Proverbs 16. I did not get an opportunity to read the chapter last week, so to make sure that you're aware, or at least hear the verses in the chapter, let us read the chapter. We're not going to preach all the verses, but let us at least read. Proverbs 16, 1, the plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work or roll your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, or you could say the Lord has made everything for Himself, even the wicked for the day of trouble or the day of evil. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord. Be assured that He will not go unpunished. By steadfast love and faithfulness, iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord, one turns away from evil. When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is the little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. The oracle is on the lips of a king. His mouth does not sin in judgment. A just balance and scales are the Lord's. All the weights are in the bag, in the bag are his work. It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness. Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right. A king's wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it. In the light of a king's face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain. How much better to get wisdom than gold? To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. The highway of the upright turns aside from evil. Whoever guards his way preserves his life. Pride goes before destruction, and the haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly. The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. A worker's appetite works for him, his mouth urges him on. A worthless man plots evil. and his speech is like a scorching fire. A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends. A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good. Whoever winks his eye plans dishonest things, and he who pursues his lips brings evil to pass. Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is gained in a righteous life. Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. The lot is cast in the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord. All right, talking about the way of man, it's been the subject matter. We did not do all of the verses for sure last week, but let us, this is our attention on verse seven for a moment. I'll just do a few verses tonight and try to figure out what I'm going to do next week. But verse seven, look at it again. The text begins with the word, when, when. When a man's ways please the Lord. So the first thing that I would like to point out that I think should be somewhat obvious to you is that it is possible for your ways to be pleasing to the Lord. When. A man's ways please the Lord. So being pleasing to the Lord is possible. It is something that we can be. Even as redeemed sinners, we can live in a way that's pleasing to the Lord. For sure, I don't think it's hard for us to understand this, everybody in the room, we sin. I sin, you sin. We fall short. We have intentions, we don't meet them sometimes. Our book, we have goals, we don't do them. Maybe I'm talking about myself, but we do dumb things. Why in the world did I do that? Or you can do it the other way. Why didn't I do that? I knew I should, I knew it was right, and I did not do it. And I think I'm suggesting, and I think there's some biblical groundwork for it, when your heart motive is right, When your heart motive is right, I think we please the Lord. Maybe we do some dumb things, surely we do sin along the way, but my heart's motive is truly to be pleasing to the Lord. Everybody uses it, so it's nothing new to you. It's pretty obvious that David did some sinful things. I mean adultery, murder, deception, the list can go on. Then why does the Bible say that he's a man after God's own heart? Yes, we can fail. You fail, I fail. But as His children, we're not cast into hell, we're not utterly condemned forever. God doesn't take His children and say, oh, you blew it, you're out, and so condemnation for you. That's not the way God works with His children. But those who are redeemed by His grace and are in Christ We can live in a way that's pleasing to the Lord. I will not go through the long list. There are things that you know that are pleasing to the Lord, right? Surely you know it's pleasing to praise Him for all of His benefits. Surely we know that it's right to have a thankful heart for all that God has done for us. We could go on. And surely as Christian men and women, there's things that we know that are pleasing unto our God. Then the motive of our heart ought to be, this is what I want to do because I know it will please my God. That's my motive. That's why I'm doing. That's why I'm saying. That's why I'm going this way and not that way is because I know that this will bring Pleasure to my God. So help you if you would take it in. Should I? Should I not? Do I go here? Do I not go here? Do I hang with these people? Do I hang with those people? Do I hang with any people? Do I involve myself in this thing? Do I involve myself in that thing? Oh, I don't know what to do. Let's try to figure it out. What would be pleasing to my Lord? I know this would please Him. Can you do it with all your heart? Do it with all your heart. When your ways please Him, that means it's possible that our ways can. He says in the verse that when that happens, when we have a life like that, He, God, or the Lord, makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. I don't venture to think that I have the market on the truth on this last phrase, and I know it's problematic, and I understand it is difficult, in the sense that somebody can say, I am walking a way that pleases the Lord, but my enemies are not at peace with me. The text says, if I'm pleasing to the Lord, he'll make my enemies to be at peace, but I still have the same enemies and I'm living a life pleasing to God. I know that that is an argument. But I just remind you of a few things and give you something to think about tonight. He did make Esau to be at