10 New Year's Resolutions From the Wisest Man Who Ever Lived Scripture: Proverbs 3:1-3:35 This is the

1st Sunday of the New Year. And at this time our thoughts turn to New Years Resolutions. So what is there in Gods Word about New Years Resolutions? Well, nothing, actually. At least, it doesn't call them New Years Resolutions. But in the book of Proverbs we find some pretty good ideas for New Years Resolutions, and since they come from the wisest man who ever lived, I dont think it is possible to better his suggestions. Hence the name of this sermon. Proverbs 3 Begins With A PROMISE 1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Now all New Years Resolutions involve either Your Persuasions, Your Proportions or Your Possessions. Persuasion resolutions are all about WHO you are. ie. your personality, what you believe, what you feel, the real you. Proportion resolutions are all about WHAT you are. ie. big small, strong weak, tall short, smart dumb Possession resolutions are all about what you HAVE. ie. the things you own which are external to you. This first passage addresses all three areas, and all the following resolutions can be placed into one or more of these categories. Persuasions 1 "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, "Do not forget" This implies that you have actually learned them in the first place. You can't forget what you never learned. So this means that you must learn the Lord's teachings and keep them in your head. So what does it mean to "keep them in your heart"? Well, they must first be in your head before you can put them in your heart. It is possible to have the Word of God in your head but refuse it entry to your heart. Unfortunately there are many who call themselves "Christians" in this category. To keep God's commands in your heart means to love them and make them a part of your life. Make them a part of who you are and what you do.

They cannot be just some afterthoughts tacked on to your life but they must be welded (fused) to your personality, integrated with your character. They must become a major part of who you are. Proportions 2a "for they will prolong your life many years" In God's economy it is not what you eat, or what you do not eat, that extends the length of your life. It is what you do with the truth He has given you that alters your life expectancy. It is your application of God's principles to your life and character that adds years. It is learning and applying (doing) not eating and drinking which prolongs life. Having said that it also must be said that our bodies have been given to us by God and we are to look after them. However, they are not to become the focus of our priorities. Possessions 2b "and bring you prosperity." (NIV) Now people can be prosperous (successful) in many different areas of their lives, in their relationships, in their job satisfaction, in their athletic ability, in their inventiveness etc. But if I was to tell you that Joe Bloggs down the road is a very prosperous man, what is the first thing you would think of about Joe? You would think I was saying that he had lots of money because that is mostly what the word prosperity has come to mean in our culture. I believe that the NIV has been quite duplicitous in translating the Hebrew the way it has. I think it has made this verse into an economic principle which it was never meant to be. There are many churches which teach a prosperity doctrine today. Their basic message is: "Come to the Lord and He will make you rich." The basic message of these churches is: If you will give, give, give to this church, God will GIVE, GIVE, GIVE to you and you will be rich, rich, rich. This sort of thinking is false of course and that is not what this verse is saying. There are far more poor people mentioned in the Bible than rich people. Jesus himself was a poor man, all he had when he died was a coat. Even today, there are far more Christians who die poor than die rich. Other versions of the Bible translate the Hebrew far more accurately. The Amplified says "and bring you tranquility [both inward and outward]" If you have tranquility both inward and outward then you are satisfied with your yourself and your surroundings. The KJV says "and bring you peace." If there is no conflict in your life then you must have a sufficiency in all areas of your life. 2

This does not mean you are rich, it means that you have enough. And that is all God promises us anywhere in His Word. THE RESOLUTIONS Following verses 1 and 2 there are 10 precepts or principles that we should resolve to live by in order to obtain all that God has for us. While these are all quite simple to talk about they are all quite difficult to put into practice but if each of us could adopt these principles and conscientiously live by them, God himself has promised that they will change our lives. Resolution 1. vs.3-4 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man. 3a "Let love and faithfulness never leave you" I prefer "mercy" to "love" in this passage. To many people, 'love' means 'mushy affection' whereas 'mercy' is identical to 'love' but without the 'mush' baggage. This is what the Greek calls "agape" love and this is the sort of love this passage is referring to. But is this mercy and faithfulness to be toward God or toward men? BOTH Jesus said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments." How many commandments did he have? ONLY TWO In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus said, 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like it, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 3b "bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." This means that both mercy and faithfulness are to be both internal and external. Mercy and faithfulness cannot be kept to yourself. If you say you are merciful and faithful but do nothing to help others you are a liar and the truth is not in you. On the other hand, if you help others out of obligation or merely out of a sense of duty then you are not keeping the Lord's commandments either. No! Both mercy and faithfulness are to be indelibly inscribed upon your hearts and sincerely worked out through your hands. This passage is all about commitment to both God and man. 3

