Sermon outline: This is an abbreviated outline with the complete sermon downloadable at the bottom of the post.

Title: Life Principles from the Book of Proverbs

Introduction: God’s Word was written for our instruction. As one must dive deep for pearls and dig deep for precious stones, so must we delve deep into God’s Word if we are going to uncover its powerful principles.

I. Let Not

Proverbs 3:3
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.

Mercy, truth, sound wisdom and discretion are to be grasped. In order to take hold of them, we must turn loose of pride, error, simple-mindedness, and human folly.

II. Lean Not

Proverbs 3:5–6
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

We must trust God in all things and never demand an explanation for what He is doing in our life.

III. Lust Not

Proverbs 6:25
Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

Lust causes one to lay aside reason at the expense of reality. The first step to fornication is rebellion against authority (Proverbs 5:11–13). The reality of lust and its consequences is that one must surrender his honor, accomplishments, health, and eventually his life. When one gives himself over to lust, he sins against his own mind, emotions, and body (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:13–20; 1 Thessalonians 4:17).

IV. Love Not

Proverbs 20:13
Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

I heard a poem once that said, “You better work while you can, be a diligent man. You better get up and work and not sleep. Work and hoe, watch them grow. As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

V.        Labor Not

Proverbs 23:4–5
4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Earthly riches are temporal and fleeting. Live not only for time, but for eternity. As the songwriter said, “One short life will soon be past only what’s done for Christ will last.”

VI. Look Not

Proverbs 23:31–35
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

Alcohol is the number one drug in America. There are more deaths attributed to alcohol than experienced in all our nation’s wars combined.

Conclusion: Take the Challenge

Read a chapter of Proverbs each day. There are 31 chapters to correspond to the days of the month.

Proverbs 4:7
With all thy getting get understanding.