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🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 Good evening everyone, welcome to Strong Tower Baptist Church. Please join me this evening on our first hymn, hymn number 428 in the garden. All together on that verse. 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 🎵Piano Music🎵 Great singing this evening, can I please ask brother Jack Christie to do our opening prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you so much Lord for this church garden, for your word, Lord, for the opportunity to teach the gospel, Lord. Lord, I pray and please bless the rest of the evening today and the weekend. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Please turn in your hymnals to hymn number 107. Hymn 107, there is a fountain, hymn 107, there is a fountain filled with blood. All together on that verse. 🎵There is a fountain filled with blood🎵 🎵Drawn from Immanuel's veins🎵 🎵As sinners plunge beneath the flood🎵 🎵Lose all their guilty stains🎵 🎵Lose all their guilty stains🎵 🎵Lose all their guilty stains🎵 🎵As sinners plunge beneath the flood🎵 🎵Lose all their guilty stains🎵 🎵The dying thief rejoices to see🎵 🎵That fountain in his day🎵 🎵And there may I though fall as he🎵 🎵Wash all my sins away🎵 🎵Wash all my sins away🎵 🎵Wash all my sins away🎵 🎵And there may I though fall as he🎵 🎵Wash all my sins away🎵 🎵Dear dying lad, thy precious blood🎵 🎵Shall never lose its part🎵 🎵Till all the ransomed church of God🎵 🎵Be safe to sin no more🎵 🎵Be safe to sin no more🎵 🎵Be safe to sin no more🎵 🎵Till all the ransomed church of God🎵 🎵Be safe to sin no more🎵 🎵This is by faith thy soul this dream🎵 🎵By flow it wounds supply🎵 🎵Redeeming love has been my theme🎵 🎵And shall be till I die🎵 🎵And shall be till I die🎵 🎵And shall be till I die🎵 🎵Redeeming love has been my theme🎵 🎵And shall be till I die🎵 Right, good evening everyone and welcome to Strong Tail Baptist Church, our Sunday evening service. If you don't have a bulletin, please raise your hand and one of the ushers will happily bring you one. And also, they'll probably, maybe if it's okay ushers, maybe go around with some pens as well for the service shortly. On the front of your bulletin, we've got our verse a week, which is Psalm 143 in verse 9, which is, Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies. I flee unto thee to hide me. And just again, Happy New Year to everyone that we haven't seen yet. Yeah, it's the start of a new year, we're in 2025. I did preach on Wednesday about our goals as a church for 2025 this morning. It was about sort of, you know, things to avoid and how to, things to flee from and where to flee to in 2025, to be safe from all the different sort of, you know, dangers and, you know, trip ups and all these things. Is that all right? Yeah, might be me treading on wires, you know. Okay, and yeah, that's on our YouTube channel. If you missed any of that, have a look on the inside of your bulletin. So we are, we're in our Sunday evening service. We're in Proverbs 27 and part 2. We're going to be looking at that from, I think it's verse 14, from, for this evening to the end of the chapter. And then, yeah, that's going to be this evening service, Wednesday 7 p.m. and it's a prayer night. Please send in your prayer requests for that as well. And we're back to evenings on a Wednesday evening. We have, we have our soul winning times down there. And I mentioned this morning that Sunday afternoon soul winning, we're adding a little bit of High Street soul winning as well. And it wasn't just because of the High Street soul winning, although there were a few salvations there, but we end up with 11 for this afternoon. So that's great. And we haven't had 11 on a Sunday for a while. So I'm really pleased with that. And yeah, hopefully that's going to continue. Quite a few of those did come from, from the High Street, which is just, you know, it is very receptive there. Like I said, we'll probably do like maximum three pairs there and then make sure that we have a lot doing doors as well, as we'd like to keep knocking the doors in the area. Please, please be careful with the maps as well. I did, I had a map today where I was knocking doors and they had already been knocked by us within the last few weeks. However, it wasn't marked off. So please just be careful as you're marking the maps, if in doubt, maybe double check, double check where you are. And just something to keep an eye on. Some of the roads here, they have sort of a road kind of dissecting them in the middle. And so you might think, oh, I'm on this road, but you might maybe be sort of on the northern side or the southern side where you weren't meant to. So please just really double check your maps and make sure before you knock any doors that you've looked on Google Maps definitely on that part of the road you're meant to be on, because there are some long roads where maybe they've been split into two. And that intersecting road is what you've got to look for, guys. Because if you're in the wrong part, then it can be hard then because maps are getting marked, which should be etc. So, yeah, please be careful with the maps as you're marking. If you've got any questions, any doubts or whatever about it, just you can as well. If you think, oh, I'm not sure, did I go in the right place, you can go on Google Maps and just make a mark where you are. Just put that as a safe place where you've gone and then if you're unsure what you're doing, come back and someone will happily help you here and just show you where you were and make sure that the maps are marked properly. So, yeah, please be careful with that because we don't want to start winding people up, right? And then you're knocking on doors and they're saying, I got knocked by you guys two weeks ago. I already told you, you know, something else. And then it's unneeded grief and strife. So please be careful with the maps. But we do get 11 salvation, so I give a little than I take a bit again, you know. It's a good time to have a moment on the back of 11 salvation. A great work, everyone, and that takes up to 13 already for the month. It's a great start to the month. I was saying to Clifford earlier that I suppose really I'd like to try and get 100 each month is sort of the goal, you know. And then we should be able to add a bit extra on top of that in the very busy months. But if we're hitting 100, then we're getting close to our target because really we want to get about 1,500 out of here. So that would take us to 1,200 and we're getting close there then with a bit of extra on top of that. So, yeah, so that's our goal for this month. We could try and get to 100 salvation in January, that would be great. We're obviously there four and two this year. Baptisms, though, we'd still like to baptise people. We have our total salvations down there. South Africa salvations, they had five yesterday. They're doing an event today in Switzerland, so hopefully they'll have some salvations for today. Everything else, as you see down there. On the other side, just to remind you that the event, the soul winning event this month is going to be, it's a marathon. It's going to be from the morning in Romford. So it's going to be a morning meet up, 10 till 12 soul winning and two till four soul winning. That should be receptive there. Let me know if you'd like to come to that and we'll count you in for food for lunchtime as well. Sunday the 26th is our men's preaching night. So in the Sunday evening service is going to be a men's preaching. I've got a couple of men so far. If you'd like to preach that, please just let me know. Sunday the 13th of April is our Lord's Supper service. So just something to put in your calendar there. So, you know, we do, you know, we don't police the Lord's Supper, although we do encourage you to do things the right way with that. And with the Lord's Supper, you know, obviously being saved and, and baptised post salvation. And then we do, we believe at this church, the Lord's Supper is sort of a, it's kind of taken the place of what was the Passover. It's a once a year event that we do here as the Lord's Supper and it's always a weekend before Easter. So it's a once a year, so it's a good thing to put in your calendar. It'll be in the evening service, but God does command us to partake in the Lord's Supper as well. So there are some things to think about as we're getting close to the Lord's Supper. And I'll be preaching those in a sermon probably a few weeks before. So I will be explaining what we believe. But if it's something you're interested about, you wonder about, I've preached on the Lord's Supper, I think last three years running now, what we believe at this church about the Lord's Supper. And it's what, what our planting church believed and what their, the church which planted that church believed as well. But I do wholeheartedly believe that we, we do it in the right way. And I've explained that over the last three years now. So please have a look if you're unsure about that. May the 24th to 25th is our Manchester