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Amen. Right, Proverbs chapter 25. Now, if you don't have a pen, hopefully you do. If you don't, then one of the ushers will happily give you one if you need one. Be nice. Make some notes of this. Make notes either in your bulletin, in your Bible. There's so much to go through here, it's good to remind yourself of a few of the points that maybe really spoke to you today. Proverbs chapter 25, part 1, verse 1, so it says this. These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied out. I'm going to pray and then we're going to get started. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for these first 15 verses here in this Proverbs chapter 25 here, Lord. Please just fill me with your spirit as I preach these verses, Lord, and to preach them in a way that people will be able to just improve themselves and improve their lives, apply them to their lives and just gain from the wisdom that you have for them today, Lord, from your word. Please just help everyone to have attentive ears and just pray. Amen. Okay, so we said these are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied out. So we've been looking regularly at Hezekiah during our Isaiah series for those that have been involved in our Wednesday evening series. He was a godly king. You don't have to turn to 2 Kings 18, 5 says he trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. Okay, this was a top king here. And Hezekiah had his men copy out these following proverbs of Solomon. So perhaps it was then that these were also added, that people were then able to maybe see, you know, at least were more able to get hold of these proverbs. But it seems like the king Hezekiah's men were searching out matters, doesn't it? Verse 2 says, it is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is a search out to matter, which is, I don't think, ironic that it's straight after the fact that we see that the men of Hezekiah copied out these proverbs as well. So it isn't one of the glories of God. Okay, the richness, the depth, the layers to His word, I mean that is something, ultimately that's what our faith stands in, doesn't it? And when you reveal something concealed, it glorifies God more, doesn't it? So the word of God is what our faith is resting upon. It's not just for salvation. For example, Psalm 119, 43 says, and take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in thy judgments. So we hope we have our trust, our faith in the words, the judgments of God. We hope in it because when we read and study the word of God, we know it's of God, don't we? We know it's of God. It could not be, it couldn't not be of God. For example, Romans 11, 33 says this, oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. The word of God is just amazing, isn't it? I love Bible studies, I love going through, when we do these Bible studies, we're going through chapter after chapter and just those little nuggets you can get out of it, the little things where you can compare to other areas, and it's impossible, isn't it? It's amazing that the word of God is just absolutely amazing. And without the Holy Spirit, it is so unsearchable, okay? He said how unsearchable are His judgments in Romans 11, 33, and His ways past finding out. But if you're saved, He wants you to search out those matters. So He wants us to search, search the scriptures daily, wants us to just constantly try and find the truths from the word of God. And Revelation 1, 6 says, don't worry about turning for these, you know, there's a lot of turning otherwise in these chapters, of Proverbs, but Revelation 1, 6 says, it has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. So if you're saved, you're a king in God's eyes, okay? You're part of the kingly line, aren't you? Okay, so you've basically inherited that kingly line through faith in Christ. You're part of that line. You're basically a child of Abraham, aren't you now? Okay, you're a child of God, ultimately, and He's made you kings and priests if you're saved. So basically, get searching, right? Get searching the scriptures, get reading, get studying, get listening to the word of God preached, okay? And obviously, when you're listening to the word of God preached, you need to be diligent and make sure you're listening to people preaching the correct doctrine, someone who believes the gospel, etc. But my point is this, look, you might not find the midweek Bible study exciting, okay? It's not always that exciting. Bible study, things like that, but it sure does glorify God, doesn't it? As we go through on a Wednesday night, and not just in the book of Isaiah, previously in the book of Genesis, in the book of Matthew, it just glorifies God. It just glorifies Him through His word. It just shows the beauty of the word as we study, and we're slowly just going through those verses, seeing how they all fit in together, how it fits into history. It glorifies God, doesn't it? Okay, when we unravel just some of those concealed things, and look, I don't think I'm unraveling all of it. You know, ultimately, we're just trying to unravel what we can, and it just glorifies God. And we're therefore honored in God's eyes as we search out those matters, and it's something that we should all be doing. If you're saved, you're a king, or you could say queen. If you're a lady in God's eyes, you've inherited those promises. You're a king, and it is the glory of God to conceal a thing. But the honor of those kings, that's us, is to search out a matter, and that's what He expects from us. That's what we should be doing. So the lesson is to study to show those self-approved under God, and with the result, God and His word receive the glory. It's not us that receive the glory, okay? So, wow, I found this amazing thing in the word of God. Aren't I clever? No, just praise God that He's shown us this. Praise God that we found that. Praise God that this is just lined up. Wow, what an amazing book this is. That's what it always comes back to, doesn't it? Verse two, it is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is, sorry, verse three, the heaven for height and the earth for depth and the heart of kings is unsearchable. So, okay, the heaven for height and the earth for depth and the heart of kings is unsearchable. So there's not a dome on the top of the world, okay? The firmament isn't firm, okay? Some people get a bit confused about it. They see the word firmament, they're like, must be a dome. It sounds firm, doesn't it? No, it just means expanse or a space, if you like, okay? It's a space up in the air, an expanse. What is the height of the heaven? Or here it's sky. Really, you could say with heaven meaning either the sky and space above or God's habitation, just that whole area above. How high is the sky? Now, even if you wanted to separate sky and space, where really is that point that it separates? So even if you did, if you said, well, actually, you know, past the tavern, there's a carmen line, you know, people talk about the carmen line, which is apparently 100 kilometers above sea level. But they only make that line because it's just where the air is too, basically, it's meant to be too thin for an aircraft, right? But that's not, there is no, it's just sky and space. And how high is it? Really, there's no definitive point. The heaven or the sky and beyond is unmeasurable, isn't it? You just can't measure it. That's what it says here. The heaven for height and the earth for depth, the heart of kings is unsearchable. You couldn't search it. You couldn't say how high the heavens are, heaven there being sky, what's above a city air. And it's the same with the earth for depth, okay? So yes, based on the circumference of the earth, okay? The radius, it seems, makes it apparently about 3,958 miles to the direct center of the earth, right? However, when does the inner core start and begin? Anyone want to take a guess at that? When does what's known as the outer core start and begin? Where is that point? Who knows, okay? When does it stop being the earth and starts becoming the core? You go, oh well, no, no, because they've like sent some seismic waves and they think, they think, no one knows. People, and you know, all these series constantly change, okay? They've changed over the years because they're based on changing methods because, do you know how much the furthest anyone has dug into the earth is? The Kola Superdeep Borehole is 12,261 meters, okay? That's 7.62 miles out of 3,950 to the center. 