275 roughly where we're at give or take a page number or two and Let me go ahead and open the word of prayer and we'll get ourselves started Heavenly Father we thank you for this day and time and we Looking forward to resurrection Sunday and the great truth of the resurrection this morning as we dive into Proverbs just help us to apply this wisdom in our daily living and And we appreciate so much our salvation. We're thankful for Christ in redeeming us and saving us from hell. And just help us to walk in a way worthy of our calling and to share the hope that we have within. In Christ's name we pray, amen. So we kind of left off with a beginning of the Christian work ethic, and we're somewhere around page 275-ish. The one is it has spiritual implications, but I thought for a quick review I would just go through the list and then get us up to speed. So we talk about the Christian work ethic, and of course this is not an exhaustive list. The first one is work reflects the character of our God. He created the world in six days and then he ceased from that creating on the seventh day. We know it's commanded even before the fall, which is pretty amazing, right? And then we also know that work provides the necessities. You don't work, you don't eat. It's a gift from God to be enjoyed. And if you have found a career, if you have found employment where you go to work and enjoy it, thank the Lord for that. Because I'm sure all of us have had jobs that we just didn't like. I remember having a roofing job. It's great money. And by the first day, you're going up these tall ladders up several stories. And the guys up there are shaking the ladder as you walk. They're messing with you. And the older men, they would just sit there because they're the regulars. And they get all those young guys doing all the work. Well, on a typical summer day, a roof is a little bit warmer up there than it is down below. And you're hitting 110 temperatures, sweating and working. I lasted two days. I'm like, that's not for me. But those who do it for a living, I know how hard that is. To work sincerely with excellence. If a job is to be done, do it well, because it's unto the Lord. And when work is done well, it brings honor to the Lord, and sometimes even brings honor to you. And then we come to where we're at. It has spiritual implications. Look at this eternal reward, Colossians 3, 23 through 24. And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. And so this takes the transition that when we go to our jobs or we serve whatever our roles are, we're not serving those people. And it's easy to say, well, it's just this person, that person, they don't care. No, we're serving the Lord. That's who we ultimately are serving. And the Lord keeps track of all this, and he rewards us, which is pretty amazing. When he empowered us, he gifted us, he gave us the opportunity, and yet he still rewards us. Some other work, it goes on, we get an eternal reward. These are some of the spiritual implications. Let me see if I have the list. I do. Yeah. Next one, work God's name and his word is to be honored. 1 Timothy 6, 1, let as many bond servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor so that the name of God and his doctrine may not be blasphemed. Your work ethic especially if they know you're a believer, is going to determine how they see God. I've been telling you, been reading, listening to another biography. This one is Charles Munger. He's the kind of silent partner to Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway. I did confirm that neither are believers, but what's fascinating is Warren Buffett grew up in a religious home. and a very, sounds like conserved Christian home. But because of the right-wing-ness is how he described it, he felt they were very ideological, almost like, we're not willing to entertain other ideas. He didn't like that, and so he kinda became, and he admits he's an agnostic. And where Charlie Munger, his parents were not ideological at all, so he don't think he grew up in a Christian home. But the idea is that how we behave, the way we talk about the Lord and all that, it does impact others, whether it's parents or family, co-workers, etc. God's name is at stake. Next one, so God's people can experience blessings. God uses our hard work to bless us, 1 Timothy 6.2, and those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather let them serve those who are benefited, our believers and beloved, teach and exhort these things. So we are blessed by the hard work. Work hard for the Lord before men, Colossians 3.23. And whatever you do, do it hardly. I've read that one before because we're working for the Lord. Look at this, managing others. Avoid tyranny and partiality, Ephesians 6.9. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own master also is in heaven and there is no partiality with him. We've all probably had difficult bosses who are sinning, but there's a difference in a boss who pushes you to do well or do better. Master boss demonstrates justice and fairness. Masters give your bond servants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. And then the slaves, or we would say employee, we have working hard, being respectful, reverent, and obedient. And again, you can see the verse there. Also, prove your faithfulness to God. Don't just do mere eye service. We know what this looks like. You're a busybody. You look like you're really doing something, but you're not. You know, it's like, I remember as a little kid, just kind of with the broom. Not really doing anything, just walking around the room, you know, and then getting scolded. No, you need to sweep up the whole floor. And then, beware making work the be-all and end-all. This is the workaholic problem. Ecclesiastes 2.22, Solomon says, for what has man for all his labor and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? For all his days are sorrowful and his work burnsome. Even in the night, his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. Nothing is better for a man that he should eat and drink, that his soul shall enjoy goodness labor. This also I saw was from the hand of God. We can make work so central to everything we do that we lose the joy in our life. and that's not what work is for. Understand the limitations of work, Ecclesiastes 2.11, and I looked on all the works that my hands had done, and on the labor in which I had toiled, and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. And what he's saying is work serves for the time, but it's not the be all and end all. There is something beyond our job, beyond this life of work, and that's our creator. Some additional thoughts. Work is for providing, for you and for others. