2024 Graduation Service - Building On the Legacy Already Left - Proverbs 16:1-9

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You guys. You guys would like you can turn to Proverbs 16.

That's my that's my encouragement to you to you young adults to Reese to Nick and to Ashley known as Sarah to me.

Just being honest.

One, I'm so happy that I'm done.

You know, for graduates, praise God.

It's going through the pictures and I think.

Bri and Bob have a couple more years of this, but it's nonetheless.

This is your oldest daughter.

Is our last two.

Oh, man.

I didn't expect this part.

Seeing the smiles on their faces in the innocence.

Which we would assume is innocence as much as I preach against no no innocence.

I don't think they realize this day was going to come.

And that we knew it's coming.

It's still hard, isn't it?

Boy.

Proverbs 16.

Let's pray.

Father, I want to thank you that you're righteous, holy and good.

Thank you again for your wisdom in your word.

Your word is living and active.

It does exactly as you intended it to be and to do.

We thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are the word.

You are you are the one who gives us life, the source of all things and the source of life itself.

Lord, I pray that these young women and this young man.

We really grasp the importance to build a build upon what you have already left.

You being the chief cornerstone.

And your truth that has been brought to us by your prophets and the apostles that that foundation is unmovable.

And that you are you are true in all that you do.

So, Lord, I pray as we walk through these few verses that we see your holiness, your righteousness and your goodness toward your people.

And really.

The power of our mighty and holy God, Lord, we praise you and thank you in Jesus name.

Amen.

Psalm six, Proverbs 16, verse one through nine says this, the plans of the heart belong to man.

But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

All the ways of a man are pure in his own in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.

Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.

The Lord has made everything for his for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord.

Be assured he will not go unpunished by steadfast love and faithfulness.

Iniquity is atoned for and by the fear of the Lord, one turns from evil.

When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.

The heart of a man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his step.

These are the nine verses I really thought about.

If I was to give a legacy, one, what would I want to do?

I'd want to give some wisdom.

So you guys need to pay attention.

You need wisdom.

Solomon wrote these Proverbs, these sayings of wisdom for his son, a young man around your age.

This is for you.

And what happens in many times is that when you're walking in life as a young man, you think one, you're invincible or young woman.

You think you're invincible and nothing can harm you or touch you.

Solomon says differently and scripture says differently.

And so this is I think one of the things I want to give you that you can build upon the chief cornerstone Christ and the foundation which he gave,

his word so that you live a life in such a way that honors and glorifies him.

Because if you don't, believe me, your life will be a struggle.

You will struggle all the days of your life if you don't carry these some of these basic truths.

There's a lot more truths.

I just want to give you some basic ones here.

First is this man purposes.

God disposes.

The word disposes here means he brings you to the right state of mind.

Now, I say this in jest because I'm trying to be a little funny, but I mean this in all reality.

When you turn 25, it'll all make sense.

Until then, your brain damaged.

Just saying.

If you have any questions about that, you can blame that on your age and your physiology.

You're still developing and your brain doesn't stop developing until you're 25.

So we have a bunch of crazy people.

No, I'm only kidding.

I'm only teasing you.

But you purpose to do a lot of things in life.

But God brings you to the right state of mind.

Lesson one is everything in your life starts here.

Here.

You change the way you think.

You change your heart.

You change your heart.

You do righteously.

Now, I'll clarify this in a minute.

So your legacy starts in the smallest of muscles, but sets the course of your life.

People think it's your heart.

It's your brain.

Your brain is a muscle.

It's an amazing computer.

But man, you got to exercise it.

So the good person out of the good treasures of his heart produces good.

And the evil person out of the evil treasures produces evil.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

You probably heard this term, a man thinketh so he is.

Proverbs 16, verse one and two, the plans, the preparations, the arrangements of the heart, the heart, the inner part of man, the mind,

the mind you're thinking belong to you, belong to man.

But the answer, the ability to answer, the response of the tongue, of the language that you speak in your mind is from the Lord.

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes.

All the direc is the word here.

All the ways, direc is way, road, journey, path, course of life.

You think that you have set your journey.

You think that you have set the course of your life.

You think that you know what you're going to do.

But then God flips the script.

So, and I think many, as the scripture says, we think that the ways, our journey, our path, our course of life are pure in our own eyes.

We think that they are clean and righteous and good.

And this word eyes is the word that means mental or spiritual qualities or the fountain of your life.

That these mental and spiritual qualities are good.

The scripture says that the heart of man is wicked above all else who can know it.

You must be changed.

There has to be a change in your life, a commitment to the only living and true God.

But the Lord weighs, the Lord measures, token is the word here.

Token means to measure, to test, or to prove the spirit.

God measures, tests, or proves your mental acts, your dispositions of various kinds.

He is the one who weighs the reality of your heart.

The ruwak is the word here.

