The Relational Basis of a Rational Life

The reading today is Proverbs chapter 10, and we'll be reading the first five verses.

Proverbs 10 · chapter mention

The Proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

Father, we thank you for this privilege to come before you and call you our Father.

And because of how we relate to you, we have a vision in life and in future.

May you help us as we read and think about your words from Proverbs 10, that we might indeed be wise.

Thank you, Lord. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

So the title of the sermon is The Relational Basis of a Rational Life.

Sorry, it's quite a long title.

I just want us to remember relational and rational.

I mean, we don't need to be rational.

We can live anyhow we like.

But if you want to have a rational life, usually it means that we need to relate to someone.

Someone who is wiser or someone who cares for us and about to kill us.

I believe that many children who are here this morning, if their parents allow them to stay home and watch leg flats,

they might choose to stay home until coming here.

But because your parents told you and wanted you to come, so you came.

You may not know why you need to come Sunday by Sunday.

But your parents know and they've gone through it and they know that it's good for you in the future.

Yet we naturally choose to do things or spend time on things that give us most pleasure.

But it may not be the best for us in times to come.

And it takes efforts.

If you want to do something that is not pressurable, like cleaning up your bedroom, it takes a lot of effort.

But it's a good habit.

And then that would help children as they mature into adults to have good habits to live a rational life.

So today from this Proverbs, we would consider about how a person has a rational life.

A life that is with meaning, with hope, with achievement, a sense of achievement as well.

Before I go into the verses, I would like to share with you the story of Ji Ping.

Ji Ping is a man in Malaysia.

I first met him about eight years ago.

But I just tell you that he died two months ago.

So he was about my age.

I met him when I went to the church that he was attending.

I was preaching there.

And after the service, I noted that he was sitting by himself.

And that's why I approached him and started talking to him.

And finally, he was single.

And it was not common to have a single older man in a church in Malaysia.

Either they don't come to church at all if they're single, or they would have come with their wives.

And he told me that he became a Christian just a few years ago

in a Christian rehabilitation center for drug addicts.

He became addicted to drugs in his teenage years.

And for the next 30 years, his life became irrational.

He lived only for drugs.

And he was willing to do anything just to get drugs.

And he sold drugs so that he can get money.

He also borrowed money from loan sharks.

Loan sharks are those people who lend you money,

but charge you a lot of interest for you to repay.

And when you can repay those loans,

those loan sharks will go to his parents or his family to get money from them.

And so, and then he also,

Ziping was in and out of jail for selling drugs and other crimes.

So finally, or eventually his parents disowned him.

He was just kicked out of the house.

And he needed to find places to live.

So he lived either in jails, in prisons, or in a rehab center.

And he'd gone through rehabilitation again and again.

But he just couldn't get out of this drug habit.

One day, in one of the centers run by Christians,

he heard the gospel and he understood it.

And suddenly, he just was free from this drug habit.

And he saw somehow something change him.

And he started working for that same rehab center for a few years.

And at the same time, he learned and studied from the Bible.

And I'm amazed that he studied well.

Even though he didn't have much education,

when I talked to him,

he understood the gospel very well,

better than many people that I talked with in Malaysia.

Even though he only got a few years of learning.

However, he came to that church because eventually,

he couldn't relate too well with some people in the rehab center.

And he left.

And he went to a small village.

It's a, lived by a lot of Chinese.

And it's a village full of idols.

I've been there before.

Everywhere you can see idols in that village.

He could be the only Christian there.

He rented a small house.

And he sold stationeries and snacks to students,

especially primary students who, after school,

who dropped by his place.

And he had a Sunday school or Bible class

for those students as well.

And then he was in the church.

He helped out in the adult Bible study group.

And he led the adult Bible study group too.

He would be the least educated person in that church.

But he was the keenest one to have the Bible study.

So every time I went to that church,

I would spend some time with him.

But when we, when the last year, in February,

that was the last time before COVID hit,

he didn't attend Sunday service.

I found that he was sick.

And by February this year, that's two months ago,

Leigh's brother told us that he passed away.

He passed away with liver disease.

He would have got hepatitis C from the use of drug.

And that eventually killed him.

And he died quite miserably.

Unfortunately, because of COVID restriction,

people from the church couldn't visit him.

Leigh's brother actually broke the law

driving to his place.

On his last day, he went there.

