 The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life. Proverbs 18:11-20 A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own imagination. Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor. He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him. The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, But as for a broken spirit who can bear it? The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. A man’s gift makes room for him And brings him before great men. The first to plead his case seems right, Until another comes and examines him. The cast lot puts an end to strife And decides between the mighty ones. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a citadel. With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Sitting in the breakroom on a typical workday is an eye opening, and often frustrating experience. Talk of sports, hobbies, entertainment, politics, and workplace complaints dominates the discussion. “What satisfies me, or tickles my fancy right now” seems to be the mantra that most people live by. The only thoughts given to the future, seem to revolve around things like: “ Where will I spend my retirement? How much money will I have at my disposal? What things can I accumulate to spend my time on? “, and so on. There is no discussion of life after death. There is no thought about eternity. There is no care or concern for souls, theirs or their “loved ones”. There is only seeking after that which satisfies my stomach in the here and now, and that which will satisfy my stomach in the future. There is an acquiring of things to satisfy stomachs, not an acquiring of knowledge. This very common perspective on life is not how the Proverb describes a person who could be said to be prudent. “The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge”. A prudent person acts with or shows care and thought for, the future. A prudent person is said to be wise, sensible, or shrewd. With Christ as LORD over all, and the wrath of God abiding on those who walk in darkness and are condemned already, the only prudent course in life would be to acquire an understanding of how one might be saved from the wrath to come and how one should live having been saved by the grace of God. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. But alas, those who are walking in darkness love their sin, they love to have their carnal minds and appetites satisfied by the things of this life here and now. They have no real concern for the future. There is no fear of God before their eyes. The message of the cross is foolishness to them. This knowledge gets in their way, like a stumbling block. You know people like this. Perhaps you have tried sharing the gospel with them, perhaps you have sought to paint a more realistic picture of the future for them, and yet they persist in their folly. Pray for them. Continue to answer the fool according to their folly lest they be wise in their own eyes. Contrast the foolishness of pursuing carnal lusts with the pursuit of the knowledge of the Holy One. Pray that God would grant them eyes to see and ears to hear, and that they would fear the LORD. Perhaps this foolishness is something you engage in. Pursuing this or that activity without a thought to God’s will. Wasting time in the here and now, without a thought to the future, as one who is prudent. Planning things down the road without considering the eternal ramifications. Filling your mind with things that have no eternal significance, rather than pursuing knowledge of Christ. I know for me, often times in my desire to find rest or peace, I will engage in mindless entertainment, to “ help take my mind off things”. Is this prudent? Should my mind not instead be set on the things above? Should it not instead be searching the scriptures, remembering that it is through Christ that we have peace, not through the latest movie, not the trending videos online, not the newest release from my favorite author. Acquiring a knowledge of Christ is prudent. Let us pray how we have failed to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts by pursuing after things that will turn back to dust, rather than pursuing after the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father, Please be merciful to us sinners. We are men, women, boys, and girls, of dust. Please O LORD, remember our frames, that we are weak and feeble. Father, please help us in our pathetic state. You have caused us to be born again, illuminated our minds, yet so often we forget Your beauty, we forget how it is You who satisfies our souls, we forget that You are our peace, and You Who directs our steps and holds our future, so we seek to satisfy ourselves and secure that future by carnal means. Lord, we are sinful. It is amazing how Wonderful You are, to save people like us, then we turn around and chase after worldly pursuits rather than a greater knowledge of You. Heavenly Father, please grant us repentant hearts that we might seek to know You with greater fervency, and Lord, please give us clean hearts, steadfast spirits, and minds set on the things above, so that we might not forget that it is You that provides, satisfies, and sustains us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: Malachi 4:2-3 But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the Lord of hosts. Lift up your hearts!!!!
