So, excellent. Thanks guys for doing that. And let's pray right now and we'll get started. Heavenly Father, as we begin this morning, we're thankful for the son and we're thankful for your son. And we just pray right now as we've been talking about just sharing the gospel with these door hangers. We pray even right now that you're preparing the hearts to receive your word and that we're able to get these out to all the various doors. And that even if we encounter some individuals, we'll be prepared with the gospel to share. And we just pray, Father, that you would bless this effort and that would bring honor and glory to you. Help us in the study this morning. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. All right, we are in Proverbs chapter 6, and we're at verse 16. And what's the page number that were the handouts on? Because mine's slightly different. 289 and it's number five. I lost my spots and I got to go back to it. There we go. All right. So we'll I think get the PowerPoint up here. So let me go over there right now. All right. So we've been looking at the list of the seven sins. And yes, it's different than Hollywood's list of the seven deadly sins. The first one, of course, is a proud look. It always begins with pride. And then that leads to a lying tongue. And we can see how this just continues to escalate, or I should say becomes more and more depraved. Hands that shed innocent blood. We're talking about murder here. A heart that devises wicked plans. And now we're at number five. Feet that are swift and running to evil. You know, in the suburbia America, right, we go to our jobs, we take care of our family. Life is pretty ordinary. But if you've ever lived in the city or if you've ever encountered gangs or different parts of the world, it's not always like that. And these individuals that Salman is describing, they were those people back then too. The gangs, these men and women who were terrible, you know, really wicked individuals. And this is how they lived. They lived in order to sin. And that's what they did. And so I know sometimes it seems so far removed, but it's really not. In fact, we were just talking to men's Bible study. You know, we can, you know, we leave our cars out or we leave a bike out or we leave things just open in the public or Amazon delivers a package to our front door and we expect it to be there. And for the most part, our packages are. But there is always evil lurking in the bushes, it seems, right? So number five on page 289, this is that they're hasty to do evil. There's no delay. They're enthusiastic for being wicked. And this is really summarizing the opposite of the commandments 6 through 10. Don't steal, don't murder, don't covet. All that is kind of built in right here. Proverbs 1.16, Solomon had said this earlier. For their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed blood. In Isaiah, listen to what he says, same thing. Their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Wasting and destruction are in their paths. They don't create, they destroy. Now, step back for a minute as we approach crucifixion, Good Friday, and then Resurrection Sunday, Easter. Our Lord and Savior faced these men, didn't he? This is exactly how they acted. And so, it can come in different shapes and sizes. In the case of Christ, it was cloaked with this religious tapestry, but in the end, their hearts were wicked. Jesus described them as whitewashed tombs. And when you stand for the truth, understand that it usually does get persecuted, right? Example, remember Elisha's servant Gehazi? And Naaman the leper, he knew he wasn't supposed to go back. He did, he lied, and then he ended up getting leprosy. He had an evil plan in his heart that he could somehow get money from this. And in the end, the Lord, he was confronted by Elisha, and in the end was a leper for the rest of his life. So it can come in different flavors. Listen to this Habakkuk 317, Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor the fruit beyond the vines, Though the labor of olive may fail, And the fields yield no food, Though the flock may be cut off from the field, And there be no herd in the stalls. That's judgment on Israel for their wickedness. But Habakkuk says, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. So think about this believer surrounded by unbelievers, surrounded by a faithless Israel, living in the consequences of faithless Israel, right? He's getting his food from the same place everyone else is. And he goes on, the Lord God is my strength. He will make my feet like deer's feet and he will make me walk on my high hills. to the chief musician with my stringed instruments." This is a song. This is a challenge for us. No matter how bad society gets, shouldn't we as believers still have joy in the Lord? Should we not, why do we become despondent? We can be grieved over sin, that's appropriate, but deep down, can't we celebrate the salvation we have? That's the idea of Habakkuk, praying this prayer, writing it to a song. The antidote, Psalm 119, 101, I've restrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep your word. And that makes it tougher, doesn't it? When everyone else is around you is cheating and getting away with it, and yet you hold on to your integrity. for the Lord's sake. And so the principle is always examine your pursuits and always examine your priorities. And this is how, remember, the greater that it's darker out there, the more sinful others, when you hold fast your integrity, when you're faithful to the Lord, people can see that. Now, some will lash out against it, right? but others will be