Preacher in Soul winning event. So just give you a bit of a heads up, some notes on that. And what we've been doing is, is we, we started something that we're calling the UK Preach in Soul winning tour. And we kind of alternate between going further afield where there'll be a preaching service as well on the Friday there. And then doing a sort of southern city. Last one we did was Colchester. And that, that's just a soul winning marathon on the Saturday. So the next one is going to be in May. It's going to be in Manchester. So it's going to have a fellowship time on the Friday preaching. So we'll have a meal together as well, do a preaching service in the evening for obviously local people there to be able to get involved with as well. And then on the Saturday it'll be a soul winning marathon before coming back, back down south for Sunday service. So that's going to be May 24th, 25th. Put it in your calendars. If you could, it's great to have the support and that great to have people going up to these places, you know, soul winning, make a difference. You know, this is our nation where our church is. We want to get people saved. We want to give a chance for, you know, future church plants. And, you know, the first thing to do for that is to go somewhere and get soul winning, right? So it'd be great if people can make that. Our Bible memory challenge is ongoing. We're on week four. It's Matthew 1 21 which is, And she shall bring forth the Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. That's week four. Two more to go and then we'll test on that and see if you can get a prize. Just a reminder there's a lost property section at the back on the bookcase where the soul winning materials are just before you go out the door on the right. So please have a look. Check that you haven't left anything there. Please turn your mobile phones off, place them on silent if you haven't. Please remember to pray for everyone that's not here. There's still a bit of sickness going around. So please remember to pray for them. We have a birthday today as well and he said he didn't hit listen to me giving the great incentive that if he made it he'd get a happy birthday sung to him. But he has made it. So we've got Jack here today. Great to have you here on your birthday Jack. We also have, it's a Silver's anniversary so happy anniversary to the Silver's again as well. But Jack, happy birthday to you today. When you're ready sister. Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday God bless you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday Jack. We hope you're having a good day and you didn't get any salvation today did you? But you did some birthday soul winning at least you know. And yeah good to have you here. Please let my wife know your birthday's anniversary. Let me know if you want details for online donations. And we're a family integrated church so I think everyone here is one of the family integrated rules. So we've got a bit to get through with progress so we'll go back over to you. Our next hymn this evening is hymn number 495. There is a land that is fairer than they. Hymn number 495. There is a land that is fairer than they. There's a land that is fairer than they And by faith we can see it afar For the Father waits over the way To prepare us a dwelling place there In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore We shall sing on that beautiful shore There are loathier songs of the blessed And our spirit shines sorrow no more Not a sigh for the blessing of rest In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore To our bountiful Father above We will offer the tribute of praise For the glorious gift of his life And the blessings that hallow our days In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore Can I please ask brother Huno and brother Bembela to do our offering please. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. . . . . . Please send your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 27, that's the book of Proverbs chapter 27. So the Bible reads, Proverbs chapter 27, starting in verse 1, Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth, a stranger, and not thine own lips. A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty, but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous, but who is able to stand before envy? Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. The fool's soul loateth in honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place. Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, so does the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. Thine own friend and thy father's friend forsake not, neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity, for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me. A prudent man foreseeeth the evil, and hideth himself, but the simple pass on, and are punished. Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice rising early in the morning, it shall be counted accursed to him. A continual dropping in a very rainy day, and a contentious woman are alike. Whosoever hideth her, hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which beareth itself. Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Whoso keepeth the fig tree, shall eat the fruit thereof, so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. As in water, face antareth to face, so the heart of man to man. Hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied. As the finding pot for silver, and the finest for gold, so is a man to his praise. Though thou shouldest pray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever, and doth the crown endure to every generation? The hay appearth, and the tender grass showeth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. And thou shalt have goat's milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, so much for the book of Proverbs. We pray, Lord, just please help us to be attentive in this evening's service. Please help distractions be kept to a minimum. Please fill Pastors' Avenue with your spirit, Lord, and help us to learn today. And we pray in Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. Okay, so just a reminder, pens if you want them. It's useful to make some notes if you can on these. We've got quite a few to get through tonight. And then after that, I think it's eight more weeks of Proverbs, if we split the... I don't know how I split Proverbs 31, whether we do it in two or not. But yeah, it looks like eight more weeks. So we're coming to the end of the book of Proverbs. Still plenty of wisdom to get out of the last few chapters, so let's have a look at it. Starting in verse 14 today, so we did 113 last week, we're starting in verse 14 today. Proverbs 27 and 14 says this, He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him. I'm going to pray, then we're going to get started. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for these Proverbs we're going to look at now. Help me to preach to them accurately and clearly and boldly and fully in spirit, Lord. Help everyone to just have attentive ears and pay attention and stay wide awake, Lord. Just help everyone to be edified by your Proverbs this afternoon, Lord. In Jesus' name, we pray all this. Amen. Okay, so he that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him. Now this is talking about the public show people. So doing things to be seen of men types. You have to turn to Matthew 6, 2 says, Therefore, when thou doest thine arms, talked about doing, you know, charitable things, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. And it could be something as small as blessing someone with a loud voice early in the morning. I think the point being when things are quiet, when people are more likely to hear, you know, blessing someone, you know, basically it's for show. The point is that it's purposeful to be heard by others. Okay, that's what this person's doing. They're blessing their friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, saying it should be counted a curse to him. That's what I believe it's talking about here. And this is a temptation for many out there to draw attention to themselves, to their works, to their holiness, to even just their blessing others. You know, being kind to be seen of other people to be kind. Saying something nice because someone's going to overhear you saying something nice. Because really what is it ultimately? It's guile. Okay, it's guile. You're trying to manipulate something. You're doing something with sort of a sneaky ulterior motive. Rather than them being blessed for being nice, for doing good, you're then cursed for it. Okay, firstly because your reward is the glory of men. Okay, which isn't really that great at the end of the day. Rather than what you could have got from God had it not been for show. But secondly really you're sinning where you're doing things with guile for your own glory. And there are repercussions which come with sin. Okay, and this is something to remember I think in many situations. Okay, now you can go the