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 The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life. Proverbs 18:1-10 He who separates himself seeks his own desire, He quarrels against all sound wisdom. A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind. When a wicked man comes, contempt also comes, And with dishonor comes scorn. The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. To show partiality to the wicked is not good, Nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment. A fool’s lips bring strife, And his mouth calls for blows. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul. The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body. He also who is slack in his work Is brother to him who destroys. The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe. Genesis 2:15 tells us “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it”. When God created man in His image, He created man with a desire for work, and this desire is one of the many ways we reflect the nature of God as His creations. God created man to work and keep the garden, and saw that it was good. Since the fall however, man’s perspective of work has been distorted along with every other aspect of creation. While God sees work as good, we see burden. God works to create, provide, and protect: we destroy, consume, and shirk our responsibilities. We can look to Christ and see that He was always doing the Father’s business, while we are often pursuing after our own appetites. The Proverb today tells us that “He also who is slack in his work Is brother to him who destroys.” Who do we know from scripture that Jesus said comes to kill, steal, and DESTROY? It is none other than Satan himself. So when we are slack in our work, we identify more closely with Satan, than with our Heavenly Father. God gives life, Satan kills. God is a giver of good things, Satan is a thief. God is a creator, Satan destroys. When we sin by not being faithful workers in that which God has given us to do, we reflect Satan, not our Heavenly Father. God has given each of us work to do: Husbands, to love your wife, lay down your life for her, to protect her, lead, and provide; Father’s, to train your children up in the way they should go, to sharpen your arrows, and launch them into the world to do battle, when they are ready. Wives, you have been tasked with submitting to your husband, managing your household, being a helper to your husband; as mother’s, you were created to nurture and care for your children, to teach them the fear and instruction of the LORD, without provoking to anger. Children, you have been commanded by God to honor your Father and Mother, to do unto others as you would have them do to you, to be diligent in your studies, to be obedient, the first time, without grumbling and disputing, ALL to the Glory of God. All of us have been given work to do. Are you being faithful in all the work God has given you? Can you say with the Apostle Paul that whatever you do, you work heartily unto the LORD? If able, join me in kneeling as we confess how we have failed to keep God’s commands to be diligent workers. “Alas O LORD, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from your commandments and ordinances” ( Daniel 9: 4,5). Heavenly Father, where You have commanded that we work, we slack. Where you have given us responsibilities, we have been neglectful. Heavenly Father, in accordance to Your will and good pleasure, You have created us male and female, and as Your elect, caused us to be born again. As new creations in Christ Jesus, we have been blessed to participate in good works prepared beforehand, yet we sin against You when we instead embrace the flesh, the world, and the schemes of Satan, by setting aside your command to work, rather than following after Your Son Jesus in obedience. Please forgive us Father. Please fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and transform us by the renewing of our minds, so that we might walk in the Spirit, so as to not carry out the desires of our flesh. It’s in the name of Your Son Jesus that we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Lift up your hearts!!!! (From the May 20th 2018 Liturgy of Sovereign King Church written by Aaron Sabie
 The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life: Proverbs 17: 21-28 He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy. A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones. A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom To pervert the ways of justice. Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. A foolish son is a grief to his father And bitterness to her who bore him. It is also not good to fine the righteous, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness. He who restrains his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent. I know a man who 17 years ago, was accused, arrested, put on trial, and found guilty of murdering two people. The facts of the case seemed vague to me at the time, and honestly, I often wonder whether he actually committed the crimes or not. What isn’t in dispute, however, is the impact this event has had on the man’s mother. It crushed her. To me, she has been reduced to a shell of a person. She has become jaded, and bitter. Her son, whether guilty or not, because of the foolishness of man, has been separated from her, possibly for the entirety of this lifetime. “A foolish son is grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him”. As Pastor Joseph frequently reminds us, our sinful, foolish ways and their scope do not simply stop with us. Children, your foolishness brings grief to your father, and bitterness to your mother. When you grumble, when you back talk, when you bicker with your siblings, when you are not faithful in the little things, this sin doesn’t simply weigh on you, it can lead to grief and bitterness within your parents. When I say children, I speak to all of us here. All of us are someone’s child. How might you be causing bitterness and grief in your mother and father this morning? On this Lord’s Day, let us examine ourselves. Let us recognize areas of foolish behavior in our lives where we fail to honor father and mother, bringing grief and bitterness to their hearts, and incurring the discipline of our Heavenly Father in our life. Let us confess to the Lord how we have failed to keep His Law with our foolish behavior. If you are able, please kneel with me at this time. Dear Heavenly Father, all of us are like sheep, we have gone astray, each to our own way. Please be merciful to us in our foolishness O LORD. Please grant us discerning hearts that we may recognize the many ways our foolish behavior has lead to grief and bitterness in the hearts of father and mother. LORD, please give us repentant hearts, that we might turn from this foolishness and seek reconciliation with those whom our sins have caused harm. LORD, we deserve nothing from Your hand but death, but You are merciful and full of grace. We thank You for this and pray earnestly for more grace. Heavenly Father, please forgive us for our sins. Please help us to be humble, that we might be used by You to bring healing to relationships that our sins have strained, leaving grief and bitterness in their wake. Heavenly Father, help us to be like your Son Jesus, who honored you in everything, always doing Your Holy will, and with whom You were well pleased. It’s in His Mighty Name that we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe Psalm 103:8-13 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins,Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west,So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him Lift up your hearts to the Lord!!!! (From the 4-13-18 liturgy of Sovereign King Church written by Aaron Sabie.