encouraged by it and may even be changed by it and may open up the door for the gospel. So great, great thing. So question, can you think of any other biblical example or passage related to feet that are swift in running to evil? Who can you think of in the Bible whose feet were swift in running to evil? Who comes to mind? Judy. Yeah, Haman, for sure. And that did not end well for him and his family, did it? Judas, yep. Who else? Who's that? Solomon? In which ways? You mean all the wives and concubines that he had? Yeah, and that resulted in him becoming an idolatress. Though I wouldn't put him necessarily in the same category as these. Yes, he fell into idolatry and definitely sinned. I'm thinking more like the Kains of the world. Jezebel would be another example. That's what's being described here more. All right, number six. Oh, one more little cartoon here. Here's some feet and some scorpions. There I was, asleep in this little cave. Here, when suddenly I was attacked by this hideous thing with five heads. Poor guy put his shoe into scorpions and the guy's passed out now. All right, the next one. is a false witness who speaks lies. Now this lies are primarily significant disputes. This word is courtroom. This is going after commandment number nine. Deuteronomy 19 16 of a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing. Then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. And the judges shall make careful inquiry. And indeed, if the witness is a false witness who has testified falsely against his brother, then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother." Boy, wouldn't that change the court system a little bit. If you are found to be a false one, whatever was going to happen to them is going to happen to you. And then it goes, you shall put evil away from among you. And those who remain shall hear and fear. And hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. Life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Now, what's going on there? That's Deuteronomy 19, 16 through 21 there. So this eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand is not about revenge. That's not what it is. It is reciprocal judgment. If someone had done a certain thing of evil, it required a just punishment. That's the idea. For example, you wouldn't have the death sentence for someone who stole the candy bar, right? That would be misjudgment, unjust. But also, look at this. This is kind of interesting here when it talks about this response of others, the fear that they have. This is really key, right? When we don't have justice, then others start to lower the standard. Well, if they don't get in trouble, why should I care? But when justice is carried out, people go, that's good, and that's right, and I shouldn't do that. And when they change the laws in California to lower the, or to increase the amount of what's considered a felony for stealing, what happened? More people are stoled. Hey, I can get away with this. And so when there's no justice, when there's no consequences, people don't fear. Based off the government, right? Right. This is dealing with a just government, correct. That's their job. Yeah, they bear the sword. Yeah. Right, which is a misunderstanding of the Ten Commandments. Yep, this is for government. And we go to court. We don't settle these disputes. Road rage is inappropriate, right? Absolutely, Roger. And that's the key. So when you have this conversation, this is one of those that will come up sooner or later. One of these misunderstood passages, you have to say, this is dealing with judgment in a court, but it also does apply to us. We don't go out and have revenge. That is to be settled in the courts. Okay, look at this one first Kings 21 13 two men scoundrels came in and sat before him and the scoundrels witnessed against him this is Naboth remember Jezebel or Ahaz wanted the got the vineyard and he and of course Naboth refused to sell it he Complains to Jezebel who concocts this plan to bring these two scoundrels sitting next to Naboth in the presence of the people and say, Naboth has blasphemed God and the king. Then they took him outside the city, stoned him with stone, so he died. I mean, what an injustice. And, but know this, God put in the word. So now the whole world knows that Naboth was innocent. Matthew 26, 59, Now the chief priests, the elders, and the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but none was found. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. That would have been interesting to see. That meant that even though these guys were trying to get false witnesses, the contradictions between these false witnesses made it so obvious that they couldn't use their false testimony. And that's just the Lord compounding the problem for them. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none, but at least two false witnesses came forward and said, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days. And if you remember, That was a total mischaracterization of what Jesus said. John 2, 19, Jesus' answer said to them, you destroy this temple, meaning my body, and in three days, I will raise it up. So that whole statement that Jesus made was about him dying and resurrection, being resurrected, and they twisted his words. And this is what happens all the time. Implication, the judicial system is built on the testament of truth. Without this foundation, justice cannot be served. This is why we have perjury and other things like that to persuade people, to remind people the truth matters. Look at this Psalm to pray. Here's one that we can pray when we find these situations. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me, and such as breathe out violence. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. This is such a good reminder, isn't it? When you find yourself falsely accused, wait on the Lord. Stand firm in the truth. Wait for providence to work its way out. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. But if it doesn't work out in this life, know this, justice will be served in the end. All will be uncovered at the judgments. The antidote, 3 John 1 12, Demetrius has a good testimony from all and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true. This is how we we stop lies. We come together and we share the truth. That's the key. And we stand for the truth. The principle, guard the truth and the narrative. I always like to put the narrative in there because people can twist the story. And that's suddenly changed the perspective, the shade of the situation. Here's a question. Can you think of any biblical example or related passage to this sin? Who's a false witness who speaks lies? Satan, yeah, that would be the most important one, right? And he's the father of all lies. And then what about other ones? What are some other challenges? Okay. Number seven, going on. In one who sows discord among brethren, send or dispatch controversies. Romans 16, 17. Now I urge you, brethren, note that those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you've learned and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly and by the smooth words with flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. So you can see, oh, I think I jumped ahead. I didn't bold that. Let me back up. So now tell the court, if you will, Mrs. Potato Head, exactly what transpired on the night your husband chased you with the Vegematic. Comfort and peace right now and wisdom from above. In Christ's name we pray, amen. So here we go, number seven. This is a challenging one. And the one who sows discord among brethren. As I shared, Romans 16, 17, Paul writing, and this is towards the end of the book, after that great doctrine, right, of the Bible there, all in one book. I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you learn and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. Now notice how Paul doesn't say false teachers in this case, even though that's what false teachers do. This can happen in any church. Jude 1.16, these are grumblers, complainers. walking according to their own lust. And so often we think of lust as just flesh or sexual sin. That's not what it always means. It's the flesh. It could be a lot of things. They want attention or whatever. It could be personal preferences. And they mouth great swelling words. flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how they told you there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons who cause divisions and not having the spirit." Now, again, Jude's context is false teachers. Remember Joseph's brothers, how they sowed discord amongst themselves, and that resulted in what? Agreeing on a plot to throw Joseph in a cave, in a pit. We're in a pit, not a cave. Implication. This is fleshly and carnal. Unbelievers. Look at Titus 3 there. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. And so we can fall, I mean, this is a picture of our unbelief. When we come to Christ, hopefully we start to put this off. Look at Believers, 1 Corinthians 3, 1. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food, for until now you were not able to receive it. And even now you are still not able, for you are still carnal. I'm sorry, for where there are envy, strife, divisions among you? Are you not carnal and behaving more like men? So Paul's saying, look, you're acting fleshly. You're acting like an unbeliever, even though you're saved. And then he shows how this can show up. I'm of Paul. And another, I'm of Apollos, are you not carnal? That's the wrong focus, isn't it, right? I think all of us who've been saved, there's a sense in which there's a humility that comes with salvation, right? You realize, man, I've rebelled, I've sinned, I'm not worthy of salvation. You also as a believer, you are aware how you even still fall short today, right? And yet God still is patient with you, he still forgives you, he still works with you, gives you time to grow. And so when we start as believers get prideful, it's even more shocking and more disappointing to the Lord because we know and what we've been delivered from and to. A psalm to pray, Psalm 3414, depart from evil, do good, seek peace and pursue it. And the antidote, 1 Peter 3.10, for he who would love life and see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Man, last thing we need is hindrance from the Lord, right? Life is difficult enough. But I love this reminder of just how we have to refrain ourselves, restrain ourselves. And that's the thing with speech, right? You never can take it back. You know, that's the hard part. Principle, guard the peace. All right, so who can you think of in the Bible, any related passage to someone in the scriptures who sowed discord among brethren? Probably have to go back to the book of the Old Testament. There's a lot more examples there. I'm trying to think in the New Testament. Well, in the New Testament you had, now I'm drawing a blank on his name. He loved to be first. Democritus, or let me see, Democritus, they're on a blank. Let me go there. I'm having a hard time remembering today. Anyway, that guy, yeah, Diotrephes, that's it. Remember, he wanted to be first, and then when the apostles were being sent, or people were being sent, he would put them out of the