PROVERBS 5-62006 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Proverbs 5-6

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2006. Proverbs chapter 5. Now I'll start with the same question that I asked last week, and that's this. What is it that is so bad about sin? Why is it that God forbids us to participate in sinful activity?

And of course, the answer that we discussed last week is because it is destructive to us. Now, this is important to remember because we can quickly get out of balance in our attitude towards sin. On one side, we can think that, you know, if we sin, then God's out to get us.

You know, I blew it and that's why I had a flat tire. And that's why, you know, I'm having this trouble here and there. And God's just he's looking for an excuse to punish me. And so he called all these things sin. And he just wants to beat me up because I'm not able to meet the standard to to make the mark that he has set for us. You know, we begin to think that every time something happens, it's as a result of some sin. But, you know, we've seen over and over in the scriptures that.

especially in the Psalms, as well as in Ephesians and Galatians, that God does not deal with us according to our sin. He is merciful to us and gracious to us. And so we do not need to think that God is out to get us, nor should we think that he made up sin just so that he could have an excuse to punish us. The other side of the spectrum is, is that we begin to take the grace of God for granted.

We begin to be careless towards sin and complacent about sin in our lives because, hey, there's grace. We're under grace and there's mercy. And so no big deal. I can just keep on sinning and it's not that big. Yeah, sure. I'll try not to. And I'm going to blow it here and there. And that's OK. And we can have that attitude that, you know, God's just going to forgive us. But that is dangerous as well. We need to keep the balance. And remember, God calls it sin.

Because it's destructive to us. It destroys our lives. And he does love us more than we can imagine. It's deeper than any ocean and higher than the heavens. And so he tells us, don't be involved in these things. Don't practice these things because I love you and I don't want to see you destroy your life. What the world loves and entices us with are things that will destroy us.

As wonderful as they look and they might seem like they will satisfy us, they seem to be what we're looking for. But God says, listen, you're my child and those things will destroy you. If you want to be fulfilled and have an abundant life, follow my commands. Live life the way I've laid out for you. Apply what I've taught you.

And then you will be fulfilled. And all these things that look appealing and fulfilling are not. They will actually destroy you. And so as we've been studying through Proverbs, we've been looking at wisdom, which we've defined as following God's recipe for life. It's God's recipe for life, being obedient to him, even if we do not understand.

As we continue on in chapters 5 and 6 this evening, Paul gives us more great insight on how to follow God's recipe. How to be obedient in spite of how wise and fulfilling these other things may appear. Now last week in chapters 3 and 4, we looked at the benefits of obedience that were repeated over and over throughout the chapters. The wonderful benefits that are there if we're obedient to God's word and the reason why he tells us to do those things is

is because they're good for us and they bring blessing in our life. But in chapters 5 and 6 this evening, it's the opposite of that. It's the things he tells us not to do, because if we do them, we will bring destruction in our life. And so this week, some of the things that Solomon will be repeating over and over again are the results of disobedience. So let's start together. Proverbs chapter 5, and let's read verses 1 through 6. It says this,

Verse 1.

But in the end, she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her steps lay hold of hell. Lest you ponder her path of life. Her ways are unstable. You do not know them.

Now, Proverbs chapters 5, 6 and 7, it's been said that every young man should read these on a weekly basis and know them well. But, you know, young men aren't the only ones who struggle with immorality and with sexual types of sin. All of us, we need to be familiar with the warnings here in chapters 5, 6 and 7, even as we'll continue on next week in chapter 7.

Solomon writes again to his son, my son, says, children of God, pay attention to my wisdom. He calls us once again to open our eyes, to incline our ears. It literally means to perk up your ears. You know, like when your name is called, you hear someone else, you know, talking about you and they say your name and you kind of perk up and go, whoa, what's going on? That's what Solomon's saying is perk up your ears and pay attention to what I'm saying to you.

Again, wisdom is not about how smart you are. It's about how obedient you are. If only my children would listen to me, Solomon is saying. Just please pay attention to my wisdom. Let me instruct you. In verse 2, he says that you may preserve discretion and your lips may keep knowledge.

Preserve discretion. Keep knowledge. Preserve and keep. They're two different words, but they mean essentially the same thing. To guard, to hold on to, to retain. Hold on to instruction and discretion, understanding. Keep it with you. Don't let it go. Don't let it out of your sight. And that's an important thing to have because as soon as immorality and any type of immorality comes into the picture, comes on the scene,

Those things are the first to go. Discretion and knowledge vanish away. See, the human brain is pretty interesting. There's been many studies done on this, but there's pleasure circuits within our brain and they're called different things. And I'm not technical, so I'm not going to say those things to you. But basically, the idea is this. The studies show that that when pleasure

The pleasure circuits are stimulated by the idea of sex or cocaine does the same thing or even types of lust for money and things like that provide the same results. But when that stimulation occurs, that part of your brain, the pleasure circuits there, it's called the limbic system, that overrides pleasure.