peace with Jacob. He did do that. He did make Abimelech to be at peace with Isaac. He did make David's enemies to court his favor. So I know he can because we have biblical examples that he did. Charles Bridges, the great Puritan said, no creature can touch us without his permission. I'll make your enemies to be at peace. But if an enemy does touch you, I must conclude something. God's will has providentially put my enemy's hand upon me for something greater. Let it think, let it go through. Let it work in your mind. Let me give you this type of example. If God permits enemies to unleash on us, hashtag Job if you want an example. If God permits enemies to unleash on us, but it yields a greater return, who are we to fault God in this? You say, I'm still not totally getting it. If a man promises you $20, will we not find fault with him if in the end he gives us $100? What are you saying? My enemies will be at peace with me, but what if my enemies are not at peace? Maybe God's bringing a greater reward. Hang on, we're not done. You know the verse, nothing new. Genesis 50 verse 20. As for you, you meant evil. You were not at peace with me. Joseph's brothers were not at peace with him. They meant evil, sought evil, applied evil. that God took all the efforts of the enemy that were real. He was really thrown in a pit. He was really abandoned. He was really talked about. He was really slandered. There's a lot of hurt they did to Joseph. And all of the evil that's coming, at that point Joseph could say, my enemies are not at peace, and I'm trying to do what's right. I'm walking in a way, my dad told me to check on you, and I'm checking on you. I'm being obedient to my father. I'm walking in the right way, but yet my enemies have thrown me down in this pit, and they've left me for dead, and now they pulled me up and sold me to these bunch of strangers, and now I march off to Egypt, and I'm gonna end up, I don't know where. My enemies are not at peace with me. Hang on, because in this, God's bringing a greater reward. Something's working. You meant it for evil, God's meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. Look at the end and see what God ultimately brings to be. The other verse you will know well, Romans 8 28, we know that for those who love God, We're pleasing to God, walking in a way that's pleasing to Him. We love Him. All things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose. If you would, turn in your Bibles to Philippians. I just want to read the text, Philippians chapter one. Philippians chapter one and Verse 12, I think. Yeah, 12. And listen to the way that Paul talks to the Philippians. Let's do 12 through 19. That doesn't make sense. Maybe through 18. Okay. I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. We pause. What's happened? enemies have inflicted suffering on him. That's okay, because it's advancing the gospel. So that if it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to all the rest, that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident of the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. My enemy's persecution of my life is advancing the gospel and instilling boldness for the gospel to go even further. God's making good on his promise. Some indeed preach Christ from envy, rivalry, but others from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I'm put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed and in that I rejoice. My enemies are being really bad to me right now. This verse says that if I walk in a way that's pleasing to him, my enemies will be at peace. But maybe by chance at this moment in my life, God is allowing the enemy to do these things to me for something that's far more glorious than me. The gospel is advancing and the church is being emboldened to share the gospel. Praise be to God. And let the story unfold and see the end result. Now, those are some thoughts. If it does not seem, back to Proverbs, if it does not seem that your enemy is at peace with you, I would at least suggest you consider three of the following things. Number one, Do your ways please the Lord? It's a valid thing. Maybe I'm not at peace with these things because I'm not living in a way that's pleasing to the Lord. You need to at least examine that. Number two, is God doing something through my enemy for a greater good for his glory? If he is, praise be to God. Number three, and this may be the hardest one at least for us to grapple with, but you are in the present and God knows the future. So we look and say my enemy's not at peace with me, but in the mind of God, he sees the future and knows what the end result is. And so we have to trust God till we get there. Your responsibility in the present is what? My enemy's not at peace with me, this verse is false. That's not it. My enemy's not at peace with me, my responsibility is what? Keep walking in a way that's pleasing to the Lord because I can assure you God will not fail in what he is assured by his word. Verse 17, the preservation, verse 17. Thinking about the way of life. The highway of the upright turns aside from evil and whoever guards his way preserves his life. The preservation. Walk this way. The prophet Isaiah in chapter 35 verse eight, I think it was a memory verse a long time ago here in the church, but Isaiah said it this way. And the highway shall be there. And it shall be called, this is highway, it's not Interstate 40. It is called the way of holiness. Now the unclean, they don't travel on this road. Not on this way of holiness. It belongs to somebody else. It belongs to those who walk on the way. What way? I submit to you verse seven again, the way that pleases the Lord. Even if they are fools, I'm not leaving this street. I'm going to walk in a way that pleases the Lord. Whatever our enemy doesn't do, from verse 7, I would be a fool to leave the narrow road for one that's broader. Okay. In Matthew 7, verse 14, you'll remember, The gate is small. Jesus warned us it's small. The way is narrow that leads to life. There are very few who find it. Make sure you understand that the narrow