This Week's Sunday School Lesson "How To Be Happy" 10/30/2011

Matt 5:1-12

CHARACTERISTICS OF BLESSED FOLK

V:1. “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his

disciples came unto him.”

A. Jesus never missed an opportunity to teach.

1. It is the duty of believers to teach the Word in season and out of season.

2. We should never mist an opportunity to glorify God with our mouths.

B. Jesus positioned Himself to be heard. He went to the mountain.

1. From a distance if they look up, the crowd could see Him.

2. The life of a believer ought set himself apart from the crowd.

3. From a distance, folk ought to see you as different from the world.

4. That is what Jesus came to do; set His church apart from the world.

a. The Gospel is different from the world.

b. The Gospel message is eternal life.

c. The message of the world is death.

V:2. “And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,”

A. Those who love the Lord are eager to share the Word of God..

B. You have to siege the opportunity the moment God give it to you.

1. Silence is not always golden.

2. Someone in your mist may needs to hear a good word.

3. Someone in your mist may need encouragement.

4. Someone in your mist may need to hear the truth.

5. Someone in your mist may need new directions.

V:3. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

A. Blessed = happy= an inner quality

1. He is blessed because he does not have anything to prove.

2. He is blessed because he credits God for every thing.

B. When a man considers himself to the infinite God, he is poor.

1. When a man considers his knowledge to the infinite knowledge of God, he is poor.

2. When a man considers to his spirit to the infinite spirit of God, he is poor.

3. When a man considers the spiritual graces he has to all the spiritual graces, he is

poor.

C. Being poor in the SPIRIT is a BLESSED condition because the KINGDOM OF

HEAVEN IS YOURS.

1. It is the poor of this world that are rich in faith.
2. God hates the proud but He loves the humble.
3. A humble spirit is a happy spirit.
4. God lifts up the HUMBLE all the way to HEAVEN.

V:4. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”

A. Those who have a relationship with Lord, morn;

1. They know the full effect of their sins.

2. The wages of sin is death.

3. Sin separates them from fellowship with God.

4. Sin causes a lost of blessings.

5. They know that they sin occasionally because occasionally, they lose sight

Of their faith.

B. But they are comforted.

1. They know by GRACE through FAITH (faith given them by Christ) they are

saved.

2. They know that where the Lord Jesus is, they are.

3. They know that salvation belongs to them and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

4. They know that their sin are cast as far as the east is from the west.

5. They know that the blood of Jesus covers their sins.

6. They know that Jesus is faithful and just to forgive them.

V:5. “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”

A. Meek = a gentle quite spirit.

1. He feels superior to none.

2. He knows that all he has he received from God.

3. Because he is meek, he is open to an abundance of spiritual good.

4. He is compassionate enough to listen to the needs of others.

5. He is compassionate enough to help those in need.

6. He is wise enough to speak only wisdom and comfort of the Lord.

B. He is blessed because he SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.

1. His inheritance is sure in Jesus Christ.

2. He shall reign with Jesus after the resurrection in heaven.

3. They study to be like Jesus,

a. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matt 11:29);

C. They make it their business to consider others before themselves.

1. Toward men this disposition is the opposite of high-mindedness, and a quarrelsome and revengeful spirit;

2. It "rather takes wrong, and suffers itself to be defrauded" (1 Cor 6:7); it "avenges not itself, but rather gives place unto wrath" (Rom 12:19);

3. Like the meek One, "when reviled, it reviles not again; when it suffers, it threatens not; but commits itself to Him that judgeth righteously" (1 Peter 2:19-22). (JFB)

4. Happiness is found in considering and treating others in a godly manner.

V:6. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be

filled.”

A. The blessed have a spiritual appetite.

1. They make it their business to follow the commands of God.

2. They make it their business to treat everybody right.

B. They have a deep desire to be in the mind of Jesus. They are led by the examples of the prophets.

1. "Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord" (Isa 2:1);

2. "I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord," exclaimed dying Jacob (Gen 49:18);

3. "My soul," says the sweet Psalmist, "breaketh for the longing, that it hath unto thy judgments at all times" (Ps 119:20).