He was already very, I mean,

nobody cared for him for a few days.

So the brother sent him to a place to care,

but he died the same night.

But at least Leigh's brother was there

just in time before he died.

It's quite sad in a way,

but also quite a joyful thing,

seeing the mercy of God working in this man's life.

He would have died at least 10 years before that

if he did not change,

if he kept, I mean,

if he kept on using drugs

and not eating regularly,

no fixed place of staying.

But do you think

Ji Ping's life became easier or harder

when he lived, he changed,

he lived a new life?

Do you think it became easier or harder?

In a way,

it could be easier for him to keep using drugs

as numb himself and die off.

You don't need to worry anything else.

That's how he used to live.

And now that he's drug free,

he needs to live a new life.

So he needs to think about how he get money,

how he support himself,

his family didn't want to get him back,

and how he starts to relate to people.

As I said, he was sitting by himself in the church.

So it's not easy.

When you are in your 40s,

suddenly you want to get back to the society.

Even in the church,

it's not easy for him to persist on that.

So he will have struggles within himself as well

about temptations and other things

that he never needed to worry about

in his old life.

So it was amazing that he became a Christian,

but it was even more amazing

for him to persevere in his real life

instead of going back to his drug habit

and trying to make a living for himself

and serve in the church

while he copes with his illness

and his loneliness.

I pray that none of the young people here

will end up like Ji Ping in his former life.

Ji Ping's life became irrational

when he had a strong craving for drugs.

He sacrificed his education,

his youth,

his relationship with his parents,

his friends,

just for the transient pleasure of having drugs.

The problem with craving is that

even though there were times

when Ji Ping regretted his lifestyle,

he got no home,

he got no hope.

But it was too difficult for him to get out of it.

That's how he knew how to live.

And he don't know what else to do.

Why did Ji Ping become addicted to drugs

in his teenage years?

It was because he wanted to please his friends

and to please himself

instead of pleasing his parents.

If he had listened to his parents,

he would not have lost his youth to drugs.

Proverbs 10 starts with the contrast

between a wise and a foolish son.

A wise son is one who knows

that he is not as wise as his parents.

He learns from his parents

and tries to understand his parents' concerns.

A foolish son is one who thinks

that he is wiser than his parents.

He pays no regard to the advice of his parents.

So in verse 1, we read,

A wise son makes a glad father,

but a foolish son

is a sorrow to his mother.

So the first question about these words,

I suppose, is to,

why only about sons?

Sorry, in your bulletin,

the heading is a bit different.

So A should be,

why only about sons?

What about daughters?

Don't daughters need to do the same thing as well?

Yes, they do.

But wise sons?

For three reasons.

One, ultimately,

Proverbs talks about the perfect relationship

between Jesus the Son

and God the Father.

So that is one of the reasons.

Secondly,

it is through Jesus' sonship with God

that we relate to God.

So, in God's sight,

we are all sons in one way

because we relate to him as our father

through his son,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

So that is why sonship.

Three,

sonship also implies

more about privilege and responsibility,

not about gender.

So it does not matter

if you are a male or female,

if you are a son or a child of this family,

you are loved and cared for.

At the same time,

you are expected to respect

and listen to your parents.

That is the implication of a sonship.

Second question is,

why should we care about pleasing our parents?

So as we read verse 1 and verse 5 in particular,

we have a sense that a son is wise

when he aims to please his parents

and bring honor to them.

How does this apply to us

in the Western culture

in which we mostly live to please ourselves?

And how does this apply to those

in the Eastern culture

in which becoming a Christian

can be considered as dishonoring to the family?

So even in both cultures,

there's difficulty in accepting

this implication of pleasing our parents.

But then we read in the Old Testament

in the fifth commandment,

God said,

honor your father and your mother

that your days may be long in the land

that the Lord your God is giving you.

So this is the only commandment

that can be promised result.

If we do that,

something else will happen to our life.

So why,

that we can consider,

why is this important to honor our parents?

I think in God's economy,

in God's plan,

the family units are God's design,

that design building blocks

of a society and a nation.

Stable families

build a stable nation.

And if we don't listen,

or if all the children

just do their own things,

families are not stable,

then we would not live

in a stable society

or a stable nation.

And how a person treats his parents

reveals his character.

A son who dishonors his parents

is not likely to relate

to other people well.

So that, again,

will set up the society,

how stable it is.

