Address—G. Hayhoe
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So say #230.
Found a friend, all such a friend. He loved me ere I knew him. He drew me with the cords of love, and thus he bound me to him, and round my heart still closely twine those ties which not can sever, for I am his, and he is mine forever and forever 230.
I found a friend.
Of such a friend.
They loved me and I knew Helen.
Hey, girl.
I'll stay by.
Still safe on.
Those guys. So it's not cancel.
All I am.
Oh my God.
I.
Love you.
My heart, my strength.
My life, my all.
I found that brand of.
My friend.
Our to hell.
Eternal.
Glorious play, my love.
Honor my faith.
In there.
So now.
I'm laughing around.
Forever.
I found a friend.
00:05:43
Our eyes are.
Shall I?
Fall down.
Or hell.
No.
I am.
Here for.
I'd like to turn tonight to the 8th chapter of Proverbs.
Problems Chapter 8.
Does not wisdom cry, and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of the high places, by the way, in the places of the paths, she crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors unto you, old man, I call.
And my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple understand wisdom, and G fools, be of an understanding heart here. For I will speak of excellent things. In the opening of my lips shall be right things, for my mouth shall speak truth, And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing forward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth and write to them that find knowledge.
Receive my instructions and not silver and knowledge rather than choice gold.
For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that may be desired or not to be compared to it. I, wisdom, dwell with prudence and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance. See in the evil way and the forward mouth do I hate.
Council is mine and sound wisdom I am understanding. I have strength by me King's reign. Princess decree justice. By me prince's rule and nobles even all the judges of the earth. I love them. That love me and those that seek me early Shall find me rich. Is an honor with me. Yeah. Durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold. Yeah, than fine gold.
My revenue, the choice silver I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the path of judgment, that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, and I will fill their treasures. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning or ever the earth was, when there wasn't were no depths. I was brought forth when there were no fountains abounding with water before the mountains were settled.
For the hills was I brought forth, while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
When He prepared the heavens, I was there. When He set a compass upon the face of the beep death. When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the beef. When He gave to the sea his decree that the waters should not pass His commandment. When He appointed the foundations of the earth. Then I was by Him as one brought up with Him, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth.
And my delights were with the sons of man.
Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children, for blessed are they that keep my ways, hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the pulse of my doors. For whoso findeth me, findeth light, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrong his own soul, all they that hate me.
00:10:21
Lock down.
Well, I am sure that most of us are acquainted with the book of Proverbs. We don't find in it the way of salvation. But the book of Proverbs brings before us wisdom for our pathway here in this world. And it's very important for us because young folks go to school to get wisdom, to get along the education they need to get along in this world. But, you know, in the word of God, we find not so much the education that's necessary.
To get along and make our living here in this world, but to mark out for ourselves through the wisdom of God, a safe and happy path through this world. And every time I look over a group of young people, I wonder what is ahead of them in life if the Lord leads us here. Only the Lord can bring blessing and true happiness into your life, dear young folks. He is the only one that can. But you know our natural tendency is.
To try and choose our own way. To mark out our own course. To plan our own lives.
But it says in Proverbs the third chapter, in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path. And if you and I try to find a happiness for ourselves by our own wisdom, we may plunge ourselves into a great deal of sorrow and trouble. But if we would hearken to the wisdom of God's Word, if we would listen to the voice of God through his word, we would find that it not only tells us the way of salvation.
That God in His word has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. He's given us everything that we need for our pathway here, Know if we would just turn to Him, we would find that there is something in this book for every step of the way, as it tells us in the end of this chapter, Waiting.
Watching daily at my gates, waiting at the pulse of my door.
That is, before you take a step to ask God to give you wisdom for your path, Is he interested in the kind of education that you need? Is he interested in the line of work that you follow in life? Is he interested in the place where you live? Indeed he is. He's interested in everything in your life. It says in Romans 8 he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all.
How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? And if God loved you and I enough to give his Son to die for us, He's surely interested in our happiness. He's surely interested in our blessing. And it's the greatest mistake of all to think that after we get saved, and that we must just choose our own way and follow our own wisdom, if I could only impress it upon each one of you.
