You take your Bibles, turn to Proverbs chapter one. Proverbs chapter one, and we'll begin in verse eight and read down through verse 19. The book of Proverbs is indeed a book of wisdom. It's a book about wisdom, particularly the wisdom of God. Wisdom that cries out to be heard in the word of God, in our hearts, in this world.

Wisdom that if we lack, we can ask of God, and he says that he will give it to us. Sadly, we live in a world that is bereft of much wisdom. The mantra, follow your heart, is the mantra of the age. Heart embracing not so much the wisdom of mind and will but of our feelings. Thus, you have heard of such sayings as if it feels good, do it.

Those are not based in wisdom. Satan is an apt apt deceiver, and he has deceived continues to deceive humanity today as he has throughout the centuries into thinking that the wisdom and the the pleasures of this world, the pleasures this world has to offer, will make you give you peace, joy, contentment, and life. And, of course, we know the pleasures of the world do not have that ability, but Jesus does. And the wisdom that comes from the Lord protects us. The wisdom that comes from the Lord guides us.

The wisdom that comes from the Lord gives life and peace and prosperity, not necessarily in the bank, but in the manner that man really needs. Jesus said, I have come not only to give life, but to give it what? More abundantly. And as we rest upon his word, as we seek and follow his wisdom, as we walk in his spirit, we will find peace and we will find joy and we will find direction. It is vital.

And the writer of Proverbs, Solomon, who is imparting wisdom to his sons and to his children, begs and pleads with them to find wisdom, to look to the Lord for wisdom, to choose the wise path, and not only that which brings instant gratification, for those things will pass away and leave you scarred. But the way of the Lord is the way of life, the narrow way that leads to life and life eternal. And so we learned a couple weeks ago that wisdom cries out to be heard as God himself cries out to be heard in this wicked world. Tonight, we look beginning in verse eight concerning two contrasting choices in life. In verses eight and nine, we see the positive, and beginning in verse 10, we see with the the negative contrasted to it.

Back in verse seven, it says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and fools despise wisdom and instruction. In verse eight, it says, my son, hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother, for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head and chains about thy neck. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not? If they say, come, come with us. Let us lay weight for blood.

Let us look privily for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them up alive as the grave and whole as they that go down into the pit. We shall find all precious substance. We shall find our houses with spoil. Cast in thy lot among us.

Let us all have one purse. My son, walk not thou in the way with them. Refrain refrain thy foot from their path, for their feet run to evil and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain, the net is spread in the sight of any bird, and they lay wait for their own blood. They lurk privily for their own lives.

So are the ways of everyone that is greedy of gain, which take away taketh away the life of the owners thereof. Very early on in the book of Proverbs, Solomon not only points his children towards the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom, But also to remind them to listen not only today but tomorrow and to honor and to follow the wisdom of those who are their parents and those who are their mentors, those that God put in their path to give them good instruction and advice. And it will be a boon to them if they do and to warn them not to follow the foolishness of many of their their peers. Why why does Solomon need to even say this? Well, because the opposite the opposite is often the case.

Because man in his sinful state would rather listen to those who would encourage his foolishness rather than listen and follow instruction that is a little more distasteful, particularly in youth, but wise and helpful. So he says here, first of all, his exhortation is for us, for his son, to listen, to hear. The word hear means to heed the instruction and the advice of his father and that of his and that of his mother. Listen to the instruction of your parents. The emphasis being on the instruction coming from one's parents as wise, mature, and godly, which can be applied to many honorable and mature sources, even teachers and coaches and pastors and grandparents and godly friends and mentors.

This isn't to the exclusion of other wise counselors, particularly those older and more mature. Although parents are unique and are ordained by who? By God. They're ordained by God. And so Solomon is telling his son, please don't just let it go in one ear and then out the other.

Don't just cast aside the wisdom of your parents and those more mature in order to gratify the lust of the flesh often that your peers might encourage you to do. Parents in particular are ordained of God to raise and instruct their children in the ways of wisdom. And they, as a result of age and experience, are often in a place to provide insight which children are lacking. Now, obviously, this is very obvious when your child is, you know, three years old, you know. And he sees that pretty red thing on top of the stove, and he wants to feel it, to see what is making that thing turn such a pretty orangey red glow.

