Reason for Seeking True Wisdom

Driving home: So, you see, as we come to treat these verses tonight, we are dealing with what I am calling the ultimate reasons for seeking true wisdom and its sanctifying influence.

Martin imagines the son asking his father for one fundamental reason to seek wisdom, which sets up the climactic answer of Proverbs 2:21-22.

To change our approach to it, perhaps we could envision the son is saying to his father when he completed the first 20 verses, saying, now my father, you've laid before me the path to attain true wisdom and that I can see. And you've laid before me the substance of true wisdom and that I can see. And you've told me the effect that true wisdom will have upon me. Incubate.

4:05 - 4:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines the 'upright' and 'perfect' as those in whom God's saving and sanctifying word has worked, leading to a life of honest endeavor to walk by Scripture and…

Martin uses the analogy of a 'perfect little child' (complete in all its parts) to explain that 'perfect' in a saint means completeness in principle, not absolute sinless perfection.

They are not perfect in the sense of attaining every degree of perfection that they will know in the world to come. But we say, in a loose sense, a thing is perfect. Take a child who is born, and someone says, how's the baby? Oh, he's a perfect little child.

16:32 - 16:48 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Flaming fire, taking vengeance these are the concepts so I say they are sobering threatening prophetic utterances and the meaning is nothing less than sudden irreversible and final destruction.

Martin uses the analogy of a plant being torn out by the roots, rather than merely bent, to illustrate the suddenness and irreversibility of God's destruction of the wicked.

If you take a plant and simply bend it over and allow some of its root system to remain in the soil there's always the possibility that under the proper nourishment and care of the sun and the rain and a tender husbandman it can be nursed back to life but when it's torn out from the roots and cast off so that the roots can find no moisture and no soil for nourishment there is a suddenness and irreversibility in your treatment. Treatment of that particular plant. And that's the imagery that Solomon uses here. For the wicked shall be cut off.

26:20 - 26:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not rely on family or church privileges for salvation; Christ must be enshrined as King and Savior in your own heart.

Martin imagines the son dismissing Solomon's threat as merely an old man's words, highlighting the need to recognize that the threat comes from God himself.

If it were just Solomon, the son might say, well, pappy, those are pretty strong words for an old man. But you can't carry him out. I can take you on and in three minutes make sure that you never cut me off. Would to God it was only the threat of an old man who was solicitous for his son's well-being.

30:20 - 30:42 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If Solomon had said to his son, now son, here's my final reason to seek to spiritually induce you into compliance with my directives, here's the promise of dwelling in the sake of all that that involves running the way o…

Martin contrasts the irrigation methods of Egypt (foot pump) with Canaan (rain from heaven) to illustrate God's covenantal promises of blessing for obedience in the land.

It's not a land like Egypt. You had your irrigation ditches there and you worked it with your foot pump. And so the Egyptians could go out and irrigate. But he says not the land into which I bring you.

35:38 - 35:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin contends that being moved to obedience by the hope of reward is a legitimate biblical motive, citing Moses' example in Hebrews 11 and Christ's promises to the churches in…

Martin describes Moses weighing the implications of being Pharaoh's son versus suffering with God's people, emphasizing that his choice was powerfully influenced by looking to the 'recompense of reward.'

For he looked unto the recompense of reward. Oh, how unspiritual. Moses was very, very, very unspiritual. As he was wrestling with this great issue, shall I consent to be the legally adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter?

41:41 - 42:02 Read in full sermon