If we don't relate

to our parents well,

or we don't,

if we dishonor our parents,

then it's not likely

that we will respect other people.

And number three,

parents have more experience in life

than their children.

That's because they're older,

for the fact that.

So their views are usually wiser.

These are some of the reasons

I can think of

why God told us

to honor our parents.

Obviously,

God is our father.

If we don't honor our parents,

it's unlikely

that we will honor God

as our heavenly father.

However,

the commandment

to honor parents

was given

in the context

of the first commandment,

that is to worship God alone.

So that is in the context.

It's not only

just honoring your parents,

anyhow.

God is still

in the first place.

But most of what we do

to honor our parents

would also honor God

at the same time.

It is rare

that we need to choose

between honoring God

or honoring parents.

So there are two questions.

Why only about sons?

Why should we care

about pleasing our parents?

The third question

is about Jiping.

Could Jiping have avoided

getting into drugs

just from these verses?

Jiping and I

came from a similar

family background.

We were both teenagers

in Malaysia

in the 70s.

We both grew up

in non-Christian families.

I could have easily

got involved

with drugs

like Jiping did

or other young men,

young children did.

What was holding me back

from trying out drugs?

I think one of the most

important factors

was my fear

of bringing shame

to my parents.

The name of the family

is most important

in Eastern culture.

When I was growing up,

whenever I went

to friends' houses,

the first thing

their parents

wanted to know

was who my parents were.

So this is us,

whose child it is.

every time

as I got this exposure,

then I realized

that my parents'

name is very important

for me as well,

for my standing.

And so if I shame

my parents,

that means I bring shame

on myself.

And so

because of that,

I learned to

listen to my parents

and not to do things

that would

bring shame

to them.

But I will add here

that while honoring

parents is important,

if parents make this

the only important thing,

they would forfeit

many other good things

in the relationship

with their children.

Why did Jiping's family

not accepting him back

to their foe

when he was no longer

addicted to drugs?

It was partly because

of the pain and dishonor

he brought them

in the past.

It was also because

he became a Christian.

To many Chinese families,

especially at that time,

to have a son

becoming a Christian

was almost as shameful

as him becoming

a drug addict.

Because Jiping's parents

took their honor

to be the most important

thing in life,

they forfeited the blessing

of having their son back.

When I became a Christian,

I did not tell my parents

because I was doing

something that would

bring shame to my family.

I could imagine

people in town

would start talking

if so-and-so's child

has become a Christian.

But I was thankful

that after becoming

a Christian,

not long after,

I left town

and went to another city

to study.

So that was the only time

when I needed to choose

whether to honor God

or honor my parents.

But that was

the only issue.

However,

I learned to love

my parents a lot more

after becoming

a Christian

with the love of God

that has been poured

into my heart

that made

a big difference

and such you could

nearly understood

by God's grace.

So a wise son

makes the glad father.

A wise son

is one who

treasures his relationship

with his parents.

Such a person

is not easily

led astray

by others.

Okay,

we're going to

verse 2.

Treasures gained

by wickedness

do not profit,

but righteousness

delivers from death.

We're talking about

profitable

and unprofitable

treasures.

What was

Ji-Pin's treasure

before he became

a Christian?

He treasured

the pleasure

that he could

derive from drugs.

To gain his treasure,

Ji-Pin disobeyed

his parents.

He committed crimes.

He ignored

medical advice.

He suppressed

his own conscience.

A wicked heart

obeys only

his own desires

and reject

advice from others

and from God.

A wicked heart

does not know

how to relate

to others properly.

He knows only

how to make use

of others.

Ji-Pin's treasure

did not profit

him much.

His drug habit

caused him

his relationship

with parents

and family.

He caused him

his education.

He caused him

his health.

His treasure

became his slave master.

It was through

God's grace

that he was free

to live again.

In his new life,

Ji-Pin began

to learn to relate

to others

and to God

in a new way.

In the past,

he was thinking

how to use others

to get what he wanted.

Now he began

to serve others.

Ji-Pin was given

a life

that overflows

to others.

Through the righteousness

of Jesus,

though Ji-Pin

is now dead,

we know that

he's still alive

in Christ.

So,

righteousness

delivers

from death.

Verse 3,

the Lord

does not let

the righteous

go hungry,

but he told

the craving

of the wicked.

We're talking

about hunger

and craving

in these words.