And you say to the child, no, that is not smart. Don't do that. It is what? It is hot. A three year old doesn't know what hot is.

And so they still are compelled to go up and try to touch. You say, no. Don't do it. And you physically may hinder them from doing it because who is wiser? You or the three year old.

Obviously, we are. At least when it comes to the what? To the burner on top of the stove. Okay? Or to the snake slithering in the front yard.

Or to the cars that are driving down the street in front of the house. Or any number of things that is obvious, God gave children parents. And he gave them not only parents to perfect and provide for them, but also to teach and instruct them, to watch over them, to help them to grow and to mature into adults, lest they run out into the road and they only live to be three and not 30 or 60 or 90. God knows what he's doing. Indeed, the wisdom of parents usually exceeds the wisdom of children.

And some of that wisdom can last us for what? For a lifetime. And some of that wisdom should last us for a lifetime. Even parents that aren't Christians or parents that aren't have obvious issues may still, in certain areas of life, be worth listening to and be wise because they have years of experience that you as a 10 or a 20 or even a 30 year old may not have. It is God's perfect plan.

And so the writer of Proverbs pleads with his son, don't just cast off the advice and instruction and wisdom of your parents. And parents, the Lord speaks of the grave nature, the serious nature of imparting that wisdom to your children in Deuteronomy chapter six. There we read in Deuteronomy six in verse four, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart. But that's not where that passage ends, is it?

That's verse six. Guess what? There is a verse what? A verse seven. And what does verse seven say?

It says, and thou shalt, what? Teach them diligently unto thy children and shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way. And when thou liest down and when thou risest up, thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine head and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes and thou shalt write them upon the post of thy house and on thy gates. The Lord under the Lord who created us understands the vital necessity of parents passing on their wisdom, particularly godly wisdom, particularly their wisdom and knowledge of the Lord to their children. It is our privilege and it is our responsibility.

A child lacking in loving and wise parents is at great disadvantage. As a result, many in our society, young people in particular, seem to make many irrational decisions leading to heartache, violence, and sometimes premature death. A lot of what is wrong with our youth today can be laid at the doorstep of their what? Of their parents. And to some degree, sometimes, Christian parents.

Because many did not take did not take the responsibility of passing along the principles of God's word as serious as it is. They spent too much time talking about things that are passing away and not things that are, what, Eternal. And so children are lost. Many many who have no Christian witness, godly witness in their home. Many who grow up in homes without a father in particular, sometimes without a mother, most often without a father.

They end up in gangs. What are gangs? Gangs are a bunch of young people particularly that gather together. Who are particularly lacking in something called what? Wisdom.

Wisdom. That encourage one another sadly often in destructive behavior. This the past couple weeks, there's all of a sudden, there's a fad. What's the fad in the news that involves teenagers? Anybody going along what is the thing in the news involving teenagers?

They're called teen takeovers. They're evidently being propagated on social media as teens coalesce in these places to not only to just be there together, but to vandalize and and to hurt and injure other people. And this is becoming a fad. It's it's it's all over the country now. Teen takeovers.

And somebody asked, where are the what? Where are the parents? Where are the parents? Well, so many of the parents have abandoned their God given responsibility to guide and protect and nurture their children so their children turn. And sadly, they turn to others who are as immature as they are.

And they're often stirred up by those who have ill intent and motivations to do those things that are not only unwise but that are dangerous and perilous, not only for others but for themselves. This is the result of two things, parents who haven't taken the responsibility of guiding their children as they should have, and children who are unwilling to listen to their parents. Interesting statistic I looked up just this afternoon. Forty percent of children born in The United States are born to unmarried mothers. Forty percent.

That is getting kinda close to almost half of the children born in our society. In certain cities in particular, that statistic is well over fifty percent of children that are born to unwed mothers. Eighty percent of those born to unwed mothers grow up without a father. So 80% of the 40% grow up without a father in the home. And yet, some of the 60% also grow up in the end without a father or without a father who what?

Who cares and is there. And so what do we end up with? We end up with gangs and we end up with what? We end up with teen takeovers because children, teens are not listening to their parents and parents are not instructing their teens. They're not taking responsibility for them.

