I love the kind of morning where you can take a cup of coffee outside and bask in the warmth of the sun with a bowl of granola! It’s not often I get to do that, in the UK in April – we often mistake brightness for warmth!

 

Today’s passage is in Proverbs 4:18-27. Proverbs has a 9 chapter introduction extolling the fact we need God’s wisdom to do life well, before the second half gives us hundreds of pithy proverbs. Have you got the message of the introduction yet? You need God’s wisdom to do life well!

 

Let’s dig in…

I love v18. “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” I started with the hope of days I can sit on the patio basking in the warmth of the early morning sun. But it’s forlorn hope, a worldly hope, a wish that it could happen. Last Monday I think we had all four seasons in one day – -2 Frost in the morning, progressing through T-shirt sun in the late afternoon.

The path of the righteous being like the morning sun is a Biblical hope – Biblical hope isn't a wish, it is steadfast and sure!

 

People that follow Jesus, which is the only way to be “righteous” really can be like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

They are people who a bright ray of sunshine, who brighten up your day, who bring warmth to every interaction. Don’t you want to be one of those? In a few minutes I’ll show you four things from the passage that make us those kind of people

 

First we have to see the difference between the path of the righteous and the way of the wicked in v18,19

Imagery here is that most people take the way – they take a broad stumbling route that all sinners do. As the UK’s most popular funeral song sung by Frank Sinatra says “I did it my way” – we stumble in the darkness, not knowing how to do life really well.

 

Jesus offers a path – it’s a narrow path, but a simple one! He offers a path that make you righteous – guilt free, conscious cleansed, joy filled no matter what the circumstances are! All we have to do it turn from doing it my way and accept his path – follow Jesus. Step on to His path and He will make you righteous and begin to make you like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

The kind of person who goes about their day with a pocket full of grace to spread and a pocket full of joy. Who brings warmth and shines light wherever they go!

That’s how I want to live my lives and how I’d love you to live yours. Jesus making you like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day!

Filling up our pockets with grace and joy – the morning sight and giving out that grace and joy all day – spreading brightness and warmth of the Kingdom of God!

 

It’s life and health to our whole being! as v22 puts it.

 

Let’s just read that bit..

My son pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words.

Do not let them out of your sight

keep them within your heart

for they are life to those who find them

and health to ones body

 

Solomon is saying Wake up! Pay attention, don’t let these words out of your sight.

You know when you are driving in convoy and you have no idea of the route – you pay attention and you don’t let the lead car out of your sight.

First thing – we have got to stop going any old way. I did it my way and get on the path of Jesus!

If you are a beginner at this church thing, you are so welcome. We love have you watching – do subscribe and sign up to our email list so we can keep in touch.

but more than that – start following Jesus’ path.

• Sorry for doing it my way
• Thank you for the path you have provided at the cross
• Please forgive me and lead me on your path in the power of the Holy Spirit

 

Once you are on God’s path here are the four things that make us bright and warm, the kind of people who have pockets of grace and joy to give out to make kingdom impact wherever we go and whatever we do!

1. Watch your thinking
2. Watch what you are talking
3. Watch your where you are looking
4. Watch where you are walking

Watch your thinking – Guard your heart Verse 23 talks about our thinking

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it

Our heart is not just the four chambered blood pump that keeps us alive. We use it to describe the centre of our being. Guard your heart. Watch your thinking,

Jesus talks about our talking being the overflow of our heart – good and evil come out of what’s in our hearts.

Above all else guard it!

The Apostle Paul tells us to take captive every thought. It’s so easy to let our minds wander and our thoughts fester.

Guard your heart

 

Watch your Talking – what comes out of our mouths is the overflow of what’s in our hearts

Verse 24 keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Later in the book of proverbs 18:8 Solomon will tell us that gossip is like tasty morsels that go down to the inmost parts.

Warm and bright morning sun people don’t gossip. They don’t listen to it and they don’t pass it on. They have pockets of grace and joy to spread instead. They change a gossipy work atmosphere by speaking well of people!

Tabloid newspapers sell on the fact that gossip is like tasty morsels that go down to the inmost parts. And we end up thinking we can talk about Meghan and Harry. It’s gossip! Stop it!

Let’s speak well of people and bring grace and joy and building up.

 

Watch where you are Looking

Verse 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you

Have you ever heard someone say “I can’t unsee that”. It’s launched thousands of funny images of things that you can’t unsee once you have seen them.

Seriously though there are things you can’t unsee. Our brains are fantastic at storing images.

That’s bad news if you look at porn. Not only can you not unsee it, but it rewires the brain in ways that are stronger than an addiction. In fact so strong that neurologists have found that the real thing can’t compete.

Let your eyes look straight ahead – don’t look at wrong things. Don’t looks to left or right. Fix your eyes straight ahead. Just like Job who made a covenant with his eyes not to look at a young woman lustfully.

 

Those verses speak to not look at what others are doing wistfully. God has a path for you that is unique – he has placed you where you are, when you are, with the giftings and experience that you have. Don’t look to the left at what the other person is doing. Don’t look to the right at what someone else is doing and wish it was you. God has placed you where you are, who you are to be like the bright morning sun. Look straight ahead to the Lord and what he wants you to be and do and blaze like the sun – bringing light and remember those pockets full of grace and joy to throw out to everyone around.

 

Watch where you are walking

v26 “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet, and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the light or the left. keep your foot from evil”

This sermon series is about getting God’s wisdom, wisdom that works

The challenge for us all is to kick off our day – read God’s word (or listen to it on our church app) and spend some time praying and listening. Set your day up like the morning sun, so that you can shine ever brighter through the day.

God wants to use you to shine today, and tomorrow and the next day. To bring grace and joy in your home, your school, your workplace, your clubs. To make a difference!

God wants you to stop doing it my way and get on God’s path!

Watch your thinking, watch your talking, watch your looking and watch where you are walking

Fill your pockets with God’s grace and joy and start shining!

Let’s turn our days into adventures of shining like the morning sun on other’s lives!