Turn with me to Proverbs 3, reading together the first 12 verses. Once again, the text this morning, verses 5 and 6 of Proverbs chapter 3. My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart. For they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes for fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. Then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent His rebuke. because the Lord disciplines those He loves as a Father, the Son, He delights in. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you want to get a job, you've got to go through that application process. You've got to fill out an application. and an important part of that application process includes previous experience. In order for you to convince a prospective employer to give you the job and to trust you with the responsibility of that job, you must sell yourself. High school kids, summer's coming and maybe you need to go out and get a job. In the same way, you've got to in some way sell yourself. Prove that you can do what is required of you. You must prove that you are worth it. And your resume, which shows not only the education that you have had to prepare you for that particular job, but also shows your experience, your resume must be crafted in such a way to make you look good. To make you look impressive. To make you look dependable. But you know what? That's not how it is in the Kingdom of God. Those who are enlisted in the Lord's army, those who are called by God for service in His kingdom have nothing useful in themselves to bring to the task. We were reminded of that in the second question that Aaron and Jessica answered, that we seek our salvation not in ourselves, but outside of ourselves in the Lord Jesus Christ. This text from Proverbs 3 instructs us as believers how we are to live and how we are to travel the pilgrimage of this life. Now we know, we're familiar enough with the book of Proverbs that we know that it contrasts wisdom with folly or foolishness. And these same two characteristics are actually contrasted in this text. And therefore, I preach to you this Word of God regarding the path of true dependence, which first of all forsakes self. Secondly, it completely submits. And finally, it leads to safety. When we talk about dependence or depending upon something, And we're talking about where you place your trust. And the idea here is that of security or stability and foundation. And the question we need to answer is this. What is my foundation? Where do I place my trust? And according to the text, the answer is very simple. The foundation must be the Lord. The path of true dependence is trust in Him. That's the path of wisdom. But the path of foolishness is the trust in myself. That's more natural for us. And that's why we need to consider, first of all, that the path of true dependence forsakes self. The text says, lean not on your own understanding. Now the word translated lean has the idea of to lean upon, to trust in, to be supported by, or to rely on oneself. Boys and girls, if I lean up against this pulpit, The pulpit's holding me up. If someone came and pulled the pulpit away, I might fall. I depend upon the pulpit to hold me up right now. Or we lean against the wall. That's what we think about when we talk about leaning. But it's more here. The idea here carries with it the idea of a foundation, an undergirding. But again, children, we know that the proper foundation is important. Think of a building. Think of this church building. The better and stronger the foundation, the better and stronger the building that rests upon that foundation will be. And if the foundation caves in, the building is going to fall over. The story of the foolish man building his house upon the sand and the wise man building his house upon the rock teaches us this. But the Word of God commands us as believers to not lean on our own understanding. To not build upon our own understanding. to not use ourselves and what we think is best for a foundation. We are not to rely on what we think is best apart from God's instruction. Our knowledge, that is man's knowledge, apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit, is dangerous because as Scripture makes clear, our knowledge can only lead us down the path of destruction. To lean on one's own understanding is to treat God as non-existent. And that is foolish. Because He alone is the source of life. The psalmist David in both Psalm 14 and Psalm 51 says the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. And David goes on to make it clear that the workers of iniquity, those who do not call upon God, they have no knowledge. They have no true understanding. true knowledge and true understanding you see exist only in a saving relationship with God apart from God man's knowledge is just lies that leads one further away from God beloved the Bible is clear that the way of the fool is the way apart from God if you pick up a concordance and look up the word fool or fools or foolish you'll see this quite quickly Proverbs 28 verse 26 says He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered. Proverbs 18, verse 2 says, A fool has no delight in understanding. And of course, Proverbs 1, verse 32 teaches what the end is of leaning on your own understanding when it says, For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them. Why? Because the way of fools is the way of evil. Verse 7 of chapter 3 says, Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and shun evil. I trust the warning is clear here. We cannot depend upon ourselves because simply we are undependable. Adam and Eve found that out the hard way. And if you consider the history of God's people, especially the Israelites in the Old Testament, and every time they took matters into their own hands and trusted in themselves, they fell to idol worship and disobedience, and the road led them to misery and punishment. As well, this was our Lord's warning to the religious leaders of His day, the scribes and Pharisees in the New Testament. In essence, He said to them, don't depend upon yourselves. Don't depend upon your works to secure the Kingdom of God because it won't work. Our own sinful understanding will not lead us to God, beloved, but it will only drive us further from God. What does Romans 1 say? That the wicked suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness and trade, exchange that truth of God for the lie. In fact, it was our own understanding, wasn't it? Our own understanding that rejected the Lord Jesus Christ for which He went to the cross. You see, He didn't fit the Jews' expectation and understanding of what the Messiah was to be like. And therefore, away with Him. We know better. We don't need Him. And again, children, if we put this in terms of a building, our understanding is not safe. Our understanding is structurally unsound. It is to be condemned like a building that's ready to fall over at any moment. It will fail. It will fall. Our understanding is nothing more than a sandy foundation that is quickly washed away as we are tossed to and fro by the whims and the ideas of the world. You see, apart from God, we cannot help ourselves. We cannot bring about anything good for ourselves. We cannot turn things to our good because we are totally depraved. As hard as that may be for us to hear that, it's the truth. Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, We are totally depraved. We can do no good in relation to God. The path of true dependence is not found in our own understanding. That's foolishness. But it is found only in the wisdom of God. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. In all your ways acknowledge Him. That was Paul's instruction as well to the Ephesian church. As he says in Ephesians 5, see then that you walk circumspectly, Not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. What does Scripture teach us about wisdom? Well, again, it teaches us that wisdom is the way of the Lord. And if we were to define wisdom, we could say that it is the proper use of knowledge to choose the right end. the right goal and to choose the proper means to accomplish that goal or that end. And this alone comes from God. Psalm 111 verse 10 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. And that is somewhat repeated in Proverbs 9 as well. Psalm 37 verse 30 says, The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom and his tongue talks of justice. And then Proverbs 28, verse 7 says, whoever keeps the law is a discerning son. Congregation, the path of true dependence, includes forsaking self and instead trusting in God and His Word. You see, that's what confessing our sins and professing our faith in God is all about. It is to say, I don't want to trust in myself because by the grace of God, I know where I will lead me. straight to hell. I'm undependable. But I believe in God through the Lord Jesus Christ and I trust Him alone for salvation. And parents, when we present our children for holy baptism, we confess that they're God's children first of all. God's children, a trust given to us. And we don't want to raise them according to our understanding, but we ask God to raise them through us according to His wisdom. As believers, it must be our desire to forsake ourselves more every day in the power through the operation of the Holy Spirit. And it must be our prayer that God will increase our trust in Him daily because, as the text says, the path of true dependence then also completely submits to God. Boys and girls, for those of you who are taking notes, that's the second thing we want to consider. First of all, the path of true dependence forsakes itself. And when that is done, then naturally, it completely submits to something else. To God. To God. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. In all your ways acknowledge Him. Complete submission. Now first of all, what does it mean to trust in and acknowledge the Lord? To trust in the Lord is to have hope and confidence in Him. It is to find our security in Him. And again, believers are commanded to do this. We are commanded to have a firm confidence in the wisdom and in the power and in the goodness of God. And that means to believe that He is able to do what He wills, to believe that He is wise to lead us to the proper end, and that He is good according to His purpose to do what is best for those who love and serve Him. Our dependence upon Him must be with complete submission, Complete satisfaction. And this is to be childlike trust. Boys and girls, if you're stuck in a tree, you can't get out, can't get down. And a stranger comes walking by and says, Jump, I'll catch you. You don't know that stranger. You don't trust that stranger. You probably, I hope, won't jump. But if mom or dad comes by and says, My child, jump, I'll catch you. You trust them. They have proven to you many times that you can trust them and that indeed they will do all they can to catch you so that you won't hit the ground. This is to be childlike trust. Without a doubt, trust. Unwavering confidence in our Father's well-proved wisdom and faithfulness and love. This trust is to be with all your heart. Psalm 62, verse 8 says, Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us. You see, the whole heart is to be used. The heart is the command center for life and all its activities. From it flow the wellsprings of life. From it proceeds the thoughts and words and actions and emotions and intentions and desires of man. To trust and love God with a whole heart is to concentrate the whole inner life on the active contemplation, that is, the active thinking on of God. And as well, it is to be ready to obey His will with a whole heart. We are called to confess our dependence upon God. You see, congregation, the idea of leaning on something is included in this trusting. It is the idea of trusting by leaning with the whole body upon something. Think again to my earlier illustration. If I'm leaning against the pulpit like this, if someone pulls their way, I might fall. But you see, I'm still a little bit on my own two feet. I might be able to keep my balance. But not so apart from God. We do not stand on our own two feet. Just as we are to not lean on our own understanding, the contrast of that is we are to lean completely with all our weight, as it were, upon God and His Word. Proverbs 3, verse 1 says, My son, do not forget My teaching, but keep My commands in your heart. The heart of the matter, as Paul says in Romans 12, verse 2, is that believers are to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And the way to trust in God, beloved, but as with His Word deposited in your head and on your hearts. But this complete submission also includes acknowledging the Lord, and this in all your ways. Often when we acknowledge someone, it may be no more than acknowledging their presence with a nod of the head or with a wave of the hand, simply to notice them, but nothing more. But the idea here is so much more. To acknowledge God is to give Him first place. It is to consider Him and His importance. It is to discern that there is no other equal to or more important than Him. And whereas trusting Him with the whole heart speaks to the inner man, this acknowledging Him in all our ways is talking about that inner trust then as it comes to outward expression. And therefore, all of life, all of my actions, everything that I say and do is to be done in the realm of God's presence. Acknowledging that my life is completely bound up with Him. And this means, beloved, that all of our decisions, for example, big and small, are to be made in the light of and by the counsel of His Word. And there is nothing that we are not to take to the Lord in prayer. I don't know how else to say it. If we had a chalkboard up here, We could together brainstorm of all the ways that God is concerned about us. We could list them one by one. But all means all. Acknowledge Him in all your ways. The whole of life