And upon my own heart as well the importance of turning to the Lord for every step of the pathway.
We make trouble for ourselves, as it gives us in the end of this chapter he that sinneth against me wrong.
You say I did a lot of harm to the other person. Well, perhaps so. But who did you harm the most when you went the wrong way? He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. Yes, our own souls. We're the ones that we do the most harm to when we walk in disobedience to the word of God.
When we chose the path of our own, that is in direct opposition to that which God has revealed in His precious word. And so I'd like to say, dear young people, not only the importance of salvation, but the importance of acquainting yourselves with God's revealed mind through His Word. Of course, before you can understand this book, you must be saved. Perhaps there are some who come in here and you're not saved. If so, I know that this book is a sealed book to you.
Says the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.
Neither can he know them, for they are foolishness unto him because they are spiritually discerned. We don't expect unsaved people to understand this book. It tells us in Isaiah that it's like a book that's delivered to a man that's learned saying read this, I pray thee. And the learned man says I can't. It's sealed. So it's delivered to a man that's unlearned, asking him to read it. And he says I'm not learned. I used to think of that often when I was employed by.
00:15:21
Company in Ottawa. We had some fairly well educated people in the office.
And then there were quite a number of employees doing flavors work who didn't have much education. When I tried to talk to them in the office about the Bible, they'd say, oh, nobody can understand the Bible, nobody can understand that book. It's too difficult. Then when I go out and talk to some of the men out in the shop, we're doing laborers work, they always say, well, I'm not well educated, I can't understand it because I haven't got an education. So if it's an uneducated man, he says I'm not educated so I can't understand it. If it's given the one who is educated, he says, oh, it's a sealed book.
Well, how are we going to understand it then? All God has made the way of salvation.
So simple that even the youngest can understand. It doesn't take any special amount of wisdom to understand the simple way of salvation. The Lord Jesus said, except you be converted and become as little children, He shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of God. And many of us who are saved can remember how we stumbled at the very simplicity of the gospel. It just seems so simple that we didn't believe it could be that easy.
And so for a long time, we didn't have peace with God because we were trying to make something difficult out of salvation.
Oh, there's nothing difficult about it. There are about two things, and that is the disease and the remedy. The disease is sin, and the remedy is the precious blood of Christ. It's very simple, isn't it?
If a doctor's called in and he knows what the disease is, and he knows what the remedy for the disease is, it's all very simple. Well, the Great Physician, the Lord Jesus, has told us what the disease is. It's sin. All have sinned.
Can come short of the glory of God, every boy, every girl, every man, every woman.
Has been afflicted with this awful disease of sin, sin before God. It's brought all of misery in this world. And God has declared that sin is not going to enter heaven. He's not going to allow one sin there, one sin spoil this world. And so he's not going to let one sin into heaven. Well, what has he done for us so that our sins could be put away? All this is lovely. He's undertaken the whole thing himself. He's undertaken the whole thing. The doctor might tell you that there's a certain remedy, but it costs so much.
You might hang your head and say, but I'm too poor to buy. But God has not only provided the remedy, but he offers it free. He offers it without money and without price, because the Lord Jesus paid the price in full. And I love to say this, that God has settled sin not according to our knowledge of sin, but according to his own perfect knowledge. By that I mean.
Supposing that you had to confess all your sins to get the mall forgiven, do you think you could remember the mall? Well, I couldn't remember all the sins that I've committed. If God told me that I had to confess them all before I could be saved, I'd go down into a lost eternity because I couldn't remember them all. And more than that, I'm sure that even some of the things that perhaps I didn't think were sin, they are sin in the presence of God, who's so holy that he can't even look upon them.
And so you see, if it depended on us at all, it was sure, it would be surely just too bad because we couldn't tell all the sins that we have committed. But all the good news is this, that God himself, who knew all about me, who knew everyone of my sins from first to last, was the one who put my sins on Jesus. It says the Lord.
Hath laid on him.
The iniquity of us all is not lovely. The Lord, it was not me that put them there, It was God himself who put my sins upon Jesus.
