Welcome to Wisdom Today with Bill Kelley. Today we will be going over Proverb 18. I will then key in on verse 22 - He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord. Friends, if you enter into a marriage relationship with the person God has chosen for you to marry, you will obtain favor from Him (this is not the case for those who choose NOT to get married). On today's podcast we will continue our study on the Gospel according to Luke. We will pick up in Chapter 4, beginning in verse 9. By the end of this lesson three things that I ask that you consider are these:
1. We are not to tempt the Lord, our God.
2. When the devil realized he could not tempt Jesus, he left him.
3. Jesus reveals why He came to Earth.
Call to Action - the Bible tells us that we are to be led by the Spirit of God. On today's podcast I went over the three temptations that satan tempted Jesus with - and the same three that he tempts us with today) - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life). Are you led by the Spirit, or do you allow yourself to be led by these three temptations?
[00:00:00] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast, we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.
[00:00:23] Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today. Lord, I pray that you give everyone ears to hear and a heart to receive everything you have in store for them through this podcast.
[00:00:36] I ask this in Jesus' name, amen. This is Proverbs 18 beginning in verse 1.
[00:01:07] The words of a man's mouth are deep waters. The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook. It is not good to show partiality to the wicked or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
[00:01:24] A fool's lips enter into contention and his mouth calls for blows. A fool's mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul.
[00:01:38] The words of a tail bearer are like tasty trifles and they go down into the innmost body.
[00:01:46] He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
[00:01:54] The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe.
[00:02:01] The rich man's wealth is his strong city and like a high wall in his own esteem.
[00:02:09] Before destruction, the heart of a man is haughty and before honor is humility.
[00:02:17] He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.
[00:02:25] The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?
[00:02:33] The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
[00:02:40] A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.
[00:02:48] The first one to plead his cause seems right until his neighbor comes and examines him.
[00:02:56] Casting lots causes contentions to cease and keeps the mighty apart.
[00:03:03] A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city and contentions are like the bars of a castle.
[00:03:13] A man's stomach shall be satisfied by the fruit of his mouth.
[00:03:19] From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
[00:03:24] Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.
[00:03:31] He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.
[00:03:40] The poor man uses entreaties, but the rich answers roughly.
[00:03:46] A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
[00:03:57] Friends, today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 22 and Proverb 18 verse 22 says this.
[00:04:07] He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.
[00:04:16] Friends, we will take a closer look at that verse prior to closing today,
[00:04:21] but what I'd like to do now is to continue in our study of the Gospel according to Luke.
[00:04:29] And we began chapter 4 on yesterday's podcast and we will pick up where we left off yesterday.
[00:04:39] Yesterday we ended in verse 8, so let's pick up chapter 4 beginning in verse 9.
[00:04:47] Then he brought him to Jerusalem, set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him,
[00:04:56] If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here.
[00:05:02] And of course we are talking about Satan here tempting Jesus.
[00:05:08] Let's go on to verse 10.
[00:05:10] For it is written, He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you.
[00:05:17] And in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone.
[00:05:25] And Jesus answered and said to him, It has been said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.
[00:05:34] So friends, point number one is we are not to tempt the Lord our God.
[00:05:43] Now friends I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible and I would like to read the commentary for verse 12 of chapter 4.
[00:05:53] You shall not tempt the Lord.
[00:05:55] In response to Satan's third temptation, Jesus cited Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 16.
[00:06:06] God is to be trusted not tested.
[00:06:11] And I am going to read that again because that is vital that we understand that difference.
[00:06:18] God is to be trusted not tested.
[00:06:25] The Deuteronomy passage refers to Israel's attempt to test God at Mirabal.
[00:06:34] Jesus would not repeat the nation's error of unfaithfulness to God.
[00:06:41] Now friends a number of you may not be familiar with what happened at Mirabal.
[00:06:48] If we go back to the book of Exodus, Moses is leading the people into the promised land.
[00:06:58] That was the plan but here they are in the wilderness and they were in the wilderness for 40 years.
[00:07:05] But in the 17th chapter the people have run out of something to drink.
[00:07:11] And Moses pleaded with God and said we need something to drink.