other way. Okay, and just something to think about. Some people can go the other way and be ashamed of Christ. Maybe whisper or worse deny him. Okay, and people will do that, won't they, sadly. But doing loud prayers for show. For example, raising your voice on purpose to show your holiness when talking about God, etc. That's not what God wants from us either. Yeah, he doesn't want you to deny Christ. But there's a difference between denying Christ and then trying to do things on purpose to be heard of others, to be seen of others. And of course that includes social media attention seeking too. And there's a lot of social media attention seekers when it comes to trying to promote their own holiness. The key then, so how do you get that right? Because we want to promote Christ, obviously we don't want to be ashamed of Christ. Well, the key is to assess your motivations in life, isn't it? The key is to be honest with yourself. You know, is your motivation to lift yourself up to get attention, to look good to others? Or is it to serve God? What's your motivation? And we can only really know ourselves, can't we, if we're honest with ourselves and we assess what our motivations are. So where verse 14 says, He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted, occurs to him. I think the proverb is teach us not to do things for show, however small. Whatever it is, it shouldn't be about doing things for show. That's what I believe verse 14 is talking about. Verse 15, A continual dropping in a very rainy day, and a contentious woman are alike. The men are already lifting themselves up here. The women, their heads are dropping. A continual dropping is when it just doesn't stop raining all day. They're not pleasant days. You know, it's just raining all day. It just doesn't stop. A quick downpour you can deal with, can't you? Most of us can deal with a downpour. It's a downpour. Rain showers on an awful day you can kind of cope with. It's another shower, get in the dry for a bit, or you know, avoid it. It'll pass. It's only a shower. But when it's just constant all day, that's pretty rough, isn't it? That's not very pleasant. And particularly here, we're talking really to outdoor workers on the whole here, aren't we? I'm sure there were some indoor jobs, but the majority are talking to a farming community. And most of it's going to be outdoor work, a lot of it. There's no waiting it out. If you've ever done outdoor jobs, if any of you have, if you've ever just done outdoor jobs where it's like, well, I've got to work today and it's just raining, or it's just a continual dropping all day. It's not very pleasant, OK? You can deal with it for an hour or two as the day goes on and on. It just soaks through. It's wet. It's cold. It's not nice, OK? Well, that continual dropping and a contentious woman are alike, OK? Why are they alike? Well, once a woman is contentious, OK, it can be continual, OK? It can be continual, can't it? And it's not pleasant, OK? Look, men and women are different, OK? When women are contentious, the reality of it is, as a general rule, they find it harder to snap out of it, OK? When women get contentious, when they get to that point, they just often find it harder to just snap out of it and get back to normal, because they're more emotionally driven, OK? Women are just more emotionally led, emotionally driven, which is great for many things, OK? It has some great uses, but not so great when there's contention, OK? Because it just continues a lot of the time. It's not something that can just be suddenly just, oh, OK, well, let's just move on now. And men out there, OK, if that's you too, just a reminder, OK, then you need to man up, OK? You need to bin the soya latte and control your emotions, OK? We should be able to move on. We should be able to just, OK, we're not the same. Shouldn't be a continual dropping, OK? Men and women work together because we're different. We should complement each other, OK? We have different strengths and weaknesses, OK? However, that's not a free pass for women to be contentious. So just because we're different, just because the Bible says, oh, well, a contentious woman is like a continual dropping, this proverb is warning against it, OK? As does Proverbs 19.13, which said this, Proverbs 19.13 said, a foolish son is a calamity of his father, and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping. Women surely don't want to be thought of as a continual dropping. And it's not just talking about wives, it's women in general. You don't want to be a continual dropping. You don't want people to look at you like, oh, man, it's like being out in the rain all day with this one, OK? And part of that is because those contentions just don't go away either. So it's not just, oh, well, it drags on for longer. Often those contentions won't just go away, OK? They often continue and often they play on a woman's mind, can do for a long time. But as men, OK, as men as well, though, we should want to try to avoid the contentions of a wife where possible, like we want to avoid that very rainy day, don't we? So we're not kind of like, all right, rainy day, brilliant. You know, it's the opposite. We should try and avoid those contentions of a wife where possible, right? And no, it's not by submitting to your wife like the world teaches, OK? That's going to cause you all sorts of other problems. Men are supposed to lead their families, OK? God wants men to lead, OK? Not to be led. But how do we avoid those contentions? Well, there are obvious ways in the word of God, by loving your wife. No, no, it's not foolproof. It's not like, oh, OK, well, there'll never be a contention again because I've... No, but you know what, it helps a lot. A lot of contentions come from us because, sadly, we failed as well, loving in the right way, being not bitter. We're told not to be bitter against our wives. When we're bitter, the contentions continue or can start in the first place. Giving honour unto the wife is unto the weaker vessel. And when you're doing that, as the Bible tells you to do, then a lot of the time you're going to have a less contentious wife and dwelling with them according to knowledge, you know? And, you know, knowing the triggers, knowing the times, knowing things which are going to cause contention. Now again, yeah, you're still to lead. Yeah, it's not like, oh, well, I better just... I just can't do this, can't do that. You know, I walk around on eggshells to avoid contention. No, that's not what we're being called to do. But we are told to dwell with them according to knowledge, learning to lead your wife to avoid contention where possible. Look, sometimes in life there's going to be some contention. Sometimes it's going to happen. But you know what? Where possible, we should be trying to avoid it. Why? Because the alternative isn't a pleasant life. Because a continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. So surely we as men, as we as husbands should be trying to avoid that where possible. Yeah, where possible. But not just men, women, surely you should be trying to avoid that as well because you don't want the man you love, the family you love to be looking at you as some sort of continual dropping, as basically being just like a day full of rain, you know, as a continual dropping. That's not something you want to be surely as well. So the lesson I think for men and women out there is to avoid contention as much as possible. And then I believe the next proverb obviously then follows on from here and maybe even after that. So verse 16 then says this, Whosoever hideth her, hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand which beareth itself. So basically saying that when a wife is contentious, there is no hiding it. There's no hiding it. You can't hide the wind and you can't hide. And I think the ointment, you know, maybe in modern parlance would say maybe the aftershave on your right hand, you know. And I know usually that's more of a women thing, but they do this stuff, don't they, and all that. I don't know if any of you guys do that. I didn't think that's what we did. But maybe that's something they might have done then, okay. They might have kind of put a bit on their right hand. That's why they're greeting people, shaking people's hands better than, you know, leaving someone with some stench of BO on them or something, you know. Well, men can walk in somewhere on the back of a row and act relatively normal, can't we? Okay, you might have just had, you know, a bit of a set to with someone. It might be with your wife or whatever, right. And you could kind of often, you could just swallow it and move on, you know, make a joke out of it, start to move on pretty quickly. But with women, a lot of the time the contention is written all over their faces. They just find it harder to do. Look, we all know it's true, okay. Just the way it is, yeah. Some of the women are nodding now, you know. Okay, it is just the way it is. They often, they find it harder to just move on from these things. And