In his sermon on Proverbs 1:1-18, Kenny Hempen emphasizes the importance of wisdom as the foundation of a righteous life. The sermon highlights the need for discernment and knowledge, particularly in today's society, where traditional values and authority are often undermined. Hempen stresses the role of the Bible, specifically Proverbs, as a crucial guide for fathers in instructing their families, urging them to lead by example and reflect on the paths they choose. He draws attention to societal issues such as the devaluation of life, redefined sexuality, and the erosion of authority, linking these to a lack of wisdom. The sermon warns against the influence of immoral paths, using the metaphor of a 'chocolate-covered cockroach' to depict their deceptive allure. Hempen encourages individuals to ponder their life paths, seek God's wisdom, and choose the path of righteousness that leads to life and salvation.

Good morning. We're going to be looking at several passages and Proverbs today. And I talked to Greg and I don't know if we've got the first part we're going to be reading up on the screen or not. But if you have your Bibles, please open in the Proverbs. We're going to be staying right there, so it shouldn't be too difficult to follow along.

We're going to begin in Proverbs chapter 1. We'll read verses 1 through 18. Yep, I changed that. So 1, OK. 1 through 18 up there.

Now I have no idea what you're talking about. OK, we're good. We're good. As long as you've got it open to Proverbs, you'll be fine. So please give heed and pay attention to the reading of God's Word.

Of all things set up here today, there's nothing more important than what we will read in the Word of God. God wrote a book And we have the privilege to look into it today. Proverbs 1. The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel, to know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice and equity, to give prudence to the simple knowledge and discretion to the youth. Let the wise hear and increase in learning and the one who understands obtain guidance.

To understand a proverb and a saying the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Here my son your father's instruction and forsake not your mother's teaching for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

If they say, come with us, let us lie and wait for blood. Let us ambush the innocent without reason. Like Sheol, Let us swallow them alive and whole like those who go down to the pit. We shall find all precious goods. We shall fill our houses with plunder.

Throw in your lot among us and we will all have one purse. My son, do not walk in the way with them. Hold back your foot from their path, for their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed blood. For In vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood and set an ambush for their own lives. Let us pray.

Father, your word is sufficient for our lives. It is sufficient to make us wise and to salvation to cause us to know you. Father, thank you that you loved us enough to send your word. God, may it be your word that speaks today. May you give us insight, may you give us wisdom.

We thank you for this in Jesus name, Amen. I was actually going to set my phone with a timer. You know, it's really hard when you're talking to know what time it is. It really is. And to know how long you've gone.

It just is hard to know. So that should help. Fathers, if you are needing a place to begin to teach and instruct your family, look to the entirety of the Word of God, but look to Proverbs. God gave us a book of wisdom. It's just a compiled book of wisdom to teach and instruct and primarily for fathers to instruct their sons and daughters.

And what a great resource it is. So we're gonna look at a couple things here. We're gonna look through this one through 18, but then we're gonna look at what the proverb says about the path of your life and the path of your feet. You know, you might be saying to yourself today, as we look at the world, what in the world is going on? What in the world is happening to our country?

And folks, we have a deficit today of wisdom. And this is where it's led us. The old ways have been torn up and thrown out. The established ways that at least worked for some sort of society in some form have been thrown out. We have seen that life has been devalued through the slaughter of millions of babies through abortion.

And really, anyone not of value in their opinion is disposed of. Sexuality has been redefined and perverted. It's been mangled. Authority is now a dirty word. The police and law enforcement are now the enemy.

And lawless Marxist Rioters are now praised in the streets. Authority is an enemy in the church, in the home. It is looked down upon. As a result of these problems, we have seen a number of effects in our society. And there is not even an agreement on the basic fundamentals of life as to how we are to exist or how our laws should work.

People have grown deaf to wisdom. Pulpits have grown silent to teaching God's Word and teaching against sin. Listen, the Bible says that there will come a time when they will heap up for themselves teachers because they will no longer endure sound doctrine. And they will heap up for themselves false teachers because they have itching ears, teachers that will tell them what they want to hear. And that's what we have today in most pulpits.

