1. Adult Bible Study Guide Jan Feb Mar 2015 Adult Bible Study Guide Jan Feb Mar 2015 powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com

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3. Jacques B. Doukhan, Principal Contributor

4. Proverbs Our Goal From the book of Proverbs we will learn how to be wise, but correctly, in practical ways. Wisdom isn’t necessarily intellectual might. The prerequisite for wisdom is, instead, to be humble, to feel our need and then to seek for wisdom.

5. Proverbs Contents 1 The Call of Wisdom 2 From Ears to Feet 3 A Matter of Life and Death 4 Divine Wisdom 5 The Blessings of the Righteous 6 What You Get Is Not What You See 7 Dealing With Fights 8 Words of Wisdom 9 Words of Truth 10 Behind the Mask 11 Living by Faith 12 The Humility of the Wise 13 Women and Wine

6. Proverbs Lesson 5, January 31 Proverbs Lesson 5, January 31 The Blessings of the Righteous

7. Key Text Proverbs 10:6 NKJV “ B lessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.”

8. The Blessings of the Righteous Initial Words T he Hebrew word zaddiq, for “righteous,” is the key word in our texts. Wisdom is righteousness, and “righteousness” means to walk according to God’s commands—to walk in faith and obedience to what the Lord has called us to be and to do. Righteousness is a gift, one that comes from God.

9. The Blessings of the Righteous Quick Look 1. The Mouth of the Righteous (Proverbs 10:11-14; 12:19) 2. The Hope of the Righteous (Proverbs 11:3, 18) 3. The Reward of the Righteous (Proverbs 13:2, 9, 25)

10. The Blessings of the Righteous 1. The Mouth of the Righteous Proverbs 10:11-14; 12:19 NKJV “ T he mouth of the righteous is a well of life.... Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding.... Wise people store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. The truthful lip shall be established forever, but the lying tongue is but for a moment.”

11. 1. The Mouth of the Righteous Righteousness is Holistic A nything we do or don’t do has an impact on others, especially on those nearest to us. Who hasn’t felt, in a big way, the results of other people’s actions, either good or bad? The principle of unity between the spiritual-moral life and the physical- material life is dealt with in Proverbs 10:3–5.

12. 1. The Mouth of the Righteous Its Purpose The mouth (with its components, the lips and the tongue) is the most important organ in the book of Proverbs. In the New King James Version of the book, the word mouth is used 50 times, lips occurs 41 times, and tongue 19. The use of this organ in speech is a particularly important theme in Proverbs 10–29.

13. 1. The Mouth of the Righteous Its Purpose The basic premise is crucial: our words are very powerful, either for good or for evil. The tongue can be the best or the worst gift that we’ve been given. This ambivalence about the tongue is one of the most important lessons in Proverbs. Indeed, the mouth generates life, but it also may bring death.

14. 1. The Mouth of the Righteous Its Purpose The comparison of the mouth of the righteous to “a well of life” amounts to relating it to God Himself. It should be a force for good, not evil; a source of life, not death. It was through the “word of His power” (Heb. 1:3, NKJV), that God created. Speech, therefore, should serve only creative purposes.

15. 1. The Mouth of the Righteous Truth that Comes Out When we think of how powerful words are, we must think about lying, because most lies are told with words. Who hasn’t felt the sting, the betrayal, the sense of defilement when lied to? There’s another angle: the effect of lying on the one who lies. Some people are so used to the practice that it doesn’t bother them.

16. The Blessings of the Righteous 2. The Hope of the Righteous Proverbs 11:3, 8 NKJV “ T he integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead.”

17. 2. The Hope of the Righteous Their Future T HE sense of a future and the value of what is not yet seen (see 2 Cor. 4:18) help motivate the righteous to live rightly. Because of their hope in the future, the righteous behave with humility, honesty, and compassion.

18. 2. The Hope of the Righteous Their Future On the other hand, wicked people live only in the present; they are concerned only with what they see and with the immediate reward. They think of themselves before others and will resort to deception and abuse.

19. The Blessings of the Righteous 3. The Reward of the Righteous Proverbs 13:2, 9, 25 NKJV “ A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, but the soul of the unfaithful feeds in violence. The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out. The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul, But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.”

20. 3. The Reward of the Righteous Life is Better I n reality, there’s often a bit of wisdom and foolishness in all of us. We all are sinners, we all fall “short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Fortunately, we have the wonderful promise that: though we are sinners, by faith we can be “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (vs. 24).

21. 3. The Reward of the Righteous Life is Better The wise are compared to a lasting lamp, while the wicked are compared to a lamp that will be put out. The wise person will enjoy the good fruit of his or her work, while the sinner will reap evil. The point is that a life of faith and obedience to the Lord is better than a life of disobedience and folly.

22. The Blessings of the Righteous Final Words “ I t is not enough to make a profes- sion of faith in Christ and have our names registered on the church roll.... Whatever our profession, it amounts to nothing unless Christ is revealed in works of righteousness.” COL 312, 313. “The righteousness which Christ taught is conformity of heart and life to the revealed will of God.” DA 310.