Somebody Loves You

Raul Ries: Wisdom constantly speaks to young men that not only are growing up in life and in times but have taken the wrong road in life by listening to the counsel, to the ungodly counsel of their friends. Wisdom warns, wisdom calls out.

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Announcer: Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio. The Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. Today's message continues our Spiritual Wisdom series. Exploring an exhortation from King Solomon, Raul will urge you to continually heed God's voice as He calls out to you to stay on righteous paths. You'll also get a challenge to nurture your kids in the Word of God, equipping them with truth that will direct them into adulthood.

Here's Raul Ries in Proverbs chapter one, beginning in verse 20, with our study, The First Appeal to Wisdom.

Raul Ries: As I was reading the proverb and examining it culturally, Solomon is writing to his son. As Solomon is writing to his son, the proverb literally goes into a twofold meaning here. Solomon is writing to a young man, which is his son, that has been brought up in the ways of the Lord. He's been teaching him God's Word.

But then it seems that the child comes to that age of accountability, and it seems that the child as he becomes of age chooses to leave the Lord. Pretty heavy proverb. And the responsibility and the accountability of that father and mother in pursuing after that child to come back to the Lord.

That is not just a young child, but that goes into any age that actually leaves the Lord. But the background is that these people that are here have had the instruction, have had the foundation of the Word of God. Here Solomon is giving an invitation, or God has given the invitation to those that have departed from the faith, to those also that are lost in this world.

Listen to the words of wisdom here as he speaks out. He says, wisdom beginning with chapter 1, verse 20. He says, wisdom calls out loud outside. She raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses, at the opening of the gates in the city. She speaks her words. She says, how long you simple ones will you love simplicity? For scorns delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge.

Turn at my rebuke. Surely I will pour out my spirit on you, and I will make my words known to you because I, wisdom, have called on you, but you have refused. I have stretched out my hand, and no one regards it. Because you disdain all my counsel and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity.

I will mock when your terror comes. When terror comes like a storm and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish comes upon you. Then, notice, they will call on me but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

Reason, because they have hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their own way and be filled with full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

But whosoever listens to me will dwell safely and will be secure without fear of evil. Now, those are tremendous words given to us by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit. It speaks of the call of God, and it speaks of the rejection of God's people as God's people reject to come back to the Lord.

Refusal, through a rebellious life thinking that you know better than God, not only not taking upon yourself the responsibility but calling upon wisdom. Wisdom is called upon here.

So many times, as we hear the proverbs, wisdom seems to constantly cry out constantly. Think of the hundreds and thousands and millions of people today as the proverb says here, as they're not only in the square, but they're also by the city gates, you find people not totally isolated, but you find them in the square where everything was taken care of in the city of marketing. Hundreds, thousands of people walking about doing their own thing, shopping, buying, selling in this culture.

And then when you walk to the city gates, you would have the elders sitting at the city gates making judgment for the people as they would come to be judged by the elders. And even though there seem to be a lot of people and a lot of confusion going on, right in the midst of the multitudes, wisdom was crying out. Who will have me? Who will come to understanding? Who will come to repentance before it's too late?

This is the call of Jesus Christ to a world that is so lost. That's why the Scripture says that for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Wisdom constantly speaks to young men that not only are growing up in life and in times, but have taken the wrong road in life by listening to the counsel, to the ungodly counsel of their friends.

Wisdom warns, wisdom calls out. This young man that Solomon is talking about here in chapter one, has been instructed by his parents. As his parents have taken the time to sit him down when he was a little child and to instruct him between what's right, what's wrong, what's light, what's darkness.

As they spend time laying hands on the little child and praying for him. So that God would give him the knowledge and the wisdom as he would grow up to make the right decisions in his own personal life according to the Word of God as he now has actually spurred away, away from his parents. And now has to live his own personal life in a world that is totally in darkness.

In Proverbs chapter 4, verse 10 to 13, listen to Solomon again speaking to his son. He says, hear my son and receive my sayings and the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom and I have led you in the right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. Take a firm hold of instruction and do not let her go. Keep her for she is your dear life.

Notice the importance of the Word of God. How important it is to spend time in the reading and the meditating of the Word of God. Especially you fathers have a great responsibility today to your home. In becoming not only the leader of your home, but becoming the spiritual leader of your wife and of your children.

