Living Under God's Favor and Blessing

Thank you Bibles let's go to the book of Proverbs defines Psalms you go right you found probably good. Proverbs chapter 2 my heart's been on Proverbs for a while lately and I thought in this the interim between book studies we might look at a Proverbs or two delegate chapter 2 this morning. I think what I'm going to do is cover a section of the text as I do an expositional exhortation from the text because we don't do the whole chapter right. I call this living under God's favor and blessing. Is that not what you want is that not what I want is only one alternative that living under God's disfavor and curse is one of two, and to live under God's favor and blessing you must walk in God's wisdom of this world is full of those who are self-appointed wise men who walk in the quote wisdom" of this world and the Bible says their foods and they do not know God's favor and God's blessing. It will show up one day they look like they're getting ahead for a while, but it will show in the end, now a common secular definition of wisdom could be this another.

A lot of them but generally speaking I ran across this was a common secular definition quote wisdom is the art of learning how to succeed in life.

Wisdom is the art of learning how to succeed like that be a common definition from the unregenerate world.

You might say well that's not a good definition of wisdom.

A good definition of wisdom might be this this is my own.

You may have a better one, but it would basically contain these components quote knowing God, and learning from God how life work's knowing God, and learning from God. How life works. Proverbs 910 reminds us, the fear of the Lord. That means coming to a place of holding him dear referencing him having in all respect of him. That's what the word fear means the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. In other words, you don't even start on the track of knowing how to be a wise person or live in wisdom until you come to know him in the sense of treasuring him and honoring him and respecting him, not just an intellectual knowledge of him. The word understanding is he also used in Proverbs 910, and knowledge of the holy one is understanding that's the idea of a right perception of things and intuitive recognition of what is truly writing good when you when you know the Lord and you're growing in his wisdom you you begin intuitively, naturally, you could say grass what is truly writing what is truly current good because you and I live in a world that calls good, evil, and cause evil good I go to sort that out starts with knowing the Lord. Philippians 310, 11, reminds us Paul speaking of his own purpose, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death.

Paul had wisdom.

Paul said, you know it all starts with knowing him, that I may know him… Miss what else he says, and the power of his resurrection. No him in a saving way so that my life counts now and I'll live for all eternity with him. You see, we are not moralist. We don't want to just take the 10 Commandments of the moral teachings of the Bible as proper and essential for saying in good society, as they are, nevertheless, were more than just those who adhere to the moral truths of God's word. We want to know the God of the moral truths love him and also courses truths because they come from him. So were not about just behavior modification I told you one time before I had a professor at the University in the business school who who talked about time you pick on me a little bit every now and then he'd say you know your your minister in your about the same thing the rest of us are about your about behavior modification. I thought no, not not primarily. I do think it's good for society. If people modify their behavior to line up with biblical truth. The biblical morality of course makes a better neighbor makes a better friend makes a better citizen but were not about just making America better work.give building God's church in America and the world week. We don't just be moralist to change people's behavior. If we want to have people know the God of the universe and then consequently it by knowing him the saving way behavior will change but is the byproduct is not the same main thing you see Paul what he talks about that I might know him and the power of his resurrection. He's telling us what true wisdom is well, because by the way, if you could if you could take the Bible and prescribed to your life from the Bible. The best way to live the way that works the best. Your raise your children the best way to follow the Bible you have a better marriage. If you follow the Bible you'll have a happier and better life with your fellow man in the world.

If you follow the Bible, but if you just follow the Bible and don't know Christ, you end up in eternal law and that's not wisdom.

Amen just just knowing good precepts to follow.

That makes life better. That's good for mankind. But that's not true wisdom because at the end you lose everything. That's why Paul said I would know him and the power of his resurrection, eternal life. First John 520 reminds us, and we know that the son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, the true God and eternal life.