And now what he asked me to do is to come and acknowledge that I am a lost guilty Sinner and believe what he has done to put away sin, just like the Israelite back in Egypt. He doesn't have to be good. He merely had to believe the provision that God had made for him and put the blood on the lentil and the side pulse. And God said, when I see the blood, I will Passover you. So before I go any farther, if there's anyone who's unsaved.
00:20:24
The Bible is so difficult for me, I can't understand it.
That's the important thing for you tonight is to be saved, the important thing for you to come, just as you are in all your sins. Tell God that you acknowledge that you're nothing but a lost guilty Sinner deserving the judgment, and thank him that he sent his son and put your sins upon him and you'll be safe.
But he said all more than that. God will give you a new life. You'll put inside that body of yours a new life. For unless he gave us a new life, we never understand his book. That's why that's the greatest proof that this is God's word. Because when a man writes a book, other men can understand it. That God has written the book that we can't understand unless he gives us the very life of the writer. We receive the very life.
And nature of God himself. And then we can understand it says, what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man that is in him.
Even so, the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the Spirit which is of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. And there are two wonderful things take place. When you accept Christ as your Savior, your sins are all put away, washed away in the precious blood of Christ, and God gives you a new life. The Holy Spirit of God comes to indwell you.
So that you have the power to be able to understand his precious word.
And so before I go any farther, I want to say how important it is that you should accept the Lord Jesus as your savior and receive this new life. And then this book, God's precious Word, will become food to your soul, and the Spirit of God will open up this precious book to you. But you know, God doesn't give us understand everything the first day we're saved. It says in Psalm 119 and 105.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. What is a lamp your feet for? Just light for one step. Just light for one step. Isn't that lovely? You know, just like when you're driving your car along the road. Supposing we started out tonight to come down to this meeting. Supposing I said, oh, I won't get in this car. These lights will never shine for 10 miles down to Sylvester Ave.
But they did. Why? Well, we kept going. And as we kept going, the light kept ahead of us, and it was always ahead of us all the way. Well, that's the way God does. And when God gives you light for one step, take that step and you'll have more. If we just stop halfway down and said, well, we won't go any farther and we'll see if the light will go all the way to Sylvester Ave. No, it wouldn't. The light would have stopped too. But when we kept going, the light kept ahead of us.
Thy word is a lamp under my feet.
And a light under my path. And so, dear young Christian, if God gives you light for one step in your life, you take that step and then He'll give you light for the next one. It's a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. How wonderful it is that God opens up His word, and day by day in our pathway here, just like the children of Israel, it says He took not away the pillar of cloud by night, nor the pillar of fire by day in all their journeys.
And when they left Egypt, there was that pillar of cloud over them. And as they moved along through the wilderness, the cloud was there giving them light. And so that's the way it is with God's word. And that's also the importance of reading the word, reading it. Because, you know, the Spirit of God is the remembrance, is the remembrance there to bring things to our remembrance. But how can he bring things to our remembrance if we don't read them, if we neglect reading His word?
If we hustle into bed at night without reading his words and we don't come to the prayer meeting.
We don't come to the Bible reading. We don't come to the regular meetings. Well, we're neglecting His precious word. And so if the Spirit of God is going to bring things to our remembrance, we must first of all read them. We must become acquainted with them.
00:25:10
Well now my thought in reading this chapter was, and to show how that in the path of wisdom there's all that we need for our pathway. So it says here, doth not wisdom cry and understanding put forth, or voice. She standeth in the top of the high places, by a way in the places of the paths she crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in, at the doors.
I might say that in the first 7 chapters of Proverbs we have the father instructing his boy. You know, God intends that we as parents should instruct our children. And through the chapters before, up to the end of the 7th chapter, you'll notice that each one of them begins with my son, or here my son the instruction of a father, and so on through each one of the chapters except.
First one. It begins in that way.
In the 4th chapter it says, hear ye children, the instruction of a father. But each one of the others begins with my son, except the 1St. And so you see that it's always a father instructing his children. And so may I say to those who are parents, how important it is that we should bring the word of God before our children. God told his people, Israel, that they were to speak of these things when they walked by the way, when they sat down, and when they rose up.
Do we have a Bible reading with our family? Do we seek to instruct them?