The logic system in our brain. There's a part of our brain that deals with good judgment and decisions and thinking clearly. And as soon as we begin to be stimulated, excited, aroused, it begins to impair our judgment and cloud our good reason. It's very dangerous. And we can bring ourselves literally to great destruction.

If we allow that to continue, in other words, our judgment is impaired by sexual stimulation. And so Solomon says, guard my words and hold on to them because your brain is going to try to throw it out the window as soon as anything enticing comes your way, as soon as temptation comes.

It's going to try to get rid of those things and impair your judgment. And you're going to think you're doing the right thing. But really, your heart is deceitful and desperately wicked and you're leading yourself astray. So hold on to my words. These are going to be the foundation. These are going to be what you can hold on to and trust no matter what.

You need to hold on to these things. Prepare now. Pay attention to my wisdom. Decide now how you will respond when that temptation comes. Why? Because, verse 3, for the lips of an immoral woman drip honey and her mouth is smoother than oil. You need to know this. The Bible does not deny. Sin is enticing. On this point, the Bible and the world agree that

And we can see it from the billboards to the commercials. Advertisers use sex. Why? Because it sells. It's effective at getting people's attentions and getting people to purchase. Guys, see the girls there. And in their mind, their lips are dripping honey. It's enticing. And it causes us...

To lust, to desire, to burn. Sexual immorality is glorified in our society because it is enticing. You know, in TV sitcoms, marriage is dull, but affairs and anything outside of that. Oh, that's exciting and that's passionate. That's pleasurable. That's to be desired. Let's make this very clear. OK, any sexual activity outside of marriage is sin without exception.

Any sexual activity outside of a marriage relationship is sin. Adultery, sex before marriage, masturbation, pornography, etc., etc., etc., etc. It's sin. The Bible calls it sin, immorality, and we must stay away from it. We must force ourselves, Solomon is telling us, to see the big picture. It's enticing. Our sinful nature craves it.

But we must be obedient to the Lord because otherwise it will destroy us. It will wipe us out completely. Look at verse four. She is bitter as wormwood. See the contrast? Her lips, they drip honey. But the reality is the result of a relationship with immorality is bitterness. You might think it's sweet now. It might be enticing, but the end is bitterness. It's no different than Eve in the garden.

She sees the food. Ooh, that looks good. And then bitterness, death, destruction, a life of regret. The first result of disobedience that we see is bitterness. We need to understand if we're disobedient to the Lord, to his command and his principles, if we involve ourselves in sexual immorality, it will result in bitterness. Not only that, he goes on in verse four to say it's sharp as a two edged sword.

You know, so many people say this as they're getting involved in sin. You know, I can handle it. I've got it under control. It's just a little thing. It's not a big deal. Sin is sharp. It will hurt you. It's as sharp as a double-edged sword. Now, how many of you would walk into your kitchen tonight and take a knife from the drawer and slowly, just in your leg, just push it in, just right into your leg? Anybody would do that?

No. You sure it would bring pain and misery, right? Solomon is wanting to make it very clear. He's using this as an illustration because it's the same thing. But how many of us would go and involve ourselves in sin this evening? But it's the same thing. Sure, we don't believe it. Maybe we don't see it.

But the Bible says it's the same thing. It's going to bring pain and misery. It's going to cut you up and leave you to die. The feeling that you get from imagining and picturing, I mean, just kind of picture it. Can you just slowly like piercing your leg? You know that that's the feeling that you should have towards sin, because that's what sin does to us, especially the sin of sexual immorality. The result of disobedience is hurt and pain.

So God says, don't do that. Why do that? Don't hurt yourself that way. Verse five, continuing on with the results of disobedience, he says her feet go down to death. Her steps lay hold of hell. And ultimately, this is what we must realize. It is enticing, but the end of it is death and hell. If you walk the path of immorality, you are walking the path of death and hell.

Galatians chapter 5 verses 19 through 21 spell it out so clearly for us. Now the works of the flesh are evident which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, all those types of sexual sins. Verse 21 says, Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Death and hell are the result of living in sin, practicing sin. Revelation 21.8 says it as well and there's other portions that we could look at. But the result of disobedience is

Is death and hell. These are not good things. And so God says, I don't want that for you. Stay away from sin. This is why I'm telling you this. You need to see the big picture. If you involve yourself. Yes, it's enticing. Oh, her gifs, her gifs, her lips drip honey. But the end is death, bitterness, pain and hell.