So that brings us right into our first as we unpack this text to have a life that is under the favor and the blessing of God number one you must know the God who is wisdom. You must know the God who is was looking verses one through six of Proverbs chapter 2, my son Solomon's writing to his son but obviously the truth is, for all of us, my son, if you receive my words and treasure my commandments within you make your ear attended to wisdom. Incline your heart to understanding review Crawford discernment lift up your voice for understanding, if you see Christ silver, and search for certain hidden treasures. Then you will discern the fear the Lord and discover the knowledge of God, for the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding that the wisdom is God is not mysterious. You do not have to be a scholar to find it.

Matter fact, the wisdom of God has more to do with the condition of your soul than the depth of your intellect. The key is to go to the word of God with this kind of diligence. Solomon is exhorting his son about the way in parallel here with us, is Jesus. There is no wisdom outside of Jesus. And I'm convinced that the very proper way to understand the teaching of wisdom, knowledge and understanding as knowing Christ and his truth is the way to wisdom to knowledge and understanding between knowing and honoring God's wisdom must be our chief aim. Note the two.

Now knowing and understanding. He says in verse one receive these things, son first want to get treasure these things first to be attentive to these things first to incline your heart to these things cry for these things. Verse three seek these things worse for search for these things. Verse four. Know the words of God will be found by those who want to find him, God will be found by those who want to find them. Matthew 77 Jesus said it this way, ask and it shall be given to you seek and you shall find, knock and it will be open to you.

Note the attitude of some great men of the Scriptures. Job says he treasured God's word more than his necessary food. Jeremiah says I ate the word as a metaphor for devouring, taking it into my heart, holding it. I ate the word and became a joy and a delight to me.

David said it was good that I was afflicted that I might learn thy statutes.

Jesus said, man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. As I heard from a wise preacher years ago. You see me and can't find God for the same reason a thief can't find a policeman is not looking for it. That's the problem, choices, son know God and keep driving and striving to understand more of him.

So that's wisdom. That's knowledge that's understanding treasure him.

That's where wisdom begins.

How so I'll say it up I wish pastors. Some pastors seem to be very gifted at taking practical applications from the word of God, but they seem to downplay the knowing God aspect of the whole thing. This is not a manual just to have a better life. It's a book to reveal God to us and we will have a better life but always in that order.

He tells them in verse 526 it would work but if you do the things outlined in verses one through four. All the seeking and given a tension and crying out for, etc. then verse 5V and you will discern the fear of the Lord know the words you'll learn to fear God as he ought to be feared. So you're not just have an intellectual esteem in an intellectual conclusion that God is riding we ought honor him, no, no, no, it be deeper than that, son. You'll learn from the heart in flow with the intellect to reverence God for who God is, so that that's that's what wisdom does. It takes you to the place of putting God were gone on the your heart and in your mind.

He also says in verse five, you'll discover the knowledge of God. That's the idea of knowledge from practice and experience, not just the God that you know some things about in your mind, it's an intimate understanding of God and his ways. Look at verse 606 for the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

So first we must know him. Then he gives wisdom, understanding and knowledge of you young people sitting here maybe even college folks and singles our job as parents and our job is your pastor is not just a plug-in. The use of rules and some do's and don'ts.

Other rules that matter and do's and don'ts are helpful, but primarily will want the foundation stone in your heart that is Christ him him Ojeda to go from this building today and I want you to walk through your afternoon on Sunday. Don't you lay your head on the pillow at night and think it's him he's wisdom he's understand he's knowledge you see today's culture wants to quote find the successful way to live.

Find a way to live life but that they want to bypass the God of the living man tries to start with his own dreams and his own ambitions and his own desires and then he wants to plug God into his system. Although we believe in God or not you will be in trouble. Membership in the church. I'll be baptized but I'm going my own way and I just need a God to plug into my system.

Your full, you start with God. You see, to know how to live. God is the starting point to know how to live.