I noticed this when I was a youth pastor. It seemed like so many of the kids we picked up on the bus, they were just kind of more or less, yes, their parents cared for them, Yes, their parents loved them, but they were sort of in their parents' way. And so often church and other activities were a way to get the kids out of the out of the way. And so these instructions in Deuteronomy six are vital. And if they are ignored, they have terrible repercussions.

Did they have terrible repercussions in Israel? The answer is yes. There arose a generation that knew not the Lord. One of the sad verses in the book of Judges. There arose a generation who knew not the Lord.

And so there is responsibility there for the parents, but the responsibility goes both both ways. There's a verse that says, train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. But the process of training is also a two way a two way street. And so Solomon says to his son and to us today, heed here listen to the instruction of your parents. Do not simply brush it off.

Do not just listen to those who tell you what you want to hear. It would indeed be foolish to ignore and reject such instruction from mature godly sources which God has placed in our lives for our good. Hebrews thirteen seven do I have that up here? No. Have that up here.

Hebrews 13 says, and remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation, their way of life. Remember them which have the rule over you. That can be parents or could also be teachers. It could also be other people that God puts in your life. Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of God, particularly those who give you instruction from where?

From God's word, whose faith follow considering the end or the result of their way of life. A way of life that ends, that results in blessing and honor. Here it is represented in verse nine, for they shall be an ornament of grace, a garland of grace, a crown upon your head, and beautiful chains express prosperity and blessing about your neck. Look if you would in first Kings 12. So first Kings 12 real quick.

Let's see. First Kings. Yep. Mhmm. Twelve six through 14.

Now who was Solomon's son? Just for note. Who maybe can you name one of Solomon's sons? Rehoboam. K.

If you looked at verse six, you saw his name. Alright. One of the sons that Solomon was talking to whom he is exhorting not to simply turn away from the instruction of his father is Rehoboam. Rehoboam is the evidently the oldest. He is the one who is next in line to be king at his father's death.

In first Kings chapter 12, we read about that particular event, and Rehoboam is now stepping into the shoes of his father. He is to be crowned king by the people. They have a couple requests. Mainly, don't tax us to the degree that your father taxed us. For some reason, people are always concerned about taxes.

Well, it has to do with our own personal welfare and that that that does make sense. And so in verse six, we read in King Rehoboam consulted with the old men. Now, who would the old men be? Well, the old men would be those of his father's generation, those who counseled his father. Rehoboam consulted with the old men that stood before Solomon, his father, while he had lived and said, how do you advise me that I may answer this people?

They spake unto him saying, if thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day and wilt serve them and answer them and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants forever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, which stood before him. And he said unto them, what counsel give you? That we may answer this people who have spoken to me saying, make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter. And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him saying, thus shalt thou speak under this people that speak unto thee saying, thy father made our yoke heavy but thou but make thou it lighter unto us.

Thou shalt say unto them, my little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins And now whereas my father did laid you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father has chastised you with whips. I will chastise you with scorpions. So, which one of those sounds to be wise counsel and which one of those seems to be foolish? The second is foolish.

The first is wise. The first came from the counselors who were his father's counselors. The second came from his friends who wanted to tell him what he wanted to hear. These were his friends that wanted to take advantage of his exaltation. And he listened to his friends, and he lost the majority of his kingdom.

In the end, only Judah stood by Rehoboam. The rest of the tribes were lost to a man named Jeroboam, who was not a descendant of David and not at all a godly man. What happened? Well, Rehoboam didn't listen to what his father said in Proverbs chapter one. Instead of listening to mature and godly advice, he went with what he wanted to hear.

You're king. You let him have it. You put him in their place. And then the opposite happened, they put him in his place because he didn't listen to that wisdom. So Solomon said, listen, heed the instruction of your father and your mother.

They will be a crown upon your head and beautiful chains upon your neck. It results resulting in blessing and honor and resulting also in health and long life. What are we told in Exodus twenty twelve? Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God give thee. That's repeated in Ephesians six two and three.

Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on the earth. You know, those who listen to their God given authorities on average do tend to live longer and more abundant and productive lives than those who ignore it or are lacking in it. That is reality. And it is reality that follows revelation from God. Why?

Because who ordained the family? Who ordained government? Who created life? God did. God did.

