Satan, respond in anger. Verse 7 and 8, we see some of these responses to correction and help, well-intentioned correction. In verse 7, we read, whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse. Maybe you've run into this and opportunities that have been afforded you to speak to one who does not yet know Christ and you go in and you speak from the heart that love that you have for him and you feel as if you've walked into a wall. It isn't received well. And they sit there and they pick holes in everything that you say trying to bring dishonor on that one whom you love. He tells us these things that we might know just as he instructed his disciples. You may recall when Christ sent out his disciples two by two throughout those villages of Judea. He gave them instruction, letting them know that it would not always be easy, that not all would welcome them with open arms and offer to them a place that they may stay. And you may recall the instruction that he gave to them. If they were not to be received, he said, then if they will not receive you, shake the dust from your feet and move on. That can be instructive to you and I as we think practically as to where he would have us utilize our efforts. That he would not have us continue on in frustration, seemingly running into that wall again and again. But rather he gives to us these words that we may know at this point, this one is not yet ready. And we would move on that perhaps we would encounter one that he has prepared and as they would hear they would be enabled to respond. Whoever corrects a scoffer gets abuse and whoever reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer or he will hate you. We have to guard against taking this too far. We have to guard against thinking that we may know what the response will be and that it would be hostile, and so we never take the opportunity. That's not what is being presented to us here. We still attempt it, but as we are met with the response, we adjust accordingly. Now that is the downside of those who have not yet been prepared to hear and respond as we responded when God had prepared our hearts and our minds that we might finally understand and appreciate the gospel for what it is. He says those who've not yet been prepared cannot understand these things. If we truly understand our natural condition in sin, if we are dead in our transgressions, when we encounter one who is dead in their transgression, we should expect no great response. And yet he holds out in contrast to this the response of those whom he has worked upon. He says here at the end of verse 8, Reprove a wise man And he will love you. I mentioned this morning some of the results of the examinations given at Presbytery and that we had a young man that struggled. And I could recall in my coming up through Presbytery examinations my own struggles. And after you've gone through an exam and not been sustained, you can feel that pressure. And yet I'm thankful to the Lord that on this side I look back upon those men who had been bold enough and who had loved me enough in order to recognize those chinks in the armor to not sustain me in those exams at that time. That was an expression of their loving concern for me. And I appreciate Those words that they shared, those things that they recognized were not yet fully developed. And you see I could see and appreciate that because God gave me the capability to do so. Reprove a wise man and he will love you. that one who has been awakened to their need, that one who understands the precipice upon which they had once stood with their foot ready to go over the edge. Now hears that glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and sees within it the abundance of God's love for those who had been perishing, including himself. And he rejoices in a God who had been so long suffering with him, who had not proceeded down to condemnation but rather had worked out that glorious plan of salvation in Christ that those who once had been in position to perish might instead know his love, his salvation and know the hope of Christ. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser. What is it that continually brings us back to this place, keeps our nose within the Word of God, meditating upon it day by day? It's that we continue to realize how little of it we fully know, how much we have yet to learn, how much we desire to grow under his instruction. that we continue to avail ourselves of those means of grace that he has provided, that we might be wiser still, that those around us we might be of greater benefit to as we bring that which he has been pleased to instill within our hearts and our minds to them. Teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning You see, these are the things that give evidence to a heart that has been made new, to a mind that has been enlivened, to one whose motivations in this life have now been rightly focused upon the things of Christ that they delight to learn of Him. No longer are they content in their ignorance. but rather they delight to be filled with his word, to be led by it, to grow in heavenly wisdom. We come then to the last portion of our passage today and you may see something that is familiar to you. We see here that Solomon under inspiration of the Spirit goes back to what he had said in chapter 1 verse 7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is the second time He has put this before us to impress upon us the importance of this pursuit. As He seeks to continue to impress upon His sons the importance of being men of the Word, this is not lost on you women as well. We are to be men and women who are men and women of the word, delighting and growing in wisdom of the Lord, motivated out of a fear of the Lord. This is not a fear that recoils, this is awe and reverence for that one who sent his only begotten son into the world to be a sacrifice to accomplish what I could not and what no blood of a mere lamb could ever accomplish for me. That one who was himself without sin, that he might be a satisfactory sacrifice, able by his blood to wash away my sins. that in the presence of a holy God I might no longer be viewed as one covered in filth because of my sin, but who through the righteousness of Christ is now viewed as one who has been made righteous, acceptable before the Lord. This is the fear of the Lord. This is what continues to motivate those who love Christ The knowledge of the Holy One is insight. And as we continue to grow, as we are steeped within the Word, we begin to see those things that once we viewed as innocuous, as the threats that they are to holiness. We understand sin to exist where before we had counted ourselves innocent of the blood of another, never counting ourselves counted amongst murderers. But now, with the illumination of the Spirit and with the benefits of God's Word, we now look at those Ten Commandments and rightly understand we had broken them all. We were guilty of them all and in need of Christ. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is insight. And these things that God is pleased to work out within us have extensive blessings. I don't know if you were ever aware of a little series of books that came out I think in the 80s or 90s. We used to have three of these volumes sitting around our house. They were the Darwin Awards. You may recall the Darwin Awards. These were stories that had been received through news agencies over the years of incredibly stupid things that people have been known to do and that ultimately resulted in their removal from the gene pool. You see that is the way of foolishness. That's precisely what here God is speaking against as he impresses upon us the value of heavenly wisdom. And so he says in verse 11 that those who are wise, those who have now the fear of the Lord enjoy the extension of their days. That's the opposite of those Darwin awards, those who were taken out for the sake of the rest of humanity early because of their foolishness. He says years will be added to your life. And the Psalms declare this, don't they? That how it is an evidence of God's blessing that we see some achieve old age. A ripe old age as a testimony of God's continued grace and mercy shown to them. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. The benefits of this wisdom are many. And these things that we pursue in the word of God have great benefit for all those who put their hope and trust in him, and he leaves us with the thought of that fool who continues in his rebellion against God, that one who scoffs, you alone will bear it. The wonderful company that we have with the indwelling of the Spirit, that one who is our advocate at the right hand of God, who intercedes on our behalf, We are not alone, but the one who shakes his fist at God here is described as that one who truly is alone. And may we go forth from this place prepared, confident, bold to speak into the lives of those he puts across our path, praying that he would go before us, that they would hear and be able to respond, that we may see him building his church establishing it to the glory of his name. Let's pray.