God is the middle point to know how to live. God is the ending point. He's to be all and all, so you must know the God who is wisdom. Do you know him have you come to him through his son Jesus Christ. I do come to feel, and since the weight of your sinfulness and in the greatness of your offensiveness to his triune holy character. I do realize a phrase I can bring nothing to this God to appease his wrath that is against me. I can do nothing before nothing prescribed nothing Jephthah really hope that when in any way calls this holy one to embrace me and not judge me. So I come to his son who took my place and bore my wrath and my punishment, and has given me his own righteousness, that knowing God, and that is the beginning of wisdom. Then you'll remember the old independent Baptist fundamentalist Texas preacher named Lester Roloff, Lester Roloff, let's roll a few to say that education without regeneration is an abomination. What is point you can just gain a lot of facts and knowledge. And thank God under God's common grace.

He lets the unregenerate world game facts and knowledge in the medical field. Whatever.

And it's a blessing to us, but it's also a curse to us because with that medical knowledge they start killing babies. So to me without regeneration, they become an abomination may misuse the knowledge they gain. So it's not wisdom, it's about further perversity of the knowledge God allowed them to gain well number two Roman to and only got two points but number two is rather long number two is how we flourish in the way of wisdom. There's a pastor up in the northeastern he's done some good things in the recently he's laying the little too far to the left to accommodate the culture and that's a common temptation of all of us in particular pastors, perhaps, but he does like to use the word human flourishing. A lot of there's a good way to use that word and that is that mankind does past.

He flourishes when he follows God's wisdom will notice first of all, this includes how God protects us and takes care of us versus seven through 19 will begin in verse seven in common as we go. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity. Verse eight guarding the path of justice.

He preserves the way of his godly ones. Verse nine. You deserve righteousness and justice and equity in every good course that means he gives you direction you will discern the righteous and just and equitable path for life so he's our shield. He's our guard.

He's our preservation. He directs us. So if we sink the God of wisdom and desire to observe the way of wisdom as our chief aim in life and he's our shield. He's our guard. He's our preservation.

He's our direction.

Listen to the folks I don't know where this world headed, but I do know were God's churches headed are you listening to me.

I don't know where this world is headed milligrams wife used to say if God doesn't judge America. He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah, but listen to me in the midst of the turmoil in the business. Fair enough and the wall when the wickedness of our age. We can know God will be our shield God will be our guard God will be our preservation and God will give us the path to walk on it where those who are used to look to him and his wisdom.

We don't just read books about the Bible will do more than that when Christians draw their thoughts from one another, but neglect the reservoir of truth, the Bible, the result is dry intellectualism just the opposite of fresh, vigorous personal spirituality. I think that's what Solomon is fighting against your son, the world would say gain intellect.

That's not wrong which is not the main thing and it becomes a tool for wickedness. If you don't start first with God in his wisdom, those who know the God of wisdom and observe the way of wisdom will be delivered from two chief enemies.

And that's the way I outline the remainder of chapter 2 chief enemy say in our outline, he will deliver you from evil ways. He will deliver you from evil ways. We see this in verses 12 through 15 which is read it all and they will go back to it to deliver you from the way of evil evil from the man who speaks perverse things are going to stop right there. Do you think it would be an accurate description of our modern culture to say it's a culture that speaks perverse thing and by the way, far too many pulpits are beginning to echo perverse things of the culture. Verse 13 from those who leave the past of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness. Look at the metaphorical words are the just described that path. That way, to delight in doing evil will this speaks to the this is this is a perfect description of modern culture. Last part of verse 14 and rejoice in the perversity of evil. We no longer have people who have some shame left.

We no longer have people in our culture who who are involved in in wicked perverse things and Connor want to stay in in the back alleys and in the darkness know they rejoice publicly openly in celebration. What the Bible calls perverse evils you listen to me friend if you're ashamed of your sin. There's hope for you. Amen. By the way, I am ashamed of my sin.