church. That's a good example of someone. Anyone else can think of any offhand? Saul, before he became Paul, absolutely. breathing murderous threats, throwing Christians in jail. There at the stoning of Stephen, participating, taking people's cloaks, encouraging it. Yeah. Who? Yeah, Jacob. Yeah, with his brother. Yeah. Yeah. The supplanter. Yeah. So you can see how this can cause trouble. And interesting. All right. You ready for the next one? Let's go to the next one. But before that, a little picture here. OK. We're inside someone's ear. Go to the zoo and enlist, voice number one. Voice number two, shave your neighbor's dog. Voice number three, yo, dump your spaghetti on that guy's head. Sewing discord inside the ear of crazy people. Probably not the best thing to say. All right. That's probably a very politically incorrect cartoon today. OK, so we've been looking at one through five poor financial decisions. Verses 6 through 11, failed work ethic. And then 12 through 19, immoral actions. We've seen those, the seven deadly sins there. And now we're gonna look at 20 through 35, immoral relationships. And let me just go ahead and read this one. Yeah, okay. Proverbs 620, my son, and keep is a command in the text, your father's command. And do not forsake the law of your mother, bind them continually upon your heart, tie them around your neck. Okay, so let's jump over there and look at this. So in Proverbs 620, what does the father and the mother communicate to the son? What is mom and dad trying to do here in this verse? They're encouraging the children to do what? Obey your parents who are ideally obeying the Lord. So they're encouraging them to obey the word of God, right? And notice the balance here. It's not just know it, but it's put on your heart, be on your mind and your thoughts. Proverbs 6.20, or Proverbs 1.8, sound familiar, right? My son, hear the instructions of your father. Do not forsake the law of your mother. Proverbs 23, 22, listen to your father who begot you. Do not despise your mother when she's old. And you have this contrast, the eye that mocks his father and scorns obedience to his mother. The ravens of the valley will pick it out and the young eagles will eat it. really picture there. Jeremiah 16.4, they shall die gruesome deaths. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried, but they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be meat for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth. Remember how the end of tribulation, our end of the millennial kingdom, our end of tribulation ends, right? The birds come in and eat all that after the war of Armageddon. Jeremiah 16 12, and you've done worse than your fathers. For behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one will listen to me. And remember in the various kings, this king was worse than his father. It just kept getting worse and worse and worse. All right, so the father's command and the mother the law. And I got myself ahead again. All right, so let's jump ahead. Some key words here keep that's the word not sir. It's a command watch over to guard So there's a diligence here. There's a vigilance Command biblical commands to avoid and avoid sin behavior. What do you do? Don't forsake another command Don't reject don't abandon Don't leave in the ground unfollowed. That's another way the law that's the word Torah where we get it wisdom and guidance from God's Word the mind how you think and then bind and is a command, place upon, fasten upon, join two objects by a string or rope. So you can see kind of the action. So you got the full mind involved, the heart, as well as the body. And then the word tie, a command, not merely the sense of adorn, like wearing jewelry, but to fasten one's object to another by means of a tie or a clasp. So today people wear little pins to kind of say, I stand for this. That's probably the closest modern example I have to this. It's figurative language. And notice both of these are connected to the mind and the heart. And so you can see even here, Solomon and the Proverbs, this is not meant to be just external. This is to be meditating, to think, to be always reexamining. Proverbs 6.22, when you roam, they will lead you. When you sleep, they will keep you. And when you awake, they will speak with you. You can just see the wonderful aspect of truth. And it shows you how the word of God can be active in your life. Pretty amazing. All right. Proverbs 6.22, what are the son's three activities and the three activities of the word based on this passage? All right. So you can see roam, not in the sense of city, but roaming, and leading. Okay, this is verse 22. What's the next one? What are the next two, if you had to guess? Sleep and keep, right? So you can sleep and you can keep. This is how we have a good night's sleep. Our conscience is clear and we can rest. And then when you're awake, they will speak with you. The idea is that the word is so much in you that even as you're going through life, the verses are coming to mind. They're helping you think biblically about the situation. And so look at this interesting pattern. You roam, you sleep, you're awake. That pretty much covers all life, doesn't it? Look at this verb progression. It leads, it keeps, and it speaks. And it just goes round and round like that. It's a beautiful picture, isn't it, of how the word, when it's active in your life, it shapes you and changes you and grows you. And that will spill over to others. Ever heard this one? Remember that commercial? Don't leave home without it. But someone changed it. Heavenly word, heavenly word. It's some silly stuff there. Okay. All