7.62 miles of those 3,950. Those poor fellas with their spades down there, they've got a long way to go haven't they, right? Or maybe they used some equipment, I don't know, right? They sent one of the mini diggers down there, yeah? But the reality is, it's unsearchable, isn't it? No one really knows the depth. What is the depth of the earth? How far does it go until you get to the center? Who knows, really? It's unsearchable, as is apparently the heart of kings. He said the heaven for height and the earth for depth and the heart of kings is unsearchable. Now, what does it mean the heart of a king is unsearchable? Well, this isn't from God's perspective, okay? So he knows the height and depth of everything because he made it, didn't he? So God does know the height, okay? God does know the depth unless he mislaid his calculations or something, but I think he probably knows full well what the height and depth is, right? He also knows the heart of everyone, doesn't he? Okay, God searches the hearts, he knows the hearts. It's that king's hearts are unsearchable for everyone aside from God. That's the point here. For example, Jeremiah 17 9 says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? We don't know it, do we? We don't know the king's heart and we don't know the height and we don't know the depth, right? We don't know these things. We don't know what that ruler is really thinking, I think is the point here, okay? And isn't there so much smoke and mirrors with these things? A lot of people just think they know it all. They've watched a couple of conspiracy videos, maybe they've read a couple of, like, you know, conspiracy articles or something and they think they know exactly what everyone's thinking, exactly what the train of thought is, exactly what the motive is for the future. Oh, it's the agenda 2030 and it's this and that. It's like, well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't, yeah? You don't really know. I think you can really know really what that heart of that king is because the only one who knows is God, okay? And Jeremiah 17 10 says, I, the Lord, search the heart. I try the reins even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doing. So now then add to that. So you go, well, okay, but I can still have an idea, okay? I still think that, you know, our leader, our king, or maybe our prime minister or whatever, you know, whoever you think is or maybe you think they're just absolute puppet clowns or someone else, right? We know what the motivation, we know where this is going, we know this. Well, add to that the Proverbs 21 1 says, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the rivers of water he turneth it whithersoever he will. So in fact, God can turn the king's heart, God can make things happen that you weren't expecting, God can change things, God can just make them do something just completely bizarre that you didn't even expect, good or bad for you or whatever else, and obviously that's the reason to be constantly and regularly praying to God for things to work out, for us to be able to live quiet and peaceful lives in all godliness and honesty as Christians. But really, we don't know, we don't really know that heart. The heaven for height and the earth for death and the heart of kings is unsearchable. You just don't really know. So for me, I think the lesson there is to not be wise in our own conceits, because many people get really, like, they just think they know it all, don't they? I've watched too many conspiracies, I know exactly what King Charles is motivation, whoever it is, or, you know, Donald Trump now or something else, right? To not think that we know what is and isn't going to happen, you don't really know what's on the morrow, do you? Okay, only God knows. Verse 4, take away the dross from the silver and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer, take away you the wicked from before the king and his throne shall be established in righteousness. So dross is the impurities in a metal, in case anyone's wondering, you get rid of them when you melt it down, and the finer is someone that works with metals. So it's saying that if you get rid of the impurities, you can make a vessel or a cup, and in the same way, if you take away the wicked from before the king, his throne shall be established in righteousness. Now, this is getting them out of his presence, because, look, genuine working kings, okay, will have a team of people to govern a lamb, won't they? Okay, so you're not going to get a king just doing everything on his own, and he's kind of, you know, doing everything that he's doing, he's going to have a team of people, and you know what happens with teams of people? Well, often it just attracts bad people, okay, especially when it comes to positions of importance, and of course, look, this applies to areas of leadership, all areas of leadership, you could say, but if as a saved we're kings and priests, like I mentioned earlier, it applies to us as those vessels of mercy, doesn't it? He said here in verse 4, take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer, take away the wicked from before the king and his throne shall be established in righteousness. So if you want to live a righteous life, you need to keep away from wicked people, okay, there's a lesson there. If you want to live a righteous life, you want to live a good, a life that's pleasing to God, you need to keep away from the wicked, and just like the king of the land, okay, the righteous, just like that king, we're a magnet for them, okay, we're a magnet for them in various areas of our lives, okay, that's just the way it is. Like that king, like areas of governance, areas of power, areas of wealth, it's just going to attract bad people, same with us as righteous people, because who is the devil and his children going to target most? Who is the devil and his children targeting most, to negatively influence, to destroy one way or other? Well, kings, those in areas of power, and with the Holy Spirit and the power of the Gospel in our mouths, we're all targets, aren't we? Because we have, you have great power. If you're saved, you have great power. You have the Holy Spirit, you have the Word of God, you know the Gospel, that's a lot of power, that's a lot of power to affect people's eternities, and sure, there's a lot of power wielded by government, by kings, by people in leadership in different areas of life, but especially of government, of national leadership, but in the same way, you're going out there, even if you're not, but you're able to preach the Gospel, you're going to attract wicked people, okay, that's just the way it is, and they come in various shapes and sizes, work colleagues, you might find that just some weird work colleague seems to latch on to you, old friends that pop up out of nowhere, you