The Banquets of Death and Life

oh clap your hands all you people come on come on brothers come on i want you to lift up your voice a little bit louder tonight i know we've already had some worship but somebody give him praise come on man let there be something that gets inside of your spirit and this comes out of your lungs and your voice one more time this evening come on somebody lift him up and thank you for the word we've already heard hallelujah oh hallelujah you could be seated in the name of the lord god bless you wonderful men what a what an honor it is to be with you here this evening and let me first say wow what a word we just heard from pastor james chester could we give our ministry director a great big hand we give him honor and we love him not just honor we love him thankful for his vision for for men and this movement god has anointed him for such a time as this to his team pastor nate batson pastor reinhart pastor mcgee and all the ministry team could we give them a great hand for putting this conference on doing this with great excellence give honor to our general superintendent the bishop of our organization bishop kenneth carpenter could we give him a great big hand we honor and love you let's give this church another great big hand this music the production thank you so much for leading us in worship god is going to bless this great church i want to take just one quick moment and say to all the men in my life i give you honor the lord knew i needed all the help i could possibly get and he put men of god who were respectable holy anointed and wise i give honor to my bishop bishop billy mccool tonight he's not here to my pastor and my father-in-law pastor mark mccool to my brother pastor anthony mccool to a man who invested in me pastor john vasquez who's investing in others across the world right now to my pastor from back home pastor tim gill he is my father in the faith and he is ill this week and couldn't be here but i know he is watching and praying and i give him honor to bishop ml walls bishop steve wilson to pastor darren may and one of my closest and dearest friends josh wilson i give these men great honor tonight i love them very much i give them honor god bless you dare i love you man god bless you and to the men of fac knoxville i want to say i love you and honor you all the men who are here from fac knoxville i honor you and to all the speakers we're looking forward to tomorrow please be here tomorrow don't miss the panel tomorrow and the preaching from pastor traxel and bishop carpenter if you have your bibles you can just stay seated if you'd like i want you to go with me to proverbs chapter number nine we're going to read a portion of scripture here i have wrestled brothers i have wrestled for months with this with this message and i am very nervous and i feel quite uncomfortable in this moment and i just pray the lord would allow me to say what he has put in my spirit i say it with clarity to you tonight now listen i know it's 9 10 and some of you were begging for more overtime last week in a football game can you can you can you handle some some preaching for a little while now listen you can watch six hours of football can you can you come on you spend a bunch of money to come down here will you help me preach for a little while don't beg for more overtime and pray that your pastor will preach less i'm already preaching there goes my nervousness there it's gone proverbs 9 beginning at verse number one wisdom has to build her house she hath hewn out her seven pillars she hath killed her beast she hath mingled her wine she have also furnished her table she has sent forth her maiden she crieth upon the highest places of the city and this is what she says whose so is simple let him turn in hither ask for him that wanteth understanding she sayeth to him come eat of my bread drink of my wine which i have mingled forsake the foolish and live and go in the way of understanding now let's jump down to verse number 13 because we have the contrast of this initial a foolish woman is clamorous she is simple and knoweth nothing she sitteth at the door of her house on a seat in the high places of the city to call passengers who go right on their ways who so is simple let him turn in hither and ask for him that oneth understanding she saith to him look at the difference stolen waters are sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant but he knoweth not that the dead are there and that her guests are in the depths of hell tonight i want to preach to you men with your help and the help of the lord the banquets of death and life the banquets of death in life would you put your bibles down your tablets your devices and would you let me pray for just one more moment father father father will you help us tonight will you help us one more time these men have traveled here they have invested their time and their resources and i pray lord that you would just speak something lord let there be a spirit of revelation and understanding and illumination that the word of god can only do in the spirit mixed with faith would bring forth a harvest in these men's life if it not be today god let it be tomorrow it'll be next week let it be next year at the seeds of your word would bring forth a great harvest in jesus name we pray