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[0:00] Turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 23, and we're going to read verses 19 through 35 tonight.

[0:11] Listen, my son, and be wise and keep your heart on the right path. Do not join with those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

[0:31] Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.

[0:43] The father of a righteous man has great joy. He who has a wise son delights in him. May your father and mother be glad. May she who gave you birth rejoice.

[0:57] My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes keep to my ways. For a prostitute is a deep pit, and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

[1:11] Like a bannet, she lies in wait and multiplies the unfaithful among men. Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints?

[1:23] Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.

[1:35] Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly. In the end, it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.

[1:47] Your eyes will see strange sights, and your minds imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. They hit me, you will say, but I am not hurt.

[2:02] They beat me, but I don't feel it. When will I wake up so I can find another drink? Let's hear God's wisdom preached.

[2:16] Well, if you were paying attention to the reading of God's word, and I hope you were, you heard that we were going to be talking about drinking and partying and getting drunk and committing adultery.

[2:30] And maybe you'd say, I would never get into that. I would never, ever do that. Well, my response would be wrong.

[2:45] Wrong. I hope you don't. But if that is what you are saying to yourself, that you don't need the passage of Scripture that was just read, then I fear you think too highly of yourself.

[2:59] You put too much trust in yourself. You're forgetting Proverbs 101, which is trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, your own interpretation of yourself or things.

[3:13] It goes on. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and shun evil. You're forgetting what Paul said. So if you think you are standing firm, and I hope you are.

[3:28] So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall. Or how it comes down to us from the King James, take heed lest you fall.

[3:42] These are things that are a realistic danger for people, especially for the young. But for anyone, I think I've been here longer than a lot of you.

[3:59] And I can tell you about young people who have left here. They were in Sunday school. They came to Wednesday night.

[4:10] They came to Sunday morning and Sunday evening. And they had strong Christian parents. And they left here. And they fell into drunkenness and drug overdose and debauchery.

[4:25] I won't name names, but I could name names. I know personally pastors who have ruined their lives, their ministries, their families, their reputations, because they lost control of their drinking.

[4:42] They fell into sexual sin. I can see faces in front of me that would have done well to listen carefully to what Proverbs 23 is telling us.

[5:00] And again, if you still think, I would never do that. But I just have a simple question for you. Do you think David ever thought that he would steal a man's wife and get her pregnant and then kill her husband?

[5:21] Did he think, oh, that's within my capabilities? I could do that. And so I would plead with you to pay attention.

[5:35] This is a real danger. Here's another reason I would plead with you to pay attention to these things that maybe you feel like I would never do that.

[5:47] Because 1 Corinthians 10.31 says, so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

[5:59] That is the all-encompassing goal of our whole life. And that's what we're to live for. And so 1 Corinthians 6.20 says, so glorify God in your body.

[6:12] Glorify God in your body. What we do with our bodies, what we do with our minds and our hearts, we are to do to the glory of God.

[6:23] Now, so drunkenness, gluttony, partying, promiscuity, living for the satisfaction of our bodily appetites, does that in any way say to a looking world, a watching world, God is good.

[6:41] God is great. God is glorious. He is majestic and I fear him. I love him. He's worth living for.

[6:53] Does that shine, that kind of lifestyle, those kind of behaviors, do those things shine a spotlight on the glory of our King, of Jesus?

[7:05] Because Proverbs isn't ultimately, the book of Proverbs isn't ultimately about making your life great. Now, I think it holds out a lot of hope or promise to that, but that's not what gaining wisdom is ultimately about.

[7:22] That's not the goal, the end of the book of Proverbs. It really is instead God the Father teaching his children, teaching us how to live for that end, how to live for his glory, that we might glorify him and enjoy him forever.

[7:39] And I just want to, again, plead with you that Jesus is worthy of your very best. And you can't give him your best if your mind and your body and your soul are just sunk in confusion.

[7:59] Just a big sloppy mess. Jesus is worthy to be seen, to be adored, to be prized, to be enjoyed.

[8:10] But how can we prize him or see him when we're wasted, we're ruined? God is worthy of our very best.