What is the difference

between hunger

and craving?

Hunger implies

a desire

that can be satisfied

and is constructive.

In the scriptures,

hunger also implies

the desire

for meaning,

for love,

for glory.

Craving implies

a desire

that cannot be satisfied

and is destructive.

It is often

associated

with the desire

of worldly pleasure.

Hunger for food

is a constructive thing.

Our body

needs food

to survive.

Craving for food

is a destructive thing.

Too much food

eventually

destroys our body.

We crave

for something

when we think

that we will not

be happy

unless we get

this thing.

and God

will not

let anyone

get real happiness

through things.

Matthew 5,

6 says,

Blessed are those

who hunger

and thirst

for righteousness,

for they shall

be satisfied.

When we hunger

to be right

with God,

we shall be satisfied

and we will find

real happiness.

It was God's mercy

that he did not

let J.P.

in craving

for drugs

to enslave him

forever.

When J.P.

J.P.

J.P.

eyes were opened

to see Jesus Christ,

he could let go

of his craving

for drugs

because he now

had hunger

for something

far greater

in Christ.

When he had

the proper

relationship

with God,

his life

also changed

from being irrational

to one that

was rational.

Verse 4,

A slack hand

causes poverty,

but the hand

of the delusion

makes rich.

In this verse,

we are considered

enjoying

and enduring.

Why do I choose

enjoying

and enduring

for this verse?

Because laziness

or stagnant

does not usually

mean doing nothing.

Laziness

means doing

only things

which are easy

and enjoyable.

J.P.

was trying hard.

He was actually

quite hard working.

He was trying hard

to get more drugs

all the time.

A child can be

very dedicated

in playing

electronic games,

but that is not

diligence.

Diligence implies

a willingness

to do things

which are difficult.

We are only

willing to endure

because either

we have a greater

goal in mind

or because we

have been obedient

to our parents.

When we are young,

we may not understand

why we need

to spend time

learning difficult

lessons.

If we relate

to our parents

properly,

we will trust

and obey

their instructions.

Many patients

or younger patients

who come to see me

because they

never learned

to tackle

difficult matters

since young,

they now rely

on drugs

or social welfare

to cope with life.

They are poor

not only

in terms of

monetary income,

but they are also

poor because

they cannot

appreciate much

deeper beauty,

truth,

and generosity

in life

because since young,

they have never

learned to

handle problems

by themselves.

Their parents

did everything

for them

and they treat

their parents

like their servants

who are there

to fulfill

their wishes.

So when they grow up,

they do not know

how to solve

their own problems,

not to mention

knowing how to

help other people

to solve their problems.

Ji-Ping could

have kept

using drugs

to cope with life,

but God changed him.

In his 40s,

he began to earn

a living for himself

and began to serve.

Did Ji-Ping

become rich?

Yes, he did.

Anyone who is

willing to serve

other people

are rich.

I hope that there

are more rich people

in the church,

people who can

cheerfully give

themselves

for the good

of others.

And for the glory

of God.

Verse 5,

He who gathers

in summer

is a prudent son,

but he who

sleeps in harvest

is a son

who brings

shame.

For these words,

we think about

summer and winter.

It is natural

to see bees

and ants

gathering their food

during summers.

Animals know

they need to

make good use

of summers

to survive

their winters.

However,

humans are

a bit more

complicated.

there are

beaches

and crickets

during summer.

While the ultimate

waste of summer

is to

sleep it away.

While the ultimate

waste of summer

is to sleep it away,

because sleeping

is best done

in winter,

so those who

sleep in summer

is very

foolish

to do so.

but there are

other ways

for us to

waste our

summer.

I am not

saying that

we should not

do what is

enjoyable

during summer,

but I am

saying that

we should not

forfeit

our future

for the sake

of transient

enjoyment.

Jipin spent

his youth

in drugs.

It was so

difficult for him

to establish

a normal life

when he became

free from drugs

in his 40s.

So summer

can mean a

season in a year,

or it can mean

a season in

your life,

or a season

that is a season

for maturing

and growing.

It can also mean

your life on earth.

Our whole life

on earth

is a season

of summer

to prepare

for eternity.

Jipin

forfeited

many summers

of his years.

He forfeited

the summer

of his youth.

By God's grace,

he did not

forfeit the summer

of life.

In Christ,

he became

a son of God

and started

to have

hunger for the truth.