C. They are filled with THE JOY OF THE LORD.

1. Like the psalmist they say; “As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness" (Ps 17:13-15).

V:7. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

A. Mercy= eleemon= compassionate

1. What goes around comes around.

2. Do unto others what you would have them do to you.

B. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He took time to be compassionate and meet the needs of those who came to Him.

1. One of the characteristics of a Christian is to share what he has with others.

2. When we share what we have with others, others in time will share what they

Have with others.

3. The price of mercy is mercy. Jesus echoed this in Matt 10:42

"Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold

water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no

wise lose his reward.”

4. It is our duty to show mercy to others.

V:8. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”

A. Man by himself does not have a pure heart.

1. It is by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ that the heart of

Man is considered pure before God. (John 3:3).

B. Man was blessed when God elected him to the body of Christ.

1. “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.” 1 Peter 1:2

2. It is the duty of the Christian to imitate the heart of Jesus. Phil 2:5

V:9. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

A. Peacemakers= eireenopoioi= peace loving.

1. Peacemakers are those who not only study peace, but they diffuse it .”

2. Jesus is the master peacemaker because He reconciled the world to God.

a. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with

God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Rom 5:1

b. 2 Cor 5:18 states, “ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself

through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:”

d. Peacemaking is the duty of the believer.

C. A person should be in the most pleasant state when he is a peace with those around

him.

1. Peace starts with you.

2. To be at peace with others you have to be tolerant.

3. We must be careful not to argue for the sake of argument.

4. God is pleased with those who exercise there right to be peaceful.

V.10. “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the

kingdom of heaven.”

A. The world hated Christ our Savior. The world will hate you because you love Christ.

1. It would be better to suffer for righteousness than to suffer for our own sins.

2. “ But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.” 1 Peter 3:14

3. Satan job is to destroy the faith of believers by causing trouble in their lives.

a. He came to steal, kill and destroy.

4. This is evidence that we are children of God.

a. God will defend His children against the attack of Satan.

B. To be happy under persecution the believer has to put his trust in the living God.

V:11. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all

manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”

A. The Lord’s love allows us to suffer.

1. Suffering is a way the Lord uses to test our faith.

2. Suffering is a way the Lord uses to draw us closer to him.

3. Suffering is a way the Lord uses to perfect our faith.

B. James tells us to be joyful under persecution, James 1:2-4

1. God promises a reward for those who preserve under trial. James 1:12

2. Our happy state is secure when we rely on the promises of God.

V:12. “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so

persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

A. There is a history of suffering of the prophets who served the Lord.

1. The prophets of old receive their reward in heaven for serving the Lord.

2. We have a Biblical record of those who served and their presence with the

Lord at their death. Elijah, Moses, Abraham.

B. What ever suffering God allows, His grace is sufficient to see us through it.

C. The joy we have in the Lord is not based on our physical condition, but our sure

reward in heaven.

1, Rejoicing under trial is our testimony to the world that we are children of God.

2. God has so designed our trials to teach us to over power our outward

Circumstances with our minds.

a. The Lord said He would not put more on us than we could bare.

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Marriage and The Church, 10/23/2011

Song of Solomon 4:8

MARRIAGE AND THE CHURCH

God compares the church to marriage. Therefore His first church was Adam and Eve

They gathered in His name. The church was created in His image and His likeness. He

bonded it together in Love.

Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. I doubt that fidelity was high on his

priority list. Perhaps the lesson here is twofold, the love in a marriage and the love God

has for His Church. Christ is the bridegroom and the Church is His bride.