[00:07:18] So in chapter 17 of Exodus God told Moses to strike the rock.
[00:07:27] And when he struck the rock water gushed out and the people were able to drink.
[00:07:35] And they had as much as they needed to drink.
[00:07:38] All of the people as well as all of the animals had plenty to drink.
[00:07:45] But a few chapters later in chapter 20 the same thing happens.
[00:07:52] The Israelites are in desperate need of something to drink.
[00:07:57] And this time God told Moses to speak to the rock.
[00:08:03] Not to hit it but to speak to the rock.
[00:08:08] And this time Moses disobeyed God and hit the rock just as he had done in chapter 17.
[00:08:19] But God was very specific.
[00:08:23] And I really want to spend a little bit of time here because it is important whenever you have a need to go to God.
[00:08:32] But God is not going to tell us to do the same thing every time.
[00:08:38] That is why we don't rest on what we've done in the past.
[00:08:43] We go to God when we have a need and he will tell us what to do.
[00:08:49] In this particular instance Moses did not do what God called him to do.
[00:08:57] And because of that it cost Moses the opportunity to actually take the children of Israel into the promised land.
[00:09:08] Now what God allowed Moses to do was to see the promised land.
[00:09:15] Before Moses died he brought him up to the mountain and he said,
[00:09:20] Look this is the land that I promised you but since you disobeyed me at Maribor you will not be able to enter into the land.
[00:09:32] But I will allow you to see it.
[00:09:36] Let's continue in verse 13.
[00:09:39] Now when the devil had ended every temptation he departed from him until an opportune time.
[00:09:49] The second point I'd like to bring up on today's lesson is once Satan saw he couldn't tempt Jesus he left him.
[00:10:00] Now here I would like to go over the end of the temptations.
[00:10:06] So what I'd like to do is go to the book of 1 John and in the book of 1 John chapter 2 this is entitled,
[00:10:18] Do not love the world.
[00:10:22] So we are in 1 John chapter 2 in verse 15.
[00:10:27] Do not love the world or the things in the world.
[00:10:32] If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him.
[00:10:38] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
[00:10:48] Is not of the Father but is of the world.
[00:10:53] And the world is passing away and the lust of it, that he who does the will of God abides forever.
[00:11:02] So friends the three temptations that Satan attempted to lure Jesus into his trap were the following three items.
[00:11:16] The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
[00:11:23] And friends that is all Satan had to tempt Jesus with.
[00:11:28] Once he realized that Jesus was not going to follow his trap.
[00:11:35] He was not going to be tempted as he had thought he might be able to tempt him.
[00:11:42] He left Jesus alone.
[00:11:46] Let's continue in verse 14.
[00:11:49] Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee and news of him went out through all the surrounding region.
[00:12:00] And he taught in their synagogues being glorified by all.
[00:12:07] So friends remember Jesus is now beginning his public ministry.
[00:12:13] Now what I'd like to go back and think about chapter three and remember a little comment that Luke says is that every year Joseph and his family went to the city of Jerusalem.
[00:12:31] So it doesn't say this but the implication is that every year Jesus had gone in to the temple and he had learned from the teachers of religious law.
[00:12:48] Remember when it says that he had inquired of them and he asked them questions.
[00:12:54] So over the years Jesus grew up and every year Jesus is learning what they do in the temple, how they teach, what their thoughts are.
[00:13:08] And here when he begins his public ministry he is well versed with what to do when he goes into the temple.
[00:13:17] Let's look at verse 16.
[00:13:20] So he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up and as his custom was he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.
[00:13:33] So friends this is the first time he is coming back to where he has grown up in the synagogue and it's the first time he's gone there and they are allowing him to teach.
[00:13:51] And he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah and when he had opened the book he found a place where it was written.
[00:14:00] Now these are Jesus's words so all of these words are in red.
[00:14:06] The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
[00:14:16] He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.
[00:14:27] To set at liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
[00:14:38] Now friends the third point I'd like to bring up is Jesus declares his purpose for being on earth.
[00:14:48] You got to remember he is just beginning his public ministry. These people do not know him or what he's doing.