Should set those whole 7 chapters give us a parent talking to his boy. But now we come to the 7th chapter and to me it's a picture like this, As though in my mind I see that child that has been listening to his father talking. The time comes when he walks out of the house and he goes to the city. That is in a figurative way, he's no longer under the parental roof. He's no longer within the voice of his father.
But now he goes out, and as it were, he meets the world. And now here, it's not so much the voice of the father speaking to his children, but it's the voice of wisdom. That's not wisdom. Cry an understanding. Put forth her voice, just as if here's the person, perhaps just entered his or her teens and sort of feels, well, I'm not a child anymore. I'm in my teens now.
And so he or she walks out of the home, walks and starts into the city, goes to the to the gates, perhaps the high school or something, and now feels a little bit beyond just listening to everything that father and mother says. But there's another voice that cries, wisdom, cries Who is wisdom? Well, we find when we come to the end of this chapter that wisdom is personified in the Lord Jesus himself.
It says He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. And so you've listened to your father and mother. They've told you these things. But then as you leave home, that voice still follows you. That voice of wisdom, Lord himself has his eye upon you, and he sees you. He knows the dangers that are ahead of you, but you don't. Young folks don't know the dangers that are ahead of them. None of us do.
But God does. The Lord knows.
And so he cries, just as if you were walking down the street and someone comes shouting after you says watch out, be careful. And so wisdom cries and sees this young person starting out. And he says, my voice is to the sons of man, oh ye simple, understand wisdom. Well, there's nothing that a young person, when he enters his teens, likes and dislikes more than to be called simple.
But why does it say this always simple. Well, because no matter how much we may know about the things of this world, we don't know anything about the things of God. We don't know anything about the past that is pleasing to him. Unless we get the wisdom from this blessed book. Dear young people, you'll never learn it in the school books. They'll never learn it on television. They'll never learn it on the radio by listening to the wisdom of man. But in this blessed book.
00:30:02
You'll find the wisdom of God.
And her mind may be ever so wise in the things of this world.
They may be able to answer a great many questions as to the wisdom of this world and be absolutely simple when it comes to the things of God. It's surprising how wise people know so very little about this wonderful book.
I expect there are people right in the city of Detroit that have degrees from universities that couldn't quote one verse out of the Bible correctly. Not even one. Not one verse out of God's Word. Are they wise? Well, they are as far as this world is concerned, but before God. They're simple. They're simple.
If I told you that I knew a great deal about dentistry and I couldn't tell you one thing about it when you asked me, you'd say, well, talks a lot but doesn't know very much. And so how important it is that we should listen to the wisdom of God and you'll find it in this book all ye simple understand wisdom, God's wisdom, this blessed book that tells us what we are as sinners.
Tells us the remedy tells us about all God has purposed and planned for us. More than this, it tells us what's ahead for this world. The wise man of earth don't know what's ahead for us.
Christians who read their Bibles do.
Yes, Christians will read their Bibles and all what's ahead for this world.
And they're not surprised that things they see taking place, because God has forewarned us in His word.
The Lord Jesus said to his disciples, I have not called you servants, but I have called you friends. Why did he call us friends? He said. All things that I've heard of my father, I've known, I've made known unto you. Isn't that wonderful that he should be so interested in us that he should tell us all that's in the purpose and counsels of God? Yes, he calls his own friends. What a wonderful thing.
To be the Lord, to have the Lord himself call you a friend, he sang the little hymn. I found a friend, all such a friend. He loved me ere I knew him. That blessed One who died for you wants to instruct you in the pathway of blessing and happiness through this world.
So it tells us here in the eighth verse, all the words in my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing forward or perverse in them.
Yes. What you find in God's blessed book are excellent things. They're in righteousness. There is nothing forward or perverse and it's not raised. It's not difficult, it's simple. If we're willing to walk in it, we make the difficulties ourselves because we're unwilling to walk in it. You know when we don't want to do something, we'll start and argue against it. I remember one time I was talking to the children in Sunday school and I said.
We're speaking about that.
Passage in Luke, where it says they all, with one consent, began to make excuse.
And I said to the children, what is an excuse?
