May 22, 2022

Family Matters: Diversions, Distractions, & Deceit

May 22, 2022

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

What is one of the hardest situations you find yourself in when asked something and you feel a lie come to mind (like, “Isn’t my baby beautiful?”) Can anyone confess? What do you do?

Our series, Family Matters, is affecting lives weekly as we are given messages of truth on walking the narrow path through this evil world, being a positive impact on our family and our children, and having the ripple effect on our community and our world. Today’s’ sermon, taken from Proverbs 4, is directed at every individual who can hear it. At times we can get hung up on Solomon’s older years as he let his wives turn his heart from his God, but we must keep in mind that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God, and ultimately this is God speaking to each one of us.

Focal Passage: Proverbs 4:20-27

Know that God has a path for us all

  • Read Prov. 4:20-22. Why would you, as a parent, tell your child to “pay attention,” then emphasize “listen closely”(CSB)? What would you be saying? Do you think that’s why it was repeated? Read James 1:22-25. Why is it so important to not only hear God’s word, but obey it? What is the promise for obeying?
  • What did He mean to “not lose sight” of His words? How can you keep His words in front of you? Read Psa. 119:11. If you memorize, where are you storing up the Word? How is committing God’s Word to memory an asset for the believer?
  • If your “eyes” are on God’s Word, how does the world try to divert it? Read Psa. 101:3. In this age of technology, what are some of the unholy things we see? How will God hold us accountable? Read Psa. 26:3. What are “holy things” we can keep our focus on? How do we keep unholy things from crossing our minds?

It starts in the heart

  • Read Prov. 4:23 and Rom. 10:9. If you have become a child of God, where did your faith begin? Read Matt. 6:21. What do you value most in life? During a normal week, aside from your forty hours of work, what do you spend the most of your time on? How can “good things” divert us from God’s Word?
  • Read Col. 3:1-2. What are some of the “things above”? What would you say to someone who thinks following Jesus will mean they have to give up everything that is enjoyable? What was promised in verse 22 to the one who loves God’s Word?

Honesty is the best policy

  • Read Prov. 4:24-26. What is the normal word we use for speaking dishonestly? Who is the father of lies? What are some of the lies he tells you about yourself? How can you combat those? How do you try to vanquish those thoughts?
  • What does God mean to look neither right nor left? What is the warning we have in verse 26? What is the promise He gives? In Psa. 23:3, where does God lead us?
  • Daily, we are tempted to sin. Do you ever give in, just to avoid conflicts or stress?

Don’t let the world get you off track

  • Read Prov. 4:26-27. We can often see when a young person is “on the wrong path”. Is it always as easy to see when we ourselves are off track? How does it happen?
  • Why is it easier to get distracted than to keep our focus on God? What is the area where Satan is most able to push you into quicksand? What can you do to win?

Close:

So often in Scripture we will find a passage that has a huge amount to say within just a few verses. These verses from the Book of Proverbs are a great example. In these, we find many of our senses displayed with an enormous amount of information for living our lives as believers. We also see that being victorious is possible when we are obedient to God’s word because we want more than anything else to please Him who gave Himself for us.

God, in this passage, tells us to use our ears to listen to Him. We are told not only to “pay attention,” but to “listen closely.” You might reason that if you are paying attention, then you consider yourself to be listening closely. Because He repeats it in the same verse, it is imperative we listen to what He says. We need to also couple it with like verses, as in James 1:22ff, where we are told that if we listen but do not obey what we hear we deceive ourselves (point 3) and our religion is worthless!

We are told to use our sight to keep His Words in front of us, and to keep our eyes looking straight ahead so we’re not distracted by the things of this world. In other words, avoid the “lust of the eyes,” which are things that will trip us up. Think of how many sights entice our eyes!

We are to speak with honesty and not be deceitful in what we say. There are no white lies. If we have Jesus, we have TRUTH, and will not want to lie.

When the Bible speaks of the heart, it is the organ that shows that eternal LIFE, in the Person of Jesus Christ, is present, because we have asked Him to take control of our lives. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the LIFE.”(John 14:6). God says “above all” guard your heart, for out of it the issues of life are proceeding, revealing whether our heart is godly or condemned. Do we speak words of life, or words of death? James warns us in Jas. 3:2-12 to be careful that our words do not condemn us. “Out of the same mouth should not come both blessing and cursing!” Does it with you?

Lastly, His “Words” are mentioned many times in these few verses. They are the source of life, they will establish our way, and keep our feet from evil. They will keep us from sin. There can be no testimony without a test. Keep these Words of Life and you’ll have a testimony.

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