Matthew Henry states it this way, mene mene tekel, the handwriting on the wall, upon that which passed our scale of approbation.

In other words, the things that we think we've done that are good, worthy of praise and approval,

they've been placed on the scale that God has weighed, weighed by God in the balance and found wanting.

The good that you have to offer is not enough without Christ.

Christ is what makes your good weighty, beyond measure.

You must establish him as King and Lord of your life.

This is what this means.

Weighed by God in the balance and the found wanting, and by his judgment and judgment alone, we must stand or fall.

He is not, he not only sees man's ways, but tries them.

He tests them for genuineness.

And they're spirits, and we are, we are as our spirits are.

In other words, I am what I am, right?

Dead without Christ.

James 3, 6 says this way, and the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.

The tongue is set among our members, sustaining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

In other words, our tongue, our language, our vocabulary concerning the reality of our life will determine where you go in life.

It's not, not in just what you say, it's how you say it.

And what you say and how you say it tells me where your heart is.

That's what this means.

Old Testament Proverbs 423 says this, keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flow the springs of life.

Your heart guides your mouth, change the way you think changes the heart, change the heart changes your language.

Speak Jesus's language.

That's what you need to see.

Next principle, give it all to him.

So if you purpose, God disposes.

If God disposes, the only way to make sure that you're in line is to give it all to him.

All that the Lord God has made is for his purpose and plan.

Nothing is made to just exist, but made for his wonderful name and glory.

You weren't made to just be.

You were made and created for the sole purpose of the glory of God and to be used by him for the purpose of his kingdom.

There is a plan and it's not yours.

It's his plan.

That doesn't mean that you can't make plans in life as young people, as young men and women.

You can.

But whatever you purpose to do, do it all for the glory of God.

You'll see this very shortly.

For the scripture says to the Pharaoh, for this very purpose I have raised you up that I might show my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Even the wicked are created, brought into life for the sole purpose of the glory of God.

Romans 9, 17.

So Proverbs 16, 3 through 4 says this, commit, roll up to.

It means to take the scroll and roll it to the one who is doing the work.

Commit, roll up to.

Roll your scroll of life and give it to Christ.

Commit your work, your acts, your pursuits, your achievements to the Lord.

And your plans, your devices, your purpose will be established, will be made firm, stable and fixed.

If you do this and you commit everything to him, you will absolutely succeed in life.

The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

New Testament.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3, 17.

Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God and thank him for the opportunity.

The Old Testament.

The end of the matter.

All has been heard.

Fear God.

Keep his commandments.

For this is the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes 12, 13.

Your responsibility is to glorify God.

Your responsibility is to keep his commandments, to show respect and honor and reverence for the God of all creation, who you will give an account to one day.

Just like in every presentation of, I think, every graduation presentation, the speaker always gives a warning, I think.

Like, hey, there's something you guys need to pay attention to.

The world is hard.

That's what you typically hear.

And you've been equipped.

You have trained.

You have studied to win.

That's not a, I'm not giving you a speech, but let me give you this warning.

The warning here is to, a warning to run from pride.

Life is not about you.

It's about Christ and always will be.

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.

Second Chronicles 7, 14.

Now, I understand that this is a verse that's used many times out of context.

And he's talking to the people of Israel concerning their entering into the promised land, that if they repent, God will do what he's promised.

But this verse does fit very well.

Proverbs 16, 5 through 6.

And here is why.

Everyone who is arrogant, gava is the word here, proud in heart.

Everyone who is proud in the inner man, in the mind or in the heart is an abomination.

The word abomination here is a disgusting thing.

An abomination, a disgusting thing to the Lord.

Pride is what Satan has done.

And pride is what we do.

Lust of the heart, lust of the eyes, pride of life is an abomination to the Lord.

Be assured.

This word be assured means to put the hand to.

Be assured that God will put the hand to everyone who is not committed and humbled before him.

He will not, the person will not go unpunished.

This word unpunished means he will not be free.

He will not be pure.

He will not be clean.

He will not be innocent and he will not be guiltless.

That's what this word means.

By steadfast love, by goodness and kindness and faithfulness and by faithfulness, truth, firmness, sureness, reliability, iniquity, our perversity, our depravity, our guilt is atoned for.

Purged, covered, reconciled.

God is the one who is steadfast in love and faithful.

God is the one who has atoned for our iniquity, for himself.

And by the Lord, and by the fear of the Lord, the word fear of the Lord here means reverence and respect.

One turns away, repents, to dispose, to depart.

One turns and runs the opposite way from evil.

Turn from your sin and cling to him.

But he gives more grace, therefore it says, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

James 4.6.

If my people who are called by my name would humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.

See, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Love God, love his word, love his ways, and love his things.

There's nothing of greatest value that you've been given in Christ.

Christ is your greatest value and his word.

Christ and his word is the greatest value that God the Father has given to you.