haven't heard from them for years, suddenly you're living for God, you get saved, and suddenly that old friend who it just turns out is as wicked as you like, suddenly they're just on your case, right? The new friends sometimes say, oh what a nice person, and they turn out to be pretty bad, false brethren, let alone nowadays, okay, so they're like, they're obvious ones, I think, let alone just the influence from afar through music, different media, through social media, just the influence is everywhere, and if you're saved, you're going to get negatively influenced, you're going to have these people flocking to you one way or another, and it comes down to this, okay, Proverbs 13 20 says, he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed, you want to be wise, you want to live, you want to be able to live that righteous life, you want your throne to be established in righteousness, well you need to walk with wise people and not fools, not bad people, you say how do I know if they're wicked, and of course some angles are more subtle, you know, for example there's even like some real subtle ones like the holier the nows, okay, that's a subtle attack to influence you negatively, but some are just obvious, okay, some of these things is just obvious, okay, some wicked is just open and out there, and if you don't want to avoid it, sorry, and if you don't want to be destroyed, you need to avoid those companions, some it's just like, it's just so blatant, right, in all these areas of life, these people in workplace, family, friends, they just, they basically have a sign above their head saying I'm wicked, and people are like, well, you know, I just don't really want to, I don't want to fall out, I don't want to upset anyone, you know, I'm just going to keep hanging around with whoever it is, some, you know, your sodomite uncle, or whoever, it's just like, look, you're just, you're just going to cause yourself trouble, okay, and that includes them being your daily podcasts, your walking, your companion of fools, some people will spend more time with their daily, whatever daily podcast, their stupid soapbox videos, and all these people out there that are just telling you all these things, it's like, yeah, well, I know they're wicked, but they're kind of funny, they're kind of interesting, they're kind of amusing, they get me through my day, it's like, look, all that's going to happen, you're just going to end up, well, you're going to, you're not going to establish your throne in righteousness instead, you're just going to end up being destroyed. So, where he said, take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer, take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness, the lesson is, if you want to be righteous, don't hang around with wicked people, okay, and before you start going, well, I just don't know, you know, this person, I'm not sure, but there are some just obvious areas of life, deal with them first, and then it should become a bit easier. Okay, verse six, put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men, for better it is that it be said unto thee, come up hither, than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom thine eyes have seen. So he's saying, not to be the type of person that's trying to get noticed, lifting yourself up to others, the guy trying to get attention from the boss, slipping how great you are into the conversation, you know, how well you did the other day, just trying to like mention it, just impart, you know, just try, you know, you get people that try and angle conversation, they always think they're so subtle with it, just angle the conversation this way to lift themselves up, just angle the conversation that way to be able to boast about themselves or something else, but there are a lot of people out there like that, sadly, okay, I don't know if you've noticed, there's a lot of people out there like that, okay, some try to be subtle, some it's just shameless, shameless self-promotion, and there's a lot of people where it's just shameless self-promotion, and you've got to recognize that, when you see that shameless self-promotion, I just say what on earth, right, and people like that, they're constantly trying to lift themselves up, promote themselves, and people then, what these people often do is they try to force themselves into positions of authority, maybe into some job or role that they've chosen, even when they're all suited to it, because they're just constantly trying to promote themselves, trying to put themselves in a position that they shouldn't have been in, right, he said, put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men, for better it is to be said unto thee, come up hither, that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom thine eyes have seen, so it's better to be promoted and to promote yourself to then be demoted, okay, having forced yourself into yourself into the prince's presence, and when the Lord explained this with the parable of being bidden to the wedding, I don't know if you remember that parable, you don't have to turn there, but he ended it in Luke 14 and 11 saying, for whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted, so the lesson is not to exalt ourselves really in any situation, because we will only end up being abased, okay, how do then get promoted in different areas of life then, so you gotta be able, I want to get promoted, surely I need the boss to recognise how good I am, surely I need whoever it is in whatever area, I need them to notice me, don't I? Well Proverbs 22 29 says this, seer, sow a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men, so basically be diligent, work hard, be conscientious in whatever you're doing, then you will eventually be recognised for it, God will recognise that, and ultimately if you're putting things in God's hands, you want God to promote you at the right time, don't you, be lifted up by God, not by yourself, not you trying to just push it and promote it and con it yourself, just be diligent in everything you do, right? He said, put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, stand not in the place of great men, for better it is that it be said unto thee, come up hither, and that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom thine eyes have seen, so don't try to promote yourself, you'll only end up being embarrassed. Okay, verse eight, go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof when thy neighbour has put thee to shame. So someone going forth hastily to strive is someone who is quick to strife, they're quick to have a row, quick to have crossed words, quick to argue, and there are many people like that, okay, people that are quickly offended, they're quickly angry, they take things the wrong way easily, you know, you've probably been around people like that, people just know they're a bit prickly, people that you just know, oh man, you know, they could kind of start trouble in an empty room, you know. Well, where does that eventually lead? What if you're in the wrong? What if, what if the other person is happy to escalate? So what if you're used to just, well I just say, I'm just going to shout at this place, and have a go, but that person now suddenly they're happy to escalate it with you. Now where does it go next, right? Now they're not backing down, what's next? You know, you get people, I'm not putting up with that, you know, you get people to go, I wouldn't let them, I wouldn't let someone talk to me like that, they're like, yeah, they better not mess with, they better not cross me. Well, sorry, how far are you willing to go? Because what really are you, like, what are you