One little boy put up his hand. He said it's what you say when you don't want to do something. Well, I thought that was a good answer. You don't want to do it, so you make an excuse. But the real thing is that you didn't want to do it. And why is it that we make difficulties out of the Bible?
Why is it that Christians often say, well, I don't understand what that means? Well, many times it's because we just don't want to do it. We know that if we do it, why? It's going to cost us something. Perhaps we'll be laughed at and despised by our friends. Perhaps they'll call us foolish. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, and the world looks upon the Christian as being foolish. And so.
Tells us here that there's nothing pro or perverse in them. They're all playing to him that understand the word of God is plain. It's been written all for willing hearts. Did you ever get down on your knees and ask the Lord to direct you in your pathway? And if you didn't understand some verse, did you start and argue about it, or did you say, Lord, teach me, I want to do thy will?
Says in John if any man will do his will.
00:35:03
He shall know the doctrine.
If any man will do his will, do you want to do it? It doesn't say if any man will know his will. I've heard many people say, well, I'd really like to know. Doesn't say that though, does it says if any man will do his will. Sometimes we like to know this for head knowledge. There's quite another thing to want to know so that we can do it, so that we can act in obedience to it. And if you and I want to know God's mind about any matter and we turn to him.
With submissive hearts, he'll certainly make His will known to us. They're all plain to Him that understand it and write to them that find knowledge.
Receive my instruction and not silver. This is something better than wealth. To have the wisdom of God's Word for our pathways, better than all the wealth in the world. Money doesn't bring happiness, never has, never will.
The best definition that was ever given for it is this, that money is a universal passport to every place but heaven, and a purchaser of everything that happened.
You can get most any place in this world if you have enough money, and you can buy almost anything in this world but happiness if you have enough money.
But money doesn't buy happiness, and it won't get you to heaven. Or will money get you into the path of wisdom?
While often one who doesn't have much of this world of goods has found the path of wisdom, Paul gave up the things of this world, but he had the wisdom of God for his pathway when he stood before King Agrippa. King Agrippa came into the courtroom with great pomp and ceremony.
Paul stood before him and held up his hand with the chains hanging down both hands, and he said, I think myself Happy King Agrippa.
Before he was done talking, the king said, Why almost thou persuadeth me to be a Christian?
He said I would to God that not only thou, but all of hear me this day, for both almost and altogether such as I am.
Accept these vaults.
I wish came abruptly. You had the happiness I have right in here. I wish you had it. I don't wish that you had this chain in your hand, but I do wish you had the happiness that I have found in Christ. All money doesn't bring happiness, but Christ can. He can fill and satisfy the heart. Receive my instruction and not silver and knowledge rather than choice. Gold.
In other words, perhaps you're going to school. Perhaps you're getting a good education.
Are you robbing your soul to get it?
I am so diligent in all studies that you're robbing your soul. It's not worth it. Dear young person, it's not worth it. I'm not speaking against your getting an education, but I do say that if that education is robbing you of getting the knowledge of God's Word, why it's a poor exchange.
Receive my instruction and not silver and knowledge rather than choice gold.
One often feels like this as I watch the dear young people growing up. In this age, they're better educated than they ever were before. Young people are growing up with fine opportunities to get good educations. But what I often feel sad about is how little they know about the true wisdom, how little they know about this blessed book.
They're getting their education, and as soon as they've got it, immediately they starting to use it and to get something of this world's goods. And often to the neglect of this precious book, the neglect of these precious book, All dear young people, don't put your education before the Bible, don't put it before this blessed book. It's wonderful to get a knowledge of this book. And I'll tell you this too. That's a lot easier to learn it when you're young than when you're older.
How often older people have said, oh, I wish that I.
Could I wish that I could remember the things that I've read, but I can't. I just can't. I I read them, but I don't remember them. There was a time when they could remember things. There was a time when their memory was fresh and keen. But what are we doing with our memory when it's fresh and keen? Are we using it to store it? Is that precious word of God. I can tell you tonight that whatever little knowledge I may have of God's precious word.
00:40:06
I received probably the greater part of it when I was quite a young man.
Quite a young man, yes. The only time that you can really take things in and remember them is when you're younger. That's the most receptive age of your life.