 John 19:5 Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” Behold, the Man: Here he is beaten and bruised. The plowers plowed upon him back: they made long their furrows. He has given his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: he hid not his face from shame and spitting. Behold the Man: he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Behold the Man: He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Behold the Man: His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. Notice how the Mob responds. They are not satisfied with the torture of Christ. Here is a man before them who has been beaten beyond recognition and they are not happy. They did not have compassion upon him. Vs 6 So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” They had no mercy upon him. This is according to our Father’s plan. God spared no mercy on His son so that you and I may have the mercy of God. The Father’s wrath was not satisfied until the son of God was crucified and dead. Until Christ bore the curse of hanging on the tree, the curse of the law, God the Father was not satisfied. Be mindful of how wicked our sin is. Scourging was not enough to cover our sin and shame. That favorite sin that you hang on to requires the full wrath of God poured out on Christ on the cross. The only thing that can satisfy the divine wrath of God for your sin is the complete suffering and death of Christ. They yelled Crucify Him. Crucify Him. But Our sin yelled Crucify louder than the mob that day.  I made a post after the kentucky derby that caught the ire of several people online. The offending post said "At the Kentucky Derby, woman after woman came to the track drunk and half naked. I wonder how many left saying #Metoo" This blog is an attempt to explain what I mean about lust and immodesty.
Matthew 18:7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! Everyone is responsible for their own sin but one way we can sin is by causing a temptation to others. We are not Islands unto ourselves. Our sin impacts others tempting them to sin and their sin will impact us. This absolves no one of their own sin. Lust and immodesty feed each other. Men (and women) will be held responsible for their lust. Men must fight it especially in our current culture where temptation abounds. This is a battle where the main weapons are prayer, bible meditation, and retreat. Flee temptation men. Don't think that you just are supposed to grin and bear it. Joseph did not just grin and bear with Potiphar's wife. He fled. I have read some things online that have made it seem like you are a weak and unspiritual man if you can't just stare at immodestly dressed women all day and bear the temptation. There is nothing weak or unspiritual about fleeing the temptation. You may have to do a lot of eye bouncing, a lot of leaving certain areas, and a lot of repentance. But fight lust you must. You cannot blame others for your sin. Women (and men) will be held responsible for providing a temptation to others by their vanity and immodesty. When you dress immodestly (whether its for vain reasons or out of selfish desire for comfort) you are the one from whom temptation comes. There has been a lot of talk online that men just need to fight lust and women can do whatever they want without any regard for their brothers or sisters. You don't get to be an Island unto yourselves. Your actions have consequences. Satan is a tempter and an accuser. Many women want to be just like him. You dress in a way that any person with common sense knows will draw attention and then you want to accuse someone when that attention comes. You fish with certain bait and act surprised when you catch the type of fish you baited for. Read this part very carefully : Women should never ever be abused. Children are unable to give permission for child abuse and they are unable to tempt an adult. No abuser can say that the person they abused was asking for it. No abuser can blame another person for their crime. Child abusers and rapists should be given the death penalty. Yet there is such a there is such a thing as foolishness. If I live in an area where there are a lot of break-ins and I leave my doors unlocked at night and my valuables laying around and I am robbed, I am not guilty of the theft but I am guilty of being a fool. My foolishness has consequences. I may even be guilty of having been a temptation to the robber if I were advertising that my valuables were wide open. In a similar manner, women can be fools and tempters by how they dress or the situations they put themselves in. For example, going to the Kentucky derby half naked and getting drunk with men especially unregenerate men is a very foolish thing to do indeed. You don't get to act a fool and then proclaim complete innocence afterwards. Now listen, there are women who dress modestly and scumbag men will still harass them. There are women who were not acting foolish and yet were still abused. Someone can have the best security system on their home and still be robbed. In those cases, wisdom was followed and yet God still allowed evil to occur. Women do not need to beat themselves up thinking over and over again what they could have done differently. The bible teaches that if we train up our children in the way they should go when they are old they will not depart from it. This is wisdom and