Proverbs 23:9

Proverbs 23:9 Proverbs

Pastor Martin expounds Proverbs 23:9, "Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words," paralleling it with Jesus' command in Matthew 7:6, "Cast not thy pearls before swine." He argues that believers, especially children and young Christians, must learn discernment in sharing truth. Not everyone is receptive to wisdom, and attempting to correct or evangelize those hardened in pride and self-opinion will only lead to the truth being despised and the messenger potentially harmed. Martin illustrates this with his own youthful, misguided attempts to preach in bars, emphasizing the need for wisdom in knowing when to speak and when to remain silent.

2 illustrations in this sermon

Solomon's Command and Jesus' Parallel

compare analogy

Pearls Before Swine

Driving home: The New Testament parable, Parallel, cast not thy pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn again and rend you.

This analogy from Matthew 7:6 describes offering valuable pearls (wisdom) to a pig (a fool) who will only trample them and attack the giver, illustrating how truth is despised by those unwilling to receive it.

So set upon a course of sin and evil that only God himself in the day of judgment will be able to tell them anything. Now, when you meet such a person, Solomon says, Speak not in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. The New Testament parable, Parallel, cast not thy pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn again and rend you. You tell the old snorty in the barnyard, wallowing in his mud, Come here, I've got some beautiful pearls.

1:31 - 2:06 Read in full sermon

Personal Anecdote: Preaching in Bars

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Preaching in Bars as a Teenager

Driving home: I used to go into bars as an 18-year-old kid, not to drink, but to go up to the bar stools with my Bible and tell people that their liquor would take them to hell. And I used to preach, I used to preach them into hell ri…

Martin recounts his youthful zeal as an 18-year-old, going into bars with his Bible to preach to drinkers about hell, illustrating a lack of wisdom in applying the sermon's text and God's providential protection.

I used to go into bars as an 18-year-old kid, not to drink, but to go up to the bar stools with my Bible and tell people that their liquor would take them to hell. And I used to preach, I used to preach them into hell right into bars. Honestly, God preserves the simple.

3:20 - 3:37 Read in full sermon

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