This is better than fine gold. This is the true richest.
Her wisdom is better than Ruby's and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. I wisdom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge of witty inventions. This is a very good verse for us. I wisdom dwell with prudence. That is if you know God's word why it gives you wisdom for the situations that arise in life.
There's a lot of situations that arise in life. You'll find it more as you go on through life. There's difficult situations and all. How often When we come to these difficult situations, we say, oh, what should I do? And I believe if we had the knowledge of God's Word, we'd more often know what we should do.
We know what we should do for wisdom we get from this book, but prudence is knowing how to put these things together.
And work them out in a practical way. And so wisdom dwells with prudence and knowing how to choose a prudent path, A wise path through this world is the result of having a knowledge of God's precious word. Have you got a knowledge of God's Word? He is seeking to read the Word so that you would have this, this knowledge that when the difficulties come that you won't just have to run to your Bible and flip it open and hope that you'll open at the right page.
So that you'll get a little bit of light. Well, God sometimes does come in and let U.S. Open our Bible at the place and get a verse that gives us light and instruction. We can thank him that he often does hear our cry, but that isn't the way he wants to guide us. It says I will guide thee with mine eye. That is, we need to be close to a person. We need to know the person to be guided by his eyes.
Somebody, I'm sure we've all done this. We know somebody well, and there's a remark made. Did you ever look at your friend's eye? Just watch your your friends eye. And you knew just exactly what your friend thought about the remark by just watching his eye. It would do something in his eye that made, you know, whether he agreed or disagreed or just what he thought of it. But you have to know the person well to be able to read that in the person's eye. Well, you and I need to get close to the Lord.
Walk in his company so that we can look up, as it were, into his very eyes and he'll guide us that way. He doesn't want to use the the bitten bridle. We've all seen the bitten bridle and the horses mouth and the horses turn this way or that way by that thing that's in his mouth is not very pleasant. The Lord doesn't want us to guide us that way, he says. Keep close to me and I'll guide you with mine eye.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.
Pride and arrogance and evil way in the forward mouth. Do I hate all dear young people? This is a day when we need to remember this. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.
We're not to hate people. We're to love people. We're to love the worst Sinner on earth, that he might be saved but. Or to hate evil, Hate evil. If you see something bad or you hear something bad, hate it. Hate it. If there's some magazine and somebody asks you to read this story and you know it's a bad one, hate the story. Hate it. Not only just put it aside, but hate it.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. And if you don't hate evil, first thing you know you'll be found reading these things and they'll affect you. And many things that you read when you're young you may never be able to forget. Isn't it a funny thing about us that the good things of God's word we find it hard to remember that some of the bad things that we heard in our life we never seem to be able to forget?
They just seem to stick with us. I remember visiting a dear old man over in the east and he was past 80 years old. He told me he was saved when he was in his 30s and he said here I am retired and he said I have to spend a lot of my time alone. And he said a lot of the things that I said and did when I was a young man keep coming back into my mind always said I know the Lord's forgiven them.
00:45:26
I know that he has saved me, but all he said that I wish I could forget them. Well, he didn't hate evil when he was a young man and all those bad seeds got sown in his mind. Oh dear young people, be careful of things you read. Don't read the trash of this world. Don't watch those things that come across the air on television that will defile your mind and be a snare to you for the rest of your life. Be careful. Those pictures are photographed in your mind for life.
They will be there till the day of your death. Be careful what you allow to get photographed on your mind. Your mind is just like a great depository of all the things that you see in here. And that's why it says, it says avoid it, pass, not buy it, turn from it and pass away. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil pride and arrogance and the evil way in the forward mosquito I hate.
Our natural hearts are so proud. So many of our troubles come because of wounded pride. Somebody says something and it hurts our pride. We just can't get over it. And we nurse a bad feeling. And then all it was a matter was wounded cry. God hates pride. Let's judge it when we're young. Let us learn the habit of judging pride in our lives.
When somebody says something that hurts us, let us get before the Lord and judge that spirit of pride. If we don't it'll it's liable to become part of our disposition until we carry it all through life. There's some people that as the worldly expression is they carry a chip on their shoulders all their lives, never judge pride, and they're just so proud that anything that reflects on self just.