way is the way which does something very, very specific. We talk about narrow way, wide way, we talk about lost people, save people, and then we get lost in maybe some of these things. But make sure we understand at least one thing tonight from verse 17, that this narrow way is a way that does something very, very specific. It turns. There's a ongoing pattern on the narrow road of turning. Turning which way, right or left? I don't know, I just know to just turn from something specific. You turn from evil. That which is contrary to my God, I'm going to turn. That's what the narrow way does. The wide way gratifies flesh and goes with the flow. The narrow road is like the salmon. It goes the opposite way, upstream, where it's difficult fighting against the current because this way is away from evil. The waterfall, if you will. In the Septuagint, It used the word inclino, to turn away. It's a strange word, I'm not real familiar with it. But the definition is clear enough. To keep away from, to steer clear of, to stop doing something. I am not going to have a part in that. I'm not doing it. I remember as a young Christian man in high school, we're going to go to the prom and we're going to go to this get-together for a basketball celebration. What are we going to do there? We're going to dance. I'm not going. Your frivolity and your carnality and a bunch of girls dressed up like prostitutes, I ain't doing it. I never went to a prom. I never went to any of that stuff. Why? And turning away from that, there's gotta be a better way to walk than where people are flaunting their flesh to appeal to other people. I'm not gonna be a part. Turn away. Steer clear. Stop doing something. I'm not hanging out with drunks. I'm not hanging out with prostitutes. I'm not hanging out in the world with these things because these are the things that my Lord died for. And we're no part of it. I can't find pleasure in that which crushed the sun. This is the path, such as Peter told us in 1 Peter 3. In quotes from Psalms, but he says, whoever desires to love life, I just want to live. You just want to enjoy life. Is there anybody in the room tonight that just wants to love life? You want life to the full? What's the California phrase? You want to live the dream? You want to live the dream? You want to live it up? Great. Peter says, I've got the answer. If you desire to love life and you want to see good days, that's what you want. I want days of pleasure. I want days of hell. I want good days. I want to live and I want to experience good. Okay. Then keep your tongue from evil. Audibly or keyboard, either way. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Then he says, let him turn away from evil. It's not just turn away from evil, turn to do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. Why, Peter, should I do these things? Why should I live this way? He answers. For the eyes of the Lord are in every place. They're everywhere. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. and his ears, so here you are, imagine, you're walking in a way that pleases the Lord. You're on a narrow path, you're going against the grain, you have lost all of your friends, all of your coworkers think you're an idiot, you're walking this way, it's opposition from family, opposition from friends, opposition from neighbors, opposition from religious people within the church, opposition here, opposition there, and walking this way. It's all right, the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. You say, okay, great. Yeah, but there's more. His ears, if the Lord could have ears, and the Lord's ears are open to your cry. And every time I bow down and cry out to him from the depths of my heart, the God of glory hears. That's what happens to people who are living. The face of the Lord, is against those who do evil. I know my God is for me. I'm on this narrow path, and I'm suffering through this thing. It's the right way, and here I walk, turning away from evil, but this I know. My God watcheth me, and when I cry out, he heareth me." It's a good word. But do not be one who does not pay attention and listen to this truth tonight. Jeremiah said it this way. This is Jeremiah 8 verse 6. Jeremiah said, I have paid attention and listened. That's the right response. But they have not spoken rightly. No man relents of his evil saying, what have I done? Everyone turns to his own course like a horse plunging headlong into battle. I just want a Christianity in silver slippers. I just want to walk where it's smooth. This way's hard. I want to take byway over here towards Dowding Castle. It's so much easier on my feet. Let me walk over here like a horse plunging headlong into battle." No, no, no, no, no. Listen. and walk down the highway that turns from evil and grab Peter and understand that we turn to do good. Which way? Which way? The way that turns from evil, sin. To turn away from evil you must be able to discern what is evil. We spend a little bit too much time trying to justify things rather than just to call them what they are and turn from them. Your life ought to be marked by separation, not by adaptation. What is evil? Whatever is opposed to God. that which is contrary to the moral law of God, that which brings disrepute upon God's name or His bride, that which assists men in their lostness. You say, how in the world could I assist men in their lostness? Actions, attitudes, accommodations, acceptance of worldly philosophy, carnality, professing to be a Christian, living like the world, these things assist people in their lostness. In 17, verse 17 of Proverbs, whoever guards his way, what way? The way that turns away from evil. Whoever guards that, fights for it, guards it, a soldier mentality, fighting hard to make sure I stay on the right path, the right way. If you will do that, you preserve life. Those who walk this way will be preserved. What way? The way that guards against evil. When guarding something, there is alertness. There is diligence. Sometimes there's just full-out combat. It's a battle. Everybody wants me to do this, but it's not