trying to say? Because there are some people that are willing to go pretty far. Do you really want to get involved in all that? You know, you get these people that are just kind of, they, they, they always act like so tough, don't they? And one of my bugbears in life, okay, and I'm, I'm just going to say it now, okay, and I know people get upset with this, but who cares, is aggressive masculine women with fight talk and worse. That really bugs me. Aggressive masculine, I've known some of these over the years, they always act so tough, you see them around and about sometimes, they like getting in people's faces, squaring up to people, talking about how they beat that person up, and they never say this, and never say that to them, and all I think with these people is all they can really do is hope that they don't end up in front of a man that doesn't care, that doesn't have scruples, that doesn't care that it's a woman, and just ends up going, okay, you want to threaten me, bosh. And you know what, I've known women that do this, and when that eventually happens, suddenly they're in tears on the floor, or ringing people like, I just can't believe it, this guy, you know, he actually did something back, and it's like you've been, you've been in road rage your whole life, getting out the car, starting on people, you know, tailgating them, acting like you're so tough, you're so hard, and it's like the second someone just turns around and just goes, and suddenly you're a crumpled mess, crying about how mean they were, and how unfair it was. It's like, how far are you really willing to go, because there's a lot of people out there like that. I don't know what it is nowadays, especially with women, there's a lot of a push for these women to be more masculine, and more manly, and fight, and it's like, just, just, just stop being silly, you know, it's ridiculous. I'll tell you why usually these women get away with it, because usually there are still some gentlemen in this nation, people who aren't willing to just turn around and go wallop, okay, and, and you know what, that's probably getting less so, and these people need to be careful, okay, because really what would ultimately happen, it just put them both to shame. He said, go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou not, lest thou know not what to do in the end of, when the neighbour has put thee to shame, and whether that's because, you know, that neighbour makes you look silly flying off the handle by dealing with it calmly, and sometimes that happens, isn't it, where, where you're like, you know, I'm gonna strike, and some people just make you look silly when you do that, they just make you look like an idiot, you know, and you just, you know, they just say, oh okay, why are you so, you know, sometimes, sometimes like, you know, just like, they'll just deflate you with them, what's the problem, why are you getting so upset, why are you getting so angry, and suddenly you feel like an idiot, should do, when you're just flying off the handle about things, or maybe because that, that neighbour is actually happy to ramp it up a level, and there are people out there that will just, they're not just going to suddenly back down because you've just started shouting and trying to throw your weight around and stuff, and that's not a good thing to be, okay, so he said, go not forth hastily to strive, we shouldn't be hasty, we shouldn't be looking quickly to strive to have rows, fights, arguments, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour has put thee to shame, so I think the proverb's simple, get your emotions and your pride in check, and be more considered with handling situations. Verse nine, debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself, and discover not a secret to another, lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away. So this is when we have a problem with someone, okay, and he's telling us not to go and involve others, which is a pretty common theme in life, okay, people, they, they get angry, don't they, they get upset with someone, so they go and tell someone else about it, okay, and this is pretty common out there, and of course there are different motivations, okay, sometimes it's just revenge, okay, sometimes people do that, just to badmouth them to other people, for others it might be maybe to get it off their chest, or maybe even to ask counsel, some people will go to someone else for counsel to talk about it, but whatever the reason, we're being told to keep it between us and the person that we have the cause with. Why? Well here he said because the person that you share it with might put you to shame, it says here, or decide that maybe you're the guilty party, so, so, and then it's, it's you that ends up being defamed, okay, that's the result of that. So here's an example, okay, so you, you have an altercation maybe with someone in your workplace, for example, you tell another colleague about it, you know, you've had a problem, you've had an altercation, you tell someone else about it, just go, you never guessed what happened earlier, but he ended up, he ends up taking the other person's side, so he's like, well actually I think you're in the wrong here, he ends up telling everyone else his second-hand version of it, and next thing you know, you're the one who's, who's, who's, uh, whose infamy's turning not away, you're basically the one who's being defamed. He said, debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself and discover not a secret to another. And look, there are issues in life that can't be kept between two people, of course, okay, you think of a hundred different circumstances like that, but for those things that can, we should keep it that way, shouldn't we? So for situations which just, yeah, there's been a crossword between me and this person, there's been a situation, a disagreement, or whatever it is between me and this person, those situations, unless it's something that needs to involve other people for, for whatever reason, when it's something that doesn't, it should stay like that, otherwise it could cause you trouble. In the future is what he's saying here, he said, lest he that heareth the, sorry, lest he that heareth it, put thee to shame and thine infamy turned not away. So the lesson is to be discreet and don't discuss all of our issues with others, or it might just come back to bite us. Right, verse 11. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. So last week we saw Proverbs 24-26, which said, every man shall kiss his lips that giveth the right answer, and, you know, I was trying to find a way out of that, being a whopper on the lips, but it was basically talking about the love and affection for those that are considerate about what they say, okay, people show love and affection to those that are considerate about their words, considerate how and which way and what they say to people. Proverbs 15-23 says, a man hath joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season. How good is it? So there's a lot of reminders, you know, in the book of Proverbs and elsewhere in the Bible, just about the power of the words that come out of our mouths. There's a lot of power in words, isn't there, okay? Here we're told that a word spoken in the right way is like something of great value, so golden apples in silver ornaments, I think it is, or something similar, okay? And this, I suppose, look, this couldn't apply any more to probably when we're soul winning, could it? Okay, could it apply any more to when we're soul winning? And I don't just mean once we're preaching the Gospel either, okay, just to make it clear. Obviously, preaching the