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Proverbs 21:6

Proverbs 21:6

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Pastor Martin expounds Proverbs 21:6, which warns that 'The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vapor driven to and fro by them that seek death.' He explains that while it is possible to gain wealth dishonestly, such gain is fleeting and ultimately leads to spiritual death. Martin applies this truth by urging parents to teach their children the value of integrity over material gain, even if it means living in poverty, drawing on his own childhood experience of honorable poverty.

Primary Texts

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Proverbs 21:6 This is the sole passage expounded, serving as the foundation for the entire sermon's argument about the futility of dishonest gain.

Outline 4 sections · 3 min

  1. The Folly of Gaining Treasure by a Lying Tongue 0:00
  2. Seeking Death, Not Abiding Treasure 0:59
  3. Personal Example: Honorable Poverty 1:13
  4. The Legacy of Integrity 2:05

Key Quotes

“When treasure, when things, material possessions mean enough for you to gain them by selling the truth, you're pursuing that which is like a vapor.”
“To seek treasures at the expense of truth is to seek death. And you must tell your children that.”
“But we never felt ashamed of our threadbare rugs, our threadbare couches, and our patch knickers. Never, never, never ashamed. Why? Because what we had came in the way of integrity.”

Applications

All listeners

  • Tell your children that to seek treasures at the expense of truth is to seek death.
  • If your parents lacked integrity, break the chain of that vicious pattern and live so your children can pay tribute to your integrity.

A full transcript is available on the tab. 8 paragraphs, roughly 3 minutes.

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