Insights for Life – God’s Plan

16 October 2022 PM – Proverbs 4:1-2 – Insights – Scott Childs

Introduction: God is the creator of all that exists. Because He created life, He knows better than anyone else how to make it work right. In His sovereign wisdom, God created humans as male and female. He ordained marriage between one man and one woman for life. God designed for married couples to have children. He wisely planned for the family to be the happy environment where boys and girls would be loved, cared for, taught the Scriptures, trained, disciplined, guided and mentored into mature, godly and happy adults.

            Because foolishness is bound in the heart of a child (Pr 22:15) and the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9), Dads and Mums have a challenging task. This evening, we are going to begin a study through Proverbs 4 that I have entitled Insights for Life. In this chapter, I want us to discover some of God’s insights that can help each of us. These insights are for parents, for children, and for all of us who have been children.

Transition: This evening, as we look at Proverbs 4:1-2, I want us to see what God says about His plan for our lives.

1. God’s plan is orderly

a.         God gave us a manual for life

1)         Being our Creator, He always knows exactly what is best.

2)         God wisely gave us the Bible as our instruction manual for life. Here is a summary of God’s manual.

a)         Those who ignore the Bible and the principles therein, will miss God’s best, often make a mess of their lives, and ultimately will eternally pay for their own sin in hell.

b)         Those who learn to follow the Bible and the principles therein, can enjoy God’s blessing, avoid foolish rabbit trails in life, receive Christ as their Saviour from hell and enjoy eternal life with God.

b.         God gave us parents to teach us His manual.

1)         God has ordained that parents, particularly dads, be the instructors for their children to teach and exemplify God’s Word. In Proverbs, when you find an instruction to a son or child, remember that it takes a parent to voice that instruction. We dare not just preach the kid’s duties; we must see the parental duties to teach the Bible.

2)         From the beginning, God placed man in the driver’s seat. Dad is to be the leader of his home. Mum is his completer and helper, but Dad carries the load and accountability.

c.          God wants children to learn and obey the manual.

1)         Solomon is here speaking to his children (TR sons 41x, children 10x, other 4x). God knows that childhood is the best time to learn to follow His manual, the Bible.

2)         Parents have the duty to inform, but children have the duty to perform.

2.        God’s plan is clear

a.         Parents must teach their children.

b.         You cannot teach what you do not know.

1)         You must know what instruction means and how to do it God’s way. As you look up the Hebrew word, you will find that it speaks of discipline, chastening or correction. It is instruction that changes a child’s direction through enforcement of discipline or chastening. You also must know what God wants you to instruct. As you study the Bible, you will learn that it includes right and wrong and godly character. Make a list. Formulate a plan. Live an example before them.

2)         You must learn understanding so that you can pass it on to your children. Look up this Hebrew word. It means to have understanding or discernment. It is the ability to make proper distinctions between good and evil, right and wrong, safe and dangerous, godly and worldly, etc. You must learn this before you can teach it.

3)         You must have a grip on good doctrine so that you can plant it in your child’s heart. Good doctrine is good teaching. It is Bible truths and principles. It includes a thorough knowledge of God and His character. It is having a proper fear of God. It is understanding the Gospel. Every parent ought to read through God’s manual regularly.

4)         You must know God’s law so that you can properly enforce it in your home. Study God’s manual, the Bible. Be able to find answers to all your child’s questions with the Bible. God’s law is for our good, not our grief. Make God’s law your law. Live by the Book!

c.          Once you know truth, you must teach truth.

1)         Parents must instruct biblically.

a)         You cannot instruct biblically if you do not practice biblical discipline. God said, (Proverbs 22:15) “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (Proverbs 29:15) “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.“

b)         I believe God used this word because He knows if you do not inspect what you expect, children will often disobey. Giving instruction without discipline to reinforce it is like pouring water on a duck, it will run right off. That is why so many children ignore their parent’s instructions.

2)         Parents must impart understanding or discernment. Let your children see this in your example. Find ways to point this out. Study the wise man and the fool with them in family Bible time. Make a list of their distinctions.

3)         Parents must share good doctrine. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7) “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Use every discipline session to point the child’s sinful heart to God’s solution in the Gospel. Disobedience is ultimately against God. Child discipline reminds the child that God will judge sin.

4)         Parents must flesh out God’s law. Seek to live biblically and consistently. Teach your children to live by the Bible and to think biblically. Teach them to sift life’s choices through the Bible’s grid, (1Th 5:21-22).

3.        God’s plan is necessary

Because the plan is necessary, God gives children four challenges.

a.         Hear

1)         This word means to hear with obedience. Listen to and learn from enforced instruction.

2)         If you obediently hear your parent’s instructions, they will give you valuable insights for life.

b.         Attend

1)         To attend to has to do with paying attention.

2)         To attend to know understanding is to pay attention to what your parents do and say so that you can know by experience how to discern right and wrong, good and bad. This is a valuable insight for life.

c.          Receive

1)         If your parents give you good doctrine from the Bible, your part is to receive it.

2)         If you spit the dummy and reject the good doctrine given to you, you will be the loser. If you refuse to repent and believe the Gospel, on Judgment Day, you will have no one to blame but yourself.

d.         Forsake not

1)         To forsake is to leave behind, depart from, or to abandon.

2)         God gives this warning because He knows that the sinful hearts of young people often lead them to depart from their parent’s rules and the Bible’s guidelines. As an insight for life, God warns, do not forsake these laws!

Conclusion: These two verses contain helpful insights for life. God’s plan is orderly, clear and necessary. God wrote life’s manual, the Bible and life will never work right if you refuse to follow God’s manual. Parents, are you teaching and exemplifying God’s truths as you need to? Children, are you obeying the challenges God has given you to hear, attend, receive and not forsake your parent’s instructions? If you are not following God’s plan, it is time you begin.

Song: His Way with Thee – 367