As you stop throughout the day, wherever you may be and you pray for your loved ones. And when you come home, you show that affection and love and care for your children by spending time with them and instructing them, and loving them and caring for them. Hoping that they don't make the same mistakes that we have made as parents.

But allowing our children to see the love of God in our homes and to see that we are also trusting in the Word of God as we need wisdom and knowledge to do all of our tasks in this life as grownups. We live by example, the Scripture says. You don't say to do something and yet you yourself do not do it. That's hypocrisy in the home. It's a lack of wisdom in the home.

I really believe that young people today, many of them have not had the opportunity like myself when I was a child to be actually have my parents teach me the Word of God. And that's one of the reasons that I had so many problems as a teenager growing up. But I thank God that by the age of 24 years old, that God gave me the opportunity not only to receive Him as personal Lord and Savior, but begin to read and to understand wisdom.

To learn to be open for instruction, to be open for rebuke. As wisdom not only wants to teach us but wisdom wants to dominate our lives completely so that we can trust in the Lord by faith. Here when the young man is being called out by the father, the father literally, wisdom is calling first of all that young person to repentance, to repent.

Because of the rebellion in his heart. Because of the association, the evil association and the influence that this young person has had with his associations and his friends. It's brought him down. It's set him apart from God. He's come against even his own parents.

And his godly parents are crying out to God, and they're praying for God to somehow listen to their prayers so this young child can come back to his foundation, which is the Word of God. That's wisdom. What an awesome responsibility we have as parents.

Announcer: This is Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. Browse somebodylovesyou.com for biblical resources to anchor your faith and guide you in God's ways. You can also join Raul for Straight Talk on the Somebody Loves You Worldwide YouTube channel every Tuesday at 10:00 AM West Coast Time. Let's continue now with more from Raul Ries.

Raul Ries: When the child begins to ask questions, the parent is to give him answers through wisdom, which is the Word of God. You see. When they ask you about sin, whatever it may be, the answers are given to us as you're taking them through the Word of God, systematically, book upon book and chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

And the Bible says that when you give the Word of God to your children, the Word of God will never come back void. They may go to the right or the left, but if the Word of God truly takes effect in the life of a child, that child will always come back to its roots. Always. As we, the parents, pray without ceasing for our children.

So parents have a great responsibility, but at the same time, children also have a greater responsibility. Why? Because to much is given, much more is required. You see. Especially for those of us and those of you that have been actually now, you've grown up in a Christian home.

And you've been brought up with godly parents, and they've given you the Word of God. And many times because of the influence of friendships, many times when children come to the age of 18 and they get ready to go out into the world, they always think that they're going to do better than their parents.

But time has the way of seasoning children. Age seasons every one of us. As you parents take the time to get into the Word of God, and to read the Word of God, and study it, and then give it to your children. So they can learn. They can come to that place of safety in their lives.

In Proverbs 4:19, 4:14-19, he says, do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it. Do not travel on it. Turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil, and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they ate the bread of wickedness. And they drink the wine of violence, but the path of the just is like the shining sun that shines ever brighter until the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness and they do not know what makes them stumble. Notice that.

So wisdom is not hidden, but wisdom is open and available to every one of us here today. May God help us to listen to wisdom's cry. Look again at chapter one. There in verse 20. As we look at the appeal for each listener that comes to the Lord.

Wisdom calls out loud outside. She raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses, at the opening of the gates in the city. And then verse 22, watch what he says here. This is now wisdom. How long you simple ones? The word simple ones means those that are open to evil. Those that are open to evil. How long you simple ones will you love simplicity?

And our English word simplicity is not too good, but the Hebrew literally means how long you who are open to evil will you love stupidity? Think about that. How long will you be stupid? How long will you continue to live in darkness, knowing that the judgment of God is on its way?

Think for a moment. And yet it seems that even though wisdom is crying, how many times have you sat down with someone and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and yet they don't seem to understand it? You see nothing but rebellion in their hearts. And they have the attitude, well, you know what? It's my life, and I don't care what you say, and I'm going to do whatever I want to do. And you can. But you'll destroy yourself sooner or later.