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities and for those who are with me. I have shown you in every way by laboring like this that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. And work is not solely of the flesh, but of the spirit and grace. 1 Corinthians 15, 10, but by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain. But I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me. And you can see the avoidance of pride there and how even the labor, the hardworking Paul still relied on the grace of God to accomplish what he did. That's a good perspective. Work is difficult at times. And I, of course, this is ministry, but it can also apply in the secular realm. But listen to Paul, 2 Corinthians 11, 23. You're familiar with this passage. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more. In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stolen. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I've been in the deep. In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen. in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Whoa, that's a life dedicated to the Lord's work. Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily? My deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak? And I am not weak. Who is made to stumble? I do not burn with indignation. If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus, the governor under Aretas, the king was guarding the city of the Damascusenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands." By the way, that's a very humiliating way to escape. So Paul, you gotta admit, Paul's pretty amazing, isn't he? The work ethic that he had, the efforts, the sacrifices, it really is astounding. Three aspects of work, pain, purity, and patience. Look at 2 Timothy 2.3. You, therefore, must endure hardship, There's the pain as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who enlists him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. There's the purity. And then patience, the hard-working farmer must first partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding of all things. Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer troubles and evildoer, even to the point of chains, but the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying, for if we die with him, we shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he'll deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. So yeah, work involves pain, it involves purity, and it involves patience to see the fruit of it. And the goal of work is to worship and glorify God. 1 Corinthians 10 31, therefore if you eat or drink or whatever you do, including work, do all to the glory of God. And I think when we start to realign our thinking with this thought, that everything we do can be an opportunity to glorify God. It changes the value of what we do. It changes the perspective. And it can bring joy into maybe something that's joyless. It can make something so insignificant, very significant. So here's some principles of the text from this Proverbs up to this point. Admit you are lazy and seek help from those with a godly work ethic. This is if you're the lazy one. Alter the standard by which you measure your work ethic. Achieve a godly work ethic so that others may trust you. Acquire the skills to plan the work and work the plan until completion. Abandon excuses and seek balance between work, leisure, and rest. Avoid procrastination and apprehend the final outcome for those who are lazy. That's a summary of Proverbs 6 through 11. Pretty good principles. Here's a little cartoon. Congratulations, Bob, Torturer of the Month. These are really the best to have that one. So let me get through these really quick. I always get a little ahead of myself on the PowerPoint slides. All right. So we pause. Any thoughts? You know, all of us have worked, whether in the home, outside the home, any particular insights you want to share, either something you experienced or just your thoughts on this topic in general? OK. Let's jump to now Proverbs 6, 12 through 19. And so we looked at verses one through five. And again, this whole chapter is organized about financial failure and how that can happen. One through five is about making poor financial decisions. We just wrapped up how a failed work ethic can lead to financial issues. Now we're gonna talk about immoral actions and how that can contribute to financial problems. Proverbs 6, 12 through 19. I titled this, The Schemer, What Man Sees. Proverbs 6.12, A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth. He winks with his eyes. He shuffles with his feet. He points with his fingers. Perversity is in his heart. He devises evil continually. He sows discord. Therefore, his calamity shall come suddenly. Suddenly, he shall be broken without remedy. Scam alert. All right, and this is real, right? Let me see, here's an email I got. From the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Central Bank of Nigeria, International Remittance Department, Corporate Headquarters, Tinubu Square, Marina, Lagos, Nigeria. Attention, contractors. During the third quarter payment schedule of the financial records of the Central Bank of Nigeria, it was discovered from the records of an outstanding foreign contractor due for payment with the Federal Government of Nigeria. that your name is next on the list of those who will receive their fund. I wish to officially notify you that your payment is being processed and will be released to you as soon