Gospel, preaching the words of God to someone, showing someone salvation, I mean, those words are like apples are golden, those words are beyond anything valuable, they're the words of eternal life, you know. But how about when we're breaking the ice and trying to encourage someone to want to listen? I say want to, not forcing someone to listen, but when we're breaking the ice, those fitly, if you say those right words, sometimes you do that, sometimes you come away, you go, I think I've just got that right, and I said it just the right way, or just encourage them in the right way to say, you actually know I want to hear you. I mean, they're some valuable words, aren't they? You know that starting up a conversation to get someone saved is the hardest part of soul winning, isn't it? I mean, I wouldn't say necessarily the most vital part, but that's the part that it all rests on, is getting someone to say, yeah, I want to hear the Gospel, not forcing them, not bullying them, not coercing them, but just getting someone to, getting their interest to want to hear it. And sometimes, you know, in various ways we might say that, sometimes just that person when you say, you know, there's only one thing you've got to do, and you see their eyes like, oh, what is it? Now, I always there at that point say, look, there's only one thing, take me several minutes from my Bible, because sometimes you feel like maybe, otherwise they're feeling a bit conned when suddenly the Bible opens up and it's like five, ten minutes later and they're still waiting for that one thing, right? But sometimes that's enough, sometimes it's something else, sometimes it's just encouraging them to think about what's going to happen at the end of their life and say, look, you know, well, we have a soul and that soul's either going to live forever or die forever, you know, I could show you how easy it is to make sure you're going to live forever. Well, sometimes it's just, maybe they've just dealt with the witnesses and it's just showing them, look, you know, we're not, not, I know for sure I'm going to heaven, not because I'm any better than you, we don't think we're any better than you, just because actually it's really easy to go to heaven. Sometimes that just gets someone's attention, doesn't it? And you can think of many, many ways that each and every one of you, you know, will have ways of encouraging someone to want to hear the Gospel, and what happens is sometimes you say the right thing, that then you just know, you're like, I cracked it, this person now wants to hear it, you get them and they're like, okay, I want to listen, and that's like, okay, this is, this is great, and already now you're very confident that maybe you get this person saved. But, but maybe it's also, think about this, maybe it's something that you say that results in that person listening another time, you know, you get people where, and again, we're not track droppers, okay, we don't just go, oh well, hopefully I can get them to watch a video, but sometimes you know that, there are people that you think, that person's definitely going to go and watch that, aren't there? There are people that you just know, whatever it is you've said to them, they're at least going to go and listen to, at least part, if not maybe the whole of a Gospel presentation on our, on our, that's, that, with the link on our invite. Or maybe it's someone that you think, they didn't hear but they will listen next time, they're going to think about what I said. Maybe there's, there's a way that you've angled it to get subversive and sow a seed, that word fitly spoken is like apples and golden pictures of silver. So, aside from soul winning though, just saying the right words to someone at the right time can really change someone's day, can't it? Change someone's week, can change someone's month, can change someone's year, okay? And I can think of times when, I'm sure you guys have had it too, when I felt weary, felt demoralized, you know, and that's the Christian life, right? When you work for God, sometimes you do feel tired, sometimes you can feel demoralized, but then someone just says something, just, it could be like one thing that just really picks you up, and if you, I'm sure many people here could say the same thing, but you've had times when it's hard and there's someone just, there's that one word, that one sentence, that one thing that they've said to you, and I don't mean flattery, just something that, that's just picked you up, something that's motivated you, someone's just said that right thing, that word fitly spoken, that fitting word was of great value to you at that point in your life, okay? So how do you try to say those right words are not the wrong words then? Because we all want to, wouldn't it be great to be saying those fitting words? What about when we're soul winning? To be able to give that right build up, to that right person, to say that right thing to that right person that's going to want to listen, to say that right thing to a brother or sister in Christ that will really affect them, will really help them, which will maybe motivate them, which will help them in a hard time, that will pick them up. It's walking in the Spirit, isn't it? I think that's really what it comes down to, being guided by Him, that's what it is. Praying like David did in Psalm 141 in verse 3, set a watch, oh Lord, before my mouth, keep the door of my lips. It's for God to control it, isn't it? God to control your mouth, control your lips, that's what our goal is, isn't it? And some of us, you know, you kind of, you're praying for that more than, more than maybe others do, you're like, man, I really need God to watch my mouth, watch my lips, because I'm going to say something off to someone or upset someone or offend someone or something else, but when God is in control, okay, those, those words will be fitly spoken and of great value. So when it's God in control and you're being led by the Spirit, those words will be right, won't they? And think about that with something like, that's something that should be a big, like, that should be something you're regularly praying for when you're soul-willing. Pray when you're soul-willing as well, and I sometimes forget this sometimes, that when you're praying, you know, when you're out soul-willing, you're having a rough time, pray for God, pray to guide you in the Spirit, to guide you to say the right things to people, to guide you, you know, as you knock on those doors at the right times, we just want to be guided by God, that's our ultimate goal, isn't it? And it should be the same just in all areas of life, just pray to God, try and be in the Spirit, and there are ways, you know, ways we can be in the Spirit, right? And, and there are ways that help that, obviously, you know, being in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs helps, and, you know, denying the flesh, obviously, walking the Spirit, being in the Word of God, being in prayer. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold and pictures of silver, and I think when God is in control, you're much more likely to be saying those, those fitly spoken words, and, and for me, therefore, the proverb is another reminder of the power of the tongue, and then what value it has, if used right, and, you know, what, what, just what a powerful thing it is. Verse 12, as an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. So, okay, first off for the ladies, okay, ladies, the earring here seems to be in a positive light, doesn't it? Okay, that seems to be made in a positive light. Some even get confused about this stuff, they're like, oh, you should never wear any jewellery, and never, and look, if you don't want to, that's your choice, right? But some people think that it's somehow ungodly or something else, right? Well, here it's being talked about in a positive light, as an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. The, the proverb's comparing the blessing of a wise reprover to gold jewellery on the ear, okay, being a blessing, being something that, that, that decorates the ear. There are a few things to point out here, though, okay? Firstly, it's not just a reprover. There are many reprovers around, aren't there? You might come across them in life, people that just love to reprove you, but it's not necessarily wise reprove. People that just love to tell you what to do, tell you when you, tell you're doing something wrong, when maybe you're not, you know, tell you how to do things. There's a lot of those around, but is it, is it wise, for example, okay? Because there are people, for example, there are people that just want to reprove or criticise anyone, but there are things that are wise, there's things that aren't wise reproved, so is it wise to go down the road and start reproving the alcoholics, for example? Is it wise, why just went down the road, down to that area down there, where they all hang around and they're all getting drunk and staggering around, and just go and start reproving them? Is that, would that be a wise thing to do? Am I really going to achieve anything with that while they're stumbling around? Is it wise to maybe be reproving the Muslims about Muhammad? Is that really, am I really going to achieve anything? Like, go down the mosque and just start shouting about Muhammad, and Aisha, and all that sort of stuff. Is that really a wise thing to do? Am I going to achieve anything? Reproving my work colleague for their sins. Am I really going to achieve something when I just start telling off the work colleague because of their sinfulness? No, they're just going to be like, another one of those, those, those hyper spiritual Christians just trying to lord it over me and everything else. No, the blessing is a wise reprover. It's someone who's doing it with wisdom. And of course, the wisest reprover will be reproving with the words of wisdom. And isn't that a big part of coming to church? Shouldn't that be a part of coming to church, the house of God to the pillar and ground of the truth? You say you call yourself wise, Pastor Tevinter. I'm saying that when me or anyone else here, or any other man here, gets up here full of the spirit behind this pulpit, preaching out of this King James Bible, it's the wisest thing you're going to get. It's the wisest thing you're going to get around here. If you come to a house of God where the King James Bible is being preached by someone that's saved, then you're going to hear some wisdom. Because it's the word of God, isn't it? It's the word of God being preached. But it doesn't automatically mean results. So yeah, you're going to hear some wise reproof from the word of God. But verse 12 said, as an earing of gold and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an ear. No, an obedient ear. It's an obedient ear. It needs God's people to come into his house and say, I want to obey your word. And you've got to get that attitude right. If you're coming to the house of God just going, well, hopefully we're going to get something that has nothing to do with me. Hopefully I'm going to hear something that's not anything that challenges me at all. Well, you've kind of got it wrong. If you come to church going, well, if I don't like it, who cares? No, we should be coming to the house of God. And believe me, when I'm studying the word of God, I should be in exactly the same attitude that I want to be reproved. Yeah, I want to obey your word, God. I want to be reproved. I want you to show me where I'm wrong and help me to get right. Isn't that the attitude we should have towards God Almighty, right? Not, well, I'm only here to hear about sod's false prophets and Jews. And if he's not talking about sod's false prophets or Jews, I'm closing my ears because it doesn't sound very exciting. It doesn't sound very fun today, okay? And when you get that right, if you get that right, you're like, no, look, then that stuff, look, there is a place for that stuff. I'm not saying there isn't, okay? Sometimes we need reminding of that stuff. We need warning about that stuff. We need reminding. But, you know, when you get that right, when you're coming to the house of God, when you're reading your Bible and you say, God, I want you to approve me and I want to obey what you approve me with and get it right and that get that correct you're right, that's when you're going to get blessed and you're going to get decorated. You get beautified by the word of God. That's what makes someone beautiful in God's eyes and really, you know, and in godly people's eyes is someone that's an obedient ear to the word of God. That's ultimate beauty in life, isn't it? Men and women, okay, is that really, that's what, and really, you know, as, you know, kids growing up and, you know, singles out there and everything else, that's what really you should be looking for is people that want to just obey the word of God. Because isn't that what we should be looking for? To be around, to be around those, to walk with wise people and nothing more so than being equally yoked with someone like that. He said, as an earing of gold and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. So the proverb is a reminder of the benefits of wise reproof if it's on an obedient ear. Make sure you've got an obedient ear, right, we should all be doing that. Verse 13. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that sent him, for he refreshest the soul of his masters. Now harvest time was both hot and laborious, again, in case anyone wondered. Cold snow would have been so refreshing then, you know, you're in the middle of something really hot, really tiring, it's hard work, you're hot, you're sweating. Think of like when you're like that, you're baking hot, tired, sweaty, and someone gives you a nice cold water or something. So that's pretty refreshing, isn't it? Or beyond that, maybe diving into a swimming pool on a baking hot day. That's a pretty nice feeling, isn't it? Or, well, he's saying that that a faithful messenger is as refreshing as that to the people relying on him to do a job. Okay, this is what he's saying. So faithful being loyal, trustworthy, dependable, and you could apply this to so many areas in life, because they are sadly rare qualities. These are rare qualities in life. Proverbs 20 and verse 6, Proverbs 20 and verse 6 says, most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness, but a faithful man who can find, who can find a faithful man? People will proclaim their own goodness, oh they'll tell themselves, they'll tell everyone else how good they are, they'll tell everyone, you know, how faithful they are, how loyal they are, but can you really find one? They're few and far between. So when you find faithful people, it's just so refreshing, isn't it? You find people that are just faithful. You just say, yeah, that's a loyal person, that's a faithful person, that's an honest person, that's a trustworthy person. That is a refreshing thing to find. That's like that cold of snow in a time of harvest. The guy working for you that's not just grafting when you're watching. If you've ever employed people in jobs, the person that you just have, that guy just wants to work, he just believes that you can just see he's just got a good work ethic, he's just going to be honest and faithful when he's working, not