Eventually, you will end up in hell because you did not listen to wisdom. So here crying out again, how long? What is it going to take from you to continue to be in stupidity? And then he says this for scorners, that is, those that are careless talkers, delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge. The fool had said in his heart, there is no God. The fool.

For you to reject the knowledge of God as your parents are trying to teach you, and even a parent to reject the knowledge of God is for you to become a real fool. Not recognizing that God is intending to use your life, not intending that God wants to promote you, God wants to lift you up. But because of the hardness of heart, we confront and we say, I don't want anything to do with wisdom.

And we do stupid things in life. But yet, look at verse 23. This is so neat. Notice here describing the unwillingness to take rebuke. In verse 23, he says, turn at my reproof. Notice this. Surely, I will pour out my spirit on you. And rebuke is what? God rebuking us in His love.

To turn us to do what's right. He says if you only repent and you turn to me, then I will take my Holy Spirit and I will pour it upon you. And I'll make you go forward. And I will make my words known to you. I'll give you understanding, I'll give you discretion. I'll give you knowledge, I'll give you wisdom if you turn to me.

And then verse 24. Because I have called and you refused. Notice that. Repentance refused. Did not want to turn to God. I, God, or I, wisdom, have stretched out my hand. And notice, and no one regards it because you disdain all my counsel, and you would have none of my rebuke. Even as a father rebukes his child and disciplines him, so does God.

If you let your child get away with everything that they do, instead of helping them, you're destroying them. Totally destroying them. And you're setting them up for judgment. So as parents, we need to chastise them in love. We need to correct them and then instruct them, too.

Letting them know why they're being spanked or why they're being corrected. And through that whole thing, it's all done in the love of Jesus Christ. Not in anger, but in love. Verse 26, I also will laugh at your calamity. He says you made fun of me, now I'm going to make fun of you because you rejected me.

I will mock when your terror comes. And you know how it is. Every one of us will go through difficulties in our lives. And who knows what is going to take to bring you to your knees so that you can call upon God? But we're praying that it might not be too late like he says here. He says, I will mock you when your terror comes. When your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when you distress and anguish comes upon you, then they will call upon me, but I will not answer them.

May God help us never to get to that place. The place of true rebellion, calling, but no answer comes. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. It's too late for some of those people. They've crossed that line. Why? Because they hated knowledge. There it is. They hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

It's a choice, you see. You have to make the choice. God will never force Himself upon you. You have to choose Him. The fear of the Lord. They would have none of my counsel. And despised my every rebuke. Whenever I would step in, God says, and I would rebuke them, they would shine it on, and they would not say it was God that was rebuking them. They continued to sin.

Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their own way. What does God do? He turns you over to your own way. So whatever you actually are going to sow, you're going to reap the consequences of it sooner or later. Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their own way and be filled with the full of their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

Notice their own friends will send them to hell and destroy them. But at the same time, right before he concludes, what does God do? He always calls out with His grace and His love and His mercy. Why? Because He's not willing that any should perish. But whosoever listens to me will dwell in safety, and will be secure without fear of any kind of evil. May God this morning help us come to that place.

Announcer: Well, if you're facing uncertainties or responsibilities that are daunting to navigate, we hope it's empowering to know that you can always seek God's eternal perspective and perfect insight. You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. If you'd like to hear today's lesson again, we'll be happy to send a copy to you for a donation of $5 or more. Just call us at 800-634-9165 and mention today's study, First Appeal to Wisdom.

Whether you're in the trenches of parenting or maneuvering through other challenges, we'd like to equip you with Raul's four-lesson Wisdom series. This scripture-rich resource is available on both CD and flash drive. As you learn how to tune out the world's noise and instead listen for the Lord's voice, you'll find that in every season of your life, God will be faithful to guide you along righteous, abundant paths.

To purchase Raul's Wisdom series, visit somebodylovesyou.com or call 800-634-9165. We'll send you this four-part study for a donation of $18 for the CD set or just $10 for the USB. That's 800-634-9165, or write to Somebody Loves You Radio, P.O. Box 4440, Diamond Bar, California 91765.

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Music: I am falling in love with you. This program is sponsored by Somebody Loves You Radio in Diamond Bar, California.