[8:22] And Proverbs is going to help us to give him that, to live for his glory, to enjoy him like we were meant to enjoy him. And so we have five points tonight over the passage that I read.

[8:37] And we begin with verse 19. 19 through 23 is another one of these 30 sayings of the wise. And I just have these five points.

[8:49] This first one can be summed up by saying, Don't join the party crowd. That's point number one. Don't join the party crowd.

[8:59] You can see what it says, and I want you to look at it. Listen, my son, and be wise. So, listen, and do what I'm going to tell you to do, and you will be wise.

[9:12] And keep your heart on the right path. Your heart is going to want to go astray. That's true of everyone. There's no temptation that has seized us, except what is common to man.

[9:26] Our hearts are going to want to go astray. Things are going to be tempting. Things that we would never imagine would be tempting. We can be put into such a position that it becomes tempting.

[9:39] And so he's saying, keep your heart on the right path. So I think the assumption here is you've started out well. You've started out well.

[9:50] And we can be glad about that. But keep your heart there. Keep your heart where it should be. And what do you have to steer clear of?

[10:02] Well, it's this. Don't join the party crowd. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat. Don't join them. Don't live with them, is the word.

[10:12] Don't exist with them. Don't live with them. And I think we're not talking about literally where you live, your address, or who your roommate is, or something like, or who you work with.

[10:26] You might have to live alongside of them, is what I'm trying to say. You might be put into a situation where you have to live alongside of them. But that does not mean that you have to join them.

[10:39] So the book of Ruth begins with Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, and their two sons moving to Moab. And first they move to Moab, and maybe it's necessary.

[10:53] But as they live there, what ends up happening is their sons marry these Moabite women. Now, in Ruth's case, it worked out. It was good. But that was not something that they were supposed to do.

[11:08] They had gone from living alongside of them to now living with them. Now they're joined together. And that's the word here. Don't live with these people.

[11:21] Proverbs says, don't join them. Don't live their life with them. Why? Why? Why do we need to be careful about who we give our hearts to, who we become friends with, who we join in life with?

[11:33] Well, is it because fun is wrong? Are they against all kinds of fun? Because eating and drinking is just absolutely forbidden?

[11:45] Is Proverbs a puritanical book in the worst sense of that word? You know, they're deathly afraid that someone somewhere is happy? That's not, absolutely not.

[11:58] It's the exact opposite. It is the exact opposite. Look at verse 21. For.

[12:10] For. For is a reason word. It's explaining why you should do the thing that goes in front of it. Here's why. For drunkards and gluttons become poor.

[12:22] And drowsiness clothes them in rags. So their full stomachs. Their. Their. Their full stomachs. Empty their minds. Their. Their cloudy minds.

[12:33] Their. Their drunk minds. Empty. Their bank accounts. They. They aren't ready. They aren't ready to do what it takes to.

[12:44] To earn money. To save money. To keep money. They aren't ready for action. What one commentator says. They're neither valiant nor vigilant. They're not ready for bold.

[12:55] Action. Swift. Action. And. That's. What you need. Sometimes. That's what you need. They aren't ready for opportunity.

[13:07] When opportunity comes. Opportunity. As said. Is. Is. Is. A fast runner. With only a lock of hair.

[13:17] On the front of his head. But completely bald on the back. And he's running at you. And if you're going to grab opportunity. You have to grab it. As it's coming to you.

[13:29] Once it's passed. There's nothing to grab onto. It's. It's gone. But. These people are drunk. They're slovenly.

[13:40] They're lethargic. They're drowsy. They can't seize. A chance. An opportunity. When. It shows up.

[13:51] They're not ready to grab that hair. And wrestle that opportunity to the ground. To make a good business decision. To. To get on with work. No. Their drowsiness. Clothes them in rags.

[14:02] So they aren't looking ahead for opportunity. And they are. They're certainly not able to look ahead for danger either. They're neither valiant nor vigilant. Because their hearts. Their bodies.

[14:12] Their minds are asleep. Now. So they're poor. And if they are not poor. They are on their way to becoming poor.