Verse 6, her ways are unstable. You do not know them. We always think we have a handle on the situation. You think you know what you're getting into. You think that other person really loves you more than your spouse or whatever. Solomon says, you do not know her ways. Immorality, it's a way that's unstable. You don't know where it's going. You don't know where it will lead. You don't know what's happening, what's going on. You're deceiving yourself. You do not know. And that's wisdom. Wisdom.

Not resting on, resting assured that I have everything under control, that I know what I'm doing, but listening and receiving the instructions that were given, especially from the word of God. Let's read on in verses 7 through 11. It says, Therefore...

Hear me now, my children, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Remove your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others and your years to the cruel one, lest aliens be filled with your wealth and your labors go to the house of a foreigner and you mourn at last when your flesh and your body are consumed.

He goes on now in verse 7 and he says, hear me now, my children. Again, pay attention. Since all these things are the result of disobedience, listen to me, please. Hear me now. Don't stray away from my words and my commands. Hold on to them.

And he tells us something very important in verse 8. He says, And this is what we need to do. This is what we need to practice. This is what we need to realize is the key. The answer to sexual immorality is to stay away. We spent the last few weeks or weeks,

Well, about a month ago now, we studied spiritual warfare and we learned over and over that God has called us to stand. But in the case of sexual immorality, the scripture is quite clear. We're not to stand. We are to flee. First Corinthians 618, flee sexual immorality. Second Timothy 222, flee youthful lusts. We're to run from them physically, whatever it takes to get out physically.

To remove our way far from that. To not even go near the door of the house. To follow the practice of Joseph there in the book of Genesis. As Potiphar's wife made those advances and he ran out of the house. We're to flee, to run. In battling temptation, the best thing to do is to keep yourself from the situation. To see it in advance and protect yourself ahead of time so that you do not fall.

Feel the brunt, the full force of temptation. Proverbs 22, 3 says, A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. We need to take into consideration this movie that I'm watching. Is it leading me, drawing me towards sin? Foresee it, pay attention and get out, run out.

This activity, this computer or this television or this relationship, is this where it's leading? Is this bringing up within me temptation and desires?

Flee from it. Get away from it. Foresee evil and flee and run. Remove your way far from her. Don't go near the door. Don't go play around the border of the yard. Just stay away. Run. Jesus told us in Matthew chapter 5,

He was talking about this whole issue of immorality and adultery. And Jesus said, you know, you've heard it said in days of old that you shall not commit adultery. But I say, whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. But he goes on to say, if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.

Cut it off. Now, Jesus is not telling us to mutilate our bodies. Please do not do that. I know that shouldn't be said, but I have to say that. But what he's saying is deal drastically with sin.

Whatever it is, whatever is the situation in your life, deal severely and harshly with it. If you need to get rid of the computer, then do it. Or cable TV, then do it. Or television at all or movies or whatever else. Maybe it's friends. Maybe it's your employment. Maybe it's the associations you have or whatever. Get rid of it. Deal drastically with it. Flee from it because it will destroy your life. Remove your way from that. Don't even go near the door.

Because the results are devastating. He goes on to give us more results of disobedience. Verse nine, lest you give your honor to others, your reputation, your honor will be destroyed by sin. And many will say, well, is that a big deal? I was listening to Raul Reese yesterday and he shared with us that, you know, the value or you don't know how valuable your integrity is until you lose it.

And once you lose it, man, then you wish you had it back and you realize what it was that you lost. Yes, it's important that we do not lose our integrity, our honor, our reputation, because those things will be destroyed by our involvement in sexual immorality. The result of disobedience is a loss of honor, a loss of integrity. Continuing on in verse nine, he says, you also give your years to the cruel one.

A life of immorality is a life that experiences cruelty. Sin, it does. It seems so enticing and pleasurable and her lips drip honey. But the result is we soon find out that sin is a cruel master. Jesus said, whoever sins is a slave of sin. Paul also warned us about the bondage of sin and what a horrible master sin.

sin is it will make you miserable it will treat you cruelly the result of disobedience is slavery bondage to a cruel master verse 10 he says lest aliens be filled with your wealth and your labors go to the house of a foreigner not only is it a loss of honor and results also in slavery but your prophets are going to go to someone else as a result of sin

We often hear married couples, you know, or unmarried couples rather, you know, it just makes so much sense to move in together and think how much we could save. And it would be, you know, a good business transaction as far as, you know, be able to save on rent and save on this and save on that. And it'd be a lot of sense. But, you know, it's not true.

