Proverbs 16:18-24

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This is where every day we get together, we get into God's Word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature This morning we're at Proverbs chapter 16 verses 18 through 24, so just six verses.
Why don't we go ahead and have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll get into God's Word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. We thank you for your word, and we pray that you would care for us this morning. Bless us, teach us, impart to us wisdom. Lord, we pray that we would be good students, that we would be good children, that we would hear from you and walk in your ways.
In Jesus' name, amen. All right, Proverbs chapter 16. Here we go. Oh, I'm one page ahead. Proverbs 16, 20, verses 18 through 24. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Oh, isn't that true? Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Be humble. If you're all prideful in yourself, I was just having a conversation with one of the kids this morning at the breakfast table about you could be happy with yourself or maybe doing something hard that you're encouraged by, but don't set yourself up for failure. Don't be prideful. The Lord can't stand the prideful person but loves the humble. Verse 19, better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud. I really like how the ESV puts it here. Better to be lowly in spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. It's amazing how often if we are prideful in our own abilities to do things and the pain that comes from that, the relational problems that will come from that, it's better to be humble and to be associated with the poor than to be proud and have all the the gains that would come from not actually earning it yourself. This is exactly what Jesus did, isn't it? Jesus humbled himself into the likeness of man. Jesus said, I did not come to be served, but to serve. Jesus associated with the lowly, with the humble, and he made himself like us. Okay, let's keep going.
Verse 20. He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord happy is he. Listen to instruction. Listen to the instruction of the word. Listen to Jesus Christ and grow, prosper in holiness. Trust in the Lord and be blessed. The last part, happy is he. This is the word ashray. Happy, blessed is he. Blessed is the one who finds joy following God's way. If you really want to find true lasting joy for your heart, go to God's word. Follow his ways. Verse 21, the wise in heart will be called prudent, and sweetness of the lips increases learning. A wise person gets known for being discerning. A wise person gets known for their discernment.
But what does it say here? And sweetness of the lips increases learning. I have here written in my notes, as I was thinking about this, We need a used language that is influencing for good. We need to think about not just the things that we know, but how do we communicate with grace. I'm always amazed by this. In Ephesians chapter 4, when God says, let no unwholesome word proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for necessary edification that you might impart grace to those who hear. How do we use our mouths to impart grace? How do we use our language to build others up instead of tearing them down? There's sweetness in a word fitly spoken. All right, let's go to verse 22.
Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it, but the correction of fools is falling. Those who have discernment love it. Those who have discernment love it. But what does this say here about the fool? But the correction of fools is folly.
I hope that you love being corrected. I hope that you're one who realizes that you might do things wrong in your thinking, do things wrong in your heart do things wrong, and you're living, and you hear people's, and you hear especially God's correction, and you go, all right, I could do better. All right, I can follow the Lord in a better way, rather than, sometimes, You'll correct someone, correct someone, correct someone, correct someone, help them, help them, help them, help them, and you can lead a horse to water, but that horse will never drink from the spring. He'd rather go drink of the pond scum. That's what it's like trying to correct a fool.
Verse 23, the heart of the wise teaches his mouth and adds learning to his lips. Jesus says that the overflow of the mouth is where the mouth speaks. And so here it connects the heart and the mouth. The heart of the wise teaches his mouth. Do you get that the problem isn't that we necessarily have grace to impart with our mouths? But it's that we need grace in our hearts first. It's that we need to have our souls, our hearts filled with the grace of God, with the wisdom of God. And as we do that, then as we speak God's word to ourselves, as we sing God's word, as we read God's word, as we meditate on God's word, our mouths teach our hearts and our hearts overflow out of our mouths.
So understanding. of the wellspring of life to him who has it but the correction of fools is folly and the heart of the wise teaches his mouth and adds learning to his lips. I'm just going to say there as well the wise person will tame their mouth. James says it's an unwieldy evil. It's a small part of your body like the little rudder that turns a great big ship. It's a little spark that will start a whole forest on fire but the wise person learns Let's keep going, last verse, verse 24.
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb. Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. Honey was used both for seasoning as well as medicinal. It was sweet and it was helpful. Sweet words to someone can impart life to them. It can give them joy. It can encourage them. You have the ability. God has given you a mouth that you can show so much grace to people. You can build them up. Be wise with how you speak. Just here in my notes, I said, Pleasant words have a good effect like honey flowing from a comb.
It's pleasant in the soul and it's medicinal to the bones. Will you today, will you use your words to build others up? Will you impart grace to those you come in contact with today? What's going to be the overflow of your heart? Will you speak wisdom? Will you speak love?
I hope so. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. Lord, we pray that we might heed this rebuke. If we are those, I know sometimes I am, Lord, one of those who do not use my words to give a smile to someone's face, to encourage them. Lord, I pray that you would forgive me for that. I pray that we would be people. who would hear your rebuke and would learn to tame our tongues, that we would always have a word to speak to build others up. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, may you be used by Jesus Christ today to encourage, exhort, rebuke, build up, impart grace to those around you as you listen to Jesus Christ and have your soul filled with Him. I'll see you tomorrow, bye.