and everyone said amen won't you clap your hands one more time tonight come on would you clap your hands just a little bit loud i want to hear some men come on i want to hear some men i want to hear a warrior right now i want to hear a man who's desperate for a tiola boshata i want to hear a man who's desperate for some wisdom in this house oh god oh he's going to do it you can be seated the banquets of death and life when people think of proverbs they often think of it as a storehouse of advice to navigate life and that's true to an extent many of the proverbs though are written from the vantage point of a father to his son multiple times from proverbs chapter number 1 through chapter number 9. this is really the first unit of the entire book this theme of my son is given it's important to make note of this theme the son is to take his father's thank you thank you thank you i need it man the son is to take his father's advice that he might mature into manhood containing inspired instruction the father intends to prepare his son to face the challenges of life for instance he explains how a man should respond to wealth work and words what he's to expect when faced with wicked and scheming people most importantly how to fear the lord and to keep him at the center of his life therefore the first nine chapters of proverbs are the introduction into the entire book the the word sun is used 60 times in proverbs the phrase my son is used 25 times in proverbs most of them found in chapters one through nine parents have a moral obligation to lead their children in the paths of godliness and wisdom dads don't just teach your kids how to shoot a basketball hit a golf or catch a fish teach them the difference between wise and foolish living train them up to be worshipers train them up to be givers train them up to love truth train them to be faithful train them up that's what the bible says in proverbs train up a child in a way that he should go and when he i wish somebody was helping me right now when he is old he will not depart from it don't just train them to to exercise their muscles but train their hearts minds soul and spirit and just let me say we are teaching our kids actively and passively whether you are intentional or not you are teaching your actions and your attitudes are teaching your children brothers your children know what's important to you they know what's important to you by your behavior and by your actions if proverbs was written from the vantage point of a father to a son then we must realize its importance to our manhood oftentimes in churches the only time we hear of proverbs is on mother's day when a sermon is drafted from proverbs 31. but i want you to know something if you want a proverbs 31 woman you need to be a proverbs 1 through 30 man don't ask god to give you a virtuous woman if you're lazy angry can't keep a job immature foolish and frivolous with your money the first 30 chapters are for you and that's why it's more than just one because we need all the help that we can get so we can have a virtuous woman someone say man wisdom isn't about age i know a lot of old fools i know a lot of young wise men in our mess just because you have gray hair or no hair doesn't make you wise the call of wisdom is for the young and the old and if we're going to be the type of men god is calling us to be in a world that grows ever darker then we must be men of wisdom someone say amen along with this theme of the father writing to his son he uses and he employs another theme and that is the theme of the invitation an invitation is a request of the presence or participation of someone to an event place or opportunity and it bubbles to the surface throughout proverbs 1 and 9. the father warns his son that he's going to be invited to two things wisdom and folly the father he doesn't he just doesn't present these two invitations in a black and white manner instead he employs imagery that would stand out to a young man the very opening chapter of proverbs chapter number one we see the two invitations immediately proverbs 1 11. my son if sinners entice thee consent thou not if they say come with us let us lay wait for blood let us look privily for the innocent without cause and we have the invitation of wisdom wisdom cryeth without chapter number one verses 20 through 23 she uttereth her voice in the streets she cries in the chief place of the concourse in the openings of the gates in the city she uttereth her words saying how long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge turn you at my reproof behold i will pour out my spirit unto you i will make my known my words known unto you wisdom and folly are always inviting men chances are you have the invitation on the way here you've even had it probably today before you walked in the doors of this beautiful church and we see the invitation he uses this theme in a way to make sure he he allows his son to see that invitations are always enticing solomon personifies wisdom and folly as two women inviting guests to their banquets in chapter seven there's a prostitute inviting the simple young man this is contrasted in chapter number eight with the invitation of lady wisdom inviting all men to partake of wisdom's delights this brings us to the climax of this unit in chapter nine where