What if someone seems to show no response, or no improvement, to the help that we provide for them? Can we dump them and move on to more fruitful, or more appreciative, prospects? NO! The passage says, "Let mercy and faithfulness NEVER leave you." You might say, "But he's being mean to me, can't I dislike him, just a little bit, just for a second. . . ." NO! In ministering to others it is mercy that takes us to them and faithfulness which holds us there. The result is that 4. "Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man." Let us resolve to commit ourselves fully to both God and people. Resolution 2. vs.5-6 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. 5 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart" Does "all" mean some or most? Imagine a guy who is about to be baptized. Just as he is going under the water he realizes his wallet is still in his back pocket. He quickly grabs his wallet and holds it above the water while the rest of him goes under. We often do something similar to that with the Lordship of Christ. Sometimes its, "OK Jesus, you can be the Lord of all of my life except for this little bit over here, I just want to keep some control over this bit. Other times it might be, "OK Jesus, you can be the Lord of my life all day today, but tomorrow, I have to meet with you know who and it's no more mister nice guy. We have to understand that if Jesus is not the Lord OF ALL, then He is not really Lord AT ALL. Paul said, in Romans 12:1-2. 1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. God is NOT going to do this for you, it is something you must do for yourself. YOU must present your body, and YOU must renew your mind. Through the Spirit, God will help us but He will not over-ride the free will He has given us. Suppose your life was represented by a bicycle wheel - would Jesus be the hub, or just one of the spokes. 4

Is Jesus at the very center of your life? Does everything in your life revolve around Him? Maybe He is just a part of your life you call on whenever it is convenient or whenever a crisis arises. If He isnt the hub, He isnt your Lord. If you are the hub instead of Christ then you are relying on your own understanding instead of trusting in Him and that needs to change. If we make the change He says: 6. "He will guide us on the right paths." What could be cooler than that? Let us resolve to give God total control over our lives. Resolution 3. vs.7-8 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 7 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil One of the primary reasons we dont get Lordship right is because we havent learned humility. We are too wise in our own eyes to understand how little we really know. True humility enables us to have a right perspective on God, on ourselves, and on others. Without it, we simply cannot be the people the Lord wants us to be. I like the story of the church who awarded one of their members a medal for his humility and then took it away from him the following week because he wore it to church. But whenever we give advice, counciling or teaching aren't we essentially saying: "Look, I know better than you do or I know more than you do, so you need to listen to what I've got to say." Is that being humble? Maybe the truly humble ones are those who say and do nothing? The Bible says that Moses was the meekest man on earth Numbers 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) Can you see Moses going to Pharaoh and saying: "Errr, Hello Mr Pharaoh sir, ummm. . . . would it be alright with you. . . . .I mean. . . . if it's not too much trouble. . . . .for my people to go home now. . . .please. We would do all our own packing . . . .and we would pay all the freight costs of course. . . . and we will be ever so quiet as we leave." No! That's not what Moses was like. He stood before the most powerful man in the world and demanded that he let all his slaves, his cheap labour force, just disappear into the desert. He bellowed, "LET MY PEOPLE GO".

Moses was not meek at all so the Bible must be wrong, right? No! Moses was not meek before men, not even before the most powerful man in the world. But he was meek before God. In fact, when he stood before God he was the meekest man on earth. Are we supposed to be humble before men? No! We are to be humble before God. This passage says, "fear the LORD and shun evil." It does not say "fear men and shun evil." Don't pretend that you know more than God knows. Don't think that you can outsmart Him or out think Him. He knows everything and compared to Him you know nothing regardless of how much you know. It means that we can be wise in council and teach others the truth without being haughty and puffed up and proud. Why? Because we acknowledge that all knowledge belongs to God and that we are only stewards of a small portion of it. The result of being humble toward God is 8 "a healthy body and nourishment to your bones." Humility before God is far more important to us physically than all the best foods available. Let us resolve to practice humility before our mighty God. Resolution 4. vs.9-10 9 Honour the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 9a "Honour the LORD with your wealth" As in resolution 3, God not only owns all knowledge, He also owns everything else as well. We honor Him with our possessions by being generous with all He has given us. 9b "with the firstfruits of all your crops" God expects the "firstfruits" of all your crops to go to Him. The word "crops" here is all encompassing of both plants and animals. For the farmer it means the first portion of the crop to be harvested or the first of the animals (lambs and calves etc.) born that year are to be given to God.. You are not exempt from this even if you are working with a fixed income. On a fixed income it means that there are priorities which must be worked out. If your payday is like this: Let's see, I've got the rent to pay this week, and the car rego, 6