V.4:8. Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon:

A. Come with me; an invitation

1. Become "My"; connect with me.

2. Come form where you are to the top.

3. When we connect with God we are on top, because God is "top" John 3:31

a. With God we go from the valley of life to the top of life.

b. Accepting Christ as our personal savior we become the bride of Christ.

c. Christ is the bridegroom and the church is the bride. John 3:27-29

B. "Look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions'

dens, from the mountains of the leopards."

1. The valley is the low point of life.

2. The lions and the leopards are the troubles of life.

3. God invites us to come to Him from the valley leaving our troubles behind.

4. Mount Hermon rises up to 9000 feet.

a. From the top, you have a better view of the world around you.

b. God enlighten us, so we understand the world around us.

V.9. "Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck."

A. God desires an intimate relationship with us.

1. He considers us sisters; blood relatives. John 6:53. Mark 14:24

2. The word "sister" also indicates His affection for us

B. "Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck."

1. The heart of Christ is moved by His love for us.

2. The eyes of the heart is the mind.

3. When you meditate on the Word, your mind is chained to the Lord.

V.10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

A. Fair= beautiful

1. The Love we have for God should be much more important than the love we have

for anything else.

a. There should be nothing equal to the love we have for God.

2. God's love for us was so important to Him that He sent His only son to

die for us.

3. Men have a love for wine.

a. Women have a love for spices and ointments.

b. Our love for God should be much more than our love for stuff..

4:11."Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy

tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon."

A. Milk and honey is what the Lord promised the Israelites in the promise land.

1. God delights Himself in giving us the sweeter things of life.

2. Therefore, out of our hearts ought to flow sweetness to Him.

a. We should lift Him up in prayer and praises.

B. What we do for others in the name of the Lord pleases Him.

1. We should lift one another up in prayer and encourage others along the way in

the Lord.

2. We ought to see the good in others and bring it up to them to promote them to

higher good.

3. Out of our mouths ought to be words well pleasing to God. Col 4:6

4. We ought to remind ourselves of how pleasing God is to us.

a. Therefore we should make it our business to be pleasing to God.

4:12. "A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed."

A. God looks at us through the pure eyes of Jesus Christ, the bridegroom, holy and

undefiled. Heb 7:26.

1. We are owned by Jesus because He shed His blood for us.

2. No one has a right to us but Jesus. Heb 13:4.

3. When we trust the world for our needs we defiled the marriage bed.

4. When we run after the world to fulfill our desires, we defiled the marriage bed.

5. We have made our bed with Jesus and therefore we should stay in it.

6. To stay in tuned with Jesus we have to follow His commands.

7. Having accepted Christ as our personal savior we are sealed. Eph 4:30

4:13. "Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with

spikenard."

A. It was in the garden of Eden that God placed man with all the fruit trees of life. Gen

2:16.

1. Man was shut up there to enjoy eternity.

2. It was in the garden that man enjoyed the presence of the Lord.

3. It was in the Garden that man enjoyed all the good pleasures of life.

B. It was in the garden that sin entered and defiled it.

1. Man was cast out of the garden and locked out because of his sin. Gen 3: 23

C. God desires to return us to the garden but only through Jesus Christ. Jer 3:12-14.

1. Man cannot come to the Father on his own. John 6:44

2. In the garden is eternity.

3. Jesus was crucified by the garden for your sins and mind. John 19:41

4. Therefore, our sacrifices to God ought to be pure and undefiled and pleasing

to God.

V.4:14. "Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense;

myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices."

A. In the garden was an abundance of odors pleasing to the senses.

1. The pleasure of man was undefiled with the best.

2. It was frankincense and myrrh that the Wise Men brought to Jesus as an offering

because they saw a Star in the sky marking His birth as King.

B. In the garden is all the best.

1. Jesus is our King.

2. Jesus is the Star of our lives.

3. We ought to give Jesus our best because He gave us His best.

V. 4:15. "A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon."

A. Jesus is the Fountain of living waters.

1. There is a fountain that never dries up.

2. There is a fountain that has no end. Rev 21:6

3. The river of life, the fountain started in the garden. Gen 2:10

V. 4:16. ”Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the

spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant

fruits."