wisdom invites people to her feast and folly in the form of a harlot invites the simple to her feast i want you to notice here in chapter number nine two hostesses two invitations two banquets two groups of guests two ways of life two outcomes it's the banquets of death and life wisdom and folly first in chapter 9 we have this invitation of wisdom lady wisdom or woman wisdom invites her guests in proverbs 1 8 and 9 we see wisdom isn't hidden where no one can hear her invitation rather wisdom has made her invitation in the most public of places where the people are gathered but who is she appealing to it says in chapter 1 and chapter 8 and chapter 9 it's the simple ones she calls out to how long will you remain in your simplicity in chapter 8 she calls out to men and the children of men in chapter 9 she cries out for those who lack sense in chapters one in chapter eight she cries out for the scoffers and the fools to forsake their way she's crying out for men wisdom is inviting men to her banquet wisdom isn't just for the wealthy healthy beautiful smart and privileged or educated wisdom is for whoever will pursue it wisdom is not particular about who will seek after wisdom but any and all who want it can have it wisdom has built her house in chapter nine she has prepared her food mixed her wine slaughter the beast to be eaten and set the tables her house is built on a firm foundation with seven pillars her banquet awaits her guests and will come and dine these metaphors are used to give us the rich picture of life spent with wisdom wisdom is offering the best life can offer it's a royal invitation to live a life of wise manhood and can i tell you wisdom's resources never run out you will never plumb the depths of wisdom completely there will always be eternal depths and heights and links to wisdom never stop looking for wisdom never stop pursuing after wise living but can i tell you you have to have an appetite for it if you're going to come to the banquet of wisdom you must have the appetite let me tell you about what you have to do to get the appetite to have wisdom number one you must have the fear of the lord the beginning of wisdom is in fearing the lord men need to live in all of god's power and glory but too many men fear what other men think they're afraid to worship they're afraid to pray they're afraid to be holy they're afraid of what other men think of them but i want to tell you that is foolishness and if you're going to be a wise man you're going to have to lay down your fear of others and to become in awe of the presence of god oh is he looking at me what's he going to think about me can i tell you who cares i'm in the presence of the lord and i'm gonna lift up my hands i'll lift up my voice i'll shout i'll run i'll roll i'll give i'll be faithful i'll be i don't care what you think about me i want to have the fear of the lord if you're going to be wise you must fear the lord and not fear your brother we got too many men who who stand and sit in our churches other either on their hands or their hands or in their pockets well we might think that i'm emotional or something but then your team loses and you got to get on twitter and make a rant but then you come to church and you sit there like a bump on a log while you're a preacher come on we need a healthy fear of the lord and our men who say i don't care what you think about me i want to lift up holy hands without with that fear of my brother making fun of me and you don't need to fear what your wife thinks of you either she wants you to worship she wants you to lead your family in faith don't worry about your what your kids think show them train them i wish somebody would clap their hands right now who's not afraid to give the lord some come on who's not afraid to lift up the name of the lord on a sunday or a friday i'm not afraid to come to prayer meeting i'm not afraid to come to wednesday night i'm afraid to tell my boss no on overtime i got a fear of the lord and that's where wisdom begins jesus number two to have an appetite for wisdom you're gonna have to desire it james said if any lacks wisdom let him ask god for it you know what god wants to give you right now wisdom but we have not because we ask not we're not afraid to ask for a raise we're not afraid to ask for a promotion but we're afraid to come down here and pray and ask god to help us have some wisdom to navigate a dark world brothers we need to desire wise living but the problem is we desire too many other things we're so filled up with carnality and worldliness and politics and sports we have no room for wisdom number three have an appetite for wisdom you have to be teachable if you're going to be a wise man then you have to be teachable a know-it-all isn't wise you know the one thing that i know it all doesn't know is that he doesn't know it all and too many of us come to our church services acting like we know everything that's in this book and we sit back there and scroll through instagram and espn can i tell you you're gonna have to be teachable if you're gonna be wise pride and arrogance have to be dismissed if we're going to be teachable ain't nobody going to tell me what to do you know who i am yeah a fool and you're cursed because you won't be teachable i ain't going to let some man tell me what to do