[00:14:59] Let's go to the commentary for verses 16 and 17.
[00:15:03] Most synagogue services had a reading from the law and one from the prophets with an exposition that tied the texts together.
[00:15:19] Jesus expounded on Isaiah chapter 61.
[00:15:24] The scroll was kept in the synagogue and handed to Jesus by an attendant.
[00:15:31] Let's go to verses 18 and 19.
[00:15:35] By citing Isaiah chapter 61 Jesus was claiming to be a royal figure and to have a prophetic ministry.
[00:15:47] Jesus healed the brokenhearted referring to those who were discouraged because of their plight in life.
[00:15:57] Jesus proclaimed liberty to the captives.
[00:16:01] In the Old Testament captivity refers to Israel's exile.
[00:16:08] Here captivity refers to sin.
[00:16:13] Jesus gave sight to the blind, a reference to his miraculous works though not without spiritual overtones.
[00:16:26] Jesus set at liberty the oppressed.
[00:16:31] This was originally the call of Israel but the nation had failed in its assignment.
[00:16:39] What Israel had failed to do, Jesus does.
[00:16:44] The image here addresses both physical and spiritual realities.
[00:16:51] Jesus proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord, an allusion to the Jubilee.
[00:17:02] This was every 50th year in which all debt was forgiven.
[00:17:09] Slaves were given their freedom and ancestral lands were giving back to its original family.
[00:17:17] The year of Jubilee allowed for a new start.
[00:17:22] Jesus offers a total cancellation of spiritual debt and a new beginning to those who respond to his message.
[00:17:35] This is such a wonderful story and passage of Scripture.
[00:17:42] Friends, before we close today I'd like to go back to our proverb of the day.
[00:17:49] We were in Proverb 18 and verse 22 says,
[00:17:53] He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.
[00:18:03] Friends, I may step on a few toes here today but I am speaking to people who are married.
[00:18:13] Not people who are simply living together out of matrimony.
[00:18:18] And I'm going to say that what Jesus wanted is that people if you're going to live together and be together
[00:18:27] then you should enter into a marriage contract.
[00:18:32] Today I want to emphasize the second part of verse 22 which states,
[00:18:38] And obtains favor from the Lord.
[00:18:43] Now friends in my commentary for verse 22 favor implies
[00:18:49] Problems in marriage arise from breakdowns in communication or mutual respect.
[00:18:57] Not from some flaw in marriage itself.
[00:19:03] God designed marriage.
[00:19:07] He instituted marriage.
[00:19:10] He wanted marriage from the beginning.
[00:19:12] That is what he wants from every couple and he wants you to enter into a marriage contract.
[00:19:21] Now friends my call to action today is very simple.
[00:19:24] And I'd really like for everyone to give this some serious thought.
[00:19:31] The Bible tells us that we are to be led by the Spirit of God and not by our flesh.
[00:19:40] Today I went over 1 John chapter 2 verses 15 through 17.
[00:19:46] I spoke of the three items that contempt us into going away out of the presence of God and into the world.
[00:19:57] The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
[00:20:04] So my question to you is are you being led by the Spirit or do you allow yourself to be led by the flesh?
[00:20:16] And these three temptations that occur on a continual basis in our lives.
[00:20:24] Friends I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
[00:20:34] If there is anyone listening today and you've never taken that step, I invite you to repeat a simple prayer after me today.
[00:20:41] Jesus thank you for coming to earth. I recognize that I am a sinner and in need of a Savior.
[00:20:51] I believe that you are the Son of God. I believe you came to earth and died on a cross and were buried.
[00:21:00] On the third day you rose from the dead and now sit at the right hand of God the Father.
[00:21:07] Jesus I invite you to come into my heart. I ask that you lead me and guide me from this point forward.
[00:21:16] I make you my Lord and Savior.
[00:21:20] Friends if any of you repeated that prayer I'd like to thank you and welcome you to the family of God.
[00:21:28] Now may the Lord bless you and keep you.
[00:21:31] The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
[00:21:36] The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
[00:21:42] Friends please join me again tomorrow as we close out the week with wisdom today.