as you respond to this letter. Also, once we receive the information from you for the President of the Federal Government of Nigeria, we'll approve it to enable us to release the fund to your account. Note that from the record in our file, your outstanding contract is $10 million. Kindly reconfirm to me if this is in line with what you have in your records and also reconfirm the information below to enable office to proceed and finalize your fund transfer without further delay. We need your number, your name, phone number, fax, your company and position address, profession, age, and marital status. As soon as the above information received, your payment will be made to you to your bank wire transfer to your account. Anyone got one of those? All too many. And that's just one of many flavors they come in. And I'm sure there was a bunch of social security calls I was getting as well. This is just the stuff that happens every day. Now, here we have a truck and the dogs are laying there in the alley, so to speak, or on the side there of the road, and it's Acme tennis ball. Something about this just doesn't feel right. They're about to go get those tennis balls. All right, so let me ask you this. Looking at the text, what are two words describing the man in the first part of Proverbs 6.12? So look at Proverbs 6.12. And what are two words describing this man? Worthless, yes. And wicked, yes. And worthless, belial, good for nothing, useless. And wicked, deceiving, evil, harmful, false, unjust. That's quite a bit of a description. And this word is used in 2 Samuel 20 verse 1. And there happened to be there a rebel whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet and he said, we have no share in David, nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, O Israel. So that was when David was going to be king and they said, no way. Rebel, literally, the man of Belial. By the way, in 2 Samuel 20, verse 22, he lost his head. Didn't end well for him. 1 Samuel 2, 12, now the sons of Eli were corrupt. Same word. They did not know the Lord. And this word wicked, deceiving, evil, harmful, false, unjust, is described in, or used in Hosea 68. Gilead is a city of evildoers. Two words to accomplish wickedness, and defiled with blood. All right, so we got this theme of dishonest gain, and some very interesting information here. And here's the question. What are the seven actions of this worthless and wicked man, and what is this individual's associated body part, if mentioned in Proverbs 6, 12? All right, not something you'd think. So if you look at, look at this, look at the body parts, but the one body part that's mentioned is what in verse 12? his perverse mouth. That's where a lot of this deception comes. All right, so let's go through this. So he walks, that's a participle with a perverse mouth. He sows, this is in Hebrew intensive, it means he sows discord. Because if you start creating problems, it's easier then to manipulate people because you kind of throw them off their balance. So you can see his mouth right there, okay? And there's his head. All right, he winks with his eyes. Okay, another part of his body is used. He shuffles, again participle, ongoing, his feet. So there's his feet. And he points with his fingers. You can see that. And then perversity in his heart. He devises evil continuum. Remember, the heart in the Bible is the head. And it also implies the hearts too. So he's using every part of his body, isn't he? To do this. There's a story of a diamond heist. And I don't know if I got this in here. Let me back up just a little bit. I'm not gonna read all those verses, but Old Testament, Proverbs 20, 23, diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord. Dishonest skills are not good. That's an example of back then. 1 Samuel 8.3, his sons. This is Samuel, the prophet's son, which is sad. Did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. It's sad that Samuel, such a great prophet, didn't have obedient kids. Old Testament, son of man, say to her, Israel, you can see Israel there listed. The New Testament, Titus 110, there are many insubordinate, idle talkers, deceivers, you can see the list there. So this problem is old in New Testament and even our present day. And then of course, we have additional insights with the false religious leaders. They fall under this category too. Brood of vipers, right? That's how Jesus described the Pharisees of his day. And then we're talking about false teachers, and we're gonna see a lot more in the weeks to come. But here's Paul, Acts 20, 29. After my departure, several wolves will come in, not sparing the flock. They'll speak perverse things, draw away disciples after themselves. This is all, again, deception. And you can see that there. And let me get now to the rest of here. So if you want to know about the diamond heist, you can go there and read about it. But it's called the Antwerp or Antwerp Diamond Heist, dubbed as the Heist of the Century. It was the largest ever diamond heist and one of the largest robberies in history. Thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, silver, and other types of jewelry valued at more than $100 million. It took place in Belgium, the city's name is Antwerp, during the weekend of February 15th and 16th, 2003. Though arrests were made and time was served, most of the diamonds stolen remain unrecovered. Amazing. Pocket dialing. Let me share this one. I once answered a call that was quickly determined to be a pocket or butt dial. I answered as usual, but it became clear that no one had heard me. However, one thing I often did when no one answered was to listen for a bit to make sure no one really needed help. As I listened, I heard two males talking about a drug deal they were on their way to complete. They were kind enough to mention the color and type of car they were meeting, somewhere in the conversation location. They also called each other by a name a time or two. After meeting the call, I grabbed another phone, called the city police. I asked for Sergeant. When he got on the line, I said, I asked him if he wanted a drug