but you'll let your manager or your boss or your supervisor tell you but then a man of god who's prayed and fasted his guts out get up and preach he said i ain't going to do all that brothers we need to have a teachable come on pastor teach it preach it come on i got all the time in the world it's teach me preach to me pastor to me lord reprove me number four have an appetite for wisdom you must have discipline someone has said god uses disciplined people god will use the man who is disciplined one who develops self-control and self-denial but he also must be willing to suffer reproof the lord disciplines those that he loves and if you won't submit yourself to discipline and reproof you can't be teachable you can't be wise and you'll never grow can i tell you about the feast that wisdom has spread if you're hungry let me tell you what she'll give you chapter number three long life shall give you riches oh i want riches chapter number three also honor chapter number three verse number 17 peace so what i'm telling you is what wisdom is offering at her banquet in enduring wealth that sounds pretty good oh there's some guy's ears perked up he's in riches and wealth yeah invite me to that lord just let me try you know we pray lord i you know i'd like to have a million dollars just let me try it lord i promise you if you will give me a million dollars i'll tithe it just let me try but you're making ten thousand dollars every six months and yet you still won't tithe so don't tell god you'll tithe the million if you can't tithe on 10. just let me try he is he's letting you try by being a steward over a little and so you can be a root i wish somebody was hearing me right now he's inviting us to wisdom right now he's inviting us to the banquet of riches and blessings and long life she's spreading out our table and here's righteousness here's blessing here's understanding and it says there and i got all these in my notes i'll share them with you if you like them verse number chapter number 24 there's a destined future as they sang about earlier that's what she is spreading out for her banquet godly wisdom brothers and sisters when we partake of wisdom it nourishes us and nourishes us with three things that i can find at least three things that i can find in proverbs number one the knowledge of the holy chapter two verses five through six to give you a knowledge of him you can have oh i'm afraid some of us are at the banquet and living on riches and blessings when really the the feast of the meal is knowing him we're settling for his hand when he wants to give us his heart and his mind jesus number two god's hand of protection if you want god's protection come feast at the table of wisdom number three eternal life these are the three things that i could find at least that godly wisdom nourishes us with and so when we partake of the banquet of lady wisdom we get life and we get blessing and we get a destined future but there's one more invitation because everybody if there was just one invitation we'll choose that one but there's always a tree in the midst of god's provision that he says don't eat from this tree because there's always two invitations the banquets of death and life if there was only one choice we would all make it but there's two and this is where we live as men that we're always straddling the line from wisdom and foolishness while lady wisdom honestly offers her guests life woman folly deceitfully leads her simpletons into the pit of death the reference to the strange woman is often viewed in religious terms as the solicitation to evil and folly folly's invitation is always seductive the lips of foolishness are seductive and oh so sweet her words are so soft and smooth but the sweetness never survives it's always short-lived before long she's gravel in your mouth and a pain in your gut and a wound in your heart lady folly dances down the perfume path to death headed straight for hell and taking every foolish man with her solomon said this as i stood at the window of my house looking out through the shutters watching the mindless crowds stroll by i spotted a young man without any sense arriving at the corner of the street where folly lived then turning up the path to her house it was dusk the evening coming on the darkness thickening into the night just then folly met him she'd been lying and wait for him dressed to seduce him brazen and brash she was restless and roaming never at home walking the streets loitering in the markets hanging out at every corner in town soon she has him eating out of her hand bewitched by her honeyed speech before you know it he's trotting behind her like a calf led to the butcher sap like a stag lured into ambush and then shot with an arrow like a bird flying into a net not knowing that its flying life is over brothers folly is calling out folly seductive and alluring speech is nothing more than a trap to maim and kill you the banquet is not for you the banquet is you her banquet table is spread with what she has stolen because stolen waters are sweet you are her prey she's not slaughtered anything because you are her prey lady wisdom has slaughtered her beast and prepared it lady folly says you are the beast that i've come to kill the table is set for your life she will come to steal not just bread and water