A. It should be our prayer that God bless us with His Grace and Mercy.

1. Bless us with the North wind of conviction.

2. Bless us with the South wind of comfort.

3. We ought to invite Christ into our lives.

4. We ought to honor Christ with our lives.

5. We ought to show Him our love by keeping His commands and loving our

neighbors.

B. God placed us in the garden of life to be fruitful

1. He gave us His Word to guide us.

2. He gave us a helper, a comforter, a teacher to enlighten us. He gave us the

Holy Spirit who indwells us. John 14:26

3. He gave us the living bread. John 6:51

This Week's Sunday School Lesson 10/16/2011 "

Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:1-7,13

GOD GIVES US HIS WISDOM BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE

WARNING TO THE YOUTH

9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood.

A. The word "rejoice" is in the form of a command or in this case perhaps a warning.

1. God expects us to enjoy our life when we are young.

2. We ought to always make the best of our days

" This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it" Ps 118:24.

3. If we trust the Lord, we should enjoy today and not worry about tomorrow.

" Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each

day has enough trouble of its own. " Matt 6:34

4. God says; REJOICE because of His LOVE for us.

B. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.

(We have a heart and eyes because of His Love for us)

1. Our rejoicing is expected to be according to commands of God.

2. God does not give us a license to do anything we want to do.

3. We have the ability to do what we want to do.

a. However we will be judged by what we do.

b. Choose GOOD!

Verse 10. "So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your

body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting."

(Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.)

A. We must remember that your young life does not last forever.

1. It is slipping away, one day at a time.

2. Life is too short for petty stuff.

B. Some mental pain can be avoided.

1. Trouble in the heart comes from what we focus on.

2. We can resolve not to be angry.

3. We can resolve not to be jealous or envious of anyone.

4. We can resolve to be content with what we have and who we are.

C. We can make up our minds not to be involve in things that are not pleasing to God.

1. If we live according to the desires of the flesh we will make decisions that in the

end causes pain and distress.

2. If we live according to God's commands we will live a more peaceful and joyful life.

D. Our youthful years will come to an end.

1. Decisions we make while we are young will affect us when we are old.

2. Fun and games soon come to an end and we are left the pains of living and earning

the means to live.

V. 12:1.( Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;)

A. This emphasizes the need for strong and consistent discipline of our children.

1. When they leave home and venture on their own, they will have a solid foundation to

fall back on.

2. They will have the fear of the Lord to restrain them from wrong doing.

B. When we honor God with our life, we develop a lifestyle based on His commands.

1.A lifestyle based on the commands of God is most profitable and enjoyable in the

long term.

2 Many of the things we did when we were young, we find no pleasure in now that we

are mature adults.

a. So much time was wasted in foolish and useless activities when we were young that

we can't undo and sometimes can't recover from.

3. A lifestyle based on God's commands endears God to Us.

1. Jesus said" If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask what you want and it

will be done for you"

4. God is our creator. He owns us, therefore we owe Him honor and obedience.

OLD AGE DEFINED

V.12:2. "While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the

clouds return after the rain."

A. The "Sun" represents prosperity in our youth.

1. "Darkness" represents pain and trouble in our old age.

2. The "clouds after the rain" represent more trouble to come.

B. While we are youthful and opportunities present themselves, we must take advantage

of them.

1. When we are old the opportunities dry up and the resources to handle trouble dry up

too.

2. When we are young, the body is strong, the mind is strong and doors of opportunity

are open.

3. But when you get old, the body is weak, the mind is weak and the doors of

opportunity close.

THE DECAY OF THE BODY

V.12:3. "In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves"

A. "The keepers of the house" represents the head, arms and legs which become weaken

with old age.

1. The phrase " strong men shall bow" represents the stooping man because the legs

have become weaken and bent.