And people love it. People have grown wise in their own eyes. They do what is right in their own eyes. The Bible says that there is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end is the way of death. There is a serious lack of wisdom or discernment in our world today even amongst the highest of government officials or leadership So who do we believe?

Who should we listen to? Should we listen to God's Word should we listen to a government official? Should we listen to a doctor, a scientist? I am truly amazed that what I've seen happen, that a man can step out in a white lab coat with a few letters behind his name. And he can make statements with no foundation whatsoever to back any of it up.

And people step in line and follow the dictates of whatever he says, whether that's concerning the environment or COVID or the economy, whatever it may be. Listen, our foundation must be the Word of God. It must be sufficient for all the things going on in our lives. So we live in a mixed up world. Proverbs is a one stop shop to answer all these things.

So what are some of the things that Proverbs teaches us? It tells us of God's will for faith and life that God's Word is sufficient. In this world you are surrounded with thousands of forms of media from fake book, Twitter, 24-7 news, billboards, magazines, etc. Were just pounded all day long. And each one of these has given you a message to form your world view.

Listen, there's a voice above all these things, a voice from the Most High, a voice from the King of Kings, a creator of all things, the one who sustains the universe, The one who created by his spoken word. He is the authority. So what could be more important these days than knowledge and discernment and discretion to have that in our families and our lives because the world doesn't have it, the world doesn't offer it. Proverbs 1 8 says that the primary lesson of Proverbs here in 1 8 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Folks if you don't have the fear of the Lord, you don't even have the beginning of wisdom.

And I want to tell you one telltale sign of someone who does not have the fear of the Lord. If you hear a man curse God's name or use God's name flippantly, he does not have the fear of the Lord. That is a telltale sign. His mouth will give him away immediately before you need to know anything about him. Listen, we need to have a clear view of who we are and who God is.

God is not your buddy. He's not the man upstairs. He's not the big guy in the sky watching over you. He is the creator of the universe. He is the sustainer.

He does all things according to his good pleasure. Listen, by the way, he is watching over you. He's watching everything. His eyes sees all things. Proverbs 521, it says, for the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord.

And he ponders all his path. We're going to look pretty soon about pondering your path. I want you to understand that God is pondering your path. He sees all things. He sees every deed done in darkness.

He hears every idle word. He even knows the thoughts and intentions of your heart. He is watching. He is all-knowing. Let's look at just a list here.

I'm just going to run through a list here of some things that Proverbs addresses. I've got all the verses written down. I'm just going to hit what the subjects are. Friendship, discretion, to keep you from sexual immorality, what wisdom does good for you, how to trust in the Lord, how to be a good neighbor, Wise instruction, marriage, how to have a godly marriage. In Proverbs six, how to work hard, the value of working hard.

Protection, truthfulness, how to love people. Just dealings, the danger of pride. Listen, God is opposed to the proud. The importance of hearing and listening. Kiddos, how many times have we talked about this?

You know that Proverbs, Just in Proverbs, the word hear or listen is said 70 times. So before you can learn and obtain wisdom, you must learn to listen and hear. Not just hear sound waves with your eardrum, but to hear with your soul. You must learn to hear. It talks about anger, wealth, boasting, clothing, and raising children.

Take a minute with me and turn to Proverbs. Well, I tell you what, while you're still in Proverbs 1, Let's look at 1.15. We're going to look at two words here, the word path and the word away. The path you're on and the way that you take. Proverbs 1.15, my son, do not walk in the way with them.

Hold back your foot from their paths. Please turn with me to Proverbs 4, verse 26, just a few pages over, 4.26. This is gonna be our text for this part. Ponder the path of your feet and let all your ways be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left, turn your foot from evil.

The new King James in that last verse, it says remove your foot from evil. I actually like that better, to remove your foot from evil. What path are you on? Listen, this is an appeal to think about the pattern or the path of your life, to ponder the path of your life. You know that most people spend more time thinking about where they're going to take their two weeks of summer vacation than where they're going to spend eternity.