food, oh, I'm going to the pictures this Friday, Rover really needs a new collar and that dress in the Joyrene window is to die for. I couldn't survive without my nightly tipple and the toilet cistern is playing up so I'll have to get the plumber back again. Total it all up, that leaves exactly $1-97 for the offering this week God and I hope everyone at church appreciates the sacrifices I've made to give it. Then you have some priorities to re-order. No! This is not the way to do it. To honour God with your money and your possessions, God's portion comes out first and you live on whatever is left over. The actual amount, or proportion, you give is up to you, it is between you and God and nobody else. The Bible states no fixed amount or proportion. We are to be generous, sometimes even outside the bounds of wisdom and common sense. Remember the widows mite, over and above her means, but it was her offering God respected and I am sure He richly blessed the giver. In 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Paul says: 6 Remember this - a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Dont give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. We must also remember that the left over portion, our portion, belongs to God as well. That means He expects us to be good stewards of it. We are to be generous with this portion as well but we are also to be responsible and not wasteful. What we OWE must be paid first, what we NEED is paid next and what we WANT is paid for last. When you give God what is His, first, you will find that the left over portion will stretch to cover all the other expenses you have with some left over as well. I do not know how or why this works, I only know, from experience, that God is a much better economist than I am. Put Him first and your reward will be 10 "barns filled to overflowing, and vats brimming over with new wine." Now my shed is certainly full to overflowing but my port barrel is empty. Does this mean that God has not honoured His promise? Not at all. Maybe it means that I have not fulfilled my obligations to God. I hope that this is not true. One of my ex-pastors used to say, "God has the biggest shovel." As fast as you shovel it away, God shovels it back, and His shovel is bigger than yours. 7

But don't make the mistake of thinking that God is limited to shoveling it back in kind. You might shovel out some garden produce but He might shovel back an uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep. You might shovel out some time to help someone but He might shovel back an unexpected bonus in your pay packet. God can return in kind if He wants to, but He does not have to. Rest assured that if you are generous with what He has given you, He will shovel back whatever it is you need, when you need it. You cannot out-give God. This is God's law of the harvest. Let us resolve to be more generous with our time, our talents, and our treasures. Resolution 5. vs.11-12 11 My son, do not despise the LORDs discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. Parents, when you discipline your children, are you punishing them for something they did in the past or are you preparing them for something they may face in the future? Not all discipline is punishment, but all discipline IS preparation for the future. In Luke 16:10 the Lord says: He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. It means that if we train our children to be faithful in the small, inconsequential things of childhood, their training will grow with them and they will be trustworthy in the larger things of adulthood. I would say that the majority of adulthood failures are a direct result of people not being adequately prepared to deal with the situations they find themselves in. Studies have shown that most of the prisoners in gaols around the world would probably not be there if they had received proper discipline as a child. For the most part they found themselves in situations in which they could not control themselves either physically, mentally/logically or emotionally and so they end up behind bars. Parental discipline is the art of teaching a child to discipline himself. We need to be prepared, not only for the bad things but also for the good things. Note: I do not advocate lotteries of any kind, but the following is a good illustration of what I am saying. In 1988, a Pennsylvanian man named William Post won $16.2 million in the state lottery. It took him less than one year to end up $1 million in debt, and living on Social Security payments. It is a fact that a great many lottery winners are flat broke within 5 years of their win. The major reason for their failure seems to be their lack of preparation to deal with large amounts of money, particularly cash. 8

God, being a good father, sometimes has need to discipline us. Sometimes for bad and sometimes for good but always as preparation for the future. Whether it is for trial or for blessing we will certainly come unstuck unless we graciously accept and learn from the discipline He gives us. We need to be teachable, malleable, and moldable. We need to allow ourselves to be clay in the potters hands. The preparation time plus the process of shaping may well be hard and painful, but the outcome is always for our own benefit. Let us resolve to be more pliable in the hands of the Lord. Resolution 6. vs.13-24 13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed. 19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earths foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20 by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew. 21 My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; 22 they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. 23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; 24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Vs.13-20 talk about the acquisition of wisdom. (esp. 19 and 20) If God urges us to find wisdom then the implication is that it is hidden and must be searched for. Wisdom But you cannot search for wisdom itself. Wisdom is the result of the application of understanding, so you must first have understanding before you can find wisdom.

Understanding But understanding is not easy to come by either. You don't find understanding just laying around waiting to be picked up. Understanding is the result of the integration of knowledge. Knowledge So, in order to find wisdom you must first find knowledge and real knowledge, or true truth. It is the province of the Creator God, the one who knows everything and made everything. You cannot find knowledge unless you first know Him. Each of these three are mentioned in this passage. You cannot have wisdom without the other two and their acquisition produces Christian growth. I really believe that when people come to God, God adds points to their IQ and they enter into the Christian growth spiral. Salvation People who once had no interests but themselves, suddenly become interested in world affairs, or the performance of local government or the welfare of the old lady next door. Their love for the Lord makes them want to do His will. Knowledge But in order to do God's will they need knowledge. So, when people become Christians they suddenly want to know stuff, they want to learn, they want to discover true truth and use it to help others. Understanding But random snippets of knowledge are useless unless they are integrated into a framework of understanding. By integrating new knowledge into God's truth framework they gain understanding about the real world. Not just the physical world we can see but the spiritual world which enfolds and empowers it as well. Wisdom But understanding, by itself, is useless unless it is acted upon. By applying understanding to the situations and circumstances around about them they find wisdom beyond their own capabilities as they are empowered by the Spirit in the ministry to which the Lord has called them. Spiral This process ultimately leads to a greater love for the Lord, a greater desire to serve Him and this requires the acquisition of more knowledge and so the cycle begins again and continues to build and spiral as the believer is remade in the image of his Creator. Vs.21-24 talk about the application of wisdom and its benefits to the user. Wisdom is the result of Christian growth and is to be sought above all else. Let us resolve to search diligently for wisdom. Resolution 7. vs.25-26 25 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, 26 for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