2. As we get old there will come a time when the head shakes, and the arms are to

weak to defend ourselves.

a. The legs become too weak to support us and carry our weight.

B. "And the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows

be darkened."

1. The "grinders" represent the teeth which become weaken and unable to the job

they were designed to do.

a. It was not too long ago false teeth replaced the natural teeth as they decayed and had

to be removed.

b. Today we have dental implants.

2. "Those that look out of windows" represent the eyes and ears.

a. Today eye problems can be corrected with eye glasses and surgery.

b. Today, hearing can be improved with hearing aids.

3. Although modern medicine can repair and replace organs in the body, it cannot stop

the deterioration of the body which continues to worsen the older we get.

a. Modern medicine cannot stop or reverse the natural process of aging.

V.12.4. "And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low"

A. The older we get, the more our travel outside the house is limited.

1. The more we recognize how vulnerable we are to outside forces.

2. We take extra precautions to secure our safety

B. The older we are the more we understand the need to have God on our side.

C. "And he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be

brought low."

1. The older we get, the more we are burdened by the problems of today and tomorrow.

a. Therefore we do not sleep soundly as we did when we were carefree.

b. Because we do not sleep soundly, small noises that once went unnoticed awaken

us.

2. The hearing impaired do not enjoy music as those who hear well.

a. In our old age we do not enjoy the same music as we did in our youth.

b. As we mature in the Lord our taste for music should be more spiritual.

V.12:5. Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the

way,

A. The older we get the more we realize how fragile our bones are and therefore the

less risk we are willing to take.

1. The fear of high places is real, because broken bones don't heal fast.

2. Our activities are limited by our fears and rightly so.

3. It is a wise person who recognizes a problem and avoids it.

B. "And the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire

shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets."

1. One sure sign of aging is the graying of the hair.

a. An almond tree in full bloom is a mass of whiteness.

b. The older we get the more grey hair appears on our heads.

2. Another sure sign of aging is we become slower in our movements.

a. Our joints become stiff and sometimes painful.

b. Just as the aging grasshopper can no longer hop long distances, so does the stride

of man become slower and more cautious.

3. The older we get the more we look forward to a retirement from our labors.

a. We prepare a "will" for the event of our death.

b. We purchase a plot for our final resting place.

c. We set our finances in order to live on a fixed income.

d. We get more serious about our faith in God.

DEATH; THE END OF LIFE ON THIS EARTH

V.12:6. "Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be

broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern."

A. Life on this earth begins and end with the Father.

1. Solomon may be referring to life with two terms; light and water.

2. The golden bowl is a lamp held by a silver cord.

a. Solomon describes life as precious in terms of silver and gold.

b. If the silver cord is loosed or the golden bold is broken, the light is extinguished

and life ends.

3. The picture is lowered into a well, the fountain and filled with water the source of

life.

a. If the picture is broken life end because it is cut off from the source.

B. Those who believe in Jesus are never cut off from the source of life.

a. Life will end on this earth, but it begins new in Heaven.

1) Paul said "Absent from the body, present with Lord."

2) John 3:16, state that whoever believes in Jesus shall not parish but have life

forever.

V.12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto

God who gave it."

A. Man is composed of three parts; a body, soul and a spirit.

1. The body is temple for the soul and the spirit.

a. Genesis 2:7 states: "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

b. 1 Corinthians 6:19 states: " Do you not know that your body is a temple of the

Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? "

c. 2 Corinthians 6:16 states: "For we are the temple of the living God. As God has

said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and

they will be my people."

B. At death on this earth, the body goes back to the ground, but the spirit lives on.

1. If we believe in Christ, we will never be separated from Him

2. Man has two choices, life with Christ in heaven or life in hell.

THE BEST ADVICE

V.12:13. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his

commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

A. Man is owned by God, made responsible to God and is given this responsibility:

1. Fear God

a. Man is required to worship and obey the Lord.

b. We must know that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

2. Keep His commandments.

a. Jesus gave us two commandments which is the sum of all commandments.

b. Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your

soul and with all your mind.'

c. This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love

your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two

commandments." Matt 22:37-38

You know, it is because of God's great Love for us that He designed the body so that it

gets old and deteriorates. And we die.