[14:24] And that's what it says. It eventually will clothe them. In rags. Now. God. Made us. To be awake. To be alert.

[14:36] To be ready. And God. Saved us. In order to. That we might. Live. To be awake. And to be alert. And to be ready. Listen to. Listen to 1st Peter 4.

[14:47] 3. You've spent enough time. You've spent enough time. In the past. Doing what pagans choose to do. Living in debauchery.

[14:57] And lust. And drunkenness. And orgies. And carousing. And detestable idolatry. Now. Maybe you say. I haven't lived any of my life. Well. To live any life.

[15:10] Is too long. Like that. Jesus saved us. From that kind of life. Maybe he saved you. Out of it. Maybe he saved you. From it. So that you never entered it.

[15:21] But. He saved us. So that we could live. A different kind of life. 1st Thessalonians 5. 5. We are sons of the light. And sons of the day.

[15:33] We do not belong to the night. Or the darkness. For those who sleep. Sleep at night. And those who get drunk. Get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day. Let us be self-controlled.

[15:45] Let us be sober minded. Let us be valiant. Vigilant. Ready for action. Asleep. Drunk. Glutted with food. So you got food and wine.

[15:55] Falling down your shirt. Too lethargic to really live. Jesus saved us. So that we don't have to live like that. So that we don't live like that. And so praise him.

[16:08] You know what? If God saved you from that. That's a work of his grace. And you should praise him. If he saved you out of it. Praise him. Christ is that rising sun. That has appeared over the horizon.

[16:19] And he's begun to shine. Into our hearts. Into our lives. And so we need to live. As children of the day. Right awake and ready.

[16:30] And to be honest. Awake and ready is how. How you earn money. It's how you avoid poverty. And so you want to be poor. Proverbs says. And just go join them.

[16:41] Go join them. Get right in there with them. And go broke. Both comes to those. Who are ready to hustle for it. And these guys are only hustling. Into poverty.

[16:58] One time I had a guy. Working for me. Whose live-in girlfriend. Traded his dog. For a bottle of tequila.

[17:10] And he came in. Complaining. She's traded my dog. And it's honestly a situation. You know. It's so shocking. You don't know whether to laugh. Or to cry. Or what is going on.

[17:21] And a month or two later. I ended up firing him. Because he kept on coming in late. He couldn't get himself to work on time. Because he had spent the night drinking. So think about that.

[17:36] Do you want to live like that? You want to be like that? Well then go. Go join them. So don't join the party crowd. Point number two.

[17:47] Be greedy for wisdom. Be greedy for wisdom. Now I just told you this crazy story. About this guy. Whose girlfriend traded his dog. For a bottle of tequila.

[17:57] Now what should you do with some kind of story like that? Or what should you do when you see things like that happening around you? I think one thing we do is we don't laugh at it like it's hilarious and funny.

[18:11] But instead what we do is we store it away. You make the most of that. You mine all the wisdom.

[18:22] All of the truth. All of the understanding that you can get out of it. And so that's a real life story that happened. And so you should suck the wisdom out of that.

[18:33] That's what you. This can sink you to. And that's what verse 23 says. Buy the truth. And do not sell it. Buy the truth.

[18:44] But don't sell it. Be greedy for it. Get all you can. And never sell a shred of it. So you can buy it out of the world sometimes.

[18:56] We can buy it by looking out in the world. Remember Proverbs 6 and 7 and 8. It talks about Lady Wisdom in the marketplace. In the streets.

[19:07] And she lifts her voice above all the noise of the crowd. And she's speaking for those who want to hear. So we should be looking out there in the world and saying, Okay, what do I see?

[19:19] Well, what do you see when you look? Well, you see the world's folly. You see the world's shrewdness. Jesus knew that. You see its tragedies.

[19:32] And you see its triumphs. And so, you know, I've told you about some people who came here and fell into drunkenness and debauchery. About pastors who I've known.

[19:43] About this guy I worked with. And so you should take all those kind of stories. And you should be greedy to hear. And to see the wisdom and folly at work out in the world.

[19:55] That's what Proverbs 23 is saying. Buy the truth. Get it. See it on the shelf. Put it in your cart. Take it home with you.