You'll be ashamed of yourself when you get so brazen that you go out in the public square in glory, and it listen to me that brings the judgment of God you far gotten far off the past of being a repent or when you're celebratory about those things that God says are perverse and evil from those verse 13 from those who leave the past of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness who delight in doing evil. Verse 14 less work and rejoice in the perversity of people whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. These describe evil men who walk in the pride of their hearts, and they walk in independence from God and from his wisdom. He said pride is the exultation of self pride is the complete anti-God state of mind, pride say that about me. So you may see is about God, but no it's about you is not about God about what you flourish the best when it's about God. Your under God's favor and blessedness when it is first and foremost about him as far as your life and even your life purpose, not to young people, and again this is written to young people son has application to all of us but Solomon's writing to his son and young people seem to find those who walk in pride and walk in perversity's and evil. Sometimes I think that's neat are attractive to see. You can't just tell your younger children. That's not neat and attractive say that certainly say the key is son, you must know God you must know Christ.

Because if I just cram into my children are my grandchildren some rules and some morality. Then they'll do the best they can, and pretty soon they'll hang it up if I can get them to know the God of love, the God of grace God forgiveness and the God of wisdom, then they'll begin to see these wicked and perverse things as contrary to them as unattractive to them and that's the goal.

If you know the God of wisdom and desire to follow the way of wisdom, then all these in tights enticements of the world will become alien and unattractive to you.

I'm not saying that our flesh doesn't still draw us toward them, but something deeper is in you when you're converted something deeper and truer.

It resides in your heart when you want to God's children that makes these things at the final end unattractive to you and alien to you young people often asked what can I do this, do that you not work with the students rate years here, and I was pretty strong on him about a child of God has has no business going to these public dancers and a child of God has no business courting or dating someone is rejected Christ is not converted, never down. Then I would have one that was. I will run you just can't can't cannot cannot date to a person that didn't know Christ. I would say that the question is not can you, but how can you, you know the God of Western and semi that does not know him, is attractive to you. The point is, of course, they aren't there pretty.

He's had some is popular.

That's noting okay don't marry somebody that you thanks public good. I got a word for yellow to the bed this morning. They're going to become even uglier is going happen. You look so good in cotton drawn up is going to sag baguette Dragon vinegar that's okay let you have course, God made is that wife but there's something more to us than what the beast have. God gives us something.

This is if they don't love my Christ, there's something of an alienation to something of an unattractive misted moms and dads don't you want your sons and daughters have been inside versus above the rules.

The rules are going. The foundation is knowing Christ in his wisdom so it's not can you it's how can you not say that God protects us if we know the God who is wisdom and we walk in his wisdom ended me in perfection with us, that Amos that the path of our life. He productions in so many ways again verse 12 he delivers us from the way of evil. For men who speaks perverse things of verse 14 we were delivering our garden from those who rejoice in the perversity of evil and on and on we could go and seek it as is. Solomon unfolds all of these vile things perverse things, rejoicing a perverse thing, speaking perverse things and being protective that all of those things are noxious weeds that come from the taproot of deception. The taproot of the lie, the taproot of misrepresentation. Other words what I'm saying is they take what God's made and they put their spin and their twist on and they distorted what God gave you this sex drive so bing bing bing bing bing all good and right Senate distortion spent on misrepresenting God's truth pieces so if you don't know God and you walk in his wisdom, you'll see through that twisting that perverse logic that turning God's truth upside down to validate your sin are your sinful lifestyle should say and accommodate your fallen lust. You see the spirit behind the evil influences of a depraved culture is the spirit of deception is the spirit of Satan.

It's the spirit of misrepresentation.

That is, they misrepresent good stuff.

The good they they misrepresent the truth and even begin to misrepresent, distort what is defined as the wisdom of God and again in verse 12. They speak perverse things I did perverse means misrepresent perverse means to distorted perverse means to twist it out of its original form and then they rejoice in the perversity of evil.