God's grand design is that we spend eternity in heaven with Him. We have to die to get to heaven.

All that God does is because of His GREAT LOVE FOR US.

I say to you, REJOICE, GOD LOVES YOU.

This lesson is posted on my Facebook page and on my blog called "Good News God's Word". http://GoodNewsRevMitc.blogspot.com

Your comments and questions are welcomed.

This Week's Sunday School Lesson 10/9/2011

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

GOD'S WISDOM, THE BEST WAY TO SUCCESS

13" I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me."

A. The wisdom of God is all around us.

1. All we have to do is open our eyes to see it.

2. The wisdom of the Lord is in His Word.

3. You will be exposed to the wisdom from those who preach and teach His Word.

4. You will be exposed to the wisdom of the Lord from those who live by the Word.

B. We ought to be inspired by the wisdom of the Lord.

1. Only the wisdom of the Lord leads to lasting success.

2. Only by the wisdom of the Lord are assured success.

14 "There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came

against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it."

A. Outside peace in your life will only last for a short period of time.

1. There is always some one or something ready to bring trouble in your life.

2. It is the wisdom of God that will get you through difficult times.

B. There is always someone with more power and more money than you who have

no regards for what you have and no regards for your rights.

C. God is bigger than the whole world against us.

1. Wisdom requires trust in the Lord.

2. Wisdom requires that our actions are guided by God's commands.

15" Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his

wisdom, but nobody remembered that poor man. "

A. One man of God can make a big difference.

1. One man of God can change the course of history.

2. One man of God can save many lives.

3. We (the body of Christ) are that man.

B. Our Godly efforts will not be remembered long by the world.

1. The world does benefits but does not appreciate or recognize Godly help.

2. This man was poor by the world's standard, but rich in the Lord.

16 "So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised,

and his words are no longer heeded. "

A. The rich and the powerful measure their worth by what they have and what they

control.

1. The worth of the poor man of wisdom is who he trusts and what he believes.

a. The poor man in this text trusted God, therefore, his wisdom led to the

overthrow of a kingdom.

b. In His Word, God gives many examples of "poor men" used in His plan.

1) David, a young shepherd boy defeated Goliath .

2) Because David relied on God, he brought down a nation.

3) David was ridiculed for his belief in God, but his wisdom brought down

Goliath.

c. The world does not see the worth of God's wisdom, even though they enjoy the

benefit of his wisdom.

2. Our Godly behavior will not always be appreciated by the world.

a. Our Godly behavior is noticed and rewarded by the Lord.

b. We set the example for others to follow.

c. It is by our Godly behavior that the world is exposed to what is right.

d. It is by our Godly behavior that the world is exposed to the proper way to treat

others:

1) Spouse

2) Family

3) Friends

17 "The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of

fools."

A. Those who meditate on the Word of God will gain understanding and benefit from

His Wisdom.

B. Wisdom of God cannot be debated.

1, If debated, it will be lost in the argument.

2. God does not need your help to prove His Word.

3. Scripture proves itself.

4. God expects believers to develop an argument for His Word using His Word.

18 "Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good."

A. By weapons of war men use their might to fight the enemy.

1. Not knowing the will of the enemy to survive, the weapons may not be effective.

B. By the wisdom of God man develops relationships which may eliminate the need

for war.

C. A foolish decision ignores the wisdom of God and creates hostility and becomes

destructive.

D. It would appear that the wisdom of man is more effective than the wisdom of God.

1. Man controls the financial market.

2. Man controls the manufacturing market.

3. Man controls the agricultural market.

4. However God controls the outcome of the plans of man.

a. God uses the energy of man to bless His creation.

b. We must remember that in all things, God is working for the benefit of the

faithful.