just when I look and then when I've gone, suddenly I come back an hour later and hardly anything's been done. You know, it's refreshing to find someone that just is faithful, they're being paid, they're going to do a job, right? He's not just a men pleaser, okay? He wants to just do a good honest job, okay? That's a refreshing thing to find and they're few and far between. The person who's not just focused on their own ambition, what they can achieve, but instead he's just loyal no matter what. They're hard to find. People out there who just know it's not about them, it's not what they can achieve, what they can gain from you, what they've got, just I'm just going to be loyal, I'm just going to be faithful in whatever areas of life. The husband or wife, that you're not questioning how faithful they really are. They're few and far between for people. That you're not worried, you know, every time, you know, you know, what might they do or say or how might they be, you know, what might they be saying behind my back, what might they be, you know, doing behind my back, sadly, right? Few and far between. The kids that you know are loyal to the bitter end. Again, few and far between nowadays. Kids that are just loyal to their parents, loyal to their siblings, they're just loyal, that are faithful. The more you live life, okay, the more refreshing these people end up being, don't they? Because you start off life thinking, well everyone's like that, aren't they? And then you soon realise, actually, no. And whether or not you are or not, right? Sadly, the more you live life, the more you realise, wow, actually loyalty, faithfulness, that's a rare quality. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is the faithful messenger to them that send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters. And there's a lesson there for both masters in various areas and the messengers too, okay? So, masters look for the faithful messengers, yeah? So, in whatever area. So, you know, for example, okay, it made me think of this, on a football team, say you're like choosing a team or something, however you ever watched, if you ever followed it. If you don't follow football, just apply it to any team sport, okay? Do you know who you usually want? You want the loyal grafter. So, people look like, you know, the fans love the showboater. They love the guy that does like all the skills and got all these, you know, all the stuff that looks good. And maybe they've got like a good end product sometimes. But do you know who's usually first on a team sheet? If you've ever coached a team or something else, it's someone who's just a grafter, who's faithful, who's loyal, who you know will just put a shift in every single week. You know isn't going to drift when the chips are down. You know that's not going to have a pull a sicky every now and then, claim the injury's worse than it is because they can't be bothered. The one that's not going to drift in and out, depending on how confident they feel. Just someone that will just put shift in. And that's like, they're really hard to find. And sometimes you get, you know, I've noticed with kids football, you get all these kids that can do all these skills and all this different stuff. But to find that kid that just grafts, that just bursts their lungs, is hard to find. Same I remember when I used to play rugby when I was young. Just finding those players and they would be first on the team sheet. The guy that just puts in a shift, that just grafts hard, that never shirks a tackle, never shirks, you know, the ball, doesn't hide from the ball, doesn't hide out of the games, just there every week at training every week. These people are few and far between. Now people have talent, have skill and everything else, but that's something that's harder to train into someone. It's harder to find. But we should look for those. We should look for those when we're employers. We should look for those sorts of people. But you could also say parents, therefore, try to instil that faithfulness in your kids. That should be something we try and instil, shouldn't it, as parents. Because it's a rare thing, but it's such an important quality to have. So that's something that I think should be punished is a lack of loyalty, a lack of faithfulness, and something that should be encouraged and should be rewarded. And it's something that we should try and encourage our kids to behave like that. Loyalty to their family, loyalty to their siblings, loyalty to their parents. That's something that we should be encouraging and hoping that they will then go on to, and obviously loyalty to God, right. You say, oh surely you're loyal to God if you're saved. There are a lot of people that would deny him in a heartbeat. There's people sadly in this room that are in an embarrassing moment in time when people are mocking the Lord or mocking the Word of God, mocking the King James Bible, mocking that we just keep quiet or join in even, or just kind of act like they agree or something else because of embarrassment. And a faithful man who can find, right. But also as messengers, okay, if we want to refresh, if we want to please our masters in whatever area you're in and whatever, you know, area of life it is, your authorities are live, be faithful. Be faithful. Make sure that that's the first quality that you want to, the most important thing for you is just be loyal, be faithful. Be a loyal employee, be a loyal wife, be a loyal child, be loyal, you know, whatever it is, just be loyal, be faithful, and obviously mostly to God, and not put other things in front of him, be loyal to him. And lastly, okay, with that then, if he's the ultimate master that we should want to refresh, what's he sent us out to do? To preach the Gospel to every creature, isn't he? I mean, that's the job he's told us to do. Can we really call ourselves, and again, just a caveat, sometimes I don't always give these caveats, if you're new to this sort of church, you're new to this sort of church, you're new to faith or whatever else, we don't expect you to be soul winning next week, okay, if you are great, amen, you know, praise God. But it is something that you need to think about, you know, am I really faithful to God if he's told me to do something, I'm just refusing to do it, or I'm finding ways out of it again in the long run, yeah, and that might take time, you might need to, you know, for some people it takes a bit of time to get to get their head around, yeah, actually we're the vessels, we're those vessels that the Gospel comes by, basically, and he's given us a job to do. So are we faithful, right, or do we just do the bare minimum, just when others are watching? And there are people that will do that, it's like, well, you know, I'd better do a bit of soul winning so people see that I do it, but are we really a faithful servant? Do we slack at the in-house training? You say, what do I mean? Oh, the Bible, God wants you to keep reading the Word, right, that's the in-house training, isn't it, for his team, for the ministry, the ministry of reconciliation. Are you slacking at that? Are you slacking at the in-house training? Do you miss sending back the reports? Are you in your prayer life, right? Yeah, he wants you to send back that, he wants a thrice daily report, yeah, he wants to hear what you've got to say, he wants you to be contacting the boss regularly, are you faithful in that? Do you miss meetings? Yeah, he's got some important meetings for you, they happen here on a Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon or Wednesday evening. Are you missing meetings? Are you skipping those meetings, those work meetings? Are you really a faithful employee to God, a faithful servant? Are you a faithful messenger? Because if you are, you're refreshing to him. Look, you think God doesn't love that, he loves it. God's refreshed by our faithfulness, isn't that an incentive to be faithful to God? As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters. The proverb is a reminder of the blessing of faithful people, so be one and appreciate them when you find them, right? Verse 14, last couple. Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain. So what does it mean for someone to boast themselves of a false gift? It's someone boasting of a gift that they have to offer but it's a lie, okay? So this is someone that is promising to give you this or that, maybe it's a meal out, you know, a present for your birthday or, you know, you get those people, I've got to spare one of those, I'll bring it next week, but it never happens, it never comes, right? Don't worry, I'll give you a lift and then suddenly they disappear, you know, you know, the call never comes, the lift never comes. He said they're like clouds and wind but without the rain, okay? So you put up with the boasting but there's no blessing at the end of it. They're unreliable people, basically, okay? So you have to put up with that. When someone's going, oh well I'll do this for you, and you're like, okay great. When you get to know these people a bit, you're like, it's not gonna happen, I know it's empty but I've got to pretend and be appreciative and everything else now, right? To the empty offer, right? They're boasting themselves of a false gift and often these people boast with it, so acting like, and suddenly they're people that do that in front of people, don't they? Like they're just so kind and generous, but they never actually follow through. Now this is the contrast really to verse 13's Faithful Messenger, isn't it? Okay, there are of course just compulsive liars that want to please you at the time by offering you things that they never intended maybe to follow up on, so there are those, okay? People that just, they've got a problem with it, they'll just lie and pretend but they know in their heart they're never going to actually do anything, you know, never give you the gift, whatever it is that they're claiming to promise you, but then there are also those that just have poor integrity. They perhaps want to give something, they want to bless someone, they want to do something nice, they even promise it, they want to follow through, but then they let you down, okay? There are people like that, they just, they promise the world but they never do it because they've got poor integrity and people like that, that are always making promises and breaking them. They'll offer to help you out but then always let you down, okay? They're a hindrance like the clouds and wind, so you have to smile, appreciate the offers, you have to give them the thank yous, you have to go through, like you're almost going through this charade, knowing that there's nothing good to come of it at the end, knowing that it's empty, knowing that it's a false gift, knowing that it's not really going to come through, and I suppose that you could also apply it to the Gospel with false prophets as well, who claim all of these salvations, but they're just a hindrance to solve with Israeli, and sadly we've had them before, sadly we will have them in the future. Jude verse 12 says, these are spots in your feast of charity when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear, clouds they are without water. We've just seen that that who boasts himself with false gift is like clouds and wind without rain. He said, clouds they are without water, carried about of winds, trees whose fruit witherth without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. So sadly there are those out there as well that you could say, you know, these same people, who so boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain. I think the problem is a reminder to stick to our word and to avoid those that don't, okay? The last one, verse 15. By long forbearing is a prince persuaded and a soft tongue breaketh the bone. So this is a reminder that sometimes it requires forbearing or patience to change someone's mind, okay? So don't forget that. Don't get impatient with these things, and perhaps especially those who are in positions of authority over you, okay? So don't have a tantrum because your parents didn't agree with your idea the first time, kids, yeah? Or hate on your husband wives because he didn't say yes to your latest, you know, request, demand, whatever it is, okay? Start bad-mouthing your boss at work because he didn't go with your great idea. Oh well, you know, he never listens, never listens, I suggested this, you didn't go with it, start bad-mouthing him to others. But sometimes it requires some forbearing and not harassing, not cajoling. Buy a soft tongue, yeah? Some things just take some time, you need to be patient, sometimes get the required, you know, result of what you want. Often people in positions of authority, I think are probably sometimes predisposed to not be bullied into things. If you're in a position, especially someone who's maybe successful in authority, they're probably not able to be bullied easily, okay? They're not, they probably bonk quickly, attempts to bully, to cajole, to force, that's not how you're going to get something out of someone in, you know, who often many people that are in positions of authority. You want to persuade that prince, or we would say principal, okay? Try using a soft tongue. In the same way that Proverbs 15 one says, a soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger, a soft tongue won't create an angry or a stubborn response, will it? Okay, think about it like that. But also you could add with it as well that, you know, it's maybe a way that we can request things from God long forbearing, you know, God ultimately is the ultimate prince, isn't he? The principal, the head, you know, he's the top, he's at the top there, and sometimes you're not going to get something you ask for straight away, but long forbearing, you need to be patient with God sometimes, yeah? God wants you to work on, he wants us to be more patient, it helps us in many areas of life, so by long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone. Don't start having a tantrum, some sort of hissy fit, because God didn't give you what you wanted the first time, yeah? By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, the soft tongue breaketh the bone, and it's a reminder to be patient and pleasant when trying to persuade the leaderships in your life. And that was Proverbs 25 verses 115, and on that we're going to finish the word of prayer. Father, thank you for the book of Proverbs, thank you for the wisdom we can get out of those verses, Lord, please help people to just want to apply them to their lives, Lord, to improve, help us all to improve in various areas of our lives, Lord, and help us to just get wiser, help us to apply that that wisdom to our lives, to just be more successful in trying to be more righteous like you, Lord, trying to live that Christian life, Lord, help us to just be inspired by your word, to just want to serve you more, to want to do more for you, Lord, help us to all improve, help us to put you first, help us to not put other things in front of you above you, Lord, and just to put you at the top there, Lord, please bless the baptisms as we do them now, Lord, and Lord bless as well the journeys home for everyone this evening, help people to return for the midweek service on Wednesday, the same for all of us. Amen.