also then the contention continues too as well, like we just saw. That's why it's a continual dropping, okay. There's no hiding it. You're not going to hide it wherever much you want to. What's the answer? Well, for me it's more a reason for men and women to avoid contention. Because it's not just you that it affects. It's not just your wife, the husband, and obviously husband and wives being sort of the primary application here, but in whatever areas, maybe with daughters, you know. Maybe, you know, just whatever. However you want to apply it. Women out there in general. Look, it affects others around you too. Because you're not hiding it. Because it's not pleasant, is it? It's unpleasant when, you know, when you're around people that are clearly contentious, clearly, you know, on the back of a rail, things like that. You know, so it does affect other people. It makes it difficult for other people. And some might see it and go, but you don't know what he said to me once, you know. People think like that. You don't know how my wife spoke to me. You know, you've got no idea. Yeah, but it's usually the pride that continues it. The thing is, you're going to have to move on at some point. And Proverbs 13, 10 says, only by pride cometh contention, but with a well-advised wisdom. And really that's why it continues. That's why it keeps going. It's because of our pride. The wiser we become, the more a lot of contention can be avoided. He said, with a well-advised wisdom. And again, without compromising on important things either. So, I'm not saying, oh right, that's it, husbands out there become a pushover. Or wives out there, you know, there's never any reason for you ever to be upset. Look, some wives are going to get upset, they're going to have contention. Some husbands are going to find things that maybe need dealing with, need hatching at. However, often it continues. A contention carries on because of pride, doesn't it? So, whosoever hideth her, hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand which beareth itself. I think the point is that the contention affects those around you too, so just do your best to avoid it. Do your best to avoid it because you're not going to hide it and it just becomes, then, other people start to be affected by it as well. Verse 17 says this, iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Now, this is one of those proverbs. I don't know if you've heard this one. I've often heard it used in, perhaps, I think probably the wrong way, where someone has a row or a debate with a friend, or someone they know or something else, maybe a fellow believer. Two people have a disagreement and they sort of as a consolation afterwards go, well, iron sharpeneth iron. So, we've just been rowing, we've just been disagreeing, we've just been having a debate about something, but iron sharpeneth iron. Sometimes they'll even maybe justify debating and online debates or this stuff. Well, iron sharpeneth iron, right? But, often the second part, I think, is missed, though, which is the key, really, to the proverb. The countenance is the face, okay? But it's more than that. He said, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. The face is an outward display of the inner contents. That's what the countenance is. The countenance is showing your mood, emotions, contentment, and et cetera, okay? So, the point is that, like iron is used to sharpen or improve an iron tool, the obvious thing, obviously, we're going to think of is a sword, okay, or something like that, but you can think of many things, okay? Like iron sharpens things if you want to be sharp, right? So does a friend sharpen or improve the countenance or the happiness, contentment, mood of a friend. Basically, friends are a good thing. That's what it's saying, okay? Friends are a good thing. They make you happy, they improve your mood. A true friend can be a pleasure to be around, can't they? Often, you know, you look forward to being around a true friend or maybe you've been with a true friend and you've come away with a good feeling. You've had a good time. It's a proper friend, right? And notice how it's iron sharpening iron, okay? Not wood, not clay. It's an equal combination, isn't it? Okay? They're equally yoked, basically. So, sadly, the friends of the world won't sharpen your countenance. They'll blunt your countenance, okay? The friends of the world, if you're saved and you're trying to live for God and you're unequally yoked with the world, with unsafe people, they're not going to sharpen your countenance in the long run, are they? It's just going to be painful a lot of the time. Often, you know, it's just awkward, isn't it? It's uncomfortable. You've just got different viewpoints, different angles on everything, pretty much. The more you start getting right with God and living for God. But also don't miss that this proverb is on the back of the previous two verses about women. The primary application was being wives. It said in verse 15, And is there any better friend for a man than his wife? Is there any better friend? There isn't. Yeah, you might have some fun time, you know, a bit of fun with your male friends, with the lads or whatever else, but really, she was at help meet for him. She's the most suited help, the most suited friend for us is our wives. You know, my wife's my best friend and I hope everyone else could say the same about their wives and wives about their husbands as well. And perhaps, you know, on the back of those warnings about that contentious wife is a reminder that we do have the ability to sharpen the countenance of our wives. We have that ability. Okay, a wife being often a reflection of the love that her husband gives her, often, right? Often, you know, a wife will reflect the love that she's getting. Well, her countenance we can sharpen, like that iron sharpening iron. Proverbs 5.19, you'd have Turner says, So we can let her be what she's intended to be, which is that loving, hind and pleasant roe, or we can prevent that by our own failings to sharpen her countenance to make her happy. By failing as that friend we're meant to be to her. Now, however, again, just for some balance, okay, wives, your husband is your friend too. You have a responsibility to sharpen their countenance too. You know, to make them happy, to make them content. It's not just all in the man's court there. And there aren't many sharp countenances in a very rainy day. So when it's raining and you look around and it's chucking it down, it's just continual rain, you're not going to see many people looking like they're filled with the joys of life. You know, well, iron sharpness iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. I think basically it's saying value your friends in life, knowing that you have the ability to make them happy and content. And like I said, is there any, you know, more, at least is there a better friend in life than your spouse? No. Verse 18. Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof, so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. Now this proverb is a reminder that God will honour those at work for him. In the same way that someone that keeps or tends to the fig tree is going to eat the rewards of that, someone that waits on the Lord that serves God is going to be honoured. Because often you forget that, don't you? Or you wonder if it's really going to happen. Sometimes you feel like you're not being honoured, okay? Sometimes you feel like you're plugging away at it, but you're the off scouring of the world. Yeah, you sometimes feel like that, don't you? You feel dishonoured in life, often. The Christian life, you're serving God, you're doing things for God, you just feel dishonoured by most people at the time. And with that fig tree it can be a bit of graft, okay? You might not feel very honoured maybe when you're digging around that fig tree. You know, you might not feel like this is the most respected job while you're dunging it. You know, we see, you know, when the Lord gives that parable of the fig tree and he's talking about basically digging around it and dunging it. You're putting in basically manure. And you might not feel very honoured while you're doing that, or people want to keep away because it stinks. And you're bent over digging and you're grubby and you're tired and you're putting dung in it. We see that picture in Luke 13, which by the way is a picture of Israel, or at least by that point Judah, and it results in the Lord giving it a chance and then cutting it down, no more physical nation, okay? But it's not always the most honourable work, but eventually you get those sweet figs, don't you? So eventually you're going to get that reward. You're going to get those sweet figs from that fig tree. Not at the beginning, okay, necessarily, but like in that parable it can take a few years for a new fig tree to bear fruit, can't it? Okay, it does seem to take that. You know, I had a quick look on this and I was thinking, how long does it take, like two to three years from seed, you know, to