So in these

five verses,

we have considered

the mark

of a wise child.

He is one

who honors

the parents

and treasures

his parents.

Because of this,

he had the joy

to obey his parents

when he was told

to turn off the TV

and do his homework,

and he will grow up

into maturity,

into adults.

he will be able

to learn,

earn a living

for himself

and serve others.

What about

parents who are

self-centered

and foolish?

I mean,

no parent

is perfect.

Respecting your parents

may not necessarily

help you

to mature,

but disrespecting

your parents

will certainly

be harmful

to your maturity.

So we respect

our parents.

Your parents

are not wise

themselves.

It may not be

much help to us.

But in any case,

if we disrespect

our parents,

it would definitely

be harmful

for us

for our maturity.

In Luke,

in the Gospel of Luke,

Luke 11:13

chapter 11,

verse 13,

Jesus said

to the parents,

if you then,

who are evil,

know how to give

good gifts

to your children,

how much more

will the Heavenly Father

give the Holy Spirit

to those

who ask Him?

Jesus said

that despite

our fallen nature,

parents naturally

want to do good

to their children.

Ji-Ping forsook

his relationship

with his parents

in his younger days

and ended up

living a chaotic life.

When he repented,

his parents

did not accept him back,

but Ji-Ping

had a Heavenly Father

because of his

relationship

to God.

Ji-Ping

had the Spirit

of God in him

and he was able

to live a life

that was rational

and purposeful.

So in any case,

the emphasis

of Proverbs 10,

1-5

is what the wise son is.

It's not about

parenthood.

It is about

how we should

live our life

in relation

to our parents

and also

in particular

to God.

None of us

can actually

live up to the standard

in these

five verses,

as a wise son,

partly because

we do not know

how to,

partly also

because we do

not want to.

That's

why Jesus came.

Jesus came

not only to show us

what a wise son

is like,

he can also

help us to be one

because Jesus Christ

is a perfect son.

When Jesus

came to the world,

though he was a son,

he learned obedience

through what

he suffered.

God said to Jesus

in Luke 3,

Luke 3:22

verse 22,

you are my

beloved son,

with you

I am well pleased.

So,

he shows that

God is well pleased

with Jesus Christ.

Jesus

honored the Father

by not

only not going

after the pleasures

of the world,

but he also

did that

by choosing

to suffer

according to

God's will.

For the first

30 years

of his earthly life,

Jesus prepared

for his mission.

In Luke 2,

Luke 2:52

verse 52,

it says,

and Jesus

increased in wisdom

and in stature

and in favor

with God

and man.

After those

30 years,

he called

his disciples

and proclaimed

the message

of God,

telling people

to repent

and come

to know God.

What did

Jesus gain

by being obedient

to God

the Father?

He was treated

with hatred

by the religious

and political leaders

and he was

eventually killed

by them.

However,

his death

was for the purpose

of saving

his people

and also

for being

the first person

who inherited

the imperishable

body.

For the joy

that is,

for the joy

of saving

his people,

for the joy

of being

the first fruit

or first person

who inherited

the imperishable

body,

for the joy

of the glory

that is to come,

Jesus enjoyed

the cross,

despising the shame

and now

he's seated

now at the right

hand of God,

the right hand

of the throne

of God.

Through Jesus Christ

who died for us

and now he's

interceding for us,

we can relate

to God

as our father.

In Christ,

God is helping us

not so much

to be successful

in life,

he's helping us

to relate to him.

Until God

is our father,

everything else

we do is quite

meaningless.

There's not much

point for me

to tell you

to be diligent

if at the end

we all die.

When God

becomes your father,

your life

is about

God's business.

Then there will be

motivation

and hope

for you

to live

a life

that has

eternal value.

When God

becomes your father,

you will ask him

for the Holy Spirit

to fill you

so that you might

become mature

in Christ

and have the strength

to live a life

worthy of his calling.

And when God

becomes our vision,

there's nothing

that will stop us

to live a life

that's rich,

profitable,

and glorious.

Let us pray.

Father,

we know

that we

are foolish

and short-sighted

and we thank you

for your goodness

and mercy upon us

that

we could see

our

falling short

of your glory

and also

could see your glory

in Christ Jesus.

Oh, may you

help us to

see clearer and more

of the Lord Jesus Christ

and have this

life

that you have promised

in Christ.

Thank you, Lord.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.