In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of turning to discipline and reproof. He highlights the need for believers to allow the Spirit of God to control their lives and to let Christ live in them. The preacher warns about the dangers of straying from God's ways and falling into the traps of sin and temptation. He urges listeners to treasure God's commandments and teachings, as they provide guidance and protection from the allure of the world and its deceptive ways.

But you're approved now a wise man, and he'll love you. You know why? A wise man knows he doesn't want any strongholds in his life. And see, let me tell you something, folks. I've got a lot more discernment about you than I have about myself. I need other parts of the body of Christ to help discern some things I'm blind to in my own life. Amen? But we do it in a loving way to come and help one another. We don't condemn one another. You know, when you're showing somebody a speck, you've got to remember your own logs. Amen? Give instruction to a wise man, and he'll be wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he'll increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Now, folks, are we understanding what the fear of God is? And we didn't understand it before because we just sleep. Is that correct? And the knowledge of Jesus is what? The Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you. In other words, you won't be destroyed by the curse. Amen? Now, verse 13, the woman of folly, there she is, that's the adulteress, is boisterous. She is naive and knows nothing, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. She sits at the doorway of her house at the harlot church, on the seat by the high places at the corner towers of the city, calling to those who pass by who are making their path straight, who are trying to walk with God. They say, whoever's naive, come in here! If you need understanding, come in here! And to him who lacks understanding, she says, stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. You know, you can just pick and choose to it. Verse 18, but this man does not know that the who are there. The dead are sitting in that house right there, folks. Are you all seeing this? The dead are sitting there, and her guests are in the depths of hell. Does this make this thing a little serious, folks? Huh? Back up to 7. Verse 1, my son, keep my words and treasure my what? You better treasure my commandments within you. Keep my commandments and what? Is that what we've been talking about, keep my commandments and lives? And my teaching is the apple of your eye. Verse 5, 3, verse 5, that they may keep you from who? You have to stay away from adulterous lawlessness and righteousness, cannot walk together. That it'll keep you from the adulterousness, from the foreigners, or that's the world, who flatters with the words that both walk and talk the same way. See, when people have pride and selfish ambitions, they flatter you for the sake of gaining advantage. They don't know in their deceived heart they think they're helping God out. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Okay, now, here is the harlot church, right here, verse 21. With her many persuasions, she entices him. With her flattering lips, you find that over in Jude, she seduces him. Suddenly he follows the harlot as an ox goes to slaughter. As one in fetters, fetters means you're already in bondage, and you're going right to the discipline of a fool. That's the foolish virgin in the foolish and false church. Until an arrow pierces through his liver. When he does that, instead of him getting to Jesus, he gets another Jesus and another gospel, and he gets a curve. Here they come. Until an arrow pierces through his liver, and that's them. As a bird hastens to the snare, and he does not know that it's going to cost him his life, he's going to be destroyed right there. And he learns to defend lies right there. He learns to oppose the word of God. He learns to resist the word of God. He learns to harden his heart to the word of God. He learns a religious language there, and he learns that the word of God has no place in you. He learns not even to read the Bible. You can't even be washed. Verse 24, Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, and pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not stray into her path, for many are the victims she has cast down, and numerous are all of her slain. Her house is a way to hell. Heal. Descending to the chambers of death. Folks, am I reading the Bible? Back up to one. Chapter one. I want to ask you something, folks. Is this serious? I want to ask you something. This is time for two things. It's time to rejoice that God's grace is showing us a way out of this. Because I want you to know hell is forever. It's also a time to examine in your heart how you've been taught not to repent. Repent is putting things under blood. And if you're not putting things under blood this week, you won't know much freedom when we pray here. But if you're putting things under blood, that's what repentance is. As you see these things, turn from them in your heart. If you don't, you're just still sitting there and doing the same thing we've been programmed to do. Are you hearing what I'm saying? To resist the word of God. Now in Proverbs, let's just continue. Let's look at verse seven. The fear of the Lord is a beginning of what? Knowledge. Fools, there's your foolish version. They despise wisdom and instruction. Look at verse 20. Wisdom shouts in the streets at Jesus. She lifts up her word, her voice in the square. At the heads of the noisy streets, she cries out at the entrance of the gates in the city. She utters her sayings. And here's what wisdom is saying, the wisdom of God, Jesus, and the word. How long, O naive ones, will you love simplicity? And scoffers, that's the one that walks out of their flesh, they'll laugh at themselves and scoff at you. And the fools just hate knowledge. In other words, the knowledge and wisdom of God, they just want to walk in worldly wisdom. Because I called, Jesus says, and you refused, I stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention, sits on the throne of grace. You've neglected all my counsel and did not want my reproof. You didn't want any discipline from me. I'll even laugh at your calamity. I'll mock when your dread comes. That's the powers of darkness. When your dread comes like a storm, and your calamity, that's the powers of darkness, the hedges down, this is a curse, comes on you like a whirlwind. When distress and anguish have come upon you, then they're going to call on me, but I'll not answer. Then you're going to seek me diligently, but they'll not find me. Because they've hated knowledge, and they did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my counsel. They spurned all my reproof and discipline, so they shall eat of the fruit of their own way. That's your standard of measure, it's going to be measured to you. They eat the fruit of their own way, and be saturated with their own devices. For the waywardness of the naive, being naive without understanding, it's going to kill them, the curse. And the complacency of fools, without seeking God and drawing near in the wisdom and knowledge of God and honoring God, the complacency of fools is going to what? It's going to destroy them. But he who listens to me shall live securely and be at ease from the dread of evil. But here's what the Lord says for us to do right now. Look back in verse 22. How long, O naive ones, are you going to love simplicity, and stoppers delight themselves in stoppings, and fools hate knowledge? Now here's what the Lord's saying right now. Turn to my reproof. In other words, turn to discipline and reproof. Behold, if you do this, what does the Lord say he's going to do? I'll pour out my Spirit on you. That's the way the Lord pours out his Spirit. I'll make my words known to you if you start listening. Now, how do you turn to discipline and reproof? Let the Lord's Spirit of God control you, love. Paul said, it's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That's the way you live. That's where all the glory is. You just enter into rest and you don't labor. But see, folks, we're going to go through some suffering now. And after you've suffered a while, you're going to go through a valley. You're going to think you're the only one there. That's where you die in the valley.