usually to then be bearing fruit, that fig tree? So it could be a bit of graft for that, right? There's a bit of like replanting, things like that. There's a bit of graft going into it, pruning, things like that. Well, in the Christian life, okay, you may have to wait for that honour as well. You may have to wait for that real honour. For the true rewards, you'll have to wait a lifetime. A whole lifetime, isn't it? Sometimes it doesn't always feel that great when you feel like, yeah, you know, I could do with some honour right now, because it can be a tough job, can't it? That spiritual battle could be hard. But God is faithful, okay? He that waiteth on his master shall be honoured, okay? If you're waiting on the Lord, you will be honoured. That's a promise. You will be honoured. So what's the lesson? The lesson is get serving. Put your master first. And on the back of that sermon this morning, it's 2025, you're in a new year, serve God. Serve God. Put him first, because it's 1 Corinthians 2, you don't have to turn and it says, It is written, I have not seen, nor e'er heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. You know, he's got some rewards for each and every one of us here. He's ready to honour you. But you might have to wait for it. But you will eat the fruit thereof. He said, Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof, so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. That's a promise from God, he will honour you. So the proverb I think is a reminder that even though you may have to wait, you will be honoured eventually. You will be honoured eventually, so get serving. Okay, verse 19. As in water, face answerth to faith, face, sorry, so the heart of man to man. So this is comparing the mirror effect of water to the mirror effect of us and what's in our hearts. And I believe that it works in two ways. Okay, so turn to Matthew 15. There's the obvious way that often what's in our hearts, our thoughts, our feelings will manifest on the outside eventually. So what's going on in your heart, what your emotions are, will come out on the outside. So if you're sad, you're unhappy, maybe you're joyful, you're content, it shows on the outside. You're going to see that, aren't you, in people. For example, you're full of anger, you're full of resentment, it's going to come out in what you say eventually, isn't it? You're just going to hear that, you're going to start to see that, it's just going to come out. And the sinful things in your heart without being checked will eventually come out in actions. Okay, so Matthew 15 says this though, Matthew 15 says this in verse 17. Do not ye yet understand that whatsoever entereth in it the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out into the draught, but those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashing hands defileth not a man. So not washing your hands before eating isn't the problem, it's what's in your heart that is the problem. But I think that it also works the other way round as well. So of course we see that out of the heart proceed those evil thoughts and things and that's what sadly is then going to be manifested in you. But it does work the other way round. What happens on the outside, the things that we do, the life that we lead can affect our hearts. It changes how we feel on the inside. So the heart then mirroring how we live. For example, a believer who's out of church, who's out of Bible reading will have a discontent heart with more of those evil thoughts, won't they? So it's what you're doing on the outside that affects eventually what your heart becomes. Your heart can be a reflection of the environment you put yourself into or what you choose to do and not to do. So someone who's, for example, someone who's drinking, doing drugs will often have a bitter, angry heart, won't they? And it's not like they had a bitter and angry heart, that's why they got into the drinking drugs. A lot of the time what comes out of the heart is a reflection of what they've been doing on the outside. So I believe the point in Proverbs 27.19 is that it works both ways. Where he said, As in water, face answerth to face, so the heart of man to man. Okay, it's a reflection, they reflect each other. The Proverbs should remind us, I think, to work on our hearts, which then includes what we subject our hearts to. It's the whole package, yeah? Okay, verse 20. Hell and destruction are never full, for the eyes of man are never satisfied. Now, unfortunately for most, okay, hell doesn't end up too packed. Okay, with late comers going to heaven instead. Okay, that's not how it works. Isaiah 5.14 says, Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure, and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth shall descend into it. So it's enlarged herself, it keeps enlarging herself, okay? Hell will never be too full up. Verse 20 here said, Hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied. So, like hell, destruction, which is, I think, just using an alternative word for hell, hell and destruction, you know, it's the same thing. They will never be too full. But in the same way, the eyes of man are never satisfied. Now, turn over to Ecclesiastes 1 to help understand what he's saying here. Okay, so you have to just go forward a few pages to Ecclesiastes chapter 1. Okay, and we're going to look at verse 8. So we saw here, hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied. Ecclesiastes 1 says, All things are full of labour, man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. So it's not enough for the eye to see. It's not satisfied with just seeing. Once you set your eyes on something, the seeing isn't enough, is the point. Think of that old saying that adulterers and such like, you know, like to say, It's okay to look, but don't touch. You know, something along those lines you hear, right? Well, it's a nonsense. Okay, that's a nonsense. Those that look won't be satisfied without touching. The eyes of man are never satisfied. The looking isn't enough. Okay, that's the point, okay. Jeremiah said in Lamentations 3.51, Mine eye affecteth mine heart. Your eye, what you look at, is going to affect your heart, because the eye will not be satisfied. You can't satisfy yourself with just looking. You start looking at other women or other men, ladies, and you won't be satisfied with your wife or husband. That's just what happens. It's not innocent. It's not, oh, well, it's okay, it's just looking. No, your eyes will not be satisfied. You won't be satisfied with just the looking. Just don't look. Just like hell of destruction, okay, and never full, you will never feel content, and you'll never be satisfied with what you have if you keep looking. In another way, for example, it's the same with anything. You start gazing at sports cars every day, and you won't be satisfied with your old larder. I was talking to Gary about this the other day. When I was young, I think he got a scoda, and we were laughing. I said, when we were young, it was like the scoda was the insult, and the larder, and it suddenly reminded me, yeah, larder. Do they still do larders? Anyone know? You can get them. You start looking at sports cars every day, you're not going to be satisfied with a larder. You're not going to be satisfied with an old, do you remember the old Robin Reliant? Del Boy's three-wheeler, isn't it? You're not going to be satisfied with that if you're constantly looking through the sports car magazine, or you just keep going to the shops where they got the really expensive cars, and you're walking around the forecourt and pretending you can afford it or something. You're just not going to be satisfied. You keep looking at mansions, you keep looking at whatever the version of nowadays of what used to be MTV Cribs and stuff like that, you're not going to be satisfied with your bedsit. You keep looking at that stuff, the eye will not be satisfied. It's not like, well, I'd just like to look at it, but then I'm happy to go back to my bedsit. No, you're not going to be satisfied. And what's the answer then? What's the answer? Well, Joe31-1, Joe31-1 says this, I made a covenant with mine eyes, why then should I think upon a maid? And you can apply that to anything that's not yours to have. Okay, so it's not just make a covenant with your eyes about the maid, about not looking, and this was Mary Job saying, well, I'm going to look at a woman. You know, I made a covenant with my eyes, so I won't think about it, because I'm not going to look, because I know my eyes won't be satisfied, therefore I'm not going to think about them. But you can say that with anything, make a covenant with your eyes, because they will never be satisfied with just looking. They won't. Don't lust after things desire, and whatever it is in life, things that aren't yours to have, because you won't be satisfied with just looking. Hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied. The proverb is a reminder to be careful what we long for, to be careful what you set your desires upon, to be careful