They they find themselves glowering in their distorted misrepresented twisted way of viewing things. For example, when we preach to this world and we stand on God's truth concerning biblical morality. What are they going to do the going to twist it all your oppressive you teach biblical morality. Your oppressive you are robbing us of our liberties and freedoms your bigoted here. I hate are they just twisting it turned upside because if you tell the truth is the best love you can never give a person, and here's one of the latest ones that their flying is their banner to show their misrepresentation. There there twisted contorted view of God's truth. People are dying because of your view that people are dying when you tell them this is sin and evil. This is exactly what Solomon meant in verse 12 and he said they speak perverse things they distort, they misrepresent God's wisdom on these matters in our culture today we hear perverse speaking when someone says well I am gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, first of all, we have love and compassion for all people. But we do not rejoice in the perverse things they teach and believe. Are you with the church is what Solomon is talking about. And now we don't just have gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered. We have a thousand points in between each one of those and it never seems to end when they say what this is what I am, in effect what that means is you cannot say any different about me. You cannot have a different opinion about me. You cannot look into my soul improve any different because this is what I am another phrase the user they speak twist in a perverse things. This is my truth will that's that's the greatest twist of all the good you having truth. Truth is objective. It's of God is outside of you. Truth is not found in you. All you find in your depraved wicked heart took the death of Christ.

To remedy here this is my truth. They say we hear is the truth about that you think the things you do the behavior you give yourself over to does not determine who you are. You're not creator you're not God you're not what you do any behavior to give yourself this is not determine who you are, God determined that when you made you see has twisted but take God off the throne in place themselves as God will create me.

Folks, this is a sin problem. This is a sin problem that a philosophical problem not a cultural problem. This is not the evolution of coming to a better society. It's the devolution of exposing the depravity of men's hearts and were like the apostle Paul went for the grace of God on the chief of sinners, so I'm not better than them. I've just been rescued. Someone outside me rescued me. So we have compassion.

Can I get a man there we have humility we have love and kindness for all of these people because so many of them they themselves have been tall alive. They've they've succumbed to the misinterpretation to the twisting of God's truth and God's standard. But the truth is they are foolish and in effect have rejected the God ship of God, that is, they reject God's rank, having a God if they can subject God and submit God to their abuse opinions, wants, desires, and fallen lust. So God is thrown down in their minds and they have ascended to the throne as their own creators. That's what Psalm 53 verse one is referring to. The fool has said in his heart there is no God. They are corrupt and have committed abominable injustices and there's no one who does good, but these always go together committing abominable injustices, walking and corruption he could to say. Sin goes hand-in-hand with a false or warped philosophy of life and end the good, the foundational warped or false. Philosophy is no God. That's what that means filling this is hard to sit no God for me. I will not allow the God of the Bible have any place in my life. Problem is, he is omnipresent, you can't get away from it so they reject God as God when they say well, God made me this way. Psalm 50 verse 21 says these things you've done and I've kept silent. You thought I was just like you I him drawn to these behaviors and habits and activities. So that's who I am and got to do you think I like you when you say that I made you that way because I'm not like you I'm holy and I'm up right I'm righteous and what you're doing is unholy is not upright, it is not righteous and you think I'm on right just like your unrighteous. You think I'm unholy like your unholy you think I'm immoral like your moral told you last week when we were in Greece I've I was just fascinated that these ancient Greeks of such great advancement in the arts and the sciences and architecture, etc. playing with passion to the false mythological gods of Greek ancestry.

What was it, but they live such a moral life ending their gods were gods who committed fornication and adultery and wickedness.

The gods did this with the something that look, I'm not like you don't bring me down to fit your morality now, so here's what I'm saying all of this new thinking in these new ways. It's just not new at all when I was a younger man and the liberals came out with a phrase, the new morality I thought what a looks just like the old Emma rallied to me. Nothing new about it, came Slough Bible verse, not new God judge Solomon of the bar for glorying and perversity. These things are not new. This is not new and modern in novel and cooling click in whatever the word is today on think clicks one of actually it's not new. It's old sin is been around since the Garden of Eden when Satan told Eve Eve, has God said you should not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and really may not matter fact God knows when you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will be like God, the Lord, you can become your own God you be on your own creator and God's robbing you Eve that's how old this misrepresentation this deception. This lying year and young people to be wise what you see through it and saw this. Solomon said to his son, if you know God and seek him. You will just know your mind. It's false you know in your heart. This is right dishonors the God who made us. Romans 122 reminds us professing to be wise, they became fools will be not only deliver us from these evil perverse things, but he brings out one particular thing that he wants his son Solomon to think about and S deliver you from the snare of sexual immoralities begins in verse 16. On this and will take universal timepieces to deliver you from the strange woman.