It might seem that way. It might appear that way. But the reality is the result of disobedience is poverty. Sin will bring you to poverty and your wealth will be for others. Your labor will be for others. And again, you'll be reduced to slavery.

And verse 11, and you mourn at last when your flesh and body are consumed. In the end, you're going to be in mourning as a result of sin. Sin will consume you completely, enslave you completely, strip you of everything and destroy your life. So God says, don't do that. I want what's best for you. Abundant, full life. I don't want these things. I don't want destruction in your life. I love you.

And so stay away from sin. Verses 12 through 14 as we go on. He says, and say how I have hated instruction and my heart despised correction. I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me. I was on the verge of total ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation.

Solomon is saying, hear me again, pay attention. You're going down a path that will destroy you. And so verses 12 through 14 should be our response. This is how we should reply. The context of verse 8 is, I'm sorry, the context of this verse, verse 12, is back in verse 8. Verse 8 says, remove your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house, verse 12, and say no.

How I have hated instruction. In other words, Solomon is saying, look, you're already heading down that way. You need to remove your way from that path and don't go near the door of our house. And our response should say, oh my goodness, you're right. And we should turn and repent. He says, and say, how I have hated instruction. How I have hated instruction. When our eyes are open to the results of disobedience.

We should realize and say, oh my goodness, what was I thinking? Why was I not listening to those around me? Why did I hate their correction and instruction? Why didn't I receive it and apply it to my life? And you know, it's so often our attitude, even if we don't voice that, you know, someone gives you some instruction or corrections, I hate that. I usually don't do that. Maybe you do, but that's probably better if you do actually, so you're honest about your heart. But

We act that way. People give us instruction and correction and we go, what do they know? That's just dad. That's just mom. That's just boss. That's just pastor. What do they know? God says, Solomon saying, oh, listen to my instruction, receive it. It's going to save your life. Again, wisdom is not how smart you are, but how obedient you are, how well you receive instruction and correction and apply it to your life. Do you receive instruction and correction from those around you?

I don't mean that you have to do everything everybody tells you, but those who are spiritual leaders in your life, do you receive from them? And do you allow them to instruct and correct you that you may live? Notice verse 14.

He says, I was on the verge of total ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation. This should be our response, right? Oh man, how I've hated instruction. What was I thinking? What's going on in my head? And come to the realization, man, I was on the verge of total ruin. But he's not talking about unbelievers saying this. He's talking about a believer, someone who is in the midst of the congregation, in the midst of the assembly, someone who's here this evening and says, oh,

As believers, there's a lot that could be said here. We could go on for some time on this, but we need to be diligent and good examples in the workplace, giving our best and working hard without requiring someone over us. Hey, get back to work. Hey, what are you doing? Hey, you're supposed to be doing it. We need to be diligent in our work. He goes on and talks about sleep, a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and your poverty will come like a prowler. It's going to come upon you from out of nowhere.

Elsewhere in the Proverbs, it says that if you love sleep, you're a fool. And so we need to be guarding ourselves against laziness, against being a sluggard, because it's foolish. Verses 12 through 15 says,

He says a worthless person, a wicked man walks with a perverse mouth. He winks with his eyes. He shuffles his feet. He points with his fingers. Perversity is in his heart. He devises evil continually. He sows discord. Therefore, his calamity shall come suddenly. Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy. He warns us now against perversity, having a perverse mouth and a perverse heart. Perverse means crooked, perverse.

It speaks to us of lies, of deceit, of manipulation. And so such a person, Solomon says, is worthless, good for nothing. A person with a perverse mouth, in verse 14, he says he devises evil continually and he sows discord or division amongst others. And so he warns us not to have a perverse mouth, sowing discord, winking and manipulating others.

And he warns us, your calamity will soon come. It will come suddenly if you are that way, if you have that type of mouth and heart, thinking evil continually, sowing discord and bringing division amongst others. Your calamity will come, Solomon says. Verses 16 through 19 says,

These six things the Lord hates. Yes, seven are an abomination to him. A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies and one who sows discord among the brethren. Six things the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him.

That's just a poetic way of saying the Lord hates all these things. All of these things are an abomination, which means they disgust the Lord. These things are disgusting to the Lord. There's seven of them. What are they? Number one, a proud look, haughtiness, pride in our lives, self-sufficiency and all that goes in it. He hates that. It disgusts him. We need to watch our hearts and ask God to deal with our pride. A lying tongue.