but she's come to steal your reputation steal your marriage she'll steal your family she'll steal your ministry then she'll steal your life let me just tell you what folly's banquet is spread out with number one laziness i'll never commit adultery but you can't keep a job either because you sleep in all day play xbox all day scroll on twitter all day i'll never do this but you sure won't do that i'm too the bible calls him a sloth so lazy he'll put his hand in the dish and so lazy he won't even ah forget it that's what a proverb says let me tell you about another thing that folly puts on her banquet table and that's anger hot-tempered men are foolish men how never until your political party doesn't get voted in oh i'm sorry was that something i said i'll never until my team loses then you break the tv you throw the remote control you break the dish throw a temper tantrum because dinner wasn't ready that's at the table of foolishness adultery is at folly's banquet table it's the lustful eye constantly dwelling and thinking upon what you might do if you had an opportunity what you would sacrifice if you just knew she would text back let me tell you what else is at folly's banquet table cheating others in business not paying your bills oh it's still in proverbs by the way i haven't got to the gospels yet like get that guy out of here this is what folly it will it will seduce your pride your arrogance your bitterness slander gluttony and rebellion that's what folly is putting on her table she's saying come on come on big boy what's what's your delight it's not adultery got a good marriage but you won't pay your bills open up a new credit card pay off that credit card with that credit card oh that's not that's not you oh maybe just fibbing fibbing on the work time sheet prideful come in to church and won't lift up your hands because you're afraid of what people think of yes brian but let me tell you after you know after you eat something you know you know that you shouldn't hate it you're like man that was good and you're like i just probably should have ate so much of it or had fourth and fifth portions you have the after effects of what you've dined on now can i tell you the after effects at dining at folly's banquet table regret judgment shame debt reproach and death that is what you will feel can i just let me go give you one go back and give you one of these regret this is the prayer of a man who ate at the banquet of folly proverbs 5 12-14 how i have hated instruction and my heart despised reproof and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor inclined my ear to them that instructed me i was almost an all evil in the midst of the congregation and the assembly let me read that last verse in the niv and i was soon in serious trouble in the assembly of god's people brothers being unteachable will lead you down the path of foolishness you'll try to justify your ignorant decisions and try to outreason people wiser than you and you'll end up in a graveyard of regrets oh how i've despised instruction i have hated reproof can i tell you brothers you better hear your pastor you better hear your preacher you better it's going to save your soul but let me tell you something we have been given a weapon against folly proverbs 6 23-24 for the commandment is a lamp and the law is light and reproves of instruction are the way of life to keep thee from the evil flattering woman you know what we've got we've got a sword we've got the word of god to help us to teach us and to instruct us in the ways of wisdom what will keep you is the commandments and the law i tell you you're never too old for your pastor you're never too wise for god's word you're never too strong for scripture don't let the only time you see a bible is when you open up your hotel dresser drawer get in the word of god you want to know why you're losing you want to know why you're defeated all the time you're not taking up your sword you're not taking up the word of god and fighting back he has equipped us with a sword of the spirit which is the word of god if you want to fight for your family get in the word if you want to fight for your righteousness get in the word if you want to fight for your kids come on he has equipped us come on you better have an answer you better have an answer when folly invites you when anger comes calling you better have an answer when lust hands you an invitation you better have an answer when immaturity invites you to remain a child you better have an answer when pride starts speaking to your flesh you better have an answer when rebellion invites you to forsake god's word in this church you better have an answer when laziness invites you to call in sick or sleep in rather than go to the house of the lord you better have an answer when the adulterous woman likes your picture and sends you a dm you better have an answer better yet you better have an answer before the invitations ever given to you you better have your no in your spirit you better have a no in your spirit i'm almost done i promise foolishness has cast down many good men many men have taken a fire of anger into their bosom and been burned many men have walked upon hot coals of rebellion and ended up wounded many men have committed adultery and had their soul destroyed and their approach