They're so, so hateful to them that they just can't seem to get over it. Dear young people, God hates pride. Let us learn to judge it. Let us form the habit of judging these things in our youth. For if we're growing in the things of God, we think less of self and more of Christ day by day.
Less himself and more of Christ. There's nothing good in self to think about. It was so bad that God himself didn't attempt to improve it.
He condemned it. It was so bad that it said God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemn sin in the flesh. God hasn't attempted to improve the old nature. He condemned it. He crucified it, and in baptism it's buried. It's put out of sight. And May God grant that we'll watch that miserable old self, that proud arrogancy of our natural hearts that gets us into so much trouble. It throws us into a rage when we can't have our own way.
It's nothing but unjust pride. Oh, May God give us grace to remember that. God hates that sort of thing. He hates it. Well, this is the path of blessing and happiness. Are you ever glad that you lost your temper and got mad because somebody hurts you? No. We're often sorry about things like that, but not glad about it. Ashamed of ourselves. But at some judge pride, that's what's at the root of it. Oh, it's a great thing to learn these things from their young, dear, young people.
It's easier to bend the tree when it's when it's a sapling. If you try to bend it when it gets older, it'll crack. So let us watch these things, the voice of wisdom.
Cries, warns us while we're young.
And it tells us here.
In the 14th verse council is mine and sound wisdom I am understanding. I have strength by me King's reign and Princess decree justice by Me prince's rule and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
All this tells us that the hearts of all men are in the Lord's hand. That's a great comfort because sometimes.
The devil might say, oh, but if you try to please the Lord and everything, life is going to be very difficult. Life is going to be very difficult and.
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You have to sort of go along with the times a little bit.
While all is in the Lord's hands, it's a lovely thing to know that the heart of your teacher in the school, the heart of your employer, the heart of all the authorities of this land.
Is in the Lord's hand.
I tell a little incident in my own life. One time there was a certain matter came up in the company where I worked. I felt I must make a faithful stand about it, and I knew that it might possibly even mean my job if I took a stand about this matter. So I prayed a lot about it. And when the office manager called me in to talk to me about it, I told him what I felt I must do because I belonged to the Lord.
And he hesitated for a minute and he said, well, he said, I guess we'll let you off this time. But he said, I don't know why I'm doing it. Well, I could have told him why. I could have told him that by me King's reign and Princess decree justice. It was the IT was the power of God that wrought in his heart and made him take a favorable attitude toward me. God can do that.
When Daniel and his three friends were in the court of the king of Babylon, Babylon.
That ungodly king Nebuchadnezzar had the power of life or death over those men. And when they wanted to please God, he could have said the whole 4 of you have to be put to death. But it says God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the Prince of the eunuchs.
God can bring you into favor with your school teacher. God can bring you into favor with your employer. God can bring you into favor with your next door neighbor. God can even bring you into favor with your brethren. The hearts of all are in his hands. And if you and I seek to please the Lord, it says if a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with them. We have a wonderful God who cares for us, who knows everything, knows it beforehand.
And not only knows it, but controls it, controls it all. Everything's in his hands and the Lord Jesus is head over all things to the Church, which is His body.
So it says.
In the 17th verse, I love them that love me and those that seek me early shall find me all. Seek him early, seek him early, seek him earnestly. In your youth, while you're young, ask the Lord to guide you step by step. Don't look a long way ahead and say, oh, but how am I going to get through this situation and that situation? Remember, it's one step at a time, just one step at a time. And if the Lord gives you light for one step tonight.
Take that step and he'll give you light for the next one.
And he'll undertake your cause. And my fruit is better than gold. Yeah, than fine gold.
And my revenues and choice, Silver, you know, the most priceless possession that you can have in life. It's to have the sense of the Lord's approval in your soul.
There are young people that go through life with the sense of the Lord's approval. In your soul is the most priceless possession you can have. I don't care how much you have of this world's goods or how little. If you don't have tonight the sense of the Lord's approval, you're not a happy Christian. But to have the sense of his approval is everything. These are the true riches. That's what gives happiness in life, and that's what will bring his reward. His well done.
At the judgment seat of Christ.