right. So, check to correct. That's the idea. That's what the word is for. We check it to, we look at it, we hear it, and it's there to correct our lives. Make those minor course corrections. Second Timothy 4.2, preach the word, be ready in season, out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching. That's the idea. And implication, the word of God is your 24-7 support line, 1-800-CALL-GOD. Don't call, you will get a salesperson. In case you call that number, just don't actually call that real number. You will get a salesperson. All right. Check to correct, we got that there. So again, look at these metaphors, these names for God. So commandment is described as a lamp, bringing that light into our life. The law is described as a light, getting more specific. And then reproofs of instructions is the way of life. And so it builds a wonderful bridge, this metaphor that Solomon is building up. Now, Psalm 119, 105, we know this verse, right? Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Beautiful picture. And by the way, these are what some old lamps look like in the olden days. No more batteries and flashlights, right? LED lights. They would put oil in there, and then they'd put a little wick. And then they'd light the wick, and that wick would get the oil. And so they would just keep pouring more oil in, and so forth. That one you see at the right, you could have a wick on each one of those little nodules. So it would be a pretty bright lamp. So you get the idea. Also very dangerous, right? Actually, I don't know if you know this, but true olive oil, if it's properly made, can't light on fire. Which is really cool. So you can have a wick. The wick will light. But if the wick were to go in the olive oil, it would quench it. It wouldn't actually start a fire. Versus like kerosene, right? You go camping with that, you run the risk. So I don't know if you knew that, but that's a pretty cool thing. That oil's got to be heated. Yeah, it had to be really, really hot, I think. But that flame is not enough to light it on fire, which is pretty cool. All right, going forward here. Let's see, so way of life, yeah, the path to eternal life includes correction in this life. Proverbs 10, 17, Hugh keeps instruction in this way of life, but he refuses, correction goes astray. Proverbs 15, 24, the way of life winds upward for the wise that he may turn away from hell below. Jeremiah 21 8 now you shall say to this people thus says the Lord behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death and The implication is the world is dark, right? Without the lamps light one could not be able to find their way And that's what we are, right? We're salt and light so they can taste and see. And sometimes just a word of encouragement or a biblical truth may just be the very thing that someone just makes enough tweak in their direction that they don't end up in a worse place. So here we go. Proverbs 22, six, train up a child in the way he should go. And when he is old, he will not depart from it. Now remember that's a proverb is a principle, not a promise. Now, Christ's connection, Christ is light and wisdom. This is such an important transition. Here's the scriptures and Old Testament preparing us for light and wisdom, and then Christ comes. Now, remember in John 8, 12? Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. What a great truth. 1 Corinthians 1.26 For you see your calling, brethren, that many, not many wise, according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. That's us. We're not any of those things. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. And the base things of the world and the things which are despised, God has chosen. And the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. That as it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the Lord. We were sharing a song yesterday, and now I'm drawing a blank on the name of the song. Praise the Lord, I think it was? Yeah, Praise the Lord. I think that was the one. And what's so fascinating about it was the lady who wrote it, The musician who wrote the music and the pastor who connected them, they're all nobodies. And yet now it's become this amazing hymn that we love to sing. And I think that reflects a lot of how God works, those who are humble. Who knows what little effort you're making could make a huge difference. All right, so the hinge verse is right here in verse 24. To keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of the seductress. There's that word keeps, shomer, to guards one life, Proverbs 6.22. So we're making this transition now into these immoral relationships. Now remember the theme here, the difference. Proverbs 5 primarily comes from the perspective of a married man and the temptation of infidelity. Proverbs 6, 24 through 35 is about the single man and the temptation of sexual morality. Certainly both apply, but you can see the different emphasis there. So flattering and seductress, that's the kind of speech that entices and deceives. Implication, contrast the seductress speech with the speech of dad and mom. Don't miss that little theme going on. And you can see the two different paths and motives, light versus darkness, light versus death, obedience versus disobedience, and love versus lust. How many times have you seen those sitcom high school ones where, you know, the pretty girls go to the geek and they say nice things and, you know, it's all just to set them up to make them a fool. You know, you see those kind of things. Application. You and I face this choice every day between the word and the world. Who do we listen to? And so the Proverbs comes on. The next one, verse 25. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. Now, there's a couple of primary descriptions here. And you got this description, evil woman, and you have the warning, don't lust after the evil woman. And then you have the seductress, not let her allure you. So you can see the reinforcement and the parallelism. The do not lust, all right, is a command. Same word from Exodus, 2017, in the 10th commandment. You shall not covet your neighbor's house, nor shall you covet your neighbor's wife. Same Hebrew word there. Nor is male servant, female servant, ox, donkey, or anything your neighbor's. And it says, nor let or allure you. Again, another command, to seize and capture you. Beauty afar. And, you know, we just, the internet is full of this. All this. Beauty afar. Look at this. We know this from David, 2 Samuel 11, 2. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed, walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof, he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. And from there, it was all declined for David. 1st Kings 15 for nevertheless for David's sake the Lord is God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by setting up his son after him and establishing Jerusalem Because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not turned aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life Except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. Oh What a unfortunate situation right David did everything right except this which helps us understand David a little bit more. It brings a sense of humanity to him, but also the dangers, the warning for each of us. You can do everything right, but still have that one indiscretion, and everything is lost. Almost everything, I should say. The eyelids, this is near. Proverbs, because in order to see the eyelid, right, you gotta be very close, the eyelashes. Proverbs 6.25, do not lust after a beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. for by means of a harlot a man reduced to a crust of bread and adulterous will prey upon his precious life." Now listen to this. Here's some Egyptian wisdom from the secular world back then. Beware of a woman who is a stranger, one not known in her town. Don't stare at her when she goes by. Do not know her carnally. A deep water whose course is unknown. Such is a woman away from her husband. I am pretty, she tells you daily. When she has no witnesses, she is ready to ensnare you. A great deadly crime when it is heard. Does that shock you? They hear that like the Egyptians, the lost people, they understood this too. God has written these truths on our hearts. Quite shocking, I find it interesting, isn't it? All right, we're starting to get close to the end here. Proverbs 6.26, for by means of a harlot, a man is reduced to a crust of bread, and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. In Proverbs 6.26, we see these two types of sexually immoral women are mentioned. We see the harlot and the adulteress, two different types. The harlot and the adulteress, a general term for women. So the context and the parallelism implies a woman who is sexually immoral. That's the idea. Leviticus 19.29, you can see this. Do not prostitute your daughter to cause her to be a harlot. Let not the land fall into harlotry and the land become full of wickedness. And this is not the only time that death is connected to adultery. Proverbs 2.18, for her adulterous house leads down the death and her paths to the dead. None who go to her return, nor do they regain the path of life. And you can see a few more passages here. Just look at these warnings. Proverbs 5, 5. Proverbs 9, 13. She is simple and knows nothing, for she sits at the door of her house, on the seat by the highest places of the city, to call those who pass by, who go straight on their way. Whoever is simple, let him turn in there. And as far for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten is secret and is pleasant. This is the thrill of that people get when they know they're doing something wrong and they do it anyway. But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are all in the depths of hell. Proverbs 23, 27, for a harlot is a deep pit and a seductress is a narrow well. She also lies in wait for a victim and increases the unfaithful among men. And last one, Solomon, and I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are fetters, chains. He who pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be trapped by her. Wow, pretty intense. You can see that this was a real problem in the Old Testament, and it's a problem today. It goes on to say a question, can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? What's the obvious answer? No way. If you play with fire, you'll get burned. By the way, the language here is kind of neat in Hebrew. The word for fire is esh and a woman is ishah. So they've got the very similar playing words there. Question number two, can one walk on hot coals And his feet not be seared. Now, if you actually want to know how those guys do it, right before they get on the fire, they put water or moisture on their feet. And they get a little bit of ash on their feet as a little layer. And that's how they're able to walk on the coals. But if you didn't have that and you walked on the coals, you'll be burnt. So that's the trick. Now you know how they do it. So hopefully, if you ever find yourself walking coals, you know what to do. And it's coals, not ash or wood, which is a little bit different. Actually, do I have a video? I thought I had a video on this, but maybe not. Let's see. Proverbs 6.20. Yeah, let me go here. I thought I had a video, but I guess not. Okay, 629, but before I jump there, the implication, fire in this passage is describing the painful consequences of this sin through an earthly analogy, but one cannot ignore the internal repercussions as well. Listen to Revelation 21.8, but the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable murderers, sexual immorals, sorcerers, idolaters, all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. But there is hope and forgiveness in life. And I love this. Do you not know that unrighteousness will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. And it goes through the list. Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God. Whatever you have done, it's now washed away. God has forgiven you. We may live with those memories, but understand this, God doesn't see that in our life anymore. And there's consequences, right? Proverbs 629, so he who goes into his neighbor's wife, whoever touches her, shall not be innocent. Touches can any range from merely handling to something violent. But it is a euphemism for physical intimacy. And not be innocent, be punished. Here's another one. Consideration number three, people do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he's starving. Yet when he's found, he must restore sevenfold. And that's the idea here, is there's really no excuse. And it goes on, he may have to give up all the substance of his house. And one little point here where it says he has to pay sevenfold, that's using figurative language. In the scriptures, in the law, stealing sheep would be fourfold. So this is a poetic way of saying full consequences, whatever it may be. So it's not a contradiction. Some people have tried to say that, it's not. All right. What's that? Oh, sorry. Proverbs 6.32. What's that? Yeah. Yeah. And in the law, we actually covered this yesterday. Uh, there's always a little price on top of that, uh, as a reminder, uh, to make sure you don't do it again. Proverbs 6 32 ever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding. He who does so destroys his own soul. Uh, here we see the corruption of the mind and insight into the future judgment. And next week Proverbs 7 7 will read this and I saw him on the simple I proceed them on the youth a young man devoid of understanding Passing along the street near her corner and he took the path to her house in the twilight in the evening in The black and the dark night and there a woman met him with the attire of a harlot and a crafty heart Jeremiah 5 8 they were like well-fed lusty stallions everyone made at his neighbor's wife So right before Babylon came in, you could see that the nation was filled with adultery. And of course, Romans 1, 22 through 30 shows that downward spiral of sin. All right, we got a few minutes left, so I'm just gonna wrap up just so we got a clean break here. Proverbs 6, 33, wounds, affliction, and dishonor, shame he will get, and his reproach, disgrace, will not be wiped away. For jealousy is a husband's fury, wrath, heat, anger, rage. Therefore, he will not spare no compassion in the day of vengeance. That's his revenge. And verse 35, he'll accept no recompense, no bribery, no atonement be made to avoid the penalty, nor will he be appeased, yield, though you give him many gifts. The consequences are real and because it violates the most innermost part of the relationship in the person. And so this whole passive reveals the emotional, the intellectual, and the physical response of the husband or the spouse, because it could go both ways, right? It leaves the reader with the question, is there a limit to the reaction, right? Is there no end to this person's fury? And the answer to the question is no. At the end of the day, I'll wrap up with this. There's a principle we can derive from this text, even when we're not engaged in this specific sin. Unrestrained lust unleashes unrestrained consequences. This is the key that we have to remember. This is just a summary of the passages. Clothes get burned. The feet are seared. You're found guilty. You're going to give it all up. You're going to destroy your own soul. You're going to have dishonor, reproach, and you're going to have vengeance. This is the consequences of, in this case, adultery, but it can also be other sins as well. No appeasement. So we have to guard, right? That's why we walk in humility. That's why Christ, when he says we must deny ourselves, carry our cross, and follow Christ. When we're doing that daily, we can keep ourselves from going too far. Any thoughts? I know I kind of rushed it a little bit at the end, but I wanted to get a clean break on Proverbs 7. It's a tough passage, and you may know people at your workplace or whatever who may share some intimate details of their life. Be wise how you handle that, and give them the gospel if you have opportunity to. Let me go ahead and close in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for this passage, this truth. It is disheartening, and we know many families have been split up because of this sin. Help us to be holy and undefiled. Protect our marriages, Father, and guard us from the internet and other things that will come into our relationships. And Father, we know this is just a picture of a more spiritual truth, and that is committing spiritual adultery by forsaking you like Israel did. We thank you that we are saved, we are secure, that we are your bride, and help us to be holy and to be unstained and not to have a wrinkle, and to be in such a way prepared to meet you through our obedience to your word and love. In Christ's name we pray, amen.