And God knows what he's talking about. In Proverbs chapter four, if you turn over there, Proverbs four one through four. Similarly, we read here, you children and instruction of a father and attend to no understanding for I give you good doctrine, forsake you not my law. For as I was my father's son, tender, and only beloved in the sight of my mother, he taught me also and said unto me, let thine heart retain my words, keep my commandments, and live. In verse 14, contrary, we read there, enter not into the path of the wicked and go not in the way of the evil man.

In chapter six, turn over to six twenty through 24. Once again, Solomon writes, my son, keep thy father's commandment, forsake not the law of thy mother. Bind them continually upon thine heart and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee. When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee.

When thou wakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp and the law is the light and reproofs of instruction are the way of life to keep thee from the evil woman from the flattery of the tongue of the strange woman, which is the topic of the rest of chapter six going into chapter seven of Proverbs. So we have the positive side. Heed and listen to the godly wisdom of your mother and father. And by the way, you don't have to quit heeding and you don't have to quit remembering that when you hit 20 or 30 or even 40 or 50.

There are some things that my parents taught me that I still need to remember at 56 years old, of which I was reminded of, particularly last week when I spent the week with my mother and to some degree with my father. And I miss his wisdom. Appreciate your prayers for both of them. We have the positive side and the negative side. We come to verse 10 again in Proverbs.

The do and then the what? Don't. Do listen to the wisdom of your mother and your father. Don't listen to the foolish, the sinner, the wicked, the flatterer. Rehoboam sadly didn't get that.

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, you know, you won't get caught. If they say, it won't hurt you, nobody will ever find out. Don't listen. Consent thou not.

If they say, come with us, let us lay wait for blood. Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them up alive as in the grave and hold us those that go down to the pit. We shall find all precious substance. We shall fill our houses with spoil cast in thy lot among us.

Let us all have one purse. These are the type of enticements that come out of the mouths of those who lead gangs, those who at times have led armies of youth against their parents and against the government because the grass is greener on the what? On the other side. You know? The king is terrible.

The government is terrible. This is terrible. That's terrible. Throw in your lot with us. The cause is worthy is worthy of whatever it may cost you.

And indeed, it ends up costing more than youth in particular would imagine that it would. Because in the majority of cases, the grass is not, what, greener on the other side. Don't listen or join in with others who will throw off God's authorities, who will ignore godly wisdom and promise you the blessings and the honor and the long life outside of the will and the authority of God. Here, they are called sinners who seek unjust gain by theft and violence without regard for life and welfare of others. They are selfish, they are greedy, and they are ungodly.

What is the tenth commandment? Anybody know? Tenth commandment. Help me out. Thou shalt not covet.

Tenth commandment. Thou shalt and what does it mean to covet? It means to be greedy and desirous, obsessed with things that belong to others. Our society to a large degree feeds off of that covetous desire. Look, this person has this phone.

Look, this person is happy. Look, this person can do things you can't do. You must have this what? You must have this phone. Greed and covetousness is not the tenth commandment because it is a lesser of the 10.

But yet often, we are easily, particularly in The United States in a wealthy place, sucked into greed and covetousness. And it is certainly the case of the youth. And there are always somebody out there saying, I have the get rich quick solution. And oftentimes, it does not take into account the laws of God, the will of God, or even the welfare of others, but only but only self. It looks good.

Ever ever had somebody try to pull you into one of these pyramid schemes? Those are very popular back twenty, thirty years ago. You know, look, I made all this money selling, I don't know, magnets. We we had somebody that tried to get us into selling magnets. Okay?

So, you know, because magnets were just going to magnets on your wrists and magnets in your shoes and magnets on your belt. And I don't know. Maybe there's some truth to maybe some good to having magnets, but pretty soon you're trying to sell people they need magnets all over their body. And that is going to just totally change there. And what was it?

Well, was a pyramid scheme is what it was. And the people that got in early on the magnets, they made a lot of money and everybody else made nothing. And a lot of people in the end, in pyramid schemes, end up getting what? They end up getting hurt. Yeah.

Get rich quick. In Proverbs fourteen fourteen, they're called wicked. In Proverbs six twenty four, it's called the evil woman, the seductress, the flatterer. Paul instructs Timothy in first Timothy three to avoid these people as we should. In first Timothy three, Paul writes, and this is a true saying, if any oh, let's see.