what you look at. Okay, verse 21. As the fining pot for silver and the furnace for gold, so is a man to his praise. Now, the fining pot is what is used to melt down silver, so a furnace is used to melt gold. They're used for melting these metals down again. I believe that you're saying that as these things are able to melt down, they're powerful enough to reduce that silver or that gold object to liquid, so can praise do that to a person. It can melt them, maybe destroy what they once were. Basically, we're suckers for some praise, aren't we? Most people are suckers for a bit of praise. They love a bit of praise. They crave praise. Many are desperate for it, and they want more and more. And then what happens as well, they become easy to manipulate, to coerce by praise, with also even a withholding of it as well afterwards. So some people spend their life seeking praise and are slaves to it. There are people out there like that. Their whole life is just centred on trying to get praise from others. But here's the problem. If we're seeking the praise of men, then we'll miss out on the praise of God, because they're usually contrary to each other. The praise of man is usually not what God's going to be praising you for, and vice versa. For example, in John chapter 12, many of the chief rulers got saved, but kept their faith secret from the Pharisees. Verse 43 says, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God, because often they're contrary to the one to the other. So wanting the praise of men will destroy a saved man's walk with the Lord, won't it? And the desire for the praise of men will often as well prevent the unsaved coming to the Lord, doesn't it? Have you noticed that? Have you noticed that with some people? They don't want to hear the Gospel. They don't even want to think about God. They don't want to think about the Lord, because they know that then they're not going to be popular with their friend circles. Or maybe it's even the religion they're in or something else. They want the praise of men in contrast to maybe the praise of God. And I think what it's saying here, as the fining pot for silver and the furnace for gold so as a man to his praise, the proverb I think is a reminder of the destructive nature of seeking praise. So don't seek praise. Don't seek the praise of men, because ultimately it's just going to destroy you. Verse 22, Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. Now, that's quite a vivid image, isn't it, of a fool being pounded or grinded in a mortar with a pestle. And if you're wondering what a mortar and pestle, any of those that have been around kitchens, it's usually like a dish like this. And then there's like a kind of thick bashing instrument. It's called a pestle. So you've got the mortar, which is a bowl of the pestle, and you'd be able to like grind down spices and herbs and things like that, right. So the image is of a braid, sorry, of a fool being braided or pounded, beaten in that mortar among wheat with a pestle. So he's saying that you can beat, you can grind, you can mash a fool, yeah, yet his foolishness will remain. But what is interesting is that the fool is being braided or beaten, you notice that, among the wheat, among the wheat. With wheat, the fruit of the harvest often liken to save people, right. For example, in the parable of the tares, you know, in Matthew 13.30 Jesus said, Let both grow together until the harvest. In the time of harvest I will save the reapers. Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. You know, the wheat being God's people, being the saved, the tares being the fakes, the frauds, you know. So perhaps there's also a picture here in Proverbs 27-22 of that fool being amongst God's people. Notice it said, Though thou shouldst pray a fool in a mortar among wheat, and in wheat we see obviously the harvest and things often being likened, it's not just where I quoted in Matthew 13, this is a common theme in the New Testament, but he said, Though thou shouldst pray a fool in a mortar among wheat, with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. So I think he's going through the same trials and tribulations which we end up as believers growing in wisdom from, but his foolishness doesn't depart. So he's going through the same things. He's going through the same stuff that the believers are going through. Maybe, you know, he's a monk so maybe he's like that tare perhaps, right? But the foolishness just doesn't go. Because the same things which we grow in, we grow in wisdom. It's something, you know, I remember being told years ago, you know, you're just looking for growth in people. You're looking to see people just grow while they're in the Word, in church, three to thrive, in the things of God. You're just looking for growth, you know, looking for growth. But this fool, he's there, he's being braved, because a lot of Christian life you're going through struggles, trials, all these different things, but this guy, he's being braved in that mortar among the wheat, but his foolishness will not depart. He doesn't grow like everyone else does. He's being sanctified by the Word, wizened up by living for God. The fool's still a fool no matter how hard he's beaten. So verse 22 there, where he said, though, that I should have spread a fool in the mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. Look, you could just say that when someone, and not a child, okay, foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but this is someone now just described as a fool. When someone is a true fool, there's just no correcting them. That real ultimate fool, you're not going to suddenly make them better. You can beat them, you can batter them, you can grind them down to powder, but the foolishness is still going to be there. And there are people like that, aren't there? I mean, look at people in life. Look at some of these career criminals, don't you? They're saying, oh, an idiot. Just like in and out of prison, in and out of punishment, wrecking their lives and everything else. You just think, you're a fool. You're being grinded in all these different ways. You're having all these things happen in your life, you're still doing the same stuff. And sadly, you see it amongst believers sometimes as well. Maybe not to that extreme, but you see, they're just still doing the same stuff, getting in the same trouble, messing up the same way, time and time again. You just think, just learn. Learn. You need that foolishness. You're getting the chastisement. You're getting the, you know, it's going bad for you. It keeps going bad. Why don't you learn from it? Like, think, no, actually, yeah, I want that foolishness to depart, but sadly, some people, they just keep, they're just stubborn, just keep doing the same stuff. So, you could look at it in that way, okay? But the fool here, he's still a fool, right? And, like I said, I believe, I do believe that wheat is there for a reason, though, and there's a contrast here being given to us, too, I think is what he's showing us, that you could braid that fool in the mortar among wheat with a pest, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. Then the next few verses now, okay, these now go together, these verses to finish on. It says here in verse 23, Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not forever, and doth the crown endure to every generation? The hay appearth, and the tender grass showeth itself, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field, and thou shalt have goat's milk enough for thy food, and are for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens. Okay, so we're going to have a look from verse 23. Let's see what we're being taught here in this passage, okay? Verse 23 says this, Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. So he's saying to be a diligent worker, okay, that's what he's saying here, to not take your job for granted, but basically to put effort into your livelihood. We should put effort into our work life. Some people can go too far with our works, right, but, you know, it's just the things of God that I care about, you know, I don't care, you know, how I do at my job isn't important, you know, because I'm reading my book, I'm going to like, I'm going to make my job into a spiritual exercise, even though then I'm doing badly at my job, maybe I'm stealing time from my employer, because I'm using that time to go and preach the gospel, when I should be at work, to like my colleagues or something, or maybe I'm, you know, I'm just kind of causing trouble all the time, because, you know, these people aren't acting like Christians should act, it's like, yeah, but your job's your job. And of course we shouldn't compromise, yeah, don't go to work and sin, you shouldn't be wilfully sinning, but you should be diligent in your work, right, diligent in your job, diligent in your livelihood, we should put effort into our jobs, shouldn't we? The Bible teaches us to work as unto the Lord, so everything we do we should do as unto the Lord, and when you're at work