[20:07] Take it out of the world. Put it into your cart. Put it into your mind. Think about it and do something with it. So be greedy. And it says hoard.

[20:20] Hoard wisdom. Proverbs 11.26 talks about buying and selling. Listen to this. The people curse him who hoards grain. But a blessing is on him. On the head of him who sells it.

[20:33] So here's a situation where people are buying up all the grain. Because they have money. And then when the prices go up. They're not selling it. When the need is there. They're not selling it. Because they're just waiting for the prices still to go.

[20:45] And they get cursed. So there are those who hoard wealth. To their own destruction. And people hate them for it. So you don't hoard wealth.

[20:56] But here is something to hoard. It's truth. It's wisdom. It's understanding. You can't be too greedy. For the truth. And I want you to notice.

[21:09] That it is especially. Young people. And believe it or not. Older people. The wisdom of your parents. It says.

[21:23] Listen to your father. Verse 22. Who gave you life. And do not despise your mother when she is old. I want you to think about that.

[21:35] Don't despise your mother when she is old. When she is aged. When she is elderly. Is the word. And now I want you to think. If she is elderly.

[21:46] She is older. What does that make you? Well that probably means that. You're not very young either anymore.

[21:58] You're now 40. Or 50. Or maybe 60. And so if you are 40, 50, or 60. If you're even younger than that. We need to say. Have you arrived?

[22:10] Have you. Finished. Does that mean that you should be done listening. To anyone who has more experience than you. Proverbs is saying.

[22:21] You are never. Too old. To learn. You're never too old. To learn. And especially. What it's saying is.

[22:31] From your. Your old. Elder. Lee. Godly. Mom. And dad. Now this is so counter cultural. Because it is very common. In our culture.

[22:42] To. To despise the old. That they're out of touch. They don't know what it's like today. They don't know all that. And this is saying. Don't despise your mother when she's old. Your old mom.

[22:54] Your old dad. Might have something. That you desperately need to hear. Something to teach you. And so. If she's selling. You're. Should be buying.

[23:06] Young people. If your parents are selling. You should be. Buying. Now. I just want to have one last thought. About these verses. Before we move on. I don't want you to mistake. What Proverbs is saying here.

[23:17] We need to understand. What is meant by buying and selling. Because buying here. Is actually. Incorporating it. Into your life. It's not just mentally.

[23:30] Thinking about it. Mentally registering it. But actually. Enfolding it. Into your life. Life. So you take those stories. You take things that you've seen.

[23:43] And you enfold them. You incorporate them in your life. And you say. Because you know. That's how that works. I'm going to do. This. I'm going to do something different. Or because that's how it works.

[23:55] I'm actually going to. Do what they did. That's what buying is. It's including it. Into your life. Because wisdom is real skill for living.

[24:07] It's never an intellectual thing. It's a skill for living. It's right thinking. That leads to right. Doing. And so buying means using it.

[24:18] Buying means. Taking it on board. And doing something with it. It's taking it out of the grocery bag. So you brought it off the shelf. You put it into your cart. You bought it. You put it in your bag. You take it home.

[24:29] And you take it out of the bag. And then you cook with it. You do something with it. That's what buying it is. Well then. What is selling it? Well selling is anything less than that.

[24:40] It's like. I know it. I bought it. I took it. Home with me. But now I'm not using it. It's forsaking it. It's getting rid of it.

[24:51] It's not using it. It's thinking you know better. Again. It's trusting and leaning on your own understanding. You're saying. I don't think. I don't think the Bible is true there.

[25:03] I don't think God's word is true there. I think I'm smarter than God. I think I'm smarter than everyone else. And so. The way James puts it. As you look in the mirror. And then.

[25:15] You go away. And you immediately forget what you saw. That's selling. The truth. That's just not doing anything with it. So be.

[25:27] Greedy. For wisdom. Well how much is enough? How much is enough? Remember when. Someone asked.

[25:38] John D. Rockefeller. That. The richest man probably ever in America. How much. Is enough money? And he said. Just a little bit more. Shouldn't we have the same attitude about wisdom?

