THE AUDITORIUM SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS
DECEMBER 24TH, 2006
GOD’S INVISIBLE LINE
Introduction: Last Sunday, we stopped short of a controversial subject that deserves our fullest attention.
I. Verse 28 seems to teach that wicked men can cross a line with God in which God will not save them.
A. Many people disagree with the idea that God draws invisible lines for sinners to repent.
1. Solomon states in this verse that sinners can go too far.
2. The Bible contains examples where sinners were destroyed because of their sins.
3. The Bible contains examples where God’s children were destroyed because of their sins.
B. Verse 28 describes sinners who cry out to God AFTER they reject the four calls of Wisdom.
1. They are not calling out to God in order to turn towards God, as stated in verse 23.
2. They are calling out to God in order to save themselves from the reproof of their sinful ways.
3. Turning to God because your heart has been convicted of sin brings salvation.
4. Turning to God to simply escape the punishment of sin implies an unchanged heart, and is the point of verse 28.
C. Some realistic examples of verse 28:
1. Is a man really honest who does not steal because of a threat of punishment?
2. Does a man have respect for human life if he does not kill simply because he fears the electric chair?
3. Does a man really turn to God simply because he fears going to Hell?
D. The fear of the mind must coincide with repentance in the heart.
1. Fearing sin is not the same thing as hating it.
2. Fearing God is not the same thing as turning to Him.
E. The sinners in Proverbs 1:28 rejected God until they had no more options, and God’s patience was gone.
- Remember, the world of Noah cried AFTER the door of the ark was shut.
II. Solomon gives a summary of what led to the terrible condition of these rejected sinners. (29-30)
A. They hated knowledge. (29)
B. They rejected the fear of the Lord. (29)
C. They rejected God’s counsel. (30)
D. They despised the reproof of Wisdom. (30)
III. What happens when God no longer hears the cried of sinners?
A. They will “eat of the fruit of their own way.” (31)
B. They will “be filled with their own devices.” (32)
C. They will be fooled by the world of sin they have given themselves over to. (33)
D. “The prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” (33)
IV. Solomon’s last advice to his son concerning this matter: (33)
A. Listen to the voice of Godly Wisdom and you will be safe.
- There’s safety inside the borders that God has set.
B. If you stay within God’s boundaries, you will experience two wonderful facts of life:
1. You will experience the quietness of God’s safety.
2. You will experience the freedom of a fearless life.
Conclusion: A godly son will have the greatest advantage that a man can have if he will remain true to the godly Wisdom of his godly home.