10

25 "Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked," In Romans 8:31 Paul says: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Is there anyone or anything in the whole of Creation that is more powerful than God? NO! Why then, are we often reluctant to take that step of faith that the Lord has been nagging us about? We need to have confidence in the power of God, and confidence in His love for us. He promises us that He 26b "will not allow our foot to be snared". Let us resolve to overcome our fears through confidence in God. Resolution 8. vs.27-28 27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. 28 Do not say to your neighbour, Come back later; Ill give it tomorrow when you now have it with you. 27 "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act." I think that in this passage the NIV again injects a little bit of muddiness into the text. How do you decide whether or not someone "deserves" your help? Should you ask for letters of recommendation before you give a starving man a crust of bread? Surely not. The NIV says, "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it" The KJV says: "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due," Can you see the subtle difference in the two? "Deserve" implies that the potential receiver has done something to earn it. "Due" implies that the potential receiver already owns it but has not yet got it. This passage is not about being generous as was resolution 4. It is about wrongly hanging on to something that rightly belongs to someone else. Barnes in his commentary says that: This precept expresses the great Scriptural thought that the rich are merely stewards of the wealth entrusted to them by God. The true owners are those to whom we may do good through its distribution. Not to relieve them is a breach of trust. We must render to all their due, both in justice and charity, and not delay to do it. Neither should we seek to hinder others from doing it. So this passage is saying that we must 1. Pay our just debts without fraud, coveting, or delay. 2. Give just wages to those who have earned them. 11

3. Provide for our relations, and those that have dependence on us, for to them it is due. 4. Give honour, reverence, and tribute, to civil magistrates and officials. 5. Render dues both to church and state. 6. Be ready to perform all acts of friendship and humanity, to do as we would be done by. 7. Be charitable to the poor and needy. If others need the necessary supports of life, and we have the wherewithal to supply them, then we must look upon it as due to them and not withhold it. The parable which best expresses the sentiments of this passage is, what? The good Samaritan of course. Let us resolve to do what is right at every opportunity. Resolution 9. vs29-30 29 Do not plot harm against your neighbour, who lives trustfully near you. 30 Do not accuse a man for no reason when he has done you no harm. 29 "Do not plot harm against your neighbour" We must never plan any dastardly deeds against our neighbour whether in his person or his possessions or his popularity. Who is our neighbour? Everybody 30 "Do not accuse a man for no reason" We should also seek to be neither quarrelsome nor litigious with any man, especially if he has done us no harm. Do not trouble your neighbour with frivolous complaints and accusations, or vexatious law-suits, when either no harm has been done to you or there is or none worth speaking of. Seek to settle your differences in a friendly manner. Use your wisdom and do not treat as a provocation, that which was merely an oversight. Neither God nor I endorse the Al Capone method of negotiation. Al said: "Much more can be achieved with a kind word and a gun, than with just a kind word alone." There may be times when a Christian must go to court, God does not ban Christians from taking court action, even against other Christians, but all other avenues must be exhausted first. Let us resolve to live as peaceably as possible with all men. Resolution 10. vs.31-32 31 Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, 32 for the LORD detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence. 31 "Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways," John Gill says: The man that gets wealth and riches by acts of injustice, by oppressing the poor, by robbery and violence; do not envy his prosperity, and the substance he is possessed of; do not wish to 12

be in his place and circumstances, to enjoy his affluence and ease; do not look upon his happiness with an envious eye and a fretting heart; he is far from being a happy man and his end will be bad. You think of all the tyrants the world has seen. How many of them lived happy, fulfilling lives? None of them. Look at the lives of the rich people in the world today. How many of them are living happy and fulfilling lives. Very few, if any. Let us resolve to be satisfied with all that God has given us. This passage also ends with a PROMISE. vs.33-35 33 The LORDs curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. 34 He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble. 35 The wise inherit honour, but fools he holds up to shame. Challenge Would you like to have blessings and grace and honour showered upon you and your home by the God who gives all good gifts. Then let's endeavour to keep these resolutions this year.

13