Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20000227.htm

PROVERBS: ALIGNING TO GOD'S FIXED MORAL ORDER FOR BLESSING
Part II: Sparking The Reader's Motivation To Heed God's Fixed Moral Order
D. Explaining To YOUNG MEN The VALUE Of NURTURING The GIFTS They ALREADY HAVE
(Proverbs 3:1-12)
  1. Introduction
    1. When a young man or woman watches the television show, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?", and sees someone walk away with a check for $250,000 or even a million dollars, he may say to himself, "That lucky guy -- if just once in my life I could sit in that chair opposite Regis, my life would be wonderful!"
    2. Solomon, one of the wealthiest of men who have ever lived, had a different view of gaining a "wonderful" life, and he sought to share it with a young man he trained for leadership. His insight offers an invaluable lesson both for young men as well as for those of us who desire to train them for fulfillment as follows:
  2. Explaining To YOUNG MEN The VALUE Of NURTURING The GIFTS They ALREADY HAVE.
    1. By way of review, we recall that Solomon's book of Proverbs is structured after the Egyptian literary genre of a sboyet, a format designed to train young princes about an observed fixed moral order that must be heeded if one were to be a success as a ruler, cf. Bruce K. W altke, "The Book of Proverbs and Ancient Wisdom Literature," Bib. Sac., 136:543, p. 221-238.
    2. Well, Proverbs 3:1-12 is part of the sboyet that motivates a young prince to want to heed that fixed moral order that Solomon knew was authored by Israel's God. It forms a focus on the need to nurture the advantages one has been given by God in his current, real life, Bible Knowledge Com., O.T., p. 911.
    3. We observe SIX major advantages all young people are given and the value of nurturing those gifts to that young person for their fulfillment (as follows), Proverbs 3:1-12:
      1. Nurturing Gift One - Heeding One's Parents' Instructions - Solomon revealed that every young person has the instruction of his parents as a gift from God, and if he remembers and observ es these, he will find his life prolonged and prosperous, Proverbs 3:1-2.
      2. Nurturing Gift Two - Being Loyally Loving And Reliable In Relationships We Already Have - Solomon revealed every young person is granted relationships with others, and if he remains loyally loving and reliable in them, he will gain favor and a good reputation with God and man, Proverbs 3:3-4.
      3. Nurturing Gift Three - Leaning On God Rather Than Our Powers - Solomon revealed that every young person is aware of his own limitations, and that God is greater than he, so that if he uses this fact to rely on God's insight above his own, he will find life's obstacles to fulfillment wonderfully removed, Pr. 3:5-6
      4. Nurturing Gift Four - Leaning On God Rather Than Believing We Know All Life's Answers - Solomon revealed that one's getting to the point of thinking he knows all there is to know about life is a foolish position, but that preferring God's insight to shun evil and respect God produces health, Pr. 3:7-8.
      5. Nurturing Gift Five - Using Material Possessions Granted To Us For God's Glory - Solomon revealed that material possessions given to us are not to be sources of fulfillment in themselves, but to be used for God's glory, an inve stment rewarded by God with an abundance of additional possessions, Pr. 3:9f.
      6. Nurturing Gift Six - Heeding God's Discipline To Our Advantage - Solomon revealed God's discipline that comes to all is not to be resented, but valued and thus heeded: such discipline comes as a sign that God loves us enough to correct us for our benefit like a parent's discipline, Proverbs 3:11-12. Well, as we learned in "C,1" above, heeding a parent's insight brings long life and prosperity, so heeding the Lord's loving discipline will, like that of a p arent, produce practical blessings for us as well!
Lesson: Parents of young men who may THINK life's START for them has left them so deprived that they will never gain the fulfillment they desire should to be told the VALUE of NURTURING in alignment with God's fixed moral order the often-overlooked ADVANTAGES they ALREADY have. Thus, the fulfillment they think they may never have CAN ACTUALLY become THEIRS!

Application: We must educate our young men to realize that fulfillment is rarely given to people on a silver platter -- that is a false view. However, they must realize that the fulfillment they desire CAN become THEIR possession if they nurture w hat gifts (listed above) they CURRENTLY possess!