Trust the Lord and his Word
Reconciling God’s Sovereignty with the Responsibility of Living Wisely
Aaron Lee | May 26, 2024 | FCBCW Children’s Worship | Proverbs 16
Introduction
If God is in control, does it really matter how we are to live?
1. God is Sovereign Over the World (1-9)
The first truth is that God is sovereign over the world. This means that he is in control of everything and everyone. He is in control of our past, our present, and our future. You and I might have different ideas about what we want to do in the world. We might even make plans. But God is the one who determines what will happen.
Look at this verse:
A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps. (9)
There’s a special verse in our passage today that might be difficult for us to accept or understand. The point is that God is sovereign over the wicked:
4 The Lord has prepared everything for his purpose—even the wicked for the day of disaster. (4)
God is in total control of everything, and that includes the wicked and evil and bad in this world. We are still responsible for our sin. People will still be punished if they do not trust in Jesus. Christians can be comforted because even when bad things happen, the wicked will not go unpunished, and we can trust that God is purposeful in everything he has planned and prepared to happen.
Application
So, will you trust God even when bad things happen? It’s easy for us to trust God when things are going good and well. But when things are going bad, we wonder if God is still loving, caring, and in control. The Bible is very clear – we can still trust God. Another Proverb in this chapter says to “Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be established (Proverbs 16:3)” I think this a good way to think about our lives. Commit yourself to God no matter what happens. He will establish your plans. He will set you up and take care of you.
2. God’s Servants are to Live Wisely (17-33)
The second big truth is that God’s servants are to live wisely. This furthers our first point. If God is sovereign over the world, some might say that we should just live and not worry at all about anything. We can just live however we want. That’s not true. The Bible says that we should still live wisely in this world. Look at these action words, talking about how we are to actively avoid evil and guard our way. This is what it means to live wisely:
The highway of the upright avoids evil; the one who guards his way protects his life. (17)
I think it’s interesting that there is an emphasis on learning in this chapter. Here is one verse:
The one who understands a matter finds success, and the one who trusts in the Lord will be happy. (Proverbs 16:20)
This verse says that we should seek to understand, to learn. But not only does it say that we should learn, but it says that we should still trust the Lord to be happy. You will keep going to school and you will learn so many new things, but Christians know that we still need to trust in God. We still need to acknowledge him in all of our learning.
Application
So, will you trust God’s Word even as you grow? I think it’s actually easier for us to trust God when we’re young. That’s a good thing, and it’s a blessing. But as we get older, and we learn more things, we gain more knowledge, more education, and we see more of the world – we might be tempted to think that the Bible is just for when we’re kids. The Bible is very clear – you can never outgrow learning more about God. Another Proverb in this chapter says “Gray hair is a glorious crown; it is found in the ways of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31) There are some people who are old, but they don’t know Jesus and they don’t know the Bible, and they are not living in the way of righteousness. Their gray hair is not a glorious crown. Even as you grow, keep trusting and learning more about God’s Word.
Gospel (10-16)
The reason why I labeled point 2 as God’s Servants Living Wisely is because there is an the emphasis on how a king should live. Another name for the king was God’s servant. We have a lot of verses that speak on how the king is supposed to be.
Look at these three verses that highlight how the king should be fair, righteous, and honest:
God’s verdict is on the lips of a king; his mouth should not give an unfair judgment. (Proverbs 16:10)
Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, since a throne is established through righteousness. (Proverbs 16:12)
Righteous lips are a king’s delight, and he loves one who speaks honestly. (Proverbs 16:13)
These Proverbs point us to Jesus, who is the only king that can fill these shoes perfectly. Admit you are a sinner, believe that Jesus the Son of God died on the cross for your sins, and confess him as the resurrected King and Lord over your life.
Big Idea
Christians trust God’s sovereignty while still living wisely.