This is one thing will happen. Son, if you know the God of wisdom in a personal way as your Savior and your Lord and you continue that striving to know him, and learn of him, it would doesn't naturally protect you from the snare wording here of the strange woman were strange here means a foreigner.

It means one outside the circle of one's proper relation's you'll see through the brief thrill of sexual immorality into the long-term blessedness of walking in righteousness. Notice verse 17 that leaves the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.

Notice that the sin of adultery hears first a sin against God.

She forgets the covenant of her God. The seventh commandment, thou shalt not commit adultery, so I would charge our young people here today are single folks and by the way this goes for senior adult single phone cannot just say it. We have as many senior adults who find themselves single that lock fools as we have teenagers who are single and I flew percentagewise and ladies you are most vulnerable. Guard yourself from these wicked strange men only something by John invite will have you do that, you better know the God of wisdom. Walking is what can I say this, one of the way she walk in his wisdom is good good strong loving accountability from fellow church members who can say. Stay away from that guy and in God's your mom's are gifted by God to see evil motives and young girls that you can't see because you know what you see. I know what you see they see some you can't say in girls, your dad's are able to sleep wrong motives in the young man that you can't see as I know what you say that's walking in wisdom say that's walking and was in not only what you really enjoy and that is if you know the God of wisdom. Now, in balance here. There is a God who is the God of the second chance God's grace and mercy and forgiveness. And if you've lived this horror story of sexual immorality in its over when you come to Jesus and repentance over.

You don't have to carry that burden any longer. So I'm talking to single people, young single people middle-age single people older single people and I would say this to you based on the truth of this text, don't marry based first on another person's love for you.

Marry them. First, based on their love for God. The other will work. I don't know how to say this but you know what you find out this Pam is find this out when she get married to him.

They're not quite as lovely as you thought they were. I didn't know he did things like that obnoxious things, but if they love God. They keep their covenant with God and keep their commitment to you. Amen we got the Bible good.

Proverbs had been improper almost 30 years of separation from 18 to 19 of our text. He still talk about his son and the adulterous woman and if you know the God of wisdom, walk in the God of wisdom you have human flourishing. Your life will flourish on the way churches flourishes is that your protected from the strange woman. Or you could say the strange man verse 18 for her house sinks down to death in her tracks lead to death.

None who go to her return again, nor do they reach the passive life. The idea of the word death here means that it robs one of the essence of what life is, according to God, but living in this sand you live. Are you ready you enter a life that is not worth living. It promises so much at the beginning, fulfillment, pleasure satisfaction, but it gives you death is been a while, but the surveys in the polls that I have read through the years says that those who are in committed marriages have the highest sexual satisfaction and those who are committed Christians in committed marriages have the highest sexual satisfaction flourishing. God says if you walk in my wisdom will be flourishing as a sin for my title God's favor and God's blessing even in the bedroom the world living like a bunch of alley cats really can't say that anymore. Out of respect for alley cats trying to find the next sexual thrill. This is not new to the ancient Greeks who were violent, perverse agony, invent words they made up so many sects at only for a couple hundred years to pass in the Roman Emperor who took over Greece declared all of his kingdom would now be Christian because the other stuff ain't working for us anymore.

If you study history and learn something.