belongs to Him and it's to be lived according to His will. Young people, children, this is something that you need to learn. We all do. But especially in those teenage years of life. Whether you're on the basketball court or the soccer field or in the recital room or the acting stage or whether you're on the beach or in the mall. In all your ways, acknowledge Him. And you know what? This is even true when we don't agree with His Word. So many have taken the Word of God and said, well, I don't agree with that part, and in essence I'll tear it out, and they come up with a Swiss cheese Bible. Because we don't agree, when we don't agree with the Word of God, it's not His Word which is wrong. This may come as a surprise to some of us. But it's our understanding. And when that's the case, we are to completely submit to His will. Our whole walk of life, our occupation, our education, the way we raise and educate our children, how we worship, and all things must flow from God's wisdom. Not our own. In humility, we are to ask for God's direction, knowing that we are completely dependent upon Him if we are to follow the right way. The path of true dependence is the path of trusting and obeying God, and only this path then leads to safety. The text says, and He will make your paths straight. Now, many of us are familiar with the translation which says, and He shall direct your paths. It says the same thing. But this is not saying that no evil will attack believers or that temptation will be a thing of the past. It is not saying that we will always be healthy and wealthy with no earthly worries. This is not saying that we will be free from persecution. If that's what it meant, then this would contradict the rest of Scripture, especially when Jesus says, whoever wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me. What this does mean, congregation, is that when the difficult times of life and the persecutions of life come the believer's way, then by the grace of God, we can count it all joy for Jesus' sake. What this does mean is that with God leading and directing our paths, we will get to where we need to be. Without Him, we won't. Only with Him will we get there. Those who faithfully, by the grace of God, follow the spiritual pillar of cloud and fire shall find that although it may lead them through quite a pilgrimage in this life with with maybe many mountaintop experiences but also many deep valley experiences yet it will lead them the right way and will bring them to the heavenly canaan at last our god whose word is a lamp into our feet and a light into our paths not only lights up the narrow way but he removes the harmful effects of any obstacles notice how i said that he doesn't remove the obstacles necessarily but he removes the harmful effects of any obstacles that may stand in our way and his promise as we find it recorded in isaiah 43 is this when you pass through the waters i will be with you when not if and through the rivers they shall not overflow you when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned nor shall the flame scorch you beloved that's his promise and what a promise it is Proverbs 1 verse 33 says but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without fear of harm in verses 7 and 8 of chapter 2 he holds victory in store for the upright he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones. And beloved, this is our confidence because our God is faithful. 1 Corinthians 10.13 says, No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. And as well, Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 3, But the Lord is faithful who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. Beloved, to walk by faith means obeying and trusting in God even when you don't have all the facts. Even when you don't completely understand. I've shared with a number of you the tragic accident in Kalamazoo Tuesday, the day after we came home, that a dear former elder of mine, 68 years old, was killed instantly. His brother dropped him off in their helicopter As he got out, his hat blew off. He instinctively went after it and the propeller hit him. Killed instantly. We don't understand. We don't know why. But we do know that God is merciful. We do know that His way is perfect. That He never fails His people. Our God is the one and only sovereign God who knows the end from the beginning. and He has secured the path for the believer through His own Son, Jesus Christ. He has proven His faithfulness and He has already guaranteed His promise of eternal security by the death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Those who lean on their own understanding travel down the broad road that leads to eternal death and destruction and apart from repentance of their sin and faith in Jesus Christ, they can never get off that road. But the message of the Gospel is this. That for those who trust in the Lord with all their heart and in all their ways acknowledge Him by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, their sins are forgiven. Jesus Christ has been punished in their place. And they are directed by the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life as He directs them down that narrow road that leads to eternal life. Beloved, where do you place your trust for salvation? Where? Upon whom do you lean? Not just a little bit, but completely. Upon whom do you depend? May it not be yourself. Because the truth is the only thing we contribute toward our salvation is our sin. and our need for salvation. That's the only thing we contribute. But God is faithful. And He alone is to be our portion and our delight, our sure foundation, whose resume is the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ, our eternal inheritance is secure, kept in heaven for those who believe. And together may we be challenged to trust in the Lord with all our heart and may our daily prayer be with the psalmist. Lord, send out Your light and Your truth. Let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy hill. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, what is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That's the straight path which God promises to those who truly depend upon Him. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, our prayer is that You would indeed take away from us our conceit. Take away from us our self-reliance. Take away from us all boasting. and anything that would draw us away from leaning completely upon You. For we know that You alone are our foundation. You alone, through Jesus Christ, have lifted us up from the miry clay and set our feet upon the rock, Jesus Christ. We cannot stand upon our own two feet, but yet we give You thanksgiving and praise that Jesus Christ has stood for us, stood in our place, and taken our place. And therefore, He's given to us His perfect righteousness and the forgiveness of sins. Lead us and direct us, each and every one, in Your holy way. In the name of Jesus, we pray these things. Amen.