you're representing God, you're working as you're working as unto God, so we should be diligent to know the state of thy flocks, we should look well to our herds, and diligent is when you apply yourself, you put effort in, you're not lazy basically, don't be a lazy worker, you're representing God at the end of the day, don't be a lazy worker, right, you're saying to put effort into your business, right, your working life, and even if you have abundance, even if you're doing well, he said in verse 24, for riches are not forever, and doth the crown endure to every generation? So you need to work if you want to maintain an income, okay, don't get slack just because things are going well, okay, and if it's not you it's just going to be maybe your children or their children that aren't going to benefit in the long run from there, those savings can quickly go, can't they? I mean riches have wings, they fly away as an eagle, right, they'll quickly go, the crown or perhaps maybe you could apply that, the position of power, the prosperity doesn't just automatically continue, eventually it's going to go, you need to put some effort into life, put some time and effort into working, into your working life, just because your parents achieve doesn't mean you will without some effort, because some people it's like, well, you know, my parents done all right, so I'm okay, yeah, but then you won't without putting that effort in, you need to put effort in, riches are not forever, the crown will not endure to every generation, the hay appearth and the tender grass showeth itself and the herbs of the mountains are gathered, so I think what he's saying is that it's all there, okay, it's all there, God gives you what you need, but it requires some diligence, God provides enough for you if you're diligent, it's on the back of verse 23, be thou diligent, to know the state of thy flocks and look well to thy herds, for riches are not forever and do the crown endure to every generation, the hay appearth and the tender grass showeth itself and the herbs of the mountains are gathered, so he's saying it's there, yeah, the hay is there, the tender grass is there, the herbs of the mountains are there, they're there to be gathered, but that's on the back of you being diligent, you've got to do it, you've got to do the work, you've got to put the work, put the time, put the effort into work, that's just life, and if you're lazy, fight it, if you're lazy, stop being lazy, get up and work, graft, and, you know, you might go, well, actually, I'm going to keep the home and everything else, and great, you know, that's God's will, you know, that's God's ultimate will, that is his perfect will for most women out there would be to keep the home, to be a keeper at home, you know, that's what Paul was telling Titus to teach, you know, to get the old women to teach the younger women, that's what he was teaching, you know, getting Timothy to teach those women, but here's the thing is that, yeah, but they still need to work hard, just life is just work, you've got to work hard in life, no, it doesn't mean you can't have any time to yourself, yeah, of course, you can have relaxation time, of course, you need a break sometimes, you need a rest, but ultimately work, you're going to have to graft, okay? He said, the lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field, and thou shalt have goats milk enough for thy food, and for the food of thy household, for the maintenance for thy maiden. So on the back of verse 23, the result of that diligence is what? Food and raiment, food and raiment. Lamb skin for clothing, with the goats being the price, or maybe we would say the value of the field, they provide you with what you need, they provide you with the value of it, or with what you need, so if you're diligent with them, if you know the state of them, if you look well to them, there will be enough goats milk for your food, for your household's food, and providing, I think he's saying here, for hired help too, for the maintenance of thy maidens, okay? So there's going to be what you need for your food, your household, look, basically, if you put the time and effort in, you can provide. Goats milk being, also being used, you know, as butter, cheese, yoghurt, kefir, as well as other adventurous things you can make with it when you add other things too. But the point is, if we're diligent, if we work hard, he said in verse 23, if thou be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks and the world of thy herds, God will provide us with what we and our households need. Just put it tight, it's there for you. And you go, oh, well, yeah, but no, no, no, you don't understand, Pastor Davenport, because what's happened is the world has now made it impossible to live off a single income. I disagree. I think God's saying, look, it's there for you. Oh, well, no, yeah, but then I'm going to have to, like, you know, take on a second job. Well, if so be it. Yeah, if you have to take on a second job, you have to take on a second job. But God will give you what you need. If you work hard, you can have food of raiment, can't you? And having food of raiment let us therewith be content, right? So he said, the lambs are for thy clothing, the goats are for thy price of food, and thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, and the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens. So even maidens, okay, and you go, wait a second, what does that mean? That means I'm going to have hired hell. Well, nowadays our maidens are washing machines, dishwashers, gas boilers, ovens. They're our maidens now, right? But he didn't list, do you know I'd say he didn't list huge homes? He didn't list the fastest camels. He didn't list the nicest chariots, the comfier sofas, or whatever the equivalent was, right? But 1 Timothy 6.8 does say, in having food of raiment let us be therewith content. So what he did say is that if you're diligent in your work, it's there for you, if you're diligent, you work hard, you're not lazy, you put time and effort in to your working life, and that doesn't mean instead of God, God still comes first, okay, but you do that, then there is enough food and raiment for you and your household. And isn't that ultimately what we should be content with and what our goal is? Yeah, you might not be able to travel around the world. You might not be able to drive the fastest car. You might not be able to have the sharpest suits or whatever else. It is. But you know what? You can have clothing and you can have food enough for your household and for the maintenance of thy maidens and be able to even have that help. Nowadays it's mechanical around the home. So I think what he's saying here in that passage, the lesson is that God provides us with what we need as long as we're diligent with what we've been given. Okay, so God provides you what you need when you're diligent, because some people, they go too far, don't they? They look at this, or maybe not this, they look at other things and they're like, well, you know, you just set your sights on the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Oh, as long as I read my Bible and I go to church, it's just going to fall out of the sky. No, because part of His righteousness, part of living for God is being a diligent worker, is being a hard worker, is providing for your family, men. I mean, if any provide not for his own, especially for those of his own household, he denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. We're told to provide and we're told to work hard. But when we do that, he's saying it's all there. He's given it there for us, the mountains, there's herbs to be gathered there, the hay appeareth, you know, it's all there for us, it's there for us, but we need to be diligent. Don't blame it on someone else, don't blame it, oh, well, the government's made it really hard, you know, they want everybody, yeah, yeah, sure, but you know what, God's more powerful than the government and God will give you what you need if you do the things that God wants you to do and ultimately, when it comes to your work life, that's being diligent, that's being a hard worker, graft hard, you know, don't be a lazy bum. Okay, and that was Proverbs chapter 27. We're going to finish in a word of prayer. Father, thank you for your word, thank you for the Book of Proverbs, thank you for the wisdom that we can get from the Book of Proverbs. Lord, I hope I've explained those in the right way, Lord, applied them in the right way and if I haven't, Lord, help people to, you know, to just see how you want them to apply, how you want them to understand those Proverbs. Lord, help us all to be like the Bereans, such scriptures daily, Lord, and help everyone here to apply what they've learnt today from your word to their lives, Lord. Help everyone to want to improve, to want to be better, to want to keep serving you, Lord, to know that, you know, that we will be honoured by you in the end, Lord. Help us to keep our sights on that and to not give up hope, to