yet there are times when a child is reared in wisdom and yet they do depart from the way. The promises of wisdom are axiomatic promises. They are not magic levers where you pull the right lever and push the right buttons and nothing bad ever happens. But since there are children who do grow up and leave the faith, does this mean that we should throw out biblical instruction and train up our children without the fear of the Lord. No, that would be foolish and it most likely would result in worse consequences. In the same way, since men may still lust if you dress modestly does this mean you should say I will wear whatever and its all on them? Does this mean you should just be a tempter since men may lust anyways? Absolutely not. Be wise and not a fool. Look to God's word for wisdom. Modesty is a love God and love your neighbor thing. Immodesty not only is a temptation to your neighbor but it is an affront to God because at its heart is pride and idolatry. God is opposed to the proud. 1 Peter 3: Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; 6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear. Do what is right without fear.  The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life. Proverbs 17: 11-20 A rebellious man seeks only evil, So a cruel messenger will be sent against him. Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly. He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house. The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord. Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no sense? A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. A man lacking in sense pledges And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor. He who loves transgression loves strife; He who raises his door seeks destruction. He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil. Whether in the workplace, on social media, or at an event like the Kentucky Derby, one does not have to go far to have their ears exposed to perverted language. The proverb tells us that “ He who has a crooked mind finds no good, and he who is perverted in his language falls into evil”. There is a connection between the crooked mind and what comes out of our mouths. Put another way: “Matthew 15:18-19 NASB But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. [19] For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.” When we hear someone openly blaspheme our Lord, or use vile harsh language as an insult, we recoil, cringe, and think to ourselves “I could never use language like that”. But what about other, more subtle forms of perverted language, such as deception or flattery? For instance children: your parents have assigned you some recurring task, like cleaning your room, and has instructed you in how it is to be properly performed. Turns out, you have learned that if you shove everything under your bed, it appears that your room is cleaned, and when asked if your chore is done, you respond with a “yes sir!”. In reality, it isn't actually clean, and your “yes sir” was a deceptive lie, and exposes you as being disobedient and lazy. Fathers, when your daughter walks out of the house dressed in a way that you know would have enticed you as a 15 year old boy, and all you can manage is a “you look nice dear”, because you don't want to hurt her precious self image, you just abrogated your responsibility with flattering lips. God hates those. Wives, when your husband neglects his duties as a husband and father, and your response is “you are such a good provider, and such a hard worker, I understand why you haven't_________”, it could be a response that is issuing from a gentle and quiet spirit, or it could be flattering lips, because you know that speaking the truth in love is difficult, and often makes you uncomfortable. On the day of judgment, we will be held accountable for every word we have uttered, and for every time we didn't open our mouth when we should have. Let us kneel at this time, if able, and confess how we have broken God's Law by the use of perverted language. Dear Heavenly Father, we are men, women, boys, and girls of unclean lips. We are not worthy to come to Your throne apart from Your Son Jesus, so we thank You for Him and His sacrifice for our sins. Father, Your Word is very pure, and sweet to the taste, while our words are often defiled with vile language, deception, and flattery. Father, please grant us repentance that we might turn from the sins that come from our heart through our mouths. Please give us courage to always speak the truth, in love, knowing this honors you. We can do nothing apart from You, please fill us with Your Spirit that we might worship You with our hearts, and not just with empty vain words. Lord, it is amazing to us that You have made a way for unclean lips to confess our sins to You and be forgiven. Please Lord, forgive us for perverted language that reveals a heart and mind in desperate need of Your grace, please transform us in the renewing of our minds. It is in the Name above all Names, Your Son Jesus that we pray, Amen. Listen now to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to all that believe: Romans 4: 6-8 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us Lift Up Your Hearts !!!! (From the 5/6/18 Liturgy of Sovereign King Church written by Aaron Sabie
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