bust. He said, sure, what have you got? I explained the situation. He started laughing, said, I'll grab a couple of guys and head over to the meeting spot. Will you keep the line open? Of course, I said. Keeping the line open allowed the conversation be recorded. I listened until the units made the arrest. The sergeant called me later to thank me and tell me the men were selling a substantial amount of narcotics and marijuana. The guys asked how they'd gotten caught. The sergeant told them that their phone called 911 and the KSB dispatcher recorded everything. They said, he said, the look on their faces was priceless. God has a way, doesn't he, of providentially, and we're gonna see it in the sermon today, the passage today. He knows how to restrain evil, and a good example of that. Okay, so Proverbs 6, 12 through 19, the immoral actions, part B, the schemer, what God sees. And this is a really important aspect. So let me read this. This is verses 16 through 19. These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him. By the way, you may have heard the seven deadly sins. That's not really, this is different from that, just in case you're wondering. Yes, seven are abomination to him, a proud look, a lying tongue. hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deceives wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brother. Now here we see another reason for financial failure, immoral action. Additionally, we're looking at this from God's perspective. That's the very important aspect here. He sees through all the verbal and nonverbal communication and reveals the true nature of the sinning criminal. So even though it feels like 16 through 19 is kind of switching, the two are intended to one follow the other. One is from man's side. This is now from God's view. And let's walk through these. These are pretty intense. The six things the Lord hates. Yes, seven are an abomination to him. And so let me, yeah, here's the seven deadly sins. Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride. They even tried to make a movie about it. These are not it. This is the list of the seven sins. Proud look. All right, let's get into our look. Here's an example of an eye doctor. You can see that guy's eye doesn't look right. Oh, this is wonderful, Mr. Gruenfeld. I've only, in a couple of times, only seen this a couple of times, you have corneal corruption. Evil eye, Mr. Gruenfeld, evil eye. Pretty funny. Okay, so what is this proud look? And let me see, let me just hit a couple of key words first as I get in there. Hate is scorns, hostile, intense dislike versus abomination, which is repulsion, detestable in every way. With these two words in parallel, the full range of God's disgust is on display and hatred for these things revealed. So you really need to understand that these things, at the heart of God, he hates. And if you think about the time before the flood, you think of the time of Psalm Gamora, this was on full display. And why? Think about it. This all goes against the very character of God and his design for how we are to live. It is the corruption of the wisdom and the justice and the judgment and the equity that God wants ruling in his kingdom. And so what are some things that God hates? I'm gonna back up just a little bit. I don't wanna miss this opportunity. What are some things that God hates? Just if you were to rattle something off right out of the gate, what are some things God hates? Sin, that's an easy one. Get a little more specific. That's a little too general. What are some things that God hates? Prideful heart, yep. I got that, boastful, right? Idolatry, worshipping something that's created versus worshipping the creator. Those who love violence. Corrupted worship by hypocrites, false worship. These are just some of the things that God in the scripture says I hate. The implication, as Judy alluded to, is God hates all sin. He hates all corruption, all that falls short of his perfection. And remember the scripture says, God's eyes are too pure to look upon evil. And God's a God of justice. He has indignation every day. Think about how God restrains himself every single day while man rebels against him. It's really quite astounding, isn't it? And every day he's patient is another day for someone to get saved. Don't think for a moment that being a Christian positionally justified means your sin is any less offensive to the unbeliever in your neighborhood or at your workplace. Consider how more offensive it is to God when we have the knowledge of Him and what offends Him and we sin anyway. That's what makes it really difficult. Romans 6.1, of course, Paul goes on quite a bit here. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. That's the strongest negative in the Bible there. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us that were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death. That just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life. For if we had been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we should also be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now, if we die with Christ, we believe that we also live with him. Knowing that Christ has been raised from the dead dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life. that he lives, he lives to God. Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you shall obey in its lust." So do you see how Paul is affirming that though we're born again, we have this body of flesh and until we physically die, raptured or resurrected, we have to deal with this body. And he goes on to say, and do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourself to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. What a beautiful picture and promise, but it doesn't happen easily, does it? It takes effort. and it takes yielding to the spirit and saying no to the flesh. Apostasy, Hebrews 10, 29, of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who has trampled the son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, a common thing, and insulted the spirit of grace? For we know him who said, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord, and again the Lord will judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall. into the hands of the living God." This is a tough passage and it's a reminder, again, that's an apostate who had the truth and abandoned it. Okay. So let's go through these seven sins. So the proud look. These are eyes that exalt themselves. So I love the eyes because it's the eyes in which you perceive and exalt yourself above others. Seeing oneself better than others. Psalm 18.27, for you will save the humble people, but will bring down the haughty looks. Have you lived long enough to see someone who was very proud and then fall? Yeah, it's almost like you can see it happening. You just watch it like that's going to happen. It's only a matter of time. And, oh, my page just, I just lost my spot. Sorry. Hang on here. Okay, so let me go to the next one. A lying tongue. Okay, here we go. No truth, no facts, deceitful, commission, omission, so they can lie by saying a lie or they can withhold the truth. Proverbs 12, 22, lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are his delight. Psalm 121, help Lord for the godly man ceases, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak idly, everyone with his neighbors with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks proud things. who have said with our tongue we will prevail our lips our own who is lord over us we're going to see in peter today this example of how they use their mouth to you know revile angelic majesties this is them they're proud their speech. Look at example John 8 44. You, this is Jesus speaking to the Pharisees, are your father the devil and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him and whenever he speaks a lie he speaks from his own resources for he is a liar and the father of it. That's an intense passage. Revelation 22 15 at the end But outsider, dog, sorcerer, sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. Implications, a corrupted heart leads to corrupted words, right? Matthew 12, 34, let's see. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. That's the issue. The definitive passage on the tongue, we won't read it, but it's James 3, right? And it's interesting. It starts off by saying, don't become teachers, because you'll have a stricter judgment. And then it talks about how we all stumble in many ways. And then it ends in these illustrations. My brethren, let me back up, verse 10. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. And then he goes on to say, my brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? And can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives or grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. Now what's the antidote? Ephesians 5.18. And do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. And the idea here is you're yielding to the obedience of the word through the Spirit. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. What's a Psalm to pray if you're struggling in these areas? Psalm 141 verse two, let my prayer be set before you as incense. The lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth and keep watch over the door of my lips. I think we all could use that prayer on many occasions. The principle, guard your speech. Now question, can you think of any biblical example or related passage to this? In other words, can you think of any, what liar outside the devil stands out in your mind in the Bible? Ah, from the garden in the beginning. Yeah, yeah, that's pretty notable. Who else is known to be a liar? Jacob, yeah, yep. Deceiving his brother. Abraham, yep. Oops, did I forget to mention that Sarah's my sister and wife? Omission, the sin of omission. Judas, that'd be another one. All right, let's go to number three. Hands. Oh, here's the lying tongue. Well, that's sort of garbage. Are you filling these kids' heads with this time? This is Pinocchio in his later years. Old man with a funny nose. That's pretty funny. Okay. Hands that shed innocent blood. This is murder. Genesis 9, 6, after Noah comes out of the boat, or the ark, whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed. This is capital punishment. For in the image of God, he made man. Isaiah 1, 15, when you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Oh. On Genesis 4, 8, now Cain talked with Abel, his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. 2 Kings 21.6, Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judas sin and doing evil in the sight of the Lord. Implication, this is premeditated murder, and it's a byproduct of their sin nature. John 8.44, you are the father of the devil, and your desires of your father you want to do. We read that earlier. Implication, pride, and lust, Unrestrained will always end in violence. This is something that's very real. We see it today. Sam Gamora, we've looked at. Gibeah, Judges 19, that's a very sad story that's similar to the Sam Gamora where they cut up the lady and send her out. Tribulation period is going to be a lot of murder. especially for those who don't bow down to the image to be worshipped. Implication, it begins in the heart. Matthew 5 21, you've heard it said of the old, you shall not murder and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. Now that's physical murder, the act of it. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment. So there's room in there for a righteous anger, a righteous indignation. There's room when you've been hurt to respond at least a little bit, but it's what you do with it is the key. And whoever says to his brother, Raka, shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, you fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. 1 John 3.15, whoever hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Psalm to pray, how would you help your heart in this area? Psalm 73 by Asaph. 