That's not I'm supposed to be in second second Timothy three. I knew there was something wrong there. There we go. This know ye also that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such, turn or run turn or run away. Run away.

In first Timothy chapter six, Paul reminds us about the deception of riches. He tells us about perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness. But godliness with contentment is what? Great gain. He says, having food and content having food and raiment, let us therewith be content.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many many sorrows. These are descriptions of those that we're to avoid, who lack wisdom, who would entice us to ignore the wisdom of God and to ignore the wisdom of his word, to ignore the wisdom of our parents, to ignore the wisdom of godly mentors and instructors. We need to remember those who have or at least their teaching that have instructed us in the way of the Lord for it will keep us it will keep us from great harm. David instructs us to avoid such and instead to meditate on God's word and heed the instruction of our heavenly father in Psalm one.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth way of sinners nor sitteth in the sea of the scornful, but his delight is in the what? In the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bring forth his fruit and his season, his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Prosper in the sight of who? In the sight of God, which is the only sight that matters.

Yeah. You see the same contrast there? Don't go with the world, go with the Lord, with his word, with his wisdom and instruction. Listen to those who often tell you what you don't want to hear. And don't be too quick to listen to those who tell you what you do want do want to hear, but oftentimes we do the opposite.

In Proverbs thirteen twenty, Solomon writes, he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. A companion of the world, of the promiscuous and the homosexual, the partier, the vandal, the rebel, the drunk, the drug addict, the thief, the companion of those people in the end is going to reap what they they sow. The Bible says don't be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Don't be yoked together with unbelievers. Now you can have good godly peers that are friends, and praise the Lord for those that we do have, who encourage us in that which is right, who walk with us in the way.

They are not to be dismissed. They are to be praised. And they are to be encouraged. But in the world in which we live, the opposite is too often the case. And like Rehoboam, he listened to the wrong crowd and he reaped the whirlwind for it.

Listen to the Lord and to to godly wisdom from those God has placed in your life. Flee youthful lusts and he will bless you. But be caught up in the wave of the teen takeovers and the gangs and the fads and the drugs and the alcohol and all those things that often the youth of the world exalt, and it will destroy you. When I was in high school, there was a popular singer. His name was Kurt Cobain.

Anybody know Kurt Cobain? What's the sad end of Kurt Cobain? Drugs that killed him. He committed suicide, overdosed. How about in my teenage and college years, the most popular singer in the pop world, a man by the name of Michael Jackson.

What happened to him? He couldn't sleep. He had to have somebody to anesthetize. Is that the word anesthetize? Give him pro pro I can't remember that word.

Anyway, it was an an anesthesia. He couldn't sleep without it. And one night, the guy giving it to him gave him a little too much and he did not he did not wake up. Whitney Houston died in a motel of an overdose. Who was that guy that was back in the fifties and sixties?

Can't think of his name. There you go. Think of Elvis Presley's name. It was leaving me. Yeah.

Listen to the Lord and the instruction of wisdom. Do not cast aside the wisdom of your parents and your grandparents, particularly godly wisdom, for the flashy lights and the pleasures and the promises of this world. Follow the Lord with all your heart. Lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.

See, we see the importance not only of listening here to the instruction of godly parents, but also of being godly and wise parents and mentors to children today who desperately need it, and they do indeed. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you, Lord, for the instruction. The reminder this evening to not so casually throw off the godly wisdom that comes from age and particularly from time spent with God by our parents and our grandparents.

Help us, Lord, to have the discernment and the discretion to know right from wrong, to not listen to those in our world today that would be trying to entice us in the quick fix, in the get rich scheme, in a path that they say leads to prosperity without reverence to God who made them. And, Lord, we do pray for our youth who many of whom do not have a godly father or mother to lead and instruct them. We pray for our youth who are overwhelmed and inundated with the evils of this world and so often do not know which way to turn. Lord, we pray that our church ministry might be able to help some of them, to be there for them, to be a light in the darkness for them, to help lead them in the way of the Lord and away from the gangs and the sinners and the wicked ones and the seductresses. Lead them instead to the narrow path that leads to life and life more abundantly in Jesus Christ.

In Jesus' name, we do pray. Amen.