All their giving them sales great learning can enter great knowledge, their great philosophies. Their great intellect better baseball and immoralities led them to despair so that now unfortunately when the nobody got say that we wish that he brought all the kingdom of Rome to commit Christianity because they needed biblical morality have decency, honesty, sobriety sanity in their culture. If you know the God of wisdom and desire to observe the way of wisdom, then the seductions of immorality will begin to become alien and unattractive to that will conclude with verses 20 through 22 so in summary conclusion of the teachings he's been given his son, so you will walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of righteousness, the paths of righteousness are in contrast to the past of those who rejoice in perverse things we saw earlier in verse 114 is in contrast to those who speak perverse things in verse 12 we saw just going that route son, if you know the God of wisdom and walk in his wisdom, it will guard you from those and you will walk those pass righteousness, and he adds a phrase verse, verse 19. The first part there. I'm going first 20 the first part so you will walk in the way of the good men while I would hope when I leave this world that maybe somebody will so you know he walked in the ways good man good man, this is the local church when you can. When you know the God of wisdom and you're striving to walk in the ways of the Scott of wisdom you're drawn to other people who know that God will walk in his ways mess with the local churches were drawn to these weird people who looked this God who we can't see, touch, smell, reveals himself by his Spirit that his word were just around each other and we find others who reject our God in his wisdom, we find that we love them. We have compassion for them.

We find ourselves, alienated from them were members of the human family, but we found the deeper family than human family. We found the family of the firstborn family of the regenerate the family of the new creation were drawn to the verse 21. Here it is living under the favor and blessing of God for the upright will live in the land and the blameless will remain in it for an ancient Israelite to live in the land was the same as saying, living under the favor and blessing of God. I watched a lot of you and I think it's obvious watching you that you live under the favor and blessing of God but God first had to change your heart so that you would know got a boost and then begin to learn to walk in the wisdom of that God of wisdom and then verse 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land. That means they'll be removed from God's favor and blessing brothers and sisters friend here this morning. You do not want to live a life where you end up outside the favor in the blessing of God is horrible beyond compare the be cut off from the land last phrase. Verse 22 and the transcripts will be uprooted from it. It's a graphic picture headlock forcing gotchas all rip you up take you outside my favor and blessing. This is a common truth in the Old Testament. Psalm 37, nine for evildoers will be cut off, plucked out, take it outside my favor, but those who wait for the Lord they will inherit the land some 37 verse 11. But the humble will inherit the land humble in the sense of humbling himself before God as a sinner looking to Christ as their Savior coming to know the God of wisdom.

Therefore, in walking, and that was the humble will inherit the land. The favor and blessing of God would allot themselves in abundant prosperity. You have to know God to be wealthy, but to have blessed wealth.

You have to know God will turn out to be a curse should be bitterness in your mouth. If it's not blessed wealth. Psalm 37 verse 29 the righteous will inherit the land.

The favor and blessing God and dwell in it forever were blessed in this life and son Solomon is saying Psalm is writing to son son, listen, you have blessings forever. James 15 if any of you lacks wisdom, the mask of God, who gives to all generously does not.

God gives to all generously God lets the sunshine of the wicked man the atheist man, and grow his crops, and godless. The sunshine on the righteous man that's generous to all the files and hundreds of thousands of different ways.

So the point is if God's not generous to even those who reject them. How much more he wants to pour his wisdom off on you if you will sink if you say God I got hacked I got to have wisdom.

I've said this to you before, but I'm convinced perhaps the most powerful thing in my life was when I was urged early in my Christianity to seek God's wisdom and I begin to pray and praying and praying and praying and praying and praying forgot I need wisdom I need to see this the way you see it.

I need to see the church from your perspective. I need wisdom and I do it, even to this day. If a difficult situation comes up I just I start whispering got all God give me wisdom, give me wisdom chief you will have have that in your line of work. God give me wisdom, which is different than a preacher, but you still he got was, and we all have to walk so death cannot charge you for us this morning. Seek God of wisdom for his wisdom. One of those ways of getting his being in this pew and hearing the preaching of the word. That's a foundational way done just in their seek God's wisdom and then you will know the favor in the blessing of God on your life for time and for eternity