73.3, the first part and the last part, for I was envious of the boastful when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. But then he comes to the end and says, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I understood their end. And then there's a perspective that we need to have when we are wronged by someone, when there's an injustice, particularly when they're unbelievers, right? We forgive them vertically because God has forgiven us, but we also have to recognize, man, they're in sin, and what is gonna become of them? Hopefully that will solicit rather an angry response, a godly gospel response, not easy. The flesh just doesn't like it when it gets offended. The antidote, Philippians 4, 5, let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. If you go through the Psalms, just read David. How many times has he prayed to the Lord, you know? Sometimes he does pray in precatory prayers, prayers against the truly unrighteous. But many times he's pleading with the Lord to guard his heart, guard his actions. Question. Can you think of any biblical example or related passage to this sin? Anyone who stands out as a murderer? We mentioned Cain. Mentioned the devil. Manessa. Who? David, yeah. Murdered Uriah. Anyone else you can think of? Samson, yeah. He did some... Yeah, he was, though he was permitted to do that. We're looking at murderers who were in sin, though he was in sin. Samson's gonna be an interesting guy to study. Looking more for murderers, like Cain. Who? Yeah, Moses. Looked left, looked right, didn't look up, killed the guard, and everyone knew about it. So there's quite a few, and notice that some of them are believers. All right, we got time for one more. But before that, a little cartoon here. OK, stranger, what's the circumference of the Earth? Who wrote the Odyssey and the Iliad? What's the average rainfall of the Amazon basin? Bart, you fool. You can't just shoot first and ask questions later. All right, let's look at a heart that devises wicked plans. This is wicked imagination, scheming, plotting evil. These are unjust thoughts and actions against others. Genesis 6-5, the Lord saw wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. That's them. Jeremiah 18, 18, then they said, come, let us devise plans against Jeremiah. For the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us attack him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words. Wow. Mark 14, 1, after two days, it was the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by trickery and put him to death. You can see the devising of wicked plans. Implication, they choose to love themselves rather than love others. For them, it's easier to make someone stumble and take them down and tear them down than to build them up. Look at the Psalm to pray, Psalm 141. Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men. Preserve me from violent men. The rest of Psalm verse four and verse 12. Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of wicked. Preserve me from violent men who have purposed to make my steps stumble. Psalm 140 verse 12. I know the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor. You know, this shows you that even David needed the Lord. He couldn't fight against all his enemies. He had no idea where the enemies were coming from. In many ways, I don't doubt many of us have been praying for President Trump in this way, before the election and after, after his assassination and so forth. Because who knows where the enemy is lurking? You can't know. So praying this prayer is an acknowledgement that you need the Lord's help and protection. The antidote, Romans 14.9, therefore, let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. And then Hebrews 12, 14, pursue peace with all people and holiness without which no one will see the Lord. What's the principle? Seek the Lord's will and not your own. And look at James 4, 13, though it's not about murder. but it does show how men can make plans and make them without the Lord. Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we'll go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, make a profit, whereas you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we shall live or do this or that. But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. Can you think of any biblical example of a heart that devises wicked plans? From the Bible. Who? Oh, Haman, yeah. And that did not end well for him and his family. And by the way, he was a descendant of the Amalekites, which were supposed to be killed when Israel entered the land. Saul didn't kill King Agag, Samuel had to. David killed a bunch of them, but not all of them, and that's why. Who else? Yep, Haman. Yeah, Haman, the book of Esther. Any others? Joseph's brothers exactly devised quite a bit and little did they know how God would, as Genesis 50, 20 says, you permitted, you intended evil, but God intended for good. Okay, we'll end with this little cartoon. We have a dog who made a sign, cat food, didn't spell food very well. And he says, oh please, oh please, trap him in the dryer. Pretty silly. A heart that devises wicked plans. Yes, Sue. Both are true, right? It does begin with pride, right? No doubt. But it can also go the other way. As you get through the list, you can start. Let me pull up that passage so I can see it right in front of me. Proverbs 6. Turn this off because I can't read it. There we go. Yeah, so if you go to verse 19, right? Spreading strife, false witness, certainly can go the other way, but I think the list is naturally starting from the top, working its way down. It begins with this prideful look, and then it can lead to all these things. I would see it more down, but I think behind all, you know, certainly if you start lying, then you might wanna have then a wicked plan, and then in order to accomplish that plan, you can start lying on your tongue, and it goes the other way. So yes, it can definitely go both ways. Great observation. All right. Don't want to really end on that kind of note with a lying tongue, but there you go. All right, let me close in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for your time in Proverbs and these things, six things, really seven, are abomination to you. Guard our character, guard our heart and our thoughts. We don't want to sin against you. In Christ's name we pray.