The Bible says to ponder, to stop and think about our path. Where are your feet taking you? What path are you on? All paths lead somewhere. Listen, there's one or two paths in life.

There is the path of wisdom, there's the path of righteousness that leads to life, and there's a path of foolishness and destruction that leads to death. And you're on one of those two paths. So consider the path that you're on. Ponder. To think about your life.

To take stock. Listen, church, one of the reasons being church, church is a great time to do this. When you're under the teaching of the Word of God, this is another reason that prayer is important and personal Bible reading time is important to reflect upon where you're going and what you're doing. Choose your path, what path you're following. It is said when they began to build the Alaska Highway that there was a path that was there.

And at the beginning of this path there was a sign, and the sign said, choose your rut carefully. You'll be in it for a long time. Choose your rut carefully. You know Sometimes it's hard to get out of a rut once you're in it. But God's word, the power of the Holy Spirit, can get you out of a rut.

So think about that rut that you've chosen. Proverbs, it speaks here about, it makes an appeal to fathers. I wanted to speak here to fathers and I want to speak here, I want you to know fathers that I need this more than anyone here. God gives us tremendous authority in our home. He gives us a tremendous responsibility.

He gives us tremendous freedom that we have in our home. And it's actually, He gives us a tremendous liability with that. So here's a question I want you to consider, fathers. As we began to see remarkable things going on in our culture, and I think that we're going to see more of that. So the question is, will you be disciplined for the way that you've led and instructed your wife, your family, the way you've run your home, the way you've conducted yourself at work?

And how about the gospel itself, The gospel that has either been brought to your home, brought to those around you or not. You'll be held responsible. We've been given tremendous duty. And listen, you'll find them all in Proverbs. God tells us what to do in his word.

He says, he's told us to teach the things written in Proverbs. Again, fathers, listen, if you'll just teach the things written in Proverbs, That is a wonderful place to start. Deuteronomy 6 says that you should teach your children when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And that's the only times you have to do it. Ephesians 6 says to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Are we bringing up our children? Is that our primary goal? Listen, the Bible makes it very clear that all these things were done by the power of the Holy Spirit. We need God to do in our families what we cannot do for ourselves. But he has given us a guideline of how to do this.

He's told us what to do. And listen, if the Word of God is not being opened up in your home, it's like a mechanic that doesn't open his toolbox. He can't get the work done. He's got to open the toolbox up and get the tools out. And God gave us the tools, and Proverbs is a wonderful source of tools for that.

How have you used your authority? Have you exercised your duty thus far? Are you discipling and discipling your children in the word of God? I want you fathers to consider and reconsider the path of your feet. Listen, as fathers, it's very serious what we do with our lives.

It's very serious the decisions we make and the places we go. It's very serious what we bring into our family because if you fail at this, your family will suffer. That's a guarantee. Are we preparing our children for what's ahead of them? Not only in this life.

I'm not only speaking about preparing them for the issues going on in this life. I'm talking about preparing them for eternity. Wisdom, wisdom unto salvation is what we want. Fill them up with Bible doctrine. Here's another thing, you don't have much time.

I don't consider myself an old man, but I have grown children. And I'm telling you, you don't have much time. They'll be gone. They'll be out of your house. Some of you know this.

And you don't have much time. I'm as guilty as anyone here of saying, I'll do it tomorrow. And we don't have time. So consider your responsibility. You don't have time to waste.

So the path that you are currently on is the direction your life is going. It's who you're becoming. The path that you're in right now is the person you're becoming. It's the way that your family is heading. And if you've pondered your path, if God deals with you about that path, ask him to give you strength to get out of that.

Take time to take a good look. And then what Proverbs 4.26 says, remove your foot from evil. Sometimes it's easy to discern good from evil. What can be difficult is discerning good from best oftentimes. And remove your foot from evil, remove your foot from the path that is not taking you towards God.

Sorry. So all these paths can be found in Proverbs. So here's some questions I'm going to ask you. And all these questions have to do with the word path or way. We're going to look at the scripture verse and then I'm going to ask you a question and we're gonna read that verse.