Not your stuff.

It's not your cell phone.

Girls, it's not whether you have a good hair day.

Gentlemen, it's not, oh my gosh, I've got to get rid of the pimple.

It's not your looks, it's him.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Also Matthew 6.21, Proverbs 16, 7 through 8 says,

When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies at peace with him.

When, roshah is the word here, pleasing and acceptable a man is, and his ways will be pleasing and acceptable.

His journey, his road, his path, his course of life will be pleasing.

If you are right with God and he's made you acceptable to himself, then your ways will be considered acceptable.

That's what this verse 7 means.

It's interesting you use the word when.

The word when is pleasing.

I was like, that's interesting.

Pleasing is the man and his ways are pleasing.

And if the man is pleasing and his ways are pleasing, then even his enemies, shalem is how you say it, means to make anyone a friend.

God even makes his enemies, your enemies, a friend.

I've had a lot of enemies.

Many are friends today.

Because I've committed my ways to be pleasing to him and I've committed myself, my mind, and it's a hard struggle.

But if you do that, God will make even your enemies, your friend.

Better is a little with righteousness.

A little what?

Here's the answer.

Then great or abundance revenue, income.

So let me say it this way.

I'd rather live in a shack and be totally happy and committed to Christ than to be a millionaire or billionaire and be completely miserable and lost.

That's what this means.

Better is a little with righteousness than great income, great wealth with injustice.

It's not this issue of injustice in the sense that you would think is justice.

It means it's better, better is a little than great income with no right or no rectitude, with no attributes of God, with no character of Christ.

If you don't establish the character of Christ in your lives as young men and women, you will be absolutely miserable, especially when you will not have anything.

Because there will be a day that you will struggle and not have much.

Everybody in this room has known about those days.

Then we look back and you go, well, my parents have all this.

That's because they put the work in when they were when they were struggling.

They put the work in.

They've committed their ways.

New Testament, if you keep my commandments, you will you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love.

These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.

The greatest value have is Christ and his word, his commandments.

And this is what this is what the scripture says here that David says, teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.

Unite my heart to fear your name.

And Moses also says the same thing in Exodus 33 13.

Now, therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight.

Show me now your ways that I may know you in order to that this nation is your people.

This is the end.

Last thing.

God is in control.

Make no bones about that.

You may look around the world and you think the world is out of control.

But you have to use your sovereign hand to bring about the plan.

Oh, I just made that up, Mary Ellen.

Ben's like,

I got right that down.

I had recorded it because I totally forgot how to say.

That's funny.

All right, here we go.

I am the one who was seated on the throne said, behold, I am making all things new.

Revelation 21 5a.

See, in Proverbs 16 9, it says this, the heart of man, the lave, the inner man, the mind, the heart, the soul, the heart of man plans.

You will make all kinds of plans.

You will calculate whether this is a good idea or not.

And you will make a judgment on whether you should or shouldn't.

See, that's where our mind is as young people.

What am I going to do with the rest of my life?

You see, the heart of man plans his way.

The heart of man plans his way.

The heart of man plans his way.

The heart of man plans his direct, his course of life.

You have plans.

Make plans.

Planning is fun.

But when God changes your plan, don't get upset because he knows far better than you do.

And this is what it says here.

Why?

Because God establishes, he coons, he coons you.

He establishes, makes firm, stable your steps.

Sa'ad is the word here.

Your course of life.

You think you have set a plan.

But God has established your course of life to accomplish his purpose, his plan to bring about his kingdom for his glory to make his name great.

That is, if you can get this as young people, you will learn to live in such a way that glorifies him and you will enjoy life immensely wherever you go.

So here you go.

They cast their crowns before the throne saying, worthy are you, O Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they exist and were created.

Revelation 4, 10 through 11.

The whole reason is because God has established that for you, that you would glorify him.

That's the point.

Old Testament.

I am the Lord and there is no other.

Besides me, there is no God.

I equip you, though you do not know me, that my people may know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none besides me.

I am the Lord and there is no other.

I form light and create darkness.

I make well-being and create calamity.

What?

So when things are good in people's lives, that's God.

And when God wrecks your stuff and calamity happens, that's God too.

I don't know about that, but that's what?

God creates calamity.

God brings about your well-being and he creates crisis.

Everything that happens in the world is the hand of God, providentially and sovereignly working for the purpose of his plan.

I am the Lord who does all these things, Isaiah 45, 5 through 7.

Think about that.

I don't know about you, but that's power.

And then he says this in Psalm 115, verse 3.

Psalms 115:3

Our God is in the heavens and he does all that he pleases.

God does all that he pleases.

And you are a pleasure to him.

So that's my words of wisdom to you adults.

And now we're getting to the very end of this service.

And I pray that you listen to this.

Maybe go back and listen to it.

If you don't, I will find you.

I know where you live.

Next is the diploma presentation.