Law and Order

                                                                  Sunday School Lesson
                                                                       October 2,2011


Lesson scripture                                                                          Lesson Focus
Proverbs 29:16-27                                                          Follow God in an unjust world       

Introduction:We must understand and reach out to the lost.When people are clueless about God and His ways,it results in confusion,and the enemy is able to freely circulate his destruction.God's children need to make sure they are intruducing unbelievers to Christ and giving biblical understanding,even if th eonly way a message can be preached is through a christ like life.

   There will always be challenging people and situations.Employees who won't listen, arrogant people who will talk before thinking,the weak who will allow others to walk all over them, and angry people who will stir up mess.But we must let go of superiority,and practice humility.Realize if it was not for God's grace,we all would be in the same boat.What the lost world says about the believer is irrelevant;wrap yourself in the arms of God's protection and prclaim to the world th egoodness of God.

Discipline and Revelation

Proverbs 29:16-19KJV

  ¹⁶When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.

   ¹⁷Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
   ¹⁸Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
   ¹⁹A servant will not be corrected by words: for though he understand he will not answer

footnotes:

One of the deep mysteries of God is why He allows the wicked to prosper.But the proverb promises that the righteous will see justice done,if not in this life,then in the next.While the wicked may see themselves as autonomous and self-sufficient, one day they will see their error.Here we also see the cause and effect relationship of the effective discipline of children.First it brings peace,and then delight to the soul.Discipline in this text not only includes correcting bad behavior,but also praising what children do well.What ever gets rewarded gets repeated.When a child sees that a parent will not only notice but also praise good behavior they are likely to choose good over evil.But when we become to busy to notice, children will do what ever is needed to get attention from the parent.When we realize we will be held accountable for our behavior and judged by God guidlines for living this life,we will restrain from our own wickeness and seek out the things of God.

Hot-Tempered Fools 

Proverbs 29:20-23KJV

²⁰Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

   ²¹He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.
   ²²An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.
   ²³A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

footnotes:

Think before you speak! Do you ever wish you could take back something you said? Perhaps you found it easy as putting toothpaste back in the tube.Some people, make speaking without thinking a habit.Like the fool these quick to speak people often justify their rushing words by calling themselves honest."I call'em as I see'em" but quite often,those words come back to haunt them.When people are allowed to get away with to much, it brings suffering to all involved.There is also destructive consequences of the habitually angry person.Anger,used effectively,can promote change.But when people use anger to control others,the hot tempers become contagious,Just as misery loves company,angry people love to generate rage in all they see.By stirring up dissension,they feel justified in their wrath.Then we see the contrast between pride and humility.Pride tends to bind one to the obstacles that lie ahead.When the prideful stumble,there usually aren't too many people around to support and lift them back up.But the humble can see clearly.These are the ones whose confidence rest in God and not themselves.

Fear vs.Trust

Proverbs 29:24-27KJV

 ²⁴Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not.

   ²⁵The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.
   ²⁶Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD.
   ²⁷An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

footnotes:

Here we have the contrast fear of men with the trusting the Lord.People pleasers tend to dig holes for themselves out of which they cannot escape.The approval of others,or the avoiding rejection of people means everything to many on this journey.But they soon find out that pleasing everybody is impossible and so they find themslves trapped.But those who trust in the Lord are free from the traps of the people pleasers.The last proverb sets up an paralleled contrast:godly people hate the wicked,and wicked people can't stand the righteous.The wicked detest the righteous because the godly exposes what they do as evil.

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1)-Why does it take courage to follow God in an Unjust world?

2)What can people do when they see that the wicked are prospering?

3)How do you back up what you say by your actions?

4)When does anger become dangerous?

5)What is the advantage of being humble and notprideful?

6)What happens when we fear others more than we trust God?

7)Why is it important to trust God for ultimate justice?

For next weeks lesson read Ecclesiastes chapters (7-10).