And all these are found in Proverbs. And we're gonna see through this what path and what direction your life is heading. So I don't actually have these marked out myself, so I'll be as slow as you are getting to them. So let's get back in Proverbs chapter 1 first of all. Chapter 1 10 through 15.

Are you walking in the path of sinners? 1 10 through 15. My son, if sinners entice you do not consent. If they say come with us let us lie in wait for blood. Let us ambush the innocent without reason.

Like Sheol let us swallow them alive and whole like those who go down to the pit. We shall find all precious goods. We shall fill our houses with plunder. Throw in your lot among us. We will all have one purse.

My son, do not walk in the way with them. Hold back your foot from their paths." Plural, there's multiple paths that these people are on. Listen, who are your closest companions? Are they God-fearing men and women, or are they wicked people? Not only your closest companion, but fathers, who do you bring into your home?

Listen, you're little kids, when you bring someone into your home, you're really endorsing that you are in agreement with that person's lifestyle. Listen, I'm not saying you can't have ungodly friends. We should be witnessing to them. What I'm saying is when they're your companions and your children hear people that are your close friends cursing God's name, telling perverted jokes, they have a foul mouth, You're endorsing that. Maybe you don't talk like that.

Maybe you don't tell those jokes, but you're telling your kids that I think this is a great guy and I want him to be around our family. Be very careful who your companions are. Young people, choose your companions carefully. Proverbs 1 19. Are you walking on the path of the greedy?

Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy of unjust gain. It takes away the life of the possessors. Is all this talked about in your home money, the love of money and possessions? How about 131? Are you eating the bitter fruit from your way?

131. Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. You will always eat the fruit of your path. You'll either eat the rotten fruit, or you'll eat good fruit, but you will be forced to eat the fruit of your path that you're on. You will reap what you sow.

Proverbs 2, 7 through 9. Are you experiencing the protection of a holy path? He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity in every good path.

You see those words there, shield, guarding, watching over. This is what we want God to do in our lives. So we must do these things, We must live in wisdom to experience God's protection. Proverbs 2, 1-7. Is your path charted by God's word or something else?

Do we understand the good path? 2, 1-7, My Son, if you receive My words and treasure up my commandments within you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding. Yes, if you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek her like silver and search for her as hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord. For the Lord gives wisdom, I'm sorry I missed that, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright and he is a shield to those who walk in integrity. Your life will be guarded. Proverbs 2, 18 and 19. Are you on any paths of death? Consider this, the immoral woman, do you know what the primary theme of the first nine chapters of Proverbs is?

Adultery, fornication, because he knows the destruction and the temptation that is brought to a young man by this. Listen, young men, we live in a world today that we are just surrounded by this. In every advertisement, everything is sold with this. You know, it's in your face all the time. 2, 18 and 19, for her house sinks down to death, and her paths are departed.

None who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life. Listen, that's a path of death. It says that none who go to her regain the paths of life. Listen, there's some things that you can do, young man, young woman, old man, old woman, that you don't return from. You don't go there and come back.

You don't come back the way you went. And sexual immorality is that one thing. And notice to get there, there are many paths there. How How about this one? Probably 1521, turn all the way over to 1521.

See if this describes our current society somewhat. Folly is joy to him who lacks sense, But a man of understanding walks straight ahead. Listen, we have a world filled with silly men, silly fathers. They love silliness. Are you on the path of silliness?

We live in silly times when men are not ashamed of themselves to act like children, to play games all day, to be engaged on the internet, Video games, folly. And maybe you think that there's joy in folly. If you take joy in folly and rejoice in the folly of the wicked, The Bible says that you are absolutely destitute of wisdom. That is a sign that you are absolutely destitute of any wisdom when you take joy and folly. Proverbs 9, 6.

This is a call to leave the simple ways. Proverbs 9, 6, please. Leave. This is a call of wisdom, pleading. Leave your simple ways and live and walk in the ways of insight.