[25:51] How much do I want? Well just more. Just a little bit more. Well may the spirit. Make us greedy. And help us to attain. Real wisdom.

[26:02] He is the spirit of counsel. And understanding. And he wants us to have wisdom. And so we should want it to. Well. If you do that. What then? What will happen? Well you make your parents happy.

[26:13] That's our third point. So we've seen. The first point. Don't join the party crowd. The second point is. Don't be greedy for wisdom. Here's the third point. Make your parents.

[26:25] Happy. And I know that. That might sound weird. But that again and again. Is the proverb saying. This is what you can do.

[26:36] Verse 24. The father of a righteous man. Has great joy. I want you to look at these verses. Verse 24. And following.

[26:47] Notice the reoccurrence. Of these. This word. The father of a righteous man. Has great joy. He who has a wise son. Delights in him.

[26:58] May your father. And your mother. Be glad. May she who gave you birth. Rejoice. So you listen to your parents. As they're trying to pass on. Wisdom to you.

[27:09] And then even as you age. And then. What is this saying now? Go out. And be wise. The goal is not for young people. The goal is not for you to stay in your home forever.

[27:20] It is actually for you to leave. And then you go out. And you be wise. And when they see you doing that. That delights.

[27:31] That thrills. That pleases. That makes their hearts to rejoice. Choice. So this is something I've said before. But I need to say it again.

[27:42] Young people. Some of you here. And maybe. You know what? Let's include anyone. If you're starting a family. If you're going out.

[27:52] Anyone. You have to know. You hold your parents heart. And happiness. In your hands. Your parents are not perfect.

[28:04] We're not perfect. We aren't even close to that. God is the only perfect parent. We are not him. At best.

[28:17] Your parents are sinners saved by grace. We make real mistakes. We make real mistakes with you. We really do sin against you. But you do need to know.

[28:30] Our happiness is in your hands. Our health and our wealth mean very little. Compared to you. And so you can take all my money.

[28:40] And you give me wise children who trust the Lord. And I'm a happy man. You can take all my health. And give me children who trust. And who are following. And fearing the Lord.

[28:51] And I'll live and I'll die. A happy man. And so right now. As parents. If you're talking to your children.

[29:04] Right now. We're Paul. Pleading with the Corinthians. Make our joy complete. Make our joy complete. Make your parents joy complete.

[29:14] Or John writes. I have no greater joy. Than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. This is the best thing in the world.

[29:25] To hear my children walking in the truth. And so as parents. We need to make sure that we're not. One. Hiding our hearts from our children. We don't shield ourselves from them.

[29:35] We need to tell them. We love you. We love you. We want to see you fearing the Lord. We want to see you trusting him. We want you to see.

[29:46] We want to see you living under him. And if you do that. That would be a foretaste of heaven. So make our joy complete.

[30:00] Make your parents joy complete. That was the third point. Here's the fourth point. How can we make our parents joy complete? Well here's how you can make parents happy.

[30:14] I just put it like this. Don't fall into a well. Don't fall into a well. Now what does that mean? Again we need to look at verse 26 here.

[30:27] My son. Give me your heart. And let your eyes keep to my ways. For a prostitute is a deep pit. And a wayward wife is a narrow well.

[30:42] A narrow well. What this is saying is sexual immorality. And especially adultery. Is like falling into a narrow well.

[30:57] Now that is probably outside of the experience of anyone here. So I want you to use your imagination. You fall into a narrow well.

[31:10] What is it like down there? It's claustrophobic. It's suffocating.

[31:22] It's dark. You're stuck. It's terrifying. Proverbs says that is what adultery is like.

[31:37] It's being trapped. And you can ask pretty much anyone who has done it. And they think it's a one time thing.

[31:49] And you think you can stop. But that's not how it works. You're not rolling down into a shallow, wide, grassy valley that you can easily climb out of.

[32:03] You're falling into a dark, suffocating, tight place that is easier to fall into than it is to crawl out of.

[32:15] Now, anyone my age and older remembers the rescue of baby Jessica.