Not much needs to be said about that. We know what it means to lie. The third thing, hands that shed innocent blood. Number four, a heart that devises wicked plans. Number five, feet that are swift in running to evil. Number six, a false witness who speaks lies. And number seven, one who sows discord. Something that should be noteworthy for us is faith.

The variety of things that are listed here. Hands that shed innocent blood as well as one who sows discord among the brethren. To bring division within the body of Christ or between brothers and sisters in the Lord is just as disgusting to the Lord as first degree murder. Hands that shed innocent blood. He hates these things. They're an abomination to him. And so if you are involved in any of them, you need to repent. We should...

Have the same heart and attitude towards sin that God does. We should be disgusted by sin. He hates it and we should too. Don't justify sin in your life or in the lives of those around you. Don't excuse it or overlook it or grow callous towards it. Hate it. Be disgusted by it. Repent and let God deal with it. There is grace and mercy in him as we confess.

As we come to him. Agreeing with him about our sin. Verses 20-21.

Through 29, he goes on to say,

to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot, a man is reduced to a crust of bread, and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on coals and his feet not be seared?

So is he who goes into his neighbor's wife, whoever touches her shall not be innocent. He goes back now to the subject of sexual immorality. And again, he starts by saying that the commands are to keep us from sin.

reminding us that we must prepare now by keeping the commands now, by holding on to them now. If we wait until the temptation comes to try to keep the commands or hold on to the commands or remember the commands or obey the commands, it will be too late. We must do it now so that we're ready and we're prepared. He says in verse 21, bind them continually upon your hearts and tie them around your neck. We need to be people of the word of God.

That God's word is with us always in our hearts, in our minds, in our hands. When you fall in love with the word and commit yourself to studying it, the Lord will guide you. He will speak to you through the word. It'll be a light to your path. It'll speak to you as you awaken. It'll keep you and preserve you from sin. And we know that very well from Psalm 119. Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Verse 22, when you roam, they will lead you. When you sleep, they will keep you. When you awake, they will speak with you. The word of God will be a powerful influence in your life. Notice verse 23. He says, for the commandment is a lamp. The reason why we need to make God's word such a big part of our life is because the commandment is a lamp. What for? What does it light up? Verse 24, to keep you from the evil woman.

From the flattering tongue of a seductress. We have to fill our lives with the word because it's a light to our path and it reveals the sin in our lives. The commands are to be a lamp to keep us from evil. That when that situation presents itself and temptation is there, warning lights are going off in our head saying, danger, danger. That's sin. It's destructive. It'll ruin your life. Get out of there. Flee.

From immorality. Flee from sin. From youthful lust. Flee from those things. Bind them on your heart now. Because tomorrow or this evening or next week, you're going to be faced with temptation. And if you have not attached yourself and filled your life with the word, there's not going to be much light and will easily be led astray. It doesn't matter how much you flatter me. There's these warning lights going off in my head.

It doesn't matter how much you try to seduce. There's these warning lights that are louder than anything else that are there right before me. I need to get out of here. I need to flee. I need to run. This is sin. That's what the commands are for, to bring up those things in our lives and to call our attention to it, to make it so clear before us. This will destroy me so that we flee. Verse 26, man, there's power in this verse.

We need to know this verse. For by means of a harlot, a man is reduced to a crust of bread. That, to me, is powerful. We need to realize what sin does. It reduces us to absolutely nothing. Destroys us completely. That's another result of disobedience. It brings us to complete worthlessness.

As a result of sin, I can be reduced to just a crust of bread. And so many times we think, you know, we can just play with sin. It's not that big deal. I have it under control. It's just a little thing. It's not a big deal. That's one of those kind of maybe gray areas where it doesn't actually speak about all the things we justify and bring up.

Well, that's your interpretation. The Bible is very clear. And so Solomon asks, verse 27, Can a man take fire to his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be seared? Is it possible? Anybody want to test? I'll burn your clothes. If you bring fire to your bosom, it's going to burn.

Anybody know you put your hand on it? It's going to burn. Now, again, Solomon gives us this picture so that it can be so vivid in our minds. Why do I think that I can sin and it not affect me? Why do I think that I can get away with it? It's going to bring destruction and hurt and pain and worthlessness. It's going to bring me to nothing. And that's why God says, don't do it. If you won't bring fire to your bosom,

then don't play with sin. Don't dabble in pornography or flirt with the co-worker or be close to someone of the opposite sex. Don't let your mind think on lustful things. Don't let your eyes wander or stare. Don't participate in sexual activity outside of marriage. You will be burned just as if you took fire to your bosom. It will happen. Know that. Believe that because it will save you.

From the horror that sin brings. Finally, closing out in verses 30 through 35. Solomon says,

He closes out comparing two things.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.