I. Introduction
A. In 30+ years, this is first time I’ve preached on the subject of peer pressure, because I was afraid my friends would make fun of me if I did.
B. Read Proverbs 1:10-19
II. What we learn from this passage:
A. There are people who are out to exploit others for their own benefit. “greedy for unjust gain”
1. Why? It’s easier than work.
2. And it’s about power: having power over other people.
B. They want company: to feel better about themselves and about what they’re doing
C. To some degree all of us are vulnerable to this appeal, for several reasons:
1. The people around us influence us.
a. 1Cor.15:33 “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
b. It’s obvious. We’re a product of our culture. This is what is behind Paul’s instruction in Rom.12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
c. So you’ve got to be careful about who you hang out with.
2. This temptation is especially strong for youth but we all like to take advantage of have power over others and benefit from the work of others.
a. This isn’t just them. It’s us. It’s me and it’s you. There is a impulse in all of us to take advantage of others, especially those who are weak in some way and can’t defend themselves against us.
(1) Bullying
(2) Sexual
b. Perhaps we exploit others in more socially acceptable ways, but it’s a temptation for all of us.
D. We’ve got to be ready to resist.
1. Staying away from those who entice you to do evil is not the main point of the passage.
2. The passage assumes that all of us at times are going to be pressured or enticed by others to do things we shouldn’t do.
3. And in particular, we’re going to be pressured to engage in behavior exploitive of others.
4. And it tells us to resist:
a. 10 “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”
b. 15 “My son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths.”
E. People who exploit others are ultimately ruining themselves.
1. The Bible never says “just say no,” “just don’t do bad things.” It gives many reasons why to avoid doing bad things.
2. And the point made here is that when you do bad things to others, you are harming yourself: “In vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.” v.17-19
3. This is a strong theme in the book of Proverbs:
a. 26:27 “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.”
b. 22:8 "He who sows wickedness reaps trouble."
c. 11:19 "He who pursues evil will bring about his own death."
4. The one who plants evil will reap evil. The one who sets out to do bad things will have bad things done to him. You reap what you sow.
5. This principle is not just a natural characteristic of the universe. It is true because the universe is ruled by a just God.
a. God notices what happens on the earth. He keeps track of what's going on. An earthly master might neglect you and your service might go unnoticed, or an earthly authority might not notice some great failure on your part and fail to render justice, but not the heavenly Master. He will never forget (Heb.6:10).
6. And the opposite is true, too. The one who sows good will reap good reward. Some get more earthly reward and for others it mostly comes as heavenly fruit. But all who are faithful will receive the true fruit in abundance. The Lord “rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Heb.11:6)
7. But someone might say, "This isn't what I've observed in my life. The wicked seem to prosper and I, trying to be righteous, seem to sputter along." (This perception/complaint is addressed head-on in Psalms 37 and 73.)
a. But we need to go no further than Prov.11:18 "The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward."
b. Sin promises a reward but only deceives. For a time it may look like it is prospering, but its prosperity is deceptive.
c. Righteousness delivers every time. At times it looks like it's not working. At times it even appears to be hurting and doing damage. But it can be counted on to work. It is a sure-fire thing because God is a sure-fire God. But often we will not see the fruit until later.
d. Think about it from the perspective of a farmer. Fruit is not immediate. It doesn't come as soon as the seed is planted. The harvest follows long after the planting process. The wise person is the one who recognizes that it is coming and prepares for it by planting seeds now that will produce a good crop later.
8. How does a person’s evil deeds come back on his own head? There are many ways it can happen:
a. The revenge of the victim
b. The betrayal of your fellow abusers: If they exploit others, why not you too?
c. The civil authorities: Police, fines, jail, etc.
d. Kicked out of school, home, support cut off
e. People stop trusting you, liking you, wanting you to be around, start resenting you
f. On a deeper level, exploiting others empties your soul.
g. It’s actually possible, not likely but possible, that there won’t be any consequences for it...until you die and face your Maker.
h. But however it happen, it all happens because there is a God of justice who sits on the throne of the universe who sees everything that happens and in the end makes everything right.
i. God is the friend of the poor, He is on the side of the little person. Remember that Jesus said it would be better for you to have a millstone tied around your neck and thrown into the sea than to make one of these little ones stumble. Mt.18:6
j. I was recently watching a crime show scene: there was a serial killer being interrogated by the authorities. He was pleading for mercy from the prosecutor, who responded to his plea with this: “How about all those women you killed when they were pleading for mercy? What did you do to them?”
k. Remember last month’s passage? “I called and you refused to listen, I stretched out my hand and no one heeded, because you ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. They will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.”(Prov. 1:24-28)
III. Conclusion: The great question in life is who each of us is going to listen to.
A. Since the Garden of Eden, man has been hearing two voices: God’s voice and the voice of Satan, whether in the form of a serpent, or a thought from within, or pressure from without.
B. Do you remember what God spoke from heaven on the Mount of Transfiguration? Matthew 17:5 “A bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’”
C. Listen to Him! How could God have made it any clearer? Listen to My Son!
D. In 1983 a 100ft section of a bridge on I-95 in Connecticut collapsed and a fell into the river 70ft. below on a dark, foggy, rainy night. A man was driving along slowly because of the poor visibility, focusing on the truck in front of him, leery of running into a pile-up. Suddenly the truck in front of him disappeared. He slowed down as he came to where the truck had disappeared and saw that the road was gone and that the truck must have driven over the edge and fallen into the river below. As a desperation measure to stop anyone else from driving off the edge, he turned his car around and pointed his head-lights in the face of on-coming traffic. Then he stood by his car to wave down the next cars which came along. The next car that came along slowed down as they saw his headlights, but instead of listening to his warnings, the driver shouted at and cursed the man as he drove by, and then drove right over the edge and fell seven stories into the river.
E. In love God warns us. But many refuse to listen. They don’t want anyone telling them what to do. They want to do what they want to do.
F. But when you don’t listen to God’s warnings, you are ruining yourself.