[32:26] Maybe you remember this. It was 1988. And a two-year-old little girl was walking in the front yard in Texas. And she fell down into a very narrow well.

[32:41] And it was a nationwide, it was a worldwide story. And it was horrifying. She's playing. A little two-year-old is playing in the front yard.

[32:54] And all of a sudden, she's not there. She somehow fell down this well. And she's trapped. She was trapped in an eight-inch well, 22 feet underground.

[33:07] And for 56 hours, drilling crews were trying to rescue her. And they ran a hole right beside the existing well hole.

[33:21] And then they were going to drill across and somehow to get her and to pull her out, to put some rope on her, to put a harness on her so that they could pull her out.

[33:32] And so for 56 hours, everyone is just waiting, waiting for her to die, waiting for her on the edge. They're all gathered around.

[33:45] And everyone was waiting on the edge of their seats, watching as they pulled her out with this tow cable. And they cheered.

[33:56] And they cried. And she was everyone's baby that day. Until she finally broke through into the sunshine again. Here's the point. Falling in was a lot easier than getting her out.

[34:10] And Proverbs is saying that is what sexual immorality is like. That is what especially adultery is like.

[34:21] So don't fall into a well. Don't be a baby, Jessica, walking carelessly around an open hole. And so men, we need to guard ourselves.

[34:34] And women, we need to guard ourselves. Guard yourself. And parents, I want you to notice especially what he says in verse 26. Verse 26.

[34:47] Do you see what the father said? My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways. Give me your heart.

[34:58] I'm going to take your heart. I'm going to take you. And now I want you to climb on top of me and walk where I walk. Keep to where I'm keeping. Keep to my ways. So dad was careful.

[35:10] Dad was serious. He could say, do what I am doing. He wasn't saying, do what I say, but not what I do.

[35:21] He's saying, do what I am doing. Now, can you say that to your children? In this area. In this area. Are you setting the godly example for them in this area?

[35:36] That's what Proverbs is saying. That we should be able to stand in front of our children and say, give me your heart and do what I do. And you'll be safe. Now, in our day and age, we need to talk about accountability.

[35:49] We need to talk about software. And so dads, moms, do your kids, do your children know that you are serious?

[36:01] That you are not joking around about sexual purity? I wonder, do you have an open hole in your children's bedroom or in your living room where your teenager can fall into?

[36:15] I told my kids, I don't care if it was Peter, James, and John with a computer. I wouldn't trust them with no accountability software.

[36:29] I don't trust myself. I don't trust them. I don't want any open holes that anyone can fall into. Because, again, falling into it is a lot more difficult than climbing out of it.

[36:45] So don't fall into it well. Parents, set an example for your children in this area. Show them by your seriousness and your carefulness that you are intent on walking safely yourself and you want the same for them.

[37:01] Here's the last point, the last saying. We're almost out of time. Let's just read these verses, 29 through 35.

[37:39] Imagine confusing things. You'll be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. They hit me, you'll say. But I'm not hurt. They beat me, but I don't feel it.

[37:51] When will I wake up so I can get another drink? Now here's the last point. Proverbs wants you to know this is what it's like to be drunk.

[38:04] This is what it's like to be drunk. The world laughs at it and brags about it, but it can't be all bad, right? Maybe I could try it.

[38:15] Maybe it's not such a big deal. So Proverbs says, let me show you this is what it's like. And it starts out with six questions. Who has woe? Woe is a word for hardship, for the curse of God, for disaster, for trouble.

[38:33] Remember Jesus saying, woe to you scribes and Pharisees? Well, who has woe? Who has sorrow? It means regret. Regret.

[38:47] Can't believe I did that. Sadness. It means depression. Who has strife? Who is that guy over there yelling and fighting and arguing and bragging like an idiot?

[39:01] Maybe getting yelled at by sober people because they're sick and tired and they can't stand her or him anymore. Telling her to just shut up and sit down. Who has complaining? I feel terrible.

[39:14] I feel like garbage. Moaning on the bathroom floor. Who has needless bruises? It probably means unexplained or just completely unnecessary. She fell over the coffee table.