This is a call out to that simpleton, to the scoffer, to leave. Leave your simple ways. Leave your foolish behavior. Come and partake of wisdom. To forsake wisdom and go on the way of understanding.

Listen, the world wants you to be a simple, silly man. That's what it gives you. A man who laughs at everything, that cannot take anything serious. He is simple and has no discernment, no wisdom. Turn back to 3-5 please.

Are you on the paths defined by trusting in the Lord? 3-5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall make straight your paths. You want God to make your path straight?

Acknowledge him in all your ways. Do not trust in your own heart, lean on Him. Find my way here. About three, let's move over here. Three, seventeen and eighteen.

Let's move over here. 3, 17, and 18. And let's move up to 13. 3, 13. Let's start there.

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom and the one who gets understanding. For the gain from her is better than gain from silver, and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand and in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to all those who lay hold of her. To those who hold her fast are called blessed. Listen, are you on a path of wisdom, a path of pleasantness? Turn to Proverbs 5, 3 through 11. Are you on the path of the pornographic woman?

Are you on the path of the pornographic woman? Proverbs addresses this. For the lips of a forbidden woman, King James is an adulterous woman. Drip honey. Her speech is smoother than oil.

But in the end, she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her steps follow the path of sheol, or hell. She does not ponder the path of life. Her ways wander and she does not know it.

Oh now and now oh son listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless. Lest Strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner. And at the end of your life, you groan when your flesh and your body are consumed, and you say, how I hated discipline. And my heart despised reproof, and I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.

I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembly of the congregation. Such a destructive path. I'm going to use an analogy here that I've used teaching young men several times. You've all had a chocolate covered raisin or a chocolate covered peanut, chocolate covered almonds, where they take an almond or a peanut or an ice cream cone and they dip it in chocolate. There's a fine thin layer of delicious chocolate over top of this item.

I want you to understand, this immoral woman, it says that her speech is smoother than oil, her lips drip as honey, she is so enticing, she looks so wonderful from the outside. I want to use this to help you remember this. She is like a chocolate covered cockroach. She looks so delicious and appetizing. But the minute you partake of her, There is a split second of pleasure and then you bite into that filthy, stinking, crunchy, nasty cockroach.

And that's what she's like. The outside has an appeal to it, but inside she's a stinking, nasty, filthy cockroach. And it warns of this, that her speech is smooth. I mean, She's such a smooth talker. She's so beautiful.

For her ways, she does not ponder the path. Listen, the Bible tells us to ponder our path. She does not ponder her path in verse 6. And her ways are the ways to hell. Ponder your path.

Listen, Proverbs is what David taught his son. This is such a great book to take your children to, to teach your sons. This is what David taught his son. Here's a question. Are you pondering your path?

Have you surrounded yourselves with wise counselors? Or have you surrounded yourself with foolish companions? A foolish companion will always pull you to the path thereon. Wise men will pull you on the path of life. Are you considering your path?

What path are you on? Again, there are two paths. There's a path of life. There's a path of wisdom. There's a path of the righteous that leads to life, everlasting life.

And there's a path of death. There's a path of foolishness that the world wants you to be on. The Bible says that that is the way of death. That there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it is the way of death. Are you pondering your path?

Again, God is pondering your path. In Proverbs 521, Again, for a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord. And he, that is God, ponders all your path. He knows what path you're on. Listen, the path of wisdom leads to repentance, it leads to salvation, it leads to life.

The path of the foolish leads to destruction and eternal death. So I ask you to ponder today what path are you on? If you're on the wrong path, remove your foot from evil. Choose carefully the rut that you're in. Let us pray.

Father, may you do for us what we cannot do. We are blind men and women left to ourselves. You say that your word, God, is a light into our path. We do not walk in darkness. May you light our path that we may see, that we may see evil, that we may see error.

God, we want to be on the path of life that only You can give. Father, let us have wisdom. Let us ponder the things we're doing in our families, in our homes, in our personal lives. God, bring us to repentance. Bring us to a place, Father, that is pleasing unto you and put us on the path of life.

God we thank you for this in the name of Jesus Amen.