INTRO.- ILL.- Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production.
The Model T was introduced on October 1, 1908. The car was very simple to drive, and easy and cheap to repair. It was so cheap at $825 in 1908 ($21,430 today) (the price fell every year) that by the 1920s, a majority of American drivers had learned to drive on the Model T.
Sales passed 250,000 in 1914. By 1916, as the price dropped to $360 for the basic touring car, sales reached 472,000. By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model T's. All new cars were black; as Ford wrote in his autobiography, "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black".
Henry Ford was also something of a wit. Here are some of his famous quotes and most of them could easily be backed up with scripture.
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Psalm 92:14 “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green...”
“Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” James 4:8-10 “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.” Philippians 3:13-14 “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
“I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about.”
Isaiah 46:9-11 “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.”
One of my college professors said long ago, “Beginning with chapter 10 the book of Proverbs reads like a dictionary; every verse is a different subject.” And it’s true.
PROP.- Let’s examine several verses from God’s dictionary on wisdom.
1- RIGHTEOUSNESS DELIVERS FROM DEATH
2 Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.
Ill-gotten treasures. Do you have any? I’m sure you wouldn’t admit it if you did. Ill-gotten treasures are treasures, money or material things that a person got by doing evil or wrong, by cheating others, etc.
ILL.- Bernie Madoff had plenty of ill-gotten treasures for many years. And so did O J Simpson and look at where both of these men are now! Bernie Madoff was convicted of fraud as a former stockbroker, investment advisor, and financier. He “made off” with the money that belonged to others.
He is the former non-executive chairman of the NASDAQ stock market, and the admitted operator of a Ponzi scheme that is considered to be the largest financial fraud in U.S. history.
On December 10, 2008, Madoff's sons told authorities that their father had confessed to them that the asset management unit of his firm was a massive Ponzi scheme, and quoted him as describing it as "one big lie".
On March 12, 2009, Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 federal felonies and admitted to turning his wealth management business into a massive Ponzi scheme that defrauded thousands of investors of billions of dollars. Madoff said he began the Ponzi scheme in the early 1990s. On June 29, 2009, Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum allowed.
Bernie’s cheating and thievery got him nowhere but in prison for the rest of life. And I doubt seriously that he has ever repented of his sin, although God has given him that ability. He could repent, give his life to Christ and be delivered from death but I doubt he will make that decision. His heart seems to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Even the stories that we hear about him in prison say that he is not a changed man and still lives for himself.
I read that Madoff said in prison in regard to his victims, “I carried them for twenty years, and now I’m doing 150 years.” He also said they were greedy otherwise they wouldn’t have invested money with him. I guess in a sense he was blaming them for his own greed.
Ephesians 4:28 “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.”
Bernie Madoff is now having to work with his hands, but I don’t think his heart has changed at all. Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.
2- THE LORD DOES NOT LET US GO HUNGRY
3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. 4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
ILL.- At a all-you-can-eat restaurant Josh came back to the table, his plate full for the fifth time. “Josh!” exclaimed his mother, “Doesn’t it embarrass you that people have seen you go up to the buffet table five times?” “Not a bit,” said Josh, “I just tell them I’m filling up the plate for you!”
ILL.- The waiter at the diner came over and asked, “and how did you find your steak?” “Easy!” I snarled, “I moved three forks of mashed potatoes to the side and there it was!”
Do you realize how blessed most of us Americans are? We have buffets everywhere and we can afford to at those buffets. Most of us can also afford to occasionally eat a steak and mashed or baked potato meal! WE ARE BLESSED!
But what if we’d been born in some foreign countries where they don’t have much and we didn’t have much? We believe the Lord’s promise that He will not let the righteous go hungry.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Psalm 37:25 “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
Philippians 4:11-13 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
3- BLESSINGS CROWN THE RIGHTEOUS
6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. 7 The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
ILL.- The young man was feeling very proud of himself. As a brand new college graduate he had taken the C.P.A. Exams and passed with flying colors. Now he was a full-fledged Certified Public Accountant. His father had been an immigrant to the U.S., and now owned his own little business. Filled with self-importance, the young man began to criticize his father’s way of keeping books.
He said, “Dad, you don’t even know how much profit you’ve made. Over here in this drawer are your accounts receivable. Over there are your receipts and you keep all your money in the cash register. You don’t have any idea how much money you’ve made.”
The father answered, “Son, when I came to this country the only thing I owned was a pair of pants. Now, your brother is a doctor, your sister is an art teacher, and you are a C.P.A. Your mother and I own our home. We have a car and we own this little business. Now add that up, subtract the pants and all the rest is profit.”
ADD IT UP! That’s exactly what we need to do every day! Not just at Thanksgiving! Add it all up. We came into this world with nothing but the eternal soul that God gave us. Everything else is profit. And we have quite a bit of profit!
ILL.- Preacher Charles Spurgeon said: ‘When God forgives our sins, there’s more forgiveness to follow. He justifies us in the righteousness of Christ, but there’s more to follow. He adopts us into His family, but there’s more to follow. He prepares us for heaven, but there’s more to follow. He gives us grace, but there’s more to follow. He helps us to old age, but there’s still more to follow. Even when we arrive in the world to come, there will still be more to follow.’”
Revelation 21:1-4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Psalm 24:4-5 “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior.”
These verses and many more sound like a whole lot of blessing to me! 6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
4- THE WISE ACCEPT GOD’S COMMANDS
8 The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
James 1:22 says, “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.” Or it could read, “Be ye doers of the word and not talkers only.”
Could it be that some people or even some Christians are “all blow and no go?” Or “all blow and no show”? Meaning that they talk a lot but they do not do anything. They talk the talk but they don’t walk the walk.
ILL.- I remember many years ago while working in a service station that an elderly man was talking about his faith and he said, “Oh, I believe in the good Lord and I pray every night.” But that’s all he did. He never went to church, didn’t give, and didn’t serve in any form. To me, that’s all talk and no walk!
ILL.- Someone put it this way: Most people wish to serve God -- but in an advisory capacity only. Meaning they only want to give God advice but they don’t want to do anything.
ILL.- General William Booth was the founder of the salvation Army and eventually lost his eyesight. His son Bramwell was given the difficult task of telling his father there would be no recovery.
"Do you mean that I am blind?" the General asked. "I hear we must consider that," his son replied. The father continued,"I shall never see your face again?" "No, probably not in this world." "Bramwell," said General Booth, "I have done what I could for God and for His people with my eyes. Now I shall do what I can for God without my eyes."
That’s the right spirit and attitude. I’ll do whatever I can do for the cause of Christ with whatever I have and whatever I don’t have. And it’s a matter of obedience to God’s word.
The wise in heart accept God’s commands, whatever those commands are and they do the best they can to obey those commands. Accepting God’s commands means we are willing to obey His commands as best we can, not the least we can.
Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Obey His commands. That’s what true disciples do!
Luke 11:28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
John 14:23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
CONCLUSION-----------------------
Back to our starting verse: 2 Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.
And here is the righteousness that delivers us from death.
II Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Christ is our righteousness who delivers us from death! And even though Christ is our righteousness we must also walk in righteousness.
1 Timothy 6:11 “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”
1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
So it is true: Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.