right. Don't do it. You gotta fight. You gotta suck it up. No fear of man. I'm not going to buy into it. I'm not doing it. The whole world says I ought to participate, and I'm not buying their stuff. Fight! Fight for what? For holiness, for godliness, for the love of Christ, for the health of the church. Fight! And don't just go with the flow. Because the narrow road leads to eternal life. You drive down the road, there are signs everywhere. Ours should be marked with signs that show we keep turning from evil. We'll do verse 29, and this will be the last one. The man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good. Deception, in verse 29, this man of violence, A violent man is the cause of leading of a neighbor into a, and I translate, into a terrible way. So here it says leads in a way that is not good. I would say leads him in a way that is terrible. What's the difference? Why does it say good and why do I say terrible? Primarily because it appears that this last phrase is a deliberate Hebrew understatement for emphasis. And the understatement for emphasis that they're making is, this way he leads you into, it's terrible. In Espanol, it's terrible, it's terrible. And so this is what he does. I remind you of Proverbs 12, 26. One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor. The violent man leads him in a way that's terrible, but Proverbs 12, 26, a righteous one guides his neighbor. The way of the wicked is the one that leads them astray. And then I'd also remind you of Proverbs 1, verse 10. My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. Do not consent. Think of the violent man and based upon his words that he says, see if any of these resonate with you tonight, if you've been or heard or been involved in any of these types of things, this violent man who would entice you and lead you in a way that is terrible. You get around people like this and they rail on society. and they get you to rail with them. They rail on social injustices and get you to rail on social injustices. He bashes politics and politicians and entices you to jump in the conversation and bash them with equal fervor with him. If you need some type of parameter of example, it's the conversation at the store where everybody's bashing President Biden and all the Christians jump in and bash along with him in contradiction to the Word of God that says the leaders that are put over you, you're to hold and to honor and speak not evil against the ruler of your people. But we get caught up because everybody's talking this way and it was more accepting if I jumped in with them. Or he speaks vehemently about crime and he gets others to join him in this and tirade about the crime of our day in some of these different cities in our land. Or he speaks about the corruption of religion and gets others to join him in bashing churches and bashing this religion, this denomination. All these people over here, they're terrible. Yeah, they're terrible. And we get caught up and led astray by this violent man. But disciples follow the Lord Jesus' example and not the direction of the violent man. How so? They love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. And when they are reviled, they do not revile in return. And when suffering from the wrongs of others, they do not threaten. Boy, if you had some wisdom about these things from Solomon, you can really shake things up when the violent man is railing against the president or railing against whatever it is he's railing against. You say, sir, I really wish you would not do that because I've spent much time in prayer for his soul. Conversation changes. Please don't keep bashing, you know, the Reno City Council for trying to disband their city and all this corruption about this mayor and the previous mayor and this money and that money. Please stop bashing all of them because I've been praying for their soul to be saved and they're going to spend eternity somewhere and that's what matters. The violent man's bashing the school teacher, the principal, the school system, work. All these things go on. Would you get on a narrow road and walk into that environment and offer a word that points to the centrality of what matters? That's what wisdom does. It's not led by the violent man, but he walks in a way that is pleasing unto the Lord. Search, pray, and seek. I don't know a lot, and I'm dumber than a flat rock, I'm sure, but I know what makes my dog happy. I'm just being real. It doesn't take much effort for me to make my dog happy. If I know what makes my dog happy, it would be an awfully great rebuke to me if I didn't know what made my God happy. So if I know what pleases Him, would I not venture to give Him joy? What do you want me to do? Spend my life making my dog happy? Or should I invest to make sure that God is pleased? I'd give more effort to the pleasure of God than to the pleasure of a dog that's going to die and rot in the ground. It's a good challenge. I need to know what pleases Him, and I need to seek that to please Him. That's the way, by the word, Baptist church ought to walk. Father in heaven, thank you for your word. So much wisdom here. I feel useless in the communication of such depths of each verse, Lord. Literally, Lord, we could preach forever and never even get close to the bottom of these wells that Solomon has written, Lord, and challenged in so many ways by these things. But I just simply pray for by the word Baptist Church tonight, surely we've heard enough to know that there is a way that we ought to walk. And I pray that we would walk that way, the way that pleases you the most, in our thoughts, in our words, in our actions, in our families, in our church, that that would be of great concern to our hearts. How can we bring pleasure to our God? And Lord, that we would walk this way and that whatever the enemies and the world may do to us, we will trust that you have a higher payoff in the end than what we must suffer presently in the here and now. Lord, thank you for these words tonight. May they encourage our souls. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.