has not and will not be removed that's what the bible says brothers don't go to the banquet of death let me ask you a question whose table are you sitting in you need to take an invitation of the table you're sitting at right now are you surrounded with men who look as if they're growing spiritually or are you sitting at a table with men who are decaying with every bite of foolishness are you sitting with men who are leading their marriages and their families with faithfulness and integrity or are you sitting with men who sit at home go fishing and hunting while their wives leave their marriages and family to church you can sit there think you can be seated stop running slow down calm down are you sitting with men who live to be part of god's mission or are you dining at the table of apathy i don't care doesn't bother me nothing are you constantly dining at the banquet of entertainment sports lust politics and carnality or are you dining at the banquet of holiness prayer worship faithfulness and god's mission are you sitting with a table of people and men who are thriving or dying you better look around and see who you're with because you show me your friends you show me your associations and i'll show you your end stand with me stan jesus help me one of the most prevalent metaphors found throughout the first nine chapters in proverbs is a hebrew word translated in the english as way path or road this word occurs over 25 times in the discourses and they're implied throughout this first nine chapters the path is a rich metaphor for one's actions in life it implies a current point of origin where you are in life now a destination where you're going and the key transitional moments like a fork in the road in fact to the sun he stands in a fork two roads two paths two banquets and two ends and the father my son my son choose wisdom and forsake folly he warns him oh jesus help me he warns him there is a crooked way and a dark path and that's where danger works in the ancient near eastern culture to eat with someone was considered a deep form of an intimate relationship with that person wisdom wants a relationship with you and folly wants to kill you but the bible says in proverbs there is a way which seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways or the banquets of death brothers we are living in a day that many things seemeth right we need to avoid the seemeth right ways because there is a clear crystal path for the right way the clear way isn't crooked or dark the crooked path leads to crooked decision making and crooked living in other words it's foolish living and it leads to the banquet of death what path will you take oh i feel the holy ghost i hear the voice of a young prophet thus saith the lord stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way therein and ye shall find rest for your souls but they said will not walk i hear the voice of a poet thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path i found it interesting as i read today the young man in proverbs 7 was trapped by the adulterous woman look at proverbs 7 and 9. pull it up for me if you can production team proverbs 7-9 he is trapped by the adulterous woman in the black dark knight if you'll stay in the light of god's word he'll keep you away from the temptress that's in the dark i wish somebody would lift up their hands right now come on there's a there's a prophetic word in this house right there is light in the word in the ways of wisdom and it will lead to protection it'll lead to light there is a banquet brothers i wonder there would be some man right now who would come and say lord let me choose wisdom lord let me choose life let me choose to feast and dine jesus said come and dine come and dine come on maybe you've made some foolish decisions you can turn it around if you're here come on you can turn it around if you're here it's not over you can turn it around there's a path right before you that's clear that's lit up and it's the way of wisdom but there's a dark way there's a crooked way there's a foolish way men brothers forsake it forsake the foolish way come on we need some mature men we need some wise men and they say when i became a man i put away childish things i put away foolish things i forsook folly that's what paul said we're going to have to make a decision it's time to put away some laziness it's time to put away some anger it's time to put away lust it's time to put away lying and cheating i gotta put it away i'm becoming a man i'm becoming a wise come on brothers cry out right now desire it do you have an appetite for wisdom do you have an appetite do you have an unsatiable appetite for wisdom cry out desire it call out for wisdom she's your sister he said call out for her she's there wisdom is here come on wisdom is here she's crying out to you if any of you lack wisdom just pray and ask for it he'll give it the father of lights the father of lights will illuminate the path to wisdom come on come on let him touch you let him touch you let him touch you let him touch you let him anoint you one more time let him inspire you and encourage you one more time come and dine wisdoms banquet come and dine at wisdom is bangla come and die where's this come on brothers come on man come on elder come on young man cry out for it cry it [