[39:27] She crashed into a tree. She can't remember any of it. What happened to you? I don't know. And these dull, glazed over eyes. That's what you get.

[39:39] It's not fun. It's not funny. In Proverbs terms, it would be stupid. It's foolish. And it might be fun to look at.

[39:53] It might be fun when you're looking at it. But verse 31 says, or when you're just first starting out is what I mean. Verse 31 says, you start out and it looks so good. You're gazing at the wine when it's red and it's sparkling in its cup.

[40:07] There's something attractive about it. Attractive about the whole thing. And it goes down so smoothly. It's so easy. But that's not where it ends.

[40:17] It ends with a snake bite. And you're poisoned. You're throwing up. And you're so nauseous you can't even stand up. And you're completely unaware. Look at verse 35.

[40:28] They hit me. But I'm not hurt. They beat me. But I don't feel it. The point is, I hope you get it. You don't know what's going on. They're being assaulted.

[40:41] They're being attacked. And they don't even know what's happening. So don't put yourself into a position like that.

[40:59] You could be a victim or you could be an attacker. And alcohol will make you into both. But either way, it's ruined. And here's the greater point.

[41:10] If you're a believer, if you're a Christian, Jesus saved us for something so much better than that. He turned our night into day.

[41:22] He turned our night into day. He turned our lives around. He shone his light into our hearts. And he said, wake up, oh sleeper. And so what does Paul say?

[41:33] Well, let's put aside the deeds of darkness. And put on the armor of light. So you can wear clothes, rags. Or you can wear the armor of light.

[41:46] Which one do you want? He says, let us behave decently as in the daytime. Not in orgies and drunkenness. Not in sexual immorality and debauchery. Not in dissension and jealousy.

[41:56] Rather, clothe yourselves in Jesus Christ. In the Lord Jesus Christ. And do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. We were meant to wear Jesus Christ.

[42:09] To have him as our uniform that we wear out in the world. And shine as the day. Like he is the day. We don't belong to the night. And so we need to live like it.

[42:23] And Jesus is the only one that really can do this wonderful, miraculous transformation. Of actually taking a heart enslaved.

[42:34] To these sorts of things. And then transforming it into something so glorious and good. Now they are a soldier of the light. They are a member of the day.

[42:46] And that is what Jesus can do. He rescues people. And he transforms them. And he changes them. So from the inside out. It is not just willpower forcing them to do the right thing. Oh, but from the inside out.

[42:58] They begin to shine with Jesus. That is what Jesus does. He saves sinners. And he saves sinners like these people. If you were in the adult Sunday school, this is where I'll end.

[43:12] You heard about William Perkins. And he loved to drink. And he was obviously a notorious drunk. And a mom was telling off her child.

[43:25] And like only a mom can do. Saying, if you don't knock it off. I'm going to hand you over to drunk Perkins. And he overheard it. And he was so ashamed. And it brought him to his senses.

[43:38] And Jesus saved him out of that. And made him into a different kind of man. That's what Jesus does. And that's what Jesus is doing in us. So let's live like it. Well, let's pray.

[43:51] Heavenly Father, thank you that you give us these words. And you give us this truth. You give us this clarity.

[44:01] This is reality. This is the way it is. And so we need to buy it and not sell it. We need to bring it on board and live it out. And so I pray that you would be pleased to put your blessing upon this message.

[44:16] Holy Spirit, take these truths and plant them in us. And make them to bear fruit. Fruit of self-control. Fruit of wisdom. Fruit of love for you.

[44:28] Fear of you. That we would be so in awe of you. That we would be very careful about how we live. Not as people who belong to the night.

[44:40] But as people who belong to the day. Help us to walk in that. That kind of serious, beautiful, glorious, wise joy.

[44:51] That you want for us. That you are giving us in Jesus Christ. Help us to walk in that. In this coming week. Pray that you would save sinners.

[45:03] And open their hearts and their eyes to you. That those sitting in darkness might see a great light. Pray this for Jesus' sake. For his glory. That people might prize and treasure him.

[45:16]  In his name. Amen. Amen.