Discipline is never pleasant, whether it be for the believer or for a naughty child. The trouble is of course that the folly of sin needs to be corrected. But honouring the Lord brings blessing in this life and the next.
Proverbs 22:
1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favour is better than silver or gold.
2 The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them all.
3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.
4 The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honour and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.
9 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.
10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarrelling and abuse will cease.
11 He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
12 The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor.
13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!"
14 The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit; he with whom the LORD is angry will fall into it.
15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Words of the Wise
17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,
18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.
19 That your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to you today, even to you.
20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21 to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
22 Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate,
23 for the LORD will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.
24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,
25 lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
26 Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?
28 Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.
29 Do you see a man skilful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
Proverbs 23:
1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.
3 Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.
4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.
6 Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies,
7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. "Eat and drink!" he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.
10 Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you.
12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.
15 My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad.
16 My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right.
17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.
18 Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.
20 Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat,
21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.
22 Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit; an adulteress is a narrow well.
28 She lies in wait like a robber and increases the traitors among mankind.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.
34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast.
35 "They struck me," you will say, "but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink."
Things to think about…
1. Have you thought about what sort of name you have before others, Prov 22:1? Be bold enough to ask, then, be humble enough to change if needed.
2. Prov 22:6 is always an encouragement for those of us who have older children who are straying away from the Lord. Keep praying for Christ’s Spirit to engage with them to remember what they have been taught.
3. Anyone who has ever been in debt and had to pay a bank off, or are still paying the bank off, knows the truth about Prov 22:7. How are you going with your financial management? If your debt is unmanageable, how are you trying to get free from the one who is enslaving you?
4. Many churches including our own knows all too well the truth of Prov 22:10. Pray that you seek after truth, grace and peace in Christ’s body wherever and whenever you can.
5. In ancient Israel ‘the lion’ was an accessible excuse that any lazy person could use to not do any work, Prov 22:13. What excuses do modern Aussies come up with? Do you know any lazy Christians? Rebuke them sharply, they are blight on the name of Christ. Paul says you shouldn’t even feed them, 2Thess 3:10. Can you think of ways the church can help reform the Australian social benefits culture that has been accused of supporting a ‘dole bludger’ mentality? Ultimately the only answer is to continue to show and preach the gospel. The heart is the root of the problem and the potential.
6. Thirty sayings of the wise, mentioned in Prov 22:20. There are some common themes among the proverbs that give wisdom – faith in God and reading/trusting/obeying His word are the sum of it all.
7. Heaps of people want to remove the ancient landmark of the Word of God, Prov 22:28. Don’t be tempted to move your convictions regarding the truth simply because of the whims of the world. Stand firm and be blessed.
8. You want an elevated platform to be the voice of moral and spiritual change in Australia – then be good at what you do, Prov 22:29.
9. Do you really want to be wealthy? The first 5 verses of Proverbs 23 give some fairly strong reasons as to why it isn’t a very good idea. Prov 23:5 says that wealth easily takes flight. Has this ever happened to you? Wealth without wisdom is always in danger of falling prey to a covetous heart.
10. Ever met anyone who can only be described as stingy, Prov 23:6-8? I find such people are only nice to you because they want something in return. Anything they give you makes you want to vomit – as vs 8 suggests.
11. Kids need discipline, simple as that. In the past all four of our boys needed a smack at the same time. I would refuse to allow myself to be punished by using my hand on their iron backsides, so I would use a thick wooden spoon or the bracing piece of a wooden chair (I know – sounds harsh). But…don’t be sold the lie that this is child abuse. It is abuse not to love our children with appropriate discipline when our children are naughty. Discipline is not meant to tickle. It’s discipline, it’s meant to cause pain. I love the counsel given by writer here – ‘strike him with a rod, he will not die’, Prov 23:13. This is true. They live very well in fact. All our boys have turned out to be fine young men. There is a good chance that if appropriate discipline is given with the love of Christ they will live forever with you in heaven. Surely this is the ultimate goal, vs 14.
12. Prov 23:15-35 is directed towards sons from their fathers. Girls need discipline of course, but boys just seem to need a more firm hand. I don’t have daughters but my nieces were angels compared to my boys growing up. Dad’s, don’t go soft on your sons. Weak undisciplined boys grow into weak undisciplined men. We have too many of these in society. True joy for any parent who has boys comes from their obedience, Prov 23:24, 25. Get involved in the lives of boys and young men, they are the future leaders in church, families and society.
13. Have you ever been inebriated with alcohol? If so, then you know what the writer is saying in Prov 23:30-35. The main point being that you can’t feel anything and you see strange things when you are drunk. An alcoholic of course continues in this cycle, vs 35. Does the church have any practical solutions to this problem that has clearly been around since Noah’s time. I would suggest Adam’s time, but Noah is the first recorded person who was inebriated to his shame that is recorded in the scriptures Gen 9:20-23.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “Two cities same message – Reading Joel 2, Nahum 3
1. Minor prophets speak about two cities – Joel – Zion and Nahum – Nineveh. What is your understanding of Nineveh’s history? 100 years after revival Nahum speaks of judgement upon Nineveh. Why? What message is here for the church?
2. Joel 2 speaks of judgement that will come upon Zion – Judah in general and Jerusalem in particular. But there is a significant difference between the final outcome of Zion’s fortunes as opposed to Nineveh’s fortunes. Discuss.
3. Joel 2 finishes with what will happen during the later days of Zion with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Joel 2:28-32. These verses are of course echoed by Peter in Acts 2:16-21 at Pentecost. They have had a partial fulfillment at Pentecost, but have not been fully fulfilled. Discuss what relevance this is to the church and as Christians individually.
4. Pray for each other.
Prayer Points
1. Many have covid now. Pray as it finally runs its course through the community.
2. Continue to pray for Sally Gauntlett and dear Richard.
3. Peace to rest over Ukraine.
4. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Doug’s preaching at such short notice
2. Many returning back to full health.
3. Worship on Sunday – thankyou Paul, Suzy, Zac, Richard, Bec, and Tim.
4. All those who faithfully serve in ministries, Worship, Sound/Technical/Kids Church/ Cell Groups/Admin - Bulletins/Finances/Property/Welcoming/Spiritual Leadership/Cafe
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Remember to check your duty rosters.
2. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
3. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism question for July...
Q.6. What will become of the wicked on the day of judgment? A. They shall be cast into hell.