And so the 21St verse that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance in Iowa.
All their treasures. I will fill their treasures. Oh, how good he is. Now these next verses from the 22nd down to the end of the 31St, might seem to us like a little interruption in the subject that comes here. We might wonder, well, why do these verses come in just at this time in this chapter? Well, I believe the reason is this, that it's the voice of wisdom that is speaking.
I might try and instruct someone and give him wisdom. I might see a person taking a step that I thought was a foolish one and I might go and say to him, well, I think that's a very foolish thing to do, but I haven't had a lot of experience and I might make a mistake sometimes I give bad advice to people, I might make a mistake. But who is this one that's going to give us this advice? Who is this one that is giving us wisdom for our pathway?
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Oh, it's the one that made everything He made you.
He made your friend. He made me. He made the world in which we live. He made everything. And so it goes back and shows us that this one, who is personified as wisdom, is the one who is the creator of all things. And there He was present when the foundations of the earth were laid. Everything was made by him. And what was it made for?
It was made for the blessing of his creature, it says. When he laid the foundations of the earth, his delights were with the sons of man. I said to the young folks up at Otter Lake this summer, I said, you see that nice lake out in front there? I said, when God made this world, he made it and knew that right on the shore here there was going to be a group of Christian young people who would be meeting. And he made this nice shoreline and everything.
For our happiness he did. That's what it tells us. His delights were with the sons of men, and he was rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth. He made everything for your happiness. How foolish it would be if we came to the shores of Otter Lake and said, well, we don't care about his word, we're going to have a good time on this shore. And God says, I made this shore to give you a good time. And my word tells you how you can have a nice time.
My word tells you how. Isn't that so? And if you and I want to have a nice time in this world, dear young people, how foolish to look out on all the good things God's made and say well, but I'm not going to accept his word. I'll put that aside. I'm going to have a good time without that book.
Follow on who is wisdom. The one who made all these things was His delights were with the sons of man.
He was thinking of you and I, and planned it all for our happiness and for our joy. Oh, how foolish to disobey him, Oh, how foolish to turn our backs upon the wisdom of God's precious Word. That's why it says here in this 32nd verse. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children, for blessed are they that keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise and refuse it. Not supposing you go out for a little time of pleasure, a little vacation. It's as though the Lord stood right beside you. And He says, I want you to have a nice time. I want you to have a happy time. But don't do anything in disobedience to my word, because it won't be a nice time. It won't be a happy time. The pleasures of sin are only for a season and all. How often some foolish act in our lives.
Has brought sorrow.
For years to come.
Whatsoever a man saw it actually also reap how often some foolish act. Like David who saw a nice looking girl, he fell in love with her and because of that sin it says the sword shall not depart from my house forever. And for the rest of David's life he suffered in the governmental ways of God. Is there anything wrong with a nice looking girl? Anything wrong with a pretty face?
The wrong was in the use that he made of it.
He used it to satisfy his fallen lusts, and so he brought a lot of sorrow on himself and all the things that God has made in this world.
If we use them in disobedience to the word of God, it's going to bring sorrow and shelter to us nothing but sorrow and trouble. Oh blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors, For whoso findeth me, findeth life. I ought to find life. The world is the world wants to find life.
Who shall find with me findeth life the Christian alone.
As the secret of life and happiness.
When you have Christ as your Savior, you've got the divine life. And when you follow the wisdom of God's precious word, you find the path of life and happiness through this world.
All dear young people, how important it is. All I beseech you tonight. Many of you are just beginning in life. Many of you are just starting out. I don't know whether the Lord may leave us here much longer, but I do know that in the thought of obedience to this precious book, you'll find happiness. For you know, all Christians are not happy. Some Christians are unhappy. They've got the source of happiness in them. They've got the book that tells them the way.
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But, you know, if we walk in our own ways as Christians, says all they that hate me love death.
He that sinneth against me wrong with his own soul. My dear father used to often quote that verse to me as a boy. He that sinneth against me along with his own soul, he said, Remember, every time you take a step in disobedience to the word of God, you harm yourself, you harm yourself. Oh what a wonderful thing it is to know the Lord and your savior.