not be discouraged, Lord. Help us to have a great week now and for everyone to just get home safe this evening and just stay in front of all this. Amen. Our last hymn this evening is hymn number 327, More About Jesus. Hymn number 327, More About Jesus. All together on that first note. More about Jesus would I know, More of his grace to ever show, More of his saving fullness see, More of his love who died for me, More, more about Jesus, More, more about Jesus, More of his saving fullness see, More of his love who died for me, More about Jesus let me learn, More of his holy will discern, Spirit of God my teacher be, Showing the things of Christ to me, More, more about Jesus, More, more about Jesus, More of his saving fullness see, More of his love who died for me, More about Jesus in his word, Holding communion with my Lord, Hearing his voice in every line, Making each faithful say in mine, More, more about Jesus, More, more about Jesus, More of his saving fullness see, More of his love who died for me. Let's raise it up on that last. More about Jesus on his throne, Rages in glory on his own, More of his kingdom sure in Greece, More of his coming Prince of Peace, More, more about Jesus, More, more about Jesus, More of his saving fullness see, More of his love who died for me. Can I please ask Brother General Alexandra to do a closing prayer. Father God in Heaven thank you very much for such a great service, a great sermon. Please bless our pastor, protect our pastor, protect our church and help those who want you to get better Father. And for us to return to church again on Wednesday. All these things in Jesus Christ's name, Amen. Amen. Hi there, my name is Pastor Ian Tablan of Strong Tail Baptist Church. I'd just like to take a few minutes today to show you how you could be 100% sure that if you died you'd be going straight to Heaven. So a lot of people teach all these strange things about how you can be good enough to go to Heaven, how you've got to follow a list of commandments to get to Heaven. See, they're really the other religion, there's only really two religions in the world. You go to Heaven bad, you go to Hell and all the varying versions of that, some of them are very subtle. Oh, you've got to at least give up a certain amount of sin, you've got to at least try not to sin. And then there's a Bible which says no, no, no, go to Heaven is a free gift. And I want to show you how you receive that free gift today. A few things you've got to understand first though before you receive that gift. And that's number one is that you are a sinner, I'm a sinner, we're all sinners. The Bible says in Romans 3.23, for all have sinned to come short of the glory of God. See, we're all sinners, we've all broken God's commandments in one way or another. And the Bible says because of that, we come short of the glory of God. We cannot be good enough to go to Heaven, which means that we're on our way somewhere else. There's only two places you go, you either go to Heaven or you go to Hell. And the Bible says for the wages of sin is death. We're all sinners and what we get in return is death. And in the end, that's in a place called the second death, which is a lake of fire. The Bible says in Revelation 20.14, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death. If the wages of sin is death and the second death is the lake of fire, that's not a very good picture being painted there. In fact, in Revelation 21.8, we see just a quick list of common sins to show that we're all on our way to the lake of fire. The Bible reads, but the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, and that's you, me and everyone else in the world, shall have their part in the lake, which is the second death. However, God doesn't want you to go to Hell. Hell is eternal. Hell is a very real place. But God wants you in Heaven. And in fact, he made a way for you to go to Heaven. In Romans 5.8, the Bible says, but God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. So Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God in the flesh, came to this world and he didn't commit any sin. He lived a perfect life. And then at the end of his life, he was hung up on a cross. He died to pay for our sins. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5.21, for he had made him, that's Jesus Christ, to be sin for us who knew no sin. Jesus Christ was sinless. However, he became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He swapped with us. He took that punishment for you. He died on that cross. And he then tasted death for every man. The Bible says in Acts 2.31, he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in Hell, neither his flesh should see corruption, because on the third day he rose again. He showed the holes in his hands, the holes in his side. It was a bodily, physical resurrection. He wasn't a ghost. They ate with him. They handled him. And then 40 days later, he went to Heaven. Now, what does that mean? Does that mean everyone's going to Heaven? Well, of course not. See, there's one thing we have to do to receive that gift. And in Acts 16.30, someone asks the question, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? The Apostle Paul and Silas answered, and they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. So what does that mean, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved? Are they saying to just believe that he exists? Are they saying to believe that there's a person called Jesus? No, they're saying to believe on, or put your faith, your trust, in that death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to have paid for all your past, present, and future sins, and you can go to Heaven. That's what it means, it's to put your trust in Jesus. Like it says in the most famous verse of the world, John 3.16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. See, the Bible teaches us time and time again that the only way you're going to Heaven is by putting your faith and trust in what Jesus Christ did, not what you do. See, many people claim to be Christians and say, Oh yeah, I'm going to Heaven because I believe in Jesus, and I'm a good person, and I got baptized, and I read my Bible, and I do this, and I do that. Well, they're not trusting Jesus Christ, they're trusting themselves. And the Bible says if they're not trusting Jesus Christ, they're going to hell. Ephesians 3 and 9 says, For by grace are ye saved through faith, and not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works, as any man should boast. The Bible said it's not of yourself. It's not of your own works. It's just faith alone in Christ alone that gets you to Heaven. And a lot of people find that really hard to understand. Now, they look at the Bible and think, Yeah, but you've got to follow the commands. You've got to do this, you've got to do that. Yeah, look, as a child of God, when you get saved, when you become one of God's children by faith in Christ Jesus, which is what Galatians 3, 26 says, For ye, all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. Once you become that child, God's going to punish you in life. He's going to reward you in life. However, the only way you become that child, the only way that you could ever get to Heaven is by what Jesus Christ did, not what you do. Once you receive that gift, that's it, it's a gift. You're saved. The Bible says, in fact, in John 10, 28, And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. See, once you're saved, you've received that gift. You've become a child of God. You could never go to Hell, otherwise Jesus Christ lied when he said all you had to do was believe. He lied when he said that you shall never perish. And that's the Gospel. Gospel means good news. The good news is that your sins have been paid for. All you've got to do is receive that gift. And in fact, in Romans 10, 9, the Bible reads that, If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised you from the dead, thou shalt be saved. It says in verse 13 of Romans 10, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. If you believe, if you want to put your faith, your trust in Jesus Christ, just ask Him. And I'd like to lead you in a short prayer. Now, if you believe everything I've just said, if you believe that you're a sinner, you believe that the wages of sin is death, that you deserve Hell, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that He died, was buried and rose again to pay for your sins, and that all you've got to do is put your faith and trust in Him. And once you've done that, there is no way you could lose that salvation. Then please just repeat after me. Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I deserve Hell. I believe that you died, was buried and rose again to pay for my sins. I trust in you now and I need you. Please take me to heaven when I die. Amen. If you believe that and you've called on the name of the Lord for salvation, congratulations, you're saved. And I'll be seeing you in heaven one day. God bless you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.